A/N: Ahh you guys~ almost 40 reviews.. Oh well thanks to Huskies 101 who sent me a message asking for this chapter I decided to post this. Reviews make my day, they really do. I have trial finals for the next few weeks T_T so I probably won't be updating for awhile. I hope this will be enough to whet your appetite for what is to come.

The students filed wearily out of the bus towards the inn they would be staying at, some rubbing their eyes sleepily and telling their friends how grateful they would be for a bath and bed. Saber followed them, looking around her at the city bathed in night. While she was doing so, Shirou crept up behind her unnoticed and initiated a conversation.

"Nice isn't it Aurora? The inn I mean. Too bad we might not be meeting up with Tosaka's class for a while eh."

Saber's eyes travelled the length and breadth of the inn, taking in the cherry blossom trees in the yard, the bonsai trees and rock garden and the traditional Japanese paper sliding doors. In the light it would have been very tranquil and elegant, the epitome of Japanese traditional accommodation. Not wanting to tarnish her aloof, serious reputation, she settled on saying, "It looks good enough."

Shirou chuckled again and Saber raised a brow. Were the things she'd said really that funny? Shirou said, "Oh, it's nothing Aurora but you just..sound so much like Tosaka now."

Saber was going to reply sardonically to that comment but stopped when she realized they were already inside. The inside of the inn was every bit as elegantly traditional as the exterior and many of the students had shaken off their drowsiness and looked eager to explore their temporary quarters. Taiga raised her voice and addressed the students

"Everyone, we'll be staying in here along with the people in 2A. Girls on this side of the inn, boys on that side."

Suppressing a yawn and not wanting to keep the students from their much-needed rest any longer, she dismissed them. Saber said goodbye to Shirou and they went their separate ways, receiving their room numbers from the teachers. As she opened her door, Saber's green eyes met with a pair of cyan crystals and their reactions happened simultaneously.

"Eh!"

Rin and Saber spread their bedspreads side by side, ignoring the other girls in their room as they bustled in and out, fussing over having a bath and combing their hair. Saber was relieved; at least she would have a friend to talk to in her room.

"Hey Sa-Aurora." Rin checked herself. "We've got a couple of days free sightseeing. What are you gonna do?"

"Nothing I guess. Just stay in my room," replied Saber.

"Haaah." Rin crawled under the covers. "That's boring. I won't let you stay here alone, you're coming with me."

"Ah, but.." Saber's voice trailed off as Rin butted in

"Who knows what could happen! We're on excursion in a great city and we're allowed to go anywhere we like for a few days! Anyway, how are you supposed to pull off our objective?"

Saber sweatdropped. "Well that is.."

"See my point?" interjected the brunette. "Thus we must go out, enjoy ourselves and see if we can 'accidentally' end up with Shirou for the day."

Saber hushed her friend by throwing a pillow at her face. Rin ducked and smirked at the rosy spots of colour that was spreading on her cheeks. "Goodnight." She said.

Saber tucked herself in. "Goodnight Rin."

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Shirou yawned as he padded around the carpeted floors of the inn. The sun was just rising and only the earliest-rising birds had started their songs. Glancing around furtively to ensure no one was around, Shirou tiptoed to the verandah and sat on it, looking outwards at the garden. A cool breeze wafted across his face and Shirou smiled. Wistfully he thought 'Saber would like this'. Lost in thought, he didn't realize when Aurora opened the sliding doors and walked up to him. Only the sound of her voice brought his senses back to reality.

"Shirou."

"What? Oh hi Aurora." Smiled Shirou, turning to face her. "Up early I see."

"Yes. I felt like some fresh air too."

"Well then, um.." Shirou gestured vainly, awkwardly. "Wanna sit here with me?"

Her eyes widened but her tone was even as she said, "Of course." And took her place next to him.

The two of them sat in silence, listening to the birdsong and enjoying the warmth of the sunlight.

"Shirou," Saber was the first to speak. "This is a personal question but.."

"Hm?"

"Uhm.." Saber pursed her lips. "Have you an object for your affections?"

Disbelief, and something she couldn't quite pinpoint flickered across Shirou's face and he said, "Well, yeah. But she isn't here anymore."

Saber pretended to be curious. "Who is this person?" she asked, her heartbeat going like the wings of a hummingbird.

"Ah.." Under normal circumstances, Shirou wouldn't have been sure how to describe Saber, and what they'd shared to outsiders, but for some reason, he found himself blurting out, "She was a really special girl, kind of strange and a bit antisocial but definitely a good person."

Saber twitched inwardly. 'Kind of strange and a bit antisocial..?'

"Ahh.."Shirou paused to scratch his head. "That really isn't a good description of her. "In reality, she was someone whom I didn't spend much time with but when we were together, it.. felt really good."

"What happened to her?" Shirou froze when he heard the question.

"She.. had to go back to.. people who needed her. It would've been unfair to make her stay."

"Oh, I see.."

Both said no more after that, each lost in their own thoughts. Eventually, Aurora rose and departed, and Shirou watched her go. As the sound of her footsteps faded out of earshot, a thought occurred to Shirou.

'This is the first time I've been able to share something about Saber with another person. Could I be that I'm.. starting to forget her?'

But he brushed away that thought. It scared him more than he'd admit.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The first place on the day's itinerary was Kinkakuji. Shirou sat awkwardly next to Aurora, trying not to let her see how unnerved he was by her presence. Unable to take the quiet, Aurora asked him

"Shirou, why is it that you sit beside me? Do you not have other friends?"

"Eh.." Shirou gulped. He didn't want her to know he was sitting with her because she had no friends in their class and settled on answering, "Well I thought I should stick around and keep you company, after all, I once hosted a foreign exchange student."

"Was she the one you held feelings for?" Shirou inwardly facepalmed. How the heck did women find out everything?

"In a sense, yeah."

Aurora didn't have a chance to reply as the bus pulled up along the entrance to the shrine, which Shirou was glad for. Dang women and their ability to seemingly read minds. The students of class 2C flocked to the ticket booth, with Taiga running after them and flapping her arms like a mother hen. Shirou snickered behind his hand at how childish his guardian could be and noticed the Saber lookalike staring at her surroundings with wonder.

"Nice isn't it," smiled Shirou. "I like this time of year."

"Indeed," she replied half-heartedly, still entranced by the beauty of the shrine's gardens. It was autumn, and the maple trees were crowned with crimson and orange, stark against the cloudless sky. A carpet of lush grass, green as her eyes covered the ground they walked on and she could hear the sound of running water. It sounded like a veritable Garden of Eden.

"Haha. And you haven't even seen the actual shrine yet," Shirou grinned. Seeing his companion only blink in response, he grabbed her hand, eliciting a blush from her and tugged lightly.

"Don't just stand there! Come inside with me!"

Aurora smiled, the same way Saber did, with a sweetness and innocence that made his heart do backflips and complied. The two of them strolled idly along the paved walkways, ignoring the other students who had gotten into pairs and were enjoying light-hearted raillery, intoxicated by the natural splendor around them. Words weren't needed for the two of them though, despite both their refusal to admit such, it felt as though two parts of a whole had come together. Yes, that clichéd kind of feeling in the movies that has the audience screaming for a confession from one or both of them. That feeling.

Saber walked beside Shirou, admiring her surroundings. It took all her training as a knight not to be grinning like an idiot at the joy swelling in her chest. To be in such a place with the man she loved, it was truly as the bards of old England had sung. For years Saber had been entertained by these minstrels, singing ballads of ladies who'd walk in rose-scented gardens with their sweethearts and be whisked away to a life of comfort and luxury. In her heart she'd scoffed at it then – what was the meaning in that? But now she was being forced to eat her words, it truly was as good as the songs had made it sound.

"Hey Aurora, we're here!" Shirou called to the green eyed beauty. Saber blinked once, twice, then it dawned on her that she was standing in front of the shrine. The tall, elegant building, shining like a huge golden beacon in the morning sun was Kinkakuji Shrine. Enveloped by the still, green waters of a shallow pond, and flanked by maple trees resplendent in their autumn cloaks, Saber was left awestruck at the sight. Shirou bit down on the inside of his cheek to keep from grinning manically; she looked like a child, eyes wide in wonder.

"Yeah. Pretty isn't it?" said Shirou.

Finding her voice, Aurora said "Yes, it is so.."

Shirou tugged her hand again. "You haven't seen the rest of Kyoto yet. You'll enjoy it, I promise. Now let's go."

Tearing her eyes away from the unforgettable sight, Saber caught Shirou, as well as many of her classmates taking pictures of the gleaming golden pavilion, although she felt that such magnificence could never truly be captured by mere technology. No. Nothing beat seeing the thing in person.

A brief stroll through the remainder of the shrine gardens later, Shirou and Saber came upon a couple of stalls set up along the footpath. The first was filled with Japanese charms of all purposes, from granting academic success to recovering from illness and avoiding car accidents. Shirou observed Aurora as she picked them up one by one and scrutinized them almost suspiciously. Amused, he scanned the array of charms and selected two, buying them from the shopkeeper. Aurora looked at him questioningly.

"Why are you buying those, Shirou?"

"Oh these?" Shirou indicated the little tags. "They're part of Japanese culture. We buy these charms from shrines in the hope that we'll be blessed and all that. You should buy one too, Aurora!"

"But I really don't.." Saber cut in across her saying

"Come on Aurora! This is a chance to be more acquainted with Japanese culture!" Seeing her open her mouth to protest, Shirou added, "If you don't get one I'll buy one for you."

"Ah Shirou that is unfair," grumbled Aurora, but she took out her purse and selected a charm. Once she'd paid for it, she turned to Shirou, only to see him holding two sticks of dango, one in each hand.

"Dango?" he offered, holding a stick out to her. Seeing the glutinous balls on a stick, she looked a little unsure of herself.

"That looks a little.." she didn't get time to finish, because Shirou swiftly reached over and slapped the stick into her hand.

"Come on, try it!" he urged. "It's really good!"

Tentatively, she opened her dainty mouth and bit down on one of the sweet spheres. Shirou smirked as she took another bite, then another.

'I could get used to this,' she thought as Shirou's laughter rang in her ears.

The rest of the day was spent seeing several other small shrines in the area. Taiga attempted to tell the students about the history and story of each shrine but failed in the attempt as the third years' attention was clearly elsewhere. Instead of wasting her voice bellowing at them, she relented and let them just gleefully explore the shrines while she watched over them with an expression akin to that of a mother hen with her chicks. Said 'chicks' were so active they wore themselves out and many of them arrived back at the inn to crash in their rooms. Saber shook her head at her classmates' antics and headed for the outdoor hot springs. Stripping off her outer garments and shedding her underwear, she strode unabashed into the female section of the springs oblivious to the stares of the few other girls there who had bashfully wrapped towels around themselves. Sliding gracefully into the water, Saber felt someone sidling up closer to her. Alarmed, she jerked backwards but calmed down once she saw who it was.

"Oh Rin, it's just you."

"Of course," Rin shook out her mane of raven hair. "Had fun with Shirou today?"

"I..do not know what you are talking about." Said Saber hurriedly. Rin smirked.

"Really? My guess is, our very own hero-of-justice Shirou felt sorry for you because you were alone and decided to keep you company. Am I right?"

Saber sank into the water, leaving only her eyes visible on the surface.

Rin's smirk broadened. "I'll take that as a yes, then. Don't worry, I won't get in your way."

"It..it wasn't really like that!"gasped Saber, flushed. "We just spent time in each other's company as friends, that is all."

"Mhm." Rin expressed her obvious disbelief. "So tell me, how much flirting did you get done?"

Saber was then interrogated for the better part of an hour before Rin was fully satisfied.

"Hey Shirou," Issei tried to get his attention. "Shirou! SHIROU!"

"H-huh?" Shirou looked as if he'd just come out of a stupor.

"I know what you were thinking!" Issei leapt back and dramatically pointed a finger at Shirou. "You were imagining the girls in various stages of immodesty! That is understandable, seeing as this wooden wall is all that stands between us and them but how could youuuuuu?" anime tears were streaming down his cheeks. "You are supposed to keep yourself chaste! Women will only lead you down the path of corruption!"

Shirou sweatdropped. "Issei, you got it all wrong. I was only spacing out.."

Issei immediately regained his composure. "Oh, ahem excuse me then. So what were you doing today? You weren't with us."

"Well I was with Aurora." Shirou said, in a very matter-of-fact kind of way.

Issei didn't bat an eyelid, which astonished Shirou as he had been expecting an angry tirade of some sort from the notorious misogynist. "Oh I see, she's alright, I suppose." said Issei. Shirou blinked.

"I thought you didn't like girls?"

"I don't, but.." Issei paused, at a loss for what to say. "She's got a kind of calming aura."

"Yeah.." muttered Shirou, leaning backwards onto the edge of the spring.

"She really does."

"Kinda like that girl that stayed at your house eh, Shirou?"

"…"

Shirou felt like kicking himself.

A/N: So how was it? Leave your thoughts in a review if you please~ I'll be kinder this time, how does 45 reviews sound? Good? Thought so. Have fun and see you guys soon! Back to studying noooo...