Ch7: Saber's Questioning

"Emiya," is the name that I mutter beneath my breath. The name of my previous Master and the name of the Master I now serve. A trifling matter. The other contestants of the Holy Grail War have left and all that remained were my Master, me and her brother standing on ruined ground. The boy was certainly tired. The air was still and it was only from the stillness that I could see the cuts on the boy's body, but my Master was already a step ahead. Her voice resounds in my head.

Remain centered…...breathe…...focus…...as the stars have taught me…

A swift motion of the hand, a long strand of hair is plucked and with quick indecipherable movements with her hands, the boy is patched up so quickly that he could not even react to the pain. It was an odd sight, but what am I to question the methods of magi? Instead, her brother questions it.

"...Isn't that the same trick you patch up your pajamas? You didn't use that trick earlier when Fuji..."

"Stop thinking about weird things Onii-chan. Of course I know the difference between skin and fabric," she says as a matter of fact.

Her brother smiles tepidly at her response. The expression of his face communicated the fact he wasn't completely convinced.

I look around the yard, the displaced earth, the shattered wall. It certainly wasn't a place fit for habitation, but magi have their methods for such things as well. My Master takes out a card, a different from the one before and begins a different sort of patchwork.

"Install: Caster."

Wrapped in robes that did not belong in the modern era even by the standards of magi, with indiscernible words, words lost to time, I am able to witness what the "Emiya" estate had looked like before. For someone who is used to residing in enclosed castles, the large open space of the estate was nostalgic. Simpler days when I simply addressed Sir Ector as father and Kay as big brother in the open. It was before my "family" got complicated. Still, such openness was something most magi should have abhorred as it let the mana leak way. Once the repairs were done, the otherworldly robes are cast away in motes of light. My Master was tired. She clasps one of her eyes. It seemed like she was finally processing what had happened just minutes earlier.

"It's time for bed," the older brother calls out.

"...Alright," she answers while still lost in thought. Her breath was ragged and she was on edge, but she quickly corrects her posture. A smile blooms, but it was somewhat off. It was clear to me that she was putting an act in front of her older brother, just as he was putting an act in front of her. In front of her older brother, she must continue being the "happy" little sister.

We all make our way inside.

My Master changes into what appeared to be a…..bear suit and that seems to calm her down. I was given one modeled after a lion. It seems that tastes have changed since my last summon. I was dragged into the bathroom to brush my teeth, something Servants don't need to do, but as I entered, looking around, there was something missing.

No mirror in sight.

Though judging by the markings on the wall, there used to be one. It's absence was glaring. Mirrors may have been rare in my era, but even the poorest of households kept polished metal around. It could be I wasn't thinking like Merlin. To magi, mirrors could hold special meaning and there are various ways enemy magi could take advantage of them. Was this done in preparation for the Holy Grail War? Still, there were many questions to ask, though as a Servant, I was not in the position of asking as I learned from the previous "Emiya" who managed to marry someone like Irisviel. Kiritsugu did everything in his power to discourage me from talking. Were these kids the same? Still, children cannot be judged by their parentage. That was why I had to test the waters despite my disadvantageous position.

"Any reason why you have a lion suit in my size?" I ask the two siblings.

"They're pajamas and the store at the time only had the lion model in that size, but Miyu really really wanted it," Shirou explains while rubbing the back of his head with a smile plastered all over his face.

"It'll fit me eventually Onii-chan," my agitated Master responds.

So it was meant to be sleepwear and not some sort of costume to be worn by a performer. Still, the modern world is far more convenient than the time I had lived in. It would have saved my own brother some of his pride back then when I wanted to dream of a lion running across the plains.

"No way, I carved an old lion that could not even kill a mouse…...….."

True, his carving wasn't anything up to standards people could buy at a store nowadays, but it was something carved with his own two hands. Though, I admit, the lion suit I had on now, if I were to fall asleep, I myself would be the lion running across the plains. Despite both being modeled after a lion, they were two items that could not be directly compared.

I'm handed a toothbrush and my little Master is already brushing. The lack of a mirror was really noticeable now.

"Did something happen to the mirror?" I whisper to him.

"Miyu accidentally broke it?" he whispers back.

If it was simply broken it could have been easily fixed with the mage-craft my Master had displayed earlier.

"Every mirror in the house?" I inquire.

"Yes?"

It seems that all Emiya's have a tendency to hide things.

Right now, the small Emiya that I was contracted with was sleeping soundly and Shirou was watching my every movement. His soft expression before when his sister was still awake must have been something of an illusion, because when I returned his gaze, all I could see were eyes like Kiritsugu's. Tired, distrustful eyes. It seems that he really is Kiritsugu's son. Despite our mutual understanding during that battle from earlier, he doesn't trust me. He calls me out to follow him and we enter a large empty room with a polished wooden floor quite a ways away from the room in which my Master slept. My eyes gravitate to the training swords. It was clear what this room was for.

He picks one of the bamboo blades from the rack and throws one to me. I grasp it in my hands. After years of wearing metal gauntlets, the superfluous fabric between my hands and the hilt of the practice weapon was of no concern to me.

"So what are you? You didn't save my sister for purely altruistic reasons I assume," he asks me, getting straight to the point.

"I am a Servant and your sister is my Master for this Holy Grail War," was the simplest answer I could provide. At the end of my statement, he makes a swing, but I repel it easily.

"Master you say?"

I could sense no dishonesty in his claim of ignorance, so I answer him honestly.

"Yes, she is my Master and as such, I will be her sword, follow her orders, defeat her enemies and protect her."

He continues his attack. He strikes like a clear stream. There was no malice in his strikes. All he was doing was testing me. Testing my ability. Testing my character. I parry all of his attacks and the air echoes. I'll display my resolve with my next attack. I aim at an opening, but he repels it with a second bamboo blade that wasn't there before.

"But this is all so you can get your hands on the Holy Grail correct?" he accuses me.

A piercing gaze. He's judging me. He's staring at me like he knows what I desire. He's staring at me like he already knows everything he needs to know, just like his father before him. It seems it was fortunate of me that he wasn't my Master.

"Haah…"

The sound of cracking wood resounds.

Still, I cannot deny that his technique could not have possibly belonged to a cruel man. If anything else, the fact he was a brother who put his little sister above everything else was not a lie.

We exchange a dance of blows, a dance of wooden swords. I counter his two swords one after the other and the dance suddenly stops as I stop my blade right before it smashes into his exposed neck. This was just a friendly spar after all. My sword skill taken by itself was superior to his, but from that battle with Illyasviel from earlier, I knew he had quite a few other skills at his disposal that he simply hasn't brought to bear against me yet. While he was still at my mercy I counter his question with my own.

"All Servants seek the Grail to have a wish granted. That much should be obvious. I have answered your questions Shirou, so answer mine, what were those cards from earlier?"

In that exchange with Berserker, the sword that was in my Master's hands at that time was certainly Excalibur. It wasn't a fake, but a second instance of the sword I wielded. There is a good chance that my identity has already been compromised, yet Excalibur wasn't the only Noble Phantasm she brought to bear. There was also that red spear, as well as her usage of ancient magics to fix the house. Whatever those cards are, they allowed her to manifest the power of a heroic spirit.

"I don't really know either I admit. I thought you would know what they were considering you are inscribed on one, but then again, who am I to say?" he says with an unwavering gaze.

"If this is an issue of trust, then you shan't worry for your sister holds Command Spells," I say.

"Command Spells?" was yet another question that escapes his mouth.

I was supposed to be the one asking the questions at this point, but it seems he has the same ability that Kay had. Even though he could never beat me when it came to swordsmanship, Kay would always win in a battle of words. I rescind my blade and answer his question.

"Three absolute orders that we cannot deny even if the laws of the world stand in our way. They are the symbol of a Master, our anchor to this world."

"Anchor huh?" he reaffirms what I had said.

His expression softens just a bit. He breathes out. He ponders some more. Heroic spirits could not be taken lightly, especially witnessing what we could do first hand. If the enemy Masters from tonight were to form an alliance, which was highly likely after Archer's protective display over Berserker's Master, then every tool was needed. Even if he didn't like me, he couldn't deny that I was a necessary tool for his sister's survival in the coming battles.

"Now that you understand your sister's position, as an older brother, it's time you come up with a plan of action, Shirou."

He sits on the floor and begins to contemplate before he begins butchering a certain name.

"Plan? Plan? I would need to know the competition before that. That girl…Ill..ya ...von Einz..bern she singled out our house…..she singled out Miyu..."

He utters the name of the cruel girl with white hair and red eyes just like my previous Master's unfortunate wife. Supposedly, it's been 10 years since then, so that girl can't be Irisviel's daughter. That daughter of hers was as innocent as a fairy. Just like Morgan once was? I shake the less appetizing thoughts out of my head. That girl must have just been another Einzbern homunculus. It still perplexes me why Irisviel would love someone like Kiritsugu, but considering my own "marriage", I probably have no right to judge Kiritsugu as a husband. Still, it was clear that the name "Einzbern" was unfamiliar to him. I needed to confirm it.

"Do you not know of the Einzbern?" I ask.

I await a response, but he simply looks at me, expecting me to continue. He really doesn't know anything and I assume his sister, my Master knows even less than he does. His expression tenses up once more and he brandishes his bamboo sword once more.

"Then how do you know of them, Saber?"

It seems I made a mistake. I must have said too much, but now that he knows, I don't have much of a choice but to tell him. Things would be problematic if my Master's brother continued to be antagonistic towards me.

"It was the family I fought on behalf of in the last Holy Grail War."

His eyes widen. His grip tightens. He begins to open his mouth.

"Then you'll.."

I cut him off mid-sentence.

"Right now, I serve your sister. With the Command Spells, she can even command me to commit suicide. Does that answer suffice?"

I was forced to recount something unsightly again, yet he was still not convinced and continues to bombard me with questions.

"If you served them before, then you should have some information on them right?"

"They are alchemists based in Germany. Specialized in creating things, they aren't suited for battle," I explain.

Even so, he is not convinced.

"Aren't suited for battle?"

In his hands, a white sword is materialized. It was undoubtedly a Noble Phantasm. That's right, creating weapons on the spot, that was how this boy had fought earlier. The boy before me wasn't normal and neither was his sister. I look into his eyes, the bags under them, he had been forcing himself to stay awake for past few hours, but he could no longer hide his fatigue. Even though his body was fit, he had been pushing against his limits.

"If you don't rest, then you won't be suited for battle either," I say to him.

"We'll continue this later," he says to me. He dismisses his weapon as he exits the dojo with defined steps in contrast to his fatigue. Even if his body was still capable, his mind was not running perfectly.

I wait in the living room and from the beams of light, it seemed morning had come. It was then I heard the sound of a turning key. An intruder? It was times like this I wished I had a spiritual form like a regular Servant. Still, I could sense no malice in the air. If there was, the bounded field would have went off. The footsteps approach closer and I eventually get to see the "intruder".

Purple hair and eyes. These eyes silently stare at me. There is nothing but silence, until the girl before me opens her mouth.

"A-are you a friend of Miyu's?"

I analyze the girl, but I can't see her as a threat. She was older than my Master, though around the same age as Shirou, maybe younger. How did she come to such a conclusion?

"Y-yes," I answer her.

She smiles at me. I had refrained from attacking her earlier since I did not want to risk antagonizing Shirou any further. I decided I would simply observe.

"I knew it was only a matter of time until she met someone with the same taste in clothes," which were words spoken with considerable enthusiasm.

I look at the lion costume I was wearing and realize it's not the norm. I knew my Master was unusual, but it seemed like such a thing was common knowledge.

"Well, make yourself at home, breakfast will be ready soon," she says as she leaves.

I follow her. With the way she navigates the house, she must have been a regular visitor. She enters the kitchen and begins preparing. I was peeking at her, but she noticed my presence.

"D-do you want to watch?" she asks me.

I walk into the kitchen and see her work. Nothing was unknown to her in this kitchen. She knew the placement of every knife, spatula, plate and utensil. She didn't even need to look at her hands as she opened the cupboards and the drawers. She begins cooking something I wasn't familiar with, but this was a foreign land after all. In my time during the last Holy Grail War, as a Servant that required no food, I did not partake in any of the local cuisine so my food knowledge was lacking.

The sound of rhythmic cutting and the heating of a pan.

With her swift movements, it was clear that this was a daily routine for her. The Emiya kitchen was no stranger to her. I watch the meal being cooked from start to finish, checking for any dubious ingredients, but I could not identify any. The pleasant scent was too distracting.

There were five plates, one was probably meant for me, so it was only natural I test it for poison.

"Wait..," the girl calls out to me, but it was too late.

I had zoned out her voice as I completed my duty. As I came to my senses, one of the plates was scraped clean. What was this sorcery?

"Nevermind…," she says with a low voice.

She takes the completed dishes and walks away. I follow her and it seemed like the Emiya siblings were awake from the voices coming through the walls.

"I shouldn't have overlooked last night, but…..there's quite a lot of dirt in your hair. Why didn't you say anything back then?"

"As an older brother, shouldn't you have been more attentive, Onii-chan?"

"Please find it in your heart to forgive this failure, princess."

It comes into view. I stare at the center of that small table and there they were, the two siblings. My eyes are drawn to his hands. Those hands that had intercepted my blows last night with such ferocity, those hands which were so ready to strike down that little white haired girl, they were capable of such gentleness? Instead of swords or a bow, in his hands was a comb. Slow and practiced, the older brother brushes the hair of his little sister, something Kay never did for me. Still, I shouldn't have been surprised. In my memories, the image of Kiritsugu giving piggyback rides to a white haired girl still lingers. I still can't understand those of the Emiya family.

Shirou stares at me with a cold gaze. As he turns his head, his expression warms up until he's facing the girl beside me. The contrast was startling.

"Thank you again Sakura," were the words directed at her.

"It's nothing Senpai," were her words directed at him.

The three sit at that table paying no heed to me. Their world was at peace. The world those three lived in was far removed from mine. In front of me was a picturesque family and I felt like something would break if I entered the scene. A fleeting illusion. It was then my Master directs her gaze at me.

"Saber, are you eating?"

I wanted to explain to her that Servants didn't need food, but I didn't want to bring up the fact I had already ate my portion. Five portions were made, but only three people were sitting at the table. There was still an extra portion…...

"T-that plate is for Fujimura-sensei…," the girl named Sakura protests.

"...Fuji-nee is still resting," my Master says to her.

This "Sakura" girl too was an unusual one.

"Did she get into an accident again?" was that girl's response.

It seemed like this, "Fujimura" was quite the character as well.

"It's fine, come sit next to me….," Sakura says that, but it was clear that she was on guard. Even so, she tries to be as welcoming as she can.

I look at that small square table, with its imposing edges, yet even with those edges, it was somehow more inviting than my own "Round Table". Still, I felt something off, but I cast those thoughts away and take my position. The Holy Grail War has started and as such, there were things I needed to explain to my Master, but that could wait after breakfast was done, right? Wars cannot be won without supplies I tell myself, but I knew that was a lie from the generous amount of mana that was already being poured into me. Servants didn't need food, all they needed was mana, yet…... the plate before me was already empty.