Disclaimer: I do not own the Fate series or the original base of this story. All credit goes to UFOtable and Xemness respectively
Awakening
Shirou is now standing on a battleground scattered bodies lay dead everywhere. The ground and trees are scorched and dead, the smell of decay hangs in the air as flies and vultures feed on the feast prepared for them. The sun shines in his eyes, the radiance just peeking over the largest hill, and at the top of that hill, he can see a glimmer of silver, before he can discern anything else he is pulled from behind back into nothingness, through the void, and pushed back towards a light, this one is bright, he reaches for it.
Shirou opens his eyes, he's in his room, his HP and Mana bars had been fully replenished, and in golden letters below his name he read LEVEL UP. He wasn't worried about that at the moment though, he wanted to know why he was alive, although he was incredibly grateful. BACK FROM THE BRINK! The letters shone in front of his face, he attempted to swat the message away but was met with a slight discomfort from his back. Feeling Death's cold embrace, you refuse to die, living to fight another day. Now it was coming back to him, but that didn't explain why we was still drawing breathe. Miraculous Healing~ through unknown means, you've been restored. Luck stat was increased by 2 points and max HP by 10 points! So not even the game knows, he sighed, sometimes it's better to be lucky than good I guess. The door to his room slides open and Saber steps through the doorway. It was the first time since she had appeared to him that he took the time to take in her appearance. Her hair hadn't changed since then and that didn't bother him in the least, what did catch his attention was the outfit she was wearing. Her white shirt was spotless and the blue ribbon around her neck matched well with the her long skirt that was modest enough yet was high enough so she could maneuver around without being hindered, and the entire outfit hugs her curves in just the right way… Reel it in Shirou, he thought shaking his head, to which Saber quirked her her head to the side, confused.
"You haven't fully recovered from your injuries," she walked over to him and places a hand on his stomach, causing Shirou to stammer an incoherent protest which fell on deaf ears as she inspected his bandaging. "To survive a strike from Heracles, and with the damage you sustained, it was no small feat of luck. Surprisingly, the other Master willingly helped stabilize you, usually such an opportunity to strike at a weakened Master would be met with haste."
He moved her hand, allowing him to speak in complete sentences again."That's because we have a truce, what makes you so distrusting?"
Saber had stopped her inspection and now looked Shirou in the eyes, her emerald eyes seemed to cut through him. "It is not a lack of trust, it's just basic survival. In a life-or-death scenario people are willing to do anything to ensure it, and the Holy Grail War is first and foremost a deathmatch"
"Tohsaka wouldn't do anything like that," Shirou responded, propping himself up on his elbows so he could sit up and talk to her at eye level.
Saber raised her eyebrows, "Oh, you seem quite certain. Am I to believe you have a relationship spanning before the War with this Tohsaka?" Shirou's face flushed red and he could feel a growing heat in the back of his neck.
"Of course not!" he said way too quickly. Noticing this, he decides this conversation needs to change ASAP, so he shrugs nonchalantly and continues, "She's trustworthy enough to heal me, an ally that can heal those kinds of wounds will be useful."
"Perhaps," she responded putting her hand on her chin, an inquisitive look on her face, "but she didn't heal them, she stopped you from dying in that street, how you survived the night, or recovered so quickly is a mystery."
Shirou copies her expression and joins her in contemplation, "Hmmmm", he uses the moment to bring up his Stats menu, scrolling down until he reached Passive/Active Effects. Looking about he notices that his Health Regeneration has gotten a serious buff, 10 HP Regen per hour rested, 2 HP regen per hour active. Now that he thought of it, he hadn't had that a week ago, so it must be related to the Holy Grail War, perhaps a game perk for participating? He is interrupted by the deep growling originating from his stomach.
"You should eat Master, hunger is the enemy." She stands up and offers her hand to Shirou which he accepts gratefully.
He stands up, wincing at the discomfort in his back, "I'd appreciate it if you didn't call me that, also did you have anything of preference?"
"We Servants do not require food, we live off the mana provided by our Masters. Besides, a soldier eats what is given to him, extravagance is the enemy."
"Saber."
"Oh right, what would you have me call you?"
"Shirou is fine i guess, everyone else calls me it," he said with a slight chuckle
Saber tilted her head down, seeming to contemplate the suggestion. Shirou couldn't help but sweatdrop, was he going to have to convince this girl to use his actual name? His fears were washed away when she replied, "Shirou, yes, I like the sound of that." With that confirmation, they make their way over to the kitchen. Shirou looks over to Saber, she walked with grace, but not without confidence, there was power and purpose behind every step.
"Were you able to find comfortable sleeping arrangements?" He wasn't sure why he asked, it just seemed like the polite thing to ask as a host.
"Yes, sleep is the enemy. A soldier should always be well rested and ready for the coming battle." Her face was stern, there was no joking in her words.
"Sounds like you have a lot of enemies," he says with a smirk, hoping to elicit some kind of emotion from the otherwise stoic girl, the joke goes unnoticed unfortunately.
As they reach the dining area, Saber takes a seat, placing her hands in her lap and her feet beneath her, the serenity she showed did not match with her demeanor, or her skills in battle.
Shirou got to cooking, preparing enough food himself, Saber, and-. The door burst open, Taiga pirouetting herself perfectly into the dining room.
"Shirou! I can smell your cooking! Don't even tell me what it is, I want it to be a surprise." As she makes her way to the table she finally observes the girl sitting there, looking at her, almost looked like she was analyzing her. "Um, I'm sorry and you are?" A clattering of dishers can be heard as Shirou appeared beside Saber faster than even she could follow, it seemed he had started talking before he had even stopped at her side.
"- relative of Kiritsugu, a distant relative. She appeared practically out of nowhere, how could I turn her wat?" His hands in front of him, Shirou tried his best to reassure his "big sister" of why Saber was here.
"A relative? Kiritsugu never once brought up anything that close to the subject of an extended family, I cannot allow a boy and girl to sleep under the same roof," her glare cementing her affront to the very idea.
"That is unacceptable," both Shirou and Taiga turned in surprise to Saber who looked at Taiga with the same flat expression she had the entire day. "It is my sworn duty to protect Shirou from any and all danger, I cannot do that if we are in separate households, so I will remain here."
Taiga looked to protest further but her scowl was quickly replaced with an evil grin, " Alright young lady, you say that are here to protect Shirou? We'll put it to the test," a pair of grumbles echo across the room, "after breakfast of course!" The meal is quiet and quick, with Taiga glaring down Saber the entire time, Saber being lost in the surprising flavors of the grilled fish, making her reconsider her previous remarks about the unimportance of food, and Shirou who used the time to level up.
Please Choose An Area To Which You'd Like To Improve
The menu brought before him was like a wheel, with each spin bringing up a new skill tree. The level up had left him with 3 skill points to assign as he wished. Already knowing where he wanted his first point, he placed it into his Fitness tree, receiving the notification instantly. You Have improved Your Fitness! Movement Speed has been increased by 2%, You have now unlocked the perk Ironman, he clicked on it with his mind, Ironman allows you to dig deep, finding the hidden strength to defeat your enemies. Fighting while fatigued will increase this perk's effectiveness. He was sure that 2% boost would've helped last night. He placed his remaining two points into Unlimited Blade Works, increasing the level of weapons he can trace from an E to a D, skipping two grade thresholds. Weapon Tracing has increased to D, Kenjutsu has increased to D+. While he could've let it level up naturally through progression, this was a nice way to streamline the process, as long as he had skill points handy.
"Shirou are you coming?" He was snapped back into reality by Saber, Taiga had already cleared the table and was waiting at the doorway that led to the dojo. Another notification, A Matter Of Family~enter the dojo. Shirou rose from the table and joined the the women at the doorway, they then made their way out. They reached the dojo, which Shirou always kept in immaculate condition. As they stepped in nostalgia washed over him, Taiga and him didn't practice as much together as they used to, but he doubted that the five dan woman had lost her touch.
"Alright," Taiga said, producing two shinai from behind her back, tossing one to Saber, "lets see what you can do missy." Saber simply nodded, then bowed before her opponent, but not taking up a stance. "You're going to leave yourself open? Either you underestimate me or overestimate your abilities." Taiga moves in, dashing to try and land the first hit, but as she reached her desired destination, Saber was no longer in front of her, and her shinai was gone, she felt a soft clunk hit the back of her head, Saber had beat her.
"I win," Saber states, "we can do this again if you wish but the outcome will be the same."
Shirou watches Taiga grumble something about cheating, the sun in her eyes, and newly waxed floors before proceeding back to the house, he was sure that this wasn't going to be the end however.
"Shirou," he turned, Saber stood there shinai still in hand, "I find it imperative that we increase the quality of your fighting skills if we are to be victorious. Would you be opposed to a sparring session when you fully recover?"
He turns around fully, knowing she would protest that he rest in his current condition he simply gives her an 'I'm okay' thumbs up, Saber tosses him the wooden stick, he couldn't help but notice the heat still radiating from the handle. He nods in approval before taking his place at the side opposite of his Servant, they bow to one another. Saber can't help but be impressed by her Mas- by Shirou's resolve. They take their stances, Saber is the first to advance.
Shirou is is ready for the first attack, a lunging thrust aimed for his forehead which he ducks but isn't ready for the spinning backhand that followed immediately after. He's surprised by the force of the blow, he doesn't move with it causing with to stumble back into his butt. Saber is on top of him before his ears stop ringing, he moves the shinai up to defend, blocking the next swing and giving him a split second to retrieve himself, swinging wide to try and gain distance. Saber doesn't bite, she moves forward in a blur, he could now feel her breathe on his face, instinctively blocking the swipe to his ribs, he tries pushing her away but is met with what feels like a brick wall, she had him cornered. She begins picking him apart, switching levels and attacking at all angles, he knew it was only a second but it felt like he had been through 8 rounds in a ring. Knowing he had to do something, he begins pushing everything he has into his arms and legs, he swings wildly, to the head, to her body, he slides under and tries to take her legs out but is met with a foot to the chest. Shirou doesn't stop moving, he uses all his strength to strike where her knee bends, causing the Servant to stagger slightly, he hits the other, she begins to fall but catches herself.
Almost, he thinks, he springs to his feet and dashes at her, pushing all of his power into his legs he looks at his Mana, subconsciously he visualizes the mana spreading to his arms and legs and at that moment his surrounding blur and he feels his face smack against the wall in force.
Saber looks down at her now unconscious Master, a look of admiration in her eyes. "Shirou..." He had managed to actually move at her own speed, if only for a moment. Perhaps she could have hope, even confidence, in their victory.
Author's Note: Just a little side note, I don't plan on powering Shirou up too much too soon. You'll see hints at his potential but the power creep will be slow, eventually he'll be a badass, also every skill point is a level earned.
Shirou Emiya, Level 33
Health: 40/100
Magic: 25/100
Strength: 29/100
Endurance: 50/100
Dexterity: 27/100
Intelligence: 30/100
Wisdom: 20/100
Luck: 60/100
Skills:
Element: Sword/Sword
Resistance: Magic (5%) Curse (5%)
Unlimited Blade Works: Locked
Passive increase in Swordsmanship
6% EXP increase in Sword skills progression
10% EXP increase in Archery skills progression
Charisma: C+
Cooking: A+
Cleaning: A+
Zen: D-
Gaia's Blessing: E
Kenjutsu: D
Reinforcement Magic: C
Weapon Tracing: D-
Time Alter: C
Gun Fu: D
Perks:
Ironman
Miraculous Healing