"Such a childish dream." Archer remarked behind Shirou, prompting the latter to turn around. He was everything that the white-haired teen remembered, the shroud, his very lax and smug look, and even the way his Shroud was tied with two three leafed clover tied-like knots. His hands were crossed over his chest, earning him the epitome of what someone was to expect from a smug person. "Such a thought of abandoning your ideals never crossed to you, didn't it?"

Shirou could not feel the everpresent hostility he always felt around his archetype, but instead found something different. For the first time, Shirou felt accepted by his future self. While in revelation at this, Shirou could not help but stare passively into Archer, almost as if his eyes were trying to ask 'Why?'.

"Why? How?" Shirou had finally asked, managing to find the strength in his voice, but before he could continue, Archer held up his index finger to keep his prototype from speaking more. Only Shirou had understood what Archer meant.

"All will be explained in due time." Archer replied, lowering his index finger. "We still have to get out of here, remember?" Shirou nodded in response. Archer brought his hand, before running it across his hair. "How bothersome. I never thought that out of all people, you would become my partner." He grumbled, particularly not amused of his situation. "I guess this is my punishment for taking amusement in everything."

They had started walking towards the cliffs, their stupified companions following mindlessly.

Yang had begun to stir, a shake of her head making particularly sure of that. "What?" She said, "Huh? Who are you?" She was most definitely confused, from the way her eyes keep streaking from Shirou to Archer. No doubt she did not know whom is who.

"Shirou," Weiss said while her eyes gazed upon the two mirror-like persons and tried to scrutinize any difference from the two. She failed at that regard, partly because she was amazed and the other part because of her confusion, and addressed the two of them generally instead. "Who is the person who looks just. like. you?" She demanded, her posture tense and ready to draw her Rapier at any moment.

"I am Archer. Pleased to make your acquaintance." Archer said as he had stepped forwards and bowed, a very fancy western bow, like ones you see in a royal ball.

Weiss curtsied in response, but didn't take her hand off her Rapier and her sight never being taken off him, "Likewise. Pleased to meet you, but do you have no surname?" Archer kept silent for moments, before Weiss had decided to continue. "Ah I see. It was pleasant to meet you, Archer."

On his side, Shirou grumbled, particularly annoyed. "I don't even want to know where you learned to bow like that."

"Now that we know whom is who, our main concern is now learning to discern whom is whom." Weiss said, before pointing to Archer. "I noticed, that you are slightly taller than Shirou, your skin is darker than his, and that you have gray? Silver eyes."

Archer snorted from the sides in response.

"Go Weiss. That was the most dismissive judgement you ever said throughout the course of Remnant." Shirou said, his hands were crossed over his chest, resembling Archer in every note. Everyone turned to him, and Archer, and Shirou could see them labeling them as 'Twins'. The way their eyes glazed told him so. "And for the first and only time, I am not his twin."

"If you are not his brother, then how are you two so alike? Perhaps he is your cousin?" Ren asked, his voice was filled with innate curiosity.

"It is a lot more complicated than that." Shirou replied.

While laughing at barely audible levels, he remarked, "This is perhaps the closest resemblance to someone I have ever seen."

"Believe me. I am closer to him than you would see in any twins." Archer quipped, only him and Shirou finding the cryptic meaning in the 'harmless' statement.

By the time Shirou had turned around to meet Archer, he already left. You could say that they both had the habits of intentionally leaving to avoid questioning. And a question is that, why did Nora run off in a direction and kept silent for the duration of the walk?

"Hey! Where did the other Shirou go?!" And, there was the trademark loud voice of Nora.

"And with the two black king pieces, Shirou Schnee and Archer Emiya... would become partners," The blonde-speaker paused, before looking towards the headmaster with uncertainity. The headmaster merely shrugged and nodded in response. "... And they would form Team Sea." She announced, before mumbling inaudibly to herself, "It's not a team when it's only two partners..."

Archer barely caught the annoyance of the vice headmistress, underneath her heavily crafted mask of her demeanor of stoicness. Him and his past self would be forming a two-man team, or a partnership, which was a never-before event. The only teams that can occur are, a standard four-person team, a rarer three-person team in case a member quits or dies or they just had the bad luck of being a member short, a one-person team which was usually a person being supported by another team, or a five-person team.

Never did he once read in any books of a partnership. Since they were essentially the same person, they would have the same weaknesses and the same strengths, with a few changes with each, but only minor at most.

Archer sighed. Somehow, once his past self has been involved, everything becomes significantly harder. Then again, didn't they both have a low luck score to begin with?

They were currently in their dorm room, the extra two beds being removed entirely, allowing them some more extra space. In the extra space, they had both requested for a kitchen, along with a refrigerator. The vice-headmistress' reaction to that was particularly questioning, her eyebrows raised but she did fill their request anyway. In return, they weren't allowed to go to the cafeteria anymore, not that they'll need it anyway.

And they had both agreed that they both would receive three days of cooking in an alternate-day pattern, and that Sunday was off-limits.

"I have absolutely no idea how the sea is anything related to swords." Shirou mumbled beside Archer, to which the former had his hands grasped on a cup of tea.

Archer once again, snorted.

"But, you. Why did you use our past name?" Shirou asked, his eyebrows raised, "I had thought you moved on."

"The name. I am more than positive that the name draws you in, very similar to a magnet." Archer checked to see any signs of agreement, and found Shirou nodding his head slightly, "I merely used it once again. Afterall, I am called EMIYA, afterall."

"Emiya... You are different from Emiya. You are EMIYA, the existence whom regretted his ideals. I am the one who has yet to experience it, but I am more than straying away from it." Shirou said, his eyes filled with resolve and determination. Shirou placed his hand in his forehead, before chuckling slightly, "Ha. Haha. I guess she is helping more than I had thought."

"Yes. I suppose so."

The lightbulb flickered slightly.

As if on cue, knockings occured in their door. "Hello! We are your friends!" A high pitched voice was emitted from the door, to which they were more than certain that the said voice belonged to Ruby.

Soon after, another voice erupted from the other side of the door. "Ruby! Keep your voice down!" Another girl's voice hissed, which has made the eccentric girl's voice slightly softer. It was from Weiss.

And with the adrupt opening of the door courtesy of Archer, Ruby came tumbling down. "Ouch." The said girl groaned while rubbing her head, despite Aura having protected her.

"What brings you here? At seven in the night?" Archer and Shirou asked at the same time, to which they both looked at each other in response. "This is troublesome." Archer commented duly.

"And somehow, I agree." Shirou added as an afterthought. "So, what really brings you here?"

"Weiss came here to claim her 'lunch' that you'll be making!" Ruby replied, bouncing up and down and her eyes were glittering, or maybe it was just a result of her eccentric movement, silver eyes, and the lights overhead.

"That is correct. I want the usual." Weiss demanded in a flat tone, her arms outstretched to receive something.

Shirou had murmured something, but it wasn't heard nor caught by anyone, before he reached inside his coat and retrieved a black tupperware. "There. That should be the usual." The black tupperware was labelled with 'Weiss' Usual'.

"Hm? I also have that same tupperware, and I bet that it has the same contents." Archer remarked, just as he also reached inside his coat and withdrew another tupperware. The only difference is that it wasn't labelled.

Archer had lost count of how many times Shirou had muttered 'I don't even want to know' under his breath, but he was certain that this just added to the list.

For reasons unknown, I somehow cannot stay in the 'showing mode' and keep returning back to 'telling mode'...

God may or may not have forbid me to write something good. Just kidding. I would eventually get better in writing... Eventually.

And, let the "Archer acts too OOC" reviews commence... Go and flame me for that, but all would be explained in due time...

And go review this or something and trudge on with the rest of your lives.

Date: 11/26/16