Edit count: 1
Minor corrections.
Tags:
Ganbatte, Shirou!
Christmas without snow.
Issues resolved.
Chapter 09 – Winter(?)/Together
Vacation was about to begin once more. Sakura will spend her vacation days longing for these ordinary school days with her senpai again. Following the proper steps in Kyudo, she fires her arrow.
*Thwack*
Archery used to be an activity that she just did because her senpai was here, but now, she can't help but feel committed to it.
*Thwack*
It was certainly a lot better than Magecraft. She didn't feel pain every time she shoots, and improving was fun.
*Thwack*
*Clap*x5
"That's good Sakura. You got all three shots in the center of the target." Senpai praised. "See? You're catching up to me already."
"Like I said senpai, your expectations are too high." She protested.
Practice was over. Until the always early vacations end, this was the last school day she would see him. They tidied up the archery range, cleaning the floors and tools, and returning everything to where they should be. As Sakura closes the door, she follows after her senpai who waits at the school gate.
"Senpai, please take this." Sakura said as she handed over something to Shirou.
"This is…" 'A scarf?' Thought Shirou.
"I wanted to give this to you when snow starts again, but please take it." Said Sakura.
"Then why give it to me now?" The sun was shining brightly, giving off an unhospitable heat.
"It's a good luck charm for you, senpai." She declared. "You had that face again you see, the one that you have when you're about to do something that you're determined to do."
'Sakura really knows me well.' He thought. 'But I don't know anything important about Sakura.' He decided that once he told Miyu everything, he would try and get to know Sakura more.
He held the scarf given to him with care. "Thank you, Sakura. I'll definitely succeed."
"See you after vacation senpai. I will hope for your success." She said as she separates from Shirou to return to her abode.
Shirou wordlessly stared at her back until he can no longer see her. 'I'm a pretty terrible senpai huh?' He thought to himself.
With his katana, Shirou clashed against a golem the same height as himself wielding a halberd. "Guh!" Shirou was in a bad spot, being forced to block the attack instead of parrying or dodging. His arms numbed at the impact, even when they were [Reinforced]. The golem retreated to the optimal position in fighting an opponent with a shorter range and prepared to strike again.
'Got you!' Unfortunately, it gave Shirou the opportunity to throw his wakizashi filled with Magical Energy which resulted in an explosion. With the golem weaponless and staggering from the damage, Shirou rushed forward and beheaded the enemy with his katana.
"Haaa…. Haa…..." He finally beat the damn thing—
He felt something impact his ribs, cracking his bones in the process. As he was sent rolling, he ignored the pain and analyzed the battlefield. He saw the golem that he just decapitated in a kicking pose. 'So it can still move even when it doesn't have a head?!'
He stood up, he readied his stance, but it was obvious that he was unbalanced, favoring one side to the other. The golem, now headless and missing its forearms charged at Shirou. Seeing that a prolonged battle was detrimental, he poured his Magical Energy into the sword, and swung. The katana released a shockwave that battered the golem, this time, it did not get up.
"…" Shirou kept his vigilance, ready to strike at the golem if it—
*Crack*
The katana he was holding crumbled to pieces, as he prepared to [Project] another—
"That's good for now Shirou." Ritsuka said as she approached him with a flask that had a red liquid.
He wordlessly took off his upper clothes and showed the large bruise he took from the battle. Ritsuka poured the liquid on the wound and healed it at a rate that the human eye could see. He could even feel the bones being repaired.
"How does it even do that?" He asked for the umpteenth time. They were doing this for a year or so, combat training that is.
Ritsuka shrugged at the question. She still refused to tell him how she made those healing potions that got him back to shape every time he fought her golems.
At first, he was just fighting lumps of mud that didn't really make for threatening opponents, but as he advanced, Ritsuka threw in golems that could emulate human techniques or those that are a bit bigger and tougher. At the very least, he didn't fight those 'testing dummies' yet. Shirou realized that those had abilities that surpass all of his opponents so far, whether in power, endurance, or speed. It didn't use any techniques though, probably because it was already that strong.
"How did I do?" He asked.
"Hmmm, you let your guard down after you landed a seemingly fatal blow, remember Shirou, in the world of Magecraft, you should always check if you actually killed your enemy. Not everything dies if they are killed." She assessed. "During the end of your battle, you completely forgot that your katana was already pushed to its limits, didn't you? You should always prepare to make another when you do that. It wouldn't be funny if after doing that cool move, you would die because you forgot that your weapon is about to break."
Well, that was a lot less mistakes than when he first started, so he was making progress at least.
"I didn't realize this before, but Shirou, don't you have a long-ranged weapon?" She asked.
"Long range huh…" He thought about it. So far, all of his battles have been melee fights with golems, but that probably wasn't how fights with Magi would go. Mid ranged and long ranged combat were probably how most Magi fought, while having some skills to defend themselves in melee, such as martial skill or some Magecraft. There were still Magi who specialize in melee combat though, so he needed more options.
As he walks to the table that had his new clothes and Sakura's gift—
"Ritsuka, I have an idea."
Shirou released the arrow. It struck true on its target but…
"That accuracy is really amazing, but it's useless if it doesn't do any damage." Ritsuka evaluated.
The 'training dummies' don't even have a single scratch on them. As he was disheartened that one of his skills was useless in combat, Ritsuka spoke.
"How about using [Alteration] on the swords, Shirou? Turn them into arrows or something." She suggested.
Reinvigorated, he [Projected] the wakizashi he used against the golem. Next, he [Altered] it, adjusting the length and shape. Nocking the wakizashi-arrow into the bow, he pulled the string and released it.
The arrow went down before it could even reach its target.
'Why?' Was Shirou's thought as he was baffled by the turn of events. The length and shape were right, and he properly shot it.
"…Shirou, you need a better bow, I think. Swords, err, arrows, err, projectiles like that." She cleared her throat. "Need a stronger push since they're a lot heavier than a normal arrow."
Shirou didn't expect that physics was the reason for his failure.
'A bow?' Sadly, Shirou didn't know a single thing about making good bows. Sure, he could [Project] some, but he didn't have any that were good enough for the current task. In the end, there was only one thing he could do.
"Ritsuka, can you make a bow for me?" He requested. "In exchange, I will make cakes and [Project] stuff for you."
"Sure, you should start making swords that would be specifically used as projectiles for the bow." She recommended. "Or if you can, try making proper arrows."
"You know that I would do better in making swords." He replied. After making a lot of weapons, armors, and trinkets, he found that swords have the best quality among everything he made. 'It makes sense I suppose.' His origin and element were both sword after all. The manual he got also had more content about swords, so it was pretty much inevitable.
"Dwell on it later, Miyu-chan is waiting for us. She's excited again since it's vacation time." She observed. "I guess it's natural, she gets to spend more time with her onii-chan after all."
Ritsukas's words brought a smile to his face. 'Miyu…' Soon, he will be doing it on Christmas, then they would celebrate her first birthday, and finally show her the world. He believed that Miyu would be sad, angry even, but she will understand, and they will all live happily together.
It was vacation time again. Miyu was able to do things together with her onii-chan again. Cooking together, cleaning together, playing together, bathing together, being with him was bliss.
'Onee-chan hasn't done some things together with us. Maybe I should invite her sometimes. Bathing with onii-chan made me feel closer with him, it will probably be the same for her.' As she hatched her innocent plan to be closer to the people she loves, she takes out the cookies she was baking.
Whenever vacation time comes around, Miyu would bake something for her onii-chan. Puddings, brownies, cakes, pizza, pies, each and every one are shows of her affection and skill. She still hasn't beaten him in most categories, but she was soon going to surpass him in baking.
Cold drinks were taken from the refrigerator and placed on the table.
As she finished placing everything on the table, she heard footsteps approaching. Another small celebration was about to take place in the household.
"It's delicious~" Praised Ritsuka.
Shirou's face had a complicated expression as he ate the cookies.
Miyu puffed up her chest in pride.
"Onii-chan, soon, I will surpass your baking skills!" She declared.
"…I admit, I didn't expect you to catch up so soon." Shirou started. "But I'm not going down without a fight!"
Their burning passion for culinary arts ignited. The imouto will train herself while stealing techniques from the more experienced onii-chan. The onii-chan on the other hand will also train and track down new recipes to widen the gap. The one who benefits from this the most is…
"Do your best~" Ritsuka cheered.
Miyu saw her onee-chan placing something in the living room. It was a tree, she didn't know what kind it was, but it looked pretty spiny.
"Oh, Miyu-chan! Not with Shirou today?" She asked. "That's strange, you're like a koala on a tree when Shirou is around."
"I got curious. What is that tree for onee-chan?" Miyu answered.
"Oh, this?" Onee-chan knocked on the wood. "You'll know when it's nearing the end of December."
'Onee-chan's smile is…' Miyu knew that smile, a smile that says, 'I know something that you don't'. There was only one thing she could do, give up.
Her onee-chan never exposed her secrets until she thought that it was time to reveal them. No matter what kind of persuasion Miyu tried, she always failed to dig up the hidden secrets.
"But I can tell you one thing." Miyu perked up at her onee-chan's words. "I'm going to use this tree and many other things to make something beautiful."
Miyu looked forward to it, the beautiful thing that her onee-chan was going to make.
A month or so passed. It was business as usual in the household. Shirou and Miyu enjoying each other's presence, Ritsuka turtling up in the shed and coming out whenever she felt like it to join the other two, Shirou and Ritsuka's training sessions, and Miyu and Ritsuka's talks.
A few days remain before the fated day. Right now, Shirou was hanging up lights and some decorations while Ritsuka distracted Miyu.
He didn't actually know what he was doing, but he trusted Ritsuka to know about these kinds of things, so he just followed instructions. This was the first Christmas celebration that he would experience post amnesia, so he didn't know what to expect.
He wondered if his parents celebrated Christmas like this too. His memories of the past were slowly returning, or more accurately, being unlocked. He realized that he never forgot about his memories, he just chose to seal them away due to trauma. Unfortunately, because the events happened a long time ago, details like his parent's faces or the name of the school he used to attend were blurry.
He was sure of one thing though; he has never met Ritsuka in the past.
After attaching the rest of the lights and decorations, he went down the window and went to where he heard conversations. It was Ritsuka's turn to redecorate while he distracted Miyu.
He was ready, he just needs to wait until then, living in the present.
It was the day before the fated day. It was this moment that the imouto and onii-chan pair discovered something new about the onee-chan.
"You can cook onee-chan?" Miyu asked in surprise.
"…Why are you looking at me like that? Yes, I can cook." Ritsuka thought that their skepticism was warranted, she wasn't going to be the main chef after all. She would just leave that for the others to do while she assists.
"Really?" Shirou raised a brow.
"Yeah, have a little faith, will you? Besides, I'm only going to do dinner and the midnight snacks." She spoke.
"Midnight snack?" Miyu tilted her head.
"Oh yeah, come to think of it, we all pretty much tuck in early, don't we? Well, Miyu-chan, this is going to be your first midnight experience." Ritsuka said. "Shirou I'm going to borrow Miyu-chan for a while alright?"
"Go ahead." He secured his position in the kitchen immediately. Miyu pouted, but she relented as she was taken away by her onee-chan.
Onee-chan took her to a room, the one that was the farthest from the kitchen. Miyu didn't know why they had to go here, but she didn't question it, after all…
"Miyu-chan." Her onee-chan faced her as she closed all the doors. Miyu is surprised at her, not because of her actions, but because of her facial expression. It was the very first time that Miyu saw her onee-chan being completely serious. "Do you trust Shirou?"
"Of course." Miyu instantly answers. 'Why is onee-chan asking such a strange question?'
"Well, today—I mean at midnight, Shirou is going to say something to you that might make you hate him or lose your faith in him."
"…" Miyu couldn't imagine it. What was her onii-chan hiding that would make her onee-chan think that she was going to react like that? She reminisces her entire life with him… And she didn't find a single thing that would indicate that she was hated or abused. If anything, she thinks that she was the one taking advantage of his kindness.
"I won't say something unreasonable like get along with him even if you hate him afterwards but..." She stared straight into Miyu's eyes and implored. "I want you to listen to everything until the very end. Don't run away, don't deny his words, don't close your ears. Please, Miyu-chan, I want you to face it head on and tell him what you think after everything he says."
"…Yes." Miyu had faith. The time when that faith is tested was approaching soon.
A feast was laid before their very eyes. Various dishes, some that even Shirou didn't know existed, were presented to them. They were all well plated, emphasizing how appetizing they were.
"Well? Dig in already, I still have stuff that I need to put on the table. I won't be able to serve them if the table is full." Ritsuka's words roused them into action. Chopsticks prepared; they took the food nearest to them.
With a tentative bite, they taste the food given to them. It was glorious, the taste, texture, and aroma were simply exquisite. It was as if every dish here was the pinnacle of their kind, that was how delicious it was. Without realizing it, the both of them ended up emptying the table multiple times. [1]
"I'm glad that the two of you liked it, but didn't you two eat too much?" At her words, the imouto and onii-chan pair realized that their stomachs were stretched to capacity.
"I can't eat another bite." Moaned Miyu while holding her stomach.
"I don't want to admit it, but you're a better chef than me…" Shirou grudgingly admitted. "So, can you teach me?" He requested.
"I want to learn too." Miyu seconded.
"Sorry, but the methods on how to cook these are secrets of the highest orders for chefs." Ritsuka stated.
The both of them slumped in disappointment.
The three of them passed time by playing, hanafuda, go, shogi, shiritori. Various games were brought up and taught to the imouto. At first, she was losing a lot since she was inexperienced, but she was able to raise her level of skill quickly after a few matches.
Just like that, time flies by, and before they knew it, the time has come.
"It's almost time." The onee-chan declared. "I'm going to do some stuff in the house." She sent a meaningful look at Shirou and nodded.
"Miyu, come with me." He invited.
Miyu reached for the outstretched hand and allowed herself to be guided.
The two were silent, they were both aware that this was an important event that may change the dynamics of their relationship. Both of them gathered their courage. For Shirou, to be able to say everything, for Miyu, to be able to listen to everything.
They finally reached their destination, below the cherry blossom. Its leaves still haven't blossomed, having the look of a normal tree. This was an important place for the both of them, it was where they became family.
Letting go of Miyu's small hand, Shirou takes a bit of distance and turns around. With a deep breath, he began speaking.
"Miyu, during the Fuyuki disaster, your real family died." He narrated. "Do you remember? It was when you and I first met. That place was your original home. It was also where Kiritsugu and I buried them all… We couldn't save anyone besides you."
"My home… and family…" Miyu tried to recall them, her original family. "It's strange… no matter how much I think about it, I can't remember them clearly but, I can still recall the warmth of my okaa-san's hand." She thought out loud.
Recalling her onii-chan's words a while ago, she started envisioning the events that occurred afterwards. Minutes pass by, and she vocalized her conclusion.
"I see, so back then, I was left all alone." She didn't feel any strong emotion from the loss of her family. It might be heartless of her, but she could care less about her deceased original family now. Maybe in another world, in another time, she would have been happily living with her original family, being just as close to them as she is to her onii-chan today. But it wasn't meant to be in this world. She was Emiya Miyu, orphaned child of a family whose name she didn't even know.
The other detail that she noticed on the other hand, stirred her emotions a lot more. "I was alone, but then Kiritsugu-san and onii-chan came and rescued me." Rather than hate or distrust, the conversation has her liking her onii-chan more. Taking in a complete stranger like her and caring for her like a real family member, she was truly blessed. She couldn't understand her onee-chan's anxiety about this talk.
'I have to tell her.' Shirou clenched his fists. 'This might ruin our bond, but if I keep this from her, we can't, or rather, I can't move forward.' He steeled himself for whatever reaction Miyu would have and continued.
"No, Miyu, at that time, Kiritsugu and I didn't really save you." He admitted.
"Eh?" But she was clearly rescued by them. It left her confused at his words.
"The reason we came to this place… The reason we took you in… It wasn't for your sake." He pushed on.
"Onii-chan… what are you saying…?" Miyu hesitantly asks.
As if not hearing her words, he continued. "It was because we wanted to use you as a tool to invoke a miracle."
"To invoke a miracle…? A tool…?" She was rescued because they wanted a miracle? But she was only an orphaned child that didn't have anything. Nothing was making sense. 'This must be a dream.' She thought, but then, she remembered her onee-chan's words.
"I want you to listen to everything until the very end. Don't run away, don't deny his words, don't close your ears. Please, Miyu-chan, I want you to face it head on and tell him what you think after everything he says."
Ah, that's right, she promised not to run away from reality. She focused her attention on her onii-chan once again. It seems that he still has something to say.
"But Miyu! Now I just want us to be a real family!" He fervently declared. "I don't want to use you like that! I don't want to hurt you! So please…!"
Miyu's doubts melted away under that passionate speech. All the care, all the love, all the feelings that he has given her were all genuine. The feelings and connections she had for him and the other way around weren't lies, and that was enough for her.
"Let me give you a family and happiness!" With those words, Emiya Shirou laid bare the secret he has kept in his heart. Miyu's response to that—
"Onii-chan!" She tackled hugged him. "I want it! To be happy! To have a family! I-I'm sorry for doubting you!" Tears of joy ran down her cheeks as she declared her answer.
Shirou embraced Miyu as similar tears ran down his cheeks too.
The two of them stayed like this for a while, enjoying each other's presence. The chill of the cold wind was mitigated by their warmth being shared through the hug and the warmth that came from their hearts.
As the two of them were about to finish their moment, lights flooded their retinas. Various colors littered the estate, from the tree they are under, to the shed, and the house.
"So pretty…" Miyu muttered in awe. The colorful kaleidoscope of lights and the artistically crafted decorations made for a beautiful scenery.
"Shirou, Miyu." Ritsuka called out. As she takes a look at both of them, she gave a gentle smile. "I see… I'm glad it ended well. Come now, I have something to show you both." She beckoned.
As the duo follow her, they admire the painstakingly decorated hallways and rooms. Each having bright lights and wonderful decorations. As they reach the living room, Miyu saw the tree that her onee-chan brought here before, only now, it looked wonderfully decorated. Curiously, there were boxes underneath it.
"Shirou." Onee-chan calls out before silently passing a box at him. Shirou looked at her as she returned a nod. With a bit of hesitation, he opens the box. In it contains a set of tools used in the kitchen, and a book. "The book doesn't contain the cooking methods, only the recipe. I look forward to what kind of dishes you will make Shirou."
Miyu was quite jealous, she wanted to beat her onii-chan in cooking, but a possible mean of surpassing him was just given to him, widening the gap between them. 'So unfair…' She pouted.
"Don't worry Miyu-chan, I have something for you too! Although I actually wanted to give something else…" The latter part was whispered.
Miyu excitedly reached out her hands to receive her own gift. Not to disappoint, onee-chan gave her a box. She immediately opened it, and discovered that it was not a cookbook.
"It's one of those books about love that you asked for." Onee-chan whispered. Although she was a bit disappointed, she gladly accepts the gift. She did ask for more lessons about love after all.
"Merry Christmas!" Onee-chan shouted as she flashed a bright smile.
"Onee-chan, what is Christmas?" Miyu asks.
Her onee-chan looked quite resigned as she started to explain Christmas. The biscuits she gave out as she lectured them were delicious as expected.
After a lesson on Christmas, how to celebrate it and the associated event related to it, everyone decided to tuck in. It was quite late after all. As the duo laid down on the futon, they embraced each other. There was no need for words. They simply basked in each other's warmth. Their bonds grew in strength, both having unquestionable faith in the other. Their thoughts as they fell asleep were only of each other.
[1] Hahaha, kitchen servants go brrr~~
AN:
Don't expect me to update for a while, I'm getting busy at school.
Winter is represented by Shirou's ideals completely fading away and Miyu's doubts being dispelled.
One or two chapters after this will be the time for that event.
I think that I am accidentally writing some scenes with Shirou looking like a criminal even though he didn't do anything.
Timeskip to April Something (Start of classes again)
Shirou – 16, 0 months till 17 April 15
Miyu – 9, 4 months till 10 July 20
Sakura – 16, 11 months till 17 March 2