"And that, concludes our first lesson," Fuji-nee enthusiastically proclaimed. Now that Shirou's vacation at the castle had concluded, it was time for rigorous learning. As she promised, Shirou was under her tutelage. She would ensure he was proficient enough in English, before letting him study abroad.

"English is a confusing language."

"Oh, Shirou, if it's confusing now." She put on a freaky face, which made the boy feel a little uneasy. "It's going to get a lot worse!"

"Well, I'm up to the challenge."

"I wouldn't expect anything less, Shirou!"

"Taiga, can you calm down?" The pair turned to the direction of the voice. Illya was sitting on the couch, watching television. "This show is somewhat interesting."

"Illya-chan, you are supposed to be my assistant! How can you assist me when you're watching anime!"

"Fuji-nee's right, Illya. I thought you would be more invested."

"It's the first day, I'll help out when it's more confusing." She turned to the duo, with her trademark mischievous smile. "Besides, it'll be more fun seeing Shirou panicking." Shirou was about to protest, but Fuji-nee quickly interjected with her overwhelming roar.

"That's not a good reason," she roared, startling the girl. "As my assistant, you aren't here to revel in my student's struggle! Nor are you here to mock him or laugh at him! You will help him, and steer him in the right direction! Am I clear?" The startled girl could only shake her head furiously.

"Yes, sensei!"

"Good, consider this your one and only warning. No slacking off from you either, my loyal assistant." In an instant, she went back to her cheerful self. Traces of her angry self vanished in seconds. If it were anyone else, Shirou would have found it odd.

"Oh, Shirou, can I ask you something?"

"Of course, what is it?"

"You'll come back, right? Once you're abroad, you'll still visit me?"

"Of course, I will." He said it with no hesitation because he didn't have to think. Fuji-nee was family, and he would stay in contact. Even when he was going around the world, being a hero of justice, he would find time for her. He didn't know how, but he would find a way.

"Oh, Shirou!" She came over to his side and fiercely hugged him. The boy felt some discomfort but appreciated the hug. Unbeknownst to Fuji-nee, Illya got up and left. Shirou chalked it up to her giving them space.

"I can't believe it, you are almost a grown-up! I still remember when you were so tiny! She laughed a little, before speaking again. "At least, I'll always be taller than you." Shirou chuckled at that, remembering how tall Archer was. Poor Fuji-nee, she didn't know how wrong she was.

"Don't laugh, I'm being serious," She annoyingly huffed at him.

"You were just laughing," he deadpannedly said.

"That's different." Shirou was about to counter, but couldn't. He heard faint sniffling coming from the older woman. Even if it was faint, it completely startled him.

"Fuji-nee! Don't cry, I'm not leaving yet!" He gently parted from their embrace. Seeing her crying face didn't sit right with him. He gently wiped her tears with his fingers.

"We still have time together, and like I said I'll come back to visit. I'll even call you regularly. The sniffling stopped, as Shirou saw her face redden. She shot up, immediately looking where Illya was sitting. To her surprise, she wasn't there.

"Illya-chan, I know you were watching! Show yourself!" But no one was around.

"Fuji-nee, she left after you hugged me."

"So, she didn't see me crying?" Shirou was about to confirm her statement until Illya's voice could be heard.

"No, but she did hear you." She walked back into the room, making her presence known. "Come on Taiga, this house isn't a mansion. Of course, I would hear you cry."

"Well, you better not tease me! I won't allow it!" To her surprise, Illya nodded in understanding.

"It must have been a tender moment. In this instance, I won't tease you." Illya knew she wasn't any better, crying into Shirou's arms when she felt emotional. It would be hypocritical of her to tease Taiga.

"You showing mercy? That's a shock! Where's this mercy when you unfairly take money from my allowance?"

"Oh right! Speaking of allowance, Taiga. You still owe me money for the new kendo thing you bought. I'm going to start taking your allowance every day, starting tomorrow" she teased, causing the older woman discomfort. Shirou watched on, smiling at their exchange. Those two had a strange but endearing dynamic. He looked at the clock, noticing the time. It was a good time for a meal.

"I think we should eat lunch." This was met with enthusiastic approval from Fuji-nee and no reaction from Illya. Since she was chiding Taiga for getting distracted. Shirou got to work, ready to serve them. He settled on making sandwiches for all of them.

"Hey, Taiga, why did you become an English teacher?"

"For one, communication between each other is important. I learned that long ago, but I'll explain that some other time. The second reason was Kiritsugu-san.

"Kiritsugu?" Illya made sure not to call him Papa in front of Taiga. That would lead to a conversation she would rather not have.

"Mhm, Kiritisugu-san. She looked up at the ceiling, a fond smile on her face. "He would privately teach me when he had the time. I sometimes felt that Kiritsugu-san was purposefully being hard on me. Using so many big words and phrases I couldn't understand." She looked down, facing Illya.

"But, as you can see, it paid off! I soon became an English Teacher, and the best one in Japan!"

"That's doubtful," Shirou said, still working on their sandwiches."

"Name one English teacher better than me, Shirou. Oh wait, you can't I'm your only one. So, by default, I'm the best."

"Granted, but there are many English teachers in Japan. You can't say you're the best in that regard."

"Oh yes, I can." Shirou rolled his eyes, deciding not to continue the current conversation. He knew Fuji-nee wouldn't budge. Meanwhile, Illya had a question ready, that would change topics quickly.

"What was your relationship with Kiritsugu like? You have discussed him before, but why do you admire him so much?" Shirou looked at her,

"Oh, there's so many answers! He was always helpful and kind. No matter what, he helped me with anything. I also-"

"Had a big crush on him," Shirou said."

"Had a big crush on hi- Shirou!" Once again, she was furiously blushing. Unlike her hug with Shirou, Illya was present. When she looked at her, she was menacingly smiling.

"You did? That's interesting."

"You didn't hear that!"

"I have a witness, right Shirou?" The tiger quickly changed her gaze to Shirou—an annoyed bordering on angry expression on her face. Shirou was unfazed, he had something to calm her down.

"Calm down, Fuji-nee, we are just having fun. Besides, I have something you'll love." Shirou came out of the kitchen giving them their sandwiches. As always, the meal was delicious, and thoroughly enjoyed by the trio. While eating, Taiga was thinking about the past. Talking about Kiritsugu-san, combined with her remembering when Shirou was little, made her reminisce. The period of her life when Kiritisugu-san was alive and how tiny Shirou was were very fun. There were many moments between all three, but more with her and Shirou hanging out. This was due to Kiritsugu-san always leaving for business. There was one story she loved. She thought it would be a fun time to talk about it.

"Oh, Illya-chan, do you want to know about Shirou's childhood? There's this one incident at the arcade I remember..."

"Fuji-nee, you don't have to tell her," Shirou protested.

"Oh, oh I want to hear," Illya proclaimed. That was all Taiga needed to continue.

"Well, it all started when I was still attending Homurahara Academy...

*FLASHBACK*
Taiga ran to the Emiya household, as fast as she could. Yesterday, Kiritsugu-san told her he would be leaving the next day. She wanted to see him off before he departed. She raced to the door, ringing the doorbell rapidly.

"I'm coming." Came a voice, that very obviously wasn't Kiritsugu-san. As the door slid, she made her way in.

"Hi, Shirou! The girl proudly yelled, filling the large compound with noise. Naturally, the lone resident covered his ears, her voice overwhelming him.

"Fuji-nee, you don't have to yell."

"Sorry, Sorry." She noticed Kirtisugu didn't greet her. She sighed, and he departed before she could say goodbye. She knew the drill, he would want her to watch over Shirou.

"Kiritisugu-san isn't here, is he?" Shirou nodded his head, confirming her hunch. Taiga stared at the boy, feeling sorry for him. Despite his neutral expression, she knew the boy was sad. She walked up to him and knelt. Putting on a big smile, she looked at him.

"Hey, Shirou, you want to do something together?" The boy looked at her and nodded.

"Okay! Let's go!" She took his hand and walked out of the house. Where were they going? Well, even she didn't know, she didn't think it through. Her friends had told her about an arcade being open, that they loved going to. She wasn't very good at games, nor that interested in them. But, perhaps Shirou would enjoy it. That's all that mattered, Shirou's enjoyment.

"Fuji-nee, do you even know where we're going?" She looked back at the boy and gave him a thumbs up.

"Of course, I do! To the arcade!" Before Shirou could say anything, She yanked him in the opposite direction. It didn't take long until they made it to their destination. Inside, it was somewhat packed. Fuji-nee looked around, scouting the games. She found a racing one, perfect for two people. She quickly sat in the first seat, urging Shirou to join her.

"Here, Shirou, hop in! The boy mindlessly followed, sitting next to her. After putting in the token, the game began. Despite being indifferent to video games, Taiga was still competitive. That competitive edge gave her the lead.

"Come on Shirou, you have to try harder!" The rematch ensued, and this time Shirou was doing well. The two of them were neck and neck, giving Taiga immense joy. She was having a wonderful time and thought Shirou was too. However, looking at him, she saw nothing on his face. No carefree joyous smile someone his age would have. It puzzled her but also somewhat unsettled her. Maybe he didn't like the game.

"Fuji-nee, I won." She was snapped out of her thoughts, looking at her screen. The boy had defeated her and yet didn't seem to care.

"Come on, Shirou, where's the enthusiasm? You should be jumping for joy!"

"Why? It's just a game, it's not that important." That's it, she was going to make sure the kid had fun! For the next hour, the two of them played games. Taiga's competitiveness resulted in immense enjoyment, while Shirou was indifferent. Taiga inwardly cursed to herself, nothing had worked! As they were about to leave, Taiga saw a UFO catcher. Inside was a plushie she had wanted for a while.

"Shirou, wait! I want to try my hand with this." Shirou walked up to her and observed. She calculated her every move, culminating with the claw wrapped around the plush. Taiga grinned, this was going to be easy. As she carefully brought it up, it ended up falling back into the pile, resulting in her efforts being wasted. Shirou watched on, as she kept attempting for another three tries. All of them ending with failure.

"Stupid machine! It's rigged against me!" She angrily walked away, calling for Shirou.

"Come on Shirou, let's go!"

"Wait, Fuji-nee can I try?"

"You want to try? Ok, but I'll warn you, it's hard." She handed him a coin, and he began. Taiga observed, anticipating failure. These machines were rigged, what chance did he have? Not that he wanted him to fail, but the odds were stacked against him. However, whether it be luck skill, or a combination of both, he was victorious. He pulled it out of the machine, presenting it to her.

"Here, Fuji-nee." Taiga looked on at him, astonished. Not because he won the plushie, but by the smile on his face. Something about it was strange, but that didn't matter. He was smiling, and got her the plushie! She was overwhelmed with emotions.

"Aw, thank you, Shirou!" She ran up to him and gave him a big hug. Shirou was caught off guard by the gesture. But, he let her hug him, happy that he helped her.

"Come on let's go! Your reward is ice cream!" He nodded his head, happy that his Fuji-nee was happy. The two of them walked out, both feeling pretty good about their outing...

*END OF FLASHBACK*

"It was adorable! His determined look on his little face!" She clasped her hands together, dreamily staring at Shirou. There was a faint blush on his face, that Illya noticed and quickly capitalized on it.

"Aww, he's blushing!"

"Oh wow, he is!" Both Illya and Taiga teased him, much to his protest.

"Come on, Fuji-nee, it's not that big of a deal. All I wanted to do was help you."

"It was a big deal! I still have the plush, and will always keep it. It's one of my favorite things I own."

"I'm glad, Fuji-nee."Illya watched on, happy that Shirou had someone looking over him all these years. Even if she prided herself on being his older sister, Taiga was the better one. She had been at his side for years and was never malicious towards him. Of course, she would never admit that to her or Shirou. She would keep it to herself. Quickly shaking those thoughts, she joined back into the conversation.

"Shirou, why haven't you gotten me a plushie?" Illya felt left out, realizing Saber and Taiga had plushies because of Shirou. All she did was pout at the boy, hammering in her point.

"If you want, we can go to the arcade or store, and get one." Her pout immediately vanished with his statement. Illya had a wide-eyed look on her face. Before nodding, ecstatic to get something from him. As the two of them conversed, Taiga fondly looked at Shirou. Her little brother was and is a kind and helpful person. She knew he always cared about the ones around him, especially her, but his smile was always off. The more she thought of it, she came to her own conclusions. It looked off because it seemed he was forcing himself to enjoy things. He never seemed to enjoy something for himself, it was always for the people around him. However, in the past month, she could tell he was genuinely happy. She didn't know specifically what happened, but it didn't matter. His genuine happiness was everything to her, now and forever.