Fate/stay night 1. Prologue

Darkness.

He opened his eyes.

More darkness.

He closed them again.

"Lancer!" Called a familiar voice. An achingly familiar voice.

He opened his eyes.

"Woman!" He screamed, "Why? Why are you here? What could you possibly want from me now?"

"Lancer…" She trailed off, her eyes pleading, hurt.

"Leave! Leave at once!"

She was frozen in place, they both were, unable to back away yet unwilling to utter a single word.

He looked up at her figure floating before him, her once injured head and body had been completely healed by what he could only presume as one of the many aspects of being dead.

"So I take it you lost." It wasn't a question.

She looked away. "Yes."

"humph." He grunted, understanding.

"Why are you here?" He asked, finally looking her in the eyes. _Oh, how I've missed those eyes…_He cut himself off, instantly frustrated with his humiliating train of thought.

She met his gaze. "I'm here to set you free."

"_What_?"

"I'm going to give you a second chance." She said, determination set in her features.

"_You_ give _me_ a second chance?" He asked, incredulous, and laughed hoarsely.

"You have _no right_ to make that decision for me! _You_ were just a distraction so that my filthy _master_ could sign away my _life!_ And at my own hands, no less! Ha, that bastard…he will pay for what he has done, a thousand times over!" His voice was dark, unrecognizable, his face contorted with anger.

"Lancer—"

"NO!" He said, backing away. "No…leave me—"

"Diarmuid!"

He froze, surprised.

"Diarmuid, First Knight of Fianna," she said, "surely you do not hate me so that you would wish it to end like this, in shame and betrayal."

It was his turn to look away.

"Surely I have not misjudged you."

"WHAT?" He exclaimed, exasperated. He was through holding back. "_What _could you possibly do to save me? In case I am mistaken, you are down here with me, how…_why _would you come here?"

Her eyes softened, and she gave a small smile.

"I'm here because I choose to be. I believe in second chances—" She paused, "For both of us."

"Arturia…" For the first time in his life, Diarmuid, The First Knight of Fianna, was speechless. He gazed at her lean figure, illuminated by her own light, she glowed gently from the inside out. A long diminished fire ignited in his heart, quickly spreading throughout the rest of his body, through his arms and legs, up his neck, all the way to the tips of his toes. He clutched at his chest.

"Diarmuid?" She asked, concerned, "Are you alright?"

"pft," He chuckled, "I'm such an idiot. I just can't resist you."

Before she could say another word, he was in front of her, wrapping her in his arms.

"Lancer—"

"shhh" He said, and then more gently, "Call me by my real name."

"Diarmuid," She whispered through his shirt, and tilted her head back, "Give life a second chance."

He kissed her then, she moved to pull away, but the motion only caused him to hold on tighter.

He pulled back slightly, "Arturia," he said, a mixture of both mischief and compassion in his eyes, "I do believe you have gotten weaker."

She frowned slightly, then smiled, a broad smile so bright that it could light a fire in the hearts of men, who would no doubt fight to the death just to see it again, to feel its warmth, her warmth. But they'd never get the chance, because this smile was his. _No,_ he thought, _it does not belong to me. It is _for_ me._ Just as no sword, no _saber_, could be contained, not her smile nor herself could be subdued and kept for one's self. No, she was as bright as the sun, and just as powerful; too beautiful to gaze at and too intense to control. He admired her very essence, and no matter how much he loved her, he knew it was up to her to decide their fate.

A hand cupped his cheek, snapping him back to reality. It was small, soft, and strong, and it belonged to her.

"Diarmuid." She said gently, yet firm enough as to leave no room for objection, "Give life a second chance. Give _me_ a second chance—"

She had barely finished her sentence before his lips crushed against hers. This kiss, unlike their first, was passionate, desirous, frightening, and beautiful all at the same time. And for the first time in her life, Arturia gave into it completely.

The moment seemed to last all of a few seconds, and all of a lifetime. It was hard to tell which. When they finally broke apart, Arturia gently stepped out of his embrace, her sword, Excalibur, formed in the base of her hand. She looked up at him and said, "It is time. Summon Gae Dearg. We must do this together." He nodded once, and silently summoned his crimson spear.

Arturia extended her sword, "Place your tip against mine," she instructed. "We must combine and release our power towards that spot," She said, pointing to a faint grey mark floating just above their heads, "it is the weakest point of this realm, we can create an opening and escape through there. Though there is no telling what awaits us on the other side." Looking back at him she said. "Are you sure this is what you want?"

The corners of his mouth lifted, "Where better to be than fighting beside the King of Knights?"

"We may not be reborn in the same time period, let alone as humans." She warned.

"I'll take my chances. Besides, anything's better than this hell hole." He said, and touched the tip of his spear to hers.

"Do you trust me?" She asked.

"I trust you."

And together they disappeared in a flash of black and white light.


	2. Chapter 1

_Beep_

_Beep-Beep_

_Beep-Beep-Beep_

_Beep-Beep-Beep-Beeeeeeeeep_

She woke to the sound of her alarm clock ringing. Groggily, she flung her arm out to shut it off.

6:45 am

"Uhhhg" She groaned, covering her eyes. _It was that dream again…_ Since before she could remember, she'd been having the same dream over and over again, the dream of the two warriors surrounded by darkness. She didn't have it all the time, but lately she'd dreamt of it almost every night. _Ayame must be getting to me._ Sighing, she flipped off the covers and rolled out of bed. _I need to get out of this place. _She thought. Grabbing her clothes, she shuffled into the bathroom.

"Hurry _up! _We're gonna be late!" Her friend called up to her from below her bedroom window.

"Coming!" She called back.

By the time she got downstairs, Ayame was already half way down the street. She ran to catch up.

"Honestly, Alka! You've been slacking off, you never used to be this late. Is something wrong?"

"No, no. It's just…I've been having that weird dream again almost every night—" She started, but cut herself off when she saw her friend's worried expression. "Don't worry, I'm sure it'll go away soon enough. I just can't wait to get out of this place." She said, changing the topic. It worked.

"Yeah, no kidding." Ayame agreed as they turned the corner, their high school building just ahead. "Just one more year until college. Wow, I'm excited and nervous at the same. It's scary, but I suppose there's no telling what the future will bring, you know?" (She'd always been a rather sentimental person)

Alka looked up at the sky.

"Yeah," She said, remembering her dream, "I do."

A hand came down on her shoulder.

"Hey, do I know you?" Said a voice from behind.

She turned around…and gasped.

"_You!"_

He smirked, it was the same smile as in her dream. "'I'll take that as a yes."

She stared at him, shocked. This was _him_. The guy from her dreams. He had the same light brown eyes, and dark brown hair…he even had the same love mark just below his right eye. Only…he couldn't be the same person, could he? It _was_ only a dream, right? There's no way he could really be _here, _standing _right_ in front of her.

"Sorry," She said, and then more confidently, "I think you have the wrong person."

He narrowed his eyes slightly, studying her, an unreadable expression crossing his face. "Yeah," He said at last, "I think you may be right." He let go of her then, and she was instantly chilled by the sudden loss of his warm touch.

He walked around her and headed for the school. She forced herself to look away.

"Hey," Her friend said, blushing. "Do you know that guy?"

She took a breath, "I don't know."


	3. Chapter 2

Fifteen minutes later, the two friends nudged their way through the crowd of students blocking their view of the class chart. Ayame scanned it, looking for their names. "Eeeek!" She squealed, jumping up and down, "We're in the same class!" She hugged her friend.

"Hey, if your done get outta the way!" Called one of the students from behind.

"Sorry!" Ayame called back, as Alka led them out of the crowd.

"What class did you say we were in?" She asked.

"7A. Which is..." Ayame thought for a moment. "Upstairs, second level...3rd door to the left." When they were first years, Ayame had made it her priority to memorize the entire layout if the school - she wanted to travel the world one day, and so liked to map out her surroundings in preparation.

"After you." Alka smiled, gesturing towards the stairs.

When they reached the classroom, only a handful of students were already there, Alka found this as the perfect opportunity to scope out a place to sit, automatically going to the desk in the far right-hand corner of the room, the spot nearest the window.

Almost simultaneously, two bags dropped on top of the desk. Only one of them was hers. She looked up.

_That love spot...__  
_

"Hey there," he said teasingly, "you stalking me or somethin'?"

She was slightly taken aback, her mind going blank, but quickly regained her composure. "No." She said calmly, "Are you?"

He smirked then, the corner of his lip tilting up. "No. Do you usually sit by the window?"

"Yes, she does." Ayame interjected, stepping up beside her.

"It's okay, Ayame." She said, picking up her bag. "He can have this seat."

Her friend looked at her then, "Are you sure? You always sit there."

"It's okay, really. It's time for a change anyway." Turning, she walked up a few rows towards the middle of the classroom, and set her bag down there. Ayame followed, choosing the seat just next to her own. And that was the end of that.

As more students began to trickle in, Alka felt the piercing heat of a gaze upon her back. She resisted the urge to turn around. Ayame, who noticed everything, never missed a beat, "Don't worry," she whispered, leaning sideways in her seat, "he'll buzz off eventually."

Alka gave a brief nod, and just stared out the window. Somehow, she had a hard time believing it.

* * *

A day passed, and then a week, and she could still feel his piercing gaze; during class, at lunch, in the hallways, even on their way to and from school. He wasn't a stalker, she knew, but it was getting to be more of a problem than she'd anticipated.

_He'll stop eventually._ She decided. Besides, she didn't want anything to ruin this day. Today was the day when all the clubs opened for recruiting, and she knew exactly which one to join: the kendo club. Ever since she was little, she'd loved to swing stuff around: her hairbrush, a bat, a stick, almost anything she could get her hands on. When she was old enough, she'd decided to take up kendo, and, at her parents' request, judo as well. "You never know," her mother had said, "it might come in handy." Though she had yet to use her skills outside of the dojo, Alka enjoyed the two pass times, even more so when they'd brought her to Ayame.

Being an only child, as well as a tomboy, Alka grew up with the boys in her town, seldom conversing with other girls her age. When she'd first enrolled in Judo, she was surprised to find that nearly half the class was girls. Most were older than her by a year or so, some younger, yet none of them approached her. None other than Ayame, that is. As they talked and trained, Ayame had slowly drawn Alka out of her shell, getting to know her, the real her, and accepting what she'd found. They'd been together ever since.

Although she still found herself as one of the guys, many had begun to see her as a girl, and so treated her like one as well. She'd turned down countless confessions in the past few years, though most of them just gave up after learning about her tougher masculine side, the rest simply accepted her as one of their own, one of the guys. She didn't mind, in fact, she rather enjoyed it: the brotherly love and fierce loyalty. Ayame didn't seem to mind it either, and with her by her side, Alka couldn't wish for more.

"Alka!" Her friend called, snapping her back to reality. "Do you want to go see how the new recruits are doing?" She asked, gesturing towards the dojo where sign ups were being held.

Alka stood up, throwing her sandwich wrapper into the trash can beside them. "Sure." She said, "I bet Otonashi is going to collapse of hunger any minute now." It was an ongoing joke among the club members, mostly due to the fact that everyone knew the stories regarding Otonashi's bottomless appetite, as well as the trouble it brought him both inside and outside the classroom.

"Haha, you think? Come on, let's head inside, see how bad the damage is." They grabbed their bags and strolled towards the dojo, neither in any hurry to relieve their starving friend from his perilous quest.

"There you guys are!" He yelled as they walked into the room. "It's about time you got here! Got any food?" He asked anxiously, running up to them and slinging an arm around each of their shoulders.

"Sorry, not today." Ayame said apologetically.

"Oh come ooon! This is the thanks I get for manning the doorway to hell?"

"Oh it wasn't _that_ bad. And just wait till you get into college, you'll be lucky to have a grain of rice."

Otonashi crumpled to the floor in mock exhaustion. "Pleeeaaaase?" He moaned, "Spare meee!"

She rolled her eyes, "Oh I suppose you can have a little-"

He bolts away.

"-break. Really, that guy. Come on," she looked over at her friend, "I guess it can't be helped."

Together they slid through the crowd of students circling the booth, and hopped over to the other side. Ayame glanced pleadingly at Alka, "You know, you're a lot better at these things than I am."  
Alka relented, and climbed on top of the desk.

"Minna!" She shouted in a stern voice, everyone looked her way, surprised at the sudden outburst. "Now, how many of you are actually here to join the kendo club?" Most everyone raised their hand. Alka nodded. "And how many of you are NOT joining just to be in the same club as Naru-sempai?" There's a guilty pause, followed by most all of the girls in the room lowering their hands. Alka looked down at them, unwavering. "If you're going to join this club, then you need to take it seriously. I will not tolerate half-hearted effort. We cannot let personal feelings interfere when it comes to kendo, or any other sport for that matter, because you will loose, and likely be injured in the process." They look around, feigning innocence. "Now, whoever is _actually_ serious about joining the club _purely_ for the sake of kendo, please sign up, there are forms on each side of the booth. Dismissed!"

"Hai!"

She hopped off the table. "See!" Ayame said, slapping her on the back. "I told you, you're a natural born leader!"

"No kidding." Said a deep voice from behind.

"Why are you here?" Alka asked, turning to face him.

"Well that's not very nice." Daiki said, feigning hurt. "Isn't it obvious? I'm here to join the kendo club."

"Why would you want to join the kendo club?" Ayame sneered.

"I'm better than _you_ think I am, that's for sure. So where do I sign up?"

Alka sighed, and handed him a form. "Fill this out and turn it in to the box over there." She said, gesturing to the metal tray in the middle of the table.

"Hai, Kaichou!" He brought his hand to his forehead in mock solute.  
She turned away.

* * *

After hovering over the form considerably longer than necessary, Daiki gave her one last glance before sauntering over to the box and placing his papers inside. Ayame had gone off somewhere to show some new students where the nurse's office was located, and though there were plenty of people surrounding them, Alka couldn't help but feel like they were the only two people in the room.

He kept on walking.

Alka froze, shocked at his sudden aloofness. _Is something wrong?_ She thought. _He usually would've made some snide comment, or at least _looked_ at me before leaving... _She pressed her eyebrows together in contemplation.

_Who are you, Kazehaya Daiki?_

* * *

**[Daiki]**

He walked around the corner of the building, smiling to himself. _Tachibana Alka, huh?_ He looked up to the sky. _What an interesting woman._


	4. Chapter 3

_Forward. Diagonal left. Horizontal right. Over-the-head twirl. Bring it down. Duck. Kick the legs out from under him. And—_

"Staying after school again, Kaichou?"

She froze, her wooden sword poised in mid air, pointing at an imaginary figure on the floor. She liked to think it was _him_.

Alka didn't bother to turn around. Instead, she silently lowered her _bokken_ and wiped the sweat from her brow.

"Good evening, Daiki-kun. What brings you here?"

He smirked and tossed her a faded blue towel, "Oh, the usual." He said as she wiped her face. "Care for another sparring match?"

She smiled back at him, "Always."

For the past four months, they'd been sparring together almost every day, even after school. She could feel herself improving. She could sense the change in him, too, in the way his movements slid like a current around her, adjusting flawlessly to her tactics, seeming to bend and shape her every move. He was good, really good, and she couldn't get enough.

* * *

**_[Author Note: Hey guys! Sorry I've been on hiatus lately. As you can see, I've started to pick this up again, and thought I'd give you a little spoiler to tide you over ;) . Thank you so much for sticking with me! More will be posted soon, I promise. You rock!] _**


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Fate/stay night, Romance, Sci-Fi