Be Thou My Sword

Be Thou My Sword
Date of Scene:	17 June 2011
Location:	Fuyuki City
Synopsis:	After losing control of the darker powers sealed inside her and temporarily tainting her Servant, Sakura has a heart-to-heart with Saber to discuss where to go from here.
Cast of Characters:	346, Tohsaka Sakura

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Tohsaka Sakura has posed:
Fuyuki is a cosmopolitan, modern city. And yet despite the contemporary nightlife, there are places which find the night a more quiet, contemplative place. Stars twinkle overhead, while the moon looks down - much of what it sees is typical revelry, though here and there there are points of peace.

One of them is only peaceful on the surface, as Sakura finally makes a decision.

She'd not spoken to Rin since learning the truth earlier. It was something that was a shock to Sakura; she'd been ever so slightly distracted during the day. Thankfully, her sister had taken care of dinner; it allowed the younger Tohsaka time to simply think.

She finally comes back downstairs, dressed a little more formally than usual - Rin, thankfully, is ensconced in her workshop in the basement. Perhaps to draw blood for her gem work...or to create that foul stuff her body needs to keep from rejecting the Crest. It'll make it a bit easier tonight.

"Saber? Are you around?" A quick flit through the house, looking for the blonde Servant. The Tohsaka mansion lacks the dojo of the Emiya house, and so there isn't a usual place to find Saber. Sakura doesn't mind; the lavender-haired magus doesn't need a lot of time to find the swordswoman.

Saber has posed:
The lack of a formal training hall meant the Servant had to find alternative means to train, which usually meant their organisation's recreational facilities. It was just as well; she often encountered various friends she had made over the two years since first falling into the multi-verse that way, and oft-times they were up for a friendly spar. It was one of the few delights Saber allowed herself to indulge in, matching her skills against strong, honourable opponents. She had even learned quite a bit from them.

Today, however, she had not strayed from the Tohsaka estate for a number of reasons. On the practical side of things, she wanted to keep a better eye on her Master... Fuyuki City had yet to play host to one of the mysterious and bizarre 'Witches' that they had both fought recently, but that hardly meant that they would be protected indefinitely. And even in their absence, the city boasted its own share of dangers, likewise hidden from the general populace. Either possibility meant that it was more prudent for the King of Knights to stay close by.

But on a more personal level, Saber was in great need of a more specific kind of training, a type that could not be honed through combat. Twice while in the throes of combat, she had been overtaken by something she could not discern... and it changed her. All that she had been able to feel was an overwhelming bloodlust, a desire for the complete annihilation of her enemy. Unlike the rage she had felt against one very specific individual, this was different; it was as if the knight had been staring down into the abyss, and the tentacles of oblivion started to consume her soul. There was nothing but a hunger for destruction.

The swordswoman shook her head as if to clear it as she sat cross-legged on the ground outside the mansion. Apparently, the effort to clear her mind through meditation did nothing to help, either. She had been considering a search for a cold waterfall to sit under when she heard the call. It was just as well... she wasn't getting anywhere like this.

Standing and brushing leaves and traces of dirt from her jeans, Saber headed back inside. "I am here, Sakura," she answered in her soft alto, her characteristic mask in place to hide her worry. Just as she had when she ruled over Britain, the Once and Future King had to maintain at least the illusion of confidence.

Tohsaka Sakura has posed:
It doesn't take long. The would-be Magus turns and favors Saber with a smile and a wave. "Ah, alright...er, I hope I wasn't interfering with anything. You weren't busy, were you?" It's not usual to see the other woman dress down, but it's actually kind of cute. Perhaps they'll have to go shopping again, at some point...

...if such a point is ever allowed to happen, one cruel part of her mind mentions. It's enough to pierce the moment of good feelings, though just as the stoic King of Knights never lets her mask slip Sakura tries to maintain the same dignity. Or at least a shard of it.

There are cracks in hers, though. A brittle demeanor, seemingly peaceful but more akin to the thin sheen of ice over a turbulent river, only detectable by one who knows it well.

"Ah, would you join me? I'd...like to talk for a little bit, if...you don't mind..." Those lavender eyes find Saber's own, though the distant look in them is strangely present. "It...ah, it's about...what happened before."

Just as Saber has sought answers, Sakura has as well. Unlike the King of Knights, however...the younger of the Tohsaka sisters has found them.

Saber has posed:
Just as Saber has sought answers, Sakura has as well. Unlike the King of Knights, however...the younger of the Tohsaka sisters has found them.

Saber shook her head. "No, I was not busy... merely contemplating."

She did not, however, elaborate. The knight had already pushed the issue to the back of her mind. It was an old habit, something she had always done; her own worries were always buried beneath things that needed addressing in the present. It was somewhat ironic for someone as chained to her past as Saber was.

"No, I do not mind." But the last part of the younger Tohsaka's statement certainly had the King of Knights concerned even as her face remained impassive; she had not seen Sakura's own change when she had been overcome with whatever it was that had possessed her. Had Sakura seen what had happened in her Servant? And had it affected the Master in turn? Or was it something else, some effect of battling the Witches than neither could have anticipated? But more importantly, could they continue to fight the creatures?

Tohsaka Sakura has posed:
Elaboration isn't needed; the explanation is enough. The trust between Master and Servant is significant, as is the understanding of a few things. Sakura nods gently, accepting the answer.

She retreats into the sitting room, standing by one of the well-stuffed chairs. One hand gestures to the one facing her seat, while her other hand drops to her lap and adjusts the skirt slightly as she sits - ever so smooth, ever so graceful. She's trying to maintain a significant sense of dignity, or at least the appearance of.

Inside, however, is a turmoil. She doesn't know how, or if, what's inside her had affected Saber - they'd both been very quiet about the incident against the Witch afterwards, and it had seemed to be sufficient. She smiles softly, and looks back at the Knight.

"I...spoke with, ah, another Shirou...from an alternate setting. Sister knew him, a little bit, as an ally of the Union, but I didn't think there'd been another Fuyuki..." It might be a bit of a surprise, but it was to her too - then again she'd had a little time to think about it, between everything that happened with Nanoha and Fate, and their younger versions.

She covers the thought by letting her fingers adjust the cuffs of her blouse. "I guess there's one other one, that's part of the different worlds...but, ah...that Shirou told me about something that happened in his past..." Her voice trails off, growing quieter than usual.

"H-how do you feel...if I were to ask you to...to Contract with Rin...? If it weren't safe, to remain..." Her right hand seeks her left, fingers covering the emblem that marks herself as the Master.

Saber has posed:
With the deliberate and practised elegance honed from years of presenting the image of a proper king, Saber seated herself across from Sakura. The effect might have been diminished somewhat with the loose white cotton blouse and faded blue jeans that she wore... but then again, the petite blonde had never learned how to hide her regal bearing, something that was as natural for her as breathing. There had never been a need for her to.

Equally as practised was her mask, the stoic expression she always wore, free from any hint of emotion. It had been a necessary part of becoming a fair and impartial ruler.... but the converse of it was accusations of a distant and inhuman king.

Pale eyebrows lifted slightly; another Shirou? She was less surprised than she otherwise would have been, however. After all, was she not the second 'Saber' that Sakura had known -- not simply another Servant Saber, but another version of Arturia Pendragon? For a fraction of a second, she wondered if she would ever encounter another one of these 'alternate versions' of herself, and if these other versions were very different from her. But it was a mere idle thought in the midst of serious considerations, and Saber focused her attention on the matter at hand.

The next line of conversation was more of a surprise to the Servant. "Have I failed you in any way?"

Tohsaka Sakura has posed:
Perhaps it's the juxtaposition of the King and her new clothes, the severity and the casual relaxing, but there's definitely something far too adorable about Saber. Sakura finds herself ever so slightly amused by that particular combination; maybe it's simply because it's so different from how the Servant normally dresses - yet it's still the same royalty inside.

But she banishes the thought and shakes her head softly and quickly as Saber asks her question. Sakura suspected that she might think such a thing, and was ready for it. "A-absolutely not...this isn't anything like that." She shifts slightly, relaxing just a little bit while trying to keep the Servant from worry.

"You've been...a wonderful friend and the best ally I could hope for, really..." The word 'Servant' still bears so much more emphasis on how their relationship isn't that she can't use that term. "I just...I, ah, don't know if it's safe for me to remain like this," she continues, one hand brushing the Command Seal.

She frowns a little bit, before speaking again. "That visit from the other Shirou...in his past, the Sakura he knew...was tainted. She became a monster, a-and killed people...because of what was put in her a long time ago." Her hands drop to her stomach, pressing gently. "What was put in me, too...just after the...Fourth War. The Grail."

Saber has posed:
In the fourteen days she had been Kiritsugu's Servant, travelling the expanse of Fuyuki City with Irisviel, Saber had little need to wear anything other than the three-piece suit that had been tailor-made for her when she was not engaged in battle. But over the two years since, she had found she was in need of a more extensive wardrobe for a variety of functions. For the miscellaneous errand she ran, the suit was simply impractical; the simple cotton blouse with a low Nehru collar and jeans that had faded from use allowed her greater range of motion and were far more durable. That she might seem cute dressed in such casual attire never crossed her mind.

On the one hand, she was relieved that she had not been so unsatisfactory in her duty that Sakura had wanted to wash her hands of a contract. But it was quickly replaced with a different form of worry, and her eyes widened just briefly at the revelation. And it made her blood run cold; she remembered the hints that Gilgamesh had badgered her with regarding her new Master, and that he had been planning something. With what the violet-eyed magus had told her, the pieces easily into place.

And a more recent mystery became clear; the tainted Grail seemed to taint Sakura at certain points, and had tainted Saber in turn. It was the only logical explanation for whatever had overcome her.

"I see... so that is why the King of Heroes had taken a particular interest in you. It is a good thing that he never succeeded."

But then, that left the more pertinent issue. "I do not believe that simply annulling our contract would be of any help in that regard," she said bluntly, folding her hands in her lap. Perhaps she should have been more concerned about becoming tainted, but her first duty was to the only Master she was willing to serve.

Instead, she continued on, approaching the problem with the same icy logic she always employed. "Similarly, another question remains unanswered: why now? I have been your Servant for nearly two years, yet only now is it becoming a problem. Surely it should have manifested before this point... unless there is some manner of trigger."

Tohsaka Sakura has posed:
Sakura gives the King of Knights a slow nod. "That's...b-before we'd Contracted, I remember now. There was a young man, ah...a Shiki Tohno...I'd just met him, when Gilgamesh decided to, ah, take me. As a Grail sacrifice, he'd thought...and, ah, then he'd said something about understanding and vanished." A frown pulls the corner of her mouth down. "I'd not known what he meant until now..."

As to the idea of the Gilded Monster getting his hands on her, the lavender-eyed woman just crosses her arms over her chest. It's not a pleasant thought, and the places her mind goes...being reused again as a Grail...

"It...happened once before. That was when sempai - ah, Shirou, that is, and sister...and the other you saved me. And Gilgamesh had been there, before...but..." With the universe the way it is, there's really no way to know.

Saber's belief, however, leaves Sakura crestfallen. "I see...though, does it...affect you at all? Do you feel anything, different...from anyone else?" She has to remind herself that this Saber never Contracted with Shirou - and would not know the difference between the prana in his body and...what hers is. But she has spent time around other magi at least, and might be able to sense something at a distance...

"I...I didn't know. The..." Her voice trails off, and she swallows and starts again - just a little more coldly and mechanical. "The experiments ended, after the Fifth War...I was useless anymore, without a Grail to achieve, s-so...I suppose what's in me is incomplete, but...I knew that grandfather was doing things all that time. I just didn't know what it was, I guess...though there wasn't anything I could do." A shrug, and she finally relaxes and smiles a little, sadly.

"I thought all that was the past, but...now that I know what it was...I don't know anymore. And if it is...I know that the Grail was, ah, corrupted...if that was what was used, all that time..."

Saber has posed:
The usual stoic mask of the petite knight became taunt as she sifted through her memories of that event. That they had been that close to the Fifth King of Uruk doing something unspeakably evil filled the Servant with foreboding.

"He might still be considering that. Now that we are privy to his intentions, we shall have to remain vigilant that he does not succeed again." It would be far more difficult for Gilgamesh to carry out such a plan now; unlike when Irisviel had been kidnapped, Saber could easily find where Sakura had been taken should he kidnap her again.

She quickly suppressed a frown. It would be difficult.... unless her pursuit was something he planned all along. She would not put such a thing past the insufferable Archer.

Strangely, Sakura's next question was even more problematic. "I... yes, there has been some adverse effects," she admitted slowly and with a hint of reluctance. "It has only happened twice, but it has happened. I did not experience anything of this nature while I was Kiritsugu's Servant."

Saber couldn't begin to comprehend what had happened to the younger Tohsaka -- when she had been given over to the Matous, she had yet to be summoned by the Einzberns to participate in the Fourth War. But even more pieces of that version of Heaven's Feel had started to fall into place; she had already forgiven Kiritsugu to a certain extent following Shirouu's revelation that the Grail had been tainted, but apparently the artefact had been tainted before the Fourth War had even begun. And if Kiritsugu had somehow discovered that fact...

Still, he should have trusted in his Servant. If he had been forthcoming, the 'magus-killer' would not have needed to use a Command Seal to order her to destroy it.

Saber shook her head as if to clear these thoughts, her internal barriers all but completely down around her trusted friend. She needed to focus. What could be done?

"I trust Rin already knows about these shards of the Grail embedded inside you. Has she made any suggestions?"

Tohsaka Sakura has posed:
Whatever Gilgamesh had planned at the time, Sakura didn't know past his initial suggestion. She could speculate...and could consider a lot of things, but frankly without anything more to work on there isn't anything she can do. "You're right...I wish I'd known, I just..." A shrug.

"I didn't realize that's what it was. I didn't know...ah..." She adjusts herself, slightly uncomfortable with this next part. "I guess...y-you were there, then, at the end...of the Fourth War. That's where Grandfather...must have gotten it from. The things he did...started around that time." The memory is hazy, as is most things of life at that age, but the experiments started just after she'd arrived.

"What was it that happened to the Grail?" How much of history Saber knows, Sakura isn't sure of - she's made a point not to consider the past, has made an entire life out of it - but now she has to ask. It's a question asked gently, hesitantly - if the Servant doesn't wish to answer, it can easily be explained as something unheard.

The question she asks, though, gets a blink of surprise and a sheepish expression. "Ah...I haven't..." One finger points to the Tohsaka basement, the location of Rin's magecraft workshop. The raven-haired night-owl spends many evenings down there; the meaning is clear - her sister's nose has been in potions and books for some time. And well, Sakura's also been working up the courage to broach the subject. "She can be a little bit...determined, when it comes to, ah, things that happened in the past. And, really..."

She looks at the King of England once more, and then drops her eyes downward in deference. "I thought...I should come to you first. Since it affects you, and..." And well, there was that oath Sakura had sworn. And if it had caused problems for Saber...

Saber has posed:
As do I, Saber thought with a sardonic note. The King of Heroes was mercurial at best, which would have been a mere nuisance to the stoic King of Knights. However, Gilgamesh's taunts hid whatever devious plan he'd concocted; whatever it had been would have proved to be more than a simple annoyance. But now that they had an idea of what he had obliquely hinted at, it would be somewhat easier to thwart him.

Somewhat.

The diminutive swordswoman shook her head slightly. "How these shards were even obtained, I am afraid that I do not know. I had believed that I had destroyed the Grail when my previous Master issued his final command."

It had filled her with complete despair as nothing else when her body acted against the whole of her will in accordance with Kiritsugu's order; she had believed all hope was lost at that point. It was only when she realised she was no longer in Fuyuki City after she had fallen through the Gate that hope returned to her.

But now she was almost as lost and confused as that moment, and her uncertainty broke through her careful mask, however briefly. "I do not know," she admitted quietly. Had her entire quest been doomed even before she plead with the world to grant her wish? "Whether it was tainted during one of the previous wars somehow or it was always a tainted thing, I cannot say."

Pale eyebrows raised in surprise; Rin was Sakura's sister, after all. Her family. It would have been natural for Sakura to have told her first. Her decision to first tell Arturia came as something of a surprise. "I... am grateful," Saber replied slowly, her head slightly bowed. For some reason, she felt humbled to hear that.

"Regardless," she continued after a moment, returning to business, "I am certain that if there is a way to undo this -- or at the very least curtail it -- she would know or otherwise have access to that information."

Although, she imagined, the Clocktower won't like the implications.

Tohsaka Sakura has posed:
Mercurial indeed, perhaps even explosive in temper - the destructive rampage that the King of Heroes had unleashed upon the universes years ago had made him a well-feared criminal. Coincidentally enough, it had also led Sakura to join with the ranks of the TSAB; atonement was something she'd sought at the time.

She'd grown a little, since then.

Saber's report of the destruction of the grail is met with a thoughtful nod. She'd known that the artifact had been destroyed, or at least supposed to have been...and if Saber was the one to do it, then she suspects she knows how. It's a little bit of a marvel that something could survive power like that.

Sakura finally speaks, breaking the growing silence with her usual soft tone. "It's all right...I guess it doesn't matter when it happened...mm, I never met his father, I admit, but..." The feelings that Saber has for him - distaste and aggravation - are quite easy to feel, even without that particular bond they share. "I think that he believed it was destroyed as well...I never met him, myself...but, ah, I don't think he'd have been the kind of person to..." Not the father who raised the Shirou she knows. "To simply let something dangerous like that go unfinished, afterwards..."

"For now...I guess, s-since we'll still be, ah, working together," she continues with a touch of her Command Seal, "so...please, if you feel anything...if something happens, l-let me know. Or ... if you can, stop it..." Idly, she wonders. Could this be related to the incident in London, when she'd lost control of...something, and it had very nearly murdered one of their attackers? Saber's intervention had saved them then, but...

Deep inside a decision is made. She's going to have to go to the Matou workshop once more.

The sudden bow and surprise of the blonde knight causes a startled look, and Sakura raises one hand. "N-no, please don't...ah, it's...I thought, since it would probably...be affecting you as well, and s-since, ah, I did...make a certain promise...it seemed best, this way. But...I'll talk to sister later, when she's free...it's just a little difficult right now. Everything that happened with those experiments..."

There's a small frown, and then a curious, guarded expression. What follows may be no small surprise to the Servant, but it's only natural for the Master. "If...there was some way, to...to, ah, salvage...or use what's in me," she says, "then...I think...you should have your chance for your Wish, if...th-that's what you truly want. To save your people..."

Saber has posed:
Admittedly, it was the fact that Kiritsugu hadn't even trusted in his Servant that had left her bitter and even a little resentful. Her chance to save her country had been robbed from her; the least he could have done was tell her... and she would have agreed to it. As despicable as his methods were, Kiritsugu was the most worthy Master out of all the Masters in the Fourth War. And Saber had realised this after hearing what he had intended to use the Grail for.

"No... knowing the sort of person he was, I am certain he somehow discovered the Grail had been tainted. That is the only reason I can think of that he would sacrifice his wish. He must have believed it was too dangerous."

It had taken nearly two years and many missing pieces of the puzzle, but Saber was learning to forgive Emiya Kiritsugu.

There was another slight nod of the pale-haired head. "Now that I understand what it is, I shall inform you should it happen again. When I am aware of it, I shall do my best to fight it."

The next part was somewhat harder, and her expression softened slightly. "I understand it will be difficult, but you must be strong. I will support you... and I am certain Rin will certainly want to know of this. I know she will do everything in her power to help you."

Even if, Saber admitted, some methods might be a little on the questionable side. But for once, Saber would have agreed.

A slight puzzled frown crossed her face for a fleeting moment before she suppressed it. She was unable to read Sakura's expression for what it was, but as much as she wanted to know, Saber refrained from prying. It was just as well, considering her words.

The King of Knights had no reason to doubt them, but they left her conflicted. Her sacred duty was to her people, to her country. She had failed to answer their prayers and must therefore undo her rule so that a king who was capable of it would rule instead. Yet, where would that leave Arturia Pendragon in the present?

It was not something she had thought of deeply while she fought in the Fourth War; her duty to Kiritsugu would end once they obtained the Holy Grail. But now her duty was to Sakura, with no clear objective... protecting Sakura had become her goal. One duty to her people, one duty to her Master, her friend. How could she possibly reconcile the two?

It was not the first time the Once and Future King had doubted her wish, but it was the most poignant thus far. It was enough for her mask to drop almost completely, and her face reflected how lost she now felt. "I will be honest.... I am not sure what I should do now," she admitted in a voice barely above a whisper, her eyes cast down on the hands folded in her lap. "I swore an oath to my people that I would protect them. But I have sworn other oaths since then, and they carry as much weight as my first. Truthfully, I do not know what I should do now."

Tohsaka Sakura has posed:
Sakura nods, confirming the Servant's observations. "Sister...said that, ah, in the Fourth War...the fire that happened, w-was caused by it. It's the part of town with the park, ah..." They've been past it some time or another. It's something that bothers Sakura, that even the birds won't return to that part of the city. The destruction of the fire had been immense - even as within that destruction, a life was saved that went on to save many more.

"I guess it had to be done...though, even still..." There's a frown. If it was capable of that much destruction then, the monster that Sakura could become - did become, in one world - is heralded by the past. Becoming that...if there's anything in Zouken Matou's workshop then she needs to find it.

"I have to visit grandfather's house again. I can't...have you come with me." Forestalling the obvious objection, one hand raises softly. "Magi use all sorts of, ah, protection for their workshops...i-if there's anything I could find, then it'd be...in that place." The last words are spoken with dread, as the memory of four thousand nights are brought forth with a phrase. "And it would allow me, b-but anyone else...even Shinji, my-...er, his grandson, was forbidden to enter. If it were to attack you..."

Well, it might not do much damage to the Servant. But Zouken was nothing but cunning, patient, and paranoid - and may well have it somehow able to destroy everything, should someone unwanted enter. Magecraft was a tremendous secret, one that must be maintained even at its own expense.

She looks up as Saber encourages her, and nods. "I...I will. I'd be grateful, if...you could do that. Thank you..." That she has the support of the woman she trusts that much means a tremendous amount to the neophyte Magus, and she intends to see it repaid somehow.

Concern and compassion cross over Sakura's face, as she sees the Steel Rose of England's strength vanish. She'd not meant...such a thing, and can't help but lean forward and reach out one hand to touch Saber's own. This is the bonds of chivalry, Sakura realizes; the code and the oaths that one lives one's life by. Something that is as much a part of Saber as anything could be, something that she has given her entire life to - and something that Sakura only has a glimpse of understanding toward.

There's the tiniest of squeezes given to the other woman's hand, and a smile that promises hope. "It will be difficult...but," she continues, echoing the words just spoken, "you are strong. And I will support you, and do everything in my power to help you."

Saber has posed:
The fire was not something either of them could have foreseen, Saber realised. Her enemy had revelled in it -- both during that final battle of the Fourth War and again when she challenged him upon her arrival in the multiverse -- but she had despaired that there had been no way to stop it. How could they have known the heavy price the descending Grail exacted?

The violet-eyed magus might have already known what her Servant's reaction to that particular suggestion would be. "No. Absolutely not," Saber replied calmly but firmly with a shake of her head. "If it is that dangerous, then I cannot allow you to go alone. And if I cannot accompany you, then another way will simply have to be found."

What remained unspoken because she saw no need to mention it was and if you think I am solidly against it, imagine what Rin's reaction will be.

"I swore an oath to be your sword. Regardless of what danger it might pose to me, that is the pact I made. My word is meaningless if I do not uphold that." But her expression softened as she continued. "I do not make oaths lightly, and I only make them with those whom I trust. As beneficial as our contract is in regards to defeating Archer, I would not have submitted to one if I had not found someone trustworthy."

Typically, whenever Saber's stony mask dropped, it was merely for a matter of seconds before it reformed into what was, for her, another piece of her armour. However, this time it did not return immediately. A faint, almost saddened smile replaced her troubled expression as she placed one small hand over Sakura's. The King of Knights had to find her own way just as she always had, but the burden she had always carried alone had seemed lighter since she had made a new life in the multiverse. Perhaps she was no longer carrying everything by herself. Her path still remained unclear, and she would have to think on it for a long while before making her decision, but for the moment...

"I... " she started before shaking her head slightly. "Thank you."

Tohsaka Sakura has posed:
Well, the objection came nonetheless, and it's as absolute and irrefutable as sunset. What's left unsaid was Rin's reaction, though Sakura had been intending to simply inform her sister after the fact - it was a lot better to avoid the confrontation in the first place. But perhaps... "Alright...ah, th-then, we'll both go...and, I'll just...be extra-careful. If there's anything there, though..."

She's hopeful, at least. Maybe there's an answer, maybe there's not; the aged Matou patriarch may well have already destroyed everything in his workshop. The house still stands, she knows, still unoccupied but still held - which suggests that he's intending to keep it intact, for...some reason. "I guess we'll have to be lucky, then."

As Saber explains her vow, Sakura can't help but feel more self-conscious - when the other woman finishes, there's an outright blush on her face. "Thank you," comes as a near-whisper; she'd not expected such a compliment from someone she holds in such high esteem. "I'll...do my best, t-to...be worthy of that, then...and, I'll hold to my own, just as much..."

Seeing the expression on Saber's face, feeling the warmth of the Servant's hand, Sakura returns it and sighs softly, relaxing. There's a soft squeeze as Sakura smiles comfortingly. "You...I understand that it was hard, though I guess not really all of it, but...you're not alone, any more, either."