Author's Note: Sorry for the little delay in getting this chapter out. I was away over the weekend and couldn't finish it up in time. Hope you all enjoy!

Chapter Ten

It was night time in the mountain city of Sapporo, winter had just started and the night was bitter cold. Icy rain was pouring down as Shido pulled his younger sister by the arm. The two ran as quickly as their little legs could carry them. Panting heavily, sweat, tears, and rain indistinguishable as they ran across a busy street causing drivers to brake and swerve into each other as they made their way through traffic to the other side. Shido with his eyes set firmly on what was ahead of him, his sister with her eyes set only on him. Behind them an older man yelled for them to stop and come back, but neither would listen.

"Onii-chan?"

"Just keep running! Don't stop for anything!"

A few minutes later the two had taken refuge behind a dumpster next to a restaraunt. The smell of rotting food was provoking their gag reflexes but both remained as still and quiet as they could until they heard the sound of running footsteps and the accompanying splashing pass them by. But it was still too soon to come out of hiding. They would have to wait a little longer before it was safe to emerge and flee in another direction.

The siblings later took refuge from the rain under a bridge. Their breaths frosty in the cold winter air. Huddled close together for warmth. Shido rubbed his hands together for a long moment before activating his magic circuits, with his eyes tightly closed he worked his limited magecraft which caused the water on his sister's soaking clothes and hair to drain away from her before repeating it on himself.

"It should get a little warmer now that we're both dry…"

"It is… Thank you Onii-chan," she said while hugging him tightly. "What are we going to do now?"

"I guess I didn't really plan that far ahead… I suppose we should wait here for tonight. I tried to steal as much money as I could but it wasn't much. We'll be able to eat for a couple days, longer if we're very careful with it."

"But where are we going to go?" she asked softly while shivering beside him.

Shido held her tighter, "I heard there's a place in Tokyo that takes in kids like us and helps them. They have something to do with a company called DEM. It was the only option I could find for us with the time I had. I don't know how yet, but I'll get us there."

"If we go there, will we never have to be separated?"

"Never. I won't let anyone take you away from me Mana. Dad can keep his stupid magic crest and his secrets. I don't want to be a mage, and I don't want anything to do with magic if this is how it has to be. If we can't do it together, it isn't worth doing at all!"

"Do you promise? Promise that whatever we do, we'll do together no matter what? That we'll never be apart? Ever?"

"I promise Mana. We'll always be together from now on. No matter what."

Two years later

DEM Training Facility
London, England

Isaac Westcott stood off to the side of a large gymnasium with a young woman beside him, "These are the first two I asked you here to see. I think they're perfect candidates for the new project you mentioned," she said to him.

Shido and Mana bowed before the two from where they were standing just a few meters in front of the pair.

"Let's see then…" he said in a low voice.

"You may begin," the woman said loud so she could be heard by the group of twelve children across from them.

All the children bowed before donning their protective Kendo helmets. Shido and Mana then walked out to the center of the room. Shido held up his two bamboo swords while Mana held up her single sword. The two stood back to back as the other children came running from across the opposite wall and began to surround them with loud and furious yells.

Shido and Mana closed their eyes, "Gathering Cloud Sword Style!" they yelled in unison.

Barely two minutes went by before Isaac whistled an impressed tune. "Ten against two and they didn't take a single hit… What do we know about them?" he asked the woman beside him after the two children had finished wiping the floor with the others and allowed them to get back up and regroup.

"Shido and Mana Takamiya. Brother and sister from Sapporo, Japan. Age fourteen and twelve respectively. Sixth generation mages. Family name aside, they're typical runaways like most of the others. But they're the most difficult to deal with. They won't participate in anything unless they can do it together. They play together, train together, study together, sleep together… They may as well be conjoined twins."

"Has anyone tried to split them up?"

The woman nodded, "At our Tokyo branch where they were trained, the staff tried to keep them in separate rooms, without success. Later they tried to send him here on his own because he was older, but he became excessively violent. Normally he refuses to use magic, claiming he wants nothing to do with it. But when they tried to take him away from his sister by force he resorted to his magecraft. He dehydrated the people who tried to take him away or restrain him. Only calmed down after he reunited with his sister. So they both ended up here in London."

"What are they normally like?" he asked while observing the group's second attempt to take down the siblings without any measure of success.

"Under normal circumstances the boy is very kind and helpful to everyone. Polite. Empathetic. But if triggered he's more than willing to kill. The girl is much the same, but it's noteworthy that she's a little bit of a picky eater. Her magecraft isn't as developed as his, probably because he was the designated heir. But he's been teaching her behind closed doors to bring her up to his level. Magic aside, their combat instincts and skills are very sharp, as you can see."

"They used the name of their sword style as an aria to trigger a kind of mental synchronization I haven't ever seen before. They fight as individuals, but combine their respective skills and strategize as if they were one person fighting instead of two. Probably a result of how close they are. Do they have a healthy relationship?"

"Don't ever go there with them. They'll take exception to it. To answer your question bluntly they aren't like that. A psychologist we had here once tried to discuss their relationship with them, when he asked if anything was going on regarding that subject… Well. He might never walk again."

Isaac cleared his throat, "I meant do they get along or do they argue with each other a lot? I didn't ask that question..."

"They don't have any problems there. They don't argue, or fight over anything. The only time there's trouble is if they suspect someone will try to separate them. That could be an issue for your new project."

"It isn't. In fact it's even better," he said with a court nod. "Consider them recruited. Now, who are the others you wanted me to look at?"

Two years later

It was the sibling's first day in Fuyuki. In the area known as New City, there was a large apartment complex owned by DEM Industries. Its purpose was to house and cater to staff as well as visitors from abroad. In one of the building's many apartments, Shido was working the kitchen. His sister Mana meanwhile sat on a barstool at the counter behind him, watching with interest everything he was doing.

"Where did you get anything to cook with? I thought they said we couldn't leave here unless it was for our mission?" asked Mana.

"I didn't go out. I gave them a list of things I know you like to eat and made them get it all," he answered casually while adding some more seasoning to the soup he was cooking.

"How'd you manage that Onii-chan?"

"I told them what I'd do if they didn't."

"Do you always have to be so violent? I wish everyone could know you the way I do," she sadly stated.

Shido switched from Japanese to English, "I really don't care about what anyone except you thinks of me. You said you didn't like the food in the cafeteria so I promised that if you'd at least have it for lunch that I'd cook you dinner. I'd never let anyone make a liar out of me. Not Ellen, not Mr. Frank, and certainly least of all these menial workers."

"Poor Mr. Frank… You could have just said no to him," she replied in English. Though her accent was much more British than her brother's who still retained a slight hint of his Japanese origins.

"Do you actually feel sorry for him?" asked Shido while looking at his sister.

"You smashed his bollocks with his own cricket bat so hard the yanks next door started cheering that you'd hit a homerun…"

"He's suppose to be our guardian… He should have known better than to suggest that only one of us could come here for this mission. What he gets for being a muppet..." he said coldly as he tasted a sample of his soup to see if it was ready or not.

"And you wonder why Nightmare keeps flirting with you… You two are really alike sometimes."

"I'm nothing like her… I hurt people sure, especially when they deserve it. But I don't kill them if I don't have to and I don't take any pleasure in it when I do. She does."

Days later, lying in a bed at the DEM Medical facility, Shido was restless, and in no small amount of pain. The doctors had stopped administering him any pain medication. It was his punishment from Ellen, for his reckless behavior in challenging Shirou Emiya to a duel. She only healed him enough to be sure he'd recover in time for whatever it was she needed him to do. But until then he was told to remain here and contemplate his failure.

I deserve this. She was right. I didn't think. I should have taken Mana and left when I realized who he was. That was so stupid…

An hour later he still couldn't sleep. It had already gotten dark, the Hospital outside was quiet. But that silence in which he'd found some small peace was broken by the sound of his door opening. Shido turned his head, hopeful that perhaps some Doctor would take pity on him and bring him some drugs to dull the pain he was in.

"Onii-chan? Are you awake?" Mana asked into the dark room.

"Mana? What are you doing here?" he asked with concern. "What about your shoulder? Ellen said you couldn't be here! What about the guards?!"

Mana walked in and closed the door gently behind her.

"Answer me sis…" he said in English to her.

"My shoulder is fine. Ellen fully healed me. They released me from the hospital but I said I wouldn't leave here without you. She told me about your punishment. She said she wouldn't allow me to see you but when I refused to leave the hospital she just left me here," she explained while gently climbing into bed with him.

"Ow ow ow. Careful! That hurts!"

"Sorry… I'll be careful," she said while curling up beside him and resting her head on his shoulder to cuddle.

"Mana… Didn't the guards try to stop you?"

"Yes. They tried," she said innocently and then yawned.

"I see… And you were giving me crap for being violent," he said while carefully slipping his arm under her while Mana adjusted herself so he could hold her.

"If they didn't want to get hurt, they shouldn't have tried to get between us. That should just be common sense," she said sleepily.

Shido turned to kiss the top of her head and smiled while giving her a gentle hug. "Please don't take anymore chances like that. Otherwise we'll end up fighting Ellen next…"

"Only if she tries to make us break our promise again," she said while drifting off to sleep.

"I told you already, not even Ellen can make me a liar…" he said before finally falling asleep as well.

Shido and Mana sat down across from Ellen where she handed them each a folder to look over. "How would you two like to go to High School?" she asked with an amused tone of voice.

Shido and Mana exchanged glances and then looked at the woman, silently asking if she was serious.

Ellen gestured at the files, "Your old friend just started attending the local High School."

Shido and Mana both opened the files and started to read with growing curiosity.

"What the hell?" asked Shido.

"Why?" asked Mana.

"Both very good questions. Which we'd like you to find answers to. Nightmare doesn't do anything without an agenda. Somehow I doubt she's just trying to blend in and live a normal life like Princess and Hermit."

"Have we confirmed Hermit's death by the way?" asked Shido.

Ellen shook her head, "No. She survived."

Shido raised an eyebrow, "She survived a fifty cal to the chest?!"

"If possible. Find an answer to how that happened as well. I saw your gun camera footage and your shot was clean. She should be dead. But according to our intelligence she boarded a train with this woman to Misaki."

Ellen pulled a picture of Ciel, Len, and Yoshino out of her folder and slid it across to them.

"Do we know who she is?" asked Mana while they studied the image.

"Her name is Ciel, she's a member of the Burial Agency, a branch of the Holy Church. Well. Formerly anyway, but that's another long story we don't have time for right now. Two weeks ago they arrived in Misaki. Last week Hermit started attending school under the name Yoshino Tohno. And that's where our trail ends. None of our assets in Misaki are willing or able to go near that family, so I have to bring people in from London to look further into it."

"What about Origami? She actually missed Princess. How did that happen she's the best shot there is, was, or ever will be," asked Shido.

Ellen shrugged, "At the last moment this girl got between her and the target after she'd already fired. But that leads us into another interesting something I want you to look into as well. Her picture is in your files, her name is Kotori Emiya. Adoptive daughter of Shirou Emiya and Rin Tohsaka. The girl was very much dead. But security camera footage from the scene shows Nightmare using some kind of magic on her to bring her back."

"Why would Nightmare care enough about this girl to save her life?" wondered Mana.

"That's why we're sending you into this school. We want answers to all of these questions. Nightmare started attending under the name Kurumi Tokisaki. She's been seen numerous times with Kotori Emiya walking away from the school with Princess acting as their bodyguard. Nightmare even joined the Archery club which Kotori Emiya participates in. We'd like you both to find out as much as you can before the former Adeptus Five is released from the hospital and returns to school. Things are bound to get complicated after that."

"As if things aren't complicated now? How are we supposed to accomplish this? Nightmare knows who we are. She'll be on guard the moment she sees us. It's not like we can just interrogate her," asked Mana.

Ellen smiled at her, "That's entirely up to you. Shido will be in the same class as Nightmare, while Mana is going into the same class as Kotori Emiya. I suggest you befriend them both. Nightmare has already shown an interest in you Shido. And Mana's never had a problem making friends."

"You want me to make 'friends' with Nightmare? Have you gone completely mad Ellen? You've had some dodgy plans in the past but this is-"

"Oh shut up," Ellen firmly ordered. "Nightmare is the least mentally stable of all Spirits we've encountered, but for some reason she's the strictest adherent to the rules. She keeps her secrets from the masses. Eliminates witnesses. Blends in seamlessly with society. As long as you stay in public with her, we don't predict she'll do anything rash. Frankly I'm more concerned with you doing something stupid, than her."

"Me?!" asked Shido credulously.

"Yes you. The way you and your sister act with each other is bound to attract a few negative comments from the oblivious mundane masses. If I had a choice I would have brought in Adeptus Four for this mission but Isaac says I should use the two of you. So against my better judgement that's what I'm doing. So! I'm explicitly ordering you Shido! When someone inevitably says the wrong thing about the two of you, I would thank you not to trim the walls with their innards. Same goes for you Mana. Just ignore the comments and focus on your mission. We'll support you as much as we can, but how you go about it, I'll leave up to you."

Shido and Mana both nodded.

Two days later, Taiga Fujimura had an announcement to make to her class which caught everyone by surprise. Usually an announcement in homeroom meant bad news was about to be delivered and Kotori Emiya was on the edge of her seat counting off the possibilities she could imagine off the top of her head.

"We have a new student joining the class today. Come on in," she said to the door.

That certainly wasn't one of the possibilities she imagined.

Outside the door Mana took a deep breath before opening the door to enter the classroom. She took a moment to write her name on the chalkboard, in English. Being the English teacher, Taiga was pleased, but the rest of the class was confused.

"Hello everyone. My name is Mana Takamiya. My big brother and I will be attending this school as of today. I hope you'll all forgive me but this is my first time back in Japan since I was very little. I hope you'll all be patient with me and help me learn what I need to know," she said before taking a bow to the class.

The next thing Kotori couldn't help but notice was the way Tonomachi was looking at the new girl. Even with the back of his head turned to her she could see his eyes popping out of his skull. Kotori reached into her desk and felt around for something.

With a sadistic grin on her lips and an evil gleam in her eyes she withdrew a small but suitably substantial box and threw it at the back of his head with all her might.

"Ahhhhh! What the hell was that for Emiya?!" he cried out loudly, followed by the nervous laughter of his peers.

"Baka. You know what it was for. Stop staring at her so hard, you're gonna make her uncomfortable!" yelled Kotori.

"Every guy in the room was doing the exact same thing though! Why do you only hurt me?!" he asked while rubbing the back of his head.

"Look around Tonomachi. Are they still?" she asked with the same sadistic grin on her lips.

Tonomachi looked around to discover that the male population had indeed found something much more interesting to feast their eyes upon in their textbooks rather than the girl standing in front of the class.

"Well, that's one detention for Emiya. Will anyone else be joining her? The day is still young. So. Takamiya-san. Feel free to take the empty seat next to Emiya. Brutality aside, she'll probably be able to help you a lot since she's the most fluent in English," explained a cheerful Taiga.

"I have a nice Aunt who helps me practice…" said a shrugging Kotori.

"Flattery won't get you out of detention, but feel free to keep trying," said a smiling Taiga.

"Sorry Aunt Tiger I'll-" she started before slapping both hands over her mouth, "Oh crap…"

Taiga's eyebrow started twitching while Mana very carefully walked away to take her seat.

"Good morning everyone, my name is Shido Takamiya. My little sister and I will be attending this-"

The boy's introduction was interrupted by what sounded like a tiger's roar, followed by a lot of loud, angry, and completely unintelligible yelling. As he looked around the room he saw his teacher, classmates, and even Nightmare herself empathetically wincing at the sound.

When lunch time came around, Tonomachi was still rubbing the sore spot on the back of his head while Kotori had her face shamefully buried in her hands.

"So you really called her 'Aunt Tiger' in front of the whole class?" asked Kurumi though her snickering.

Kotori couldn't lift her face up. "I'm never going to hear the end of this from her…"

Meanwhile Shido handed Mana a pre-made lunch box while he waited in line to make his selection from the cafeteria staff. As she searched for a place to sit she was called over, by Nightmare of all people.

"Hey Mana? Why don't you come sit with us? We won't bite... much," she said before giving what Mana could only describe as a Cheshire Cat grin. She looked normal, aside from the bangs and eyepatch covering her yellow eye. But Mana had seen that smile before, usually right before she did something especially brutal. The only comfort she took was the fact that Nightmare indeed seems to follow the rules.

"You actually know the new girl in our class senpai?" asked a curious Tonomachi.

"Her big brother is my class. So yes. You could say that," she said with her toothy grin.

Mana took a breath and slowly nodded before going to take a seat to the right of Kotori, who had the other boy from their class, Tonomachi, sitting on her left.

Kotori sighed before finally lifting up her head, "Until Tokisaki-senpai showed up, this table was exclusively reserved for Tobiichi and I… She's gonna be mad when she gets back…"

"As I understand it, it used to just be her table until you showed up," said Kurumi while holding a thoughtful finger to her chin while her other hand traced over a mark on the table which she then looked down at and grinned, "But it seems you weren't unwelcome here," she said while tapping the marking in the table.

Mana raised an eyebrow while Kotori stared dumbfoundedly at what Kurumi was pointing out. It was two sets of initials, KE and OT, surrounded by a heart.

"Somehow I don't think this is your handiwork Kotori Emiya. This must have been Origami Tobiichi. Right?" said Kurumi with a big smirk at the tsundere girl's flustered reaction.

"S… so what?! We're best friends! She's just marking our territory! Which you're all invading right now!"

Mana looked around and was about to stand up and leave when Shido put a hand on her shoulder and made her sit back down. "Relax sis. She's growling but if she really wanted everyone away from this table something tells me she wouldn't have a problem making it happen."

Kurumi turned her grin up at Shido, "Very astute, Shido. But what drew you to that conclusion?" she asked in a sultry voice which had Tonomachi shifting uncomfortably in his seat and adjusting his legs.

"Just a hunch…" he said with exasperation while taking a seat beside Kurumi, as far from her as the table seating arrangement would allow him to.

Kurumi leaned over to inspect his food selection, "Yaki Soba and Durian Bread? Very brave choices. Hope you brought a toothbrush with you. You'll need it after eating that," she said with an amused voice. She then turned her eye on Mana's lunch box, "What is that exactly?" she wondered.

Kotori peeked over at Mana'a lunch as well, "That actually looks really good…"

Mana looked down at her food uncomfortably while Shido spoke up proudly to explain it, "It's Lamb and Apricot Curry, Cannelloni with Spinach topped with some Parmesan Cheese. One of my specialties."

Kurumi giggled with amusement, "I had no idea you were a chef. So why only make her a lunch and not yourself?"

"Mana isn't used to eating these kinds of things," he said while gesturing to his own tray.

It's taking everything I have not to just attack her right now… If she makes one joke about Mana being a picky eater I'm going to lose it!

"I'm a little spoiled to be honest," said Mana, "I'm used to living in England. But it's not a problem for me because Onii-chan loves to cook."

Kotori nodded, "I get that. My dad's a decent chef as well. You'd probably get along with him Takamiya-senpai."

"I'm a decent cook too…" said Tonomachi with his hand raised.

"Keep telling yourself that," said Kotori while patting his shoulder. She then pulled out a lollipop and started unwrapping it, "But if you want to be useful, why don't you go get me a refill," she said while handing him her cup.

Tonomachi took the cup and looked at the long queue, "Are you joking?"

"Do I look like I'm joking? Move it!" she demanded with an angry glare in her eyes.

"Fine. Fine… Guess I'll get myself something too…" he said with an irate groan while standing up and leaving.

"So… Now that he's gone. You're the two my pops beat up. The one's who put Tobiichi up to shooting at us that day. And one of you I guess shot my cousin. You're either both really brave, or really stupid to come here like this," she said before giving the boy a sadistic grin and then put the candy treat in her mouth.

"It's the latter, I assure you," said Shido with a sigh of resignation.

"I don't know what you two hope to accomplish here, but you can forget about it."

Kurumi gave a slow nod, "But you can definitely stay if you want to Shido… Maybe we can go out on a date again sometime," she said while leaning over towards him and winking.

Shido jumped back at her sudden proximity to him, "That was before I knew who and what you were, Nightmare," he said through clenched teeth.

"You don't have to call me that here, or ever, Shido. You can call me Kurumi," she said with a voice so saucy it was making even Kotori uncomfortable enough to check to make sure she even still had a lollipop in her mouth.

"Is that even your name?" asked Mana with an angry glare.

Kurumi pulled back and folded her hands over her chest before putting a finger to her lips in contemplation, "What? Did you really think 'Nightmare' was my real name? Who came up with that anyway? It's so lame. Like what some silly kid playing an online game would use to make people think he's cool."

"Spirits never have names, except what we give them," said Mana in a firmer voice.

"Shows how little you know. It's not like anyone ever asked me for my name before they started shooting at me. But… I can't help but be amused by your sudden hostility towards me. Until I started flirting with Shido you were all calm and normal. Are you jealous maybe? Worried he might like me more than you? He did barely restrain himself before he knew what I was."

Kurumi finished her statement with a wink at Mana which further infuriated the younger girl.

"Don't let her get under your skin Mana. You know how she is. And you Nightmare, don't mess with my little sister or I'll start messing with you," he said with a deathly glare in his eyes directed at the raven haired spirit. "Right here, and right now. I don't care about the stupid 'rules' of the Mages and whomever," he said firmly, but in a low enough voice to be discreet about the subject matter.

"Ara ara… Please don't tease me like that Shido. You know how hot and bothered I get when you start acting this way," she said with a blush and and a suddenly very shy giggle.

Kotori looked between Shido and Kurumi, "You two are so alike it's more than a little creepy…"

"I am nothing like her!" Shido growled through his clenched teeth.

"Well you both go all 'Yandere' when something you seem to care about is being bothered," observed Kotori.

"She would know Shido. She's apparently all gaga over Yanderes," said Kurumi with a wink.

Shido turned his attention to Kotori, "You know who and what she is yet somehow you're still being all friendly with her. I should be asking what exactly is wrong with you. But you're a magus. So I suppose that means everything is wrong with you."

"What are you trying to suggest?" asked Kotori in a hard voice with narrowed eyes.

"That you reek of blood…" he said through clenched teeth while narrowing his own eyes at her.

Kotori clenched her fists very tightly and bit down on the stem of her lollipop hard enough to almost completely cut it.

"Shido-kun…" said a sultry Kurumi while leaning in very close to him. There she grabbed a fist full of his jacket and pulled him in so they were face to face, catching the boy off guard and had him suddenly very nervous at the proximity, and her tone of voice.

"I told you I get excited when you start acting like that, but if you upset Kotori, you'll upset me. So don't push your luck or I might suddenly find you less attractive and more appetizing," she said before leaning in more and giving his ear a shameless lick.

"Yeah… Exactly the same…" said Kotori before she and Mana facepalmed.

"Shido isn't so risqué when he starts thinking about violence though…" added Mana.

Kotori lifted her face and turned her full attention on Mana while Shido and Kurumi were busy quietly exchanging salacious insults.

"Look… Mana. Like I said. I don't know what you two think you're going to accomplish here. But as long as you don't try to bother my friends or family I'll tolerate your both being here. I might even be nice to you since my father said he respected you both. But all bets are off the moment I think you might try something stupid. Am I clear?"

"What are you going to do if we cross this line of yours? Run home to daddy?" asked Mana in English with a cheery smile.

"Oh trust me," replied Kotori in English, "You'll wish I had."

"I'm not afraid of any magus, Kotori-chan," she said with a smirk.

Kotori grabbed and pinched Mana's thigh very hard, making the girl's teeth clench in pain while she paid the other girl back in kind, causing Kotori's teeth to clench even harder. This time the stem of her lollipop did snap off.

"If you ever call me by my first name again Takamiya… Or ever use a 'chan' with me again… I'm going to hurt you a lot worse than this."

"Likewise if you don't let go of my leg," said Mana with a forced smile and calm voice.

Shido and Kurumi both turned to look at the younger ones across the table from them. "And they said we're alike?" they each said in unison.

Shido and Mana later stood near the gate of the school, close enough to blend in, but far enough away that they could discreetly speak. Shido adjusted a device inside his ear and started speaking. "Adeptus Two here… Someone please tell me again why this was a good idea?"

"Don't be daft Shido. You know why you're doing this. So stop complaining and start flirting back with Nightmare. She's obviously more than a little interested in you," said Ellen over their communication line.

"Is there a way we can do this without having my brother actually date the most dangerous spirit we know of?" Mana wondered aloud.

"If you have a better idea, feel free to try it. But you didn't exactly make friends with your target Mana."

"I can't help it if she's insufferable…" said Mana with a growl.

"You antagonized her. Both of you antagonized them."

"We have nothing in common with them!" Shido complained. "How are we supposed to make nice with them?!"

"The two of you play those roleplaying games all day and night. Just think of it like that. Treat it like a game and pick the right things to say to make them respond better to you," suggested Ellen.

"Two questions. One. I'm really curious if you managed to say that with a straight face. Two. Do you realize how stupid that actually sounds? Even to kids like us?" asked Shido.

"I told you I don't care how you get it done. Just as long as you get it done. Try going to their archery range with them or something. Find an opportunity to make friends with them!"

"And how exactly are we supposed to do that when they already know who we are?! Hello? Ellen? Answer me damn it! Ellen!" Shido pulled the communication device out of his ear when he realized the line was cut and stuffed the device back into his pocket while Mana did the same.

"I suppose it's a good thing basic archery was included in our training," Mana mused aloud.

"Fat load of good that'll do us… Japanese Archery is nothing like Western Archery…"

Kurumi and Kotori were both dressed for Archery practice, but most of the students had already left by this point. As Kotori was determined to practice and increase her abilities she refused to miss a day of practice. Kurumi had volunteered to stay behind with her after practice had officially ended to get in some more training for herself and to help Kotori with her own. Meanwhile, Shido and Mana had casually walked in to observe them, much to Kotori's chagrin but Kurumi forced her to ignore them and focus on her own training.

"I've noticed you tense up right before you release your arrows. It's what's throwing off your accuracy. You need to stay relaxed and calm through the whole motion," said Kurumi while critiquing Kotori's movements. "Don't be afraid of the string hitting you. If your posture is correct, it's impossible for that to happen."

The twin tailed girl groaned in irritation, "That's exactly what happened to me… I guess it's just a memory, or a phantom pain, or whatever you wanna call it."

"I figured… Just relax, trust yourself. You have it all down. You just need to know you won't screw up," said Kurumi while tapping Kotori's feet with her own bow to remind her to correct her posture.

"You never told me, how do you know so much about Kyudo? Where did you train?" wondered Kotori while adjusting her feet.

"Oh I've just been around a few times and learned a bit of this and that. Now focus!"

"It's hard to focus with those two staring at us like that…" said Kotori while nodding her head to the back wall where Shido and Mana were sitting.

"Just think of it as practice. When you eventually compete you'll have people actually watching and judging everything you do. If those two can throw off your concentration you'll be a wreck in the important moment," she explained while patting the top of the girl's head firmly to ensure the words would get through to her.

"Alright! Alright! Stop doing that! It's annoying!"

"If you were here for the start of practice instead of detention I might not have to," said a grinning Kurumi. "Really Kotori-chan, if you want to publicly humiliate your boyfriend you should try putting him in some doggy ears and a tail, then take him for a walk. Honestly. I didn't think I'd have to teach you things like this!"

Kotori's eyes widened at Kurumi, "If you can't stop calling me 'Kotori-chan' at least never tell me another of your perverted fantasies! Is that an acceptable trade?"

"You didn't deny that he's your boyfriend this time. I find that interesting…" she said with a giggle while taking a step back.

"Well I did get this vivid and disturbing image of you walking that boy on the date you went on with him…"

Shido winced uncomfortably and balled his fists tightly.

Damn it… I can't make nice if I snap at them for this… They're trying to make me snap… Ellen… I'm going to find a way to make you regret this later!

"If it helps. I would never give him that privilege, I assure you. My most special kinks are reserved for someone very special. Someone I know can enjoy them," she said with a wistful smile while looking up at nothing in particular.

Shido palmed his face while Kotori lowered her bow and looked deep into Kurumi's soul.

"What a freak job… You make me want to take a look inside your twisted head. For science! I think I should take you to the school counselor tomorrow… She can probably make a career out of you," said Kotori while drawing out her bow.

"She doesn't need a counselor she needs an exorcist…" said Shido through his palm.

"Trust me Kotori-chan. If you ever got to see inside my head you'd know that madness is the very least of my problems," she said with a wink. "Now, take your shot and let's see what you've learned!"

Kotori lowered her bow and then adjusted her stance again, she raised the bow, drew it back as she lowered it into position and launched the arrow.

Kurumi took a few moments to chastise her movements before turning her eye on the range. "That aside… You did manage a decent hit. But don't let that go to your head. Never slack off on anything. Hitting the target is meaningless if you don't follow through correctly!"

Mana leaned over so she could whisper to Shido, "This is unreal… The way Nightmare is with her."

Shido shook his head, "I've seen this side of her before. She can be a very nice girl. That's how she tricks you…" he whispered back to his sister.

A moment later they turned to find both Kurumi and Kotori staring at them. "So do you two just wanna sit there and spy on us? Or do you wanna actually give this a try?" asked the younger girl.

"So where's Tohka today? It's after dark, shouldn't she be walking you home? Especially right now?" asked Kurumi from beside Kotori as they walked up the street after locking up the Dojo.

"She's at home since Aunt Tiger went over for dinner tonight and I wanted to practice, he decided he'd give you a chance to earn his trust," explained Kotori.

"Is it his trust or yours I have to earn?"

Kotori looked behind her back at the two siblings walking behind them, "Let's not have this conversation in front of the spies. Do you wanna come over for a bit tonight? Pops made Teriyaki Rib eye…" she said while rubbing her mouth to make sure she wasn't drooling.

Kurumi's eye widened at that, "Mmm… I haven't had that in ages… Steaks marinated for no less than two hours in a special secret sauce before woking to medium rare perfection…"

Kotori raised an eyebrow at her vivid description of the food while to Shido's surprise, Kurumi was starting to drool, and to his surprise, so was he. He quickly decided to dig out his phone and started writing that down.

"Could you elaborate on that sauce? I wanna try and make that…" he asked while his hand was ready to start typing into his phone.

"Dream on… Like I'm going to reveal the secrets of the Emiya kitchen to outsiders! My father keeps his culinary secrets more closely guarded than he keeps his thaumaturgical secrets! Not even I know what's in that sauce!"

"Probably because nobody wants to see the cremated remains of a cow on their plates," said a giggling Kurumi.

"She's like me then. Anything I cook has to be served up in an urn as well…" Mana shamefully admitted.

"Even microwaved popcorn…" added Shido while patting his little sister on the head.

"Ok… Even I can microwave popcorn… How do you screw that up?" asked a bewildered Kotori.

"It was one time, and I accidentally left it in too long because we were watching Chelsea versus Liverpool and Chelsea scored a goal in the first two minutes while I was making the popcorn and I was really excited to see the replays and forgot about the microwave…" she said with her head down.

"Are you talking about a sport?" wondered Kotori.

"Football. In England that isn't just a sport. It's very serious business," said Kurumi with a firm nod. "The first time I ever watched a game was when Shido insisted we sit down at that Football Cafe so he could watch the game. First time I spoke to Mana was because he was on the phone with her through the whole game. Even while on a date with a girl as 'astonishingly beautiful' as me he couldn't stand to be away from his little sister. So adorable!" she gushed.

"First you told me your name was Ara. Then you dragged me all over London… then you tried to kill me. Three times in one night. But we did have fun that day… Before you tried to murder me that is."

"Ara ara! I never said that was my name. I just said 'Ara ara! Wouldn't you like to know?' and you just assumed it was my name."

"Because I forgot most of my Japanese and you said it every time I asked you for your name…" he groaned out.

"Dare I ask why you tried to kill him?" wondered Kotori.

"That's such a long and boring story," she said with a roll of her eye.

"She tried to instigate a fight between the DEM Wizards and the Clocktower Enforcers…"

"That was also fun. But I had more fun with you Shido. We should do that again sometime," she casually suggested.

"Are you trying to ask me out again? You really think I'm going to just do that after the last time?"

"Most guys are just looking for sex after a date. There's so much less pressure involved when you're just looking to stay alive after the date," said a grinning Kurumi.

She does have a point… Explaining why I'm wearing a wiring suit under my cloths would be so much less awkward than when I had to try and explain why I had condoms in my pocket…

"Alright… But I am not going out alone with you!" he exclaimed.

"Maybe we can get Tonomachi-kun to accompany Mana-chan? That might make it less awkward for her to be with us on a date?" Kurumi suggested while grinning at Kotori.

"Don't call me 'Mana-chan'! Only my brother can do that!"

"Notice how she's not refusing Tonomachi's company? You have some competition Kotori-chan!" said Kurumi with a big smirk on her face directed at the red haired girl beside her.

"He's a good looking guy and since he isn't initiated into our world the odds are low that you'd do something stupid with him around to see," said Mana. "Besides, if he does something stupid my big brother will tear him to ribbons!"

Kotori balled her fists and growled, "If you want to date that low life then go ahead! I won't stop you!"

"I almost feel sorry for that poor boy. He only has eyes for you but you won't even so much as try to keep him out of a potentially dangerous rendezvous with two wizards and a spirit," said Kurumi with a mournful voice.

"Hah! You assume he'll even agree to this! I very much doubt that he will!" Kotori proudly exclaimed.

Kurumi sighed, "He won't wait around for you forever Kotori-chan. You need to give him a sign or something. Or else someone else will snatch him up from you. A girl needs to clearly mark her territory to keep the other predators away."

"What makes you, or anyone, think I'm interested in him that way? He's a nuisance and nothing more!"

"Yeah… It's pretty obvious you like him," said Shido.

"Couldn't be more obvious," added Mana.

"Are you two going to follow us all the way to our house?!"

"Our house?" asked Kurumi with a mocking grin.

"You know what I mean! You're my friend so obviously my house is your house! These two are spies and aren't ever setting foot inside!"

"Relax Emiya… Mana and I are taking the next turn up for a bus to New City where we're staying. We're not following you home. Much as I admire your father, I don't think he'd be pleased to see us just now…"

"You got that right! So beat it!" she petulantly demanded.

"As you wish Emiya… We'll see you tomorrow," said Shido while Mana remained silently beside him.

While on the bus later, Mana gently took a hold of Shido's hand and held it tightly.

"What's bothering you sis?" asked Shido with concern.

"I'm just worried. I have this horrible feeling about this whole thing. I don't think Kotori has the first clue about Nightmare, and she's trusting her too much. You saw how close they were acting… We've seen that before. What happened to everyone who ever knew her in London."

Shido slowly nodded, "Shirou Emiya doesn't have to be our enemy. He'd be on our side if he knew what the spirits were all really like. If we're careful, we can protect Kotori and show her father what Nightmare and Princess are really all about. Then we'll have a reliable and powerful ally."

"I don't think Ellen would care for that plan…"

"I can't rightly say I give a damn what she'd care for. It's the right thing to do. Or do you think I'm wrong?"

"If I did, would it matter?" she asked while turning to look into his eyes.

Shido sighed and brought her hand up where he gently kissed it, "Your opinion is the only one that matters to me."

"I think your heart is in the right place big brother. But I think this is a risky plan you're formulating. But if this is what you want to do, I'll support you like you always support me."

"You don't like Kotori Emiya do you?"

Mana shook her head, "No… I actually like her just fine. It's not often I meet someone brave enough to butt heads with me like she did today. I respect that about her. Even if she doesn't have the first clue about me and what I'm capable of doing, I don't believe for a moment she'd back down if she did. That girl's got fire in her soul."

Shido snickered that that, "She did indeed. Who knows, if you can make at least one real friend in her by the end of this, then it'll all be worth it to me."

Mana then started giggling.

"What's funny?" asked Shido.

"I just pictured you with a girlfriend like Nightmare. If she wasn't a spirit, I think you two would be perfect for each other."

"So you think I like psychotic girls?"

"You did have a big crush on Origami for the longest time…"

"Don't remind me-" Shido started and then suddenly stopped cold and widened his eyes, "Wait…"

"What is it big brother? You look like you've just seen a ghost."

"Do you remember if Origami ever interacted with Nightmare back then?"

Mana narrowed her eyes and thought about it for a long time, "No. They couldn't have. That was when Origami was here in Japan working with the AST and then left the Triple S. Why?"

Shido's eyes darted around which only made Mana sit up straight and look at him with a grave expression.

"Onii-chan… You're starting to frighten me. What is it?"

"That joke Nightmare made to Kotori while they were doing their archery… I just remembered that Origami actually used to have a set of Dog Ears and a Tail… I used to try and get her to wear them for me..."

"Ok… Shido… First of all. Eww. I didn't know you were into that. Second. Couldn't that just be a coincidence? I mean all those 'What the fuck Japan' memes on the internet have to have some basis in reality..."

"Nightmare doesn't do anything without an agenda. She doesn't say anything without an agenda. I think she was trying to tell me she knew about that. But why?"

"If I had to guess… Probably because she was hoping to embarrass you on the spot but you didn't realize it until now which means you're embarrassing yourself in front of me. So Nightmare one, Onii-chan zero."

"Even if that's true… How did she know?"

Mana shrugged her shoulders, "If you're going to stay up all night thinking about it, you're only helping her make a bigger fool of you. Did you mention this while you were on your date with her by chance?"

Shido shook his head, "No way."

"I can't believe you ever liked Origami. She's so bland and cold…"

Shido sighed, "I thought she was pretty…"

"What about Nightmare? What's your excuse for that?"

Shido chuckled, "She was like a force of nature. I didn't really have much of a say in that."

Mana crossed her arms and huffed in annoyance, "Well. You can't have a girlfriend unless I approve of her!"

"Then out of interest, who would you approve of?" he asked her with a sly grin.

"The new Adeptus Five is really nice, and she likes you. I think you should date her!"

"Did she by chance put you up to this?"

Mana rolled her eyes innocently, "Whatever she may or may not have put me up to will be kept in the strictest of confidence."

"I'll think about it and give you an answer after we get back to London. Fair enough?"

"Fair enough," she said with a nod.

"And when you ever think about getting a boyfriend, he'd better be capable of kicking my ass because if he isn't I'll certainly kick his."

"You really are like a male Yandere," said Mana with a cheesy grin.

"What the hell is a yandere anyway? That's the third or fourth time I've heard that word today."

Mana pulled out her phone and leaned over so he could see the screen with her. "Something from this game Kotori showed me that everyone's playing at school. It's called 'Date A Live' and you can create characters with different personality types to date and you can let the characters interact with other people's characters. I made a character that looks like you and gave him the 'big brother' and 'yandere' personalities. He acts so exactly like you it's almost frightening!"

"Alright… Do we need to discuss how it looks that you're playing a dating sim using a character that looks and acts like me?"

Mana giggled at his reaction and then went about showing him the rest of the game. "I let Onii-chan here meet Kotori's Onee-sama and she kicked his ass. I still need to get him stuff to make him stronger and all that."

"Gah… Sounds worse than Pokemon Go…"

"This beats the crap out of Pokemon Go… These characters all have these pretty sophisticated AIs. I mean he's really learning to treat me the same way you do."

Shido looked at the phone more closely while she turned it towards him to give him a better view with a knowing grin on her face.

"Imōto-chan... Who is this guy sitting with you? Would you like me to kill him for you?" read the text on the screen to which Shido narrowed his eyes disapprovingly.

"I'm her real brother you digitial wanker!" he yelled at the screen.

"It doesn't understand English. There's supposed to be a patch for that coming out in a couple months with the international release. You should give it a try. I'm curious to see what your ideal girlfriend might look like," she said with a snicker.

Shido rolled his eyes until he was looking out the window.

"What's really freaky though… Is that Kotori's character looks sort of like Nightmare. And acts like her too. That's why they called you a Yandere. I have a screenshot of that by the way."

Mana swiped through her phone to retrieve the image and then showed it to her brother. The character had two blue eyes, black hair in sort of the same style as Nightmare had today, or what was probably as close to it as the game could get.

"Doesn't look very much like her. But I do see a vague resemblance. So… Kotori doesn't have a big sister, right?"

Mana nodded.

"So this character is like, what? Her ideal big sister?"

"Probably something like that. Kotori's very proud of the work she's put into that character. She told me she's been at it since the game was in beta last year."

"Could that be what Nightmare is doing? Trying to act like Kotori's ideal big sister to get close to her? Without Kotori even realizing it?"

Mana's face scrunched up while she considered it. "It sounds genius enough to be one of Nightmare's plans. She's been known to go to greater lengths in the past to infiltrate a place. This would be child's play to her."

"It's a theory. Backed up by some evidence. Something to work with at least. Now all we need is a motive. What's she after? Why would she want to get close to Kotori?"

"I know where we can start trying to piece that together..." Mana reached into her pocket and pulled out her communication device which she promptly inserted into her ear. "This is Adeptus Three with an urgent request."

Mana and Shido both nodded to each other before Mana continued. "We'd like all information regarding Nightmare's past activities sent to our apartment. Along with everything we have on the Emiya family. Also include files related to subjects Princess, Hermit, and the Tohno family as well. Yes. That's right. Have it all ready for us by the time we arrive. We may have a lead."