Chapter 1 – Out of the Abyss

Even breathing began to feel hard. Her body now solely moved on the strength of her will. Every step she took were a little less certain than the previous one, but she could still see clearly. Behind the treeline, she could see dim lights coming out of the temple. Following as best she could a narrow path half invaded by the vegetation, she pulls off her hood, trying to breathe easier.
Her blue long hair immediately falls on her shoulders. It is quickly obvious to anyone perceptive enough: her beauty isn't natural. The weight of her ornished garments and of her own exhausted body feels heavier as each instant pass.

'How did I end up here?'

The moonlight falls almost rhythmically on her, passing through the canopy. Even if there was someone near, he would probably be unable to see her in the darkness of the night.

'Why would someone save me anyway?'

After what seems an eternity but probably just amounted to a minute, the night grew even darker. Her pale blue eyes were the last lights in the darkness of this forest, and even this last evanescent one wouldn't shine long.

'I didn't deserve this. I never deserved any of it.'

Surprisingly, even though she was on the brink of disappearing, she didn't feel any hatred in her heart. One might think that she hadn't the strength to hate anymore. But rather, her soul was already crushed by the weight of a feeling she knew all too well.

'I'm alone. Again...'

She should have been used to it by now. After all, the last time she hadn't felt lonely was probably when she was in Colchis. An eternity ago...Before she learned the true meaning of the word "Betrayal". And before she took it as her own.
She heard the distinctive and familiar noise of rain drops falling on the ground. As rain fell, her garments grew much heavier from being soaked. She could barely stand, and she wouldn't be able to sooner or later. Well, sooner rather than later.

'Someone...Anyone...'

In the absence of an answer, all hope she still had left her. Taking a final step, she fell. One last streak of moon light fell on her, allowing her to see the night sky one last time. She closed her eyes, awaiting the inevitable pain. But there was no ground waiting for her. Nothing but an ice-cold water. After floating in the ink-dark lake for a handful of seconds, she felt the bottom of it on her back.

'I will die in a knee-deep lake. It seems Fate wishes to tell me something: "This is a fitting end for the Witch of Betrayal".'

A cloud must have hidden the moon again, as no light was in sight in the abyss she found herself in. It wasn't bottomless, but it was utterly unescapable. This Abyss would be her Grave.


The boy was exceptionally wearing black this day. He found it fitting, or rather, he prefered to avoid wearing something colorful in a cemetery. This year, it was the first time he had borrowed one of his adoptive father's suits.

"See, I grew up a whole lot during the last five years!"

The red-headed teenager was obviously trying to sound as cheerful as he could, but his voice was filled with sorrow. He lightly touched his aching throat, hoping it would loosen a bit.

"I'm still trying...To become a Hero of Justice, that is."

He still remembered vividly their last conversation. It was quite astonishing to consider a mere conversation had such an impact on him. He reminisced about it quite often, as if to harden his own resolve. Not that it had wavered once anyway.

"But...I don't know if I'll be able to. I'm still so weak...I don't feel like I can do anything. I still can't save anyone."

He was still unable to even use properly the only useful magic he was proficient at. But it wasn't from a lack of training...After all, he was training every evening in the shed he called his workshop. But it wasn't enough...Worst, he wasn't improving at all. It was disheartening, but he was stubborn.

"I wish you could have taught me more. Learning magic by myself is proving to be inefficient. You would be ashamed of your pupil, seeing how I haven't made any progress at all in all these years. But I think you would be proud of me nonetheless..."

He had already said all he wanted to say for this year. But he didn't want to leave right away. Shirou continued to talk, all the while cleaning Kiritsugu's grave.

"Things have been a lot better for me for the past year. It's a lot thanks to Sakura. She's an underclassman of mine..."
Shirou pondered for a few seconds, thinking about how best to describe her.
"She's...She's a good girl. Without you for all these years, it was pretty lonely, even though Fuji-nee is still coming often. I hadn't even noticed...How good it feels to be in a house full of life. I really missed it."

His recently acquired happiness showed on his face as Shirou smiled, thinking about how lonely he had been before Sakura came.

"Actually, I teached her how to cook. At first, she came to help me when I was injured, but when I saw how badly she cooked, I decided to teach her. She's a really fast learner! I think in a few months, she'll be as skilled as me. Maybe even sooner."

The grave now perfectly clean, Shirou sat next to it, looking at the sun setting behind the mountains in the east.

"I guess...I'll stay a little longer."

For the first time, he actually had many things to tell.

The sky was pitch-black when he left the cemetery. Thankfully, the moon was there to lighten the path ahead of him. It was the middle of December, and the night was cold. Shirou half-regretted staying this late. Walking as fast as he could to warm up his body, the moonlight disappeared behind the clouds.

'Smells like rain...I probably should hurry up.'

Now jogging in the dark, a strange detail caught his attention.
There was someone...At least it seemed like there was someone. Hard to tell in the depth of the night. But he was almost sure...Someone was stumbling ahead. He kept on jogging to see if the stranger needed any help. Seeing more closely brought to conclusions. First: It was a woman. Second: She obviously needed help.

"Miss, are you alrig..."
He hadn't even finished his sentence.
She fell in the lake.
Even before his mind had processed the information, his body had already made his choice and ran to her level at full speed. His daily trained muscle were proving useful for the first time.

'I need to save her.'

He was solely focused on the sinking body, just a few meters down. There wasn't any time to hesitate.

'She needs my help.'

Not stopping for an instant, Shirou jumped in the lake, landing roughly. His feet touched almost immediately the bottom of it, and he winced as he felt the shock reverberate through his bones, sending a jolt of pain through his legs. He lost his bearings for a second, and quickly rushed to where he had seen her sink once he shook himself out of it. As she wasn't even trying to emerge, he gathered that she must have already lost counsciousness.

'Don't die.'

Reaching to her, he lifted her unconscious body out of the water, surprised by how light she was. Unnaturally light even. He brought her back to the rim of the lake in a hurry, remembering the right movement to save someone who had drowned.

'Please don't die, I beg you, survive.'

He lied her on the grass. Ignoring her strange clothes, ignoring her long unnaturally colored hair, he pulled her head down and pressed his mouth against hers, breathing steadily to bring air in her water-filled lungs. After two useless attempts, her breast finally rose to his breath. She coughed a first time, splashing a bit of water in his own mouth. But she wasn't coughing the water out. At this rate, she would die. Because he wasn't quick enough. Because he wasn't skilled enough.

'Please, please, don't die. Let me save you. I don't care about fate, I don't care about anything. I just want you to live. I would give anything to wake you come back to life.'
'I WOULD GIVE MY LIFE TO YOU'

The woman coughed all the water out, emptying her lungs. Shirou sighed in relief, letting his limbs go lump. He was so relieved that he failed to notice...
A vivid pain coming from his right hand...
And a red light coming from his right hand...
From three red glowing marks.

Lifting her body again, Shirou headed for the Temple to seek help.


Here is my try at the infamous Shirou X Caster pairing, one of my personal favorites. Please review!