Note: I do not own Fate/Stay Night or Familiar of Zero, and am only writing this story purely for entertainment purpose only.

Chapter 4

"I apologize for cutting off your little declaration, Ms. Valliere, but as your second, I cannot allow you to throw this fight... especially not against an opponent whose potential is far lower compared to yours."

Mages. The crowd which was circling around a certain interesting event going on in the Vestri Courtyard in Tristain Academy of Magic was made up of mages. Stuck-up magi who wear their noble pride proudly on their chest, seeing themselves as superior over the non-magical, not only because being able to perform magic literally made them better than the commoners, but also because the ability to use magic, according to their religion, signify not only nobility, but a direct blessing from their Founder, at least by their interpretation, and thus it only boosted their ego even further.

An ego which was presently unable to rear its ugly head.

Due to the effect the previous day's events had on their school life, everyone in the audience, naturally knew about what happened during the second year class' Familiar Summoning Ritual... well, at least a version of it, the details affected by certain factors, which include who told the story, and how many mouths it had been passed through previously. In this case, however, most of the stories, with slight alterations, match. Normally, since it involved Louise the Zero, it would not have really piqued much interest. After all, her consistent failure at casting magic had become so cliché that stories about it, had already lost its flare, except for the most devoted bullies and ridiculers, most of whom were classmates of the Zero. What happened the day before, however, was different, for the series of events, despite involving the Zero, was interesting indeed.

According to the general gist of the rumours, Louise the Zero, like always, failed in casting a simple spell, and this time, the spell she screwed up was the critical 'Summon Servant' spell. Instead of her simply failing making the spell work or creating an explosion, however, something else happened. Louise the Zero, technically, actually managed to summon something... or someone... and that someone...

Was the person who suddenly appeared in their midst, the one who interrupted the tort- duel, between Margarita Montmercy the Fragrance and Louise the Zero.

At first, they thought that Zero actually outdid herself in an epic failure that only the teacher saw as a success. Summoning a commoner after all, was considered by many, due to it involving the Zero, as the worst thing that could happen. They believed that the fact that the Valliere girl summoned a plebeian means that her elemental affinity must be compatible with a plebeian, implying that she was without a doubt, a failure.

Many of them believed this was the pinnacle, the final nail in the coffin proving that Louise Valliere was worthless as a mage. A few moments later, however, when the Zero tried to bind the commoner as her familiar, they realized just how wrong they were. Louise was not just a failure as a mage. She was also probably among those with the worst luck in the continent of Halkagenia.

The rest of the day had gone by in a whirlwind of madness. Due to the fact that they had been attacked, most of the second years had naturally been upset, although they were more confused than upset. Several versions and accounts of what happened arose, and the news that the third daughter of the Valliere had been abducted spread throughout the school like wildfire, though of course it was later proven to be false.

Just like what happens with most gossip, no one could tell anymore exactly how it started, or where it originated from. However, the moment that Osmond announced that Louise's Valliere abduction was a false alarm, several variations about that particular piece of information, as expected sprouted. Some believed that everything had just been a show. Others believed that the Valliere was screwed, as according to some rumours, she tried to steal another noble's familiar. However, in all these rumours, there was one thing they had in common, one detail that none of them could deny.

Whether she had been summoned or not, or simply hired by the Louise the Zero, there was no doubt about it, especially in the minds of those who had seen what happened.

The girl, who Louise Valliere either hired or summoned, was without a doubt...

...a mage, a noble, just like the rest of them.

They may be proud and arrogant because of the culture they were raised in, but each and every one of the students had been taught to respect their fellow nobles. They may look down on those who can't use magic, but they would treat any fellow mage who could at the very least cast magic properly, as an equal.

The mage in front of their eyes, however, as they now know full well, could not possibly be just a regular mage.

Wands and staves were always needed by mages for them to be able to perform magic. Except for a few people who have reached a high level of mastery, everybody else needed a focus for them to be able to cast their spells. A focus which the girl with silver-pink hair did not seem to require.

The day before, the second year students had already seen her perform wandless magic, when she knocked out the Valliere girl with a Wind Spell. Now, however, the rest of the students had seen perform that feat again, only this time, she seemed to have cast Fire Ball, a Fire Spell.

"Wandless magic?"

"No way."

"She used wind yesterday and now she used a fire spell? She has to be a line mage at least."

"Yeah right. But didn't you see it? She didn't even use a wand! No line level mage could pull off something like that."

Thus, the attention everyone shifted, from the Velliere girl who they saw as an outcast, as someone unworthy to be considered as one of their number, to the girl who suddenly appeared in their midst, one who was without a doubt a proper mage.

"What did you say?"

And she seemed to have specially gotten the attention of a certain line class water mage with braided blonde hair. Still, given what she stated, it was no surprise that said water mage was infuriated with her words.

Instinct. It is the natural ability of most living beings to assess the situations they are in, one which does not require thinking, as the person will act accordingly on reflex. However, even instinct can be defeated by a thought or concept that had been installed into a person's mind. Thus, if they believed that one of the of the two individuals was a mere commoner, even if their instinct was given them a warning, most of them, save for a few who trust their gut feeling, would probably shrug it off as nothing, as they would foolishly believe more in their noble pride. However, the people involved in the conflict were fellow nobles, their equals.

And now, the instinct of those who were witnessing what was happening in the middle of Vestri Court, one which told them that things were about to take a turn for the worse. With their danger senses tingling at the hostility that was coming from the individuals in their midst, the students encircling the area decided to take a few steps backward, far enough to be out of immediate range, but near enough to be able to witness what was going on, and what was to come.

After all, even though they are in a school of magic, it was rare for something interesting to happen in Tristain Academy of Magic, and for better or for ill, they certainly do not want to miss it.

xxxXXXxxx

Margarita Le Fere De Montmorency, known as Monmon to her closest friends, was just like any typical noble, who wore her pride on her chest. However, just like any other noble, it has always instilled in her to respect those who are either equal or who are superior to her. But aside from being a noble, she was also just like any person, who wanted to be accepted, to feel a sense of belonging, one which she had managed to gain among her peers and classmates, who did not treat her any differently from the rest of the flock.

However, Monmon, just like any typical noble, considered those who could not perform magic as low-class and beneath her. In the society they were in after all, it was no wonder that she thought that way. Still, even though this was the case, even she would never hurt or attack a commoner unless there was a good reason to, and just a few minutes prior, such a reason arose. After all, commoners were nothing tools to be used by nobles, and one of their functions is as a escape goat, a blame toy. Thus, there was nothing wrong with blaming a poor maid for a noble's own mistakes and carelessness, like spilling food on her own clothes, to save face. It was just a part of everyday life.

Which was why she could not help but feel surprised when all of a sudden, one of her classmates actually dared to slap her on the face when there was nothing wrong with what she had done, and it was Louise Valliere of all people.

Montmorency of course knew that the girl was a failure at casting spells, having borne witness to it on an almost daily basis, which had thus earned her the nickname Louise the Zero. However, even if that was the case, Montmorency actually believed, though she never stated it out loud, that the supposed failure as a mage may not be a complete failure. The Valliere girl's spell might always end up in smoke, but out of all the people in the Academy, the line class water mage had to admit that she had never seen anyone with so much Willpower before, for Montmorency, unknown to anyone but her parents, could actually measure a person's Willpower simply by touching them, and Louise Valliere's Willpower was actually the highest one around among the students, and it was even higher than her father's who is a square class water mage.

Montmorency might be fond of mocking the Valliere girl like anyone else, but it was less because she thought she was a failure than the fact that she was jealous of the amount of sheer magic power she possessed.

Nevertheless, even sheer magic power is utterly useless if the one who possessed it could not use it properly. Of course, Montmorency did not really care about the reasons as to how it happened. All she knew is that it was the perfect opportunity for her to utterly humiliate Louise the Zero without repercussions. There were no teachers around, and while it was true that Montmorency started it, the one who initiated the duel was Louise Valliere, all because of a mere commoner. If it was a matter of witnesses, none of them would side with a failure of a mage.

Or so Montmorency thought...

Just when she was sure of her victory, just when she was about to make the Zero admit her surrender, someone had the nerve to interrupt her fight. And not only did that someone have the nerve to interrupt her fight...

...

"I apologize for cutting off your little declaration, Ms. Valliere, but as your second, I cannot allow you to throw this fight... especially not against an opponent whose potential is far lower compared to yours."

...

That particular someone insulted her, the words hitting a delicate nerve. To suggest that I am weaker than this failure. How dare she!

"What did you say?"

"Do I have to repeat myself? Can't you understand plain Halkegenian, Montmorency?" The girl with silvery pink hair, who had turned her attention towards the speaker, asked with raised eyebrows.

At these words, murmurs and whispers could be heard coming from the crowd.

"Are you saying that I am weaker than Valliere, even though it is obvious that I am superior?" The blonde-haired female asked quietly.

"You are misunderstanding. I never said that you are weaker than her." The girl replied as if stating the obvious. "As it stands, if the two of you were to fight ten duels at your current level, you would undoubtedly beat her each and every time. I merely stated the fact that she has more potential than you do."

"So what you are saying is that while I am stronger than her at the moment if we were to fight at our full potential I will lose? Isn't that still the same as saying that I am weaker?"

"Potentially, you are much weaker than her," the grey-eyed female said with a shrug. "Of course, that will depend on how far Ms. Valliere is willing to..."

"ENOUGH!" Montmorency screamed, as she sent a jet of compressed water at the person who interrupted their duel.

Only for it to be stopped, as a ball of fire met her water spell in midair, the two spells cancelling each other out in an explosion of steam.

Despite her internal turmoil, Montmorency did her best to remain calm. Irritated though she might be, the line class water mage was no fool. She might not like what the girl said, but based from everything that's happened so far, there was no doubt that she was a mage, and not just any mage, but a mage who could probably match her or even defeat her. Thus, the girl tried to remain calm and composed. However, after hearing those words, the young blonde-haired female was now losing her cool. She may be faced with someone who she believed could be stronger than her, but with her anger started to rise, that feeling was slowly being rendered irrelevant. She had pride as a noble after all.

"Regardless of what you believe," Montmorency began, barely able to keep her voice calm, as she tried to hide the fact that she was alarmed at how easy her magical attack was parried, as well as the fact that the fire spell had been cast without a wand. "It does not change the fact that you interrupted a fight between two nobles. Regardless of how you feel about it, I have already won the duel. Even if you're her second, we have never discussed anything about having a second."

"Exactly the point," the girl replied with a smile. "You see, neither of you had any prior conversation on the terms and conditions of your duel, you just went right ahead with it. And if I'm not mistaken, if a duel is started without discussing any of the terms and conditions, it means that anything, as long as it does not violate the standard code of duels, will be allowed, and a second stepping in when the main fighter is down is not against the rules, is it?"

As she heard these words, Montmorency knew that she was in trouble. She too, was aware of how duels were fought, and since the girl in front of her was aware of it as well, there was no way her verbal ramblings could force her to back down.

Darn it, I've already used up a lot of Willpower, and this girl, whoever she is, is certainly no pushover. She's probably even stronger than me! If only I made Zero yield sooner. The blonde-haired female cursed inwardly.

"Look," the silver-haired female began wearily, as if aware of exactly what Montmorency was thinking. "If you are irked by the fact that I interfered, then why don't you call in your own second to aid you? Surely there is someone here willing to fight in your place?"

Hmmm...

Montmorency looked around, as she tried to look for someone to help her. Being a sociable person, it should have been easy for her to get someone to aid her. However, due to the circumstances, most of the people who met her eye averted their gaze, implying that they did not want to take any part in the fight, not even Guiche. And even if he did volunteer, he was only a Dot Level Mage, whereas the girl Montmorency was facing would be a line level mage at least. There was just no competition.

Cowards, Montmorency thought to herself.

"What, no volunteers?"The female clad in red taunted, as she turned her head towards the crowd, all of whom immediately took a step back as she did so.

Margarita Montmorency was now getting really nervous. On one hand, she could always walk away and declare that she had no reason to continue fighting as she had already beaten the Zero. However, if she did that, then she would be branded as a coward for running away. She may have thoroughly beaten the Zero, but since it was the Zero who she had beaten in the first place, it was hardly to be remembered, and the news that would spread would not be that 'Montmorency beat the Zero,' but rather, it would be more along the lines of 'Montmorency ran like a coward from a duel.'

However, if she did continue, then the end result would be the same. As of present, Montmorency, having cast several spells, was only fighting at half power. If only she did not take her time toying with her opponent, she would not be in this mess, and perhaps, if she did not waste too many spells, she would still have a sufficient amount of Willpower. Still...

"So you're going to fight me even if you're in that state?" The female with silver-pink hair inquired.

"Cheh, that is of no consequence. I am Margarita Montmorency the Fragrance, after all. I don't need to be at my best to beat someone like you," Montmorency replied, her voice full confidence, yet in truth, she was actually afraid on the inside. Still...

I'd rather go down fighting than run away like a coward, thought the blonde-haired female to herself, as she readied her wand, while mentally preparing herself for her oncoming defeat. At least this way, even if I'm beaten, my honor will remain intact.

"Very well then, I am Sakura Pendragon Emiya ... don't expect me to show you any mercy just because you're handicapped, it's your own fault that you are in that state after all," the other girl replied, bowing her head as she did so while Montmorency, knowing it was only proper courtesy, did the same.

"WAIT, STOP!"

"MMMMPH?!"

?!

Before they could resume their fight, however, a tall, tanned female with flowing red ran to the center of the commotion.

"Zerbst, what the heck do you think you're doing?!" Montmorency snapped at the red head, her face just about as red as the taller female's hair. Given that the blonde just had her head buried in the other woman's chest, it was not really that much of a surprise.

"You know, if I were in your place, I would be thanking me instead of getting angry. You should be grateful you know."

"And why should, in the name of the Founder, I be grateful to you?"

"Because I'll be taking your place," the female Zerbst grinned. "I'll be fighting her instead, as your second."

As she said these words, murmurs could once again be heard from the crowd.

"Whaa..."

"Our beloved Kirche is fighting?"

"But she's..."

"...a triangle class..."

"This is going to be good."

"That girl wouldn't stand a chance against Kirche!"

"I'm not so sure of that."

Montmorency could only stare in wonder at the red-headed female who had now let go of her. The two of them, in all honesty, had never been close, due to the fact that she had seen her love interest, Guiche, coming out of the tanned female's room before, just like several of the other males in school. In fact, when it comes to people Montmorency did not like, Kirche von Zerbst was actually at the top five of her list.

Now, however, as the girl made her declaration, Montmorency the Fragrance could not help but feel grateful to her. She knew of course, that the Zerbst undoubtedly had other motives for doing this, but even still, even though it was not her intention to help her, the fact is that Kirche, unintentional though it was, was getting her out of a tight spot.

Was it to humiliate the Valliere girl further? Or was it simply because the other female interested her? Regardless of the reason, Montmorency the Fragrance knew that she should be thankful to the fiery-haired female.

"Very well, I'll leave it to you then," Montmorency replied, as she started walking away from the center of the Vestri Court to join the rest of the crowd, but not before muttering two words to the red-headed female.

"Good luck." Margarita Montmorency whispered to the Germanian, who whispered a quick "thanks" back in response.

xxxXXXxxx

Louise had always been a failure when it comes to magic. Unlike her talented sisters, who have proper elemental affinities, and are thus able to focus on the correct kinds of spell to practice, Louise had none. She was incompatible with any of the four elements. Every single spell she tried did nothing at best, though most of the time, it ended in an explosion.

Thus, she was not surprised when the spells she practiced ended with a bang. And thus, in her failure, Louise once again expected to be scolded, to be punished, for being a failure.

Instead of getting a sermon or a demeaning comment however, to Louise's surprise, were encouraging smiles from her mother and father.

Feeling her confidence rising at the fact that there her parents who believed in her, Louise tried casting once again, and to her great shock and joy, she had succeeded. The spell she cast before, which only resulted in an explosion, yielded the right results, and in both her hands, she was now holding two swords, one black, the other white, mirror images of each other, swords which had come from nothing but the recess of her mind, twin swords which were brought into existence through the use of a form of magic called Tr...

"AMAZING!"

?!

Louise Valliere woke up with a start, feeling confused, and for obvious reasons, irritated, as she found herself lying on the ground, and while the first thing she saw were the two moons in the sky, which was indeed a rather nice thing to view, it did not make her feel any better. She had been having a wonderful dream after all, and then her slumber was rudely interrupted by a sudden shout that rang in her ear.

Her irritation, however, only lasted for a moment, and was immediately replaced by dread, as she recalled exactly what she had been doing.

Vestri Court... I remember I challenged Montmorency to a duel and then, and then... and then...

"GO KIRCHE! YOU CAN DO IT!"

The last thing she remembered, was that she was being demolished, utterly humiliated, in a duel with Montmercy the Fragrance, wrapped in chains made out of water, without any means of escape. She was slowly choking to death from its pressure, and her enemy, with a look of triumph on her face, had been forcing her to yield, before...

"Oh you're finally awake, Zero Louise..."

"What do you want Common Cold Malicorne?"

"Oh, nothing, I just want to ask you how much money you spent to get that girl to work for you." The fat boy replied.

Louise was now feeling irritated. Here was one of her many classmates who just loved mocking her.

"What in the world are you taking a..." Louise began as she sat up straight, but she did not managed to finish that sentence, as before she could do so, she found herself distracted by a sudden wave of warm air that hit her full in the face.

"FIRE BALL!"

"AIR BULLET!"

By the Founder...

Louise could not help but gape in shock, the anger she was feeling a moment before completely forgotten.

Admittedly, Louise was impressed. Despite the fact that she was bitter against Kirche the Ardent, Louise, while never admitting it openly, she actually respected and envied the Zerbst both at the same time, because she had everything, the looks, the body, and the magical prowess. And yet, here she was, finding herself matched spell for spell, by someone who Louise would never expect it from. However, the fact that someone had been able to fight evenly with the red-headed female was not what caught Louise's attention the most.

Sakura Emiya, she was the girl who Louise had committed a grave offense against, a girl whose familiar, while it was unintentional, she attempted to steal through the Familiar Summoning Ritual. To make matters worse, she actually tried to bind the girl in an attempt to make her her familiar, mistaking her for a mere commoner, which she turned out to be not.

And yet, here she was, fighting in a duel in an effort to help her. Louise may not be able to cast spells properly, but when it comes to taking in information and processing them, she was someone who was quick on the uptake, and it did not take her long to put two and two together. Based from the murmurs she heard, the silver-haired female had apparently interrupted her and Montmorency's duel. Then, if that were not enough, she actually declared herself as Louise's second, and then proceeded to take on Kirche von Zerbst, who decided to join the fray.

Why? The pink-haired female found herself asking herself the same question over and over again. Why, after everything she had done, after the obvious pain and inconvenience Louise had caused, was Sakura Emiya sticking up for her? She remembered it now, what happened before she passed, how the mage with silver-pink hair interfered with her duel with Montmorency, shattering the water binding her while at the same time, insulting the line class water mage, all the while saying words that Louise knew were meant to give her encouragement.

Thus, while the rest of the students continued watching the duel between the two female mages intently, Louise was only doing so half-heartedly, her mind more focused on the mysterious girl than on the duel, the pinkette's confusion increasing further along with a feeling of gratefulness, when she realized that she was actually wearing Sakura Emiya's red coat, which the grey-eyed female had undoubtedly wrapped around her to keep her warm...

xxxXXXxxx

To most of the people who were watching the magical duel that was happening in the middle of Vestri Courtyard, they would probably say that the two combatants were deadly serious. Even though they were both mages and nobles, most of the students, save for a few, had not yet had their first taste of true battle, had not yet experienced their first time taking another person's life, not even that of a commoner's. Mages may consider the non-magical folk as beneath them, but even then, even if many of them had little conscience with regards to them, and loved using commoners as something akin to their steeds, or, as in the case of the female maids, for various forms of entertainment, killing was still a line they could not cross.

And it was for this very reason that most of them thought that the two duelists were seriously trying to kill each other. Due to the intensity of the fight, the spectators had once again passively moved further out to give the fighters more space, as well to avoid getting in their line of fire. The ground was scorched and the grass was uprooted in several places, while a small crater formed between the two fighters testimony to the intensity of the power play that was unfolding before them.

Which is exactly what it was... just a play. The two mages may be seriously trying to take each other down, but unlike what most believed, neither of them, despite the strength of their attacks, was actually trying to fatally wound the other, even if they could easily do so by accident. Most of the nobles around were greenhorns, and thus could not tell, but the select few who had some real battle experience could tell that neither of the two duelists was emitting killing intent.

In fact, both fighters were actually smiling.

Kirche was impressed. Being a Zerbst, a member of a noble family in Germania, she had initially been sent to a Germanian Magic School, which, unlike Tristain Academy of Magic which she was currently in, was much more strict and combat focused. Naturally, being a free-spirit individual, Kirche did not like it, and thus she transferred to Tristain, both to escape marrying a dirty old general (while she was a nymphomaniac, there were men who even Kirche the Ardent could not stomach sleeping with, and just thinking about it made her sick), as well as to continue her life of freedom.

Still, even though she lacked discipline, in the few months that she had been in that Germanian magic school, Kirche was actually among those with the greatest battle prowess. She may be carefree, but when it comes right down to it, very few had ever been able to match her, and none of those at the same year as her in that supposedly militaristic school had been able to even touch her hair in a spar. And in Tristain Magic Academy, there was only one person who had ever been able to match her, and it was none other than her best friend, Tabitha.

Was, however, was the correct statement, as now, there were two of them. Two mages who she knew could go toe to toe with her aside from the teachers.

"Impressive," Kirche commented, as she ducked to dodge a mass of compressed air that was sent in her direction, while at the same time sending a ball of fire at her opponent, who countered it by also casting a fire ball spell, the two orbs cancelling each other out in mid-air in an explosion of flames. "To think that you are able to use fire and wind at such strength, and without a wand at that... you're probably a triangle mage at least. Just how much did Valliere pay you for your services anyway?"

"You're pretty good yourself," The grey-eyed female returned the compliment, while jumping sideways to avoid getting tied up by a flame whip that was conjured by Kirche. "As to insinuating that I was somehow hired by Ms. Valliere to perform a few stunts, I'm sorry to tell you but you are mistaken. In fact, if I had a choice, I wouldn't even be here."

"Oh? If that's the case, then why are you here, Ms. Emiya? Don't tell me that the rumours of her summoning you is actually true?" The tanned girl inquired. After all, she was there when the female with silver-pink hair was summoned, and while she was talking that way, Kirche knew full well that it was true.

"The rumours of Ms. Valliere summoning me is half-true, actually," the other girl admitted. "Technically though, it was my crow, not me, which she summoned."

"Your familiar?" Kirche asked in an incredulous tone, as she used her flaming whip to smash the balls of ice that were hurled at her, confirming that the girl she was fighting was indeed a triangle class.

"Yes, my familiar," the other girl responded with a frown, while conjuring a gust of wind to change the trajectory of her opponent's whip. "I don't know why, but for some reason, her Summon Servant spell actually called out to my crow. Naturally, since Raiga is my familiar, there was no way I was letting him go, and thus I made a foolish mistake and I ended up getting sucked into the spell along with him."

"Definitely foolish," the red-headed female agreed, while dispelling her flame whip to avoid getting hurt by her own spell.

"If you were in my place, though, Ms. Zerbst, and you see your partner being taken from you, what would you have done?" The girl Sakura Emiya inquired. By this point, the two of them stopped casting spells, and were now standing a few meters from each other, although both of them kept their guards up.

"I would have probably made the exact same mistake as you," Kirche von Zerbst admitted. "Still, that does not explain why you are helping a failure like Louise the Zero. I mean, if what you are saying is true, then what she had done to you could actually be considered a grave offense."

"It was only a coincidence so I'm letting it go with a little compensation," Sakura Emiya replied with a shrug. "After all, when you cast Summon Servant, you never really know where your spell will appear or what kind of familiar will answer to your call, although if you know your element, you could narrow down your list."

"Point taken," the red-headed female replied.

"Anyway, Ms. Zerbst," the girl with silvery-pink hair began. "Do you really want to know why I'm helping Ms. Valliere?"

"Of course," Kirche responded with a smirk. "So what is this reason? Why are you helping Zero Louise?"

"I see," the girl replied. "Then, I will tell you...I don't like bullies."

?!

Suddenly, the red-headed female felt a chill creep down her spine.

And before she could react, without being able to do anything, she found herself face to face with her opponent, steel grey eyes staring at her coldly and sharply, as cold and sharp as the tip of the blade which Kirche could feel pressed against her throat.

What in the world? I didn't even see her move! And that sword... that was an Earth Spell, which means... oh Founder, she's a square class mage!

"Do you yield?"

In truth, Kirche, being a friend of Tabitha, had been through dangerous missions before, facing bandits, dragons, as well as getting involved other dangerous situations. Never, in all those times, however, had the red-headed female with tanned skin felt this frightened, as she found herself closer to death than any of those other times put together.

Sakura Emiya, as far as Kirche could tell, was not such a bad person. However, like most people, or nobles for that matter, she had her own set of principles which she followed, and it seemed as if bullying was something which was unacceptable in her book.

Realizing that she may have made a mistake in her choice of words, Kirche went for the most logically correct course of action.

"I yield." the red-haired female declared, and immediately she felt the sharp blade being withdrawn from her neck.

She may like danger and adventure like her friend Tabitha, but she certainly was not suicidal. And now that her opponent was showing true hostility, there was only one option left for Kirche the Ardent...

... to surrender and accept defeat.

Montmercy, you owe me big time for this, grumbled Kirche in her thoughts. She did not know exactly why, but for some reason, she could not but feel that if the water mage continued the duel, her opponent would not have shown her the same leniency that Kirche had been given.

xxxXXXxxx

Bullying. Hurting others deliberately just for the heck of it, was among the many offenses which Sakura would never turn a blind to, unless it was necessary that she did so. Due to her precarious situation, Sakura, in all honesty, intended to help the Valliere girl. After all, aside from her obvious resemblance to someone from Sakura's vague memories, as well as her possible connection to it, the Executor's partner crow, Raiga, had taken a liking to the pinkette, and aside from that, Sakura to, admittedly, had also taken a liking to her herself.

Which was why, when she saw that the stuck-up mages in the school had been ganging up on her, Sakura had been unable to stop herself, and instead of finding a discreet solution to the problem, she went out to solve it head on.

Sakura did not regret her decision to go out into the open, and what she had done actually seemed to have some positive impacts, although she knew there were also be repercussions. She has performed magic in front of many witnesses, and it would undoubtedly cement her position as well as her falsified status of being a noble, and from the way they looked at her, she had undoubtedly earned their respect. Sakura may not like mages, but given the situation she was in, it was something which she needed.

True, she regretted missing the opportunity to directly humiliate Montmorency, the one who was directly responsible for hurting the pink-haired mage, but then, getting to fight Kirche von Zerbst was not such a bad compensation. She was a triangle class mage after all, and Sakura had to admit that battling against her was good exercise. The young Executor may have refrained from using her main skills in battle, but she had to admit that the girl she fought was quite good.

In fact, even though the red-headed female seemed to act carefree, based from her mannerisms and manner of breathing, it was obvious that she had a lot of control. And aside from that, her eyes... her eyes, unlike what she appeared to be, were that of a warrior. Her primary objective may have been to aid Louise Valliere, but Sakura had to admit that it had been the perfect opportunity for her to test how well she would fare against the magi of Halkegenia.

Still, while she seemed to have gained the acceptance of the school's noble student population in general, her actions would also merit unwanted attention.

Square class mages. In the magic ranking system of Halkegenia, it was the highest level a mage could reach, and very few compared to the total population of mages. Unfortunately for Sakura, it seems that she had shown too much during the duel, and now there would be more eyes who would be looking in her direction, something which she knew will be not be easy to deal with. In truth, she actually wanted to pose as simply a line or triangle mage.

However, thanks to the crowd mistaking her Projection magic as Earth magic when she Traced a sword and placed it on the red-haired female's throat, they now believe her to be a square class mage.

Still, what is done is done, there's no point dwelling, the young Executor sighed in her thoughts, as she stopped thinking about what happened and instead focused her attention on the book she was reading. Due to her actions, she knew that she would probably be called to the Headmaster's office once again that night or the next day, but it did not really matter. After all, she had already rehearsed several verbal speeches and dialogues to handle it. The most important thing for her right now was to gain more information.

Just as the young Executor was about to go into her 'bookworm mode', however, she found herself interrupted from doing so by a sudden knock on the door.

"Who is it?" Sakura inquired, as she moved without a sound to the side of the door as was her habit. She knew that her actions would probably make her seem paranoid to other people, but then, with the kind of life that a member of the 8th Sacrament lived, she knew she can never be too careful.

"It's me, Louise Valliere." came the response.

Still not convinced, Sakura closed her eyes and transferred her sight to one of her constructed familiars which she placed on the ceiling outside her door. Seeing that it was indeed the Valliere girl, the young Executor opened the door.

"Good evening, Ms. Valliere," Sakura greeted the girl with a smile. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

xxxXXXxxx

To be continued...

AUTHOR'S NOTES

Alright, another chapter out. Now, I suppose it's not really that easy writing something like this. I kind of wanted to continue first with my other fic, Fate Zero: Blade Sanctuary, though unfortunately, I am currently at a writer's block there and since I am partially unblocked for this fic, I decided to proceed with it.

Now then, ever since I started writing this fic some people had been asking me about the stats of Sakura Emiya, and now I suppose I've finished it. Of course, this is bound to go through some changes later as her experiences pile up, but for now, here is her stats. Note: she is not a Servant, but a human being, I am only writing this in terms of Servant Stats, but again, Sakura is human.

Now I noticed that some of you are complaining about her overkill stats. Well, since that's the case, I suppose it's necessary, since many competent Halkegenian mages are high speed casters who fight from the distance. Also, I suppose I should post the stats of her parents here as well.

Character Profile 1

Name: Sakura Pendragon Emiya

Also Known As: The Third Magus Killer

Profession: Executor, Mage Hunter, Researcher

Age: 17

Sex: Female

Height and Weight: Sakura is about a head taller than Louise, and her body figure is similar to Rin's, although her chest is bigger. (I'll edit this later once I decided on the precise measurements, if I can.).

Alignment: Lawful Good

Stats

The left stat applies when she is using Reinforcement and other body enhancing spells. The right stat applies when she activates a certain Rune. Of course, the stats increase is also affected depending on what kind of weapon she decides to wield. Otherwise, all her stats in her normal state would be just about a level or two above that of an average human, with the exception of her reflexes.

Of course, the stats on the left is her normal stats in battles, which is just about enough for her to be able to match a Dead Apostle, which is just about on par with a Servant, one on one.

Strength: D-C+

Endurance: C-A+

Agility: B-A++

Magical Energy: B-?

Luck: C-B+

Origin (False): Sword

Elements (False): Sword, Wind, Water, Fire

Origin (True): Void/Blank

Element (True): Void/Blank

Presently, despite her level of intelligence, Sakura does not yet have a full grasp of her abilities, and thus she is still unaware of her true origin and element on a conscious level.

Character Profile 2

Name: Arturia Pendragon Emiya

Age: 28(Physical)

Profession: Housewife, Volunteer (Part-time), Gambler (Secretly)

Alignment: Lawful Good

Stats

Strength: B

Endurance: A

Agility: A

Magical Energy: A

Luck: B (A++ when it comes to gambling)

Other details will be reserved for later.

Character Profile 3

Name: Shirou Emiya

Age: 28

Alignment: Lawful Good

Profession: Handy-man, Chef, All-around Utility Worker, Volunteer (Part-time)

Stats

Strength: C

Endurance: C

Agility: B

Magical Energy: B

Luck: E

Other details will be reserved for later.

So there you have it, Emiya Sakura's basic stats. I will not be posting all her skills and/or noble phantasms here though, since if I did, then I might ruin the suspense (not to mention that I am still thinking about what to write). And since it will be revealed in the succeeding chapters anyway, I suppose it will not be necessary. The stats on the left side of the equation indicate her regular stats, and it could go up depending on several factors, which include spells, magecraft and the weapons she used, as well as a particular Rune.

And before I forget, as I'm sure you've noticed, many mages in Halkegenia prefer to fire off powerful spells while maintaining a safe distance, many are even on mounts, so basically, the stats are just enough to balance things out.

But enough about that...

And like always, I hope you enjoy reading this chapter...

Later then, people...