Naomi didn't come out of the shower until the water turned cold and her skin was raw from scrubbing. She still couldn't shake the site and smell of the creature made of corpses.

She didn't want to face Lancer. Her sore throat was a shameful reminder that she had been a failure as a magus and a Master. Her skills were so far removed from others in the magi world that she might as well be a stain on the ground. She had been a fool thinking she could take her self-taught rune magic that came from one dusty tome and be admitted into the Clock Tower. Lord El-Melloi II had earned his status at the Clock Tower after participating in a Grail War, so Naomi thought she could do the same. But now, even if she proved herself, she wasn't sure she would deserve a spot at the school.

After drying her hair, she changed into pajamas. With a toss, she threw her stained clothes into the bathtub to deal with tomorrow. She opened the bathroom door and breathed in the colder air of the bedroom. Lancer was standing near her window and was staring out it with a pensive look. Naomi couldn't tell how he was feeling and feared he was angry.

"Is something wrong?" She asked while fanning out her drying hair.

It wasn't like him to hang around in his physical form at night.

"Just feeling restless. I want to get back to fighting Saber and finish what was started."

"Is the Seal still in effect?" She had to ask though she was sure nothing had changed.

He huffed in annoyance. "I'm still at the beck and call of that brat."

"Lancer."

He turned to face her.

"I want you to scout out Simmons and see what he is up to. I don't like that we haven't bumped into him again. I'd rather not be surprise attacked again. In the mean-time I'll try to reverse what Edward did to my voice."

There were too many factors happening at once. She wanted to find Simmons and get him out of the way. She prayed Fuller wouldn't track her down in the meantime. And Edward was the most dangerous of them all. They all seemed to be targeting her. Probably because she was the weakest Master. Lancer was undoubtably powerful on his own, but there was a saying about only being as strong as your weakest link.

She briefly thought about finding a hotel or any place that would make her harder to find, but she simply didn't have the funds. She needed to know more about what she was up against so sending Lancer out while she tried to reverse Edward's damaged was the next best step.

It was ironic that she was doing exactly what Joan wanted. To collect information rather than engaging the other Masters. It would only be temporary. Naomi would be back in the game soon. She would just have to be more careful with how she went about the War.

"What do you want me to do if I find them?" Lancer asked.

"Report back where they are and what they're doing. Your weapon is sealed so you're at a disadvantage until I can reverse it."

He clinched his fists and Naomi flinched. Lancer had the control now. He had every ability to defy or kill her. She could still feel the ghosting's of his fingers around her neck. It would have been so easy for him to crush her windpipe with his thumb.

"I'm not cut out for scouting and sneaking around," he said tightly.

"I'm sorry." Naomi couldn't meet his eyes. Lancer was angry, just like she feared. "I'll undo the seal as fast as I can so you can fight at full strength."

"Yeah. I'll be back." he muttered in disappointment and vanished into spirit form.

Naomi quickly went to work on the de-cursing rune. It had smeared sometime between her fight with Edward and showering. She went about redrawing it with the tome open in front of her on the floor. She sat cross legged and tried to make sense of the nuances of the rune. Small changes to the design had massive effects that could be beneficial, backfire spectacularly, or make the whole thing no more than a decoration.

The entire time she concentrated on the rune she desperately wanted to review her barrier spells. She had surprised herself by using them as an attack rather than defense. It had been more of a reflex than a conscious thought to turn a quickly, half formed barrier into a sort of punch. Naomi wanted to see if she could do more with it. Increase the velocity for a more deadly effect or see if she could make it a ranged attack.

Lancer was gone through the night and didn't return until mid-afternoon the next day. He appeared in the living room from spirit form and let out an exasperated sigh as he stretched. The only reason Naomi didn't jump was she had sensed his presence. Not through her erected defenses, but their Servant-Master bond. The feeling was hard to explain. When he was near, she felt his concentrated magic like a pressure. The sensation thinned the further they were apart.

"How did it go?" She asked in a raspy tone. Despite her efforts it was not her skill that gave her her voice back. The spell had worn off all on its own. It had been a relief and a disappointment. At the very least she wouldn't have to call Joan for help.

Lancer looked down at her and his red eyes seemed to cut right through her like daggers. They quickly softened as Lancer shrugged.

"Simmons wasn't hard to find. I used the information you gathered to find out where he was. He came home around one AM and sat at his desk all night doing banking crap. Rider was getting along with him pretty cozily. He eventually left and I followed him to his office where he sat at another desk for hours."

"Was there anyone else in the house?" Naomi wondered.

"His wife and son. They weren't doing anything interesting."

"We could catch him when he leaves from work and lure him to a place to fight Rider." Naomi just had to figure out the best place to fight and how she was going to lure him.

She thought, belatedly, that she should give Lancer recognition. "Good job. This will help a lot."

There was a short pause where she felt awkward as she tried to gather the correct words.

"Here." Naomi grabbed her left wrist and closed her eyes. Her Command Seals glowed. "With this Command Seal I order you to ignore of any command Edward has given you and any command he gives in the future. You are no longer obligated to kill me if you disobey Edward and your weapon is unsealed."

The top command seal vanished. Leaving behind a faded red smear.

"How does that feel?" She cautiously asked.

"Well, I felt it burning in my chest like the last one." Lancer's brow was pinched as if in pain. He held out his hand and his weapon formed in a whirl of light. Lancer grinned and tapped it on the ground while standing a bit taller.

"Now I'm back in business."

Naomi frowned. The seal was lifted for now, but she could only counter so many more of those commands. They were still as good as stuck under Edward's thumb.

Banging rattled the door and rang through the bed chamber. Cú Chulainn rolled away from Emer while blinking away the remnants of sleep.

"I'm coming. Hold your horses." Cú Chulainn slid out of bed and his bare feet padded across the cold stone floor.

He opened the door to a messenger boy for the castle.

"Sir, I have an order from the king."

Voices flitted in his mind, almost too quickly to catch.

"Please don't go." Emer plead flitted in his mind, almost too quickly to catch.

"She didn't teach me…that." In a blink, the boy was lying in the grass with the life leaving his eyes.

A sinking feeling grew in the pit of Cú Chulainn's stomach and he checked the boy's fingers. There he found a familiar ring. The one he had given Aife so she could give it to his Connla. The boy stopped breathing before any words could be exchanged. That morning, Cú Chulainn cried.

Naomi woke up feeling more tired than when she fell asleep. There was an ache of loss in her chest like a dagger driving through her heart. It was digging in deep and twisting like a live barb.

Fully dressed, she walked into the living room and was assaulted by the sweet scent of pancakes. The powerful yet pleasant smell slapped her awake. She found Lancer in the kitchen wearing a gaudy red and yellow Hawaiian shirt with jeans. He stood over the electric stove, flipping pancakes.

Naomi resisted the urge to pinch herself.

Lancer looked at her over his shoulder. "Morning, Master." He turned off the stove and used a spatula to place the fresh pancakes on a preexisting stack stuck to a plate. He put the plate on the table which already had a bottle of syrup and an empty plate.

Lancer faced her with a giant grin. He had been in an unusually good mood lately.

"Pinch me. I'm dreaming."

Lancer walked up to her and gave her a small pinch on the arm. "Ow! Not literally!"

"Now that you know you're not dreaming why don't you sit down and have a bite." He pushed her toward the table.

"W-wait. Why are you making breakfast all of a sudden? You could have asked me to make some." She tried to face him when she reached the chair, but he pushed her down by her shoulders to make her sit.

"What, I can't help out from time to time? I used to not be able to take anyone's hospitality. I guess old habits die hard."

"Where did you find pancake batter?" She didn't remember owning any.

Lancer shrugged. "It was shoved in the back of the pantry behind vegetable stock."

"Oh," was all she could manage. The dream still hung like storm cloud as she watched Lancer saunter into the kitchen.

"You should eat before it gets cold."

He put the pot into the sink and squirted soap in the pan and filled it with water to let it soak.

Naomi almost wanted him to pinch her again because she felt like she was going crazy. His mood had done a 180, and he was being domestic. "Are you going to have some? I don't think I can eat this much."

"Definitely. I want to try these pancake things." Lancer took out an extra plate from the cupboard and sat down across from her. "I think I burnt some. I'll eat those."

Lancer piled his plate high and watched with curiosity as Naomi drizzled syrup over her share. Her fork bit into the soft bread and she smelled a slight burn to them. The viscous golden syrup flowed down toward the punctures and covered the tips of the fork.

"This is good!" Lancer's sudden and loud declaration made her jump. "I've had food like this before, but it was never this sweet. Ahhh."

Curious, Naomi took a bite. It tasted like regular pancakes to her.

"Say, Lancer?"

He had just stuck the fork in his mouth with another large bite. "Hmm?"

She had second thoughts the second the words left her mouth. He was in a good mood, and she didn't want to spoil it for him. "Never mind."

He leaned over the table. "Don't stop halfway. Need some toppings?"

His smile quelled at her forlorn look. "Hey, what's wrong? Are they overcooked?"

He probably had a right to know. The dream she had couldn't have been made up by her own mind. "I think I saw one of your memories last night. Is that a thing that can happen?"

"I wouldn't be surprised. The Master-Servant bond is a two-way street. Why? What did you see?"

That thought of him seeing her memories almost made her choke with embarrassment. There was nothing particularly awful to see there, but who knew what private or embarrassing thing he would see.

Naomi chewed the inside of her lip. "You…" There wasn't a tactful way to put it. "I dreamed of when you killed your son without knowing who he was."

Lancer took on a wistful look and his voice became softer. "Ah. I'm sorry you had to see that."

She had nothing to compare to the event. She never felt love or loss of her own. "No. Sorry for bringing it up."

"Don't be. Sometimes life is shit and there's nothing you can do about it. But if you find it fun and don't hold back it's not so bad. I don't regret anything from my life. Not even killing my son. He fought like a true warrior and I couldn't have been prouder."

Naomi was shocked by the smile that he was overtaken by from remembering his son. It put him a little more into perspective for her. Here he was, cooking pancakes for a girl who had pulled him from his grave to fight her battles. She couldn't see him as an object anymore. Servants were way more than vessels of magic. A construct wouldn't have memories or opinions.

"Thank you," she said with as much sincerity she could muster. Naomi felt he deserved more credit for what he was doing for her.

"The pancakes are nothing. I just thought I'd try my hand at cooking foreign food."

"I don't just mean the food. You've risked a lot for me. You could have followed through with Edward's Command Seal."

Lancer frowned and spoke loudly with passion and a tinge of anger. "I promised you my life and my lance. If you think a little bit of magic will make me break that oath you've severely underestimated me. You thought I would turn on you?"

She tried her best to keep calm, but his outburst and her shame got her heart beating. "I haven't known you very long…but I-" Three words glued to the roof of her mouth and she had to pry them out like stuck peanut butter. "I trust you." She fiddled with her fork.

Her chest beat erratically as she waited for Lancer's response. He had every chance in the world to kill her, but he had chosen to be injured in her stead. He had been disrespected and held back by her numerous times, but he had never faulted her for it. He could be exasperating, but he was always kind, even when he was angry.

Lancer's face split into a large, genuine smile that made her heart flutter. "I've had my fair share of bad Masters, but you're not one of them. You're inexperienced, but you're learning." He stabbed his pancake pile. "You don't have to worry. With me fighting, we'll win the Grail for sure. So rest easy."

Lancer's confidence was so infectious that she believed he could win the Grail War.

They finished, and Naomi helped put away the dishes. She placed the last pan in the dishwasher and Lancer leaned over her to close the door on her either side. An entirely unnecessary move that left him hovering over her. She stood up and turned around, but he didn't budge. His heat flowed over her, and he was inches from being pressed against her.

She really needed to teach that people in her culture were not comfortable with people in their personal space.

He smirked through half lidded eyes. "You missed a spot."

She was about to tell him to back off, but she was taken off guard when he grabbed her shoulder. Lancer leaned in and she froze, her mind going blank. He tilted his head and his tongue darted out to lick away a bit of syrup.

"Lancer!" She shrieked and shoved him back.

He licked the side of his mouth, looking pleased by her reaction.

"You can't just lick people!" She grabbed her purse off the counter and slung it over her shoulder.

"Why not? It saves on water, and you taste nice and sweet."

She glared at him despite her rising blush and jerkily picked up her keys. "Your jokes are awful, and we need to get ready for tonight. I have a plan."

Naomi leaned against a building across from the bank Simmons worked at. She sipped at a coffee she had purchased to try to look like she was staring out at nothing in boredom while waiting to be picked up by a non-existent friend. She was grateful for the hot cup providing some warmth.

It was dark out and closing in on ten PM. There weren't many people out since it was a work night.

"Hey, hey do you know the burger place down the street? Have you been there?" A man with gaunt cheeks who looked like he hadn't bathed in weeks walked up to her. Naomi stiffened and the hair on the back of her neck rose.

"I'm really hungry. Could you spot me a few? Please?"

He was approaching with an uncomfortably fast pace when he stumbled back as if hit by a strong wind. The man blinked but continued his path toward her.

"I just need a few." He hand was out to take her imaginary money.

Naomi was about to start moving away when a blue light flashed across his ankle, and he tripped and sprawled out on the ground.

"Ow! What the fuck?" The man stumbled to his feet and tried to approach again.

Naomi did her best to ignore him and not meet his eyes. He stumbled again as if pushed and cursed at her as if it were her fault.

"Stupid bitch." He glared and Naomi with murder in his eyes and turned around to go back the way he came from.

"I hate downtown," she muttered and bit the rim of her coffee cup. Her shoulders were still stiff.

The man screamed as he tripped again, and face planted a second time. He rolled to his feet and started running at her. "Come here you stupid bitch?!"

"Lancer!" Naomi barked angrily at her Servant.

The guy probably wanted to kill her now and was high out of his mind to boot.

The man smacked face first into a fist attached to a still appearing body that was glittering blue. The stranger collapsed on the ground and Naomi had no idea if he was alive or dead.

"Did you have to provoke him?" She hissed at Lancer.

"He won't even remember what happened." Lancer looked like he was enjoying himself a bit too much.

Naomi hid her amusement behind her cup. She couldn't find it in her to stay mad at him and wasn't sure why. Perhaps it was because of how infectious his good moods could be.

"Ah, there he is. He finally came out of his cave." Lancer's eyes were on the bank across the street.

Naomi was blind as a bat out here, so she trusted his eyes.

"You ready, Master?" He offered his hand and Naomi nodded.

"I was getting bored. Let's go." She tossed her coffee and let Lancer hoist her onto his back.

"I guarantee this won't be boring." Lancer took off with an earsplitting grin and chased after Simmons car as it pulled out of the parking lot.

They followed just far enough behind to not be seen until Simmons turned into his neighborhood.

The cool night smelled like cut grass and there was a chill in the air pushing ahead of a cold front. Lancer quickly set her down at the edge of an open ditch cutting through the back of the neighborhood. Straining, she tried to see under the old wooden bridge made for pedestrians and cyclists.

Lancer wasted no time in landing on the hood of Simmons car and pierced the engine with his lance. The SUV screeched to a halt and Lancer smirked at the Master through the windshield.

"Did ya miss me?"

Simmons got out of his car and Naomi wondered why Rider hadn't immediately jumped on Lancer.

Simmons was talking to Lancer and didn't look the least bit concerned from where Naomi was standing. She couldn't hear what they were saying but it didn't matter. She was growing nervous that Rider hadn't shown herself.

"Bastard!" Lancer shouted loud enough for her to hear.

She jolted at his alarm and took a step toward them just as a chain wrapped around her middle, pinning her arms to her sides. She was yanked her high into the air and she yelled in surprise.

Rider stood on a streetlamp with a chain wrapped around her forearm. It dangled, holding Naomi aloft.

In a flash, wind whirled in front of Naomi and Lancer's weapon jabbed at Rider. "Release her! Rider! Your fight is with me!"

Rider yanked Naomi up and put her between them. Lancer's attack faltered and he fell to the ground. He glared up at them with his teeth barred.

Rider said nothing and jumped from the post. Naomi felt her heart leap into her throat as the ground rushed to meet her. The air shimmered and a brilliant black and gold chariot appeared under them. The Servant let Naomi go and she hit the floor of the chariot. Sculpted golden snakes flowed toward the back of the chariot, making it seem they were swimming over each other. The front of the carriage had a large golden eye framed by radiating, wavering snakes.

The horseless chariot took off into the night and wind streamed behind the vehicle. Naomi had a good view of the street out the open backed chariot and feared she would go flying out at the slightest turn. Though, that might have been her ticket out.

Concentrating on the heels of her shoes, she activated the runes inscribed into the soles of her boots. Drawing in her knees, she gave a powerful kick to the back of Rider's legs. Rider looked down at her as Naomi forced her way out the back of the chariot.

The chains disappeared from around her as she fell. Naomi's muscles tightened in preparation for impact. She was betting on Lancer catching her but, she wasn't sure he would make it and she was going to die as a splatter on the road.

Naomi was grabbed midair and jerked sideways. Lancer landed gracefully and set Naomi on her feet.

He summoned Gáe Bolg and faced Rider. "Try not to get yourself killed or captured."

"I'm working on it," Naomi shot back.

The horseless chariot pulled around and came straight for them. Lancer jumped to meet it and thrusted his spear at Rider. She backflipped off the chariot and Lancer used the vehicle as leverage. He jumped on the front and kick off it and launched into the air. Naomi ran out of the way as the chariot dematerialized right before impact.

The two Servants engaged and the pressure in the area increased with their releasing mana. The pavement buckled and sprayed into the air whenever Rider's chains hit the ground as she wailed at Lancer. Lancer's attacks did no such damage to the environment as he aimed with precise strikes and danced around the chains.

Naomi stayed away and kept a watch on her back. She didn't think Simmons would catch up soon. His car was toast and Rider had dragged her a decent ways away. That gave them a slight advantage. Rider was weaker without her master around to use command seals or join in on the attack.

Naomi's vision started to blur, or the surroundings started to look smokey. She wasn't sure.

Rider suddenly stopped moving, her mouth agape. She cried out in alarm. "Master!"

An unholy screech blasted from her mouth that made Lancer grimace and Naomi to cover her ears.

Rider ran past Lancer and Naomi thought she was coming for her, but Rider raced right by her.

Rider's Master was crumpled at the feet of Assassin. He was twitching and holding onto his stomach. His belly had been sliced open and the streetlights shined off his guts that were spilled out on the pavement. Rider attacked Assassin who moved out of the way faster than Naomi's eyes could track. They became a blur as they clashed. Naomi started scanning for Joan. If her servant was here, then she shouldn't be far behind.

"Well look who came to ruin the fun," Lancer spat. He walked past Naomi and put his hands on his hips. "You magus don't like to do anything fair, do ya?"

Joan appeared from the mist with a thermos in hand and ignored Lancer. "Hi there sweetie. I should be angry that you decided to engage this master again without notifying me. But I guess you made taking them down easier by distracting Rider. You're lucky I was already on his tail." She took a long sip of her drink.

"I didn't want to waste any time. I'm being hunted by more than one Master." Naomi said.

"Let me guess. Fuller?"

Naomi blinked. "How do you know about him?"

"Simmons squealed after I singed off both eyebrows and BBQed one of his fingers. He was working with that Master."

Naomi internally cringed. "I had a run in with Fuller. But I'm talking about Edward."

Joan took another draw of her drink. "I haven't heard of that one. You'll have to tell me about him."

Lancer grabbed Naomi, knocking the wind from her, and set her down a couple feet away. She hadn't seen the two blurs that were Rider and Assassin coming at them but had felt the rush of wind they left behind.

"You've got Rider right pissed," Lancer said. "Not surprising since you offed her Master." His tone was biting. Naomi could feel his disgust.

Joan shrugged. "With her Master gone, she'll disappear in a few days even if we don't kill her here. Let's leave so we're not in the way. Assassin can distract Rider long enough then vanish once I tell her to."

Joan took a step toward Naomi and Lancer summoned his weapon. He crouched into a fighting stance and sneered.

"If you think I'm letting you anywhere near my Master, think twice, witch. You're lucky she doesn't want you as dead as Rider's Master over there."

With how angry Lancer was at Joan from last time, Naomi was surprised he didn't stab her right then and there.

Joan threw her head back and laughed. "Assassin didn't kill him. I did."

Lancer sneered. "Should I be impressed? Because I'm not."

Joan waved her hand. "I don't care what you think of me, dog. Just keep doing your job so I don't have to put you down like one."

Naomi could see every muscle in Lancer's body tighten and felt his irritation and anger coursing through him as if he were fit to burst. She had to diffuse the situation before Joan ended up dead.

"Joan!" Naomi shouted. She shook with the effort. She had never yelled at her aunt. Had never thought to do such a thing. She felt as fit to burst as Lancer. "Shut up! Stop picking a fight with Lancer?"

Her face soured. "You shouldn't talk to your auntie that way. It's disrespectful."

Naomi had a feeling that if Lancer hadn't been standing between them, Joan would be attacking her like she did at the church. She didn't know what had happened to her aunt. She could say cruel things, but she had never struck Naomi before that night. Something had changed.

Joan jerked her head to look back in alarm. Assassin and Rider broke from the poisonous fog, hurtling straight toward them. Joan ran out of the way and Lancer braced himself. Both Servants collided on either side of his lance. The balls of Lancer's feet bit into the concrete, shattering the stone as he withstood the hits. Wind gushed around Naomi and something like a sonic boom hit her ears. Then Lancer was gone. Caught dancing with his lance in the fray of the other two Servant's weapons.

"Now is our chance." Joan grabbed Naomi's wrist and started yanking her away from the battlefield.

Naomi dug in her heels. "I'm not leaving Lancer here."

"All they have to do is distract Rider long enough. That dog will follow you once it gets the word."

Naomi lifted her free hand and burst a barrier at Joan. It didn't collide, but the surprise was enough to make Joan let go and recoil.

"What is wrong with you!" Naomi shouted.

Joan's shock was short lived when Rider appeared between them. Her chains lashed at Joan who barely had time to dodge it. Joan lifted her arm as if to parry and cursed, balling her hands into fists. Rider rounded a kick at Joan who summoned fire magic at the Servant.

Naomi stumbled back and looked around for Lancer. He was engaged with Assassin.

Rider's chain caught Joan's foot and yanked Naomi's aunt to her back. She no doubt saw stars when her head cracked on the pavement. Rider looked at Naomi with an unreadable expression and a second chain materialized in her free hand.

"You'll pay for killing my Master," Rider seethed.

Naomi felt her throat hitch and fear tingle through her limbs. She had to do something, or Rider would kill her aunt.

Flames crept up Rider's chain that was holding Joan like a hungry beast. The fire engulphed Rider and The Servant retreated. She moved so quickly that the flames died out in the wind.

Rider ran at Naomi, her teeth bared.

In the span of a blink, she had disappeared. A blur had collided with Rider and was now exchanging blows with her. Naomi could just barely make out Lancer between strikes as she put her hand to her chest and sent prana into her healing runes.

Lancer was faster and more ferocious than the last time he fought Rider. His lance gouged her arms and legs between dodges, splattering blood across the road that shined in the streetlights. He wasn't toying with her like before.

With a crack, Rider deflected Lancer's weapon to the side with her chains and they leapt back from each other. Rider's right arm hung useless at her side. The blindfold that kept her eyes hidden split at the seem and fell to the ground.

"So you do have eyes. Good. You can watch as I cut through your heart!" Lancer yelled.

Rider's brilliant yellow eyes were set in a beautiful frame. Her pupils narrowed into vertical slits and her body began to grow black as it warped.

"Not holding back anymore, huh?" Lancer's weapon erupted with a glowing red flame of energy. "Come at me with all you've got!"

Rider's blackened body became bloated and rose forty feet in the air. Her shapeless form towered over the nearby buildings. Withering appendages sprang out from all over her body, reaching out into the darkness. The streetlights cracked and broke, bathing the street in darkness as glass fell over the pavement.

Lancer's eyes peeled wide, appearing to belong to that of a wild beast. He took off at a sprint under a battle cry and reeled back his arm with bulging muscles. Prana poured from Naomi into Lancer through their link, heeding his demanding call.

"Gáe…Bolg!" The lance was set loose with a powerful throw.

A giant golden snake eye snapped open at the top of the withering mass. Gáe Bolg pierced its midsection and light exploded with the force of a bomb.

Naomi's ears rang and she saw spots. Red and blue lights rained down like sparklers from the sky that fizzled out before hitting the ground. The behemoth had a large hole in it where its eye used to be. Naomi watched in silence as it dissolved away.

"Riders…dead?" Naomi couldn't quite believe it was over so suddenly.

"I don't think she's coming back from that. Even if that wasn't fatal, she doesn't have a chance to regenerate without a Master." Joan wiped off her thermos she had dropped on the ground in the scuffle. "I want to hear about this Edward. Let's go to my house to regroup and assess the next move."