Snow

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Silence. Silence filled the air as Shirou and Sakura sat awkwardly with Saber's head on the latter's lap. An eerie golden glow mended Saber's wounds, much to the surprise of Shirou and Sakura.

"So... You're a mage, Sakura?" Shirou asked his wounds slowly healing thanks to Sakura's magecraft.

"Y-Yes..." Sakura stammered.

Shirou sighed before looking over at the direction of his house, smoke rose up and the sound of sirens barely reached his ears. They were sitting on a bench in front of an electronic shop.

"This is National Japanese News, the disaster of Fyuki City has been confirmed to have destroyed half of the western district. An estimated 2,000 casualties are to be estimated, making this the biggest disaster in Fyuki City's long history, surpassing the Great Fyuki Fire. The national diet is planning to make an announcement tomorrow. Many describe this as an "attack against Japan" and many blame North Korea, Russia, China, and even the United States on this catastrophe."

Shirou put his forehead on his hand as anger welled up. Sakura, seeing that she finished healing his minor injuries, stopped and looked at her fumbling hands.

"Hey! Someone get an ambulance!" a bystander shouted as they ran up to the trio. "Oh my God! Are you okay!"

Sakura had luckily covered Saber with her jacket, hiding the glowing light from view. Shirou looked up to see one of his classmates.

"Shirou?"

"Hey, Ayako. Feeling better?" Shirou asked weakly, his mouth dry and his eyes tired.

"Yes..." She turned her gaze to Sakura, who was staring at her with her blank gaze, and Saber, who was sleeping soundly. "Hey, Sakura is she okay?"

Sakura mutely nodded. "We should go, Senpai..."

Shirou watched as the smoke from his house. "Yes, we should get going, goodbye Ayako." He stood up.

"You're not going anywhere until we make sure she's okay," Ayako growled. People, civil workers, arrived and immediately made their way to them.

Shirou looked up to see the sun rising, his fist clenched. "Okay..."

-

Archer bit back a scream as his appendages were pierced by Berserker's tails.

"So I was your sibling in your life, huh? Was my servant Hercules?" said Illyasviel, the homunculi that he treasured as a sister. It honestly pained his heart seeing the homunculus with that empty gaze of hers.

The look of betrayal.

"I was stupid, wasn't I? Teaming up with my prey? Treating the person who stole my only family left from me?! That's stupid! Berserker, let him go!"

This time Archer screamed in pain as the crimson appendages were ripped out of him. He heard the furious stomps approaching him, he was in too much pain and fatigue to even lookup. He felt a soft foot kick him in the side. He felt wetness on his neck.

Illyasviel was crying as she repeatedly stomped and kicked Archer.

"You're so dumb! I hate you! Liar!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. "You're the reason why Kiritsugu never came back for me! Why he abandoned me!"

"Illya..."

"Don't "Illya" me! Only my family has the right to say that!" This time she reinforced her leg and kicked Archer away. "Y-You... You're a complete stranger!"

Archer saw a flash of memories about Illyasviel go through his mind.

"I'm sorry, little brother."

"You're," he took a deep breath of air, "right, I took your father away, but regardless..." He finally regained the strength to look up. "You're my sister."

Illyasviel collapsed on her knees, her composure completely degrading. Her hands covered her tears from the world.

"I won't let anyone marry you until I deem them okay!"

Archer buried his face into the ground. "I'm sorry, Illya..."

"Heh, are you gonna be single forever? Does that mean that I won't be an auntie?"

"I love you, Shirou! Forever and ever!"

"Yeah, " he muttered his response to every single question she asked. He heard the soft growls and the loud steps of Berserker as it slowly approached him.

"How was I like?" Illyasviel asked quietly, slightly hiccuping.

Archer remained silent for a moment before looking at Berserker, who had gas steaming off of him as he healed the wounds Lancer inflicted on him a while ago. "Happy, " he said softly.

Illyasviel has tears streaming out of her eyes but unlike last time, she had a shocked look on her face. "B-Berserker, let's go..."

The crimson-cloaked servant wasted no time in picking up his master and leaving.

Once they were gone, Archer summoned a healing noble phantasm and sat himself up. He watched as Lancer's body started to disappear in motes of light and mana. He sighed, looking at the night sky.

"I should've never existed."

-

Shirou stood numbly as Saber was wheeled away to get checked upon. To his surprise, her wounds opened up again, something breaking the connection between her and whatever healed her.

Sakura looked at Shirou, her eyes going back and forth between the disappearing form of Saber and Shirou. "S-Senpai... W-What's yo-our con-connection to Saber?"

Shirou looked at his underclassman with a tired gaze. "She's... She's an old family friend of Kiritsugu..."

Sakura sighed and looked around, making sure they were alone. "She's your servant, isn't she?"

The red-head looked away. "Yes..." Of course, she knows of the Holy Grail War, she's a magus after all... A member of a founding family no less...

"What happened, senpai?" Sakura asked quietly.

Shirou sighed before looking for any unoccupied seats. That's what I would like to know...

Chapter 9 End

Had to pull this from deep places lol