Tohsaka Rin sighed as she prepared her summoning circle.

"Geez, why couldn't Father have given me something I could use to summon Saber," she muttered as she worked. It was a pain to use her gems like this, but she was sure that doing it this way would net her the best possible Servant.

The pendant her father left her in his will caught Rin's eye. She contemplated it for a second before shaking her head. "No, better not use that. It's absolutely irreplaceable, so I can't risk anything happening to it. Besides, with everything set up this perfectly I know things will work out!"

Rin checked the time again. "Good thing I remembered to set the clocks," she said. It was nearing 2:00 AM. "How did I manage to have all of them off by an hour, anyway? Whatever, it doesn't matter anymore. Everything's fine now."

Rin stepped back, took a deep breath, and started to chant.

"Das Material ist aus Silber und Eisen.
Der Grundstein ist aus Stein und dem Großherzog des Vertrag.
Der Ahn ist mein großer Meister Schweinorg.
Schutz gegen einen heftigen Wind.
Schließ alle Tore, geh aus der Krone, zirkulier die Gabelung nach dem König.
Füll, füll, füll, füll, füll.
Es wird fünfmal wiederholt.
Nur ist es die volle Zeit gebrochen."

Ambient magical energy began to fill Rin's circuits. Facing the ritual circle, she directed the prana out of her body.

"Satz.
Du überläßt alles mir, mein Schicksal überläßt alles deinem Schwert.
Das basiert auf dem Gral, antwort wenn du diesem Willen und diesem Vernunftgrund folgst.
Liegt das Gelübde hier.
Ich bin die Güte der ganzen Welt.
Ich bin das Böse der ganzen Welt.
Du bist der Himmel mit dreien Wortseelen.
Komm, aus dem Kreis der Unterdrückung, der Schutzgeist der Balkenwaage…!"

The world went white. The last thing Rin saw before her sight was overcome was the circle flashing and starting to glow. A non-existent wind fluttered across her face as the ground in front of her started to rumble gently.

As some form of blurry vision returned… red. That was the first thing that got through to Rin. Her eyes cleared and she gasped as she beheld the glorious image in front of her. (1)

This was it. This… vision… before her could only be one thing. This lovely blonde figure dressed in red, one hand on the pommel of a large red and black sword, could be none other than the very being Rin had been hoping to summon: the Servant Saber!

The Servant raised an eyebrow at Rin's frank appraisal. "Oh? You have summoned me? I assume that would make you my master, then? Very well, I will show you what a real Servant is capable of! I hope you are worthy of having me as your underling!"

Rin gaped, but quickly collected herself. "You… you are very presumptuous for a Servant. But answer me this one thing. You are the Saber-class, correct?"

"Of course I am, Master. How could I be anything else? You did notice my sword, did you not?" was the reply.

"Don't be so foolish, I definitely see your sword. I just wanted to make sure," Rin said flatly. Inwardly was a different story.

Yes, I did it! Now I'll win this war for sure! Nothing can stop me! Rin thought. She was so preoccupied with her success that she didn't notice her mad cackling had leaked into the outside world.

Upon witnessing her master's short trip into insanity, Saber cocked her head and murmured, "What an… interesting master I've been summoned by."

Immediately snapping back to normal, Rin narrowed her eyes. "What was that? Did you say something I should know about?" she said with a sweet-as-saccharine smile. (2)

"No, nothing, Master. You must have been hearing things," Saber replied with her own smile. "Now, I'm receiving an excellent amount of prana from you, so that's one good thing we have already, but we should now discuss our plans for the Holy Grail War."

Rin nodded in agreement. "Yes, that sounds like a good idea, but it's getting late. We can do most of that tomorrow, right?"

Sighing in disappointment, Saber responded, "I suppose, Master. I guess since you're only human you still need your rest."

Something about the way she said that makes me angry… Rin thought. "One thing first, though," she said aloud. "Which heroic spirit are you?"

Saber puffed up with arrogance. "Ah, Master. How good of you to ask. You have been lucky enough to summon the Fifth Roman Emperor, Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus," she haughtily announced.

There was a short pause as Rin assimilated the information.

"...Eh? Aren't you supposed to be a guy?"

. . .

It was late the next morning when Rin woke up. With a passive gaze, she glanced at the clock. "…Like I thought. It's too late to go to school. What did I do last night to make me sleep in like this…?"

It should be noted that Rin was not a morning person, so she can be forgiven for momentarily forgetting the momentous occasion she'd had last night.

Her face scrunched up as she tried to remember. She lit up like a light bulb as it came to her. "That's right! I succeeded in summoning Saber!"

Rin rose from the bed sluggishly. "It seems I'm out of prana. It's a good thing I have today for recovery." As she made her way through her morning routine, Rin abruptly recalled Saber's reaction to Rin's questioning of her gender the previous night.

"...Eh? Aren't you supposed to be a guy?" Rin blurted.

A sickly smile formed on Saber's face. Her eyes darkened to points and she seemed to suddenly grow to a preposterous height, enough to tower over Rin. And if Rin wasn't mistaken, was that hellfire in the background?

"Are you saying this body is anything but the pinnacle of femininity?" Saber asked, the smile never leaving her face. She cupped her modest breasts. "And what of these? You can't say you didn't notice them," she pointed out, referring to how she'd caught Rin staring at her earlier. "And do you think I wear this skirt for no reason?" Saber indicated the sheer article of clothing. "I am a woman, and do not forget it!"

Saber huffed and turned her head, crossing her arms beneath aforementioned breasts, which only served to emphasize them more.

Rin looked away as well, her cheeks flushing slightly. "Alright already, I get it. You're a proud member of the better half. And there's absolutely no way I'll forget it, especially now," she finished in a mumble, heading up to bed.

The last thing Rin saw before she turned to the stairs was a small pleased smile flash across Saber's face.

Rin shuddered in remembrance. "Right. Don't doubt Saber's gender again. No problems there. So Emperor Nero's a girl. That's a surprise, but it's fine," she mused as she headed downstairs.

"That's a good thing, Master," Saber announced teasingly as she materialized without warning next to Rin. "I'm glad you can appreciate a good woman when you see one."

"!" Rin gasped in surprise. "Just what do you think you're doing? You could have given me a heart attack! And don't say things like that, either!" she said with a glare. "You're my Servant, you should be respectful!"

"Don't worry Master. I know when to be serious," Saber said. "I wouldn't have been a very good emperor if I didn't. But I also know when to relax. I wouldn't have lived long enough to be a good emperor if I didn't."

"Just don't make a habit of it," Rin instructed, passing Saber by. She walked into the kitchen and put on a pot of tea.

"Anyway Saber," Rin said, "As soon as I finish breakfast we'll take a walk around the town, so you can get used to where everything is."

"A decent idea, Master. It would be good to know the lay of the land if I am to fight here," Saber agreed.

. . .

The duo spent the morning wandering Miyama. Rin pointed out the way to various important places such as Ryudou Temple and the school, while Saber trailed behind in astral form. It was almost noon when they reached the bridge separating Miyama from Fuyuki's other district, Shinto.

"Incidentally, Master," Rin heard Saber's voice in her head, "I still haven't been graced with the name of my choreographer."

Rin paused in the middle of the bridge and gazed out across the water. "Chore… oh, I see. Yes, I forgot to introduce myself; how thoughtless," she muttered in embarrassment. "Rin. Tohsaka Rin is my name."

There was no one nearby at the moment, giving Saber the opportunity to fade into view next to Rin. Nodding, she replied, "It's good to finally learn the name of the person who will be directing me in this play we have been cast in."

"Play? This isn't some show we're putting on. Don't tell me you're not taking this seriously, Saber," Rin accused.

Saber turned to her. "On the contrary, Master. It can indeed be a work of art, and fortunately for you you've summoned one of the premier artists of my and any other time. I guarantee that by the time the curtain draws to a close on this Grail War we will be the ones left standing to take a bow," the servant said, emphasizing with a hand flourish.

Shaking her head, Rin sighed. "When you say things like that I just don't understand you, Saber."

"Huh, I don't see what's hard to understand at all. I'm the Servant Saber, you are my master; as the greatest team, we will naturally claim victory, and as a result the world will be able to enjoy my art once more," Saber stated confidently.

"Enjoy your… That's what you want? You're going to waste an all-powerful wish on something as insignificant as art?" Rin exclaimed in disbelief.

"…" Saber's eye twitched as she glared at Rin. "Master, since you have never bore witness to my art I will forgive you this once. I am a gracious person, after all, and you will change your tune. However please don't repeat the insult."

Rin shivered at the look she was receiving. "Fine, have it your way," she responded moodily. Whatever, if she wants to waste her wish that's fine with me. At least she's serious about winning, though. No doubt about that.

The young magus resumed her walk along the bridge, Saber fading back into spirit form and following. They continued along and off the bridge, into the modern half of Fuyuki. As they passed one road, Rin commented, "The church is down that way. My so-called 'guardian' is the priest there. Heh, more like false priest." She said the last bit under her breath. "He's also the supervisor for the Grail War this time. I suppose I'll have to tell him I've summoned a servant soon."

"Hmm? You don't seem to like him much," Saber inferred from Rin's tone of voice.

"He rubs me the wrong way, that's for sure," Rin confirmed. "But I shouldn't complain too much. He leaves me alone for the most part."

Their journey came to a close when the pair reached the park in the middle of the district. Saber reappeared and hesitated upon entering.

"Oh? You noticed?" Rin remarked.

"…? Master, there seems to be a foul aura surrounding this place," was the response. Saber's eyes flickered back and forth, scanning the area.

"Yes, this park was the location of the final battle in the previous Holy Grail War. I don't know exactly what happened, but the result is what you see here."

"It is a dead place, Master. We shouldn't stay here any longer than necessary," said the knight of the sword.

"I'll agree with you there. I just wanted you to see it. Let's try not to create something similar this time." A sharp pain on her arm caused Rin to wince. "My command seals… we're being watched."

The red/black flame-like longsword she'd been summoned with appeared in Saber's hand. "I don't sense anything, but I'll trust you."

Rin concentrated, scanning the area. "…Nothing. It must be a master, then. A powerful one as well, or else they wouldn't be able to hide from me this well. Alright, if that's the way they want it, I can play too. If they want to watch, let them."

The rest of the day was spent showing their observer a merry time, aimlessly wandering around Shinto, doing such mundane things as going into stores and having a bite to eat. Well, at least Rin did. Saber didn't see the need to eat anything. Once she was through with dinner, Rin led Saber to their ultimate destination: the tallest building in Fuyuki.

"Well here we are," Rin said while sweeping back her wind-swept hair. "We've been to the important parts, but from here you can get a good overview of the whole city."

"Yes, but I could get more use out of it if I was an Archer-class," Saber said dismissively.

"What? No, that's not why I brought you here. It's just… isn't it a nice view?" Rin asked with a frown.

Saber cocked her head and looked at Rin. "…Oh, is that what you meant?" she said with a sly smile. "I suppose it is, but you'll have to do better than that if you want to impress me."

Turning a remarkable shade of red, Rin exploded. "What are you talking about? Where do you even get these ideas? No, nevermind, I don't want to know. Let's just get back home."

. . .

"Are you purposefully trying to be killed, or are you simply an idiot?" Saber asked dryly.

It was the following morning. The return trip home was fairly uneventful; the only thing of note was catching sight of Matou Sakura in conversation with someone Rin had never seen before. They seemed to part without incident, so Rin put it out of her mind at the time. The master and servant arrived back at the Tohsaka house with no further incidents.

A phone was cradled against Rin's shoulder. As she dialed, she responded, "Neither. I will be perfectly fine. I highly doubt that there's another Master at the school. Besides," she continued while waiting for the phone to be answered, "I'll have you there with me. Even on the remote chance I was attacked, you'd be able to handle it, right?"

Saber bristled. "Of course. What do you take me for, an amateur? Not even a hair on your head will be out of place as long as-"

An abrupt wave of the hand cut Saber off.

"I know you're there, Kirei. It's me. I just wanted to let you know I've summoned a servant, so you can go ahead and formally register me," Rin said irritably into the phone.

There was a heavy silence as Rin waited for the priest's response.

"…Understood. Now what? You should come and see me at least once. I have something to give you that I received from your parents. They said to give it to you only if you become a Master before you become an adult."

"If you're talking about Father's will, you're too late. I figured that out a while ago. Anyway, I have school now so I don't really have the time. Goodbye," Rin replied.

"Wait, Rin. If you are a Master now-" The girl hung up the phone, not paying anymore attention to Kirei.

She turned to Saber, idly noting the storm cloud floating above her head. "What were you saying, then?"

Saber stewed for a few seconds. "…Nothing. Isn't it about time to leave? You wouldn't want to be late," she said testily.

As she headed out the door, Rin gave Saber a skeptical look. "What? Did you think of another problem in the minute that I was on the phone?"

"No. Nothing at all," Saber said flatly before fading out of view.

Shrugging, Rin left the house, trusting Saber to remain with her. It was about a thirty minute walk to the school. When she crossed the gate Rin immediately stopped.

"Do you feel that, Saber? It seems I was wrong after all. There's already the beginning of a bounded field surrounding the school," Rin identified with ease, though she was surprised to find such a thing.

"Yes, it's interesting. Whoever it is must have a high opinion of himself, to set this up so brazenly," Saber acknowledged.

"Perhaps. Or he's a fool. Either way we'll keep a look out. I want to find this magus and… 'introduce' myself to him." Rin stomped angrily into the school, Saber trailing behind like a shadow.

Later in the Rin day happened to run into Sakura. Upon seeing she needed assistance with a stack of papers, Rin moved in. As she was helping she figured it would be a good time to question Sakura about the woman she was talking to the previous evening.

"…No. Well, she was a strange person and she seemed to be lost. She asked me lots of things, but I couldn't make out what she was saying, so, um…" Apparently Sakura didn't really know much about her.

After a little more small talk, Sakura left to deliver her papers.

"Well that was pointless. She didn't know anything," Saber communicated directly to Rin.

"Hush. It was fine, even without learning anything new," Rin said wistfully, before continuing on to her next class.

. . .

School was over for the day, and everyone had returned home. Well, mostly everyone.

"Alright Saber," Rin announced, "Now that we're alone we should check out that bounded field. It's not targeting me directly, but still to make victims out of the entire school is something I can't forgive."

"Well said, Master. As the magus in charge of this city you should allow no one else to use its people like this," Saber stated.

"…I wouldn't do this either, Saber," Rin responded with a sigh. "Honestly, some of the things you say…"

"Yes, I think I understand just what type of person you are now," Saber said with a nod as they explored one of the hallways.

"You know what, I'm not even going to ask," Rin muttered under her breath.

The two continued their search of the school from bottom to top; as they came out onto the roof Rin noted that night had already fallen.

"Well, this takes the total up to seven," Rin said while examining a magical seal. "Hmm, I think this one is the original as well." She concentrated for a second. "Damn it, I won't be able to get rid of the whole field. For something this crass, it has tremendous power. In fact…"

"It was probably made by a servant," Saber finished.

"Correct," Rin said with narrowed eyes. "This sort of field, one designed to strip the souls as well as the strength from people, could not have been set up by a magus. However… Saber! Why would a servant do something like this?"

"If we are in dire need, it's possible for a servant to feed on the souls of the victims, directly harvesting their prana. This would only usually be done if what we get from our master isn't enough," Saber admitted.

Rin scowled. "As I said before, I'm not planning on doing anything like that."

"Not to worry, Master, what I'm getting from you is perfectly adequate," Saber said with assurance. "If something untoward should happen and I do happen to get low, I'm sure we could find a more… pleasant way to recharge me," she added suggestively.

By this time Rin was starting to get used to her servant's eccentricities, so she was able to stifle the blush that threatened to force its way across her face. She instead scoffed and turned back to the seal. "W-well anyway, let's just get rid of this one. It won't mean anything in the long run, but I can't just leave it here. It's unsightly and pisses me off."

Reaching out her arm, Rin activated her magic crest. "Abzug. Bedienung Mittelstand," she chanted, kneeling and lightly touching the outside of the seal.

"What, you're going to erase it? What a waste," a voice interrupted Rin's casting. (3)

With a gasp, Rin stood and spun around. There, standing on the school's water tower, was a man. No, more than that. With those blood-red eyes and azure armor, he could only be…

"A Servant," Saber said darkly, fading into view. Her crimson longsword was once again clenched in her hand.

"Ah, I see you have one of your own, little miss. Man, what a mistake, announcing myself like that. Oh well, at least now we can get on with it." With a flourish, he extended his arm to the side. In less than a moment his hand was filled with a deep red spear, the color almost perfectly matching his eyes. (4)

Rin acted without thinking. She leapt to the side, narrowly avoiding the spearman's first strike, and fired multiple Gandr shots at the fence surrounding the rooftop. Due to Rin's mastery of the spell the black spheres tore through the fence, leaving an opening into which Rin dove.

In the intervening seconds Saber had rushed to parry her opponent's weapon. Now however, it was all for naught. Both Servants gaped at the hole, their fight forgotten.

The blue knight glanced between Saber and Rin's former location. "…Shouldn't you…?" he began slowly.

A rush of displaced air was his only answer as Saber seemed to vanish. "Wait… did I really just let her go? Damn, better go deal with it." The heroic spirit shook his head before he too disappeared.

. . .

Rin grimaced as she fell through the air. Even with using prana to aid in the fall, she was still placing an awful lot of trust in her newly-summoned servant…

"No, can't think like that. I can already feel we have a bond. She'll definitely catch me in time!"

A flash of red and suddenly she wasn't moving anymore.

"I'm glad you think so much of me, Master. I think the same of you as well," Saber said warmly as she set Rin on the ground.

Rin felt her cheeks go hot as she realized she'd thought out loud. "I-idiot! Why did you wait so long to catch me! If you held off any longer I would have been killed!" she tried to cover.

A pat on Rin's cheek was Saber's response. "You should know by now I wouldn't let that happen…" The servant and master locked eyes.

"…CLEARS THROAT!..." a voice announced loudly from the side.

Saber immediately rematerialized her sword and shoved Rin behind her. Turning around, she faced her opponent. "Lancer…" she stated.

"Ah, I see you figured out which servant I am." The knight of the lance cocked his head. "Not that it would be very difficult, though… considering," he gestured with his weapon.

"Yes, now I suppose we'll see if the Knight of the Lance will hold any challenge at all for one such as myself," Saber boasted. Her sword took on a sheen not unlike the coals at the bottom of a bonfire while wisps of smoke started to drift upwards from the blade.

"Dismissing me so easy, are you? Well, you are the Saber class, but don't count me out so quickly," Lancer said with a smirk. He sent out a quick thrust of the spear, more to test Saber's defenses than as a real attack. It was parried almost before he'd finished moving his arm.

"You can't really be this pathetic, can you?" said Saber, her voice dripping with condescension.

Lancer leapt back and twirled his weapon. "Haha, no worries," Lancer laughed. "Though, you're pretty quick I see. Well, so am I."

He shot forwards at impossible speed and exchanged a flurry of blows with the red-clad knight. Embers flew off the sword each time it connected with the opposing legendary weapon. Taking advantage of a momentary pause in Lancer's attacks, Saber launched a mighty swing which Lancer was forced to block. Even with his defense, the spear-wielder was blown back nearly 100 feet.

Saber smirked as Lancer got to his feet. "Well? Is that all you have? I guess you aren't… proficient… in the use of your lance after all," she mocked.

"Oooh, now that's going a bit too far. Looks like I'll have to show you personally just how good I am with my weapon!" Lancer said with a manic grin. He took a sideways stance; lance extended from above his right shoulder down and out towards the other Servant. Lancer's eyes bulged as his spear acquired an unearthly glow. (5)

At the opposite end of the schoolyard, Rin felt it too. It was an oppressive weight forcing down on her so she was unable to move. This, she thought, this can only be his most powerful ability, his trump card. He's going to actually use his noble phantasm! Rin tried to call out to Saber, but found her voice gone as well. She better avoid this! I'll never forgive her if she gets killed!

Lancer's body was coiled, prepared to strike. In just a few short seconds the battle would be decided one way or the other. If he hit, Saber was as good as dead. If not, she'd take advantage and finish him. Lancer opened his mouth to scream his attack-

"Who's there?" The call came from not Lancer, but one of Rin's fellow students who had stumbled onto the scene!

Lancer's countenance abruptly shifted back to his easy-going attitude. "What. Is someone really interrupting us? Well, gotta take care of this first. Don't go nowhere, though, we'll finish this when I get back."

The Servant flickered and appeared next to the student, who got the point and started to run out of there as fast as he could.

Rin, having regained control of her faculties, immediately headed in the same direction.

"What are you doing, Master? You have no chance against Lancer, you should retreat while he's otherwise occupied," Saber tried to convince Rin.

"I can't do that. I refuse to let that bastard kill an innocent bystander, even if that's what we're supposed to do! Let's go, Saber!"

The pair followed the trail back inside the school and down a hallway, where…

"Oh," Rin said softly, looking blankly at the dead body on the floor.

"..Saber, find Lancer. If he went back to his master it will be good to know who it is," Rin said without taking her eyes off the corpse.

Saber nodded and vanished, leaving Rin to walk up to the body.

"Wait," Rin said as she got closer. "He's still breathing. That shouldn't be possible since that lance was shoved through his heart. Who are you?" She tilted the face so she could see it. "…Emiya. Of course it's you. You had to stay late didn't you?"

A thought floated up to the forefront of Rin's mind. "But can I really do that…? There's no real choice, is there?" She pulled out the pendant her father left her in his will. "With it's power, maybe…" Rin knelt down and emptied the power into the body in front of her, Emiya Shirou. A minute later he was breathing easier, and his wounds were healing.

Rin sighed and got to her feet. "Well, it's done. I should go; I don't want to be here when he wakes up."

. . .

Saber was waiting for her when she arrived back home.

"Did you get him?" Rin asked right away.

"No, he must have been quicker than I thought. I couldn't find any trace of him past the school," Saber admitted. "I scouted the area just around it to be sure, but still nothing."

"Hmm, that's too bad. It would have been nice to know who he was working for at lea-"

A thought hit Rin like a battering ram. Her eyes widened as she considered the implications.

"Saber, if somehow that guy from earlier survived, would Lancer go after him again?"

Raising an eyebrow, Saber answered, "Of course, Master. He wouldn't let an outside observer like that survive. But why would you… Oh. It seems I was right. You are the type of person I thought you were," a small smile came to Saber's face. "Very well then, Master, shall we go save this person once again?"

. . .

With directions from Rin, Saber carried her as fast as she could to the Emiya household. Saber landed outside the gate just in time to see a bright flash of bluish-white light and a sound akin to glass shattering. Their foe appeared crouched on the wall in front of them, spared them a glance that seemed somehow disappointed, and sped off into the night.

The two of them stared dumbfounded for a second. "Huh," Rin finally came back to herself. "Does this mean Emiya is a master as well?"

. . .

It was a thrust like lightning.
A spearhead thrust to pierce my heart.
Trying to dodge it would be useless.
Being lightning, it's invisible to the human eye.

But…
The lightning that tries to pierce me…
…Is repelled by the moonlight that tries to save me.

Shatter, the sound of glass breaking.
No, the sound before me is off, not quite right.
The gown she is wearing is elegant and flowing.
The sound wasn't glass at all.
It was actually the sound of ice.
A shield of ice warding off certain death.

"I would know… are you my Master?"

She asks in a melodious tone.

"According to the contract, I have heeded the call.
Henceforth unto the end, I shall ward you from harm and bewitch your enemies. Servant Caster is now at your command."

Yes, the contract has been completed.
When she chose me as her Master…
I'm sure I swore to help her too.

The moonlight still lights up the darkness.
As if following the enchantress's example, the shed again falls silent.

Time has stopped.
The scene lasts less than a second.
But…
I'm sure I'll remember this scene vividly even when I've gone to hell.

The face slightly turned.
The slitted eyes.
The instant becomes an eternity.
Her shimmering icy-blue hair undulates in the wind.

Reminder: The numbers indicate inserted pictures. Picture links are in my profile.