Fate Demon Fox

by nomorenamesleft

Slowly, I recovered from the light. The first thing I saw was several orbs of light hovering around my Servant. She had pink hair done in short twintails, a pair of fox ears and a fluffy fox tail. She was wearing a blue, traditional ero-kimono, geta and a mirror on a necklace around her neck. And she was absolutely, breathtakingly beautiful. "I ask of thee, thou art my Master?"

3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: First Encounter

And here we are, Chapter 3! Nothing much happened on Day 2 and Day 3, so I'm just going to mix all three days into one. Also, I'm not happy with the limited spells Caster has in Extra, and so I decided to give her more. However, I'm not good at inventing awesome Japanese names for spells, so I'm just going to steal as many spells and skills as possible from anime and games. Let's go!

Disclaimer: I don't own Fate/Stay Night

---

-Kousuke-

-Day 2, 1st December, Morning, Guest house-

"Uuuh…"

Opening my eyes, I sat up from the futon to the sound of cooking.

"Ah, ohayou, goshujin-sama!"

And I woke up to pleasant sight of Caster cooking breakfast in the kitchen.

"Did you have a good sleep? How was your night?"

I groaned as I remembered last night's events.

"Don't be like that, Master! Don't you feel super refreshed now?"

As a matter of fact, I did. Huh. Maybe this mana transfer has some advantages after all. I got up from the futon.

"I'm going to call Kojirou in for breakfast."

"Ok!"

Outside the guest house, I walked over to Assassin who was standing by the gates.

"Morning, Assassin."

"Ohayou gozaimasu, Master. Nothing eventful happened last night."

"Good work. Come on, breakfast is ready."

"…eh? Master, Servants don't have to eat. We can live off mana alone."

"Yeah, but isn't eating much better? Mana doesn't really have any taste, does it?"

"…Well, if my Master insists."

"Alright then."

Soon, the three of us were seated around the table.

"Itadakimasu."

Breakfast started. It was just so surreal. Eating breakfast with two powerful ancient spirits, not to mention the fact that they were both my ancestors. It almost felt as though there was no war going on.

"How is it, goshujin-sama?"

"Un. It's good. You're a great cook, Tamamo."

"Hehee, praise me more, Kousuke!"

"Is it really alright for me to not be guarding the gate?" asked Kojirou.

"Don't worry. Since both Tamamo and I are at the temple itself, we'll know whenever a Servant or Master enters its range, and when that happens, we'll just blast enough magic blasts down the stairs to blow them away. Your job is to protect the place when we're absent."

"I see. This is delicious, by the way."

"Thanks, Kojirou-san!"

-Later, Late morning-

"Alright, that's done. Now there…"

After breakfast. Caster was inscribing various kanji and runes on the temple grounds to set up her Bounded Fields. As for me, I was training with Assassin.

"!"

Bringing up my katana to deflect from the right, I maneuvered out of his range. Now, I was fighting purely off skill alone, without any physical Reinforcement at all. We've been going at it for 5 minutes, and I was already working really hard.

"As expected of you…you really are amazing with your Monohoshizao."

"I'm surprised at your skill as well, Master. Just from our short spar, I can tell that you have already surpassed the 4th head in swordsmanship when he was your age."

"Really?"

"Yes. Shall we continue?"

"Of course."

-Evening-

Caster and I were once again exploring Fuyuki to get to know the geography of the area. In the end, Assassin managed to get a small cut on my face which I just barely avoided, making him the winner of the duel.

"Master, those crepes look nice!"

"I haven't had any in a while. Ok then."

So we bought some crepes and ate them as we walked.

"Say Caster, how are you liking the modern world?"

"I'm loving it! It's great, and everything is really convenient!"

As we walked, we reached…a park. But to call it a park was like calling an elephant a dog. The ground was completely blackened, and the few trees around were all dead.

"Master…what is this place?"

"This is the site of the Fuyuki fire from 10 years ago. It happened at the end of the Fourth Heaven's Feel, so I assume that they are related."

"This place is horrible…I can feel the corruption just coming out of it…no one would have been able to survive this."

"You know, this feeling…I got a bit of it coming from…the priest."

Caster nodded.

"Yes, you're right. He was definitely here when it happened."

"I don't feel too good here. Come on, let's go home. I've seen enough of the city to be able to recognize it."

"Alright, let's go."

XXX

-Day 3, 2nd December, Morning, Guest house-

"Goshujin-sama, it's morning! Wake up~"

"Uuuh…do we have to do that every night…"

"Ehehe~"

Once again, the day was spent training, building more Bounded Fields and barriers, going into town, and returning. That night however, we were in for a surprise.

-Night-

"Master, Master! Two Servants are fighting!"

"Where, where?!"

I looked into the mirror Tamamo was using to observe the whole city. The feed was supplied by kanji Tamamo hid all over Fuyuki, which were more easily hidden than runes, even if found because we were in Japan. Even more cunningly, she wrote her surveillance kanji over existing kanji on storefronts, roadsigns and so on. Leaving them in plain sight.

"I think it's the high school, we passed, Homurahara Gakuen!"

"Issei's school?"

Looking into the mirror, we saw two Servants in a heated battle. A man in blue with a red lance, and a white-haired man in red with a pair of twin blades.

"The blue one is definitely a Lancer, but what about the red one?"

"He has swords, so a Saber?"

"Maybe. But he could be a Rider not using his mount to confuse the enemy."

"Let's keep watching."

We watched as Lancer and the other Servant traded blows over and over. While Lancer focused on attacking, the Servant in red just kept defending with his blades. The amazing thing was, each time a blade was knocked out of his hands, another would just reappear.

"Caster, is this…Projection?"

"Yes, but I've never seen Projection of this level before! He's dangerous, Master."

Projection, or Gradation Air is a Magecraft that materializes objects, in accordance to the caster's imagination, through the use of prana. The concept behind this Magecraft is rather simple, to shape prana into the material composition and design of an object that is being imagined by the magus. The item is not everlasting, as it is recognized by the world as a phantasm that doesn't belong in the natural world, and it will be erased as an inconsistency. The better the image in the caster's imagination, the more stable and longer lasting the object will be, and it can be further improved by having technical knowledge of its construction, such as a blueprint, or having materials to overlay the desired shape upon.

"Master, look!"

All of a sudden, the Lancer broke away from combat and ran in another direction.

"Is his Master calling him back?"

"Probably. He clearly had the upper hand."

As he left, a girl dressed in red with black hair tied back in twintails ran towards the Servant.

"That's definitely his Master."

"Yes. And I think…I might know of her identity…"

"Do you?"

"Umm…no, I don't."

"It's alright, Master. We'll just have to find out ourselves."

"Right."

-Past midnight-

"Master! Master!"

Just as I was about to turn in for the night, Caster shoved the mirror in my face so forcefully it almost smashed into me.

"Big news! Big news! Berserker and Saber are fighting!"

"What?!"

This truly was big news. Two of the strongest Servants, already battling it out this early? Looking into the mirror, we watched as the bronze giant swing his giant stone sword-axe at the blonde swordswoman, who was barely defending herself.

"Look, she already has an injury!"

I looked carefully at Saber, and she did have a somewhat serious wound on her upper torso.

"Berserker wouldn't have left that kind of wound, she would have been ripped in half by that sword. It's a puncture wound…she must have ran into Lancer."

"What kind of Berserker…is that?!"

We watched as the Saber slowly backs down with each of the giant's swings. As if sensing her weakness, the giant opened his mouth and let out what must have been a terrifying roar, for Tamamo's spell only transmitted images.

"Oh no!"

And in an instant, Saber was blown away into the distance. We watched as Saber's posture collapsed, and the lead giant chased after her like a madman.
"Master, look! Her Master!"

Tamamo panned the view around to see a teenage boy with deep-orange hair, standing there, not making a single move.

"He doesn't seem that Master-ish. Did he accidentally get involved in this."

"Oh dear…Saber!"

Moving the image back, we saw Saber fly through the air in a big arc, landing in a crumpled heap. Also, probably because Berserker felled the lamppost, we were viewing the battle sideways, so Tamamo rotated the image until it was upright again.

"Amazing…with that sort of wound, I'm absolutely amazed that she can still stand up to Berserker," said Caster.

As Berserker moved in to finish Saber, it suddenly received a barrage of magic attacks on its back!

"Master, that's the red Servant's Master!"

Indeed she was. Was she working together with Saber's Master? But that aside, Berserker was not even fazed by her attack. I really wonder what level of Magecraft I had to pull off to even make a scratch on him. Of course, Tamamo should have plenty. I hope.
"Incredible, she's still standing!"

We watched as Saber got up again, and Berserker continued pounding her relentlessly. But her posture was off, and the giant could tell. Letting out another furious roar, his swing finally connected with Saber's body.

"Ah!"

"What willpower…"

Even after a direct hit, with blood gushing out her, the blonde swordswoman stood up. Somehow sensing that his enemy has been defeated, Berserker stopped moving.

"Master, I found Berserker's Master!"

Tamamo spun the image to the right, to see a young girl with white hair and red eyes dressed in purple winter clothes.

"No way…is that really Berserker's Master?"

"That's…there's no doubting it. She's the Einzbern representative for this war."

"Einzbern?"

"Yes."

After briefly giving Tamamo a short explanation on the Einzberns, we continued watching.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING DON'T GO THERE!" screamed Tamamo suddenly.

"What hap-HOLY SHIT!"

We looked at the mirror to see the young man make a mad dash for the defeated Saber, and suddenly, he was on the ground, with his innards beaten out by Berserker.

"…It's over."

"Yes."

That idiot Master. He actually shielded Saber with his body! But…but…if it was Caster and I in that same situation…I probably would have done the exact same thing.

"Saber's Master…is definitely a good person."

"Why do you say that?"

"Just from that one action alone, I can tell…he cares for his Saber and doesn't treat her like a tool or a mere familiar…he treats her like a person."

"I see…hmm?"

Suddenly, the Einzbern Master left, bringing Berserker behind, leaving a heavily wounded Saber, an equally wounded Master, and the Master of the Servant in red.

"She…left?"

"Why?" I mused. "Her victory was 100% guaranteed."

"Maybe, some other reason? Something among Masters? The Einzbern looked like she knew the girl in red."

"I that's true, that means…she's Tohsaka!"

"You mean, the Second Owner you told me about?"

"Yes, I learnt about Fuyuki from my family and that the Second Owner, in charge of all magus-related things in the city are the Tohsaka, or something like that."

"I see."

Caster turned off the feed from the mirror.

"So, should we assume Saber and her Master have been defeated, goshujin-sama?"

"…No. Tohsaka should be a talented magus, and I know that it is still possible to save someone with their innards forcibly removed by Magecraft. Or his Servant might have a regenerative ability that can be shared with their Master. The point is, I'm not going to write off a Servant or a Master as long as their body is still in one piece and their head is still attached."

"I see. As expected of you, Kousuke."

Caster suddenly started smiling, and I felt a terrible sense of foreboding.

"I-UGUAGSHGU!"

And before I could even react, I was thrown into the futon with Tamamo again. Seems that I would have another night of being force fed mana by my Servant.

XXX

-Two hours later-

Silently, Assassin waited at the top of the stairs. He had already sensed the enemy approaching, but he would wait here, for he had the advantage in elevation. Finally, he arrived. Upon catching sight of Assassin, the intruder frowned.

"Who are you?"

"I am Servant Assassin, and the guardian of this gate. You are Servant Lancer, I presume."

"Assassin? I was told that Caster was up here."

"Oh? And where did you get such information?"

"None of your business."

As Lancer readied his lance, Assassin drew Monohoshizao as well. Lancer cocked an eyebrow when he saw its length.

"What kind of Assassin uses a sword? And a ridiculously long one, at that."

"I'm just a fake Assassin, nothing more than a mere phantom. My name is Sasaki Kojirou, and my one and only job is to guard this gate from intruders."

Slowly, Lancer grinned a feral grin.

"That must get pretty boring, huh?"

"On the contrary, my Master treats me well when he is around, and he is anything but a boring person."

Lancer grinned even wider.

"Well then, I'll be your opponent in this war then, Assassin!"

"I gratefully accept!"

And thus, the skirmish began. Lancer began his assault from below, but Assassin just stood on the stair platform.

"Cheh, this damn place is a terrible place to fight! Oi, move up, will ya!"

Assassin smiled.

"I am not obliged to give up my personal advantage here, so no thank you," he replied as he continued deflecting and parrying all of Lancer's attacks.
"All you do is defend! Throw in some offense, why don't you!"

"The best offense is a good defense, and vice versa."

By now, Lancer was getting slightly pissed. He was supposed to be the fastest Servant around, and yet this guy was keeping up with him perfectly. Also, you would think that a thin nodachi would break when used to block a weapon like a spear. It would, but all Assassin was doing was defending himself by deflecting the attacks instead of blocking them.

"Come on, fight me!"

Left, right, left, straight, below, left, all of Lancer's strikes were swiftly deflected by Assassin. When fighting someone with a sword, a spearman as the advantage, but Assassin's sword has about the same range as Lancer's spear, not to mention the height advantage.

"How about this then!"

Suddenly, Lancer launched himself towards Assassin, but he suddenly changed direction and shot upwards. Stabbing downwards at Assassin, he still managed to deflect it and Lancer was forced to return to his original position.

"Tch, you're good. Now, let's see you block this!"

For a moment, Lancer stopped attacking. But that moment was all Assassin needed. In one swift, graceful movement, his sword arched itself towards Lancer, who just managed to avoid it, but Assassin still managed to leave a shallow cut along Lancer's forehead. As Lancer backpedalled, Assassin spoke.

"I would recommend not using any skills which require charging of any sort, Lancer."

"Bastard."

And with a running start, Lancer jumped! Even higher than before, this time he was outside Assassin's range. But as the saying goes, 'The mantis hunts the cicada, but does not see the sparrow behind him'.

"…Hadō: Kōkyūha!"

All of a sudden, a reddish-purple ball of prana slammed into Lancer, damaging and knocking him off balance.

"GUARGH!"

"Assassin."

"Understood."

However, Lancer was still capable enough to deflect Assassin's strike and somehow land safely on a lower platform. He looked up to see Kousuke, with his foot still lifted from kicking the prana ball at Lancer.

"Keh, so, you're the Master of Assassin."

"Yes. Yes I am."

"You're good. For me to not see that coming, how long have you been watching?"

"All this time."

"I see. Well then, looks like my Master wants me back. Assassin! Next time we meet you better fight me properly!"

"I circumstances allow it, then I may."

The two watched as Lancer bounded down the stairs. Kousuke turned to Assassin.

"Well then, how was your first real fight in the Holy Grail War?"

"It was exhilarating, to say the least. I haven't been this excited since I fought Musashi."

"That was your last fight."

"Oh, right."

Kousuke took a deep breath.

"Are you tired, Master?"

"Of course I am. If you can find me a person that won't be tired after 'that' I'll be impressed."

"…'That'?"

Kousuke looked away.

"It's nothing…good night, Assassin."

"Good night, Master."

XXX

-Kousuke-

-Day 4, 3rd December, Morning, Guest house-

This morning, I woke up a bit later, because of last night's events. To be honest, I got lucky with Lancer last night. I didn't want to charge the Hadō with too much prana because Assassin too close and would get caught in the explosion if I used it at full power without its incantation, so I only used half power, without the incantation. However, since Caster had just given me mana, the Hadō was still powered more than it should, and after looking at Lancer's stats (Magic Resistance: C Rank), the 50% Kōkyūha wouldn't have damaged him at all.

"Ohayou, goshujin-sama!"

"Ohayou."

"Something important happened while you were sleeping!"

"What?"

"Saber and her Master are still alive!"

"What?!"

She nodded at me and gestured towards the mirror she hung up.

"Earlier, I saw the Tohsaka girl leaving. She seemed a bit upset, so that might mean that her alliance with him might have failed. Then, some time later, Saber and her Master left the house!"

"Really?"

"Where did they go?"

"The church, I think. I didn't really look that far. But more importantly, Saber's Master was completely healed!"

"What?! How? That was a near fatal wound! It should have taken a long time for a normal human to heal, even if he was a magus."

"I know! Maybe his Servant has a special regenerative capability after all."

"I see."

Suddenly, my stomach rumbled. I sighed.

"Way to ruin the mood…"

Tamamo giggled.

"Breakfast is on the kitchen counter! Assassin already ate."

"I see."

I started eating.

"Say, Tamamo…"

"Yes?"

"I have a question."

"What is it?"

"I want to meet Saber and her Master."

"Eh?!"

I nodded.

"They seem like the Master did not join the war on his own volition, so I want to know what he's going to do."

"But, did he reject the Tohsaka's alliance request or something?"

"Maybe. Since Tohsaka is a traditional magus, she probably will want to win the war by any means necessary. We, however, are only targeting Servants or incapacitating Masters to force them to surrender their Command Spells. Otherwise, we'll only kill them when absolutely necessary."

"Right."

"What I'm thinking is that he probably has the same mindset as us. So, I want to talk with him. I want to know where he stands in this war."

"I see. That's a good idea, Kousuke. So how are we going to find him? Because most of my 'cameras' were destroyed when Berserker trashed that particular area."

I smiled.

"Caster…we're going patrolling tonight."

-Midnight, Fuyuki Streets-

Slowly, we walked through the streets. Caster was dressed in her original clothes and myself in my traditional clothes. Suddenly, we stopped.

"They're nearby. Be careful, Master."

"Yes, Caster."

Carefully, we continued. But all of a sudden!

"Master!"

"Got it!"

In that split second, I drew my katana and barely deflected Saber's strike from above.

"Gaaah!"

She. Was. Strong. Damn strong. Despite using a technique similar to when Assassin deflected Lancer's strikes by redirecting them, the shock travelled up my arms and I could barely feel them, especially since I only managed to sloppily Reinforce my arms in case of emergency. Even so, I realized that she was aiming for Caster, not me, so she must be acting on the orders of 'attack the Servant, not the Master'. Saber however, landed with a surprised look on her face.

"Master, are you alright?!"

"I guess…keh…"

"Hold on, I'll take care of that!"

Caster slowly massaged my arms. I could feel her prana flowing gradually into me, and soon I was back to normal.

"How…did you deflect…my sword?"

"Saber!"

Her Master ran around the corner, and caught sight of us. Sheathing my sword, I held an arm up.

"Greetings, Master of Saber. Before we go any further, let me just say that I wish you no harm."

"Really?"

"Shirou!"

Saber was obviously still tense, but Shirou, her Master was looking at me.

"Let me introduce myself. I am Yagami Kousuke, and this is my Servant, Caster."

All three of them suddenly looked incredulously at me, for I had just divulged my Servant's identity.

"Master! What was that for?!"

"Isn't it customary to introduce yourself before you ask someone for an introduction?"

"Oh, right, sorry. I am Emiya Shirou, and this is my Servant, Saber."

This time, Saber was the one yelling.

"Shirou! Why did you divulge our identities!"

"Eh? No, he introduced himself, and he seemed polite, so…"

"Hmph!"

Saber turned back at us and stood in a defensive position.

"What do you want from us, Caster and Master?"

"I came because I wanted a talk."

"A talk?"

"Yes, a peaceful talk."

Saber still seemed suspicious.

"Saber, I think we should at least listen to them."

"Shirou!"

"They haven't even attacked us or anything."

"…Understood."

Grudgingly, Saber sheathed her sword. I breathed a short sigh of relief.

"Thank you for your understanding, Saber, Shirou."

"Well, what is it? Speak."

"I am here to confirm your intentions for the war."

"Intentions?"

"From what we've seen, you would rather focus on the enemy Servant instead of going after the Master, is that right?"

Saber involuntarily stiffened, which was obvious since I just told them that we've been watching them in a subtle way. Shirou however, did not notice.

"Yes. We will only fight to defend ourselves. And even if we do fight, we will only target the enemy Servant."

I nodded. Ignoring the surprise attack by Saber, I replied.

"Good. Because that too, is our plan for the war."

Shirou looked relieved.

"I see. That's good. I'm relieved that there are others in the war who share the same thoughts."

"That's why, I want to propose a truce."

"A truce?"

"Yes a truce. Instead of an alliance, we'll have a truce. We won't attack each other unless we're the last two remaining. And even if that happens, it will be a fight between Servants, not Masters."

As Shirou opened his mouth, but suddenly his expression changed.

"Wait…you haven't told me what your intentions for the grail are. If they are evil, then I cannot be involved in a truce with you."

I nodded.

"That's agreeable. To be frank, as of now, I have no wish for the grail."

The two of them looked surprised.

"You don't?"

"Yes. I only participated in the Fifth Heaven's Feel to bring honour and victory to my family, who have never been chosen for the Heaven's Feel for the past 200 years. However, I must ask you the same question. What are your intentions for the grail, Emiya Shirou."

"I also have no wish for the grail. My goal is to prevent the grail from being used for evil intentions."

Beside us, I could see both our Servants shaking their heads, as if in mutual agreement at the fact that both their Masters were currently wishless.

"It seems that we are slightly alike in some ways then. Well then, shall we call it a truce?"

"Yes, I accept."

We walked forwards and shook hands with each other.

"Do have anything else to talk about, Yagami-san?"

"Well…there is one thing I'm interested in."

"What is it?"

"Actually…it's about Saber."

"What about her?"

"As a swordsman myself…I want to request a duel."

All three of them looked at me in utter shock.

"What?"

"Pardon?"

"Kousuke are you serious?! You saw how she stood up to Berserker! And how she easily cut out Rider's abdomen!"

I nodded.

"Well yes, but I have trust in Saber that she is an honourable swordswoman."

Suddenly, Saber spoke up.

"What are your terms for the duel?"

"We fight to disarm. We shall not be assisted by our respective partners. Minor injuries are acceptable."

"Very well, I accept your challenge."

"Master!"

"Saber!"

Both our partners cried out in indignation.

"Shirou, please stand aside. Do not fret, I definitely will not kill him."

"Caster, please. I'm sorry, but I need to do this."

Slowly, Shirou and Caster backed away. Facing each other, we drew our swords. I read her Servant stats. Or the only three that currently mattered.

"Strength, B. Endurance, C. Agility, C. This is going to be tough."

"You were the one who issued the challenge, were you not?"

"Yes, yes, I know."

"Well then…I shall begin!"

In a flash, Saber was onto me. I have never been so grateful to the fact that I had physically Reinforced myself while we were talking, and thanks to the fact that my clothes were also Reinforced the same way as the Enforcers of the Magus Association, I was just barely fast enough to keep up with her.

"!"

Slash, swing, slash, thrust, stab, slash, overhead, swing, feint, stab, uppercut, all I could do was defend against Saber's relentless attacks. Although her attacks were only marginally slower than Assassin's, her Strength more than made up for it. Despite the fact that I kept redirecting the force of her blows, every single one of her strikes shook me to the bone.

"Haah…keh…"

Finally, after about half a minute, I managed to backpedal and land safely behind me on my own two feet. Saber stood her ground, and seemed slightly impressed.

"I'm impressed, Kousuke. I never thought that a human could ever match a Servant in combat."

"Hey, I'm overexerting myself over here you know, cut me some slack."

"Oh, but I am? I would not use the full scope of my skills against someone who isn't a Servant."

"Ouch, that's a blow to my pride…oh well, I guess there's no better time than now to reveal them."

Taking of my glasses, I saw the world grow slightly blurred for a split second before I closed my eyes.

"Kyōka no Magan."

And when I opened my eyes again, the iris had turned scarlet as I felt a surge of renewed strength flow through me. Saber visibly flinched, Shirou took a step back, and Caster was surprised.

"W-What's that?!" exclaimed Saber's Master.

"Master, you have Mystic Eyes?!"

"Mystic Eyes…"

"Yes, the Mystic Eyes of my family, Mystic Eyes of Empowerment. With them activated, my body is physically enhanced. The level of enhancement is equal to the skill one has is using them. Not everyone is born with them however, and they require extensive training to be used properly."

I held my sword up. It was my turn.

"As for me, my abilities are increased…tenfold."

And faster than I could have ever dashed, I rushed at Saber, and immediately began feinting in every direction. After the 11th feint, I began attacking. I kept striking at her with everything I had, but she blocked everything with little effort. However, I could tell that she was in a state of great concentration. Suddenly, she found a break in my pattern, and swung her sword in a massive arc! But I managed to jump over her and slash at her on my way down, but she still managed to counter, and I was thrown backwards.

"Just as I thought, ridiculously strong and fast with incredible instinct, you are an incredible swordswoman, Saber."

Saber smiled a small smile as she prepared herself.

"As are you, Kousuke. I have vastly underestimated your abilities. But now, I shall be going at my full strength! Prepare yourself!"

This time, she ran at me even faster, but with my Mystic Eyes, I just managed to perceive and predict her movements. Like as though in slow motion, I evaded her first strike, went in for an attack, and time sped up and we were going at full throttle. Left, right, above, left, below, front, back, right, slash, thrust, dodge, parry, deflect, slash, swing, above, right, backhand, I really was being pushed to me limits. The weakness of a katana versus a broadsword was that it is meant for speed, not power and therefore will be damaged, if not outright broken if it is used to block a Western sword. However, after using my sword for 18 years, it had also developed some power of its own.

"Haaah!"

As she came in for an overhead slash, I suddenly switched fighting styles and instead of deflecting, I blocked it head on.

"Grrrrhk!"

I could literally feel my feet being pushed into the ground, but I held on. Saber however, was full of shock.

"It didn't break?!"

I used that lapse in concentration to unleash a counter slash, but Saber just managed to dodge it. However, I chased after her and followed up with a large downwards strike. She evaded it again, and my sword became embedded in the road from the force behind the attack. Pulling my katana out, Saber stared at me with narrowed eyes.

"Your sword…it's not normal. Have you placed some sort of Magecraft on it?"

I smiled.

"Well, it is Reinforced, but let me tell you something. For members of the head family, their swords must be crafted and completed on the day of the baby's birth itself. I know, it seems impossible, and the crafter must have an absurd sense of timing. Basically, the newly made sword, with its blade crafted from tamahagane will be handed to the baby for him or her to touch on that very same day. It's an old family tradition, so it's not questioned, but it's believed to link the child's soul with the sword itself."

I ran a finger down the back of my katana.

"My sword was given the name 'Yattsugami', named by my grandfather. For the past 18 years, I have been training with it, using it, and taking care of it for almost every day that I'm with it. In fact, after pouring so much prana into it, somehow, without any knowledge of how to do so, I have established a link between my soul with my sword. It has become my very own Mystic Code."

Holding my swords in both hands, I stood ready to face Saber.

"The things it can cut are second to none. As long as I am alive, my sword will never break!"

Suddenly, I rushed at Saber, who was slightly caught off guard as I started before finishing me sentence. As if on a sudden whim, she held her sword in both hands over her shoulder, as if preparing for a massive swing.

"Very well, but can you handle this?!"

"Master, watch out!"

"Saber, wait!"

"Invisible Air!"

I stopped as her sword released a massive burst of compressed wind at me.

"Master!"

"Yagami-ryū Kenjutsu."

In swift, flowing movements, I rapidly sliced at the air in a dozen arcs in front of me, and as the burst of wind approached, it was literally sliced it away, and it blew past me, causing a substantial amount of destruction behind me. In fact, I sliced so fast, the silvery-white afterimage of my sword could be seen, looking just like a white lotus. And that, was the origin of this move's name.

"Byakuren."

As the wind subsided, all three of them were looking at me incredulously.

"Now that was a shock, Saber. I thought we were going on pure swordsmanship alone. Saber suddenly looked guilty.

"No, it's my fault! I got to excited, and-"

"Payback time~"

"!"

Moving faster than I previously was, I was right in front of Saber.

"Yagami-ryū Kenjutsu."

"Saber, careful!"

"Setsugetsuka!"

Using my foot as an axis, I spun in a full circle, my sword leaving a silvery trail as I swung it.

"!"

However, just before the executed the move, Saber leaped away. When my posture returned to normal, everyone watched as I turned around.

And the edge of the corner wall, along with a stop sign, was cleanly sliced off and fell to the ground with a crash and a clang.

"For a human to do this, how is this possible?!"

"That, was two of the Yagami Family Sword Arts. Throughout the 800 years of our history, many members of the family have invented their own signature, one-hit kill moves. All of them are recorded, and are taught to the future generations. Some are easier to master, but some are harder, and the hardest could take years, even decades, but thanks to my Origin…"

And that was sort of truth. However, they were actually a non-Magecraft related mystery of the Yagami family. The name of the move itself is a one-line aria. First, one must master the move itself normally. When it has been completely mastered, and the practitioner says the name of the move, od is consumed from his body as the 'mystery' is actualized, causing the practitioner's sword to be able to perform actions a normal sword would not be able to, such as cut through stone. As compared to actual Magecraft performed by magi, this is akin to the conceptualization of the decades of sword training an individual puts in and centuries of history our family has. Of course, being a magus itself helps in learning and performing the techniques.

As everyone waited for me to continue, I stopped talking, sheathed my sword and gave a bow.

"Well then. It has been an interesting night for me. Thank you for giving me such an experience, Servant Saber. But now, it's time for us to leave. And we shall, but with a bang. Caster"

"Right!"

Caster began muttering in archaic Japanese I couldn't even understand with one hand raised above her head. As for me, I held up my right hand, palm out, grasped my right wrist to support it, and began chanting.

"kunrinsha yo! chiniku no kamen, banshō, habataki, hito no na o kansu mono yo!"

As I recited the incantation, a ball of red prana materialized and grew in my palm of my hand. As for Caster, a large fireball began growing.

"Saber!"

"Shirou, watch out!"

"shōnetsu to sōran, umihedate sakamaki minami e to ho o susume yo!"

Finally, both our spells reached full power, and we both finished our respective incantations.

"Hadō: Shakkahō!"

"Enyōdama!"

We both launched our spells, and where they collided, there was a massive explosion of flames and prana.

XXX

-Shirou-

Slowly, I moved my hands away from my face. I could feel the explosion from here, and when I looked, there was a large crater in the ground, and the road was blackened and smoking.

"I thought we had a truce!"

"Shirou, calm down."

"Saber?"

"They never targeted us to begin with?"

"Eh?"

"To be more direct, they were just…'showing off'."

"Showing off…"

"Yes. I am certain that they already knew that level of Magecraft would not hurt me due to my Magic Resistance, but either way, it seems that they have left us something."

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, I saw a piece of paper on the ground where Kousuke and Caster stood. I went to pick it up.

"What is it, Shirou?"

On that piece of paper was a mobile phone number, and a line of text.

"I am currently staying at the Ryuudouji. If you ever need anything, call me, and we'll decide a time and place to meet."

"Did he give us a method of contacting him?"

"Yes, he did."

"I see."

Looking around, I sighed.

"Well, let's go home, Saber."

"Yes, Shirou."

XXX

-Kousuke-

-Guest house-

Without saying a word, I toppled onto the futon Caster had set out before we left.

"Are you alright, Master?!"

Panting, I replied.

"Yes…just, really…tired…physically…"

God, I could barely move a muscle after our duel. The next time we run into a Servant, I definitely have to get Caster to Reinforce my body until I can punch through steel or something.

"I see. Say, you really haven't told me the finer details of your Hadō and Bakudō yet. Can you pleeease tell me~?"

With a sigh, I began explaining. The founder of our family Magecraft, the first head, Yagami Masahiro, was orphaned while he was still an infant. He was found by a passing onmyouji and was taken under his wing. As he grew up, the onmyouji noticed Masahiro's latent magical ability and decided to educate him in the art of Houjutsu. Soon, Masahiro began experimenting with his Thaumaturgy and thus, developed 2 sets of 99 spells, Bakudō, the Way of Sealing, focuses on barriers and seals, as well as incapacitating and immobilizing your opponents without actually hurting them (with some exceptions though). Hadō, the Way of Destruction, focuses on just that. Destruction. Explosions. While they seem like they lack the power of Formalcraft and rituals and any mysteries of proper magi, 800 years of accumulated history and experience have added to the power of the spells. Also, the fact that every single spell has had its description, incantations and effects so painstakingly and specifically invented and recorded by the 1st head, their power does not fall too short from the Magecraft of a proper magus. Since each and every spell has such specific effects, I like to compare them to a gun and its bullet, where the magus is the gun, the spell is the bullet, the mana required is the propellant and the knowledge to use the spell is the knowledge to operate the gun.

The lower level spells can be easily learnt, most of the middle-level spells need to be constantly practiced, but can usually be mastered within weeks or months, while the higher level spells need years of training in Thaumaturgy, as well as requiring the use of ofuda, paper talismans generally used in Houjutsu and Onmyoudou . All spells other than lower level spells have an incantation, but the incantation can be discarded when casting, which results in faster casting time, but less power. However, depending on the levels of Magecraft of every individual, an incantation-less spell can even be stronger than a spell with its incantation. Personally, I prefer Hadō, because who doesn't like blowing things up?

I rolled over, my body still aching, as Tamamo slid into the futon next to me.

"You know…I can help you with that aching body of yours, Kousuke~ In fact, you don't even have to do anything, I'll do all~ the~ work~"

At this point, I was too tired to even reject or fight her off, and I would probably recover faster this way, so I just accepted. All in all, it was definitely an eventful night.

---

WISEUP: Servant status added.

CASTER

Master: Yagami Kousuke

True Name: Tamamo-no-Mae

Weight/Height: 49kg/163cm

Sex: Female

Alignment: Neutral Evil

STR: D

END: D

AGI: B

MAG: A+

LUC: C+

NP: B

Class Abilities-

Territory Creation: A-

Territory Creation is the skill to build a special terrain that is advantageous to oneself as a magus. At A- Rank, creation of a "Temple", which is superior to a "Workshop", becomes possible. Caster's original rank in this ability is C, but being summoned by a suitable Master, summoned with the proper catalyst, and the presence of Japanese soil has increased Caster's rank to A-.

Item Construction: B-

Item Construction is the skill to manufacture magical items. At B Rank, Caster is able to make various magical artifacts of great power, but items like potions of limited immortality are beyond her reach.

Skills

Witchcraft: EX

Witchcraft is the Dakini heavenly methods. It includes methods to discern one's time of death and secret arts to obtain influence, such as methods to attain status and fortune (for men) and methods to gain the favor of influential individuals (for women). However by lamenting harshly learning from experience in the past, Caster does not feel like making much use of this

Shapeshifting: A

Shapeshifting refers to both borrowing bodies and appearance change. A method used by the millenary spirits of foxes and badgers of China that are put on par with Tamamo-no-Mae. Caster's particular take on shapeshifting is similar to that stated in the Fengshen Yanyi, but once again, Caster does not feel like making much of an use of this due a trauma of the past, but if needed, she will do so.

Divinity: A-

Divinity is the measure of whether one has Divine Spirit aptitude or not. At high levels one is treated as a mixed race of a Divine Spirit, and the level declines when the Heroic Spirit's own rank as a Monster, Demonic Beast raises. It can also decrease due one's dislike for the gods. It also has an effect which reduces special defensive values called "purge defense" in proportion to the Divinity's Rank. It can break through Skills such as Protection of the Faith. As a facet of Amaterasu, Caster has a high Divinity rank.

High Speed Incantation: B

High Speed Incantation is the capacity to recite spells at high speeds. At B Rank, Caster can recite incantations eight times faster than normal.

Magic Resistance: B

Magic Resistance grants protection against magical effects. Differently from the Resistance effect that merely rejects prana, this ability cancels the spells altogether. At B Rank, spells with a chant below three verses are cancelled. Even if targeted by High-Thaumaturgy and Greater Rituals, it is difficult for Caster to be affected.

Monstrous Strength: ?

Monstrous Strength is an ability possessed by monsters and beasts, temporary boost of the Strength parameter by one rank for a time limit determined by the ranking of this skill. In Caster's case however, the rank of this skill is unknown, for she never uses it and denies even having it. It is only known that when Caster uses this skill, her physical state changes to one which is worthy of the title 'One of the Three Great Monsters of Japan'.

Noble Phantasm

Tokoyo Sakisaku Daisakkai-Higanbana Sesshōseki

After her death, Tamamo-no-Mae turned into a rock named Sesshōseki, which was tinged with a terrible curse-toxin and caused the humans and animals that approached it to die from poisoning. It was originally located in the plateau of Nasu, Tochigi, but later it was broken by a virtuous priest named Monk Gennou and then scattered in three locations in Japan that were called Takada. Furthermore, the remnants that were scattered at that occasion became Osaki Kitsunes and Inukamis and said to have been turned into familiars by many wizards from various places. When Caster activates this Noble Phantasm, she materializes the Sesshōseki and strikes the enemy with it. Any human, animal, plant, or familiar will die if it is struck by it. When a Servant is struck by it however, it will be both cursed and poisoned. The severity of the curse depends on the Servant's Magic Resistance and any skills the Servant may have which lessens the effects of curses while the severity of the poison depends on the Servant's Endurance. The poison lowers the ranks of the Servant's Parameters while the curse lowers the ranks of the Servant's Class Abilities and Skills. The drawback is that Caster has to get within punching range of the enemy to use it, for it cannot be thrown.

Rank: C-A

Type: Anti-Unit

Range: 1

Maximum Targets: 1 person

Suiten Nikkou Amaterasu Yanoshisu Ishi-Yata no Kagami

This Noble Phantasm is a mirror that Tamamo-no-Mae wears on her body. It is the temporarily released form of the Tamamo Shizu Ishi, a sacred regalia among sacred regalia, which was enshrined at Izumo after being brought from heaven by "Takehinateru-no-Mikoto." According to the descriptions of the Nihon Shoki, it was taken from Izumo at the order of the Imperial Court and then later enshrined at Kawachi. It possibly later came to be known as the Yata no Kagami, the divine repository of Amaterasu, and it is thought to be the prototype of the Tokusa-no-Kandakara of the Mononobe clan, which holds the power to revitalize souls and life-force. Once its function as a Noble Phantasm is activated, she summons a circle of levitating ofuda surrounded by a number of glowing torii, charges the mirror with prana, and stands in the middle of the circle to draw in the prana. It is normally a divine treasure of the land of the dead, an EX rank Noble Phantasm, that can even bring the deceased back to life, but the Servant form of Caster hasn't been granted the authority to use that much power. While it is activated, Caster draws in and receives near infinite amounts of prana. All spells cast will be about 10 times stronger with only 10% of the prana expended by Caster herself. However, it can only be maintained for 15 minutes, and all the enemy Servant can do is hope to survive.

Rank: A

Type: Anti-Army

Range: 3-30

Maximum Targets: 100 people

And so, there we have it, the Kousuke and Tamamo's first epic battle in the fanfic. There will definitely be more to come, and more secrets about Kousuke will be slowly revealed, one by one! Also, I cannot believe I now have 10 favorites and 12 followers on just the second chapter. That's the most I've ever gotten on the second chapter of any of my given fics! Once again, thanks for reading, review, favorite, follow, and hopefully, I'll be able to churn out another chapter soon! Actually, probably not that soon, because I have A LOT of other stuff to do. BUT, sooner or later I will definitely come back to continue this, but till then, stay fluffy.