Chapter 9
Shirou groaned as sunlight peaked through his bedroom. He pulled himself awkwardly from his futon, as the same thoughts and feelings that plagued him every morning the last few days began to bubble to the surface.
Saber.
They had something special, something that transcended the here and now, and now she was back again some how and she sort of remembered but the memories were scaring her and he had ruined it because he was stupid and dumb and depressed and desperate and all he wanted was to be happy again and had tried to kiss her.
He resisted the urge to bang his head against the wall.
Well, at least this way there was closure. An awkward and fumbled kiss was easier to walk away from then trading confessions of love with each other before one of them dissolved forever into a mist of bright light, never to be seen again.
At least, he hoped it'd be easier... He wasn't so sure anymore.
He sluggishly prepared himself for school in the morning, not doing anything more then dressing himself and preparing his books for the day. Sakura wasn't here to prepare any food. She wasn't even talking to him.
He didn't feel like eating anyways.
KNOCK. KNOCK.
He jumped. Who could tha be? Rin, Sakura, and Fuji-nee never knocked anymore, and just let themselves in. He sighed, tiredly shambling towards the front entrance. He opened the door, to find someone he did expect.
It was...Saber. Or Arturia, rather.
And she wasn't dressed for school. Rather, she was wearing a brown, long-sleeved, shoulder-less shirt and a short, pleated skirt of the same color. He had to focus in order to avoid admiring her thighs. She was blushing. She looked so... Cute. And vulnerable.
"...Hi..." he offered, awkwardly.
She looked uncertain, slightly blushing, and then her eyes narrowed. Her vulnerability vanished and was replaced with fiery determination.
"I will be spending the day with you," she announced sternly.
"Well..." he breathed, trying best to not eye up her legs. The day with him? Did she have a change of heart? "...We have class today," he offered awkwardly.
"Lets skip," she replied flippantly, flopping herself down on to his porch. "It's Saturday."
Shirou frowned. While he was happy to see her change of heart after brushing him off a few nights ago, going to class was important. "We still have class on Saturday."
"In Britain, class isn't held on Saturday," she stated. She had braced herself for the intense Japanese school hours before she arrived, but that didn't quite prepare her for the real thing. She had already missed a few days worth of class due to 'illness' anyways, so what was one more? In the back of her head she was regretting the neglect of her studies, but the part of her that was Saber was just about ready to blow off school for good.
"Well, this isn't Britian. And you've already missed a half week of classes," Shirou said sharply. He sighed inwardly, annoyed with himself. Why did he have to be such a boy scout?
"Mmmm," she pouted. She pulled herself of the porch steps and wrapped her arms around him in a light embrace. Shirou froze almost immediately. "So you don't wish to spend the day with me?" she whispered into his ear.
"I didn't say that..." he whispered back. He tried to compose himself, but the blush in his face was quickly running his way down to his toes. He really needed to go to class. There was an exam today...
"Even for a date?" she cooed in his ear. His resolve crumbled a bit more.
"Well..." his heart sped up. She was acting strangely... Was she playing with him?
"Even during the Grail War you were more focused on school," she sighed, releasing him from her embrace and flopping back down to the steps, clearly annoyed.
"Well, school... Wait! You remember the Grail War?" he asked, shocked. He sat down beside her, immediately interested.
She looked at him coyly, before smiling. "I remember many things now, Shirou..."
"So..." he trailed off, before blushing. His heart skipped a beat... Did she remember when they...?
"Shirou. I've spent the last few days agonizing over these new memories," she explained, taking his hands in her own. "Please, indulge me this one more day," she pleaded, before smiling. Hope shined in her eyes. "Let's get... re-acquainted."
He was unsure. On one hand, Saber... On the other hand... The last of his will dissolved when she leaned forward and pecked him lightly on the cheek.
"Heh, I don't need convincing. Lets do it!" he cheered.
"You didn't like the movie?" Shirou asked, disappointed as they left theater. They had seen one of those Chinese martial arts flicks, though he didn't give it much attention. He was paying too much attention to her, anyhow.
"No," she replied sadly. "The last time we did this together... Well, I'm afraid the luster and awe of the wonders of the modern age have since evaporated for me."
"I didn't think of that," he replied. "I guess everything seemed fresh when you were Saber..."
"Back in the Grail War, I was so naive," she agreed. "Can you imagine, Shirou? Everything about the world was new and amazing to me. I miss that feeling..." She sighed, wistfully.
Shirou chuckled at that. "You know, you're making this date lot harder for me. If you were so easy to impress back then..."
She laughed, placing her hands into his, their eyes meeting. "You didn't need to impress me anymore, Shirou..."
They leaned closer, closer...
"Oh! Look! Sushi!" she squealed in delight, spotting a restaurant over Shirou's shoulder. She began to quickly drag him towards it. "Lets go eat!"
"Uh!" Shirou moaned slightly as she nearly pulled his arm from the socket. "Okay - Okay, wait up!'
Dressed in a hooded swear shirt and sunglasses, his appearance was obscured. He shadowed Shirou's and Arturia's steps, watching them enter the sushi restaurant from afar. When they left his view, he leaned against a lamp post and pulled a cellpone from his pocket and placed it to his ear.
"HQ, Target has entered the restaurant, still traveling with the teenage male," he reported hoarsely into his cellphone.
"Roger. GPS is online and tracking your position" a voice on the other end acknowledged. "What's the status on the Sons of Dawn?"
"They're not active, as far as I can tell," the stranger replied. "I don't think they're aware we're operating within their borders just yet."
"Good, lets keep it that way," the other voice cautioned."Keep following them. You'll receive further orders shortly."
"Roger. Operative out."
"This isn't a California roll," Arturia mumbled in English, as she dipped the offending roll into a mix of wasabi and soy unhappily.
"Hmm?" Shirou asked, only vaguely understanding her when she spoke English. "Is the roll not good?"
"Oh, no, it's fine," she managed awkwardly, popping the ball of rice into her mouth. "It's just... This is an avocado roll, not a California roll. " Indeed, the roll lacked the typical crab and mayonnaise that she was used to.
"I think it's different overseas?" he said, unsure. He paused for a moment, before popping a slice of raw tuna into his mouth. "It's hard to find places that serve California rolls at all in Japan - and when a place does, it usually just means any roll with avocado."
"Oh," Arturia managed, slightly embarrassed. Before she could say anything, Shirou stopped the waitress and ordered some 'Western-style California rolls.'
Arturia couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed at that. Here she was learning and living in Japan, sulking that she couldn't get Westernized sushi when the real deal was right in front of her. She felt a bit spoiled. "You didn't need to do that, Shirouu."
"Nah, it's fine," Shirou responded, letting the issue slide. He snapped another mouthful of fish with his chopsticks and popped it into his mouth. "Is sushi popular in Britain?"
"It is," Arturia said, playing with her chopsticks. She poked the raw fish apprehensively with the stick "It's a little different there, though. More focus on rolls, and less on the raw fish."
"Well, I guess that's to be expected," he said smiling. He "Japan probably has " Well, if they did, he'd never heard it. It was mostly American food.
"British food is terrible, Shirou." Arturia replied. "I vastly prefer Japanese. Have you ever heard of black pudding?"
"No, what is it?" Shirou asked, curiously.
"It's called blood sausage elswhere, and that's exactly what it is - hardened blood. Part of a traditional English breakfast."
"Well... that is..." he stopped, not wanting to finish the sentence. Blood Sausage? Seriously?
"Barabaric?" she offered, finishing for him. She sullenly dropped the the sashimi she was toying with into the soy, swishing the raw fish around the mix of soy and wasabi. "Some would say the same of raw fish." At that, she snapped the chunk of sashimi into her sticks, and quickly popped it into her mouth. She chewed it experimentally, before swallowing. "Mmm! It's good!"
"Was that your first time trying sashimi?" Shirou asked quizzically.
She shook her head, quickly snapping up another. "No - I just have to work myself up before I start eating the raw stuff. It's good, though. The fish is fresher then home."
They continued to chat and laugh through out the meal. They spoke little of what happened before, and focused on the present. Shirou continued to learn about Arturia - the girl Saber was today. She remained tight lipped about her family (which upset him deep down - he had hoped they were past secrets), but he did learn of her past. He learned she grew up in London, and attended private school there.
It was obviously that her background was very wealthy, with business ties in Japan. He was disturbed to learn that she was last in Japan a year ago, for the grand opening of her Grandfather's hotel. When they were busy fighting the Grail War in Fuyuki, she was peacefully staying. From his lessons with Rin, he knew the Throne of Heroes existed above the flow of time, but it still bothered him she was in two places at once.
What disturbed him more, however, was the name of the hotel that opened - the Pendraig family - ever so close to Pendragon, the family had opened the Avalon Hotel. The Avalon Hotel. In the heart of Japan.
"Avalon Hotel," he repeated. He frowned, Rin's previous warnings echoing in his head. Something was at work here. "That can't be a coincidence."
"Maybe..." Arturia shrugged. She noticed the worry in Shirou's eyes , and took his hand in comfort. "Don't be concerned - my Grandfather is in love with Arthurian myth." That felt strange she thought - referring to a history so real to her in third person, as it was a myth that never really happened. She chuckled. "Our family name being Pendraig went straight to his head - it was an intentional name."
The worry vanished from Shirou's eyes, and he let the thought comfort him. Just the work of a silly old man liking his name a little too much.
Once her tale was done, he began with his own. He began to outline the events of the last year, the magecraft he had learned with Rin, and some new tricks of his own. She listened with interest, learning about the man he had become after the war had shaped him so.
He talked of Ilya, Sakura, Taiga, and Rin, and what their goings-ons of the past year. She was surprised to learn that Rin and Sakura were actually sisters, and that it was originally Sakura who had summoned Rider. She was learning Magecraft from Rin as well.
Eventually they finished eating, and it was time to pay their bill and leave.
"Shall we move along?" he asked holding out his hand to her.
"We shall," she replied, happily placing her hand into his own.
"HQ, they've left the restaurant. Do I have further orders?" the stranger asked, watching the couple leave the Sushi restaurant.
"Keep following them, but keep your distance," the voice ordered. "One of the Twelve will be stepping in personally to handle the arrest."
"...What? What for?" the stranger asked, completely baffled. They were only two kids, and was no need for that sort of fire power... "The are just a pair of children. I can apprehend the target myself."
"No. Intel just came on the kid she's with - he's something else," the voice explained. "It may seem like much, but the Seven don't want to take chances with this one. Your job for now is to keep the target in sight. HQ out."
The man tightened the strings on his hood and adjusted his sunglasses before letting out a heavy sigh. One of the Twelve acting personally... This was bad. He looked out at the street, noting the pleasant weather and scenery of the afternoon. That subtle beauty was about to be snuffed out very quickly - a member of the Twelve would be like smoke signal to make the Sons of the Dawn come running. This whole area was about to turn into a war zone very quickly.
To be continued...
Author's note: Man, I've been sitting on this chapter for too long, when all it needed was a few finishing touches.
That was sort of fun, writing a date chapter. I was going to make this chap another fest of deliberation and procrastinating, but I think we've all had our fill of that. Maybe I'm moving things a long to quickly, but whatever.
Next Time: The Alliance of the Three Heavens, and the Will of the Wisp!
