CHAPTER 2 -SETTLING IN

Shirou's eyes snapped open. The transition from asleep to awake was immediate. Years of waking up early left the twenty-one years old male with the ability to shred off his sleep with a mere blink of his eyes

He pulled himself to a sitting position and took in the surroundings. He was in traditional Japanese room furnished with simplicity. There was just a wardrobe, a low table, a shelf and the futon he was currently in.

He slipped out of the cover and stretched his limbs. The smell of summer, filled with promises of sunny days, washed over him. He had missed Japan a great deal. Nearly four years abroad left him with the desire to come back to his homeland.

The past month had been hectic to say the least and it had greatly impacted on his plans. For one he didn't manage to pass the exams and enter Toudai. Granted, he had very little time to prepare for it and on top of that he had stumbles on his long lost family as soon as he stepped on Japanese soil. An event that could upset even someone like him.

What annoyed him the most was having barely missed the mark despite the unfavorable circumstances. Just a little more and he would have made it.

He shrugged the thought away. There was no use in dwelling on it. The best thing he could do about that was preparing for the next year's exam. Besides it wasn't like he didn't have anything else to think about.

His current situation was… amusing to say the least. Having suddenly become the manager of an all-girls dorm was an unexpected experience. A sentiment that was shared by his tenants.

The previous evening

"This is absolutely unacceptable," an enraged Motoko shouted. "A man cannot be the manager of a female dorm."

"Calm down Motoko," Mistune Konno said. "There's no reason to get bothered over this.

"T-That's right," Shinobu Maehara agreed.

They had joined the discussion upon returning to the dorm. Introduction were made but Shinobu made it clear with her behavior that she didn't want to bring up the morning's event and Shirou was receptive enough to understand when she introduced herself as if they never met before. 'She must have her reasons.' Shirou reasoned. Besides it wasn't like he wanted to cash any sort of reward or even an acknowledgment for that matter.

"What?" Naru cut in. "It's completely inappropriate."

"I have to agree," Shirou confirmed. Silence fell upon them at his declaration. "What? It's obvious that a man shouldn't be the manager of an all-girls dorm. Who do you take me for?"

"Well, every boy I know would give an arm for this kind of chance, y'know Emiya-kun?" Mitsune commented.

"I don't know what kind of men you acquaint yourself with but I certainly know what's appropriate and what's not."

"Oh. I didn't know you played for the other team, Keitaro," Haruka absentmindedly as she went through the papers.

If they expected him to protest indignantly they were wrong

"I hardly feel the need to affirm my sexuality by jumping at every chance I've got with the opposite gender. And it's Shirou, least you don't want me to call you aunt, Haruka-san."

"Shirou it is then."

"Well, "Motoko began "since we all agree that Emiya-san presence here is not required we can call this matter close."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," Haruka said while looking at the documents from Granny Hina. "It says here that if Shirou doesn't take the job, the dorm will be turned back into an Inn. This means that if you girls can't pay the new fee you'd have to leave, and that other customers will come to stay here regardless of gender.

The tenants' reaction was pretty much the same.

"EEEEEEEEH? No way!"

"Why would she do that?" Motoko asked.

"Well, for what I can see here the rent you girls pay is barely enough to cover for the expenses and hiring a manager from outside would cost a lot more. By having Kei –Shirou here doing the job in exchange for the living and a minimum wage is the best deal we can strike. The Urashima are well off but not even we are going to keep up a losing business. Sorry girls."

"Then… Then why don't you do it, Haruka?" Naru asked.

"I can't do it. I have my tea house to run. There's no way I can take this job as well. There would be Kanako but she's studying abroad. I'm not going to ask her to just drop everything and come back here."

"Kanako? Who's that?" Shirou asked. Haruka looked at him like he had grown a second head.

"Wait… are you telling me that Granny Hina didn't tell you a single thing about your sister? Just what the hell was she thinking?"

"I… sister? I have a sister…? B… How?"

"She was staying here when the… incident happened. The two of you used to be so close that we'd bet the tow of you would get married one day. She was devastated more by your death than your parents'. My god. I'd bet the old hasn't told her yet."

"W.. Wait. I'm not following you here. How could I ever marry my own sister? And why wouldn't she tell her I'm alive?"

"Kanako's adopted," she explained. "I've told you the Urashima family tree is contorted. As for not telling her I can understand her reasons. She never truly accepted your death and if she knew you are alive she would throw her schooling to the wind just to come back. She's under exams right now. I'll make sure she knows once she's finished. You'd better be prepared to be hugged to death."

"I… I don't know what to say." Shirou mumbled cradling his head in his hands. "I guess it didn't sink in until now. I mean, it was great to find my relatives but I didn't have the chance to dwell so much on it in the last month. I've barely seen Granny a couple of times and in both instances I was rather busy. We didn't have a chance to reconnect."

"A-Are you feeling alright Emiya-san?" Shinobu asked concerned. Shirou lifted his gaze and smiled, making her blush.

"I'm okay, I guess. I'm just a little overwhelmed."

"I don't mean to sound insensitive but we are getting off topic," Motoko observed and Shirou nodded. "It appears we don't have much of a choice at this point. We all have very specific reasons to be here and finding another accommodation with such a short notice is simply not feasible. We have no choice but to accept Emiya-san as the manager for the time being."

"But Motoko we…," Naru begun but was immediately cut off.

"I know, Naru-san, but there is no alternative as of now. Is there anyone against Emiya-san being our manager?"

"I... I don't want to go back," Shinobu whimpered

"I don't think I can find anywhere cheaper than this. I'm in," Mitsune agreed while eyeing the only male in the room like a predator. Shirou felt a familiar shiver down his spine, the same feeling he had every time he was about to be exploited by a certain woman.

"I don't like this one bit but I agree," Naru conceded slumping in her chair.

"Kaolla agrees if Shirous plays with her sometimes," the foreign girl beamed. She seemed to be the only enthusiast of the group.

The only one with his hand raised to affirm his opposition was Shirou himself. They all looked at him with varying degree of pleading in their eyes. He sighed and dropped his hand

"Sigh. There's no way I could be at peace with myself if you end up being evicted only because I'm picky about my living arrangements."

A collective sigh of relief filled the room.

"Then we are in agreement. However Emiya-san I want you to know that any perverted behavior will not be tolerated. If an event like before happens again I will make sure you are properly punished."

"Hey! You are still making it sound like I did that on purpose. You girls jumped on me and I wasn't the one running streaker around the dorm."

"That's because no male was supposed to come here," Naru rebuffed in anger and embarrassment.

"So that makes it right for you to run around in the buff? I think not. Besides I won't be held responsible for any incident of this kind just because you're used to not have men around. Are we clear on this?" They all nodded, a few begrudgingly so. They didn't like having their freedom restricted. "Then I have no other reasons to complain. I will assume my duties starting tomorrow. I think that an inspection of the entire building is in order in the first place. If you are okay with it I will do your rooms in the afternoon so you'll have to put in order anything you feel the need to. Is that all right with you all?"

They all agreed.

"You know Shirou, you seem already used to live under the same roof and take charge with the opposite gender. Anything we should know about?" Haruka asked teasingly. Shirou shrugged in response.

"I've been living with five girls back in Fuyuki and I've shared a flat with one of them in London. I'm used to be around women," He explained. 'Though that hasn't made it any easier to deal with them.' He thought to himself.

"You lived with five girls before and you have problems being the manager here?" Haruka asked with incredulity.

"What has that to do with anything? All of those girls were close friends of mine who came to live with me due to particular circumstances I'm not at liberty to share."

"Wow. And your parents didn't have anything to say to that?" Mitsune asked with a grin.

"Our parents, mine as well as theirs, were all dead by then," Shirou explained calmly. "And before you ask, yes, I've been orphaned twice. My foster father died of an illness five years after adopting me and I've been living by myself for the following five years."

Mitsune winced at her involuntary faux pas. "Sorry. I didn't mean to…"

"It's all right. You couldn't have known. Besides it's not something I've problems talking about. It's been eleven years now."

"And you really expect us to believe that you've been living with five girls for an entire year unsupervised and you didn't try anything with them?" Naru asked with clear anger in her voice. Something Shirou didn't miss but couldn't understand. He just narrowed her eyes at her.

"Frankly I don't expect you to believe anything at all, Narusegawa-san. I honestly don't care what your opinion of me is, though it's painfully clear you think I'm some sort of molester or sexual predator. Suits yourself, I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. Besides, it's not like there's anything I can say that will make you change your opinion of me, is there?" Silence followed his question. "Thought so. Well, if that's all I'd like to talk with you Haruka. I want to get to know my family a little better before I discover I have yet another sibling form a third party. Do you mind?"

"Not at all. Come over to my tea shop once you've done moving your stuff and we'll talk."

"Thank you. I'll be there shortly."

They spent the evening talking about their relatives. Apparently the Urashima were a rather big family with a fair number of successful businesses. Of all of the Shirou's family was the humblest of all, as they owned a simple bakery.

He also asked Haruka about his tenants but she didn't know much about that except for the fact that they all had some troubles with their respective families. She didn't know where Motoko and Naru's distrust of males came from but Shirou had all the intentions to be on his best behavior around them. Besides he was sure that they would warm up to him once they were sure he wasn't about to assault them.

There was another thing that concerned him, though. Something he couldn't discuss with Haruka or with anybody else in the entire city. When he accepted the hospitality from his grandmother he had thought that while in a public place he would have been left to his own doing, thus allowing him to dedicate himself to his less mundane interest. Now with a kendoist watching over him like a hawk there was no way he could set up his workshop and that also meant that his collection had to be left in Fuyuki city. It was a major setback, but something he had to deal with.

He returned to the dorm but all of his tenants had already retired in their rooms. Not wanting to force his presence he went to what Haruka told him was his room and after unpacking what little luggage he had with him he went to sleep.

Present time

Shirou finished dressing as he went over the previous day's events. He could tell that getting along with his tenants was going to be a difficult task but it was something he had to deal with. Actually he could have returned to his home back in Fuyuki but he didn't feel like imposing his presence after more than three years of absence and he really wanted to reconnect with his relatives. Plus with his newly imposed responsibility he couldn't possibly ignore the people who needed him even if they didn't like him at all.

Knowing that he decided to make the best out of the current situation and start the new day properly. Which translated as making a breakfast worth of the gods. Humming to himself he left his room and went for the kitchen.

There wasn't much in the pantry to work with but he had worked with less and still got great results. Besides his whole life could be resumed as him bringing out the best out of what little he had.

Fifteen minutes later the smell of a delicious meal reached the nostril of Shinobu who was already getting ready for the day. Surprised that somebody had took over her duties in the kitchen she quickly made her way over there only to find Shirou working frantically, wearing his own customized apron.

"I am the bone of my skillet?" Shinobu asked absentmindedly while reading the phrase written over his apron.

Shirou, who after being taken by surprise the previous day decided to keep his guard up at all times, wasn't startled by Shinobu presence and simply answered back at her.

"Yes. It was a gift for a friend in London. It's a sort of inside joke that's too complex to explain. Good morning Maehara-san."

"Ah. Good morning Emiya-san. Did you sleep well?"

"Pretty well actually. I've always loved the feeling from these old styled buildings. My own house has a style similar to this," Shirou explained.

"I see… Ano… Emiya-san… About yesterday…," Shinobu stuttered.

"I understand. I won't tell a soul, so don't worry about it."

Shinobu fell silent; surprised by the amount of understanding this man was capable of and simply stated her gratitude.

"Thank you. Uh. Would you like some help with that? I usually prepare the meals around here."

"That's so? I don't mind cooking. I did it most of my life and I actually enjoy it, though some help is always appreciated."

They began working together in silence. No much instruction was needed as they both were very familiar in that environment. Shinobu basked in the unusual but warm presence of her new manager. There was a calming aura about him that made her feel safe. She had felt it from the very first moment but still chalked it up to him rescuing her. Now that he was in the kitchen with her she understood that it was a natural quality of his. She enjoyed his presence and was secretly glad for the small miracle of their encounter and living arrangements.

"There! All done. Maehara-san would mind setting the table while I finish the last things? The others should be down shortly."

"Of course Emiya-san," she smiled at him.

She went in the other room and set the table for everyone and finished just in time for the other girls to arrive.

"Good morning Shinobu-san."

"Good morning Motoko-san, breakfast will be ready shortly."

Ten minutes later Naru and Kaolla joined the table, surprised by the amount and quality of the food waiting for them. They were even more surprised when Shirou walked out of the kitchen still in his apron and bringing two plates with him.

"Good morning everyone," he greeted.

"W-What is the meaning of this?" Motoko asked befuddled. "What were you doing in the kitchen?"

"Preparing the food?" He asked rhetorically in a duh kind of voice.

"Do you even know how to cook?" Naru asked disbelieving.

"Why shouldn't I?" Shirou asked. "I had to cook my own meals for most of the past eleven years. Scratch that. My foster father cooking skills were positively dreadful. I cooked my own food for as long as I can remember. I picked up some skill from then and now.""

"Thish ish bery gooh…" Kaolla confirmed with her mouth full.

Seeing that she wasn't about to die for poisoning they all joined her. Motoko nearly dropped her chopsticks when she put the first bite in her mouth and Naru froze on the spot at the same moment.

"You… prepared this?" She asked looking at Shinobu.

"I only helped a little," the shy-spoken girl confirmed.

"Hey, if this is the kind of stuff you can pull out Shirou-kun, I'm all the more glad you agreed to stay," Kitsune chirped.

"Well, yes. I must admit that you do have some talent in this," Motoko conceded begrudgingly.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," he half laughed.

The meal was consumed in silence. It was painfully obvious that the newcomer's presence didn't put the girls in the mood to speak freely.

'Well it can't be helped,' Shirou reasoned. 'Regardless of the circumstances I'm pretty much intruding in their daily life. It will take some time before they relax around me.'

When everyone was finished Shinobu insisted to take care of the dishes by herself since Shirou had done all the cooking. He agreed since he had a lot more things to do. Starting with his daily workout.

After Shirou went out Naru and Motoko joined Shinobu in the kitchen, where she was washing the dishes humming to herself.

"Shinobu-san? Could we have a moment of your time?"

"Of course Motoko-sempai," she answered.

"Did that man… Emiya-san really cook everything?"

"Y-yes. When I found him in the kitchen he was halfway done. I just helped put the finishing touches."

"And… He didn't try anything while he was alone with you?" Naru asked.

"Uh? I don't understand. What would he….? Naru-sempai! Emiya-san hasn't done anything untoward."

"Are you sure? If he threatened you to keep quiet than we…"

"M-Motoko-san," Shinobu whimpered in fear the swordswoman expression. "W-Why are you so being hostile toward Emiya-san? He really didn't do anything to me."

The older girls looked at each other for a moment. Then Naru sighed in defeat.

"Sorry Shinobu-chan, we didn't mean to scare you. It's just… Never mind. We really don't know anything about him besides that he's related to Granny Hina and our first meeting wasn't really the best."

"B-But it wasn't his fault…"

"I.. We know. We are just being cautious, you know. Being Granny Hina's grandson doesn't automatically make him a good person, right. Just let us know if he does something improper and we'll deal with him, ok?"

"I.. I guess," Shinobu conceded.

"That is all we can ask. Thank you Shinobu-san," Motoko said politely before dragging the other girl away.

Mitsune watched the duo making a bee line for Motoko's room and decided to tag along for the fun. When the door was shut behind them they all sat in the middle of the room.

"So, what do you think about him Motoko-san?" Naru asked.

"I am not sure Naru-sempai. Shinobu could not lie if her life depended on it and I did not detect any lecherous intent coming from him. He might be biding his time of course or maybe he's distracted by other thoughts."

"I don't trust him," she huffed. "This whole situation is too suspicious. This supposed lost relative, Granny's Hina sudden trip around the world."

"Do you suspect him of foul play?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "Though it seems rather convenient for him. I mean Granny's Hina is quite rich."

"That is putting it mildly, Naru-chan," Mitsune confirmed.

"You believe that he might have tricked her into believing he is her grandson?"

"It could be possible. I mean this is a nice setup for him isn't it?" Maybe it's a con artist or something. Just because he looks like this Keitaro it doesn't really mean he is who he says right? "

"But, Naru-chan," Mistune interrupted. "Haruka practically recognized him on the spot. And what about the DNA test?"

"Resemblance is not enough," Motoko objected. "And the only proof we have of this supposed test is his word. There is no telling what trick he might have pulled to fake that. Naru-sempai is right. This looks too good for him to be true."

"So? What do suggest we do Motoko-san?" Naru asked.

"We keep our guard up around him and try to figure him out. And if he tries anything improper my sword will be more than happy to show him the error of his ways."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Mitsune agreed. She wasn't really interested if Shirou really was Granny's Hina relative or not. Either way she was going to get a lot of entertainment by watching the interaction between him and her fellow tenants and, if she played her cards right with him, even skin on a couple of rents.

Forty-five minutes later Shirou returned from his jog which, in his case, meant that he had run for several kilometers at the top of his speed. He was drenched in sweat by the time he was back by the stair that lead to the Hinata-sou but despite that he looked unfazed.

As he climbed up the steps a particular, well know sound reached his ears. The noise of a sword cutting through the air.

Instinct took over and every emotion abandoned his face. His steps became more cautious and his sense perked up to catch any hint of a potential threat.

Reaching the top of the stair he was welcomed by the sight of one Aoyama Motoko practicing her school techniques with a real life sword. Hers were the flowing movement of an experienced practitioner.

Smooth and precise, without a hint of self doubt.

In Shirou's trained eyes they were beautiful. And utterly wrong.

- Trace On-

Hitting the figurative trigger inside his mind Shirou accessed his abilities and began Tracing the sword Motoko had in her hands.

Motoko was practicing her kata diligently like she did every day. There was nothing out of the ordinary. Her mind was clear, her hands steady. Nothing warned her of what was about to happen.

She felt it all of a sudden. The sensation of being observed, watched. She had felt it plenty of times of time in the past but never with such intensity, never so…. invasive.

She spun around, sword at the ready to deal with whatever pervert was leering at her, only to freeze in surprise when her gaze met the figure of the new manager returning from what it looked like an extensive run. What surprised her though, wasn't the identity if the observer, nor his appearance, nor the lack of any sort of leer in his expression. It was the target of his examination.

He wasn't looking at her. His gaze was firmly locked on her sword, Shisui. Never she had seen someone looking at a sword like that. Not even the most fervent admirers she had met both inside and outside the school ever looked at a blade like he was doing in that moment.

The way he was looking at it felt both clinical and reverent at the same time. Never before she had seen something like that. Never before she had felt so utterly naked, like he could stare into her heart through her sword.

She felt the warmth spread through her face, warning her of the blush that was undoubtedly showing on her face. A sense of embarrassment flooded her mind, triggering the most obvious response. Rage.

As if sensing her intentions his gaze moved from the blade and locked on hers. She almost recoiled as if physically struck.

"That's a beautiful sword Aoyama-san."

His words dispelled the odd atmosphere and Motoko had to put an honest effort not to lose her balance for the sudden change of mood.

Unsettled by the circumstances she lost her hold on her growing rage and settled on simply answering him.

"It's a family heirloom, passed down by each generation to the following along with the skill to wield it properly."

"I see. It must have a long history then," he commented.

"It has been crafted over five centuries ago explicitly for my family to use."

"Then you should treasure it. Swords like that aren't easy to come by. What's its name?"

Motoko fell silent. They way he asked questions about her sword made her feel like he already knew the answer. "Shisui," she stated, and he simply nodded.

"Do you have an interest in swords Emiya-san?" Now it was her turn to ask questions she already knew the answer to. The man in front of her smiled warmly in response.

"You could say that I do," he confirmed. "I found them fascinating. Especially those with a long history behind them." They looked at each other for a long moment before he spoke again. "Take good care of your sword, Aoyama-san and it will take care of you in return."

He simply walked away, leaving behind Motoko to wonder what exactly had just happened.

Without wasting time Shirou made his way toward his room. Shutting the door behind him he sighed deeply. He had done it again. Every time he came across a sword his instinct took over and he immediately Traced it.

He closed his eyes and looked –inside.

The hill of swords opened up before him. In front of his feet, stabbed into the ground awaited his newest acquisition.

Shisui.

The sword was simple yet magnificent. It had been wielded by countless master swordsman and swordswoman throughout its life.

It was beautiful.
And it was sad.

Its current master was ****** and her heart was ******

His gaze refocused on the outer world. This was a new experience to him. Since he discovered his talent with blades he could always tell everything about a sword from its composition to its history and even the techniques used with it but before he actually Traced part of the owner.

It was merely a glimpse but Shirou could swear that this time around his Structural Grasping had reached new heights. Why and what did it meant? Was the blade special somehow?

Of course it was but that wasn't the point. There was some connection between the blade and the wielder? Probably. Was it enough to justify what he had felt? Not likely. What was different? What made Aoyama Motoko different from every other wielder he had met up to that point? Would he find the answer by whacking his brain over it? Probably not.

Eh. A smirk formed on his lips. For all of his lack of talent as a Magus it appeared that if the factors were right he could still lose himself in his subject of interest.

That would not do. While pure research often bore worthy fruits he still was a person who made the most out of direct action. Besides if he was going to be the manager of that place for the foreseeable future the chances to interact with the swordswoman were bound to happen.

Filing that line of thought for another time he went to get himself cleaned up and ready for his first day on the new job.

"What's wrong Motoko-chan?" Mitsune asked to the obviously distressed swordswoman.

"I am… not sure, Kitsune-san," she answered the older woman who was sitting in the lobby.

"Has it anything to do with our new manager?" She asked with a grin. "Hm? Maybe he has already played his hand with you? He works fast."

"What? No it's nothing of the sort. I mean yes, it is related to Emiya-san but I'm not exactly sure about what happened."

"What do you mean?"

"Like I said, I am not sure. There is something… unsettling about him. Mitsune-san, be careful around him. A man with those eyes is bound to be dangerous one way or another."

"Uh. Sure. Whatever you say Motoko-chan," the older woman agreed. She wasn't sure what could be particularly dangerous about that man beside him being… well, a man.

She watched the kendoka leave with her mind focused on the subject they just discussed about. She grinned. This guy was proving himself to be quite interesting and it was only the first day. One had to look forward to the coming entertainment.

And speaking of entertainment there was a horse race about to begin and she had a juicy tip about the winner. Time to have some fun.

Shirou began his inspection starting with the unused facilities. To say that the place was big would be a gross understatement. He couldn't wrap his head around the fact that a place like that was being used as a girls' dorm instead of an inn. The kind of money that could be milked out of a place like the Hinata-Inn was so small thing.

Damn, the hot springs alone could gather a number of customers to make the owner rich.

As he went from room to room Shirou narrowed his eyes. Too many things didn't add up in this whole story, from his finding of his lost family to his present situation. The past five years of life had beaten the naivety out of him along with a few gallons of his blood.

He had a private firm going over the DNA exams, of course and apparently there was no chance of it being manipulated for the sake of bringing him there. No matter how it looked at it he was Granny's Hina grandson.

Still the situation was fishy. There were a whole lot of things that could be done to cheat a test like that but that would mean having access to non-mundane resources. Of course that meant that he had been specifically targeted but nobody knew of his peculiar abilities besides a handful of tight lipped persons.

Now if only Rin decide to give him that call…

In the lobby an old looking telephone rang loudly startling the resident chef that was passing in front of it in that very moment. She picked the receiver up and answered.

"Hello? This is the Hinata-sou."

Motoko had just left her room when the phone rang. She had no intention of eavesdropping but when she heard Shinobu mentioning the manager's name to whoever was to the other end of the line she couldn't help but place herself behind the closest corner and await while the younger girl went to fetch the man.

No longer than a couple of minutes later the recipient of the call came rushing to the phone.

"Rin? Is that you?" he head him ask.

"…"

"I'm glad to hear you too. Everything all right over there?"

"… … … ….. … ….!"

"Yeah, sorry about that. I really didn't have any time to call. I know but…"

"… … … … …!"

"Ok, really . I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you worry. I swear I'll make it up to you next time you come back home."

"… …. …."

"It's your home as much as it's mine, Rin."

"…"

"You know the others are missing you. What makes you think different?"

"… … …. . …. … ….."

"What has that to do with anything? We made it clear that they could have joined us anytime."

"…. …. …. … … …. ….."

"I know that Sakura wouldn't…. Rin you are exaggerating. I care about her as much as I do…. Hey, that's not true. I'll go visit them as soon as I can."

"…"

"You are one to talk. When was the last time you visited?"

"… … … …. ….."

"Excuses, excuses. I know you care Rin. We all know it. You have no reason to act tough with me."

"… ….. …. ! ….. … …!"

"All right, calm down. I get it. Jeez. … Rin. You know what? You really are a big softie."

"…!... .!... ! ….!"

"The more you protest the less you are going to convince me of the contrary."

"….. !"

"But you know that's part of the reason why I like you."

"… ….. ?"

"Of course. Hey, I miss you too."

"…"

"Sure. You know me."

"…"

"Hardy har har. Whatever. Though I'd really like to think the contrary you aren't one for social calls. Have you found what I've asked you about the Urashima? "

Motoko ears perked up. The seemingly meaningless conversation was finally turning interesting.

"… ….. ….. …."

"And? No information at all?"

"… … …. …"

"Yes, we already knew how wealthy they are. Anything else? Traces of tampering with the DNA test?"

Now that was something Motoko wanted to hear about.

"… …. …."

"So it's legitimate? I'm really an Urashima? I know. I'm relieved too."

Or maybe not as interesting as she believed it was. She had hoped to find confirmation to her suspicions but the half conversation she was listening to seemed to prove the contrary.

"…. ….. ….."

"Yeah. I know. Looks like my family situation is going to become even more intricate than it already was."

"… …. …. ….. …. …"

"No, I haven't said anything specific about it. … By the way did you know that the Inn I was supposed to stay at is not an Inn at all?"

"… …."

"Nope. It's an all girls dorm, and guess what? I'm the new manager."

"….. ! …. … ….. !"

"How is that even my fault? I only found out yesterday. I'm not sure what's going on. Do me a favor and keep your ears open on that side for me would you. Thanks. I owe you a bunch."

"… ….. … ….. … …"

"If you want me to make it up to you like that it's hardly going to be a chore, you know?"

"…. … …. … …."

"Minx. I'll call you soon alright? Great. Bye Rin."

"…."

He hung up and walked away in the direction he came from.

"Now that was interesting," Mitsune said in Motoko's ear.

"DAAAH!" She shouted, nearly jumping out of her skin. "Mitsune-san! Don't do that! Since when have you been here?"

"Sneaked up on you, did I? Well I've been here as long as you did. I guess you were too taken by the conversation to pay me any notice. Tsk-tsk Motoko-chan. You should pay more attention to your surroundings."

"I hardly need you to tell me that. I do not have the habitude to pass out drunk in random places," she retorted.

"Uh. Seems to me that the new manager has got your panties in a twist. Say, do you think that he was talking to his girlfriend?"

"How would I know? It has to be someone close to him, that much is certain."

"Tsk. I can't believe he's already spoken for. Ah well. She's there and I'm here."

"Mitsune-san, I can't believe you are thinking like that," Motoko said in outrage.

"Why? He's Granny Hina's grandson, so he's loaded. And it's not bad on the eyes either."

"Wha..! I cannot believe you are thinking something like that. Just because he is…."

"Bah. You are too serious sometimes, Motoko-chan. Scratch that. You are too serious all the time. I was just joking. Jeez, you Aoyama are too stiff for your own good."

"But… Ah, never mind. I am not in the mood for your games."

"Oh? Too taken by the manager already? That's not good Motoko-chan," she teased with a grin.

"What? I am not… You are… Sigh. I'm not going to get out of this conversation on top, am I?" She asked resigned.

"Nope. Not a chance."

Shirou conversation with Rin put him at ease. There was no connection between the Urashima and the Association, therefore the likelihood of a plot against him related to his abilities was basically nonexistent. That didn't meant there wasn't a second interest in his return among his relatives but at the very least he didn't have to worry about another Magus luring him into a trap.

With that matter safely concluded the only thing he had to worry about was the coming inspection of the tenants' room.

Hopefully that wouldn't be too much of a problem.

Poor naïve fool didn't know half of what he was going to find out.

Author Notes:

First and foremost: WOW! I didn't expect this kind of reception for this story. I mean, 26 reviews for the first chapter not counting those that have been lost by deleting the story four times and several PMs. I don't know what to say…

….

Wait, actually I do. Keep 'em coming!

Now, let's answer a few things

It has been brought to my attention that Shirou, as a survivor of the HGW that has faced Servants and won, couldn't possibly be knocked out by Motoko's attack. I don't think so.

Shirou's strong. Heck he probably can't be killed short of beheading him but that doesn't mean he's invincible. Having withstood and survived a threat of a certain magnitude didn't make him immune to lesser things. I believe that a proper Mindset is part of one's strength. If he isn't in the right state of mind he can be sucker punched with relative ease. This isn't Dragonball people. Just because Shirou has achieved a certain level of strength he isn't immune to everything below. His power is not yet over 9.000. It doesn't work like that. A mighty hero can still be killed by a stray bullet (so long as he isn't actively Reinforcing himself against it).

Secondly I'm going to upgrade the Shinmei-Ryu in this story. Shirou has been hit by a blast capable of cutting through rocks and just got knocked out for a few minutes? I'd say that's being pretty though.

That's all that comes to mind right now. This is probably going to be the last update for at least a couple of weeks. Gotta update my other stories. Oh, and if you want me to answer your review (not promising that I will) remember to turn on your PMs in your profile.

That being said I'm off.

See ya soon people.