Note: Chapter 15 to 24 started for no reason, and in my mind confuses the timeline. So to make it straight: 15 to 24 is set long before 14 and this chapter. They were flashback chapters I started for no reason beyond, Let's Make Plot. But now we're in the present. Thank you.

*Page Break*

The hustle and bustle of the Outer Ghetto was soothing to Shirou, as he wandered about. He was given the task of shopping for Rin's birthday. It was February 1st, a few days after the mission he and Saber went on.

Don't misunderstand. Shirou was only getting his gift for Rin, and some alcohol, even if he is against it. The reason why Shirou was only getting a gift for her two days before her birthday was because he had gotten so sucked into his side projects in the Engineering room.

Sakura, who seemed to have gotten closer to Rin in the almost 2 years they've known each other, asked Shirou about what he got her, leading to him shutting down.

After rebooting, Sakura gave him one of her scary glares that she had only discovered from Illya, before forcing him out of the Engineering room and into the Outer Ghetto, telling him not to come back until he bought a good gift.

Here Shirou was, in the shopping district on a bench, head in his hands. He must have made a pitiful but dangerous figure with his two-tone hair and skin, causing people to avoid him. The Armlet didn't help matters either.

Shirou was wallowing in his thoughts, until...

"Well. Hello there boy. Why do you look so glum?"

Jumping slightly, Shirou looked upward to see who addressed him. It was possibly the strangest person he had ever seen. Standing tall, taller than him, but covered in a large, billowy, black cloak, was a man. What stood out about him, however, was the mask on his face, reminiscent of a skull. All in all, a super sketchy guy.

"Um..."

Noticing his hesitation, the strange man brought his left hand to the back of his head.

"Ah, sorry...I guess I'm not the most friendly looking feller, huh?"

The man had a slight accent, Shirou noted, but not one he could discern. Shaking his head, he responds,

"No, no, it's fine. I was just thinking about something."

Nodding his head, the man looked at Shirou with a piercing glint in his eyes. Or, Shirou figured he did since he couldn't see his eyes. Then, the man said,

"You're... looking for something. Something for someone special. Am I right?"

Shirou looked at the man shocked, amazed he could get that just from looking at him.

"I figured as much. Your mumbling on a birthday gift was quite helpful in guessing."

Hearing that, Shirou then deflated a little. Looking to the man, he asked,

"So, why did you ask Mister?"

"Hmm. What if I told you, I knew a good store in town that sold all sorts of odds and ends. Would you be willing to come visit?"

Blinking at the sudden proposal, Shirou put his hand to his chin and thought about it, before nodding.

"Alright, I'll come with you. My name is Shirou by the way. What's yours?"

Tilting his head, the man chuckled slightly before saying,

"My name, huh? Well, you can call me... Hassan."

*Page Break - A few minutes later*

They had made their way to the edges of the Outer Ghetto, against the walls of the Far East Branch Headquarters. It was between the North and West entrances, in an out of the way alley.

Stopping before it, Shirou looked at the building. It was a dark wood, and beared a lot in common with his own traditional Japanese house. There was a sign on the top, but it was a little worn and hard to read. Catching onto Shirou's difficulty reading the sign, Hassan cleared his throat and stretched out his left hand.

"Welcome to our store, 'Old Man of the Mountain'. I hope you are satisfied with your purchases."

Saying that, he then walked up to the door and slid it open. Shirou followed after, and was wowed by what he saw. It was a rather large room, with rows of racks full of random odds and ends, both from the past and the present. At the end of the room was a counter with someone on the other side, likely a store clerk.

"Hey, Heisei! I have a customer!"

The person he was talking to was a young girl, with purple hair in a sharp bob cut and dark brown, almost grey, skin. She too was wearing a skull mask.

"Hey, Ude. Didn't the King tell you not to go out and grab random people to visit our shop?"

Chuckling, Hassan responded,

"Yeah, but... I couldn't just leave this guy there. He needs something special for someone's birthday, and had no idea what to do."

Sighing, the girl, Heisei, looked to Shirou. Shirou, who was stunned at seeing someone else with the same fashion sense as Hassan, snapped back into reality and moved towards her.

Reaching the counter, he was then able to see that the girl, on top of having a similar mask, was also wearing a cloak, albeit a lighter one. Looking to her again, he said,

"My name is Shirou Emiya. Nice to meet you. What's your name?"

Surprised at the courtesy, the girl didn't answer for a second before snapping back to reality and responding.

"M-My name is... You can just call me Hassan, okay?"

For some reason, she stuttered slightly, but this was second on Shirou's mind.

"Wait. You're Hassan... but he's also Hassan?"

Shirou was very confused. The two Hassans looked at each other, before aah-ing. It was the male Hassan that answered his unasked question.

"Ah, right. All of us that work here at 'Old Man of the Mountain' go by Hassan. We also all wear these masks. It's a part of our... style. Since calling each other Hassan would get confusing, we call each other a nickname. I'm Ude. She's Heisei."

Shirou gave Hassan, or rather Ude, a strange look, before clearing his throat, saying,

"Alright. Anyways, I was told I might be able to find a birthday present here. Can you help me or..."

The other Hassan, Heisei, looked to Shirou, before nodding.

"Alright, alright. What can you tell me about this person? Their personality rather than their appearance, although a favourite colour might be helpful."

Nodding, Shirou grabbed his chin and closed his eyes, organizing his thoughts.

"Alright. She's smart. A genius, really. To most people she acts perfect, never wrong and able to handle any situation. To her friends though, she acts a bit different. She's bold and prideful. Quick to outsmart anyone that tries to show her up. She also loves teasing people. To an almost unhealthy degree. She also has a greedy side to her.

But beyond that, she's kind. Maybe a bit cold and inexperienced when it comes to talking from the heart, but she still cares, even if she acts like she doesn't."

Done with his describing, Shirou looked towards Heisei, only for her to look... surprised? It's hard to tell with the mask. Ude also looked pretty bewildered. The slightly awkward silence was broken by Heisei coughing into her fist.

"W-Well then. Sounds like you and her are... really good friends."

To this, Shirou smiled.

"Right? I'd say so."

Blanking at Shirou's response, Heisei just looked at him silently before continuing.

"... Anyways. She sounds like the kind of person that would appreciate something slightly expensive, but from the heart. How does she feel about gems?"

"Um... I'm pretty sure she likes them. When she isn't shooting her Gandr shots, she's shooting bullets that look like gemstones."

"... What do you two do for a living?"

"Oh, we're God Eaters."

"... Should've guessed that. Anyways, would you mind telling me her favourite colour?"

"Ah. Um... I'm pretty sure it's red. Maybe a vermillion."

Hearing that, Heisei nodded, before moving out from behind the counter and into one of the racks near the entrance to the store. Digging her hands through it, she looked for something she felt would work for Shirou, before seeing a faint glimmer.

Reaching in, she chased after the glimmer. She was able to grab it and pulled it out, able to see it in all its glory. A vermillion red gem, already finely cut into a vaguely triangular shape. Moving over, she then gave it to Shirou.

"There. This is probably the best gift you could give her."

"Um. Alright. How much does this cost?"

"... Normally, it would be way more expensive, but I'll give it to you for 1500 Fenrir Credits. On the condition that you make 'Old Man of the Mountain' your usual shopping place."

"A-Alright."

While Shirou seemed agreeable on the outside, internally he was screaming. 1500 Credits was basically everything he had at the moment, made worse by the fact that he isn't going on many missions. But... Rin would like it, and that makes it worth it. So, swallowing his sadness, he swiped his card and paid the required number of credits.

"Well, see you later, Ude, Heisei."

"Goodbye, Shirou./Later, Shirou."

Exiting the store, Shirou looked to the sky, clutching the vermillion gem in his fist.

Now all he has to do is turn the gem into a gift.

*Page Break - 30 minutes to an hour later*

Shirou had entered the Den and was immediately greeted by Sakura, looking less angry but still ready to destroy him with her wrath.

When asked what he got, he showed her the gem. She looked surprised, as if the high quality present wasn't something Shirou would ever get. She then asked where the alcohol was. Shirou laughed nervously, saying he spent all his money on the gift. Sakura was not amused.

Shirou then told her he had to go, as the gift wasn't finished yet. Saying his goodbyes, Shirou left, not seeing the slight grimace of jealousy that appeared on Sakura's face.

Now here Shirou was, sitting on the floor of his workshop in the Engineering room, tinkering with some small pieces of metal. His goal was to create a chain.

It didn't take him long.

*Page Break - The next day*

Shirou had finished forging the chains, carving the symbols, and grafting everything together. Now all he had to do was get a gift wrapper.

Wanting advice, he went to ask Sakura on her opinion. She gave a straightforward answer.

"Well, Senpai. I think it would be best if you put it in a box. A small one, maybe black with a bowtie."

After thanking her for her advice, Shirou left for the Outer Ghetto. While he didn't think the chances were high, he did promise to go shopping at 'Old Man of the Mountain'.

After a few minutes of walking and trying to remember directions, Shirou eventually arrived at the store. Opening the store, he began to open his mouth to sound out a greeting, only to stop surprised when, instead of seeing Heisei behind the counter, he saw someone else.

She was also a girl, with the same mask, cloak, hair colour, and skin tone, if a bit on the greyer side, as Heisei. But she was also clearly older, shown by her greater height and more... developed assets. Her hair was longer too, kept in a long ponytail.

Clearing his throat, he tried introducing himself again.

"H-Hello, Miss. My name is Shirou Emiya, nice to meet you. What's your name? Or nickname?"

The woman, who only briefly looked at Shirou's surprised face, looked back again as he greeted her.

"I'm Hassan. You clearly know the others, so you can call me Hyaku. What do you need?"

Surprised at her rather straight forward personality compared to her co-workers, Shirou took a moment before answering,

"I'm not sure if you do but, do you have any gift boxes? Preferably small black ones with ribbons?"

The woman, Hyaku, sighed before standing and moving around the counter, going for a rack immediately next to the counter's entrance. Pulling out what appeared to be small blocks, but Shirou realized were gift boxes, she eventually located a black one near the bottom.

Pulling it out, she brought it over to him.

"Do you mind the red ribbon?"

"Nope. If anything, that makes it better."

"Alright then. That'll be 20 credits."

After paying and saying goodbye to Hyaku, Shirou left for the Den, happy he got what he needed.

Looks like everything was coming together.

*Page Break - Next Day*

It was Rin's birthday. Lots of people were sent to play interference on Rin. Rin herself was sent on an errand, but seemed to have some inkling of what was to occur.

When everything was set up, everyone took their positions, ready for the surprise. Rin walked in through the door to the Den and,

"Surprise!!!"

A cry rebounded from the hearts of most of the God Eaters in the branch. Rin was like an idol to the members of the Far East Branch. Especially the younger ones.

As the day carried on into the night, more and more people fell asleep, whether from the energy of the party or because of the last-second booze that needed to be ordered because Shirou didn't buy any.

Of the ones still awake, Saber, Sakura, Illya, and Kota had given her gifts. Saber got her a hairbrush, saying a lady needs to take care of their hair. Sakura gave her a cookbook, saying they should practice sometime. Illya, who was connected to an IV and in a wheelchair, had given her a pretty good drawing of all four of them and Archer. Kota had given her a scarf, saying it would, 'Go well with a jacket if you weren't wearing your sweater'. It was alright.

But finally, it was just Shirou and Ron on their lonesome. Saber and Sakura were entertaining Illya, so the two could talk alone. Rin began.

"It's a beautiful night tonight, huh?"

The sky was black, illuminated by the whole moon hanging in the sky. As breathtaking as it was lonely.

"Yeah."

The two went silent, not sure what to talk about, or if they even should. Just as the silence started becoming awkward, Shirou snapped his fingers and reached into his pocket, pulling out a small black box.

"Here, Tohsaka. It's your present."

Rin gave Shirou an odd look then chuckled, plucking the box from his hand.

"I'm sure it won't be that grea...t..."

Inside of the black box with a beautiful red ribbon, there was a vermillion red gemstone, triangular in shape. Atop it was a metal clamp, with a tiny cross engraved onto it. From there, it connected to a clip where there was a chain looped through.

Taking another look at it, Rin made a mental connection. Shirou got me a necklace for my birthday. Looking at him, she could see his slightly nervous smile.

"Well, do you like it?"

For a moment, Rin found it oddly hard to speak. Overcoming the strange barrier, she said,

"I... Shirou... How did you get this?"

Looking at her, Shirou smirked in a way that was painfully similar to Archer's own, before nonchalantly saying,

"Why, I made it myself. Well, mostly. I bought the gem. But I made the necklace parts and put everything together."

"You... You really did?"

"Yup."

Rin was shocked. For the first time since childhood, she was given a present made from the heart. Sure, Illya drew her a picture, and Saber and Sakura just wanted to be good friends. But this was Shirou. And Shirou was dear to her. Dare she say it, she might even lo--

No. Now's not the time for that.

"T-Thank you... Shirou."

"You're welcome... Rin."

Hearing him call her that set her heart aflutter. It was few and far between the times he ever said her proper name. They were silent, comfortably now, for a few minutes until Shirou asked,

"Well, are you going to put it on?"

Rin, now feeling more in control, nodded to him and slipped the necklace around her neck. Positioning it so it was comfortable, she then looked at Shirou and asked,

"Well? How does it look?"

"Beautiful..."

It was softly-spoken, almost silent in the night, but Rin could hear it. It would've been fine had he said that whilst looking at the pendant. But he said that while looking at her.

Embarrassed, they both turned away, faces red. But they felt content.

Today was a pretty good day afterall.

*Page Break*

Thank you for reading. This is Cee and, I'm sorry to any FGO players for probably butchering the Hassans. I've never watched or played HF, nor have I rolled Hassan of the Serenity/Cursed Arm, so I got no personality experience. I watched Zero, but that didn't give much personality depth to Hassan if the Hundred Faces, who has a hundred personalities.

Second, the names of the Hassans. Cursed Arm is called Ude, which is Japanese for arm. Serenity is called Heisei, Japanese for serenity. Hundred Faces is called Hyaku, Japanese for hundred. The King Hassan is called King. King is King for King.

Third, just think of Rin's gift as the necklace she gives to Shirou in normal Fate/Stay Night.

Thank you to nullstudent and VermillionFox for following, and thank you to sawtooth44 again and ReinaLee1 for reviewing.

Goodbye.

Word count: 2800