AN: Sometimes a seemingly insignificant happening the past can permanantly alter the future...

Standard disclaimer: (grumbling) I do not own Inu Yasha or Fate/Stay Night. Please Enjoy, and PLEASE review!!

Note: This chapter takes place in episode 12 of Fate/Stay Night, "Cleave the Sky" (english dub). More than half of the dialouges were quoted from this episode.

*Contest!*

The AN above is a hint to what will happen in the sequal! If you can guess what will happen correctly, then you will get a part (however small) in either this story or the sequal depending on how this turns out! I'll give you one hint, reading this chapter will make your guessing easier.

Chapter 11:

Of Jewel Shards and Battle Plans:

March 27th, 2008

9:00 PM

Fuyuki City, Shiro's house

Saber's POV:

I noticed Kagome fiddling with something sealed in a small bottle. She was counting each one to see whether they were all there. There were many of these things and they were glowing a dull purple hue. She turned around and stared at me blankly. She started fidgeting and tried her best to hide the bottle away from me,

"Kagome? What exactly are you doing?" I asked

"It's nothing Saber! None of your concern!" She said. She spoke rapidly and tried her best to be evasive. Afterwards, she put the bottle in her bag and ran off.

It seems that now Kagome is hiding something from ME... Now what could that be...?

When I was sure Kagome had left, I looked inside her bag. Inside that small bottle were around twenty tiny shards. They were slim and pointed on both ends. The aura that came from them was very strong.

Is this the "Shikon no tama" that Kagome broke so long ago?

I suddenly remembered what Mrs. Higurashi said. They could increase one's power by a hundred fold! Surely It would make this war much easier if I took one of these! Anyways, she won't notice. It's only one shard. What harm could it do?

I unscrewed the bottle and took one shard, careful not to make any noise. Then I closed the bottle, slipped it into Kagome's bag, and ran off so that nobody would catch me in the act. I was quite satisfied. If these jewels could make me stronger, then we had a chance. I felt one step closer to obtaining the grail already...

The Next Day...

March 28th, 2008

10:00 AM

Kagome's POV:

"Oh really? Just a little case of exhaustion? You're kidding! Ha Ha! Nope! That sounds like Fuji Nee alright! That's totally normal for her! Well, please tell her I said hi, will you? Thanks again for everything."

Shiro got a phone call from the hospital regarding Fuji Nee. It's a good thing she's fine. I thought that the barrier would have REALLY knocked her out!

"How's Taiga?" Saber asked

"Well, they say she's already asking for seconds at the hospital!" Shiro replied.

"Really? And I thought she was sick..." I remarked

"I wanna swing by and say hi, but there's something we really need to take care of first." Shiro was about to walk off but Saber stopped him,

"You know, it's not imperative that we capture Rider's master today."

"SABER..." Shiro growled under his teeth.

"If you're going to insist on fighting, you should at least wait until your body is healed first."

Ah ha! Signs of love!

"I'm with Saber. I mean, there's no point in fighting when you haven't recovered yet." I added to her statement.

"That's not what I'm talking about! Sorry but my health is way down on my list of priorities. We've gotta let Shinji away from Rider! We can't let him set up another barrier!"

"Tell me Shiro, is this your motivation for fighting in this war? To avoid the victims we had two days ago? Because you don't seem to care about defeating other masters." Saber asked.

Oh I know his true intentions... for love!

"No. I intend to hold Shinji encountable. But we'll have to take down Rider first in order to do that. And you know, not wanting people to get hurt is a pretty good motive. I can't think of a better reason for wanting to fight!"

Saber looked shocked for a second, It seemed that she thought that Shiro was right.

"All right, very well. If those are my master's wishes, then I will obey." Saber said trying to keep her voice neutral as she walked off.

"Thanks Saber."

"That girl's stubborn streak seems to be going away..." I muttered

"You think so?" Shiro asked.

"Think so? I KNOW so!"

At that moment, I had the nasty feeling I was sensing a Jewel Shard.

A Jewel Shard? Here? No way! I checked on them last night! Wait... Saber was watching me wasn't she? Could she have... nah!

I didn't think that Saber would have the use for one anyway. She was already pretty strong. But it was good in a way if she did, after all, we are allies. And after the war, what's the point of keeping one?

Soon after, we decided to have a strategic meeting about taking down Rider. It was always best to have a battle plan instead of just rushing in. As the famous saying goes, "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail." We went into the dining room where Rin was sitting down having her usual afternoon tea and biscuts.

"Heard you're going after Shinji. So it's safe to assume you have a good chance of beating him right, Shiro?" Rin said as she took a sip of her tea.

"Well, what do you mean by a good chance?" Shiro asked

"Oh I was just going to pick a fight with another master and see what happens! If you said something like that, I would have laughed in your face!" Rin replied.

Hmm... I don't think Shiro would be that stupid to do something like that. Heck, I wouldn't! Wait... I've had experience with Naraku, so of course I wouldn't.

Shiro laughed sheepishly on hearing Rin's comment and his face turned bright red.

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!" Rin laughed, emphasizing on the "ha's."

"Uhh Rin... you laugh kind of funny..." I remarked.

She ignored me and took another sip of her tea. But I could notice that she was slightly angry.

"If we were just going up against Rider, this wouldn't be a problem. Shiro has gone against Rider as well, so I'm certian that he knows what I'm reffering to." Saber said to start off our discussion.

"Oh he has, has he?" Rin was amazed

"Yea, Rider isn't nearly as powerful as Saber. I don't think she'll lose if it's a one on one fight." Shiro replied.

"I agree. Inu Yasha has fought with Rider. So he knows quite well too." I added.

"Well... maybe you do stand a chance at winning this..." Rin mused as she took a bite of her biscuit

Saber and Shiro looked at each other with a knowing look for one moment, and then Rin said,

"Why are you two still so depressed? Is there some other issue you're not telling me about?"

Suddenly, a thundering noise came from two rooms over, sure enough, Inu Yasha ran into the room.

"Kagome! You said something about that Rider chick right?"

"Uhh... yea..." I was uncertian about what he was planning...

"Are you planning to take her down, if so, don't go without me! I haven't finished my fight with her from last time!"

Oh man... Are we gonna have to tell him about the grail war or something?

Rin and Shiro gave each other awkward looks and Saber looked pensive. After a while, Saber said,

"Kagome. It's no use. You're going to have to tell him. I don't think it will do us any harm."

Saber wants him to know... does this mean that she wants him to join us in this? Does this mean that she's starting to fall for him...?

"Saber! What are you thinking?! If outsiders find out about this-" Rin was about to finish but Saber cut her off,

"Kagome knows, doesn't she? And nothing has happened to her."

"But she's a mage herself! Inu Yasha is just-"

"Just tell him."

Then I began to explain to Inu Yasha what we have been doing all along. I also told him about Dad and our family situation, and how Shiro is my half brother.

"What's a dai-vor-ce?" Inu Yasha asked.

"It's when a married couple separates." I replied.

"Oh. I see. But Kagome, why are you doing this? I don't see how getting this, 'Holy trail'..."

"Holy GRAIL." I corrected him.

"Whatever. But what's the point? What do you get out of the deal?"

"The Holy Grail can grant the bearer one wish..." I knew that I didn't have to explain the rest, he'd be jumping up and down wanting to fight with us any minute now.

"... wait... This means that... I can become a full fledged demon! Who knows? This might even help us to defeat Naraku!"

"Nara... who?" Rin asked.

"Uhh... Inu Yasha, I really don't think you should say any more." I didn't want any more people to know about my adventures in the Feudal Era other than Shiro and Saber.

"Fine."

"Aaaanyways... where were we... ah yes! Taking down Rider!" said Rin, eager to get back to the meeting.

The rest of our discussion was centred on how to take down Rider. Shiro mentioned that Rider managed to escape even though she was very close to losing last time. Shiro said that it was due to something called her "noble phantasm." I didn't know exactly what it was. But I got the idea. I guessed that it was like Inu Yasha's wind scar or Miroku's wind tunnel. A special attack and their most powerful. Saber also said that Rider's noble phantasm is not related to her personal abilities in any way. So Rin concluded that Rider's noble phantasm was like a missle with a one shot chance, wheras Saber's was like a gun with unlimited amunition. Everyone knows that a gun can't take out a missile. So in conclusion, we thought that we should take down Rider before she can even use her noble phantasm. So we should keep the fight short. Suddenly, when the meeting came to an end, Rin walked towards the door,

"Sorry I can't be a part of your little Shinji search squad. I've got something of my own I need to take care of, I'll be waiting for the good news though."

Rin... backing out? Oh wait... maybe she's just testing us!

Later that day...

Somewhere in Fuyuki City, near Shinji's house

Saber's POV:

I was using my magic to try and sense whether Shinji was at home. However, I felt nothing.

"Just as we thought. He's not here..."

"Well, knowing him, the only thing he cares about right now, is getting revenge on us." Shiro replied.

"And all I care about is getting revenge on Rider!" Inu Yasha gloated.

Inu Yasha! You are just so full of yourself! You call me arrogant and cocky, but you are like that yourself! UGH! You remind me so much of Gilglamesh only you are an angel compared to him! At least you don't run after me asking me to marry you and try to kill me at the same time! Yet again, sometimes you are worried about me and other times you hate me. What is your reason for thinking like this?

I tried to forget about Inu Yasha and asked Shiro,

"Do you really think that Rider's master will erect another barrier so soon?"

"I don't think. I know." Shiro replied, quoting Kagome from this morning, "So instead of looking for Shinji..."

"Look for the barrier!" I finished his sentence for him, "I'm surprised! That's excellent insight, Shiro!"

"Hey! You know, no matter what Rin says, I'm not a complete idiot!" Shiro yelled, he seemed angry, "Come on, if Shinji is gonna set up a barrier, he won't do it here!"

"Yea, as if Shinji would set up a barrier at his own apartment." Kagome remarked

"You're going after him now? We're in front of Sakura's house as well, wouldn't it be rude if we didn't just say hi?"

Shiro looked pensive for a while, then he looked me straight in the eye and said,

"We'd better not. The last thing I wanna do is get Sakura involved in any of this..."

"And the last thing I wanna do is let Sakura see you two together..." Kagome muttered,

"What do you mean?" Shiro asked

"You didn't know? What an idiot you are! I've only known her for a few weeks and I can see it better than you do! Sakura's desperately in love with you Shiro!" Kagome replied.

Shiro had an awful look on his face. He looked down at his feet and refused to speak for a long time.

"But you know, you don't have to love her or anything. You do what you want to do. Be with the girl you want to be with." Kagome advised him.

Shiro felt a little bit better after that and we continued on our way. We searched many buildings and places where Shinji was most likely to be, but we could find no sign of him. Involuntarily, I checked my pocket to see if my Jewel Shard was still there, it was. Suddenly, Shiro started groaning in pain and broke down.

"Shiro! Is something wrong?"

"Shiro! Are you alright?" Kagome asked, also coming to his aid.

I couldn't believe that he was big enough an idiot to leave his wounds unattended...

"Shiro! Come with me!" I dragged him away and wanted him to get some rest,

"Hey! Hold on! We haven't finished checking all these buildings yet!

I ignored him and dragged him to a place where I was sure nothing would happen.

"What are you doing? There's nothing even out here! He wouldn't build a barrier way out here!"

"Do as I tell you and sit down!" I made him sit on the nearest bench, "It seems your body has finally got your attention hasn't it, Shiro? This is what happens when you push yourself too hard and you still have injuries."

Kagome had a wide smirk on her face as she was witnessing this scene. Inu Yasha was looking somewhere else, I had the suspicion that he was looking at me...

"I'm sorry. I'll be back on my feet in a few minutes. I guess I just need to rest a bit." Shiro appologized,

"Amazing. Not a single word I say ever gets through to you, does it? You're just like Kagome!." I said as I sat down, "If you don't want to rest alone then I'll be more than happy to join you. One must be rested to wage a battle."

"All right then! I'll leave you two lovebirds alone!" Kagome piped up as she and Inu Yasha sat down on the next bench.

Lovebirds... I mean really!

I moved a bit closer to Shiro, he looked at me and turned a bright shade of red,

"Shiro, your colour seems to be worse than it was a minute ago..."

Shiro moved a few inches away from me and then said,

"My colour's fine! My face isn't flushed or anything! Honest!"

"Isn't flushed...?"

"Ah... forget it." Shiro said nonchalently

Hmmm... why is Shiro acting this way? Could he be... NO! NO! NO! Stop it! Don't think about these things NOW!!

"I think it would be better if you could lie down. Unfortunately there isn't much room here...

I looked at the bench to my left where there was a young couple. The boy's head was on the girl's lap. That gave me an idea... I looked at Shiro. I knew he knew what I meant by that.

"EH?!" He looked at me strangely,

"Shiro, you could rest your head here if you like." I put my hand on my lap

"Not necessary! I just need to sit for a second and then I'll be fine!" He stammered. Then he leaned to one side of the bench and closed his eyes. I couldn't help but look at him,

Shiro...

6:00 PM

Shiro's POV:

I wake up to see that the sun had set and it was already nighttime.

"Did I doze of or something?" I asked Saber

"You did. For a little over an hour." Saber replied.

"What did you let me do THAT for? We don't have time to take naps in the middle of the day!"

"Resting is a necessary action."

I sighed, "Well I do feel alot better. But I just wish that I could have crashed out some place else." This was the very place that I used to live ten years ago...

"Do you have some kind of connection to this place, Shiro?" Saber asked.

"Well, yea, I guess I never told you, huh?"

Then I explained to her the full story, about how I felt and what happened ten years ago. The day when my real parents died in the fire and Kiritsugu adopted me. The day when everyone died except me...

"Shiro? Is this why you go to such lengths to prevent people from getting hurt?" Saber asked, "Because you yourself lost so much in the last Grail War, you go out of your way to keep others from that same fate."

"Maybe it's something even simpler..."

I also explained that it wasn't an easy thing to live with, being the only one to survive. I owed something to all those that died. I couldn't let this happen again.

"So as a concequence, you have zero interest in perserving your own life... You value others more than you value yourself, and that is a very noble sentiment. But mark my words, you will come to regret that choice one day. You should value your own well being far more than you do!"

I just stared at her blankly. Some part of me didn't want to give up this ideal, but another kept telling me that she was right.

"Hey, Shiro. How are ya feeling now?" Kagome asked me as she walked towards me.

"I'm fine, thank you." I replied.

"Hey Saber, you know, I couldn't help hearing your conversation. And you're right for once! Someone should talk some sense into Shiro..." Inu Yasha muttered.

Suddenly, I noticed Kagome look at her feet and she looked quite upset. She was giving Inu Yasha a suspicious look.

"Hey, Kagome! What's wrong?" I asked with great concern.

Suddenly, Saber dragged me by the arm. She didn't want to delay any longer,

"Let's go. Staying here is obviously causing you undue stress..."

We made our way onward to face Shinji and Rider and make sure that we would get at least a little bit closer to winning this war...

AN: I didn't want to quote the episode word for word, so for those who noticed, I cut out the dialouges for their little "Strategic meeting" and just explained it from Kagome's point of view. Reading dialouges like that can be quite boring after all. Remember to take part in the contest mentioned above!

So... until next time...