Fate/Hijacked

Chapter 21

The morning sun was creeping through the windows of the Emiya estate as Shirou stirred awake. He blinked a few times, clearing the sleep from his eyes, and instinctively reached out beside him, expecting to feel the familiar warmth of Lady Avalon pressed up against him. Instead, he was met with only the cool touch of the empty futon. For a moment, he felt a strange pang of disappointment, a sense of longing that made him pause. His hand lingered on the futon for just a second longer before he jerked it back, his face flushing a deep shade of red.

"What's wrong with me?" he muttered, pushing himself up to sit. The memory of Lady Avalon nestled against him was still vivid, and Shirou couldn't deny the warmth it brought him. But before he could dwell on it any longer, he shook his head and forced himself to focus. There was a lot to do today, and indulging in such thoughts wouldn't help anyone. He had more important things to worry about than his Servant's increasingly frequent cuddling.

After washing up and putting on his clothes for the day, Shirou made his way to the kitchen where everyone was gathered for breakfast. As expected, Lady Avalon was already seated next to his usual spot at the table, smiling brightly as she waved him over.

"Morning, darling!" she called out, patting the empty seat beside her.

Shirou sighed but complied, taking his place at the table. His Servant wasted no time in leaning into him and nudging his arm playfully.

"Would you be a dear and feed me again today?" she asked with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "It was so sweet of you to take care of me last night."

Rin, sitting across the table, immediately shot Shirou an exasperated look as she raised her hand in frustration. "Seriously?! She has hands, Shirou. She can feed herself."

"Yes," Lady Avalon agreed, fluttering her fingers in front of them, "but they're far better suited for holding onto my sweet Shirou." She took hold of his arm, hugging it with a cheeky grin.

Shirou, embarrassed by the entire situation, raised his hands in mock surrender. "I didn't agree to anything…"

Lady Avalon, ignoring the objections, leaned her head on his shoulder all while batting her eyes with an exaggerated innocence. "I'm simply ensuring I get my daily dose of affection. A Servant must be in top condition to serve their Master, after all~."

Rin rolled her eyes and groaned in frustration, but thankfully Lancer's hearty laughter filled the air, which helped a lot with cutting through the petty yet tense atmosphere. "You lot sure are entertaining," he said between mouthfuls of food. "I could get used to this."

Lady Avalon offered the Tohsaka heiress a sweet smile. "It's only natural to want to be close to my darling~ Besides, it's not like you're not interested, Rin. You've been staring at Shirou more than your own food."

Rin's face turned scarlet and she sputtered, nearly dropping her chopsticks. "That's not—I was just—oh, forget it!"

Meanwhile, Archer looked on with a dry expression, clearly unimpressed by the morning's theatrics. "I'm starting to regret agreeing to come back here," he muttered, but there was a trace of amusement in his eyes. Mostly because of seeing Shirou squirm.

As breakfast continued the air around them gradually lightened, despite Rin's occasional muttered complaints. Eventually however, it became clear that today wasn't going to be spent solely on frivolities. After the recent revelations regarding Kirei's subterfuge and the grail's corruption, they all had a lot to do and not much time left to do it in.

After breakfast, it was decided that today would be a day for rest and preparation. Sakura had woken up but remained bedridden, feeling extremely drained after the ordeal with Caster. Fortunately, that was the extent of her harm and she would make a full recovery with sufficient rest. Rin spent most of her time tending to her younger sister, checking in periodically to ensure her condition was stable and improving. Illya lingered around, offering small comforts and acting as an extra support for her newfound allies. Lancer was left to himself for the most part, Rin simply telling him to make sure he was in peak condition for the inevitable confrontation(s) coming ahead.

But despite the relative calm inside the household, there was something more serious brewing in the backyard. Lady Avalon had requested for both Shirou and Archer to join her outside, where the three of them now stood aside in a fairly secluded area.

Shirou noticed immediately that Lady Avalon's usual playful demeanour had shifted. She was uncharacteristically serious now, her expression calm and contemplative as she stood beside Archer.

"There's something important we need to discuss with you," she began, her voice softer than usual, but still holding a distinct gravity. "Archer has something he needs to tell you, and you need to hear it for yourself to truly realise the severity of it." She motioned to Archer with her hand, signalling for him to begin.

Archer stepped forward, his posture stiff as he regarded Shirou with an intense, calculating gaze. "You're chasing an impossible dream, Shirou," Archer started, his voice tinged with a bitterness that made Shirou bristle instinctively. "The ideals you've inherited from Kiritsugu, the desire to be a 'hero of justice'—they'll betray you."

Shirou clenched his fists, his body tightening with mild irritation as he prepared to argue, but Archer raised a hand to stop him. "Before you say anything, you should know the truth. I am you—a future version of you, from a different timeline. A timeline where those ideals led me to ruin."

Shirou's eyes widened in shock, his heart pounding in his chest. "What…?"

Archer's expression hardened, his voice growing cold and detached. "I followed those ideals to the very end, sacrificing everything for the sake of others. And what did it get me? I was betrayed by the very people I saved. Executed by those I fought for. And after that, I foolishly decided to become a Counter Guardian—trapped in an endless cycle of suffering, killing, and destruction, all in the name of 'justice.' That is what blindly following those ideals will lead to."

Shirou's breath caught in his throat. The weight of Archer's words crashed down on him like a tidal wave. He wanted to reject what he was hearing, to deny the future that Archer was describing. But part of him—the small part that had always harboured doubts about his own ideals and whether or not he could truly live up to them—couldn't ignore the truth in Archer's voice.

"You're chasing a lie, Shirou," Archer continued, his voice low and harsh, yet surprisingly not cruel. "The dream you're clinging to, it'll only destroy you in the end."

Shirou stood frozen, his mind a storm of conflicting emotions. He couldn't simply abandon his ideals, the ideals that had been passed down to him by Kiritsugu. But the future that Archer described… was that really what awaited him?

Sensing his turmoil, Lady Avalon gently took Shirou's hand in her own, squeezing it reassuringly. "It's not wrong to want to save people, Shirou," she said softly, her tone tender and compassionate. "But you need to realize that you're only human. You can't save everyone, and you shouldn't destroy yourself trying. If you want to help others, you need to take care of yourself first." Her words were gentle, but firm. "Your dream isn't a mistake, but you need to approach it in a healthier way. If you get yourself killed or shattered in the process, you won't be able to help anyone. Look after your own self too whilst trying to be a hero. Even if you can only save one person, that's enough."

Archer scoffed, rolling his eyes. "You say that, but in the end, he'll just keep chasing after that ideal."

"Maybe," Lady Avalon replied, undeterred. "But he'll do it his way, and he won't become a twisted version of you."

Shirou's heart clenched as her words sank in. He had always known, on some level, that he couldn't save everyone. But hearing it from both Archer and Lady Avalon—two people who seemed to understand him better than anyone else—forced him to confront the reality he had been avoiding.

"I…" Shirou hesitated, his voice barely above a whisper. "I don't want to become like you," he said, looking directly at Archer with a firm gaze. "But I also don't want to give up my dream."

Archer's eyes narrowed slightly, his scowl deepening. For a moment, there was only silence between them. Then, slowly, Archer's expression softened and a faint smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.

"Stubborn idiot. Fine," Archer said, his tone grudgingly amused. "Do whatever you want. Just don't expect me to save you if you end up walking the same path."

Lady Avalon smiled cheerfully and gave Shirou's hand another squeeze. "You've got this," she said, giving him a playful wink. "And I'll be here to support you, no matter what. You won't end up as a bitter husk of regrets if I have anything to say about it!"

"He'll end up as a husk for entirely different reasons if you stay around him," Archer snidely remarked.

The half-succubus merely giggled jovially, a sound which both unnerved and entranced Shirou. "He'll have no regrets~"

After their conversation, Lady Avalon and Illya excused themselves to work on something together in the Pretender's workshop. Before leaving, Lady Avalon gave Shirou one last teasing remark. "Look forward to your present, darling~," she purred, her eyes glinting with mischief. "Though I'll most likely need you to 'replenish' me once it's done."

Shirou's face turned crimson at the not-so-subtle implication and he quickly turned away, muttering under his breath about how insatiable she was when she started acting up.

Archer, standing nearby his younger self, let out an exasperated sigh. "You really attract the strangest women," he muttered.

"Don't remind me," Shirou groaned, his cheeks still burning from Lady Avalon's suggestive remark.

Without wasting any more time, Archer clapped Shirou on the shoulder and gave him a firm look. "Now, enough distractions. We're going to spar. If you want to be useful in the upcoming battles, you need to improve—and fast."

Shirou only needed a moment before he nodded firmly, determination filling his eyes. "Right. I'm ready."

Omake

Throne of Heroes: Artoria's Wrath, Part 21

Far away in the distant Throne of Heroes, Artoria Pendragon's fury burned like a raging inferno. Her gaze was fixed on the scene playing out in the Emiya household, her once serene and infamously passive face now twisting in open disbelief and horror.

"That insufferable lech of a woman is going to ruin him!" The King of Knights stormed back and forth, Excalibur appearing in her hand as if by reflex as her voice shook with terrified fury. "She's treating him like... like... some kind of personal fuelling station! This is an outrage, a travesty, a disgrace to the dignity of chivalry!"

"Ah, here we go again," Gawain muttered, sipping ethereal tea while shooting a sideways glance at Bedivere, who nodded in solemn agreement.

But for the most part, the Knights of the Round Table had become deeply engrossed in another matter entirely. Gareth clapped her hands excitedly. "Can we talk about Sir Archer? Did you see how amazing he is?! He's Sir Shirou from the future! Isn't that incredible? His ideals, his sacrifice—"

"His brokenness," Tristan interrupted, sombre as always yet also containing tones of respectful admiration. "But indeed, a noble, tragic knight if there ever was one."

"Truly," Bedivere agreed, his voice tinged with awe. "To uphold his ideals even as they led to his downfall… it speaks of a knightly heart unmatched in this age."

"I admire his dedication," Gareth chimed in, clasping her hands together. "Even broken, he strives to help his younger self."

Lancelot nodded, his tone reverent. "Sir Archer represents the pinnacle of selflessness, yet a cautionary tale in blindly pursuing such a thing with no regard for one's own self. His continued resolve to assist Sir Shirou despite his bitterness is truly honourable."

Their discussion was suddenly interrupted when Artoria all but screeched, her voice echoing like a thunderclap. Or perhaps, the roar of a dragon. "That is irrelevant! Focus on the real problem, you star-struck lot—her!"

"You really need to come to terms with your jealousy already, Father," Mordred drawled, twirling Clarent in her hand. She then smirked wickedly. "How's that petition to Alaya going, by the way?"

Artoria's face turned crimson, a few subconscious Mana Bursts occurring in her outrage. "This has nothing to do with jealousy Mordred! I simply refuse to let that debauched half-succubus turn him into a shrivelled husk of a man!"

Lancelot coughed delicately into his hand. "Your Majesty, perhaps this is not the dire catastrophe you believe it to be. Sir Shirou seems… quite resilient."

"Resilient?!" Artoria whipped around, her eyes blazing. "Do you know what succubi do to their prey? Because that's what she sees him as—a snack!"

A new voice, calm yet laced with infinite authority, cut through the chaos. "Oh, for the love of humanity, could you quiet down, Saber?"

The air shimmered as a regal figure materialized, her ashen hair and steel-grey eyes casting an imposing presence. Clad in a red-and-black outfit reminiscent of Archer's, the Counterforce herself—manifested as a "Saberface"—strode forward, her arms crossed.

"What... is this..?" Artoria whispered, her eyes widening.

"I heard your incessant screeching and decided to clarify matters," Alaya replied, smirking. "As far as I'm concerned, so long as my Baka-EMIYA returns to my eternal side after the war is over, Lady Avalon can frolic with Shirou all she likes. If she finds a way to stay with him or even marries him, that's her prerogative."

Artoria's jaw dropped. "Y-you… you don't care?"

"Not in the slightest," Alaya said breezily. "What happens to this Shirou after this war isn't my concern, so long as my dear Archer comes back home to where he belongs."

There was silence as everyone else processed the words of Humanity's collective unconsciousness.

"And now, I bid you all adieu." Alaya gave a mock bow, her smirk widening as she disappeared in a swirl of light.

Artoria stood frozen for a moment, rigid and unresponsive. Her eyes went blank before collapsing in an unceremonious heap. The knights rushed to her side, except for Mordred, who merely shook her head.

"She'll live," Mordred said nonchalantly. "She just needs to come to terms with her own feelings."

Meanwhile, far below in the regular realm of existence, Archer suddenly shuddered in the midst of harshly training Shirou. He could have sworn that he had just heard a rather unsettling, familiar, possessive giggle.