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Test Drive
 Author
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: USA
Age: 33
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So, update time. This one struggled with me a bit, but in the end I like how it turned out. Hopefully you'll agree with me.  Also, this is the longest section thus far, and probably the piece that steps the furthest away from canon.
Spoiler for A Change in Fate, part 3:
During the walk home, Saber’s armor faded away and was replaced by her usual house clothes. Shirou had to admit he was relieved; it was bad enough they were getting home late, but it would have been even harder if he’d had to change her. He cared deeply for his partner, but even that would have pushed his limits.
She whimpered and trembled occasionally in his arms, but otherwise Saber didn’t wake. By the time he was by the gate of his home, Shirou was too worried about his Servant to even notice the brightly burning light. He had seen no wounds or signs of injury when he had finally been able to reach Saber, yet she still slept.
It worried him. Bruises and cuts, scrapes and broken bones, those were injuries he could treat. But if Saber bore a wound that ran deeper, something inside of her, then there was nothing he could do but trust that she was strong enough to recover from it on her own.
She did so much to save me, but in the end I can’t even treat her wounds.
“Senpai?”
The soft, surprised voice snapped him out of his thoughts; he’d entered the house without even realizing it. Lifting his eyes, he met the confused, uncertain purple gaze of Sakura. “Sakura.” He blinked. “Um…. Did you wait for us?” He only dimly remembered the light burning outside, but he had headed for it instinctively, knowing it meant home, safety. It had to be nearly three in the morning. So, if she waited for us…
“Ah, no, no, no!” Hastily Sakura shook her head, lifting her hands in denial. “I was just… um… I had to go to the bathroom, you see, and I happened to be passing by right when you came in….”
What followed next was an awkward silence. She’s lying, Shirou thought, barely repressing a sigh. But in any case, he was in no mood to call her out on it, and besides… he had to admit it was sweet, that she had waited. “Is that so?”
“U-um, yes.” Sakura took a deep breath. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“It’s my own fault. I was too busy thinking.”
The purple-haired girl nodded; after a moment, she stepped closer. “What happened to Saber-san?” Despite the conversation between the two of them, the Servant continued to sleep unaware, save the occasional twitch and tremor of her body.
“She…” What was he supposed to say? Sakura was innocent in this. She wasn’t a magus, and she knew nothing of the Holy Grail War. He couldn’t tell her the truth of what had happened to Saber, even if he wanted to. The best he could give her was a half truth. “We got separated tonight,” he said at last. “She protected me, but… I think she may have been in over her head this time.”
At those words, he saw something in Sakura’s eyes shift. Before Shirou fully had time to register it, she stepped closer and gently brushed her fingers through golden strands of hair that had fallen into Saber’s eyes. “But she doesn’t seem injured…”
“I know. I don’t really know what happened to her. I think if she’s injured, it’s somewhere inside.” Shirou tightened his grip on his sleeping Servant. “I’m going to keep watch over her tonight. At the very least, if something happens to her, I can be there to help.”
Not that there’s much I can do even then. If her injury is internal, there’s no way I can treat it.
“Do you want me to join you, Senpai?” Sakura’s soft question snapped him out of his reverie yet again; she looked up at him with concern. “I can keep you company.”
He smiled and shook his head. “Thank you, but you sleep, Sakura. If you stayed up because of this, Saber would scold me when she wakes up for worrying you.”
At that, the younger girl squeaked softly and blushed slightly; feeling the matter was settled, Shirou moved past her and headed down the hall to Saber’s room.
“Besides… it’s my fault this happened to her. If I had stayed with her, maybe she’d have woken up by now.”
With those last words, he left Sakura alone in the hall.
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She couldn’t sleep after Senpai left and she had no urge to go back to her room and stare at the ceiling, so Sakura went into the kitchen. She didn’t know what she was doing, working with only half a mind as she rummaged through the cabinets; she was simply moving for the sake of moving, keeping her body busy.
She didn’t come back to her senses until a soft scene invaded her nose and she realized she had made a cup of English tea; the flavor Saber always preferred. The blonde had taken well to Japanese food and customs, but she still had a weak spot for the occasional English taste when she was given the chance.
Why did I make this? It’s not like she’s awake to drink it.
Quietly, Sakura stared down at the cup. She lowered her head slightly, her hair spilling across her face and shielding her eyes from the light of the room.
She knew how she was supposed to feel; angry. Angry that Saber was still alive, that she was still a threat, that because of her Senpai would continue to go out late at night and come home with injures of some kind, even if he said they weren’t serious. And on some level, she was angry. But yet, on another level…
“She protected me, but… I think she may have been in over her head this time.”
Quietly, her hands curled into fists. Her nails bit down into the skin of her palm, causing small bloody crescents to form. She bit down hard on her bottom lip.
“She protected me.”
Is it because of what I said to her?
She was angry that Saber had lived, but at the same time…. She was relieved that she had survived and kept Senpai safe.
On the counter, the fresh cup of English tea began to cool.
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Shirou briefly considered changing Saber for bed, took a moment to imagine every possible scenario that could unfold from it as a result, then hastily rejected the idea. It wouldn’t kill his Servant to spend one night sleeping in her usual clothes. Thankfully, as a result he only had to tuck her in and flick off the light, then stood bathed in the darkness.
He had told Sakura he intended to watch over Saber tonight. He had meant it, but now he wasn’t sure if that was the best idea. Spending a whole night by Saber’s side could be enough to drive him crazy… but deep down, he knew he owed it to her. Besides, there was little he could do if he slept in his own room. They were right next to each other, but he could still be too far away to do anything if something happened.
Shaking his head, he went and grabbed a blanket, wrapping it around his shoulders as he settled down beside the blonde.
It was going to be a long night.
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It was cold.
Why was it so cold?
Saber recognized this landscape; she knew it so well that she wouldn’t be surprised if the memory of it was forever burned into her brain. The bloody hill, the corpses; the sword of promised victory, right at the very top of the blood soaked hill, the blade firmly buried in the grass and soil.
But something was wrong.
It was too cold. Frost clung to the blades of grass. The corpses were frozen solid; a soft winter wind drifted through the place. Her sword at the top of the hill seemed to radiate with an unholy warmth compared to the chill of the battlefield.
Watching her breath mist in front of her face, Saber shivered and rubbed her arms to try and generate some kind of body heat, instinctively heading towards the only source of warmth she saw. But even as she headed towards the warmth, she knew something was wrong there, too.
A dark, shadowed figure stood behind her sword. A clawed black hand gripped the hilt firmly. Lazy yellow eyes watched her approach before the creature smirked, extending its free hand.
“You’re cold, right?”
Saber felt a chill run down her spine, her bones freezing at the soft voice. Seductive, husky, soft; it was everything she knew her voice wasn’t.
So why did it sound like her?
“Come here, Saber.” And the smirk became a grin, yellow eyes gleaming. “I know a way to make you warm.”
Saber recoiled as if burned, stumbling back and crashing back down the hill to the very bottom. The chill around her increased and she shivered, but she curled up tightly and stayed firmly at the bottom of the hill as the creature chuckled.
She instinctively sought the warmth, but her instincts were also screaming at her. They told her to stay away, far away, from her sword, from that creature, from the warmth it offered.
That warmth would kill her the minute she accepted it. Of that, she had no doubt.
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Her body felt sluggish and heavy, but she surfaced briefly from the black; the Servant known as Saber groaned softly as her eyes opened and adjusted to the darkness. Unseen by anyone, her green eyes cleared and sharpened slightly, containing traces of yellow that hadn’t been there before.
She knew where she was; in her room, back at Shirou’s house. Her aching muscles relaxed. She wasn’t in danger. She had survived the shadow, she had lived; she was safe, back in her home base. Hearing a soft snort and mumble, she blinked in confusion and tilted her head to the side; she felt no aura of danger, so that meant…
“Shirou?”
It was him. Her Master slumped against the wall across from her, his head bowed and his hands in his lap; he was asleep. A blanket was wrapped tightly around him to keep him warm, and beneath it she saw the clothes he always wore. The boy hadn’t even taken a moment to change.
Saber stared at him for a moment; her eyes softened, and she sighed. “Honestly,” she murmured softly so he wouldn’t wake, “you put up such a fuss when I want to stay by your side, and yet here you are by mine.” She shook her head and closed her eyes, still exhausted.
To herself, she admitted that it was honestly a sweet gesture. A small smile curved her lips before her weakened body once more claimed her mind, and she succumbed to the darkness a second time.
She didn’t stir until the late hours of morning.
Next part is the last, folks. I know I'm hinting at a lot, but... I can't really make this a full novel until I play through the whole route to see how Saber living would change things. I have to admit I'd like to expand on it, but right now I'm satisfied with this short fic.
EDIT: I forgot the links. x_x
Part One
Part Two
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