Disclaimer: I do not own Fate/Stay Night or any of the Fate Series; they are all property of Type Moon. I write this for your enjoyment only. This fic is based on the 'good' ending of the UBW route, mostly Rin's memories of Archer and will contain some spoilers so if you have not played the VN, seen the movie, or anime version, I suggest you read no further. That said, enjoy and please review! ;)
More Than You Know
Rin Tohsaka-Emiya sang softly to herself as she sat in front of her elegant wooden dressing table, brushing her long raven hair after having put on her make-up. Today was her tenth wedding anniversary and she patiently awaited the return of her husband from work so that they could celebrate. Looking at their wedding photo on her table, Rin smiled as she could not believe they had already been married ten years and are both now in their thirties, having married shortly after they completed their training with the Magic Association in London where they lived for a few years before returning to Japan. They now have three young children, two sons and a daughter, all of whom resembled their mother far more than their father and for good reason.
Over the years, Shirou's appearance changed drastically due to his more frequent and intense use of his magic circuits as well as projection and reinforcement abilities, making him resemble Rin's Servant from the 5th Holy Grail War for while he may not have taken the same tragic path Archer took, he did not want his gifts to go to waste, not while he could still use them for the good of humankind. And while Shirou's new exotic appearance often fascinated as well as intimidated other people, he remained perfect in the eyes of his wife: tall, broad-shouldered, strong, and handsome with his chiseled features, bronze skin, spiky white hair that sometimes fell over his forehead as well as his smoldering, steel-grey eyes. At six feet, four inches, Shirou easily towered over other men, a sharp contrast to the average height he was in his youth.
After the end of the grail war, Shirou and Rin, accompanied by Saber who had managed to remain in the human world due to her contract with Rin, went to London for Rin to further her magical studies while training Shirou to improve his own special powers- The Magic Association were especially interested in his unique Reality Marble. When they returned to Japan after graduation, the three of them moved into the Tohsaka family manor. After they married, Saber felt that she was no longer needed as much and yearned to go out into the world to explore and enjoy her new life. And although Rin and Shirou were sorry to see her go, they respected her wishes and gave Saber money as well as forging the necessary documents for her to travel before seeing her on her way but not before telling her that she would always be welcomed in their home should she ever chose to return. And she did; Saber would return to Japan many times to visit her friends over the years. In fact, the couple was expecting her back for another visit in a few weeks, just in time for Christmas. And from the latest letter she wrote Rin, much to her delight, Saber would also be bringing along a gentleman she claimed was her new boyfriend.
As she looked at her wedding photo, which was set in a beautiful oak frame and placed at the corner of her dressing table, Rin's mind wandered back to the final days of the 5th grail war and thought it strange how the man she was married to now wasn't Archer and yet he was- minus, much to her relief, the bitter, cynical personality and patronizing attitude of her former Servant. But considering what he had been through, Rin couldn't really blame him. While the man was insufferably arrogant, he was still a very competent warrior with a sense of honor even though he had a habit of keeping secrets and telling half-truths. And even though she'd die before she'd ever admit it, Rin thought that Archer was the most handsome man she had ever seen which was ironic considering that she had no problem saying so of her husband even though the two men were supposedly one and the same.
Did you know that Shirou and I would end up together like this, Archer? Rin wondered as she thought back to that fateful day…
"Archer!" Rin called to the knight in red who turned to face her upon hearing her voice. Now that the Holy Grail was destroyed and he no longer had a Master, the Servant did not have much time left; it was a miracle that he had managed to stay long enough to help her and Shirou destroy the grail and defeat Gilgamesh. The young magus could see that his body was starting to become transparent and that it would not be long before he vanished completely from the human world. But despite everything that had happened between them, Rin was still loathed to see him go.
"Wait, don't go! Make a pact with me again…" she pleaded.
The knight looked at her with a startled expression as if he were surprised she would even suggest such a thing after their shaky Master-Servant relationship.
"I am sorry. I know what you are trying to do but I must say that I am not worthy nor do I have that right anymore. But more importantly, I'm done here; my fight is over, and I can finally leave this world with no regrets."
"But…" Rin began before stopping herself. She didn't need to say it; Archer already knew. With the Holy Grail and Gilgamesh gone, time had been altered and the Archer that she knew may cease to exist in future.
"Rin…" he began gently. "I know what you're going to say. But you must understand that I do not belong in your world. My presence here will disrupt the timeline and deprive you of the future you so deserve. If you can find it in your heart to grant me one last favor, please watch over the me that remains in this world; as you can see, he's quite clueless."
As much as she hated to admit it, Rin knew Archer was right. There can be only one Shirou Emiya in this world. Trying her best to be strong, she put her head down and held back her tears. "I understand…I give you my word. I'll try my best to make him like himself and appreciate all that he has. And you should do the same too. I will miss you, Archer. You didn't have to do all of this, not for me."
Archer's expression softened as he gently took Rin's face in his hand, leaned forward, and gently kissed her on the lips before whispering in her ear.
"For you, Rin. And for the boy that I was. He needs you, I need you. More than you know…"
Though Archer was fading away, his body was still solid enough for Rin to feel his kiss and it made her feel dizzy and light-headed but she still heard every word he said.
"I…I don't understand…"
"You will… in time…"
Those were his last words and Rin opened her eyes to see him one last time before he finally vanished from the world for good. And it was a sight she would never forget; Archer smiled as his white hair fell over his forehead, the smile of the boy she loved and the man she had saved.
"Rin?"
The young wife and mother of three turned as she heard the deep and smooth voice of her husband. So lost was she in her thoughts that Rin never heard Shirou walk into their room, dressed in a semi-casual black dress shirt and trousers while carrying a bouquet of red roses and a gift-wrapped box in his arms, her anniversary present, she assumed.
Rin smiled as she stood up, went over to her husband and embraced him.
"Happy Anniversary, my love. How long have you been standing there?"
Shirou smiled as he bent over and kissed his beautiful young wife. Like him, Rin also grew quite a bit in height since their adolescence even though not as much as himself as she was still a good eight inches shorter.
"Long enough" he teased. Where you thinking about something? You didn't even notice me come in."
"Actually, I was thinking about you…always you…"
"I see…I take it you're ready to go now? I've made reservations for us at that nice restaurant you've always wanted to try. But I'm not sure what to do about the kids."
"No need to worry, I've already sent them to Sakura's for the night." Rin answered with a wink.
Shirou laughed. "I see. You do think of everything do you, love?" Lowering his voice to a husky whisper, he added "It's good to know we can have some time alone tonight just for the two of us. Now shall we get going then?" he asked as he offered his arm to his wife.
"Of course. Let me grab my purse before I forget."
"Sure."
As the young couple left the room to enjoy the evening, Rin finally understood what Archer had been trying to tell her all those years ago. Because she had been there for Shirou, Rin had given him another reason to live besides his ideals so that he does not become the tragic hero Archer did. Because of her, Shirou learned to value his own life and live for himself and his family as well as others. And she was no longer sad or felt sorry for Archer.
Because he had never truly left her. He had been with her, all along. And always will be.
A/N: Ok, the fourth installment done. I basically rewrote a part of the UBW visual novel ending but added my own twist to it which I always like to do to make my fics more interesting rather than parrot the actual dialogue word for word. I hope my readers find my version of UBW ending intriguing enough and since I am new to writing FSN fanfics, please go easy on me! ;)
