á "Don't disappoint me, okay?" Taiga now held aloft her own practice weapon. "Come at me when you're ready!"
Archer moved to get into his own stance, but stopped short, having been rooted to the spot. Silver grey eyes hung on to a little plastic tiger that hung listlessly from the hand-guard of Taiga's practice sword; a weapon Shirou was well acquainted with. The accursed Torashinai! Though a Heroic Spirit, Archer felt a chill run up his spine.
Though she may have been a bumbling older-sister figure to him a lifetime ago, the former Emiya knew full well just how dangerous it would be to underestimate this particular opponent -and that was even despite the scale in the difference of their current abilities. Taiga Fujimura had been a fixture of his former life, true, but she had had her own history prior to their meeting. He learned that his guardian/part-time squatter actually had made the kendo circuits, accumulating both fame and infamy as the 'Tiger of Fuyuki'; a fierce legend in the making, seemingly destined for national stardom, or possibly even a recognised worldly figure in her expertise... at least if it weren't for her constantly flouncing tradition by accessorizing her weapon...
And speaking of which, Torashinai was its own impressive specimen. Aside from never having failed in defeating him during his younger years, seeing it anew allowed for Archer to gleam some more particularly interesting facts about it -like how Taiga had _never_ been defeated with it, or that its wood had been cultivated from the holy trees grown within the boundaries of the Ryuudo Temple, and then prayed over and blessed by all of the Ryuudo main family 108 times... The information had Archer smirk grimly in his mind; for all the Fujimura ancestors did to secure what could almost be an incredible artifact of current times (if one modelled after a practice sword), Taiga had almost undone by thoughtlessly attaching a cheap phone strap...
Still though, irregardless of inexpensive accessories, Archer had to admit that his opponent was two-fold in this circumstance. Alone, each of them might as well have been utterly harmless, but combined... it galled him that both elements together dredged up something irrational; all sharp teeth and claws, ripping and biting in the pit of his gut that forced the Servant to take a deep breath and tap into his own training to clear his mind.
Seeing the opening, Taiga was quick to cast away her offer to let Archer have the first move, and -much alike her namesake- blazed in head-first with a roar already trailing behind.
But EMIYA recognised the attack and knew full well the truth of the situation. He was a Heroic Spirit and she was a normal person; like a dog that yearned for the moon, such a poor match-up made this an already decided event.
Archer secured his own practice sword for a horizontal block, absolutely ready to absorb the full brunt of her telegraphed attack.
There was no way he could lose.
---
Archer accepted the icepack with as much dignity as the bruised side of his face allowed.
á "You might be disappointed, but you should consider how I feel!" Taiga suddenly blurted. At Archer's impassive gaze, she continued restlessly with her hands on her cheeks in maidenly disapproval, "I honestly thought you were one of those persistant rivals from years past, training for days on end for when you could reclaim the honour from having been utterly humiliated by me, back when I was still competing!" Unshed tears squared directly on the Heroic Spirit. "All for nothing! Now you bear your humiliation and defeat twice over! Shame!!"