A/N: DOUBLE UPDATE DAY! WHOO! (EDIT! Added some important scenes at the end!)

Yohohoho a man lives and a man survives!

A man rides again! A man comes to updaaaate!

Sorry for the delay, I had to buy a new computer~!

...really, Game of Thrones? Really? You're going to do us dirty like that? You're gonna jump the shark like that? Fine. Whatever. Its done, its over and I can get back to my Fate stuff. It just feels like the show lost its touch there at the end...music was on point though.

Folks have been saying I'm not going to continue this story.

What say you now?!

These chapters are simply massive and take longer to write than others. Its only been a few months and these things take TIME. Detractors aside, here it is at last, the next long awaited chapter for all you dear readers.

WARNING:

This chapter is told from multiple viewpoints. I'm sorry if that upsets anyone. It just felt...right for this chapter; to shine some insight into the lives of the other Servants and their motivations, their feelings, their everything really. It makes them feel more human, you know? Feels good to get back to my favorite works now that I'm finally free from the MADNESS that is Sekiro! Finally beat the bloody thing! Now after that massive update to A Most Unlikely Rider, I can finally get back to my pride and joy! Mordred gets a loooooooot of screentime here.

YOYOI! I LIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE! (EDIT: I forgot to include Mordred's battle damage and Siegfried's fate in the last chapter. Fixed!)

Aaaaaaaaaand we've got a new troll harassing/flinging death threats at me. His name is D00mMarine4Ever. Would you Kindly report this jerk? Don't believe me? He just spammed most of my recently updated stories. See for yourself. I honestly don't know why he keeps spamming my stories with death threats and the like...

T_T

Once again, that blasted obligatory disclaimer: I own nothing, yadda yadda yadda...

So lets clarify and answer all of your questions, eh?

Q: Man, you're regulating a badass like Sisigou to the sidelines! He literally becomes a father figure to Mordred in the anime, but you've shown none of that! Stoppitstoppitstoppit! I want papa Kairi back already! Let him fight!

A: Sideline him? Never! He has his part to play and it starts now...

...he also shows his more humorous side during this chapter.

Not to mention strategy and-oops! Said too much!

Q: AHA! I finally figured out what you're after, you sly dog! He's dancing with HER with in the preview, isn't he?!

A: *Whistles Innocently* I admit nothing!

Q: What's the limit of Naruto's Noble Phantasm? How much does it hurt him? Considering what happened to him in life whenever he used the tainted version, I can see why you're leaning that way in Servant form.

A: This chapter explains it quite nicely. It drains him severely and his Master as well. Considering how long and hard he fought against Vlad...

Q: Sooo...let me get this straight. Mordred. Threw. Siegfried. We talking an-over-the-shoulder judo throw into the distance here? Because I can totally see her doing that. Seems like what she would do against someone she couldn't beat.

A: Ayup~!

Plainly put, Mordred is a bad match against Siegfried. Not only does she have dragon blood-meaning his blade is deadly to her-but I'm fairly certain he's stronger than her to boot. Unlike Sieg, he's faster, stronger, and far more durable. Remember, without a Command Spell to reinforce her blows, she couldn't even hurt a transformed SIEG to begin with. How long would she last again the real deal? Sure, she can bat him around, push him back even, yet unless she goes for his back-something she refuses to do-she can't get a killing blow on him without help.

But she can sure as hell launch him if she wants to.

Now that 'ol Siegy's found his resolve...their next battle might not go so well for our favorite tomboy.

Q: Don't do Karna dirty! Not Siegfried either!

A: Couldn't if I tried. Really, he's a VERY powerful Servant; if he had a different Master this war would be over already. Only a handful of Servants could beat him...same applies for Siegfried. They are both LUDICROUSLY tough and hard to take down.

Don't even get me started about Achilles.

Q: What can we expect from the new faction?

A: Loads of heavy hitters.

Q: Are you giving Naruto his strength back?

A: Command Spells are tricky things. Jeanne doesn't realize what she's just unleashed. I won't say any more for the sake of spoilers, but lets just say that she's helped Naruto more than she realizes and ohhhhh boy its going to be fun. He's still mad as a hatter, though. That's not something a Command Spell can wipe away. As long as Naruto remains in the Berserker class he lacks inhibitions in the traditional sense...much to the bemusement of others around him.

Q: Jackie and Jean better be alright!

A: They will be, worry not.

Q: Playing the long game with the girls, I see.

A: Naruto isn't playing any "game" here at all; he's said it himself, he has almost zero control over his inhibitions. For example! Let's say someone...I dunno...like Darnic appears before him and mocks him. He's not going to try and make a plan. He is going to SLUG that son of a bitch. Granted, he may be more inclined toward some of them such as Mordred and Atalanta and Semiramis, but this is simply his nature at this point.

...it gets all sorts of sappy, silly and sweet in this chapter.

Q: Is Sieg not gonna show up here?

A: Sieg still exists, if not as a person in this story, then as a concept and a theory. Recall that the homonculus only took on this name because SIEGFRIED died for him. That won't be happening in this story. The Grail itself has taken an interest in a certain nameless homunculus and it isn't him. I could wax poetic about it and all, but I think I'll just let the quote do the talking for me here. Furthermore, the Grail itself is learning and taking cues from its surroundings. With each chapter it learns to "think" more as its terminal learns of the world.

Now that we've gotten that out of the way...here we go. An interlude of sorts, because I'm horridly sick.

Whereas the last was dark, this one is full of light.

Obvious title reference is obvious~!

Get ready to smile!

"Would you like a name, little one?"

...I don't understand. What is a name?"

"Ohhh, your poor thing. I know! How about...

~the Grail and its terminal.

Blue on Black (Interlude)

Frankenstein frowned.

Mismatching eyes confirmed the strange sight before her and yet this Berserker of Black blinked again as her mind struggled to make sense of what she was looking at. Innocent, innocuous red orbs blinked up at her in quiet fear and trepidation from where their owner lay on the bed, her wee body trembling like a stray leaf caught in the wind. Fran knew fear well, but this wasn't fear of her, but fear for her very life. This was no enemy here, but a tiny little life, a small candle that might be blown out in a strong wind.

Poor thing.

She looked so scared.

Fran supposed had good reason to be, considering the consequences.

Wrapped in a borrow white dress-likely belong to Fiorre-several sizes too large for her tiny frame, she wore the garment like a tent, furtively tucking her knees into her chest as though to hide herself in it. This wee, tiny girl before her. Hair long and white as snow-how off-eyes red as blood and a body not unlike that of a child. So frail. Even if she survived this, she'd only live three years at most. Chiron had been adamant about that just before he'd left.

Were it not for her companion, she might've been tempted to hug the poor girl.

By contrast this woman radiated a regal presence; not one of arrogance. They'd given her a red, sleeved-dress to wear, but she scarcely seemed to notice it. Taller than the other one and more generously endowed, she nevertheless seemed...empty somehow. As though she were nothing more than some blank slate, a mere template for something greater. Only the occasional glimpse of true intelligence behind those eyes hinted at something more.

She caught her staring and offered a small smile.

"We thank you for your assistance in this matter, Berserker of Black, Archer of Black, Rider of Black." she recited their titles as if on a rota, speaking them, yet not saying them all the same. "You will be spared when the time comes."

Spared?

The hell did that mean?

Still this boded poorly for them.

Two rogue homunculi, each displaying frightful signs of true sentience. If they were found out Avicebron would probably try to dissect both of them on the spot. Or worse, throw them in that mess of mud he called a Golem. Foul, foul Caster. Cruel. Heart of stone. She wanted to crush his head but Caules wouldn't let her.

In that moment, she realized they'd been had.

She couldn't possibly turn these two in. She wouldn't let her Master do it, either.

They were innocents in this and Fran had STRONG feelings regarding innocents in any legend.

Surely Astolfo must've known this when he-or was it she? Fran could never tell-lured them into this room. She knew the ever-honorable Chiron-if not his Master-could be trusted, but now she'd been roped into this against her will. She was happy to help, but didn't like being used. It made her...

...cross.

A low growl started in her throat.

"What~?!" the Rider flailed spectacularly as the redhead turned her glower upon them. "What're looking at me for?!"

'You know what I'm looking at!' she raged telepathically. 'You led us here! What am I supposed to do now, huh?! This is all your fault!'

Much to her chagrin the little homonculus gazed right back at Fran with desperate hope and fear in her eyes; as though she weren't sure if she would be saved or half-expected to be crushed flat beneath her mace. Oddly enough she found herself inclined to take pity on the girl. But not was not the time for pity; they had an attack to prepare for, and the last thing they needed was a band of wild homunculi roving the premises. She'd had to ferret out the details from Rider herself long and at length, but she knew a counterattack was coming. How could it not?

Lancer had been slain, Rider wounded, and Saber, well...

...Saber had yet to return.

Despite his masters fevered attempts to summon him back to his side-even going so far as to expend yet another Command Spell-Siegfried still remained missing. His contract was still there, else there would have been a panic, but nothing would bring him back to the castle. That boded poorly enough, but without two of their strongest Servants, they admittedly stood little chance if the enemy faction decided to attack-

"They're here." the woman's sudden declaration caused all eyes to turn on her, but she'd gone silent once more.

Fran tilted her head, considering the little homunculi and her...companion.

She wasn't like the others; not cold like Caster, nor consigned to blind duty as Saber, nor devoid of reason like Rider. For all her lack of faculties she understood reason. Despite what some might think, Berserker of Black was actually quite clever; yes, she may be unable to speak, and had a tendency to fly off the handle in battle. But beneath all that, beneath all the pain and the hurt and the trauma of her legend, the Servant was a good person. Which was why she couldn't let her Master report this.

"Uuuuuuuuuh?"

Caules palmed his face.

"Fran, no. You're not keeping them."

Berserker grit her teeth and stomped a foot.

"Uh."

"Don't you DARE-

"UUUUUUUUUUUUUUH!"


(...0o0o0...)


Naruto made it all of two steps into the crypt before the attack came.

Really, he never stood a chance from the very beginning; so fierce was the assault, so swift and brutal, so inhumanely overwhelming, that Berserker held no hope of defeating the brutal terror before it reached him. More powerful than any Servant, greater than any divine, in the face of such towering terror he could only stand his ground. Weather the storm, in the vain hope of surviving the unholy forces accosting him. There was no hope of rescue from his allies as they were still behind him and thus didn't see the attack coming in time. Caught between a rock and a hard place, the blond didn't even have time to yelp before he fell to his aggressor.

"Daddydaddydaddy!"

"DA-?!" Blue eyes bulged. "Jack?! Wait a second, what did you just-

His words dissolved in a strangled squawk and were wholly, utterly, ignored.

Still damp from the cold rain raging outside, Naruto's body had instinctively tensed mere moments before the attack, realizing what was about to happen even as his weary mind did not. It availed him nothing. Even as he tried to move a small meteor of tan-and-black cannoned into his chest with all the force of a hurricane and bowled him over with that fierce battle cry.

"Are you alright?!" Tiny hands flailed at him before, searching for wounds that no longer existed. "Were you hurt anywhere?!"

In hindsight, Sisigou almost wished he had a camera on hand; if only to preserve the gobsmacked look on Berserker's face. For posterity, of course. It was a rare thing indeed to see the ordinarily charismatic blond floored in such a way, both physically as well as mentally. He didn't derive any enjoyment from this...or so he told himself. He certainly didn't enjoy the sight of Naruto's gobsmacked visage as an equally frantic Jack flailed at him like an overprotective daughter. No. Not in the least. True, he might've pushed the idea that the young Assassin should consider him a father figure rather than that of an older brother...

...but it was well worth it if only to see that look on his face.

Berserker was going to kill him for this.

Worth it indeed.

Perhaps had he known the thoughts churning in the whiskered warrior's psyche, he might've taken a few steps back.

Naruto reeled.

Daddy.

Just now...she'd called him daddy. Putting that can of worms aside, the blond Berserker could only gape at the teary-eyed Servant fussing over the large holes in his vest. His tongue felt dead in his mouth, unable to form the words he wanted to say. A small part of him experienced a strange nostalgia at such treatment, of another child fussing over old wounds. A smaller girl with blue eyes, dark hair, and whiskered cheeks. His mind was all too happy to bask in the pleasant memory and for a moment he lost himself in the warmth of quiet serenity.

But Jack was still tugging at him and he blinked away the phantom to straighten with an effort.

"Just a few new holes, nothing new." he unbent enough to muss her hair, drawing a relieved giggle from his charge. "I should be asking you the same thing, though. How're you doing? I'm sorry I used my Noble Phantasm without warning you, but I didn't have much choice back there. Backlash didn't hit you too hard?"

"Mmhm!" as he looked on her ashen head bobbed in agreement, golden eyes gleaming. "I feel much better now, daddy!"

A lone muscle jumped high in Naruto's jaw as his Mad Enhancement roared back to life with the strength of a thousand men. Too cute! Stop stop Stooop it! My heart can't take this! Times like these served as a painful reminder of his Berserker status; not only did he risk loosing himself in battle, but it stripped him of all restraint and made him more...emotional than he'd like. Such as now. Now, when he really wanted to give Jack a hug. Among other things. He was struck again by the sudden urge to spoil her rotten and-

"Naruto." a familiar voice jolted the Servant in question. "Might I have a word?"

Only then did the duo realize they weren't alone.

In all fairness, Jean Rum had been very patient with her Servant and his ward thus far. Indeed, the bespectacled master had held her tongue until this very moment, content to linger in a corner as the unlikely pair continued to talk amongst themselves. No longer, it seemed. She stepped forward, Sisigou stepped back, and Naruto moved to meet her with a wordless expression of his own. The battle-scarred necromancer knew at once what was about to transpire, what would be said, but even then he still found himself powerless to stop it Something in the way she'd said his name caused the Sisigou to briefly quail, but he stood strong. He knew at once she was wholly displeased if she was going so far as to use Berserker's name...this would bode poorly.

"Hiya, boss." when she didn't immediately answer, a bead of sweat dripped down Naruto's brow. "You're, ah...being awfully quiet. You okay?"

Rather than the rebuke everyone had expected, the brunette surged forward. Slims arms crushed around the startled Servant as she buried her head in his neck. The necromancer waited for the inevitable explosion, rage, shouting, anything. Remarkably, Berserker didn't bolt, though it would've been well within his ability to do so.

"Whoa! Hey!" he sputtered spectacularly, flailing like an oiled eel in her grasp. "Where's this coming from all of a sudden?! My innocent heart isn't prepared for this!"

"Prepared for what?" Asssassin tilted her head, baffled.

"I'll tell you when you're older, Jackie!"

"Aw, but I wanna know now~!"

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!"

'Innocent heart my ass.' Sisigou chuckled as the blond continued to wriggle and writhe. Berserker was likely the least innocent Servant among them, if not for his pranks, sly remarks, or love of all things chaotic, then his own Madness Enhancement and the ferocity that often followed in his wake. Still, Jean was speaking and he committed himself to watching this spectacle play out to its inevitable conclusion.

"You blind, bloody fool." Jean murmured into his shoulder. "Don't you ever do that again. You hear me?"

"Aw!" this time, Naruto's awkward smile wasn't entirely feigned. "I didn't know you cared!"

"Which is why I'm doing this." she informed him primly.

Naruto blinked twice. "Doing what?"

'Here it comes...

A sweet smile quirked at Rum's lips, but she didn't elaborate further. Verbally, at least.

Instead she stepped back and raised the book she'd been cradling in her right hand. Naruto risked a moment to glance at the purported novel and felt a touch of trepidation at the sight of it; this thick, leather-bound tome with its scarlet cover and its many pages. Large. Heavy. Deadly. He eyed it in quiet confusion, wondering what she intended to do with it. Still Jean held it high and he watched spellbound as her arm rose in a ponderous, graceful arc. An awful pause followed. Blue eyes bulged. No. Surely not. She wouldn't dare-

Jean brought it down squarely on his head.

Hard.

At his peak and full of mana, Naruto wouldn't have budged an inch. Servants were physically superior to humans in every way after all, and he was no exception to this ironclad rule. A little smack with a big book-even from an angry Master of Jean's caliber-should have meant nothing to him. Unfortunately he was nowhere near his best. His battle against Lancer had drained him both mentally as well as physically; as it stood he was subsisting on the last dregs of his reserves until he had an opportunity to recharge. In short?

THUNK!

"Hey!" he cried out, massing his throbbing temples. "Whaddya doing?! What did you hit me for?!"

THUNK!

Her tome descended anew without mercy. "I don't understand what you're so angry about-

THUNK!

Another blow sent the blond spinning comically like a tumbling top. "Let me finish!"

Two more strikes followed in swift succession.

"Jeez, alright, alright!" he flung up his hands and blinked the stars out of his vision as she stepped into his guard and clobbered him for a fifth time with a resounding thwack. "Stop! Cease! Desist! I'm sorry I didn't warn you about my Noble Phantasm! Is that what you want me to say?! Can we at least talk about this?!"

The faintest of breezes caressed the blond's battered forehead and the headband there.

Rum tilted her head, her tome now hanging a centimeter from his skull. "And?"

Naruto creaked an eye open. "And...I won't do it again?"

"Mommy, no! Don't fight with Daddy!"

Naruto swore in abject disbelief.

The brunette sputtered.

"Mommy...?!"

Jean's bespectacled gaze had never wavered in the face of Naruto's protests, not once, but now her wrath and venom inexplicably faltered as a now-distraught Jack wriggled her way between their pressed bodies as only an Assassin could. Before the mage could think to object the nimble killer seized her in a crushing hug and buried her face in her torso. That was all it took to undo her. Jean went rigid, her grace and fury evaporating like so much steam under the weight of those innocent orbs. In short order her composure dissolved into a fit of sputtering. All present parties witnessed this small miracle and wisely held their tongues in trepidatious caution, Naruto chief among them.

Bless Jack's little heart for caring, but why was she calling Jean "Mommy" and him "Daddy" for crying out loud?!"

Even as laughter threatened to burst from its confines and come pouring out of his fool mouth, so too did he plant a hand over his lips to stifle. She would murder him. If so much as a stray snicker escaped his mouth here in this moment, he knew Jean would wreak swift and bloody vengeance. As satisfying as it might be to laugh, in her current state Jean she might actually go so far as to use a Command Spell to silence him. Forever. Her towering blush and the incoherent sputtering certainly put paid to that thought. Ah, but the prize...!

Sisigou caught his eye from across the crypt and shook his head vigorously. Don't you dare!

Tempting though it was, he resisted, if only just.

"Its answers you want, then?" he asked, steeling his whiskered visage back into a feigned mask of composure. "Fine, in theory I could've used my cloak without hurting you if I had enough time to set up a few clones or a stopgap; but you saw Lancer out there. He was relentless." when she didn't interrupt, he bulled onward despite her silence. "I barely had a chance to breathe let alone defend myself. Given the...circumstances, it was that or die. Pissing you off seemed like an acceptable alternative.

When the tome didn't clobber again, he almost dared to believe he was safe.

"Great! So everybody's happy! We're all friends again? Right?"

Jeanne appeared seemingly from nowhere to thump the back of his head with her flagpole. "Ow! What was that for?!"

"For being reckless!" she huffed, storming back into the crypt.

"What is with the women in this war, jeez..."

"Naruto?" Rum's voice plucked at his ears and he turned towards her. She smiled then, and it was a terrifying thing to behold.

On the surface it appeared genuine. Pleasant. Anyone else would've been fooled. Not Naruto. He knew what awaited him if he broke that order. Alas, the latter was very much a secondary concern at the moment.

Unfortunately before he could think to ask who was responsible for Jack's new point of view, an armored arm slapped him on the back to send him and the petite Assassin stumbling a few steps forward. Naruto shot the offending party a dark glower. Mordred. Of course it was her.

"Mordred! Not you too!"

"What?! Everyone else was doing it!" her rough, familiar voice crowed. "Look at that! Told ya the runt wouldn't be mad at you!"

Muted laughter tickled his ears as the silvery-haired Assassin buried her head into his torso with a contented mewl and wrapped both arms around his waist. Only then did the rest of his allies finally catch up, the familiar figures of Jeanne and Atalanta trickling in out of the rain behind him. The former sketched a small bow toward the Masters and with a sidelong glance at Naruto, thanked them all for offering her shelter once more before departing for the inner chambers. It was the latter who stiffened at the sight of Jack's petulant face, however.

"Of course I'm not mad!" Jack actually blinked. "Why would I be?"

Atalanta felt her tail twitch.

"Well...

In that moment she was keenly aware of Mordred's glare blazing into her back in jaded judgement. She needn't look to know the silent scorn etched into her face. If she didn't say something here and now she knew that Saber or Red would. Of that Atalanta had her own doubts. The Knight of Treachery might have something of a bad reputation when it came to matters of trust, but here, in this moment, Archer of Red hoped, prayed that their erstwhile ally would understand the ramifications of speaking and just hold her tongue...

"Because this shitty Archer betrayed us!"

T'was not to be and those words turned the blood to ice in her veins. It was true, in a sense. She could see how her actions might well be viewed as a betrayal by the knight. Her actions had led to Naruto turning on them, even if he hadn't been in his right mind at the time. If not for Jeanne...well, she shuddered at the thought. But to phrase it like that in front of Assassin...!

Kairi planted a hand against his forehead. "Well. Now you've done it."

The Assassin in question tilted her head. "I don't understand? What happened?"

Naruto and Atalanta shared a terse glance and the poor Archer found herself caught in a paradox; some might even call it a fatal flaw in her character. She was exceedingly blunt in her beliefs as well as her speech, yet couldn't be wholly honest with herself. Her belief that "all children should be saved" once paramount, now clashed violently with her own views and the ugly truth that had been thrust in her face. This was her fault. Her misguided dream not only endangered Naruto, but brought about his rampage when was subsequently backed into a corner by Lancer.

Naruto, who didn't blame her for any of her stupidity, even as it haunted her every waking moment.

Naruto, the Servant who had ever been kind and gracious to her despite her flaws.

Naruto, who treated children like the true treasures they were.

So admitted her guilt; words tumbled out of her. She held nothing back; from the moment the battle had taken place, to Naruto's attempted summoning of Jack. How she'd nearly attacked him for it. His agreement to her terms. The brawl that followed as he fought for his life, and, backed into a corner, threw his reason away.

And at the end of it all, Jack jerked back as if she'd been burned.

"Are you stupid?" In an instant those incredulous innocent orbs narrowed to venomous slits; the change proved almost startling. "Why didn't you let me help? You could've killed him!"

Atalanta fought down a flinch; gone was the little girl clamoring for attention, in her place stood Jack the Ripper. Witnessing the duality of her personality proved unnerving enough her, but her words cut deeper than any Noble Phantasm ever could. Try as she might to hold her ground, Archer felt her ears flatten against her head.

...you're not telling me anything I haven't already told myself."

"Doesn't make it right." Mordred shook her head.

"Saber!" the look Naruto gave her bordered on outright outrage. "That's not what happened and you know it! Apologize!"

"Like hell I will!" made discontent by this outburst of anger, the blond growled right back at him. "You were there, zombie! You saw!" even as he tried to respond to her accusation Mordred rounded on Atalanta, thrusting an indignant armored finger towards the recalcitrant Archer. "How can we trust her if she's willing to let you die just to feel good about herself?! If she'd just let you summon Assassin you wouldn't have-

A heartstopping hiss silenced her.

"Wouldn't what? Hmm?" those warm blue ocean orbs turned to ice as she looked on, sapping the warmth from the room. "Gone berserk? Newsflash! I'm a Berserker!" A short step carried him forward as he reamed her out and crushed his forehead against hers. "Its what I do! It was bound to happen sooner or later and I've got it under control now! Don't blame Atalanta for holding true to her ideals!"

"Ideals?!" the knight bristled like struck porcupine. "Is that what you're call those delusions of hers?"

Neither was prepared for the smile.

"Don't you have a dream of your own, Mordred?"

"Of course I do!" she puffed out her cheeks in an irritated huff. "What're you on about?"

Naruto shook his head. "How would you like it if I decided to trample all over that dream, then?"

Mordred's hand flew to the hilt of her sword in a crimson blur, bringing the blade up under the blond's chin. Naruto froze, his hands half-raised. In the same moment Atalanta drew a bead on the furious Saber, knocking an arrow to her bow. Faint pressure registered against her jugular in recompense for her temerity and she realized with a start that Jack had targeted her in retaliation. Their world hung on a razor's edge, ready to tip over at the slightest provocation. The slightest twitch would send their alliance flying apart, leaving them to turn on one another like wild animals.

Salvation came from an unlikely source.

"Oh, for the love of...KNOCK IT OFF ALREADY!"

Rolling now-red eyes back in his head, Naruto exhaled in a long suffering sigh and seized Mordred's great-sword with an unprotected hand. Before anyone could think to stop him from doing anything foolish the whiskered warrior ripped it free from her grasp and bludgeoned her in the head with the hilt, uncaring of the bloody trench it left on his palm, or the yelp she gave as she clutched at the rising welt left there. In the same movement he reached out with his free hand, pinched Jack by the cheek and plucked her off Atalanta's shoulders before sweeping the latter's legs in a spinning kick. Unleashed, the chaste huntress's arrow went wide of of her mark and collided with blond's shoulder, sending him stumbling back half a step as her back struck the floor.

"What the hell's gotten into you three?!" His chest heaved silently from his exertion as he ripped the deadly missile free in a vivid shade of cerise blood, his wild ruby gaze gradually fading back to true blue. "Are we really going to come to blows over something like this?! Are we truly that petty!? I'm disappointed in you lot!"

Silence fell over the crypt in a pall as they each nursed their injuries.

He did not admonish any of them beyond that first, initial snarl, not even Jack as he deposited the ashen-haired girl upon her feet. He didn't have to. Severe scarlet slits surveyed their fallen forms in stoic silence. Those crimson orbs conveyed all the emotion ever needed. We're better than this, they seemed to say. It wasn't even disappointment radiating from him; rather a strange noble savagery she didn't understand. Atalanta felt she could've at least quantified the former not this void that followed. In the span of a single heartbeat, he'd dropped all three of them with ease. If she'd known him to be that skilled she might've been more cautious indeed-

Without warning Berserker buckled; his face turned ashen and his legs folded beneath him as he slumped against the wall in a heap.

"Oh, jeez." he muttered, palming his face with a bloody hand. "That wasn't supposed to happen."

"Berserker?!"

Jack and Mordred must've shared her concerns, because they were at his side in an instant.

"Daddy!/Zombie?!"

"M' fine, just a little tired." he uttered a grat, jaw-popping yawn in response. "Might've overdone it today...anybody else tired? No? Just me?"

Archer was having none of it. "You're pale!"

"Am not." came the whine.

A clawed hand tried to wave them away, but the trio bulled in regardless of his efforts, united by their shared concern. That once lazy smile seemed entirely too feigned for Atalanta's liking; as though he were trying to put up a brave front in spite of his weakness. Her arrow hadn't done this to him. She could already see the minor would closing-far slower than it should have-but still, Berserker of Red made no move to rise. Curiously enough she noted that his Master had gone ramrod straight in her peripherals.

"Look, I'm really fine-

"Tch. Stupid." Rather than contest him, Saber merely clicked her tongue and dropped onto her haunches before lowering herself to the ground beside him. "You should've told me you were running low on juice; I would've helped you out with Lancer if you did."

"Didn't have a choice. Used most of my reserves first." Bleary blue eyes blinked back at her in half-witted comprehension and exhaustion as she laid her head on his right shoulder. "Didn't want to kill Jean. Speaking of which!" Folding both arms behind his head, Berserker beamed back at her despite their close proximity. "I knew it." he hummed at Mordred with a Cheshire grin, causing the Saber to blink, "You do care. That's good to hear. Makes you more likable, ya know?"

"Like...?!" Her jaw snapped shut with an audible click.

...that was a low blow, Berserker."

"Now, now! Enough about that." Naruto's tongue clicked in mild admonishment as he absently steadied their younger charge nestled against his side. "I'm fine. I will be fine once I get some sleep. That's not what concerns me right now, Jack...its this "daddy" business you're on about...

Assassin deflated like a punctured balloon. "Do you not want me to...?"

A muscle jumped in Mordred's jaw; indeed, if she didn't know better she would've thought her fellow blond was actually flustered by this sudden turn of events. But that was impossible. Berserker wasn't the sort to lose his head over something so mundane; thus she shouldn't let it bother her. Yet it did. The sight of Naruto patting Jack's head while refusing to acknowledge the tiny Assassin as such stirred loathsome thought in her, a dark jealousy that threatened to strangle her every thought and taint the goodwill forged between them. It almost reminded her of-No! Bad Mordred! She was a Knight of the Round! She refused to let this faze her!

Berserker's enthusiastic reply proved itself another matter entirely.

...IT MAKES ME SO DAMN HAPPY! GET OVER HERE!"

"Eh?!"

More an explosion than an actual shout on Naruto's part, Mordred was still wholly unprepared when the blond Berserker gave a loud whoop and wrapped both her,Jack and Atalanta-in spite of the latter's startled shout-into a crushing bear hug. For her part the petite killer welcomed it with happy wholehearted joy, but the Knight of Treachery found herself caught off guard. That was all it took to subdue her.

Atalanta, lacking armor, proved far more nimble and managed to get an arm loose, and wriggle her way free with a yelp. Not so Mordred. For a fleeting moment she found herself crushed against Jack, arms pinned to her side. The faint aroma of his scent filled her nose, the faintest brush of his unruly hair tickling her visage as she stiffened in his arms. Said visage reddened. Green eyes widened.

"H-Hey! What do you think you're doing, baka berserker?!" she flailed fiercely, kicking out at him like a petulant child caught with their hand in the proverbial cookie jar. "Lemme go! Hug the chibi instead!"

"Can't! Too happy! Wanna hug everyone!" the moment he noticed Atalanta's escape he seized her by the tail and gently but firmly hauled her back into the embrace. " Oi, Ruler! Master! C'mere!"

Jean's muted laughter swelled in her ears. "No, no, no, I known Madness Enhancement when I see it. I'm quite happy with my ribs intact, thank you very much."

"Aw, its not like I'd try to break them!"

His arms tightened around his captives in silent emphasis.

"Master~!" Mordred wailed! "Use a Command Spell or something! Get me out of here!"

"Sorry, my king." The necromancer offered a slight shrug. "I can't arm-wrestle a Servant for you."

"Traitor!"

Sisigiou stubbornly bit the side of his cheek and tried not to laugh as his Servant squawked and the rest of the room descended into chaos; good-natured, beautiful chaos. In a single masterful move Berserker had both dismantled the mounting tension and focused all involved parties on his person. What was the saying these days? All eyes on me. Naruto accomplished just that with the sheer force of his personality alone and for the life of him he couldn't tell if this was an act or not. It should have frightened the old necromancer; should have made him wary of this whiskered warrior. Under any other circumstance it would have...but he knew beyond any doubt. This was no act.

In the end he decided Saber deserved her punishment for starting this mess.

Was it possible for a Servant to become drunk from mana exhaustion? He wondered if it was.

"Aw, Mordred, you're so soft~!" Naruto cooed, blear eyes squinting with childlike joy. "And Atalanta's ears are so fluffffffffffy~!"

...yep. Drunk it was, then.

"Lemme go, dumbass!"

"B-Berserker?!"

Despite her feeble protests, something deep inside Mordred's heart warmed at those words. My King. There was no malice in them, only cordial respect mingled with wry amusement. Still, they made her...happy, happier than she'd been in a terrible long time. As though she were living vicariously through them.

Even if it did make her a tiny bit jealous...

"Not that I'm complaining, but who gave Jackie ideas?" he demanded to know, drawing her attention anew. "I almost had a heart attack! I want names and I want them now!"

Guileless as ever, the small Assassin indicated the culprit. "Uncle Kairi did!"

Blue eyes snapped towards Sisigou.

"Oho? Uncle, was it?"

The necromancer coughed into a fist as the blond's blue gaze found him in an instant. There was no anger lurking behind those azure orbs...perhaps he might've fared better if there were. Instead he found himself face to face with naught but a blank slate, an endless ocean that revealed naught but his own reflection. The glint in them was enough to make him sweat well across the room. If Berserker weren't so woefully low on mana, then he'd likely be up in his face right about now; as it stood he suspected the man would have much to say in a moment.

"She may have...asked questions after you left." he relented. "We didn't discourage her."

The whiskered warrior smiled then. It was madness incarnate. "Mordred...?"

"Hmm?"

"How upset would you be if I maimed you Master?" he inquired sweetly.

His fellow blond tilted her head in his direction. "I'd shove Clarent up your ass."

"Tch." Naruto wrinkled his nose and blew a faux raspberry at her in response. "Spoilsport. Bah, I'll pay him back later." he amended, planting a hand over his mouth in a vain attempt to stifle a yawn. "I'm still sore after someone smacked me around with their Noble Phantasm."

Mordred sputtered.

"Not my fault!" she growled, reluctantly tucking her head into his shoulder. "You went nuts so I had to toss Siegfried and keep you from flipping your lid! You put the others in danger-

"And like any good monarch, you did what you had to do." her companion replied.

"Ha?"

As she looked on, he thumbed his nose.

"I'm not one for serving others...but you'd make a good King."

Mordred's face turned the shade of a thousand burning supernova in all their glory. "W-What the hell?!"

A jaw-popping yawn overrode any protest she might have flung at him. "Tired now...don't wanna talk anymore...

With that line, he was content to sleep.

Servants didn't need sleep unlike most men; not in the conventional sense of the word. Oh, they could certainly be exhausted like any other after a long siege or a hard battle, but food and sleep were not essential concept required to maintaining to their existence. In eating and resting however, they recovered far faster and put less of a strain on their masters. And they were, each of them, exhausted. Their Masters might've found it funny, were they not so stunned by the sight before them.

Mordred propped her head up against his right shoulder.

Atalanta reluctantly claimed his left.

Jack, his lap.

It was a strange, ramshackle position that shouldn't have been comfortable in any way shape or form, and yet neither of the quartet attempted to move. Jack hummed happily, content to take a nap, not once realizing the compromising position the four of them had fallen into. Mordred had all but ceased her struggles, and Atalanta offered only a token resistance as her eyes began to droop shut. A pause followed this as something occurred to Naruto in his final thought mere moments before he drifted off.

...where did you throw Siegfried anyway?"

Saber sputtered softly.

"Hell if I know!"


(...0o0o0...)


Siegfried laughed.

It was a low, soft sound, somewhat muted by the lake he'd landed in. None heard him. None laughed at him. None chastised him for his failure. He was wholly utterly alone and thus, howled to his heart's content. Not the cry of a broken man, or even a sorrowed one, but one of a man reborn. Drifting aimlessly with his back in the water, he gazed up at the stars and wondered at them. From here it almost looked like he could grasp one of them; he had but to reach out and close his fist around its shining surface.

For the first time since he'd been summoned in this war he felt...free.

Fighting her had awoken something in him, more than duty, more than honor. A spark that lit the fire that blazed through even now.

If it hadn't been for that Command Spell at the last moment he likely would've won the day. Knowing or not his Master had crippled him, but still, had yet to call him back. That

That suited Saber just fine.

It gave him time to sift through his thoughts.

To make sense of the muddled mess he'd been freed from.

Mordred hadn't cut him down. She could bat him about to be sure, even cut him with the aid of a Command Spell reinforcing her blows, but he wondered if the Knight of Rebellion possessed the raw power needed to break through his armor without it. Unlikely. She hadn't been able to injure him until her Master expended one. Her Master would likely have to waste their remaining two if they wanted death to stick. So, rather than admit her loss she'd done the next best thing; in lieu of being unable to land a finishing blow...

...she'd thrown him.

In theory it sounded impossible; for one Servant to simply launch another bordered on absurdity. Yet Saber of Red had done just that. For someone so slight she was frightfully strong. Strong enough to know who she was and what she wanted, to never lose her way even in the thick of battle. How long had it been since he'd felt such a surety of purpose. The thought almost brought a smile to his weathered face.

He wanted to fight her again.

No, that was wrong. He needed to fight her again.

...thou art true to thy heart." The voice came from everywhere and yet nowhere, jolting him upright. "Very good!"

Siegfried flailed to his feet in the shallows, splashing wildly.

It availed him naught and nothing; an armored fist cracked out, driving him down to his knees.

Only then did he glimpse his attacker, only then did he comprehend the danger; how they'd snuck up on him.

He was, in a word, death.

Standing a towering seven feet tall, even Siegfried found himself forced to gaze up at him, this lord reaper in his smoldering black armor, an otherwordly being beyond compare. His sheer presence threatened to render Saber's blood to ice in his very veins, as cold and thick as frozen sludge. Meeting his gaze was another matter entirely. Blue flames blazed out his skull like balefire, a great shield hefted in one hand, and a mighty ebony greatsword dangled almost lazily in the other.

"Fear not," again that deep resonating voice rolled over him. "The bell does not toll for thee...today."

A chill ran through Siegfried.

Danger, his mind screamed, this man is dangerous! Run! Fly! Flee you fool!

Death incarnate, a being forged for a single purpose. To kill. For all his invulnerability he felt a chill in the presence of this creature. It hadn't even raised its sword and his very soul was already trying to escape his body in sheer terror. He needed to move, to fly, to flee, to get the hell away from this thing. And yet try as he might, he could only manage a slow, dreadful crawl.

Struggling upright against the sudden pain his chest, the Hero fought his way to his feet.

Behind this great mountain of a man he glimpsed another, a slim waif of a girl in a blue battle dress, armed and armored as if for battle. Flaxen hair danced in the pale light, framing a stern face from which eyes of deep emerald shone, pinning him where he stood. Despite her proximity to this towering terror she displayed not an ounce of fear in her stance nor her bearing. Some unseen weapon shimmered in her right hand, reflecting the waning light back at Saber even as he looked on. No, more than that. She looked almost...familiar. Similar to Mordred. Eerily so. Her bearing and hair were clearly different, and yet...and yet...

Gods above and below.

A terrible realization dawned in the back of the Norse hero's mind and he stumbled back half a step. The identity of this shadowy terror eluded him but he knew who she was. He had to warn them. Not just his own faction, but the Red as well. He owed that much to the knight who'd reawakened his earnest wish deep within him. His body tensed, prepared to leap away, to retreat, to flee-

In an instant that skull-mask snapped towards him and he found himself frozen again.

"Halt!"

His companion flung out an arm to bar his passage, denying him a fatal blow.

"Control yourself, assassin." her voice resonated with a reprimand and the charisma behind it paralyzed the draconic hero outright. "We have not yet been given our orders."

"Mine intent is not kill this one, oh King of Knights." her companion answered with a tilt of his neck. "Worry not thine head."

If this was Beauty then the giant before him was surely a Beast. How was she not afraid of him? Even with his newfound resolve Siegfried found it impossible to move, let alone breathe. It was as if some fell force had seized him by the throat, bypassing his armor to squeeze the very life from his lungs.

"Who...who are you?" Siegfried nearly choked on the words.

The woman in blue gave him a pitying look.

But it was Death who answered.

"I am naught but a wraith that squirms in darkness." the newcomer declared stoically, hefting that greatsword as though it weighed naught but a feather. "I serve thy new faction. The true Order of thine holy war. Rejoice, oh Servant. Thou shalt have thy wish; for I have come to release thee from thine unsightly bond to thy Master." those armored arms spread wide in benediction, as though to embrace the very sky itself. "Now! Offer thy head and rise again reborn, Servant of Blue!"

Before Siegfried could think to protest, the sword cut down at his face.

A/N: KING HASSAN HAS JOINED THE CHAT.

And he can sever contracts.

Guess who was with him?

Oughta be obvious.

0_0

Felt good to write a more down-to-earth chapter here; a lot of them have been dark and full of terrors lately.

Juicy bits coming next chapter!

Of course, I'm looking forward to writing Naruto's inevitable-approaching scuffle with Achilles. For all his power and skill, there will always be someone better. Achilles was unparalleled in the realm of physical combat, so it stands to reason he'd give Naruto a thrashing if it came down to hand-to-hand combat alone.

"Real men communicate with fists!"

Feels like something he'd say. Berserker or not, Naruto's the honorable sort so he'd naturally accept Rider's proposal. Seems the sort of thing they'd do. As to how 'ol Achilles feels about Atalanta an; her burgeoning feelings toward a certain blond...hmm. She rebuffed him constantly throughout both the anime and the light novel yet showed no interest in anyone else, so whose to say where such an affront might lead?

Achilles doesn't strike me as the jealous sort, but Servants can be many things...

And now the Blue faction-beholden to none but the Grail itself and its chosen master-finally rears its head. Ought to be obvious whose leading it.

Once again for the sake of clarity I'll explain the state of things as far as the relationships go.

When I say that, I mean what Naruto thinks of the girls and then their feelings for him:

Jeanne= Amusing/Enigma.

Jack= Daughter/Daddy.

Jean= Master/Servant.

The Holy Grail= Oh, that's cute/Anomaly.

Mordred= Partner/Potential Love Interest.

Atalanta= Friend/Someone Who Must Not Be Killed.

Semiramis= Pity/ Moderate Concern.

Frankenstein= Sibling^/#%&^

Astolfo= Are You Kidding me?!/WHO THE HELL IS HE?!

So In the Immortal Words of Atlas...

...Review...Would You Kindly?

And enjoy the previewssss!

Care to guess what I'm thinking?

TELL ME WHICH ONES YOU LIKE AND WHY~!

They're all coming sooner or later...its mere a matter of if or when.

Here's a handful this time around. Hope you enjoy them, because I'm beat~!

They're all fun little bits and pieces, and we get to see Grail's new faction next chapter~!

As ever, your kind, thoughtful reviews really spur me to keep on writing, I can't thank you all enough for them!

(Potential Previews)

"A day off? Just like that?"

Jean hoisted her book again.

"Alright, alright! Take it easy! I was only joking!"

"The two of you went ballistic back there." Sisigou reminded them patiently. "I can't speak for Archer's Master, but we need to recover."

"So a mini-vacation? Fine by me!"


At first he didn't recognize her.

With her hair down and her ears hidden she looked much the same as any human. She'd even managed to conceal her presence entirely; even at this range he couldn't sense her. Though she clearly lurked well within his peripherals, her aura was all but masked to him.

...yet there could be no hiding her eyes.

Golden orbs like that weren't everyday fare and no amount of sorcery or spellbinding on her part could ever conceal them.

Her companion was another matter.

He had the eyes of a raptor.

She wrinkled her nose at him. "You're lively for a dead man."

"I wished to make certain you survived." She sniffed. "As my curiosity is satisfied, I will now depart-

He seized her wrist.


"Fight me."

All eyes turned toward Rider.

"Ha?!"

"C'mon don't be like that. Its just a spar." Achilles beamed. "No Noble Phantasms, no tricks, no weapons. Just fists. I wanna see what you're made of. Unless of course...you're afraid?"

Atalanta facepalmed. "Here we go again...

A muscle jumped in Naruto's jaw.

"Fine."

Then Achilles levered him into a wall.


"The bell tolls for thee, Berserker."

"I don't fear death." he winced, clutching his wounded arm as they circled one another. "Maybe its the class, but I stopped caring about it a long time ago, you know."

"Then thou art a fool." Cold azure orbs glared back at him from within the azure flames. "And for this foolishness you will hand over thy head."

"Idiot! Of course I'm afraid." a rueful smile flashed out at the lord of all assassins as their deadly dance continued. "I'm terrified. You can kill me. You probably will, and frankly, I don't want to die. I finally found something to live for again. But you won't get past me. Because, unlike you, I stand for something. I'll stand for them. The people I care about. I'll even die for them if I have to-

The blow took him hard and low in the stomach to burst out his back. Blood bubbled up between clenched teeth, yet even so he seized hold of the sword with both hands, denying him the fatal blow. He may as well have tried to spit in the face of an inferno. Deeper that fell weapon plunged, ripping and tearing through him.

"Thy bonds are thine weakness."

Blue eyes blazed red.

"Bite me~!"


...I don't believe you."

"I can give you Power! Life! Glory!"

"And yet I want none of these things."

She bristled. "Don't you walk away from me, Naruto!"

"Or what? This is me. Walking right out the door. Try and stop me."


"Is that all, Saber of Red? I expected more from you-

A crimson shadow fell over him, looming large.

"KAR~NA~!"

And then there was pain.

R&R~!