In the middle of a beautiful green meadow, a lone blonde-haired girl stared up at the clear blue sky.

One thousand, five hundred and sixty years. That was how long she had been in Avalon, her final resting place. How many times had she looked up at that sky, wishing to see him again? Countless times, she was sure. Not once in those thousands of years had that wish changed.

Merlin had warned her that a reunion with the boy she loved was almost impossible; nonetheless, she had informed her old mentor that she was willing to wait for as long as it took.

But even the strongest of hopes could become feeble; as the years turned into decades, and the decades turned into centuries, her hope that her wish would become a reality began to fade. Doubts had crept into her mind. Was it foolish for her to want to be with Shirou? Even if he did reach Avalon, would he be the same person she had fallen for? And she had been waiting such a long time...

Still, even a faint hope was preferable to no hope at all.

She sighed. Shirou... she thought. How much longer must I wait for you?

Her musings were broken by the sudden shift in the breeze. She tore her gaze away from the sky to look around the meadow.

What she saw caused her lips to part in shock.

It was him.

Her heart thudded painfully against her chest as she watched him walk over to her. He certainly looked like the sixteen-year-old boy she remembered. He had the same, slightly untidy red hair, the same white shirt with the long, navy sleeves, the same blue jeans.

She stood, transfixed, as he continued to step closer to her. Is this real? she found herself thinking. Was this truly Shirou? Or had she somehow fallen asleep and was dreaming this?

She desperately hoped this was no dream.

The boy was now standing next to her, smiling warmly. He reached out to gently touch her face.

Finally, he spoke. "I'm back, Saber."

Tears began to form in her eyes; his voice sounded exactly as it had so long ago. It was at that moment that she realized that this was real, that Shirou was truly here.

"Shirou..." Her voice trailed off; what was she to say to him? Should she start by saying how much she missed him? Should she berate him for how long he made her wait?

But she ended up not saying either of those things. Instead, she suddenly pulled him into a tight embrace.

"Welcome back," she whispered, letting her tears fall as he wrapped his arms around her as well.

After what felt like a small eternity, she pulled away slightly to look up at him. She could see her own joy reflected in his dark brown eyes. And when he leaned in to kiss her, she offered no resistance.

At long last, the two were reunited.

And never again would they be forced to part.