DxD: The fake X fate

He didn't recall what he'd seen during that brief moment before Ilya literally dragged his mind back into his body, but he could hazard a guess it didn't involve a vast field of green.

There was no grass on the Hill of Swords, that impossible, beautiful world was never meant as anything other than a place where fire and wrought iron were forged to reproduce the pinnacle of steel. While fields certainly existed, they were fields of steel and iron-dust, the air so thick with iron ash it almost obscured the great gears that blocked out the sky.

The field before him was rich and verdant, each blade of grass blowing gently in the wind beneath a perfect blue sky, lit by a golden sun. It was paradise given form, a haven of peace and tranquility, far removed from the struggles and toils of the world he knew, it's beauty surpassing definition, and yet…

'I know this place.' he realized, gazing into the distance reverently, not even bothering to question how he could know such a scene, as it clearly wasn't anywhere he'd ever been to before 'this place is…'

"Shirou."

He froze, his heart, which he was surprised to find was indeed still beating, catching in his chest at the sound of that voice. The same voice that, on a moonlit night, had vowed to stand beside him, to strike down his enemies and lay her life down for him. The same voice that had tried to discourage him from proceeding past her, her concern for his well-being remaining even after she was tainted by the filth of corrupted grail.

The same voice he had forever silenced, driving a dagger into her heart just as her own people had stabbed her in the back all those years ago.

She stood before him, clad in the same blue dress he remembered from that first night, her tiny figure, so soft and feminine, yet possessed of a greater strength than anyone could imagine, bereft of the armour with which she had adorned herself, her long golden hair, normally tied up in an intricate braid, swaying softly in the breeze.

"Saber…" he croaked, his eyes filling with tears he'd thought he'd long since shed as they gazed into her emerald ones, his heart soaring as she smiled at him, both welcoming and yet strangely sad "Saber-!"

He rushed forward to embrace her, to hold her in his arms, but she held out a hand to stop him, her fingers, so delicate despite the strength he knew they possessed, resting softly yet immovable against his chest.

"I am sorry, Shirou." She offered, her tone soft, caring, her eyes shimmering, almost as if it hurt her to refuse him after so long "You do not belong here…it is not your time yet."

"Saber…?" Shirou stammered, blinking at the Proud King of Knights in confusion, only to blink, his eyes widening as he felt something dragging him away from her despite not moving a muscle "Wait! I don't understand!"

"Honestly," another voice sighed, Shirou's eyes widening as he found himself the victim of a familiar glare, those aquamarine eyes, framed by long black hair done up in pigtails, torn between exasperation and fondness as she too reached out to push him back "For a guy whose Element is 'Sword', you really aren't all that sharp, Emiya-kun."

"He can't help it, Nee-san." A third voice giggled, Shirou's heart stopping as a familiar doting smile once again graced the features of his childhood friend as she too placed a hand over his heart "It's part of his charm after all."

"Rin…Sakura…" he croaked, gazing at the Master of Archer who had taken him under her wing and her estranged younger sister who had silently supported him for years despite her own situation.

The last time he'd seen them, a broken and tainted Sakura had been clutching the remains of Rin's ravaged body to her chest, the elder sister having given her life to try and save her younger sibling from the darkness Zouken Matou had forced upon her soul. In the end, Shirou had been forced to carry out his promise to the Tohsaka heiress and put his childhood friend out of her misery, leaving them clutching one another as he went on to destroy the Greater Grail.

There was no trace of the Grail's taint in Sakura's smile now, only a strange sadness and resolve as she joined her sister and Saber in keeping him from advancing towards them. "It's not your time yet, Sempai." She explained softly, though her eyes showed she wanted to embrace him "Don't worry, we'll wait for you."

"Don't take that as an excuse to go rushing headfirst into danger though." Rin cut in, her tone sharp, brooking no argument as she glared at the redhead "If you die doing something stupid, I'll kill you myself."

"Live, Shirou." Saber urged, her smile loving as she gently pushed him back "Illyasviel would not have wanted you to throw your life away."

The mention of his sister, of Kiritsugu's biological daughter, struck the Faker's brain like a bolt of lightning, his eyes snapping wide as he lunged forwards, only to blink as, rather than the gold-drenched field, he found himself resting in the four-poster bed in his room at Azazel's mansion.

"Ah! You're awake?" a voice gasped, the Faker turning to find himself gazing into the shocked blue eyes of a young girl, a middle-schooler unless he missed his guess, dressed in an unfamiliar school uniform under an elaborate cloak with fur collar, a stereotypical blue witch hat atop her head.

"Who…?' Shirou wondered, gaping at her in shock, not from the hat and cloak, as from what little he knew most magi tended to be old fashioned about such things and at least she managed to pull the look off, even if it did make her look like something out of Harry Potter.

No, what surprised the Faker was the fact that, aside from her age, apparel and the colour of her eyes, the features of the girl bore a startling resemblance to those of Saber.

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