It's been a while. Here's a chapter to prove I am still alive. I was writing another chapter, but I realized I would be skipping ahead too far without going too much into the relationship between Iri and Shirou. So here, this chapter is meant to look deeper into the personal relationship between them and how life was progressing for them. I figured the setting would be perfect since it is Hanami season in Japan right now. I may have rushed getting this chapter done a bit because of it, but again, I wanted to show I am still writing this story. Enjoy.


Interlude

It was as though the day itself was greeting her, welcoming her to her first spring in Fuyuki. The sun was shining, the wind was gentle, and the cherry blossoms were in full bloom as one of Fuyuki's most recent residents watched them spring to life and blow in the pleasant breeze. She managed to catch one in her palm, examined it for a moment, and then let the wind carry it away to join the rest in the dance of spring.

"It's lovely." Irisviel thought to herself. Kneeling on the blue blanket under the cherry trees, she looked on with a warm amazement at the sight before her. She wore lavender colored dress, lighter than what she wore in the winter; and more appropriate for the setting. Some distance away, Shirou was playing with other children around his age under one of the trees. Watching the game play out made Irisviel happy for her foster son. It was good to know there were children his age that the young red head could get along with in addition to the many people the Emiyas managed to befriend.

Surrounding the blanket Irisviel sat on, the men and women of the Fujimura group were enjoying the festival. On the blanket behind her, Fujimura Taiga was particularly rowdy as she went around to all of the guests at the small party and making what passes to her as small talk. Others were near by, including the various people Irisviel had the pleasure to befriend. Not too far away were the families of Gakumazawa, Kurihara, Mackenzie, and many more. Everyone that Irisviel knew in Miyama was there with friends and family.

This was Hanami. An event where the people come to watch the cherry blossoms bloom and enjoy the company of loved ones. For the people of Fuyuki, it was a yearly festival of fun and games, but for Irisviel, this particular Hanami was something more. This was her first Hanami.

"Hey, Shishou!" Taiga called out to Irisviel

"Ah, T-chan," Irisviel said turning around. The young girl was with a bunch of her boys with some bows and a large wooden hammer of some kind. "What are you up to?"

"Mochi!" Taiga exclaimed lifting the hammer up in the air.

"Mochi?" repeated Irisviel.

"Mochi making!" Taiga explained. "A must for Hanami." She pointed the hammer at the bowl, which was filled with pink dough. "It's a Fujimura tradition to make ourselves some Mochi during the Hanami festival. And I get to do the pounding." She nodded at her father, a giant even by Yakuza muscle standards, and began to pound the dough with the hammer as her father kneaded with his hand. In intervals, Taiga pounded, and the older Fujimura kneed the dough in a rhythmic pattern. "A few good whacks and we'll have some super soft, super tasty mochi." Taiga explained as she continued to pound. "Would you like some?"

Intrigued, Irisviel agreed to try some when it was done. Irisviel turned back around and filled a cup with a thermos filled with green tea. Relaxing again, she looked around at the sight of families enjoying their day off.

Spending some time alone gave her plenty a moment to think of her life in Fuyuki and she concluded it was going well. She managed to familiarize herself with the town and city to the point where she can easily give directions to people not familiar to the area. As for the people, she befriended many of them and has become a regular at some of the more social neighborhood events. Her own appearance has become a familiar one to the residence as well, in no small part due to her unique features.

After staying in Fuyuki for months, people have already begun to talk about her, the beautiful foreigner who moved to Fuyuki in winter. From what she knew, few of the rumors were bad, but it was known she was a widow to a man who was acquainted with the local Yakuza. That however did not deter many of the people who got to know her personally and knew her benefactor, Fujimura Raiga, as a man of honor and good disposition. Her own sweet personality helped a great deal making her a very popular figure in the Miyama circle; she even heard rumors about a nickname being flown around. 'The Fuyuki Snow Fairy' was apparently what she was being called. Irisviel was unsure about how to react to that.

She did find it odd though that out of all the people who knew her, she has yet to catch the attention of the Tohsakas or the Matous, or rather, if they notice they made no indication to her that they did. Maybe the events of the Holy Grail War were so taxing on them they had little room to keep up with neighborhood events such as new neighbors. Then again, there had been a large flux of people moving to the suburban area thanks to the Great Fire, they probably had no interest in the new immigrants.

Irisviel however concluded it would be better to be as active in the neighborhood as possible rather than keep a low profile. Her reasoning was that she already had a strange appearance, so people of course would talk about her. If she did try and separate herself from the people, she would only make other people more interested in her and thus increase the number of people curious of her. By actively giving information about herself, she would satisfy their curious neighbors and assist in decreasing the interest in her as well as any juicy gossip and rumors that secrecy tends to attract. Irisviel mused over that particular logic of her hiding in plain sight approach and found it funny how affective it was as no local magi tried to approach her. She did not believe she could hide from them forever, so when the day comes they do find and confront her, she would cross that bridge when she got there. Plus, she really wanted to have as much fun as possible before that happened, so why not indulge in her new found freedom by being a respected, fun loving member of the community?

She also reflected on how her relationship Shirou was improving. In regards to his training, she had yet to teach him proper Magecraft, but decided to start with the smaller things before teaching him proper. For the past few weeks she was teaching him just the theories and the basics of certain miracles. He wanted to go straight for the big lessons, but she was insistent on letting him know the very basics firsts, though she did satisfy his curiosity by teaching him alchemy. So far the lessons had been going well, and Irisviel did assure him that once he managed to do a decent enough job with the lessons she instilled in him, she would proceed to teach him properly.

Their master/student relationship was going well, but she did wonder about their relationship as family. For all the time she spent with Shirou she never really understood their relationship as a mother and son. For the time being, she acted like his mother in public, but their private lives were complicated. When she was not giving him lessons, he was giving her lessons. More then once he would instruct her on modern technology and how to do some of the more basic housework. The results often ended with her breaking a few items, or causing an accident. She could not help but recall the number times she caused a small flood in the house with appliances like the washing machine, the sink, the bathtub, even the garden hose, somehow. She would eventually learn how to properly use the appliances, but it would be a while before Shirou trusted her in the kitchen unsupervised.

"Shouldn't it be the other way around?" Irisviel asked herself recalling how Shirou angrily scolded her for causing a small fire after her failed attempt at making hamburger steaks. "Shirou really is mean when it comes to the kitchen."

At some point, Shirou was finished with his game and ran back to his and Irisviel's blanket, removing his shoes and putting them next to Irisviel's boots before joining her.

"Are you having fun Shirou?" Irisviel asked as Shirou sat in front o her.

"Yep," Shirou responded picking up one of the rice crackers they brought with them. "I was playing Mr. Daruma Fell Down with a bunch of guys. It was really funny. Some of the guys fell down for real. "

"That's great." Irisviel responded, smiling at the boy's delight.

Irisviel turned back around. "T-chan is making a snack called a mochi. Have you ever tried some?"

"Yes," Shirou responded sitting down on the blanket. "It's very good, like a soft cake."

"I see." Irisviel said looking over at Taiga. Watching the girl beat in on the bowl of dough, she noticed that maybe she was enjoying the activity a little too much as the ferocity and the frequency of the pounding seemed to have increase. "T-chan, is it necessary to hit that dough so violently?" Irisviel asked Taiga with concern.

"Of course." Taiga explained. "This makes the dough nice and soft, and the softer the better." Irisviel was unsure about that explanation, even less sure when she saw some of Taiga's boys inch away from the girl. Even her father who was kneading the dough was no longer putting his hands anywhere near the bowl. Irisviel hoped she was not having one of her episodes where she was trying too hard. "I saw some oji-sans earlier knead dough just like this."

"Those were professionals putting on a show." Shirou pointed out.

"Yeah," Taiga agreed increasing the frequency of the pounding. "But come on, it can't be that hard. All I got to do is pound it really fast and really hard."

Unconvinced of the girl's confidence, the Emiya family left her to her activity and went back to viewing the flowers. The gentle breeze that drifted across the park as the people of Fuyuki took part in the festivities. From a distance away, she could see a group of people enter the park carrying blankets and other items for the festival, many of them choosing to wear kimonos.

"You know, when I thought Hanami I thought there would be a lot of people wearing traditional kimonos and doing other Japanese activities." Irisviel commented to Shirou. "Kind of like those people over there."

"Many people prefer tradition." Shirou stated. "But over all it is a festival and people are suppose to have fun."

"Has it always been this way?" Irisviel asked. "I know very little about Hanami other than it's a festival that celebrates the beginning of spring." Truth be told, she already did a fair deal of research before hand, but she wanted to test Shirou's knowledge, partly to see if he is keeping up with his studies, partly to give him an opportunity to show off. It appeared to have been successful as Shirou began to give a small lecture about the history of Hanami gleefully.

"I think it began during the Heinen period. At first it was a fancy party for the noble class where they wrote poems. In the Edo Period, Tokugawa Yoshimune had cherry trees planted all over Japan so everyone in Japan could celebrate Hanami. Hanami must have been so fun he wanted everyone to celebrate."

"I can see why." Irisviel agreed as she looked around. "This is the first time I've ever seen so many people act so lively at once." Irisviel cheerfully looked on as she saw a troupe of street performers perform amazing tricks some distance off for an audience of over twenty people. Further along she saw salarymen who were probably all business during their work hours drink, laugh, and enjoying the day. This festival truly brought about the joy in even the most serious of people.

Irisviel obviously could not help but be swept up in the jubilance, singing with some of the street performers and playing with some of the families and friends she became acquainted with. She found herself in sort of a celebrity status during the celebration and many came and spoke with her throughout the day, many of them housewives who offered to teach the clueless homunculus how to do housework. Others invited her to other neighborhood events and get togethers. She even found herself being hit on more than once, though she made it a point to turn them down gently. The more persistent of the flirts found themselves being 'persuaded' to move along by Taiga, or more specifically, the large, obviously Yakuza who stood behind the fiery highschooler.

Irisviel leaned back satisfied as she looked out at the festival. "Is Hanami like this every year?"

"What do you mean?"

"You grew up in Fuyuki," Irisviel explained. "Was the Hanami festival like this every year?

Shirou thought for a moment. "Strange." Shirou said after a moment of thought. "I don't remember."

"Don't remember?"

"Past festivals." Shirou explained. "I don't really remember much about the other Hanami festivals."

Irisviel looked at him puzzled. "You don't…" she paused as she recalled that when he meant the 'other Hanami festivals' he was referring to before the fire. Irisviel shifted uncomfortably as she realized she brought up something she really did not wished to discuss at that moment.

When the subject of their past came up once, Irisviel was willing to share some of her past, but she never once thought about talking to Shirou about his. It's not like she had no interest, it's just that this was just another subject that she felt very uncomfortable talking about with someone as young as him. Now that the subject was brought up, it made her especially apprehensive. Shirou's apparent lack of memory of some aspects before the fire made her especially anxious. Exactly how much of that past did he remember? And now that she though about it, it seemed as though Shirou never really seemed to even attempt to reach out to anyone from his past. Surely he had friends other the children he was playing with. How come he never mentioned them? And come to think of it…

"Who was Shirou before the fire?" Irisviel mentally asked herself. The only thing she knew about Shirou was who he was after the Great Fire, the fire she was greatly responsible for, and since she met him, it was as though the small bits of personality he displayed were more directly influenced by her. It made her wonder again, how much of that was Shirou before the fire, and Shirou after it.

Shirou turned heedful as he noticed that Irisviel suddenly became silent and was looking that the tea thermos in her hands, once again with that same dark expression that signified he having very 'sad thought.' "Iri…" Shirou said hesitantly. Apparently not hearing the boy, Irisviel looked at her thermos as she shifted uncomfortably. It made Shirou wonder what it was she was thinking about that lead her back to her dark place one again. All he said was that he did not remember past Hanami festivals. What could possibly have made Irisviel that sad once again? He moved closer to her in an attempt to touch her hand and get her attention.

"ORAAA!"

Shirou suddenly heard a large cry from some distance behind Irisviel. He looked past her and saw Taiga, eyes shining like stars, pounding the mocha ferociously as if she was beating it to death with the mallet.

"Fuji-nee!" Shirou began nervously. He glanced over at Irisviel who was looking down at her thermos distraught. Whatever it was that made her go to her 'dark place' it was clearly keeping her from noticing the over zealous wilds child behind her smashing mochi like she trying to end its existence. "Fuji-nee, that's too much!" He called out attempting to placate her.

"Not enough!" Taiga called out. "We gotta pound the flour outta this dough! Come one! Get smashed till your nice and tasty!" Shirou was unsure if Taiga heard him. He looked around and noticed none of her boys attempted to stop her either, opting to stay far away and hoping she would wear herself out in a matter of time. She was clearly taking it too far, and nothing could stop her.

"Shirou…" Irisviel began. Shirou turned her attention away from Fujimura Taiga and looked back at Irisviel who was apparently still oblivious to the ever-growing danger behind her. For the mean time however, even Taiga's berserk state was secondary as he noticed Irisviel looking at him with an unreadable expression. The best he could determine from what was on her face was some form of determination, mixed with sadness and some kind of longing, as though she wanted to get something off her chest. "I…" she began. That was as far she got.

"ORAORAORAORAAA…!" Taiga called out repeatedly as she hit the dough. Luckily, a rampage could not last forever and this one would end soon enough. Just not the way everyone expected.

In one instance, the dough stuck to the mallet and did not unstuck. As Taiga swung the mallet up once, she unintentionally flung the dough high in the air. When she brought it back down a couple times, she noticed that instead of the soft thump of the wooden mallet hitting dough, she heard wood hitting wood eventually stopped her assault. She looked down and noticed that she was just hitting and empty wooden bowl.

Confused, she looked around wondering where the mochi dough went. She was about to ask her father when she noticed a sense of dread appearing on the man's face. Not just that, the same expression appeared on the faces of all her grandfather's boys as well. That was not good. There were boys of the Fujimura group. Nobody and nothing scared them. Eventually, she turned to see what they were staring at, and he own expression became one of a similar dread. She found her dough, and so did her Shishou.

Silence. Not knowing how to respond, the whole company froze in place, watching the kneeling Irisviel. The perpetrator of the act stood as frozen as everyone else, only her face sported a very goofy 'oops' look as she saw the back of her Shishou and how the mochi dough she was playing with earlier, as if through the intervention of some kind of god of slapstick, had plopped itself on the woman's head.

Taiga thought carefully about what to say, looking for the right way to express what she was feeling at that moment. "Ah… Shishou…" was all she was able to get out.

Silently, Irisviel got up from where she knelt and carefully removed the dough from her head, placing it on the side with the grace of a lady who was simply wiping off a minor smudge. As she did, Taiga noticed Shirou sported a fearful expression on his face and how he backed away cautiously, his eyes fixated on Irisviel's face.

"S… sorry…" Taiga said awkwardly beginning to break out in a cold sweat. "I'm sorry… Shishou."

If Irisviel heard the terrified teenager she gave no indication. All she did was get up from where she knelt, went over to where her boots were, and one by one put them on. The party directly in front of her, composing of some of her grandfather's boys, shrank back with expressions similar to what Shirou had.

"Really… I'm sorry…" Taiga said, the sweat dripping down with greater frequency. This time she received a response.

"It's fine, T-chan." Irisviel responded with her usual calm tone, though Taiga could not help but notice an kind of edge to it that made her shiver on the inside. "The fault does not lie with you. No, I suppose I am the one to blame for this incident." The white haired woman finished putting her boots back on and stood up straight, her back still towards Taiga. "This must be my comeuppance for not appropriately educating you." She then turned, her face looking down, her eyes covered by her bangs.

"I… well… seriously…. I'm really, really sorry…." Taiga apologized once again.

"I know you are." Irisviel responded. "And I should apologize as well." She then began to walk towards Taiga. "As your Shishou, it was my duty to teach you the things you will need in life, and it appears as though how to act appropriately in a public setting was one of the subjects I failed to convey." Taiga took a few steps backwards as Irisviel slowly approached step-by-step. "I was focusing too much on your academic needs that I neglected some of the more… liberal teachings that are necessary for a young lady such as yourself."

"Sh-Shishou…" Taiga said, he anxiety increasing with each step her master took. She tried to move back, again, but she felt some sort of pressure keeping her in place. Irisviel eventually stopped her approach, standing directly in front of the high school girl.

"It seems as though I will have to give a 'special' lesson on etiquette in social gatherings. Just like a true… proper… lady." Irisviel said putting emphasis on the last few words.

"Huh?" Taiga asked, her voice cracking a bit. Somehow, she managed to look up at Irisviel's face, finally gained the courage to look at the older woman directly.

Irisviel's face finally revealed itself in full to the teenage girl, and it was… the warmest, friendliest, and somehow, the most dangerous smiling face Taiga had ever seen. "Now then, shall we begin?" Taiga's heart skipped a beat at those words.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

The flailing teenage girl screamed in horror as she was dragged away by the scruff of her shirt by Irisviel, off for some, 'lessons in etiquette.' All who witnessed the scene take place, from Taiga's friends to her family, simply turned around and resumed their celebration in an a way that clearly stated, they did not want to get involved. Only Shirou watched the scene play out to the end, and put his hands together in prayer for his fallen friend.


"Will Fuji-nee be alright?" Shirou asked. The Emiya family walked side by side down the street, carrying the items they brought with them to the celebration. It was sunset by the time Hanami ended, and after a while of walking down the empty street in silence, Shirou decided to voice the concerns he had ever since his foster mother and her pupil returned from the latter's 'lecture.'

"Of course, Shirou." Confirmed Irisviel. "What makes you say otherwise?"

"Well," Shirou began. He paused for a moment as he chose his words. "It's just that you were gone for a while and when you got back, Fuji-nee seemed… different."

"Indeed, she was." Irisviel said innocently. "My goal was to make her into a respectable young lady who was proud to stand before her friends and family. I believe I the results were satisfactory."

Shirou was not sure how to respond to that. If one were to meet the Fujimura Taiga Irisviel retuned with and compared her to the Fujimura Taiga from just that morning, that person would have never thought they were the same girl. What was once a hot-blooded and rambunctious tomboy had somehow turned into a serene respectable young lady like the elder Emiya promised. The way she walked, the way she talked, all traces of the wild child were gone and replaced with this calm and graceful flower.

He remembered her walking beside Irisviel, all of her steps with purpose and grace. She greeted all around her not as the teenage tomboy raised as a Yakuza's child, but as a young lady who acted with the grace and dignity of a noble maiden. To say Shirou, and everyone else around him, was surprised by this sudden change would have been an understatement. Even the aura she presented was different. It was no longer the burning and flashy kind a hot-blooded shounen manga like protagonist, but it was now flowery and bubbly, similar to a pretty girl from a shoujo manga.

"But how in the world did you turn Fuji-nee into that in such a short time?!" Shirou asked.

"I admit I had to rush the lesson a bit, but I think I had plenty of time."

"You were only gone for thirty minutes!" Shirou retorted.

"Plenty of time." Irisviel repeated with complete nonchalance.

"But how did you do it?" Shirou asked, not seeing how it was possible to create the respectable lady formerly known as Fujimura Taiga in such a short amount of time. "Did you use some sort of spell to brainwash her or something?"

"It would be unethical to do something like that, Shirou." Irisviel responded matter-of-factly. It was not unnoticed by the little redhead that she did not deny the theory.

Unsure about how to respond to that, Shirou decided to ask for confirmation on a more pressing concern. "Will she be like that forever?" Shirou asked. "I mean, this Fuji-nee is quiet and nice and all, but it's just not right seeing her like that. Actually, the way she is now is kind of scary."

It wasn't just him who felt that way. Fujimura Raiga and his son-in-law were probably the only two there shedding tears of joy upon seeing his the young Taiga finally acting like a respectable lady for once in her life. Everyone else was too unnerved by her sudden transformation. Even her own boys were creeped out by her lady like conduct. It just seemed so wrong. The way she moved and talked was out of character in every sense of the word. Shirou and everyone else could not help but feel certain wrongness about the whole thing, as if the world itself was trembling at the sight of Fujimura Taiga being proper. Since his studies in the magic world began, Shirou came to understand that there are things in the world that defy logic, and this new found phenomena appeared to be one which opposed even the oldest of mysteries. An exaggeration, Shirou was aware, but probably not too far from the truth.

"She'll be fine." Irisviel assured. "The lesson I gave her was just a crash course meant to convey the basics of being a proper lady. Once she had a good night sleep or two, I'm sure she'll be back to her normal rowdy self in no time."

Shirou decided to ignore that 'or two' part. "Her brain isn't going to break or anything, is it?" Shirou asked concerned, recalling that when he got close to the teenaged kendo girl, it seemed like steam was coming out of one of her ears. He really hoped that was just his imagination.

"Of course not. Don't be silly." Irisviel paused as she thought for a moment. "That reminds me, I'll have to give you some lessons in etiquette as well." Shirou looked at her in horror, wondering if she plans to turn him into an etiquette zombie as well. "Don't worry Shirou, I plan to be more gradual with your education."

"But, I don't even need to learn that stuff."

"Nonsense. It's better to learn when you are young so they can come naturally to you when you get older. You'll need them to present yourself in various social events. Politeness is necessary when you are older, whether you it is for political or practical uses. Besides, you will need to learn to apply these lessons in front of girls."

"Why?" Shirou asked. "What do girls have to do with etiquette?"

"Oh, you'll understand when you get to that age." Irisviel explained. "And by that time I hope I will be a satisfied grandmother."

"Grandmother?" Shirou asked puzzled once again. "Now what are you talking about? You're acting strange, Iri."

Irisviel giggled at the boy's youthful ignorance. The topic however did make her wonder about the kind of man Shirou will grow up to become. From what she understood about the boy already, he was already both mature and well mannered for his age. He did occasionally have a rebellious side such as speaking in a less formal way when addressing other people, but that was charming in its own way. She would however have to teach him how to properly treat a woman, then he would be a very good catch. Nodding to herself, she made it her duty to make sure Shirou grows up to be an ideal gentleman.

"Today was fun." Shirou suddenly spoke up interrupting Irisviel's though process. She turned to him questioningly.

"Excuse me?"

"It's been a long time since we went out and had fun like this. I was just saying how much fun I had today."

Irisviel though about that and realized it was the truth. Shirou had been busy with both schoolwork and his alchemy studies and Irisviel herself was busy with her 'project' that the two of them had not spent much time together for the past few weeks to do something other than lessons.

"It has, hasn't it?" Irisviel confirmed. She went silent for a moment thinking of a way to continue the conversation. She considered asking about his studies but realized it would just be steering the direction to a professional direction as opposed to recreational or familial. As she looked around at the empty street, she took a chance with a more personal topic. "How do you like our new home?" Shirou looked up at her.

"It's fine." Shirou responded simply.

"Are you adjusting well?" Irisviel asked, not wanting to end the conversation like that. "Is there anything you might need?"

"No, I'm good." Shirou responded, paused for a few seconds then continued. "It's very fun. I like the new house and the way my new room is made up." He paused again and added more. "I also like the other house. The tenants are nice and I really like talking to them." Judging by his demeanor and the way he insistently contributed even the smallest detail, Irisviel concluded he also wanted the conversation to continue.

"And what about the other people we met?"

"Well, Fuji-nee is weird, but she is fun. And the other families are nice too. And there are a lot of kids my age to play with, so I am not lonely." Irisviel was relieved to hear that. "What about you? You said this was your first Hanami right? How was it?"

Irisviel paused, recalling the conversation that took place earlier before it was interrupted. Thinking back on that exchange made her feel uncomfortable, so she decided to lead the conversation in a different direction before heading towards a subject that could potentially ruin the good time they were having. "Actually, it was my first time celebrating any festival outside the castle."

"Huh?" Shirou asked disbelieving. "The Einzberns sound boring."

Irisviel held back a small fit of laughter at that blunt, but very true statement. "Truth be told, I never expected to celebrate the Hanami at all."

"Why?" Shirou asked.

Once again Irisviel paused, unsure about how to respond. She silently cursed herself for letting herself get careless and saying something that would lead to 'that' topic once again. There was no helping it this time.

"I had a duty to perform. One where I never thought I would see such a sight as this." She replied as she looked over at the falling cherry blossom pedals.

All her life she had been told that she would be used as the vessel to the Holy Grail. When she left that castle, she knew, or thought she knew, that she would not live to see Fuyuki in the spring. Never once did she expect that she would be alive to participate in such an event as Hanami or any event for that matter, and now here she was, months after the day she was supposed to die watching the cherry blossoms bloom with a son she never thought she would raise, in a city which was supposed to be her place of death. None of this seemed real, but it was. She was alive, and living out her life like a normal woman in Japan. And what's more, she was doing it with actual family and friends. In her time in the Holy Grail war, she never found the time to make friends, but now here she was, surrounded by several people she both got along with and learned from. It was so perfect in her mind. There was only one thing that could make it better in her mind.

"If only," Irisviel thought to herself as the image of her husband and daughter playing the walnut game flashed through her head.

"Iri," Shirou said quizzically. She looked down and for a moment, she though she saw a hint of recognition in his eyes, as if he knew where Irisviel's mind was taking her again. She tried not to go back, but she could not help it this time. So much of what had happened to Shirou was because of her and her family.

Once more she considered asking him about his life before. Judging from what they discussed so far, Shirou had little to no memory about everything before the fire. Family, friends, everything that was Shirou before he became Emiya Shirou was consumed by the fire, a fire she felt responsible for.

That thought process broke however when another, stronger breeze blew by and a small flurry of cherry blossom petals blew over the two. Both covered their faces with their arms at the sudden storm and removed them when the wind died down. Irisviel looked down at Shirou and saw he was covered in petals. Shirou in his part attempted to brush some of the petals off getting only those he could see.

"Hold still." Irisviel said as she knelt down. She began brushing off the petals that clung to the boy's clothes and got stuck in his hair. "It looks like the cherry blossoms like you, Shirou."

"Then they must like Iri a lot." Shirou pointed out.

At that, Irisviel noticed she too was covered in cherry blossom petals and began to brush herself off. Shirou then began to brush off some of the petals she missed similar to what Irisviel did to him. After a while of this, both began to snicker upon alternating their roles of cleaner and cleanee. That snickering turned into laughter as they finished brushing themselves off, whatever awkward tension they felt earlier completely erased.

Irisviel picked herself back up and shook her head at her own foolishness. This was Hanami and a mix of both her own curiosity and her guilt almost ruined what should have been a fun holiday for the two of them.

Irisviel held her hand out towards Shirou. "Thank you for being with me today." She thanked. "I'm glad I was able to celebrate my first Hanami with a gentleman such as yourself."

"Huh?" Shirou asked defiantly. "I'm no gentleman."

Irisviel chuckled as she put out her hand. "You're on your way." Shirou smiled affectionately at Irisviel and responded grasping her hand in return.

Hand in hand, the two walked down the empty street as the remnants of the cherry blossom petals fell down and brushed past them. In the winter, both had lost so much, but now it was spring, a time of awakening, and a time where life begins a new, and like the cherry blossoms around them, the two awakened to new lives, and plan to hold onto them as long as they could. With affection and determination, both moved forwards while still holding onto their own respective pasts, but above all, still keeping close to one another, preparing for whatever may come.


Omake: Tiger Lady

"It really is relaxing." Taiga said in a serine voice as she looked out at the horizon. From the front of the Homurahara Academy entrance, she looked out with a sense of wonder as she admired the beautiful spring day before entering her school. "I wonder," Taiga said with and air of content as the wind form the open window blew her hair back with the gentleness of a lover's caress. "What will the day bring?" She stood there wondering without a care in the world, her eyes calm and gentle, her smile tranquil as the day.

"If only all days were as beautiful as this, but alas, it cannot be so." She chuckled to herself, a short dainty sound. "Oh well, I suppose it is not all bad. Even a rainy day can be beautiful as it is life giving to the land." she brushed a strand of hair from her face as she once again gazed off at the distance. "Besides, if all things were this beautiful, everything would become rather monotonous." She gazed at the flower petals that blew by, drifting in the wind. "I suppose if all days were as lovely as this, it would not be as appreciated. So let us enjoy it all while we can."

All the students and teachers who walked by her would not see her as the Tiger of Fuyuki, but as a gentle and well-to-do maiden in deep thought. And it disturbed every last one of them to the pit of their souls. In particular, her two schoolmates Hotaruzuka Otoko and Ryuundou Reiken found themselves keeping a good distance away from the transformed schoolgirl. While Taiga's female friend Hotaruzuka, commonly referred to as Neko, was glad that Taiga was more restrained, this abrupt transformation was too unnerving.

"What do you think of the day, Neko-san?" Taiga asked her female friend.

"C-Can you please not talk like that?" Neko pleaded after finding the nerve to ask.

"I do not understand." Taiga stated puzzled. "Talk like what?"

"Talk like that!" She exclaimed as if she was making her point. "Like you're some kind of Yamato Nadeshiko from a manga!"

"Oh my," Taiga said putting her hand to her cheek. "It seems as though I am making you uncomfortable. I do apologize, Neko-san."

"And please stop addressing me with suffixes. I'm fine with you just calling me Neko like you usually do." She assured, pushing her friend back in the right direction.

"Oh, but that would be too rude of me." Taiga replied with worry. "The two of us have been friends for so long, I believe it is only appropriate I address you with the respect you deserve." She thought for a moment, and then brightened with an idea. "That's right." She looked over at her friend. "If it's not too informal, why don't I call you Neko-chan?"

"Please don't." Neko replied with a shutter.

"Honesty, there is not need to be shy." Taiga then turned to Reiken. "Don't you agree, Ryuudou-kun?" That made the young man jump a bit. "Oh, would you prefer I not use suffixes as well?" She then made a slight grin, though not her usual sly cat like grin, but which is similar to a high-class lady jesting with her dear friends. "Or maybe you prefer if I address you by your given name?" she then chuckled to herself. "My, what an improper thing to say to a gentleman. I truly am a deviant, am I not?"

For a moment, Ryuudou Reiken sat there, scrutinizing at this new Taiga. The old Taiga was rude, loud, always ruined the mood, demanding, tomboyish, raged on like a wild fire, spoke her mind, was true to herself, gave off the air of a bright day. In addition to all that, her smile gave the warmth of that bright lovely day that warmed the young man's heart to the core. This Taiga sat properly, spoke properly, acted levelheaded, drank her tea with grace, and gave off the air of a clam beach, illuminated by a beautiful full moon. And like that moonlit night, that smile illuminated, but that was all it did. It illuminated, but did not give him the warmth he knew from Fujimura Taiga. In other words…

"This is not Fujimura-san at all!" Reiken yelled as he ran away into the school building with tears in her eyes.

"Ryuudou-kun!?" Taiga called out confused. She put her hand to her cheek in confusion. "Oh dear, what could be the issue?"

"Well, I kind of understand why." Neko commented.

Taiga would be like that for a few more days, scaring the students and teacher in the process. She would have very little memory of her lady like conduct, but many would later find out that the lessons instilled in her would never disappear and would resurface in times of celebration. Thus the legend of the trained Tiger of Fuyuki was born as well as the story of the woman who tamed her.


A nice warm chapter before things get fun. Also, I believe I may have committed a blasphemy with that omake. Rest assure she will still be the same Taiga we all know and love. It's just she will always have a bit of Irisviel influencing her for now on. Remember, nothing is impossible for Shishou Iri. Next time, Irisviel's pet project starts. Hopefully I will get the next chapter up soon.