A Thousand Years

by IlurThVir

How does it feel to be forgotten? To be looked at by someone with the same face, the same voice, and to not see recognition cross their eyes? Artoria Pendragon would find out very soon. Emiya Shirou, Demi-Servant vessel to Sengo Muramasa, is summoned to Chaldea, but without his memories of her. Will this be enough to stop the King of Knights from pursuing her beloved? (FiveChapter)

3. Part 2 of 5

PART 2 OF 5

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The room was frighteningly quiet. His ears could even hear the sound of a fly buzzing through the air outside the room. Still, it wasn't really the silence what made him uncomfortable. What really bothered him were the blank, incredulous looks that the other occupants of the room were giving him. Yep, those were really, really unnerving. Those, and the fact that he had been feeling like shit for a couple of hours already didn't exactly help his situation.

Shirou held back a mental sigh as he watched Ritsuka sit on one of the only two chairs in his room, running a hand over his temples in obvious weariness. The room he had just received from the staff of Chaldea was white, and completely devoid of furniture; except for a small desk, the bed he was currently sitting on, two chairs and a large mirror to the left. Iskandar and Mordred were present as well. The first stood behind the young Master, with his arms crossed and a sympathetic expression turned towards him. Mordred, on the other hand, was leaning against the wall near the door, staring at him with a gaze that was both accusatory, incredulous, and eager for answers.

After all that happened just a few hours before, he couldn't blame her, really.

"So, let me get this straight," the black-haired young man began to say, drawing everyone's attention to him. "Artoria Pendragon, the legendary King of Britain and leader of the Knights of the Round Table… kissed you right in front of everyone in the Dining Room during dinner... and apparently you two have met in the past even though you can't remember her because you lost your memory... but because of this you felt compelled to reject her without explaining the full situation to her... and then she left in tears without you trying to stop her...? " he asked, sounding more and more incredulous and tired as he spoke.

Shirou looked down at the ground in shame, nodding softly. "...yes," he admitted quietly.

Ritsuka ran a hand through his black hair. "...you really can't keep yourself out of trouble, huh?" he mused, sounding – strangely – sympathetic. Almost as if he could ralate to him. Maybe it was just his imagination, though.

He swallowed, his mouth painfully dry. "I just... my head throbbed so much," he tried to explain softly. He really, truly sounded remorseful for what he had caused to that poor woman. "I was so confused, and hurt, and upset... looking at her face was only making things worse. I was so shaken by the pain and anxiety inside my head that I couldn't help but react that way. I should have been less rough with her and tried to explain the situation better. I'm... sorry," he apologized, full of remorse.

The Master nodded. "Don't worry, I'm not mad at you. Given your circumstances, it was natural for you to react that way. But knowing this doesn't help us solve the next dilemma," he said, trying to sound sympathetic. Ritsuka looked at him, studying his face still glued to the ground. "What do you intend to do with her?"

That was the real question, wasn't it? Shirou almost laughed bitterly as he felt Mordred's piercing gaze settle on him, boring holes on the side of his head. "...I should apologize," he finally replied, downcast. It was as if he was trying to convince himself. "I should – no, I must go to her and apologize. But... I'm afraid."

"Afraid of what?"

"Afraid of her," he quickly replied. Even without looking at the other three, he could practically feel their shock and confusion after his response. "Every time I looked at her, my head became filled with pain and confused thoughts. Strange sounds and images that I don't even remember experiencing started to blind my vision. This confuses me. Is it really me the one feeling those emotions? Do I really remember and feel all of that? Or is it just the me from the past? Are the two of us really the same person? I… I don't know, and that scares me. I just... don't know what to do. I don't know what to think," he admitted slowly, clenching his hands into fists.

"What is there to think about? The answer is already obvious, idiot," one of the others cut in immediately after. Shirou raised his head slightly to look at Mordred's annoyed and irritated expression. The blonde girl was glaring at him haughtily. "You two have met in the past. She knows you. Even if you don't remember her, you still have to bear the weight of the past. You're still you," she declared, scoffing loudly. "Just pull your shit together and go to her, already."

He smiled sadly. "...I don't think it's that simple," he retorted dejectedly.

Iskandar sighed heavily. "The boy is right, Mordred. It's not as easy as you make it sound," he added, going to his defense. "And we don't even know how your father would react if she saw him again. It's too risky to send him to her right now."

Mordred rounded on the King of Conquerors with a glare full of confusion. "I get that!" she hissed. "But what the hell did you mean when you said that it's not as easy as I think?" she asked again.

It was Shirou the one who spoke to her. "Even if the two of us have a past history with each other, do I really have the right to go to her?" he asked right back at her, staring at his hands. The female knight looked at him with hesitation. "Without memories of her, am I really the same person who met her in the past? And if so, how should I talk to her? How should I address her? How should I act around her and her friends? Should I be happy and confident, or overly familiar, or just act cold and distant? And what about her feelings? How should I receive them? How am I supposed to reciprocate them if I don't even remember who I am?" his face became a mask of uncertainty and frustration as he spoke, raising his head to look at the blonde girl. "Tell me, Mordred... what should I do?" he finally asked, looking completely lost and scared.

The Knight of Treachery visibly hesitated. Even she seemed to lose her usual confidence after that speech and his uncertainty. Her green eyes dropped to the floor as her hands clenched into fists and her teeth gritted. "Tch…"

Silence filled the room once again.

Ritsuka was the first to find his voice again. "Be as it may, we all know that things can't stay like this," he finally decided, putting a hand on Shirou's shoulder. His eyes flashed with support and sadness as he looked at him with understanding. "Do you want me to go talk to her? I'll tell her that you're sorry, and explain the situation better," he offered.

Shirou nodded solwly. "Yes. Thank you, Master Ritsuka. I… really don't know what to do," he thanked him, dejected.

He nodded as well, getting up from his chair. "Given how things have evolved, it is clear that we need to re-discuss the matter of your memory loss once again," Ritsuka continued to say. "I'll ask Jekyll and Da Vinci to come up with something for you. Maybe they can find a way to help you remember something."

The red-haired young man sighed. "Until now I was sure my lost memories weren't that important," he whispered, pulling off his white cloak from his shoulders and placing it on the bed. "I thought I could live and fight for you just as any other Servant. Just like every Servant should. But now I don't know what to think anymore."

Ritsuka looked at him, his gaze understanding but firm at the same time. "Shirou, you're not just my Servant. Servants are not tools of death that humans use to fight during Holy Grail Wars. They're people. Peolpe with emotions, thoughts, and memories of their own. Just like you. You are a person," he declared solemnly. "What happened today with Artoria and those who remember you from the past is the very proof of that."

"...that's right," he admitted quietely.

The young Master nodded. Then he started to walk away slowly. "Rest now. First thing tomorrow morning, I'll let you meet the Emiya family. You've already met the red Archer, but there are others related to him and you. They remember you as well, and they want to meet you as soon as possible. I wanted to evaluate your skills in battle first, but we'll have a chance to do it soon after. It's better to let you rest a little more, given what happened today." he said, explaining his decision to him. His face became full of authority on that moment as he rounded on him again. "But right after that, you must go and apologize to Artoria. I can't let the two of you cut the ties just like that. Am I clear?"

The young Saber accepted that decision in silence, simply nodding his head. With that being said, Ritsuka let out a sigh and glanced at Iskandar and Mordred. "We'd better let him sleep. It's quite late already, and Shirou needs to rest now. Especially after all of this," he suggested.

Iskandar nodded as he moved to follow their Master out of the room. "There's no choice, then. See you around, boy. You have all my sympathy, truly. If you ever need a hand, you can come and find me whenever you want. My room is just upstairs, N° 12," he said, nodding at him with a calm expression.

Shirou offered him a faint smile. "Thank you very much, King of Conquerors. I'll keep that in mind."

Iskandar smiled. Then he looked at the blonde girl still leaning against the wall of Shirou's room. "Come on, Mordred, let's go. Let him rest. We should go to our rooms as well."

"...go ahead. I'll leave in a moment," she simply said, staring at the red-haired young man with a careful look.

The older King watched her for a couple of seconds in silence, before sighing with a shake of his head and deciding to let her stay. He went out the door with a sigh, leaving the room and the two young people alone, immersed in a tense silence that lasted for some time. They simply stared at each other, neither of them deciding to speak for what seemed like an eternity during that staring contest.

But, in the end, Shirou decided to voice his question first. The question that was plaguing his mind from a while, now. "Are you mad at me, Mordred?"

The female knight didn't answer right away. She was silent for a couple of seconds before looking down on the ground and shaking her head. "...I'm not mad," she finally admitted, clenching her fists. "Not at you, at least."

The boy smiled upon hearing this. "So you are mad at someone," he joked, humorless.

Mordred gritted her teeth, and Shirou's eyes did not fail to notice that her arms were shaking slightly. Whether it was because of anger or for some other reason, however, he had no way of knowing.

"I'm not mad at you," she repeated once more. Her eyes flashed with anger and annoyance as she spoke. "I'm angry at the whole world. And especially at that idiot Gawain. He threatened me for no reason, right in front of Father, on top of that! I should have beaten that guy's face as soon as he started looking down on me! I won't let him get away with it!" she swore, in a tone that promised pain and revenge to the blonde knight who wronged her.

The young man stared. "Yeah. He was an asshole," he agreed with a small smile, shaking his head in amusement.

Mordred visibly hesitated at that point. Her face become redder without any apparent reason as she fidgected. "Actually, I should t-thank you," she said once more, her voice softer and more uncertain than usual. "You... defended me once again. It was the first time someone did that for me. I... won't forget that. T-Thank you..." she finally stammered, blushing as she slowly sat on one of the chairs in front of him, playing with her fingers.

Shirou smiled at her. "It was nothing. I told you: I will always stand up for you. That's what friends are for. And we are friends, right?" he asked, his voice becoming softer as well.

The female knight nodded, still blatantly hiding her face from his sight. Shirou felt a great sense of relief wash his heart at that scene, as if hearing those words had taken a huge weight off his chest. However, he knew that Mordred was still angry for some reasons. Her arms were shaking slightly, her body was stiff, and the irritated frown on her face was clearly visible even now. He knew what her frustration was due to.

The boy sighed. "Does the fact that I'm seemingly... engaged, to your father bother you that much, then? Because, you know, I'm just as shocked as you are," he asked her again, seeing the obvious frustration still present in her expression.

The blonde's face fell instantly. Her lips pursued together as her fists clenched tightly, so tightly in fact that her bones seemed to crack lightly.

Mordred was silent for a long time before answering. "...I wish you had your memories back," she admitted through gritted teeth. Her eyes were narrowing with rage. "So that I could learn what kind of relationship there was between the two of you. Father never even contemplated the idea of having a relationship in the past. Ever. How the hell did she end up kissing you in front of everyone is beyond me."

Shirou had to suppress a bitter smile at that answer. "...I wish I could share your curiosity," he whispered.

Mordred's face lifted with such rapidity that her movement seemed almost inhuman. Her eyes widened in stunned confusion. "What? What the hell are you saying? Don't you want to know the truth as well?" she questioned him, her voice incredulous.

"Yeah, but... I'm not sure that I want to know how my past self felt about that woman," he replied.

The Knight of Treachery's face filled with outrage. "Why? You don't consider my Father a worthy partner? Or is her appareance no loger to your liking?" she asked, growling lowly in rage. She seemed extremely pissed at the mere thought of that possibility.

But Shirou just shook his head. "It's not like that. I'm just afraid of what I could learn," he tried to explain, raising his hands in a placating gesture. His expression became thoughtful as he spoke. "I am... me. But what about my past self? Is he still me? Or a completely different person? And what about his lost feelings? Are those my feelings as well? I just... don't know what to feel right now."

"Why the hell are you so scared and indecisive about your past?" she exclaimed with narrowed eyes, unable to comprehend his hesitation.

"Because I'm afraid of what I could learn," he promptly replied again, narrowing his eyes as well. "Let's say my memories come back. If I find out that I don't like who I was or what I did, what should I do? Should I just accept it because of my past 'relationship' with your father? Or should oppose my past behaviour and act differently instead? But then, what should I say to her? That I chose to be a different person, but with the same memories of her lover? The exact opposite of what I am now?"

"We don't know that!" she retorted. "We won't know ANYTHING if you keep sulking here like a freaking kid!"

Shirou physically flinched after hearing that, falling into a deep silence as he looked down in shame. He knew Mordred was right. He was acting like a terrified child. But he really, really didn't know what to do. The situation he had accidentally found himself in wasn't exactly the most common, after all. On the contrary, it was extremely delicate. One single misstep, and he could hurt himself more than he already was. Or even worse, he could hurt Artoria. Again. And he had no intention of hurting that woman even further. Not after all the pain he had already caused to her before. He wouldn't be able to live peacefully with himself, if he did.

He just shook his head, completely lost on what to do. "...why do you even care about my odd relationship with your father, anyway?" he finally asked, exasperated. "I thought you hated him."

That sentence made her stop immediately. Mordred felt as if a bucket of cold water had just been poured all over her. She snapped her mouth shut, pursing her lips as she lowered her head towards the ground as well. Unbeknownst to Shirou, her eyes even started to sting for some mysterious reason that she couldn't even understand herself. She felt... strangely irritated by that statement. As if a sudden lump had inexplicably started to choke her throat for no reason. The female knight just remained silent, her body rigid and hands clenched painfully tight as she sat on the chair. Her gaze looked at everything except the red-haired young man in front of her.

Shirou looked up from his bed to study her after hearing her unusual and uncharacteristical silence. His eyebrows rose in stupefaction as he realized how things really were.

"... I see," he said after ten full seconds of silence. "Say, Mordred... you don't really hate your father, do you?"

That hit her heavily. Morderd's eyes widened dramatically as her head snapped to face the young man, before she quickly turned her face away, hiding a small scowl and a blush. Ashamed and upset, she looked away as Shirou presented her a small smirk after his deduction.

"Oh? What an unexpected surprise…" he joked, teasing her.

"…shut up!" she growled, glaring in mock rage at his smiling and smug face. "Don't you dare tell anyone about this! Or else, I will chop you head off with Clarent!" she swore.

Shirou laughed, feeling strangely better for the first time in a while. He hadn't felt so cheerful since before he had his unexpected encounter with Artoria. "All right, I promise I won't tell anyone about this," he swore quickly, looking at her with a sincere smile. But then his expression became serious all of a sudden. "However, in return, I want you to tell me about it."

The Knight of Treachery's eyes widened after hearing that. "Huh?"

"Tell me what happened between you and your father," he clarified, looking at her straight into the eyes. "It is blatantly obvious that the mere mention of her name makes you suffer. But we are friends, and friends share their problems with each other. I have already told you how I feel about my past 'relationship' with her, so... now it's your turn," he urged her gently. He even got up from the bed, moving to sit on the chair next to Mordred's. "Tell me what happened between the two of you."

That request echoed into Mordred's head for a long, long time. The female knight said nothing for a while, utterly unable to say something, torn between her pride and her heart. A part of her wanted to get angry and deny Shirou of his request. But the other part, the more emotional, sensitive and above all true part of her – the same part that Shirou seemed to be a master of touching with his words and actions – was begging her to listen to him. To spill the beans and tell him everything. And, if she had to be honest with herself, Morderd had no idea of which one of the two she should listen to.

She was silent for quite a while. Shirou didn't rush her. On the contrary, he remained silent as well, patiently waiting for her emotional barriers to collapse slowly. And when they did, the blond girl's shoulders slumped down in defeat.

And then, Mordred, the Knight of Rebellion, began to speak about her deepest secret.

"...for the longest time in my life, I've always wanted to be recognized and loved by my Father," she began to say. Her voice was low – hoarse, even – full of emotions and pain. A sharp contrast to her usual behaviour. "When I learned from mother that I was King Arthur's son… I was proud, you know. I was happy. Truly happy. After all, she was the perfect King. Everyone looked up to her in respect, awe, and admiration. People even idolized her; and I… I wanted to be next to her. I simply wanted to stand proudly by her side. That's why I first joined the Round Table. Not because of my mother's words, but because I wanted to get closer to the King. That's all that mattered to me."

Shirou looked with concern as tears started to form in her eyes. But she didn't stop. "I was so overjoyed when I first learned that I had her blood in my veins. Because that meant that I could be recognized as her heir and, more importantly, her son. That's all I truly cared about. I... I didn't really want to be King, at first. I just wanted to be her son, and be loved and recongnized by the King I had admired so much for all my life. Because she was my Father!" she hissed, almost on the verge of tears.

The young boy put a hand on her shoulder. He instantly regretted asking her to tell her story after seeing her like this, but he knew she couldn't stop now. "Then what happened?" he asked gently.

Mordred eyes turned blind with rage. "…she rejected me," she spat bitterly, gritting her teeth. "She rejected me, denounced me, and told me that I wasn't fit to be King… right into my face! That… broke me. I started to hate and resent her soon after that. And then… and then…"

"You rebelled," Shirou finished for her, nodding in understanding.

The female knight nodded as she wiped her angry tears with one hand. "I thought that she would at least recognize me as her son, but she didn't. Because of my wretched mother and the fact that I was a bastard child, I knew then that I would never be acknowledged by her. So, I rebelled against her, and her Kingdom. In the end, that led me to fight against her on the Camlann hill, where I was killed by her own hand right after stricking a mortal blow to her. Even then I was denied my vengeance. I couldn't even see her dead," she laughed without any true joy, sardonic.

He tried to say something, but she just shook her head, mirthless, before continuing. "So, I asked for a miracle. I exchanged my soul in order to become a Heroic Spirit and obtain the Grail… because I wanted to prove Father, Camelot, and the whole damn world that they were wrong about me. That I could be King. That was my wish for the Grail. To pull the Sword out of the stone instead of Father," she concluded, sniffling a little with an embarassed face.

Shirou watched her carefully. "And now?" he asked. "Do you still wish to be King now?"

"…no," she admitted after a moment of silence, shaking her head. "No, I don't."

The red-haired man hesitated. "Why is that?"

"Because of my former Master," she explained, smiling a little. "He made me realize that what I really desired was a father figure. Someone that would acknowledge me, love me, and share his joy with me. That's… what I truly wanted. What I still want, even now…" she admitted, looking at the ground.

Mordred couldn't say anything else after admitting those words. And yet, there was no need.

Shirou reacted immediately. With a movement so fast that seemed to be almost invisible, he quickly wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly and squeezing her body with a strong and yet gentle grip. Mordred gasped, shocked by his reaction, and blushed heavily soon after. However, for some strange reason, that gesture did not make her retract. On the contrary, as the seconds passed, the female knight felt her body melt inside that embrace; until she could do nothing but accept it, letting herself be rocked by his body, relaxed by the heat and the affection that he was emanating from his mere touch. For all her pride, she was completely unable to push him away. Se didn't even want to, she realized. She needed this. And so, she just buried her face on his shoulder, crying silently as her tears dried as the seconds passed.

She couldn't tell how long that hug went by. It could have been a few seconds, or even several hours. She didn't even care, actually.

After an indefinite amount of time, however, Shirou released her, and she smiled sarcastically at his frowing face. "Are you happy now?" she asked wryly.

"No," he replied, surprising her a little. "No, I'm not. How can I be happy after hearing that?"

Her gaze shifted to the floor. "...do you hate Father too, now?" she asked him, looking down with guilt. This was not the result she had hoped to achieve by revealing her story.

Fortunately, Shirou just shook her head. "No, I don't hate her. But part of me can't help but feel angry at her for what she did to you," he admitted slowly, looking towards the door of his room. His eyes were cold and distant as he gazed at something no one could see. "No father should reject his own son. Just as no son should kill his own father."

Mordred scoffed. "I guess we live in a shitty world, then."

"...yeah," he agreed.

After a few seconds, the blonde girl tried to recover as best she could, calming herself with a deep breath and a shake of her head. "So? Now what?" she asked, looking at the solemn expression of the other occupant of the room.

Shirou took a deep breath. "I... don't know," he admitted in the end. "I guess we're both stuck with dealing with that troublesome King, huh?"

Mordred snorted lightly in amusement. "You don't say," she joked, laughing softly, before assuming a more serious expression. "I-I guess that's why I was so upset before. Seeing the way you were stuggling with your problem... it was like watching myself in a mirror. We're both suffering in our own ways because of my Father."

The red-haired boy nodded in silence. Then, his face broke into a broad smile. "That means that we're in this together," he simply said.

Mordred hesitated for a moment, before grinning as well. "Yeah," she said. "I guess you're right."

Shirou looked at his blonde friend with morbid attention. "Tell me, Mordred... have you ever considered telling King Arthur, your father, all of this?" he asked gently.

Her grin disappeared instantly. "No way!" she replied quickly – perhaps a little too quickly for her liking – with an angry frown on her brows. "That would be useless. Father never really cared about me. And besides, you saw what happened before in the Dining Room. The other Knights would never let me get close to her," she said with a low growl, trying to ignore that thought.

Shirou's eyes narrowed. His gaze became pensive at that thought. "I see..." he inwardly mused, starting to plan his next move. A silent idea was starting to form inside his mind.

Mordred had no idea of what he was plotting, though. She simply shook her head with a sigh to dissolve those thoughts. Then, with a swift motion, she gave him a strong pat on the back. Hard. Shirou briefly stumbled forward for the strength of her action, stuttering with panic. "Stop grumbling to yourself," she told him, grinning at his stunned expression. Her bold, confident behaviour had returned once more. "Besides, I'm tired of this story already. And I need some sleep. So, I think it's best to stop here for today."

The young man nodded, rousing himself from his thoughts. "Yeah. It's better that way. We'll figure something out for our problems tomorrow," he conceded with a smile. "We should go to sleep. I'm guessing that our days here are going to become even more crazy, from now on."

"And I just got here today…" he mentally sighed.

The Knight of Treachery grinned, before getting up from the chair and stretching her arms in the air. She then moved towards the door, turning her back to the young man who was still intent on looking at her with a smile. She had just arrived in front of the door when she suddently stopped, hesitating for several seconds.

"Thank you… again," she said simply after a while, her fists clenched and her head bowed down. Even without showing her face to him, the redness of her ears was clearly visible at that distance.

Shirou smiled, his eyes sparkling softly. "Goodnight, Mordred," he simply said. "Will I see you tomorrow, at my evaluation?"

She grinned, throwing him a thumbs up. "I'll think about it," she replied. Yep. She was definetly coming.

That being said, the female knight quickly hurried out of the room, leaving the young man alone to himself as he stared at the door with a smile and a growing feeling of hope inside his heart. Then, as soon as he felt the fatigue of the day catching up to him, Shirou sighed and lay down slowly on the bed, staring at the ceiling with his hands behind his head and a determined look on his face. Now that he finally knew how things were, that previous plan of his slowly took shape once again inside his head. He had to do something, and he knew it. He couldn't simply apologize to Artoria and then close that matter once for all. He had to find a solution to resolve this mess, permanently. He had to, at any cost.

If not for him, then at least for Mordred.

His eyes narrowed in decision and resolve.

He knew what he had to do.

---

This… This is not how it was supposed to be.

Jeanne stared with a worried look at her friend beside her. Artoria was sitting on her bed, her breathing uneven and wheezy, and her face a mask of regret, sadness, hurt and heartbreak that awfully ruined her usually delicate features as she cried non-stop with her face buried into her hands. Her sobbing echoed throughout the room, filling the air with it's heartbreaking sound.

Her heart clenched painfully to see her in that state. Quietly, the Maid of Orleans had to fight to held her own emotions in check, even if it was almost impossible to hold back the pain and sadness from her eyes. Yet, she held herself together, even if those who knew her understood what lay beneath her composed face. Isthar and Mashu were on the other side of the bed as well, desperatly trying to calm dow the sobbing woman as she wailed in her sorrow.

Bedivere just stared at her from the right side of the room, his face contracted in a grimace of sadness and terrible anguish as he clenched his fists in helpless sorrow. Outside of the room, instead, Tristan, Lancelot and Gawain stood leaning against the opposite wall of the corridor, standing on guard to prevent any Servant or intruder from entering her room. Even from there, the sound of their King's sobs could be heard loud and clear, bringing a pang of pain into all of their hearts. They all felt an incredible frustration building up inside them. None of the Knights of the Round could ever took pleasure in seeing their King cry.

Jeanne reached out and rubbed her friend's back as she let out another long sob. "I-It's alright, Arty. Please, don't cry."

It was useless. Everyone knew. She even knew herself. None of them could even remotely imagine how Artoria must be feeling in that moment. She had just witnessed to the culmination of her gratest hope and joy; only to watch it shatter before her very own eyes a few seconds later. She had every right to cry. But that knowledge alone wasn't enough for them to understand her pain. And it didn't make their job in consoling her any easier.

Jeanne didn't know what to do. She didn't know what to tell her to bring her some comfort. She just hugged her friend, rubbing her back with her hands.

Artoria only cried harder as her tears began to wet her dress. Jeanne didn't mind. "…h-he… he didn't remember…" the anguished blonde wailed on her shoulder. "…he didn't remember me…"

She didn't know what to say. On the other side of the bed, Isthar started caressing her head, her face tearing up as well. "It's ok, Artoria. It's ok," she tried.

It didn't work. "…I-I knew… I knew I shouldn't have expected anything…"

Jeanne hugged her more firmly. "Shh. I've got you, Arty."

"…I knew, but I-I still hoped…"

"We've got you, alright?" she soothed to her. "We're here for you. You're safe."

Mashu was weeping as well as she looked at the blonde Servant cry. Her eyes were filled with tears of sympathy, pain, and immense compassion for Artoria. She had rushed to see her as soon as she heard the news of what happened, just like Ritsuka did with Shirou and the others. Now, she had started to regret doing it. Not because of remorse, but becaus she knew she wouldn't forget her friend's crying face so easily.

Artoria was a strong woman. She was a King. Always calm, always collected and composed in every situation. She held her head high and proud in almost every cirumstance. But to see her like this, right now, it had a strange effect on everyone. Artoria barely showed her emotions even when she was happy. But after everything that happened during dinner, after seeing her beloved's face and seeing no recollection of her in his eyes… she broke. That unexpected twist broke even a strong and collected woman like her.

Mashu knew it was partially her fault. Her, and her Senpai's fault. If only they had known who Shirou really was, if they had known what he represented to Artoria… they would have never allowed this to happen.

But now it was too late.

Artoria continued to cry for what seemed like an eternity. After a while, however, her sobbing subsided, and the tremor of her body placated slightly. Her friends sighed in relief as they saw her gradually calm down after all that sobbing. Her tears continued to trickle down from her face, though, unable to stop even as Jeanne did her best to wipe them away with a handkerchief.

"...what happened today doesn't make any sense," Isthar then said in a low tone of voice. "This is not how their reunion was supposed to happen."

Bedivere gave her a pleading look, urging her to stop before she could make his King suffer again. "Isthar, please, don't-"

"It's fine, Bedivere," Artoria spoke, her face depressed and her gaze downcast. Her voice sounded more hoarse and weak than it had ever been before that day. "I... I am fine, now."

"No, you're not," was everyone's collective thought. But they didn't dare to voice it out loud. Even outside the door, Lancelot, Gawain and Tristan sighed in frustration after hearing her voice. To see their former King and friend in any distressing state was always aggravating for them.

It was at that moment that Ritsuka finally made his appearance. As soon as they saw him, Lancelot and the other two knights guarding the door led him through without saying anything. They knew he would come, sooner or later. As he entered the room, everyone's eyes fell on the young Master's face once he was inside; except for Artoria who simply chose to stare at the floor with her gaze filled with pain, denial and grief. Her tears did not stop either.

Seeing her teary face and red eyes made Ritsuka physically flinch. He had never expected to see the proud and strong King of Knights reduced to that pitiful state. To his only partial relief, she seemed to be handling the situation well now that she had calmed down… but it was obvious that she was devastated on the inside. He looked towards Bedivere, Isthar and Jeanne in front of him; just as the Saber, the Archer and the Ruler glanced back while shaking their heads slightly. It obviously didn't sit well for them either.

They could only hope Artoria would recover from her pain with time and her friend's presence.

"Senpai... you're back," Mashu said, wiping away her tears.

He nodded. "I'm sorry I couldn't come here sooner," he apologized.

"It's fine," Isthar dismissed him quickly. Then, she stared at him with her inquisitive gaze. "So? Did you talk to him?"

Ritsuka nodded again. "Yes. I did. And, well, he's feeling extremely guilty for all the trouble he caused," he began to explain to everyone in the room. His sad eyes met the teary ones of the blonde King as she listened to his words. "He sends his deepest apologies to you as well, Artoria. He didn't mean cause you pain, really. He was just too shocked and upset that he couldn't help but react that way. He promised to come and personally apologize to you tomorrow after his evaluation," he explained.

Gawain growled lowly. "If he thinks that a simple apology will be enough after all the pain he caused to our King, he's deeply mistaken!" he declared, deadly serious.

Artoria looked at him sharply. "Stop this nonsense, Gawain. He did nothing wrong to me. I was the one who jumped on him without even giving him a chance to explain himself. He never tried to turn me away, not even once. It was just… a misunderstanding on my part," she said slowly, but forcefully. Even in her current state, she didn't hesitate to defend her beloved from her Knight's fury. The blonde knight simply shut his mouth with a frown and a bow, astonished from his King's dedication for that man.

Ritsuka watched that interaction carefully. "I'm sorry for what happened as well, Artoria," he kept saying right after that. "I had no idea that Shirou was so important to you. Had I known beforehand, I would have told you of his situation before the two of you could meet. I knew that his summoning was rather strange, but I never thought that this would happen…"

Artoria shook her head dejectedly. "You had no way of knowing. There's no need to apologize, Master."

Bedivere took a step forward. "My king, If I may… are you really sure that boy is your former lover?" he asked her, trying to be discreet.

The King of Knights nodded, her expression crumbling with pain and longing at the mere thought of his face. "…yes. There's no mistake. I felt his connection with me as soon as I saw him. He's Shirou. My Shirou," she replied with utmost certainty even in her depressed tone. Her tears flooded the sheets of her bed as they kept falling from her chin. "Even… Even if he somehow lost all of his memories about me."

The others winced at her devastated and crestfallen look. Jeanne gently moved to stroke her cheek with one hand.

"But how is it possible?" Isthar cut in immediatly, frustrated. "I too felt his connection with my vessel. And yet, how did he lose his memories? Something like this has never happened before!"

Ritsuka visibly blanched at that question. "We still don't know. However, it's... it's probably my fault," he explained with a pained expression. Everyone widened their eyes after that sentence. Even Mashu looked down on the ground. "I... I consumed too much mana during the summoning. Shirou did say he felt his Connection with me broke for a few seconds before being summoned... but we still don't know for sure. Da Vinci and Roman are trying to discover something, anything, about his condition as we speak."

Artoria looked at the floor, her eyes glossy with tears and filled with pain.

The young Master bowed apologetically to her. "Artoria… I'm sorry. Even if we can't be certain about this, Shirou probably lost his memorie because of me. I'm the one you should blame for his condition," he said, visibly ashamed.

But she just shook her head at his words, again. "No, Master. Please, don't apologize. You did your best, as always. It's not your fault. Just as it's not Shirou's fault if he lost his memories. I can't blame neither of you," she said, sincere even as a pang of pain broke her voice while she was speaking. "Our fated reunion… simply wasn't meant to be yet," she whispered in the end, crying softly.

Everyone began to panic as soon as they saw that she was about to cry again.

"Y-You can't give up yet!" Isthar suddently cried. "M-Maybe Da Vinci and the others will find a way to fix this! Maybe we can still recover his lost memories!"

Jeanne nodded as well. "She's right, Arty. You can't lose hope. Especially not after being finally reunited with him," she said, smiling with hope at her teary face. "This is a miracle, my friend. If it happened once, it can always happen again. I assure you."

Artoria hesitated for several moments filled with fear and tension.

No one spoke for some time after those statements. All of those who were watching that scene in the room exchanged nervous glances with each other. They all knew it was difficult. They all knew that this hope of theirs would probably never come true. And yet, at the same time, all of them could not help but pray. Pray, and hope for a miracle. A miracle that could make Artoria smile again, along with her beloved. Because she deserved it, and because the very thought of seeing her suffer was not acceptable to any of them.

It simply wasn't acceptable for them.

And then, it happened. A small, bashful smile began to form on Artoria's lips. She nodded once. Then twice. Then, she nodded again. "...yeah," she finally agreed, her voice low but hopeful. "You guys... You guys are right," she said.

Jeanne, Isthar, Ritsuka and all the others rejoiced at once as they saw her smile once again. "I can't give up on him. I'll never give up in him. He's here, now. He's finally here after I waited for him for a thousand years. I cannot lose hope now," she said softly, with a small voice full of hope.

Her friends and her Knights watched in joy as her gaze become bright once again. "And even if he won't remember me... I will always love him and be there for him," Artoria said again, more to herself than the others. "We made a promise, after all."

A promise that lasted across time and space.

---

The very next day started in a strange way for him.

"Ok… this is weird," Shirou decided.

He simply stared at the three people in front of him with a calm and collected gaze, doing his best to wear a serene expression on his face. And yet, as much as he tried to keep his cool, seeing their shocked and – as weird as it was to admit – crying faces had a very strange effect on him. This... This was exactly the same thing that happened with Artoria and her friends. Shirou inwardly sighed as he felt his palms starting to sweat as he looked at those three pairs of teary eyes in front of him.

"Good grief… just how many people did I met in my previous life? What kind of life did my past self lead to be able to make so many Servants cry with my mere presence?"

He was in the Control Room. As soon as he woke up that morning – after a very, very short sleep, due to his inner turmoil after everything he had experienced the day before – Da Vinci had promptly called him out of his room and brought him here, stating that it was time for him to meet the 'Emiya family'. So, here he was, looking with a confused gaze at the three people that were staring in front of him. A man, a woman, and a little girl. Mashu and Da Vinci were here as well, along with that Archer called Emiya. They were watching the scene unfold from a distance, especially the white-haired man. He was studying his reaction with close attention.

But Shirou only stared at his interlocutors. The man was strangely familiar and yet different from what he was expecting to see. He was tall and slender, and wore a strange dark armor with a red hood. His skin was tanned, his hair white, and his cold, hard eyes full of unshed tears. His mere presence emitted a heavy, deadly aura around him. It was clear for Shirou that he was no ordinary Heroic Spirit, even if he didn't know who he was. The man was looking at him with obvious disbelief and remembrance. It was obvious that he knew him, in some way.

The woman, on the other hand, had a completely different appearance. Unlike the man, her body emitted a rather pleasant feeling of calm and affection, and she was the very definition of graceful. Long white hair, big red eyes and a gentle face. Her reaction was strange as she continued to watch him, her gaze flickering to him, the tanned man next to her, and the little child at her side. She seemed to be intrigued by him, more than shocked like the other two. Still, seeing them cry had made her eyes water too. Maybe she was an emotional or empathic person, he deduced.

But it was the little girl who attracted his attention more than the others. She was short, petite, with white hair and red eyes. She almost looked like, in all aspects, a little clone of the taller woman. She wore a tiny black skirt coupled with a white schoolgirl uniform and red frills. A white cap sat loose and baggy on hear head, and what appeared to be a toy wand was clutched in her hands as well. She was... She was strangely familiar. Shirou was sure of it. He felt a feeling of nostalgia as he watched her, a feeling stronger than the one he felt when he looked at the man or the woman. Therefore, after this umpteenth situation, Shirou knew what all of this was due to.

His lips curved into a cynical smile. "I'm guessing that I'm supposed to know you too, huh?"

The little girl watched him with wide, teary eyes. "O-Onii-chan?" she asked, stupefied.

He simply looked at her, offering her an apologetical smile. "I... don't know?" he tried in turn, tilting his head to the side. He then stared at the three of them with that same, sad smile. "Are you guys familiar with my appearance? Do I know you as well?"

"You're Shirou," the tanned man said, staring at him intently. Finding no trace of recognition in his eyes, he sighed sadly. "I see. So Master was right. You really did lose your memories. You don't recognize me, nor Illya."

Shirou nodded. "Unfortunately… yes. My summoning was rather strange and unusual. I guess something must have gone wrong with it, and because of this... I cannot recall my life, nor the people that I apparently met before," he explained. He then ran a hand through his red hair, sighing as he adjusted his white cloak around his shoulders with one arm. "In case this situation brings you pain or discomfort, I'm sorry. It's just that... I don't really know how to react to all of this," he simply said in the end.

The woman shook her head, gently holding the little girl with her arms. "It's ok, don't worry. It's not your fault if you have lost your memories because of the summoning," she reassured him with a sad smile.

Shirou nodded in thanks to her. At least now the situation was unfolding without excessive complications, unlike the previous one. If only he had been more clear and direct from the start...

He simply sighed. There was no turning back now. He put those thoughts on the back of his mind and returned to focus on the people in front of him, trying to ignore the sadness in the eyes of the little girl and the tanned man. "So, who are you guys? How do you know me?" he slowly asked.

Again, it was the white-haired woman the one who answered, stepping forward with a broad smile on her face. "Allow me to explain, dear," she then said cheerfully. Her eyes moved to point at the other two. "These are Kiritsugu Emiya, and Illyasviel von Einzbern. Your adoptive father and sister. I, on the other hand, am Irisviel von Einzbern, Kiritsugu's wife and Illya's mother. Although I have never met you before, unlike them, I am your mother as well. Adoptive, of course. You can call me 'mom', if you want! " she exclaimed cheerfully, grabbing his hands with hers and looking at him with a happy and hopeful face. Da Vinci, Mashu and Emiya watched her with a shake of the head and a smile, already used to her antics.

Shirou simply stared, stunned. To say he was shocked was an understatement. He had expected to 'know' some other Heroes at this point... but this? Adoptive parents? A sister? A family? He would have never imagined to end up in such a situation. "I-I see," was all he could say, still recoiling from the shock.

"Iri, calm down. You're scaring him," the man, Kiritsugu, said.

The woman quickly let go of his hands, giggling in embarassment. "Sorry, sorry! I'm just so happy that I can finally meet you! Kiritsugu told me everything about you! I've always wanted to meet his adopted son. Although, until now, Emiya has done a great job at keeping up with me with that role," she said, giving a playful look to the red Archer.

Emiya merely sighed with an amused smile.

Shirou blinked, before looking at the Archer as well. "I see. Master mentioned this to me," he slowly admitted as well. "So you're really me? Are you Emiya Shirou too?"

The white-haired man shook his head, staring at him carefully. It was evident that there was some tension between the two of them. Their former hostility had subsided, but it had not completely disappeared. "I'm not you. I'm a completely different version of Emiya Shirou that came from another reality. A Counter Guardian. But you and I are both our own person. For both of our sakes, we'd better leave it at that. This is already crazy as it is," he stated evenly, crossing his arms.

The younger man inhaled slowly. "Yeah… I'm fine with it," he readily agreed.

He opened his mouth to say something else, when suddently he felt a hand touch his arm. The red-haired boy looked down, finding himself face to face with the sad and confused eyes of the little girl. Illya, he remembered. "Onii-chan... you don't really remember me?" she asked, visibly distressed by that revelation.

Everyone winced at that. Even Irisviel seemed to blanch a little. Shirou felt his heart tighten painfully in his chest at that scene. He might have no recollection of this child, but seeing a little girl cry because of him didn't sit right with him. At all. "I-I'm sorry," he said, kneeling on the ground in order to reach her eye-level. "I don't. But... that doesn't mean we can't be friends. I can still try to be your... brother, if you want," he offered, mentally cursing himself for what he had just said. Why in the world did he just say that?

He was weak to children, it seemed.

Her face visibly brightened at his words. "R-Really?" she asked, a little smile full of hope forming on her lips.

Shirou nodded, smiling as well. "Y-Yeah…" "Damn you, E-Rank Luck!"

Kiritsugu moved forward, planting himself in front of Shirou as the young man tried to return the hug that Illya had given him without a warning. "Are you really sure, Shirou?" he asked him slowly. His eyes were narrowed with confusion more than anything else. "It is clear that this situation makes you uncomfortable. You don't have to force yourself to stay and interact with us, if you don't want to. Illya is young, but Iri and I both understand your current situation."

The young Saber simply shook his head, escaping from the painfully tight hug with a frown. "I don't mind, really," he finally reassured him, trying to be honest. He was honest, he realized. "I guess... I just need a bit of time to adjust to my new life here. Sort some things out. But I'm honest when I say that I'd like to try and get to know you... again. If you really adopted me out of kindness in my previous life, then I should try to repay the favour, you know."

He then offered him a hand to shake, looking at the man straight into the eyes. "I know it may be useless to say this, but I'm Shirou," he said, smiling a little as he tilted his head to the side. "I…I hope we can get along."

The Assassin and the others widened their eyes slightly at his words and actions. It was so like him to say something like that in this situation… that they couldn't help but smile a little with nostalgia and growing joy. He really was the same kind boy they remebered, even without his memories.

"Did you hear that, Papa? Mama? He really is Onii-chan! He hasn't changed at all!" Illya exclaimed happily, hugging him again and making him stutter with embarassment.

Irisviel giggled, joining the embrace with a movement so fast that left everyone surprised. Even Kiritsugu was speechless. "Oh dear! What a kind-hearted boy you are! And handsome too! I feel my maternal instincts flare!" she declared, laughing while she saw the young man's embarrassed and confused expression as she hugged him.

Kiritsugu snorted in amusement, smiling a little as well. "I guess the Emiya family has a new member, then," he simply said. He wasn't exactly a hug person, but even he was quite happy. This result was much more than he had hoped for. Especially after what happened with Shirou and Saber the day before. Mashu, Da Vinci and even Emiya looked at the newly reformed family with a warm smile, with the latter shaking his head in mirth.

For his part, Shirou merely sighed, his cheeks red and his mind filled with nostalgic emotions. He wasn't exactly opposed to hugs – and if he had to be honest, he didn't mind too much – but wasn't it a little too early to officially declare him a member of the family? He guessed he didn't mind, as long as the others were happy. Defenitely better than crying faces, he mused. Besides, this turn of events wasn't that bad. Despite the aura of death that hovered around the tanned Assassin, neither he nor his family looked that bad. They didn't seem to be bad people.

And he could live with the thought of suddently being a member of a family he didn't remember, he decided.

Shirou was so immersed in those thoughts that he realized only a few seconds late that Da Vinci had suddenly approached them, along with Mashu and Emiya on her side. The three of them were looking at the newly reunited family with a satisfied smile and happy faces.

"That was magnifico! This meeting went way better than I expected," declared happily the Italian genius with a clap of her hands, before crossing her arms with a grin. "But now we have to go. We still have to evaluate your skills in battle, Shirou. Ritsuka is waiting for us in the Training Room," she said to the Saber, looking at the door.

The red-haired young man nodded. "I guess you're right. Can't let Master wait too long for me," he agreed, placing on the ground Illya's small body that dangled on his chest, with her arms still wrapped around his neck.

"Very well! Then we'd better go too!" Irisviel exclaimed happily.

Mashu blinked. "Are you coming as well?" she asked, confused.

"Of course! All of us are coming! There's no way I'm going to miss my son's evaluation!" she decided. She sent her husband a serious glare at his hesitant face, before giving Shirou a big smile. "We'll be watching you from the Attendance Room, so do your best during the test, my dear. We're all curious and eager to see what you are capable of," she said with a wink.

He smiled sheepishly at her excited face. "Don't get your hopes too high," he merely said.

That being said, they all left the room, waving at each other before starting to head for their own destinations. Shirou, Mashu, Archer and da Vinci went to the Training Room in silence, while the Emiya family headed to the Attendance Room with a smile on their face. It was certainly not every day that they could receive a new family member, after all. But even under these unusual circumstances and his memory loss, they were glad to have him back. They really were.

---

"You two look really pleased right now," Kiritsugu noted.

His wife looked at him with a bright smile and gleaming eyes. "Of course! How could I not be? We are now the proud parents of three children, after all!" she stated, her face brighter than the sun.

"Yeah! Onii-chan's back, Papa! He's really here! I have two big brothers now!" Illya exclaimed as well, bouncing around in joy as she walked along the corridor, making the Assassin smirk at the two Caster's excitement as he opened the door.

The Attendance Room wasn't very big. It was a simple rectangular room, arranged in length rather than height. On the main, frontal wall, a large transparent window was positioned in the direction of the Training Room to allow those present here to watch the evaluation, comfortably seated on a dozen of seats placed in front of the window, almost like in an auditorium, or a stadium. However, as the three members of the Emiya family walked through the entrance, their eyes widened out of all proportion at the scene they found in front of them.

An exorbitant number of Servants were present in the room. There were dozens of them, literally. Among them, the Assassin recognized Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, Robin Hood, Tamamo no Mae, Cú Chulainn, Achilles, Marie Antoinette, Arash, Astolfo and many, many others. Kiritsugu almost gaped at that scene. He knew it was a normal procedure. It was quite common for several Servants to witness a newcomer being evaluated... but these numbers were ridiculous. There had never been such a crowd to assist to a mere evaluation before. And now, it was almost as if everyone in Chaldea had come here to watch it, instead. His adopted son seemed to have attracted the attention of many Servants, it seemed.

Although, given what happened yesterday during dinner, it was to be expected. Kiritsugu and his family had not been present back then – since they usually ate togheter in their big room – but even they had heard the news about Shirou and Artoria.

Speaking of Artoria, the blond King of Knights was present as well. She was sitting in the front row seats, flanked by Isthar, Jeanne and her Knights as always; with a sad, depressed and hopeful look in her green eyes as she gazed at the window. For once, Kiritsugu pited her. He couldn't really blame her for feeling sad after her interaction with his son. He still felt a little sad too, altough he would never admit it out loud. Even if Shirou had reacted well to him and his family, he still couldn't remember his past with him and Illya. This still hurt him, after all.

Irisviel smiled as she saw her friend. "Artoria!" she greeted, rushing to sit next to the blonde along with Illya. Kiritsugu sighed as he followed his wife and child. He and Saber had a bad history with each other, but at least now they were civil during their rare interactions.

"Hi Irisviel, Illyasviel," Artoria greeted them with a sad smile, before galncing at him briefly. Her smile was gone as she welcomed him with a stiff nod and a blank expression. "…Kiritsugu."

He nodded as well. "King Arthur."

His wife and child paid no heed to their interaction. They had long been accustomed to it, ever since their first day in Chaldea. The three of them sat down next to the blonde King, with Irisviel and Artoria starting to talk to each other as Kiritsusu remained silent, minding his own business as always.

"You seem happy," Jeanne noted, galcing at Irisviel with a curious expression.

The white-haired homunculus smiled. "I am! We just met our dear Shirou a little while ago! And it went very well! He's now a proud memeber of our family as well!" she declared, her smile as bright as the sun.

Jeanne and the others seemed to relax slightly after hearing that. It was good that Shirou had reacted well to them. It was proof of the fact that he was not as bad as he had seemed during their previous encounter. But he probably was too shocked and upset back then, so it was understandable.

Isthar smiled a little. "I see. I'm glad you've taken such a liking to Emiya-kun," she replied, now more relaxed than before.

"Of course I did! He's my precious and absolutely dashing son!" she replied back with a wink, making everyone laugh. Even Kiritsugu chuckled a little.

But Artoria did not share their joy. Her eyes became filled with sadness and grief all of a sudden. "I'm… happy for you, Irisviel… I really am," was all she said, looking crestfallen. It was obvious that she would be downcast, given that her interaction with Shirou had been anything but pleasant.

Irisviel visibly flinched. Her red eyes sparkled with compassion and sorrow. "Come on, dear. Don't be sad. It's not too late for you. You can still make peace with him as well," she said, taking her hands and stroking them with her fingers.

The blonde king nodded slowly. "We're supposed to meet right after his evaluation," she said, trying to be optimstic. "He wanted to apologize to me for what happened yesterday. Maybe... Maybe things will go better then," her eyes closed at that point, almost as in prayer. "I really hope so."

Jeanne smiled, putting a hand on her friend's shoulder. "I'm sure they will, Arty," she reassured her.

The King of Knights nodded softly. Irisviel, Jeanne, and the others then began chatting to each other soon after, talking about nothing in particular as they waited for the evaluation to begin. While they were immersed in their talk, however, a deep and proud voice suddenly joined the scene.

"Hoho? Can I join you as well, my fellow King?"

Artoria looked up to meet Iskandar's serious but smiling face. He was accompanied by Lord El-Melloi II, a tall man with long, black hair and a serious face. The taller King was pointing a finger at the seats next to Jeanne, grinning like usual. Kiritsugu looked at him with narrowed eyes. Even though he had nothing against the man and his friend, their past experience in the Fourth Holy Grail War had prompted him to think that there was some tension between Iskandar and Artoria. What reason did he have for wanting to sit next to them?

"King of Conquerors," Artoria greeted him solemnly. "I have no objections to that. Feel free to take a seat."

The tall man with reddish beard and hair grinned, taking his seat without hesitation along with the Demi-Servant vessel of Zhuge Liang. He let out a loud laugh at everyone's confused looks. "I was approaching her thinking of finding Mordred, but it seems that I have confused her appearance with that of King Arthur. In the end, however, I decided to join you anyway. It might be fun, after all," he explained simply, scratching his beard with one finger. Lord El Melloi II simply sighed, shaking his head at his King's foolishness.

Gawain slowly narrowed his eyes. "You seem to get along very well with the Knight of Treachery," he noted.

Iskandar shrugged with a grin. "I know you guys of the Round have a lot of bad history and grudges against her, but she's not that bad to me. She has even taken a liking to that Shirou boy. She can't be that bad," he answered, without giving too much weight to their thoughts. His smile widened as he saw their tense expressions after the mention of Shirou getting along with her. "In fact, knowing her, she is sure to be on her way to the Training Room, by now. The two of them are friends, after all. I'm sure she'll want to participate to his evaluation, just as that red Archer does given to his connection to the boy."

That news made everyone hesitate. Artoria, above all, seemed to suddenly darken. A heavy aura of doubt and worry began to hover around her body, and her bangs started to cover her eyes, giving her an appearance that was almost worryingly scary. "…I don't like that," Kiritsugu thought, unconsciously pulling Illya away from the trembling woman next to his wife. His daughter just gave him a confused look.

"…how did they even meet, anyway?" Irisviel asked with blissful ignorance, confused by that explanation.

Iskandar raised an eyebrow. "You don't know? Ritsuka asked her to give him a tour around Chaldea. They must have bonded during that time. I was there, so I saw it," he explained, as if it was obvious.

Five seconds of silence passed. Artoria opened her mouth to speak, when suddenly the other Servants in the room became serious and attentive without warning. Everyone's gazes fell on the trasparent window, where their eyes saw Shirou approaching the Training Room field, along with Ritsuka, Mashu, Emiya, Da Vinci and... Mordred. The King of Knights narrowed her eyes when she saw her 'son' bump a fist with Shirou, grinning happily and patting his back with a strong slap, making him laugh and stumble forward. The nerve of that child…

Iskandar grinned. "See? Told you," he nodded to himself, smirking at the blonde King.

Lancelot crossed his arms. "It's about to start."

Kiritsugu held back his excited smile, squeezing his daughter's hand. He was quite curious to see how strong his adopted son was. And he could tell that his family agreed with him as well.

---

Shirou stood in the middle of the Training Room, large enough that it could have easily fit a football field in it, staring at his target a hundred meters or so away from him. Behind him, a large window was set in place on the wall. It was from there, he knew, that his new 'adoptive family' and a lot of other Servants were watching him. The Attendance Room, from what he had heard from Da Vinci, had been built for those who wished to watch a spar, for mere observers or, in case the training field was ever full, for Servants to wait. He could not tell just how many Servants were watching him behind that window. There were too many powerful signatures, not to mention any Assassins that might have some Presence Concealment skill. So, it was hard to tell.

Beside him, Ritsuka and his ever-present aide Mashu were directly supervising a display with his stats and informations, testing the limits and control of his abilities. It was a dull work and felt too much like showing off for his taste, but he said nothing. If it was his Master's order, he would comply without batting an eye. Mordred – bless her soul – was cheering for him on the right side of the field, with Emiya and Da Vinci who were observing him as well in silence.

His eyes never wavered from the target: a humanoid robot with mechanical bow, arrows and arms.

"We're set," Ritsuka's voice echoed from his right. "You can start whenever you want, Shirou. Take down that target in any way you want."

He smiled. That was easy.

All he did was mutter two simple words in his head. "Trace On."

Suddently, above him, dozens and dozens of swords appeared in flashes of blue light and red flames.

Then, with a casual swing of his left arm, they rocketed across the grey panel floor and skewered and teared apart the human-shaped robot without mercy. But it wasn't over. With a snap of his fingers, all the swords exploded with the force of a B-Rank Noble Phantasm at least, making the ground tremble and the air hiss with the rumble of fire, smoke and explosions.

When the smoke cleared, the target was completely disintegrated. There wasn't even a single piece of it left.

Ritsuka blinked. "Uh… right," he muttered, sighing at Mashu's and everyone's shocked face. "That was quick."

Da Vinci nodded, impressed. "So you can summon swords just like Emiya," she said, causing Shirou to turn his head to look at her and the red Archer. "That's interesting, but I already expected something like this. You two are the same person, after all."

Emiya grunted, watching him with his calm, unnerving gaze. "Can you Structurally Analyze any weapon you see?" he asked him, summoning a little dagger in his right hand and showing it to him. Shirou merely nodded, watching the weapon for a second before summining another one identical to the other. Emiya's gaze narrowed slightly. "Can you copy Noble Phantasms as well?" he questioned him further.

Shirou tilted his head slightly. "More or less. I can copy a lot of them, except for Divine and Demonic Weapons. But apart from those, If I see a weapon that is a Noble Phantasm, I can copy it almost to near perfection and store it in my workshop," he answered.

Ritsuka and the others blinked. "Workshop?" Da Vinci repeated, her eyebrows knit together.

"My Territory Creation," the red-haired boy explained. "As a Demi-Servant, I'm not just a simple Saber. I posses some of the Class Skills of the Caster-class. Muramasa's Workshop is one of those skills. It follows me everywhere, and I can even use it as a smithy or to store extremely rare weapons. Given that Muramasa is one of the most excellent craftsmen, he had an exceptional Territory Creation ability. He gave it to me for… personal reasons. I can still remember that much."

With a snap of his fingers, the air around Shirou began to pulsate with sheer energy. A powerful bright light blinded everything for several seconds. Then, after what seemed like an eternity to everyone, the light faded slowly. When Ritsuka and the others opened their eyes, they gaped in shock. There was no longer the training camp around them. Instead, they found themselves inside a big, comfy Japanese-style house, with wooden walls and floor and a large forge on the right side of the main hall.

"I can even live here, as you can see," Shirou added, smiling faintly at their shocked expressions. Mordred was looking around in amazement, touching a broadsword that was hanging on a wall. With another snap of his fingers, the house and the forge disappeared again, and everyone found themselves once more in the large Training Room just like before.

Emiya looked at Shirou with a nod. "…so you inherithed all of Muramasa's abilities and skills as a blacksmith, and now you're a craftman as well," he deduced. His fingers twitched, as if he was trying to grasp something he couldn't quite see yet. "That explains why your swords were stronger than mine. You're more skilled in forging them than I am." The younger version of him simply nodded at his deduction.

Ritsuka put a finger under his chin in thought. "Given that you're the same person as Emiya, are you still able to use your personal Reality Marble, Shirou? Unlimited Blade Works?" he questioned him.

Shirou hesitated. Then, he shook his head. "I… no, I am not. I should be, however. That's something that I don't understand myself. Given that I'm still me and not Muramasa, I still feel the connection to my Reality Marble. But, for some reasons, I can't use it. Not yet, anyway."

That confused everyone. "How is that possible?" Mashu asked, lost.

Ritsuka looked at Da Vinci. "Do you have some theories, Da Vinci?"

The Italian genius glanced both to Shirou and Emiya. "I do. But I would like to hear what Shirou is thinking before giving my answer," she replied seriously.

"My soul," Shirou mused quickly, staring down at his hands. Everyone looked at him seriously as Da Vinci nodded. "Now that I really think about it, I can tell that. The problem is my soul. I can still use my Reality Marble in Tracing swords and Noble Phantasms alike. But I can't actualize it in a Reality Marble. I'm overlooking… no, I'm literally missing something crucial inside my soul."

His eyes narrowed slightly in thought. "Besides, now that I think about it… I feel something inside me… what is it? Is… Is it an artifact? A weapon Muramasa has hidden inside me? I… I don't remember ever putting it inside my body…" he thought.

Da Vinci crossed her arms. "Could it have something to do with your status as a Demi-Servant? And your memory loss?" she asked.

Shirou nodded. "Most likely," he said after a moment. He decided to not say anything about the weapon inside him until he could safely learn what it was. "It must be because of my lost memories. I can't remember who I am. That's why I'm no longer able to use Unlimited Blade Works. But I can still use Muramasa's Noble Phantasm with no problems."

Mordred furrowed her brows. "So, as far as I get, if you can recollect your memories, you should be able to use it again?" she asked, putting her arms akimbo.

The red-haired young man nodded. "I think so, yes. But as I said before, that's not actually a necessity. All of my battle skills and abilities are still with me. I can safely live without the Reality Marble. I still have another Noble Panthasm. One even stronger than that."

Ritsuka stared at him. "What is it?" he questioned in all seriousness.

Shirou looked at his Master right in the eyes. "It's called Tsumukari Muramasa," he answered slowly. "It's an A+ Rank Noble Phantasm. The realization of Muramasa's ideal sword. It's a blade that can purge resentment, cut through bonds, fate, causality, and destiny, and slice through the idea of Karma itself. I can cut through literally anything with that sword. However… I can only use it once per battle. It will consume all of my prana, and bring me almost to the brink of unconsciousness. If I was still a mere human, it would even kill me right after using it. That's how Muramasa died in is life, actually, and the reason why I said I only use it as a last resort yesterday."

The others completely gaped at his explanation, looking absolutely floored. Even Mordred was looking at him with a blank stare and her jaw on the floor, completely out of her character.

"I-I see…" was all that Ritsuka said. He quickly cleared his throat, shaking his head in attempt to regain his composure. He looked at the young Saber with a broad smile. "It seems that even now you're still full of surprises, huh? I would have never imagined to summon a Servant like you. You're not normal at all."

Shirou merely smiled with a shrug. "I never said that I was normal, Master," he said in his defence.

"Yeah, but that being said, I think it's time to finally see you in actual combat," continued the young Master. Shirou's eyes sparkled with trepidation at that thought, even under Ritsuka's serious gaze. "I'll have you fight another Heroic Spirit, one on one; to test your speed, your stamina and your strenght. Are you ready?"

"I am," the young man replied promptly.

Mordred grinned ferally. "So? Who's gonna be his opponent?" she asked.

Emiya smirked, stepping forward with his arms crossed. "Me," he replied as if it was obvious.

Her reaction was not what they expected. "WHAT!?" she screamed incredulously, shocking almost all of them. Her head immediately turned to the black-haired young man. "Are you serious, Master!? He won't even last for a minute against Shirou!"

That statement was met with sheer surprise. Ritsuka, Mashu, and even Da Vinci looked at Mordred with obvious confusion after that statement. She sounded extremely serious and convinced about this. Shirou just mentally sighed at her, running a hand over his temple in embarassment.

Emiya looked at her with a frown. "That hurt my pride. Don't you think you're underestimating me a little too much, Mordred?" he asked, narrowing his eyes towards the female knight.

The girl looked at him as if he was stupid, her expression a mask of disbelief. She frowned as well. "Listen, old man, I trained with this guy for hours yesterday," she said, pointing a finger at the young man currently shaking his head. "I couldn't get a single hit on him. Not a single one! And I'm a Saber! A pretty strong Saber! My stats are way higher than yours. I'm telling you this for your own good."

That seemed to surprise them even more. Even Emiya widened his eyes at Shirou after that. "Are you serious?" he asked him.

Shirou shrugged. "I'm not that great, really. It's just techinque." "And talent developed after years of strict training..." he added mentally, before blinking confusedly. "Wait... how do I know that? Did I just-? I don't recall…?"

"…be as it may, I still want to test my luck," Emiya said seriously, shaking him from his thoughts. He smirked again, looking at his younger's self face with a look of confidence. "And besides, this is personal. No offence, kid, but… I just can't stand your face. It brings back too many unpleasant memories."

Shirou frowned, his brows knitting toghether as he looked at him menancily. "…Trust me, old man, the feeling is mutual."

The Archer smirked wider at his expression. "It seems that we are in agreement. Now, are you going to come at me or not?" he asked again, ignoring Mordred's snort of derision as he summoned Kanshou and Bakuya, his twin swords.

The red-haired man raised an eyebrow. "I was just going to recommend you to follow my friend's advice, but if you want to be beaten that badly..."

Emiya scoffed. "Oh? Someone's confident."

As one, the two Servants turned to Da Vinci and Ritsuka. The former was nodding enthusiastically, while the latter simply shook his head at her excitement while Mashu laughed nervously. Mordred turned to look at Shirou quizzically, but his friend responded with a confident stare and a veiled smile. Mordred grinned back, folding her arms and nodding in approval at him. The message was clear: Kick his ass.

"Since Da Vinci says she's going to push the paperwork onto me if I don't consent to this, you guys can beat each other up. Just as long as there's only swordplay involved. No blowing stuff up, okay? This is a simple test of skills," Ritsuka declared, serious. Both of them nodded without a word.

"I'll give you guys the signal, then!" Da Vinci said with a bright smile as everyone distanced themselves from the two opponents. "On three!"

---

"I can't believe it! Onii-chan is going to fight Onii-chan!" Illya exclaimed excitedly, bouncing on her seat with a smile.

Irisviel laughed softly. "Calm down, sweetie. It's just a test."

Artoria looked at the scene through the glass with a worried expression. She knew there was nothing to be really worried about, it was a simple evaluation of skills, but she couldn't help but feel a twinge of anxiety lurking in her heart. Shirou – based on what he had just said earlier to Ritsuka and the others – was currently not at his full strenght because of his missing memories. He was clearly at disadvantage here, and he could made some mistakes in battle because of this. He was so young, and certainly less experienced than Archer. The blonde could only hope that the latter would hold back on her beloved, trusting his better judgment and his ability to restrain himself.

Iskandar studied the young man in the training camp with a keen eye. "...that boy is getting more and more interesting," he said, drawing her attention. "An A+ rank Noble Phantasm capable of cutting through anything... that's rare, even for a Saber-class. I wonder what he would really be capable of doing on a real battlefield with such a weapon."

"Indeed. That's pretty interesting," commented Lord El Melloi II from the other side. Artoria and her friends turned their gaze to the man in qestion. The Demi-Servant vessel of Zhuge Liang was also studying the red-haired boy with a narrowed gaze. "But to possess such an advanced form of magecraft," Lord El Melloi II said distractedly. "A Reality Marble projects one's inner world into reality. It should be intimately bound to the owner's soul. Emiya's younger counterpart seems to possess one, but for some reason he can't use it..." he trailed off, muttering under his breath.

Artoria didn't want to think about that. Not now. Not at this time.

The King of Conquerors grinned. "Squeezing your brain as always, huh, Waver?" he chuckled sarcastically. The black-haired man simply blushed at his King's joke, grumbling a little. "I bet you already figured something about this, am I right?"

Artoria tensed almost immediatly. With the corner of her eyes, she saw Kiritsugu stiffen as well. "Is that so?" the tanned man asked, turning to the Demi-Servant. "Well, what do you got, Mister 'Clocktower-Strategic-Genius-Mage'?"

The man rolled his eyes at that name, reaching into his coat and pulling out a cigarette, which Kiritsugu promptly plucked out of his hands. At Lord El Melloi II's glare, the white-haired man pointed at Illya, who was looking at them with pure confusion.

Lord El Melloi II shook the flames from his fingertip and crossed his arms. "I have a few theories. They're quite unlikely, however."

"Well, hit me," the other man insisted.

The Caster sighed, clearing his throat. "My first suggestion is that the boy may have had some damage done to his soul from a conceptual weapon, but given how recent his summoning was and the lack of combat he's faced so far, this is not likely. So, my other theory is that his current 'handicap' may be due to his Saint Graph being incomplete as a result of his Pseudo-Servant status."

Artoria frowned, just as everyone else. Saint Graphs were the basis for a Servant's materialization. A core of a Servant's powers and appearance that was recorded in Chaldea. Even in Singularities, Ritsuka and Mashu only used shadows of Saint Graphs to summon Servants from Chaldea, given that the risk of destroying a Saint Graph was too high.

"Incomplete?" asked Isthar.

"Some aspects of a Servant's legend are not always present once they are summoned. Some of them may even be highlighted over others," said Lord El Melloi II. "For example, Caesar or Sasaki Koujirou. Why was Caesar not a Rider or Sasaki Koujirou a Saber?" He shrugged. "Perhaps Chaldea's summoning system could not, at the moment of their summoning, create a suitable Saint Graph. As a Pseudo-Servant myself, my Saint Graph is markedly different from that of regular Servants, and that boy is likely no exception. This, however, still doesn't explain his memory loss. That's something even I am stumbled on," he admitted in the end.

Artoria saw Kiritsugu open his mouth to, most likely, ask something else, but he didn't get a chance to do so.

"Hey, will you keep it down? I'm trying to watch a battle here!" growled Cú Chulainn from one of the rows seats behind them.

Lancelot glared at him for his interruption. "Unlike you, we are not yelling here, Lancer. So don't bother us and keep watching in silence," he ordered.

The Irish Lancer growled, his eyebrow twitching slightly. "What did you just say?"

From the large crowd of Servants seated in the room, some of them visibly sighed at their antics.

"Come on, guys. Just keep focusing. Look at Shirou! Look at his abs!" Astolfo exclaimed, his face gleaming as he looked at the muscular young boy on the field. "Man, those really are some pretty cool abs…"

Most of the women in the room gave a dirty look to the androgynous-looking Rider after that sentence. Isthar and Irisviel were pratically fuming in embarassment while Jeanne shook her head slightly. But Artoria... Artoria was scary. The dark aura around her had become overwhelming as she glared at the pink-haired Rider, completely furious in her outrage. For a moment, some of those who saw her face were almost ready to swear that her eyes flashed of a yellow color for a couple of seconds. After all, nobody could stare at Shirou in her presence. No woman, no man. Ever.

Shirou was hers!

The Paladin of Charlemagne simply shrugged off her glare as if it was nothing. "Ehi! It's not my fault if he's walking around shirtless. Go buy him a shirt or something if you don't like people staring at him," he retorted, unfazed.

"…he's got a point, you know," Cú Chulainn agreed after a moment.

Artoria shook her head, deciding that it was best to simply ignore these jokes before resuming to focus on the evaluation. Shirou and Archer had just moved to the center of the training camp, and were currently eyeing each other with a cold and calculating gaze as they waited for the signal. Artoria looked at her beloved in the Training Room with a sad and longing look.

"Shirou... please be careful," she mentally pleaded.

---

When the signal reached the zero, the two opponents sprinted forward.

Kanshou and Bakuya met Muramasa's sword in a spray of sparks. They clashed again, with an explosion of sparks and metal that caused the air to hiss and the floor to tremble from the strength of the Servant's blow. Archer spun with his body, trying to get past the opponent's guard to hit him in the side with a quick swipe, but Shirou didn't move even an inch. He just raised an arm, and with a causal but quick movement blocked the blow before he could hurt him. His serious and impassive eyes meet the astonished gaze of the older man.

The Archer grunted, flinging himself backwards as he disengaged from his opponent. He threw both his swords at Shirou, instantly tracing two more afterwards and throwing them as well. Shirou set his feet on the ground with a veiled smile on his face. This was too easy. He parried the flying weapons with two quick slashes, destroying them as if they were made of paper. The metal from the shattered weapons fell to the ground before dissolving into a cloud of mana.

Emiya was coming at him again, but he simply stayed motionless with his sword raised on the side, at his head level. He was calm even as the steely grey eyes of the white-haired man came to be right in front of him, his body barely at an arm's length away. Thanks to his dormant skills, his opponent was as slow as a falling leaf to his eyes. The Eye of Karma was dormant ability possessed by his body, a subspecies of the skill Clairvoyance. It improved both his static and dynamic visual acuity, giving him a great insight specialized only for battle action.

Shirou slid a foot backwards as Emiya stepped in with a slash. The time slowed. Shirou reached out with his left hand and pushed his blade forward, aiming at his opponets arms as he tried to slash his neck with Kanshou, and then he slashed forward once again. With unprecedented speed, his arms moved to perform a series of lightning-fast strikes, while parrying the enemy assault at the same time. His movements were so quick that his katana was almost invisible to the human eye as it moved through the air.

Strands of white hair fell amidst sparks of metal clanging against metal. Emiya collapsed to his knees, his weapons completely destroyed and his hands and arms full of cuts and blood. He could only widen his eyes before a kick hit him in the chest, knocking him away with considerable force and forcing him to scrape the ground with his wounded hands to keep his balance.

"…what was that monstruos force in those strikes?" he asked, breathless, trying to get back on his feet. "How did you acquire such strenght?"

The red-haired young man lowered his katana slightly. "My stats are pretty high," he replied simply. "Actually, I think they're even higher than normal. I can feel it in my body and movements."

Ritsuka was gaping on the side of the field, along with Mashu and Da Vinci who seemed to be pretty shocked too. Mordred was merely grinning with her arms crossed, already used to her new friend's skill with a sword. "H-How is that possible?" asked the young Master, incredulous.

Shirou just shrugged with a smile. "I guess I just won the lottery."

The Archer narrowed his eyes. His D-Rank Strenght could not match that power. "Lucky little bastard…" he grumbled.

His opponent shook his head with an amused grin. Then, with a speed that was enviable even for a Saber-class Servant, he disappeared from where he was before only to reappear behind Archer not even a second later. The white-haired man could only gasp and whirl around with limping arms, only to find the serious, bored face of his younger counterpart fixed on him. His katana was gone, but Shirou had one arm raised high over his head, with a… a blacksmith's hammer clenched in his fingers?

Emiya widened his eyes in horror. "W-What the-"

"Never let your guard down in a duel," the young man said coldly, before grinning in a very evil way. "Time for some tempering!"

Then, in a heavy, quick and – quite frankly – funny movement, his arm collapsed downward. The black hammer collided with the man's back first, taking all the breath away from his lungs, and then it hit him a second time square in the chest with a metallic and painfully hard and heavy sound. If he listened well, he could almost hear the sound of his bones groaning... along with that of his dignity begging for mercy.

But the red Archer did not even have a chance to retort or yell before he was forcefully thrown away by the power of the blow, crashing into the left wall of the Training Room and cracking it from the sheer force of the impact. He then collapsed on his knees to the ground, panting and bleeding heavily from his lips and arms under the astonished gazes of those present and those beyond the transparent window as well.

Just like that, it was over.

Mordred was laughing 'his' ass off on the sidelines, clutching her belly as she desperately tried to stop her hysterical laughter. Da Vinci was giggling as well with wide, teary eyes; while Ritsuka gaped, utterly unable to say a word. Mashu seemed torn between being shocked, amused or stunned. Hell, even Archer, in his pitiful condition, couldn't help but blush with shame. He had just been defeated in less than a minute by his younger counterpart... with a forging hammer. Man, this hurt his pride. A lot.

"I can't believe it!" the Knight of Treachery walked over to Shirou quickly, still shaking with laughter. "Did you just beat his ass with a freaking hammer?"

Shirou shrugged, looking amused. "Well, I am a blacksmith... so I thought that it would be pretty cool...?" he tried, sounding genuinely confused by all the shock around him.

Ritsuka sighed, shaking his head. Only Shirou could find cool to fight with a forging hammer during an evaluation test. But, anyway, he assumed that this was still a pretty good result. He had shown him his abilities, proving to be a very powerful and capable Servant. His strength and speed in battle were top notch. "All right, all right," he said, taking his turn next to the young Saber. "Aside from that finishing move, you were pretty cool. You have both great strength and speed, Shirou. Even your flow of prana wasn't bad during the fight. We're lucky to be able to count on your strength from now on."

The red-haired boy nodded in thanks. "Thank you, Master."

Mashu moved next to Emiya. "Are you ok, Emiya-senpai?" she asked with concern.

The Archer merely nodded with a tired sigh, still red in the face. "...I'll live," he sighed, getting to his feet while still wincing a little in pain. "Good grief… couldn't you hold back a bit?" he asked sarcastically to his younger self. He could practically hear the mocking laughter of a certain Blue Lancer in the Attendance Room, and that did little to lift his ruined mood.

"Told you you wouldn't even last a minute," Mordred said with a sly grin, making the older man grumble under his breath with a roll of his eyes. If even she couldn't stand toe to toe with Shirou, there was absolutely no way that this weak Archer could. This result had been obvious to her from the very start. Then she returned to focus on her friend. "Heh, it will be interesting to spar again with you, Shirou," Mordred added, a competitive gleam in her narrowed eyes. "I'm sure as hell looking forward to see your face when I'll finally be able to beat you."

Shirou merely smiled at her. "Of course. I'll always welcome a chance to spend time with you."

The female knight blushed instantly, looking away from him and glaring at the ground with an embarassed face. "T-That goes without saying… but don't say such embarassing things, idiot!" she stuttered, clearing her throat in attempt to regain her composure.

"Get me out of here," groaned Emiya. "Or I swear I'll open up my own Reality Marble and damned be the consequences."

The others openly laughed at that reaction. Expecially Da Vinci.

---

"That was hilarious! Beaten by a kid, hah! I'll rub this scene on that old bastard's face for ages," Cú Chulainn laughed, enjoying his rival's misfortune with a broad grin.

"Take it easy," sighed Diarmuid with a shake of his head, already used to the other Irish Lancer's antics.

Artoria did not listen to their words. Nor did she notice the astonished and impressed looks of the other Servants who had just witnessed the scene just like her. Her mind was filled with relief as she saw her Shirou leave the duel unharmed, utterly surprised by the strength, the speed and the sword skill he had demonstrated during the test. Her beloved had become quite powerful upon becoming an Heroic Spirit, there was no doubt about that.

Beside her, Irisviel was smiling broadly along with Illya and Jeanne. Kiritsugu and Isthar were nodding to themselves, seemingly deep in thought. Even some of her Knights were watching the red-haired young man with a thoughtful gaze, the blond King noted.

Iskandar looked at Shirou carefully. "I was right. He's pretty skilled," he declared slowly, before his face broke into his usual grin. "How amusing. How amusing indeed! It will be interesting to work together with that boy. I have to remind him to join my ranks later."

Artoria glared at him. "Don't get any strange ideas, King of Conquerors. Shirou is not an item to add to your collection of warriors," she intoned seriously.

Lord El-Melloi II sighed as his King laughed out loud at her rebuke. "Worry not, King Arthur, I'm not going to steal your lover," he reassured her with a wave of his hand. His expression became more serious soon after. "I'm just saying that he's going to be an important addition for the next missions and Singularities. And besides, it's not up to me to decide who he sides with. That choice is up to him alone."

"And you'll have to deal with his memory loss, too," Lord El-Melloi II added matter-of-factly. The blonde King watched the black-haired Demi-Servant as he turned to her. "I know the two of you have a history with each other, but he doesn't remember you. He doesn't remember anything, it seems."

Artoria's expression fell at the mention of that terrible truth. Her green eyes rested on the ground, itching more and more by the second and risking to produce more tears. Bedivere put a hand on her shoulder in support, casting a cold glance at the other King and his friend. The two men had the decency to look sad after saying those words.

"Don't be like that," Irisviel came to her rescue once again. "Not all is lost, Artoria."

The woman hesitated, holding back the tremor in her arms. "How?" she asked, sounding completely lost and broken.

"You can't give up like that. You have to be strong. You need to have hope," her friend insisted. "Shirou may have lost his memories of you, but that doesn't stop you from making new ones with him!"

The King of Knights pursed her lips. "Even if we were to make peace after what happened yesterday... how am I supposed to look at his face? How do I know the man I love is still inside him?" she retorted weakly, distressed. "I know he's still him inside... I can feel it… but what if he had become a completely different person? What if he doesn't want to have anything to do with me anymore?"

Irisviel shook her head. "Just have faith in him. Have faith that he will come back to you. Trust him. He's still the same inside. Kiritsugu and Illya saw it, so it must be true!" she reassured, smiling at her in support. "If they managed to touch him inside, then you can do it too."

"B-But... what if he doesn't want to come back with me anyway?" she asked again, revealing the deepest, greatest fear inside of her.

"Nonsense!" Irisviel chuckled, putting her hands on her shoulders. "Listen to me. He fell in love with you once. He can fall in love with you again. All you have to do is make it happen!"

Artoria looked at her with wide eyes, astonished. "...h-how?"

"Simple! You must be direct! You must be bold! You must be straightforward! You must be determined to get his attention!" the white-haired woman declared, her eyes that shone with decision, support and a little bit of mischief. "You have to seduce him, basically."

The effect was immediate. Artoria blushed heavily after those words, her face red as a tomato. "S-S-Seduce him?" she stammered, shocked. Even Jeanne, Isthar and the others were surprised after that bold statement.

Irisviel nodded, grinning. "Yep! That's it!" she stated with absolute certainty. "It worked for me too, you know. I too had to sort things out with Kiritsugu at the beginning. When we found each other again here, he didn't want to come back to me either. He was too immersed in remorse and guilt to be able to see our previous bond. But now, here we are!" Everyone's eyes widened when they saw the man's usually serious and impassive face blush and turn away after his'wife's words. She didn't seem to care. "You just have to do the same!"

Artoria hesitated, glancing at the walking form of Shirou as he was about to exit the Training Room. "I-I see…" was all she could say.

"…she's not wrong," admitted one of them.

Her wide, emerald eyes glanced at the pensive face of Iskandar as he nodded. "The woman's got a point. If you're truly determined to win that boy's affection back, then the idea of making him fall for you isn't as ridiculous as it sounds." The grin on his lips was both supportive and amused when he added. "Aren't you a King? If you are, then you'll have to face this challenge head on and without fear or hesitation. This is what is expected from someone of our caliber, King Arthur."

Artoria hesitated, clenching her fists and looking down with shame and embarassment. Her face was getting even redder at the very thought of having to do something so... so shameful. She wasn't exactly averse to the notion, really, but she was just extremely embarrassed to perform it. She was raised as a man; she was raised to be a King. Even thinking of such a thing would have been out of the question for her, in her previous life. Not to mention, moreover, that she wasn't exactly the most knowledgeable person on the methods of courting or dating. So, she was lost on what to do and what to think. Completely lost.

And yet, right now, she was thinking about it. Hell, she was seriously contemplating the idea of doing such a thing, even though she had no idea of what to do. Her face was a mask of uncertainty and hesitation, and yet, she was putting all her thoughts on this task, on this challenge, still unwilling to give up. This fact alone was enough to prove to her, and to everyone, just how important Shirou was to her. To what length she was willing to go just to have him back once again.

Her Knights, more than the others, were completely shocked and thrilled by this. Their King, their usually calm, collected and cold King was now blushing madly as she blabbered inchoerently, desperately trying to calm down and mentally accept that shameful idea in order to reconnect with a mere boy that managed to steal her heart in the past. There was no way they could deny how much she cared about him after this. It was simply impossible to deny it.

"M-My liege… are you really going to do it?" Bedivere asked, perplexed.

She swallowed nervously. "...If I do, will you help me?" she asked back, her face low and her timid eyes covered by her blonde bangs.

Gawain's eyes widened. "B-But this is-"

"We will," Bedivere swore, cutting him off immediatly. He was the weakest among the Knights of the Round, but undoubtedly the most faithful in his oath to her. "We will stand by your side and help you in any way we can, my King."

Tristan and Lancelot nodded as well, joining the platinum-blonde haired Knight. In the end, even Gawain nodded hesitantly. "…yes, my liege. If that's really what you wish... I will not object," he swore.

Artoria nodded, grateful to her loyal friends for their support. But this certainly wasn't enough to alleviate the anxiety and uncertainty that clenched her heart with their cold grip.

Isthar smiled mischievously. "Hohoho! Well, if you're in need of love advice, I can surely help you out, Artoria. After all, I'm a goddess of love," she stated with a smile that was anything but reassuring. Her eyes were already shining unpleasantly at the countless possibilities of-

"You will do no such thing." Irisviel cut her off right away sternly. Then, the woman's eyes became again filled with support as they looked at the blonde's hesitant face. "This is something she has to do on her own, and in her own way. If we interfere, Shirou may suspect something and we will only ruin everything. No, my dear. You'll have our full support, but you must do this yourself."

The King of Knights looked at her with fear and stress. "D-Do you really think I can do this? Do I really stand a chance?" she asked, visibly tense.

The other woman nodded, taking her hands into her own. "I don't think you can. I know you can!" she declared, smiling. "So go get him, Artoria. Be confident. You managed to win him over once. You will do it again."

Artoria hesitated for what seemed like an eternity. Then, she nodded once. Then twice. A small smile curled her lips. Her face grew firm and determined as she nodded a third time to try to convince herself. "She's right. I... I can do it," she mentally stated. Her resolve was solwly growing back inside her. "I will do it. I have to. It's too important to me. He is too important to me. I can't give up. I can't lose hope now. I made a promise with him. I have to keep my end of the bargain whatever the cost."

Her green eyes slowly began to shone with decision. "I... I will do it," she swore, nodding towards Irisviel and all of her friends. Her face became full of determination.

She couldn't give up now. She wouldn't be Artoria Pendragon if she did. But she was Artoria Pendragon. She was a Knight. She was a King. And, more importantly, she was a woman. A woman in love. She couldn't back down from this. She wouldn't accept to lose her loved one. Not like this. Not again. Not after waiting a thousand years to be reunited with him. And especially not because of a mere, stupid memory loss.

If Shirou had unintentionally stopped chasing after her because of that… then she would chase after him instead. And he'd better be damn ready for this.

Because she would not hold back.

She will win her Shirou back. Whatever it takes.

Irisviel nodded towards her, her face a mask of pride and support. As she strengthened her resolve, Artoria could see little smiles full of pride rising on her friend's faces. Jeanne was grinning in support, and her Knights had a determined and encouraging look in their eyes as they bowed to her. Even Kiritsugu was smirking in secret, his head turned away as he held Illya in his arms. Isthar smiled as well, even as she grumbled something about the injustice and poor treatment of a god's role with a shake of her head.

Jeanne gently touched her arm. "Then we should go," the Maid of Orlean said with an encouraging smile. "You're supposed to meet with him right now, aren't you?"

Artoria clenched her fists with a smile. The time had come. "Yes. We shall."

Iskandar grinned, bursting into his usual signature laugh. "That's the spirit! I wish you the best of luck, King of Knights. Now go! Go reclaim what's rightfully yours!" he declared in a powerful voice, drawing the attention of several Servants as they were starting to leave the room. Lord El-Melloi II simply shook his head with a sigh.

The blonde woman just nodded to him, solemnly turning towards the exit and starting to head towards her next destination:

Destiny.

---

As she walked down the hall, Artoria did her best to banish the anxiety that was growing inside her once again. She already made her decision about this, so she wouldn't hesitate. Not again, not anymore. Her friends were right behind her, accompanying her, backing her up, giving her courage and support with their silent presence. Therefore, she would not back down. She had nothing to be scared of. She will win, no matter what.

Her eyes found him immediately. Shirou was right there, down the hall. Right in front of the entrance to the Training Room. Mordred was with him, grinning and laughing as she cheerfully talked to him. Ritsuka and Mashu were laughing as well, while Da Vinci was escorting an exhausted and irritated Emiya back to his room to rest.

As soon as she saw him, Artoria felt her heart tighten with hesitation once again.

She knew it was a gamble. She knew there was no guarantee of success. Shirou didn't remember her. He had forgotten everything. Still, she wouldn't give up. She would try, and try, and try again, until she would break through his thick head and heart. She knew he was dense, but she wouldn't stop, not even in the face of the competition from a look-alike.

Her eyes narrowed slightly as they watched her 'son' laugh and joke with Shirou. Her gaze became even more intense and full of decision.

"I won't lose to you," she inwardly swore, glaring at her near-identical child.

She reached him in less than a minute. Oddly enough, as she got closer to him, the tension she felt before became less and less oppressive within her. Eventually, it disappeared completely, just as she stopped as well, just about ten meters away from him. Shirou had turned around now, noticing her arrival. His gloden brown eyes widened slightly. Not in recognition, but in surprise. He probably didn't expect her to find him so soon, she deduced. Mordred noticed her presence too, gaping at her with a shocked expression.

Irisviel's words echoed inside her head. Be direct! Be bold! Be straightforward!

Nobody said anything for some time. Neither she nor Shirou were willing to break the silence yet. Ritsuka and Mashu just watched silently from the sidelines, their eyes darting between her and the red-haired youth. Mordred seemed too busy staring at her to be able to get out of her shock. Not even her friends talked behind her. Artoria could sense them, she could feel their nervousness even without looking back at them. They were tense. Maybe even more tense than she was now. She didn't care, mentally thanking them for their presence despite all their discomfort.

But her gaze remained glued to his face. To that same face she both loved and adored so much.

Because now, in that moment, he was her world, and everything else didn't matter. There was only her, and him, both intent on observing each other once again.

It was time for negotiations.

Mordred was the first to find her breath to speak. "F-Father…" she breathed.

Shirou stopped her. He gently motioned her to remain silent with one hand, without never turning his gaze away from her eyes. "It's fine, Mordred," he said slowly. "I will handle it. You stay here."

Artoria smiled faintly. Good. Very good. At least he understood that it was a matter just between the two of them. That's how it was supposed to be. She didn't hold any grudge against Mordred – despite what many believed – but she wouldn't allow any interference in this moment. This was just between her, and him. No one was allowed in, yet.

The King of Knights felt her arms begin to tremble slightly. She stopped them quickly, clenching her fists. Shirou was moving now, walking forward to get closer to her. She did the same. She took a few steps forward, approaching him as well.

They stopped only a meter away from each other. Their eyes were glued together, their faces determined, their bodies stiff. Around them, only silence and anxiety reigned, but neither of them seemed to care right now. The time had come for them to speak again.

It was time.

Artoria swallowed. "... I-"

"Please," Shirou interrupted her, gently. "Let me go first."

She hesitated for a moment, surprised by his words. She simply nodded slowly, swallowing again and observing his face with a tense gaze full of anticipation.

The young man surprised her with his next gesture. Without hesitating not even a moment, he suddenly knelt on the ground with a slow and stiff motion, bowing his head low with one hand resting on his chest, on top of his heart. Artoria gaped at his sudden action, completely surprised. She had expected a lot of things from this meeting, but for him to bow down in submission right in front to her... this was quite surprising. Even the others were staring at the red-haired boy with obvious surprise and confusion. Mordred was the most obvious one. Her jaw was literally on the floor right now.

Shirou didn't seem to care about their general shock. "King Arthur," he began to say, slowly; his face still bowed to the ground and his voice clear and firm. "I deeply apologize for what I have done yesterday. I acted violently, harshly, and roughly without a proper reason. My actions were completely off the mark. I didn't even try to explain the situation to you, reacting violently and hurting you without any regard or consideration to your feelings. I have been foolish and inconsiderate, and with my actions I have unwillingly stained your name, along with my honor and my reputation. I know that my words alone won't be enough to erase the pain I've caused you… but I'm sorry. I'm really, truly sorry," he apologized, bowing his head even further towards the ground.

Artoria jumped, as if she had been physically struck. Her eyes widened out of all proportion, as did everyone else's. The shock in the air was physically perceptible.

"Sh-Shirou-"

"I shall accept whatever punishment you consider appropriate for my actions," he continued, never once hesitating or wavering, not even for a second. "You can judge me, hate me, yell at me, or beat me however you wish. You can even banish me from your sight permanently. I won't complain. I just-"

"Shirou!"

The red-haired young man flinched at hearing her strong and irritated voice. It wasn't going to be that easy, was it? He promptly shut his mouth, keeping his head down with his eyes closed as he waited to hear her verdict. He had expected her to be angry. Not that he had any right to complain, anyway. He knew he had been in the wrong. He knew he had hurt her. So, he would accept any sentence without a single objection. It was the only thing he could do to redeem himself.

"Raise your head."

Shirou swallowed. "…I'm not worthy of doing that yet, your majesty."

That only seemed to anger her more. "Raise-your-head!" she repeated more firmly.

He complied. As he looked up, he kept his eyes closed, as if afraid to see her face. They only opened when her hands quckly found his face and started to stroke his cheeks. Artoria smiled with teary eyes as she saw his shocked and incredulous expression after her actions. He looked stunned, as if he had expected any other reaction from her except this one.

He really was dense, wasn't he? "Don't bow to me," she said. She kneeled on the ground as well, reaching his eye-level to look at his shocked and stunned gaze. "You don't bow to anyone. You are my Sheath, my Scabbard. I won't accept to see you kneel to me, nor anyone else. You don't belong to the ground. You belong with me," she said softly, smiling in adoration as she stroked his cheeks with her fingers.

He gaped, looking absolutely flabbergasted. His lips parted, as if he wanted to say something.

She wouldn't let him. "I know you're sorry," she continued. Her smile didn't falter one bit as she continued to talk. "I am too. I should have been more patient. I straight out threw myself on you as soon as I saw you. It was my mistake. I should have waited, and let you explain your situation before. I am the one who is at fault here."

He was silent for a long time, still looking as shocked as ever. Then he slowly shook his head in her hands. "N-No. I was completely out of line. Your actions were justified. Mine, they were not. I just kept silent, without saying anything. It didn't even cross my mind to try and explain that I had lost my memories. I should have told you as soon as you hugged me that I didn't remember you. That is unforgivable," he whispered to her, looking down in shame.

Artoria simply smiled at his stubborness. She put a finger on his lips to silence him gently. His eyes rose up once again in shock. "Let me be the judge of that. And I forgave you already. I never really blamed you, actually," she reassured him, competely honest with her words.

She almost laughed when she saw his face visibly relax after that. His featured dropped as he sighed a little. He must have been hurting because of his actions too, she realized with relief.

Her gaze softened when she saw him become more and more flustered while she kept caressing his cheeks. He was as cute as she remembered. "A-Anyway, I truly am sorry for everything," Shirou said again, his eyes glancing between her face and the ground in obvious embarassment. "It's just… I was too shocked and upset, and my mind was throbbing so much… that the thought of explaining my condition never really crossed my mind. I-I apologize, your majesty," he finished, his face red and his gaze ashamed.

She shook her head. "It's fine, Shirou. Don't apologize anymore." Then, her eyes half-glared at him with a bit of displeasure. "And don't address me so formally. I told you, you are my Scabbard. You don't need to use formalities with me. Just call me Artoria, as you always should have done."

Shirou blinked, flustered. "S-Scabbard?"

"My Sheath," she explained to him, smiling once again. "The Holy Sheath Avalon, the hallowed scabbard of my sword Excalibur. It currently resides within your body, just as it always has since you were little. I can still feel it inside you when I touch you." One of her hands moved from his face to touch his chest, where a small, soft yellow light was growing between her fingers, coming out of his body.

Shirou gasped as he looked at his chest and the light coming from it. "So that's what it was..." he whispered.

Artoria smiled. "You knew it was inside you?" she asked him.

He gulped. "I knew I had a magical artifact inside me, but I didn't know it was the legendary Avalon," he replied slowly, still recoiling from shock. His gaze slowly returned to look at her emerlad green eyes. "Then, I guess I should return it to you."

But, once again, the female King shook her head. "No. I don't need it. Actually, I want it to stay with you," she said.

The young man stared at her with confusion. "Huh? B-But... why?" he asked.

She smiled softly, her hands returning to stroke his cheeks fondly. "Because it's the symbol of our connection," she explained simply. "It's our bond. The concrete and tangible demonstration of the fact that I have always been with you, just as you have always been with me in my mind. I… I don't want to severe this bond with you, Shirou."

The red-haired young man stared at her for a long time after her words. His gaze became conflicted and full of uncertainty and doubts. "...you still love me," he said then, hesitantly. "You still love the boy that I once was. The boy called Emiya Shirou."

Artoria nodded without hesitation. "I do. With all my heart."

"But... I don't remember you," he continued again, still dubious and unsure of how to react to her firm statement. "You feel familiar, I can admit that, but… I don't remember what the two of you shared and experienced together. I'm not sure of what to feel. And, honestly… I'm not even sure if I'm the same person that I used to be."

Artoria could feel her heart began to pound painfully inside her chest. Her eyes closed and she breathed slowly in a feeble attempt to calm down. Her hands fell from his face, moving to clasp themselves together on her thighs as she still sat on the ground in front of him. She knew that what she was about to hear would hurt her. Still, she didn't back down from this. She didn't cry, nor run away like before. This had been her choice, after all.

So, she braced herself for what she knew it was coming.

"...I don't think I can reciprocate your feelings."

It hurt.

She couldn't lie to herself. Hearing those words from him hurt. It hurt a lot. Even if her eyes were closed, even though she couldn't see his face; hearing those words from his voice, with his tone, coming from his body... it hurt her. It hurt more than she thought it would. It was an effect she couldn't help but feel no matter how much she tried to prepare in vain.

And yet, even after all of this, she smiled.

"...then I'm glad," Artoria said. She opened her eyes again, looking at his stunned face with a look full of tears but – despite everything – of adoring and sincere love as well. "Because I'm not asking you to reciprocate them."

She could practically see the confusion climb into his face. It was in his eyes, in his slightly parted lips as they held a breath, and in the way his body had suddenly stiffened. And he was not the only one confused by her statement. Even without seeing them, Artoria could still feel Mordred's incredulous and shocked gaze on her, just as Ritsuka and Mashu's hesitating looks, and Jeanne, Irisviel, and her Knight's shock as they listened to her words as well.

But she didn't care about the others and the world around her now. Her whole world was Shirou, and his eyes still glued on her face.

Artoria gave him the sweetest smile she could manage to do. "No matter what, even if you won't remember me, even if you won't be able to return my feelings, even If I have to wait another thousand years… I will always love you," she declared with absolute certainty. A lone tear fell from her eye as she spoke these words, but she continued to smile nonetheless. "I will always wait for you, Shirou."

The silence was absolute and final. There was nothing, absolutely nothing, that could describe the emotions and amazement that hung in the air right after that. Just silence, and everyone's shocked and incredulous faces glued to the kneeling King and her beloved.

Shirou was absolutely floored. His face was a mask of amazement, disbelief, and embarrassment at the same time; his eyes that were flashing with emotions too confused to be described. The flush on his cheeks was very, very familiar and nostalgic, though. Artoria smiled more when she saw him stammer incoherently, deeply unable to form a coherent sentence. He was overwhelmed. Completely, totally, and utterly overwhelmed by emotions and embarrassment.

Artoria looked at him with a satisfied smile. She did told him to brace himself before... in her head.

After an eternity of awkward silence, Shirou managed to stutter a sentence. "E-Even if I won't ever get my memories back?" He asked her.

"Yes." she promptly replied.

"Even if I won't accept or acknowlege it?"

"Yes."

"Even if I won't be able to love you as well?"

"Yes."

He was floored. "B-B-But... But... How... Why...?" he blabbered out, unable to comprehend.

Artoria grabbed one of his hands with hers, kissing it softly. "I don't need a reason to love you, Shirou. This is something that you taught me before. I just do. And I always will," she said.

Shirou was still unable to grasp her decision. She could still tell that much. She simply sighed with amused fondness. His dullness was really thick. "I won't force you, of course," she continued soon after, seeing that he was still recovering from emotions. "I told you, I'm not asking you to reciprocate my feelings. If it really comes that my presence will become a bother to you, then I will leave you alone. But I'll still love you nonetheless. That, I promise you."

Shirou could only gape at her, his mind reduced to sheer shock and astonishment for the first time since he was summoned to Chaldea. "I-I see..." was all he said. All he could say, confused as he was.

The King of Knights smiled. Then, with their hands still connected together, she helped him stand once again, pulling him up and staring at his blushing face with a smile that was both adoring and amused. Yep. His flushed expression was definitely adorable. She could get used to this.

"Oh my! That was so sweet!" Irisviel cried from behind her, suddently awakening them from their own, little world.

Both Artoria and Shirou blushed madly when they remembered that all of that had happened right in front their friend's eyes, along with the gaze of some passing Servants as well. They quickly let go of their hands, turning away from each other and looking at the ground with shame and embarassment as the others approached them slowly, their faces marked by smiles and joyful expressions.

The blonde king suddently found herself invested in a bone-crushing hug. "I'm so proud of you!" Irisviel was openly weeping, her lips forming a broad smile full of emotions. Jeanne hugged her as well soon after, just as Ritsuka and Mashu laughed at them. "That was perfect! I knew you could do it!"

"I must say, my King… we are quite impressed too," Tristan said, nodding to Shirou with a smile along with Bedivere. The young man blushed, scratching his neck with a hand as he saw Artoria flush with embarassment just like him.

Isthar was grinning from ear to ear. "My, my… that was quite the shock indeed. Where did your previous hesitation go, Artoria?" she teased, touching her with one elbow on her side.

The King responded by burying her face in her hands as Jeanne laughed and patted her back.

Truly, she had no idea of where she found the courage to act and tell all of this to her young partner. She had made her decision about this before, of course... but looking back at it now, it had been really, really embarrassing and hard to say. She had never performed such a direct and bold gesture before. Had-Had she always been so bold before too? She didn't want to believe it. She simply couldn't.

While the others were still continuing to talk and compliment her for her courage, her eyes fell back to Shirou. The young man was looking at Mordred, who was still standing on the sidelines with a completely blank and – apparently – sad expression.

Artoria froze. She had completely forgotten about her. And, if she had to be honest, she didn't really know what to think now that she was looking at her. While she did not particularly hate her, she and Mordred hardly ever had any interactions. The number of times they actually met face to face was close to zero, until now. The two of them had always ignored each other. Artoria knew very well that she wasn't close to her son by any means. But, until now, she had always been blissfully unaware of her life and of who had been keeping her company in Chaldea.

She only knew one thing: her 'son' – according to what she had deduced – had seemingly taken a liking to Shirou long before she even met him at dinner the previous day. The two of them had become fast friends, as Iskandar said. And friends were something that Mordred did not possess in large quantities. That's what Artoria knew about her. Therefore, she didn't know what to think about this. If she befriended and dated Shirou again, what would happen to Mordred? Would she still hang around him? Or would she abandon him, just because she didn't want to be close to her 'father' and anyone important to her? Artoria didn't know, but she was sure that the last option was the most likely to happen.

Just as it was highly likely that her child was developing feelings for Shirou, as well.

The King of Knights hesitated at this. She didn't know what to think about this situation. Obviously, a part of her was feeling irritated and conflicted by the mere thought of this possibility… but on the other hand, she didn't really hate Mordred. Therefore, she would be saddened if her son did lose a friend because of her. Even if she was developing some feelings for him. But this didn't sit right with her, because said friend was Shirou, the man she loved most in the world. So… she didn't know what to do.

Especially because, deep inside her, she knew that she regretted the way she had always treated her. She knew that she wished to reconcile, to make up with her.

But she didn't know what to do.

Yet, luckily for her, she didn't have to do anything. It was Shirou the one who acted to fix this situation for her, exactly like he had done in the past, pulling her out of her doubts and her cruel fate of death and sacrifice with his bold actions and words.

Artoria felt her cheeks burn with love when her beloved looked at her straight in the eyes. "Your majest-" he quickly corrected himself, laughing nervously at her instant glare. "A-Artoria…" he stammered with embarrassment, before resuming his serious demeanor. "Let's make a deal."

Everyone looked at him carefully, confused by his sudden request. Artoria turned serious as well, nodding in order to urge him to continue.

Shirou studied her with a calm, serious gaze. "I don't know if I'll ever be able to return your feelings. As I told you before, I don't even know if I'm the same person you've met in the past," he slowly admitted. His golden brown eyes burned with a growing decision as he spoke. "However, you have showed me both your determination and dedication to me. So, in regard to those, I will try to... spend some time with you and get to know you, if that's what you desire. But on one condition."

Artoria felt her lips twitch for her inner desire to smile with glee. She held it back only thanks to her strong willpower. "What is it?" she asked seriously.

The red-haired young man glanced at Mordred. "If I have to spend time with you and your friends... then I request that you reconsider the idea of readmitting Mordred to the Knights of the Round Table," he declared with utmost decision, completely serious. Said person and all the others gaped at him, while the blonde King narrowed her eyes in confusion at his request.

"W-W-What!? What are you saying, you idiot!?" the Knight of Treachery yelled at him, shocked beyond words by his request.

Gawain gritted his teeth. "You can't be serious!" he seethed in anger.

Shirou stared at them in complete seriousness. "I am. And I will not accept the deal otherwise," he declared, shocking all of them even more.

The Knights looked completely hesitant upon hearing that request. They were casting puzzled and uncertain looks to each other. Mordred, on her part, was flabbergasted, still looking at her friend with her mouth open.

Ritsuka took a step forward. "Shirou, is there a reason for this? Why you are making this request?" he asked him slowly. He wasn't particularly averse to the idea, but he couldn't allow any fights or problems to break out within Chaldea.

The red-haired boy nodded. "There is. Mordred is my friend," he answered, as if it was obvious. "And I am aware that there is a very… bad history, between all of you and her. But I don't care about that. Despite what you all believe, she is not evil. She is not a bad person. And I want her to be happy, at any cost."

Mordred was blushing madly, still incredulous and unable to fully realize that her friend was seriously making such a request. In front of the Knights, in front of the Master, and in front of her Father, even! She simply didn't know what to think, what to do, what to say. She simply stood, frozen like ice, with mouth agape and trembling legs.

And yet, Gawain's words reached her painfully clear. "You are asking for the impossible! She is not and will never be one of us again! Not after all she has caused and done!"

"...I suggest you remain silent, Knight of the Round," Shirou merely hissed, still looking at Artoria as he spoke to Gawain. "Or I will pick up where we left off yesterday. You can be as powerful as you want, but Muramasa's swordsmanship was peerless in his lifetime, and I've inherited all of his skills seamlessly. I doubt you would leave unscathed if I decided to attack you here and now," he threatened, deadly serious.

Ritsuka cut in immediatly. "Calm down, both of you!" he ordered, placing himself between the two Sabers to prevent a clash from breaking out. Even Mashu did the same, summoning her shiled right in front of Shirou.

Before the situation could escalate further, Artoria raised a hand, urging Gawain to stay still.

"...my liege?" Bedivere asked, confused.

The blonde King looked at Shirou in his eyes before nodding slowly. "All right. I accept your deal," she said in the end, after a moment of hesitation.

That decision shocked everyone. Jeanne and Isthar looked at their friend with worry, just as Mashu and Irisviel did as well. Ritsuka stared ad Artoria with a calculating gaze, while Kiritsugu and Illya remained silent. Her Knights, on the other hand, widened their eyes in shock. Bedivere and Tristan blinked in confusion, while Lancelot gasped audibly. Even Gawain and – strangely – Mordred herself staggered back, both looking completely stunned and shocked.

"M-My King! You can't be serious!" exclaimed the Knight of the Sun.

Artoria, instead, nodded again. "I am, Gawain. I accept the deal. This is final," she declared in a tone that allowed no reply. She then glanced at Mordred's shocked face. "Besides, I wanted to talk to Mordred for a while, now. There are several things I'd like to ask her in private. A lot of unfinished business, too. This situation is the perfect opportunity to do so," she added slowly, lowering her hand again.

Mordred gaped at her, her body shaking slightly. Artoria returned her eyes to the red-haired boy. Her faithful friends had no choice to remain silent after that decision. Shirou visibly relaxed. "Thank you," was all he said, ignoring the incredulous and piercing stare that Mordred was giving him from behind.

"But I have one condition as well, Shirou," the King of Knights added soon afer that, staring at his face.

The young man narrowed his eyes. "…what is it?" he asked.

Artoria smiled at his confused expression as she spoke her next words calmly and decisively.

"Please go on a date with me."

---

(A little curiosity: - The attack that Shirou used with the hammer during the evaluation is an official move of Muramasa in Fate/Grand Order, as well as his expression: "Time for some Tempering.")