Author's Note: I actually did end up editing the last chapter. Nothing all that major; I just changed "everyone was sent to the hospital" to "many people were sent to the hospital" and looked over the chapter to correct any spelling or punctuation errors I hadn't caught before posting it and going to bed.

I'll be going out of town to visit my grandparents for the next two days, so this chapter has been posted three days earlier than usual.

Chapter 12: The Sword of Promised Victory

"Oh, really? Just a case of exhaustion?" Shira laughed as she spoke over the phone the next morning. "Yep; that's totally normal for Fuji-nee." She paused. "Well, tell her I said hi. Thank you for everything."

"How is Taiga?" Saber asked, walking up to Shira as she hung up the phone.

"They say she's already asking for seconds at the hospital," Shira reported, still grinning. "I think she'll be just fine. I'd like to go visit her, but," she then became serious, "there's something more important we have to do."

It only took Saber a few seconds to understand where Shira was going with this. "You know, it's not imperative that we capture Rider's Master today."

"Saber," the redhead began warningly.

"If you are going to insist on fighting," Saber went on, undaunted, "you should at least wait until your body is healed first."

"My body's fine," Shira insisted. It wasn't entirely true (her wounds hadn't closed up all the way yet), but she was perfectly capable of moving around, and that was all that mattered. "What won't be fine is if Matou sets up another barrier. We have to separate him from Rider before that happens."

Saber frowned in thought. "Tell me, Shira, is this your motivation for fighting in this War? To avoid the victims like we had yesterday? Because you don't seem to care about defeating other Masters."

Shira shook her head. "Oh, trust me, I intend to hold Matou accountable for what he's done, but we have to defeat Rider first." A small smile appeared on her face. "And, well, why not prevent people from getting hurt? I think that's a pretty good motive for fighting."

She almost expected Saber to contradict her, to tell her that her way of thinking was ridiculous or childish. He certainly had been vocal about what he thought concerning her decision to not immediately attack Ryudou Temple, after all. But Saber only nodded.

"Very well," he said. "If that is what my Master commands, I will obey."

"Thanks, Saber."

"Heard you're going after Shinji," Rin said once she, Shira, and Saber had sat down at the dining room table. "So it's safe to assume that you have a good chance of beating him?"

"More than a good chance, I'd say," Shira responded. "Rider isn't nearly as powerful as Saber. If it comes to a one-on-one fight, I don't think Saber can lose." She frowned. "Then again..."

Rin eyed her pointedly. "Okay, what's wrong?"

"Even though Saber had driven Rider into a corner, she was still able to escape with Matou," Shira admitted. "She called it her Noble Phantasm."

Yes, now that Shira thought about it, maybe the chances of defeating Shinji and Rider once and for all weren't as good as she supposed. That intense wave of destruction Rider unleashed yesterday would've doubtlessly reduced her to a heap of dust if Saber hadn't pulled her to the ground. If Rider's Noble Phantasm—her ultimate attack—was so dangerous even though she was an inferior Servant compared to Saber, underestimating her wouldn't help anything.

Rin seemed to be thinking along similar lines. "Hmm. That would mean Rider's the kind of Servant whose Noble Phantasm surpasses her own capabilities."

"I was not able to verify this completely, Rin," Saber said, "but I believe the magic she uses is similar to yours."

"Well, that's strange," the black-haired girl told him, "because modern magecraft can't even come close to defeating someone like you."

"True enough," Saber agreed. "In the face of more powerful magecraft, the weaker magic becomes ineffective. The only types of magic capable of piercing my armor would be what you would call divine mysteries or Phantasmal Beasts."

"A magic user, then," Rin concluded. "So, Saber, are you suggesting that Rider is a magus?"

"No; I did not sense mana of that magnitude with her. Rider's Noble Phantasm has no relation to her personal abilities. It's probably not an Anti-Personnel Noble Phantasm, like Lancer's spear or the barrier concealing my sword."

"What do you mean by 'Anti-Personnel'?" Shira inquired.

"Ultimately, my Invisible Air and Lancer's Gae Bolg are merely tools designed to kill people," Saber explained. "No matter how powerful the mana or spells placed on them, they will never be anything stronger than an Anti-Personnel weapon."

"Okay." Shira nodded slowly. "But how is Rider's Noble Phantasm different?"

It was Rin who answered. "It means that hers must be Anti-Army. Anti-Personnel Noble Phantasms are like guns with unlimited ammo, while Anti-Army Noble Phantasms are like missiles with just a one-shot chance."

Shira's eyes widened in shock. "Then what are we supposed to do? A gun can't take out a missile! Oh," she snapped her fingers, "I get it. We have to beat Rider before she can get the chance to use her Noble Phantasm."

Rin's smile was like that of a teacher pleased with her student. "Very good, Shira. The longer the fight is, the more we get put at a disadvantage. Well, at least you've got that figured out." She stood up and walked to the door. "Sorry, but I can't be part of your little Shinji Search Squad."

"Why not?" Shira asked.

"I have some business to take care of," was all Rin said before leaving the room.

Shira and Saber stood in front of the Matou estate, the latter currently attempting to sense Shinji and Rider's presence.

"It is just as you thought," Saber reported, opening his eyes after a moment. "They are not here."

"Well, if I know one thing about Matou," Shira informed him, "it's that he won't take what happened yesterday lying down. He'll want revenge."

Saber frowned. "You truly think Rider's Master will erect another barrier so soon?"

Shira smiled grimly. "I don't think; I know. And once the barrier's set up, we'll be able to sense it. So, instead of looking for Matou—"

"Look for the barrier," Saber finished.

"Exactly." Shira turned away to look up the street. "Most likely, the barrier will be in New Town, someplace where there'd be a lot of people. Come on, Saber."

She made to hurry off, but Saber's voice stopped her.

"We do not have to go after him so soon. This is Sakura's house as well. Should we not at least stop to say hello to her?"

Shira cast her gaze on the Matou estate. Saber did have a point; they could afford to take a few minutes to see Sakura. Besides, it wasn't like she would be too indisposed; according to Rin, Sakura had only been slightly weakened by the barrier's activation, so she'd been one of the few who hadn't gone to the hospital.

But honestly, what could Shira say to her if she went along with Saber's suggestion? "Hey, Sakura, how are you doing? Oh, I don't have many plans for today, aside from possibly killing your brother."

Yeah...that wouldn't go over very well. Against all reason, Sakura cared about Shinji, and it would upset her terribly if she knew he just might end up getting killed by her best friend.

"We better not," Shira finally said. "The last thing I want to do is get Sakura involved in any of this."

The hours passed as Shira and Saber checked every large building they came across. Shira ignored the odd looks from passing townsfolk each time Saber held out his arm and closed his eyes, only caring about whether or not a barrier had been placed. But the result was always the same: Saber could sense no barrier, nor any kind of magical energy.

At present, the sun was setting. Saber and Shira had just finished checking out a bank and were about to continue on when the latter suddenly exhaled sharply, doubling over.

"Shira, is something wrong?"

She opened her mouth to say she was fine, just a little tired, but all that came out was a pained groan.

"Shira!" Saber rushed over to her, his voice urgent. He grabbed her hand and started pulling her.

"S-Saber," Shira stammered, "what are you doing? We haven't finishing checking all these buildings!"

Saber did not answer her as he continued pulling her in the direction of the park. After several minutes, though, Shira realized that he hadn't intended to go to the park at all. The place they were arriving at was filled with trees with bare branches and gray, dead grass.

No...

A sense of horror rose in Shira's chest, overriding any pain she was feeling from the injuries she still sustained.

No, this can't be...!

It was a place that Shira was very familiar with, even if the last time she'd physically been there was ten years ago.

No...NO!

Her eyes glazed over.

Her body stiffened.

All she could see was fire—cruel, heartless, burning fire. The flames were oppressive, the smoke was suffocating, people were dying, people would not be saved, she had to run—she had to run—she had to run—

"Shira! Can you hear me?"

And Saber's voice freed her from the flashback.

Shira returned to reality; her face was drenched in sweat, her heart was racing a mile a minute, and her breath was coming out in heavy, ragged gasps. She belatedly realized that she was sitting on a bench, with Saber standing in front of her, his hands on her shoulders, so close that their noses were almost touching.

"Why did you bring me here?" Shira burst out, causing Saber to let go of her and take a step back, startled.

"My only intention was to have you rest a while," he said. "I feared your body would give out on you since it was clear to me that you were pushing yourself too far. I could never have foreseen that you would react in such a way."

Shira sighed as Saber sat down next to her, regretting how she'd snapped at him. She stared down at her lap so that she wouldn't have to look at her surroundings.

"How did I react?" She knew the answer, or at least could figure it out, but she wanted to hear Saber say it anyway.

"You went rigid where you stood," he told her calmly, as though PTSD-fueled incidents happened every day, "broke into a sweat, and were not focusing on anything. I wondered if perhaps you were about to have a fit."

"Sorry you had to see that," Shira mumbled. "It doesn't happen too often anymore, but it still happens sometimes."

"There is no need to apologize." Saber's voice became quieter. "I of all people know about personal demons." He paused. "May I ask what kind of connection you have to this place?"

Well, since you asked politely... "It was where I used to live when I was just a little kid," Shira explained, lifting her gaze to Saber. "Then there was this huge fire. My parents were killed and my house was destroyed, but then my dad came and saved my life." She looked down, not noticing the surprised expression on Saber's face. "He adopted me not long after that."

Shira smiled a little, letting herself remember the happiness she'd felt when Kiritsugu saved her, then later when he offered for her to live with him.

"I was told that this was a battleground for the last Grail War. It's kinda ironic that I survive that one just to become a Master in this one."

"Shira," Saber said slowly, "is this why you go to such lengths to prevent people from getting hurt? Because you yourself lost so much in the last War, you want to keep others from that same fate?"

"Maybe it's something even simpler than that," Shira replied, looking at Saber again thoughtfully. "I was thankful to Dad for saving me, but I knew I was the only one who survived the fire, and that's not an easy thing to live with. I couldn't save anyone that night, so the least I can do now is make sure nothing like that happens again."

Survivor's guilt, the phrase came unbidden to Saber's mind. Shira feels guilty for living when so many others did not, so in order to "atone," she feels the need to save anyone and everyone.

"So as a consequence," the knight continued his thoughts out loud, "you have no interest in preserving your own life."

Shira's smile faded as confusion took over her features, prompting Saber to go on.

"You value others more than you value yourself. That is a very admirable quality, but you will come to regret it one day." He stared at her coolly. "You need to care about your own wellbeing far more than you do."

Saber abruptly changed the topic before Shira could say anything. "Let's go. I believe you have rested enough."

Night had fallen by the time Shira and Saber checked every main building in New Town. At present, the pair stood in a town square, Shira looking at a map of the city.

"Is there any place else you feel we should go?" Saber questioned.

Shira looked up with a slight frown. "Well, there's a factory up ahead. It couldn't hurt to see if a barrier's set up, but—"

She stopped speaking upon sensing a wave of magical energy.

"Shira?" Saber raised his eyebrows questioningly, silently asking if she had felt the sudden presence of mana as well.

She nodded quickly. "How close do you think it is?"

"Not very," Saber admitted. "I do not sense any barrier, but," he looked out into the spot where the mana was at its strongest, "we are definitely being watched. I will follow the magical energy. Stay on your guard, Master."

Several minutes passed in silence; the trail of mana led them to the office district. By some stroke of luck, most of the lights in the buildings were off, and very few people were walking in the streets. Even so, the mana—dark and intense—grew stronger with every step. Shira had no doubt that Rider was nearby, and that meant Shinji wouldn't be too far behind.

"But would they risk attacking here?" Shira wondered out loud, slowing her pace so that she was at least five steps behind Saber. "It'd be better in the park; that way, there'd be no—"

"Shira!" Saber leapt backward, deflecting the attack aimed for her head. As he landed on the ground, Shira looked up at the skyscraper. She could just make out Rider, her limbs splayed out spiderlike along the skyscraper's wall, about five stories above the street.

"You stay here," Saber told Shira after also spotting Rider. "I'll go after her."

Before Shira could even think about protesting, Saber jumped into the air again, his armor appearing in a flash of light, and—to Shira's amazement—ran up the skyscraper to where Rider was. Immediately, Saber's invisible sword clashed with Rider's dagger, and the two Servants proceeded upward along the building's wall, presumably to the rooftop.

If Rider came from the roof, Matou must be there, too. And if I can make him give up his Command Seals—and do it fast—then the fight should be over before Rider can use her Noble Phantasm. With that thought in mind, Shira disregarded what Saber said about staying put (how many times did she have to tell him that she refused to sit passively while he fought, for the love of God?), ran inside the building through the back door, and hurried to the nearest elevator.

Meanwhile, Saber and Rider continued their upward scaling of the skyscraper, the two combatants refusing to take their eyes off each other for even an instant. It was just as well, as they had not yet reached the roof before Rider threw a dagger at Saber's face. Saber deflected the weapon with his sword, leaping from one floor to the next. Again, Rider made to attack Saber, but the knight rushed forward and parried the dagger, the force of his blow sending them in opposite directions.

"Guess high places aren't to your advantage, are they, Saber?" Rider taunted, her voice dangerously sultry.

If she thought her words—or even her tone—would catch Saber off guard, she was wrong; he merely turned around with a cold glare and kicked off towards her, his sword raised. But before he could even reach striking distance, Rider rushed forward and delivered a roundhouse kick, sending Saber plunging down several floors. He regained his footing on the side of the building, Rider standing above him with her dagger shining wickedly in the moonlight.

"But don't you worry," the lavender-haired woman continued. "You'll be put out of your misery soon enough."

And the chase went on. In minutes, Saber had reached the roof, but before he could attack, he was met with a blinding white light. He watched as white feathers, followed by a magnificent white horse, emerged from the light, Rider sitting bareback upon her steed.

Saber could not help the hitch in his throat as the horse remained in midair. That creature was a Phantasmal Beast, the winged horse Pegasus, commonly thought to only be a myth. But the knight quickly shook off his wonderment at the horse's apparition as Rider charged forward. Saber swung his now glowing sword, a streak of light rushing towards his opponent, but the Pegasus easily dodged the attack.

Rider charged again, not giving Saber a chance to counterattack. The Pegasus proceeded to mow him down, and by the time he managed to get to his feet, wincing slightly, the horse had returned to the sky.

"Isn't this a surprise?" Rider called down from atop the Pegasus. "You're far more resilient than you look."

"Conjuring up a Phantasmal Beast is a profoundly sinful act, Rider," Saber shot back, hoping that if he could get her talking, it would give him time to think of how to defeat her even when she had Pegasus.

"I was an enemy to you humans my entire life," Rider said coolly. "Therefore, the only creatures I can control are the poor souls your people have driven into extinction."

Saber's eyes narrowed. "Now I see; I knew there was something unsettling about you. You're some kind of demon, are you not?"

Rider rose higher into the sky. "Think what you want. It doesn't change the fact that, as long as I'm up here, no one can lay a finger on me!"

She charged towards Saber, who dodged the stampeding Pegasus just in time. There is nothing I can do but wait her out, the knight thought grimly. If I could get her into a vulnerable position, then perhaps—

"Saber!" The door to the roof burst open, revealing Shira standing there, breathing heavily from having to run up the last ten floors.

"Shira?" Saber turned to face his Master, temporarily forgetting about Rider. "What are you doing up here? I told you to—"

He was cut off by the sound of insane laughter.

"Matou," Shira hissed. She scanned the roof—she could see Saber standing with his sword at the ready and Rider sitting on a white, flying horse in midair, but not Shinji—and her voice rose. "Quit hiding and show yourself, you coward!"

"Don't you get it, Emiya?!" Shinji's voice seemed to come from everywhere, so Shira was unable to pinpoint his exact location. "This is the difference between our powers! You and that white knight of yours are history! But since I'm feeling merciful tonight, I promise to make your death as painless as possible. Go on, Rider; start with the Servant! I want you to rip him to pieces!"

With a cry that was more suited for a great bird rather than a horse, the Pegasus shot forward towards Saber.

Shira's stomach lurched. "Saber, get down!" she shrieked, running towards him.

Saber only spared Shira a tense glance before turning his attention back to the speeding horse coming his way. Without any second thoughts, he allowed his sword to be engulfed by light, powerful gusts of wind picking up as Invisible Air was slowly but surely beginning to release.

Rider merely chuckled in amusement. "I guess playtime is over, Saber," she crooned, gently patting the Pegasus' neck. "My Noble Phantasm is exceptional, so it tends to draw a bit of a crowd." Glowing, golden reins materialized in her hands. "Not that I have to worry about that up here."

"This is your Noble Phantasm?" Saber asked, eyeing the reins.

"It is," Rider confirmed. "Ordinarily, Pegasus is far too gentle-natured for the likes of battle." Her expression hardened. "If I didn't use something like this, he would never be inclined to fight!"

She lashed at her steed with her reins. "Die, Saber!" And with those words, the Pegasus flew higher and higher, streaking across the sky like a shooting star.

Saber's grip on his still glowing sword tightened. This was the moment he had been waiting for. "Hear me," he muttered, closing his eyes. The wind intensified into a wild tempest, the light grew even brighter, and the knight stood calmly as Rider's own glowing Pegasus sped towards him.

"BELLEROPHON!" Rider screamed.

Blue-green eyes stared up at her in defiance. "You know, Rider," Saber began, "I too find being up this high to be advantageous. Up here, I don't have to worry about scorching the earth with my blade!"

With that declaration, Invisible Air was fully released. For the very first time in this War, Saber's sword—his Noble Phantasm—was unveiled. Although it was surrounded by a golden light, the sword was easily recognizable. Any enemy would know it on sight.

And any enemy who knew the sword would immediately know the wielder's true identity.

"Behold!"

The sword was raised, its light becoming as bright as the sun itself.

"EXCALIBUR!"

The light burst forth towards the sky and engulfed the surroundings in its radiance. After a moment, all the light faded, the wind died, and Rider and her Pegasus were no more.

Shira, who had spent the last several minutes trying not to get blown away by the wind, could only stare at Saber as if she had never truly seen him before, completely robbed of speech. That sword... she thought numbly, he had called it Excalibur.

Excalibur, the Sword of Promised Victory, the finest blade in British history...and it was Saber's Noble Phantasm. That being the case, it meant that Saber's real name, something Shira had given little to no thought about, could only be—

A scream pierced the air.

"My Command Seals!" Shinji wailed from an area above where Shira and Saber were. "They're burning!" He dropped his book, which must have burst into flames the minute Rider had been killed.

"Matou!" Shira barked out.

Shinji cast his terrified gaze to her, as if only just realizing she was still there, then turned around and ran off, screaming all the while.

Shira was about to go after him when she heard a thud from behind her.

"Saber!" she gasped, forgetting all about Shinji upon seeing that her Servant had fallen. Both his armor and Excalibur slowly disappeared in a twinkling of light. When Shira hurried over, knelt down beside him, and turned him over to get a look at his face, she saw that he had fainted and broken into a sweat.

"Saber?" Shira repeated. She felt his forehead, but immediately jerked her hand back. He was burning up!

"Saber!" she exclaimed more insistently, shaking him. "Come on, Saber, wake up! Say something, anything! Don't do this, Saber; don't you dare do this!"

But no matter how many times Shira called Saber's name, no matter how panicky and desperate she sounded, he remained unconscious.

Author's Note: In canon, it's very heavily implied that Shirou has Post Traumatic Stress Disorder due to the fire and Kiritsugu's death (much more due to the former than the latter, obviously); in fact, it's so heavily implied that it would've been superfluous to have it spelled out to the audience. As such, considering that Shirou gets flashbacks of the fire simply by hearing the word "fire," you would think that going to the burned down place where he used to live would result in him having a massive PTSD attack. That's why I had Shira have a flashback after Saber dragged her to her hometown's ruins—it's such a blindingly obvious trigger.

In summary, Saber and Shira walk around town during their second unofficial date, Shira takes a lovely stroll down Memory Lane, and Saber has a Crowning Moment of Awesome by Excaliblasting Rider to death, but then ruins it by collapsing.