A/N: A new chapter, hooray!

Welp, some of my drafts in my chapters here coincide with Fairy Tail's disbandment in its latest chapters. O.O

I can really use that time to place events in the Clock Tower… XD

With unpaid work weighing down on my shoulders together with a Master's course on its finishing touches, I can only pray to the Lord for His guidance.

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 14: Indecisive

Day 2: Evening

The beautiful raven – black haired lady in a blouse of pure white and black slacks contrasting the whiteness of her blouse trudged along the path where she is walking.

Alone.

She immersed herself into a deep thought as the Holy Grail War took a turn for the worse. Someone summoned her comrade, and at the worse possible state that she is in as of now.

Heroes are summoned in the prime of their lives, as the Great Grail figured that in order to have a magnificent battle, a hero must be summoned in the peak of their strengths. This will enable a hero to use their Noble Phantasms more effectively than they can ever be.

Unfortunately, being summoned in the prime of their strength means that their weaknesses are also in its prime.

In the beautiful Assassin's case, it will not be her name that will reveal her weakness.

Rather, it will be her faith in the organization that she is formerly in. Her faith in them is too astounding, too beautiful that the leaders have called it a curse. Unnamed and unrecognized, the organization of silent killers for faith called Hashashin outcasted the lady for her "sins".

Still, she never bore hatred to any of them for their actions, believing that her faith is still weak.

That will be her weakness that she will bear for the entire Holy Grail War.

As she is about to enter their home, she felt something odd. Why is her Master not inside the house?

She now contemplated on one of two things. One, her Master had something to do so she now went somewhere else.

The other is a worst case scenario where her Master is taken away by other Servants or Masters. But then, she quickly discounted that possibility as she now realized that her Master have faced off with Berserker, dealt hard blows that can make any Servant, Magi, or even humans cringe, and even lived to see another day.

So she now walked carefully, trying to avoid any disturbance. Her Presence Concealment helped her do what she has to do in perfect harmony with the earth's rhythm. But then, that rhythm is disturbed by one person.

"Welcome home, Assassin."

She turned her head to see Mirajane in a vibrant crimson dress slightly adorned with white embroidery. The dress hugged her features snugly. She now yawned and stretched like a cat has awaked from a sweet slumber.

"We can talk about this later." Mirajane smiled. "For now, we must rest."

Assassin can only nod at the Master's invitation. Although she does not require of it as she is a Servant, it's nice to have a rest whenever they can have.

Day 2: Evening

At an almost desolate house, an old man awaits for his return. The old man, Matou Zouken, also called by his former name Makiri Zolgen, found it fitting to inhale the fresh winter air. It seems that his acquaintance has brought something interesting for him.

"Ah, so you brought some surprise home, Assassin." the Elder Matou acknowledged, with him seeing those events. But in order not to forget them, he now peered into his acquaintance through their Shared Perception and his familiars.

He now saw bits and pieces of information that he gathered all around the city of Fuyuki. From Assassin's memories, he first saw a large man who mercilessly tore away at his defenses like a piece of paper. The child with white hair and crimson eyes accompanies his journey through the Ryuudou temple as he goes on a rampage, clearing anyone and everyone who gets in their way. The monster even huffed away at Caster's attack like mere raindrops have fallen on his form.

"So Caster and his Master are dead. The Einzbern Homunculus participates in the Holy Grail War with numerous Command Seals. Berserker class Heracles. How fitting." He mused as he looked at his own Command Seals.

"Looks like I have to get some from that doll for later." He mused once again as he peered through Assassin's memories. Another picture showed up, this time showing Saber and her Master doing swordsmanship practices. He advised him earlier to let them be as they will be an invaluable asset for later. He saw something in the child that made him curious. Even more as the young Tohsaka tried to hide her blush at him coming over to her.

But that is not important to him as he is curious of one thing…

What he is curious about is this night. He found out that Lancer's Master is Kotomine Kirei.

Kotomine Kirei, the child who formerly had nothing in the past, has finally found out something about the Grail during the course of the Fourth Heaven's Feel. He will have to deal with him sooner or later first before he can take any action. He may be hard to defeat, as he has his Ba Ji Quan skills, but he will worry about that when the time comes to face him.

The other event that made him curious is the one who dropped the Dirks is also of a Hassan class. She wears the same black robes, has the technique of Shaytan, and…

Wait a minute…

"I am under the impression that they always wear a mask…" He mused once again when Assassin found it fitting to interrupt his thoughts.

"ZeALot…has…REtuRned! Kikikikikikikikikikiki!" He now revealed the identity to his Master on instinct, as though he expects that his Master expects a quick answer from him. Assassin chuckled as he found another prey to pounce upon. He will wait for the right moment to strike, as her Master is no ordinary Magus.

It will be fitting to say that she is of a demonic origin. She is the only Master who faced off toe to toe with Berserker and lived to tell the tale. He, therefore, must be careful to never cross her path or else suffer dismal fate.

"Ah, so you knew her from your past life." Zouken chuckled as this Holy Grail War will prove to be interesting for him after all. He thought that only children will participate in this war. But as he saw Kotomine Kirei's Servant and a wildcard Servant who Assassin knew in his former life, whoever moves their piece will determine the fate of the Holy Grail.

They both laughed like mad as the sun rises as a sign of a new day dawning upon them. It may be cruel for some, it may be a blessing for others. Either way, whoever makes the Grail manifest early will determine the course of the war.

Day 3: Morning

After a warm bath, cooking several dishes, and cleaning up the kitchen and dining room, they now prepared the table for a small discussion of their plan of action, now that the said events last night has set up another higher bar for them to overcome.

Assassin laid out all her musings that night, including her conversation with Lancer. Mirajane now pondered her thoughts over what their strategy will rely on next.

"Assuming that Lancer is a really nice guy, we can plan our next action much earlier than we thought we could." Mirajane now started her deductions like giving weather forecasts for this week. "But then I am worried about Lancer's Master…"

"The priest that supervises the war, I take it?" Assassin asked, remembering what the conversation entailed to between the disembodied voice and Lancer, to which Mirajane affirmed with a nod.

"It seems that the priest has done it in the past, but then we may not know if that event happened for real unless we ask him, and this is not the time to trust someone like him." Mirajane shuddered at the thought of going to that very church, for it will exorcise her demons inside her and will cause havoc on Fuyuki City if left unchecked.

"Ah, right." Assassin now frowned at the fact that her Master can never enter the church for the sole reason that she has the demons inside her that can be banished, ridding of her powers effectively. But then, her Master has a knack for finding other ways aside from consulting the overseer directly.

"Let's ask Tamamo – san!" She now cheerfully replied as she skipped towards her room. Assassin can only let out a soft smile as she now followed her Master.

She can put a palm to her face several times over for Mirajane's consultation. To think that she has the information, yet did not inform her fully about it only puts the strain on her nerves even more.

Which brings us to this situation as of now.

"Jiii…" The tail now stared dubiously at Mirajane's cheerful smile. It means that they haven't contacted the Emiya child yet on these matters. It is a serious matter meant to have a drastic action, yet they still consulted her on simple things like this.

"You sure are taking your sweet time." The tail now frowned upon their inaction. But then, Mirajane believed that they should not pressure the child on these matters that they can take care of unless it's necessary for them to do so.

"Not at all." Mirajane quipped with a small smile on her face. "In fact, I stayed wide awake last night…"

"…for reconnaissance, correct?" The tail finished to Mirajane's embarrassed expression. "And you did not take initiative to find out about…"

"Lancer's and Assassin's Master." Mirajane finished as she closed her eyes. "It seems that they use Lancer for reconnaissance too, but then, that very thing made me curious."

Knight classes are never supposed to be used just for observation, unless that that class has what it takes to be a recon expert. They are usually the ones who just rush into battle whenever and wherever necessary for them to fight, which is one of the Magi's weakness: Planning according to their Servant's strengths.

They get a Knight class and expect them to bash and slash while they stay comfortably in their homes, with numerous Bounded Fields no less, living the life of kings and queens. This is a disadvantage to which one man took it and played according to his advantage, except that he never involves his Servant in it as their ways in battle will clash like crazy.

"So, what will you do, then?" Mirajane asked as she saw the familiar pondering over the recent information that she gathered from them, before picking up the slack and tossing it back at them.

"What will you do, Miss Strauss?" She now asked as Mirajane closed her eyes. Assessing the past and current situation using her memory, she now formulated the most logical answer.

"It will be best if we do a contact with them as early as possible." Mirajane deduced. "It will be hard to never notify them as soon as possible. Given her time, this warrants immediate attention. Two Servants are now gone in a day."

"I can concur on that, Mirajane." Assassin agreed, as she saw the familiar's life force slowly ebbing away with each passing day. The tail tried her best to keep it in, but the the cat's out of the bag and she now has to endure it until the son of Emiya arrives. "Assassin proved to be dangerous for them. I…think…I can stall him."

Mirajane caught on to her indecisiveness on the matter, as the event left her shaken to the core. She can only pat her on her shoulder.

"Sooner or later, there will come a time when hard choices have to be made for the sake of someone else." Mirajane spoke as Assassin now looked up to Mirajane's form. She can only smile at her words of encouragement, but that will not be enough for her to bear hatred towards her own kind.

How…can I save him…then?

This is the only thought that occupied Assassin's head as she now walked on towards the exit, the casual clothes accentuating the Presence Concealment ability even more as she trudged on towards the Emiya Manor.

What she did not know is that someone watches her from a distance, mildly amused at her suffering, her undying faith, and indecisiveness. The figure then looked on towards the house, chuckled and slowly walked away, bringing with him the hat of invisibility by Hades.

Day 3: Morning

There is only one thing that he hates in early mornings and that irritated him to no end.

His eyes are now wide open in horror as he forgot the most elementary of things that he needed to become useful. He must never break that rule, and yet, for some mundane reason of not waking up, he woke up late for his daily fix.

"Crud, I forgot about my training in magic!" Shirou exclaimed with panic as he headed down the shed. He had a really good night's sleep after that tortuous and merciless slashing that is his swordsmanship training yesterday. He really wished that there will be days that he can study magic alone.

But then came the lady in red, Tohsaka Rin, who found it fitting to stay in their home to teach him proper Magecraft. His guardian will have a fit at her, but then, she knew Tohsaka, so the problem resolved in itself. His only problem is the Servant that can never manifest itself in spiritual form.

Saber.

The only Servant unable to go in spiritual form due to Emiya Shirou's lack of prana supply.

He can only sigh as time found it fitting to insult his daily schedule of training before using Magecraft. The one thing that he swore to never break will be broken eventually. But then, Tohsaka Rin has found a problem with how he used his Magecraft, so he can only stand by to watch how real Magi cast their spells.

So the best thing that he can do is to cook for the guests that he has in his house for the time being. Practicing Projection Magic is out of the question as he now closed the shed once again.

His only sanctuary where he can put his mind at ease is in the kitchen.

The kitchen is the only place where his creativity comes out the best.

It is the place where Emiya Kiritsugu once tried to cook something and that something is really an abomination to their eyes.

He now prepared his equipment and ingredients, took a deep breath and tried to take in the sight of all the ingredients before deciding what to do with it.

On instinct, he held his knife with a precision that can almost rival a chef.

Shirou's skills with the knife are incomparable with most of the chefs in Japan, as his simple thin slices of Kobe beef cannot be compared with the sophistication of most slices. It is as if he creates art with it and not merely a construct of the dish. The same can be said for the exquisite small strips of venison.

The menu has been decided. On a cold day, what they need is either a lavish hotpot or a simple ramen dish. Shirou chose the latter, and added certain twists to the dish by adding one Western concept and incorporating it in an entirely Japanese dish. How he will incorporate it has been decided upon bringing out the wok that has been his company since the days that he learned how to stir – fry dishes.

Along with the small grill plate, he now turned up the heat of the stove at a searing temperature guaranteed to sear everything to perfection even without the flames encouraging it to heat up even more. He closed the stove after letting the plate reach that temperature, since the plate's hotness can do the job all by itself. He then seared the thin Kobe beef slices lightly, turning it every now and then with chopsticks for evenness of the sears. Kobe beef, by principle, always stays thinly sliced since they only needed the flavor. Any thicker than that and it will be a desecration to that principle.

He then placed the seared Kobe beef slices on a plate, being careful to never destroy the thin slices. He then set the plate aside to begin the second procedure: stir – frying the venison.

Most restaurants like the venison rare, medium, or well done. But for Emiya Shirou, he has to desecrate that principle for the sake of its incorporation. He may be a strict by – the – book chef, but then he thought that creating dishes will never be fun without bending one or two principles.

He then heated the wok in high heat until the smoke rose, then he turned down the heat to medium to get a certain famous butter from New Zealand that appealed to his tastes from their refrigerator. He then set it aside while chopping garlic and a mild quality of chilli pepper. One must not make their dish too hot after all.

After that, he slices a chunk of butter, like the measurements have been determined by the chef on instinct, then he used it to coat the wok's surface. He then tossed the finely chopped garlic and pepper powder in the wok, and the resulting aroma flooded the room with a tasty smell.

He then tossed the small strips of venison and gave it a nice coating of buttered garlic. After a couple of minutes of stir – frying, he then placed the finished product on a bowl.

He then gets the broth from the refrigerator. The broth is a pork broth flavoured with certain mild spices to turn up the heat and he now heated it to a low fire. He then chopped the spring onions and leeks together and tossed it into the broth, together with a hint of salt, pepper and a small bowl of dashi broth.

Meanwhile, the ramen that he has been looking for so long has paid off as he tossed it in a boiler to let it boil. He then cooked the ramen to a suitable cooking temperature before rinsing the ramen of its water and re – soaking it in the same water to let it soften to its right tenderness.

He then drained the ramen of its water, and placed it in a large hotpot. He now checked the broth by using a ladle, pouring a small amount on a small saucer then tasting it if the flavors mixed right.

He now tasted the broth, found out that the broth is good, turned off the stove that boiled the broth and slowly but carefully poured the broth in the hotpot, finishing it with a generous amount of hard boiled egg slices and a seaweed paper for added flavor.

The only thing left is a hot pot of steaming white rice. He now checked the consistency and the cooking by lightly smelling it. He then found out that the rice is just right by that smell alone and decided to turn off the stove.

With the Kobe beef on a wide rectangular curved plate smudged with wasabi paste and a lightly brewed soy sauce on the side, a hotpot filled with ramen, a stir – fried venison and a steaming pot of rice, there is only one thing left to do.

Wait for a battalion of hungry beasts to finish his heavenly meal.

A/N: Another work finished. As I have said in my early chapters, I will edit this if I have the time.

I deeply apologize for the short chapter. I'll try to edit it to make it longer. :)

Thanks for all of those who read my two fanfics. Please continue to support it. :D