Kiritsugu Emiya sat alone, gazing at the moon above. He took a breath, only hearing the sound of cicadas in his garden and screams formed from horrible memories. The amount of people that died, all due to his selfishness and the Grail's evil, haunted him for the meager time he had left in this world. He had failed his dream, his Servant, and most of all, his family. Iriesviel was gone, dead because of him. The Eizenberns forbade him from seeing Illya even the one time. Kiritsugu had failed in every regard.

A sharp pain came over him. He clutched his chest in agony.

"... At least there was one..." Kiritsugu told himself. "Just the one child... if only you were here to see him..."

"Dad?"

He let out a gasp. Kiritsugu could barely turn his head. His son, miraculusly found in the aftermath of the fire, gazed up at him. The only survivor of the Fuyuki Fire, born from the selfish hearts that lead the Fourth Holy Grail War.

"You're so sad." Shirou said. "Why?"

Kiritsugu took a deep breath, trying to think of an answer..

"... I was thinking about my life... the things I've lost... the people I let down... including her...

"Huh?" Shirou blinked in confusion. "Who do you mean?"

A smiled formed on Kiritsugu's lips. "Haha... before I found you, I had to leave behind my family for the sake of my dream. My wife, Irisviel, died to help me... I wish I had treated her better in life... she would have loved you once she saw you."

"Your dream?"

"My dream was to become a hero of justice..." Kiritsugu coughed. "But to tell you the truth, the only times I felt alive were when I was with her. It terrified me then, to think I'd find love with an Eizenbern of all things, let alone have a daughter. I wish I hadn't been scared. Maybe I'd still be with them if I cherished them enough."

Shirou looked down in thought. After a moment, he smiled at his father.

"When I find someone, I'll treat them well! I'll be a great husband! Maybe some day, I'll be able to see your family too!"

"..." Kiritsugu smiled. "That's all I'd ask for, Shirou... thank you..."

He closed his eyes, the body soon growing still. Shirou continued to gaze at his father, long after the last breath escaped him.

"To be a husband..." Shirou whispered to himself. "I guess that'll be my dream."

"So, you're in the war now."

Archer was confused by Shirou Emiya. He shouldn't be, as he'd know his younger self the most out of anyone in the world. He knew what sort of life Shirou Emiya would pursue, one of endlessly seeking justice to satisfy an empty void inside the shell. Archer was born from such hypocrisy. Knowing it would inevitably lead to ruin only served to fuel Archer's hatred for Shirou Emiya in all his forms.

"Hm?" Shirou looked up to find Archer glaring at him. "Can I help you?"

Ordinarily, Shirou Emiya would be training alongside his Servant to fight the others. Instead, he was busy cooking with a far more relaxed sheen than Archer had ever seen.

"Don't think you'd escape my blade because my master took pity on you." Archer said. "To be a hero of justice is a path of ruin. I will do everything to make you renounce your calling."

Shirou hardly blinked. "What? No, that's just a ridiculous idea. I'd never go for something like that."

Archer kept silent for a minute. His eyes widened in utter bafflement.

"... What?!" He almost shouted. "B- But that is... you still..."

"I'll admit I don't want innocent people to get hurt." Shirou shrugged. "But trying to save everyone isn't realistic. I need something more tangible than that if I want to keep living. Luckily, I have a different dream."

Archer tried to keep the surprise from his lips. "If not a hero, then what do you want to be...?"

"Well, it was something my father said..." Shirou smiled. "He regretted not being there for his wife when she was alive. So my dream is to meet someone and become their loyal husband!"

"..."

"Archer?"

The larger man sat down on a seat, gazing into nothing.

"... Somehow, you're smarter than usual... but still a hypocritical fool... using another to fuel yourself..."

Auhtor's Notes:

Sometimes I write something but don't really have a story for it, which is why I do it as a prompt for someone else to do. This is one of them.

I had an idea like this, but I had trouble writing up a larger story that would make sense? My favorite ship is Shirou x Saber, but with such a drastic change to Shirou's character I don't think it'd hit nearly as hard as it did in the original. There's probably more Fate servants that would fit better, or maybe there's something you can do with Rin or Sakura, but Shirou x Saber is more my jam personally. Feel free to adopt if you'd like.