He Who Protects the Living

AN: I must say, I was stunned by the reception this story got. It was beyond any and all expectations I had. Thank you, to everyone reading.

A few notes: In chapter one, I said Sakura's hair is blue. It's actually purple, that was a typo. Sorry.

A few people have asked about Shirou and his Tracing. I'll give you guys the same answer I gave them. If Shirou Traces a hundred swords in this story, he will have only Traced one. Also, his origin is Death, not Sword. I gave a few hints in chapter one as well. If you can figure it out, I will answer one question you have about this story.

I will now provide translations to Japanese terms at the bottom.

Progress on the story will be on my profile from now on.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorited and alerted this story. So without further adieu, chapter 2!

Last Time: When it died down, Shirou suddenly felt a pull on his prana, and a figure appeared... The girl suddenly spoke to Shirou, something that made him a little confused."By your summoning, I have appeared. I ask of you, are you my master?"

Chapter 2: The Holy Grail War

"By your summoning, I have appeared. I ask of you, are you my master?" Saber asked the orange haired boy.

She looked at his hand, holding the sword, a tattoo looking image of a skull, with two lines crossed behind it.

The girl nodded. "I am servant Saber. From this time forth, my sword will be with you and your fate shall be with me."

Shirou was mystified by the appearance of this girl. By her amazing beauty. Her prana. If Shirou's prana could be described as death, then this girl's prana was life. He could feel it. Whoever this girl was, she was the same as this figure. Not human.

Yet, in her presence, he felt comfort. Like he belonged by her side. It felt like all that mattered in that instant was her.

His thought process was interrupted when he heard a chuckle.

Suddenly Saber took notice of the condition her master was in. Cuts littered his body, and there was a figure dressed in blue wielding a lance. 'Lancer.' she immediately labeled him.

"It appears that I have been summoned at an inopportune time. We shall speak after the immediate threat is dealt with." she spoke, with a regal air.

"Hehehe, well, well, well. It appears that you're the seventh master after all boy. How entertaining. Allow me to properly introduce myself. I am the Lancer of this Holy Grail War. Now boy, come at me with all your strength!" the now revealed Lancer spoke, a grin on his face.

Saber spoke: "Very well, honor dictates I must also introduce myself. I am Saber." Saber did not hesitate a moment more. Prana, white with a tinge of blue surrounded her like lightning. She immediately shot off the ground at Lancer. Lancer blocked with his lance, but was blown back, out the room. Saber followed.

Shirou immediately followed. He did not really understand what was going on, but this 'Saber' appeared to be on his side. At least for now.

Saber and Lancer were fighting in the hallway. Lancer wasn't smiling anymore. Lancer's thrusts were as fast as lightning, but Saber continuously dodged, weaving in and out them. Saber could feel the air displacement from each strike.

Saber got up close, slashing at Lancer's torso which he blocked with his lance. Sounds like thunder came from every exchange.

Sparks from the clashing of steel on steel flew every second. If Lancer's strikes were reminiscent of a cheetah, speed and precision, then Saber was a lion. Power ran through her arms and sword, every one of her swings was surely enough to kill a normal man.

Shirou noticed that he could follow their movements now. He couldn't see anything but blurs when Lancer had fought with the man in red, but now he could follow them. He did not step in. This was a battle that was beyond him, even with his new power up.

It was a fight on another level, a fight where him stepping in could mean death for him and the girl.

Saber could not believe the power of her strikes. The prana she was receiving through the contract felt thicker than normal. Denser, stronger. Her master must be quite strong indeed.

Lancer did not have the time to strike back. A slash came at him from every direction. It was all he could do to block. There was also the problem that he could not see what he was defending against.

"Tch, what are you doing hiding your weapon. Are you a coward Saber!" he roared as he defended a slash to his head.

The girl did not respond, but increase the strength and speed of her blows. Lancer moved back quickly. Shirou could not blame him, it must have been incredibly difficult to fight her when he could not see what he was defending against.

He had to commend Lancer, for blocking by looking at her hands and feet.

Now further back, Lancer thrusted his lance at Saber. Her head, her heart, her liver. He was targeting her vitals. Saber dodged and blocked every single thrust.

He slashed at her from a few feet away. Saber blocked, throwing his lance away.

In an instant, Lancer twirled his lance around, throwing Saber slightly off balance.

Taking advantage, lancer slashed diagonally from the ground, but Saber simply leaned back.

Saber come in close, an overhead strike. Lancer jumped back.

She stepped up to him, charging her sword with prana, and slashed downwards. Lancer desperately jumped back once again. Saber's sword hit the ground, making a large crack.

Lancer however was too slow this time. She immediately got into his face again, slashing diagonally. Lancer blocked and pushed her sword aside with his lance, but she twirled around and slashed at his chest. Lancer tried to jumpe back but was too slow.

A large slash mark was on his chest now. Blood dripped down the wound. A murderous look on his face, he just stared at her.

Saber had just gotten first blood.

"What's wrong Lancer?" Saber spoke for the first time in their engagement. "If you do not attack, I will."

"So eager to die are you." Lancer spoke, the same look on his face. Lancer suddenly took a stance with his lance pointed down. Murderous intent filled the air. Prana filled the lance in a maelstrom.

The girls eyes widened. "Noble Phantasm!"

She tried to put up a defensive stance, but Lancer was suddenly in front of her. He began to thrust his lance at her feet, his mouth speaking the words - "Gae-" but was cut off when he was hit by a large blue crescent beam that sent him flying through a wall and into another classroom.

Shirou could not believe the level at which the two were fighting. It was one thing for them to be stronger than any human had a right to be, but there was also such skill.

Their fight was like a dance. A deadly dance where the first to make a mistake would die. As if sensing his thoughts, Saber finally got her first hit on Lancer. Blood ran down his chest and pooled at his feet. That was a bad wound.

Shirou knew it was time for him to get involved. The girl was doing good, but he would not let a girl he had just met fight his battles for him.

It wasn't right.

Preparing himself, Shirou felt the murderous intent coming from Lancer. He saw Lancer take a strange stance and felt the prana swirling around him. It appeared he was going to do something big.

Shirou saw Lancer thrusting his lance at Saber's feet. He smirked. When he had grabbed his sword in his mind he had gained knowledge of a new spell.

Shirou was not a very good magus, being able to use only two spells, and only on his sword and himself at that, but he somehow knew he could do it.

Oddly enough, Shirou did not know the name of the mystery he was about to use. He didn't quite know how a spell, a mystery, without an incantation would work.

He just knew it would.

Channeling prana into his sword, he let it loose in a diagonal slash. Where he slashed, a crescent blue beam came out, carving into the ground and hitting Lancer.

Lancer was immediately thrown back and through a wall.

Saber turned and looked at him with wide eyes.

'That attack!' she thought. 'It almost looked like my Excalibur! Just who is this boy!?'

Shirou kept his smirk on. "Sorry Saber, but it looks like it's my turn. A pretty girl like you should just stand back."

Saber was indignant. "Wha-? Master, it is the servants duty to fight! I am a warrior, my gender should not mean anything!"

Shirou scowled, and opened his mouth to say something along the lines of he didn't need her to fight his battles for him, but was interrupted by a coughing noise.

It was coming from the classroom Shirou's attack had knocked Lancer into. Among the rubble of the wall, Lancer stood, supported by his lance. There was blood coming from his mouth, and there was a new wound on his torso, another slash that formed an x along with Saber's earlier attack..

"I can't (cough) believe (cough) that I lost to some kid." He spoke, coughing. "Sorry, but my master is something of a coward, and he's ordered me to go back. We will settle this later."

Lancer jumped out one of the windows, leaving behind a pool of blood. Shirou was amazed that he could move with wounds like that.

Saber almost went after him, but remembered her masters wounds and decided that with how wounded Lancer had left he was not a big threat.

She turned to Shirou. "Are you alright master?"

Shirou wondered for a second what she meant, then looked down at his wounds. With a thought, cloth that had been wrapped around his cleavers hilt wrapped around his cuts.

'Huh.' Shirou thought. 'That's a pretty useful ability. The cloth doesn't just unravel, it creates more of itself. I can just bandage myself whenever. Maybe I can extend it to throw it at something.'

Saber was mildly impressed. It seemed she had at least a semi-useful master.

Shirou looked at her. Now that it appeared that the danger was over, he fully took in Saber's appearance. She looked to be a couple of years younger than him, but was very beautiful.

Her presence made Shirou feel, almost complete.

Shirou quickly shook his head of such thoughts. He could feel his face slightly reddening from his thoughts.

But now wasn't the time for that. Although she had helped him, she was still not human. He didn't know what her intentions were now that the fight was over.

"Who are you?" Shirou finally spoke.

Saber looked at him, confused. "I am the servant Saber. You summoned me, so you should not need to ask."

"Saber?" Shirou asked her. "What an odd name. My name is Shirou. Emiya Shirou."

"Wait, that's not the point, just what -" Shirou began to ask but was interrupted.

"I know. You are not a formal master correct? But don't worry, I have accepted the contract, so there is no need to worry." She spoke of things that sounded completely foreign to Shirou.

Shirou was about to speak when his hand suddenly burned.

He raised it and saw the skull with the crossing lines behind it, forming an x.

"Those are command seals master. They allow you to impart upon me any command, such as to come to your side and allowing me to instantly be there. Or commanding me to dodge, and allow me to dodge any attack. They are very valuable, so use them wisely." Saber spoke to him when she saw him looking.

Suddenly, they simultaneously stiffened. There was a presence coming, one that felt like Saber and Lancer. In his mind, Shirou cursed. 'Another one? How many of these guys are there!'

They both turned around as a girl with black hair in pig tails, wearing a red shirt and black skirt came running into the hallway. She stopped when she saw them.

Behind her, there was a tall man with slicked back white hair, tanned, with black leather armor. He wore a red cloak around his shoulders, and a red skirt like piece of clothing around his waist.

The red figure Shirou had seen fighting Lancer.

'It has started.' thought Archer. 'Soon, soon I will kill my past self. Finally, I will be free of this cursed life.'

He followed Rin who was running through the hallways, after Lancer.

They felt a large spike of prana, and hurried up. Suddenly, they both froze as they came upon two individuals, a boy wearing a school uniform, a large cleaver in his hands, and a blond haired girl wearing what looked like medieval armor.

'What is this?' thought Archer, total confusion in his mind, though he did not express anything outwardly.

'What is Saber doing here? She isn't supposed to be here! She isn't supposed to be summoned until much later tonight! And the boy, he has a sword I've never seen before! I can't comprehend it. What is it? It feels of death, yet what is it made of? What is going on!?' Archer was thinking furiously, desperately trying to understand the situation.

Meanwhile, Rin had her own thoughts. 'I knew that Emiya was a magus! I knew it! He's a master too. He summoned Saber. Him of all people. That aura of power, he must be an incredibly strong magus.'

Shirou was confused. "Tohsaka?" he asked the girl in red. "Tohsaka Rin?"

Shirou did not get much time to contemplate his thoughts however, when Saber blasted off towards the red figure.

Rin tensed, putting something into her hand that Shirou could not see. The figure in red immediately came in front of Rin, summoning a pair of swords in his hands.

"Stop!" Shirou cried out to her. Saber stopped her charge, confused.

"Master? What on Earth are you saying! This is the enemy servant, we can take them out right here and now!" Saber spoke to Shirou once again of things he could not understand.

"Please master, retract your order and let me fight!" Saber pleaded to Shirou.

The red figure and Rin seemed content to just stand there and watch Shirou and Saber argue. They were not attacking, and so Shirou thought that it wasn't right to attack them when they hadn't attacked first.

He also really just wanted to know what was going on already.

Scowling, Shirou looked to Saber and said, "Look, I don't understand any of this master business. But you're about to attack one of my classmates, and in addition someone who didn't attack first like that Lancer guy."

"Master, he is the enemy servant though, we have to defeat him here." Saber once again tried reasoning with her apparently foolish master.

"I don't care about that one bit. He may be your enemy, but I don't even know what the hell is going on! If your going to go and fight and call me your master, you should at least have the decency to explain things to me!" Shirou rebutted her.

"So that's how things are Emiya-kun?" Rin spoke. Still tense, Rin walked in front of her servant, wary about the orange haired magus with the strong prana, even now.

"Good evening Emiya-kun." Rin greeted him casually, completely ignoring the atmosphere.

"Wha-? This isn't time to be so calm and nonchalant about this situation. You-" Shirou spoke, dumbfounded at her attitude, but was interrupted.

"Yup. I'm a master too. In other words, a magus like you." Rin said.

Shirou scowled his infamous scowl, but was not surprised. There had always been something off to him about Tohsaka. Like she was hiding something.

That she was a magus was not very shocking to him, especially with the situation.

"Alright Archer, you can go to spirit from now. Your not needed anymore." Rin told the servant beside her.

The man disappeared.

"Alright then Emiya-kun, why don't we go into one of the classrooms and I'll explain the situation your in." Rin told him, then calmly walked into the room Lancer and Shirou first fought in.

The room was filled with broken chairs and desks. The floor had marks on it from Lancer and Shirou's fight.

Shirou wondered how the school would take this the next day.

Shirou looked at his sword. "Trace, off."

The sword disappeared in a swirl of black.

"Are you alright with this Saber?" Rin asked her as they followed them in, sitting at two of the desks that hadn't been knocked over. She didn't ask where the sword had gone.

"You spared my life, so I'll explain things to your master." She told Saber.

Saber had a serious expression on her face.

"As long as you are helping my master I will show no ill will. Be warned however that should you try anything, I will cut you down." Saber calmly told Rin.

Rin seemed a little unsettled by this, but nodded. Turning to Shirou she began to speak.

"You have been chosen to be a master Shirou. You have a marking somewhere on your hand or arm correct?" Rin asked Shirou.

Shirou nodded, looking at the skull on his hand.

"That is the sign of a master. It will allow you to give three absolute commands to Saber here. Things that allow her to break rules, such as teleporting to your side, or exceeding her limits in a single attack and such." Rin kept on explaining.

Shirou nodded once again. Saber had explained that much.

"To put it bluntly, you've been recruited into a game called the Holy Grail War. A battle, where seven magi and seven servants will fight to the death until there is one left. The winner, gets the Holy Grail a device that will grant any wish. That is one of the five remaining true magics, the Heavens Feel." she told Shirou.

Shirou was stunned. A fight to the death, between magi? Magi commanding servants, beings of power like Saber and Lancer? A true magic?

"That is the current situation. Do you have any questions?" Rin asked him.

Shirou understood one thing. There was no way out of this. To be a magi was to walk hand in hand with death. The other magi would hunt him down like a dog regardless of whether or not he wanted to participate.

Shirou looked at Saber. There was just one thing he didn't quite get.

"What exactly are servants Tohsaka? Saber mentioned a contract, and she was summoned, so is she some kind of familiar?" Shirou asked her.

"Servants are heroes from the pasts. You could call them similar to ghosts I suppose. They are summoned from the throne of heroes. Normally this would be a feat of true magic, but the grail is what really does the summoning. Because they are something like ghosts, they can also take spirit form, like I commanded my Archer to do." Rin responded back to him.

Shirou looked at Saber. This girl, this pretty girl was a hero from times past? Shirou could not remember any beautiful girl heroes, but he wasn't much into things like that so that wasn't surprising.

"Actually, Shirou did not seem to summon me correctly. I cannot go into spirit form as I am now." Saber spoke up.

"Really?" Rin asked, surprised. "I would figure a strong magus like Shirou would perform the summoning correctly."

"Actually, I didn't summon her. While I was fighting Lancer, the blood from my wounds just started to move and made a ritual circle." Shirou told Rin.

Rin seemed surprised. "So you really didn't have any idea of what's going on. Well, you had better fix your contract, not being able to get her into spirit form is probably taxing on you."

"Actually I have no idea how to do that. You keep calling me a strong magus, but really I can only do reinforcement and some odd form of projection." Shirou told her truthfully.

"Wait." Rin suddenly took a shift in personality. "Your telling me you can only use two useless skills as reinforcement and projection? Even with that strong amount of prana? You can't manipulate the five elements or make a pass?"

Shirou nodded.

Rin looked pissed. She gave Shirou a death glare and started mumbling something Shirou couldn't quite make out.

Something about worthless magi with strong prana but no skill summoning Saber.

"Fine. If your that sorry of a master we should go." Rin spoke up, still seeming angry, and starting to stand.

Shirou knew she was hiding something. She was only nice to him because she thought he was a strong magus.

"Go where?" Shirou asked, he and Saber standing up.

"Kotomine's church. The overseer of the grail war, that makes sure non-magi don't get involved, and records all the masters." Rin spoke harshly to him.

It seemed she was not happy he was such a crappy magus, Shirou mused.

They walked the entire journey in silence. Shirou had contemplated trying something to hide Saber's appearance, but as he didn't have anything on hand, and it was so late at night he decided not to.

'Besides.' he mused. 'Anyone who does see her will probably think she's cosplaying.'

Rin was a little cross with him he could tell. Well, who wouldn't be. He had such large prana that it rolled off of him. But he could only use two spells, and yet he had summoned Saber, the supposedly strongest servant.

They arrived at the church. Shirou frowned at the place. It looked like any ordinary church, but it gave off an aura of malice to him.

Beside Shirou, Saber spoke. "Master, if it is alright with you I will stand guard outside."

Shirou looked at her. "Alright. Be careful Saber."

Together, Rin and Shirou went inside.

"Hey fake-priest!" Rin called out. A man came out of a door near the back. He was dressed like a priest, and gave off a bad aura to Shirou.

Shirou slightly tensed when he saw him, and by the almost imperceptible narrowing of the mans eyes, he noticed.

Shirou forced himself to relax. The man in front of him gave off a bad vibe to him.

"Ah, Rin. Still disrespectful to your teacher I see." the man spoke.

"Whatever fake-priest." Rin scowled at him. It seemed she didn't like him.

"Look, I brought the seventh master here. He summoned Saber, but it looks like he doesn't have a clue of what's going on." Rin spoke to him.

"I see. Boy, what's your name?" the priest spoke to him.

"Emiya Shirou." Shirou spoke up.

The man almost imperceptibly tensed at the name Emiya. Most people wouldn't notice, and indeed before Shirou would not have, but many things seemed clearer to him when he learned Zangetsu's name.

His name unlocked a power in Shirou, and by the way he had fought Lancer, no matter how briefly, it increased his skills by a large amount.

Yet to Shirou, he felt as if he had only touched the surface of what he could do. It felt as if his power was a lake, and he was only gathering up a few drops from it when he used his power.

"Emiya Shirou." the man repeated. "My name is Kotomine Kirei. I am the overseer of this grail war. I make sure the fight stays contained, that no one learns of the existance of magi, to judge, and to provide sanctity if someone were to wish it if they lose their servant."

"Then, if you provide sanctity, the magi don't have to die? Just the servants?" Shirou questioned him.

"An astute observation. Yes that is correct, the grail receives the power from the servants battles, and only the servant need to power it. However, servants are beings of great power, and it is much easier to just kill the master, and leave the servant without a source of power to stay in this realm." Kirei responded.

"What exactly are servants?" Shirou asked him. "And what kind of a device is the grail, to be able to summon them?"

"Servants are heroes from times past, summoned from the throne of souls to fight. They fight and respond to their summons because they also want their wish granted." Kirei began to respond.

"The grail is not the cup from who Christ drank from in the final supper if that is what you think. In truth, it is a device made by magi to achieve one of the true magics, the Heavens Feel. Thus, some call this war the Heavens Feel ritual.

The grail is capable of granting any wish, no matter what it is. Most magi will use it to reach the spiral of origin, Akasha. Though, even for a device such as the grail, summoning seven servants is a bit beyond it.

What the grail does, is it makes seven archetypes, seven classes in which the servant is summoned in to before hand. The correct servant is summoned into the correct class.

These classes being: Saber, Archer, Lancer, Rider, Assassin, Caster, and Berserker.

The war happens every sixty years, though for some reason it is fifty years early this time." Kirei explained.

"Wait." Shirou breathed. "If the war is fifty years early, then..."

"That's right." Kirei responded, an odd smile on his face. "The Fuyuki fire. Where hundreds died. That was a result of the last war, when someone who was not worthy touched the grail."

Shirou took a deep breath. "I had already decided to join in this war. This clinches it. I will fight this war, and win. So that nothing like what happened ten years ago happens again."

Kirei looked at Shirou, an expression on his face that Shirou could not make out. "Excellent. Welcome to the fifth Holy Grail War, master of Saber."

Shirou and Rin, who had not spoken the entire time, but looked to have calmed down a little, turned and started walking towards the exit.

"Rejoice Emiya." Shirou heard behind him. "Your wish will soon be granted."

Shirou did not turn back.

Outside, Shirou greeted Saber. "It seems that we will be fighting together Saber. Please take care of me."

Saber had a pleased smile on her face. Shirou felt his face redden a bit. 'What is with this?' he questioned himself. Why did she have to be so pretty?

"I'm glad to hear that master. Please, take care of me as well." She responded back.

Shirou sighed. "My name is Shirou Saber. Not master. Actually, I haven't asked you properly yet, but can I call you Saber?"

"Of course mas- Shirou. You may call me Saber. And Shirou, I like the sound of that." she responded back to him.

Shirou once again felt his face redden. She had called him Shirou. Such familiarity. Still, he liked the way his name sounded coming out of her mouth, so he said nothing.

"Alright then Emiya-kun." Rin spoke to him after having watched his and Saber's small exchange.

"It seems that you understand your situation now. I've been nice to you tonight, but from tomorrow onwards, we're enemies." she told him.

Shirou was not surprised she would say that. She was a magus, he was lucky that she had explained anything to him. He accepted the fact that although she had helped him tonight, he would not be so lucky next time.

"Alright, I get it. Thank you for all the trouble you've gone to to help me tonight. You know, you're not a bad person. I like people like you." he told her, a rare smile on his face.

Rin's entire face seemed to redden. Shirou wondered briefly if she was sick, but dismissed it.

She was probably just tired from the long night. He knew he was.

"W-well, w-whatever." she stuttered out. "J-just remember that tomorrow on we're enemies. Good night Emiya-kun."

She seemed a bit pleased, though he did not know why.

Rin and Shirou both turned to leave, but were interrupted by a voice calling out to them.

"Good evening, Onii-san." they both turned down the road and saw a little girl with white hair and red eyes calling out to them.

It was the little girl that had kicked Shirou in a very uncomfortable place the day before. Shirou unconsciously winced and crossed his legs. That kick had hurt.

Saber's eyes widened a little when she saw the girl, but shook her head. There was no way this was Irisviel's daughter. She was too young.

She was probably just a homunculus made by the Einzbern.

She walked up to them. "I see you've summoned your servant Onii-san. Good. You know Onii-san, when I found out you existed I was really eager to play with you."

"Who are you?" asked Shirou, sensing hostility from her.

The girl giggled. "My name is Ilyasviel von Einzbern. How do you do, Onii-san."

Rin tensed, and spoke quickly to Shirou. "This is bad. The Einzbern are a really old family of magi, and they always send someone to compete. They helped make the ritual."

Shirou was skeptical, this little girl, a master?

That quickly ended however, when the girl snapped her finger and called out, "Berserker!"

A figure appeared behind her, and they all stiffened. Archer came out of spirit form behind Rin, hands tensed. 'Well, this is the same at least.' thought Archer. 'It was probably just a fluke that Saber was summoned early. That sword is worrying, but it's probably nothing.'

Archer did not realize just how wrong he was.

Shirou was frozen. This figure, Lancer had been strong, but with his power up he could almost match him. This creature however, was on a different level.

Killing intent filled the air, a black aura covered the beasts form. It was growling, seemed mindless. This girl could control that thing?

It was on an entirely different level from Lancer.

"Onii-san." Ilya called out to him in a sweet voice. "Won't you die for me?"

Berserker roared. That was when all hell broke loose.

Prana burst out around Saber's form. She once again marveled at the power her master fed her through the connection, but quickly cleared her mind. This was life or death.

Beside her, Shirou, Rin and Archer also prepared themselves.

Rin put a couple of jewels in her hands, two swords appeared in Archer's hands. One was black, the other white.

Shirou incanted, "Trace, on." Power burst from Shirou in much the same way that it did Saber.

Instead of white tinged blue however, his was an aura of black, tinged in a blood red. In his hands, a large cleaver appeared, bandages wrapping the hilt.

Archer and Rin, who had not seen him fight with Lancer, looked at him in amazement.

Archer was shocked at this. 'What is this? My past self is not supposed to be able to Trace!? And what power! Is this really me?'

Now even more worried than he was before, Archer concentrated on Berserker. He remembered how hard this battle was, and decided to worry later.

Rin had her own thoughts. 'This crappy magus is able to do this? This amount of prana, no, it doesn't feel like it. It's similar to prana, but it feels, somehow, heavy? And that sword, is that his projection?'

Archer and Rin did not have time to contemplate however, because while they were thinking, Berserker had attacked.

Saber charged herself with prana, and burst forward yelling at Shirou to stay back. Now, in her fight with Lancer, she was in a hallway. It was small, and she did not have much time to move.

Now out in the open however, she seemed to disappear and instantly reappear in front of Berserker in a movement faster than the eye could follow when she reinforced herself with prana and stepped forward.

Saber had a shocked look on her face. 'What was that? I've never gotten such speed out of my prana burst. I covered that in an instant. It was like, my feet didn't even touch the ground until I was in front of him.'

Berseker had a large sword in his hand. No, to call it a sword would be an insult to swords.

It was a large block of cement, fashioned to look like a sword.

It was blunt, and did not have an edge.

Berserker reacted instantly. He immediately swung his sword toward her. She gracefully dodged, and swung her own sword towards him.

With Shirou

As Saber burst forward, Shirou studied her. That burst of prana to reinforce herself, it looked like what he did. He could only use reinforcement magic, on his sword and on himself.

She seemed to use it in the same way. He saw how she gathered in her legs and blasted off in a movement even his new senses couldn't follow.

He grinned. 'Alright, so I think she did it like this...' he thought, charging prana to his legs. He also took a step forward.

And promptly crashed into, and broke, a tree twice the distance he was aiming for away.

Groaning, he stood up and looked back. Ilyasviel had seen his attempt to imitate Saber and was looking at him and giggling.

His attempt had also woken Rin and Archer from their stupor. Rin was openly laughing at him. He saw her mutter something to Archer.

'How embarrassing.' he thought, palming his forehead, when he remembered he was in a death match.

He looked at the fight, worriedly. He didn't think Saber would be able to stand up to that monster.

He blinked though, as he saw her keeping pace.

With Saber

'This Berserker is a tough opponent.' thought Saber, as Berserker once again blocked her sword.

Berserker was a fighter that had no style. His swings looked completely random, he had no grace, and no form of combat.

However, those were things that humans made to cover their own weakness. Humans were naturally weaker than almost any other being, and so they made styles of combat to make up for it.

Kendo, fencing, karate, etc. All made to make up for human weakness.

Berserker however, was most definitely not human, and did not need any of that. He had more than enough speed and power to make up for that.

'However.' Saber mused, 'My master is supplying me so much prana, I'm easily keeping up. Kiritsugu gave me enough, but I'm stronger than I was even with him.'

Saber matched Berserker blow for blow. She was twirling around him in a dance, as berserker attempted to crush her.

She swung at his head, but missed. Berserker aimed at her, trying to crush her with his overwhelming strengh. She moved, but his sword nicked her side, and her armor cracked. She made a slight grimace o pain, but healed her armor.

He was strong, she would have to be more careful.

Berserker seemed happy with his small success, for he swung his sword at her with more force.

She blocked, and instead of being thrown away, she stood her ground, the ground beneath her feet cracking.

Charging her sword with prana, she stepped forward, and gave an overhead slash. Berserker blocked, and the ground beneath him cracked.

Suddenly, she felt her master attempt to use her prana burst.

Saber sighed as she saw him appear a ways away from her, onto a tree.

As she traded blows, she saw Rin and Archer come out of their stupor. She saw Rin tell something to Archer, to which he nodded and his swords disappeared, replaced by a bow.

Berserker roared and swung, but was interrupted by a barrage of arrows. Saber threw herself back, just in time for the arrows to hit both Berserker, and the ground she had been standing in.

They had no effect on berserker though, simply disappearing on contact.

More and more arrows flew into him, like a machine gun. About as strong too.

With Rin and Archer

Rin came out of her stupor as she saw Shirou try to use Saber's technique. She laughed out loud when he hit a tree, though she stopped quickly, remembering her situation.

Looking to Archer, she told him, "Alright Archer, show me what you can really do. Prove to me you're worthy of the title Archer."

He looked at her a little lazily and responded in the affirmative. He quickly erased his swords, and made a bow in his hands.

He quickly jumped onto a building and made an arrow. Wellm arrow was not the right word. It was a sword, twisted into a screw shape, which he quickly knocked into his bow, and fired.

He fired like a machine gun, and his arrows were about as fast and as string.

Archer made a Tch sound when he saw they did nothing. Quickly making more, he continuously fired.

With Shirou

Shirou looked at Rin with anger when a few seconds later, arrows came out of the air and almost hit Saber.

He ran to Saber, not using that burst this time. He didn't want to crash into Berserker.

Seeing he had his back turned, he slashed forward like he had with Lancer, the same blue crescent beam coming out of his slash.

He grinned when it impacted, but was shocked when he still stood, no noticeable damage on him.

Berserker turned to him and roared.

"Shirou!" Saber called out to him.

She used her burst, and appeared in front of him, just as Berserker almost hit him in the face.

She blocked the strike, the sound of thunder roaring out.

Shocked, he could only stare at her.

"Shirou, I told you to stay back!" she exclaimed to him, holding Berserker back. Strangely, no more arrows were coming.

"That attack may have worked on Lancer, but this servant is on an entirely different level! He will kill you if you try to fight him." she spoke to him honestly, but he stood in shock.

Was this really all he could do?

He had received such a large increase in power, but against Lancer, against Berserker, was he really that useless!?

He shook in fear. He took steps backwards, tripping and falling down, numb, even as Saber led Berserker away.

Berserker was more than twice his strength. He was beyond him. He had almost died.

This was fear, he wondered, staring at Saber fighting Berserker.

He wanted to run. He desperately wanted, no, needed to run. He would die here. He would die here!

He froze however, when in his mind he heard something. 'So, this is the extent that you will go? This is the extent of your power? My wielder is a coward that won't fight with his nakama?'

Shirou felt rage course through his veins. 'I am no coward!' He internally shouted out.

'Then stand! Even when the odds are against you, stand, and fight!

Will you let Saber die because you were a coward!' Zangetsu roared at him.

He looked at her. She was starting to tire. She was panting as she fought, the sound of steel against rock filling the air.

'Have you already forgotten what I taught you! The words that I spoke to you when you first shouted my name? Abandon your fear. Look forward. Move forward and never stop.' Zangetsu told him.

Shirou stood, his orange hair covering his eyes. "You will age if you pull back." he muttered.

Ilya looked at him, confused. Rin was also looking at him, wondering what it was that he had said.

"And you will die IF YOU HESITATE!" he roared out, once again using Saber's prana burst. This time however, he did not crash into anything.

He appeared in front of Saber, who looked shocked at his appearance.

"Shirou, did I not tell you to sta-" she was interrupted when Shirou roared, pressure bursting out of him that almost sent her to her knees.

A few feet away, Ilya and Rin did fall on their knees at the sudden pressure.

A skull formed behind Shirou, as he began to scream words out.

Suddenly, with his belief Shirou knew. Earlier that night, against Lancer he had wondered, why his new spell did not have an incantation. Now he knew.

His new mystery was incomplete. Weak. He had not had the resolve. But now he had. He had just met this girl named Saber. The girl that made him feel something.

Had he not proclaimed that he would not let anyone die this war? Had he not promised to get the grail? So that no one would have to die?

Ilya was looking at him with slight fear. 'What, is this pressure?' she wondered.

Rin was also staring at him. 'What is with him? Isn't he supposed to be a weak magus? Someone who I would go after last because he is the weakest master?'

She looked back to where Archer had gone, telling her to move away, that he had a plan.

'How long are you going to take, Archer!' she thought.

Shirou made poured prana into his sword. He now also understood the nature of this spell. It was not a beam.

It was his slash, magnified many times over by his prana. So strong it kept on going and simply looked like a beam.

"GETSUGA-" he began, pulling his sword back.

"TENSHO!" he yelled out, a huge slash coming out of his sword, hitting Berserker, and this time sending him flying into a graveyard.

Everyone looked at him with pure shock on their faces.

Saber looked at him, shock on her face. 'My master.' she decided, looking at his completely serious face. 'Has much steel in him.'

-End of chapter 2-

AN: Well, there you have it. A day early too! Once again, thanks to everyone who has seen this story. I did not expect anywhere near the amount of attention it got.

Once again, please review and tell me your thoughts on this chapter. Your reviews actually inspired me quite a bit.

Check out Gazzadcs story Remaking a Saber and her Sheath. Without him, I wouldn't have gotten the inspiration to make this story.

Japanese Terms

Onii-san – Big brother

-kun – A term of affection for males

Getsuga Tensho – Moon Fang Heaven Piercer

Ja Ne – See Ya!

I believe that's it for terms. If I missed something please tell me and I'll fix it.

Thank you to everyone reading. I'll have chapter 3 out in about another week.

Ja Ne!