Fate: From dusk till dawn Archer summoning

I've been on the run for almost a year now. After witnessing the death of my entire family I ran for my life. I was twenty two then, young enough to know what a gang war is and old enough to know when it is at your front door.

It started with the slam of a car door outside my bedroom window, I peaked out through the curtains to see ten black cars parked outside our house. Men dressed all in black we're piling out of the cars. I ran to the bedroom door and yelled out to my parents. I could hear my dad cocking his gun at the front door.

"Stay in your room!" He yelled at me.

I'll never forget the sound. They came rushing in like hornets. Shooting at anything living, including my golden retriever. I heard the gunshots from upstairs, grabbing as much as I could in a bag and jumped out the window of my bedroom, onto a tree outside and scaled my way down. I took off undetected into the night. So I thought...

I've been staying in motels lately as my experience in hostels only landed me with an abundance of assault charges and enemies. I seem to always find trouble so I stay in a different place every night to keep my killers from finding me and keeping everyone else at a distance.

Rule #1 of escaping the number on gang in my city, don't let them find you. You have to think two steps ahead all the time, and become like a shadow. I have become even more than that, I am an invisible entity, unseen in the dark. I am nothing now, I have no identity, no life, no place to call home, I don't even have a name anymore. But I'm growing tired of this. I wish I had a home. I wish I had my family back. I'm not sure how long I can keep this up for, they will find me, they do every time.

I sit in the motel pub called the Tap N Grill scanning the room for any threats. I always make sure to have a reliable escape route so I scouted a good spot in the corner out of the way by the bathrooms. If I need to, I can run into the bathroom lock the door and sneak out the window. At least that's the plan.

I watch the bubbles in my beer float to the top as I reflect on the last few days. Thank God my dad put me through martial arts and mage craft training or I wouldn't be here right now. I've been jumped, beaten, bruised, even held captive by junkies and weirdos ever since I left my house. It was a requirement in my family to be adept in combat and magic skills, because of their "work" we lived dangerously all the time. And it got the better of us, we all knew it would eventually. But my training has come in handy more than once so I'm thankful for that I guess.

So here I sit, listening to a group of men and women talking to the left of me in a booth. Their conversation has caught my attention as they speak about summoning legendary beings so freely, like it was real or something. I listen hard as they explain what a servant is....

"Ok! But if you summoned a servant they would protect you no matter what! Even if they hated you." One woman Says.

The man beside her speaks up.
"Yes but they could also kill you and take another master. Then you would be dead." He laughs.

"That's what command seals are for!" Another woman says.

"Ya? I don't think a command seal could do anything against a noble phantasm! Servants are stupid fast, and strong as hell, if they wanted to kill you they would..."

"Ok, so if you could summon a servant which heroic spirit would it be?" Another man asks.

They all seemed to answer at once but with different names.

"Cu chullain!"
"Achilles!"
"Shirou!"
"Atoria Pendragon!"
"Gil! All the way!"

Is this real? Or are they just talking fantasy? I think. If it is real, then I need a servant more than any of these people do. I'm tired of running, if had a servant we could take down the entire Gang together, and I would be free. I need this.

I walk over to them and they all look at me at once.

"Hi, I'm sorry, I overheard your conversation. Is this real? Or are you talking bullshit?" I rest my hands on the end of their table staring straight at them.

The man to my left speaks up.
"Yeah it's real. But you need mage skills sweetheart!"

"And if I have that? How do I summon one?"

"You need a catalyst, it works best that way." He replies.

"What do you mean?"

"Like a beacon, something that brings them to you." One woman says.

I analyze their response, thinking of how I can make this happen as their words turn into whispers.

"You planning on summoning one?" The woman asks.

"Maybe ...Thank you." I say and return to my seat to make a plan.

I pull out my phone researching the nearest magic shop. There's one five blocks from here. I decide to head back to my room and hit it in the morning. Tomorrow is a full moon and the night will be full of energy, perfect time to summon a servant.

I get back to my room and barricade the door with a dresser. I open the window in the bathroom for my escape, pack my bag, and push the bed up to the door of the bathroom so I can run if I need to. I lie there waiting for sleep to overcome me, and after an hour I finally drift off.

--------------------

6am I wake up ready to go, I shower and put on some new clothes then pack up my things again and leave. I leave this time without handing in my key, instead I leave it on the bed taking a pillow with me, who knows where I'll be sleeping tonight. I make my way to the magic shop, although it doesn't open until 9am, I don't care, I'll sit there and wait until someone opens the door.

Finally I make it to the front door. It was an old building made of grey brick that towered above me with cathedral windows barred in rot iron. I could see auras coming off of some artifacts in the front window. This is what happens after you begin the journey through mage craft. The minute you recite a spell successfully, you start to see things differently. Almost like it awakens a part of your mind you never knew was there.

I stare at the objects trying to make sense of them, one a deep pink and white crystal situated on a black metal stand. It had a pentacle engraved on the inside of it. It held a strong source of magic and I felt myself being drawn to it. I look further to the left, there is a small wand with markings in a different language on the side of it. It held a green aura, that pulsates when you look at it. The artifact beside that was a book, coated in soldered metal with a pentacle engraved into the front, it gave off a black smokey aura which sent shivers down my spine, it was most likely written in dark magic, something I try to stay away from, I have enough dark shit in my life I don't need anymore. There are some good options here. But I don't make any decisions yet, I want to take a look inside and see if there is anything else more powerful than these. But it's only 7am and I have an hour to wait until the store actually opens, so I sit down on the window ledge beside the door and wait patiently.

Finally 9am comes and the storekeeper shows up. She approaches me looking rather confused as to why I am here.

"Excuse me, there is no loitering in front of my store. Please leave or I will have to call the police!"
I spring to my feet.

"Ma'am! I need your help. I'm looking for something, please don't turn me away, my life depends on it!" I plead.

Her brows furrow as she examines me. She looks me up and down, her eyes widen and she gasps.

"You are a powerful one aren't you? What is it you are looking for young lady?" She asks.

"I need a catalyst. Something strong!" I reply.

A smile forms on her face and she ushers me in locking the door behind us. She grabs my hand and leads me to a large display case in the middle of the store.

"I have just the thing you need." She says as she walks behind the counter. She pulls from beneath it a long object cloaked in black cloth. Slowly she unwraps the item, and a blue aura lights up the store. It was magnificent, she holds up a long dagger, with two sharp curves and engravings on the side of it. She hands it to me. I hesitate to take it at first, fearing it's power, but as I reach for it, blue sparks of light drift off of the blade and onto my hand.

"This blade had its eyes on you. It has a name, it is called Bakuya." She says. "Here take it."

I hold it in my hands, feeling it's aura. It was like no magic I've felt before. "Bakuya?." I whisper.

"This blade is a replica, it belonged to an unknown legend, a hero who had never claimed a name, one who was able to replicate any weapon with his mind. And it wants you, young lady."

It wants me? There's no way an object would search me out. But this doesn't matter, I need this for my objective. I'm summoning a servant tonight, no matter what.

"How much?" I ask.

She grins."Five thousand." She replies. "But I do accept trades. If I like what you have, you can take it free of charge."

All I had on me was my pack of clothes, toiletries and a bank card with just enough to live on...damn. But, I do know how to summon a companion.

"I have no money, but can I interest you in a companion?"

"A companion?" She looks intrigued."Please explain."

"I can provide you with a familiar, someone to keep an eye on the shop for you?"

She thinks about this for a minute.
"I could use some company around her. What kind of companion can you provide?"

"Whatever kind you want, you just simply draw it." I take piece of paper off the counter beside me and tear it into three pieces and lay them down in front of her. "Draw what you want on these three pieces, the companion needs to be the same on each one, then fold them up together. I will do the rest." I slide them closer to her.

She hesitates, then grins wide and scurries to find a pen. She begins to draw on each piece of paper, then folds them into a square and hands them to me. I take them, holding them out in both hands and recite the incantation.

"I call upon a newborn companion! It will stay by your side for the rest of your days. Bound to you by this talisman. This is my will, so mote it be!"

I hold out the piece of paper and it floats into the air spinning faster and faster until it is a ball of light. Then a small eruption of power and out jumps a white wolf pup with red eyes. It lands right on the counter and begins to lick his new master. She giggles and squeals as she snuggles it in her arms.

"Thank you young lady! This is more than I could have asked for." She says. "The sword is yours and anything else you wish to have in this store, I recommend that crystal in the front window. It is a very powerful source of magic. Good luck with your summoning." She winks at me.

How did she know?

"Thank you ma'am, enjoy your companion, he won't get too much bigger than that, and he feeds on energy so be careful, feed him once in the morning and once at night. Hold him and draw mana." I reply, and take the dagger. I turn towards the front door and detour over to the crystal. I take it off the shelf and tuck both in my pack. I'm ready.

------------------------

It's 11pm, I've made it through to the next town and found myself a low key motel to stay in. I rented the biggest suite to give myself enough room. But as I sit on the bed laying out the dagger and crystal, I realize I have no idea how to do this. What is the incantation? Do I have everything? This is horrible, how could I have missed such an important part of the summoning? Tears drip off my cheeks and I lie back sobbing into my hands.

Why is everything I do so challenging?

After another thirty minutes of sobbing and feeling sorry for myself I decide to get some sleep. Tomorrow I may be able to go to the magic shop and ask for some guidance. The sooner I sleep the sooner I can figure this out. I carry out my regular routine of barricading myself into my room with an exit and then tuck myself into bed.

--------------------------

2am, I wake up suddenly. As I was dreaming I heard an odd thump which snapped me out of my sleep. I listen, waiting in silence. But something doesn't feel right. I slink off the bed and back up towards the bathroom slowly. As my eyes adjust to the darkness I search the room, I see nothing ahead of me lurking in the shadows. I make it to the bathroom, but stop suddenly. I hear breathing behind me. Shit. I lunge forward doubling over my back on the bed and off the side onto the floor.

"We found you." The man says and steps out of the shadows. He was tall, strong, and masked carrying a pistol with a silencer. He points it at my head as he moves towards me. I quickly recite a barrier spell in hopes to keep the bullets from hitting me, but before I can make a move, another man moves out of the shadows.

"I wouldn't even bother, you'll just waste mana."

He steps out into the moonlight covered in black robes. I can't see his face, only his hands. They were barely human, with long black nails.

I ignore his words and continue my spell. But as my last words spill from my mouth my mana is sucked away draining any source of power I had.

How the hell? And before I know it, the man with the pistol has me by my hair and throws me on the bed.

"Get away from me! HELP!" I start to scream resisting his every move. But my calls are cut short by his pistol hitting my temple. He knocks me unconscious for a few seconds and holds me by the throat with his free hand. As I regain my vision I feel something underneath my hand and clutch it tightly. There is a power surging through me as my fear and adrenaline kick in, I draw a large amount of mana within seconds then scream as it unleashes straight from my soul. It explodes out of me with a flash of blue and white...as quickly as it was unleashed it was gone and darkness takes me...

----------------------------

I awake in the same bed I blacked out on. But I'm not in the same spot, I'm tucked underneath the blankets with pillows supporting me. I sit up and immediately feel a throbbing pain on the side of my head. This isn't good. What the hell happened?

I regain myself and look around the room, it seems to be in perfect order aside from some gauges on the ceiling and walls to my right. I look down at myself and see blood stains on my pajamas and a black substance I'm not sure about. I need to shower. I think to myself. It would seem I am now alone in the room. Who ever was here has been gone for awhile.

Getting up was even harder than sitting up. I stumble over to the bathroom bracing myself on the walls until I'm in. I shut the door and grab a cup of water, downing it before I give myself a once over in the mirror. I gasp. Pulling my hair back I see a large bandage across the side of my left temple. I press on it feeling some stitches underneath. Was I in the hospital? This was all so crazy, I have so many questions and no one to answer them.

I start to examine the rest of my body. Pulling off my shirt, I look at my torso, there were a few bruises and scrapes but nothing major so I slip my bottoms off and carry on with my shower. I reach for the shower tap with my right hand and stop. What in the hell? There were three symbols embedded into my skin, I grab a cloth and try to rub them off but they weren't budging. What the hell is this? Brushing it off I carry on with my shower, scrubbing the trauma off my body.

It was the best shower I've had in a long time, I felt new and refreshed asI stepped out. I grab a motel house cost and throw it over top of me leaving it open to dry myself further, then brush out my hair. I part it to the side covering my bandage and put on some make up in an attempt to cover some of the scratches on my face. I do a decent job and head out to get dressed. I open the door to the bathroom and walk out into the open room to look for my pack.

A sudden breeze wafts over my bare skin and a sense that someone was here with me. Then before my very eyes, the most stunning man I've ever seen appears standing beside the window of the motel room. He was definitely well equipped for combat with an overly muscular body, his clothing was odd, a red long sleeve cloak and black shirt and pants. His hair was silvery white and spiked up. His face was undeniably handsome and even though he was older than me, he had a devious grin on his face and eyes that glistened like the embers of a fire.

"Well, that is the highlight of my day so far." He says looking me up and down. My face flushes as my shock subsides and I realize he is staring at my wet naked body.

"Oh my God..." I whisper and quickly tie up my house coat and grab the dagger off the bed. I flip it around and bring it up into a fighting stance.

"What do you want from me!?" I snap.

He starts to laugh.
"Seeing you naked has stirred up some "wants" from you, but it looks like you would rather engage in combat." He crosses his arms smiling to himself.

I scowl at him. "I only engage in combat if I have to. Is that where we're headed?" I lower the blade slightly.

He shakes his head. "I'd rather not, you took a good beating last night, I think you've been through enough, don't you master?"

Master? Is he....a servant?!

"Are you ...a servant?" I ask and throw the blade onto the bed to my left.

He walks over to me smiling handsomely.
"That's right. Here, sit down and I'll take a look at your bandages." He places his hands on my hips and moves me towards the bed until I'm sitting on the edge of it. I'm completely under his spell right now, only capable of following the directions as he towers over me with complete perfection.

He lifts my chin and sweeps my hair off of the side of my face exposing the bandage.
"They hit you pretty hard, you were lucky to have summoned me when you did. They were going to kill you."

And it all hit me at once, he was right, they were going to kill me. My heart was pounding painfully the more I thought about it. Tears were starting to fall down my cheeks. I lower my eyes ashamed and embarrassed for not being able to stop them. I should have been more prepared, I must be getting lazy.

He wipes the tears off my face and makes me look into his sincere eyes. He smiles and reaches for my bandages.

"What about the mage?" I ask.

"He was difficult, but I took care of him. Not many mages can take on a servant and live." He smiles.

This was it, my time of running from killers is going to end. I have summoned my savior, my hero, my defense against the threats that have followed me for so many months. We will take them out one by one until they're all bodies in the ground and I will be free.

I take his hand before he gets close to the bandage. We are face to face, although he towers over me, I wrap my arms around his neck tightly and pull him in close.

"Thank you." I whisper. He hesitates with my sudden burst of affection before he encloses me in the strongest most comforting embrace I've ever felt.
"Please, stay with me forever, don't leave my side, I need you." I whisper through quivering vocals. He sighs and holds me closer.

"You have some explaining to do miss.." He replies. I choke out a laugh and release him.

"We both do."

"Now sit still, I need to check your wound." He says and guides me back down on the bed again.

He begins to take off the bandage and examine it.
"You won't need bandages anymore the wound has almost fully healed.." He smiles.

"How Is that possible?"

"Our bond is strong and so are you. Being close to me will heal your wounds faster than normal. I am lucky to have a master like you."

My cheeks heat up again. What does he mean by that?
"What do you mean a master like me? I'm nothing special, just a nobody."

"I sense a strong source of power in you, in fact you are so strong my mana draws overflow even with even the slightest of use. You could be the most powerful master I've ever had. Like I said, I am lucky to have been summoned by you. We could very well win this war with our hands tied behind our backs." He chuckles.

War? What is he talking about?

"What do you mean war?" I ask.

His eyes flick over to mine and he tilts his head as if he didn't understand my question.
"The Holy Grail War. Surely you know what I'm here for."

I shake my head.

"Then, why did you summon me?"

"I need help, they won't stop until I'm dead. I don't want to die. I'm tired of running. I can't do this anymore. I need you..." I reply, knowing what I was saying was just bits of information I spat out all at once. He looks confused but sympathetic. Tears form again.

"Who is..." But before he finishes his question he grabs me off the bed, cradling me in his arms and pushes us to the floor between the wall and the bed using it as a barrier from the door. We land with a thud and the room explodes with bullets. The windows smash, and bullets pepper the wall above us. I nuzzle into his neck clutching his shirt as he hovers on top of me like a human shield. The lamp on the nightstand smashes and I let out a small cry.

"Don't worry I have you." He whispers and the bullets suddenly stop.

He sits up as daggers materialize in his hands.
"They will come check!" I whisper.

He looks down at me and smiles, then his eyes draw a line down the front of me and he stares for a few seconds

"You really need to put some clothes on. That body is going to get us killed." He says. I look down and see my house coat has pulled open again barely covering anything.

"Shit." I whisper and giggle at him. He let's me up and ushers me into the bathroom where my pack is as he makes his way over to the bullet ridden door, daggers in hand.

I slip off the house coat and put my underwear on, then some jeans and an off the shoulder crop. I pack the rest of my things up and put my pack on clipping it in the front then quickly put my boots on. I hover in the doorway peering around the corner. I can see shadows of men through the curtains of the window. They are heavily armed and approach the door. I begin to draw mana preparing myself for a strike.

I center myself, focus, then draw and the air in the room picks up. My servant glances at me as my hands explode into flames. I whip them around each other and form a ball of purple arcane magic in my left hand, then we wait.

The men kick down the door and I let my missile go.
"arcane inspiratione" I whisper and push my hand forward. The missile roars through the air and explodes on the chest of the first man entering the door. He is thrown back into two other men and they land twenty feet back from the room outside.

"Nice shot." My servant says.

The rest start to shoot. I duck around the corner in the bathroom peeking out to see.

My servant, standing against the wall beside where the door used to be, whips his swords around as the first man enters and stabs into his stomach then slits his throat in two flawless moves. He takes down the next, and the next, and the next with electric speeds. I have never seen anything like it before and his mana source was the largest I've ever felt. He was supernatural, like a god. The last man comes through the door and he disarms him then dematerializes one blade and lifts him up by the throat.

"Who are you?" He demands.

The man is grabbing at his throat gasping for air.

"Fuck you!" He replies and glares at me."They will come for you!."

But before he can say anything else my servant has shoved his blade into his stomach, drops him and snaps his neck. He falls to the floor.

My servant turns to me.
"Time to go." He says.

--------------------------

Having a servant is great, it makes traveling so much easier and I've never felt so safe in my life. He can carry me wherever we need to go without tiring and can sense things coming before they even happen. He explained to me who he was and what the war is all about. His name is Shirou Emiya, he was an unknown hero in archer class. He wants nothing to do with the Holy Grail and will leave it to me when we win. But this war wasn't something I wanted to be involved with, I am already fighting my own war, now I'm fighting one on a supernatural level. He assures me I'm the strongest he's ever seen, and that we will win. I hope so, or all of this will be just a waste.

We've stopped at a clothing store to get Shirou some new clothes. Then maybe we can walk around like normal people and I don't have to look like I'm talking to myself.

"Come in here." I whisper to him, he follows me into the change room. The rooms are smaller than usual and since Shirou is such a big man, both of us are having trouble fitting into it. He comes in and pulls the latch to lock the door then materializes in front of me, very close. I back up into the mirror behind me to give him some room.

"Are these clothes ok? I've never picked out clothes for a man before." I laugh. "I avoided anything pink or floral. Unless you want me to go find something like that?" I stick my tongue out at him. He chuckles.

"I don't think so, what you have picked so far looks fine." He says as his combat clothes begin to disappear, starting with his cloak and shirt as he reaches for a white graphic T-shirt picked out.. I gasp.

"Oh my God..." I whisper. He glances up at me smirking.

"Everything ok?" He asks.

"Uhh...yeah...everything is fine." I say as my heart pounds out of my chest. All I want to do right now is touch those rippling abs of his and run my hands down his chest. I cover my eyes pulling my focus away. He's so fucking hot, my God...I think. He chuckles again.

"Am I really?" He asks.

"Are you really what?" I reply, hands still over my eyes.

"I can hear your thoughts miss. If you want to touch me so badly just do it, I won't deny you."

"You can..hear my thoughts? OH MY GOD..."

He laughs.

I wonder what else he has heard. This is so embarrassing and I'm starting to feel warm like someone has cranked the heat up in this change room.

"Just get dressed Shirou!" I snap.

He sighs. "Alright."

A few minutes go by.
"Ok I'm dressed. You can open your eyes now." He says.

I lower my hands and open my eyes to this insanely ripped body, I swear casual clothes make him look even more built. His blue jeans and a tight white (it wasn't meant to be tight) T-Shirt soften his look, but the graphic on the front gives him a slight edge. He still has his boots on which match the outfit well.

"Is this to your liking master?" He asks.

"Umm, yeah...you would look good in anything." I reply.

"Good! Now, do I get to dress you in something else?" He's grinning playfully. He hands me my clothes. I've found a pair of black leggings, a long sleeve tight V-neck and some thigh high boots with a leather bomber. He prepares my clothes for me as I start to strip down to my underwear.

I turn to face the mirror watching him look at my backside up and down. He rests a hand on my left hip and hands me my boots first

"Um...I think pants go first, don't they?"

He laughs. "Usually, but I was hoping to see you in just the boots."

My face turns beet red and I swallow hard.
"You wish! Give me those pants Shirou!"

"Ok fine." He replies rolling his eyes and hands me my pants. I put them on, then the shirt, and the boots. He seemed to really like the outfit.

"Now that we're all changed and ready, I think we should get something to eat."

"I think so too."

----------------------------

It was nearly dinner time before we got to a restaurant. Shirou is quite picky when it comes to food and refused any type of fast food chains or pizza places. We finally stumbled across a nice Japanese restaurant he was happy with.

We take a table outside on the patio and place our orders.

"So, we need to talk about these gunmen  that are following you." He says.

I stare at my cup of hot sake.

"Yeah, what do you want to know?" I reply.

"Well, let's start with telling me why they want to kill you in the first place?"

"It started with my father. He got into some bad shit with the gang lords in the city, it wasn't good. I still don't know what happened, but I know he must have ripped them off somehow or something worse."

Shirou takes a sip of his sake and leans back. He waves his hand for me to carry on.

"One night while I was upstairs in my room, they came. There were a lot of them fully armed. They killed everyone in my house..my entire family." My words begin to waver as I explain my horrifying experience. " I managed to sneak out and escape. But they found me and have been following me since."

"I'm sorry Rachel." He says, "How long ago wasn't this?"

"I've been running for a year now. I started out staying in hostels, but I just seemed to find more trouble there, so I moved to motels, it's more expensive but at least I don't wake up handcuffed to a chair or with a black eye.." I laugh quietly like it was some kind of joke, even though it was true.

He leans forward and takes my hand.
"You don't have to worry about those things anymore. If anyone tries to hurt you again I will take care of them. Now, we have to get rid of the men chasing you. We also have other servants and masters to deal with. It's going to be messy for a while."

"Yeah, it's a real mess I'm in." I take another sip of sake and lean my forehead onto my hand supporting it up with my elbow as I think about all the shit we have to deal with.

"Can you tell me how far your mage skill goes? Like what is your strongest cast?"

"Well, I was trained by three arch mages all with different skills. My best skill would be summoning and arcane magic." I watch his reaction, he blinks twice then raised his eyebrows.

"That's impressive. Summoning hey... Other than myself what have you summoned?."

"Well, one time I summoned a spirit bear and it destroyed the house...that was an accident. Another time I got jumped in an alley behind a hostel I was staying in. There were six men, they tried to....anyways...i summoned a pack of wolves and...well...I don't have to worry about them anymore."

"I am also trained in Kung Fu and Jiu-Jitsu."

"Huh ...your father was smarter than I thought. Looks like he prepared you for this."

"I guess."

The waitress comes over with our sushi and soup. "Here you are! Anything else I can get you?"

"We are fine, thank you." Shirou says.

I look at the food and dive in, I was starving and had downed half of it within minutes. Shirou smiles at me. I slow down just to be polite, since I'm not eating alone.

"Did you even chew?" He asks.

"Chewing takes too much time, I usually don't get much time to eat." I reply through mouthfuls of rice.
"Well you can take your time now." He smiles.

We finish our food and head out to look for a place to stay.

---------------------

I decide to treat us to a nice hotel this time. With Shirou here to protect me I would like to let loose a bit. Maybe even have a couple drinks from the hotel mini bar in our room. I got us a nice suite with a jacuzzi tub to lounge in, I was excited about this.

We get to our room on the third level and walk in. It was beautiful with a sleek modern design and a large king size bed. I can't wait to sink into it and get a decent sleep.

I put down my pack and lay on the bed taking it all in. Happiness comes over me, as I start to think of my salvation. I smile.

"You look pleased with this room." Shirou says as he examines the area for any threats and a way out. Something I don't have to worry about anymore.

"Yes! This place is great! I'm going to have a bath, want to come?" I say and walk over to him. He's blushing at me. That's cute. I pull on his arm guiding him over to the tub.

"I think it's best I keep guard of our room Rachel." He replies. "But, I will get your bath ready for you."

Well that sounded like a great idea too.
"Ok! Do you want a drink?" I ask skipping over to the minibar.

"No thank you." He replies.

I pout disappointed, looks like I'm having fun all by myself tonight.
"Ok but I need to get ice! I'll be back in a few minutes, I'm going to go check out the pool too."

I grab my pack, head to the bathroom and shut the door. I pull out a deep blue strappy bikini and put it on.

"I'd rather you not go out of the room by yourself. I need to stay by your side." He hollers through the door.

I open the door to him, no sense in talking through it. He gasps at me and shakes his head.

"What?!" I ask.

"You will be the death of me." He replies.

"What do you mean?" I look down at my bikini, then turn back towards the bathroom mirror. Ok maybe it was a little revealing as I purposely bought it for the half thong backing it had on the bottoms. But this is normal, it's what all the girls are wearing now. I mean look at Kim Kardashian she's always throwing her ass out there like it was art.

I turn around to show Shirou.
"This is what all the girls wear Shirou!"

"I swear to God, the biggest challenge in this war will be keeping my hands to myself." He crosses his arms and looks away closing his eyes.

He's so cute when he's blushing. I tip tow towards him and lean up to kiss his cheek. He scowls back at me.

"Rachel..." He says in a warning tone.

"Oh come on! I wouldn't deny you." I reply mocking his comment from the change room at the clothing store.

He sighs. Then whispers some profanities under his breath. He lets me go and storms over to the balcony door covering the bulge in his pants along the way.

"You may go, but if anything happens you summon me to you using your command seals."

"Yes sir!" I say and salute him. I quickly grab a towel and tie it around my waste then take the ice bucket and make my way out the door.
"I still want that bath with you when I get back!" I say as the door shuts. He yells something back but I can't hear him anymore.

I skip down the hotel hallway to the elevators and push the button down to the main second floor. The signs say that's where the pool is and conveniently the ice machine.

The doors open and I walk out down a short hallway, I can hear the echoing sound of people splashing around in the water. I follow the sound a short distance down and peer through the glass doors that say pool on it. There are a few people packing up their things getting ready to leave, then the pool will be empty.

I pretend to get ice for a few minutes while I wait, thinking about Shirou and his amazing muscular body I want to touch so badly. I lean against the wall beside the machine and close my eyes picturing his lips on mine. "I wonder how he tastes, if he is a good kisser, I bet he's huge, for someone to be that tall he must be.."

"I'm a great kisser, and great in bed, when are you coming back?" Shirou forces his way into my thoughts.

"Shirou!..oh my God... I'll be up in a few minutes, there's a line up at the ice machine." I reply telling a small white lie as I flush with embarrassment. I keep forgetting to guard my thoughts and he keeps remembering to invade them.

"Good, stay out of trouble." He says, and somehow I can hear him chuckling at me.

Finally the people in the pool leave and I sneak in the door. It was a long rectangular saltwater pool with a circular hot tub to the right. The entire area was enclosed in glass, letting the moonlight shine rays over the water. I turn off the lights letting it illuminate the room, leaving the lights under the water still on.

It was quiet and serene, with a tranquility I haven't felt in a very long time. At times like these a mages focus is at its peak and I decide to test my water walking. Salt water has its own natural energy infused in it which enhances your power own and with the moon light my power is almost ten times stronger in this room.

I take off my towel and it drops to the deck floor. I walk to the edge of the pool and kneel dipping my hand into the water. It was a nice temperature, not too cold so I begin my incantation.

"Elements of water hear my plea,
Make the surface a pathway for me,
May I walk in your energy,
So mote it be."

As I say the last words, my hand begins to glow purple and white, a quick flash, and the waters surface begins to crystalize. With the pool completely transformed into a solid surface for me, I take a step out. It feels cool and prickles the bottoms of my feet as I walk over it. I can feel the mana pouring out of it towards the sky, like static electricity. It was one of my favorite feelings. I walk to the middle of the pool and lie down on my back letting the water prickle my body, it was empowering.

I close my eyes and let it in, reminiscing on my teachings with mage craft and my family. My sister had always been fascinated by it and what I could do. She was nine when she died, as the horrible memories came back to me I let out some tears. I miss her, I miss them, I miss my house and everything I had. One year ago today, I had everything I ever wanted, a family, friends, a record deal, I was singing in front of thousands of people, I was a straight-A college student. What am I now?...I am nothing. I sigh collecting myself.

Singing was something that always made me feel better in hard times. So I begin to sing, quietly at first, but as I got into the song it began to flow out of me like it had never been pushed aside.

Half way through a thought interrupts me.
"Rachel, your bath is getting cold." Shirou says.

I sigh." I went for a quick dip in the pool, I'm drying off, on my way back soon." I reply, sounding slightly annoyed.

He sends back a response but I don't hear it for a voice interrupts me.

"That was beautiful." It says.

My eyes snap open and I look around, but see nothing. I don't move, not until I know for sure where the voice was coming from. I am in complete control of the mana in this room, it wouldn't be wise to attack me at this point.

"You like that?" I ask as I search the room for a magic signature. It's hard to find when you're floating on a pool of mana and before I could find him he materializes standing above my head. I position my head so I can see him more clearly, and dear God I swear my heart stopped. He was even more attractive than Shirou. He was wild looking, with a sexy devious grin, deep red eyes, blue spiked hair and a body that would equally match Shirou's maybe even better than his. He wears a loose fitted blue T, blue skinny jeans, and some converse shoes, trendy he is. My cheeks heat up as I stare into his eyes.

"Hi." I whisper up at him.

He chuckles and responds with a simple.  "Hello." That's when I notice the lance in his left hand. I glance at it and so does he. We lock eyes again and I ask.

"Is that for me?"

"Well from the command seals on your hand I would say yes, It's supposed to be." He pauses. "But that bikini is giving me...second thoughts." He replies.

"Hmm...well I guess I picked the right outfit then." I wink at him, he smiles at me. "Where is your master?" I ask.

"She's up in our room watching TV, she thinks I'm getting ice right now." He laughs

I laugh, "My servant thinks I'm getting ice too." we both chuckle at each other.

"Why don't you put that lance away and come lie down beside me." I smile and bite my lip. I could hear him hold his breath.

"I don't know if my master would like that."

"Well what she doesn't know won't hurt her." I reply and pat the crystal water beside me.

"Well aren't you trouble." He shoots me a devious grin. His lance disappears into thin air and he takes a seat beside me then lies back. We stare at the moon for a bit before I decide what to say to him. I guess introductions are a good start.

I turn onto my side facing him, resting my head on my hands.

"My name is Rachel, what's yours?" I ask.

He turns his head towards me and tucks a strong arm behind his head.
"Cu Chullain." He replies and smiles.

I know who Cu Chullain is, we were studying history in college and his name came up a few times. I know his story, but I don't really believe it's him. I mean, that seems impossible.

"Like the demigod?... Right...nice try." I reply laughing. He scowls at me.

"Its true!"

"Ok...whatever you say."

He sighs. "So, are you single?"

I burst out laughing, what guy asks that these days?
"That's a forward question. Yes I'm single. Why do you want to know? Me being single isn't going to get you further ahead in this war."

"That's true, I just don't want to hit on a taken woman." He smiles at me again.

"Oh ya? I'm pretty sure you would still hit on me even if I was."

" Yeah...you're probably right."

"Are you single?" I ask mimicking him.

He laughs "Yeah babe, but if you asked my master? It would be a strong no."

"Hmmm ...a little possessive isn't she?" I reply reading his face. It's then I realize that he has probably slept with his master and she probably thinks they are an item, but here he is swooning over me. Now I'm not usually the type to get involved with a guy like this, but he has me wanting to do some bad girl things. What they don't know won't hurt them. I repeat to myself.

"Yeah she is." He replies.

I sit up on my knees shaking out the water from my hair, as little crystals bead off of it I notice Cu Chullain gawking at every inch of my body. He sits up with me.

"You know it probably doesn't help sleeping with your master, I'm sure she's become attached to you now, I know I would." I wink at him, he blushes.

"Well I am a man you know, but I wish I had a master like you, not only are you gorgeous you are a powerful mage "

I stare at him for a minute thinking of what it would be like to kiss a demigod. I honestly stopped listening to him when he sat up flexing his chest muscles and eight pack at me.

I sigh. "It's time for me to go Cu."

His eyes become darker as he inches closer.

"I can't let you go!...just stay a bit longer." He pleads and grabs my hand.

Now I realize he may not let me go that easily, and I will have to find a way to get out of here without causing a commotion. I don't need Shirou walking in on me conversing with the enemy. What better way to do that than diversion.

I lean forward and crawl over top of him straddling his lap. His eyes are running circles on my body. I can hear his breath become heavy as I push myself into him. He runs his hands up my thighs to the very top of them and tucks his fingers underneath the straps of my bikini bottoms and squeezes, pulling me into him further. I let out a small hmmmm.

"You like that?" He asks.

I nod "mmhmm."

I place my hands on his chest and guide him back down so he's lying on his back. Then I grab his hands in mine and force them up over his head, my breasts graze his chin as I pin him down. I can feel him shudder underneath me. He's beginning to fidget more as he indulges in my cleavage kissing my breasts softly. Once I have his hands placed above his head, I look into his eyes and smile.

"You're so fucking hot." He whispers.

I let go of his hands and run mine down his arms to his chest again bringing my lips to his, but I don't kiss him yet. I gently lick his lips first, getting a taste for them as I push myself back into his lap sliding across his firmed crotch.

He gasps and I touch my lips to his. I kiss him softly, letting my tongue slide in touching the tip of his. I pull back slightly and come in again as softly as can be, he hums against my lips. I move a hand down to his hard member and grab it making him moan through our kisses. But as I torment him with my seduction I have precariously secured him in place. The platform I made with arcane crystal over the pool has hardened around him and he is no longer able to move.

I release my lips from his slowly and whisper in his ear.
"Goodbye, Cu Chullain." I give him one more kiss before sitting up straight.
He quickly realizes the position I put him in and tries to struggle out. But there is no breaking arcane crystal.

"What the...! Come on girl don't do this to me!" He pleads. I give him one last bit of torment, indulging the tingling sensation between my legs, I lift my hair up in both hands and grind against his lap feeling his hardness graze my sex. I moan slightly.

"Fuck...Rachel.." He stutters and closes his eyes, feeling the friction between us.

I giggle at him and stop.
"I'll see you around." I say getting to my feet.

"You're just going to leave me like this?"

"Yup! Until I get to the elevators." I reply.

"Dammit! Rachel!, please don't leave me like this."

I laugh. "I'm sorry Cu, but you seem to bring out the bad girl in me. Have a good night with your master." I reply. I take my towel and wrap it around myself then walk out the door. I can hear Cu cursing under his breath as I leave the room.

That was way too much fun. I grab some ice before making my way to the elevators and push the 3rd floor button.