/unlurk
'sup.
This is an FSN fic that I posted up on FFnet about a month ago. Real life concerns, however kept me from updating it, and it's only until now that I've been able to get back to writing. So, given that I'll be posting the next chapter of this thing soon, I thought I might as well put the fic up here on TFF, where I'm more likely to actually receive feedback on what to fix in my writing instead of the mindless, generic sentences of praise that most FFnet members seem fond of pasting on their reviews of every fic they come across, regardless of what it is.
So... the fic.
Warning: May contain elements from all incarnations of the Prince of Persia series, as well as rape canon FSN rules at parts. Starts from the end of the anime/Fate scenario. Up to the end of the first chapter, all credit for editing goes to a friend of mine, DarckRedd.
ôKotomineà Kirei!ö
The dagger found its target and plunged inwards, shearing through clothing and tissue alike. Kotomine staggered backwards, his hands scrabbling at his chest in a futile attempt to pull the blade out. His eyes looked not at his wound, but into ShirouÆs, staring intently.
ôI gave this dagger to that Tohsaka girl many years ago.ö
Shirou said nothing, baffled by the fact that Kotomine was still standing, even with Azoth rammed through his heart.
Kotomine went on.
ôBack then, when I have her the dagger, I thought it a simple game. How ironic, then, that it would be the instrument of my undoing. But,ö A sinister smile spread across his face, ôyou did not release the energy inside it. You did n-ugh!ö
Kotomine Kirei stumbled backwards, and his still smiling corpse fell down into the black pool of the GrailÆs essence.
It was over.
Or so it seemed. Shirou could not help the feeling that something, somewhere, was terribly wrong. His thoughts were soon diverted, however, when the structure of the Grail started shaking, and Ilya fell from her position at the top.
Shirou ran to the edge of the black pool, catching Ilya on a hastily Traced blanket at the nick of time.
Kotomine was the one who put Ilya there, he thought, if she was released, then it means that heà he really is dead.
As if to finally banish all fear from his mind, a voice rang out through the air, filled with happiness.
ôShirou!ö
It was Saber, walking towards him, smiling. This was it. ShirouÆs misgivings had been unfounded. His heart swelled with joy.
And then it happened.
As Shirou turned around, a disfigured body, clutching the dagger Azoth, rose from the GrailÆs ichor, fighting to rise upwards. It found a handhold on solid ground, and it rose. The dagger rammed it into ShirouÆs back, the force of the blow enough to rip apart skin, muscle and bone, the dagger penetrating far enough to be seen protruding from ShirouÆs chest. In blind shock, the boy dropped Ilya to the ground, saving her as the body of Kotomine Kirei dragged him down with him into the darkness.
The last thing Shirou saw before plunging into the black ooze was SaberÆs horrified face.
----------------------------------
You may have heard, once, about how people can change things. Turn good into evil, death into life, pain into happiness.
You may have heard how to turn tragedy into hope.
Ugliness into beauty.
A murder into art.
But how do you turn a curse into a blessing? How do you change something that seeks only to consume your soul into your greatest power? How can you pursue your dreams if the world itself seems to conspire against you?
Some would say that you canÆt. Sooner or later you would have to give in.
But they are wrong. And if one can defeat the curse, and through oneÆs own flaws find their power, then they will achieve their dream.
You may wonder who I really am and why I say this. Come, and I will tell you a tale like none you have ever heard...
-----------------------
It couldnÆt have happened. It simply couldnÆt have.
It.
Could.
Not.
Have.
Happened.
But it did.
Saberà Arturiaà stared. That was all she did. The horror kept her from doing anything else.
Her mind, however, was in turmoil.
æNoà noà please, please let it be another nightmare, pleaseàÆ
The image of ShirouÆs body arching back, a bloodied dagger protruding from his chest, was played again and again in her brain.
æIt canÆt be real.Æ
Shirou dropping Ilya as his body spasmed in shock.
æWeÆve just wonà this canÆt be happening. ItÆs not real. ItÆs not real. ItÆs not real.Æ
Shirou dragged into the black pool. The vile priestÆs final act of revenge.
æItÆsà butà noà itàÆ
She refused to believe what she saw. But things werenÆt changing.
She was not waking up.
This wasnÆt a nightmare.
æNoà pleaseà IÆve lost too muchà Shirouà Shirouà SHIROU!Æ
It was true. Shirou was gone; he was being consumed by the Grail. And she was just staring, watching him die.
No. She couldnÆt allow that to happen. This was no illusion she could flee from. Shirou, who had done so much for her, was about to die a horrible death.
The lion within her awoke, and with a blood curdling roar Arturia Pendragon lifted Excalibur and charged, jumping into the GrailÆs essence.
------------------------------------------------
Darkness.
The voices of a million dead men, ordering her to give in. To come with them and share in their misery.
Hands grasped at her body, wanting nothing more than to take her down to them. The beasts of the Grail were illusions hungry for reality, and here she was, real and existing, ripe for the picking.
She should have fallen. Before the events of the current War, Saber knew she probably would not have been able to resist.
But now, now she was here for a reason.
She needed Shirou.
A lone voice cut through the cacophony generated by the screams of the dead,
ôDonÆt worry old man; IÆll fulfill your dream.ö
ôShirou?ö
The arms which had only attempted to lightly grasp at her before went for the kill, lunging at her with the intent of ripping her apart. Excalibur cut them all down, the blade swinging through the air. She had heard ShirouÆs voice. That meant he was alive. And that, in turn, meant that nothing was going to stop her.
And so she plunged onwards, and her vision changed.
She was trudging through the ashes of a ruined city, her mind and body slowly falling apart. Then her legs gave out from under her and she fell. The last thing she saw was a kindly face staring down at her.
The scene blurred again.
She was walking beside a middle aged man she called ôfatherö, and fireworks were flashing on the night sky. The fire was no longer there. She was safe and had someone to make happy. The world was perfect, until-
ôI have a secret I havenÆt told you- IÆm a magician.ö
She was kneeling beside the same man, tears streaming down her face. He had enough time to grasp her hand one last time before his last breath left his body.
ôMy diaryà inà studyà Shirouàö
Her hand hovered over a metal doorknob. Trembling, hesitating. Despite how much she had idolized herà fatherà she had not been completely blind. She knew that if she opened the door to the study, which she had never before visited, she would find secrets. Secrets she did not want to know.
Her resolve broke and she fled away from the place, tears streaming down her cheeks.
That moment of weakness and her consistent inability to overcome it would haunt her to this day.
And now things moved much faster, life advancing as nothing more than a confusing blur, whenà
ôYou know, for a moment I thought you might actually be the Seventh. It doesnÆt matter, though; I still have to kill you.ö
The spear went down, heading straight for her heart, but then there was a flash of blue light and she was staring at a beautiful woman, bathed in moonlight.
ôI ask of you û are you my Master?ö
She was feeling Rin TohsakaÆs lips on her own, feeling her try to make it cold and hard, but failing to hide something that left her weak at the knees.
Her hands clenched around twin black and white swords. She had never used them before, but somehow they felt strangely familiar.
She was charging at the man who killed her father. She wanted Justice, but for the brief second before her blade plunged into the man the desire changed into an unbridled lust for vengeance.
Azoth found its target.
She had won. Turning around to stare at the beautiful woman, all she knew was happiness.
And then there was pain.
And she was falling.
Fallingà
Fallingà
ôSHIROU!ö
-----------------------------------------
There had been pain. Darkness.
Blood flowing from his wound.
A mindless beast, its face vaguely reminiscent of what Kotomine once was, dragging him down to the depths of hell. Consuming him.
And then heÆd woken up. Still in pain, still tired, but healed.
Someone had saved him. Someone was fighting the Beast.
æSaberàÆ
And there she was, sword held high, standing before the monster.
ôYou cannot win, Arturia,ö the Beast said, ôGive in. That is after all, what Heroic Spirits must do when confronted by the might of the Holy Grail, is it not?ö
Saber herself did not respond, but rather charged again, only to get batted aside like an annoying fly.
ôSaber!ö
Shirou knew it; this was the place he was going to die.
What he had not expected was for Saber to go down with him.
This was it. They were not going to survive. However, the Beast was wrong û just because they were going to die didnÆt mean they werenÆt going to win. Just as Saber lifted herself from the floor, preparing to attack again, Shirou, too, made a supreme effort to stand up, ignoring the pain in his body.
ôSaber! DonÆt attack yet!ö
The girl turned her head around, hope showing on her face as she saw him finally stand up.
ôShirou!ö
ôSaberà we wonÆt survive thisà but that doesnÆt mean we canÆt defeat the Grail! If we...ö
ôNO!ö
The Beast roared and charged at them, a swipe of his claws throwing Saber aside, away from Shirou.
It was now or never.
Gathering his courage, Shirou lifted his left hand and pointed it at Saber, revealing his last command seal.
ôServant Saber, by the power conferred to me by this Contract, I order you to destroy the Holy Grail, no matter what you have to do!
ôNO, NO, DAMN YOU-ö
ShirouÆs last command spell flew from his hand, slamming into Saber. For one moment her face took on an emotionless, mechanical look.
ôYes, Master!ö
Then she was back to herself, staring at Shirou with surprise written on her face, but the rest of her body was now acting of its own accord, energy spilling into her sword.
The Beast changed course from attacking Shirou to running at Saber, claws held high. But it was too late. Excalibur flared up with light, and an unearthly wind began to blow, knocking the Beast back.
Saber looked at Shirou one last time. They would never see each other again.
ôShirouà I love youàö
Shirou had no time to respond as the command spell took over again and Saber raised her blade high.
ôEX-ô
The Beast gave one final roar
ô-CALIBUR!ö
Golden energy flew from the sword, consuming the Beast, and then crashing against the walls of the mindscape, cracking them. Black fluid poured from the cracks. The energy, however, seemed to fight against it, causing the ooze to explode whenever it came into contact with it.
It was enough. The Grail would be destroyed from the inside.
But there would be a price to pay.
The walls of the mindscape shattered completely, darkness raining upon Shirou and Saber. ExcaliburÆs golden energy spread out to destroy it, but it was too late û the ooze simply jumped over a surprised Saber, bathing her in defiled essence, and soon Shirou was struggling against it too. The last thing he saw before the bile consumed him was a magnificent auric blast; the last thing he heard were SaberÆs agonized screams.
---------------------------------------------
ôCold.ö
Amber eyes opened, their gaze unfocused.
ôWhere am I?ö
A tired hand fumbled around, grasping nothing but dirt until finally coming into contact with soft white blonde hair.
ôWarmà feels goodàö
The eyes finally settled on the source of the warmth. A small, pale girl, sleeping peacefully inside a bundle of blankets.
ôIlya!?ö
ShirouÆs mind snapped back into reality. He was at the temple grounds of Ryuudoji, apparently unharmed. The Grail was nowhere to be seen.
ôIÆmà alive?ö Shirou marveled.
He didnÆt have time to dwell on it; there were other problems at hand.
If he was safe, and Ilya was safe, then that must meanà
ôSaber!ö
He scanned the room.
And then he saw her, and the cold that had taken over him moments before returned, numbing his body. Still, Shirou shook it off and crawled to Saber, kneeling beside her. If he had needed any more proof that there was something terribly wrong, seeing her up close was it.
Saber was there, but she didnÆt look like herself. And there was something about herà
Her skin was deathly pale. Her hair, too, had changed color, becoming barely a shade darker than IlyaÆs. Full black armor covered her body, and beside her, cleaved into the ground, was a black version of Excalibur, covered in glowing red runes.
But even this was not what set Shirou on edge û tattooed on SaberÆs delicate lower jaw, trailing along her neck were black markings drawn in intricate patterns, and it was from these markings that Shirou could somehow, someway, feel the wrongnessà the corruptionà emanating.
ôSaberàö
At the mere mention of her name SaberÆs eyes snapped open, staring intently into ShirouÆs own. Here, too, the transformation had taken effect û the irises were no longer green, but gold.
Before Shirou could say anything the girl shook as if in pain, falling back into unconsciousness with only a single muttered word.
ôFightà ingàö
ôSaber!?ö
Shirou was at a loss. Saber was plainly, but what was the cause?
ôFightingà against what?ö he wondered.
æThe same thing that happened to you, only, letÆs say, a tad moreà lethal.Æ
Shirou started, surprised by the sudden response. That voice sounded exactly like him, but darker, more arrogant.
ôWhere did youà Tell me whatÆs happening to Saber!ö
The voice chuckled.
æYou want to know what happened? Why Shirou, you only need to look down at your hands!Æ
ôMyà handsàö
Shirou held up his right hand, staring at it closely. The skin was much paler, and the palm and back were decorated with complicated black tattoos. Fear started creeping up his body from the pit of his stomach. Thisà
He looked at his left hand. It was covered with the same marks as the right, down to the very last stroke. Desperate, he pulled back the ripped sleeves of his shirt, horrified at seeing his arms just as pale as his hands, the black markings continuing up his skin, losing their involved patterns as they went along until they looked more and more like an eerie infection.
ôWhatÆs going on? Who are you!?ö
An icy laugh echoed through ShirouÆs mind.
æThink of me asà your better half.Æ
-------------
The end, for now. Thinking about it, the scene where Saber "relives" Shirou's memories is possibly the corniest thing I've ever written, bar none.
Now, shred this thing apart, beeches!
'sup.
This is an FSN fic that I posted up on FFnet about a month ago. Real life concerns, however kept me from updating it, and it's only until now that I've been able to get back to writing. So, given that I'll be posting the next chapter of this thing soon, I thought I might as well put the fic up here on TFF, where I'm more likely to actually receive feedback on what to fix in my writing instead of the mindless, generic sentences of praise that most FFnet members seem fond of pasting on their reviews of every fic they come across, regardless of what it is.
So... the fic.
Warning: May contain elements from all incarnations of the Prince of Persia series, as well as rape canon FSN rules at parts. Starts from the end of the anime/Fate scenario. Up to the end of the first chapter, all credit for editing goes to a friend of mine, DarckRedd.
ôKotomineà Kirei!ö
The dagger found its target and plunged inwards, shearing through clothing and tissue alike. Kotomine staggered backwards, his hands scrabbling at his chest in a futile attempt to pull the blade out. His eyes looked not at his wound, but into ShirouÆs, staring intently.
ôI gave this dagger to that Tohsaka girl many years ago.ö
Shirou said nothing, baffled by the fact that Kotomine was still standing, even with Azoth rammed through his heart.
Kotomine went on.
ôBack then, when I have her the dagger, I thought it a simple game. How ironic, then, that it would be the instrument of my undoing. But,ö A sinister smile spread across his face, ôyou did not release the energy inside it. You did n-ugh!ö
Kotomine Kirei stumbled backwards, and his still smiling corpse fell down into the black pool of the GrailÆs essence.
It was over.
Or so it seemed. Shirou could not help the feeling that something, somewhere, was terribly wrong. His thoughts were soon diverted, however, when the structure of the Grail started shaking, and Ilya fell from her position at the top.
Shirou ran to the edge of the black pool, catching Ilya on a hastily Traced blanket at the nick of time.
Kotomine was the one who put Ilya there, he thought, if she was released, then it means that heà he really is dead.
As if to finally banish all fear from his mind, a voice rang out through the air, filled with happiness.
ôShirou!ö
It was Saber, walking towards him, smiling. This was it. ShirouÆs misgivings had been unfounded. His heart swelled with joy.
And then it happened.
As Shirou turned around, a disfigured body, clutching the dagger Azoth, rose from the GrailÆs ichor, fighting to rise upwards. It found a handhold on solid ground, and it rose. The dagger rammed it into ShirouÆs back, the force of the blow enough to rip apart skin, muscle and bone, the dagger penetrating far enough to be seen protruding from ShirouÆs chest. In blind shock, the boy dropped Ilya to the ground, saving her as the body of Kotomine Kirei dragged him down with him into the darkness.
The last thing Shirou saw before plunging into the black ooze was SaberÆs horrified face.
----------------------------------
You may have heard, once, about how people can change things. Turn good into evil, death into life, pain into happiness.
You may have heard how to turn tragedy into hope.
Ugliness into beauty.
A murder into art.
But how do you turn a curse into a blessing? How do you change something that seeks only to consume your soul into your greatest power? How can you pursue your dreams if the world itself seems to conspire against you?
Some would say that you canÆt. Sooner or later you would have to give in.
But they are wrong. And if one can defeat the curse, and through oneÆs own flaws find their power, then they will achieve their dream.
You may wonder who I really am and why I say this. Come, and I will tell you a tale like none you have ever heard...
-----------------------
It couldnÆt have happened. It simply couldnÆt have.
It.
Could.
Not.
Have.
Happened.
But it did.
Saberà Arturiaà stared. That was all she did. The horror kept her from doing anything else.
Her mind, however, was in turmoil.
æNoà noà please, please let it be another nightmare, pleaseàÆ
The image of ShirouÆs body arching back, a bloodied dagger protruding from his chest, was played again and again in her brain.
æIt canÆt be real.Æ
Shirou dropping Ilya as his body spasmed in shock.
æWeÆve just wonà this canÆt be happening. ItÆs not real. ItÆs not real. ItÆs not real.Æ
Shirou dragged into the black pool. The vile priestÆs final act of revenge.
æItÆsà butà noà itàÆ
She refused to believe what she saw. But things werenÆt changing.
She was not waking up.
This wasnÆt a nightmare.
æNoà pleaseà IÆve lost too muchà Shirouà Shirouà SHIROU!Æ
It was true. Shirou was gone; he was being consumed by the Grail. And she was just staring, watching him die.
No. She couldnÆt allow that to happen. This was no illusion she could flee from. Shirou, who had done so much for her, was about to die a horrible death.
The lion within her awoke, and with a blood curdling roar Arturia Pendragon lifted Excalibur and charged, jumping into the GrailÆs essence.
------------------------------------------------
Darkness.
The voices of a million dead men, ordering her to give in. To come with them and share in their misery.
Hands grasped at her body, wanting nothing more than to take her down to them. The beasts of the Grail were illusions hungry for reality, and here she was, real and existing, ripe for the picking.
She should have fallen. Before the events of the current War, Saber knew she probably would not have been able to resist.
But now, now she was here for a reason.
She needed Shirou.
A lone voice cut through the cacophony generated by the screams of the dead,
ôDonÆt worry old man; IÆll fulfill your dream.ö
ôShirou?ö
The arms which had only attempted to lightly grasp at her before went for the kill, lunging at her with the intent of ripping her apart. Excalibur cut them all down, the blade swinging through the air. She had heard ShirouÆs voice. That meant he was alive. And that, in turn, meant that nothing was going to stop her.
And so she plunged onwards, and her vision changed.
She was trudging through the ashes of a ruined city, her mind and body slowly falling apart. Then her legs gave out from under her and she fell. The last thing she saw was a kindly face staring down at her.
The scene blurred again.
She was walking beside a middle aged man she called ôfatherö, and fireworks were flashing on the night sky. The fire was no longer there. She was safe and had someone to make happy. The world was perfect, until-
ôI have a secret I havenÆt told you- IÆm a magician.ö
She was kneeling beside the same man, tears streaming down her face. He had enough time to grasp her hand one last time before his last breath left his body.
ôMy diaryà inà studyà Shirouàö
Her hand hovered over a metal doorknob. Trembling, hesitating. Despite how much she had idolized herà fatherà she had not been completely blind. She knew that if she opened the door to the study, which she had never before visited, she would find secrets. Secrets she did not want to know.
Her resolve broke and she fled away from the place, tears streaming down her cheeks.
That moment of weakness and her consistent inability to overcome it would haunt her to this day.
And now things moved much faster, life advancing as nothing more than a confusing blur, whenà
ôYou know, for a moment I thought you might actually be the Seventh. It doesnÆt matter, though; I still have to kill you.ö
The spear went down, heading straight for her heart, but then there was a flash of blue light and she was staring at a beautiful woman, bathed in moonlight.
ôI ask of you û are you my Master?ö
She was feeling Rin TohsakaÆs lips on her own, feeling her try to make it cold and hard, but failing to hide something that left her weak at the knees.
Her hands clenched around twin black and white swords. She had never used them before, but somehow they felt strangely familiar.
She was charging at the man who killed her father. She wanted Justice, but for the brief second before her blade plunged into the man the desire changed into an unbridled lust for vengeance.
Azoth found its target.
She had won. Turning around to stare at the beautiful woman, all she knew was happiness.
And then there was pain.
And she was falling.
Fallingà
Fallingà
ôSHIROU!ö
-----------------------------------------
There had been pain. Darkness.
Blood flowing from his wound.
A mindless beast, its face vaguely reminiscent of what Kotomine once was, dragging him down to the depths of hell. Consuming him.
And then heÆd woken up. Still in pain, still tired, but healed.
Someone had saved him. Someone was fighting the Beast.
æSaberàÆ
And there she was, sword held high, standing before the monster.
ôYou cannot win, Arturia,ö the Beast said, ôGive in. That is after all, what Heroic Spirits must do when confronted by the might of the Holy Grail, is it not?ö
Saber herself did not respond, but rather charged again, only to get batted aside like an annoying fly.
ôSaber!ö
Shirou knew it; this was the place he was going to die.
What he had not expected was for Saber to go down with him.
This was it. They were not going to survive. However, the Beast was wrong û just because they were going to die didnÆt mean they werenÆt going to win. Just as Saber lifted herself from the floor, preparing to attack again, Shirou, too, made a supreme effort to stand up, ignoring the pain in his body.
ôSaber! DonÆt attack yet!ö
The girl turned her head around, hope showing on her face as she saw him finally stand up.
ôShirou!ö
ôSaberà we wonÆt survive thisà but that doesnÆt mean we canÆt defeat the Grail! If we...ö
ôNO!ö
The Beast roared and charged at them, a swipe of his claws throwing Saber aside, away from Shirou.
It was now or never.
Gathering his courage, Shirou lifted his left hand and pointed it at Saber, revealing his last command seal.
ôServant Saber, by the power conferred to me by this Contract, I order you to destroy the Holy Grail, no matter what you have to do!
ôNO, NO, DAMN YOU-ö
ShirouÆs last command spell flew from his hand, slamming into Saber. For one moment her face took on an emotionless, mechanical look.
ôYes, Master!ö
Then she was back to herself, staring at Shirou with surprise written on her face, but the rest of her body was now acting of its own accord, energy spilling into her sword.
The Beast changed course from attacking Shirou to running at Saber, claws held high. But it was too late. Excalibur flared up with light, and an unearthly wind began to blow, knocking the Beast back.
Saber looked at Shirou one last time. They would never see each other again.
ôShirouà I love youàö
Shirou had no time to respond as the command spell took over again and Saber raised her blade high.
ôEX-ô
The Beast gave one final roar
ô-CALIBUR!ö
Golden energy flew from the sword, consuming the Beast, and then crashing against the walls of the mindscape, cracking them. Black fluid poured from the cracks. The energy, however, seemed to fight against it, causing the ooze to explode whenever it came into contact with it.
It was enough. The Grail would be destroyed from the inside.
But there would be a price to pay.
The walls of the mindscape shattered completely, darkness raining upon Shirou and Saber. ExcaliburÆs golden energy spread out to destroy it, but it was too late û the ooze simply jumped over a surprised Saber, bathing her in defiled essence, and soon Shirou was struggling against it too. The last thing he saw before the bile consumed him was a magnificent auric blast; the last thing he heard were SaberÆs agonized screams.
---------------------------------------------
ôCold.ö
Amber eyes opened, their gaze unfocused.
ôWhere am I?ö
A tired hand fumbled around, grasping nothing but dirt until finally coming into contact with soft white blonde hair.
ôWarmà feels goodàö
The eyes finally settled on the source of the warmth. A small, pale girl, sleeping peacefully inside a bundle of blankets.
ôIlya!?ö
ShirouÆs mind snapped back into reality. He was at the temple grounds of Ryuudoji, apparently unharmed. The Grail was nowhere to be seen.
ôIÆmà alive?ö Shirou marveled.
He didnÆt have time to dwell on it; there were other problems at hand.
If he was safe, and Ilya was safe, then that must meanà
ôSaber!ö
He scanned the room.
And then he saw her, and the cold that had taken over him moments before returned, numbing his body. Still, Shirou shook it off and crawled to Saber, kneeling beside her. If he had needed any more proof that there was something terribly wrong, seeing her up close was it.
Saber was there, but she didnÆt look like herself. And there was something about herà
Her skin was deathly pale. Her hair, too, had changed color, becoming barely a shade darker than IlyaÆs. Full black armor covered her body, and beside her, cleaved into the ground, was a black version of Excalibur, covered in glowing red runes.
But even this was not what set Shirou on edge û tattooed on SaberÆs delicate lower jaw, trailing along her neck were black markings drawn in intricate patterns, and it was from these markings that Shirou could somehow, someway, feel the wrongnessà the corruptionà emanating.
ôSaberàö
At the mere mention of her name SaberÆs eyes snapped open, staring intently into ShirouÆs own. Here, too, the transformation had taken effect û the irises were no longer green, but gold.
Before Shirou could say anything the girl shook as if in pain, falling back into unconsciousness with only a single muttered word.
ôFightà ingàö
ôSaber!?ö
Shirou was at a loss. Saber was plainly, but what was the cause?
ôFightingà against what?ö he wondered.
æThe same thing that happened to you, only, letÆs say, a tad moreà lethal.Æ
Shirou started, surprised by the sudden response. That voice sounded exactly like him, but darker, more arrogant.
ôWhere did youà Tell me whatÆs happening to Saber!ö
The voice chuckled.
æYou want to know what happened? Why Shirou, you only need to look down at your hands!Æ
ôMyà handsàö
Shirou held up his right hand, staring at it closely. The skin was much paler, and the palm and back were decorated with complicated black tattoos. Fear started creeping up his body from the pit of his stomach. Thisà
He looked at his left hand. It was covered with the same marks as the right, down to the very last stroke. Desperate, he pulled back the ripped sleeves of his shirt, horrified at seeing his arms just as pale as his hands, the black markings continuing up his skin, losing their involved patterns as they went along until they looked more and more like an eerie infection.
ôWhatÆs going on? Who are you!?ö
An icy laugh echoed through ShirouÆs mind.
æThink of me asà your better half.Æ
-------------
The end, for now. Thinking about it, the scene where Saber "relives" Shirou's memories is possibly the corniest thing I've ever written, bar none.
Now, shred this thing apart, beeches!
