Author's Note:
At the risk of sounding like a broken record. Allow me to once again extend my thanks to everyone who's reading, reviewing or sending me messages expressing their enjoyment of this story. I never expected to get an audience this engaged with the story for this project, so I really can't give you all enough appreciation.
Chapter Four
Shirou and Ciel both remained frozen in place with the same stupefied expressions on their faces. Shiour clutching Kanshou and Bakuya and Ciel with two hand fulls of Black Keys.
Shirou finally snapped out of his stupor and cast his gaze firmly on Kotori. "Do you mind explaining this?" he asked her while she was picking herself up off the floor.
"Well… I don't really have an explanation. I was in the workshop, and when I opened the door to come back here… She was just standing outside," explained Kotori.
Shirou and Ciel both turned their attention to the armored woman who was examining the photographs on the walls. "Hey Kotori! Can we go see these places? Everyone looks so happy here!" she asked with great enthusiasm.
Kotori palmed her face, "Those are all very far away places from here Tohka. If you really want to see this world, we'll have to start on a smaller scale. Like this city."
"Who's this lady in all the pictures? Where is she?" asked the energetic Tohka.
Shirou, Kotori, and Ciel all winced at the insensitive question but said nothing. None of them expected her to know better. Though Ciel felt she was the one who should probably answer her.
Ciel walked up to Tohka after putting away her Black Keys, meanwhile Shirou allowed his swords to dissolve.
Then Ciel addressed the question in a low and reverent voice, "Her name was Rin Tohsaka. She was Shirou's wife, and Kotori's mother. She passed away."
"Passed away? Passed away to where? Is it somewhere interesting? I wanna go see where she is! Can we?"
Ciel slapped her face with her palm and then leaned in closer to Tohka's ear where she whispered to her. "It means she's dead… Please stop talking about it. It really hurts them to think about it."
Kotori meanwhile walked up to her father and and spoke to him in a discreet voice as well, "It's exactly like I told you. She's unbelievably dense..."
Kotori then spoke up again, "Tohka? Do you mind if we ask you a few questions?"
"Questions? Sure Kotori. Anything!" she answered enthusiastically while running over to the shorter redhaired girl.
"Alright… Thanks. How did you even get here? The spacequake alarm didn't go off?" was the first question Kotori posed to the spirit.
"Why would it? You invited me back here didn't you? You promised me to show me this world," replied Tohka in a calm and more normal tone of voice. Her excessive jubilance seemingly subsiding.
"Is that all it takes to bring a spirit into this world without triggering a quake? An invitation?" Kotori wondered aloud.
"I think so. I mean. I'm here. And it didn't happen."
"Next question. How did you find Kotori? Why did you just appear in our house?" asked Shirou with his arms folded over his chest.
"I appeared here because she was here. Since she and I are the same and she was using her powers, I could somehow sense it and I just appeared where she is."
Ciel started coughing and choking on what she heard, "Through the Bounded Field?! And what do you mean you and Kotori are the same?"
Kotori looked up at her father for guidance in the situation but he had his eyes closed with his head turned downwards.
"It's a long story Ciel. I'll explain it to you later," he finally said. "I just have one more question for you Tohka. What are you exactly?" he asked while opening an eye to carefully watch her reactions and body language.
Tohka took a moment to think about the question, when she started speaking it was in a soft, monotone voice with sadness and confusion in her every inflection. "I don't know… I don't remember how long ago it was when I appeared out of nowhere. That's all I can recall. Most of my oldest memories are fuzzy and distorted. I honestly don't know what kind of being I am..."
"That's awful…" said Kotori in a low voice.
"I suppose so…" Tohka started again, "My birth was sudden and inexplicable. The mecha-mecha squad was already in the air when I awoke."
"Mecha-mecha? Huh?" asked Shirou and Ciel at the same time.
"It's what she calls those flying soldiers…" Kotori answered for Tohka and then gestured for the woman to continue her story.
"That's all there is to it. It happened over, and over, and over. And every time I had to fight or die. Until I met Kotori, nobody was ever interested in talking to me," she concluded.
Shirou nodded, "Why don't we all have a seat?" he said while gesturing to the table. "It's almost lunch time anyway. I'll bring us out some food. We should probably discuss as much of this as we can before Fuji-nee shows up."
"Do you want me to make up some kind of explanation for Taiga?" asked Ciel. "You know I could just make her believe any story you want."
"I'd rather we not start messing with her brain. Not unless we had no other option," Shirou firmly stated while walking off to the kitchen. "Besides… I can think of at least twenty things I'd love to convince her to stop doing through magecraft if it came to it…" he added in a low grumble.
"So Tohka… When you disappeared the other day, and the time before that when you met Pops and Ciel. Where did you go?"
"I'm not sure how to explain that. It just happens naturally. I go to a world different from this one. It's a dark space…" her voice trailed off at the end of that before picking back up again with her next statement. "Once I get there, I just go to sleep."
Kotori was leaning in and hanging on her every word. Shirou listening in with his reinforced ears, and Ciel leaning on the table to give her undivided attention.
"So when you wake up you just come here?" asked Ciel.
"Well… I don't wake up on my own. It's more like by force, and it has nothing to do with what I want. I'm just pulled here. Usually anyway."
"Being awoken by force? I can relate to that…" snarked Shirou from the kitchen to which Kotori palmed her face.
"Hah… Hah…. Hah…" Kotori sarcastically laughed before taking a moment to absorb the information.
So spirits don't cause the spacequakes on purpose… Tobiichi probably doesn't know that. But the question is, what is it that pulls them, or us, here? And if I'm a spirit like her. Did I arrive the same way? Was I the cause of the quake that time that lead to… No… No no no no. L.. Loli… Lollipop! Lollipop! Ohh lolli lolli lolli...
Kotori started trembling until she reached into her pocket and withdrew a lollipop which instantly brought back her composure before it could deteriorate to an obvious level and spoil the conversation.
"What is it that pulls you here? Do you know?" asked Kotori once the sweet candy was in her mouth and her nerves fully relaxed.
Tohka shook her head, "I wish I did. I'm sorry… I really don't have any idea at all."
Shirou cleared his throat from the kitchen. "Kotori. Your aunt will be here soon. Could you try finding Tohka something more appropriate to wear? Then we need to come up with a cover story for her."
"Does that mean she can stay?" asked Kotori with cautious optimism.
Shirou groaned in annoyance, "That depends on how much trouble she's going to be. But I'm willing to give her a chance."
Ciel chuckled softly, "That's the Shirou we know and love. But that reminds me, mind if I borrow a phone? I need to get Arcueid to pack and send me a bag, I didn't exactly bring a lot of clothes for myself and this trip might be lasting even longer than I thought it would."
"What makes you say that?" asked Shirou as he reached into his pocket, he then threw his phone across the room where Ciel easily caught it and started dialing.
"Because whatever's about to happen in this house, I wouldn't miss for anything! Besides, if your date ends up being a fail, Tohka's actually quite good looking herself," she answered with a hearty laugh.
Shirou sighed and then looked up to the roof, "Damn it Archer… I can actually hear you laughing at me! Don't make me come over there... Because you know I will..." he growled with indignation while shaking his fist at the imagined Heroic Spirit.
"Hey there! It's me," Ciel said into the phone while ignoring Shirou's minor outburst, "Yes. I miss you too. Listen could you do me a favor? I need you to pack me a bag of cloths and send it to me in Fuyuki along with my special 'supply bag' on tomorrow's train. Thank you so much. No! NO! Don't let him! Because if he came here right now… Amusing as it would be, he and Shirou would just rub each other wrong and then we might never get anything done… Yes. You know how they are. Thank you you're a lifesaver! If he wants to help, the best thing he can do is just stay there with you in case, God forbid, this trouble I'm working to sort finds its way back to our home. I love you too, take care of each other. Tell him I love him too."
Ciel's eyes locked with Shirou's and there was a look of deep gratitude on his face and Ciel started giggling at him.
Taiga looked around the crowded table with suspicious eyes. "So… Is anyone going to introduce me to your new house guest?"
"Oh. Sorry Aunt Tiger! This is Tohka. She'll be staying with us for a while. She.. umm… She's from America. She's doing a home stay with us because she wants to learn about Japan!" explained Kotori.
"Nobody told me about this…" the Tiger grunted in annoyance.
"Since you only ever come here to eat and pass judgements, I don't see why we should include you in these decisions," Shirou snarked while dishing her out some rice.
Taiga narrowed her eyes at Shirou, "I know you've been stressed out Shirou, but do you really have to take it out on me? It's not like your job got flattened by a spacequake…"
Shirou opened his eyes into narrow slits and looked at Taiga with tentative concern. When he saw the genuine look of hurt on her face he sighed deeply. "I'm sorry Fuji-nee. That was uncalled for."
Taiga's face suddenly shifted until she was playfully sticking out her tongue at him. "I'll forgive you if you promise not to fold so quickly next time!" she laughingly said while taking her bowl of rice.
"What are are you playing at Fuji-nee?" asked Shirou while dishing out to the rest of the table.
"Not much. Kotori just inspired me to practice my moe. I have nothing else to do until the school opens again," she said in a playful voice to which Ciel and Kotori started chuckling at the woman.
"What's funny?" she asked them with a raised brow.
"You should just stick to being the angry tiger. You don't have a cute bone in your body," Shirou snarked at her.
Tohka observed the bantering between everyone as food was placed in front of her. When she picked up her chopsticks Kotori quickly slapped her hand.
"No. We don't eat until we say thanks," she harshly chastised.
As Tohka looked around the table she saw everyone nodding along.
A moment later they all put their hands together and bowed their heads, "Itadakimasu," they all said. Tohka tried to emulate them and finally started eating a moment after they did.
Then jaws around the table dropped as she started scarfing down the rice and other food in front of her at a rapid pace.
"She must be hungry…" observed Ciel.
"This brings back memories…" Shirou and Taiga both said in unison and then looked at each other with fond smiles.
"It's been a long time since the house was this full. It feels nice…" observed Taiga to which Shirou couldn't help but smile again.
"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOW! This is so delicious!" Tohka roared in happiness.
After a moment to get the ringing out of his ear Shiou asked if she wanted more, to which she responded by eagerly handing over her plate and firmly nodding with a pleading look in her eyes.
Taiga rolled her eyes which Ciel was giggling, "I know Shirou's a decent cook, but if that's how you're going to react to everything he prepares he's going to get big headed!"
Kotori couldn't help but agree, "Yeah Tohka… Take it down a scooch."
"I'm sorry! I just never imagined that anything could ever be so good! This world is amazing!"
Kotori and Shirou perked their heads up while Ciel turned her gaze onto Taiga ready to start adjusting her memories if necessary.
"Hahaha. Your Japanese is perfect. But your choice of words needs some work Tohka dear. But I suppose that's the point of a homestay. If there's ever anything you need. Feel free to ask me anything," said a giggling and smiling Taiga in English.
"Thank you! I'll do my best!" replied Tohka in English with a fist pumped in the air. To the surprise of everyone in the know, she actually sounded American.
Kotori blinked a few times in surprise.
I guess she's not totally incompetent…
"After lunch why don't we take Tohka out for a bit and show her around a little?" asked Taiga.
"Oh oh! Yes! I'd love that! I really want to see everything!"
"That sounds like a great idea, I'm all for that," Ciel threw in.
Kotori turned to her father with her big pleading red cherry eyes. "Can I go with them?"
Shirou closed his eyes and thought about it. Looking into those eyes wouldn't help him say no if that was what he decided. After a long moment of careful consideration he gave a brief nod. "Alright. You can go with them. I suppose we'll just have to add Tohka to your list of responsibilities from now on."
"What about you Shirou? You going to stay here all by yourself?" asked Ciel.
"I would. But I promised Issei I'd help him with something in the temple today. While I'm there, I figured I may as well-"
"Say no more Shirou. We understand. Do what you need to do. It'll be a girl's day out!" said the smiling Taiga.
"And tomorrow, a girl's night out," said a grinning Ciel to Shirou's chagrin.
Later at Ryuudou Temple, Shirou had just finished patching up an air conditioning unit and was presently washing his hands with his old friend, and the current temple priest standing next to him doing the same.
"Thank you again for coming to help us Shirou. I can't fully express my appreciation for all the help you've given over the years," said the bespectacled man with his usual serious tone of voice.
"It's really not a problem Issei. You know I'm always happy to help out where I can."
"I do. But unlike most people, I do like to express my gratitude."
"I don't go looking for gratitude Issei. Especially not from my friends."
"I know… I know… You're Mr. Nice Guy. So how's Kotori? I haven't seen her in a while."
"She's well… But to tell the truth I'm a little worried about her," Shirou wistfully answered.
"Uh oh… Alright. Tell me all about it," he ordered while gesturing for the two of them to move into the next room for a seat.
After getting comfortable Shirou leaned back in a chair overlooking the temple grounds with a mournful expression. As peaceful as the place was now, once upon a time it was the site of one of his most difficult battles. In the face of those memories, his expression probably looked graver than it should have for the issue truly at hand.
"Must be some very rough stuff… Take your time Shirou. For you, I have all day. All night as well if that's what it takes," said the temple priest with a calm voice.
"It's not that bad… It's just…"
"It's just that when you're a parent, everything is that bad," said Issei while gesturing out across the temple grounds to two small boys playing. One had blue hair like Issei's and the other a light brown like his mother.
"I suppose if anyone would get where I'm coming from it's you," he answered while mustering up a small and gentle laugh.
"Exactly. So tell me what's bothering you old friend. I'm all ears."
"Well…" Shirou said while drawing a deep breath. "I'm worried that Kotori might be emulating me a little too much."
"You say that like it's a bad thing. If more people could be just a little bit like you the world would be a better place in my humble opinion."
"It's easy to say that Issei. But the things I've been through. The places I've gone. The things I've seen. I'd rather Kotori not be so eager to follow in my footsteps."
"Do you regret anything you've done?" Issei wondered aloud.
"Not for a moment!" he answered louder than he meant to. "Sorry. I mean-"
"It's alright Shirou. Believe me I know what you're feeling like. Even though mine are younger than yours, when it comes down to it, it's all the same. I worry about every little thing when it comes to my sons. And if the roots starting to show in your hair are any indication, I'd say we're both in about the same place," said Issei while running a hand through his own hair, "There's nothing like fatherhood to make you go gray before your time. It must be especially hard on you having to do it alone."
"I don't do it all alone. Fuji-nee helps out here and there-"
"Never mind the gray, it's a miracle you haven't gone bald yet!" the priest vivaciously joked.
The two men boisterously laughed together for a good minute and came out of it with bright smiles.
"Listen Shirou. It's perfectly normal. Children will often idolize their parents. She adores you. That's all. I don't think you and I are any different in that regard. You do what you do to follow in your father's footsteps, and I do as well. If she wants to be like you, I think the best thing you can do is give her the benefit of your own experience and then let her make her own decisions."
Shirou listened intently to him. His words echoing a similar statement once made to him. Frighteningly similar.
"Do you understand what I'm saying Shirou?" Issei followed up when he noticed the distant look in his friend's eyes.
"Yeah Issei… I do. Thanks."
"So… Are you heading back home now? Or would you like to stay a while?"
"I should be getting back. But there's something else I wanted to do while I was up here…" he said with his voice trailing off and his eyes drifting towards the back of the temple.
"Ahh… Say no more. I won't keep you. But I do hope I'll be able to see you more often. It's regrettable that I can only get you out here when something's broken."
"You're right… I suppose I've been a lousy friend. I got a lot going on right now, but as soon as things settle down, why don't you and Ayako bring the kids over to my house for lunch or something? Kotori would probably love to pick your wife's brain about Kyudo."
"Consider that invitation accepted."
Shirou walked from the main temple towards the rear section. There he passed through a gate and entered the cemetery after taking a moment to fill a wooden tub with water and collected a ladle. He was grateful that it was a pleasant and sunny afternoon, it made it that much more bearable to be in this place. But no matter how nice the day, one could not simply walk into a cemetery and maintain a good mood.
As he walked through his eyes kept drifting to all the tombstones, reading all the names he could see. His eyes especially lingered for a moment on the ones that hadn't seemed to have been visited for a very long time. Long forgotten people. A part of him wished to know who all these people were. What they'd accomplished, what they were proud of. The other part however, knew how unrealistic that was. But all agreed it was just the sad reality of life. People are eventually forgotten. It was the transient nature of life, the inevitability of death from which nobody was exempt.
Suddenly he bumped into someone. It wasn't a full body bump, but their shoulders had collided. He was silently grateful that he managed to avoid spilling the water he was holding all over them after making contact.
It was a young girl whose face was obscured with black hair. There wasn't much else he noticed about her besides the wooden tub and ladle she was also holding in her hands as he was too busy bowing and apologizing for his carelessness. The girl bowed back to him and silently accepted his apology. Probably too grief stricken for words. She was wearing a black frilly dress which lead him to reason she was here for the recently deceased. As quickly as it was polite, he turned away and went back to his own business.
There were two stops he wanted to make here before returning home, and he was quickly approaching the first.
The grave of Kiritsugu Emiya.
After taking his time to clean up around his father's resting place and remove any stains he found from the tombstone he lit a few sticks of incense as offerings before kneeling down and clasping his hands together.
Hey old man, sorry it's been awhile since I've stopped by. I've always been bad at that though haven't I?
Things have been a little crazy and they're just getting crazier by the day right now. You could say I've come to develop a whole new level of respect for you. What it must of been like taking care of me. What you must have been thinking all those times I wanted you to teach me how to be a mage.
I never understood back then why you didn't want to teach me everything you knew. Looking back on it I feel a little stupid for being such a brat and always nagging you about it.
But believe me when I tell you now. I understand how you felt. I completely, and fully, understand.
All I ever wanted for Kotori is for her to have a normal life. I never wanted her to ever have to experience the realities of… The life of a mage. I don't want that for her. But I can't make her decisions for her anymore than you could make mine for me right? I just hope I'm not a disappointment to you. But if you thought about it the same way I do… I suppose I couldn't be a disappointment to you anymore than Kotori could ever be to me. I'm proud of her no matter what.
I guess that's all I really needed to say. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go see my wife before she gets pissed at me.
Shirou couldn't keep the laugh inside with his last thought as he picked up the burnt incense sticks and cleaned up after them. He then walked away from the grave and down to where his late wife was laid to rest. But when he arrived there, he noticed something which set him fully on edge.
The grave is still wet from being washed… and fresh flowers? They're Rin's favorites too... Who would have…
He turned his gaze back towards the entrance to the cemetery but didn't see any sign of anyone else being there. His mind then recalled the young girl he'd bumped into on his way in.
Could it have been her?
Kotori, Ciel, and Taiga had elected to take Tohka out to Miyama, which was the commercial district of Fuyuki City. Ciel decided she needed to buy a few basic necessities for herself until her bag arrived from Misaki. Meanwhile, Tohka had to make them stop at almost every single food stand where Kotori had been forced to buy her something she wanted to try eating.
"Where the hell is she putting all that food?!" Taiga asked incredulously while watching Tohka eating Taiyaki.
Kotori didn't answer. She was looking at her hand in sadness while counting what was left of her allowance, all two hundred yen of it. In small change...
...she eats like an all devouring army of darkness.
Ciel giggled at the other woman, "One could ask you the same question Taiga. How do you keep your figure while eating as much as you do?"
"It isn't how much I eat, it's what I eat that makes the difference!" Taiga said in her own defense.
Kotori laughed at their antics while putting the loose change back into her pocket when her phone started ringing. She pulled it out of her pocket and saw who was calling and quickly answered it with a bright smile.
"Senpai! What's up?"
"Emiya. May I ask what you're doing right now?" asked Tobiichi over the phone.
Kotori raised an eyebrow at the question, "I'm out with Aunt Tige- Taiga, my father's friend Ciel, and someone we have visiting from America. My dad let me out for this. Why? Is something wrong?"
"Look to your left. Three floors up..."
Kotori suddenly froze as stiff as a statue and very slowly turned her head to the left and up where she saw Tobiichi looking down on her from outside a window.
"Oh… I suppose standing here and yelling 'Notice me Senpai' like some cheesy anime chick would probably be out of line right now?" Kotori rhetorically wondered aloud.
"Very much so. I warned you Emiya. I warned you not to get mixed up in this. Why won't you listen to me?"
"There's a lot we need to talk about Senpai. But I don't think now is really the best time for it."
"Indeed not. I presume your companions have no idea about the true nature of your 'American' friend?" asked Tobiichi.
"None whatsoever…"
I guess it's not a total lie… Ciel doesn't know everything yet, and Aunt Tiger doesn't have a clue.
"That's good then. I only want to protect you Emiya. If something happened to you I wouldn't be able to live with myself. How could I protect the world from the Spirits if I can't even protect my only friend?"
Kotori flinched at her choice of words, "I've been hearing that a lot lately… Please Senpai. Don't worry. I'll tell you everything tomorrow night. I promise. Just. Please don't worry. I have everything on my end under control."
"I'll trust you Emiya. Just be very careful…"
"That means a lot senpai… I appreciate it."
With that, Tobiichi hung up the phone and Kotori breathed a sigh of relief as she put it into her pocket.
"What was that about Kotori? Something to do with tomorrow night? They didn't cancel did they?" asked Taiga with a worry laden voice.
"No no no! Not at all! She just wanted to check that we were still on and that pops wasn't gonna chicken out at the last minute. Because I honestly kinda thought he might..." explained Kotori, lying through her teeth.
"Once your father says he's going to do something, he does it. You know that as well as we do," stated Taiga.
"She's right. Don't worry. He's not going to back out of this date. We wouldn't let him! Right Taiga?"
"Right!" she answered back.
"Umm, what's a date?" asked Tohka, to which all the others suddenly started blinking at her.
Dinner was the liveliest the Emiya household had seen for a long time. Tohka was throwing lavish praise onto Shirou's cooking and eagerly taking bites of everything on the table. Except for the Curry. Ciel had one eye on Tohka during the entire meal to keep her from getting near her plate. A few times she had to slap the spirit's hand away from the dish to keep her from taking from it.
"Tohka… It's considered rude to pick off of other people's plates here. Especially people you aren't very close with," chided Shirou while handing the violet haired spirit a plate of seconds.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bother anyone. It just looks so yummy!"
"I suppose we'll forgive you for now. You're here to learn, right?" asked Shirou with a critical eye on Tohka.
"Yes! Exactly! I do want to learn! I want to learn everything!"
Kotori reached over and put a hand on Tohka's shoulder, "Take it down a little. There's no need to be loud. We all know you're happy and excited to be here. We're happy to have you here too. Just calm down a little."
Shirou raised an eyebrow at the rate which Tohka was consuming her seconds, "If we're going to have Saber the Second and The Tiger of Fuyuki over for every meal… We're going to be eaten out of house and home. So from now on, Fuji-nee… You're chipping into the food budget."
"Wha… Wha… WHAAAAAT?!" roared the angry tiger which made even Tohka shrink in fear.
Shirou grumbled to himself as he sipped tea on the veranda overlooking the garden.
I should have known better than to call her that… Just slipped out.
Behind him he could hear the girls all laughing at some amusing story, probably one about him if he had to guess.
"Did Shirou really do that?!" Ciel asked loudly between fits of loud laughter.
"Yes he really did!"
That confirms that. Wonder how long I'll be in the dog house with Fuji-nee this time? More importantly, will I have a single shred of dignity left when they eventually allow me back into my own damn house?
Shirou's eyes drifted up into the night sky with a wistful smile on his face.
Maybe this isn't so bad? It's like old times. This house hasn't been full of so much laughter in years. If sitting around a table and emasculating me is what it takes to bring some joy back into these walls… I'm all for it. Who knows, maybe tomorrow night won't be so bad?
After Taiga had finally left, and Ciel had finished taking a few minutes to laugh in Shirou's face after what she'd heard from his surrogate big sister, Shirou decided it was time to move into the workshop. There he decided he would bring Ciel up to speed, and lay all their cards on the table.
"You know it's something of a 'minor' faux pas for a magus to bring strangers into their workshops Shirou," observed Ciel while looking around the shed with her eyes.
"That's an understatement… Mom would have had an aneurysm if she saw us now," stated Kotori with a roll of her eyes.
"Are we not suppose to be in here?" wondered Tohka.
"It's fine Tohka… Let's just do what we came here to do," said Kotori while stepping away from everyone else.
Tohka scratched her "What did we come here to do again?"
Kotori looked at her father one more time for a final confirmation, which he gave with a slow nod and closed eyes.
"Tohka, remember how I said we were the same? Well..." Kotori held out her hand and closed her eyes as well before taking a deep breath, "Elohim Gibor" and with her words, Kotori's outfit burned away to be replaced with her Astral Dress.
"Oooo! Your dress is so pretty!" said an excited Tohka while clapping her hands and closely admiring the details of her outfit.
"Elohim Gibor?" asked Ciel with a curious eye on Kotori.
"I don't know why, and I don't know how I know. But that's the aria to conjure this dress and, what's a good word? Release maybe? Yeah, release my spirit powers. Which center on the manipulation of fire."
"Know what it means?" asked Ciel with growing interest.
Kotori put her hands behind her back feeling caught with a hand in the cookie jar. For one of the smartest kids in her school she felt she should have had this answer ready for her immediately, but it just wasn't something she bothered to memorize. "Know? Yes. Remember? No."
"God is almighty. It's Hebrew."
Tohka was almost instantly in front of Ciel and staring at her with big pleading eyes, "Oh oh! Mine's 'Adonai Melek' tell me what it means!"
"God is King," answered Ciel with narrowed eyes. "Mind stepping back a little? It's rude to get in someone's personal space."
"Oh. I didn't know that. I'm sorry, " she said timidly. "Uhh. What's personal space?"
Ciel put her hands on the violet haired woman's shoulders and pushed her back to about arm's length. "As a rule of thumb. Keep about this much distance from people you don't know very well. There are exceptions to this rule of course. For example, you don't have to keep this distance if it's impossible or inconvenient to. Like if you're in a very crowded place."
Shirou snickered softly, "Ciel the vampire hunter, and part time etiquette coach."
"Someone has to fill that role. I don't see you stepping up Mr. Tall, Dark, and Snarky."
"You're taking this all rather well? Not pissed off at me for keeping secrets from you?" Shirou cautiously asked Ciel.
"I am certainly disappointed. But we all have our secrets. You and Rin had one, that's fine. I certainly understand why you would want to be discreet about this. If the Clocktower, or the Church learned of these spirits, I'd wager nothing good would come from it."
"Someone knows about them though. Tohka said every time she appeared in this world the Mecha-me- Grrrr! Now she's got me saying it!" Kotori took a moment to draw a deep breath. "Anyway. I'm willing to bet those soldiers are involved with DEM. Based on those rumors I found online, and what you two talked about the other night. It all fits. DEM must be after the spirits."
Ciel nodded, "Yes, that follows."
"Spirits? Is that what we are?" asked Tohka.
Shirou nodded, "It was Rin who coined the term. Before Kotori, I'd never met one before. But while she was on a research trip with her Clocktower colleagues, they encountered one such being and got their butts kicked. That's when her research started going nowhere fast."
Ciel nodded, "Since we know she was working with Westcott, it stands to reason he split with her over a disagreement over what should have been done about it all. By the look of things, it seems he cut Rin out completely and went about implementing his own solution worldwide."
"Probably because he knew Rin and I would never have agreed with fighting the spirits if it could, in any way be avoided. In her notes, Rin said that she suspected he was up to no good. Then when we went through what the Church had, we proved he was up to more than just no good," he outlined for the room.
Ciel nodded. "So what do we do with this?"
Shirou seemed to be at a loss for a long moment before Tohka asked a question of Kotori that got their undivided attention.
"So Kotori! What's your angel? I bet it's really nice!"
"Angel?" asked Shirou and Ciel with raised eyebrows.
"Yeah. Like my Sandalphon!"
"Sandalphon?" they all asked at once.
Tohka stomped her foot down on the ground, deciding to show rather than tell. "Sandalphon!" she called out and from the earth emerged the same sword she had been wielding. The same one that made Shirou dizzy before. This time he managed to look at it without developing a skull shattering headache. Though he still couldn't comprehend its construction.
Ciel eyed the weapon curiously, "It's a sword?"
"Very astute…" he snarked at her.
"This is my angel. Don't you have one Kotori? Show me! I wanna see!"
Kotori stared blankly at the sword for a long moment and then at Tohka. "I... I don't know. How do I do that?"
"Duh! Just call out the name of your Angel and you'll summon it. It's easy!"
Kotori continued to stare at her blankly. "I didn't even know I could do that! How do I know what my Angel is? If I even have one?"
"You have the dress! You have to have an Angel too! You can't have one without the other."
"But how do I find out its name?" she specifically asked.
"Hmmm… I don't know. I just know mine. I don't know how I know. I just do."
Well… This is helpful…
After a moment of contemplation Ciel spoke up, "I might actually be of some assistance here…"
All eyes were very quickly upon her, "Don't get your hopes up too high. But. Sandalphon is one of the Archangels. I'm a little rusty on this subject matter, but I do know where to look for more information. So just leave figuring this stuff out to me."
"Is there anyone in the Church you trust to gather this information for you?" asked Shirou with a dry voice.
Ciel did a double take on the taller man and started laughing at him. "Oh! Someone in the Church that I trust? Hahahahahaha! That's a good one Shirou!"
Shirou did not seem particularly amused which only made Ciel laugh again.
"You were actually serious? Hold on… I need to laugh even harder! Hahahahaha!"
After a moment to recompose herself she looked at Shirou who still seemed to be waiting for an answer. "No Shirou. I don't trust anyone in the Church. I don't intend to go to them for this information. What I need is in a library, like a public library."
"Or the Internet?" suggested Kotori while holding up her phone. "We can find anything we want to know online. Whatever books you want. Any information. Anything at all."
Ciel seemed surprised at that, "Really? I thought the Internet was for porn?"
"Why? Is that all Shiki does with it?" asked Shirou in a cold deadpan.
Ciel rolled her eyes, "No. But I wish. Then he might get more creative. All he does is watch cat videos with Len." Ciel then looked around at Kotori who was trying not to laugh and Tohka looking bewildered. "Shirou! How could you make a comment like that in front of your own daughter?"
"You just now noticed I was still here? Don't try to put him on the spot, you were an equal participant," snarked Kotori with a imitation of her father's deep voice. "And for your information. I have the internet in my pocket at all times. If you think that's the worst I've ever heard, you're even more naïve than you thought I was."
Shirou gestured to Kotori when Ciel turned her glare on him, "What she said…"
"Anyway… Moving on…" Ciel said with a dry voice, "We'll do some research and try to figure out this angel stuff. No more secrets Shirou. I need to be on the same page as you at all times from now on!"
Shirou rolled his eyes, "I could tell you everything Shiki's ever told me about you when we were drunk together. But that might be a violation of the Bro Code, and I still need to keep some ammunition in reserve. Just incase he shows up and starts something he can't finish."
Ciel balled up her fists and growled through her tightly clenched teeth… "I'm going to kill that man!"
Sleep didnt' come easy to Shirou that night. Opting instead to spend some time with fresh tea on the veranda in the hopes of relaxing himself into drowsiness. He heard footsteps coming from behind him and looked to find Tohka standing there looking at him. She was wearing a set of pajamas that he'd never seen before and briefly wondered where they came from but remembered the girls had gone out that afternoon and probably got them for her there.
"You can't sleep either Tohka?"
The violet haired woman shook her head and then Shirou pat the wooden floor beside him.
"Come have a seat then. Care for some tea?" he asked while turning over a second cup on his tray which he had brought out incase he wasn't the only sleepless one in the house at this hour.
Tohka lowered herself down and sat with her feet dangling off the side of the house, unlike Shirou whose feet reached the ground beneath him, Tohka's stature didn't allow for that.
"So why can't you sleep?" he asked after pouring her a cup of tea and handing it to her.
"I'm afraid to…" she answered in her soft emotionless voice that sounded more like the Tohka he and Ciel had met and less like the excitable young woman who had invaded their home.
Shirou felt his heart shatter a little at that statement, but reserved his emotions until he could confirm that it wasn't caused by him somehow being a bad host, "May I ask why?"
Tohka seemed to need a moment to put her thoughts in order before addressing his question. He waited patiently for her for a few minutes before she started speaking.
"I'm afraid that, if I go to sleep. I might not wake up. Or at least. Not wake up here. Whenever I went to sleep before, when I woke up again, it was always to find myself about to be in another battle. I don't want that anymore…"
Shirou considered giving a response, but sensed she had more to say and allowed her time to finish.
"Being here. Seeing some of the city. Interacting with people. Having normal conversations. Being welcomed into this home. Eating such wonderful food. Feeling welcomed by such wonderful people. I don't want to go back to how it was before. That's why I'm afraid. I'm afraid that if I go to sleep I'll disappear and then wake up somewhere else. Back where I started."
It took Shirou a while to find the right words. He knew what he wanted to say, but he wasn't sure how to put it for her.
"You said before that you're here because Kotori invited you. And that every other time you appeared here was because you had been pulled to our world. What if the invitation was what you needed to be able to stay in our world?"
"Is that even allowed? Am I allowed to be here? Do humans not all want to kill me? Kotori said I should keep my true self a secret from everyone who does not already know. Does that not mean people would be afraid of me if they knew what I was and want to kill me?"
Shirou sighed deeply, he couldn't argue with the truth of her words. "People are always frightened by what's different. They don't like things they can't understand. But I can promise you this Tohka. As long as you're in my home, with my family, you'll be safe here. And we will teach you everything you need to know to be a part of this world if that is what you want."
"Does that mean you will not let me stay here with you?" asked Tohka with the saddest voice Shirou had yet heard from her.
"No Tohka. That's not at all what it means. Of course you're welcome here. This will be your home for as long as you need it to be. You're not the first supernatural being I've had living with me in this home. And somehow, knowing how my life always tends towards the maximum of chaos, I very much doubt you'll be the last."
"Thank you so much!" she exclaimed in a slightly louder voice.
At least she's learning to be mindful of the volume of her voice. That's progress I suppose.
"But. There are some conditions to you being allowed to stay here."
"Like what?" she asked curiously.
"You have to pitch in with the house work. That means keeping the house clean and all that. Kotori and I will show you everything we expect of you, so don't feel overwhelmed."
"I will! I'll do anything you say! Thank you so much!" she said with a bright smile.
Before Shirou could say anything further her happy face vanished and was replaced with her sad face, the same sad face he saw on her when he first met her.
"But what if I disappear again?"
Shirou shook his head to banish the thought. "If that happens. We'll find you again. Then you'll have to help us fix whatever gets damaged if you cause another explosion by vanishing on us. And if you vanish again after that. We'll find you again. I promise you that Tohka. So please don't ever look so sad again… I can't stand seeing your face like that. Have hope and smile."
The spirit slowly nodded and looked back up at Shirou while mustering a smile for him.
I don't know why. But I just couldn't speak.
It wasn't the first time I'd felt like this though...
At first, I was too busy being shocked by her to notice.
Then I was too busy being annoyed by her to notice.
Then it was all the confusion around me.
But now… I suddenly recall what I felt the first time Saber stood before me.
I was speechless, because I was in awe of the overwhelming beauty beaming from that girl standing before me.
Looking at Tohka's smiling face right now… Is exactly the same as it was then.