Destroy the Holy Grail.
The command filled her mind, her body moved without her will. Excalibur raised.
No. No no no no no!
Excalibur, clunched in her unwilling hands, swung down. The golden light blinded everything... destroying the golden cup that was to be her savlation.
As the light faded, as her body faded... a blackness descended from the sky, covering her.
A Long Term Revenge
By Pata Hikari
Emiya Kiritsugu carried the child in his hands. The burned, weak, and barely alive child. Avalon had just enough power left in it, to bring him from the brink of death to barely surviving. His eyes were closed, his breathing was quiet. Kiritsugu held onto this child like a life-line, looking for a place where he could get medical care.
Everything had been lost... all he had was this one boy.
~--------------~
Hate him hate him hate him.
Hate you hate you hate you.
Everything that went wrong. Everything that defiled her.
The king is not human.
The king does not understand us.
It wasn't right why did she have to become king and why and why
WHY DID HE DESTROY HER CHANCE AT SALVATION.
Saber opened her eyes.
The burning hatred in her mind was mostly gone. All that remained was a dull ache, as if she had drunk too much mead.
"Where... am I...? She wasn't back on that hill. That death filled place where she had made her desperate plea for the Holy Grail. Instead, she was withing some charred and broken ruins, covered with ash and stone. She pulled herself out, and looked around. "What is this place...?"
A breeze, carrying the smell of ash, blew over her. And Saber realized that she was naked. "Huh...? Why?" She looked around... and quickly found a tattered and burned black cloth. She wrapped it around herself. "Now. To find out where I am."
~--------------~
It quickly became apparent to Saber that this land was the victim of a terrible, and recent, fire. Some parts were still smoldering. She had been within a pit that the remnants of a building had fallen into. After some effort, she had made it out into the world beyond.
Then she saw it. A familiar cut in the earth, a massive gouge that stretched out from the hole she had fallen into. There was no mistaking it, this is where she had used Excalibur to destroy the Holy Grail. After Kiritsugu has forced her into the damnable act... flames had consumed everything as far as the eye could see.
"I see." Saber looked around, "The fire had to have started recently. Kiritsugu must still be near." She smiled.
Revenge for everything. She just needed to find that damnable assassin.
~--------------~
The only thing that mattered was saving this boy. He stumbled through the rubble, desperately looking for an end... looking for anybody else who could help him...
"Emiya Kiritsugu."
A familiar voice called out to him.
Kiritsugu turned around, wrapped in a black cloth... was Saber.
Her skin and hair were pale, and her eyes looked different... almost yellow. Yet, it was unmistakenly Saber.
Kiritsugu looked at her, and she looked at him in turn.
Saber held out her right hand, and a sword appeared in it. Black and red. It was a weapon that proclaimed death. An evil blade that would destroy everything.
It was unmistakeably Excalibur.
"Explain to me, Emiya Kiritsugu, before I run you through. Why you forced me to destroy my hope? Why you made me kill my kingdom's last chance!" She screamed at him.
"....How are you here." He finally spoke.
"Is that all you have to say! How am I here? I do not know." She smiled, "Personally, I think the Grail granted me form in this world. So I might take revenge on you for destroying it."
"I see." He said.
"Is that all! Are you not, at the very least, going to answer my question!? I promise, Kiritsugu, it will be a swift death if you do, a slow and painful one if you don't!"
"If you kill me, then this child will die."
"...a child?" Then Saber noticed the boy he was holding.
"He was injured by the fire. If I don't get him medical attention, he will die."
Saber paused.... and the sword vanished. "Very well. Once this child has been saved, I will deal with you." Her eyes narrowed, "Until then, we can speak, on exactly why you betrayed me."
Kiritsugu sighed. "Alright." He looked down at the boy. Already he was looking better. The link was weak, but with Saber near, Avalon was beginning to heal him.
~--------------~
"First, I will ask why." Saber said as the two of them walked through the rubble. "Why did you tell me to destroy the Grail? Answer me this."
He looked up at the rainclouds, "The Grail... it was a tainted thing. Look at yourself, Saber. You were exposed to it. Look what happened to you. Did you not notice what happened to your holy sword?"
At this, Saber materialized Excalibur once more. She looked at it. "...you are right." She frowned. "I have felt strange since I awoke. I never found joy in the idea of killing. But now the thought of cutting your head off fills me with a strange pleasure."
Kiritsugu snorted. "That's wonderful. So you can see what the Grail did to you. That's why I had to destroy it. Look around you, all this was caused by the Grail."
"And how do you know what I wished for would bring ruin?" Saber growled, "I wanted to avert the destruction of my kingdom. A wish like that can not-"
"You never would have gotten a wish in the first place, King of Knights." Kiritsugu said suddenly.
"...What do you mean?" Saber asked, her gaze focusing on him.
"Upon the defeat of the six Servants, I would have used a Command Spell to order you to kill yourself." Kiritsugu said calmly. "The Holy Grail gathers the souls of the defeated Servants. Only once all seven are within is the Grail is complete. The Grail exists for the purpose of restoring the Third Magic to the world. The entire wish granting aspect is secondary, a scam to get other Masters into the game. The Servants are nothing more then sacrifices to complete the ritual."
"...." Saber clenched her fist... "You...." Excalibur formed in her hand, "You were to betray me from the start!? You blackguard! You monster! You liar and rogue! How dare you stand before me, claiming to... you think that Irisviel would have gone-"
"Iri knew." Kiritsugu snapped. "Irisviel was the Holy Grail. The Servants souls gathered within her. She knew. Every second she spent with you she knew that you would die."
"Irisviel... was..." Saber was silent for several minutes.
Then, she began to laugh.
"Irisviel was the Holy Grail." Saber said, still laughing. "So... that means... you told me to destroy your wife! The woman you loved... is gone by your hands! With nothing to show for it." She continued to laugh for several minutes. "I see now, the emptiness in your eyes. You suffer, you know that you have destroyed everything you love. Yes. I see now. You want to die, don't you, Emiya Kiritsugu?"
Kiritsugu did not say anything.
"Killing you would be a kindness. Yes.. I see now." Saber smiled, it was cruel. "I will not kill you. I shall be here, to always remind you how you brought about your own ruin. How does that sound?
"...do what you wish."
"Hey!" A new voice called out. It was a rescue worker, "Are you two all right!?" He ran to them.
"We're fine." Kiritsugu said. "This child, however, I found passed out in the rubble. Is there a doctor nearby?"
"Yes. There's a tent with doctors. Follow me." He looked at Saber, then back to him. "Do you two live here?"
"No." Kiritsugu said. "We were just... visiting, when the fire happened."
~--------------~
"Which would you prefer? To go to an orphanage, or to be adopted by this man you've never seen before?"
He had asked that question out of the blue.
Shirou, knowing nothing about this man, Nothing about the world around him, accepted.
He took him out of the hospital to the parking lot. In front of the car they approached was a young woman, wearing black.
"Oh, uh... hello." Shirou said.
"Hello." She said.
"Ah... what's your name, I'm Shirou." He smiled at her.
"I'm Arturia." She said.
"Ah, good afternoon." Shirou said.
She opened the car door, "Come on boy, get in. Kiritsugu, take us home now."
Kiritsugu sighed, "Fine." He got in the front, while Saber and Shirou got in the back.
"So..." Shirou looked at Saber. "You know Kiritsugu?"
"That is correct."
"Oh! Are you his asssitant! I hear magicians need-"
"She's a ghost that won't stop haunting me." Kiritsugu said. "Ignore her if possible."
"Oh..." Shirou glanced at his new father, then to Saber. Her expression was one of mild annoyance. "Miss Arturia...?"
"Yes?" She said.
"Uh, how did you meet my dad?"
Saber looked thoughtful for a second. "He asked me to help him. Then proceded to ignore me, stomp on my pride, and destroy what we worked for."
"...oh."
"So now I'm going to make sure he never forgets." She said.
"Why?"
"Because I hate him."
~--------------~
The house they were moving into was old, run down, and would need a lot of repair work.
Shirou lifted up the heavy hammer with one hand, positioned the nail with the other, aimed carefully, and swung down.
Only for the hammer to be gone. "Huh?"
"What are you doing?" Shirou turned around. Saber was holding the hammer in her hands.
"Oh, Miss Arturia. I was trying to help repair the house." His gaze focused on the hammer. "Can... can I have the hammer back?"
"No."
"Why not?!" Shirou said. "I need it to help!"
"You won't be helping boy." Saber said. "Tell me, how much do you know about building?"
"Uh... you hammer nails in it?" Shirou said.
Saber sighed. "OK then, have you ever built a building from scratch?"
"...no."
"Well I have." Saber growled. "Built a small fortification in the middle of the forest, several times. I know how to put things together. You don't. You're too young to do this. All your 'helping' is going to do is make more work for those who know what they're doing."
"...I'm sorry." Shirou's head hung low, "I.. I just wanted to help." Tears began to form in his eyes.
For god's sake, is the kid really going to cry from this? Saber sighed. "Look... Shirou. If you want to help, do things you can do so the rest of us have more time to work. For instance, a lot of the men working here get thirsty. Get some glasses of ice water for them. It will help, OK?"
"OK!" Shirou's expression brightened up instantly, as he ran to the kitchen.
"What a strange child." Saber said.
~--------------~
One week passed, and the work was finished.
"Ah... it's... nice, to have a home again, eh Shirou?" Kiritsugu said, sipping his coffee while Shirou had a soda.
"Yeah..." Shirou said.
"I heard you helped out." Kiritsugu smiled at his son.
"Well... maybe a little..."
"Very good." He reached into his picked. "Well, Shirou, I have a reward." He pulled out a giant chocolate bar. "Here you go."
"Wow!" Shirou took the bar, it was bigger then both his hands. He pulled off a bit of the wrapper and began eating it.
"So now you're a stranger giving kids candy, Kiritsugu?" Saber sat down next to Shirou.
"Huh? He's not a stanger Miss Arturia..." Shirou said.
"I'll explain when you're older." Saber said, sipping from her cup.
"Is... is that sake?" Kiritsugu said.
"Yes. Raiga has good taste." Saber said, then she looked at Shirou. "Just remember this kid, anyhing the man gives you will turn out horribly. The chocolate will make you fat, for instance."
"...." Shirou stared at the chocolate.
"She's just jealous that she didn't get any, enjoy it." Kiritsugu said with a smile and a wink at Shirou.
Shirou looked at Saber, and back at the chocolate. He then broke off a piece of it, and held it up to Saber. "Do you want some?"
"Uh... uh..." Saber's eyes widened. Staring at the piece of chocolate. "I..." She snatched it out of Shirou's hand. "If you insist on foolishly giving me this!"
Kiritsugu snickered.
"What was that, Emiya Kiritsugu!?"
~--------------~
Kiritsugu closed the suitcase. He packed light, just his clothing and a single firearm to defend himself with.
"So where, exactly, are you going?" Saber was standing in front of the door to his room. "While it would not surprise me to see you abandoning the child-"
"I need to see the Einzberns." He said. "They need to know that the Grail is corrupted. And... I need to see Illya again."
"Is that all?" Saber folded her arms.
"Do I really need to explain myself to you?" He said. "Besides, I assumed you were going to continue haunting me."
"...." Saber looked away. "Are you an idiot? Somebody needs to watch the boy."
"Taiga's a reliable girl, she can do it."
Saber snorted. "That wild woman? I wouldn't trust her around a child if my life depended on it.
Kiritsugu shrugged. "Do what you like."
~--------------~
"Where are you going?" Shirou asked.
"Well, I have some business."
"He's going to see his wife's family." Saber answered bluntly.
"You're married?" Shirou said.
"Not anymore." Saber grinned. "His wife died, in the fire."
"I see..." Shirou wasn't bothered by Saber's smile. He had grown used to the woman in black smiling at unpleasent things, especially when they involved Kiritsugu. "You... you took me in... even though you just."
"It's nothing." Kiritsugu gave Saber a nasty look. "I didn't want to bring up Iri to him!" He whispered to her.
"I know. Why do you think I told him?"
~--------------~
It had been a few days since Kiritsugu left.
Saber had watched the boy. He went through a routine. He cleaned up without being asked, he went to school without complaint, and came back exactly when he should.
"Boy." Saber said one day as he was coming home.
"What is is Miss Arturia?" He asked.
"Do you ever play?"
Shirou gave her a confused look. "What... do you mean?"
"Do you have friends you run around with? People you do fun things with?"
"Well, there's Fuji-nee..."
"She's ten years your senior and does not count. I mean, do you have any peers, people your own age with that you spend time with?" Saber said.
"...well... no."
Saber sighed. "When I was your age I played around with children my age. I would have fun with my brother. I would play with my friends. I did not get dragged into the world of work and adults for some years."
"I see." Shirou sat down at the table. "...well.... what was your brother like?"
"Kay...?" It had been a long time since she had thought about her family. "He was... a kind brother. A little arrogant, and even if I beat him at something he never accepted it... but we loved eachother." Her gaze became distant.
"...Miss Arturia?"
Saber shook her head. "It's nothing. Don't change the subject. Tomorrow we're going to the park, and I swear if I have to force you to make some friends I will!"
Shirou felt a feeling of dread come over him.
~--------------~
It was late when Kiritsugu came home.
The TV was on, and Saber was watching some cooking show. "I see you're back." She said, not looking away from her screen. Kiritsugu didn't say anything. "The kid is fine. I had to force to him to play with some kids his own age. I think he's anti-social. Taiga came over and harrassed me a lot. I beat her up in a kendo match, so it's all good though. Oh and-" She stopped speaking, and turned off the TV. "Are you listening?"
"I can hear you just fine." He dropped his suitcase.
"I'm talking about your son, so I'd assume you'd be interested." Saber said.
Kiritsugu's fist hit the wall. "Just shut up. Why are you here damn it?"
"I told you. I hate you." Saber said. "Plus, I've grown fond of the boy. If it irritates you to have me around him, all the better. Speaking of family... how's your daughter?"
".....She.....she...." He fell to his knees. "I don't know. I don't know. They didn't let me see her. They didn't even let me get near the castle! Illya... Illya....."
Tears slowly stained the floor.
"I see. Goodnight then." Saber walked away, leaving behind the father of two lost children.
~--------------~
"Teach me magic."
Saber stopped eating, Kiritsugu nearly dropped his newspaper.
Shirou was staring at his father, his eyes stared right at him. "You said you're a mage, right? So teach me how to use magic like you."
"It's not like that... Shirou." Kiritsugu said. "I can't easily teach you magic. You're not related to me by blood. Magic is inherited. It's most likely that you can't even-"
"He can use magic."
Shirou and Kiritsugu turned to Saber. "Excuse me?" Kiritsugu said.
"I may not be a magus, but I can sense a power about the boy. He can do some magic, at least." Saber said. "And besides, what do you have to lose, Kiritsugu?"
"...fine." Kiritsugu sighed. "I know when I've been beaten."
"Yes!" Shirou threw his fist into the air in celebration. "Now... Miss Arturia?"
"What is it?"
"Can you teach me swordsmanship? I saw how you beat Fuji-nee, you're really good!" Shirou was looking at her with the same look he had given Kiritsugu.
"...you want to learn magic and swordsmanship? Isn't that a little much?" Saber frowned.
"Come on! Please!?"
Saber groaned. "Do you really want me to teach you? It will be hard. It will hurt."
"Doesn't matter."
Saber sighed. "All right then.
From then on Shirou's nights were devoted to an hour of magic practice, followed by an hour of sword lessons.
~--------------~
"And today marks one year since the terrible fire that ravaged the residental district of Fiyuki..."
The news anchor droned on as breakfast at the Emiya household begun. In most cases, he would have been reduced to background noise.
But not in this case.
All three residents had been effected by that day.
Breakfast came to a halt.
Kiritsugu and Saber were both frozen, too many memories brought to the surface.
Oddly, it was Shirou who acted like nothing had happened. "So I was trying this recipe out..." (It had quickly became apparent that neither Kiritsugu or Saber could cook. So Shirou had begun to learn.) His mundane actions snapped them out of their return to the Holy Grail War.
~--------------~
Kiritsugu lit a cigarette. Shirou had left for school, leaving him and Saber alone in the house.
"Well? Do you regret it?" Saber said suddenly.
He looked at Saber. "You mean destroying the Grail, correct?"
"That's right." Saber said.
"Do you regret things you've done?" He asked.
"Of course." Saber said. "You must have seen a great many things I did. I know Master's dream of their Servants past lives."
Kiritsugu shrugged. "I guess."
"And that doesn't answer my question, do you regret it?"
"Not particuarly, no. I do regret many things. But not that. I'd make the same choice now as I did a year ago."
"Even though you destroying the Grail brought the fire that killed so many?"
Kiritsugu didn't answer for some time. "Perhaps there could have been a different way. I do not know." He sighed. "Hindsight, while nice, is useless since it can never change your choices. What about you, King of Knights? What would you change?"
Now it was Saber's turn to sigh. "If I could..... so many things. The easiest? Change the damn law so adultery didn't carry a death sentence."
"....oh, right. Lancelot ran off with your... wife." He looked at her. "...how did that work, anyway?"
"...Merlin."
"Oh."
~--------------~
"Miss Arturia?"
"Yes?" Saber turned away from her book to Shirou.
"I was wondering.... why does Dad call you 'Saber'?"
Saber shrugged. "It's an alias I use. My real name is Arturia."
"Why does dad call you it though?"
"Because... well... he does."
Why did he continue to call her Saber? Actually... she realized something.
She thought of herself as "Saber."
"Arturia Pendragon" was not her name in her head.
Somewhere along the line that had changed.
"I don't really care. Call me what you like."
"I like Arturia... it's a nice name."
Saber nodded. "Then you can call me that. OK?"
~--------------~
"Oh hello..." A young woman approached her. "You're Shirou's mother, right?"
"....excuse me?" Saber looked at the housewife.
"Well, I just see you taking him to the park, and he seems to..."
Saber felt a headache coming on. "What did the boy do?"
"..oh. He... he um, got into a fight. My son... he was being bullied by a group when Shirou just tackled one of them.... at least... that's why my son and he say."
Saber groaned. "Where is he?"
~--------------~
Shirou was sitting in a police box. He had an icepack covering half his face.
"Hey, boy."
"Miss Arturia!" He looked up at her. "Uh... hi..."
"What did you do?" Saber asked. "The policeman says you beat up 4 boys older then you."
"Well... I kind of did... they were being mean to this other guy! Laughing at him, hitting him, taking his lunch and toys... I had to protect him!"
Saber sighed. "Right. Well, I guess I should be glad you came out of this with just a black eye."
"Your training me really helped!"
"Right then." Saber took Shirou's hand, "I'm taking you home now. You can explain to Kiritsugu how you got that."
~--------------~
You're Shirou's mother, right?
"..." As they walked home, Saber looked at Shirou. He was in a good mood, in fact probably the best mood she had ever seen him in. "Shirou."
"Hmm?" He looked up at her.
"Do... do you see me... never mind."
~--------------~
"You're dying." Saber said.
"Oh? You just realized this?" Kiritsugu said. "The Grail left me a parting gift."
Saber looked down the hall, where Shirou's room was. "So, how long do you have?"
"A few years."
"I see."
"What will you do after I'm dead? You won't be able to enjoy my suffering anymore."
"Watch over the boy. Somebody needs to undo the damage you raising him has done."
~--------------~
Five years since the Holy Grail War.
"I wanted to be a Hero of Justice when I was a child."
He said it out of the blue.
"Pfft." Saber looked at Kiritsugu. "That... that is something a child would want."
"Yeah... it was a childish thing."
"So you grew out of it?" Shirou said.
"Unfortunately. It's just something only kids can do."
"I see...." Shirou said. "Well then, I'll acheive your dream in your place."
"Really? That... makes me glad, Shirou." Kiritsugu said, and with a smile, closed his eyes, and left this world.
"...." Saber didn't say anything.
Shirou looked up at the moon, shining down at the three, now reduced to two. "Miss Arturia?"
"Yes?"
"You hated my dad." Past tense.
"Yes."
"Then why do you look sad?"
Saber looked up at the moon. "Because... now I can't hate him anymore."
The End.
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Originally Posted by Komrade Kwestions
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