For meltyu
Heroes of Justice Summary: AU where Shirou summons a very different Saber to the Fifth Holy Grail War Notes: NGL I FEEL REALLY BAD FOR THIS BEING SO LATE IM SO SORRYā¦consider this like. a new years present too or something. Anyways have some fun shirou and siegfried interactions, those two have always seemed pretty cool to me tooā¦I wanted to fit in an Enkidu cameo somewhere butā¦Life happened, unfortunately. anyways i hope you like it!! ; v ;
It was early in the morning, and the sun had only just started to shine when Shirou woke up. He slowly opened his eyes, and rose up with a slight groan. His body felt heavier and ached, somehow, and it took effort to not just drift back to sleep. This was definitely strange. He was used to waking up at hours most would consider unnatural, so why was he so tired now?
Ā However, as his mind started to shake off its grogginess, the memories of the night before came flooding back to him.
Ā Saber.
Ā He quickly rose up, and headed out of his room at a pace nearing a run. That was right. Last night, something almost killed him. He was going to make his last stand in the shed, but thenā¦that was when Saber appeared. The tall figure, his chest emblazoned with a strange glowing mark, had defended him against the intruder, and after that ā Well, a lot of things happened. The most concerning image that crossed his mind, however, was the image of Saber, battered and torn and barely standing.
Ā He couldnāt tolerate that image. That was why, before he made breakfast, got ready for school, thought more about the Holy Grail War he had been thrown into, or did anything, he needed to find Saber. He made his way down the hall, the aching in his body growing into a sharper pain with each step. Sure, he had tried to block an enemy Servantās blow with his body, but this was just getting inconvenient.
Ā Shirou made his way to the first major room of his house, the kitchen. Oddly enough, he could smell something fragrant from the room, as if someone else was cooking in there. Had Sakura come early or something? He stepped into the room, expecting to be greeted by her smiling face. Instead, he saw someone very different.
Ā āā¦Saber?ā
Ā That was definitely Saber in the kitchen, though he wasnāt wearing his armor from last night. He had a loose white shirt on, which exposed a good portion of his back, showing a strange, leaf-shaped mark. The man looked cramped and out of place in the small area, but he carried on all the same with his work ā cooking up a small meal for one. Upon hearing Shirouās voice he turned around, still holding a stirring spoon. āGood morning, Master. Are you feeling alright?ā
Ā Shirou attempted to process both Siegfriedās sincere concern, and the strange sight before him. āWhat are you doing?ā He spoke with hesitation, not really able to comprehend why Saber was cooking at the moment.
Ā āWell, since you were injured last night, I thought Iād fix something up for you while you recovered. Modern devices make cooking so much easier now, itās incredible!ā
Ā Saber smiled, seeming genuine, and Shirou was practically sent into shock. āT-That isnāt necessary! Iām fine!ā He wasnāt used to this at all. Someone he had just met last night cooking in his kitchen? Concerned for his well-being? Sure, this was his āServantā, but this was just too much for him.
Ā His Servant seemed equally surprised at his response, and stammered out an apology. āReally? Iām sorry Masterā¦should I just stop? I mean, you really shouldnāt be alright after last night, but Iām sorry if I offended you somehow.ā
Ā āSaberā¦ā This was a far different man from last night. The intimidating gaze in his eyes and the formidable air of a warrior (no, something even greater than thatā¦a dragon, maybe?), had been replaced by something far more gentle.
Ā Actually, it was more than just him being gentle. Was Saber some kind of pushover?
Ā Shirou recovered, and walked over to his Servant. āDonāt worry, Iām not offended. I just need to get ready for school.ā And make breakfast for his multiple houseguests, of course.
Ā āShirouā¦you took a full-out attack from Berserker with your entire body. You shouldnāt be going anywhere today.ā Siegfried paused, another realization coming over him. āTechnically, you shouldnāt even be alive.ā
Ā āIām fine.ā
Ā Technically, he wasnāt. He still ached all over, and moving too much did hurt. But he had always been durable, and it would be strange to suddenly call Taiga and Sakura up and tell them to go home. Unfortunately, that logic probably wouldnāt convince Saber. The Servant added an additional comment as well. āThe girl from last night is coming back later today too. Sheā¦also suggested that you stay here.ā Saber hesitated a bit with his choice of words, and Shirou knew exactly why. Rin wasnāt the type to āsuggestā things. Rather, it was either do them or face her wrath later; honestly, Shirou would rather see Berserker again than an angry Rin. He did appreciate Saberās efforts to soften her probable threat, however.
Ā āSo thatās how it isā¦ā Shirou sighed, and leaned back on the wall. āI guess I should call in sick then.ā
Ā After a few minutes, and once the calls were done, he turned to Saber and smiled weakly. āI guess Iāll be having the breakfast you made today.ā He was reluctant to stay home, even with the Grail War going on, but at least he didnāt have to prepare his own food as well.
Saberās cooking wasnāt the greatest ā at least compared to the cooking Shirou had done, but the meal was definitely edible, and it did taste good. He thanked the man for the meal, but Saber modestly brushed it aside.
Ā āNo need to thank me, Iām only doing what I can for my Master.ā
Ā His words only seemed to irritate Shirou, however. Saber was doing a lot more than that, in his opinion, and while Shirou wasnāt angry, he didnāt think it could be ignored. āOnly doing what you could? You didnāt have to cook, especially on your first day after being summoned.ā He paused a little, thinking of something to say so his words wouldnāt seem so firm. āI appreciate it a lot, Saber.ā
Ā He smiled at the Servant, and Saber couldnāt help but smile back. Their fate on the battlefield might be uncertain, but at least getting along in a peaceful context would be possible.
Ā ā
Ā To be honest, Siegfried wasnāt certain what to do when he was initially summoned. As someone who lived his entire life by the wishes of others, he was never truly in control. There was always another purpose, another desire, another task he had to complete for someone else. However, now he was the Servant of someone who not only had no knowledge of the grail war, but also someone who didnāt seem to have desires of his own.
Ā Initially he thought it would be simple. Heād protect his Master, they would attempt to retrieve the grail, and he would have his wish fulfilled. But the boy didnāt want that. Shirou seemed determined to fight on his own, even if it was impossible. He wasnāt eager to be taken care of either. What did Siegfried even do in this case? The person he served didnāt want to be served, and he was left in a strange new situation.
Ā Still, at least he had a goal to focus on at the current moment, as he easily blocked another blow from Shirouās sword. They had been training in the dojo for a while now, at his own suggestion. An accident like last night couldnāt happen again, even if Shirou had somehow survived.
Ā He tried to go easy on the boy, but even that was still brutal because of his nature as a Servant. His blows were slower, but that was simply compensated by having more power behind them. In normal fights he used a combination of calculated blows and pure force to defeat an opponent.
Ā Surprisingly, Shirou still hadnāt given up. He was breathing heavily, and he had been knocked down more times than they could count. Every time Siegfried had apologized profusely, of course, only to be met with Shirou somehow getting up and wanting to train more.
Ā However, it was only a matter of time before exhaustion got in the way of determination. After attempting to dodge a few more blows Siegfried paused, looking down towards Shirou. āMaster, I think thatās been enough for today, hasnāt it?ā
It took a couple seconds, but Shirou caught his breath and nodded slowly. With that, they put the wooden swords away and rested. Shirou leaned against the dojo wall, and wiped the sweat from his brow. āSo this is what itās like to fight a Servantā¦ā
Ā āAn actual fight would be a lot harder than that.ā Siegfried watched as Shirouās expression slowly changed, likely a part of him finally comprehending what he was up against. āIf you do have to fight someday, focus on surviving, not winning.ā
Ā His Master nodded, and while he still didnāt look pleased, at least Siegfriedās message had gotten through to him. They paused for a bit, but soon Shirouās voice broke the silence. āSaber, letās do this again tomorrow, okay?ā
Ā āMaster? Are you really that eager to do this again?ā Naturally, Siegfried was confused. He had suggested the training, but it was mostly to make his Master realize just how weak he was compared to the Servants.
Ā Unfortunately, Shirou didnāt seem fazed at all. āIf Iām going to help you fight, then I need to learn how to defend myself, right? So weāll keep training.ā Nothing had changed at all. Despite getting a better idea of a Servantās power, Shirou still wanted to be on the battlefield.
Ā āYou know, it would be safer if you stayed behind. Why would you want to fight in this war?ā
Ā As far as Siegfried was aware, this was an average teenage boy. If he wanted a wish granted, he needed to survive. If he wanted to āprove himselfā, he shouldnāt be performing the equivalent of suicide. So why was he so insistent on this?
Ā āI have to fight.ā Shirou replied, pausing for a moment. āIāve always wanted to be a hero of justice, butā¦if I just hide in my house, how can I save anyone? So thatās why.ā āAhā¦Iām sorry if I pried too much, Master.ā
Ā āCall me Shirou.ā He smiled at his Servant, hoping to relieve some of the embarrassment showing on his face. āItās around time for lunch by the way. Iāll start preparing it!ā With that, Shirou rose and walked out of the dojo. While he still looked sore from the training, the small break seemed to be enough for his recovery.
Ā Siegfried replied, saying that heād be out in a moment, and remained, meditating on the dojo floor.
Ā A hero of justice, huh? Someone who didnāt fight for their own selfish needs, or for the needs of others, but instead for their own ideals. Like a code of honor, but based less on rules and more on principle. Now that he thought of it, a long time ago, that concept crossed his mind before. When his existence as a personified wish-granting machine came to an end, he wondered what it would be like to live that way.
It would be nice, he had thought. Living as a hero would be an improvement over his sorry state. And if that was how his Master ā Shirou ā wanted to liveā¦
Well, then he, as his Servant, would do his best to protect that life.
