Chapter Text
The relationship between me, Shirou Emiya, and Arturia Pendragon, better known as King Arthur Pendragon, is a complicated one.
After all, because of our meeting, nothing but suffering would ensue.
This story does not have a happy ending.
The story of a dragon girl and a human boy—will end in nothing but tragedy.
Everyone will be miserable by the end.
Most of all, the girl named Arturia—the King named Arthur.
Arturia Pendragon, King Arthur, and—the legendary apparition known as the red dragon of Britain. This is the story of how she was stripped of everything she held dear.
***
It was a beautiful night, lit by the moonlight with the sky sprinkled with stars.
I sat with my adoptive father, Kiritsugu Emiya, on the porch of our Japanese style mansion. He was slowly nodding off, even though he was sitting up.
“Hey, if you’re going to sleep, go to bed, old man.” I say this with a soft tone of voice.
“No…I’m fine.” Kiritsugu laughed off my complaint, but he still looked tired. “You know, back when I was a kid, I wanted to be a hero of justice.”
“You wanted to? Does that mean you gave up?” I asked, raising a brow.
“Sadly, yes. I had to give it up. Being a hero is hard…and it’s much harder to call yourself one when you get older.” Kiritsugu said, softly smiling. “I wish I’d realized it sooner.”
“Hm…so there was no way around it, huh?” I said, swinging my legs on the porch.
“Yeah.” Kiritsugu sighed softly and looking up at the sky. “The moon is so beautiful.”
“Yeah. Since you couldn’t be a hero of justice, I’ll become one instead.” I said, my voice filled with hope.
Kiritsugu was taken aback by my words.
“Well, you’re already an adult, right? You missed your chance. But I can do it instead!” I hummed and smiled. “I’ll fulfill your dream.”
“I see…yeah…that’s a relief.” Kiritsugu smiled and closed his eyes.
He seemed to be tired, so I decided to let him rest and go to bed myself. What I wasn’t expecting was for it to be the last time I spoke to him. He died that night, and I was left all alone in my house.
Well, not all alone. There was Fuji-nee of course. But I had lost my third and last parent.
Oh well, it’s not like much would change. Kiritsugu was the kind of guy who couldn’t take care of himself. It didn’t help that he’d been sick for the past few years. More often than not, it was me doing the cooking and cleaning.
Even though he was only my dad for the past five years, I was glad to have met him. After all, he saved my life from a burning inferno—one which I don’t care to remember.
***
I walked down the street from school. It was Summer Break, and I was leaving campus to return home. Not like there was much for me there—Fuji-nee wouldn’t be back for a while, so I’d be stuck alone.
Well, at the very least, I had my trusty pans and spatulas to keep me company. They never failed me.
Wow…that sounded a lot less pitiful in my head.
Anyway, I was about to leave, when I noticed a girl.
She was rather pretty, with violet hair and eyes and—wow, her bust was pretty overwhelming! Not only that, but her legs were gorgeous! Long and shapely—truly the pinnacle of feminine beauty.
Ahem.
Shirou Emiya does not have dirty thoughts about underclassmen.
Actually, I recognized this girl. That was Sakura Matou, the younger sister of one of my friends, Shinji Matou.
We were never especially close or anything. I just knew her from the archery team. She was generally a quiet and obedient girl. That’s all I knew about her.
Shinji doesn’t talk much about her, and she never talks about herself either. I don’t really know anything about her other than her appearance.
She was walking with her head down at the ground, not really paying attention to her surroundings. I might as well greet her since we’re in the same club.
“Good morning, Matou-san.” I figured I should address her formally since we don’t really know each other.
“…” Matou-san let out a breath, then charged forward to run away.
“Eh?! W-wait!” I tried to move out of her path, but her foot ended up tripping over mine and we both fell.
Ugh…
It wasn’t a hard landing at all. In fact, it was rather soft. That might be because my hands were squeezing her supple, curvaceous—
“WAAAH!” I jumped back, startled and flustered.
My heart pounded wildly. That was my first time touching a woman. I’d always imagined something like that would happen when with someone I loved, not a random girl from the archery club.
The soft feeling of her breasts was imprinted into my brain. My hands still tingled. There was no way I’d be able to forget something like that. The way their softness seemed to lure one in—the pure eroticism of it all was overwhelming.
But seriously—a lucky fall?! What is this, To Love-Ru?
“I-I’m sorry!” Matou-san yelled.
…huh?
Why was she apologizing?! I’m the one who just groped her breasts (albeit, by accident)!
“N-No, I’m sorry.” Now that I’m paying attention, I realized that the contents of both of our school bags had fallen onto the floor. I scramble to pick up my things and shove them back into my bag, my heart still racing.
Once I’ve grabbed my things, I rush to leave.
Oh, but first.
“If you ever need anything, Matou-san, feel free to ask.” I say this and rush back home. I figured I owed her a favor after accidentally groping her.
It was when I finally got home that I received a text from an unknown number.
Sakura: Sorry, Emiya-Senpai. This is Sakura Matou. Nii-san gave me your phone number. You forgot your workbook, so I brought it home with me. I can bring it to you if you want?
Shit! I checked my bag, and sure enough, my workbook was missing. All my summer homework was in there, so I really needed it back. I let out an exasperated sigh.
Shirou: Thanks, Matou-san. I can come get it later. I just have to come to the Matou Mansion, right?
Sakura: Sure. I’ll be waiting.
Fuji-nee was going to be back late because of a work meeting anyway, so it’s not like I was in a rush to start making food.
I put my shoes on and begin to open my door.
“Eh…ow!” My right hand began to burn. What looked like a bruise had formed. “What the…?”
Did I hit my hand earlier on my way home from school? Maybe after I fell?
…no, Sakura’s breasts cushioned the fall.
That was a terrible thought. I’m going to shake it off and leave.
Suddenly, the lights go out.
That’s weird, a power outage?
I mean, what else could it be? It definitely couldn’t be the bounded field Kiritsugu had set up activating.
Oh well, I can worry about that later.
I opened the door, but someone was there to greet me already.
Well, not someone. “Something” was more accurate.
It was a skeleton that looked as though it was made of teeth.
…well that’s no good, I must be dreaming.
It’s possible to dream while awake, right? Probably. Hopefully.
Otherwise, I’m screwed.
I blinked and rubbed my eyes, hoping that the skeleton was just a hallucination.
And when I opened my eyes…it was still there. Actually, there were dozens behind it now.
My body went cold.
So I decided to do the most logical thing in this situation—and shut the door.
The moment I do that, a tooth-like object penetrates the rice paper door and begins to slice it.
Woah—that’s not good! Tooth skeletons with sharp weapons that are hostile to me?! That’s serious business!
As the tooth warriors slice through the door I begin to flee. That paper door isn’t going to last very long! My mind is blanking for the most part, I just know that I need shelter—fast!
The tooth skeleton’s had broken into my house by now.
Shit, shit, shit!
The paper walls in this house won’t serve as much protection…there’s also no rooms in this house that will give me very good shelter. As I think that, I’m forced to narrowly dodge a slash by a tooth skeleton warrior.
“Gah!”
Shit! I need something to strengthen! Then maybe I’ll have a fighting chance of holding them off long enough to escape. Maybe something I can use as a weapon like a pipe…
Wait, the shed!
Why didn’t I think of it sooner?!
I run to the small, earthen shed in my backyard, adrenaline boosting my speed faster than I’d ever gone before. I try to slam the door shut, but a skeleton stops the door from closing.
They begin to invade the shed. I grab a pipe and begin to strengthen it. “Trace, on!”
A skeleton slashes at me, which I block with the pipe. The force was so strong that it sent me falling backwards onto my ass, still clutching the pipe with white knuckles.
Shit, is this really the end…?
Am I going to be killed without even knowing why?
“Who…who are you?!” I yell.
“Fufufu…what do you think, boy?” A beautiful voice, unmistakably a woman’s, is projected from outside.
“Why are you doing this?!” I ask.
“I’m just eliminating an enemy master before the servant is summoned.” The woman says.
Master? Servant? What was she talking about?!
“Now, just give in and die easily, boy. It makes for a lot less trouble.” I could almost hear the smile in her voice.
“No…I’m not dying. Not like this! Not when I’ve never gotten the chance to become a hero!” I scream.
Suddenly, there was a flash of light, and just before a skeleton could kill me, it was shattered.
One by one, the skeletons in the shed shattered into pieces.
And in front of me stood a beautiful woman, with golden hair and a flowing dress under a layer of armor. She turns to me, revealing brilliant emerald eyes that twinkle in the moonlight.
“I ask of you—are you my master?” The girl says clearly, in a strong voice.
Her voice was beautiful, like the sweet melody of a flute, but held a strong conviction behind her words.
The clanging of her armor sounded as sweet as the tinkling of a bell to me.
She looks down at me for an answer—but I have none. I’m too enchanted by her beauty.
In my silence, she turns around and begins to destroy more skeletons.
It was only once her eyes were off me that I snapped back to reality. “Hey—wait!” I call out to her.
However, my words fall on deaf ears as she leaps out of the shed and continues destroying skeletons.
I ran outside to follow her, brandishing my pipe as protection.
“Tch! I suppose for tonight, I’ll withdraw.” The woman’s voice echoed, and the skeletons disappeared, as though they were nothing more than projections. “I’ll come back for you later, adorable Saber-chan~”
The girl puts down her weapon, which was invisible, and turns to me. “Master, what are your orders?”
“O-Orders?” I ask.
“Yes. You are my master, are you not?” She asks.
“Well…I’m not really sure.” Shirou admitted. “What’s a master, anyway?”
“What?!” The girl’s eyes opened wide in shock.
Uh…I totally said the wrong thing. “Sorry…I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
The girl sighed, furrowing her brow. “You mean you did not choose to participate in this war?”
“We’re fighting a war…?”
She pursed her lips. “Alright. Let us sit, I’ll explain the details to you.”
“Wait, first, what should I call you?” I asked. It doesn’t feel right to go any further without even knowing her name.
“For now, please call me Saber.” Saber said, her face softening slightly. “And you?”
“Huh?”
“Your name.”
“Oh…I’m Shirou Emiya.”
“Emiya?” Saber wears a complicated expression. “I see, I’ll call you Shirou, then.”
Shirou? She totally jumped like…ten steps of familiarity there! She’s supposed to start with my last name.
Well, she was a foreigner. She might not know those social conventions.
We went inside, and Saber sat me down to explain the general rules of the war. Essentially, this was a war fought by seven mages, called masters, and seven heroes from the past, called servants. Each master summons a servant and—
Okay, all this exposition is explained in the original visual novel. Just read that if you want lore.
“Do you understand, Shirou?” Saber asked.
“Well, somewhat. I get that you’re supposedly a spirit from the past, that much is clear. This might be a rude question, but I want to know your identity. Your name isn’t actually Saber, right? That’s just your class name.” I said this with some hesitancy, feeling that it might somehow be rude to inquire about her identity.
“Ah, no that isn’t rude at all. Actually, it’s completely normal to inquire about my identity, especially because it would be important in devising a plan.” Saber said this, but pursed her lips. “The problem lies in your competency. You have no magical training to your name except for strengthening. If a magic user were to enchant you and search through your memories, my identity would be compromised.”
“Oh, I see.” I say this with some disappointment. “I guess that would be a problem. Sorry for asking.” An enemy learning Saber’s identity would pose a tactical disadvantage for a lot of reasons already explained in the original visual novel.
“No, there is no reason to be sorry. But there is one other problem, Shirou.”
“What?”
“I do not feel any of my magical energy being replenished after my fight.” Saber said. “It is likely because of the manner of my summoning, but it seems that a connection between us was not established.”
“Oh, really? How bad is that?”
“Well, in the worst case scenario, after expending all my magical energy, I would simply keel over and disappear.” Saber said.
“WHAT?!” I yell this at the top of my lungs.
“Master, contain yourself.”
“How can I, after you just said something like that?!” Well, if she was acting so calm, it must not be that big of an issue, right? “I mean, is it not that much of an issue?”
“No, it is a massive issue.”
“THEN WHY ARE YOU SO CALM?!” I was at my wits end with this stoic girl! How could she be so calm with her life on the line?!
“Master, I do not fear death.”
“You should!”
“There is nothing to fear, but fear itself.” Saber said proudly.
“Don’t quote former American president Franklin D. Roosevelt! There’s plenty of things to fear right now!”
“Master, I would not be fighting in this war if I feared death.” Saber said calmly. But then, her composure slipped. “However, I simply hate to lose. So rest assured, this is as much of a problem to me as it is to you.”
“Well…as long as you understand.” I sigh. For some reason, I doubt I’m going to get any farther with her on this topic, and there’s no way I could persuade her not to fight until we get things sorted out.
Honestly, this girl was really stubborn.
Fuji-nee would probably say that she’s about as stubborn as me.
Wait—Fuji-nee!
What time is it?! When is she going to get here?!
I turn to Saber and look her up and down. She’d dematerialized her armor, but was still wearing a dress that was obviously from centuries ago. She stood out like an incel at a house party!
“Ah…hell! I don’t have any girl's clothing!” I bit my lip.
There was always the option of her wearing some of my clothing. I looked at the girl and wondered if my garments would fit on her.
…
No way!! That was bad!! Very bad!!! The idea of a smaller girl wearing my clothing, hanging loosely about her body, was way too stimulating!
It would make any man spontaneously combust!
“Shirou, are you okay? You’ve gone red.”
“I-I’m fine!” I say, hiding my blushing face with my arm.
Anyway, I need an idea that is absolutely and completely unerotic.
Hmm…
Oh! I should have some of Kiritsugu’s old kimonos lying around!
That would be completely and totally unerotic.
“Come with me, Saber!” I grab Saber’s hand and rush her to Kiritsugu’s old bedroom where I grab a kimono from his closet. “Alright, put this on, Saber.”
“Hm? Okay.” Saber accepts the kimono from me.
In the next instant, before I could even turn around to leave, Saber dematerialized her dress, leaving her completely naked.
“!!!” I freeze in complete shock, utterly speechless, turning red as a tomato.
Saber begins to put the kimono on, sliding one arm into the sleeve.
“Saber, that’s no good…you can’t change in front of a guy…” I say, barely audible.
“Shirou? Are you okay? Is something wrong?” Saber has the nerve to ask me something like that while still naked.
“I think I’m gonna…go start making dinner…” As stiffly as a robot, I begin to turn around and walk to the kitchen.
***
I’ve already cut my hand twice while chopping these vegetables. I just can’t get the image of Saber naked out of my head.
The soft curves of her body, her beautiful milky white skin, her forbidden areas all exposed to my—
Shit! I just cut myself again!
Help…Shirou Emiya is short circuiting!!!
I almost wanted to cry…it was torture to make me see a woman’s naked body and ask me to be completely unaffected after!
Alright, deep breaths Emiya. Your relationship with this girl is going to last a while, so you can’t make it awkward now.
I managed to calm myself down enough to continue cooking. The chicken is already sizzling nicely. It’ll be done soon, and then I could marinade it in the teriyaki sauce.
I finally finished cooking. I’m just about to set the table when a head peeps into the kitchen.
“Shirou? What’s that smell?” Saber asked, sniffing the air.
“Hm? Oh, I’m just preparing dinner. Go ahead and sit down at the table, I’m just about done.” I smile awkwardly. I still can’t forget about having seen her naked earlier, but if she acted completely normal now, all I can do is follow her lead.
“Me? No, that’s not necessary at all, Shirou. I’m a servant, so I don’t need food to survive.” Saber says this to me.
“Just because you don’t need it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have it.” I said, placing plates and cutlery on the table. “Plus, you protected me earlier. It would be awful of me to not repay that. It should still be a while until Fuji-nee gets back here, so dig in.”
I’d just recently texted Fuji-nee, and sure enough, she was stuck in an after school meeting. It should still be a while until she gets here.
Saber reluctantly sat down at the table, staring intently at the food in front of her. She was looking at it so suspiciously that it almost seemed like she was scared.
“Saber? Is something wrong?” I asked. Did she not like the smell or something?
“N-no, everything is fine.” She grabbed her chopsticks and took a small bite of her teriyaki chicken.
Immediately, her face lit up.
She then took a bite of rice, and of her salad, and a sip of tea. She looked absolutely awe-inspired.
“Shirou, you made this? Are you a professional chef?” Saber asked, eyes wide.
“Huh?! N-No, I’m just a normal home cook…” I laughed awkwardly.
“But it’s so delicious…you’re incredibly talented.” Saber said.
“No, really, it’s no better than any other Japanese home cook can make. I’m definitely not on the level of a chef or anything haha…” My face was flushing from the praise.
“You should have more pride in your craft, Shirou. It’s better than anything I ate while alive.” Saber said.
This was just something quick I whipped up for dinner after school. If it was better than anything she’d eaten while alive…wow, she must’ve been miserable in the past.
“Well, thank you. I’m glad you like it at least.” I grabbed a piece of chicken and raised it up to my mouth—
“HELLOOO~~!”
The door slams open.
The chicken fell out of my chopstick’s grip.
Both me and Saber stared wide-eyed at the intruder.
“Ara? Arararararara?” Fuji-nee blinked once, twice, three times as she processed what was in front of her.
“F-Fuji-nee…” I said, sweating.
Her eyes filled with tears. “I suppose…Shirou is at that age….”
“NO! IT'S ABSOLUTELY NOT LIKE THAT!!!” I screamed.
Fuji-nee sniffled. “Uu…uuuu….”
“Fuji-nee, please stop crying! I promise it’s not like that!!!” I said in an exasperated voice.
Saber cleared her throat, bringing attention back to her. “I am an acquaintance of Kiritsugu from a few years back. Shirou is hosting me for the duration of my stay in Japan.”
“Kiritsugu? Was Kiritsugu into younger girls?” Fuji-nee asks, drying her eyes.
“Hah?” Saber didn’t seem to understand the question.
“Fuji-nee!!! Don’t ruin my father’s reputation like this!!!” I yelled. If she said things like that, people might get the impression that Kiritsugu was a lolicon!
“Then is she his illegitimate child?” Fuji-nee asks.
“HAH?!” Saber seemed to understand that insinuation.
“Does she look part Japanese to you, Fuji-nee?!”
“Oh, you have a point…” Fuji-nee said. “Where is she from?”
Saber took a breath. “My home country is Britain.”
“Ah, I see.” Fuji-nee murmurs. “B-But even so, I have a moral issue with a young man and a young woman living alone together.”
“Huh? Is there a problem with my gender?” Saber asks.
“Yes! It’s only natural for a young man to get excited when a girl around his age is living in the house! For example, what if he sees you undressed?”
“But he saw me nude just thirty minutes ago, and he seems fine now.” Saber said.
The chopsticks I was holding clattered onto the table.
There was silence for about thirty seconds.
“WHAAAAAAAAAT?!” Fuji-nee roared. She pounced on Shirou. “You perverted boy!!! What did you do to this poor girl?!!!”
“I didn’t do anything!!! She was the one who changed her clothes in front of me, I sweaaaar!!!” I pleaded my innocence to Fuji-nee.
“Miss, it’s true! Please unhand Shirou, he’s done nothing wrong!” Saber said.
“No!! He’s getting sent to the temple with Ryuudou-kun so he can learn the ways of resisting temptation!” Fuji-nee had me in a chokehold with her arm, and I was slowly being strangled.
“Miss, I’ve been tasked to protect Shirou, so if you go any further, I will have to intervene!” Saber said.
“Hoooh? Intervene? Fine then.” Fuji-nee released me and struck a pose. “I’ll defeat you once and for all! I’m the only one who can protect Shirou!!!”
And so, we ended up in the dojo.
Fuji-nee stood in one corner, while Saber stood in the other.
They both held kendo sticks, staring each other down on the battlefield.
“Alright. We’ll settle this with one hit. Are you okay with that, Saber-chan?” Fuji-nee asked.
“Yes. It is an honor to face you in battle, Taiga Fujimura.” Saber said.
In all honesty, Saber was going along with Fuji-nee’s antics way too seriously.
“Then we’ll begin. Oh! Saber, look behind you!” Fuji-nee yelled.
Saber turned to look behind her, ever vigilant as the protector of this household.
“Waaaachaaaaa!!!” Fuji-nee ran wildly, screaming like a banshee as she seized the opening of Saber’s turned back. “Haha! I gotch—ha?”
Even quicker than lighting, Saber had evaded Fuji-nee’s blow and had completely disarmed her.
“Ha? Ararara?” Fuji-nee continued to process the events that had just transpired.
“I believe this settles the match, Taiga.” Saber said.
Fuji-nee crumpled to her knees, sobbing. “Shirou is being taken away from me!!! Waaaaaaah!!!”
“Fuji-nee…” I muttered, embarrassed. After all, I was already seventeen.
“Worry not, Taiga. Shirou has grown up to be a wonderful man under your watch. For the time being, I will be taking care of him.” Saber said, giving a reassuring smile.
“Uuu…” Fuji-nee sat defeated, drying her eyes. “Alright. I admit that you’re strong. I’ll trust you for now.” She huffed.
“Yes. I won’t let you down.” Saber said. She turned to me. “Shirou, let us go inside and finish dinner.”