3rd Person POV

(Y/N)'s House

"We're home!" The owner announced as he entered, party in tow.

"Welcome back." Greeted Torhu. "The kitchen's all ready for you. And everyone's rather hungry." She informed.

"Please tell me you guys didn't starve yourself just because I'm cooking tonight." He worried.

"Is that (Y/N)?!" Asked Isabela from the living room.

"Yep. He, Artoria, Mr. Kiba and Ms. Tsubaki are here as well." The Dragon Maid announced.

"Well tell that man to get his ass in the kitchen!" Demanded Isabela.

"Sheesh, someone's hungry." (Y/N) furrowed at the aggressive tone the former Rook had.

"I will drag him by his dick if I have to! Food!! NOW!!!" She yelled.

(Y/N)'s neither regions quivered at the idea of a Rook handling his delicates. "Okay. Okay. Jeez, twist my arm why don't cha?" He said.

"I will twist! YOUR!! DICK!!!" She yelled again.

"I got it!! I got it!!" He replied, hurrying his pace to the kitchen.

"Wow. Someone's hangry." Kiba commented.

"She's been looking forward to having (Y/N)'s cooking again for quite some time." Tohru informed. "Are you two going to join us?"

"That's the idea." The Knight smiled.

"Besides, we're not quite done talking quite yet. But, we'll finish it after dinner." Tsubaki informed.

"I see. Well, please make yourselves comfortable in the living room and let me know if there's anything I can get you." Tohru bowed courteously.

Upon entering the living room, the residents were sitting in front of the tv as a movie was playing. Looked to be a super hero movie of sorts.

Asia simply sat and happily petted Rasei. Siris read a book with Kohaku laying on her legs. Artoria, Kiba, and Tsubaki joined the group and sat at the coffee table and began watching the movie. Rias was on the edge of her seat, watching the whole fight scene with excitement and awe. Her eyes glistened with joy. Isabela sat on a stool and leaned on the kitchen countertop, watching intensely and impatiently as (Y/N) began cooking.

In a mere instant, (Y/N)'s entire persona had changed. His movements became as swift as the wind. The heat and focus of his gaze matched that of a beast stalking their prey.

"W-Woah." Isabela marveled, watching as (Y/N)'s movements began to grow more. "I've lived here for nearly at least a month now, but I don't think I've ever seen him cook."

"Quite the site, isn't it?" Asia asked as she approached the former Rook, resting Kohaku in her arms. "It's almost like he's a completely different person when he's in the kitchen."

"You can say that again. Where'd he learn to do all this stuff?" She asked.

"He told me it was from Chisato and working at an Eatery part time when he was younger. Guess he learned a lot, because nearly every dish served in this house is his recipe."

"That's amazing." She awed.

"Hey, can someone set the table?" He asked without taking his eyes off the food.

"On it!" Exclaimed Tohru, returning to the kitchen to grab silverware, glasses, and began setting the table.

Time Skip

It seemed like hours, endless torture to the former Phenex Rook who sat at the forefront of the waves of tantalizing scent of delicious food. But her wait was warranted and would soon be rewarded.

(Y/N) began plating the dishes and handed them to the Dragon Maid.

With the last dish handed off, he looked to the group in the living room. "Alright, dinner's ready. Go wash yer hands ya bunch a gluttons!" He announced playfully and she did the same.

The residents and guests dispersed to one of the three sinks in the house and returned to the dining table. Before them rested plates with simmered taro, salted grilled mackerel, a plate of komatsuna and sardines, and a bowl of miso soup with wakame seaweed, green onions, dashi, and tofu. As simple as it looked, the scent alone tantalized everyone.

"Woah, this looks so good." Kiba awed.

Tsubaki said nothing. She simply marvels at the elegant display of food on the table. Her mouth nearly watering from the smell alone.

"Alright, dig in everyone." (Y/N) smiled.

"Thank you for the food!" Everyone have thanks and started eating. Smiles and satisfied moans went all around the table.

"So, how was the walk home?" Rias asked.

"Wet. Very wet." (Y/N) commented.

"Anything else happen?" She added.

"Well, we found a Servant drinking blood from a Homurahara student." He replied bluntly.

Rias' and the others eyes widened. "What?!"

"But we gave her the hands and she left. We took Ayako back to the hotel the Homurahara students are staying." He claimed.

"She'll probably be staying bed ridden for a while. She lost quite a bit of blood." Tsubaki informed.

"Why did she attack some random student?"

"Not a clue. She didn't say anything. Once she saw us she tried to attack. Artoria and (Y/N) fought her off and then vanished." Kiba explained.

"It's possible she was gathering magical energy. Servants can restore their power by consuming the essence of other living beings. Typically humans. They can range from souls to blood, to other things." Tsubaki explained, taking a bit of the fish on her plate. "Wow, this is really good." She muttered happily.

"Other things?" Asia questioned. "Like what?"

Artoria's face flushed, glancing to her Master as he ate, not really paying attention. "I-It doesn't matter at the moment. I've been steadily regaining my strength by drinking the potions (Y/N)'s made, I'm fully capable for combat. There is no need to further explain the process of attaining magical energy."

"But-" Tsubaki began to speak, but was cut off.

"There is. No need. To further. Explain." Artoria stared at Tsubaki dead in the eye.

Tsubaki took the hint and fell silent for a moment. "In any case, you two still need to establish a proper pact with each other. Having Artoria wander around as a free Servant could entice other Masters to seek her out and force their own pact onto her."

"Okay. Now how do they go about doing that?" Asked Siris.

Tsubaki simply looked back to the living room. "Hey, (Y/N)..."

(Y/N) looked to the Queen of Sitri.

"How do you feel about blood stains?"

Time Skip

After dinner, the residents cleared out the living room of all furniture and decor.

Tsubaki stood in the center of the room, reciting a chant, conjuring the blood red magic circle on the floor to glow.

"I'm not sure how I feel about having blood stains on the floor...Again." (Y/N) sulked.

"Less whining more memorizing." Tsubaki chided the Azure Dragon Emperor.

(Y/N) huffed and looked back to the piece of paper in his hands, memorizing the incantation written for the ritual.

"Don't worry about a thing Master (Y/N)! I'll clean up any remaining mess as soon as your finished with your ritual! For it is my duty as the bestest maid ever!" Tohru declared proudly.

"Okay. It's ready." Tsubaki claimed, stepping out of the circle. "(Y/N), you finish memorizing the chant?"

"I think so." He said, feeling somewhat confident.

"Good. Now, Artoria, (Y/N), step inside facing each other." She instructed. "Watch where you step. Don't mess up the circle."

(Y/N) and Artoria carefully stepped into the magic circle, making their way to the middle.

"Excellent. Are you two ready?" She asked.

"I am." Artoria assured."

"Ready as I'll ever be." (Y/N) replied.

"Good. Then begin."

(Y/N) took a deep breath and raised his hand to Artoria.

The Saber Servant knelt down, bowing to her Master.

The two released their magical energy into the magic circle and towards each other.

The magic circle glowed. Everything around the Master and Servant seemed to disappear, leaving them alone in the dark.

"Take heed..."

A burst of wind erupted. The markings on (Y/N)'s back shined through his shirt.

"My will creates your body, and your sword creates my destiny.

If you heed the Grail's call and obey my will and reason, then answer me!

Obey me and answer my call! Will you share your destiny with me or not?"

"In the name of Saber, I shall answer your pledge! You shall be my Master, and I shall be your Servant!" Declared Artoria.

The markings on (Y/N) back burned, causing him to lightly wince as everything faded to white.

The light died down and everyone stopped shielding their eyes.

"Did it work?" Kiba asked.

"(Y/N), do you have your Command Spell stigmata?" Tsubaki asked.

(Y/N) looked to his hands, arms, legs, upper body, only to see no change. "Uh...no?" He replied.

"(Y/N), what about the markings on your back?" Asked Artoria?

"His what?" Tsubaki looked confused.

"Oh, my giant back tat thing?" He referred to his giant spread of markings on his back, lifting the back of his shirt to show.

"Oh wow..." Tsubaki stared at the collections of markings, taking in the design mixture of fire, magatamas, beasts, and a giant sword in the middle. "When did you get this?"

"Well, I didn't really get it. It just kind of...showed up?" He answered, uncertain of his own answer.

"It just showed up." Tsubaki repeated, sounding unbelieving and skeptical.

"I know how it sounds, but I'm being serious. It just started as just some black spots on my back. Then they just grew and spread all over my back until it looked like it does now." He explained.

Tsubaki looked back to the giant markings, taking a closer look and using her sensory abilities. Her eyes went wide, instantly feeling some malicious and suffocating presence coming from the markings. She backed up, breathing heavily. 'What...What was that?! That presence! That horrifying presence!' She paniced mentally.

"Tsubaki? You okay?" Kiba asked concerned.

Tsubaki took a deep breath and calmed herself. "It's possible that these marks became the surrogate for your Command Spells. Try ordering Saber to do something."

(Y/N) looked to his official Servant, unsure of what to order to do. Mainly because he didn't want to order her to do anything she didn't want to. However, a sudden idea came across his mind. 'Hold on...I never got back at Issei for throwing me under the bus when Irina and Xenovia first showed up...' He sinister smile grew onto his face.

Artoria instantly looked concerned. "(Y-(Y/N)?"

"Saber, by my command I order you...go to Issei's house and punch him so hard he falls unconscious." He ordered with a devious smile.

Saber blinked twice, processing what her Master had said. "W-Why?"

"Because I'm still a little pissed when he outed my being Enguaged to Irina last week. I have yet to get back at him for it. Now go over there, and knock his ass out!" He ordered.

Artoria, while hesitance, sighed. "As you wish, Master." She said, vanishing into stardust.

"Huh, she vanished. I didn't know she could do that." He admitted.

"Actual Servants are able to go into a spiritual state, invisible to sight. It takes high sensory abilities to detect them in that state." Tsubaki explained.

"Huh." (Y/N) simply accepted.

Hyoudou Residence

Issei slept peacefully in his bed, snoring loudly.

Artoria appeared within his room and simply looked at him.

Issei, having sensed her presence, awoke and sprung up. "Artoria?!" He quietly shouted to not awaken his parents. "What're you doing here? Is something wrong?"

"I'm sorry, Issei." She bowed.

"Sorry? For what?" He asked, somewhat confused.

"I'll try and make this as painless as possible." She assured.

"M-Make what painle-?!" He was instantly silenced as Artoria armed her fist into his face, sending him spinning back onto his bed, completely unconscious.

She pulled the covered up and tucked him back into bed. "That was ridiculous and a waste of a Command Spell." She grumbled. "I might have to scold (Y/N) for this." She said before vanishing.

(Y/N)'s House

Tsubaki looked at (Y/N)'s back markings and realized something. "Huh. How odd."

(Y/N) rose a brow, as did many others. "What is?"

"After you gave Artoria an order, a Command Spell is supposed to disappear. Each Master gets a total of three. However, nothing's changed."

"Seriously?"

"Whatever this thing is, it's not just some tattoo or Command Spell. It's possible its become a Command Seal." She claimed.

"Command Seal?" Rias asked.

"It's a rare kind of Command Spell. It's only been recorded by the creators of the Holy Grial War as a possibility. A permanent stigmata between Master and Servant, no losses of order counts."

"That sounds overpowered." Isabela claimed.

"Sounds unfair." Rias replied.

"It can be. Which is why it was only recorded by Zeltretch as only a possible phenomenon."

"Zeltretch?" (Y/N) looked confused at the name, pulling his shirt back down.

"That was someone Rin mentioned the other night. Who is he?" Kiba asked.

"He's one of the founders of the Clock Tower and the Magician of the Second Magic. He created the Holy Grail War system along with the Tohsaka, Einzbern, and Makiri families."

"Rin said that last night too." (Y/N) said, taking a sip of tea.

"You studied at the Clock Tower, how do you not know this?" Tsubaki asked, slightly appalled.

"I only went their to train and grown more proficient with my magic. Outside of my practical practices or uses, I didn't retain or care about what I learned. Most of it was just nonsense to me anyways. But I remembered what I had to to get passing scores."

Tsubaki just shocked her head and sighed. "I'm starting to see why this Rin girl doesn't like you." She mumbled.

Artoria materialized into the living room.

"Welcome back." Her Master smiled. "How's Issei?"

"Unconscious." She replied, sitting in the floor infront of him, a less than pleased look on her face. "Master, I would appreciate it if you didn't have me fulfill petty grudges in the future."

(Y/N) chuckled and smiled. "Sorry sorry." He apologized. "But we had to make sure the Commands would work. And I wasn't going to have you kill someone or anything super heinous. So knocking out Issei was the only thing I could think of. I'm sure he won't even remember it. But I promise, I won't make you do stuff like that again. You have my word." He assured.

Artoria sighed, somewhat content and assured by her Master's words. "Very well. I shall save my scolding for another time."

"Thanks." He chuckled.

"Well, now that Saber's back. That brings me to my final piece of advice." Declared Tsubaki Shinra. "It's about her True Name. While most people know her as King Arthur from Arthurian Legend, that still gives you somewhat of a disadvantage."

"How do you figure?" He asked.

"Experienced Mages would be able to read your mind and root around your head to find a weakness. Saber Class Servants are typically the strongest Servants in the Holy Grail War, but that doesn't mean they're invincible. As evidence of last night with Berserker. You need to find a way to mentally conceal her true identity. A psychic barrier of sorts." She suggested.

"I'm sure I can ask Chisato for help. If I explain what's going on, she can probably put a mental protection spell on me for until this whole thing is over." (Y/N) suggested, looking to the clock on the wall, seeing it well into the late night. "I'll ask her tomorrow. She's probably asleep by now." He claimed.

"Very well. That being said, I suppose we're done here for the moment. We'll met up again later tomorrow and discuss potential strategies." She declared collecting her bag.

"It's pretty late, why don't you and Kiba stay the night?" Rias offered.

"Appreciate the offer Rias, but I'll pass. I need to take care of some things before it gets too late." She claimed.

"Very well. Kiba?" She looked to her Knight.

"As much as I'd like to, I should make sure Tsubaki gets back home safe." He declined. "With Servants going after people to replenish their strength, I don't feel comfortable letting you go by yourself." He explained.

"I can take care of myself, you know." She said.

"I know." He replied with a friendly smile.

Tsubaki face flushed at Kiba's genuine smile. "Alright." She managed to say, suppressing her desire to squeal.

"Alright. Well, have a good night guys. And thanks your help, Tsubaki." (Y/N) said as he walked them to the door.

"You're welcome. Be sure to remain vigilant." She advised.

"Will do."

"Take care man. See you tomorrow." Kiba prompted a fist bumb, which was gladly returned before leaving.

"Alright, now that that's done, time to start my training before bed." (Y/N) smiled eagerly, heading to the porch. "Saber, mind lending me a hand?"

The King of Knights' ahoge shot straight up before wagging back and forth happily, not dissimilar to a dog's tail. "Yes! Of course!" She said eagerly, running of to get some shinai.

"Training? This late at night?" Rias questioned. "I'm glad you're feeling better from last night, but knowing your training routines and methods, I'm not sure how I feel about it at the moment."

"It's nothing too strenuous. It's just sensory training." He informed. "My magic sensory is still rather weak, so I need to start training it back up." He said, only to groan. "I hate that I keep getting nerfed like this." He mumbled under his breath.

The others looked at the young devil with confusion or tilted heads.

Saber returned, donned in her battle dress and shinai in her hands. "(Y/N), are you ready? If so, let us begin!" She beamed.

"Right. But we're doing something g a bit different then what you might be expecting." He said, heading outside with Artoria.

"Oh? Please elaborate."

Time Skip

(Y/N) sat on the lawn dogeza style, sight blocked by the blindfold around his face, shinai to his side.

Artoria appeared in a flash, swinging her wooden sword down, only to have it parried by her Master. She vanished again, reappearing from behind and lunging at the young devil, only to be parried again.

(Y/N) stood, sword in hands and ready.

Artoria rushed to her Master with a multitude of strikes. Overhead, from the sides, from below. Each one either blocked or knocked away from her blinded opponent. 'His senses are still incredible, even in his weakened state. Only two hours have pasted since we started, and he's able to sense my location and react accordingly.' She mentally admired.

With one powerful clash, the two skid across the yard, away from each other.

(Y/N) rose his hand, indicating to his Servant that it was time to stop before removing his blindfold. "I think that's enough for tonight." He said. "Thanks for your help, Artoria." He smiled, bowing to his training partner.

Saber bowed in kind, sharing a satisfied smile. "Of course. I'm happy to able to train with you like this. Let us continue our training to regain your strength and prowess!" She declared.

"Sure thing." (Y/N) nodded. "But for now, I think it's time for bed." He said, looking up to the large bright moon in the star filled sky.

"I suppose. We'll continue tomorrow?" She asked.

"Yep. Have a good night, Artoria." He bid as he began heading inside.

"Good night, Master." She smiled as she followed.

Time Skip

After a brief rest, (Y/N) and Artoria resumed their training from yesterday.

Artoria's speed had increased dramatically. She attempts to strike then vanishes instantly upon making contact with her Master or his shinai.

(Y/N) had continued to keep up rather well, only taking a few hits here and there. Yet, over all is able to detect Artoria's presence and anticipate her movements and attacks.

The training was intense enough to cause the shinai to start bending, denting, cracking, just all around breaking.

Artoria appeared above, set on delivering a heavy downward swing.

(Y/N) turned and swung his battered wooden sword against his Servant's, causing them to shatter with a heavy crack as prices went everywhere. He panted heavily, falling to his behind and to the ground in tiredness. "Man, I'm beat!" He sighed. "Your speed blows me away, Saber. We're you always this fast?" He asked, laying down on the grass.

Artoria sat down next to him, having not broken a sweat in the least. "Because we've made a proper pack, my abilities have regained their full capabilities. Even my magical energy is steadily recovering." He replied.

"I see." He smiled. "Glad to hear it. Guess I'm the one who still needs to drink the potions for a bit longer." He said, looking into his Sacred Gear's jewel, closing his claw. "I'm slowly getting back to where I used to be. But it still feels too slow. And with this Holy Grail War now going on, I feel woefully underprepared."

"Maybe now you will reconsider me going with you to school?" She asked.

(Y/N) sprung back up, groaning. "And we're back to this." He mumbled. "Why are so adamant about going to school with me?"

"To protect you." She replied.

"I know I said I feel underprepared, but I can still take care of myself." He replied.

Saber furrowed her brow and puffed her cheeks in a pout. "As your Servant, I demand you respect my authority as a Hero and give me permission to come with you. Irregardless if whether you want me to or not!!" She ordered.

"Again with this? No!" He denied. "The school is safe enough as it is!"

"Because of the incident with Kokabiel, the barrier I put in place to alert me of any danger was destroyed. So if anything were to happen again, I wouldn't be alerted. Also, need I remind you that A BOMB WENT OFF IN YOUR CLASSROOM!!! AT YOUR SEAT!!!" She reminded loudly.

"And because of that, we're going to keep our eyes peeled for any further traps and disable them." He said. "The Student Council isn't just going to let something like that slide. Neither will I or anyone else in the ORC."

"Just because it was safe yesterday, it does not mean it is safe today!" Countered Artoria. "Why are you so insistent against me going to school with you?" She asked.

(Y/N) stopped to think for a moment. He instantly froze. 'Wait...why did I not want her to come before?' He pondered to himself. 'I mean, she can easily handle herself. And now that we have a stable connection, she can let me know of any immediate dangers. And with my senses as they are, it would be nice to have someone watching my back.'

Artoria looked at her Master, concerned for how quiet he had gotten all of a sudden. "(Y/N)?"

Rias approached the two, removing her apron after having finished making breakfast. "You two done playing with swords?" She asked playfully. "Hope your training went well. Breakfast is ready." She informed.

Artoria's ahoge shot up at the mention of food. Smelling it's scent coming from the house caused the hairpiece to wag back and forth. "Master, food! We must apprehend the food!" She urged as she gently shook her still thinking Master.

"Is he meditating?" Rias questioned.

His (E/C) eyes shot open and darted directly to his King. "Rias!"

"Yes?"

"How hard would it be to get Artoria registered as a student for Kuoh Academy?"

Time Skip

Kuoh Academy

Rias continued to chuckle as she and the others continued to school. "I still can't believe it took you this long to realize Saber going to school wouldn't be a big deal."

"Yeah, I know." The Pawn simply sulked at his own mindlessness.

Upon approaching the gate, a burning suffocating feeling waved and encompassed the Master of Saber. His chest tightens and his mind becomes loud and hazed. He instantly halts at the gate, gripping his chest and gasping for air. This felt like one of his dreaded heart stops, but something was different.

"(Y/N), what's wrong?!" Asia asked, worried.

"Dude, is it your heart again?!" Issei asked.

"N-No..." He replied, slowly but surely regaining his normal feelings back into his body. "Didn't any of you feel that? It was like we just walked past some kind of barrier." He asked.

"A barrier?" Rias pondered. "I didn't feel anything." She said, looking around the Academy to detect any other oddities, picking up several with her Magic Sense. "Aside from numerous other points, I'm not detecting any barrier."

"Other points?" Issei asked.

"It's possible the attacker from yesterday set up multiple other traps." Akeno guessed.

"Oh, god damnit!!" (Y/N) bickered, instantly knowing who the culprit was.

"Senpai?" Sakura Matou approached the devils, walking up to her former upperclassman. "Good morning, Senpai."

"Hey Sakura. Morning." He greeted, trying to play off his sickened state.

The purple-haired girl turned to everyone else and bowed to greet them as well. "Good morning to all of you, as well."

"Good mor-" Rias began to reply, only to have Sakura redirect her attention to her Senpai quickly.

"Hey, Senpai, think you can help me with something?" She quickly asked.

"Uh, sure. What's up?"

"I'm still not really familiar with your school grounds. Think you can show me to some of these classes please?" She asked, handing the young devil a schedule.

He took it and looked at the classes. "Sure. I'll show you around." He said. "I'm gonna go ahead and take Sakura to her class. Let's meet up for lunch!" He waved as he went off with Sakura only to disappear into the crowd of students heading into the main building.

The ORC just stood there in silence. Letting what just happened soak into their brains.

"Did she just kidnap (Y/N)?" Issei asked.

"Didn't look like he was trying real hard to stop her..." Kiba replied.

All the girl aside from Xenovia shared looks of irritation, suppressed anger, and upset as they watched their (Y/N) be taken away from them.

Time Skip

After showing Sakura to her temp class, (Y/N) started making his way to his own classroom.

"Well well well..." Spoke a taunting and obnoxious tone.

(Y/N)'s brows immediately lowered in annoyance. Looking up, he saw the one speaking to him.

Rin Tohsaka, stared daggers at the young devil, arms crossed atop the stairway. "Look what the cat dragged in. And by "dragged in" I mean regurgitated all over the floor." She clarified, only to be ignored as he walked pasted her. "Aww, what's wrong? You have such an angry look on your face. You realize how stupidly incompetent you are?" She taunted.

(Y/N) stopped and turned and glared at the Mage from the corner of his eye.

"Yeah, scowl all you want. You don't scare me." She said, pointing right at him. "I'm going to tell you now, because I'm such a considerate person, but the moment you let your guard down, that's when you're done. Your ass is toast!" She declared.

"...Even if I'm not at a hundred percent at the moment, I still have enough power and strength to kill you. Endanger anyone unrelated to us in any way...and YOU'LL be the one who's done." He warned, taking his leave.

Rin huffed. "Your threats don't scare me!! I'm not holding back anymore!! A HUNDRED PERCENT MAXIMUM NO CHILL!!!"

Time Skip

Class 2-B

Despite his best efforts to keep his interaction with Rin out of his mind, her loud screaming made it nigh impossible for (Y/N). And thanks to that interaction, which many of the students from both Kuoh and Homurahara happened to witness, rumors spread and people began to gossip.

"Dude, what's with all the attention today?" Motohama asked.

"What's all the gosspin' for, yo?" Matsuda asked.

"I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say it was that chick who was screaming her head off earlier." Issei guessed.

"Yeah." (Y/N) replied, his head buried in his arms as he laid on the desk.

"You know that chick dude. Seems a bit...loud." He asked.

"She's an old classmate of mine from middle school in London. She's very competitive and has tried to off me at least seven or eight times." He explained.

"She tried to what?!" Motohama was shocked.

"Jesus yo, what the shit?" Matsuda awed in disbelief.

"Yeah. And she's most likely the one who tried to bomb the classroom yesterday."

"SHE TRIED TO WHAT?!" Motohama screamed in fear.

"JESUS MAN, WHAT THE SHIT?!" Matsuda blared.

"Should-Should we tell someone? We should right?" Issei asked.

"You can if you want. But without any evidence to back it up, she'll use whatever means to get away. She's smart, and she's thorough. She wouldn't have left anything behind that could point to her." (Y/N) admitted.

"Yo!" Greeted Koneko as she entered the classroom with Asia behind her.

"Hey girls!" Issei greeted back.

(Y/N) looked up, seeing the girl approaching his desk. "Hey." He greeted tiredly.

"You good, (Y/N)? You don't look too hot." Koneko claimed.

"Just one headache after another. Rin's starting to be a serious pain in the ass." He bickered, twisting one of his bangs out of boredom.

"Rin's the girl who's been tormenting you lately, right?" Asia asked.

"Torment's a nice way of calling it. She's probably the one who set up the bomb in here." He deduced. "There's not one now, I checked before I sat down." He assured.

"Why does she hold such a vendetta against you?" Asked Xenovia.

"Petty grudges, competitive streak, constantly getting one-upped, multiple failed murder attempts. Could be a lot of things." He listed off multiple possibilities.

"Cool." Accepted Koneko. "So hey, remember that deal we had a while back about making me lunches for a while?" She asked.

"I vaguely recall something like that, yes. Why?"

"Well I-"

"Senpai, there you are!" Sakura Matou entered the classroom, smiling happily as she approached the group of devils.

"Oh, hey Sakura." He greeted.

"Senpai, are you okay? You look rather pale." She worried.

"Nah, I'm okay. Just didn't get enough sleep last night." He assured her. "Got this on and off going headache. Nothing I can't handle."

Sakura stared, almost unbelieving his words. "Still..." She grabbed the young devil's hand and pulled him into the school building. "I think you should go see the nurse. I know how much you go and push yourself."

"W-Wait a sec-! I said I'm fine! Sakura! Hold on!" He tried to get the young girl to stop.

"...She stole (Y/N) again." Issei sweat-dropped.

"Twice in a row. That's rather impressive." Complimented Xenovia, quickly pulling out a notebook and started writing.

Koneko, now scowling, rummaged through (Y/N)'s desk and bag until she found a wrapped lunch box, taking it with her as she left to go back to her class.

"Did-Did she just steal (Y/N)'s food?" Motohama asked.

"Yep...she sure did." Issei sighed.

Nurse's Office

"Excuse me!!" Sakura called as she opened the door. "Is the nurse in?"

"Sakura, I told you; I'm fine." He attempted to get her to calm down.

Chisato appeared from one of the closets. "Oh my, didn't expect to see you here so early." She admitted. "Morning (Y/N). And it's good to see you again Ms. Matou."

"It's nice to see you too, Ms. Hasegawa." Sakura bowed.

"So, what can I do for you two this morning?" The doctor asked.

"It's (Y/N)!" She pulled him forward and held him still. "Look at him! He's so pale!"

"I'm really not." He sweatdropped.

"My word. His complexion does seem rather off." She said, taking a closer look at him. "Thanks for bringing him here, Sakura. I'll take things from here. You should head to your classes before it gets too late."

"O-Okay. I'll leave things to you then." She bowed as she began to depart. "See you around, Senpai!" She waved as she closed the door behind her.

"...My complexion's not that bad is it?" He asked as he looked at his arms.

"Nothing out of the norm, no. But tell me, did you happen to feel something rather odd when coming to school today?"

(Y/N)'s eyes widened. "I did actually. You felt it too?" He asked.

Chisato and her student sat on some nearby stools and proceeded with their discussion. "I did. It seems to be coming from various points around the campus. I don't want to go snooping around looking for them now because it's still school hours. I'm going to check after school and shut them and any other traps I find down."

"Traps huh? So she set some up after all." (Y/N) growled.

"I assume you know who is behind this?" Asked the doctor.

"Rin Tohsaka is the most likely suspect. She's probably responsible for the attack in my classroom too."

Chisato rubbed her eyes and sighed in exasperation, feeling a headache coming to herself. "On one hand I should be surprised. On the other, I'm more disappointed she's going to these lengths to get rid of you."

"And any others that may be competition." He added.

Chisato looked confused. "Competition? For what?"

"Some tournament to decide who gets an all powerful wish granting cup that could cause untold deviation and mayhem." He replied bluntly.

"The Holy Grail War?" She guessed.

"Did I stutter? Rin likes to call it the "Murder-Death-Kill."

Chisato sighed and leaned back in her chair. "Of course she does." She said, unsurprisingly. "I swear, that girl's competitive streak is going to get her killed. That and that mouth of hers."

"Preaching to the choir on that one, hon." (Y/N) said in sympathy. "Actually, it's kinda good timing Sakura brought me here. Wanted to ask your help with something."

Chisato looked to her student/lover with curiosity. "Oh? What is it?"

"I was wondering if you could a psychic block on my mind, one that prevents it from being read by those who might be trying to find out Saber's true identity." He explained. "

"I see. I can do that." She said, standing up and walking behind the young devil. "You're taking it off at some point, yes?"

"Once the Grail War is over, yeah." He replied.

"Alright. Give me a moment." She rose her hands and placed her fingers gently on (Y/N)'s head, burying them within his (H/C) hair. A purple light emanated from her hands as she began to create the mental concealment protection spell. It lasted only a few moments and the light faded away. "All finished." She informed, taking her positioning hug her lover from behind.

(Y/N) smiled, returning the hung by wrapping his arms behind. "Thank you, Chisato."

"I'm curious, why did you ask for such a thing?"

"Well, other Masters might be able to read my mind and find out her identity to try and get an advantage over us."

"I see. Rather smart of you." She praised as she pet his head. "That said, be careful and cautious about those traps. I sense quite a few of them on campus."

"I'll let the others know and we'll disarm them as we go about our day. We'll disable the rest after school." He informed.

"Glad to hear it, Mr. White Knight if the People~" She giggled.

"My armor's actually blue so-" He was silenced by a kiss. 'Eh, whatever.' He accepted, sinking into the kiss.

Time Skip

Class 2-B

(Y/N) stretched in his seat, the rumblies in his tummy were no longer bearable. "Time for lunch!" He smiled eagerly. He grabbed his bag and looked inside, only to see his lunchbox missing. "What the-?" He was utterly confused. "D-Did I forget it?" He pondered. 'No, I definitely grabbed it. So why-?'

"Hey man, you looking for your lunchbox?" Matsuda asked.

"Yeah, have you seen it?"

"Yeah. Koneko took it after that cutie took you away. She looked pretty peeved."

(Y/N) looked baffled and confused. "Wh-Why?" He pondered, recalling what she was asking before Sakura took him to Chisato. "Ah. That's probably why." He simply accepted. "Well, guess I'm eating in the cantina today." He settled.

Cafeteria

Entering the dining room of the academy, (Y/N) looked out at all the mingling students of Kuoh and Homurahara. Pleased at the chemistry he saw, but uneasy about the increased capacity of students around. He got into the line and waited for his turn to order. 'It's been so long since I've eaten here. I think I only ate here once, and it was last year.' He thought, looking around and taking in all the students. He began to feel claustrophobic with all the people. Looking out a lot a crowd while performing, no problem. Being apart of one, not so much.

He finally made it to the front and ordered his food. Collecting his meal and paying, he left to find a spot to sit. 'Ah yes. Another reason I didn't eat in here more often. The struggle of finding a damn seat.' (Y/N) groaned as he began walking around for a vacant table, or a seat at the very least.

"Hey!" Spoke a girl.

(Y/N) turned and saw an unfamiliar face. He looked around to see if she was calling to anyone else. He even pointed to himself to make sure.

The red haired girl nodded and waived him over. "Need a seat?" She asked as the young devil approached.

"Yeah. Is it okay if I sit here with you?" He asked.

"Sure. I don't mind." She smiled.

"Thanks." He sat down, thanked for his meal and began eating. "Thanks again for letting me sit here."

"Sure thing! I know how hard it is to find a place to eat here. Especially since there are so many more students here now." Said the star hairpin-shaped girl.

"Seems like the whole second year student body at Homurahara came for the Archery tournament." He deduced, quickly falling into shock at seeing the girls plate. A massive pile of curry with multiple tall piles of additional toppings. 'Jesus.'

"Are they even gonna hold it? With everything going on in town, it seems like they'll have to postpone it." She said.

(Y/N) snapped out of his trance. "It's possible. Hopefully things settle down so they can actually have it." He hopped for the best. 'And hopefully this Holy Grail War shit can end quickly.'

"Oh! I totally spaced!" Admitted the girl. "I never introduced myself, did I? Sorry about that. I'm Itsuki Nakano. I just transferred here a few weeks ago."

'Now it makes sense as to why I didn't recognize her before.' (Y/N) smiled. "I'm (Y/N) (L/N). It's nice to meet you Nakano." He offered a courteous handshake.

Itsuki Nakano swallowed her food before accepting the offered hand. "Likewise."

"(Y/N)!! (Y/N)!!" A more familiar voice called out to the boy.

He looked up and around the cantina, spotting a waving Rias at a table with Akeno, Sona, Tsubaki, and Kiba.

"Oh, looks like my friends are calling me. I should probably head over there." He said, preparing to take his tray and leave. "It was nice meeting you, Nakano."

"Wait!" She stopped him. "Before you go..." She looked down to his tray, eyeing the bowl with his disliked vegetables inside. "Are you gonna eat those?" She asked.

He looked down, eyes the dish and grimacing. "Not if I can help it." He claimed.

"I'll take it if you want!" She offered.

He looked at the girl, stars in her wide dark blue eyes, drool sliding down her eagerly smiling face. She clearly wanted it. He took the bowl off and handed to the rather gluttonous girl. "All yours." He said.

"Yay!! Thank you!!" She squealed.

"See ya around." He bid as he left to join Kiba and the other third years. "Hey guys." He greeted, instantly spotting Sona Sitri with her head buried on the table. "Yikes. Something got you down Ms. Shitori?" He asked.

"The PR fallout from that bomb attack yesterday is a nightmare!!" She groaned in exhaustion.

"PR? Why is it the Student Counci's job to do PR work for a...um...terrorist attack I guess?" He wasn't sure what else to call the events of yesterday.

"And to top it off, we've been finding magic detonation traps all over school. The Student Council has found at least fifteen so far." She sighed heavily, burying her head once again.

Stepping up to the table, Mr. Kazuki Yamashiro approached the group of devils, looking directly at Sona. "Shitori, I have grave news." He declared.

"Hello, Mr. Yamashiro." She greeted tiredly.

The teacher seemed to have something to say. He looked to the group, deeming it unfit to converse. "Carnivorous ears pry at our words. Let us talk in solitude." He said as he began walking back to the entrance.

"That was...odd." Rias commented.

"What was that about?" Kiba asked.

"He probably just thought of something he considers funny." Sona assumed, knowing Mr. Yamashiro's sense of humor. "I'll be right back." She said, leaving with the teacher.

Seeing them converse through the doors, the group began to get worried.

"Wonder if it's about Rin." (Y/N) pondered. "Knowing her, I wouldn't be surprised."

"She's starting to become a legitimate problem." Tsubaki claimed.

"I wonder if she's the one who set up the traps all over school." Kiba assumed.

"Knowing her, that wouldn't surprise me." (Y/N) claimed.

Sona returned to the group. She looked at Rias, who raised a curious brow, before she sat down. "Well, apparently we have vampires." She claimed.

Rias spat out her drink from the Sitri King's comment.

"Come again?" (Y/N) asked.

Sona looked at her fellow devils, knowing that they were involved due to Tsubaki's report. "Well, seeing as how you were most likely involved with the incident; The Archery Capitan of Homurahara, Ayako Mitsuzuri was attacked last night, drained of a lot of her blood." She informed.

'So it was her!' (Y/N)'s eyes widened with concern. "What's her condition? Did he say?"

"Aside from being anemic and barely responsive, she'll be fine. She's just resting for now." She informed.

He sighed in relief. "Thank goodness."

She simply glared at (Y/N) through her tired eyes. "Why do I get the feeling this has something to do with you?"

(Y/N) averted his eyes away from Sona's sneer. "That's not an...inaccurate assumption." He admitted.

Rias slammed her hands on the table and shot right out of her seat. "Don't you worry, Sona!! Justice is not without its allies!!" She declared, an excited smile on her face. "I'm positive some brave and stalwart heroes will emerge from the helpless masses to hunt down and stop whoever's done these heinous crimes!!"

The others just looked at the excitedly smiling Rias, some baffled by her mannerisms, some awkwardly smiled, and Sona just stared at her with a deadpanned glare.

"...You've been watching superhero movies again, haven't you?"

"Yes. Yes, I have."

"And these "stalwart heroes" are mostly likely you and the others, isn't it?"

"It will most likely be us, yes."