Rusty Heart (V)
(Published: 04.15.13 - Beta: Obiki Doragon )
As Emiya Shirou could have attested out of personal experience, sometimes solving a problem meant stumbling in much bigger issues, complicating instead of improving a situation that, while far from optimal, could be still considered better than the resulting development.
Of course, for someone who lived his life with the sole purpose of helping others, this wasn't an unexpected situation anymore, thought it still annoyed him deeply to rediscover each and every time that, in fact, no good deed goes unpunished.
"Emiya-san," Aoyama called him from the other side of the street as he was returning to the Inn after shopping for groceries. He stopped and waited for her to cross the road, noticing with a certain amount of satisfaction that she was sporting a small smile on her face as well as an enthusiast bounce in her step.
It was good seeing the formerly detached and cold girl warming up to him and the world in general. It made completely worthwhile having dealt with her previous behavior. In the end, making people happy was what made him happy in return.
"Back from school just now?" he asked the obvious once she reached him.
"Yes, I had a few issues to deal with," she answered falling into step with him as they both started walking back to their living place.
"No troubles, I hope."
"No more than what I've brought upon myself. I tried to follow your advice and make amend for the slights I have committed toward my schoolmates. I must admit it was an enlightening experience."
"That's good," he nodded. "Acknowledging our mistakes is the very first step not to repeat them."
"Indeed. Uh, Emiya-san, having you bought a little too much groceries?" she asked pointing at the several plastic bags he held in his hands.
"What, the groceries? I'm afraid that Suu-san has gone on a rampage and raided the pantry once more. She certainly has a healthy appetite, though I can't really begin to fathom where she puts all of the stuff she eats."
"I would not consider her voracity as healthy, but I can relate to your doubts. No matter how much she eats, she never seems to gain a single pound of weight. Then again she's hardly ever stands still for more than a minute."
"That she does and our food reserves suffer from it," he nodded. "Maybe I should build a bigger pantry?"
"I believe that would only incite her to eat more or more often," Aoyama shook her head. "Whichever is the one more humanly possible. Ah, do you need a hand with those bags? I don't mind carrying them."
Normally Shirou would not have considered letting a woman carry any weight when he could easily carry them by himself out of a principle, but she was trying to be helpful and he didn't think she'd have liked him refusing on the account of her being a girl.
"Thank you," he said offering her the lightest half of the bags, which she accepted with a smile.
They kept walking in comfortable silence until something caught his attention.
"Ah, Aoyama-san, I just remembered I forgot to buy a few spices," he said once they reached the stairs that climbed up to the inn. "Would you mind take the rest of the bags inside as well? I'm going to run back a moment."
"Of course, that is not a problem," the girl replied taking the rest of the groceries, struggling a little under the added weight. As she turned and climbed the rest of the stairs. When she disappeared from view Shirou put his hands in his pockets and walked away, though not in direction of the shopping district.
There is one thing that could be said about the eldest daughter of the Aoyama family: she was never easily surprised. Having familiarized herself with things that most people didn't even think existed, she was hardly ever shocked by mundane things.
That was, of course, not a rule as the current scene in front of her was absolutely extraordinary while at the same time being completely common. There wasn't anything out of the ordinary in a young woman walking side by side with a young man, after all. That is, if said woman wasn't her younger sister, which was known for having very little tolerance for the opposite gender.
She couldn't believe her eyes when, having just turned a corner on her way to the Hinata-sou, she saw her little sister wave to a man, of all people, and then join him and walk away together. Without even noticing she kept following them at a distance, too far away to hear what they were talking about. She did however notice that there was an atmosphere of peacefulness about Motoko which Tsuruko had never seen around her younger sister.
Even though Motoko had been sent away from home to gather experience on the world outside the boundaries of their family, which lived mostly detached from the rest of society, she never expected her sister to move past her issues entirely.
She certainly had hoped that being forced to live among stranger would have taught her that her prejudices about men were mostly unfounded, though she did understand why she had grown to think in such manner, but she never thought she would have been able to be this relaxed around a man.
Furthermore there was no indication of such a change when they last spoke at the phone, a little over a month earlier. In fact her subtle prodding on the subject had clearly reveled that Motoko had in fact not budged in the slightest from her ideas.
She found a partial answer when, having come across other passerby, Motoko still shied away from men who got too close. It wasn't all that evident, but it was clear in her body language that she was still wary of the opposite gender, especially when she didn't react in the same away when another woman was close by.
And yet she had no such a reaction in regards of the closest man around. She in fact seemed to inch toward him a bit more every time they came across other passerby of the same gender as him.
It was a bit of a disappointment, but at the same time a mischievous part of her grinned inwardly. Could it be that this mysterious man had managed to melt the ice that cased young Motoko's heart? Could the power of love have managed to at least create a path for this man to sneak past her defenses?
This was a matter that required an intense investigation. Who was he? Where did he live? How did he come across Motoko and more than anything else how did he manage to survive long enough to get her sister to see him in a positive light? She needed answer, no, she demanded them.
She kept following them, making a point to remain out of sight. It would do no good to reveal herself at that point. She had no leverage over that man to demand any answer out of him and she knew her sister well enough: she'd close tighter than an oyster if she approached the topic directly and without any sort of incriminating proof.
For this reason, when they split up at the stair she knew to lead to the dorm, she opted to follow the man, barely noticing the oddity of the exchange of bags. If they were for the dorm, why did he have them in the first place? Perhaps he worked as a delivery man? Is that how he got to meet Motoko?
That was rather… lame, but then again who was she to judge her sister preferences? Nevertheless, she had to follow him. If he returned to his store she could at least learn where he worked and perhaps his name.
For well over ten minutes she walked behind him, stalking him all the way to a park. Strange, she mused, wasn't he going back to his workplace? Then maybe he had already finished his shift and was now going back home. Even better, she could pry his name from his doorbell or the letterbox, and then she would confront her sister with that knowledge. Either way she would get the answers she wanted.
At one point he turned right past a cluster of trees, disappearing from view. Quickly and without making any sort of noise she reached the intersection and poked her head past the leafy obstacle. She had but a moment to realize that he was nowhere in sight anymore, even though the pathway between trees extended for at least a hundred meters without no visible places to hide short of diving between the bushes.
She didn't even get the chance to contemplate the possibility of such a thing that a shiver went down her spine and the hair on the back of her head stood up in alarm.
He was, she knew without a doubt, standing right behind her.
She didn't turn and he didn't speak out.
Silence stretched as she felt his eyes dig holes into the back of her head.
"Stalking people around is usually considered a bit rude," a steel-like voice said. "May I ask who are you and for what reason you've been following me?"
A hint of shame and embarrassment crawled up her visage. He was correct, she had to admit, that following him for no apparent reason was not just a bit, but a lot rude. She felt even more embarrassed that he managed somehow to slip past her guard and caught her unaware. Granted, she wasn't even keeping her guard up against such things but it still hurt her pride.
Not that she would show all this outwardly, of course. She was better than that.
"Just as rude as asking someone else's name without introducing oneself," she said stopping her hand which was already reaching for her sword out of instinct.
An amused snort came as response, as well as the ominous pressure of his presence disappearing. He had taken a step back.
As slowly as possible, without looking awkward, she turned to look at her quarry turned hunter. Upon seeing him, she blinked. Did… did she knew him from somewhere? That seemed to be the case for she saw a spark of recognition on his face as well. Those gold eyes were most peculiar, so- .
Wait a minute, wasn't he...?
"Well, if it isn't the tiger's little cub."
Motoko went to the kitchen and dropped the bags on the counter. She could tell there was something wrong. Though Emiya had not said a word and pretended to be his usual self, Motoko had detected a slight stiffening in his posture when they were about to reach the flight of stairs to the dorm. Something had put him on his guard but she did not dare to ask what it was.
For a moment she entertained the thought to refuse his request to go back without him, but she reconsidered immediately. For one thing he could handle himself better than she could, and even if something came up he couldn't deal with alone, without a sword she was just a liability. So she played nice and acquiesced with his polite request.
She started to put each item from the bags in its proper place, all the while wondering what could have caused Emiya to behave like that. She hadn't perceived anything out of the ordinary, which meant that if he did than it was already something beyond her skill level.
She found herself being worried, though she was quite aware of how strong he actually was. Then her feeling shifted to surprise. Worry? Since when did he become someone she would be worried for? She certainly respected him, both as a person and a sword user but did she even really care about what could happen to him?
No, it couldn't be like that. She probably just didn't want him to die before she had the chance of restoring her honor and then measure herself against him again. Yes, that was more like it.
Her train of thought was halted a few minutes later, when she heard the front door slide open. She went to see if everything was alright with him and on the way there she heard Kitsune's voice.
"Oh? Who's your guest, Shirou-kun? Another friend from back home has come to visit?"
So he was with someone, Motoko mused. Was this person the one who caused him to react like that? She reached the entrance and poked her head from around the corner. In the span of a moment her feeling shifted several time.
Relief washed away the slight worry she had for him, when she saw he was uninjured.
Relief went back to worry, when she saw the look on his profusely sweating face.
Worry became dread when her eyes fell on his companion.
"A-aneue," she stuttered, dumbstruck.
"Hello Motoko. I see that you have been well."
Oh, no. Oh, no-no-no. This was a disaster. Why was she here? She couldn't have a worse timing.
"Aneue, what are you doing here?"
"Hm, Is it wrong for an older sister to visit her younger sibling? It's been a while since we last spoke, even more since we last saw each other. I missed you."
"Oh," Motoko deflated. "I- I missed you too aneue."
"And I was also a little worried," the eldest Aoyama continued. Motoko didn't miss her mischievous tone and cringed. "Imagine my surprise when I saw you walk side by side with this man earlier," she tapped Emiya's head with the hilt of her blade. The kanrinin didn't react doing his absolute best to look elsewhere and pretend he wasn't even there, bullets of sweat running down his face. What had her sister done to make him cower like that? "Imagine my shock when he told me he's your new dorm manager."
"Ah, well, I suppose…"
"And I couldn't help but wonder why my little sister didn't think of informing me of such a clamorous event. Why Motoko, one would think you were trying to hide your boyfriend from me."
"BOYFRIEND?! It's not like that, Tsuruko-nee!" Motoko and Emiya both shouted at once. Wait…
"E-Emiya-san, why did you just address my sister like that?"
"Ah! Eh! Well…"
"Ara, Shirou-chan, how cruel of you," Motoko's sister chuckled. "You never even told Motoko-chan you knew me? I guess it's up to me to make introductions, then. Motoko, this is your adoptive older brother Shirou-chan."
"Ah, uh, eh," Motoko elaborated loquaciously. "WHAT?!"
Half an hour later
"Bwahahahah!" Kitsune roared in laughter, holding her sides. Even the other tenants, who gathered to greet Motoko's sister and drink tea, were snickering at her tale. "Did he really say that?"
"Oh yes," Tsuruko confirmed, "even back then Shirou-chan was so polite. You wouldn't have said he was the younger one between them."
"Comparing my level of maturity with Taiga's isn't really a fair measuring stick," Shirou grumbled, shaking his head. "Besides, you should have known better than to answer to her provocations."
"Well, she should have known better than to accept my challenge. Too bad we never got to see how the match would have played out."
"S-so," Kitsune breathed. "So you actually bet ownership of Shirou as a little brother on the result of the duel?"
"Yes, she was so certain of her victory that she didn't even think twice about it. Then she got herself disqualified for having a tiger-shaped strap on her shinai before we even managed to cross swords. It was a victory for me by default and while it had not been a duel…"
"You had Shirou call you Tsuruko-nee for the rest of their permanence at tournament. Oh, that must have been priceless."
"It was. You should have seen how he squirmed and blushed every time he had to address me. It was like being anything but absolutely polite was a struggle for him. He used to be so adorable back then that I really wanted to take him home with me."
Shirou on his part could only re-enact those moments and blush in embarrassment. Yes, he could still remember those days with absolute clarity.
Aoyama Tsuruko, Taiga's nemesis at the high school kendo tournament. The opponent she was supposed to face at national competitions.
When he was little, his surrogate sister forced him to be her team's unofficial mascot (read: slave) for the duration of the tournament. There he met Tsuruko, who at the time was already Taiga's bitter enemy, a feeling that probably wasn't reciprocated in the slightest by the far more composed kendoka from Kyoto.
Still, she seemed to take a shine to him, if only because of their mutual exasperation at Taiga's antics. For that reason, in a surreal turn of events and in response to Taiga's constant proclamation of her own certain victory, Tsuruko had baited Fuji-nee into waging ownership of Shirou as 'little brother' in their duel. Shocked by the challenge and dense as she was, she accepted immediately without even asking for a counter-wager.
In the end Taiga was disqualified for forgetting to remove her tiger-shaped good-luck charm from her shinai, so the duel was really took place. However, since Tsuruko had technically won, for rest of the tournament she never let him call her anything else but Tsuruko-nee. Not Tsuruko-san and much less Aoyama-san. Only Tsuruko-nee.
He played along, mostly just to mess around with Taiga who got it coming, but in those the few episodes when his natural politeness kicked in and he slipped in addressing her, her glare forced him to correct himself immediately. He had become so scared of her in those cases that even now he had a Pavlovian reaction to her harsh stare and he couldn't even thinking of her as Aoyama without making a conscious effort. After that he did his best to put the entire episode out of his mind and succeeded, until then.
Only when he saw her again that very same day his mind made the connection, putting two and two together, realizing that the Aoyama Tsuruko he had read about within Shisui was in fact the same person he met so many years ago.
"I see," Motoko nodded, sitting at his side. She looked rather tense, for reasons unknown but the shock of being 'siblings' of sorts seemed to have sent her thoughts in a different direction. Of course, realizing that it was only a game of teasing for her older sister and they were not actually related had put her to ease. "You are a disciple of the Tiger of Fuyuki; my sister's rival. No wonder you're so skilled with a sword."
Shirou snorted in actual amusement. "No way. I never learned how to hold a blade from Taiga."
"You haven't?"
"Hm? What are you two talking about?" Tsuruko asked. "Shirou, have you turned to kendo as well?"
"Not exactly," he scratched his head. "Let's just say I recently found a new interest in swords."
"Wait, uh," Motoko stammered. "What do you mean just recently? How long have you been practicing with a sword?"
"Well, it's been five years, give it or take it a few months."
"Five years? Just five years?" Motoko whispered, totally dumbstruck. She had been practicing her entire life.
"That means that you really abandoned the bow, Shirou? That is a real shame."
"Uh, you knew about that, Tsuruko-nee?"
"Of course," she laughed, covering her smile with the sleeve of her kimono. "Far from me to forget about my little brother's endeavors. I followed your short but brilliant career until you quit."
"Ah, wait a moment aneue, Emiya-sa-ahhh," Motoko tried to say, but a harsh glare from Tsuruko halted her in her tracks. "I-I mean Shirou onii-san," cue Kitsune rolling on the floor laughing at Motoko's ferocious blush, which she ignored at best as she could. "What do you mean when you speak about bow and arrow?"
"Oh, Shirou-chan didn't tell you?" Tsuruko chuckled. "My, my, Shirou, you were always the humble one aren't you?"
"It has been years and it wasn't a big deal to begin with," Shirou snorted.
"Not a big deal, you say?" Tsuruko cocked her head to the side, amusement etched on her face. "You just keep proving my point. Have you not won the national tournament of kyuudou when you were just a first year student in high school?"
"Like I said, it wasn't a big deal," he retorted looking to the side, scratching his head and blushing sheepishly.
"I can see you still don't know how to properly handle praises, yet," the eldest Aoyama laughed musically. "You were such a promise in the field that you already had scouts watching over you. I can still remember your club mate, that… Mitsuzuri if I'm not mistaken, saying that you never missed a target."
"Wait, wait, wait, how do you know Mitsuzuri? Did you meet her?"
"Not at all. I just happen to have been watching the competitions on television and I followed the interviews afterward. Had I not seen it with my own eyes I would not have easily believed such a claim, but you did in fact hit the target with absolute accuracy every time. I don't know how many other kyuudouka have a one hundred percent hit rate and at such a young age to boot."
"Now, you're making it sound far too outlandish than it actually was. It's not like I was born knowing how to hold a bow, you know? I had to learn like everybody else. Of course I missed the target more than once."
"Of course you did," she nodded sagely, "and what after you learned how to properly hold a bow?"
"…," Shirou kept his mouth shut. He could lie, of course, but it was never his forte and the cunning Tsuruko would see right through his cheap deceptions. "Never once."
"Just as I thought. You could have easily gone to the Olympics, even win the gold with skills like yours."
The outrageous claim was met with a stunned disbelief. Even Kitsune was at loss for words, staring at Shirou with wide eyes.
"It's… really not a big deal," Shirou muttered.
"How is it not a big deal?" Narusegawa spoke for the first time after the introductions, holding her head between her hands as if she was trying to grasp the notion. She then stood up, slammed both hands on the table and glared at him. "This is the Olympics we're talking about: a worldwide competition. How can you say it wasn't a big deal? For that matter why did you even stop practicing it?"
"I, uh," Shirou stuttered, taken aback by her vehemence. "I had a hundred percent precision rate."
"So?" her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "That's it? That's your reason for quitting? What made you even think it was a good reason?"
"I couldn't improve anymore," he explained simply. "No matter how hard a shot was I never missed the target. For all intents and purposes, pardon the arrogance, my kyuudou is flawless. There was no reason for me to stick with something that had no room for improvement. It would have been a waste of time."
"A waste… a waste of time, he says," Narusegawa muttered, sitting back in her chair.
"I didn't start practicing kyuudou for the competition anyway. I was interested in its philosophy more than anything else."
"Philosophy?" Shinobu cued in and Shirou nodded.
"To make it simple, kyuudou teaches to become one with the arrow and, through it, with the target. Essentially its purpose is to bring into reality the result of 'hitting the target' that the kyudoka sees in his mind. It was a method to sharpen my mind more than a sport or anything else. Once I could make the image into reality every single time there was no need to limit this ability to the archery stage, so I moved onto other things."
A stunned silence fell upon the room. Even the heir to the Shinmei-ryu had no words for a while.
"I have revaluated you, Shirou-chan. You have always been a diamond in the rough but you've polished yourself far more than I thought possible. Though you should really have more pride in your abilities."
"I- Uh. I had help," he said sheepishly, embarrassment for all the praises and the attention getting to him once again, now that his lecture had ended.
"Of course you did," Tsuruko nodded sagely. "That's it. Motoko-han, Shirou-chan, I approve of your relationship. You have my blessing."
"We are not like that!" the chagrined duo replied in unison.
"Ah, but Shirou-chan, if you were to marry Motoko then you'd really become my otouto."
"I appreciate the thought," Shirou sweat dropped, "but I never expressed the wish to become your otouto, did I?"
"I can see that your character has not improved at all over the years," the elder Aoyama shook her head. "Poor Fujimura-san must be heartbroken for such an uncouth little brother."
"Even if that was the case," Shirou snorted, "it would be nothing more than she deserves."
"ACHOOOO!" Taiga sneezed loudly at the table in the living room of the Emiya household.
"Are you coming up with a cold at this time of the year, Taiga?" Rider asked worriedly, sipping a cup of tea.
"Nah. This is someone badmouthing me," she sniffed. "This feeling… it must be Shirou."
"You can tell just by that?" the Heroic Spirit said in amazement.
"Of course," the resident tiger confirmed oddly proud with herself. "This warrants a punishment. Rider, when Shirou comes visit you'll help me hold him still, alright? You can tie him with a rope or something."
"But of course," Rider nodded. Hmmm… tying Shirou. Ropes, chains or maybe silk? Where had she put that ball-gag and the whip last time she used them? Better find them soon. Just in case.
"Shirou, are you feeling alright?" Tsuruko inquired. "You have paled all of a sudden."
"I… I'm fine, thank you. It's just…for a moment I had this dreading feeling of foreboding, like someone had walked on my grave or something."
"You say the silliest things sometimes. Well then, Motoko-han what do you say if we take a dip in the hot springs together? That is if the landlord has no objections."
"No, not at all. Make yourself at home. If you wish to spend the night here I'll have a room ready for you."
"Thank you for the hospitality then."
The women stood and left for the hot-springs, leaving Shirou to ponder about the recent conversation.
"Pride in my ability, uh?"
Half an hour later
Motoko was soaking up with her sister and the other girls inside the hot springs. The conversation idled for a while on the subject of their kanrinin but seeing how even Tsuruko knew very little about his personal life they soon moved to other topics.
Mitsune however only half listened to the casual discussion. Her mind was busy adding even more questions to the growing list that Shirou had to his name.
This guy just wasn't normal. He was hard working, fairly talented in most fields and a genius in some others. Just recently he discovered to be part of a very wealthy family and that he owned the inn he was currently living in. Apparently he was in also in a form of relationship with a foreign supermodel and he had traveled the world on his own for some years.
Yet, in spite of all these particular traits he showed no interest in talking about himself, downplaying his own accomplishments. There was just so much that natural humbleness could justify and the thought of him being insecure was laughable, at best.
No, his attempts to pass unnoticed meant a single thing for the resident fox woman: he was trying to hide something. What it was, she didn't know, but her curiosity was perked now more than ever and she would go to the bottom of the mystery that was Emiya Shirou at all costs.
Later, after dinner, when the tenants returned to their respective rooms, Tsuruko joined Motoko in hers, having refused politely to have an entire room prepared for a single night.
Upon entering, Tsuruko noticed that Motoko's room was well kept and clean, as expected from the self-disciplined Motoko. There was however something off about her sister, Tsuruko noticed, as well with the room itself.
"Would you mind telling me what's eating you up, Motoko?"
"W-what do you mean aneue?" the younger sibling stuttered, not turning to meet her eyes.
"You have been tense this whole time since I arrived. If such a thing was possible I would think you were afraid of me. Have I done something to upset you perhaps?"
"Not at all. I just have a lot on my mind, that's all."
"Hmm," Tsuruko mused, "Is there anything I can help you with?"
"Thank you aneue," Motoko finally smiled, "but it is fine. It's something I need to sort out by myself."
"Very well. I can understand that," she nodded. Then her warm smile turned mischievous once more. "Then how about telling me what happened with Shirou? Seeing you so close to a man without being on your guard surprised me a great deal. How did he accomplish something that your family failed to do for years?"
"I-It's nothing like what you are suggesting," Motoko blurted, completely flustered. "Emiya-san merely helped me confront my issues."
"Yes, I could see that, what I'm wondering is how he did that."
"I… I would rather not talk about it," the younger Aoyama replied, looking at her feet.
"Motoko," Tsuruko continued, suddenly completely serious, "while I may like Shirou as a person you are my sister first. If he has done anything to hurt you…"
"It's not like that, aneue. It really isn't. Emiya-san and I did not start of the best of terms, that is undoubtedly true, but he really helped me in many instances and he has been very patient with me."
"If that is the case, then I will push this subject no further," Tsuruko conceded, her frown softening, "though it seems I that have to thank Shirou-chan for having taken care of you."
"Aneue, you just want to embarrass me," Motoko actually pouted.
"Well, yes, just a little bit," the eldest sister admitted. "It's unusual to see you expose your emotions beside anger so openly. Every time anyone poked fun at you for a reason or another you went right for your…"
Tsuruko trailed off, eyes widening slightly. She looked around the room, her mind finally understanding what was missing in Motoko's most personal space.
"A-aneue?"
"Motoko-chan, I can't see a sword in this room, not even Shisui. It's not like you to keep it anywhere but in plain sight. Where is it?"
"… lost it," Motoko muttered under her breath, staring intently at her feet.
"I'm sorry? I'm afraid I missed that. For a moment I thought you said you lost it."
"I- I... I'm sorry aneue."
When Shirou found out, earlier that day, that Tsuruko was Motoko sister he more or less expected a certain kind of development. Even though he interacted with the elder Aoyama sister for a handful of days in the past he more or less figured that underneath her calm and composed exteriority she was just as passionate and strong headed as Motoko was. It was probably the reason why she could never just ignore Taiga's antics and provocations, dragging him in that ridiculous bet between them.
So, when he heard the door to Motoko's room slide open with a bit more force than needed, he already knew what was about to come. He calmly put the last dish in the washer, removed his gloves, hanged his apron near the sink and stepped out of the kitchen just in time to see Tsuruko come down the stairs.
There was a sense of determined purpose about her and no sign of the cheerful if dignified demeanor she usually exposed. This wasn't the woman who tangled with Taiga but the heir to the Shinmei-ryu on official business.
"Aoyama-san," Shirou spoke formally, "I believe there is something we should discuss."
His obvious awareness of the situation as well as his way to address Tsuruko seemed to give the swordswoman pause, seeing that she slowed down, relaxing slightly. A thin, dangerous smile appeared on her lips.
"Indeed, I believe we should, Emiya-san. It has come to my attention that there has been an altercation between you and my sister. She was not really forthcoming with the details, but I understand that you have taken Shisui away from her. Would you mind explaining me the circumstances that brought this forth?"
"I'm not really sure of what I should say nor what I could say without addressing your sister's private businesses. We had our differences and she decided that a duel was a good way to settle them. She waged her sword on it and lost."
"You are even less forthcoming that she was Emiya-san. What you told me is more or less what I surmised from my talk with Motoko, though she added the detail that you saw her unfit to hold a sword and that she should have rather lived as a woman."
"… I can't say that is false," Shirou replied steely. "The question now is: what do you plan to do about it, Aoyama Tsuruko-san?"
"Will you return Shisui to my sister?" Tsuruko inquired, her fingers caressing the hilt of her own sword.
"I don't believe it's yet the time for her to have it back," he shook his head. "She's still lacking something."
"That thing being?" the swordswoman arched an eyebrow.
"A reason to hold a sword that isn't hiding from her fears. A kendoka whose grip is slacking will eventually cut themselves and those around them."
Tsuruko's shoulders lost a bit of her tension and a small sigh escaped her lips.
"I cannot fault that logic," she admitted begrudgingly. "But I cannot simply accept that a person outside the family would pass judgment upon my sibling's resolve, without testing their resolve myself either. Emiya Shirou, I, Aoyama Tsuruko hereby challenge you to a duel for the ownership of Shisui."
Shirou arched an eyebrow, tilling his head slightly; the faintest of smirks playing across his lips. "I'm not Taiga, Aoyama-san. You must make a counter-wager if you want me to bet something I currently own."
"I had honestly hoped you would have fallen for the same trick," Tsuruko smiled, "but I don't have anything you might want in exchange of Shisui."
"Then I'm afraid I can't accept your duel, Tsuruko-nee. I'm sorry," Shirou bowed.
"There is no reason for you to apologize," she said putting a hand on his shoulder. "If anything, it is I who should be sorry for trying to force you into something like this. However Shirou, as a personal favor I have to ask you to return Shisui either way. It's a precious family heirloom."
"I can't really do that either," he replied firmly, straightening up. "I will gladly return it to Motoko when the time has come, but I won't hand it over to anyone else. Motoko wouldn't want that and Shisui as well wishes to return to her alone."
"Shisui? What do you mean by that?"
"Let's just say that no one understands swords as I do, Tsuruko-nee."
"Very well then. I don't have the right to push this matter with you, but I'm afraid that I will have to inform my elders of this development. A formal duel that resulted in the loss of one of our most precious heirlooms will have consequences in our family."
"Will there be troubles for Motoko?" he asked, unable to hide his usual worry for other people.
"You are surprisingly worried for someone so uncooperative, and yes, there's probably going to be trouble for my imouto. An Aoyama is expected to possess a certain amount of self-restraint. Losing an important heirloom in a duel over something trivial will most likely result in a form of punishment."
"Aneue," Motoko called from the stairs, having joined the scene without them noticing. "I'm sorry for disappointing you."
"I'm not disappointed, Motoko," Tsuruko confessed turning to her sister. "I'm just sad that it took something like this to help you start moving past your fears, had I known what would've happened…"
"It would have done no good, aneue," the younger Aoyama shook her head. "I needed to have my eyes opened forcibly. Losing my sword was what I needed no matter how shameful it is."
"… You have grown Motoko. Now, let us go back to your room... Tomorrow morning I will have to return home and report this event. Shirou, my family will not let go of Shisui very easily. You can be certain that someone will be sent to persuade you to return it. It might even be me."
"Will this persuasiveness put anyone at risk beside me?" he asked.
"And if it were to be so?" she arched an eyebrow.
"Then I'm afraid whoever comes searching for Shisui will discover that I can be just as persuasive." AS he said so his posture, neutral until that point, shifted slightly and became exceedingly menacing, though only an expert would have been able to tell the difference.
In spite of the obvious threat, Tsuruko actually smiled and ushered Motoko toward their shared room, disappearing up the stairs.
When they were out of sight Shirou allowed himself to relax and sighed. As expected nothing is ever simple when helping people out.
Unbeknownst to the involved parties, a minuscule, wireless camera observed everything from a small hole in one of the wooded pillars. It was almost invisible to the naked eye, hidden in the many imperfection of the old wood.
Quietly and undetected it transmitted the entire exchange to one of the other rooms. There, in complete silence a person watched, as she usually did, observing the oddity that was Shirou Emiya. From day one there had been something wrong about him, something entirely out of place.
She didn't know what exactly, but she would keep watching until she knew exactly what it was.
The night passed and morning came. Tsuruko ate breakfast along with everyone without anything to give away the exchange of the previous evening. Only a slight downcast look on Motoko's face gave away that not everything was right, but apparently the tenants chalked it up to the resident Aoyama already missing her older sister.
When everything was said and done she packed what little luggage she had brought with her, thanked for the hospitality and left with a bird crane that swooped on her shoulder like it was the most natural thing.
Everyone went about their business after that, leaving only Shirou and Motoko to look in the direction where the eldest Aoyama had disappeared, beyond the stairs the led to the city.
"Are you afraid, Aoyama-san?" he asked when everyone was out of earshot.
"I am," she admitted, almost offhandedly, "but I won't let that rule me any longer, Whatever happens, I'll face it with my head high. And I… I will find my reason to hold a sword again."
"I'll be looking forward to that," he smiled and then returned inside the inn, leaving behind a young woman with a troubled future ahead.
An entire week passed without calls or visits from Kyoto and Shirou allowed himself to distance his thoughts from Motoko's situation. To be honest he had plenty on his mind of his own since getting into Tokyo University was a difficult task without additional worries from third parties, therefore with the exception of his morning routine and his tasks as kanrinin he was hardly seen out of his room.
It was therefore surprising how he was not even inside the dorm when the situation snowballed.
The phone rang one morning and Shinobu, who was nearby, picked it up. Actually Mitsune was closer, but the vulpine woman had no intention to move from where she was watching horse races on TV.
"Emiya-san, there's a call for you," the petite girl announced. Unbeknownst to her, the fox's ears perked up.
"At this hour? Who could it be?" the redhead wondered, coming out of his room. With a grateful nod he took the receiver from Shinobu's hand and put it to his ear. "Emiya speaking."
Still pretending to pay attention to the race Kitsune watched, from the corner of her eye, Shirou's posture shift and his eyes harden. For over two minutes he didn't say anything, not even a word of greeting. For a moment Kitsune thought he had been put on hold.
"I've got it," he finally said, glancing at his wristwatch. "I'll be ready in one hour."
Then without another word he closed the conversation and returned to his room. Not five minutes later he came out again, carrying a relatively big backpack.
"Konno-san, Shinobu-san. I'll be leaving until tomorrow, maybe until the day after."
"Did something happen, Emiya-san?" Shinobu asked worriedly, walking out from the kitchen.
"Not at all," he replied walking toward the exit. "I own a favor to a couple of people and they asked for my help with a job. It's a bit of a short notice but I really couldn't say no. Please take care of yourselves in my absence."
"Where exactly is that you're going, Shirou-kun?" Kitsune asked with half-opened eyes, trying her best to hide her curiosity.
"I'm not exactly sure, but it shouldn't be really far. Someone is going to be picking me up at the train station in less than an hour"
"But...What kind of job is it anyway?" she inquired further.
"Definitively some menial manual tasks," he laughed. "They never call me for the complex stuff anyway. I really got to, now. See you in a couple of days."
"Goodbye and take care, Emiya-san," Shinobu waved as he disappeared down the stair.
"Yeah, take care," Kitsune agreed half-heartedly, mulling over the last strange ten minutes as well as Shirou's very odd behavior. She was sure he was lying or at least being willingly elusive. She wanted to follow him but that didn't work out well in the past. Besides she didn't own a car, so trailing him gods knew where was out of the question as well.
She had to sit back and gather information on her own before trying to wiggle anything out of him directly. As usual, a reporter's job was ninety percent patience.
"Where's Emiya-san?"
At dinner, Motoko joined the other tenants at the table, immediately noticing the absence of the only male allowed on the hallow grounds of the Hinata-sou.
"He had to leave suddenly for a couple of days. He was called this morning for a job by someone he owed a favor."
"I see," she acquiesced. "Well then, Ittadaki-"
TOK! TOK! TOK!
A loud knocking at the entrance cut Motoko's sentence short.
"Who could it be at this hour?" Shinobu wondered, standing up to answer the door. Motoko watched the younger girl walk to the entrance and she heard the door slide open as well as unintelligible words being exchanged. A moment later she returned.
"Motoko-senpai, there are visitors for you,"
A feeling of dread settled into her stomach as she stood up. She didn't ask who it was, as she had been waiting for something like this to happen. She wasn't therefore surprised when she found her sister, flanked by two men with a katana at their sides, waiting for her in the entry hall.
"Aneue," she greeted.
"Imouto… it's time to come home."
There was a sad finality to Tsuruko statement. It was all the confirmation Motoko needed to realize that the time of respite had ended and that she could no longer pretend that everything was fine. It was time to go back… to him.
Her body trembled and a single bead of sweat ran down her face. She closed her eyes and balled her shaking fists.
She couldn't face that. She had to run way. As far and as fast as she possible could. She had to-
'Women are strong.'
Motoko's eyes snapped open, a single thought cutting through the fog of her fear. A sentence that had struck her for its sincerity and the conviction it carried. Women are strong and she would live as one.
Her breath evened, her panicked heartbeat slowed. She unclenched her fists and stared at her sister squarely in the eyes.
"I'm ready."
No, she wasn't but she knew that there was no longer any chance to postpone the inevitable. If only her eyes had been opened sooner then perhaps she would have truly been strong as she needed in that moment, but there was no use or sense in dwelling with what-ifs. It was time to step forward in spite of everything else and finally take her like her hands.
No matter what it meant.
XXX