"I'll never forgive any of you for this! All of you monsters who'd disregard a knight's honor for personal gain…." There was blood running from his eyes and staining his lips red. "Let my blood stain that dream! Let the Grail be cursed! Let the wish it grants bring disaster!" He coughed, barely able to breath. "When you fall into the frying pits of Hell…Remember the rage of Diarmuid!"

And just like that, the most honorable of Lancers turned to dust.

XxxOxOxOxxX

Sakura dragged her feet across the road as she walked, mentally counting the remaining distance that separated her from her bed and some much needed hours of sleep. Her shoulders were slouched and her head felt as if she had been kicked by horse. She could barely keep her eyes open from exhaustion. It was a good thing that tomorrow was her day off.

The night was moonless and cloudy but the air was dry so she doubted the possibility of a storm. Her house-a cozy, tow-story building on the outskirts of Konoha, as far away from the hustle and bustle of the village and her overwhelming mother as possible-had just come into view and she felt her spirits lift at the sight of her own personal paradise.

While she usually had people over-mostly Naruto, Kakashi and Ino-her little abode was mostly quite. The neighboring homes were few and far-between, inhabited by elderly people or young families with children that preferred the vast greenness of the woods to the populated village center. Ino liked to tease her about how she was already acting like an old cat-lady but she just smiled it off. She loved waking up to the sound of chirping birds and the rustling of leaves in the morning breeze. It was moments like these that made her feel happy to be alive.

She was almost at the door of her small yard when she felt a shiver down her spine. She whipped her head around, her hair flying around her face as she surveyed the region around her. The lack of a moon wasn't helping her at all but her eyes had somewhat adjusted to the darkness due to her walk from the Hospital. The woods were deathly quiet and nothing seemed to be out of place but one could never be sure. Taking a kunai out of her pouch, she approached the first cluster of trees as silently as she could which turned out to be a challenging task. It was early autumn and some of the trees were shedding their green of summer. The forest floor was littered with dry leaves that crunched at the slightest touch.

She moved around the trees like a shadow, darting her eyes all around her, expanding her senses in case someone was preparing an ambush. She knew that she was being foolish, wandering into the woods at night all alone, looking for a possible enemy without backup or anyone even knowing about this but there were families that were sleeping soundly in their beds not too far away. There were children waiting for the sun to rise to head off to the Academy or meet up with their friends for their next adventure. She was the only shinobi in this neighborhood-though she was almost sure there was also a newly-appointed Genin a few houses from her own. In disadvantage or not, it was her duty to protect the villagers of Konoha.

It took her a couple of minutes to feel it and she berated herself for not realizing it sooner. Turning a bit to the east, she ran through the trees, following that barely-there spark of someone's chakra. Whoever the person was, she wasn't familiar with them so it probably was someone outside of the village but they didn't seem hostile either. Heck, the presence was so weak that whoever it was probably wasn't even a shinobi. A villager or an over-zealous merchant that thought it would be a good idea to wander into the woods at night without an escort that knew their way around, most likely.

She felt the presence grow slightly stronger so it was safe to assume she was getting closer. The foliage grew thinner as she jumped from branch to branch and she could make out the beginning of a small area clear of trees, though the darkness made it difficult to say anything for sure. She hid in the shadows of the trees on the edge of the clearing and her eyes were immediately drawn to the figure sitting down with their back leaning against a tree trunk. She narrowed her eyes and moved closer, stopping near a dark stain that stood out against the grass, even in darkness. Blood. Her eyes followed the trail of similar dark stains and-as she had already guessed-her gaze landed on the figure. It was definitely a man, judging from the build and the broad shoulders.

She moved closer, deciding that an injured human was no threat. His breathing was almost non-existent and she could barely make out the rise and fall of his chest. She gasped lightly at the sight of his injury. Medic instincts immediately kicking in, she kneeled beside the wounded man .There was a medium-sized hole in his chest, near his heart. Someone had pierced right through him, though she doubted it was with a sword. The wound was way too circular to have been caused by a blade. Her best guess was a spear of some sort.

Gathering chakra to her hands, she pressed them against the wound, hoping that the weapon that had caused the horrific injury hadn't nicked any vital organs, though judging by the fact that he was still alive it probably hadn't. Still, one could never be too sure. She flooded his body with healing chakra and she allowed herself a small smile of relief when she heard his breathing come less difficultly than before. The wound on his chest started to close as she mended muscles and bones and skin back together.

She looked around and noticed the sun beginning to rise in the distance. The shinobi of the village would soon rise to take up their morning patrol duties and she was sure that they wouldn't react well to a complete stranger bleeding in the middle of the woods. The wound was still fresh and that meant that the fight hadn't taken place too long ago. For all they knew, the person that did this to the poor man could still be lingering around.

Sakura sighed. As it turned out, she had little choice in the matter.

Feeding a little more healing chakra to the injury and blaming her medic side, she summoned Katsuyu motioning for the slug to be quite the moment she appeared.

"What can I do for you, Sakura-chan?" questioned the summon, always eager to please the younger female.

"Katsuyu-hime, this man is injured. I need you to carry him to my place for further healing."

"Of course, Sakura-chan but why don't you take him to the Hospital?" asked Katsuyu as her young master carefully positioned the man on her body.

"The Hospital is full right now and a bit understaffed. Not to mention, I'm not sure about the true extent of his injuries. The time it'll take for us to get him to the hospital might be time he doesn't have. So please, take him back to my house and I'll meet you there in a couple of minutes, alright?"

"Of course, Sakura-chan."

As the summon disappeared with the foreigner, Sakura stayed behind to cover the evidence of the man's presence in the clearing. The whole situation was bizarre. The injury of the man was fresh, probably inflicted a couple of hours ago, and yet there were no signs of battle in the area. The trees were intact, there were no craters littering the ground, no weapons logged in trunks. The battle had taken place elsewhere. But why was the foreigner here? Either he had won the battle and used the last remnants of his strength to move to an area where he was more likely to be found or someone had moved him. In case of the latter, why would his opponent-an enemy, most likely, unless there were more people with a Naruto-Sasuke Syndrome-go through the trouble of moving him?

So many questions made her dizzy but she pushed it back for later. Right now, she had a patient to tend to and she couldn't afford to waste time. She reached the edge of the clearing and glanced one last time over her shoulder. There wasn't much she could do about the blood stains and she was far too exhausted to use Earth Release to hide them. She would think about it later.

She reached the house in record time, glancing around to make sure that no one was watching. It was a good thing this was a civilian neighborhood. Civilians tended to sleep in. She thanked Katsuyu and the summon disappeared soon after her master reached the house. Sakura threw her Jounin vest away and ran up the stairs. She found the man in her room. Katsuyu had placed him on her bed. He was breathing with less difficulty and the rise and fall of his chest was more prominent than before and while those were good signs, she had to be sure that he was out of danger.

Her hands came alive with chakra once more and she examined him thoroughly, closing her eyes in concentration. His biggest problem-and hers-was the hole in his chest but with that no longer a threat, the rest of his injuries were superficial. A couple of bruises here, some lacerations there. Knowing that his life was out of danger, the young woman sighed in relief.

Exhausted as she was, she picked them man up either way and carried him to the bathroom. She cut his shirt with a pair of scissors and placed him against a wall as she drenched a clean cloth in warm water. She began to clean him, wiping the blood off his face and chest that was now lacking a hole. She dabbed the scratches with a cotton ball drenched in disinfectant and tied them up with clean bandages. She carried him back to her bedroom, took off his combat boots and pulled one of Kakashi's old T-shirts over his head. The boys almost always left a token or two after their visits so fortunately, men's clothing was something she wasn't lacking.

Feeling the exhaustion of the day finally catching up to her, she made the man as comfortable as she could on the bed and covered his body with a sheet to keep him warm. She pulled out a cot she kept for the nights Ino slept over and made herself comfortable on the floor beside the bed in case something went wrong, though she highly doubted it. She didn't know what she was going to do once the man woke up but she would worry about that later.

She glanced at the face of the sleeping foreigner one last time before closing her eyes and letting sleep consume her.

XxxOxOxOxxX

Sakura woke to the sound of the birds chirping outside her window and the sun shining brightly behind her eyelids, every trace of last night's clouds gone. She sat up and stretched her arms above her head, leaving a satisfied moan. Feeling hard wood under her, she took a moment to wonder why she had slept on the floor when the events of last night came rushing back to her. She turned around to her bed and mentally congratulated herself for not gasping and jumping up in surprise at the sight.

The foreign man was sitting up in her bed and watching her with a pair of the most majestic red-brown eyes she had ever encountered in her lifetime. Come to think of it, she couldn't remember ever encountering such an expressive pair of eyes before…She took a minute to observe her peculiar guest. The man was tall-she could tell even though she had yet to see him standing-and his shoulders were broad. His quirky dark-brown hair was swept back in an unruly fashion with a single stray lock falling down his face. He was a remarkably handsome man and he carried an air of nobility around him that commanded respect.

Their staring match came to an end when the man bowed his head and spoke. "Thank you." His voice was coarse but she could tell that it was deep and smooth like velvet. "For saving my life, I am forever in your debt."

The young woman straightened her back and allowed a small smile to grace her lips. "Now, now. No need to go to such measures. You don't thank the sun for rising. I was merely doing my duty as a medic."

He looked up at the word 'duty', studying her face for any trace of dishonesty, though he found none in the woman's green eyes. He nodded at his savior, going as far as to allow himself to offer her a small smile of his own that made hers widen.

"How are you feeling?" asked the girl, sweeping her gaze over his bandages for any sign that any of his wounds had reopened.

"I am fine, thank you for your concern." answered the man. "How did I come to be here?"

The young woman was taken by surprise by his politeness, though she hid it well with a smile and a nod. "I found you in the woods last night. You were injured, though I could see no obvious signs of struggle. I brought here after tending to your wounds."

The man nodded, though she could tell that he was deep in thought.

Sakura stood from the floor and put the cot back to its place before turning to the man once more. "Your wounds are still healing and you haven't regained your strength. I'll prepare something for you to eat and perhaps you can tell me more about your story."

"I do not wish to trouble you anymore."

The girl shook her head in amusement. "I told you before. It's my duty to tend to the injured and I intend to honor it until my last breath."

His incredible eyes studied her to the point that she started feeling uneasy under his intense gaze but she didn't show it. After a couple of seconds he averted his eyes and nodded as if acknowledging her and her role.

She was almost out the door when she remembered that he was still a nameless stranger despite their short conversation on gratitude. She turned around and was once again taken aback by the intensity of his eyes. "May I know your name?" she requested softly. "Mine is Sakura."

It took him a few seconds to answer. "My name is Diarmuid and I am the Lancer."

THE END

Hey there guys! How are you doing?

So, I was sitting in front of my computer, listening to music and complaining about how little of this fandom actually exists-or better, doesn't exist at all-when I suddenly opened a blank document and started typing. I had thought about writing a story before but I was hesitant due to other stories I am currently writing and are in need of updates. I couldn't help it though so…Here it is!

I just love Diarmuid. He is one of my favorites despite his rotten luck. I have to say, the Lancer's design in Fate/Zero is so much better than the one in Fate/Stay Night, in my opinion. I don't know, I just like Diarmuid so much better even though FST's Lancer appears to be stronger.

Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter. This will remain a one-shot for now but I won't mark it as complete just yet. If it is well-received and gets enough feedback then I will consider adding more chapters.

So please READ AND REVIEW!

Lots of love!