Fate/Reach Out

Chapter 6: Welcome to Inaba


Dojima Residence, Inaba

"-The scandal between the two also involves the enka star Misuzu Hiiragi preparing to tour overseas," the news anchorman summed up the top story in a dry tone. "Taro Namatame, a council secretary in the Inaba region, whom she married just last year, is now under suspicion of having an affair."

Ryotaro and Nanako Dojima both sat around their kotatsu set across from their TV. It was more of a common way to pass the time than anything else. The news was one of the few broadcasts they could both watch and enjoy when in each other's company; Ryotaro didn't see much of the appeal in children's anime, and Nanako was too young to watch his favorite dramas.

Still, it was rather shameless how the news media was raving on gossip nowadays. The whole "top story" was something about Namatame having an affair with TV announcer Mayumi Yamano, and caught in the act of cheating on his wife. The reporters were unnaturally vibrant while working on and sharing this story. They were being far too chipper for something that could ruin the reputations of everyone involved. It honestly left the cop with a bad taste in his mouth, and for once it had nothing to do with his cigarettes.

The newspaper in his hand wasn't any better; it also covered the recent scandal for the majority of the print with side interviews and where the scene took place in the words of Hiiragi. She was more than a little outraged over the discovery, and from some of the other stories he heard, the two women got into more than just a verbal scuffle.

Needless to say, Dojima was glad he wasn't in Namatame's shoes.

Deciding to drone out the rest of the news story, he turned towards the clock hanging on his wall. 5 minutes to 6. "Shirou" should be arriving soon.

Nanako looked back to him, noting the direction of his gaze. "Oh! Should we go soon?"

"Yeah, it's just about time," Dojima answered.


Yasoinaba Train

Shirou snapped his eyes open again. Another dream… he mused to himself while he stretched his somewhat stiff legs.

This one wasn't as vivid as with Igor and Margaret's introduction; it was more of a general nightmare. He saw a young, well-dressed woman being pursued by a dark being into a corner of a room. The shadow's hands reached for the woman's neck and choked her. The woman struggled and… that was it.

It happened so fast. Considering how detailed it was, he wasn't even sure if it was a dream. Igor's warning played through his mind before he calmed himself. Maybe I needed this trip more than Taiga thought…he thought as he looked around his current ride.

The train to Yasoinaba was almost empty. The car he was sitting in had only about three other people in it, and the rest of the train was probably no more crowded than that. He knew Inaba wasn't exactly a tourist destination, but he was thinking Dojima-san was being modest when he told him not to expect much. It would no doubt be quieter compared to Fuyuki city… then again, any place Taiga Fujimura lived was lively, so maybe that wasn't the best example.

Outside, Shirou could see the mountains and hills that made up the Yasoinaba valley's walls carpeted with green. The scenery was nice, he had to admit; the view of the mountains in particular was breath-taking, and the land looked rich and abundant. To think this town used to get by mining coal.

"Thank you for riding with us," the intercom chattered cheerfully. "We'll reach our final stop, Yasoinaba Station, momentarily. Please make sure you have all of your belongings before departing the train in an orderly manner."

Shirou reached for his duffel bag above his seat and let a small smile grace his lips. He was finally here, and going to personally meet his relatives. He was nervous, excited and a touch wary, but right now, he was here and as ready as he could ever be for what lay ahead.

A few minutes later, the train came to a stop at the destination. "Yasoinaba. Final stop, Yasoinaba."

So this is it, Shirou thought as he walked out to the station entrance.

Walking outside, he felt himself further surprised by the simplicity of Inaba. Many of the buildings on the street were built out of wood with tiled rooftops. Telephone cables were rooted near each building and coated the sides of the streets with their web. What really stunned him were the roads, marked and wide enough for traffic like in Fuyuki City. Only…

"There's no one here."

His own whisper sounded disturbingly loud to his ears. There were no cars, no bikes… no people. The town around the station, a normally central hub of activity in Japanese cities, was absolutely barren of normal life. In comparison to Fuyuki City, where there was always someone shopping nearby or driving to and from work, Inaba looked like a ghost town.

Shirou felt more than a little nervous. Did I make a mistake? He thought. Did I get the wrong address? Was Fuji-nee wrong?

"Oh, there you are!"

The red-haired teen jumped, surprised to hear a voice coming around the corner. He saw a familiar-looking middle aged man walking up to him from his car. A little girl, likely his daughter, followed close behind.

The man was taller than Shirou by a small margin despite his slight slouch, with dark hair that was starting to go gray cropped short. His job kept him up for long hours with little time for hygiene, so he had a small shadow of rough stubble on his chin and slightly dark eyes, but his keen mind was evident with his subtly piercing gaze. His clothes consisted of a gray button-up shirt and darker gray slacks that looked well-worn without being tacky. He really looked like the detective he was.

"You're more handsome than your photo let on," the man continued with a welcoming half-smile. "You've grown so much since I last saw you. I know I said you could come over, but I'm honestly surprised you did."

Shirou's eyes widened slightly as he recognized the man from Taiga's photo. "Dojima-san?"

"Hey, now," Dojima smiled. "No need to be so formal. You're my nephew, right?"

"Ah, that's true," Shirou nodded. "I'm surprised too, actually. Being here, I mean."

Dojima stared intently at him, as if seeing Yu Narukami as he might have become… if he hadn't became Shirou Emiya. "To think you've survived all this time… I still remember back when I changed your diapers."

Shirou laughed, awkwardly fiddling with his duffel bag. The image of Dojima changing a baby was slightly amusing. "Well, a lot can happen in ten years."

"That it can," he agreed, and a tense silence followed. Dojima frowns. "Listen, I'm... sorry to hear what happened with your family… both of them."

Shirou shook his head. "The fire's not your fault. And dad... well, he went off with a smile at least. I like to think he was content in the end."

Dojima nodded, satisfied. "Ah, well that's something..." He then turned to his daughter hiding behind him. "Nanako, why don't you say hi to your cousin?" he prompted while gently nudging the tiny girl forward.

Nanako gradually parted from her father's leg enough to step up in front of the high school student. With her brown hair done up in a pair of short pigtails and in a knee-length pink and white dress, she kept her head down nervously and squeaked out a barely audible "...lo."

Shirou smiled at her. "Hello, Nanako-chan. It's nice to finally meet you. I'm Shirou Emiya."

"…know," she mumbled softly. "…we talked afore."

Shirou tilted his head and crouched down to meet Nanako's brown eyes. "Hmm? What was that?"

Nanako's face flushed brighter, losing what little courage she had, and hid behind her father again. Her cousin was left confused and slightly concerned. Did I do something wrong?

Dojima leaned back to look at her with teasing smile. "What's wrong? Is he making you blush?" His daughter stiffened, and then quickly slapped his backside in retaliation.

"Ow!" Dojima cringed for a moment before laughing good-naturedly, and Shirou couldn't help but join in. Nanako just squirmed further in embarrassment. She was adorable, and her shyness reminded him a little of Sakura. So this is my cousin…

"Well, no point in standing around here," Dojima shrugged his coat over his shoulder. "We got a lot of catching up to do back home. Is that everything you need?"

"Yes, sir. Just some clothes, tools and school supplies. I believe Fuji-nee mailed some other stuff to you ahead of time?"

"That she did, and they're all in their boxes. You'll have to unpack them and set up the guest room to your taste when we get there. Don't be afraid to ask for help if you need it, though. But first, I need to get some gas in my car."


MOEL Gas Station

Shirou stood awkwardly by the car, passing time by watching the area. Nanako quickly fled to the bathroom and Dojima was taking a smoke break. Since Shirou still didn't know the area, he settled with looking around to see what the town had to offer.

The gas station they were at was a full-service affair that sat next to a string of stores that collectively made Inaba's Central Shopping District. It was once fairly popular, drawing the crowds in with all their family-owned businesses and restaurants, ranging from handmade tofu and models to pharmaceuticals and liquor. This apparently changed when a Junes department store was built to the south of the river, effectively choking the life from the area by pulling customers away from the district. Several shops were already forced out of business by the massive chain store. Shirou had heard all this from Dojima and Nanako over the last few months, the latter especially excited whenever Junes was brought up.

Needless to say, seeing another part of the town just as empty as the train station left Shirou with an unpleasant taste in his mouth.

"So, you're a high school student?" the gas attendant by the Dojima van asked with a soft tenor voice. He sported the red, yellow and white MOEL uniform with a matching hat over short wavy gray hair. He turned his attention from the car to Shirou, looking slightly interested.

Shirou was taken aback by his question, but answered politely anyway. "Y-yes." The attendant was fairly friendly and helpful so far, greeting them enthusiastically and telling Nanako where the bathroom was. There was no reason to be rude.

"I'm surprised to see you come all the way out here. You just get back from a trip?"

"Well, something like that," Shirou shrugged. "Dojima-san was picking me up from the train station. I'm from Fuyuki City, but I'm staying over here for the school year."

The attendant let out a low, long whistle, quirking his eyebrows up with interest. "A city boy, huh? Must be a shock to see how little there is out here, huh?"

"A little, but I'm sure Inaba's not that bad…" Shirou reasoned weakly. "It's… well, quiet."

"Maybe too quiet," he chuckled. "There's not a whole lot to do around here, and unless you have something to do, like work, you'll be bored out of your mind before long."

Shirou doubted that; he had been managing to occupy himself with training in his shed back home for some time now. However, he was moving in with Dojima and probably won't get the secrecy, let alone the space, to practice magecraft or fix old appliances. Still...

"Are there any jobs around I can do?" he asked.

The attendant looked pleasantly surprised again. "Funny you should mention that. Our station has been looking for some new part-time workers for a while now. Thinking about helping out for some yen?"

"You would accept a high school student?" Shirou's eyebrows quirked in surprise.

"Like I said," the older man smiled. "There's not a lot to do around here, and that includes work. If you don't want to, that's fine, but at least think about it…" the androgynous fellow hedged.

"I didn't say I wouldn't consider it," Shirou answered. "I'm just… surprised. I've been rejected by many jobs before while growing up because I was too young."

It was a gross understatement: after Kiritsugu died five years ago and Shirou decided to become self-sufficient, he spent quite some time looking for a job but wasn't taken seriously or was flat-out turned away. On top of his age, Japanese schools tended to be strict and only allowed students to hold part-time jobs in certain circumstances, though Homurahara tended to not mind so long as those students kept their grades up. The sole exception to his fruitless job hunt was Copenhagen, a liquor store and bar in Shinto. He had worked there practically ever since. Speaking of which, he hoped the old owner and his daughter Neko-san would do alright without his help for the next year; they assured him they would, and offered him an early going away present of his pay and a meal with them.

"So you'll do it? Great! Most kids your age would have said no and walked away by now."

"Well, I've been told I'm not like most kids." A brief image of a scolding Taiga flashed in Shirou's mind's eye. "If you need help though, I'm willing."

"Perfect," the attendant smiled, and extended his hand. "If more city folk were even half as friendly and upfront as you are, I'd certainly wish they would come down here!"

"I'll take that as a compliment," the red haired teen smiled and gave a firm handshake. He briefly felt a mild tingle on contact, but passed it off as static. "My name's Shirou Emiya. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise," he smiled back. "Just call me Nami."

"'Nami'?"

"Feminine name, I know. More of an inside joke, really."

When their hands separated, it left a sudden sense of numb cold in Shirou's hand. Had Nami been working outside all day?

"Well, I'd better get back to work! Come back tomorrow evening if you can!" Nami waved as he hurried off. As he rushed back inside the station, the Dojimas arrived back at the car. Perhaps he could convince Dojima to let him start working at the gas-

Grrk!

It suddenly felt like his body had caught fire while also freezing, and his head was pounding like a drum solo. It was nothing compared to making a Magic Circuit from his nerves (a process that felt similar to replacing your spinal column with a bar of white-hot metal), but the sheer abruptness of it all had him completely off balance. He slumped slightly and tried massaging his temples to relieve the pressure clouding his vision.

"What's wrong?" Nanako asked, concern lacing her quiet voice. "Are you carsick?"

"No, I'm fine." Shirou forced a smile, if only to make her worry less. The throbbing was already fading anyway. "I guess I've just been tired lately." That much was truth at least; he had fallen asleep on train rides twice already. The sheer length of the trip would drain anybody.

"Maybe you should take a quick walk up the street, get the blood moving. Just don't go too far." Dojima suggested.

Despite the fact that the pain was almost completely gone already, Shirou had one other thing to check that he couldn't do in the open. "Thanks. I'll be back in no more than five minutes."

The shopping district was almost like a little slice of home for Shirou: the single street was lined with small shops with the family names proudly displayed on the signs. Each was a two-story building, no doubt harboring the family upstairs and the business on the ground floor, and each was lovingly detailed.

Unfortunately, even a few meters in, he could also see a number of shops with shutters drawn with notices taped to them despite the hour. It was kind of depressing to see. However, some of the remaining open shops he made a mental note to visit later: Daidara's Metalworks looked to have some interesting odds and ends, and the samurai armor sitting outside its front door all but commanded his attention when he passed it. The smell of the forge inside just called to him like few things could. Marukyu Tofu next door to that was also on the list for when he got around to cooking for the Dojima family like he planned.

Passing a pair of students arguing about something, Shirou found a decently concealed spot between the tofu shop and a small grocer that suited his needs. The moment he was out of sight and certain no one was listening, he closed his eyes. "Trace On." Prana flowed through the Magic Circuit in his spine and spread through his body at his will, filling his head with information.

Structural Analysis. The only spell that the redhead could cast reliably was a simple one that had no fancy light shows or secrets to it. It was quite simply a spell that described to the caster the status, structure, and composition of the targeted object. The level of detail it revealed was about the only difference between different magi using this spell. For all intents and purposes, it was considered pretty useless. Most magi would rather use their prana for more productive pursuits, and anything you could learn from the spell could be found easily enough through mundane means.

However, for an amateur magus without any equipment wanting to check themselves for poisons or magical maladies, it was exactly the right tool for the job. Shirou found he had a knack for it and applied it to his hobby of fixing things, using the innocuous spell to instantly locate problems and weak spots in whatever he was working on.

Now the spell swept through his body, scanning it for any issues, weaknesses or flaws not there previously. If nothing else, the act of running prana through his Circuit would also shatter any magecraft attempting to get a hold on him. The spell's scan came back clean with no sign of damage or contamination on the physical level, and his Magic Circuit worked just fine, but he would need to remake it when he got the chance. His Magic Circuits only ever seemed to last a week at best, and the last one was shoddy compared to the usual, likely due to his nervousness towards visiting Inaba.

Of course, there was also the problem that Shirou had no idea what he was looking for.

With a muttered "Trace Off" and a sigh, Shirou trotted back to the car, thankfully feeling much better. Maybe he was just tired. He honestly hadn't traveled often enough to know if this was normal for him.


Dojima Residence

When Shirou first arrived at the Dojima household, he was pleasantly surprised. From the outside, it was a two-story traditional Japanese home with ample space for the Dojima family and himself. The inside was a tasteful mix of traditional and more modern aesthetics, some of the furniture in the kitchen laden with random knick-knacks and boxes. This place felt lived-in, a warm atmosphere pervading the property that spoke of a genuine home.

Oh, it wasn't anywhere near as spacious as the Emiya estate, but Shirou didn't mind. He never needed that all that space anyway. There were even times when he felt that the place was too big for him. That was probably another reason he would often sleep in the shed in recent years…

What few belongings Shirou had sent here were already boxed up in what would be his room for the stay, a modest room on the second floor. The fact that it had a small couch and a small TV already in there as well as the desk and chair meant that the place was already more furnished than his own room back home was.

The next hour or so was spent putting his new room into a semblance order. His futon was unpacked and folded in the corner, the few books he liked enough to take with him were placed on the shelf, his new school uniform was laid out for tomorrow, and his regular clothes were tucked away in the dresser. Shirou didn't own much, but years of tidying up after himself (and more tellingly, Taiga) had given Shirou an appreciation for a clean living space. While he went through and organized the contents of the various boxes, he noted that some of them were odds and ends that Fuji-nee had bought for him. He of course had tried to convince her that he didn't need (or want) so many things for a brief visit, but she wouldn't have any of it, as usual.

Shortly after he finished with that, the doorbell rang, and Shirou came down to find that Dojima had ordered takeout and sodas for dinner, and was currently setting them on the low table out in the middle of the living room. The teen had mixed feelings about that, but not because of anything missing from the meal.

"You didn't have to do this, you know," Shirou frowned as he split his chopsticks. "I could have cooked something in a few minutes."

Dojima smiled and shook his head. "What, and put you to work right off the bat? You just got here. Take your time to get used to things… at least for tonight. Now, let's have a toast." He lifted his can up.

"To family?" Nanako offered, lifting her own.

Dojima smiled again. "Yes, to family."

Shirou hesitated, watching as they both held their canned drinks up already. That word was still such an alien concept to him outside of Kiritsugu, but… Dojima was finally starting to trust him, and Nanako was so strong and independent like him growing up. He didn't want to impose on their relationship, but they allowed him in after Taiga's constant meddling.

A part of him wanted it though, to have that same connection with these people, his relatives. "To family, then."

Their cans met with a metal klinkand they sipped to it before eating in earnest. Before Shirou had taken even one bite, Dojima spoke up again. "As you can see, it's just me and Nanako around here, so it'll be nice to have some company. So long as you're here, you're part of the family, so make yourself at home."

Shirou couldn't fight down the smile even if he tried, so he settled for a nod. "Thank you for that, Dojima-san," he replied earnestly.

"C'mon, I already told you don't need to be so formal," Dojima laughed and waved his hand dismissively. "You're making Nanako tense again."

Nanako looked surprised at her father's words, and squirmed in her seat when Shirou turned to look at her in concern, clearly unused to the attention.

"Well, anyway, let's eat," Dojima decided. "Itadak-" He was interrupted by the telltale ring of his cellphone. He gave a resigned sigh. "Ugh… Who's calling at this hour?"

He reached for his phone and flipped it open to answer, his voice dropping into a cool, business tone. "Dojima speaking."

Shirou and Nanako watched him nervously as he silently listened. Dojima's expression grew increasingly grave the longer the one-sided conversation carried on. He eventually stood up and walked away from the table, his back facing the others. "Yeah? I see… so where is it? Uh huh… All right, I'm on my way." He then quietly added to himself, "Guess it's a good thing I decided to skip the booze…"

"Work, I take it?" Shirou asked, already feeling an unpleasant knot forming in his stomach.

"Yeah," Dojima answered with a dour note, stuffing his phone back into his pocket. "Sorry about this happening on such short notice, Shirou."

Shirou shook his head. "It can't be helped, Dojima-san; you can't predict the future. I'll help any way I can here, though."

"Thanks. Go ahead and eat without me. I don't know how late I'll be. Nanako, help him out if he needs anything, okay?"

His daughter looked crestfallen, but slowly nodded. "…Okay."

Dojima then headed out to the door. He opened it and reached for his coat before calling back to the living room. "Nanako! It's raining out! What did you do with the laundry!?"

"I already brought it in!" she replied.

Dojima nodded at the answer. "…All right. Well, I'm off!" he closed the door behind them. Moments later, the sound of the car engine could be heard starting and driving off.

Shirou silently watched Nanako frown and sink lower in her seat, before turning to the TV and turning it on. The screen flashed to a news station as the weather announcer was talking.

"-for this week. Next, let's take a look at the hourly breakdown of tomorrow's weather. With storm clouds moving in from the west, expect heavy rain throughout the day tomorrow in most areas."

"Itadakimatsu," Nanako mumbled softly, and started eating.

Shirou couldn't manage a bite in light of Nanako's disheartened attitude. For a moment, he looked around the room, racking his brain for a topic to cheer the girl up or at least commiserate with her enough to soothe her. "Your dad works hard like this a lot, doesn't he?" When she nodded sullenly, he continued. "My dad was like that too."

Nanako stopped in mid-bite, her cheeks puffed out a little with rice. "Hmmm?" she titled her head in confusion.

"When he was still alive, my adoptive dad would leave the house too," Shirou explained. "He never told me where he was going, but he did tell me it was something he had to do. He never took me along though, and I never knew how long he would be gone. Sometimes it was for months. I lost count how many times he did that."

Nanako slowly chewed her food and stared at him. Her eyes seemed to have widened over his explanation, and he thought he saw… something in them. Fear? Shock? Sadness? It quickly passed before he could accurately tell, and she stared at her food solemnly. "I'm sorry."

"There's nothing to be sorry for," Shirou answered honestly. "I grew used to it after a while, and he always came back."

"…does it get easier?" she whispered.

"…When you get older, maybe. Your dad's doing good things out there, and he'll be back soon enough, I'm sure of it."

The silence was broken as the news returned to the subject of the Yamano scandal, explaining more or less the aftereffects of it being revealed. Shirou was drowning out the sound and thinking on what else to talk about, while Nanako looked profoundly bored with the subject.

"This is boring," she declared.

"I agree. Feel free to change the channel."

Nanako needed no further prompting and did exactly that.

A cheery female voice immediately took over for the droning newscaster. "At Junes, every day is Customer Appreciation Day. Come see for yourself, and get in touch with our products!" Without missing a beat, the woman sang out the store's catchy jingle. "Every day's great at your Junes~!"

Nanako instantly brightened and sang the song herself, waving her hand like a conductor keeping time. "Every day's great at your Junes~!" She then immediately sat back down and went back to her food, in a noticeably better mood than she was a few seconds ago.

Shirou stared at her dumbly for a moment. Her singing was a soft soprano as one would expect from a seven-year old, but she was amazingly gifted for her age. He vaguely wondered if anyone at her school had noticed her talent.

Nanako turned back to him as if she hadn't spontaneously burst into song, confused at his surprised look. "Aren't you going to eat?" she asked innocently.

"Oh, right," Shirou nodded, and started eating what was on his plate, pushing the matter of his cousin singing store jingles better than the people they hired for the task out of his head.

Instead, he turned his attention to thoughts of the medium-sized kitchen the Dojimas obviously weren't using regularly. Plans for future meals, shopping trips and ways to maximize his space raced through his mind. Shirou swore to himself that he would make the kitchen a place of wonders once more.

After dinner, Shirou set to work cleaning the kitchen and clearing space for his "projects," but felt another headache build inside his head. He ignored it for the most part, but Shirou admitted that he was in a new environment dealing with things he had little to no experience at, after hours of nonstop travel. A good night's sleep would do him a lot of good in getting used to the place. With that in mind, he told Nanako he was turning in early and returned to his room.

Shirou scowled at the sight of the still-packed boxes he hadn't gotten around to today. There was even a shelf for him to assemble that he knew he hadn't bought. "Nothing for it; I'll take care of those in the morning." With a sigh, he shifted the remaining cargo out of the way and laid out the futon.

His headache was getting worse again. Briefly, he thought he heard a voice whisper in his ear, but he wasn't sure. Was he really that nervous? In the darkness, he briefly glanced at his hanging uniform. Tomorrow was the start of school this year at Yasogami High School. While many would feel intimidated by the prospect with no friends to fall back on, Shirou wasn't one of them. All he planned to do was take up the mantle of "the fake janitor" and help people who needed it.

He briefly entertained the notion of seeing Igor in the Velvet Room again, but he doubted it; the impish man warned of danger. As he saw it, there was nothing special about Inaba. It was quiet, with small-town problems and far away from any serious danger. He relaxed to the sound of the rain pouring outside pattering against the window, drowning out any other outside noise.

Yes, Inaba was quiet and peaceful. Safe.

"A whole year..." Shirou mumbled, his eyes closing. "In quiet, safe Inaba…"

Oddly enough, just before he fell asleep he felt a pang of disappointment at the thought, as strange as it was.


A/N: A shame you never do take up that offer at the gas station. It would have had so much potential in the case solving, sort of like Adachi's social link in the PS Vita update. I don't know about Yu Narukami, but Shirou's not the kind of person to avoid work handed to him on a silver platter. Whether this helps him or bites him the ass later is yet to be seen though.