AN: Hey, I have been an avid fanfic reader for a long time now, and felt that I should perhaps try to give something to the masses myself. Got this idea that just stuck with me yesterday when I was browsing Fate fanfics. I don't recall having seen this concept used before, in the way I did it at least. Just a prologue for now, but will try to work on it if there is any interest. Feedback would be very much appreciated.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything. The works used are the properties of their respective owners.
AN: First time readers, please read the next chapter as well before passing judement.
Prologue
Emiya Shirou. Orphan. High school student. Magus. And soon to be participant in the Holy Grail War. He would participate not because he wanted a particular wish granted, but to prevent unnecessary casualties from the war itself. A noble and selfless goal on the surface, but in reality it was his selfishness that drove him to such action. He could not stand the thought of people dying when he had the capabilities to help, for his ideal, his nature and his very soul compelled him to act. Thus it is not compassion that drives him but selfishness.
The person he is began it's forging in the fire 10 years ago when he, lost and helpless, was saved. Saved, by his adoptive father who later shared his name with the one that had none. The magus Emiya Kiritsugu. He had looked so happy that Shirou himself wanted to feel that happiness. Having lost his memories from before the fire, this became his driving thought, and the source of his determination. A determination he needed when he later began his studies in thaumaturgy, also generally known as magic.
Kiritsugu's death and Shirou's promise to become a superhero in his stead was another very important step in the forging of the person Shirou would become. His determination now tempered was now as immovable as a mountain. He lived to help others. To Save others. To become a Hero was now his undying goal and purpose in life.
Help people he did, constantly striving towards his goal. Consciously and unconsciously. Every day of every month of every year he strived to be a Hero. A Saviour. And he would get his chance earlier than he thought.
A few years after the death of Kiritsugu his journals were found by Shirou. Journals detailing his relationship to the Einsbern, his participation in the Holy Grail War, some of his work as the Magus Killer and his observations about Shirou amongst other things.
Kiritsugu had known that Shirou used his magic the wrong way. Instead of using his magic circuits he was making temporary ones from his nerves. He did not want the life of a magus for Shirou and had told him such repeatedly when he was still alive. And in the hopes that Shirou would give up he had never corrected him.
This was a major thing for Shirou. Now that he knew that he did things the wrong way he could work on finding the right way. But that was easier said than done, and took him almost a year. But it was a year well spent in his opinion. Now he had way better control than before and could actually reliably use reinforcement. He could also practise his structural analysing to be faster and more accurate. He could even begin to do it with sight alone, a fact he felt somewhat proud over.
His marks, the command seals, had appeared a few days ago and he was most eager to summon his Servant. He would use the same relic his father used, Avalon. He had read about how it had saved him in the fires where he was reborn 10 years ago. And had found it inside himself when he practised his magic. And thus since he was not skilled enough to extract Avalon he figured that it would probably work anyway. After all he didn't have any other relic in the vicinity.
He couldn't have ever guessed that he himself had somewthing with a stronger connection to another heroic spirit. His own body and ideal.
And this is how Shirou summoned Archer, Heroic Spirit EMIYA instead of Saber, King Arthur Pendragon.
AN: This summoning took place before Rin summoned her Servant, otherwise Shirou would be unable to summon Archer, as in the game. If Rin summoned a Servant in the same manner as in canon at this point, she would get Saber/Arturia. The main reasons for this is that Saber is unoccupied, Rin doesn't use a relic, and Saber made a deal with the world to get the grail. Meaning that unless some powerful relic is used she must be summoned. That's my reasoning.
But I have some plans to make it a bit more interesting than just "Rin summons Saber". Anyway I realise that the amount of original content presented here is not much, but please give some feedback anyway.
Until next time.