ACT X - Nerves of Steel
Shirou was exhausted to the point of feeling numbness all over his body from using his Reality Marble in a new way. He had to walk the long way up the hill back to the Tohno Mansion with Saber supporting most of his weight. His breathing was heavy but at least Saber nor Arcueid was hurt and there was minimal damage to the city. The meeting with Merem's spokesperson weighed on his mind, he made up his mind to meet with Merem as soon as possible. Arcueid walked ahead of Saber and Shirou, her shoes clattering on the asphalt along with Saber's armored boots.
As they reached the top of the hill they saw Hisui waiting to let them in. Upon seeing Saber helping Shirou out she rushed to the gate to help them inside, instead of doing things casually like she normally did. Shirou smiled as he noticed this, taking it to mean she was generally worried about his well-being.
"I'll get Nee-san right away, please lay him gently down in the outbuilding." Hisui said as they walked passed her and headed towards the small Japanese-style house that was in the backyard of the Tohno mansion. Hisui rushed into the house to retrieve Kohaku after she shut the gate behind them.
"Hey, thanks for taking care of me Saber." Shirou smiled. He's legs felt like they were spaghetti noodles however he was still able to walk somewhat with Saber's support. They neared the outbuilding just as Kohaku came out of the back door and headed across the lawn.
"There is no need to thank me Shirou, I'm happy I was able to help." Saber's cheek's flushed a little as she led Shirou into the house and eased him onto the bed. Now that she thought back, this was not the worst condition she had seen Shirou in. There were worse occasions back when they first met where Shirou was almost killed. Compared to that, this was nothing more than a hindrance at best. Saber was sure he would be up and around by dinnertime, at least she hoped he would as she was looking forward to dinner.
Kohaku came into the room carrying a small black bag that Shirou suspected was full of medicine and other things. "So Shirou-san, tell me what hurts." She said in a soft voice as she knelt by the bed after setting the bag down.
"Well, nothing hurts exactly. I just have a headache and my body feels numb, I don't think there's anything to worry about really." Shirou said as he looked at Kohaku, she still had that same smile she always wore and her amber colored eyes seemed to hide something behind them. Now that he thought about it, this was the closest that she's ever really been to him. Even when cooking together she'd always kept a reasonable distance; it made Shirou think there was more to her than her smile and happy demeanor.
"I'll be the judge of that, despite what you may feel like you look terrible. So just start by telling me how you became like this." Kohaku leaned towards Shirou with a sincere look in her eyes.
Shirou had to think for a moment, he wasn't sure if Kohaku knew anything about magic or not so he couldn't exactly tell her the truth. However she seemed to know what she was doing as she checked him over. Saber was watching Kohaku and leaning against the wall near Shirou's bed.
"Shirou did something reckless in the fight with that creature and he became like this as a result." Saber ended up answering for him, the answer made Shirou feel a bit guilty as Saber sounded concerned. Maybe it was too much but Shirou thought it was necessary. However Shirou nodded to confirm Saber's answer.
"Why didn't you all leave? That demon could have killed you." Shirou turned his head towards Kohaku and she sat upright to answer his question.
"To put it simply, we all trusted the three of you." Kohaku answered simply.
Shirou didn't know what to say, they seemed to put a lot of faith in him. He wondered if Arcueid had told them anything about him or not, knowing her she probably did.
"It seems like your nerves were almost burnt out. You should be more careful Shirou-san, you could have died." Kohaku wagged her finger like a mother scolding her child, but when Kohaku did it she just looked like she was playing around. The look on her face however was serious.
"Is there anything you can do?" Shirou asked. He wasn't sure if Kohaku had any medicine for him, but even if she didn't he was sure that his body would heal himself in no time anyway seeing as he wasn't exactly human anymore.
Kohaku thought for a moment, "There is one thing yes... but Saber-san isn't going to like it."
Both Shirou and Saber had a puzzled look on their faces. "What is it Kohaku?" Saber asked.
"Let me explain first so I don't create any misunderstandings. My sister and I are a special kind of human that is mixed with the blood of demons. We were from a branch family of the Fujou clan and we're what are called Synchronizers. That means we can share our life force with others through the exchange of bodily fluids." Kohaku explained, she was hesitant to finish her explanation as she was afraid of what their reaction would be.
"Hang on a second, that doesn't mean.... does it?" Shirou hoped it didn't mean intercourse, he could see now why Kohaku said Saber wouldn't like it.
"I cannot allow you to make love to Shirou." Saber said sternly.
"It doesn't have to be that!" Kohaku explained to the both of them. "There are other ways I can synchronize with Shirou-san, just a kiss should do as well."
Shirou's heartbeat sped up. He wanted to be cured but he didn't know if he could go through with it. He'd never heard of a Synchronizer before but it wouldn't be the strangest thing he'd ever seen; besides Kohaku had no reason to lie to him.
Saber looked rather troubled. Finally she heaved a sigh, "If it will help Shirou please do whatever it takes to get him back on his feet." She said reluctantly and walked out of the small house with an upset look on her face.
"Is there no other way Kohaku-san?" Shirou asked as Kohaku stood up.
"Unfortunately not, this is the quickest way." She answered as she swung her leg on the other side of Shirou's legs and lifted herself up as if she was mounting a horse.
Shirou felt Kohaku's weight on his body and it made his heart pound, he wanted to tell her to stop but the words were lost in his throat as Kohaku gently leaned over and cupped his cheeks. Shirou thought she seemed to be doing this with much more care than was needed. She began to lean down and inch her face slowly towards his.
"It'll be a lot easier if you relax Shirou-san." Kohaku said softly, her lips were mere inches from Shirou's.
Shirou thought that he may as well take her advice at this point. He let out a breath and relaxed his muscles; the second he did Kohaku eased her lips onto Shirou's. Kohaku closed her eyes and for a few seconds the kiss remained soft and sweet. Kohaku then forced her tongue passed Shirou's lips and into his mouth. Shirou made a noise, not expecting Kohaku to turn aggressive like she had. She pulled his face closer and began to lick Shirou's tongue, their saliva mixing together in an extremely wet kiss.
The two of them were exchanging so much fluid that it began to leak from their mouths and run between their lips. Shirou's body began to heat up and he instinctively grabbed Kohaku around the waist, she made a surprised noise but didn't seem to mind it. Finally Kohaku broke the kiss and a thin string of saliva connected the two before breaking after pulling apart. Shirou was left panting slightly, his heart beating quickly in his chest. He was glad Kohaku ended it when she did and he wiped his mouth after Kohaku wiped hers.
"Sorry about that... I got a little carried away." Kohaku said nervously as she slipped off of the bed. "You should be feeling better in a few hours. I'll go let everyone else know how you're doing." She said as she headed for the door, as she opened it she stopped and looked back at Shirou. "Saber is a lucky woman. You're an amazing kisser." Kohaku giggled and gave Shirou a playful wink before slipping out the door.
Shirou watched Kohaku leave the house and he heaved a sigh. Kohaku was a beautiful and intelligent woman; he didn't completely hate it when she'd kissed him. It just wasn't the person he would have hoped would be doing it. His thoughts turned to Saber, hopefully she wasn't too upset about all this.
Soon after, it wasn't Kohaku that came back with the others but Hisui who slid open the door and let Saber, Shiki, and Akiha inside before following them. Shirou guessed that Kohaku must have had some other work to do around the house so she couldn't return.
"How're you feeling Shirou?" Shiki asked as he walked across the floor and plopped down on a chair.
"I'm alright, thanks Shiki." Shirou replied and nodded in his direction.
"We watched most of the fight from the house, that last part where you all just disappeared was very worrisome. I am glad to see that you made it Shirou-san." Akiha looked happy, her face told Shirou that she was worried about him when she was watching the spectacle.
"Yes, Akiha-sama and I became worried for your well-being. I am glad to see that you are not seriously injured." Hisui said in her usual monotone voice as she looked at Shirou.
Shirou's lips curled into a smile as he looked at the two of them. "Thanks you two." Akiha smiled back at him, and Hisui bowed courteously.
Saber crossed the room and sat next to Shirou on his bed. "Shirou, are you feeling any better since Kohaku treated you?" She seemed to have gotten over the fact that Kohaku had to kiss him, but Saber was sometimes good at hiding her emotions.
"There's only one way to find out." Shirou moved from the bed and did his best to stand up, his legs shook a little at first and Saber moved to help but was stopped by Shirou. "It's alright, I'm fine." He said with a reassuring smile and then stood up. His legs felt sturdy again after standing for a few seconds.
At that moment Arcueid walked into the room, "Hi Shirou! Are you feeling better?" She asked in her usual cheerful and hyperactive tone.
"Yeah, I'm alright. Thanks Arcueid. Where have you been by the way?" Shirou replied.
Arcueid smiled. "I've been looking around the city. The Burial Agency left for Rome so if you want to go meet Merem Solomon we should leave."
"Arcueid, Shirou has just healed. I think it is a little too soon to talk about leaving yet. I believe it would be better to wait until tomorrow." Saber interrupted.
"I am in agreement with Saber. Shirou should stay the night and leave in the morning." Akiha agreed with Saber.
Arcueid made a sour face, having just been double teamed. "Tomorrow it is then." She said reluctantly. "Ah, one more thing Shirou. You'll be cooking with Kohaku again tonight won't you?" Her eyes lit up, it seemed like she was looking forward to his cooking as much as Saber was. Shirou thought to himself that sometimes Saber and Arcueid acted alike.
"Of course. I think that you guys are making a bigger deal out of this than it needs to be though." Shirou said, his body was more resilient than it was before after been having turned into a Counter Guardian. He guessed that maybe Saber forgot sometimes whenever she worried about him. Arcueid was the only one who seemed to realize that he wasn't a normal human anymore.
"What do you mean? It's only natural that we're concerned about your health." Akiha said. It didn't appear that neither she nor Hisui knew about him just yet.
"What I mean is that I'm tougher than normal people." Shirou explained vaguely, if Akiha didn't know anything about what was going on then there was no need to tell her. It would be better if she weren't involved.
"I'm afraid you're going to have to explain further if I'm to understand what you mean Shirou-san." Akiha looked confused.
Shirou heaved a sigh, "I'm not normal. I'm barely human anymore, in fact a few weeks back I guess you could say I died." He explained reluctantly.
"Are you saying that you're like a ghost Shirou-san?" Akiha said in disbelief.
"To put it simply, Shirou is a spirit in charge of protecting humans. Whenever there is a force out there trying to destroy or harm the race as a whole, Alaya which is the spirit of humans urges him to move." Arcueid stepped in. "Similarly, there is also a Guardian of Earth who we'll probably run into eventually." She said seemingly to herself.
"Yeah, basically." Shirou nodded in affirmation. Despite the new information Akiha didn't even appear phased as she held her normal calm expression.
"I see. Why didn't you tell us this sooner?" Akiha said calmly.
"Well, it sounds completely insane doesn't it?" Shirou said as if it should be obvious.
Akiha chuckled lightly. "My brother and I have seen our share of strange things as well. Besides, we watched you and Saber fight off that demon. I knew you two weren't normal then." Her eyes brightened up. It was then Shirou realized that she had been playing with him and only acting angry.
Shirou chuckled. "Akiha that was mean. You had me going for awhile there."
Akiha's lips curled into a smile. "My brother is always telling me to lighten up. Isn't that right Nee-san?"
"Well you're normally so cold. It's about time you let yourself go a little. But I gotta say Sis; it's hard to imagine you playing around too much." Shiki said with a grin.
"Are you implying that I don't know how to have fun?" Akiha pursed her lips and crossed her arms.
Shirou glanced at the clock and noticed the time. "Ah, it's almost lunchtime. I have to go cook with Kohaku." He stood up and began to walk for the door.
"I look forward to your meal Shirou." Saber and Arcueid said unanimously. Both of them seemed to enjoy his cooking equally. Both of them looked at each other curiously as Shirou slipped out the door.
Shirou crossed the lawn, leaving the girls to talk amongst themselves until lunch. He opened the back door and walked through the dining room and into the kitchen. Like usual Kohaku was in the kitchen and already cooking, Shirou made a mental note to one day get here before she did. Kohaku was standing on her toes, trying to get something off the top shelf. She was attempting to lift herself on the counter to get it, Shirou didn't want to see her hurt herself so he stepped in.
"Hang on, let me get that for you." Kohaku must not have known he was there because she made a squeaking noise and fell off the counter. She fell backwards and Shirou slid across the linoleum on his knees to catch her before she hit the ground. "Sorry about that, didn't mean to startle you. Are you alright Kohaku?"
"Yes, I'm fine. Thank you Shirou." She heaved a sigh of relief and tilted her head back to look at Shirou. "You were pretty quiet, I had no idea you were there." She said before standing up and dusting herself off.
Shirou stood up as well and grabbed the spice that Kohaku was reaching for and handed it to her. By the looks of things, today they were going to be making a simple soup. As they began to throw things like meat and vegetables into the pot Shirou had a flashback of the treatment Kohaku gave him earlier as it seemed to have been the reason he could now walk straight. He realized he never thanked her for it, seeing as she sacrificed something for him.
"Um, Kohaku?" He started nervously. He'd never thanked anyone for kissing him before so this was a new experience for him.
Kohaku was stirring the pot with her eyes closed while humming a tune. "Hm? What is it Shirou?" She said as her amber eyes opened slowly to gaze at him.
"I'd like to thank you for earlier. You didn't have to do that, but nonetheless I appreciate it." He continued as he began to chop a potato on the opposite counter.
"I'm happy I could help." She smiled widely at Shirou as he slid the cut potato into the soup.
Shirou was beginning to think he was starting to become too relaxed in the Tohno house. After the King of Earth attacked the city the buildings that had been destroyed were busy being cleared away. He was sure that something, somewhere was hurting people and it made him a little restless. Perhaps he was enjoying the daily life with the Tohnos and didn't want it to end. Rin, Sakura and Rider began to fill his mind as well. He had brought them here only because Sakura was distraught... yet he forcibly sent them away at the first opportunity he could.
He hoped Rome was safe still, luckily from what Arcueid was saying it seemed like the Burial Agency had another place to set up a base from there. He wondered if Ciel had ran into Sakura, Rin, or Rider surely they would recognize each other and help each other out.
Shirou uttered a sigh, he could feel that it was time to move soon. If he thought that it was time to move, no doubt other forces were moving as well.