Black vs. White (I)
Kanako's arrival marked the start of a change for Shirou.
His newfound sister - and technically fiancée- glued herself to him whenever he wasn't busy studying or performing his duties as dorm manager.
Shirou wouldn't have minded much if not for the fact that, for some reason, whenever that happened Shinobu would appear out of nowhere and joined them. In addition, Motoko would usually hover not too far away from them, practicing with the sword or reading her textbooks.
Kaolla would ambush him with one of her inventions every time there he left himself open. By their agreement, she wouldn't do so indoors, but whenever he was coming or going from the main building he would have to wade through a hail of rubber bullets and heat-seeking missiles. It was good exercise and he didn't mind as long as she didn't break anything or hurt anyone, though he was fairly sure her inventions were in violation of several international laws.
Narusegawa was still quite disgruntled about the thing with Kanako, but she seemed to accept that it wasn't really any of her business and decided to pay it no mind.
That, of course, changed the next morning, when Shirou woke up as early as usual, only to find someone sharing his futon.
At first his brain didn't register anything out of place with that. It wasn't the first time he woke in such circumstances, but as his mind processed the memories from the previous night, he distinctly recalled going to sleep alone. Furthermore, none of the women he was intimate with should have been anywhere near the Hinata-sou.
That alone would have sent alarms blaring in his heads, but it got worse when her recognized the person nestled into his arms.
The sudden tensing of his body seemed to wake the intruder and she cracked her eyes open as she looked sleepily up to him.
"... Good morning, Onii-sama."
"K-K-Kanako…?"
She sat up, causing the covers roll down, revealing to him her choice in nightwear.
A faintly see-through black negligee with ribbons in lieu of straps.
A black negligee under which she didn't seem to be wearing much if anything.
"-!" Shirou bit down the shrill scream that threatened to escape his throat because if anyone came looking for the cause, he would certainly die. Of shame, at least, even if his tenants would no longer try to kill him over it.
"Is something the matter, Onii-sama?" she asked innocently, shifting closer to him, making Shirou crawl back and out of his futon.
"Kanako," he replied in an uncomfortably high-pitched voice, "what are you doing in my bed wearing that stuff?"
She tilted her head. "Do you like it? I made it myself."
"Yes- No- Yes. That's not the point. You shouldn't wear something like that at all!"
"Oh! I'm sorry. I won't wear it for bed next time."
"Th-Th-That's not what I was getting at," he protested. "You shouldn't be sneaking into a man's bed in the first place. The clothing is just adding fuel to the fire."
"I'm not sure I understand, Onii-sama. If you wish for me to be naked that is no problem at all," she said as she started slipping out of her negligee.
"Kanako! Stop stripping right this moment," he commanded, using all the authority he could muster. Which admittedly wasn't much in that situation. "I'm quite sure you are not unaware about the impropriety of sneaking into a man's bed at night. Your clothing is the least of the problems."
"I'm not sneaking in just any man's bed. I'm sneaking into my fiancée's," she replied as it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Even so, it's still wrong," he objected. "Now, please, cover yourself."
"You don't like me after all," she said dejectedly, dropping her head.
"Kanako." he sighed, "if I didn't think you were extremely pretty I wouldn't be as uncomfortable as I am right now."
She looked up with a flicker of hope in her eyes. "Do you mean it?"
"Yes! Now, please, get dressed. Do it for me."
"Alright!" she replied cheerfully. "If that's what you want, Onii-sama."
Under Shirou's horrified stare, she stood up and ran out of the room, still wearing only her negligee. Knowing his luck, he wasn't surprised when he heard a tray hitting the ground not too far from his room.
Fixing his clothes, Shirou looked into the corridor and found exactly what he expected to find: Maehara Shinobu, frozen in place with a shell-shocked expression on her face.
Not too far behind her stood Konno Kitsune, which looked like she was just coming back from her work trip. Her eyes were uncharacteristically wide, and her mouth was gaping visibly.
There was no doubt in Shirou's mind. This building was cursed to make his interactions with the opposite gender more complicated than they already were.
Sighing, he went to get dressed for the day ahead. He would no longer allow his luck - whether good or bad - to interfere with his schedule.
Of course, whether or not the rest of the tenants would follow the same policy was another matter altogether.
On cue, Naru's voice echoed through the building.
"EMIYAAAAA!"
Just another day at the Hinata-sou.
After getting changed into something proper, Kanako returned to Shirou's room only to find him gone.
She had already become familiar with his routine after following him around for days, so she knew exactly where to find him.
In the dojo. With that girl. Aoyama Motoko.
Kanako refused to address her with the name of Emiya. In doing so she would be acknowledging their closeness and Kanako had no intention to even hint about approving of such a thing.
She saw how the sword-maiden looked at her Onii-sama and she could recognize a competitor when she saw one.
She had no idea how Motoko had come to bear his name, but that was already getting close to him more than Kanako was comfortable with.
However, it didn't seem that Aoyama understood her own heart, as she made no move to express her affection.
The only thing she seemed to care for was for him to beat her mercilessly with his stick every day.
...Clever girl. To go at such lengths for the sake of making a simple innuendo. Kanako had clearly underestimated her opponent resolve, but if Aoyama thought it would be so easy to seize Onii-sama's heart she had another thing coming.
Still, it would be wise to know her competition better and there was no better source of information about a woman than another woman.
Fortunately, there was no shortage of women familiar with the circumstances.
Kanako would have to interview the tenants. As the future wife of the owner it was simply natural that she would take part in running the family's business.
"So, let me get this straight... she's his sister, but not related by blood and they are engaged to be married?" Kitsune asked.
"Provisionally," Naru nodded. "He says that he wouldn't renege on promise just because he couldn't recall having made it but that they should at least wait and see if they like each other."
Kitsune's head fell and hit the table for the umpteenth time since she had returned earlier.
"You should stop doing that. Your brain is already struggling as it is," Naru suggested with a smirk.
"Gimme me a break," Kitsune moaned with her face still planted on the table. "How unlucky do I have to be that something like this would happen exactly when I'm gone?"
"Well, now you know what happened though."
"Knowing what happened and seeing it happen with my own eyes are completely different things," she explained, as she raised her head.
"You fuss about the weirdest things, but you are a gossip queen."
"Investigative reporter," she corrected.
"Reporter my ass;" Naru snorted. "You investigate only the things that catch your fancy once every blue moon. Besides, I thought you gave up stalking him."
"Puh-lease. I just decided to be smart about it. I know I won't be able to pry anything out of him, so I'll investigate everyone who ever knew him instead."
"He'll be very pissed off if he finds out. Aren't you worried about it?"
"Nah. Under all the layers of badass Shirou is a big softie. He'll forgive me, eventually."
"Before or after he kicks you out of here? Softie or not he's also pretty strict about the rules."
"Ehh, I'll take my chances. Look, this guy he's been all over the world doing stuff he doesn't want to talk about, making a fortune selling archeological artifacts on the black market like a reverse Indiana Jones and then spent everything into who knows what. All of this without considering he's one heir of a multimillionaire conglomerate who went missing for nearly twenty years in tragic circumstances. There is a huge story here waiting to be discovered here and you're out of your mind if you think I would do nothing when it's been basically dropped in my lap."
"I'll give you that he's got an interesting past. Still, you should be careful. He might not do anything drastic but who knows who he's been involved with."
"Well... the Yakuza for starters," Kitsune said casually
"...what?" Naru hissed.
"Yeah. Turns out that when his foster father passed away he was taken in by the Yakuza princess next door, and that he's been their errand guy since he was ten or so."
"Are you sure about this?" Naru inquired.
"Oh, absolutely. He's got a clean record, but I've been to the City Hall. His legal guardian, Fujimura Taiga is the only heiress of the Fujimura Group. A bit of prodding in his old neighborhood confirmed that he often did some things for them."
"He's Yakuza?" Naru asked again in a disbelieving tone.
"I don't think he's officially affiliated. He doesn't have any tattoo on his body," Kitsune observed.
"Even so he's still… wait. How do you know that?"
"He didn't exactly bother getting fully dressed when he came looking for me to help you in the baths," Kitsune replied, wiggling her eyebrows. "Haven't seen that much beef in one place somewhere other than on a cow before."
"Kitsune!" Naru sputtered indignantly, face turning red.
"What? There's nothing wrong with appreciating high-quality meat when I see it. Too bad you don't remember it."
"Kitsune! Do you really have to be such a slut?"
"Do you really have to be such a nun?" she bit back. "Naru, if Shirou tried to hit on me I wouldn't put out right away just because teasing is half the fun."
"Wha-? Do… do you really like him that way?"
Kitsune rolled her eyes. "Jesus, Naru. I don't want to marry him. I just wouldn't mind him nailing me to the wall a couple times... or a coupe dozen. Why are you acting like this? He wouldn't be the first guy I ride and dump."
"I... I'm not sure you should that with him. He... he's not like the others? I don't mean it that way," she clarified seeing Kitsune's smile widen. "We live under the same roof. You can't just hope not to run into him ever again."
"I guess you have a point there," Kitsune conceded reluctantly.
"And he's a Yakuza or at least affiliated with them. Plus, he's been selling historical artifacts on the black market and spent over a billion yen on something he doesn't want to tell," Naru continued to list.
"He can also kick more ass than Bruce Lee on steroids, but he's not a violent person at all," Kitsune counter-argued. "He's trying to get into Toudai, but he can handle himself as a carpenter, plumber, electrician and mechanic."
"He's a decent cook as well," Naru admitted begrudgingly.
"That's putting it mildly," Kitsune snorted. "I'm not trying to sing his praise but holy shit, Naru. Where do guys like that come from? Because I'll move there permanently."
"Alright, alright. I get it," Naru laughed. "Yeah, when you put it like that he must have had a very interesting story to tell."
"Exactly. So, what gives? What pushes someone to achieve so much? He's clearly not doing it for the glory, or to get rich fast and live comfortably. I want to figure it out."
"And maybe getting nailed in the process?"
"I sure hope so, but I don't think my chances look all that good. He's not the kind of guy who has sex for fun."
"He's really not," Naru agreed.
"Oh? Finally got it though your skull that not every guy is out to get you?"
"I already knew that!" Naru snapped. "I just... I don't know how to tell them apart."
"Hey, besides those who are really obvious about it, no one can really tell how anyone's like until they show their true colors. The problem here is that you're afraid."
"Can you blame me? After Seta..."
"Seta made a dick move. I'll give you that, but you aren't without blame either. You took advantage of him when he wasn't in his right mind, Naru. I'm not surprised he freaked out. You both fucked each other up real bad, that's true, but it's time you let it go."
"Easier said than done. I..."
There was a knock on the door.
"Yes?" Kitsune called out.
"Konno-san, do you have time?" Urashima Kanako answered. "I would like to have a word with you."
"Huuh... sure. Just give me a minute. Naru, do you mind?"
"No, I get it. Go ahead and interrogate the newcomer for all she's worth. We'll talk more another time."
"Thank you, Naru."
"I'm the one who should be thankful," she objected as she rose.
She opened the door on her way out and found herself staring into Kanako's eyes. Naru bowed politely and left towards her own room while Kanako stepped inside, closing the door behind her.
"Forgive the intrusion. I don't believe we've been formally introduced. I am Urashima Kanako. I will be taking sharing that management of this dorm with Onii-sama from here henceforth."
'Not to mention taking care of Onii-sama himself,' Kitsune would have wanted to say. "Pleased to make your acquaintance, Urashima-san. I'm Mitsune Konno as you already knew. Please, have a seat. So, what can I do for you today?"
"I simply wish to know the people under my care."
Kitsune gave a smile worthy of her namesake. Before she'd let Kanako leave her room, she would ferret every little piece of information out of her.
Motoko crumpled on the ground in utter exhaustion. Every fiber of her body hurt and even her bones felt like they were threatening to shatter in pieces.
Her heart, however, was filled with satisfaction.
She had made it. For the first time she had kept up with him, at least at the level he had set for her. She barely made it, but she had made it all the same.
"Well done, Motoko," he congratulated.
For a brief moment she completely forgot her own fatigue and smiled. She hadn't known how much she had been seeking this man's approval until she got it.
It was but a small step on a much longer climb, but even the longest journey started with a first step forward.
"Can you walk?" he asked, but Motoko could barely shake her head a little bit, too out of breath to speak words. Forget about walking anywhere.
"Well, I'm a bit in a hurry this morning but I can't just let you here like this. Do you mind if I carry you back to the inn?"
Carry her? Carry her how?
Shirou took her lack of answer as an affirmation and slowly slid an arm behind her knees and one behind her shoulders, lifting her up bridal style.
She was lucky that her heart was already going a mile a minute and her face was flushed from the previous exertion.
"I'm sorry, should I put you back down?"
She shook her head again. After he literally beat her to a pulp every morning and evening, fearing this kind of touch from him would have been ridiculous.
Motoko certainly wasn't scared of him anymore, but she was definitely embarrassed. Still, it wasn't something she couldn't live with for a short while.
Or even a little bit longer, actually.
As a matter of fact, she wouldn't mind staying like that for a while.
However, the inn was just a short walk away from the building they used as a dojo. It took just a couple of minutes at a brisk pace to get there.
Shirou pulled the sliding door open with one foot and entered the foyer of the dormitory, where a few couches were located. A remnant of its time as an actual inn.
He gently lowered her on one of them, a far better place to rest than the wooden floor of the dojo.
"Alright, take your time now. There's something I have to do tonight so I'm not going to make it for the evening spar."
Motoko gave a tiny nod. It was a bit disappointing but at the same time she was looking forward to having one night without feeling like a walking bruise.
"Alright. I'll see you later, then. Shinobu should have breakfast ready in a short while but I'm going to have to skip it. Please, tell her I'm sorry on my behalf."
After she confirmed with another soundless nod, Shirou put on his shoes and left the building in a hurry, leaving Motoko to wonder what had him worried so much.
The change that Shirou noticed was not so much in the interaction with his tenants, but rather outside the Hinata-sou. The city in which the dorm was built was very peaceful and somewhat dormant-feeling.
Hence, when extraneous factors started causing ripples, someone as highly attuned to his surroundings as Shirou would immediately notice.
It happened almost overnight, which is why he didn't miss it. One morning he woke to find that the atmosphere of Hinata city had gone from peaceful to tense, with no apparent reason whatsoever. If it had happened over time, he would have possibly failed to notice it.
It wasn't a pressure that came from anywhere specific, which was fortunate because otherwise it would have meant that some powerful entity had moved in town.
Unfortunately, though, it also meant that he couldn't just pinpoint the cause and knowing his luck the chances that it had nothing to do with him were close to none.
He had made some enemies over the years, stepping on more than a few toes to get things done.
Even if he hadn't, he found out that Kiritsugu had pissed off his own share of influential figures; people that would have no problem in revisiting the grudges they had accrued with the father upon the son.
Basically, there was no shortage of people that wanted him dead.
His luck was that they generally wanted to kill each other too, which was why they didn't just team up against him. At the very least not until this day.
Of course, it remained to be seen whether this was the case or not, but Shirou wouldn't let himself be caught unprepared regardless. His only worry was having the girls caught in the crossfire. If a plot was brewing against him he would have to draw its focus where no one risked being hurt.
Basically, he intended to put into practice the age-old method of springing a trap on those who first laid it. It would require finding out who he was dealing with first and there was no better way to do that than offer himself as bait and see who would follow his scent.
He didn't have to go far to get someone on his trail. As soon as he reached the bottom of the stone stairs from the Hinata-sou to the road below, a man who was sitting on a bench reading a newspaper stood up and started following him.
The stranger wasn't completely obvious about it; therefore, he wasn't an amateur at stalking. However, he was still too close for Shirou not to notice.
Either the man was a decoy, or he had no idea of what Shirou was capable of.
Shirou wasn't sure which was worse. The former made him worry about what the real threat was. The latter forced him to reconsider who the opponent could be.
At the Clock Tower they weren't sure at what distance one would be safe from him. Under Rin's suggestion and for the sake of avoiding unnecessary conflicts he cultivated the impression that there was no such a thing at all.
It wasn't even a lie, to be honest. If Shirou could see his target he could hit it. Distance had long since become irrelevant.
It went a long way to prevent Magi from picking a fight with him. His close association with the Wizard Marshal's apprentice was another thing that gave them pause. No one was quite willing to attract the attention of the Kaleidoscope, even indirectly.
Ultimately though, the best deterrent was the vast array of Noble Phantasm Shirou had at his disposal.
Without exceptions, Magi were inherently dangerous individuals because they could subvert the laws of nature in unexpected ways. However, even they understood that nothing said, "fuck you" quite like several inches of sharp steel to the face. Except maybe for the same amount of steel delivered at high velocity in the shape of a Noble Phantasm.
After the first few after action reports of Dead Apostle hunts came through, Shirou was given a wide berth by most.
Even stubborn, grudge-bearing Magi knew that they shouldn't mess lightly with someone that could turn them into pincushions regardless of how far they ran, or of what kind of mystical defense they could muster.
Worse yet, whereas Emiya Kiritsugu would have just killed them and be done with them, Emiya Shirou would fuck them up and let them live, broken and crying, in the ruins of their own pride.
Shirou's mercy could be a horrible thing to someone who valued their lives far less than their pride and Magecraft.
It was Rin who twisted Shirou's repulsion for killing into such a gloomy reputation and it worked well enough as it had people scrambling out of his way whenever he visited London.
It did however greatly reduce the number of people who would attempt to mess with him, directly or indirectly. He willingly accepted being such a bogeyman because it protected Rin more than it did himself.
If being Zelretch's pupil wasn't enough of a reason not to mess with her by itself, being also the known lover of the Magus Killer certainly did the trick. One might be crazy enough to antagonize either one of them, but definitely not both.
Shirou was aware of all this, therefore he was unsure about the origin of this stalker. He was even more baffled when he spotted several more individuals keeping an eye on him as he went about his business through the city.
What was arguably worse was that they didn't seem to be aware of each other, as they didn't really move to compensate their respective blind spots.
This suggested not one, but at least two parties watching him but unaware of his reputation. Furthermore, they were not so skilled to notice they weren't the only predator chasing this particular prey.
It made no sense whatsoever. The only group he came in contact with recently was the Urashima themselves and his location had been known to them for months now.
Actually... that wasn't necessarily true now that he thought about it. He knew that Granny Hina and Haruka knew, but beyond them he never met anyone else from the family other than Kanako.
Was this about her somehow? About that promise he couldn't remember?
It was mere speculation at this point, but there was the chance of it being the case.
Sadly, he didn't know what the circumstances were here and without any specific urgency pressing on him, Shirou had come to loathe acting without intel.
He would observe his observers and see how they'd act.
Shirou's stroll through the city bore no more fruits. His stalker seemed content to just watch him. Then again, it was the middle of the day therefore any unsavory intention they might have harbored would have to be kept hidden until a better time.
At least he got around to shop for groceries. Kaolla's endless appetite meant that even a fully stocked pantry wouldn't last more than a couple of days.
His pursuers broke off his trail as soon as he started climbing up the stone stairs again, but that was to be expected. The stairs led only to the dormitory and the tea shop. As such, passersby were infrequent at best and even a complete beginner would notice being followed.
He put the matter out of his mind as soon as he stepped inside the inn. He would have to put up a Boundary Field like the one around his house in Fuyuki, which would warn him of any trespassers.
On these grounds he wouldn't be caught unprepared.
A luxurious black car pulled over next to the curb in front of the stone stairs. This kind of vehicle was unusual enough to draw attention from the passersby.
It was even more so when a chauffeur wearing an immaculate black suit and black glassed stepped out, walked around the car and opened the rear door bowing to the passenger inside.
Interest spiked further when said passenger descended.
A doll. There was no other way to describe the creature that that stepped upon the sidewalk.
Japan was home to some of the weirdest things humanity could conceive, which in turn made its inhabitants impervious to most things. However, that snow-like beauty of that young woman was a sight that shook the heart of anyone who saw her.
She paid them no mind, of course. Rather she steadily gazed up towards the top of the stone stairs.
As soon as her chauffeur unloaded her luggage from the trunk, they started climbing up toward the top of the hill.
He was in the middle of preparing lunch when it happened. He and Shinobu were chopping vegetables while the chatted about inconsequential things.
It reminded him of his days with Sakura, before the Holy Grail War came about. A time when he had less blood on his hands and he was largely ignorant of the fearsome creatures that loomed in the Moonlit World.
Things like Demons, Wraiths, Dead Apostles, Heroic Spirits and Counter Guardians.
He met and fought them all, each and every one terrifying in the own way. Eventually, he had grown largely unperturbed and learned how to deal with them with a steady face.
However, there were just some things one just couldn't grow accustomed to in this world.
"Yo, Shirou!" Kitsune called out. "There's a guest for you at the door."
"A guest?" he frowned. He wasn't expecting anyone and with the current situation a visitor might just be an assassin in disguise. He prepared himself, pulling back the hammer of the gun that was the mental trigger for his Circuits.
He left the kitchen and headed toward the foyer, where this guest was waiting for him.
The loud announcement of a guest for the only male residing within the building perked the ears of all the tenants, without exception.
Some like Kitsune, Shinobu Kaolla and Kanako where already in the general vicinity, but it took Motoko very little to approach the scene.
Therefore, no one missed the sight of Emiya Shirou, spinning around with a white-haired girl in his arms, both laughing delightfully. She couldn't be possibly older than fifteen.
"Onii-chan!"
"Illya!" he exclaimed, hugging her close for a moment before lowering her gently on the ground. "You've become even prettier."
"Tehe!" she giggled, blushing faintly. "It's all because of you, Onii-chan."
"I wasn't expecting you," he replied. "Why didn't you call ahead? I would have met you at the airport."
"It was a surprise. Besides, I didn't want to risk you running away from me."
"Why would I ever run away from you?" he laughed, but there was a wary edge to his voice.
"Because I woke up one morning and you were just gone, you dummy!" she said, punching his chest while pouting. "You shouldn't play with a maiden's heart like that."
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" he apologized, holding up his hands in surrender. "But if I saw you I wouldn't have been able to leave, you know?"
"Mou! How am I supposed to be angry with you when you say something like that?"
"I'm all in favor of you not being angry with me," he laughed before pulling her in for another hug. "It's so good to see you again, Illya."
"Hmm," the albino doll agreed, burying her face in his neck.
"Ano... Emiya-san?" Shinobu called out, reminding them that they weren't alone. "Who is this person?"
Shirou slowly detached himself from the young woman.
"Are these the people you're living with now, Onii-chan? Hmm. I see that your standards haven't improved any."
"Excuse me?" Kanako bristled. "Who are you exactly? What is your relationship with Onii-sama?"
"Onii...sama?" she asked slowly, shooting an unamused glance sideways towards Shirou, who pointedly looked away. "Unfaithful," she muttered under her breath, before turning her attention towards the audience.
"I'm Illyasviel von Einzbern," she introduced herself with a curtsy. "I'm Shirou's adoptive sister as well as his betrothed."
There was, of course, one only possible reaction to that revelation.
"WHAAAAAAAAAAT!"
Inwardly, Shirou wept, briefly wondering if Alaya would be willing to get him out of this situation in exchange for his soul in eternal servitude.
It wouldn't, of course. Even a quasi-omnipotent pseudo-deity knew better than unnecessarily sticking its nose around places like the Hinata-sou.
Mankind's collective will to survive might have been mindless, but that didn't mean it was stupid.
Emiya Shirou would have to walk through this particular hell entirely on his own.
XXX
AN: It's been a while since this story last updated but that's the way it is. Anyway, Shirou doesn't have the time to get used to Kanako that Illya comes to fuck things up a little more. And by a little, I mean a lot.
We can also start to see the first threads of the main plotline starting to form. Kanako is very central to it all.
As usual, a huge thanks goes to Obiki Doragon, my beta for his support with both the plot and the grammar.
Don't forget to leave a review. Your thoughts and opinions are always welcome.
Additionally, if you want to support me how about taking a look to my Pat reon? You can read more of my fanfics there and soon even my own original webnovel. If you want to help me transition to full time writing that's the way to do it. Just go over at pat reon [dotCOM] / neoalfa.
I hope to see you there.