Spirit of the Sword
Chapter 1 "A Saviour, A Hero."
He couldn't stand it.
Seeing her breaking down and fighting on against that monster.
She was beautiful and he couldn't bear it any longer, covered in blood, looking like she was going to fall into pieces.
Her beautiful blonde hair, that royal shining blue and that heroic look in her eyes.
Shirou couldn't help it. "What are you doing!? Shirou!?"
He jumped and pushed Saber out of the way and rolled from a fatal blow from the towering giants huge jagged blade.
"Saber you can't keep this up. Let's run okay!"
Saber pushed him off her and using her blade as a crutch stood once more and raised her invisible sword. "You... what are you doing!?" Another strike from the titan!
There was no time to run, anguish ran across her face as she realised it was over.
He placed his left hand on her back roughly where her heart would be.
"It's not over yet. I guess this is what father meant." With his right hand he ripped off a necklace with wooden fangs from his neck.
Rin stared at him, Ilya stared at him, Hercules stared at him, Archer stared at him and Saber... became a blue shining orb within his hands.
"Hyoi Gattai! Saber!"
It wasn't even a second but in that time Saber saw everything Shirou held in his heart and Shirou saw all she bore upon her back.
"Saber you did fine there's no need for anyone to take your place."
They were one in mind, body, heart and soul.
Flooding emotions and memories. The small but dramatic moments that defined them held their grips upon one another, all the joys and suffering of two lifetimes.
This what no ordinary Gattai. The contract between a servant and master had amplified this most basic of techniques to its utmost highest level.
Berserker was no longer stunned by what had happened and roared as he launched another attack.
Shirou lifted his hands as if to strike back at the blade of Berserker and it appeared.
A wondrous shining sword of blue, silver and gold gleaming within the night, the moonlight seemed to glow the colours of the blade.
There was no choice Shirou had to use his- their trump card.
Their noble phantasm. "EEXXCCAALLLIII-"
He didn't find it weird at all. It made a lot of sense even. This wondrous woman who seemed to be not human at all didn't seem so different to him right now.
"BBBUUURRR!"
A swing of the holy sword seemed to become a beam of light!
It sliced threw the titans body ripping open an enormous hole threw his flesh and his body fell to the floor with a thud.
Ilya was not worried that Berserker was slain for the giant would soon rise again.
She was worried because he was no longer mad. "Who are you!?"
Saber could barely think... for in Shirou's memories one thing stood out more than anything else and with everything he knew that she knew, shook her to the very core.
The world was burning.
But such flames would not have hurt him before, so why would they hurt him now?
Walking through the sparks he saw a man in black and a boy.
This was not what he came for, but even so he felt something from them and maybe it would prove to be even more interesting then the real reason.
Even to him fate seems to like to throw a curve ball once in a while.
He looked down at the man cradling a dying child, but he placed a glowing sheathe within the boy and slowly he seemed to heal from his burns.
"Would you call the thing that caused this the devil?"
The man turned to see him. "How did you!"
"It promised you something... magus killer? Ah I'm understanding now."
Information poured into his head and he couldn't help but make a wide smile and the occasional grimace. Yes, it does seem that fate played games with even him.
"What are you?" He smiled. "I am the opposite of all this."
The man held the boy closer and looked like he would run off at any moment.
"What are you? Really. Tell me."
"I told you. I'm the opposite of this. I can give you what it promised."
The man looked ready to fight.
"The boy is really interesting the more I look at him. Looking into the future isn't exactly a thing I've gotten a hold of yet but he is very special."
Kiritsugu ran...
Nowhere.
"You can't do anything-" BANG!
"...You said you're the opposite of this. Can you stop it?"
It seemed like he finally realised that talking was his only option.
"Possibly, I haven't been at my job for very long though. I don't think I'm in any harm but this is a very powerful curse."
"Not been at your job very long? How could-"
"Magi are very special, but my power comes from something very different. I think you people call it Akasha? It functions similarly in a way."
The man took a few moments just to stare at him.
"They are eight of us, if that's what you're wondering."
He snapped his fingers and the flames fizzled away.
"I will grant your wish. The price is ten years of your time and the boy."
"I won't hand him over to you."
"He won't come to any harm by my hand. You've saved him already yourself. Be proud Emiya Kiritsugu. You are a hero and ten years from now you will have a happy ending."
"I can't trust you."
"I give you my word, as God I will not hurt him."
"My name is Shirou. Asakura Shirou and I'm shaman."