Epilogue

The love that he felt for Arturia Pendragon, formerly known as Saber, had not faded with time. Twenty years had passed since the Fifth Holy Grail War, and Emiya Shirō was grateful that the Holy Grail had seen his true wish. Otherwise, he wouldn't have had Arturia beside him. Shirō stared lovingly at his wife. They had married when they were twenty years old, and those who knew the relationship they had were not surprised. The time of sixth century and the twenty-first had not separated them. Shirō smiled, remembering of the small wedding they had. It had been in the spring, when cherry blossoms were in bloom. Shirō remembered of how the flowers had framed around his wife's wedding dress, making her appear more beautiful than ever. The smiles of his friends that he had made since the Fifth Holy Grail War were happy with them, and Fujimura-sensei cried at the sight of bride and of the fully grown man she had come to see as a younger brother.

Shirō and Arturia had taken their honeymoon to England, where Arturia could see the country that she had loved and died for. Shirō remembered of how his Arturia's blond hair had served as a shield to mask the tears running down her face when she realized of how much her people admired her sacrifice and chivalry, even after one thousand years. Thirteen years now they had been married. Thirteen years he had woken to find his wife's sleeping and peaceful face beside his own. Shirō was happy, and he was grateful for it.

Ilya had died as she had predicted. One winter day she had fallen ill and became bedridden. As Shirō, Arturia, and the others that she had considered family over the year they had together stayed in the lone room seeping sunlight and crying, Ilya smiled bravely and said they were silly for crying over something they couldn't change. "I…had fun with all of you. And I want you to have even more fun…when I'm gone." A tear had caressed her cheek, but it was from happiness and not sorrow. It was Arturia who had found in the morning, cold and lifeless, holding the fragile body of the child that she had come to know as a friend. Ilya was buried near the window towards his room. Even during the last days of her life, she had sneaked into his room and cuddled with him. A chestnut tree stood as her grave. Ilya had told Shirō about how Emiya Kiritsugu had played with her by always hunting for it together. Shirō always visited Ilya every day even as the years came to pass that he couldn't remember her face. The chestnut tree would always bear fruit, as a reminder of what the young child had loved.

Shirō had been happy for Sakura when she found a man to love her. They had met during college, and Shirō considered Ishikawa Akira a kind man with a gentle disposition. When the two had started dating around the second year of college, Tohsaka had remained wary of the dark-haired man until she had a deep conversation with him. Tohsaka probably threatened to hurt him if anything happened to Sakura, Shirō remembered thinking as he noted the young man's strange nervous disposition towards the elder sister during their meetings together years ago. Now Sakura was happy with her husband of ten years, and was the mother of two nine year old twins, Kaori and Kariya.

Tohsaka seemed almost proud when Sakura told her the male twin's name. Shirō allowed himself an inward smile at the sign that bond between the sisters had healed. Although the auburn haired man had known Tohsaka Rin for twenty years now, the female mage still insisted on him calling her by her surname. "It's…too intimate," the brunette had stated as she had attempted to hide her blush. "It would be like we were dating." Shirō had noted that even with her son, Tohsaka was formal and somewhat distant. The twelve year old Tohsaka Makoto was extremely reserved and was often silent during the conversations, and called him Emiya-san despite the fact that Shirō had first held him as a newborn. However, he was extremely protective and adored his family and his childhood friends. Although…he is a tsundere like his mother, Shirō thought with a quiet laugh. A sudden thud made him turn towards the sound, and he immediately smiled at the sight.

Arturia Pendragon was standing in a defensive positon as her daughter stood to face her. The nine year old child stood from the blow her mother had aimed at her, and stood with the same determination in her eyes although they were the same color as her father's. Her younger brother attempted to disarm their mother as well, but Arturia knocked the kendo sword out of his hands. A stunned look appeared in his amber eyes.

When Emiya Yui had been born, their eldest, Shirō had been stunned to find that his beautiful and brave Arturia was afraid of holding her newborn daughter. Arturia's eyes were bright with sadness, and Shirō then understood that although more than a thousand years had passed, Arturia remembered of her relationship with her other daughter, Mordred. Shirō had encouraged his wife to hold their first born child, and he had been happy when he saw Arturia's look of wonder on her face when she held the baby in her arms. The child with the same blonde hair as her and the same eyes as her father. They had decided to name her Yui, gentle binding, for their patient and gentle love had bound them together.

As he watched Arturia and Yui spar as he did twenty years ago, he thought of how much their daughter was very much like them both. The nine year old had her father's kindness and her mother's bravery and their resilience. Although the Holy Grail Wars had been destroyed ten years ago, the legacy existed still. Makoto was his mother's apprentice, and both Kaori and Kariya knew some level of magecraft. Yui, much to all of their surprise was talented at magecraft. She knew simple projection and other skills that Shirō knew he would never learn. Although Tohsaka was proud of Yui's accomplishments, Shirō worried that despite their efforts, another Holy Grail War would surface and their daughter would be forced to fight a battle that her parents had fought to extinguish. He thought of his six year old son, Hokori, the splitting image of him expect for his straight hair, and worried of how he too would be vulnerable to the Holy Grail Wars. He had more of his mother's disposition, and Shirō could see himself in the boy as well as he waited for an opening. As he looked at the three people he held dear to his heart, Shirō was grateful that his adoptive father Emiya Kiritsugu had found him that night.

If I hadn't met my father on that night of fate…

Shirō was pulled out of his thoughts by a familiar voice.

"Otōsan?" Shirō turned to find his Hokori looking at him curiously as he stood with Yui "What are thinking?"

Shirō smiled at the young boy. "I was thinking I should spar with your mother," he stated, ignoring at the sight of his children's dismayed expression. Although the man with simply happy to watch his children practice with their mother, Shirō wanted to spar with Arturia again despite knowing that it was hopeless. The four of them knew that he could not disarm her. Shirō saw Arturia look at him curiously before a gentle smile appeared on her face as he approached her. Her former long hair had been cut to her shoulders, and unlike Tohsaka, her height hadn't changed as an adult. Her face had thinned and there were a couple of lines below her eyes, but Shirō thought of her more beautiful as she aged.

"Shirō," Arturia stated with such solemnness the Heroic Spirit she had been flashed before his eyes. "Don't hold back," she stated as her husband faced her with a kendo stick in his hands.

"I won't," Shirō stated as he stared as he looked into her eyes. "Saber," he breathed so softly that their children couldn't hear. The knowing look in his wife's eyes alerted him that she had heard. Shirō ran forward.

Trace on.

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