A/N: Hi guys! I don't know what to think about this; I've been going back and forth on whether I should only leave it as a oneshot or expand it to something longer - a full-blown different route. (For now, I'm calling it Unlimited Tiger Works) As for the inspiration - Taiga and Iri actually meet and Taiga learns about the Holy Grail War in the "Einzbern Consultation Room" shorts. I know only the basic plot and I have no idea how canon they are, but I liked the idea of Taiga as a mage.
"I need your help, please," Taiga speaks alone in the darkness. The knife in her hand feels heavy - almost too heavy to carry "I have no powers to speak of. I can't offer you the blood of a mage, but I need your help!" Do Heroic spirits listen to prayers? She has no choice but to find out.
The circle - the same circle that Emiya had used in his war - does not react. Taiga clenches her empty hand in a fist and tries to remember. Her face wrinkles, her eyes shut tight as she focuses on that dream from so long ago. She sees herself reading the book, her finger tracing the text. The words - the words are simple gibberish; lines of ink over white pages.
She does not give up. Iri had said it - a master needs only a circle; anything else is to focus on a specific servant. Taiga has no right to be picky. "Anyone," prays she - and yet she does not know to whom. The Grail - that dark prison that has stolen Iri from her and Taiga seeks to destroy? The Heroic Spirits - can they even hear her? Time to find out.
The knife slashes thought Taiga's palm. Blood falls on the circle - a sacrifice for those, who would hear her help. A red light glows in the darkness - the lines grow, connecting the traces on the stone. The power builds up in and out of her, pouring itself over the circle. Magic twists in strange spirals - eerie flowers and snowflakes, dark like dried blood. Energy sparks in the air - great, ancient force that has to be freed. Runes appear out of thin air, completing the enchantment.
Pain hits Taiga's whole body. Her legs lose balance; she falls back. The red sparks freeze and fall like dust that piles together. A figure appears in the circle - a tall, muscular man with coat redder than the blood. He stands with hands in his pockets. His gray eyes glance straight at Taiga and then look away. She tries to stand up, breathing slowly. Her legs still feel weak - if she stood up, she would fall immediately.
For a moment, neither says nothing - perfect, still silence. "Yes!" Taiga punches the air. All those years she has hoped she would never enter a Holy Grail War. Every day she has looked away from the stigma that has appeared on her hand. Every night she has suffered nightmares of her death at the hands of an unknown Servant. Now she is a part of that world - the world of magic, the world of death, the world of challenges. And even though her eyes fell heavy, even though her body can barely move, she has summoned a Servant. She can win her first - and last Holy Grail War.
"Oh, what an interesting master has summoned me," says the man in perfect Japanese with a rich, soft voice. Why has Taiga learned English then? "What is your name?" He looks forward - away from Tagia - at the walls of the house.
"If you were my student I would scold you for this," says she slowly. Each word brings her closer to sleep. The spell has taken most of her power. "Why I am talking about this to you - you are too ancient to be my student. Later you should tell me your story - I'm not that much of a history buff." The Servant frowns for a moment, but his expression returns to his usual strange smile. "Kuzuki on another hand - that guy's lately been obsessed with Ancient Greece. Ah, right, myself. I'm Taiga - an English teacher. Who are you?"
The Servant took a deep breath. "I am just an Archer," he says - as if each word is a spell. For Servants they are - giving their names means giving others power over them. "I shall fight by your side and nothing more. If you have nothing to ask of me now, I will wait for your orders by your die."
Servants can have a spiritual form - Taiga knows they are to be kept like that. She has never thought the change is so simple; there is not turning into mist, there is no slow disappearing. In the place where the Archer stood now exists nothing. But he is still there - she feels his breathing, she hears his voice, "I will stay by your side." If she tries to reach him, Taiga will touch real flesh - warm under her hands…
She does not have enough power. Taiga tries to extend her arm - to brush it against her servant and call his name. "You cannot disrespect your Master so much," she wishes she could say. It takes too much energy. Her hand falls on the ground and touches the cold floor. Her eyelids feel so heavy - she could take a nap before teaching her Servant some manners, she guesses.
"Tomorrow," is all she manages to speak before falling asleep.