10 years ago, Fuyuki City, Shinto district

The war was over. After two weeks of blood shed and death the fourth Heaven's Feel had finally come to an end. In the end conflict between mankind's greatest heroes and their masters had met with a rather abrupt end. As Arturia, the once and future king of Britain, and Gilgamesh, the Hero King of ancient Babylon, clashed amid the concrete streets and decade old buildings of a town that stood on the thin line that separates the magical past and mundane present. As steel and flesh met it seemed as if the conflict would never end, neither hero would back down, leading to an unbreakable stalemate in which neither combatant could gain the ground necessary to destroy their eternal rival, and here, amid the chaos of battle, a man of the cloth made known his darkest wish; to see the birth of a being that embodied absolute darkness and was free of light and goodness. The chaos entwined in such a whim tore the earth asunder and encircled the town in a torrent of flames that consumed the lives of more innocent souls then could ever be known to the mind of man.

It was among the crimson sea that two women frantically search for any signs of life amid the chaos. Irisviel, clad in a coat of purest white and with eyes aglow with a color as deep as the flames dancing around her, cried at the top of her lungs as she searched for those who may have succumbed to the disaster manifest of the magic of the so-called "Holy Grail". "Darling!" She yelled to the heavens. "Are you there! Are you all right?" The man for whom her anguished cries were meant was one Kiritsugu Emiya, a black-haired magus whom the snowy haired homunculus called her lover and husband.

However, there would be no answer to Irisviel's cries, as Kiritsugu had just a short time before sacrificed himself so that his beloved may live, giving his life over to the divine vessel of magic over which the Heaven's Feel was fought, Kiritugu had damned himself in exchange for Irisviel's freedom. Though it took nearly twenty minutes of searching, the truth finally found home in Irisviel's ear's as her servant finally returned to her side, her sad eyes and quivering lip, a tell sign of the horrible news that lay deeply on her mind and soul. "My master, we must leave as soon as possible. I can no longer feel Kiritugu's mana..." The servant known to most simply as Saber, tried her best to soften the blow of such information by speaking in a matter-of-fact way as possible. Though she had never liked him all that much nor found any part of his personality appealing, Arturia knew very well how much Kiritsugu meant to her Irisviel.

"He's dead...?" Irisviel stuttered. Though she knew the risk her husband had taken in trying to claim the Grail, that he had died doing so came as a shock. She simply could not bear the reality of the situation, as her eyes filled to the brim with tears and her knees began to quivered with a mixture of fear and disbelief, she dropped to the ground. Sobbing endlessly over her fallen love. But, as Arturia had so plainly stated, now was no time to dawdle. If they stayed here anyy longer they to would join Kiritsugu in sliding off the mortal coil. Knowing her master's wife was likely unable to move of her own accord, Arturia gently hoisted her charge into her arms and, summoning all her strength, made a mad-dash through fire and debris, all in the name of saving what remained of her master's family. As Saber dodged over, around, and, through the various obstacles dotting the blazing city, a faint noise reached the ears of the young woman resting in her arms. "Saber, can you hear that?" Irisviel sniffled.

"I can hear many things, my lady. You will have to be more specific."

"It sounds like a child is crying..." Irisviel's mind spun from thoughts of loss to ones of urgency, so many had likely died in this mess. If she could save but one person from this living hell, it would mean Kiritsugu's sacrifice was not in vain. "I want to see where it is coming from..." Though it was far from safe, Arturia knew that her charge would not change her mind once in she resolve to do something.

"Very well, my lady." Saber, her hearing many times better greater than a normal human, finally picked up on the cry of a child not far from the spot where she presently stood. The child in question lay sprawled upon the rubble of a fallen apartment complex, his clothes ripped and burned, his face worn and tired, his reddish-brown hair burnt by stray embers. Looking as if on the verge of death, his glassy expression longed for an end to his seemingly eternal torment. Neither knight nor homunculus remained calm in the face of such injustice, a youth cut short by the selfish conflicts of adults. Irisviel, motioning for her loyal knight to put her down, walked up to the small child, gently wiped the soot from his expressionless face, and mustered all her strength to show him a smile. Silently, she swore she would save this child no matter what it took.

"Everything will be all right, we just have to get out of this place as soon as possible." The boy was in no condition to argue and simply nodded in response to Irisviel's statement. "Saber, we must bring this child with us." Irisviel spoke upon returning to her feet from a kneeling position. "If we he is left here he will likely die, speaking in my beloved's steed I ask that we take this poor child with us." Again, Saber knew better then to argue with her former master's headstrong wife and, without a single word, scooped up the nameless body and motioned for Irisviel to follow her once more. Then, with child and homunculus in tow, the Knights finally led escaped the conflagration that had claimed the lives and dreams of so many poor souls.

*********************************************************************************************************************************************************
The first order of the waning day for the pair was to give the poor child nestled in Arturia's arms with a measure of medical attention. However, his wounds, grievous as they were, would soon claim his life, rendering the best intentions of Irisiviel and Arturia a moot point. Both women knew this was true and communicated such sentiments to one another in a series of silent gazes that radiated an intense aura of sadness and frustration. "There has must be a way to save him!" Irisviel shouted, finally breaking the silence between them.

"I am sorry...No amount of medical care, no matter how advance, can reverse the damage done to this child." Saber spoke in a stoic way.

"Then what about magical healing? We could use Avalon to save him like Kiritsugu used it to protect me!" Saber knew that such an action would be more than enough to save the red-haired child. But it would also mean deliberately putting her master's wife into danger. Reconciling such matters were difficult, even for someone used to the pressure of matters of life and death.

"We could do that, my lady. But doing so would put your own life in danger. Is this child really worth such sacrifice?"

"Yes! This poor boy is like this because of OUR actions. If this war hadn't happened he would still be living happily with his family. Saving this child is the least we can do to atone for all of this..." Irisviel lay on the verge of tears once more, straining to hold back the torrent of emotions threatening to engulf her psyche. Arturia, could not argue against such sentiments. Her own inability to defeat the King of Heroes had caused all of this. Though saving this child would not make up for all that had happened, it was the least they could do.

"As you wish. Concentrate on Avalon's magical essence and will it into this boy..." As Arturia's words dissipated, Irisviel did as instructed; heaping all her thoughts upon the magical sheath buried deep in her artificial body. Planted within her body by her beloved to ensure her safety throughout the ravages of the Heaven's Feel, the scabbard that once held the holy blade Excalibur bestowed upon its wielder a powerful regenerative force that was capable of overcoming even the most terrible of wounds. Steeped in blue and gold, the image of the artifact known to some as the "Ever Distant Utopia", a reflection of Arturia's hope for a peaceful future for herself and her nation, the image of Avalon formed ever clearer within Irisiviel's mind. Then after meditating upon its glorious form for several minutes, the nearly endless mana within her body helped to expel the magical artifact from her body as per Saber's instruction.

Taking her blade's home in hand, Arturia contemplated the object for a moment before going about her appointed role. To the King of Knights, Avalon had been the literal physical manifestation of a seemingly unreachable dream that she had chased since her youth as a squire in the service of her father's most loyal knight. In the recent past, however, it had taken on a new meaning, a symbol of not only her dreams but that of her master and his wife as well. A dream to see their little family thrive even in the face of the unusual circumstances that perpetually stalked the Einzbern family. It was this dream that then motivated Saber to end her contemplation and implant the magical artifact deep within the child resting in her arms. In a flash of light, the sheath disappeared from Saber's hand, causing Irisviel to let out a sigh of relief at the safety of the child had finally been ensured. Saber, meanwhile, let loose a similar noise. Happy to see her charge free of the dark emotions that had surrounded her during the conflagration they had just escaped.
"All right then!" Irisviel said clapping her hands together in a joyful way. "Now that all of this is settled we should get this little guy to the hospital!" Saber responded with a nod as she followed her all to excited partner towards Fuyuki General Hospital.

Florescent lights reflected from green tile floors as a small swarm of doctors and nurses encircled the small child resting upon the stainless steel operating table that dominated the examination room's center. As they analyzed the child's every possible vital sign and reading, a single truth emerged among the many numbers and figures such a battery of tests tended to invoke: despite being bruised, burned, and glassy-eyed the child would be alright. Though none suspected that a magical artifact was responsible for their patient's miraculous recovery.

Meanwhile, as medical professionals tended to the rescued child, Irisviel and Arturia tended to other matters in the hospital's waiting room. There was a nervous air to the situation, as both master and servant knew one final matter lay at hand. Without her master, and his mana, Saber would soon disappear from this world and return to the Throne of Heroes, as all Heroic Souls did upon the loss of their master or the end of a Grail War. Aturia was ready for just this moment and more than ready to leave the scarred land of Fuyuki City behind forever. However, Irisviel, having lost her daughter to a family that would only use her as a tool and her husband to a war she had regretted ever taking part in, was far from ready for Arturia, the last person in all the world who truly understood her, to abscond from the waking world so soon. Shooting her Saber a longing, nearly tearful, glance Irisviel did her best to convey her in her gaze emotions her lips that could not place. "With Kiritsugi gone I will not be long for this world, my lady. Will you be all right without me?" The question was unnecessary, as the Saber-class heroine knew all to well what thoughts lie silently in her lady's mind.

"NO!" Irisviel shouted at the top of her lungs I won't all right with if you leave! I've lost my husband and daughter in the past few weeks! You're the only one I have left. If you leave I don't know what I'll do..." As Irisviel again let her emotions flow forth freely in the form of tears and sniffles, Arturia, her guardian and constant companion in the Grail War, couldn't help but embrace her princess-like charge.

"Things will be all right. You are a strong woman and have proven many times over that you are quite capable of taking care of yourself. But..." Saber said as she gazed into Irisviel's nearly bloodshot eyes. "If you are that adamant in this matter, I will stay by your side as long as you may need me." Though far from a common act, it was quite capable for a servant to stay in the mortal realm long after the Grail War had ended, provided they could forge a contract with a magus of sufficient power and mana. Such knowledge in her heart, Irisviel's eyes sparkled and her heart raced as such a prospect. With all the loss, suffering, and fear that had gripped her very soul these past two weeks, the news that Saber would stay at her side was a source of endless comfort and happiness. All that was left was to form a contract between them, and to replaced the one that had been severed with Kiritsugi's untimely pass. Contracts were often bound by utterance of a series of words formulated long ago to bond a servant to their master and the modern world where they lived. Irisviel had known these words well, having bore witness to Aturia's summoning by the hand of her fallen husband, and, taking Arturia's hands and pressing her forehead against that of the King of Knights began to recite aloud the ancient incantation.

"Silver and iron to the origin. Gem and the archduke of contracts to the cornerstone. The ancestor is my great master Schweinorg.
The alighted wind becomes a wall. The gates in the four directions close, coming from the crown, the three-forked road that leads to the kingdom circulate.
Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill).
Repeat every five times.
Simply, shatter once filled.
I announce.
Your self is under me, my fate is in your sword.
In accordance with the resort of the Holy Grail, if you abide by this feeling, this reason, then answer.
Here is my oath. I am the one who becomes all the good of the world of the dead, I am the one who lays out all the evil of the world of the dead.
You, seven heavens clad in three words of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence, O keeper of the balance !"

"I accept, my lady." Saber said with a loving smile meant to comfort her new master. Irisiviel, in turn, her reason overwhelmed by all that she felt at the moment, gazed once more at her newly-minted servant's eyes, before tightening her arms around her waist and then placing her lips upon Arturia's unadorned mouth, kissing her in the heat of the emotionally charged moment. The lip-lock only lasted for a moment however, as Saber soon pulled herself from the embrace, a look of suprise and confusion firmly plastered across her regal visage. "What are you doing, Irisviel?" Arturia spoke in an exaggerated manner, while her face burned an intense shade of red.

Irisviel, finally freed from the dream-like stated placed upon her by Arturia's admission of wishing to stay, blushed profoundly upon finally realizing what she had just done and distanced herself from Arturia out of embarrassment for what she had done. In her servants embrace, their eyes locked in a loving gaze, her head pressed against that of her knight and guardian. Irisiviel's heart conveyed to her body an action which her mind could not comprehend. She knew not why she kissed the blond woman, but it felt, in that moment, to be the right thing to do. "I...I don't know!" She mumbled under her breath. "I wasn't thinking straight, I swear..." Unable to find any more reason for her actions, Irisviel quickly turned the subject at hand to other matters. "But, at least our contract is sealed now!" She covering her blazing red cheeks with her hands.

And thus the waiting room was silent once more, though the air was filled with more of an awkward glaze then the cloud of seriousness that had filled the space between them just moments before.