Confrontation

Shiro came home to a wonderful scent wafting in the house.

"Ahhh, Hime's cooked." Shiro moaned in delight, drooling as because their cooking was on supreme chef levels, each other's cooking was the only thing satisfying to their senses.

But while Shiro was much better at her in meals in most genres of cuisine, where Himeko excelled in as she can't handle delicate ingredients and cooking techniques that required utmost carefulness where her brother bested her in, is sweets and baking. Shiro lacked one thing confectioners and bakers have; artistic finesse. Shiro can't draw to save a life, how can he make a pastry or candy look good after tasting fantabulous? His creations tend to look like mutilated and tortured abominations despite how delicious they are.

'Hime! What's for dinner~?' Shiro called out.

'Oh! Fugu sushi,' Shiro nearly tripped. How the hell did Himeko GET Fugu in freaking Fuyuki?! Only licensed chefs can prepare Fugu but Shiro is confident they can do it as they can afford NOT to make a mistake even licensed chefs make with their abilities. Its a secret between them both as nobody would believe them anyway and sooner snatch the dangerous delicacy from them for Food Safety Reasons. She must have decided to steal some from the illegal side of the city...while safe from afar which is reason he wasn't nagging her right now.

Moreover, Himeko most likely coerced the specialist vendor...

'-Ootoro Steaks with my special sauce,'

WHAT?!

Those things are extremely pricy!

And Shiro was sure that was NOT on their grocery list.

'Whaddya mean Ootoro?!' Shiro yelped in a high-pitched voice, gobsmacked as he ran into the kitchen.

'Well, its in those Chuutoro packs we bought but apparently there's a mistake in packaging we got lucky for!' Himeko squealed. 'I just found out when I touched it for cooking we're really super-duper lucky since Ootoro's affordable to wealthy chefs only!' Himeko visibly drooled. 'I can't wait to eat it~' Shiro's head quickly turned to the trash can to see the sealed bags of the fish in question...

"Holy moly! How could anyone in the market make such a huge mistake?! Were they drunk when they packaged those things?!" Shiro gawked in absolute horror. 'W-wow...those chefs are probably raving mad now but its too late to recall the packaged 'Chuutoro'...' he squeaked feebly. 'And you made Ootoro steaks?!' he was really drooling now he had to gulp down his watery saliva.

Himeko nodded childishly.

'Yup! Yup! Good thing that freeloader isn't here for a month or we can't really enjoy this, oniichan!' Himeko giggled girlishly as Shiro KNEW their stock of fortunate find will indeed vanish before their eyes had Taiga been here. 'We have Ootoro all to ourselves~! Yay!'

And so, dinner was way too extravagant...as after the unusual fish dishes, is a fish curry this time. His sister wanted to be...fishy tonight.

xxx

'Yes...yes...of course.' said Rin, speaking in perfect English. 'Very well.' and she put the phone in the Church down.

'Well?' Kirei asked her.

'The Association agreed to fill the rest of the space, then this party will finally begin.' Rin sighed and took a deep breath before looking cold. 'Then I have to do my duty...I just wished I had a child first before all this...after this...the Tohsaka is doomed to be wiped out after a mere 200 years.' she said softly. 'I have a task for you when I die.'

'Oh?'

'The Matou sent Sakura away to avoid this war but to who-knows-where. They wouldn't say where.' said Rin as she gave Kirei a thick parchment envelope. 'Give this to her. She looks like mother but with the Matou colors. She should be easy to find as Magus Family Features are very distinct. She will inherit all the family has if I die.'

'Very well.' said Kirei, taking the envelope and Rin left the Church.

xxx

'So how did it go, Rin?' Archer asked Rin.

'The Association will send two more and Lord Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri will give them catalysts.' said Rin. 'And Zelretch will give the Command Spells.'

"This is different from last time indeed?!" Archer thought, sweating buckets. "This Shiro has no will to fight at all!" however, at least Archer knew Shiro will still do the right thing but the question is, how does this Shiro work with a kid in his care?

He had checked the records.

Emiya Himeko.

Little sister, not student as he assumed. Currently in Grade 4. He also checked Police Records of the Fuyuki Fire. What he saw astonished him.

Shiro was protecting a baby Himeko despite a badly-burned back and arms when Kiritsugu found them, and he wouldn't let the baby go because she was the only one he could save when in his words, 'everyone else melted before my eyes'. And in the hospital, Shiro was focused mainly on the baby that Kiritsugu adopted them both. So the anomaly in history is Himeko but that doesn't explain why Zouken is missing for a decade now.

'We'll pay a visit to Emiya-kun next.' said Rin as Archer turned to Rin in interest...on his face but inwardly he was WTF?!

'Eh? Who's that?'

'Sakura's only friend in middle school and the guy she's in love with but considering her ordeal, felt herself not worthy of him. She's aware he and his sister are Magi but unlike most magus families.' Rin sighed. 'The only person who treated her with kindness and a human being. But also, apparently a magus family is living under my nose without knowing...' she twitched. 'Their parents didn't tell me?! Eh?!' she swore. 'I'll talk to him on the rooftop tomorrow after school and you stay invisible just incase. Investigate his house during school hours, then be the invisible guard in the rooftop after school.'

'Alright.'

And so the next day...at school...Rin got wind that there's a powerful Bounded Field over the house that stunned the brunette. She tried every trick in the book during lunch when Archer took her there but she couldn't break through! Powerful alright! And a powerful weave her abilities need a lot improving to break through this. So yes, she'll REALLY talk to Emiya after school!

After club...

Shiro hit the showers, having a Navy Shower after Archery Club. Once he was fresh as again, he was ignoring his male peers gawking at his body because he was used to, AND proud of his sculpted bod, he left for the locker rooms to get dressed back into his uniform.

He was going to leave school when Rin literally met him outside the Locker Rooms.

'Emiya-kun, can we talk for a bit?' she asked kindly as Shiro put on his best innocent face.

'Eh? Sure...'

'Rooftop.'

Shiro inwardly braced himself.

xxx

Rooftop...

'Emiya-kun, did your father tell you about some rules?' Rin asked him sweetly. 'Rules about Spiritual Lands owned by Second Owners?'

'Well he did tell me that when I was a kid. But since we don't live typical Magus lifestyles, he said 'don't bother'.' said Shiro. 'Only true-blue Magi need permission from the landowners anyway.' he said with a shrug.

'What do you mean by that?' Rin raised an eyebrow. Shiro sighed, rolling his eyes and putting his hands on his hips.

'Oh come on Tohsaka, you know how most Magus Families live. Doing anything in cold, rational logic for something that probably doesn't even exist, and innocents plucked off the streets just to fuel experiments.' Rin looked at him as if he said something offensive. 'That's why Magi need Second Owner's permission so disappearances and murders can be covered up.' said Shiro disdainfully. 'Its why he chose his job to protect innocents until he retired a decade ago from illness after adopting me and my sister after he saved us from the fire. We were the only survivors. That's something only the police and the hospital knows though. Goodness knows those nurses are big gossips...' he chuckled. 'But we just train and practice our magic techniques. We never pursued something out of myths. Jii-san said we should enjoy both magic and living with magic happily and find modern-day uses for it to make life easier and make our own style so we did. We're Spellcasters and we're proud of it.'

Rin was able to somehow understand. Somehow as the redhead told her his tale. The Emiyas disdained Magi and lived lives that practically trashed down traditions for the sake of moral compass, something ALL magus families don't have, while they, the Tohsaka who are devout christians, never practiced such immorality. They used other means to pursue their goal without crossing a line.

'I see...your father is the Magus Killer then?' Shiro nodded. 'As far as we know there's only one Emiya left known to the Association and that's him...and since you and your sister are adopted, there's no way he can give you his Family Magic Crest...'

'He wouldn't anyway even if he used a Blood Adoption Ritual. And he has a good reason.' said Shiro grimly. 'Jii-san...he suffered a curse that struck both his body and circuits. Of course, Crest included. Corrupted with a terrible magical infection.' Rin squawked at this and Archer who was invisible, his eyes widened. 'Needless to say his will was 'destroy his body' after the Funeral. We can't allow the Magi to have his cursed body, tinker with it and set off something worse. Jii-san never said what his curse was. Just that he alone should die taking it with him. He feared what would happen if the Tower got ahold of his body. He got it a decade ago during the Fire. He was only with us for five years so Himeko grew up with a father at least...but we're both orphaned twice too like fate played a sick joke on us.' Shiro chuckled somberly. 'The fire took our families. Then that curse took him from us. Himeko was too young to understand back then that he's no longer coming back until two years later.'

'I see...so you and your sister don't know what's going on lately?'

'We don't and we don't care, we want nothing to do with it even if our curiosity is driving us nuts.' said Shiro blandly, hands on his hips. 'But we found out one thing. Himeko met a dying familiar dressed like a gypsy lady at the bottom of Mt. Enzo's temple stairs. The lady was fading away. She was afraid at first, but that lady reassured her she won't harm her and its against her morals to harm children.'

"Himeko met a Servant?!" Rin's mind raced. "That means somebody started fighting already long before Archer fought Lancer...and judging by the description, most likely a Caster. But if Caster is fading away, there's only one reason as its hard to kill a Caster. Her Master died and a Caster's Independent Action rank is low. Of course she'll fade!"

'They talked for a bit that Himeko learned that there's an event, with seven magi calling themselves Masters and paired up with Servants. That lady called herself a Servant. The lady was fading away so Himeko gave her some energy and bid her good-bye. And she told me so we really did a huge grocery shopping and lock ourselves up at home after school because we want nothing to do with what magi are cooking up in town. And my sister is my number one priority.' he said firmly.

Well, Rin can't blame him. His sister is a kid. Shiro on the other hand is an adult by magus standards like herself.

'Very well. I'd like to meet your sister.' said Rin, subtly casting a scanning spell on Shiro. 'Will you take me to your house?'

'Huh?!'

Yeah, 'Huh?' indeed was in Archer's head.

And so...

'Emiya-kun, who built this?' Rin croaked as being a magus, she can see the Bounded Field while its invisible to humans.

'Well, jii-san taught us how to make powerful fields, but still told us to make our own style based on the foundation he gave us, but Himeko's the one who built it since she has more circuits than I do and jii-san combined.' said Shiro. 'The only way to enter is simple...that you do not have bad intentions to its inhabitants. One ill will will get you booted out while being burned. That's how Himeko made it.' he said as he went in. Rin took a nervous breath.

"As long as we have no ill will huh?" she took a careful step in...

She's still OK. Good. She subtly glanced at Archer who nodded. They're in and dang, something smells good.

'Hime! We got one guest so make extra!' Shiro called out.

'Eh?! OK!' came the young holler back.

'E-eh?! It's OK!' Rin sputtered out.

'Well, Japanese hospitality an' all.' Shiro shrugged. 'Never heard of it?' he asked as she began to sputter.

'How should I know?' she sputtered, red-faced in embarrassment. 'I'm Japanese but I grew up magus...'

'Ah...' Shiro blinked owlishly.

'So she cooks?'

'Well, on weekdays she does since she has no club but I do. So I cook on weekends.'

Soon, Rin met the little sister. A beautiful one too, and clearly a foreign child whose misfortune was the fire. She wears her black hair in a short, straight bob with hime-style fringes, and part of her hair styled to resemble cat ears. She has very fair skin and vivid-green eyes and when she scanned the sister, she had to hold back her reactions.

With good reason.

That, and the girl is one hell of a chef. She came out with plates and bowls of dishes that looked something out of a Michelin-Starred restaurant.

'Heee...a different girl other than Sakura-chan huh?' Himeko stared at Rin. 'She's not coming over anymore and other than Issei, she was one other guest I like.' that surprised Rin. There's only two guests in their history?!

'Well, she has cancer after all...' Shiro sighed. 'Can't even visit in the hospital since Shinji won't say where.' inwardly, Rin was thinking how to murder the Matous.

'Eh? You mean that stiff council president comes over?' Rin asked, intrigued.

'Yeah, we're best friends and he helps us out in Math since we both suck.' Shiro chuckled. 'In return we treat him to dinner and Hime gives him a lot of sweets since it takes him three hours to go to school and also three in going home. And given his upbringing, he'd never rent a small apartment even if it'll make his life easier.' he said wryly. 'That, and we tutor him in English.'

'Heee...' Rin started up a conversation about Sakura's time in their home during her stay.

xxx

Tohsaka Residence, the kitchen...

'I can see why Sakura thinks of him highly.' said Rin as Archer is cooking his own dinner. 'Emiya-kun and his sister are just normal decent people with magic powers. They never asked intruding questions either like most magi would do since they really don't care.'

'You cast a subtle spell on them.' Archer noted.

'Its the Tohsaka-style scanning spell. Its something grandfather invented to subtly get information on anyone he meets and nobody's the wiser unless the one you're using it on is a highly-guarded person like DAAs and the Lords in Clock Tower.' said Rin. 'Emiya-kun is gifted for a civilian. 27 circuits of average quality when normally it takes about 400 years for a civilian family who chose to become magi to reach that point. His Element is Earth but his Origin is Sword. That's unusual...maybe the Fire messed him up real good since Kirei said the Grail spilled its contents, causing the fire...and mutations DO happen.'

'Then there's the little sister...she's clearly from a high-class family yet nobody looked for her at all so she lived with the Emiyas for years?!' Rin twitched. '80 A-Class Circuits! She's probably a child from a family as old as the Lords a couple centuries younger than the oldest families!' she exclaimed. 'And as you know, we Magi only have one child yet...yeah, her parents kicked it but surely some relatives should have come looking because children of that talent are valuable?!'

'So what's her Element and Origin?' Archer asked her while putting his dinner on a plate.

'Her element is Wind and her Origin is just-as-weird. Its Acceptance. Anything can possibly happen with that. Thankfully NOT awakened.' said Rin. 'And her Sorcery Trait...Emiya-kun has a really good damn reason to be overprotective.' she grimaced. 'Real Fantasy. Her Sorcery Trait is Real Fantasy. Anything she imagines will become real. Anyone would compete over her if they find out that she's all by herself and Emiya-kun is not enough as her protector. And they know this so they would do anything not to get unwanted attention.'

'That's understandable I guess. But at least that's one problem out of the way.' Archer pointed out.

'Yeah. Good thing those siblings are not Masters or we'll be in trouble. Sure that power isn't enough against a Servant but to human magi, we're dead meat.' Rin frowned. 'With a power and team like that, they'll be our hardest opponents. No doubt about it. Good thing they don't know as only those who know the Grail War and a desire to participate in it will be chosen after the Grail picks a participant from the Three Founding Families. Well, as long as they're out.' she sighed. 'Go to the police station and get me information after dinner. Steal and photocopy.'

'Alright.'