I tuck my hands into my coat pockets after closing the door, letting out a misty breath into the evening air before making my way down the path to the street. Father's evening service will likely bring him home late, but he may always decide to join us this year. Usually, I'd be right there with him, but tonight is tradition, and Rin will kill me if I suddenly decide to change that.

It's not even five o'clock, and it's already growing dark. The streetlights blaze to life and reflect off the flakes of snow spread across ground around me. I almost pull my hood up, but I'm not going to be out here long enough that it'd be worth it. Just a few more blocks, and I'll be at the bus stop and on my way.

Barely a soul is out tonight, but that's to be expected. I'm far enough outside the city, but I'll probably find plenty on the bus over. Wonder how many couples are out.

I sit on the cold bench, checking my pocket absently to make sure the box was still in there. It would be pretty embarrassing to get there and find I left it at home. Not that Rin would realize something was off. Probably. We don't usually exchange gifts, but she has a habit of figuring out when I'm hiding something. Fortunately, it was, so I just did that bit of worrying for nothing.

…Am I worried about this?

Not time to focus on that because the bus is here. The door folds open as I rise to my feet. As if on cue, snow begins to fall as it has on and off today. And thus, I'm on my way to the Tohsaka mansion.

"I wonder if she already started cooking."

Side Story: A Kotomine Christmas

I open the door without knocking. Rin knows I'm coming, and she could take care of anyone who might try and break in, so what does she have to be afraid of? I slip off my shoes and move down the hallway to the sitting room, already hearing sounds from inside before I open it.

Rin stops carrying a chair away from the table to look at me. I feel myself smiling in turn as one easily glides across her face. Bit surprising she swapped her usual red shirt for a white one.

"About time you got here," she says as she finishes placing the chair against the wall. "I thought I'd be making dinner all by myself."

"First time for everything," I say, moving over and picking up the couch from behind. "Might be nice to relax while you take care of it."

"Maybe I should," she quips back, grabbing the table and moving it closer to the fireplace. "You can be very picky with how I cook things."

"I just want it done well," I chuckle as I trail behind her, putting the couch down after she moves out of the way.

"Keep talking, Kotomine, and you'll be going home after just getting here."

"Forgive me, Tohsaka. It's cold outside, and I'm hungry, which may be affecting my survival sense."

"I see," she says, exaggeratingly tapping a finger to her chin. "I suppose I can be lenient."

Her smile grows a little more.

"Are we done? I actually would like to eat sooner rather than later."

"I'm sure I can contain myself."

"Good. Then take off that jacket and put on an apron."

With that, she strides over to the kitchen door and moves through, leaving me to lay my coat on a nearby chair. Just to be sure, I make sure the box is still in the pocket, then follow after her.

"I'd better get the tan one!"

"Too late!"

"I actually have something for you."

"Really?" Rin asks as she sets her plate on the table.

"I know we don't usually give gifts," I say as I stand up, moving toward my coat. "And especially not my father."

"He's not very good at it," she states blandly, standing up as well.

"You still never told what it was he got you," I say leadingly, reaching into the coat to grasp the box.

"It wasn't for me," she calls, which makes me realize before I turn around that she had moved out of the room. "Kirei has no sense of fashion."

"So it's clothes," I call back as I stand by the couch. Sounds like she's near the closet.

"Stop fishing," she says, her footsteps drawing closer to the entry door.

I make one final check, peeking into the box to make sure it was still intact. I really shouldn't be this concerned, but it cost a lot of money.

"What's in the box?"

I let the small box close before looking up, seeing Rin holding her own much bigger box.

"You'll find out. What's in yours?"

"Now Shirou," she says, cocking an eyebrow opposite her smirk. "I would think the person who started this should go first."

I push down a bit of laughter before shrugging my shoulders.

"I suppose that's true."

I gesture to the couch, and hand her the box once we both settled into our seats.

"Father had to help me get this, so it's partially from him."

She frowns slightly at that but opens the box without comment. I watch in satisfaction as the frown falls away while her eyes widen. She slowly pulls a bluish-green gem from the box, the firelight casting strange patterns against her face.

"It's called phosphophyllite," I explain as she rotates it in the light. "I'm not certain about its quality for holding magic, but It's rare and expensive, so at least you can't call me cheap."

Despite having listened to her many explanations on the subject, I still have a hard time grasping the nuances of jewel magecraft. Rin spends a lot on jewels, though, so I assume something rare would be useful.

"I wasn't planning to call you cheap," she says, tugging her eyes from the gem to look at me. "But how much did you spend on this?"

Much less than it's worth, thanks to Father's connections. It always surprises me the variety of people he's worked with.

"That's not important," I wave her question aside. "But that does have me curious of what you got me."

She freezes at my words, turning to look at the box she placed on the table before moving to the gem still in her hand. Are her cheeks turning red?

"Mine isn't…" she draws out the words, slowly closing the gem back in its box. "It's not as expensive as…"

"Rin, I expected nothing, and you got me something anyways," I say placatingly. "Why would I be disappointed by the price?"

"I know," she answers with a nervous smile. "I was just a little caught off guard by your gift."

She places the gem box on the table and picks up the mystery gift.

"Well," she clears her throat. "I saw this the other day and thought it'd look good on you."

"Don't tell me it's what my father gave you," I say jokingly as I take the box.

"If only they suited you," she adds a mock-wistful tone to her voice. She recovered quickly from her embarrassment.

I take the sides of the box and lift the lid away, revealing folded red fabric. Curious, I lift it from the box for it to unfold into a dark red jacket, my eyes tracing the black trim of its edges.

"I spent some time modifying it slightly," she spoke, a hint of pride dancing on her words. "I added several hidden pockets into its lining since I know you love carrying around those black keys. Took some time, but I believe it came out well."

I examine the inside and find I agree with her. Neat rows of pockets line the insides, each larger enough to hold at least three comfortably.

"So, what do you think?"

Despite the question, the confidence in her voice left no doubt to what my answer will be. My feeling must be clear on my face.

"What can I say?"

I give my oldest friend a smile.

"You know me too well."

My eyes flutter open at the movement against my arm. They rove lazily around, trying to settle on something. I don't sense anything dangerous, which explains why I don't feel adrenaline pumping through me.

Where are the others? They were just here, weren't they? No… Illya and Luvia left with Caren, which explains why their seats are empty. Sunlight's coming through the windows, so it's morning. Where's…

Another movement brought my attention to the obvious weight on my side. Now I remember. Rin fell asleep, and I thought that was a good idea. I'm glad we put the dishes away before first, but I think that only contributed to our tiredness.

I glance over at her sleeping face, running through my dream. A disjointed memory of years past. Did I dream that because of the apron she got me? Makes me wish I had gotten her something. Like a hair curler. She's as likely to use that as I am to wear that apron.

I chuckle as the image of Rin with Luvia's curls runs through my head. She'd kill me if she knew.

…She would look pretty good with those.

"Is something funny?"

I smile as her eyelids slowly open, eyes already showing a hint of humor her blues even after just waking up. I really shouldn't tell her.

"Well. It's about that apron…"

Merry Christmas everyone and Happy Birthday, Kirei

Without Justice: Neutral Route coming soon