As I Pray, Unlimited Blade Works

A/N: This chapter was a lot of fun...the characters almost wrote themselves. I hope you have as much fun reading it as I did in writing it.

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To my reviewers:

@Ray: I'm exceedingly pleased at your continued interest in this fic. As long as I have one reader, I can continue on! AdultFanFiction.net is getting at least one-decent length Fate/stay Night fic, whether it wants it or not! Please continue to read and review!

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The red knight stood upon the top of the skyscraper, his keen eyes piercing the darkness.

“How about it, Archer?” The dark-haired girl stepped forward so that she was standing next to him. “See anything?”

“No,” replied the Servant. “I don’t sense any other Servants around here, either.”

“Geez…what can the other Masters be doing?”

“Gathering magical energy by attacking humans, I suppose. That much is obvious from the news we’ve heard lately.”

The young Master looked up from her ruminations. “That reminds me. I want you to make locating whatever Servant is behind the attacks your top priority.”

“What? You have Saber’s Master right in front of you – he’s a complete novice, and you want to let him go? The truce is over, correct?”

“Yes, but Emiya-kun isn’t a threat. We should eliminate the dangerous opponents first.”

“You go to the same school, do you not?” pressed Archer. “It should be a simple matter to attack him there, without expending too much energy.”

“Don’t be silly, Archer. There’ll be too many people watching, plus he’ll most likely have Saber with him. I don’t mean to offend, but you’re no match for her in your current state.”

Archer gazed at his Master intently. “And if he were to show up alone…?”

Rin returned his gaze steadily, although her insides writhed. “Then I’ll kill him, of course.”

Archer nodded in satisfaction before returning to his vigil, staring out into the night.

***

Shirou Emiya awoke to a splitting headache. It felt as though an iron bar was being driven through his temple, piercing his brain. He groaned, opening his eyes. The first image his brain registered was that of a blonde-haired girl, her green eyes staring down at him in concern.

“Eh…Saber? What’s going on?”

“Master…you’re awake. Thank goodness.”

Shirou looked around, noticing that he was lying upon the futon in his room.

“How did I get here? I thought I was in the shed.”

“Ah…you were sleeping, so I carried you here.” Saber’s cheeks tinged pink.

“Oh,” replied Shirou, also blushing slightly. He cleared his throat, trying to alleviate the tension in the air. “Hey…wait, Saber! I told you, girls shouldn’t do these types of things!”

Saber's blush vanished, her emerald eyes narrowing in annoyance. “Shirou,” she began, “I do not want to think this, but can it be that you are still thinking of me as a woman?”

She displayed her displeasure with a frown, although it looked more like a petulant pout to Shirou.

‘Cute…’ he thought. ‘Saber is really cute, even when she’s angry with me.’

Aloud, he said boldly, “Of course I am. You’ll always be a woman to me, Saber.”

Saber’s blush came back full-force, turning her entire face a fiery red.

I’m saying that you’re in love with your Master.

Recalling Archer’s words made her feel ashamed. She had no business fraternizing with her Master. Her goal was clear – she had to fulfill her duty.

“I am a knight before I am a woman,” she declared sternly. “Please refrain from making such troubling remarks.”

The red-haired Master simply smiled, as if he hadn’t heard her words.

“More importantly,” Saber rushed on, “Archer was here last night. He snuck through the barrier and placed you under a sleeping spell.”

“Archer is a mage?” Shirou questioned with some amazement. “I thought he was just…well, an archer.”

“Yes, I was surprised as well. However, you should be aware of such possibilities. Heroic spirits are often skilled in many arts.”

“Can you use magic then, Saber?” Shirou asked curiously.

Saber looked somewhat embarrassed. “Forgive me, Master. I am but a simple warrior.”

“Ah, no…I didn’t mean it like that. Anyway, you completely defeated Archer, right? So it doesn’t matter if you can’t use magic!”

Saber sat back on her knees, closing her eyes thoughtfully. “I wonder,” she said at last, “whether I really won that night.”

“Huh? Of course you did. If Rin hadn’t saved him…”

“Archer is a strange Servant,” interrupted Saber. “I feel no will to fight from him. He is holding back, not showing us any of his abilities. We would do well not to underestimate him.”

“I’m more worried about Berserker,” replied Shirou, chuckling lightly. “I don’t want to die again. I might not come back next time.”

Sabers eyes remained troubled. “Yes. Berserker is indeed formidable. I am no match for him.”

The female Servant started as her Master gently took her hand in his. “Don’t worry so much, Saber. I know you can do it.”

Saber stammered in protest, but Shirou simply gripped her hand tightly, smiling up at her with complete trust. “As long as I have Saber, I can win…that’s what I believe.”

He let go of her hand and got up, testing his limbs carefully. “It doesn’t seem like Archer’s spell had any aftereffects,” he commented over his shoulder. Yawning and stretching, he headed for the door.

“Where are you going, Master?” Saber asked, startled.

“To school, of course,” replied Shirou. “I’m going to be late, so I’m afraid I can’t make breakfast for you…”

He froze, his skin tingling. “Saber…I could be wrong, but I think I felt a murderous intent just now.”

“No,” said Saber evenly. “You are not mistaken, Shirou.”

The young Master turned slowly to face his Servant, wincing at the too-calm expression on her face. “Y-y-you can g-get angry if y-you like, S-S-Saber,” he stammered nervously.

“No,” repeated the Servant, her voice chilly. “I want to ensure your understanding of my words, so I will speak calmly.”

“I’m very sorry about breakfast,” Shirou began quickly.

“This is not about breakfast, Shirou,” interrupted Saber. “Did you, perhaps, not hear me when I said we must not underestimate our opponents?”

“I…” Shirou tried to answer, but Saber wasn’t listening.

“Could it be that you did not understand me when I told you that Archer easily penetrated our defenses last night?” she asked rhetorically.

“Yes, but…”

“Do you want to die, Shirou?”

“No…”

“Then why,” Saber shouted exasperatedly, “would you try to go to school, completely unprotected!?” Her serene front crumbled, her voice rising to an uncharacteristic shriek as she concluded her lecture.

“But…school is safe,” Shirou protested timidly.

“Safe? Rin goes to your school, does she not?”

“Tohsaka-san? Yeah, she does. But what does that have to do with anything?”

Saber shook her head, then began explaining in a tone of voice that one might use with a slightly dim six-year-old. “If Rin is there,” she said slowly, “Archer will be there as well. Either one of them could kill you easily, Shirou.”

“Tohsaka wouldn’t do that,” said Shirou stubbornly.

“Rin is a magus, Shirou. She will try to kill you, even if her personal feelings dictate otherwise. For magi and Servants, winning this war is the only reason for our existence.”

“That may be true,” responded Shirou, “but it’s against the rules to do anything during the day where people can see, right?”

“Correct,” replied Saber. “However, other Masters will be almost certainly waiting to attack a defenseless magus. You will not be safe once night falls.”

“Don’t worry,” said Shirou unconcernedly. “I’ll come back before then.”

“If you are so insistent on going to school, then I will accompany you.”

“No! I’ve already told Fuji-nee that you’re a distant relation that’s come to visit. She’s already suspicious…you can’t come.”

“I will come,” said Saber resolutely. “What Taiga thinks is irrelevant.”

“It’s relevant to me! This war might be the most important thing for you and Tohsaka, but all I want to do is protect people, including Fuji-nee!”

Saber drew herself up with dignity. “As I’ve already told Taiga, I will protect you, no matter what. She will simply have to accept that, along with the rest of your friends. I am coming with you.”

“I’m telling you, you’re not!” shouted Shirou angrily. Why couldn’t she understand?

Wordlessly, Saber began putting her shoes on, signaling that the argument was at an end. Shirou groaned. He had hoped it wouldn’t come to this, but…

“Saber,” he said firmly. “I still have this.” He indicated the Command Spells etched on the back of his hand.

“Are you insane, Master? That’s…”

“I’m going to school. You’re staying here, or I’m using one of these. Understand?”

The Servant looked at him helplessly, her face showing indecision. Shirou sighed, feeling sorry for her.

“Look, I just need you to stay here, okay? I promise to be back soon.”

“There are only three Command Spells. If you are going to use them to order me not to protect you, I do not have much hope for our victory.” She sighed. “I shall remain here, but you must promise something first.”

“What is it?”

“Due to my incomplete summoning, our bond is still weak. If you are in danger, it is likely that I will not notice before it is too late. Therefore, should you be attacked by enemies, call me using your Command Spells.”

“Ah, I see. All right, then, I’ll call you if I need your help.” He began to walk away, but was stopped by the light touch of Saber’s hand upon his shoulder.

“I am serious, Shirou. Please do not attempt to fight a Servant by yourself.”

He nodded, letting her see that he wasn’t taking the situation lightly. “I promise. I’ll see you soon, Saber.”

He left, closing the door behind him. Saber sat down in the entranceway, resisting the urge to follow him.

‘It won’t do any good to worry about him,’ she scolded herself. ‘The only thing I can do now is to be his sword, and protect him against his enemies.’

She knew she would worry all the same, however.

***

Shirou breathed heavily as he ran through the streets. He was late, and it was all because Saber was so stubborn. He wasn’t angry with her, of course, but if Fuji-nee got mad at him, it would be a certain blonde-haired girl’s fault, he decided. Panting, he dashed through the gate just as the bell that signaled the beginning of class began to ring.

After entering the building, he slowed to a fast walk as he moved through the hallways. The last thing he needed was for a teacher like Kuzuki-sensei to catch him running. As he walked past the staircase leading up to the second floor, he stopped, feeling someone’s eyes on him. He looked up to meet the expressionless gaze of Rin Tohsaka, who was standing at the top of the stairs with her honor student disguise firmly in place.

“Ah, Tohsaka-san, you’re late too? You should hurry, then.”

The dark-haired girl did not reply, except to assume an expression of extreme shock and incredulity. Shirou found himself getting a little annoyed – he knew she had to keep up appearances in school, but they’d been through a lot together in the past few days. She didn’t have to just ignore him when there was no one around to see them. Why did she try so hard to seem like the “perfect girl” anyway? He liked the real person behind the mask a lot better.

“If you’re not going to say anything, I’m going to class.”

Without responding, she whirled and stomped away, muttering something that sounded distinctly like “idiot” under her breath. Shirou blinked. Had he done something to make her angry? Well, there was no time to worry about it now. He resumed walking, quickly making his way to his first class of the day.

***

Rin fumed as she walked down the hallway. Hadn’t she warned him? Hadn’t she told him, over and over, that they’d be enemies once they met again? And now he had the gall to show his face before her without even bringing his Servant. She’d held some hope that he wouldn’t even come to school, but failing that, she’d at least expected him to have the presence of mind to bring Saber with him. The situation was not improved by the addition of Archer’s smug mental voice as the invisible Servant floated along behind her in spiritual form.

Rin, I don’t like to say “I told you so,” but…

“Then don’t say it,” she replied shortly. She began muttering under her breath again. “How dare you, Shirou! You deserve to be killed!”

We’re doing it, then?

“Don’t be so impatient. We’ll have to catch him alone first.”

Stay after school and wait in the hall. He’ll be there. I guarantee it.

The voice sounded within her mind with a dreadful eagerness. This was it – she didn’t have a choice anymore. If she didn’t kill Shirou here, Archer would abandon her as a hopelessly incompetent Master. Killing…she had known it would be required of her, but she’d still had some hope. For a moment she wanted to be sick and vomit all over the clean floor in front of her. Some of the emotions she felt were apparently communicated to her Servant, since the disembodied voice spoke within her mind again, sounding gentle.

You don’t have to watch, Rin. Just stay in the classroom. I’ll kill him quickly…he won’t suffer.

She wasn’t sure what made her angrier – that Archer assumed she was such a coward that she would want to curl into a ball and hide while he killed someone she knew, or the fact that he was right. As much as she hated herself for even considering it, the suggestion had a terrible appeal. She could sit in the classroom and pretend nothing was happening. Then Archer would come back, and they would go home together, and they wouldn’t say anything about it. Shirou would simply…disappear from her life. She was sure Archer would be sensitive enough to take care of the body…

She convulsed, retching. Fortunately, she hadn’t eaten breakfast that morning, so there was nothing in her stomach to throw up. She leaned against the wall, letting her back slide down slowly.

“I can’t do this,” she whispered. “I can’t, I can’t, I can’t…”

The invisible presence continued to watch her, sympathetic but unyielding. Tears slid slowly down her cheeks, leaving wet trails across her face. She tried to compose herself, hiccupping slightly. Crying in front of her Servant…this was shameful. She was glad that no one had happened to walk by – then they’d ask what was wrong, and she’d have to lie and say she’d failed a test or something stupid. Normal teenage troubles, not those of a girl about to become a murderer.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt a pair of arms slide around her, holding her gently.

“A-Archer?” she stammered.

It’s okay to cry, Rin. I know you never wanted this. It wasn’t your fault, you tried to avoid it…but that kid is such a damned idiot. It’s a mercy for us to kill him, remember that. If we don’t, someone else will…like Berserker.

She pushed the invisible figure away lightly. “Enough, Archer,” she declared confidently, her face fully composed. “I know that already. I’ll do it myself.”

This was evidently not what the Servant had been expecting, since his telepathy sounded startled.

What?

“I said that I’ll kill Emiya-kun with my own hands. He’s my responsibility, since I introduced him to the war.”

Rin…

“Just stand aside and watch, Archer. You may have a bad opinion of me from what you’ve seen so far, but I’ll show you what I can do.”

‘And I won’t kill him unless I absolutely have to,’ she thought privately.

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A/N: As always, if you're reading this, I ask you to leave a review. All comments are welcomed.