Chapter 1.
A sharp grown escaped Shirou's lips as he stood from his kneeling position, any sense of pain long since dulled as his body became more sword than man.
He trudged forward, the long dead corpse of Kotomine Kirei fading into the distance as he slowly approached his destination.
Each step was like a thousand knives stabbing through his legs all at once, but he persevered, the image of his loving kohai Sakura all the motivation he needed to push on.
After many minutes of pain laced steps, Shirou arrived at the final cavern, his vision now white and static laced, like an old time TV during a snow storm.
He stood still; the looming black visage of the Great Grail loomed overhead.
After seconds that crept on like hours, he began scanning the room, and saw Sakura, hair white as ash and skin resembling marble, seated on the ground.
Shirou burst forward at a breakneck pace, any previous hesitation lost to the wind as rushed towards his adoring kohai.
A jarring "SKRCHHHHHHH" echoed through the previously silent cavern as Shirou came to a sudden halt, the scene surrounding sakura now becoming visible through his haze filled vision.
Her entire lower body was covered in blood that was clearly not her own, streams of wet tears flowing freely from her red eyes, a distraught look haunting her visage.
Shirou's static infringed vision then lowered from Sakura for the first time since entering the room, slowly descending until he was met with an image that would remain with him for the rest of his days.
R** lay under Sakura, the midsection of her chest freely flowing blood like lava from the tip of a volcano, her left pigtail soaked red as she lay dead in a pool of her own blood.
Sakura's distraught visage slowly rose from her sister, finding its mark on the unexpected appearance of her senpai.
Shirou's mind could barely process words, but he still managed to force words as he began to speak. "Sakura..." he began, his raspy voice akin to gravel as he was interrupted by his kohai.
"Senpai, please kill me." Sakura mustered out as she stared into his steely eyes, a mix of anguish and disgust covering her face.
Hesitation crept over Shirou like a warm blanket, his calm demeanour melting away as Sakura's words slowly processed through his haze filled mind.
His thoughts were interrupted when Sakura's anguish laced voice snapped him back to attention. "I killed her Shirou, and the voices keep telling me to kill more, please just end this, for me, for R**" She stated sternly, presenting it more like a fact than a request.
A drop of sweat traced its way down Shirou's forehead as he slowly moved towards Sakura, a low crunch emanating through the silent room as his boots impacted the cave floor.
He reached her in a matter of seconds, muscles tensing as he knelled down in front of her.
They sat inches apart, steel gray meeting blood red as they longingly gazed at each other.
Seconds felt like hours as they sat there, neither daring too move a muscle.
Sakura broke the stalemate, opening her lips too speak.
"Shirou. Ple..." She was interrupted, as Shirou enveloped her in a hug.
'Is there any other way.' Shirou pondered, blueprints flashing in and out of his head.
He brought his gaze back up too meet Sakura's, staring into the endless sea of red one last time.
"I'm sorry Sakura, I failed you, I failed everyone" Shirou muttered, as his facial features hardened.
"Trace on" Shirou stated in an emotionless tone, a gold and blue embroidered broadsword suddenly appeared in Shirou's grip.
"I love you Sakura, forever and ever" Shirou hoarsely droned, a burning pain spreading throughout his body, as his magic circuits burned from overuse.
He rose with a start, Excalibur shimmering like a second sun in his right hand.
"Thank you Shirou." Sakura stated. As Shirou began to raise Excalibur towards the centre of her chest.
A loud splat emanated throughout the cavern as Shirou jabbed Excalibur threw sakura's chest, a smile gracing Sakura's serene visage as the adopted daughter of house makiri breathed her last.
A defeated groan escaped Shirou as he withdrew Excalibur from Sakura's chest.
He began to walk forward; his vision now pure white from the interference of *rc**r's arm.
Every slight movement was pure agony, pain equivalent to 1000 searing steel rods being stabbed into his body following every slight movement.
He persevered through the blinding pain, raising the sword of promised victory over his head as he approached the towering black mass besmirched with all the worlds evil.
"Saku**, R**, *****, Il**a i'm so sorry, in the end I couldn't save **y of y*u." Shirou grunted, names and faces slowly fleeting from his mind as the gifted arm of the se***nt ***he* ate away at him more and more.
The Sword of Promised Victory became a pillar of pure gold, illuminating the room in an exuberant ray of golden light as Shirou took one more step forward.
As he prepared to lower Excalibur, his vision now completely white and black, sight now an impossibility, a single thought entered Shirou's near death mind.
'If only there was a world where he would actually be able to save people.'
The thought was present for less than a second, a fleeting speckle in the now destroyed mind of S***r* **iy*.
In the distance the greater grail hummed a low tune, Angra Mainyu searching for a way, any way too save itself from certain oblivion.
Its salvation came in the form of a single dying regret in a sword's scattered mental scape.
"Ex***ib*r" Shirou shouted, as he bought the embodiment of salvation down, a ray of holy light racing from its tip, speeding towards the greater grail at mach speed.
Shirou felt his conscious begin to fade, his last embers of life burning away as his right arm slowly killed him.
A large smile graced his lips, relief washing over him briefly before being replaced by the sensation of searing pain of his body being skewered from the inside by thousands of swords.
The ray of holy light enveloped the towering mass of runic stone, atomising it instantly.
Suddenly, a small "flisch" reverberated through the gold shining cavern, and as the greater grail burned away, Shirou disappeared in a haze of black mist, leaving only the Bloodied corpses of the Tohsaka sisters behind, as he was whisked away.