Fate/ Series FanFiction Discussion

[xris]

Welcome to the Fate/stay night FanFiction Discussion thread.

This thread is meant for Fate/stay night fanfiction and its discussion. Fanfiction works can be either posted in this thread or in the Fan Creations Forum and linked to in this thread. You may also link to Fanfiction works posted on other sites and discuss it here.

General rules of our forum still apply:

• No sexually explicit material. Yes, this goes for text format as well.
• Be polite to your fellow forum members
• Have fun, but post intelligently

Please respect the authors, fanfictions are written in their free time, they have have no gain and owe you nothing; if they like a particular character and/or a particular pattern for their story, it's a personal choice and can't be blamed. In general, you are free to post constructive criticisms but not insults which (as in any other part of the forums) won't be tolerated. Remember that writers post here to get help and not to get troubles.

Thanks and have fun

[Nerroth]

Okay!


These are the main works I've been working on so far, regarding Type-Moon fan works:

*A Moment of Truth - a fairly long-ish fic set two or three years after the UBW-Good ending of Fate/Stay Night, this tale introduces Seonac (Jonathan) Ó'Conaill, an Irish magus with the gift (or curse) of telepathy, as his interactions with the victors of the Fifth Grail War lead to a set of events in which things are not quite as they seem...

(I'll be planning to start a follow-up story called Crystal Valley when I get around to it.)

*Fate/Trans Form - another fairly long-ish fic (it's longer than AMoT) hybrid universal stream taking elements from both the Type-Moon and Transformers settings, a dramatic end to the Fifth Heaven's Feel sparks the onset of a new era.

(Eventually, I'll try to work on a follow-up, Fate/Trans Form: The Era of Consequence.)

*M3 - Only one part in this one done up so far, which may or may not be followed up on, it introduces Michael Mackenzie, a Nova Scotian with an unorthodox set of sorcerous abilities, who is sent by Waver Velvet to keep an eye on Fuyuki-shi - but while present, finds that he is drawn into the flow of events to a greater extent than he had realised.

*When Types have Troubles - A rather less than straight-laced one-shot, in which a trouble Gaia gets on the line to talk things over with her fellow Aristoteles...


Oh, and to give an example or two of something I've written up, here are a couple of short pieces I had entered into a short writing competition elsewhere.

Spoiler for Oni:

Oni



“Taka-san!” Akemi would say, the name of her partner carried like a bird’s song upon the wind, into the ears of its intended recipient. From the very first time he had heard that irreplaceable sound, this being, who had but one name before arriving on Earth, yet had assumed many identities in the millennia since, knew he could not escape the calling of his human heart.

For human it was – with the use of Pretender technology, he and his comrades had assumed organic forms when arriving on this world, the better to hide in plain sight. What none of them realised, however, was how fundamentally changed their new lives as organics would be...

And yet, none of them could imagine going back. If anyone suggested to them that they shed these forms and remain ‘purely’ bio-mechanical entities, they would reject the very notion out of hand, in the manner that a human might reject reverting to one of its evolutionary ancestors.

This being himself, who had chosen to settle among the archipelago that was gradually acquiring the name of Japan, had heard the siren call before. Once every several hundred years, or maybe once a millennium, he would encounter a person of such stunning character that he would break the oath he swore to himself after every faded love – only to witness the dance play out once more. No matter how much time they spent together, his partner would grow old and pass on, while he, functionally immortal, would weep over the parting, and try to move on – but never forgetting the times spent together.

But this time, he was not granted the chance to see the passing go peacefully, at the end of a long life, as he had always done before.

This time, his partner was slain.

“Akemi…” he sobbed, as the tears streaked down his human face, his arms holding tenderly onto the mortal remains of his itoshii – his beloved. She had committed suicide, before the men who had invaded their home could reach her, before he had the chance to kill the last one and save her life.

They had called out far less generous terms. “Oni!” “Bakemono!” “Youkai!” – the men had not dared to strike him down directly, to challenge who they, in their ignorance, termed as a monster, a daemon, a creature to be feared and hated. No, they had come to burn his home and kill the woman they decried as a traitor to her species, but she had denied them this opportunity.

But they were about to learn…

…just what kind of oni the man they had crossed could be.


--------------------------------------------------


The castle which had served as the headquarters for the clan which had orchestrated the attack was in flames. Within lay scenes from a deranged abattoir – limbs severed, skulls smashed, chests ripped apart, in a fury more suited to the most notorious Decepticon stories back on Cybertron, not to the leader of the Pretenders on Earth.

“Tasukete, onegai… nanitozo!” pleaded the last, the head of the now-ruined clan, as he was dragged through the snow to a point overlooking the burning castle. Spare me, he pleaded, please, I beg you…

But the being had only one thing to say, as he raised the human upwards, and skewered him using his own swords upon the wooden cross: “Ore wa… Oni ga!”

I am a daemon.

This done, Taka - Hawk - walked away, the weight of what he had done already bearing heavily upon his spark – his soul – as the crucified man slowly bled and froze to death in the winter storm.

Spoiler for Priorities:

Priorities


“I’ll be back soon, itoshii!” Sakura kissed Seonac on the cheek before she stepped out of the door. In the time since she had joined the group of friends and loved ones in London, she had wanted to spend time catching up with her nee-san. So the two of them were going to go and spend some quality time together.

Seonac, in turn, couldn’t help but miss her when she was away – but compared to the seven months they had spent apart prior to her arrival in the UK, he didn’t mind so much.

And in any event, he had time to work on a little project he had in mind…

While he had been on his own, he had picked up a certain figure from an online vendor – the G1 Ultra Magnus from the Transformers: Titanium line. However, while it was a decent scale to the Revoltech Magnus he had ordered at the same time, it was a bit of a nuisance that the larger figure had the head attached to the trailer, rather than to the removable cab. Not only did it make the head stick too far forward, it meant the armour looked a bit odd if you detached the cab and tried to stand the Revoltech figure beside it.

However, it seemed that one or two people over on one of the TF boards he occasionally visited had tried their hands at decapitating Magnus, and re-attaching the head to the cab.

Ironically, it was only now that he had the time to try it – before this, he had been too busy working extra shifts and being buried in his studies.

Thankfully, he thought to himself, there’s no time like the present.

“Well, City Commander,” he said to his inert colleague, “Let’s see about a spot of re-engineering!”


--------------------------------------------------


After a while, it became clearer that the effort would take a bit longer than he had hoped.

Cutting the joint which attached the head to the trailer took long enough – since he didn’t have more professional tools to use, only a modelling knife and pliers – but doing so in a way which would allow enough of it to remain for it to be mountable on the cab’s connecting piece was tricky indeed.

Finding out that you had to pretty much disassemble the cab altogether, remove the centre piece, turn it to face the opposite direction, drill the hole in the centre for a pin to fit, then try to piece the thing back together again… that was even more of a hassle.

And then there was the issue of finding a pin thick enough to secure the various pieces, yet thin enough to still fit into both sides… oh, and sacrificing poor Magnus’ head movement – Seonac had to glue the head onto the ball joint, in order to keep it sturdy enough to stay put.

You’d think one of the engineers at Hasbro wouldn’t have thought of this already, he sighed inwardly.

Still, progress was being made, and the stage was almost set for the first test of the new head-mount…

*knock knock knock*

Seonac looked up, and then set the tools down onto the modelling table, as he went over and opened the door…

“I’m back, itoshii!” Sakura was wearing a beautiful new casual dress, as she beamed a radiant smile at him.

And while Seonac scooped his beloved into his arms, he spared a moment’s thought for his work-in-progress figure. Sorry to leave you headless, Magnus, but I’m afraid I can't deal with that right now.

I have other priorities to take care of.

[Paladinoras]

On the process of making one.

Prolly coincide with the UBW route, about a Japanese mage with a powerful gift of weapon projection and reality marble.

Fights against both Shirou and Archer.

[aldw]

Originally Posted by Paladinoras

On the process of making one.

Prolly coincide with the UBW route, about a Japanese mage with a powerful gift of weapon projection and reality marble.

Fights against both Shirou and Archer.

I have a story idea almost ready to go, but I need to play Hollow Ataraxia to fill in the details before I can start.

[DarkHonour]

Originally Posted by aldw

I have a story idea almost ready to go, but I need to play Hollow Ataraxia to fill in the details before I can start.

All the best.

I've just finished fate/hollow ataraxia. I have a story related to it in mind too but I think I'll finish my 1/3 of my story on Fanfiction.net before I do anything about it.

[Solafighter]

Nice! I didnt notice, that there are some fan fictions are out. Is there one, thats about Rin(and Emiya)?

[Nerroth]

On one of the Type-Moon fan boards, there is a fiction tracker with info about various works that people have written, or are in the process of writing, if you are interested in taking a look.

[DarkHonour]

Originally Posted by Solafighter

Nice! I didnt notice, that there are some fan fictions are out. Is there one, thats about Rin(and Emiya)?

If it's about Rin and Heroic Spirit Emiya, I think there's a livejournal site peppered with tons of fanfiction based on their pairing.

Spoiler for Rin X Emiya/Archer fanfic site URL:

http://suiren.livejournal.com/

[RadiantBeam]

So, um... hi.

Anyway, I know this is kind of... deserted, but I felt I should try posting this here anyway, just for reactions. I'm not completely done with it yet, but I'm almost past the halfway point and I'd enjoy some feedback so I can fix any mistakes/characterization/whatever.

As a note, I'm only familiar with the anime and manga of Fate/Stay Night. I know of the game through Wikipedia, and that's it.

Spoiler for Five Times Saber Didn't Kiss Shirou (incomplete):

Five Times Saber Didn’t Kiss Shirou

And one time she did.

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01.

The battle with Berserker had left her bloody, bruised, and quite annoyed—but mainly just bloody and bruised. The annoyance she felt had been born not from the wounds she sustained (and were currently healing), but from the foolish boy who had pushed her out of the way and taken the full brunt of Hercules’s rage.

Emiya Shirou.

Her Master for the Fifth Holy Grail War.

The boy who currently lay on his back, sleeping (Saber thought he might have been dead, but she saw the faint rise and fall of his chest and knew this was not so) beneath a pile of blankets and quite unaware of the gaze of his Servant as she attempted to drill a hole through his foolishly thick skull with her eyes alone.

She was failing. Miserably.

“That was foolish, you know.” Gods, was she actually talking to herself? It wasn’t like Shirou could hear her, seeing as he was quite unconscious. “I’m perfectly capable of defending myself, regardless of my physical state. What you did was uncalled for.”

There was a pause as she quietly swept her eyes over his face; her gaze softened slightly.

“… And yet at the same time, it was very sweet.”

She’d spend the rest of the Holy Grail War kicking herself for stealing an innocent boy’s first kiss (while he was asleep, no less), but as she figured it, what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.

It isn’t like it was an adult kiss, in any case. I merely brushed our lips together very gently. I doubt he felt anything at all.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX

02.

Saber was dreadfully inexperienced when it came to relationships.

Not that she was entirely to blame. When other girls her age had been trying on make-up and flirting with country boys, she’d been shouldering a whole kingdom with Excalibur in hand. As other girls wriggled into dresses and adjusted their breathing, she’d pulled on her armor and cleaned the blood out of her hair.

She’d chosen to wield Excalibur, and she was partially to blame for her inexperience with the male species. But it certainly hadn’t helped that every man or boy she’d met during her lifetime was utterly terrified of her pseudo alias “King Arthur” and had never taken the time to know her better.

Still, Saber was well-versed enough to know that when a man and woman were together in bed, they… did things… you know… like kissing and… other stuff…

Not that she was doing that with Shirou. This was all a matter of priority, and she needed to have her mana supply replenished if she hoped to have even a prayer against Berserker. Archer was gone, and Rin only had her gems to back her now. Still, it unnerved her quite a bit—and not necessarily in a bad way—as Shirou awkwardly climbed on top of her under Rin’s orders, her fingers curling into the sheets as her breathing thinned.

After a moment, Rin coughed softly. “You two need to establish some physical contact,” she said at last. “It won’t work otherwise.”

Another moment.

“… Mou, do I need to dumb it down for you?” She rested her hands on her hips, scowling. She sighed. “Look, come on… a peck, a light kiss, something.”

“Tohsaka!”

“I’m not saying it has to be sex, I’m just saying you need to establish some kind of intimate link so you can make the dive into her core easier for both of you!”

Saber saw the shift in Shirou’s eyes, knew without hearing him say it that he understood what had to be done—and still he hesitated, gazing down at her uncertainly. He wouldn’t do anything if she didn’t encourage him; all she had to do was say the word, and he’d be off her in a heartbeat.

She told herself that it was merely because she needed mana that she reached up, gently gripping the back of his neck, and pulled his mouth down to hers, softly urging his lips apart with her tongue.

It wasn’t because she’d actually wanted to kiss him, and it wasn’t because if he hadn’t made the move, she would have gone completely insane.

Saber was a woman, yes. She was willing to admit that much at this point. But she also had a sense of honor, dammit.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX

O3.

Saber considered it a great accomplishment that she hadn’t completely disemboweled Illyasviel von Eizenbern upon finding her in Shirou’s bed. Since she couldn’t take her anger out on the little white-haired brat (doing so would definitely cost Shirou his last Command Seal, at least) she settled for slamming dishes around.

It wasn’t her most mature moment, but she was still a teenage girl. She was allowed her moments from time to time.

Notice how you never consider taking your frustration out on Shirou.

Shut up. I don’t recall asking for your opinion on this.

Oh, come now, I’m sure it would be a very pleasurable experience for you. At the very least, it would certainly calm you down.

What are you, my libido?

Honey, you didn’t even have libido until you met this boy.

I am ignoring that comment.

“Um… Saber? Are you all right?”

With a jolt the blonde-haired Servant snapped out of her daze, meeting the eyes of one very concerned Emiya Shirou. As she fumbled desperately for some kind of excuse, she heard laughter ring in her head that sounded suspiciously like Merlin.

Oh, hell. If I don’t do this sooner or later, with my luck I’ll be taken out by Assassin because I’m too busy checking out Shirou’s behind.

It’s a very cute behind, I might add.

Would you shut up!

“Saber…?”

“I blame the voice in my head,” she replied simply, and in one fluid motion stepped across the room and kissed him senseless.

She figured she was doing something right when Shirou’s initial resistance, born out of surprise more than anything, melted into eager acceptance.

(Rin snapped a picture and smuggled it away for blackmail purposes. Shirou never managed to get it back from her, even after the War ended)

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04.

After scenario 4, I only have one more "when she didn't kiss him" scenario and the one "when she did kiss him" scenario.

...

So what do you think?

[Yu Ominae]

I like it.

[Blank-Mage]

This may be one of the saddest examples of fan fiction out there, but I was (...am...) planning a Sonic sprite flash based on Fate UBW. I happened to play Sonic Rush and F/SN at the same time, now I can't help but think of Blaze the Cat as Saber. Just thought I'd put that out here...

[denice25]

Thanks for posting....

[RadiantBeam]

So I finished the last two "Saber didn't kiss Shirou" scenarios and am currently chipping away at the one time she did. Here's the whole thing, plus those two and the incomplete sixth one, which is causing me brain damage. I'd appreciate any suggestions on how to tackle it, I'm rather stuck at the moment.

Spoiler for Five Times Saber Didn't Kiss Shirou (one more scenario to go):

Five Times Saber Didn’t Kiss Shirou

And one time she did.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX

01.

The battle with Berserker had left her bloody, bruised, and quite annoyed—but mainly just bloody and bruised. The annoyance she felt had been born not from the wounds she sustained (and were currently healing), but from the foolish boy who had pushed her out of the way and taken the full brunt of Hercules’s rage.

Emiya Shirou.

Her Master for the Fifth Holy Grail War.

The boy who currently lay on his back, sleeping (Saber thought he might have been dead, but she saw the faint rise and fall of his chest and knew this was not so) beneath a pile of blankets and quite unaware of the gaze of his Servant as she attempted to drill a hole through his foolishly thick skull with her eyes alone.

She was failing. Miserably.

“That was foolish, you know.” Gods, was she actually talking to herself? It wasn’t like Shirou could hear her, seeing as he was quite unconscious. “I’m perfectly capable of defending myself, regardless of my physical state. What you did was uncalled for.”

There was a pause as she quietly swept her eyes over his face; her gaze softened slightly.

“… And yet at the same time, it was very sweet.”

She’d spend the rest of the Holy Grail War kicking herself for stealing an innocent boy’s first kiss (while he was asleep, no less), but as she figured it, what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.

It isn’t like it was an adult kiss, in any case. I merely brushed our lips together very gently. I doubt he felt anything at all.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX

02.

Saber was dreadfully inexperienced when it came to relationships.

Not that she was entirely to blame. When other girls her age had been trying on make-up and flirting with country boys, she’d been shouldering a whole kingdom with Excalibur in hand. As other girls wriggled into dresses and adjusted their breathing, she’d pulled on her armor and cleaned the blood out of her hair.

She’d chosen to wield Excalibur, and she was partially to blame for her inexperience with the male species. But it certainly hadn’t helped that every man or boy she’d met during her lifetime was utterly terrified of her pseudo alias “King Arthur” and had never taken the time to know her better.

Still, Saber was well-versed enough to know that when a man and woman were together in bed, they… did things… you know… like kissing and… other stuff…

Not that she was doing that with Shirou. This was all a matter of priority, and she needed to have her mana supply replenished if she hoped to have even a prayer against Berserker. Archer was gone, and Rin only had her gems to back her now. Still, it unnerved her quite a bit—and not necessarily in a bad way—as Shirou awkwardly climbed on top of her under Rin’s orders, her fingers curling into the sheets as her breathing thinned.

After a moment, Rin coughed softly. “You two need to establish some physical contact,” she said at last. “It won’t work otherwise.”

Another moment.

“… Mou, do I need to dumb it down for you?” She rested her hands on her hips, scowling. She sighed. “Look, come on… a peck, a light kiss, something.”

“Tohsaka!”

“I’m not saying it has to be sex, I’m just saying you need to establish some kind of intimate link so you can make the dive into her core easier for both of you!”

Saber saw the shift in Shirou’s eyes, knew without hearing him say it that he understood what had to be done—and still he hesitated, gazing down at her uncertainly. He wouldn’t do anything if she didn’t encourage him; all she had to do was say the word, and he’d be off her in a heartbeat.

She told herself that it was merely because she needed mana that she reached up, gently gripping the back of his neck, and pulled his mouth down to hers, softly urging his lips apart with her tongue.

It wasn’t because she’d actually wanted to kiss him, and it wasn’t because if he hadn’t made the move, she would have gone completely insane.

Saber was a woman, yes. She was willing to admit that much at this point. But she also had a sense of honor, dammit.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX

O3.

Saber considered it a great accomplishment that she hadn’t completely disemboweled Illyasviel von Eizenbern upon finding her in Shirou’s bed. Since she couldn’t take her anger out on the little white-haired brat (doing so would definitely cost Shirou his last Command Seal, at least) she settled for slamming dishes around.

It wasn’t her most mature moment, but she was still a teenage girl. She was allowed her moments from time to time.

Notice how you never consider taking your frustration out on Shirou.

Shut up. I don’t recall asking for your opinion on this.

Oh, come now, I’m sure it would be a very pleasurable experience for you. At the very least, it would certainly calm you down.

What are you, my libido?

Honey, you didn’t even have libido until you met this boy.

I am ignoring that comment.

“Um… Saber? Are you all right?”

With a jolt the blonde-haired Servant snapped out of her daze, meeting the eyes of one very concerned Emiya Shirou. As she fumbled desperately for some kind of excuse, she heard laughter ring in her head that sounded suspiciously like Merlin.

Oh, hell. If I don’t do this sooner or later, with my luck I’ll be taken out by Assassin because I’m too busy checking out Shirou’s behind.

It’s a very cute behind, I might add.

Would you shut up!

“Saber…?”

“I blame the voice in my head,” she replied simply, and in one fluid motion stepped across the room and kissed him senseless.

She figured she was doing something right when Shirou’s initial resistance, born out of surprise more than anything, melted into eager acceptance.

(Rin snapped a picture and smuggled it away for blackmail purposes. Shirou never managed to get it back from her, even after the War ended)

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04.

It was, in many ways, a scene that seemed to be taken right out of a horror movie. Blood splattered the ground and drenched both of them, the silver beams of moonlight only adding a ghostly glow to the whole moment that made one think of werewolves, vampires, and all other sorts of creatures that went bump in the night.

Shirou’s dead weight was too much, even for the former King of Knights, and Saber sank to her knees, still cradling him as gently as one would cradle a precious stone or gem. Her body ached from the beating it had received from Gilgamesh, but she considered her wounds minor compared to what Shirou had sustained.

And yet he still draws breath…

“Shirou.” Very gently she moved her hand up, stroking the back of his neck lightly as he groaned. “I’m sorry, but you need to hold on just a little longer. My strength isn’t what it usually is at the moment.” She blew out a long breath. “If you’ll be patient, I’ll be able to move in a few minutes.”

For a moment, Shirou said nothing; then, Saber became aware of the fact that his body was shaking. “Shirou?” she asked, immediately thinking it was discomfort from his injuries. Her face flushed pink as she realized, belatedly, that he was laughing at her—weakly, but he was laughing. “I don’t see what’s so funny,” she muttered.

“Sorry. Bad timing, I know.” Shirou continued to chuckle, dropping his forehead to her shoulder. “You’re something else, Saber, you really are.”

“I’m not sure whether I should view that as a compliment or an insult.”

“Considering the circumstances, it’s a compliment. You’re always so calm, so in control. I have to admire that.”

Saber didn’t reply; her eyes softened slightly, and she shifted her hold on Shirou so she could pull back, so she was looking at his face. Very gently she combed her fingers through his hair, and he blinked in confusion. “… Saber?” he asked uncertainly, not sure what to make of her current expression. “Wh… what is it?”

“ARCHER!!!”

Leaning in, mindful of his injuries, Saber pressed her lips chastely against Shirou’s, feeling him stiffen in surprise before he slowly relaxed. After a few seconds, she pulled away.

Shirou looked just as confused as when she’d first leaned in. “Saber?”

Saber smiled slightly and closed her eyes, hugging him close again. “It seems Rin was right,” she murmured. “You really are an idiot sometimes, Shirou.”

As soon as I saw Gilgamesh take you down, I lost all control. But then, you don’t need to know that.

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05.

“It’s all over now… isn’t it?”

“Yeah. This is the end.”

There was a pause; Saber waited, but Shirou obviously wasn’t going to say anything. She inhaled deeply, gazing out at the distant mountains as she struggled to keep her voice even. “As your sword, I have slain your enemies and defended you at every turn.” She swallowed against the hot lump rising in her throat. “I’m glad I was able to keep that oath.”

“And as my sword… you were amazing.”

Gods, he wasn’t making this any easier for her. Knowing it had been pre-determined to end didn’t make it any simpler to accept.

“There is one last thing… I must tell you.”

Gah! No! Stop talking! No more talking! Words cannot change what’s about to happen! You’re only making it harder on yourself, and on him!

Saber moved of her own free will, choosing to ignore the shrill voice in her head that still sounded eerily similar to the voice of Merlin. Drinking in Shirou’s face for what was possibly the last time she’d ever see him, she couldn’t help but smile as the sunlight spilled behind her in rays of gold.

“Shirou. Please know that… that I love you.”

Shirou didn’t say anything—he’d made his declaration to her a long time ago. His eyes softened slightly, and his lips curved to mirror the smile Saber had; that small, content smile, a moment of happiness even in the face of imminent separation. As she felt the sun warm her back, Saber came to a conclusion.

There was no sure way of knowing how long she’d have to live without Shirou by her side once she returned to her life, but if she didn’t do this now she would regret it until the day she died.

She moved fluidly, a blur of gold and blue and silver, and Shirou caught her in his arms like she weighed nothing at all. Her fingers dug into his shirt and held on, tightly, as his mouth crushed against hers and they shared their last kiss beneath the sunrise, trying to express everything they hadn’t been able to say during their (too short) time together.

(She felt wetness streak her cheeks and realized, with a strange sense of bitterness, that she was crying again)

When Shirou opened his eyes, she was gone.

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“Are you dreaming now, King Arthur? Are you still dreaming the same dream?”

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06.

Waking from a dream could be viewed as either a joy or a disappointment, depending on the person who was waking and the dream they were waking from. As the mists of sleep slowly faded from Saber’s mind, she groggily became aware of two things:

One, she was no longer leaning against a tree. In fact, she was flat on her back, under covers judging by the warmth settled over her body.

Two, she could still hear the chirping of birds, but it was a faint, muffled sound now. She slowly opened her eyes, blinking several times as her vision swam hazily for a moment before clearing.

“Well, well, look who’s finally starting to wake up.”

That definitely wasn’t Bedivere’s voice.

The familiar tone, laced with humor just as she remembered, had Saber surging up, her eyes wide and her unbound hair flying past her shoulders. Chuckling, Tohsaka Rin shrugged off her backpack and stepped into the room, kneeling gracefully next to the former Servant. “About time,” she said conversationally. “You’ve been asleep for hours. I was starting to worry.”

“What… how am I… why are you…”

“I found you in the storage shed of all places, would you believe it? I stopped by to see if Shirou was home yet—he’s got a habit of wandering around now since you’ve been gone, Saber—and I heard this crash in the backyard and ran out to check. And there you were. I carried you in here, I remember this used to be your room, and I figured you’d wake up sooner or later.”

Saber could only stare at the dark-haired magus, something inside of her not totally accepting everything that was happening. Rin smiled at her, seeming perfectly at ease with the whole situation in a way that only she could be. “Welcome home, Saber,” she whispered.

And just like that, all the pieces clicked together for Saber. “I’m… I’m home,” she said softly, slowly, feeling the words roll off her tongue. The giddiness hit her in a wave, and she laughed. “I’m home.” The sunlight spilling through the window caught her attention as an object in its path cast a shadow over the floor, and she could only stare at the tiny lion plush toy that sat on the table.

Rin noticed her interest in the toy immediately and stood, walking across the room to scoop the lion up into her arms. “I was wondering when you’d notice this guy,” she admitted. “He’s been here ever since you left.” She knelt at Saber’s side again, shrugging. “I guess Shirou bought it for you on your date and never got a chance to give it to you before you left. He’s a cute little thing. If you don’t want him, I’d be happy to take him--“

“Mine. Hand it over.”

The possessive tone in Saber’s voice made Rin smirk. “Thought you’d say that,” she murmured, passing the stuffed lion into Saber’s arms, and the blonde hugged the toy to her chest tightly. The action caused her to notice something else—with the exception of her hair, which was still down, she was back in her modern day clothing.

“I’m not quite sure how you managed to get back.” A little irked by it the way a child was when they couldn’t locate their favorite toy, Rin absently rubbed her chin. “I’m positive the Holy Grail had something to do with it, I just don’t know how…” She trailed off for a moment contemplatively, then shrugged. “I suppose I’ll figure it out later, all that matters is that you’re back.” She smiled. “You wouldn’t happen to know where Shirou would be, would you?”

Judging from the light that came into Saber’s eyes, Rin had a feeling that she knew exactly where Shirou was.

“I shall find him for you.” Despite the glow in her eyes, Saber kept a perfectly straight face and an even tone. “I’m sure you’re worried about him as well, Rin.”

If she hadn’t been still tightly clutching the lion plushie and if her eyes hadn’t been glowing the way they were, Rin would have believed Saber hadn’t changed at all.

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It was a beautiful day outside; something Saber had quickly learned to appreciate about Japan was its lovely weather. The breeze was warm but not too hot, and it felt nice against her face as she walked. A few strands of hair fell in front of her eyes as she walked, and she brushed them back absently with her hand; she’d decided against tying her hair back, if only because she needed—wanted—to see Shirou again.

Okay, yes, I used the dub dialogue for the fifth scenario and for Bedivere's final quote to Saber. It's basically the same either way, so I didn't think it was a big deal. The dub is actually quite good.

[Yu Ominae]

I dig the sixth one.　Has some WAFFY feelings.

[ShinMasaki]

Work in progress on one. A work following after the true UBW ending. Not posting anything online till I at least have 5-6 chapters done. I have a bad habit of dropping stories in the intro and leave my fans hanging.

[RadiantBeam]

So here's a piece that I started today and finished in about an hour or so, and posted on Fanfiction.net immediately after. Basically me just playing around with a few "what if" scenarios that could have drastically changed the events of the Holy Grail War and the characters in it.

Spoiler for Rewind:

Rewind

Gilgamesh studied his new Master through narrow red eyes as the young woman lifted the teacup to her lips, taking a long drink. The whole time she never tore her gaze from his, her light blue eyes challenging him to judge her as he saw fit. He smirked.

His new Master, Tohsaka Rin. What a surprise that had been. Almost as bad as being killed in the last Grail War; nothing quite beat waking up in a summoning circle and looking right into the face of the daughter of the man he’d betrayed ten years ago.

After a moment, Rin lowered her cup to its platter with a soft clink. “So you’re in the Archer class, correct?” Her voice was soft, with a challenging edge to it as they waged their silent battle of wills.

“That is the class name I have been assigned, yes.” Gilgamesh slid his hands into his pockets, having chosen to forgo his usual golden armor for his more comfortable modern day appearance. “Though I doubt that’s what you really want to ask me, am I right?”

Rin narrowed her eyes. “If I ask you, will you tell me?” She took another sip from her cup, steadily holding his gaze.

Gilgamesh stared at her for a moment; he laughed, running a hand through his hair. “You’re a stubborn one,” he said at last, his laughter fading away into soft chuckles. “Very stubborn. I like that. I have a feeling we’ll work very well together.” He smiled at her calmly. “My true name is Gilgamesh. That is what you wanted to know, I assume.”

“Yes.” Now she smiled as she lowered her cup again. “Thank you for telling me. I didn’t want to waste a Command Seal for something as trivial as this.” She frowned contemplatively, studying the cup in her hand.

“Rin?”

“Well, first things first.” She stood up, brushing off her skirt. “If we’re going to be working together, you’ll need to learn how to make my tea properly. This stuff you gave me is absolutely revolting.”

Gilgamesh sighed.

Oh yes, he mused. Very stubborn, indeed.

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Saber stumbled through the charred remains of the village, her armor stained black and red with soot and blood. Her whole body trembled with exhaustion, her eyes dull and staring ahead at nothing as rain pounded down on her from the sky, her armor covered in cuts and slashes.

Kiritsugu had destroyed the Holy Grail, using his last Command Seal to make a double wish. The first one had been carried out flawlessly. The second one was currently being carried out by Saber—to continue on in this time, to live on until the end of the Fifth Holy Grail War, in which case she could fade away if she so chose it. She didn’t understand why he’d made that particular wish, and she didn’t care.

What’s the point of living on in this time? Exhausted, she came to an absolute standstill, tilting her head to look up at the sky. The Grail has been lost for the time being. I cannot have my wish fulfilled. I have no reason to stay here, even if Kiritsugu wished it. Not that she could ask him his reasons for doing it—he was dead, having sacrificed his life to destroy the Grail for the time being.

A soft whimper made her look down at her feet; she blinked several times, and her eyes widened slightly. “What?” she whispered.

The little orange-haired boy gazed up at her, looking as lost and alone as she felt. Somehow her feet had guided her to his side as he lay there on his back; he blinked, coughed, and his eyes cleared. Staring at him, Saber slowly sank to her knees.

A survivor… from the fire? Kiritsugu, did you have something to do with this…?

Her hand trembling slightly, Saber lifted her arm and gently offered it to the boy, not sure what she was expecting him to do; he gazed at her for a moment before he mimicked her action, his tiny, soot-covered hand coming to rest in hers, feeling fragile and warm in comparison to the cool armor that still covered her body.

His fingers curled against hers, and that did it.

Her heart overflowing with emotion, Saber pulled the boy into her arms and hugged him tightly to her chest, burying her face into his hair as the tears came. The boy’s arms slid around her neck instinctively as she lurched to her feet again and began walking, now searching for a way out of the hellhole they were both trapped in.

The boy rested the palm of his hand against Saber’s chest, feeling her heartbeat. He sighed softly with contentment and closed his eyes, drifting to sleep. He’d been so tired, but he wasn’t alone anymore. He could rest now; he knew, somewhere deep inside, that Saber would take care of him.

They’d both found a reason to continue living.

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Young Tohsaka Rin watched the two boys play outside from her tall room window before sighing and looking away, leafing through the pages of her book. The boys had been coming for awhile now; a little orange-haired one named Emiya Shirou and his best friend, Ryudou Issei, had started playing in the woods around her house about a week ago. She recognized them both from school, and so far had successfully resisted the urge to go out and play with them.

She had a War to study for, after all.

Rin hesitated, looking out the window. Several times the boys had invited her to come out and play, and each time she’d turned them down. Not that she didn’t want to—honestly, she was a little lonely, and Issei and Shirou always seemed to have a lot of fun. But if she wanted to be the best magus she could be by the time the next Holy Grail War started, she needed to study as much as possible. Nodding internally to herself, she turned back to her book.

Only to have her concentration abruptly shattered as something knocked against her window. Surprised, she looked up again and found herself gazing into Shirou’s eyes; the boy grinned and waved at her, balancing himself on a wobbly old ladder that he and Issei must have pulled out of the old storage shed in the woods. With wide eyes she bolted across the room and quickly unlocked the window. “What do you think you’re doing?!” she hissed.

“Wanna play?” Shirou grinned at her, offering his hand. “It’s really nice outside today. I bet it’d be more fun than being stuck inside in a dark room.”

Rin scowled at him. “I’m studying, you idiot. It’s important.”

“Well, yeah, but you always study. That can’t be good for your health.” Shirou shrugged. “At least, that’s what Fuji-nee always says.”

Rin blinked, not sure how she was supposed to respond to that. She put her hands on her hips. “Why do you want me to come out, anyway? You and Ryudou-kun seem to have lots of fun without me.”

Shirou frowned contemplatively, rubbing his chin as he thought this over; after a moment, he shrugged, smiled, and offered her his hand. “We do,” he admitted, “but you always look so lonely. You should have some fun, too.”

Rin hesitated. Don’t do it, her inner voice warned. If you do it you won’t be studying, and if you aren’t studying you won’t become the best magus you can be. Turn them both down.

She closed her eyes, inhaled deeply. But what’s the point of being the best magus I can be if I’m always lonely?

She opened her eyes and grinned, resting her hand in Shirou’s and scrambling out the window with his help.

In the years to come, Issei and Shirou would be Rin’s best friends and brothers rolled into one. But for now she was young, and all she wanted was to have a little fun.

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Matou Sakura watched the blue-haired man calmly eat the meal she’d prepared for him, completely concentrated on his task. She swallowed a ball of nerves and smoothed her apron a bit, turning back to the sink. “Would you like some tea, Assassin?” she asked, glancing briefly over her shoulder at him for confirmation.

Assassin, or Sasaki Kojiro as his true name was, glanced up at her briefly before his lips quirked upwards in a smile. “Yes please, Master,” he said. “I would appreciate it very much.”

Sakura paused for a moment, watching the young man out of the corner of her eye. She was relatively new to this whole Master/Servant thing, having only entered the War to defend Shinji (the boy had successfully summoned Rider because magic still flowed through his veins, but he was no where near close to controlling it; regardless of his faults Sakura still loved him, and she wasn’t about to watch him die.), but being constantly referred to as ‘Master’ made her a little uncomfortable. Heating the water, she took a deep breath, wanting to sound as confident and sure of herself as possible. “A-Assassin?” Her voice came out as a squeak.

What happened to sounding calm and confident?!

Her Servant looked up at her again. “Yes, Master?”

Sakura turned to face him now, and a small, nervous smile lit her face. “My name isn’t Master,” she said softly. “It’s Sakura. Matou Sakura.” She clasped her hands behind her back. “Honestly, I feel awkward with always being called Master.”

Assassin gazed at her for a few minutes without blinking before he spoke. “Is that a request or an order?”

“Uh…” Sakura struggled for control. “W-Well, ah… it’s not an order. I won’t make you call me by my name if… if you don’t want to… but I’d… prefer it…” Blood rushed into her cheeks, making her face bright red.

Assassin studied her a little longer before his smile returned, and he dipped his head in acknowledgement. “Very well then,” he murmured. “If that is what you want, then I shall call you Sakura.”

The way her name rolled off his tongue made Sakura smile for some reason, even as her blush intensified. “Thank you,” she whispered. After a moment, she took another leap of faith, mindful of the three Command Seals on her left hand. “Um… may I call you by your name? May I call you Kojiro-kun?”

Assassin’s smile widened, if it was possible. Quite suddenly, he found himself very interested in this War.

“If that is what you want… Sakura.”

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Illyasviel von Eizenburn giggled happily as Shirou reached up, gently tugging on her hand. “Onee-chan?” he asked, offering her a small picture book. “Is it all right if you read this one to me tonight?”

Illya took the book from Shirou as the boy scrambled up onto the bed beside her, studying the cover for a moment; she laughed. “But Shirou, I’ve read this to you a million times!”

“I know! But I really, really like it! It’s all about heroes and how they save people!”

The white-haired girl paused for a moment, mulling over a thought; a light came into her red eyes and she looked down at her little brother. “Why don’t I tell you a story about the hero who saved me?”

“Really?” Shirou’s eyes widened to the size of dinner plates; he leaned closer to his sister. “You were saved by a hero, Onee-chan?”

“Yep! See, it happened a few years ago after this great war…”

From the doorway, Emiya Kiritsugu smiled as he watched his daughter enthrall her younger brother with her tale. Chuckling, he turned away and slid the door shut behind him as quietly as possible so as not to interrupt the story.

There was no doubt in the man’s mind that one day Illya’s grandfather would return and try to reclaim her, especially when the time for the fifth Holy Grail War drew closer. But it doesn’t matter, the dark-haired man thought as he walked down the hall. When that day comes, I will protect her. I will definitely become strong enough to protect her.

But that was still ten years off.

For now, Kiritsugu had his daughter back, and she was growing up with a normal, stable family life.

That was all that mattered.

The End

... Meh.

Spoiler for Author's Ramblings and Notes:

Scenario 1: Obviously, if Rin had summoned Gilgamesh things would have gone very differently, since it would mean that he died in the fourth Holy Grail War. Though if that had happened, going by the logic of Shirou summoning Saber like Kiritsugu, there's no way of saying Rin couldn't have summoned Gilgamesh as her Archer. Honestly, the two of them together? Utterly hilarious.

Scenario 2: I realize the really, really big plothole of how Saber would continue on in modern-day without a supply of mana, and I'm not altogether sure that two commands can be made simultaniously on one Command Seal. But still, it would have been an intriguing idea if Saber had found Shirou... kind of like the Rosette/Chrno relationship in Chrno Crusade, I think.

Scenario 3: I'm assuming that Rin had a relatively lonely childhood after her father died and Sakura was given to the Matou family, since we only see her interact with Shirou and she seems to have no other close friends. But if she'd made friends at a younger age, you never know... it could have totally changed her as a character.

Scenario 4: Assuming that Shinji was a proper magus (and therefore summoned Rider on his own) and Sakura summoned a different class of Servant, the War could have gone very differently for the two of them. I realize that there's a rule that siblings can't fight in the War, but in this version Sakura is fighting to protect Shinji, not to get the Holy Grail. So it could possibly be an exception. And summoning Assassin... that just changes so many things right off the bat.

Scenario 5: Not much to say here. Just Illya, having a regular life with her father and Shirou like she should have instead of staying with her grandfather like she did. I liked the idea of it, and it would have definitely changed the War; if Illya was happy and content, who would be left to summon Berserker? As a note, I only knew Illya is older than Shirou because of Wikipedia... so far I only know the anime and manga version of Fate, and neither go specifically into her character.

FF.net link, for those interested in leaving a review: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4956479/1/Rewind

[Nerroth]

Finished my F/TF fic!


Phew.

[Deus_Ex_Obscurum]

*Caramelladansen's*

Woot! Go RadiantBeam! Never read that first fic of yours before, the five kisses one.

Very sweet. Would actually be good to see it animated. I'm just snickering at the thought of Saber saying "I blame the voices in my head."

*Cackles*

[Hyperion]

I've looked on FanFiction.net, and only found a couple, but are there more RinxSaber pairing fics?

[Deus_Ex_Obscurum]

There is one I found.

Rin and Shirou go back in time to find Arturia but it seems Arturia doesn't remember anything about the Grail War. Can't recall exactly where but I found it via a google image search somehow. The image was...I believe...Rin and Saber dressed up like old-timey kings or queens.

Really quite fascinating and well done.

Now I have to pose this idea to RadiantBeam, a Rin x Saber. >.>

She's gonna kill me.