I wish…

The Holy Grail War has ended.

The Masters and Servants, both the dead and the living, shall return to the human world with no recollection of ever joining the war.

The gaps of their memory shall be replaced with the lives they would have spend if they were humans.

No one, not even the Servants, shall remember the War…

No one…but me.

I shall be a real life form instead of bits of data. But I will keep my memories of the events that happened in the war.

Why? Because though I faced horrible times, I shall never forget my lessons of the battles I have faced.

Nor will I forget…the choices I have made.

The people I have seen.

The friends I have trusted.

And…

The Servant I have fallen for.

"Miu-chan!"

I break my thought of my wish to the Holy Grail from last year to look at Rin. Her hands are on her hips and the beautiful smile is on her face. I make a small smile.

"Morning, Rin-chan. You're a little later than usual. You're lucky you didn't came in late."

She flips her hair back in a way only Rin can do. She looks at me with those aqua eyes of hers. "And you came early everyday? Just be glad today you come early today. You're always so late."

I let out a small chuckle escape me. "You can't blame me for being a late sleeper. I'm always active in the night and tired in the day."

Rin shakes her head. "You're an idiot for staying up so late. You should be sleeping at night instead of class…not that I care."

Translation: She does care and she wants me to sleep in a healthier time.

But I didn't dare to say those words. She'll kill me or deny it.

My name is Miu Kuroshi, by the way. I'm 17 years old and Rin Tohsaka, daughter of a successful technology company CEO, is my best friend. She was a participant but she has forgotten about it. Strangely, she has not forgotten the promise I made to her: To have lunch with her.

Weird would be understatement. But I was happy to the brim. I enrolled this school last year as a transfer student and like how I am in the Holy Grail War, I'm a 'ghost'. No one bother me, no one would befriend me. And the people I know never met me. I thought I would be living my school life in silence.

Clearly, that doesn't work for honor student Rin Tohsaka. It was on my third day when she talk to me in the commissary area.

"Hey…um…You're Miu, right? Well, seeing as you can't handle being alone and you're gloomy all the time, I thought we can eat lunch together. After all, we promised, right? Wait…Did we promise something like that?"

I was too overjoyed to reply and I reacted by hugging her tight. She stuttered in embarrassment before I let her go…

Rin didn't change at all. Thank lord.

"I'm just a bit of a nocturnal person, I guess."

"Then stop being a nocturnal idiot and stay awake in class." I smile at her harsh but still caring comment before the bell rang. Rin quickly took her seat as the door slid open to find students rushing into class. I notice Shinji Matou as one of them and he looks at me with that punchable smirk as he gives me the thumbs down signal.

Of all the Masters to revive, I kinda wonder if I dangered humanity by reviving Shinji.

…Oh god, I'm sorry, humanity.

When everyone sits down, the door slides open again to find Ms. Fujimura at the doorway.

"Alright, settle down, students." She walks into class and…

"WAH!"

BAM!

…she tripped. Again. Some things never change.

A few students sigh at the sight of the Class 3-B's homeroom teacher falling face-down again before Taiga got up as if she never tripped.

"Alright! Now, before we go to the lessons, I wish to introduce a new student."

I look around the class to find some of the males talking about whether it's a hot girl and some of the females talking about whether it's a hot guy.

Rin, who sits in front of me, looks at me with a 'Any idea who' look. I can only shrug in response.

"Settle down!" Taiga exclaims, getting the whole class down. She clears her throat and turns to the door. "Alright, come in!" She said for the person behind the door. As it slides open, my throat tightens at the sight.

The person is a male with tan skin but that adds to the beauty of his white hair and stern, grey eyes with his lips stuck as a thin line. The school uniform on him is a black gakuran style uniform, with a high collared coat with gold buttons, black trousers, and brown shoes, the type of uniform only students in Year 3 wear. I keep staring at the person as he walks into the classroom and stands before the class. Taiga turns to us.

"Everyone, this is Archer S. Emiya. He has just come back to Japan last week from a distant country so treat him well."

"Hey." Archer greets with his stoic expression and cynical voice, getting most of the girls to squeal. Rin is disinterested at Archer and annoyed at the squealing.

I kept my eyes on him.

Him. My ex-Servant and the man who has once held me tight, whispering 'I love you' in the watery prison before he slips from my grasps…

I couldn't hear the squeal. Everything around me just disappears. The only thing mattered was Archer standing before me, all flesh and bone.

With no memories of me.

The truth struck me down as if I got hit by a lightning bolt. My vision starts to water and when I felt something wet on the back of my hand, I realize I'm crying.

"O-Oi, Miu-chan!" I hear Rin saying my name in surprise and soon, everyone is looking at me. Including Archer.

I couldn't bear to look at him.

"I-I…" I open my mouth but I didn't know what to say. I try to wipe the tears away but the memories of the war comes into my mind.

The touch of his hands.

The feel of his lips on mine.

The effect his eyes has on me.

The strength of his love for me.

The things that you once did to me…You have forgotten it.

I shut my eyes tightly and wipe my tears as best as I could. "I-I'm sorry…I w-was…um…" I blink to try to hold the tears but it was futile. "I was j-just remembering a-about some s-sad movie."

Silence fills the air. Soon enough, Shinji starts laughing and the students join in. Rin look doubtful at me before I cover my eyes, embarrassment and shame overwhelming me. I'm not sure which was worse, having the whole class see me cry all of a sudden and have them laugh at me or seeing the man who once loved me.

It was my wish to have him forgotten. It was to protect him.

Yet, it still hurts.

It hurts.

iT hUrTs.

"Miu…"

I can hear the sound of footsteps coming towards me and for a moment, I thought it was Shinji trying to point and make fun of me. But a hand grasps the wrist of my hand that's covering my eyes and someone forces me to look at them.

My brown eyes face stormy grey ones.

I freeze in Archer's grip as I concentrate his expression. He looks conflicted, confused and slightly irritated. Well, the third one is the usual expression he has around me, being his 'worthless' Master and all.

He wipes the tear-streaks on my cheeks with his sleeve and I blush by the mere contact of his clothing. He lets out a huff of irritation and he turns to the shocked student with a glare that rivals a lion.

"If anyone got a laughing problem with a girl crying, you better deal with it before I break those funny bones of yours!"

The class turns quiet. Even Shinji didn't let out a peep of an arogant comment. I turn to Rin, who is surprised as well as pleased Archer came to the rescue. I turn back to Archer and notice the familiar stern gaze he's giving me.

Oh dear.

"As for you, you better learn how to be more emotionally controlled. You're so weak to cry over whatever movie it was."

I stare at him for a moment before a miniscule smile creeps to my lips. This seem to take him by surprise. He raises a brow.

"What?"

"…Nothing…" I reply softly to his question. "I'll be more self-control…Thank you."

For a moment, I see two mixed emotions in his eyes. Shock and confusion. But he sighs and close those beautiful grey eyes and sits on the empty seat that's on the right side of my desk.

"You better." Is what his curt reply contain.

Taiga calls out the class to begin the lesson but I wasn't able to pay attention. I look out the window at my left and lean against my right hand with my elbow on the desk. A tearful smile is made by my lips.

Archer is still the same as ever.

And that's what hurts me the most.

But also what makes me the happiest as well.


Anddd, how do you like it?! :D I'm sorry if I made Archer OOC. It'll take time for me to get an edge on his character but still, it's pretty much a good work, right? =3

Kuro: You could do better.

Me: =-= gee, thank you for those encouraging words.

Mii-kun: *bringing in a stack of firewood* Hey, Lu-chan, any flames left?

Me: Nope! Sorry. But I'm sure the readers who never read the DON'T LIKE, DON'T READ policy should provide some with their half-assed remarks =w= Anyways, to the readers who enjoy the story, please tell me what you think and if there's something I missed out on Archer's and Rin's personality. (Shinji, though, is quite easy, as much of a bastard he is.)

Kuro: Lu-chan only owns the plot…Well, minus the Holy Grail War shit.

Mii-kun: The characters belong to the original owner.

Me: And please Read & Review! :D