Summary: Kiritsugu was given the perfect artefact to summon the strongest Servant in the Caster class, but he wasn't entirely ready for who appeared in front of him. / Tokiomi was left wondering about the identity of the Archer answering him in the place of the Heroic Spirit he sought. At least he seemed dedicated to protect his daughter.

Set in alternate version of Fate/Zero storyline. Non-canon Caster (As such, not tagged as character, it would cause more confusion). Warnings for author being a hopeless Archer x Rin shipper.

Rated M, because you know, fight to the death Holy Grail War. Might have some MA if I will be feeling up to it.

Chapter 1 - Summoning

Emiya Kiritsugu gazed at the clear crystal blade on the altar with a deep seated trepidation. He was a man who trusted his gut feeling above all, but at the same time, there was no way for him to reject such a great gift from the Einzbern family, who gave him a genuine chance at achieving his ambitious goal. Even now he wasn't entirely sure if it was at all possible to reach it, but he had to believe in it wholly, there was no place for any hesitation in the war he was about to enter.

"Worry not my dear, without the shadow of a doubt the catalyst you hold will offer you the strongest Servant to partake in this Holy Grail War." The sweet voice of his wife pulled Kiritsugu from his dark reverie. He glanced up with a small smile on his otherwise grim face, fully acknowledging the silver-haired woman next to him.

"You misunderstand Iri," he replied, his features a hint softer than moments before as he gazed into the dark ruby eyes of the woman. "I would hardly think that the catalyst your family prepared for me would be unsuitable. On the contrary, I'm truly amazed that an artifact as impressive as this could be acquired. Of course I shouldn't expect any less of the illustrious Einzbern family."

"Yet there is something bothering you."

Kiritsugu had no choice but accept how well his wife was able to pick up on his moods. It would have almost scared him if she didn't have his absolute trust.

"Even if this is but a fragment of the full sword," his monotone carried across the empty chapel they were standing in. "Unusable as it is now by us Mages, there is no doubt about its identity. I know without a question that using this sword, we can summon its original owner, Zelretch the Wizard Marshall."

"And he has been one of the most powerful Mages in history." Supplied Irisviel with a profound conviction shining in her wine-like orbs. "He will be leagues beyond any of the other Servants, not to mention Caster's combat style should suit yours quite well. The two of you will be an unstoppable force on the battlefield, no wonder my great grandfather chose him for you."

"I don't doubt that." Conceded the black haired man, his eyes closing in assent. "What does worry me though is just how overwhelming the Jeweled Old Man's power is going to be. A tool is but a tool, nothing more or less, and that should be true for a Servant too: only an addition to its master's repertoire. Yet how am I to utilize the full potential of my tool if it is too powerful for me to take full control of?"

"I have suspected you to mull over something like that, my dear." Illyasviel nodded perceptively, as her husband finally turned away from the Jeweled sword laid neatly on the altar of the magnificently carved Einzbern chapel.

"But I believe that your fears are unfounded." She spun around to follow the movement of the man she grew to love with all her heart. "Zelretch may have been a dead apostole, and quite eccentric as well, but he was rightfully called a friend of humanity. He fully proved that when he died defending human civilization. He shared our ideals dear, I truly don't think there is anyone more befitting to be partnered with you."

"I'm not so sure about that." Kiritsugu countered, his eyes downcast, scrutinizing the cold, hard stone floor as his steps carried him over to the carved wooden benches where he sat down, facing the homunculus. "Even if we have detailed records of Zelretch, we cannot be sure how well some of the sources can be trusted. Historians have a penchant for romanticizing certain details in order to make their stories more attractive. For all we know the old devil just got hailed as a champion of justice, and was in fact quite twisted. Given a new corporeal vessel for his immense magic, who knows what he will do, and how much we will be able to do about it. If stopping him will be possible at all."

"But this is exactly why my great-grandfather choose you for this task." The woman in the elegant white dress replied with a determined, passionate tone. "If there is anyone on this world cunning and determined enough to command someone like the Wizard Marshall Zelretch, it is you, my dear husband, Emiya Kiritsugu."

The dark eyed man huffed quietly, and shifted his gaze previously having rested on his beautiful wife to stare at a spot on the wall, without really looking at it.

"Sometimes I wonder if I really deserve the level of trust you or Acht place in me." Before his wife could protest indignantly, he continues with an amused half-smile. "Nonetheless, I will try my best to live up to that trust, and hope my guile will be enough to deal with it all."

"Are you sure Tokiomi that it is a good idea to let her stay? Will she not be just in more danger this way, not to mention be a distraction for us?" The dark robed priest, Kotomine Kirei enquired politely from his now former master in magecraft, while he glanced back at the small girl with blue eyes peeking in through the doorway, glaring daggers at him. In a show of distaste, she proceeded to stick her tongue out at the impassive face of the man. Despite the provocation, his expression remained emotionless.

"I sent her mother and the servants away as they lack magic, but Rin is already proficient, considering her age she exudes quite a bit of prana. Given the situation she would be easy and attractive prey for any Masters looking to power up their Servant, and then we haven't even considered the danger that Mage Slayer could pose. Looking at his history of using underhanded methods, I wouldn't put it past him to target her. It is better to keep her close where we can protect her, she is the Tohsaka heir after all, the next Second Owner in line, too valuable to be risked."

"Would you at least consider not letting her attend the summoning? It might not be suitable for someone of her age." Kirei continued to ignore the hostility emanating from the tiny ball of energy behind him, as he addressed the Tohsaka head. He has always been awkward around children, and Rin really did not make it easy for him.

"It's best if she observes," the man wearing the red suit reasoned as he continued to finalize the preparations in the basement room without paying too much mind to what was happening behind him. A sizeable red crystal pendant shimmered ominously in the dim candlelight as it lay on the table nearby, next to a slab of rock that displayed an almost grotesque mark of a creature. "After all, one day she might have to repeat this ritual by herself. This should be good experience for her as a Mage even if that was not the case."

Tohsaka Tokiomi sighed as he straightened up, and faced the other two occupants of the dark room.

"Come in properly Rin," he imparted with an encouraging glint in his eyes. "No need to be afraid, you can trust your father's ability to successfully complete the summoning, and call forth the strongest Servant of the war, who will win the Holy Grail without fail."

"Of course Father can do it!" The little girl's face brightened as she hopped inside the room, the air of childish excitement clear around her, as her fervent words resonated back from the thick stone walls.

Kirei bit back a frustrated sigh.

Blinding light filled the lavishly decorated chapel, and the prana contributing to the summoning fizzled as it generated sharp currents of radiating warm waves of air, telling signs of the strength of the magic at work. As the swirling mana dimmed and cleared to reveal a figure, the man standing at the front of the magic circle, dressed in simple, but stylish black clothes stammered backwards, eyes wide in disbelief, mouth slightly agape at the sight that greeted him.

There was a gasp from the back of the altar, behind the circle, but Kiritsugu paid little mind to his wife right now. His entire body's attention, down to the last nerve cell receptor was trained at the person he desperately wished he wasn't seeing in the middle of his summoning circle.

"It can't…" his voice faltered, an occurrence that hasn't happened any time recently, his brain registered numbly. He refused to acknowledge the truth before him, no matter if supported by all his senses. He absolutely couldn't accept that he has failed, no, not when he was so close…!

"Oh my, were you expecting someone else?"

The terse voice filled to the brim with sickly sweet honey that barely concealed the scathing sarcasm finally pulled him from his stupor and his eyes focused in on the woman facing him wearing an amused smirk. His eyes scanned her with lighting fast motions, taking in her every detail, and his brain processed everything at an even quicker pace.

Female. Early- to mid-thirties. Average height. Slim build. Long, slightly wavy white hair with single strands glistening sporadically with unnatural light across them. Eyes a frighteningly cold metallic grey, filled with deep seated passion and swirling magic not concealed in the slightest. Relaxed, confident stance that implied ample battle experience, possibly some martial arts too. Clothes white with silver edges, snugly fit around the torso, but loose and flowing around the limbs, allowing for adequate movement in combat, even in close quarters. No obvious weapons in sight, though plenty of folds in the clothing to conceal items. The fabric however, entirely unrecognizable to him, no matter how he raked his brain. He could see no seams, no grains, no wrinkles, and the gleam that it cast seemed to be much more than the candlelight playing tricks. The only thing he could be sure of right now was that the woman's outfit, her hair and the crown of her head was adorned with countless magnificent jewels, giving her a truly regal appearance.

Most notably though he could not feel even a hint of magical presence coming from her, contradicting her very obviously magic infused exterior appearance. At least he couldn't detect anything other than the link of a Master and Servant that lay unmistakably between them. The thought sincerely terrified him, as it meant that her magical skills were on a level where she could conceal her magic to such a degree without the slightest effort. He knew instantly that she easily outclassed any mage he has encountered in his life before. Possibly including the Director of the Clock Tower, though he has only seen him from a distance, so he couldn't be sure.

"Are you going to answer me or what?" The irritated tone, and scrunched up, delicate nose contrasted wildly with the exquisite appearance of the spirit before him. Nonetheless, the man ignored the whole remark, and posed his own question, straight to the point.

"Who are you?"

"You know, you are quite rude to ask a question like that without even introducing yourself." Deadpanned the woman in the circle, as she crossed her arms over her chest and sighed ruefully. "In any case, you can call me Caster."

"No, I knew that already, I meant your True Name as a Heroic Spirit."

"And why should I give my name to an uncouth, nameless man?" Came the haughty reply.

"I am Emiya Kiritsugu, and I have summoned you as my servant in the Holy Grail War." Stated the dark haired man with an unreadable, hard lined face and unwavering voice. "Do you perhaps not accept me as your Master?"

It did not escape Kiritsugu's notice how the woman's colour lacking eyes widened by a fraction of a millimeter at hearing his name, but it was gone before he could even exhale a breath. The only way he could tell he did not imagine it was by how pointedly blasé her face turned.

"Kiritsugu-san then," she decided on the way to address him without leaving any room for objection, her voice back to that fake sweetness, complete with a faux smile. "Would you be so kind as to tell me which Holy Grail was this one is? I don't seem to yet have accustomed to this world, my sense of time and space appears to be a little confused still."

The dark eyes of the man narrowed with suspicion. This… no, his Servant, he reminded himself, was avoiding giving her name. Not to mention, she reacted to his introduction like she remembered his name, and choose to be rather informal with him. For some strange reason she was also keenly interested in the number of the war she was to participate in, a fact that he wouldn't have thought would interest a Servant, given how they should not recall previous rounds of Grail battles even if they were fighting in some before. Several theories were already being evaluated by his highly analytical brain, but he needed more information first.

"The Fourth Holy Grail War, and you are currently in the Einzbern castle, Germany."

There! She not only tensed at the mention of the number four, but there was also clear recognition in her metallic eyes at the Einzbern name too. No matter who his Caster was, she seemed to know a lot more about what was going on than she let on. She recovered quickly once again, if his senses weren't so keen he would have missed her reactions. Perhaps sensing his scrutiny to be dangerous, she turned around, and her eyes fell on the object on top of the altar.

"Oh, I see. You were trying to summon the Old Man. No doubt you would be surprised at finding me in his place. But fear not, my power greatly exceeds what you could have hoped for."

Kiritsugu remained silent as he digested the additional details entering his brain. He was yet to decide on a strategy. He was sure though that he needed to thread carefully.

"Can you then repair his sword?" the melodic voice of his silver haired wife sounded for the first time since the spirit was summoned. The man in dark clothes applauded the homunculus for sounding so sure and nonchalant, as if she was just inquiring about the weather over a cup of afternoon tea. All the same, he was positive that Irisviel was beyond nervous, her body language easily giving away her concern. What did not escape his attention either was the rigidly straight back of Caster as she stared at the other light haired woman.

"I'm afraid that would necessitate both far too much time and resources." The light tone of the spirit inside the circle gave nothing more away, even under the hawk-like gaze of the former mercenary. On the other hand, he quite easily picked up on the crestfallen slump of the red eyed homunculus' shoulder. In contrast to the gullibility of his wife, he waited with bated breath for the Servant to continue, and he was certainly not disappointed. "However, I would hope that my own model would satisfy your needs."

There wasn't enough time for Kiritsugu to even blink as his brain dully registered how the peculiar woman drew seemingly just from the folds of her white and silver dress (he was certain that it was actually out of thin air) a brilliantly shimmering Jeweled Sword, far more elegantly carved than Zelrecht's already impressive masterpiece. At the same time, his body valiantly struggled against the oppressive force of the dense prana flooding the whole of the chapel, and he was sure some of the crackling noises he heard wasn't just magical fizzle, but wood and stone splintering and cracking under the insane pressure.

His Caster was smiling serenely, her stance completely relaxed as she stood half-turned towards him, half towards Irisviel, who was kneeling on the floor, taking heavy breaths of the air thick with energy from the activation of the Second Magic. At the beat of the buzzing of the magic surrounding them strands of the silver haired female spirit's mane were lighting up with multiple colours, an effect mirrored by fine patterns on her dress. The black haired man could also feel the jewels on her body resonate with the power of the sword, and pulse with dormant prana.

After seeing and feeling all of the above, nothing scared him as much as the fact that his Servant was taking next to no energy through their connection, hammering in the fact that she did conjure up the Jeweled Sword truly as effortlessly as she made it look. Kiritsugu knew without a doubt that the weapon wasn't even close to being the spirit's Noble Phantasm, and he idly wondered if it was possible that the reason he couldn't sense prana from the spirit was simply that he was unable to comprehend her power level, rather than any of it being concealed.

That was the moment when the thought crystallized in the dark eyed man's consciousness that his worst fear has come true: he summoned a being well beyond his (or anyone's he knew of, for that matter) ability to control. He has released a potential monster with nothing to stand in its way, apart from three command spells.

Kiritsugu could feel his blood being on fire as he watched with morbid fascination the figure in his summoning circle. He could not deny the excitement he felt at the concept of figuring out a way to manipulate this ridiculosly powerful existence to be his tool, and do his bidding.

As the magically generated mist dissipated somewhat in the cramped space of his basement, Tohsaka Tokiomi could feel his heart drop, an icy fear chilling his body as he desperately tried to see the Servant who wasn't there. He couldn't quite believe that he has failed, even as all his gaze could find was his daughter still desperately clutching the red jewel he gave her to protect herself with if anything were to go wrong, and his darkly dressed former apprentice. That is until the crash sounding from upstairs registered into his brain, and he finally felt the magical link.

He was at the living room door in a matter of seconds, his steps Reinforced with magic unconsciously triggered due to his barely contained anticipations. He threw the heavy door open without a hint of hesitation, and proceeded to marvel at the sight that greeted him: his normally elegant living room was in shambles, but more importantly a man with wild, white hair, tanned skin, and a muscular build clad in black and red fabric was casually sitting on his living room couch.

"Hooh, could you be my Master?" the man he identified as his Servant asked in an amused, rugged voice, his silver eyes calmly looking the magus up and down.

"That is correct," Tokiomi answered in a careful way, tone and body language radiating respect. Though he would have expected a grander appearance, if this spirit was the one he was after, he couldn't afford to offend him. "It was I, Tohsaka Tokiomi, head of the Tohsaka family, the Second Owner of Fuyuki City, who called for your assistance. If I may enquire about your identity…"

The slight widening of the white haired man's steel coloured eyes did not escape the blue eyed mage's notice. However, in another moment, any signs of surprise was erased by a cocky grin and a teasing glint in his cold eyes.

"I fear that I cannot comply with your request, Master: I seem to not remember my human name. There must have been something that went wrong during your summoning."

The magus in the red suit was silent, but he knew perfectly well that he made no mistake, his technique and preparations have been impeccable, and he had the ideal catalyst. On the other hand, disagreeing with his spirit Servant would not have accomplished anything at this point with him showing just as much open disrespect in his tone as the reverence the Tohsaka head has addressed him with previously.

"Tokiomi-san, which of the servants did you end up summoning?" the dull monotone of his apprentice broke the silence. The blue eyed magus wasn't sure at what point the dark haired man arrived. As usual his presence was difficult to detect, not unlike in character to his Servant's, Assassin's manifestation behind him.

"Master, that is an enemy Master and Servant right there. Do you want me to deal with him?" the Servant in the red jacket sounded eerily calm, but Tokiomi detected both the slight strain in his dark voice, and the hidden bloodlust in his steely eyes. He appeared terribly eager to unleash a world of pain on the darkly clothed former executioner and his Servant, yet at the same time he made a conscious effort to conceal the emotion. There could have been various justifications for this behavior, and he made a point to pay close attention to his Servant's subtle reactions to people in the future. The tall spirit looked to be skilled at controlling his emotions, possibly also at lying, but if anything, Tokiomi was observant, a talent he couldn't have been a successful magus without.

"No, that is Kirei Kotomine, my former student, and current ally in this Holy Grail War. We will be working closely together."

"Hm, I would not be so trusting of someone seeking the same prize as me." The spirit's stance did not relax completely, and his voice was still laced with animosity behind the jeer, but any detectable hints of bloodlust were gone. Instead, his icy eyes were assessing the perfectly blank face of Kirei, silently trying to intimidate the impassive priest, and not succeeding.

"Who knows when one such person would prioritize his own goals over yours? Humans are fickle little things like that." Stated the silver haired man with a sardonic smile after he ended his one sided staring contest with Kirei.

"That is quite enough of you." Reproached his servant Tokiomi with a stern voice. By now it was clear to him that whoever he summoned was nowhere as prideful, or powerful for the matter, as who he had aimed for, and he decided he would be better off showing his assertion in the face of his Servan't sarcasm than playing along. "Kirei shares the same goal as me, and I trust him fully. On the other hand, I would also be interested in your class, Servant, and what of your abilities you can remember. We need to revise our battle strategy accordingly."

"Oh, I hope my blindly trusting Master won't be too disappointed then to learn he has summoned Archer." Quipped the tall, muscular man in a mocking tone as he folded his arms over his wide chest.

"Not at all, in fact I was trying to call specifically that class." The Tohsaka head explained calmly, his hands folded behind his back, all the while completely ignoring the blatant insult from his Servant. "However, with the catalyst I was using, I would have expected a particular spirit to respond, who I'm afraid doesn't at all fit your description."

His Servant was silent as he watched him intently, and sensing he gave up for now at trying to provoke him, Tokiomi continued.

"None of that matters now that it is you who have responded." Sighed the dark haired magus, then his face hardened as he carried on. "It is of no concern whether I have the most powerful Servant or not. With careful planning, if we utilize our resources in the most effective manner, we can still defeat our adversaries without any problems. Even the most powerful enemies have their weaknesses that if identified will lead to their downfall."

"Hmph, aren't I lucky to have been paired with such a thoughtful Master?" Nodded Archer, and Tokiomi wasn't sure if his voice carried any genuine approval, or if it was all cynicism again. The smug grin that followed was unmistakable though. "Nonetheless, it would seem that you are quite mistaken, Master. I don't think you have any reason to believe that you have summoned less than the most powerful Servant."

"That is something yet to be seen, Archer." Tokiomi responded, his crystal clear blue eyes meeting the smokey grey pair of his servant without any fear or hesitation, standing up to the unspoken challenge in them.

"Father… Father! Did it appear? Is it here?" the loud animation of his daughter's voice announced her presence several moments before she actually appeared. The man dressed in the red suit concluded that she must have been a bit disoriented after the ritual to arrive so much later, even if her legs were significantly shorter, and still lacking the crests for Reinforcements.

Tokiomi was about to turn around to check on his constantly lively child, but he halted halfway in the motion as he caught sight of the myriad of emotion plastered on his white haired Servant's face. First, there was a deep seated shock, followed by an unrestrained eagerness, and as his daughter's form was reflected in the silver eyes they revealed not only recognition, but a tinge of … fondness? Mixed with sadness, and longing?

The magus was intensely confused by what he was seeing. Wasn't it the first time the spirit saw the girl? Even if he had a soft spot for children, which would have been greatly unusual for a Heroic Spirit in and of itself, that still would not have been suitable to explain the weight of the feelings visible on the spirit warrior's face. Soon though, the tanned featured were schooled back to indifference, and Tokiomi was left wondering if he had imagined it all.

"Is that him? Wow, he is big and scary! He looks strong too! Nothing less from Father, right? Of course he would get the best Servant!" The girl almost squealed in delight, noticing none of the serious looks cast her way. In comparison, the minute blush of embarrassment on the tanned cheeks at the genuine praise didn't go without being spotted by the dark haired fire mage.

"Yes, this is Archer, Rin. Also, do try to utilize a bit more grace in your conduct, you are the next Tohsaka head after all." He chided lightly at the child skipping towards his white haired Servant without holding back on her excitement at all. At his scolding she turned beet red, her short legs clambering to fulfill her father's wish, quite possibly looking far less graceful in the process than before his comment.

As Tokiomi marveled at the clumsy eagerness of his daughter, he caught sight of Kirei, who was still silently observing all that unfolded in the room. He almost forgot about him. The priest was indeed excellent at avoiding detection even without trying.

"Archer, I have your first task for you." The blue eyed magus addressed his Servant, who looked at him with anticipation. "I need to discuss with Kirei-kun the best way for how to alter our strategy for the war. In the meantime, watch over my daughter."

He didn't have to wait long to be rewarded by an indignant bark of "I'm not some baby sitter, damn it! What do you think Servants are?"

"Don't swear in front of a child, Archer." Was all he dispassionately supplied him with before leaving the room, smirking to himself. Kirei followed him soundlessly, leaving the spirit servant alone with the little girl.

A/N:

Hello dear readers, please be kind to me and guide/encourage me with your reviews! I hope you will be enjoying this story with me.

That being said, I would be really happy if someone would be up for betaing this story as I'm quite new to the fandom, and need to be told when I'm breaking the Nasuverse… Please bear with my inexperience!

This first chapter focused on Kiritsugu and Tokiomi, and how differently their summonings turned out in this Alternate Reality. I will be changing most of the other summonings, beyond the obvious ones, but I will be keeping those a surprise, as this story mostly focuses on Kiritsugu, Caster, Tokiomi, Archer and Rin. I will be alternating between these viewpoints.

Ah yes, and of course this Caster is not the same as Fate/Zero or Fate Stay Night Caster. Now, no more on that topic from me for the time being!

The storyline will loosely follow Fate/Zero, but not all scenes will be described, and of course as necessary additional scenes will be added.

Okay, wish me luck, this is the first time I'm serious about a multichapter story, so I hope it goes well!

Edit A/N 2.0:

I have not done a story in a while, so sorry for patching up things afterwards. I have added a cover image, but I am not promising if it will happen in this fic or not, but I will admit that it was certainly among my inspirations (and no, don't know where if there is a continuation to that image, I would love to know too).

I'm currently not too sure about the genre, maybe mostly action and pretty serious, will add genre later when it's more solid, but do expect a lot of fluff mixed in because Young Rin and Archer equals vast quantities of fluff.

Also I changed my mind about something (small detail) in the story, and quickly changed it. I guess only early readers might notice, but it is really nothing very big. I just thought it would make more sense like that.