The light tapping of footsteps sounded as an individual entered the room. A creaking sound of a chair rang out for a second before the room went dead silent.

"You have gotten hurt again…" The individual begun with a concerned tone before sighing after the observation was vocalized. Said individual spoke with a soft tone that was full of affection with suppressed joy and excitement.

"I did not think it was likely that we would meet again. I had hoped but it is to the greatest of delights that I have the fortune to meet you again. Although you do not remember me…

Well, I do not believe that would be too much of a hindrance. I suppose that I am content with the opportunity to get to know you again.

The situation is just like before. You have gotten hurt in the act of trying to help me…

It has been sixteen years for me since our farewell. I imagine it must be much longer for you even though you do not recall me. Life must have been hard for you in that time…. I do hope you had not suffered as much as I did on your path.

I first regained my memories when I was seven. Thus far I have lived a simple life, without the immense complications of the previous one. With that said, this life is much better that my last. I was still born an orphan, but I had been adopted by my uncle after the death of my parents. My uncle in this life is similar in personality to Sir Ector, I enjoyed growing up under him as well.

It was different growing up this time. This time there were no burdens, no responsibilities expected of me. I wasn't raised as a knight or a King. I had no need to surrender the freedom in my dreams onto Merlin for my education. It was easy to adapt for by the time I had recovered my memories at the age of seven, I had already been raised like a typical girl.

Initially upon gaining my memories, I had lamented this life for I did not believe that I would have the fortune to be able to spend this life with you like I had wished. I did try to look for the positive side though, you would not have liked to see me sad because of you after all.

The next steps were not hard. While I had gained the memories of my previous existence, I recalled what you tried to do for me. I believed that if nothing else, you would be happy for me if I were able to lead a normal existence without such burdens in this life. I have tried and succeeded at this thus far. Are you proud for me?

So far, I have followed the common path for a girl of my age. School was unfamiliar but I wouldn't say it had been too hard. While I had some friends, I haven't yet been able to connect with them truly for perhaps I had already experienced too much in order to do so. There is still time however and I am trying to get better at socializing. But I suppose that it is not entirely in my character to be extroverted.

I have relished in the new experiences that this life has granted me in the modern age so far, I only wished that you would have been there with me.

Recently, I have been volunteering in a Zoo, I have been assigned to be responsible for the Lions. It had been a goal for me to do so upon embarking on a school trip to a Zoo. Normally, they would not allow a sixteen-year-old girl to take care of the lions but after many instances of providing my help around the zoo, they had allowed me this chance.

I liked feeding the lions as well as brushing their fur. It is always enjoyable to be able to take care of such majestic animals. This vacation in the zoo is part of my most cherished experiences. I suppose this is why I had rushed out so readily to confront a stranger that had thrown something into the enclosure and ran away.

Perhaps I may lose this opportunity at doing what I enjoy by causing such an incident. It has however given me the chance to meet you again so there is nothing more I would prefer.

We never had a proper typical farewell. I suppose neither of us had wanted something insignificant to be our last conversation. If you had asked to go back and find another solution, I would have agreed and followed you. I suppose that is accurate to your character. You made the right decision. It was our choice. We had no regrets up to the final moment, we had expressed what we both wanted to.

Even if you don't remember me, even if you have forgotten my face and my voice, even if you have forgotten my gestures, even… if you have forgotten your love for me, I will be here. This is the best ending I could have wished for, a chance to spend a full life with you. No matter what, I hope to be by your side for the days to come..."

A boy lies on a hospital bed, his eyes closed. His chest rising with a steady breathing that represents his state of unconsciousness. There is medical equipment of various complexities for the monitoring of a patient around him. He is not connected to any of them, they are not powered on, the boy is simply just temporarily unconscious, likely to wake within hours and a half a day at most.

The boy had been out for a jog, he lived nearby to the zoo, it was the same path that led to the zoo's entrance that he had used every week. He had spotted a girl running out of the entrance of the zoo. Upon seeing her visage, unknowingly, the boy burst into a sprint from his jog. His senses had not been able to focus on anything else aside from her visage.

It was in this focus that he had spotted that the girl was about to run into a street full of cars speeding by. He had managed to catch up in time to pull her backwards and avoid an accident. Due to being surprised, upon being tugged backwards, her entire body weight fell onto him. As he had sprinted in order to be able to catch her, he had not had the support needed for stability and after experiencing a sudden increase of force towards him, he fell backwards and smashed the back of his head against the ground, knocking him out.

He had not been able to been able to hear the one-sided conversation that the girl had made by his bedside. However, after the incident and with the further experiences made in passing weeks, he had gained a valuable friend, a friend that had somehow filled his heart with warmth every time they interacted.

His friend had her quirks, she had often made strange references and had adopted a dated outlook as well as preferences, but he would not trade his experience with her for anything. She was kind-hearted and gentle but was also extremely caring and protective towards him.

After their initial meeting upon him waking up, they had been through numerous experiences, thick and thin and whatever problems that would crop up, they would deal with it together, they were a team. If she was a sword, he would be her sheath.

He would fall in love with her deeply and easily. She had too accepted his feelings positively as if she had always known that he would. It was still a revelation of immense joy and intimacy between them and their feelings for each other would somehow become greater. He would later go on to call her his wife.

Arturia Emiya.

Authors Notes:

This is a OneShot as to an alternate AU ending where Arturia doesn't go to Avalon and reincarnates. Shirou lives his life out, and reincarnates but only Arturia has the memories of Shirou. They do still get together though and Shirou does fall in love with her again.