As I Pray, Unlimited Blade Works

A/N: It seems that Fate/stay Night isn't a very popular writing subject on this site, which is a real pity, since it's a great story. Anyway, I thought I'd at least make a contribution to the collection of stories.

Warnings: This fic will make a lot more sense if you've read/played the visual novel. Those who have only watched the anime may be at a loss as to what is going on. Although I did my best to keep spoilers out of the summary, there ARE spoilers in this fic. Big ones. This is an alternate storyline that differs from any of the 3 routes of the novel and the anime's story.

***

Flash of blue. A beautiful girl, her eyes alight with determination, swinging an invisible blade. Then…pain. Pain so deep it seemed to penetrate the body and cut straight to the soul. Finally, a voice of command shouting his name, though he barely recognized it.

“Archer! Disappear!”

Involuntarily, he dispersed, mercifully drifting into oblivion as his injuries overcame him. Through vision that was quickly growing dim, he observed a girl stepping forward as if to defend him. Well, that was pretty pathetic…wasn’t he supposed to be some mighty hero? Yet here he was, hiding behind a girl. If he’d had the strength, he’d have laughed at himself as he slipped into darkness.

Archer awoke, sitting up instantly. As he did so, he became aware of two things. First, the action of getting up had triggered an intense burning sensation in his side, just below his ribs. Second, he was sitting on a bed. He looked around, recognizing his surroundings as belonging to Rin’s room. Oh, no…Rin. What had happened to her after he’d been taken out? If his memories were correct, she would be fine...but fate wasn't set in stone. He needed to see her, now.

“Rin.” He attempted to shout, but his voice came out in a hoarse whisper. He tried again. “Rin!”

The door creaked open and a dark-haired girl wearing a red sweater entered the room. Sauntering towards him, she sat down on an ornate wooden chair near the bed.

“So you’re awake. There’s no need to shout, Archer…you weren’t worried about me, were you?”

The girl gave him a smile that clearly showed she was pleased to have caught him so worked up. He resisted the urge to groan. This particular girl was evil to the core…she never ceased to look for ways to humiliate him. Being careful not to let his relief show, he schooled his face into a confident smirk.

“Not a chance. I knew that a great mage like you would be able to handle yourself, even where I failed.”

Rin blushed slightly…she was never quite sure whether he was serious or not when he said these things. The words implied a compliment, but that amused grin suggested that he was making fun of her. It was like some sort of sick trap. If he was mocking her and she took it seriously, she’d look like an idiot. On the other hand, if he was sincere and she got angry, she would have to apologize to him later...a definite loss.

‘What a terrible guy this Servant is,’ she thought, not for the first time.

Archer apparently misunderstood the meaning behind her silence. He quickly sobered, his expression turning serious.

“Rin, I’m sorry. I’m a failure as your Servant.”

The dark-haired girl blinked a few times in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Back there…the fight with Saber…I let myself get cut down without even raising a hand to protect you. I’m not fit to be a knight.”

Rin attempted a light-hearted laugh to hide her shock. She’d never heard Archer talk like this…what was wrong with him? Had the fight shaken him that much?

“Well, Saber is the strongest Servant, after all. You don’t have to be ashamed just because you’re an inferior specimen. Anyway, don't move around too much...my magic healed your wounds, but I estimate you'll take several days to recover...useless Servant.”

Archer almost smiled, recognizing the words for what they were – an attempt to cheer him up. Inside, however, his thoughts boiled in turmoil. Of course Rin hadn’t seen it – to a human, it would have seemed as if he’d been slashed before he could react. By a Servant’s standards, however, the strike had been slow – a test of his abilities before the real fight had begun. How could he explain that he’d been unable to move, that he couldn’t fight against that Servant? Rin was uncertain now, her aqua eyes regarding him in confusion. Archer forced himself to reply to her joking taunt.

“Thanks,” he said in a dry tone. “Do you mind filling me in on what happened?”

“After you were humiliatingly defeated, you mean?” Rin’s eyes sparkled teasingly. “I lost too, I’m afraid…Emiya-kun saved me with his Command Spell.”

‘I remember that,’ thought Archer. ‘It’s one of the few things I don’t regret.’

“What a moron,” he said aloud. “Did you kill the idiot?”

“No! What kind of monster do you take me for?” she replied, looking slightly scandalized.

“A mage who’s serious about winning this Holy Grail War,” Archer shot back. Seeing the hurt look in her eyes, he softened. “All right. I didn’t expect you to do anything to him anyway. What happened after that?”

“Well, Emiya-kun’s not really much of a Master; he can barely even use magic. I took him to the church…I figured that once he heard what he’d gotten himself into, he’d try to drop out as soon as he could. He refused…stubborn kid. Anyway, we parted ways there - I carried you back here with my magic.”

She sounded frustrated. Archer knew his Master well enough to realize that most of the frustration stemmed from worry for her classmate, as well as the internal conflict that resulted from the contradiction between her desire to aid him and her drive to win the war at all costs. This wasn’t good…he’d finally been summoned to this time period - he didn’t intend to waste this opportunity to prevent what should never have happened.

“Rin,” he said firmly. “If we run into that kid again, I’m going to kill him. Is that a problem?”

“N-no,” she faltered, surprised at the vehemence in his voice. “Why would it be?”

The Servant tried not to roll his eyes. What obscure principle of Rin’s behavior required her to be so patently dishonest, even to herself? Obviously, it was a problem – he would have preferred that she had admitted it here so they could have worked it out between them. Now he’d have to worry about her using the Command Spell to stop him at the critical moment. Not only would it be an obscene waste of the last remaining spell, she’d be sealing both of their fates.

‘You’re wrong about him, Rin,’ he thought sadly. ‘Even if you spare him, it won’t stop him from sacrificing you later…to save the lives of complete strangers.’

“If you get in my way,” he said coldly, “I won’t help you anymore…you’ll have to win the war on your own.”

“Archer!” Rin’s voice was shocked.

He turned his face away resolutely.

“Okay. If he becomes a problem, I won’t stop you. I don’t want us to argue.”

“Swear it. Give your word as a mage.”

“Archer…”

“Your word, Rin.”

“I swear. Happy now?”

‘Liar,’ he thought bitterly. ‘Well, no matter. I won’t let you stop me when the time comes.’

Outwardly he smiled, relaxing the tension that had built up in the room. “Yeah. I’m sorry; it’s not my place as a Servant to speak to my Master like that.”

“No, it’s fine,” responded Rin. “I should keep myself focused on the goal of winning the Holy Grail War.”

A sudden thought occurred to her as she looked at the red knight. Killing the Master was the most efficient way of avoiding combat with a Servant who possessed superior combat ability. Could it be...?

“Archer…are you afraid of Saber?”

“Aren’t you?” he countered.

“Well…yeah, I am,” she admitted. “I used ritual-level magic against her, and she shrugged it off as if it was a cantrip. And she would have killed me without hesitation if Emiya-kun hadn’t interfered.”

“You’re right to be frightened. That Servant is deadly; her Noble Phantasm is probably the strongest…”

He trailed off, realizing he had made a terrible mistake.

“Noble Phantasm? Archer, do you know Saber’s identity…?”

Knowing it was futile, Archer shook his head mutely.

“Why are you hiding things? Tell me!”

He winced as he felt an incredible pressure cover his body. Too late, he remembered the Command Spell she had placed upon him when they had first met…to obey every order she gave. Luckily, the request was too much, even for the Command Spell. She couldn’t force him to answer. Still, the compulsion to do as she asked was nearly debilitating. The more he resisted, the greater the pressure became.

“Rin...please, let it go.”

Rin turned on him, furious. “What is this? We’re a team, Archer! Why are you withholding information that could get me killed?”

“I…it’s personal.”

“Damn it, Archer! I should force you to tell.”

She looked down on the lone remaining Command Spell emblazoned on her hand.

“Please,” Archer repeated. “Not over something this trivial.”

“It’s not like I care about Saber’s identity,” Rin continued, getting up and starting to pace back and forth. “It’s about trust. I thought I could trust you, Archer.”

“You can. So when I tell you that I’m not betraying you, please believe me.”

Rin gave him a long look before finally relaxing. He sighed in relief as the immense pressure surrounding him finally subsided. “Fine. I won’t ask you to tell me about Saber. What about you? Has this little conversation refreshed your memory about who you are?”

Damn. Damn, damn, damn. This girl was too perceptive…although it wasn’t as if he hadn’t known that already.

“All right, I lied about that as well. I know who I am. As my Master, you have the right to demand my identity as a Heroic Spirit. Are you going to exercise it?”

Rin smiled wickedly. “Of course not. I trust you, Archer.”

***

A/N: I know this chapter was short, but it just felt right to end it there (plus, I'm pretty tired). I hope FSN fans can enjoy this fic. As always, I ask anyone who reads my work to leave a review, it's always great to hear from you! Comments, critiques, and flames are welcomed. See you next chapter!