Fate: Shifted Origins

[Lycodrake]

Renko, sadism is not healthy. And reading it as "bashing" and enjoying it is in poor taste.

[SINIB]

I feel sorry for Shinji for once.

[Kishou the Badger]

Another ripple effect. Since Rin here is not as passive as Sakura, she sees no reason to let Shinji get by. He serves as her stress-relief toy since she can't take down the real root of the problem, Zouken. He's still angry of losing what should be his privilege IHO but he can't abuse Rin without getting it back tenfold.

But another point. I can understand Sakura not telling Shirou about the pit, but why wouldn't Rin?

[Barbarossa]

I feel sorry for Shinji for once.

I was hoping to make Shinji a more sympathetic figure. While he remains a self-centered, prick, Shinji hasn't really done anything that deserved getting beaten within an inch of his life over in this timeline. Sure, the impetus for Rin's attack was his callous dismissal of the horrors she had to face everyday, but he was emotionally compromised at the time.

But another point. I can understand Sakura not telling Shirou about the pit, but why wouldn't Rin?

If Shirou knew he'd want need to be a hero and would do something that Rin would view as being stupid and dangerous. She keeps him in the dark about Zouken, the pit, and the War because she doesn't want him to try and get involved and end up getting himself killed.

[Fan_Fic_Reader]

I was hoping to make Shinji a more sympathetic figure. While he remains a self-centered, prick, Shinji hasn't really done anything that deserved getting beaten within an inch of his life over in this timeline. Sure, the impetus for Rin's attack was his callous dismissal of the horrors she had to face everyday, but he was emotionally compromised at the time.


If Shirou knew he'd want need to be a hero and would do something that Rin would view as being stupid and dangerous. She keeps him in the dark about Zouken, the pit, and the War because she doesn't want him to try and get involved and end up getting himself killed.

It is very interesting the way things turn out, not to mention reasonable.

[Altima of the Gates]

She has complete freedom to be called a selfish piece of crap by Kotomine for attempting to have some semblance of a normal life. Sakura doesn't challenge Kotomine in the same way that Rin did and as a result she has developed a warped sense of responsibility that puts her magecraft and her other responsibilities above all else to an isolating degree.

I mainly meant that learning would most likely be a more fun thing for her, but yes, I can see Kirei preying on certain aspects she has. I wanted to point out though, that Rin approached Kirei as a fellow disciple of her father, while Sakura wouldn't necessarily do that ( basically a cordial, business-like address of "Father" (as in priest father), as opposed to Rin's "Kirei"), thus why Kirei and Rin had a strained, but close relationship. Also, that Sakura can read people. She just seemed way too waif-like is what I'm saying.

If Shirou knew he'd want need to be a hero and would do something that Rin would view as being stupid and dangerous. She keeps him in the dark about Zouken, the pit, and the War because she doesn't want him to try and get involved and end up getting himself killed.

That is essentially why Sakura didn't, past just the shame.

You did make Shinji sympathetic, but the irony was that Nasu said that if he was treated like dirt, he'd feel, well "better" isn't the right word, but "self-assured" might work. Because the Matou "heir" wouldn't seem such a "pushover". He took Sakura's genuine fatalistic realism since she knew the family was utter shit, not worthy of pretending to have any sort of family pride about, and honest sympathy for his situation as flippant abdication of her role as heir and making fun of him. I could see him being disgusted with Rin as things progressed, but also have this feeling that she was a "strong heir", as ironic as that sounds.

[Barbarossa]

2/1 Part 1

…

Looking to his left, Shirou saw that he was alone in bed which meant that he'd overslept for the second day in a row. Considering that Rin had spent the night he figured that he was probably in the clear this morning. Rising from his bed, Shirou noticed an odd red bruise on his hand. It didn't hurt and he didn't remember getting it, but he thought it would be better to bandage it up.

After getting dressed and bandaging his hand, Shirou entered the living room and greeted Rin.

"You didn't have to do this again, Rin. You could have woken me up to make breakfast."

"I felt like letting you sleep...However, I expect restitution." She said.

"I'm sorry, I don't follow." Shirou replied.

"Valentine's Day is two weeks from now, I want you to take me on a date." Rin flatly stated.

Shirou was taken aback. The two were an unorthodox couple; even though they had started dating over a year ago, they had only been on four public dates, and Shirou had instigated all but the first of them.

"Um...alright. Where do you want to go?" He asked.

"I don't know." She replied.

"Are you craving anything in particular?" He asked.

"Bacon and eggs, that's why I made them." She replied without a hint a sarcasm.

"No, I meant for dinner." Shirou responded in frustration.

"What I'm craving for dinner right now and what I'm craving in two weeks may be two entirely different things."

"You know, you're being very disagreeable right now." He said.

Before Rin could respond, the door shot open and Taiga charged into the house.

"Good morning, Shirou!" the hyperactive school teacher called out.

"Good morning, Fujinee!"

"Good morning, Fujimura-sensei."

"Oh, Rin-chan is here." Taiga said as she entered the living room. "And she made breakfast again?"

"Yes on both counts, Fujimura-sensei." Rin responded.

Taiga nudged Shirou in the side with her elbow and whispered, "Did you apologize?"

"Why what for?" Asked Shirou.

Taiga glared at Shirou, shaking her head.

The three were taking their seats to eat when Taiga pulled out a number of rolled up posters.

"I need to get rid of these, so I was planning on giving them to you."

"Why, I don't want them‒huh, my pepper is out." Shirou said as he tried to season his eggs.

"Here take mine." Taiga replied, barely containing a smile.

Shirou went to to put a little extra pepper on his eggs only for the top to fall off and smother his eggs in a mountain of pepper.

Taiga immediately burst into great guffaws of laughter. "I was prepared this time for a Western breakfast." she proudly proclaimed.

"Gah, Taiga! You crazy woman, you ruined my food." Shirou shot back.

"Serves you right for two days ago and for worrying poor Rin-chan and I last night."

"Had the events of the prior evening really brought Fujinee that much closer to Rin?" Shirou wondered. He was happy to see the two getting along better, but wasn't sure he liked the idea of them teaming up against him.

As Shirou cleared his eggs of the mountain of pepper and Taiga scarfed her food down at breakneck speed, Rin spoke.

"I won't be over for dinner for the next few nights, Shirou."

"Huh? Is something going on?" Shirou asked.

"There's a family event that my grandfather wants me to take part in. As a result, my evenings will be full for at least the next week." She answered.

"Family," Shirou thought. The inner machinations of the Matou household were an enigma that refused to reveal their secrets. Shirou had asked Rin about her family before; he'd even talked to Shinji about it, but they were quick to direct the conversation away from their lives. He thought better of asking Rin what this family event of hers would entail. If Rin wanted him to know she'd tell him when the time came. Until then he would be silent on the matter, although that wouldn't stop him from pondering about it.

After that revelation, breakfast was fairly quiet and ordinary. Taiga left in a rush to grade yet more papers that she had forgotten and Shirou and Rin silently finished their breakfasts. As Shirou locked up the house he happened to notice that Rin's hand was bandaged in roughly the same place as his.

"How odd," Shirou silently noted as the pair left for school. He recalled asking her about the bruise on her hand the previous day. She had assured him that it had been the result of her sleeping on it. But shouldn't it have been better by now?

"Are you alright?" Shirou asked.

Rin looked to him questioningly, surprised by the fact that he had broken the silence that had been practically sacrosanct.

"Your hand, is it alright?" Shirou asked, elaborating on his first question.

"It's fine. I bruised it at my house yesterday." She replied.

"You weren't fighting with your brother again?" Shirou asked, recalling all the times that Shinji had come to school injured.

"It wasn't from fighting. I was moving something for my grandfather." She responded, glaring at him.

Despite their conversation not stemming Shirou's worries, the silence that normally characterized their journey to and from schools set back in.

…

Sakura drowsily yawned as she looked up from her bed to the clock hanging across the room from her: according to the old time piece, it was nearly one o'clock. She didn't forget that the clocks were an hour ahead, not this time anyways. Even if it was only noon, it was still far later in the day than she had hoped to awaken. She'd have to call her school and make up an excuse for her absence, and she'd need to call poor Ryuudou-senpai and apologize for not being able to help him out today. Now that she was thinking about Ryuudou-senpai and the student council, she realized that she'd need to tell him that they would need to allocate some of her responsibilities to other members for the next week or two.

While Sakura was stretching, she realized that she was still wearing her clothes from yesterday. A frown formed on her face as she remembered the events of the evening before and the embarrassment of having her Servant put her to bed. In the long history of the Holy Grail War, had there been another Master who could say that they'd been tucked in at night by their Servant? She doubted it.

She thought about calling Archer from his spirit form and facing him, but noted her appearance and thought better of it. She couldn't allow her Servant to think that he was in charge of the relationship, so she'd make him wait for her. Rising from her bed, she stumbled to the bathroom adjacent to her room where she disrobed.

While one would normally expect a person to avoid the spray of cold water that erupted from the shower head before the warm water poured forth, Sakura embraced the cold bite of that first spray. It roused her from her state of half-sleep and electrified her body. After the brief shock of the cold, the torrent of warm water began to coat her body. Where the cold had been rousing, the warmth was soothing and it almost felt as though she could wash away her innumerable problems. If she just stood there long enough, maybe the priest, the war, the paperwork that Issei had given her the day prior, and everything else that plagued Sakura's mind would just go away. It was too much to hope for, not to mention that is was selfish. Still, it felt nice just to imagine a simple life for a moment.

In this world she had a father, a mother, and a sister. Even in her dream life she still shouldered her responsibilities to her family, to the church, and to the student council and school, but at least she wasn't alone.

Opening her eyes, and allowing the imagined world to slip away, Sakura looked up at the shower head and let the water cascade down her face.

"Why'd you give her away?" she asked.

She'd asked the question on countless occasions, though the one man who could answer it had been dead for many years.

Closing her eyes again her mind drifted to a world where her father had decided to split the family crest between her and her older sister. It was a fanciful notion, but one that she entertained every once and a while. She imagined the two growing up together, playing, laughing smiling, and acting as romantic rivals. In her imagined world, her older sister always smiled and never once scowled and she would always protect Sakura from Kotomine and help her with her studies. They'd laugh at their own insecurities, strengthened by the presence of the other against the onslaught of the rest of the world.

In the world of her mind, the phantasmal hand of the smiling, older Tohsaka sister reached out for Sakura to take it and join her in the sun, but when Sakura stretched out to take her sister's hand she grabbed nothing. Her older sister had retracted her hand and her smile had vanished. The expression on the older girl's face became one of resounding hatred and revulsion, as though she was disgusted by Sakura's very presence. The older girl's inviting sapphire blue eyes were replaced with pale violet pools that looked to be overflowing with a rage that was beyond Sakura's understanding. Similarly, the blackness of her hair began to melt away, replaced with a dark shade of violet.

Sakura took a step forward towards the girl, but the girl took a step away from her.

"You stole everything from me." Her older sister said with a look of disdain.

Sakura wanted to say it wasn't her fault, but the apparition had vanished and her imaginary world fractured like a mirror, bringing the young girl back to her shower.

Even through the cascade of water, discernible tears flowed down the side of Sakura's cheeks.

"I'm sorry, neesan." She quietly said.

After finishing her shower, she went to her room and got dressed. Looking in the mirror, she wondered if she looked too casual for her upcoming confrontation with Archer. The girl in the mirror wore a sleeveless white blouse, a faded blue hoodie, shorts, leggings, and boots. She wouldn't second guess herself, not this time. She'd done enough of that the prior evening.

Readying herself, Sakura took a stance and called out, "Archer."

Nothing.

"Archer," she called again. Growing slightly aggravated.

"Yes?" Came a voice from directly behind her, causing her to jump forward.

"W-w-what did you do that for?" She stammered out, temporarily losing her composure.

"You've been up for nearly thirty minutes and have only just now called me. I wanted to see how you felt about being made to wait."

Sakura frowned at that.

"I'm the Master, I can decide to call or not call you as I see fit. You don't have that luxury." She responded.

"Funny, I wouldn't have known that last night. You seemed very helpless, trying to go off and track the whispers of a shadow to a predatory Servant."

"I-I was trying to do my duty as the protector of the city!"

"And had you not had a Servant as pragmatic as I, then the city might be looking for a new protector."

"Stop that, please." she said, raising her voice.

"Stop what?"

"Stop making fun of me. I'm tired of your paternalistic japes as my expense! I get enough of that from the stupid priest and other members of the student council!" She yelled.

Archer smirked, "Alright, alright, I'll try but I can't promise that I'll be quiet if we're walking into danger. Still you surprise me, I didn't know you could yell so loudly."

Sakura's eyes widened and she immediately felt like she should apologize, but she had to stay strong.

"You didn't tell me your name, Archer."

The Servant's smirk disappeared and he replied, "And I can't tell it to you."

"What? Why not? I'm your Master."

"It's not that I don't want to, rather I can't tell you because I don't know it myself."

"The botched summoning." Sakura mouthed without saying it out loud, as if it wouldn't be real if she didn't put her fears into words.

How could she have so royally screwed this up? Why was the entire world conspiring against her?

Letting out a sigh she looked up from the ground to Archer and said, "I need to eat."

Was it avoiding the issue? Yes, but for the moment she had decided that there was only so much a girl could go through on an empty stomach. Passing by the living room, Sakura saw that the mess that had been made the night before was gone.

"Did you?" She asked, pointing to the room.

"Yes. When you didn't wake up this morning, I decided to try and do something useful."

Sakura laughed a little.

"What's so funny?" Archer asked.

"Nothing, only it's something you'd expect more from a servant and not a Servant." Sakura answered.

Archer didn't look particularly amused.

"I can cook too. The ability to do menial tasks isn't lost when one becomes a Heroic Spirit." He responded.

"You can cook?" She asked.

"Yes, very well in fact." He pridefully responded.

"Good, I think I'll have curry then."

"Very funny."

"I was being entirely serious, Archer." Sakura said, smiling up at him.

While Archer prepared lunch, Sakura quizzed him on Medieval Europe, Greek mythology, China during the Warring States Period, and various other time periods to try and discern who he might be or at least pinpoint the general time that he lived in. Ultimately the task proved to be fruitless and by the time Archer had finished preparing Sakura's lunch she was no closer to discovering his identity than when she had started.

"This is really good. Were you a chef who got drafted to protect your nation?" Sakura asked, thinking that that might be a unique enough origin story to narrow down her search.

"I don't believe so."

Sakura pouted a little before taking another bite.

"You've asked me a great deal many questions, but have said little about who you are, Sakura."

"Alright, I'll tell you what you want to know, but first I have one other thing to say."

"And what is that?"

"I never told you my name."

…

Author's Note: Sakura's outfit is one worn by Ayaka in Fate/Prototype Material; I thought that she'd look cute in it.

[Renko]

For the moment there I thought I was reading an exact carbon copy of of.......nevermind.

Sakura's costume looks so cool. And Archer seems to dug his own grave here. Whoops!

[Barbarossa]

For the moment there I thought I was reading an exact carbon copy of of.......nevermind.

I'm curious, what does it remind you of?

[Renko]

An alternate version of the first and second episode of Ufotable's adaption.

I also noticed that Rin and Shirou were dating!? Does this have an effect to Shirou's ideals?

[SINIB]

They've been dating since the first chapter, lol.

[Magus]

Such a simple blunder for Archer to make: saying too much.

[Fan_Fic_Reader]

Oh Archer, you just dug your own grave. Unless there are evidence of Sakura's name or Priest calling the Tohsaka's house, the truth will be revealed.

[Kat]

I'm curious in what circumstances Shirou contracted the world in this continuity, given many things already changed.

[forumghost]

I'm curious in what circumstances Shirou contracted the world in this continuity, given many things already changed.

...

That's not how it works. EMIYA exists outside of time, so even if "Shirou Emiya's" past is radically different, EMIYA remains the same- just like how he's still there in Fate, UBW, and HF, despite the fact that all three timelines are radically different.

[Kat]

But then there is lolExtra and NoName. Things can happen.

[forumghost]

But then there is lolExtra and NoName. Things can happen.

NoName is different from EMIYA. NoName exists in the Moon Cell, and is a completely different iteration of "Shirou Emiya". EMIYA exists on the Throne of Heroes, and is always the same. Because he exists outside of reality and is therefore by definition, not affected by alteration to the timeline.

And since there can only ever be one version of a Soul on the Throne, EMIYA will always be the same.

[Renko]

They've been dating since the first chapter, lol.

Okay, I'm just curious if there was a change in Shirou's mindset.

[Malgos]

"I won't be over for dinner for the next few nights, Shirou."

Good job so far, I didn't really have anything to say so far so I refrained from posting a comment.

[Frostyvale]

Sakura is incredibly refreshing.