A message from the author!

Thank you everyone who's been so interested in this story. Though this story isn't as big as a priority as my others, I'm still doing my best to be as serious with this one as much as possible. I was astonished so many people have messaged me to ask me to continue. I've even gotten people who haven't favorited or followed the story. So, I ask how you guys are going to read it without getting a notification.

Second, I've decided what I'm going to do with Shirou. There will be MUCH character growth. I plan on him being one of the greatest badasses of all time. But that won't be until much later, so bear with me. He's so intolerable right now to the point where even I'm having difficulty dealing with him. Which is good! It'll make the end result that much more satisfying.

Third, the Artorius I use in this story is different than the one I use in ToS. The Heroic Spirit Artorius in ToS has a set of parameters, skills depending on her Rider Class, and Noble Phantasms. This Artorius, more fitting of a goddess in corporeal form (and that's stretching the truth a little bit) doesn't have any of those. So it's a bit more difficult for me to elaborate or come up with a scale for what she can and can't do.

For example, HS Artorius' Dux Legionum is a Noble Phantasm. It takes the form of blood spheres in which can morph into any weapon/shield/armor of her choosing while she can only use four at a time due to her Bloodlust skill. THIS Artorius' Dux Legionum, however, is more of a... badge of honor, I suppose. She's not as limited as the Heroic Spirit, yet at the same time there are things she can't do that the HS can.

The same applies to Vincitore (her dragon) and Jus Gladii. Ah, Jus Gladii; that right there is a HUGE can of worms I don't want to get into. But sometime in the story I will. Somehow...

Last, this chapter took so long because my Financial Advisor busted my balls after reading the last one. He said, "Oh, so you're doing the normal route? The way you were talking about it, I thought you were going to have [Saber] Alter as Berserker."

This led me into a spiraling torrent of despair, pondering whether I should go back and redo the entire second chapter or just continuing with the story. Eventually I stuck with what I originally posted and am continuing as is.

That's everything! Please enjoy!

Victory, I have known.

They called him a child. For one so young and so inexperienced, only his title as the next heir of the House of Artorii with blood linking to the elder line of Castii gave him the recognition to take a position of officer. He started off as a low-ranking Centurion after attending the required academia lessons on military affairs as well as acquiring a recommendation by a noteworthy number of members of the Senate. His peers never expected anything of him— to them, he was nothing more than another noble brat, albeit a high-ranking noble belonging to Rome's founders. They thought he would get whatever squad under his command killed by his arrogance and so sent him off to be a burden onto of Senator Verus. And the Senator, having felt insulted, had given him command to the greenest and most incompetent soldiers.

How wrong they could have been.

Most of the Third Legion had sworn their allegiance to Senator Verus. And when Verus had declared himself the rightful emperor of Rome, the legionnaires encouraged him. However, the young boy, with his heart pure on virtue of Rome's interest, could not see someone as impure as Venus as the rightful ruler. With his private squad of thirty legionaries, the boy waged battle against the Senator in what should have been an impossible feat. Though it was an uphill battle, and with several hundred of Rome's finest dead, the boy had never lost a single one of his men. His men, who had never seen battle and had the maturity level to be seen as nothing more than defectives with sharp sticks, had been able to turn the tides of an entire army. And Senator Venus had lost his head on that blazing night.

Perhaps, one might think, it was because of that holy sword. A sword, it was said, blessed by the gods in which had been in the hands of the Artoria since before the family's founding. He who shall wield it shall—

Defeat, I have never faced.

Nonetheless, despite his actions, the rightful emperor had disbanded the Third Legion and sent its troops scattered throughout Rome's entire province, including the boy. He was relocated to another Legion without any credibility other than the rumors the soldiers would spread across the world. Though he had the liberty of taking his most loyal, five of the men who served him and swore their eternal allegiance to him.

He was relocated to the Sixth Legion at the heart of the city of Dacia as another Centurion to a weary and ragged division— as nothing more than a custodian. Though this unit had seen much war in the recent rebellion of the Dacians, they were tired down from the years and wanted nothing more to do with battle even as the fighting had long concluded. They lacked the morality to continue with their posts and did as they pleased. They gambled, they stole, they harassed the locals, they raped, and they drank.

The boy would have none of this. When they stole, he cut off their hands. When they drank, he burnt their lips. When they raped, he spliced open their groins and watched them bleed out. The other Centurions stationed criticized him, but many a soldier whispered horrors amongst themselves. None would ever dare to strike at the boy else face the wrath of the entirety of one of Rome's most powerful families.

Under the rule of a new emperor, the Legion was transferred out of Dacia and sent towards Africa to be a first wave to take the brunt of the defending tribes. It was said to be a reward for their deeds in quelling the rebellion, but nothing could have been further from the truth. So few in numbers, exhausted in morality, and struck with a newfound plague upon arriving at the lands, they would soon be forced to retreat home. But should they abandon their post and dishonor Rome, death awaited their return.

The boy raised his sword once more, gathered his men, and carved his foundation into the lands. With his sharp tongue and persona of steel, he was the ideal soldier. Those under his command were not killed, never struck with disease, and never turned against another. Within the short time they had been forced into this invasion, a brotherhood had been formed among the forty-seven legionaries under Centurion Artorius.

I ruled with Love.

Alas, he was drawn away from the Legion in time and transferred again. But not without taking ten more of those who forever swore their allegiance to him as well as a few of the defenders who had been claimed as slaves.

He was to return to Dacia under the command of the Second Legion, but not as a simple Centurion this time. He was a captain of a single ship in a harbor in a neighboring city of Aquincum, positioned on purpose in a scheme by the emperor to be rid of an heir to a family who could claim to the throne. Now there was a fine challenge. The men he brought with him were foot soldiers and knew just as little as he did about warfare in the seas. But he accepted his role as he had with the others.

Storms hit hard, invaders came, invasions had gone wrong, and once more disease and malnutrition struck. But, always with his hand resting on the hilt of his family blade, never a battle was lost; never a man was lost to the forces of nature or bloodshed. But it never meant death was never within their reach. Many a time did he stumble. Many a time had a man fallen to sea. Many a time had someone get wounded because of his mistakes. But, always, he would take responsibility. Never once did he put the blame on others. And many a time, because he dove into danger, his life was nearly claimed.

I cried with Vengeance

In time, he was dismissed from the Legion and transferred to the Fifth, the Legion in which replaced the Sixth in Dacia. Of course, he brought his men, more soldiers who swore themselves to him, and more captured slaves of war. He was given a division of more refined soldiers who had seen combat and were eager for more. Though they disliked having someone much younger than them giving orders, they were Roman and had been molded well to listen to the commands of their superiors.

It was this time the boy sought to fix this problem and assigned a proxy commander of the squad's choosing while he joined his soldiers in their grime work. He was to be treated like any other. He was to be punished like any other. He dressed like them, he ate what they did, and he slept where they did. But, they noticed, not once did he bathe with them. In time, they learned to like him, but respect was something they would keep away.

Until the invasion of the Sarmatians struck when they came by land. The boy joined his men on the frontlines as a common soldier, fought off the enemy in many battles without once giving orders, and watched their backs. Their trust in him rose up as they saw him as one of them. The wall of authority had been scaled as they all stood on equal grounds. When the proxy returned his authority as Centurion of the division, the boy acted no different. When he gave commands, he continued to join them in the fray.

They respected him as a brother, no longer as their superior.

I am the King of Lost.

Despite winning all his battles and never once losing a soldier, the war was not in their favor. They were outnumbered with the Marcomann and Quadi coming across the sea by their greed and the passion of the Sarmatians surpassed theirs. They were surrounded and the naval fleet of the Second was hardly keeping them at bay due to overwhelming numbers. But should they give out then the war would be lost. The attrition would eventually grind them down until they were forced to retreat or, gods forbid, surrender. Rome refused to send reinforcements as the emperor saw this as a means to be rid of those who threatened his power, but a few of the other Centurions including the boy.

Then, the gods blessed him further. The Primary Spear, Chief Centurion of all divisions of Fifth Legion, had fallen in battle. Arguments had broken up on who it was to take up the command of the army. It would have ended weakening their strength further as the Centurions reverted to their political scheming.

That is, until the boy took the power for himself. Drawing his sword and presenting it before all those who would dare oppose him, he took the cape of Primus Pilus.

"I am Lucius Artorius Castus, son of Marcus Artorius Castus, heir of the noble line of Artorii! I am taking command of the army, so I swear in the name of the gods, Caesar, and Rome! Those who not swear before me will leave else may surrender their lives onto my blade! Those who shall welcome me, I shall reward you with that which is most valuable: life! So I swear! Not one man will lose a life if they follow my command! I shall bring you victory else the gods damn me thrice!"

And I shall Return.

*Scene*

Shirou's internal clock told him it was time to wake up. It was a gradual process that let his mind slide into consciousness at a leisure pace. He took a deep breath while flexing himself to stretch the sore muscles…

His entire body felt sore and tired. And sticky… Come to think of it, why did it smell like lingering sweat in his room?

He tried to sit up, but found something pressed against him. It wasn't heavy, but it was more than enough to keep him down. Eyes still closed, he tried to feel what it was; only to find out the entirety of his right arm couldn't move. It was numb as though the blood circulation had been cut off, plus that was where most of the weight was distributed as well.

So, he reached with his left. It was sleek, smooth, and rather soft. It was something between the textures of his skin but just as lovely as silk. And then as he trailed up towards the piece that was resting against his chest, he found the feeling had changed entirely. This new material was slightly rough yet flexible. Like woven strands of hair…

…Hair?

Shirou decided it would be best to stop fooling around and see for himself. His eyes open and taking a moment to adjust to the morning light, he did his best to peer down at what it was dumped onto the majority of his body.

He paled as sweat beaded his brow.

He could never mistake the nubile figure of the blonde-haired Servant from last night. Her head was currently resting on his chest with one hand wrapped over his stomach. Most of her body was lying on top of his arm, so that would explain why he couldn't move it. Though they were both covered by a thin veil of white sheets, Shirou could trace down his own body and feel that both her legs were wrapped around his right thigh.

And, after taking a moment for his mind to reboot, he found that they were both naked.

"MMMmmmmmmmppphhhhhh!" His body reacted in his own unique way. That is, to scream like a little girl despite having such an immaculate figure spooned into his side. However, this was prevented as the hand resting on his abdomen snapped up to cover his mouth before he could scream. It had been done so in a manner one would hit the snooze button of an alarm clock after their biorhythm had sensed it was about to go off.

Artorius slid her hand down only enough until it rested against his shoulder. She mumbled in her sleep and then chose to nuzzle closer to him until her head rested into the arch of his neck. By now she was practically lying on top of him— at the least letting his arm free. But his body coiled from the sensation of two small cushions being pressed against his ribs.

Blood rushed to his head as he began to panic. Yes, the fool began to panic. Rather than count his blessings like any normal teenage boy his age, he was dreading the worst. Fuji-nee will skin him alive if she ever found out he wound up in bed with a girl. Plus there was also the fact that they were both naked. The lingering smell of musk and sweat didn't help calm him down as his mind raced through the possibilities of what might have happened while he was unconscious.

…Unconscious? That's right; he didn't remember coming home last night, let alone going to bed and falling asleep. In fact, Artorius shouldn't even be here to begin with. He gave up his rights as a Master even using all three Command Seals to break their contract. She ran off to go find a new Master. Rin had said if she didn't find one within an hour or two she would have just faded away. That was close to midnight and the sun was coming up now, clearly a six-hour timespan.

He remembered leaving the church with Rin. They departed after reaching the crossroads, she going to her house and Shirou lingering a while longer to go over his thoughts. He remembered debating with himself if he had made the right choice or not and then…

His heart skipped a beat. Death. He remembered death.

"Of all the things you worry about…" Artorius opened her eyes but chose to remain lying on his chest. Under the sheets her legs tightened their vice-grip on his thigh. "Go back to sleep. I am too tired for you to ruin this morning."

Unfortunately, Shirou was beyond such temptations.

"A-Artorius-san," his voice was shaky as he was starting to get a grip on reality. "What happened last night?"

She didn't give a respond for a while, choosing to remain where she was. Though Shirou could somehow tell she did not go back to sleep. He also knew, somehow, her eyes were still open and staring off into empty space as she was thinking. Before he pressed the question again, she gave a heavy sigh of annoyance and sat up.

The sheets fell off, revealing all of her glory before Shirou. Her fair and flawless skin as smooth as marble but firm with the ridges of muscle tone underneath. Her womanly hourglass figure of petite breasts and narrow waist which drew in attention and demanded admiration. With her hair undone and cascading over her shoulders as she leaned over him, and with her expression of vexation, she looked like a goddess of seduction whom he had angered and was about to issue her punishments onto him.

"Because of your foolishness, hero," she called him with such spite Shirou felt a metaphorical arrow pierce his heart. In fact, he really did feel something stab into him. "You were able to turn an assured victory into an absolute defeat. Congratulations, this is the second time you've defied natural phenomenon."

Shirou heard what she said but most of his mind was focused on trying to not stare. Artorius had the most beautiful emerald eyes he had ever seen, but the problem was they were just as lovely as her figure. And, as a boy his age, if he were to have to choose between one or the other then his hormones will have him steer towards the wrong decision.

Eventually he had to turn his head away from the girl. Trying to also fight against the blush, his voice cracked. "Y-Yes I remember now. I jumped in the way of your attack." He rubbed the spot on his shoulder where the serrated blade had dug into. "But Artorius-san—"

"Look at me when you speak," her voice left no room for argument.

Shirou felt compelled to listen. He also found that when he turned his head towards her he had no problem peering into her eyes and nowhere else. It helped him find his resolve. "Artorius-san, you were about to cut down a little girl. She didn't deserve that."

A dainty brow arched at his words. A slight snicker escaped as her lips pressed into a thin line of a smile. But all humor from her left as soon as it came. "I understand your confusion, but know the little girl was older than you. She was mature enough to be responsible for her actions. I've also no doubt as a Master of this game she knew what she was getting herself involved in and what might happen to her.

"And it was not a question of if she deserved anything," her brows creased as her tone became a little harsh. "The battle against Alcaeus was an uphill one with the scales tipping in his favor after every death. Not only was I tiring, but his body was gaining resistance with each defeat. Only fools gamble with their lives. I knew not how many times he could revive and so rather than risk becoming outmatched I found it strategically sound to cut off the head directly."

"…So you didn't care about her at all?" Shirou ground out.

"I did not," she responded without a blink. She gave a sigh as Shirou demanded an explanation from her through the way he was looking at her. "In the end it was a question whether I wanted to live or not. If it meant she would die then so be it."

Anger rushed through Shirou. Artorius had admitted she did not care about killing if it meant she could live. "There must have been another way."

"Oh, I suppose I could have retreated," her tone shifted to one who no longer found an interest in the topic. Dry, bored, and easily agitated. "But such actions do not solve the problem. I had the chance of being rid of Alcaeus once and for all without having to worry in the future and so I took it. However, because of your naivety, that opportunity is lost and we must look over our shoulders from now on. Plus the same tactic I desired will not work on the Master a second time. She will be able to defend herself now that she knows I will not hesitate to gut her.

"Though this is but a game, boy," her eyes sharpened once more, "the competitors will be treating this as a war as it was intended to be. I plan on doing the same. There must have been another way? I am no hero like you wish to be. In my experience, the heroes are the first to die and by their own stupidity. I will kill. I will steal. I will do all I must if it means my survival. If the girl must die, then so be it. And if I have to kill an orphanage of them, then so be it. If I have to burn this city to the ground, then so be it. My interest is only on remaining alive for as long as possible. Even saving you against those Heroes was an act of selfishness. I would have let you die if not."

Without him knowing, Shirou's fist had curled up in a ball as all his anger had moved to that limb. It was just instinctual for his body to react in that manner. His eyes were hard as he couldn't believe what she was saying. "There must have been another way. There's always another way! How can you be like this?! I don't believe—"

"Did you not hear me?" she frowned as her tone was vicious. "I admitted there was another way: retreating. I simply chose to not fulfill it. And again you emit your nonsense, hero; you don't believe anyone could be this evil?"

Shirou blinked. He hadn't been able to finish his question.

She gave another small snicker, but this time of annoyance. "As I said, it was not a question of morality, justice, and what other sentimental foolishness you may spew through your heroism. I care not for such acts of good or evil. I care about living, boy. Nothing more, nothing less."

The sheets were pulled off of him before he could say another word. Artorius stood, wrapped the sheets around her, and began pacing out of the room. "I warned you I was too tired for you to ruin this morning. I shall be using the facilities to bathe. See to it breakfast is prepared before I return. You'll regret it if otherwise."

Shirou was too busy rubbing the side of his head to put up any argument. He slowly unclenched his fist as the tension gradually died down. There was more he wanted to discuss with Artorius about. Such as what was she doing here? How was she still here? Why were the two of them naked? And what had really happened last night?

He remembered staring at his own stomach as his body was ripped in half by the Berserker's axe-sword. It was the last thing he remembered since waking up. Could she have used the red magic that reattached his arm and leg to do the same to his entire body?

Before he knew it, he was heading towards the kitchen with nothing more than a pair of boxers and a white shirt on. He hadn't realized he put on some underclothes, or that he was going straight to cooking. Not that he really minded about cooking to begin with, he would have done it anyways without Artorius saying anything; he'd wished he could have washed up first in one of the spare bathrooms. Washing his hands in the kitchen sink wasn't exactly preferable in his current state. He needed a full-body wipe-down

He also found as he wanted to head over to a bathroom his interest was drawn instead back to the kitchen, as though the only thing on his mind was making sure Artorius' command was met. His body moved as it normally did when preparing breakfast— steaming rice, cooking fish, brewing broth, all that stuff. Nothing seemed out of the norm, so he dismissed it as him just being hungry.

For a brief moment he wondered if Artorius would have been alright with an eastern dish and if it should have been wiser to make something more western.

The doorbell rang, the front door was opened, and the light treading of footsteps was heard. Shirou lifted his head from adding a few spices to the miso soup to see who it was.

"Sempai?" His violet-haired underclassman Matou Sakura entered the dining room, no doubt hearing his clatter of instruments. Her lips frowned and cheeks slightly puffed in a cute pout. "It was supposed to be my turn to make breakfast."

"Ah, good morning Sakura-chan," Shirou gave her a smile before laughing nervously. "W-Well… You see… I, uh, kinda woke up a little earlier than expected. And I'm sorry. Everything's almost done. But you can help me set the table!"

The girl pouted some more but did as was suggested. She put her belongings down by the living room and went to the kitchen to acquire the appropriate dishes and silverware. That is… until she saw Shirou's choice in attire and gave a heavy blush. The white shirt and boxers combo was very form fitting and she could make out the details of his well-toned body. And there was also the lingering smell of sweat, probably from one of his morning workouts.

Unbeknownst to Shirou, the Worms inside her reacted. Her lust spiked to the point where she had to stop moving to force herself to calm down. It was only a brief moment. She loved Shirou and didn't want to think about him in that way, at least not under these circumstances.

"Did Shinji do anything to you this morning?" Shirou finished with the fish as he asked, returning to the soup as he stirred it. He hadn't been so thrilled yesterday when Sakura had come over with a few bruises. She tried to hide them but it was obvious with the way she was. She also tried to protect her brother saying it was her fault and Shinji had nothing to do with it. But Shirou could never mistake bruises from a fist. He let it go because it was Sakura, but he'll not excuse it again.

"Sempai!" Sakura became flustered. "I said Nii-san didn't do anything! And no, I didn't see him this morning anyways. I also think Nii-san won't be around the house much lately. He… He's gotten a girlfriend and she… doesn't like his behavior towards me."

She gave a bitter smile, a strange mixing of pleasure and guilt. But Shirou didn't see this as she was fixing the table.

"Shinji? Sticking to one girl?" Shirou couldn't believe it. "She's gotta be something if she can convince him to leave you alone."

Sakura didn't say anything else.

"Shirou~" the door was nearly thrown off its hinges as it was slid fast enough to curve due to its burst of velocity. "I'm hungry!"

The childish guardian of his, Fujimura Taiga, skipped in her steps as she moved from the front entrance and entered the dining area. "Good morning, Fuji-nee. Breakfast is almost ready so why don't you take a seat at the table?"

Taiga cheered in delight and continued her skip to her usual position at the dining table. That is, until she saw Shirou's clothes. At first she wanted to sigh because she fathomed he had fell asleep in the shed again doing… whatever it was he did in there. On another hand, her eyes zipped on over to the blushing Sakura when the underclassman had noticed what Taiga had seen. Putting two-and-two together, Taiga sent a telepathic message to Sakura with her seal of approval, which made Sakura blush just a little more.

Of course, Shirou had no idea what they were doing. He just wrapped it up as one of their girl moments and left it alone at that. With a shrug, he began pouring the meal into the large dishes and bowls and placed them on the table for them to serve themselves.

"Itadakimasu~" they all clapped their hands in thanks in grace and began to dig in.

All was the norm as Taiga did most of the talking, blabbing her mouth about the string of murders and kidnappings that Shirou was already aware of. He wanted to tell her and Sakura what was really going on but then remembered the Holy Grail War was a secret and any bystanders who learned of its events were dealt with discreetly. For their sake, he steered the conversation away to the next archery tournament. Sakura had been practicing hard a lot lately and Taiga praised her prowess with the bow. She also mentioned it was such a shame Shirou had quit the club and had asked him, for the umpteenth time, for him to return.

The excuse for him quitting was due to an injury which left his shoulder scarred. As archers would traditionally draw with their shoulders bare, the sight of a scar would leave the other competitors and some of the spectators with a bad taste. However, that was far from the truth. He didn't care for such things and would have continued with the club so long as he saw a purpose in it.

He had learned everything he needed to, was his reason. So young, Shirou had already become a master of the bow and had never missed his intended target. There wasn't a purpose for him to sharpen a skill that could no longer grow.

Come to think about it, he mused, it wouldn't be much of a problem now if, and this is a really strong if, he decided to return to the archery club. Since this morning the scar on his shoulder was gone as well as the others such as the zigzag gashes due to Berserker's cleaver. Not to mention the star-shaped scar from his chest he had gotten against that blue Servant.

He wondered if Artorius had something to… do with…

…Wait… Artorius…

…Oh shit.

"So," he felt the likes of a great Phantasmal beast had decided at this point to pay a visit to his house. "You've prepared breakfast as was requested, but you did not prepare a place for me."

The clattering of utensils and idle chatter had stopped as eyes turned towards the woman standing behind Shirou.

The red-haired Emiya boy was frozen solid as though the smallest twitch would bring about the death of him. He could feel the eyes of the blonde Servant bore into his back like a pair superheated lasers drilling into his spine.

Artorius approached the table and folded her knees under herself to sit beside Shirou. She was dressed in a thin folding top which wrapped around her neck to leave her shoulders and back exposed, a frilly mini-skirt, stockings, and long-sleeved gloves. All of which was white.

"I suppose it is a start…" she sighed before taking his plate and filling it with food for herself.

There was silence as the three tried to piece together what just happened. Shirou was sweating bullets as he knew this wasn't going to end well. Sakura was pale faced and horrified that her upperclassman had a woman guest.

"May you please pass the salad bowl?" asked Artorius.

"Oh, yeah, sure… Here you— THAT'S NOT RIGHT!" And Taiga needed a few seconds more than the usual person for her mind to process what was before her. Her mind finally kicked her in the rear while she was doing as was requested of the blonde stranger.

"Who are you?!" the female teacher nearly stood from her place as she pointed an accusing finger.

Shirou gulped when Artorius' eyes flickered from filleting the fish with a crimson knife and stiletto to his guardian. The way her knives continued to gut the cooked fish as she glared bloody-murder wasn't missed. When her hands stopped moving, she continued to stare. Taiga was beginning to falter as the look was beginning to intimidate the legendary Tiger of Fuyuki.

"You must be Taiga," Artorius gave a small friendly smile while she finished cutting her fish. "Excuse me. Fujimura Taiga. I've heard so much about you. It's nice to finally meet you in person."

"…Huh?" came all three individuals.

A dainty brow was raised as her attention shifted over to Shirou on her right. "Boy, did you forget to mention my presence? I could have sworn I heard idle chatter while I was dressing. Surely that was a suitable quantity in time for you to inform your elder sister."

"I, uh, well, um…" Shirou tried to make sense of what was happening. What was she talking about and how did she know about Taiga?

"…You're not doing well in enforcing your impressions," she stated bluntly before stabbing a piece of the fish with her stiletto and eating it. "We've much to work on before your graduation."

"…So… You are…?" pressed Taiga through narrowed eyes.

The Servant's eyes moved towards Shirou as though expecting something from him before continuing with her meal. The red-haired young man however was clueless on how to proceed. There was prolonged silence as Taiga started to grow impatient looking at the two of them for an answer. Artorius as well was starting to show signs of annoyance.

"I'm sorry, I'm at a bit of a loss in where to go from here," Shirou admitted while scratching the back of his head.

An angry tick-mark appeared on both Artorius and Taiga. Artorius put her substitute eating instrument down to massage her temple while Taiga glared daggers at her ward.

"Very well," Artorius gave something almost like a groan, or at least in a tone with suppressed frustration. "My name is Lucia Artorius Castus. I suppose it would be wise for me to elaborate how I know Emiya…-san. You see, from a recreational assignment my instructor gave me when I was young, I was to send a personal letter to someone of my age in a foreign country. The person assigned to me just so happened to be Emiya-san."

Again, Shirou had no idea where she was going with this. He wasn't very good with lying to others, especially to Fuji-nee. So if she expected him to add in to the story he was going to get them exposed.

Artorius nearly rolled her eyes when Shirou didn't continue where she left off. She withheld it and went on, "I found his response… refreshing. In such a world where presentation and perfection is everything, having someone casual to talk to was enlightening. I was granted permission to continue these exchanges of letters throughout the years, at least receiving and writing one per month."

"Strange, Shirou never mentioned having a pen-pal," Taiga's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"…Really?" Artorius didn't ask the question to Taiga. Oh no. She inquired it from Shirou as her head turned enough to give the same bloody-murder glare she had given to Taiga.

Shirou had to commend her acting skills. She was convincing. If he didn't know any better, he might have guessed Artorius was out-right pissed at him for not telling anyone about her. But it was just a fabricated story she had just made up on the spot! There was no way she was truly mad at him.

…Right?

The best he could do was averting his own gaze while taking a sip of his tea. It helped calm his nerves but wasn't doing much in offering any sort of comfort from the blonde superhuman with a predator's instinct. As he could feel her glare intensify, he willed his body to stop moving as though it were the greatest defense he could muster. Like in those movies, as though Artorius truly was some reptilian beast, he started to believe the slightest twitch would alert his position. If he kept absolutely still she wouldn't be able to see him. If he didn't move, she couldn't see him, and therefore she can't kill him.

…Right?!

"…And you're here… why?" Taiga's brow was twitching with impatience.

"Currently, I am interested in him," she replied bluntly before drinking her soup.

"EH?!" Taiga slammed her hands onto the table.

Sakura stopped breathing for a moment.

Shirou nearly spat out his morning tea.

"Hmm, perhaps it would be best if I elaborate further," an unamused mirth escaped her lips. "His use of words within his replies was lax and ineloquent. Though he is properly educated, the boy does not have the sense to twist or hide his intentions like the others I've grown with. I've no doubt he's been honest with each through his expressions and in the sharing of his stories. Supposing he is exaggerating, it is still rather difficult finding one who may perform several series of skills with their hands.

"When I arrived in his estate I was surprised immediately with the condition of his abode. The gardens are tended to and presented most beautifully, full of life and splendor to catch the eye and to make one feel at east. The building is well-maintained, polished, and carries an aura of welcoming worthy of a loving home. Let us even look at this meal. Though simple, it is nothing short of wonderful craftsmanship filled with such love and care with no flaw in its preparation whatsoever. Everything he does is a work of art.

"I am here to evaluate a few things. First, depending on his choice in career as well as how he performs with his current studies, we, the Artorii family, will be providing a scholarship to further his learning post-graduation. Provided of course if his choice in career will be beneficial to the family. Second, should he desire to cease his education at the end of his high school degree, we would be interested in employing him as a servant to the family.

"Or third, if I so desire, I will either make him into my personal servant or future wife."

…Wait, what?

Shirou slowly turned his head to look at the blonde Servant. At first her words were soothing, comforting, and dare he say he was enjoying her compliments a little too much. Well, yeah, he did everything he could to make sure the house his adoptive father left him was always in mint condition. Besides, it's not like Kiritsugu did any of these things when he was around. Shirou had to learn at a very young age to take care of these things on his own. But he wouldn't deny he had a bit of pride when Artorius gave her opinion on his hard work.

…Until she said something about him being her wife.

"I-I'm sorry Artorius-san," Shirou leaned towards the Servant and began to ask nervously. She had said those words with such solemnity he knew it wasn't something as silly as a grammatical mistake on her part. Yet he had to ask for the sake of his sanity. "D-Don't you mean husband?"

Artorius turned her attention towards him. A thin blonde brow arched in genuine confusion.

Just by that one gesture were his hopes utterly crushed.

"S-S-S-S-Sempai!" gasped Sakura. "W-W-What are you saying?!" Tears threatened to fall as she began to look frantically between Artorius and her (not-so) secret crush. A red flush tinted her cheeks.

"S-Shirou!" Taiga flinched in her usual way. "You can't seriously be thinking about marrying this… girl!" Truly, Taiga didn't know what to call Artorius. She wasn't a girl, wasn't a woman, hell, she didn't feel human. Artorius had the presence of a monster wearing skin. "I won't allow it!"

"What?!" Shirou realized what misunderstanding had been interpreted by his question. "No, no, no! It's not like that! I was just…"

While the party was distracted by the arguing of Taiga, the pleading of Sakura, and the (failing) attempt of appease of Shirou, Artorius took it upon herself to serve another plate of food. She might be satisfied with what she had been able to extract from the boy last night, but it was barely enough to keep her bound to the world without penalties. She might require another session tonight as well as a secondary resource if she were to climb back to her peak condition since being summoned.

Shirou's supply of prana was close to pathetic. He was one shy step away from being a mundane with supernatural senses rather than an authentic runt-of-the-litter magician. His continuous supply was extraordinarily limited— barely enough to keep her in a loop of spending and receiving energy. Supposing she spent ten points of prana a minute to stay bound to the world, Shirou was supplying her with ten points a minute to counteract this. And that was all.

In short, she will need more than extracting extra points from his body. Eventually he will run out should she continue to strain him. Especially if done thrice such as last evening. So she will have to resort to either feeding on the locals whenever she could or perhaps make a pact with a true Master of this Grail War. She wondered if she could since she truly wasn't one of these Servants.

For now, the best she could do was filling her belly with sustenance. It'll hardly affect her, but she learned from her experience one arrow within a quiver of a hundred can make a difference if it's the last one.

"F-Fuji-nee," Shirou finally found a way out of this dangerous topic when his eyes moved towards the clock hanging over the kitchen. "Don't you have that teacher's meeting? They're going to get mad at you if you're late again."

Taiga opened her mouth to ignore him and press the issue, but she had her rare moments when her common sense would kick in and determine what was important. It still didn't stop her mind to come to a stop as though hitting the brakes going 80mph. Looking at her face, everyone could hear the metaphorical crash.

"Urk! You're right! Kuzuki-sensei will chew me out again," Taiga whined as she stood in defeat. Her expression immediately shifted to one of determination as she pointed at Shirou and Artorius respectively. "I'm not done with either of you! Later tonight we are going to have a long talk!"

Shirou gave a nervous laugh while rubbing the back of his head. Artorius only nodded before continuing her third serving. No one seemed to be questioning where the blades had come from to begin with.

Running short on time, Taiga booked it, effectively leaving a trail of dust kicked up from the friction of her feet.

"Um…" a timid Sakura was attempting to get the attention of Artorius, who in turn looked her way once the plum-haired girl had announced her presence. "Y-You weren't being serious about… m-marrying Sempai, were you?"

Before Shirou could speak, Artorius gave him one look. She was capable of speaking for her personal declarations herself. "I apologize for not properly introducing myself to you as well, Sakura Ma— no, forgive me. That is incorrect. Matou Sakura. I am still unfamiliar with some of the customs of the land. I've not even proper decorum with your dining wares."

Her eyes gestured down towards her crimson instruments.

Shirou's brows came together in confusion. He'll admit he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed and so left Artorius knowing about Taiga to skepticism. Perhaps she had found something in the house that had her name on it or something. There were a few pictures of her around. But he couldn't piece together how she could have known about his guardian. He had planned on asking her later but it wasn't something so urgent.

However, knowing about Taiga and Sakura couldn't be just slim coincidence. Now he was becoming wary of how she knew these things.

His look wasn't missed by Sakura, who showed a flash of concern but expertly masked her emotions behind her façade of a love-struck schoolgirl— something Artorius hadn't missed. The Servant didn't despise this girl but she couldn't like her all the same. Sakura was fake in every shape and form. Her loveliness was a skin she wore as clothing to fool those around her. Though Artorius did not rule out there was something every time the girl's eyes locked on with Shirou's, she lacked the ability to channel those feelings.

Sakura could only emulate them at the level of a master. However, it was assured to Artorius this Sakura girl lacked the one thing she valued more than anything: life. Sakura simply lacked the will to produce natural reactions but had learned, somehow, to mimic them well enough to fool some of the greatest of perspective individuals. Perhaps Sakura was even fooling herself. Even Artorius was confused by her character. She lacked everything that should have kept her alive, yet Sakura had a spark of something within her to keep her going.

Artorius dreaded, surely Sakura couldn't be willing herself to live solely because of her affections to Shirou, could she?

"D-Did Sempai mention me in his letters as well?" the tint of hope was hardly noticeable, but there nonetheless. She did well to make it sound like a question of curiosity than obsession.

Artorius shrugged and gave a neutral answer… But not before adding more fuel to the fire as her revenge for this morning, however childish it may be. "Only in passing. I'm afraid I know nothing of your personal life much like Miss Fujimura. When I tried to press further he only elaborated you were his cute… kohai who helped him with his chores. The way he talked about you with your beauty and maidenly charms… I was assured the two of you were lovers, but am I incorrect in my assumptions?"

Shirou performed his second spit-take this morning.

Sakura was rendered a red-faced bumbling mess as she repeated the words 'cute' and 'lovers' over and over again as though her mind was a broken record forever trapped on a single line.

"Be that as it may," Artorius decided to deliver the final blow— to the both of them. She was still upset with Shirou's antics this morning as well as Sakura's ogling of her newest servant. "The boy is currently mine. Yet I will accept any declaration of challenge should you submit one. However you may wish to try harder than this… false housewife act. After all, the boy and I have already sealed the deal."

Artorius withheld the smirk of victory until the teacup was pressed to her lips, successfully hiding the smallest of smiles she allowed. The horrified look Sakura gave was worth it. The girl had a miniscule flame within her hollowed core. Watching it flicker— the essence of her life at that— to the point of nearly going out had been a lovely sight to see.

There were other ways of removing life from an individual other than bloodshed. Artorius took euphoric pleasure in all kinds of murder.

"Artorius," Shirou dropped the honorific as he usually did when something upset him. "Sakura-chan and I aren't like that. So please don't tease her like that or say things that may be easily misunderstood."

…Praise be to Lord Dionysus her Master was an imbecile.

"If only he didn't talk," Artorius said not-so-discreetly, quiet enough to be interpreted as talking to herself yet loud enough to be purposely heard by everyone around her. "He'd be the perfect wife."

Shirou could only sigh in… well, there were a mix of emotions swirling around from her words.

And Artorius had made a mistake by saying such words. That small, dying ember that was Sakura's soul had flared from a pigmy to a roaring flame. Inwardly, she cursed herself.

"I accept your challenge!" Sakura blurted out without a moment of thought.

"…Eh?" Shirou looked over at his underclassman.

Realizing what she had said, Sakura's face became so red she was in danger of passing out. Her eyes had become glazed as sweat beaded through her brow. Her hands clasped around her cheeks in an attempt to calm herself.

It wouldn't do well to agitate the worms— but this was something the other two had no knowledge or clues about.

Artorius frowned. She was assured this girl would start to distant herself from Shirou after her victory. Alas, a mistake on her part due to the sheer idiocy of the boy had her victory snatched away from her. This was thrice the boy had defied the heavens! Regardless, Artorius was the one to issue the challenge and Sakura had accepted. It wouldn't do well to turn it down.

"Understand I am unforgiving and merciless," was all Artorius said as she finished the last of her lukewarm meal.

Sakura said nothing, still flustered by what she had just gotten herself involved with. Though she didn't seem to understand what it was, only that it was some sort of duel for the sake of Shirou's affections. In this state of mind, the best she could do was nod.

"Eh, Sakura, are you— gwah!"

Artorius rammed her elbow into his ribs before he could ask the empathetic question as though she carried an illness of all things. She knew the boy was selfless and moronic, but she didn't think he actually lacked common sense.

"S-Sempai I need to go…" Sakura said as she stood, albeit with wobbly feet. "I-I need to get to archery practice."

Shirou stood immediately after, making sure to speak up after in the case the crazy blonde tried to stop him. He also made sure to take a few steps away from her. "Sakura will you be okay? Do you want me to walk you? Or are you sure you're feeling well enough to go? You look like you're running a fever."

"…Ugh," the groan from Artorius could not be withheld, no matter how hard she tried.

"I'm fine, Sempai," Sakura gave him a warm smile. Unlike the blonde bitch, Sakura had known Shirou personally for a great deal of time and knew how dense he could be sometimes. She didn't mind it… most of the time. "I'm sorry I can't help with the dishes. We ended up taking too much time with breakfast."

"Don't worry about it; it was mostly my fault…" Shirou, once again, scratched the back of his head. He only ever did that when he felt guilty about something or on those rare occasions someone made him uncomfortable.

"I'll see you at school, Sem—" Sakura stopped herself just before she was about to walk out the door.

"Sakura…?" a worried Shirou wondered if she really was feeling well.

Sakura turned, but could not look at him. Her gaze was downcast with her bangs covering her eyes. Her blush had returned nearly on par as when she officially challenged Artorius. Her hands clutched her book bag to the point where the leather was grinding.

"…S-S-S-S-Shirou-k-k-kun…"

Without another word, Sakura turned and fled from the Emiya premises almost as fast as Taiga had.

"…What just happened?" asked Shirou, mostly to himself and didn't expect an answer.

"You're an idiot, that's what," came Artorius' answer regardless as she approached his side.

*Scene*

Shirou had difficulty keeping his attention focused on school all day. Half of the reason was because his mind continued to wander back to the curiosity he had regarding the War. During the small period of time in which Shirou was alone with Artorius as they cleaned up the kitchen together, he had tried to pry a few answers out of her. But she always managed to steer the conversation away subtly enough to where her replies sounded like the answer he was seeking for.

For example, when he asked how he knew Sakura's full name, her reply came in the form of a question regarding the specifics on how to properly clean one of the bowls. It wasn't until several hours later during a math lecture did he realize he had been duped. At the time he thought nothing of it. But now he couldn't figure out how she had done it.

Especially with all of his questions.

When she had enough of his 'prying', as she called it, she told him to bathe and dress himself for school. Normally he'd try to press a little further but then he had realized he did stink and needed a good wash. So he left her to finish drying the pots while he took care of that. However, half an hour later, by the time he returned to try again in seeking answers he found he was alone. Artorius had left a wrapped bento for him on the counter with a note on top.

'Made sandwiches since I ate your leftovers this morning,' so said the note. 'Will be gone for few hours. I shall fetch you after your studies are complete. Do not make me wait.'

Shirou wasn't sure what to make of it. On one hand he was happy she had taken the time to make his lunch. She did eat what was left of breakfast but… how did she know he was going to use the leftovers for his lunch? Not that he was complaining— because the sandwiches were impressively delicious— but it was just another thing to add to his list of things she'll more than likely never answer. And on the other hand, regarding Artorius being outside his supervision… he was… scared? Worried? Anxious? All of the above? He was going to tune in to the evening news during dinner to see if some great fire erupted downtown or something.

The second reason why he couldn't focus on school was because he felt so… tired. As the day progressed, his stamina was starting to dwindle. By third-period, he felt like he needed a nap. He had no idea why he felt so drained of energy. The only thing he could think of would be from the result of being revived by Artorius. It was obvious she was the one responsible for healing him. If he knew a little more about magecraft maybe then he could come up with a reason why her healing had this effect. At the cost of repairing his body it ate away his od?

All it meant was by the end of the day he was dragging his steps while yawning every ten to fifteen minutes. He probably should have taken a nap in the nurse's office since he practically ignored all his lessons. But then again, Fuji-nee would find out and begin asking him questions on why he was so tired. Knowing her, she will come to her own conclusion before he could answer. She'll probably accuse him of doing illicit things with Artorius. Just because the two of them were naked this morning and covered in dry sweat didn't mean anything happened last night.

(Meanwhile, the self-proclaimed White Dragon waiting at the gate had the irking instinct to call her newest servant the idiot that he was.)

"Emiya, where are you going?"

Shirou turned his head to find his friend Issei approaching from down the hall. It donned on him just then he had promised the student council president to repair a few things while the two had been on their lunch break. "Oh, um, hello Issei. Sorry I've been a little out of it today. I had forgotten about the repairs."

The monk-in-training put up a hand to ease his friend. "Don't worry about it. If you've something more important to attend to…"

Shirou tilted his head in thought. He felt like he had something to do right now but for the life of him couldn't recall what it was. "No… I don't think I do… Well, if it's so important I'll remember it sooner or later. So, what needs to be done?"

*Scene*

The sun was setting by the time Shirou had completed fixing the sills of a window so that it could open, one of the stands on a desk so it was properly balanced, and the microwave used frequently within the teacher's lounge. They were little things that would take an hour at most, but due to his fatigue it had taken him a bit longer than usual. Most of the club activities had already been done and the majority of the students had returned home. The only ones usually left around at this hour were the teachers trying to finish some paperwork, the groundskeepers, or lingering students for their own reasons— like Shirou.

It wasn't the first time he's done this. He once wrestled with one of the fans hanging on the ceiling until the sun had completely set. And just yesterday he cleaned the entire archery dojo by himself; and that also left him on school grounds until late into the hours. Luckily he didn't have to do anything time-consuming and could head home in time to prepare for dinner. No wait; it was Sakura's turn to cook. She'll no doubt be preparing something right this minute.

"Tohsaka?" The sight of the school idol climbing down the stairs from the third story at this hour made him pause for a moment. "What are you still doing here?"

Rin's eyes widened for a second with disconcert as though having been caught doing something she wasn't supposed to. But, she quickly put up her usual façade and gave a charming— though extremely fake— smile. "Oh, I had forgotten something in one of my classes. I was all the way home by the time I had realized it and simply couldn't go without it. So I backtracked before the gates were closed."

Something was whispered into her ear, something only she could have heard.

Her head turned over her shoulder towards the source of the snarky comment. She hissed under her breath, "He doesn't need to know I had to wait until everyone was gone!"

"Oh, you have your Servant with you?" Shirou couldn't hear what she was talking about but it was obvious she was addressing her Servant in his astral form. "Ah! That reminds me. Tohsaka, would you mind if I asked you something?"

Rin turned back around and continued to descend down the stairs until she was at his level… about two steps up just so she could look at him eye-to-eye. "Emiya-kun, you do realize I have every right as a Master as well as the Second Owner to erase your memories, right?"

Shirou frowned, but nodded.

Rin nodded back and began to turn the corner to leave the academy. But she left with, "I'm letting you go because you were a former Master. It would be best you never mention these things again."

When she was gone, Shirou released a very tense sigh that he felt had been building up since early this morning. He took a seat at the top step as his body just had enough and couldn't support him any longer. Nothing today was going his way and it felt like from here on out it was only going to get worse. Tohsaka didn't even want to listen to him about Berserker or Artorius—

…Wait… Artorius?

'Do not make me wait.' So said the note from this morning.

…oh.

Suddenly Shirou found energy to move.

"Oh crap! She's going to kill me!"

He leapt over several steps of stairs, not caring in the slightest he might miss his footing and deal serious damage onto himself. The fear of what Artorius will do onto him surpassed his natural instinct for his own safety. She said she would come for him once school was released— and that was four hours ago. She was either waiting for him at the gates or had grown tired and returned to the house. Regardless, she was going to be pissed at him.

He didn't know why he was so terrified. It's not like she's done anything to demonstrate what she could do to him. Other than her superhuman abilities that could crush his skull with but a flick of her finger, he didn't know what else she could do. Yet the fear was still there and it was very real.

It was almost like a geis.

He leapt over the last three steps, slid on the sleek floor, and pushed himself back to his feet and sprint down the hall.

…Only to find the source of his dread with her back leaning against his shoe locker. Her eyes were glued to a book in French print, but Shirou knew her attention was locked on his. Her expression was calm, at peace, and quite mellow. Yet, there was this miasma radiating around her that spoke songs of his impending doom.

Shirou had a feeling he was going to become a Heroic Spirit this day… as the victim of the goriest murder in human history.

"You're late," she said in a neutral tone as she flipped the page.

"H-How long have you been here?" Shirou asked, mostly in desperation to drag out as much time as possible. This might be the last sunset he would ever see.

Artorius closed her eyes and shut the book, taking a moment for herself to release a sigh. When she opened her eyes, she turned and looked at the boy. The look in her eyes was not one of ceaseless anger like Shirou had imagined. Instead, it was… disappointed. Like how Kiritsugu had looked at him when he came home one afternoon with bruises after getting in a fight.

Shirou couldn't look at her. There was a pain he hadn't felt in years from that look.

"Do not forget again," she said before moving away from the lockers so he could change his shoes. "Let us hurry home. That girl is preparing the evening meal and I feel your guardian is approaching from her own abode. Afterwards… I will answer what questions you may have."

When Shirou was done putting on his shoes and closing his locker, he opened his mouth to ask how she knew who was at his house. Instead, he closed it and didn't bother asking. It's not like she would answer anyways.

Her eyes shifted over to him as they walked out of the academy side-by-side. They closed in contempt and then reopened in pride. Finally he was learning to read the situation. She decided to reward him, "I've marked your home as my territory. It is only fitting I know all that occurs within my territory."

"…Marked?" However the boy couldn't help himself.

She sighed. At least there was a start in his progress as her perfect wife.

Three steps out the door and her senses flared. Her skin crawled with the touch of prana in the air and her nose picked up a multitude of stenches. Her sharp ears picked up the sound of a gasp— something cut off just in time before becoming a scream. These things would never have been heard by the mundane as the distance was too great, too miniscule and her senses were… elevated for her services towards her Liege.

Her eyes flickered for a fragment of a second towards the origin. It came from within the trees surrounding the academy. She couldn't see what it was, but she gathered enough from her other senses to be able to identity it.

Another one of those damnable Heroes. One just as desperate as her, perhaps more so seeing as those this Hero had just killed and drank blood for sustenance.

"…Is something wrong?" Shirou asked when he noticed her steps had slowed down. Normally he wouldn't think anything about it, yet there was… something that told him it wasn't right. Her expression hadn't changed, so he couldn't guess what it was.

"It's nothing," she returned to her previous pace. "Tell me about your academia today. I find that far more interesting than some silly squabble."

Shirou looked at her in confusion, trying to ponder what she meant. But he shrugged and was about to tell her.

The scream coming from the distance which was suddenly silenced stopped him. His eyes flashed towards the forest. Before he could so much as think, he was running straight for it.

Artorius, on the other hand, stood there staring off into open space. An angry vein pulsed despite her emotionless expression. Of course things couldn't be so simple. She's had unknown variables thrown around in front of her path and sometimes at her face. But why, oh why, was it so much more difficult when the boy was involved?

She gripped a large chunk of her hair and released a loud groan of frustration.

*Scene*

"Dammit Rider!" Shinji Matou kicked the heel of his shoe into the side of his Servant's head as hard as he could while she drank the blood of the girl. Repeatedly. First, he had asked some first-year who-gives-a-shit to come to the forest alone. He told her some garbage about how it was going to be their little secret and couldn't tell anyone about it. The girl ate it up and listened to him.

Who then had her body drained by his Servant.

He didn't regret not fucking her. The girl wasn't all that attractive to begin with. Besides, he had a bunch of other girls at his call and all of them were better looking than this one. He chose her because she wasn't as pretty and wouldn't be missed by him in the slightest. Plus, even if he had no one, he had Sakura. And thanks to this War, he now had Rider.

Unfortunately, the first-year's friend had found out about them and had decided to sneak around. She had seen what Rider had done. If she hadn't tripped and made a sound, Shinji wouldn't have known she was there. He gave Rider an order to kill her for seeing, and Rider had hesitated because she was good or some shit like that. That hesitation let the girl scream.

This led to now— Shinji digging his heel into the back of Rider's head while he was making her drink the blood. There was no point in wasting resources what with his lack of Circuits. He did however hate it because he had his eyes on this particular first-year for some time. He was going to use the tragic disappearance of her friend to comfort her and then fuck her brains out until he got bored.

Whatever. It was all Rider's fault. He'll just have to take it out on her later tonight.

His frown became something of a smirk when he heard the so-called Knight's whimpering. But she refused to cry— something that pissed Shinji but he saw it more as a challenge than anything. One day he will break her and make her his. The only reason why she continued to listen to him was because of Sakura. As Rider was the typical Knight in shining armor, she was willingly giving herself to take the blunt of Shinji's anger and harassment so that Sakura wouldn't.

So for the sake of Sakura, Rider continued to drink blood to gather her strength since Shinji wasn't a Magus. If she did this, then she wouldn't have to burden Sakura. She could keep Sakura safe. And she gave up her own wish for the sake of saving Sakura from her 'captivity' once the Grail was achieved.

Honestly, it sickened Shinji to no end.

His head snapped at attention towards the approaching sound of leafs and twigs snapping. Someone was running straight towards them. He clicked his tongue in annoyance. Just someone else that needed to die to cover this up. This wouldn't have been a problem if Rider didn't hesitate; the girl wouldn't have screamed by then.

His annoyance changed into an expression of… impartiality. His 'friend', Emiya Shirou, had been the one to come running. He should have known the School Janitor was still among the premises at this time of day. No doubt the self-proclaimed Hero of Justice dropped everything and came running without a bit of concern for himself.

God, people like this piss him off!

"Shinji," Shirou's eyes hardened as he came close enough to inspect what was in front of him. Shinji made sure to keep his boot on Rider to keep her drinking. "This is all you're doing."

Shinji shrugged and waved it off as unimportant, because it was to him. "Yeah, so it was. Sorry you had to find out about the string of murders this way. What with this Holy Grail War going on in all that, and my Servant being so pathetic, I had no choice. But it's not like you know anything about that. Besides, you'll be dead soon enough."

He liked the way Shirou's face contorted with rage. Righteous rage. It was going to be a blast finally breaking his heroic personality. Shirou always did act like he was some big-shot with the way he thought Shinji as his equal, as if the Matou heir was on par with this cockroach. Plus, he had a bit of grudge against the Emiya kid with all the times Shinji's been slugged because of Sakura. How dare he get involved with business that wasn't his.

Shirou's fist tightened enough to start shaking. "You're sacrificing people for your Servant?! You're the one who's been killing around the city?! Master or not, that doesn't give you the right to kill innocent people!"

Shinji's eyes immediately shot to Shirou's right hand. There weren't any Command Seals present. When the slurping of Rider ended, he lifted his foot for her to stand. "I don't know how you know about the Grail War, but it doesn't matter. Rider, kill him."

"I told you, boy," a new voice cut through the air like a knife. The tone was so sharp it almost hurt Shinji's ears. "This game was going to be treated as a war by its participants. The plundering of third=parties, be they innocent or not, is not uncommon. It's strategically sound when under the right conditions."

Shinji blinked. This girl almost came out of nowhere with the way she walked around Shirou to stand beside him. And the way she presented herself was just like when Rider was summoned— so full of glory and power before the so-called Knight succumbed to Shinji's demands.

"In what world could you come from where murder is justifiable?" snarled Shirou.

"This one," she replied without hesitation. "Murder is justifiable, so says humanity. It just has many different names. Self-defense, salvation, justice, vengeance, heroism."

"Whilst I can vent clamor from my throat," Rider spoke up to argue. "I`ll tell thee thou dost evil! The world is grown so bad that wrens make prey where eagles dare not perch. But signs of nobleness, like stars, shall shine on all deservers!"

"God, fucking, dammit, Rider!" Shinji swore. "I told you to never talk! And I told you to kill him already!"

"There's a great abatement of villainous contrive," she shook her head. "Never shall sun that morrow see."

"Rider," Shinji's face turned red with anger. "I gave you an order."

"Well then," the blonde girl spoke up. "I have no intention of fighting if she does not. If that is all, then we will leave you to your doing."

Rider's head perked as all of her attention honed in on the girl.

"Artorius!" snarled Shirou. "I can't let him get away with this! He'll just keep murdering if someone doesn't stop him!"

The girl, Artorius, stopped herself from leaving enough to give him a long stare. "…Then I advise you do something about it yourself, hero. But if you choose to fight against a Servant, that will be of your own doing. I'll not fight her if you're the one to start things. Should you, I'll not kill you, but I may break a leg or two as I drag you back home. The choice is yours."

Shinji snickered to himself. This was gold! He didn't know if this Artorius bitch really was Shirou's Servant or whatever, but she was content to just walk away! Shirou knew he couldn't stand a chance against a Servant with the resentful look he was giving. It wasn't the look of helplessness Shinji had wanted, but it was good enough to satisfy him. Shirou, the local hero, had been defeated before he could have done anything. Hilarious!

"O most pernicious woman…" Rider's voice was like steel as she took a step forward. "Thou elvish-marked, abortive, rooting hog, thou that wast sealed in thy nativity the slave of nature and the son of hell… Now, by the right and honor of my kin, to strike thoust dead I hold it not a sin!"

Artorius' eyes narrowed as she turned back around to face Rider.

Rider bolted out of the ground, crossing the distance faster than a bullet and creating a shockwave as soon as her fist crashed against Artorius. The blonde was skilled and had been able to put up a guard in that fragment of a second, but not fast enough to dodge or counter. She was blown away back where she came, crashing through trees and making thunderous cracks with each strike. Without hesitating for once, Rider channeled prana through her feet and kicked off in pursuit— her body flickering out of existence with the unfathomable speed.

…Leaving Shinji alone with Shirou. Shit.

"So now what, Emiya," Shinji tried to keep his cool. He wasn't a fighter and knew Shirou was much more in shape than the Matou heir. "You should know I am a Magus and can defend myself if—"

"Shinji," the Matou heir could not help but to gulp at the amount of killing intent Shirou was emitting. He had never felt something like this from him, ever. And it was almost on par with what his grandfather gave him whenever he was around. "Answer one question. If I let you go, will you promise to never do this again?"

Shinji blinked. He couldn't believe it. For all that bravado, this idiot was actually going to let him go?! For a moment, Shinji felt absolutely disgusted. He actually thought his life was in the hands of this… joke!

Nevertheless, Shinji played his part and answered to the best of his abilities, "Y-Yes. I won't do it again!"

"…I see," the murderous intent grew stronger. Shirou started to approach.

"W-Wait, Emiya!" Shinji took a few steps back as his hands fumbled for the Book of False Attendant. He could use it to project small shadow blades, but only if he could get his hands on the blasted thing. "I said I wouldn't do it!"

"You're a liar, Shinji," Shirou was getting closer.

"We've been friends for years, Emiya!" Shinji tried to stall him for as much as possible. The book was inside his uniform pocket but his hands kept fumbling around in his panic.

"You were my friend. Now you're nothing but a monster that needs to be put down."

"Y-You don't have it in you to kill me! What will Sakura think when she finds out you killed her brother?!"

That got him to stop. And it was enough for Shinji to pull out the book.

"I don't care!" the shout of Artorius was heard by the both of them. And then it was loud enough to hurt their ears, "YOU'RE NOTHING BUT A FAKE!"

The thunderous sound of some sort of explosion going off near the schoolyard was heard, followed by an approaching roar of wind. A second after, Rider crashed against a few trees, fumbled uncontrollably across the ground, and skidded to a halt on her knees and digging her hands into the dirt. Her draconian armor was full of cracks and some of the chunks were chipped off. Her holy shroud was torn.

"Rider, what are you—"

Whatever Shinji was about to say was cut off as Rider scooped him in her arms and leapt away. An instant later, to where Shinji could have felt the wind knick the surface of his skin, was a hail of crimson arrows falling from the heavens. They rained down with enough force to kick up dirt and split trees. Rider expertly danced about the projectiles, finding the gaps between, and moving fluidly so to not bring harm to her Master with her high-speeds.

The clatter of steel was heard once the raid of arrows finished. Artorius reappeared beside Shirou, dressed now in a set of steel armor with a white cape. In her hand was a massive red bow while the other had just as ridiculous in size arrows between each finger. Snarling in frustration, she pointed her weapon at the opposing pair.

Red mist surrounded her and began to solidify into dozens of floating red arrows, ready to be launched at the command.

Other than a light bead of sweat with blood flowing down her nose and lips, everything else about her was immaculate. It was as if the one blow Rider had delivered was the only successful hit.

"Milord," Rider bent her knees and got a better grip around Shinji's torso, "we must make ourselves air! Out of her guard was I victorious. Not again will I be."

Though Shinji had no idea what the fuck ever came out of her mouth, he at least had enough common sense to figure out what she meant. He already knew Rider was pathetic compared to the other Servants. And if this bitch was the Archer, one of the three Knight Classes, then Rider was surely outclassed.

"Dammit, Rider you're useless," he hissed. "Fine. Let's get out of here."

"SHINJI!" Shirou roared in anguish.

Artorius wouldn't give them the chance. She fired her arrows at them. A storm of crimson arrows tore apart every tree within her vision, leveling the field completely.

However, Rider had been able to protect her Master. They had managed to use the cloud of dirt to conceal them for their escape.

*Scene*

Shirou stared at the two hollowed husks that were once young girls. Young girls who had a life ahead of them, who had nothing to do with this War, who only had to worry about their homework and the latest trend. They were innocent and had nothing to worry about. Either one of them could have gone to college, to start a career, to change the world with some new revelation. Instead, their futures had been stolen from them.

And Artorius wouldn't have batted an eye.

"…You said it was nothing," Shirou broke the silence. They hadn't said anything for ten minutes as he began to unwind and come to terms with what had happened. He didn't know why she was quiet. "You said you found my day more interesting 'than some silly squabble'."

Artorius said nothing. Her armor dissipated into the air as she was back in her dress and sandals.

"How is this nothing?!" Rage flared through Shirou as he couldn't hold it in. His teeth grounded and his fists clenched until his nails dug into his palm, drawing blood. "How can you just walk away from this? How can you know what happened and not care? What kind of monster are you?"

"…I believe you and I shall never see equal terms," she said. "Perhaps I am a monster, but have you any right to say such a thing, hero? We are both broken beings. I only care for myself, while you care for all but yourself. We are opposites; not of two sides of a coin but two forces which must never meet. I have already told you why I can do what you accuse me of, so further words will be moot.

"However, the difference between you and I is liberty. I am free to do with as I please. None may oppose me because I have the power to crush those who do not agree with me or stand against my way. But you, hero? You are nothing but an idea. They are beautiful beyond description, yet they lack any power of their own. If I so chose, I could kill you now and you can do nothing about it. Because you are weak, hero. You lack the power to enforce such an idea.

"Do not try to sway me until you can at least stand up against me," Artorius released a bit of killing intent to make her point. "Do not question my views until you can deliver your own. Until then, keep your ideas to yourself."

Shirou did not move. He continued to stare down at the two corpses with their faces frozen in terror.

"Come, let us return home," Artorius began to pace herself out of the forest. "Contact the moderator of the war if you're so concerned. That's all you're good for anyways— letting someone else take care of what you desire to accomplish."

Shirou had grabbed her arm and forced her to look his way, something that had caught her by surprise. She hadn't expected him to be forceful.

"Home?" his eyes defied everything that she was. "You think I'm going to let someone— something like you in my home?! No, Artorius. You're never stepping foot there again. You're no longer welcomed."

He let go and began to walk away in his own direction.

He was on his knees as a force within his body surged through his veins. His skin was on fire while his nerves were screaming at him in pain. It felt like he was being cooked from the inside and he couldn't scream.

"This is where you misunderstand the conditions of our union, boy," Artorius' voice was cold, merciless, absolutely unforgiving. She came in front of him and forced his head up to look at her. "I am not your Servant and you are not my Master. As is my authority, as is my right of execution, I am granted the privilege to determine who may live and who may die. As I have spared your life, you are now and forever within my power to do with as I please. I have been lenient, giving you the freedom to make your own decisions. But I believe this has been enough.

"I am welcome because it is my home. I shall take splendor in your meals because it is mine to eat. I shall slumber and have my fill within your chambers because your body is mine.

"I own you, Emiya Shirou.

"If you do not like it, then do something about it, hero."