SPECIAL CHAPTER

CHAPTER 50: A GLIMPSE OF THE PAST

Fuyuki City, Japan, Alternate Universe, December 2006

(Shirou Emiya POV)

Ding! Dong!

"WE'RE HOME!"

Soon the door was opened, by a silver-haired young female with ruby-red eyes.

"ONII-CHAN!" cried the girl happily, as she tackled a red-haired young man, into a vice grip-like embrace.

"Guh!" the boy blurted out, gasping for breath, as the small female began to swing around, using his neck as support. "Ilya... you're choking me... Saber, a little help please..."

The blonde woman, however, instead of helping out, ignored him, and instead, was slowly walking, almost as stealthily as an Assassin Class Servant, away from the scene... However...

"SABER!"

"Guh!"

Unfortunately, the King of Knights was a bit too late, for the silver-haired female had now dislodged herself from her brother and had now latched on to her instead, rubbing her face against her chest...

"Shirou!" gasped the petite blonde, looking pleadingly at the young man who was her lover...

"Saber," said the red-haired magus. "I'm off to the kitchens to cook dinner. Please look after Ilya for a while..."

The female blonde was about to open her mouth in protest, but closed it again, deciding not to. After all, it was best not to disturb Shirou while he was at work in the kitchens. It was already a proven fact that while the man's dishes were excellent, the quality goes down a peg or two if he was distracted. And even someone like Saber, who did not really have a particular type of food she likes, and far from being a cuisine expert, noticed...

-BREAK-

It had been, more or less, a year since the events of the 5th Holy Grail War. Things were finally quiet and peaceful.

As Shirou put on his apron and began cooking, the red-haired magus briefly recalled the events of the War, which he and his friends managed to survive together...

It was a war between fourteen participants. Seven Masters, each one with a Servant, a heroic spirit who wields tremendous power, and had accomplished glorious deeds during their lifetime, were to battle against each other.

The objective of the war? To eliminate all opposition and be the last Master and Servant pair standing...

And somehow, Shirou Emiya got himself dragged into it...

"Master Emiya," inquired a voice, belonging to a silver-haired woman who went by the name Seyla, identical yet taller than Ilya, who entered the kitchen along with another female. "Is there anything we can do to be of assistance?"

"Yes," replied Shirou. "Could you please prepare the table for dinner? We will be having guests tonight."

"Understood, Master Emiya," replied the woman's companion Leysritt, who also had identical silver hair and ruby-red eyes, as they left the kitchen.

"Oh, and please stop calling me Master Emiya," the red-haired magus called after them. "Just call me Shirou..."

"Understood, Maste... Shirou," came the response.

The man who was cooking dinner sighed. Participant of the Grail War or not, he had always been uncomfortable with people calling him Master. Somehow, he just did not like it, partly because he felt it was demeaning for the other party, partly because he thought that being called that way made it seem like he was an old man...

The two weeks in which the 5th Heaven's Feel happened were, in his opinion, the longest and most memorable times in his life, in a horrible, yet also in a good way...

For the war had caused the death of many innocent people, and in fact, the total number of fatalities was equal to 1/4 of the entire Fuyuki City population, mostly thanks to the fact that Caster managed to form an alliance with Gilgamesh, the Archer from the 4th Holy Grail War, and thus unleashed their terror, without care for the secrecy rule that was supposed to govern the war. Kirei Kotomine, the mediator and secretly the master of Lancer, died by the hands of the King of Heroes, who stated that the reason why he killed the fake priest who was his former ally, was due to the fact that he had become boring and uninteresting, and was thus, no longer worthy of his time.

The Caster-Gilgamesh alliance had been an immense force to reckon with, and it took every ounce of strength from Shirou and his friends to finally bring them down, and the entire duration of the War had caused a lot of damage, both to life and property. For the crafty Medea managed to place the evil that was within the Grail, Servant Avenger, Angra Mainyu, under her control, not to mention the fact that she managed to abduct Sakura, keeping her in an unconscious state. The Witch of Betrayal utilized this to her advantage, by having Sakura form a contract with the non-manifested Servant Avenger, and controlled the shadows created from the combination of All the Evils of the World, and Sakura's element, Magic Numbers. Medea had acquired a lot of power, and set about on destroying the city, as well as the world. For Caster had become somewhat insane, the moment that her Master and lover, Kuzuki Souichiro, died at the hands(worms) of Matou Zouken, as well as the fact that she was deprived of the chance to take her revenge.

For Rin (whose motivation was to save Sakura) and Kotomine (who had an axe to grind with the old magus) had formed a temporary alliance, Archer and Saber faced off and killed Shinji's Servant (although sometime later, Sakura confessed that she had actually been the purple-haired Servant's true Master) Rider and Zouken's Servant True Assassin, while Shirou, the female magus and the fake priest proceeded to get rid of the Head of the Matou family head.

And because of this, Caster, who was deprived of her chance to avenge Kuzuki, let go of all restraints, disregarding the rules of secrecy, and decided to vent out her frustration on the world, pulling out all the stops, and this was what got Gilgamesh's attention, who found it amusing and thus, decided to side with her...

Things had actually escalated to a point that the combined efforts of the Mage Association and the Church were barely able to keep it contained and discreet from the rest of the world. Yes, they had succeeded, but with enormous effort. Waver Velvet, also known as Lord El Melloi II, even commented that the destruction and loss of life was even worse than the previous war. The representative of the Mage Association was the Master of Rider (Iskander, the King of Conquerors) during the 4th war that happened 10 years earlier, and even he was shaken. Still...

Despite all of the pain, suffering, loss, and misery that they had to go through, there was something special, something priceless, which they managed to gain. Not everything was death and loss...

Ding! Dong!

"Saber, could you please open the door?" shouted Shirou, as he poked his head into the dining room.

The blonde female nodded, and went off to open the door, Ilya tagging along beside her...

Soon the dining room was full of visitors...

"Yo," greeted a familiar male voice...

"Good evening, Shirou."

"Sempai..."

Lancer, whose true identity was Cu Chulainn, the Hound of Ulster, and was wearing casual clothes. The Servant with the red spear who was formerly an enemy, and had actually stabbed his weapon through Shirou's heart during their first encounter...

Rin , the school idol and model student, who, as he later discovered, was actually a cold hearted magus (Which also turned out to be also a facade, as the she was actually a kind-hearted person on the inside.), as well as Sakura's biological sister, as well as the one who saved his life after being stabbed by Lancer...

Sakura, Rin's sister, who he had known for almost three years, now the Head of the Matou Family after the death of her adoptive brother and grandfather Shinji and Zouken (officially, at least, but not in spirit)...

"Evening, guys," greeted the red-haired magus. "If you could wait just a bit, it's almost finished... Seyla, could you please serve them some tea?"

The silver-haired female nodded, as she got some teabags out of the drawer, all of which were triangle-shaped ones (Shirou shuddered, as he remembered the killing intent which emanated from Rin Tohsaka, whenever she visited, and discovered that there were no triangle-shaped tea bags available in his house)...

-BREAK-

Dinner had been rather quiet, only the sound of china and utensils could heard, and the only words spoken were the occasional 'Please pass the sauce' or 'more rice please.'

Saber and Fuji-nee were indeed, like monsters when it comes to eating. The two had rather bottomless stomachs, and can do so rather quickly and efficiently, although Shirou's blonde Servant and lover managed to retain the elegance in her poise, whereas the teacher failed at the feat. However...

It turned out that even they were no match for the Hound of Ulster, who can devour food at three times as fast as the already incredible rate that Saber and Taiga were at. The first time he joined them for their meal (The time when Rin and Lancer had formed a contract, as the magus had lost her Archer while the Servant of the Spear's Master, the fake priest Kirei Kotomine, was killed by Gilgamesh.), it was a disaster. Cu Chulainn truly deserved one of his titles, 'The Hound of Ulster,' not because of his beast-like prowess in battle, but due to his canine-like eating speed. The group was too busy discussing their plans and course of action against the Witch of Betrayal and the King of Heroes, that they were only eating half-heartedly. When they finally finished and were about to continue with their meal, the food was gone... all gone...

And because of it, they were forced to eat instant noodles, which, after having a bit of the luscious meal that Shirou had prepared, did not taste all that well, not to mention the fact that lack of nutrition might affect their performance in the perilous fights that await them...

Yes, all throughout dinner, everyone was quiet, trying to ensure that they get a satisfactory portion of the meal before all of it was grinded down by the blue-haired spearman. They will not make the same mistake ever again...

-BREAK-

"It's been a while, Lancer," stated Saber. "How are you?"

"Oh," replied the blue-haired Servant absentmindedly. "Travelling around the world... getting to know so many people...and these Dead Apostles... yeah, they're good game, not as skilled as you Saber, but more than good enough to keep me from getting bored... and there're many of them out there..." At this a feral grin appeared across Lancer's face. "I'm definitely having the time of my life..."

"I see," replied the blonde-haired former King of Knights. "I'm glad to hear it..."

"Only problem is, I can't even get acquainted with any of the ladies I meet, at least not when she's around, which happens to be almost all of the time..." sighed the Servant of the red spear. "Last time I tried..."

SWOOSH!

CRACK!

"That happened," stated Lancer nervously, who had just dodged something that was aimed for his head.

"Nee-san!" came the voice of Sakura from the kitchens.

"Rin," said Saber sternly, loudly enough for the black-haired female magus to hear, (who was currently in the kitchens doing the dishes along with Sakura), upon seeing the crack on the wall, created by a sharp weapon, a Black Key, which was thrown at the Hound of Ulster. "Could you please refrain from doing that? Much as I sympathize with your predicament, I'd rather not see Shirou's house destroyed..."

"Hey!" growled Lancer, pretending to be upset that the blonde female was not taking his side, but failed, as his face turned into a nervous smile.

"Oh, don't worry Saber," replied the Tohsaka heir coldly. "I'll be sure to repair any damage I cause... just like when I fixed that huge hole in the wall which you created."

"In case you've forgotten Rin," replied the blonde-haired female, and there was the slightest trace of a growl in it. "It was Archer, not me, who was responsible for that..."

The red-haired magus sighed as he watched his companions continue their exchange, wishing that his teacher, Fuji-nee was around, as that would minimize the possibility of his house getting demolished by magic, though unfortunately, the brown-haired female who was like his elder sister had some important matters to attend to.

The Holy Grail War had indeed been a nightmare... no... worse than any nightmare. Still, it was all in the past, and now they had been able to move forward, and continue with their lives.

Sakura was now in officially in charge of Fuyuki City, having taken her sister's place, who was now studying at the Clock Tower of the Mage Association...

Well, officially at least, but in reality, Rin Tohsaka was a double agent. In truth, while she was indeed in the Mage Association, she, as well as her Servant Lancer were also members of the Church's Burial Agency, and the only one who knows about this was Bartolomei Lorelei, the Queen of the Clock Tower, who had given Tohsaka permission to do so. And in fact, half of the time, she was actually out on missions, sometimes with Enforcers, sometimes with members of the 8th Sacrament, sometimes just with her Servant, hunting down Dead Apostles.

They may be powerful, but she did have a Heroic Spirit by her side, as well as having her own natural talent as a magus. Rin and Lancer had actually met Ciel, an incarnation of the Dead Apostle Ancestor Roa, and Meremi, who was a Dead Apostle Ancestor, among the most dangerous and powerful vampires, himself, both of whom had become occasional visitors to the Emiya Household (Ciel, because she simply enjoyed Shirou's cooking, and Meremi, because he found the red-haired magus' abilities, as well as nature, interesting).

In fact, according to Rin, during their first meeting, it had been difficult to keep her Servant (And obviously her lover as well, which is probably why the blue-haired spearman was being restrained by the black-haired female magus from coming into contact with other girls, knowing of his history as a womanizer. She undoubtedly had the upper hand in the relationship. He was hers, and she has apparently made it clear who was in control.) on the leash, as Cu Chulainn, sensing the power of the two entities, could hardly control his urge to challenge and engage them in a fight.

As for Lancer, well, he had never been interested in the Holy Grail, and his only objective was to quench his thirst for battle, so now, hunting down Dead Apostles, the Servant of the red spear couldn't be any happier...

Things had been going rather well for everyone. Shirou's Servant, Arturia Pendragon, the King of Knights, also decided to stay after the 5th Holy Grail War, having fallen in love with the red-haired magus who was her Master, who in turn, had also fallen in love with her. The blonde female preferred that everyone continued calling her by her class, Saber, not because she wanted to hide her identity, but because she wanted to forget about her past, and only think of the present. She now had her second chance at life, finally convinced that her wish to redo things was wrong, that she had done her utmost during her reign as the King of England, and that it was now time to move on, leaving her regrets behind...

Everything was fine. Things were peaceful once again. Together, they will continue moving forward, and will undoubtedly be able to face whatever is in store for them in the future...

"Saber?" inquired Shirou, as the blonde-haired female stood up, carrying a silver-haired girl in her arms, who had fallen asleep on her(Saber's) lap.

"I'm taking Ilya to her room," replied the King of Knights. "She needs rest."

...except for one...

-BREAK-

It was two o'clock in the morning. Shirou Emiya was currently standing on top of the roof of his house. For some reason, whenever he wanted to think about something serious, he had gotten the habit of looking up at the stars, on the very spot of where he knew Archer used to stand when he had been keeping watch during the duration of the 5th Holy Grail War.

The red-clad knight's, Archer's identity... in truth, it had come as a surprise, yet at the same time it had not, as if Shirou had already instinctively known who he was, even if his mind did not. For Archer's true identity... was Heroic Spirit Emiya, his future self...

The Servant of the Bow, from the very beginning, even when his identity was not yet known, had openly shown his stance towards his younger self. Although he had never tried to attack him, he hated him, and while he hid and controlled his killing intent and hostility, in respect of his Master, Rin and of their temporary alliance against Ilya and Berserker, Shirou knew that it would be impossible for the two of them to ever get along. The only reason why they were cooperating was due to the fact that the Mad Warrior, whose true identity was Hercules, was overwhelmingly powerful.

And as the days went by, the tension between them was becoming worse. Although they rarely spoke to each other, whenever they did, they always argued when it comes to the same point, when it comes to battle plans and strategies, but more importantly, when it comes to saving people, when it comes to the ideals that they both shared and inherited from their adoptive father, Kiritsugu Emiya. Yes, the ideal of saving everyone was indeed flawed, as well as the ways that can be used to try and go about it. Shirou was against taking innocent lives as much as possible, while his future self did not mind sacrificing those without fault, if it meant that more people would be saved by their deaths. Yes, it was a twisted path, a path without an end, for it was an impossible dream...

Yes, Archer's objective all along was to kill his younger self. He was being patient, due to the fact that having Saber as an ally was useful, but eventually it was what he was going to do. However...

Flashback

"So, Saber is going to disappear?" the red-haired magus asked Rin Tohsaka...

"I'm afraid so, Emiya-kun," replied the Tohsaka heiress in an emotionless voice. "She had depleted all her prana when she used her Noble Phantasm to destroy Rider and Assassin. And while she may still have some left, it is just a small amount, a very small amount, and right now she is struggling just to remain in this world. I'm sorry Emiya-kun, but the only way for her to survive is if she were to take the soul of other people..."

"Is there really no other way?" inquired Shirou in a quiet voice.

The female magus did not respond, apparently deep in thought, but the message was clear...

"I see," said Shirou, more to himself than to the person he was talking to. "Very well..."

A red light began glowing on one of the Command Mantra's on his hand...

"Saber, by the power of the Command Seal, I order you to..."

"Shirou, please don't," pleaded the King of Knights, as loudly as she could in her state...

"But Saber," began Shirou, pausing for a moment, yet his resolve was still there. He was about to proceed giving the order when...

"I think I've found another way, Emiya-kun," stated Rin calmly, although a slight tinge of red had appeared on her cheeks as she made her declaration...

The glow on the tattoo faded, the first Command Spell unused, for the order was not given...

At one corner of the room, a red-clad figure with white hair, who was supposed to be on the roof doing his lookout duty, materialized for a moment, with a look of surprise on his face, before fading back into spirit form...

End of Flashback

Archer noticed something, something which had eventually made him drop the idea of killing his past self...

Yes, he had promised, the red-haired magus had promised his Servant that he would never give her an order which she would hate and make her go against her morals. He had also promised himself that he would try and save as many people as possible. However...

While it was true that Shirou wanted to become a superhero and save everyone, he was unwilling to sacrifice those he truly cared for the most to achieve this goal. If pursuing his ideals meant that he would lose the people he cared for the most, then his ideals can go to hell, for all he cared. That was the one exception...

And the one point, in which he and Archer were in complete agreement. For Archer had sacrificed his friends and loved-ones in pursuit of his ideals, and it was one of his greatest regrets... The one difference, which, for better or for worse, changed everything...

-BREAK-

"Her condition is getting worse," said Rin, her voice seemingly monotonous as she checked on the unconscious silver-haired female, but there was a note of worry in it, and whenever that happens, it means that she was very, very worried. "At this rate, she probably has about two weeks left to live... a month at most... Do you really intend to continue with what you are planning? You know what will happen to you if you do..."

"I do," the red-haired magus replied, keeping his voice as calm as he could, before leaving the room and headed out for the small park, the park where he first met Ilya, not as a Master, but as a person...

Archer had fought valiantly, having faced off against Berserker, who had been corrupted by the shadow, and was thus no longer Ilya's Servant, but Medea's slave. In the end, he managed to defeat Hercules, but at a price. True, he managed to take out all twelve of shadow-shrouded Berserker's lives, but he did not come out unscathed. His core was damaged during the fight, as a Shadow managed to sneak up on him, and was barely alive when he had rejoined the group that set out to rescue Sakura.

The plan was successful, and they managed to rescue Rin's unconscious sister, as well as broke her contract with Servant Avenger, but it was not without a price. Caster had already figured out how Sakura's element worked, as well as managed to carve out another vessel for the Holy Grail, taking the spirits of the fallen Servants that Sakura had absorbed as well, and thus no longer needed her.

And Archer came back to them, victorious from his battle, but mortally wounded, and there was nothing they could do...

However, instead of disappearing, something else happened. His soul had not been taken in by either Sakura or Ilya, who were Holy Grails, but neither was it taken in by Caster's vessel... Instead, his essence...

...went into his younger self, Shirou Emiya...

At this point in time, every person in the group already knew of Archer's true identity. However, what happened to him after he disappeared was still unexpected...

Yes, Ilya had already explained it to them. When Servants die, their souls go into the vessel that was prepared for the Holy Grail. However, that was not what happened with Heroic Spirit Emiya. And to add to that, his younger self was not a vessel for the HolyGrail, which means he should have, more or less, been destroyed. Whatever the case, Shirou Emiya should have died.

However, the red-haired magus did not die. True, there was some pain, but it was bearable, much more bearable than it should have been. Perhaps the reason behind it was due to the fact that Shirou still had Avalon implanted inside him, and the contract he had with Saber strengthened its effects, but regardless, with a Heroic Spirit invading your mind and body, the pain he should have experienced should have been far worse, and the sheath would not have been enough to save him...

It was true that Archer and Shirou were originally the same person, but they were not the same person. Both of them have the same Reality Marble, but while they have the same powers, they were fundamentally different. Archer's experiences were different from Shirou's experiences, which meant that their inner worlds were also different. Also, Archer was vastly superior to Shirou, his younger self, in body, mind and soul, who should have been destroyed the moment the Counter Guardian's spirit entered his body...

Instead, they had merged. And there could only be one reason. In the end, their worlds, their ideals, had become so alike, that the two of them had become compatible, and thus, something impossible had become possible. And the one whose inner world went through a drastic change... was Archer's, who was swayed by Shirou's actions, and instead of him influencing his younger self, it went the other way around...

And because of this, Shirou had gained access to the vast amount of knowledge, memories and experience that Heroic Spirit Emiya accumulated throughout his life, not all of it, just a portion, but everything that was related to his magecraft, swordsmanship, and Reality Marble was there. Not only that, his Magic Circuits had fused with Shirou's own, who had thus gained all of his abilities, as well as the improved od capacity...

And with it, Shirou Emiya was able to defeat the King of Heroes, Gilgamesh, when they faced each other during the final day of the war...

"Please save Ilya..."

These were the last words, the last request, which Archer has spoken to Shirou as their spirits merged, before the Counter-Guardian's consciousness left the plane of existence, trusting and believing that his younger self would be able to do what he had failed to accomplish...

Shirou was not sure exactly what kind of relationship Archer had with Ilya, whether it was as a lover, as a parent, or as a brother, for the memories he saw were vague and incomplete, but the red-haired magus had seen enough to know that Ilya was the person his future self had cared for the most. Yes, he had seen it, how Archer, who looked exactly like Shirou did (with red hair) at the time, desperately tried to find a way to save Ilya, to no avail. He had failed miserably, and the silver-haired female perished...

Yes, that was the one wish which Heroic Spirit Emiya had, aside from his desire to save everyone and ending his own existence... yet that one simple wish had been denied...

Personally, Shirou to love the young-looking girl with silver-haired like a little sister, even though she was actually older than him. Yes, she may look like a child, but she was actually Shirou's older sister, though not by blood...

It must have been painful, really painful, for Archer, to be unable to do anything to save her... But now, there was a way. His younger self, on whom he had pinned his hopes on, had found a way to do what he was unable to do...

Yes, it was difficult. For even with the effect of Avalon, which Shirou, with Saber's consent, had now placed inside Ilya, he knew that it would not be enough. For the silver-haired female's body had been experimented with too much, that even with the power of the sheath, her lifespan would not be increased by much. Even though Avalon greatly increased regeneration, which was the reason why Shirou had managed to survive after receiving body-splitting and fatal blows during the Holy Grail War, it still would not be enough...

There was only one way to save her...

Shirou Emiya had already made his decision. His resolve will not waver. Two months before, he had already informed Saber about what he was planning to do, and it had actually resulted in Shirou receiving the most powerful slap he had ever had in his lifetime, before the King of Knights (which was out of character for her) cried on his chest...

Still, in the end, the blonde female agreed, for even she had grown fond of Ilya, who was actually now just as attached to Saber as she was to Shirou...

And the only one who did not know about his plan was Ilya...

Yes, Shirou knew it was for the best. It was the least he could do, not just to honour Archer's wish, but also to make it up to the girl, the girl who Shirou had grown to love like a little sister (even though she was actually older), the girl who had to grow up and suffer alone, lonely and unloved, for he stole her father away from her...

He knew she would not agree, he knew Ilya would be upset, but Shirou was sure that everything would be fine. Even if he was gone, Saber and the others would be there for her. Yes, everything would be fine. Ilya would not be alone. They will be able to move on and continue moving forward without him...

...

If only he knew what was going to happen once he was gone, but he did not. Shirou did not have the slightest clue of what was in store for them in the future, as he vanished from the plane of existence.

Shirou did not know that they were mistaken when they thought they had destroyed the Grail, for they have not, nor did he know that it had accumulated so much power, that the 6th and final Heaven's Feel would occur in three years' time, or that it would be the bloodiest and most tragic Holy Grail War of all six, much worse than the one he had experienced...

And he did not know that his companions would die in that War, even though they did succeed in destroying the Grail...

And that Ilya would be the only survivor, left all alone, losing her family... losing everyone she ever cared for...


AUTHOR'S NOTES

Alright, another chapter out...

Like I said before, I am really busy (as well as writing discreetly) so my updates may be quite slow, although I promise that I will try and update at least once a week...

Anyway, this is a special chapter wherein some of the events before the beginning of the story are explained. In truth, it had been rather difficult, since I had to show the details in such a way that things are sufficiently revealed, but not enough to make the possible prequels (One for the 5th Grail War and one for the 6th, although like I said possible, not for sure, depending on the motivation, as well as the functionality of my brain to think of ideas.) boring to read. I'm not sure if I succeeded but I hope I have. If there are things or characters which you cannot understand, I suggest you read the Type-Moon Wiki or better yet, play the Visual Novels for Fate/Stay Night and Tsukihime...

And like always, I hope you enjoy my fic...

Later then, people...