Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to this story, Kinoko Nasu, TYPE-MOON and those affiliated do.

Artoria Pendragon was quick to temper, despite what she would tell you if asked. She didn't outright express such feelings in any noticeable way, being used to bottling up her troubles during her upbringing and as the King of Britain.

It would sometimes be a twitch of her fingers, before realising that making a fist would be too noticeable and stopping immediately.
It could also be a slight burrowing of her eyebrows, barely enough to be noticed by anyone not in her former inner circle of friends and family.

Extreme cases would result in gnashing of teeth and unsaid curses that wouldn't and shouldn't be uttered from the King's lips.

Which goes to say that right at this moment, with a vicious snarl on her previously desperate and tear-stained face, Artoria Pendragon was livid.

She gazed at the face of her former Master as relief washed over his features, content with the fact that his last Command Seals had fulfilled their purpose in destroying her goal.

The blast from her Noble Phantasm was unrelenting, powered by two Command Seals, it was sure to be her most powerful strike in this whole war.

She didn't know what had possessed the man known as Kiritsugu Emiya to issue such an order. For the life of her she couldn't imagine what he could have seen that would allow him to abandon his dream.

It was after all, the most important thing she had learned about her Master during the 4th Holy Grail War, often brought up by Irisviel as a means to justify the extremes Kiritsugu was willing to go to to accomplish his task. If Kiritsugu Emiya was anything, he was determined.

So why?

Why, why, why would he order her to destroy both their dreams?
Was it regret? Had his sins finally crushed him under their weight and made him abandon everything as a means to atone?

She didn't bother to give it any more thought. Her anger was still seething and she could already feel her body break down. Her time after all was coming to an end. She couldn't see her Master anymore, the light from her Holy Sword blinding in it's radiance as it blocked out her vision.

She couldn't even see that loathsome King of Heroes that had dared to demand she discard her pride and become his wife. Excalibur had most likely already dealt with him, seeing how he was standing in front of her target.

She closed her eyes in bitter acceptance. She had once again been betrayed. Surely, the King of Conquerors' words were true. This was simply punishment befitting a foolish girl who pretended to be King. A King that couldn't even understand his own subjects.

Her consciousness began to drift away from her as she prepared to return to that hill, where she would be forced to wait until she could be given another chance. Another chance to redeem herself and save her kingdom from her foolish decisions. She wouldn't fail again. She couldn't allow herself to fail again.

Her eyes snapped open when she felt something wrap around her leg. Surprised by the sudden action she couldn't properly prepare for the jolt that shook her body as she was yanked with incredible force.

Now fully attentive, the first thing she noticed was the King of Heroes' rabid expression as his eyes remained on her Master. She reached a stop in front of him as the Chain shot from his Noble Phantasm was now disappearing, it's task in drawing her closer to him completed. He turned his attention to the distraught King of Knights.

"What is the meaning of this Saber?"
He spoke in a low tone that was supposed to convey only a single thing.

Your Master destroyed something of mine and someone will pay dearly.

She wasn't intimidated in the least, however that didn't stop the angered King from proceeding to threaten her as the Gate of Babylon was now aimed at her.

He wouldn't get the chance to carry out his punishment, as a resounding crash above their heads drew their attention to the interruption.

Up in the sky, a giant hole had seemingly appeared as it hanged over the city of Fuyuki, an amalgamation of curses manifesting inside it, just before they formed into a black mud of sorts.

The moment the mud spilled from the hole, was the moment Kiritsugu snapped out of his shock and uttered a single word.

"I-Impossible…"

The torrent of curses crashed on the Servants' heads' and they were swept away as Kiritsugu stood there, watching the mud spill out towards the Residential area of Shinto, leaving fire and destruction in it's wake.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Artoria once again opened her eyes, and the first thing she noticed was the darkness that surrounded her.

She felt cold and wet and-

Naked.

Was this some kind of sick joke? Did the world suddenly decide to laugh at her expense, deeming their agreement to be trivial in comparison to her suffering? Or was she simply cursed?

The foreboding feeling that ran through her quickly pushed away those thoughts and she stood alert.

"Child, you are in pain."

The distant voice rang through her head and she felt lightheaded immediately.

"Who is there? Reveal yourself immediately!" she demanded but received no answer for a while.

"Yes, you are indeed in pain. But your wounds can't be healed you know. Not by yourself, or another. For they are wounds that mar your heart. Just what I'm looking for…"

Artoria couldn't understand what the voice meant by that, but anyone trivialising pain of that nature couldn't be anything but bad news.

"What if I told you that your wish could be achieved anyway? Sure the price might be almost unbearable and the result could end up being undesirable, but you've already prepared for that, haven't you?"

The voice spoke as if staring into her soul. She reasoned it most likely was since there was no other way it could know about her wish or about her thoughts on it.

"What's in it for you?" she inquiried after some consideration.

"For me? I get to be free! Free to live my life as any person should be. I get to do all kinds of things then. All of them as endless as the curses and evils that Humanity can think of on the spot. Such is their nature and such is mine. I can also give us both the satisfaction of watching that Master of yours suffer for rejecting us."

Artoria was immediately taken aback.

This thing that was talking to her, it was evil. Plain and simple. She couldn't accept anything it would offer her no matter how much she may want it. And if it thought she would act otherwise, clearly it had misjudged her.

But the bit about her Master interested her, for not moments ago she was pondering the inner workings of that man herself.

If the voice meant what it said, and that Kiritsugu had rejected it, the it most likely was-

"The Holy Grail having desires and wishes for itself is certainly new. Even during my time such a thing was unheard of. What makes you believe I would accept your promises at face value?"

The voice seemed to quiet momentarily as if pondering it's next words as carefully as possible.

"I must commend you for figuring out as much as you have. Normally humans take the route that is most convenient to achieve their goals. As expected of a Heroic Spirit. You and that Goldie have strong wills, so much so that he actually convinced me to give him a little gift."

Artoria gasped when she noticed that the darkness around her began to swirl towards her frantically, black tentacle shaped appendages rising from the tide to take hold of her.
"I wonder if you can withstand the horrors that come with it!"

The King of Knights reflexively went for her sword, only then remembering that she was completely unarmed and unable to defend herself. She blinked, and then there was nothing.

When Artoria Pendragon opened her eyes again, she was not as surprised as she thought she would be.

For she was once again alone on that hill, overlooking the sunset, with the bodies of her former comrades surrounding her.
She was surprised however to see that the wound on her stomach was gone. That could only mean-

"Where is King Arthur?!"

That voice was desperate yet determined as it sought out for her.
She turned around to confirm what she was hearing only to flinch at the realisation that this wasn't just a figment of her imagination.

"Mordred…"

The Knight of Treachery turned her head after disposing the last of Artoria's knights and the rage in her features could almost be seen through that menacing horned helmet.

"There you are, King of Knights. Do you see what you have done? What you have caused?!"

Artoria blinked. This wasn't right. Mordred was actually blaming her? She explicitly remembered that her former Knight of the Round had expressed great pride in herself for her rebellion. Yet now she was placing the blame on her?

The words of the King of Conquerors as well as the final words Lancelot spoke to her rang through her head immediately, forcing a weak chuckle from her. She guessed it must have been most unfitting for the King to act as such, but she couldn't force it down.

It was true after all. She did this. Her actions, her dreams and ideals, her rule led to this and as such, it was the King's responsibility.

"I suppose you're right Mordred. I did this…"

Mordred flinched. Whatever she was expecting it wasn't this. Words of anger? Hate? Dissappointment? Sure. But acceptance of her words was not it.

But she had come this far. She wouldn't show pity to the King even when faced with the truth of his actions.

She raised Clarent and got into a ready stance before charging into the King of Knights. Tired as he was, he wouldn't be able to properly parry the strike and Mordred was sure she would disarm him if he tried.

What she didn't expect was for the King to sidestep the blow with as much ease as one avoided a rock so as to not trip on it. It honestly both impressed and angered her.

She didn't have time to ponder on those feelings as she was forced to block the strike of Excalibur aimed at her neck, the strength behind it forcing her to her knees.

"Even so, my Rule has come to an end. Should I choose to mourn, or fall into despair over it, I will do so on my own terms, not through this illusion."

Mordred then vanished into a puff of black smoke, as Excalibur crashed to the ground with it's obstacle removed.

"So you reject me too? I'm surprised this war had as much impact on you as it did, Saber. I must say my idea of you was a lot more different compared to this..." the voice echoed around her once again.

"Is your desire to redeem yourself and save your kingdom even your goal anymore? Or has some idiotic delusion that you can just move on taken root in your soul?"

Artoria tightened the grip on her sword and pointed the tip of her blade to the sky, as if threatening the voice itself.

"I wouldn't be a proper King if I simply moved on and discarded my rule as a mere waste of time. But I'm certainly not keen on relying on anyone else to achieve my goals when I could and should fight for them!"

Her voice was steel and her glare was unwavering even if she couldn't see the one meant to receive her words.

"I must admit you have troubled me, King of Knights. But if a trial is what you wish, then I shall give it to you. You will have another chance to obtain the Grail and you will have to fight for it. But if you think it will be as easy as last time, you are gravely mistaken."

The sky cracked open at that as the mud that she had seen seeping out of that hole over Fuyuki now washed over her once more, and Artoria lost consciousness for the third time.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Gilgamesh was surprised when he woke up and found the body of his Master still clinging to life even with his heart blown out. Almost as surprised as when he realised his body was now flesh and blood. After brief conversation with Kirei Kotomine, they had reached the most logical conclusion that the Grail had given both of them another chance at life.

For what reason he couldn't know.

He had easily figured out the identity of the one he encountered during that pitch black dream and simply dismissed it as unworthy of being in his divine presence. When that being however seemed amused by this and promptly spit him out, he didn't expect to awaken in Fuyuki.

A simple glance told him the the hole in the sky was the grail, and that the nature of that evil being that spoke to him was responsible for the stream of curses that turned all they touched to cinders, resulting in the sight before him.

His Master's former enemy, wandering aimlessly among the wreckage, looking for survivors.

Gilgamesh was certain that the rabble that made up the populace of this era wouldn't have what it takes to survive anything like what was happening now. Anyone who did so would have been worthy to live under his rule after all.

That is why the King of Heroes seemed particularly interested when Kiritsugu Emiya actually found a survivor. A young boy with red hair and eyes that seemed empty to all emotion.

"Ho, isn't this unexpected."

Kirei Kotomine, having now deemed Kiritsugu Emiya's hollow existance unimportant to his new life goal, simply moved on without paying any attention to the King's words. Gilgamesh however lingered for a moment more, as if to engrave the survivor's features in his memory.

It wouldn't do to not recognise one of his future subjects after all.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Artoria snapped her eyes open as soon as she could, only to realise she might have been better off unconscious as smog and fire irritated her senses immediately.

Standing up and instantly manifesting her magically woven armor to cover up her naked body, she noticed her Mana reserves were abysmally low.

She wasn't being sustained by the grail and the Mana that linked her to a Master and allowed them to provide for her needs was gone. She would have to make due with her own reserves for as long as she could before disappearing until she figured out what was wrong.

After regaining her bearings, she was mortified to find out that the sight around her was in Fuyuki.

This couldn't be. Was she summoned here again? Was this even another Grail War? The last thing she remembered was the voice telling her that she would have to fight for the Grail once more, and that the challenge would be greater this time.

She assumed that her lack of any sort of support had something to do with that. But this…

This was horrible. The region she and Irisviel had explored during the 4th Holy Grail War, Shinto she recalled, was burnt to the ground, ruined and littered with charred and crushed corpses. Many of them in groups, families she reasoned, and her stomach dropped.

Wait a minute.

She was being affected by her surroundings in a very different manner compared to when her body was that of a Servant's. The harsh environment and the feeling in her gut wouldn't have affected her as much if she were a spirit manifested by Mana.

But, she figured , she wasn't being manifested by Mana, was she?

The only logical conclusion she could make was the she had a real, flesh and blood body.

This would complicate things. If she couldn't fight against Servants on equal grounds, she didn't see herself having much of a chance to win the Grail. If this even was another Grail War. She reasoned that staying there wouldn't do much to answer her questions, and if her newfound body was actually affecting her constitution as it would a Human's, she had to get away from the fire as quicky as possible.

Moments later she found herself on the outskirts of the devestation when she finally noticed something move, a person.

Approaching them so as to assist them, she made the grim realisation that the person she had spotted was her previous Master, Kiritsugu Emiya, and stopped herself.

What should she do? Help him? Leave him be as retribution for his betrayal? Or even go out of her way to attack him?

Then she spotted the young boy in his arms, and she dismissed her later thoughts as quickly as they came.

The man heard footsteps rapidly approaching and he turned towards their direction when he froze.

"S-Saber?"

Artoria reached the pair after that and didn't say a word, studying the state her former Master was in. Since he was here, and didn't look any different from the last time she saw him, even with the dust and grime hanging off of him, she quickly reasoned that she was back in the Fuyuki she had last fought in. The man was now staring, and she figured it wouldn't do for her to stay silent.

"Kiritsugu, do you need help?"

The Magus Killer seemed to contemplate her words, probably looking for a reason to refuse her aid. But then he gazed at the boy in his arms, staring at the blonde with awe in his previously dead eyes, and he resigned himself.

"I'm mostly fine, but the boy needs a hospital."

"He does? He looks perfectly fine to me, despite the state of his clothes."

That puzzled Kiritsugu for a moment before a look of realisation appeared on his face and he gave soft chuckle.

"Yeah, I guess he does. You might not understand this Saber, but your timing is incredible. So much so that I don't even care how you're even here at the moment."

Artoria didn't give much thought to this, reasoning her former Master would be inclined to answer her questions later. Their priority was to take the boy somewhere safe.

Kiritsugu knelt down to let the kid stand on his own, and after he reckoned he could walk on his own, he placed a hand on the boys' shoulder.

"Kid, how are you feeling? Can you speak?"

The young boy, puzzled by the fact that his body seemed to be perfectly fine despite his previous state, spoke up after a while.

"Yeah… I'm fine now…"

Kiritsugu smiled, Artoria noted that the last time she had seen her Master do so was back in the Einzbern Mansion, in the company of his daughter, Illyasviel.

"That's good. Do you have a name? Any place to stay?"

The kid's face looked as if he was trying hard to remember something before he looked down disappointedly.

"My name is Shirou… but I… I can't remember anything else…"

Kiritsugu and Artoria shared a brief look of understanding. The kid, Shirou, had been through hell. So much so that he unconsciously discarded everything important to him so that he wouldn't break down. The absolute last fight or flight mechanism of a human mind dead set on survival.

"I see. We should still get you checked in a hospital just to be safe, but when that's done, would you like for me to adopt you?"

The King of Knights shot a quizzical look at Kiritsugu, but he just avoided her gaze as his eyes remained on Shirou.

The kid for his part tried to look like he was considering it, but Artoria already knew that his mind was made. For a kid that had lost everything, being offered security, family by the person that rescued them from hell wasn't even a question.

"Yeah… I'd like that."

Kiritsugu beamed with joy as tears threatened to spill from his eyes, but he held them back, the smile still on his face.

"That's great, Shirou. My name is Kiritsugu Emiya. And I should let you know right away, I'm a wizard."

The young boy's eyes shined in realisation, probably accepting the words spoken as the truth. In fact, Artoria reckoned that the kid would most likely attribute his rescue to his soon to be Father's abilities and she smiled softly.

If nothing else, the kid would try to live up to such acts of heroism in his life, that much she could tell.

Kiritsugu stood tall and offered his hand to Shirou, the boy reaching for it as they started moving away from the hell that they had survived, stopping only for a moment to turn back and look at Artoria.

"Saber, if you're still around by tomorrow, come by the house and I'll try to answer any questions you might have."

The Servant simply nodded at that and the pair walked away, leaving her behind with her thoughts.

"Kiritsugu Emiya, you really are a kind man. So why? Why did you destroy our dreams?"

Her question wouldn't be answered until tomorrow anyway, so Artoria decided to leave as well. Maybe the Einzbern Castle outside the city still had a pair of clothes for her.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Dawn came and Artoria departed from the Castle, dressed in one of the suits Irisviel had given her. She didn't want to appear conspicuous as she made her way through Fuyuki.

Thankfully a bike was still in the garage and she wouldn't have to walk all the way there. Last night had been more taxing to her than she was willing to admit. Even if her Mana capacity was lower than that of a Servant, that only meant that she couldn't spare the energy needed to enhance the vehicle. She would still be able to ride it just fine.

An hour later and she parked the bike outside the walls of the Japanese styled compound Kiritsugu had purchased for the war. Coming back here without Irisviel was giving her an empty feeling, but she pushed it down. After all, she needed to be here now to get her answers.

The Boundary Field around the estate didn't hinder her in any way, seeing how Kiritsugu had made it so that it only served as an alarm.
Not a moment later, Kiritsugu stood at the door, dressed in casual dark robes that seemed out of place for a man like him. Shirou, she recalled being the boy's name was standing behind him, peeking around the taller man's legs and brightening up when he saw their visitor was the lady from last night.

"Saber, you're here." Kiritsugu stated with a raised eyebrow.

Artoria walked towards the pair, as calm as she could be.

"Why are you surprised, Kiritsugu?"

"Well to be perfectly honest, I didn't think you'd have enough Mana to remain in this world without me as a Master to provide. Seeing how you lack the classification and skills to do so."

Artoria reasoned that was a correct assumption. She definitely didn't possess any of the Archer class skills that would allow them to remain in the world longer without a master, and her Saber classification required more Mana to maintain, party because of Artoria's own high parameters.

"Normally you would be correct in your assumption, but the circumstances of my remaining here are different. Can we talk inside?"

Kiritsugu then realised that they had been standing in the doorway before chuckling slightly to himself.

"Where are my manners? Sure, come in, Saber."

After being allowed entrance, Artoria took a moment to evaluate Kiritsugu once again. His appearance and his demeanor were drastically different compared to the war. Almost as if he was a different person.

Soon they were seated in the living room, or at least what passed for a living room in this house. It was obvious to everyone that the estate was in need of renovations. But then again, Kiritsugu had mentioned to Irisviel that the only reason he had purchased the estate in the first place was for it to act as a secondary base of operations for the war. So one could say that it had already served it's primary purpose.

Kiritsugu poured everyone a cup of tea and sat down next to Shirou, who for his part, seemed completely relaxed in the presence of the two adults.

"How are you feeling, Shirou? Were there any complications after last night?" Artoria asked the kid who was confused as to why he was suddenly the subject of conversation.

"Um… it was fine. The doctors said that there was nothing obviously wrong but told me to take it easy for the time being."

"That is good to hear. Although I do wonder why Kiritsugu said it had something to do me."

Kiritsugu sighed. He figured he would have to reveal this to his Servant sooner rather than later, and he was secretly glad that the subject hadn't come up during the war. At least he didn't have to worry about that anymore so he guessed it was fine to answer her.

"Saber, the catalyst we used to summon you for the war… was Avalon, Excalibur's long lost sheathe. It was given to Iri to keep her safe until…" he looked down, and Artoria could see that this was a troubling subject they were treading and understandably so.

"So Irisviel gave you Avalon before she was taken. And you used it to save Shirou from the fire…" she stated and Kiritsugu nodded.

"Yes, that's right. Avalon was the reason Iri was able to last as long as she did, but in the end it didn't matter. At least it was able to save one person."

Artoria shifted her gaze from her former Master to the young boy once again, and he flinched before asking.

"So, the thing that saved me, is something that's yours? If so, how do I give it back?"

The King of Knights was puzzled at that. The kid had obviously realised that he was in possession of a powerful artifact capable of saving him last night. And yet he was willing to give it back simply because it wasn't his and it was the right thing to do. Just what kind of earnest and kind hearted person had Kiritsugu Emiya stumbled upon?

"Even if I knew of a way for you to part with it, I wouldn't want to risk your condition in any way. You can hold on to it for now." Artoria said and noticed how Kiritsugu seemed to relax at that.

Shirou, however gave her a soft smile as thanks and took a sip from his tea. She guessed she should do the same, she did have a fancy for tea and she hadn't even tried any since it had been served to her.

It proved adequate enough for her tastes, but she wouldn't let Kiritsugu know that little fact, lest she give him any sort of unneeded satisfaction. After all, she still wasn't fond of the man.

"Saber, can I ask you a question?" he then asked and Artoria took a guess at what it might be.

"Does it have to do with my body? I assume you figured it out by now if you're actually asking."

Kiritsugu nodded before explaining.

"I tried to analyze your stats and your status as a servant but I don't see or sense anything that would indicate you as one."

Artoria sighed as she rested her cup on the table.

"It is true. I am unaware of the exact circumstances or how it happened, but right now, my body isn't that of a Servant. It is a real human body as far as I can tell. And while that does limit my abilities, the most I've noticed is my limited Mana reserves. If I were to estimate, I would say they're on par with what I was used to when I was alive."

Kiritsugu didn't seem to expect that answer as he took a while to compose himself.

"So… you think you're alive again?"

"Yes, or at least something in between, not quite alive and yet still a Servant."

"I see…"

He didn't. He honestly had no idea how a phenomenon like that could even happen. Or why it hasn't happened in any previous Holy Grail Wars. Surely someone would know if a Heroic Spirit was walking around among the living, right?

"So what do you plan on doing now? Surely you wouldn't waste a second chance at life doing anything mundane." Kiritsugu reasoned and Artoria stiffened.

She hadn't given her future much thought. Or any for that matter. Ever since yesterday all she had concerned herself with were the questions she had wanted to ask. Well that moment was now and she still had to say her piece.

"Before that, I want to ask you a question, if you don't mind."
Kiritsugu didn't answer so she took that as a sign to proceed.

"Why did you order me to destroy the Grail?"

There it is, Kiritsugu thought. The question that he was sure would come up. He guessed the only way to answer without it looking like he was making excuses, was the truth. So he began.

He spoke of his fight with Kotomine and how they had both been doused in the Grail's contents. He spoke of the figure inside the Grail that took the form of Iri and promised him his wish, and how the harsh reality of it's execution would ruin the world beyond saving. He spoke of the curse the Grail had bestowed upon him, and how he was sure the effects of it would soon start to manifest. And lastly, he spoke of the fire and how it came to be.

Shirou was at a loss for words and he looked like he was about to empty his stomach, and Artoria guessed she looked much the same.

She couldn't doubt Kiritsugu's words, especially when they coincided with what she guessed was her own experience with the Grail. Or when his words caused him so much visible pain he struggled to even go on.

She couldn't even fathom what the implications of her own wish would be for the world if she had achieved Britain's salvation. Maybe her Kingdom would have been ruled by an Evil Tyrant that set out to destroy everything, leaving nothing in their wake, much like how Kiritsugu's wish would destroy the world.

However noble both their wishes might have been, she doubted if even she would have gone through with it if she had seen what Kiritsugu Emiya did.

"I understand." she finally said and Kiritsugu looked up to gaze at her.

"It would seem Irisviel's impression of you was correct to the very end, and for that I owe you an apology, Master." The King of Knights rose to her feet only to bow deeply in front of the man who had lost everything but gained a single ray of light.

Kiritsugu gazed at Shirou who was staring at the magnificence of the King before him and smiled.

"No, it's quite alright King of Knights. I admit I haven't given you the greatest of impressions during the war, but that is only because I too didn't understand you. Servants were mere tools, I thought. But I suppose your subjects wouldn't fight on behalf of a King without character." Kiritsugu saw fit to bow as well and Artoria beamed at the first sign of respect she had gained from her Master.

Shirou stood flabbergasted for a moment before deciding to bow as well, although rather clumsily, earning a laugh from everyone there at his antics. He then proclaimed that since Artoria was a king, he was required to bow and he didn't understand what all the fuss was about, making the adults laugh once more.

With the atmosphere cleared of tension at last, Kiritsugu excused himself, saying that he should prepare something for them to eat, stating that even Artoria now was required to eat to support her body much like any Human should. Said Servant-turned-human wouldn't object to that logic.

Hunger was the enemy after all.

What Kiritsugu had made though, was surely the enemy as well.

After nearly two hours of the man desperately struggling in the rundown kitchen and two fires prevented due to Shirou's quick intervention with the fire extinguisher, dinner had been served.

Shirou, being the kind and appreciative soul that he was, took the first bite out of his plate and promptly excused himself before running to the bathroom.

Kindness had it's limits, it would seem.

When Shirou came back, he had proudly exclaimed that from that point onwards he would take on the task of preparing meals for the family, even if his first attempts would most likely be of similar nature to his soon to be Father's.

No one objected to that, Kiritsugu himself admitting that he never was a good cook and that he would support Shirou as much as he could. Shirou for his part, immediately declined the offer, and told Kiritsugu that he would only be allowed to use the kitchen to brew tea, much to the Magecraft user's dissappointment.

Artoria had to admit that the dynamic between the two was very entertaining, and she could see that Shirou would have a positive effect on Kiritsugu's life. However there was one more thing that had to be addressed.

As soon as the take-out Shirou had insisted they order was done, Artoria stood up to greet the two, saying that she should be on her way but that she had one more thing she wished to discuss with Kiritsugu in private.

"Okay. Shirou, can you take care of the mess while I have a talk with Saber?" he asked while pointing at the table and Shirou nodded eagerly.

As soon as the boy left, carrying a small garbage bag with him towards the back of the estate, Kiritsugu approached his former Servant who was standing in the doorway.

"What's wrong?" he asked and Artoria sighed.

"What are you going to do about Illyasviel? Surely you don't intend to leave her with the Einzberns."

Kiritsugu then rubbed his stubble, deep in thought before sighing in defeat.

"No matter how I approach this, I don't see old man Jubstacheit letting me anywhere near the Einzbern Grounds. In his eyes, I betrayed the Einzberns and destroyed their hope of winning the Grail War. I hate to ask this, but would you mind helping me, Saber?"

Artoria smiled at that before responding.
"I would gladly be of assistance. This is yours and Irisviel's daughter. Leaving her to the devices of the Einzberns will no doubt have serious repercussions for everyone. And…"

She stole a glance at where Shirou had been sitting besides them during the day and smiled fondly. He was a good kid.

"…it would be great for Shirou to have more family around. He's going to need it no matter how he may seem now."

Kiritsugu earnestly smiled at her words before giving a small bow.
"I'm relieved, Saber. If you don't mind, come back again tomorrow and we can discuss how we go about it then."

Artoria nodded in understanding but didn't say anything, simply turning to leave the house and opening the door.
She stopped however just before leaving.

"Kiritsugu… I'm sorry I couldn't protect Irisviel."

"It's not your fault. She was destined to become the Grail's vessel. There was nothing you or anyone could have done to prevent that."

Artoria accepted the words. They were true after all. But still…

"Even so, I am sorry."

"As am I, Saber."

There was no need to say anything more.
Artoria turned and left the Emiya Household as she mounted her bike and rode off towards the Einzbern Castle she had taken residence in the previous night, unaware of the pair of red eyes that studied her departure.

"To think that you would remain in this world as well, my beautiful King of Knights. Truly, observing that boy has already provided me with much entertainment. I look forward to seeing what you do next…"

Leave a Review if you have any comments about the story so far! Next Chapter will be sometime this week.