Author's Note: Hello :3 here's the next chapter of Fate/Second Sight. I love fluff. I adore it. Too bad I'm terrible at writing it T_T I apologise if my writing comes across as incredibly sappy. It's an old habit, and I'm trying to improve as I go along. Hopefully it starts getting better in the near future. This chapter had rather boring content, so I decided to make full use of it by fleshing out the characters a bit more and underscoring some personality quirks.

I feel kind of sad that I only got one review for that last chapter :/ oh well. I don't write this for the reviews! It would be great if you could leave one, though. Some affirmation if you think my writing's good, or some criticism if there are areas I need to improve upon would be much appreciated; I want to see if I'm taking the right direction with this.

Finally, a disclaimer. I own literally NOTHING in this story (except maybe my version of Ayaka). All character trademarks, images, names, symbols, etc. belong to either Type-Moon or Crypton Future Media/MotHY(Akuma-P)

I feel Caster's soft tongue intertwining with mine, forging anew a bond of love. I feel the soft, pleasant pressure of her lips against mine. I feel the heat of her breath. We break away, gasping, our faces almost touching, but not quite; this close, I can clearly see her deep, blue eyes. A brilliant sky blue, they are set with a look of warmth, of adoration. She gazes straight back into my eyes, and I take in the true beauty of Caster. Her eyes are wide and kind, a vast expanse in which to lose myself. Her flawless skin, dyed a bright red, tempt me with the prospect of feeling it against my own. Her small mouth, perfect in its shape and colour, quivers slightly as she exhales. I place my hand behind her head, feeling the softness and smoothness of her beautiful golden hair. I pull her towards me and we lock lips once more.

With every second, more of me breaks away, disintegrates. My apprehension, my trepidation, my doubts, all are slowly stripped away, leaving only my raw, exposed soul, a soul that delights in Caster's gentle touch, in the warmth of Caster's lips. The notion of "Emiya Ayaka" disappears. In this moment, all I can comprehend is the notion of "us", the notion of interconnectedness that exists between us in this intimate instant.

Slowly, reluctantly, I draw away from Caster. Mustering the will to resist Caster's adorable look of confusion and disappointment, I force myself to remain calm.

"Caster…Thank you for sharing your story. It must have been hard."

Caster raises her eyes to meet mine, wearing a small smile.

"You're right. It was hard. Telling the story itself wasn't that painful. I have had to do it several times in the past, often to remind myself of what I had done. But what was painful was waiting to see your reaction. I thought you might hate me if I told you, that's why I refused to tell you until now. But…"

She takes my hand in both of hers and holds it tight.

"Now that I know you don't, I'm glad that I told you. I want you to know everything about me, just as I want to know everything about you."

"Caster…"

Her hands tighten, her blue eyes shimmer in the light as a layer of tears forms over them.

"I love you, Ayaka. I haven't loved someone like this before. It's all so new, so strange; but I know it'll be fine, somehow."

Yes. It will be fine. I finally realize that. All my struggling, my dilemmas, were unneeded. Caster loves me. I love Caster. That is all there is to it. Gender has no significance. Society has no significance. This love is, I think, pure. Genuine.

"Even if we lose the Grail War, I am happy to have been with you. I am glad that you were summoned as my Master. Thank you…for everything."

That's right. I was so worried about how I was feeling. I kept telling myself, it can't be love. It's not right. It's not natural. Now I know. It is love. It's completely right. It's the most natural thing in the world.

"No. Thank you, Caster. Thank you for telling me your story. Knowing that you managed to move on and become the wonderful person you are…I think I can move on too. In more ways than one."

I reach in again for another kiss. We engulf each other passionately, my hands moving along her hair and her slender back. I feel Caster's warm hands on my back and close my eyes, allowing myself to sink into the feeling of melting away, of falling into Caster.

The door slams open, accompanied by the voice of Rin.

"Caster, is she awake yet?"

The two of us jolt, shaken out of our moment of ecstasy. We turn to look at Rin, catching a glimpse of her wide-eyed, shocked face.

"…I'll wait for you in the living room. I need to discuss something with you after you're done."

The door closes again. I hear the sound of retreating footsteps. I meet Caster's eyes. I feel my face getting hotter. She averts her gaze, blushing furiously. The awkward atmosphere persists for a minute or so, before I dispel it by breaking out into a giggle. Caster looks at me, confused, but soon joins in.

Sitting here, with the one I love, just laughing and enjoying each other's company. I wish we could do this forever, simply stay like this until the end of time.

Rin shifts her gaze between Caster and myself, a vivid blush adorning her face. As we giggle slightly at her embarrassed face, she angrily glares at me.

"I suppose this means you're feeling better now? Then we can get down to business."

I raise a question that's been bothering me.

"Hey, um. Tohsaka. Why are you here? Didn't you say we were going to be enemies, or something?"

Rin pushes up her glasses and takes on a serious tone of voice.

"Shinji was stealing life force from uninvolved parties to support his Servant. There's no guarantee other Masters won't do the same. Rider is gone, I know you won't do anything to hurt people – hell, I don't think you even know the needed spell – I have ample magic reserves at the ready, as does Illyasviel von Einzbern, so neither of us will need to do anything of the sort. However, the Masters of Saber, Assassin and Lancer are still unknown to us. They might resort to such methods."

Rin brushes back her hair.

"Until Saber, Assassin and Lancer are defeated, I think it more advisable for us to work together, if only to minimize collateral damage. After that is done, we can think about taking down Berserker in tandem, or, if you're still opposed, we can go our separate ways."

As usual, Rin identified the problem, saw the implications and decided upon the most appropriate course of action.

"I agree to your suggestion. We should try and prevent as much collateral damage as possible."

Rin visibly relaxes. It seems she had been afraid I would refuse.

"By the way, what happened to Shinji?"

Rin scowls.

"Oh, Archer says that the bastard ran straight for the church once he sent Rider after us. The bloody coward sacrificed his Servant to escape."

I had once thought that no matter what Shinji did or said, he would never disgust me more than he already had. I was wrong. I am, at this point, experiencing blatent contempt regarding that person.

"I'm guessing we can't touch him as long as he's in the church?"

"That's correct; the church is a neutral ground. As long as he's under the church's protection, we can't get to him."

"Why don't you ask that fake priest to hand him over? He seems to like you a lot."

"Trust me, Kotomine hates him as much as we do. That fake priest detests the sight of weakness. If he could, he would have killed Shinji himself. But he has to obey the rules of the church."

Annoyed, I turn my attentions away from the matter of the scumbag known as Matou Shinji.

"So, what next?"

Rin leans forward on the table, resting her head atop her crossed fingers. She smiles at me sweetly. A veritable chill runs down my spine. I have a feeling that this will not end well for me.

"We need to identify the last three Masters. But first, we have to draw them out."

I know what she expects me to ask, and I have the faintest premonition that to fulfill that expectation will seal my doom. She says nothing, simply looking at me, a twinkle in her eye, waiting for me to speak. Reluctantly, I resign myself to my destiny.

"And how are we going to draw them out?"

Rin's slight smile morphs into a complete grin.

"We're going to give them a tantalizing incentive to reveal themselves."

For a moment, I wonder what she means. Money? No, Rin's broke. Information? We're asking for information, we have nothing substantial to offer in return. Then I remember Rin's personality. And I see her devilish smile. And I remember the sense of foreboding I had felt. With all these in place, her meaning is perfectly clear.

"You want me to act as bait."

Rin winks and gives me a thumbs-up.

"That is absolutely correct! Full marks to you, Emiya."

I should have known this would happen.

"Why me?"

Rin takes on a lecturing pose, left arm across her torso, left hand under right elbow, right hand's index finger pointed upwards.

"In a Holy Grail War, Caster is seen as the weakest Servant. Since Caster-class Servants tend to be ineffectual in close combat, they rarely stand a chance against the other Servants, such as Saber, Lancer, or even Archer. For all intents and purposes, a team of two magi is far less effective than a team of a mage and a physical attacker. With the conventional team, the physical combatant can keep pressure of the opponent, while the mage is able to focus on sabotage and deceit. In other words, a Caster brings nothing new to the table, apart from possibly stronger magic. The Caster-class Servant has no way of compensating for the Master's weaknesses. Hence, Caster-class Servants and their Masters are often seen as easy prey."

Rin pauses her lecture to brush one of her twintails behind her shoulder. She then resumes her previous posture.

"In your case, it's a different situation. Your Caster uses Supportive rather than Offensive magic. Your strategy is a reversal of the traditional paradigm of the Servant as the combatant, with the Master providing magical support. Add to that your unique ability to project Noble Phantasms, the two of you are far from pushovers; as I'm sure you have to admit after what happened with Rider."

I tense up. Caster reaches for my hand and holds it gently. I take deep breaths and calm down. I told myself I would move on, I'm not going to disappoint Caster here. Rin, however, noticed my unease, and her posture softens somewhat.

"I'm sorry. That was insensitive."

I shake my head, motioning for her to continue her explanation, putting the vivid image of Rider's scattered body parts in the back of my mind. Rin takes up her lecture pose again, and continues.

"As I was saying, most Casters are pushovers in the Grail War. Even the Servant considered Second-worst, Assassin, has the Presence Concealment ability, and is thus seen as offering a unique advantage. Therefore, they won't expect a Master with a Caster-class Servant to be able to pose a threat in close quarters. In other words,"

Rin locks eyes with me.

"They won't expect you. If you go out into town at night with only Caster, the other Masters will likely jump at the opportunity to eliminate someone they feel is an easy kill. They will attempt to engage you, not knowing the combat style unique to the two of you. With that, you'll have the advantage of surprise, which will then allow you to defeat the opponent, or escape easily, depending on your confidence. Of course, I won't leave you completely alone. I'll be watching with Archer from another vantage point. If things go bad, I can help out."

"And how do I know you won't snipe me and take me out from said vantage point?"

"You don't. I guess you'll have to stay alert."

"That cheerful tone of voice is entirely inappropriate for that statement."

I consider it for a while. Rin made sense. I glance at Caster, who simply looks at me questioningly. She evidently intends to conform to my judgement on this issue. It's true that others could get hurt if we do not at least identify the other Masters. And I think I trust Rin enough to assume that she'll honour our temporary alliance.

"All right, what do you want me to do?"

Rin smiles.

"I was thinking about that earlier, and I came up with a brilliant idea just now."

Rin leans in closer.

"I want you to bring Caster on dates. Every night, until a Master attacks you."