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He remembered her smile. Bright and vibrant, just like the sun.
“ Emiya? Did you come to watch the summoning again?”
His head had been nodding off, as if he were asleep, but the question from his master made it snap back up. Looking in her direction, he noticed that Gudako was with Mash, who was carrying a small basket of Saint Quartz. It seemed that they had, once again, saved up enough quartz to do a ten summon. He wondered why his master insisted on saving up thirty when she could just do single summons for three each, but to each their own, he supposed.
With a nod of confirmation, he said, “Yeah, just like usual.”
Ever since he had answered her summons back when she had set up her first summoning leyline in Fuyuki City, he watched every single summoning she did. Whether it was in the special room set up in Chaldea or another leyline in a different singularity, he was there to watch. Gudako and her treasured Servant never asked why he fancied watching them perform summonings, mostly because Emiya was always shrouded in mystery. When he wasn’t in the kitchen or away on a mission with them, he was waiting by the summoning leyline, even sometimes falling asleep there.
The door to the room opened with a loud hiss, and they walked in, Gudako setting up the quartz while Mash and Emiya stood back. Once set, the leyline reacted, and began to summon Servants, one after another. There are only so many Heroic Spirits, Emiya thought, wondering how bringing forth so many Servants was even possible. Of course, the rules to summoning them was much different than the average Holy Grail War, but it was still far from the technique he was used to.
Gudako was still a “beginner”, or at least that’s how she said, pulling Heroic Spirits that weren’t really well-known. Gilles de Rais, the loyal knight that stood beside Joan of Arc, Hektor of the Trojan War, Arash of Iranian mythology. He watched closely as each Heroic Spirit introduced themselves, and then crowded together on the opposite wall from where Emiya stood. Finally, the summoning process finished, and each new Servant shuffled out with Mash leading them, as if she were only some sort of tour guide.
When it was only the Archer-class Servant and his Master remaining, she approached, and he looked down at her once more. The more he looked at her, the more she reminded him of the younger version of himself. He brushed it off, though, and raised a brow as she pushed her two index fingers together, as if anxiously trying to figure out how to ask him a question.
He was about to ask if anything was the matter, only to be cut off before he could even speak. Gudako spoke loudly and rather bluntly, exclaiming, “Why do you always come to the summonings?” His steel grey eyes showed shock, widening at the question. But he quickly regain his posture, placing his left hand upon his chin, humming as he thought. Despite this action, he already had the answer. He knew the entire time.
“Well, it’s never bad to get to see the new faces,” he chuckled, and ruffled her hair. She didn’t accept this answer, though, pushing his hand back and huffing as she crossed her arms.
“You can’t lie to me, Emiya. After all, you always look at the leyline with eyes of loneliness and anticipation. Are you waiting for me to summon a specific Servant?”
Colour me surprised, he thought, she’s not as foolish as they make her seem. He had to admit, her observation skills were quite on point. Had she seen eyes such as his own before? Or was it like the bond with his previous Master, quickly learning about him before she even realised their true connection? Averting his gaze away and staring at the ceiling of the dim room, he sighed, admitting his defeat.
“Yes. A Heroic Spirit I know quite well . . . an old friend, if you will.”
Gudako would not know of the person he spoke of, as his background was still a complete mystery to those around him. His eyes closed for a moment, and he seemed to disappear from this reality, going to another. He imaged where she would be. From his last summoning, his younger self managed to set her free, unlike in his own timeline.
He saved her heart. Surely, he jested to himself, she was not responding to the calls of the young Master because unlike the rest of them, she was not obligated to do so. Perhaps he was with her as well, living their life in the sacred garden that the foolish wizard had created. Yes, it was possible that she could become a Heroic Spirit, if she wished to, but why would she ?
The hardships she had gone through that Emiya simply never understood, and that’s why he failed to save her heart, unlike his other version. If anything, he hoped that she would never answer the calls of Gudako, and stay in the paradise that she finally escaped to. Indeed, he wished for nothing more than her happiness, but perhaps that why he wished to see her . To see if she was truly happy.
His eyes opened once more, and he snickered, only to head for the door and waiting for it to slide open. Gudako followed close behind, still huffing. Even so, the answer he had given this time seemed to be enough for the time being, and she didn’t push him for any further information.
“Emiya-kun, Senpai needs you in the summoning room,” Mash said, the usual basket full of shimmering crystals in her hands. Placing down the kitchen knife that he was giving a thorough polishing, the white-haired man nodded, and threw his red overcoat back on. Ever since his discussion with the fiery Master about his reason for watching her do her summonings, she had told Mash to come get him, as if it were one of his daily tasks. Not that he minded. After all, he wished to be present, and this way of alerting him prevented him from having to sleep outside the room every night.
As the tall man and the much shorter girl headed down the halls, they casually chatted, mostly about Gudako. The two seemed to hit it off immediately, but Emiya would hate to admit that it was because Mash reminded him of her. Not the way she acted or her appearance, but something about her just reminded him of her . He couldn’t quite place his finger on it, keeping it to himself as not to seem rude, despite his cynical nature.
As usual, Gudako set up, and Mash and Emiya watched as each new Servant was summoned through the leyline. Recently, much more powerful and well-known Servants were responding to the calls of the Master, such as Mordred, the Knight of Treachery, Nero Claudius of Rome, Florence Nightingale, a supposed angel of the battlefield who was now a mad nurse. Despite this fact, she never came.
As the summoning continued, Emiya noticed Mash looking at the floor, as if not wanting to look upon these new and extraordinary Servants. He wasn’t surprised - he knew of the high regards she held her Master in. All Servants did, but for Mash, it was different. It would be a lie if he said he didn’t feel slightly sympathetic, but he didn’t want the fellow knight to feel belittled by his concern.
This time, when the summoning finished, Gudako insisted on showing the Servants around rather than Mash. The Shielder nodded in reluctance and stayed behind with Emiya. This time around, the air was awkwardly silent, and he remembered the jealousy she had felt when she saw him with other girls. Who could blame her ? She loved him , just as Mash loved Gudako. Perhaps he and this younger Master did have some sort of former ties that not even he was aware of.
And perhaps Mash was somehow connected to her .
Their next target was Camelot. Emiya had to admit, he was not looking forward to it. He knew who would be waiting for him there . . . even if she was not the version of her that he knew, she would still ultimately be her . But when his Master asked him to tag along, as he was one of the strongest Servants in Chaldea, he simply couldn’t turn it down.
The night before, he stayed in the kitchen, making lunches for the journey to calm his nerves. Even though he hated to admit the hobby of his, he was still the main kitchen staff, going out of his way to prepare food for the Servants staying behind while he headed out. The cafeteria was dimmed, the only light radiating from the kitchen, and he continued to chop the vegetables as rice cooked and meat simmered. It was only after he turned off the stove top that he heard the faint clicks of heels, and headed towards the counter that separated his work area from where the patrons ate.
It was surely a rare sight - not someone strolling by the kitchen at night, but rather, the one who had come along was Joan of Arc, a recent addition to the team. She was to head out with him and the rest tomorrow, and yet, the sleepy looking Servant took a seat in front of the counter, resting her cheek into the palm of her hand as her elbow rested against the smooth counter top. With a clearing of his throat, Emiya asked, “Anything I could get you?”
“Anything is fine,” she mumbled, obviously still dazed and only recently awoken. He was somewhat frustrated with the answer, considering the plethora of ingredients he could work with, but he would do as she said, whipping up whatever he pleased. Since he was still a bit preoccupied with the other food cooking, he turned the stovetop on once again and cracked some eggs. The smell wafted into the Saint’s nose, and she let out a sigh of pleasure.
Soon after, a plate of two sunny side eggs and a few pieces of bacon was slid in her direction, along with utensils to eat with. While Jeanne ate, the Archer continued to cook, trying not to pay too much attention to her. Although, the way she seemed to quickly consume the food and hum in satisfaction reminded him of her . In fact, the closer he looked, the more she looked like her .
He shook his head, denying such a thing, and went back to work. But the more he thought about it, there were a few others that had looked like her . Nero, who had turned out to be a woman, looked similar to her , along with Mordred. It was quite easily explained for Mordred, though, but she looked far too similar to her . The more he thought about it, the more she was actually around him.
Such a thought angered him. She is happy, isn’t she ? He should not yearn for her , he should not anticipate her arrival when she is obviously not coming. To do such a thing would be cruel, unfair. He had already taken so much from her , and yet, he hadn’t. Not this version of her at least. Despite the facts, he felt like no matter which version of her it might be, he is still responsible for all of her pain.
And because of that, he does not deserve to be in her glowing, elegant presence.
“Emiya-kun,” a familiar voice called out, and the Archer of Red looked up, noticing Mash. She didn’t even need to tell him what he was needed for, as he was used to it at this point. But unlike in the past, there was no friendly chat, and there was no Gudako waiting. Their Master no longer conducted the summonings, leaving it up to them. After all, she didn’t need to provide mana to perform it, the only thing needed was quartz.
Ever since the eighth singularity of Solomon, Gudako remained roombound. Soon enough, they would be heading out, fixing more irregularities in the timeline, but for now, the staff allowed her to wallow. Nobody could blame her, considering the losses they had experienced, and the shortage of staff once again. It wasn’t as easy to rayshift without Doctor Romani around any longer.
Much more impressive Servants continued to roll in one after another, even ones that Emiya was familiar with. Ireland’s precious Child of Light, along with the Golden Archer that he despised so much, wishing he could take his head here and now. A woman that resembled his former Master that they had met while in Babylonia also responded to the summons, shooting the fellow Archer a flirty line. His luck with women still remained a mess.
With the quartz in place, where his Master used to stand, Emiya did. This was one of the rare single summons, but he was not the most friendly person, so he did not wish to greet each Servant one after another. As the leyline glowed and the summoning commenced, he felt his heart clench in his chest. Just like when he had the conversation with Gudako about why he bothered coming to watch the summonings commence, he closed his eyes, thinking of her and that special place he longed to be in.
But unlike in the past, he did not see her standing in the luscious greens. He did not see her in her gown, with her hair set free, and a smile upon her face. Confused, he opened his eyes once again, only to be met with a different envisioning of her . Just like the night he had summoned her by mistake in the shed in his backyard, she stood there, looking upon him, and said the words that he would never forget :
“I ask of you . . . are you my Master?”
In an instant, as if an unknown force caused him to, Emiya dropped to his knee, bowing his head. She looked upon him, eyes widened, filled with both shock and confusion. Why was he the one here for her summoning? She didn’t understand. Although, she didn’t question it, as she had already knew of the methods of the current summoning system.
“Archer, raise your head.”
“I refuse.”
“Why?”
“Because . . . I am your sheathe. To raise my head like this would not only be rude, but also shameful.”
“. . . I’ll say it again, Archer. Raise your head.”
Mash only watched with a dumbfounded expression as the scene played out. It was not common for Servants to call each other by their class names in Chaldea, and not only that, but Emiya knew of her. The King of Knights was all too familiar with herself, but she only knew that because the once fellow knight within her seemed to cheer.
Emiya finally listened to the command of his fellow ally, and he did as told, lifting his head to look at her. When he saw the expression upon her face, he gasped, and nearly fell back from shock. Just like he had imagined and dreamed of every time the vision of Avalon came into his mind, Artoria was smiling. She was smiling at him . And, just like he remembered when he was her Master and when he fought alongside her in the alternate timeline from his own, her smile was bright and vibrant. Just like the sun.
And he knew why he ached and hoped for her to one day join the ranks of the Heroic Spirits. Well, he had known all along, but tried to hide it, even if it was benefiting no one, as she could not read his mind from where she was. But with the smile he had grown attached to, and that lingered in his memory even after years and years of not seeing it, he acknowledged the reason, and relished in it.
So he could see her smile again.
So he could see the smile that he fell in love with again.