7

Souichirou Kuzuki looked at the scene before him wordlessly.

Calling the temple courtyard a mess would be an understatement; it was as if a small hurricane tore through the place, sending everything in the courtyard in disarray. The tiles on the floor were cracked, the gardening tools that were kept near the entrance was scattered like fallen leaves all over the place, and the shed…

He walked slowly towards the shed which Caster insisted to be converted to her workshop, the broken tiles cracking under his feet. To a bystander, he would almost seem to be taking an evening stroll, but only the keenest eyes could see how his eyes were surveying the scene warily, the tension his pose, his hands ready to strike anyone who dares attack him.

Reaching the entrance of the shed, Kuzuki kneed down. Under the pale moonlight, he spotted a piece of dark cloth, ripped at the edges, and picked it up. Bringing it close to his nose, he took a whiff.

Caster, and judging from the smell of her hair lingering faintly, it was part of her hood.

His heart, which beats monotonously for most of his life, quicken a little.

If he wasn't so focused, he might have been astonished by this development.

Pushing back the ruined door, the teacher looked inside. If the courtyard appeared to have been struck by a hurricane, the interior of the shed looked as though it was hit by a hydrogen bomb. Almost nothing was recognisable nor salvageable, everything was reduced to a pile of junk.

Kuzuki's eyebrows furrowed. Though it seemed that an explosion happened here, there were no scorch marks. Interesting.

Suddenly, his eyes caught a movement near the back of the shed. It was only for an instant, as it disappeared into the shadow, unpenetrated by the moonlight, but Kuzuki still caught a small glimpse of it. It appears to just be a black slug.

His mind, once calm, began to feel troubled, though his face did not betray his inner turmoil. Closing his eyes, he let his mind wander, feeling for the bond between himself and Caster.

He could feel her.

She's still alive. From what he had observed, Caster must have been attacked while he was away, but for some reasons, she escaped death. Has she left the temple and went into hiding? But where else could she have gone? He recalled Caster once telling him that this temple was the best place for her to reside in due to it sitting on a leyline. If she had escaped, she would have returned once her enemies left. The other possibility is that…

No, that preposterous. If what Caster had said is true, no sane Master would do that.

Feeling out to her, Kuzuki couldn't help but noticed how faint and jumbled their link was. It was there, back he could not pinpoint the exact location of where she could be. Strange, he did not have that problem before. If he was going to find her, it would take a while. And to shorten that, he needs clues.

Slipping the silky cloth into his breast pocket, Kuzuki focused his attention to the shed and began his investigation.

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It was a rather chilly night when Caster stumbled upon her Master sitting on the stone steps at the entrance of the temple. It was a few days after he had found her. She had just left her workshop after another frustrating failed attempt to summon her servant when she spotted him just sitting there, without his jacket and his top button undone.

Kuzuki was a very quiet man. He hardly spoken to her after that fateful day, and she didn't pursue talking to him to focus on her agenda of setting up a formidable fortress in the temple and summoning her servant, but now that she had done with the former and failed with the latter, she got some free time in her hands. Besides, it would be interesting and useful to know more about his character. While she trusted him more than her previous Master, it wasn't by much. Her trust isn't something she would give out freely.

Silently she glided over to where he was sitting, glazing intensively at the stars. As she drew nearer, he suddenly spoke.

"What is it?"

Caster would be lying if she said she wasn't slightly shocked by him detecting her presence without hearing or seeing her. The man's perception was uncanny.

Caster did not know how to phrase her intention and said in a soft voice.

"I would like to understand you more, Master."

"There's nothing you need to know about me." Came the abrupt reply.

Caster couldn't tell whether he really meant it or was trying to signal to her that he wished to be alone, but decided to continue.

"Then, at least tell me your wish for the Grail."

There was a short pause, with the chirping of crickets filling in the gap.

"I have none."

Caster stared at the back of Kuzuki's head incredulously. "None?! But…but why did you agree to participate in the Holy Grail War as my Master if you have nothing to wish for? The grail is an omnipotent wishing artefact, surely there must be something…"

Kuzuki continued to stare ahead, and without turning, asked emotionlessly. "For all my life, I have no desire, no wish. Why I participated in the war is for me to know only."

Another pause, then he asked.

"What about you? What do you want to wish for?"

Surprised that he actually continued the conversation, Caster raised her head to look at the night sky, devoid of stars unlike in her past when the night sky was beautifully decorated with the celestial lights, before returning her eyes to her Master's back.

"I…" She said shakily, "I wished to return to my home…"

Caster wiped a few tears from her eyes that were threatening to leak out. And stopped.

Kuzuki had turned to face her, but his face…there's something wrong with it. Black fluid dripped from his eyes, leaving black tearstains on his cheeks. The foul liquid flow out of his mouth like a fountain, falling onto his white shirt, staining it black. And he was smiling, like a wolf that had cornered its prey.

She had never seen Kuzuki smile before, and she was glad she never did until now. It was so unnatural, so wrong that she was sure Alaya would wipe that existence away.

Caster took a terrified step back, almost tripping over her robes. Kuzuki continued to smile wolfishly and even if the black liquid gushing out of his mouth, his voice was as clear as day.

No, not his voice. It was someone else.

"That's a lovely wish, Caster. I really hope you will win this war, so I can enjoy seeing you suffer because of it!"

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Nothing.

What greeted her when she opened her eyes was not her Master grinning horribly before her, but a wall.

A plain, simple wall.

She would have felt the blissful caress of relief had she not realised she was in an unfamiliar room.

Caster has not inspected every nook and cranny of the Ryudou Temple, yet it was very obvious that this was not any room in the temple.

Groaning from the throbbing pain in her head, Caster sat up, the blanket covering her body pooling on her lap. Doing her best to ignore her headache, she scanned her unfamiliar surroundings.

Actually, there wasn't much to see. The room was fairly simple, just a study table and a cupboard. She could sense a boundary field in the room, but it was so crude and rudimentary that with a wave of her hand, it would be annihilated in a blink of an eye. At least it told her that this building belongs to a magus or someone who practices magic, an amateur at best.

Well, amateur or not, she can't afford to let her guard down. The Holy Grail War is being conducted in Fuyuki City and unless this magus just happens to live here for all his life, there is a high chance that he is a participant in the war.

…In fact, she could sense the presence of a Servant nearby.

Her clothes were neatly folded at the side of her futon, so Caster slipped out of the oversized pyjamas she's wearing (Why was she wearing pyjamas) and put them on.

Why is she here?

Who took her here?

If it was a Master, why isn't she dead?

Plagued by questions she can't answer, Caster pulled open the shouji and stepped into a long hallway. Though her mana level is still pretty low, she should still be able to cast some devastating spells should the situation called for it.

She felt like she was in a dream. Everything felt hazy, and she could not remember much. Her memories were so fuzzy that it made her head throbbed whenever she tried to piece together the broken fragments of her memory like a jigsaw. Somehow, in this state, she reached another shouji at the end of the hallway.

With trembling hands, Caster pulled it open.

A Japanese style living room greeted her. It was, like the room she woke up in, rather simple, with a short table occupying the middle of the room, surrounded by four cushions to sit on. A large TV set was set at a corner of the room and the only other eye-catching object in the room is a vase filled with plastic sakura flowers that was screaming to be noticed in the bland room.

And…

She saw him. The boy, with his back turned, in the kitchen cooking up a meal.

He was wearing a red apron, which in her opinion looked ridiculous on him, stirring something in a pot on the stove. Humming a unfamiliar tune, seemingly oblivious to the Servant behind him, the boy picked up the pot and poured its contents inside a bowl. The scent of freshly cooked food permeated the air.

Seeing him, part of the puzzle of her memories clicked into place. A Master. That boy was the Master she lured into her temple yesterday, the one who-

Who what? Caster gritted her teeth, her hands grabbing the top of her head. She couldn't remember what happened next.

Well, no matter. Caster scowled and pointed her index finger at the boy who was still unaware of her presence. She can't remember what she wanted him for, but he served her no further purpose. He was a weak amateur of magic, so one simple spell should end his miserable life.

Her finger began to glow, Caster was about to fire of her spell when she realized something.

Wait, if he is a Master, where is his Servant?

Her question was soon answered with a sharp pain on her neck.

When did she appeared? Caster inhaled sharply, her eyes widening until her eyes were practically bulging from their sockets as she slowly turned her head to the right, as if afraid that any sudden movement would spell her death.

The emerald eyes, the golden hair that reminded her of a field of wheats, the cold determined young face. Even if her attire was different, there was no mistaking her. After all, how could one mistake the person who was just inches from killing her?

"Saber…"

And the final piece of the puzzle was completed.

Cold sweat broke out on her forehead. Caster could feel the color drained from her face, her breath becoming faster and faster as if the room had the absence of any oxygen. The brush with death yesterday, seeing him reflected in the girl's eyes, was so frightening close that she could feel herself going into panic and shock.

"Continue what you are doing Caster, and your head will leave your body." Saber stated firmly, her hand holding the invisible sword that was on Caster's neck, her eyes telling her that she would not hesitate to finish up what she intended to do last night.

"Ah…ah…" Caster could only stare stupidly at her, her mind already frozen. The finger aiming at the boy had already dropped, all strength fading from the arm supporting it.

"Saber!"

The boy ran towards them, a concerned look on his face. It appears that he finally noticed them.

"Saber. Put that sword down. I told you not to harm her, right?" Grabbing the arm holding the sword, the boy scolded his Servant, trying to pull her arm away with little success.

With an expression that surprised Caster, Saber pouted angrily. "B-But Shirou, she was going to kill you…"

"Oh, um…" the boy, Shirou, looked as though he never would have expected an enemy Servant he rescued to shoot him in the back of the head. "W-well, you could just incapacitate her without taking her life…"

"I feel that removing a potential threat quickly would be a better option."

"But she could a potential ally as well!"

"She's an enemy Servant, Shirou! She too desires the Grail! Why would she be our ally?!"

Both Master and Servant glared at each other, sparks flying between their eyes, Caster temporarily forgotten.

"Ahem." Catching their attention, the two of them turned to face Caster, whose neck was still being pierced by the sword. "If you have no intention of killing me now, could you order your Servant to remove her sword from my throat? It is not very comfortable, I assure you." Feeling that they were not going to kill her, at least for now, some of her composure had returned. Her breathing had returned to normal. Though she realized her voice sounded a little of squeaky. As if…

Saber growled and for a terrifying moment, Caster thought she felt the sword digging further into her throat.

"You must be jesting, Caster. As if I would do so after what you-"

"Saber. Let her go."

"Are you mad, Shirou?" Saber stared in disbelief at her Master. "She tried to kill you! She would do so again if we don't eliminate her now!"

Shirou met her unwavering stare with his own. "Saber, I will use my Command Seals if push comes to shove"

"Shirou!"

With an undignified huff, Saber dispelled her sword into golden particles, before abruptly leaving and sitting on one of the cushions with an unsatisfied expression.

Sighing, Shirou turned to Caster with a tired smile. "Sorry about that. Can't really blame her, though. After all-"

"Why?"

"Huh?" Shirou looked at her, dumbfounded.

"Why did you save me, boy? I am an enemy. I was using you. I was about to snatch your Servant away from you. If you killed me back there, you could have eliminated a part of the competition. So…why?" Caster lowered her face, a sudden wave of tiredness washed over her.

The boy in question froze. A strange expression crossed his face. "Well, you see…"

Just then, the shouji door opened.

Rin Tohsaka walked into the room, dressed in her school uniform. Already not a morning person, Rin appeared more weary than usual, as though she had aged fifty years.

"Good morning…" She murmured, staggering to the kitchen. Her bloodshot eyes caught sight of both Shirou and Caster. "Oh, Caster is awake?"

"Yeah…" Shirou laughed awkwardly, his eyes following Rin's every movement as if he was afraid she might do something.

"You are not going to change your mind about keeping her here? Even after what I told you last night?"

The boy nodded. "Yeah. We could have her as an ally and well…about her Master, we can deal with him when he comes…?" Rin rolled her eyes and sighed, pouring herself a cup of tea and settling down by the table.

"No plan at all…I don't know whether to agree with Archer that I am teaming up with an idiot or feel insulted that you STILL need an ally even with me in tow…Great, now I have a headache early in the morning…"

"Hey, I am not an idiot." Shirou frowned as he supported the slackened Caster and brought her to the table to join her fellow female companions. "Wait here. I will go get breakfast."

Caster wanted to object that Servants do not need to eat, but gave up. All the adrenaline from the shock she got from Saber had left her body and she felt like doing nothing but resting her head on the table and blocking everything out. Caster stared at Rin before asking, "You are a Master, ain't you, girl."

Rin just continued to drink, feeling no need to affirm.

"Teaming up with another Master…I could understand, but letting her stay under the same roof, with no other protection under than his Servant? That boy is too naïve…"

For a moment, she could have sworn she saw both the Servant and the girl nodded their heads in unison.

How that an idiot like him get the strongest class? He is not worthy of possessing Saber!

Shirou appeared in her field of vision, placing multiple dishes on the table. She must admit, the food on the plates looked delicious. Saber was just staring at them like a hungry lion, all her previous vexation forgotten for the moment.

"Oh, and if you think of using your Noble Phantasm…" From her skirt pocket, Rin pulled out Rule Breaker, wrapped in pale brown cloth. Something snapped inside Caster. Was it the fact that this girl, this insignificant speck of dust,took away her possession, the object that defined her history, her pain, her legend? Or was it the smug look she flashed to Caster when she held the dagger like it was a piece of used tissue.

"You…DARE…" Energy seemingly poured into her previously exhausted body, Caster would have leapt across the table and strangle the bitch if it wasn't for the knight sitting with her.

"It is for our own safety," Rin explained, smirking slightly. "From what little Emiya-kun told us last night, it is best to keep watch of it. And who to best keep it but me? Emiya-kun is naïve, so I have no doubt you would trick him into giving it back to you."

"AND YOU GIVE IT TO HER? ARE YOU INSANE BOY? YOU GIVE IT TO AN ENEMY MASTER?"

Shirou's face blushed, but Rin sighed. "I managed to convince him because of this: First, we are teaming up. Next even if I made a pact with another Servant, I doubt I have enough mana to sustain two of them. I know my limits very well. Besides, Saber is the superior Servant, unless I form a contract with Berserker, she most likely could defeat Archer and the other Servant. Difficult, yes, but not impossible." Caster noted with vexation at the prideful look on Saber's face.

And poof, the dagger disappeared back to where it came from. Caster watched it regrettably as it vanished. "Oh, by the way, Shirou. Archer just spotted Fujimura Sensei and Sakura approaching your house. I hope you have already thought of a reason for Caster."

Shirou looked like he had reached the end of his life. "Of course, Tohsaka. Hopefully, Fuji-nee will go easy on me this time…"

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It had been such an interesting morning.

Caster watched in amusement as the brown-haired teacher grabbed the boy by his uniform collar and shook him like a ragdoll, roaring straight at his face. From the resigned look on his face and the way his body flopped about like a leaf in a thunderstorm, he looked as though he had lived through this ordeal before. Rin too was watching the show with a barely conceited grin while Saber didn't seem to mind that her Master was being manhandled and was gorging up her breakfast faster than Caster could ever cast her spell.

The reason why Caster was treated to this spectacle was because somehow she could not return to her spirit form, a trait she later found shared by Saber. Which was weird, because she was able to do so without problems before. Something worth taking note later.

She scowled. The…teacher was too rough for her liking, acting more beast than man. No sense of femininity in her bones at all. Seeing her act like a child annoyed her, and to think that she had the gall to call her a 'cute kid'?! While Caster hated to think of herself as old, she was certainly no child either. And the boy did nothing to correct her at all, saying a 'girl like her need to be protected'. Are they blind or something?!

The other visitor, a purple-haired girl, was the polar opposite. Quiet, reserved, she looked at Caster with a mixture of curiosity and worry, absentmindedly poking her fish with her chopsticks, as though she couldn't fanthom Caster's existence in the Emiya household. But she hid it with a forced smile, not well enough for Caster to not notice. And the way she stared at the boy with adoration, it was clear she had feelings for him. Somehow, Caster felt sorry for her. Being in love with an idiot was somewhat of an experience she would not like to repeat.

Still, she couldn't help but feel uneasy about that purple-haired girl. She may seem innocent and maybe part of her truly is, but she could sense some sort of darkness, a black miasma deep in her heart that no joyful façade could hide.

And there's something else, something in her…

The TV was on, giving a report of five missing men who disappeared without a trace while on their way home from work last night. But no one was listening, their attention either on the quarrel between a tiger and a magus or their food.

The reason Shirou came up with was that Caster was a foreign tourist from overseas who came to Fuyuki and had made arrangement beforehand with him to cater for her accommodation. Even though the story sounded dodgy, from the way the teacher kept asking him when had this place turned into a love hotel, in the end, she allowed her to stay because 'we can't let a cute girl out on the street like that!' and the Rin girl cheerfully promising that she will teach him a lesson if he should do anything inappropriate.

Caster mostly kept quiet, just answering a few questions thrown to her by the furious teacher unenthusiastically. She could use some hypnotic suggestions to make the conversation smoother, but why aid the enemy?

On a side note, the breakfast was amazing, maddeningly enough. When Caster reluctantly took a bite the fish, her mind immediately blanked out. When she regained her senses, she realized she had cleared all of her breakfast, leaving no stains behind.

Seeing the proud look on the boy's face infuriated and embarrassed her. How can a man cook so well that the food felt fit for a banquet of the gods? When kind of era has the Holy Grail thrusted her to?

After breakfast, the teacher was first to leave, leaving the boy, Rin and Sakura to clear the dishes.

"I should be leaving for my morning practice now, Senpai." Sakura said, wiping the remaining dish dry with a cloth.

"Well, why don't we all go to school together?" Shirou suggested, smiling warmly. "It will be the first time we will be doing that. What do you say, Tohsaka?"

"…Hmph, I don't see why not." Rin answered, casting a glance at Sakura, just as Sakura turned to look at her. Their eyes met; Sakura quickly turned away, a small blush on her cheeks while Tohsaka continued looking, an unreadable expression on her face.

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"See you guys later! Try to get along, ok?" Shirou laughed awkwardly as he stood beside his schoolmates at the entrance. "Try to be friends, ok, cousin Saber." Rin smiled deviously with narrowed eyes. "I hope you enjoy your stay here, Saber-san, Caster-san." Sakura bowed politely.

And with that they were gone.

Leaving the two Servants sitting across each other on the table to have an intense staring contest.

Saber gracefully sipped on the cup of tea, but her eyes never left Caster's. Even when she stretched to reach for some dorayakis, her eyes remained focused on Caster like a magnet. It was rather unnerving.

"So, Saber," Caster spoked, breaking the frigid silence. "It seemed that your Master wants us to…get along." She tried to flash a friendly smile, but it came out more like a pained grimace.

"That is so."

"Will you trust me?"

"No." Came the instant reply.

"…Can't say I'm surprised, I am a rather untrustworthy person in nature. Given what I intended to do with your Master…"

Saber slammed her cup down. "As a knight, I swored to protect him as his sword. Last night my oath was nearly broken due to you. I shall not commit the same mistake again, Caster."

Her venomous yet determined words gave Caster pause, but only temporarily.

"Is it my fault that your oath was nearly broken? You didn't protect your Master from me and yet you pin the blame on me?" Caster questioned slyly as she too took a dorayaki and bit into it, much to the disapproval of Saber. Mhmm, seems like the food in this country wasn't as bad as she thought.

"I did try, but Shirou was stubborn and refused my help. His sense of judgement is quite…off, such as keeping you alive. But be warned, Caster," Saber leaned forward, her eyes seemed to pierce right into Caster's soul. "I know you are planning something, your type always does. Whatever it is, it would not work. The moment you try something suspicious, I will kill you, even if I had to fight against the Command Seals with all my will, even if you are just a child. I will not let Shirou come to any harm."

The sense of loyalty and determination radiating of Saber seemed to fill the whole room, making Caster feel a wave of disgust and nausea.

Yet something was bothering her.

"We shall see, Saber. Could you stop referring me as a child? Although your eyesight couldn't be compared to Archer's, it can't me so terrible that you mistaken me for a pre-adolescent?"

The surprised look on Saber's face sent chills down Caster's spine. Not because it was scary.

Because it was genuine.

"What do you mean Caster? I could see you clearly. If you think I'm jesting, look at the television screen."

The TV was off, it's black screen could act as an imperfect mirror due to how reflective it is. Caster didn't want to look, too afraid to look. Her heart was pounding, her mind was racing. She thought back on why her clothes seemed bigger when she put them on, how much younger her voice sounded, how everyone had been calling her a girl or a child…

No. It's impossible. This has to be a joke. It has to be. IT HAS TO BE!

Caster didn't want to look.

But look she did.

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Archer sat on top of the roof of the Emiya residence, leaning back on the smooth blue tiles. Not the most comfortable place to sit on, but compared to where he's from, he's not complaining.

The ray of the early morning sun did not blind him; he could see the three schoolmates leaving the front gate, walking towards the direction of their school. He could see Rin teasing the boy about something, from the way she leaned towards him with the smirk he knew all too well. Shirou was blushing and was irritatedly trying to move away from Rin inconspicuously while Sakura was giggling with a melancholic smile on her delicate face.

Archer could have sworn he had seen this same image a long time ago, when life was much simpler.

The tanned Servant shook his head to dissipate that thought. Now wasn't the time to be reminiscing the past, or what little he remembered about it. The Grail had granted him a second chance in life. A chance to set out to accomplish what he wanted to do for…how long? A decade, century, millennium, eons? Does it really matter?

He wasn't lying when he told his Master he had no desire for the Grail. After all, it had already granted his wish.

For a short moment, Archer imagined himself cocking his bow, the arrow pointed straight at the clueless boy. Pulling back the string. Releasing it. Letting it fly. Seeing the arrow pierced through the boy's head, his idiotic expression just as he comprehended that his life was suddenly cut short. The blood flowing cleanly out of his wound. His lifeless body crumpling to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.

It brought a small smile on his face.

He was recovering from the wound he received from Saber quite rapidly. It should be completely healed by tomorrow. Perfect. He needed to be in perfect condition to execute his goals.

Too bad Rin got hold of Caster's Noble Phantasm. He was planning to use that for his execution of his plans. He doubted Rin would give it to him if he asked; that's just plain stupid. His Master was already suspicious of him not knowing his identity.

An obstacle, but a minor one. After all, Archer was nothing short of resourceful. It will be his cunningness and wits that will win him the War, not brute strength. There are many ways to skin a cat. An opportunity will soon present itself.

In fact, an idea was beginning to form in his mind…

Archer, a voice spoke in his mind, breaking his thoughts. What are you dawdling behind for?

I apologize, Rin. Archer replied smoothly. I thought you would want me to keep an eye on those two.

Leave them be. Saber can handle herself against Caster, even more so considering Caster mana level is lower than normal. So hurry up! I didn't summon you so you can laze around!

My, my, my Master is so heartless. I'm still recovering, you know?

Shut up, you are in a pretty good condition already.

Very well then. Archer stood up, his body dematerialising into spirit form. Don't blame me if this place becomes a wasteland because of those two.

The red Servant returned to his Master's side, his mind formulating a potential course of action.