Author's Note:
Thank you all so very much for the overwhelmingly positive and supportive reviews and PM's everyone! I was a little nervous about writing and posting this next chapter because of the response to the first chapter. It felt like a very tough act to follow, so I hope everyone enjoys this chapter as much as the first
Chapter Two
"Are you still there?" Shirou said into his phone.
Kotori breathed out in one massive sigh of relief. "I'm here. Are you two alright?"
"Somehow. We're both fine," came his reply.
"Thank God!" she said before finally allowing herself to regain her composure.
"Kotori-chan. I'm going to take back everything bad I've ever said about technology. You did good," he said with his own relieved voice.
Kotori grinned to herself, "I'll remember you said that the next time we talk about getting a computer and an internet connection in our house. I'll see you at home."
Shirou shoved his phone back into his pocket and and finally allowed himself a moment to relax. Meanwhile Ciel poked her head up over what was left of the reinforced concrete shed they had used for cover and whistled and impressed tune at the devastation before her. "It's one thing to see it on the TV, it's another to see it with your own two eyes…"
Ciel looked over at Shirou who was resting with his back to what was left of the wall behind him with his eyes shut tightly. "What's with the long face?"
Shirou opened his eyes and looked up at Ciel and pointed with his thumb back at the scene she was looking at a moment ago. "Just taking a moment to appreciate how close that was and how Kotori found this spot for us using nothing but her phone."
Ciel whistled another impressed tune, "She guided us here? With just her phone?"
"She did… She even somehow figured out that this thing could withstand the blast. Oh and she said hi to you," he answered while standing up and looking out across what was probably some very good farmland. Now nothing but a large crater and debris strewn about.
This is how it always is. Widespread vibration phenomenon, or spacequakes. It's a bit of a misnomer but it's all we've got. It's less like an earthquake and more like a powerful bomb going off. Science has no explanation for it but we mages do. At least Rin did. Something about interdimensional somethings or others intersecting with our own whatever… I really should have paid more attention to her words sometimes and less to her… Allure. Yeah. Let's just call it that.
"Shirou… I think we need to take a look inside..." started Ciel while pointing out towards the crafter.
That feeling, so much power…
"I think I agree," he said while leaping over the remains of the shed and then guardedly moving towards the crater with Ciel falling in step beside him.
There was a steep climb to reach the rim of the crater before they could see inside of it. The entire crater was a few hundred meters in diameter but that wasn't what brought both Shirou and Ciel to a complete pause.
In the centre of the crater was a large stone chair like-
Call it what it is! A throne!
A throne… With a young woman standing beside it, her foot up on the arm rest. She was covered in armor as well as glowing with a purple energy which was being released from her and floating about inside the crater like a mist.
Her head turned slightly to regard the pair at the crater's edge for a brief moment. She then stepped up to the top of the throne and pulled a sword out from the top and with a mighty swing unleashed some sort of energy based attack upon the two.
Neither Shirou nor Ciel were surprised and neither flinched as they saw the attack would clearly miss them. They knew a warning shot when it was hurled at them from the tip of a sword. What did actually take the pair by surprise was the blinding speed with which the young woman covered the distance between the throne and their persons.
Saber would have been impressed…
"Not you too," she stated in an emotionless monotone. The girl was now behind them with her sword pointed between them. Shirou's eyes widened as he inspected the blade.
What is that… I can't get a read on it… Not again! It's making my head hurt to look at it!
The sword had no physical edge to it. It was a slab of metal with glowing lines of energy flowing through it. The edges of the blade were also somehow ethereal in nature. It was beautiful to behold at least to Ciel. To Shirou it was migraine inducing as his structural grasping failed to comprehend its construction.
It appeared to both that the girl misinterpreted their silence for hostility because the next thing she said was, "I see. So it's true. You came here to kill me."
Ciel managed to speak first while Shirou was still searching for his wits. "No. We didn't. If we had been we would alr-"
"Do not try denying you are here to kill me. I must deal with you before the others arrive," she replied in that same voice, barren of emotion.
Shirou eventually shook it off and moved his eyes from her sword to her eyes where he couldn't help but realize the look she wore.
Her face was stern and resolved. But in her eyes there was a sadness I couldn't have missed even as a younger and more naive man. I'd seen those eyes before many times, in many different people. I see it in the mirror every morning. And I've seen it in much greater beings...
Shirou steeled his own expression and firmly met her eyes with his own. "Wait. That isn't why we came. We're not here to kill you. Unless you choose to attack us again we want no quarrel with you."
"I don't believe you!" she said with a raised voice as she raised her sword to strike Shirou.
Shirou held his arms out to his sides, "Trace on!"
With that he projected his two favored falchions and brought them up to catch the woman's sword as it came down on him.
What the hell?!
As the sword came into contact with his projections they immediately shattered and sent him roughly to the ground where he landed on his backside. Before the woman could strike at him again Ciel was there to block with her Black Keys. Unlike Shirou's projections though, her weapons were up to the task. In each of her hands, between all of her fingers, were three of the bladed weapons held in a fan formation, all crossed to catch the blade and completely stop it.
"I don't know how you managed to break his swords, but you won't break my Black Keys! Now please stop this! We meant it when we said we didn't want to fight you! So don't make us!"
The two women glared into each other's eyes for a long moment before something forced them to pull apart. All three then redirected their attention to the sky where they saw a group of eight missiles coming at them.
Shirou immediately stood up to project a defense when the mysterious swordswoman beat him to it and put out her own hand to create a bubble of energy around them all which blocked all of the missiles.
Impressive…
Shirou and Ciel both whistled their impressed tune as they bore witness to the woman's defense.
"Why do they not realize the futility of their attacks?" the swordswoman said disappointedly after the missiles detonated upon her shield.
After it was safe to do so she released the energy shield and leapt up into the air where she intercepted more missiles which were heading towards the them. Only this time she did it by slicing the air and sending streaks of energy out to the missiles, destroying them on impact.
She then sliced the two two more times to break up a formation of-
Wait… Those are people! They're flying with some kind of jetpacks?!
Shirou reinforced his eyes for a closer look at the flying people. They were soldiers. That much he could tell by the markings on their equipment.
"A.S.T. Three…" he read to Ciel.
"Who are those people Shirou?"
"They're soldiers by the look of them. I've never heard of soldiers using jetpacks like that before. Outside of anime,"
"Shirou! You're over thirty and you're still watching anime?" chastised Ciel.
"I have a fourteen year old daughter…" he said in his own defense.
And a surrogate big sister who's even more immature than said fourteen year old…
The formation of flying soldiers split up and moved to encircle the now flying swordswoman while pelting her with machine gun fire which didn't seem to have a prayer of breaching her defenses.
Two of the soldiers split off the main group and started moving towards Shirou and Ciel with their weapons pointed at them.
Shirou could sense their killing intent and raised his hand out towards them. "Get behind me Ciel…" she didn't need to be told. She was already moving.
As the soldiers began firing Shirou projected his own shield. "Rho Aias!"
The soldiers didn't even seem all that surprised by Shirou's strange ability. One continued firing on his multi layered and seven petaled purple shield while the other tried to circle around behind them where the shield wasn't providing coverage.
But before they could be fired upon, Ciel threw out the Black Keys from her left hand and impaled the flying soldier in the chest with all three, killing him instantly and sending him to the ground.
While the other soldier moved to reload his rifle Shirou switched from his shield to a bow and in his free hand projected a sword. He placed the sword in the bow and reconfigured it into a long thin and aerodynamic arrow which he promptly fired off at the flying soldier.
The arrow then bounced harmlessly off the soldier, the impact revealing a spherical energy shield around the man.
What the hell?!
Shirou was dumbfounded as he and Ciel started dodging bullets. In the sky above them the mysterious swordswoman was engaged with six other aerial soldiers in life or death combat.
"You'd better get serious now Shirou!"
I'm always serious damn it! But why did her Black Keys go through without any trouble and not my sword? Why did they block that woman's sword when my own couldn't? What am I missing?
A Black Key, also known as a Key of Providence is a spiritual weapon. It's designed to call forth the original laws of nature which vampires were subject to as humans so they can't heal the wounds inflicted upon them. They aren't designed for attack power, they're meant to intervene spiritually.
This doesn't make any sense... but what the hell?
Shirou allowed his bow to dissolve and traced a set of Ciel's Black keys for himself and hurled them up at the soldier. They instantly went through his protective barrier and into his neck, chest and abdomen. It was a sloppy throw. Ciel could hurl all six of hers without them spreading at all before impact. But as long as the job was done, that was what was most important to Shirou Emiya.
Ciel walked up beside Shirou and got more of her Black Keys ready. "Shall we help her finish the rest off?"
Shirou seemed to consider it for a long moment to Ciel's growing irritation.
"Make a decision Shirou! We already killed two of them. So we've already picked a side!"
"You're right… I hope we didn't choose wrong."
Ciel stomped on Shirou's foot, "Pull yourself together!"
"What the hell?" he asked with a raised brow.
I'm saying that a lot today...
"I'd smack you across the face but I'm holding these…" she said while showing her handful of Black Keys.
Shirou sighed in irritation while tracing two sets of Black Keys for himself. They weren't his favorite weapons, but they were working. Two more of the aerial soldiers broke off their attacks and dove for Shirou and Ciel. Each of them threw a set of Black keys at the pair but to Ciel's surprise both managed to evade them.
Calling forth replacements she charged at one of the soldiers who by now hand landed in front of them and were drawing weapons from their lower backs. The two then stood ready before them, each with large metal object in their hands which created…
Lightsabers?!
Shirou's ability didn't seem to work on the swords being wielded against them but the Black Keys were effective in blocking attacks from them. The swords were purely technological so unfortunately he couldn't trace them.
Oh I want one of those so bad!
They weren't actual Lightsabers. They looked more like regular swords, but with blades made out of energy, and the hilts were much bulkier than the iconic sci-fi weapons Shirou couldn't help but compare them too.
But as Shirou engaged his opponent in melee combat, he couldn't believe what was happening. His opponent was a young woman, probably barely out of her teens. But she was able to fight him on equal terms even with his magic circuits reinforcing his strength and speed.
How the hell is she doing that?!
A quick glance at Ciel showed that she too had her work cut out for her. Her own opponent also fighting on equal ground to her. But it didn't take very long before both Shirou and Ciel were able to defeat and finish off their opponents. However the two were able to compete with them didn't help them to overcome the experience gap.
A moment later there was a bright flash in the sky and another spacequake like explosion which threw Shirou and Ciel down to the ground. Shirou rolled over to Ciel and held out his hand to to block the dust and debris which was pelting them.
"Rho Aias!"
"Ow ow ow ow! Damn it Shirou! Be careful!" Ciel complained as Shirou plucked bits of rock and other debris from her back.
"Oh suck it up. You weren't any gentler with me!"
"You're a man! I'm a delicate young woman… OW! STOP IT!"
Kotori meanwhile sat across the dining table from the two with a thoughtful look in her red eyes. "So after you two survived the spacequake. You found a woman in the middle of the crater and then fought and killed a bunch of soldiers with her? Just like that?"
"That about sums it up…" groaned Ciel through clenched teeth as Shirou pulled something else out of her back.
"And then when she vanished there was another, but smaller spacequake?" asked Kotori.
"I'm not sure if it was a proper spacequake. But… It did all this to us…" answered Shirou while gesturing to his bandaged torso and the many wounds in Ciel's back.
Kotori nodded along while processing the information, "What was she like? The girl you found."
Shirou and Ciel both took a moment to recall their experiences.
Shirou spoke up first, "She was very fast…"
Then Ciel spoke up, "She was very strong…"
Kotori looked between them for a long moment and their eyes fell on her adoptive father while he seemed stuck trying to find the right words for his thoughts.
"She looked sad…" he finally articulated with a somber tone.
Kotori nodded and quickly changed the subject, "So what about those soldiers you fought?" the twin tailed girl asked while unwrapping a lollipop.
"Let's not discuss that Kotori-chan…" Ciel firmly stated.
"Why? Did you kill them all?" she asked nonchalantly and then put the lollipop into her mouth.
"Kotori!" Ciel and Shirou both blutered together.
"What? If you got them all then none of them will be able to report back that they got their asses kicked by a Magus and an Executor, and that way nobody will come knocking on our door to ask questions."
Shirou rolled his eyes while Ciel glared at him to ask where the hell a fourteen year old girl would become so ruthless.
"Don't give me that look Ciel. She's her mother's daughter when it comes to things like this."
Kotori smiled innocently while putting the lollipop into her mouth, "Those are the rules of our world aren't they? To protect our secrets by any and all means necessary."
Shirou sighed heavily at that while applying bandages to Ciel's injuries. "Yes they are. I just wish you wouldn't sound so casual about it."
"It is what it is. Besides, if I ever had to show off my powers… well-"
"Kotori-chan… Would you mind putting the first aid kit away and showing Ciel where she can get cleaned up? I'm going to get dinner started before your aunt shows up."
"Remember that you said we could have burgers tonight!" Kotori cheerfully exclaimed.
"Yes. I also promised curry for Ciel."
"Mmmm… Curry…. Now I want some of that too…" Kotori said with her mouth watering slightly.
"No! The curry is MINE!" roared the bluenette.
"Whoa… Alright. If you want it that bad…"
Shirou chuckled while he started washing his hands at the kitchen sink. "Ciel's is to curry what Kotori is to lollipops. Don't ever get between them."
Damn it all… I really don't want Kotori getting anywhere near anything to do with mages. Or whatever that was today. I want nothing more to do with it. I wash my hands of it. Even if the better part of me demands I do everything in my power to keep that girl from ever again looking so sad...
A short while later Ciel and Kotori returned to the living room, Ciel then asked to borrow a phone which Kotori was only too happy to provide. Ciel dialed a number and put the phone to her ear.
"Hello, Shiki? Yes, It's me," she said while looking to Shirou, her eyes silently pleading for moral support.
Shirou took a deep breath and gave Ciel an encouraging smile and a thumbs up while she continued on the phone.
"Well… Yes… I'm sorry… I didn't mean to make you both worry. Something came up… Will you just shut up and let me explain already?! Thank you! I had some business in Fuyuki today. No Shiki. I don't have to tell you where and when I'm going anywhere! Remember we talked about us all having 'me time' where the others wouldn't be involved? Yes that's right. You do remember. Good boy. Anyway, the spacequake happened and there's no train back… Yes I'm fine. I wasn't seriously hurt… Yes I'm being taken care of… No I'm not in a hospital..."
Shirou winced in sympathy. Her conversation reminded him so much of many of his own conversation with his late wife.
"I'm at the Emiya's house. I'm going to be staying here… I don't know for how long. Until this mess we're in is sorted out. No I don't know how long it- What?! How could you think that much less say it?! Shirou is my brother! Rin was my sister!"
After a moment of silence Ciel pulled the phone away from her ear. Nonsensical yelling could be heard from the other end of the phone. "He's mad…" she said to the room while covering the phone with her hand.
Shirou stepped out of his kitchen and gestured to Ciel for the phone. She looked at him hesitantly for a moment before smirking and and then handed him over the phone.
"Tohno? It's Shirou Emiya," he said in a hard but calm voice.
There was audible yelling from the phone while Shirou held it away from his ear for a moment and then put it back to his ear, "Tohno… I've had a really bad day today so I want you to listen to my voice right now. Do I sound like I'm in the mood for this childishness? If you have a problem with me. You talk to me about it. So go ahead and talk, but choose your words wisely..."
Shirou held the phone away from his ear for another long moment and then put it back to his ear, "What did you just say to me? Of course I'm not listening to you... Because when you talk like that your excessive stupidity hurts my head you idiot."
Shirou again held the phone away from his ear and sighed with exasperation while Ciel and Kotori snickered at him.
"Shouldn't you be dealing with him instead of pops?" asked Kotori.
Ciel turned to the young red haired girl and smiled at her, "I could. But this is a lot more fun. You should see them when they're in a room together. People pay money for professionals to make them laugh less than those two made your mother and I laugh."
"How did the four of you ever get anything done together?" Kotori wondered.
"Good question… Honestly, for whatever reason, they can't stand each other. But when it came down to it, they always seemed to be able to set it aside when they had to. Honestly it's a little frightening what they can accomplish when they work together."
Shiou held the phone away from his face and yelled into the microphone, "What are you a brat now?! I can no longer deal with an idiot and brat like you! At least decide on one numbskull!"
Damn it… Now I know for sure where he got his charming disposition from... It had to have come from being forced to put up with Shiki Tohno. But then again… I can't help help but wonder if this was how he felt when he was dealing with me.
Kotori and Ciel started laughing uncontrollably as the two exchanged increasingly harsh banter over the phone.
Dinner in the Emiya house was the usual affair. Taiga was ecstatic to see Ciel. And a happy Tiger was always a welcome sight. It meant that whatever revenge she was plotting on Shirou would be put on hold for the sake of entertaining Ciel. But there was also the possibility that she might ramp up her plans for the purpose of entertaining their guest… Shirou decided to remain on high alert.
"Shirou… I make my curry exactly the same way you do. Why does yours taste so much better?!" she demanded to know.
"Quality of the ingredients. You just have to learn how to pick the right things," he explained.
"It's been awhile since we've had the curry monster over. Does this mean we'll be seeing you more often Ciel?" Taiga enquired.
Ciel couldn't keep herself from giggling at the comment, "Yes you will. I thought my business here would only take a day to conclude, but it seems I'll have to stay longer. But since my hotel only had the room for the night, Shirou was kind enough to invite me to stay."
"Ahh. So this wasn't just a social call. That's a shame. Shirou rarely has any pretty girls over anymore so I thought maybe he was finally looking to get back onto the market..."
Ciel and Kotori started laughing in a soft voice behind their hands while watching Shirou's embarrassed face.
"Fuji-nee… We've talked about this. I happen to have set a locks in the shed I could install tonight."
"Shirou's so easy to screw with that it's almost no fun. But his reactions balance that out and make it a ton of fun!" Ciel exclaimed while patting the tall copper haired man on the shoulder playfully.
"Don't encourage her Ciel…"
Kotori meanwhile snapped her fingers and started digging in her pocket for her phone. "That reminds me! Since Aunt Tiger and Ciel are both here, maybe you two can help me with this!"
"What is it Kotori-chan?" asked Taiga. Ciel meanwhile looked up from her plate, a mouthful of curry and a curious eye.
Kotori fished out her phone and started swiping through it while explaining, "Well… Tobiichi and I were talking at lunch today. She told me about her guardian. She seems like a very nice lady..." when she found the picture Tobiichi had sent her she first showed it to Taiga who widened her eyes in approval. Apparently already catching on.
Kotori then showed it to Ciel who then choked on her curry. After a moment to clear her throat with the help of Shirou patting her back and giving her water she looked over at Kotori. "Are you serious? Have you met your father?"
"Will anyone be letting me in on this conversation? Or is it just for children?" he snarked.
Kotori then held out her phone to him with a cheesy grin on her face. "This is what we're talking about," she said with a firm nod.
Shirou looked at the image of the woman. She had long black hair tied up in a ponytail behind her head with some loose bangs at the front, and matching eyes. There wasn't much else that really stood out about her to him. "What about her?"
"What do you think of her?" asked Kotori.
I'm so confused right now… What the hell is going on here?
"I don't know her. Why would I think anything of her?"
All three girls in the room simultaneously facepalmed. "He's so dense…" they each said in unison.
Kotori recovered first and angrily glared at her father. "Pops… Seriously? Try telling me if you think she's pretty or not!"
Shirou raised an inquisitive eyebrow as she held out her phone to him one more time with the picture on display. "I suppose she is…"
"You suppose she is?" said Taiga while pulling her face up to glare hopelessly at Shirou.
"Shirou… She's very pretty," added Ciel.
"Alright! Alright! She's VERY pretty. Could someone tell me what the point is now?" he sighed with exasperation.
Kotori decided to put it bluntly for him, "I want you to meet her. Invite her and Tobiichi over for dinner or something!"
"You just want me to meet her? If you want me to meet your friend's Guardian isn't parent's day the time for that sort of thing?" Shirou asked, drawing angry glares from Ciel, Taiga, and Kotori.
"Did I say something wrong?" he asked with a sweat building up on his face as he glanced about the three of them.
Kotori sighed and put her hands up in resignation. "Could someone spell it out for him? I don't think I can make this anymore obvious even if I showed him a documentary on the subject!"
Taiga and Ciel looked at each other and exchanged silent hand signals before Ciel gestured for Taiga to go first.
Taiga then cleared her throat and began, "Shirou. I know it's been a while for you. So I'll start with the basics…" she then raised a single finger on her left hand for illustration. "You're a good looking single man," she then raised a finger on her right hand and held it beside her left. "She's a good looking single woman…" she then started bringing the tips of her fingers together as she went on speaking, "Sometimes when two single people meet, things happen between them," she said while pushing the two fingers together for emphasis. "Are you catching my drift yet?"
Shirou stared dumbly at her.
Ciel glared at him, "You can't be serious Shirou… I refuse to believe you are this dense!"
Shirou shook his head, "No. I get what you're saying. You're trying to set me up with this woman. I'm not interested."
"How can you not be interested?!" Taiga snapped at him while taking Kotori's phone and shoving it in his face, "Look at her! She's gorgeous!"
"I'm sure she's very nice, and very attractive. I'm just not interested in dating. Why do we have to debate this?" he asked with a flat tone. An island of calm amidst a sea of raging females.
Taiga groaned with exasperation. "Shirou. Nobody is asking you to marry this woman! All we're asking you to do is meet her. Cook her something nice to eat. Meet your daughter's best friend. Show her and this woman who takes care of her a good time."
Ciel nodded in agreement with Taiga, "All you have to do is cook for her. Something you enjoy doing anyway. Your daughter can have her best friend over at her house for a social occasion. Her Guardian…" Ciel stopped and looked at Kotori for a moment, "What's her name anyway?"
"Uhh… Hang on…" Kotori took her phone back from Taiga and looked at the message she got from Tobiichi. "Ryouko Kusakabe."
"Right… So yes Shirou. All anyone's asking you to do is meet this Kusakabe person. And do something for her which you do every night anyway. You might like her. You might not. She might like you. She might not. Who cares? Just meet the woman! What exactly do you have to lose?"
"Kotori getting excited about playing matchmaker for her father. I understand. Taiga doing the same, I also understand. But you Ciel? You know very well how complicated my life is right now, and how much, stress, I have at work these days. And how much more stressful and complicated it's going to be getting. This really isn't a good time for me to be 'putting myself back on the market' or whatever you kids call it these days."
Taiga shook her finger at Shirou. "Work is work. That's life Shirou. I know for a fact that you can free up an evening to have dinner with this woman and her ward. We'll all pitch in to help you with whatever you need. Ciel and I can go out for the evening and entertain ourselves. We'll have a great time and won't be inconvenienced in the slightest. If you won't do it for yourself do it for us. Do it for Kotori. Besides. You might actually like her. And if you do, spending her time with her will be the best thing for relieving work related stress."
"Yes yes! Listen to the wise Tiger!" Kotori said with all the enthusiasm she could muster.
Shirou found Ciel nodding along with them as well and sighed in resignation. "You call her wise, but you have no idea that she's probably quoting a manga and not her own experience. When's the last time you've been on a date Fuji-nee?"
"Pfft. We're not talking about me," she said with a wave of her hand.
"No. I'm actually interested. Don't meddle in my love life unless you want me to meddle in yours,"
"Kotori-chan?" Taiga asked while looking at said girl, "Does she have a brother?"
Kotori shrugged, "I don't know. But if she does, I'll make sure you get first dibs!"
Shirou kept staring at Taiga in the meanwhile, "You haven't answered me Fuji-nee. When was the last time you were ever out on a date?"
Taiga heaved a heavy sigh, "I can't remember… But it doesn't matter! We're not talking about me! If you agree to this I'll forgive you for what you said this morning! And after all the effort Kotori-chan has put into this, if you don't agree, we will never forgive you!"
Kotori and Taiga each gave Shirou that glare. The one that said they were both thinking the same exact thing. Ways in which they knew they could make his life miserable.
Shit…
Shirou groaned in resignation, "Fine… I agree."
Kotori smirked up at Taiga who in turn grinned back at the younger girl. "Great Pops! How about this Saturday?"
Shirou palmed his face, "The sooner I get this over with, the… the...AAA-CHOOO!… The better..." Shirou reached for a napkin and started cleaning up his hand from the sneeze.
"Someone must be talking about him…" Kotori said with a knowing smirk while reading a message on her phone.
Taiga leaned over to look and Kotori turned the phone so she could see. The Tiger of Fuyuki then started clapping excitedly, "Tobiichi says 'She agreed' yay!"
After dinner, Kotori sat up on her bed with her phone's headset in her ear, textbooks around her as she multitasked between her homework, thaumaturgical studies, and her phone conversation.
"So what happened? All you said was 'She agreed' but I gotta know how that all went down!" Kotori said happily.
Tobiichi meanwhile was sitting in front of table which was in a similar state of organized chaos with text books and loose paper strewn about.
"Is that your friend on the phone?" Kotori heard a voice in the distance behind Tobiichi ask.
"Yes Ryouko. It is," Tobiichi answered her.
"Origami finally has a friend! I can die happy now! Tell her I can't wait to meet her!"
"She says-" stated Tobiichi.
"I heard her. Wait. Where are you? I thought you lived alone?" Kotori enquired with surprised curiosity.
"That is unimportant. To answer your question. It was not easy at first…"
Origami Tobiichi sat in Ryouko Kusakabe's office at the base. Around them were several of Ryouko's subordinates with various items of paperwork for Ryouko's-
"Wait. You can actually go onto the base and see her? You're there right now aren't you?! You're actually allowed to go there? That's so cool! But how did she get you permission?" asked Kotori.
"It is unimportant." replied Tobiichi.
"So that's where you went after the spacequake. I'm so jealous! There must be so much cool stuff over there!"
"May I continue now?"
"Yeah…. Sorry. I'll stay quiet until you finish. Promise," said Kotori.
"So Origami? You had something you wanted to discuss with me?" asked Ryouko while adjusting her hair out of her eyes to look at her ward.
"It can wait. Perhaps now is not the best time, it is a personal matter," Tobiichi replied in her usual monotone.
"Now might be the only time I have a spare minute for you after what happened today," she grimly stated.
"Very well…" Tobiichi stated while pulling out her phone and swiping to the issue. "First I would like to know your opinion of this man," she said while holding the phone out to her guardian.
The older woman took the phone and studied the image for a moment. "This better not be your boyfriend Origami. He looks way too old for you..." she said while holding the photo out to her young female subordinates who were all curiously attempting to peek.
"WOW! WHAT A HUNK!" the women all replied in unison.
"Not the response I was looking for…" she said with disappointment at them while setting down the phone.
Kotori laughed, "She thought my pops was your boyfriend?! Hahaha!"
Tobiichi said nothing on that subject, she simply continued telling her story.
"You misunderstand," Tobiichi began explaining, "His name is Shirou Emiya. He is the adoptive father of my kōhai and friend, Kotori Emiya."
"That's nice but what does- Wait. Friend? Origami! You made a friend?!" Ryouko said gleefully.
"Yes."
"That's great! But then why are you showing me a picture of her father?"
"I think she's trying to fix you up with him Captain..." one of the women stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Ryouko looked back to her ward, asking with her eyes if this is true. Tobiichi in turn nodded that it was. "Indeed. Emiya and I were talking during the lunch break and she suggested the idea that you and I should have dinner with them in their home. I told her I would suggest it to you while she suggests the same to her father."
Ryouko then picked the phone back up so she could look at the picture again in light of this new information. "I don't know Origami… I'm just coming out of a relationship."
"You went on three dates and spent a total of four hours and twelve minutes with him," Tobiichi pointed out, "You spend more time than that reading automotive magazines... Per day."
Kotori started laughing hysterically, "Nice one senpai!"
"It was a simple statement of fact…" she replied with no feeling behind her words.
Tobiichi's observations drew snickers from the other female soldiers in the room.
"You know Origami. If you keep being so precise, someone might think you're a stalker," observed Ryouko.
"Understood. So what shall I give as your answer?"
Ryouko sighed and fell back into her seat while studying the picture of Shirou Emiya, "What do you know about him?"
"He is an alumni of the school I attend. He then went on to study in London. After that he traveled extensively while doing volunteer work with various humanitarian aid agencies around the world. His wife was killed in a spacialquake three years ago. Presently, he has settled down here in Fuyuki to raise his daughter. I am told he works. But I am uncertain as to the nature of his work. His hobbies include Kyudo, Kendo, tinkering with machines, performing maintenance on his home, and cooking."
"Well… He is very good looking. I'll give him that. But I don't know if he's really what I'm looking for…."
One of the female soldiers then quickly interjected, "He's well educated. He likes to help people in need. He's a responsible parent. He's got a job. He does the housework. He's disciplined. He's physically fit... He cooks! And he's good looking!" the woman then drew a sharp breath after listing off Shirou Emiya's positive attributes. "If he's not what you're looking for then don't you think you might be setting your standards a little too high Captain?"
Ryouko shook her head with a small sigh of disappointment, "He's a widower… That might make things complicated…"
"Sounds like an excuse to me…" the female soldier said aloud to which the room nodded along.
"Alright Origami… Tell your friend I agree. I guess I can use my one day off for this. Provided I still get to have it off..."
"So. Saturday then? You're both alright with that?" Kotori asked over the phone.
"Yes. That should be fine. Unless an emergency happens we will be able to attend," answered Tobiichi.
"Quick question then. Is there anything you two don't like to eat? Just so I can tell pops not to cook that."
Tobiichi was silent for a long moment before responding, "No. We have no allergies, and no particular distastes worth mentioning."
"Good to know… I'll see you at school tomorrow then. Have a good night senpai!"
"Yes. Good night Emiya."
Kotori hung up the phone after that and started going through one of her books.
Math homework... easy. Alchemy... not so much. Even though I'll probably never be able to make any of this stuff work I still like to study it. These books belonged to, well, I guess I'll call her my grandmother. Then to my… other… aunt. Pops doesn't really like to talk about what happened back then but when I mentioned I was curious about these books he didn't have a problem with me reading them.
The books aren't all my parents salvaged from the Einzbern castle, but right now, they're the only things that are actually useful. The more I read about Alchemy though, honestly, the more disturbed I become by what I know of the Einzbern family. But I really don't want to think about this now…
Let's see if I can pull this off… Pops has plenty of wires in the- Oh wait. It has to be a noble metal? What's that mean exactly?
Kotori took up her phone again and started searching the internet for the term.
Ahhh crap… How am I supposed to get my hands on any of this?
Kotori began another search looking for the materials she'd need. Then she growled to herself as she started calculating.
Twelve thousand yen for one foot of gold wire! There has to be a solution within my reach...
Maybe… Yes! Silver wire. That's something I could afford plenty of on just my allowance. Provided I don't go crazy with it.
Kotori sat back in her bed and hugged the tome she'd been reading tightly to her chest. "That's one problem solved. Now back to the really boring stuff…"
Kotori opened up her math textbook and resumed solving the embarrassingly simple problems it contained.
If school wasn't so much fun I'd die of boredom...
Meanwhile Shioru and Ciel were having tea in the living room while going through the files she'd brought him. He has also brought out of all Rin's notes on the spacequakes and other related topics for comparison.
"So we know those poor bastards were from Deus Ex Machina Industries. What do we know about this company? Besides all the headlines they make?"
"Well…" Ciel took a moment to gather her thoughts before taking Shirou through them, "They're based in England. Which I actually find rather bold. They're in the backyard of the Mage's Association. As a rule of thumb, Mages are traditionalists. They don't use technology and frown on anyone who does. But their managing director, Sir Isaac Ray Pelham Westcott, is very much into technology."
"His name is certainly enough of a mouthful for him to be a magus…" remarked Shirou with a roll of his eyes.
He then flipped through the file until he found the one on the man in question. "Knighted by the King for his scientific achievements and generous charitable contributions. He funds scholarships around the world and then hires the students to work for his company. DEM branches around the world give hiring priority and on the job training to the homeless and long time unemployed. DEM Industries also has special internships and training programs for underprivileged youths in every country which they operate in. He actually seems like a pretty decent guy…
Ciel scoffed at the thought, "Yeah. He only seems like it. Until you dig a little deeper," she said while refilling her tea cup. "Go ahead and read on. See if you can see between the lines."
Shirou nodded and started going through the pages Ciel had provided and the notes Rin had left on the same subject.
According to what Rin mentions about him in her notes, he's a first rate magus. Tenth generation. Specializing in Alchemy and Spiritual Evocation. Water and Wind affinity… This is one long list, is there anything this man hasn't mastered? He's also unique among mages in that he's educated in the fields of science and technology. He's studied chemical, biological, electrical, and mechanical engineering...
That's probably why he split with the clock tower. If he wanted to work with technology and magecraft, the Clocktower would hold him back more than they would help him… Over the years he's gone on to become one of the wealthiest people in the world. But he doesn't live in luxury. He donates most of his income to charities and reinvests the rest into other projects... But why?
Sir Isaac Westcott also has a reputation as an antisocial recluse. He snubs invitations to social functions with heads of state and other rich and famous individuals and prefers to mingle with fellow academics and employees. He also attends many charity functions every year. And every one of them he helps to fund from his own pocket. I'm surprised he attended his own Knighting ceremony...
"This man isn't just a magus, if you only look at this, he's a saint and a revolutionary…" Shirou said with a surprised tone of voice. "But if we find out his parents were killed in an alley somewhere, we should start looking for a cave near his house," he added flatly.
Ciel sighed at that, "Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist… Wrong movie Shirou. Why he stopped working with Rin… It seems the good and charitable Sir Isaac, has earned himself a Sealing Designation. He's a Philosopher."
"He isn't a playboy as far as I can tell, and he doesn't make metal suits for every day of the week. Despite his knowledge of metallurgy. He also doesn't go to big hollywood parties," Shirou's eyes perked up in interest after his comment, "He's still doing the research that got him the Sealing Designation, which means he's considered a threat to the secrets of thaumaturgy."
Ciel nodded, "After a few drinks, Rin once told me you were a man of iron. That's why I made you that outfit with the body armor. Then of course you both freaked out when you saw it and I was afraid my days of designing superhero costumes were over before they started… It was a lot harder than I thought it would be, I was almost totally crushed!"
"That's what she said…"
Ciel rolled her eyes, "I walked right into that one didn't I?"
"Mhmm…"
Ciel shook her head, "But anyway… Getting back on track... The fact that he's still at large means the association has tried and failed to deal with him. They must have failed so spectacularly that they consider trying again to be a bigger threat to their secrecy than allowing him to continue his work."
Shirou nodded his understanding, "...And being the highly intelligent man that he is, everything he does has to raise the bar. So DEM Industries isn't just a business for him. He's used it, and his public image, to create the perfect place to hide. Right out in plain sight. And according to this, DEM Headquarters is in a massive corporate tower, which sits in full view of the clock tower itself. A place where he can comfortably wave his middle finger in their pompous faces with complete and utter impunity… You know… if I didn't know you were about to tell me something really disturbing... I might already be updating my CV so I can ask him for a job…"
Ciel's eyes narrowed and hardened, "Better brace yourself then…"
Meanwhile… Kotori was going to the kitchen to get herself something to drink but couldn't help eavesdropping on what Ciel started explaining.
At school the next morning Kotori was staring into her phone and the three choices her game had presented her with. She studied her options with the same intensity she put into everything in her life.
"Kotori-chan? What's bothering you today? If it's a boy I'll kill him for you. I can make it look like an accident," the text on screen read.
Option one… "He hasn't done anything! Please don't kill him!"
Option two… "Violence won't solve this problem."
Option three… "Can I help?"
Option two is probably the safest choice…
"Kotori-chan… I'm disappointed. If violence doesn't solve your problems, then you're just not using enough of it," said the text on the screen with a close up of the 'big sister' avatar's vacant yandere eyes.
Heh… Wise words Onee-sama.
"Hey Emiya. Something bothering you?" asked Tonomachi from the seat ahead of her.
"Yes. You. Could you take yourself out back and rough yourself up a little? Onee-sama would do it herself but she's already being watched by the police," she said while holding up her phone to show the image of her character's frightening eyes.
"Playing Date A Live with a yandere character is starting to mess with your mind… Those girls are scary…"
"No more than having to look at that porcupine you have glued to your head all the time. If you want some advice, throw out the gel. You'd probably look better going natural," said Kotori while looking at her phone instead of him.
"The other you said the same thing," he said while pointing at his phone. "Maybe I'll give it a try."
Kotori reached out and smacked him across the back of his head.
"Owww! Damn it Emiya! Can't you just take it as a compliment?!"
"If it feels insulting, it is insulting…" she mumbled while sitting back down to look at her phone again.
"Hit him again! Harder! But use an ax!" read the text on the screen with a picture of her dark haired yandere 'big sister' character.
"See. At least she gets me," she said while holding up the phone for Tonomachi to see the text.
Tonomachi stood up and sat back down reversely in his chair so he could fully face her. "Seriously Emiya. What's with you today? Even your comebacks have no bite."
"Mind your own business Tonomachi. Or else I'll send Onee-sama to kill your little fake Kotori."
"Yeah. I can just start a new game. But I won't leave you alone until you tell me what's bothering you. I'll sit like this the whole day. Through class. I don't care."
Kotori reached out as if she were about to slap him but stopped short of his forehead when she saw he wasn't even flinching. Then she instead opted to flick him in the forehead with her middle finger. "Baka. I'm not a character trope. Mind your own business. You've still got a long way to go to figure out how to get to my dere side," she said while sitting back to resume playing and waiting for class to begin. "But thanks for the concern," she added half heartedly.
When she saw he put his chin down on her desk and that he really wasn't going to turn back around she kicked the bottom of her desk hard enough to make him sit back up. "Owwww!" he moaned while holding his chin. "Can't you ever just once drop the ring of fire you keep up around yourself and let someone in for even a moment?"
Ring of fire he says… I wonder if he's smarter than he looks? Or if he's just exactly as dumb as he looks?
There was, for the briefest of moments, a pained expression on Kotori's face which didn't go unnoticed by Tonomachi. It was gone almost as quickly as it appeared, but before he could remark on it, she spoke again and cut him off completely.
"I do let people in. Just not you. So mind your business," she demanded, "Or try again and feel the burn!" she quickly added with a sadistic grin.
Meanwhile, Shirou and Ciel sat down at another cafe in New City. This one was directly across the street and in plain sight of the local DEM offices. While sipping tea and making casual conversation with each other they were also each taking careful note of several men and women in business suits watching them.
It was a silent game they were all forced to participate in. Each side watching and pretending not to notice the other while also pretending to be oblivious to the fact that everyone was perfectly aware of each other.
Shirou and Ciel intentionally had a waiter set a third place at their table, with a glass of water, cutlery. They had also placed the file Ciel had brought them and set it on top of the empty plate.
Let's see how long it takes before they make a decision on what to do about us. I don't think we could extend them a more obvious invitation without putting it in writing for them.
It took about an hour, but their invitation seemed to have been accepted when an older man accompanied by two other men in suits emerged from the front door of the DEM branch and crossed the street. His eyes locked on Shiou and Ciel while they in turn maintained their conversation with each other, offering no clues that they were aware of his approach.
It wasn't until he was bowing beside their table and introducing himself that Shirou and Ciel paid him any real attention. His bodyguards meanwhile were standing on the sidewalk a few meters away from the three of them as they all exchanged introductions.
"My name is Masaomi Mikimoto, branch manager for DEM Industries."
"Shirou Emiya."
"Ciel"
"I apologize for keeping you waiting, but as you can imagine I am a very busy man," he said while seating himself and looking at the folder set on his plate. "May I presume everything is here?"
Ciel and Shirou both nodded.
"I see. I understand you had a misunderstanding with some of our sales associates and they caused you some trouble?"
"I assure you Mikimoto-san. They gave us no trouble at all," remarked Ciel, sounding as innocent and nun-like as she could possibly be while making that double entendre.
"Hmm… Yes. I understand," he said while skimming the folder. "It seems there was a miscommunication between myself and one of my junior executives which lead to all this confusion. I would like to offer my deepest apologies for the inconvenience. Be assured that this is not how we do business and that the persons responsible for the mix ups will be severely reprimanded."
Shirou and Ciel both nodded to the man without saying anything.
Mikimoto then looked Shirou in the eyes, "I have been asked by the Managing Director to convey his own apology to you for this incident. He wishes to convey to you that the working relationship he had with your late wife has not be forgotten, and that he holds you in equally high esteem, Emiya-san. He would never seek to impede your good works in any way shape or form."
Shirou bowed his head slightly in acknowledgement, "I thank you for that. I hope this gesture makes everything perfectly clear?"
"It does. Emiya-san. Is there anything you would like me to pass on to the Managing Director?"
Shirou gave a slow nod, "Please convey to him my best regards and my sincerest wish that any future dealings we may have can be amicably resolved. As he knows of my good works, I also know of his good works," said Shirou while gesturing to the folder.
"I will ensure he gets the message. Please allow us to pick up your bill, it is the least I can do," said Mikimoto while rising from his seat, bowing for a moment and then making an un-hasty departure from the cafe.
Shirou and Ciel looked at each other and nodded before vacating the cafe themselves.
"It's their move now…" said Ciel with a firm voice.
"I'm glad you changed your mind about helping me with this Ciel," he said while mustering up a smalls mile.
"Family comes first. I'll deal with the Church later. Next time remind me to find some kind of vaccination for your "hero complex" because it's damned infectious..." she grumbled half heartedly.