I do not own the Fate Franchise and the characters being written in this story as they all belong to Type-Moon, Kinoko Nasu and co.
For the rest of the day, Illya has been at her futon resting because she has not been feeling well today and in turn worrying her little brother Shirou.
Shirou who is still worrying about Illya asks "Are you sure that you are going to be fine while I'm at school, I could just skip school to take care of you." Of course her beloved brother is worrying about her well being as she answers "As much as I want you to be at home so I can spend time with you onii-chan, I can manage just fine with just a couple of naps then your beloved Illya will be in pristine condition!"
Puffing out her chest to make him relaxed, but his skepticism is still present but conceded with a sigh "Just let me or Fuji-nee know if you need anything, I am sure that you know how to call her on the phone that she provided for the two of us."
Before leaving the household, Shirou pats Illya's head telling her "Get well soon Illya, maybe we will go to the beach again once you are well." And that he left to go to school with a comforting yet sad smile plastered on his face.
"I should sleep my ills away, no alchemy will help me on this one, not even Sella or Leysritt will help me at this moment." She went to her room just to rest her sickness away at the futon.
Waking up in a dream world, a starless night at the surrounding of the Einzbern Castle at Fuyuki appears.
Illya who is looking around thinking this is her reality marble asked herself "Is this my reality marble?" Out of nowhere someone intervenes and gave her the answer "Unfortunately this isn't your reality marble Illyasviel, this is just your dream." A cold yet familiar tone was spoken to an individual that she heard her answer to.
She looked at the appearance and was surprised to see Rin's servant appearing in her dream as she was about to say something, Archer answered her possible question "Sadly, I was unable to go to the Throne of Heroes and your Berserker isn't here and was replaced to your enemy's lowly servant archer."
Illyasviel wanting to see the Archer who defeated her Berserker 6 times asks "Why can't you go to the Throne of Heroes Archer?" And Archer quickly answered her question "It is possible that I have something to do here before going back..." Cutting right at that moment, Archer thinks for the moment trying to give her a well thought out explanation and before he was about to continue Illyasviel said "Then if you're here, can you accompany me til the end of my dream?"
Archer nodded and said "Of course, I should be nothing but obedient for Illyasviel Von Einzbern because I am currently your servant in this dream." Thinking back, Archer remembers Illya ever since the battle against Heracles, he failed her once and he won't do it again even on a timeline where she doesn't know the name 'Emiya Shirou'.
Archer spoke in a soft tone "It is a beautiful starless night isn't it?" Looking atop her dream sky, Illya responds while puffing her chest "Of course, I am Illyasviel Von Einzbern and it is obvious my dream should be a good place to rest!" Slowly Archer is turning back into Emiya Shirou as he gives a small smile in such a similar manner to her brother "Illyasviel is there anything you want to do?" To which Illya answered "I want to rest in this dream." As the view now changed to Archer in a gazebo filled with imaginary treats "Sure, just think of something you want to form and it will come to you since this is your dream after all." For a long time, Archer longingly wants to tell her that he was 'Emiya Shirou' as he wants to bond with his sister, his main push to becoming who he currently is now.
Illya tries to imagine something but fails until Archer explains it more "Think of it like you're doing a projection, I am sure that someone taught you that right?" As she flashes back to Shirou teaching her the basics of projection because she begged him to teach her that.
She tried it again and it worked, the bed reminisces about her time with her parents Kiritsugu and Irisviel, a melancholic smile appears before Archer as he knelt down to her "Is there something wrong master?"
Illya answered "It's just that I was filled with vengeance to try and kill onii-chan for stealing Kiritsugu but I was only fed with lies from the Einzbern Family by my grandfather." Archer gave her a head pat to calm her down, he knows this is the best way to calm his sister down "Just relax master, we will get to the end of your dream soon so just take your time to rest and sleep because I will be here."
Illya's thoughts lingered at the familiar head pat that Archer gave her that reminded her of Shirou.
Slowly her eyes began to close even though it is a dream, somehow she felt tired just venturing around in her dream.
Her surroundings turned into flames and she saw the grail pouring down, with everyone dying everywhere as she didn't know what was happening.
Walking around and there she saw her father as she shouted "Kiritsugu!" She ran and ran towards him as she stopped to see him in pain and saw a familiar face as he grabbed a hold of the hollowed child saying "He's alive! Thank you! You have saved me!" As tears pour down his face while Illya hears her little brother's thoughts "Can I smile just like him?"
Her vision then turns to seeing Saber saying "I love you Shirou." With a smile before she vanishes as she sees her onii-chan just looking a bit sad for her disappearance "I love you too... Saber." As he slowly walks away to go back to his home after the end of the 5th Holy Grail War.
And now the environment changes to that of Rin and Shirou at the Clocktower with Rin teaching him everything she can teach him before he can start venturing as a Hero of Justice, as Illya asks herself "What is this? Why am I seeing this?"
She now looks at a heartbreaking scene of her and Shirou in her deathbed with her eyes widened "Illya... Please don't die, I can save you with the help of Rin and Sakura." She saw her brother desperately trying to save her as she knew that it is her homunculus body that is causing her to die instead of dying from old age and growing up.
She saw her patting Shirou's head saying "I'll be fine Shirou, I get to see Kiritsugu and mother again." A sad smile is being shown to her beloved little brother as Shirou says "You are my little sister, I can't just let you die." Tears are now being shown to his face, not wanting to fail to save his sister.
The Dream Illya giggles "Shirou, I am your older sister so as your onee-chan, please don't cry." As she slowly closes her eyes, never opening them again just like what happened with his final time with Kiritsugu.
He disobeyed her, crying in pain to see that she died yet she died with a smile on her face as he softly says "Just like how Kiritsugu went away from me." He gave a short laugh, finding similarities as he said "I failed her Kiritsugu, I failed her..." As he continues to cry for losing the last relative he has left.
Watching that scene unfold made Illya realize something as she whispers "This is the dream cycle, this is Archer's memories of the past or should I say Shirou's memories."
Suddenly an alarm is being rang to Illya's ears as she looked to see Shirou desperately needing the power to save the people underground as the Nuclear explosion is about to commence until suddenly she saw the Will of Humanity in all it's glory trying to offer Shirou a contract that she knew what it is and that is being a 'Counter Guardian' as she hears Shirou say "If it is to stop the people in my view from crying then I will accept this contract." As he now accepts becoming a Counter Guardian.
The scene changes to him continuing to live up to his promise of becoming a Hero of Justice as he helped in the middle east as there is still a war that is currently taking place. His appearance has changed to a tan skin and white hair and also silver eyes though his hair isn't slicked like he currently is one in the present.
Saving tens after one, saving hundreds after tens and many more, never backing out as he tries to save everyone he can as he softly says "So my appearance is really similar to Archer... No, I am not similar to Archer because I am Archer."
As he gave the people in his area food to continue surviving as she tells herself "You really are a hero, onii-chan."
And now suddenly she saw him at a platform with people jeering at him as they call him the mastermind of the war, she recognized the few people there jeering at him as they were the ones he had saved a while ago.
Illya anxiously looks at her brother as he is about to hang in the gallows yet he has a smile plastered on his face as in his thoughts that she can hear "It doesn't matter so long as I save more people in the afterlife." An innocent thought for a sad ending for a hero before dying by the hands of the ones he saved as he now starts his adventure as a Counter Guardian.
Before his death, the scene changes to his home with Kiritsugu and him sitting on a porch admiring the view as Kiritsugu says "When I was young, I used to want to be a Hero of Justice" And the Young Shirou asks "What made you stop being a Hero of Justice?" As Kiritsugu sighs "Being a Hero of Justice is just a limited time thing, I have grown old and feel weary." Then Shirou's eyes lit up as he said these words "Then, I will become a Hero of Justice for you!" With a sad smile Kiritsugu feels at peace "Then I'm glad" As he shuts his eyes for the final time... Never waking up.
And the scenes changes to Shirou's time as a Counter Guardian
She saw him kill and kill for so long, as she knew that he was fooled by Alaya and in his rage and self-pity he says "I shouldn't have accepted that damn contract, I shouldn't have taken hold of Kiritsugu's ideals." As gears are now being shown to a hill filled with swords.
With each swords being placed to his hill of swords signifying how many times he has killed in his time as a Counter Guardian
It has been eons upon eons for him but for Illya it has been but a short minute as she woke up surprising Archer with a hug and crying "Shirou, I am so sorry, I didn't know I killed you and I didn't know that you were suffering that much." As many tears have been shed, as Archer now fully returned to being what he used to be as 'Emiya Shirou' yet one question still lingers for him in his mind as he asks himself "Am I worthy of this kind of affection? Illya is apologizing for something she has no control over."
Slowly tears were also being shown in his face and he decides to think that he should accept the hug that came from his sister, his hair no longer slicked as it should have been and a new Archer came to be, this Archer is not a copy of the one in the Throne of Heroes but it is the original Archer or now a renewed Emiya Shirou.
"There was nothing you can do in a grail war Illya, you should have expected to kill the servants in the grail war even so it is not your fault you killed me." Counter Guardian Shirou comforted her.
Illya who is still hugging her brother asks "Then I-" Thinking of his memories and how she knew how much he misses her "I want you to tell me how were you summoned in the 5th Grail War Shirou." A sad smile is shown to his face as he said "There is a red pendant that I held dearly because Tohsaka saved me using that pendant, I remember you playing it thinking that it was my pendant but it was Tohsaka's." As he giggles at the scene playing out.
"Shirou do you still have it? Shirou flinches a bit from being called his real name after such a long time yet he knew now that he is still the Emiya Shirou back then and now came to accept it and try making sense of his ideal in a different way.
"I am pretty sure that I put it at a cabinet after you played with it while I am afraid that I just let you destroyed something that I held dearly as well like the you, Kiritsugu, Fuji-nee and others." CG Shirou answers.
"Shirou can you piggy back me to the end of my dream slowly?" Illya innocently ask in which Counter Guardian Shirou answers "Of course, I am nothing but the best for my master and sister." As he knelt down and she want to his back with a smile on both of the siblings face.
Slowly Illya's surrounding and many a few shooting stars are appearing, she admires the view that she is seeing and thought to herself that this is a beautiful dream.
Counter Guardian Shirou asks "Do you admire the night sky Illya?" With a smile plastered on his face as his ideals reignite and found a new way to go about it like a spark burning hot, one that he nearly forgot.
Illya answers his question "Yes, reminds me of what you used to say when you're just outside sitting in a porch on the same exact place that you and Kiritsugu used to sit at admiring the night sky." A sad smile lingers on both of their faces, with Illya understanding why and how he is.
Nearing the end of the dream, they took the time to talk just like old times.
As she is at the portal to end her dream right there she says "Will I see you again?" Counter Guardian Shirou knelt down like a knight pledging his oath to his king and queen "Under the Starless Night... We will meet again." As he gave her a comforting and farewell smile.
Illya hugs him again, not wanting to see him suffer more as she says "Then you won't be saved by anyone Shirou." Short tears were shown as he hugs her back.
Both of them standing up after their sibling hug as Counter Guardian Shirou says "I'll be fine Illya! I'll try my best again." With a smile plastered on his face as he saw Illya slowly going to the portal to wake up from her dream and the mansion in front of him dissipating before his very eyes turning back into his hill of swords or what he calls it his 'Unlimited Blade Works'.
Gears working properly in a new shine and the sky turned from a day to night and his reality marble is just changing as a whole.
In the midst of his reality marble changing, Altria is there in a distance slowly dissipating with a happy face saying "I'll wait again, Shirou" As she completely dissipates to Avalon again until she is needed again as she knew Counter Guardian Shirou will succeed to going to Avalon this time.
While Illya is now waking up after her dream, remembering everything that happened there as she saw that Shirou just came home from school and saw Illya running at him to hug him and shouting "Shirou! Welcome back!" Before Shirou was able to greet, he pats her head with a smile saying "I'm home." A smile that resembles the essence of Emiya Shirou being shone on his face.
Illya seeing the resemblance of Archer and Shirou again and says "I love you onii-chan!" and Shirou says "Love you too Illya." As they both hug in the entrance of the Emiya Household with Fuji-nee about to come in saying "Illya! I heard from Shirou that you are si-" She gets cut to see them hugging.
Taiga dramatically said "My little brother is a pedophile!" As she kept on muttering that she failed Kiritsugu as both the siblings laugh at her expense.
A/N: I felt like that Archer needs something to reignite the beauty of his ideal and this will help for the sequel fanfic I am planning where there will be a battle between 4th Grail War with its masters and servants against 5th Grail War and it's master and servants (Post-UBW but Illya is alive) also I know that EMIYA didn't really save Altria as his timeline is similar to the Fate Route yet I made him looking like he came from Fate Route (As Emiya Shirou turning to Archer EMIYA, because I feel like I would love this kind of things on the Fate Route as he ventures to Avalon but failed in the process and thus leading him to becoming a Counter Guardian.) but I'd like to say this is a fanfic so anything could happen
