Fate

STAY NIGHT

ALTERNATIVE

Prologue

1995, JANUARY

A young boy sits at the porch of his home, gazing up to the gradually darkening sky with silent wonder. Snowflakes are slowly and gracefully descending to the snow-blanketed earth, a steady cold breeze brushing past the boy's body. He started counting the snowflakes, the number rising higher and higher to the hundreds. The boy curled up into a ball, digging his nose in between his legs whilst his eyes remained locked on the sky above.

A cold and stiff, yet gentle hand ruffled his autumn coloured hair, bringing his attention to the man who is now sitting beside him and observing the sky. The man sat slouched forward; his hands clasped together as his cold-grey orbs never averted from the sky, his black hair waving along the gentle wind..

It was this man who had rescued him roughly a year ago by now, a man whom he respected and now adored, this man was his adopted father. It was a chance meeting, it was under the worst circumstances, perhaps the best as well since it was the only way they'd meet.

It was a blessing to be able to see the winter sky, it was a stark contrast to what he had witnessed a year prior to this moment. It was dark, filled with nothing but suffering.

An image appears in his mind, that of a sea of all-consuming fire and a dark sky. The buildings around crumbling down and being devoured, screams and plea's reaching nobody's ears as they are turned to ash—

It is a memory the boy does not want to revisit now; it saddened him greatly.

His face had scrunched up, he was cringing at the image, a change of expression his father had noticed. "Are you alright, Shirou?" He asked, his eyes now on him. The boy, Shirou, nodded, "I'm fine." He answered quietly, lowering his gaze. His father nodded, glancing at the snow-covered garden. They had a comfortable moment of silence, nothing but the sound of the cold breeze and the rustling of leaves reaching their ears.

"Let's get dinner ready, alright? Taiga is going to raid this house in a few minutes." His father joked, earning a chuckle from him. "I'll handle the cooking; you stand beside me and look busy." Shirou replied, smiling slyly at his father who returned a grin of his own. "I'm pretty sure I can handle all of it." His father was already on his way to the kitchen- Ohoho no. "I'm not about to let you!" He quickly got up into a sprint and ran towards the kitchen- nobody touches that holy shrine but him!

Kiritsugu slowly walked after him, a tired smile on his face.

1995, FEBRUARY

"Who are you and why are you here?" The man asked, the barrel of the gun pushing harder against her head. The blonde girl was sweating profusely, the terrifying aura oozing off the man had made her stop moving entirely. He reeked of death right now, it was extremely palpable. She stuttered, unable to string together a coherent sentence as the she felt the cold barrel of the gun push against her right temple. "I'll ask again magus, who are you and why are you here?" She glanced to her interrogator, a man who seemed to be in his mid-to-late thirties, black hair and steel-grey eyes, dressed in a black trench coat with a suit underneath..

"Eh-err.. uhm, Rebecca Aimesore!" She stuttered out, raising her hand, "Please don't shoot me!" She closed her eyes, praying to the lord above that she'd spared. "Aimesoire… ? What is a member of that family doing here?" She heard the man mumble, before the weight of a gun against her head became ever more apparent. "Why?" Was his question, it was one word and that was all Rebecca needed to understand the meaning behind it. "U-uhm, I am self-exiled… I came from the Clocktower to hide and… " Her breathing was becoming more hectic, "I'm not here to do anything except hide from a couple magi who want my crest!" The man lifted the gun away from her head, she felt her legs give away as she dropped to the rough ground.

She raised her head, gazing up at the terrifying figure before her. "Alright then… " He said, before looking down at her, "What do you plan to do from now on, girl?" He asked, causing Rebecca to gulp as she thought about her chances of remaining off the radar. "I- I don't know, I don't know where to go from her I-" The man knelt down to her level, causing her to flinch and push back a little. "I have an offer for you. You're trying to avoid the harsh life of a magus aren't you?" Rebecca nodded slowly, "Good, I have a son I want to protect until I leave for good. Here's the deal, you keep an eye on him until he is ready… and I give you a place to get up on your feet." Rebecca processed the information, blinking as she considered his offer

"Of course, if you don't want to… I can leave you to fend for yourself." He said, Rebecca's eyes widened at the idea. "No! N-no, I accept!" She quickly shouted out, the man nodding in response. "Alright, come with me." He stood up and turned around, walking out to the end of the alley. He stopped, glancing back at Rebecca's slumped form, "Are you coming or what?"

Rebecca quickly shot up and followed after the man. "I- If you don't mind me asking, who are you?" She was curious as to this man was. She flinched when he glanced back at her, a tired look on his face, "My name is Kiritsugu Emiya."

1995, APRIL

"Hello Shirou, I am Maiya Hisau, an associate of your father-" Before the professionally dressed brunette could continue on with her introduction, Shirou asked her a question that had caught her by surprise.

"Are you a magus- y'know, like Dad?" He asked excitedly, a part of the reason she was so caught of by it. This question sent her mind into overdrive. From what Kiritsugu had told her, this child suffered amnesia during the fire over a year ago. He was a presumably a different person to who he was pre-fire, he was an ordinary person, even if he was a magus pre-fire how does he know now-

"Easy Maiya, I told him I'm one.." Kiritsugu said, sitting across the table. A small silence followed, Maiya staring at Kiritsugu with a blank face which was really her shocked expression. She inhaled sharply, before exhaling softly. "Indeed, I am, young Emiya." She replied, trying her best to smile. "Woah…. " The kid expressed wonder, something she had not expected, "Wait- if you're a magus… can you-!?" Before Shirou could finish his question, Kiritsugu interjected.

"No." He said, with some finality put into it. Shirou spun around to meet Kiritsugu's blank stare with his own pouty glare so fast he could've gotten whiplash. "Oh, for the love of- come on, Dad! Pleaaase, please, please plea-!" Kiritsugu raised his hand, demanding silence. "Shirou, I'd rather you do not get involved in the world of magi, it is dangerous and could very well result in… fatal outcomes." He didn't want to use such a heavy word like 'die' in front of his kid. "But if I learn magecraft, I can learn to protect myself and others… right?" Shirou was trying his best to be a silver-tongued negotiator, which amused Maiya quite a bit.

Kiritsugu seemed to give the idea some thought, which gave Shirou an inkling of hope- "No." Kiritsugu responded, all the hope, as small as it was, was now gone. Shirou's excited expression dove into that of disappointment.

Maiya was perplexed, something she didn't express visibly, this is an entirely new side to the Magus Killer that she had seen rarely. The only times Kiritsugu expressed this much joy was back with… Irisviel and Illyasviel.

His Wife and Daughter… had he told Shirou about them yet?

Before Shirou could come up with a counter to what would've Kiritsugu's final answer- a knock on the door caught their attention. "That must be the new girl in town." Kiritsugu said, standing up. "New.. girl?" Shirou asked, following his father's movements as the man went towards the door. "I met someone in town, time for you two to meet her."

Kiritsugu opened the door, revealing a young girl who looked like she was in her teens right outside. Shirou's eyes seemed to widen, the reason why was lost on Maiya.

The girl had curly shoulder-length blonde hair, light freckles on her cheeks and ocean blue eyes. 'She must be western… ' Maiya deduced, 'French, English or German descent.. maybe Swedish or Norwegian.'

"Eh.. B-bonj- no uhm. Hello?" She greeted Kiritsugu nervously. Kiritsugu allowed a smile to grace his lips as he stepped to the side to let her in. "You still have a heavy accent, but your Japanese is better than before." He said, earning a nervous chuckle from the girl. Once she got settled in, sitting in a seiza position, she introduced herself.

"My name is Rebecca Aimesoire, p-pleasure to meet you."

1995, MAY

"Fine… " It finally happened, young Shirou managed to make him cave! Rebecca was sitting in the dojo watching the young Emiya on his knees begging his father to teach him magecraft after their… 'honourable' duel to determine if Shirou was 'worthy'. Beside her was Maiya, who was sporting a rather uncharacteristic smirk on her face as she watched the Emiya's with folded arms. "Y-you mean it… you mean it?!" The grin that appeared on Shirou's face was heartwarming, even for Maiya. "Yes, I mean it," Kiritsugu let out a defeated sigh as he rested the wooden sword over his shoulder his left hand pinching his nose, "We'll start… tomorrow, alright?" He asked, earning a quick and excited nod from the boy.

"I swear, you can be a tough one."

"And I'll become even tougher if you train me… you two as well, Rebecca and Maiya!"

Rebecca's eyes widened slightly and Maiya seemed indifferent, merely shrugging at the idea. "Alright." Maiya responded, Rebecca on the other hand grew nervous. "Shirou, I'm not that good of a magus-" She was silenced by Shirou's loud "Nope!".

"I care not how bad you are, knowledge you can still pass on is valuable knowledge!" He countered, pressing a proud fist against his heart and puffing his chest- Kiritsugu ruffled Shirou's hair, much to the boy's chagrin. "H-hey!" He yelped, trying to wave Kiritsugu's grip off. "Let's not get that far ahead of ourselves, the road ahead for you will be paved in sweat… maybe blood." He joked, Shirou's eyes widening in terror- "I- I will not falter!" Shirou steeled his resolve.

"Oh my god… " Rebecca dug her face into her palms, this was going to be ridiculous…

1995, JUNE

"Excuse me, Ms. Aime… soire?" Shirou had some difficulty pronouncing her name, and to be frank, she didn't blame him for it. Rebecca Aimesoire, a girl from a particularly 'well of' magus family based in France and England. "You're staying here for a long time… right?" Shirou asked as he entered her new room in the Emiya Estate. Kiritsugu had given her one of the more western-styled rooms in the house so that she felt more at home, she said he didn't need to, but he was adamant, so she relented.

Rebecca rolled her chair back, shifting her gaze to the young redhead at her doorway. "Oui- I mean, Yes. I'll be staying for a while… why do you ask?" Shirou's cheeks flushed red as he waved his hands as if he were trying to placate her, did he think he had insulted her in some way? "I don't mean to be uhm.. be rude, I'm just curious." Such an innocent boy he was, Rebecca couldn't help but smile at him. "Don't worry, I didn't take any offense." Shirou calmed down at her words, exhaling a breath of relief before asking, "If you don't mind me asking, uhm, how did you and dad meet?"

Rebecca thought back to that day a few months ago when she had first met the famed Magus Killer. Magus Killer… that's how everybody in the Moonlit World recognized the infamous spellcaster. It was very much a terrifying experience to be staring at the man who'd resort to bringing down a whole airplane to stop an infection from spreading.

In his defense, that infection was very lethal.

"We met somewhere near the park in the late evening, I had just arrived in the city then." She answered.

To be caught like a deer in headlights, the barrel of a gun that could fry your magic circuits in seconds and leave you a husk of your former self, was absolutely horrifying. She had arrived in Fuyuki back in February, the reason why being that she was self-exiled from her home.

It is a story that she'd rather not tell the young boy standing at her doorway right now. "He was rather welcoming after we talked about my.. erhm, circumstances and has allowed me to stay here while I get used to everything here." Shirou let out an 'oh' of understanding, before smiling. "Can you take a very long time to get used to everything please?" He asked, catching her off guard. "Uh- what?" Was all that came out. Shirou continued on, his hands balling into fists as he grinned at her, "I want you to stay here for a long time with us!"

Rebecca remained quiet, staring at the boy. "Uhm, why would you want that?"

"Because I like you, silly!" He spoke those words with zero hesitation, Rebecca's already surprised expression diving into one of pure shock. "Your cooking is almost as good as mine, so I want you to stay and help out, also you're very nice!"

After hearing all that, Rebecca smiled, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Of course, Shirou, I'll stay.. "

1997, MARCH

"Happy Birthday Shirou!" Shirou's eyes widened in surprise the moment he stepped through the front door of his house; he was expecting it to just be another day… just another normal day but he had forgot one simple thing!-

Around the living room stood his father, Rebecca, Maiya and… Taiga, who was blowing on the party horn a little excessively. "It is your day of birth, Shirou, let us celebrate." Maiya said with the most monotone voice he had ever head. "Jeez Maiya, could you sound a little more excited?" Taiga criticized the brunette's lack of enthusiasm. Maiya shot a glance at the tiger, "This is how I sound when I'm excited-" Rebecca slapped Maiya on the back. "Nonsense mon ami! You can do much better than that!" Kiritsugu shook his head in mock-disappointment, earning the girls' ire. "So Shirou, we baked a cake-" Shirou quickly interrupted his father, raising a hand and silencing the room dramatically. "By 'we', you mean Rebecca?"

Silence. Shirou smiled. "Thought so."

Kiritsugu chuckled, raising his hands in defeat. "She was adamant, my skills in the kitchen pale in comparison to yours and hers." Taiga looked defeated, falling onto her knee's. "Y-you didn't even bother to mention my skills!" Maiya scooched over, gently comforting the broken tiger. "It's alright, I'm equally as terrible." Taiga embraced her as she wailed.

"Wow… what a colourful bunch of people we are… " Shirou commented as he sat at the table.

"Blow the candles young Shirou." Maiya more-or-less ordered. Shirou had shivers run up his spine as he quickly hunched over to blow out the tiny flames of 10 candles. "How old are you now, Shirou?" Rebecca asked, raising a camera to record him. "Er- I'm 10… ?" Shirou rolled the number out with some uncertainty. "Wow, the boy doesn't even know his own age?" Kiritsugu asked, raising a brow- and earning a glare from Shirou in response. "S-shut up!" He quickly spat out, embarrassed. Kiritsugu held a victorious smile as he ruffled his son's hair.

Kiritsugu did not want to let him go, not anytime soon.

1997, DECEMBER

Shirou was currently walking back from school with his new friend, Sakura Matou. They had met by chance when Shirou decided to try his hand at archery, apparently the arrogant guy boasting all the time during the session is her older brother. They had engaged in small talk, they never really got to exchange each other's names. For the next few weeks after their meeting, they had a sort of acquaintanceship before she suddenly showed up at his door during the rain.

Due to an injury he had sustained, and him being the only real 'friend' she had, she decided to use that as an opportunity to stay around him longer and help out around his house. At first, Shirou was a bit hesitant since he didn't like to burden others with his work- but, the girl was equally as stubborn and showed up every day since then.

Kiritsugu, Rebecca and Taiga laughed at the whole situation… Maiya was just Maiya.

The brought a question to his mind… what does Maiya do?

He didn't mean that in a negative way, he was just genuinely curiously as to what she did in her free time besides what she and Kiritsugu called 'work overseas'. The times she and his dad were home, she was just sitting around most of the time… lost in her own thoughts.

Kind of like Sakura, sometimes… okay maybe not all the time, speaking of which. He glanced at his underclass woman; she was a rather shy girl. During their entire walk back to the house, they had shared few words, but the silence that filled most of their trek was quite comfortable. "S-Shirou." Oh, but talking was alright too. "Hm, yes Sakura?" Sakura fumbled a bit. "Do you think.. I can maybe stay over at your house tonight?". Oh, oh that had caught the boy of guard. He scratched the back of his neck, a brow raising in slight confusion. "Uhm, I guess you can, I'll need to ask my dad if that's alright… what's the matter with your home?" He was curious, was something going on?

Sakura's cheeks quickly flushed red and she glanced away, "Er- no, I- if I'm being a bother than I won't if you don't want to." Okay, that is not what Shirou meant. "No, you won't be a bother, I think we have an extra guest room so you can stay if you want." Sakura blinked, an expression of surprise crossing her face before a faint, yet genuine smile graced her lips. "Thank you, Shirou."

"No problem."

1998, AUGUST

"Trace… on!" Those words, they were the words that jumpstarted a process, a series of quick tasks to reach a result. It was Shirou's own, unique magecraft. In the last few years he had been training with not one but three magi, whom he considered close family, he had found his magic sooner than he would without them. He felt a warm sensation, a gentle buzz course through his body rather than a painful jolt he used to feel back when he started. Sea-green lines imprinted on his arms and up the object held firmly in his grip, it was a kendo stick and he was 'strengthening it'.

"Increasing effectiveness… " He muttered under his breath, he felt prana pour into the object within the grasp of his right hand, it was steady and calm. He opened his eyes; he was within the dojo and about to enter a spar with one of his caretakers.

"Prepare yourself" Maiya spoke, not an ounce of emotion in her voice. Shirou steeled himself and entered a stance, his eyes locking with Maiya's. A tense silence followed before the both sprang into action. Shirou thrusted his stick forward, however not completely- he wanted to test her, find out how she would act. Maiya merely swerved aside, the attack would've missed it's target even if it were a true one.

Shirou quickly adjusted to a new position, turning right and raising his kendo stick just in time to parry Maiya's attack. He grunted, the force put into her attack was unexpected, most of it probably came from her own reinforced weapon. He quickly put distance in between them and re-evaluated.

Maiya was agile on her feet and was certainly stronger than him physically, all in all, he was against a stronger opponent. However, despite the gap in skill, people could still make mistakes and leave an opening that'd be too good to exploit.

"You think for too long-"

"Gah?!"

It was quick, it was certainly powerful and just narrowly avoided that thrust by mere inches. He logrolled before rushing up onto his knee's- Maiya was already on the move, she was upon him, from his point of view he was a rat and she was a titan ready to squish him like the weak fool he was!

He pulled a last-second roll when he saw the downward swing coming down upon him from her and moved to a different position.

"Good reflexes Shirou, you're better than you were before" Maiya complimented him, easing into another stance. Shirou did the same, except his was rather shaky after their previous engagement. "Still not good enough to match you… " He replied, their eyes locking once more. "You'll get there- eventually."

And they bolted towards each other once more.

1998, NOVEMBER

Kiritsugu Emiya was a man of focus, commitment and will. He used any tactic if it assured him victory, no matter how underhanded it was. He is contemplating blowing the whole structure below him sky high, but his true plan involved a couple of well placed C4 around the barriers to destroy the bounded field and after that he can rush and deal with the familiars…

It still wasn't that easy.

Those damn Einzberns had the entire place, every corner, every nook, defended. He scowled as he gazed once more on the large castle beside the hill he stood upon. "I'm in position… " The voice, undoubtedly Maiya's, spoke through the radio, "The bombs have been set, our associate has supplied us well."

"Understood, begin on my mark." This time, however, was the time they were going to succeed.

"Go."

A sweet symphony of explosions raged around the castle, shattering trees and setting fire to the surrounding forest. A blue circular dome surrounding the castle flickered, strained from the force of the explosions but it held- not for long as another round went off without mercy, puncturing the bounded field and then taking it down. They had been supplied with enough explosions to take down the Einzbern's damned bounded field, now they had the familiars to deal with. "Enter through the third entrance, they'll be focusing on the area where most of the explosions went off." He ordered. In the corner of his eye, he saw a white-outfitted Maiya slide down the hill and make her way towards the castle.

With her making her way down to enter the castle, he was going to make a final attempt at directing the Einzbern's attention somewhere else.

He opened up a large case beside him, in it, was a rocket launcher. He crouched down, sliding his hands into the handle and lifting up the hefty weapon with a grunt. He rested on his shoulder, stiffly aiming at the west side of the castle. He pulled the trigger, let mayhem in the form of a rocket shoot across the sky and strike a second-floor room on the castle. The rocket turned into an inferno, smoke quickly covering the side of the wall as stone crumbled down to the snow.

With some distractions set, the Einzberns will think he had completely telegraphed where he would strike, he just made an easy opening on the west side of the castle, but he'd go through the way Maiya went. "Just hold on Illya… "

"You'll be saved."

1998, DECEMBER

"Shirou!" A loud, obnoxious voice called out his name. The boy in question let out a sigh, his head was aching right now and this Tiger- god bless you if you call her that out loud- really wasn't helping. "Yes, Taiga?" He averted his gaze from his holy kitchen work and looked over at the now sitting Tiger of Fuyuki. "Have you seen Kiri and Maiya? They seem to not be here." She asked, gazing around the room. "They left for Germany, they got work to do there apparently." He answered, he personally began to suspect something else was up rather than 'business trips' as every time they came back they seemed more tired and… damaged. "Again… ?" Taiga seemed to think the same, "Man, they must be earning millions if they have this many meetings overseas with people!" Or not…

Shirou released a sigh, then glanced at his blue-haired friend; Sakura. "Sakura, can you pass me a knife?" Said girl nodded and began slid open a drawer, grabbing a knife and handing it to him. Shirou continued his holy kitchen work, slicing up food and stirring up stuff!

That's how Taiga put it. Really, those words do not do his work justice.

Rebecca walked into the room, letting out a yawn. "Breakfast ready yet… ?" She tiredly asked, her eyes barely open. "In a few minutes Rebecca, just wait." Sakura answered for him. "My stomach doesn't like to wait that long… " She sat down at the table, struggling to keep herself up. "Did you sleep at all last night?" Shirou asked, earning a tired finger-wag from the blonde. "Oh my, no sleep at all Rebecca? What scandalous things could keep you up all night?!" Taiga exclaimed with mock-shock, effectively waking Rebecca and sending an irridiculous expression towards the Tiger. "W-what are you saying?!" She shouted, horror dawning on her face, "I would never do that, not in Shirou's house!"

Taiga continued on her act, her own version of 'horror and disgust' creeping onto her face. "Such a vile woman you are, what a failure of a caretaker-" Rebecca slammed her hands on the table before pointing an accusatory finger towards Taiga. "As if you're one to talk, you don't even live in this house and don't contribute to any housework!" Taiga dropped her mock-horror and transitioned into true shock. "E-excuse me, I'm a very good guardian for Shirou, thank you very much!"

"Are not!"

"Am too!"

"Are not!"

"AM TOO!"

"ARE NOT!"

The two women were now butting heads with each other.

Shirou just stared with a perplexed expression, Sakura stifling her laughter at the grand act the two were pulling. "Leave it to these two get the rise out of each other this early in the morning… " He muttered.

The sound of the door opening had caught everyone's attention. There at the doorway stood Kiritsugu, Maiya tailing behind him. "You're back!" The two who were just bickering exclaiming. Maiya shook her head, "No, we're still in Germany."

"Is that your try at sarcasm, Maiya?" Rebecca commented.

"My, the silent one does have a sense of humour after all!" Taiga added.

"It's still poor though." Rebecca followed up on Taiga's statement.

This only earned a sigh from Maiya, Shirou swore he heard her mutter 'I tried… '. Shirou's gaze shifted to Kiritsugu, who seemed very worn out after the trip. "You alright dad?" He only received a simple nod in reply, this worried him. "Uh, you guys came right on time for breakfast, I'll get some plates ready."

"Thank you, Shirou." Kiritsugu responded, falling onto his knees. "Woah, you must've had a rough trip… " Taiga commented, "You looked ready to pass out!". Rebecca shook her head, "He probably is about to pass out." Shirou shot a last worried glance at his father before grabbing some plates and laying them on the table.

…

The rest of that day went on normally. Shirou, Sakura and Taiga departed for school, Shirou helped out with the school appliances, stayed after for some janitorial work and came back to cook dinner for everybody. Just as he was about to sleep, Kiritsugu had asked him if they could speak.

Once again they sat, on the wooden floor. A good view of their garden in front of them. The cold breeze brushed passed them. However, unlike 4 years ago… it sent chills up Shirou's spine.

They had some small talk, a comfortable silence passing by every now and then.

Shirou's hands clasped together as a thought drifted by his mind… this new life had had lived for the past 5 years was a life gifted to him by the man who sat beside him. He was not his biological son; he was adopted after that accursed fire that had taken away everything except his will. The dream of that fight had plagued him ever since, but in the end of the nightmare was the smile of Kiritsugu Emiya.

Ever since that day, he had always questioned why Kiritsugu went through that hell on earth to rescue him. At first, Shirou tried to deny it… everyone did, but it was the harsh truth. Kiritsugu was sick, he has fallen very ill and each passing year his condition worsened. He had first noticed a year after he was saved, Kiritsugu was quite stiff, he remained unmoving for most days but eventually trained himself to be able to move more often.

Then came the frequent trips to Germany that Kiritsugu kept coming back worse from, wounded even, he passed it off as injuries sustained during accidents, but he came back often with them.

Kiritsugu had gotten worse this year, lately he'd not been moving much and had remained his room for the entire day save for breakfast and dinner. He had stopped training him, something Shirou completely understood given the state he was in and slept more often.

Shirou grew steadily more anxious each time his father slept.

This man had risked his life, was this what he got for all that he did?

"Dad… why'd you save me?" Shirou asked, looking at his father with an inquisitive gaze. His father kept looking up at the night sky, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"When I was little, I wanted to be a Champion of Justice." Kiritsugu began, surprising Shirou. While his father did save him, he didn't picture his dad as somebody who'd want to be a superhero like that. Kiritsugu was so mature, witty and annoying when he's in a good mood, but mature and cold mostly. "What… ?" Shirou said, "You wanted to be one? Did you give up?" He asked, Kiritsugu nodding in response. "Yeah, It's unfortunate. But… " He paused, a solemn silence filling the gap. Shirou's gaze never left his father, he wanted to know… he needed to know.

"Being a hero is a limited-time thing. When you grow up, it gets hard to call yourself one." Shirou understood that, he understood that it would seem silly for a 36-year-old man to be calling himself a super-hero. But…

He was still young, and he still had a chance to make it come true. Shirou dreamt of that day, every other night the memories flood his mind and it's all he can think of. The fire, the buildings collapsing and the souls who had died that day, souls that couldn't be saved.

He was one of the few survivors, he who had come out unscathed physically yet missing all of what had previously been another person. He was reborn as Shirou Emiya, and Shirou Emiya felt tremendous amount of guilt, guilt he wouldn't normally bring himself to speak of.

Those hands that stretched out in a desperate plea to escape, curses from those who were left behind. He remembers walking, he remembers feeling his grasp on reality weakening with each painful step he took, his feet burning… no, his entire body was burning.

Shirou remembers falling onto his back, his body having given up, but his soul refused to die. He had sacrificed all to fuel his desperate will to live. And as a reward, he was saved by this man, who once sought to be a Champion, a hero.

A hero, it is such a beautiful and noble dream. A dream that he wants to follow. He remembers the tearful smile his father had when saving him, thanking whomever for saving him. Shirou wanted to feel that same happiness ever since he had seen it on Kiritsugu's face, it was his driving motivation to learn magecraft at first so that he could feel success.

And now that he knew why Kiritsugu smiled, he wanted to follow that dream.

Shirou smiled. "Since you couldn't.. I'll do it for you." He proclaimed, closing his eyes. His father let out a confused grunt, turning to look at Shirou. "You're all grown-up now, so you can't do it… but I can, so leave it to me!"

…

Kiritsugu looked down at his son with surprise and shock, his son was willing to take up the dream he had forsaken for him… ?

He couldn't help but.. feel relieved, he felt as if he had accomplished something, but he knew not what it was yet. It would take a long time to find out what exactly is was..

He closed his eyes, yes.. he felt at peace.

"I'm relieved… " He smiled.

1999, FEBRUARY

Einzbern Castle

Illyasviel von Einzbern sat on her luxurious bed, cross-legged and staring out her large window across the room. It was late at night, the moon's light shone through the curtains off her bedroom and down in front of her bed. Her eyes had grown tired, but her body refused to sleep.

Sitting on her lap, was a familiar, a bird which glowed a mesmerizing white. Her head was being held up by her hand, resting it against her cheeks. Ever since the day her father blew his way into the castle, things have been running through her mind, things that she definitely would not have thought had her father came for her.

He came for her.

He actually came for her, a man cursed with All The World's Evils came for her.

That is what had shocked her, perplexed her, stopped her brain from working. Jubstacheit, her grandfather, the Eighth Head of the Einzbern family, had sold her lies. Those disgusting lies that were delivered with a silver-tongue and manipulation. She was told that her father had abandoned her after the Fourth Holy Grail War, that he had betrayed her mother and the Einzberns and had replaced her with a boy who somehow survived the Great Fuyuki Fire-

Wait, no, he can't have seemingly managed to survive that. AVALON.

Her father had kept Avalon by the end of the war, it was given to him by Irisviel, her mother. Her father fought against Kirei Kotomine and won, he brought himself up to where the Holy Grail was held and used a command seal to order his Saber; the legendary King Arthur, to destroy the grail with the might of Excalibur.

But it was to late, the contents of the corrupted Holy Grail spilled out into Fuyuki, the curses of the God Angra Mainyu tainted the earth and caused a fire so large it consumed all who were unfortunate enough to be caught within it's radius. Firefighters were incapable of stopping the fire, it died down when it wanted to, that fire was alive.

Yet, through all those flames, the boy managed to survive. Part of it was due to luck, his tenacity and the rest of it was all thanks to the Promised Utopia, Avalon.

Illyasviel wondered, where was his father right now?

The last time they had met was when he infiltrated the castle alongside his associate and attempted to rescue her, but they failed in the end. Jubstacheit was in their way, and through luck and skill the two managed to escape but not without a parting message that shattered Illyasviel perception of the world.

The days, weeks, months, years following that day had been nothing but her frustrated over her circumstances yet being unable to do anything about it. She was forced to remain in the castle until the promised time arrived, the Fifth Holy Grail War.

In five years, the next war would begin.

In five years, she'd win the war for the Einzberns.

In five years, would she be able to meet her father and brother?

2000, AUGUST

FUYUKI, CEMETERY

A CHERISHED FRIEND TO MANY

A LOVING FATHER

A man of tenacity and courage

That was the epitaph inscribed upon Kiritsugu Emiya's tombstone, after years of fighting, he finally succumbed to the curse that had plagued him ever since the fire 6 years ago. A tenacious man who wouldn't give up that easily because he something worth living loner for, a normal life, a normal family.

Yet it was an incomplete family, Shirou had been told of the one his father had before him.

Shirou had a sister, somewhere in Germany. The truth behind Kiritsugu's various trips alongside Maiya to Germany was because the magus family; the Einzberns, held a girl there. Kiritsugu Emiya had held many secrets in his life, something Shirou understood in the end.

Shirou knelt down, staring at the tombstone in solemnity. A warm hand grasped his shoulder, he glanced over to find Sakura kneeling beside him. Maiya, Taiga and Rebecca were behind him, silently honouring the man that had brought them together.

Shirou casted one more gaze at his father's tombstone, before standing up.

"I'll become a Hero in your place dad, I swear… "

CHAPTER 1

2004, FEBRUARY 2nd, 20:08

FUYUKI, HOMURAHARA

Shirou was a strange one in the eyes of many, a person willing to burden himself with other people's problems and help them whenever they needed some assistance. He already had 3 part-time jobs, two of which he was actually getting paid for since his employers were very vehement about getting money into his pockets. He was known as Homurahara's Fake Janitor, doing the jobs better than the actual Janitors. He cleaned the classes, the halls the special rooms all over the campus.

He even fixed school appliances whenever they broke down, however he used his magecraft when doing. He was starting wonder how many times he could get away with kindly asking people to leave when he started fixing stuff, weren't they ever going to get a little suspicious of him?

Magecraft was something that should be kept from the public eye at all cost, lest you want to risk the Mage's Association coming down upon you with a sealing designation; at least, that's what his father said would happen. Come to think of it, Kiritsugu never talked much about the Mage's Association, neither did Maiya. Rebecca knew quite a lot about them, but never really budged when Shirou tried to get some information about them.

'Must be a scary bunch… ' His mentally sighed, guess he'd still be sheltered no matter how proficient in his magecraft he'd get. The boy had discovered something a year ago, an extension to his magecraft that Maiya and Rebecca helped him with.

Gradation Air, after years of narrowing down the specifics of Shirou's magecraft, they found he had a proficiency at projecting objects, but not just objects, objects that seemed similar to swords. It started with projecting a piece of paper, Shirou received multiple headaches as his brain could not comprehend the exact steps to project the object and nearly fried his circuits pushing himself. The next was a stick, the same result. Then they moved onto a knife, and with a little strain, Shirou had successfully projected a knife that disappeared merely three seconds after.

Maiya decided to move on from there, handing Shirou blade-like objects every day to increase his proficiency and each day it got better and better. Maiya started ordering real swords to the Emiya Estate after a month, stating that Shirou's ability to project swords is useful in combat.

She had asked him how many times he could project the sword, he said he could project them a number of times before straining his circuits. After the swords arrived, Shirou had scanned them and projected them and reinforced them, practicing with them. He sparred more often with Maiya and occasionally with Rebecca who demonstrated some knowledge in sword arts.

So much progress in these past 9 years, Kiritsugu would be proud. Shirou was going to make him even prouder, he was going to become a Hero of Justice… so nobody would have to cry. But he was still a long way from there, and he is having humble beginnings.

Shirou swept some dust into the pain in the dojo for Homurahara's Archery Club, he released a sigh, observing his work. "Perfect… " He muttered; the wooden floor of the clubroom was sparkling. He had done some damn good work the past few years acting as the school's Fake Janitor, but this was one of his best work yet.

He looked up at the night sky, it was a long after school had ended, perhaps he should pack up and get ready to go home-

The clash of weapons interrupted his thoughts.

Shirou did a double take, those sounded like… swords?

7 minutes earlier

Rin Tohsaka, the famous pigtailed idol of Homurahara Academy, was puzzled to say the least. She sat atop the school's roof, observing a blood-red magic circle imprinted onto the floor. A calm red glow emanated from her right hand and the magic circle; she was trying to discern what this was… why it was here. On her hand were a couple of red marks, identifying her as a master for the Holy Grail War.

A war that is now taking place 50 years early…

Rin let a soft sigh pass her lips. "Seven…. " She muttered, staring at the magic circle, "However this seems to be the trigger point." She did not recognize the writing; she'd never seen or heard of this type of magic before. "What do I do… "

She glanced around; she sensed her Servant nearby. "Archer, you're able to sense this bounded field's nature, correct? If this field is activated, it shall liquify anybody caught within it… " She said, she felt Archer hum in response through their mental link.

"This is mana-draining, a blood fort that'll dissolve any human and harvest souls that ooze out of them." If such a thing was here, then that likely meant that someone in Homurahara was a master as well, but what poor pathetic magus would turn to doing this? Were their mana output that insufficient for their Servant? "Only a Servant would be the cause of this… "

"Archer, would your kind do such a thing?" She asked, feeling the mental link hum. "You are correct." A disembodied voice answered., "We are fundamentally incorporeal beings. Just as humans eat meat for nourishment, Servants harvest spirits and souls." Archer explained, Rin showed no visible reaction, but Archer could tell she found that fact to be… disturbing.

"In other words, the more they ingest, the greater their prana store becomes."

Rin remained indifferent, "Are you saying your kind aren't satisfied with the prana their Masters are supplying them with?" She rested her hands on her hips. "No, but more is always better. To harvest the prana of humans is a good strategy. In that sense, this bounded field is very effective." Rin's face morphed into a light grimace she looked to the side, closing her eyes in frustration, "I feel aggravated… never say such a thing around me again, Archer."

"I agree, I'd never resort to this." Was his almost solemn reply. That statement allowed Rin to smile, who knelt back down to the magic circle. "Alright then, let's get rid of this. I might not be able to erase it, but I can disrupt it somewhat-"

"What? You're going to erase it? Well that's a waste." A voice called out from above, a little loud and obnoxious, not a voice she recognized. She shifted her gaze to the source of the voice, finding a blue-clad spearman perched atop a small tower, a spear resting along his shoulders. He flashed a quick toothy grin.

A small drop of sweat ran down her face, she didn't move. 'Servant… ' She quickly deduced based on his appearance alone, the amount of power that radiated of that spear was a giveaway- besides the ridiculous tight ultramarine body suit laced with seemingly flexible iron the man wore. Her brows furrowed a bit, perhaps this man was responsible for the blood fort.

"Is this your handiwork?" She asked, never averting her gaze from the spearman. "Nope." Was he quick and honest reply as he didn't move either, "Stooping so low and resorting to dirty tricks is the Master's job." He lifted the spear of his shoulders, planting beside him. "My kind only fight when we're told to.. ain't that right my invisible buddy?"

Rin's eyes widened momentarily as she glanced to the aside where Archer was, he remained in his astral form, but he was close by. "You can see Archer… you definitely are a Servant!"

The spearman smiled as he stood up, "And if you know that, I can only assume you're my enemy." He said. Rin gasped sharply, sliding her feet back a few inches. She quickly observed her surroundings before landing her gaze on the fence to her right. 'Fenced in on four sides, we're at a disadvantage… !' They needed a plan of escape, fighting her would be bad… definitely against a Servant like Lancer.

"How impressive! You seem ignorant but you have the gist of somethings." He complimented her, earning her ire, " … I really blew it. I shouldn't have let curiosity… " He raised his spear, a terrifying red mist surrounding the spear, "Get the better of me."

Run.

Rin spun around and broke into a mad sprint, she needed to escape, and she needed to do it quickly. She glanced over her shoulder, Lancer was already in the air and diving down towards her!-

She stumbled down, whether intentionally or accidentally, it saved her back from being cut wide open as Lancer came down upon her with a vertically swing. She dodged and weaved, avoiding more would-be fatal swings from the Lancer Servant with surprising dexterity and agility. As she sprinted she began to mutter an aria, prana flowing through her body.

'It is large. It is small. The voice of God is the World!' Prana flowed through her legs as see-green lines imprinted themselves there with a mesmerizing glow. Rin's speed increased drastically, launching her across the roof and towards the fence.

She slams her foot down a meter from the fence, kneeling down before launching herself up and over it. "Archer! Handle the landing!" She called out and instantly felt arms wrap around her body as she fell. A blue mist surrounded her, glimpses of a tall man flickering in and out of reality within the mist. As they landed they quickly launched upwards again, soaring across the school's courtyard and landing a good distance from where Lancer previously was.

Rin was set down, the momentum keeping her running for a few seconds before coming to a stop- The red spear was already mid-swing towards her back, coming from below and aiming to slice her midsection as she turned-

The spear was intercept, knocking it out of it's planned trajectory. Lancer leapt back, observing the man that now stood in his way.

Archer, a tanned man with slicked back silver-white hair and steel-grey eyes. He wore a red two-piece shroud around his arms which jointed on his back and over the black-body armour with silver accents that outline his muscles and a metal plate on his collar. He wears black pants with two straps each and steel-toed boots that seem attached to the pants. Around his ants was a red-skirt that reveals the front-side of his pants which are connected by a metal plate above his waist.

Quite an appearance, befitting of a Heroic Spirit.

In Archer's left hand was a black falchion, covered with hexagonal patterns. Unlike Lancer's spear, it did not emit any power or aura. Lancer smirked, releasing a quick chuckle as he entered his stance, "That's more like it! I like people he get right down to the fun stuff."

Archer said nothing, merely staring at the enemy Servant. "Lancer Class Servant… " Rin said, Lancer nodding. "The one and only. Your Servant doesn't strike me as a Saber however." Rin's gaze shifted to the sword in Archer's hand, weren't the three knight classes of the grail war supposed to have their respective weapons of the class? Saber has a sword; Lancer has a spear and Archer has a bow. But clearly, her Archer did not seem to have a bow, then again using a bow in a close quarter fight like this would be suicide, perhaps he had a bow and a sword, quite resourceful.. "Who are you?" Lancer asked, dropping his smile as he tightened the grip on his spear.

Archer remained silent, continuing to stare impassively at the Servant of the spear.

"You don't seem like the proper single combat type either," It seemed Lancer had the same thoughts as Rin, having two weapons gave Archer the ability to fight from close quarters and afar.

"So, Archer." Lancer planted his spear into the ground, "Take out your bow, I'll wait." Archer still did not say anything, confusing Rin. "Archer… ?" She mumbled, what is he doing? Archer turned his to the left, not glancing completely over his shoulder.

"What is he-" Then it struck her, he was awaiting her orders! With that sudden realization she released a sigh, "Archer, you'll get not assistance from me. Show me your might!" She ordered, noticing the confident smile forming on Archer's face. Archer's grip on his falchion grew firm, his skirt waving gently as he released an aura of power.

And then he vanished- He vanished in a whirlwind, pebbles of rocks launching into the air, a small crater with cracks spreading out like a spider-web were he once was- where was he?

A grating sound met Rin's ears as Archer's falchion and Lancer's spear clashed against each other, a force of wind erupting from the sheer amount of power behind their blows. The two enter a brutal contest of strength, their movements to quick for Rin to keep up with.

One second Archer was before Lancer, the next he was behind, then around, then up in the air- all in a span of five seconds. Their weapons showed immense durability, despite the power their users put into their attacks, they held firm.

Rin was awe-struck at the battle, a blinding show of sparks and dirt flying all over as the two Heroic Spirits battled.

Lancer came upon Archer after he had landed, "You fool!" Archer had managed to parry the attack, knocking the spearman back before being knocked back a couple meters, his feet digging into the ground as skid backwards. Archer glanced up, just in time to block a thrust from Lancer's spear. Archer quickly countered, dragging his falchion up the pole-arm, aiming to behead Lancer-

Lancer quickly retreated and spun his spear to block the swing. The two entered a brief clash of weapons, the wind growing fiercer. Archer leapt over a swing from Lancer, holding his falchion with both hands. He then swung down; his downward strike being intercepted by Lancer's spear.

The two entered a tug of war, pushing each other's weapons against each other as the wind whipped around them. Archer applied more force, catching Lancer of guard and sending him crashing into the school. The ground beneath erupted into a crater, Lancer's impact site being shroud in clouds of smoke and dust.

Rin remained where she was, this battle was… unbelievable. "So, this is a battle between Servants… " She muttered. Just then, a canopy was sent flying into the sky before crashing down beside Archer. Lancer stepped out of the cloud of dust, entering a thrusting stance.

He then launched forward, meeting Archer in seconds and thrusting his blade towards his stomach- the hefty strike was almost instantly countered by Archer who swung his falchion into the spear. The two kept this up for a brief moment before Lancer struck a deadly blow to the falchion, shattering it.

Archer, now unarmed, had his arms wide open due to the momentum of Lancer's strike- he is wide open!

"That was stupid." Lancer said as he moved to thrust his spear into Archer's chest- "Archer!" Rin noticed Archer speaking, it was like a whisper, she couldn't exactly make out what he was saying. Suddenly, in a quick flash of light, two new falchions appeared within Archer's grasp. One was black like the previous one, the other one white.

Archer used Lancer momentary surprise, going on the offensive and pushing the spearman back with quick blows. Lancer was sent skidding backwards, not at all expecting this. "Tch, you're a dual wielder?" Lancer said as he observed his opponents new weapons. Archer eased into a stance, a suicidal one, one that left multiple openings to be exploited. "A bowman who thinks himself a swordsman, eh?" Lancer said as he entered his own stance, scowling deeply at the red bowman. The two warriors bolted once more towards each other.

Rin watched with some worry as time and time again Archer's blades would be shattered, only to re-appear. How many times could he keep that trick up, how long until he had exhausted all of them?

Lancer and Archer leapt off from each other, once again scanning for openings to exploit. "27." Lancer said, it seems he has been paying attention to the amount of swords Archer had produced, "To think I have disarmed you 27 times, yet you still have more… "

Archer replied without missing a beat, "What's the matter? This wait-and-see approach you have does not suit a Lancer such as yourself. Where did all that spirit go?" He asked, earning scoff from the spearman. "You're tryin' to provoke me? You speak as if you were better than the rest." Lancer grimaced, "Fine then, how about I ask ya a question. Which land do you hail from? I've never heard of a bowman who wields two swords"

"On the other hand, you are easily identifiable. After all, only the swiftest are chosen to be spearmen, and you stand leagues above them. There aren't even three spearmen of your skill in the world, with the agility of a beast that you have… that leaves just one." Lancer grinned, "Oh? You flatter me, Archer."

Lancer slammed his feet down, twirling his hand around the spear and gripping it differently. He aimed his spear downwards, sliding his left hand down the pole-arm as he entered another stance. His spear exploded into a raging yet calm torrent of red-energy, waves of bloodlust brushing against Rin. "So, will you be able to face my mightiest blow?" He asked.

Archer prepared himself, "I won't stop you; I'll have to kill you sooner or later."

"This isn't good… " Rin mumbled as she felt the mana emanating from the spear, "The massive amount of mana… he's clearly about to use his Noble Phantasm. If he attacks… "

…

What. The. Hell.

Shirou's eyes were wide like saucers, his legs trembling out of fear and shock as he stared on at the scene before him. He had come to investigate those strange noises he had heard from the clubroom; he was expecting to find a bunch of delinquents or something… but those two men, was that Tohsaka with them?

He felt it, the crazy amounts of prana coming from the blue one with the red spear, it was almost nauseating. He observed the red one, two swords, he couldn't scan them from this distance so he couldn't discern what type they were. Are they magi?

Shirou did not want to stick around any longer, so he backpedaled-

The prana oozing of the spear ceased almost instantly as he noticed the blue one turn and look his way, "Who's there?!" He heard him shout. Oh no, oh no! Shirou turned and broke into a sprint towards the interior of the school, he needed to get as far away from those… people as he could.

He reinforced his legs, he'd risk it, right now he felt an enormous amount of killing intent from the blue one and he didn't want to die. He shot through the halls and up the stairs. He continued down the third-floor hall, he felt it come closer- it was upon him!

He turned around, stumbling down and onto the ground. Having had reflexes built into him by rigorous training from Maiya, he quickly rolled right back up and jumpstarted his circuits. "Trace on!" A western sword, appeared in his hands, reinforced and ready. He spun around, seeing a red spear make its way for him!

He quickly swung the blade down, successfully knocking it out of the way. "A Magus… ?" A disembodied voice questioned surprisingly. Shirou gazed forward, seeing the blue-clad man with the spear from earlier. "Colour me impressed, boy. You survived the first strike." Shirou's brow raised, what… first strike? The blue-clad disappeared-

And then he felt it, a spear lodged in his chest. The sword vanished into a mist of light. "Well.. today wasn't your lucky day. Now that you've seen me, you have to die." The man's voice met his ears, Shirou felt his body weaken, he was losing grasp on reality. "Curse with you dying breath that you were born with not enough luck and power." Shirou's eyes rolled up to see the blurred image of the man, who impassively stared down at him.

Shirou grit his teeth, muttering out a curse. "Y-you… bastard." He could barely mumble the word out. He then lost his sight, a light covering everything. His breath became calmer, near silent.

'Dad, I'm sorry.'

…

Rin rushed up the stairs, she needed to find that student and make sure he was okay otherwise-

When she got up, she found Archer staring at her with an unreadable gaze, she blinked, getting her breathing under control as she hoisted herself up the stairs. She walked towards him and glance around the corner. There was a body down the hall, silently resting in a pool of blood. The moon's light illuminated the blood, making seem more apparent… more grotesque.

Rin quietly gulped, before releasing a sharp sigh. "Archer, follow Lancer… if we do not identify his Master all of this would've been for nothing." Archer gazed down at her briefly before nodding, he turned and vanished into motes of light. Once he had left, Rin steadily approached the body down the hall. "Rin, this your responsibility… " She told herself with a grim tone, "Lancer struck him with his spear, if it pierced his heart there is no way of saving him." She knelt beside the body. She heard sharp breaths being taken, he was still breathing…

She took on a solemn expression, "I'm sorry, I'll stay with you until your time comes-" She rolled him over so that he may rest on her lap-

She gasped; a horrified expression dawned on her face as she recognized the boy bleeding to death right now.

Old memories flashed through her mind, back to a time long passed, a boy stubbornly attempting a long-jump and failing each time. His determination and will of steel puzzling her yet making her feel attracted all the same. The smile of a boy who'd help out whenever you need assistance, somebody who took pleasure from making others happy-

"Don't do this to me… " She breathed out, her hand was trembling under the stress, the shock, "Why'd you have to be here, why here on this day at this time… ?!"

Another image flashed into mind, the suffering of a young blue-haired, timid girl. What would she think when she figured out he was dead? What would happen? She would break, shatter, she'd suffer the most pain she'd ever felt-

"How am I going to look her in the eye tomorrow.. ?"

Shirou Emiya was dying right now, she couldn't let him die, she would not let him die. She took out her red pendant, staring at it thoughtfully before glancing at Shirou's dying form.

"There's still a way."

2004, February 2, 20:25

Fuyuki, Emiya estate

Shirou busted his front door open and sprinted in, before coming to a slow stop in the living room. He let out hefty breaths, clutching his heart. Sweat drops were running down his head, his clothes stuck to him like glue to how much he was sweating. He gazed around the room, his legs threatening to let him fall- He fell.

He fell onto his back, arms spread out. His eyes glanced around; it was so quiet in the house… had everyone already left?

"Rebecca, Maiya?!" He called out and received no answer… they must be out right now; they can't help him out. "T-taiga?!" Still no response. Nobody was home, it was him all alone.

Just what the hell was going on tonight?

"That man in blue… the one in red, who were they… what are they?" He asked aloud, resting his right hand on his chest as his breath slowed. "They can't be human.. they're not human." He muttered under his breath. The way those two moved, the way those two fought. They were like forces of nature, each strike they threw at each other ruptured the air, cracked the ground. Shirou allowed himself to calm down, clearing all other thoughts so that he may comprehend what he had witnessed. Could they be Magi?

No… that can't be it, Magi couldn't possibly that terrifying strong… could they?

But why were they fighting?

The blue one, the blue one chased him down after he witnessed the fight. He was fast, he didn't see him coming. He remembers the spear, the red spear that radiated such a bloodthirsty aura it had petrified him. That spear found itself in his chest- he was stabbed, no, killed by the blue one.

"I was killed… " He muttered in disbelief, then how was he... brought back.

After allowing himself some rest, he slowly sat up. "I'm still alive though… " He scratched his forehead, his brows furrowing as he attempted to process what had happened. Someone had saved him, he finally understood.

But who could it have been?

The jingle of bells interrupted his thought process, someone else was here, were Maiya and Rebecca back- He then felt it, the same bloodlust from the spear that the blue one had, the blue one that had 'killed' him.

He looked up.

And saw said blue man diving down with the tip of the spear pointed at his head. Shirou went into overdrive, quickly shooting out of the spears trajectory and rolled into the wall. That man… he was fast!

He quickly got to his feet and muttered his signature spell- "Trace on." Motes of light concentrated into his hand, sparks of electricity flashes in between his fingers as a familiar hilt of a sword met his hands. A nameless, western sword, one of Rebecca's items he had stumbled across a few years ago. He poured mana into it, strengthening it, reinforcing it.

"Oh man… I thought I was being considerate, thought it would hurt less if ya didn't see it comin'." The blue-clad spearman commented, resting the weapon on his shoulder as he smirked, "Really can't believe I'll have to kill the same guy twice today… Oh well."

The man suddenly twirled the spear, entering a stance. "The world's a cruel place, no matter the era… " Shirou observed his assailant carefully, he honestly did not see him winning a fight right now against this guy, he did not know who he was or how he fought-

"Make sure you see the light, boy."

And the spear came his way-

Shirou moved, stepping to the side as he brought his blade down to parry the thrust, it worked- Never mind it didn't. Shirou winced as he regained his footing, he had managed to knock the spear away from his chest but sustained a nasty cut on his shoulder. "Damn… " He muttered as the blade and spear were crossed against each other now.

The two combatants stood in a brief silence, evaluating each other.

"You have some mana in ya, it's no wonder you survived last time… " The spearman commented, smiling at him. So, the spearman knew he was a magus, but Shirou knew for sure that the man he was fighting right now was far beyond a magus. His brow furrowed as he kept both of his hands on the hilt of his blade, for now he'll have to handle the pain of the wound.

The spearman showed a toothy grin, "This might be some fun after all."

They both sprung into action, dealing blows against each other's weapon. Shirou was no idiot though, he knew that this man could easily kill him at any given moment, right now the spearman was toying with him- testing him.

Their fight was brought down the hallway, Shirou being pushed back with each strike the spearman blew, it was starting to strain him. Shirou narrowly dodged a strike that would have disemboweled him at his stomach- and another that would've taken his head clean off.

He rolled aside and bolted around the corner, putting some distance between him and the spearman- but the spearman was fast. Shirou had two options, either jump through the windows beside him or to have the spear puncture his heart in the fatal blow that was about to be dealt with him.

Shirou took the former, launching himself through the window and slamming down against the garden grounds. Just as he was getting up, he felt a leg slam into his side- He exhaled sharply, spit spewing out his mouth as his barreled through the air and back into the dirt. He grunted, feeling his insides churn and ache. "W-what the hell… " He barely muttered, the sword he just had dissipating into a mist of light. He glanced back, finding the spearman in the middle of the garden with the spear resting on his shoulder.

"I gave you a chance, and you wasted it." He said, seeming disappointed in Shirou's actions thus far. Seeing no victory in fighting the man head on, he quickly retreated to his makeshift magus workshop, the shed.

As he rushed in, he stumbled on a few items scattered across the shed floor and fell hard against the stone ground. The spearman merely shook his head, "If you're man, the least you can do is have some dignity."

Shirou felt a presence quickly approaching and traced the sword one last time, spinning around just in time to deflect a would-be fatal blow from the spearman. The weight behind the blow however sends him careening towards the wall hard. He slams against the wall, knocking some of the air out of his body.

"Checkmate." The spearman said, "The last move there was quite impressive."

Shirou looked up, glaring daggers at the man. "Screw.. you." He muttered, building up the power to trace the sword again. "Hm… " Shirou shared a gaze with the spearman, the spearman having a thoughtful expression on his face, "I don't get it… "

"You're fast on your feet, quite good a swordplay but just hopeless at magic… at least from what I've seen so far." Shirou winced at his words, he was partially right… he was hopeless in SOME forms of magecraft, except for a select few he was specialized in.

"You have some potential though, perhaps you were to be the seventh." He said, causing Shirou to stop and process what he said. "Seventh… ?" He muttered, it being barely audible to the spearman. "Well, even if you were… " The spearman raised his bloodred pole-arm, entering a stance, "This is the end for you."

"Damn it… screw you!" His life was saved, he wasn't going to give it away so easily! He needed to live in order to fulfill his duty, his atonement to those who died instead of him, his promise to somebody he adored… he wouldn't give away his life so easily and fail everyone who had bled instead of him, cared for him and loved him.

"I'm not going to die like this… !" He balled his hands into a fist, a red mist surrounding his left one, mysterious sigils beginning to form on his hand, "I'm not going to be killed by somebody like you!" He proclaimed loudly. A pattern beside them glowed brightly, a figure beginning to materialize within mili-seconds of Shirou's proclamation, the spearman's eyes widened in shock and surprise-

A sword intercept the spearman's strike, but it wasn't Shirou's.

Shirou looked up in awe as a blonde woman, clad in regal silver-blue armour stood proudly before him with a sword shrouded in a calm mist held firmly in her grasp. The moon's light shone into through the doorway, bathing the silver-clad swordswoman. Shirou's mouth hung upon as the winds calmed after the woman's sudden appearance.

"I ask of you," Her voice held an air of authority, yet was gentle. The woman turned, looking down upon Shirou with a hardened gaze. His golden eyes met amber, locked in a brief silent pause.

"Are you my master?"

Shirou was taken aback, master?

Master?

"Master… ?" Shirou quoted, trying to wrap his mind around the reasoning for that word. Sensing his confusion, the woman continued. "Your Servant, Saber, has answered your summoning." She said, "Your orders?"

Shirou blinked, he had no clue what the meaning of all this was, but he quickly pieced together a few things. This woman held somewhat of the same air as the blue and red men did, they were probably the same beings…

But what was going on, why were the fighting? Whatever it was, Shirou was not at all prepared for it, merely stumbling on it was a mistake, that much he would admit. His day was going so well until all this happened, it seemed Fate had other plans for him.

Shirou winced, feeling a pain surge through his left hand. He quickly grasped it, gritting his teeth. "Ah.. damn it." He cursed his luck; he didn't see the rest of his week getting an easier. 'Saber', as she was called, turned around, facing the blue-clad spearman outside the shed.

"Henceforth, my sword shall be at your side." Shirou couldn't mistake the feeling, mana was circulating around Saber's sword, building up, "Henceforth, your fate is my fate. Our pact is sealed." Saber's grasp on the hilt of her weapon grew more firm as she locked onto the spearman. Shirou was about to question this all before-

Saber shot off like a rocket, flying out of the shed and into the garden at inhuman speed. Shirou quickly moved to follow, blown back slightly by the winds produced by the sheer force of her launch. "What do you mean 'Pact'?!" His shout met deaf ears as Saber and the spearman started trading blows.

Shirou stood at the entrance of the shed, watching silently. Saber and the spearman broke of from each other, putting distance in between each other. The young Emiya did not dare run into that, it would seem suicidal. To further prove that point, the two warriors shot towards each other like bullets before meeting each other-

A harsh, cacophony of weapons clashing each other followed as they dealt strikes to each other at speeds no human should be capable of, the ground itself gave in at the magnitude of the battle. Saber's mist-shrouded sword and the spearman's bloodred spear clashed so many times within the span of 4 seconds- It ended for a brief second.

Saber took the chance to horizontally swing her blade towards the spearman's midsection, only for it to be parried by said spearman's spear. The spearman was blown back by the weight behind the spear, skidding against the dirt and digging himself slightly under.

Not giving the swordswoman time to push forward, the spearman sprinted towards her, thrusting the bloodthirsty spear towards her chest. Shirou was struck with worry as he thought that would be the fatal blow against her-

Saber stepped to the side within a second, avoiding the thrust and swinging her blade up against the spear, knocking it up. The spearman grit his teeth as he was forced back, narrowly avoiding a thrust for his head by tilting it to the left. The spearman was put on the defensive and Saber pushed him back ferociously.

The spearman regained some footing, spinning around Saber- that however was not enough. With some distance put in between them, Saber bolted forward with the force of a tornado, spinning towards the spearman. She brought her blade down, the spearman blocking the hefty blow at the last second with the middle of his spear.

The two entered a tug of war, their weapons scratching against each other as sparks flew of from them. The spearman quickly disengaged, launching up and over Saber before coming back down a fair distance away.

The man adopted an angered expression as he glared towards Saber, "Ya damn coward, why do you conceal your weapon!" He berated her. Saber merely launched forward again, swinging towards him. The spearman narrowly avoided the attack, launching over her once more.

They entered a brief pause.

"What's the matter Lancer? You'll give spearman a bad name by just standing there." Saber commented, raising her blade. Lancer… so what was the guy's name? Shirou was still standing by the entrance of the shred, his hand placed on the side of the doorway as he tried to wrap his mind around the furious duel the two warriors were in.

It was one thing to almost be killed- no, actually killed.. ?

It was one thing to maybe-probably almost be killed by one… but to witness a battle between the two was unbelievable- more so than almost dying to one. "If you do not come to me, I'll simply come to you." Saber said, causing Lancer to grit his teeth in mild-anger. "Before we continue… I'd like to ask ya somethin'," Saber raised a brow, "Is your Noble Phantasm a sword?" He asked.

Yet another term to throw Shirou off the loop. First Master, then Saber, then Lancer… now Noble Phantasms?

"Who knows? It could be a battle-axe, perhaps a pole-arm, maybe even a bow, Lancer." Was her… witty answer? That answer had gotten a chuckle out of Lancer, who twirled his spear and entered a familiar stance, one Shirou recognized- Oh no!

"That stance!" Shirou shouted-

"One last question, Saber." He said, settling into the stance, "This is our first battle, perhaps we should call it a draw?" He suggested, earning a shake of the head from Saber. "I think not, you will fall here no matter what, Lancer." Was her cold, merciless answer. Lancer released a heavy breath, before nodding, "Is that so?"

"My objective was to merely observe… " Was the last thing he said before-

The sheer amount of bloodlust that emanated from the spear was suffocating for Shirou, he nearly stumbled back as the dominant aura that surrounded the weapon made him feel weak, his legs trembling under the weight of it. "Oh no… Saber!" He called out.

"I'll have your heart!" He proclaimed as he shot towards Saber, the spear glowing brightly as tendrils of energy wrapped and waved around it violently, Saber quickly raised her blade to defend herself. "Gae… BOLG!" Lancer shouted, thrusting the spear forward much faster than he did before.

A red tendril of red lightning extended from the spear, violently waving across the garden and crumbling the ground underneath it's awesome power as it neared Saber with incredible speed. The lightning struck the woman's shrouded blade, pushing her back slightly, however she stood her ground. The ground behind her blew apart, clouds of dirt launching into the air-

The unthinkable then happened, the tendril retracted-

Saber gasped, her eyes widening as she quickly moved to deflect the Noble Phantasm heading towards her heart. She managed to avoid death narrowly, the tendril digging into her shoulder and hoisting her up. Saber was sent careening into the air before tumbling down to the ground, crashing hard as clouds of dirt and dust engulfed the site.

Everything was silent for a bit, before Lancer looked up, furrowing her brows deeply and gritting his teeth. "So, you dodged my lethal strike… Saber." He muttered out her name with what Shirou perceived as hatred, anger and annoyance. As the dust settled, Saber was revealed. She was clutching the area of her wound, knelt down on the ravaged ground. "A curse… no, this reverse cause and effect." She muttered as sparks of red lightning flashed on her wound, an after effect of the Gae Bolg. Speaking of which, "Gae Bolg… " Saber muttered out as she gazed at the blue-clad spearman, who in turn was glaring at her.

"You're Irelands Child of Light." She stated as if it were a matter of fact, to which Lancer responded with a chuckle. "Tch, I really messed up… " He muttered.

Shirou was blank-minded for a second, Irelands Child of Light… as in Cu Chulainn?

Shirou was nearly killed by Cu Chulainn, that fact ran laps around his mind as he tried even harder to piece together how and why all of this was happening and in his backyard no less! "It needs to be a fatal move, otherwise I'm in trouble… " He said as he turned and started… walking away?

"My master is a coward, ya dodged my lethal attack so now he's orderin' me to come home." He said as he walked away from Saber and Shirou. "You're running away?!" Saber called out, causing Lancer to stop. "You're free to follow me, if you'd like." He began, before glancing back at her, "But be prepared to die… " With that, he launched into the air and away from the Emiya Estate.

With the fleeting Lancer now the least of their problems, Saber turned towards Shirou. Shirou stood there, awe-struck at what he had just witnessed. "Master, can you heal me?" He heard Saber inquire, knocking him out of his daze. He decided to clear his mind and focus on what was happening right now, "Sorry, I only specialize in few types of magic. I am incapable of healing." He said, Saber nodding. "Alright then," She turned, peering towards the wall surrounding the garden, "I sense another Servant nearby, I am still able to fight." She said, before launching over it. "Wait, Saber!" It was too late, she was already gone.

Shirou grit his teeth, running after her, he reinforced his legs as he increased in speed and leaped over the wall. After a few seconds of scaling structures and falling harder against the pavement, he looked up to find Saber engaging the... red bowman from earlier!

He looked to the girl beside him, pigtailed and wearing a red sweat, black skirt and stockings- Tohsaka! "Saber, don't hurt her!" He called out, Saber raising brow as she quickly glanced back to her Master.

"Why? They are our enemies!" She replied, her eyes narrowing. "No, I know her, she's not our enemy!" Saber turned and scanned the red-clad Master-Servant pair, before lowering her blade. "My Master, against my better judgement, has deemed you to be trustworthy... do not take advantage of him lest you wish to incur my wrath." Saber leaped back to her Master's side.

Tohsaka, re-gaining some of her composure brushed herself off before meeting Shirou eye-to-eye. "Good evening, Emiya. May we come inside?"

What the hell was going on?

If you managed to read through all that in one go then wow, I applaud you... because I feel like this is very bad.

A little backstory for why I decided to try my hand at a Fate/stay night story. I got into Fate sometime around last year because I wanted to see what all the fuss was about, namely the whole 'fate is confusing you wont understand a thing omglol'. The first thing I watched was Unlimited Blade Works by Ufotable (According to some not the best place to start.. ?) and I was instantly HOOKED. The battles, oh the glorious Unlimited Budget Works, the story, the world, the characters was just so new and incredible that I became obsessed and finish the whole show in one sitting.

Of course, my hunger for Fate had not been satisfied and directly afterwards I watched the Heaven's Feel movie and then the second movie when that came out. I then watched Fate/Zero and oh my god christ the tragedy that the Fourth Holy Grail War was pained me.

After having gone on a Fate adventure, I started to read tons of fanfiction and the stories the community put out there are absolutely amazing! I kept reading more and more and soon enough I was inspired to have my own take on Fate. It began with a rough timeline draft of how a different Shirou's Holy Grail War would go with circumstances changed and his choices made being different, how different a Shirou Emiya would be with more people than just Kiritsugu, Taiga, Issei and Sakura in his life. I already have an idea of how this story could end, I just need to write a story that can lead to that ending.

One thing I want to do is to make the world seem grander (even though it extremely grand), in order to do that I'll be referencing things, including characters who you just definetley not see in a regular old Fate/stay night route. My knowledge on the Fateverse and the Nasuverse in extension is not that great, so I'm bound to make a few mistakes while writing this.

Will I get this done? I really don't know, I'm not the most organized person on the planet so I don't have a clear release schedule for this story.

But hey, maybe with this I can give others some ideas.