Master Sword and Servant Sheath

SWOOSH, SWOOSH!

In the middle of a dojo a wooden sword in a shape of a katana goes. Swing by swing, step by step, the sword faces the air head on like an invisible opponent. Its wielder held the sword firmly, a steady grip on the handle, unfazed by the weight and gravity it carries along every move.

"Artoria.. While I understand you are a hardworking person, I have said many times that it is not recommended to train so early in the morning. Especially when you have school today, don't you?" A modest man with silver hair entered the dojo, leaving the entrance to the hallway open. He looks at the girl before him that was doing her daily routine.

Artoria Emiya, the blonde haired girl who was doing her practice had stopped in her tracks mid-swing. "Nilrem, I can handle myself just fine." She lowers her sword, she looked over at the man and tilted her head in slight confusion. "School is a simple matter, you already had known that. Why do you ask?"

"Oh no, Artoria doesn't even call me Uncle anymore, I'm very hurt!" Said man who had widened eyes made a dramatic gesture as he cried out before looking at the blonde girl with a glint in his eyes, "Well, food is ready by the way."

Nilrem is one very mysterious man. It started when he sometimes stopped by to keep Artoria company when she was a child. It was only when her adoptive Father passed on he came more often. He has a strange relationship, with him as her guardian. He claims to live nearby, but never tells anyone exactly where. Despite this, Artoria trusts Nilrem as he had looked after her better than her Father ever did.

Not only did she have a very poor relationship with her own Father, it was a rare occurrence of them either interacting or talking to each other at that time. It was even worse, as her adopted Father saved her from the fire and left her alone. When Nilrem had asked for the reason, he told him that it was out of regret and sheer guilt of his actions that made him rescue her. Nothing more.

As Nilrem only often came by in the afternoon, the first time he had arrived in the morning to see Artoria was something new and rare for her.

Artoria places the wooden katana back onto the rack where it was held before, she turned towards her guardian and walked to his direction. She passes by him and moved on to the hall but not before giving a curt reply. "I see, it is time for me to prepare for school. So, good morning to you."

Nilrem looks at the blonde haired girl's retreating figure as she disappears into the hallway, he gave a brief and tiny smile.

"Good morning to you too."

...

Artoria in her school uniform, her school bag and the little knot that held her katana bag closed and ready by her side on the ground looked upon the greatest enemy of hers to ever live in front of her on the table..

Mashed potatoes.. While they were a form of sustenance for her, she obviously has shown her distaste for it. She looks at the clock and back at the plate before she glanced up at Nilrem who sat opposite of the table before her.

"I'll just have a piece of bread."

"Hey, Artoria? You have been carrying that bag along with you even though you don't have club session today.." A black haired girl in twintails appears from behind. The bell had already rang and the people were preparing to leave for the day.

"Ah, Rin. The Principal does not mind me carrying my sword as long as I keep it securely with me. How are you doing at the moment?"

The Tohsaka leaned back from her current position and folded her arms before sighing, "I have family related problems to settle later.. And you?"

Rin Tohsaka, a 2nd year in Homurahara Academy even though she is the model student and idol of the school, unlike Artoria is also well respected but feared more than Rin due to her impressive skills in kendo which would have anyone not daring to cross her in a fight. The two have been very good friends ever since they met.

"As I have club tomorrow and I like to have a clean environment for my members, I will be cleaning the dojo. I shall see you tomorrow then?" Artoria stood up from her seat and reached out to grab for both of her bags. She looked at Rin as she nodded back at her before she left the classroom.

The girl swiftly moved towards the dojo, smoothly avoiding the people that were in her way to prevent any accidental crashing.

To think the Archery club would also use the dojo too tomorrow..

She placed her bags down in a corner before she took out the cleaning tools in the cupboard nearby, a pail and a piece of cloth. As she fills the pail with water and squeezes the cloth, she stretched before she knelt down on the floor.

A normal procedure that she picked up to kill time as she does not look forward to having more mashed potatoes again ready to be reheated and eaten in the fridge for dinner.

A simple task of cleaning.

She shall put her full effort into it as she had always did.

Her eyes had a fiery glint in her emerald eyes. She grabs the cloth and proceeds to clean the floor.

The dojo shall be kneeling before me, this time!

"To think that this was all that would need to have me exhausted.." With the dojo sparkling as if it had screamed an amazing brand new place, an exhausted Artoria got up on her feet. The cleaning ended up taking a lot of time away and the moon was already up in the sky above her. She emptied the pail of water and squeezed the cloth dry before she placed the both of them outside to dry.

"Still.. I have not been very enthusiastic on something in a long time.."

She softly smiled to herself as she grabbed her bags and exited the dojo, making her way to her locker to pick up her shoes and leave for the day.

The bitter thought of dinner was interrupted when she was startled by some sudden loud noise.

SHING!

She softly sighed to herself as she placed her other shoes in her bag that she left on the floor and proceeded to make a detour towards the noise in the courtyard, her katana tied in a knot with her. Those delinquents were going to have one hell of tongue-lashing reprimands from her. Do they not know they are not supposed to stay back in school for no reason? They should be lucky the school did not lock down on them..

Only to stop as she sees two figures clashing into a battle with abnormal speeds that she somehow was able to slightly comprehend. It was like as if a fighting game had gone to life.

She was able to make out a blurry appearance of the two. One of them was clad in silver and blue armor, with a helmet that was made to resemble a lion along with a cloak that flew by the wind's mercy. The same figure that was sitting on a horse a few seconds ago had its mount disappear and a battle by foot occur with a spear in its hand. The shockwaves and sparks that flew off mainly came from it.

The other was somehow too fast for her to see as the figure was a cloaked man in green and was using something like a crossbow to attack the other. The arrows were a blur and she could not tell whether they had hit its mark or merely missed.

Both were dangerous to a normal human being.

She reached out for her bag, but decided against it. Even if Artoria had faced them, her katana stood no chance, even if she was skilled in both swords and kendo.

The wiser choice she had made, she decided to retreat as her survival of her life was on the line in this battlefield.

However, her luck could not be as helpful as it was in normal situations. She accidentally stepped on a rock as she was moving backwards, the stone sunk into the shallow soil of the courtyard and made a noise.

"Who is there?!" One of them had called out, the battle had stopped and so did her thoughts.

She had been seen. Her instincts flared at her and her heartbeat quickened as she made a run for it. Her life was on the line now and it was inevitable. Her thoughts came back and she had to make her escape.

Escaping outside of the school is plain suicide, so is running back into school to hide.. But the very thought of her involving innocents to die due to her first choice made her reconsider and went for the other.

She will die either way, she knew. As she turned her feet to run up the stairs on her left, she tried to undo the red knot on her bag and take out her katana. It was still a chance she could grasp, even if she knew it was suicide. She ran through the halls, still running and unable to take out her katana.

It was only when she was able to take it out when everything had gone numb.

Something had shot at her heart. It was as if the bag that held her katana was her best chance of surviving, and she had just pulled the katana out like her life.

Her ears had gotten numb too and everything was ringing. She fell head first, onto the ground in her own pool of blood. With no one but her and her killer that had taken her life.

She only could make out some sobbing from a girl before she couldn't anymore.

Her body was still, she drifted in the sea of darkness for who knows how long? Seconds, minutes, months or even years.

But that was all merely an exaggeration, as Artoria suddenly shot up from the ground, gasping for air. She was cold, very cold and the numbing was still not gone, all but the slight warmth in her chest she cannot understand.

She let her thoughts recollect, before she scanned around at her surroundings. Her katana was on the floor beside her bag with a loosened red knot. She reached over to pick it up until she saw a small but glinting red jewel that laid on the ground. She decided to take both of them up after she placed her katana back in her bag again.

Her energy was diminished, but she had enough to stand up. Other than having an unsteady balance and a slight dizziness for a few seconds, she was up and ready to go.

Briskly walking downstairs to her school bag, she placed the jewel inside and slung her sword bag over her shoulder before she made her way back to the Emiya Residence as fast as she could.

Forget about Nilrem's mashed potatoes, she has found something new she does not want to get involved with.

With her back into her home as quickly and safely as she could, she tossed her bags as gently as she could on the floor and went for a change of clothes before panting for air. She was tired. Very tired.. And yet she could not rest. With that mysterious thing that killed her on the loose, she doesn't know when she would be killed.

She reached for her katana bag to only find out an arrow whizzed past her and hit the wall that was close to her hand.

"You really have to make this difficult for me don't you?" The same voice and arrow came again, she grabbed her katana bag in time and rolled out and darted to the courtyard.

She swiftly moved through the arrows that came towards her, before she was kicked into the shed.

"You are an interesting person and all since you can dodge my attacks.. But.."

"I will make this a quick and painless one for you."

She moved back to the end of the shed, not noticing the magic circle in front of her starting to glow along with her right hand.

For he wouldn't stop searching for her even in the very depths of hell, he never forgot about her smile when the sun rose behind her.

He never broke the promise, and tried his best.

But his body was unable to go on, and the embers were dying one by one as they fade away.

Through his respectable and admirable will on wanting to meet her again, he was granted the ability to become a Servant.

To do what his old body could not.

To see her again, to protect her and to prevent her cruel fate from taking her smile away.

It was his turn to repay her for all she had done for him.

The man named Emiya Shirou shall rise once more.

Thus he was reborn within the flames, metal and steel, and the two are able to meet together by fate again.

To think of all this time, I have finally found her again.

"I am Servant Saber. Upon your summoning, I have come forth."

A gentle voice, yet of steel rang out in the shed came from a man with amber hair knelt on the magic circle. A white cloak draped over his back and his left arm had streaks of blue all over, covered by a red cloth. His body was covered in scars, but it did not hide his true expression.

In another world, where the boy had met the knight of silver with hair of gold stardust. For another, a girl had met the man of swords. A reflection is casted upon the two and the moonlight shines upon the back of his as his cloak softly flies.

"I ask of you, are you my Master?"

A/N: I couldn't sleep yesterday because this storyline was chewing at me at the back of my mind so here you go.

There was barely any Master Artoria and Servant Shirou- or, that one guy in Limited Zero Over and Servant we want in F/GOstories that I found to be still updating.

I took up the idea of recreating one story based on an old fan-made comic strip that was about these two.

I hope you enjoy.

I will be updating Memories to Hold next, so you can stay tuned for that.