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Come on people, give me more reviews! I can't improve my writing without them… and I really won't receive inspiration without suggestions or comments.

Also, I received comments that I was not really clear about whose point of view I'm depicting the scene from, and I decided to try and solve it.

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Author's Disclaimer: I do not own Fate/Stay Night. In other words, I do not own the original intellectual property.

Chapter 2

Saber, Somewhere within Avalon.

A corridor that stretched onward infinitely appeared before me. It was constructed somewhat similar to my very own castle, complete with paintings, lavish carpets, and even torches hanging on both sides of the wall. Yet I have this sneaky suspicion that even if the torches were blown out, this castle would remain lighted, though by what, I did not know. Magic seemed to permeate from everywhere, from the floor to the walls to the ceilings.

"Follow me if you will." Archer took off at once.

I followed him down long corridors, not even pausing once to admire the architecture. It seemed forever, but I finally screwed up the courage to ask him a question that has been on my mind since I awoke.

"Hey Archer?"

"Yes?"

"Do you mind if I ask you something personal…about your previous life?" Archer stopped dead in his tracks. Slowly, he turned around. I was relieved to see he was not angry, nor was he shocked. It seemed that he was expecting this question already.

"About why I am so different from your Shirou…right?" He had this smirk on his face.

"..Y-yes…" then I realized what implications there were in his sentence. "I mean n-no!... I mean yes…" Archer smirk grew even wider now. I would have gladly wiped it off his face if I had Excalibur with me.

"Hey now, what's with the embarrassed look? You are turning scarlet red."

I cupped my cheeks with my hands, they were very warm. I tried to suppress it, but found that I could not.

"Wh…-who's embarrassed?" Well, if he is being this direct, might as well maintain a defensive stance, no point making a fool of myself.

"It's so obvious you fell in love with my past self ever since you were summoned…" Archer's smirk stretched from ear to ear now.

He looked cute back then, with that shocked and stunned expression on his face when he first summoned me. However, before I could better know him, I had to defend him from the servant Lancer, as well as Archer himself… I think I liked him ever since I set my eyes on him…

"Just…Just get on with it!" I shook my fist at him. He was getting on my nerves. And what was with that cool and calm look?

"Okay, fine…better spill the beans before someone here loses his head…" Much better…

"Well, I am Emiya Shirou of another dimension, another time…" Obviously…

"The reasons why you are different from Shirou, Archer! Not another introduction!" I sighed, exasperated.

"Right, right…" His look turned somber, and his shoulders seemed to have slouched noticeably. "I…made a mistake…" The mood had suddenly changed… One moment he was calm and collected, the next somber and depressed.

"A…mistake?"

"Yes, that's right, a mistake. I was about Shirou's age then, and I strove to pursue my ideals… to become a hero of justice… to protect everyone, regardless of whether I get wounded in the process…"

"How can I hurt others in order to save myself!?" That is Shirou all right…

"…What went wrong?" By now we had took another left turn. It felt like a labyrinth to me as we zig-zagged our way through this endless maze. It seemed that Archer's legs were already unconsciously leading us to our destination.

"Everything… I began to realize that my ideals had no place in that world… That no matter how hard I strive, no matter what I do, I cannot always protect everyone… Sure enough, I lost someone dear to me in my quest…"

"Who?" This conversation had taken a turn for the worst…

"…Fuji-nee" I could not help myself but let out a small grasp. Tiger? How can it be?

"After that, I just shut down completely. I lost sight of my goals, lost that confidence and determination that I once had… And eventually I gave up my ideals… I accepted that I could still be a hero of justice, but this time, I will only save those I can save effortlessly, and selfishly reserve my all for only those I hold dear to me… Entirely the opposite of you, Saber…"

"…"

"And that is how I ended up to be… And is also why I am so different from Shirou."

"In what ways?"

"Shirou is a pacifist, fighting only when it is necessary. On the other hand, I slaughtered those that stand in my way, or hurt anyone I love… Shirou chose to pursue those ideals till the very end… but I gave them up… That is the very decision that altered my fate forever…"

"Do you regret what you have done in your past life?"

"Of course I do…but there is no point in that is there? What's done is done. I cannot alter the past…"

"But you can wis-…!"

"Wish for the holy grail to rectify it? I thought you have already gotten over it already, Saber. I stand by what Shirou said…"

"Even if you can redo the past, those tears, those memories and the coldness that carves up my heart… The years we went through to endure those sadness and deaths… One cannot render them all meaningless… Carrying all those pain, and moving on, isn't that the only path for all those lost things to remain? Memories become the foundation for us, and I believe they can change the people who are still living… No matter how much it hurts, even if it's a wound that will never heal, I believe that this path is not wrong…"

"I apologize…" I had to ask, I just had to know the answer to the next question…

"Will Shirou…end up just like you?" Regretting his life; his past deeds?

"His fate depends on his choices… even he does not know…"

"Who…?" Archer slowed to a stop.

"Looks like we have arrived…" he said to no one in particular.

Two statues of knights stood guard vigilantly on either side of the entrance. They were astonishingly life-like, complete with helmets, lances, swords and shields. Despite being a statue, I was prepared for either one of them to suddenly make a movement of any sort, catching me off-guard. None of them obstructed us as we made our way into the room.

I closed my eyes the moment I stepped into the room, for fear of them being damaged by the intensity of the light in the room. I slowly opened my eyes, allowing them to get accustomed to the light. What I saw bewildered me…

We were standing in a vast circular room. It seemed to me a throne room, with a throne thrice my height in the middle of the room. Statues of every sort from heroes to kings to knights lined the room. Everything was painted white, from the throne, to the floor, to the walls. Even the statues were painted white. Sunlight made their way into the throne room through the central; glass-made; dome-shaped ceiling, reflecting off the surfaces of the room. It was eerily deserted. Not a soul was in sight.

"Welcome to Avalon, my dear King Arthur…" a wise, old yet familiar voice announced, resonating throughout the room.

I spun around to face the direction from which the voice came, and was shocked to see someone I have not met for a long time…

"You are…"

A/N

Wow, I did not expect my explanation of Archer's mysterious background would be this long, and even then, it only clarified a bit. Hopefully I can get this wrapped up by the next chapter and we can return to the present world.

As always, please R&R. Do not be shy, but please, no flaming. Constructive criticisms are welcomed. I'm always looking forward to suggestions and comments on how to improve my current writings.

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