Just an idea prompted some time ago by a silly idea. I regret nothing.
In the bright moonlight, a war raged in the city of Fuyuki. It had been inevitable, and while there had been skirmishes leading up to it, tonight was when it had begun in full.
In the fenced in backyard of a particular house, a battle was currently being fought. The sound of clashing metal hung in the air as sparks flared into existence before being snuffed out with each contact between a long red lance and a shining metal blade. The latter was plain, unadorned, yet it did not shatter under the blows of the other weapon.
The two facing off made quite the contrasting pair. One was tall and muscular, hair a blue color that matched the blue and silver of his jumpsuit, along with red eyes. The other was a young woman, with flowing black hair, gold eyes, wearing a flowing crimson dress that nonetheless did not interfere significantly with her ability to fight.
"Not bad," Lancer admitted as he sprang back. He was no worn down in the slightest, and Saber was the same as she eyed him carefully. He was dangerous, that much was obvious from their brief clash, and she was still working out who he was. There was no way she would let him harm her Master.
Still she grinned, hefting the sword into a casual ready position once more. "You're not bad yourself. I suppose it's a good thing my Master summoned me when he did. You might have hurt him, and we couldn't have that."
Lancer shrugged in turn, visibly unconcerned by what Saber had said. "I already killed him once before you know. Now come on, show me another trick already. I'm getting bored."
Saber's grin widened even as she shook her head, acting the part even as she refused his request. "Don't you know? It's impolite for a lady to reveal her full hand on the first date. You're going to have to try harder than that if you want something from me."
It was hard to tell whether her sarcasm was lost, but the two were back at it in moments. Saber was aware of her Master watching from beyond, safe and away from this conflict. Given who it was, she would want nothing less. Her sword shuddered with every impact, yet she continued to hold her own against Lancer.
At last the man simply decided to call it quits, backing off once more as his lance rested on his shoulder. "I guess it's your lucky day. My Master wants me for something. I'm looking forward to our next match," he said as he walked off, glancing back with a cocky grin at the same time.
"I'm looking forward to it," Saber called after him. Her tone spoke only sincerity, and she really was. Lancer was a good fighter, and against such an opponent she could never refuse the offer of battle.
Shirou felt a profound sense of relief as the strange man in blue beat his retreat, ending the immediate threat to his life. He let out a breath that he didn't realize he had been holding in, even as his mind turned to wondering just what he was going to do now. It wasn't any sort of situation he was used to.
Well, first things first, and he turned to address the strange woman that had randomly appeared in his shed. He didn't have the chance to though as he was suddenly embraced in a hug, a wince escaping as he felt his bones creak against supernatural strength. Sadly, the woman was either blissfully ignorant, or just didn't care.
"I can't believe it! It's you! You you you! Only fate could have brought the two of us together like this!" She was exuberant to the point of bursting, taken with some happiness that Shirou didn't understand. But that was alright. How could he possibly understand the sheer joy she felt at being here right now, being the Servant of one of the people she cared for most on this blue planet? Sure, he didn't have white hair, and he wasn't tall yet, but that was just details. He was still the same person.
"I'm sorry, do I know you?" Shirou asked in confusion, simply letting her hug him even as she practically lifted him off his feet and spun him around like a rag doll.
Saber grinned ever as she looked up at the redhead, at last placing him down on the ground so he could recover. "Not yet," she admitted shamelessly. "But you will. In the future, the two of us are going to be the best of friends, and I mean besides the Grail War that we're in right now."
"Grail War? What's that?" Shirou's confusion was obvious to read, but Saber was hardly surprised by that. He didn't have the knowledge that she did, even in this limited form. Well, she would just have to enlighten him.
Pulling him close, she patted him on the hand before lifting his hand to present the red marks emblazoned there. "See these? They're your command seals. It's a sign that you're a participant in the Holy Grail War, a battle between seven Servants and their Masters for the Holy Grail, and the right to make a wish."
"O-Oh." That didn't seem to have helped, but Saber wasn't worried. He would pick up on it soon enough. He probably just needed time to take it all in. Though she was smart enough to know that the blush rising to his cheeks was from something a bit more than simply being tired.
With her arm wrapped around his shoulder, she couldn't help but grin happily, simply basking in the presence of the boy who would become one of her finest Counter Guardians. "Don't worry Shirou, with me fighting for you we don't have a chance of losing, I promise."
Shirou struggled for what to say, until at last he managed to answer her and address what he had been told. "But I don't have a wish." From what she knew of Shirou though, that was not much of a surprise. Just another part of his personality that she adored.
Saber shook her head, shrugging as well as she addressed that. "Oh, that doesn't matter. You're such a kind and caring person, I'm sure you'll think of something." It was a sentiment she meant with all sincerity
She didn't give him time to think on that though, spinning away and grabbing hold of his hand to yank him forward. "Come on then, show me around! I want to see all of this place, and I want to learn everything I can about my Master before we start fighting the Grail War. And I mean everything." Turning to face him once more, she bent forward slightly as she gave him a coy wink.
It definitely had the sort of result that she was looking for, the redhead's blush deepening as he tried to pull his hand away. "I'm glad to hear that. But, uhh, you don't have to hold my hand you know."
For every effort he made though, she resisted it with the natural strength a Servant. She was not about to let him go that easily, even as she looked on him with concern. "But Master, I have to make sure you stay safe and give you my support. You don't look well, you know?"
Eventually Shirou had to relent, even if he tried to maintain a healthy distance at the same time. Quick movements kept his arm extended, even as he shook his head. "I'm fine. There's no need to worry about me." Which was true, but that wasn't the point.
"Are you sure," Saber cooed as she began to pull him towards the house once more. "You have blood on our shirt, you know. Oh, I bet it was that meanie Lancer who did it, wasn't it? We should get that looked at right now, just in case."
Before they could get to the house though she started, head rising as she looked towards the entrance of the compound. "Get behind me Master, someone's coming," she said as she stepped forward, manifesting another blade in the process as a duo entered the compound, rapidly coming to a stop once confronted.
Shirou's eyes widened slightly, as if they could do so any more than they had already, as he looked on at the new arrival with a sense of familiarity and renewed confusion.
"Tohsaka?"
"Emiya?"
Well then, it seemed that the two of them knew each other. But the girl was an enemy master, and as Tohsaka'a Servant appeared to protect her and possibly attack Shirou, she was ready for it. She would fight, no matter the cost to herself.
Yet for how surprised Shirou was, Saber was even more struck by the Servant that emerged into view, one she almost immediately recognized. "Y-you?" This was impossible, too incredible to be believed, and yet here it was facing her down. She would not look past the gift.
"Oh my god I can't believe you're here too!" Interrupting whatever it had been that Rin was saying, Saber dropped her sword and raced forward, a bright smile spreading across her face at the same time as she closed the distance
While Archer had been ready for a fight, he was not ready for what happened as Saber saw him, the young woman zipping forward. But rather than attack, she instead embraced him at what was practically a running jump. Needless to say, any effort that Archer had to resist was futile.
The two swords that he held clattered to the ground even as the black haired girl gaped and then fumed in annoyance, even as Saber focused on the other servant. Archer was practically ramrod straight, even as she held herself close to her. "Come now Emiya, you didn't think you could get away from me that easily, did you?"
Oh, that had exactly the impact she wanted as he sprang back away from her at the first opportunity, surprise and realization present on his face for only a few moments before fading away back to the calm indifference that had been there before. But she knew the truth, and she was not about to let him forget it.
It was worth it though to see Tohsaka glare at him, anger and inquisitiveness plain to see. "Archer, who is that," she asked in a tone that bode no arguments. Yet it was all the more amusing for Saber. It seemed he had a habit of finding himself in the company of strong willed women.
"I couldn't tell you," Archer replied, a hand resting on his hip. "I don't remember."
Now that just wouldn't do. How could Emiya not remember her? "Really? Even after everything we've done together?" She looked at Tohsaka then, letting the other girl experience her annoyance. "I'm sad to see you got saddled with such an incompetent Master. I'll gladly help you recover so we can win this war together."
Tohsaka huffed, glaring at her in turn. "Look who's talking. Emiya isn't even a magus!"
In turn Saber stepped in front of Shirou, a hand pushing him back even as she shot back at Tohsaka. "My Master is perfectly capable. He was able to summon me without any problems after all. But if you'd like to put that to the test then I'd be more than willing." She hot a grin at Archer, who suppressed a shudder.
Tohsaka huffed, considering the possibility before laying it to rest. "I'll be nice this one time and let you go without a fight," she said to Shirou. "But if you insist on participating in this war then the next time we meet I won't hold back."
"Archer, let's go." That said, Rin turned on her heels and strode off, a dangerous presence hat began to fade away even if she still held the promise of future conflict. Oh, they would fight later in the War, Saber was certain of that.
Archer remained longer than Rin had, if only to fix her Master with a piercing gaze. "Beware your Servant, Shirou Emiya. She is more dangerous than you can possibly imagine." And with that, he was gone.
As he made his tactical retreat, he would nonetheless be able to hear her answer to that, carried upon the wind by sheer volume. "JERK!!!"
The sheer gall that Archer presented, as if he could simply deny even knowing her like that! It wasn't something that Saber would allow to stand. In a burst of mana her sword reappeared in her hands, a second before she sprang off after the retreating duo.
"Don't think I'm going to let you get away with something like that so easily, Emiya," she called in an almost sing-song voice, even as she moved to catch up to Archer and do various unpleasant things to him for what he had told her master.
That definitely earned some worry though as Archer swept Rin off of her feet, carrying her along as he kicked into full motion as well, choosing to retreat rather than fight this battle. A wise choice for him, as far as Saber was concerned.
After the initial surprise, Rin was starting to get annoyed, folding her arms across her chest as she glared at Archer. "Are you sure you don't know anything about Saber?"
"I'm certain that I do not remember anything about the Servant chasing us," Archer replied as he moved from rooftop to rooftop. He was keeping a good pace, but whether it would be enough to escape the murderbent Servant behind him was another question.
That did not eliminate Rin's glare, sadly for him. "Really, because I could have sworn that she called you Emiya."
"That's right, you better run," Saber yelled after them, wearing a maniacal grin. "When I get through with you, you'll never question my authority ever again. You better hope that endurance keeps up, because I have all sorts of things planned for when I catch you."
Unsurprisingly, Archer did not stop running, even as he performed damage control. "You must have misheard her. With everything going on it wouldn't be a surprise." Needless to say, he had his work cut out for him.
Down below, Shirou watched in confusion as everyone took off, before he relented and joined the chase himself, trying to catch up before someone got hurt. "Oy Saber, Tohsaka, wait up!" Somehow he had the feeling that his life had just gotten a whole lot more complicated.
- - - - - -
In a modest Church positioned on a hill, across town from the aforementioned house, someone stirred in the darkness.
A figure clad in the black robes of a priest stepped from where he had been positioned in front of the altar into the back rooms of the Church itself. These were more well lit, bearing the signs of heavy usage by the priest as well as others, but it was not gaudily decorated. It was more bare to the point of austerity, as one would expect from a priest.
He arrived at his destination soon enough, stepping into the small room where a couch, a table, and a blond haired figure laying stretched out on that couch awaited. "My King, it appears that Saber has been summoned at last. The Fifth Holy Grail War has now begun," the dark haired priest said with a respectful bow.
The blond haired man looked up at the new entry almost disdainfully, accepting the show of submission even as he focused on the news. "It is about time. I've waited around in this era for long enough, and am ready to go to work."
"There has been one complication," the priest informed him, unflinching in the face of possible retribution. "It appears that the Saber summoned was not the one you informed me to anticipate."
Attention caught, an eyebrow rose slightly as the King regarded the Priest. "Oh?"
"Yes. Lancer gave quite a thorough report before breaking off, and she does not match the fighting style you indicated, nor the physical appearance."
For a moment there was silence, before the King returned to his previous position, head tilted back to look at the ceiling. Wheels turned in his mind even as a grin broke across his features. "I see. Perhaps this War will be worth my time after all." Perhaps.
With nothing more to say, the Priest took his leave. The War had begun, and now it was time for the opening act to begin.