Author Note

Hello there and welcome to another chapter of Fate Shadow Spear.

I have to say that I am both eager and suffering in anticipation for this chapter, so I hope that you guys will enjoy it.

The chapter is going to be long as I have many ideas planned for it, including the return of a certain someone. Now, let us answer the reviews, before the chapter.

Spyro 101 - Can't say how's going to go...I had a few different ideas about it, but then most were discarded. Please read and tell me what you think.

Look what Jesus did - Yes, Lancer in full health would have put up a fight against Lancer Alter, but the shadow had corrupted him. Now, we shall see how powerful Lancer Alter in his fights against the others.

WolfrSaber - Saber being Alter and still fighting with Shirou would be impossible. She would be corrupted by the Grail and following Sakura's orders.

SonofheWesternSeas - The answer will be here, so please take a red and tell me your thoughts.

Hyperomegasonic26 - I appreciate all your comments and insights. Also, I believe that all of your questions and ponderings will be answered in this chapter. If not, then please ask away and I will provide the answer if possible.

Josnacio - Ilya appears more after Saber vanishes in the movie. She will appear in later chapters.

FendarianT - Yes, in FGO he is.

Now, let us begin the chapter.

Enjoy!

Also a special thank you for Axel Emiya for beta-reading it.

Heaven's Feel

Fate: Shadow Spear

Chapter 11 – Ryuudou Temple

Beta: Axel Emiya

Saber was quietly kneeling on the floor of her master's dojo with her eyes closed.

It has been a couple of hours since she and Shirou returned from meeting with Rin and the priest and the king of knights was busy meditating in preparation for the fight that was sure to come tonight. Right now, only a few servants remain in this strange war. Aside from herself only Assassin, Rider and Berserker remained. However, what worried her more was that shadow. Saber did not know what that was, and neither were its strengths of weaknesses. As such, she was worried about going into a fight this ill prepared. However, she trusted her master to fight alongside her and help her if something happened.

Right now, her master was busy running some errands around the house, so that left Saber with time for herself.

Outside it was nice and chill weather with snow falling. The chilling wind passed through the wooden windows of the dojo, reminiscing Saber of the cool climate in her land.

Also, the feeling of Shirou's strong and warm mana flowing inside of her allowed her to calm down and be at ease.

Saber heard the door of the dojo open, but she felt the presence of her master being inside the house. When the servant opened her eyes, she saw the other temporary resident of the house, Matou Sakura. Saber was about to smile and address her, but she could see that the girl's look was both serious and saddened for some reason. Saber observed as Sakura walked towards her and then fell into the same kneeling position, as if they were having a conversation by the kitchen table.

"Is there something you need of me, Sakura? Are you feeling better?"

Sakura, for her part, nodded and looked down, still not completely comfortable with looking at Saber in the eye.

Sakura always felt self-conscious around the women in Shirou's life. Taiga was his family and also her teacher, so she was at ease around her. When Scathach appeared, Sakura was completely floored at the woman's overall beauty and even her body. It got worse seeing the woman openly flirting with her senpai on occasion. Sakura just could not hold a candle to her. Also, it made her jealous of the interaction between them. Aside from Scathach, Sakura felt the same with her sister, who showed so much enthusiasm and self-confidence in talking with senpai.

When Saber appeared, Sakura could not help but consider that her facial beauty and the regal way she posed easily topped Rin and Scathach.

What made it worse, compared to the other two, was that she could see how senpai looked at the beautiful blonde-haired with green eyes.

It was how she wanted him to look at her.

"Sakura…" The Matou girl blushed in surprise at being called out on.

"Ah Saber-san, sorry…I...ah...spaced out for a minute. Ah, yes, I am...feeling better. The medicine seems to be working." She saw Saber smiling at her.

"I'm glad to hear that…Shirou was quite worried about you. He will be happy to know you're feeling better." Sakura was surprised at that but nodded.

Senpai was the reason she came here to talk to her about.

"Ano, Saber-san, I do not know what you and senpai are doing out there and I'm sure that you won't tell me no matter how much I ask…" Saber stood there betraying nothing as per the requirements of being king, however this was not a conversation she was thrilled to be having. "I know that senpai is strong…Miss Scathach tutored him for a long time…but I can't help but worry that something will happen to him." Sakura was looking down while talking, either from embarrassment or her inability to look Saber eye to eye, she did not know. However, when it came to her worry for Shirou, Sakura found a back-bone and Saber could see that quite clearly. So much that she managed to look up and level eye to eye with the king of knights for a brief second or two.

"I…don't want him to be in danger."

Sakura was put off by seeing the candid smile on Saber's face.

She did not know how to feel about it…the dark side of her began to loathe the mere existence of this person that appeared between her and her senpai. The fact that Saber seemed to be perfect in literally every possible sense of the word only infuriated her. No wonder, Senpai would fall for her. She should be dead...how dare she...Senpai should be with me...not her...Sakura sometimes had this inner voice and it trampled with her reasoning. She was worried about Senpai above all else.

"Sakura, like Miss Scathach, I took an oath in protecting him from harm should he ever come in harm's way. You have my word on that."

Sakura, for her turn, offered a nod, even if she was not entirely convinced. Saber's manner of expression took her by surprise for a moment, but the mere thought of Shirou getting hurt made her remember her insecurities once more. Nevertheless, Sakura realized that she would not be able to get much else from the blonde woman. So, she simply got up, bowed in respect and offered Saber to help cook dinner for them, to which Saber responded with a smile in appreciation. She quite enjoyed both Shirou and Sakura's cooking.

Saber then watched Sakura leave the dojo and got up as well.

To Saber, an oath meant more than people could comprehend and she truly vowed to protect Shirou at all costs.

===Ryuudou Temple===

At night, the snowfall increased and the Ryuudou Temple was barely noticeable even when standing at the end of the stairs leading to the temple.

Normally, in the spring, the entire city could be viewed from the temple grounds. Now, the heavy snow and mist ruined the view.

Shirou and Saber stood side by side as they saw the yellow tape at the temple's entrance, indicating that a crime occurred in this place. Both ignored the tape however as the heavy stench of mana was quite evident in this place. As they walked inside the confines of the temple, Shirou saw Saber waking ahead his position while he looked around. She talked to him about Sakura's concern, though Shirou was actually more concerned about her than with himself. The spear wielder was relieved that she had gotten better, but his doubt about Sakura being engrossed with the Matous stills unsettled him.

Quickly tracing his favorite spear, Shirou entered inside the temple while Saber remained into position in case of an attack.

Walking further inside, Shirou then entered a place where the priests performed the ceremonies, when he heard the noise of bugs crawling through the walls.

Narrowing his eyes at the threat, he got into position while walking forward. Saber had received the information from their link. As Shirou walked, the noise of the bugs intensified until he saw the walls of the temple filled with them, which of course was not a natural occurrence. He knew to whom this feeling belongs, however as he advanced a couple of steps. He was alerted to a presence before him just as he heard Saber calling out his name. He turned and saw a being enveloped by a black cape and a white mask, easily towering him by a couple of inches. Shirou's eyes tracked his movements and Shirou slammed the back end of his spear at Assassin, forcing him backwards.

Assassin had to run just as Saber came in and continued the attack.

"It's Assassin. Leave him to me." When Saber engaged Asssasin in combat, the door that led outside closed.

Shirou could see the images of the servants engaging in combat and he was about to go assist Saber when the bugs charged at him.

Shirou saw the bugs blocking his path and began to attack the tiny insects one by one, with his spear, slicing the insects while manuevering himself in between them. It appeared that none of the damn insects did much other than block his view. The bugs then gathered into a specific location, before Matou Zouken surged inside the temple grounds.

"Well, we see each other again, Emiya Shirou. Quite predictable of you to come here…"

"What's the meaning of this Zouken…how come you have two servants? Were you not Caster's master…and now Assassin as well."

Zouken did only laugh at the question mark in the boy's face.

"There is a lot about this war you know nothing about, boy. I created this war after all. Now, be a good boy and do your worst…your servant will be mine in due time."

Shirou narrowed his eyes on the enemy. He could feel through the link that Saber was trading blows with Assassin. Zouken already snared Caster with these worms. He had Assassin as well, though it did not look like the servant was being controlled. He would not allow Zouken to capture Saber. Shirou did not have time to waste here. As the bugs came charging at him, Shirou activated the runes on his body and increased his agility, surprising Matou at the technique. The Matou elder saw Shirou moving with servant like speeds, though even this would not be enough to rid of all of his bugs.

Also, Matou could feel the energy from Shirou's spear, indicating mage craft.

"Huh, runes and a different form of gradation air…interesting combination. Though, you will have to do more than…"

Zouken flinched once he saw the spear ignite on fire as Shirou obliterated the bugs more effectively.

"I do not have time to waste with you, Zouken…"

Shirou charged at the old man, appearing right by his side with speeds that should not be possible for a magus. He slammed the burning spear on Zouken and despite the man turning into his bugs, all of them ended up catching on fire. The decrepit yelled in pain, forcing himself to flee on sight, from fear of being burned alive. Shirou looked around, cursing the old man who managed to separate him from his servant even for a short while. Shirou wasted no time and ran outside, to assist his servant against Assassin.

===Saber x Assassin===

Saber and Assassin were dueling on the roofs of the temple.

Well, to describe more clearly, Assassin was using only evasion tactics with his daggers and Saber was blocking with her sword while chasing after Assassin. With Lancer, Assassin had some leeway with close-ranged, but against a supreme servant like Saber, fighting close-range was equivalent to suicide. Saber ran on top of the temple walls chasing Assassin as he jumped back inside the temple building. He sensed the major shift in Saber's sword, indicating the usage of wind mana. As soon as he landed on the temple, Assassin ran alongside the temple floor, before making a quick turn just as Saber stopped at a distance as her sword.

While still invisible, the weapon was overflowed with wind spell as she stopped and pointed her sword forward as her sword began to swirl like a vortex.

"Oh Wind…howl"

As she extended her sword, a strong hurricane like wind charged straight at Assassin, destroying the wooden tiles and the temple walls. Saber, though, was surprised when Assassin merely flew through the middle of the hurricane and tried attacking her, but she evaded, before they switched places. Assassin stood tall in all his glory as he observed his opponent.

"Protection against the wind…something essential to have for those who crossed the desert."

Saber then stood at the ready, focusing on his next possible attack.

"It's fine with me if you do not attack…right now, your master is being entertained by mine."

Saber allowed herself a second to worry about Shirou but then smirked at Assassin.

"You underestimate him no doubt…Shirou would take quick care of your master, Assassin. Now, you will die here…"

Saber then dashed to Assassin's location, however she stopped once black tendrils erupted from below the river that was located at the back of the temple. Saber was surprised when a tidal wave erupted from her side and charged straight at her, though she managed to stand above the water based on the protection provided by the Lady of the Lake. However, Saber was caught by surprise when a black tendril caught her feet. She looked down, wondering what this was about as she saw the curse spread upwards her body. As soon as it enveloped her whole, Saber felt the curse envelop her core. She let out a scream at the level of pain. Despite it all, Saber was strong enough to hold her own and still maintain her composure against Assassin.

'Shirou…'

Saber did something that it would be against her very nature, a plea for help. Her master was nowhere around, but she was counting on him now, as she would not be able to hold her own for much longer. At this moment, she could feel the shadow zap her of her strength as she remembered the image of Caster being absorbed. Assassin merely observed as the strongest servant managed to hold her own despite being trapped by the shadow. However, he knew that it would be a matter of time now, just like with Lancer.

"Servants cannot oppose to the shadow…however, as you are so pure, Saber, a simple touch is enough for you to lose your sanity."

She looked at Assassin now wobbling in her position, however she will never falter.

Saber snarled at her situation and released all her mana in one go, counting on both her own and her master's. She was enveloped by a strong blue energy and Assassin watched transfixed that the curse was slowly leaving her body. Assassin observed in awe as Saber was slowly but surely overcoming the shadow with her mana burst. He could not allow her, though. Releasing his arm, just as Saber was managing to overcome the shadow, Assassin's hand was lifted up in the air as he was about to use his noble phantasm once more to collect Saber's heart.

He smirked once Saber's energy dwindled as the shadow grew her once more.

"You lost Saber…"

Assassin announced the name of his noble phantasm, however he was slammed quite hard by a spear that sent him flying backwards, while Shirou ran towards Saber with his burning spear. Saber was already closing her eyes at the lack of energy as Shirou slammed the fire spear at the shadow on the ground, burning both the shadow and his servant. Shirou could hear the shadow emitting a pained scream and released its control over his servant. Saber's dragon core was not only immune but also empowered by fire. Despite that, the servant only had strength to muster her master's name before she fell on the ground unconscious.

Shirou wasted no time and grabbed her while jumping towards the temple patio.

Assassin appeared at that moment and looked at Saber's master.

Shirou was at a severe disadvantage here. He could feel his servant's energy dwindling by the minute, and he needed to heal her. With the runes and reinforcement, he was able to hold Saber's body while using one arm to position his spear to defend himself against Assassin. Shirou then realized that he would have to fight this smart. He would not be able to hold his own against a servant with only one arm. He then released the projected spear just as Assassin charged to skewer him.

Anzus

Shirou waved his only available hand and inscribed runes in the air, surprising Assassin as the balls of fire charged straight at him, forcing him to evade.

If Shirou had both hands free, this fight would be more equal as he would be able to use the full extent of his spear and his runes.

"It appears my master underestimated you, Saber's master. However, it matters not…you shall perish here."

Shirou stood there snarling at the situation right now. He needed to flee right now and tend to Saber.

At that moment, a swirl of blue energy appeared in front of Shirou as he saw a woman with extreme long purple hair, wearing leather clothing and a blind fold. Shirou gasped at the sudden presence, remembering it to be Rider. However, if memory was not failing him at this point, Rider was Shinji's servant and she was defeated by him and Saber a couple of nights ago. Rider stood hunched over like a feline posed to strike. Shirou noticed that she was facing Assassin, which in itself would be odd as he would obviously be the logical choice for an opponent. His servant was unconscious, and he could not defend properly.

Still, Rider merely turned her neck to look at him and Shirou could see a coy smile directed at him, before turning to face Assassin.

"It appears that you're fine…go…I will take care of him."

Shirou really wanted to question her as to why the servant would be helping him, but he was pressed for time with Saber.

"I don't know why you're helping me, but thank you…Rider."

Rider turned abruptly to see Shirou moving at speeds that matched a servant as he focused mana on the runes on his body.

The long purple haired servant smirked at the display, before turning to face Assassin.

She started dragging her chains, leaving a trail on the snow. As soon as Assassin showed hostility with his daggers, Rider sprung into action using her extreme agility. In terms of overall combat proficiency, Assassin and Rider fought similarly as both were rather weak in close-range, overcompensating with agility. Still, Rider appeared to be faster as it did not take long for her to kick Assassin around like a rag doll until Assassin was assaulted from his back by Rider's twin daggers, drawing first blood.

Her daggers were linked with chains and Assassin found himself being dragged around the premises, getting thrown on the ground and then towards the wall.

Rider then released the chain just as Assassin smashed his body on the small shrine's roof in the middle of the temple and then skidded on the ground in extreme pain.

Assassin knew that he would be killed if he stayed, so he used his extreme concealment skill and left the premises.

Rider stood in front of the temple looking at his position for a while, before looking at the direction where Saber's master escaped.

As she looked around the premises, Rider's eyes then focused on the sudden appearance of the shadow there being a mere bystander to the show. Rider, though, did not move to attack nor did the shadow try to attack her. Rider looked around once more, before looking back at the shadow. However, the shadow had long since vanished from the scene.

===With Shirou===

Shirou needed to take Saber back to his home.

The bounded field there would protect them while he took care of her, however Saber was far too weak to make the travel there, no matter how fast Shirou could travel. As such, he found a local bench in the Ryuudou Temple grounds and quickly cast healing rune on her. Shirou was running up blind here. He did not know what to do about her situation. As he focused on his mana, he drew the healing rune on Saber's chest armor. The golden energy left from the rune and travelled towards his servant, enveloping her entire body. Shirou could feel the bond was quite weak, though he sighed in relief as he began to feel it a bit stronger, though it would not be enough right now.

He needed to focus more of his mana to pass on to her or else Saber would not survive the night.

Shirou cursed Zouken once more and grabbed Saber, focusing as much mana as possible on his limbs to leave Mount Enzou with Saber being carried in his arms bridal style.

===Matou Household===

Unaware of the outcome in Ryuudou Temple, Rin and Archer managed to sneak inside the Matou household undetected.

Normally, a house belonging to a traditional magus family would be practically impossible to sneak inside, without working extra hours to break the bounded field. However, Rin found it weird that there was none surrounding the house. Sakura was in Shirou's house and neither she nor Archer could sense Zouken's presence. That alone made Rin worry that Shirou and Saber may have taken the short end of the stick as far as places to scout. However, Rin would have chosen to come here regardless based on the bad history between the two families. She was worried about Shirou, but he had shown himself quite capable and also had Saber with him.

The master and servant quickly got inside the property.

For all intents, the decoration was like hers…European style and quite fancy. However, nothing looked out of ordinary. Her house was just as plain, though Rin had jewels sprawled in key locations to maximize her own mana capacity and to serve as defensive mechanisms in case of an invasion. It was because of this that she got stronger now and no longer needed her father's stick to walk around.

Archer, though, was the one with the weird behavior as he appeared to be walking towards a specific location.

"Archer, where are you going?"

The servant, for his chance, frowned at the noise that assaulted his extra-keen senses. A sound that they had heard before.

"Follow me, Rin…"

The Tohsaka heir frowned, but complied as they crossed the kitchen until they reached a part made of old-bricks and a door that appeared to be older than Zouken himself.

When Rin opened the door, however, the stench quickly assaulted her nostrils, forcing her to step back and cover her nose instinctively. Plus, both of them could hear the distinguished noise of bugs and mosquitos. For a moment, they thought that Zouken had arrived at the house. They had crossed the door and walked down the stairs to probably the house's basement…aka…a magus's training facility. As they descended the stairs, the heavy stench became harder to adapt to and the noise became even more annoying.

When they finished the stairs and looked at the scene before them, Rin felt both the need to throw up and to punch Zouken repeatedly.

"What is this…is this what they call a training room? Impossible…not a place like this…"

Archer looked at the bottomless pit of worms, bugs of all shapes and sizes…the reason for Rin's distress was rather obvious.

"Is this what she went through, Archer…" Rin was trembling at the memory of her little sister being adopted by the Matou family and sent in this place to become a magus. The horrible images she saw when the shadow touched her made the Tohsaka tremble in anger for her little sister. Some pieces of the puzzle were appearing in Rin's mind as she began to understand more about Sakura's life under the Matou family. She now felt more at ease knowing that she was safe and protected by Emiya and Saber, instead of in this place with the old Matou.

"Let's go back home, Archer…tomorrow I will need to talk to Emiya about his night at the Temple…I do hope that he had a better day than I'm having right now."

===Somewhere around the city===

Matou Zouken knew from his worms that the Tohsaka heir was in his house, but she would not be able to do anything.

The old Matou looked at the bloodied remains of a woman he had attacked. Zouken's rotten body needed to be maintained by devouring human beings.

He was surprised at Emiya Shirou's actions and that forced him to devour a person's life to restore his energy. He then felt his servant materialize behind him.

"Do you despise me? How I support my body with the life of others…"

Assassin kneel in reverence.

"No…with you being obsessed with life…makes it more than apt to become my master."

===Emiya's Household===

Emiya Shirou managed to reach his house in time and found Sakura there by the front door waiting for them to come back home. Sakura saw Shirou carrying an unconscious Saber and quickly got out of the way. She saw him running towards his own bedroom and closing the door without even acknowledging her presence. She merely observed the closed door as she looked down in sadness. She was worried about him, but his focus was entirely on her. Sakura was so engrossed in the negative thoughts that began to creep in her mind that she did not even notice the arrival of another person behind her.

"Hi there, Sakura…was that Shirou there, carrying Saber?"

Sakura flinched and turned to see the other woman that represented a thorn at her side. Scathach had a bag on her hand as she closed the front door.

"Ah Scathach, you came back…" The celtic legend nodded, not bothered by the negative tone Sakura used just now…so things were still the same in here, huh.

"Yep…what can I say…I kind of missed my dear old apprentice, so I came back early. Now, do not mind me, I will just say hi to him, see what's going on and then head to bed…it's been a long flight."

Sakura merely nodded.

She saw Scathach also opening the door to her Senpai's bedroom and get inside, thus Sakura was the only one outside.

The bangs on her forehead obscures the saddened look on her face.

===Shirou's bedroom===

Shirou was surprised when his teacher appeared inside his room and he opened a smile upon seeing her once again.

Seeing her here made his mind at ease and Scathach smiled as well. She did miss the redhead after all.

As she observed Shirou using healing rune on Saber, Shirou took the time to report everything about the war to her. The celtic lancer was surprised at the occurrences, but she was even more surprised and quite aggravated to hear that her other student Setanta was one of the servants. She wanted to meet up with the damn dog and skewer him for his stunt back when he was alive. Also, catching up with her ward was a priority here, but she could see that Shirou was worried about Saber's health, as she could sense the amount of mana the redhead was pouring.

She could feel Saber's erratic core being filled but the rate Shirou was going, he would have exhausted himself in no time.

Still, at least the servant had received enough to open her eyes and start breathing again, albeit erratically.

"S..shirou…where are we?" As the servant looked around, she realized that they were in Shirou's room and, surprisingly so, Scathach was there with them as well.

Shirou looked on in relief and Saber found herself staring at his eyes.

"Saber, I'm so glad you had woken up, I was beginning to worry that I would not be able to save you…please conserve your strength, I will be keeping this up until tomorrow if I have to."

Saber allowed herself to smile and nodded, before closing her eyes once more as she focused on the energy that her master was providing for her.

The last thing she remembered was her master saving her from the shadow and then she was here at his futon.

Still, she was glad that he was able to reach her before the shadow could absorb her like it did with Caster. Scathach observed the scene fondly, especially at the amount of effort her ward was devoting to the King of Knights. She remembered the dumbstruck look on his face when Saber first appeared. Clearly this was more than a mere effort to keep the servant in this war, however…

"Shirou, you need to hear me…healing rune has taken her up to this point, but that alone won't save her…" Both Shirou and Saber looked alarmed at the celtic legend.

"What do you mean, miss Scathach…what do I have to do…tell me, I will do anything." His reaction was not so surprising, considering the prior events.

"Her mana levels are quite low…I'm afraid there is only one option left for you to replenish her mana until your bond kicks in and start feeding her properly".

Saber looked at the purple-haired woman and narrowed her eyes, wondering where she was going with this.

She flinched, however, when she remembered the talk she had with Archer the night before appeared.

"Tell me…" Scathach's expression was neutral as she explained to the rather frantic ward in front of her.

"You need to provide your servant with your mana and the only way of doing that is through exchange of fluids. Blood is a good source, but in this case, only semen would do the job." Shirou looked scandalized at his teacher and then he looked at his servant on his bed. She looked at him as well, wondering what her master would do. She had not much knowledge about being a magus, so she was taking the celtic woman's word for it. Shirou then turned to Scathach and she could see that he was hesitating in making this decision.

"Semen…you mean…" Scathach released a sigh at that.

"Don't be such a prude here, Shirou…you want to save her do you not?"

"I do…but..." Shirou started blushing…how could he not. He wanted to save her and if his teacher was right, then this would save her.

But he was still a teenager and the prospect of her advice had reached his head almost immediately.

Saber was appalled at the notion. Not that she was against being like that with him…her master by now had earned her trust and the fact that Shirou was dreading only helped improve on the healthy image she had of him. What she was appalled about was the entire necessity of doing this. She blamed her weakness on being in this situation. If she had dealt with Assassin more effectively, then Saber would be better prepared to avoid the shadow from capturing her.

Both Shirou and Saber were surprised when, all of a sudden, Scathach started laughing and laughing hard.

"Oh…how much I waited for the chance to finally tease you Shirou…man, when it comes to her you are far too easy and even you Saber…I can tell why Shirou is enamored by you…you two are quite alike." Shirou blinked a couple of times at his teacher and then became angry at her for choosing such a tense moment to tease him about it. Saber was of the same opinion, wanting to have Excalibur in her hand right now and decapitate the annoying woman. Neither of them caught on to Scathath's comment about Shirou fancying Saber, much to the Celtic legend's humor.

"Yeah, well, you owed me a lot of teasing boy…after practically throwing myself at you all these years and barely getting a reaction, with the king of knights, it was rather easy to see you blush."

Shirou did realize the implications of her statement, while Saber was caught up between saving her strength and not being affected by Scathach's comment.

"Yeah, well, very funny…now what do I have to do to save her…" Scathach stopped laughing, opting to save the teasing for later.

"Well, it won't be like having intercourse, but you two will need to get as much of skin contact as possible. I will open another path for your mana to be transferred to her, thus filling her reserves faster." Shirou looked surprised, before he remembered that his healing runes worked more effectively with Ayako and Rin since Shirou focused on their bare skin. He then looked at Saber for reassurance and was surprised to see her nod at him resolutely. She released her armor and opened her shirt and Shirou could see the beginning of her cleavage. He fought the urge to blush at the sight, considering the importance of the procedure.

He also took off his jacket and even the shirt, exposing his well-defined chest and abdomen for both women to see.

Saber did the same thing and took off her shirt as Shirou laid down next to her.

However, Saber was still weak to move around, so Shirou gently lifted her from the bed and lied down, placing her on top of him.

Both fought the urge to look away at the feeling of chest to breast contact.

"I'm sorry about this, Saber…" The king of knights' breath was erratic, but she was still surprised at him for apologizing.

Scathach was already hard at work inscribing runes in the mid-air, enveloping master and servant.

Both master and servant closed their eyes, focused on his magic circuits and her dragon core.

The runes inscribed by Scathach allowed for another pact to be formed between Shirou and Saber.

When Shirou next opened his eyes, he was staring at the eyes of a beast…yellow menacing eyes, sharp teeth, and dark red scales.

Shirou could see the magnificent creature in all its splendor opening its wings. He knew by instinct that this dragon represented the power and majesty of the king of knights. In the place Shirou was in, he could see pillars of blue energy that represented the never-ending abyss of her core. He extended his hand and gently caressed the dragon's jaw, quite content in getting to know Saber even more, furthering the bond he now shared with her as his own magic circuits zipped from his hand towards the dragon.

Saber for her part could feel Shirou's energy being directed towards her, filling her core just like before.

But this time, it was different.

Ever since she became his servant, there was this familiarity she felt in his energy. Such familiarity took her back to the time when she was alive and ruler of Camelot. As she opened her eyes, however, she realized that she was in a green field and looked endless and clear blue sky with few clouds. There was a pillar of golden energy in the horizon that looked like it belonged to the scenery. Saber could see the energy travelling through the ground until it reached her, feeling her entirely. For the life of her, she could not understand how her master was connected to her like this. A just man, full of valor and one of high praise, but Shirou belongs to a different time than hers.

So why!?

Scathach finished the incantation as she observed both master and servant had fallen asleep in the same position that they were in the beginning of the chant. Though, this time, much to her humor and eternal mental picture, Saber's head was on his chest and her right arm crossed Shirou's chest, resting on his shoulder. Scathach merely covered them with a blanket and went to her room to get some rest. Tomorrow, she would bask in the fine dining that her ward would certainly make for her and everyone.

===Next day===

When Shirou awakened the next day, he looked around somewhat dizzy as the memories from the last day were still hazy.

Still, he was surprised when he felt a weight on his chest when he tried to get up. Blinking a couple times, he looked down and realized that Saber's head was on his chest. Her hair was different from the perfect one he remembered it as the events from last night resurfaced in his mind. Saber was seconds away from being absorbed by the shadow, but he managed to rescue her in time and took her back to his house to be healed. The memory of his teacher helping them brought a sense of relief. Still, as he remained there, Shirou could not help but observe the servant snoring peacefully on his chest.

The redhead suddenly blushed when he felt her sapphire eyes slowly open as she crossed eyes with her master.

"Shirou…how are you feeling?"

Despite the situation being completely against her, Saber was still worried about him.

"I should be the one asking, Saber…I'm sorry it took too long to rescue you. I'm glad that you are safe and sound."

The servant nodded with a relieved smile and Shirou's heart skipped a beat at her beauty. She then lifted her head from his chest and blushed as she realized that she was not wearing her shirt. Saber looked to see that her master also was shirtless as she recalled what happened yesterday. Her magical core was slowly but surely being replenished as they speak, but Saber was still unable to move properly. She then reached for her shirt and covered her modesty.

"We should take today and even tomorrow to rest, Saber. The shadow drained you entirely…"

Shirou helped her get up as the master and servant moved out of the bedroom.

Aside from sleep, Saber needed nourishment. Saber, for her chance, felt out of place as she was dependent on her master to simply move around. Still, it was thanks to him that she was still active in this war. It was thanks to him that she did not become food for whatever that thing is. She dreaded the possible outcome if Shirou did not rescue her in time. What would happen to her otherwise…the possible outcomes scared her. Her intentions for this war was no longer in her mind. As they joined the kitchen, Shirou saw Scathach sitting by the table reading the newspaper while Sakura was busy in the kitchen, preparing breakfast.

"I take it you two had fun last night, huh…" The Celtic lancer was in profound elation, seeing the immediate blush on both their faces at the comment.

"Ah morning Senpai, Saber…"

Sakura could not help but flinch at the possibility of her senpai being intimate with the blonde beauty next to him, though both were wearing the outfits from last night and their hair were slightly tangled, which led her to guess what happened. Needless to say that Sakura...the dark Sakura, began to curse the blonde woman even more than before.

Shirou carried Saber gently towards her spot on the table as he went to the kitchen to help Sakura.

"Ah Sakura, sorry for not saying anything last night…it's just that…" Shirou stopped once he saw Sakura negating her head and reply.

"Ano, you don't need to explain Senpai…I'm just glad that you are alright. Is Saber okay?"

Shirou smiled and nodded as he grabbed his apron and joined the fray of helping her make breakfast.

"She will be…after some rest." And a lot of food…

The king of knights looked at the feast in front of her eyes and then looked up at her master's smiling at her.

She smiled at him as well and ate it all.

Scathach observed the scene with humor. She was already enjoying herself and she was glad to have come back earlier. Her intention was to wait for this petty war to finish, but she was bored in the Land of Shadows, so she came back early. As soon as she left from the portal, though, she felt the leylines in Fuyuki stronger than before. So, this war had turned things up a notch. Seeing the state the king of knights was in last night and this shadow that Shirou briefly told her about, it seemed that this Grail War consisted of more than mere masters and servants battling it out.

Though, right now, all she wanted to do was tease the hell out of these two.

"Oh, Saber, you like being spoiled by my Shirou don't you…"

The redhead sighed in dismay, remembering his teacher's mannerisms.

Saber looked irritated at the woman, though a faint blush remained.

Sakura was the only one who noticed the Irish woman saying 'my Shirou'. Eventually, Shirou took a quick shower and got dressed in his school uniform. Saber had opted to sleep as much as possible in order to conserve her mana capacity until Shirou could fill her tank. Because it was so vast, it would require at least two days of bed rest and lots of food. Shirou even figured that he would stop by the local market after school to feed her as well as everyone else. After all, Saber, in normal days, had quite the appetite. Meanwhile, Scathach would make sure that the king of knights had everything she needed to make a full recovery.

===Homurahara School===

The walk towards school was met with complete silence as Shirou noticed Sakura's strange behavior.

Looking at her from the corner of his eyes, Sakura looked like a complete stranger to him now. Thin-lipped, hollow eyes, completely blank expression...the snow continued to fall over Fuyuki as they took their sweet time getting there. Once they arrived, Sakura at least said her goodbye to him and walked away. Shirou looked at her back with a frown, wondering what could possibly be the case for her to act so cold. He then began to climb towards the stairs before he saw Tohsaka there presumably waiting for him by the second-floor staircase.

"Still not bringing Saber here, huh Emiya-kun…"

The redhead smiled at his comrade as they walked inside the classroom together, earning quite the talk from the classmates about their closeness.

Shirou did not mind as he began to view Tohsaka as a good friend. One that understood the world they lived in and one he could relate to.

When the first break started, they were up on the rooftop, sitting side by side close to the staircase that led to the roof. Archer was there as well and once more Shirou felt his magic circuits hum to life at his mere presence. A question that still plagued his mind as well as the shadow's identity and now Sakura's cold behavior towards him.

He had reported everything about last night and Rin did the same.

The downed look in Shirou's was exactly because of the description that Rin provided about the Matou's 'training facility'. Being anywhere near those bugs was absurd enough as it is, but to have an infestation of them in their basement in a daily basis…his mind simply could not comprehend. And this coming from the teenager who survived the Fuyuki fire and the wraiths and ghosts from the Land of Shadows. Shirou went on to explain about his and Saber's fight against Zouken and Assassin. He talked about the shadow ensnaring Saber almost to the point that she would be consumed by it if it were not for his timely intervention.

The amount of intel was quite useful to Rin.

"So...how did you manage to restore her mana, Emiya…a powerful servant like Saber would need a lot." Rin's expression turned from contemplative to sly as she could not help but consider the possibility. Shirou saw the look directed at him and remembered his teacher's constant teasing about the subject. For some reason, Tohsaka and Scathach would get along quite well.

"Before you get into conclusions Tohsaka, no…I did not have intercourse with Saber."

Rin just placed a hand over her mouth and smirked at his discomfort.

"Why not Emiya, she is a girl…it would certainly help her situation. Don't tell me you chickened out because of this. She would be up and about fighting like before in no time. You do know that semen of a magus is a cluster of magical energy, do you not?. Don't you know that poor magi sell their semen to the Association?"

"Huh, perhaps it was best to simply stay at home and get some rest…"

The fact that he was mumbling the phrase did get a full laugh from his friend.

"Ah I was just joking…relax. But now it's clear that this war had taken a turn for the worst with the shadow's presence and Zouken as well. I'm not even sure defeating the other servants should be the objective anymore."

Shirou nodded, concurring.

"Yes, at least until this mystery with the shadow is resolved and Zouken is dealt with for sure this time." Rin nodded, remembering how Shirou used fire runes to burn most of Zouken's insects. That was also something she could use if she ever encountered the old geezer. Not to mention that Archer may have a weapon or two in his disposal as well. In the end, the Emiya-Tohsaka deal concluded their meeting as they would focus their efforts in hunting down Zouken and the shadow as well.

===Emiya's Household===

Like he planned, Shirou went for grocery shopping after school, before returning home to find Scathach quietly observing the snow falling outside.

Sakura was nowhere to be seen and Shirou figured that she went back home.

Saber appeared to be still asleep, so Shirou placed the groceries inside the kitchen cabinets and began cooking lunch for the three of them. He wondered about Taiga as well, but the attacks in the city must have kept her and the rest of the teachers in meeting after meeting with the parents and also the city council members. As he prepared lunch, the noise and smell made its job, awakening the always hungry king of knights. She emerged from behind Shirou and the redhead noticed that she was much stronger than this morning. Food was soon served and lunch was eaten in silence between the three.

Shirou, then, washed the dishes while Saber and Scathach conversed with each other.

"Shirou, after this, we will be moving to the dojo. I will be testing to see if you have improved." The redhead nodded, all too eager to resume his spars with his teacher.

"If you impress me, then we shall move to the final part of your training…"

Saber looked from the sidelines as she wondered what the teacher of her master would teach him to make him even stronger.

Author Note

Thanks for reading and thanks to everyone who added this story to his/her follow/favorite.

Wow, so Saber was about to be captured by the shadow when Shirou arrived just in time. Also, Scathach is back once more to help with Shirou's training.

He will need for the fights to come. As to what he will learn, I will leave that up to you guys to guess.

Please tell me your thoughts.

Next Update – Avalon Bond.