October 14th, 2009

Naru woke up the next day feeling groggy. He didn't get much sleep after the insanity that happened last night. Was that even real? Did he imagine the whole thing?

He got up and went to the bathroom to wash. After he was done, he went to the kitchen to fix breakfast. That's when he noticed something. While the house had been wrecked when he got home yesterday, now it was completely fixed like nothing had ever happened.

Naru: "Hmm. I guess I did imagine it."

Before he could even think of even considering this idea, he heard something from the living room. It was a snore. A snore that was almost too quiet to hear was coming from the couch. Naru went over to the couch and saw a blanket draped over something. At first, he thought it was Touka sleeping on the couch, but then he saw a small golden hair sticking out the top where her head would be. He pulled back the covers and there, sleeping on the couch, was Saber in his mother's pajamas!

Naru: "AAAAHHH!

Naru yelped in surprise, nearly tripping backward. At the same time, Saber was slowly roused from her sleep and sat upright on the couch to look at Naru with her tired, emerald eyes.

Saber: "Good morning Naru!" I trust that your slumber was satisfactory?"

Naru: "I….uh….yeah…I guess? What are you doing here?"

Saber looked at him confused.

Saber: "I am your servant, am I not? It is only natural that I stay near the entrance should any intruders show up, right?"

Naru: "That's not what I meant! What I meant was, what are you STILL doing here?"

Saber: "I'm your servant. I must stay by my master's side at all times."

Naru: "Huh?"

Saber: "...you don't know what is going on, do you?"

Naru: "NO SHIT SHERLOCK! Take the freaking hint!"

Saber: "Another inexperienced master. Great! I'll have to explain this later. In the meantime, let's have breakfast!"

Saber's eyes lit up when she said that. Naru could immediately tell that she was the kind of person who liked to eat…a lot.

Naru: "She's definitely going to put a dent in my wallet."

With that, he began to cook breakfast. He decided to make double the pancakes he normally made because he could tell Saber was likely to eat half of them. While he was cooking them, Saber was watching the entire time with eyes shining in anticipation. When he got the pancakes on the plate, Saber's eyes followed it. He moved the plate to the right, left, up, down, and Saber's eyes still followed.

Naru: "She's like a cat."

Naru placed the plate on the table.

Naru: "Touka! Breakfast!"

Touka: "Coming!"

Touka ran into the kitchen and sat at the table. Once she was settled in, she looked at Saber with a look of suspicion on her face. Saber took notice of this and looked at Touka.

Saber: "What is it, young lady?"

Touka: "Hmmmmm….*gasp* I know who you are now!"

Saber suddenly looked panicked while Naru looked at her with curiosity.

Saber: "You…..do?"

Touka: "Yep! You are…."

Saber: "..."

Touka: "...Violet Evergarden!"

Saber: "...who?"

Naru: "Forgive mind her. Touka inherited my dad's mystic eyes of future sight. However, instead of seeing normal events like they're supposed to, she can only see anime.

Saber: "Anime?"

Naru: "Exactly! She can only see the future if it's related to anime in some way. Apparently, an anime called "Violet Evergarden" is coming out, which you supposedly have a resemblance to…I think."

Saber: "I-I see."

Saber shrugged and put an entire stack of pancakes on her plate. She looked blissful with every bite she took as if the pancakes were the greatest thing she ever tasted.

Saber: "Mmm! Naru, your pancakes are divine!"

Naru: "They're just pancakes."

Once everyone was finished with breakfast, Saber and Naru sat across from each other while Touka went to her room to watch anime.

Saber: "Alright, now that we have filled our stomachs, I believe it is time I informed you of this sudden turn of events."

Naru: "Yeah, you're going to answer all my questions and tell me what the hell is going on."

Saber: "Very well, let me get to the point: you have been selected to fight as a master in the Holy Grail War."

Naru: "The Holy Grail War? What's that?"

Saber: "The Holy Grail War is a competition where seven magi fight to claim ownership of the Holy Grail, a mass of pure Magical Energy which reacts to the wishes of the one who holds it to grant them."

Naru: "Okay, that clears some things up, but where do you fit into all of this?"

Saber: "The masters don't fight themselves. Rather, they summon spirits to fight for them called servants."

Naru: "Servants?"

Saber: "Yes, servants are the remnants of heroes from the past summoned as familiars for the masters to command. They are separated into seven classes: sabers: who excel in swordsmanship, archers: who fight from long-range with projectiles, lancers: who use spears riders: who are experts in mounted combat, casters: who are adept in magecraft, assassins: who are proficient in assassination and stealth, and berserkers: who trade their sanity in exchange for power."

Naru: "Wait, so 'Saber' is not your actual name?"

Saber: "No, it is my class name. It would be preferable if you would continue to call me as such since revealing my true name will make it easier for our enemies to exploit any weaknesses I might have."

Naru: "Ok then. Here's my next question: what are these weird marks on my right hand? Are they special in some way?"

Saber: "Yes, they are. Those are your command spells, three claims of absolute obedience. They allow masters to command servants forcefully should the need arise. They can also be used to temporarily boost your servant should they be in peril."

Naru: "That sounds almost too good to be true. I feel like there's a catch."

Saber: "You would be correct. You only have three command spells, so use them wisely."

Naru: "Noted!"

Saber: "Alright, those are the basics of what the Holy Grail War is and how to fight as a master. Any more questions?"

Naru: "No, I'm good."

Naru got up to leave.

Saber: "Naru? Where are you going?"

Naru: "This….is a lot for me to take in. I need some time to think."

Saber: "Of course. Take your time."

Naru lay in his bed for the rest of the day, skipping both lunch and dinner. He spent the whole day thinking of these new developments, but now it was time he made a decision.

Naru: "I'm not going to participate. My mother died, I have to deal with the continued threat of the gang lords, and now this 'Holy Grail War?' I'm not going to stand for this! I'm going to go out there right now and tell Saber that I'm quitting!"

Naru got up from his bed and went to the kitchen. However, Saber wasn't there. In fact, she was no longer in the apartment.

Naru: "God dammit! She didn't even close the door!"

Naru went outside to find where Saber went, making sure the bounded field was reinforced before he went out. After walking through the forest for around fifteen minutes, he found Saber in the middle of the woods with her armor and sword out.

Naru: "There you are! Geez! Could you not go walking into the woods without my-"

Saber: "Shhh! Be quiet!"

Naru: "Huh? Why?"

Saber: "There is a servant in these woods."