Disclaimer:Fate/Stay Night and Tsukihime belong to Type-Moon and their respective companies. I do not own either properties or the characters contained within. This story is not written for profit, just entertainment.

Second Chances

By: Elf

The red coated sentinel stood on the all too familiar rooftop as the white snow swirled around him. It was bitterly cold out tonight, the sort of night that invited fireplaces and cuddling in the arms of a lover. Things that the Servant Archer had long ago abandoned any hopes of having again. A long time ago, he couldn't recall when, he did have a wish. A severe death wish in which he realized could not be granted to him and in the end he didn't want it.

He came to terms with what he was and accepted it. He made a promise to try his best to a pair of aquamarine eyes set in a young face that once had been the thing he loved more than anything. And as he made that promise he realized that he had to abandon his old ways, accept that his wife was dead, and move on in the afterlife. He would fulfill his duties to the best of his abilities and accept what he had to do.

Right now he had to protect his Master and make sure that she and the alternate, past version of his self made it through yet another loop of the Fifth Grail War. If Fate was being kind Tohsaka Rin and Emiya Shirou would find themselves and fall in love, or at the very least Shirou would not fall in love with Saber because that path always led to ruin. However he had hope because it seemed like his Master was falling even more with his younger self.

It was a bittersweet pang to watch another version of himself and the budding romance between another version of his wife. He was happy for him, but it brought up painful memories and dreams he had long since abandoned. He had been a fool, a moron of the highest ranking and threw his life into another man's dream that had been beautiful but flawed in the end. Archer could accept that dream and compromise with it now, but it was too late for him.

So while he was in this loop of the Fifth War he would make sure that his younger self would not follow the same path he had.

Archer continued to stare out into the snowy landscape as he heard the familiar voices coming from below him. He closed his eyes for a moment at the brief moment of solitude to be alone with his thoughts as he took a deep breath of cold, snowy air. The air was sharp in his lungs and nostrils and he relished the sensation as the icy snow caressed his cheeks and melted against his borrowed skin. It felt so good to have a body after being formless and sensory deprived as a Counter Guardian, even though there were a few drawbacks. Like having every desire you had as living person being reawakened when you're Summoned and wearing tight leather bondage pants, Archer thought dryly as he shifted his weight on the roof.

He continued his sentry duty as he looked out into the snowy night. As his keen eyes scanned over Fuyuki City, an approaching swash of red caught his eye. It wasn't the bright crimson that Rin favored, but a darker, more earthier red like autumn leaves. Then he picked up the long, ebony hair trailing behind the figure like a banner, even longer than Rin's. His eyes focused on the face and he froze.

He would have remembered a woman who looked like that. Or at least there would have been detailed records because he would have stared in admiration at the woman who kept approaching the Emiya household. She was dressed in a long deep Indian red coat with a long, pleated vermillion skirt swishing about legs that were probably insanely long. She was slender with a long, swan like neck and an aristocratic air about her as her old fashioned boots crunched against the fallen snow. Archer continued to watch her, waiting for her to pass the Emiya household and probably make her way back to Miayma-cho.

The vermillion girl did not turn, instead she continued until she was at the Emiya door. Archer watched as she lifted up an elegant, slim hand began to tap on the door. Within moments the door opened and the tiny blond head peeked out. He watched as green eyes widened before narrowing, a blouse and skirt shattering to give away to heavy, silver armor and heavy blue skirts as the Holy Sword covered in heavy, swirling air before the King of Knights attacked the Vermilion Girl.

The Vermilion Girl jumped back as her crystalline blue eyes widened. To her credit, she managed to barely dodge the first strike of Saber's sword. Within moments, Rin and Shirou were outside as well, with Shirou shouting at Saber to stop as the Vermilion Girl's brilliant blue eyes nearly glowed as she watched Saber. Saber stood down at her Master's request, but she kept glaring at the Vermilion Girl. The Vermilion girl said nothing, tossed her hair and turned sharply on her heel. Then she started walking away at a brisk pace with her shoulders stiff under her coat.

Curious, Archer went incorporeal, leaped off the roof and started to follow her.

******

Tohno Akiha's chest was tight and she could barely breathe, her limbs felt heavy and responded sluggishly to her commands, and she was freezing. She pulled her coat around her as she made her way away from the Emiya household. Her eyes narrowed as she wavered slightly on her feet. i came for help and I get attacked by some tiny foreigner with some sort of sword.

She shivered, utterly freezing and the cold wasn't helping. She needed heat and she needed it fast. Supporting herself and Shiki was hard work, even though he didn't truly understand what she had done for him so many years ago. Yet he was running around with his vampire princess with her blond hair, perfect, curvy form and façade of innocence. But nii-san is happy, that's what matters, Akiha thought as she took another step, pulling her coat even tighter around her. Each icy breath was sheer agony, as if her nostrils and lungs were being stabbed with hundreds upon thousands of tiny icy blades as she made her way back to the hotel.

The hotel she was going to be alone at, a feeling she hadn't gotten use to yet because Hisui and Kohaku had always been there at her side since she was a child. Yet they're gone, she thought as frigid tears stung her eyes as she continued to walk. Pain was starting to grip her body, but it was something she'd gotten use to recently. However, it was what drove her to this city to chase after a man she didn't even know was living or dead, but it was something and she didn't have anything else. Besides, it was for Shiki's sake, not for hers, but with her constant companions gone . . .

The blade was thrust out, Akiha was shoved to the side and the wrong person was bent over the silver length, the mirror image of the girl holding the katana. Grey eyes met gold in identical faces as the girl with grey eyes reached out to her twin, a crimson rivulet trickling from her pale mouth as she whispered her sister's name. The girl let go of her sword and cried out as she reached out for her twin.

Akiha was stuck in the memory until she heard footsteps behind her. She spun around, readying herself for another attack when the man in black simply lifted up his hands and gave her a sardonic grin. She frowned as she relaxed, but kept a wary eye on him as he approached, her eyes flickering over his form.

He was tall, and not just for an Asian, for anyone's standards, broad shouldered, and despite the black clothing and heavy coat he was wearing, Akiha could see that he had a powerful build. His skin was a tawny shade of dark gold that contrasted with his silvery white hair and storm cloud grey eyes. He held up his hands as he watched her, amusement lurking his expression before he said, "The Emiya household isn't the safest place to be now."

"I noticed that," Akiha said sharply before starting to turn away from the guy.

He continued in his deep, velvet lined voice, "Actually, all of Fuyuki isn't safe right now, yet you seemed like you knew where you needed to be."

Akiha frowned, drawing her coat around her as she felt another spike of pain and iciness. She stared at this man and snapped, "Where you watching me, you pervert?"

"No, I have an arrangement there, that's all and I was curious to why you were seeking out the Emiya household," the man in black said with a tiny chuckle.

She blinked and wondered where was this man when the foreigner attacked her, but he could be an answer to what she was looking for. She looked up at him, for he was over twenty centimeters taller than she was and ten centimeters taller than Shiki. Akiha answered, "I was searching Kiritsigu Emiya."

The man's handsome face fell and sadness crept into his steel grey eyes and he looked away for a moment before looking at her. The look of pain was enough to confirm Akiha's quickly growing fear. She looked at him as he quietly answered, "Emiya Kiritsugu died eight years ago."

"I . . . see, good night then," Akiha said as she started to move away from him, silently gnashing her teeth as she wondered who out there could help her. None of the other magi could be trusted and Emiya had a reputation for being unorthodox from what she had heard. The Tohsaka family had close ties with the Church, which would be potentially dangerous for her if they found out what she was.

He moved in step with her as she huddled in her coat. He gave her a sad smile and shook his head. "You're not leaving so soon. I was the one who sought you out after all and I'm not leaving until my curiosity is satisfied," he replied with a chuckle.

Akiha looked up at him and demanded, "And why did you do such a thing?"

"Because you're a change in the pattern," he answered thoughtfully.

She frowned at him and asked, "What do you mean?"

"It doesn't matter, but why where you seeking out Kiritsigu?" he asked as she realized she was shivering harder. Yet she stilled her body, not wanting to show weakness. She couldn't show weakness, not here and not ever again. Her companions were gone and her beloved brother was with that whore.

She answered, "I was wanting his help, but apparently I should look elsewhere."

"I'm sorry," he said softly, his velvet voice sending shivers of a different sort down her spine as he took off his coat. He wrapped it around her shoulders and said, "I'm Archer."

She snorted, "That's not a name, that's someone who uses a bow."

Archer actually tilted his head back and laughed. She glared at him and replied, "Well, I am someone who uses a bow. So, do you have a name?"

"Tohno Akiha," she answered but she did draw the coat around her. It was oddly warm and she resisted the urge to rub her cheek against the warmness and inhale the odd scent of steel, smoke and leather embedded into the thick wool. She started to take it off with a scowl, "And I don't need your coat."

Archer replied, "You're freezing."

"What about you?" she asked as they fell into step together, "I don't want you to get sick, especially if you have to deal with that blonde thing."

His smile was lopsided and full of boyish charm as he answered, "I'm always warm, Akiha."

She felt her own cheeks flush at that and she grumbled, "Somehow I'm not surprised."

******

Archer was amused by Akiha's prickly personality as he walked her to her hotel. He'd tried to get her to confess as to why she needed his dead father's help, but she'd been amazingly tight lipped about it. However, Archer was perplexed to find out why Saber had attacked her so suddenly. On the way to the hotel, Akiha had snorted and said she had no need of an escort. To which he pointed out if he wasn't walking her to her lodgings, then she wouldn't be able to snuggle into his coat if it was a life line.

She'd protested, saying that she wasn't that cold and promptly tried to give him his coat back. He adjusted the mana he'd used to create the clothing, making it heavier and thicker to keep her warm. He'd noticed her shivering before he'd caught up to her, her body slow and sluggish. As if she's craving warmth, Archer thought as he looked up to the hotel room window that he could see the swish of raven hair and vermillion skirts as Akiha moved about.

As he reformed his armor and mantle, he took to the air with a frown. Why the hell am I getting so hung up about a girl I just met? Archer thought angrily as his incorporeal form touched from rooftop to rooftop in return to the Tohsaka manor. When he reached the familiar mansion he couldn't feel Rin there and scowled, which meant he was still at Emiya Shirou's house. Which wasn't a bad thing per say, just it was getting late, Rin had school tomorrow, and she wasn't a morning person by any stretch of the word. It was just he still worried about her, even though she wasn't his Rin, he still worried about his difficult little Master.

He switched directions and headed to the all too familiar Emiya household. Archer felt a bittersweet pang in his chest as he reached his childhood home and looked at the all too familiar shed that had been more familiar to him than his own bedroom. Steel toed boots landed nimbly on the roof as he skidded to the ground only to be scowled at by a pair of eyes that weren't aquamarine, but emerald green.

The tiny blond King of Knights scowled up at him, slim arms crossed under even smaller breasts as she cast her regal gaze upon him. Archer was amazed how much he towered above her, even now after doing this for so long, but then Saber always seemed larger than life. He hadn't been able to save her in his time, but he'd gone out of his way to save her in various other loops of this damned Grail War. However he knew all too well that if she wanted to, even with her mana as low as it was, she could thoroughly kick his ass. She took a step towards him, her blue skirt swishing against her legs as she continued to glare at him.

"Why did you aid that demon?" Saber demanded coldly, but her green eyes were lit with fury.

Saber wielded the Holy Sword and was close to a dragon, so of course she'd sense something like that. However, Akiha seemed more like a little girl who needed help than a demon. Archer snorted, "That girl was a demon?"

"Then how do you explain how she avoided my blow, Archer? You couldn't," Saber sneered.

Archer gave her a tiny grin and retorted, "She might be stronger against surprise attacks than I am."

"This is not a humorous matter, Archer," Saber snapped in frustration as his grin spread into a full out smile. They were working together, so she couldn't attack him, but he sure as hell could needle the hell out of her.

Archer shrugged and innocently suggested, "She could have been another magus."

"That girl was a demon," Saber said after taking a deep slow breath, "And I don't know why she was here."

Archer answered, "She was looking for Emiya Shirou's father."

"Why was she looking for Kiritsigu? He's been dead for eight years," Saber snorted.

Archer answered, "She needed help."

"It's not our duty as Servants to help others who are not our Masters at this time, especially if they have demonic blood running through their veins," Saber scolded sharply before turning on her heel and muttering, "Perhaps Shirou should have been your Master and Rin mine."

Archer snorted to himself as he watched the King of Knights retreat back into the Japanese style home when a familiar figure garbed in true red walked out into the snowy night. Rin had dawned on her familiar red duster and hunched in the cold. Her aquamarine eyes met his as she stepped closer to him. "So, what did you find out?" Rin asked with a tiny grin as she tilted her head curiously at Archer.

Archer answered, "She was looking for Emiya Shirou's foster father for help."

"I wonder why," Rin mused thoughtfully as she rested her chin on her fist as her eyes narrowed in concentration, "And did you get her name?"

Archer asked, "Does it matter?"

"Well, if she has demon blood in her as Saber claims, then there's one of several families she could be from Archer. Depending on what family she's from then I can assess if she is an actual threat or not," Rin answered as she looked at Archer expectantly.

Archer answered, "She said her name was Tohno Akiha."

"Tohno?" Rin said with wide eyes as she turned to Archer.

He nodded and answered, "Yeah, does that name mean anything to you?"

"They're in control of Misaki Town, and Akiha is the only surviving member of that family. They're rumored to have trouble keeping control of their demonic blood," Rin explained as she walked ahead of Archer, thoughtfully wandering.

Archer frowned and said, "Then that's why she wanted to talk to Kiritsigu. She probably wanted help controlling her demonic side. He was rumored to be a rather unorthodox magus and he wouldn't have turned down a girl in need."

"Since Emiya Kiritsigu is dead, then she's going to have to ask help somewhere, but she should leave this town. Even though Kirei isn't the most faithful member of the Church, he might kill her if he finds out she's here simply because of her ancestry," Rin sighed with a tiny shake of her head.

Archer knew that Kotomine wasn't going to go after Akiha. The corrupted priest had more important things to take care of like corrupting the world in the Grail's Curse among other things while his gilded bastard of a Servant switched back and forth between wanting nothing but Saber or killing off "useless" people to make the world fit for his rule. However, there would be others interested in Akiha if she had any true power to her name. Her mana could be leeched off by Rider through drinking her blood or Caster would attempt to make her into a puppet.

The girl was huddling in her coat, her whole body trembling with cold as she gritted her teeth. Brilliant, sky blue eyes gleamed as she looked past him She looked so cold and lost, trying to appear strong.

Cold.

Akiha was shivering no matter what, except it lessened when I put that coat on her.

"Rin, why would someone be unnaturally cold?" Archer asked suddenly, "No matter what, they couldn't be warm."

Rin frowned and answered, "Well, Archer there could be several reasons like low blood pressure or blood loss."

"Magical reasons," Archer prompted.

Rin blinked and asked, "Was Tohno Akiha cold like that?"

Archer nodded and Rin's hands tightened into fists before she explained, "If something of demon blood is cold like that it means their body isn't producing the mana they need to survive. It's also a sign that she's about to revert to her demonic state." She looked up at him sympathetically before snorting, "I knew you were a skirt chaser."

"If she truly needs mana then, could she receive it?" Archer asked her.

She nodded and answered, "Rumor had it that the Tohno family has two synchronizers in its possession. If she had one then they'd be able to supply her with what she needs."

"She's alone, Rin," Archer sighed as he clinched his own fists in return.

Rin sighed and said, "If there wasn't a Grail War going on I would help her. It wouldn't hurt to have a family such as the Tohnos owe me a favor. Sadly we both have other things to focus on."

"Speaking of which, you still have school tomorrow," Archer said pointedly, "And you're definitely not a morning person, Rin."

Rin snorted, "That's my Archer, criticizing me, but at least I'm not a skirt chaser."

******

Akiha was sipping her tea at the hotel's café. It was horrible tea, bitter and far too strong for her liking. She had to add extra amounts of cream and sugar to the western blend of tea to make it palatable for her tastes and the western breakfast wasn't that great either. She sighed at the disappointing fair and was reading her book when she heard all the excited conversation around her.

"Did you hear about the school?"

"Gas leak or something right? A third of the student body is in the hospital, right?"

Akiha froze as she caught on the conversation around her. She swallowed the well done tea as she continued to listen. "And the gas leaks in Shinto right? Aren't all the men who were hit by that now impotent or something?"

Mysterious murders at night. Vampire. Nii-san . . .

Just like before, Akiha thought as she clinched her tea cup. "And didn't someone find some foreign girl dead with her arm cut off before the gas leaks started right? Generally the gas leaks were happening at night, right?"

This is none of my business, she thought coldly as she picked up her book again. However she kept remembering how her brother kept running out at night to fight a Dead Apostle along side of the mysterious White Princess, that blonde brother stealing whore. The curvy, impossibly beautiful bitch her nii-san chose over her, causing her to shun him forever. However if there was a vampire here now she knew that Shiki would be here.

Gas leaks didn't sound like vampire attacks, but from what she had heard from Shiki and that bitch before she completely stopped talking to her nii-san was that people had different ways of hiding from the truth they didn't want to see. Her heart started to race as at the thought of just seeing Shiki again, to see her beloved brother even though she wasn't going to speak a word to him. She just wanted to see him and know he was alright.

Akiha downed the rest of the horrid tea and left money on the table to cover the breakfast. She drew on her coat and ran out of the hotel. She asked where the school was and soon found herself at the empty building. However the aura of the place felt sticky and sick, like rotten honey. The young woman felt her vision swarm as she entered the threshold of the school before weakness over came her.

She was freezing.

Her body was shaking and she gasped as pain overwhelmed her. Drum beats thundered in her ears as she realized it was her heart she was hearing. She felt weaker and weaker before her knees started to shake. Nausea over claimed her as she gritted her teeth as a horrid urge started to over take her. I need heat. I can just take it . . .She hissed as her pulse raced faster and faster, until someone wrapped their arms around her and pulled her out of the threshold.

Akiha leaned into the source of incredible warmth as she caught her breath while the pain faded. She still felt a bit weak, but she could handle that. Her eyes widened as she realized what she had just done before looking up at the source of warmth currently chuckling at her.

Silvery white hair in spiked disarray, bronze skin, handsome, rugged features so different than the more delicate ones of her nii-san's was greeted her gaze. Her cheeks flared with warmth as her heart began to pound for a different reason. Those grey eyes were closed as he chuckled at her, the same one who had followed her from the Emiya house just two nights ago. She'd dismissed him as anything because she assumed she wouldn't cross her path again.

Apparently, she had been wrong.

Akiha shoved herself away and snapped, "Why are you following me again, you pervert?"

"Pervert again, I'm getting called all sorts of nasty things by pretty girls of late, but that's worse than being called a skirt chaser," Archer teased as he smiled at her, his broad shoulders still shaking with mirth.

She bristled and retorted, "Well, it's nothing less than you deserve! Have you been following me all of this time?"

"Sadly, no. Now if you wanted me to follow you, I could arrange that," Archer replied with that same grin.

Her cheeks felt even hotter as she stammered, "Why would anyone want a rogue like you to follow them?"

"I don't know, but you're blushing an incredible amount Akiha, perhaps such things suit you," he teased wickedly.

Akiha's eyes widened as she took a step back from him. She clinched her fists and bit off, "I am a respectable woman, Archer-san, and you have no right to call me by my given name." She tossed her hair and snorted, "You should address me as Tohno as it is proper, but I highly think you've ever given any thought to propriety in your life time."

"You'd be surprised, Akiha, but that name suits you," he said with a smile before asking, "What are you doing here?"

She placed her hands on her hips and retorted, "I should ask you the same thing, and why are you wearing . . ." Leather pants with straps like that up and down those long legs, that red mantle and . . . body armor? Her eyes widened at his strange attire as she gestured to it, her cheeks going even redder as she realized the breast plate and mantle emphasized the strong, powerful lines of his body. Shiki had been slim and powerful, built for speed and precision. Archer's body was strong, the body of some knight and in his outfit, she expected him to bend on one knee and offer his sword to her. Despite his difficult personality.

"Well, considering you're no mere normal person, Akiha, I don't have to kill you for seeing me as I am. However, crossing the school's threshold until the witch has killed the Gorgon would be dangerous for you," Archer explained with a scowl.

Akiha asked, "And why are you here?"

"Because I already know what's going to happen, yet I can't go in there just yet," Archer explained as his scowl turned into a bright, boyish grin.

She frowned and asked, "But why not? People are in danger, aren't they?"

"They're being helped, but some things need to happen so this plays out properly," Archer answered cryptically, "But . . . You're a change in the pattern, Akiha."

Then the man in red started to move forward. Akiha stared at him with wide eyes before asking, "Is it a Dead Apostle?"

"Worse. It's a war," Archer said with a smile before he tilted his head, as if something just occurred to him. He asked, "What are you doing this Sunday, Akiha?"

Her eyes widened even more as she fumed. She threw her hands at her side and spat, "Why does it matter? You have no right asking such personal questions anyway!"

His laughter echoed around her as he faded away from sight. She glared and yelled, "Hey, where are you going? We're not done talking about this yet!"

******

She was sitting there in front of the window, the sunlight catching the long, silken strands of raven hair. Archer stopped and watched her as she sat at the café window while she scowled at her tea. He chuckled to himself as he approached the window and gently tapped on it. Akiha spun around, brilliant blue eyes widening as she noticed him grinning at her. He gestured behind him with his thumb as he grinned at her before taking a step back. Those blue eyes flashed as she gracefully rose from her seat, took her coat, and left the café.

Within moments Akiha was glaring up at him with a lofty expression while he said, "Well, you wanted to talk more about this, right, Akiha?"

"I asked you not to call me that," Akiha replied with a snort as she began to walk into the sunlight.

Archer followed the swish of black skirts today, harmonizing with her grey blouse and red coat. Archer replied, "I'm not very obedient."

"Obviously," Akiha snorted, but she had a small grin on her face as she waited for him to catch up. She looked up at him and asked, "What did you mean about a war at the school on Thursday?"

Archer answered, "A war for the Holy Grail. Originally there are supposed to be seven Masters and their Servants. Seven magi who use magic from the Holy Grail to Summon Heroic Spirits to fight until there is one Servant left standing. Then the Servant and Master make a wish on the Holy Grail. However, that was screwed up in the Third War."

"What happened?" Akiha asked.

Archer grinned as he said, "Someone Summoned a Servant that shouldn't have been and he corrupted the Grail ever since."

"Why are you telling me about this?" Akiha asked quietly.

Archer studied her and answered, "Don't tell me you don't feel it, Akiha? You might not be a true magus, but you feel the pull of mana on this place."

"Mana?" she said with a frown as she looked down.

Archer explained, "Magical energy Akiha." Like what your body is craving right now, Archer thought as she pulled her coat tighter. She was already starting to breathe hard and her delicate shoulders were slumped with fatigue. Her pale skin had an ashen tone to it that had nothing to do with her clothing.

"I feel . . ." Akiha frowned as she looked around and closed her eyes. Archer walked behind her and leaned forward enough to speak quietly to her.

He asked, "What do you feel, Akiha?"

"Cold," she answered, her blue eyes opening as she spun around to face him. Her eyes narrowed and gleamed at him as she spat, "How dare you ask me such things, Archer! I'm not part of this stupid war or magic or Dead Apostles. I don't want to be a part of any of this. "

She spun around on her heel to stalk away from him. The proud line of her body despite her physical exhaustion made Archer reach out and grab her arm. Her blue eyes flashed fire at him in a way that made his body burn in a way it hadn't for a long time. "Let me go," she demanded as she tilted her head up and glared at him.

"I was Emiya Kiritsugu's adopted son," Archer said.

Akiha stared up at him and asked, "Why the hell didn't you tell me that in the first place, Archer?"

"Because there were things that needed to occur, not that it matters now. The reason I was telling you about the Grail War is that some of the Servants and the Masters would try to use you for their gain," Archer said gravely as he kept a hold of her arm.

Akiha placed her hand in front of Archer as the air around him suddenly froze and his chest began to burn. His keen eyes caught sight of red strands reaching for him to draw his mana as she shoved him back. He stumbled from the red strands and almost fell as Akiha stared at him imperiously. She folded her arms under her small breasts and coldly said, "I do not deal with riffraff such as yourself."

Before he could call her back, Akiha strode away from him, her long black hair swishing behind her like a cloak. Archer stared at her and swore as he watched her walk away. He righted himself and moved to run after her. Except she had already put great distance between them, leaving him alone. He watched her regal figure leave and his shoulders slumped with a defeat he couldn't quite name and a tightness in his chest he wanted to ignore.

******

Akiha slammed her hotel room behind her and briskly wiped her stinging eyes. She was shivering under her heavy coat and she walked over to crank up the heat. She rubbed her arms and paced back and forth to keep warm, but it really wasn't helping. She realized the only time she'd been remotely warm since Hisui died was when Archer had draped his jacket over his shoulders.

"Damn him," she cursed as she tried to reign in her temper as she sighed. She shook her head and looked around. He could have easily told her that he was Emiya's adopted son and he was obviously a magus if he spoke so easily about this Grail War, Servants, and Masters. Yet he decided to toy with her for whatever reason.

She leaned against the wall as she shivered. She'd even been excited to see him standing outside of the café today, that confidant smirk on his handsome features. Handsome? Nii-san's handsome, Archer is . . . Archer was strong in a way Shiki could never be. Shiki was an assassin with the skill and speed to back it up. Archer was like some samurai of old who somehow became disillusioned in his work. Shiki had that large breasted White Princess whore. Archer seemed just as alone as she was.

"Damn him," Akiha said as she pounded her fist into the wall.

"That's the trouble with men, my dear, they draw you in, use you, then cast you aside," an oddly accented voice said from beside Akiha.

Akiha spun around to see a woman taller than her dressed in purple robes with her face hidden saved for a grin standing there. Her slender, graceful hands were encased in gloves with a plain, golden band on her left middle finger and bits of gold and red gems sparkled from her robes. The woman lifted a graceful hand to her mouth as she smirked at Akiha. "You're a rare thing, you know that, my dear?" she said as she took a step closer to Akiha, her silken robes making rustling sounds as she drew closer.

Akiha spun around and loosened her body. Because of the Tatari she had to learn how to fight and she wasn't a push-over by any means of the words. "And you have horrible taste in clothing," she said icily.

The woman sighed, "You have no idea how close you are to reverting to your impulse, do you, my dear?"

She froze as she stared at the woman and the woman in the robes chuckled. "Oh, I know exactly what you are, my pretty little demon. Don't worry, I'll take good care of you and you'll never have to think a thought in your pretty head again. You'll just do as I say."

"If you think I am going to listen to some back water fortuneteller in bad robes, you are highly mistaken, ma'am," Akiha said as she narrowed her eyes and readied her muscles. She felt the tremble of fatigue begin to build and the coldness wash over her veins. Her chest tightened but she focused on it to help her get ready to defend herself.

The woman snapped her fingers and Akiha felt a tiny prick in the back of her neck. She froze and found her body unresponsive as she was drawn over to the woman in violet. The woman said, "I'm Servant Caster, and you should have listened to your friend in town, even though why he wanted to protect you is beyond me. Perhaps you are why he resisted me and not his little upstart of a Master."

Master? Akiha's eyes widened as she stared at this Caster woman. Caster cradled her face with burning fingers and Akiha shivered. Caster explained, "Yes, your friend is a Servant in this war, a spirit given form through mana. Which is why he could keep you warm. Not that it matters anyway. I'm going to make you mine."

Noi.

Caster turned and Akiha found herself walking to keep up. "Come now, my dear, let's get you to the church and changed into something better for my enjoyment as I condition you."

******

Archer sat on the couch and waited for Rin to bring home an unconscious Fuji-nee and his younger, if idiotic, self supporting yet another gratuitously bleeding wound while both Masters would be in a panic that Saber had been taken by Caster. Instead, he waited and waited only to be alone for several hours. He scowled as he headed for the roof to get a better vantage point to see just where Rin was.

As he looked from the mansion's roof there wasn't the familiar head of wavy raven hair set into ribbon tied twin tails or a head of unruly red hair coming towards the house. He leapt off the roof, turned into his spirit form and headed towards the Emiya household. He reached his old home and stared at it. He saw familiar shapes in the house, including a tiny blond head and a head of close cropped sandy brown hair cut in a style that he thought never suited a woman. He watched as the four people in the home sat down for dinner, talking calmly among themselves.

Archer watched as his Master smiled and gently touched both Emiya Shirou and Saber's hands while they ate, causing the Servant and Master to blush ever so slightly. However, Rin's cheeks were flushed as well and her aquamarine eyes were bright with happiness. He quietly watched the scene he'd never be a part of, but instead of a bittersweet tang he was happy. Happy because maybe this time around Saber could be saved and Emiya Shirou wouldn't follow his path.

There was just one thing he couldn't do, one person he couldn't save in the loops and there was no way he could ever save her either. However there was Akiha. He moved away from the Emiya household, scowling a bit as he wondered why Caster hadn't attacked and captured Saber yet. When the loop followed this path Caster would have already had Saber by now after Rin took Shirou and Saber on their date. However things were different this time because of Akiha.

"Because there were things that needed to occur, not that it matters now. The reason I was telling you about the Grail War is that some of the Servants and the Masters would try to use you for their gain."

"Damn it," Archer swore as he leapt into the air again. He hit rooftops and bounded off of them in his spiritual form as he headed to Akiha's hotel. He hit Shinto proper and soon he reached where Akiha was staying at. He bounded from balcony to balcony while his keen eyes searched every room looking for a sign of long, raven hair and crystalline blue eyes. There was no sign of Akiha so far and a few things that Archer never cared to see and was actually glad that it wouldn't be an actual memory, but a "record" to read later. However, his worry for the girl was becoming an almost palatable thing.

He stopped short when he caught a familiar flare of autumn red lying on the floor. He peered at the coat from the window as he scanned the rest of the room. Akiha's coat was lying carelessly on the floor, but other than that the room was empty. He knew Akiha wouldn't just leave her coat lying on the floor like that. He cursed as he bounded from her ledge and headed back into town.

There was one Servant would have found out about Akiha and did this. One woman twisted and crazy enough to use a scared girl in need like that for her own gain for the Grail. Not to mention she'd like Akiha for the same reasons Archer had been attracted to her in the first place.

"Damn you Caster," Archer hissed as he headed to Kotomine's Church, where he knew Caster had taken up as a second base at this point so Kuzuki wouldn't find out what she was doing.

******

She was freezing. The ice had crept into her veins and was spreading all through her body. She was shivering and gasping while her hands were bound above her head and she was standing bent over. She bit her lip to keep from crying out at the pressure that was building inside of her as more liquid slid down her thighs from her core.

"Such a proud girl to resist for so long," the witch mused as she studied her captive. Caster was fascinated by how the ends of her raven hair were starting to turn a bright, burning red as she continued to resist the spell. Caster had been surprised to find the girl still a maiden and intact, but it would make this easier.

She was going to break the demon with pleasure to give into her impulses. However, watching the girl was something else entirely. Caster had dressed her in red and white, a white corset to lift small breasts with red laces and a red skirt lifted so Caster could see the girl's body as she trembled under the pressure of the spell.

Caster would go after Saber next after she broke the demon girl. She chuckled at the thought of being surrounded by such pretty girls she could play with all day long with their slim figures and exotic features. She watched as tears dripped down the girl's intense blue eyes and smiled. She knew why the Archer had such fascination for the girl and snorted. He was trying to pretend he wasn't noble but in fact he was, despite being a no-named hero from what she'd gathered who didn't even remember who he was because of his Master's Summons.

She wanted to hear the girl cry out in her first climax by someone that wasn't her own hands so she increased the intensity of the spell. The demon girl arched her back and whimpered as her eyes flew open. Caster smiled and said, "You know, it would go easier on you if you actually enjoyed your . . ."

The spell bindings above the girl's head shattered as the girl started breathing hard. The ends of her hair were glowing as she stood up. Caster scowled as the air around her began to burn. She waved her hand to produce a spell to protect herself, but the spell began to burn as well as slim, red threads attached to it and began to draw the mana out. The famous witch's eyes widened as she realized what the demon was doing and stepped back.

The girl rose from being bent over, her chest still heaving as she bared tiny fangs in a twisted smile, her hair obscuring her eyes. Caster grinned as she prepared another binding spell as the girl's reversion was almost complete. "Go ahead, my dear," she urged quietly as the girl took a shaking step towards her.

Caster was going to let her feed on her ample mana a little to finish the process and waited for her new weapon to approach. However, the stained glass window shattered and in landed the red mantled Archer. "What?" Caster demanded, knowing that getting into combat alone with him would result in her death from their previous fight.

The man in red had been holding back that night because he wanted to test her and perhaps kill Saber's Master. However he had ended up saving that boy and Caster cursed as she realized she was going to lose another play thing to him as he grabbed the demon girl. Caster raised a hand to cast her spell, but he was already out of the window.

She blinked and lowered her hand with a chuckle. Even if she didn't have the demon girl at her side, she was so close to reverting that she would probably drain the other Servant when she did. It wouldn't kill him, but it would put him and his brat of a Master at a severe disadvantage especially when she captured Saber.

So now, Caster was simply going to wait until she put her real plan into action.

******

Archer held Akiha and cursed as the mana holding the costume together melted, leaving Akiha completely bare. She was gasping for air, small breasts heaving with each breath as he carried her back to Rin's. He cursed when he saw the ends of her hair had turned a vibrant shade of red and Akiha had her head bowed to him as she continued to tremble. Yet she wasn't attacking him as she quivered in his arms.

He traveled as fast as he could, but even with the near flight granted to him by his class it wasn't the speed of a Rider or a Lancer class. Yet he was filled with a urgency he hadn't felt in a long time. Most of the time during the loops he was left to fight impossible battles alone to protect Rin and Ilya. The one time he almost succeeded at his paradox, when he found out that killing his past self wouldn't matter, he still had been ripped apart by countless swords to protect his younger self. Dying horribly again and again had filled Archer with a sort of apathy about everything.

Until now.

He knew he couldn't keep Akiha, that there could actually be nothing between them, but he was going to help her now. He'd ensure her survival after he died in this War simply because she made him feel again, and not the shadow of feelings he'd felt each time for Rin. Even though he cared deeply for Rin, he came to terms that he'd never have his Rin back.

Archer reached Rin's home and got Akiha inside. He took her to one of the guest bedrooms when he felt her hands shove at his mantle. "Akiha?" he asked as he sat her to the ground while she wrestled with the burial cloth. With a hiss, she shoved it off of his shoulders and let it slip to the floor.

He focused past Akiha's shoulder, trying not to stare at her as she gripped his shoulders. However, he caught sight of something white and sharp in her mouth and turned towards her as she moved her head to his neck. Nimble fingers unlatched the collar there and it clattered to the floor before Akiha rose on her tip toes to place her lips at his throat.

"Wait, Akiha," Archer began to warn but her breath was warm on his throat as her surprisingly strong hands clutched her shoulders. His own heart was pounding right as he felt the sharp prick at his pulse. He groaned and gripped her shoulders as warmth began to spill from his body as Akiha lapped greedily at his throat.

His body hardened in need as more blood – no imana/i – was drawn from his body to feed her. He arched back as he tried to think, tried not to desperately feel her lips and the languid warmth filling his body as she fed. iNo/i. Archer thought as he gently pulled himself away from Akiha. She backed away and lifted her hand to bloodied lips.

"No . . . no . . ." she whispered as more and more of her hair started to turn red and she started to tremble more. She lifted stricken blue eyes to his face and lifted her now bloodied hand towards him. "I need to be killed," she said stonily before turning sharply away from him. Yet her whole body was shaking with fear. "I've become a monster," Akiha whispered to herself, "I need to find nii-san and he can fulfill his promise." She started to head for the door.

Archer reached out and grabbed her arm. He jerked her around to face him and said, "You're not a monster Akiha and I'm not going to let you kill yourself or let your brother get his little sister's blood on his hands."

"I bit you. Only monsters drink blood," Akiha said as she looked away from him.

Archer bent forward so she couldn't avoid his gaze. He replied, "No, you're craving mana and blood is an easy way to get it, but there's another way."

"What?" Akiha asked, her blue eyes widening, "There's another way . . ."

Archer gently said, "You won't be cold again, not like that anyway, Akiha."

"Why are you helping me?" Akiha demanded, "I just drank your blood."

He grinned at her and said, "Because you're fun to tease and despite the icy bitch exterior, you're a good person, Akiha."

"I'm not an icy bitch," Akiha retorted as she stared up at him, "But . . . what do we have to do?"

Archer felt his own cheeks flush as he answered at once, "Tantricrites."

"I'm sorry?" Akiha asked with a frown.

Archer cleared his throat and said, "We . . . have to have sex and um . . . orgasm together."

Akiha's cheeks turned bright pink as she shrank back from him. He expected her to slap him, to call him a pervert again but instead she simply nodded. She walked up to him, her eyes still lowered. Archer waited for her to make a move, but she simply stood there with her body still trembling. She started breathing hard again, and he realized what little blood she managed to take wasn't enough. If he didn't do something she'd revert into a mana craving monster that couldn't be stopped unless she was killed.

And he wasn't going to let that happen.

He gently cupped her chin and tilted her face up to look at him. "Akiha?" he asked gently.

Akiha's eyes flashed blue fire at him and she snapped, "It's not like I've ever done this before."

"What?" Archer managed as his own eyes widened as he stared down at her. Stupid Shirou, I'm never letting you have sex with me again . . ."As teary aquamarine eyes peered up at him from behind the pillow.

Well . . . damn it, he thought as he silently cursed. Akiha snapped, "I'm not some cheep whore you know! I have morals and I'm not just going to sleep with anyone that comes around."

Archer shook his head and said, "It's not that, Akiha. Just having your first time being a mana transfer . . . You deserve better than that, that's all. And we don't have much time either."

"I can take it," Akiha said, her face softening as she awkwardly reached for him. "If it will keep me from becoming a monster, then I want this Archer."

Archer stared at her and asked, "Promise not to get mad at me afterwards?"

"Why would I get mad at the only other person than my nii-san who's wanted to help me?" Akiha asked quietly as her long, slim fingers caressed his cheek.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He leaned into her touch and bent forward. He cupped her cheek and said, "I'll make this as good for you as I can, Akiha." Then he bent his head to brush his lips against hers.

Her mouth was hesitant against his and their lips weren't getting a good lock. He leaned forward more and guided her face to better kiss her. She gave a tiny cry but was responding by tentatively moving her lips against his. He stroked her cheek with his thumb as he parted her lips with his own. He felt her cheek warm against his finger as he slid his tongue into her mouth.

His head swam at the taste of her, spicy and sweet at the same time with a hint of malt. He coaxed her tongue to move against his as they kissed. Her arms moved to wrap around him as they kissed, Akiha quickly adapting to move her lips against his. Archer's own need rose as he began to trail his hands down her cool body. Akiha gasped against his lips as his palms found her small breasts.

He moved his lips away from hers to look down at her. She was flushed panting while she looked up at him with her tear streaked face and now hazy blue eyes. Archer reached up to gently pull her white hair band out of her hair and set it down on the nightstand to watch as her raven and crimson hair spilled around her slim body. He wanted to know what she'd looked like with all of her hair that vibrant shade with her blue eyes. It had to be her true hair color when she was fully awakened and her body working at its peak.

His eyes moved from her long, slim neck to her small, firm breasts. She frowned a bit, her cheeks grew even pinker as he looked her over. He admired her long, toned slim legs, as if Akiha was a dancer of some sort before moving back to her breasts again. "I know they're small," she mumbled as she looked down at the floor.

Archer moved to take off his armor and let it fall to the floor as well before tilting her face back up to his. "So?" he asked before guiding her to the bed.

"Well, I thought men liked larger breasts," Akiha said quietly as she sat on the bed, her eyes still down cast, "Especially Nii-san."

Archer smiled at and said, "Well, some men are stupid and you're beautiful, Akiha." He lowered himself to his knees to be even with her breasts. Her dark pink nipples were already hard and he rubbed his thumbs against them. She gasped, her lips parting as she pressed into his hands as he rubbed his thumbs gently over her nipples. She arched back, her swanlike neck curved as her hair spilled down her body as she clutched Archer's shoulders.

He took her right breast in his hand and lowered his lips to her left nipple. He could hear her heart pounding as he gently kissed her nipple. Akiha gripped his shoulders and gave a tiny cry right as he flicked his tongue over the hard point. "A-a-archer," she gasped as she fell onto the bed with her hands clinging onto his shoulders. He moved to lie beside her as he continued to lave her breasts.

"It's okay, Akiha," he whispered against his skin as he began to suck on her hungrily, moving his hand between her thighs.

She looked away, her cheeks flushing even more as he rested his hand on her thigh. She was now gripping the sheets as she attempted to press her legs together. "What . . . what are you doing?" she demanded as he moved his hand slowly up her thigh to the juncture of her body. She reached for his hand but he maneuvered so she couldn't grab it.

He switched breasts right as his fingers grazed a smooth slit. He smiled to himself as he found Akiha completely bare under his touch and the skin already slick there. She protested again, "What are you doing, Archer?"

"Getting you ready," he said against her skin as he realized why Akiha was already soaked and cursing Caster yet again. If he would have had time he would have kissed and caressed her body until she was begging with need. However, they were on borrowed time because of his blood. He had to give her a more concentrated source of mana soon.

Akiha's voice quivered as she stated, "You can just go ahead and do what you need to do. We don't have time for such things."

Archer ignored her as he ran his index finger over her slit before gently caressing wet folds with his fingers. Akiha made a tiny cry as she tried to move away from his hand as he found the tiny nub at the apex. He moved his finger around it until it began to swell ever so gently and Akiha was openly writhing. Then he used his fingers to hold her open as he began to rub the point of her need. She cried out and bucked towards his hand as she continued to try to move away from his hand as he continued to suck on her nipple.

As he teased her, he realized he was absently rubbing against her thigh to ease his own ache. He willed the leather pants off by releasing the mana, leaving himself bare against her. Her scent was already heavy in the air, making him even harder for her. He wanted her, pure and simple, and he was going to have her at least once even using mana as an excuse to claim her.

She was starting to tense underneath his fingers as the nub started to retract into her body. He spread her apart even more to rub faster but applying less pressure than before. Archer changed the angle of the caress and Akiha made another needy cry as her gorgeous thighs began to tremble. He released her breast to look at her.

"It's okay," he whispered to her as she was arching off the bed, her black and red hair spilling over the white sheets. Her dark pink nipples were hard and pointy on her small, firm and perky breasts and her perfect, sculpted thighs were shinning and slick with her lust. Her brilliant blue eyes were half closed as she continued to writhe until her whole body tensed. He felt her shutter and gave her one last flick of his finger before she began to scream and convulse towards his hand. He could feel her whole core collapsing as she surrendered while he continued to ease and make her climax linger until she was grabbing his wrist and pressing her thighs together.

He removed his fingers from her to move up her body until her core was even with his now painful need. He kissed her and nudged her thighs apart to settle between them. Archer hissed as he felt the wet, soft heat nearly scalding his hardness. He rubbed against her just to feel her, causing himself to gasp and shudder in response.

"A-archer," Akiha whispered as she looked up at him.

He looked down at her and replied in a breathy voice, "Put your legs around me."

"What?" she asked, her eyes widening as she stared up at him.

He groaned as he rubbed against her again. "Wrap your legs around my waist, Akiha," he demanded.

She flushed, but those long, supple legs encircled his waist, opening herself up to him. He gasped as he pressed against her soft folds. Akiha winced as he began to press himself in. Archer groaned as he was slowly surrounded by painfully tight heat that gripped him like a vice and he was barely inside of her. He quickly met the resistance he'd been afraid of and Akiha was gritting her teeth with her eyes closed.

"Do it," she said in a hoarse voice.

Archer bent his head down to kiss her, lifted his thighs and thrust home.

He gasped as he was painfully surrounded to the hilt by her. Akiha was panting as she gripped his shoulders with her long nails. Archer was trying to catch his breath as well and he kissed her ever so gently, smelling salt as well as blood. He opened his eyes to see tears spilling quietly down Akiha's cheeks. Archer lay still, feeling her body slowly relax around him until she wasn't crushing him from within and wiped her tears from her face.

"I'm sorry," he moaned as he glided his hips up, gasping at the friction surrounding and caressing him. Akiha gripped his shoulders as he began to thrust within her and he burrowed his head in the crook of her slim neck. It had been far too long since he had something like this, something beautiful to hold him and ease his pain and need. He held her close as lightning started to sizzle along his spine as pressure started to build low in his body, racing up to spill into her.

He slowed his thrusts and made them more shallow which made Akiha gasp and arch towards him. Her fingers dug into his back, the pain spiking the pleasure even higher as she began to meet him tentatively. Yet the pressure at the base of his need was threatening to explode and he needed her to join him when he let go. He slid his hand between their bodies to stroke her weakness, causing Akiha to cry out loudly and move faster against him.

She was beginning to tighten around him and he arched his back to get even deeper inside of her. Lightning was now raging down his spine as he gasped and just began to thrust harder and harder. The pressure was building even more until his vision began to blur and he closed his eyes. He felt Akiha tighten even more before she gave a loud cry and Archer bucked and thrust hard inside of her. He moaned as his vision flashed white, his body shuddered and spilled inside of her until he was weak and shaking.

He felt his circuits flare and pour mana through the open conduit as he spilled inside of her. His heart was pounding and his vision was blurry as he felt weakened. He managed to roll off Akiha so he wouldn't crush her as he collapsed to the bed. He opened his eyes to see Akiha looking at him, and her hair had turned completely red.

He gave her a smile as he reached out and languidly touched her hair. "I like it," he said before looking at her. He frowned when he saw the blood staining her white thighs and his pearly seed trickling from her bloody slit. Archer moved to sit up when his vision blurred, his head swam and his limbs went weak.

"Archer!" Akiha cried out as she reached for him.

He opened an eye and said, "Give me a moment and I'll give you the bed, Akiha."

"No," she said quietly as she curled up beside him, her head resting on his shoulder. Her eyes seemed even more intense beside her crimson hair as she rested against him. "No, I want you to stay with me."

Archer's chest tightened as he wrapped his arm around the young woman and held her close. He closed his eyes and cursed the unfairness of it all. He couldn't reply because he didn't know what to tell her, so instead he gave himself the moment and just held her.

******

Tohsaka Rin suddenly felt dizzy and weak. Her head swam for a moment before she gripped the kitchen counter at the sudden mana drain. "Tohsaka?" Shirou asked her, his red head cocked as he looked at her with worried sherry eyes.

Saber reached out and gently touched Rin's shoulder. "Rin, are you all right?" she asked as her green eyes looked at her with concern that was normally at odds with her determined yet serene expression.

"My mana," the young magus murmured, "It's like I just got a giant hit taken from me."

Shirou frowned and asked, "What about Archer? He went out fighting to save me that night without you knowing. He might be doing it again?"

"But my Command Seal's not burning, he's not in any danger, but he just used a lot of mana for something," Rin said as she straightened up after the dizziness faded. She studied the Seals on her arm and sighed. She looked up at the two people she was finding herself needing and said, "I need to go check on my Servant."

"Do you want someone to escort you, Rin? With Caster out it isn't safe out there," Saber said as she gave Rin a tiny smile.

Rin shook her head and said, "I'll be fine." Besides, she didn't want these two see her give her Servant another severe tongue lashing if needed be if he did something stupid. She said, "I'll see you two tomorrow and we can talk about Caster."

She then gathered up her coat and things and headed home. She cursed slightly to herself as she wondered what the hell Archer had done now. Rin could forgive him following a girl because she caught his eye. After all, with the dreams she had about him she figured her Servant could use something selfish of his own. Just as long as it didn't interfere with her fighting and winning the War.

Rin moved as fast as she could to her home and unlocked the door. She cursed as she felt that the place was actually pleasantly warm, which meant the heat had been on for a long time. She had told Archer she'd be gone for a day and that he didn't have to keep it warm for her like she usually did. She cursed her Servant for the needless use of heat which would jack up the bill as she headed to the bedrooms. She was hoping he'd be sleeping to conserve mana, as Saber had been doing, but she was shocked when she opened the guest room door.

Rin flicked on the light to see the two figures entangled together underneath the covers, her own cheeks flushing at the fact they were both very nude, or at least shirtless. Archer was lying on his back, his white hair falling into his face in a way that was oddly familiar to Rin with a tiny, content smile on his face that made him look even younger. Nestled on his chest was long, flowing crimson hair against white skin. The hair was so intensely bright that it either had to be brought on by magical inducement or dyed. Considering the mana now pulsing in the girl's sleeping body, Rin had an idea where all of her mana had gone to.

Her cheeks flushed, her heart pounding, she cursed, "What the fuck?"

******

Akiha was warm and didn't feel lethargic or that strange, cold hunger gnawing at her core as she was brought back to consciousness. She felt hard muscles under her cheek and the slow, easy beating heart of someone that was sleeping. Her fingers were brushing against raised scar tissue over Archer's heart as she opened her eyes. She'd heard some noise that had rose her from her pleasant sleep and then found a pair of aquamarine eyes glairing at her.

"Archer, I demand to know the meaning of this," the girl in red said as she approached, her wavy black hair flowing behind her with each movement. She was wearing a skirt that was all too short and Akiha didn't approve of the way she was wearing her thigh highs to accent her legs like that. Akiha automatically tightened her arms around Archer as his grey eyes opened. They were unfocused for a moment as he slowly sat up with a groan.

Then he looked down at Akiha and he smiled gently at her before he turned to look at the fuming teenager. "Rin," he stammered as he grabbed the covers and pulled them up to his chin.

"I'm gone for a day and I find you in bed with some cheap whore!" the girl snapped at him as she continued to glare.

Akiha's own eyes narrowed as she said, "I am not a cheap whore, and don't you dare talk to Archer in that tone of voice before you know what's happening, young woman."

"He's my Archer and what he does is my business," the girl retorted, "Including draining a good store of my mana."

Akiha replied, "Archer's not your property, he's a person you know."

"You see this bitch? It marks me as his Master and Archer is my Servant," the girl said as she rolled up her sleeve to reveal a simple tattoo like design of circles on her left wrist.

Akiha looked up at Archer, who was still holding the blankets to his chin as his grey eyes were wide as he watched both of them warily. She remembered about what he told her about this Grail War, which made sense about him appearing and disappearing at will. It also meant he was a ghost of sorts, but Akiha would tackle that problem later. Now she had to put this little upstart into her place.

"Well, it's not my fault that you don't know how to keep your Servant happy or direct him," Akiha said with a grin.

The girl bared her teeth as she snapped, "So says the cheap whore with the dye job."

"I think you're jealous," Akiha snapped back as she looked at Archer. Her own cheeks flushed as she remembered what had just happened. Yes, it had hurt a lot, but it had also felt really good too. He'd been so considerate of her that it made her chest tighten as she looked up at him.

The girl in red patted her chest and asked snidely, "Jealous of what, Tohno?"

"Because I had sex with your Servant and you didn't have the courage to preposition him yourself," Akiha spat back as her cheeks flushed as she looked at the girl's small, perky breasts that were still larger than Akiha's.

The girl grinned and said, "But then again, I'm not a cheap whore."

"Rin, that's enough," Archer spat as he glared at her.

Rin spun around at him and said, "No, it's not enough, I'm still not finished Archer. You gave all of your mana store to this girl and for what reason?"

"She was in trouble and needed it. It was either that or she would revert," Archer replied calmly.

Rin flushed as she stammered, "It's not our concern if she reverts, Archer."

"Emiya Shirou would agree with me," Archer said snidely with a grin.

She flushed even more as she retorted, "Well, Shirou can be an idiot and so can you, Archer. We can't have her here."

"Caster was after her," Archer said with narrowed eyes as one of his arms wrapped around Akiha to hold her.

Akiha's eyes widened at the contact as she blushed while looking up at her protector. "Then you should have just killed Caster," Rin replied.

Akiha's cheeks flushed as she vaguely remembered what happened with that witch, being bent over and bound. Then there was that spell that made her feel and act shamelessly. Luckily, she was starting to revert so much that she couldn't clearly remember what happened until she had bit Archer. Her cheeks flushed as she remembered that with crystal clarity.

She remembered the feel of his arms against her finger tips, the steel, smoke, and leather scent coming from his skin before she bit him. Then there was that sweet, coppery blast as his energy stabilized her. He had panted against her and his body had warmed even more as he pushed her away only to . . . Akiha looked under the blanket at her blood stained thighs and felt the stickiness at her core. When the mana started to pour into her with that blast of sheer pleasure that had shattered her, her hair had turned crimson red. Yet she felt no impulse right now, just ire at the girl who had interrupted their sleep and the desire to learn more about this Archer.

Archer was about to say something when Rin's eyes widened as she spun around to the door. "Someone's trying to come in," Rin said as she ran out of the bedroom.

As soon as she had gone, Archer stood up from the bed, sleek tawny muscles flexing with each movement. She ducked her head but sneaked a glance at him, marveling at his broad shoulders and the muscles rippling down his body with the pale scars marring yet somehow enhancing his appearance. He flexed his hands and he was dressed in the red mantle, armor and those pants again. Akiha swallowed and said, "I should leave if this is going to cause trouble."

"No, you're staying with me," he said as he held his hand out to her.

Her heart skipped a beat as she took his large, work roughened hand as he helped her out of bed.

******

"We need to go out and find her."

Archer rubbed his brow as he looked at his younger self as Rin tended to his wounds. Rin gave him a stern look and said, "Shirou, you're not going anywhere like this. Your entire shoulder is ripped open."

"Because Saber stabbed me," Emiya Shirou said with a frown as he winched as Rin spread ointment over the wound. With Saber freed from her contract with Shirou, Shirou didn't have the advantage of Avalon's healing powers in his body. In all truth, the boy's shoulder needed to be stitched up because Shirou would make it worse by insisting that he go with Rin to find Caster.

Archer wasn't looking forward to trying to dissuade Rin from that course of action and trying to get her to form an alliance with another Master, this one from a rival Magus family. He knew he'd be able to talk Ilya into it due to her interest in him now. He had a feeling once she saw him up close that she realized who he was and her interest with Saber had been dropped during the fight with Berserker. He hated having to use her want of having her oni-chan anyway she could to help win this War, protect Akiha and Rin and to keep Ilya from dying.

He knew they were running short on time until Gilgamesh attacked the girl and killed her Servant. Archer never knew what happened with the time line that ran like this where Caster was the threat and Gilgamesh took the initiative to kill Ilya because Kotomine was incapacitated. He just knew that the gilded bastard killed Ilya and ripped her heart out. He wasn't going to let that happen this time.

Akiha was currently in the shower, washing off the remains of their mana transfer. He snorted as he realized he wanted to be with her and to help wash her off. He wanted to show her that she wasn't alone in this and that he was with her as long as he was going to be able. Even though the Grail was corrupted, Ilya might hold the key to a different ending.

To do that he was going to have to change the script quite a bit.

He cleared his throat and said, "If Caster has Saber right now complete with Command Seals that would be suicide, boy."

"We can't just leave her with Caster!" Shirou retorted as he glared at him.

Archer sighed and said, "Yeah, what do you think what would happen if I tried to fight both Caster and Saber at the same time with Rin with me? You want to put Rin in that sort of danger?"

"Then I'll support you then," Shirou said as he moved towards Archer, wincing and almost falling back in the chair.

Archer sighed and said, "Look at yourself, Emiya Shirou. You're a mess and trying to do any projection magic will only kill you faster at this point. Getting yourself killed is not going to help Saber or Rin."

"I sense you have a plan, Archer," Rin said coolly, not even tea had pacified her even though Akiha's blue eyes had lit up when he passed her the first cup before she went to shower.

Archer nodded and said, "Form an alliance with another Master."

"Who? Rider's dead and Shinji would be a worthless ally and we don't know who Lancer's Master is. Besides, I don't want to work with another skirt chaser," Rin snorted.

Shirou looked up and answered, "Berserker's Master. Ilya. She didn't seem evil . . ."

"If you forgot she was trying to kill us all, Shirou," Rin hissed, bristling like a cat.

Archer sighed and said, "Because that's what her family raised her to do, Rin. She's a little girl and I think I can get her to listen to me."

"What, your tastes run to little girls too?" Rin said snidely.

Archer looked at her and retorted, "I think Akiha was right, you're jealous because someone else compromised your Servant's loyalty."

Shirou watched them with wide eyes and asked, "Is this about Tohno-san?"

"My Servant is a skirt chasing whoremonger," Rin snapped as she folded her arms, tossed her hair and looked away.

Archer quietly explained to Shirou, "She was looking for your father, Emiya Shirou to help her. She doesn't want to revert to her demonic impulses and her body is seriously low on mana, as if it's being drained from a far away source. She was hoping your father had information on how to help her. Except she didn't know he was dead."

"She came to look for Dad for help?" Shirou asked with wide eyes. Archer sighed at the fact it was going to be too easy to manipulate his younger self to his side at Akiha's plight.

Archer nodded and said, "And Saber attacked her."

"Saber attacked her and she needed help," Shirou sighed as he shook his head, "And you followed her?" Archer nodded and Shirou frowned at him. "And here I thought you were a cynical bastard who I really didn't like," Shirou said dryly.

Archer shrugged and said, "Maybe Caster was right in saying that I was more like you than I realized. Still, I gave her mana so she wouldn't revert and the only available method I had was through sex."

"You can give mana through sex?" Shirou asked wide eyed at Rin.

Rin nodded and sighed, "Yes, some poorer mages sell their semen because of the mana in it, just generally it's the Servant receiving the mana and not the Servant giving the mana."

"And what would have happened if she would have reverted?" Shirou asked quietly, watching them both thoughtfully.

Archer looked expectantly at Rin and she sighed, "She would have become a mindless beast who would have killed anyone to get the mana she need, all right?"

"So Archer saved Tohno-san and many others by doing that. I know it's gotta be embarrassing Tohsaka, but he helped so many people," Shirou pointed out with a frown.

Rin snorted and glared at Archer and Archer smirked at her. "You heard your partner's argument Rin. I didn't want another incident happening at the school again, but let me talk to Ilya tomorrow morning."

"Fine," Rin said with a sigh, "Shirou, you should get some sleep. We all need some sleep."

******

Akiha woke up to find herself alone in the giant bed. She pulled the foreign covers to her neck as she sat up and looked around. She winched at the soreness lingering between her legs and looked around for Archer. She was about to tentatively call out for him when she noticed the white blouse and familiar red skirt draped carefully over a chair with her underwear, bra and thigh highs draped over the skirt and her boots standing at attention beside the chair. Her luggage case was neatly propped up against that and her heart twisted.

Sometime during the night, despite having his magical energy, which she had learned from Shirou was what kept him in this world, that he severely drained to save her, he went to collect her things at her hotel. Her heart pounded as she wondered where he was only to have the door open. She turned her head to it to find the familiar figure clothed in red and black standing there holding a tea tray. Her chest tightened even more as Archer made her way towards her with the tea tray which also had some sort of sweet cake on it for breakfast. He set the tray down on her lap and carefully got back into bed with her.

He gently stroked her hair and asked, "How are you?"

"I'm doing well, thank you," Akiha said with a blush as she wrapped the covers around herself and sat up straight. He poured them each a cup of tea and looked at her with those intense grey eyes and a gentle smile that Shirou had last night when they spoke briefly. Archer had his hair spiked up again today and Akiha frowned at it.

She remembered it falling into his face the night before, melting years off of his appearance and making him even more handsome. She had been surprised how much Shirou had looked like Archer, as if they could have passed for siblings if it wasn't for the difference in their coloration. She tilted her head thoughtfully as he asked, "Do you take sugar and cream in your tea, Akiha?"

"Yes, two of each," she said as she inhaled the heavenly aroma of perfectly brewed Western tea that was quickly becoming heavy in the air. She watched him as he carefully measured the specified amounts of sugar and cream in her cup of tea and then prepared his own. He handed her the tea cup and saucer first before just holding the tea cup in his hands with the air of someone who'd done this countless times before. She smiled and then took a small sip of the hot liquid when her eyes flew open at the first taste of it on her tongue. She spun around to look at Archer before taking another sip to confirm her suspicions.

"Well?" he asked with an expectant chuckle.

She looked down at it and said, "It's amazing and I have a feeling you already know that."

"I'm glad it's to your specifications, Akiha," Archer said with a chuckle.

She looked around and asked, "Why are you helping me so much?"

"Because you need it and I like you," he said simply, "You're someone who'll help yourself even when you do need outside help you'll still press on without burdening others. I like girls like that."

She tilted her head thoughtfully and asked, "I thought you were some sort of Epic Hero though, Archer. I thought saving damsels in distress would be one thing you do often."

"I'm not that sort of hero, Akiha," he snorted dryly with a tiny shake of his head, "I have no legend to my name and you'll hear the other Servants refer to me as nameless."

She studied him and asked, "Then how did you get Summoned as a hero then?"

"Because I'm something called a Counter Guardian," Archer said with a sigh and shake of his head before he took a sip of his tea.

Akiha's heart raced as she watched him brace himself before looking at her. She met his grey eyes expectantly as he said, "I sold myself after death for power to save about a hundred people, I just didn't know the deal I made." Then he began his tale about how his father had saved him from a fire during the last Grail war and gave him the idea to be a superhero. He had found out the hard way to save people he had to kill people over and over again, but it was okay if no one cried around him. He told her about his pact with the Spirit of Humanity and about how time after time he was thrown into disasters to clean up after them, meaning he slaughtered everyone around him again and again. That the boy who never wanted to see anyone cry was constantly dropped into hell over and over again until it broke him.

She frowned at him and asked, "But you said the fire ten years ago, and you'd have to be dead to be a Servant . . . . What happened?"

"Because I'm not dead yet in this time, Akiha," Archer explained with a sigh.

Her brow furrowed even more as she asked, "What do you mean, Archer?"

"Servants can be Summoned from the Past, the Present and the Future," he said as he looked down at his hands.

She bit her lip and asked, "And you were Summoned from the Future?"

"Originally I wanted to kill my past self to create a time paradox and erase myself from existence," Archer confessed to her, his whole body growing tense, "But I found out that I could never reach the paradox I wanted so I tried making sure that my past selves that I've ran into in the various Time Loops I've been involved in would never become me."

Akiha asked, "And . . . who where you?"

"Emiya Shirou," Archer answered quietly.

She studied him and then nodded. He blinked and asked, "You're not going to call me insane or deem it impossible?"

"My nii-san can see Lines of Death and Points of Death on people, Archer," Akiha said dryly, "And Arcueid Brunestud is his lover. I've fought against Executioner Ciel and I had two maids that were synchronizers. Not to mention I have demon blood in my veins and just a few hours ago I drank your blood and you saved me through sex."

Archer chuckled at that and said, "So, well that answers that question then, Akiha."

"I do have a question, Archer," Akiha said as she finished her tea and poured herself another cup before starting in on the cake.

He tilted her head and asked, "What's that, Akiha?"

"How can I keep you?" she asked him as she met his eyes.

******

Archer stared at those intense blue eyes as they bore into his as Akiha's question rang through his ears. He looked down at his tea cup and he quietly answered, "It's almost impossible, Akiha."

"Almost, but not quite, Archer. After all you've told me do you expect I'll let what all you did for me go unanswered," Akiha retorted as her eyes narrowed and flashed blue fire.

Archer looked away and sighed, "I didn't do this for thanks, Akiha."

"I know you didn't, which is even more reason I want to help you, besides, I have a more selfish reason in mind as well," Akiha said with a tiny blush as she looked at her tea cup.

He grinned at that and asked, "So, did I impress you that much last night?"

"You're horrible," she retorted as she grabbed a pillow and hit him lightly with it. He laughed as she kept hitting him until they were both laughing. He saw the tea pot and cups wobble and he grabbed them and held them up.

He warned, "Akiha, the tea."

She stopped with a laugh, "Well, if it wasn't such good tea I'd let it spill just to piss off your Shrew of a Master. Don't tell me you two were involved in your time as well."

Archer looked down as he sat the tea tray back down. Akiha's eyes widened as she asked, "You two where?"

"The Tohsaka Rin in my timeline eventually became my wife," Archer confessed as he looked away, "That's how she was able to Summon me. She saved me with her family's pendent and left it at my side. Rin used that same pendent to Summon her Servant. I was the only Servant Rin could ever Summon because of that."

Akiha bit her lip and asked, "Do you love her?"

"My wife? I did, very much and there were a few times where I tried to recapture that with other Rins," Archer sighed and shook his head at the painful memories there. Besides, it usually got him killed painfully every time he did that.

Akiha took a deep breath and said, "I'm not like her."

"In some ways, yes, you two are a lot alike, which is why you two can't stand each other, but in others you're vastly different. Besides, with Rin I always felt like I was second best to her," Archer explained.

Akiha frowned and asked, "Because she was a more talented magus?"

"And more recognized as well as vastly more intelligent than I am. You might not guess it, but Rin's actually a genius so I always felt inferior to her," Archer answered with a shake of his head, "The only reason I can barely keep up with her because she's younger than me and I know her. And she still manages to trump me most of the time, Akiha."

Akiha asked, "And what drew you to me?"

"At first it was the red and then your eyes. I didn't recognize you and then you faced down Saber, which is damned near impossible. Saber can kick my ass even at reduced power unless I cheat and get the jump on her and Rin as my Master," Archer explained to her.

Akiha's eyes narrowed as she snorted, "Yes, that blond foreigner who attacked me out of the blue and called me a demon when I visited your home. I didn't like her."

"Oh, Saber is an uptight bitch," Archer said with a fond chuckle, "But she's also a good teacher and I failed her in my time. I try to make sure she's saved when I can."

Akiha tilted her head and said, "I sense you have a plan."

"Yes, I'm going to make sure that Saber goes to Rin as it should have been," Archer explained with a nod.

Blue eyes narrowed as she rested her hand on top of his. Archer blinked at the concern in her eyes as she asked, "What about you? If . . . If I could, I would gladly be your Master, but you were the one giving me mana, not the other way around."

"I'm going to be Ilya's Servant," Archer answered quietly.

Akiha tilted her head and asked, "What about this girl?"

"She was my little sister and I couldn't save her," Archer said as he gripped his tea cup, "She was the one person I couldn't save. She died a year after the Grail War because her body was created to be the Grail, Akiha. She's part of the reason I pushed so hard to be a superhero, because I couldn't save her. Rin and I tried so hard, Akiha, any and everything we could have done and all we did was prolong her agony."

Akiha wrapped her arms around him and rested her head against his shoulder. Archer looked down at her and blinked as she peered up at him. "No wonder I was drawn to you. You're a nii-san too," she said quietly.

"Ilya called me oni-chan. She was Kiritisigu's real daughter and I loved her so much," Archer sighed.

Akiha looked up at him and asked, "Archer, can you sense where the mana you gave me is going?"

"I . . . I can't, Akiha," Archer sighed, "That's beyond my skills as a magus. In fact, I'm rather half assed at it. The only thing I'm really good at is creating swords."

Akiha rested her hand on his cheek and said, "Nii-san wasn't my real brother, but I loved him very much. My real brother reverted when we were children and tried to kill me. Nii-san stepped in and took the blow meant for me and killed him in the process. I gave him half of my life force to save him, well, my blood relative took from both of us to continue his existence."

"Oh god, you were supporting two people and fighting your own impulse," Archer said quietly as he moved so he could hold her in return, realizing how easy it was to open up to this woman.

Akiha nodded and looked up at him as she said, "Yes, but my real brother was possessed by a vampire and my nii-san killed him to save that large breasted little harlot he's now running around with."

"Sounds like you're jealous," Archer teased her, but feeling a spike of jealousy rising within himself as she talked about her adopted brother.

Akiha looked up at him and said, "You're nothing like nii-san you know and . . . I'm glad." She flushed as she looked down and confessed, "My father would have hated you. He betrothed me to a member of another demon household with almost as much money and influence as the Tohno house had. He wanted me to be a proper aristocrat and I think he would be turning in his grave if he found out that I slept with a white haired and tanned skin brigand." She chuckled as she looked up.

"So take that, Father," she said viciously before smiling at Archer, "I didn't like my father very much. He was a monster."

Archer frowned as he looked at her, something was conflicting in her blue eyes as she looked away. He stroked her red hair and said, "You can tell me, Akiha."

"I told you we had two maids that were synchronizers. He bought them when they were children, and they were synchronizers in . . . well, in the way we were last night. They where eight years old when they came to our house. The youngest twin, Hisui was spared because the elder one, Kohaku took her place and took everything my father did without complaint. She . . . became like a doll and became obsessed with killing me even after my father died," Akiha told him as her eyes began to well up. Her hands were clinching his arm and he reached up to cup her soft cheek.

He met her eyes and gave her a gentle nod. Akiha took a deep breath and said, "Kohaku was trying to activate my impulse under the guise she was giving me mana through her blood. When that wasn't working, she attacked me and Hisui took the blow meant for me."

"What happened to Kohaku?" Archer asked her quietly as he stroked the tears away that were spilling from her eyes now.

Akiha's whole body began to shake as she wrapped her arms around Archer. She sobbed into his shoulder, "I don't know, Archer. I tried looking for her so much and for so long and I couldn't find her and it became harder and harder to resist . . . I didn't know what to do and I heard of an unorthodox magus and . . . that's why I came here. I figured if I could get help, then maybe I could help Kohaku and my brother wouldn't have to kill me."

Archer rocked her and moved the tea tray to hold her in his lap. He held her close and stroked her hair back from her face as she cried. He closed his eyes at all the anguish she'd been keeping to herself for so long. She had been in love with her brother only to watch him love someone else, had witnessed her father doing unspeakable acts, and having the person she trusted most to turn on her and watch as she killed her own twin. "You're not alone anymore, Akiha," he said to her as he gently wiped her cheeks with his thumbs. He met her eyes and she peered up at him.

She said, "I shouldn't have broken down like that in front of you, Archer."

"No, you needed to and I'm glad you did," Archer said as he held her. He looked into her eyes as he began to formulate a plan. A plan because he realized that even though he couldn't leave Akiha he didn't want to. He wanted to stay with her.

Because he'd done what he had thought was impossible for him.

The Counter Guardian Emiya had fallen in love once again, and this time it was stronger than what he had felt for the Rin of his time. That he wanted something for himself and he was going to let things be damned just to stay at her side. That he was actually putting something he wanted before anything else, even though Akiha needed him as well.

Akiha took a deep breath and asked, "Now what do we do?"

"We go visit my little sister," Archer said simply, "So I can get my plan into motion."

******

Akiha gaped at the giant castle looming ahead of her and gasped, "No one noticed a castle like this in the middle of Japan?"

"The Einzberns are a very powerful magus family, and they're assholes," Archer said with a grunt, "They use their family members like playthings and manipulated poor Ilya into thinking her father hated her when all he wanted to do was get back to her." Akiha looked up at the bitterness at Archer's voice and she would have taken his hand, but he was currently holding her.

She flushed as she thought about how they'd gotten here. At first she thought they were going to take a taxi but he just wrapped his arms around her, smiled and told her to hold on. The next thing she knew was that they were airborne and bounding on rooftops almost like flying until they landed nimbly in front of the castle. It had been amazingly fun actually, to fly in Archer's arms and she was looking forward to doing it again.

Archer set her down and took her hand again as if they'd been doing it forever. Her cheeks became even warmer as she enjoyed the feel of his work roughened hand against her smooth one as they walked hand in hand to the castle. He knocked on the door and it opened. He smirked as he dryly said, "She already knows we're here."

He stepped in front of her and reluctantly let her hand go. She frowned as she followed him into the giant castle. He was tense and looking around until his eyes softened at the tiny figure in purple standing at the top of the steps. Akiha blinked up at the beautiful little girl with flowing white hair and giant ruby eyes. The little girl giggled, spun in a pirouette and then bounded down the steps.

"Hello, Oni-chan, I was wondering when you were going to come," the little girl said before smiling up at Akiha, "Oh, she's pretty, Oni-chan and probably not as bitchy as Rin."

Archer sighed, "Ilya, language."

"It's funny, because you're a Servant I know all of your memories and who you are, Oni-chan. Even though I'm not your Ilya, you still want me safe," she said as she looked up at him with a smile.

Archer smiled and replied, "Of course I want you safe, Ilya. And I want you to meet Tohno Akiha. Akiha, this is Illyasviel von Einzbern."

"A pleasure to meet you," Akiha said with a tiny curtsy to the girl with a smile, feeling a kinship with the girl at being part of an aristocratic family that cared nothing for her save what she could do for them.

Ilya smiled and held out her hand after curtsying as well. "It's nice to meet you too, onee-san. You can call me Ilya,"

Akiha flushed at being called a big sister so easily but smiled. She replied, "Thank you Ilya."

"So, what are you two doing here then?" Ilya said as she began to walk up the steps. Archer started to follow her and Akiha did as well, looking at the finery around them.

Archer opened his mouth to explain before cursing, "Damn it." He grabbed Ilya then Akiha and shoved them to the ground. Akiha was about to protest when Archer threw up his hand and quietly chanted, "I am the bone of my sword . . ."

She felt power flare from him before he shouted, "Rio Aias!"

Countless swords came firing into the room from the ceiling and Ilya screamed. A shield like a flower flared up and began to deflect the swords. Archer's eyes narrowed with strain as he wrapped his left hand around his right wrist to brace himself against the onslaught of the firing swords. Akiha bit her lip as she covered Ilya with her own body. The swords continued to fall more and more and Ilya screamed again.

Sweat was trickling down Archer's brow as the petals began to shatter with the falling swords. With each petal that shattered Archer flinched but still tried to keep the shield up. Akiha bit her lip as her mind ran over the things she could do. She felt the power humming in her brains, not stunted as before. She could make the entire place burn without breaking a sweat right now. She was about to see if she could make a shield hot enough to melt some of the swords when Ilya screamed, "BERSERKER!"

"Finally," Archer growled as a loud bellow echoed through the corridors as a giant stone beast burst into the room. Akiha grabbed his shoulder and looked at the towering monster made of grey stone with wild dark hair swinging a giant club made out of stone in his hands. It moved surprisingly nimbly down the steps and barreled in front of Archer to smack the swords away with it's giant club. It didn't wince as swords began to strike it as well and Archer disengaged the shield.

He was breathing hard, his face wet with sweat but he stood up and grabbed both Akiha and Ilya before running. Ilya clutched on his arm and looked over his shoulder. She stammered, "There shouldn't be an eighth Servant, Oni-chan!"

Akiha looked over Archer's shoulder as well as Archer bounded up the steps. She saw the giant stone man face off against a gorgeous blond foreigner dressed in black and white. He was smiling as a liquid, red miasma appeared behind him and more and more blades hovered out of it. He snapped his fingers as he shot the blades at the beast. The beast roared and swung his blade in return and ran at the handsome man.

"Because he was kept here from the last war, Ilya," Archer said as carried them onto the roof, "And he'll kill you if he gets his hands on you."

Ilya asked, "How did he find out what I am?"

"Because his Master is the mediator for the War," Archer answered as the increased sound of roaring and the whistle of throwing blades grew more and more distant as they ran.

Ilya frowned and said, "Well, Berserker can take care of him! He'll kill him and follow us and you'll tell me why you want to form an alliance."

Akiha saw Archer's eyes widen as his expression softened when he looked at Ilya. She ran her hand down his back as he said, "Ilya, Berserker isn't going to make it."

"I'll use my Command Spell!" Ilya screamed and clutched onto Archer. Akiha felt the release of power from the little girl and her eyes widened. She looked up at Archer and said, "It . . . it didn't work, I used my whole body and it didn't work, Oni-chan." Her eyes widened before she slumped in Archer's arms.

Akiha twisted to look at the white haired girl and asked, "What's wrong?"

"My . . . my Berserker," Ilya whimpered with teary eyes, "He's dead and . . ."

Archer looked at her and said, "Ilya, how would you like to have me as a Servant?"

"What?" Ilya asked with wide eyes, "Oni-chan's Rin's Servant so how can he be mine?"

Archer chuckled, "Because I'm a cheating bastard who has a plan, Ilya."

******

Archer had made sure that the teacher wasn't there. Caster he could deal with, and he could also take out Kuzuki if he needed to, but he was worried for Ilya and more importantly Akiha's sakes. He was in spirit form as he watched the blond maiden in white twist and gasp in agonized ecstasy as more and more pleasure was forced upon her. He clinched his empty hands as he watched as the King of Knights, his teacher, bent over, her dress hiked up to reveal slick thighs as she continued to gasp and moan.

"You know, I like girls like you, Saber. Your blond hair, your boyish figure . . . And you're untouched," Caster said as she moved from the shadows in front of the writhing figure with her hands bound above her head. "Don't worry, I'm not going to do something as rough as take your virginity, Saber. After I use you to kill the other Servants, I'm going to turn you into something more befitting a girl such as yourself."

Archer took a deep breath, materialized and walked into the dark room of the church. Caster gasped and spun around towards him. She pointed and exclaimed, "Archer! You might been able to save your little half breed girl, but remember I can force Saber to bring me your head. Well, before it dematerializes that is."

"Actually, Akiha's the reason I'm here," Archer said calmly as he forced a nonchalant if somewhat mocking expression on his face.

She frowned and asked, "What do you mean?"

"Like what you feel for Kuzuki, Caster. I'll betray my Master and serve you if you can grant me my wish," he answered with a shrug.

He could see her lavender lips curl into a smile as she asked, "And what's that, Archer?"

"I want to stay with Akiha," he answered with conviction. It was easy though, he wasn't lying. He wanted to stay with Akiha more than anything, except he was trying to arrange more happy endings than his own. He just hoped his acting skills would allow him to pull this off.

Caster chuckled at this and asked, "Really then, Archer? That's all you wish from the Grail?"

He nodded and looked at Caster's cowl covered face. He answered, "Of course, Caster, I wouldn't be here other wise."

"Not even to save your Master's boyfriend's former Servant?" Caster chuckled.

Archer cast a look at Saber, who's back arched at that moment as she screamed. Her body shook with the force of it before she fell slack and gasping. He shook his head at that and sighed. He looked at Caster and said, "That frigid bitch? Who's deluded and actually thinks she hurt her kingdom? Sorry Caster, such idiots piss me off."

The witch threw back her head and laughed, a rich, vibrant sound that rippled over the church. Archer eyed Caster and asked, "Well?"

"Well, you interest me Archer and I'll take your offer, but first I need to break your contract with your Master," Caster replied as she pulled out a shimmering dagger of kaleidoscope colors who's blade was at a jagged, zig-zag edge out of her robe.

Archer eyed Caster's Noble Phantasm, the infamous Rule Breaker as he tensed. He closed his eyes as the blade was thrust into his chest. He clinched his teeth as the supply of mana from Rin was cut off and he was now connected to Caster. He watched as Caster smiled and said, "There, it's done Archer now I . . ."

Archer smirked as he said, "I am the bone of my sword." He threw up his hand, closed his eyes and then whispered, "Trace On," after he had access to his Reality Marble. He began to create masses and masses of blades to hover behind him. He opened his eyes to see Caster staring up at him and taking a step back. She began to hold up her hand and he sensed the well of mana as she began to cast her spell.

He calmly threw his numerous blades at her and Caster's scream filled the church as she was impaled countless times. He winched at the loss of mana again as his own stores began to keep him whole. He heard a tiny cry as Saber fell to the ground, free of Caster's spell as the white costume dissolved and Saber garbed herself in her own dress, just without her armor. She gritted her teeth and her green eyes burned as she forced herself up. She took a step towards him only to collapse again.

Archer walked over to her, gathered her up in his arms and said, "Come on, let's get you to the Master who should have Summoned you in the beginning."

******

Rin was pacing back and forth as she bit her lip. She looked at the Command Seal on her hand and rubbed it. Her connection with Archer was gone, yet there was no burning signaling he was dying. She cursed the demon girl at the loss of her Archer while pacing back and forth.

"Tohsaka?" Shirou said quietly.

Rin spun around to see Shirou standing there with his shoulder seeping red under the white bandages. She moved over to him and chided, "Idiot, what are you doing? You need to be resting, you can die now, Shirou. You're not borrowing Saber's healing ability right now."

"But what's wrong, Tohsaka? Please, tell me?" he said as he moved towards her.

Her cheeks were hot as she said, "I felt the link between Archer and myself broken."

"Maybe Caster got a hold of him," Shirou said with wide eyes.

Rin bit her lip and didn't want to say what she was thinking, so she simply turned away. She felt Shirou hover awkwardly behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "He didn't betray you Rin. Maybe Caster broke the connection with you so she could try to take him as another Servant," he suggested softly, "I mean, he saved Tohno-san. He can't be evil."

She cradled her wrist with the seal on it and said, "Or what if he was killed, Shirou? Then what? I'm not going to go to Kirei and admit defeat."

Shirou turned Rin towards him and said, "You're just going to have to trust in him like I trust Saber." He looked down at her and she looked up at him. She felt her heart racing as they stayed like that for countless minutes. Shirou's cheeks flushed as he watched her.

She moved closer to him and awkwardly placed her arms around him. He placed his good arm around her and started to gasp. "Tohsaka, what are you doing?"

"We both need this Shirou, so stop fighting," she told him as she rested her head on his shoulder as she'd seen Akiha do with Archer. Her heart was pounding at how good it felt, just holding a boy she liked like this. They looked up at each other and Rin tilted her head up when the wards went off.

She cursed and moved away from Shirou as she ran down the steps with him at her heels. Her eyes widened as the door swung open and Archer stepped into it holding Saber in his arms with Akiha and Ilya Einzbern trailing behind him. Grey eyes looked up and spotted her and Shirou. Rin stopped and stared as Archer ran up the steps and set Saber down on her feet. Rin's eyes widened at her flushed cheeks and the sheen of sweat on her skin as well as the fact she wasn't wearing her armor.

Rin reached out to her and asked, "Good God, Archer what happened?"

"Saber!" Shirou cried out as he rushed at her as well.

Against Archer's height and bulk, Saber looked small and fragile with her golden hair spilling haphazardly out of her bun. She was swaying back and forth on her feet as she reached for Shirou. "Shirou, I . . . didn't give in to her," she muttered before nearly stumbling.

Shirou caught her and asked, "Tohsaka, what's wrong with her?"

"Fighting Caster probably drained all of her mana reserves, damn," Rin swore as she looked up at Archer before demanding, "And what the hell is wrong with you? Why did you break the pact?"

Archer gave her a dry smile before answering, "So you could have the Servant you should have Summoned in the first place, Rin."

"What? What about you? Without a Master you'll fade away within a couple of days, Independent Action or not," Rin demanded as she looked at Saber then her former Servant.

Ilya and Akiha walked up the steps hand and hand. Ilya did a cheerful twirl and then clamped onto Archer's arm. Fire raged in Rin as she watched the possessive gesture as Ilya said, "Oni-chan is my Archer now, Rin! And we're going to be working together so you're going to have to get use to it!"

Rin spat, "What the hell?"

"Tohsaka-kun, you might consider forming the pact with Saber-san before she fades away," Akiha said dryly as she moved to stand beside Archer.

Shirou asked, "Wait, why is she forming the pact with Saber? Why can't I be Saber's Master again?"

"Because she's going to need a hell of a lot more mana than what you can provide when this comes to an end," Archer said as his grey eyes leveled at Rin.

She stared up at her former Servant and asked, "Why?"

"Make the pact with Saber and I will explain everything," Archer said evenly before giving her a crooked smile, "Besides, this is who you wanted in the first place."

Rin's chest tightened as she looked at the trembling blond who was still trying to keep on her feet. She took a deep breath and held out her hand to Saber. She proclaimed her most authoritative voice, putting Power behind the words, "I announce! Thy body shall be under my command, my fate shall be determined by thy sword! Follow the call of the Holy Grail. If thou wouldst obey this mind and this reason . . ."

She closed her eyes and channeled her mana, preparing to siphon it to Saber once she made the contract and kept concentrating on making the pact, "Obey me! Then I shall entrust my Fate to your sword!"

Saber grabbed Rin's hand, those clear emerald eyes locking with Rin's as mana swelled from the Master into the Servant as she spoke the words to finish the bond, her clear voice vibrating through the room. "I will accept your oath under the name of Saber! I shall accept you as my master Rin!"

Mana rushed into Saber as the contract was made, she began to glow with the mana as she stood to her meager height, but she seemed so much more as her eyes seemed to blaze. Her silver armor appeared on her slight form again, gleaming in the light as she flashed a glare at Archer. The invisible blade was pointed at Rin's former Servant.

"You owe your former Master the respect to tell her why you did what you did," Saber said calmly with narrowed eyes.

Akiha stepped beside Archer and her sky blue eyes narrowed at Saber. Saber's eyes widened as she stared at Akiha. She looked at Rin and asked, "Why is that demon here, Rin? I'm not going to allow you or Shirou to be harmed by her in any way."

"She's here because she's an innocent bystander who needed help and you attacked her," Archer replied dryly.

Rin snorted, "She's here because she's your little tart."

"What?" Saber asked as she frowned and looked at Archer then Akiha, "Rin, I'm afraid I don't understand."

Shirou said, "Tohno-san needed help, if she didn't get help she would have hurt a lot of people and she didn't want to do that, so Archer helped her out."

"Yes, by sleeping with her and giving that tart my mana!" Rin spat, her cheeks flushing, "In my house!"

Archer snapped, "Yes, I slept with Akiha, but can we change the subject and talk about something important like Kotomine being Lancer's Master and there being the Archer Servant from the Fourth War running around and gleefully killing Berserker and wanting to rip out Ilya's heart so he can try to destroy a majority of the people living in the world because he deems them useless?"

Rin froze at Archer's words and asked, "How the hell do you know all of this and how do we know you're telling the truth?"

"Because I'm a possible future for that boy standing right there," Archer said as he pointed to Shirou, who stared at him wide eyed, "Because I am Emiya Shirou."

She blinked and looked between Archer and Shirou. Saber's eyes widened and she said, "That's impossible . . . You two look nothing alike and act nothing alike."

"You should know better than anyone how battle changes a person, Saber," Archer snorted darkly as he looked away, "How chasing a foolish idea can lead to ruin and that the road to hell is filled with good intention."

Shirou frowned and asked, "Then what happened?"

"It really doesn't matter, just stay with Rin and this won't happen to you. Right now I'm trying to find a way to get myself out of my Hell," Archer answered as his hand reached for Akiha's. The older girl took Archer's hand and held it before placing her other hand on top of his. Rin blushed as they met each other's eyes and shared a tiny smile.

Ilya, who'd been quiet all of this time, did a little twirl and said, "That's why Oni-chan wanted Saber with you Rin, so she could be how she should be and Archer can arrange it so he can stay with Akiha. He's got a plan, so you'd better listen to him or you're going to be killed by that other Servant who was strong enough to kill Berserker!"

Rin crossed her arms and said, "Well Archer tell us what we need to know."

******

Archer closed his eyes as he heard Rin pacing in her bedroom. He had retreated onto the roof, utterly exhausted after explaining to everyone what was really going on and who was pulling the strings. Perhaps the hardest thing he had done was explain to Rin was that Kotomine Kirei had killed her father and Gilgamesh had been her father's Servant who'd simply watched him die. She had waited until Archer had explained everything, his plan and what Kotomine was probably going to do at this point and who was "acting" as Gilgamesh's Master, even though Shinji was reduced to just a puppet. Then Rin had stormed out of the room with Shirou and Saber trailing after her.

Ilya had then wished Archer good night before tottering off to bed herself. Archer headed to the roof to clear his head and to sort his thoughts for a moment as well as take a look through the town. His eyes didn't pick up any sight of the unholy trio, even though the poor Irish bastard wasn't a willing participant of his false Master's evil. He shook his head as he thought of Lancer. All the poor bastard wanted was a good fight, to get drunk and probably bed a few worthy women in this War. The Hound never had any desire for the Grail and scoffed at Kotomine's orders while cursing the false priest. Archer knew that Lancer was going to be their wild card and if he played his own hand right, they might get a temporary ally, at least enough to upset the balance.

He took a deep breath and headed inside to his room on the opposite side of the house from Rin's. Or rather, his and Akiha's room. He entered the room and sat on the bed, frowning at Akiha's presence not there. He wanted to talk to her some more, spend time with her before the battle he could feel in his very being that would take place tomorrow. Instead, he was sitting on the bed and brooding. He sighed and ran his hand through his hair right as the door opened.

Akiha moved over to him with her long, red hair trailing behind her like a banner with her skirt swishing around legs Archer now knew to be sinfully long. Brilliant blue eyes met his as she said, "I want to help in the fight tomorrow, Archer."

He sighed and nodded. She blinked up at him and asked, "Are you going to protest?"

"No, because if I did you'd find some way to help no matter what. So I should listen to what you have to say," Archer replied before smirking, "Besides, you are a Tohno. I'm curious to see what that mana I gave you does."

Akiha smiled as she asked, "Why don't I show you?"

"Fine," Archer replied as his smirk broadened into a grin.

She held up her elegant hands and whispered and flame appeared between them. The flame flickered and grew as she looked up at him. "I can make it bigger of course, but Tohsaka-san would be sensitive if I did something like that," she said as she lifted the fire for his inspection.

Archer braced himself and stuck his left hand into the fire. He expected the normal flash of pain before simply not hurting him, but he actually felt it burn his skin and begin to blister. He pulled his hand out of the mystical flame before Akiha cried out and moved her hands apart to dissipate the flame.

"Archer," she snapped before taking his hand and studying it, "You burned your hand, why did you do something like that? You've got blisters."

Archer flexed his fingers as the wound slowly began to heal. Akiha watched him and mused, "You don't heal as fast as the White Princess or Ciel does, but that is still remarkable." She scowled as she looked at him before smacking his arm. "Why did you do that anyway!?"

He chuckled and answered, "Well, your fire can potentially kill a Servant, Akiha. I was seeing if it would actually hurt me and it did."

"There could have been an easier way to do that," Akiha snapped as she frowned at him.

He shrugged and said, "And what? Endangered you to Saber's sword? I don't think so."

"Saber seems rather uptight and repressed," Akiha said with a tiny grin.

Archer laughed at that and replied, "Oh, you have no idea, Akiha, no idea." He studied her hands and mused, "But I can definitely use this."

"Really?" she asked, her eyes lighting up as she looked up at him.

He nodded and answered, "Of course. It'll give me an edge with you at my side because the person I plan to be fighting tomorrow is a lot faster and agile than I am."

"You seem rather agile to me, Archer," Akiha said with a tiny blush before looking away.

Archer studied her and asked, "What do you mean? You saw how graceful Saber is and despite his size, you saw Berserker's speed. Honestly, I'm sub par compared to the other Servants in this War."

Her eyes met his before swallowing, "Not to me." Then she took his hands as she moved closer to him. There was a light flush on her cheeks as she awkwardly placed her hand on the back of his head to guide him closer. He found himself smiling as her lips met his in an innocent kiss. He gently returned the kiss to pull her into his arms and hold her as their lips met and touched each other in soft caresses until Akiha was panting.

He pulled away to gently stroke her cheek and studied her. He softly asked, "Do you need mana, Akiha?"

"No, I need you," she replied in a soft voice before pulling him into another kiss.

*****

Akiha's heart was pounding in her chest as Archer's mouth met hers again and they pressed and locked hungrily together. Then his tongue was in her mouth, pressing against hers, enticing it to dance along with his which Akiha did. Her face was burning up, her heart was pounding in her chest and there was a building ache bubbling in her core as they kissed. She ran her fingers through Archer's surprisingly soft white hair as his hands roamed her back before pulling her shirt out from where it was tucked. He moved the raw silk up only to splay his warm, rough hands against her back and lightly knead along her spine.

Sensation rocked through her body as she arched up to his touch with a gasp. Her body was trembling as his nimble fingers were now running up and down her spine, making her shiver with delight. She grabbed his head and forced him down into a kiss again, her mouth hungrily devouring his as the new need welled into her. She rubbed her thighs together as the ache built in her center all the while causing liquid lust to spill from her core.

Archer separated from the kiss to unbutton her blouse all the while his dark grey eyes were hungry as he intently gazed upon her flesh. She let the shirt slide from her shoulders and swallowed at the tiny, nervous flutters in her stomach as she looked up at him. Her heart raced even faster at the hungry look in his eyes as those large hands moved from her back to lightly trace her sides before settling on her small breasts.

She blushed as he began to knead them, the sensation causing her body to arch even more towards his skilled hands. She was clutching at him now as she was unable to do anything but feel him. She was gasping as he thumbed her nipples into hard, burning points that made her quiver. She was starting to feel hot and tense at the same time as he nuzzled her hair to the side to lick at her pulse.

Akiha did cry out at that and her whole body arched in her need as her core clinched at that, sending pulses through out her veins. Her whole blood felt burning and singing in her veins at his touch before he unclasped her bra and pushed it from her shoulders as well. Akiha tugged at the red jacket he was wearing and he moved his arms back to let it fall, leaving him in the breast plate, trail and pants for he had already removed his boots. She took a quick glance at his feet, appreciative of the sleek lines and almost giggling as she realized she was admiring his feet.

He moved his hands from her over sensitive breasts enough to pull off his breast plate, revealing his own chest to her. Akiha's eyes widened as she took note of every scar littering the chiseled bronze muscles. "Archer," she whispered as she ran her finger over a particularly thick and nasty one over his heart. She swept her hands over his broad shoulders as her blush deepened as she wanted to do more but didn't know what to do. Instead she simply admired her warrior before he dropped to his knees before her, his head level with her breasts.

Akiha's stomach clinched as she realized what he was going to do next as he grasped her small, pert breast in his hands and flicked his tongue over her nipple. She gripped his shoulders as she began to rock against him. Heat was sweeping through her body as her heart was pounding in her chest with every flicker of his tongue. She shook her head while biting her lip right as he began to suck hungrily on her.

With every draw of Archer's mouth upon her Akiha's body clinched more and more with need before he switched over to the other breast. She bent over him and lightly nibbled on his shoulder. Delight welled up in her at the hungry groan Archer gave in return as she nipped him and laved the spot with her tongue. She then licked at the odd burn scar on his shoulder before his hands moved down her body to the waist of her skirt.

He unzipped her skirt and pulled it down her waist to let it pool on the floor. Akiha looked away as she was almost bare to him again and Archer kissed the area of skin between where her white thigh high ended and her equally white panties began. She cried out at that as he began to lave her thigh, causing more and more pleasure to well up in her body. She began to quiver and shake as it became almost unbearable only to have him switch to the other thigh.

She whimpered as his fingers caressed the shallow divide of her body through the wet silk of her panties. Akiha bit her lip and looked away as Archer teased, "You're already soaked, Akiha."

"Don't . . . d-d-don't talk about such things," she stammered only to have him pick her up and carry her to bed.

He smirked as he dropped the trail of his outfit before working those sinful pants down his body, leaving him bare to her gaze after he laid her down. Akiha immediately started blushing as she saw the part that was so vitally male standing at full attention because of her. She sat up and moved towards him. Her cheeks were burning as she studied every bit of bronze muscle, every scar and his thick length. She bit her lip as she tentatively reached out towards him.

She'd seen her nii-san once when she walked in on him and that vampire hussy together. He'd been longer, yes, almost obscenely so, but he wasn't near as thick as her Archer was. She licked her lips as she wrapped her hand around him, gasping at the softness of the skin under her palm that was almost like satin. "It's so hard, but the skin's so soft," Akiha whispered as she gently stroked him with her fingers. "It's so thick," she said with a swallow as she wondered how it fit inside of her because she wasn't nearly as thick as that blond hussy was.

"It won't break, Akiha," Archer said in his velvet voice that made her shiver as he wrapped his hand around hers as she stroked his length. She gasped and looked up at him as he pressed her hand down harder on him. His steel eyes met hers as he explained, "Pressure's good, Akiha, just be careful around the head."

She nodded as she stroked him more, her eyes flickering up as she watched. Archer's body bowed in pleasure as he closed his eyes and tilted his head back. His handsome features contorted in almost painful pleasure as she ran her thumb over a thick, interesting vein that ran from the base to just below the head. He gasped and thrust towards her hand at that as she explored him.

Akiha licked her lips and stroked that vein again only to have him groan louder and his fists clutch emptily. Heart pounding, Akiha wrapped her hand around the base to steady her other hand so she could stroke him faster. She ran her hand over him and bit her lip only to have Archer grab her hands with a wicked smile.

She swallowed as her body clinched with that fiery need once again as she looked up at him. He moved her to the bed so she was laying down and placed his hands on her hips. She bit her lip as he pulled her panties down her legs, leaving her bare but her thigh highs. He smiled as he started to kiss his way down her body. Her whole body tensed, her heart raced as she tried to squirm away from him as she realized where he was going.

Akiha looked away as he rubbed her slit with one index finger and bit her lip as her body quivered with need. "Just relax for me, Akiha," he whispered before kissing each thigh.

She placed her hand on his head and blurted, "My stockings."

"Oh, I'm leaving them on," he said with bright eyes as he ran his finger over her again, causing her to arch towards his hand.

She stammered, "Why?"

"Because I like them and I love your legs," he replied in his husky voice before gently planting a kiss over her bare skin.

Akiha bucked up and cried out, "What are you doing? Why are you down there? It's shameful and dir . . ."

Her words were cut short as he spread her open and ran the blunt of his tongue from her weeping core to the tip of her folds were she was pulsating. She yelped as he laved around the hardened point, sending shivers up her body. She was rocking her hips around him and her legs started to quiver as he flicked his tongue over where she needed him the most.

More and more sensation crested along her body, not as intense as when he'd used his fingers, but lightning fast and dangerous. Akiha was quickly losing what little control she had as she became tense and weightless at the same time. She was arched towards his body right as he wrapped his lips around her and began to suck that sensitive nub.

The pressure and pleasure slammed into one as she was sent shattering over the edge. Akiha rocked up and screamed as her body shook with her release. Yet Archer kept sucking at her only to slide something inside of her. She yelped at the invasion in her tight body as he moved what she realized to be his fingers in an out of her as he kept licking and sucking. The pressure and pleasure turned into almost over sensitive pain. She was about to cry out for Archer to stop when it transformed again, even more intense than the first peak.

It caught her unaware and her vision blackened as she screamed and writhed on the bed while her core clutched hungrily at his fingers. He moved his mouth from her yet his fingers kept moving in and out of her, drawing lingering pleasure that made her feel languid and blissful, better than the buzz she got of whiskey. She opened her bleary eyes to see Archer watching her, his lips glistening with her juices before he kissed her.

She drank him in, tasting her tangy essence on his mouth as he moved his fingers away from her. Swallowing, she wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his body while forcing herself to relax. He stroked her hair back and met her eyes before giving her a dazzling smile that made her heart clinch.

"Akiha, no matter what happens, I love you," he confessed before kissing her.

Akiha's heart soared at that knowledge as she rubbed her wet folds against his hot, hard length. She replied, "I . . . I love you as well, Archer."

He moved one of his hands to entwine his fingers with hers and their eyes met as he sank into her body. Akiha tensed at the burning sensation of being stretched and opened to him, yet when he began to move his hips she moved with him. She gasped at each thrust and rocked her hips in time to his as heat welled up within her body as did the pressure once again.

They moved as one, sweat caressing each of their skin as their hands held each other tightly as Archer moved in and out of her, filling and retreating within her as she opened up to him. She felt the silky caress of wetness that welcomed him as she needed more and more of him, but her legs were starting to tremble with fatigue. "Archer . . ." she gasped as she looked at him.

"Unwrap your legs," he said as he kissed her lips.

She did as she was told and Archer reached over to grab her legs. He moved them up and together against his right shoulder. Akiha moaned as she became even tighter, each thrust filling her up too much as she moved against him. Archer held her legs with one hand while the other reached down to stroke her in time with his thrusts.

Within moments she was making needy cries as she moved to meet him. The storm gathered at her core as the heat filled her body and threatened to burst. Archer's breath before her was getting ragged and he had his eyes tightly closed as he began to lose himself in harder and deeper thrusts. Akiha gripped the sheets now as she moved with him as everything threatened to overwhelm her.

The torrent came to a head, the pressure shattering within her once again until she screamed and bucked towards him. Her body clinched at him as she writhed mindlessly, caught up in her own completion that Archer brought out with his harder and faster thrusts. Once the storm faded she whimpered and held on against the onslaught before Archer bucked hard inside of her. She gasped with wide eyes as she felt each pulse of him as he spilled his hot essence inside of her before slumping weakly against her.

He was trembling and weak but he managed to pull out and roll onto his back. Akiha moved to lay her head on his chest and held him tight. She swore no matter what happened, she was going to keep him.

Epilogue

Three Months Later

"I really don't want to do this."

"You should. As much as you love your brother, you should try to make peace with him," the velvety voice pointed out as strong arms wrapped around Akiha's waist. She leaned into her fiancée and snuggled into his warm embrace to look into his grey eyes.

They both stood in front of the small, London apartment and she licked her lips. She asked, "Archer, what if he doesn't want to see me?"

"He will," the now human man said firmly as he looked at her, "As a big brother, I should know."

Akiha smiled at her Archer as she took his hand. Ilya was currently with the Puppet Maker Aozaki Touko as she learned how to use her new body after having her soul implanted into it. After the battle with Gilgamesh and Kotomine, they struggled with a way to keep Archer and Saber from fading from this plane of existence. Ilya and Rin worked tirelessly until Akiha called upon a favor from an old friend, an alchemist mage from the Atlas named Sion. With her unique perspective on mage craft the three girls were able to put something together to keep the two Servants in this world and give them second chances at a normal life.

Ilya sealed away the Grail so it could never be called upon again and placed her soul into one of Rin's gems until they could implant it into another body. Sion used her alchemy skills to create the contents of the Grail, or rather, how they should have been if they hadn't been corrupted. Archer and Saber both drank and now Archer was at her side while Saber had an interesting relationship with Rin and Shirou. And Tohsaka called me a tart, at least I don't favor other girls, Akiha thought with a tiny, disapproving shake of her head.

A month later, Akiha proposed to Archer by telling him it was his responsibility because he took her virginity to marry her. He'd only laughed and accepted the proposal on one condition. Which was why they were in London.

"But I don't want to see her," Akiha grumbled, "All pretty and perfect with her curves."

Archer firmly said, "I think you're more beautiful than the White Princess."

"Flatterer," she snorted but raised her hand to the door anyway.

As she knocked on the door she looked at her lover, wondering what her big brother would think of him. She knew he wasn't someone her father would have approved of with his common back ground, scars and white hair, but Akiha adored those things about Archer. Yet Archer was better mannered than most of the other people she had associated with than her father. Then again, her Archer was a hero who'd do anything if she asked him.

The door opened and bright ruby eyes regarded them as Arcueid tilted her head like a kitten and said to Archer, "How's my sister's dog?"

"Annoying, your highness," he snorted, "I hated that stupid dog. The World wouldn't let me kill that retarded mutt."

She giggled and said, "Well, you don't have to worry about that anymore, you're free." She peered at Akiha and asked, "What do you want? You're not going to yell at Shiki again."

Akiha actually bowed and said, "I wish to talk to you both, Arcueid. You and nii-san."

"Oh?" Arcueid asked, her body language showing her doubt.

She nodded and looked up at Archer. She squeezed his hand and said, "Everyone deserves a second chance."

The End!

Author's Notes: First off I'd like to thank my husband, Lee, better known as Roadbuster on the Beast's Lair forums for the idea. This was spawned during a long online conversation while he was at work and I was at home. He said that he'd like to see an Akiha sex scene that wasn't incestuous and wasn't rape. Then he suggested Archer because by the time of Fate, Akiha would be in her early 20's and there wouldn't be the slightly creepy age difference he shares with Rin. Plus, Akiha's tsundere and Archer likes the tsundere.

I'd also like to thank my proofers Lee, Yuurei-san, Mini, and Yukie, even though Yuurei, this isn't your chosen pairing and I'm sorry I killed Hisui.

Also, I can't just write PWP, as you can tell. I had to put a damned story into it and everything. Originally I had a huge battle planned out where Saber and Shirou fought Gil, Rin was tangling with Kotomine while Akiha and Archer fought Lancer in Ultimate Blade Works. However, it got nixed because the story was already over 30 pages single spaced by the end of the last sex scene. Besides, it flows just fine the way it is I think.

Plus, HAPPY ENDING! Everyone complains that my stories are always so damned depressing, well, everyone had a happy ending who deserved it. Except Sakura who wasn't even mentioned in the story. I just really couldn't fit her in there, besides, she was MIA in UBW anyway.

I hoped all of you enjoyed this crack pairing as much as I enjoyed writing it.