Saber's Wish Chapter 2

For several minutes after Rin arrived at the Emiya residence, the Tohsaka-heir tried her hardest to undo whatever enchantment was on Arturia. Shirou watched anxiously as Rin used her special gems on the Saber, all the while trying not to fixate too much on his Servant, now adult and still scantily clad in the clothes she was wearing this morning. "Special consideration" was given to the fact of Arturia's now super-enhanced bosom continually teasing him. After a while, Rin expressed her frustration after her tenth or so gemstone shattered with no result.

"Nothing's working!" Rin yelled out after her final gem was expended, and Arturia was still in her current, alluring form. The mage composed herself and crossed her arms at the Saber. "You're telling me this happened all because of a birthday wish?"

Arturia took notice Rin's skepticism and tried to explain to her how this new body of hers happened:

"It cannot be a coincidence Rin. I thought about this when Shirou gave me the cupcake and a candle to blow out last night."

"We weren't even taking it seriously at the time," Shirou then added. "I mean, how were we to know this would happen?"

"I get it..." Rin replied. "You two were just playing around, but that can't be all there was to it."

"How did it happen then?" Arturia insisted to Rin.

"Just let me think...!"

Rin paced back and forth, creasing the bridge of her nose as she visibly pondered. Arturia and Shirou look at each other with worry, unsure of what they would do if no remedy could be found to hide the Saber's new form. It was imperative to them that no one close to them with no knowledge of magecraft, particularly Taiga, ever saw Arturia like this. There was no rational explanation they could possibly give, and if Taiga or even Shirou's friends ever found out about magecraft, that would put them in the crosshairs of the Mage's Association. Both Arturia and Shirou grimaced at the thought of what they would do if they caught them leaking any knowledge of magecraft to those oblivious to it. The power of magecraft is only sustained if it remains mostly unknown to humanity at large.

"Wait a minute!" Rin suddenly exclaimed, catching both Arturia's and Shirou's attention. "Saber, have you tried changing into your armor?"

"Not yet," Arturia answers, as it appeared to her that Rin was on to something.

"Do that right now," the mage instructs. "I need to see something."

"Alright..."

Arturia stood up and Shirou backed up towards Rin as they watched the blonde Servant concentrate and summon a shower of light around herself. A bright flash filled the room, and when it faded, Shirou and Rin waited with cautious anticipation.

Their faces fell when they saw the result.

Arturia was not in her usual armor. The garb she now wore, while having the same color-scheme of blue and silver, was much less... conservative. What little armor there was made up her gauntlets, greaves, and a battle-belt that held up her skirt. The skirt itself was short at the front, exposing Arturia's bare thighs above her knees. Her hair was styled with a double-braided bun with long bangs that framed her face and topped with a gold crown. Hanging from Arturia's shoulders was a red cape with white fur accents.

The most obvious change of all was Arturia's main outfit was a blue leotard that practically hugged her body and left a rather generous window to show off her new "tracts of land." Both Shirou and Rin found themselves blushing at the sight of the Saber in this new outfit. She looked less of a knight and more like some kind of superhero.

"Oh my... gawd," slipped out of Shirou's mouth as he gazed at Arturia's new form. Rin stood there speechless as the Saber opened her eyes and looked at her two spectators. Seeing their faces of surprise prompted her to look down at herself.

"My word..." Arturia said in wonder as she inspected every aspect of her outfit, with special attention given to the area partially exposing her breasts. Shirou forced himself to look away while Rin snapped out of her surprise and said:

"No way... Your servant form was affected too?!"

"It seems so," Arturia replied after glancing at Shirou who was trying hard to hide his blush. She found herself feeling weirdly gratified to get this reaction out of him.

"So how deep does this wish go?" a flustered Shirou asked Rin.

"I guess we're about to find out," Rin said before turning back to Arturia. "Saber, can you summon your sword?"

In response, Arturia looked down at her right hand, and with just a thought, Excalibur appeared in her grasp in a flash of light. Shirou felt somewhat relieved at the sight after mustering up the nerve to gaze upon Arturia's alluring form again.

"At least that's unaffected..."

"Indeed," Arturia added with a casual shrug, raising her other hand. "I was worried that I couldn't call on-"

She was cut off when suddenly a flash of light appeared in her left hand. That light extended out in a point, and both Shirou and Rin had to separate from each other to avoid getting skewered in the face.

"Whoa!" they both yelled out in surprise as the flash materialized into an ornate lance that spiraled out a cone of blazing light, coming apart like ribbons near the handle. Arturia quickly retracted the newly formed weapon and stared at it in shock.

"Impossible!" her voice was barely above a whisper. "I shouldn't be...!"

"Saber," Shirou asked cautiously, still startled by the appearance of the weapon. "What IS that?"

Arturia slowly looked at Shirou and answered in a shaken voice:

"Rhongomyniad..."

"The sacred spear that holds reality together?!" Rin asked in disbelief and Arturia nods in response.

"The last time I used this..." She lets out, and Shirou can tell from the astonished look on Arturia's face that seeing this weapon was bringing up bad memories for her.

"Wait," he said. "Aren't you a Saber-class servant? How can you wield both a sword and a spear?"

Arturia had no words, and she was left stunned and confused about how a simple birthday wish affected her as deep as into her Servant form.

Fortunately for her, Rin's eyes suddenly lit up in realization and she grabbed Shirou's arm forcefully.

"Hey!" Shirou yelled as Rin rolled up his sleeve.

"Emiya-kun, your command seals! Look!"

Shirou was stunned into silence as he followed Rin's gaze to his bare arm which bore command seals corresponding to Arturia, and to his shock, they looked different than before. Half of his seals looked normal, but the other half looked asymmetrical, not matching the original design at all.

"How is she reading?" Rin quickly asked Shirou, renewing his focus. He concentrates and makes his command seals light up along with his eyes. His face morphs into shock as the light from his magic circuits fade and Arturia looks at him with worry.

"What is it, Shirou?"

"Arturia," Shirou's voice was shaking. "I'm picking you up as Saber... and Lancer!"

The Servant's eyes widened, for that notion seemed absolutely impossible.

"I'm... dual class?!"

Dead silence briefly filled the room until Rin broke it.

"By the Root!" the mage said aloud with realization once again hitting her. "I know why this happened to you, Saber!"

Arturia looked at the Tohsaka-heir in confusion while dissolving her weapons.

"Rin?" Shirou asked cautiously. "What are you talking about?"

"Dual class, Emiya-kun?" she repeated Arturia's words with emphasis. "There is only one thing that could've affected Saber THIS much! Remember what could grant a wish, Shirou!"

Shirou's eyes lit up at what Rin was implying.

"The Holy Grail?! No way!"

"YES way!" Rin refuted while Arturia also looked on in disbelief. "It's the only logical explanation!"

"But we destroyed the Grail!" Shirou insisted. "How could it have done this to her?"

"You said you found an uncorrupted shard that brought back Saber and everyone else, right?" Rin asked him, and Shirou slowly nodded.

"Yes...?"

"The only way that could've happened at all is because YOU as a master officially won the Grail," Rin explained. "Your wish would not have come true if you didn't win."

"What does this have to do with-?" Shirou began to ask until Rin cut him off.

"What if as the servant of the winning master, that SABER was granted a wish too? But..."

Rin trails off as she then turned to Arturia, who finished for her.

"- I haven't asked for a wish until last night..."

"Precisely!" Rin answered. "Then it's no wonder I can't reverse you back to the way you were! The magic of the Grail surpasses any form of magecraft I could possibly use on you."

Arturia sat back down, devastated by this revelation. Shirou was beside himself as he was left accepting Rin's educated guess on how the Saber's body changed.

"Unbelievable," Shirou said to himself. "Even after we destroyed the Grail, it's still causing us problems..."

Arturia's darted to Shirou after he said that. She herself was not so sure if she can call what happened to herself a "problem" per se. After all, did Arturia not wish for this? To be grown up and mature? Granted, it WAS a wish she made in haste, not knowing it would ever come true. Now that she was over the initial shock of the change, Arturia was torn about maybe reversing this back to the way she was.

She was aware since this morning how this new form of hers got reaction out of Shirou, without her even trying to. Arturia knew even as Shirou tried to hide it, she could tell that he found her absolutely stunning in this new body, and the Saber felt a stroke of pride that she never felt before:

The feeling of being acknowledged as beautiful...

Arturia found her hands slowly travelling back up towards her breasts, and her face heated up with a blush. The Saber felt giddy as the reality set in of her now feeling like a genuine woman.

She was liking it so far...

"If you can't do anything Rin..." Shirou then said to the Tohsaka-heir. "How are we supposed to hide this from Taiga, Issei, and Ayako? They can't see Saber like this..."

"Beats me," she told him. "My modern magecraft can't do anything..."

"Don't you know anyone that might be able to help?"

"Not really," Rin said with a shrug. "Zelretch might have a chance, but very few people are allowed to see that guy. Plus, I can't phone Aoko and Alice; they won't even return my calls," (Both Arturia and Shirou tilted their heads curiously at that) "and I'd be damned if I had to ask Luvia Edelfelt for help. We're pretty much on our own here."

Shirou sighed and visibly pondered. Arturia and Rin watched him until his face suddenly lit up.

"No we are not!" Shirou exclaimed, seemingly having a bright idea. "We know another mage!"

"We do?" Rin asked in confusion.

"You said your modern magecraft can't help Saber, right?"

Rin nods in response, and both she and Arturia wanted to know what Shirou was getting at.

"Well," he continued. "We just happen to know another Servant whose whole shtick IS magecraft..."

Rin's eyes widened in realization.

"You mean we ask... Caster?"

"Oh no..." That exasperated response came from Arturia, prompting Shirou and Rin to glance at her.

"Wait a minute, wait a minute," Rin said. "That's actually quite smart..."

"Not brilliant?" Shirou asked.

"Don't flatter yourself. You're still an amateur," Rin told him bluntly, causing Shirou to sulk as the Tohsaka-heir turned to Arturia. "Caster is from the Age of Gods, so her level of magecraft is already above anything modern. She might have a shot at fixing you, Saber."

"I do not believe it wise to ask Medea for help," Arturia stated in firm disagreement. "She unsettles me..."

Shirou looked at Arturia with understanding, finding her reluctance palpable. Clearly the Saber has not forgotten the time during the Holy Grail War when Caster kidnapped her and made her wear a dress while trapping her in a "compromising" position. While Medea apologized up and down about that since she the other servants came back, Shirou was aware that Arturia was always on-guard whenever she and Caster crossed paths.

The Saber had not yet fully gotten over what happened.

"We might not have a choice," Shirou told her. "If anyone can help us at this point, Caster is as good an option as any."

Arturia stared at Shirou, silently pleading for them to not go through with this. But ultimately, the Saber was forced to accept the facts; while she had trust issues with Medea, she knew that the Caster was their only avenue in hiding the Saber's new body from Taiga.

"Fine," Arturia eventually said with a sigh. Shirou let a thankful smile at her before turning back to Rin.

"So I guess this means we're taking a trip to Ryudou Temple..."

"You know she can't go out in her armor," Rin pointed out. "Saber is going to need new clothes."

"Right..." Shirou affirmed. "Can you take her shopping, then I'll meet you both later at the Temple? Taiga will be here any minute, and at least I can tell her that you and Saber are having "a girls' day out" or something..."

"Sure," Rin said cautiously. "But I can't even take her out in public let alone Ryudou Temple like that."

Shirou looked back at Arturia and understood what Rin referred to. The Saber's new armor will definitely raise some eyebrows. With nothing in the house that would fit her, Shirou supposed the clothes Arturia wore this morning would not let her fare any better in keeping her inconspicuous. Thinking about how to hide Arturia's armor in public, Shirou settled on a tried-and-true solution. He turned back to Rin and asked:

"Is it calling for rain today?"

  ______________________________________________

The backdoor of the Emiya residence, and Rin peeked out to see if anyone was watching. Carefully stepping out, she motioned someone back inside the house to follow her.

"Coast is clear, Saber," she whispered to said person, and soon enough, Arturia still in her armor emerged wearing a bright yellow raincoat. The coat covered her armor nicely but left her legs partially exposed.

"Never thought I'd ever wear this again..." she muttered as she joined Rin. Shirou watched the girls leave through the yard through the back gate, just as the front door of the Emiya residence opened and a loud, cheery person made her presence known.

"Shiroooooou!" Taiga's voice rang as she entered the house. "Your big sis is back! Is breakfast ready?"

Looking back, Shirou stiffened when he realized that in the chaos of Arturia's new body, he neglected making breakfast. He needed to work fast...

Back with Arturia and Rin, they managed to make it to the street without getting seen. Rin breathed a sigh of relief as they started making their way to the shopping mall, with Arturia keeping a hood over her head.

"Good. Taiga didn't notice us, Saber. It should be smooth sailing from here..."

"Rin..."

"What?"

The sound of Arturia's stomach growling immediately alerted her to the apparent problem. Rin addressed this calmly.

"Oh. Don't worry... we'll grab a bite to eat before we hit the mall."

As they walked on, Rin grew excited to spend time with Arturia... as her friend of course.

"This is great! You know we never do anything together. This is going to be fun!"

Arturia wanted to share in Rin's enthusiasm, but she couldn't. She was still apprehensive about seeing Caster in hopes of maybe reversing the change to her body, on the fence about whether she even should, considering that she was coming around to staying like this.

It made her feel the best she had ever been, or maybe it was starting to get to her head...

Either way, Rin was right. Arturia considered the Tohsaka mage her friend, after all what they and Shirou went through together during the Holy Grail War. Rin could have betrayed them at any point, but she held true to her honor, paying Shirou back after she accidentally got him involved in the war. Alas, Rin proved to be a dear friend indeed, and Arturia wondered why they never hung out together since the Saber came back.

Arturia's train of thought broke when she glanced at Rin rummaging in her purse.

"Let's see..." Rin said to herself. "How much money did Emiya-kun give me?"

She pulled out a measly three-thousand yen and became stunned.

"What the-?" Rin said before ranting, "This is nothing! How much does that dumb-ass think girls spend on clothes?!"

As she was fuming, Arturia then said to her:

"Shirou wanted me to tell you: that's for my breakfast..."

Rin stared at her speechless, coming to the bitter realization that Shirou was making HER pay for Arturia's clothes.

"ARGH!" she groaned in frustration. "Shirou you baka!"

Little did Rin know; paying for Arturia's new wardrobe was going to be the LEAST of her problems today...

TBC