Wrought King of Iron

Chapter 5: Moving On

'Hmm? You found an apartment close to Clocktower?' Tohsaka sounded surprised, considering not many people expect someone to find an appropriate place to move on a shopping trip.

'Yeah, I did. The apartment is quite a nice place, and it isn't unaffordable. It is in a convenient location too, next to a lot of stores and close to Clocktower.' I replied.

After a brief exchange, Tohsaka and I went to this new apartment to take a closer inspection. I had to wait for the Tohsaka seal of approval if I had any hope of moving to this place. Since coming back from that battle, I had yet to tell her about the event, however I didn't want to worry her. This did not concern her at all so I doubt I needed to tell her. Though, if she encountered Luvia who had initially helped me find this place, she may let it slip about our first meeting.

After some time of thoroughly looking at all the pros and cons of the flat, she said that we should move immediately and so I knew that the rest of the day would be spent packing jewels to take to the new apartment. All we had brought with us to England were really just our clothes and other personal belongings, however the mass amount of jewels Tohsaka brought would be a pain to transport.

After returning to the hotel we packed all our possessions, and we were finally going to say goodbye to the hotel that treated us so nicely for a week or so.

'Shirou? Let's go! What are you taking so long for? Did you lose something?' Tohsaka shouts impatiently, eagerly awaiting her new home for the next few years.

However, I was not yet ready to leave. Just before we finished packing, I had noticed a lack of a certain item that would usually be in my pockets or around my neck wherever I went. I really am an idiot. How could I lose such a precious memento. What I had lost was the very thing that allowed me to be here in the first place. The pendant of Tohsaka's father. I had kept ahold of it close to my heart so I would never forget the moment I owe my life to.

~ A year and a half ago ~

On that fateful day, I stayed behind to clean the Archery dojo, which I had accepted responsibility from Shinji earlier that day. It shouldn't have been me to clean it at all. I originally left the club because of Shinji's growing abusive nature towards Sakura, but even then I accepted his selfish request. I don't hate doing acts of servitude. I would do anything if it meant someone could be happy without making others suffer.

As I had just finished cleaning and was about to head home, I heard incredibly loud sounds. The clashing of beastly entities in combat. I did not know that at first, until I made the mistake of witnessing the two behemoths fighting to the death. I froze upon witnessing such an amazing event. However, I was undeniably shaken to my very core. I thought that, if either one of the goliaths were to notice my presence and directed their blood lust towards me, I would certainly die. So I stood and watched. Really, anything other than standing still would have inevitably resulted in death. Remaining still, not moving, was the only way for me to survive. But truthfully it would have only prolonged my life, because I would never have been able to escape and I would be noticed anyway.

It all changed when the man in blue soared to the sky and started charging mana into his spear. Even if I wasn't hit directly I would die anyway. That blow spelled out certain death. Remaining where I was meant death, so the choice with the highest rate of survival was to run. But even then, that didn't mean my rate of survival had increased.

I ran forward with all my strength and made it to a higher floor in the school building. I had moved onward and yet I still lived. This false sense of hope made me relax my guard. I eased up and was stabbed. Despite running forward, because I let down my guard I died. The irreversible truth was that I died without achieving anything. Or so I had thought.

A crimson glow hovered above my chest, and although my heart was destroyed, I lived. That was the very first time I was saved by Tohsaka. Despite a magus' true nature being that of cold and calculated, with selfish ambition, she threw that away, using a memento of her dead father to revive me. I thought to myself, that despite wanting to be a Hero of Justice I had never achieved something grand. Who have I truly saved in this life of mine? At that moment, Tohsaka had become a better hero than I had been, because what she did for me was truly an act of unconditional salvation. Whereas I had hoped to be a hero just to be happy, Tohsaka saved me because it was the right thing to do. No matter how she tries to justify it; whether it was for Sakura's sake, or because she was in love with me, that doesn't erase my unwavering resolution in that she would do the same for anyone. In that moment, Tohsaka didn't just save me physically, but she saved my ideals too. She showed me how a true Hero of Justice would act. She made me want to continue moving onwards to achieve my ideals.

It was probably in that moment that my admiration for Tohsaka, started taking shape as true love.

~ Present ~

'Shirou, are you looking for my pendant?' Tohsaka asks. 'You left it on the bedside table so I took it while we were packing.'

I was so relieved to hear that. To me, that pendant is like a piece of my heart; it holds an integral part of my soul within it. The part of my soul that contains my resolve to be a Hero of Justice, and my undying love for the girl named Tohsaka Rin.

'Emiya, you really are obsessed with that pendant.' She said to me. 'You know, I can remember about a dozen times in which I have saved your life in recent memory, so maybe its time you move on from that past event. It is an important moment, but you dwell on it too much despite so much time having passed since the war.'

'Maybe so,' I replied, 'but, moving on is... difficult.'