Excalibur, Caliburn and the King of Knights

[Amaterasu]

Amaterasu chuckled and nodded. "I'm happy to hear that you know them. Perhaps our cultures are not so different from each other after all. As for these man-ers... I suppose that is up to you. Neither of these words do I recognize. But considering the explanations we have gone through, I suppose that they are the same." She offered another bright smile, then fell quiet once more as Arthuria spoke.

"I'm not sure if "God" or "Goddess" is the same thing as a Kami, Art- ... Saber. You sound rather surprised though. Do these Gods you speak of not walk the Earth, as does humankind? A kami is, after all, a spirit, an ascended human who, prior to their reincarnation, has done many good deeds and was granted an ascension in the cycle of karma. It is only natural that they occasionally come down in the shape of human or animal, to spend a time among mortals before returning." She passed a hand over her chin in thought, then replied. "I may of course have been reincarnated in the body of a human, provided that I did indeed succumb to the akuma's attacks, if my destiny is to occupy the body of a mortal once more. Although I am surprised to find myself in the body not only of an adult instead of newborn, but also bearing the same looks as I did prior to my death. But, those are not matters that you are to be bothered with. I am certain that in due time it will all become clear to me. In the meantime however..."

She hummed and once more passed a hand over her chin as she thought. "If what you speak of the Heroic Spirits is indeed true and I was brought here as one, I would ask that you conceal my identity as well, just in case that it turns out you are right about your beliefs, and it would be advantageous for me to keep my name and nature a secret. One can never be too careful after all... even if you doubt the correctness of it, I would like to go through with it for now. Besides, I may have been quick in revealing my title, if this world is not what I believe it to be I may indeed not be a kami anymore. So please - refer to me as Shiranui. That was what my prior self, previous to my reincarnation, called herself, and it is a name I hold dearly." Her smile faded for a few seconds as she remembered the White Wolfess, Shiranui, and her sacrifice as they had fought Orochi. But, she had shedded enough tears for her, and now was not the time. She put her smile back on to forget about that. "I must ask though... Saber, Archer, Lancer - judging by the name, they describe a type of warrior, don't they? Moreso than a person. Why do you not instead take on a different name to refer to yourself as by, like a nickname? It would feel degrading to me to be named purely according to my abilities in a fight." She hmmed, wondering if there was any fine name Arthuria could take on, though of course she could only think of eastern names.

Akuma describes a creature, it's not a name. Though I have heard a similar word before, day-mon or such... it might well be the same. Well, regardless... it may be a funny question, but what leads you to believe that you have died centuries ago, Saber? Did you retain your memories after being reincarnated into a new body? And why would your self from centuries ago be resurrected and brought back, rather than the form you inhabited at the time you were brought here?" Of course, that was all making the big assumption that Arthuria knew and understood the concept of reincarnation which was mostly an eastern teaching - but she just might, the only way to find out was to ask.

"It changed to the place you were at when your soul left your body, hmm? That is... strange, I must admit. To me this place is a replica of wherre I first incarnated. Come." She turned away from Arthuria and moved up along the path, though they only needed to move some ten meters before they came close enough to the big tree on the top of the hill, that Amaterasu could point to a stone block standing in front of the tree, with two small rivers coming from between the tree's roots and joining in the middle to shape an island around that block. "In Kamiki Village, where my journey began long ago, a statue had been placed here at the feet of the Wood Sprite Sakuya. That statue represented the White Wolf Shiranui - my previous incarnation, if you remember, who died a century prior to my reincarnation. She gave her life to seal away a vile Akuma who terrorized the village back then - a noble deed like no other. A hundred years later, I was incarnated from that statue by Sakuya, because the Akuma had escaped its confinment." She turned back to Arthuria and smiled a little. "If you wish I can tell you more of this story some other day, but if you say that this place changes, we should perhaps not stay. Someone else might be waiting to arrive and I wish not to impede them on their path."

Arthuria then asked a question that Amaterasu had not anticipated, and which surprised her at first. But then she smiled, brighter than before. "I would very much like to do so. This is a place I do not know and understand, and neither do you, it appears. But two minds think better than one." She placed her palms together before her chest and bowed slightly to Arthuria. "It would be my honor to have you by my side for as long as you wish or as we can before fate draws us apart again. And my pleasure as well."