Author's Note: Um...hey. I've been on a Shirou/Saber kick lately, reading fics, watching music videos, looking at fanart, etc. When I first listened to Christina Perri's "A Thousand Years," I thought it was absolutely perfect for Shirou and Saber's relationship; thus, this two-shot was born. Enjoy (well, hopefully...)!

(On an unrelated, less cheerful note, am I the only one worried about this "Critics United" thing I've been hearing about? I really hope none of my fics get deleted. *bites lip nervously*)

Disclaimer: I do not own Fate/stay night, because if I did, we'd be getting a box set special edition DVD of the anime with a bonus episode where Shirou and Saber reunite in Avalon.

Time was a strange thing. It could go by in a blink or slow down to a crawl, but no matter its speed, there was no stopping it. With time, things changed, and deeply cherished memories inevitably began to fade.

Such was the case for Shirou, now a seventy-six-year-old man. Though his memories of Saber still remained in a deep corner of his heart, his mind had forgotten some things about her over the decades: the exact sound of her voice, her demeanor both on and off the battlefield, the rare smile that she seemed to reserve only for him.

Even so, Shirou had been right when he told Rin that he would never forget his love for Saber. The first several weeks after her disappearance were agony for him. Although he tried to go about his life as normally as he could, Shirou was plagued by his supposed failure to rescue Saber. Was there anything that he could have done differently? Had there been any way for Saber to have stayed in this era with him without any catch to it? And the dreams he'd had—nightmares of him pleading with Saber to not leave him, that he loved her, only to watch her fade away—certainly didn't help.

After two to three months, Shirou began to pull himself together. Saber wouldn't have wanted him to waste away without her; instead, he devoted himself to living life to the fullest in honor of her memory. As the years passed, Shirou achieved his dream of becoming a Champion of Justice, and he endured all the difficulties and hardships that went with that.

Throughout the last sixty years, he never stopped believing he'd find Saber again. And at present, as Shirou lay down on his futon and closed his eyes for an afternoon nap, he somehow knew that his journey was very near to its end.

"Saber..." It had been a long time since he'd spoken that name. "I'm coming home."

Memories swirled around in Shirou's mind, more clear and vivid than they had been in years.

The night he first met Saber, time appearing to stop as her beauty left him speechless...

Taking Berserker's blow for her, not wanting her to die...

The battles they fought in, how they learned to fight as a team...

Their date, followed by that argument...

Their fight with Gilgamesh, how he finally confessed his love to her...

Their first—and only—kiss, gentle and brief...

The moment of their parting, and the last thing she ever said to him...

"Shirou, please know that...that I love you."

Was that really Saber's voice he heard, or was he still dreaming? In his sleep, Shirou involuntarily took in a sharp breath.

He released the breath and died, a peaceful smile on his face.