Fate/Murnan Ikigai

Part 2: Reunion

One sunny day, roughly four and a half years later...

I finish collecting my bags from the airport and head to the Fuyuki bus station. The air is crisp, though a tad cold, as my hometown is beginning to embrace Spring. The sky is a blend of light pink and blue, I can't help but feel small underneath it all. The bulky scarlet scarf Rin gave me is quite helpful for times like these. It's been an exhausting two years since I last returned home, but now that I'm back I have no plans to leave again.

"I still can't believe she never learned how to work a webcam after all this time so that we could talk face to face..." I talk to myself for a bit while I wait for the bus to arrive. How Rin managed to stay so old fashioned after all these years still baffles me, but I can't help but love that part of her too.

"It's been two years since I last saw her... I feel like my heart is going to skip a beat." My chest tenses up just thinking about it. The bus arrives and I make my way to the back with all of my luggage. I breathe a sigh of relief. It's been far too long since I've been able to relax. I've helped as many people as I possibly could over these past 8 years without Rin by my side...and there were plenty of others I was unable to save. The path my ideal led me on was full of strife, but, thankfully, I never felt like I was walking that path alone. I look down at my hands, course and worn from all the fighting I've done.

"And it's been so long since I've gotten to hold either of them..." I take out my cell phone and sift through some old pictures from before my extended absence. I reflect on some of the memories that have kept me going all these years.

It was the location of our first date where I decided to propose to her. My heart wouldn't stop pounding that day, even if I already knew what her answer would be. It was a picnic consisting of just the two of us this time, since Saber had long since disappeared. The way her eyes began to shine the moment she saw the ring, which I had carefully hidden away inside of a fortune cookie, is a sight I'll never forget. I've never been the best when it comes to romance, so I took some advice from Ayako and also surprised her with a bouquet of 9 red roses. Despite knowing what her answer would be, I was relieved when she accepted my proposal after taking some time to tease me. During our first date, I felt guilty for being happy. It was like I simply didn't deserve that warmth in my heart. But now, thanks to her, I've accepted that happiness.

Our wedding day was surprisingly normal for the two of us. Despite attempting to steel my nerves, seeing Rin walk down the aisle in a stunning pearly white dress had my heart beating like a jackhammer. I'm still impressed that she not only managed to get cake all over my face, but Ayako's face and Issei's face as well.

Issei may not have approved of our relationship yet, but he began to change his mind after seeing how happy we were together. Ayako paid Rin a few thousand yen for some bet, and seemed pretty annoyed about being bested by her rival. Fuji-nee was happy for the first time since Sakura had passed. I'm really grateful to her for helping us cover the expenses, and for being on her best behavior despite the open bar.

Our honeymoon was remarkable. We remained huddled up to one another for hours, wrapped up together in the oversized scarf she gave me, simply soaking in each other's body heat as we gazed at the skyline over Paris, from the Eiffel Tower, in the brisk winter air. Neither of us were willing to break up the moment as we fully embraced in our love. Though she did constantly tease me about getting a bigger ring that she could use for her magic...sometimes her jokes are in poor taste.

I chuckle as I'm swiping through these pictures, reminiscing over these events that happened so long ago. I also recall that evening when we were still at Clock Tower, where I engraved her words into my heart along with the promise to achieve our happy ending together. How many times did these photos, along with that promise we made, keep me going? I swipe to another album, the most important one of all, the day our daughter was born...