Chapter 9: Surprise Visit
"Good evening, Shirou."
A simple greeting after the doorbell ring at the Emiya Household was the start of all the ensuing chaos and questioning. The arrival of the two strangers was greeted by Shirou with much surprise and Saber with much wariness.
The girl had only one sole purpose of making this distant trek across the expanse of the forest and the city. Her eyes were set on Shirou with a mocking glint within.
"Hehh, so you're still alive. A pity, I thought someone else would have finished you off already."
Unplanned and unnecessary tension seemed to erupt as soon as the last word left Ilya's mouth, but the intimidating swish of a steel blade from the ever-wary Saber only managed to earn an exasperated sigh from Berserker.
"What is it that you want, Illyasviel? Have you come to settle the score for good?"
"Ilya…"
"…Fine, I get it," Ilya responded, tossing Berserker a dirty look for his chiding. "Shirou, for today, we'll…talk."
With a smile to welcome the sudden loss of tension, Shirou decided to lend his aid to the effort of defusing the current situation. His right hand firmly clutched very edge of Saber's gauntlet, refusing to let go. While he was far from being her match in a competition of strength, the gesture did manage to convey his determination.
"Saber, you too. Let's just put away that sword."
"Are you sure, Shirou? I hope this won't end with your capture, like before," Saber responded with a cold stare upon her Master.
Evidently, his capture and release during the last few days had done a number on her trust in his ability to fare against the other Masters. She would already have had him tied down to the house, if she had not only refrained for decency's sake.
"…Yeah, this time I'm sure it won't…" Steeling himself through her merciless glare, Shirou could barely maintain his demeanor. Against someone who had attained the rank of Heroic Spirit, it certainly was not an easy feat to be holding his ground.
A few seconds passed after their test of conviction, before Saber finally caved.
"Very well…But I expect you to be on guard and be accompanied at all times. I will not settle for any less than that, Shirou." With a weary shake of her head, Saber conceded and lowered her sword. Her armor dematerialized, leaving the knight in her casual wear.
A careful observation, however, would reveal that, while her hostility was toned down, her guard had not slackened in the least.
"Understood…I realize I'm no longer in any position to make demands." Any jab Shirou intended to make about Saber's zealous overprotection was soon swallowed as he noticed veins bulging on her forehead.
"This is all for your own good. At least try to understand that much."
Instead of narrow suspicious eyes, Saber was treating him to a piercing glare as if she was attempting to bore a hole through him with her gaze. Even if he should survive today's meeting with Ilya, he couldn't say the same for the earfuls after earfuls of dissent that he would be subjected to in a near future.
"…Well, anyway, come on in." Turning away from the source of an overwhelming pressure behind him, Shirou beckoned his guests to enter.
"Excuse us…" Apparently, the entryway was not made to accommodate a man with Herculean stature and the floor creaked terribly with his every step, but the girl was keen on having him as a part of the discussion and would not settle for any less.
However, none of those details entered Shirou's mind even as they sat in the common room for the discussion that followed. His gaze only lingered on the girl that took the seat across him, who was observing the house that he'd inherited with great interest…A house that by right of birth should have been hers.
Their first meeting was only a few days ago during the course of the war, but deep inside he felt that he knew the girl from before. Her presence triggered a small hint of nostalgia, a memory he had forgotten until recently...
"A girl, dad?" The child looked up at his father, eyes wide with interest.
The grizzled man raised his eyebrow. It was one of the rare occasions where his inner thoughts slipped through his usually careful tongue and into the boy's inquisitive ears. Unfortunately, there was nothing to stop the youthful mind from latching on to the topic with interest.
"Who is she?"
"It's nothing you have to worry about, Shirou…Sorry for confusing you…" The entailing story was one that the father had not meant for his son to hear. It was unbecoming to corrupt the boy's innocence with the tales of bloodshed and complexities that would surely be lost upon his young and naïve mind.
"It's a little difficult to tell you now, so how about we wait until you are older?"
But that alone was not enough to quench the child's interest. The lingering spark of intrigue in his eyes did soften the father's earlier stance.
"Well, if you really want to know all that much, I suppose it would be accurate to call her your sister…would it?"
"Sister…?" The child mumbled the word with keen interest, thrilled by prospect of having another to join their household.
But the father was not sharing in his enthusiasm. If anything the topic of their conversation only seemed to have left him wearied and distraught…
It was well into the day before the disbelief could be eased from Shirou's face and the suspicion from Saber's, after few hours of past stories and explanation to shed some light on the life of a man whom they had only marginally known till that point.
The conversation took turns drifting between Shirou and Ilya. While the bitterness eventually receded through their discourse, the same awkwardness remained.
Silently observing them was Berserker, who would rather have the two speak on their own. In the current situation, Saber also deemed it best to withhold her tongue. While it was true that she had much to say about Kiritsugu, this seemed neither an appropriate time nor place to be voicing her objections.
"Father died soon after. He was…weak." Searching for words to describe Kiritsugu's condition, Shirou could only settle on one that he couldn't help but feel was grossly insufficient. "He spent his last year confined to the house."
"Mmm…" An episode of turmoil and regret briefly washed over Ilya as the side of the story that she'd never known gradually unfolded. Other than a soft growl of displeasure, she beckoned him to continue.
"He talked about this girl he left behind and how he wished he could bring her back." While it was not an entirely accurate retelling of the past, Shirou believed that Kiritsugu would have feel the same, even if the man himself would never allow anyone so as much as catch a glimpse of the turmoil inside him. "He probably missed you, Ilya."
Steeling his resolve, Shirou rephrased his words to iron out all doubts. Truth or not, it would be too cruel to leave her in the realm of possibility.
"No, I'm sure he missed you…"His words were simple, but they left a profound effect as the last word rang.
For Ilya, it was a bittersweet realization to know of her father's lingering affection. Yet, it did deepen the void in her heart and the unanswered question of his decision not to return to her.
The turmoil of rising emotion had Ilya caught inside it. Initially unbeknownst to her, droplets began to roll down her cheeks. She struggled to maintain composure with vain attempts to wipe the tears away from her face faster than her eyes could produce them, although her eyes seemed to be more honest that her mouth.
"I'm not crying…"Ilya remained firm in her denial and broke in a protesting fit before anyone else could object. "I said I'm not crying! There's just too much dust in this old house!"
"It's alright. Let it all out." Berserker's right hand covered the girl's head like a grotesque hat as he gave her a reassuring rub.
Even so, Ilya would never come to accept such a demeaning gesture from either of them.
"Enough of that, Berserker," she scolded, causing the giant to playfully remove his hand, then turned toward Shirou. "And don't think that you made me cry…Also, don't you start smiling! It's not like I've forgiven you yet"
"Sorry, maybe I was being too hopeful as well…"
"Well, it'll make me feel bad if you make that face after all, so…" Her red cheeks puffed up in displeasure and embarrassment, but there was no more malice to reside in her childish expression. "I'm giving you another chance that's all. Just another chance…"
"It's fine. We have the time to take it slow. Even with father, it took me quite some time to get used to him." With a simplicity of mind shared by few, her change of mind alone was enough to promptly brighten up his face, although his relief might have come too soon.
"Hmph," Ilya retorted. Her anger flared for a moment. "At least, you get to spend time with him after the war! He abandoned me! He abandoned me for you!"
"That's not it, Ilya." With an uncharacteristic sternness to his voice, Shirou cut off her protest in the middle. He might not have know the Kiritsugu from back then, but he believed that her accusation had hardly done justice the man who had bestowed upon him a new life. Naturally, his anger flared for a moment before dying down just as quick.
Having sensed the growing sense of authority in her brother, Ilya was brought to a temporary silence.
"That's just not true…"
The man was reduced a moment of speechlessness, never managing to anticipate his young son's initiative in the matter, but even the lack of reaction on his father's part had failed to diminished the child's enthusiasm.
"Dad, dad, I said it'll be great if she can also come to live with us." The child repeated his offer with a full smile on his face, entertaining himself with the notion of having a sibling he'd never known of. "Where is she, dad? I'll bring her here."
"I can't let you beat me now, can I? You don't have to worry, Shirou. This is something that I have to do myself." The man gave a light-hearted chuckle upon his son's childish simplicity, but he knew deep in his heart that the real matter could never be solved so easily. "When my health recovered, I'll go…and bring her here."
The remaining moments were spent in silence as the pair indulged in the atmosphere of summer, the twinkling starlight, the rhythmic chirping of cicadas, and the howls of distant fireworks.
"It's getting late. I'll see you to bed."
"You don't have to." The child shook his head. "I'm already ten."
"I see…Shirou is a strong boy." A gentle hand rubbed the crown of the boy's head. "Then dad better make sure he's being strong as well."
Watching his son's receding form, the father mumbled silent words to himself. The trailing remark that he meant for no one else had not escaped the child's eavesdropping ears.
"…If I would ever be strong enough…."
Though having heard the bitterness in his father's voice, the child's optimism remained untouched as he returned to his bedroom with rapid strides. Excitement and imagination ran wild, prolonging his eventual sleep for many joyous hours as he made a silent vow to himself.
A vow that he would do all that was in his power to gather the remaining remnant of their family…
A vow that, alas, went unfulfilled and was soon forgotten…
Here was an opportunity to make amends…
"Whatever it was, the illness made him grow weaker by the day. You are the reason why he fought it so bravely." Perhaps uncharacteristic of him, Shirou continued to speak with newly found fervor as if he was possessed, simple earnest words imbued with emotion.
"Liar…If that's true then he should just-"
"It's the truth."
The confirmation to Shirou's words came from the least expected person in the room.
"Saber?"
"I have no pretty words to say about Kiritsugu, but what I do know is that the love for his family was genuine." For the first time in their conversation, Saber offered her piece of insight, albeit with apparent reluctance. In the end, her overbearing sense of justice did prevail over her personal disdain of the man, knowing full well of the reassurance she could provide.
"He would not have wanted to pain you with his death, and Irisviel's. This is the way he would have shown kindness to others."
"Idiot…Disappearing forever and dying isn't all that different…" Ilya mumbled in argument.
While she did not lack the ability to comprehend the story from Kiritsugu's side, it was no simple feat to yield to the fact her years were spent that wallowing in a vain and worthless grudge. After all, it was a decision that seemed to fit the personality of her aloof father.
"Alright, enough of this depressing topic. It must be pretty difficult to accept everything at once. Well, it is for me too…" Unable to endure the gloom that quickly seized the room, Shirou decided to move the topic of conversation onward. "After the war, let's have a dinner together. That's right, you would never have tasted good Japanese cuisine before, right?"
"It would be a pleasure…" The few silent moments that passed with growing awkwardness made Berserker decide to deliver a small nudge to the flow of conversation. He made it his own responsibility to be saying the words that she wanted to but could not bring herself to say.
"Wait, Berserker! I'm not saying that I will!"
"There is no harm in simply accepting his invitation…"
Ilya was trapped with multiple pairs of eyes upon her. With nowhere to run or hide, she could only cave in to the pressure, although not before making her feign annoyance known with a derisive snort.
"Oh, fine! If you insist, I suppose I might drop by if I'm in the mood, but I won't promise anything. Only and only if I'm in the mood."
"It's a promise then. After the war, let's us meet here and I'll cook for you."
"Big talk when it's not like you're going to survive it at all…And-And we still have to fight if either of us are going to win the war." Ilya's retort faltered for a moment. Apparently, it seemed that Shirou's optimism was indeed contagious to have swayed her.
"I'm sure we can talk and work something out. Isn't that what it means to be a family?" With his usual carefree smile, Shirou dismissed her concern.
"Hmph, let me warn you. I still won't think of you as a family…Enough of this stupid topic! Let's go, Berserker!" An acute episode of rising embarrassment had her swiftly made an exis in the façade of anger, but her hesitant steps were sufficient indication of the real emotion she bore toward the offer.
True enough, she did stop and turn around soon after.
"…I'll be really angry if you don't do a good job with the dinner. So make sure to do your best…"
The cover of stubbornness fell off with her bashful demeanor. That alone was enough to invite small laughs from the three who observed her with endearing eyes.
"Don't laugh! I tell you I really mean it! I'll really get angry!" Agitated, Ilya stepped up to defend herself, although succeeded in no more than adding another layer of childishness to herself. It was to her luck that they'd all found the quality endearing. Feeling that she was involved in a losing battle, Ilya stomped away from the trio.
Berserker couldn't help but have his heart warmed by the sight of an apologetic brother trying to placate his sulking sister. It was an unforeseen development that a flower of kinship could have bloomed in so short a period and in the field of war no less.
Out of the earshot of his Master, who was stomping away in embarrassment, Berserker's monstrous right hand was laid on the Shirou's left shoulder. Curiously, the youth had not reacted with any sign of terror to a setup that would have scared most out of their mind.
"Lad, you have my thanks."
"She really is a handful, isn't she?"
"A father must be able to handle this much." Berserker lips crooked into a satisfied grin. "In time, you will understand…"
"Ahh, well, let's hope that time doesn't come too soon."
"Let's," Berserker grunted in agreement. "But, when the time comes, never forget that you are all that she has left."
"Shirou…" Finally bursting through the limits of her patience, Saber dropped her usual manner and pulled him to the side. "…Do not forget that both you and she are still a part of the Holy Grail War. As she had said, once our paths cross with their, it can only end with bloodshed."
"Worry not, Saber." Berserker cut in between their argument with a solution of his own devising. The remnants of the thought had weighted heavily on his mind for many days, ever since his knowledge of her plight, but they were only being recently pieced together to form a resolution. "A master needs not die for the War to reach its conclusion. When the day comes…"
Berserker closed his eyes and steeled his emotion for the trials that remained. A new mission was upon him as he made a vow to smite all that threatened the small bond that had emerged during the course of one afternoon.
"I shall disappear…"
His words were said with a firm and honest determination that left no room for doubt or suspicion. The impact of his resolute solution lingered and left the two unable to respond even as he silently departed after his Master.
As always, all forms of review, comment, or constructive criticism tend to make my day, so please leave some if you have the time to. Thanks!