This chapter was beta'd by Undying Soul98.

Chapter 6: Each One's Struggles

Takumi stood sentinel on the school rooftop, watching for enemy Servants. The job was somewhat more boring than expected, given that nothing had actually happened for the whole day so far. However, he did appreciate the chance to rest and recover from his wounds. He wouldn't be in proper shape to engage the Nohrians again until tomorrow without additional strain on his Master.

Rin's voice popped into his head. Archer, I need you to pass a note to Saber for me.

On second thought, perhaps he should increase his mana intake. Maybe then Rin would have less energy to assign him menial tasks. He wasn't too worried about leaving his post, though, since Saber had his back. His brother was someone he could rely on.

I'll arrive momentarily, he responded. I take it that you have decided on a plan of action for the evening?

Nothing too complex,

Rin replied. Just another checkup to make sure Emiya's healing properly, and to teach him the proper use of basic magecraft. Honestly, he's lucky he has someone as talented as I am as an instructor, since his father couldn't be bothered to do it.

Dematerialized, Takumi drifted into Rin's classroom. And you can't be bothered to tell him this yourself during your lunch break? Rin tucked her head down and glared at her textbook.

It's too early for that. I have an image to maintain in front of my classmates, you know.

Takumi would have frowned were he in physical form. He settled for a vague sense of incredulity. But you went to his house yesterday, and the night before. There is no reason to hide your association with him; any important player in the War will already know.

Rin's response was a wordless stream of distilled annoyance over their empathic link. Deciding to drop the subject, Takumi retrieved the paper he was to deliver and slipped through the slightly open rear door of the classroom.

Emiya Shirou's classroom was not far away, and Takumi found Ryoma waiting just outside, also in spirit form. The Saber Servant radiated only the slight tension of alertness, with none of Archer's boredom. Unlike his brother, Ryoma was usually patient when on duty.

I've brought a message from my Master, said Takumi. It appears to be the prescription for tonight's training.

Ryoma took the note, an action only noticeable by a slight shimmer in the air and the feel of fingers at once there and not there. I look forward to it.

Takumi felt like lingering to talk, but he knew he should return to his lookout post. Rin might not care about such a low-stakes dereliction of duty, but his brother certainly would. I as well, he replied, and began to drift back toward the stairs.

When we next speak alone, began Ryoma, but he hesitated. Takumi halted to listen.

...I would discuss our sister. It felt almost like a question. Did he mean Hinoka, or...Azura? Takumi couldn't tell.

As you say, responded Takumi. He moved to return to his post, followed by a faint hint of gratitude from the other Servant.

Gratitude...Takumi didn't think he deserved it, not yet. His emotions were still clouded, first from the presence of his siblings, then from the appearance of the Nohrians. The Holy Grail War would have been a far easier battle without familiar faces. He could fight against strangers with perfect efficiency. He had no such assurance against his own family, even with anger on his side, as shown by his repeated losses to a traitorous Corrin.

Anger had never helped him, not even against the Nohrians. His performance against Caster the previous night had been the result of skill and discipline; any attempt to harness his anger would have backfired horribly. Rage made him sloppy; it always had. Time and again, he had seen mistakes on the battlefield cost lives. For his own sake, for the sake of his brother and sister, and for the sake of the girl whose summons he had answered, he could not lose control of his emotions, even for a moment.

It was for the best that he could begin the War alongside his brother, Takumi decided. To ride out the storm in his mind, he needed an anchor.

The school day was finally over. Shirou stopped by his locker to put away his books and leaned suddenly against the metal as a wave of exhaustion hit him. All at once, tension drained from his body, tension his body had held the whole day without him realizing. He lifted his head and glanced to the left and to the right. Saber's reassuring presence lingered close by. It didn't seem that any of his classmates had witnessed his moment of weakness; if they had, none had taken note of it as they bustled about, taking care of their things in preparation for going home, or for attending club activities, as was the case for most. Shirou let out a long breath and stood straight, resuming his task. His hands shook a bit as he stacked his books neatly inside the locker, but they hurt far less than the previous night. He was in better condition than he had expected, given the strenuous events at the docks and his inability to fall asleep after.

He resisted the urge to peek below his bandages. Saber or Tohsaka would give him an earful if he took them off now, even though they would come off anyway for training in a few hours.

The previous two nights, he had abstained from practicing his magecraft for the first time in five years. The deviation from his routine jarred him. It had been difficult to convince himself to follow Tohsaka's advice when doing so felt like a compromise on his ideal, but somehow he managed it. Despite the exertion of his second battle in the Holy Grail War, he had slept poorly, and it showed in his decreased focus in class.

Although, that was likely as much a result of his manifold worries as of exhaustion. The enemy Servants; the unknown Masters, one of whom was almost certainly a Matou; even Sakura not coming for breakfast. The world seemed bent on making his transition into the life of an active magus as difficult and disorienting as possible.

Belatedly, Shirou noticed that the entry hall had cleared, the student body having dispersed to its various after-school destinations. He sighed. After a moment's pause, he shut his locker and nodded in the dematerialized Saber's direction.

"Heyyy, Emiya!" Mitsuzuri Ayako's voice floated around one of the partitions, followed by the Archery Club president herself. "Thought you'd have already left by now. I didn't get the chance to thank you for the other day." She grinned. "Well, I say thank, but I really owe you an apology."

"Oh," said Shirou. "You mean cleaning the club dojo for Shinji, right? It wasn't an inconvenience, really. It was good for me to have...something to do, that night."

Mitsuzuri's mouth twisted wryly. "Heh, that's just like you to say, isn't it? Honestly, I should have made sure Shinji would do it himself, but you do such a good job that I really can't complain. At least he had a good excuse this time, family business instead of the usual womanizing."

"Family...business?" Shirou asked, suddenly recalling what Kotomine had said about the Matou family.

Mitsuzuri tilted her head, shrugging. "He didn't say what it was, but he's been a whole lot more quiet than usual. He's stopped trying to show off for the first years, can you imagine? And he was all polite to me during morning practice today." She smiled. "I could get used to that, you know."

Shirou blinked in surprise. "Shinji was?"

Misuzuri laughed. "Oh, see? You're surprised too." She glanced around, then continued, "Just looking at him now, you'd think he's running scared of somebody who won't tolerate his uppity attitude. I'd feel sorry for him if he didn't have it coming for so long."

"Mm." Shirou nodded slowly. "Speaking of...how is Sakura?"

Mitsuzuri quirked an eyebrow. "That's not something I thought you would ask. Doesn't she go to your house every day before school?"

Shirou looked away. "That's true," he admitted, "but she won't talk to me about her problems, especially when Shinji's mistreating her."

"She would, wouldn't she." Mitsuzuri had a strange, almost pitying look in her eyes. "Well. I suppose I can tell you that much. She didn't come to school today, but Shinji hasn't so much as looked at her for the last few days, at least at club practice. It's hard to tell what she's feeling, since she always has this blank expression whenever you aren't around." She sighed. "Well, I'd better go. I can't let the club practice go on without some leadership, and my new tenant won't take care of herself."

Shirou stared at her, uncomprehending. "Blank...?"

Mitsuzuri sighed again. "I've gone and said too much. But...she's almost like you, in a way. Back when we were younger, we'd all go on class trips and vacations, and no matter how much fun everyone was having, you'd never smile or crack a joke. That's what she reminds me of, except when you're there." She shook her head. "I guess that's why you haven't noticed." Her grin sprang back, but it wasn't as strong as earlier. "Well, I'll be off. If Shinji shapes up in the long run, think about coming back to the club, okay?"

"Yeah," said Shirou. "I...I'd like that, I think." Halfheartedly, he returned her cheery wave and waited for her figure to disappear through the front entryway.

Once she was gone, Saber materialized beside Shirou. He said nothing, only laying a heavy hand on the boy's shoulder. Shirou looked up at his Servant, and after a long moment, collected himself and nodded. The two walked together out of the school building and toward the Emiya residence.

Azura paused in the middle of Fuyuki City's market square. The Grail had informed her of the scale of the daily life of this era, but seeing it left her somewhat bewildered, even awestruck. Hoshido's capital had been a mere fraction of what she saw here.

Perhaps her minor acquaintance with the home she best remembered, and her still lesser acquaintance with its inhabitants, had made excursions more comfortable, the crowds less daunting. Yet, the increased complexity and bustle of everything made her think that finding the items that Leo had requested might be rather a difficult task.

Guidance from one of the inhabitants would have made this simpler. She had considered requesting assistance from Xander's acting Master, but the boy was visibly afraid of her. The sister's poor health ruled her out as well. A stranger might be able to help her, but Azura had never dealt well with strangers. So, she wandered in the general direction of the largest concentration of people, reading signs in hope of discovering where she could obtain parchment, ink, and tomatoes.

Given the overwhelming presence of cheap paper, mass-produced disposable pens, and...snacks, the endeavor seemed less hopeful by the minute. Idly, Azura wondered whether she might obtain the desired items more quickly by finding a farm at which to skin an animal and pick the fruits herself.

It was strange how war had changed her, that she instinctually considered such an act a military acquisition rather than theft. She hoped the situation would not come to that. Her side was not at war with the people of Fuyuki.

Leo set down his pen. On the table lay several palm-sized paper squares inscribed with simple magic circles. Having only unfamiliar tools and inferior materials, such as this paper, he was limited to basic, single-use formations. The magic stored in each would last no longer than that without destroying the paper. With that in mind, he had created simple perimeter alarms to hide along the entrance to his new makeshift workshop. The dragon vein along which the house was built could support his activities, but not too well-the prime spot ran through the cellars, certainly the home of the Matou magecraft.

Magecraft, so similar to, and different from, the magic he knew. Practical use, such as in combat, relied on prepared spells, whether memorized or cast through a specifically designed item. This much was the same in both systems, down to the mathematical precision necessary for both mages and magi. Rather, the differences lay in the purpose and methods for acquiring power.

In Hoshido, magic was a tool for battle or for everyday problems. In Nohr, its use was much the same, although the need for military power in order to survive trumped the need to improve standards of living.

In this era...in this world, magic as he knew it, which was accessible to any with talent and education, was extinct. The magecraft that had replaced it was secretive and oriented toward obtaining personal power, regardless of the cost to oneself or others. Leo's first Master, Atrum Galliasta, had exhibited a horrific callousness toward the sacrifice of the innocents to fuel his craft. Leo would have assumed the man to be an exception but for the copious records of similar atrocities at the hands of those who practiced dark magic.

In the time of his father, King Garon, the use of dark magic had been constrained largely to areas of possible military application. Things like the Nosferatu spell or the creation of Faceless were fairly tame compared to the curses and blood rituals of legend. However, exceptions always existed, and they became only more numerous after Garon's corruption into a soulless monster.

Atrum had boasted endlessly of the financial support and various advantages supplied by his backers in the Mages' Association. The Magus' Association was willing to back such a man as Atrum in his pursuit of the Holy Grail and the wish it granted. Therefore, the Mages' Association had no regard for human life. Therefore, no magus could be trusted in any capacity. Except, perhaps, to act in his or her own self-interest.

Leo distributed his cursory alarm system throughout the room. The lone door took two of the paper slips, while the others went to the corners and the structural supports in the walls, floor, and ceiling. Leo sighed. It was unfortunate, but his ability to prepare a workshop from scratch was insufficient. His specialization in combat had cut into his study of other types of magic, whether healing, alchemy, or barrier creation. Fortunately for him, his teachers had drilled into him some of the basics of golem creation. With the proper materials, he could create Faceless or Stoneborn, in theory.

Which was why he had sent Azura to requisition parchment. Redrawing the magic circles required on new paper each time would be horribly tedious and inefficient. Parchment was sturdy enough to channel spell formations multiple times or have new ones drawn after the old ink was scraped away. And unlike a circle carved in the ground, it could be carried with him.

On that note, Azura should have been back by now. What was taking her so long?

Leo focused on their telepathic link. Azura, is there a problem?

Her answer came promptly. Yes. It's Berserker.

"I must say, I didn't expect to find you wandering around like this without Presence Concealment...you are Assassin, aren't you? Well, you were always the quiet and mysterious one. But look at you! You're not even dressed to blend in."

"I tied my hair up," murmured Azura.

Camilla laughed. "Silly girl. Trying to make yourself less conspicuous doesn't work like that. You have to show that you don't care whether people notice you or not. If you can't help being exotic, dress to match!"

Camilla herself wore a loose, fluffy sweater and an equally loose rumpled cap that did nothing to keep her hair in order. While not exotic, per se, it was indeed far messier than the attire of most others in the mall. Azura decided not to mention this observation.

Instead, she said, "Camilla...my apologies if this is unnecessary, but...do you intend to fight me?"

Camilla's pace slowed, and she turned her head to stare at Azura with eyes of genuine sadness. "Dear, dear sister. Of course not! Is that what you expected? I would so hate having to hurt one of my beloved children without even a chance to comfort her beforehand. No, I came here for my newest adopted sibling. The poor girl's mother died ten years ago, and she's had nobody to love her all this time. She doesn't even have any good play clothes."

Azura stiffened, almost tripping. "You don't mean your Master?"

Camilla shifted her shoulders uncomfortably. "Well, where the Holy Grail War is concerned, that is true, I suppose. The whole thing is really a horrible inconvenience."

Azura's heart felt like it was grinding against her ribcage. "You exposed yourself just to buy clothes for your Master." The words came out more in a more accusatory tone than she had intended.

Camilla rolled her eyes. "It's broad daylight, sweetie. Besides, the maids are reliable. They can take care of Illya while she waits for me." Azura found herself at a loss for words. Seeming not to notice, Camilla continued. "I really couldn't put it off any longer; there's no point if she can't get some use out of the new clothes. In a few days, several of the Servants will be dead, and she won't be able to move around." She leaned close to Azura. "Illya's the vessel of the Lesser Grail, you know."

"I didn't," Azura whispered.

Camilla frowned. "Really? It's no secret. Ah, I suppose the Grail won't tell you everything right away. Anyway, you simply must meet her. I was having her try on some new outfits, but I sensed you and came right away. I absolutely didn't want to miss seeing you."

Azura halted. Letting out a deep sigh, she took hold of Camilla's wrist and forced the taller girl to stop as well.

Camilla frowned. "Dearie, what's wrong? We shouldn't keep her waiting."

Azura forced herself to look Camilla resolutely in the eyes. "Camilla, I do not think it wise that I meet your Master."

Camilla blinked. "Oh," she said, her face scrunching up in disappointment. "Why not?"

Azura held Camilla's gaze. "If I have rightly guessed your intent, you mean to have your Master form an emotional attachment to me in order to solidify the sense of familial belonging which you...honestly wish to give her." Her gaze flickered down. "I cannot fault you for that. But..." She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. "I am likely to die before the War's end. You are as likely to kill me as anyone, if not more so."

A soft pressure enveloped her on all sides. It took her a moment to realize that it was Camilla hugging her.

"I know," Camilla whispered. "Big sister already knows. And Illya knows, too. She won't survive the War, just like us. But unless you're the last one standing, she'll get you when you die. So you won't really be gone." Her arms tightened. "You can make up for last time." Camilla's eyes, unfocused, gazed at something far away. "You won't leave us, this time...you won't take him away from me..."

Azura shuddered with a sudden chill. Then, steeling herself, she returned the hug.

Camilla blinked, shaking herself out of her daze. "Oh, I'm sorry. What was I saying...I lost track. Do forgive me."

"There's nothing to blame you for," Azura replied, smiling bitterly. "I'll go with you. It won't do to keep your-no, our new sister waiting."

Camilla drew out of the hug, her hands resting on Azura's shoulders. "Of course. Let's go!" She grabbed Azura's hand and drew her toward her earlier destination at a brisk pace. Her smile was almost giddy.

"Ah, Camilla," said Azura, "perhaps you could help me find a few things while we're here? I can't seem to navigate this market at all."

Camilla laughed. "That's no trouble. What do you need?"

"Parchment, and...tomatoes."

"Tomatoes? Hm. That sounds more like something Leo would request. Dear me, did I not realize that you like them so much? I feel like I've failed as a sister."

Azura hoped her smile showed less nervousness than she felt. "I'm sure you'll make up for it in no time, if it's you...big sister."

The afternoon and early evening passed quickly for Shirou. Ayako's words weighed on him, but he couldn't help anticipating the basic magical training that Rin had promised and which Kiritsugu had refused him.

Taiga had offered a multitude of excuses and apologies for missing dinner, citing school matters. It was just Shirou and Saber at the dinner table that evening, and while the meal wasn't lonely, per se, the atmosphere was more subdued than Shirou was used to. Both he and Saber were tense and put little effort into conversation while they ate.

About half an hour after their dinner, a heavy knock came at the door. Shirou went to the door, trying to keep calm so he wouldn't look nervous. The knock came again, harder. Shirou opened the door. "Evening, Tohsaka. You don't have to knock quite so hard. I could hear you clearly the first time."

She sniffed. "I fixed the door for you. I'll knock as hard as I please."

"Well, if you say so." Shirou stepped aside to let her in. "I usually do my practice in the tool shed out back, but we can use whatever place you want. The dojo has a lot more room than the shed, which might be helpful."

Rin tossed her hair. "Why don't you show me around, then. We didn't have the chance the other night."

Shirou shrugged. "All right." He led her through the house to the back veranda. Past the wide windows and sliding doors lay the back yard, with the shed directly across and the dojo off to the right. A large gouge ran several meters through the dirt along the middle of the yard. Right, Archer put that there, Shirou thought. He had forgotten about that.

Rin looked at him. "What? It's not my fault Berserker dodged that time."

"Hey, I didn't say anything," protested Shirou. "I was just thinking I should fill it in before Fuji-nee sees it."

Rin frowned. "Fujimura-sensei? But didn't she go home with you the evening after?"

Shirou pushed the sliding door open and stepped outside. "She was...otherwise occupied and didn't notice."

Rin followed. "Dare I ask why?"

"She was, you know, trying to find out if Saber was single?"

"Oh. Is he?"

"He, uh, didn't say. He just mentioned a kid a few times to avoid answering."

Rin nodded, looking satisfied. "Good. A womanizing Servant would be horribly inconvenient. Not that I thought that of Saber, of course." She glanced around. "I assume he's here?"

"Yeah. He said he would watch in spirit form," replied Shirou, stepping carefully over the miniature trench. "He says he doesn't know enough magic to be helpful."

Rin waved her hand. "That's fine. We're only covering basics tonight, anyway. It's natural, given my existing investment in you and your Servant."

"Mm." Shirou unfastened the lock on the shed and swung one of the doors open. "Well, this is the closest thing I have to a workshop. It's not much, but I've managed to fix a few appliances. Oh, and there's the magic circle I used to summon Saber."

Rin stepped around the scattered boxes and pipes to examine it. "Ah, yes. The spell array you used to accidentally summon a Servant without a chant, a catalyst, or even the intent to participate in the Holy Grail War." She turned back to Shirou. "On second thought, it would be better to use the dojo. If your father used this as a workshop before you, there's no telling what might happen in here if we're careless."

Shirou deflated. "Ah, I suppose that's true." He gave a mournful look over the chaos, which he had not managed to clean or organize since the encounter with Berserker. The pipes lay scattered and bent, and the dead VCR he had been trying to repair was on its side with a large crack in its casing. With a sigh, he turned away and led Rin out, locking up again before heading to the dojo.

They took their positions on the polished wood floor of the dojo. Rin had Shirou sit cross-legged in a meditative position. She hummed to herself while inspecting his posture. Finally, she said, "All right, take off your shirt."

Shirou flinched. "Wait, what?"

"I need to be able to see what's happening in your magic circuits. Don't make me repeat myself."

"But..." Shirou gave up and swept off his shirt in one fluid motion. Rin spun her head away, reddening a bit. "Are you all right, Tohsaka?"

"Hmph. You startled me." She stepped around behind him, not looking directly at him. "Now, breathe. Calm and center yourself. When you've done so, show me how you use your magic circuits. I may stop you, so be careful about it."

Shirou inhaled and exhaled deeply. He called upon his mental image-a metal rod slowly lowering itself into a dark, deep pool of water. When the rod was completely submerged, he tightened his focus and brought the rod down to pierce into his spine. Immediately, the water around the rod surged to a boil, but he pushed it in steadily, enduring the pain.

Something burbled in the water behind him, but the rumble of steam drowned it out. It came again, this time striking the metal rod and almost dislodging it. In haste, Shirou imagined the rod withdrawing from his back. It came out, and the entire mental image popped like a bubble, leaving him slumped over and gasping.

"Emiya." Rin's voice was quiet and dangerous. "What was that?"

Shirou forced himself to breathe more deeply. When he had recovered his wind, he said, "That's how I make magic circuits."

"You're doing it wrong," she growled. "If you have the ability to use magic at all, you have magic circuits in your body naturally. But instead of using those, you force your nerves to act as makeshift circuits, giving inferior results and a higher chance of failure."

Shirou turned his head to look at her. Rin did not look happy. He felt a pang of disappointment in himself.

"Now, before you get depressed," Rin continued, "I can help you learn to use your real circuits. I doubt it will increase your prospects as a magus very much, but it should improve your ability to support Saber. Depending on your progress, I might consider teaching you proper reinforcement so you won't wreck your arms next time you try it." Shirou swallowed his desire to retort and nodded resolutely. Rin returned the nod. "Now, keep in mind that your magic circuits are parallel to the nervous system. You merely need to channel your Od through the proper pathway. I'll trace the path for you the first time. With repeated practice, it should become instinctive, allowing you to discard that image training so I won't have to slap you to get you to listen."

So that's what that was, thought Shirou. He stiffened as Rin knelt and pressed her fingers to his spine between the shoulders. "Uh, Tohsaka? Couldn't I use my Structural Analysis to find it? There's no need to go this far-"

"I can do it myself. Don't distract me." She traced her fingers along his back, and he felt a small tingle like a twitching muscle. Shirou closed his eyes and focused on the tingle as Rin traced it out.

The hands left his back. "All right," said Rin. "Go ahead. Try to send your energy along that pathway. Use your image if you have to, but don't go to the nerve stage."

"Got it." Shirou breathed. Then he activated Structural Analysis. The pathways and systems of his body opened themselves to his mind's eye. Now that he knew what to look for, he could see the hidden parallel lines beneath his branching nerves. Some of the nerves appeared blackened, and he suppressed a shudder. He let go of Structural Analysis, but kept the image in his mind. The darkened water returned, flowing over and through everything. The metal rod lowered itself into the water, as before, but heeding Rin's instructions, he made it halt before piercing his spine, stopped against his skin. Searching for something else to use, he grasped the flow of the water. It swept along his blood vessels and nerves, but he easily found the trickle along the newly found magic circuits. He focused on this trickle and fed it through, gradually increasing the strength. A new sensation swelled around him-magical power without debilitating pain. Greedily, he forced open the floodgates and poured as much water through his circuits as they would allow.

The bubble burst.

Blinking, Shirou found himself back on the dojo floor, the bandages on his arms sopping wet. Hurriedly, he slipped them off and stared.

The scars were completely gone.

"Ahem." Shirou snapped his head around to Rin, but his grin morphed to confusion on seeing that she was...drenched.

So were his pants. So was the dojo floor.

Rin wiped her face on her sleeve. "What. The hell. Was that?"

Shirou got to his feet, nearly slipping. "I'm so sorry. This has never happened before."

Rin waved him away. "Don't apologize. Obviously, you couldn't have predicted what would happen." She sighed and began to mutter to herself. "Water everywhere, so a probable Water Element, but he shouldn't be able to produce it accidentally just by activating his circuits unless he has some sort of natural wishcraft..."

"Tohsaka." Rin looked up at him and broke off. Her face was suddenly red. "This isn't normal, right?"

She shook her head roughly. "No, of course not. Tell me, what image did you use?"

Shirou closed his eyes. "It was...flowing water, with a metal rod going into my spine. At least, when I would try to use magic before, the rod would go in all the way. I was able to focus on the water, since you showed me where to direct my energy."

Rin was silent, deep in thought. Finally, she said, "To tell you the truth, I don't have a lot of experience with something like this. How about this: I'll look through my family's library to see if there's anything relevant, and you can practice adjusting your mana output to support Saber. We'll meet again tomorrow, and you'll try to get your circuits to activate without having to rely so much on the image. Maybe reduce the water spillage, too."

"Yeah, of course." Shirou looked around for something to wipe the floor with. There was nothing available; he'd have to get a mop from the house. But he had to see his guest off first. "Do you need a change of clothes? And, uh, will you be all right on your way home?"

Rin brushed her still-wet hair back. "Please. I'm hardly helpless on my own, not to mention having Archer. I won't catch cold from something like this, either." She quirked an eyebrow at Shirou. "Oh, and while I can't say I dislike the view...you really should put your shirt back on."

She had left the dojo before Shirou had a chance to respond.

He sighed, picked up the damp garment, and slipped it back over his head, then began to trudge back to the house for the mop.

Saber materialized next to him. "You are disappointed that the session was short."

"Well...yeah," Shirou admitted. "I was excited about tonight. And we did make progress!" He paused. "How are you doing on mana, by the way?"

Saber inclined his head. "I can feel our bond more strongly than before. At this level, I should have no problem fighting normally, although I would likely have to retire after several uses of my Noble Phantasm so as not to overburden you."

Shirou nodded. "Is that so? I'm glad." The two of them passed by the gouge in the lawn. "Might as well get out the shovel, too," he muttered.

Saber laid a hand on his shoulder. "Shirou, I'm not convinced that you are. If you choose to speak your mind, I will listen."

Shirou halted. He looked at the taller man. Then, he exhaled and threw back his shoulders, straightening up. "Thanks, Saber. I guess I can talk while I clean up, you know?"

Saber squeezed Shirou's shoulder and let go. "That's the spirit. Although, if you have multiple cleaning tools, allow me to assist you. I'm not accustomed to labor, but I do have my duty as your guest."

Shirou couldn't see a reason to say no, so they began the work together while Shirou tried to dredge up the cause of his feelings. It was a more difficult task than he felt it should be.

About halfway into filling in the trench in the yard, he spoke up. "Saber, I've told you about Kiritsugu and my reasons for pursuing magecraft." The Servant nodded. "Well, to tell the truth, it's been awfully disorienting, finding out about how my life is already so connected to the Holy Grail War and the affairs of real magi...especially with Tohsaka. Sakura and Shinji are probably involved somehow, but it hasn't really hit home, you know? With Tohsaka, she was the perfect honors student that a nobody like me couldn't even approach. I might have even had a crush on her.

"Then, she shows up at my front door and reveals that she's a magus, one with proper talent, no less. Well, you were there for everything after that; you've seen how she is. I was so surprised that I just went along with what she said without really being able to process just how different she turned out to be from what I imagined."

"You assumed she was a straightforward, straight-laced person and were proven wrong," Saber said. "It happens with women. I'd give you some advice, but none of the women I knew were quite like her."

Shirou sighed. "Thanks. I mean, I don't dislike her real personality. It just takes getting used to. She's not a bad person; she just likes to be in control."

Saber smoothed over the last bit of the filled-in trench. "That would be the reason that she left early tonight. Your little accident was outside of her experience, and it spooked her. That, and she was enjoying your shirtless physique too much for her own comfort."

"Wait, what?"

"Nothing. I doubt she'll find anything, if control over dragon veins was new to her. The discharge of a dragon vein has a distinct magical signature, you see. That's what I felt from you when you summoned the water."

Shirou stared at Saber incredulously. "What are you saying?"

Saber returned his gaze. "I am saying that you have dragon blood in your veins. It may be only a little, but it is remarkable nonetheless. Even the Grail tells me that dragons no longer exist in this world. Either a draconic bloodline somehow survived in you...or you are an anomaly that no one here can hope to explain."

"You're certain?" Shirou pressed. "There's no way it could be something else, maybe feedback from being linked to you? You have the dragon vein ability."

An uncertainty formed in Saber's expression, but he shook his head. "If a Heroic Spirit were able to overwrite the abilities of their Master, there would be no point in summoning a separate entity as the container. The Masters would merely assume the capabilities of the Servants without a summoning. Rather, I would say that your dragon blood may have acted as a catalyst for my summoning." He sighed deeply, looking off into the twilight sky. "It would be highly unlikely for six Heroic Spirits to be summoned from the same legend without catalysts. But, I suppose we shall find the final proof of the pattern on facing Rider."

"Yeah," replied Shirou. "We really don't know much of anything, do we?"

The two faced each other silently, shovels still in hand.

"There is time left before dusk," Saber noted, "and your dojo is equipped with bokken. Would you grant me a spar?"

"I'm...not very good," said Shirou. "I wouldn't mind though. Perhaps you could train me?"

"Hm." A smile touched Saber's usually stoic face. "Considering the imminent danger to your life, that may be necessary. I believe I shall. Prepare yourself!"

I'm back, everybody. It took a while, but I've got a good feeling about where this is going to go from here. I welcome discussion of any kind.