Shirō Emiya, without an ounce of shame, lunged forward trying to embrace her.
But instead, he hugged only air.
"This is a spiritual space," Saber said plainly, as if she had anticipated his move. "If I don't want you to touch me, you won't be able to."
Shirō let out an awkward laugh.
"I was just... excited, you know? From now on, we'll be comrades, fighting side by side, living and dying together. Even if we've met before, this is still the first time we've truly connected, right?"
Saber raised her gaze slightly.
"I am your Zanpakutō. I am you. I know everything about you."
In other words, don't bother lying. Any funny thoughts he might try to hide wouldn't work. He couldn't deceive his own soul.
"Everything...?" Shirō asked hesitantly.
"Of course. Everything. Where you came from. Even what's going to happen in this world's future."
Shirō twitched. Even though he knew Saber was a part of him, it still felt unsettling. Like there was another transmigrator in the room. And now he couldn't even pretend to be a prophet anymore. She already knew all of it.
"Then what kind of being are you?" he asked. "Are you still the one who seeks the Holy Grail?"
Saber shook her head.
"I am your Zanpakutō, born from you. Though I possess the memories you're referring to, those are false, shadows of memories imprinted by your own heart. This form... is the shape your soul gave me."
Shirō nodded.
"As long as you're not carrying burdens or obligations from another life, that's fine by me."
Honestly, if his Zanpakutō had her own agenda, that would be a serious problem.
"Anyway, let's skip the chit-chat." Shirō's eyes lit up. "Since I can hear your voice now, and even ended up in this inner world, does that mean I can finally achieve Shikai? How do I activate it?"
Saber opened her mouth...
"What? What did you say?!" Shirō panicked. Wait, don't tell me I can't hear her again? Is this some bad connection situation?!
Saber sighed.
"Looks like you're not quite there yet. Even though we can talk now, our connection still isn't deep enough."
"But I can hear you!" Shirō cried out, dismayed. He'd thought for sure this was it, finally time to unlock Shikai.
"Each Zanpakutō has its own nature and awakening method. Yours is a bit... special. You'll just have to progress one step at a time."
"Can't you at least tell me what kind of powers I'll have?" Shirō asked. "Something to work toward!"
"You should be able to guess most of it already."
"I want specifics!"
"I can't tell you specifics, you can't hear them right now anyway. When you're ready, you'll know."
"Come on, just a little hint?!" Shirō whined.
"No means no," Saber replied sternly.
Shirō narrowed his eyes. Is her personality… exactly the same as the original Saber?! Upright. Serious. Stubborn. Unyielding. This was not good news for him.
He preferred sneak attacks, trickery, and evasive tactics. He was an agility build! A stealthy operator! If Saber didn't approve of his style, would she stop him from using her powers altogether?
Maybe I really do need some Command Spells after all…
This Saber was loyal, but everything else about her was a huge headache.
And sometimes, even loyalty could be a pain, as he'd learn later.
"It's your own fault," Saber said, frowning. "It's been years, and how much time have you actually spent communicating with me?"
"I talk to you every night!" Shirō protested.
"But others maintain constant communication with their Zanpakutō. Why don't you carry me with you at all times?" she scolded.
As a warrior, no, as a weapon, being left at home like a decoration was a disgrace.
"Okay, okay, but you know the current form of my Zanpakutō stands out too much," Shirō explained awkwardly. "If someone noticed, it would cause problems. Can't you turn into a standard sealed form, instead of always being in Shikai?"
"I came here today specifically to tell you about that," Saber replied.
"Oh? Great! I've been wanting to carry you around all the time!" Shirō said quickly. He'd been looked down on at school for long enough.
"But the Zanpakutō can't revert," Saber said. "However, my Wind King Barrier can disguise the weapon completely. If people see you activate Shikai, they'll just think it's part of your ability."
"Then what should I do?" Shirō asked. Just walking around with a flashy sword was asking for trouble. People would notice, and rumors would fly.
Saber tilted her head and asked,
"In your memories, how did I do it?"
Shirō grimaced.
"That doesn't count! You'd just jump into battle, and bam, the armor and sword appeared out of nowhere."
Things here weren't that convenient.
Then Saber glanced at his hand, the back of it, specifically, and said,
"That's where the weapon will be stored."
"You mean… the Command Seal?" Shirō gasped.
"Exactly," she nodded. "Keep the weapon sealed inside. No one will sense it. When you summon it, no one will know where it came from."
"You should've told me that sooner!" Shirō exclaimed. All this time he thought Command Spells were just for giving orders!
Saber shot him a glare.
"Could you even hear me before?"
"...Hehe. My bad, my bad. That's on me. From now on, I'll carry you with me everywhere. We'll communicate regularly. I'll never leave you again!"
Then something clicked in his mind.
"Wait a second. I've got three Command Spells. That means…"
"Correct," Saber said. "Three weapons. That's why I said your Shikai is unique, it has to be unlocked step by step."
"Three weapons... So that means: the Sword of Promised Victory, the Sheath of the Ideal Afterlife, uh, I mean Avalon, and..."
"...And the Sword of the King, the one from the stone," Saber finished for him.
✦✦---------------------------------------------------------------------✦✦
Support me by adding this fic into your library!
150 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter