AN: Yes, the titles for the chapters of Origami Blades are all flowers. In hanakotoba, lit "flower language" of Japan, they have some meanings like the language of flowers does in the West, though often differing from the West in individual meaning. You might look them up to figure out some thematic ideas that run through each chapter.

Fate/Far Side: Origami Blades

Chapter 7

Crimson Lycoris

"Any sane person would be long gone by now," Tohno-san said when I poked my head in through her door. She sat with her back to the headboard of her bed, the pillows propped up to recline into. She looked comfortable, relaxed, a far cry from the tensed young woman this morning, from the almost-demonic being that had gone into some kind of rage.

I shrugged. "I once charged headlong into battle with the oldest and possibly most powerful entity born of mankind," I said, as if that should answer the implied issue. I really wasn't going to ever win a 'who plays smartest' contest. "How are you feeling?"

Tohno-san looked away, out the window as I closed the door behind me. The burning red color had kept to her hair, gave her an unnatural glow. Unlike, say, dyeing hair with a product, her hair seemed to move as if alive, like you could see the pulsing of fire from the follicles up through each strand like a vein of blood. It might be really pretty to look at if it didn't come with an obviously dangerous trade-off.

I sighed at her silence, went to sit in the chair before her vanity. I had not quite noticed it the few times I was here before, but Tohno-san did not seem to decorate her room in anything resembling a prissy, upper-class young woman. In many ways, it seemed oddly an antithesis to Tohsaka's place in that it hardly looked any more decorative than any of the other rooms here. And something about that kind of bothered me, kind of said something about the bleak life she might have been living up until now. "Just gonna ignore me until I go away?"

"Would it work?" she asked, still looking away.

"Not really."

There was a drop in her eyelids, barely perceptible, but I was paying close attention. She gave a huff and crossed her arms. "I don't intend to apologize."

That sounded about right. "I didn't ask for an apology."

Her shoulders sagged, like she had been braced for a fight, or had somehow expected that to chase me off. "Then what do you want from me?"

"I want to know if there's anything I can do to help."

The laugh she responded with was bitter, angry, no hint of amusement at all. She laughed, then coughed, reaching up to brush away spittle from her chin. "What can you do? You can leave. You can go far away from here and never return. You have what you want, spoke with Jinan-sensei. There's nothing else for you here but long-kept hatred, dark secrets." The way she spoke was almost grandiose in delivery, like she was practicing a Shakespearean tragedy.

Frowning, I stood up, took the chair in hand, then pulled it closer to the foot of Tohno-san's bed, spinning it around so I could sit on it backwards. I leaned forward onto both arms, like I could glare down her distancing speech. "Let's just take that in the same order. I don't particularly like running from something, if I hadn't already made that clear. If running accomplishes something, sure, but not when staying is going to open up options, even if they're bleak and not appealing." Like facing aforementioned might of the King of Heroes, someone even Saber had stated she could not hope to match.

Tohno-san shrugged, neither confirming nor denying my statement. I wondered, briefly, what she really thought of me, if I really was as foolish in her mind's eye as I probably came across.

"So, hatred. Kohaku explained it to me, and really, the one thing that sits on my mind is why. For her, it was why she did it. For you," I leaned forward on the chair, tipping it onto two legs, "the question is, why endure it?" I thought of the talks we had late at night, of the interactions between Tohno-san and Kohaku, and my mind kept finding that same gap. "I know you had to know, had to be aware, yet you kept up the façade. You didn't even move to stop her. So, why endure the hatred?"

As if against her will, Tohno-san opened her mouth and said, "It's complicated."

I snorted. "It usually is."

She finally turned a scathing glare my way, though my own look seemed to diffuse the anger somewhat. "A lot of reasons. But the way you're prying…it seems to me like you already know at least one."

I nodded, slowly, my eyes never leaving hers. It didn't take a genius to figure out that, despite all of this, she seemed to like Kohaku, seemed to be very close to the maid. Their closeness implied this odd sense that whatever it was Kohaku was trying to do, it was not seen as a betrayal to their relationship, strangely. "You don't want to hurt her, just like she doesn't want to hurt you."

It was an extremely oversimplified explanation, one that probably had caveats to every part, but it seemed to suffice. Tohno-san gave a faint tilt of her head in agreement, one I'm not sure even she noticed that she made.

Everything Kohaku had said just before told me that too. Fine. That wasn't really the issue, especially since Kohaku seemed to, at least for now, be beyond it. "Then secrets. It isn't like I'm anyone to talk, though you already know that much. You're…not entirely human, are you?"

"No." She flicked at her hair, still hazy with moving color. "I'm not."

Her tone made me think she still wanted to convince me that she was some kind of danger I ought to be running from, screaming my head off. Honestly, I still felt more scared by Tohsaka when she gave me those creepy grins. "I don't quite see the problem."

Her eyes gave me a dull expression, confirming that right now, at least, I was certainly as foolish to her as I imagined I came across. "That better not be a joke."

"I wasn't being facetious. I mean, I get why you're dangerous, but you seem to be in full control now."

She sighed, long and hard, once again bitter in tone. "It's only a matter of time, now, though. Once it comes to this point, the moment I have lost control even once, it is too late. It is a threshold that I no longer have, to stay human." She sneered, and though I had seen a similar expression before, it took on a more feral, a more predatory look now.

"What set it off, then? If we can change that—"

Her eyes flashed, almost with the same inhuman glow as her hair, and I felt that warmth grow in the air, though not as suddenly or powerfully as before. "No," she growled, "there isn't anything you can do. It has nothing to do with me, is something completely out of my control."

She had said it is not every day that you will get a man to do his duties. That seemed to have been the start, and I recalled her lashing out because of her brother.

Kohaku said she wanted to drag the brother into this, get Tohno-san to contact him. Tohno-san had endured instead, alone, but I wonder if there wasn't a feeling of bitterness on her part about having to do so. Certainly, I knew that well, that both Shinji and Sakura had harbored resentment at each other for various reasons, though that was a much different situation.

On the other hand, Illya had been bitter over Kiritsugu's apparent abandonment of her, which did seem to fit more in line with this. I shivered a little at the comparison, wishing I'd had more time with her on the matter. She hated our dad for not being there for her, even if he'd tried to reach out to her, and I'd hazard the guess that he wouldn't blame her for any of it. I couldn't even be there for her, in the end, and instead, she had been the one to look after me in so many ways…

Though she had done so, smiling. I always wondered if she had been concealing something behind that all, but…

"Do you want me to go drag your brother back here? Now that Kohaku isn't going to be pulling anything?" I asked, quietly.

Tohno-san's expression fell from the wrathful demon to the humiliated little sister. "No. I don't…I don't want him to see me like this, and I don't want him around when I could snap. That…happened once before, with someone else, and it…wasn't a good day."

I see. That made sense, then, at least, the idea that she was trying to protect him. Kohaku's poisoning, her own heritage.

Though…

"No, he doesn't know about this," Tohno-san said, as if reading my mind. "And if you think he should know, I'd rather you just kill me right here and now."

"Fine, fine, fine," I said, waving my hand at her like I could bat down her idea. I sighed. "Listen, I'll go talk to Jinan-sensei about this. He's…well, you probably already know, but I think he'd have a few things that he could do for you. We can take this one step at a time, alright?"

She sighed, heavily, once more, though some of the bitterness had left and was replaced by exasperation. "'We'?"

Maybe it was presumptuous, but, well, I thought I'd earned this much at least. What with the whole almost-getting-burnt-to-a-crisp thing. "Yes, 'we.' If you have a problem with that, I'd be happy to demonstrate my ability to knock you out again."

"I think I'll pass."

I nodded. "Good. I don't particularly like fighting girls."

"That'll probably get you into trouble one day." She watched me silently as I replaced her chair back to the vanity, but seemed to win out on the point that must have been bothering her since regaining her senses. "You really are…in possession of something powerful, aren't you?"

I resisted the urge to fiddle with the keychain again, as was turning into habit. "I guess."

"If…I lose it again, can you make sure to take care of them? Kohaku and Hisui, I mean."

"Yeah." I tried to put strength into my words, but the idea itself just felt defeatist. "Maybe I'll open a restaurant or something, unleash Kohaku onto the rest of the world."

"That might be funny."

"Get some rest, Tohno-san. I'll bring Jinan-sensei soon."

Her voice fell such that I had to strain to hear her, turned to find her looking out the window again. "Akiha. Call me Akiha."

I nodded, though she wasn't looking. "Akiha."

There was an unspoken sort of request in that, in all of her requests that I could feel were the true message beneath it all: she wanted to know whether I was capable of stopping her. And while I was, while, if the time came, I had to, I would…

Akiha.

Autumn leaves, it isn't winter just yet.

The house was silent when I left her room, so I went to check up on the property destruction active magi often found themselves engaging in. Though hardly a few hours since the fight, Hisui apparently was so handy with household repairs that the pipe I had damaged was now redirected and the girl already had a temporary patch in place with a single small hole by which she could replace insulation with in time. I could not help but structurally analyze the work in my head—it really was just reflex at this point—and shake my head at the girl's efficiency.

"Don't worry," Kohaku said as she spotted my approach, "I'm pretty sure it's all coming out of my pay."

The humor clearly didn't have the same bite as before; Kohaku sounded out of it herself, the joke a mere reflex. I guess that made us alike, so involved in our habits. "I'm pretty sure some wall and plumbing damage is the least of your concerns."

Kohaku looked at me carefully, her eyebrows dipping in what might have been the first truly worried look I had ever seen.

"I'd imagine the medical bills you'll be getting from Akiha are going to be even more atrocious," I said.

The concerned look in her eyes did not fade, and a part of me was upset by that. I think anyone else would have been prepared for me to stab them in retribution for their actions now that I had a chance to talk to the victim, but Kohaku actually seemed more upset that such a thing would not happen. "Yeah, there goes my retirement," she said with a weak smile.

"Where's Hisui?"

"Calling Jinan-sensei." Kohaku leaned forward in that very femininely-demure way, her hands behind her back but her head cocked to look up at me. "I figured that was what you would decide on first."

"Yeah."

We stood there in awkward silence for a moment, staring blankly at the repaired wall, and I could make out the murmur of Hisui on the phone in another room. Part of me wanted to reach out and put my arm around Kohaku's shoulders, try to express some kind of comfort to her, but I had the feeling that such a touch would not be appreciated at the moment. I think part of her wanted to feel this discord, like a troubled child that wanted to know their parents cared enough to punish them in some form. Well, I mean, in hindsight, anyway, kids didn't want to be punished on the surface.

"Maybe, when this is all sorted out," I said, "all three of you can come visit me in Fuyuki. I think you all could use a change of scenery, if nothing more than for a short vacation."

"And meet your girlfriend, Rin Tohsaka?"

I rolled my eyes. "I told you, she isn't my girlfriend."

"Tsundere."

I slapped the girl upside the head, managed to get a larger smile to break out onto her face. "Boke."

She sighed. "That might be nice, though. Maybe it is a good idea." She turned to the kitchen. "Akiha-sama is probably…well, you're all probably hungry, so I ought to get something made." She reached into her kimono sleeve, withdrew something, then presented it to me. "Here."

I stared down at it. It was a medicine canister, not quite fist-sized, and unlabeled. I blinked at it, then to Kohaku. "Um?"

"I wasn't feeling well earlier because you surprised me yesterday, you know." She motioned to the container, then pressed it into my hands. "I think I might've accidentally inhaled some. I had a bit of trouble breathing last night. Karma, I guess."

"You shouldn't play with dangerous things," I said.

"Yeah." She nodded, once, as if affirming something was no longer her responsibility. "Anyway, you might go see if Akiha-sama is hungry. I'll make us all something to tide us over for the dinner I know you're already planning."

I grinned. "That obvious?"

"That obvious."

Before I did anything else, I stepped out the back of the house, held the canister of lye in one hand. With the other, I brought to mind the golden sword once again.

"Quite possibly the smallest enemy you'll ever vanquish," I said, shaking my head.

A toss into the air, a single word, and a bright light lit the skies behind the Tohno mansion.

I caught Hisui on the way back to Akiha's room, the maid apparently taking her repair equipment back to storage. "I'm going to go see if Akiha feels up to moving so we can get something proper to eat. I might need your help, since I dunno if she'd appreciate me manhandling her when she isn't drunk?"

Hisui gave me a strange look. "So you manhandled Akiha-sama when she was drunk?"

Er…that didn't come out right. "Just…come on."

The maid did as instructed, though I could not help but think she was staring at me with a suspicious eye now. I wanted to try and point out what had happened to her, but then I remembered that Hisui completely passed out that night and would remember absolutely nothing to corroborate my actions. And I doubted I could get much help from Kohaku this time.

I knocked once to re-announce my presence, in case Akiha decided she was going to change clothes again. After a moment, I opened the door—

Beyond, the window was open, the curtains fluttering lightly from the pressure change following me in. And Akiha was nowhere to be found.

Origami Blades: Crimson Lycoris, End

Again, a reminder: the boke is a "funnyman" in a tsukkomi-boke manzai comedy team.