Chapter 102

"Aaahhh…"

Swinging his arms experimentally, he rubbed his shoulders and chest to check for any sore spots. Turned out, they were all sore. There wasn't a single spot on his body that wasn't sore, a dull ache in his muscles that hindered his movements and made his walking stiff, but amazingly, the swelling had mostly disappeared.

Originally, he had been compared to a plum when Caster first saw him, what with the bruises covering every inch of visible skin. But after a quick rest, he was almost as good as new on the surface, though he still felt a bit tired. A little soreness in his body was also something he could easily put up with.

I can't believe he saved me with something like this, but it really is amazing―

Shirou's thoughts turned to the sheath resting within his body, returned to him after Kuzuki made a full recovery, and the fact that it was most likely what his father had used to revive him on the verge of death, all those years back when he found him lying in the ash, surrounded by flames, debris and corpses.

He'd always assumed Kiritsugu had whipped out some kind of crazy healing magecraft to repair his body and sustain him until he was under the care of professionals at a hospital, but it turned out that he had used an artifact like this to keep him alive. To be honest, he felt like he didn't deserve to carry something so important and powerful, and he'd asked Caster and Saber if they could carry it, since it was rightfully theirs. However, Caster had responded that this Avalon in particular didn't belong to her, while Saber had told him to hang on to it, since he was in need of it more than her, being such a fragile Master with a high risk of dying easily.

Rubbing his chest, he walked around to the back of the temple.

In truth, he was thinking about his father because of where he was supposed to find Caster. After his training session with Saber had ended, he had been sent to look for her to continue his magecraft lessons, and had been told that she was around the graveyard behind Ryuudou Temple, so he had come in search of her.

But…

His feet slowed to a stop outside the graveyard, his resolve faltering as he came closer to that spot. He hadn't been there for so long, and suddenly having to go there, even if he was just passing by to meet Caster, he just didn't know how to feel about it.

"Ojii-san…"

That day, he remembered what he had told his father, on that porch that summer evening. Gazing up at the darkening blue sky, he had promised him to do what his father could not.

"You weren't able to fulfill your dream?"

"Since you couldn't do it―"

"I'll do it for you."

His last words to the man who had saved him, those very words that let his father rest peacefully. The serene smile that graced his weary face was something he couldn't forget, even after all these years. Perhaps the only thing more memorable would be the on of the very first things he could remember in this life, the crying, joyful face of a man who had found salvation.

Yet, the crushing loneliness, the anger and sadness that came with his passing weighed on his heart, the memories coming back. He remembered sitting on the same porch the next week, looking at the stars, with no one by his side. Tucking into the futon, calling "Goodnight!", only to remember that no one was there to respond to him. The only thing that he could hear was the crickets chirping in the summer nights, the gentle breeze of the wind lifting the leaves in the yard.

He'd cook portions for two, then realize that he'd overcooked, and call Taiga over to help polish off the extra portions. Incidentally, this was one of the reasons Taiga started coming around the residence regularly, though it was mainly because she could also sense Shirou's angst. If Taiga hadn't been there when he was stewing in the various emotions that came with his father's passing, he knew he would've become much more introspective and brooding. As it were, even though Taiga also grieved for his father, they comforted each other during those days, and Taiga's naturally energetic personality helped uplift his spirits, bringing a breath of fresh air to his life each day.

In a way, she really had been a reliable older sister back then, even though she had clutched him like a hug pillow and cried her eyes out quite a few times after the funeral.

With Taiga's presence, the house no longer felt so empty, though it was still too big for the two of them. Then Sakura came along a few years later, and the rest was history. Tilting his head to stare at the sky, he wondered how the two of them were doing right now. Perhaps he could pay them a visit, or arrange a way to contact them somehow.

Hah, I can't delay this any longer.

Looking at the cemetery in front of him, he knew that further delaying the inevitable wouldn't do anything for him. All he would be doing would be wasting time. Gathering his thoughts and putting his emotions in order, he stepped into the graveyard, passing through the torii gate marking the entrance.

Short rectangular pillars rose from the ground in orderly columns and rows, each monument engraved with names. Many lay at rest in these sacred grounds, with dates stretching from centuries back to the present. The smell of incense wrapped around the entire place, hanging so thickly in the air that Shirou was sure he would be able to smell it on his own shirt after he left. Treading his way silently past the basins of water and flowers placed against the stone bases, he headed towards the mop of blond hair poking behind the gravestones.

Seeing the familiar headstone in the corner of his eye, he deliberately tore his attention away from it, no matter how much it beguiled his focus. Thankfully, he wasn't passing right in front of it, so he was spared the sight of what he was sure was an empty, unkempt gravestone, abandoned due to the fact that he rarely visited it.

Unbeknownst to him, fresh flowers sat in a vase next to it, the gravestone looking as clean as the day it was unveiled.

He came to a stop a short distance away from her, seeing that she seemed to be absorbed at the grave in front of her. She knelt on the ground, her hands folded in her lap, her head bowed slightly, eyes closed. He couldn't help but feel that he'd come at the wrong time. Taking a closer look at the grave, he realized the name inscribed on the stone was written in English. A...A-tr...um? The font was some form of cursive, but he could tell what the first five words were. Who was this person?

"You woke up rather quickly, Emiya-san."

Opening her eyes, Caster turned to address him. Standing up, she brushed off some of the dirt on her knees.

"I expected you to stay unconscious for a bit more, but it's good that you're awake so quickly! The earlier we start, the more you can learn!"

Somehow, her smile didn't seem to be as wide as he was used to seeing it. Was it just him, or did she look a bit melancholic? Seeing his troubled face, she walked over. Getting closer to him, she poked his arms, his face involuntarily stiffening as he tried to suppress a wince.

"You're not pushing yourself though, are you? Hmmm?"

Shirou took a step back, shaking his head.

"Ah, I'm fine, we can proceed with the magecraft lessons."

Caster stared at him, then nodded.

"Well, if you're confident you can do it, then fine. I'm sure you know what you're capable and incapable of doing. If you haven't reached your limits, then that's fine. Though if anything happens to you later, I won't be held responsible okay."

Taking his arm, she dragged him back to the temple, his protests and feeble attempts to pry her hands off unable to match up to her Servant-level strength.

The fresh yellow chrysanthemum rested against an alcove carved into the stone, lively petals bringing a vibrant atmosphere to the dull gray stone. Blown from afar by a mysterious breeze, pink petals scattered across the gravestone Caster was kneeling in front of earlier. A shaft of sunlight pierced the clouds, illuminating the polished granite. The inscription above the flowers in the stone read:

"ATRUM GALLIASTA."