Author Note
First of all, I appreciate everyone for the reviews.
I will answer the reviews that offered criticism below.
ArcheMage – Yes, while Shirou's trace magic became stronger than most magus, it didn't start as such. In the beginning, he was barely able to harden a piece of metal. He got better as he faced Archer and after Rin supplied him with mana for him to use his reality marble. What I merely did was make him train his ability and even adapt it better in combat. Being frank, it was pathetic to see him get beat up around quite easily in UBW.
Jose19 – Many thanks for your review. While I certainly despite Sakura (in UBW, she is nonexistent), Rin is certainly a valuable character that helped Shirou grow. I very much enjoyed the sunny day ending of UBW, because both Rin and Saber would work together in helping Shirou not becoming Archer. In my fic, however, while I guess I can place Rin more, Shirou is not as clueless, even having enough mana to become an adequate magus (he won't be overly strong, but he would be able to hold himself and become a threat even to servants in conjunction with Saber's offensive). Nevertheless, you are right. Rin deserves more. Come to think about it, I see Rin as more of a friend to Shirou. Saber, for instance, is more attuned to him than Rin in my opinion as she can help Shirou just as much as Shirou can help her. Also, in terms of Shirou's ideals, it was Archer who made Emiya face his ideals when they fought.
1740 – Yes, Fate Zero is the prequel, but Fate Stay Night Heaven's feel is not a sequel. It is just a different path.
Ggcosti – Thanks for the review. I am stickler for following the rules. Nothing in this fic will diverge from the concept, hence why I try to research before writing It down. The changes will be solely on Shirou's experience. In UBW, he was literally clueless to everything, needing Rin to guide him. In this fic, while he is not an expert, he will have a decent knowledge to move forward. His fights will be against the same opponents as UBW, but since he has better understanding on his skills (which will increase with constant training), the fights, I hope, will carry more punch. While I won't unequivocally state that he can beat a servant on his own, he can hold his own against most. Well, I won't spoil the surprise as the fight scenes are something, I quite enjoy writing about. Let's just say that the story's title really does justice to what I'm planning.
Now, about the story, it will proceed slowly somewhat. I will eventually reach the start of the war, by the end of this chapter. This chapter will cover the beginning ot the events of UBW as well as Shirou's insights on the manner.
Fate Stay Night: Sword and Arrow
Part I – Fifth Great Grail War
Chapter 2 – Saber
Shirou was in a deep slumber inside his bedroom. The night was rather chilly as small gushes of wind slowly rocked the house's flora. From the outside perspective, it seemed as if he was having a peaceful sleep, however if one would look closer, one could see nothing but sweat dripping from his face. Sometimes he took his training way too seriously and eventually got sore afterwards, even if it took little time to heal. No, the sweat was not due to an injury or a disease. He rarely had any disease for that manner…not even a cold. What was happening right now was due to his subconscious.
It was as if he was in the middle of a bloody war as he could see armies wearing armor with each side attempting to overcome the other.
He could hear the distinguished sounds of metal piercing armor and then flesh, while horses fell on the ground in dire pain having received the same attack as the rider. Echoes of cries could be heard as one by one, Shirou saw, fell on the floor with blood pouring from their wounds. It was quite agonizing scene to watch. He could also hear noises of sword fighting as well as images of noble warriors fighting against each other to the death. He could see their movements and their ferocity in battle. These fights were the ones that happened despite all the carnage around them. For all they cared, they were fighting alone at the top of a hill, except that said hill was littered with mangled bodies and weapons of all shapes and sizes.
A different scene shifted as he could now see two other warriors facing each other. Strangely, their images were a blur so Shirou could not describe them. One was entirely covered in silvery armor and holding a gigantic sword. This warrior stroke with enough ferocity that Shirou doubted the other would be able to sustain the pressure. While the other sword was not small by any means, it certainly paled in comparison. Despite it all, he could see the grace in which the second warrior diverted the strong attack and followed suit with an attack of his own, greatly injuring the one with the silver armor, who, despite being clearly mortified by the attack, was too injured to continue the fight.
Strangely, the one with the smaller sword simply stood watching as the other was escorted away, probably to fight another day.
The smaller warrior then stood there and Shirou could see small traces of blue and small armor details in the man's chest and forearms.
Said man then lifted his sword up in the sky as his troops screamed in triumph at his back.
Shirou could see the eyes of the victorious warrior and while witnessing its green fierceness, he could also see how empty they looked…just like his own was as he looked at the mirror. Eventually, everyone in the clearing vanished and only a sword remained in his dream. He was mesmerized at the sight of such beautifully crafted weapon. The steel appeared to be glowing in goldish hue as he could see the blue handle and golden guard.
It was at this time that Shirou's eyes were wide awake as he took some time to collect his breathing.
This was not the first time he had a dream similar to this one. Usually, it didn't have that many details, though. He didn't need to work his brain hard to remember where he saw the blade he had dreamed of….it was the sword that King Arthur pulled from the stone, the sword that granted him the position of king…the sword that allowed the man to rule Britannia, until his demise. Shirou had read about the king's story in his swords book, hence why he remembered the sword. Was the man in his dreams King Arthur? Aside from the sword, Shirou remembered the eyes quite vividly. Just how could Shirou see the man's eyes if the only experience he had was through a book that focused more on the sword than the wielder?
Standing up from his futon, Shirou looked at the night sky from the window of his bedroom.
The clock by his side indicated that it was barely 4 am.
Despite it all, he didn't feel the need to sleep anymore. The images he saw in his dream kept playing and replaying in his mind. It was so real…he could feel as if he was right there back in time doing battle as part of King Arthur's army. He soon left his room and wandered around the house until he stepped foot outside into the backyard. The moon, while it wasn't full, did its best to somewhat illuminate the path in front of him. And the cool wind on his features brought some peace of mind. Tracing swords from a book was quite difficult as he couldn't use his ability to scan a book. As such, his projections based on imagination alone lacked structure. One time, he attempted tracing a famous samurai named Sasaki Kojiro's sword after seeing from the book.
While the colors were similar, it wasn't the same length as the man's nodashi.
Closing his eyes, he envisioned the holy sword and tried to vision as much detail as he whispered the old mantra to improve his focus.
Trace On….
Basic structure, visualized. The sword began to appear out of thin air and materialized. Shirou's magic circuits went haywire at the level of focus in creating such a noble weapon.
Component materials, duplicated. The sword started to glow in his hand.
Accumulated age, duplicated.
All process involved, exceeded.
Bind my visualizations together to form a true sword.
The ethereal glow of the holy weapon rested in his hand. Just as he opened his eyes, he gasped at the weapon. Shirou could feel the balance of the sword, he could feel the weight of the sword…being a projection and based on his own imagination, it was hard to realize that he could have replicated such a fine weapon in its finest detail. None of his previous attempts were as successful as this one. What also bothered him was the amount of mana recreating this sword took out of him. When he used the ability with regular swords, it hardly took anything out of him, but this particular sword took quite a lot. It even made him winded afterward, using the sword as a clutch in order to sustain him. It actually took him a good five minutes for him to recover his breathing as he practiced his routine with the sword.
He even recalled some of the movements that king arthur made in his dream.
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Shirou figured that he had already done his morning routine.
And the amount of mana he lost would take some time to be replenished.
The sun was already rising so Shirou went back to his room and placed King Arthur's sword inside his bedroom. Normally, it would vanish in a week or so, but considering the amount of mana he used, he did not know what would happen. Nevertheless, Shirou now knew that he was able to replicate Caliburn. He wondered if he had improved his ability or if it was just because he somehow dreamed of and saw the sword in action. Thinking about it and considering the amount of mana he used, it was reckless of him. The bounded field around his house was strong enough to keep outsiders from seeing inside, but a strong magus could feel the energy use if one was nearby. If he wanted to keep practicing like this, he would have to study on improving the seals that formed his bounded field.
He would research after coming from school today.
Shirou went for a quick shower, before starting breakfast. No doubt, Taiga and Sakura would come soon and he didn't want any of them to worry about moving a finger. Matou Sakura first came into his life as a little girl in desperate need of escaping from the miserable life she had in her house. Shirou did not mind her coming every other day. His sister figure said that it made the girl more at ease helping around with breakfast on occasion and even aiding Shirou with some of the housework. Even if Shirou appreciated the help somewhat, he wondered if Taiga should do something about her situation. He never did bother to ask her directly, though he wondered if he could have done something to help her situation, whatever it was. He could see that Sakura was in pain for some reason, but since she never told him about it, he just couldn't force her to be upfront about it.
Hence why he simply respected that she was a girl that came to his house for breakfast and eventually the three (Shirou, Sakura and Taiga) went to school together.
Shirou had just finished the eggs when he sensed their presence passing the bounded field.
"Emiya, good morning! Is breakfast done already?" Taiga made her presence known in front of the shy looking Sakura.
"Senpai…morning."
"Ah…good morning Taiga, Sakura…please sit…breakfast is almost done." Both women nodded with a smile on their faces. Taiga immediately turned on the TV just as a news report appeared about a gas leak in one location of the city and a murder occurring not far from Emiya's household. Behind the counter, Shirou frowned upon hearing it. Every other week now something bad happened in Fuyuki. The image of the fire from ten years ago appeared in his mind as he felt a bad omen.
"Oh my…this city was so peaceful, ne Sakura. Now, this happens. You need to be careful while walking out there alone".
Sakura nodded at the older woman, appreciating her concern.
"I mean it…you need to avoid coming home alone…if you could from now on wait after class, I can take you home after school. No thug would dare take me on, I tell you!" Shirou simply sweat dropped as his sister figure almost jumped on top of the table and raised her fist with a smirk on her face. He silently appreciated her for accompanying Sakura after school, though. The woman knew how to take care of herself and would make sure to protect Sakura from harm.
"Arigatou sensei. I would like that."
Eventually, all three of them left the house together. Shirou walked behind the two, just smiling at how engaging his sister was with Sakura.
===At the School===
No sooner had Shirou said his goodbye to Taiga and Sakura, Shirou stepped foot close to the high school building and flinched. An unnerving feeling had assaulted him immediately, making him freeze for a couple of seconds. A testament to his training under Kiritsugu that he learned what this feeling entailed. Kiritsugu explained to him that this feeling occurred when he was in the presence of another strong magus. Also, he could not allow to show that he was bothered by it as per his father's instructions. An expert magus could easily pinpoint him in the crowd, otherwise. As he kept walking, he tried looking around in search for the source. Not that he figured it would be easy, considering that he was near a large crowd of students.
However, the fact remained that a student was a magus. Another fact also remained that this was the first time he had ever sensed a magus nearby since his father.
Once more he felt a bad omen just like he felt when he saw the news today.
He could not help but wonder if the events were connected somehow. The number of deaths escalating in Fuyuki and the sudden presence of magus in his school.
Tried as might however, he was not successful in tracing the source. When he heard a step behind him, however, he felt it again. Reducing his steps as to not draw attention, Shirou slowly turned his head to see a girl with aqua eyes and long wavy black hair in a two-side-up hairstyle. Shirou recognized her, though he only knew her by name and fame. Tohsaka Rin. All he knew was that she was widely admired by her peers. Shirou had never seen her talking to anyone aside from Sakura on occasion. Looking at her facial expressions, Shirou was met with an indifferent stare as per the usual with her, not indicating that she knew he was suspicious of her.
The feeling this time vanished faster than before and Shirou managed to relax his breathing somewhat.
Shirou then went inside for his class to begin.
===Emiya's Household===
It was quite late at night once Shirou stepped inside his house. Tonight he needed to brush his knowledge on theoretical magus knowledge. If he were to keep his magus practice from prying eyes, Shirou would need to improve the seals of his house's bounded field. He made a quick sandwich and then went to his room to get his father's books on bounded fields and other types of spells. The image of King Arthur's sword passed briefly through his sight and Shirou nodded in approval.
Kiritsugu's library was not extensive. The man always favored pragmatism over theory.
He was no scholar…no academic in the art of magic. Therefore, his library contained only what he believed was practical to his line of work.
Selecting the book on bounded fields and another book, Shirou then went to his kitchen and started to study on ways to add more layers to the bounded field. According to the book, bounded fields could be as basic as simply alerting the creator of a presence and complex enough to block people from entering or leaving. The more layers he added, the more protective the field could become. Also, Shirou needed to draw a specific seal that allowed him to use mana inside his house and said energy not leak outside. Getting up, Shirou used his trace magic in order to spot the four drawn seals that were spread around the house perimeter. Right now, all that the bounded field did was alert him of a presence entering his house. Placing his hand above the seal, Shirou added the needed drawings.
Next, was the creation of two more layers of seals to further block anyone outside interference.
Though Shirou needed to make a new shape drawing. If one were to look at his house from the sky, the first shape was a square that went around the household. The next shape would be a square shape as well, but with seals placed in different spots around the house and even outside the house. He took an entire hour to place all of the seals but now he was certain that only an expert magus would be able to sense or even get inside. And even if one managed to break inside (except for those Shirou already considered trustworthy), Shirou would be alerted by the time the trespasser passed the outside layer of his now triple-layered bounded field. After doing so, Shirou figured that tonight was time for study and not practice.
He separated a book on practical skills to learn and casually flipped through the pages.
Ok, let me see here…jewel magecraft…not interested. Plus, it's not like I have enough money to purchase the necessary supplies. Not to mention that I rather tracing my weapons. Flipping it more, he read about hypnosis and mind tampering spells. While I trained in defending against, I just see no use in using these skills. A magus would not fall for it and I simply would not dare to use it on a regular person. Moving on…uh…healing mage craft. Healing mage craft is the type of thaumaturgy involving recovering the flesh of the injured and even to aid in detoxification.
Tou-san explained that being a magus wasn't about using it for personal gain, but rather to help people.
If I can at least cover the basics, I could use this ability to eventually save someone who is in need to a medic.
Let's see here…healing mage craft consists of infusing one's mana through another person and focusing on the wound in question until the wound is cauterized. The provided mana forces the body to accelerate the cell's reproduction and help cauterize the wound. Open flesh wounds are easier to heal because the user can focus the spell directly on the bruised or cut area. Healing toxins from the wounded is considered a highly complex means of healing mage craft. One had to first localize the source in which the toxin entered the body and supply mana inside the wounded until its cleanse the toxin entirely. If, however, the user uses more mana than necessary, then the medicine ends up killing the victim. Used too little and would simply be a waste of energy.
Shirou kept on reading about the subject for a while, not really understanding the mechanics about curing toxin. However, the part in which he could heal bruises and cuts was indeed appealing to him and his future ideal. Of course, he would also be able to use it on himself, should the need arise, which was also good in his mind. Come to think about it, Shirou's training mostly lead him to focus on offensive maneuvers. However, his trace magic was very versatile and could even conjure other shapes such as a shield against attacks. Clearly, something to ponder as the redhead started reading about how to use the spells necessary for healing magecraft. He of course would not get it on his first try, but the night was young, and he had nothing better to do.
He practiced the new subject until past midnight when he exhausted his source of mana.
Yawning but with a smile on his face, he turned off the lights of the kitchen and went to sleep.
===At the school===
Next day was uneventful as Shirou was found closing his bag in order to get home. School today was simply dull with Fujimura-sensei screaming at some student for calling her tiger sensei. Seriously, the woman needed to see herself in the mirror when she did that. Then, there was a stoic looking professor that strangely kept staring at Shirou from time to time. It unnerved him somewhat. Kuzuki-sensei never seemed to be the teacher type as he lacked that charisma. He was stoic all right, often preferring for the students to conduct the class while he would correct the students if they made a mistake. Anyhow, best not linger on right now as Shirou got up from his chair and slowly walked away from his classroom.
The sun was already dropping on the horizon and the few rays of sunlight still illuminated the path he would take back home.
Since Shirou was able to rest appropriately, his resources of mana were almost full, which meant that he could come home and practice his exercises once more and the added bounded fields around his house would ease his worries about using too much energy in his training. As soon as he entered the street that led to his neighborhood, Shirou passed by a little girl with long straight white hair that seemed to smile at him for an unknown reason. As soon as he passed by her and thought about trying to help her, he heard her giggling and walked away. He never bothered to look back and see that the little girl was looking at him with the same smile on her face.
It's better not to stay out so late at night, Nii-san. You might get hurt.
Shirou was on the verge of crossing the first layer of the bounded field of his house when he heard a sound of metal hammering nearby. Immediately thinking about the report from media about the murderers, he immediately went to check. As soon as he crossed a couple blocks, he was close to a small playground nearby his house and he could see the sparks of what appeared to be a fight of some sort.
He hid behind a wall far from being seen, while using mana on his eyes to take a look.
He could see two men dashing at high speeds one wearing blue attire and the other red and black. The one with the blue attire wielded a red-looking spear while the other battled using two small and oddly shaped swords. Shirou could sense the mana bursts from these men and flinched at the conclusion. Were they magus of some sort…and why were they battling it out like this. Shirou began to scan their weapons and stored the information, while the fight echoed in the clearing. The park appeared to be empty, but Shirou could not help but worry that someone would get in the way and get hurt. He searched some more and was able to see there was a third person there, simply observing the fight. From his vantage point, however, he could not see who. The fight between them carried on and Shirou's eyes could not help but marvel at their dance.
The spear wielding appeared to be more suited for battle, but the other with the white hair managed to cover his ground. Still, the fight was happening at such a pace that Shirou found himself wondering if he could hold his own. While he could follow their movements, he doubted that even using reinforcement, he would be able to move his body as they did.
Still, a part of his mind was simply analyzing the move patterns as best as it could.
Shirou gasped upon seeing the spear suddenly glow with a red aura around it. The blue guy was releasing an incredible amount of mana in this move. The redhead realized his mistake as his foot scratched the dirt somewhat, making enough noise for the spear wielding man stop his attack and run to his location.
"Who's there?" Shirou immediately cursed his bad footing and immediately reinforced his limbs to get the hell out of the man's path.
"Ho…aren't you a quick one. This should be fun." Shirou looked back as he saw the spear-wielding man closing in on him. The redhead cursed as he immediately projected his bow and arrow and started flying his reinforced arrows in quick succession. The sudden attack surprised Lancer somewhat, but he merely shifted his body dodging the incoming arrows. Lancer class after all had protections against projectiles and arrows were no exception, as long as he could see them coming, no arrow would come close to hitting him. Shirou saw this happening and threw another barrage just as he got within the triple layered bounded field of his house. Seeing as it responded to his mana, the boy simply jumped off the roof and landed on the backyard as he released the bow and arrows. His eyes were able to see how little effort it took for his foe to dodge them.
Taking a breath as he figured that he was safe inside the bounded field, Shirou looked up to see the man smiling at him standing on top of the roof.
"Quite interesting you are boy. I wouldn't take you for such a skilled magus. Though this bounded field of yours could not hold a servant for long."
Servant…what is he talking about?
Just like he saw at the other fight, the spear began to glow red before the man slammed the tip of the spear at the last layer of bounded field, instantly shattering it. Shirou barely managed to project a katana as he parried the spear with all the force he had in his arms (reinforced of course). Lancer saw the weapon the boy had now in his hand and smirked viciously. Shirou appeared to be holding his own, but the mere force of the spear made his knees double in effort.
"Do try more, boy. I need the entertainment."
Lancer bombarded Shirou with spear moves and Shirou blocked him with the best of his ability, but the tip of the spear managed to pass through and grazed his arms.
Shirou flinched in pain but placed a step forward to get inside Lancer's guard, attempting to strike his opponent, much to Lancer's approval. Being a heroic spirit and quite possibly the best spear wielder in history, Lancer managed to block the attack and was slightly impressed with the strength of the weapon strike. Shirou attempted a few more strikes which were all blocked. He looked focused, but his opponent merely showed a smile on contempt. In between the adrenaline, however, while the sparks flew freely, Shirou could not help but ask.
"Why the hell are you attacking me?" Lancer only smirked condescendingly.
"Call you unlucky boy, you're not supposed to see us servants."
Lancer then turned the tables and forced Shirou to back up two steps, placing him in direct threat distance to his spear.
Shirou merely placed his sword in front and was surprised when the sword was smashed into pieces.
Meanwhile, the guy that was fighting the spear wielding one simply stood by watching the fight. He could not help but gaze at the boy that was facing Lancer. Despite not being as proficient as a servant, he was surprised to see the fool holding his own even if barely.
"Archer…" The white-haired man nodded at his master, that was being held by the man protectively.
"A human should not be able to face a servant, even if Lancer isn't going full strength."
Archer looked at the fight and wondered what the hell is going on. 'He should not have this skill, at least not this early.'
Back to Shirou, his shock at seeing the sword smashed into pieces was short lived and he reinforced his legs in order to get the hell away. He knew how slim his odds were here. So far, he only had minor injuries on his arms, which his mana was working hard to heal. Looking at the man's spear, Shirou was able to scan it to the point of being able to replicate jus like maybe Caliburn. Still, he doubted he would have the time needed to fully replicate the spear. Not to mention the fact that Shirou had little to no knowledge in how to wield a spear. Certainly, he would not waste mana on a weapon he could not use effectively.
Lancer, for his part, simply stood there looking at what the boy came up with now. The man's master whispered words in his mind.
"What now boy…done with your tricks and ready to say bye bye?"
Shirou cursed his situation. Right now, his opponent was dead set on killing him and he still didn't know why. He wanted to be a hero of justice, not die like this. He had many things he wished to accomplish…he just could not die here. Closing his eyes in focus, Shirou figured he could use another sword, one that would pack more strength than the regular katana. Of course, he wouldn't go about summoning King Arthur's sword right now, he would simply exhaust his mana doing so. But, he had another sword in mind to use.
Trace On….
Basic structure, visualized. The sword itself began to appear out of thin air and materialized. Lancer could watch in amazement as he could see a different sword materializing on the boy's hands, one far longer than the other one.
Component materials, duplicated. The sword started to glow in his hand.
Accumulated age, duplicated.
All process involved, exceeded.
Bind my visualizations together to form a true sword.
When Shirou opened his eyes, he grasped at the nodashi of Sasaki Kojiro. He could see that now he had done a great job, being able to trace a sword using his bare imagination. He figured that the adrenaline allowed him the necessary focus to do so. Getting pumped at the prospect of facing the man again, Shirou dashed quickly closing the distance and swinging the long sword. Lancer became somewhat annoyed at having to adapt his stance to a bigger sword. He parried the sword strike with now a little more effort and started looking at the boy in a new light. He was even more surprised to see that the tip of the sword grazed his arm. Lancer increased his speed and managed to land a powerful kick on Shirou's rib cage that sent him flying.
Despite the pain, he managed to use the momentum and skidded on the ground.
Shirou cursed as he saw that the man increased the pace, forcing him on the defensive once more.
This time Shirou could barely see the movements as he parried the strikes to best of his ability.
He was receiving a great number of cuts now. One even made him flinch in extreme pain, making a deep slash on his torso.
Adding insult to injury, Lancer even kicked the boy towards the open shed as Shirou's back slammed against the wall, spitting blood on the ground.
He cursed his bad luck once more, not even paying attention to his right where a blue seal array started glowing.
Lancer walked inside the shed with a smirk on his face. The kid made a good fight and even managed to draw blood, but it was over now.
"Checkmate…you have put up one hell of a fight, boy. Surprised me a few times. But a magus is not a match for a servant. For a moment there, I figured that you were the seventh…" Shirou used the nodashi to try and stand as he wondered about what the man said. Seventh…what was that all about? "But even if you are, this is the end for you. It's a shame, though, as something tells me that letting you grow stronger would allow us to fight once more. Real shame indeed". Lancer was already posed to deliver the killing strike as the spear glowed red once more.
"Shut up…" Shirou looked at his soon to be killer with a curse, while tending to the almost mortal wound inflicted just seconds ago.
It just couldn't end like this…
I must live to fulfil my duty…
I could not accomplish anything if I'm dead…A new resolve entered his mind as he made a fist in protest.
"I can't die here"…Shirou screamed while Lancer moved in for the kill just as a strange mark appeared on Shirou's palm. "Much less to a guy like you!"
Suddenly, a blue glow illuminated the shed as Lancer moved his spear to block a sudden incoming assault. A sword of some sort slammed at his spear, throwing him towards the garden. Shirou just stood here mesmerized by the sight of a new person suddenly coming to his aid. From what he could grasp, he was seeing a blond-haired woman wearing a blue dress beneath a set of armor on her chest and forearm. Shirou's eyes then shifted to the woman's stretched hands and he could see what may look like a hidden sword, though he could only see blue smoke surrounding it. Just what the hell is happening here…who is she and where did she came from? A look to his right and Shirou saw the sealing array on the ground.
He could feel the excessive mana flowing from this woman just as he heard her voice.
"I ask..." The woman released her arms and then turned to see him. Shirou was mesmerized immediately at such beauty. "Are you my master?"
"Master?" Shirou simply stared at the woman's face and focused on her focused gaze at him.
"Servant Saber come in response to your summoning, Master." Now Shirou remembered how the lancer called himself servant. Was this woman another servant and she called him her master…Shirou now straightened himself with the help of the projected nodashi. Suddenly, Shirou flinched in pain as he grabbed his hand that had the strange signs. The woman called Saber then turned towards outside the direction where Lancer probably was. "My sword, thus, will be on your side and your destiny is my destiny. The pact is sealed."
Saber, then, left the shed and burst forward towards facing Lancer just as Shirou himself emerged from the entrance.
He saw the woman continue their dance just like Lancer had with the other guy early on.
This time, Lancer was deeply focused as one wrong move would mean his downfall. Also, since he had already had two fights, he wasn't at full strength right now and Saber could very well see it.
"You're faltering Lancer…" Immediately, a furious swing of sword and spear started and Shirou tried his best to follow, keeping his doubts for later. Saber, then, burst forward and slashed her weapon close to Lancer's chest, making him snarl at the woman. He then burst forward and thrust his spear forward only for Saber to dodge then slam her sword at his spear and throwing the spear upward, reducing Lancer's defense. She, then, moved for the offense and started landing slashes on the man's arms and torso. Shirou took the opportunity and managed to heal most of his wounds, while watching the fight in amazement. Saber's assault became too much for Lancer to parry and even his spear bended from the strike.
"First the master and now his servant…you keep changing weapons…keeping me on my toe, hiding your weapon."
Saber kept her focus on the enemy, but glanced briefly at her master's sword.
Apparently, her master had fought against a servant of Lancer's caliber and managed to come out unscathed somewhat. Interesting…
"What is it Lancer? Standing still like that only smear your reputation. If you don't come to fight then I will…" Lancer faced her for a while as he focused on healing his wounds.
"Answer me this first Saber…Is your noble phantasm a sword?"
Shirou immediately stored the expression for later. The amount of questions piled on. Saber, for her instance, merely smirked.
"Who knows…perhaps it is an axe or even a bow, Lancer." Lancer snorted and asked another question.
"Another question, then. Since this is our first meeting. Would you be interested in declaring this a draw? Your master caught me by surprise and I would have wished for us to have a proper fight some other time." Saber, on the other hand, had different plans.
"Nonsense, you will fall here Lancer…" Saber positioned her blade to strike, earning a smile from Lancer as he placed himself on a similar position that Shirou recognized all too well. Suddenly, the spear glowed red once more as Lancer directed his battle cry at Saber. Lancer dashed at Saber and unleashed his noble phantasm
Gae Bolg!
Lancer sent his spear forward in order to release the energy of his attack, however he cursed when he took his eyes away from the boy. Saber was surprised as well when she saw the nodashi spinning madly forward Lancer. However, while it deeply wounded the servant, it wasn't enough to stop the strong attack, though it managed to divert its trajectory. Saber saw the energy going straight towards her and managed to dodge. The strike barely grazed her stomach and lodged on the wall. Lancer saw this and cursed the boy and Saber at the same time.
"Damn it you two…" Saber looked at the wound and flinched somewhat, figuring it to be a curse of some sort.
Once more, her master came to her aid as she recognized Lancer's attack.
"Gae Bolg. Are you the son of Ireland's light? Cú Chulainn" Lancer snorted…he admitted to having failed his mission. Said attack needed to be fatal, or else he was at a severe disadvantage. His master managed to sustain the necessary mana, but Lancer could not keep up against a strong servant such as Saber. Suddenly, he received an order and snorted.
"Oh my master is such a coward. Not unlike yours Saber. My master needs me to come back. I hope we can face each other again. See ya Saber…you too boy."
Lancer said, before turning into astral form and vanishing just as Shirou approached Saber. He could see that the wound was closed somewhat.
"Are you ok? Who are you?" Saber stared at Lancer's position for a while, before addressing her master.
"As you can see, I'm a servant of saber class." She then smiled at him, catching Shirou by surprise. He couldn't help but admire such beauty. "You can simply call me Saber, Master." Shirou understood and introduced himself.
"Oh, I'm Shirou…Emiya Shirou." The last name caught Saber by surprise, but she disguised it. However, Shirou noticed that she reacted to his last name.
"So you're my master, then…"
"Ah, could you not call me that, master…sounds strange and I still have a lot of questions here." Saber nodded at said discomfort.
"So, I will call you Shirou. Yes, I very much prefer it." Saber then moved around the house when Shirou flinched at the pain in his hand. Saber caught his questioning look and answered his unvoiced question.
"Those are command seals…please avoid using them unnecessarily. You seem to have many questions here, but I will answer those to the best of my ability. Now, Shirou, please heal me." Shirou looked at her for a while and then nodded. He placed his hand close to the area where Saber suffered the wounded and applied mana to the wound. Saber smiled at him as she felt her energy returning up full. Even the curse of Gae Bolg was lifted somewhat. Right there, a nostalgic memory of her former second master appeared.
"Much appreciated Shirou. Now, I must move on…there are two enemies nearby."
Shirou blinked and remembered that the other guy must be nearby…so he's another servant. Saber immediately jumped on the rooftop and charged forward. Shirou immediately followed as he saw Saber attacking the servant in red, quickly overwhelming him and hitting him a deadly wound. He was on the ground instantly, before Shirou heard another woman shout a command.
"Archer, vanish!" Shirou gasped as he recognized the voice. So Tohsaka Rin is another master and her servant is Archer.
With this, Tohsaka Rin stood alone facing Saber and Shirou.
"Your orders, Shirou."
Shirou turned to Saber and realized that she was waiting for his call. He could see Tohsaka Rin looking at him in fear. Said look was odd in Shirou's mind. Was she expecting him to attack her or apparently order Saber to attack her. He just wasn't this ruthless. Even though he now remembered that his classmate was simply watching his fight against Lancer and did nothing to help him.
"Tohsaka, you were watching my fight weren't you? Why did you not step in and help me? I simply have too many questions right now, but I need that answered."
The woman in question flinched at the accusation but had no answer. Shirou nodded his head in the negative in disappointment. He sure would intervene if he was able to, but he guessed that others would not share his mentality. Saber, also, appeared to be looking at the woman in front of her in judgement. He then turned to Saber. "My apologies Saber, but I really wish to have some questions answered here. We can face Rin and her servant some other time." Saber, in question, kept facing Rin daring her to move a muscle, before relenting. Although she believed attacking was the right decision here, her knight judgement came forward and overruled it. Still, the fact that Shirou did not order her made her smile slightly. Emiya Shirou…such an interesting master.
"You are letting me go, Emiya?" Rin was flabbergasted and Shirou simply nodded. Rin stood up and cursed the boy in front of him.
She was now indebted to him and she hated it.
"So, you are the seventh master. You do need to register your position at the Fuyuki Church. He will provide answers to your questions."
Rin explained before walking away. Shirou then released a sigh in dismay. He then turned at Saber and realized that she was looking at him.
"Apologies once more Saber, can we go back inside…we can go to this church tomorrow, but would you answer my questions." Saber looked at him and nodded.
"Sure, Shirou. Let us inside."
Shirou nodded as he went inside the compound. Saber just followed suit inside the compound as she remembered her time with Irisviel in this place. She remembered this house being a property of her family, though her master did state that his last name was Emiya. She watched as Shirou worked diligently fixing a couple of seals around the house, before she could feel the bounded field taking shape once more. Shirou looked back at the servant and saw her look of wonder.
"Sorry, this will take only a while. Recently, I had upped the security in my house so that I could train my craft without fear of people from outside. That Lancer guy just had to destroy the last layer with his spear" Saber could only nod in satisfaction at her master's concern. His wellbeing was after all one of her main concerns.
"Yes, indeed, safety is a major concern, especially now."
Shirou nodded with a frown. His life followed up a routine somewhat and considering the dangers he faced right now and considering the almost certainty that either Taiga or Sakura would show up tomorrow, Shirou had to keep them away, at least until he had a firm grasp on what was going on. He added a special layer on the bounded field that even Taiga and Sakura would not be allowed entering. Instead, the bounded field will simply influence their minds as to believe that they had urgent things to do other than visit him. He knew it was harsh, but it would keep them from getting attacked by association to him. Plus, he would have time to sort things out somewhat.
===At the Kitchen===
Saber quickly settled for kneeling on a pillow close to the table as she saw her master going about the kitchen as if he simply belonged to the place.
Eventually, he served her some tea and made a couple of sandwiches.
"Sorry there Saber, I did not answer what you wish to have for dinner, so I made some sandwiches. Hope you like it." Saber blinked at the peculiar offer but nodded and grabbed one of the sandwiches and took a bite. Shirou nodded with a pleasant smile as he saw Saber's eyes widen as she had another bite. "Glad you liked it. Now, if all possible, could we discuss about what this you called…holy grail war." Saber's eyes were closed as she happily ate her sandwich and then drank some tea. She then nodded at Shirou.
"I'm happy to answer any doubt you have Shirou, though depending on the question, it would be best to hear from this moderator at the Church" Shirou nodded.
"I have a lot of questions, but it would be best if you gave me a summary of what we're going to face against."
"I gather that you at least know the relation shared between servant and master…"
"Yes, somewhat…there are classes of servant out there who are summoned by their master. For now, though, I only know of three servant classes, you Saber, that Lancer guy and Archer, Rin's servant. I don't know about the rest."
"Right, aside from those you said, there are four others. Rider, Caster, Berserker and Assassin. Each servant has both advantages and disadvantages." Shirou nodded, motioning Saber to continue. "Okay, next, an important matter to explain is the connection we now share as master and servant. For instance, those seals on your hand are called command seals. Like I said before, please refrain from using them unless you are in dire need. Those seals allow a master to command a server to do his or her bidding." Shirou frowned at this and Saber explained it, though she too felt uncomfortable at being forced to do something she is so set against it. "The seals can also be used like that Rin person used ordering Archer to leave or even be used to summon a servant to your location, in case you're in trouble."
Shirou nodded as he got up and fetched more tea to serve his servant with.
"You don't have to worry about me using it to do anything against your ideals, although I would like to know them better, so as to know more about you, if I may." Saber remembered how Shirou handled his situation with that Rin girl and although she was against the notion of not attacking the other master, Saber could see that her master followed similar codes of chivalry.
"Indeed, getting to know one another is key to us winning this war, Shirou".
"Ah, could you tell me more about this war or why is this happening."
"The Holy Grail War revolves around masters beating other masters through their servants. There are seven masters and seven servants. As such, the one who is able to defeat the other six masters is granted the Holy Grail, which grants both the master and the servant any wish they desire." Shirou frowned at the notion of becoming a part of something that he had never asked for, but said nothing. "The Holy Grail conceived us Servants in order to help the masters fight this war. We servants may look human, but in fact we are heroic spirits from the past." Shirou frowned his eyebrows as he looked at Saber, trying to figure out who her identity was. Saber smiled as she figured that Shirou must learn to keep some thoughts for himself.
"As I mentioned before, we now share a link between each other, so it's important to explain that also. We can for instance communicate with each other without having to be close, so you should know not to attempt to find my real identity without my consent." Shirou took a step back from his seating position, flinching at the sight of Saber turning from a relaxed visage to the look that she gave him now. If what she said was true, then somehow he must have shared his thoughts with her through this link.
"Sorry, got curious that's all." Saber snorted, but continued.
"Our link is able due to you supplying me with straight flows of mana. By the way, I'm pleased to report that I have a capable master."
"Yeah, I believe I can provide you with more, it's just that fighting against Lancer really took a lot from me."
The images of their fight replayed in his brain and through the link, Saber was able to see her master's skills and how he was able to hold his own against a servant of Lancer's caliber. She was indeed impressed, though she figured that his sword play could use some work. Perhaps, she could help him fix them at least. She was also surprised at how adept Shirou was at archery as he was able to fire successful and aimed them at critical points. If Lancer wasn't impervious to projectiles, then Shirou would be able to use it more.
Eventually, Shirou's doubts were solved somewhat and he yawned as he looked at the clock.
"Okay Saber, I will set a futon for you in one of the spare rooms. Tomorrow we can talk more about the next steps."
Shirou stopped when he saw her visage frown in displeasure. "Is something wrong?"
"Even though you had placed a thorough bounded field in your house, a Caster Servant has the ability to break it easily and attack you. If I am to protect you, I need to sleep on the same room as you, Shirou".
"What…is such a thing necessary?"
Shirou immediately blushed at the prospect of having such a beautiful woman sleeping with him in his bedroom and even a hero from the past.
"Yes, Shirou, it's necessary. Please don't fight me with this. It's my duty to protect you." Shirou's blush was still evident on his face, though he simply released a sigh.
When she had that look on her face, it was either her way of her way.
"Okay, please follow me then…" Saber nodded. As soon as Shirou opened the door to his room, Saber's eyes widened to impossible degree at the sight of something she had lost a long time ago. The woman had frozen as images from her past surged. Shirou looked at where Saber was looking and saw that her focus was on the sword he managed to trace…King Arthur's sword. He saw with deep worry how her eyes trembled in fury and then sadness. Saber walked towards the sword without even willing to do, as if she was drawn to it. Grabbing the sword, Saber was flabbergasted at the feeling of deep nostalgia. It was her blade alright. The balance…the weight…Shirou even gawked at seeing the sword resonate to Saber's touching. She was busy inspecting the holy sword before lifting it up.
It was at this time that Shirou gasped as he saw her eyes lifting the sword, remembering his dream instantly. The eyes were unmistakable.
"Saber…are you…are you King Arthur?" Shirou immediately gasped as she pointed the sword to him with the sole promise of attacking him right there inside his room.
"Explain now." Master gulped as he could feel the woman's bloodlust directed at him. "How are you in possession of my Calburn!?"
Shirou was at loss of words as he had such a hero by his side. Though he wondered if he was wise in lowering his guard right now.
===Author Note===
Wow, how I missed writing and Fate Stay Night brought it back to me. For that I thank the creator. Now, as I guess everyone will realize, Shirou being more adept at his skills changed the outcome of the fight as well as Saber's notion of him. Plus, Shirou is not exactly thrilled with having Rin around, seeing as she was close by and just stood watching his fight against Lancer. I apologize in advance for the long chapter. But I tend to write a lot of theory and enjoy writing fighting scenes and even training scenes. It bothers me when the character somehow learns something he never showed before. Now, the last scene was a special touch as Saber will learn first hand just how adept is her master.
Please review and see ya next chapter.