Chapter 1: In Which Tohsaka Rin Achieves Victory
Tohsaka Residence
Monday, February 2nd, 2004
It was a well kept secret that Tohsaka Rin was not a morning person. Waking up early would be out of the question if it was completely up to her. And yet she still did it.
Every. Single. School day.
She had to keep up appearances after all, tardiness would only serve to tarnish the persona she had established for herself as an honor student. At times, she regretted crafting such a reputation, thinking it would have been easy to just become an underachiever in the mundane world, but she had her pride. A lot of it, in fact. Probably too much of it, if one were to be honest.
Regardless, this morning was no different. Or she would have liked if it was no different, but Rin was having even more trouble waking up than usual. She had pulled an all nighter, after all, preparing for the task that now stood before her today.
The task of summoning the perfect servant to fight alongside her in an upcoming war.
The Holy Grail war, a secret battle between several Magi to obtain one of the most powerful artifacts known to the magic world. Of course, it was not the real Holy Grail, simply a recreation made by 3 powerful families of magi over two centuries ago, but it still held the power to perform miracles. True magic on the level that most practitioners of magecraft would never even be able to touch.
Her late night preparation had consequences though, as even as she was stepping out of the shower her eyelids felt heavier than lead.
'Caffeine.'
After she got dressed she hurried to her kitchen and fixed herself a cup of tea, hoping it would help her actually stay awake through the school day. Though, as she was drinking, a rather unwelcome sound greeted her ears.
"RIIIIING!" The phone went off loudly.
Rin's face soured. There was only one person who ever called her at this time of day. Perhaps it was because he knew how much she hated mornings.
No, it was definitely that.
"Kirei..." She grumbled as she picked up the phone.
"Oh? You sound displeased Rin, is this a bad time?" The voice on the other side of the line did indeed belong to one Kotomine Kirei; his knowing tone made it clear that he knew exactly how much he was annoying Rin by calling.
"What do you want?"
"Hmm, I called to ask if you had summoned your servant yet?"
Rin grimaced and let out a put upon sigh. This had recently become a topic of many of their conversations as Kirei pushed her to summon a servant sooner rather than later. But she was certain her waiting would be worth it.
"I'm going to do it tonight, actually. All my preparations are complete. I am sure to summon the most powerful servant now."
"I see, this is good. The other six servants have already been summoned, you're the last one I'm afraid. The war has already begun."
"What do you mean?" The war usually only began in earnest when the church confirmed that all masters had been accounted for, at least that's what Kirei had told her.
"It's the other reason I called you. The servant Archer has already been destroyed."
-O-
Last Night
Streets of Fuyuki
'I have to get away'
This was the only thought of the man as he stumbled down the walkway. His left arm was hanging limp and his right leg was dragging behind him. His destination was set in his mind, he needed to reach the church. It was safe ground.
Even that monster couldn't touch him there.
The idea of a 'Safe' area was the only thing that kept him moving. The only thing that kept him falling into despair even as he felt his connection to Archer fade into nothingness.
He spared a quick glance at the hand that hung limp. The command seals that signified his connection with his Servant had dulled, no longer the vibrant red that they were a mere hour ago. Now they only served to mark him as a Master in the holy grail war.
As the church came into view he could feel relief wash over him. He limped his way to the door as fast as he could and threw them open.
There were several columns of pews lined up and at the head of them stood the Priest as if preparing to give a sermon to a phantom congregation. He stood with a bible in his hands, continuing to read even as he heard the man approach.
Kotomine Kirei, the man had met this priest only once before. He was the overseer of the war, and though he looked the very definition of a diligent man of faith, he too was a monster in his own right.
"I have lost my servant and wish to withdraw from the Holy Grail war. In accordance with the rules, I come seeking protection from the church." Despite his injuries the man spoke in a formal, even tone. It would not do to show the snake in front of him any weakness.
"Hoh? That was fast..." Kirei looked up and eyed the man who looked to be on death's door. "If I recall you had a pretty strong servant yourself. Archer, I believe… Would you mind telling me which servant was able to deal such a swift defeat? Were you able to at least find out their identity?"
The man vehemently shook his head. Fear creeping into his expression as he remembered the scene which left him in his current state.
"No! It wasn't a servant! It was..." The man stopped in horror as he remembered that crucial detail.
It wasn't a servant.
"It was..."
He was being targeted by something that had nothing to do with the war.
The church wasn't safe anymore. No, it wasn't safe to begin with.
"A monster." A voice not his own whispered into his ear. His eyes widened as he spun around but all that greeted him was the site of the church door still open, and the cold night outside.
He could only stare for a second before something grabbed his face, obscuring his view and lifting him off his feet.
He was falling, or perhaps being dragged down. It was only for a second, but that moment seemed to drag on. Until he felt an impact.
And then he felt no more.
…
The being that now stood before Kirei was one completely unfamiliar to him. It's form was that of a human, but that was where it's humanity ceased.
It was completely covered in blood, though no wounds were apparent on it's body. Kirei quickly came to the conclusion that the blood belonged to something else, something that had met it's end to this being much the same as the master that was now no more than a stain on the floor of his church.
It turned it's eyes to him and he was greeted with a feeling that he was all too familiar with.
The creature in front of him had a suffocating presence. He had half expected it to be a mad beast, but within those eyes there was a fierce intelligence, and seemingly limitless power. He knew that his life now hung by a thread, subject to the whim of the monstrous being in front of him.
'This isn't a Servant?'
The sense of insignificance pressed down on him heavily, the familiar feeling niggling at him, akin to an old, hated friend.
It was a feeling he had experience often in the last few years. Only this was a new beast, at least with that man Kirei knew his role, his place. Now though, he was in new territory, one wrong mood could spell his end.
How interesting...
Kirei allowed himself to smile as he put his bible down.
"An impressive display of strength, if I say so myself." He offered praise while eyeing the body on the floor that no longer had much in the way of a head. "But, I'm curious I'll admit, as to what could smash a man's head with brute strength. If that man is to be believed, you aren't a servant..."
The being in front of him seemed to smile. It wasn't a manic smile one might expect from a man covered in blood. Rather, it was a calm one, as if it was casually greeting someone in the street.
"I'll say this in as plain terms as possible." The monster's tone was polite, but held a strong warning. "This guy here brought this war you're having in this town to my attention. I've heard some of the details and I decided I'll be an observer for now. Or maybe more like a referee with a heavy hand. I decided to disqualify this guy myself, you may wanna make sure I don't gotta do that again."
"… And what would get one disqualified, if I may ask?"
"Hm..." The being paused and ran a hand through it's hair in thought, as if it hadn't actually considered any rules or demands to put down. "Well… How about this, your war is supposed to be secret, right? I've gathered that if anyone finds out about it you either kill them or hypnotize them into forgetting. Well, I'm gonna reverse that punishment. If I see the war happening or signs of it happening, then the person who broke the secrecy gets disqualified, sound fair?"
"And if that happens, you kill them?" The thought admittedly interested Kirei a bit, it added a new level of excitement to the death game that was about to be played.
"Seems a bit harsh, doesn't it…" The monster muttered to itself. "Okay! I'll decide it on a case by case basis! After all, absolute rules are boring. Regarding this guy though, he did something that particularly pissed me off so I obviously couldn't let him live."
"Obviously..." Kirei found it a bit odd that it was becoming increasingly easy to see the thing in front of him as human, if it were not for the display just a moment ago he would say this was nothing but a man with a few quirks. The man turned and started walking back towards the exit of the church. There was one last question on Kirei's mind though. "What did he do?"
The monster of a man looked over his shoulder, his face no longer smiling.
"He killed my neighbor. Just so ya know, his name was Hideaki. He was a train conductor and he was 10 times more important in my world than that 'master' in front of you."
With that he turned and left, not offering time for another question.
"Your world, huh?" Kirei smiled to himself. "There are certainly similarities, but it would probably be no contest if the two met… This will definitely be interesting."
-O-
Present Day
On the way to Homurahara Academy
Rin's walk to school was filled with troublesome thoughts. She almost had a hard time believing Kirei's warning, but she couldn't afford to doubt it. She resolved to trust Kirei's account for now and figure out a way to deal with this new threat. A task that was proving to be impossible with as little information as she had.
"Tohsaka?" a voice interrupted her thoughts. She looked up to see the surprised face of Mitsuzuri Ayako. She hadn't even realized she had made it all the way to school absorbed in her thoughts.
And why did Mitsuzuri look so shocked to see her?
"Ah, sorry. I was just surprised to see the famously punctual Tohsaka Rin at school a whole hour early!"
Rin nearly lost all hint of composure at possibly the most upsetting news she had heard all morning.
A whole hour early.
An hour.
Her anguish must have shown on her face because Mitsuzuri started laughing.
"Haha! Well, since you've got some extra time on your hands, what do you say we hang out for a bit. It's been a while, ya know!" Not waiting for a reply Ayako swiftly grabbed her hand and dragged her off towards the Archery club building.
Ayako was a slim girl, only slightly more muscular than herself, but Rin found it impossible to escape the clutches of the archery club's vice-captain. It wasn't long before she found herself sat opposite of the brown haired girl.
"So," Mitsuzuri started with a friendly smile, "anything new lately, Rin?"
"Ah, not really." Plenty of things were new but those weren't really things you mentioned in casual conversation. Or any conversation really, the few people who you could talk to about it were the people you were supposed to be fighting to the death with. "Same old, same old, mostly."
"Hm? So still no boyfriend, huh?"
Rin could feel a sudden twitch developing in her eye. Ayako never had much of a filter, making her a rather dangerous person to talk to. It was bad for everyone's health, Ayako's especially, though she was oblivious to this danger.
"No..." Rin couldn't help the almost audible grind of her teeth as she admitted to that. "And how about you? I haven't noticed you with any guys lately."
"Ha, unfortunately not." She said with a small chuckle. Her smile became more predatory the next second. "I have my eye on one guy, but I don't want my competitive edge to dull, so he'll have to remain my rival until I surpass him."
"Or until he actually shows an interest in you that way, right?" Rin allowed herself a smug smile as Ayako deflated, the wind effectively taken out of her sails.
"Wha-whatever," the vice-captain coughed. "I like older guys anyway, the captain was just the exception."
"Where is the esteemed captain, anyway? He's usually just as early as you, isn't he?"
"Hoh, keeping tabs on him, Rin? Are we to be rivals too?" Ayako ignored Rin's stammered denials as she continued, "He's helping out the Student council president again, so he'll be skipping practice today."
"A captain missing practice? Is that okay?" Rin honestly wasn't sure what was proper in such a setting. After all, she had never been in a club, but it seemed weird to her.
"Unfortunately it can't be helped, the Cap is just that kinda guy. It's not all bad though, keeping up good relations with the student council has actually improved our funding just a bit! Pretty soon we'll be able to afford new targets for the range. They haven't been replaced since Fujimura was a freshman here..."
Rin smiled at Ayako's excitement before standing up.
"Well I better go, practice should be starting soon right?"
"You're welcome to stay and watch. Who knows, you might discover a hidden love for archery!"
"No thanks, I should prepare for classes anyway, it was nice talking with you." With that and a wave she walked to the exit of the club.
"Don't be a stranger, alright Rin?" Ayako called after her in farewell.
She didn't actually have much preparation to do for class, but she couldn't be there during practice. Someday perhaps, but for today she couldn't deal with distractions. Today was all about keeping focused on the task that lay ahead at the end of it.
Instead she wandered the halls, hoping the next 30 minutes passed relatively quickly.
'Ah, speaking of which, I'll have to fix my clocks when I get home.' It occurred to her that waking up early two days in a row might actually kill her.
She sighed as her mind drifted back to Kirei's words that morning.
"Rin, if my guess is correct, this man managed to defeat Archer. No, it seemed like he completely overpowered the servant fast enough to hunt down the escaping master. I would advise that you avoid this man at all costs."
'It would be easier to do that if you had been able to give me a better description, you damn fake priest...'
The situation was frustrating, to say the least. Rin wouldn't admit to it aloud, but she wasn't good with unexpected things.
"Well, I'll just have to watch my back more carefully then." She muttered to herself, pausing her steps to look out the windows that lined the hallways. "As annoying as it is, it doesn't change anything..."
"What doesn't change anything?" Rin nearly jumped at the voice behind her. She turned around calmly, she hoped, and came face to face with one Ryuudou Issei.
"A-ah, Prez, what are you doing here?" Rin almost hit herself.
"Prez?" Issei's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Is this some sort of trick, Tohsaka? I could ask you the same question… What are you doing here so early when you aren't in any clubs?"
'Trick?' Rin silently wondered what he meant by that before composing herself and smiling.
"I just felt like it, Mr. President." She didn't know why, but Issei seemed to grow even more tense when she smiled. As if wary of a threat.
"I see..." He opened his mouth to continue, but was interrupted as the classroom door behind him slid open.
"It's fixed, Issei." Emiya Shirou stepped out of the room carefully dragging a space heater behind him. "Ah, Tohsaka, good morning!"
He stood up and patted her shoulder as if greeting an old friend. An odd occurrence, as they barely interacted, but Emiya Shirou was known to be almost over friendly at times, so she couldn't be too surprised.
"Good morning, Emiya." Rin said with an uneasy smile and a nod. It was incomprehensible to her how he could be in such a good mood so early in the morning.
Greetings apparently out of the way he turned back to Issei.
"So where are the other ones, we should probably hurry this along before class starts."
"Ah, I'm sorry, Shirou. I asked for your help and yet you're ending up doing all the work..." Issei apologized with a bow of his head.
"Haha! Don't worry about it Issei, something like this is nothing for me. Besides, it would be bad for me too if the heaters weren't working properly."
Emiya Shirou was a man who was helpful to a fault. If someone asked for him to do something then it would get done that same day. It was so much of a routine that to much of the student body, the idea of Shirou turning someone down was unthinkable.
It went without saying that there were some that would take advantage of such a person, or at least Rin would assume so, but to date she had yet to see him as disadvantaged. There was nothing about him that demanded pity. There was no resigned smile when someone asked him to complete a chore, nor a nervous glance to the floor when someone asked to cover for them.
No, Rin only ever saw a calm assurance in his eyes. A look that dispelled any thoughts that he was some unwilling push over before they even began to form.
It didn't stop her from wondering about his reasoning though. Then again, it wasn't any of her business, she supposed.
With that final thought she turned from the two in front of her and continued to walk towards her class.
"Tohsaka." Rin was brought up short when Shirou's voice called. She turned back with a curious look. He had a slightly thoughtful look on his face, as if considering what to say. "Hm… Nevermind, have a good day."
'… What was that about?' She watched him turn around and walk away with Issei. She almost wanted to stop him and demand for him to finish his thought, but with a tired sigh she simply turned back and continued to her classroom.
It probably wasn't that important.
-O-
The day seemed to go by as slowly as possible for Rin. By the end she was ready to run home, though she made sure no one was looking when she started sprinting. She was out of breath by the time she reached her house but she paid that no mind as she continued with preparations where she left off last night.
By the time she was done she still had an hour till 2 o'clock, when her magic would be at its strongest. She had made sure to correct all the clocks in the house first thing when she got home. Knowing herself it would be something like that that would cause her to miss out on summoning the strongest servant she could.
Rin allowed herself a moment's reprieve, confident that all conditions were perfect, and passed the time by preparing tea. She wasn't sure what type of mood her servant would be in when they appeared but she imagined a good cup of tea would help move conversation along.
When the clock struck the hour she readied herself, swallowing the last of her hesitation.
"Preparation, good." She said, looking at the summoning circle in front of her. She had spent hours drawing it to the exact specification, and even more looking it over, ensuring no mistake was made.
"Time, good." She said, glancing at the clock. It's hands read 2 AM exactly.
"Wavelength, ideal..." She gripped her forearm briefly.
"I'll get the strongest Saber, even without a catalyst. Just you watch!" She quietly promised.
With that reassurance she opened her palm revealing an array of gems, most of them looked rather cheap, but there were a couple that would fetch a good price, if one were to sell them. But these were more valuable than regular gems. Within each of them she had stored an impressive amount of mana, and with that mana she would summon the most impressive servant.
She grasped the gems once more and took a breath.
"Silver and iron to the origin. Gem and the archduke of contracts to the cornerstone. The ancestor is my great master Schweinorg.
The alighted wind becomes a wall. The gates in the four directions close, coming from the crown, the three-forked road that leads to the kingdom circulate.
Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill)."
The circle Tohsaka stood in began to glow and the room around her seemed to shift nervously. Papers flew as if blown by a gust of wind, but there was no wind underground. The clock on the desk vibrated as if the ground was shaking, but the earth was calm. The room distorted, no longer connected with reality. This was no longer the workshop of one Tohsaka Rin. An entity reached out in two directions and for the seventh(countless) time, a miracle was performed.
"Repeat every five times.
Simply, shatter once filled.
――――I announce.
Your self is under me, my fate(doom) is in your sword.
In accordance with the approach of the Holy Grail, if you abide by this feeling, this reason, then answer.
Here is my oath. I am the one who becomes all the good of the world of the dead, I am the one who lays out all the evil of the world of the dead.
You, seven heavens clad in three words of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence, O keeper of the balance ―――!"
The room pulsed with power, and the contract was cemented within Tohsaka's mind.
"I ask you," Rin opened her eyes at the unfamiliar voice and found herself staring at a breathtaking beauty. A knight no taller than she was, but imposing all the same.
"Are you my Master?"
-O-
It was a well kept secret that Tohsaka Rin was not a morning person. Waking up early would be out of the question if it was completely up to her. And yet she still did it.
Every. Single. School day.
Except today.
She stared down at her alarm clock with a sense of resignation.
"This is way past being late..." She muttered to herself. According to the clock in her hands, it was well after 9 o'clock. "I suppose I'll just skip today."
It couldn't be helped, after the summoning she stayed up for an hour later, making sure her servant was settled in, before she went to bed.
Her Servant.
She felt a thrill of pride just thinking those words. The summoning went better than she could have hoped. That her servant was a Saber alone was enough to assure her of her victory in the coming war, but when she had heard the name of her knight…
Arturia Pendragon, the King of Knights. The man(woman) who had ruled over Britain and lead it's defense against all invaders, emerging victorious in every conflict. Wielding the Sword of Promised Victory, Excalibur, there were none who could defeat the legendary King.
Promised victory. What more could she have possibly hoped for?
Rin hopped out of bed and walked towards her door with a bounce in her step. But as she opened the door she was brought up short.
"Good morning, Master." Because Saber was standing right there.
"A-ah, Saber..." Rin was taken off guard, still not sure how to react to her rather intense partner. "Good morning… How long exactly have you been standing there?"
"You said we would resume talking about our strategy for the war in the morning."
"Yeah, I recall saying that."
"So I have waited until morning." Rin could tell that her servant was completely serious. Honestly, she couldn't imagine the knight in front of her ever cracking a joke.
"You've just been standing there for 6 hours..."
"Yes." Saber furrowed her eyebrows as if failing to see the purpose behind this line of questioning. Though when Rin stopped herself to think about it, she reached the same conclusion. It was rather pointless.
"I need something to eat..." The Tohsaka moved past her servant with a tired sigh. Once she reached the kitchen and had food in front of her, she felt somewhat better. The intensity of Saber's stare was barely bothering her anymore.
"Okay, so a plan..." Rin looked across the table at Arturia who had been silently waiting while she ate. "It would be best if we could find a way to observe the other 5 servants without revealing ourselves just yet, but that may not be possible."
"Yes, I am not particularly specialized in stealth I'm afraid, but..." Saber paused as if just noticing something. "Excuse me master, but you seem to be misinformed, there are 6 other servants in the war, besides myself."
"I'd almost prefer that to be the case, Saber." Rin said with a sigh and began to recount the events she heard about from Kirei.
She told Saber about the master who was killed on what was supposed to be neutral grounds.
She told her about the Archer class servant that was killed before that.
And she told her about the mysterious man who single handedly killed them both. The man who was apparently not a servant, but had the strength to annihilate one.
"A man with the strength of a servant…" Arturia closed her eyes in thought. "This is unexpected, to say the least. I must admit that I have a hard time believing it."
"I feel the same way. If it wasn't coming from Kirei, I would outright deny it."
"This Kirei is trustworthy, I take it?"
"Not at all." The thought almost made Rin laugh. "Kirei is probably the single biggest hypocrite I've ever seen. He is the type who you can never be too careful around. Calling him a snake would be an insult to snakes everywhere. He's probably-"
This string of insults carried on for a minute or two, becoming more and more colorful with each one.
"But," Rin eventually stopped herself. "This isn't something he'd lie about, I don't think."
"So what is to be done about this man?"
Rin was silent for a moment, her brow knitted together in deep thought.
"I think it would be best to avoid him if we can. He isn't someone we need to defeat to win the war, so fighting him would be a waste of time and energy."
"So we focus on the other servants." Saber concluded. "And where do we start with that, master?"
"Well, I had an idea..."
-O-
Standing in the middle of the school courtyard, Saber looked slightly unsure of the current situation, but she couldn't deny that Rin's earlier reasoning was sound.
It was still outright insane.
With a sigh of resignation she tightened her grip on her sword, currently concealed by her wind magic, closed her eyes, and focused her energy outwards, essentially becoming a beacon. It wouldn't be long now...
"Do you not think that is a bit reckless, Master?" Saber was not usually one to second guess the most direct route, but the Tohsaka's plan seemed more than a little risky.
"It's the quickest way to identify our opponents, the stronger ones will rise to the challenge and the weaker or more cautious ones will stick to observing. Of course we won't show too much, this is just a greeting." Despite her reassurance, Rin looked nervous at the plan herself.
"And if more come than we are prepared to deal with?"
"Then we'll run away!"
"Saber!"
Right as her master's voice called out in her mind the courtyard seemed to explode. In a split second she had managed to put a good amount of distance between herself and who now stood where she was, at the epicenter of the destruction.
The debris flew in all directions as the man clad in blue armor, wielding a red spear smiled at her.
"You called?"
Rin knew that servants were beings beyond human. She knew that even a single one of them could bring about unmatched destruction. She had read all of this.
But seeing it was a different thing entirely.
The battle she was now bearing witness to was nothing short of awe inspiring. Saber had wasted no time in retaliating after the enemy servant's opening attack and forced him to go on the defensive immediately.
Slowly the man in blue was forced back as blows were traded, but even as it seemed her servant had a clear advantage she couldn't help but worry.
As if to confirm it, the enemy suddenly seemed to push. His attacks became fierce and his spear seemed to blur out of sight every time it moved.
Through their connection, Rin could feel her servant start to strain as she blocked every piercing strike she could, dodging the ones she couldn't.
Saber was still holding back, after all that's what she had asked her to do, but it was still concerning. She had analyzed her servant and she knew that her stats were nothing short of amazing. That a single servant would be able to keep up with her was unthinkable just a short time ago.
But the blue heroic spirit was putting up an impressive effort, so much so that Rin almost considered telling her servant to go all out. The words were almost out of her mouth when the enemy servant seemed to back off, putting a good 10 meters between the two servants.
Saber subtly took a deep breath as the spearman in front of her finally gave her some room. She eyed him but he was looking lower, specifically to where her weapon should be. Invisible as it was, it was no doubt difficult to get an accurate read on it's range, or even what the weapon was. Despite that this man had managed to force her back, estimating how to block and counter her strikes with near deadly accuracy.
There was no doubt in Arturia's mind that the being before her was not one to be underestimated as she was currently doing. As it was, one mistake could spell the end for her, but she had made a commitment to concealing the true depths of her abilities.
"Tell me," The blue servant started with a satisfied grin, as if solving a mystery, "That weapon you use, it's a sword, right? Saber?"
The last part was a rather simple test, to see her reaction to the class name. To her credit her only reaction was giving a smile of her own.
"Who knows? It could be a sword… or maybe a bow… or perhaps a staff?" Information was power, and though she would not be particularly torn if people knew of her status as a Saber class servant, she would not outright admit to anything. She had learned at least that much in her time fighting wars. "Your class however, is rather simple to guess at, Lancer."
At that Lancer frowned.
"Don't take me for a fool, Saber, it just might be the death of you." At that he lifted his spear and lunged with blinding speed, attacking almost too fast for the human eye to follow.
Saber managed to raise her sword to block the assault, but was wholly unprepared for the strength behind it, far surpassing anything the spearman had shown up to that point.
Her feet were lifted from the ground as she struggled to reconcile with the unexpected force, but Lancer wasted no time in capitalizing on his advantage as she suddenly felt his boot slam into her gut, forcing all air from her and sending her flying back, out of the courtyard and narrowly missing colliding with one of the school buildings.
Mid-air, Saber corrected herself and planted her feet onto the ground, but her momentum was too great as she continued to slide further. She swiftly thrust her sword into the wall beside her and her progress nearly immediately halted. She withdrew her sword and came close to falling to her knees.
"You should probably stop holding back now." Lancer taunted from 50 meters away. "I'm just about done with it myself, it's time to turn this into a real fight."
Saber glared at the blue servant across from her and crouched to lunge at the man using all of her considerable strength. She pushed from the ground, expecting to close the distance in less than a second…
And was stopped.
"Why can't I move my sword?" She looked behind her and saw a hand gripping the invisible air that was her weapon. An impossible feat, she was almost certain.
"You shouldn't go around sticking swords into walls like that. You nicked my ear, you know?" Looking further up she came face to face with a man she wholly didn't recognize, but there was an incredibly familiar look in his eyes.
She struggled to come to terms with this newcomer when Rin's voice rang in her mind, providing an explanation of sorts.
"Emiya… Shirou?"
-CHAPTER END-
AAAANNNNDDD DONE! First chapters are always so fucking hard man. Anyway, this is gonna be pretty much a guilty pleasure fic for me. I had an idea once a while back about writing a story where Shirou was based on a specific character from a certain series.
I left a hint in there as to who that character was but I'm gonna keep it to myself for now, simply so those who don't know the character or series can look at this with fresh eyes. Though it will become increasingly clear as I 'develop' Shirou's character in this, exactly what I was going for.
Love it? Hate it? Let me know in a review.
As for me I'm gonna go eat something.
