Author's Note: This chapter ended up being a lot more filler than I'd originally planned. It also ended up being a lot longer than I'd originally planned so I split it into two chapters.

Chapter Thirteen

After school that day, Kurumi invited Kotori over to her apartment to show her more about her spirit powers. Kotori had to admit, she was curious to see how an elegant, mysterious, and downright frightening Spirit like Kurumi lived. But once she was inside she found it was nothing like what she imagined. Not. One. Bit.

Her eyes widened, and she had to cover her nose. Her eyes watered and she rushed over to a window to quickly get it open.

"Kurumi… This is your place? You? A Girl? Live here? Like… This?!"

"So what? I know it's a bit small but it's cozy," she remarked while locking up the door behind her.

It was a small studio apartment, the door opened into a small kitchen area with a bathroom directly opposite. The kitchen counter was piled with dirty dishes, take out boxes, instant ramen, and all manner of junk food that no sane human being or spirit should be ingesting much less subsisting upon.

She looked around the living room area, it had a small coffee table in front of a bed that seemed to double as a couch for viewing the TV set across from it. There were windows, previously closed to the outside by thick curtains to keep the light away from the TV for optimal viewing. The coffee table was also covered in empty bags of chips, pizza boxes, and dirty cups. Kotori also noticed a gaming console under the TV, as well as a portable one on the bed.

Turns out Kurumi is exactly who I thought Tonomachi was… Who would have thought? No wonder she never jumps on the bandwagon when I make fun of him for it.

Kotori sighed to herself and fished for her phone. "I'm telling my father that I'm staying over with you tonight."

Kurumi raised an eyebrow at that. "Why? I thought we were just going to discuss spirit powers?"

"That was before I saw how you live… This place isn't even fit for cockroach habitation much less human… Or spirit!"

"Ara ara! What's the big deal?"

"Kurumi… There's a dead cockroach in your leftover pizza! When I said this place isn't fit for cockroach habitation, I was being literal! Come on. I'm going to assume you don't have any cleaning supplies so we're going out to to shop for them right this moment!"

"Ara ara… Why did I bring her here?" sighed Kurumi while following the younger girl out of the apartment again.

Two hours of blood, sweat, vomit, and tears later Kotori washed her hands, then used a liberal amount of hand sanitizer up her elbows, before washing her hands again in almost scalding hot water. Then she stood and watched to make sure Kurumi washed herself properly before she allowed her out of the bathroom and into the freshly cleaned apartment.

The girls each collapsed onto the couch bed to catch their breaths and rest.

"Hercules himself would be proud of us for accomplishing this task…" muttered Kotori.

"It was such a waste of time though…" muttered Kurumi.

Kotori scrunched up her face as the words Kurumi uttered felt sour inside her ears. "Someone whose whole power is based on time manipulation shouldn't be worried about two hours!" she barked. "Besides. We got to spend it together. So was it really such a waste?"

"When you put it that way. No. But if you knew what two hours was really worth you'd probably feel the same way I do. But when you put it that way… I suppose I'd pay any price to be able to spend time with you. Even if it was on something as trivial as this."

"That's sweet. Creepy. But sweet. So are you hungry? I can fry us up those schnitzels we got?"

"You? Cook?" asked Kurumi with a few blinks of her crimson eye.

"Yes. The name is Kotori Emiya! Of course I can cook. Not like my father, but I can fry something!"

"This… I want to see," she remarked with a small grin while standing up to follow the younger girl into the kitchen.

"Then you should take off that eye patch. You don't have to hide your other eye from me you know," said Kotori with a finger waving in the air.

"It doesn't make a difference. I can't see out of it anyway."

"Oh… I didn't realize that… Was that a price of your spirit power or something? No wait. Don't answer that. It's none of my damn business anyway..." she said while knocking her own head.

"Don't worry about it. It's nothing quite so dramatic. I had retinal cancer as a child and they had to take out my eye."

"Ack. That sucks! But it's also interesting. Not about your eye, that just sucks. But I mean, you remember your life before you were a spirit? Tohka is utterly clueless about anything, and I only remember my life from when I became a spirit and nothing before that. Not even how I became one."

Kotori went and got a frying pan out and started heating the stove while pouring some oil into the pan. Kurumi reached out and stopped her there. "Too much. If you do it this way they'll just come out greasy and taste of oil rather than anything else. You should also reduce the heat."

"But the oil will heat up and cook the chicken quicker? I know what I'm doing you know!"

Kurumi pat the girl on the head and shoved her aside. "Ara ara… You're going to set off the fire alarm as well as my bullshit alarm. If you cook them on high heat like this all you'll end up doing is burning the outside and leaving the inside completely uncooked."

"For someone who orders take out and eats nothing but junk food you seem to know a lot about cooking…"

"I've been around a few times and learned a little bit of this and that..."

Kotori sighed, "Now you just set off my bullshit alarm… You don't know what you're doing anymore than I do."

Kurumi turned to smile at Kotori. It was by all accounts a cheerful and very happy smile. Her eye closed, but she looked happy as could be nonetheless. Except for that twitching eyebrow...

When she spoke, it was in her same, completely normal, sultry and classy tone of voice, "You have a smartphone. Why don't you close Date A Live and search for cooking instructions? Then, you can eat your words instead of your schnitzel."

Kotori suddenly became paralyzed with fear, and for some inexplicable reason, she could do nothing but what she was being told to do. "My mom used to smile like that…" she said through clenched teeth.

"Probably right before she was about to completely lose her shit as well. Am I right?"

That was just uncanny...

Meanwhile, in the Emiya house. Shirou was instructing Tohka as they worked together to prepare ingredients for dinner.

"So what are we cooking? It smells amazing!" she asked after everything was set on the stove.

"This is called spaghetti," he explained while putting the pasta into the boiling pot, "When Ciel said she was in Rome I suddenly felt the urge to cook Italian food. Since it's just the two of us for dinner tonight I thought you might like to try it since Kotori doesn't really like this kind of thing."

"And what did we make in there again?" she asked looking at the smaller one with the closed lid.

"It's called Bolognese. It's a sauce you mix with the pasta. Believe me, you're going to like it."

"I love everything you cook!"

"Somehow. I doubt that Tohka. You can't possibly like every single thing you've ever eaten. You have to have some dislikes. It's perfectly alright to have some things you like more than others."

Tohka backed away to give him some space in the kitchen while contemplating his words, "Hmm… I never really thought about it. But I suppose eating out isn't as tasty as eating here."

"That's a start I guess… But think about it harder. Of all the foods you've tried so far, which did you like more than all of the others?"

"That's easy! Kinako Bread!" she said enthusiastically.

"Hmm… Then next time we go shopping, we can buy ingredients and I'll teach you how to make it."

"Really?!" she asked happily.

"Yes really. It's not that difficult to make," he said while stirring his sauce. "You've already mastered Miso Soup, and you've shown me you're reliable with the cutting board. Baking isn't really difficult and you're a quick learner. Before long I'll be able to let you cook us dinner all by yourself."

"Only because you're such a good teacher Shirou!" she said which brought a cheerful smile to his face.

That takes me back… Tohka really is as sweet as Sakura, as brave and strong as Saber, and as hot tempered as Rin. I suppose that's why I find it so easy to get along with her. As long I don't push her buttons, having her around is… Surprisingly nice.

"Hey Shirou…" Tohka said in her serious voice which meant to Shirou that it was time to give her his undivided attention.

"What is it Tohka?"

"Do you think I can learn Magecraft? Like Kotori does? She's a Spirit, and I'm a Spirit. Shouldn't I be able to as well?"

"Hmm… You know, I never thought about it that way. You do have a point. I really don't see why you couldn't practice Thaumaturgy. Tell you what. Tonight instead of sword practice we'll take some time to start figuring out your magical aptitudes, and then figure out what and how we can teach you."

"Can't we do both? You and I have been getting a lot stronger since we started to train together. I don't think skipping practice is a good idea."

Shirou nodded, "Why do I get the feeling you're just trying to make me spend more time with you?"

"Why would I do that?"

Shirou chuckled at that, "Sometimes when my wife thought I wasn't spending enough time with her she'd start coming to me with things we needed to do together. Took me a while to catch onto that fact though."

"But all we ever do is spend time together? Why would I be trying to make you spend more time with me?"

"I wasn't really accusing you of it Tohka. I was just sharing a memory with you that's all," he said with a smile. "But you know. I don't think I've really shown you much appreciation, even though we spend a lot of time together."

"What do you mean?"

Shirou took a breath and leaned back against the kitchen counter to gather his thoughts for a long moment. "Since you've been here. You've thanked me, almost every day, for being allowed to stay here. You've done everything we've asked of you and more…"

"But you have thanked me for doing those things?"

"That's not what I mean Tohka. Just.. Let me finish saying what I'm thinking."

Tohka nodded and leaned back against the refrigerator to listen.

"I've been lonely. Yes I have Kotori, I have Taiga, and I love them both very much. They bring stability to my life, and stability is important. Maybe it's silly of me to feel this way, but I was having a hard time. I miss my wife, and I know she'd want me to move on. So now I'm dating Ryouko. And I like her a lot. She's fun. And I have fun with her. But ever since you've been here, things in my life have gotten crazy. In every which way. I forgot how much I thrive in chaos. I don't know if this makes sense to you because it doesn't make sense to me at all. But I'm thankful for you because you bring something into my life that I didn't even know I was missing, and I love you for it,

That's what I'm trying to say I guess. You shouldn't be grateful to me for letting you be here. I should be grateful to you for being here. And I am. I'm very grateful to have you in my life. You make everything interesting and new again. Especially since I've been teaching you everything I know, I haven't been thinking about things that make me feel sad anymore. I've just been focused on what's good in my life. That's all because of you. You bring out the best in me."

Tohka smiled brightly and wiped a tear from her eye before rushing over to hug Shirou tightly. "I don't know what to say to that…"

"You don't have to say anything Tohka. I'm the one who needs to do more of the talking. No matter how annoyed, angry, or frustrated I may get in the future. I just want you to know how much I've come to care about you and how much I appreciate having you around. I never got to say that to Saber before she was gone and it's something I regretted ever since. So I just want you to know that and never doubt it."

"I understand. I feel the same way Shirou. I can sleep at night because I don't doubt for a moment that if I woke up in some strange place about to be attacked again that you'd stop at nothing to come find me."

"I would. No matter how far I have to go, or what I have to fight through to get there. I'll find you."

Tohka slowly let go of Shirou and looked up into his golden eyes for a long moment before smiling at him. "I'm so thankful for this wonderful life. I'll do anything I have to do to protect it."

"I don't doubt it. Not for a- Uh oh!" he rushed over to take his sauce off the stove before it overcooked. "Dinner's almost ready. Why don't you set the table for us?"

"Sure thing!"

"Remember, Forks and spoons for this, not chopsticks," he reminded her.

"You told me! I'm not a dummy! Dummy!"

Shirou laughed as he took the pasta off the stove and started draining the water.

Kotori washed off the dishes after their meal and put them away before cleaning up the rest of the kitchen again.

I may have failed to cook, but I won't fail to set her a good example about being clean! Seriously… How can someone as unbelievably skilled at everything she does be such an unbelievable slob?!

Kotori looked over into the living room to see Kurumi playing with her handheld gaming console. "There's my answer…" she muttered under her breath. "Hey Kurumi. Weren't you supposed to teach me about my spirit powers? You know. Without throwing me off a bridge this time?"

Kurumi set down her console and turned to look at Kotori where she gave her a nod. "Let's get started then."

Kotori walked back into the living room and sat down on the couch bed beside the raven haired spirit. Kurumi put out her hand and gathered an orb of darkness there. It wasn't like Tohka's at all, her's was purple and glowing, and felt of powerful kinetic energy. Kurumi's was like a black hole which just sucked the light away from everything around it. It was pure darkness.

"Your power is a lot different from mine… Will the same things apply?"

"I've been around a few times-"

"And learned a bit of this and that. I remember."

"Good. So pay attention then because this is important. You need to understand the relationship you have with your Angel. It grants you power, but all power comes at a price. Equivalent Exchange. You're familiar with this concept?"

Kotori nodded, "Yes. I am."

"This isn't actually my spirit power I'm using. This is my magecraft. But because I can tap into the mana supply of my Angel, I can do even more more with what I already had. But doing this comes at a cost…" she then pulled off her eye patch with her other hand and lifted her hair. "Can you see the clock moving?"

"The second hand is ticking?"

"Correct. The more mana I take from Zafkiel, the more of my own time I have to give up in exchange."

"I'm not sure I like the sound of that… But before I jump to a conclusion what-"

"It means exactly what you think it means. This clock is the representation of my life. It's a proportional amount of my very life that I'm giving away in exchange for this power. I said before that I can't see out of this eye. That wasn't entirely true. I can see the flow of time. But only as it relates to myself. This is how I know how much time I have, how much I'm using, and how much I'm collecting."

"Collecting?"

"It's complicated, and honestly irrelevant to you. The price your power will take won't be the same as mine. But you'll have a perception of it in some way. We all do. But there are ways you can work around this. Some of your mysteries can be enacted the same way any other magus would. Others, you'll have to call on your angel to enact."

"I'm not sure I understand, so correct me if I'm wrong. But it sounds like you're trying to tell me my Angel functions similar to a magic crest?"

"That's actually exactly what it's like. But I have both a magic crest, and my angel. See… These are the kinds of workarounds I'm talking about. Because of the cost of drawing on Zafkiel, the original me set about developing her magecraft to supplement to her spirit powers."

"So you're actually like a real and proper magus? You have a magic crest and a lineage and everything?"

Kurumi shook her head, "No. I don't. The original me. She made our crest herself. No small feat, I can assure you. You see. I was the heir to a magus line. But the crest was destroyed so I didn't get to inherit it."

"When you said DEM took something from you. Is that what you were talking about?"

Kurumi nodded, "Yes. Please don't ask about it because I don't want to talk about it… It's painful. Anyway. My point is that when I got my powers I was a complete and utter novice with them. I didn't get the benefits that the others all got. So naturally I screwed up. A lot. So trust me and listen to me to avoid the mistakes I made."

"Hang on… Hang on… She made her own magic crest? How the hell? It takes generations to build a magic crest."

"Indeed it does. But why does it take generations?"

"Well… I'm not sure how well I can explain it but... A Magic Crest is formed from the circuits of the mage. Their own circuits. Which stores thaumaturgical capabilities to be passed down. Each generation adds something to it. So the more generations, the more powerful the crest. Right?"

"Correct enough," Kurumi then pulled down the back of her dark dress and activated her crest for Kotori to see. It was an intricately shaped series of circles in a pattern reminiscent of the gears in a clock.

"Now how is a magic crest implanted?"

"Not all at once. It's done over a period of time. Wait. I think I understand now. The copies? Or clones? Whatever you're called."

"Now you get it. When you can cheat by making endless copies of yourself. Suddenly the impossible becomes very possible if you're willing to carefully plan and endure the process. You'd also have to enlist the aid of someone who's extraordinarily skilled in the art of implanting magic crests."

Kotori dropped her jaw, "That's brilliant. Reckless. Painful. Stupid. But brilliant… No incompatibility because you'd be forming it entirely of your own circuits. It's brilliant… But the way this is set up… I can't imagine how much this-"

"Remember I told you that if you knew what she had to go through to become as strong as she is now that you'd probably be sick? Well. That's just a small sample of what I'm talking about."

"That's got to be unpleasant at best… Certainly helps to actually explain why you're so screwed up in the head…"

"That's not very nice…" said a grinning Kurumi before standing up, "As punishment for that, if you want to learn more you have to defeat me now!"

Kotori blinked, "Defeat you?! You want to duel me?!" she asked very nervously.

"Yes," stated Kurumi while tossing a game controller at Kotori. "I assume you know how to play this game?" she said after turning on the TV.

Kotori grinned, "Heh, you're on!"

The sounds of clashing metal echoed through the courtyard of the Emiya house as Tohka took swing after swing at Shirou. Even with his holy shroud he was on his fifth set of swords. It was no fault of the holy shroud though, it was doing its job exactly as intended, protecting him from the spiritual interference caused by contact with the Angel. It was simply a testament to the resilience of Tohka's Sandalphon.

Over the course of their sparring sessions Tohka had learned not to take a broken weapon to mean the fight was over. He was perfectly capable of replacing his weapons during a fight and continuing as if nothing had happened. Their exchanges went on for minutes at a time before one or the other would eventually find a way to get the upper hand and place the other on the defensive.

It was a way they built trust between each other. Trust in each other's skills. Confidence to take each other seriously and not slack off for even a moment lest one make the other pay for it with a very painful strike to a sensitive area. Shirou called it the Arturia Pendragon School of Swordsmanship. Fear of death wasn't necessary between friends sparing, though it was certainly not an impossibility when fighting with real swords. It was the fear of pain which motivated the participants to stay on guard and fight at their best in each moment.

Tohka was very tough. Her armor wasn't just for show either. It would take a very serious blow to cause her any meaningful harm. And as Tohka accidentally discovered over the course of their training, Shirou's ability to heal himself was more than up to the task of restoring any damage she could inflict upon him.

The two only had one goal for these sessions. To get stronger, faster, and smarter about how they each fought. Tohka didn't actually have a sword style. All she had was a big sword and the strength to swing it. Dealing the mecha-mecha squads obviously wasn't a problem for her. Shirou knew first hand they were competent fighters, but they were no masters of the sword. Neither was Tohka though.

She had superhuman levels of strength and speed. But she left openings in her defenses everywhere. However, there was a catch to what she was doing that Shirou quickly picked up on.

She was doing the same thing he does, giving her opponent fake openings to strike at. It was an utterly reckless style of fighting that he knew all too well.

I can't help but wonder if this was where Archer really developed his fighting style. I feel like my body knows how to fight Tohka. But I don't honestly have a memory of her that doesn't feel like my own. It's something deeper, like, instinctual. Did he fight against her? Or did he train with her like this?

Kotori growled and dropped her controller on the bed before laying back with two fist fulls of her hair. "Grrrrah! You're like a professional at this too! Is there anything you can't do Kurumi?!"

Kurumi scratched her chin, "I've never managed to actually learn to play an instrument. Wasn't for lack of trying though. I just don't have a musical bone in my body. But I can play Guitar Hero blindfolded! I had a friend who can sing like an angel and I was so jealous of that. But I have no aptitude for music whatsoever. It always pissed me off, I'm asian damn it! I should be able to play something so good that all of YouTube would be jealous of my skill!"

"I guess the only skill you have that'll blow people away is your skill with guns and bows."

"Ara ara! I suppose that's true."

"Hey, can I see your guns?" asked Kotori with curiosity while sitting up with a pleading look.

Kurumi grinned and then put her arm under the couch bed, the darkest place in reach, and pulled up her pistol which she then handed to Kotori.

"Ooof, it's heavier than it looks isn't it?" she said while feeling its weight. "These guns aren't part of your angel are they? I can feel it, it's an actual mystic code isn't it?"

"Mhmm. It's an antique. It was actually once used by a French Vieille Garde named Pierre Cambronne. When the British Army had him and what was left of his troops completely surrounded at the battle of Waterloo, ready and waiting to gun them all down. The Brits asked them to surrender. Well, Pierre didn't like that. Being the badass that he was he just looked at them, and told them where to shove it. The strong impressions left on them from that day made them ideal for being used as mystic codes."

"I'm really interested in mystic codes. Ciel says I have an aptitude for their construction. I hope I do because I really had fun making some with her. So may I ask why you use guns? Aren't there other ways to fling shadows around?"

"Plenty I'm sure. But this was just the most effective way she could devise with the time she had. I'm sure she could have figured out other ways of using Zafkiel's power but, these guns are special. She didn't want to part with them. Instead she trained herself night and day and got better with them. I'm sure the original owner of these guns would be very proud of what she's accomplished with them."

Kotori looked at the weapon closely, the metal was highly polished, the wood immaculate. The flint in the hammer was replaced with some kind of dark stone which Kotori didn't recognize. "Do you mind if I ask how they work?"

"Tell you what. If you learn this next thing I'm going to teach you, I'll tell you all about how it works. Deal?"

"Deal!"

"Now. Do you know what your origin is Kotori?"

"Yes. It's Retaliation, or Retribution. One of the two. Mom said it wouldn't ever be useful towards my magecraft, but it explained why I was so-"

"Unforgiving? Ill tempered?"

Kotori slowly nodded, "Something like that. I have to be extra mindful of it because I tend towards extremes."

"Angels take on forms connected to your origin. That's why I'm asking."

"So is that why yours, or hers, is a big clock?"

"Exactly. My origins are Determination and Relentlessness. To put it mildly, time is relentless. To draw out your angel, you have to follow your origin rather than your elemental affinity. In your case though, unlike me, you and your angel share an affinity."

"Fire?"

"Precisely. That's why it's difficult for you to differentiate between which is your power and which is your angel's. Tohka helped you draw the line. Now I need to help you learn how to cross it at will."

"Your Origins. You have two?" asked Kotori with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes. It's why I get so good at whatever I do. When I decide to do something I'm just compelled to master it. When I start something, I can't leave it unfinished. I'm a perfectionist like that."

"So you and your angel have different elemental affinities? How does that work?"

"I can use my Angel's power as if it were my own. My affinity is Darkness or Shadow, whichever you prefer. My Angel's is Time. So I get a second affinity."

"Do you realize just how many questions I still have for you right now because of what you just said?"

"Learn what I'm trying to teach you. Then ask questions," she said with a flick to Kotori's forehead.

Shirou had Tohka sitting in the magic circle of the workshop where he had a hand on her bare back. His face scrunched up a bit at what he was sensing, "I'm no expert at this, but there's something about your magic circuits that I can't understand. Don't get me wrong, you have plenty of them and they're very high quality. Better than mine by a long shot. But it's just that there's something different about them. I'd chalk it up to you being a Spirit but Kotori's were pretty unremarkable except for the number of them which she has. Almost as many as her mother."

"So is this good or bad?" shed with some concern laden in her voice.

"It's interesting. Lord El-Melloi would probably be able to explain this to you, but I'm still on the fence about letting him in on your secret. He doesn't think like most mages, but he is still a mage..."

"So does that mean I can learn Magecraft?"

Shirou took his hand off Tohka. "You can put your shirt back on now. And yes. There's no reason you can't. I sense your elemental affinity is Void, Earth, and Earth. I don't know why that came up twice, but I sensed it twice. I'm going to chalk that up to your spirit power since Kotori's also came up as Fire and Fire," he said while opening one of the fire proof cabinets.

Tohka put on her t-shirt again while standing up to follow and see what Shirou was up to.

"Rin could have told you your origin, but that's a bit beyond my skill. I'm still just a third rate magus. For now I can find something here to help us start figuring out how to train you as a mage."

"Shirou. Why don't you want to trust that man? He came a long way to offer you his help. It feels wrong to be so suspicious of him when he hasn't done anything wrong to us. Unless he has and I just don't know about it?"

Shirou sighed while pulling out a book on elemental affinities and shutting the cabinet after. "It's complicated Tohka. But you can't ever trust a magus."

"You're a magus? Does that mean I shouldn't trust you?"

"I'm magus in name only, and I'd like to think I've earned your trust, or did you just give it to me?"

"Well… Both I guess?" answered a confused Tohka.

"Never give your trust to anyone Tohka. Let them earn it first. Especially a magus. A mage will do anything to further their craft. The whole reason Rin and I never wanted the mage's association to know about the spirits is because if they did know, they'd be hunting you too. If they got you, they'd dissect you to see how you work. They'd take out your magic circuits, and whatever else they think is valuable to study. I'll die before I let that happen to you."

Tohka looked revolted at the thought, "Do you really think he'd do something like that?"

"Until he proves otherwise, I'm going to assume he would. Yes. That's part of why I spend so much time teaching you Tohka. I might not always be here to protect you from the worst parts of the world we live in. If something ever happened to me, I want to be able to depend on you to take my place and protect everyone that needs protecting. That's why I'm making you my official apprentice," he said firmly and clearly.

"So now I'm your Servant and your Apprentice?" asked Tohka with her happy voice.

"Well… Yeah. You are. I see something in you Tohka, and something tells me we're going to do great things together. But first, I need to keep teaching you everything I know. From now on, this will also be your workshop. You can use it for whatever you need to study or train at anytime you need. But you also have to protect it and your secrets from outsiders. As part of the Emiya family, you need to take responsibility for this as well."

"I'll do my best! Tell me everything!" she said enthusiastically.

Kotori stared at the flame in her hand with a giddy expression and started to gleefully cackle at it.

"Alright Kotori. That's enough now. Kotori?"

Kurumi groaned in irritation and smacked the younger girl upside the head.

"Hey?! What was that for?!"

"You spaced out there. But tell me. What were you feeling just then?"

Kotori blinked and let her flame diminish and vanish before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. "I felt powerful. Like I could defeat anything with this fire. I wanted to go pick a fight or- I wanted to destroy something..."

Kurumi nodded, "Let me ask you this now. What do you want to achieve with your power?"

Kotori took a deep breath, "Promise not to laugh?"

Kurumi nodded with a serious look in her eye.

"I want to be... Well. Like you, and like my father."

Kurumi blinked at her and tilted her head to the side. "What do I have in common with your father?"

"Well. You're a hero. At least to Yoshino. And to me. My father's the same way. He's a hero to so many people. I want to be like that. I want to help people like he does. He inspires everyone around him. That's what my mom used to say about him. She couldn't help but get caught up in his dream. It was the same with everyone he gathered around him. Ciel, and Shiki, and even Luvia. Though. Luvia was mostly looking to just proving she was a better magus than my mother. But in her own stupid way, she was also a hero. I want to be like all of you."

Kurumi shook her head, "I'm no hero Kotori. There's a difference between doing something heroic and being heroic. One person's hero is another's villain. Nobody believes they're doing bad. It's all subjective. People can justify anything if they believe strongly enough that they're doing it for the right cause. For example, do you believe DEM thinks of themselves as a comic book style evil corporation?"

"Of course not. I'm that naïve. But they are doing bad things to good people, and I can't just tolerate that."

Kurumi nodded, "It's all relative though. They believe the spirits are harmful to this world. You obviously don't believe that. So you've chosen a side and you're ready to fight for it. But do you believe Shido and Mana for example aren't like you in how they think? Just because they're on the opposite side from you, does that make them bad?"

Kotori shook her head, "No… It just makes them wrong."

"They would say the same thing about you. War doesn't determine who's right or wrong Kotori. Only who's left."

"Do Shido and Mana really hate the spirits as much as Origami did? It seemed to me like Shido's hate was for the Mage's Association more than the spirits."

"I'm more like Shido than I'm like you or your father Kotori. I understand him, and maybe that's why I like him so much. Shido only has one thing he cares about above all else, and it gives him absolute clarity when he needs to make a decision."

Kotori looked up at the very serious and longing expression on Kurumi's face. It was almost like she really was in love with him. "What's that?"

"His sister. Everything he's ever done in his life was to protect her. For her he'll go anywhere, do anything, fight anything he has to. She's the same way. Those two are all they have in the world. Without the other, nothing has any meaning for them. Remember that if you ever have to fight them, and ask yourself, could you really kill one of them? Because if you did, you'd have to kill both of them. And if you killed both of them, would you really be able to live with it?"

Kotori shook her head and wiped away a tear from her eye, "No… I'd want to save them. Not hurt them."

Kurumi nodded, "That's your price then."

"What do you mean?"

"Equivalent Exchange. Your Angel seems to be particularly cruel to you. It's happy to grant you power, but in exchange, it'll put your principals and your ideals to the test. You have one particularly warmongering Archangel there. Your desires are wholly incompatible. Your origin is clearly the only thing that made the two of you compatible with each other at all. You want to save your enemies, but it wants to destroy them. You get to be your own worst enemy. I don't envy you."

"So you're saying I should just give up? Is that what you're saying?!"

"If I thought you should just give up, why would I give up my time to teach you? Think a little before you jump to stupid conclusions!" she said while smacking the girl's head again.

"It hardly seems like an equivalent exchange... Yours seems more unfair to me… What does it actually mean to give up your own time anyway?"

Kurumi sighed and lay back on her couch bed. "I'm not sure how to explain that in a way which makes sense… And I'm not really sure you would want to know if I could."

Kotori looked carefully at the pained expression in the spirit's crimson eye.

I want answers from her… But the way she looks right now. If I push her, and make her think about something painful like that… I need to know. But at the same time, is it too selfish of me to push for answers? If I needed to know, wouldn't she just tell me? No… That's not it.

"Kurumi. I think I deserve to know."

Kurumi blinked and started laughing, "Oh you deserve to know? Haha! That's so adorable! Please… Tell me. What could possibly give you the right to know anything about me?"

"Because you're more than just my friend! I need to know why you're doing all of this for me! Why you're protecting me. Teaching me. How you know me so well!"

"Are you prepared to use one of your commands to make me tell you?" asked Kurumi with her signature scary grin.

"Pfft. What's to stop you from lying to me even if I did demand an answer that way?"

"Nothing. You'd just have to decide how much you trust me."

"I'm still trying to figure that out… Part of me wants to believe you're doing this because you're a good person. But the other part of me says you have some other motive."

"Very good. Now you're thinking like a magus."

"Equivalent Exchange. You talk about about that. You talk about how precious time is to you. Yet you spend a lot of it with me. How does it further your agenda?"

"The only logical answer to that is...?"

"That I'm your agenda. But why? Laugh if you want, but I deserve an answer! After all you've done for me, do you really think I wouldn't do anything in my power for you?"

"I know you would. That's part of the problem Kotori-chan. One day you will be able to help me. But it isn't today. That's why I need to prepare you."

"Here's my conclusion. I think. Somehow. You're from the future. That's how you know what's happening, and what's going to happen. And somehow, I think my power is useful to you. So that's why you're protecting and teaching me."

Kurumi laughed hysterically. "Oh. That's good. You're so close, but so far off the mark."

"Explain it to me then!" she demanded while looking down at the other girl laying on the bed.

Kurumi put her hands behind her head and smiled, "You're right. Zafkiel's power does allow her to travel back in time. But that comes at an astronomical cost of time and mana. The only part you're wrong about is that I know what's going to happen. It would be so nice if it worked that way. But it doesn't. The moment I tamper with a timeline, all bets are off. In this particular case, I tried to instigate a war between the Clock Tower and DEM."

"Shido mentioned that… When you were in London. But that was what? A year ago?"

"Mhmm. After that I tried a bunch of other things too. End result is that right now, I have no idea what's coming next. If I really knew everything that was going to happen, do you think she'd have been surprised when you two got caught in that Bounded Field?"

"So this time around you pulled too much attention onto yourself?"

"Exactly right. It's not that I can't handle it. I've been through worse."

"So if you failed that time, why didn't you just go back right then and try again?"

"Because it takes a lot of time, and a lot of mana. We have to gather and store it up for her."

"Alright. I won't ask how that works right now… What I really want to know is why are you doing this? How many times have you done this? Obviously enough that you know all the players inside and out. But. Why? What are you trying to achieve?"

"At first. My goal was to stop all of this from ever happening at all. But when I realized the scale of what I was up against I knew that was impossible. I tried. Believe me I tried. Now, you could say I have more realistic ambitions."

"Which are?"

"I can't tell you that Kotori. Please don't try to make me. If I did tell you. It could screw everything up. I don't know what's going to happen, but I do know how to make things happen. If I told you. Then it could throw everything into chaos again. I've given all of my life, and all of my time for this. I need you to be ready in the critical moment. That's why I'm teaching you."

"Just one more question, and then I'll drop this subject. I promise."

"I think I know what you're going to ask. But go ahead," said Kurumi while sitting up to face her.

"If you're from the future. Shouldn't there be another you here? I mean another real you, not a copy or whatever. I don't get why there isn't."

Kurumi chuckled at that, "I didn't expect that one. That's just another way to ask the question I didn't want to answer before Kotori," she said with a wink.

"Damn it… Every time I get just one answer out of you, I somehow end up knowing less than I did before."

"I've had a lot of practice with this," she grinningly replied. "But if it makes you feel any better. I don't even fully understand it myself. No matter how many times it was explained to me."

"This sucks… How can I just accept this? How many times have you done this? What could be so bad that makes you-"

Kurumi put a finger on her lips to shush her. "You promised to drop this subject."

The next morning Ryouko watched Shirou sit down at the cafe table with a distressed look on his face. She chose not to say anything to him except to exchange pleasant greetings and waited patiently for him to speak whatever was on his mind. She knew already what was bothering him, after the phone conversation they had it was abundantly clear to her. She didn't have to imagine herself in the same place as him. She was in the same place as him.

"This was exactly why I didn't want to get involved in any of this in the first place…" he said with no small amount of anxiety evident in his voice.

The tension and stress he was feeling was obvious to her. She wished dearly that she could say something to make him feel better but she herself was under the same pressure and had no idea what could make her feel better about the situation and so decided to keep quiet for the moment and hear him out.

"I'm used to knowing what to do," he said while looking around to take note of the fact that they were alone at the cafe for the moment. "I'm used to being able to solve problems directly. I'm used to knowing who my enemies are and how to attack them directly. But with this… I really don't have the first clue of how to go about it."

"You know what you want to do. But you also know that doing it will make things worse," she said to him. "Today I just got word that my team will now be subordinate to a group of specialists from DEM. This is the world we live in now. Where professional soldiers are being made to take orders from a private company. This isn't what I signed up for and I'm honestly strongly considering resigning my commission."

Shirou took a moment to consider the implications of that statement before nodding, "In your place I'd probably do the same thing. I can't tell you what to do though. The selfish part of me says that you should probably stay because I need eyes and ears on the inside. But the bigger part of me says you should follow your ideals."

"Part of me wants to stay for the same reason. But the bigger part of me says to get out and take Origami with me. There's a reason she left DEM, and I won't for even a moment let her subject herself to this."

"It's none of my business really, but, may I ask why a sixteen year old girl was even allowed into the military?"

"It's because of her skills, and her inside knowledge. All very valuable to the Anti-Spirit Team. I won't be calling us the 'mecha-mecha squad' heh," she said with a wink to Shirou. "Ultimately, it was because she needed protection from any potential retaliation by DEM and getting her into the army was the best way. Her enlistment was conditional to her having a legal guardian, so naturally I became that. But now, the people she was counting on have all sold out to DEM."

Shirou shook his head at that, "Not true. The only person she's counting on hasn't sold out," he said with a smile. "I'm probably going to send Kotori to stay with Ciel's family in Misaki. I don't doubt for a moment they'll shelter Origami as well if she needs it. It would also probably make it easier for Kotori to swallow if her best friend was going with her for the same reason. She doesn't like the idea of being driven out of her home. But after she was directly targeted, I can't take the risk of not sending her away."

"It's probably a stupid question considering the fact that you're sending your daughter there, but… How safe is it for them there? I'd consider this. But. Naturally-"

"You need some assurances," he finished for her to which she nodded.

"I understand. Well. I don't exactly get along with Shiki Tohno, but that's strictly between him and me. I don't doubt for a moment that he'll die before he lets any harm come to Kotori. Or anyone under his protection. His sister Akiha is someone I do get along with, and have a lot of respect for. She's done a lot of very good work in our 'world' making Misaki a safer place and improving the family's standing. They're a very powerful, and very influential family with a lot of wealth and resources at their disposal. Nobody just picks a fight with them. All hell would break lose. They're a half-demon family, along with their many branch families. So I mean that rather literally."

Ryouko's eyes widened at his last statement, "You mean like… Demons?"

Shirou nodded, "Demons aren't what you're probably thinking. At least, they aren't necessarily what you're thinking. Shiki, like me, was adopted into the Tohno family. His sister Akiha though is a Tohno by blood and does have the demon lineage. Just trust me, she isn't bad in any way shape or form, but she's also really not someone to screw around with. Yoshino really adores her and likes spending time with her, so take that for what it's worth."

"I see… I'll try to keep an open mind about that then."

"It's also worth mentioning that Ciel's relationship with Shiki is a bit complicated. You see, she sort of ended up in this sort of polygamous non-marriage marriage… It's complicated. But his other partner, Arcueid… I hope I said her name right, is a True Ancestor. That would require a lot of background to explain but let me just sum it up by stating bluntly that she's pretty close to what you'd imagine a Vampire is. No she doesn't actually suck people's blood. But anyone who tries to pick a fight with her is going to have a very fucked up day."

"Is she very violent?" asked Ryouko with no trivial amount of concern.

"Only when provoked. Normally she's just as peaceable as Yoshino. My wife got along with her very well, and Kotori also adores her. They used to take trips there together to spend weekends all the time."

"But not you?"

Shirou shook his head, "No. I kind of regret not going as often as they did though. But someone had to work to support Rin's addiction to precious gems…" he said with a roll of his eyes. "Her magecraft relied on gems… Complicated and expensive stuff… very expensive. She used to joke that the Tohsaka family were cursed to forever be broke because of their magecraft. That curse passed onto the Emiya family after I married her."

Ryouko chuckled a little at that, "Well. I guess I'm sold on this idea. Maybe we should all get together later and run it by the kids?"

Shirou nodded, "I agree. The next question is. What do you want to do?"

"After careful consideration, and based on the present situation on the base. I've decided to defect to your side. I'm not sure how much help I can be without access to my equipment. I'm not like any of you. But whatever I can do. I'll do."

"Well… There have been times where I wished for nothing more than a really good getaway driver. I can count off the top of my head at least a dozen times you could have saved us a lot of pain and suffering."

Ryouko laughed at that, "I'm leaving the army to begin a career as a professional getaway driver. The interesting turns life takes," she said with a grin, "Give me an example of one of those times. I'm really curious now!"

Shirou laughed with her and then took a moment to gather his recollections, "There was this one time in Roanapur-"

"Aye aye aye… Do I even want to know what the hell you were all doing there?"

"Probably not. But anyway. There was this Rogue Mage who was creating something particularly nasty to sell on the black market. Shiki and I went in the front while Ciel and Rin came down off the roof. Our other friend Luvia was waiting in the car for us. After we got our business done the shit really hit the fan. Let me just say that Luvia Edelfelt is not someone whom you want behind the wheel of a car on the best of days. By the end of a short drive we were upside down and in the sea."

Ryouko laughed while he continued the story.

"In the end we were rescued by this mercenary crew with an old PT boat as they were leaving port. Thankfully we had just enough cash to hire them to get us the hell out of there or else they might have just tossed us back in the drink. After that we ended up in Bangkok, broke, filthy, and miserable. And that's another story you really don't want to hear."

"Shiiit… And I thought I had some bad nights out on a town. Alright. We'll figure the rest out later. For now. Let's go do something!" she said while standing up and then she took Shirou by his hand to drag him out into the city.

Finally it was lunch time at the school and the first thing Kotori noticed was Origami sitting alone at their table.

That's a relief, things might finally be getting back to something resembling normal.

Kotori went to sit down opposite her friend and smiled brightly. "Nice to be back here with you Senpai."

"Nice to be back Kotori," she said with a small smile and a nod of her head.

"Now things can start being normal again," she said happily before Kurumi sat down beside Origami. "Spoke too soon..." she then muttered under her breath.

"So I trust that Spot finally has a warm and loving home that he's comfortable in?" asked Kurumi with an amused voice and smile on her lips while she looked at Origami.

Oh crap… The moment I've been dreading.

"I must admit that my curiosity is the only reason I am engaging you in this conversation. So let us begin with the part where you explain to me how you knew that was the only one missing from my collection, and how you knew about said collection?"

Kurumi bit her lip, and to Kotori's shock, she blushed.

"Ara ara..." she began timidly. "I must admit. I didn't actually put much thought into how I would explain this."

"Then perhaps the truth? Then we can begin everything else on the correct foot as it were," said Origami with her cold and almost emotionless voice.

"Maybe we should take our lunch break on the roof today? Before the Takamiyas and Tonomachi show up. We obviously have something to talk about they shouldn't be a party to," suggested Kotori.

"Perhaps that would be best?" Kurumi seconded.

"Agreed," said Origami to make it final. "We'll also have to discuss our future seating arrangements with them. I don't care to share this table with those three."

Thank you Senpai… Thank you! Without you things went totally crazy!

"What about me?" asked Kurumi with a shy voice that got Kotori's jaw to hit the ground.

"That is to be determined based on the conversation we will be having now…" said Origami while standing up.

A short while later, after quickly investigating the roof to confirm they were indeed alone there to speak freely Origami folded her arms over her chest and stared coldly into Kurumi's crimson eye. "You may begin your explanation," she demanded.

Kotori watched the two nervously for a long moment while Kurumi seemed to be gathering her thoughts.

"Well… This is all really complicated…" she began shyly.

Kotori was getting infuriated, "What's with you all of a sudden Kurumi? You're anything but shy!"

"Well. When you learn the truth. You'll understand why this isn't an easy moment for me. You see… The truth is that I'm actually-" in that instant Kurumi was impaled through the abdomen and pulled into her own shadow by a number of umbral hands. "Not again!" she yelled.

Origami was quickly on edge and standing protectively in front of Kotori while Kotori held her hand out to the side with a flame conjured and ready for use. After a moment of nothingness, Origami turned to look at the younger girl for an explanation and noticed the flame in her hand.

"Oh… Heh… Sorry. Reflex," she said before extinguishing the flame.

"That was your magecraft?" asked Origami.

Kotori nodded, "Yeah… Fire alignment. Believe me, I appreciate the irony."

"Explain what just happened."

"Well… I don't exactly know what just happened…"

"I do. And I apologize for giving you a little scare like that," said the disembodied voice of Kurumi before she emerged from a dark hole forming in the ground before the two girls. "I just couldn't have her running her mouth too much."

"Did you kill her?" asked a snarling Kotori.

"Oh my… Someone's getting overly attached. I assure you. She's very much alive. Unfortunately," she said with a sigh after fully emerging in her orange and black Astral Dress.

A moment later a second shadow appeared beside it and the other Kurumi poked out her head with a cute little grin on her lips. "She can't kill me. But it doesn't stop her from trying," she said before giggling.

"Would you just go away?!" demanded the orange Kurumi before stomping her booted foot down on her doppelganger's head to shove her back into the hole.

A moment later her head reappeared behind her again and laughed. "Sure beautiful. I'll go away. After all I did intentionally provoke you into coming here yourself. It was for your own good. You should be the one to have this conversation instead of me, after all, she was your-"

Kurumi quickly drew her pistol and shot the other her in the head. "Would you just shut up!"

Origami quickly pushed Kotori back from the aggressive spirit. "Now do you see why the Spirits are so dangerous Kotori?"

"Oh relax Origami… Like I said. I can't actually kill her," she groaned before stomping her foot down on her face as she tried to poke her head up out of another shadow. "Do you mind already?! You're making them nervous and I'm not in the mood to play whack-a-me!"

Kotori sighed and relaxed a bit before giggling at their display. "Kurumi has a few screws loose, but she's really nice once you get to know her."

"Have fun beautiful," said the other Kurumi from a longer distance away before winking and ducking the next gun shot.

"Kurumi? Would you mind putting away the gun now? It isn't loud and doesn't sound like a proper gun but that noise is going to attract attention!"

Kurumi groaned in irritation and threw her pistol into a shadow before closing her eyes and allowing her body to be enveloped in darkness, once it faded off her she was dressed just like her other self in their tan school uniform. "Ahem… Right. Now where were we?"

Origami blinked, "A few loose screws you say?"

Kotori sighed, "You… Or the other you. Was about to explain the toy you gave her."

Origami nodded, "And it seems you didn't wish to allow her to tell the truth. I assure you that I will not allow you to lie to me."

"No… I don't suppose you would, would you?" said Kurumi before taking a deep breath, "It's a long story… Such a long story. One that would probably even give Zelretch himself a giant migraine. So I'm going to spare you the details and just give you what you need to figure it out for yourself Origami."

Origami sighed in irritation. "Tobiichi. There are only two people who may use my first name. Neither of them are you."

Kurumi snickered, "Very well. Tobiichi. But I promise you'll be Origami again before I'm done talking," she said with a wink.

"Very arrogant of you…"

"You used to like that about me," she said with a smirk.

Kotori blinked in confusion but said nothing.

"Explain yourself," demanded the white haired girl.

"Oooh… I do love that dominant streak in you. Anyway. Moving along… This lobster loves to pinch…" she said in cute sort of voice while holding up two fingers on each of her hands and started making a scissors like gesture with them.

Kotori narrowed her eyes, "This another nursery rhyme? This isn't the time to do something stupid Kurumi," she said before looking at Origami's reaction, she looked, shocked. Her eyes wide, and shaking.

She looks just like she did when she saw me in the hospital… That's not good.

"Eating his food inch by inch…" Kurumi continued while slowly walking up to Origami.

"How… Impossible…" she muttered softly.

"Balancing carefully with his tail," she went on.

Origami was paralyzed in place, speechless.

Kurumi started moving even more slowly "Moving forward, slow as a snail."

When she finished she stopped just outside of Origami's personal space with her hands behind her back and a smile on her face. Not one of her creepy scary smiles, but a genuinely warm smile.

"Who are you?" Origami demanded very firmly with her teeth and fists tightly clenched.

"When you were little, your parents went away on a business trip. When they came back they brought you this little red lobster. Adorable little thing it was. It was your favorite thing in the world. When you, one day on a whim, did a little research on the internet about your new little friend you found that poem about him. You also found out that he was one of nine. So he had eight friends out there he probably wanted to be reunited with. But they were very difficult if not impossible to find. After that thing which I shall not speak of. You ended up, through whatever twists of fate, in a facility owned and operated by DEM Industries. With nothing except the clothes on your back, and your one little friend…"

Origami stepped forward and grabbed the spirit by her jacket. "Who are you?!" she demanded again.

Kotori moved to try and get between them but Kurumi gently waved her off, smiling to let her know she knew exactly what she was doing.

"There was an old toy box there you one day looked through. Lo and behold you found a new little friend... Licorice, gum, and peppermint candy. This moose always has these handy. But there is one more thing he likes to eat. Can you guess his favorite treat?"

"Chocolate the Moose…"

"And then they were two. It was like a sign. Even though everything was bad, and you were so sad, you found something there to make you happy. Something that let you know you were in the right place at the right time… Then you were taken to London. And lo and behold. They became three."

"Somehow. Everywhere I went in my life I found one of them."

Kurumi nodded, "Whenever you found one. You knew you were in the right place at the right time. Some twist of fate. Some sign from a higher power."

"Was it you? Did you put them all there or something?! Are you screwing around with me Spirit?!"

Kurumi shook her head, "No. I'm not that powerful. Or that creative. But let me ask you something. You got Flash when you came back to Japan. From Ryouko right? Tell me this. Is Splash still in your collection?"

Origami tightened her grip on the spirit.

"I'll take that as a yes. Do you remember where you found that one?"

"I don't… I often wonder though. Somehow he's just there. But I have no idea where he came from. Did you have something to do with that?"

Kurumi nodded, "That one was mine when I was little. My mother gave it to me while I was in the hospital, the day before they cut out my eye. It was one of the most precious things I had. But I gave him away. To someone who could give him a home and a family, and a life. Someone who would love and cherish him even more than I ever could have..."

Origami released her grip and walked away with her hands on her head.

Kotori looked between the two in even more confusion.

"I'm sorry to maybe ruin a moment. But… If I have this straight… Kurumi. Your power. What you said last night. Or what she said… This is confusing. But I'm guessing that you-"

"I knew you all. In a previous life. That much you probably figured out before now. Certainly didn't help that the other me can't keep her mouth shut, or her emotions in check. I swear she exists only to put me in these awkward situations..."

"Then why don't any of us know you? Ryouko is the only other person in the world who knows about my collection and its significance. It's not something I'd even have told Kotori. But somehow, you expect me to believe I told you?"

"Don't play dumb Origami. You already figured it out but just don't want to say it. Or do I need to reveal some other privileged information to convince you it's true?"

"You two weren't just friends…" Kotori said in disbelief.

"Why tell me? Why send me Spot? What am I supposed to do with this information?" asked Origami before turning to face the spirit again.

Kurumi shrugged, "Keep an open mind? I knew that finding Spot and getting it to you through someone you trust would be the best way to get you to leave the gun at home. Or did you bring it with you?"

Origami's eyes narrowed at Kurumi.

"Oh my… You did! Didn't you?" she asked with her most devilish grin. "Where in that skirt did you hide it?" she asked in a voice that was just entirely too suggestive for anyone to feel comfortable.

Origami reached around behind her back and pulled out her handgun, she held it in both of her hands without it pointed at anyone and looked Kurumi in her eye. "Will I need it?"

Kurumi looked away innocently with her hands behind her back again. "Yes. But not for me. I'm not your enemy."

Origami nodded before dropping out the magazine into her hand, clearing her chamber, catching the bullet, clicking on the safety and then putting it away again after replacing the magazine. "You didn't try to convince me to get rid of it... Now I know you really do know me."

Kotori rubbed her forehead. "Can I ask a stupid question?"

The other two looked at her curiously.

Kotori took a deep breath, "Is it bad that I'm more shocked that Origami brought a gun to school than I am about her being gay and you being a time traveler?"

"No… It's what I expect of you," said Kurumi with a smile.

"Indeed. So my best friend is a magus, and my classmate is a time traveling spirit who was once my lover. I've given up on simplicity ever being a part of my life a very long time ago so I'm just going to go with it. Next question. DEM tried to kidnap Kotori, and you stopped them from doing that. You should also know that my former comrades in the Triple S are all gathering here along with a second team of elite troops who have now taken command of the AST away from Ryouko. I assume you know about this? Being from the future and all. What is your plan?"

Kurumi shook her head, "It doesn't work that way Origami. I've excessively tampered with this timeline, which means all bets are off. I have no idea how things will play out now. I knew Jessica Bailey was here because I fought her off the other day, along with Ellen Mira Mathers. Shido and Mana are also here in the school and that's never happened before either. That's why I need you to trust and help me."

"Shido and Mana are our first problem. By now they know we're all up here talking. I'm not certain what they hoped to achieve by being here. My best guess would be that Ellen sent them here to find out what you were up to. My suggestion is to make use of that to channel misinformation while finding the means to secure ourselves from a direct attack."

Kurumi nodded, "I agree. I'd be hard pressed to fight the whole Triple S. Even with your help. DEM aren't moving this much muscle into Japan just to deal with me, no matter how much of an irritant I've made myself to them. Something else is drawing them here."

"Agreed. Finding out what should be our next step after securing ourselves."

Kotori looked between the two with confusion. "What's with you two all of a sudden? I didn't expect any of this at all. I thought there would be an epic duel to bring the school down again or at the very least a cat fight in the cafeteria. But you two are suddenly going together like salt and pepper."

"Because her hair's white and mine's black?"

Kotori nodded, "Pretty much. It does instantly bring that analogy to mind. Not that I'm not glad you two are getting along."

Kurumi smiled at that, "The worst case scenarios you mentioned have all happened before. That's why when I came across Spot in my recent travels I knew how to adjust my approach so she wouldn't shoot first and ask questions later. It's also the last trick I had up my sleeve to make sure anything would go my way. From here on out. I know as much as you do."

"I don't believe that for a moment Kurumi… But I'll let it go for now since we obviously have bigger fish to fry."

"She's right. As much as I'd love to start getting to know you again Origami. Maybe we should be getting back, and a little faux hostility towards me would help avoid giving Shido and Mana the impression that we're allies now. They probably still think they can tempt you back onto their team."

"I assure you. There's no chance of that. Though I probably owe an explanation for what happened before…"

"Save it for later. Oh and by the way…" said Kurumi with a smirk at the white haired girl. "I told you'd be Origami again before I was done talking."

Origami sighed, with irritation "We'll discuss that later as well."

Meanwhile, Shirou and Ryouko were perusing the list of movies to watch in the theatre.

"Hmm…" he pondered as he looked through what was showing.

"Hey Shirou! How about this one?" she said while pointing at a poster.

That should do it.

Shirou walked over to look more closely at the poster. "Interesting choice. But may I ask why this one?"

"Well… You're into swords so you're probably also into Knights and things. Seems like it's right up your alley. And I hate chick flicks. I wouldn't subject you to that even if watching you be bored would be amusing."

"Hmm… I wouldn't mind having a few good laughs at Hollywood's latest attempt to tell her story."

"Her story?" asked Ryouko with a raised eyebrow. "It's King Arthur… Not Joan of Arc."

"Tell you what. Let's see this movie. After that. I'll tell you a story that'll make you shit bricks..."

"Very crude… But color me intrigued..." she said while following him in to buy tickets.

Barely forty five minutes later Shirou was pulling Ryouko out of the theatre by her hand and grumbling in frustration. "How could anyone pay to actually watch that garbage? Who the hell was the writer?"

"Wow… You're mad," said Ryouko with a cautious voice.

"Of course I'm mad. First of all, Excalibur wasn't the sword in the stone. That was Caliburn. She got Excalibur later from the Lady in the Lake. Second. Mordred wasn't even born yet when the roundtable was established. Third, Tristan wasn't a member of the Round Table at that time and Isolde was an Irish Princess for God's sake! She wasn't a Knight! Finally, Merlin was not in love with Morgana! Who the hell approved millions of dollars for that farce?!"

"You keep calling him a she…"

"That I can excuse. She kept that a secret because a woman couldn't be the ruler back then. The rest is unforgivable! I won't let a movie like that form the basis of how you think of her and her story!"

"You're not making any sense…" she said while looking at him in confusion. "But wow… You're mad," she said again.

"Of course I'm mad..." he reiterated. "They never get any of this right. Lancer got a movie about him that was almost completely accurate. Berserker got several that while being inaccurate were at least accurate enough and still entertaining. Hell even Caster got a movie about her that was pretty close to the full truth and even made me cry a little for her. But Saber always gets the short end of the stick in Hollywood and I hate it!"

"Shirou… What the hell have you been smoking? I think I might need some."

Shirou took a deep breath, "Sorry. I guess whenever I watch one of those King Arthur movies I work myself up. These were great people who deserve to have the truth about them shown to the world in an accurate and honest way. Let's just go eat something and then go somewhere else."

"Are you going to explain yourself now or later?"

"Oh right… I kind of went off on that angry rant and didn't even tell you why…"

"Alright… You are now officially the most interesting man I have ever dated," she said while holding out her beer mug to him.

"You actually believe me?" he asked while knocking glasses with her.

"After what I've seen and heard so far. I'd probably believe anything you say. But answer me one question. Saber. Was she pretty?"

"Very… Unbelievably so."

"Prettier than me?"

She set a trap and I walked right into it… Well done Shirou.

"You're both very pretty. Just in different ways. She was like the sun. Pretty in the sky, but I knew better than to stare too long or else my eyeballs would be burned out of my skull. But you're like a hurricane that I failed to get away from and now I'm doomed."

"Nice recovery, I'll take it," she said with a big proud smile. "As a reward, I might rock you like a hurricane later," she said mischievously.

Shirou choked on his beer and she started laughing at him.

Before anything else could be said, her phone rang, her face soured, and she answered it, listened, and then hung up.

"I'm being called in…"

Shirou wiped the froth off his chin with a napkin while his expression turned serious. "Does that mean what I think it does?"

"I don't know, but chances are it probably does. Whatever happens try to stay out of the line of fire," she said with her dark eyes locked on his.

"That's never been something I'm good at…"