(For the pleasure of the beauteous inhabitants of this here forum, I repost an AO3 story. Enjoy! Also, if y'all think it more appropriate for me to just keep all my one-shots in a single thread instead of posting them severally, lemme know and I'll do that instead. Though I can't seem to edit a previous thread title so that may be an issue?)

Rin's Problem

Rin sat and sipped her coffee in the Tohsaka mansion sitting room. Across the table from her, the red Servant reclined on a couch. She still wore her yellow pyjamas; it was not yet time for her to be awake and go to school. But something was gnawing at her chest, biting off the sleep from her heart.

She had tossed and turned all night, and her Servant had finally appeared - unbidden, can you believe the nerve! - in her bedroom, and said something snarky to her. It didn't matter what. What mattered was that the bastard made her admit to herself that there was something on her mind.

But she had no idea what it was!

Rin Tohsaka was not used to this. While the prim and proper school elite act may have been, well, an act, she was fairly self-disciplined. Moreover, the meditation necessary for her training in Magecraft had the beneficial side effect of self-knowledge. She had suffered from emotional upsets before, but she was usually aware of the causes. This was different. The fact that there was something going on inside of her that even she wasn't aware of was uncomfortable. It was as if she was being invaded by some foreign entity.

She hated it.

Archer dragged her out of bed and to the sitting room, where he had a cup of coffee ready for her. Of course, her luck to draw the only Archer who seemed more suited to the Chef Class than the Archer; the man used fucking swords for combat, for God's sake.

Still, the coffee was far more delicious than anything she had ever made. Had to give him props for that.

She hated that too, honestly.

"How did you even know I like coffee, anyway?"

"Oh, I don't know, Master," Archer drawled. "Maybe it was the cans of coffee filling your cabinets. Maybe it was just a hunch, Archer-class intuition. Did you know, one of the Archer Class skills is Beverage Discernment? And I happen to have Rank EX in that."

"Archer, I really cannot believe how lucky I am to have summoned you."

At the moment, Rin Tohsaka was at a loss to explain her own heart, and this only made her feel worse. The misanthropy that she would more typically associate with wastes of space like Shinji Matou was instead washing over her in waves. The feeling was not entirely unpleasant, but it was one that she knew would get in the way of the cool logic she prided herself on.

So she hated Archer, and she hated his fucking perfect coffee. She would have thrown it at him, except she was far too tired to lift her arm that high. So instead, cursing it, and him, and herself, she sipped it.

Archer let his head dangle over the couch's armrest. "Rin, tell me. What is bothering you?"

She felt the veins in her head pop. Not even letting the caffeine seep into her system before returning to the third-degree? What an asshole. "Listen, Archer, just because you're my Servant doesn't entitle you to know everything that goes on in my heart."

"On the contrary. You care deeply about this War, correct? So if something is bothering you that much, it's certainly relevant. So spit it out, Little Miss Sunshine. Or do you think there's a better way for us to share psychic knowledge?"

Little Miss Sunshine? Whatever. "I..." she stammered. "I had a dream of your past. Such an unsavoury Servant I have... it was like a nightmare. What were you doing in life?"

Archer chuckled, and closed his eyes. "Jealous, are you?"

"'Fraid not," said Rin, as she took another sip. Fucking coffee. "I'd much rather manage my estate than risk life and limb in random battles. What sort of anonymous hero are you, anyway? There's no way anyone could achieve happiness like that, just wandering from one battlefield to another, always the target of blame, but never staying long enough anywhere to reap the fruits of your labour. It's the life of a machine, a weapon."

"What do you think a Servant is?" asked Archer. "Or did you think that such a cynical view of things is below you? Do you fancy yourself a compassionate Magus? Do you think such a thing can even exist?"

"Stop making sense."

"Make me. You have Command Seals for a reason, after all."

After this War is over, I'm going to kill this man. He'll understand; he's used to suffering. "Shut up."

"Don't pretend you wouldn't prefer to be out there, actually doing things, instead of sitting here and strategizing. Don't pretend that the one event you trained for your whole life isn't just senseless killing for the sake of an artifact of power. An artifact, let me remind you, that you don't even really want. So there must be a reason you've sacrificed your entire life for this."

Rin sighed. "Is it wrong to want to be good at something?"

"Not at all. Does admitting it make you feel better?"

She thought. She drained the remaining coffee. "No, not really."

Archer shook his head. "Ah, what a predicament my pretty little Master has gotten herself into. I wonder if she'll be able to focus on the War with this eating at her." He turned to her. "What do you think?"

"Archer, I'm way too tired to be angry and self-analyse at the same time."

He smirked. "Want my help?"

"No, thanks. It won't mean anything if I don't figure it out for myself."

"Now that, I can respect. Keep it up, and I may begin to consider you worthy of being my Master one of these days. If you live that long, anyway."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence. You are like a shining star, inspiring me to always move forward," Rin said.

"Anytime," Archer purred, as he faded into a mist of gold dust.

XXX

"You know what your problem is, Rin?" Ayako asked.

Rin scooched into the seat across from Ayako Mitsuzuri at the cafeteria. "No, Ayako, tell me."

Ayako put down her chopsticks and leaned over, her bright brown eyes piercing Rin's heart. "People like you, people who feel insecure, jealous - no, Rin, trust me, you are - feel that way because of a lack of confidence."

"Well that's ridiculous," Rin scoffed. "Do you know anyone more confident than me?"

"Oh, sure, you're confident to be the school's top honour student, desired by all the boys," replied Ayako, with a wink, "and more than a few of the girls." She jabbed a finger at Rin, almost knocking Rin's sandwich out of her hands. "But you know what you don't have? Because I don't. But it's something deeply personal. There's some part of you that's not being satisfied with just your school persona, and unfortunately you keep even me at arm's length so I can't tell you what it is. But it exists. And you think there's something inherently wrong, something screwed up in you, such that you can never achieve whatever this is, while it comes easily to everyone else."

"Mitsuzuri, I didn't ask to eat lunch with you so you could offer unsolicited advice."

Ayako huffed. "Not my fault you decided to start talking about your problems. If you wanted to keep it to yourself you should've."

"Just because someone tells you their problems, doesn't mean they want you to solve them. Sometimes people just want a sounding board, someone to listen. Don't you ever feel that way?"

Ayako pondered this for a moment. A very brief moment. "Nah. To be honest, I find most problems can be solved with some personal honesty. Or," she cocked her head in the direction of Shinji Matou, who was approaching the two girls at their table, "a swift kick."

Rin laughed, then whispered, "He's hardly worthy of it, but he's Sakura's brother... we can't just attack him for no reason."

"So you're saying that all I need is a reason?"

"Yep!"

"Ooh, this'll be fun."

Shinji approached, a smile plastered to his face below the seaweed he called his hair. Rin figured it was her job to greet him first, if only to have him let down his guard before Ayako brained him.

"Good morning, Matou-kun."

He looked worried, for some reason. Rin hoped it was a painful reason.

"Hey, Tohsaka," he said. "What do you say to ditching the butch here and joining me for lunch?"

Ayako seemed like she was about to say something, but Rin saw no reason to let her have all the fun. "I'm sorry, Matou-kun, I don't swing that way. I'm straight, you see."

Ayako looked at her, unsure whether to be offended at Rin's agreement that she was mannish, or to be smug at Shinji being insulted. She decided to sit back and watch.

Shinji got close to her. She felt his breath on her face and it made her want to vomit. "Listen," he whispered, "I know you're a Master in this War. So am I."

"Oh, are you surrendering?" she whispered. "What a uniquely wise decision to do so before I severed your genitals, you creep. Still, I'll miss having the excuse."

"Shut up, Tohsaka," he said. "I'm offering you an alliance. You Tohsaka may have stewardship of the Land, but we Matou are the ones who created the Command Seals. Sakura and I -"

"Sakura?" said Rin, loudly enough for people to hear. "You and Sakura are having some problems? And you'd like me to help you with them, Matou-kun?" She sighed. "I wish I could, but I find it very vulgar to ask others for help with family problems. Things like this should be sorted out between the two of you. Besides, between you and me, Matou-kun, that girl's decent to a fault. If there are any problems, I'd say you're to blame."

"Fuck you, Tohsaka," Shinji said. He slammed his open palm on the table. Ayako's bowl jumped, spilling noodles on her skirt, but she didn't notice. She just stared at Rin.

"Are we done here?" Rin was unperturbed, the perfect school idol. She refused even to honour him with a direct look, instead returning to her meal as if he weren't there at all.

Shinji did not move.

"Sorry, I believe I just asked if we were done. Am I to take by your silence - save some pathetic snivelling, and is that crying I hear? - that you have no objection? Then go. Begone. Kindly erase thy presence."

"You'll pay for this, Tohsaka," Shinji said. Ayako could've sworn there were tears in his eyes.

"Have a lovely day, Matou-kun," Rin said, "and send your younger sister my warm regards." She waved and smiled with one hand, while the other was held underneath the table, and she shot him with an invisible Gandr. Nothing fatal. Just... sterilizing.

You'd do the same. Believe me.

Ayako heard Shinji yelp, and looked to see the boy do a perfect jump into a 180-degree turn, hand on crotch.

She laughed and snorted broth.

Rin resumed eating, the picture of serenity.

"Rin, what got into you?" Ayako asked. "That was amazing!"

"What can I say? A Tohsaka must be elegant in all situations."

Ayako punched her shoulder. "Oh come on, that wasn't elegance. That was ruthlessness. I've gotta say, I'm loving this new Rin." She winked. "You're not free this Friday night, are you? I can think of some other things for you to expend your newfound energy on..."

"Mitsuzuri-san," Rin said, "I apologize, but I'm saving myself."

"For marriage?" Ayako's eyebrow was raised about 7 cm.

"Mhmm, sure," Rin said.

Ayako rolled her eyes, and began attacking the egg in her ramen with renewed gusto, as if to make up for the innocent noodles lost in the Tohsaka-Matou skirmish.

I get that he's a slimeball and I was as happy as anyone else to see him get some measure of comeuppance, but does anyone else appreciate what I went through? Loss of noodles? It's honestly ridiculous that the closest thing we get to a certain nun's curry fetish is a pedophile's mapo tofu... Fuck I wish I had a route. Fucking Tohsaka doesn't know how good she has it.

"Ayako?" Rin prodded her friend. "Are you thinking about something?"

"No... nothing at all, don't worry about it, Rin," Ayako replied, suddenly brought back to the confines of a newly intact fourth wall. Desperate to protect Rin from a possibly universe-breaking revelation, she searched for a convenient distraction.

search

search

...

Ah! Found one!

"Hey, Rin," Ayako began, "Isn't that -"

"Emiya-kun," Rin said, coolly regarding the ginger-haired boy who had just come over to their table. His face was covered with a sheepish grin. Ayako thought it made him look kinda dumb, but she knew the effect it had on Rin...

"Hey, Tohsaka," Shirou said. "Sorry about Shinji... He's really a great friend once you get to know him. He can just be that way sometimes. He's had it rough, you know?"

"Ah, finally some good news!" Rin exclaimed. "I hope he continues to have it rough."

"Tohsaka, don't say that..." Shirou protested, but it was a weak protest.

"Tell you what, Emiya," Rin said. "Do you know what he was coming over to talk to me about?"

She motioned for him to come closer. He blushed, but knelt with his ear to her lips.

She whispered something, and he shrugged.

Rin sighed. "Fine, I believe you."

Shirou looked confused, but this was not terribly rare. "So, Tohsaka, is there any way I can make up for what Shinji did? I'll do your homework for a month, or clean your house, or make you coffee-"

She eyed him suspiciously. "How did you know I liked coffee?"

He stammered. "E-erm, well, you seem cool and Western and everything, so I just assumed..."

"Whatever," she said. "If you really want to make it up to me, come to my place after school. Okay, Emiya-kun?" She flashed him one of her trademark idol smiles.

"Sure, Tohsaka!" He looked positively ecstatic. "Don't worry, I've been mostly on my own for the past years, and I'll be glad to cook you any dinner you want. I'm warning you, I don't have that much experience with Western food, but I can compete with the best in Fuyuki when it comes to Japanese fare."

"Lovely, Emiya-kun. Let's see each other," Rin said. "Later."

He got the hint, it seemed, and left. After cleaning up Ayako's spilled ramen. With his shirt.

"You're really shameless, aren't you?" Ayako said.

"Oh please, there's no way anyone as daft as he would think anything of it..." Rin rested her head face-down on the table. She groaned.

Ayako patted her on the shoulder. "If it helps, I'm proud of you. Couldn't've been easy."

"Stupid, stupid, stupid..." Rin muttered to herself.

"Yeah, he is," said Ayako, absentmindedly.

XXX

"Stupid!" Rin said, sprawled out on her back on the couch in the sitting room.

"Can't argue with you there, Master," said Archer's disembodied voice. "But just because you're stupid doesn't mean you're not right."

"You really are a walking contradiction, you know that?" Rin sighed.

"To elaborate," Archer continued, "Suppose someone is wandering in the dark, doesn't know what they're doing, following random paths. Sometimes, that person ends up going where they wanted to go, even if they don't go down that road for the right reasons. Sometimes," she could hear the smirk, "people do smart things for stupid reasons."

"I wish I could temporarily halt the flow of magical energy from me to you, just enough to get you to shut up."

"Wouldn't work even if you could do it," said Archer's voice. "Independent Action; I'd be torturing you for at least 48 hours afterwards singing every Orange Range song I know. I.e., I will sing Asterisk for 48 hours straight, and you will regret your decision. In fact, I would get that little ginger runt to join me and we would..." his voice trailed away.

All I did was tell him that Emiya-kun would be coming over and to stay dematerialized... I guess he's accompanied me to school in astral form enough for him to remember who that is? Whatever.

She looked at her wristwatch.

Shit! He'll be here any minute.

Rin walked to the door, making sure to keep her hair in place, and praying that she'd get there before Shirou did.

Just after she reached the door, there was a knock.

Yes! The elegance of the Tohsaka is again pristine.

She opened the door. "Oh, Emiya-kun! I wasn't expecting you for another hour."

Shirou checked his watch. "Tohsaka, are you sure? It says here it's 8 o'clock. Can I see your watch?"

Rin stammered and looked away. "I-I told you to come at 9."

Shirou seemed uncomfortable, and said "Ah, I'm sorry." He backed away from the entrance. "Do you want me to come back later, then?"

"No! No, just," Rin grabbed him by the lapel and pulled, "just come in."

Well so much for elegance.

"Tohsaka!" Shirou was clearly uncomfortable now. "Sto-stop!"

Shirou tripped on his right foot, and fell.

Hard.

On Rin.

"Arghhh~ Ouch," she said.

She had to look away from the taut muscles on top of her, the triceps flexing as Shirou pushed himself up above her.

And then she looked down at her left ankle.

And then she looked away.

"Tohsaka..." Shirou said, helpfully, in case she had forgotten her name.

"Yes, Shirou."

He blushed slightly to hear her call him by an unadorned given name, and then reminded himself of the situation.

"Tohsaka," he said, still supporting himself on his arms to shield Rin from any additional burden of his weight. "Your ankle..."

"Yes, I'm trying to forget about that. Would you please let me?"

She was woozy, but she considered herself lucky she couldn't feel the pain.

Good thing the rug she was on was red.

Ah, red.

What a lovely colour.

Father had always loved the colour red.

Sakura had never liked it much, but Rin suspected that this was because Sakura took after their mother. She was the quiet type, like Mom had been...

She was reminded of her mother's wheelchair.

She briefly looked down again.

Yep, ankle's still there.

Quite visible.

Through the skin!

She felt very woozy now.

She also felt Shirou's sweat on her face. It smelled nice.

He smelled nice.

She closed her eyes.

XXX

"Owwww!" She woke with a start. "That... fucking hurts!"

"Hey!"

Whose voice is that? Emiya?

"I know it hurts, but just wait, and you'll be okay." Shirou commanded.

Rin was not used to obeying commands from anyone anymore, but she acquiesced.

She looked down to see Emiya holding her ankle, which seemed to have retreated back under the skin. He wasn't doing anything, just holding it, and yet she could feel the bones realigning themselves.

Fucking Archer. Where the hell was he? He could've at least caught me.

She heard some disembodied chuckling.

Trust me, you bastard, as soon as Emiya's gone I'm going to put you through hell. You may have Iindependent Action, but I can still use a Command Seal to make you suffer.

Whatever, it was lucky Emiya was here, even if this whole thing is his fault...

Wait.

"Emiya-kun?"

"Yes?"

"What are you doing?"

Now it was his turn to stammer.

"I-I'm fixing your ankle, Tohsaka. I was the one who hurt it, so I should be the one to fix it."

"You don't look like you're doing much, though."

"Please, Tohsaka, be quiet, I need to concentrate..."

"Fine." She threw her arms up, occasioning an involuntary jerk of her lower body, sending her into a downward spiral of excruciating pain. Fortunately, the wooziness returned, and the pain left. She now felt just a bit intoxicated.

"Hey, Emiya?"

"Hmm?"

"You're a magus, aren't you?"

He was silent for a moment. Then, "Not really. But I can do this."

Rin sighed.

God, I thought the only other Master in the school was Shinji. And I was actually looking forward to killing him. But Emiya? He... He's kind. And good. I've seen him around Sakura, helping the girl I could never bring myself to reach out to, never overcome that wall placed between us by our families... But he just goes over to her, helps her out with archery, even intercedes on her behalf with that piece of shit older brother of hers. I can't kill Shirou. Sakura and I may not talk to each other anymore, except as senpai and kouhai, but at least she has him. If I kill him, she'll have nothing.

Shirou seemed to realize something then.

"Tohsaka?"

"What is it, Emiya," she asked, intentionally gritting her teeth.

"Does this mean you're a magus? I mean, you know about Magecraft..." His voice trailed away.

"I am, Shirou. And," she said, "There will be a fight soon. Or rather, it's already begun. I asked you about it at school, and you seemed to know nothing. Was that just an act? Or have you already summoned a Servant?"

"Sorry," he said, "but I have no idea what a Servant is. Is that an English word?"

"Ow... Does it have to hurt that much?"

Shirou smiled weakly. "No choice, I'm afraid."

"Fine..." she swallowed. "Essentially, Fuyuki City will be home to a battle between Magi. And... can I see your hand?"

He showed her the back of his hand. It was empty.

"Ok... So here's the thing," she said. "Even if you aren't involved, innocent bystanders, especially ones with magic circuits, tend to get hurt in the crossfire."

His hand on her ankle went cold, and she felt the healing stop.

"Innocent bystanders?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied. "So you're going to have to be careful, and -"

He turned to her. "Rin. How can we stop this?"

"Sorry, Shirou," she said. It was saddening to have to say this to him, but what could she do? It was the job of the Tohsaka to attain the Grail and find a path to the Root. She couldn't betray Father like that. "It's already begun. It's a miracle you haven't been hurt yet, but you might be, so I want you to stay under my protection."

"But Tohsaka, you don't understand. You said innocent bystanders will be hurt, right? So there's no way I can stay safe and watch that happen."

What a kind boy... if only the world was the one he saw in his amber eyes.

"Shirou, if you want to save people, you can. But not during the Holy Grail War itself. You're too weak, especially without a Servant of your own. So let me protect you until the War's over, and then we can help the survivors."

"Rin, you don't understand," he said, again applying magical energy to her ankle. She felt it flowing through her, warm, but strong, like a white-hot blade fresh out of the forge. His face was cold like stone. "Do you remember the Fuyuki fire?"

"Of course I do. Everyone does, in this town."

"I remember it especially well," he said. "I don't remember anything before it, though."

"Shirou..."

"Tohsaka, I nearly died in that fire. My father saved me from it, but so many others..." He choked up, and she felt tears on her leg.

Rin would've brought her hand up to caress his cheek, but she didn't feel comfortable enough with him to do so. What if she just made it worse? So she watched, and listened.

"So, I can't," he said. "I can't let something like that happen again."

He looked her in the eyes.

"Tell me, Tohsaka. Was that fire the result of... something like this Grail War thing?"

She gulped. "Shirou, I'm so sorry, I had no idea. You seemed so happy..."

"Was it?"

She could say nothing.

He was silent. For a long time. She wanted to say something to break the silence, but she found she couldn't bring herself to. He kept healing her leg.

Then, he spoke. She saw his lips move and wanted only to hear that he understood, that he forgave her.

"It should be healed enough now," he said. There was no tone or emotion in his voice.

"Thank you, Shirou," she said. "So, will you accept--"

"Have a good day, Tohsaka," he said. He put her foot down on the cushion gingerly, and she craved his gentle touch all the more for she knew she would never feel it again.

He stood up, and walked to the door.

He was about to open it, his back to her.

"Wait! Emiya!"

She called to him.

He turned. His face was blank.

"I'll help you! I'll help you save people!"

She just wanted him to come back. She had invited him so she could thank him for helping Sakura, and ask him if he could help her get close to Sakura again. She was unable to do it on her own, and every time she tried, she choked and just played the concerned senpai. Someone who cares. But not someone who loves.

"Tohsaka," he said. "Will you be participating in this battle? Even knowing the consequences?"

"I don't have a choice, Emiya. But please," she couldn't get up yet to go after him, the foot still hurt too much. "Please. I can't let you be hurt. Sakura..."

His face softened, but only slightly.

"What about her?"

"Just protect her," Rin said. "Make sure she's safe. And keep her away from her brother."

Shirou thought for a moment, and nodded. "Will do."

He turned, and walked away.

And when he left, Rin felt something inside her, the old flower of aristocracy, the noblesse oblige, shrivel and die.

The door slammed.

"Archer?"

The red Servant materialized on the cushion, next to her foot, sitting there the way Shirou had.

"I think I realized what's bothering me."

"Go ahead," he said. "We've got all day."

She laid down, and looked at the chandeliers.

"Archer, I can't. I can't do it. I can't let people die. More than that, I can't live, knowing that I caused their deaths. Knowing that innocent people suffered because of a War that I willingly participated in."

"Rin," Archer said. "You've known all along that the War for the Holy Grail would be bloody. What changed?"

"I never thought there were survivors. I knew there would be casualties, but I thought that any innocents involved would be killed on the spot. I didn't realize they would be left alive, tortured by inner wounds that never heal."

"So you didn't know what had caused that fire?" he asked.

"Are you kidding?" She laughed scornfully. "My father had died, my mother was crippled physically and mentally, and I was the one running the house and taking care of her. I knew about the fire but at the time my mind was so broken that I never made the connection. I never thought about it again until today, and it was so obvious..."

Archer put a hand on her face, and stroked it.

"Come on, Rin," he said. "Even if you don't participate, people will still die, and suffer. Even if there's no Holy Grail War at all, people will still die and suffer. It's an immutable law of the universe, and we can do nothing to stop it. So don't feel so bad."

"Yes, Archer, but you don't understand. I don't like people suffering or dying, but this Holy Grail War is something that Father spoke of in the highest terms. How it was going to bring Mankind to the Root, and bring enlightenment to all, and that it was the Tohsaka's mission to do that. And that I could never let it fall into the wrong hands.

"And I figured, 'Well, I don't want to hurt people, but if I know that by participating in the Grail War I could fulfill my father's ambitions and stop the bad guys from taking it, it's worth it.' Kill ten to save a thousand, Archer? It makes so much sense. It's what I knew I had to do, even if I didn't like it, because the Tohsaka always do what's right, no matter how hard it hurts. Like separating myself from Sakura. I couldn't stand it, I still can't, it still eats at me, but there's nothing I can do, because it's the right thing to do.

"But now? Now, seeing that boy? It embarrasses me to admit this to anyone, let alone an older guy, but I don't even care anymore. Archer, I liked him. A lot. I always used to watch him when we were younger, and try as I might I couldn't get him out of my head. I wanted him to hold me, Archer. Nothing else. Just be with him, in soft silence. You know, I thought that I was depressed because I was feeling guilty. I knew Sakura liked him, and I suspected they were a couple. And this bothered me. But I realise now that I don't even care about that. Not anymore. Because to see the shattered vessel that he is, the complete lack of hatred in his eyes when he found out my connection to that fire... That boy is a walking corpse. And if I join this Holy Grail War, I will feel every moment that my actions are directly resulting in armies of walking corpses just like him. I want Sakura to be happy. I want her to have Shirou; if I'm lucky, one day I can see them again. But for now, I quit. I don't need the Grail. I don't want the Grail. If it does things like that, I don't care about the Root, and I don't care what Father said. I don't care if Father even knew what might happen. I hope he didn't, so that he can still be the kind man I always knew him to be. But for my part, I do know. So I can't, and I won't."

"Rin, do you realize what you're doing?"

"Yes," she said. "And I'm doing it anyway."

She lifted her sleeve and revealed the glowing Command Seals.

"Archer, by these Command Seals, I order you."

"Rin," he interrupted her. "I'm telling you, this isn't going to help you. It's not going to fill that void in your heart."

"Give up the Grail, and help me save people."

There was a whooshing noise. The outer red Command Seal vanished.

Archer looked shocked, but only for a moment. His face twisted into a wry grin. "You know, Master," he said. "I didn't think I'd end up right back where I started."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Rest," he said. He got another cushion from the couch opposite them, and propped her foot up on it. Then he sat next to her, and held her hand. "And let me tell you a story about a boy rescued from the flames, and the man he became."