Author's Note: This one-shot is very short, I know. I was thinking about only updating once I'd written this and the next one-shot to make up for the former's shortness, but right now, I only have a vague idea of how the latter will go, and with my college classes loading me down with homework (because that's exactly how I wanted to spend my spring break; note the sarcasm), I don't know how quickly I'll be able to write it (and heck, it might just end up being as short as this one-shot, I don't know).

Waiting Endlessly, Searching Tirelessly

It was hard, sometimes, for Saber to remember what he was waiting for.

Months, years, decades...it had possibly been centuries since he reached Avalon, but that could be hard to remember as well. In a paradise that existed outside of the physical world, one could be forgiven for assuming that time was standing still for how little meaning it had, and the days that passed here were so similar from one to the next that they seemed to blend in with each other.

Even so, far from becoming bored or insane, Saber was very content with the place he was spending his eternity in. The peacefulness of Avalon was unbroken, the only sounds coming from the soft, warm breezes and his footsteps as he explored his surroundings: the emerald green meadow alight with the sun's rays, the thick forest filled with trees bearing fresh apples, the long stream flowing with clear, cool water. Here, in this utopia, there was no reason to fight, no kingdom to rule, and no Holy Grail to pursue.

It was in moments where Saber was most content that remembering what he was waiting for was most difficult.

But then...then there would be a shift in the wind, and an image of Shira would briefly flash into his mind, clear and vivid. His head would turn, his heart hammering in his chest as he looked around, hoping against hope that she had arrived earlier than Merlin had predicted. And like always, he was forcibly reminded that he still had some waiting to do.

For so long, that was all Saber had done—wait for someone who he just might never see again. Merlin had been very clear on that point: between two people who had been separated by such a vast distance, a reunion was close to impossible. When Saber had asked if there was any way to be with the woman he loved, he'd essentially been asking for a miracle.

But he was fine with that.

If waiting for Shira was what he had to do to reunite with her, then he'd wait for an eternity if he needed to.

It was hard, sometimes, for Shira to remember what she was searching for.

The past twenty-five years seemed to have gone by in a blur. For her, the majority of that time had been spent traveling from place to place, country to country, battlefield to battlefield, fighting anyone who endangered innocent lives, from ruthless magi to powerful Dead Apostles. The more threats she eliminated, the more people were saved—but "more" was hardly the same as "everyone."

Shira had known from a young age that it wasn't possible for every single person in the world to be saved. Even though she was now much more competent as both a magus and a fighter than she was as a teenager, she was well aware of how powerless she could be. By the time she, for example, tracked down some Dead Apostle or another, the number of civilians that fell prey to the vampire's bloodlust were numerous more often than not. She could prevent the amount of causalities from growing, yes, but she could do nothing to save the people who were already victims of someone else's cruelty. So why did she persist in striving for an impossible dream? What was the purpose of continuing down this path?

It was in moments where Shira was most dispirited that remembering what she was searching for was most difficult.

But then...then she would be near death, at the mercy of an enemy, and an image of Saber would briefly flash into her mind, clear and vivid. In a burst of adrenaline, a weapon would be projected into her hand, and she would deliver the final blow to her opponent with a battle cry, thinking all the while: No, I will not die today—I can't die yet. After all, her journey—her search—was far from over.

For so long, that was all Shira had done—search for someone who she just might never see again. Avalon was not called the ever-distant utopia for nothing, and there was also the question of whether or not Shira's deeds in life would be enough for her to avoid reincarnation after she died, let alone if they would be enough for her to gain entry into that legendary paradise.

But she was fine with that.

If searching for Saber was what she had to do to reunite with him, then she'd search for an eternity if she needed to.