A/N: Hey peeps! Here's chapter two for the side stories. This time there isn't any lemon, but we are giving you an idea of what's happening with the Arachne Hatchery/Nursery and their interactions with various characters. It's a bit shorter than normal for chapters, but that's because I'm going to be doing a bit of a throwback based upon an idea me and my buddy Vein discussed next chapter for the side stories. Next time I'll be posting the chapter for the start of the Holy Sword Arc, otherwise known as the 'Kokabiel Goes Bat-shit Crazy' Arc. Not really any reviews worth discussing for these side stories, but just know that these side stories ARE CANON to my fic, so if something occurs in the main story you don't understand, read this fic when the relevant chapter is out to understand.

I do NOT own Highschool DxD, Fate, or My Daily Life with Monster Girls, as they are the properties of their respective authors, publishers, creators, and owners. Please enjoy.

King of Wrought Iron Book 2: Guardian of DxD-Omake Side Story

Side Forge Two: A Day in Life with Arachne Girls

Arachne's Hidden Hatchery, Kuoh Outskirts

Kiyome P.O.V.

I was currently rushing through the greenery with a bit of spider web stuck to my body as I was rushing to chase down my quarry in this place. As I did, I noticed my targets right before I walked right into their web, catching my completely off-guard., literally with the results of their tugging on the threads...

"Kime!~Kime!~"

*Boing-boing-boing*

"...Kime big!"

"OOOH! Get back here you little rascals!"

The little skitter of young spider children teetered on in an almost melodic manner as I chased after the young Arachne girls as they playfully evaded my attempts to catch up to them. There was no heat in my words as I chased the recently hatched first batch of Arachne eggs. There were around fifty eggs in total, but only about a dozen of them had been incubated long enough to properly hatch so far. Although they speak human language in a bit of a broken tongue, given a bit of time and their age, they'll be speaking proficiently enough in a few more years.

As I was chasing them around the greenhouse that served as their temporary home and nursery, I had something of an embarrassed smile on my face as I chased them down. After all, it would not do for a lady to go around with her chest uncovered for the world to see! Emiya and Kurotetsu had both suggested having the girls learn to weave their silk into clothes or threads for them to utilize and possibly sell for clothing and funds, but right now they were still only children. While Arachne hatchlings are equivalent to a three or four year old in terms of development, they still had some things they needed time to develop.

After all, all children needed to learn how to take care of themselves eventually. I was currently chasing after the more mischievous ones as I ran around the indoor forest of the greenhouse/hatchery acting as their nursery. One would not normally think that it would be big enough for them, but it would seem that Emiya has ways to maximize a space via magic. He somehow turned a smaller greenhouse normally the size of a medium-sized garage and turned it into a small jungle! I don't know how he did it, but said something about using 'bounded field theory' to do it? I'll need to ask him about it later when he comes by, seeing as how Kurotetsu said it wasn't his forte and he was only passable in it at best.

After chasing the little ones for a few minutes, I lost them, until I ran into the eldest Arachne child by about two weeks. Apparently, she was hatched around the time that Emiya was getting his familiar Inuken, and Kurotetsu was the one taking care of her at the time when she did. She's a bit more quiet and guarded about her emotions then the others of her sisters, but she isn't a bad child. Though she seems a bit off-put by something she's looking at, which got my attention. As I got closer, I came up alongside her and saw her looking at the 'statue' that Emiya put in the center of this place.

She had a complicated look on her face as she looked at it. Decided to see what was wrong, I asked her about it. "Is something wrong Rachnera-chan?" Said spider-child turned to look at me, all six of her pupil-less eyes staring at me, as her chitinous black arms were crossed over her chest at my question in a guarded position. Her pale white hair had been styled into a straight bob cut parted evenly to both sides down to the nape of her neck. Her spider lower half was covered in the black chitinous shell of a spider, had spindly yet wiry strong six legs, with the pale gray skull-like pattern typical of the black widow, yet she didn't come off as dangerous. If anything, she seemed almost standoffish. Almost lonely, in a way. Rachnera-chan also wore an off-white vest made from spider silk she wove herself with a rather cute design that suited her and made her more girly and cute, yet the frown marring her features ruined the look for her.

"It nothing Kime..."

Despite being a bit more mature than her sisters, she's the one who is most obviously the worst at hiding when things are bothering her. The look she was giving the 'statue' in particular was not nothing at all. It was almost a look of longing, as though she knew, but the reason as to why that is isn't something a child should ever have to know about. I'll need to have to talk about it to Emiya when he gets back as well.

Smiling knowingly yet comfortingly as I gently spoke up next, I spoke up for a method to distract her for now. "You know Kurotetsu should be here soon to bring you all something to eat and ways to help occupy yourselves. You all do enjoy his company, you know." The twitch in her form was enough of a give away to know her tell. Whenever she got excited over something, Rachnera-chan would always freeze up with a bit of a smile she fought off with that same twitch. Try as she might, Rachnera-chan just can't hide how much of a big sister she is to her younger siblings, nor how much she enjoys having fun just as much as everyone else.

"Let go Kime!"

And suddenly she took off with the intent of getting the food she was promised as fast as her six legs could carry her. Chuckling somewhat to myself. I also spared a saddened look at the 'statue' before choosing to go meet up with everyone. Hopefully Emiya can explain it to her in a manner that Rachnera-chan will understand and get through to her about…

Scene Change

Kurotetsu P.O.V.

As I walked through the trees and greenery in the heavily enchanted and carefully hidden greenhouse that acted as the Arachne's hatchery and nursery for them to grow up in, I was smiling softly as I plowed though several thick strands of webbing the children used to try and slow me down a bit as a playful prank. This little ones know they can't hold me down with their web, but that doesn't stop them from trying.

"That's enough girls. I can't cook for you if I can't get to the kitchen now, can I?"

"EEP! We sowwy Etsu!"

"Pwease cwook food!"

"PWEASE PWEASE PWEASE!"

"No angwy Etsu! Pwease!"

The puppy dog eyes and tear-filled looks threatening to spill over from the thought of not getting food from me or Shirou is typically enough of a threat to deter them after tasting our culinary prowess. While he might be better, I am a close enough second to have Shirou's approval. We taught them day one when they were old enough to understand the one key lesson(or lessons in this case, depending on who you ask) they have yet to had forgotten when they made the mistake of ruining Shirou's kitchen here and destroying the food he spent the past hour working on for feeding them…

Never piss off the one who cooks your food…

Don't mess with the chef's domain…

But most of all…

NEVER mess with Shirou's cooking or his kitchen if you value your life…

They learned that last one the hard way. Even I was a bit surprised by his sheer blood lust when they did that, and I honesty thought someone was attacking us until I rushed in only to find Shirou giving the perpetrators a complete and total dressing down for five hours straight with the way he lambasted them. He had such an innocent smile the whole time that was completely angelic in appearance, yet the Asura was in full force with the bleeding eyes, crown of swords, and the whole nine yards. Needless to say, they NEVER tried anything that would ruin Shirou or me cooking for them ever again at the risk of pissing him off...or anyone for that matter now that I think about it…

"Alright little ones. Go get the tables set and I'll get the food ready."

"Otay!"

The little ones were so cute, even I have a hard time wanting to make them sad. That sheer level of cute is practically illegal with how much of an overpowered weapon it is. Their spider lower-halves haven't quite grown out yet, but their human upper-halves are so innocent and childish, it's hard to watch them cry for any reason. As I walked into the outdoor kitchen area where Shirou and I make food for the little ones, I noticed one particular Arachne child staring at me in a wide-eyed manner from the side, watching me eagerly as I prepared today's lunch and started their supper for tonight. It's a slow-roasting dish that Shirou will take over to finish when he arrives later tonight.

Smiling somewhat to myself, I proceed to pretend she's not there for a few moments before I decided to ask what's up. "Is something wrong Rachnera?"

"Eep!" Rachnera flusters a bit before she composes herself. "No, nothing the matter! Nothing at all!"

"Go wait with the others. I'll be out in a few minutes with lunch, okay?"

I didn't even finish that statement before said spider-child ran to help set the tables. Chuckling to myself a bit in amusement, I proceed to finish up the stir-fry lunch as I began to make the dish using fish, chicken, and vegetables cooked in all-natural olive oil and fried rice on the side. Interestingly enough, even though they are mainly carnivores, Arachne are actually omnivorous. So mainly meat dishes with a bit of vegetables mixed in for flavor and balancing the dish out are a good safe bet for them as part of their diet, though one must always take care not to ever give them any caffeine.

Arachne are basically spiders, and spiders get drunk off of caffeine. Drunk spider-children is the one thing we do not need here, thank you very much. They are not getting any caffeine until they are at least twenty-one years of age. We don't need any of them getting tipsy and having a literal drunken one-night-stand after having a little too much coffee or tea, thank you very much. Same goes for alcohol. Shirou and I were damned careful NOT to get any caffeinated food or drinks for these little ones, which is a lot harder than you'd think.

After the food finished, I pulled it onto a serving cart to serve to everyone in the 'outdoor' dining hall, though in truth it's just an open area with several tables set up for the little ones to kneel down so they can eat. The tables were little more than metal and wood fold-able dining tray tables typically found in some homes for eating in living rooms. They also double as tables they can use for writing and doing schoolwork on, since Shirou and I make damned sure they at least have some education later on down the line. As I walked up to the little ones, I place a few big scoops onto each plate their and give them some water or a fruit juice or decaffeinated tea of their choice.

As soon as they all got their plates, they all put their hands together in a prayer gesture, said 'thank you for the food', and began to dig in. It is always interesting watching Arachne eat. Their ability to eat is not really any different from how humans do, the only difference is their diet and spider physiology influencing their behavior and psychology a bit. Other than that, and they aren't really any different from humans. After they finished their first plate, I made the rounds to give seconds to those who wanted them, then thirds and giving refills to those who needed them.

In a sense, this nursery is almost like spider-child daycare. There's even been something of a running joke when Shirou and I say we need to head for the greenhouse, people have started to call it a daycare for spiders. The mundane populace find it humorous while those in the know find it a bit more ironic. Then again, Shirou has had and children in the past, so it wouldn't be that surprising that he knows what he's doing with the spider-children. The only thing he needed help for was caring for them and helpers to assist in their development. That was where Miss Abe's family came in.

Beast Tamers they may be, but their knowledge extends to all magical or supernatural species, Arachne included. Once they were finished eating, I gathered up all their plates and gave them some free time to hang around for a while if they wished to do so. Going to the 'outdoor' kitchen, I began to wash off the plates and put them onto the cart once I finish drying them off, then set the cart back into the storage building where we keep the kitchen and cooking supplies. I noticed Rachnera was still acting rather bizarrely, but hopefully when Shirou comes by for dinnertime, he can help sort this out.

Some time later

Scene Change

Shirou P.O.V.

I stood up next to the 'statue' at the center of the greenhouse's magically expanded interior. I was simply gazing up at it as I had a saddened and guilt-ridden feeling in my glass heart about what I did, but given the circumstances, I felt this was the best and only way to deal with the situation. The will of the Spider Mother was not one to sneeze at, given what she endured yet refused to budge on nor lose no matter what even in insanity's iron grip as her mind crumbled into the depths of madness.

As I was looking at the 'statue', I felt a gaze lingering on me for the past while, but simply sighed as I ignored it before deciding enough was enough as I spoke up without turning my gaze from the statue. "You know it's rude to stare little one. Come on out. It is way past your bedtime little lady."

I heard the distinct clicking of six spindly legs tap-tap-tapping as the culprit got caught red-handed spying on someone when they were supposed to be sleeping currently. I get that Arachne are typically nocturnal for the most part, but this is just ridiculous. I already know why she's here and why she's been spying on me, but still…

"...how long you know?"

"From the moment I arrived here and walked into your line of sight, Rachnera. So what is it that's on your mind?"

Said spider-child at least had the politeness to blush at getting caught so easily. She's going to be a handful later on in life, I can already tell. Woe be anyone she decides to sneak around on. They won't see her coming as easily as I could if she didn't want them to.

"...bout what you...and that..." She said to me, before giving a pointed look at the 'statue' before me. I didn't need her to speak full sentences to know what she was asking. It made sense. Out of all her sisters, she was the sole one who saw me kill her mother right before I placed her corpse into the [Gates of Babylon]. It was one of the signs that the eggs were going to hatch. Arachne are basically spiders, and spiders are aware before they hatch and literally have to break their way out of their eggs when they hatch. While Arachne eggs are a bit more thin than traditional spider eggs, they are still no easy thing to break the shells from.

She saw me kill the Spider Mother, and noticed something off about me in a manner that the others of her ilk have yet to sense. Smiling sadly, I decided to let her know of it, in a manner that she could understand and not fear me for afterwards. "Well Rachnera, I am human, yet at the same time a sword. I am mortal, yet at the same time divine. I am unknown to death, nor known to life. Simply put, I am something that considers myself human, yet am debatable whether or not I actually am one."

I answered her with a sad smile as I gave her a short summary of what happened in my past over the next hour and a half. I told her about the fire I suffered, how I don't feel anything about killing, but how I also don't enjoy it. I told her how the man I called father caused said fire trying to prevent a greater disaster, yet his name is still viewed as that of a monster by the world for the things he had done, never knowing how far he went or just how much he sacrificed to save them. I told her how I was forged into a sword that protects in said fire and my experiences afterwards, but that by the time I found her mother, there wasn't anything left to save of her aside from putting her out of her misery in a mercy killing. The whole time, Rachnera listened with me before I summarized it up in response to her final question.

"Can't help it?"

"I'm afraid I can't Rachnera..." I shook my head sadly as I pointed at my head. "This right here is broken beyond repair, and not even the Big G of the Christian Biblical Pantheon could fix me. Saving others and helping those in need, despite how hypocritical it is of me to do so, is all I have left. It's my sole desire that survived the fire from whence I was born. The only left in my glass heart, which was given to me by the man I call father. I know it's impossible, but that doesn't stop me from trying. After all, a sword must fulfill the purpose for which it was forged, regardless of how impossible said purpose may be."

"...that too sad..."

"I know. However, I don't need nor want pity or sympathy for my situation. I've made peace with what I am and how I function, despite being broken. But to put it into a way to explain, as a sword, then I must always have someone to act as my scabbard. For me, that is my friends, family, and loved ones. Scabbards are for resting a sword in to repair, maintain, and even fix in some cases, for even the highest quality sword will break from overuse if it does not receive proper care. For me, if I am a sword that protects, then those I call friends, family, and loved ones are my scabbard, to return to for a proper rest so I can maintain my function in life."

Giving her a sad smile as I gesture for her to give me her hand, I decide to walk her back to her bed for the night. She looks thoughtful of my explanation, but she also looks ready to conk out right there on the spot if I don't get her to bed. I still also need to head over to the ORC tomorrow as they got a request from someone they think my input on will benefit from. Something about a cursed board game I think? Surely it couldn't be THAT game...could it?

...somehow, knowing how fickle my Root-damned E-rank luck is, I feel as though it is and I just jinxed it...

Scene Change-Next Morning

Rachnera P.O.V.

After talking to Shirou a bit, I found out a bit more of why he gives off the impression of a large number of weapons, heat, ash, and a staggering amount of death. While the others were playing with Kiyome again, I was looking up at the 'statue' I spoke with Shirou last night at. He said a lot of things I probably won't understand until I am older, but still he explained things in a way I understand him better.

He didn't kill mommy because he wanted to, but because there wasn't any other way to save what was left of her. I knew she was in pain, but that's what made it so hard for him.

"Rachnera-chan...what are you doing here again?" I heard Kiyome asking me again in a worried tone of voice. But I simply spoke in answering as I shook my head with a sad smile on my face.

"It nothing Kime...just thinking..." I said as I turned to walk away as I walked to Kiyome, but stopped for a moment to whisper under my breathe to the 'statue' before I left as I glanced at it from over my shoulder…

"...bye for now...mommy..."

...and I walked away to walk alongside Kiyome, leaving behind the 'statue' of a large Arachne made of black chitin, wrought iron, and magic…

...when Rachnera and Kiyome left, for a split second, the statue's eyes suddenly glowed a bit in response to Rachnera's parting words, revealing there was a lingering will of the slain Spider Mother remaining in the 'statue' made from her corpse...waiting eternally, yet hoping the day never comes she'll have to wake in order to step in and protect her daughters...

A/N: An that's the chapter peeps. Like I said, short, I know, but then again next few might be longer to make up for this. For those of you who may ask, yes, there is a reason why I included that last bit at the end, and there will be a reason for Rachnera's inclusion in this fic. There is a method to my madness, and it will be revealed later in the main story. As I said at the beginning, next chapter will be the main story in about another two weeks. I'm still working out the next side-story chapter, so whether or not the revelations of what may happen are spoiled in the main story before done here will be forewarned now! Until next chapter, PEACE OUT!