A/N

I tried my best to ensure this chapter would be in tip-top shape, but due to time constraints, please forgive me if the occasional error do comes up (And alerting me of it).

Also, I noticed that some F/SN groups use Shirou while others use Shiro. For now, I will be using Shirou as its spelt as such in wikipedia. On with the story then!

End A/N

Author's Disclaimer: I do not own Fate/Stay Night. In other words, I do not own the original intellectual property.

Chapter 7

Rin, Toshaka Residence.

"Hmm…Archer…?" I reached out with my hands, eyes closed, hoping to wrap it around something, someone to be precise. All that my hands managed to grasp was the air, and I quickly opened my eyes.

"What the…?" I took in a deep breath. Archer could not be gone… Could he?

I jumped out of bed and quite literally wrenched open the door, looking for signs of Archer. Running down the stairs, I tripped over and fell, and received a bruise on my arm. Lovely.

I entered the living room, and still no signs of Archer were to be found. Desperate, my senses perked up, and a million theories went through my head for the disappearance of Archer.

Perhaps he went to the convenience stores…?

Maybe he went for a walk?

Perhaps it was all…a dream?

I nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard a high pitch, metallic-like sound coming from the kitchen. Almost like a frying pan being roughly treated by a skilled cook with the frequent cling and clangs emanating from the kitchen.

Unconsciously, I started running towards the doors. It was getting louder now, and there was a fragrant aroma coming from behind the door. I slowly turned the knob, and pushed the door open and a sight I dared not imagine ever before greeted my eyes…

There was Archer, stir frying the vegetables, with the dining table neatly laid out behind him. He was still dressed in his black overalls, completed with his signature red coat. Yet, there was something additional to that outfit of his…

As he turned around, frying pan in one hand and a plate in the other, I realized just what that additional something was.

It was white. It was frilly at the edges and it had this huge red heart right in the centre of its white background.

It was… My apron.

I almost screamed there and then. Archer looked up from the dining table after setting the dish in place; he seemed surprised by my presence and was scrutinizing me from top to bottom. Out of self-conscious I gingerly ran my hand through my hair and looked down on my gown. I realized two things then.

My hair was disheveled, my gown full of creases. With those details in mind, I came to a stunning conclusion…

I looked ridiculous.

Archer had one eyebrow raised at me by then, he looked almost amused.

"Got up on the wrong side of the bed today, haven't you?"

Shirou, Emiya Residence.

"Senpai…?" There was a knock on the door. I groggily opened my eyes, and reached out for my alarm clock, hoping to get a look at the time. It was 7.30 a.m. in the morning. Then there was that voice again.

"Emiya-Senpai, breakfast is ready. Please come into the dining room when you are ready." I heard footsteps in the distance, and then it was gone.

That should have been Sakura, but why didn't she come into my room to wake me up…? Why the sudden change?

As if in response to my question, there was a movement under my blankets, and I lifted up the blankets to take a look inside. What I saw nearly took my breath away.

There was an angel in there, her arms tightly wrapped around my waist. I squirmed a bit; the bruises from the encounter with Ilya were not fully healed and she was not going easy on them.

My movements seemed to have disturbed her, as she slowly opened her eyes. She looked up at me, and, for a rare moment, I managed to look pass that façade of the Great King Arthur, and saw the real Arturia I have come to love.

"Good morning, Shirou."

"Hey, beautiful." I blushed, I did not mean for it to come out that way. Her cheeks were slightly tainted pink as well.

"Thank you…" She sealed that sentence with a kiss on the lips. I was sure I was blushing furiously by then.

"Bre-…Breakfast is ready." I managed to utter out a sentence before my brain died out on me.

"Well, shall we partake in some then?" She almost purred then. Her eyes were fixed on mine, and I could not break them away from her gaze. It was hard to resist the temptation there and then, with her on top of me, her arms around my neck, and mine around her waist. I inched my lips closer to hers, and she closed her eyes expectantly…

The mood was broken abruptly by a not-so-polite knock on the door. I could have sworn the worn and torn door was going to give way. I panicked, afraid to be caught in such a dilemma. Arturia had the back of her head turned towards me now, and was staring at the door, but she was still on me.

Then a voice, as clear and loud as thunder, resonated throughout the entire household.

"Emiya Shirou! Breakfast is long overdue and I'm starving! Cease all actions in that bedroom immediately and get your butt into the dining room now!"

There was a final 'knock' on the door, one which shook rattled the poor door in its frame, and I could almost see it tilting inwards, making an angle with the floor. I heard someone storm off into the distance…

Woah, Ilya must have really pissed her off.

"What was that about…?" Arturia had her attention focused back on me now, and her lips were as inviting as ever. Her hands explored further south, and I let out a groan as they went past my bruises.

"What are these…?" Arturia's expression was that of concern now.

"It's nothing... I just sorta fell…" I finished off rather lamely.

"Shirou… Please tell me the truth." She implored me.

I could not resist that tone. "Il… Ilya did it." I proceeded to give her a rather vague description of the incident, and excluded some things that were too early to mention, like the stay over Ilya planned. Even then, Saber's eyes were narrowed dangerously by the end of it, and her free hand gripped the blanket rather venomously, with the other probing the bruises. To her credit, she masked her anger quite well in front of me.

"Shirou… Does it still hurt?" She gently massaged the bruises.

"No…" I winced. "Not really…"

She was not convinced. I could tell. I made a mental note to myself to have Fuji-nee and Rin nearby when Arturia meets Ilya in the near future.

"EMIYA SHIROU…!" A cannon-like sound boomed throughout the household. This time, it was near-deafening.

"Hey Arturia…"

"Hmmm…?" She was deep in thought.

"Shall we have breakfast now…?"

She gave a simple, but heartwarming smile.

"Sure."

Rin, Tousaka Residence.

"Well, I must say, your culinary skills are somewhat impressive… Did you learn it from a professional chef during your time or something?"

I was leaning back on the dining chair, my stomach satisfied by the food. Archer sat directly across me, still finishing up the remains of his breakfast. The apron now laid neatly on one of the nearby chair, after I insisted that he joined me for breakfast.

"Hmm… Well, I learnt it from a dear friend of mine… She and I learnt many cooking techniques together, and often experimented with different kind of food. It was more of a give-and-take situation. She eventually became a world-renown chef, so technically, yes. I did learn from a professional chef." He leaned back on his chair, shoulders relaxed. A smile blossomed across his face then. It seems like those were really pleasant memories.

"Right…" I felt a sting of jealousy. A long moment of silence was observed. I looked at anywhere but Archer, while Archer just continued eating. The ceilings by now have become a lot more interesting than the man in front of me. Archer broke the silence when he finally finished eating.

"Well then, just let me wrap up the cleaning of the dishes here, and we could do whatever you want for the rest of the day." Archer stood up and started collecting the utensils and plates on the table. As he stretched his hands out to collect mine, I caught his hand with one of my own. I was a little startled by my own boldness.

"It's fine. I will wash my own plates…"

Archer looked surprise for a moment, then composed himself and nodded.

"Archer… Do you mind if you accompany to the mall later on? There are a few things I would like to pick up there..." I could feel myself heating up in the face at the end of the sentence.

Once again, Archer merely nodded. It was at times like this that I wish that I could just strangle him.

I stood up, tuck my chair into the dining table, and began to walk out of the dining room.

"Hey Rin, where do you think you are going? You haven't even started washing…!" A frustrated Archer shouted.

"I changed my mind! You can wash them all by yourself!" I shouted back.

I ran up the stairs, taking two steps at a time, swerving to right and down the corridor. I entered bedroom and locked the door behind me.Then, I got down to composing an itinerary for the day, putting that brain of mine, which have been in slumber ever since the end of the Holy Grail War, into good use.

"A date is like a battle."

Shirou, Emiya Residence.

"Here I come, Shirou!"

"Crack!"

Wooden sword met wooden sword in a fury of blows, it seems that Arturia was not holding herself back against me. I was barely holding my own against her, and was kept on the defensive most of the time.

Despite the loss of her magical powers, it seems that neither her swordsmanship nor her physical status had been dulled one bit. She seemed as relentless as ever, pushing me back and I was on the verge of giving in. Suddenly, I noticed it. An opportunity for an attack. I took it blindly, thinking it was the breakthrough of the century. I, Emiya Shirou, finally landing a hit on Arturia, the Great King Arthur!

Full of confidence, I swung my sword, gently, but swiftly, at the inviting side of hers.

Alas, before I my wooden sword came even an inch close to her weak spot, it was already parried and the sword knocked loose from my hands. I then found myself looking directly at the tip of her wooden sword.

"Shirou… How many times must I tell you? Do not ever commit yourself too much on taking advantage of such opportunities." Arturia sighed as she lowered her sword. She seemed slightly disappointed with me. I felt ashamed of myself.

"But… I was pretty sure I would have got you there." I scratched my head, hoping to dispel the nervousness building up within me.

"Pretty sure is not a guarantee of victory on the battlefield. It is either a yes or no, there are no in-betweens." Arturia's voice was stern here.

"I… I understand." I stammered as I picked up my sword once more, ready for another go at this.

"Are you sure you are up for one more, Shirou? We have been at this for a few hours now." Her tone indicated she was concerned about me. I caught her throwing a few glances at my abdomen.

"It's fine…"

"Very well then, assume your stance." She and I got into our stances; her stance was one that was frequently used during the Holy Grail War, with her two arms stretched before her, and the katana firmly gripped between her slender hands. As for me, I was still figuring out a stance that suited me best, so I just followed her stance for now, making minor modifications here and there.

"Are you ready, Shirou?"

"… Yeah. All set." I tensed myself. I had better not disappoint her this time.

"Well then…" However, before she even took two steps towards me, there was a loud rumbling sound from her stomach. Instinctively, I looked at the clock.

2.30 p.m.

"Seems like it's time for lunch, isn't it?" I commented offhand as I redirected my attention from the clock back to Arturia. She was clutching her stomach with both hands, and her sword laid ignored on the floor before her.

"Y-yes…" It seems that she was very embarrassed by the turn of events. Her face was beet red, and her eyes were narrowed at me, seemingly daring me to laugh.

I stifled my oncoming giggle to the best of my abilities, and then composed myself.

"Right, what would you like to have for lunch?" I laid down my sword beside Arturia's, and at the same time, wrapping my arm around her waist. She did likewise.

"Hmm… How about, rice with beef stew? Oh, on second thought, let's add in Unagi and Ebi as well! And finish it off with jelly for dessert. Will that be alright with you, Shirou?" She looked up at me to meet my eyes, expecting a reply.

I could not resist that tone of hers, so I simply nodded, earning myself a beautiful smile on her face.

Ilya, Fujimura Residence.

"Nee-san, I will be heading out now." I adjusted the bag's straps on my shoulder. Inside were the necessities for your typical stay over. The bag that I carried was finally reduced to one quarter of it's initial size, after I reasoned with nee-san that whatever she had here, was probably available over there.

"Ilya… Are you sure about this? He seems stressed enough as it is without you staying over at his house." Judging from that expression plastered on her face, nee-san was worried about him.

"Don't' worry, nee-san, I'm sure he will cope with it. He has handled bigger problems before…" I gave my best smile.

"… You are… Incorrigible. Fine, have fun during your stay there!" Nee-san seemed a bit depressed about my departure, and I promised myself to make up to her as soon as possible.

"I will." I gave a grin.

"I will see you at dinner then." Nee-san was smiling now.

I gave a curtsy, spun around, and walked out of the house, with only one destination in mind…

The Emiya Residence.

A/N

Examinations are finally over! Finally I got the time to write more chapters. Maybe it is time to put down the one shot that had been lingering in my head down to paper… Then again, we will see. Next chapter should be up fairly quickly.

As always, please R&R.

End A/N