Author's Note:
As always. Thank you to all of you for reading and reviewing. Just a quick note, a couple people have PM'ed me asking for spoilers. I won't give them. Sorry. =(

Some of you have pointed out some of my errors in previous chapters which I've corrected. I really tried hard to proofread this one but I may have missed some things. As a rule of thumb I try not to go back and edit things unless they're really bad and risk spoiling people's enjoyment.

In this chapter is Shirou's much anticipated first meeting with Ryouko Kusakabe.

So then, dear readers, shall we begin our date?

Chapter Five

Kotori awoke that morning and found herself to be the first up again. As usual she wandered into her father's room looking to violently wake him from his slumber when to her surprise, she found he wasn't there.

Curiously, and not without a small amount of trepidation she wandered back to the living room to check if maybe she missed him. But he wasn't anywhere in sight. She decided to go check the Dojo and the Workshop, just incase.

As she slid open the door to go outside she became frozen in place by what she saw.

There, with his shoulder and head resting against the pillar was her father, sleeping up against him with her head on his other shoulder was Tohka.

Kotori being Kotori couldn't just waste the moment. Creeping slowly through the door and out into the yard she positioned herself carefully and prepared.

Shirou then suddenly awoke to the sound of the camera shutter sound effect from Kotori's phone. As he was about to ask what she was doing he realized for himself the compromising position he was in and closed his eyes in annoyance.

"Kotori-chan…"

"That's me!" she exclaimed in the cutest voice she could muster.

"Darling daughter of mine…"

"Still here pops!"

"If I tell you 'this isn't what it looks like' would it make any difference?"

"Not at the moment. You two looked so cute I just had to have a picture!"

"Uh-hu… If that picture ends up on social media or whatever… You'll have to find a job if you ever want to have any spending money again."

Kotori suddenly gulped, very audibly and started tapping her phone, frantically. "Understood!"

Tohka slowly returned to the waking world and blinked her eyes. "I'm still here?"

"You're still here. You didn't disappear," he answered calmly to ease her worry.

"I'm so glad…" Tohka said softly.

Kotori wrapped her arms around herself tightly and squealed happily. "Dawww… You two are adorable!"

"Knock it off Kotori… Today I want you to do all your chores with Tohka and teach her everything about them. Then we'll divide our chores so Tohka can can pitch in with us."

Tohka yawned and stretched out. Then her belly started to audibly rumble.

"And your Aunt had better start paying into the food budget or I'm going to get Ciel to make her..." he grumbled while standing up to go and get breakfast going.

"Shirou! Hurry up! I'm starving!" complained Taiga from the table.

Kotori, Ciel, Taiga, and Tohka were all sitting around and eagerly awaiting their breakfast.

Shirou didn't answer her, but a short while later came out of the kitchen and began dishing out for everyone, and took his time about it, serving everyone, and himself, but leaving Taiga for last.

When she finally received her plate she blinked at it and then to Shirou a few times, "What's this?" she cautiously enquired.

"You're on half ration until I decide otherwise," he said as if it should have been obvious to her.

"Why? Why are you punishing me?! I'll pitch into the food budget! I swear it! Please don't do this to me Shirou!"

"Good. But your half ration will continue until you figure out why this is happening to you," he said in his deep, gruff, and deadly serious voice.

"Nooooooooooo! Shiroooooooooou! Please! Whatever it is FORGIVE ME!"

Shirou closed his eyes, a small smirk etched into his lips. Kotori wouldn't even look at her aunt and simply minded her breakfast while Ciel and Tohka did the same.

Revenge is a dish best served with an extra helping. Unless you're serving it to Fuji-nee. In her case, a little just goes a long way. Never, ever, mistake my silence for weakness.

The doorbell rang and Shirou excused himself from the table, leaving the Tiger's pleas to fall on deaf ears while he went and answered the door. When he eventually reached the front gate and unlocked it to look outside he didn't see anyone. At least not until someone started tugging on his shirt.

Shirou's head turned downwards, very, very slowly.

Shirou blinked.

The little person blinked.

Shirou blinked again.

So did the little girl.

Shirou stared down at her with his golden eyes.

The girl stared back up at him with her blood red eyes.

Shirou knelt down to be on eye level with her.

The little girl opened her arms and wrapped them around his neck, hugging him tightly.

Shirou hugged her back, wrapping his arms around her small body.

Shiki Tohno… I know you did this! When next we meet… One shall stand… One shall fall.

Shirou unwrapped his arms from the little girl and then stood up. Beside where she was standing were two bags which he couldn't help but wonder how she managed to bring here considering she wasn't much bigger than one of them, but decided he was probably better off not knowing.

As long as she wasn't being followed by a crowd of people with cellphone cameras pointed at her, then whatever she did wasn't something with drew attention to her.

"Come on in Len. I was just serving breakfast, and at least you don't eat so much that you need a pitchfork and shovel for cutlery."

Shirou picked up the bags the little girl had with her and walked her inside.

Once inside the living room Shirou had to raise his voice over Taiga who was still begging everyone at the table to share food with her, but of course, none would. Nor would they tell her if they knew what she had done to upset Shirou.

"Ciel! Someone's here to see you."

Ciel blinked at the entranceway and quickly cleaned her mouth with a napkin before running over and tightly embracing the girl. "Len! What are you doing here?"

Shirou held up her bags. "She seems to have brought you these."

Taiga and Tohka were immediately beside Ciel and the little girl. "Oh my God she is so adorable! I didn't know you had a daughter?!" exclaimed the suddenly excited Tiger.

"So cute! So cute! SO CUTE!" said Tohka with watering eyes.

A couple things immediately stood out to Taiga. Len had pointy ears sticking out the sides of her long light blueish hair which caught and held the Tiger's attention.

Ciel pulled back from Len and then looked up at Shirou who was looking down on her with a blank expression. "Don't look at me Ciel. This was all Shiki's doing. You figure it out. Whatever you wanna do is up to you."

Len looked up at Shirou and shook her head. Then she pulled a letter from inside her coat and handed it to Ciel.

"Dear Ciel…" she started reading aloud. "I miss you very much and our bed is cold with-"

Len immediately widened her eyes and snatched the letter back and exchanged it with another one. Apparently, that letter was meant to be delivered later.

"Dear Ciel…" she started again. "When Len found out where you were and that you wouldn't be back for a while she wouldn't budge from the suitcases we'd packed for you. She insisted on being shipped to you inside of one. Naturally I told her that was out of the question, but Shiki gave her his permission when she wouldn't stop looking sadly at us. So we bought her a ticket and sent her on the train with your bags and told her to bring them straight to you. Love you lots, A and S."

Shirou gently pat the little girl's head. "Awww. Did you miss your mommy?"

Len looked up at Shirou and nodded.

"So her name is Len? She's so cuuute! I love this big bow she's wearing in her hair! Cutest! Thing! EVER!" squealed Taiga.

Ciel sighed. "Len. You know the rules love. Cat form please. I'll let you know when it's safe to come out of it."

Len's face petulantly scrunched up but she complied and turned herself into a little black cat. All black except for some white fur in her ears. Her big black bow was now a collar, and a little white string also around her neck with little fluffy white balls dangling from it.

"Whoa! Humans can do that?! How did she do that?! She's even cuter now!" cried Tohka in extreme awe.

Taiga's eyes widened to the fullest and she fell backwards as the shock washed over her.

Ciel then turned to stare into her eyes while holding the black cat in her arms. "What's wrong Taiga? It's just a harmless little kitty cat. Don't you like cats?"

"It wasn't just a cat! It was a… It was a… It was a…"

"It was just a cat Taiga. Nothing else. Calm down and let's finish breakfast," said Ciel with a kind smile.

"Uhh. Right. Yes! Just a cat! I don't know what came over me… Oh wait! I do know! Shirou isn't feeding me properly and won't tell me why!"

Tohka looked at everyone in confusion before Kotori gestured for her to come take her seat again. When the violet haired woman was seated beside her again Kotori discreetly whispered to her, "I'll explain later. For now just play along."

Taiga's eyes then drifted back to Ciel holding the little cat in her arms and feeding it morsels of her own breakfast.

"Shirou! This is so unfair! Ciel's cat gets to eat, but not me?!"

After breakfast, Ciel and Shirou both saw Taiga out, Ciel took a moment to ensure her hypnosis would hold by reminding her once again that it was just a cat and nothing else.

Meanwhile, Kotori had Len in her lap while she was showing Tohka how she likes to be pet.

"So this girl can turn into this? Cat you said it was called?"

"Yes. She's actually a demon. But don't let that creep you out. Demons aren't actually bad. Well. They aren't necessarily bad. Point is. Len isn't bad. She's Shiki Tohno's familiar. He's Ciel's… I wanna say husband but they aren't actually married…. It's complicated. But anyway. Back to the actual point. This is Len. She's Shiki's familiar. And… She's totally adorable!"

"What's a familiar?"

"In short. They're beings who are suppose to help a magus by running errands and stuff for them. See. A lot of mages separate themselves from society altogether for the sake of their research. So they rely on familiars to do certain things for them. Normally they need their masters to supply them with mana or else they'll die. But Len's an exception to that. She's contracted to Shiki, but she doesn't rely on him to live. Which means that from time to time, she likes to do her own thing."

"That's so amazing!"

Kotori smiled down at Len resting comfortably in her lap. "Len doesn't talk much. Rarely ever in fact. She's probably only ever said like three words to me since I've known her."

Shirou and Cel then walked into the room, talking about the same subject. "I'm so sorry about this Shirou. I know the house is filling up fast… If it's a bother I can get us a hotel or-"

"Oh shut up Ciel! You're not staying in a hotel while you're in this city! There is always a room for you in this house and that's non-negotiable. Len can stay in your room with you, and unlike her master, she's not a bother to me at all. I'm not upset with her for being here. I'm upset with Shiki for being Shiki."

"I know your budget is a little tight, so please, at least let me pitch in too? I can't stand being a freeloader!"

"I can accept your help with our problems. But I will not accept your money. Don't worry about that. My budget isn't nearly as tight as I want Taiga to think it is. She actually is a freeloader."

"You're a bad liar Shirou Emiya! What happened to your share of all those bounties we collected?"

Shirou grumbled his response to Ciel, "Jewel magic was damned expensive…"

"Rin spent it all on jewels?"

"She did…" he answered while they took a seat at the table again and then he started pouring out tea for everyone. "By the way Len, it's safe to transform."

Len jumped off Kotori's lap and transformed back into the little girl who entered the house earlier. She took a moment to adjust her coat, and tighten the big black blow in her hair before neatly seating herself at the table where Shirou poured her a cup of tea which she gracefully accepted.

Len had the manners and casual grace of royalty. Everything she did, every movement she made was refined and dignified. And, if Tohka and Kotori's reactions to her were any indication, totally adorable.

"So you've been living on your half of your share?" asked Ciel before sipping tea.

"That's cute. My half of our share. No dear Ciel. Everything was ours… Not mine, and not her's, but ours. We put away enough for Kotori to have college tuition. Actually it was double tuition, don't ask me why, I really don't remember why we decided to do that. I suppose it was just incase we ever had another child…"

"So. You're effectively bankrupt!?"

"No. I am not bankrupt! I do some contract work here and there which gets us by just fine."

"For the Association?"

"No, I mean I'm an actual contractor. I fix things. Build things. Between quests to save the world, the life of a hero of justice isn't glamorous. I'm not Bruce Wayne."

Kotori sat back with her tea and sighed contentedly, "Meh. We don't gotta be rich. I like our life the way it is. It's comfortable. I just wish you'd hurry up and fix that stupid car you've been trying to fix for however many years now. Be nice to get some use from that thing instead of having it sit in the back to gather rust."

"That thing isn't just a car Kotori-chan."

"It's less than a car right now. I don't get why you don't just use your magic on it? Ten seconds with structural grasping and even I could figure out what's wrong with it and get it running. And I know exactly nothing about cars!"

"If you have to ask me that Kotori, then you'll probably never understand why…"

"I probably wouldn't understand even if you told me. But whatever. As long as it's running by the time I get my license I'll keep quiet about it."

"Dawww. She thinks she's gonna get to drive that car. Dearest Kotori-chan… It's a wonderful world you live in," her father mildly snarked.

Kotori put her chin in her hands and huffed in annoyance, "Crush my dreams why don't you? So what's your plan for tonight Ciel?"

Cel gave a small shrug, "I'm not entirely sure. Taiga said she'd figure out a program for us. I'm sure she'll figure out something Tohka would enjoy too."

"Something with lots of yummy foods to try?!" asked Tohka with big hope-filled eyes.

"I'm sure she will. But I have to wonder. Do you really have to eat so much? Your stomach can't actually be a bottomless pit can it?" Ciel wondered.

"I suppose not… But I've never eaten food before. At least I don't think I have…"

"Can't be helped then. Alright Shirou. Since Tohka doesn't actually have any money of her own, I'll cover her expenses, and Len's. And I will not take no for an answer!" Ciel stated while glaring into Shirou's eyes.

Shirou rolled his eyes, "You realize hypnosis won't actually work on me right?"

"I don't have to hypnotize you. If you don't let me do this, I'll tell Shiki something embarrassing about you every day until you do."

"Straight to the nuclear option?" asked Shirou through narrowed eyes.

"So what'll it be?" asked Ciel without budging from her stand.

"Fine… Have it your way."

Later that morning Shirou and Ciel left the house to run errands, leaving Kotori behind with Tohka so she could teach the spirit about the daily chores.

The first chore, dishes. Not a problem. Kotori washed each and then passed them onto Tohka to dry and put them away.

The second chore, taking out the garbage. Not a problem.

The first problem came when Kotori took a chance and gave Tohka a mop so they could both clean the dojo together. She forgot to teach her to wring the mop. But after showing her the correct method and a little teamwork, they managed to clean up the mess she'd made.

The second problem came when Kotori took another chance and tried to let Tohka use the vacuum cleaner in the living room...

"Ahhhh! You can't take me! I won't go! SANDALPHON!" she screamed while stomping her foot on the ground to call forth her angel, which she then employed to do mortal combat with the vile machine that was trying to suck her in by her long violet hair into its dusty belly.

Len was sitting on a pillow on the far side of the dining table away from Tohka and when she saw what was about to transpire her eyes widened in horror, every one of her hairs stood out straight, her cat ears popped up on top of her head as she lost control of her form and quickly ran for her life.

A moment later the machine died in a glorious blaze of dust which filled the air.

"TOHKA WHAT THE HELL?!" yelled Kotori at the top of her lungs before coughing and choking on the dust cloud enveloping her.

"It was trying to eat me! I had to defend myself!"

"From the vacuum cleaner?!" groaned Kotori while slapping her palm to her face.

"Yes! It was a most difficult battle! I'm thankful the mecha-mecha squad have none of these foul contraptions in their wicked arsenal!"

Kotori hacked and coughed her way to the sliding doors to get it open to the outside and clear the air. Len suddenly ran past her in cat form to the outside, getting as far away from here as she possibly could, as fast as she possibly could.

"Great… Now how the hell are we supposed to clean this up?" she asked while looking at the dust covered room.

I could ask Tobiichi-senpai to loan me a vaccum cleaner to sort this… But until I've had a chance to talk to her properly it's probably for the best if I avoid having her and Tohka under one roof… Plus she'd also blow a fuse if she found out unprepared that Tohka's living here… Let me try another solution…

Kotori pulled out her phone and started searching for a contact.

Thirty minutes later the bell rang and Kotori ran up to open the gate. Standing there with an old vacuum cleaner in hand was Hiroto Tonomachi. The second thing she noticed was that he didn't have any gel in his hair for once. His black hair fell over his face naturally and she had to blink a few times to make sure she wasn't seeing things.

"One vacuum cleaner, as promised."

"Thanks Tonomachi! My pops would have been pissed if he came home and found the house in this state."

"It's not a problem Emiya. You sounded kinda desperate, so I couldn't say no. Took a little explaining to get it out of the house though. So do you need a hand with anything? I took longer than I hoped to get here so if you're pressed for time, I got a pair of hands I could lend to the task."

Kotori looked up at him skeptically. "Provided there's no ulterior motive, and that you actually know what you're doing… I suppose I could allow it. Strictly as a reward for not using a whole bottle of gel in your hair today!"

I have to admit… I didn't expect him to be so reliable…

With Tonomachi's help, the girls managed to accomplish all the household chores with plenty of time to spare. He even had a few tricks to help better clean the tatami mats, and a few stubborn mouldy spots in the bathroom which had been causing the redhead no end of grief in her quest to eliminate.

When all was said and done, the house was once again pristine and the three sat around the table for a much deserved breather. Kotori had the cat form Len sitting in her lap where she gently pet her to calm her down from her earlier scare.

"I didn't know you had a cat Emiya."

"She isn't our cat. She belongs to Ciel. She's a close friend of my pops who's staying with us for a while."

"A friend from out of town, and an american woman doing a homestay? Sounds like you've got your hands full. Anything I can ever do to help, never hesitate to ask."

"Thanks Tonomachi. I actually appreciate that."

"So. You hungry? I could whip us up a little something with whatever you got in the kitchen?"

Tohka's stomach started rumbling at the mention of food. "Food?! Yes please!"

Kotori had to blink a few times. "You? Cook? Who are you and what have you done with Tonomachi?!"

The raven haired boy laughed off her surprised comment, "I'm not a character trope Emiya. There's a lot you don't know about me."

Kotori smirked at his choice of words. "Touché!"

Damn… Now I am properly impressed! The wannabe chef just cooked and fed me my words.

"So may I?" he asked while gesturing the kitchen.

Kotori raised her hand towards the kitchen, "Proceed, but with caution. My pops has put five star chefs to shame. Do not disappoint us!"

"No pressure then," he said laughing while rolling up his sleeves on the way in to get started.

Twenty minutes of enduring the heavenly scent wafting from the kitchen to tease their appetites later, Tonomachi emerged with a bowl of Chinese style vegetable stir fry he made with leftover ingredients he found in the fridge.

After giving thanks for the food, Tohka started devouring the meal with all of her typical gusto.

Kotori meanwhile slowly took up her chopsticks and slowly brought up a sample bite.

Oh my god this is delicious but I can't tell him that!

"This is amazing!" yelled Tohka while scarfing down the vegetable fried rice.

"It's acceptable… Nothing compared to what pops makes," said Kotori with a neutral face as she prepared to take another bite.

Tonomachi smiled proudly for a moment before he began eating as well.

"So where did you learn to cook like this?" asked Kotori.

"A true magician never reveals his secrets," he said with a smirk.

"Oh! You cooked this with magic? So you're a mage too then?" asked a curious Tohka.

Kotori kicked Tohka's leg under the table and glared at her with a burning red eye.

"A mage? Well I play one in World of Warcraft."

"Sorry. Her Japanese is good, but when she tries to translate her sense of humor she fails. You get used to it," explained Kotori to cover for her slip.

"I see. So where in America are you from Tohka?"

Kotori had to think fast, "She's from New York!"

Tohka widened her eyes and then nodded, "Yes, yes. What she said."

"That's cool. I kinda want to go study in America after High School. I bet it's a lot of fun over there."

"You want to go study in America? Why? What's wrong with staying here?" asked Kotori.

"Nothing's wrong with it. I just want to travel and see the world. Kinda like your old man does," he said while gesturing to the pictures hanging around the room. "By the way, you're right. Your mom really does look like Kaleido Ruby… It's kinda scary how alike they look…"

"Get why I hate that show so mu-"

"We're home!" they heard Shirou call out from the doorway. "Kotori? Could you help us put away the groceries and I'll start making lun-" Shirou took a few sniffs of the air. "Do I smell a Stir Fry?"

Kotori ran up to the door to take a few bags off her father's hands. "Umm yeah. Sorry. It's a long story but there was an 'incident' between Tohka and the vacuum cleaner. So I asked one of my classmates to loan us one so we could finish cleaning the house. He made us lunch too."

"He?" asked Shirou with a raised eyebrow while handing Kotori the rest of his shopping bags and started walking, slowly, into the living room.

There he took a moment to size up this boy. He was taller than Kotori, his black hair fell down around his head with natural neatness. He seemed to be in decent physical shape. He was well dressed with a button up shirt, the shirt wasn't tucked in but that was excusable. He wore jeans, and his socks were clean. Overall he rated the boy as being presentable.

The boy bowed deeply to the much taller man, "O-jama shimasu, Emiya-sama. I'm Tonomachi Hiroto."

Well mannered and spoken too…

"Welcome Tonomachi-san. So you cooked this food in my kitchen?" he asked in his deepest and roughest voice which, much to Shirou's pleasure, had the boy looking intimidated.

"Yes sir. I did… I hope you aren't offended, I just wanted to do something nice for your daughter and your guest after helping them clean here."

"You helped clean here?" asked Shirou while turning his eyes to carefully inspect the house. He started in the kitchen and was pleased to note that everything seemed to be in the proper order. His wok had recently been used and was still cooling off prior to being washed, along with all the proper utensils for preparing stir fry. He then checked the drawers to find all the utensils in their proper places. He then pulled out his personal chopsticks and then started checking the dishes, noting they too were all properly placed. After pulling out a couple dishes for himself and Ciel he went over to the table where he sat down, dished out, and then sampled the stir fry.

Tonomachi meanwhile had broken out into a nervous sweat and Kotori stood in the doorway holding the shopping bags and watching carefully with Ciel standing beside her who then leaned down to discreetly whisper to the twin-tailed girl.

"Is he your boyfriend Kotori?"

Kotori tensed up and glared back at Ciel and whispered back to her with a low growl, "No way! He's just a classmate. That's all! I just asked him to do me a favor with the vacuum cleaner that's all!"

Shirou slowly chewed through the food and swallowed. He then gave it another good minute before looking deep into Tonomachi's dark colored eyes with one eye narrowly open.

"Too much soy sauce," he finally said, "But it's not bad. You have potential."

Tonomachi let out a small sigh of relief before taking a seat at the table beside Shirou.

"I think your 'not-boyfriend' just earned your father's approval," said a smirking Ciel.

"Go ahead and eat…" Kotori growled. "I'll put away the groceries."

Ciel happily set down her bags and joined them at the table. She reasoned that anything cooked by someone other than Shirou which he would give even minor praise to just had to be delicious!

Shirou then turned his gaze fully onto the boy seated beside him, "If we have a chance, next time you're over I'll teach you how to properly judge the amount of sauces. It's a fine art."

"I would appreciate it. That's always been the hardest part for me," the boy answered, smiling for the first time since Shirou's arrival.

As long as this little shit has no bad intentions towards Kotori… I wouldn't mind having another male around here. Especially one who's a halfway decent cook to apprentice. But if he disappoints me in any way… It's him I'm going to cook!

Tonomachi insisted on washing everything after lunch. Shirou meanwhile prepared tea but no one was under any illusions that he didn't have the ulterior motive of keeping an eye on the boy to ensure he did everything properly in the kitchen. Shirou Emiya was territorial like that.

Once it was all done the two males returned back to the table for tea when Tonomachi got a message on his phone and checked it. "Ahh. I'm sorry, but I kinda need to get back home."

"Everything alright?" asked Shirou with a curious brow after detecting the tension in the boy's voice.

"Yes sir. Everything's fine. Just my mom needing my help with things."

"Good man. Go take care of your mother then," said Shirou with an approving nod of his head.

"I will sir. Thank you for having me over and I'm sorry if I was any trouble," he said while standing and giving a polite bow to everyone at the table.

"I'll show him out…" said Kotori while getting up to accompany her classmate.

Once at the door, Kotori couldn't help but ask again. "Is everything alright Tonomachi? You look a little stressed all of a sudden."

"It's nothing Emiya," he said while picking up his vacuum cleaner.

"It's obviously not nothing… You said you wanted me to open up a little… Practice what you preach. Preacher man!"

Tonomachi mustered up a smile for her, "It's really nothing Emiya. Don't worry about it. I had a good time in your house. Your old man's a little intense, but he's cool. I hope I can come over again some time. Hopefully without some kind of epic cleaning disaster."

Kotori considered it for a long moment before opening the gate for him. "We'll see. I think today's earned you the time it would take for me to consider leveling you up from irritant to nuisance."

"Aren't those the same things?" he asked with a skeptical brow raised.

"Not to me. One's worse than the other. See you around Tonomachi."

"What about friend?" he asked while holding the door to keep her from shutting it in his face.

Kotori laughed at him, "Only Tobiichi gets to be called that. Everyone else is just a nuisance to me. So now you're on the same level as everyone else. Bye bye," she said while shutting the door against whatever resistance he offered.

"Damn she's a lot stronger than she looks…" Kotori heard him grumble through the gate before walking back inside.

The hour was fast approaching. Shirou had carefully set the table and ensured everything was neat and tidy. The food was cooked and ready to be served. All that was left was for him to change and make himself as presentable as his home.

Shirou went into his closet and pulled out a set of cloths, still wrapped in plastic from the dry cleaners. It had been a long time since he had any occasion for it.

I remember the day I got this. I told Rin it reminded me of what my old man used to wear. He only ever wore the one suit, and when he wasn't in that, he was in a Kimono. When I told her that, she insisted I buy it because, as she put it, 'A gentlemen should always have at least one really good suit!'

He ripped off the plastic wrapper and inspected the fabric to make sure it had made it to today without incident. It was a black Armani three piece suit which, to his surprise, given his muscular physique, fit him as if it were tailored specifically for him. He remembered his wife being so impressed with it she wouldn't let him leave without buying it.

Given that it was summer he opted against the vest, so instead he started with a dark gray shirt, a black tie, and then put the suit on. There was a set of shoes still in the box that went with this suit which he put on and stood in front of the mirror. The jacket wasn't nearly as long as he remembered his father's was, but looking at himself as he was now, he couldn't help but feel like his father's son.

"Hey pops, are you decent?" Asked Kotori from the other side of the sliding door which tore him from his revery.

"Yeah Kotori-chan. Come on in," he answered her while adjusting his tie.

Kotori opened the sliding door and looked in, "Just wanted to let you know that-" Kotori opened the door all the way and looked at her father sideways for a long moment.

"Do I look that good?" he asked while casting a curious look at his daughter.

"You are not seriously wearing that..." she deadpanned.

Shirou raised an eyebrow at her, "And why not?"

Kotori gestured to herself, she was wearing a casual light orange colored dress held up with a few thin white straps over her shoulders. It was tighter around the torso where the straps connected to a line of white fabric going around the top with a lighter colored bow as its defining feature. The dress was also loose and ruffled at the bottom. Simple casual summer elegance. "Pops… You look like you're going to a funeral."

Shirou turned back to the mirror and sighed, "Maybe I am?"

"Just… Just… Just be normal!" she grunted in frustration while sliding the door shut.

"Don't over think says Ciel… Just be normal says Kotori…" he groaned while undoing his tie. Before he could get it off the doorbell rang.

"Oh yeah. I meant to tell you they're arriving a few minutes early!" yelled Kotori from a little down the hall.

"Thanks for telling me…"

Not having had time to change, Shirou took a deep breath just before he opened the front gate to his home with Kotori standing just behind him.

"Hello and welcome."

"Sorry to disturb," said Tobiichi as she bowed before stepping through the gate.

A moment later, a taller woman with glossy black hair tied up in a neat ponytail stepped through the gate and also politely apologized for disturbing.

Seeing a picture is one thing… But… Words Shirou. Use your words!

The woman gave him a smile as she straightened up again. She was wearing a white shirt with sleeves long enough to cover her arms down to just below her elbows, it was a button up which was open down about half way to reveal a red sort of tank top with little triangular cuts running across its top, a decorative white line running through them. She also wore black loose fitting pants and some casual leather shoes. Her hair had three sets of long bangs separated around her face but did nothing to hide the mystery and beauty of her dark gray eyes from Shirou who was presently still commanding himself to use his outside voice and failing.

"Welcome to our home! It's so nice to finally meet you Kusakabe-san," said Kotori on her father's behalf when she realize her heroic father was presently brain locked in the Heroic Blue Screen of Death.

Told you she was pretty, didn't I pops?

Shirou cleared his throat and finally managed to say something, "Welcome. Pretty. Look. Nice-"

Shirou cleared his throat again and finally managed to say something intelligible, "Yes. Welcome to our home. I'm Shirou Emiya."

"Ryouko Kusakabe. I've been looking forward to meeting you," she said while offering her hand out to him.

Shirou accepted and shook hands with her. "So have I. I've been hearing nothing but good things about you all week."

"Likewise. I assure you. But I feel a little under dressed now," she said with a smile she seemed to be struggling to keep from growing too big for her own good.

Something Kotori did not allow to go unnoticed.

Not word salad bad, but she's definitely attracted to him!

"Sorry about that…" Shirou said sheepishly while scratching the back of his head, "I suppose I didn't put much thought into that…"

"Don't be sorry. You look good. Dinner should be great with so much eye candy," she said shamelessly while stepping over to Tobiichi.

Shirou was caught like a deer in the headlights and hand to a blink a few times while processing that.

Kotori grinned widely at Tobiichi who seemed to be silently apologizing for her guardian's manners.

Shirou once again cleared his throat, "Shall we step inside then?" he offered while gesturing towards the house after shutting the gate.

"I hear you're a top notch chef Emiya-san. I can't wait to find out how true that is," Ryouko said without losing any of her brashness.

Shiou grinned, this was where his confidence was at its absolute peak, "Don't worry Kusakabe-san, once you've eaten my cooking I guarantee you'll be back for more."

Ryouko's smile turned into a devilish grin, "I like your confidence," she said slyly as he lead the way into the house.

Tobiichi and Kotori lingered just a few steps behind them, "I'm sorry Emiya-kohai. I should have prepared you for some of her personality traits."

"Are you kidding senpai? Those two are literally hitting it off right out of the gate!" Kotori said cheerfully but discreetly. "Anyway… Later on, after we eat, we'll give those two a little alone time and I'll show you around the house. Then we can talk."

"Understood," answered the taller girl while walking into the house side by side.

Ryouko looked around the living room after taking a seat at the table. Seated next to her was her silver haired ward, and across from them would be Shirou and Kotori but Shirou was presently in the kitchen bringing out the food.

Kotori followed Ryouko's eyes around, she was discreetly trying to investigate the pictures hanging from the walls. Pictures of Shirou and Rin, pictures of them together with Kotori as a family too. But most were of the couple during their travels. Kotori didn't envy her at the moment. The woman obviously wanted to set a tone and make her intentions towards her adoptive father perfectly clear from the get go, but now that she was inside, she was being haunted by the images of her late adoptive mother.

I need to think fast, I need to make her feel comfortable again.

Kotori smiled up at Ryouko, "So Kusakabe-san may I ask-"

"Oh just call me Ryouko. You're Origami's first friend since, well, ever! She's been so much happier since meeting you so I want you to feel comfortable with me too!"

Kotori wanted to make Ryouko feel comfortable, but instead Ryouko made her feel happy instead. As far as backfires go, this wasn't her most unpleasant. Kotori looked over at Tobiichi with a bright smile. "Is that true senpai?"

"It is an exaggeration. However it isn't untrue," she flatly pointed out.

"Better to walk with a friend in the dark than alone in the light," said Shirou as he emerged from the kitchen space and set down the meals he had prepared for them. "Something a very wise teacher of mine once said to me."

"Couldn't agree with that more," said a happy Ryouko while eyeing the various dishes being set on the table.

Shirou started filling rice bowls from the steamer set beside the table and passing them down to exchange for empty ones by his daughter and guests in turn. "Kotori's also been a lot happier since becoming friends with you Tobiichi. And that isn't an exaggeration."

"I am pleased to hear that," she answered softly.

"Good, because it isn't untrue either," said Kotori with a proud smile and posture.

Dinner proceeded smoothly, mostly quietly except for short exchanges. After some gentle nudging of the conversation, Kotori managed to get her father and Ryouko talking about each other and that was when things got interesting again.

"Well, I'm actually from Tokyo. But I hated it there. Way too crowded. After school I joined the army because I couldn't see myself doing anything else. We're lucky to have a military which is strictly for protection," she explained.

"So you don't like to fight, but you do want to protect?" asked a curious Shirou.

"Exactly. Even in high school I was like that. I'd see one kid or another being picked on and I'd be there to rush into a fight to protect them. I've never been able to resist that urge, even when it's smarter to let people fight their own battles. I just can't ever bring myself to stand by while someone's in trouble. In the army, I get to do that professionally. Search and rescue mostly. Disaster relief. That sort of thing."

"Recent spacequakes must keep you busy," observed Shirou.

"You have no idea… It's so frustrating sometimes. It's the curse of this sort of life. Wishing to help people in trouble is the same as-"

"Wishing for people to be in trouble in the first place. It's a hypocrisy you can't get around," Shirou finished for her.

"Yes… That's exactly right… How do you reconcile it?"

Shirou shook his head, "If I ever find the answer to that conundrum, I promise you'll be the first to know."

"Unbelievable. Finally someone who gets it. Most people just shrug and say-"

"People will always be in trouble regardless," they said together.

Kotori smiled at their exchange.

Unbelievable, they really do get each other don't they?

"So what is it for you Kusakabe? What is it you're trying to save?" Shirou asked in his serious and deep voice.

"I get asked that question a lot. Every time I have a different answer. I could give you any one of those answers, but, somehow, I think you'll see right through it," she answered in an equally serious voice.

"Probably. For me it's simply that there wasn't anything else I could do."

"Same. I just can't not do what I do. That's really the only reason I have."

"Is there any other reason you need?" he wondered aloud.

"Nope. I am completely unapologetic for my choices."

"I know that feeling," Shirou said with a small laugh.

"You really do don't you?" she asked while looking deep into his eyes. "Something on your face tells me you know that feeling, maybe, too well?"

"What makes you say that?" he asked her with a curious brow raised.

"It's a look I've seen in the mirror from time to time. I look at that person, and I wonder, is she still the same person? Are we still on the right path? It's that look that says, I'm afraid that someday, the answer might be no."

"All you can do is stick to your ideals. If what you're doing isn't true to those ideals, then something needs to change. I can't tell you what that is, because I honestly don't know myself sometimes. But I know what still matters most to me," he said and the gestured to his daughter. "As long as I do right by her, then I know I'm doing right by myself."

Kotori couldn't keep the smile from her face.

Ryouko looked over at Origami and smiled, "Yes. I know that feeling as well."

Tobiichi though, didn't seem sure how to react.

After dinner, Kotori finally suggested that she take Origami on a quick tour of the house. Shirou and Ryouko thought it was a good idea and excused them while Shirou and Ryouko decided to enjoy some sake on the veranda and continue getting to know each other.

Kotori started the tour inside the house, beginning with her own room, and then from there they went outside where she brought her friend to their Kendo dojo.

"You have a beautiful home Emiya. I am a little envious. It's peaceful here. There's a sense of something… I don't know how to explain it. An emotion that's all around us. I've never been one to believe in things like Daoism, Feng Shui, Qi, and that sort of thing. But in this place, one might be hard pressed to deny the sense of harmony one might find with their surroundings."

For a moment there, I was thinking she was actually sensing the Bounded Field. That's a relief.

Kotori put her hands behind her back and took a deep breath with a serene expression on her face, "It's home. I really like it here. For exactly what you just described. After that day I could have ended up anywhere. But I'm glad I ended up here. Don't misunderstand, whatever my life was before was probably good too, but I really can't remember. But whatever it was, I can't imagine it being better than this. I wouldn't trade this life for anything."

"Not even for your real parents? Your real home?" the silver haired girl asked with an emotionless voice.

"I might be adopted. But this is my real home. Shirou and Rin Emiya are my real parents. I just can't think of it any other way. Not even hypothetically." Kotori took one of her hands and lightly touched one of her black ribbons. "They're my parents in every way that matters. The only thing my mother didn't do was give birth to me. But she did everything else. Same goes for my father."

Tobiichi nodded, her body language started to relax so Kotori took it to mean she was satisfied with her answer. "So you believe there is nothing missing from your life?" she followed up.

"Nothing at all," she answered with a determination that quickly faded from her, "No wait… Come to think of it. There is something. Something I can't quite put my finger on. No matter how hard I try. It feels like something important that I've just forgotten."

"Something from your past?"

"Exactly. Memories from that time… They're all just so jumbled. The harder I try to remember, the more things just slip away..."

"I understand. It's the same with me. But there are things I do remember. Vividly," she said while tensing up again.

Kotori turned to face her friend and stepped closer to her where she took Tobiichi's hand into both of her own. "Senpai… You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

Tobiichi responded by pulling her hand back and balling her fists, "I do want to talk about it though! I want to because I want you to understand!" she said louder than she meant to and took a deep breath to recompose herself. "Forgive me…"

"It's alright Senpai. I understand," said Kotori while putting her hands behind her back again.

"That day. There was a spacialquake. But the… The fire wasn't caused by the quake. It was caused by a spirit."

"A… A spirit?"

"I saw her. With my own eyes. I saw the spirit that caused the fire. I didn't actually see her do it. But… Everything is so hazy… But the spirit was covered in flames. She was a flame spirit. DEM detected her spirit pattern and codenamed her 'Efreet' but they say the cause of the fire was an accident… But I saw her. In the sky. I saw her burn my parents alive! I saw her burn everything! She was enjoying it Emiya. She was enjoying it..."

"A flame spirit?" Kotori asked with her eyes wide and beginning to tear up. "I… It can't be…"

"I know what I saw Emiya. No matter how hard anyone tries to convince me otherwise. I know what I saw. And I want you to know what I saw. You can't trust a spirit. Everything about them causes nothing but death and destruction! The spirits took everything from us!"

"Tha… That… Can't be true…" she said while instinctively searching for pockets only to realize to her great horror that she didn't have any pockets, and thus, no lollipop to use as a trigger.

"It is… I know it is," Tobiichi turned around and quickly walked up to Kotori where she took the smaller girl into a tight embrace, "I've seen enough spirits since then to know how awful they are."

"Tobiichi….senpai… Tohka isn't like that. She isn't. You have to believe me. She doesn't cause spacequakes on purpose…" Kotori put her arms around her friend and embraced her back tightly as she tearfully went on trying to explain. "She just wants to live. That's all she wants. She wants to try new foods. She wants to see our world. She wants to be welcomed in a place. She wants to make friends… If you just talked to her. You'd see for yourself she isn't like what you described."

I must sound so damn pathetic right now… I can't stand it…

"It doesn't matter what any spirit wants. Their very existence harms our world. I won't let what happened to us happen to anyone else. I won't let a spirit hurt a human being. Especially not you! So please Emiya… Please leave this alone and don't get involved anymore than you already have. I beg of you."

"I don't ever want to lose you as a friend senpai... But please. Do you think you could give Tohka a chance? Just one chance to prove herself to you?"

"I don't know Emiya... But I do trust you. So I will hear you out before I say yes or no."

Meanwhile, Shirou was refreshing their sake cups. "Hobbies? Well. I like fixing things," he started explaining. "I don't like to see anything go to waste. So if I can bring something back to life and see it continue to be useful rather than just be discarded and replaced, I'll give it my best shot."

"Ha! So not only do you travel the world helping people, but you also rescue their junk too?" Ryouko said with a laugh.

"When you put it that way I suppose it sounds kinda dumb. But yeah. That's exactly what I do. You'll be amazed how far I've seen something as simple as an old radio go to make the lives of a lot of people seem less bleak."

"And when you put it that way, I suppose I sound kinda dumb for criticizing you for it," she said with her cup raised to him.

"You weren't criticizing me. At least I don't think you were."

"Well. I'm glad you didn't take offense. As for me. Well. It might sound stupid, but I don't really care. I like cars. I read about them, and I love driving. One of my favorite things to do with time off is go to a race track and cut loose."

"Really?"

"Yes. Really," she answered with a bright smile.

Shirou stood up and put his cup down behind him, then he offered out his hand to the woman, "Then I happen to have something you might like to see."

"Oh? Provided you're not taking me to your bedroom then I'd love to," she said with a coy smirk while taking his hand and letting him lead her through the courtyard.

"Anyone ever tell you that you're incorrigible?" he couldn't help but snark.

"My big sister. All the time. But she's just throwing stones in a glass house."

"That's probably a story worth hearing… But anyway," he said while leading them towards his shed. Though it wasn't the actual shed he was taking her to, but something beside it.

"Oh. You're going to show me your car?" asked Ryouko with a grin while examining the covered car shaped object sitting beside his shed.

"Oh no… I can assure you Kusakabe. This isn't just a car," he said while pulling the cover off the vehicle.

Ryouko's eyes widened and she beamed and squealed with delight at what she was seeing.

"Oh wow! A Mercedes SL gullwing! I've never seen one in real life before! Fifty four?"

Shirou nodded, "Exactly. I've got it almost entirely restored. But the engine still needs work. Before I found it, it had been neglected for a long time."

"And you being the big softy for machines that you are, just couldn't stand to see a beautiful car being neglected so you adopted it?"

"What can I say. You've got me pegged."

Ryouko walked around the car to more closely admire it. "You know I could help you with this if you let me. I'm a halfway decent mechanic myself."

"It's been a bit of a solo project for me for a while now. But try as I might, I can't figure out what's actually wrong with it. Maybe a second set of eyes is what's called for here. So I don't mind at all if you really want to. I suppose some people date by going out to wherever to do whatever. But. I suppose we could spend our dates working on this car."

"You're certainly optimistic. What makes you think I'm even interested in dating you?" she asked with a wide smirk.

"I don't know you very well. But something tells me you're not someone who gets pushed to do anything she doesn't actually want to do. Even if we didn't want this fix up arranged for us by our kids. I don't think you'd still be here if you weren't thinking the same thing I'm thinking."

Ryouko stepped closer to Shirou and looked up into his eyes. He wasn't much taller than her, but tall enough that she wasn't on his eye level. "Oh? And what may I ask are you thinking? Emiya-san?"

Shirou leaned back on the car enough so that they would be on eye level while composing a response for her. "I'm thinking this was a fix up I didn't want, but couldn't turn down because my daughter, my sister, and my friend all insisted, and by insisted, I mean there would have been harsh consequences if I declined Kotori's suggestion to invite you over tonight."

"You're right. I am thinking the same thing. More or less. Different players, but the game was the same," she said while moving to lean on the car beside him. "So what changed for you?"

"Cheesy as it might sound. I met you. So. You changed my mind."

"Anyone ever tell you that you're very forward?" she asked with a snicker.

"Look who's talking? How can you say that after the entrance you made?"

"I'm surprised you're not still a stuttering mess. I think I dolled myself up pretty good tonight."

"What can I say? After getting to know you a little, I find you're easy to get comfortable around."

"Is that a compliment?"

"It's just a fact. But if you want it to be. Take it as one."

"Hah! Well played," she said while giving him a nudge with her elbow.

"Thank you. End of the day. It's not just myself I have to think about. I also have to think about Kotori. She seems to like you. I know she adores Tobiichi. So I knew going into this that it was probably not smart. Especially if you ended up disliking me. But after meeting you, I decided you're maybe worth the risk."

"Same here… I find you interesting."

"As for being forward. Well… Maybe I am a little. But I think I'm too old to play around with these kinds of things. So. Now that I've decided I like you. I figure the straightforward approach is best for everyone."

"I agree. I like straight forward. It's much easier when everyone's on the same page. It feels like… The adult thing to do."

"Since we agree on that. And I've clearly laid out where I stand. Perhaps you should do the same?"

Ryouko took a deep breath and nodded, "I suppose I should. Like you. This was a fix up I didn't want. But that I was talked into. I didn't want to disappoint Origami. That girl never asks me for anything. Ever. There's nothing I wouldn't do for her mind you. I give her everything she needs. I make sure she always has everything she needs. But she never asks me for anything. This was the first time she'd ever asked me for something. So there was just no way I could say no to her,

Seeing your picture on her phone was one thing. Meeting you. That was another. I mean. Have you seen you?"

Shirou laughed, "I'm not sure what to say to that. Except thank you I guess?"

"Bottom line. I'm interested in you. So I'm willing to give it a go. If we can make ourselves happy, and our kids happy. Then why shouldn't we?" she asked with a shrug of her shoulders.

Shirou shrugged as well, "No reason that I can see. If we can be adults going into this. Then if we have to, we can be adults going out of it as well."

"Exactly! There. I knew there was a reason I liked you."

Okay… Did all of that just actually happen? Did she just become my girlfriend? That was so uncomplicated that I'm sure there has to be a complication back there somewhere!