Ten years ago, the Town of Shinto, Fuyuki City

The war was over, and she was the victor. All that was left was to claim the prize.

"The Grail..." Saber whispered shakily as she dragged her feet towards the golden light in the building.

The tool of her redemption, the mean to achieve her kingdom's salvation. It was finally here, all hers as the last Servant standing in The Fourth Holy Grail War.

She had obliterated the mad Caster's gargantuan beast.

The honorable Lancer had perished before her as he cursed the life that had brought him so much grief and indignities.

Rider's mighty steed failed to challenge the light of her holy sword, costing the King of Conqueror dearly.

Her old friend, the ever faithful knight of the lake, losing the curse of madness as his master succumbed before at last perishing upon her cold bosom.

And the greatest of all opponents: the unknown yet nigh almighty Golden Archer. He had pierced her legs with swords out that golden portals of his and had forced down his tongue into her throat, declaring her as his property. He received a stab in the heart for that insolence.

She was the King of Knights, and her kingdom needed her. No man, even gods, were allowed to get in the way of her duty. Especially with something as frivolous as marriage proposal.

"Saber."

The spoken word startled her, and she glanced about, seeking where it came from.

To the left, above her on a jutting platform.

Appearing out of the shadows was her Master. The fiendish, ruthless murderer who loved his wife and child more than anything else. The man who wanted to save the world.

Emiya Kiritsugu.

Confronted by the Master she had been unable to bond with in any way resembling cooperation, the injured and exhausted Saber could only stare and wait for what he had to say.

"With this Command Seal I order you..."

There used to be three marks on his right hand, forming the shape of a sword. Now there were two, and they were glowing red.

"... destroy the Grail."

With that, everything she had put on the line - her pride, her body, her conscience, was shattered into meaningless pieces.

"No! No! NOOO!"

Her scream of anguish was drowned by the sounds of destruction soon after, sending the wheel of fate tumbling to uncharted teritory.

Seventy Three hours ago, France

After almost half an hour, she finally noticed that the other person who occupied the room she was in had been unusually busy.

"Letty? Are you going somewhere?"

Leticia's roommate asked with apprehensive tone. The normally nerdy, almost a shut-in blonde girl looked about ready to have a trip somewhere faraway, currently filling her suitcase with clothes and toiletries. Also, the normally nerdy, almost a shut-in blonde girl had braided her hair and lost the glasses.

One thing Annette knew best about Leticia was that she liked her hair free.

"I'm going to Japan."

Annette's mouth dropped open.

"... Seriously?"

Leticia zipped her sport bag. One of her many luggage. She really had planned to go on a long trip.

"Yes, something very terrible is about to happen and I have to be there to foresee it."

"What the... hon, the exam is in three weeks! You can't miss a day of lesson! You've already spent your leave permits when you got sick last September, remember?"

Anymore, and Leticia must repeat a year, something she couldn't have. Huffing with annoyance, Annette got up and went to grab Leticia shoulder, stopping her roommate from inserting a bra into the suitcase.

"Letty! Look at me and tell me what's going on!"

Letty stared at her coolly, before smiling.

"Don't worry, I've made sure to inform the lecturers about this. They had all agreed to assign me some homeworks and papers to compensate for my absences."

"Huh? For real? Even Doctor Mundi?" said Annette, her anger forgotten. Excuse the clear doubt in her voice, but Doctor Mundi was the kind of lecturer who wished to see his students fail.

"He did give me more materials to work on than others, but I'm sure I can manage," Letty shrugged, as though what she just said was no big deal.

She never knew Leticia has that good of a persuasive power. Which was why...

"Okay. Something really serious must have happened. Come on Letty, just be honest and let me in in... whatever this is. We're best friends, I can help you, and you can trust me."

Leticia's unflinching stare bored into her eyes. Chills ran down Annette's spine. Those eyes, that gaze... somehow, she knew the woman in front of her was not actually the Letty she knew of.

Not anymore.

"H-huh...?"

The unsuredly-not-Letty clasped her hands over Annette, and gave a smile as brilliant as sunlight.

"You're a good friend, Miss Annette. Leticia is very thankful to have you, and is very happy that you care so much of her. I promise you on the Lord's name, I'll keep her safe and sound, and she will return here, and the two of you will graduate together."

Those words, as strange as they were, were said with sincerity and conviction, the amount of which Annette had never experienced before. Whoever this girl speaking to her was - either some spirit possessing Leticia, or Leticia experiencing enlightenment, whatever the hell - Annette felt she could be trusted.

And hey, using the Lord's name to make a promise was such a Leticia thing to do, anyway.

"Uh... Alright... Take care, I guess... "

"Definitely. Now you can go back to continue what you were doing."

"Okay," she said as not-Letty let go of her hands. "Back to write that erotica instead of studying, it is."

"Y-yes, sure. Good... luck with that, I hope."

Annette nodded, then climbed back to her bed and opened her laptop. Not-Letty went back to stuff Letty's briefcase with more of Letty's lingeries. Huh, never knew Letty had such a bold taste...

Hmm, inspiration, inspiration.

"Be seeing you, Annette," said Not-Letty, opening the door.

"Okay, see you before exam, hon," she replied, already moving to fourth paragraph.

The door closed.

Somewhere, sometime

There were many question invading her mind as she began to lose consciousness. The face of Fujimaru-senpai that hovered over her gradually blurred, whatever the redhead said she couldn't hear anymore - muffled.

It hurts.

And the pain. All she could feel was pain. Her body had been riddled by bullets and curses. She recalled Senpai desperately pressing hands upon her wounds, but she could no longer feel the touch.

Had she given up on her? Then why was she still here?

It hurts.

Death coming over her in many forms at once. What would happen after she was gone?

The Director, the Doctor, the whole people of the institution, they'd be gone too. The hope for humanity's survival would be no more.

Several drops of water fell over her face, momentarily distracting her from all the pain and questions. Overhead, she could see Fujimaru-senpai, her beautiful amber eyes glistening with tears.

"Senpai... Thank you..."

She felt relieved, to be able to say it.

As the world blackened, the only thing that filled her mind was how kind Fujimaru Ritsuka had been toward her. How she had cried for her, and now she in return wanted to talk with her more, getting to know her better.

Becoming her friend.

Protecting her.

However, the darkness she had fallen into was deep and lacking in way out.

"I'm here to help you grant that wish," said a voice in the darkness.

Who?

"I am the Heroic Spirit who have heard the plea of your heart. I'm also here to aid humanity in this battle against extinction."

What do you want from me?

"I need you to be my vessel. We have to be together to protect everything, to return light upon this dark future ahead of us. Would you accept me as a part of your soul, child?"

... I accept.

If this will allow us to hope again.

If this is a chance to fulfill the purpose of my existence.

If this is a way for me to protect Senpai.

Then I accept!

The darkness was suddenly filled with light.

"Excellent," said a knight holding a large cross-shaped shield. He, the owner of the voice, was standing with beautiful dawn sky behind his back.

"Now, child, tell me your name."

"... Mashu!"

"I see. That's an easy name to remember. As for me, I am..."

"Mashu...!"

Mashu Kyrielight opened her eyes. The world returned, filled with rapidly blinking red lights. She could hear guns being fired and spells thrown in the distance. That's right. They were under attack. The institution was under attack.

"Senpai...?"

During her confusion, Fujimaru Ritsuka had enveloped her in a tight embrace.

"You're back! You're back! I thought you were dead but then you started glowing and your wounds started healing and, and... You're back!" the older girl cried and half sobbed onto her chest.

"Ah, Senpai..."

She felt warm under the embrace. And this uplifting feeling after being cried upon as you were gone and then being cried louder when you returned...

This was definitely happiness.

Mashu tried to move her hands. When she found they were fine and better than new, she used them to pat Ritsuka's back.

"I'm glad to see you too, but, don't we have to move? The situation's still dire, right?"

Hearing that, Ritsuka let go of her and sat up. She wiped tears off her eyes and slapped her cheeks, and her expression hardened with renewed spirit.

"Right! I brought you here earlier and locked the door. The Director and Doctor Romani led the enemies away from here, she said they have to reach the... uh... the time machine...?"

Mashu nodded at the information, then looked around. They were in the kitchen, behind a table. The Rayshift Development Project room should be three halls away. Indeed, the sounds of fighting were coming from that way.

And several more people were coming. She could hear their footsteps approaching, soon, they would pass before the kitchen door.

"Senpai, we're going to Trismegistus and reunite with Director Olga and Doctor Romani."

"Eh? But it's not safe and we have no way to pass the enemies. We don't even have any weapon..."

Mashu gave her a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry. I will open a path and protect us all, Master."

Ritsuka blinked. "Huh? Master?"

"Yes, check the back of your right hand."

"What the- eeehhh? What's thiiis?"

Three marks, forming flower-shaped patterns, were glowing red on the back of Ritsuka's right hand.

"They were your command spells, Master. That's a proof that we're a pair of Master and Servant. And with that, I have been granted power to get us out of this situation."

Ritsuka looked even more confused. Mashu sighed.

"We'll talk more about this later, Master. You have to get down now, while I clear the way from enemies."

"Wait! Where are you going?! Mashu?!"

She stood and left her Senpai and Master, as power surged from within her. The power of heroic spirit. Her vision clear even under the red flashed darkness. Her hearing caught the sounds of closing in footsteps, allowing her mind to calculate her moves.

"Transform..."

With that command, she changed. Black plate armor in place of her uniform and jacket. The heroic spirit's massive cross-shaped shield strapped to her right arm. Heavy, but she could swing it easily enough to make it a usable weapon.

The enemies were right in front of the door.

"Haaahh!"

She charged, brandishing the shield in front of her to act as battering ram, and the door along with the wall was blown away from the impact.

Three men in black combat suit received the brunt of her assault, crashing into the wall to their side. The nine remaining jumped back and immediately stood in firing formation. Professionals. Magus killers, every single one of them.

Their curse-laden bullets bounced off the shield like mere pebbles. Standing behind it, Mashu wanted to smirk. She had never felt this brave, this daring, this confident.

This, was the taste of might. The exhilaration one feel upon facing certain victory.

She allowed a second of indulgence to savor her new power before she proceeded to demolish her foes.

"Servant Shielder, Mashu Kyrielight, commencing attack!"

The Night of Fate

The sword made an arc as it was swung, nearly claiming the assailant's neck.

Clucking his tongue under steel helmet, the heavily armored knight jumped back in retreat, leaving Emiya Shirou sitting helplessly on the floor of his shed.

The one who ambushed the knight, the savior who granted him more time to live, stepped over between him and the broken door, allowing the moonlight overhead to reveal her appearance.

"This humble Assassin has come in answer of your summon," she said, her voice calming and melodic. Along with her beauty, it rendered Shirou utterly speechless.

His savior was a petite young woman with unblemished white skin. Soft pony-tailed hair the color of young cherry blossom petals. Sharp, gleaming eyes, the color of honey.

She was dressed in pristine white kimono and blue long-sleeved haori. A black scarf furled around her neck, and a katana was drawn and gripped firmly in her right hand.

A perfect blend of a woman's grace and beauty and the valor of a brave warrior. Upon looking at his flabbergasted expression for a while, she spoke; her eyes met his with unwavering intensity.

"Are you my Master?"

Author's Note:

Welcome to my first story. I'm sure your head is full of what, how, why, etc. so let's all be cool and let me give you a gist of what I am doing here.

So, this is an AU fate/stay night story obviously, with elements of apocrypha and grand order thrown in. Why and how it'd come to be is the mystery box that will be opened in the future. Be patient and don't be too quick to judge!

Confirming the events of this chapter:

- Yes, in this AU, Gilgamesh was slain by Altria in the 4th HGW

- Ruler Jeanne D'Arc is here!

- The Chaldea organization here is a bit different from the original, as is their purpose and the threat they are facing.

- I'm using Mashu instead of Mash because does anyone out there really name their kid Mash?

- That is indeed Sakura Saber that comes to be Shirou's Pokemon in the end. Though her class is Assassin here.

- The Servant who attacks Shirou should be obvious enough, I think.

Okay, that's it from me. Tell me what you think, and maybe add some juicy criticisms when you're at it. See ya!