Effecting Fate part 8 [Incomplete]

Author's Note: I know this is a lot shorter than what I'd like... And to be clear, it's unfinished. There's still a lot more that needs to be written here. But I said that I would post what I have, and I shall. It's been a long time since I worked on one of my Shirou/Arturia stories, and a part of me keeps on getting writer's block. It's seriously annoying... But I haven't forgotten this story, and I absolutely haven't abandoned it.

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Arturia woke, body tensing and eyes shooting open as she felt the presence of somebody next to her.

She was a fraction of a second away from attacking whoever it was before she caught a glimpse of his face.

Shirou.

The memories of the previous evening came back swiftly after and she allowed herself to relax back into the bed and enjoy the warmth.

It was an odd feeling, to take comfort in waking up to somebody. Especially after so long of being alone.

Even when she had been with Guinevere, it had been about duty on both ends. Theirs had been a political marriage, and both had known it. In time, she liked to think they had become friends - good friends even - but it had not been love.

It was why she could hardly hold it against either Guinevere or Lancelot when they had been caught together. Guinevere had sacrificed so much for the sake of her family and country, how could Arturia begrudge her friend from trying to be with somebody she loved?

What she did hold against them was them attempting to keep it secret from even her. She could have helped them keep their secret much more effectively.

But that was all in the past. A past that she had long accepted. For now, she had the present to be concerned about.

The present in which she was currently in the same bed as Shirou.

For Arturia it was almost a revelation, waking up to one that she did have feelings for. It felt so much better than she expected it would, especially with the knowledge that she’d be able to experience this again.

As Arturia let herself relax against the warmth and feelings of waking up, she even considered forgiving Merlin for his foolish meddling the previous evening.

Maybe.

Arturia felt, rather than saw, when Shirou first woke up. Like her, his muscles tensed in the unfamiliar environment. She shifted so she could look at Shirou just as his eyes opened, and she favored him with a smile.

“Good morning, Shirou.”

The look on his face as he stared back made it feel as if all the hardships she had experienced up till now, all of her struggles, had all been worth it. Just to end up here.

“Good morning, Arturia.”

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Breakfast was a simple fare. Arturia sat at the bar as she looked through their messages on her omni-tool while Shirou cooked.

“Anderson wants to talk to us,” she reported after making her way through a number of unimportant emails - It looked like Tess was being unusually demanding for an update on whether she’d had a meal from the ‘Chef Commander’ yet - “As soon as possible he says.”

Shirou nodded from his position in the kitchen, “So much for being on shore leave,” he murmured thoughtfully as he walked up and placed a plate in front of her before sitting next to her with his own. “I assume he wants to talk about the attack yesterday?”

“He doesn’t say,” Arturia admitted with a frown, tapping the Omni-tool thoughtfully. “I have no doubt he will, but it sounds like there’s something else as well.”

Shirou made a contemplative noise, “Does he say how long he expects it to be?”

“No,” Arturia replied, taking a moment to enjoy a bite of Shirou’s food. “But hopefully it won’t take too long, since it looks like we have a different appointment at noon.”

When Shirou looked at her quizzically, Arturia flipped her screen around to show him. “Looks like Kunio contacted that lead regarding Saren. He wants us to meet them at the diner.”

“Huh,” Shirou furrowed his brow. “That was a lot faster than I was expecting. I don’t have any issues with meeting them if you don’t.”

Arturia tilted her head in agreement as she sent a quick acknowledgement to the info broker.

The remainder of breakfast passed in relative peace. To the point that Arturia was genuinely suspicious of Merlin’s absence.

While Merlin was a notorious late sleeper, he was annoyingly able to overcome this when there was potential mischief to create.

It was that thought and paranoia that brought to mind the memory of another person. One that she met during the Holy Grail War, yet was not a participant herself. One that would once frequently interrupt their meals.

“Whatever became of Taiga?”

She felt a small bit of amusement as Shirou suddenly coughed, clearly taken aback by the unexpected question. “Wha-“ he coughed again, “What brought that on?”

Arturia raised an eye at that, “You’ve already brought me to see Kunio Fujimura.” She replied, putting emphasis on the last name. “I can hardly be blamed for thinking of Taiga Fujimura, can I?”

There was that, but there was more to it.

She knew Shirou. Just as she knew that Shirou knew her. Their connection during the Holy Grail War gave them a leg up on understanding each other that most people didn’t have. However, there was also a lot of stuff that they didn’t know about each other.

She had no idea what he did after the Holy Grail War. Just as she was sure he didn’t know of many of the events of her own life. She didn’t know what happened with Rin, Sakura, or Taiga. And Shirou (probably) didn’t know her feelings regarding her Knights (It was hard to say what all he got from the Dream Cycle, but there was only so much).

They were together now. They had time. She wanted to know more about the man she loved, and she wanted to share her own life and perspectives with him.

Shirou’s lips twitched upward, “I suppose not,” he replied before frowning. “Unfortunately, that takes a bit of context.”

He glanced at Arturia as if asking if he still wanted to continue, and she nodded encouragingly.

“After the Holy Grail War, I joined Rin at the Clocktower.” Shirou explained, folding his arms as he looked at the ceiling. “I kept in contact with Taiga, but without being able to talk to her about anything related to magecraft, we eventually drifted apart.” He gave a sad smile, “I’m pretty sure she suspected I was lying to her. Things had become pretty strained between us..”

Arturia impulsively reached over and put her hand on his knee in sympathy.

“Rin would stay at the Clocktower,” Shirou continued, though he seemed appreciative and slightly flustered at the simple contact. “Meanwhile, I would perform jobs for the Church and the Clocktower. However, one job went… Bad.” He grimaced. “Really bad. And the Church decided to cut its losses by using me as a scapegoat to the world at large.”

“They what?!” If Arturia hadn’t been so shocked, she would have been incensed. The idea of somebody just throwing Shirou away was practically ludicrous. The Church should have been overjoyed they had found somebody as loyal and strong as her chosen. “What happened?”

Shirou hesitated for a moment, “That is a bit of a longer story.” He admitted slowly, “and not one we have time for I don’t think.”

Arturia raised an eyebrow at that, but acquiesced. It was true that they didn’t exactly have a lot of time, but she would remember to get that story later.

“I managed to escape before I was executed,” Shirou continued, “But by that point most of the world considered me a terrorist, and most of my contacts with the Church and the Clocktower were effectively burned. Without anybody else to turn to, and with a rather sizable bounty on my head, I ended up going back to Fuyuki.”

“And that’s where Taiga comes in.” Arturia concluded confidently.

Shirou nodded, letting loose an amused smile. “Taiga was… Upset at me. But apparently even before I arrived she had refused to believe anything the news was saying about me.” A melancholic look came over him. “Even after everything that had happened between us. But when I met up with her, she tied me down and demanded answers. And… I told her the truth. About everything.”

It might have been hyperbole. But thinking back, Arturia could very much imagine the excitable woman going to the extreme of tying Shirou up. So long as he did nothing to resist anyway,

“In the end, I owed Taiga free meals for the rest of her life.” Shirou explained. “but the Fujimura group outfitted me with a place and new identity. I wasn’t considered a Sealing Designee, so the Church and the Clocktower didn’t expend that much effort to find me, and I was able to keep up my own work as best as I could. And when Taiga eventually took over from her father, I supported her during the times I was laying low.” Shirou gave a huff while shaking his head in slight disbelief. “Seeing her in a leadership position was just odd.”

“It doesn’t surprise me.” Arturia returned with a knowing look. “Taiga always struck me as being surprisingly insightful when she desired. She simply enjoyed playing the part of the playful sister with you and Sakura.”

And now she found herself extremely grateful to the exuberant woman. Loyalty like that was as valuable as it was rare.

Shirou couldn’t resist a snort, giving Arturia a skeptical look. “Are you sure we’re thinking of the same Taiga?” He asked wryly.

Arturia shrugged. “She got you to agree to make her free meals for life. I’d say that that’s as good a sign as any that she’s doing something right.” She replied in complete seriousness.

Shirou rolled his eyes at that. “Ok, I still think you guys put too much stock into how good my cooking is.”

“And you are, of course, allowed to believe that. Just so long as you continue cooking.” Arturia ‘graciously’ allowed.

In her first life, medieval Britain had hardly been known for its cuisine. Add in that she had been in the army for most of that, where cooking had hardly been a priority, and she felt her reaction was very much understandable. Her second life might have been better, but she had grown up amongst the Fleet with a military father, and had therefore been raised on military food.

Both times her father couldn’t cook, and MRE’s were never going to be somebody’s idea of ‘good food’.

Compared to those, Shirou’s homemade food held first place by a very comfortable margin.

Shirou shook his head fondly. “I ended up dying before Taiga did.” He admitted. “But by then, she had been the head of the Fujimura group for years, her position well solidified, and was well respected. She never married anybody to my knowledge. If their family history is accurate, Kunio is related to her through a cousin. I’ve done what I can to keep an eye out for him once I found out.”

Arturia frowned at the mention of his death. That was another bundle that they’d have to unpack at some point.

Instead of asking about that, Arturia gave him a smirk, “Kunio certainly seems to be trying to beat you in how well you can cook.”

Shirou gave her a skeptical look and shook his head, “We’ve shared recipes, and he has the advantage of being able to cook full time.” He admitted, “But I’m still confident in my own skills.”

“Not worried he’ll surpass you?” She asked curiously.

Arturia had to hide her smile when she saw Shirou grimace. “That won't happen. I still have a few tricks that he doesn’t.” He replied.

She hummed before Shirou stood up, pulling her with him. “We should probably start getting ready so we can head out to meet Anderson.” He said, and she sighed before nodding in acknowledgement.

Before they could separate to get ready, Arturia grabbed his hand and pulled him to her, letting their foreheads touch.

“I don’t know what happened that caused the Church to let you go like they did,” She murmured. “But whatever the case, they were fools to do so. Whatever it was that you did, I want you to know that I accept you.”

Arturia had been the leader of armies and had had to deal with politicians at their worst. She could see that whatever it was that happened caused an intense amount of guilt within Shirou.

Shirou hesitated for a moment before relaxing in her arms. “You don’t even know what happened.” He murmured back.

“No,” Arturia agreed. “However, I know you.”

Shirou shook his head, “A person can change.” He replied sadly.

“They can. But I’ve been with you long enough to know that you haven’t.” She replied firmly, holding on tightly. “Whatever it is that happened, you are a good man. And I refuse to believe otherwise. I’ll tell you now, and when you feel ready to share your story with me I’ll tell you again.”

Shirou looked ready to argue the point, but Arturia glared at him until he backed down.

Good.

Arturia quickly pulled him in for a quick kiss before separating once more. “We need to hurry if we wish to avoid making Anderson suspicious.” She declared before taking off for the room to get dressed.

Shirou had once helped her with her guilt, and now it was her turn to return the favor. Whatever had happened, she would not let it hurt him as she had once been hurt.

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[Shirou and Arturia need to meet up with Anderson, who orders them to stick with the rest of the crew since they are being targeted. So they end up bringing everybody to the info broker, where they meet up with Garrus and trade information. Garrus tells them that he'll let them know if he comes across anything new. A week passes, and Garrus calls them and tells them that the hospital is being attacked by Fist's men.

Saving the doctor, as per the game, they find out about Tali. Without knowing where Tali is, they can't just go running around randomly. Garrus wants to bust down Fist's bar, but Shirou and Arturia convince him not to. Instead, Shirou calls Wrex and asks for a favor. Wrex will cause a bar fight, distracting everybody at the bar, while Shirou sneaks into the back and hacks into Fist's computer. 

After he does so, he sends the relevant information to Arturia and the rest of the crew. Before he can escape, the cops arrive at the bar and arrest everybody. Meanwhile, Arturia and the crew find Tali and help her out, getting the data. 

Presenting the data to the Councilors happens pretty much as it does in the game, but afterwords a couple Spectre's meet with their Councilors. Having spied on Arturia and Shirou, they present their findings and recommendations on whether or not they are deserving to become Spectres. The Councilor's debate on whether or not to only promote one, and one of the Spectre's claims that based on Shirou's omnitool searches, he believes that if an attempt is made to seperate them, Shirou will simply quit and become a mercenary in order to follow Arturia. With that information, they decide to promote both Shirou and Arturia.]

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Author's Note: 

The incident that Shirou is referring to that caused him to go to Taiga is actually posted here on Patreon - "Taiga Finds Out". It's been a while since it was posted. I'll make a collection for my Effecting Fate works and include it in there, so you guys can find it. 

Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this!