A/N: I'm so sorry for the lag in update everyone! Unfortunately, school is busy, and the new semester is daunting, thus far. I've spent he break between semesters writing this, so I hope this is acceptable. Without further adieu, I present to you, the fourth chapter.

~~~~~~ [ For some odd reason, I can't find the line break button anymore...? o.o So I'll just use this. ] ~~~~~~

"I'm sorry, I believe I don't quite understand..." Diaochan trailed off, eyebrows knitting together in the process. "Something I wish for...?"

Rider nodded in assent and Caster continued, "I mean, is there something that you really want or want to happen? Something that wouldn't be possible without it being, say, a miracle? Or without the help of magic?"

Diaochan's lips formed a perfect 'o' as she realized what the two were alluding to. "Sorry, that was a bit out of the blue for me, so I didn't catch on... Wish? Well, I suppose. I mean, don't we all? We all have something we desperately want or need."

The question was rhetorical, of course, but she found herself wanting to know more about the two when a despondent look flashed across their eyes, the moment she made a mention of it. Since she had first stepped into the room today, a strange sense of ease had settled over her. Which, of course, was rather absurd, namely because of the situation that had brought her to the room in the first place.

It was humiliating to say the least, but unfortunately, that was not the first time it had happened. She had hoped to keep that part of her life hidden from her visitor for as long as possible, but alas, that plan was ground to dust. Not only that, but it seemed that her patient, per se, had another 'friend' help save her, instead. And so, not one, but two, saw the whole debacle.

Perhaps melting into a puddle and disappearing forever would be a suitable answer to all her problems. That sounded rather appealing. She shook her head to clear her thoughts. Don't be silly. she berated herself, it wouldn't be possible anyways...

Diaochan cleared her throat, crossing both arms under her ample chest as she spoke once more. "Why would you ask something so implausible anyways? Miracles are unlikely to happen. What I want isn't worthy of notice in comparison to what God must answer to."

Rider's eyebrows knitted together. So, she's religious, I suppose... But-

"But what if I told you such a thing really could happen?" Caster explained, alerting Rider of her eagerness to have Diaochan join their side. "Are you not curious as to how Medusa suddenly appeared? You know the supernatural can occur. Surely you believe that much?"

Diaochan nodded slowly. "I suppose if you put it like that... So you're saying, supernatural forces are at work here in this city?" There was no use denying that much.

"Magic." Rider corrected, causing Diaochan's eye brows to shoot up, obscured by her bangs.

"Magic...?" She parroted, the word rolling off her tongue like it was jargon she'd never heard of before. "Just, like... poof? How do you expect me to believe that?"

"We'll explain it to you." Caster asserted, startling Diaochan with her determination. Why was it that the other was so determined to convince her...?

"Uhm, alright..." Diaochan nodded for her to begin, prompting Caster to give Rider a side-long look, who, nodded imperceptibly at the cue. A little bit of... convincing, should do. They were great at convincing and persuading, after all.

"How do you suppose we even exist? We're the real figures from history or classical mythology books, you know." Caster began, eliciting the desired reaction from Diaochan once more.

Out of habit, her teeth worried her bottom lip, pulling it in a bit as she thought. Rather sensually, if you asked the two servants. "Well, perhaps... Maybe through-"

"Reincarnation?" Rider supplied, to which Diaochan hesitantly nodded. "No, because we never really existed to begin with."

"We exist in folklore, and myths, passed on, originally, by word of mouth. Besides, I thought you don't believe in such things...?"

"Christianity doesn't," Diaochan amended, but my mother raised me differently, so perhaps... Perhaps..." People needed to be more open-minded? And now wasn't that applicable to nearly everything...?

"Nonsense." Caster cut in immediately. "Believe what you will, but ponder it. We were given birth through literature, and summoned by someone. As such, we must also be sustained by someone. Why do you think you met Lancer in the past? Surely, you could tell that he was not entirely human? Why do you think he appeared?"

Caster gave a short pause for it all to sink in, seeing as Diaochan was delving deeper into the reasoning for all these explanations. She could almost see the wheels turning in the woman's head, churning out various ideas and answers, only to be rejected and replaced by more absurd ones. "There is a reason we-" Caster gestured to Rider and herself, " -appear in the world. We are summoned to fight to the death for one of our wishes to be granted. Only the victor may have the privilege, however, so we fight for the coveted prize. As you've mentioned, we all have something we desire."

At the mention of violence and death, Diaochan blanched, the colour draining from her face immediately.

"Fight...? To the death...?" She echoed, petrified by the idea that such a horrendous thing existed. Fight to the death... All for one wish? How is that even worth it? To physically kill someone... Diaochan shivered at the thought. I can see how tempting it would be... Something so formidable as to be able to give physical shape and form to historical figures, and even fictional ones... It has to be real, the power is undeniable... But isn't that too good to be true? Shouldn't the power be shared then? At least to bring an end to this gruesome fight? And how often does such a fight occur? Every fibre of her being was wholly against such a violent exploit. She had devoted her life to the exact opposite of robbing someone of their life, after all.

Diaochan glared at the floor, staring through it as she continued to sort out her thoughts. Things were starting to fall into place: all the strange encounters, coincidental happenings... She had written them off due to a lack of evidence, and had dismissed the thoughts as folly. In retrospect, she should've listened to her intuition.

"So..." Diaochan finally spoke once more, swallowing thickly, and breaking the spell as Rider and Caster had been staring slightly, and intently at her, like trying to read a particularly difficult textbook, and now listened avidly. "This... Wish-granting thing..." She began, "What is it exactly?"

"The Holy Grail." Both servants answered immediately in chorused unison.

"I should've suspected as much..." Diaochan muttered under her breath, unaware both could hear her just fine. It was like a tale straight from a book... much like the figures before her. "And how does the Holy Grail determine who gets the wish?"

"A fight to the death. The victor receives the prize." Rider echoed.

"Amongst seven pairs of people. The victor will be allowed to touch the Grail." Caster continued, much to Diaochan's chagrin. Arguably, she was progressively paler, rivalling the colour of sour cream. "Seven worthy Masters are selected to fight in what is called, the Holy Grail War, and the Grail aids in summoning a Servant for each Master. The Servants are reincarnations of legendary heroes from all time, be it from folklore or history. These resurrected souls possess superhuman characteristics and wield powerful artefacts or abilities called Noble Phantasms, symbols of their heroism during life. The Master summons a Servant from only one of the seven classes: Saber, Archer, Lancer, Berserker, Rider, Assassin, and Caster, each representing their distinctive role in battle..."

The longer the two alternately explained, the worse Diaochan felt about it. How can something that claims to grant a wish, be the source of so much bloodshed? If its only purpose was to grant a wish, it should not require such bloodshed. Surely, there are other ways to garner magical power to summon the Grail? It would take time, yes, but at the least, lives would be spared! There is no way the original Grail was like this... or were we all fools, deceived by words?

Diaochan hated the thought of killing, and with the sudden deluge of information, her thoughts whizzed about in her head, crashing and exploding in an ever-more frantic frenzy. A noticeable pressure seeped into and permeated the room, pinning them down to the spot, as if gravity had changed in its strength. Rider and Caster immediately stopped, feeling the change in the atmosphere before the pressure settled, eyes widening at Diaochan, who looked supremely distressed. Was it her doing? It seemed so.

"Why would such an evil thing exist?!" She whispered quietly, more to herself than anything. "How can this even be allowed to exist?!" She demanded of no one. "I can't wish for something so selfishly, knowing the road was made possible by the blood of others. Everything I could possibly wish for pales in comparison to the-"

And just like that, the pressure disappeared as Diaochan cut herself off. She wasn't stupid. It was a wish. Many a man or woman would at least wish for material goods, or even supernatural powers and immortality. It was only natural, to want an escape from a painful and miserable life, even a mundane and meaningless one. That was not including all the ways one could obtain power over others, and it was certainly an attractive prospect. Who knew what the other Masters were like? She would very much hope for death instead, if a blood-thirsty, power-hungry psychopath nabbed the Grail for his personal use. It would be utter chaos, and dystopia would be the norm. She wouldn't allow it. She couldn't allow it! Secretly, she too, had a desire of her own, and yet, so did the others who participated. That wish was held so dear to her. Suppose, all the others had one like her? She could understand why they would fight so viciously over it.

Diaochan surprised the two in steeling her nerves, a determined expression on her face. "You mentioned that you are Servants... Where are you Masters now?"

"I was summoned by Caster, so she sustains me." Rider explained to her in a heart beat. She too, wished to know how it was Caster was summoned, if she was powerful enough to sustain a full Servant.

"And I was summoned by another mage... But he has since passed away..." Caster trailed off mischievously. Things were running smoothly as of yet, and soon, she would have Diaochan's... assistance? partnership? affection? Nonsense.

Caster's brows stitched together, lips pursed. In an effort to enlist her help, she'd forgotten what exactly she was originally asking from her. But, now that Diaochan seemed thoroughly convinced to help, it seemed like the original reason and outcome she wanted, was to be near Diaochan. More accurately, it felt like a need to be with her, to have her by their side. Perhaps it was a means for her to thank the kind-hearted woman.

Caster saw Rider shift imperceptibly in her peripheral vision, and knew she thought the same as well. Her eyes dropped from Diaochan's eyes, drifting lower, lingering on her lips as she talked, and eventually down to her bosom and back. Something seemed to click into place, and a sly smile crept onto her face before she interrupted Diaochan delicately, shortening her breathing rate gradually, as if she'd recently ran a race, or physically exerted herself.

"It's difficult for Servants to stay in this world without someone to provide them mana. The Grail summons us, providing a vessel for us, but it is up to the Master to sustain them and replenish lost mana. And seeming as I not only have to sustain myself, but one other too, I have a rather large burden as compared to others."

Caster's cheeks were flushed now, which was surprisingly easy to attain and sustain, prompting Diaochan to immediately rush on to the bed with no regards whatsoever to protocol or whatnot. She sat seiza style right beside Caster, hands gently cupping her flushed face with genuine worry etched all over. She had mentioned that her own Master had passed away, so there was no source of power for Caster, and... she feared that whatever happened to her if she still continued on without 'mana,' something grave would transpire. She wasn't sure she wanted something else etched into her conscience...

When Caster squirmed a bit, feigning an escape, much to Rider's amusement, Diaochan leaned forward, swinging one leg over Caster's and straddled her on the waist, pinning both of her arms down.

"Wait, quit struggling! What can I do to help you? I'd hate to see you in any kind of pain, and I certainly don't think you are in any condition to be moving around so much, if what you say is true. I'm willing to try anything!"

Bingo. Caster and Rider thought.

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A/N: And there you have it. So as usual, please let me know what you thought in a review. I really lose steam when I don't get feedback.

Also, what do you guys think should happen next? Should they perhaps, you know...? Well, if you don't, then God bless your innocent soul. Or, just carry on with the story line~? Again, let me know in a review~!