Saber- No.
Artoria sat in the dojo of the Emiya residence to meditate and reflect on what Shirou had asked her on the way back.
'Wishes are better fulfilled by your own actions...'
Artoria regretted it. To this day, she regretted it.
Camelot's fall. The betrayal by Mordred. Her very people turning on her at the end.
That was why she made the pact with the world. Until she achieved the holy grail, she would not die. Forever trapped at that moment upon Camelot's fall...
But...
'It is an astute point.'
...Artoria couldn't refute it.
Until now, she had made her wish clear: turn back time and grant someone else the blade. Have someone else become the King of Briton and also unmake her legacy.
That was the wish that had allowed her to be summoned by Kiritsugu in the first place, after all.
Yet now...
'...Why did I think that I should undo it all?'
Was it the clarity of this tranquil moment? The fact that she had a Master who moved with such decisiveness and clear objectives?
Either way, for the first time in many years, Artoria considered it.
'What was the root cause?'
There were many. But at the end of the day, it was simple.
'...I sought perfection.'
The king must be perfect. The king has no flaws. The king is inhuman...
Those were sentiments that had been spread about quite often during her reign.
And it was because of those sentiments that Lancelot fell to madness and Guinevere betrayed her.
...No. Not quite. It was more complex than that, of course. The fact that Artoria refused to accuse her most devout knight and laid the blame of the affair all upon Guinevere as well contributed to it.
But at the core...
'Why not do it again, but better?'
That was it.
Time had given her perspective on her own reign.
...While imperfect and lacking, it was also not meaningless.
Artoria could see it today. HAD seen it today.
While shopping with Shirou, she had seen quite a few toys in the shops they passed. Parodies of her own legend, discussing the holy sword excalibur and others of the knights of round.
...Though she couldn't quite understand how masked riders came into the picture.
Still...
"...How odd. So this is why they say the pen is mightier than the sword." Artoria murmured as she closed her eyes to reflect on it some more.
Her wish should not be to erase her legacy.
Although regrettable, going back in time to erase her reign would have ripples far beyond her own domain. With how entrenched her myth and legend was in the current era... it would be denying the very future itself.
Instead...
'A retelling.'
...She would change it with her own hands.
That was what Shirou implied, was it not? That he would help her return to that time.
But not that he would undo it.
No.
If that was the case, then all that Shirou knew 'now' would be changed as well. Perhaps even he, himself, would be gone.
Rather than that, it was clear what his intentions were: a second chance.
Not a guarantee.
Not a promise of victory, like Excalibur offered.
But just 'a chance.'
It could end the same.
Artoria could ruin it once more.
But...
"If that is how it unfolds, then so be it."
Artoria opened her eyes and made a quiet vow in her heart. And as she did...
"How interesting."
...She couldn't help but realize it.
Artoria glanced towards the manor, where her Master was receiving Sakura for a discussion. And as she looked towards it, Artoria-
No.
'Saber.'
Because in this time, at this moment, and for this war... that was who she was.
The blade that her Master would wield to achieve her wish. The partner to the ridiculous young man who dared to look at this mad war for a wish and say he would deny all of them that chance with his own hands. To make them all his foes to ensure the peace that he knew now.
Saber looked towards where her Master was and murmured, "It seems that we are quite compatible, Shirou. Even without Avalon as a catalyst..."
It was a vague intuition.
Although Saber would never know for sure, she was certain.
If Shirou did not possess Avalon and called out for her as a Servant, she would still answer. Because...
'...You answered a question I did not know I carried.'
A wish that was truthfully a young girl's desperate plea for what she cherished to not be destroyed.
And then the response that assured her that she was not wrong, and that her efforts were not in vain. That, paired with a simple but stern message: try again, but wiser.
Saber let out a faint smile and said, "You would have made a fine king, Master. Perhaps, in another life..."
No.
There were no 'what ifs.'
Only 'what would be done from now on.'
And at that moment...
'I must strategize.'
Her Master was settling his personal affairs to ensure the war could be fought without fear.
As his blade, her duty was to make plans for the night when the battle would begin in earnest.
And to that end...
'Berserker and Ilya are one pair of foes. Archer and Rin... are tentative allies. Lancer and his Master are enemies. That leaves Rider, Assassin, and Caster unaccounted for.'
Saber was certain of their battle prowess.
And her Master was certain of it as well.
While Saber was unsure of the full extent to her Master's ability... she was at least sure of his ability to survive and delay until she could rejoin his side. Especially with him possessing Avalon.
'The question then is how to resolve this war with the least casualties.'
The prize was tainted. But telling the other participants that would be of no use. Even Saber would not have believed it had she not been in the last grail war.
So...
'...Tonight, we gather information.'
That was the first step. A proper patrol, potential clashes, and then an analysis for the next steps.
Until then...
Saber quietly closed her eyes and reviewed the terrain she recalled from the previous war and what she had seen as she went with Shirou earlier that morning.
===
Shirou set down a cup of tea and some scones for Sakura. "Thanks for coming back, Sakura."
Sakura smiled and shook her head. "It's no trouble at all, Senpai. I'm happy that you asked me to visit. But..." Her smile dimmed a bit and she reflexively reached up to tug at her shirt. "...Is something the matter?"
"Yes. No. It's..." Shirou sighed. "It's complicated."
The rest of the holy grail war didn't matter too much for Shirou.
Although it was definitely a priority to resolve it since Fuyuki could get caught in the crossfire...
Sakura was Shirou's main priority.
'Until her situation is resolved, things will be difficult.'
Shirou's memory of it was vague. But he knew for a fact that Sakura could erupt into a worst case scenario if he left her alone and persisted with the war. And even more than that...
'This is not a game, but reality.'
...There was the fact that this life had no do overs.
People forgot, but even the game wasn't so lenient.
Though the anime and the adaptations came out showing the 'good ending' for Shirou and the others, the original source had numerous dead ends.
'So I need to tread carefully.'
The main points to consider were Kotomine, Gilgamesh, and Zouken... the last of whom was hidden in Sakura's heart.
That bastard.
So...
"Senpai?" Sakura tilted her head, setting down her cup of tea. "...Are you alright?"
Shirou stared at Sakura.
Sakura stared back.
...Then Shirou made a decision.
The faster this was resolved- No. The sooner he acted, the more of an advantage Shirou had.
So.
"Sakura. I want to love you. But to do that, I need you to trust me. With your very life. Will you?"
Sakura's breath hitched. Her violet eyes, usually glassy and vacant... they sharpened and looked into Shirou's own eyes.
Shirou stared back without a shred of hesitation or doubt.
It was possible.
Shirou knew the action steps.
He had the tools.
All he needed was permission.
Sakura stared at Shirou for a while longer. Then she said, "...Are you sure, Senpai?" She pursed her lips, resting her hand over her heart. "Loving me... You don't know anything about me. You don't know-"
"I know that you care for me. I know that you are a wonderfully kind person. I know that you could have let me be these past few years... And I know that you chose me even though it made your life difficult. So." Shirou walked over to Sakura's side and gently took her hand. "...Will you trust me? And be mine?"
Sakura's breath hitched. Her eyes welled up with tears and she whispered, "Senpai... You're cruel. Since you're asking me like this... you know, don't you? Who... what I really am? And you're still... asking me to be yours?"
Shirou smiled. "I want all of you. So... yes."
"...Then... okay." Sakura let out a soft smile. "...I trust you."
Shirou smiled and gently raised his hand over Sakura's chest, feigning affection- No. Not feigning it.
He loved her. Emiya Shirou did for sure. And the one who had become Shirou made the decision to embrace those feelings as his own.
So it wasn't simply feigning affection.
...But it was an act.
Because he could see it. Feel it.
With his hand resting over Sakura's heart, Shirou could sense the faint malice buried in her heart. The one that didn't belong... and the one who was still oblivious. Either because he thought Shirou didn't know, or because he thought Shirou couldn't do anything.
Matou Zouken.
Shirou looked up into Sakura's eyes.
Sakura stared back with a loving gaze.
"Sakura?"
"Yes, Senpai?"
"...I'm taking your heart."
Sakura laughed. "It's-"
Shirou pierced his hand through Sakura's heart, crushing Zouken's Crest Worm buried within it and using Gae Bolg's lingering curse to seal away any avenues of escape for the old monster.
Sakura's eyes widened in shock, her words dying on her lips. Even so, she didn't look betrayed or even anxious. Instead, she stared at Shirou, trusting him completely.
'You arrogant-!'
A faint voice echoed, spread from mana and the remnants of the Crest Worm bearing Zouken's soul and will.
But.
"Sakura is mine, you bastard. Go die in hell."
Shirou clenched his fist and pulled his hand out from Sakura's chest, deliberately misusing Reinforcement on the Crest Worm to ruin it beyond recognition.
A distorted scream echoed for half a second.
And then it was gone.
"Sen...pai...?"
But Shirou's task wasn't completed.
Sakura staggered, tipping over towards Shirou.
He quickly caught her and wrapped his arms around her. At the same time, he transferred Avalon into her body and then used his knowledge from when Rin had reconstructed his heart to make a framework for Sakura's own heart so that she would survive long enough for Avalon to heal her properly.
Holding her in his arms, Shirou smiled and gently kissed her forehead. "You're safe now, Sakura. For real. Welcome home."
Sakura let out a breathy laugh, wincing a bit. Then she murmured, "You're cruel, Senpai. Leading a girl on like this and stealing her heart... but it's okay." She looked up at Shirou, her eyes soft with love. "...I'm yours. I have been for a while. So... keep me?"
"Obviously." Shirou smiled and kissed Sakura properly.
Sakura's eyes widened. Then she gently closed them, leaning into the kiss.
At that time, the door to the house opened as Saber ran into the room.
"Master! I sensed the use of magic and-!" Saber paused when she saw Sakura's bloodstained body, the viscera from the crushed Crest Worm, and then Shirou cradling Sakura like she was the most precious thing in the world.
Shirou glanced over at Saber and said, "...I can explain."
Saber slowly nodded. "...An explanation would be appreciated, Master..."