Disclaimer: Don't own Bleach or Fate/Stay Night.

"Hell no! You're not sleeping in the same bed as me! Especially not with my sisters in the room!"

"Master-"

"And I told you to stop calling me master! It's either Ichigo or Kurosaki, nothing else. If we're going to be partners then you need to at least get that much right."

The small blond girl fumed for a second before gritting out her next sentence, "...fine, Ichigo. But I still need to be close to protect you, and I can respond best from your bed."

"No means no!" Ichigo, an orange-haired young man, stood with his back straight and a commanding glint in his eyes. To the side of the two combating parties, a pair of middle school girls sat up in their beds, enjoying the verbal match.

One, with black hair that went slightly past her shoulders and a lithe, athletic frame, leaned over to whisper to the other, "Ichigo's really been getting that 'Parental Death Glare' down lately hasn't he?"

The other, with shoulder length blonde hair and joyous eyes, whispered back, "Hey Karin, you think we should get revenge on Ichi-nii for waking us up?"

Karin nodded her head, a feral smirk spreading across her face, "Yuzu, I've got just the idea."

Meanwhile, Ichigo continued his lecture, "I'll sleep on the floor and you get my bed. It's bad enough that you've ruled out the couch in the living room, but I draw the line at sleeping in the same bed."

The blond girl's steely green eyes glared right back at him, "In that case, Ma-Ichigo, I will sleep on the floor and you take your bed."

Ichigo scowled, stern features going dark, "I'm not letting a girl sleep on the floor. That's just not okay. You take the bed and I'll use some spare blankets on the ground. Now stop complaining! I'm the one who has suffer on the cold carpet!"

In the corner, Karin chimed in with a completely serious voice, "But Ichi-nii, you didn't have a problem when Yuzu-chan and I slept in your bed?"

Ichigo turned his scowl on his sister, but the damage was done. His harrasser-ahem, partner-Saber looked at Karin for a second before turning back to Ichigo, her face darkening, "Is this so? Then I do not see why you have such a problem with me in your bed."

Feeling that a scowl was insufficient, Ichigo pointed at Saber, "This is totally different! Seriously, they're my sisters, and you're just some random girl!"

Saber's face grew darker still, and the teen threw up his hands, "Gah! This is ridiculous, get over here!"

Ichigo grabbed Saber's hand and dragged her out of the bedroom and through the adjacent living room to the kitchen. Letting go of her wrist, he turned to face her, expression again set in lecture mode, "Look, I get that your job is to protect me, and I appreciate that. But what you're asking is over the line. You take my bed, which is near the window by the way, and you can watch for enemy...Servants or Masters...just fine. Deal?"

Green eyes searched his for a second before he recieved a stiff nod, "That is...acceptable."

Ichigo looked out the glass into the dark night for a second before turning back to his Servant, "One more thing. If an enemy of any kind does actually attack the house, you forget about me and get my sisters out of here immediately."

Saber started before her eyes narrowed, "My duty is to protect my Master."

Ichigo leaned forwards slightly, meeting her gaze, "Your duty is to listen to my orders, and if I have to I will use a command spell. My sisters are your top priority. If you want, you can get them somewhere safe and come back for me, but first I want you to take them as far and as fast as possible in case I do die and you fade."

The two glared at each other for a second before Saber replied, "I refuse. I came here to win this war, and if you won't even protect yourself there is no way we can succeed."

Ichigo huffed and turned away, kneeling to search through a cabinet. He popped a small compartment embedded in the wall open and pulled out a small, metallic rectangle about the size of a hand. Holding it up in front of himself, he fiddled with it for a second before a glowing blue blade fizzled into existence, "I have no intention of dying, only distracting and running. That doesn't change the fact that my sisters take precedence. You saw how capable I was in that warehouse, no matter how powerful Servants are. I won't last against a serious Servant, but with the homefield advantage and surprise, I should be able to escape on my own."

Saber looked at the sword for a second before returning to Ichigo's face, "I thought you said you weren't a magus?"

Another huff, "I'm not. I'd never even heard of them before I ran into that summoning thing-not that I'm surprised they exist. This is just a gift from a friend."

Saber held out a hand, examining the sword when it was given to her, "And this has to do with that Hollow?"

Ichigo nodded, "Something like that. Can we get to sleep now?"

"Fine. But I expect an explanation tommorrow. Also, I want to spar you so I can determine your chances of survival in this war. Without any magic, we must rely on your fighting skills to keep you alive."

Ichigo waved a hand dismissively as he turned away, "Whatever, I'm tired."

"Morning Ichi-nii! So, are you going to properly explain what's going on?" Yuzu, chipper as always, waved Ichigo to his chair at the kitchen counter.

The house the three lived in was small but cozy. The front door opened straight into the living room, which had the kitchen, the bedroom, and the bathroom attached. The kitchen itself was a small affair with a four burner stove and a cutaway counter that allowed the cook a clear view of the rest of the house and vice versa. Ichigo, Karin, and Yuzu all shared the same bedroom, which was large enough to easily accommodate all three beds despite Ichigo's being the queen size bed they had brought from their house in Karakura when they moved to Fuyuki City.

Ichigo sat down to the breakfast his little sister had prepared, "I told you that Saber is my partner for another war, right?"

Yuzu's bright face fell at that, "Will it...will it be as bad as the last one?"

Ichigo reached over and grabbed his sister's hand, "Hey now, you know I'll never let things end like that again. From what Saber's told me this one is much smaller and non-world ending, so we should be fine. Just to be safe though, I'm going to have Orihime come down to take you two back to Karakura for however long this thing goes on."

Karin's lips turned down at the corner, "What was that Ichigo? I thought I heard you say that you were going to shove us off to the side and fight alone again."

Ichigo frowned back and shook his head, "I never said that. And anyways, there is no way in hell you're going to stay here. Judging by how nervous Saber was about not...sleeping in my bed-God she's as bad as Rukia-there's a very real chance that something could happen here. It would be safer for everyone if you two were out of town. Besides, I want to ask Ishida to come down here as well as backup. He's going to lord it over me for all it's worth in that serious, sarcastic way of his, but you both know he has my back."

It was Yuzu's turn to frown, "But Ichi-nii, you promised no more secrets."

Ichigo nodded, "And that's why I'm telling you both what's going on." He focused on his food for a few seconds, a thoughtful scowl on his face, "...how about this. I'll call every night and tell you what I know and what's happened each day. Sound acceptable?"

Both of his sisters reluctantly nodded.

From the bedroom, Saber walked in looking remarkably unruffled despite having just woken up. "Good morning Ichigo, Karin, Yuzu. Who made breakfast?"

Yuzu waved enthusiastically, "I did! I made everyone lunch too! Actually, do you need a packed lunch Saber-chan?"

Before Saber could reply, Ichigo spoke up, "No, that's fine Yuzu. Unless Saber wants to look around the city then she's going to stay at home for today."

Saber paused to look at Ichigo, "Ichigo, there is much we need to talk about."

Ichigo shrugged, "It'll have to wait till later. I have to walk Yuzu and Karin to their new school and I have school all day. By the way, don't you have a test today Karin?"

Karin nodded as she tied her hair up in a pony-tail, "Yep, just a history test. No biggy."

Ichigo scowled, "I hope you studied for it."

Both Karin and Yuzu rolled their eyes, "Yes, Mom. I did study."

Saber's icy expression melted slightly before it hardened again, "Ichigo, I cannot let you go to school alone."

"You can, and you will. You said yourself that the war was limited to the night hours, so I should be fine." The teen nodded away from the table, "Besides, I figured that you wanted to familiarize yourself with the area."

Saber shook her head, "There is no guarantee that the other Masters will follow the unspoken rules."

Ichigo glanced up, "Well, I'm willing to take that risk. Karin, Yuzu, I want you two to wait at school for me today. I need to talk to your principle about getting you a leave of absence."

Saber glowered slightly at the dismissal, but otherwise accepted her Master's decision. For now.

After school, the small family ate dinner with Ichigo dodging all questions from Saber and turning everyone's attention to Orihime's visit the next day. About two hours after he got home, Ichigo headed out the front door, "I'll see you two in the morning. Saber, most Masters and Servants are unable to tell my status because I don't have active circuits, right?"

Saber considered his lanky form for a few seconds before shaking her head, "No, you are not going out alone tonight."

Ichigo scowled, "Look, I can't just have you hanging around my work. Besides, someone needs to take care of the house until Yuzu and Karin are out of town."

Saber just blandly stared back, "Ichigo, I cannot let you risk yourself in such a stupid manner. I do not understand why you can't stay in for work so that I may guard all three of you."

An irritable sigh, "I have to go in today, then I'm free for the next week if that makes you feel any better. And no, you still can't come."

Now Saber's eyes narrowed, "Ichigo..."

The orange haired teen held up his hand, "Your tone of voice isn't going to change anything. Watch over the girls. And if I catch you following me, I'm just going to use a command spell."

A few minutes after Ichigo had left, and after a few minutes of palpable seething from Saber, Karin spoke up, "Go ahead and follow our idiot brother to work. We'll be fine here with some of the security that Ichigo has hidden around the place. If anything major shows up I'll call him."

Yuzu pipped up as well, "Take good care of Ichi-nii, Saber-chan. He tends to overwork and take on way more than he can chew."

Saber paused in her hazy rage to look at Karin, "Karin...is Ichigo capable of fighting off a spirit?"

Karin looked up in surprise, "What?"

A grimace, "You see, Masters and Servants share...memories...of their lives when asleep. It is known commonly as the dream cycle. I have seen Ichigo...leave his body? Yes, something about his soul separating from his body for the purpose of fighting off monsters called Hollows. I cannot sense anything, but can he still do that?"

Both Karin and Yuzu avoided Saber's questioning gaze. It was Yuzu who spoke up, "Well...Karin can, or should be able, to do that. She has high-level spiritual power. I was never born with the...weight of soul necessary to do so, but Ichigo was the first to see the dead spirits in our old town. Now though...well, there was a war. I don't know if you've seen it, but it sounds like you haven't. Ichigo had to stop a madman, and in order to do so he gave up his powers. He is just like me now. A normal human being."

Karin caught Saber's eyes, "Just take care of him for us. He's already given everything to protect us, and I don't want to lose him like...just protect him. It's about time someone watches over him instead of the other way around."

"I'll be sure to keep him from harm." Saber nodded gratefully to the pair of twins who got all of the common sense in the family before opening the door and leaping to the rooftops.

Through the connection between Master and Servant, she managed to track him down and shadow his route. The senior crossed the Fuyuki bridge, which Saber remembered as the site of the fight against Caster and his sea monster, and continued on to Shinto. His path went right past a park in the city that reeked of such malice that Saber had trouble following him near. Unsure just what had happened since the last Grail War, Saber decided that telling her Master to stay as far away from that park as possible was a good idea. Although locking him inside the house was beginning to sound more and more appealing.

For the umpteenth time since following her new Master home, Saber wondered at his and his sister's living situation. As far as she could see, they lived without any type of supervision. Indeed, her Master seemed to fill a parent/sibling hybrid role for his sisters. More than that, they all seemed completely unsurprised by the revelation of the Grail War, despite professing no relation to or knowledge of Magecraft or Magi.

From what she had gathered in conversation so far, as well as the dream cycle, her master had, or once had, spiritual sensitivity. Unfortunately, she could no longer feel anything of the sort from the boy, though the last scene from before she awoke, that of her Master facing off against an inhuman monster with a massive cleaver, left her hopeful of their chances in the war. He seemed a much more straightforward fighter than her last Master, despite his infuriating attitude and generally rude comments.

She did, of course, wonder where their father was. A nagging feeling made her fear the answer.

Saber shook off her musings when she realized that she had lost sight of her wayward Master. Going over the last few seconds in her mind, she located the door that her Master had entered.

He had led her to an entertainment district in town. The surroundings were surprisingly high class, though Saber figured that her Master had to have a generous income to support three growing teens on a part-time job salary, night-shift or not.

Deciding that she needed to get inside to prevent Assassin from taking advantage of her Master's rampant stupidity, Saber walked up to the door with her usual confidence, casual clothes provided by Ichigo (who'd bought the wrong size for his sisters more than once) letting her blend in.
At the door, she reached out and grabbed the handle, only to find it locked. Surprised, she knocked and a small portal slid open around head height...for an average Japanese male. It took a second for the person inside to look down at Saber in surprise.

"Who're you?"

Saber almost bristled at the tone but her usual impassivity showed through, "I am a friend of Ichigo Kurosaki. I would like to talk to him."

A lecherous chuckle, "I thought that boy would never get a woman. Guess even prudes can be more adventurous at that age."

The almost bristle manifested in an icy glare and stiff posture, which only increased the doorman's amusement. "He's on in a few minutes, I'll take you to one of the observation boxes. Can't let our prize fighter's girlfriend go neglected now can we?"

Choosing to ignore the last part of the comment, Saber focused on the relevant information, "Prize fighter?"

The nondescript man grinned widely, "Yeah, that kid just can't lose. Hell, most of his opponents can't even touch 'im! And this is even with the weapons-free rule the boss introduced last year! And whenever he does grab a blade...damn. Like watching lightning strike in the same place on the same man."

Saber frowned slightly, "...I see. I'm sure that I will enjoy watching him."

Her guide's lips twitched downwards a bit, "You don't have to talk so formally, I won't bite. Wait, that's just how you normally are isn't it? Leave it to Kurosaki to find the only prim and proper girl this side of the river. I didn't think he'd be able to shut off his attitude for a girl, honestly." By the end, the man's voice had gotten distinctly exasperated.

This time Saber actually growled, "He didn't."

The doorman glanced at her in surprise before laughing again, "Now I get it! You got his attitude and spunk, just under a different layer. You two already seem similar."

Saber briefly fantasized about grabbing the man and using him to beat Ichigo over the head, but gave it up as a bad job when he showed her to a seat in a small stadium with an octagonal cage at its center. After a few seconds of looking around in confusion, Saber finally realized exactly what Ichigo did at night. The vast majority of people here bore clothing of high quality, and a number resembled the mob bosses that Irisviel had shown her on TV. It looked like the dutiful older brother was a prize fighter. Little better than a mercenary showman.

Saber's lips thinned into a severe white line.

When Ichigo finally came onto the platform, his opponent was just slightly bigger than him. Both wore only shorts and gloves, though Ichigo's opposite opted to wrap his feet. The two took their respective stances across from each other and then the ref stepped out of the cage and signaled the start.
The match was quick, and brutal. Neither side pulled their punches, and if Ichigo hadn't diverted or dodged the various assaults, he would have far worse than bruises and cuts to deal with. Ichigo's opponent, on the other hand, was not so effective a fighter.

It wasn't even that Ichigo was faster or more skilled.

Saber could see it, in the moment that the other man struck out with a leg or a fist. Ichigo's eyes would dart around, considering the blow far faster than either's body could react, before deciding on a course of action and implementing it.

For the first half of the fight, Ichigo dominated without a single wasted movement. After a short round, Ichigo stepped down his fight when his opponent proved to be sufficiently wearied and beaten. The boy's instincts were just as impressive as his apparently inhuman reaction time. Even without carefully calculating his responses, Ichigo swiftly blocked, countered, and attacked in blinding combos. If it weren't for the fact that the other man had a surprisingly robust constitution, Ichigo would have won on the first exchange.

The finish showed Saber even more. Abandoning his instincts and once more taking in his opponent fully, Ichigo ducked under a desperate haymaker and lauched a simple right cross.

That punch knocked the man six feet into the chain-link boundary with enough force to draw blood from the man's back, break several ribs, and rattle the entire stage.

The raucous cheers from the crowd disgusted Saber.

Ichigo fought in one more match against a man with a good foot and a half on him before walking away with the prize for the little underground tournament.

Saber intercepted him outside.

"You are a disgrace."

Ichigo jumped, swirling around in a smooth motion that brought a knife hand straight at Saber before he halted his instinctive response. Saber's hand was an inch away from stopping the strike.

"To lower yourself to mere spectacle and turn fighting into such a...such a blatant show of brutality, I can't express how dissappointed in my Master I am."

Ichigo scowled at her, "None of your damn business. Now what the fuck are you doing away from the house. I ordered you to protect my sisters."
Saber glared at him, "This discussion is not over. Why exactly do you feel the need to debase yourself with this vulgar sport? Do you enjoy the pitiful fame? The," a dignified sniff," 'rewards' of popularity?"

Ichigo turned around to square off with his Servant in the middle of the street, "What was that? I've dropped dozens of idiots for lesser insults."
Saber stalked forwards, "Really? Just what kind of brother are you, to slink off and brawl while your sisters work hard to support you. A delinquent, little better than the bandits of my era. Huh, figures with that attitude and hair."

Ichigo's voice lowered to a deathly cold, menacing tone. His eyes became flinty and within their depths, far past his intentions and mind and buried deep within the boy's soul, Saber saw something that gave her pause. "You think that just because you're some tough hero that I'll let you get away with saying that? Bring it. I'll even let you throw the first damn punch."

Rattled, but refusing to give ground, Saber sneered, "I will not reduce myself to your petty brawls."

Ichigo glared before whirling around and growling out, "Follow me. We'll settle this your way then."

Saber marched after her furious Master, content that she would get to beat a lesson into the arrogant child playacting as an adult.

Ichigo threw a wooden bokken over to Saber from the kendo club storage. For a heroic spirit and a former delinquent, sneaking into a school at night and breaking into the kendo dojo was child's play. Saber caught the practice sword and swung it around a bit, preparing to beat her Master senseless.
Ichigo, meanwhile, had closed his eyes and taken several deep breathes. He walked over to the center of the wooden floor and took a sideways stance, sword held in one hand.

Saber drifted over to face him, bringing her bokken into a two-handed ready grip. She narrowed her eyes at Ichigo's single-handed grip, "Do you truly think to match me with a single hand?"

"Shut up, this is how I fight. Now are you ready to go or not?"

A nod answered his question, a quick snark goaded him to action, "Well? Are you going to come at me for my slander? Or was it all true."

Ichigo snarled and stepped forward, sword arcing in towards Saber's side faster than any but the fittest human could manage. Saber, naturally, brought her own sword over to block.

With an experienced eye, Saber watched her Master think through his plan of attack mid-swing. Even as her sword smacked into his, he spun about with the irresistable force ready to take another swing at her.

Saber, of course, wasn't having it. A single step and her bokken smacked Ichigo hard enough on the shoulder to drive him stumbling to his knees.
He rolled off his bent leg and brought his bokken sweeping back around, attempting to ward off the blow that wasn't coming. His strike screeched to a halt when he saw Saber standing unruffled right back where she started.

Ichigo went stone faced as he looked over his Servant, rubbing his shoulder with one hand. Without a single word, he got back into his stance, watchful.

For a few seconds the two stared each other down, and this time Saber struck first. Her sword blurred, far to fast for even an enhanced human to see. But Ichigo had fought against opponents who strode over mountains and laughed at gravity, being unable to see an attack meant little to him.

Saber again considered her Master's ability, watching his body go through motions that exceeded its capabilities only to recieve a welt on the sword arm. Ichigo growled, and Saber's lips twitched upwards, a small self-satisfied smile, "It looks like you realize that you stand no chance against a Servant. Now all I need to do is teach you that prize fighting is a pathetic waste of time and we will be on the same page."

The growl got louder, rising to the level of a dull roar, and Ichigo made to swing his sword. Saber scoffed and brought her own around to block it, but Ichigo drew his sword arm inwards before the two met. Saber decided to meet the challenge head on and took a swipe at Ichigo's head, but her eyes widened when the sword that had previously been withdrawn darted out in a simple jab.

He was going to take the hit to his head just to score a blow!

If that's how he's going to fight...then I have yet to teach him his lesson.

Saber spun, avoiding the sword aimed unerringly for her heart and reversing the swing of her bokken. The momentum doubled and Ichigo tumbled to the floor several feet away, his head ringing and skull pounding.

"Foolish. No Heroic Spirit is going to fall for such a simple ploy, and you will only get yourself killed with a move like that." Saber walked over to where Ichigo was attempting to get off the ground, sword coming to rest just under his chin and green eyes meeting his dazed brown, "You cannot hope to challenge a Heroic Spirit in this condition, Master."

Ichigo's eyes, still slightly confused, sharpened nonetheless, "Shove it."

His leg snaked out, foot hooking onto Saber's ankle and yanking hard enough to surprise her easy stance. So far, Saber had held back on just about everything. Her strength, speed, and even reflexes were being suppressed to conserve prana. The problem was that her master had no magic circuits to speak of. To be entirely honest, there should have been no way for him to summon her, but piggybacking on another magus' summoning seemed to have done the trick, if on accident.

With her natural strength and speed suppressed, Ichigo managed to achieve sufficient time and opportunity to force her off of her feet.

Not even bothering to get up, he swung his bokken, which he had held onto the entire time, down on Saber.

Despite the best possible conditions for Ichigo, Saber was simply to fast. Her hand shot out, catching the ground and letting her find stability. Her other hand brought her bokken around hard enough to knock Ichigo's sword away and right out of his hand. Gracefully, and fast enough that Ichigo was unable to keep up with his eyes, Saber spun around and hit Ichigo on the side, bruising the bone and throwing him back to the ground.

Standing tall, Saber glared down at her Master, "Fine then. I will just have to beat the truth into your body if your mind refuses to accept it."

An hour later, Ichigo struggled upright, leaning heavily against the wall.

His eyes were still locked onto Saber's own, defiant.

The swordswoman was getting fed up, "Dammit Ichigo! Just accept it, you can't win. Determination is admirable, but stubborness to the point of stupidity will only get you killed!"

Ichigo replied, the first words in an hour of intense...beating. His words came out in short bursts, chest heaving with exertion but expression bright red in fury. "Shut UP! I won't have you just insult me and think it a good opportunity to teach a lesson. This is fucking nothing! I've fought too hard, had too many people tell me to give up, to fall HERE. I won't accept this."

Saber growled, sword shaking in her frustration, "Your pride is WORTHLESS. If you're willing to lower yourself to be a showdog for a few trinkets and a little fame, then why can't you accept a simple loss against your better!"

Ichigo actually chucked his bokken at Saber, unable to cross the distance on his battered legs, "What the HELL WOULD YOU KNOW!" He roared.

"That had nothing to do with me liking fighting! There was no glory or luxury or any of that damn crap you mentioned! I needed goddamn money or I would lose my sisters! You know what? If you can't stand me then just leave. I don't want a damn thing to do with this war! I have a family to take care of, and risking my life for something as ridiculous as the 'Holy Grail' leaves a hell of a bad taste in my mouth. So just leave and find a new Master, bitch."

Saber had stepped back, realizing that she had misjudged Ichigo's actions, but she began to bristle as he went on, "Oh, is that so? So you think you can just walk away from this? You think you can insult my name like that and get away with it?"

Ichigo finally stood up, leaning heavily on his right leg, "Damn right I do! If you can insult me, I can insult you. And this ridiculous little farce of yours? Why should I even participate in it? To help you? I don't even know your actual name!" Ichigo stumbled about slightly, arm out and pointing in accusation at Saber.

Saber glared, not quite sure how to answer. "Do you...really have no wish that you can think of?"

Ichigo stared her in the eye for a second before looking away, "...no. I...don't. At least, not for myself."

"Then what would you wish for if you won?" Saber asked.

Ichigo looked back, habitual scowl back on his face, "Don't ask such personal questions when you won't even give me your name."

Saber's eyes fell, he posture unsure, "Will you tell me if I give you my name?"

Ichigo considered the suddenly not quite so icy girl, "I would wish my father back to life. My mother too. My sister's need them...they need actual parents who can take care of them."

He paused, his voice catching, "Yuzu and Karin can barely even remember Mom. They were only five when she died." A deep breathe, "The worst part...the worst part is that I am the one who led her to die. If I hadn't been such an idiot, if I hadn't fallen for that Hollow's trap, she wouldn't have had to die so that I could live."

He stumbled to the racks, putting his bokken away. To Saber, it looked like his will to fight had just vanished into thin air. Where before his eyes had blazed with fury and stood strong with hidden steel, now they were hollow.

"And...and dad was the same. He died protecting me, died believing in me and giving me the time to stop a madman. If I had been just a little bit stronger, just a little less hesitant, he would probably still be alive making my sisters happy. I was to weak, am still to weak."

He had already started heading out the door, ignoring the sweat and blood from his bruises on the floor and the unsecured storage. Saber darted around, putting away her own bokken and locking everything up. A minute later and she had caught up to his despondent form. His shoulders had lost all the youthful pride and strength that she just now realized he carried around like an unconsious shroud.

The two walked in silence back towards the small apartment Ichigo shared with his sisters. For a long time, Saber had no idea what to say or do. Not until they came into sight of the apartment building did she finally realize just what she needed to say. The two girls had given her a task, and she had a new purpose. A new reason to fight for the grail that just made the first one all the greater.

Rounding on Ichigo, forcing him to look up and pay attention to her, Saber stood tall, proud, and confident, "Kurosaki Ichigo. My name is Arturia Pendragon, King of Knights and wielder of Excalibur. You are my Master in this war for the Holy Grail, and I give you my oath that I shall protect you and your family with all of my strength. If you would have it, my blade is yours to strike down your foes, and if you would have it, my blade is yours to get the Holy Grail and your parents. Will you accept my pledge?"

Ichigo stood, slightly stunned by the sudden declaration, before a new light entered his eyes. Saber watched with approval as his back straightened, "I accept your sword. If you will have me as your Master."

Saber smiled, a small, proud smile, "It would be my honor to call you Master."

That night, Arturia Pendragon dreamed of monsters and shinigami, of new friends and a massive sword.

A/N: Sooooo, yeah I started this little fiction and can't stop writing it. Surprising actually, I really just want to get this one down. Fifth Grail War, all that jazz. I'm plan on changing Assassin, since without Saber Shirou needs a Servant.

And really, if Hassan-i Sabbah is the archetypal Assassin, then shouldn't the successors to the Old Men on the Mountain, the Assassin Order, get a little air time?

So yeah, I want to stick a sort of hybrid Ezio/Altair character in.

Since neither of the two are known for their special abilities beyond great skill and fitness (And a supernatural ability to survive wounds), I don't want to use them. Also, other plot points that I intend to make use of later. So instead, I'm going to make use of the Zabaniya: Delusional Illusion example crossed with genetic memories.

An Assassin leader following Ezio will manage to unlock his genetic memories to a greater extent than anything short of the Animus.

In this guy's case, skills, memory figments (think those phantoms that Desmond followed around), and personality traits will bleed over. In order to keep everything in order, he will go back in the records and realize that he can compartmentalize, and he will do the same thing as the Fourth Grail War Assassin, only with his ancestors.

Unsure if any of the Hassan-i Sabbah's from Fate will be an ancestor but I doubt it.

Also, I want to reconsider the Templar vs. Assassin war with the addition of the Church and Magi, meaning that Ezio and Altair would have been legitimately stronger and faster than a normal man, like Kirei. No super abilities, but that will be enough. As for an Apple of Eden...I dunno. Also, the Apples would probably be creations of the gods, maybe as a means of reigning humanity in. Sort of like controlling Alaya and stuff. Man, Type-Moon can mesh with EVERYTHING. Probably the reason I like the mythos so much. And no, there will be no great exploration of the Assassin order. This is just an add-on and maybe a small side-plot.

So this should be fun, we'll see what happens.

Pre-disclaimer: I don't own Assassin's Creed. Can't wait to buy number 3.