Author Note
Hi there and welcome to another chapter.
First of all, i have found this nice picture and could not help but added to the story's cover image. I know it's mine. I found in deviant art by from the user name Alex Kellar. I just hope he won't mind that i used it. If i does not offer consent, then i will take it off. I just found it to be quite the picture that symbolizes their relationship. For those who did not already know, i yearn for stories that show them as pairing (above all stories that allow her to remain by his side in the end).
Also, I thank everyone who offered me their insights, so I will answer some of you who either pointed things out or asked questions.
Flaming Devil – Yes, Archer's presence will have a profound impact in Shiro's life, just like in the anime. Their meeting will perhaps be slightly different, but they will engage. In UBW, this fight changed not only Shiro's life, but also Saber's. I consider their fight to be the most significant match-up in all of UBW's episodes.
Archemage – Thanks a lot for the review. While yes, sticking close to the story, Shiro would be clueless about his magic circuits, in my fic, Kiritsugu taught him how to properly teach him in chapter 1. In UBW, Shiro didn't receive adequate training. Because of this and aided by the fact that he trained hard since his father died, then Shiro would be much more adept at his skills than regular UBW. Also, in order to clarify, the Sasaki Kojiro that I mentioned was the actual legend, not the servant, hence why its sword was not a Noble Phantasm. Shiro merely traced a weapon he knew from history and reinforced it to become a regular and durable sword. As to his dream, yes, Avalon had a major role in Shiro having it. Once more, thanks for the review.
Ksgrip – Thanks for the review. I will try to keep that in mind.
SentinaSlice - Thanks for the tips, I appreciate the feedback about the writing style. I will certainly incorporate your tips.
If I forgot about addressing someone, then please let me know.
Fate Stay Night: Sword and Arrow
Part I – Fifth Holy Grail War
Chapter 3 – Next steps
Emiya Shirou looked at the sword of his own making pointed threateningly at his life. Despite it all, all he could focus right now was on Saber's distraught demeanor. The link between them working furiously as Saber's thoughts betrayed her. This sword clearly brought only but pain in her life. He could see it as clear as day. Despite it all, Shirou simply did not try to abuse of her fragile state right now in order to search for answers, she would tell him if she wanted to. Saber, for her part, remembered who his master's father was and could not help but make assumptions about his motives.
"Saber…" Shirou did as she wanted him to. "Although the sword you now hold in your hand is Caliburn, it's not at the same time."
He could see the woman narrowing her eyebrow in suspicion.
No mere words would be able to convince such a hero from making wrong assumptions. So, Shiro resorted to simply closing his eyes and use his ability to trace another Caliburn in his hand, of course without the needed reinforcing spells he knows to make a complete and powerful replica. This time he had the desired outcome as Saber lowered the Caliburn in her hand and looked at the other one resting on Shiro's hand. Shiro could see, though, that her visage was more at ease. Now, though, as her mind became clear, Saber flinched as she realized the consequences of her actions right now. She had just threatened her master…she had just threatened the one person that could aid her in getting her wish.
"Shirou, I apologize for my actions. I'm sorry for accusing you, it's just…" He urged her to stop talking showing both of his palms at her.
"You need not apologize, Saber. I would not dare to assume a hero figure such as yourself to have to explain." Saber looked at him in surprise, before she remembered that her actions ended up betraying her own desire to keep her identity a secret. If only her master knew that said fame was ill deserved. The redhead in question smiled at her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder as Saber was still looking down from her actions. She was feeling ashamed of her actions.
"Saber, please lift your head up and let's forget that this happened."
Shirou maintained his smile as he saw the lingering visage of his servant.
"Frankly, I am quite honored that King Arthur himself confused my work with the real weapon" Herself…who would have thought that King Arthur was exactly a woman. Saber, for her part, smiled at her master and nodded in appreciation. Still, she once more looked at the Caliburn in her hand. If what her master said was true, then frankly, Shiro's skills could be quite scaring.
"What is it, Saber?"
"I can feel the energy in this sword you created just like I used to feel when I took it out of the stone. How are you able to replicate a Noble Phantasm?"
Shirou blinked at the question, completely clueless.
"Just what is a noble phantasm?" Saber looked at him for a while and released a sigh.
Despite being quite skilled, she now remembered that he didn't have knowledge of servants and the holy grail war.
"As you know, we servants are heroic spirits. Each servant is summoned to a specific class which is best suited to the servant's abilities. Aside from our class, we servants have what we call noble phantasms. Lancer's spear, Archer's bow and my sword are good examples of noble phantasms. Noble Phantasms are the Servant's secret weapon. That being said, a great amount of mana is necessary to activate a Noble Phantasm." Saber explained earning a nod from Shiro. "Also, the servant needs to say the weapon's name in order to activate the noble phantasm, as such the servant risks exposing his identity and thus expose the servant's weakness." Shirou then remembered when Lancer used a powerful attack against Saber.
"So, when Lancer said the name of his spear…Gae Bolg…that was his noble phantasm." Saber nodded.
"Indeed. Since his attack proved not fatal, his identity was exposed to us. Now, as I explained what noble phantasm are, I do return the question Shirou. How were you able to project a Noble Phantasm?"
He crossed his arms in ponder. True, that now begs the question. Saber's s explanation to him sounded alien. Just how could he create a weapon from scratch like that and even recreate said weapon's power and even its history. So much so that even King Arthur…Saber looked astounded by his recreation of her historic sword. For him to be recognized by the very wielder of such a weapon was mind-boggling. Still, Shiro figured that he would explain his ability and Saber would figure things out for him as she had the most knowledge anyway.
"I really don't know what to tell you Saber…" Shiro extended his hand and manifested a regular katana with black handle and red scabbard. "My specialty in terms of mage craft is projection and reinforcement." He then removed the katana from the scabbard and Saber could see the glint of the blade shining back at her. As a sword-enthusiast, her eyes sparkled as Shiro handled her the katana. It was well balanced, that much she could tell just by holding on to it, while Shiro continued. "When I look at a bladed weapon, I am able to register everything there is about it. So when I project it, it has the same capacity as the real one." Now Shiro was uncomfortable and Saber noticed it. "I managed to scan Gae Bolg and even a couple of small swords that the Archer servant used when he faced Lancer, but Caliburn was a weapon I had never seen before."
"Then how were you able to replicate it?"
Saber felt a bad vibe as Shiro avoided her gaze somewhat.
She figured that her outburst earlier must have made him hesitant. Shirou, on the other hand, simply breathed calmly and explained.
"I don't know why, but I had a dream about you…" Saber's eyes widened. "I dreamed about one of your battles. It was so real that I guess it would be best if you used our link to see for yourself." She looked troubled for a while but relented. Both soon closed their eyes as Shiro remembered the images that would forever be on his brain as if he was the one who was traumatized by the event. It didn't take long for Saber to open her eyes in wonder. She didn't need to replay one of the very parts of her history that she was mostly ashamed of. It was the first fight she had against her son Mordred and the beginning of her kingdom's downfall. She may have won that fight, but after that pretty much everything happened that eventually led to her demise at her son's sword. The image of Caliburn in her hand proved to her that her master's words were truthful. Shiro opened his eyes and saw that the woman simply got up and left her master alone.
Shiro got up and followed as he saw Saber seating on the porch while looking up the sky with a far look on her face.
Shiro soon joined her maintaining some distance allowing her to sort her thoughts. Truly, this was something she was not at all prepared for…it seemed like someone was playing tricks on her. It's been quite a while since she had felt this vulnerable and that's not even counting on her early experiences as king and the necessary front she had to uphold as a man, while being a woman. All that happened and in less than a day she was summoned to her new master's side.
"Do you have these dreams often Shirou?"
"This one had more detail and it was the first time I have felt as if I was right there witnessing it all…feeling it all. Now that you explained it to me about Noble Phantasm, I guess that's why I was able to replicate Caliburn as thoroughly. In the end, I did witness it. To believe that two days later after having that dream, I would be having a conversation with said legend. I know that as a magus, we are expected to perform things that normal human never dreamed of, but having a nice conversation to the king of knights herself in my porch is simply too much to grasp." Saber smiled at him. She felt at ease talking to him, she reasoned. Getting up from her seating position, she then faced Shirou with a smile on her face.
"Shirou, I was King Arthur, but that was a long time ago. You don't need to show reverence to me. I'm your servant. Like I said before, my sword is yours to command and your destiny is my destiny."
Shiro smiled at her and got up himself.
"You make it sound as if you're the only one fighting Saber. I may not be much help on the front lines against other servants your majesty, but I can and will provide assistance." Saber frowned at that and specially about that 'your majesty' part. Her concern was his safety, but if he ended up giving Lancer some trouble, then she guessed that providing assistance to her was better than him alright facing servants directly. "Saber, together we will face the other servants and master. I'm counting on you." Shiro then extended his hand for a handshake. Saber looked at Shiro's hand in wonder.
"What's wrong? Shouldn't we shake hands?"
"It's not that." Saber said with a smile. "I just wasn't expecting it and was surprised."
Saber then shook Shiro's hand. Her master was an oddity indeed. Treating her like a partner instead of a servant.
"Tomorrow, I won't go to school so that we can talk about the next steps as well as talk about going to this church. For now, I think it's time to get some sleep."
Saber nodded and followed the redhead to his bedroom.
===Next Day===
The next day Shirou jerked his eyes open and he gathered his breathing. Once more, he had a dream about what looked like a little girl probably Saber approaching the stone where Caliburn was lodged. The dream showed her grabbing the hilt, before turning to a man wearing white tunic and showing a mysterious smile at her. He was saying something to her, though Shiro could not hear a word. Then, with a fierce resolve, the little girl yanked the sword from the stone and lifted it up to the sky. That was the end of her old regular life and beginning of her rule as King Arthur.
"Are you awake, Shirou?" the boy turned to his right and saw the girl in question looking at him with a saddened smile.
Saber had just woken up as well and kneeled in front of him.
"Ah…morning Saber…ah is something wrong?" Saber's closed hand rested on her chest as she remembered a nightmare of her own…albeit it was not her trauma.
"I had a dream about you too Shirou…"
That alone forced him wide awake as he got up and sat in front of her. She could see herself in little Shiro's shoes as he attempted to escape from the flames while at the same time making all efforts to stop the desperate shouts of pleas around her being burned alive, begging for help from a mere child. It was quite heartbreaking. Aside from that, however, Saber could tell that she was beginning to know her master a little better. Experiences like these bounded them. Not everyone could understand the other's pain unless he or she hasn't suffered in the past. Also, she had a sinking feeling in her gut that she was the one responsible for her master's suffering, which made her pain all the greater.
Shiro sure had only two painful memories from his life, which Saber could have dreamed of, and he was betting that it was the fire.
"I also had another dream about you Saber…about the first time you had Caliburn in your hand." She was surprised at that. It seems that for whatever reason, the link between master and servant was stronger. She had no recollection of sharing these dreams with her other master from the previous war. Shiro, for his part, noticed something different about the woman's attire. When they went to bed, Saber was wearing her long blue dress outfit. "Say Saber…what are these clothes you are wearing?" The woman smiled at him and stretched her arms to feel the comfort of this smooth white long sleeve shirt followed by a blue skirt that would reach her knees.
"Well, I took the liberty of searching around the house for some clothes it could fit and found these in one of the rooms. It's quite comfortable, Shirou."
The redhead nodded with a smile on his face.
"It looks good on you, Saber." A faint blush soon appeared on her face and she appreciated the compliment with a gentle smile.
Shiro immediately realized his slip and blushed a bit himself, scratching his hair.
"Well, I guess I will go make some breakfast for us and we can talk about today." Shiro didn't want for her response, before bolting away from his room. Saber looked at the flitting scene and smiled at him, before taking a moment to feel the beautiful clothes she was wearing. In her last war, she wore a black suit as she didn't want people to look down on her for being a woman. Now, as she pondered on her new situation and the fact that Shiro thought it looked good on her, she felt more elated at wearing it. For the life of her, she could not remember ever giving in to her female impulses.
Before being a servant, she was a king. And before being a king, she was but a teenager with the dream of being a king...
===At the Kitchen===
Shirou could not help but smack himself unconsciously for being forward like that.
It was an impulse really. After all, she did look good in that outfit. He was already finishing breakfast when he saw Saber looking serious.
"Shirou, there are two presences approaching the house…" The redhead nodded, glad that she changed the subject.
"Yeah, one is my teacher from school Taiga and the other is Sakura. They will soon turn and walk away." It was one of the tweaks he had placed on his bounded field to convince trespassers (even those two) that they forgot something to do and leave the premises. "For the time being, it would be dangerous to involve them, not to mention that we now won't bother coming up with an excuse for why you're here. My teacher for some reason thinks she needs to protect me, although she can be quite clumsy. Please Saber, can you place these dishes on the table".
Saber nodded and did just that as Shiro carried the rest of the items and sat on the opposite side of the table. He could see her eyes sparkling while looking at everything.
"Sorry, I didn't know if you liked Japanese food or not. If you like, I can cook something of your choosing." Saber balanced her head in the negative.
"It all looks and smells so good, Shirou. Thank you."
Saber took her sweet time savoring everything with a content smile on her face and even ordered seconds and thirds, much to the boy's pleasure. He always enjoyed when people appreciated his cooking. The woman was then offering a silent prayer of appreciation for the food before helping Shiro move the dishes to the sink and wash it. Saber could say for sure that her mana supply was bearing her highest level yet. With Shiro supplying her with more than enough, topped with her sleeping and having her master's delicious food. Now that that was out of the way, master and servant went back to the porch in order to discuss their strategy from here on out. Saber realized that her master enjoyed hanging in this place, so she would as well.
"Ok now, how are to proceed now, Saber…"
"Even if we both can feel mana, us servants have a better sense of when another is nearby. We still don't know about the identities and abilities of the other four servants and the masters, so everywhere you go, I go…" Shiro nodded, already thinking on how he could take Saber to his school without warranting suspicion. "After we leave this church tonight, there is simply no telling if we will be attacked or not. But according to that Rin person, you need to register there first. Afterward, it's simply a matter of doing recon throughout the city and search for mana presences." The boy smiled, seeing the tactic simple enough.
"Now, seeing as you will be aiding me, it's important that I know how you fight and even see your abilities."
"Okay, how do you propose we do that…"
For some reason, this time her smile sent chills up his spine.
===At the Dojo===
Two hours later, the house's dojo was filled with grunting noises and wooden swords battling for dominance.
Shiro could witness how brutal Saber was with a sword as she said she wouldn't go easy on her master. Seeing as he was able to fend Lancer, it would be insulting for a knight of her pedigree not to give it her all. Shiro had been practicing for many years his sword ship and she could see that in his stance and his strokes. His stamina was also something to be commended as despite all the blood on the ground, he still stood ready for another go. It was exhilarating…just like sparring with her knights but with a different style of fighting. The last time they started, Shiro even managed to break her guard and force her on the defensive. The content smile on her face told just how much she was enjoying their little spar. She managed to hit his chest with the tip of her sword and sent Shiro flying towards the wall. He then kneeled to regain his breath, while Saber kneeled by his side.
"Can we take a break, Saber? I need to catch my breath"
"Sure…please rest for a bit. We will then move on to your other skill." Shirou laughed at his tutor…who would have thought that Saber was such a slave driver. He was happy to finally have a sparring partner. "Though I can state for sure that your training proved fruitful Shirou. You showed little openings while attacking and managed to parry my strikes way longer than I thought. Plus, the way you released short burst of mana seconds before the strike, really increased the potency of the strike."
"Why do I get the feeling there is a but here…"
"Well, I wouldn't be a good teacher if I focused on your flaws first, now would I." Shiro smiled seeing how at ease was she right now. "Now as far as weaknesses, there isn't anything movement wise, but it is by no means less worrying. You seem to have little regard for defense while you attack. While it's fine to be aggressive in strikes, you have to account for the possibility of the enemy exploiting your aggression and turn it against you. Do you remember when Lancer came to me and I threw his spear upward…" Shiro nodded at the memory. He was attacking her with somewhat reckless abandon and paid the price. "We can certainly fix this flaw in our daily spars. Now, about your projection skills, yesterday you projected a sword in your hand. Do you need to imagine yourself holding it?"
"Never tried differently, to be honest…"
Come to think about it, it was almost instinctive to project a weapon to be used in this fashion. If Saber's question proved valid…
Trace on…
The servant backed immediately upon seeing swords materializing out of thin air, hovering above her master. Shirou then looked up and saw that the swords just stood there as if waiting for him to give the order. He closed his eyes in concentration and hurled one of the swords towards the further wall of the dojo and was surprised to see the damage. Saber too looked flabbergasted at the scene before her. In truth, she was slightly scared at her master. Not only was he able to project noble phantasms but also able to hurl them from a distance like he would with an arrow. Immediately, Saber remembered seeing a similar ability from a rather annoying king of kings servant from ten years ago. She trembled in disgust at remembering said man trying to force himself on her.
While she had the means to fight such a foe, she doubted that others, aside from Archer himself or Lancer, would be able to keep up with herself much less with her master aiding her with this.
Could it be that Shirou will be the one to help me with my wish…?
She was surprised when Shiro rubbed his forehead in pain, though. Of course, he was supplying her with mana and had been fighting against her for a long time now.
"Are you ok Shirou?" The redhead managed to nod with a brief smile.
"Just a small headache for overusing my magic circuits. I will be fine with some rest."
"Of course…it's also good to see your limit. Do not forget that you're supplying me with mana as well, so we can ascertain that two hours of fighting is the limit. Now, from the link we share, I was able to witness your fight with Lancer. Your ability with the bow and arrow is to be commended. Though I may have something for you." Shiro looked at her in wonder and could see her glistening smile, almost to the point of being quite devious. "When I was king, the Welsh army had a special division of longbow archers. Each one of them could fire arrows up to 200 meters and fire them in quick succession as well. They were fierce warriors to face." Shiro looked at her lecture, wondering where she was going with this. "Our link appears to be quite strong and you see what I see, perhaps you can see the bows in action and replicate it."
"We can try"
Closing his eyes and focusing on his link with her, Shiro could see an archer carrying an impressively large bow made of crafted wood. Shiro could see as the archer placed an arrow in the bow string and pulled it. When the arrow was fired, Shiro could trace its potency and speed. He could see the strength needed to pull the bow string as needed and figured the need to reinforce his arm and shoulder. When Shiro opened his eyes, he used his magic and projected the weapon he scanned from Saber's mind. The woman in question grabbed the bow and inspected. She knew quite well the specs of this specific bow. It was quite heavy for her as a human to lift, much less to operate fully. The weight seemed alright…amazing.
"So it's true…any weapon you witness you can replicate it. That's quite handy, indeed."
Shiro released the bow he traced and used his hands to sustain himself while lying on the floor.
"Saber, I guess we should call it a day…we are going to that church at night and I need to replenish mana to be ready."
Saber crossed her arms and nodded, right after she heard Shiro's stomach complain.
"I guess it's time for lunch, huh."
===At the Church===
When night came, master and servant began their journey towards the church. Saber had her battle suit but hid her body beneath a beige overcoat.
The streets were empty of as they strolled towards the location. Saber just kept looking around in search for any threat their way. Eventually, the pair reached the base of a hill and Shiro saw a direction sign indicating the path up the hill. As soon as they started waking up the hill, both of them tensed. For Shiro, it was similar to the feeling he had when he set foot in the park. He would feel this bad omen which made his body tense. Saber, for her part, unconsciously took a step forward from her master, walking in front of him just in case. A couple of minutes later, they could see the church. In Japan, the catholic religion was not as practiced, so this type of building just stood as a contrast to the city of Fuyuki. It was European in design and probably built here by immigrants, Shiro mused.
He opened the gates that separated the hill from the church location. He stopped when he turned and see that Saber just stood behind the gate, not following him.
"I will be back shortly Saber, I will call in case I need help."
Saber nodded, silently relieved that her master understood her body language. She had bad memories of the man that her master will meet. As soon as Shiro opened the door he stepped foot inside and saw a man with shoulder length black hair wearing a long trench coat. There was no light inside, bare the moon light merely attempting to invade the dark and ominous looking holy place.
"Welcome…may I assume that you're the seventh master…"
If Shirou was surprised he did not show. Rin could have called the man telling about him. "My name is Kirei Kotomine. What is your name, Seventh Master?"
"Emiya Shirou" Kirei like Saber focused on the last name and Shiro once more found himself wondering about his father's relationship with this war he was thrown into.
The man could not help but laugh for reasons Shiro did not understand.
"I presume that you are Saber's master."
Shiro nodded, miffed that the man knew so much just by looking at him.
"I see, so if you came here, then someone must have told you to…do you have any questions or you simply came here to register with me as a master."
"I was indeed told to come here and register…" Kirei nodded. "But I also wanted to know about who you are and why should I come here in the first place?"
"I was sent to this city in order to supervise the various holy great grail wars. Above being a overseer for the war, it's my duty to give shelter to masters who no longer have his or her servant. As you're probably are or not aware, this is the fifth great grail war. The last one occurred ten years ago as such with this one, we have the shortest cycle ever. Each war was more brutal than the last with masters willing to butcher each other indiscriminately all for the sake of being granted the omnipotent holy grail".
"Wait, you said, ten years ago…"
The image of Fuyuki fire surged instantly, earning a nod of recognition from Kirei.
"Indeed. The fire of ten years ago was due to the results of the last great grail war and it was the winner of the war responsible for what happened."
Shirou cursed it immediately. Thousands and thousands perished in the fire, all because of some bizarre war meant for an egotistical reason. Shiro slightly trembled at the notion of that happening once more. He wondered why he of all people would be involved in this war, now he knew. He would need to fight this war not because he had a wish to be granted, but to stop a disoriented person or servant from using the grail for misguided means. Kirei, for his part, attempted to use mage craft to get in Shiro's mind, but he could sense that this kid was strong. He was resisting his subtle influences, which would allow Kirei to get inside his mind and figure out his secrets.
"What can you tell me of the one who won the last war? What happened ten years ago was it because of a wish?"
"While I cannot divulge the identity of the previous masters, nor the ones from this war, I can at least tell that he was an undignified master. I do not know what he asked of the grail, only that the disaster happened after he obtained it. The fire, which cause is still unknown, was the end-result of the last holy grail war." Kirei could see that the boy was somehow affected by the fire, but he could not get inside his mind to search what happened.
Even Rin, an experienced magus, fails to block me for this long.
Shirou closed his eyes and then looked hard at the overseer, before bowing in respect.
"I thank you for explaining it to me, I will take my leave now." Kirei nodded with a smile on his face.
Emiya Shiro…would you be related to Emiya Kiritsugu?
Saber was looking around the premises when her attention turned to Shiro emerging close to the gates. She had felt the abomination trying to read Shiro's mind a couple of minutes ago and used her link to block his attempts. She was also able, however, to understand that Shiro now had a true reason to win the war if only to avoid anyone from using the Grail for misguided means, a noble quest indeed. The consequences of her old master's actions weren't clear until she began her link with Shiro. The only thing she remembered after attacking the grail was to come back to that bloody hill and cry her heart out for the betrayal of her old master. In a way, her wish was the same as Shiro, winning the grail in order to avoid dire consequences from occurring, such as her becoming king and permitting her kingdom to fall…in his case, another possible catastrophe.
"What do you think Saber…"
She looked at her master for a while…he opened their link right before entering the church and thus he knew that she heard it all, including his thoughts.
"I understand your reasons for wanting to win the war Shiro and I concur. Since you have trusted me with your reason for fighting in this war, it is my oath as a knight to divulge my reasons." Shiro looked at her and she could see that he was now focused on her. He nodded in the negative, however. He had no right to demand any sort of explanation from her.
"Saber, I trust you enough to know that whatever wish you have is a noble one. You don't need to tell me If you don't wish to. Now, together, we shall win this war. Count on me to help you!" Once more, Shiro extended his hand for another handshake. Once more, he surprised her by showing complete faith in her. Once more, she obliged and shook hands with her master, until she turned abruptly and became on guard.
"So…have you finished your conversation?"
Shiro turned to the strange voice as he saw that little girl that was close to his house minutes before he was attacked by Lancer. Standing behind her was a colossal, statue-like-man who is described as a black giant. Shiro could see the entity's sword and recorded, while Saber released her cape and positioned for battle.
"Berserker…" Shiro saw Saber and then turned back to the now revealed Saber.
"What can you tell me about that weapon?" Saber must have known he had already scanned the weapon.
"It's nothing out of ordinary, it looks to be a simple axe-sword made of nothing but rock." Saber nodded while maintaining position.
The little girl, for her time, kept smiling at her two combatants.
"We meet again, big brother." Saber turned to Shiro and wondered.
"Why are you calling me that, I don't have a sister…"
Saber could not shake the familiar face she saw in front of her, though if her memory wasn't failing her, then she would have been a grown woman by now. Illyasviel…
"You wound me big brother, after all we have the same father, Emiya Kiritsugu."
Shiro took a step back and once more came his father into the picture. Shiro really wished that his old man would fix his loose ends or at least told him about it. "Now, seeing as we're enemies in this war, big brother, I guess it's time for me to kill you. Get them Berserker." Shiro and Saber became on edge just as the huge black man screamed in anger and flexed his muscles. He immediately jumped to attack and the jump itself made holes on the ground from the sheer force.
"Shiro, stay back…"
For such a huge figure, Berserker was close to them in seconds while Shiro reinforced his limbs to create some distance, Saber held her blade firmly parrying the huge axe sword with her strength, before swinging with her power to push Berserker away. The menace was about to strike again, when a great sequence of arrows soared at him, forcing him to parry the projectiles with his axe sword. Saber took the opening her master provided and released the energy in her weapon sending a wind typhoon straight at Berserker, hitting him dead on. Despite the force of the wind and its cutting properties, Berserker only screamed in rage and defiance. Saber's attack hit him scare in the chest and some cuts were plainly visible in his entire body, but they soon closed.
The little girl watched it and kept the smile on her face.
Berserker charged once more this time gunning for the master as Shiro and Saber used their agility to switch places. Saber then began to use sword play against the gigantic menace, effectively going toe to toe with him. Saber witnessed how strong the brute was during their strikes as he was holding that axe sword of his with one arm. Also, he could follow against Saber's invisible blade as well, which was surprising considering his berserker state. One needed skill to be able to keep up in swordplay. Berserker swung his axe then so hard that, although Saber parried it, her body couldn't sustain the inertia of the blow and flew back a couple of meters. She stopped for a while as in analyzing her foe, before charging once more. The dance remained until she was able to stand on top of his sword and attacked Berserker.
He let go of the weapon and started using his body to fight, forcing Saber to retreat.
"You must be a heroic spirit of renown. Even engulfed in insanity, your fighting skills are indeed impressive. I can only admire you." Berserker went on the offensive and this time Saber had difficulty blocking his strikes. She may have the strength to hold him, but their difference in mass forced her to adapt. Hence why it appeared that she was being thrown right and left in the air like a rag doll, but she was adapting to his strikes, while figuring out what she could do. Shiro kept using his arrows for assistance, which gave his servant the needed space to plan. Facing him in an open field is not suited right now. Turning, she saw the cemetery and immediately pushed him there using a strong mana burst. THe obstacles there would make sure to stop the swing of his sword, so she could have the advantage there.
Shiro soon followed with his longbow and stopped before seeing what appeared to be blue energy birds attacking him with considerable speeds.
Sharpening his eyes, he cursed seeing the master keeping him occupied from helping Saber.
He didn't have time to play with her.
Immediately pinpointing her position, Shiro summoned a katana and charged forward with impressive speeds. Illya saw him coming at high speeds and backed away.
She just wasn't counting on him being this fast and aggressive. She tried using her familiars to stop his advance, but comparing to Lancer and even Saber, those might have been moving in slow motion. Shiro smashed his reinforced katana, slicing Illya's familiar one by one, while advancing. The little girl even attempted to turn her birds into angelic swords and hurled them at Shiro, but he dodged them until he was at striking distance. It was at this time that he saw Berserker appearing behind him to protect his master. Shiro cursed at his lack of attention to his surroundings and immediately poured every bit of energy in his legs to back off. He could see the huge axe sword coming at his torso and knew that he wouldn't be able to dodge in time. He would need to reinforce the point of impact and brace himself for the pain.
It was at a expense of a second that Saber charged from the opposite direction and with her sword now showing she made a diagonal slash at Berserker, causing a huge cut on Berserker's torso, before swinging once more to send him away from her master. Illya looked at the scene lying on the ground. Despite being a powerful magus, she was never pushed like this in a fight, hence why she could not help but tremble. Granted that she had never needed to, considering that Berserker would deal with anyone for her. However, these two had managed to take one of Berserker's lives and without even showing fatigue.
"Are you okay Shirou?" Saber stood by his side as he nodded at her in thanks.
"Thanks for the save. That would have hurt a lot."
Saber smiled as they both faced Berserker together side by side. "Is he dead?"
Saber kept her focus however as she saw Berserker literally come back to life. Shiro looked in astonishment. "Just what will it take to kill him?"
Shiro released the katana he was holding, before projecting Berserker's own sword to use it a distance and better aid Saber. The projected axe sword started spinning menacingly on top of his head which earned a fierce nod from Saber. Her master was crafty. Berserker screamed at them once more, this time with nothing but rage. Saber and Shiro both created some distance and Shiro was about to hurl the projected axe sword at Berserker, before they saw the servant kneel and grab the shaken little girl master. Once Illya was safe in her Berserker's hands, she stopped shaking and addressed the two.
"I was impressed that you managed to take one of Berserker's lives. Though you would need to kill him at least eleven more times. Certainly, you know the legend. The Greek Hero Heracles had to make twelve chores to pay for his sins and as a reward, he was made immortal. It's Berserker's Noble Phantasm, God Hand. Hence why he can't be killed that easily. " Saber and Shirou flinched at that. No wonder Saber admired the huge man's skills. He was a figure of legend even before her time. "Anyway, I will let you live once more."
"Wait…" Saber and Illya looked at Shiro, who spoke. "Who are you and why do you keep calling me big brother?"
Ilya hummed in distaste.
"My name is Illyasviel Von Einzbern." The last name was familiar to him as he remembered reading about the mage family. "From your expression, though, I'm guessing our father had never mentioned that i exist to you. It matters little. In a couple weeks, you will join him in the afterlife. Let us go Berserker". Shiro frowned at the threat. It simply did not belong to a little girl to say such things...
The black man turned and walked away, leaving Shiro and Saber alone amid the destructed path. Shiro and Saber were immediately conflicted as they looked at Illya's direction. Saber sighed remembering how carrying and nurturing was Ilya's mother. For her daughter to become like this. She remembered that Irisviel perished to become the Lesser Grail and Kiritsugu must have abandoned his daughter to her family. Well, at least it explains how she became like that. Saber knew that the Einzberns never agreed with Irisviel and Kiritsugu's relationship. They must have polluted little Ilya's mind, then.
Shiro for his part wondered why his old man had never mentioned that he had a daughter.
Saber could feel her master's distress and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. Shiro turned and saw the look on camaraderie smiling back at him.
"You did good Shirou. I'm sorry that he escaped from my grasp."
"No need to apologize. You were right. When I attack, I don't take defense into account. Next time, I will be more attentive to my surroundings." Saber found wisdom in her master's words. It proved that he was listening to her teachings. Seeing as there was no more danger around, the pair walked back home. Shiro needed the rest and Saber could really use one of her master's delicious meals right now. Above all, though, she could not help but smile at her master. He held his own against a menace such as Berserker and maintained his confidence in her, not only in providing assistance but allowing her to deal with Berserker. Such feeling brought her back to her times in Britania when she faced war alongside her fellow knights.
Right now, she could see Shiro dressed in a shiny silver armor and a black cape with a longbow stretched to his back as he rode a beautiful black stallion next to her, marching towards the unknown. Saber had no doubts in her mind that she will enjoy every minute of this new partnership with her master.
AN: I had the idea of Shiro searching for weapons to scan in Saber's mind, since they have a stronger link with each other. And i researched about historic archers and found some info about the Welsh Longbowmen. Also, as i stated before, Shiro is more adept at mage craft and can supply Saber with enough mana. That being said, her fight against Berserker was completely different as she could now take him on. Do remember that in Fate Zero, she faced Archer Gilgamesh by herself, a servant that no other could. Also, for those who believe that Shiro would never hurt a master, because of his nature...he had made an oath to assist Saber and Ilya kept him from it.
Understand that while he would not outright kill another servant, he will face against them.
Lastly, i do not enjoy seeing the main protagonist of an anime acting like he was useless, hence why I made him train in the beginning of the story.
I will attempt to write a chapter per week, perhaps maybe two even. So please let me know what you guys think about it.
Finally, I ask that, if possible, please review my work.
I enjoy reading your comments as it helps me understand that you enjoyed it (or not). It also allows me to learn if I made a mistake and could thus fix it. So, please review, even if only to express that you liked the chapter or no