Story: Fate/Stay Night Zero (all chapters)

::::::::::Fate/Stay Night Zero::::::::::

By: Demon Eyes

Disclaimer: All the characters in this story, albeit a few additions, aren't mine. They belong to Type-Moon of course.

Prologue

"I say we send out a messenger to deliver our white flag." Bellows a man who looks to be in his late forties wearing amour and speaking inn the early Century Scottish language. He is one of the seven men seated around a large round table all dressed similarly. He says this with an edge in his voice and putting power in his suggestion by pounding his closed fist on the table. All around him, everyone looks like they have been in discussion for quite some time and the strain in their faces suggesting they were going no where.

"What nonsense are you spouting Sir Fiachra? This army is the most feared in Western regions. We giving in would ma..." Having been interrupted by a metallic cup hitting a table, it's contents spilling everywhere, the man looked across the table to see another man looking all to the world like he was ready to rip someone's head off.

"You, Sir Caddell, are the one spouting nonsense. The enemy is only a few suns away from reaching our country and you are talking about pride? I don't know about everybody else here but I joined this army to protect my family and every other person in it. I won't risk bringing harm to innocents just because I was keeping our country's pride." He turns towards another man who unlike all the others on the table, looked to have a lot more years over the rest. He was the only one who looked to have taken some sleep compared to the others who might have been up for a few days. His armor was quite different from the rest in both quantity and quality. He had an air of power around him and he happened to be the King to these men seated around him and the same country of which whose safety, they were speaking of. "Our Lord feels the same way I believe?"

"Okay everyone, I understand that this is a very difficult time for all of us and our country. We have been seated here for more than eighteen hours straight trying to see what we can do to stop the advance of this terrifying whose strength and tactics of which even I, who has fought more wars than any of you here, has seen before. But as our comrade Sir. Gilroy here has stated, our country and its people are the reason of why we fight. We have at least two platoons of soldiers left on the front line. That can hold for two other moons until the remaining three still here depart to make the last stand. We, the remaining seven, shall also go with the last group and pray that we will prevail." The great man stops here all of a sudden and stands up. Everyone at the table is forced to give their King their attention. "No." He continues. His eyes showing even more determination than he had shown all day. "We must prevail. We have to forget about false hopes of someone ever wielding the Great Excalibur. Every man and boy in this country has tried to pull the sword of victory from its resting place and no one has succeeded. So my friend, forget about Excalibur and let us fight to preserve peace to our country with our own hands." He pushes a fist in the air and is rewarded but clapping and feet hitting the floor in a gesture of awe at his leadership.

While the men are still cheering, suddenly, a figure coughs politely to get attention and everyone in the room turns towards the source of the voice. It was coming from one of the corners which were hard to see into properly as it was a little after dusk and the room was lucking a few windows. "Who goes there?h Asks one of the men, his hands in a gesture to show that he was reading to draw his sword as were the other five except their King, who looked like he was expecting this. A dark shadowy figure emerged from the corner and came into the lamp light. It had a hood over its head and carried a staff like a walking stick. When the men saw this, they sighed in relief uniformly and relaxed their hands. "Sir. Merlin. It's Merlin my King" The man who had asked said for all to hear.

"My good friend Merlin, what brings you here? I hope you have some good advice as to how we are going to drive away our enemy because that is what we were discussing. Unfortunately, without success. We have decided we are going to fight till our dying breath." The King walks over to this hooded figure known as Merlin and he shakes hands with him. Merlin shakes the King's hand and uses the other that holds his stuff to pull back his hood. He looks in the same years as the King himself yet as we will learn he has lived over hundreds of years. He is known as a Warlock by many.

"I am very happy to say that I have very good news indeed my King. For out of no where, has come our savior. A person who will bring victory to mother Scotland. There I was, waiting as always near the stone for the one who will come and claim the Great Sword and I see a person walk up to the hill. At first I didn't believe it. What was this person thinking? But it seems, living for many years indeed takes something away from you. For me I had forgotten not to judge people by their appearances but I was warned not to refuse anyone who wanted to try their hand at Excalibur. Thus I went through the ritual and the person stepped up to claim the sword. And as easy as if the sword was in wet clay, it was pulled out of its resting place by said ease." Merlin shakes his head a little. He looks like he doesn't believe it even now. He looks towards the double doors leading to the room everyone was in. The doors start to open. "Here is our champion my King. Meet Arturia, the person who has come to save our land from our worst enemy and is to become King."

The doors part ways to let in "A woman?!! Have you gone mad Sir. Merlin? A woman can not..."" Silence." Orders the King as he looks towards the person who has just entered the room. It was a young woman, not old enough to be called a woman but held herself in a way that you couldn't address her as such. She was wearing silver armor on her arms as long gloves. On her chest and a metal vest and around her hips and a skirt. Underneath was a regal blue dress and in a sheath held in one hand, was the weapon to be beheld, The Sword of Victory, Excalibur. Upon seeing it, all around, even the said girl known as Arturia, everyone was rebuffed as they saw their King bow to his knees in front of this girl. "I King Ramsay, recognize thee Arturia, as the wielder of the Sword Of Victory and thus the new King of Scotland as of now." He gestures for his right hand men to get on their knees and reluctantly, they do as their King, or was King demands of them. He looks up to the girl in front of him, looking a little out of place and continues" I have failed to drive away our enemy and I was about to send my last men into a battle in which they might not have returned." He looked really ashamed and tired all of a sudden. "please I beg of you, as my last request to preserve peace to our land, King Arturia." he says this last part in finality as if to put a stop to protests which were to come but now silenced.

The girl now known as King Arturia, looked like she was having a great war waging in her eyes that in the present light, looked to be medium sea green. Seeming to have come to a decision, now her demeanor changed to that of a leader, King Arturia looked to Sir. Ramsay and smiled. She held out her hand as she said, " Sir. Ramsay, I had already decided to bring peace to this land when I was still but a child as I saw my parents being killed. But it gives me more reason to bring forth that peace as now I not only will bring it for my own self but for you Sir." Not like a girl at all. But a powerful being housed in a body of a young 17 yr old girl. A power that you see held back just beyond her eyes. Like a Dragon indeed. 'Now I see what they meant by the wielder of the Sword Of Victory being like a Dragon.' Sir. Ramsay thought to himself. A smile coming to his lips as he took his King's hand and standing to his feet.

"Sir. Merlin just informed me that the enemy numbers have just increased and that our platoon will be totally defeated by dawn tomorrow. I must set out to the battle field right now and save many soldiers as possible. The armies still stationed here are not needed so you may stay and I give you my word that I will come back with victory. Now if you will excuse me, I must leave right now." She bowed to the former King again before turning to leave only to be interrupted by Sir. Ramsay.

"My King, won't you take a few of these men to aide you? They might be of some use and..." He didn't get to finish as his king turned and shook her head. She told him her reasons.

"Sir. Ramsay, it is two moons from here to the place of the battle and as I said, the enemies have grown and our armies will be defeated by tomorrow dawn. I was aiming to reach there in a lot earlier than that. If I were to travel alone, I would reach there in no less that 4 hours were I to go as fast as I can. Maybe you can send them too to aide the wounded and help them return but I must go alone." She saw the wonder and doubt in Sir. Ramsay's face and she smiled, again, at him to re assure him. "Sir, this sword has many gifts that accompany it. I can not tell you a lot but let's just say that speed is one of them." With that her face turned serious as she looked to the rest of the men who were all quiet all this time. "prepare as much medical equipment as possible and set out to help the wounded. Take the west route as that is where we shall return from. We might meet in a day's time so take your time. Now let us go." She turned to leave and the rest of the men followed except Sir. Ramsay who stayed to discuss something more with Merlin.

After some time outside, King Arturia checked the medical supplies and seeing them to her plans, she nodded to the men and turned. "Don't forget. Take the West route. May god be with you all." The men bid her farewells as well and she closed her eyes calling upon the powers of the sword. To the observer, it looked as if she were in a silent prayer with her eyes closed and in front of Sir. Gilroy and the whole town's people who had come to witness their new King, were left in confusion and wonder as, seemingly in a gust of wing, their King vanished. But she had truly been flying at ground level at such a speed, that it looked like she just vanished. Sir. Gilroy having got a hold of himself, urged his selected few to move on with the medical supplies.

On the battle field, ten hours later, an explosion is heard and fire burning and the person seemingly to be the leader of the enemy forces, orders his people to retreat and they leave in defeat. Amidst the remainder of a scorching battlefield, stands King Arturia. Excalibur back in its sheath and supporting its Master who was looking towards an unknown distance. Blood painted her armor and her face but she looked not like a killer but an Angel in hell. She was King Aturia of Scotland. The most powerful and wisest of Kings that ruled mother Scotland.

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Part I

I wake up panting. I have never had such a dream before. I usually dream of my dear departed father but today...I force myself to lie on my back and stare at the ceiling. I wonder why I was dreaming of some king from ages ago. Well, she was a woman but still, why? I grow silent and as my raging heart comes back to normal, all that greets me is the usual ticking of the many clocks in my house. Well, to call it a house would be to under-value it. It is a mansion. Can house about 7 people each with their own bedrooms. Yes. I stay here alone. I've stayed here alone for ten years. Know this place in and out like the back of
my own palm.

I get up and go to the bathroom to prepare my self yet for another day of school. Though another day today is not. I brush my teeth and get into the shower and after that I put on my uniform and then I'm ready for school. But not without my morning hobby first. Yes, if someone knew me, they might call me a tea freak as I drink tea like no other. I would like to call myself the Tea Master of Fuyuki. The city in which I reside. I might as well, since I know no other that has a taste for tea like I do. hmm...here comes the hard part. I always have to choose which particular I should have everyday and it takes up a lot of time. But time is what I have as it seems that all my clocks decided to go an hour backwards today. Not only did I have a weird dream, but now it seems other crazy things are happening. Not that that surprises me in the least. But I am getting side tracked here. I decide to go with Lady Gray today and I prepare a pot of it. When ready, I go to my dining table and sit down to ponder today's plans.

I have finished my tea and after putting away the clean utensils, cast a "cleaning" spell, followed by a "security" spell on my house and leave for school. Fuyuki City is devided, by a crimson bridge, into two parts. One part of the town is, to put it in simple words, the urban part with a lot of foreign houses and simply looks Western style. This is the part in which I live. the other part, is rural and is where you will find all the traditional houses and everything. The famous Ryudo temple is on that side of the City.

my name is Tohsaka Rin. I am 16 years old. my family is famous as it is one of the oldest houses in Fuyuki and we or I am quite rich. Though I never have any use or need if the riches. I am glad to mention too that Ifm the No.01 girl at my school. Though those fools who drool when they think I'm not looking are out of their minds if they think they will ever get a chance with me. Not that I'm that hard made. I have a guy I like and he happens to go to this same school. But I haven't had a decent conversation with him since we were younger. I can do everything if I wanted but I am the captain of the Straight-home-after-classes club. Yes. I am too lazy but only in that part of my life. Yes, I lead two lives. This is one of those two.

The other life that no one else knows about, except my legal guardian, Fr. Kotomine Kirei, who looked after me after the death of my father, is that I am a magus. My family is also famous for it's lines of mages who are secretly living in this City. I have been training all my life to be a mage and fight in a war that is, ironically, supposed to start any time today and not later than by the end of tomorrow. I call it a war but don't think guns and tanks and everything. this is a war of fourteen beings. Seven mages known as masters who will be aided by seven spiritual beings known as servants. A master and a servant fighting in a war over the possession of one thing. The Holy Grail. it is said to grant any wish the victor who claims it may have. It might not be called a war with this number of participants but if the seven spiritual beings doing the fighting are souls of past and present heroes with un heard of off world abilities that can level a city, then it is a war. Not to mention the masters who can bend the rules of the physical as we know it. I am one of these Magi(masters) who are to fight in this war. The last war was ten years ago in which my father who was a participant lost his life and the reason why part of the rural part of Fuyuki City is now barren. I fight in this war, not because of the prize, but because I want to succeed where my father failed. I must bring the Holy grail to House Tohsaka. That is why I have been prepared for the last 10 years for today. Tonight, Ifm to sermon my servant tonight. A partner who will fight with me to win the Holy Grail.

I can see my friend, best friend, at the school gates. I wave for her and catch her attention and she waves back and stands waiting for me to catch up. In order to sermon a servant, you need something of the type of which you want to sermon. There are seven classes of servants; Saber-The most powerful of servants and use swords as weapons, Archer-Users of projectile weapons, Rider-Most agile class, Berserk-the strongest class, Caster-The magician class, Assassin-Most stealth, and Lancer-Users of long range weapons. I don't have anything of the servant I want to summon except that I aim to get the most powerful and that automatically counts for Saber class. I have prepared for this moment almost all of my life and there is no doubt that I will get Saber. I will make it so, for I am Tohsaka Rin. I smile as I reach my friend "Good morning Mitsuzuri-san"

To be continued...

Chapter 2

::::::::::::::::::::::::::Fate/Stay Night Zero::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

By: Demon Eyes

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters in this story. They belong to Type-Moon. Duh!

Part II

"You do like your tea don't you Tohsaka?" It's after school and since Mitsuzuri asked me to come over to the archery club, I decided to drop in after school. I come here often but not and look out at the students on the range striking poses and aiming arrows like they were on the red line in the medieval periods. Erg, me and my wars. Anyway, I come here to watch the students practice but I only watch one in particular. Only Mitsuzuri knows who it is, everyone else thinks I am here to watch that stuck up brat Matou Shinji. I never try to correct them, for I need that rumor as a cover for my true intentions. The bastard tried even once to confess to me and got turned down. Hard. But I don't think it was hard enough as the idiot is still spouting lies that I dig him. He is that stupid. Maybe he doesn't want his pride to demolish. Crazily, many girls are all over him with his arrogant personality held out to the public like that. Oh well, each to their own I guess.

"How do you know that I am not putting up with all this water just so I can make it seem that I love tea? For all you know, it's one of my disguises." I answer as I take another sip from my cup. Though like I stated before, I am a tea freak and thus, I love my tea. I have to get my vendor get shipments fresh, straight from China. The crap that they sell in town aren't my cup of tea so to speak*Chuckle*. I must have done that openly as Mitsuzuri looks up to me with a hard face.

"What's so funny Tohsaka? Don't tell me you have found one?" Her eyes widen in mock shock. What she means by the one, is that if I have found a boy friend. You see, we made this crazy bet when we first met, to see who would get a make-the-other-jealous boyfriend. I stop at this. There are so many boys I could have and who would make her jealous but I have not been thinking about that at all. I could tell her a lie and say that I have one. It wouldn't take me even two hours to find a boy to pose as my boy. But...

"Sadly, as much as I would like it to be that, itfs not a boy. I haven't found one in this school yet who can turn me into a giddy ten year old." Lies. There is one but though I act tough, I am so soft in the inside I have to take a magical x-ray every morning just to make sure I have bones. "What I was laughing about was...Ah, forget about it. I do like the tea. It's the only stable thing in my life." This dampens my spirit somehow as it brings onto the surface unwanted memories and things that would make dreams of, nightmares. Mitsuzuri brings me back to the sane with a correct guess of one of the reasons I am down. This is as far as I let her in. She knows not of the whole of that which is Tohsaka Rin.

"I don't get it Tohsaka, why don't you just get together some where, like having lunch and spend some time together? I mean, every time I see you together at all, you talk to each other like strangers. I just don't get it. There is no way I can do that." Matou Sakura is who we are talking about. She is Matou Shinji's sister. They look so alike, that you wouldn't know the truth. They both have blue-violet hair and matching eyes with the same colour. Matou Sakura is Shinji's adopted sister. Her birth name is Tohsaka Sakura. Yes, she is my real sister. A year younger than me. She was adopted by the Matou family just before my father left to fight in the last war. A family can't have two successors. If two children are born, one has to be raised in ignorance of magi craft. That being Sakura in our case. That being said, Sakura doesn't have a clue that she is a magus basically. Or of the true nature of this City. She does know that I am her big sister. We decided to let everybody else think that we weren't sisters. Those who know are Mitsuzuri and Shinji of course. But enough if that. I am getting myself depressed and Tohsaka Rin can't be anything but cool.

"I told you Mitsuzuri, there are a lot of reasons that we act this way. Very important reasons. And besides, though we don't talk much, I talk to her as a stranger and find out if she is okay or not." I say this, but every single time I ask her she tells me she is fine. I don't know what it is but I can tell that she isn't telling the truth. I can't possibly force her to tell me the truth without going to the extreme. Damn that Shinji, I just know he is doing something to her but I have no way of finding out. Is...It can't be. But I can't put it past him. Is he...bullying her?!! Bastard. If he is, I will make him pay. A cup in my hands breaks. I am so mad at that boy and I don't know why. Maybe because I feel as if Sakura trusts him more than I do! And anyway, somewhere in my mind, I know Sakura hates me. No, she must despise me. When I think about the night she was taken away, why wouldn't she? I feel someone touching my hands. I had closed my eyes at this moment and I'm startled to say the least since I am not the touchy feely type of girl. I open my eyes to someone I wasn't expecting at all and jump back away from her. It's...

"Sakura!!? What...I didn't see you there." I am always emotionally unstable when she is around. I don't think I will ever get used to her presence. I look down to my hand to find a half done bandage there. It seems I injured my palm when I broke the cup. I could heal this quickly but I will save that for later. Time to put things in order. I stand up as I have been on the floor and I look into Sakura's face. She looks a little heart, perhaps from my actions. "I am sorry. I will take care of this myself Sakura. Thank you any way." I compose myself and get my coat. It's high time I left this place before things get any weirder.

"I'm sorry sempai. I was coming to tell the captain that we are leaving and I saw blood on your hands from the cuts of the cup shards." Her look is un-readable. "I/m sorry" Damn it. I hate my heart sometimes. If I'm not careful, I might make a mistake. Mitsuzuri knows the truth about us but what if someone walks in? I smile as I put the finishing touches on my coat. Looking all to the world the coolest girl around. I must admit, I like it a little to be at the top.

"It's alright Sakura. And thank you again for your help." I turn with mock hurt towards Mitsuzuri who has just finished cleaning away the broken pieces of chinaware. "Unlike someone who prefers to watch as I drain myself." A glare. And" Do you really hate me that much for not joining the club?" I was joking but I think she took it seriously as I see her shift uncomfortably and, is that sweat I see? Oh Mitsuzuri, I guess since Sakura is here, she thought I wouldn't joke around.

"Er...I was calling to you but you seemed to be in your own world. And besides, Sakura had been here when you broke the cup and she was faster than me." She looks to Sakura who looks a little embarrassed. I guess she still does care after all. This brings a smile and a feeling into me. That is until Mitsuzuri speaks" What was that about anyway? I've never seen you like that before." She looks to Sakura and I see that she at least has enough imagination to think it involves her at most. I can't tell her the truth. What can I say, that I'm jealous of that weirdo Shinji because Sakura trusts him more than me? Nope. No way hose. Even she has a line on which I can get deep to with her. She looks at me expectantly.

"Its...It's nothing Mitsuzuri. Forget about it." I look into her eyes and plead with her to let it go. This time I have no ware to break. Though she seems a little hurt that I didn't confide in her, she nods in understanding. And besides, Sakura is here, so I can't talk about her. I think quickly to cheer her up. " I will make it up to you, why don't we go out to the movies tomorrow? There is this new movie that came out yesterday that I want to see. It's about this girl trying different methods to try and get a boyfriend. The trailer was funny and I think you will love it. Okay?" Her face suddenly brightens. She loves things like those. if it wasn't for my classmates and friends- Makidera, Himuro and Saegusa, I call them the M-H-S triangle since they are inseparable- pointing out that movie to me and Saegusa asking me to go, I wouldn't have heard of it. And besides, I have turned down poor Saegusa's invites a lot of times that I am starting to feel awful doing it. It is best for a magus not to be too close to people but what the heck? I will cross that bridge when I get to it.

Suddenly I feel like I have missed something or someone. I turn around to see Sakura looking like she was intruding on something or that she was where she wasn't wanted. Well, no body said we can't be friends. "Of course you can come too Sakura. My friend Saegusa would be glad to meet you am sure. You seem similar in a away." She seems to consider saying no. But for some reason, I have never seen her with any friends. And I think that the passivity of getting one, be it an upper-class one, got her to make up her mind. She looks up to me and gives a smile I have never been rewarded before. I store it away in my mind's album. She says that she would like that and I say goodbye to Mitsuzuri and walk out with Sakura towards the school gates.

"So Sakura, everything okay with you at home? If that Shinji is giving you trouble you tell me and I will give him a piece of my mind." I look hard in her eyes searching for something, anything but she looks straight back. Defiant. And tells me that everything is alright. Sempai. I am starting to get annoyed at that word. Silence ensues. Uncomfortable silence. We walk on. Apparently we had stopped in all the talking. As we near the gates however, I catch site of the last guy I want to see at this moment. Shinji. I look quickly to my side and I see something in Sakura but it is gone as quickly as it came. I understand and ask her to come later after me. I say my goodbyes to her and move forward. Knowing that Shinji was waiting for his girl squad to go shopping with the. He goes shopping with girls. Can he get anymore pathetic really. *Sigh* Here we go again.

"Ah Tohsaka. The best person to make this boring day bright for me. How do you do? Came to your senses already and decided that Ifm the man for you?" The arrogant bastard. I give him a stare that would still even Issei. Issei is the student council president and he is the coolest guy I know. He asked me once to be in the council and I turned him down too. He doesn't seem to like me much and I guess that is why. Back to the now, a look of fear crosses Shinji's face and he backs up a little. "Wha...what?" He is so bad that he still thinks I could even consider going out with him? Okay. That's it.

"Now look here Shinji, we both know that the only reason you even have that number of girls is because of your money. No one would be anywhere near a guy like you if it weren't that. Frankly speaking, I would rather go out with my female admires than being caught out in town with you." Not that I would do that mind you. I have a lot of male admires as I mentioned. Even that Issei who seems to show his affection with getting upset by me is one of them. And let's not forget my childhood crush who for reasons that I shan't make known right now, I can't get closer to than a hall way conversation involving words like "hi and see ya" Poor Shinji is so pissed, he looked ready to blow a fuse. Just then his convoy of females arrive and he would rather be dead than be caught uncool. He puts on his smile and is back in arrogant mode once again. I really feel sorry for this guy. I say bye to him and walk away to go home. More important tasks wait. As I leave, I hear him telling lies of how I had asked him out and turned down because he already had plans with his girls. They swoon. That bastard.

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At home, I check the answering machine after I settle down and have had a cup of tea. Two messages. All important. Only two people have my land line number. My tea supplier and my guardian. The first message is from the tea vendor telling me that this month's bunch came in. I will have to remember to get that tomorrow when I go out with my friends. I delete it. The other is from Kirei. He is reminding me, again, to summon my servant quickly or be disqualified from this war. There is one other uncounted for master for crying out loud man, chill. Besides, I had planned to do the deed tonight. And the war isn't officially to start until tomorrow midnight. I chose today, at 3:00 am to summon my servant since I will be at my strongest. I had just transferred mana into my jewels two months ago like how I have been doing every month for the last ten years. I decided to skip a month so that I may be at my most when this day comes. I plan on summoning a Saber class servant and since I don't have any attribute of that class except wanting the most powerful, I have to be strong too. Perhaps I should have stopped storing my mana in the gems more than two months. Not that I am not strong enough now. The mana I have is enough to summon even two servants but I want one.

Besides, if I wanted, I could use that stored mana, but I want to save that for later when in battle. You never know what might happen. Some masters find defeating the servants difficult and so they go for the easiest option; killing the master. Because if you were to kill the master, the bond btn master and servant would be severed and you can make their servant's your own. it is cowardly, but in case I was not to draw Saber, then I would go to what ever means necessary to get a Saber class servant from the one who has it. And I don't think there is that powerful a master in this town. Otherwise, I might have heard of them. Not that I am planning on failing mind you. It's 20:00 hrs right now. I check my PC to make sure it's the right time as I send a mail to the magi institute in England. I had received a letter inviting me to go and get magi craft education there. But as I said, I have important matters to attend to and I don't know when it will be over. I send them a reply telling them I will return to them in the future. They can afford to wait. After all the Tohsakas are one of the prestigious magi craft houses in the whole world. I set my mobile alarm, this time to wake me up at exactly 02:30 hrs. Time to order takeaway. Forty minutes later, I am full, and ready for bed. I sleep in my clothes and on top of the covers so as to not make it too comfortable that I won't wake up. A protection and quiet spell up, I go into slumber...

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A group of many people. Men, women and even children are all assembled together on what looks like a hill. From the looks of it, everyone was around. All came to witness this very important of occasion. For today was to be the day their king Arturia was to be passed judgment upon. Not unexpectedly, there was three groups of people; those who were in favor, those who were against it and those who didn't know what to believe in. It was like no other, this gathering was. Even bigger than the ceremony that was held to officially appoint King Aturia to the throne. Said king was no way looking like a ruler. She was dressed as a peasant boy would. In a white shirt tucked into brown trousers that were tucked into calf-high boots. Arturia, now no longer king to the people whom she had lead with a gentle and caring hand, was tied up on a pole that stood out from the ground at the top of said hill. Her features were those of someone whose beliefs were completely stripped away from and had no other reason to be.

Which is why she was the way she was. For, these same people whom she had fought many countless wars and came out victorious, were the same that were cheering for her demise. To be burnt on a stake so to speak, by the very people for whom you lived...Unthinkable. Arturia was so heart broken by this turn of events that she had no power left to say anything. Even as the executor, who happens to be the previous and as it seems the now again king, asks her if she has anything to say in her defense. It looked like King Ramsay wasn't at all for this deed that was to be carried out. She just remained perfectly still. Her face down even as she could feel the king pleading with her to say something. But she knew that no matter what she said, if she had the energy to, would be taken exactly as the perpetrator would have imagined as he put his plan in motion. He had planted a seed that started sprouting doubts in people and rumors that led to this day started to move around. She knew what was going on and who started it, but her trust in her people was so strong, that she never tried to stop it.

And so, even as Merlin sent her a mental message asking her why she was allowing this to happen when they were all lies, When she looked into the crowd's eyes, what stared back at her gave her the answer. And did the group of those that thought her guilty just increase? Oh well. Her mind was so weak that she gave Merlin no answer. Even as the man tried everything to get her to reconsider. Things like how she was making a big mistake and this country would go into chaos. Or how she had the power of Excalibur backing her up. But she wasn't listening. And she commanded Excalibur to take away her immortality were the people to go through with the deed. And by the looks of the torch in the king's hand and several others', her fate was already decided. She managed to spare up her last energy and turn towards the group of people who were still believing in her and those who had their doubts and said one heart felt word that brought even more fresh tears from said people, " I am very sorry". And the torch was thrown. Later on as many years passed, Scotland went into chaos after the murder of King Ramsay and after many losses, and a new King brought peace to the land but not after all that heartbreaking loss. Arturia, having been the wielder of Excalibur, had an eternal soul and she watched all this unfold. She felt like she had let down her people by allowing them to be eaten away by lies that now as she looked back, she could've washed away. She wished she could go back and stop this from happening to her people, her country and Excalibur granted her wish...

..........................................

Damn it. That dream again. If this continues, I might sign up for a personal psychologist. Why oh why am I dreaming of that female King? But to be looked at by eyes like that from the same people you trust a lot, which had to be the most heart breaking things in this King Arturia's life. For some reason that brings an image of Sakura to mind and I quickly shake it out. I get up and go to wash my face in the bathroom. I really feel refreshed and really up to the task that I have to take in less than half an hour. I take one last look in the mirror to check and see if I'm pleasant enough. First impressions are always every thing you know, lest my servant thing me an unhygienic person. Meh. Listen to me, I sound like Ifm going to a meeting of destiny or something. Well, seeing as where my future is, this is in a way a destined meeting. When I am satisfied with my appearance, I leave for the attic, where I will be conducting this very complicated procedure. I make it sound like rocket science but it is our duty as magi, to make the impossible possible. Alright, let's put this show on the road.

I draw a summoning sigil that looks like a big circle with two interlaced triangles inside it. I use this to help in directing the Holy Grail to the particular servant that I want as my partner. Servants are heroic beings from the past or future that have wishes that they want granted for their souls to stop wandering. And the Holy Grail chooses its champions from all those that are capable. Seven champions. They need a way of being materialized in the real world for them to be able to fight in the war alongside their masters who provide that said way. A master has to transfer mana to the servant for them to be visible to the naked eyes. If a master was to cut off that flow of mana, then the servant would go back to their spiritual forms but they don't disappear. They are close by to their master and in that form, only other servants can see them and that servant's master. Not even other masters can see your servant in spiritual form. I have now completed the sigil. And for some reason all this talking about servants has brought that dream I had to mind now. I shake it off. No way am I messing this up now. I have a way of messing up at the important times, but not today. I check the time again from y watch, and mobile phone to be sure. Yes, one minute and a few differences in thirty and twenty-eight seconds. I decide to position myself in the middle of the circle and decide to go through the chant in my head. As I said, no messing tonight. I have to get everything perfect. 25, 24, 23, 22, 21 seconds and counting. Yoshii.

"Ye first, Oh silver, Oh iron. Oh stone of the foundation, Oh Archduke of the Contract. Hear me in the name of our great teacher, the Arch magus SchBeinorg. Let the descending winds be as a well. Let the gates in all directions be shut, rising above the crown, and let the three-forked roads to the Kingdom revolve" I chant as the watch strikes 3:00 am in the night. I have to take this carefully and calmly. I used my own blood to draw the sigil and feel a little woozy so I must be careful. I continue on, "Fill. Fill. Fill. Fill. Fill." Five times, firmly. "And now, let the filled sigils be annihilated in my stead". I have been preparing for this moment for a long time..."Set". I let my dam that holds my mana flow inside break. A painful experience like no other like my insides is on fire. Everything in me is being over taken by mana. As of now, I am no longer human. Not that I thought of myself as any normal human but officially now, I am human...no more. I have given myself over to the Holy Grail to be used by it in its obtaining. Oh, now there is a wish. Once I get it, I will wish to be back to normal, if I want to that is *Chuckle*. I start dissolving away from my finger tips towards the main part of the body. The sigil has turned an eerie green from the blood red it was once. Maybe that is just me. Meh.

The mana of the spirit that is to be my servant fills my body. Too intense. Too concentrated. From this feeling alone, I know I have got what I aimed to get. Ifm holding my body together by sheer force of will. I will be damned if I give up from this extend of pain. Ten years, I remind my self. My body is on fire. Perhaps that explains the sweat dripping from my brow. I can't describe what my body is looking to a stranger now. It feels weirder looking at your self in a dream. 'Cause you know, no one has ever seen themselves in their own dreams. Lava is what I feel inside. Molten lava. And are those scales instead of my skin? I must be losing it. Time to concentrate. But the pain, the pain. I may be a magus, but I was human before I was magus and it's getting to me. But I am Tohsaka Rin and I refuse to give in. I must succeed. " I inform thee." Time to put a close to this. "I inform thee. Let thy body rest under my dominion, let my fate rest in thy blade. If thou submitteth to the call of the Holy Grail, and if thou wilt obey this mind, this reason, then thou shalt respond."

My part is done. I can feel the completeness of my work. My fate is decided. My servant is being given form, I can feel it. I smile to my self as my body's defenses kick in and I start to lose consciousness. The deed is done. And I have succeeded. Before I go into the darkness however, I have to catch a glimpse of the one who will fight at my side and together we shall claim victory. But when I lay my eyes on the being that now has fully being revealed, if only her feet that are surrounded by winds that are also disappearing, my pain is temporarily forgotten. There before me, is the beauty that I have been dreaming of these last times I've gone into slumber. King Arturia herself. In all her might and elegance. She never looked like this in the dreams. I swear. "It...It's you." I manage weakly. Not from the fatigue, but from the sheer wonderment I feel from looking at her. She is looking at me with a serious but cool expression. Her features firm except her raised eye brow when I sounded like I've seen her somewhere when obviously, this is our first meeting. At least for her. She looks down at me and holds out her hand to help me up as I had fallen on my back side from the exhaustion of the summoning and says, coolly...

"Servant Saber. Upon your summoning, have come to lend you my sword and promise you victory." I take the hand and stand up. All the while still staring like a five year old to an ice cream display. "Master, your orders." My God!

To Be Continued....

Chapter 3

::::::::::::::Fate/Stay Night Zero:::::::::::::::::

By: Demon Eyes

Disclaimer: Characters belong to Type-Moon.

Part III

Yes. Yes! I did it. I was able to summon a Saber class servant. A sword in her hand, the one that was referred to as Excalibur in the dream. Could it be the real Excalibur of history? Servants are supposedly heroes from the past and the present. And if my dream was as I think it was, then this here before me is King Arthur herself. I can't believe it was a girl like her the legends talked about. There is no doubt about it. She is very powerful. I can feel her mana inside me and it's over whelming. In fact, I already feel back to my usual self. That is one of the pluses of having a Saber class as a servant. Some of their attributes are transferred to the master and the one in particular, is restoration. Or regeneration whichever you may prefer. "Master?" I see her looking at our joined hands, it seems that I am still holding it even after being on my feet already. I color out of embarrassment and yank my hand back. Damn it. Why did it have to be a woman? But I guess this is better. Somehow I have a feeling were I to summon a guy, we wouldn't be on the same page.

"Saber, is it? I know that it is not wise to call you your real name, but can I call you Arturia when we are alone at least? It seems a little disturbing to call you Saber." I see that she is really shocked by my knowledge of her name. Her real name. An expression changes to that of...anger? Gulp. I almost know everything there is to know about her and her reason to fight. Yes. Servants too who are summoned have a something they wish to be granted by the Holy Grail were they to win the war. You really didn't think that these great beings would obey their master and fight for you for nothing now did you? I better explain to her how I know of this before we go down the wrong start. "I am sorry, I won't use that if you don't want me to. My name is Tohsaka Rin and you may call me whatever you want. Come, let us go and freshen up first. You need to change into something a little more casual than that armor you are wearing, then I will tell you whatever you may want to know, and I will have a few questions of my own." I start for the ladder leading from the attic but she seems to expect us to go into battle right now. "Relax, there is still one master not accounted for. Kirei, the manager of the war, will call me tomorrow to let me know that status. But before that, we have to make everything clear between us before the war starts. Now come on, I will tell you more after we settle down."

We are sitting in the living room now. Saber, I decided to call her Saber for now, has shed her armor and blue dress. I showed her one of my fashion magazines and she picked something out. Apparently she doesn't like showing skin a lot. So she is wearing girls' white shirt with long sleeves, tucked in a dark purple almost violet skirt that comes right under her knees. Underneath is a pair of dark body stockings. We didn't go shopping or anything. It is 4:00 in the morning after all. She uses magi craft to change. As long as she has an image of what clothing she wants, she can just will them on herself. Now that would be handy, was I a spirit that is, *sigh*. Ma, since I am an early riser, I need to spend the time dressing and all that so I guess all is good. After getting Saber into more appealing clothes, her stomach growled and I was in luck that I still had ingredients for a full meal. I cooked up a quick bowl of boiled rice, and mince beef which she is downing like there's no tomorrow right now. "You were quite hungry there Saber. You really are a being from the past. Everything I read or see about people who lived long ago shows their love for food. It seems they take it in high regards." I smile at her and she looks a little embarrassed. Posing in her actions, she gives me an apologetic smile.

"I wouldn't know about that, but I was an orphan back then and food was very scarce. I would like to think that hunger is my worse enemy." She looks at me and then to my cup of tea I am drinking from. "But are you okay with just drinking Rin? Aren't you hungry? You must be after the summoning you did. It must be energy draining." She decided on calling me Rin it seems, and I like it. No one calls me Rin and I find that I had missed it since my father was the last to call me Rin. "Don't worry Saber, I ate two servings before I did the summoning. I was prepared not to fail. If I was to get the most powerful servant, I needed to be a lot powerful too." I get a little serious here. "I must admit that you seem to be powerful enough but I will have to see you in action first to be sure." It seems that she is a little insulted that I would even imagine her unworthy. "Anyway, you asked me earlier how I know of you. Well, this might sound weird but I dreamt of you these past two nights. Well, I dreamt of King Arthur from how she came to be King and how she met her dem...er..death. I am really sorry that that had to happen to you. And I promise you that I will make a wonderful master for you." Yes. At least I have stuck an impression. "I will show you around town tomorrow so that you may get familiar with the battle ground." I say all this but I was about to get the shock of my life.

" I know this place well, Rin. In fact, I was in this same house too in the last war." I almost chock on my tea. Whoa...what is she saying...? "Yes, Tohsaka-san, was my master in the last war. In fact now I remember seeing you but I almost did not recognize you. You have really grown, Rin." A smile, and I find myself flustered again. Maybe it's because she sounded like a long lost parent but I felt something then. I asked her if she could tell me about the last war since she remembers it. After finishing up her food, she sits across from me and starts on the secrets of the last war. I make a note to grab any useful information I might use to my advantage. "I don't think everything is necessary so I will say what will help us. At least now we know who one of the other masters is." I ask her who it is and the second blow comes. "You mentioned a Kirei? Is this the Kotomine Kirei you refer to?" I nod. It can't be. I tell her that he is also my guardian. "It is understandable. He and Tohsaka-san were friends. I think they were both members of the magic association. That's what I was told I think. Anyway, he and Tohsaka-san were the last two masters to fight. He had a very powerful servant back then. An Archer class servant called Gilgamesh, the King of heroes."

"Do...Do you remember anything about him? His skills, weapons, N.P, anything?" If this servant was enough to go up against Saber in the hands of my father, who was ways ahead of me in magi craft, then we need a strategy, pronto. To do that, I need everything we can about him. Why didn't I see this before? Kirei is of the Association and the fact that he has been living in Fuyuki for so long, he should have been involved in the war of the Holy Grail somehow. Damn. I was so careless. "Tell me everything about this Gilgamesh. He is our number one enemy for now. We shall worry about the others later." Not that I m going to go to the church first thing tomorrow and take him on. We will have to wait as long as possible before we confront that one. Best I get to make a winning strategy when that time comes.

" If I remember correctly, he has two Nobel Phantasms. The weaker one, and make no mistake that it is weak, is called the 'Gate of Babylon'. All I saw is that he used to summon different kinds of weapons from it. He told me that it is the gate to his treasure. But it wasn't as powerful as the last and his strongest Phantasm. If it wasn't for the fact that Tohsaka-san was more powerful in magi craft than Kotomine-san, then I wouldn't have had enough power in my Excalibur to cancel it out. And it just so happens that I have a little more luck than him and was able to complete my Excalibur before he full released his Phantasm, 'Enuma Elish'. He uses his great sword Ea and cut a hole in space which completely destroys those in the way. It wasn't at full power and Gilgamesh's master wasn't in his right mind then and thus, I was able to survive but something happened that I went back into my spirit form." She pauses, seemingly not too sure as to what had happened. I too can't imagine my father running out of mana that Saber would lose her form. I asked her how my father died in that war since it seemed to me that he was alive in the last battle.

"The Holy Grail appeared then since it seemed I was not able to continue battle. Kotomine-san went to reach for it but something happened. It turned from its gold color to a dark black and red color. It seemed to be draining something from Kotomine-san since he seemed to be shrinking and in pain then his father, who was the manager of that war, came to his rescue but he was completely destroyed since he wasn't meant to touch the Grail. Then I turned when I heard a chant. Tohsaka-san was casting some king of spell as he approached the Grail. I immediately knew what he was trying to do. Destroy the Holy Grail. I tried to stop him by screaming to him but it seemed that he had already made up his mind. He turned to me and made me promise him something but I have forgotten what it was." She frowns as if she is still trying to remember. Seemingly coming up empty handed, she continued, "After saying what he wanted to say, he turned to the Grail that looked like a hot pot ready to blow its top and placed his palms on it." Saber closes her eyes with these painful memories. And despite myself I am curious to know what happened to my father. It has been on my mind all this time. Not knowing how he had died was getting to me. "He tried to displace the negative energies in the Grail by using his own mana. Since the Grail's over whelming mana was already being corrupted by the bad ones, it would take a lot of good mana to fix this. Tohsaka seemed to know that he didn't have the amount needed and so he reversed his spell and broke the Grail instead. But the Grail took him with it and it seemed he had been expecting just that. He smiled to me as I was disappearing too, my master having been no more. And that is how that war came to a close."

"SO, that is what happened." I start taking this all in. So my father wasn't killed by another servant as I feared but he sacrificed himself to save us. Who knows what might have happened had all that mana in the Grail gone unstable. Now I know about Kotomine and his servant but he must have made improvements from the last war. Damn it, this isn't fare. But all is not fare in the world. Saber goes on to tell me about the other servants she fought but they aren't of any serious danger the way I see it as Gilgamesh. He may just even be more powerful than Saber now. I need a plan. We talk a little more as I make my battle plans from what little info Saber gives me until its morning. I go freshen up, put on my uniform and leave for school. Saber is in her spiritual form now and I aim to show her my daily life today while we still have free time. If there is a master at school, she will be able to sense their servants while I might not be able to sense other master as they can hide their mana flow. Though it is true that the symbol which labels us as master can react to others', they might be at the other side of the school. The symbol I'm talking about is mainly found on the back of our palms. It has three parts to it. Each part is a command mantra. You can use these commands to give 'absolute orders' to your servants like calling them from long distances to come to your side, or making them obey you in case you summoned a stubborn one, or you might even command them to make an attack their finishing attack to absolute attack that they will put everything they have in it. Commands that are useful in the war like that. Once you use up all three, you are no longer a master. So you have to take them very seriously. I really hope that there are no other masters at school. Even if I swore to do anything to win this war, I do have a heart and if another master happens to be someone I know, even if a stranger, someone as young as me would be a little hard to fight against. Now if it were a person like Shinji *Grin*. We talk some more on our way until we reach school.

**********************************************

Looks like today I wasn't as early as always. The grounds are already filled with students. 'It's so crowded here. This is the first time I have been to a place of learning. I never went to one. Not that when I was alive there were any, but in the last war all I did was fight.' Saber says to me in my mind. I can understand that she would be over whelmed with these numbers of young people in one place. 'Isn't though, now we don't have to fear if there is a master here since we can't fight around commoners. I want to kiss whoever made that rule. Just thinking about all these students in the middle of a war, is unpleasant. I have never been in a war so I have no idea but I can imagine. If a battle between only two servants did all that damage in the last war, I don't want to think of what it would do to the school. Almost half of the rural part of Fuyuki is barren land now as a result. Many people died that time. I don't plan on making the number greater so I will be careful. But I must win this war. I wish that we find no master here since I couldn't sense anyone all this time, there mustnft be one but once I place a foot over the gate entrance my hopes are crushed. 'Master, do you feel that? There is a barrier here.' Saber states what I have felt once I set foot on school ground.

'Eh. This must mean that your summary is correct. But this doesn't feel like it was just put here. It feels older than two days at least'. How could this happen> Why didn't I feel it before. Saber must have been reading my thoughts because she says, 'This is a very complicated spell. I encountered it before. If I'm right, this is Rider's doing. It was used to drain people completely of their mana and spirit to make Rider more powerful.' Servants can get mana if they want or their masters want them to be a lot more powerful, by drawing mana from other sources. Even if we are mages, we are still only one person. And some masters aren't very tuned in magi craft so they can order their servants to get mana from other sources. And since servants are spirits, feeding them other spirits or souls, is even more effective. 'Rider huh? Well, that means we have one other master here. But we can't do anything about that now. We will have to come back at night to investigate when no one is here.' I send to Saber. 'I will see if I can do something about it. Maybe slow down its progress and maybe the owner will come running.' Then we will strike. I have a feeling all seven masters will be counted for by 1800 hrs today and the war will have already started. I decide to drop in the archery range to greet Ayaka.

??!. It looks closed. It should be open right now. I check my watch to make sure and the time seems right. A little puzzled, I try the door to see if it's indeed closed and just before I reach it, the door opens from the inside and Sakura steps out. I am startles as she is to see me and me her. We greet each other awkwardly and I ask her if "Is Mitsuzuri-san inside?" She shakes her head and tells me that Ayaka didn't show up to practice so they decided to cancel today. Ayaka didn't show up? This is serious. I have known her for more than two years and she has never missed practice. In fact, she is always the first person here all the time. I say my goodbyes to Sakura and decide to call her on her mobey. No answer. I call her home land line, a little panicked now. "Tohsaka-san, is that you?" She seems to be crying. What is going on? I ask her if Ayaka is at home. "No dear. She hasn't been at home since she left for school yesterday. You mean you don't know where she is too? Oh my poor baby, whatever happened to her?" This is getting me un-nerved. I hear Ayaka's dad trying to calm down his wife. He takes the phone, "Tohsaka, it is as Miyaka says. Ayaka hasn't come back since yesterday. We have already informed the police and they are working on it. So don't worry about it, okay? Be careful now, we are in the middle of questioning with the police right now so I have to hung up I'm afraid. Ja, ne." *Beep*. 'Don't worry'? But I am worried.

'Oh no. Saber, you don't think this incident has anything to do with her do you?' I ask my servant. 'It is possible. Does your friend stay late here alone?' She asks. My eyes widen as I think about it. Ayaka always stays last to close up after evening practice. If she was still here and the servant came to attend to their spell, then she might have been kidnapped or worse. I shake a little. At least they haven't found her body or anything. I will have to ask that servant tonight. If they show up that is. 'Saber, we are going to investigate here tonight. This spell needs attending to, so the possibilities of Rider coming here tonight are high. I will have to ask her about it.' 'Yes master' she answers. It seems that when we are talking about war matters, Saber calls me Master. I won't try and ask her, maybe she needs to concentrate as do I. I go to the main building to go and sit in class until classes begin. On my way, I meet Fujimura Taiga-sensei. If you value your life, never ever call her Taiga. Not that I would sink that low to refer to a teacher by their first name. "Good morning Fujimura-sensei. How are you this lovely morning?" She looks touched. "Oh Tohsaka-san, if only my students were as respectful as you. Even my first years make fun of me. At least the second years waited until second year but if my first years are acting towards me this way, how will they treat me in second year?" She looks on the verge of tears. I try to cheer her up, "Oh sensei, you never know. They might grow up instead and show you respect in the future." I smile at her. This seems to have worked. We talk some more and I leave for class.

Our homeroom teacher, Kuzuki-sensei, has just left. His is the last class of the day. My classmates come over towards my desk. "Se...Sempai, are you still coming with us later to the movies?" Asks the most shy of the two. It's Saegusa-san. She is the manager of the track team here at school. For some reason, she really admires me. Despite this fact, she keeps on wanting me to eat lunch with them, or go out with them and I mostly turn her down. I really wanted to go this time but since I had promised Ayaka to come and she is missing, I have to investigate that. "I am so sorry Saegusa-san. I really wanted to come and I had even invited Mitsuzuri-san but you heard what happened right?" The headmaster had gone to every class that morning announcing what had happened. "And besides, it would be dangerous to go out on our own at night now." She seems to understand and a little ashamed that she didn't think of that. "Bah! These things always happen. If we went hiding under our beds every time something happened, the cinema guys would runs out of business." Says the leader of this trio's group. She is Makidera Kaede and the top sprinter of the tracker team. "I think Tohsaka-san is right. At least let's stay put until this Mitsuzuri sempai is found. What do you think Saegusa-san?" Himuro Kane. Calmest of the three and looks out for Saegusa. Saegusa says that they should cancel for today and I am relieved. I give her Sakura's number and ask her to call her. I say my byes and leave to go home and prepare for battle.

"Oh these? These are jewels filled with my mana over ten years. I have been keeping them to help me in battle. You never know when another master might try to take me out since I don't think you will go down that easily." I am confident in saying this though I haven't seen other servants yet. But somehow I know that with Saber at my side, I shall succeed. She seems flattered though she hasn't shown any weaknesses in facial expressions yet. I will have to work on that. It seems kind of unsettling for a girl like her to be that serious. Even for a King. "And this that I have around my neck, was filled by my father's mana. He left it to me before he went to war." Never to return, I add to my self. "It's sot of like a family heirloom. It holds enough mana to help me perform any kind of task. Probably many years' worth." I return it under my top.
I take my leave and go around Fuyuki city showing all the important places to Saber. Since she last saw it ten years ago, I decided to show her around again since many things have obviously changed since then. After I have shown her all around, I remember now that we haven't anything since breakfast. I usually don't eat meals during the day but since Saber seems to like food, I will surprise her a little. 'Now that that is done, let's go to school and investigate. But before that, what do you say we eat something Saber?" I let mana flow and give her form. Once she is solid, her stomach answers for her with a growl. I laugh at that and I take her to the best restaurant in Fuyuki.

"I don't know Rin. This looks expensive." I had cast a spell on the menu to let her understand what's on it. It is pricey indeed. After all, this is the best place to eat in Fuyuki. I assure her that she has nothing to worry about. That I can afford whatever she wants. If I was some lame guy on a date with her and I had lied to look cool, I would've have been in trouble because we left the restaurant almost out of food. If it were an ordinary place, they would've closed but this was a high class, they can't afford to run out of supplies. I wonder where she put it all. I glance at her and she still looks like she did before we went inside, aside from the satisfied expression on her face. I guess I will have to feed her if I want to get emotion from her. I decide to leave her in solid form but try to mask our presence to make it harder for our enemies to sense us. We head for school to try and hinder that spell cast on it and hope that the owner shows up so I can have answers to Ayaka's where about. I cast a simple weight spell and jump over the school gate. Since it's closed, no one should be here but as I rich the top to start to descend, I come into contact with the barrier and it seems a lot stronger. I lose control and start falling hard. But as I brace myself to fall on my back, instead of tarmac, I fall into gentle, strong arms. It's Saber already in her armor and looking down at me with a worried expression. I see it and I'm happy to see that she has shown emotion of worry, for me. I blush a little and scramble from her hold to hide it. Heart a little raced. I tell her I'm okay and we walk to the main building.

"I can't jump all the way to the roof so you will have to take us up Saber." I have to go to the highest point so that I can scan the whole school grounds for the location of the source of this thing that is all over the school. Saber carries me once again and I don't know if she flies or she jumps really high, but we are on the school rooftop in an instant. She sets me down, I give her a thank you smile and close my eyes. I get out the spell book I brought with me and look for this particular spell cast on the school. Saber called it 'Blood Fort. Andromeda' and one of Rider's Nobel Phantasms. It melts the people trapped inside and changes them into blood, which Rider takes in as mana. I shudder to think of how powerful she would be the blood from all the people in this school. At least this gives me hope that Ayaka wasn't a victim of this. It takes time to make it work and on many people not one. I cast the spell and it shows me all the connecting parts to make 'Blood Fort' work. Were I to destroy a few of them, then the spell would be set back a few hours from its activation. There are almost five on the roof alone. Sigh, this is going to be a long night. I set to work and cut off the mana flow to Saber but not after setting my senses to max for any intruders. I am almost at the last point when I hear a visitor. Erg, I forgot that I can't sense other servants, only masters. Servants are the ones who can sense other servants and a master can just order their servant to go scouting alone. But it seems that even Saber didn't sense this one until now. He must have been masking his presence and that he has been here a while.

"Yo. Don't waste your time. This spell is way more complicated for you to stop." It's a guy, so this can't be Rider that Saber told me about. He is wearing a one piece battle suite that most male servants wear. Blue in color with white interlacing stripes. He has blue hair tied back in a pony tail. His eyes are blood red and glitter in the moon light. His is standing so proudly on the roof's railing. He must be really agile. "Isn't it a little dangerous for two babes like you to be out this late?" He smirks, all the while looking cool. I hate to admit it but he is very good looking. Wait, 'babes'? So he is a servant if he can see Saber. *Groan* I materialize Saber. I am getting sloppy, need to be more careful. I ask him what he is doing here since he is obviously not the one who did this. "My master sent me out to scout on other servants you see. He is very cowardly, but since I came across one, he never told me not to fight." He grins and out of no where, in his hands that were empty all this time, materializes a red spear-like weapon. He is Lancer. This is the first servant we have come across. But when he pulls his spear out, his expression changes and I feel something like fear. He moves so fast that I can't do anything. What is wrong with me? I am ready for this. I should always expect a surprise attack. I see a red flash in my face and I think that I'm done for, then another flash of silver and blue moves in front of me to block the attack. Saber.

To Be Continued...........

Chapter 4

:::::::::::Fate Stay Night Zero:::::::::::

By: Demon Eyes

Disclaimer: All characters in here belong to non other than Type-Moon.

Part IV

……............................

A flash of blue and silver flashes in front of me to block the attack. "Saber." There in all her glory stands Saber with her back to me and all her attention to our assailant, Lancer. He seems a little suprised by something and so he jumps three meters back in one leap. We are still on the rooftop and space here is limited to fight against a long range weapon holder. It should be disadvantageous to Lancer with that long of a weapon, but he handles it like an extension of his body. I look behind me to see how long the fence is and measure how much I should lower my density in order to jump over it and down. We have to get to a wider area or else this will be troublesome. I don't know how good Saber is with a sword but if both of them have 'distance' weapons then we need more space. I close my eyes and start a little chant after getting the measurements I needed. I feel a sense of weirdness like how you feel when you sleep stomach up on a high bed or when you are floating on water. I jump over the fence, which was near me from Lancer's scare before. Damn him, I will show him what happens when you mess with me. 'Hmm, it looks like gravity wins again.' I think to my self as I feel the speed picking up from my descent down five floors. Just as I pass the first floor, I feel Saber getting a gentle yet firm hold on me and we land safely as if we had been flying. We landed within the front yard of the school where the gate is and as I look around to feel and make sure no innocents were still around, I see Archer standing there in front of the main gate, his hands crossed and the lancer still in one of his hands.

"I hope you didn't think you could get away from me. You are fast, but you are still only human too." He gives a smirk and before I retort, he turns his cool gaze at Saber. "What did you do back there? I launched a fence attack and it bounced off." He narrowed his eyes. I look on not understanding what the hell he is talking about. Saber keeps quiet too so I'm left in the dark. "Well, no matter. I will just make you talk or show me then." He takes the stance again. His eyes mean business. I am a little worried about Saber and as I think about her, I turn to look at her and I find her taking a stance of her own. There is no fear in her but instead what I can make out is something that looks like amusement and anticipation. Her body language screams sword-wielding knight. One foot in front of the other. Hands touching with one at the back of the other like how a person would look like were holding a sword and readying for battle, except, there was no sword! I leave that for later when we are finished here and look at lancer. After seeing Saber react to his challenge, he vanishes right in front of my eyes. My mind freezes for a second as I think that he has gone for the easy victory and attack the master, me, but what comes next is ear deafening sounds that accompany lightening-like flashes of light a moment after. They are fighting. This is the real deal. The fight between servants. My eyes begin to adjust after a simple spell and I am left in awe at what I see. Archer is indeed striking Saber yet the attack seems to not reach her. It bounces off something which now I'm sure is a sword. She must be using some kind of force to keep it invisible. I think I forget that this is real life for a moment and instead think of it as a movie. Saber and Lancer's fight is out of this world, so to speak, and even though I had anticipated this some how, I’m still struck by this godly fight.

"Oh? You are good. But have you no pride as to hide your weapon like that?" They have stopped for a while. A god distance between the two. I am amazed how Lancer is facing off an invisible weapon, which he even doesn't know what type it is yet, and he has not a scratch on him. Let's not mention the fact that he is facing the most powerful a class of servants, Saber. But as I look at her, she hasn't broken a sweat either. Just how powerful are these servants? "You are not to take easily too Lancer. Facing off an unseen weapon and escaping unscathed. Impressive." Saber seems to be pleased by her enemy's skill. She takes on a different posture however. Her look changes too. She is serious now. Not that she wasn't before, but it looked like she had judged Lancer by the 'cover' before. Lancer seems to have seen it too and takes on a different stance himself than before. "I have fought in many wars to be able to read body language. I could judge what kind weapon and how long it was by looking at you the second time we have fought. And seeing how you have deflected some of my attacks and how your body was moving as you attacked, told me that you were wielding a sword of some sort. I knew you were a Saber class but it isn’t wise to judge the weapon by class only. Now, I will show you what it really means to have experience. I would like to stay a little longer and enjoy your defeat but I have to return now. Prepare yourself." He brings one foot a ways back and handles his spear with both hands. The tip is pointed as if to strike it in the ground in front of him and then a strong wind filled with a strange kind of over whelming power starts blowing towards him as if he was sucking in the energy all around him. I shield my self a little from the force of it but never take my eyes off of him. 'Saber, be on guard. He must be releasing his ultimate attack.' I warn Saber. Wouldn't want to get done in when I just started this war. I have plans for it which will be ruined were I to lose here.

'Yes master. It seems he is reading to activate his Nobel Phantasm.' Nobel Phantasm, is the most powerful attack that can be used as a means to an end. It is the win all, lose all attack. It mainly requires a great deal of mana which would explain what is happening around Lancer. But what surprises me the most is that he is using it in absence of his master. It is usually an agreement between the master and servant of its use as it is risky. For him to use it so jarringly, would mean he is confident he will finish it with this last attack. I am starting to get worried now. What kind is it? I look at my servant to see if there is a way I can get us out of it. Maybe I should tell her to counter attack with her Phantasm...No. No. There is no need to get to that kind of measure. That's the last resort. I fail to get to reveal our full hand at the very start! I set my mana gates to fully open. All I can do is supply Saber with all the mana she will need to help her execute the needed manoeuvre. 'Be calm and watch his movements and attack very carefully Saber. Do whatever is necessary to not get defeated right here.' I don't get a reply but I know she heard me and agrees. Just before I turn back to our assailant, I hear him speak something that gets to my ears so clearly as to make me aware of something great. My servant's death perhaps. Again I am having a vision of losing here just a few hours in the war and once again failing to claim the Holy Grail for House Tohsaka. My father throwing away family values for duty of obtaining that which many great magi have been after for many millennia. Only to die in the war and not coming back to his family. Just as the one before him had been as much successful. I refuse to fail too. I will not. I shall succeed. I feed more mana to Saber and wait for what is to come whatever it is I'm ready. At least I think.

"GAE BOLG".

The tip of the spear starts vibrating as if it had a mind of its own and I don't know if it is my vision, but the spear seems to lengthen and go in an imperceptible path towards Saber who now as I look to her, hasn't moved at all?! What the hell is she thinking?! "Saber. What are you doing? Watch out." I shout to her. She still has her eyes closed as if she is waiting for the inevitable. Damn it. My heart is drumming against my chest so hard I think it's going to blow up. I want to run up to her and push her away but the attack is too fast. Only my magic-enhanced eyes can keep up. My vision gets blurry. Damn it. Is it all going to end here? But even in through the tears, I see my servant varnish right there just as the spear reaches the left side of her chest. She is killed. Saber has been killed. At least my father survived until the last match. 'This is so pathetic.' I think as I sink to my knees. I am brought back from my depression by Lancer bewildered cry, "WHAT??!" He cries. I look to him and see him struggling as if he is trying to pull his spear to him but it's stuck in something. I follow the spear that now seems to have regained its normal shape not zigzag anymore, and it seems to be missing its head. To explain it, it looks like how it would look were it stuck in something...invisible. Saber re-appears much to my joy, relief and some other emotion I can't quite place. The tip of the spear is visible now too and before Lancer succeeds in bringing it back into the safety of his person, I see that it was about three centimetres away from her. What is going on here. "What’s this? What did you do? My Nobel Phantasm can't be dodged. Even if you were extremely lucky, you would get away with only your heart in one piece and not your whole body. How did you completely avoid it?" Thanks for voicing my thoughts Lancer. I turn back to Saber who doesn't look like is ready to give anything away.

"I know of your Nobel Phantasm now. It is a reversal of causality so to speak as its target is already reached even before the attack itself is launched. So it is useless to avoid and dodge it." Saber says coolly as she ready her stance again. By the looks of it, she is meaning to put an end to this, her way and it doesn't seem like there will be a survivor this time around judging by her expression. "I can't tell you anything much but I will just say this since I saw your Nobel Phantasm. Your Gae Bolg is indeed to be feared. But that affect only the 'real' world where cause and effect matter." What the hell is that? I have to get her give me answers when we get back home. I can't believe I didn't ask her about this before. Too careless. It seems that Lancer is losing his cool as he takes on an angry tone by asking, “What nonsense is that?" When no answer came, “fine. I don't know how you survived my attack but I can assure you, you aren't getting away from this one. If I can't swat you, I will squash you." He takes up his stance again, but both our attention is taken in by the even stronger energy gathering that is around Saber this time. Even Lancer seems to pause in his haste as we look on. The energy seems to be swirling around a sword-like shape in Saber's hands. The wing looks strong enough to impale whoever gets close to it other than Saber. I don't like her showing off her trump cards now. There might be other servants out to spy and we would be in trouble were they to see it thus discovering its weakness. I really want to stop her but my curiosity to find out just how powerful she is gets the better of me. I don't remember being this lucky, but it seems that we are safe as I detect someone over across the yard to the gate. "Who goes there?" Asks Lancer and his attention is turned to his back towards the gate. He takes off after the fleeing figure. I curse. That was a student here. I know because he was wearing a boy's uniform of my school.

"Saber, we are going after them." I tell her already on my way towards the main gate. I jump over it and a speed spell takes care of my acceleration. The route we are going is making me a little uneasy. I have walked it quite a ways to know where we are heading. Only one student I know lives in these parts of town. Oh no. Please be okay. 'Saber, go ahead of me. Prevent Lancer from killing that boy by all means.' I tell her. 'But master, why? We are supposed to eliminate any outsiders who are witness to the war.' Saber send back confused. 'I know. I know. But this was my mistake. I forgot to put up a barrier before the fight and some innocent passer-by is going to die my mistake. I won't let that happen. I can't let it happen. Now go on Saber. I will catch up to you in no time.' Saber agrees and goes on ahead. She seems to do anything as long as you give her an explanation. That's good. But I was sure I put up a barrier just as I came down from the roof top. Did I not complete it? If someone becomes aware of the war of the Holy Grail, someone who isn't a magus, then they must be 'silenced.' But I can't let any innocents be killed by the knowledge they never wished to hold. Especially him. After a moment, I find that I have stopped and shake myself back to reality. I am not yet even sure it's him we are chasing. I won't take any chances so I pick up the pace following Saber's mana. When I find her, it's not in the situation I thought it might be. Instead of fending off Lancer, he is no where to be seen and instead there instead of him is a guy that looks every bit better than Lancer. Everything. He has silver hair, short, brushed upwards. He has on a men's battle suite and unlike Lancer's, it's black with white stripes and over it , a brief read jacket. Medium battle boots too and in his hands, he wields two short swords that look like twins to each other. One black with silver spots and the other silver with black spots.

He seems to fight even better than Lancer as it looks to me like Saber is being pushed back. With a wild cry, he brings both his swords with all his might down on Saber. She blocks but the force of the attack forces her to her knees. This is really bad. "Saber!" I cry as I see him already in mid slash at her mid section. Saber jumps back and disappears. I have cut off the mana flow and dematerialised her. This strong guy having come to a conclusion that I am Saber's master, wastes no time in striking. He is in front of me in a blink of an eye his sword ready to put an end to me. Jesus Christ, if this keeps up, my heart is going to stop and won't restart. "Archer. Stop." That voice. It's unmistakable. But why is he talking to a servant? The guy who was attacking is Archer it seems as he stops in his tracks at the mention of his name. So he is an archer class. But why is he wielding swords? I guess Lancer was telling the truth about not judging the servant's weapon based on their category. 'Archer' doesn't seem to question his master's orders as he yields and his swords disappear from whence they came. He disappears also and I am left face to face with the master. My heart races as our eyes meet. My mind goes blank. Thank the gods it's night. "Tohsaka. How are you doing?" He greets me. He is as composed as ever. "Good evening Emiya-kun. So it was you who passed by the school today. I didn't know you were a magus." I should get to the serious stuff now. I had absolutely no idea that he was a magus despite all that I know about him. Then this means that there is also another magus at school other than him since his servant isn't Rider who set up that thing at school. "Tohsaka, are you okay?" Damn. I was lost in thought. "Ah, it's nothing. But anyway, I never would've thought that you were a magus. And that servant of yours is really suspicious. An Archer using swords!" I tease. I know it isn't a given but come on. Who is supposed to use bows then? "Eh he. Why don't you come on in for a cup of tea and we can talk? It's been a while since we talked alone, and it seems like we will be seeing each other often from now on." He asks and seems a little embarrassed but he is right. We haven't talked, as in just talk, alone since...I can't remember. I nod and we make our way inside the house that I haven't set foot in for years.

We are walking back to the mansion but my thoughts are on my conversation I had with Emiya-kun. I guess Saber senses my distractedness as she asks what we were talking about. "Nothing. Just catching up that's all." I lie. I don't think I'm ready to talk to her about that. Being as dedicated to the war as Saber is, the reaction wouldn't be pleasant. I don't want her and me to have disagreements this earlier on in our contract. Better to keep the catalysts to themselves for the time being. I don't want to resort to command spells now. I will need them later.

"Anyway Saber, what did you do back there when we were fighting against Lancer? I was really sure that his spear stabbed you in the chest!" I look to the said place looking for evidence still not believing it even now. Yes, I know she isn't exactly human but it's not like Lancer was human either. 'Each to their own', and all that. I let a little mana enough to materialise her so that we may have a decent conversation. Not like anyone will be seeing us. I can't sense any other masters and if she senses other spirits, then she would tell me.

She is walking beside me now. Not in her battle amour but the regular clothes. She looks up in the star filled sky and while she answers my question. She does not look like a knight at all looking at her right now. She brings her gaze from above and beyond where hence she has been and says, "That was one of my Nobel Phantasms. A Reality Marble 'Avalon'. It was the only thing that would help me survive Lancer's Phantasm. His spear is cursed and nothing can help the one that was pierced by it except Avalon. It also seems that Lancer's weapon makes effect come before the cause.

This means that there is no way of avoiding it except extremely high luck which would do nothing at all to but maybe make his spear miss your heart." I think about that. If he made Saber use her best card and Lancer was not even one of the strongest servants, then they had a very difficult path to take. I think of Shirou's servant Archer. I didn't get any information since it would really be awkward to ask another master about their servants, not that he gave anything away in their conversation.

"What do you think of Archer, Saber? I know he is a knight class and they are the most powerful of class." I look at her and see her frown as if in deep concentration. I think she is thinking back on her little confrontation with the knight in red. "I felt that he was giving off a stronger feel than Lancer. Not to mention the way he was handling you. You weren't that taken by Lancer." I think of what I have just said and it sounds like it came out wrong. I hope Saber doesn't take it that I was calling her weak.

Well, she maybe she of the most powerful class, but she is still a lady. I just hope there isn't a male Saber out there. She tells me that he was a really strong opponent. "He has strength and is really good in both short and long distance combat, especially short distance. His twin swords are a problem to go against too when he handles them so well. I will have to train and come up with a way of getting rid of my only weakness." She tells me. Weakness? Oh. She means her sword is a disadvantage in close combat.

"Don't worry about it so much Saber. I saw little of your fight but it looked to me like you were handling yourself really well. You only need to make little adjustments to your fighting style and you will have no problems." I really didn't think she had trouble with him except in strength. Close combat eh? We walk on in silence and reach the house. I deactivate the spell to enter and once we are inside, I replace it.

We walk into the sitting room and walk over and turn on the TV. Time to catch up on what's going on in the world around us. I turn to go sit down and see that Saber is standing there like a hired gun or something. I shake my head. "Saber, from now on this is your home as well. Make yourself comfortable and do whatever you like." She is making no move whatsoever to sit down. "Come on Saber, sit down." I pat the seat beside me on the long couch. She obeys and sits. Just as she gets comfortable, her stomach growls. A reminder of her appetite.

"I will go make us something to eat." I get up and head to the kitchen. "I guess those fights took a lot out of you huh?" I turn around and see her recovering from a embarrassment of her stomach growling. I go into the kitchen all the while listening to the news in the other room. It is almost finished and they are on the bulletins now. Even more people have been found dead. Gruesomely murdered and bones found around the scenes. This really makes me angry. I know it's a servant's doing and I can't stand it.

This is supposed to be just between two dozens of people or so but more innocent people are getting killed. I think about the masters making their servants do such things. I just can't understand it. I think of Saber going around killing people and I almost throw up. Speaking of Saber, better make her food before breaks down. I don't want to make some quick meal like last night. I want it to be like a welcome meal for her. She is going to be risking her life protecting mine and fighting with me to win the war and I to help her get possession of Holy Grail.

Good thing is I had the ingredients. I always keep myself ready for anything. I have finished making my welcome prize all laid out on the dining table. You would think I was expecting a party of about four people by the amount of food I've prepared. I think I out did myself this time. My mom would be proud. And by the look on Saber's face, I felt like I had just received something I was aiming for, though I have no idea what the hell that is! "Well Saber, I hope we get along in this short time we will be living together and look forward to working with you. Please take good care of me." I smile and reach across all the food, the Jacques' and all the Finca Antigua and Marques de Riscals on the table and extend my hand towards her. She looks up from the said table and takes my hand to give it a gentle but firm shake. She says,"I am also looking forward to working with you Rin. Please take care of me too." She bows to me and I release her hand but something is keeping me from taking my eyes away from her. I am brought back to my senses when she says, "Err, can we eat now please Rin?" I laugh and tell her to go ahead.

She digs in and eats at the speed of no other human I've ever seen before eat. Don't get me wrong. This girl is no pig. She eats so elegantly and yet so fast it's legendary. I grab the champagne bottle and pour her a little in a glass. Beef is on the menu so I add a little red wine as well in another glass and do so for myself too. I start to eat as well and we talk about nothings. I am really happy right now. I don't know really why. Maybe it's because it has been a long time since I sat on this table and ate with someone like this. I feel like I am in a real home again. I look again at Saber working on her third or fourth helping and can't stop a smile from crossing my lips. A small laugh comes forth and I try to hide it by getting some more food in my mouth but I choke and grab Saber's attention.

She swallows and asks me what is wrong. I assure her that nothing is wrong that I am just happy to be here like this eating with her. She looks at the table and then back at me and nods to say, "Okay then. You better eat up some more though before it gets cold." And she was back to eating. I have just figured out that the best thing she loves is food. I file it away for future use. It will come in handy.

"Rin I will help you." Saber says to me after a few minutes of just watching me carefully. I am clearing the table and I don't know why but my instincts tell me to keep Saber away from handling utensils for other reasons other than eating. She really looks like she wants to help and I got to admit that there is quite a lot of stuff to clean. "Alright Saber. Just help me put these in the sink." I let her and take the stuff I had in my hands to the sink. *CRASH* I almost dropped the plates I was holding to the floor.

I turn around so fast I would've given myself whiplash. I see Saber looking to her hands like they were just cut off or something. I know what that sound was. I look at the floor and almost do those cinematic cries of horror. My favourite set of china cups...in pieces. I loved those cups. I cry in my mind but outside I just smile to my bewildered companion here. "Rin. I am very sorry. I just held the saucer a little hard to keep it from falling but they broke." I looked to her hands again and saw what I didn't see before. She was holding little pieces off the broken small cup holders.

"Don't worry about it Saber. I will just get another one. Why don't you just go into the living room and watch some television. I will be with you in a few moments." I will never get another one of those. I have even no idea where they are from. Sakura gave them to me. Oh god. I am in so much trouble. Note to self: Never ever let Saber do any house work. Period. I go down to pick up the pieces and I actually cry. I loved these cups. I just hope Sakura doesn't ask about them anytime soon. How about we make that never. I sweep around carefully and continue on the clearing of the table. A few minutes later, the dishes are washed and back where they belong. Though I can do everything, I don't want to do it. Cooking, washing up and cleaning around. Those are girly stuff and I hate doing girly stuff. I really miss Sakura.

I scold myself knowing that I was the reason that she is as she is and where she is. Well, I couldn't do anything even if I tried but at least I should've put up a fight that time she was taken. All I did was cower away and cry for my sorry self not thinking of how that scene looked in Sakura's eyes. God, I can't even start to think of what she thinks of me now. Maybe I will pass by the dojo tomorrow as if on other business and see her. Oh yeah, I almost forgot that Ayaka is missing which means that I have absolutely no reason to go there now.

I remove the apron and head for the room where Saber is. I think of a strategy I will use to see Sakura tomorrow without being so obvious, even to her. Damn it. How come I miss her more as the time goes by instead of missing her less>! I want to kick the guy who said that time heals all wound in the ass when I meet them. I can't wait for this Grail War to end so that I may be with her again soon. No war > no secrets to keep > no reason to keep her away. I enter the living room and I'm greeted to a sight no mortal will ever see. Saber adorably sleeping on the couch all looking to the world like a normal girl sleeping her fatigue away.

I look at the clock and I had no idea that I spent half an hour in there washing up but it's logical after the meal I just prepared. I walk to her side and pick up the remote that was on an anime channel. It looks like she was watching a samurai show. Something with Kyo or something. Typical for a knight I think. I am carried away as I think that this sight is so rare even for me so I decide to enjoy it while I can. But just in case of twice the luck, I will buy a digital tomorrow for the sole purpose of my future enjoyment and perhaps more.

The hair standing out on her head is swinging from her breathing and I am tempted to pull at it but something holds me back. A premonition? Well, after that china incident...Oh God, my beautiful cups...I won't question my conscious ever again. I decide to buy a camera and lift her up from the couch. She weighed about 10 kg less than I thought she would and I am thankful as I have to carry her up those stairs. I reach the room and decide to let her in the room opposite mine for easier access for her when she wakes up and looking for me, I think. I place her on the side of the bed and my brain automatically thinks 'undress' to put on pyjamas but I stop dead. Forget about the obvious but I haven't even given her a pair yet. Saber seems to be very picky so that will have to wait for tomorrow. I decide to remove just the shoes and tuck her in the covers. I stand there a moment watching her once gain and after whispering a good night to her, I leave to go have some sleep myself. I get into my nighties and creep into my own bed. I sleep faster than I've ever these last 10 years.

I am woken up by the discomfort I feel as if something else was with me. I groggily open my eyes and look at the clock in front of me on the wall. It is light enough for me to see the time and I know that it is already morning from the time itself which showed it to be half six and by the light itself. Something breathes nearby and I remember what woke me up. I turn to look at my side and I never knew I could fly until now. As I get my rapidly beating heart back in control, at least trying to, across the room blessing my back against a wall, I see Saber there. Sleeping in my bed. Her face in a frown from the luck of warmth or contact I think and she turns her back to me and turns back towards me. Seemingly having not found what she is looking for, opens her eyes sleepily and looks at me. I take in a sharp breathe. She blinks. I blink back. The clock hand go *tick tack* I think I stopped breathing for a while there. "Rin. What are you doing over there?"

What am I doing here you ask? What are 'you' doing there?!!! "W...Why are you in my bed Saber? I left you in the room across, which will be your room from now on by the way." I try to bring my shock under control. Sleeping im my bed is all right and all but her hands and legs...Urg, We won't go there at least not right now but let me just say that her limbs were in...err...not so public places. That small yet strong leg over my stomach and those hands about my...SNAP OUT OF IT RIN! "Rin. It's not safe for me to sleep so far away from you."

She is all logical on me. 'So far away.' Yeah right. "What if an enemy was to attack you in our sleep? It would be too late for me to come to your rescue." Ermm...yeah. Saber, have you noticed that you can materialize anywhere your master is at anytime you wanted? Or that your room is just a few feet from mine?!! That is what I want to say, but I leave it to myself. I have a feeling things are gonna get weird from now on. Aaaa, to hell with it. Time to get ready for school already and to think of my 'Talk to Sakura' plan. I can't believe I am planning just to talk to her. *Sigh*

To Be Continued...

Chapter 5

Fate/Stay Night Zero

By Demon Eyes

Disclaimer: Once upon a time, a group of great geniuses known as Type-Moon, came up with the greatest characters ever and from out of the blue came this leecher,me, and borrowed their creations. There, I admitted it.

Part V

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*Sigh* I just love a nice morning. Soft music playing on the radio courtesy of the morning crew. A nicely brewed cup of tea. Toast, eggs, bacon, and some butter to go with that on the side. A beautiful knight sitting right in front of you on the same dining table sharing with you this lovely morning. What else would one wish for? Heaven. This is what I imagine it. Heaven. At least my image of how it would be.

Not.

Forget all those mushy stuff I just thought. This is by no means a very nice breakfast. At least for me that is. Music? What music?! Maybe you mean the awful sounds of the hands of the many clocks in the vicinity are making. The tea is as usual which is always very good, but for some reason, I just can't find the usual aroma of it. That smooth taste that makes me think I might be addicted to the stuff and wouldn't want to quit. There is a knight sitting in front of me and she is beautiful too but I don't know how she looks now, since I haven't looked her in the eye since that incident. Same dining table. It might as well have been 50 meters long. Saber talks to me and it sounds like we are using one of those middle age telephones. You know, the cups with a wire and all that. It takes her three times to get my attention.

"...n...in...Rin." She talks to me once again. "Oh. Yes Saber. What is it this time?" See what I mean? I mean, maybe I am overacting a bit (or luck there of) about what happened but I am a perfectly normal 16 year old girl and as every other girl, I have to be worried if I woke up with another person in my bed with their limbs on places that define us and your body reacts to it. I have to try and suppress these emotions though. I am Tohsaka Rin and by God, I will be damned if I ever give into something like this. "Are you okay? You haven't said much since this morning. Are you not feeling well?" I look up from my cup of nicely brewed Lady Grey and my vocabulary seems to have been deleted. Yours would be too if you saw A Saber forget her food and look at you with eyes that gave nothing away yet you knew there was concern in them. Concern for you.

"..." Okay. This is getting weird. Say something damn it. Was all your internal speech bull? "I...I am alright Saber. Thanks for asking. I was just thinking of something else." Half truth. Good. Some time passes and Saber hasn't said anything. I look up again and see that she is looking at me as though I were full of holes and she could see right through me. *Gulp*. "Okay master, that's good to know." Whew, safe. "So, what are you going to do about that seal at your school master? Time is almost up I can feel it. We have until tomorrow morning at most and that is if the caster waits for it to finish." Oh God, I had almost forgotten about that. Now that the seal is almost at its peak, the master or the servant that put it in place will be around to guard it. Since I am almost sure that the master can't be from the school, then I am certain that a servant will be on guard instead. Hmmmm, maybe I should leave Saber behind to keep the servant calm. If they sense another servant around, they might make haste and activate the seal sooner and I need time.

Since Shirou is training with Archer in the mountains, I don't need to tell him not to take his servant at school. Okay, now to persuade Saber to stay behind. If I know her, she will push to come with me at all cost. "Saber, I need to go to school alone today. You have to stay here." I try to sound as serious as possible, but "Stop right there master." Damn. When Saber goes all 'master' on you, you just know it is the end...Of discussion that is. But I am Rin. "Saber, there are...", but I stop. I can't say that now. That would show my weakness and I don't like Saber to think, or rather, know that I care. "Look Saber, I am asking you to please stay here for today. If I really need you, then I will summon you. I don't think that even they can start something up when there are all those people at school." Yeah right. Isn't the reason they put that seal over the school because there are a lot of people?

I can see that she sees right through me. Okay, change of tactics. "Saber, close your eyes for a bit." She looks at me without blinking. "Come on, close them." Na da. "Trust me." A little sugar, and that's all it takes. The fork pauses and she closes her eyes. Did I forget to mention that she has been eating through all this? Well, I don't think that surprises anyone by now. "I close my eyes too and imagine my inner self. I’ve trained since I was young to give my mana form in my mind. This makes it better for me to fully control my mana. I can proudly say that no one is better than me at mana control. At least nobody I've ever met. I let a smile grace my lips and shake it off. Time for business. I have to make Saber stay and command spells are out of the question. I breathe in and out to put my body and mind in sync. I go into my subconscious and find my mana.

What I want to do is manipulate my mana, Saber's and my nervous system, so that in case my emotions were to change in a wrong way, say fear(I hate everything about that word) or great pain, then Saber will feel it and that will be the sure way to get her to me in time were my summon to fail. I do all that needs to be done and when I open my eyes and look to Saber for a conclusion, "Alright Rin. I will stay. But please be careful." Is what she says and I get my confirmation that she got what I tried to do or what I did. "I will Saber. I will." I get up and clear the table. Wash the dishes and put on my shoes to go to school.

As I walk outside, I begin to go through my plan for the day as if it were a play. I will stop by the archery range in the guise of seeing if Ayaka has been found yet. Sakura won't suspect a thing. That is, if she is there. 'I really hope that she hasn't followed Ayaka too.' I pray to my self and a flash of anger so great goes through me when I think of the possibilities of her being taken by some other master for their benefit. I almost strike out at a lamp post by me but as my fist is flying, I hear a creepy child-like laugh. I know it is coming from in front of me so I don't waste time flying my head everywhere like some actress in a scare flick. I look but I don't see anything. Nothing. No people. There were a few people walking around right here; students, kids and women and men, but now, there is nothing except that horrible laugh. Despite the cheesiness of it, I gulp feeling it getting to me. Show yourself already damn it.

Then, there in front of me, a figure starts making itself visible. First, a head, a child's head. Silver hair, at least it looks silver right now to me, with a red top on it. She walks towards me and the mist that seemed to have been hiding her presence starts to give way for this strange girl that has a big smile on her face. There is no way that smile is aimed to please me because if it is, then it is failing miserably. Calm down Rin. You don't want to bring Saber out on a kid. I snap back to attention as the girl now who is beside me I can see her features well(she is wearing red fluffy coat that comes down to her bare knees which meet high boots that hide half of her calves). "That is so bold of you Onee-chan; walking around without your servant’ I mean."

Her eyes open just a little and I am treated to the most enchanting rosy eyes I've ever seen. I seem to be pulled into them but before I hit bottom, her smile changes into something I wish not to discuss and I am brought back to my senses. I look but she is gone. Her voice is still around though as I can still hear her parting words and I get the feeling that this day isn't going to too pleasant. "You had better go get your servant or you will regret it, Onee-chan." And that seems to be all that I am permitted to hear. I give it no concern and after reasoning over meeting a mysterious young girl on the street who tries to intimidate you, you have to think that you were seeing things of course...right? Oh well, I will get rid of that obstacle when I come to it.

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I walk to the Archery range and as I reach the entry way, you’d never guess who I see there all smug. Well, if I told you the sight of this person made me want to kill them, and then you of course guessed it right. Yeah, it's that ass Shinji there flirting with the poor archers who I have no idea what they see in this kind of guy. I mean come on, the guy shows his manners or there lack of openly. So selfish. The bastard. I would like someone to teach him a lesson that he’d never forget. What can I do but hope after all my techniques failed to work on him? I steel my nerve, place a smile on. I have an image to protect and all that, you know.

"Good morning Matou-kun, how are you this lovely morning?" Yes, keep the smile. Your admires, are watching you. All thanks to this big mouth spreading rumors that I was hot for his *BEEP*. "Aaa, if it isn't my ever lovely Tohsaka. What brings you here? No doubt to watch me do the magic that is bow and arrow." I almost let a snarl escape but seeing all the attention I am given, I can't do anything but think of a very acceptable reply. What to say? "Well, yes. But since the archery has been closed for a while, I came to see if Ayaka was found." I wait to see how he plans to get out of this one with something that has to do with me. But of course the devil has already a come back. Does he plan each and every of our confrontations?

"Oh my sweetness, no need to be so modest, but if that is what you say, then I will have to believe you. But on the matter of Ayaka-san…" Damn this guy. Even I don't call her that and we are best friends but he gets to be on first name basis?!! WTF?! Don't tell me Ayaka has already fallen to this villain's clutches too. "Sempai, you don't know yet?" One of the freebies asked me. They seem to know something that I didn't. I think about that and I have a very disturbing thought. No. Ayaka can't be dead can she? "Tohsaka-sempai, Mitsuzuri-sempai was found by Matou-sempai and she is now in the hospital." She clasps her hands together and the other four, or so, girls copy her. As if in a choir, the recite, "Matou-sempai is so brave." hearts in the eyes and all that. You know the drill. *Sigh*

"Oh, I am sure he is." I agree completely...not. I bet he was the first one to get the news of her safety in the hospital seeing as the Matous hold all the hospitals of Japan in their grasp. But thinking about it, no doctor in their right minds would waste their time to tell an idiot like him important stuff. On the other hand, seeing as Ayaka goes to the same school as us, were Shinji to have a friend over at the Fuyuki General hospital, then it is possible, but something tells me that this is not it. I think of Shinji being the cause of Ayaka's disappearance but I squash down the feeling right away. Just because I loath the guy, doesn't give me the right to judge his morals too hastily. Besides, The Matou family ran out of the ability to use magi craft generations before. There is no way Shinji could summon a servant at his magi level.

"Well anyway, thank you Matou-sempai for saving her. I am sure you will be well rewarded for your bravery." I turn to go inside the building, but that ass seems to not have had enough. "Well, Tohsaka, as you heard Mitsuzuri is in the hospital so was there anything else you wanted?" Damn you. One of these days, I will be rid of you. "Well, the last time I was here, I left some stuff with Mitsuzuri that I need to collect it." I saw him open his trap and I was in no mood to listen to his ramblings again. "Sakura knows where they are so she will help me." He shuts it like a fly trap it is. I move on to my first task of the day. 'Talk to Sakura'.

Inside, I leave my red coat on not having any way I would keep a conversation long enough with Sakura to drink tea. I find her in the meeting room sitting at the low table doing her homework...at this time?! "Good morning Sakura." I greet her and she looks really startled that I was there. This is no surprise to me since I too am always shocked now that she talks to me at all. I can't decide if she is 100% a saint or she was so mad that her mind closed over. For my own safety and sanity, I will settle for the former. She closes her books to give me all her attention, she need not know that just her being my sight is all I will ever hope to need.

"It's alright Sakura. If you are finishing up your homework, you can continue. There is little time left anyway before the first bell rings." I make a gesture of looking at my watch but I really don't see the time. She starts to stutter and I try to ease her nervousness. At least that is what I think it is. "I will help you with anything you are having difficulty with." I already know she is gonna flat out refuse but even though I am prepared for it, I know it will hurt me a little. It's like choosing a career as a fire man yet retiring having never saved anyone. Think of the effects. "I...I...Alright sempai. There was this math problem that I have been working on since last night and I can't seem to figure it out." What, but I remember Sakura was good at mathematics. What am I saying? That was a long time ago. Why doesn't that Shinji help her out?!

Like that’s a no-brainer. That guy is busy shopping with girls that I doubt he has time to do his own assignments. "Show me." I scoot as close to the table as possible since I am sitting opposite her and need to be able to see the same thing that she is seeing too. I take off my coat in the process, now that I see an excuse to drink tea and stay a little longer. The exercise is to find the Area of a weird looking triangle. "Let me do it first in definitive steps. Could you lend me a piece of paper and a pen?" She does and I do it like recalling a scene in a favorite movie. I check over it and I get the same thing. I used to eat sines, cos, cosines and all tangents for lunch. "Give me the ones you did then. I will check and see what steps you did and we will work on them." She hands me her book and I see that she had done the thing about a dozen times and gets different answers. None of them like mine.

"I see where you went wrong. The formula you used was flawed. See here...” I show her that she had been using the wrong formula to find the area using the given variables. After a few more demonstrations of different types, she is almost as good as me. "Thank you sempai." She smiles at me and even though it isn't 'that' smile, I could swear I saw life in those dead looking eyes. "D...Don't worry about it. I was glad to help." O~kay, So I didn't think this through very well. What to talk about, what to talk about. "What brings you here anyway sempai? Was there anything I could do for you?" YES. Just start a descent conversation. Save us. "Err...How are you at home?" Smooth, very smooth Rin. Do you think you are picking up a girl for a date or something? Say something important damn you.

"I am very well sempai. Thanks for asking." Yeah right. Then why are you looking like you are ready to kill someone? "Oh. That’s good to hear." That's right, don't push. "Is there anything else that you need help in? Something other than studies I mean." Yeah right, like she will let you in after what you did. Dream on. "No. Nothing. But I will come to you the next time I need anything." This is the only girl that could make me admit defeat. But, "I will hold you onto that promise then." I get up and pick up my coat after I finish the cup of tea Sakura made me during our session. She is still the best there is at brewing tea. Oh well, let's call today a failure as usual. Maybe I will succeed next time.

"Well then, see you next time Sakura." No one that saw that exchange would be stupid enough not to suspect anything but alas, we are alone here. I put on my coat and head out. I really think that I screwed up big time all those years ago. Forgive me Sakura, but I will set things right. You just wait.

I go to class and as I reach my door, I bump into Issei. "Good morning student council president." I greet him and he answers me back. "Are you still out to get me to join the student council because if you are, I agree to join. But seeing as I was elected the president (even) though I turned it down, you will have to take a step down to vice. What do you say?" He shakes his head and says, "Really? Thanks Tohsaka. Good timing too. I was going to take some time off from the student council president role for a while. We have visitors at my place and they need company." he answers. I never knew a person could grin like that. Especially him.

Well, okay. I will stay here for the time being and watch over the activities and do all the other stuff that you always do." He thanks me and tells me how he thinks that Emiya-kun might have been right to think that I was a cool girl and he was off. Hmmm, Emiya-kun thinks that I’m cool? Cool. Looks like it isn't hard to grin like an idiot. I walk to the student council room and find a lot of papers on the table. A quick look tells me that it is just the students' views they put into the 'suggestion box. I read a few and almost laugh. I am most definitely not on the same planet like some of these kids. Not that I have a say in the matter. The suggestions would drive the faculty mad were they to read them. I decide to do the first editing and throw out those mentioned points. I leave the rest neatly in a folder and added to the many that decorated the inside of a huge locker in the room. The room itself is a mess and you gotta wonder how a guy like Issei could be so disorganized. Oh well, guy will be guys.

I didn’t notice all the students had left, until it was dark out. I decide to continue what I had started the other day and eliminate the roots of the seal I can find. A few in the grounds at the front gate, others in the fields and I think that I might not find the main seal after all. I had just been thinking of visiting Ayaka and a thought struck me. The archery range. Now it makes sense. Of course Ayaka was a victim of this seal but on a smaller scale. A one person seal. Her blood was only drained but her soul was intact. After this new discovery, I make haste to the said location. When I open the door, the seal big enough to fit on one side of the walls is greeting me. It is red and pulsing with life. A little different but similar to the one I used to summon Saber.

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I go near the seal and role over my sleeves to control my mana from my hands a little better. I place them in front of me and onto the seal but before I start the ritual, a familiar voice startles me. “Well hello Tohsaka. And what do you think you are doing to my master piece? Or should I say my servant's master piece." I turn around and I am burdened by that horrible laugh and that face. My shock is a little too great though to react to the effects of that. Shinji is a master?! But how? He isn't a magus. His laugh stops and he walks a little closer, "'I know what you are thinking. My latest ancestors lost their ability to pass onto magicraft to their children so how come I can control a servant?’Well, I might as well tell you since you are going to die anyway." He brings the hand that he was holding behind his back out and in it, a book. Not just any ordinary book. A book that if held by someone with the potential of being a magus, can make them command their servants. Make them obey them. You can call it an artificial way of being a master.

“This book, makes me as able a master same as you Tohsaka. Now that you know of my identity, die." He flips the book and out comes these black like things as if something has very sharp claws that cut through the floor itself. They head towards me and I throw a jewel towards them. The two attacks cancel each other out and I jump back a few feet during the explosion. "Impressive Tohsaka, but I'm afraid a few shiny thingies won't stop me." A few more pages are flipped and I go on guard. He chants a few things and then another attack. This time, the attacker is visible. Dead. They are like an army of dead people. Just bones and armor and swords. They come at me with great speed and now I see that their weapons that keep scraping the wall were the ones making those cracks I saw.

"You know, this is a very good opportunity. Can I tell you something really secret? Sakura has nightmares about you. She always wakes up in the nights and comes to sleep with me because she is dreaming of you leaving her to be taken away by the boogie man, she calls him." What!?? "That’s not true and you know it. You are lying." But even if he might be, I can't help but question why Sakura wouldn't be after that night. I myself have bad dreams about that night and it was I the one who abandoned her. "Oh but it is true Tohsaka. Besides, how would you know? I am the one who lives with her. Eats with her. Sleeps with her even sometimes. I know her better than you do now, or you ever did." Every word feels like a knife to my heart but(,) I can't show him how this affects me. Let him think whatever he likes.

"Yeah, and the real reason you want to kill me now is because I give her bad dreams or could it be that she wants to come back so much that she no longer pays attention to you and thus are jealous enough to get me out of the picture?" He looks startled. I think ‘hook line and sinker.’ His face is red from anger and embarrassment. I grin but I soon regret it when I feel my palms being pierced by something after he calls "RIDER" with a boom of his voice. The pain almost takes me so I quickly summon saber. If a servant has appeared, then let another servant take care of them.

It looks like my plan works like a charm as even before I summon her, Saber has already freed me from the clutches of Rider's things. Is this woman into S&M or something? Crap, my palms are bleeding. Better do something about it before I pass out. "Master, are you alright? Oh no, you are bleeding! Here, give me your hands" She tells me and I offer them without a second thought. Upon her gentle touch that is almost impossible to imagine with the gloves she is wearing, I feel my wounds patching up and healing. I breathe a sigh of relief and stand up, take a quick look over of Rider and I am sure now that that is Medusa standing before us. Though her eyes are hidden and most beautiful women are judged upon their eyes, this woman's is judged by her hair. Nothing I've ever seen is like it. It is as if it has a life of its own.

"What are you doing Rider? Attack and kill Tohsaka this instant. Forget the torture, just kill her." This guy seriously needs help. I can't imagine living in a house with this guy. And Sakura shared a bed with him?!! Okay that's it, after here, I am going to have a serious talk with that old man. But that is for later. Rider has struck. She moves like the wind itself. Rider indeed. The servant rumored to ride anything. Wouldn't be surprised if she could fly too. They exchanged blows too fast for my eyes to follow but, all I know is that Saber isn't having a hard time. Let's hope she doesn't use her Phantasm. I had forbidden Saber to use it again in fear of other servants being near to watch and I feel that there has been someone watching me since I left my house today.

I turn my attention to Shinji who looks busy looking for a certain page in the spell book. “Shinji, I will give you 30 seconds to turn off this seal or tell me how to unseal it. If you don't, you are going down. Hard." I pull out some of my jewels and he sees them. “Well, too late Tohsaka, this seal cannot be undone once it has been cast. The only way to break it is by killing the one who put it up and by the looks of things, Rider isn't losing anytime soon." I turn around and see that he is right. Despite us being in a wide area as big as a dojo, Rider is doing circles on Saber. She is just too fast. But saber seems to have found a weakness and holds onto Rider's chains. Rider is shocked a bit, but makes her weapon disappear and reappear again, without the Saber hand holding onto them.

"What are you doing Rider!!? Are you going to lose to such a servant after all the mana I've given you? Come on, kill them already." Rider seems a little annoyed which I don't stress over it as I see her readying for something. I’m not certain what it is, but I *am* certain it’s not good. "You know, this seal doesn’t cover just this school." She tells us and though I am a little afraid of what she implies, I ask anyway." What do you mean by that? I saw it stretch over the school grounds only like and half a sphere." She laughs a little. "That is what I wanted you to see, so that is what you saw. It is at least another km wider and in that distance, there are people right now. You may have delayed and maybe saved the students from this in school, but I still have enough people for the mana I need."

After saying that, all hell broke lose, literally. She got the spear like end of her chains and after saying a simple incantation to herself; she stabbed her neck in the sides. Blood gushed out of the left side of her neck and it splattered on the walls all around. It amazed me that she never even flinched from that loss of blood and wound. I was starting to wonder what killing herself would accomplish when I saw it. The blood on the walls and the one still coming from her neck came together in front of her and formed a seal like that that on the wall beside us. There was a change in the air for a few seconds and even though I didn't know what was going on at the moment, it seemed that she had activated the blood sucker (That's what I call it) (The true title for that Noble Phantasm is Blood Fort Andromeda) and it had sucked the people in it dry of their mana to the point of draining their souls too.

I came to this conclusion after I saw that the seal on the wall was transferring red liquid to the one that was in front of Rider. It was quite a lot that I stood in shock wondering how many people had been victimized in these few seconds. After the ordeal was over, which didn't take much time, the seal on the wall disappeared and the one in front of Rider started to glow a great deal. The light was too bright and I felt like a hell spawn coming into the sunlight. Thus I closed my eyes shut and that was the reason why I find myself asking what in God's name just happened when I open my eyes to find myself on the floor with Saber lying over me(,) protectively. What did I just miss? All I heard when I opened my eyes was the sound of wings flapping and a cry of a horse. Okay Rin, you are losing it. Stop right there.

"What just happened Saber? I was sure that Rider was getting ready to attack just then, so why are we still alive?" I pour out. This makes no sense at all. "Where are Rider and Shinji for that matter?" Looking around the dojo I see nothing but a path of destruction. Saber helped me up and I thank her then she sheds her battle outfit and started to explain. "When I saw that Rider was readying to attack with her Phantasm, I knew I would not be able to fight her without me using mine too so I decided to kill the master and stop her from finishing it. I went to kill the master but Rider used her Phantasm to get to him first and left. I am not really sure why they fled though after she got her master." Saber looks in thought and I find myself loving her serious face too.

"Well, I am sure we will see them again soon enough. I will have to have a serious talk with that master of Rider's tomorrow at school." I have to tell Emiya-kun about this too. He seems to be close to Shinji and I know they were best friends. I will never comprehend how a guy like Shinji could be great friends with a person like Emiya-kun, or is it the other way around? Oh well, it makes no difference either way they are not supposed to be acquaintances in either case. I start walking home and I can feel Saber following in closely. I haven't thanked her yet for saving me back there too. My hero. Okay, what was that? "Thank you Saber. Thank you for saving me back there." I turn to her and hoped to find her expression telling me 'What did you expect, you are my master. You won't be any use to me dead.'

But instead, she smiles. Saber smiles. A really honest smile. It's the first time I've seen it. I wish she smiled like that more often but I know that she would think that her enemies would think her weak. 'How about they think you cute Saber!' I can't help but snide to myself. "Why are you so happy Rin?" I laugh out loud at her facials she makes and I start to make my way towards the gates. “Nothing Saber. Nothing at all." At least the seal has been already activated and that means that the students are safe. I guess I gotta prepare for Rider as well. *Sigh* the road to victory is really long. “Okay Saber, how about we go to Sie Yu Dong's and I give you your present for your heroism, hmm?"

"Really Rin?! Thank you very much." She then did something that was so unSaber like that I find myself wondering if I know her at all. She hugs me. A little too tight for my liking but I don't care. Saber hugged me. For some reason, once her arms are around me, she freezes up. I too freeze but I have a very good reason that I mentioned before. Not to mention that I haven't hugged anyone in over 10 years but what is Saber's excuse for freezing up? “I...I am very sorry master." Master? Does she think that she has made a mistake? She looks down and I see another expression to remember there. An embarrassed Saber. So cute. “Saber, could you please not call me master again? Yes, I know you only call me that when the matter is serious but I don't mind really. Okay?" She nods and I take her hand in mine and we walk on.

........................................................

Unknown to the two walking girls, someone was watching them in what looked like a psychic ball. The figure was hooded so it was impossible to tell which gender they played for. The figure said nothing but continued to keep a closer eye on our duo, especially the girl in a red top with a short dark skirt and thigh high stockings, Rin.

To Be Continued...

Chapter 6

Fate/Stay Night Zero

By Demon Eyes

Disclaimer: Everything in here relating to the game or anime belongs to Type-Moon.

Part VI

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(Ryudo Temple)

“So Caster, what do you think of these servants from their battle? Should we be worried?” It was a guy with glasses. He was Kuzuki Souichirou, Shirou’s homeroom teacher and master to the servant Caster. The one that was being addressed by this hard faced man was non other than the hooded figure that had been watching Rin and Saber departing. She let a smile grace her crimson lipstick covered lips as she turned from the ball to her master. “Well, Saber maybe a problem but I will think of something so we better not confront her until later on when I get the most effective way to win against her. As for Rider”, here she let her smile fall a little, “I have been into contact with her quite a lot and know her well. Know her very well indeed. She won’t be a problem.”

“In fact, we might not even have to face her. She will want to finish her fight with Saber and I guarantee you that her chances of winning against Saber with a master like that are very small indeed.” Kuzuki turned from Caster and continued to watch the two figures walking on oblivious to their watchers and agreed with a ‘Hmm’. There was a simple silence and then a very strong voice was heard coming from nearby. “I would like to go up against Saber to see whose sword is superior.” Silence followed. It was not mistaken to who this man was talking to. He was dressed up as long ago samurai. More distinguishable was his two meters long sword which he was supporting by his shoulder..

Caster was thinking about this. It would be too early to face Saber but if she didn’t want Saber to meet her, then she wouldn’t. A simple spell would take care of that. She might take this time too, to get reacquainted with an old rival. A smile came to her lips and she spoke to the man who had voiced his thoughts before. “Well Assassin, you may have your chance soon. I want to meet someone else too. I will lower the barrier on this place for a while tomorrow evening to let them know of our location and you can wait for Saber on the stair ways. I know she will come, definitely.” The man known as Assassin didn’t respond at all but Caster knew that he heard he

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(Tohsaka Mansion)

*Knock knock.* Saber, come on out. Now or we will be late.” I gave her the whole fashion magazine and asked her to make her own choice based on what I mm wearing. She didn’t understand at first so I clarified with clothes that queens in her time would wear to go to gatherings and she understood me at last but she is really taking her time. It’s not like she had to put it on and take it off. Just thinking and she is already changed but 45 minutes is really ridiculous. She is acting like some of those girls in love stories that spend time deciding what to wear on dates. This isn’t a date. Is it? And does even Saber know what a date is? How much did my father teach her really? I wonder!

My thoughts are cut short when I hear the door open but unexpectedly, I catch only Saber’s head. She is quite red in the cheeks. ‘So cute’ I want to squeak but I only do that in my head. Outwardly, I role my eyes and ask her to step out or she will miss the great steak. At that, she sends the door ajar so forcefully that it comes back and hit her in the back of her head. I think it would’ve been better for it to break off as I go and caress her hind head. “You okay there Saber?” She hadn’t reacted to the door hitting her except move due to the force exerted on her and she didn’t show any signs of pain when she should. As I rub her head, I find that this is the first time I’ve touched her. Really touch her. Her hair is so silky and alluring as if screaming for me to caress it all day long. ‘Now who is taking time here?’

I pull my hand back with a jerk and I find that I can’t will the blood from my face when I catch her watching me, curiously. She has let down her beautiful hair which is now even more glamorous than ever and she is wearing a sleeveless blouse (this is the first time I’ve seen her show this much skin) that hangs from her chest. Sadly, that is the only skin that I have the honour of seeing as she had on a really long skirt that goes all the way to her shoes. I love what I’m seeing. I really love it and I have to fight hard to make sentences to compliment her. I have taken a really good look at her and beautiful does not even cut it.

“Beautiful.” I didn’t hear it but I sure said it since she gets quite embarrassed. ‘So what? Repeat it already.’ “You are really beautiful Saber.” I will settle for that now. I’m not really sure I am in my right mind thinking her more beautiful. Is there a word for that? Need research. Internet tonight it is. “Wow.” Add it in for special effect and that does it. Saber is not the warrior that she is right now. Right now she is Arturia, the inner feminine gem. So pure to the core that I can even see it and I’m afraid to lose it lest my life lose its worth of living.

I give her a quick hug and I can’t let go. She starts but soon returns it. “What is it Rin? Is something bothering you?” Yes, please don’t ever leave me. “No Saber, everything is alright.” I pull away. But then my eyes lock with hers. And start to wonder what we really weigh for us to have our own gravitational force that seems to have come out of no where. It is pulling us together or pulling me towards Saber or vice versa because we are definitely getting closer to each other. Unless I suddenly acquired telescopic vision, we are drawing closer which meant, yes I am not so naïve that we were looking forward to a touching of lips. I don’t think I’ve ever believed in God until now but I was asking for their help right now to save me from this temptation, duh?

*GROWL* I love you Saber’s stomach, I love you so much. “We, we better go now before our reservation is cancelled.” I take her hand and lead her towards the door. I was totally saved by Saber’s stomach. I don’t know why but I think that I was about to kiss her and that doesn’t appeal to me at all. Do not get me wrong, I would love to kiss her but it just doesn’t seem like the right time. Not to mention that Saber might not approve. If that were to happen I might lose her trust and we would start disagreeing with each other. That would make our future bleak and I want to win this war first and fore most. My personal issues can wait. I have to find ways to make Saber trust me and feeding her stomach comes first on the list.

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(Sie Yu Dong Restaurant)

“Mistress Tohsaka Rin, welcome. Please if you will follow me.” We have just arrived at the best place I know to eat out in town. The guys here know me quite well and I had called yesterday to make a reservation that will wow Saber. “Did you take care of that specific thing I asked for?” I had requested for that single VIP room and it costs quite a lot but that is nothing to me. It was quite a big room if I remember and so I asked for them to set up a buffet display for my Saber. I can’t wait to see her reaction. “Yes Mistress Tohsaka, everything is in order. But may I ask why you requested just table for two?” I turn to him and put a finger to my lips. “Secret.”

We enter the room and I’m glad that everything is as I requested. The buffet is covered and hidden from Saber’s view but I bet she can smell it. This being a restaurant though, it might as well be coming from the other side of the place where we came in and people were having their dinners. When I am satisfied, I send Mr. Sam Jie away to leave us alone. He is the manager of this place and took liberty of managing my order himself. Times like these I am glad to be a Tohsaka. I turn to look at my guest and find her at alert. The smell of food is killing her I can see. I smile a little and move over to one of the chairs on the table and pull it back for her to sit.

I better let her eat sometime soon before she goes sniffing around. “Come Saber, have a seat.” She smiles in return and sits. She smells au natural and I like it. No fancy body dios or perfumes. She smells of fresh water. I love it. “Thank you Rin.” I turn up the volume on TV for hire and luckily, it seems that Japan is playing today. It is almost half round and Japan has already scored a goal while Brazil is on zero. A bad sign. Japan has never lost when the opponent scores first. Saber seems to be taken in with this almost forgetting the food. I shake my head but I’m happy to discover another of Saber’s wants. I open a bottle of champagne and pour in her glass then in mine. I raise it and get her attention. “Come on. Lift your glass.” She does and I toast to her.” Thank you for your help yesterday Saber. You really saved me but mostly, thank you for going along with my decisions so far and I hope we continue to work together.”

She blushes a little and thanks me. I stand up and walk over to the buffet. “Here is your real present Saber. I hope you like it.” I remove the cover all the while watching her face for the reaction. I am most definitely not disappointed. I got the most surprised face that Saber can make. “Now come on Saber, help your self. Don’t hold back.” She stands up robot like and comes forward but instead of going for a plate, she comes towards me and gives me an embrace. I think my night has just hit the climax. I stand there basking in her warmth and forget everything at the moment. I think I am falling for this girl and falling hard. This is proving troublesome. Ever since Saber came to me, I have thought of everything else less and less and more about her.

“Thank you Rin. I promise you that I won’t let you down and I will do everything in my power to help you. I believe that I said it already but my sword is yours and yours alone.” She pulls back and after looking at me for a while with an expression that I can’t place, she grabs a few plates and gets on with it. “Now let us eat Rin. Hunger is our most formidable enemy.” *Sigh* Saber, if I didn’t know any better I would thing that you preferred food over me. I laugh a little at that and go join her in the fighting of our most feared enemy, Hunger. “Right Saber. Let’s eat.” I have never seen someone balance three plates full of food in one hand but she can. “You knoe Saber, this is all ours. You can take a plate at a time and come back for more.”

She looks at me as if I am crazy and goes to sit down. I continue to put food on my plate but by the time I sit down, one plate of hers is already gone. “Right, I see what you meant.” I mutter but doesn’t acknowledge though I’m sure she heard me. We eat on all the while watching the match and how Brazil is making the predictions true buy scoring their second goal. We talk about the war too and try to come up with a strategy. Since we don’t have a clue where the other masters and their servants are at the moment except Emiya-kun, we decide to lure them out from their hiding places. I don’t want to face Shirou right now and Saber feels it so she doesn’t mention it. I am glad of that that she understands me.

After dinner with Japan losing to Brazil and a satisfied Saber, we go to the nearest screening place and I gamble to search for a movie that Saber might enjoy. What comes to mind is that she might like the sword fighting kind of movie but what if deep down she is a romantic and would prefer girlie movies? Decisions decisions. I settle for the Jet Li movie called Fearless. Maybe Saber will get a few tips on how to fight with the sword and use other skills at the same time. We sit in middle seeing as a lot of people were already present and had taken the best seats. Who would’ve thought that a martial arts movie could have such romance in it? The drama.

In a scene where the main hero leaves a girl called Moon whom he had stayed with on his journey of self discovery after losing himself and his whole family in the process, I took Saber’s hand in mine unconsciously and held onto it. I only knew it later during the last fight scene when I consciously (this time) wanted to hold it but finding my hand had already got hers in mine holding on for God know what. I got really embarrassed but the dim lighting in the cinema saved me from Saber seeing my face. I try pulling my hand back but when I placed it on my arm rest, Saber covers it with hers instead. I look at her face puzzled but find her looking forward with a serene smile on her beautiful face. I am falling and falling hard.

We walk out of the cinema in silence and I struggle for something to say, anything. “It was a really good movie, don’t you think Saber?” She turns to me and “It was very good Rin. Are all these pictures as good as this one?” I think of all the movies I have seen so far even if they can be counted on fingers but even Titanic with all its angst wasn’t as good as this one. I may have not seen a lot but I doubt there are many movies that can move me like this has. “Just a few Saber, just a few. But that ending was really sad, don’t you think?” She looks thoughtful, I know it was needed to raise the emotion in the movie or as a way to make the hero atone for what he had done but those were my thoughts alone. “It may be but I think it was necessary. Even if the hero may have discovered the error of his ways before, he still committed the unforgivable sin. He killed a person in clod blood. Losing his own family was not enough seeing as the one responsible took his own life. The only way that was left was for him too, to pay for taking a life by losing a life.”

Damn Saber, do you have a degree in literature or something? “Killing him in the end was best to set the watchers in belief of facts if killing a person. I liked it but unlike him, I think I would have to die a thousand times over to pay for the lives I took.” She is thinking of the days of her reign as king to her country. “No Saber, don’t go that way. You killed in war. Those that were fighting went to war knowing the consequences of war. They were ready to die for what they believed in. You fought for what you believed in. I think the two are completely different.” I don’t want her to blame herself for that. Even if I don’t know how Kings make their choices I know that they do them to keep their people safe. If she didn’t fight in war, then her people would all be killed.

“Come on, let us return home.” She does not shiver but I know she is cold from when I held her hand. Today is a cold night strangely which maybe was a warning of what is about to happen. I put my oat on her shoulders and hold her hand. She smiles appreciatively after I give her a look when she wants to object. “Thank you Rin. I enjoyed today very much. I haven’t been or felt this happy since…since long ago.” Her eyes take on a distant look and they get glazed over turning bleach green from her normal aquamarine. I put my arm around her shoulders instead and pull her closer. But Saber jerks and I think that I may have made a mistake when I noticed the real reason she was so tense.

“O ho. What do we have here? What do you think you are doing you wench?” A voice booms from ahead and I look up to find a guy almost Archer’s height but slimmer than him. He has blonde hair (it would look blonde in white light) and he had ear piercing of gold made on the shape of quadrilaterals. His eyes are red and seem to glow in the dark. He points his finger at Saber and declares, “That is mine and I came to collect.” What? What? You dare call Saber a thing? Who the hell are you to refer to a King as such? My hands shake and I ball my fingers into fists itching to punch this guy’s lights out. Why are there so many wierdos in this war? I look at Saber wondering why she was silent while a no body called her his possession but I’m shocked to see her shaking. She is afraid. Saber is actually afraid.

I learn later that she wasn’t afraid for herself but for me but by then it would be too late. I step in front of Saber defiantly. I have no clue as to who this is to scare Saber but I won’t stand for him calling my servant, the most powerful servant a thing of his. I point a finger to him but unlike him, I don’t plan on insulting only, “I don’t know who the hell you are but nobody calls Saber a thing and sorry to break it to you but she is going nowhere.” I cast a curse spell and send it rocketing to his face. I think that I got him good from the explosion but by the time it clears, I see that he has put up some kind of ancient shield and it’s there floating in front of him.

“ I have no time to play with you foolish wench. Die” he says it so coolly that I can’t help but get shaken a little.

*GATE OF BABYLON*

I see now something happening behind him. As if a door to the heavens itself is opening up, there is an opening taking place and the height of it goes to skies where I can’t see its ends. It looks like the surface of calm water. Red water and I see things start coming out of it. Hilts of swords and many other things that I know are weapons. Is this some kind of sci-fi scene and he has opened a door to another dimension? A dimension where weapons live? He raised his hand and points his finger into the sky before bringing it down and those said weapons start coming at me full speed with their cutting edges in the front. I close my eyes and shield my face to protect whatever I can and await for the blow.

It never comes but sounds of stabbing sure do reach my ears. I open my eyes in horror now that Saber’s presence is no longer behind me but in front. She had protected me, again! Why can’t I be of use to her just once in battle field? “Saber” I scream her name and follow her down when she falls on her knees. I hear our attacker say something to him self but I ignore him and try to help my partner to her feet but the next second I find myself about 3m away from a sight of Saber being lifted in the arms of my worst enemy from now on, with pain that makes me almost cry out in my gut. He bastard kicked me.

“Now stay there and leave the Kings alone.” He says that as he starts to walk away with Saber and I try to say something but my breath is working overtime to replace the air forced out of my lungs. I lift my hand towards Saber and try to magically make them stop but all in vain. I see Saber with blood dripping from all her cuts still struggling to get free and I can’t describe how much I really hate this guy. He is taking Saber away from me. Another one important to me is being taken from me and when I want to help them stay, I can’t. Don’t take Saber away from me. Don’t take my existence away from me. I let tears fall from my eyes for the first time in ten years

“Saber.”

To Be continued…..

A.N. – As you may have observed, I have started to write about the rest of the occasions taking place in the absence of Rin, the protagonist of this story. I may switch from Rin’s to Saber’s POV very soon too. Thanks for reading.

Chapter 7

Fate/Stay Night Zero

By Demon Eyes

Disclaimer: Type-Moon owns these forever cool characters not me.

Part VII

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(Saber’s POV)

“Arg.” I don’t know when I lost my consciousness but I just wake up now. I feel strain on my arms for some reason and when my senses come back to me, I find that I have been tied up with chains on the walls. I try to pull at them but it does not take me long to find that they are made with sorcery. I stop on that attempt and decide to study my surroundings. Inspection of the room tells me that it is wide but not so high. The luck of windows tells that this is underground. I look at the floor and I can not believe what is in front of my eyes. There are caskets upon caskets on the ground all the way to the other end of the room leaving only a long narrow space that leads to up going steps.

I try and look harder into these wooden cases to make sure but my eyes do not deceive me. Inside these boxes, there are people inside. They are no longer people though as it is only with their forms that you can tell they were once people. Their bodies are decayed to the point of looking like artificial models of art. Their skins are turned black and their flesh dried to the bone. Strangely, the eyes are still present and some hair. It is almost as if they were still alive as I can still hear their voices crying out in agony. “What is this place, a burial chamber?!” I can not help but voice my shock. It is now that my nose decides to make me aware of the smell of the air in this room.

There is no way of me to block the smell out and it is a very unnerving smell. Rin would call it a stench. Oh no! Rin. I left my master out there in the open and wounded. What if there was another master or servant watching us apart from the King of Heroes and they did something to her?!! I have to get out of here. I have to go to my master. I try to summon Excalibur but nothing happens. I try again and still nothing happens. I remember now that the chains had spells cast on them. I force myself to stay calm. But of course my captors would not leave me in just chains if they know me. Gilgamesh knows me and he would not be so careless as to leave me just like that. If I can’t get out, then at least I will try to do something else to either let me know my master is alright or to contact her.

This gives me a great idea. I am not sure how it works but if I were to make a mind contact, there might be a chance that I will be able to talk to my master and see how she is doing. I close my eyes to concentrate less on the smell and my surroundings and more to my intentions. ‘Rin. Rin. Can you hear me? Rin.’ I wait a little more for a reply but nothing comes. I call her again but no reply comes still. I then concentrate on my manna and try to feel her instead. Every servant is deeply connected to their master upon summoning and we can fell each other from anywhere. Now panic starts to come over me. I can not feel my master’s presence. I can not contact her too. Were my thoughts true? Did some other participant in this war come after her when I was not there with her?!

This is really making me a little angry and the fact that I can not do anything makes me more upset. As I am thinking of something else I can do than losing my limbs, a hole opens up in the ceiling about fifteen meters in front of me. I see now that the darkness has given me a wrong sense of distance before. This room is very long and wide. A person starts descending the stairs and now I am sure that I am in a basement of some kind. The golden hair and red eyes that seem to shine in the luck of good lighting gives his identity away to me. He is Gilgamesh, the King of heroes. This time however he is not wearing his body armour, instead he is normal clothes that looks to me in the colours of dark almost black with a few white stripes in his shirt. His leggings are black. He has his hands in his pockets as he nears me.

“Ah I see that you are awake my precious. Good timing too. I was getting bored.” He stops just a few breaths away from me, searching me for something. I think of my master however and I am not concerned of this madman’s actions. “Release me at once. I must return to my master’s side.” I try to get free forgetting that I have tried that action before and have failed. “So sorry Saber but I can’t do that. You are the only thing of interest that is not in my possession yet and now that I have the chance, there is no way I will let you out of my grasp.” He smiles un-interestingly and raises his hand from his pocket to bring it to one side of my face. It is as cold as his favourite metal would feel I think and I flinch at his touch.

I see his eyes darken a little but I am still trying to summon my sword. He somehow senses my efforts and smiles again. “I guess I should tell you now so that you should forget about escaping.” He paces a little and though he looks to the dead around, his expression shoes no change. It is as if he is walking in a field full of beautiful flowers. “You are probably thinking that those chains have magical enhancement on them?” I am not sure what he is trying to say but if it is not that, then why can I not break free?! I do not think I am as weak as to be held captive by these weak bindings. I turn to the chains and back at him. “Of course they are. How else would I still be held by them?” He throws his head back and laughs a little out loud. Why is that funny? “Sorry to break it to you but you are that weak. The chains have no magic on them.” I gasp at that. Could this be the reason why I can not summon Excalibur?

“Oh well, there is an explanation for that. You can feel it, can’t you?” I am getting more puzzled. What does he mean? It seems that he has seen my face as he looks down and shakes his head and sighs. “We cut off, or more precisely, corrupted your magic circuit. You of course know what that means don’t you?” I am very alarmed by this not because of my condition but of what will happen to my master were we to get attacked. I can not go up against any other servant’s Nobel phantasms like this. My master would lose, I would lose. What would become of my goals? I have to do something but right now I don’t have enough mana to do anything. Rin will think of something. She is clever. All I have to do is go to her and she will do something but I alone can not see my dreams to fulfilment.

I need Rin to get the Holy Grail and see my wish granted. I need to think of a way to get to her first though. For that I need more time and I must know of what is going on here and what happened to these people so that I can report to Rin. “What is this place and what happened to these people?” I try to make him talk and I am sure that he will. He is that way; I don’t know why I think this but I he seems the kind to talk a lot. He looks around him some more and I see realisation come to him. “Ah these. Poor kids, they were the survivors of the last war. Kirei stripped them of their mana and fed it to me. This is how I was able to stay in this plane for all these years.” These were children?! On close inspection I see that they indeed were children. I feel quite ill to my stomach and struggle not to get disturbed more.

This is really not helping me come up with solutions to my situation. I am instead forced to hold down my anger to what these people did to these children all for the sake of the war. I am certain that were they to get a hold of the Grail, the lives that they had wasted so carelessly would not even cross their minds. I have seen many people die in wars during my life but this was very different from that. My comrades and enemies were grown men who knew the consequences of going into battle. These were children who had not even known their reasons of living. “Why did you accept such cowardice ways? You are the King of heroes and yet you stand by and let your master feed you mana through these means!” I had heard of stories of the king of Heroes. My mother and father used to tell me different stories about him.

He was the reason why I decided to shed my feminine duties and become a king. A person the whole nation, no, all the Kings of all nations looked up to. I aimed to be that person that leads not only their people, but puts peace and trust into other kings too. It is that reason that I want more than anything to restore trust and peace in my people first before I continue on my real dream. A dream to be a King of all heroes. Seeing the present King standing here, his purity tainted by the souls of younglings, I am even more fuelled to more than him. “You see, once I get the Holy Grail, I am to regain my throne. My leadership and kingdom is forgotten but not for long.” I see what he wishes of the Grail now but why really does he need me? “If all you need is to get your kingdom back, then I am of no use to you, why are you holding me?”

“I told you didn’t I, ever since ten years ago. In the last war I asked you to marry me and I am still aiming for that too of course. You see, every great King has a queen and I want you to be my queen once I rule over my throne.” This is really making me angry. He thinks I gave up all the dreams young girls like me have to become a great people’s king to be married off to him?!! “I will still say what I said back then. I refuse. Just as you have your dreams, I also have mine and I will not stand aside and see you stop them from coming to realization.” He seems like he is going to get angry but seems to come to an understanding as I study his face. He then asks me a question that I find I have no answer to, yet.

“If you need the Holy Grail, join me then and I will share its glorious power with you. With you by my side, nothing could ever come between us.” I tell him that I don’t need his help to get the Grail. I have my master that I trust, with her we will win this war for sure. “Why do you insist on this human so much? I know your class is the most obedient but in the last war you were not as tamed as you are now. Why do you insist in being under a weak human’s leash like this?! You don’t belong with them, with her. You belong only with me. I am the only one who is worth to own you, no one else.” I am getting tired of him referring to me as an object but for some reason I can not seem to bring myself to correct him.

“Fine, be that way. All I have to do is get rid of her and you won’t have any other excuses. I should’ve killed her when I had the chance but I can still kill her now. Only you stood a chance to try and defeat me but since you are at my mercy now, I can do whatever I want.” He turns and starts walking away towards the exit. I won’t ever forgive him if he does anything to Rin. “Do not dare harm her. If you do something to my master I will...” But I am cut off by his high voice and what he says leaves me shaken and ashamed of how I had let this happen. “What should I bring you back as a present? Her fingers? A foot or perhaps the whole body? Whatever you want I will bring it.” My body feels the act itself and reacts. He leaves while laughing at his ideas. I am shaken that I have ever been. I can’t not let Gilgamesh get to Rin. I know that if I were to go with him, I can fulfil my dream but I just don’t want to do it with his help.

I feel that only with Rin I can get what I want without any regrets. I have never been in service with another master like her. I do not want to have any other master but her. I think of a way to repair my circuit but for it to be accomplished, I will need my master. I realise now that I can not do anything without Rin. My first task is to get to her. I am starting to pray that Gilgamesh has been damaged with the foul mana so much that he will decide to bring Rin here so that he might kill her in my presence when the doors open again. I look up and I see a head trying to look around for something. It stops at me and the body accompanying it comes down the stairs. It is Kotomine Kirei, the priest at a church and now I finally understand where I am. This is the only place of religious gathering in this entire city.

“Ah, so that was it? I should have known his idea of the ultimate prize was you.” He stops just where Gilgamesh was before if only a few cm back. “Nice to see you again servant Saber. Do you remember me?” He asks me in his deep voice. I have a lot of things I want to ask him, talk to him about but then I remember his relationship to Rin. I suddenly have a great thought of getting free. “Yes I remember you Kirei and I know you care about Tohsaka Rin, or you did. If you do not want her to be killed by Gilgamesh then help me get free from here and I will go save her. He is on his way to do just that.” I try to be calm but even I can not know why I am speaking with this much desperation.

He seems to think about it after his eyes widen a bit. I am certain that he was not aware of his servant’s movements or intentions but, “Oh? And you think that I will let you kill him to save a girl that has no use to me now?” he asks but I have no intentions of killing Gilgamesh without my master’s consent. We decided to face him later after more training. “I have no intentions of fighting Gilgamesh and even if I wanted to destroy him, I don’t have enough mana to kill him. As you remember in the last war her father was my master and he was a lot more experienced in magi craft than she is but I could not defeat him then. I can not defeat him now too.” He seems to in thought about this and I think that he knows I speak the truth.

But even though what I said is supposed to be technically true, I felt much stronger with Rin as my master than I ever did with Tohsaka, her father. I know that were I to face Gilgamesh in battle, I would not lose with Rin as my master. “If my master is unharmed then I will not kill him if I can and even if he were to kill her, then you would have my master’s command spell. Gilgamesh is safe either way. Now will you set me free to save my master?” I know that although he said he cares not for Rin, he does. Not in the father care but in the care that he has her in his plans. He needs her alive unless he would have not set me free. I know that he is protected by one of Gilgamesh’s great collections. A spell of some sort that he might have gotten from a great spell book and thus I can not touch Kirei. He knows it too or he would have feared for his life but he never made any mention of it. I make haste for the exit and as soon as I am out, I feel my master’s mana flow. I waste no time in going into that direction.

……………………………………………………………………

(Rin)

“Please Emiya-kun, I need your help. Help me go save Saber.” I have been here for the last hour trying to get Shirou to help me go save my servant from the clutches of that arrogant Goldie but this Archer is really pissing me off. He keeps telling Shirou about staying in the dark until they are ready and other stuff and Shirou seems to listen to him. I want badly to go and sock him one although I know that it can only be done in my head alone. “Shirou, you shouldn’t concern yourself with the matters of other participants in the war. Help her now and she will come at us later.” See what I mean, if I still didn’t feel that kick the bastard gave me, I would show him. “A master stupid enough to let her servant be taken or more be sneaked upon without notice deserves to lose.”

“Archer, that’s enough.” Seems like Shirou is fed up with is servant’s attitude. “Tohsaka, how do you expect us to save your servant if this Gilgamesh is as strong as you say?” Damn it. I should not have said much about Gilgamesh. “Come on Emiya-kun, I will make it to you, I promise but please, help me save Saber.” I am getting more desperate as time passes. I am fearing for Saber. I have been trying to reach her but getting nothing in return. What if she tried to fight back and was killed?!! I look at my hand, at the back of my palm and find that the seal is still there. I guess Shirou sees me doing this and somehow understands what I am feeling and decides to help me. “Alright Tohsaka, let’s go save your servant.”

He stands up from the floor and I see Archer shake his head but he is smiling. I guess he too is getting used to Shirou’s selflessness like I did. He indeed is a wonderful guy. “Thank you Emiya-kun.” I stand too and follow them to the exit. “This is a suicide mission you know Shirou. It would really suck to lose even before we fought weakling out there.” He laughs as it seems that he has just got a very funny thought. “We shall go down in history as the stupidest pair to ever have fought in the war. Going up against the most feared servant from the start.” He shakes his head and walks on from behind me and Shirou. When we get outside, Shirou asks me to confirm where Gilgamesh resides. “Now you said that Gilgamesh’s master was the priest at the church right?” I nod and I see him exchange a knowing look with Archer who dematerialises and Shirou turns to me again.

“We shall need transport to get there as quickly as possible. I will give you a ride.” I am ready to ask him what he means to ride as I have never seen him ride anything before not even a bike and then I see it. He closes his eyes and looks in concentration. He speaks a few English words that I know sound like “Trace On” and then out of no where, a bike is being materialised near him. He looks pleased with himself and gets on. He starts it up and motions for me to get on but I am so awed that I stand there like a statue for sometime. “What the hell was that Emiya-kun?! That was so cool. How did you do it?” I ask him as I get on. “So sorry Rin, but I can’t tell you that. Archer would kill me.” We start forward and I wrap my arms around his waist for safety.

While we ride, my thoughts are on Saber. I am wondering what is happening to her in my absence. I don’t want anything to happen to her now that I know how important she is to me. I can’t believe too that I have fallen in love with her of all people. She is not a normal person that I might want to spend my life with. As much as she seems that way, I know that she is a heroic spirit that will return to where she is meant to be having had her wish filled. It is now that I see I know nothing about her. I don’t know the reasons why she is in this war. What lies inside that soul that is hidden deep within that body of a female warrior? I want to know everything about her. I want to see her. I want to be with her.

As I am still having realisations about myself, the bike suddenly stops and I can hear the strain from Shirou trying to control it. When we stop, I ask why we have stopped but Shirou does not answer me instead he looks on ahead. I follow his gaze and I know that I don’t need his answer. Being on the bridge as we are, the site in front if us is something to see. There standing mightily from end to end, is that damned gate of his. Weapons sticking out and all. I am starting to hate that thing. “There you are wench. I have come to put an end to your short miserable life so do yourself a favour and let it pass quickly. I will make it quick and painless.” His hands are in his pockets so I surmise that he commands everything by will. The swords come out at us first and Shirou grabs me and gets us out of the line of fire.

“You won’t get away that easily. Now die.” The swords change direction and come at use. “Archer.” Shirou shouts and Archer comes forward with those two swords I saw him with before. He deflects all the swords coming our way and I am awed. I think there are a lot of obstacles in our way to victory now. I wonder if we will be okay. No we don’t have time for this but there is no way I can go around Gilgamesh. We are on a bridge and he is blocking it all the way. He lets more swords loose and Archer is forced to quicken his blocks. “Oh? You are interesting. I think I will play with you a little before I get rid of you. Archer was it?” He brings his right arm over his left shoulder to grab a sword that comes; it seems, to his hand as if summoned. “This is my personal weapon. I will let you feel its steel as a fellow swordsman.”

It looks like no sword I’ve seen before. Where it is supposed to be sharp and edge, it is round like a pole instead. It has red trails on its black outlook instead of metal. The hilt is made of gold of course. He springs for Archer who in turn meets him half way in the air and blows are exchanged. I saw something falling and I look to see that it is one of Archer’s swords. I figure that he is fighting with the remaining one seeing as there is no pose in the battle and when the second sword falls, I am sure Archer is done for. Yet they still fight and when they come back to the ground for a second round, I see that Archer still wields the two swords. I remember the bike incident before and conclude that Archer has the ability to create things or make copies. This unsettles me for some reason but I don’t dwell on it for long.

“Cheh! This is starting to get boring. I will finish you off now and I will take the wench with me. Prepare to return to the spirit world.” Gilgamesh prepares himself to strike and I see that Archer too is not going down just like that but instead of doing what others normally would, were they to find themselves in his predicament, he immaterializes his swords and jumps on the railing of the bridge.

“I AM THE BONE OF MY SWORD”

“ENUMA...”

Archer materialises a bow and an arrow that first looks like a sword with a spiral blade but then shifts its shape into an arrow of light. Gilgamesh too is getting prepared and red mana is being sucked from nature itself and getting concentrated into his sword. He never got to finish his attack however as the wall of energy behind him is shattered and a figure springs forth from within. An angry roar of “Gilgamesh” is the first reason I know that it is Saber. She descends gracefully at the same time striking down her invisible sword towards a surprised Gilgamesh. He side steps her attack but not before receiving a cut first from her sword. He still looks surprised perhaps from wondering how Saber got free. He really didn’t think that he would hold her for all this time, did he? Who did he think she was, a house wife?!

I laugh out loud at that and as he disappears from sight, I run up to Saber my surroundings forgotten and I give her an embrace. “Saber, you are alright.” I am not sure if I cry or not but I feel really happy right now. I feel her putting her arms around me too and let myself get lost in her security.

To be Continued...

Chapter 8

Fate/Stay Night Zero

By Demon Eyes

Disclaimer: The characters belong to Type-Moon not me.

Part VIII

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“Are you alright Saber?” I whisper to her my arms still around her in a hug. I don’t know what kind of deity it was out there that helped to lead her back to me safely, but I will be damned if I ever lose her again. I have to remember myself and why I chose to enter this war. From now on there will be no more fooling around. Gilgamesh or whoever, if you want a fight, bring it on. I will take all of you on and I have no plans of losing. She says she’s fine but I’m not so sure. “Really? They didn’t do anything to you? I don’t know much about Kirei but from what I do know would not be put on the ‘gentlemen’ list.” Saber assures me that she is positively fine. I am a little concerned but I let it go. I lessen my hold on her and put my hands on her shoulders instead to look at her – really look at her. She was almost taken from me and I hadn’t even taken the time to study her features yet.

“Ahem. There are other people around you know, namely us who just saved your life too.” Curses, I had almost forgotten about them. Why are they still here anyway? Oh right, I haven’t thanked them yet for protecting me and agreeing to help me save Saber. Though it turns out she didn’t need saving. My brave Saber, there is no one like you. “Erm...hello...girl, are you even listening? Geez, how rude can you get! See Shirou, this is what we get for risking our necks to save this troublesome girl. Honestly, I don’t see what you see in her.” I am getting even more angered by the more this guy talks. Unfortunately for him what he just said grabbed my attention. He couldn’t possibly mean that Emiya-kun has feelings for me, surely. “A Archer, you’ve said too much. Shut up. Please.” He might be right otherwise Emiya-kun wouldn’t react like that. He is completely red. Interesting.

“Emiya-kun, thank you for coming out of your way to help me rescue Saber. Even though she apparently didn’t need saving, you have saved my life already. I owe you one.” He gets all flustered and starts to stutter so I decide to save him from himself. “But now that that’s been taken care of, I wanted to talk to you about what has been going on at school.” He comes to attention and I see from his expression that already he knows about that. He tells me how he felt something out of order and he was thinking of checking on it more when he goes to school tomorrow. “Don’t worry about that anymore. I already took care of it, though the culprits got away.” I give him a grin and he laughs a little out of embarrassment. He has been in the mountains again training. I have to look out for those two. They are really strong and they will get even stronger. Maybe I should take care of them while I have the chance?

“Anyway, thank you for your help, but you know Emiya-kun, next time we come face to face with our servants it will be not as friends but enemies. So relax while you still have the chance. I will be coming for you soon. Now if you will excuse us, we have things to do and battles to plan. See you at school tomorrow Emiya-kun.” I turn to Saber and find that she has been having a staring contest with Archer that I hadn’t noticed until now. “Let’s go home Saber, before we are ambushed by even more masters in the same day.” She nods to me and follows as we leave the guys to their own.

A short time after we leave the bridge and are out of sight of the guys, I turn to Saber. I see that she is troubled by something but I don’t ask her anymore. If she wanted me to know, she would’ve said what’s bothering her before. Oh well, she will tell me when she is ready. “We have to be more careful and focused from now on Saber.” I mean it and she agrees almost instantly. That makes me smile and I can’t resist stroking the back of her head where her hair is tied up by her blue ribbon. She looks surprised but I ignore the look and tell her to dematerialize. No need to attract more attention to us tonight.

Once she is invisible to anyone else but me and other servants, I ask her if she learned anything useful in her short capture of use to us but she says no. Oh great, we have nothing on that guy. I guess we will have to go and fight with all we’ve got but I have a feeling he is as scary as Saber thinks him to be. Even though he may seem strong, he too has a weakness and that is Saber. While I’m pondering on how I may use this to our advantage, Saber says this, “Actually Rin, we have some information about Gilgamesh and his master. Remember that I fought him in the last war.” Oh right, I had almost forgot. “I may have not seen all of his skills but I saw a lot of them when we fought before. He is capable of acting on his own where other servants would need their masters’ approval. And there is something more. He seems to be really attached to me.” No duh. “During our fight, he asked me to marry him.” What what?! Back up a little. I stutter as I ask what she told him. “I turned him down of course.” Whew, safe.

“Well, that was a really wise decision to make. Only a stupid girl would fall for him and agree to marriage when he refers to them as object. Which reminds me – I have to give him a piece of my mind next time we meet for calling you his property. How dare he refer to a King like that?!! Who made him king I wonder with that kind of personality anyways?!!” ‘You don’t need to do that for me Rin. He wasn’t like that before actually. It was him drinking from the Holy Grail that turned him like that.’ Saber talks straight into my mind. What does his drinking from the grail have to do with his arrogance? “I thought the Grail was the most pure thing in existence. How did it turn him into that?” ‘It is true that it was once pure but during one of the previous wars, it got touched by an unworthy person and contaminated it. When Gilgamesh drank from it to stay in this plane and get a body of flesh, his mind was tainted by the darkness that now resides in the Grail.’

“I see what you mean but I don’t get something – If you knew that the grail was tainted, then you also knew that you wouldn’t be able to have use of it. Then why did you decide to come back and fight for it again?” Wait, this also means that I don’t have need of it now. I am not planning on using it but I can’t very well have something tainted by evil in it in my house. Maybe I can win it and keep it for security from others using its dark power! ‘That is exactly why I wished to come back again. I know of a way to purify it and even if I didn’t, I would’ve come back to destroy it. Tohsaka-san told me of a way to make that happen. After I purify it, I will then use it to grant my wish and then you can use it of course Rin.’ How exactly could Saber purify the Grail?!! If its power is as great as it’s known to be, then were it to be tainted, it’s made up of mana. How does she hope to do that?

“Saber, I probably didn’t tell you my reasons for fighting in this war yet, but using the Holy Grail to grant my wishes is not one of them.” I hear her gasp. ‘But master, then why would you risk your life to fight if you do not need the Holy Grail and its power? I have never seen anyone fight for something else other than their own wishes to be granted.’ “Well, I have everything I wanted (want), well, not everything but I have nothing I want that needs a wish for it to be granted. I entered this war in order to fulfil my father’s wishes of bringing the Grail back in the safety of the Tohsaka house. This was the reason why I was training for all these years. Well, that has been the case until now. I think I may need use of it.” That’s all I tell her. I don’t want her to know what it is, but if she asks, I have to tell her as it would be unfair for me to know her wish while she knows not of mine. Please don’t ask, but knowing you and your curiosity, you are going to ask me.

‘Master, if you don’t mind my asking,’ I so do mind your asking, “what is it that you will wish then, or think you will have to wish for?’ I swallow. She went and asked it. Should I tell her the truth? Well, considering how she has been acting so far, she might not take it as I mean it so here goes, “I would wish for you to stay with me, here, in this world.” She is startled, I just know it. In fact, I can feel it. Could she know why I want her to stay? I have to evade this right now, “Well, I am not that selfish so do not pay any mind it. I know that you have important things you wish to see accomplished so don’t worry about it.” Nooo, lies, all lies. I want her to stay, but I can’t get in the way of her dreams and besides, there is still a lot of time. I will have to find ways of her to stay by her own will. Speaking of which, “Hey Saber, putting aside Gilgamesh, how did you like our outing?” ‘Oh. I’m very sorry master. I have not showed my appreciation of the food you bought for us. I am indeed sorry.’ No Saber, it’s not about the food alone, but I know that’s your way of thing.

‘It was very good master. I enjoyed my time with you more than I’ve ever enjoyed anything before. I am most grateful Rin.’ *Thu Thump* You might see this as a common thing to say and thinking of it as such gave no reason for my heart to be racing as it is right now, but you aren’t in my position. The way she said the last line was so...I can’t express it in words. Let’s just say that if you were a girl and the boy of your dreams says a cool line to you that is how it feels. She said it so softly and meaningfully that I can’t help but want to kiss her right now. This won’t do however. Good thing that she is in spirit form or else I don’t think I would’ve been able to resist her, were I to look into her eyes as she said that. “I am glad that you enjoyed yourself Saber. We can go again anytime you like. I don’t mind it.” ‘Really Rin, thank you very much but I think that we should not wander during the nights a lot. There will be a lot of servants about. If we are to go out, I suggest that we be prepared.’

“Good thinking Saber. Actually, while we are on the subject, I think we should face Rider again tomorrow. After school, I am going to confront her master and we will put a stop to her before she puts up something as dangerous around again. After that, I am sure that some other master is bound to make their move and we will be there to meet them. I want this thing to be over soon. What do you think Saber?” This is about the two of us now. My world is no longer my own(,) but both Saber’s and mine, I hope. I have to get her opinion of things concerning the war. We are sister in arms. ‘That is a great idea master. It is good to wait for our enemies to make their first move but it could be a deadly one.’ I find myself liking Saber more and more. I don’t know why but we seem to always be on the same line of thinking. I hope this continues because I don’t want to think of the effects caused by the differences in our opinions.

“Mitsuzuri seems to have been discharged from the hospital and she will be at school tomorrow. I really glad. I have actually missed her while she was away. Tomorrow is going to be an exciting day. I am counting on you Saber, but before that, it’s late and we need sleep.” ‘My sword is yours master. I promise you victory and nothing less with my swords.’ What more could anyone ask for from a servant, really? I can’t help but get more and more thankful of being this great King’s partner. During all our talking, we have made it back to our safe home. I unseal it and go inside to the bathroom to prepare for the night. After that, I make Saber some tea and a quick snack to get her through the night. It takes her no time at all to consume it and we go up to the bedrooms. I decide to see Saber off first to her room even if it is only across from mine not by two meters.

She turns to say good night to me, but that is a big mistake I find. When I look into her eyes and from the distance I was from her, I can’t help but feel a great deal of need to see what her perfect and beautiful lips would taste like. If I could just lean in just a little more I know I could find my answer. “Rin, is there something on my face?” She is materialised now so I see her running her slender fingers over her mouth and lips to check for some food crumbs stuck there perhaps. This however, helps me get a hold of myself. This is still too raw, so to speak. Saber is not aware yet and were I to go through with it, I feel like I could be stealing something from her. I will have to wait some more. “No. No, there is nothing. I was just thinking that’s all. Good night Saber.” I turn to go to my own room. Why does she make me feel this way? I have to think about this thoroughly. It might be just a passing thing. A crush perhaps. There is no need to jump to conclusions yet. If these feelings increase of don’t change, then I will be sure and I will tell her what I feel but until then, I have to restrain myself.

As I turn around to close the door to my room, Saber is standing there just in front of me. She looks at me with a worried face. “I am sorry master, but I can’t rest that far away from you after all. After what happened today, I don’t want us to be separated again. I’m sorry Rin but we have to be together all times.” Nah! Before I say anything or come from the startle, she is already inside and her clothes change from those she had been wearing to pyjamas. I watch as she makes her way into the bed, my bed and settles in. Now what I’m I supposed to do? Here I was giving my self a speech of personal control and she comes and does this! “Rin, if you don’t sleep very soon you will not be able to wake up tomorrow morning.” Damn it, she is right. It’s really late but the bed! Oh to hell with it. If anything happens, I will deal with it. I change into my nighties. in the bathroom of course(,) since I don’t think I could handle Saber seeing me that bare. I get into the covers with so much caution I would make heart surgeons jealous.

Defeating that damned sandman has never proven so difficult a task as it does now. I try all things I’ve heard about to try to go to sleep and sadly, the counting of sheep was almost working until I moved sleepily and my arm touched Saber. Now this wouldn’t be cause for alarm, but let me make you aware that Saber sleeps regally so unlike me. She faces the ceiling with her arms at her side and with my shifting to the other side; my arm landed on her chest. Most specifically, her right lactic mammary gland: In simple terms, her breast. I felt it right away what I had just touched and I don’t know if it was just me, but a very high body voltage was emitted and I stopped dead. I think my heart stopped beating for those fast seconds. What made it worse was that I couldn’t hear even a breath from Saber. The palm of said hand made no movements and when I came to myself; my commands seemed to not reach it. It seems that Saber was not as affected as me or at least I think so since I hadn’t listened to her heart to see if it beat as madly as it did now.

My brain is blank. I can’t think of anything to say. Saber, who I know is awake, says nothing either. It seems Saber goes back to sleep some time in the morning but I couldn’t have the luxury of that. When it struck half six, I got up and started preparing for school. Saber came down from the upper rooms already prepared as I was having my tea and after having more than thirty minutes to myself, I have thought of how to deal with what happened during the night – Ignore it completely. “Good morning Saber. Today is going to be busy so come one and eat all you want.” When she sits down at the dining table and starts on the big menu I prepared, I decide to share my views so far on the war with her. “So now we have come across five servants so far. That leaves two more unaccounted for. Are there any others that you met during the last war that we have not seen now yet?”

“I remember two more, but I didn’t have the chance to meet the man. There names were ‘Assassin’ and ‘Caster’. I met Caster. She was a magic user. The man is rumoured to be a swordsman. This of course can not guarantee that they are still alive. They might have been defeated already.” “True, but I want us to be prepared were they to still be alive and come after us.” So, we have a magician and a swordsman! Well, I know Saber is highly resistant to magic so Caster does not pose a huge threat – not to mention that that class is not well feared. Assassin may have been a problem but considering his class status, we are safe. My problem now is Gilgamesh and Archer. I am not too sure of their abilities, but what I’ve seen so far does not prove to be good. Lancer is fine too having witnessed his Nobel Phantasm. Today, we will take Rider out of the picture and if all goes well in that battle, I will have to lay low and hope to have a glimpse of Archer’s Phantasm.

“Well, now we know of the rankings of other servants. Let’s take care of Rider today and hope that the other two show themselves before we have to deal with the rest.” I clear the table and do a quick wash up. When that is done, I cut off the mana transfer to Saber and we leave for school. On the way, I find that the silence is getting to me so I decide to ask the inevitable. “Saber, you never told me what you are going to wish of the Holy Grail. If you don’t mind, could you tell me? Or you can tell me about your life before you became a heroic spirit.” ‘No Rin, I don’t mind. Besides, it’s only right that I tell you my wishes after you told me yours.’ I know she minds because she hesitated before answering but it seems she thinks it’s high time she told me. ‘Before I became King for my people, I knew only of one quality a king needed. I don’t know exactly where or when, but I forgot that simple fact as it seems that my people lost their trust in me.

I had a brother, twin brother and he fought with me for the throne(,) but I defeated him and I was King. He said some things to me that I had not paid attention to then(,) but after what happened that time, I started wondering if he was the righteous person to lead our people. I want to get a wish to go back to that time and set things right by allowing him to lead the people.’ Bullshit. I have not known Saber very long but I know it that she is a very fit person to be King. What kind of incident would start leading people under such a king to start doubting her?!! “Now that you mention it, I saw a dream of you as King just before I summoned you. I saw how you became to be King and when they...they killed you. What would have lead them to such extremes to burn a King?” I thought that was done to witches or something!

‘Well, during one of the wars, our enemies had already reached one of the countries and we had to fight them there. A lot of people in that country died during that war and it seemed to others that I had sacrificed them in order to save my home. I could not think of a way to explain it to them without them coming to the same conclusion, so I said nothing. From there on, the rumours spread to most of my people and even a civil war broke out. Through all this, my brother tried his best to bring peace to the people. Having never witnessed a war between the same people, I did not know what to do so I had done nothing. You now see why I think my brother deserved to be King, don’t you?’ Sorry Saber, but I still can’t believe you were unfit to be king. “I don’t. Knowing you, you never thought that your own people would fight amongst themselves despite having had to deal with foreign enemies as well. I do not blame you for not knowing what to do.” I smiled to myself then, “Me, I can’t think of any one better fit to be lead by. You are wonderful person Saber. It was them who were at fault for lost faith in you.” ‘Thank you Rin.’

During all that talk, we reached the school gates, but where I thought Ayaka would be waiting here as always, she is no where to be seen. I decide to go to the Archery range and wait for her there. When I get to the building, I find the door already open so I surmise that either Sakura is already here, seeing as she had taken over her captain’s role in her absence. She was not the vice captain, but that lazy ass Shinji couldn’t do any work if his life depended on it. I will have to teach him a lesson later on. Ho ho ho, I am so looking forward to that! “Hello, is anyone here?” I shout as I make my way deeper inside. I am a little startled when Ayaka pops her head out of the storage room. “Is that you Tohsaka?” I stand there speechless. I didn’t think she would be the one here. Though it was small, she I caught sight of it and her smile came forward. “I didn’t think you cared so much about me. See you are shocked upon my return.”

“What?! I didn’t mind at all if you came back or not. In fact, I wasn’t worried at all.” She was right though. I am really glad that she is okay. After I found out the effects of that seal of Rider’s, I got really worried for her life. “Then what was with the shocked face, eh?” Damn it, you won’t let that pass will you? “Well, I wasn’t expecting you here. The days you have been absent, Sakura has been the one here this early.” She doesn’t look surprised it seems. She too suspected that Sakura was the one who kept the place tidy in her absence or else it might have been a dumpster. “Well, I am finished here, so why don’t we go for some tea and I will let you keep me up to date with what I have missed?” I go and wait for her in the tea room and afterwards we talk till it was time for classes. Strangely, Sakura hasn’t shown up for school today. This gets me worried so during the lunch break, I decide to confront Shinji about it and challenge him for tonight.

When I ask the idiot though about why Sakura hasn’t showed up to school today, he says, “That is none of your business now is it?” I seethe loudly but he seems to still have more to say. “You disowned her from your family so she has nothing to do with you now. I accept your challenge too. You were lucky to get away last time but today, you won’t be so lucky.” What did he mean? You were the one who ran away with your tail between your legs, you coward. I am so angry that O (I) don’t want to open my mouth as I fear very un-lady like words will spring forth and this is school we are at. “I will see you in town tonight Tohsaka. Prepare to meet your maker and to spare Sakura’s pain by your death – the person who hurts her most.” That last line however makes my anger leave me like the warmth would were I to drop into a pool full of freezing water. During our talk, Ayaka said something about seeing Sakura at the hospital she was staying at.

I am very worried now. Why was Sakura at the hospital? Yesterday she looked fine to me. I have to go to the Matous’ and see how she is doing even though my presence may be unwelcome. Saber I guess senses my uneasiness and asks me what’s wrong. “I am worried about Sakura. She may be sick or something worse. Ayaka said she saw her at the hospital, remember?” I forgot that Saber doesn’t know of Sakura a lot, but I am reminded when she asks me what Sakura is to me. She has seen her before but she doesn’t know of our real relationship. “Sakura Matou is Shinji Matou’s adopted sister but the truth is, and maybe you have sensed it but she is my real sister.” I can feel Saber’s surprise. Not that I blame her considering how platonic our relationship is on the outside.

‘But I don’t remember seeing anyone else in your house ten years ago.’ “Well, that’s because she had already been taken away. When I started my magi craft training, Sakura was no longer a Tohsaka but a Matou. There was only one of us who could walk the way of a magus, I was chosen to do it being the oldest and Sakura had to be adopted and brought up in ignorance of the magi ways. She might not be aware of it, but her blood is that of a magus. Her mana is low though because she has not been nurturing it.” ‘Hmm, that explains the changes in your emotions whenever that girl is mentioned. So you are thinking of visiting her home afterwards then Rin?’ “Yes. After we fight Rider, I want to go there with Shinji.” Just then, the bell to signal the end of lunch rings and I return to class.

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“Saber” I shout as I see something flashy come towards me. My servant materialises and jumps in the air at the same time changing into her battle armour and knocks the said object out of the way then lands in front of me. We have been waiting here at the fountain in front of the trade centre building for almost an hour that making it half nine at night. There has been very little or no people walking around at night after all the murders being reported on the news. Judging by the way the people died, it was not Rider’s doing which means some else is to thank for that. I had asked Emiya-kun to take care of that side of things for the moment while I handle Rider. Probably seeing it as a chance to lessen the number of rivals, he agreed or it must have been his good heart which of course I think was the reason.

Having waited for all that time, Rider showed up and started to attack with a throw or was it to get our attention maybe. We looked up and sure enough, there she was though she was parallel to ground level standing straight on the building about two stories up. She started running up the side of the building and I asked Saber to go after her. I decided to use the elevators and meet them up on the roof where I know they were heading. When I reached the front doors, I could not help but hear the clash or metal as Saber’s sword met whatever weapon Rider was using. The elevator however did not go all the way to the roof and I had to get off at the third last floor. As I pass the last twist of stairs, I feel a great presence on that floor, but it was dark and when I tried to make out anything, I could not. It was the wind just blew and stopped all at once. I shrug it off and continue on to the roof.

A battle very different from that of Lancer is what greets me when I open the door to the roof. My Saber is trying really hard to parry and dodge hits directed at her by Rider who is flying a winged horse. A white beautiful winged horse. I have never seen an animal so magnificent before like this creature before me. As I stare, Rider comes around for another attack. Saber dodges again and I feel the force of the wings of this beast. “Ah I see you have decided to come to your funeral Tohsaka. Well, I will not disappoint you then.” I turn around and find Shinji standing on top of the entry to the roof. He pulls out his book and begins reading spells from it. I roll up my sleeves and get into battle position, but what the idiot conjures up catches me completely unprepared. A black cloud comes forth from the book he holds and in front of me; it turns into a man that you would see only in movies - martial arts kind of movies.

“And the person that will bring your death is this – Bruce Hung Li. Do your worst, that is if you can. He was the best martial artists in all the known history.” He laughs manically but I don’t think his puppet can handle magic so I throw one of my destruction jewels at this Li person. I grin to myself triumphantly, but the grin on Shinji’s zombie face is bigger than mine. Instantly I know the problem and sure enough when I look at the disappearing smoke, the Li guy is standing there unharmed and puffs out air through his nose as if angry that I thought him that weak. Okay, plan B. I took a few lessons in karate and judo so I think I can take him on. Good thing the weather is cold that I put on pants tonight. Nice conditions for a fight.

I am not stupid enough either however to think that I could go up against someone with that kind of reputation so I charge myself up with magi craft. After the power up, I am confident that I can put a hole in a solid wall of concrete. I go into defence and do not have to wait for long as the guy attacks at an incredible speed. Had I not enhanced my senses with magic, I would be done for. I move my head to the left in time to evade his flying fist. Dodging alone was not what I had in mind though and as my head moves to the side; my own fist comes forward to connect with his stomach. He was forced to lose a few precious nano seconds with that and it was all I needed to give him a round kick on the head courtesy of yours truly. That sends him crashing into the door and down the stairs.

I take this chance to see how Saber is fairing against her opponent. “You have done a great job of running away so far Saber but let’s see you dodge this.” I see her producing ropes from no where, golden ropes to guide her horse that she has been running without before. She sails high up in the air and I knew at once she was going to use her Nobel Phantasm. I tell Saber to do anything she has to defeat Rider and after some hesitation, she nods her head and agrees. She starts to gather mana around her sword and I am satisfied that she is going to use it. I look up in the sky and here Rider shouting out the name of her Ultimate move.

“BELLEROPHON.”

Rider closes in on Saber at such an incredible speed that she looks like a shooting star. I turn to Saber, but I see confusion in her eyes as she looks at her mana covered sword. I am puzzled too as to why nothing is happening except the swirling of mana. “What is it Saber? Do something now before...” But I am cut off as my arm is grabbed from behind and I am swung around to end up back first in wall of the entrance to the roof. “Why don’t you worry about yourself first Tohsaka, this ends now. Li and Rider, finish it now.” I have been caught off guard with my shield down so slamming into a wall was no laughing matter. My back feels like I have just been whipped a thousand lashes. I try to look through the pain to see that Saber is just seconds away from being crashed into while she stands there doing nothing.

What happened to her while she was in Gilgamesh’s hands? Now I am sure they did something to her. Before I say something however, I feel my throat being closed by fingers and I am lifted into the air. My lower body being supported by my head, only this is not a very pleasant thing. Li forces the air out of me with a few strong punches, but what makes me lose my senses is the fist I feel piercing through my chest. “Saber.” I whisper her name and the sound of her shouting to me is all that I hear before everything fades into darkness.

To Be Continued...

Chapter 9

Fate/Stay Night Zero

By Demon Eyes

Disclaimer: Characters and other familiar events belong to Type-Moon.

Part IX

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(Matou Mansion)

“You are welcome Sakura but what are you going to do now? I am afraid that telling you the time and location is all I can do.” Rider had come to tell Sakura they were going to fight Saber and her master again. A little while after she was summoned into this world, Rider found that Sakura could see her. She confronted the girl about it but didn’t get much since Sakura knew little or nothing of the Grail war. That little conversation was what started the chain of events that followed the two females of the Matou house.

They started out small but surely got closer and in no time, they knew almost everything about each other. Rider knew of the true Sakura and in turn she told Sakura of her life story before all that was going on. Both had had a hard life so far and Rider got a strange sense of protectiveness towards the bruised girl. She knew of what her master Shinji did to Sakura during some nights and others during the day when they were alone. She knew all this yet was powerless to do anything about it. By the time she entered Sakura’s life, her wounds were already deep and no one would be able to save her. That was not true though. Rider had listened very clearly to Sakura’s life story and she knew that there was hope for her. In fact there were two people that could save her but she was sure only one of them could succeed.

Rider knew that she was useless when it came to the troubled girl’s heart but she did whatever she could to make her pull through all the troubles. She and Sakura started spending more time together in the absence of Shinji and slowly but surely, Sakura’s smile came back to her – not the emotionless smile that she had been giving but the real smile. Shinji however didn’t notice this fact or more so when Sakura lost the smile at first. Sakura wasn’t much troubled though by his ignorance of the pain he was causing her. Now she had someone she could talk to and elevate some pain that was caused to her. Rider was there and that made a big difference - one so big in fact that she wasn’t pained by her brother’s deeds as much as she was before.

She had gotten used to Rider’s presence that her life had started to piece back together no matter how little those pieces were. Now that peace that she had gotten was about to come to an end just like many other happy things do. She was going to go and face Saber the rumoured most powerful servant. Rider had told her of the Holy Grail and everything else connected to it. This of course was no news to her. She had known about everything from the time she was brought to her new home. Her grand father Zouken told her everything as he did whatever he did to her. She had to endure multitudes of pain just for the sake of the same famed Holy Grail. This was the only truth that she and her grand father only knew. No one else knew of this fact. She had kept it from Rider too. This was the reason that she knew that Rider would not survive a battle with Saber especially for the fact that Saber had the master that she did.

Sakura goes up to her bedroom when her brother and Rider left to what would be their death match. She is tired from everything she had done during the day. As if her brother thought this to be his last day, he had kept her busy all the night before and then he did it again in the morning. Sakura was too worn out both physically and emotionally to go to school so she had stayed home. Shinji didn’t know that she had stayed and he might have found out some time at school as he came back during noon and he had punished her. The consequences were severe but she would live. She kept on living through the hell that she was in now but she knew not of why she struggled to survive so much.

That wasn’t true though, she knew why she didn’t want to give into the pain. Sakura wanted to have revenge on the person that brought this life onto her. The person she had trusted and loved more than anything once - the person that was facing Rider and her brother in battle right about now. It is this that is making her unsettled. She didn’t want to lose the new family that she had. Shinji might not have been the proper brother to her and she may have not known Rider for long enough but they were family. She loves them no less and she doesn’t want them to die tonight. She is pacing her room trying to think of what to do. After some time of prying her brain for some answers, she stops and her hair that have started turning a little silver go back to its normal colour.

She snaps her fingers as if to get someone’s attention and as if to answer her call, the shadows of the room that was shrouded in darkness, come to life. From within that black mass, a figure begins to slowly but surely emerge. It goes onto one knee in front of the one that summoned it but says nothing. Sakura doesn’t take notice of this or she doesn’t care as she goes straight to the reason why the being is here. “I want you to go to where Rider and my brother have gone and watch what is going on. Do not make your presence known just watch and report back. I will tell you what to do and when to do it, understood?” The figure just blends back into the shadows without a word or anything to show it understood but Sakura knows it has understood her perfectly. She can’t do anything if she doesn’t know what is going on so she may as well see what is happening at first.

She goes to lay into her bed and relax while she watches what is happening through the mind of the figure she has sent out. It is good time too to get some rest and let her physical wounds from only hours before heal a little. Just a few seconds passes in silence which is broken by the mind message she receives from her partner. It was like she is there seeing what is happening on the roof top of the trade centre building. She smiles a little as she watches Rider so gracefully guide her mythical beast through the sky. She watches a little longer but when she sees that Rider’s target is not moving at all, she snaps to attention. If Saber was to be defeated, that would mean her master would be disqualified from the war. That won’t do however as she wants to be the one to bring shame to that person.

Sakura doesn’t know what is wrong with Saber or why her master is so weak seeing as she is already defeated and being ready to be killed but she doesn’t want them to be knocked out of the game just yet. She has very nice presents for them later on – yes, very nice presents indeed. She sits up from her lying position and suddenly her appearance changes. The pink and white blouse and skirt she is wearing are shed in a way that isn’t human and are replaced by a dress that is so dark, the only thing that you can see in the lighting of the room are the glowing red lines on it. Her hair turns completely silver and her eyes crimson red. Tattoos in black ink grew on one side of her neck and half way up her cheek. “Get Saber and her master out of there now. Take them to the Tohsaka mansion and come back straight away.” She then turns back to normal.

Sakura doesn’t know why but her grand father had asked her to change when she gave orders to her partner. After that was done, she returned back to her normal self and went into her blankets to sleep. Perhaps if she sleeps now, her brother will spare her just this night. She is really worn out and tomorrow she wants to go make her sempai his breakfast. He might have known how to cook really well seeing as he is almost as good as her but she wants to cook for him none the less. Fujimura-sensei will be there too and she always complains when her sempai cooks that he makes little meals. The thought of the ever active sensei brings a smile to her face and that helps her drift off into slumber.

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(Ryudo Temple)

A figure could be seen running through the woods. I was getting dark and the sun had just moved behind the horizon. Horses could be heard crying in the distance not far behind the figure. Lights accompanied the horse cries and a voice shouted out, “there she is, get her. Burn the witch to the stakes.” The men who were riding the horses were closing in on the figure but the one they were chasing used the trees to her advantage. It ducked and cornered in the shallow spaces where horses would have a hard time reaching. This tact was not to last however as the figure’s followers were many in numbers and used that to their advantage.

“We got you now witch. This time we shall cut off your feet to make sure you don’t escape as easily as you did. Quite the trouble you gave us there but this is the end. You two men hold her down and you get the rope and tie her securely this time.” The man who looked to be the leader shouted out his orders which were followed quickly. The three men approached the figure that we knew now to be female. She still struggled to back up but gave up hope when her back hit the leg of one horse. It looked like this was the end for her. She still didn’t give up hope though as she shouted out for anyone to save her.

The men stopped suddenly, shocked by her scream. After a few silent seconds of not even a cry of other forest creatures, the men all but broke out in laughter. One of them said, “Shout all you want witch. Where do you think we are? No one will hear you and even if they did, we are the royal forces. No one is stupid enough to go against the King’s orders. Isn’t that right captain sir?” He turned to his leader who was correcting himself from the laughter also. “That’s right witch. The only thing that will save you is fire.” He burst out in laughter again at his comment and the rest joined in. The three men had finished their tasks and now they were pacing the hooded figure they called a witch on one if the carts they had.

When the horses started up again this time not in the rash that they were in before, one of the solders gasped and shouted, “Captain Sir, look over there. There is something flashing over there.” The captain looked to their left where the knight had pointed and indeed there was a light there. The light however was no ordinary one. It was a very bright light more bright than the sun itself. It was pure white light and it looked like it was coming their way. Just as the captain had concluded of its movement, there came a sound like the screeching of a million insects. The soldiers were overcome by panic now having seen it as well. There had been a rumour going around the city that people had seen a white ghost in this forest. They were just rumours though but the knights that were in the forest right now were being witnesses to the rumours coming true.

The front horse had just lifted its front legs to start for the fastest run of its life when the light reached them. By the time the horse’s foot touched ground, the cart that had been carrying their hostage was already detached from the horse pulling it. The people that were following behind the said cart had their gazes in the air to where that same piece of wood had been knocked. It came crashing down and they had to move to avoid being hit by it. At the captains orders to check their prisoner after the light was out of sight, “Sir, the witch I not here. “ The cart was empty and all the men were ordered to search the surrounding area for her.

“Ah! You’re finally awake I see. Good timing too since you are in time for a meal. I was out to get some food before so you are lucky I have enough.” The witch who had been chased by the village knights was now in what looked like a hut to her. It was so crumpled but enough to support more than one person though by the looks of it, only one person was using it. It was only normal to come to the conclusion that the woman who was sitting in front of her was the occupant of this warm place. The female runaway had not been in a warm place for...she didn’t even know for how long. She had been on the run almost her whole life.

She decided by now that she might have travelled all over the world and had never found a place she could call home. Sometimes she had a little taste of peace whenever she entered a new town or village or city but some how the citizens always discovered her identity. They always came to one conclusion – her death. After escaping death’s jaws countless times already, she always finds herself in another. This time she was sure it was the last time she got away but she was somehow saved by this woman who sat regally on a log in front of a burning fire. She had very long hair that she saw reached the woman’s feet and more so. It was strange mixture of rose and light purple which matched her eyes. Her eyes that strangely had square pupils could be considered unnatural but who was she to talk about unnatural? Besides, the strange eyes only served to heighten her beautiful features.

The runaway then remembered her predicament and got a little afraid. “Why...Why did you save me? You are not going to turn me in yourself for the reward that is out for my capture, are you?” The rose haired woman stopped the stirring she had been doing on her hot pot and blinked at the hooded figure. There came silence between the two with one just staring and the other only growing more uneasy. After what seemed a painful eternity to the witch who had come to the conclusion that she was right, her saviour spoke up in that smooth voice of hers. “Why would I do that? I don’t think that if I were that kind of person I would be keeping you so free like this.” She gestured to the hooded woman and we see that she had been untied and was free from the bindings that had so roughly held her helpless.

The former prisoner looked down to the floor a little ashamed that she had come to conclusions that easily. “I am very sorry but I have not had it easy for a while...” She trailed off then she thought to thank her saviour seeing as she was now certain she wasn’t being played. “Thank you very much kind Miss. I don’t have anything but I will repay you some how.” This was the first time that she had been in good graces with another person. Well, not the only one but the first one to be nice to her knowing about her life. She had come into contact with a few nice folks but as soon as they found out about her true self, they always shunned her and in some cases, it was they themselves that called the guards to howl her away. She didn’t blame them though. She never blamed anyone. She had power that came with her strangeness but she never used it to her advantage.

“You don’t have to repay me but if you are determined, then tell me about yourself. My name is Medusa by the way but you may call me Rider if you prefer.” The beautiful woman who was now placing food in two bowls handing one to her visitor in the process, spoke up. The ‘witch’ took the bowl of the deliciously smelling food into her palms and struggled to keep her saliva from powering from her mouth before answering. She had gone three straight days without any food having been on the run. Her host sensed her thoughts somehow however and saved her the pain she was sure she was going to have to go through. “Oh, I’m so sorry. You must be very hungry. Please, eat first and fill your stomach then you can tell me all about it if you still want to.” She followed that with a laugh that sounded almost as beautiful as she knew the Goddess of Sound Freya would.

It hadn’t taken her long to finish eating and she had managed to empty three more bowls of delicious food. Medusa seemed to find her eating manners funny as she had stopped to watch her eat and laugh to herself for reasons known only to her. This was confirmed when the castaway found her still on her first bowl after all that time. She decided to tell the tale that no one knew except her passed on parents. “Thank you again for your kindness again Miss Medusa. The meal was the best I’ve ever eaten.” It was true she found, that the food she had just consumed was like no other she had ever tasted. “It would be rude of me not to pay you back with what you want. My parents named me Medea but...”She was cut off by a sudden awed burst from her host. “You are Medea the witch? Oh my...I can’t believe this. You are Medea and you are here in my home. I don’t believe it.”

The hooded woman, who had introduced herself as Caster, was getting a little worried now. Perhaps she had been a little quick to assume that this beautiful woman would be any different from the others. Now that she thought about it, her rescuer didn’t know anything about her except that she was a woman in need of help. This was the end for her. She was going to be handed in and lit on fire. Medusa came closer to her all of a sudden and she closed her eyes in defeat. Where she thought that she would be tied up again and carried out, she was surprised when she felt her hood being pulled back. In a flash of movement so fast to see, she reached for her hood to replace it but the woman right in front of her was a little faster.

Medea felt her arm held back steady fast by one of Medusa’s and she looked sideways away from the woman in horror. “NO! Don’t look at me. Please don’t look at my face, I beg of you.” She closed her eyes as she felt them start to release the pain that was suddenly awakened by this event. Apart from her parents, who had ordered her never to show her face to anyone else, this was the first time she had showed it. Well, she hadn’t showed it by herself instead she was forced. ‘I am so sorry mama, papa, I have disobeyed you.’ She cried to herself. “What are you talking about?” She felt gentle but strong fingers take hold her chin and slowly turn her to face Medusa.

“I didn’t believe it but now I do. Medea, the rumoured witch who stole beauty from a thousand young girls and made it her own through witchcraft, is here in my home.” Medea closed her eyes at that. It looked like those rumours, the horrible rumours, had reached the ends of the world. She was fated to lead an unhappy life that was for truth now. “Do not worry though Medea, I don’t believe those rumours. Well, the beauty-stealing part but I believe the beauty that you have now.” Medea slowly opened her eyes and looked into Medusa’s. The woman was studying her face very carefully but Medea wasn’t disturbed by this action. It was perhaps the reason that Medusa had a very gentle smile on her face as she looked to her temple, ears, neck and everywhere.

Medusa was more than stunned by her guest’s appearance. As if the beauty itself was not enough, Medea had very elegant hair and elfish ears that went perfectly well with her face. The ears had been pierced three times each and two of the places had beautiful small round jewels in them while the lowest pierce held a golden round ring in it. Her eyes were of the same colour as her hair which was a beautifully smooth light blue colour that is on the verge of blending in with green. “You are very beautiful Medea that the goddesses themselves would be jealous.” It might have seemed like a stretch but to Medea who was looking into Medusa’s face knew it was very sincere. This fact made her a little embarrassed and colour came to her cheeks.

Medusa saw that and thought that she might have evaded her guest’s space a little more than usual so she pulled back and returned to her previous seat by the fire. She motioned for Medea to join her in the warmth and after Medea was comfortable, Rider bid her to continue her tale. “Please continue where you left off. I am sorry that I interrupted you but you are quite famous so I had to make sure. Perhaps I will tell you my story after you do, to give you something in return.” Medea smiled a real smile this time and smiled even more when she saw the appreciative smile she was given in return. She reached to put back her hood but a look from Medusa stopped her and she dropped it. It wouldn’t matter now anyway seeing that she had already seen it. “As I was saying, my parents named me Medea but after some time they nicknamed me Caster when...”

“…ter. Caster. CASTER.” Caster is woken up from her sleep by someone shaking her shoulder. She opens her eyes to find her master Kuzuki Souichirou-sensei kneeling by her futon. She shakes off her dream and gets up a little to sit up. “What is it Souichirou-sama?” She asks her ever emotionless master. She knows though of the reasons why he is always like that. In fact, once or three times he has showed a little emotion on his still face. Caster knows that she is probably the only one who has ever seen that side of him. “I was watching Saber and Rider’s fight as you proposed but something happened.” Caster gets up from bed at this and stands up. She still has her hood on so all she does is materialise her feet protection and she is ready.

“What do you mean? What happened?” She hopes that Rider doesn’t get defeated. She had asked her master to wake her before the match started but it looks like he had forgotten. “Rider was about to deliver the final blow to Saber but Saber was not moving. She could not build up enough mana to counter. I don’t know if it was really the lack of mana but that was what it looked to be the problem. Rider was about to defeat her when she was saved.” Souichirou’s face here shows one of those rare emotions and he looks to be confused by what he had seen. He pauses long enough to worry Caster so she asks him what was troubling him.

“They were saved by another Saber.” Caster is totally shocked by this turn of events. She has been sure she knows all the seven masters and their servants so who was this other Saber?! Isn’t it impossible to summon the same servant in the same time?! There was only one spirit so it was totally impossible. “What do you mean another Saber rescued them? Are you sure you saw the right person?” Souichirou just gives her a stare however and that gets her worried but it is still impossible. “This Saber was different from the first one. Where the original has blue garments and silver amour, this one had black ones and black armour that had red strings in them. Where the first one had green eyes and blonde hair, this one had silver eyes with slightly lighter blonde hair.”

Her master could get to details if he wanted, couldn’t he? Well, those were the qualities of a good teacher and he was certainly a good teacher. This however is not settling well with her. She is glad that Rider was very gallant in her battle but now her plans have very wide holes in them. She will need a lot of time to remove them but time is not what she has in amounts. Instead of filling in the holes, she is just going to cover them up instead. It looks like she has to cancel her confrontation with Lancer and his master in two days’ time for she has much work to do. “This is very problematic indeed.” She goes to get her vision ball from the sitting room and bring it back with her to her bed room when she has her master ask what she has just thought of. “Does this mean our plans have been affected?” She doesn’t answer him as it is a rhetorical question.

…………………………………………………………………………………………

(Tohsaka Mansion)

“Erg, my head.” I wake up to the familiar surroundings of my living room ceiling. After some adjustments, I am reminded of where I was before this major migraine. Oh God, Saber. “Saber, are you there? Saber.” The shouting makes my head hurt even worse. If that wasn’t bad enough, I feel my chest setting on fire from the out burst. I can’t think of what to hold to ease its pain so I place one hand on my head and the other to my chest where I was tore through. Surprisingly the opened flesh I thought I would feel there was as it always was. I ripped open my blouse to be certain and in fact that the wound was not even there. The only indication that it was there was the pain shooting through the inside. Saber must have healed me. That is one of her special ability of healing her master automatically. It was very bad though so she must have done it herself seeing as my clothes were changed !?

Blood rushes to my cheeks when I find that all my clothes were changed for me. I am snapped to attention by my other house occupant who was now coming in from the kitchen. “Your old clothes were stained with blood so I took the liberty of changing them. The wound was deep but Avalon can heal any kind of injury so it was taken care of.” ‘Avalon’? Ah! It must be one of her Nobel Phantasms. She gives me pills that I put in the kitchen for emergences like this and I take them with some water she brought with time in no time. I wait to see if these pills do work as fast as the adverts say but nothing happens. This is enough time though to make me remember those last scary seconds of our battle with Shinji and Rider.

“Saber, what happened to you back there? You were just standing here while Rider came in for the finish. Just as I thought – Gilgamesh did something to you when he took you the last time, didn’t he?” I try to sound as serious as I can so that Saber might answer me truthfully. I am certain now that something happened to her. I will know what they did to my servant tonight at all costs. Saber looks to come to my understanding as she lowers her eyes in what she thinks is shame and tell me what happened. “When I was still bound by Gilgamesh, he told me that they had corrupted my magic circuit but I didn’t know what he meant then. I though he had stopped my mana flow after I tried to summon Excalibur and failing, but during the battle with Rider, I knew what was really wrong.”

“The mana still flows but where I had complete control over it, now it moves in completely different ways. I command it to do one thing, yet it does the other. In simple terms, I can’t control my mana even a little well now.” Okay, this has officially turned bad. I was counting on Saber’s control she had on mana and now that has been taken away from me. This is turning ugly. I have ready many books and yet I don’t remember ever coming across any subject concerning this case. It sounds like it has a solution though and I will find it. The best candidate would be the one who caused this problem to begin with but I somehow doubt Gilgamesh knows how to reverse it. This leaves just the option of going to the wisest at mana subjects and knows more about servants. This leaves me with only one other person I know. He happens to be the master of the trouble causer though; Kotomine Kirei but I would make a deal with the devil himself to save my Saber.

“I am very sorry master. I have dishonoured you in the face of battle. I am terribly sorry.” Saber bows even more and apologies. Strangely though, what makes me mad is not what she thinks but the act of apology itself. “Stop it Saber. You didn’t know what was really wrong with you. I should’ve not set up the fight without making sure that you were one hundred percent okay.” I stand up and go to her. She lifts her head to meet my gaze and I give her a warm smile that I pray would set her mind at ease. I bring up one of my hands and place it on her cheek. I caress her smooth skin again and I am struck more how she could keep it in that state with what she does. “Don’t worry about it anymore Saber. Tomorrow I will go see someone about a way to get you back to your self again. This will be taken care of in no time.”

She nods in understanding which feels strange with my palm still on her cheek. I look into her eyes and I find that to be a very big mistake. I get lost in those marine eyes of hers and by some strange force – Curse you Newton – I find myself being pulled toward her face. Saber just blinks though and this makes the force even more powerful. After what seemed like a light year, which I would compare to a normal year, I was saved by my officially now best friend – Saber’s stomach. Just in the nick of time before my nose was touching Saber’s her stomach signalled that it was high time it got the attention it so deserved. I pulled away like a hand from a flame and with a face that would put American dolls to shame, went into the kitchen to prepare yet another meal for my personal black hole.

To be continued...

Chapter 10

Fate/Stay Night Zero

By Demon Eyes

Disclaimer: Characters belong to Type-Moon.

Part X

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I look up at this nostalgic place that I haven’t been at in a very long time. I am standing in front of the church where my guardian lives. His name is Kotomine Kirei and he is also Gilgamesh’s master. I don’t plan on making him aware of the fact that I know he is also one of the contestants in this war. I must know how to save Saber as soon as possible or we will lose the next time we come face to face with another servant for sure. I can’t comprehend the way Saber said we survived Rider and Shinji’s last battle, but that is of no concern right now.

I open the doors to the church and right in front of the altar as if I was expected, is Kirei. He turns around and gazes at me with those creepy eyes of his. He wasn’t like this the last time I saw him. He looks...scary that’s the word. Oh well, maybe it’s just me. “Ah my little Tohsaka, it has been a long time since I saw you. May I ask to what I owe the pleasure of your presence?” His deep voice is being carried by the high walls. He turns fully towards me and I see him putting on a smile that disturbs me even more. I had deep respect for this guy – so much so that I was compelled to come to attend his services once.

I don’t know if it was instinct, but I started growing wary of him and before I knew it I didn’t come here anymore – until now that is. “I came here to ask you a way to return Saber back to normal.” He raises his brow as if to tell me that he doesn’t have a clue of what I am saying. “Don’t act innocent. I know you know that Saber was brought here and you are in fact the one that set her free.”

“Ah yes I remember seeing her here two days ago. Gilgamesh brought her here against my orders so I had no choice but let her go. I am the watcher of this war and I have to abide by the rules after all. That said though, I have no idea what you want from me. Could you please be a little clearer?” Damn him, I know he is playing dumb, but at least he confirms that he is Gilgamesh’s master. That gives me even more hope that he might help. If he doesn’t want to break rules, then he has no choice but to help me.

“Your servant took Saber and when she came back, she couldn’t use huge amounts of mana. She said that her circuit was corrupted. How do I return it back to normal?” Judging from his expression, I would say that he really didn’t know. I just hope he knows of a way to help Saber.

“Magic circuit you say, well you are in luck. I read about something like that. It is one of his abilities too and no other can do that except Caster maybe.” I guess he is talking about Gilgamesh. I better note that and remember it for future use. He scratches his chin and makes a motion of thinking about it. “I know of a way to save your precious Saber, but why should I tell you? What do I get in return?” Damn you – I should’ve known it wouldn’t be this easy, but I came prepared just in case this happened.

“Oh? I don’t think you have a choice in the matter. I read somewhere in the books my father left me and also confirmed by Saber. If you use such methods – in this case cowardly, the grail won’t accept you. In other words, weakening Saber to the point of not being able to fight will get you no where. Now then, are we going to wrap this up and tell me what I came here to know or are we gonna sleep here? I am busy woman you know.” I make a motion of checking out my nails in boredom and I can’t help the smirk that grazes my face when I notice his face turning from that weird smile to anger. Way to go me.

“Very well then, here is what you need to do...” hah! Is there anything that I am not good at? But, when I get Saber back to herself again, I am not going to screw up again. After this, I don’t care who my opponent is, I will take them down hard. First, I need a rematch with Rider. This time she won’t be so lucky – then I will check out this supposed Saber look-alike I heard saved us. Maybe this old geezer knows about it? “You will have to go inside of Saber and release her circuit by your own hands. I believe there is something that was placed inside of her that feeds off her mana and changes it into something else as waste. This thing is living, as you might have surmised, so you will have to fight it and defeat it.”

“But can’t Saber do that herself?” She should be able to take care of that by herself, right? Well, seeing as she didn’t even know what was wrong with her in the first place, maybe it is impossible for her.

“Sorry, but that is not possible. Saber now is very vulnerable to it. The thing inside her knows her well and it uses her thoughts against her, so another person is the best option. It also needs to be done by a great magus or it would not be enough to defeat it. You will need a great deal of mana to go through with this. Though I think you will be most rewarded after it...” His smile is back and I can’t help but get the feeling that I am going to need to do something very embarrassing by the look on his face. I want to scream at him to tell me what have to do already, but he seems to have the same thoughts as me, so he lays all his cards down.

“Well, the first thing you need to worry about is how to get inside Saber. You will have to say a few spells, that I am going to give you, while you are in contact with Saber. By contact, I mean intimate contact or else the spell won’t work. It takes time, so the best option that is recommended in the records is through sexual intercourse, seeing as it takes time and you will be intimate through it all.” I gasp at that and my brain almost loses a few precious motor neurons in these few nano seconds. My reaction is well deserved though - to think that I should have sex with Saber.

This train of thought though was a very bad idea as I can’t help my mind from being evaded by the beautiful image of a naked Saber in my bed with a very horny me on top of he...”Ahhhh.” I can’t help but scream and in doing so I grab the most unwanted look. “Wha...What do you mean have sex with Saber?! Don’t mess with me. There must be another way.” I stutter out in a very embarrassed high pitched voice. He just raises another eyebrow at me and says nothing for the moment.

“Well, you can do that or you can forfeit her to me and Gilgamesh or I will do it. So, what will it be?” He is grinning even wider now as he sees everything is turning out in his favour. “Don’t tell me that you are one of those lowly humans who are disgusted by same sex relationships - and to think that I thought of you as someone with great insight on life.” He shakes his head in mock disappointment. That’s not the problem at all, but I’d prefer that way that to his way.

“What are the spells?” I just hope that Saber is not very against this idea, though I wouldn’t blame her if she is. What will I do if she refuses or what I do if she agrees, for that matter!! He gives me the spells not on paper, but by mouth. I am very fortunate that I have good memory or else I would be in deep trouble. He can’t even give me the stupid book. He has to make things hard for me. Well, he doesn’t know who he is dealing with it seems. After I get the spells, I go through them a few times to make them stick in my memory as I leave the church.

Just about half a kilometre from the church though, I come across that strange kid that I met that one night. She is still dressed in the same thick clothes. I want to say ‘This isn’t winter you know’ but I keep that to myself. “Good evening Onee-chan. I warned you that you shouldn’t walk around without your servant, but you never listened to me did you? Well, you are going to pay for that.” Oh great, does thins mean she is a master as well? “Berserk.” She calls and I can’t help but sweat a little. This is just great. Saber still isn’t able to stand up to normal servants as she is now. I will have to defend myself for now. I don’t think that this kid can have a fearsome servant.

“Roar.” Okay, forget what I just said. Never judge a book by its cover indeed. The servant Berserk that is in front of me is no ordinary servant. I should’ve recognised him from his name, but I was deceived by the master’s appearance. I have read of all the classes of servants and this is one of those to be feared. Were it not my preference for the Saber class, I would’ve gone for this class too. The thing that surprises me the most though is how this puny girl was able to summon such a servant and make him a berserk too. “N...Nice servant you’ve got there. How in God’s name did you summon him?”

“Humph! Don’t look down on me Tohsaka Rin, I am the great master from Germany maybe you’ve heard of me – my name is Ilya, Illyasviel Von Einzbern, but enough of that. You will be dead in a few seconds so there is no need for introductions. Berserk kill her now.” Berserk comes towards me with the force of a moving bullet train. I dig in my pockets for a few jewels and send them crashing into him. The reaction is of course what you would expect from a small stone thrown against a mountain meaning – nothing at all happened. Berserk swings his huge sword that no other can wield but him towards me and I brace myself for a huge world of pain.

The pain never comes however, instead I feel myself lifted from the ground and that familiar scent that I have come to know by heart fills my nostrils. “Saber, what are you doing here? You are in no condition to take on anyone, especially Berserk.” We land a few feet from Berserk who grants in annoyance and turns to start our way. Saber places me on the ground and looks guiltily at the ground as she tells me that she followed me since I left the mansion. How come I didn’t sense her following me? “Forget about that, we have to get away from here and get you back to normal. I don’t want to face Berserk at this time.”

“I am afraid I can’t let you get away that easily Onee-chan.” Damn this girl, how does she even know my name? I don’t remember ever meeting her except a few days ago and I didn’t tell her my name. Her servant is now upon us and Saber has no choice but to draw her sword and defend. Berserk being an almost giant-sized servant has so much power in his swings combining that with the size of his blade Saber is getting overwhelmed by them. I am glad to note though that she is using her weightlessness to her advantage though. Whenever Berserk’s sword makes contact with hers, she absorbs the force of it by leaving the ground and relaxing her arms in a way that no one else can. This of course means that the attacker isn’t going to be very happy about that and by the looks of Berserk’s increasing power in his swings; he is getting even more pissed.

I decide to help Saber out at this time and cast some curse spells on Berserk. This too however doesn’t produce the desired effect. What is this guy made of? “Feh! What are trying to do? I made Berserk the strongest servant. Something as useless as that isn’t going to affect him. Finish that servant off Berserk and then kill Rin too.” Is this girl sick in the head? How can she talk of death so easily?! At least her servant agrees with her seeing as he is overpowering Saber more and more. Damn it, I have to do something. Big things call for bigger guns. I pull out my ultimate jewel that resides around my neck, but before I can use it I am hit by a huge amount of pain not physically, but emotionally.

Instinctively, I wrap my hands around myself. When my senses return to me, I know that this is not my own pain, but Saber’s. I look up in trepidation and my fears are met by a very ugly sight. Saber is sent flying backwards into an electric pole with her torso in pieces. It seemed as though she had been caught in mid air and a big deal of her stomach got caught in the act. I scream her name as I run to her. I hold her and try to make her comfortable and I can’t help the tears that come to my eyes from the sight of her like this. My servant isn’t supposed to be in this kind of condition. This is Saber for crying out loud, she is a respectable servant. This is my entire fault.

To further my shame, she stands up in this condition with half her stomach missing and tells me to stay back. She is still protecting me even in her condition. God damn it, I know it can’t be helped, but I am getting really pissed off by these masters hurting my Saber. I give a glare towards this stupid girl that is responsible this time and the fire in my wet eyes must have reached her good side, since she takes a step back and stutters, “Wh...What?” I don’t have anything I can do to her at this moment however, as my first priority now is to get Saber back to normal so I look away from this Ilya girl and to my Saber. Her wounds are starting to heal - slowly but surely.

I can’t afford to stay here another second. so I use the power in my jewel and cast a transportation spell which brings me and Saber right to my room. I use my jewel to try and help Saber heal faster, a jewel which cost me a whole six months worth of mana. After two to three minutes, she is completely healed, though she still looks weak. This I know can be quickly taken care of by a big meal. “Rest a bit Saber while I go make us some dinner. Your energy should be replenished by then and we can start on putting that magic circuit of yours back in business.” I get up and head for the kitchen while Saber rests.

This is very precious time that I must not waste. I have to think of this very carefully. Sex with Saber is something I was starting to look forward to, but now I am getting scared. This is happening so fast. I know it’s for a good cause and we can interpret it as just another way of getting stronger, but now that I have feelings for Saber, it won’t be just that. I wanted to...I wanted to do it with Saber when she is willing. I mean, once I find out if she has feelings for me too, otherwise I don’t know how she will be affected. Saber might agree now to it for the greater good, but what will she think after it is done? Erg, why am I getting carried away by this? The point isn’t to have sex, but to be very intimately close to her for the spell to work which will enable me to go inside her and free her circuit from whatever is corrupting it.

Yes, I am thinking too much. Even if it is sex, it isn’t like I will be losing my virginity or anything. Well, not that I want to lose it to someone else now but we can do that later. It might be even after I have won Saber’s heart. Yes, it doesn’t have to be romantic now; it just needs to be intimate. Yes, everything is alright, I think. Time to make dinner and think of a way I am going to break this news to Saber.

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“Alright, have a nice day everyone.” With that, Fujimura Taiga-sensei left Kuzuki-sensei’s homeroom to return to the staff room after the last class bell rang. Just before she goes through the door however, she forgets to open it as she says good bye to the students and crashes into it face first. This of course gets the expected effect from the students who crack their ribs at the never ending clumsiness of their beautiful and sexy teacher. Taiga finds herself cursing this part of her life. Was she born to be made a laughing stock of by her students? The least they could do is to show her respect and never call her taiga, but that was proving to be a difficult battle.

“Good afternoon Fujimura-sensei, are you alright?” Taiga had been walking with her face towards the floor so she failed to see the girl in front of her. She nearly ran into her, but the girl stepped out of the way with good reflexes. Taiga looked up recognising the voice of the captain of the archery club. Taiga herself had appointed the girl in front of her the captain, but it was no easy task. She had to be in charge of the said club where she succeed in making Ayaka Mitsuzuri the captain. The girl was so talented that she jumped from club to club without settling down so Taiga decided to step in or else Ayaka would put her gifts to waste like one Tohsaka Rin. Taiga was glad to see that Ayaka didn’t take her for someone interfering in her personal business for making the choice for her as she seemed to enjoy being the captain.

“Yes I’m fine Mitsuzuri-san though my students are laughing at me still. I wish they were more like you guys. They have absolutely no respect for me.” Taiga made a show of crying in the middle of the corridor and more laughter spreads through them at her sight. Ayaka decides to save her favourite teacher some dignity and walks her towards the staff room. Needless to say, the poor teacher wasn’t safe in the company of her colleagues either seeing as they were starting to snicker at the sight of Taiga being supported by a student. A glare from Taiga puts a stop to that though. She turns to Ayaka and thanks her for always caring for her. She either misses or doesn’t mind the girl’s reddening cheeks at her comment as she walks to her seat and prepares to leave for the day. “Could you pass by the range before you leave sensei, I have something to discuss with you.”

Needless to say, this is said in a very strange tone though the recipient of these words doesn’t think much of it. “Alright, I will pass by Mitsuzuri-san, just let me finish up here and I will be there.” Taiga went to work right away so she missed the thumbs up that were given Ayaka’s way by the knowing teachers who knew of her crush on the wired sensei. Ayaka wasn’t sure how they found out about it, but If they weren’t against it, then that was okay for her – not that it was confirmed that she was crushing for the beautiful teacher. It was just speculation and only in the teaching board. No students knew of it even her best friend Tohsaka. Well, maybe that student council president Ryudo-san knew something judging from the looks he gave her, but other than that...

“Mitsuzuri-san, the great sensei is here.” Taiga’s voice could be heard all the way to the shooting range where the girl in question was putting away the gear safely after the students had used them. After Ayaka’s cry in reply, Taiga made her way over to her and helped the girl finish up the clearing. “So, what is you wanted to talk to me about?” She asked Ayaka after they had put away everything and were sitting in the main room. Fujimura-sensei looked really wiped out from the day’s activities and sometimes Ayaka wondered how the teachers always did the same hard work everyday. day in and day out.

Ayaka decided to go and relieve some of the tension from the teacher that was her ideal figure. She really looked up to the woman and was now trying very hard to draw the line between admiration and infatuation. This was no simple task, but she was sure her feelings weren’t just those of admiration for a figure. “You know that the competition for this year is in two weeks sensei, so I wanted to get your thoughts as to whom we are going to choose to participate.” Ayaka moved with very hard nerves to the back of Taiga’s and knelt there to give her curious sensei a quick massage on her stiff shoulders.

Ayaka decided to continue speaking to avoid the unwelcome tense silence. “I’ve chosen Sakura Matou, Rei Nakamura and Ayane Isuzu and even though I didn’t want to, I added Matou Shinji too. He is undoubtedly second best only behind his sister. Of course I myself am going to enter also. What do you think about that sensei?” Taiga made a noise of someone thinking really hard and at the same time sighed, due to the nice massage she was receiving. Needless to say, it came out as a strange sound. Ayaka decided to keep her mind on the subject at hand or else her mind would not handle the fact that she was touching Fujimura-sensei even though it was such a simple thing like a massage.

“Those are very good choices Mitsuzuri-san, I was right in making you the captain. I hope that Matou-kun hasn’t been giving you a hard time still. I warned him about that, but I doubt he got it through that thick head of his.” She didn’t like that boy’s manners at all or the lack of them. He was so weak she knew it, but he put up a strong front. Well, eventually his true self will surface and he will learn the ways of the world the hard way, but that was that. Mitsuzuri-san’s fingers were like magic wands on her shoulders, which were returning back to normal already. “Was that all you wanted to tell me Mitsuzuri-san or is there something else?” Better enjoy the massage as long as possible.

“That is all sensei, everything else is okay but I...err...I have a request sensei.” Taiga only raised one eyebrow to indicate that she was listening. “Could I have the pleasure of accompanying you to your home today? I mean, could I visit your home? That is if it’s fine with you of course. If you don’t want to I understand completely. I mean, it’s not a big deal really I mean...” She was stuttering and she knew it. Ayaka was not known for this kind of action. She was a straight girl who knew what she wanted and did what needed to be done as though already expecting it. Visiting her sensei’s place was no ordinary matter though and just the thought of being in her idol’s place together with her set her heart to the rate of an excited child.

Ayaka got her nerves under control after Taiga asked her to calm down. She decides to clearly state her request and hope that she wouldn’t be imposing or anything that could incur the wrath of the kendo expert. “I want to visit sensei’s place at least once.” After a few silent moments from a very still Taiga, Ayaka knew that she had overstepped her bounds. What was she thinking asking something like that? “I am sorry if I was imposing on you sensei. Please forget about it.” She continued her massage and the silence resumed once more. Maybe she had let her mouth run a little bit longer than needed this time. Was Fujimura-sensei mad at her?

Taiga was far from mad though. In fact, she wasn’t in any condition to use her brain, seeing as it had stopped functioning for a while there. Nobody ever asked to visit her home, not even her fellow teachers. They were mostly afraid of her and maybe it was partially her fault for the way she presented herself, but she couldn’t help it. That was the way she was and now to think that someone finally had the courage to visit her place. She was caught off guard and couldn’t help the sheer happiness that filled up her heart. “Of course you can visit me any time you like Mitsuzuri-san.” If she was given the chance to, Ayaka would’ve screamed in excitement, but she settles for grinning to herself like an idiot and feeling her heart increase in rate, but that is no important matter. “Thank you Mitsuzuri-san.” Her teacher said it in a voice that would send anyone where Ayaka was now, she was sure.

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“Don’t think I will let you get away that easily Onee-chan, I know where you live. Berserk, we are going to finish her off.” Ilya was not pleased to say the least that her target got away. She could not fail, the Einzberns never fail. As she turned to proceed to Rin’s house however, someone else stopped her and someone that look as pissed off as she was right now. The poor idiot who doesn’t value their life is going to die right now.

“Wait just a minute there young lady, I can’t let you go after Rin. I put dibs on her so I get to defeat her. I was planning on challenging her today, but it turns out I can’t as her servant isn’t in any position to fight. That didn’t stop you though did it?” Ilya studied the stupid idiot who would challenge her after seeing Berserk. He was a guy in Rin’s years and had brown hair. She was sure she knew him from somewhere, but she wasn’t exactly sure from where. Ah who cares, he is going to die anyway. He materialised his servant and Ilya was a little surprised to say the least after seeing Archer.

She didn’t know which class he was having not seen him before. There’s no way he could be enough to defeat Berserk though, so it was no problem. “Boy, you should have stayed in the shadows where you were hiding then you might have had a chance to see the next sunrise but alas...” Ilya summons Berserk and they charge each other. Ilya wanted to finish this up quickly and go after Rin. She was told that Tohsaka Rin was the most favoured participant in this war and she had put her on top of her list. When she was still in Germany, everyone talked of the Tohsaka name and it was even overshadowing the Einzberns. This was not to be permitted.

The faster she finished off this boy the better. “Berserk, finish them off quickly. Rin is our...” She was surprised by the sight that greeted her from her thoughts. Her fearsome servant who had skin like steel was there kneeling on one knee and missing an arm. “Wha...What happened?” she asked more to herself than anyone else. She was surprised that such a puny servant damaged Berserk, no matter how little that was. How had he managed to do that?! No matter, this time she would be watching. “Stop fooling around Berserk and put an end to him now. We have a magus to slay you know.” Just as Berserk grew another limb from where the first was cut off and stood up to commence the fight, his right leg too came off from under him and he went back to the ground. Needless to say, Ilya was not having a good day. “Nah?”

To be continued...

Chapter 11

Fate/Stay Night Zero

By Demon Eyes

Disclaimer: The characters and some references to the story belong to Type-Moon and not me.

Part XI

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(Somewhere in Town)

It is nighttime and Fuyuki City being one of those ‘day cities’ was as quiet as it has been as of late. Everyone was already in the safety of their homes. They had seen the news and were scared of what they had heard taking place during the owl hours. What they were scared of, no one would knew. Even tonight where we will be witness to one of the strangest events taking place, we won’t be able to know what exactly it will be. Of all the mini scrappers that were in this particular part of the city, there was one building that stood out the most. Its lights were still on, whereas the surrounding buildings were all dark. It was obviously an apartment building in the middle of business buildings. We’re only going to focus on only one of the apartments in this building.

Inside this lone space, a ‘just married’ couple were madly lost in pleasure with the man on top and their feet facing towards the window. The woman was in a paradise of her own. This was her honeymoon and she had gone three whole weeks without her darling and without even getting herself off. Three agonising weeks of hell and it was finally time that they got to do it. Her husband it seemed was feeling the same way, if possible even more so than she was. She let out a sound that would let her dear husband know that he was most definitely doing it right. The man having heard the sound countless times, be it in porn movies or real life, obliged with even more of the same. “Oh darling, I’ve really missed you these three weeks. Please give me more…” Another scream followed the thrust that her husband replied with and on they went.

The man increased his vigour and the reactions he got were what he wanted to receive. “Dear, you have no idea how I’ve missed you too. Here, take all you want I will give you whatever you ask of me.” His motions increased and the movements could put horny rabbits it to shame. His wife’s eyes widened in wonder at her husband’s last action, but that was a huge mistake. It might have been a blessing, but judging by the results, it was more of a curse than a blessing. Being the only one able to look out the window in the positions that they were in, she got a good look at said window and completely froze. It might have been a coincidence that she looked to the window rather than her handsome husband’s face but there it was. She looked to the window and what she saw filled her body with such terror that she didn’t waste time releasing a heart felt scream. The husband however, having been at the brink of that, oh so familiar, three second heaven, took his lovely wife’s screams completely differently. “Wow dear, you really are enjoying this. It was a great idea to hold off on sex for three weeks prior to our honeymoon. Well, there is more where that came from.” He humped with more adrenaline than before not even aware that his wife’s screams were now of fear and not pleasure. It might have been his fetish to hear his wife scream out like that because the next second, he cried out as he reached that heaven that no virgin knows about. That was the hardest he had ever cum, he thought, as he saw those beautiful glittering stars unaware that those would be the last lights he would ever see again. The woman beneath him was the only one on the whole building that saw what really caused the disappearance of the entire population of this building but she would never let anybody know for she too was a victim of whatever that was that moved like the darkness itself and stripped them of their spiritual flames.

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(On the out skirts of the city)

“Damn you idiots, you’ve ruined my plans for the night, now I have to plan again for another time. You are definitely going to pay for this. Berserker, the gloves are going off. Show these meddlesome idiots what you are truly made of.” Ilya’s body began to glow a brighter shade of pink and it looked kind of like a treasure box about to crack and reveal the shiny contents in within. Her body wasn’t about to actually break however, but the cracks were present. The light she gave off was familiar to any magus as the mana that made them who they were. Berserker’s body began to give off a black smoky substance. His left eye that had been gouged out by a flying sword healed up completely and the dozen or so swords embedded in his tough skin were forced out of his now unharmed body. He stood back up and he looked to all in the world as though he hadn’t been to the world of no return…until now that is – The Unlimited Blade Works world.

“What is going on? Why is that guy still standing Archer?” Shirou asked of his servant, obviously surprised by this turn of events. Archer, who had to put his all into defeating his enemy, was now on one knee struggling to regain his breath. He fought mightily and he had somehow managed to get away without a single hit from Berserker. That was yesterday’s news however and he too knew it. “I don’t know either Shirou. A normal servant should’ve died way before I even used U B W, but this guy is still standing even after going through it.” He got to his feet, but was forcibly put down again by a sword, which weighed almost a ton due to the speed and force by which it was swung. Archer crashed into a nearby electric pole that was meters away and grunted in pain. He lost a few cubic litres of blood with the coughing fit he had, but managed to make a joke in his condition. “What are you feeding your servant little girl? I demand ingredients and recipes.”

“This is no time to be cracking jokes Archer. Are you alright?” Shirou was by his servant’s side in an instant. Archer gave him an assuring smile and lessened his master’s fears with a positive reply. Shirou then turned to Ilya who looked very pleased with that last hit that Berserker had put in. “Seriously though, who is this guy? There is no way that a servant can go through U B W and come out in one piece, let alone alive. The fact that you are the master of that servant is also very disturbing. What are even doing out here at this time fighting? Shouldn’t you be inside somewhere doing your homework or going to bed?” The Einzbern successor pushed her nose into the air and pouted, very insulted. “How dare you refer to me as such, boy? I will have you know that despite my appearance, I am actually much older than you are. That is one more debt you have to pay for with your life, but before you meet your maker, I shall bless you with the identity of your doom bringer.” Ilya walked over to where her faithful protector was standing and she placed her tiny fingers on his sword-wielding arm. “If you weren’t flanking on your studies little boy then you must have been told of the great half God half human son Heracles! Story goes that due to his stepmother’s jealousy, he was forced to overcome the twelve great labours that were deemed impossible to overcome. After millennia of agonising labour, Heracles did complete the twelve labours and as a reward, he was granted twelve lives for each labour that he completed.” Archer’s eyes widened after that Ilya knew that he was now aware of whom he was messing with.

“That’s right, the servant you see before you is the great Heracles and if you hadn’t figure it out yet, you will have to defeat him twelve times in one attack in order to kill him. I was actually surprised that you managed to take away five of his lives, but I have already restored them. If you want to try and prolong your funerals be my guests, but it isn’t going to be as easy as it was before. I have seen all your moves and you haven’t seen a single one of mine yet so prepare thy selves for a…Hey, what are whispering over there?” Archers and Shirou’s mouths opened and closed after the news. Archer was wiped out and there was no way he could use U B W again today. The only chance they have to fight, and win against, Berserker is to work together but that was impossible today. “Shirou, I hate to break it to you but…” “Yeah, I know.” The master finished for his servant in whispers as not to let their opponent hear them. “Let’s retreat for now. At least we know the strategy for this team and there is no way that they can follow us.” Archer agreed and with that decision they made, their hasty retreat. “Hey, I was asking you what you were whispering abou…Oi, where are you going? Come back here you …Damn it why do they all run away from me?” Those two had been pretty decent guys and they would’ve made nice slaves but… Oh well, she had that spot already rented out to one Tohsaka Rin. There was always room for more blood though. She laughed to herself villainy, but it came out very strange that even she wasn’t pleased with the sound so she shut up. Berserker was returned to his spiritual form and the German girl made her way back home to make plans for another game that she’ll play with her soon to be slave. “I will get you yet Rin-nee-sama. You will definitely be mine,” and with that, she disappeared into the black of the night.

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(Tohsaka Mansion)

“Did you find a solution to our problem, Rin?” Saber breaks the uncomfortable silence that has been eating away at us…or at me at least. I am not too sure about her. It has been ten minutes since the dinner from hell. We didn’t say a word through it all…Okay, I admit, it is my entire fault seeing as I didn’t start a conversation and Saber isn’t the talkative type. I have been thinking of better ways to break the news to her, but even with all that time I’ve had. I have come up with nothing except to just pour it out as it is. I better come up with a decision though seeing as Saber has only eaten two servings tonight which is most definitely a bad sign.

“Ahem…Yes…Well…I did find a way but…” Yes – Yes, stall for some thinking time. Only a few precious seconds is all I need. I sneak a glance into those beautiful green orbs. but that was a very bad mistake. What I find is what I didn’t want to see. The looked screamed ‘out with it already’. Jeez, why am I getting worked up with this anyway? It’s just to help Saber get her magic circuit back to normal. There doesn’t have to be a deeper meaning to it than that. “Saber the bottom line is, I have to go inside of you and correct the circuit myself.” The look I see sent my way is not very different from what I gave Kirei myself. I have to explain this in greater detail it seems. “Okay, listen very carefully Saber for there is no way I’m going to say this twice.” She shakes that pretty head of hers innocently in anticipation unaware of the words that are about to come out my mouth the next second. I can’t stop the blood from rushing up to my cheeks just at the thought of what I’m going to tell her. “Apparently Gilgamesh put something inside of you that is feeding off your mana, which I provide you and it is in turn corrupting your magic circuit. Your body can’t get rid of it by itself so I have to go in and take care of it myself. That is the easy part however.” I suck in my breath to steel myself while Saber patiently waits for me to continue. “In order for me to be able to get inside of you where your magic circuit lies, I have to cast a spell at a certain point in time during a certain event.” Oh great, and here I was thinking that I was ready to tell her everything. “Alright, here is the shortened version. We have to be experiencing heights of great pleasure at the same time and in as close proximity as possible for the spell to work. In other words, while we reach the fruits of sexual intercourse I am to cast the spell for it to succeed.” There, I said it. I feel myself let out a breath I wasn’t aware I’d been holding.

A great deal of time passes and I have yet to hear a comment from Saber, so I lift my gaze to see her face. Maybe she didn’t hear me or didn’t understand what I said. I look at her face and know instantly that she completely understood what I had been talking about. Her cheeks mirrored mine in colour and her eyes suddenly seemed more naked to me than I’ve ever seen them before. I can’t explain it but right now, I see the woman deep within Saber and I’m a little scared to tell the truth. Maybe this hadn’t been such a good idea after all. I should’ve known better than to trust that Kirei. “Erm…Saber, we don’t have to do it that way. I mean there must be another way we can help you. Gilgamesh is bound to know another way. We don’t have to do it if you don’t want to…I mean…” I trail off from there and let my eyes wander anywhere else in my room other than where Saber is sitting right now.

“NO!” Huh? I snap my head back to Saber so fast, I can hear a sound somewhere in my neck from the quick movement. I think I broke a nerve somewhere but who cares. “I don’t think there is another way master. I am sure that even if there was one, Kotomine should’ve told you about it.” I try to interrupt Saber and ask if we knew the same Kotomine Kirei, but she cuts me off, “Besides, I can’t afford to take any more chances of exposing you to danger. If another servant were to attack us right now, there is no way that I could protect you. I…I have been careless master and I beg your forgiveness. I promise you though that I am not going to let be in harm’s way ever again. I want to be able to protect you at all times and I feel very displeased with myself right now. Please Rin, if this is the quickest way for me to return back to normal then we have to do it. I have to keep you safe no matter what.” I should’ve known that Saber felt so strongly about this war, more so than myself and probably anyone else. I let out a sigh and stupidly let slip my thoughts of Saber seeing me as a ways to claim the Holy Grail.

I am shaken to my core with the force by which she rejects that accusation. “It is true that I need your help to claim it as you need mine, but in these few days that we have been together, I have come to think of you as much more than just that Rin. I can’t explain it very well, but I feel a certain sense similar to hunger for you that I haven’t felt before for anyone else.” She colours some more and the Saber in front of me right now isn’t the Saber I’ve known all this time. I am very confident that I am the first and probably the only one to ever have bared witness to this side of the Knightly King. I make a great jibe about how I wouldn’t make a great Japanese dish and mushrooms being my worse enemies and I can’t help, but enjoy the embarrassed side of the blonde beauty before me. “What I meant was that I feel a great need to be near you – Not just to protect you, but just to be in your presence at all times. I have come to even…” here her facials turn into guilt and I grow concerned. “I have come to even dream of you where before, I was reliving my life as King Arturia. I fear that this new feeling might lead me astray from the path that I have already laid out in front of me.”

After this, I could not take anymore. This side of Saber is having effects on me that are like no other. I hadn’t even noticed that I had been getting closer to her through her speech, but I find myself just a few heartbeats away from her. My restraints have left me. I can’t believe that she feels this way for me as well. I am overjoyed, but the thought of leading her away from the wish that both she and I know of…I couldn’t live with myself were that to happen. I will help Saber by doing everything I can to see that we’ll win this war. Her wish whatever it is shall be granted and I will support her in every decision she makes on the way. I have already been lucky enough to fight along side with her and even just spend quality time with her. Who knows, it could’ve been that guy Archer that I got as my servant. My body starts to move as if on its own, desperate to put the being in front of me at ease. My right hand moves to cover Saber’s left by the way we are sitting on my bed. My other hand goes higher still to rest on her right cheek. The skin under it is beautiful and smooth to my touch and sight.

“Saber, I really care about you a lot.” I shake my head to clear it of the uncertainties. “I love you Saber. I am very lucky to have the chance of being your partner in this war. For ten year, that has been my wish, to get the strongest servant as my partner and you are without a doubt the strongest. We have had our hardhips, but so what? We were caught completely off guard. After we have you back to your normal self, I will make you a wish that we shall never lose to anyone that comes across us. I will provide you with all the mana that you need and you may do with it as you wish. Your wish will become reality, whatever it is. I will be behind you in whatever decision you make. I want you to know that. I won’t have any regrets. I am completely satisfied with just having had the chance to be with you. Besides, our time together has just begun.”

“…Rin.” Saber whispers my name and leans into my palm that was caressing her cheek. She closes her eyes as if in thought and I leave her to them. She speaks without opening her eyes. “Thank you Rin. I am also grateful to having given the honour of serving you. I want to fully act out my role and again ask for your help master. I aim to prove to you that you didn’t make a mistake in summoning me.” It is sappy I know, but I will say it anyway. I didn’t know it was possible a person could be as happy as I am right now. Okay, maybe I have a ghostly feeling of it, but I don’t want to get into that right now. I nudge her cheek for her to open her eyes and she does. I ask her if she is ready and without asking further questions, she nods slowly having understood what I was talking about. I have never done what I am about to do before, but I feel like I know all too well how to proceed. I guess this is how the cave men knew of the reproductive ways in their time – simple instinct. I lean forward bringing my face closer to Saber’s. Our lips touch and the feeling I get from it suddenly isn’t enough. I know there is more and I search for this crazy feeling that I don’t even know of.

After a few seconds of sweet searching, I finally found it. Without our knowledge, or at least mine - our tongues were already in contact and at that instant, I felt it. That feeling that I somehow knew should be how a kiss feels. I felt it and I liked it. My first kiss and it was everything and nothing at all like how I thought it would be. The kiss itself I felt it to be natural, but the thought of kissing Saber, a King of whole countries, added a certain fire to the kiss that wouldn’t normally be there. My senses seem to have gone into hyper-drive for now, I can feel every inch of my skin. I feel the fingers of my left hand leaving the smooth cheek and making their way to that silky blonde, almost golden hair of hers and resting on the tangle at the back of her head. My right hand has started to feel its way up Saber’s left arm, all the while feeling the cotton covered skin under. My left foot isn’t idle either it seems, judging from the way it caresses Saber’s stock-covered calf and shin. Sadly though, I am only human and the need to replenish my lungs of fresh air surfaces. I am very saddened by the fact that I have to pull away from that mouth that was so soft, so smooth, and so sweet and everything that I can’t describe with the words in my two thousand-page dictionary. To hell with you Mc Millen.

I let out a breath I didn’t know I had been holding. My adrenaline glands are in overdrive. I can see clearly the steam from our hot mouths infuse in front of us. Saber is not better off than I am. I notice that she hasn’t moved any other part of her body, except her head. “You can touch me wherever and however you want.” I whisper to her. “Do whatever you want to do Saber.” I finish with touching my forehead to hers and look into those eyes of hers. I’m sure they will fill my dreams from now on. There is no reaction from her, but the opening of her mouth and then closing it and her eyes moving to my lips. I am pleased to know that I can kiss so good as to render a King speechless. With my eyes fixed on hers, I move my left hand and hold hers with it. The trembling gets more vigorous as I bring her hand to my left breast, but it grows very still upon touching the mound. I hold her gaze and try to send strength to her through my eyes. “It’s alright Saber. Don’t be afraid and let yourself go – Trust me.” She tells me that she does trust me, but I knew that already. This is a different matter however. I bring our lips together for a second kiss. This time we stay connected longer than before and the feeling is even greater. I know that if were I to cast the spell now, I would be able to get into Saber from the feelings we are having right now.

Something in my mind however tells me that if I do that right now, I will be stripping us of something. I don’t want to do that whatever it is. I pull away again and rest my head to Saber’s again. “Are you ready Saber?” I ask the question very carefully to make sure Saber knows what I mean. She wastes no time in nodding her head though I can’t waste more time by jumping with joy. I stand from the bed and squat down to pick up her feet from the floor and lay them out on the bed. Saber is now fully lying on my bed and the sight adds more fuel to my fire. I get on too and hover over her on all fours with my limbs at either side of her head and hips. I make one final check up on the shield around my house to make sure we have no interruptions. It is so strong that not even a phone call can get through. We might as well be in a completely different dimension. When that is taken care of, I get back to the task at hand. I fill up my hunger for the taste of my King’s skin starting from her luscious small lips to her forehead and then to her ear. I nibble on the delicate cartilage for a while and I note Saber’s breathing growing deeper. I trace her chin bone back to her lips and enjoy the taste as long as I can. I don’t think I will ever get enough of Saber’s lips. My fingers are not to be idle however. I feel the tips with a little magic to make them feel like stun guns but with a voltage of 0.002 V. I hold her palms and starting from there bringing my fingers towards her shoulders trailing light lines on her skin that makes her feel like she is having a massage. Saber whimpers beneath me and I am glad to be doing a good job.

I use soft kisses to taste her skin from her pink lips to the junction where the blue ribbon holds her collar together. I wait there for my fingers to reach where my mouth is and use them to undo the blue thing. I motion for Saber to rise a little so that I can lift the white blouse off. Saber does not wear a bra. I know this doesn’t excuse me from nearly busting a blood vessel in my nose but still…I am far gone on Saber. So sorry Emiya-kun, but you lose. I stay there just staring for complete seconds and my shaking hands are not passing without notice. I can’t hold back myself anymore as I bring my hands to feel those round small hills. I know I probably look like one of those crazed guys with drool on their faces and fingers stretched out, looking to grab something, but that is the effect a half naked Saber has on me. My fingers are holding Saber’s breasts. I am holding Saber’s breasts and I like it. I know she isn’t too blessed on size, but I feel like they are just perfect. They fit into my palms as if they were made for me. Okay Rin, you are getting ahead of your self here. I want to scream my goddamn thanks to whoever is sitting in that golden chair in the heavens. Hmm, soft lovely breasts. I still can’t believe that this is happening. I want to confirm it. I scoop Saber up from waist up and give her a strong embrace. “Ri…Rin. What’s wrong?” I don’t say anything, but hold her. I bring up one hand and untie the ribbon in her hair. I send it to join the white and the other blue material on the floor. I rake my fingers then through her free soft mane and start to trail heart felt kisses down her right shoulder. She sucks in a breath as I go. I want to reward my Knight for things unknown to me. I lower her back down on her back and get to work. After another kiss to the mouth, I start another train of kisses to her right breast and slowly starting climbing the small hill with my lips.

I add my fingers to work on my way down to the greatest treasure known to man. But just as other great treasures, I have to overcome many obstacles on my way, namely – patience. I take time to give Saber great pleasure with her assets. After I am satisfied that it had been enough with that, I am rewarded with two things. First, Saber’s whimper fills my ears. Then a scent that I’ve never smelled before teases my nostrils. Having switched from fingers to mouth to fingers, I started on my way deep into the caves. I have to look for traps however and that is the duty left for my lips. Saber’s sensitive skin responds positively to my kisses. My magic enhanced fingers go back to work on the upper body as I make my way to her underbelly. I deep my tongue into her hollow button and the effect is what I expected. She laughed out loud from the ticklish feeling. When I reach the borders of her skirt, the scent is stronger than before and I yank my hands back to remove the boulder in my way aside. I get no protests from Saber as I shade the purple thing aside. Now the only thing standing in my way is just the space between the altar on which my treasure rests and me. This too however has traps - The trap being the white silky little thing. Just the sight of that view and the slight wet spot in the middle makes me leak even more than before.

As I am enjoying the view, Saber decides to move and kisses me on the lips, this time initiating the kiss. We go through the exact same procedure and I can tell Saber didn’t know what to do so she waited to see what I did. When I reach the same state of undress she was, I decide to go into the driver’s seat once again. Saber is now aware of the state between my legs. I am trying really hard not to forget the purpose of this whole event. I do the same thing with my hands as I did to her arms earlier, beginning with her feet. I taste the insides of her thighs and I am very positive that normal human beings don’t taste like this. I dip my nose on the wet spot between Saber’s legs and she actually releases a sound no matter how quite it is. My senses at the moment are those of a wild Shark whose caught a whiff and sight of precious haemoglobin. Unlike a shark, I have something humans have, something other animals don’t, a sixth sense. I don’t just rush into my prey, instead I wait for my fingers to reach the destination and carefully start sliding the now priceless thing down Saber’s legs. I am not very confident in my sixth sense at the time however. It is all I can do to save the drool from falling on Saber’s milky skin. I stare at the now bare treasure and the only thing that brings me back to the present is Saber twisting my nipples between her fingers. I guess I am being punished for staring, but the punishment is more pleasing than painful.

I am however not to be outdone. I don’t care if there are traps everywhere. I go for it and taste the delicious fruit. My first impression is that it wasn’t sweet, but champagne isn’t sweet either. That does not mean that it isn’t my favourite drink. Saber’s cries are firing me up even more yet even with her being at my mercy, she still manages to reach back and caress my chest. I ran my tongue all over the place and I am entirely sure that the human body temperature is really just 36.6 degrees. I believe Saber’s secret place is over 40 right now. She is leaking her precious nectar and there is no way I am letting even a single drop go to waste. I pass a strong lick from the bottom to the top nub just under the blonde curls and tease it mercilessly with my mouth. I can feel Saber on the brink, but I can’t let her go just yet. There are matters to be taken into consideration no matter how I hate the idea right now. I pause in my ministrations and lift Saber’s weak body to rest on mine. I make her straddle my hips and I sit on the bed. She manages to pass a weak hand between our bodies and into my still panty-covered in-between. I bring one of my hands to her back and let a finger enter her. She shudders and does the same to me causing the same effect. I gently start moving it and I try not to think of what is actually happening because if I do, I know I won’t be able to cast the spell. After easing up Saber’s tight walls a little, I add a second middle finger and the distance increases. I push slightly forward until I come into contact with resistance. I know what’s preventing my fingers from penetrating further well enough from all the sex-ed I was forced to undergo. I don’t go any farther however. I want to save that honour for much later when there is no ulterior motive to our lovemaking.

I recite the spell to myself to make sure I got it right in my head and then I’m ready. I increase the speed of my fingers and change their pathways to bring Saber to the heights of ecstasy. She copies my actions and it is all I can do to fight to stay in my plans. I say out loud the spell while we reach that place I want to stay forever, but know it is only an instant paradise. After a few seconds of wonderful complete happiness, I feel my mind going out on me and I fall on my back with Saber resting on top of me. The last vision I have is of a tangled mess of blonde hair before everything goes black. When my eyes open, I am in a place I’ve never been before. The best way to describe it would be that it was heaven…though it was not. The skies were clear blue with only a few cumulous clouds. The plains were completely green with grass that was just the right height. Flowers of different kind everywhere, but what grabs my attention most was the Utopia that was no more than a mile away. This land looked magical to me. I wanted to know where we were so I turned to Saber, whom I felt was standing right next to me. My desire for knowledge went down to 0.2 on the scale of 100 when I saw the beauty right next to me. I am not sure if it was the environment we were in or what, but all of a sudden I was proud to be right there right then. She was wearing nothing and neither was I, obviously, but I didn’t mind the nakedness at all. Her hair was free and streamed through the air but that wasn’t what grabbed me. She gave off an air that I wasn’t sure to place in the Goddess category or the King’s. Her features screamed ‘Nobility’ and I suddenly felt unworthy.

Maybe it was this reason that lead to what happened next. Suddenly my distance from Saber started to grow and before I knew it, I found myself in a completely different world. The contrast from this and where I was would surely be heaven and hell. Where there were once blue skies there were now dark blankets of smoke stretching across the sky. Where the plains were once green, they were now black and barren from cooled lava. The mountains, once blanketed with beautiful species of flowers were now burning red hot with molten lava. I was suddenly very glad that I was floating and not walking on that surface. I am also dressed where I was naked before. As I look horrified by the sight before me, my senses tinkle and I have to move aside quickly to escape being run into by a…giant flying snake! I see another one following the first one in the same direction and after a few shocked seconds, decide to follow. It is now that I remember what I am to do and guess where I am. If my guess is correct then…how many times can one person be surprised in one day? When I reach my destination, what I see isn’t what I expected at all. I don’t even know what I had expected, but it was most certainly not that. There in front of me is a giant ball of three snakes and a great golden dragon. Forget about the weird winged dragons you see in children’s fairy tales. This is the real dragon of the Chinese mythology. It had a body like that of a very long lizard. It’s nostrils as long as a quarter of its complete length. The jaw could put a great alligator’s to shame. It has four legs just like normal lizards. It looks to be in great discomfort and I guess it is from the poison that the snakes are filling it with those humongous bites. I am compelled to study the dragon much more carefully and my eyes widen in understanding. That dragon in my sights is none other than Saber’s magic circuit given form. I guess that makes the giant snakes Gilgamesh’s doing. The dragon lets out an ear-shattering cry from the bite to its head. I can’t help, but shout out Saber’s name.

I want to kill myself for the stupidity of the action as all the attention is on me now. One of the giant reptiles makes its way towards me and it is all I can do to put up my arms in defence. I feel a rebound force as I am sent flying backwards, but without any harm. My eyes fly open and I see in front of me a big disk of green and blue light. I blink stupidly at that. Having played a few video games a long time ago, I can’t stop the goofy smile that evades my lips. If anyone were to see what I am going to do next, I would die of embarrassment, but nobody is here. Transformation sequence starts with a theme in the background. I am sure there is an easier way to deal with this, but so sue me. If my thoughts are given form here, then I might as well go all out. Hmmm, what should I go with? That very popular Gundam show comes to mind and I decide to try that out. I make a motion of raising my hand in the air and summon the giant robot. I am sure that if the snakes and dragon were able, they would be laughing at me right now judging by how they stared at me. That’s right. Laugh it out. I will be your doom very soon. Sure enough, after a few embarrassing moment, I am now inside a giant mecha. I push a few buttons and lock onto one of the snakes that came at me. The missile button is soft on my fingers as I release the mega ton seekers. The fire works have never been prettier. That’s one down and two more to go.

Nice sparkly things come out of the explosion and head for the golden dragon. They fuse with it and it glows slightly. I guess that was mana being returned to it. The golden creature seems to have gained some strength as it whirls around so fast that the two snakes twisted around it are thrown all over. I take that as a chance and materialise a laser sword in my mechanical fingers. I rush forward and cut off the second snake’s head. What happens afterward is the same as before, the pieces turn into sparkling golden light and go to their source. I turn to do away with the last snake however; it seems that my help stops here. The mighty dragon has gone after the retreating snake, but it never got very far before it was sliced into seven cylindrical pieces by a concentrated ice beam from the dragon’s mouth. The pieces turned into the same substance, which then return to the dragon. After that, the dragon started to descend to the ground in exhaustion. I guess it really was weaken from that attack. I shed the armour and float towards the downed beast and hover right beside its head. “Really, if you felt weak, you didn’t have to go and show off like that. I would’ve taken care of it myself.”

My only response was the shallow breathing through the huge nostrils that was getting even weaker. The glow on the dragon’s skin is growing fainter with its breathing and I can’t think of anything, but ‘that’. Surely with the amount of mana that it contains, even this great beast will be replenished. I close my eyes and visualise my ultimate jewel. It is like our family heirloom and it is filled with mana from even before my father’s time. The priceless stone appears in front of me and I open my eyes to see it lower into my open palms. It saddens me greatly to part with it, but if it is to help Saber, this is a price I can pay. I cast a simple spell to release it of its mana, which I guide into the dragon. The dragon is already completely healed even after just seconds of the procedure, but I give it all the stone’s contents. When the jewel is emptied, it cracks and turns into dust. I watch as the wind blows it out of my palms but just as many great things, I have to let it go. I turn to the dragon, which is shinning so brightly I have to squint my eyes. It shifts and turns fully towards me. After finally paralysing me to the spot by thanking me, it opens its wide mouth and I get swallowed completely. My screams do nothing, but send me crashing into the floor of…my room!

I stay there with my chin on the floor and my butt in the air blinking the sense back into me. I decide to save myself insanity and get back into bed. Saber is sound asleep still and I take great care to crawl my way back under the covers besides her. I lean my head onto my half raised arm and stare at the sleeping beauty. We were both careless before, but that stops now. From here on, I am going to get even more serious. I have to help Saber win the war so that her wish is a achieved. I am going to listen to her from now on. Whatever decisions she makes, we follow through. I don’t care about the master servant status anymore. Saber matters more and she comes first. Before that though, I need to regain the strength I’ve lost tonight in more ways than one. I will have to ask Saber when she wakes up to see if I was successful. I kiss her lightly on the nose and pull up the covers over us both. I snake my arms around her and have the most wonderful sleep I’ve ever had.

When I wake up, it is in a position that I don’t remember being in at night. I feel safe and warm though and I don’t want to wake up, but I have other standards to be met. The feeling I have is of what I’m sure lovers would have after a night of passion. I don’t want to jump the gun and start calling Saber my lover though. We may certainly have made love last might, but that doesn’t make her my lover, I think. I have to get up and get ready for school but…Saber’s warm arm around my waste is not a feeling I want to lose. Oh! The choices one has to make in life! Saber is so damn gorgeous when she is asleep. I can’t help, but remember the events of last night. It is certainly one I will never forget. I can still feel every thing – her touches and fruition of our actions, everything. We didn’t go to the extreme, but did the basic stuff yet the feeling was intense. My thoughts are interrupted when the beauty moans and flutters her beautiful green eyes. She bids me good morning and I reply back. We look at each other adoringly for sometime just enjoying the action but I break it. “Tell me Saber, were we successful last night? Did it work?” Saber blinks at me a couple of times then she understands what I am asking of her.

“Let me check Rin.” She removes one of her arms from around me, leaving only her left under my neck. She raises her right towards the ceiling and closes her eyes. A bright light starts to appear just above her raised palm and after a few seconds, Excalibur appears, but within it’s scabbard this time. I am awed by the magnificence of the sight. I never knew a weapon could make me feel like this. There in all its glory between Saber’s nimble fingers was Excalibur in its sheath, shinning a brilliant gold. The light was blinding and I was only able to tell that it was Excalibur having already seen its handle. I let out a quite ‘wow’ as I turned to Saber, but she too seemed to be surprised. I ask her what is wrong. “I am quite surprised Rin. What did you do inside of me? Before, even with a great magus who had a great deal of experience like Kotomine-san, I wasn’t able to summon Excalibur with its scabbard at the same time. I never thought that I would ever be able to see them together as a spirit. Thank you Rin, you will make a great magus in the future, of that I am sure.” She turned to me as she said that and after she tuned back to the sword. I did the same. After some time of appreciating one of our weapons that will lead us to victory, Saber releases it back from whence it came from. The power I felt from that weapon alone made my doubts fly out of the window.

“Rin, you had better get up and prepare for school or you will be late.” I give her a mean look and make to kiss her on the lips, but stop myself. It’s not like we are officially girlfriends, so there is no need to do that. I let out a sigh of disappointment and grab a bathrobe from the closet before heading for the bathroom to prepare for another day of school. I hope Sakura is at school today. I have to talk to her about Shinji and other stuff. But if she isn’t there today too, I’ll have to go to her home after school – for sure. Anyone that gets in my way shall be dealt with.

To be continued…