05—Departure

Heavy silence follows in the wake of Taiasu's words. Even the sun, now half-concealed by the wall bounding Shirou's yard, seems briefly stopped in its rise by their unexpectedness.

"Go…?"

And all Sakura, the one to whom they were directed, can do is repeat the weightiest among them, while blinking down heavily in the face of them.

"What?"

Taiasu nods solemnly.

"Yeah… It's only fair. I should let you have your space. And with everything that's happened… I sort of need some time to clear my head."

Gradually, things have been building up, and with what transpired last night, and how it's come to light, he's suddenly, acutely aware of the weight of it all. And what he's seen in Illya's memory, and just now, with Sakura's, has grown that weight into something absolutely crushing that he needs time to process.

Getting those images out of his head, and trying to understand how and why his actions affected Sakura's memories, if that's even within his capacity, is something which he now desperately needs to do.

And I can't do that if I stay around here… Not with knowing how upset she is, and how she'll probably be that way for a while.

Again sighing, he lets his gaze drop to the ground.

"But—!"

As she wrings her hands at her chest, Sakura's words fall short,

In part, she agrees with his assessment. Allowing some space and time will definitely help give her mixed feelings a chance to cool down as she parses the past day, and especially this past morning, undisturbed.

And yet, there's something else prickling in her mind. The very same thing of which she was concerned yesterday morning, which hasn't stopped being an issue.

"But I can't just let you—!"

"It's okay…" Wearing a soft smile, Taiasu looks up. "I know what you're about to say. I can't be making a spectacle of myself, right? Can't be standing out or drawing attention? So…"

Letting his eyes slip closed, he slides his hand into his side pack. He then brings it out, wrapped around an obsidian-colored stone-like crystal. With its four points, it's shaped roughly like a throwing star, with three curved red lines swirling into a circle in its center.

As he grasps it in his palm, closing his hand over it, leaning forward and holding it in front of his face, Sakura raises her arm, wincing reflexively. Just like each time before, his entire form is enveloped in a familiar light and wind, and when they've faded, and she looks back down at him, she can feel her mouth fall slack.

Where before he'd been dressed in conspicuous red leather, he now stands before her dressed in what she is so certain is an elaborate ninja cosplay that she'd have placed a wager on it.

Fully garbed in black, with a mask which completely conceals his face, forming even around his rounded, protruding ears. Only his eyes remain exposed, and he turns them down to the stone still in his hand, regarding it as one might a fond friend. Completing the outfit are two sheathed blades strapped to his sides, each nearly as long as he is.

Again, all Sakura can offer is a heavy blink and a brief, stunned silence to go with it.

"T-Taruko-kun… What?"

Once he's ferreted the stone away, he looks up, and she can tell, or at least thinks, that he's trying to show a reassuring smile. But for the mask, it comes through rough and awkward.

"See? Like I said, it'll be okay."

Strangely, despite the mask obscuring his face, it doesn't obstruct his voice, which comes through as clear as ever. But despite being clear, Taiasu's words offer Sakura little consolation, and she slowly shakes her head.

What is he saying…? Explaining away that odd outfit from before is one thing, but this…? How would he explain that away? And that's before those… blades strapped to his waist!

Lost for words, her mouth opens and closes several times in vain as she tries to find them. When she does, it's difficult for her to believe she has to explain something which should be so obvious even a child could understand.

"N-no, I don't 'see'! If anything, you'll stick out more like this!"

At her protest, the awkward smile beneath his mask clearly lifts into something of a grin.

"Well, that's just because I haven't—"

Punctuating his statement, Taiasu claps his hand against the ground, releasing into it a sharp yet minute burst of focused aether. Agitated by it, the ground releases a diffuse cloud of dust, briefly hiding him from sight. Again, on reflex, Sakura looks away, and when she looks back, she sees nothing has changed.

Taiasu simply stands there, staring up at her expectantly, but of what she can't even guess.

"Okay?" Tilting her head, Sakura arches her brow, curious, but also confused. "And what was that supposed to do?"

Still staring up at her, she sees his eyes widen subtly before they narrow. Palming his face with both hands, he groans out a muffled sigh.

Damn it, I completely forgot…

Yesterday, in that shed, Sakura had unknowingly bound herself with a pact when she agreed to work together with him. For that reason, she, like anyone else bound by such a pact, would have no trouble seeing him.

Even after having used the knowledge bestowed by the Ninja's Soul Crystal to 'hide' in plain sight. Something which should be more effective than usual, given the sun's angle in the sky casting everything in long shadows.

"Crap… Um…"

Realizing this oversight, Taiasu clumsily fumbles with his words.

The last thing he wants is to break their binding, just to prove that only she can see him right now. The pact is completely benign, so it shouldn't matter one way or the other if it's left in force. And if there were some crisis, having to restore it could cost needed seconds.

Of course, he has little concern for such things.

His desire is one born simply of sentiment.

Letting his hands drop, he spies Rider nearby, looking on curiously as well. At least, he thinks that's the case. The mask makes reading her expressions difficult. But seeing her does give him an idea.

"W-well, what about Rider? Can she see me?"

Almost pointedly, he aims his finger at her. Sakura traces that finger to her Servant, then sighs, shaking her head.

"What are you saying? Of course she can. Right, Rider?"

Now realizing she's being spoken to, Rider turns her gaze from where Taiasu stands to her Master, her own head tilting just slightly with uncertainty.

"Master—Sakura?" The questioning tone in her voice makes her uncertainty even more clear. "Of course, I can what?"

"What?" Sakura now turns fully toward her Servant. "What are you saying? Taruko-kun just asked if you could see him. Of course you can, right?"

"Master—" This time, Sakura can almost feel the frustration in Rider's voice as she misspeaks out of habitual formalities. "—Sakura… I can neither see his form, nor hear the words he speaks. Not since… whatever it was that he did."

Coolly spoken, Rider's words contain no trace of deceit. At least, none which Sakura can find. What she can find is her own mouth again falling open in the face of them.

"Hold on. You're telling me you can't see or hear him?"

Solemnly, Rider shakes her head, causing Sakura's eyelids to drop like lead weights have been fixed to them, then lift like shutters in a single, visceral blink.

"I'd like to think you're not playing games, Rider." Sakura points her finger down at Taiasu, who stands tapping his foot with his arms folded. "You really can't see him?"

Rider follows the aim of Sakura's finger to its terminus, then again shakes her head slowly. As she watches her Servant's slow head-shake, Sakura's eyes widen, her mouth clips closed, and she sighs, kneading her forehead with one hand as she slumps forward, realizing something she can't believe it took her this long to figure out.

"Okay, Rider. The joke's over. I get you can't see anything through that mask, but take this seriously now, please!"

"Master Sakura."

Rider sighs, giving up and treading the middle ground, combining her name with her title. Eventually, she hopes to be comfortable enough with simply saying her name like she's been asked.

But for now, this will have to do.

"I am not speaking in jest. Breaker Gorgon—" She points to the mask as she names it. "—obstructs my sight and seals my eyes, but I am still able to sense things as well as if I were seeing them with my actual eyes." She then aims her finger where Sakura is pointing, forcing Taiasu back a step for her long reach. "And I am telling you that I can sense nothing here, where you are indicating."

Rider's serious tone and words force both Sakura's hands to drop slack at her sides.

Sh-she's being completely serious right now. She really can't sense, see, or hear him…?

Realizing there's no punchline coming, because no joke has been told, Sakura follows Rider's own outstretched arm toward where Taiasu still stands, rubbing at his nose, which had nearly been pressed in by Rider's finger.

"Okay, Taruko-kun. What's going on?" Folding her arms, she narrows her eyes as she stares down at him. "Why can I see you, but Rider can't?"

Exasperated, Taiasu again claps his face, then drags his hand down in an exaggerated fashion. The sound is clear enough to Sakura, but hearing nothing, Rider just looks on in uncertainty as she withdraws her hand and finger to her side.

Damn it, of course she'd ask that question. That means I have to explain it…

Again sighing heavily, he slumps his shoulders forward.

"Because I'm using an ability which lets me hide in plain sight. Basically, only those I allow can be aware of me." He then looks up at Sakura, shifting uncomfortably under her hard stare. "Like you, yesterday, in that shed."

"The shed?" With her question partially answered, Sakura's narrow-eyed stare relaxes, and her eyes even widen as she tilts her head. "What about the shed?"

"Remember? When I asked if you'd work with me?" Still uncomfortable, Taiasu holds her stare as he explains the one thing he didn't want to. "That's still in force…"

For a moment, his voice trails off as he hesitates in saying what comes next.

"And it will be, but only for as long as you want."

Sakura is about to shake her head, but at Taiasu's nudging, she finally recalls this small part of what felt like one of her life's longer days, where in that shed he'd made an odd request before filling it with dancing, lights, and dancing lights.

"That? Wait, whatever it was, it's still active?"

Taiasu nods. "Yes… It works with your will. If you wanted to end it, you could do it right now…" His confession is delivered in a sullen tone. "I didn't want to tell you that…" he admits, slumping more deeply than before.

"You didn't…? Why not?"

Contrary to what he expected, there's no anger or frustration in Sakura's voice.

Just simple curiosity.

"It's dumb…" he mutters, scuffing his boot. "But because it's harmless, and I like being in a party with you."

"Party…?"

Given the term's usage in this unfamiliar context, Sakura's tone, inflection, and slight head-tilt all imply her unasked question, and Taiasu again nods.

"It's what we call them. A group of adventurers who've bound themselves with a temporary pact to assist one another. So like us, right now… We're in a party. A small one, but still…"

And again, Sakura can only blink down at his words and forlorn tone, before she shakes her head and smiles.

He really does get hung up on the strangest things…

"But because you were… Are… so upset about the stupid thing I did yesterday, I was afraid you'd break it off if you knew how…" Through his mask, he again sighs deeply. Despite its presence concealing his face, she can still pick up on his deep frown.

He then straightens his back and looks up, meeting her eyes.

"So I didn't want to tell you… I guess I have to apologize for that now, too…"

Only able to hold her gaze for the length of his admission, Taiasu lets it drop to the ground, against which he alternates between kicking and scuffing his dark-clad feet. Despite herself, Sakura lets out a soft chuckle at his absurd concern over something she can't help but feel is trivial.

"No… I mean, yes, you probably should have told me about this before now. But it's not something I'd be upset over, Taruko-kun."

Somehow, he finds her words and tone both reassuring and distressing. Like they're exactly what he wants to hear, but more than he feels he deserves right now.

"Um… thanks…" he murmurs. "But back to what I was saying before…"

Drawing in a breath, he firms himself up and forces away his bad feelings to be dealt with later.

"Right now, you're the only one who can see and hear me. No one else—" He stops short, remembering something. "Well, I shouldn't say that. On Hydaelyn, there are certain creatures that can see me like this."

Briefly, he considers naming a few, but some nonsensical, antiquated superstition about speaking of such things inviting the very thing about which one speaks slaps around inside his skull, changing his mind.

"But that's only on Hydaelyn. I hope… I think… It should be fine."

"How does it work?"

Sparks of genuine curiosity shine in Sakura's eyes as she asks. For the moment, her deep upset takes a back seat, simmering beneath the surface in light of this new and interesting discovery.

But Taiasu can offer little more than a dismissive shrug.

"I'm not sure, honestly. I just know when I'm using it, most things can't see or hear me."

Words to effectively describe the process have never been uttered in his hearing. Words like 'using one's aether to bend light and redirect the flow of aether away from one's self, thereby evading detection from most means mundane and magical.'

Of course, such words would be erroneous, as they would be used to describe invisibility.

This skill, used first by rogues, first employs some overt, flashy form of misdirection. Once the adversary is sufficiently distracted, it establishes a persistent, more subtle field of misdirection, which constantly hides the user's presence from most people's senses.

Much was found in common with that talent, and its improved form employed by the natural masters of stealth and shadow, the ninja of the Far east. But even those who proffered to him the Ninja's Soul Crystal, which permits him to perform such feats with little thought and less effort, never explained how it works.

And so he, like most adventurers, simply takes it, like many other things, for granted, accepting without question that 'it just works'.

As Taiasu ponders his lack of understanding of this very fundamental skill, he realizes something he hadn't noticed before; his aether, burgeoning from yesterday's experiments he'd conducted with the shards, crystals and clusters, slowly sapping away.

Not at an alarming rate, but like the purposeful pendulum-swings of an enormous, ominous clock, counting down the seconds until he blacks out.

Or again needs to consume fresh aether.

Unaware of this, Sakura only nods quietly, and catching the slight motion, Taiasu goes on.

"Anyroad, like this I can be anywhere, and no one will notice me. So it should be fine for me to go now, right?"

Already, she's forgotten the entire reason for this discussion, that he said he wanted to leave. But even with this fascinating revelation (Wait… If he could always do this, why didn't he…? Rather than pursue it further, she shelves this thought for now), she still finds herself hesitant to just let him wander off.

"I'm still not comfortable—"

Weakly, Sakura mutters another protest, but Taiasu quickly interjects.

"I know!" he blurts as his own eyes shine with inspiration; some newfound idea. "I'll leave you with this. Since you're anxious about me being off on my own here, right?" Quickly, he rifles through his pack. "Because it might cause people problems. I know that. I promise I'll be careful, but I'll leave you with this… too…"

In surprise, Rider stumbles back a step as Taiasu allows his concealment field to drop. For being fully focused on what he's doing, he pays her no mind as he withdraws from his pack what appears to be an iridescent pearl. Before Sakura can get a clear look at it, he closes his hand around it. He lets his eyes drift closed as well, and a light then shines through his fingers.

When he opens his hand, where once there was only one pearl, there are now two.

He takes one of the identical pearls, pinching it between his thumb and forefinger, and extends it out toward Sakura.

"This…?" With almost unconscious fascination, her hand gradually moves toward it. "You're giving me this? Taruko-kun, what—"

But before she can ask, he's already into explaining what it is, and what it does.

"This is for… Guh…" Or at least, he starts to, before letting out a vexed grunt and changing his mind. "Actually, it's easier if I just show you. Just hold it in your hand, and try not to drop it." Beneath the mask, Sakura can make out his eager grin. "I imagine you'll be surprised, so hold it tight."

"Tight…?" More curious now than worried, Sakura looks down at the pearl in her hand, then holds it up, turning it in the rays of the sun. "Okay…"

She then closes her hand around it, as told, and holds it to her chest.

Satisfied, Taiasu nods. Then—

'Just like that. So can you hear me okay?'

"Kya—!"

And just like he predicted, Sakura startles, letting out a brief yelp as his voice projects directly into her mind. Somehow, perhaps thanks to his cordial warning, she maintains her grip on the pearl, keeping it from tumbling to the ground.

Once she's more fully secured the pearl in her grasp, she looks down at Taiasu, blinking and noting his tightly closed mouth. Hearing Rider's voice in her mind had been one thing. At least, since she knew that could happen, it wasn't as surprising or disconcerting.

This is something for which she was wholly unprepared, and she can't even form a sentence, but Taiasu takes her reaction as confirmation.

"As long as you have that, I can communicate with you any time. Just…" He shows a concerned frown. Or he would, but for the mask. "Make sure not to react like that if anyone's around."

"How…? What?"

"It's a Linkpearl," Taiasu says, looking up into Sakura's still-stunned eyes. "We use them to communicate over great distances. Some people talk into them, but you don't have to."

Pressed between his thumb and forefinger, he holds out his own to show it off.

"All you have to do is think whatever you want everyone else to hear, and they will."

He then lowers his arm and taps his temple with his free hand.

"Right in here. Or, if you only want a particular person to hear… whatever it is… you just…"

Frowning, he strokes his chin, then gives a dismissive shrug.

"Think it at them, I guess? I think that's how it works. You just think of them, then whatever it is you want them to hear. As long as they have one on the same frequency, they'll hear you. Even if you can't speak, or if you're on the other side of the world!"

Seeing how Sakura marvels at what to him is simply a mundane method of communication, Taiasu can't help letting a hint of pride chime through in his voice. It doesn't escape her notice as she stares down at the miraculous, impossibly small wonder of magical technology resting comfortably in her palm.

"That's… amazing, Taruko-kun… But why are you giving me this?"

"Just in case…"

While answering her question, he slides his own back into his side pack. As he said, simply having it in his possession is sufficient. There's no need for him to risk dropping or losing it by cradling it in his hand to benefit from its function.

"If I'm unsure about something, I can use this to ask you about it. Or if you're in trouble and need help, you can call me and I can come running—ah—!" For being so absorbed in explaining the why, Taiasu forgets their company, and this last part slips out thoughtlessly. He looks up at Rider, seeing her tilting her head as she looks down at him curiously, and he lets out a forced, awkward laugh. "Ah, I mean… I'm sure you can manage… but just in case, is all I'm saying…" Awkwardly, he drops his gaze to the ground as he pokes at his fingers.

"But mostly just the first thing…" he murmurs.

Even as the wonders continue to pile up, and Taiasu effectively provides valid salves to soothe Sakura's anxious concerns, uncertainty continues to breed fresh anxieties within her chest, forcing her to heave out a deeply troubled sigh.

"That's great, Taruko-kun, but I'm still—"

"I know…" Sensing those countless, unspoken concerns in her tone, Taiasu softens his own into something more consolatory. "But I really want us to be okay… And we can't be right now… I mean, not until you've had some time. And if I'm around, I'm sure I'll just keep reminding you why you're upset, and probably causing you no end of trouble…"

Somehow, his insistence is both endearing and frustrating, and Sakura continues searching for sound reasons not to allow the diminutive, naïve, off-worlding arcane anomaly go wandering around, causing who knows what for problems.

One such potential stopping point stirs in her mind, giving her another objection to raise.

"But what am I supposed to tell Fujimura-sensei?"

"I don't know…" Staring at the ground, Taiasu scuffs his foot again. How grooves haven't yet worn into the dirt beneath his feet, one would have difficulty saying. "I guess… Just tell her I'm trying to get better acquainted with the town? I mean, that's true enough, right?"

"But what about food? You haven't eaten since last night, right? And you can't possibly buy anything in this world!"

No sooner has the word 'food' passed through her lips than Taiasu is producing from his wondrous pack a single, small brown sphere. The gentle morning breeze carries from it a distinct yet subtle scent all the way up to Sakura's nose.

A scent very much like chocolate.

After pulling aside his mask, Taiasu pops the entire thing into his mouth, then chews it through thoroughly before swallowing the tasty morsel down.

"I have food with me."

Confidently, he pats his side pack, and Sakura has the distinct impression now that he's trying to show another reassuring smile. Quickly, she vacates this new distraction, forcing from her mind any thought about how such a thing could possibly carry food while keeping it fresh enough to eat.

Because here, again, he's effectively answered one of her arguments against him leaving, adding it to the growing pile of resolved concerns. But despite seemingly having an answer for each one, the one final concern, that of the unknown, still lingers.

And it shows through clearly in her pressed brow and deep frown.

Seeing it still present, Taiasu does what he can to assuage it.

"If I get lost, or confused, or have any questions, I'll get in touch with you right away. I promise."

Sakura's eyes widen at his words, and finally, her brow relaxes as she lets out what must be an incredulous laugh. Only now has she finally realized something which any outside observer must have felt was clear from the moment he donned that somehow stranger attire.

Oh, my god… This entire discussion… It feels like he's a child asking his mother for permission to attend a costume party! Or to stay over at a friend's house…!

Still staring up at her, Taiasu tilts his head, arching his brow as she giggles unceasingly at the thought.

"H-hey! What—?"

She waves her hand, trying to settle herself and push the silly notion from her mind. Past experience has proved decisively that, despite his appearance, and how he occasionally behaves, one thing he decidedly is not is a child.

"No, it's nothing… Sorry… I just had a funny thought…"

Unconvinced yet unwilling to pursue it further, Taiasu straightens his head and shrugs dismissively.

"Okay… But like I was saying, you can get in touch with me, too, if you get too worried." He gestures at the pearl, still in her hand. "In fact, it's probably better if you contact me first, anyroad."

His reassuring smile returns briefly, before lifting into a big grin as he taps his head again with his dark-gloved hand.

"After all, I'm pretty used to having voices in my head."

That statement quickly does away with the rest of Sakura's giggle fit, which she's struggled to hold down, and her eyes again widen in the face of it.

I… I know what he meant, but… Somehow that feels far less reassuring than I think he meant it to be.

"And you should probably try it now…" Still pointing at the pearl, Taiasu goes on. "Just to make sure it works, and you understand how."

At his gesture, Sakura looks down at the pearl still in her palm, then slowly nods. Somehow, before she even became aware it was happening, she's been pulled into his wake, and finds herself relaxing her eyes closed and doing just like he said before.

He said I think of the person… So…

She takes in a deep breath to steady her nerves…

Taruko-kun…

… Then…

'Can you hear me?'

And Taiasu nods confidently.

'Loud and clear.'

Still, despite being pulled into Taiasu's pace, Sakura's voice still holds a weighty hesitation, which chips at his resolve.

It's not as if he's eager to leave. But with his actions yesterday, and the risk that followed them, still weighing heavily on his mind, along with everything else he's experienced since arriving, not least of which has been what the Echo has plagued him with…

It feels like, if not necessarily the best choice, then at least, the only reasonable option open to him right now.

And it's not for his sake alone, but for hers as well.

I've done nothing but trouble her…

Again, his gaze falls hard to the ground as he reflects on a minor measure of what has transpired over the past day.

First, the sword, scaring her out of her wits… Everything I said at breakfast yesterday, she said back in that shed that I nearly gave her a panic attack! And now this thing with Illya… I know her type. She'd never openly admit it, but I'm sure she could use a rest from me. And she can't get that if I'm still around…

"I…"

His voice comes out low and soft as he again scuffs the ground. Desperately, he wishes he could promise that everything will be fine. But even he realizes that only someone with perfect clairvoyance could make such a vow without it being foolhardy and empty.

So he settles on what he can.

"I promise I'll do my best to stay out of trouble. So please…"

Looking up, he tries to keep his voice steady, and his eyes from dampening.

"Can I go?"

Despite every one of her more reasonable concerns being answered, Sakura's reservations are filled to capacity. Still, she knows full well she couldn't stop him. If he really wanted to leave, he could do just that, with or without her blessing.

I'm sure… That 'party' thing he told me about has to work both ways… But he's been so careful to take my feelings into consideration, instead of just running off…

That fact alone helps soothe her nerves, and cools some of her more heated feelings toward his reckless behavior.

Finally, she offers a single, reluctant head nod.

Her head feels heavy, and before that subtle motion has even finished, a painful, anxious twist wrenches in her chest. Just yesterday evening, she'd tried so hard to simply let him be.

Yet now, it's as if all that effort was in vain, as it feels like she's backsliding down a mountain, all the way to the base, and she can't even say for certain why.

"Thanks…"

Taiasu mirrors her nod, though his head to him feels far lighter than hers does to her. As he raises his head again, the oranges and reds of the sun's rays remind him of something, and he reaches into his pack to fetch it.

A familiar, long, vibrant red plume. And again, he holds it out, returning it to her.

Seeing it, Sakura's eyes widen with recognition, then relax as comforting memories from yesterday morning, when she'd first received it, flood her mind, bringing a convincing, calm smile to her face.

Reaching down, she takes it in her hand.

But the moment she's closed her hand around the small end, some unspoken concern creeps into her mind, as if it had come along with the feather, waiting for the chance to make its presence known.

"Wait… You are coming back, right?"

Before the thought has fully manifested, she's already given it words. Because despite his recent actions coming to light, shaking her to her core, Sakura has still grown somewhat fond of Taiasu as a friend.

Taiasu looks up at her words, surprise widening his eyes briefly before he smiles broadly and nods.

"Of course I am!" His broad smile then lifts into a full grin. "I love you guys!"

Straightforward and honest, his words catch her completely off guard. And with them still hanging in the air, he again claps the ground with a single hand, producing another obscuring dust cloud.

Only this time, once it's faded, neither Sakura nor Rider can make out his diminutive, dark-clad form within it.

He's simply gone.