The next day, which was thankfully the weekend for the kids, I got up early to make breakfast for Sakura before going to build the little Arena.
"Good morning, sweetie," I said to Sakura as she came into the kitchen wearing her bunny printed pijamas.
"Mornin'..." She yawned as she sat down in the dining table.
A cute habit Sakura had is that she tended to be lazy during weekend mornings.
"I'll be working the whole day on the battlefield to make sure it's good enough. You can't be too cautious with Servants, especially with Gil being one of them," I said placing her breakfast in front of her. "So, the café will be closed for the day. I'll leave a sign that says we're redoing our menu or something."
"Alright," Sakura nodded, eating her breakfast.
"Want to keep me company while I work, Medusa?" I asked, knowing she's always close by to Sakura.
Medusa appeared, dropping her Spirit form and opened her mouth to say something-
"Actually! I was hoping Rider would join me today!" Sakura suddenly cut in, the previous drowsiness gone.
Both me and Medusa stared at her in confusion for a few seconds. "I... Wasn't aware you needed me for something," Medusa stated.
"W-Well... Rin was feeling down yesterday so, since we have the day off and you didn't prepare the arena yet, I offered to take her out to make her feel better, and for Rider to join us to pay her back for all her help!" Sakura declared, joining her hands innocently.
"Oh, I guess that makes sense. You do deserve a break Medusa," I agreed with her.
"I-I'm not exactly the 'going out to have fun' type," Medusa awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck.
"Come on! We'll just go out for a few shops! We can even get you some clothes so you don't have to stay in Spirit form the whole day!" Sakura insisted.
"You should just agree before she uses a Command Seal for it," I added, knowing my daughter can be rather hard headed.
Medusa just stared at us for a few seconds before sighing in defeat and nodding in agreement. "Great!" Sakura got off her chair. "I'll go get dressed and call Rin to tell her, maybe call Illya, too!"
I blinked as Sakura went for the stairs. "Wait, didn't you say you already planned to go out with Rin?"
Sakura froze in the middle of the stairs and raised a finger. "I-I mean I'll call Rin where to meet up and that I'll be bringing Rider, of course!"
With that, Sakura ran up the stairs to her room while me and Medusa looked at where she disappeared, feeling confused.
"I can't understand teenagers. I guess I'm officially old," I joked.
Third POV:
Sakura hoped her attempt to keep her father from Rider wasn't too obvious. Finishing the call to her sister for the date that didn't exist until now, she went to her closet and started getting dressed.
She had nothing against Rider. In fact, Sakura believed she seemed like a good person. But, that didn't change one single fact.
Sakura knew almost nothing about Rider.
The only things she knew was that her name was True Name was Medusa, and that she knew her father when she was alive.
Her father had taught her that history books tend to be off in details, so she didn't exactly trust what she had known about the 'Mythical Medusa'.
Realising that she already left their house, Sakura can feel her Servant around as she went to the meeting spot while her mind went back to the subject of her father and Rider. Sakura wasn't blind. There was something there, and she can see it wasn't just 'being friendly'.
As far as Sakura knew, her father had never showed interest in the opposite sex. Or the same sex, for that matter, she didn't judge. She had even started thinking her father was asexual, or simply not interested in romance of any kind.
Sakura didn't mind that. She still had her birth mother, who checked up on her as much as Rin did. Even more so when she was in town.
However, if Sakura was going to see her father with someone, she had at least hoped to know who they were. Not for them to literally appear in a flash of light and suddenly be this close to him.
Granted, they had apparently known each other for years, but still...
That was why Sakura wanted to finally get to know Rider.
Waiting at the spot, Sakura began speaking. "So... how long have you known dad?"
"Er... Quite a long time during my life. I've known him since my youth," Rider was understandably taken back by the question, but answered nonetheless.
"Have you ever been with someone else?" Sakura asked.
"My sisters were there," Rider replied.
"Ah... Alright," Sakura almost pointed out that she was asking about being with someone romantically, but realised that would have made things too obvious. "What did you do together?"
"We would usually figure out what to do each day. Zack sometimes would tell me stories about the world," Rider replied.
Sakura chuckled. "Yeah, dad really loves to tell you how big the world is."
"Sakura! I'm here!" Rin came in wearing her usual red sweater and black skirt.
"Oh! There you are!" Sakura waved at her sister before looking around. "Do you have Archer with you?"
"You're kidding, right?" Rin's face immediately soured. "He won't even let me decided on when breakfast will be. You really think I can make him go shopping with me?"
"Well, we're here to make you feel better, so let's go," before Rin can question her sister, Sakura took her hand and walked out. Heading into a collection of stores, Sakura went to the largest one. "So, dad gave me my allowance and salary, I'd like to buy some stuff for Rider, and we can vet something to help you feel better!"
"You really shouldn't do that," Rider whispered as they walked through the store. "I'll return to the Throne of Heroes after the Holy Grail War. You should focus on getting yourself something."
"Nope, not happening," Sakura immediately held her hands in an 'X' motion. "We need to get you something. At the very least, a new pair of clothes!"
"You should just accept, Sakura doesn't back down on giving presents," Rin mumbled. "I guess I could spoil myself and buy some jewellery, after everything that happened yesterday."
"Sakura? Rin?" Both suddenly turned at being called and saw Illya and Irisveil walk towards them.
"Oh, hey! You two shopping, too?" Sakura asked.
"Yeah, we even brought Saber," Illya whispered the last part, motioning to the air besides her, implying Saber was there in Spirit Form.
"Oh, let's go together! I was getting some new stuff for Rider," Sakura saw it as an opportunity. From what she knew, Saber knew her father before.
She didn't see the same connection between her father with Saber as he did with Rider, but it didn't hurt to check.
"That's a good idea!" Irisveil clapped her hands together. "Let's get going, then!"
The group of four, plus Rider and Saber in Spirit Forms, went to walk through the rows of clothes. Carefully rumming through the clothes, they tried to find something suitable for the Servants. After picking up a collection of clothes, they went to the changing rooms and made sure no one was around before throwing thei clothes in the empty stalls.
"Alright, you two, go get changed," Sakura said.
They heard a sigh, though they couldn't tell who it was from. A few seconds later, they heard clothes being moved inside the stalls.
Soon enough, the doors were opened. Rider was wearing a simple white sundress while Saber was wearing a skirt and blue shirt. Both looking uncomfortable, with Rider looking awkward while Saber was trying to pull down her skirt to make it cover more.
"H-How am I supposed to move in this?" Saber asked, her cheeks pink.
"You just move without jumping or raising your legs high," Rin replied with a deadpan look, remembering Saber's way of fighting Archer.
Illya then noticed something behind Saber's attempt to cover with her skirt. "Are you... wearing granny bloomers?"
"I didn't find anything to change into for underwear," Saber replied. "I just found a few triangles of cloth."
"... That IS your underwear," Illya deadpanned at her.
"... What?" Saber's cheeks turned from pink to red. "You... You can't be serious!?"
"Okay, you're definitely gonna need help," Illya pushed Saber back into the changing room and closed the door.
Meanwhile, Rider was taking a spin in her dress. "I don't think this is... for me."
"But you look great in it," Sakura stated.
"I agree, you look really lovely," Irisveil added her own review. "With how great you look, there's no way you won't be turning heads," she teased, motioning to how the dress greatly highlighted Rider's figure.
While Sakura's eyebrow twitched, Rider seemed to consider accepting the dress. "Actually, now that I think about it," Sakura began pushing Rider back into the changing room. "I don't think it's really 'you', too. You should try something else."
The entire thing took a bit over an hour. When they were finished, Saber was wearing a long blue skirt with black leggings and a white, longs sleeved shirt, while Rider was wearing plain jeans and a black sweater. They left the shop after paying for the clothes and sat down in the food court.
"So, how have you two been?" Irisveil asked the two sisters. "We didn't get a chance to catch up the other day."
"Pretty well, and you?" Sakura asked politely.
"Not bad," Illya replied before giggling. "Seeing Saber's face when I showed her lingerie definitely made my day."
"That was not clothes!" Saber rejected, her cheeks bright red. "That-That was nothing more than a few strings tangled together! How is it supposed to cover anything!?"
Illya merely laughed more at Saber's reaction. Sakura saw her chance to go back to her original goal of this trip.
"By the way, Rider was telling me about my dad when they knew each other," Sakura stated, turning to said Servant. "Why don't we continue."
"Er, is this really something worth discussing with company?" Rider looked uncomfortable with the attention rather than the topic itself.
"I'd actually like to know, too," Rin added, surprising her sister. "That guy doesn't share anything about his past. Any info would honestly be useful," she revealed her reason to be information gathering.
"Well... Saber knew him, too," Rider immediately attempted to divert attention to the other Servant.
"While Zack is a friend, I have to say that most of what I know of him is on a professional level," Saber confessed with a shrug. "We met while he was doing a job and stayed because of the job. When his work was done, he only visited occasionally to check on us," she summarised while withholding information that would reveal her True Name.
Seeing the eyes of the others turn back to her, Rider sighed. "Alright, what do you want to know?"
"You said you knew dad before he looked like he does right now, right? Did he really look that different? You didn't even recognise him when you first saw each other," Sakura asked and pointed out.
"Wait, you've seen how Zack really looks like?" Saber seemed shocked. "He told me he couldn't afford to take his true form."
"Hmm... Something must have happened to make him say that," Rider mumbled. "As for your question, Sakura, the only thing he has in common with his current appearance is that they both walk on two legs. He looked very different than humans beyond the general appearance of walking on two and having hands. As for why Zack stopped using his real body, I wouldn't know. But, it might be related to the age of gods ending. I personally never saw something wrong with his appearance, but Zack always said it was unsettling for humans."
"So, you think he doesn't show how he really looks because the age of humans isn't used to creatures like him?" Illya deducted, tilting her head. Rider just shrugged her shoulders, showing that this was just her guess.
"Okay, time for the juicy bits!" Irisveil leaned forward, clapping her hands together. "How close are you two?" She sounded like a young girl ready to gossip with her friends.
"Zack... is really important to me," Rider's lips formed to a smile. "He brought many new things to my life. Honestly, I should be angry that he made my life seem so dull before his appearance. He even went as far to make me and my sisters a house and pool."
"Ohhh, did you bathe together?" Illya asked teasingly.
"Zack didn't need to bathe but he was always there when we did," Rider's answer was blunt.
So blunt it took them a few seconds to register it. "Huh?" Sakura asked, her voice getting shaky. "W-What do you mean he was there?"
"Uhm... He was always keeping us company when we bathed. What more is there to explain," Rider stated.
"B-But you weren't like, n-naked or anything, right?!" Sakura asked in clear panic.
"Of course we were. Why would we bathe with our clothes on?" Rider's response was, again, incredibly blunt.
They all fell into silence with their cheeks red, except for Rider. "Uh, Sakura," Illya spoke up. "You don't... do that yourself with your dad, do you?"
"O-Of course not! I've been bathing on my own for years!" Sakura immediately shook her head.
"Yeah, I'm still gonna have a long talk with your dad after this," Rin stated, her face, despite her blush, held a suspicious glare.
"You and me both," Sakura mumbled.
Today did not go as planned, and it had been more tiring than she expected.
Third POV:
The next day, Sakura found herself waiting for the other Masters with her father at the café. Every now and then she would send him a suspicious glare, but didn't have the courage to bring up the topic from yesterday.
The first ones to arrive were Rin and Archer. The second ones were the Emiya family. Shinji and Assassin arrived third, and the next to arrive was a car that they found familiar.
"Souichiro Sensei!?" Rin cried out at seeing her homeroom teacher.
"Tohsaka?" The teacher was equally surprised. More so when he recognised the other occupants. "Emiya, Xin Qiu, and Makiri are here as well... Are you Masters?"
"U-Uh, yeah. Wait, how come you're a Master?" Rin didn't know of anything that connected her teacher to the world of Mystics.
"He found a rogue Servant," the one to answer that question was Zack. "Caster was originally a rogue Servant that asked Souichirou for help. He agreed and became their master. He was pretty reasonable, so I still decided to consider him a genuine one."
"Oh, so your the Master of Caster, Souichirou Sensei," Emiya commented. "I guess that makes us in the same boat, I didn't exactly plan on being one either."
"I guess this is why you called in sick for the past few days," Souichirou's question was rhetorical and needed no answer. "I suppose that is understandable. However, I hope you do not let this incident hindrance your progress with your studies."
"Quite the strict teacher, aren't you?" A figure suddenly appeared besides Souichirou.
It was a woman wearing a dark blue dress and a dark violet hooded cape that hid most of her featers. The only thing visible through the hood was the lower side of her face, showing her lips that had blue lipstick.
"I'm just making sure my students follow up on their studies, Caster," Souichirou defended, causing Caster to chuckle.
"So, you are Caster?" Saber appeared besides Shirou, which prompted the other Servant to appear as well.
Caster froze at the sight of Berserker. "Oh... You're here?" Her question was met with a soft growl from Berserker, who's features softened. "Well, I certainly know who I'm avoiding now," turning her head to look at the other Servants, Caster's eyes stopped on Saber.
Saber couldn't see Caster's eyes, but she couldn't help but feel like she was being undressed, and then re-dressed in different clothes. She was used to having her strength gauged, but this was entirely foreign to her.
"I tire of waiting, Tree. Give me something to state my boredom, lest you want me to reduce this place to rubble," Gilgamesh stated, glaring at Zack.
Zack sighed. "Fine, fine. Let me get you some wine. The final Master should be here soon."
As soon as Zack went through the door to the back, a motorcycle engine was heard. A black bike came in and stopped in front of the café. The person on the bike was a was wearing a pitch black suit with a nearly as black undershirt and tie. On their back was a case meant for a long object like a sword or bat.
Getting off the bike, the driver took off their helmet and revealed a young woman with short, neon red hair and matching eyes. The woman strapped her helmet to the bike and walked into the café.
Seeing the obvious Servants around, the woman called out. "I'm the Master of Lancer, here to meet with the Overseer."
"He's in the back. He should be back in a moment," Sakura replied.
Lancer's Master looked around again before her eyes landed on Kiritsugu and they narrowed to a glare. Kiritsugu returned with his own glare.
"Mage Killer," The woman said, almost like she was greeting him with a completely flat tone.
"Enforcer," Kiritsugu returned the greeting, his tone equally flat.
"Are we going to have any problems?" The woman raised her hand and threateningly adjusted her gloves.
"None that I started, but I guarantee you that if there is any, I'll be the one to end them," Kiritsugu returned with his own threat, his shoulders tensing.
"Oh, hush," Irisveil weakly slapped her husband's shoulder. "None of that now. You left those days behind. Don't go back to them," Kiritsugu sighed in defeat at his wife's tone and his shoulders sagged. "Let's start over," Irisveil stepped forward to the woman. "I'm Irisveil Von Einzbern. Nice to meet you."
The woman blinked, clearly taken back, but still nodded before answering. "I'm Bazett Fraga McRemitz, here as Lancer's Master. I was told this Holy Grail War will follow a specific method."
"Yes, it'll be tournament styled to avoid collateral destruction and casualties in an arena made by the Overseer," Sakura explained.
"Works for me!" A man suddenly appeared besides Bazett.
He was a tall man with long blue hair tied into a low ponytail. For clothes, he was wearing a blue bodysuit, the same shade as his hair, and hard to miss silver earrings. He had a crimson spear with vein-like patterns running through it.
"Don't get me wrong, an all out brawl sounds good, too, but this definitely works, too," the man, who everyone guessed is Lancer, sat down on one of the chairs and placed his legs on the table.
"Don't put your feet up in my café," Zack said, walking back in.
Lancer took one look at Zack and immediately jumped off his seat in panic. "HOLY-!?" Lancer took a step back before looking closer at Zack. "Damn, for a second, I thought the old hag showed up... Do you have any idea who you look like, buddy?"
Zack handed Gilgamesh his wine and turned a deadpan look at Lancer. "I do, and if you don't want me to send you straight to her, you'll just roll with it and not ask questions."
"Tch... fine," Lancer calmly sat back down. "Don't want to get dragged into a mess related to that hag anyway."
"Alright, then!" Zack loudly clapped his hands together. "Everyone is here and the field is ready! So... let's get fighting!"