Chapter 2- First Impression

Assassin fled the workshop at a high speed, with no regards for the boy she had just tried to kill. She had spoken the sacred word, her body had responded accordingly and everything had gone to plan. Except she was too late, by mere seconds. The seventh had arrived and with it, the final feeling she had felt in life. The oldest and most primal emotion, fear.

"I ask you. Are you my master?"

The question had gone unanswered, although it was more of a formality. The summoning had been answered and the contract had been made, both parties were aware of their pact. The blonde warrior took in the sight of her master, withholding immediate judgement due to the situation at hand.

"I shall dispose of Assassin and return shortly."

Her voice did not waver, it was the epitome of confidence. With a single perfect movement, she had disappeared from the workshop and into the night. Shirou pushed himself to his feet slowly, his hands stained with blood from the gash on his chest. Another scar wouldn't make much of a difference. His mind was focused on something else entirely. The previous moment had been painted onto his soul, woven into the core of the being that was Shirou Emiya.

"Yeah… I'm sure of it. Even if I forget everything else."

His voice echoed across the lonely space and for the first time in seven years, the flame within Shirou Emiya roared.

"You will not get away, Assassin!"

Saber had chased Assassin up onto the roof, fighting across the sloped terrain. The tiles shook in unison with each swing of her sword, powerful enough to threaten the integrity of the building itself. Saber was serious, perceiving this as something she must do. She could not fail again.

For all her resolve and determination, not a single blow found it's mark. The Old Man of the Mountain was nigh untouchable, always out of reach. When it seemed like her weapon would land, Assassin managed to slip away by a hair's breadth. The moon reappeared from behind the clouds, allowing Saber to see exactly why she could not land a blow.

"Assassin! Are you more insect than human!?"

Her disgust at Assassin's techniques burned hot. Assassin was moving in a way that was certainly not possible for a human being, limbs twisting and bending in ways that should not be possible. Joints popping, crunching and stretching. Every time the obscured blade drew close, she moved in an inhuman way.

An awful technique, one that must cause horrible pain to the person using it. Yet Assassin used it over and over, forcing her body to the limit. As someone that bore the title of Hassan-i-Sabbah, she was no stranger to modifying her body. Had she still possessed her sanity, she would have refrained from abusing this technique.

The two had covered every inch of roof with Saber still failing to land a clean blow, she possessed a Noble Phantasm that would certainly vanquish Assassin. She was hesitant to use it, knowing that she could only use it once in her current state.

Her sword drew close to Assassin's head, causing the servant to drop low to avoid losing it. Saber met Assassin's dodge with her foot, a sweeping kick that struck Assassin in the side and sent her hurtling from the roof. The kick had been strengthened by Saber's Mana Burst, dealing a tremendous amount of damage.

Assassin's body hurtled through the air. Her hair began to move, first latching onto the roof. Another few strands attached to the roof of the workshop, leaving her hanging above the courtyard entirely. Standing directly below her was Shirou, staring up at the abomination.

The defenseless master, the servant just too far away. It was the perfect opportunity. Two strands of hair, so fine they could part glass without leaving a mark, swept down towards him.

He knew what would happen, but he had taken that into account. If it bought his servant enough time to land her strongest blow, then it was worth it. He leapt backwards, the hairs slicing across the front of his face. Two shallow cuts opened across his cheeks, his head would have been bisected had they found their mark.

"Trace on."

He spoke the phrase that he had chosen. Magical energy flowed from his circuits and into his legs. Reinforcement of the body was not something he excelled at, barely being able to understand it in the first place. In this moment it was enough, Saber would not miss the opportunity.

"O mighty wind."

The currents that kept her weapon hidden began to rage, a torrent of wind at a pressure so high that it threatened to destroy anything it touched. Saber stood on the edge of the roof, her blade held flat with the tip pointing at Assassin.

She had heard the word "wind". Wind could not touch one who crossed the desert. The seventh could not know this, nor could the master. The injury dealt by the kick still remained, but that did not matter. She grinned, a smile that threatened to swallow the world. Yellowed teeth and a blackened tongue could be seen, as she readied her strongest attack.

"ENRAGE!"

"Zabaniya~"

Two Noble Phantasms activated simultaneously. The air released, exploding towards the Assassin that still remained suspended above the courtyard. The sharp yell contrasted against the low rasp, the wind rushed over the Assassin and had no effect. The hair flew through the wind, splitting into individual strands to assail it's target from all directions.

Her instincts warned her of the outcome, her body parting into seventeen pieces and her blood dyeing the rooftop red. She could not go left, right or even leap above the attack. That her own attack had failed was not something she could understand. Assassin had negated it entirely, something she had failed to predict.

The mass of black hair converged on her location, blocking her figure from sight. All Shirou could do was stand and watch as his servant disappeared under the tirade of hair. The hope that he had felt only minutes prior started to crumble away. Underestimating an opponent was the worst mistake you could make, Kiritsugu had taught him this.

Saber had cornered Assassin, planned to use a strong attack and land the final blow. Cornered animals don't die easily, Assassin had negated Saber's attack and met her with her own strongest attack. Saber had disappeared under that mass of hair, each strand able to split steel. Soon the Command Seals on his hand would fade, and then he would follow his servant to the grave.

That is what he was sure would have happened, had Saber not been able to evade the attack. Assassin noticed first, pulling back her hair upon realising it had cut nothing. Saber was not there, the place that she had stood in previously was empty.

She burst out of the main house, skidding into the courtyard and destroying the ground as she came to a stop in front of Shirou. His mouth hung open, he was sure that she would have been killed. Yet she had managed to evade Assassin's strongest attack.

"I apologise, master. This is taking longer than I believed it would."

Her confidence had not been diminished in the slightest. Her eyes focused on Assassin as it dropped to the ground. The two servants had tested each other in their skirmish, gauging the abilities of the other. Every muscle in Shirou's body tensed up, recreating the feeling that he had felt earlier. He was close to death again, one wrong move would result in it.

Saber made the first move, breaking the deadlock. With a yell, she kicked off of the floor. The ground caved in from the force as she propelled herself towards her target. Her hands gripped her weapon tight, her shoulders relaxed slightly and she landed a step away from Assassin.

Her entire body moved as one, her movements perfected from years of training and experience. She pivoted, her right foot planted deep into the ground. The hidden sword moved, cutting through air as it sought to slice Assassin open. It was all too fast, Assassin could not avoid it entirely.

Assassin's knees dislocated, sending her falling downwards. The blade met flesh, Assassin had misjudged it's length. It cut through the roughspun garments, flashing upwards in a brilliant arc. The point took the white mask with it, splitting it in half and tearing it from it's resting place.

Assassin hit the ground, blood flowed from the deep slash inflicted upon her by the hidden sword. She flailed her arms as she screeched, hands flying to her face at the loss of her mask. She rolled and rolled until she hit the compound wall, her hair slashing everything in her immediate vicinity.

She propped herself up onto all fours and screeched at Saber, her face was now visible. Her eyes had been cut a long time ago, a slash that had not destroyed them but damaged them greatly. The tip of her nose was missing, taken away by a blade.

Even more scars lined her face, wounds that she had received in life. She had once been a beautiful woman, that much was plain to see. She had clearly suffered greatly, losing her sanity and even her humanity. She was more feral than human now, even behaving like a wild beast.

"I pity you, Assassin."

Saber's voice broke the silence. Her words were sincere, she truly did pity the creature known as Assassin. She raised her sword into a guard that resembled the crown guard that Shirou had seen. It was different, a position that led into an attack rather than a parry. She walked towards the wounded Assassin, like a hunter approaches wounded prey.

Assassin felt it again. The oldest emotion. This time it brought something with it, a memory. The final moment of her life. She saw it again. The dark figure that loomed over her in the dead of night, the blue eyes that pierced her soul. It even spoke the same words that the seventh had.

"I pity thee, Hassan of the Widow's Web. Thou hast lost thy humanity and now thou shall lose thine head."

She screeched again, raising her head to scream at the moon. She had died under the moonlight before, it would not happen again. Several strands of hair closed in on Saber, glinting in the moonlight, she sliced through them and continued her approach.

She fell silent, tilting her head in confusion. The moon fell behind the clouds, the light disappearing. Shadow obscured the courtyard, more hairs flew at Saber. She repelled each strike with perfection, yet when she opened her eyes, her opponent was nowhere to be seen. Only a trail of blood that coated the wall.

Saber leapt onto the wall, balancing herself on the top. She surveyed the area, the trail of blood stopped in the middle of the road. Presence Concealment, the greatest skill of the Assassin class. It had gone, disappearing into the shadows. Saber clenched her teeth, repressing her anger.

Assassin fled through the streets, darting from shadow to shadow. She had escaped death by a fine margin. The seventh was far too strong, she had focused mainly on evasion and even then she had been bested. Her Noble Phantasm had been countered not once, but twice.

The first time it had been incinerated, the second time it had been avoided. The seventh had cut through the floor below her, evading the attack by dropping into the house. Zabaniya concentrated on a point that she determined, evading it was as simple as moving from that chosen point. This was something that was almost impossible to do, yet Saber had evaded it by utilising the environment and her Instinct.

She fled into an alleyway, hiding amongst the shadows as she surveyed her wound. It was deep, but it was not fatal. The shadows grew darker for a moment and a door appeared in the wall opposite her. The door opened, revealing stairs that led downwards into even deeper darkness. She felt as if she belonged, as if entering would take her home. As she took a step towards the door, someone spoke into her head.

Well, Assassin. What will you do? If you enter, you will never leave.

She took another step towards it, towards the thing that was drawing her in. Her wound had stopped hurting, the pain overcome by the desire to enter the door.

No one who has entered has left alive, do as you wish. I'll be entertained either way.

Her master spoke to her again, with more force this time. To give into her desire would be to forfeit the war and the thing she wished for. Desire clashed with desire as Assassin struggled to make her choice, the door remained open, inviting her down into it's depths.

Thanks for reading this chapter, weekly updates will be the norm. I have a week off of work this week so expect two maybe three chapters! I would love to hear your thoughts on the story, so if you could leave a review it would be much appreciated!

-TheGrailsVoice