Author's Note: Consider this one-shot as being a preparation of sorts for what to expect in some future one-shots. You'll know what I mean after reading this (unless you're Ascarde; in that case, you already know).

Silver and Gold

The only things that registered in the red-haired girl's ears were her ragged breath, pounding heart, and the sound of her feet slapping the ground as she ran. Her lungs were burning and her legs ached, practically begging her to stop before she collapsed in exhaustion, but it wasn't in Shira Emiya's nature to worry about herself, not when somebody was in danger.

Especially when that somebody was a loved one.

Shira's eyes frantically darted this way and that as she hurried down the dirt path of the Einzbern Forest. "Saber!" she screamed. "Saber!" She had to find him—she had to—and soon, before it was too late and something terrible happened. But where was he?!

She skidded to a halt as the woods she was in suddenly disappeared, the city park now in its place. Sweet relief flooded her veins once she spotted Saber standing in the middle of the brick road, and she called out his name as she dashed towards him.

Saber turned to face her. "Shira?" But he got no further than that before the redhead engulfed him in a hug.

"You're okay...thank goodness you're okay," Shira panted, pulling back a little with a tired but no less relieved smile. Her heart, initially so relentless in its thudding, was now slowing down to its usual rate.

"Yes, I'm fine," Saber began; his lips slightly curved upward in reassurance, but it faded as he continued. "But what about you, Shira? You seem exhausted. Just how long have you been running?"

"I don't know," she admitted, "but does it matter? I'm just glad you're not hurt."

The blond let out a sigh. "Your wellbeing is still one of your least concerns, I see. Even so," he smiled again, "I suppose you would not be you if you did not care so much for others."

"Are you saying you wouldn't have me any other way?" Shira asked.

Saber chuckled as he cupped the side of her face with a gauntleted hand. "I believe I am."

Shira beamed as she took a moment to gaze at the young man before her. She took in his unruly blond hair, his penetrating blue-green eyes, his pale, beautiful face, and especially his armor—spotless, immaculate, and silver. The last time she had seen Saber wearing it had been at Ryudou Temple, right before the final battle in the Holy Grail War, and there was something comforting about seeing him now donned in that familiar armor.

Really, what had she been so worried about?

She remembered a scant few seconds later.

Just as Shira was leaning in for a kiss, she heard Saber let out a gasp, and the next thing she knew, he was roughly pushing her aside. She staggered backward and fell, the sound of his agonized scream filling her ears half a heartbeat later. She sat up, and her insides turned to ice at what she was seeing.

"SABER!"

At least a dozen swords had pierced through Saber's body, the tips coming out through his back. His silver armor was now stained with his blood, the bright red liquid slowly dripping to the ground. And there, standing several feet away, was Gilgamesh, decked out from throat to toe in his gold, gleaming armor and a malevolent glint in his eyes.

Saber doubled over, gasping for breath. He turned to face a frozen, horrified Shira, open-mouthed and wide-eyed. For an instant, all was silent...then Saber disappeared in a twinkling of light, allowing the bloody swords to fall with a ringing clatter.

"No..." Shira stared at the spot where Saber had stood only seconds before, her vision blurring. "No!" she repeated more forcefully, shaking her head as tears spilled down her cheeks, her thoughts whirling. Saber's not gone, he's not gone, he can't be gone, God, please, please, not again—!

It was Gilgamesh's voice, heavy with disdain, that reminded her she wasn't alone.

"Pathetic boy. I expected him to at least try to put up a fight before I killed him."

Shira looked up at the golden king. "You killed him," she choked out through her sobs. She saw the cool expression on Gilgamesh's face, and his nonchalance caused her grief to morph into blind rage. "You killed him!"

At once, she leapt to her feet, Bayuka materializing in her hand. With a cry, Shira raced forward, the white broadsword raised to attack. The distance between herself and her enemy lessened with every step, and she was so focused on her current goal that she hardly noticed that they were now inside Kotomine Church. But before Bayuka could connect with Gilgamesh's face—clang!

A sword had appeared in Gilgamesh's hand, and he effortlessly blocked Shira's attack, the force of the blow causing Bayuka to shatter and disappear. Snarling, the redhead prepared to project another weapon, but Gilgamesh chose that moment to grab her by the roots of her hair, forcing her to look him in the eye.

Let go of my hair! Shira thought furiously as she tried in vain to break free from the iron grip on her scalp. Only Saber can touch my hair!

"Not to worry, little girl; you'll be with your precious Saber soon." Gilgamesh leered as he leaned closer to her, lowering his voice to whisper in her ear. "After I've deflowered you."

Those last four words were enough for Shira to cease her struggles, stone-cold fear replacing her anger upon hearing the possessive lust in Gilgamesh's tone. A cry escaped her mouth as he tightened his hold on her and threw her backward onto the altar. She caught a glimpse of the church's high ceiling before her vision filled with his cruel grin, horrible crimson eyes, and unbearably bright gold armor.

She felt Gilgamesh biting at her neck as his hand crept up her thigh, and Shira screamed.

Shira's eyes snapped open, and she jerked herself up with a short yell. Her breath was coming out in irregular pants, blood was pounding in her ears, and her nightgown was soaked with cold sweat. For one terrifying second, she didn't know where she was, but a quick glance around her dark, moonlit surroundings made her realize that she was still in her and Saber's room, sitting in their futon.

It was only a dream, Shira told herself in an attempt to calm down. Saber's alive, Gilgamesh isn't here, it was all a dream.

Actually, the more accurate word was "nightmare," but at the moment, it made little difference to the redhead. For her, nightmares had been a common occurrence for as long as she could remember, but if she were being honest, she would rather have woken up from her longstanding dream about the Fuyuki fire. At least that one was predictable, even if it wasn't very fun.

"What's wrong?"

Shira let out a shriek and recoiled upon feeling a hand on her arm. She whipped her head in the direction of the voice, caught a glimpse of blond hair, and, in her panic, immediately thought it was Gilgamesh. Was she still dreaming after all?

"No! Don't touch—" she began, but stopped as her brain fully processed the sight of the man sitting next to her. It was Saber, his hand in midair, staring at her with a startled expression on his face.

And from the window, the moon bathed him in its light. Silver light.

Strangely enough, it was this minor detail that was able to convince Shira that she was fully awake.

"Shira?" Saber asked in concern when the silence went on for too long, lowering his hand.

The redhead tried to smile. "It's alright; I was just dreaming. Sorry I woke you."

"May I ask what it was about?"

"It's nothing, really." Shira lay back down, facing Saber. "We should get back to sleep," she added, closing her eyes.

But Saber would not be swayed. "Shira, I would hardly use 'nothing' to describe a dream that caused you to be as upset as you were a few minutes ago."

Shira sighed as she opened her eyes and sat back up; he had her there, she had to admit. Heck, the nightmare had had her so wound up that she'd objected to him touching her, and that was something she never did. Feeling a small stab of guilt at that, Shira took Saber's hand in hers, gently rubbing her thumb along his knuckles.

"I dreamt about you dying in front of me," she finally said, her voice somber. "I was running around, looking for you, and when I found you, Gilgamesh showed up out of nowhere and..."

She paused, a lump forming in her throat. "He killed you—Saber, he killed you." Her tone was becoming more distressed as she went on. "I watched you disappear all over again, and I couldn't—I couldn't do anything about it, and then Gilgamesh threw me down and was going to—" Shira suddenly cut herself off with a surprised gasp as Saber let go of her hand to pull her into his arms.

"That was only a nightmare, Shira," he said into her hair. "None of it was real."

She allowed herself to settle into his embrace, but images from her nightmare still lingered in her mind, remnants of fears that had been buried deep into her subconscious. "It felt real enough, though," she mumbled. "Losing you again, Gilgamesh pawing me..."

"But you haven't lost me again," Saber insisted. "I'm not going anywhere. For as long as you want me with you, I will be here. And Gilgamesh cannot make good on his threats to violate you; I defeated him in the end, remember?"

One of his hands moved to stroke Shira's hair, and she felt her body relaxing despite herself. They stayed that way for several minutes, and little by little, the redhead's anxiety faded away as Saber's efforts to reassure her covered her like a warm blanket.

At present, Shira lifted her head up to look at Saber properly. "Thank you. And I'm sorry for freaking out earlier; I just thought I hadn't woken up yet."

"I understand." The hint of a grin formed on the blond's face. "And if Gilgamesh appears in your dreams again, let me know. I'm certain I can defeat him a second time."

Shira had to giggle at that. "What would I do without you?"

Saber's grin widened slightly. "As fate would have it, you will never have to know."

Her only reply was to stare at him with a bright smile, just as she had in her dream.

The King of Knights, illuminated by silver moonlight.

It was a vision of beauty that Gilgamesh, with all of his golden finery, could have never matched.