archer good bye

The battle for the Holy Grail has ended, and the curtain is about to fall on his battle as well.
He does not know how long it was.
But the accumulated wish that should have bound him forever is gone now.
The end quickly permeates into him and takes away his body's form.

"Archer...!"
He looks towards the voice.
She should not have the energy to run, but she is running with ragged breathing.
He watches it in silence.

"Haa, haa, haa, ha......!"
The girl that ran up to him looks up at the knight.

―――The red cloak fluttering in the wind shows no trace of what it used to be.
The cloak is cut everywhere, and his armor is cracked and torn.
His existence is weak.
Standing there haughtily, the knight begins to disappear from his feet up.

"Ar... cher..."
The rising sun is in the distance.
A golden light is emerging from the horizon.

"Too bad. Well, that's what happened. Give up this Holy Grail, Rin."
He must not have anything special to say.
The knight in red says trivial things.

"――――――――"
That gets to her all the more.
The knight who is about to disappear is still acting like before.
He is her partner that she spoke cynically with, ran through the battles with, and trusted her back to.
She can declare that those days were "fun".

――――And it is still there before her eyes.
He has remained in this world to save her at the last moment.
He lost his Master and received the king of heroes' Noble Phantasms.
His body was disappearing, but he did not come to her and ask for help, and he instead watched over this battle.
And the end is in front of her.

"Archer."
The girl cannot think of what to say.
It is always like this for her at the most crucial times.
She loses her cleverness when it counts the most.

"Ha――――――――"
The knight smiles a bit.
He knew that from the start.
The clumsiness of the girl is a dear memory for the knight.

"―――W-What? You don't have to laugh at me at a time like this!"
She looks up at the knight.
"Oh, excuse me. It's because you look so terrible.
I was just amazed at how worn-out we are."
He smiles while he talks.

"――――――――"
She gets a lump in her throat after seeing his regret-free face.
The instant she wonders if he should really disappear...
"Archer. Form a contract with me again."
She says something she shouldn't.

"I cannot do that. I do not know if you will keep your contract with Saber, but I am not qualified for that.
And I do not have a goal anymore. My battle ends here."
His reply is free of doubt and his will is strong.
His face is as bright as the rising sun, and how can she force him when he's making a face like that?

"......But! But...
You―――"
'won't be saved'.
The girl swallows her words and hangs her head.
That is not something the girl should say. And it's not something that is solved by keeping the knight in this world.

"―――Man. I do not have any attachment to this world, but..."
It's troubling to have her cry.
For him, the girl always has to be a positive, indulgent realist.
He was always encouraged by her figure.
So he wants her to stay that way until the very end.

"――――――――Rin."
The girl looks up at the voice.
Her face looks cute, trying to hold back the tears.
Rather than expressing the attachment he feels, he looks at the boy lying in the distance.
"Please take care of me. I think you know, but I am unreliable.
―――Please support me."
The knight says so as if it's somebody else's business.

Those are words of parting.
...The future might change.
If a girl like her stays with Emiya Shirou, the hero Emiya should not be born.
His words contain such hope.

"―――――――Ar... cher..."
...But even if it ends up that way, the already existing knight will forever be a guardian.
The boy and the man are two different existences.
They only have the same starting point, and he is an ideal that the boy dreamed of.

"――――――――!"
...There is no salvation available for this knight.
There is nothing to give to him, as he has already died and become a phenomenon.
She nods in spite of that.
She cannot give him anything, so she will give him her best smile.
He asked her to take care of him.
She smiles so that she can answer the trust he put in her.
"Yeah, I know. I'll do my best. I'll do my best so that he won't get twisted like you. I'll do my best so that he will be able to like himself...!
So you should also――――"
―――forgive yourself.
She does not put it into words.
She looks up at the disappearing knight with a flood of emotions.

――――How much salvation did it bring?
After engraving the girl's smile into his memory with pride...

"I found my answer. It's fine, Tohsaka. I'll do my best from now on as well."

A breeze.
The knight has finally rested his wounded body, without waiting for the girl's reply.

"――――Heh. I never got to complain to you."
She wipes away her tears and talks to the one who is not there.
Her voice is clear, and the girl is standing firm again.
It is only natural.
She does not have time to be depressed after he made a face like that.
She says goodbye to the ground that the knight was standing on and runs to the boy laying on the ground.

―――Within the golden sunrise...
The smile he had was like that of the boy.