Hello readers, and welcome to another Fate story, which if you couldn't tell is going to be a bit different than my previous stories. Obviously, it's a Hakuno/Tamamo story, though not a lemon like "Gratitude to a Goddess" or full-story like "Fox Tails and Whirlpools"; this is more of anthology of shorts with one loose plot connecting them all. As for when and where this story takes place, well, that's explained as you read but think of this series an alternate take on Hakuno and Tamamo's life and all the twists and turns it took. Now that all that is out of the way, onto the story!

I do not own anything.

Chapter 1-Not a Surprise, a Miracle

As far as mornings went, waking up to the absence of his foxy-eared wife was something Hakuno Kishinami had become somewhat used to. Don't get him wrong, more times than he could possibly count he'd awoken to find her tightly wrapped around him. It was a pleasant feeling, especially when he went to bed feeling like the whole word was coming crushing down onto his shoulders. The same also went for his dear wife, who at times needed to be reminded that he was more than just a person to serve and protect. Indeed, mornings had been a fairly telling sign of their relationship and where it stood.

Hakuno rose up allowing his highly trained and enhanced ears to listen to the distinctive sound of Tamamo puking the contents of her stomach out just down the hallway. That was how he knew their relationship was definitely going to take another interesting turn. Scratch that, their whole lives. Honestly, he'd lost track of how many of those they'd had to contend with. That said, his lips ticked upward into a smile as he prayed this change would be one of the more positive ones.

Stifling a yawn, he laid back against the headdress to quietly listen to his wife's vomiting. Now, one would have found such a thing a bit…strange, but Hakuno Kishinami wasn't exactly what one could call a normal man. A normal man hadn't lived what counted as basically three lifetimes, a normal man hadn't been "killed" then brought back to life multiple times, a normal man hadn't encountered and fought legendary figures from the collective history of mankind, a normal man wouldn't have had their mind transported across time and space to start anew and stop an alien invasion.

And lastly, a normal man wouldn't have found himself married to fox-tailed and eared sun goddess.

"Tamamo, you okay in there?" He gently called to her already knowing the answer he was going to get.

"J-J-Just fine, dear! Nothing to-gack!"

He winced as his ears picked up the sound of her continuing to empty out the contents of her stomach. Most days, having superhuman senses could be counted as a plus, other days, not so much. Is there any knowledge the Corona can give me that covers a goddess' pregnancy? I could seriously use that info right about now. Swinging his legs over the bed, he stretched his arms upward, enjoying the cool breeze that flowed in from the window. Craning his head around, he smiled a bit seeing the sun had begun to fully rise above the horizon and the clouds signaling the start of a new day. Smirking a bit, began to lightly tip-toe his way down the hallway toward the bathroom where his wife was. The sound of puking had thankfully stopped and in its place came the sound of running water and a mouth being washed out.

Hakuno always found something simply…enchanting about Tamamo's bedhead, not that he'd ever say it. Upon popping his head into the doorway, her foxy ears twitched as their gazes met one another. The two-way smile the human and the goddess preceded the pair embracing one another.

"Sorry about the smell and waking you up." She murmured burying her head in the crux of his neck. "Hehe, no more Indian food for the rest of the week?"

"Yeah, something like that." Kissing the top of her head, he watched with serene interest as her tail swished back and forth. "Don't worry, you didn't wake me up, what about you? Are you feeling alright enough to go to work? I can always call in and let them know you can take the day off." Again, he had a gut feeling what his answer would be, but they got a bit of a kick out of playing this little game. That, and there was a small part of him that was still scared.

Odds were she felt his fear, and shared it. Still, Tamamo said nothing as she nuzzled her Master-turned-lover. It felt good to be back in his arms and allow his warmth to wash over her like a tidal wave. "I'd do that if I knew you could stay home with me, that way we'd have the house and whole day all to ourselves. Just imagine the things we could get up to." The pink-haired goddess grinned in feeling the shiver run up his spine. Two lifetimes, numerous life-and-death situations and she still could get him all flustered up like the innocent schoolboy she'd met a lifetime ago. Pulling away, she placed a hand against his cheek. "I'll go get started on breakfast, my treat for causing a bit of a stir this morning." Not letting him get a word in, she reached forward to place a chaste kiss on his cheek.

Just as she pulled way ready to head downstairs toward the kitchen, the brown-haired human acted. It was quite amazing how even with her superhuman reflexes, he still managed to catch her off-guard. His arms were around her waist with her back gently pressing against the door frame, and Hakuno's lips against hers'. Tamamo reacted in the only way she knew how to-by fully embracing her love with all her might. Both of her legs coiled around his waist with her arms quickly following suit. He opened his mouth allowing her tongue to jet inward. Deeply aroused, Tamamo's right hand gliding upward allowing her fingers to brush through his chocolate brown strands. She would have gladly kept her lips attached to his had the need for air not forced Hakuno to separate from her.

Water still dripped from Tamamo's face and cascaded onto the floor. Up close, her eyes resembled glittering topaz Hakuno could have easily lost himself in. The temptation to do so was, the rational side of his mind seize the controls and directed him to pull away. "Heh, guess I have the motivation needed to get through another work day." He chuckled scratching the back of his head.

"As do I," Whispered the reincarnated Caster allowing her tail to extend around his waist. Still pressed together, she felt his body positively react to her actions. "Now, let's put some fuel in that tummy so you can get to work. Don't you have a medical check today?"

"I do, so I might as well get all the food I can. Do you have anything special planned?"

Hakuno felt Tamamo take him by the hands, then came the literal rush of air as his former Servant moved him from their bathroom downstairs to the kitchen of their home. Lightspeed movement, another thing he'd gotten used to, and something they both enjoyed playing around with. When the twenty-eight-year-old opened his eyes again, he and Tamamo were standing in the middle of their large and expansive kitchen. Already, his wife was getting everything set up for breakfast, and for them both to go out. He watched silently as she took several strands of hair from her tail and blew over them. There was a brief shimmer of golden light before each strand transformed into something-a familiar in the shape of a fox. All at once the creatures spread out, some remaining in the kitchen while others moved through the rest of their home.

Some people had servants, well, so too did the Kishinamis. Except theirs were magical familiars created using Tamamo's witchcraft. Almost every household chore they could do with almost superhuman efficiency. Oh, and they made for great guard dogs, or foxes so to speak.

In a matter of minutes both husband and wife were sitting at the wooden table, happily chowing down on yet another well-prepared meal. Hakuno ate at his usual pace while Tamamo seemed a bit more…aggressive in her eating. It didn't go unnoticed by him as she seemed to devour nearly six whole bowls of tamago kake gohan in what must have been record time. After that she moved onto the pancakes; the mere fact that Tamamo had ordered her familiars to prepare two plates' worth told him Hakuno his wife was feeling quite famished. Sensing her hunger, the foxes that had helped her prepare breakfast were hard at work behind the stove and counter preparing more delicious food to serve their mistress.

"Just out of curiosity, you're not going to go off and devour all the food at the inn, are you?" He lightly joked watching her clean off an entire plate to the point where not even crumbs were left.

"I'm just feeling a bit…hungrier than usual, nothing to worry about at all!" Defended the pink-haired woman throwing up her hands. "Besides, better I eat now so when I get there, I'll be operating at one-hundred percent effectiveness! Speaking of which, I'm going to go personally handle the ironing out of your clothes. Don't worry about the dishes, they've got it covered!"

With the same speed she'd used to whisk them away, Tamamo fled the kitchen. Still eating, Hakuno registered the sudden disappearance of several of her fox familiars, their services no longer needed. Small as they may have been, Hakuno counted the dozens or gold-colored particles she left in her wake.

"Exactly how long do you two plan on playing this little game, not that I don't mind watching it play out. It's quite entertaining."

Chuckling, the brown-haired male turned to his right finding a human-sized fox with dark red fur staring back at him. The creature's rusty brown eyes cackled with amusement as did Hakuno's. "If you're enjoying it, why stop? It's not like it's hurting anyone." Stabbing a sliced-up portion of pancakes with his fork, he offered them to his magical familiar. The fox smirked before biting off the delicious morsel. Another interesting thing that hadn't changed, the creature's loud smacking whenever he ate. "Minamikaze, could you look after Tamamo for the day? Just to be safe?"

The fox arched a brow at the human's request. "You sure about that? What if the mood swings start early? Need I remember you you're dealing with a woman with the power of a goddess who at one point possessed the potential to become a world-ending threat? She may just accuse you of babying her and decide to take it out on half of Kyoto."

Hakuno shrugged then went back to his eating. "No threat I haven't faced before, and I'm still standing, aren't I?"

Minamikaze chuckled at the boy's wistful smile. "True, and something tells me if such a thing does happen, you'll be able to stop it by doing what all good husband do to appease their wives-getting down on your knees and groveling."

"It works for you when you're in the dog house, doesn't it?" Laughed the brown-haired male winking at the magical creature.

From the brown-furred beast came a near smoldering gale that would have set off a building's fire alarms, and scared the living crap out of any ordinary person in the area. The Kishinami household was not a normal home, and its occupants were once again, not normal people. Laughing, Hakuno got up and walked over to the counter where he ordered requested a plate full of pancakes. Almost a heartbeat later and he was placing said plate before his long-trusted familiar. The hot gale receded as the beast took a quick sniff of the meal before him while licking his chops.

"Alright, alright. But for the record, I still want my share when the kits are born, got it?" Snapped the fox.

"Now when have I ever skipped out on you or any of my other obligations?"

Giving the human a toothy grin, the foxy spirit eagerly dug into his plate, not caring that he was making a bit of a mess as he did so. Of all the familiars Hakuno had ended up taking command of, Minamikaze was without a doubt the messiest eater of the bunch. In a way, Hakuno actually found that trait a bit endearing which served to deepen the relationship between the wizard and his magical guardian. Not to mention he could now see Minamikaze's eating habits as practice for when he himself had to persuade over a dinner table containing either a little version of himself or Tamamo.

"Oh, one more thing before you head out for the day." Spoke Minamikaze causing Hakuno to look in his direction. "Make sure to snag him some of that cherry-flavored whisky while you're at work, me and the guys could use it."

Placing an annoyed hand to his head, the human shot a sideways grin at his familiar. "You do realize it'll look bad if me, a guy who's in senior management was caught stealing company products, don't you?"

"So, you've done it before? Not to mention have you still not grasped what it is you've married into?" Cackled the red-furred beast.

At that moment, Hakuno felt several sets of eyes, inhuman eyes, settle on him. With a complete straight face, he glanced around the kitchen to find just about every fox was now staring at him with what could only be described as a deadpan stare. It wasn't the first time Hakuno had been the subject of such a thing, and frankly, it was far from the last. "Point to you, you talking furball."

Had Tamamo been present, she would have blasted her fellow kitsune into the backyard, and perhaps into their neighbors' backyard as well. "Just imagine when you and Lady Tamamo have your kits running around, ah, the things we'll be teaching those little ones! I can hardly wait!"

Hakuno's smile went from cooked to being completely forced on. You know, somehow a Holy Grail War is looking mighty nice right about now.

"Mornin' boss!"

Rolling his eyes as he slammed the door shut, Hakuno adjusted the strap of his bag as he turned to face his co-workers. To his right stood a silver-haired man with an ear-to-ear grin. Pride and amusement cackled in his dark green eyes as he beamed at Hakuno, who merely smiled back. His disposition was completely opposite of the figure who stood beside him. The dark-haired man with a growing mustache looked as if he were at a funeral. "Let me take a wild guess, Yutaka won his eight hundred yen?"

"Actually, it's eight hundred and ten yen." Sang the silver-haired man while his coworker merely groaned.

Hakuno looked to his dark-haired friend with a sympathetic smile. "Do I have a reason to be concerned, Hideharu?"

"Oh for Pete's sake, it was one bad bet!" Howled the dark-haired man throwing up his hands before crossing them. The two men burst into laughter at his expression causing him to turn his back to them. "Look, chuckles here kept me from going any higher than that. Besides, this medical test goes well, there's a chance we might get a pay raise, right?"

"There's that positive thinking I was looking for!" Exclaimed Yutaka throwing his arm around his coworker. Hakuno didn't need to see Hideharu's face to know he was smiling, the positive shift in his aura was proof enough.

What stood before him was in Hakuno's mind, the thing he'd truly been fighting for over the course of two lifetimes. In the early autumn sunlight, the windows on the twenty-story building before him glimmered like polished silver. To the normal person, the skyscraper was just another in a long set that dotted the landscape of Kyoto. They were right to an extent, but to Hakuno, the half-circular structure before him represented more-it was the cumulation of two lifelong journeys. As his coworkers chatted amongst themselves while occasionally glancing back to him, Hakuno scanned the building, literally. Over two hundred offices, over three hundred workers, scientist and so forth, all going about their daily work habits with no interruptions.

"Hey, Hakuno! Something interesting happening in the sky or do you plan on joining the rest of us?" Called Yutaka drawing him from his thoughts.

"Of course, someone has to make sure you meet your quota for the day, Yutaka!"

Now it was Hideharu's turn to laugh and Yutaka's to groan in annoyance. Even as he followed after them, Hakuno couldn't help but give one last passing glance toward the blue sky. It was hard to believe once upon a time Tron lines raced from one end to another signifying the fact what he was looking at was artificial instead of real. Everything was composed of ones and zeroes, including him. But not anymore, that was another lifetime ago, literally.

He'd long-since realized his time in the Moon Cell as a virtual ghost had influenced the career path he'd taken in this new life. Having superhuman brain power meant he could have done like go into computer analysis, code writing, stock broking, and so forth, but he didn't do any of those things. Instead, here he was, working at a company that specialized alcohol and food production. Given his family background, the family he'd had to rediscover, it wasn't as surprising as one would have thought. Logically speaking, it seemed only natural that a boy descendent of farmers would find himself working at a company that sold food all over the world, and made sure that said food was safe enough to eat as he was going to spend the day doing.

Aisaka Holdings' Kyoto facility was best described as a beehive of activity seven days a week, and Hakuno was actually a bit grateful for that. The company exported whine and beverages to almost every corner of the globe with the production of various fruits and livestock being tying up the end of things quite nicely. From time to time, it resulted in Hakuno coming home smelling…funny, which usually lead to Tamamo attempting to jump him the second he stepped into the door. He had a feeling this afternoon was going to be one of those times as he first checked into his office, then headed down into the building's lab where the latest batch of fruits and vegetables were being tested. Half of them had been naturally grown, the half of the batch was artificial. It wasn't like the world was facing some sort of food crisis or something, but people were showing a bigger willingness to experiment with what they ate and where it came from.

Viral outbreak jokes tended to common fly on days when anything artificial was being tested, and when the higher-ups decided it was safe to market. Yutaka liked to remark that if such a thing happened, their faces would be the ones showed to the public so the company could save itself.

The morning passed without incident, either official and unofficial thus Hakuno found himself happily lying back at his seat in one of the building's many cafeterias. After hours of looking at food and not being allowed to taste or even touch it without permission, lunch break seemed to become something of a reliever for all the built-up stress and tension.

It was also the time when Hakuno found himself being pestered with requests to swoop meals with his coworkers, starting with the pair he'd walked into the building with.

"Hey, Hakuno,"

"What is it, Yutaka?" Questioned the brown-haired male chewing on his egg rolls. As he chewed, he smirked in watching Yutaka and Hideharu look between each other in a silent debate over who was going to ask the question. "Now, I know I can be a bit weird at times, but don't you both have food on your plates or am I just imagining that?"

Hideharu grunted while pushing aside his plate. "Yeah, but, well, Hakuno it's just…"

"Dude, are you really going to make us say it?" Yutaka's frown deepened seeing the near arrogant smirk that formed along his friend's face. Moaning in disappointment, he let his forehead hit the metal table. "Hakuno, there's food, then there's food cooked by your wife! Come on, don't torture us like this!"

"But I like torturing you guys, you and everyone else that comes begging me to share my lunch with them." Hakuno laughed.

"Spoken like a true future executive, I feel so proud."

Two of the male trio groaned in annoyance at the female voice, the brown-haired member of the bunch simply chuckled as he craned his head to his left. Red hair dark as wine and eyes a shade and amethyst-colored eyes stared at the three, pink-tinted lips curved upward in a cruel smirk that caused the two men to sink further into despair. Not missing a beat, the newcomer pulled herself a seat then dropped her bag onto the table with a visible thud.

"You've corrupted him, Momoka-chan." Snapped Yutaka giving the redhead a sideways glare.

"Why I'm just doing my job as Hakuno's dear senpai, after all, unlike you two, he has the opportunity to rise higher, perhaps one day making company CEO." Chuckled the mystic-eyed woman.

"I hope not, I'm perfectly happy here." Mouthed Hakuno throwing up his arms with his back to the window. Through the glass he felt the rays of sunlight tickle his skin causing the hairs across hid body to stand on end. In a minute or two, he was sure he'd be getting either a phone call or a massager telling him he had a call to his office. In the meantime though, "I'm perfectly happy at the level I'm at. Besides, I'd much rather share my food with you guys then some crusty corporate scourges." To empathize his point, he picked up two of his egg rolls to dump them in front of Hideharu and Yutaka respectively. Their eyes lit up like Christmas lights before taking hold of their chopsticks.

"You're too nice, you know that?" Laughed Momoka.

"What can I say, it's part of who I am." Whimsically answered back the former Master. "So, how's your-"

BING! BING!

It felt…strange, knowing what was the come, and not at all being surprised when it happened. In a way, when Hakuno heard his phone buzz it really felt like the cloth before his eyes had been pulled away and he was forced to confront the reality of the situation.

He still had to put on an act for his companions, all of whom stopped eating to stare at him. Hakuno wasn't sure how much Hideharu and Yutaka heard, but Momoka definitely heard his conversation, when it came to him and his wife her politeness went out the window, but only because she cared about the two of them beyond what a handler should have. An eternity seemed to pass in the blink of an eye, and when he removed the smart phone from his ear, it looked as if a doomsday alarm had been sounded.

"Tamamo, it's Tamamo." He simply stated.

"Is she alright? Did something happen?" Immediately snapped Hideharu jumping to his feet. "You can my car, it's-"

"Probably nothing for us to be concerned with." Of course, Momoka was as calm as could be. Almost directly across from him, she captured Hakuno's honey-colored eyes and held his attention for a splint second. The undercover magus read the situation in a heartbeat and came to an immediate conclusion. "We'll explain the situation to Otani and the others, for now, just go to your wife, oh, and tell her Hideharu and Yutaka say thank you for the food. Right boys?"

At the very least she's not getting on my case the same way Rin used to, at least not yet. Mused the magus. Thanks guys, I'll get back to you as soon as I can."

"Just say hi to her for us," Winked the redhead watching him quickly gather his things. He was almost ten steps from the table when Momoka's voice reached his ears nearly causing him to freeze dead in his tracks. "Congratulations by the way!"

Wrong as it might have sounded, there was a part of Tamamo that hoped her husband wouldn't ever arrive. She hated herself for thinking such a thing, but no matter how hard she tried, the fear wouldn't go away. Said fear manifested in the room temperature haphazardly rising and falling; it eventually got to the point where her doctor made a comment about it causing her to apologize.

"You know, most woman who get news like this would be over the moon," There was a short chuckle from the peach-haired woman standing by the doorway to her left. Tamamo shot her a bit of a worried smile as she went back to fiddling with her ring, the ring she'd come to cherish arguably more than life itself. A second later and a hand fell over her own giving her reason to look upward. Shimmering pools of leaf green met her own topaz yellow. "Listen, I know I may not be as into this whole 'magic' thing as I should be, but I know medicine and I know people. Tamamo Kishinami, you're carrying the child of the man you love, and probably one of the kindest idiots I've ever met. You don't have any reason to cry or be nervous."

She would like to have blamed what she did next on her coming pregnancy hormones. Both of Tamamo's arms looped around the neck of her family's "personal" doctor. "T-Thank you for the k-kind words, Dr. Suzumura; I believe I…needed some words such as that."

"Don't mention it, Foxy." Both women chuckled at the rather cute nickname the former Servant had allowed herself to be called. Whenever the name was uttered, there was always a part of Tamamo that did a double-take. Her fox ears and tail were part of her pride, but they were also what had ended her life as a mortal and began her reputation as a "monster". Now here she was in the arms of a mortal woman, said woman soothing her nerves until her husband, also a mortal, could arrive and have his suspicions confirmed.

"Um, I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" Sounded a male voice followed by a nervous chuckle.

It was amazing how for a person with the power to lower the temperature to arctic levels, Hakuno could sweat quite a bit. Both women knew it wasn't because he'd sprinted half-way across Shimogyō, the act would have been less of a sprint and more of a "stroll" for the man who'd won two Holy Grail Wars against impossible odds. His first steps into the room were wobbling as if any second his limbs would break like glass and leaving him a tattered wreck on the floor. Dr. Suzumura couldn't help but chuckle at the nervous of the man who'd faced more than his fair share of dangers. She supposed the sight merely proved several old sayings right, one of them belonging to her mother. Give a man the fiercest ogre in all the lands and he'll charge in with a smile, but put a woman before him and he'll fold like a house of cards. Nowhere was that more evident in how Hakuno Kishinami looked to his wife.

Respectfully, she stepped out of the way allowing the former Master and Servant duo to directly face each other. Tears were accumulating in the corner of both of their eyes as they came within arms' length of each other.

"So we're…we're really…" Hakuno stammered looking more and more like he was going to lose it any second.

"Y-Y-Yes, w-we really are." Answered the pink-haired woman even as she vigorously nodded her head. "We're having a baby, Haku-chan!" No sooner had the words left her, did the sun goddess throw her arms around her love.

"Yeeah, great, yes this room is magically made to be sound proof, but not Tamamo-proof so could you keep it down a bit." Snarked the peach-haired doctor witness to the passionate display.

"Hey, can you blame us?" Happily, chirped the former Servant. "It's not that we didn't know it was possible, it's just-"

"You being the surprised one about a pregnancy, there's a shocker." Whistled Hakuno wrapping an arm around his wife. "Dr. Suzumura, we're sorry, it's just well…we're still in a bit of shock. I'm sure you know but, uh, starting a…family and all that…"

"Yeah, neither of you thought you'd lived long enough to do such a thing." Concluded the "special-needs" doctor. "Hey, if I remember right, you did win a Holy Grail Royale, if you ask me, building a family sounds like the perfect reward for such a thing. Now then, are you two going to sit down so I can explain this whole pregnancy thing or do you want to wing it. Tamamo, it's…been a while since you…gave…birth from what I understand."

"Almost three thousand years or so, guess we should be glad that Tamamo's still got it in her, huh?" Laughed the wizard, to which the doctor joined in.

Tamamo, on the other hand, wasn't laughing. The grin she wore on her face could be described as nothing short of malicious, quite like a certain… "old friend of hers". Her right hand reached behind her husband back where it came down. It wasn't the harshness of the impact that got him, it was near infernal heat of the blow, it felt like being hit with a hand-shaped hot poker. To his credit, Hakuno kept from yelping in pain, though that didn't mean he was able to keep it all in.

Not once throughout Dr. Suzumura's entire lecture did their hands ever let go of each other. While she noticed this, the peach-haired woman said absolutely nothing. In light of what the pair before her had been through she felt it was alright to let it slide.

Oh, and Dr. Suzumura herself needed to focus her own mind on ensuring Hakuno and Tamamo knew how to proceed with the latter's pregnancy. Hell, she needed to be sure she was giving them accurate information for her own sake as much as theirs. And possibly everyone else in all of Japan, maybe even the world.

Pregnancies with normal, non-magical people I've done. Pregnancies with magi I've seen my fair share of, but this? A human whose soul has been stretched and toyed with like a rubber band, who also happens to contain what's practically an energy reactor? Him and a woman who used to be a Servant who also happens to be a goddess with the potential to destroy the world as we know it should she be pushed far enough? Heh, I could write a book on this!

By the time she was finished it was late into the afternoon. Slow as it might have been, the sun began its gradually descent towards the horizon signaling the end of another day. With a bag full of books and manuals they were both due to read (and Hakuno would have completed in a single night), they were sent on their way. Tamamo's first official appointment was in a week, by then she and Hakuno fully expected the Magus Association and such to know of her pregnancy. Strangely, neither of them feared that happening, perhaps because they knew even the heads of the magi community wouldn't be stupid enough to try anything against a woman with the power to incinerate a city with minimal effort. And said woman would be going through hormonal mood swings.

Magi were many things, but stupid wasn't one of them.

Most of the time anyway.

Neither of them really felt much like heading home, and both had phoned into their jobs to explain that they would be taking the rest of the day off. If they were being honest with themselves, they didn't want to go home, not yet.

Fukui Park was close enough for Hakuno to park their car and for the two of them to go out walking. It was a fairly new addition to the Nakagyō ward but it was quickly becoming one of the most-visited locations of the district. Given the news they'd just had confirmed, they found the park's growing popularity somewhat fitting, especially since something told them they were going to be visiting the park a lot more often.

Before them lay a multitude of people going about their business, enjoying the late afternoon to its fullest.

"So, um…I guess once again, we've screwed the laws of physics and magic and all that, huh?" Started off the human scratching his cheek.

Smiling, she leaned her head against his shoulder as she always did whenever they had a moment or two of peace to themselves. That too, had not changed in the two lifetimes they'd known one another, fought beside one another, and loved one another. If there was ever a sign that love could last across time and space, Tamamo liked to believe moments like this showed it. "You know, such a trait might as well be a personal Skill of yours, it's not at all a bad one, Haku-chan. Do you think our child will inherent such a trait?"

"Heh, I kind of hope not." Admitted the brown-haired man with a whimsical smile that soon became distant. It wasn't that he wasn't proud of the trials he'd gone through, it was just the pain and trauma that came with them he wouldn't have wished upon anyone, least of all his own child. "Don't you remember how many heart attacks I gave Rin with all my crazy stunts, or better yet, all the near-scares I put you through?"

"Ahhh, there are times you certainly did scare me, darling. That said," Taking him by the cheek, Tamamo tenderly brushed her lips against his. She couldn't contain her giggling when his cheeks turned a light shade of pink. "You always came out of it, you always made sure I came out of it alive with all of my fur intact. To me, the word 'incredible' doesn't even begin to describe you, and that makes me proud that this little one will be calling you daddy one day."

"They're also going to have an incredible woman to call mom." Laughed the former Master. "You're gonna be an awesome parent."

She was happy that he had faith in her, because Tamamo's faith in her ability to serve as a parental figure wasn't quite as high as one would have thought. Subconsciously, her hand drifted to her flat stomach where new life had begun to take form. "I just…there are so many things I want to pass onto our children, but there are so many things I don't want them to inherent from me."

"Like your dramatic tendencies?"

"That'll be part of their character!" She naturally defended. "Besides, our child shall be born of the sun, it's only natural their personality will be as bombastic and shining as the me before the horizon!"

"Oh, in that case I guess I should worry for whatever friends they make, they're going to have quite a lot to deal with when we're not looking after them."

Fixing him with a cute pout, Tamamo snuggled up close to her husband. "Maaaster, you're being mean to me. You just found out I'm carrying your child and this is how you treat me?" Muttering an apology, he quickly wrapped her up in her arms causing her false anger to fade. It never ceased to warm her heart how comfortable he'd grown with displays of public affection. "I'm hoping they have your eyes, above all else, I want our child to inherent your beautiful eyes, Hakuno."

Rather than look away, he looked downward, a trait she'd noticed he'd developed whenever someone complimented him on his looks, especially his eyes. It was a cute show of humility that had won the brown-haired human his fair share of admirers, the greatest of them all sitting beside him. "Even though I know it's going to be trouble, I'm hoping they have your ears, and maybe your tail too." Hakuno deeply suspected Tamamo's animalistic genes would poke through in their children gaining a none-human feature be it a set of ears, a tail, or even their eyes. It'd be up to the two of them to keep their offspring's features disguised when in public, at least until they were old enough to use their shapeshifting to hide them. When that time came, he knew a tough conversation was going to come with it.

A quiet calm fell over the couple, who lost themselves in the moment. Following a cool breeze that scattered fallen leaves about the park, Tamamo reached out with her hand to take Hakuno's. Gently, she pressed it against his stomach. There was no need for words as the brown-haired survivor opened his mind to the metaphysical world that lay around him, things that couldn't been seen with physical eyes but with the spirit. Immediately, the first thing he noticed was the tiny spark floating in the center of Tamamo's being. The luminous radiance of her soul was nursing the small mass and would continue to do so for months to come.

"Any guesses on the gender? Personally, I'm betting on a boy." Whispered the former Servant.

He wasn't exactly surprised. Though Tamamo had no personal preferences when it came to children, Hakuno always felt she'd like to have a miniature him to look after. He didn't think he'd mind a younger version of him that's more outgoing and jubilant to be around.

"I wouldn't mind a boy or a girl, hell, to be frank, I think I'd be okay with one of each." Chuckled the human causing his wife to give him a sideways smirk. "Hey now, having said that, I think we should focus on raising this little guy for a year first." He added gently rubbing her belly.

"True, true, but I can't help but get excited, I haven't this way since…since…" As her eyes became distant Hakuno brought her in close so her head could once again lay atop his shoulders. The word "traumatic" just barely summed up what Tamamo's life as a mortal had been, and yet it wasn't quite enough. Tragic fit the bill as well since the womanly aspirations she held at the time had been cruelly torn away. Foolish as it may have been, she'd held onto them, even as she was transformed into a Heroic Spirit to answer the call of a magus. Most of them would have scuffed at the wishes she'd held, and a majority of them had save for a few she'd let in close. "Above all else, I want our child to grow up happy."

"They will." Hakuno assured kissing her forehead. "We'll make sure of that, no matter what it takes. Now then, next topic, who do you think is going to find out? When I left work I'm pretty sure Momoka already knew, and if she knows then you know that Chen will know it, probably by tomorrow morning. Scratch that, maybe sooner."

Hsu Chen, head of Blue Star Shipping and Transport, a man who'd just recently entered the list for top twenty richest men in the world. What the general public didn't know was he was also a magus, a high-ranking magus with access to resources most could only dream off.

But before all that, he was without a doubt one of the closest friends the pair had. Even though he was nosey as hell, especially when it came to his friends.

"Hey, I can always ask Pemetrekis for advice, she did after all just give birth little over two years ago." Joked Tamamo thinking of the black and white-haired woman who'd become another unlikely ally of theirs. "After he's had some time to gloat, I'm sure he'll contact Melissa to let her know, and from there, well, Leonard might make number three. Oh well, I'm sure he'll still send his regards."

"Looking at gifts already, are we?"

"Mikon, can you blame me?" Came her humorous response. "Half the fun of having a baby is seeing the reactions of your friends and loved ones, it shows how much they care about you, and it lets the baby know they have a true family awaiting them."

Almost a second after the words were spoken, a long and quite audible groan sounded from the former Servant's stomach. Naturally, Tamamo blushed while looking away.

"Seems our kit wants some food before we start talking about him meeting his 'uncles and aunts'." Chuckled the Holy Grail War participant. He offered Tamamo his hand as he stood up, smiling, she took it while keeping the other positioned on her tummy. "So far, I'm really enjoying this extra life."

"My dear husband, I can now say without a doubt, we're just getting started." Not so surprisingly, she took the lead in guiding him. Hakuno had no doubt over the next several weeks Tamamo's appetite would continue to grow, and grow weirder than she'd care to admit. There were instructions on how to handle a pregnant woman and even a pregnant fox, but a goddess?

As he'd always done, Hakuno would learn and adapt, and he'd enjoy himself every step of the way.

And there goes the first part of what should be a seven or ten-part little story. I'm sure I left a few tidbits for you all to guess when and where this story is taking place, but one thing is for sure, it definitely takes place after Fate Extella: The Umbral Star, Caster's route of course. How did they go from the Moon Cell to the real world with flesh and blood and all that? What was this second Holy Grail War they fought in? Again, that'll be explored in coming chapters as Tamamo's pregnancy continues. Until next time when this little series continues!