Don't know if there are any Archer/Rin fans out there, but just in case there are, this first part is for you:

"Archer? Is something wrong?"

Tearing his eyes away from the window, the Servant in red kept his expression as neutral as possible to avoid suspicion.

For a brief moment, he had felt it. Just like how that infuriating man had sensed his arrow before, Archer was sure he had felt the same Projection magecraft being performed by him. Granted, the magecraft itself was nothing special, but it carried a much different meaning for Archer when it t was used by that man.

That man had been a pathetic, wretched existence and, in a way, he still was even now. He had nothing – not even the power to back up his words – but that pointless determination had given him something to call his own. Something that reflected the very despair he had trudged into.

My body is made of swords.

The magecraft, insignificant like he was, gave him the power to fight. Regardless of whether he knew its true nature or not, the ability to Project was Emiya Shirou's first weapon. For a man unable to manifest that Inner World, it may very well be his only means of survival.

He would have been fine with that. As the farce of a hero that he was, Archer was more than prepared for him to use Projection in this Holy Grail War. It was simply an inevitable outcome the moment Rin first ran into him. He had anticipated it, but it felt… different.

He had had little interaction with him thus far, owing to the multitude of things that got in his way. He was pretty sure the boy had hardly gotten so much as a glance at his weapons. Maybe if he had seen Archer in action more, the Projection he just sensed might have been possible. But that was not the case.

Did that cosplay girl…? He wondered.

"Archer?" Rin called out. Despite the fatigue, her voice had lost none of its sharpness. He would not be surprised if she decided to start lecturing right then and there. "Are you listening?"

"Sorry, I wasn't," Archer replied. "I thought I felt the presence of an enemy, but I guess I was mistaken."

Rin glared at him but said nothing, either because she was too tired or she had not picked up on his lie (Granted, it was not entirely a lie, but Archer opted not to point that out). Disgruntled at not being able to chew him out, Rin busied herself with a sip of tea, determined not to meet his eyes.

"Well, whatever," she sulked. "It wasn't anything important anyway."

Archer suppressed the urge to chuckle. Ever since his Master had decided to talk to Illya – the real one who kept Berserker on a leash – he had been worried for her wellbeing. If the possibility of being pulverized by that herculean behemoth was not bad enough, the amount of blood vessels that had surely exploded in Rin's head during their conversation was surely hazardous to her health.

He remembered being genuinely worried at one point if he had to restrain his Master from jumping across the table and tearing Illya's throat out with her bare hands. It was practically a miracle that she managed to control herself in the end.

"W-what's with the creepy smile?" Rin asked. "Is there something on my face?"

"No, it's nothing," Archer replied. "Just thought about how rare it was for you to sulk like that. Must be Illya's influence."

"Wha- I-I'm not sulking!" Rin denied, a faint blush on her cheeks. "I-I'm just upset that you ignored me!"

That's what the world refers to as 'sulking', Rin, Archer thought. He knew all hell would break loose if he actually said it out loud, so he held his tongue. "That aside, are you sure about this, Master?"

"Of course not," Rin replied, pinching the bridge of her nose as she set her teacup down. "The less I have to deal with that infuriating little monster, the better. But her Servant will be useful. Unless you can take on, what, four Servants at once?"

"That is true," Archer conceded. "However, you should give yourself more credit, Master; like I've said before, I cannot be anything but the strongest Servant since I was summoned by you. Even if I can't fight them all, I can at least match Saber in terms of combat ability. Have more confidence, Rin."

"What's with the sudden flattery…" Rin mumbled, the scarlet hue of her shirt slowly invading her cheeks. "I won't go easier on you just because you praised me…"

"Hm? What was that, Rin?"

"I-it's nothing!" Rin all but exploded, looking at anywhere but him. Then, in a lower voice, she added, "… Idiot."

"But, well, what's done is done," Archer went on. "I won't question your decision. However, I hope you're mentally prepared for what's to come."

As those words passed his lips, he found himself recalling the conversations they used to have. In the shattered pieces of his hazy memory, she was still smiling. In the few lucid scenes haunting his mind, she was still safe. If there was one thing he had to achieve besides killing Emiya Shirou in this Holy Grail War, it was to make sure she never had to make that face ever again.

He remembered the look in her eyes. Obstinate yet gentle, she had screamed at him with a voice he could no longer hear. He could not recall her words, but he would never forget the pain in her eyes.

The tears on her face.

Even if he could not recall the words, he could guess what she had said. She had surely tried to scold him, to say she would stop caring about him if he continued to hurt himself. And when that failed, she would voice her true thoughts, expressing her genuine concerns for him and telling him not to go. That was the Tohsaka Rin he knew, and that was the Tohsaka Rin he had… admired.

And that was the Tohsaka Rin he had abandoned.

He had forsaken her, much like how he had forsaken Illya. In his pursuit of an ideal he could not understand, he had denied her the chance to help him. To save him.

Surely, her tearstained last words must have been: if you walk down that path, you yourself will never be saved.

No anger. No sarcasm. All that was surely poured into those words was grief that tore his chest apart.

That was the last time he had spoken to Tohsaka Rin. That was the last time he had heard her voice, before he became a farce of a Hero of Justice. Would she forgive him now, if she knew what he had become? Would she shed tears over the laughable existence he now was?

Would he be able to stand seeing her so hurt again?

"… Hey, Archer."

The Tohsaka Rin before him called out, her face more serious than it had been moments before. She looked hesitant – a look that did not suit her elegant visage.

"I'm wondering… if I should make you fight after all," she said.

"… What do you mean?" Archer asked. "I have no other purpose as a Servant but to fight."

"I know," Rin said, her voice gentle instead of impatient. "It's just that… when I was sleeping after talking to Illyasviel, I had a dream. It was a dream about how you… died."

Archer stayed silent. He already knew that such a thing was possible after all, having experienced it firsthand before.

"It didn't give me much insight as to which hero you were," Rin went on. "But from your actions in this War so far… I can tell you're shouldering something by yourself."

He did not ask what actions she was referring to. Knowing her, she would have picked up on even the smallest details, and he was not exactly known for being the most meticulous of individuals. He had little doubt that she had even noticed the 'Illya' slip-up earlier as well.

"If this battle is causing you pain, then I won't force you to fight," she said. "There's no guarantee the plan will work, so you could die and… I just… I just have a feeling that fighting this Holy Grail War is… tormenting you."

Archer did not reply. If he had to be perfectly honest, it was indeed hurting him; he had once bid unwilling goodbyes to all those people in his life, and even after being summoned to a time when they were alive, he was forced to fight them as an enemy.

Illya. Saber. Shinji. He had to hurt the same Masters and Servants all over again, just to accomplish a selfish goal. Of course it was tormenting him, but there was no way he could tell that to Rin.

"You're kind, Rin," he said with a smile.

"W-what's with you all of a sudden?!" Rin asked, blushing furiously. "A-and to think I went out of my way to worry about you!"

"Yeah, I know," he said, walking over to her and looking at her straight in the eyes. "That's why I said you're kind."

No matter what she said, Tohsaka Rin was a human before she was a magus. No matter how much she spoke of being ruthless for the sake of her goals, she could not turn her heart to stone. She was far gentler than she appeared to be, and it was out of that kindness that she wanted to save him.

That kindness ended up being responsible for her tears.

"Rin," he said, dropping all pretenses in that moment. "If you're prepared to do whatever it takes to finish this, see it through till the end."

Cast aside that kindness. Become the ideal magus you were meant to be.

"Even if things don't go your way, don't falter. Proceed down the path you chose to follow."

If things go wrong, give up on them. Give up on him.

"… Archer?" Rin asked hesitantly. Even if the words were simple, the look in his eyes told another story. There was something in his words, something far deeper than what she was getting – something only the Heroic Spirit himself understood.

"You're strong."

There were many things he had to say. There were countless things he had to tell her, that could possibly save her the pain she had to endure. Things that could make sure she never had to cry, even in the event of him failing to kill that man. But he could not do it.

Because that's the Tohsaka Rin I fell in love with.

"So there's no need for you to change," he said, reassuring her with a gentle smile. "There's no need to worry about me. I'll be fine."

So no matter what happens, he begged inside his heart of glass. Don't ever cry, Tohsaka.

Miyu the mini-Saber walked down the corridor gingerly, every step so light she might have been tiptoeing.

Her entire body was screaming in agony. Despite her prodigious athletic abilities, her muscles were so sore she was unsure if this body was even her own anymore.

"Miyu-sama," Sapphire said worriedly. "Will you be alright?"

"I think so," she replied. "If I just rest a little, I'll be fine…"

To call it 'sparring' would have been appropriate, but not accurate. To call it training would be putting it lightly. Even if she had been holding back, Saber was not someone to be taken lightly. Had she not Installed the Saber card before, Miyu would have been pretty confident saying she was a Heroic Spirit of Spartan origins.

"To think Saber-sama would get so carried away," Sapphire sighed. "It was a mistake on our part."

"I think Ruby would share her enthusiasm," Miyu commented. "Speaking of which, Sapphire, do you think there's-"

The rest of her question remained unasked as she opened the door to the guest room. Originally, it was a room that she, Illya and Kuro shared. Right now, there was only one occupant sitting by herself in the corner of the room.

"… Kuro?" she called out.

The dark-skinned girl did not give her an answer, but the twitch when Miyu had called out to her was proof enough that she had heard her. Unable to tell what was going on but sensing that something was wrong, Miyu slowly approached the girl.

"Kuro, you're bleeding!" she exclaimed, rushing over to the girl the moment she saw a small pool of blood around her. "What happened?"

"It's nothing," Kuro said flatly, not even bothering to yank her hand out of Miyu's grip. "I'm just a little low on mana right now, so I'll be fine once I get replenished from Illya."

"… That's not all," Miyu said. "Did something happen?"

"Nothing happened," Kuro denied. "Just leave me alone for a bit."

Miyu hesitated. Kuro had always been the more straightforward of the three, speaking whatever came to mind and taking action whenever a thought took her fancy. She wore her heart on her sleeve, but even she surely had things she wanted to hide. It was only natural, but something was off.

"… Hey, Miyu," she said suddenly. "How did your training with Saber go?"

"Eh? It… it went well," Miyu replied, surprised at the sudden question.

"Is that so," Kuro said. "Then, do you think you could beat me now?"

"What are you talking about, Kuro? Did something-"

"I asked you if you could kill me if we had to fight!" Kuro roared, turning to face her for the first time.

"W-what are you saying, Kuro?" Miyu gasped. "Why would I kill…"

"The Archer Card," Kuro said, stopping Miyu's words dead in their tracks. "It has a will of its own. It wants to kill onii-chan… kill Shirou. And there's nothing I can do to stop it. And when that happens, I want you to use Rule Breaker on me. Given what I am, it'll eradicate me without a trace."

"What do you mean?" Miyu asked. Kuro's injured hand, which was still tightly clasped in her own, was trembling. "I can't understand what you're saying, Kuro…"

"The Heroic Spirits have their own souls," Kuro said. "And two minds can't inhabit one body, especially not a body like mine which is tied to the Archer card. This body belongs to him, so there's no fighting it."

"Then you just have to fight him," Miyu encouraged. "Don't give up, Kuro!"

"How?" Kuro asked, her eyes glassy. "How can I fight the thing that's keeping me anchored to this world? How can I fight when I'm just a bunch of suppressed memories without a soul of my own?!"

Miyu froze. More than the words that had just come out of Kuro's mouth, more than the weakness in her words, she had been rendered speechless by Kuro's face.

Kuro – that confident, carefree Kuro – was crying. For the first time since that night in the bath, she was actually shedding tears. Despite her tough front, she was openly showing her weakness.

"Hey, Miyu," she said through the trails flowing down her cheeks. "What should I do…? What can I do…?"

She knew she should have said something to comfort her. She knew she should have tried to allay her fears. But as Miyu looked at pained expression on Kuro's face, her chest tightened. When she looked at the sorrow etched across that once cheerful face, any and all words simply died in her throat.

You came here by your own will, so don't vanish by your own will!

Perhaps it was for that reason that she chose not words, but actions instead.

Pulling Kuro's hand with surprising force, Miyu threw Kuro off-balance and pulled her into a kiss. Unable to think of what to say, she simply acted on reflex, mimicking Illya's actions from the night Kuro almost disappeared.

"W-what're you doing?!" Kuro spluttered, pushing her away. It had been a minimal amount of contact, but she had definitely taken some of Miyu's prana.

"… I don't know enough about the Class Cards to deny what you said," Miyu said slowly. "But I know that if you disappear, Illya will be sad. And… I'll be sad, too. Don't you remember what Illya said? She doesn't want us to leave her alone. So don't talk about dying or making me kill you, because I won't do it!"

Kuro stared, unable to process her words. Taking advantage of the stunned silence, Miyu went on:

"No matter what happens, we won't let you lose to the Class Card," she promised. "We're all here for you, so… So…!"

For a moment, no one spoke. For a few long seconds, neither girl said anything to the other. Miyu, no longer knowing what to say, merely looked away while Kuro, still too surprised to speak, had her mouth open with no sound coming out of it.

"K-Kuro?" Miyu said, as Kuro stood up without a word and headed towards the door."

"Thanks, Miyu," Kuro said, giving her a small smile. "I've calmed down thanks to you."

Without waiting for a reply, she turned and left. Miyu made to follow after her, but her body refused to obey; for reasons she could not comprehend, she simply found herself unable to give chase after seeing that expression.

If her words had really calmed her down, she would have been glad. If she had been able to comfort Kuro, she would not have minded even if her body could not move. But there was nothing reassuring in that smile, and there was not a modicum of hope reflected in Kuro's eyes.

In the deafening silence following her departure, Miyu thought she had heard Kuro's voice whispering the words, I'm sorry.

Yeah, sorry for the short chapter. I couldn't leave out these parts, and I wanted the double Illya thing to be its own chapter, so here we are. I'll work on part 2 real soon, I promise!

Never tried writing for Archer/Rin before, so this is pretty much a first. Let me know how I fared!