Chapter 8

AN:Sorry for the wait people! Had exams... Maths was surprisingly good but in history, I mixed up Nicholas I and Alexander I so yeah.. Oh well, I got chapter 9 waiting, so do review!

Saber shuffled from foot to foot. The nights before had been spent with Rin, who'd decided to celebrate her "making a move on Shirou" by opening a packet of Kyoto candy every night and eating them together on the verandah. Washed down with a generous helping of premium quality English tea, of course. 'Where does she keep getting those things?' pondered Saber. She was so engrossed in reminiscence that she didn't notice Shirou come up beside her and start talking.

"Hey Aurora! Nice day isn't it?"

"Oh yes.." she began but paused, contemplating her next words. "Umm we have a free day today and tomorrow don't we? What are you planning to do?"

"Um, well.." Shirou scratched the back of his head in a familiar gesture. "Issei has ditched me today so I thought I'd come hang out with you."

"I..am glad that you enjoy my company as such," replied Saber with decorum befitting her noble heritage. Before either of them could say any more, however, Rin appeared, as if out of nowhere and surprised them both. She stepped back, arms folded across her chest and said

"Well, if it isn't Shirou. Tell me Shirou, were you planning on stealing my friend Aurora here from right under my nose?"

"What?" Shirou was flabbergasted. "That wasn't what I was trying to do!"

"Oh?" Rin leaned into him, eyes narrowed in suspicion. "So you were asking her on a date, then?"

"Tosaka!" chided Shirou. "What on earth goes through your mind?"

Before their conversation could escalate, Saber decided to make an attempt at restoring order. "He was suggesting that we travel together today," she said hurriedly.

Rin and Shirou turned to her. "Oh? A day trip together? I like it. Well then, just to be sure that you don't try to take advantage of Aurora here, I'm coming with you." announced the former Master.

"Tosaka! What kind of person do you take me for?" asked Shirou, annoyed. "I'd never do that to her!"

Rin shot him a glare that sent shivers up and down his spine.

"I apologise regarding Rin," sighed Aurora, as she, Shirou and Rin walked the streets of Kyoto, with Rin leading the way and perusing a map.

"Oh, it's okay. I'm used to it," replied Shirou. "Tosaka has always been bossy."

"What was that, Shirou?" Rin turned around, flashing a sickeningly sweet smile at Shirou, a dangerous sign.

"N-nothing, Tosaka!" Shirou backpedaled. The former rivals squabbled back and forth, making Aurora nervous. Stopping to look ahead, she called to her friends

"Hey guys, we're here!"

"Woah!" Shirou's face lit up at the sight of the enormous arcade. "This thing must have at least a hundred game machines!"

Seeing her friend looking bewildered, Rin chastised him. "Ugh, Shirou, you're terrible. I wanted to give her a cultural experience and you had to take her to a games arcade?"

"Relax, Tosaka," Shirou reassured her. "This is fun too."

"Grr.." Rin fumed silently but followed Shirou and Aurora into the arcade. The second she stepped inside, she was bombarded with a hundred different sounds – the bleeping and blooping of the various machines, the buzzing of claw games, the curses of pimply, bespectacled otakus who had gotten a game over screen and the excited shrills of kids as they competed.

"Shirou!" Rin made another bid to scold him. "This is supposed to be fun?"

"Well yeah.." Shirou chuckled. "Come on Tosaka, tell me you've been to an arcade before."

"Never." Rin harrumphed.

"Not even played video games?"

"Of course not!"

Shirou grinned. "There's a first for everything Tosaka."

Rin scowled at him but allowed him to take her and Aurora through the arcade, explaining to them the different games available.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Aww man, almost had it!" Shirou threw up both hands in frustration as the claw released the plushie it had been carrying.

"…" Saber replied, too engrossed in the game she was playing.

"Wow, Aurora," Shirou peered over her shoulder. "Never knew you were one for zombie shooters."

Saber hesitated, and her avatar was ripped apart in a shower of digital gore. The words "GAME OVER" appeared on the screen in big bold letters and she was asked to enter her initials.

"Whoops. Sorry for distracting you." Shirou apologised.

"Oh, it's fine," she smiled. "I was going to lose anyway, I'm on level twenty-five after all."

"Ahaha yeah. Shall we go check on Tosaka?"

Shirou and Saber wandered round the arcade until they found the magical prodigy glaring suspiciously at a machine. "Tekken" was scrawled along the sides in graffiti-style text and it looked as if she was deliberating whether or not to play.

"Tosaka! I challenge you to a game on this!" said Shirou suddenly. Rin raised an eyebrow.

"Wanting to show off to our little gaijin friend, are we?"

"Just saying that cause you know you'll lose, Tosaka?" Shirou jeered.

"Hah!" Rin tossed her glossy black mane. "In your dreams, Emiya Shirou. Let's do this."

Shirou and Rin sat behind the two separate sets of controls, each determined to win. Shirou smirked. He'd played more than his fair share of brawl games with Issei and was confident of his success. He selected his character and Rin chose hers. They squared off, both with their fingers on the joysticks, awaiting the "Begin!" sign that appeared on the screen. As soon as it did, the fight began in all earnest.

Five minutes later..

"…!" Shirou's eye twitched as "You lose!" flashed in front of his face. Rin leaned back, arms folded and a cat-ate-the canary look on her face.

"Well Shirou, look who's the winner now," she said. "Not so cocky now huh?"

"T-Tosaka! H-how did you..?"Shirou's mouth opened and closed like a fish. "You said you never played!"

"Hm." Rin said, picking bits of grit out from under her fingernails. "Did it ever occur to you that I might have better reflexes?"

Looking at his stunned expression, Rin chuckled and turned to Saber.

"You better train him hard Aurora." she winked. "Or maybe I should join the kendo club instead!"

"T-Tosaka! Not fair!" complained Shirou as the girls laughed at him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After a good few hours of gaming, Rin had practically dragged her friends out of the arcade, citing them blowing all their cash in one day as the reason. Before they stepped out of the large glass sliding doors, Saber had spotted a print club (purikura) machine and had inquired as to what it was. Eager to find any reason to make fun of Shirou, Rin had 'suggested' they take photos together.

"After all," she flashed her sweet, girly smile, "I'm sure Aurora has never done one before."

Taking her cue from Rin, Saber added, "I have never seen such a machine in England. Perhaps it will be interesting."

Their plan worked. Shirou had grumbled about Rin forcing him to do things he didn't want to do but had sidled up to the girls and taken pictures. Rin had given them all their own copies afterwards and Shirou's favourite (though he'd never admit it to Rin) was the one where he had his arm around Aurora, who was blushing. He slipped it into his pocket, as he did, an image came to mind, one of Saber, pressed against his chest in the moonlight, her lips slightly swollen from their kiss and her eyes glazed with passion. A stab of pain shot through his heart and Shirou found himself once again frustrated and confused.

'What the hell?' he thought. 'What am I doing? I love Saber, don't I?'

The voice that had long plagued him sprung into action. "Ah," it said. "You fear falling in love again? Or is it that you feel you would be insulting her memory if you did so?"

"I.. Don't know.." sighed Shirou.

"Come on, think!" the voice taunted. "Is it one of these ,or both?"

"..." Shirou could not come up with a reply. Thankfully, Rin saved him from this uncomfortable conversation with himself by yanking his arm.

"Oi, Shirou, this is our stop, remember?"

"Y-yeah.." Shirou followed her off the bus, to be assailed by the many sights and sounds of the front of Kyoto station. The station was unlike anything he'd ever seen before. Black glass reflected the mustard-coloured afternoon sun, stretching to at least five stories and commuters and shoppers alike thronged the many shops lining each floor.

"Cool," Shirou muttered. "So are we stopping here?"

"No." Rin replied, pulling him away, "This is what I had planned." With that, she pointed at Kyoto tower, a graceful spire rising above the hubbub of central Kyoto. Shirou arched his eyebrow.

"What about it?"

"We're going to go to the top, of course!" Rin spoke to him as she would a dimwitted child. "To show Aurora the view!"

"…" Shirou temporarily pitied the club president - being hauled around to sightsee, both at home and in Kyoto must be tiring.

"Rin, I don't think your suitcase can.." Saber's voice was cut off as Rin thrust another box into her already overflowing arms.

"Yes.." said Rin absent-mindedly. "Green tea chocolates, white teabags, peach tea, plum candy, a new tea set.."

Shirou gasped, "Tosaka, enough already! We haven't even taken Aurora up the tower yet!"

Rin was going to glare at him, but stopped when she realised that Shirou and Saber's arms were heavily laden with her shopping. They had planned to show Saber the view from the tower, but Rin had been sidetracked by the (many) shops that made a living by selling goods to patrons of the tower. Hence, the trio had spent nearly an hour on shopping. And Rin had only been buying food.

"Hmph,"she said dismissively. "That's enough for now, I guess. Come on guys." She spun on her heel and led them towards the elevator, as Shirou desperately tried to squeeze her numerous purchases into a canvas bag. Seeing his distress, Rin pulled a jewel out of her pocket, winked at Shirou and used it to invisibly increase the bag's storage capacity.

"Tosaka!" Shirou hissed. "What if she saw you?"

Rin shrugged, nonplussed. The doors opened with a ping and they strode out. Saber glanced around, seeing nothing but glass at every turn.

"What is this?" she inquired nervously.

"Use these things. You'll see." Rin gestured for her to make her way to one of the many pairs of binoculars lining the circumference of the tower. She sweatdropped, however when Saber tried to tug them off their stands instead and nearly succeeded in doing so.

"Uh no," said Rin, as she heard the metal groaning in protest. "You're supposed to just stand on one of these stools and look through them."

"Oh," said Saber, beet red with embarrassment. Behind her, Shirou sweatdropped.' Just how strong is that girl?' he thought.

"Hey, Shirou," Rin beckoned for him to come over. "I'll be going to take some photos for the school newspaper so make sure Aurora doesn't get in any trouble okay? Later." With that she strolled off, hiding a snicker behind her hand.

"This is ridiculous," complained Saber. "It doesn't work. I can't see anything clearly!" Shirou came up from behind her and took a look.

"Ah, Aurora, you're supposed to turn the knobs on the side this way, so everything will become clearer." He placed a hand over hers, eliciting a surprised gasp and helped her turn the knobs such that the view became much more vivid.

"Oh, wow.." Saber whispered as she peered through the lens, to be presented with a panoramic view of a section of Kyoto. Twisting the knobs, she zoomed in and was able to see the cars and people, small as bugs from such an altitude, going about their day.

"See? Every pair of binoculars shows you part of Kyoto! Let's go see all of them!" Shirou chuckled and led her to the adjacent pair.

Taking in turns to enjoy the views, Saber and Shirou traversed the perimeters of the tower, unaware that Rin was watching them with an arrogant smirk. She caught Saber's eye and winked. Saber realised that Rin was signalling her to make a move on Shirou and promptly said,

"Oh, Shirou, what is that building in the distance?"

"Oh that?" Shirou asked, pointing at a large temple near the hills, fringed with maple trees. "That's Kiyomizudera. It's the most famous shrine in Kyoto, I think. Do you like it?"

"It seems full of heritage," an imaginary set of cogs in Saber's head were whirring. "And I would like to go there, but I might become lost again."

"You do?" Shirou felt slightly flustered saying it, but did so anyway. "Well, um, if I won't get in your way, maybe I could take you there?"

"You would?" Saber turned to him, bathed in the glow of a dying sun.

"If you don't want me to then.."

"N-no! It's very kind of you to be my guide, Shirou."

Shirou resisted the urge to falter under her earnest gaze. "No problem. I mean, what are friends for?"

"Thank you.." Saber and Shirou stood still for a moment, basking in the indescribable feelings welling up in their chests. The moment was ruined, or at least interrupted, when Rin stepped out from her hiding place and said,

"If you two aren't too busy, we should be going back now."

"R-right.." Saber muttered a hurried excuse and slipped past Shirou, trotting over to where Rin was. Shirou walked a few paces behind the girls, trying to quash the guilt he felt whenever these sorts of things happened.

AN: So that was it.. Anticlimatic, maybe but there will be more~ The next chapter IMO is a tad confusing but let's just say it'll have a very interesting plot development. If you wanna see it, let's say 60 reviews~?