Sakura goes under the counter to grab a plate.
"Sakura, wait a second," Shirou called for her.
"Yes?"
"What happened to your wrist?" He asked. Shirou watched as she stood up and covered her left wrist with her right hand. "Shinji again?"
And that was Medusa's day ruined. Well, it would have been had she not known that the mark was because Sakura was a master. Actually, no. Shirou speaking about this would mean that it was likely a common occurrence. Damn, her day was ruined.
Shirou continued. "What's he thinking, raising his hand against his little sister?"
This comment unnerved several servants. Jeanne, for one, would never wish any harm upon those who she would call her little siblings.
"N-No, that's not it, Senpai! I, um, got this when I tripped and fell," she tried dissuading him with a smile.
"You can't get a bruise like that from tripping." Sakura turned away from him for a moment. Seeing this, Shirou arrived at a conclusion about what happened; "I knew it."
Sakura turned back to face him. "My brother had nothing to do with this, I swear! I got hurt by myself. That's all."
Shirou decided to relent. "Well, if you say so. I'll leave it at that."
Sakura put her hands back down. "Thank you. And I'm sorry, Senpai."
"Why are you apologizing? It's Shinji who's to blame."
"But I thought Emiya-senpai saw Shinji as a friend?" Mash whispered to Ritsuka, who was at her left.
"Maybe he didn't want to cause a scene at school?
From outside the room, a familiar voice resounded in excitement. "Do I smell your famous rolled omelets, Shirou?" The door slid open to reveal Fujimura-sensei. After looking around the room for a second, she gave a confused "huh?"
(Time passes and Shirou is seen walking down an empty street. There are birds chirping nearby. Shirou looks up to see a section of the street that has been closed off due to police investigation. There's a few people wondering what's going on from outside the area marked by the caution-tape.)
(The scene shifts over to being sometime during school, likely sometime before homeroom starts.)
"What's up, Emiya?" Issei asks.
"Sorry, Issei. I'm going to eat in the cafeteria today," Shirou answered.
"That's unusual. Did something happen?"
Shirou leaned back in his chair. "Not really."
"Excuse me. Is Ryuudou here?" A teacher called from the doorway.
A certain witch's heart skipped a beat upon seeing the man.
Issei stood up straight and began to walk towards the teacher. "I am, sir. What is it, Kuzuki-sensei?"
Shirou stood up to go walk outside.
(The screen cuts to Shirou standing in front of a vending[?] machine)
"Hmhm. Going with the chef's special for lunch today, are we?" A female voice called.
Hm? She's new, thought Gudao
"Not eating with the prez today?" she continued.
"Nah," Shirou replied. "Say, Mitsuzuri… Has Sakura seemed okay to you lately?" He said as they both walked to the counter.
"Sakura? Yeah, she's practicing her heart out."
"Oh."
"It's her brother who's the problem. He's been taking his frustrations out on the first-year boys."
"Tch. He just gets worse and worse, I swear," exclaimed Gabby. Several of the servants shared the same sentiment, particularly Medusa.
"What frustrations?"
"From what I hear, he got shot down pretty hard by Tohsaka," Mitsuzuri whispered.
To harm others because of one's inner problems… Disgraceful, thought Arturia.
"By Tohsaka?" Shirou said, not whispering. At this point, they both were sitting down at the table, eating.
"Keep your voice down!" Mitsuzuri warned.
As if it would somehow change how loudly he already said it, Shirou quickly placed his right hand over his mouth to try and cover their conversation.
Mitsuzuri continued, this time at a regular volume. "Anyway, Shinji's been in a foul mood ever since yesterday. I've had to keep an eye on him all through practice, so I'm exhausted." She seemed tired of having to deal with seaweed's antics.
"Yeah, Shinji does have a nasty temper."
Mrmrmgh then why are you still friends with him? Gabby thought.
Mitsuzuri continued. "I feel like he might be planning to get even with Tohsaka somehow."
"Nah, not even Shinji would go anywhere near someone who'd rejected him."
"But he can't avoid her if she comes to him."
"Haah?"
"I'm not sure why, but Tohsaka's been coming to watch at the dojo a lot lately. I guess you didn't know, since you quit and all."
Shirou overhears Shinji speaking with two girls at a distance away. "But man, the look on his face was hilarious! He practically pissed his pants!" He said in his usual, irritatingly cocky tone before laughing at his own story.
(Scene shifts. It's after school now and the sun is beginning to set, giving everything a yellow-orangish hue. Shirou is trying to peep inside the school's dojo.)
"When Shinji gets mad, he stays that way," Shirou says to himself.
"Hey, you there!" A voice calls to him before swinging a staff at him. Shirou is able to dodge by hopping backwards a tad bit. The person who swung at him was a girl with black hair, she was accompanied by two unarmed girls.
"I hate to break it to you, Matou Shinji, but Tohsaka Rin isn't gonna turn up, no matter how long you wait!" The girl yells at poor Shirou, who's been mistaken for the scum of the Earth.
"They really mistook him for that guy? They look nothing alike!" Gabby whispered to herself.
"Haah?" Even Shirou was confused as to why they thought he was Shinji.
"Maki, this guy doesn't match the description Lady Mitsuzuri gave," one of the girls spoke up. "He doesn't have wavy hair, for one."
"Oh yeah? I bet he just slicked it back with a little water!" The girl with the staff accused. "A face this stupid-looking could only belong to Matou Shinji!" She pointed at Shirou as if to place emphasis on his face.
Cu did not almost laugh at that… definitely not… but Mordred sure as hell did.
Shirou, not feeling insulted, tried clearing the situation up a bit. "You've got the wrong guy."
The staff-holding girl resumed her well-thought out analysis. "See what I mean? That's what the culprit always says."
The girl with pinkish hair stepped up and told her friend to wait, getting closer to take a better look at Shirou. "Sorry, but would you mind showing us your student ID?"
"S-sure."
Lo and behold, the ID said that the accused was none other than Shirou Emiya. The girl with black hair dropped her staff as she realized her mistake. Her orange-haired friend said, "See? It's not him, Maki-chan."
"Emiya? That Emiya?" She began to move around to try and hide her embarrassment at the mistake. "The guy who fixes our gear whenever he has a spare moment?"
Because of course he does, Arturia sighed.
"The one they call "Homurahara's Brownie"?" she continued.
Again, Cu did not laugh… but Mordred sure as hell did.
Shirou spoke up, "I've never heard that nickname before, but I do know the track and field captain."
Maki fell into a dogeza (when you kneel and touch your head to the floor in order to show respect to someone of a higher status, make a heartfelt demand, or ask for forgiveness).
"Sorry. It seemed like you were looking for someone, so we just assumed," said the orange-haired girl.
"That's okay. What was that about Tohsaka not coming?" Shirou asked. "Did something happen?"
"She stayed home today," the girl answered.
Maki lifted her head from the floor. "Yeah. Tohsaka's taking the day off with a cold, good sir."
It was a little funny seeing how quick she went from thinking that Shirou was a deplorable creature to trying to treat him with much respect.
Maki kept going. "It's hard to believe that a flawless model student like her could even get sick, though, right?"
The pinkish-haired girl sat on her friend. "We're sorry for the trouble our circus attraction here caused you, Emiya. But you shouldn't be here, either," she said as Maki was struggling to not collapse under the other girl's weight. "Weren't you told that students with no club activities should go straight home?"
"Did something happen?" he asked.
"You didn't know?" she asked in turn. "There was a homicide by the intersection near school. A family of four was attacked, and only the youngest child survived. The parents and older sister were stabbed to death. The killer is still at large, and the nature of the killings has sparked considerable unrest. In Shinto, they've got those gas leaks, while over here, we've got these gruesome murders. It's only natural they'd be sending students home early."
(Time passes once more. Shirou is outside the house that the police were investigating that morning. The gate is covered in police tape, but the house is abandoned. Shirou stands there, looking at the house for a few moments, before leaving to find a bus to take him home.)
On the bus, Shirou says to no one but himself, "I know…" There's a flashback that shows him alone at a hospital bed. "Helping others and being a champion of justice aren't the same thing." His child-self looks at the door, where Kiritsugu can be seen talking to a nurse.
"Ah, I see," Kritsugu says. "Thank you." He turns and walks towards Shirou. From the looks of it, he was letting himself go a little: compared to his clean-shaven self from the 4th Holy Grail, he hadn't shaved and was growing stubble. "Hello. You must be Shirou-kun. I'll get straight to the point. Would you rather be sent off to an orphanage, or taken in by a man you just met?"
Shirou is bewildered at what he's been asked, but soon grows suspicious. He ponders for a moment before pointing at the man.
"I'm glad," Kiritsugu says. "Then let's get you dressed right away," he says as he opens his bag. "You should get acclimated to your new home as soon as possible." Other kids within the room can be seen looking at the two. "Oh, I forgot to mention something. It's important you know this, all right? Well, for starters, I'm a magician."
To Arturia, it was as if she was looking at a different man. She knew he had taken care of Shirou, she knew that he had feelings somewhere deep inside, but to actually hear the man have an audible relieved tone was not expected. Kiritsugu no longer looked like the cold-blooded man that she once knew him as, rather he seemed to be slowly opening up to his own emotions.
(The flashback ends. Shirou is at a bus station somewhere within the city.)
He looks at the clockpost that's beside him. "I've still got some time before work." Standing there, Shirou remembers when Kiritsugu found him.
(The city is burnt to ashes and rubble, fires are the only sources of light that allow the destruction to be seen. The camera pans upwards to show Kiritsugu and a child-Shirou.)
"You're alive. You're alive! You're alive!" Kiritsugu cries out. "Thank you. Thank you!" He's seen crying. "I'm glad I found someone. By saving even one person, I've saved myself." He continues to shed tears of relief, happiness, and sorrow as Shirou watches it all happen.
Now it's Shirou who speaks over his memories. "All I remember of that day ten years ago is that it was hot, that I couldn't breathe, and that many tried to save people, only to die in the process." The city in flames only continues to be engulfed as he speaks. "I hate that"
(The flashback ends. Shirou is at a park.)
His voice continues to speak over the scene. "It makes me angry to see people die after trying so hard. Is it greedy of me to wish for a happy ending, full of smiles for all?"
He once again remembers a moment when he and Kiritsugu were at the home's dojo. Kiritsugu tells him about how "it isn't that simple. Because that would involve saving everyone without exception, Shirou." He appeared to be speaking from experience.
(The flashback ends again)
It's now dark outside. Once more, Shirou voices over the scene. "Kiritsugu's answer never really convinced my younger self. After all, I knew he was an all-powerful magician who had saved my life."
Many couldn't blame the boy for thinking that Kiritsugu had some level of omnipotence. After all, Shirou had only been exposed to a single modern-day magus at that point. However, Kiritsugu being regarded as 'all-powerful' had slightly irritated some of their egos.
"So I asked Kiritsugu if he could have saved everyone back then. But he said…
(Flashback to Shirou and Kiritsugu sitting on their house's porch. Moonlight bathes them both with a blue hue.)
"Shirou," Kiritsugu begins. "Saving one person means not saving another. You see, a person can only save those who are on the side they've chosen to take. It should be obvious, right? I mean, that's the very definition of a champion of justice."
(Back to the present, Shirou is taking some boxes out of what is assumed to be the restaurant/diner/cafe that he works at)
"I understand that now. Yeah, it is obvious… But… But I still hate it. Salvation shouldn't apply to a limited number of people. I can't bear the thought of more strangers dying around me like they did that day," he keeps talking as a compilation of him working and then going home plays out.
He stops walking, something catching his eye. There is a figure atop a building. He believes he sees Tohsaka, but quickly rubs his eyes and checks again. This time, she is not there anymore. "That was Tohsaka just now… wasn't it?"
(Back at home, Shirou walks into the living room and sees Taiga lazing around by watching TV and eating a cookie.)
"Where's Sakura?" Shirou asks.
Taiga doesn't turn to look at him, just eating her cookie in boredom. "She went home early tonight."
"Why'd you send her home by herself? Weren't you saying it wasn't safe to go out alone at night?" He asks as he sits down and turns off the TV.
"It's fine, it's fine. I sent one of my men with her."
"You should've gone yourself. You're our teacher, after all."
"Ehhh? If I did that, I wouldn't get to eat dinner until after ten! It's your fault for staying out so late at your job, anyway! I always have to sit here starving whenever you have work."
"If you're so hungry, why can't you just get dinner at your own house?"
Taiga sits up. "But this is my house."
"Sheesh." He sees a rolled-up paper beside him. "Hm? What's this?"
Taiga crawls towards Shirou. "Oh, someone gave that to me, but I don't want it, so you can have it!"
That's a little rude to the person who gave it to you… Mash thinks.
The poster said something about an activity that would be held. "Why, thank you," Shirou says as he's rolling it back up. "But I don't want it either!" He swings the poster to try and hit Taiga, but the woman sways her head a bit to dodge and then grabs her own paper to strike him over the head with.
She laughs at his failed attempt. "You're sadly mistaken if you think you can hit me with skills like yours. If you don't like it, I suggest you practice some more." Shirou rubs the top of his head as he accepts his loss. "But more importantly, Shirou, I'm famished! I've been waiting for ages, so hurry up and make dinner!"
"Yeah, yeah."
(Night passes and it is now morning. Shirou and Sakura are leaving the house)
Shirou locks the door to his home.
"Senpai," Sakura calls.
"Hey, Gudao, should I skip forward?" Gabby whispered to her fellow master.
"I don't really know, but why do you want to skip ahead?" he responded
"As nice as it is seeing Emiya-san be somewhat of a normal person for once, it's kind of… boring, I guess?" she said.
Gudao sighed. "Argh alright. Ask everyone for their opinion and, if they say yes, skip to what you think might be a good spot."
Gabby stood up, went to pause the movie, and asked the servants within the room what they thought about skipping forward in the movie. Most servants said yes, only Tamamo, Raikou, Artoria, Jeanne, Ishtar, Parvati, Jack, Alice, Medusa, Bedivere, Hans, and Shakespeare said no, wanting to see this "slice of life" segment, as their masters often called such scenes (the last two just wanting writing material).
And so, while Gabby slowly went skimmed through the movie, so as not to accidentally skip something important, two certain walking armories met each other once again.
-
Emiya, still reading his book, heard someone open the doors to the library.
"Greetings, Faker," he heard the King call as he was making his way to Emiya's table..
Interrupted yet again, Emiya set down his book and eyed the blondie.
"What is it you want, oh King of Heroes?" the Counter Guardian asked, somewhat mockingly. He was anticipating to be bombarded with petty insults, judging by their previous conversations.
"I decided to apologize," said the King.
Well, this was a surprise. "And what exactly is it that has made you come and ask for my forgiveness?"
"Do not misunderstand; I am not asking for your forgiveness. Such ridiculousness would never occur to me. I merely apologize over the experience you have had with my… immature self. You should be honored I even chose to do such a thing. Regardless, it is improper for a King to harm his subjects," said Gilgamesh.
Emiya narrowed his eyes a bit. "I don't remember being your subject."
"Fool!" Gilgamesh exclaimed. "Everyone within Chaldea is my subject! As such, you are all under my protection! I would not be so petty as to not extend such a courtesy to even you."
Emiya stood up and gave a slight bow. "Then I must thank you for your kindness, King of Heroes." He wanted to show genuine appreciation since, though it was for a moment, Gilgamesh did the same.
"Additionally, the masters have asked me to bring you to the theater, Faker," Gilgamesh said as he turned and walked back down the hallway.
The poor man just wanted to read his book in peace.
Having arrived at the theater room, Emiya silently greeted Ritsuka and joined Saber on the seat to her right, waiting for Gabrielle to resume the viewing.
"I thought you said you would rather not watch?" said the King of Knights.
"The King of Heroes told me that the masters wanted me here."
"I have not heard them say anything about bringing you here," Saber said.
"Hm. Then I suppose Gilgamesh just wanted to bother me," he said before looking behind him to the farthest rows in the back, finding Gilgamesh looking down on him with a look of satisfaction, nearly a sneer. Enkidu was glancing at both of them, not understanding why the two were acting passive aggressively to one another.
Emiya turned back to look at Saber. "So, what is our master trying to do?"
"She is skipping what she would call the 'slice of life' segment; apparently finding it too boring to watch," Saber responded.
"If anything, I would have appreciated seeing my life before the Grail War. It would have brought back some nicer, simpler memories."
"I can imagine," Saber said before turning her head to face him with a small smile "I felt the same about seeing my time with Sir Ector and Kay."
"If only somebody had told me about this earlier. As much as I admire the Saber that was King, and love the Saber that let herself be who she wanted to be, I would have liked to see you before your kingship," Emiya said as he rested his head on his right hand and closed his eyes, trying to imagine what that Saber could have looked like.
Meanwhile, the Saber that was sitting beside him grew a little embarrassed. "Um, well, I apologize for not telling you about this event earlier."
Emiya opened his left eye to peek at her. "That's alright, Saber." He then placed his hand atop hers on the arm rest. "I wasn't blaming you. I was just curious," he told her with a small smile.
Saber looked away from him before allowing herself to relax a little and allow her hand to bask in the warmth of his.
In the meantime, a few rows behind them, a certain girl groaned at the sight. "Ugh. Just look at them, Jekyll. They're acting so lovey-dovey that it's making me sick."
"Um… Mordred, I believe people would normally be happy to know that their parent has found the person they love after so long."
The blonde knight leaned back in her chair and covered her face with her hands. "Ughhhhh. I AM happy for Father, but it's disgusting seeing your father act that type of way. It's just-" Mordred sat upright as a shiver went down her spine. "It's just so weird."
Jekyll looked at both Arturia and the recently identified Shirou Emiya. "I guess you'd be right about that," he said as he gave Mordred a somewhat apologetic smile for her situation.
Finally, the female master finished her task. She crossed her arms and held one hand to her chin. "This should be a good enough spot…? Ah whatever, I skipped quite a bit so it should be fine," she said as she walked back to her seat. Behind her, the screen loaded for a bit and then resumed.
Rin was atop the roof of a building. The courtyard behind her appeared to be that of the school's. It was dark outside, meaning that it was likely that several hours had passed since school ended, meaning that there were no students around to see what she was doing.
Rin was kneeling down, pouring mana into a magic seal on the roof, deactivating it.
Hm? We're following Rin's perspective? How strange, Saber thought.
"That's seven of them," she said. "Anyway, this one seems to be the origin point. I've never seen- or even heard of- writing like this." She wondered about who could have placed the seals. "Oh, man," she said as she stood up. "This is way over my head. Archer, you've figured out what kind of field this is, right?"
I wonder who Rin's original servant was. Unless there was always a future version of Emiya-san in the Fifth Holy Grail War, Mash thought to herself.
Rin continued, "If this field is activated, it will cause every human inside it to dissolve. Literally," she said with a straight face, though some worry for her fellow students was still evident in the way she spoke.
Medusa felt a little uneasy. It wasn't exactly something that she wanted to do, but she had to follow through with Shinji's machinations, seeing as how he was her master at the moment.
"This is soul-eating magic," Rin explained. "A fortress of blood that will dissolve any human body within the field and harvests the souls that ooze out." She furrowed her brows a bit as she stated her conclusion. "And as for who or what might want souls, the obvious answer is a Servant," she deductively reasoned. "Archer, does this hold true for your kind?"
I guess that's something that can happen, Ritsuka thought. He didn't like the idea of servants doing such a thing; especially servants that he knew personally. He didn't want to view them in a negative light.
"You surmise correctly," Archer's voice rang throughout the theater.
Any servant that thought there would be a different Archer than Emiya seemed to have been proven wrong, for now.
"Shirou, which of your stories is this?" Saber asked in a whisper.
"Seeing how I'm there, it's not the me who would become a Counter Guardian. If my reasoning is correct, it's not the story of the Shirou from your timeline, either."
Saber looked at him questioningly. "Then Rin had a different servant as an Archer before?"
Emiya put one hand to his face, trying to remember. "Yes, but I vaguely recall who it was. Remember, my memories from when I was alive are hazy, for the most part."
Archer began to explain to his master. "Fundamentally, we are non-corporeal beings. Just as your kind partakes of meat as nourishment, Servants partake of minds and souls. The more souls we ingest, the more mana we can store."
Rin placed one hand to her hip. "Do you mean Masters don't supply sufficient amounts of mana?" She asked.
Both masters of Chaldea were somewhat confused. They had never heard any of their many servants complain about mana issues unless they were in battle, but then again, Chaldea itself helped establish their existence.
"It's not that it isn't sufficient, but that more is always better," Archer explained. Absorbing energy from nearby humans is a basic stratagem for Masters. In that sense, this field is highly effective," he said, slightly frustrating Rin.
"I feel aggravated," she stated. Rin moved her head to the side, rejecting such a strategy. "Never speak of such things again, Archer."
"I would never do such a thing," he replied. His answer seemed to satisfy Rin.
Rin gave a small smile, approving Archer's statement. "Let's erase it, then. I may not be able to dispel it completely, but I can throw a spanner in the works." Rin knelt down, beginning to work on the seal.
"You're going to erase it? What a waste," an off-screen voice said.
So it's finally my debut, eh? Cu smirked.
Rin turned around, startled.
A man in blue was crouching above the school's water tower, a red spear in his hands, resting behind his neck. "Heh." He found the situation amusing, it seems.
Rin grew nervous. "Is this your handiwork?"
"Nope," the man answered straightforwardly. "Dirty tricks are a mage's job." The spear clanged on the water tower as he shifted it to one hand. "Isn't that right, my invisible friend?" he asked amusedly.
"So you can see Archer." Rin was worried. If he could see Archer then that only meant one thing. "You're a Servant!"
"And if you can tell that, little girl, can I assume you're my enemy?" The man asked, standing up with the spear in-hand, resting over his shoulder.
Rin looked around her, surveying what was going to be the battlefield. We're fenced in on all four sides. If we fight here, we're at a disadvantage, she thought.
"Ho. Impressive. You seem ignorant, but you have the gist of things," said the servant. "I really blew it." As amusing as this may be-" He twirled the spear into position, causing it to spout red flames of mana. "- I really should've kept my mouth shut."
Rin bolted towards the fence. The servant jumped from his perch and flipped through the air, beginning his assault. He slid on the floor towards Rin, slashing at her repeatedly as she seemed to barely dodge each attack.
Es ist groß, she said in her head. Blue magic circuits began to glow on her legs. Es ist klein! Rin suddenly dashed at the fence with greater speed. Vox Gott Es Atlas!
She leaped into the air, going over the fence. "Archer, break my fall!"
Right before landing on the ground, Archer grabbed her and leaped away from the enemy servant, bringing Rin to the school's courtyard. Rin jumped from Archer's hold and resumed running, when suddenly the enemy servant was behind her, about to attack.
But before his spear could land, it was deflected. Rin put some more distance between her and the servant before turning around and catching her breath. Archer materialized before her, a tall, tan-skinned man wearing a red-cloak. "Archer!" She yelled. Meanwhile, Archer and the hostile servant stared at each other, waiting for the other's next move. There was a black curved sword in Archer's left hand. The hilt of the blade had a Yin & Yang symbol, with white stemming from it and extending into the length of the sword.
The servant was amused, starting to enjoy himself. "Now that's more like it," he said as he said as he got into his battle-ready position. "I'm all right with people who get straight down to business."
"You're a Lancer-class Servant!" Rin yelled.
"Indeed," Lancer replied. "Your Servant doesn't strike me as a Saber, though." He stared at the opposing servant. "Who are you?" Lancer tightened the grip on his spear.
Ain't that the million-dollar question, Gabby thought. But a fight between servants! I'm so excited!
Archer stared at him. Revealing your identity in a Holy Grail War was nearly the same as suicide.
"You don't seem like the duelist type. So, an Archer," Lancer reasoned. He stabbed the ground with the butt of his spear. "Go ahead and take out your bow, Archer. I'll wait for you," Lancer said, following the code of chivalry.
Again, Archer said nothing and did nothing.
"Archer?" Rin asked, wondering why her servant was not preparing for battle.
Archer gave a slight look over his shoulder, hinting at his intentions to Rin.
Rin realized what he was asking. "This guy!" she muttered. "Archer, you'll get no assistance from me. Show me what you've got, right here and now!"
With his master's approval, Archer smirked. He began to release mana, causing the air around him to swirl, signaling that he was ready. Lancer waited.
Suddenly, Archer disappeared, cratering the ground that was beneath where he stood mere moments before with his speed and strength. Lancer was surprised, having expected the Archer to bring out his bow. He prepared himself and entered his battle-ready pose. The servant in blue swung forward with his spear, meeting Archer's quick attack. Archer swung again, only for Lancer to parry with his spear. Now Lancer swung overhead, leaving Archer to meet the spear with his curved sword. Archer moved behind Lancer, going for another attack, but Lancer was able to once again block with his spear.
Archer backed off, putting distance between the two, and made a sprint towards Lancer. Lancer rushed forward, slashing at Archer, but it seemed that Archer predicted the movement as soon as it had been made; the servant in red already had his blade in the position to parry Lancer's spear. Lancer used the momentum of the attack to back off before lunging at the opponent. Archer again blocked the blow. Now Lancer swung his spear from the left, Archer parrying it yet again. This time, Lancer went for a quicker slice that arched over his right to his left, but Archer was able to dodge it. Lancer attacked once more, and once more Archer parried. Archer quickly went to attack from Lancer's left, but Lancer was able to turn and meet the sword with his spear. Lancer lunged at Archer, but Archer dodged left and swung the blade overhead with full force. Lancer quickly turned to meet the attack.
What a shame, I thought my pupil was surely better than that, Scathach said to herself. Perhaps I should train him again.
Archer and Lancer briefly backed off from one another, putting a small distance between them. Lancer took advantage of the distance and the range of his spear, making a short overhead slice at the servant. Archer dodged. From the position he was in, Lancer readied the spear to block an attack as Archer lunged forward, swinging his sword from the right. Lancer jumped back to put some distance between them once more. Unexpectedly, Archer leaped backwards into the air, and crashed his blade into Lancer's spear. The attack left them with their positions switched; now Lancer was closer to the screen.
Wanting to distance himself, Archer again leaped backwards, spinning mid air to redirect himself to face Lancer.
Lancer gave a battle-hungry smile, clearly enjoying himself. "You fool!" He shouted right before dashing forwards to meet Archer where he landed.
Archer again parried Lancer's swing with his blade. Archer moved to the left and missed his attack, allowing Lancer to slash at him. The blow was parried, but Lancer went for another overhead cut, which Archer blocked. The power with which Lancer attacked was causing the spear to emit red waves. Lancer jumped left to create distance, but Archer followed him and went for a swing from the right, now emitting blue waves to match Lancer's red. Lancer's jump backwards was just enough for Archer's attack to miss.
Lancer quickly entered his neutral position and went for another attack on Archer. Archer parried, but the force with which they were clashing caused an explosion of red to cover the screen. Dust filled the battlefield, but the blows between Archer and Lancer quickly dispelled some of the smoke and dirt.
Lancer lunged his spear to Archer's right, going for the side that would take Archer to respond to with his one left-handed blade. Even then, Archer was able to parry the attack. Archer moved back as now Lancer went for a lunge to his left. Archer met the spear with a heavy back-handed swing from his sword. Archer went for a strong swing from his left, Lancer's block causing sparks to fly. Lancer quickly went for a small slice, Archer blocking with another, smaller, back-handed swing whilst backing up a little. Lancer lunged the spear with his left hand into Archer's right, the defending servant making an underhand swing to deflect the spear. Now with both hands, Lancer stabbed the spear toward Archer's left, repeatedly switching what sides he was attacking, forcing Archer to make more of an effort to parry. Archer again blocked the stab. Lancer went for an overhead swing, Archer blocking it again. But the swing gave Lancer enough momentum to lift off the ground and follow the attack into another overhead slash. Archer met the spear with his black sword once more.
"It's very impressive that you're able to fight the Child of Light to such a degree, Shirou," Saber told Emiya.
"Experience helps. Besides, he was holding back," Emiya said, the notion that he could not score an easy victory on a handicapped Cu left a sour taste in his mouth.
Lancer, still mid-air, went for another overhead attack, this time going from his left to Archer's right. And same as before, Archer met the blow with his blade. Though, the force with which Lancer hit him caused Archer to spring backwards, lifting up another cloud of dust into the air.
"But still, your swordsmanship is impressive," Saber complimented.
"I came up with something versatile. A conglomerate of styles of fighting, I suppose," Archer explained.
"Still, I'm disappointed that my swordsmanship didn't leave much of an effect on you," she said disappointingly.
Archer slides on the ground, killing the momentum he received from the attack. He readies his blade and swipes to match Lancer's strong forward-lunge.
"That's not true, Saber. I just don't use broadswords all that often. I do occasionally practice what you taught me about your swordsmanship, though." Emiya squeezed her hand with his. Yes, they were still holding hands on the armchair, much to Mordred's annoyance.
After the clash, they both quickly pull back because of the force from the blow. Archer's sword shatters.
Seizing the opportunity, Lancer goes for another lunge, aiming at Archer's right, only for it to somehow be blocked by Archer using the black sword. Archer forces the tip of Lancer's spear to point down before swinging at Lancer. The servant in blue manages to lift his spear up to block the blow. Lancer swiftly hops to Archer's right, but Archer follows his movement and quickly turns to attack him again, clashing with Lancer's spear.
There's a short moment where the battle pauses as they both get ready to attack, Lancer with his spear on his left, aiming over his head, ready to be swung sideways at his enemy, and Archer with his sword in his left, about to use both hands to swing upwards at Lancer. The spear-wielder swings first. Archer dodges by jumping over the attack, eyes set on his opponent before swinging the sword down with both his arms, as Lancer meets the stare with his own. Archer attacks, Lancer blocking it in the nick of time. The impact causes the air around them to shudder, and the ground beneath them to quake and rise. Archer puts more force into the strike, causing Lancer to be thrown into the school building, wrecking the ground he was just on.
Yes, much more training is required, the Cu's teacher smiled devilishly. Somewhere in the theater, the man in question shuddered.
"Is this what a fight between Servants is like?" Rin wondered to herself, amazed at the display she just watched.
Suddenly, a short yet large metal set of stairs emerged from the smoke and flew through the air, landing some distance to Archer's right.
The smoke quickly cleared as Lancer entered his neutral position and charged forwards, stopping short of Archer. He lunged the spear forward, just to get parried by Archer. Lancer and Archer continued this pattern six times before Lancer put more weight behind the thrust and shattered Archer's sword for the second time.
"Idiot," Lancer says as he thrust the spear forward again, a wide smile on his face as he believes this is the end. Archer watches as the spear moves through the air, aiming for him.
"Archer!" Rin shouts from the sidelines, worried for her servant.
Before the spear can connect, Archer mutters something. A light emerges within his right hand, a sword appearing, an exact replica of the black sword that broke, but the colors of the blade were inverted, now being white with some black within running along its side.
Shocked by the sudden second sword, Lancer pulls back on his attack in order to defend against the strike going for his head. Archer doesn't relent, moving forward to swipe at Lancer again, the attack meeting the spear.
Lancer slides back to create distance so that he may think the situation through. "Tch. A dual wielder, huh?" He says, annoyed by the stunt that Archer pulled.
Some distance across the courtyard, Archer stands to full height, now with two swords. The black one seemingly returned to his left, as if it had always been there.
Without saying anything, Archer enters his battle-ready position for the first time, now that he's equipped with both his swords.
The audacity annoys Lancer. "A mere bowman playing swordsman? Who do you think you are?!"
"Yeah, you tell him!" Mordred shouted before being whacked in the back of the head by Caenis for shouting in the middle of a movie.
Lancer charges forth.
(The screen now shows Shirou, cleaning the floors of the Archery Club's dojo.)
Shirou puts the cleaning towel in the bucket and stands to view the dojo grounds. "Done," he says, having finished Shinji's duties for the day.
The female master begins to worry. "Wait, he was still there?"
The sound of metal colliding with metal pierces the air. "Huh?"
Oh, please don't, Gabby thought, realizing what was about to happen, much like the other servants around her.
(The focus goes back to Archer and Lancer's duel.)
"Shirou," Saber whispered, slightly nervous. "Did you witness the fight?"
This confused Emiya. "Yes, but… did you not watch the dog's perspective?"
Lancer strikes forth, but Archer blocks with his right-hand sword. Lancer pulls back his spear and again thrusts it at Archer, shattering his white sword. Unfazed, Archer wills another of the same sword into his right hand, and swings with his black sword, this time, only for Lancer to shatter it as well. Archer backs off a bit to again will the just-broken sword into his left hand. Lancer strikes at him, but Archer deflects the blow with a back-handed swing of his black sword. Lancer slashes at him, and Archer responds with his white blade, countering the attack. A stray blade zips through the air, landing near Rin before vanishing into blue motes.
"Well, yes, but the memories… they were not complete for everyone besides me," she said.
"How so?" He asked, still confused.
"Their memories are from the Throne, but I didn't die until after the Fifth War," Saber explained, expecting the worst to happen on the screen. But, he didn't die, otherwise he couldn't have summoned me…
"Twenty-seven," Lancer stated, now that he and Archer paused the battle. "To think I've disarmed you twenty-seven times, and yet you still have more."
As if it was such a normal occurrence, Archer responded, "What's the matter? This wait-and-see approach isn't like you. Where'd all that bravado go?"
"Tch. Trying to provoke me, you sly fox?" Ignoring the provocation, Lancer continued. "Fine, I'll just ask you. What Heroic Spirit are you? I've never heard of an archer who wields two swords."
Yeah, that'd confuse just about anyone. Well, it DID confuse everyone, thought Gudao.
"You, on the other hand, are easily identifiable," Archer stated. "They say that only the swiftest heroes can be Lancers-"
The comment stroked the ego of quite a few lancers in the theater.
"-and you stand head-and-shoulders above them."
Achilles snorted at the remark. Yeah well, he hasn't faced me. Maybe he'd challenge the Irish servant to a sparring match later that day.
Archer continued his thought-process. "There aren't even three spear-wielders of your skill in all of history."
Archer's words provoked several of the lancer-class servants. At this rate, there'd likely be a tournament held to determine who was the best lancer in all of Chaldea.
"Add in a beast's agility, and that leaves but one," he finalized his analysis.
"Oh? You flatter me, Archer," said Lancer, annoyed by the fact that Archer seemingly figured out who he is, while Lancer himself was unable to understand why the hell the dual-wielding servant was in the archer class. Lancer then grounded his left foot behind him as his spear spouted flames of mana, readying his Noble Phantasm. "Then will you face my mightiest blow?"
Archer readied himself. "I won't stop you. You are an enemy I must ultimately overcome."
This is bad, Rin worriedly thought from the sidelines. That massive amount of mana… He's clearly about to use his Noble Phantasm, she reasoned. If he attacks…
The sound of someone's apprehensive footsteps could be heard.
"Who's there?" Lancer shouted, canceling his Noble Phantasm.
Gabby was silently screaming. Though her fellow master likely didn't know, one of the first things taught in the Clock Tower is that there are to be no non-mage witnesses, and if there were to be one… then they were to be disposed of, immediately.
The unexpected visitor runs inside the school.
"A student? Someone was still on school grounds?" Rin yells, surprised and irritated for not noticing.
"So it would seem," Archer tells her. "It saved my life, though," he admits.
Oh, the irony, Emiya muses to himself.
Meanwhile, Saber grew more worried for her former master on the screen.
"Wait, where did Lancer go?" Rin asks, noticing that the servant was nowhere to be seen.
Archer dematerialized his swords. "He chased after that silhouette. "I assume he means to eliminate them as a witness."
Tension filled the room. The boy had to survive, right? He had yet to summon Saber, so nothing bad would happen… right?
At his words, Rin springs into action. "Follow them, Archer! I'll catch up" She did not wish for a fellow student to die because of her slip up. She bolts towards the school, thinking to herself: "Damn it, I'm so stupid! Eliminating witnesses is the first rule of being a mage. I hate that rule, so I've always been extra careful, but…"
Gudao was surprised by this. If that was the first rule of being a mage, then he was surprised that he wasn't executed the moment he stepped foot in Chaldea. Thank God that Olga Marie didn't seem to care enough at the moment.
(The screen goes back to focusing on Shirou, he was running down the halls and up the stairs, trying to escape whatever the hell he just saw.)
Shirou hears something behind him. He swivels on his foot as he feels something go straight for his face. He trips and falls to the floor, quickly sitting himself up to try and see what the hell could have been chasing him, but there was nothing; the hallway was empty. He pants heavily as he stands up, trying to catch his breath.
"Yo," an echo of a voice calls behind him.
Terrified, Shirou turns around as he suddenly feels a sharp pain over his heart. Shirou's eyes widened from the pain.
Saber gripped Emiya's hand, looking away from the screen. I'm so sorry, Shirou.
A spear seemingly fades into existence, stabbed into the poor boy's chest, directly through the heart. At the end of the spear, a man in blue clothing reveals himself. Without any emotion, the man removes the spear from the boy's body, blood now tainting the hallway.
At least it was merciful, thought Jeanne, giving a small prayer for the boy.
Shirou collapsed, face to the floor. His body was twitching, still trying to move, to resist.
"Today just wasn't your lucky day, boy," the man says, as if he felt guilty about carrying out his duty. "Now that you're a witness, I can't let you live," he says as blood starts pooling beneath Shirou. "Dead men tell no tales, and all that. Curse with your dying breath that you were born with no luck and no power."
Some servants felt that the comment was too harsh. Others thought Cu was just speaking the truth.
Emiya himself felt no emotion towards the scene. Just like Cu said, he had no luck or power. This was something that he accepted what was likely an eternity ago.
Shirou struggled heavily to look his killer in the eye as he faded away into death.
"You've given me some dirty work. How can I call myself a hero after this?" the man said, feeling some sense of remorse or disappointment over the deed he carried out. As if he was speaking to someone, he responded, "I understand. I'm not complaining. I got a good look at the girl's Servant. I'll be a good boy and return," he said as he disappeared into blue dust. "Jeez. My Master's a real nasty piece of work."
Shirou lay there, bleeding out on the floor, all alone in the middle of the night.
(The focus goes back to Rin.)
Rin is running up the stairs, out of breath. When she reaches the top, she sees Archer standing at the end of the hall, waiting for her to look at what's happened. Knowing that whoever saw the ordeal was already dead, she calmed herself, since there was little she could do anymore. She stood next to Archer and peered down the hall, seeing the dead student on the floor. "Archer," she said, "follow Lancer. If we don't at least learn his Master's face, none of this will have been worth it."
"Is she just gonna shrug this off?" Gudao whispered to Gabby.
"No, it's just that there's not much she can do for him anymore, and I don't think she saw that the student was Shirou," Gabby answered, understanding the thoughts of a magus who preferred to keep their morals in place.
Archer turned and dematerialized. Rin walked down the hall, speaking to herself. "Rin, this is your responsibility. When she reached the body of the student, she knelt down to analyze the body. "Lancer pierced him with his spear. He's not going to make it, Not with a skewered heart." That's when she heard shallow breathing. The student was still alive, but there was no changing the outcome. "I'm sorry," she said. "I'll stay with you until your time comes." She was hoping to at least provide them some comfort in their final moments.
Ah, I see. She accepted the situation for what it was, Gudao thought, now seeing what Gabby had said. "But then how did he survive?" he heard Mash mutter.
Rin turned the body around, to look at the student's face, but she recognized them. She gasped, shocked at who it was. She began to breathe heavily, distraught by who was murdered, and the consequences that this would cause. "Don't do this to me," she said. "Why did it have to be you? Why did you have to pick this hour, on this day to be here? How am I supposed to look her in the eye tomorrow?"
Out of everyone there, only Medusa and Emiya knew who she was referring to.
Rin held out her hand. Within it was a silver necklace, holding a red pendant as its center-piece. "No. There's still a way."
Shirou barely managed to keep conscious, looking up to see a red jewel emit light before him as he gradually faded into unconsciousness.
So that's what happened. Talk about sheer luck, Cu thought. Maybe I was wrong in saying he was unlucky…
Suddenly, Shirou gasped into life. He was able to move again, to breathe. The boy got to his knees, wondering, "What happened?" He saw no one around, and his body was still weak, unable to even stand up at the moment. The screen became hazy, but it appeared that Shirou grabbed something and wobbled his way down the hall.
(Scene changes to the inside of what can be assumed to be the Tohsaka manner.)
Rin seemed to be contemplating the day's events as she lay on the sofa. Archer materializes behind her.
"Sorry, but I failed," he says. "This Master is very cautious."
Rin stretched her hand upwards. "Oh. I guess I shouldn't have expected it to be that easy," she said as she turned to her side.
I kinda wish they caught the bastard, Cu thought to himself.
Archer dangles the pendant above in front of his master.
Rin notices it. "Hm? You went to get it for me?" she asks as she sits up. Archer drops the pendant on her hand.
"Don't lose it again," he says. "It doesn't suit anyone but you."
Rin is absently staring at the pendant. "You think? Well, thanks." As I thought, there's no mana left in it at all. She looks up, realizing something. "Hang on…"
"What is it, Rin?" Archer asks.
"If Lancer's Master learns the witness they thought they'd killed is still alive…"
"So this is around the time when I was summoned, then?" Saber asks, slightly turning her head to look at Shirou through her peripheral.
"Yes. Even after going through hell…" Emiya says, locking eyes with Saber and slightly squeezing her hand. "I'd never forget this moment."
Archer places a hand on his hip. "He'll probably send Lancer back to finish the job."
(Back to Shirou's house.)
Shirou pants hard as he opens the door to the living room. He collapses on the floor, turning himself to face the ceiling as he thinks. "The man in blue and the man in red." He places his hand over the supposed-to-be lethal wound. "Who were those two? They were far beyond ordinary humans. So I really was almost killed." He thinks about it a bit. "Not 'almost', I was killed," he confirms, remembering how he was stabbed through the heart.
Shirou sits back up with a small grunt escaping him. "But here I am, alive. I was saved by someone who came along afterward. Who could it have been? I wish I could at least thank them."
"Hm. So he didn't realize it was Rin," Mash mutters.
Small bells ring, alerting the presence of an intruder. Shirou looks up to see a man appear out of nowhere, falling with a crimson spear aimed at Shirou. The boy barely manages to dodge out of the way, rolling across the table and to the other side of the room. Shirou grabs a roll of paper, picking it as his weapon.
The man relaxes himself a little, resting the spear atop his shoulder as he speaks aloud, not expecting the boy to answer. "And here I was trying to be considerate. I figured it'd hurt less if you never saw it coming." Shirou tightens his grip on the paper in response. "Can't believe I got stuck with killing the same person twice in one day." The man twirls the spear and aims it at the boy. "I guess the world's a bloody place, no matter what the era."
"Trace on," Shirou says, invoking his magecraft, strengthening the paper so that it may at least do something more than swat the man.
The man is slightly surprised, but then he smirks. "Make sure you go into the light this time, boy." He slowly steps to his left, Shirou tries to stay across the room from him and, in turn, slightly steps to the right.
"Reinforcing auxiliary components," Shirou mutters, still strengthening the paper.
The spear wielder goes for a quick lunge. Shirou is somewhat able to deflect the bow, only allowing the spear to nick his arm.
Neither of them move from the position until the spear-wielder tips down his weapon. "Oh? That's an odd style," the man remarks.
Shirou grabs at where the cut nicked his arm with his left hand, still holding the strengthened paper with his right.
The man prepares to strike again. "It's faint, but I sense mana. So that's why you're still alive after taking my spear through your heart." Shirou cautiously takes a step back. "This might be fun after all," the man says before they begin to clash weapons. Shirou falls out of the room and slams into one of the wooden pillars in the hallway. He runs a little down the hall before throwing himself out the window and into the backyard.
As he gets up, he turns to see a kick go straight for him. He puts up his paper roll just in time to block the hit, though the strength of the kick still throws him across the yard and bends the paper. "I gave you a chance, but you went and wasted it," the man remarks, allowing the boy to try and come up with something again.
Shirou tries running into the shed. The man in blue is disappointed by the boy's action. "If you're a man, show some dignity."
A blue magic circle glows within the shed, covered up by some boxes. Shirou runs inside and barely reacts to the spear aiming for his back, unrolling the paper and using it as a makeshift shield of sorts. The spear destroys the paper easily, but its thrust was at least stopped. Shirou falls back to the floor from the impact, still tired from what happened before.
That was some nice quick thinking, Gabby thinks, impressed by Shirou's effort.
"Checkmate," the man says, aiming the spear at the boy. "That last move was pretty surprising, boy." He then drops the spear's aim. "I don't get it, though. You think fast on your feet, but you're hopeless at magic," he wonders out loud. "You seem to have potential, though."
Curse me for being right! Go figure, as soon as he realizes his potential he becomes a major pain in the ass! Cu thinks.
"Maybe you were meant to be the seventh," the man concludes. "Well, even if you were, this is the end for you," he says, readying his spear to pierce the boy once more.
"Screw you!" Shirou struggles to say while out of breath. "My life was saved," he says, holding a hand to his healed heart. The magic circle within the shed reacts, glowing brighter. "My life was saved, so I'm not going to give it up so easily!"
"That's kinda admirable," Mordred mumbles to herself, crossing her arms and leaning back in her seat. At least he wanted to go out fighting, I guess, she thinks, respecting her new mother/father a little more.
Shirou continues. "I need to live. I have to fulfill my duty. And I can't do that if I'm dead!" He clutches his hand over his heart, red symbols appearing over it. "I'm not gonna die for no reason in a place like this-" he says as the man thrusts his spear forward, moving to end the boy's life. "-killed by a guy like you-" Shirou affirms, resolving himself to live. "-who takes lives like it's nothing!" he shouts, his eyes showing his determination.
That's not..! I don't…! DAMN IT! Cu screams in his head, not being able to deny how many people he's killed in his life. It's not like he wanted to, he was forced by duty to his country to kill any invaders. Though, his son and brother-in-arms were the two people he heavily regretted killing.
A visualization of Avalon, the legendary scabbard of Excalibur, appeared on the screen. Green magic circuits shot off of Avalon and connected to the Holy Sword itself, forming a connection between Shirou and his servant-to-be.
All that Shirou knew was that something emerged behind him. His mind stops. All he knows is that the figure who appeared is a girl. The moment it appears, it repels the lance thrust at his heart and steps up to the enemy without hesitation.
"...Can it be?! The seventh Servant..!?" the man shouts in surprise. He readies his deflected lance, and the girl swings something she is holding. Sparks fly twice. A strong swing. The man hesitates, receiving a heavy blow from the girl. "Kuh!" He must have realized he is at a disadvantage, as he jumps out of the shed with bestial speed.
While keeping her guard up against the man, the girl quietly turns to Shirou. The wind blows strongly. The clouds drift and the moon appears for a brief moment. The silver light that shines into the shed lights up the girl in knightly form.
"I remember. You left me speechless," Emiya whispers to Saber, taking her hand and kissing the back of it.
I'm at a loss for words, not because I'm confused by the sudden turn of events, but because of this girl's overwhelming beauty.
Poor Saber felt the tips of her ears turn pink, realizing how Shirou always thought of her as beautiful.
The girl stares at Shirou emotionlessly with her jewel-like eyes.
"I ask of you. Are you my Master?" she says in a valiant voice.
"Huh… Ma… ster…?" Shirou can only repeat back her words. He doesn't know who she is or what she's talking about. All he knows is that this small girl is the same kind of being as the man outside.
The girl says nothing and just stares at him silently. How can I put this? he thinks. The figure in front of me is so special that I forget the situation, that the man outside could come and attack at any second. It feels like time has stopped just around me. The fear of death has disappeared and only the girl fills my vision.
The pink extended from her ears to her face, since she could now hear Shirou's exact thoughts. She tried covering her visage with her left hand, feeling embarrassed.
Heh, he was smitten at first sight, it seems, Jekyll thought to himself as Mordred was grumbling beside him about how cool her father looked.
"I, the Saber-class Servant, have come forth in response to your summons. Please give me an order, Master." She speaks again. The instant Shirou hears the words Master and Servant…
Shirou made a grunt, feeling a sharp pain coming from his left hand. It's like a hot iron has been placed on my hand, he thinks. He grabs his left hand instinctively. That must have been the signal, as the girl quietly nods her lovely face.
"From this time forth, my sword shall be with you and your fate shall be with me. - Now, our contract is complete."
"Contract? What are you talking about…!?" Even Shirou has some knowledge of magic. He understands what that word means. But the girl doesn't answer him and looks away with the same grace she had when she nodded.
The girl dashes out of the shed, clashing her invisible weapon with the enemy's red spear. Sparks fly as the weapons collide. The girl goes for an overhead strike, the man in blue just managing to block the blow. The fight comes to a standstill, both at the ready, waiting for their opponent to move.
Again, the girl makes a dash for the man, feinting an overhead attack and quickly changing directions so that her weapon will swing from under her right. The man blocks the blow with his spear, all the same. To retaliate, he lunges his spear at the girl's head, but she parries by lowering her head and swinging upward. Next, the spear-wielder thrusts his weapon to her abdomen, but the girl again meets the spear with her weapon. Now the two swing overhead, their weapons deflecting one another. The man goes for another overhead swing, but the girl makes a heavy upward swing, deflecting the spear. She swings down once again, and once again the man meets the weapon by swinging from his left. Their attacks are too fast for the human eye to keep up, but ultimately, the girl manages to hit the spear with such force that the man loses some control over it, now having it aiming away from his enemy. Seizing the opportunity, she dashes at him again, but the man evades by dashing backwards himself.
He then rushes at her, his spear aiming for her neck, but she simply ducks down under the spear and slashes at it with an uppercut from her weapon, causing the spear to aim at the sky instead of at her. Realizing his blunder, the man barely moves out of the way of the girl's swing. The man is being pushed back, repeatedly forced to defend the girl's sword strikes with his spear, each attack coming from a different direction. Eventually, he holds his ground, refusing to give her any more leeway. Spear in his left hand, he swings down from his right, countering the girl's upward swing from her right. She goes for an overhead attack, and he deflects it again. Trying to take advantage of how he deflected her strike, he spins, generating momentum for the overhead slam of his spear. The girl deflects with a heavy swing from her right, forcing the man's spear to follow the direction of her attack. Again, their weapons collide.
The man almost falls from the force of it, but he manages to jump backwards as she makes another dash at him. With a heavy step, she's slightly elevated off the ground, allowing her to spin herself into an overhead attack. The man parries the invisible weapon, mere inches from his face. He pushes her weapon off of him, and then leaps into the air away from her, creating distance between the two, distance that will allow him to strategize.
"You coward!" He yells. "Why do you conceal your weapon!?"
Ignoring him, she goes for a swing from her right, but he jumps over her attack and falls behind her. He quickly hops away from her, trying to keep that distance.
She turns to face him. "What's the matter, Lancer?" No self-respecting spearman stays rooted to the spot. If you will not come to me, I shall come to you," she says, trying to provoke him.
"Before that, let me ask you one thing. Your Noble Phantasm: is it a sword?" he asks, attempting to get some information as to what he's fighting.
The servants in the room could only think about one thing: Did he really just ask that? Revealing your Noble Phantasm would leave you at a disadvantage.
"Who can say?" she tells him. "It may be a battle axe. Or perhaps it is a spear." She adjusts her sword, now having it upright beside her. "Or it might even be a bow, Lancer."
Lancer gives a small chuckle. "Very funny, swordsman!" he shouts, entering his ready stance.
"That stance," Shirou thinks out loud, recognizing it from the fight Lancer had with the other man.
"One more question. Since this is our first meeting, would you be interested in calling it a draw?" he asks.
I expected my student to be better than that, Scathach thought, closing her eyes in contemplation. Though his opponent may be the legendary King Arthur, she thought he'd put up more of a fight, considering he defeated her rival.
"I will not. You will fall here, Lancer!" she answers.
"Is that so?" he says, narrowing his eyes. "A shame. I was only ordered to observe." He widens his eyes as he surges mana into his weapon, causing it to emit red flames. The girl readies herself. "I'll have your heart!" he yells.
Like I'd ever let that happen, Artoria and Emiya thought. The two were thinking about different things.
Lancer leaps forward, stopping abruptly as his Noble Phantasm begins. "Gae…" he says. The ground beneath him breaks under the strength of the attack. "Bolg!" The spear shoots red lightning, aiming for the girl's heart. She manages to meet the mana with her weapon, but the fight isn't over yet. She tries to force the attack back.
Time stops. The lightning pulls back into the spear. The spear, covered in crimson flames, extends a pillar of mana into the girl's heart. She was barely able to block the attack, but the Noble Phantasm still goes through her. Lancer throws her into the air, causing her to crash across the backyard.
Talk about extraordinary luck, huh, Emiya thought to himself.
Lancer turns his head upwards at where she landed. His eyes are wide and the veins on his face are dilated; the warp-spasm was taking some effect over him. "So you escaped my mightiest blow, Saber," he growls.
Meanwhile, Saber is kneeling on the ground, clutching her upper left chest. Blood stains the blue fabric in the area. She's wincing from the pain. "A curse?" she wonders. "No, an attack that reverses cause and effect? Gae Bolg… You are Ireland's Child of Light!" Saber deduces.
The warp-spasm fades from Lancer's face. He shakes his head. "I messed up. If I use that move, it has to kill." He begins to walk away. "My Lord is a coward, you see. You dodged my spear, so he's ordering me home."
"You would run?" Saber shouts.
Lancer stops at that. "You're more than welcome to follow me," he says nonchalantly. Lancer tightens the grip on his spear and looks over his shoulder. "But if you do, be prepared to die!" He then leaps into the air, landing on top of the roof of the gate, and jumps away, back to his master.
Saber stands up. "Wait, Lancer!"
"I- Is she crazy!?" Shirou says to himself before running to help her.
Mordred didn't know whether she agreed or wanted to beat the boy on the screen for saying such a thing.
"Hey, are you alright?" Shirou asks Saber. Red particles shimmer above where she was wounded, and the armor seems to magically repair itself. Shirou takes a step back. "What the hell are you?"
Saber turns to him. "As you can see, I am a Saber-class Servant," she explains. With what looks like a small smile, she tells him, "As such, please call me 'Saber'."
A little surprised by her friendly demeanor, Shirou responds politely. "I'm Shirou. Emiya Shirou."
Saber looks a bit more serious at hearing that. "Emiya…" she says to herself.
"This house… No, that's not right." Shirou rubs the back of his head, unsure as to what he should do. "That isn't what I want to ask you."
"I understand," Saber tells him. "You're not a legitimate Master, are you?" Shirou stammers a bit. "Nonetheless, you are my Master."
"Hang on. Isn't it kinda weird to start calling me 'Master' out of the blue?"
Dead serious, Saber says, "I shall call you 'Shirou', then." She steps towards the house. "Yes. I much prefer the way that sounds."
Shirou winces, feeling pain on his left hand again. "Wh- What are these?" he wonders, referring to the red markings on the back of his hand.
"They are called Command Spells," Saber explains. "Do try to avoid using them carelessly." She holds her hand above where she's injured. "Shirou, my wounds, if you please."
"You're asking me?" he questions, pointing to himself. "Sorry, but complicated magic like this is beyond me."
I forgot how much of a novice he was at the start of the Holy Grail War. He seemed pretty competent by the end, in Saber's memories, Gabby thought as she rubbed her temples. Healing magic wasn't something extraordinary by any means, even Gudao knew how to do it.
Accepting the situation for what it is, Saber continued. "I shall face them in my current condition, then," she said, leaping to the roof of the house. "There are two enemies outside. One more battle should not pose a problem."
"Enemies outside?" Shirou asked, confused. "What do you mean?" But she had already left.
(Back to Archer. They're near Shirou's house.)
Archer lets his master down on the floor and watches as she runs towards the house. He senses something to his left. "Wait, Rin! I'm sensing more than one Servant!" he shouts, but she's not listening, turning a corner and running towards the house. She stops once she registers Archer's words.
Sensing something behind her, she turns in surprise. A servant swings down an invisible weapon, aiming for Rin. Archer moves his master out of the way and deflects the attack. The enemy Servant goes for another swing, which is again deflected by Archer and his swords. Archer tries to slash at his enemy, but they leap backwards.
Archer chases after them, but he finally sees who his assailant is. He stops dead in his tracks as the hostile Servant swings down their weapon on him. He just manages to put up his sword and block.
"So you recognized me, then? I wondered why you seemed so off guard," Saber whispered to Emiya.
"I just… stopped when I remembered you. I was somehow relieved to see you again, and I didn't want our first meeting to end with one of us dead," Emiya whispered back.
"It is not very honorable to look for excuses when you lose, Shirou."
"Saber, you're hardly one to talk," Emiya quietly chuckled.
Surprised, now Archer was on the defensive as the enemy slashed at him again, but again, he parried the blow. The attack split the two apart. Archer was now standing before his master, who was kneeling on the floor, in wonder by the female knight who stood across from her Servant.
"The Saber-class Servant," Rin manages to say.
"Stop, Saber!" a boy yells, a red wave pulsing from behind Saber. Saber's movements suddenly become very stiff, barely managing to look over her shoulder at her master.
"Are you mad, Shirou?" she yells at him. "I could have defeated them handily, and you ordered me to stop!"
Wait a minute, this didn't happen before… To Ritsuka, something about this scene was contradicting his prior knowledge as to how the events occurred. Everyone who noticed this detail was left confused. Everyone except Emiya, of course.
"Just hold on, Saber! I have no idea what's going on. If I'm your Master, at least fill me in!" He scolds her. It made sense, if she knew that he was new to this, then she should have made an effort to explain what was going on.
Out of her daze, Rin stands up.
"You would demand such a thing with the enemy before us?!" Saber yells at him in disbelief.
"Ah, so that's how it is, my good novice Master?" Rin says, somewhat condescending. "For starters, good evening. Emiya-kun," she says, offering him a small smile. She was relieved that the boy didn't die.
The screen paused. Ritsuka stood before the screen. "Alright, everyone! Let's take a short break here. I'm sure that some of you would like to go out and stretch a bit. We can resume in around fifteen minutes."
As he stood up, Cu felt two gazes piercing him. He turned around to find Achilles right behind his seat, and his teacher giving him a hundred-yard stare from the back rows of the theater. Oh, Lugh, what did he do this time?
Author's Notes: A year in the making... sort of. School really screwed me over when it came to working on this. Additionally, I hit a road block because I want an interaction to happen, but I decided that having it in this chapter might be too weird and that I would need to explore different ways in which the interaction could happen. Finally, I decided to keep writing this Summer, and this is my longest chapter yet. This is my first attempt at translating fight scenes from screen to text. It may seem like a lot of words to describe what happens in about 10 seconds, but I went frame by frame because there is just so much DETAIL put into the fight scenes that I feel needs to be emphasized. Also, this is the first time I experiment with using a section from the Visual Novel rather than the anime; I felt that Saber's summoning is just too important for Shirou as a person and that hearing his thoughts on it are worth writing. I also mixed some of the content from the "Prologue" episode of UBW with Episode 1 of UBW to try and get both Archer's and Shirou's perspectives. On a previous chapter, somebody left a comment about how it didn't make sense for Emiya's memories to be within his swords, since they're not his, so I went back and changed that into a funny little paragraph in chapter 1. To people doubting whether or not I know what is known about Emiya's backstory: I know a good deal of what is said about his timeline; it's similar to Fate route but he couldn't save Saber. I'm also trying to incorporate other fanarts/comics/fanfics into his backstory, and of course will post the links of what I took inspiration from when we get there. By the way, if anyone wants to write their own little fanfic that kinda branches off of this one because I take too long to upload, then go for it! I got no issues with taking inspiration from what I'm writing, seeing as how I'm taking inspiration form others. To address how Emiya is behaving right now, remember that he's the counter guardian mixed with the Fate/UBW/HF/OUS Shirous. He's more relaxed than his counter guardian self, especially with saber, but more sarcastic and cynical than the Shirous. And how do you guys think I wrote Gilgamesh in this chapter? I hope I made it obvious which Gilgamesh is in Chaldea. Anyways, that's it from me. I'll do my best to not let the next chapter take a year. Hope you enjoyed the chapter, and please wait for the next one!
It was pointed out that I used "King of Kings" for Gilgamesh instead of "King of Heroes". While I was changing it, I accidentally made Gilgamesh the "King of Herpes" lmao. Tbh, considering what he did as king before Enkidu... might not be far from the truth.