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“Tanabata?” Saber's eyes light up as he hears Iori´s suggestion.
“Yes, it's a celebration for an old legend. The lovers Orihime and Hikoboshi meet at this night, but are separated the rest of the year. We get a lot of great food stalls, people wear their nicest kimono and it's overall a great time. I figured you might want to try the food.” Saber was already sold the moment they heard about food stalls.
This excitement reminds Iori a bit of his sister, her youthful smile and endless joy…is kind of reflected in Saber's expressions over everything he encounters.
A little sting shoots through his heart, and makes him question himself for a moment. He is just a heroic spirit summoned to this time and age to fight, but here he is, offering to enjoy themselves just a little tomorrow.
“I saw people put up streamers! Please, I need to see it! And sample the local cuisine, while we are at it!” Saber already won Iori over. “Alright, I have a few spare coins for these kinds of days. But you have to wait until tomorrow afternoon earliest, because in the evening then we can enjoy the fireworks.”
“Fireworks too? This is great!” Saber shakes his hands, and the warmth gently spreads up to Iori´s heart.
“Hmm, yes, there are also special noodles called Soumen being served. And the children put up their wishes on little strips of paper.”
“I want too! Thank you for this great idea!” Sabers endless joy kind of sparks a bit of excitement for tomorrow in Iori too, who just smiles a little in response. Keeping his usual determined, cool head, he can already feel his pouch getting lighter by the following evening.
It is a warm evening, with a soft breeze rustling the leaves, and the chatter of the visitors can be heard from afar.
On the main street, multiple stalls have been set up, filling the air with the smell of food everywhere. From sweets to something hefty, the offers today are especially tasty. Just when they arrive, Saber already spotted something to eat, and darts from stall to stall, his attention everywhere and at the same time nowhere.
Iori follows him with a bit of a distance, squeezing past the other guests. In front of Babylon-ia a huge stall has been set up, but its owner is nowhere to be seen, which is maybe for the best.
“Iori!” Saber's voice reaches his ears, and he turns around to see Saber holding two sticks of Dango in his hand. One is already half-eaten.
“Here you go!” His wide smile warms his heart immediately, but something else comes to his mind. “Did you pay for these?”
“Uh yes, I was busy myself and made sure to earn a bit! These are my payback for all the tasty rice.” Before they say anything else, Saber stuffs the remaining Dango into their mouth. Iori follows suit, and enjoys the sweet taste of this chewy little treat.
For a moment they just stand next to each other, watching the people pass by, as they eat their Dango. For a moment, they are not fighting for anything, just enjoying the beauty of the now.
“Well, when are they going to show the fireworks?” Saber looks at Iori with an excited look on his face.
“Probably when the sun has completely set.” he answers, and points behind him. “We still have to cover a bit, come on.”
Saber swings their arms excitedly, as he follows Iori to every stall. At the goldfish scoop, his precise movement causes for awe from the others. The women especially giggle and fawn over him, as they watch Saber being fully engaged in scooping the flimsy fish out of the bucket.
Before he can become suspiciously good at this, Iori drags him to the next stall, where they watch people shoot little set up targets with a fling shot.
“Oha, this is great!” Saber leans over the wooden reeling, watching the little foam balls hit the targets.
“You want to try?” The stall owner asks them, but Saber shakes their head. “Well, I spent all my allowance.” Iori sighs and pulls out a few more coins and hands it over to the man. “Go on, enjoy yourself.” Sabers eyes light up, and once more a sting in Iori´s chest pierces him. It's strange, it's different from anything he had ever experienced. He wants to keep Saber happy, care for them.
A snapping sound makes him return to reality immediately.
“Look, I hit the target! “What do I get?” Saber gleefully takes the pouch he is being given. Inside are a lot of colorful glass pearls.
“Nice, you got a price.” Iori reaches out and brushes through Sabers hair, without even thinking about it. The two freeze in their position for a second, until Saber looks away with a light blush on his cheeks, and Iori retreats his hand.
“Sorry, I got carried away.” He shoves his hands back into his sleeves.
“Hmm, it's alright. I found it strangely endearing.” the young fighter comments, and gifts him a gentle smile, that warms any doubts away in his heart.
“Now, look.” The sun has set, the fireworks might start soon. Want to go to an elevated spot so we can make the best of this?”
“Absolutely!”
Walking and turning through a few of the less populated streets, they arrive at the place they can watch the fireworks best. The sun almost entirely vanished behind the horizon. The patch of green and brown in front of them is empty, except for a few children already gathering, playing little games with each other. A few of the festival staff are setting up the fireworks in their tubes, with Saber watching excitedly. “I never had the time to enjoy these back in the day…” A solemn expression shows on their face.
Iori leans in slightly closer. “The better, you can enjoy this one now.”
Even more people are joining the space in front of them. Within minutes, the entire meadow has been filled with guests watching and waiting full of excitement for the show to start.
You can literally taste the passion and joy of the people. Saber has been crossing their legs, and stretching to see over the heads of the others. Sitting in a slightly elevated position, they can watch over the people in front of them.
As the first spark is being lit, the crowd holds their breath. Red, then yellow colors spread. A blue, then a smaller one follows, the crackling sound piercing their ears. It's simply beautiful.
Iori can see Saber saying something, which probably reads as a “Wow!”. The two of them watch the fireworks bloom in awe. Adding the chatter and excited shouts of the children, them sitting next to each other after a wonderful day together, it warms a distant pain away in Iori´s chest. That itching for a fight tonight has been replaced with a sort of blissful feeling.
It is over far too soon, and Saber obviously thinks the same, as he tugs Iori´s sleeve, and puts on a very sad face. “I don't want to go home already, this was too short!”
“You do know, you sound like a little kid who had their candy taken away…” Iori comments and sighs. But he feels the same, this year it was different. He wishes for this moment to stay a little longer.
“Well, do you see the moon? Now the Princess and her Lover are going to meet each other again, after being apart for the entire year.”
Saber follows his gaze up to the shiny round moon. It's almost full, its white silhouette is being surrounded by the many little stars in the night sky.
“Hmm, I pray for their well-being, then.” Saber claps their hands together and prays for a moment, and then returns their attention to Iori.
“Let us take the long road home.” Together they wander through the streets. The lanterns light their path, and you can hear the festival goers still enjoy themselves a few streets further away. A drunk stumbles on the rocky path and immediately falls asleep, leaning against the wall of one of the shacks.
Soon they are back on the main street, the children are being tucked to bed, so all that is left are the women and men celebrating. Iori thinks about visiting Musashi, but on second thought, the pleasure district is chaos tonight, and this is his time with Saber. No detours, even if it's Musashi.
The all familiar four walls of their little mage shack appear in their sighs, and Saber suddenly stands still, their face turned up to the sky.
“Is something amiss?” Iori asks him, and Saber just shakes their head. “I was just thinking about my past. And about the tale of the two lovers meeting. Tonight was a great day, I forgot about even being here as a heroic spirit for a moment.”
“This is…good.” the young fighter replies slowly.
Saber gifts him a beaming smile, as he puts one hand on his sword. “I know what I am fighting for, and now that I have seen the beauty of this fine place and its inhabitants, I promise not to endanger anyone recklessly anymore.”
“Bold words, coming from someone who wrecked a good row of houses…”
Saber pouts. “Well, from now on, does not mean in the past!”
Iori chuckles and fights the urge to pat Saber's head again. They awaken his brotherly spirit far too often.
“It's the thought that counts. I appreciate it.” Iori shoves open the door, and the two of them sit down on the little wooden ledge inside. Saber watches him, as he polishes his sword, and puts them back to their usual place. Just in range if something happens.
“This reminds me, I am glad we had nothing happen tonight. Do you think the others celebrated as well?” Iori thinks for a moment about the other fighters, and then shrugs. “Maybe they did, and maybe they had consideration for the folks in the streets. I am glad nobody got to visit death's door because of us tonight, and that is all I care about.” Saber absorbs every word and then shakes their head heavily.
“Hmm, alright.” they eventually
“But now it's time to go to bed, no more heavy thoughts.” Like usual, Saber goes outside, watching for any attacks, but tonight they seem a bit more relaxed than the other times. Before they leave, they turn around.
“I appreciate it, the time we spent together, thank you.”
Iori wants to reply something amongst the “don't worry about it” lines, but Saber immediately cuts him off. “I really mean it, I will remember this whenever I get summoned again, I promise.” The door slowly closes behind them again, their honest smile vanishing behind it.
It sounded very sincere, and their words stuck to Iori for a good while, while he was trying to fall asleep. There will be other Masters, and he is just one of them. But, at least, he was memorable, and they forged a strong bond for the future.
The thought calmed the ever enraging emotions deep inside him, and he dreamt of a different time, when he would be fighting alongside Saber again.