What was it that went into Sakura's head?
How could she possibly agree to this? To agree so confidently and give a promise to Illya and others without even asking her grandfather…It was abhorrent and arrogant, utterly disgusting, and went against everything she was taught. Sakura could not disobey grandfather, never ever disobey. This feeling of shame and dread only got worse once Sakura returned home when she felt his creeping presence around her. She knew that she would have to speak to him about this…But maybe Zouken already knew. Sometimes, he could see everything Sakura saw and look at the world through her eyes due to the 'connection' they established. Still, he remained silent, his bugs crawling around the living room and following Sakura as if he were expecting something from her. The more she hesitated, the more pressing this despair would become.
Eventually, Sakura forced herself to face her fear and slowly walked into the living room, her head facing downwards with an expression of thinly veiled shame. Zouken was there, surrounded by his worms, waiting for her. He was busy practicing his magecraft but was not at all surprised by Sakura's visit.
"Grandfather…" The girl said sheepishly. "Can I…Ask you something?"
"Be quick." He said with his usual, detached tone, as if Sakura was nothing but an annoyance, at most, his servant. That must have been the way he saw her, a vessel who occasionally dared to show human emotions and waste his time and energy.
"I…I would like to come over to Illya and Fujimura-sensei for the night. They invited me to a sleepover and…"
"What did you tell them?" Zouken interrupted her.
"I…I said that this was very kind of them."
"That's not all, is it?"
"I also…I said that I would come over." Sakura admitted.
"You promised them," Zouken said with arrogant confidence, once again confirming that he followed her every move, watching from within. "What did I tell you about doing something without asking for my permission?"
"I just thought…That now that the war is over and we've had training recently, you wouldn't mind…" Sakura said, almost losing all hope for Zouken's approval.
"You expected me to approve of you going out to see the von Einzbern dog? Their vessel for the grail? I guarded this bloodline's knowledge for generations. I will not let it fall into their hands."
"Illya doesn't care anymore; she wants nothing to do with this war, I swear. She is just an ordinary girl and wants to spend time with me…She's harmless, and I promise to be careful, I'll…Aaargh!" Sakura moaned as she felt the worms leeching off her once again. The sudden spike of pain became stronger in a matter of seconds, quickly becoming unbearable as the girl shook to her knees. "Please…" Sakura cried out, begging for him to spare her this pain. She could see Zouken smiling as he watched her suffering.
"A normal, harmless girl, you say? I doubt that…But perhaps there is an opportunity to be found in your arrogant indulgence." Zouken said, finally releasing Sakura from her pain. "I will allow you to stay overnight and play your foolish games with that girl, but I will be watching every moment of this. You will not do anything that reveals my presence, or you will regret it. Do you understand?"
"I…" Sakura took a deep breath. "I understand, grandfather. Thank you…I won't fail you."
…
As Sakura walked towards Taiga's house, she felt her heartbeat increase. The sun was already falling, giving rise to the evening darkness, the one that would soon become the night itself. Illya must have already prepared everything, waiting for her friend to come and share a happy evening with her. Sakura knew it would be hard, but she had to forget about Zouken and his words to truly enjoy her evening. Just…Take a deep breath and play a game of pretend, just like she was able to do when visiting Shirou. It was an endless cycle, and Sakura perfected her deception skills, so one more night would not be a problem.
The worms within her felt Sakura's fear, they wriggled and stuck to her flesh, making her hands shake. She had to focus, it was alright…Everything was alright. Zouken was still inside her, watching her surroundings, but they made an agreement, he wouldn't interfere unless Sakura reveals something about him. It was all fair…She just had to follow through and not act suspiciously.
As she got closer, Sakura noticed a young man following the same road, whom she quickly recognized as Issei. When their eyes met, Sakura waved to him and came closer.
"Hi, Issei-san." She said, switching back to the warm and kind tone she put up for others.
"Hello, Sakura." Issei turned towards her. "I assume we're going to the same place."
"Yeah." Sakura nodded. "I was afraid that I'd be late and the last one to come, but now we can arrive together."
"You shouldn't worry. We're actually both early." Issei said, checking his watch. "Come one, let's see what they cooked for us."
"Gladly."
The two followed the road leading to Taiga's house, and eventually, Issei broke the silence.
"This new friend of yours, Illya, how did you two meet?" He said with curiosity.
"Oh, why are you asking?"
"Because it seems like she appeared out of nowhere. A few months ago, no one knew about her, and now you can see that girl hanging around school practically every day."
"She moved into Fuyuki some time ago…And quickly got to know everyone around here; she's very confident and curious," Sakura said, envious of Illya's qualities.
"I see." Issei nodded.
Eventually, the two of them reached the door and noticed the lights that were on around the entire house. Issei was the one to ring the bell. Moments later, the two of them heard hasty steps from the other side of the door. Hearing how swift and energetic they were was enough for Sakura to realize that this was Illya who was rushing to greet her guests. A few moments later, she saw the white-haired girl standing before them with a welcoming smile emerging on her face.
"Hello, hello, you two are right on time!" She spun around energetically, allowing Sakura and Issei to come in.
"You seem to be in a good mood today," Issei noted.
"Of course I am; what's there not to be excited about? I love it when we have some nice guests, and the same goes for Fuji-nee." Illya declared. "Come on, she's already waiting in the dining room. She did her best, so be nice to her. All right?"
"Sure, I'm not very picky anyway," Issei said, taking his shoes off before following into the dining room and giving Sakura and Illya a moment.
"Ready for a tasty meal?" Illya looked at her friend. She was friendly and caring, Sakura couldn't help but feel shame realizing that she still looked down shyly. "Hey, are you feeling alright?" Illya asked with concern.
"Yes…I'm alright." Sakura looked up. "Let's go, I'm sure Fujimura-sensei wouldn't want us to keep her waiting."
The girls made their way into the dining room, seeing Issei taking a seat at the table. He seemed a bit reluctant for a moment, a side of him Sakura didn't see particularly often due to how he behaved around school. Taiga was there, too, rushing around the kitchen and getting all the plates organized, her and Illya have really done a thorough job with the meals.
"You didn't tell me they would come early, Illya!" Taiga's slightly annoyed voice echoed from the kitchen.
"How the hell would I know? What am I, some fortune-teller?" Illya responded snappily as she and Sakura took their places at the table. There were some juice-filled glasses for the guests to drink and enjoy.
"Thank you for your hospitality. I really appreciate it," Sakura said with a smile.
"Sakura!" Fujimura walked out of the kitchen carrying a couple of bowls in her arms. "How long has it been since you actually came over to visit? Had to be months! And you haven't even tried some of the meals I learned to make, so today, you're going to be making up for all that missed time!"
"You're a little too enthusiastic, Fujimura-sensei; maybe we should just see how it goes."
"Oh, I know how it's gonna go!" Fujimura said with smug pride. "You're going to have a bit of everything, and you'll love it all! Here, I've got some udon." She put the noodle pots on the table, inviting the trio to take a bite. Sakura smelled the scent, anticipating the wonderful meal. Illya didn't exaggerate when she talked about Taiga's improved cooking skills. Eventually, when all four of them gathered at the table, the group began their meal.
"It's delicious, thank you, Fujimura-sensei!"
"I've done my best!" Taiga said with even more pride. "Not that I ever don't do my best, but you know, today's exceptional! I love making those treats now that I barely have any guests. Though, to be completely honest…" Taiga paused and smiled playfully. "I wanted to impress Illya as well. You should've seen how excited she got a couple of hours ago."
"Hey, Fuji-nee!" Illya interjected with annoyance.
"What? I'm just saying how it was!" Taiga retorted. "You were running around the house like a little girl and could barely hold your excitement." Sakura could see Illya blush. Did she really care about Sakura that much? Wanted to see her come over? It felt heartwarming, feeling someone care so much…Sakura felt ashamed for still doubting her motives.
"I just get excited when I feel we're going to have a good time, alright?" Illya said defensively, though her tone quickly mellowed out. "And it's been a long time since we gathered like this, hasn't it? All the more reason to anticipate it."
"That's true; we haven't taken this initiative since before Shirou left," Taiga noted. "But hey, we can do just as good without him and even get new guests. Thanks for coming over, Issei."
"No need. All this talk about the food sounded very tempting." The young man responded as he continued to eat. "I have to do something now that most of my duties at school are over, or, at least, on hold."
"I know how you feel," Taiga said supportively. "Don't worry, though; we'll show you how to lead a fun life. Especially Illya."
"I don't doubt that…" Issei said with intrigue and looked at the girl. "How did you happen to meet Shirou? You two seem close, but he never mentioned you."
"Well, it's a fun story. I came here from Germany as a spy to find out all of Japan's secrets…Specifically Fuyuki city. Specifically Ryuudou temple!" She said with dramatic intonation and played-up malice as if she was trying to act like a villain from a children's book. Issei shook his head, not too impressed by this story.
"No, but seriously…"
"I just moved into some relatives, and Shirou happened to be one of the nicest people around," Illya explained. "Always felt like helping and protecting everybody, including me, and I needed some new good friends after coming here."
"I can see why you got along." Issei nodded. "He's that kind of guy, always putting himself forward for the sake of others…I really respect that about him, even if it can go too far sometimes."
"I wish he was here." Illya sighed with a momentary sadness in her voice, a deep-seated feeling that Sakura could relate to. She wanted him to be here, too, to sit by their side and share this meal, to have them tell each other stories and pretend like everything was alright and each of them was truly happy. But most people had to make peace with the fact that life could never be perfect…In Sakura's case, she treasured what little joy life allowed her. "He probably would've joined in on the archery competition to make it more fun!"
"Sakura will definitely impress him once he returns," Issei said with approval. Now that you're so involved with the club, you're getting more skilled with every passing day."
"Thank you, that's very kind of you to say," Sakura said warmly. "I hope he returns sooner rather than later, although it's his choice, of course."
"I think it will be sooner. He would want to help you and…Speaking of, are you getting along alright?" Issei asked cautiously, making Sakura look up with unease.
"What do you mean?"
"I…Well, now that your brother is gone, you live alone, don't you? I was wondering if…" Issei began, but Taiga interrupted him.
"Oh, don't be silly, of course, she doesn't live alone, she has her grandfather! Right, Sakura!"
"I do…"
"Really?" Issei raised an eyebrow. "Pretty sure I haven't seen him around."
"My grandfather takes care of the manor, but he's very old and doesn't leave very often…" Sakura spoke, feeling the increasing tension in her body as the worms began to wriggle again. Zouken must have wanted to remind her of what she was and was not allowed to say. "I help him out if something has to be done outside of the house, and he keeps me company at home; it's not always easy since we're a small family, but we do our best."
"Well, that's good to know. Sorry for bringing this up; it's just a fuss over nothing."
"It's alright. Thank you for your concern."
"Sakura is a big girl, I'm sure she can handle herself, right?" Taiga spoke up. "It is very kind and generous of you to take the lead and take care of your old grandfather; I'm sure he appreciates it."
"Yes, of course…"
"Come on, guys," Illya interjected. "Surely we have more interesting things to talk about than Sakura's home life…No offense, Sakura." She was quick to swoop in, and while Sakura was grateful for her trying to change the subject, she still couldn't let go of her doubts. Surely, Illya had an ulterior motive of her own; it could not be any other way, considering what she knew about Sakura and Zouken.
"Yes, I'm sure she has it under control." Taiga nodded. "So, Sakura, will you be staying overnight?"
"Yes!" She said with delight, all while Illya looked at Issei with a rather playful gaze.
"No, don't think about it." He said rather defensively. "I'm just here for a friendly dinner, not a girls' sleepover! And besides, there are people waiting for me back at the temple."
"Oh, come on, you didn't even allow me to tease you a bit, rude!"
"Come on now, stop the bickering, people," Taiga interjected. "We've just begun; after all, I have way more delicious stuff in store. Who wants to try?"
"Me!" Sakura and Illya said in unison. Yes, finally, Sakura felt it…
The opportunity to relax and enjoy the evening.