After a few more minutes, Illya finally cried herself out. Her weeping and sobbing faded away, replaced by quick, deep breaths and some sniffles. Illya lifted her head and wiped some tears from her red, puffy eyes. After that, she finally found some strength to return to her two feet.
"You okay?" Annie asked her.
Illya nodded. "You were right, Annie. It was a good idea to come here."
Annie smiled at her. She was glad her friend had finally found some peace. "Here," Annie said, pressing Kiritsugu's envelope into Illya's hands. "These belong to you."
Illya closed her hands around the plane tickets and pressed them tight to her chest. "Thanks."
By that time, the graveyard had become truly dark in the wake of the oncoming night. The sun, hidden by the clouds and mist, had long since set, and total night was nearly upon Fuyuki. The snow continued to fall, accompanied by a sharp, chill wind that howled around the temple.
"It's getting real dark," Shirou observed. "We should head out now. You two are more than welcome to join us for dinner."
Illya looked up at Annie. "Shall we?"
Annie nodded with a smile. "That would be nice, thank you."
"Wonderful," Shirou said with a grin. "Come on, follow me."
Shirou walked ahead with Illya by his side, past Annie and past Taiga Fujimura and Sakura, around back toward the front of Ryuudou Temple. Sakura and Taiga waited for Annie to join them before setting off toward the staircase themselves. They walked several feet behind Shirou and Illya to give them some privacy, far enough back that they couldn't overhear what the two were talking about. By the time the three women reached the top of the staircase, the siblings were already halfway down.
"I wonder what they're talking about," Annie stated when they started the long descent down the tall, tree-covered hill.
"Who knows?" Sakura responded with an eased shrug. "I'm sure they have a lot of stuff to catch up on, right?"
"I'm sure they do," Annie agreed.
"It was your idea to bring Illya to Fuyuki, Annie?" Taiga asked her.
"It was, though I wasn't expecting this outcome," Annie answered. "Her whole life, Illya carried so much resentment and anger toward her father, to the point where it was holding her back from living the kind of life she wanted. I managed to convince her that she wouldn't be able to move on until she settled that score with him, but this ended up turning out for the best. I'm glad Kiritsugu didn't turn out to be the scumbag Illya though, and I think she's the happier for it."
"It seems like it," Taiga observed with a smile. "Looks like they're really getting along down there."
Based on Illya and Shirou's hand motions, it seemed like the two were deep in conversation. It looked lighthearted though, for it appeared like Illya was laughing.
"Honestly, when Kiritsugu first gave me that envelope and its instructions, I thought his mind had gone," Taiga admitted. "But everything he planned on happening has come to pass. His mind was sharp until the end, bless him."
"If only he had hung around long enough to see Illya again," Annie sighed. "I'm sure she would have liked that."
"She has the next best thing," Sakura said softly. "A brother."
Twenty minutes later, Annie and the others arrived at Shirou's house. Shirou and Illya had arrived a few minutes prior, so the house was alive and lit, unlike when they were there earlier in the day. Shirou had already started preparing dinner, and delicious smells were wafting in from the kitchen.
Sure enough, Shirou was darting around the kitchen like a worker bee, cutting vegetables here, stirring a pot there. Illya, meanwhile was sitting cross-legged on the floor next to the table, arms crossed.
"He won't let me help him make dinner," she pouted.
"Oh, stop, you're our guests," Shirou replied over his shoulder. "Relax and make yourselves at home, the food will be ready shortly."
"Here, let me help you, senpai," Sakura insisted in that soft tone of hers, bustling to the kitchen to assist Shirou with the cooking.
"No, it's really—" Shirou's voice died down as Sakura ignored him and helped with the food anyway, despite Shirou's protests. Taiga Fujimura, though, had no problem putting her feet up and letting others cook her dinner for her. With a sigh of comfort that resembled a cat's purr, Taiga sat down in lounging position next to the table across from Annie and Illya.
In hardly no time at all, the dinner was prepared, as Shirou promised. Platters upon platters of food were placed on the table. There was soup and steamed noodles, plates of salmon and tuna, vegetables, and, of course, heaps and heaps of rice. Annie's eyes went wide at the sheer amount of food on the table.
"I didn't foresee us having extra guests tonight, so I didn't buy any extra food," Shirou explained as he was placing plates by everyone's setting. "It should still be enough to feed everyone, I think."
"Are you kidding?" Annie exclaimed with a chuckle. "I've never seen this much food in my life. You've definitely made enough."
"You've never seen Fuji-nee eat," Shirou replied with a smirk. Taiga rolled her eyes.
"Let's just dig in already," Taiga proclaimed with a pout, then she proved Shirou's point by piling a massive amount of food onto her plate and chowing down. That made Illya chuckle.
After finally putting the last of the food on the table, Shirou finally rested from his labors and took a seat at the head of the table. Sakura, Annie, and Illya had waited for him to sit down to begin eating, so once he did, everyone joined Taiga (who was nearly done with her first plate) in helping themselves to some food.
Having never used chopsticks before, Annie had a difficult time eating at first, but, being good with her hands, she managed to get the hand of it rather quickly. Illya, on the other hand, struggled quite a bit. Her hands were smaller than most, which made it more difficult, and she kept fumbling both the food and the chopsticks.
"Here," Shirou offered. "You hold it like you hold a pen." He reached over and adjusted the grip of the chopsticks in Illya's hand until it was proper. "Take the top chopstick and hold it between your index and middle fingers, and the bottom one rests on your thumb. Use your index finger to pinch the food with the top chopstick against the bottom. Tight enough to hold it firmly in place, but not too tight, or you'll crush the food."
With a determined set of eyes, Illya tried to follow Shirou's instructions. She tried for a noodle, fumbled it the first time, but then managed to seize it in a firm grip.
"There you go," Shirou complemented with a smile. "It's really not that hard when you get the hang of it."
"Thanks, Shirou," said Illya as she went back in for another noodle.
"This is your first time in Japan, I assume?" Taiga asked.
"You mean you can't tell?" Annie quipped, to the laughter of everyone else.
"This is our first time outside of Germany, actually," Illya clarified. "I myself have never been outside the town where I was born before this trip."
"Wow," Shirou reacted. "How do you like the outside world so far?"
"Oh, you have a beautiful country," Illya assured him. "This city in particular is very quaint."
"Yeah, I suppose we have a nice town over here," Shirou agreed. "It's a lot nicer in the spring and summer, though, not with all this snow around. I can't remember the last time we had this much snow, actually."
"Oh, trust me, the snow is fine by me," said Illya.
"We actually have it a lot worse where we come from," Annie explained. "It snows nearly every day in the winter months."
"I see," Shirou mused. "So you're the ones who brought this snow in from Germany. You just couldn't leave it behind you, could ya?"
Illya broke into laughter. "I guess not."
The five of them sat at the table for around an hour, savoring the delicious food and enjoying each other's company. Shirou turned out to be an easy-going gentleman, always friendly and quick to smile. For all her somberness in the Ryuudou Temple graveyard, Taiga Fujimura turned out to be a giant goofball, and all five of them laughed more than once at her expense during the evening. And Sakura was quiet and reserved, but gentle, polite, and very sweet. And boy did she care for Shirou. All in all, they made for pleasant company, and Annie enjoyed the meal with them.
But no one enjoyed the meal more than Illya. She was eagerly chatting with everyone at the table, especially Shirou. She was quick to laughter the entire evening, and the happy, childlike demeanor that Illya had when Annie had first met her was in full swing. She was extremely relaxed and comfortable the entire night, not at all as though she was in a house of strangers.
As Illya sat at that table next to Annie, Annie realized that this was probably the most normal night she had had in her entire life. All of her problems, all of her concerns, were a half a world away in Germany where they couldn't bother her. Here, in Fuyuki, Japan, Illya was finally able to act like a normal kid, to have a nice, warm dinner with friends and family in a small, cozy dining room instead of a stone hall. This is what true happiness looked like.
"It's getting pretty late," Shirou observed, once the dessert was served and eaten, and the tea drunk. "Where are you two planning on staying tonight?"
"We have a hotel room in Shinto," Annie replied.
"That's a very far walk, especially for this time of night," said Shirou. "Why don't you two stay in the spare bedroom tonight?"
Annie glanced at Illya, who nodded her head vigorously. "All right then." Annie turned back to Shirou. "Thank you, we'll accept your offer."
After bidding Sakura and Taiga a good night, Shirou led Annie and Illya through the house until they reached a spare bedroom. There were two beds in there, both of which were basically thin mattresses on a platform barely above the ground, four fluffy pillows, and two cozy blankets.
"The bathroom's down the hallway," Shirou directed. "If you need anything else, anything at all, don't hesitate to come get me. Good night," he finished with a soft smile, sliding the door closed behind him.
Illya stared at the door after him for several seconds after he left. Finally, she turned back toward Annie, beaming. "Isn't he just a delight?" she proclaimed, eyes beaming. "So kind, so gentle, so willing to help anyone who needs it."
"He really is a great guy," Annie replied absently, deep in thought. She watched Illya and her excitement with a keen eye as she pondered something.
"To think I had grown up hating him all of these years," Illya continued right on, completely unaware of Annie's musings as she prepared her bed. "I really wish I had some of those years back, but there's no need to focus on the past now, I suppose. We have our whole lives to make up for those six years. Maybe he'll visit us in Germany next time!"
"Mmm hmm," Annie mumbled. She closed her eyes and sighed, resigned to the conclusion that she reached.
"I hope that happens soon," said Illya. "I'm really going to miss him when we go back to Germany in two days. I'm sure he'll visit soon, though. I doubt Grandfather would let him stay with us, but maybe he can stay—"
"Illya," Annie cut in, stopping the younger girl like an emergency brake stops a speeding vehicle.
Illya gave her a puzzled look. "What?"
Annie sighed once more. "Illya, I think it would be best of you remain here, with Shirou."
Illya's eyes widened. "What?" she asked again, this time her voice much smaller.
Annie didn't want to continue down this line of conversation. She didn't want to lay out the reasons she had for saying what she said. She wanted to say 'just kidding' and go to bed. Because she didn't want to have to say goodbye to her best friend, her best friend in the whole world.
But her best friend deserved to be happy, and Annie had made a promise.
"Illya," Annie began, trying and failing to mask the pain in her voice. "Look at you, you're so happy here. You have a real family, you'll have many, many friends. You'll go to a school without bullies. You'll live a completely normal life. And I promised you normal life, remember?"
"I—I can have a normal life in Germany!" Illya protested. "I can—"
"In that manor? With that man in charge?" Annie countered. "Illya, we both know you can't go back to that manor. You'll be safe from him here. You can leave the secrecy and magecraft behind and live like a normal girl."
"I don't want it." Illya vigorously shook her head. "I want you in my life, Annie. If Shirou's my brother, then you're like a sister to me."
"Illya," Annie said in a low voice, bottom lip quivering. "Please…please don't make this so hard. I want you to be happy, and you'll be happy here. Please, please just stay."
Illya tried to take calming, deep breaths, but the tears were already on their way. "I'm gonna miss you, Annie." Then she buried her head in Annie's lap and cried softly.
"I know, I'm gonna miss you too," Annie replied shakily, gently stroking Illya's shiny, white hair. "I'm gonna miss you too."
Two mornings later, Annie stood at the bus station in Fuyuki's Shinto district. She was wearing her winter coat tight around her upper body, and a scarf covered the lower half of her face. Atop her head was a winter hat, and there were gloves upon her hands. By her side was a half-filled suitcase; only her belongings were in it this time.
Standing next to her was Illya, similarly dressed. Her eyes were sad; the usual hopeful gleam they contained was temporarily put out. Shirou, Sakura, and Taiga had also accompanied Annie to the bus station; they patiently stood next to Illya with neutral expressions.
Shirou had immediately agreed to take Illya in; he couldn't have been happier to do so, in fact. Some research was done, and it turned out that Illya qualified for Japanese citizenship since her father was Japanese. Taiga would handle the paperwork, and Illya would be able permanently live in Japan as a full-fledged citizen. Annie was glad that the legal stuff worked out without a problem, that way Illya didn't have to return to Germany at all.
Annie glanced at her younger friend. She looked absolutely downtrodden then, but Annie knew that would change. It was a difficult moment for her, just like it was a difficult moment for Annie, but, ultimately, Annie knew that Illya would be very happy in this country.
Looking at her friend. Annie marveled at how far she had come along since the day they had first met. When they first played in the snow that January Saturday one month ago, Illya was a prisoner. Now, she was a free woman. Deep down, Annie was happy that she was able to play a role inn the bettering of Illya's life.
But as much as Illya owed Annie, Annie owed Illya double. The way that Illya had turned her life for the better was immeasurable. She was, and always would be, her best friend, and her heart ached at having to leave her.
In the distance, the bus that Annie was to board back to Tokyo appeared around a corner, heading for the station. The bright headlights stood out in the otherwise grey, dull day. The sky was a sheet of iron, and flurries fell straight down in the dead air to the ground.
"Well," Annie said slowly, gazing at the bus that approached like oncoming destiny. "It looks like this is it."
Illya wordlessly embraced Annie, pressing her head against Annie jacked and hugging her tight. Annie hugged her back just as tightly. The two remained like that for over a minute, until the bus pulled into the station.
"Come visit as soon as you can," Annie told Illya, letting go of her. "You be good, okay?"
"I will," Illya replied.
Annie handed her bus ticket to the driver, who helped her load her luggage onto the bottom of the bus. Then, as Annie boarded the bus, she turned around to get one last look at everyone. All four of the were waving her goodbye, Shirou, Sakura, and Taiga with smiles, Illya with glistening eyes. Annie waved goodbye one last time before boarding the bus.
From where Annie chose to sit, Illya and the others were still visible. Shirou, Sakura, and Taiga had turned away and were slowly walking back toward Miyama. Illya, however, was still standing at the station, eyes still trained on the bus as if that would stop it from leaving.
With a rumble, the bus lurched into motion, pulling out of the station. Annie gazed at Illya as the bus drove away from the station. Illya, in turn, followed the bus with her eyes. The girl in the snow, with snow falling all around her, receded from sight as the bus continued down the road. As it did, Annie could see Illya wave goodbye one last time. Annie longingly touched her palm to the window in reply.
Then the bus turned a corner, and Illya was gone.