Disclaimer: I don't own Fate Stay Night or High School DxD. They belong to Kinoko Nasu and Ichiei Ishibumi respectively. If I did, I would have already created an Ilya route in the VN with a fully-grown and matured Ilya as the heroine and make a badass protagonist for High School DxD instead of a pervert like Issei.

A/N: Here's a sneak peek to chapter 6. Tell me if you guys could figure out a way for this scene to have more... impact.

- Sneak Peek Start -

The next morning, the Gremory group once again prepared themselves for the same training regimen.

This time however, their target for the Single vs Group training made about half of the participants to be very vigilant in addition to be a bit excited. The only person who seemed to be harboring some evil thoughts of revenge was Ise.

Not surprising as this was a rare chance for him to beat the living daylights out of their current target without any repercussions.

Himejima Reiji, or who was now known as Emiya Shirou.

Fufufu. Ise looks very motivated, though I don't think it would be that easy for him to beat Reiji-kun, Akeno amused herself with the notion that Ise would find that the tables would turn on him once he tries to charge her childhood friend and lover.

Despite calling him Shirou outwardly, Akeno had always thought of him as Reiji in her mind. After all, it was the name that was always close to her heart for the last eight years ever since he had come to her rescue all those years ago.

She could still vividly remember the sequence of events that had happened on that night.

That night, she had fallen asleep while in her mother's embrace as usual. The current Akeno would never admit it but when she was younger, she always felt warm and safe whenever she slept with her mother and that man. The three of them would usually sleep together with her in the middle and they would usually find themselves in each others arms the next morning. However, that man was absent at the time.

It was then that she was suddenly aroused by her mother.

She was being cradled in her mother's arms. Although she was still half asleep, she could still remember the urgency in her mother's panicked expression as Shuuri ran away from something while carrying her. Confusion plagued her mind as she tried to call her consciousness back from the realm of dreams.

"Okaa-san?"

"Akeno? You're awake? Are you alright?" Concern was clearly plastered on her mother's pale face.

"What's going on?"

It was then that Akeno realized that there was light coming from the inner part of the temple. Not only that she was vaguely aware of the smell of something burning.

No, it can't be! As she finally realized the implication of what she was sensing, she turned her head upwards. To her horror, her fears were confirmed.

The temple where she and her family had called home for as long as she knew was being burned down as she saw the flames and smoke that were visible beyond the roof of the temple.

"The temple is under attack. We have to-." Before her mother could finish her explanation, Shuuri suddenly whirled around and thrust a talisman that was in her left hand in front of her.

KLANG.

The sound of metal reverberated in the night as Akeno noticed that something had hit the barrier that Shuuri had made with the talisman.

Akeno couldn't identify what it was that had hit the barrier and before she knew it, Shuuri had already cast an offensive spell in the form of compressed air in the direction of where the projectile had came from.

AAARGH!

A yell of pain came from what Akeno identified as a male voice but she still couldn't see who it was that had attacked them. The voice had came from the shadows that even the light from the flames that were burning the temple didn't reach.

Still, Akeno didn't ponder on the thought of who their assailant was too deeply as whoever it was that attacked them was already dealt with. From what her mother was trying to tell her earlier, they were probably trying to run and find a place to hide. She was confident that everything would be alright as long as they were both together since her mother seemed to be able to repel the attackers easily.

Unfortunately, she had thought too soon.

Thump.

Shuuri had suddenly collapsed on the ground.

Turning to her mother who had fallen down beside her, Akeno was paralyzed in shock as she saw her mother's back. Shuuri's white robe was stained red with blood that was leaking out of her body from a deep slash wound.

"O-Okaa-san...?" Still in shock, Akeno's hands hesitantly reached for her mother.

"A-Akeno... I-I love you..." Those were the last words that left Shuuri's pale lips as the life that she had stubbornly clung to in order to protect her daughter finally left her. She passed away smiling, secured by the knowledge that she was able to protect her daughter.

Akeno however, was frantic.

"O-Okaa-san? No... NOOOO! OKAA-SAN! OKAA-SAN! Please wake up! Don't leave me! Please don't leave me alone!" Akeno cried her heart out while futilely trying to call back her mother from the dead by shaking her body.

How could this happen?

Why was this happening to her?

Her home was being burned down.

Her mother was dead.

Her father who was supposed to protect them was absent.

All her relatives shunned her.

There was no one for her to turn to for help.

She didn't know where to go.

She was all alone now.

"WAAAHHH!" Not knowing what else to do, Akeno just kept crying on top of her mother's body.

And thus, she didn't realize the sound of footsteps that was running towards her, guided by the heartrending cries that came from her despairing heart.