Fate/Stay Night Fan Fiction ❯ Escaping Fate ❯ The Peaceful Noise ( Chapter 3 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: Zekk_Skywalk 
Home life.
Anime/Manga: Fate/Stay Night Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Supernatural / Horror / Fantasy / Hentai / Drama / Action | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 09.29.2011 | Pages: 2 | Words: 3.2K | Visits: 435 | Status: Completed
Home life.
Anime/Manga: Fate/Stay Night Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Supernatural / Horror / Fantasy / Hentai / Drama / Action | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 09.29.2011 | Pages: 2 | Words: 3.2K | Visits: 435 | Status: Completed
AN: Is it just me, or does a dojikko woman apt to pulling wooden swords out of nowhere named Taiga making a boy do all of the traditional housewife chores for her sound familiar? Good thing the visual novel predates Toradora! by two years…
Escaping Fate
Chapter 3
The Peaceful Noise
I hit the floor.
Again.
It had occurred to me in hindsight that my house’s dojo was a traditional Kendo setup, meaning it used a hardwood floor. The idea of converting it to padding like a modern dojo had occurred when Saber had been beating the stuffing out of me, but since the War it really hadn’t been an issue I needed to pursue.
And then Tohsaka started training me in Kenpo.*
Like she needed to point out yet another thing she was superior at.
It was important, though, to keep myself in that mindset if I were to ever reach my dream. Tohsaka knew this and had brought up her knowledge of hand-to-hand, supposedly passed down with her magecraft for generations. It made a nice supplement to the brief bit of swordsmanship Saber had beaten into me and the archery I already knew.**
I just wish that someday, Tohsaka would offer help that didn’t involve pain and humiliation.
The blow had caught me dead center of the diaphragm, leaving me winded for a lot longer than normal. Tohsaka, unlike Saber, gave me time to recover though, and I staggered up after a moment. “I thought I missed that last one,” I said.
Tohsaka nodded. “You did, actually. I was aiming for the kidneys and you twisted out of the way, just in the wrong direction.” Thankfully, also unlike Saber, Tohsaka actually worked up a sweat as well instead of staring me down like an implacable sentinel. “I think your instinct was right, it just backfired on you this time.” Unfairly, she was not breathing hard like I was. “What?”
“Don’t tell me you aren’t even a little winded from this?”
“Oh.” Tohsaka’s surprised expression gave way to that damned Cheshire look that made me feel like I was about to hand over my life savings, or else. “Reinforce your lungs.”
I blinked.
Oh indeed.
No wonder I was a failure as a magus.
“Well, that’s not important for now,” she continued, shrugging. “It’s getting close to dinnertime and I’m guessing Fujimura-sensei will be over soon?”
I nodded. “She didn’t have work to do, but since she is the advisor for the Archery Club, she felt she had to check in on everything, especially now that Sakura has passed the captaincy on. Doesn’t trust the newbie captain, or so I hear.”
Sakura would be graduating from Homurabara in two weeks. She had no plans for college, so she had started working a secretarial job recommended to her by Mitsuzuri, saying she was “determined to not be a freeloader.”
I only hope she didn’t hear that from me.
“So, last bout? Winner makes dinner?” Tohsaka grinned at me.
Underhanded play, you’re still so much better at this than I am…
“Fine,” I said. “You’re going down this time.”
We both took a ready stance and started circling some imaginary point between the two of us. Tohsaka usually waited for me to make a move when she was not teaching me defensive maneuvers, as she apparently wanted to test the choices I made in combat. Still, I kept watch for a surprise move before closing in for a strike.
“Haa!”
I usually led with a punching strike, so I tried moving in with a low right kick this time. Tohsaka deflected it aside, though she had to use both arms to do so, which is what I had hoped for. The moment my foot touched ground again, I brought my right arm up and shoved, grabbing hold of her shoulder and throwing her over my leg. If I could get her to ground—
Tohsaka fell faster than I thought, pivoted even while her rear hit the floor, and struck the side of my left leg. Her palm hit in that perfectly balanced fashion that the strike did not hurt nor did it even fully register: instead, it caused my knee to involuntarily bend, throwing my balance completely and bringing me tumbling down after her.
My arms flailed in a not-so-graceful fashion and I tried to twist in order to face my opponent, but the angle was just bad. I felt Tohsaka rise up behind me and, too close for a strike, wrap her arms around my neck for a choke hold.
I managed to get an arm up next to my neck and block her from completely encircling it, then got enough of my weight behind my knees again to pull forward with my shoulders, swinging her around my side and onto her back. Simultaneously, I grabbed both her arms and when she hit the floor, pinned them flat.
It was the stupidest, most fleeting idea, but for a moment, looking at her under me, her shirt clinging to her body from the workout, I couldn’t help but think of other activities.
“Thinking naughty thoughts, Shirou-kun?” Tohsaka nearly purred.
I could literally feel the blush shoot up my neck.
Tohsaka of course didn’t let that go to waste and like a professional contortionist, managed to swing a leg up enough to hook around my shoulder and send me crashing onto my back. Before I could raise any sort of defense, her kneesock-clad legs had me in a complete scissor hold at the neck. It wasn’t very Kenpo-like, but it certainly did the trick.
A little red in the face too, Tohsaka was nonetheless grinning as she sat up to look me in the eyes. “You’d better hope you never face a cute girl as an enemy,” she said. “Especially if they know they’re cute.”
“Agh, you know I know you’re good looking, so no fair using that,” I complained. “And I could’ve fought back! I just…well…”
Tohsaka always argued that we should wear normal clothes when sparring like this. It wasn’t like we’d encounter an enemy while wearing specially prepared training outfits. But it was highly distracting sometimes, since Tohsaka usually used the red shirt and black skirt she had worn through much of her off time in high school. If my hand slipped when trying to break her grapple, I’m pretty sure the excuse “your skirt is too short” wouldn’t fly.
Climbing back up, I watched as Tohsaka straightened her clothing and pulled her socks back up fully. It was all very innocuous, but for some reason I found myself smiling at the familiarity.
Two years ago, Tohsaka had been the school idol, in some ways as unapproachable and unobtainable as Saber had been at first. Now, with the harmless jokes she threw my way and her presence here, even if it was inconsistent with her trips to London, sometimes…
I shook my head ruefully.
If I had wanted Saber to live out a life, to be proud of her accomplishments and then allow herself to have human wants and desires…
I had the sneaking suspicion that Tohsaka was jabbing me in the same exact place I had once pestered Saber over. And while I wasn’t sure where that was supposed to fit into my life, or even if it had a place in my life—
“So, my turn to cook tonight!” Tohsaka declared, crossing her arms in victory. She then gave me a hilarious expression of confusion. “I wonder when that became something to be proud of.”
If you don’t understand, then just let me do it!
“Tohsaka-san, make twice as much! This girl is all skin and bones!”
Ah, Fuji-nee.
Finally back from her sabbatical—in which she supposedly was at an English program in America but I had a feeling was really sampling all the local cuisine—Fuji-nee had been much easier to reason with than I had expected regarding Yumi’s presence. Initially, of course, she had been ready to hammer me into the floor with her stuffed-full luggage, but after taking one look at the girl, she caved.
Saber, of course, had been stoic and self-assured. Illya acted cheerful. It was easier to outright pity Yumi, who looked like she was just waiting for someone to come up and knife her at any given moment even when she was relaxed. Had it been possible, I think Fuji-nee would have melted right into the floor the moment her eyes met Yumi’s.
So Tohsaka’s argument became a simple logistical description of how we would be caring for Yumi as something of a ward. Fuji-nee agreed, though she kept eying Tohsaka every once in a while in a hurt manner.
Probably thinking something along the lines of, I’m the one that’s supposed to be the boss in Shirou’s life, not you! The day had finally come: I was emancipated from my overbearing caretaker.
Too bad she had me whipped into feeding her anyway. “Don’t listen to her, Tohsaka, she’ll just eat the excess herself.”
Fuji-nee’s cheeks puffed and eyes glazed over, like she couldn’t decide whether to be angry or hurt. “You’ve become such a bully, Shirou. Where did your nice attitude go while I was gone?”
I decided to ignore her and glanced at Yumi. Though she had demonstrated no problem with Fuji-nee, it was pretty clear she still had no idea how to handle the loud schoolteacher. While I’m sure Yumi had known rather energetic people at the orphanage and possibly even before she had ended up there, I don’t know whether she had ever met someone who could manage zero enthusiasm to absolute insanity in an instant. Fuji-nee was a rather weird person.
Let me reiterate that: Sakura can seal away faeries, Tohsaka can make jewelry explode, and my body spontaneously sprouts swords in battle, yet Fuji-nee was the weird one.
Yumi was quiet, though it wasn’t a morose kind of quiet. Here and there, her eyes would wander, like they say how your eyes will look up and to one side to access part of your mind. Though she rarely spoke up, I always had the impression that she was considering a lot and thinking much more than she ever voiced, but for some reason decided not to bring up. It was subtle, but it reminded me of an extreme case of the sort of thing Tohsaka did every once in a while when she would be conjuring up a brilliant and/or crazy scheme.
Sakura was watching her too, probably noticing the same thing. I knew Sakura kept a lot to herself, but she was better at hiding it.
“Senpai has always been polite to me,” Sakura said absently. “I think he still has the same relationship with sensei as before too.”
“And what of your relationship, hmmm?” Fuji-nee leaned in at Sakura, taking that same dime-turn in mood. “Anything I should know of?”
I wasn’t blind to what Fuji-nee wanted for us, but at this point it was rather impossible. In the past year Sakura had really, well, blossomed into an elegant beauty and I knew she got love confessions at least monthly; she was, after all, more approachable than Tohsaka had been. I really wanted the world for her, but…
I didn’t exactly have anything in me to give.
The way I had decided to shape my life really didn’t allow for that kind of selfish want. It would be rather stupid of me to accept someone’s love and then disappear to some foreign country and possibly get myself killed. Taking care of Yumi was one thing, since if I died tomorrow the others would be here to care for her, and eventually she would be old enough to be on her own anyway.
I really didn’t want to hurt Sakura like that, no matter how prepared for what could happen she was.
Tohsaka saved her sister from further teasing, bringing out a meal of Korean beef that was sure to quiet Fuji-nee.
If only for a little bit.
When Fujimura-san left for the evening, Sakura had started to clean up and gently dismissed Shirou and Rin. Shirou had wandered off somewhere, while Rin had gone to her house to retrieve something.
Yumi found herself before the shed.
It was not sneaking, since there was nothing to hide from. Shirou had not hidden the fact that his workspace was in the shed, but he had also pointed out that there was nothing resembling a real functioning magus’ workshop there. But for some reason, Yumi had not wanted him here when she first opened it up.
The doors were creaky and slow-moving, and when she found the lights they really did nothing for the space. It was open and rather vacant; a sheet on the ground to one side and various electronics stacked next to it, a queue of the odd jobs Shirou did for people. Yumi had glimpsed some of Rin’s things and they were closer to the image she had in her mind of a witch: beakers, measures, various bottles of exotic-looking things. Shirou’s space looked just like the garage of a part-time mechanic or electrician.
Except for the wooden swords.
There were only a few, next to the door, and though nonchalantly leaning against the doorframe, something about them spoke to her more than the other items in the room.
They felt like him.
Taking one, she sat on the sheet and set the wooden length across her lap, regarding it carefully. They looked identical to the few that were in the dojo, only Yumi could tell they had been magicked in some way. She wasn’t sure how she could tell, but it was there.
Rin had once explained, very briefly, that magicians had circuits in their bodies to flow magic through. Though it was only glossed over, Yumi understood that the things that had been done to her had something to do with forcing circuits into her body that did not belong. Though she had hidden it well, Rin had shown some kind of surprise that Yumi was even still alive right now.
But because of all of that, Yumi thought she understood. Not on an intellectual level, but intuitively.
She understood that Shirou, lately, had been trying to add things to his magic. She knew he wasn’t very good at it.
She knew she could. Just like things had been changed inside her, she could change other things.
If only she could teach herself how.
“Hey. Fuji-nee is back home.”
The graveyard was quiet.
Sometimes, I’m not really sure why I regularly trekked here. It was far, far out of the way and far, far too close to being within range of Caren Ortensia, but the compulsion hit me frequently enough. It was right next to where I had truly been introduced to her, after all, and was now the location of her remains.
Ilyasviel Emiya
Legally, she had technically been given Fuji-nee’s name. But nobody argued when I had that placed on her grave.
I’m not sure if she had ever forgiven our father. I’m not sure if she would have approved of the name.
But I know she was okay with the other part, at least.
Beloved sister.
“She’s noisy as ever, not that I think you’d be surprised.” But even if she was no longer alive, I still felt like reminding her of the lives she left behind. And that, unlike the von Einzberns that had so easily abandoned her when she could no longer win the war, she was always here with us.
Another life I wanted to carry with me.
“Anyway, just thought you’d like to know. That she’s okay and didn’t get hit by a crazy American driver or something. Or elope with someone there.”
Although the latter one would’ve been funny.
I sought to escape the graveyard before Caren’s Shirou-sense went off and she came looking to victimize me, so I left with that. Even though I had the urge to come, I also kept every visit short, like everything I said were just something I’d relay to her in passing. Plus, I didn’t want to leave Sakura and Yumi alone in the house too long in case Tohsaka took a while gathering whatever it was she was going to torture me with next.
Humming, I returned home.
Ich weiß nicht, was soll es bedeuten,
Daß ich so traurig bin…
**It’s mentioned in source material that Archer was equally proficient with weaponry as he was bare-handed. Since Shirou did not join a hand-to-hand Martial Arts club in high school and it seems unlikely that Kiritsugu, even if he knew any formally, was capable of teaching Shirou, I always thought that Rin might have been the one responsible for instructing him in that aspect. Or maybe he just got good at barehand-blocking Taiga.
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Escaping Fate
Chapter 3
The Peaceful Noise
I hit the floor.
Again.
It had occurred to me in hindsight that my house’s dojo was a traditional Kendo setup, meaning it used a hardwood floor. The idea of converting it to padding like a modern dojo had occurred when Saber had been beating the stuffing out of me, but since the War it really hadn’t been an issue I needed to pursue.
And then Tohsaka started training me in Kenpo.*
Like she needed to point out yet another thing she was superior at.
It was important, though, to keep myself in that mindset if I were to ever reach my dream. Tohsaka knew this and had brought up her knowledge of hand-to-hand, supposedly passed down with her magecraft for generations. It made a nice supplement to the brief bit of swordsmanship Saber had beaten into me and the archery I already knew.**
I just wish that someday, Tohsaka would offer help that didn’t involve pain and humiliation.
The blow had caught me dead center of the diaphragm, leaving me winded for a lot longer than normal. Tohsaka, unlike Saber, gave me time to recover though, and I staggered up after a moment. “I thought I missed that last one,” I said.
Tohsaka nodded. “You did, actually. I was aiming for the kidneys and you twisted out of the way, just in the wrong direction.” Thankfully, also unlike Saber, Tohsaka actually worked up a sweat as well instead of staring me down like an implacable sentinel. “I think your instinct was right, it just backfired on you this time.” Unfairly, she was not breathing hard like I was. “What?”
“Don’t tell me you aren’t even a little winded from this?”
“Oh.” Tohsaka’s surprised expression gave way to that damned Cheshire look that made me feel like I was about to hand over my life savings, or else. “Reinforce your lungs.”
I blinked.
Oh indeed.
No wonder I was a failure as a magus.
“Well, that’s not important for now,” she continued, shrugging. “It’s getting close to dinnertime and I’m guessing Fujimura-sensei will be over soon?”
I nodded. “She didn’t have work to do, but since she is the advisor for the Archery Club, she felt she had to check in on everything, especially now that Sakura has passed the captaincy on. Doesn’t trust the newbie captain, or so I hear.”
Sakura would be graduating from Homurabara in two weeks. She had no plans for college, so she had started working a secretarial job recommended to her by Mitsuzuri, saying she was “determined to not be a freeloader.”
I only hope she didn’t hear that from me.
“So, last bout? Winner makes dinner?” Tohsaka grinned at me.
Underhanded play, you’re still so much better at this than I am…
“Fine,” I said. “You’re going down this time.”
We both took a ready stance and started circling some imaginary point between the two of us. Tohsaka usually waited for me to make a move when she was not teaching me defensive maneuvers, as she apparently wanted to test the choices I made in combat. Still, I kept watch for a surprise move before closing in for a strike.
“Haa!”
I usually led with a punching strike, so I tried moving in with a low right kick this time. Tohsaka deflected it aside, though she had to use both arms to do so, which is what I had hoped for. The moment my foot touched ground again, I brought my right arm up and shoved, grabbing hold of her shoulder and throwing her over my leg. If I could get her to ground—
Tohsaka fell faster than I thought, pivoted even while her rear hit the floor, and struck the side of my left leg. Her palm hit in that perfectly balanced fashion that the strike did not hurt nor did it even fully register: instead, it caused my knee to involuntarily bend, throwing my balance completely and bringing me tumbling down after her.
My arms flailed in a not-so-graceful fashion and I tried to twist in order to face my opponent, but the angle was just bad. I felt Tohsaka rise up behind me and, too close for a strike, wrap her arms around my neck for a choke hold.
I managed to get an arm up next to my neck and block her from completely encircling it, then got enough of my weight behind my knees again to pull forward with my shoulders, swinging her around my side and onto her back. Simultaneously, I grabbed both her arms and when she hit the floor, pinned them flat.
It was the stupidest, most fleeting idea, but for a moment, looking at her under me, her shirt clinging to her body from the workout, I couldn’t help but think of other activities.
“Thinking naughty thoughts, Shirou-kun?” Tohsaka nearly purred.
I could literally feel the blush shoot up my neck.
Tohsaka of course didn’t let that go to waste and like a professional contortionist, managed to swing a leg up enough to hook around my shoulder and send me crashing onto my back. Before I could raise any sort of defense, her kneesock-clad legs had me in a complete scissor hold at the neck. It wasn’t very Kenpo-like, but it certainly did the trick.
A little red in the face too, Tohsaka was nonetheless grinning as she sat up to look me in the eyes. “You’d better hope you never face a cute girl as an enemy,” she said. “Especially if they know they’re cute.”
“Agh, you know I know you’re good looking, so no fair using that,” I complained. “And I could’ve fought back! I just…well…”
Tohsaka always argued that we should wear normal clothes when sparring like this. It wasn’t like we’d encounter an enemy while wearing specially prepared training outfits. But it was highly distracting sometimes, since Tohsaka usually used the red shirt and black skirt she had worn through much of her off time in high school. If my hand slipped when trying to break her grapple, I’m pretty sure the excuse “your skirt is too short” wouldn’t fly.
Climbing back up, I watched as Tohsaka straightened her clothing and pulled her socks back up fully. It was all very innocuous, but for some reason I found myself smiling at the familiarity.
Two years ago, Tohsaka had been the school idol, in some ways as unapproachable and unobtainable as Saber had been at first. Now, with the harmless jokes she threw my way and her presence here, even if it was inconsistent with her trips to London, sometimes…
I shook my head ruefully.
If I had wanted Saber to live out a life, to be proud of her accomplishments and then allow herself to have human wants and desires…
I had the sneaking suspicion that Tohsaka was jabbing me in the same exact place I had once pestered Saber over. And while I wasn’t sure where that was supposed to fit into my life, or even if it had a place in my life—
“So, my turn to cook tonight!” Tohsaka declared, crossing her arms in victory. She then gave me a hilarious expression of confusion. “I wonder when that became something to be proud of.”
If you don’t understand, then just let me do it!
“Tohsaka-san, make twice as much! This girl is all skin and bones!”
Ah, Fuji-nee.
Finally back from her sabbatical—in which she supposedly was at an English program in America but I had a feeling was really sampling all the local cuisine—Fuji-nee had been much easier to reason with than I had expected regarding Yumi’s presence. Initially, of course, she had been ready to hammer me into the floor with her stuffed-full luggage, but after taking one look at the girl, she caved.
Saber, of course, had been stoic and self-assured. Illya acted cheerful. It was easier to outright pity Yumi, who looked like she was just waiting for someone to come up and knife her at any given moment even when she was relaxed. Had it been possible, I think Fuji-nee would have melted right into the floor the moment her eyes met Yumi’s.
So Tohsaka’s argument became a simple logistical description of how we would be caring for Yumi as something of a ward. Fuji-nee agreed, though she kept eying Tohsaka every once in a while in a hurt manner.
Probably thinking something along the lines of, I’m the one that’s supposed to be the boss in Shirou’s life, not you! The day had finally come: I was emancipated from my overbearing caretaker.
Too bad she had me whipped into feeding her anyway. “Don’t listen to her, Tohsaka, she’ll just eat the excess herself.”
Fuji-nee’s cheeks puffed and eyes glazed over, like she couldn’t decide whether to be angry or hurt. “You’ve become such a bully, Shirou. Where did your nice attitude go while I was gone?”
I decided to ignore her and glanced at Yumi. Though she had demonstrated no problem with Fuji-nee, it was pretty clear she still had no idea how to handle the loud schoolteacher. While I’m sure Yumi had known rather energetic people at the orphanage and possibly even before she had ended up there, I don’t know whether she had ever met someone who could manage zero enthusiasm to absolute insanity in an instant. Fuji-nee was a rather weird person.
Let me reiterate that: Sakura can seal away faeries, Tohsaka can make jewelry explode, and my body spontaneously sprouts swords in battle, yet Fuji-nee was the weird one.
Yumi was quiet, though it wasn’t a morose kind of quiet. Here and there, her eyes would wander, like they say how your eyes will look up and to one side to access part of your mind. Though she rarely spoke up, I always had the impression that she was considering a lot and thinking much more than she ever voiced, but for some reason decided not to bring up. It was subtle, but it reminded me of an extreme case of the sort of thing Tohsaka did every once in a while when she would be conjuring up a brilliant and/or crazy scheme.
Sakura was watching her too, probably noticing the same thing. I knew Sakura kept a lot to herself, but she was better at hiding it.
“Senpai has always been polite to me,” Sakura said absently. “I think he still has the same relationship with sensei as before too.”
“And what of your relationship, hmmm?” Fuji-nee leaned in at Sakura, taking that same dime-turn in mood. “Anything I should know of?”
I wasn’t blind to what Fuji-nee wanted for us, but at this point it was rather impossible. In the past year Sakura had really, well, blossomed into an elegant beauty and I knew she got love confessions at least monthly; she was, after all, more approachable than Tohsaka had been. I really wanted the world for her, but…
I didn’t exactly have anything in me to give.
The way I had decided to shape my life really didn’t allow for that kind of selfish want. It would be rather stupid of me to accept someone’s love and then disappear to some foreign country and possibly get myself killed. Taking care of Yumi was one thing, since if I died tomorrow the others would be here to care for her, and eventually she would be old enough to be on her own anyway.
I really didn’t want to hurt Sakura like that, no matter how prepared for what could happen she was.
Tohsaka saved her sister from further teasing, bringing out a meal of Korean beef that was sure to quiet Fuji-nee.
If only for a little bit.
When Fujimura-san left for the evening, Sakura had started to clean up and gently dismissed Shirou and Rin. Shirou had wandered off somewhere, while Rin had gone to her house to retrieve something.
Yumi found herself before the shed.
It was not sneaking, since there was nothing to hide from. Shirou had not hidden the fact that his workspace was in the shed, but he had also pointed out that there was nothing resembling a real functioning magus’ workshop there. But for some reason, Yumi had not wanted him here when she first opened it up.
The doors were creaky and slow-moving, and when she found the lights they really did nothing for the space. It was open and rather vacant; a sheet on the ground to one side and various electronics stacked next to it, a queue of the odd jobs Shirou did for people. Yumi had glimpsed some of Rin’s things and they were closer to the image she had in her mind of a witch: beakers, measures, various bottles of exotic-looking things. Shirou’s space looked just like the garage of a part-time mechanic or electrician.
Except for the wooden swords.
There were only a few, next to the door, and though nonchalantly leaning against the doorframe, something about them spoke to her more than the other items in the room.
They felt like him.
Taking one, she sat on the sheet and set the wooden length across her lap, regarding it carefully. They looked identical to the few that were in the dojo, only Yumi could tell they had been magicked in some way. She wasn’t sure how she could tell, but it was there.
Rin had once explained, very briefly, that magicians had circuits in their bodies to flow magic through. Though it was only glossed over, Yumi understood that the things that had been done to her had something to do with forcing circuits into her body that did not belong. Though she had hidden it well, Rin had shown some kind of surprise that Yumi was even still alive right now.
But because of all of that, Yumi thought she understood. Not on an intellectual level, but intuitively.
She understood that Shirou, lately, had been trying to add things to his magic. She knew he wasn’t very good at it.
She knew she could. Just like things had been changed inside her, she could change other things.
If only she could teach herself how.
“Hey. Fuji-nee is back home.”
The graveyard was quiet.
Sometimes, I’m not really sure why I regularly trekked here. It was far, far out of the way and far, far too close to being within range of Caren Ortensia, but the compulsion hit me frequently enough. It was right next to where I had truly been introduced to her, after all, and was now the location of her remains.
Ilyasviel Emiya
Legally, she had technically been given Fuji-nee’s name. But nobody argued when I had that placed on her grave.
I’m not sure if she had ever forgiven our father. I’m not sure if she would have approved of the name.
But I know she was okay with the other part, at least.
Beloved sister.
“She’s noisy as ever, not that I think you’d be surprised.” But even if she was no longer alive, I still felt like reminding her of the lives she left behind. And that, unlike the von Einzberns that had so easily abandoned her when she could no longer win the war, she was always here with us.
Another life I wanted to carry with me.
“Anyway, just thought you’d like to know. That she’s okay and didn’t get hit by a crazy American driver or something. Or elope with someone there.”
Although the latter one would’ve been funny.
I sought to escape the graveyard before Caren’s Shirou-sense went off and she came looking to victimize me, so I left with that. Even though I had the urge to come, I also kept every visit short, like everything I said were just something I’d relay to her in passing. Plus, I didn’t want to leave Sakura and Yumi alone in the house too long in case Tohsaka took a while gathering whatever it was she was going to torture me with next.
Humming, I returned home.
Ich weiß nicht, was soll es bedeuten,
Daß ich so traurig bin…
Escaping Fate, The Peaceful Noise, End
*Romanizing it Kenpo, though it should be Kenpô or Kenpou…both of which just look wrong to me. Just saying, I’m lazy, not neglectfully inconsistent. **It’s mentioned in source material that Archer was equally proficient with weaponry as he was bare-handed. Since Shirou did not join a hand-to-hand Martial Arts club in high school and it seems unlikely that Kiritsugu, even if he knew any formally, was capable of teaching Shirou, I always thought that Rin might have been the one responsible for instructing him in that aspect. Or maybe he just got good at barehand-blocking Taiga.
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