One With Nature 2

FSN: 6

Third POV:

As soon as Shirou reached his home, he saw his father's car outside and realised they must have made it back from the airport.

Entering the house, Shirou headed to the living room, where he heard people talking. As soon as he got there and saw his family, he had to stop and blink as he actually thought he was seeing double.

Shirou knew siblings tended to share a lot of similarities, but saying his aunt looked like a twin of his mother wasn't an exaggeration. The only difference he saw was the clothes and hairstyle.

"Welcome back, Shirou," Kiritsugu greeted his son, making the attention turn to the new arrival. "I'm glad to see you're alright. Did you meet with the Overseer?"

Shirou nodded. "Yeah. He was Sakura's dad, Mr. Xin Qiu. He's the Overseer and helped me with a few things. He also said that me Summoning Saber was actually an act caused by the Holy Grail, and that ot wasn't an accident. He said that the Grail picked me because I was close to a catalyst and compatible with a Servant," he summed up the meeting.

"Ah, that's a relief, I suppose," Irisveil sighed, a hand on her chest.

"Accident?" Irasveil looked in confusion at her sister.

Illya snickered and opened her mouth to say something only for her mother to immediately slap her hand over her daughter's mouth.

"Just a misunderstanding. Don't worry about it," Irisveil stated while her sister blinked in confusion.

"So... you're my aunt?" Shirou decided to immediately change the subject.

Irasveil smiled and nodded. "Yes. This is the first time we met in person, isn't it? I'm Irasveil. You've grown quite much from the pictures that your mother sent me."

"P-Pictures...?" Shirou's concern was obvious in his expression. His mother tended to be a bit much when it came to childhood photos.

"May I see your Servant?" Irasveil requested.

There was a short golden glow and Saber appeared near Shirou. "Greetings. I'm Saber."

"A Saber Servant?" Irasveil placed a hand on her chin and hummed. "Impressive. Sabers are rumoured to be the strongest class amongst Servants."

"While I have no doubt of my own abilities or that I shall bring victory to Shirou in this war," Saber's voice had no arrogance and was simply filled with confidence. "I am unsure of the nature of Sabers being the strongest Class. Zack would know more about these things than I would."

"I believe that's the Overseer?" Irasveil guessed, remembering the question Kiritsugu asked of his son.

Shirou nodded and sat down. "Though, something was weird. He seemed to know Saber."

"He knew Saber's true Name without you or her telling him?" Kiritsugu asked, narrowing his eyes.

Shirou shook his head. "No, as in he personally knew her. From her life."

At that, everyone except Saber looked at Shirou like he grew a second head. "But... that shouldn't be possible," Irisveil shook her head. "Servants can't exist if they died recently. Even the youngest Servant has to be at least a century old."

"Is this true, Saber?" Kiritsugu didn't doubt his son, but he still wanted to confirm what he was just told.

Saber nodded. "Yes. I did in fact know Zack in my life. It was a pleasant surprise to see him as the Overseer."

"Isn't there Mages that are quite old in the Clock Tower?" Illya asked, turning to her parents.

Her father nodded. "Yes, but those are extremely powerful Mages, and one of them is a Magician. Plus, Mage-craft may extend your life for a long, long time, but it doesn't retain your youth. Only really ancient Mage-craft or powerful mystics can do that."