"Shirouuuuuuuuuu!" Taiga yelled as she ripped open the Emiya Manor's front door with an abnormal amount of force. "Is breakfast ready yet?" The manor's young cook did not respond, his mind completely focused on crafting a magical meal for the small horde of young women who had begun frequenting his home since the days of the Fifth Holy Grail War. It was a subtle balancing act to keep all of the conflicting personalities of his friends in check, but Shirou Emiya would have it no other way. Years ago it had just been him and Taiga day after day, but as of late others come to join the household, Sakura being the first, adding variety to the insanity that was the manor's dining room. Though chaotic, and often violent, at times, it was a lively existence for all involved.
Taiga, unhappy with the lack of attention paid to her greeting, crept along the short hallway connecting the entranceway to the dining room, making sure to treed lightly as to not alert Shirou to her rather conspicuous presence. Then, armed raised to the ceiling and her lungs poised for another boisterous greeting, Taiga burst into the dining room without a second thought, a Taiga trademark to say the least. "Shir..." Her greeting was soon silenced as Taiga, having misjudged the placement of her left foot in regard to the rest of the world, tripped, causing her to fall face first with a mighty THUD onto the hard tatami mats that made up the dining rooms floor. Though not the greeting she had in mind, Taiga's display of acrobatic mastery nonetheless caught Shirou's attention.
"Are you ok, Fuji-nee?" Shirou asked while abandoning the food currently simmering in the kitchen behind him. The kind soul he was, Shirou offered a hand and smile to his fallen friend.
"I'm fine, really." Taiga rubbed her head and blushed out embarrassment for her little pratfall. "But more importantly, is breakfast ready yet?" Taiga Fujimaura had many loves in her life. But first and foremost, her heart lie in her stomach and she enjoyed nothing more then a good meal.
"Oh Fuji-nee... It will be ready in a few minutes" Shirou sighed before returning to finish the morning's meal. Having recovered from her brush from an embarrassing incident Taiga soon took her usual spot at the dining table in front of the manor's TV. Normally the rest of the table would be surrounded by a bevy of young girls all fighting over anything and everything. But this morning only the sound sizzling of food on the kitchen stove wafted through the Emiya manor.
"Shirou, where are Tohsaka-san and Sakura-chan?" Taiga inquired.
"Oh...I forgot. They both said they'd be going into school early today. So it will be just the two of us today." Shirou said while finally placing a meal of fish and rice upon the shared dining space. For awhile both teacher and student sat in silence. It had been ages since the two of them had shared a meal without the benefit of others to strike up a conversation or two. It was these same girls that Taiga had fought so hard against staying under the same roof as Shirou. Kiritsugi had bestowed upon her the duty of protecting Shirou and guiding him along the right path, and, as far as she was concerned, it was not a path that involved having a small harem of women living under the same roof as the boy she was tasked to protect. Though Saber and Rin had both proven themselves to be good and upstanding young women, somewhere in Taiga's heart she still missed the days when it was just her and Shirou whiling away the days practicing kendo and talking about school and other silly things. Taiga sighed nostalgically as she poked at the bowl of rice sitting before her. "Is something wrong?" Shirou inquired.
"I'm fine," Taiga once more sighed. "Just thinking about the old days." Taiga smiled. The little boy who had constantly said he was going to be a defender of justice had grown into a fine young man who held others above himself and would do anything for a friend in need. In many ways he had begun to resemble his adoptive father, a man Taiga had fostered quite the school girl crush in years past. "You've really grown lately." Taiga said, still indulging in nostalgia. "I guess it just means that your at that age where you'd rather spend more time other girls."
"Don't be silly, Fuji-nee." Shirou spoke while setting aside his rice for a moment. "Your like family to me, I'm not going to abandon you just because I have a girlfriend or something. And if you want to hang out together more you just have to ask." Shirou was as sweet as ever and always did wonders to calm Taiga in moments of extreme emotion.
Her vigor returned by her young ward's words, Taiga devoured what remained of her breakfast and quickly demanded seconds. "You better keep that promise." Taiga said her face twisted into a sort of amused pout. Shirou nodded in the positive.