Fate/Stay Love (craft)

Chapter 2 – The Black Pharaoh Goes to Church

The church was less inviting than one might expect of a house of God. It gave off an almost palpable feeling of unease. Shirou was starting to understand why Tohsaka had been complaining about the place the whole walk over, if it wasn't necessary he would want nothing to do with the building.

"This place is great!" Perhaps somewhat predictably Saber's views differed wildly on the matter. "Come on let's go in!" She grabbed Shirou's arm and started dragging him inside.

"W-what?" Shirou let his surprise at the sudden contact be known. For some reason he thought he felt twin daggers glare into his back from Tohsaka's direction, yet foolishly he dismissed his concern.

Entering into the building did nothing to make one feel more at ease, Shirou wondered what kind of congregation could be drawn to such a place every week. In front of the group stood a priest, no doubt he had heard Saber's boisterousness and was waiting for them. A thin smile was on his face.

"Ah, Rin it seems you've brought guests, no doubt the seventh master and his-" the priest stopped momentarily as he laid eyes on Saber. His face flashed to a grimace before returning to normal so quickly as to make observers doubtful that the shift had happened at all. "-servant, how kind of you to go out of your way to bring him here."

"I-it's nothing I was just repaying a debt." Tohsaka blushed slightly as she gave her typical response when called out on being nice.

"It's not nothing Tohsaka-san, I really appreciate it." Shirou said unknowingly supported the priest in teasing the girl.

"Guh, you fake priest. Just explain the situation to him, he's completely ignorant." After taking a critical strike Tohsaka decided to just ignore the provocation.

"You see Rin here is what's known as a tsun-"

"About the war!"

"-dere, a creature that cannot express affection to others save through insults. Now about the Holy Grail war. I am Kotomine Kirei the administrator of this conflict, allow me to fill you in on the nature of the event you have become a participant of."

What followed was a long explanation of the rules of the war filled with subtle jabs, philosophical musings, and of course foreshadowing.

"This war is horrible. How could anyone fight in this?" Shirou was outraged by the situation.

"Hmm? The prize is the realization of your greatest desire, have you nothing that you wish for?" Kotomine pressed Shirou with a question of his own.

Shirou's thoughts immediately jumped to his one and only real desire. His goal of becoming a hero, someone who saves others. Could it be that with the grail he could…? No, he realized, for his desire to be granted in such a way would be meaningless. It would in fact defeat the very purpose of it.

"No, a wish is worthless to me. This isn't the way to accomplish my goal." Shirou replied after some time.

"Is that so? Perhaps you would like to use up your remaining command seals and enter the protection of the church. That way you can refrain from participating." Kotomine's smile momentarily turned into something more honest and yet all the more unsettling.

"That's an option? Yes that sounds like a" Shirou was cut off as for the first time in the conversation Saber looked up from the apparent bliss of the death glomp she had on her master's arm.

"No! We have to fight together! Shirou, don't give up!" Shirou was shocked, when did she become so intimate with him as to address him using his given name without a suffix? The sudden shift in mindset made something clear to him though, he had no choice but to fight in this war.

"Saber's right, I have to fight. If only to make sure no one gets hurt. Beyond that Saber has a wish she wants granted too and she deserves that chance." He felt resolute, sure that the decision he had come too was the correct one.

"Master!" "Wha-!" Saber excitedly transitioned from her hold on Shirou's arm to what is known as marshmallow hell. An especially twisted sort of torture that takes something that would otherwise be pleasurable and perverts it by suffocating the recipient. The situation's horror was exacerbated because between Saber's cries of "Ah!" and "Shirou-kun! In a church?" was the sound of grinding teeth coming from the red clad magus.

Having finally freed himself the group made to leave the church. As they left Kotomine had a parting remark for them. "Rejoice Emiya Shirou for your wish shall be granted." Chilling implications to his final remark went right over Shirou's head as he was far too busy trying to calm down Saber and attempting to ferret out why Tohsaka seemed so irritated.

Fate/Zero Love (craft)

From the journals of Emiya Kiritsugu.

I wish I had never gotten involved in The Holy Grail war. I should have taken Irisviel and Ilya and left the rest of the Einzberns to their machinations. Unfortunately that isn't how things turned out. If only I had drawn any other servant, I had wanted a Caster or even an Assassin, but I allowed that accursed family to talk me into summoning a Saber. That had been the moment that everything went wrong. I felt that I could work with a Saber, they were commonly held to be the best class for a reason, but she… it is impossible to deal with. I can feel my mind fray as I spend time with Saber, it's a miracle that I came up with the ploy of dropping Saber on Irisviel under the pretense of it being a tactical move to trick the opposing masters. I can only hope that beings influence on my wife remains isn't too bad, Ilya's already fallen to its corrupting nature. For the sake of the world I will carry this burden, if the universe truly isn't as callous as it now seems perhaps I won't break before my wish can be granted.