Author's Note: I noticed in my traffic stats that a lot of people skipped chapter 13 and only read chapter 14. I suppose since I posted both chapters at once a lot of people just jumped to the last chapter. So if you missed it, or some of 14 didn't make complete sense to you, that's because 13 and 14 are actually one chapter that I split into two. You should consider going back and reading that if you missed it. =)

Now let's begin our date!

Chapter Fifteen

Taiga sat at the dining table with a cup of tea in both of her hands. Shirou cringed at the shouting coming from Kurumi but he couldn't bring himself to leave Taiga to address the issue, instead trusting Kotori to handle it. Tohka sat beside Taiga with a hand around her shoulders in a comforting gesture.

Shirou looked back to Taiga and grimaced at her expression. He was used to her being energetic and full of life. But her eyes were sullen, downcast, and devoid of anything resembling life, and there was nothing he could do about it.

"Shirou…" she said softly.

"I'm here Fuji-nee."

"I need to make arrangements for them… For all of them… I… I don't know if-"

"It's alright. I'll be right here by your side through everything. Leave the arrangements to me, I'll take care of everything. I'll take care of you too. I think you should stay here for the time being. After that, we'll discuss the long term."

I have to send Kotori away… But I can't send Taiga away there, and I can't turn her away at a time like this… Damn it all. I'll have to figure out something else to keep her safe.

"I don't… I don't know what to do…" she said softly.

"For now. You're going to stay here with us. We'll look after everything. So you don't need to worry about anything. Right Shirou?"

"Yes Tohka. That's exactly right."

"Thank you Shirou… I'm sorry to impose. I know I've been a pain to you, and I'm sorr-"

"If you finish that sentence I'm going to be really mad! I growl at you sometimes but you've never been unwelcome here! You're my big sister for god's sake! A man looks after his family! You're my family! If you want to go back home after things have settled, do that. But if you want to come live here with us, I welcome you. That's how this works."

"Thank you…" she said while gently setting down her tea before breaking into tears again.

Shirou took a deep breath as he stood up and went over beside Taiga where he and Tohka both hugged her.

It was not a moment later before Kotori came over to softly kiss the top of Taiga's head and then hugged her as well. "We all love you Aunt Taiga, and we're here for you."

Later that morning Kotori had her bags packed and was standing in the living room, looking around at everything for one last time. "Hey Pops? I never thought about this before but, what were you and mom doing in front of this hospital? Is this the one you brought me to after that time?"

Shirou walked over and leaned down a little to look carefully, "Can't be, your mom was still wearing her ribbons here. She gave them to you on that day remember?"

"Yes. I do remember. How'd I miss that? So? When was this?"

"Hmm… It looks like this was a few years after we were married. That's when she started doing her hair like that again sometimes. Anyway, she was the one who chose the pictures to put on display here, all I got to do was enthusiastically tell her how much I liked her choices."

Kotori and Shirou had a chuckle about that while Origami looked over at Kurumi who winced at the exchange between them. She stepped over and gently took a hold of her hand. "I still remember," she said to her in a very low voice.

Kurumi's lips curved into a very small hint of a smile at Origami's words.

"Come on. We still need to go get Origami's stuff, get some things for Kurumi, and then make the train," he said before gently petting Kotori on the head.

"I still don't think sending me away with them is the right move," said Kurumi. "Even without my spirit powers I'm still more useful to you here! If the other me makes a move you won't know how to deal with her but I do!"

Shirou turned around and looked at Kurumi straight into the eye, "If I wanted an opinion, I'd ask for it. This isn't up for debate. You're going with them and that's the end of the discussion."

"What are you my father now?!" barked Kurumi while stepping forward.

Shirou also started walking forward until the two were in each other's personal space with their eyes locked. Kotori could swear she saw sparks flying between them as they prepared to butt heads.

"If I ever had a biological daughter I somehow just know she'd probably be exactly like you!"

Origami and Kotori palmed their faces at the immaturity in the room. Though one clearly had a greater appreciation of the irony in their words.

"Oh yeah? And why is that?!"

"Because you do exactly the right things to piss me off the most! You're as stupid and thick headed as I am and as much of a know at all as my wife!"

"But I do know it all and I can help you damn it! If you were my father I'd be kicking your ass on my mother's behalf right now!"

"We've already established you can't kick my ass!"

"Oh really?" she smirked while crossing her arms over her chest. "I must have been watching the wrong fight last night because I clearly saw me wipe the floor with you," she said with her normal tone and a classy grin.

"If you want a rematch you can have one!"

"Shadow port!"

"Trace on!"

That was when Origami and Kotori quickly rushed in to break it up.

Kotori grabbed her father tightly around the waist, "Pops! No! Stop!"

"Kurumi you can't do this!" said Origami while doing the same.

"Let me go Origami! I'll blow my nose at him and then fart in his general direction!" yelled Kurumi while waving her pistol around.

"Monty Python?! Seriously! You have no original material?!" he spat back at her.

"Shut up and fight me! Or I shall taunt you a second time!" she yelled but couldn't help the smile and laugh which accompanied it.

"You and what army?!" yelled Shirou while waving a frying pan.

Kurumi stopped and looked at Shirou, then she started scratching the back of her head while laughing at him, "What the hell were you going to do with that? Spank me?" asked Kurumi while falling into a fit of laughter.

Shirou looked at the frying pan he'd traced and scratched the back of his head as well. "We all know you probably need a good spanking!" he said while also laughing.

Kotori and Origami looked between the two of them and sighed with relief as the tension left the room.

"You two are really eerily similar in some of your mannerisms and body language…" observed Kotori.

"What the hell is going on here?!" yelled Taiga and Tohka furiously as they entered the living room in bathrobes.

"What are you doing with that pan?! And why does she have a gun?!" asked Taiga incredulously.

The entire room had a laugh at the situation leaving the two women in even more confusion.

Ryouko gave Origami a tight hug at the train station. "I love you so much! Please take care of yourself and be safe."

"I love you too Ryouko. You be safe as well."

Meanwhile Shirou held Kotori tightly, "Give Akiha my best regards. If Shiki gives you a hard time call me and I'll give you some good material to use against him."

"I don't think I'll need it, it's you he can't stand," said Kotori with a laugh.

After the two split up Shirou looked at Kurumi who was standing in a set of borrowed jeans from Origami and one of Tohka's t-shirts with her arms crossed over her chest and an irate glare directed back at him. It was so very much like the angry stares Rin used to give him, but something about the eye patch and the hair flowing over to hide her missing eye just sent an extra chill down his spine.

I swear, she's like Rin as a horror movie villain. I'll be damned if I let a teenage girl unnerve me like this.

"And you!" he said to her without losing his nerve. "Anything happens to Kotori or Origami I'll hold you personally responsible!"

"If you only knew how stupid you sound to my ears right now… Anything happens to either of them it was only because I was already dead," she muttered before picking up her backpack and climbing onto the train.

Aboard the train, Kotori, being the shortest among them needed some help from the two slightly taller girls to get her bag into the overhead compartment, they each lifted one of her bags up into it before they all took a seat.

"So Kurumi, what's in that bag you had in the locker at the station?" asked Kotori after sitting down opposite the two in their small compartment.

Kurumi snickered, "Emergency supplies. Every time I go to a different city in a new time loop I stash a few bags here and there in case of emergencies. A habit I picked up in the early days before I developed my shadow porting technique. I like to always have backup plans in the event of the unforeseen."

Origami was seated beside Kurumi and held her hand out to the other girl, "May I have some of those emergency supplies?" she asked in her normal flat tone of voice.

With a grin, Kurumi handed her bag of cookies.

"Seriously?" asked Kotori when she saw what came out of the bag.

"What did you expect?" asked Kurumi before she handed Kotori a lollipop.

Kotori sighed and accepted the candy treat. "I have no idea, but I should have known you would stash junk food around incase of emergencies."

Kurumi then pulled out a hand held gaming console and grinned at Kotori who facepalmed.

Instead of pulling it out though, she simply put it back into the bag and pulled out a bag of chips for herself to snack on.

"I assume you gave me this because you know what they do to me? And because you don't know one of my bags is filled to the brim with the contents of that bucket you gave me."

"Lollipop lollipop oh lolli lolli lolli lollipop…" Kurumi sang before sticking a finger into her mouth to make a popping sound with it.

"How did you know about that?" she asked with an aggressive voice while she unwrapped the lollipop. "Nevermind. I probably don't even want to know anymore," she said before putting the lollipop into her mouth.

Kurumi grinned mischievously, "Instead of asking questions to which I am certain you already know the answers, let's focus instead on figuring out what we're going to do. I hope I'm correct in assuming neither of you intend to treat this as a vacation?"

Kotori and Origami both nodded.

"So then," started Kotori in a hardened sounding voice. "Let's start by determining our resources. Specifically starting with you. You got your Angel stolen. So what can you still bring to the table?"

Origami raised an eyebrow at Kotori, "I've noticed that your personality and body language change when you have one of those treats in your mouth, but I never attached any significance to it before now. Could you explain it please?"

"Sorry Senpai. Welcome to the world of Magecraft to put it simply-"

"To actually put it simply. Self-hypnosis between a public persona and a mage persona. Kotori is just a little spitfire in either state of mind and it's sometimes difficult to tell the difference," explained Kurumi.

"Yeah… That. But I would have-"

"Given all the details? She's not a mage but she knows about magecraft from her time at DEM," explained Kurumi.

"Right… Sorry… I didn't mean to patronize."

Origami shook her head, "It's alright. I know about the existence of magecraft. But I am not well versed in all of its applications. I trained to fight Spirits, not Mages."

"Anyway. To answer your question Kotori, I'll only tell you that my abilities are diminished, but I'm still more than capable of finding that other me and ripping Zafkiel back out of her. There's only one thing I'm worried about that you both need to be aware of. I have no idea right now what effect this will have on me. I can't see my timeflow anymore."

"Based on what she told me when she was teaching me, and what I've gathered from your talk with Origami, using your own time to fuel your power erases more of your existence. But since you aren't bound by 'normal' time anymore it doesn't affect you personally, but it does affect the world. Correct?"

"Correct. You're catching on quick. Now. If she starts guzzling my time like there's no tomorrow… Then there won't be a tomorrow for me. But if she's conservative and smart with it like I know she will be, I won't have any problems."

"How did this even happen in the first place?" asked Origami.

"I have no idea. All I know is she wanted him to use Rule Breaker on her. I thought at that moment that if he did, it would destroy her. Then I realized it was what she wanted, and I know that death isn't what she wants. She's like me in every way. The goal is what matters most to her. She just thinks her way is the best way because she came from a moment in my past when I still thought I could only solve this one way."

"What way is that?" asked Kotori.

Kurumi sighed and slouched back to make herself comfortable, "My goal was to travel back in time far enough to fight and defeat the First Spirit. The one who empowered all of the spirits. I figured that if I did that, and stopped any of this from ever happening at all, I could save absolutely everyone."

"What went wrong?" asked Origami.

"I got my ass kicked, but soooo good. You just can't comprehend what kind of being the First Spirit is. The power, the presence… I gave it everything I had and I was just an annoying fly to it. I knew there had to be a way, but it was just beyond my own power. Beyond any power I know of."

Kotori nodded, "Without Zafkiel, just what are you still capable of doing? Sorry. But I need to know what we have so we can strategize."

Kurumi smiled at the younger girl, "Leave the strategizing to me. I might have taken a pretty serious blow, but I'm still stronger than you on your best day. Without Zafkiel my mana will be severely limited to the normal capacity of any other magus. So I can't Shadow Walk, or Port myself around. But I can still bring out objects of mine from my shadow, like my guns and gems. She can't stop me from doing that. Not unless she comes here in person to fight me, and I know she won't do that yet."

"What makes you so certain?" asked Origami.

"Because I know myself. Right now, she's completely focused on self empowerment. It's the nature of our magic. She's a perfect copy of me, but that doesn't give her a perfect copy of everything about me. She'll have to build up her own arsenal since she could only ever use what resources I gave her. She'll need to get her own gems, make her own copies… There's also one other thing I can do which she can't that will severely limit her magecraft. She'll need to find a work around for it."

"What's that?" asked Kotori.

Kurumi shook her head, "It's not important right now. The point is, we have time. So we need to use it to strengthen ourselves to fight back. I'm not worried about you though Kotori. You're making excellent progress with your skills. I'm worried about Origami right now."

"Explain."

"Well… You're no mage. I used to teach you a bit of this and that but we never got very far, and the time we have isn't sufficient. So we need to find a way to empower you if you want to fight with us, which I assume you do?"

"You assume correctly. And there's no reason to be concerned. Ryouko told me she'll handle smuggling a pair of units out for us when she leaves the army."

"Ryouko leaving the army… That's never happened before… Very interesting."

"Dare I ask?" Origami wondered out loud.

"Doesn't really matter. I'm glad those two are hitting it off, I just hope she doesn't regret this. Anyway. I need to get my powers back. That's my first priority, but I can't take action until Ciel arrives with Nia."

"Who?" asked Kotori and Origami at the same time.

"Oh… That sort of slipped out. Alright. Just don't tell your father Kotori. I still want to see the look on his face when he sees Nia's ability. Trust me. It'll be worth it to you," she said with a wink.

"Nia Honjou is the person I call the 'Second Spirit', her power is Knowledge. Her angel Rasiel can get her any information on any topic. Literally. It's like having God's Brain included in your Google search results. She tips the balance back in our favor."

Kurumi held up her finger to keep them from interrupting as she knew they were about to.

"Yes. There is a big catch to that. DEM also has access to her power because they took half of her crystal away from her. She has to spend most of her time blocking them from using it. The good news is, we can use her power. The bad news is that while we're using it, so can they. They can't see what we're doing, but they can take the opportunity to use it for their own agenda. So we have to use it carefully."

Kotori's eyes widened, "That's pretty damn amazing."

Origami looked at the dark haired girl, "You intend to use this to locate your other self?"

Kurumi grinned at her, "You catch on quick."

"Do you know yet how you intend to take back your Spirit power?"

"I'm hoping Nia will be able to help me figure that out as well. I need to first understand how she did it in the first place."

"May I ask how you obtained those powers in the first place?"

Kurumi bit her lips and leaned back as she considered it, she also took note of Kotori's expenat look. "I can't reveal that. I'm sorry. Believe me, having the two of you look at me like that is breaking what's left of my rotten heart. But I can't tell you. Not yet at least."

"Next question then… I don't suppose you have anything in that shadow of yours we can give to Yoshino as a present? I feel a little bad about this but we didn't have time to get her anything before we left Fuyuki and I thought it would be nice if we could-"

"Don't worry I've got us covered on that. Don't forget I was taking care of Yoshino for a while before she met all of you. I love that girl too."

"So now I know how you knew Origami. But what about me? Were Origami and I best friends as well back then?"

Kurumi looked at Origami who was looking at her curiously to see what she'd say, then she looked back to Kotori and smiled, "Yes. You two were very good friends even back then. That never changes. We were all in the Archery club together. And we all sat at that table together."

"Hmm. So the club was our link to each other? But that doesn't explain why-"

"Kotori-chan. Does it matter? We're all here. We're all together now. Instead of asking questions about the past, why don't we focus on the present for a little while? It's been a very, very, very, long time since the three of us could be together like this. At least for me. I'd like to make the most of it. Understand?"

"You're right. I'm sorry. It's just that. I have so many questions for you."

"And even if I answered them all. What would it matter? The only thing that matters is this. Right here. Right now. Time can be one of the kindest forces in the universe. Or one of the cruelest. I've lost count of the number of loops I've gone through since the last time I could sit next to Origami like this," Kurumi took a hold of the other girl's hand and gave it a tight squeeze. "Or have a conversation with you about anything normal," she said to Kotori.

Kotori looked down, suddenly feeling ashamed of the number of questions she was asking.

"I still have her memory of the night you two spent cleaning my apartment. Playing games, discussing magecraft. You don't know how happy it made me feel to be able to spend time with you like that. Even if it was by proxy. Moments like these examples are what makes life worth living, more than you'll ever know. So please Kotori-chan. Stop asking so many questions and just enjoy the time you've been given."

Kotori sighed and nodded, "You're right. I'm sorry."

When the train finally arrived in Misaki later that day, Kotori was the first to step outside the train station to find the person who was waiting to receive them. It didn't take her long to spot the smart casually dressed dark haired man with glasses.

"Uncle Shiki!" yelled Kotori while running up to the man's waiting arms where he gave her a big hug.

"Uncle Shiki huh? Nice to see you too Kotori, I've missed you," he said hugging her back warmly.

The two other girls waiting behind her patiently before she introduced them.

"These are the other two my father mentioned. This is Origami Tobiichi, and Kurumi Tokisaki."

The two girls bowed to the man, "Good day to you Tohno-san," the two said.

"Good day to you both as well, welcome to Misaki," his eyes lingered on Kurumi for a long moment though, "You seem familiar somehow. Have we met before?"

Kurumi looked back at him with a thoughtful finger on her chin, "No. No I don't think so. Maybe I just have a familiar face?"

Shiki shook his head, "I must be mistaken then. Anyway. I'm Shiki Tohno. As long as you're in Misaki City, I'll be looking after you. If there's anything any of you need at anytime, never hesitate to come to me with it and I'll see that it's done."

"Thank you Tohno-san. Shirou Emiya told us a lot of good things about you. It's good to see that they're all true. He said to give you his best regards, and that he's looking forward to the next time he can see you in person," said Kurumi with a happy smile.

"That's sweet of you to say Tokisaki, but you don't have to lie for him. That man hates my guts. But he's always welcome here regardless of how he feels about me," said Shiki with a cheerful smile.

Meanwhile, back in Fuyuki. Shirou and Ryouko were at work near the shed.

"Shirou! Hand me the adjustable wrench will you?"

"Don't want a socket wrench to make it easier?" he asked while handing her the tool she requested.

"That's not what I need it for," she said before the sound of hammering came from under the old Mercedes.

"Why didn't you just ask for a hammer?"

"Because I don't need a hammer, I need a wrench. I know what I'm doing! Hand me that lubricant spray now!"

Shirou rolled his eyes and handed her the spray can.

That was when Tohka came out with a tray of glasses and a pitcher of water for them. "I thought you'd both be thirsty by now," she said while setting the tray down on a work table they'd set up next to the car.

"Thank you so much Tohka. You're a lifesaver."

"Hey Shirou. You've been trying to fix this car for years now, right?" asked Tohka while looking at the old Mercedes.

"Yes. I have been."

"But you can do Magecraft that would let you find out exactly what's wrong with it so you can fix it, and you can also do magecraft that would let you make everything better and like new again right?"

"Not quite. But close enough. What's your question though?"

"Why don't you just do that instead of all of this?" she said with a gesture at the disassembled engine parts on the work table.

"Kotori keeps asking me that. Rin kept asking me that too. The simple truth is that I just don't want to. I wanted to fix this thing up properly."

"Fix it properly huh?" remarked Ryouko from under the car. "Hopefully you can also drive it better than the previous owner! This poor thing has been under a lot of stress. No wonder it just quit on them!"

"It belonged to my father's wife. She died in the Fourth Holy Grail War a little bit before he adopted me."

"Ahh shit. I'm sorry I didn't mean to disrespect her," said Ryouko while sliding herself out from under the car.

"It's alright. You didn't mean to," he said while offering her his hand to help her up, which she gratefully accepted and let him pull her up.

"The good news is, I found the problem at last. The bad news is… I don't know where we're going to find the parts we need," she said while gesturing to all the damaged or worn out components on the work table before adding the part she just removed to the collection.

Ryouko was about to scratch her head when she realized that her hand was covered in oil and refrained. "I have a guy in Tokyo who can probably find us these things…"

"But I'm guessing it'll cost me?"

Ryouko shook her head, "Not as much as you're probably thinking. My best guesstimate is a little over a thousand Euros for everything we're looking at here. Could be more, could be less."

"So why don't you want to use Magecraft to fix these things?"

"Because it feels wrong to do it. That's all. My father never talked about his wife or daughter to me. Though I found out much later he tried his hardest to go get his daughter back from the Einzbern family."

"You call her your father's daughter. Not your sister. Why?" asked Ryouko.

Shirou crossed his arms and shook his head, "Because my greatest failure in the Grail War was not being able to save her. I have no right to call her my sister. I didn't even know she was his daughter back then. I wanted to save her, but I just couldn't. I'd rather not discuss it in anymore detail than that."

"I see. So that's why you want to fix this car properly. Because it was the world of Magecraft that got them all killed? Is that correct?" asked Ryouko.

"It's correct enough. Kotori thinks of Illiya as her Aunt, and she thinks of Irisviel as her Grandmother. She studies their magecraft all the time, she says it makes her feel connected to them. She can't recreate any of their mysteries, but she tries. Rin and I always went out to their castle out in the forest. I still go there with Kotori now, on the anniversary of Illya's death. One day Rin and I, before we adopted Kotori. We took a look around what was left of the castle. We found old writings, books, and this car. I found out Irisviel kept a journal for a while during the war. She thought nobody would read it. But I did. That's how I know this car was her's. My father got it for her and she treasured it. Then I found out their servant in that war was Saber. The same Saber…"

He took a deep breath, "I wish she'd told me about that. But for whatever reason she never did. But there was a moment when I told her my name that she was surprised by it. I didn't pay it much attention at the time because my mind was elsewhere. Apparently, Irisviel thought as highly of her as I did, they became very good friends in the time they knew each other. Her fondest memories she said, were of Saber taking her out to see the city, and of sitting with her in this car and driving it around. She noted that the only time Saber ever showed genuine fear, was inside this car while she was driving. Haha. Imagine that?"

Shiou turned to Tohka and smiled, "Now I have an opportunity to do for you what Saber did for Irisviel by showing you this world. I suppose that's part of why I do it anyway." Shirou took another breath and turned to the car with a serene smile, "So yeah. Kotori studies their mysteries. And I work on this car. Family. It's the most important thing. This is all I can do for them though. I can fix up this car, and make sure it's enjoyed as much as Irisviel enjoyed it."

Ryouko smiled brightly, "That's a sad, but also nice story. Now I'm even more proud to help you work on this car. So Tohka. You like learning about stuff. Wanna learn a bit about cars while we're at this?"

Tohka nodded enthusiastically, "Yes! Yes! I'd love to!"

Kotori was unpacking her things into the guest room she'd been given when there was a knock at the door and it slowly creeped open, "May I come in?" asked Yoshino.

"Of course you can. This is your house you know," she said with a smile.

"Yes. But it's not polite to just walk into your room," she said quietly.

"This is your house too Cousin Kotori!" Yoshinon loudly added.

Kotori went over and gently pat the puppet. "Awww! Who's a good rabbit?"

"Yay! Pet me! Praise me! Praise me!"

Yoshino giggled a little at that, "If you need anything, please ask me. I'd like to help you in anyway I can. You were so kind to me while I was with you, and I wouldn't be here now if I hadn't met all of you. I owe you so very much."

Kotori smiled warmly before giving Yoshino a tight hug. "Thank you Yoshino. I appreciate it. But we're family, so you don't owe me anything. We help each other out whenever one of us needs it. So the same always goes for you. If you just want to talk, hang out, or do anything, I'm here for you too."

"Thank you Kotori."

"Nothing to thank me for. So tell me," she said while letting go and going back to her unpacking. "Are you happy? You know, being here."

"Oh yes! Everyone's been so nice. Arcueid always meets me after school to show me around the city and teach me about things outside. Shiki helps me with my homework whenever I need it and Aunt Akiha teaches me about everything she knows about the family and the 'world'. Oh, and I also made a friend in school."

"Awww. That's so nice! Who's this friend you made?"

"His name's-"

"Uh oh. It's a he. Alright. Sit down. We have to talk in a lot of detail now."

Kurumi had left her backpack in the middle of the room and fell down into the bed where she lay flat on her back to stare up at the ceiling. There she remained unmoving for a long while. Her mind in constant turmoil and she sorted through recent events over and over looking for every exact moment she miscalculated or let her clone out of her sight and for how long.

Damn it… Damn it… Damn it! I wish I had Origami's photographic memory. Where the hell did I screw up? It could have been anywhere. At any time. Every moment I was distracted was another moment she could have plotted. Years and years must have gone into that. How long's it even been since the last time she tried to kill him? I can't even remember… Damn it all! I've lost all track of time… I got sloppy! I should have realized something was up when she insisted on spending so much time with her this time around. I should have realized it when Kotori was concerned for a mere copy of me!

"You're thinking too hard," said Origami.

Kurumi widened her eye and turned her head to the other girl who was kneeling down by her bedside and staring at her.

"How long were you there?"

"Long enough to realize you'd completely dropped your guard. Then long enough to realize your mind was working far too hard. So I decided it should have a rest."

"I was just thinking about you actually. Wishing I had your photographic memory. Then I could so easily put the puzzle together and figure out exactly where and how I screwed up…"

"You said your solution would come with this Nia person you mentioned. Over thinking it now will probably cause you more grief than relief."

"So what does Tobiichi-sensei prescribe for what ails me?"

Origami got up and then sat down on her bedside. "I think what you told Kotori is right. Try living in the moment while you can. Whatever time you have between now and the arrival of the one you're waiting for can be put to better use."

"Like how?" wondered Kurumi while sitting up.

Origami reached out and pushed her back down into the bed. "By resting. I can not even begin to imagine what you have been through until now. But you have an opportunity here to heal. Use this time you've been given. Rest yourself."

Kurumi smiled and giggled a little, "Unbelievable. Even after only just meeting me, you can read me like a book and completely understand me!"

Kurumi reached out and took a hold of the other girl's hand and gently squeezed it while looking up at her with a gentle smile. "That's one of the things I love the most about you."

"I like mystery novels," she replied before laying down beside her.

"Oh my… You're very forward aren't you?"

"Don't misunderstand. I am simply here to make certain you rest. Nothing more."

Kurumi cuddled up to her and sighed contentedly. "You certainly have that effect on me too… Mmm, this is so-" she quickly picked up her head and looked into Origami's eye with her own, "Wait. You just manipulated me, you sly little devil. I should have known right away!"

"Explain?"

"I said I didn't want to treat this as a vacation. But here you are seducing me into doing exactly that!"

"Correct. There will be time for whatever it is we are going to do to prepare ourselves for the coming battles, but you also stated you wanted to live in the moment for the time being. So for now, you need to rest and I intend to encourage you to simply do that."

Kurumi sighed and was about to speak when Origami pulled her back down so her head was resting on her shoulder.

"Do not try to convince me otherwise. Just answer me one simple question. When was the last time you've been able to put your head down and sleep without fear?"

"I don't feel fear Origami. I inspire it! They call me 'Nightmare' for a reason."

"You don't have to posture in front of me. Answer the question."

"I can't remember. Not since all of this started."

"Then for the rest of today, Tobiichi-sensei prescribes rest and relaxation. Also tomorrow we should go walk around and buy you clothes and other essentials. Then we'll see what else we can do."

"Wait… Are you asking me out on a date?" she asked mischievously. "Tempting as that is I don't think this is really the time for-"

Origami turned over and pushed Kurumi onto the bed while straddling her. She locked both her blue eyes onto her one crimson eye with a blank expression. "We are going out aren't we?"

"Oh my… I love it when you're so imposing," said a devilishly smiling Kurumi in a breathy voice.

"Answer the question. Do you or do you not consider us to be in a romantic relationship?"

"I don't know. Are we in a romantic relationship? Succumbing to old passions and kissing you under the full moon is one thing but-"

"From the way we talked it didn't seem like your passions were old but very current. Or is it that you're simply unsure of where I stand now? Is that what it is?"

"Something like that…"

"I'm asking you out on a date while pinning you to a bed under the weight of my body. What part of where I stand could possibly be unclear to you?"

"I didn't want to presume anything," she said with a warm smile. "Sure. I'll go out with you."

"Good. That's decided. Now I'd like to nap before dinner time. I'm told they're very strict about what time dinner is served in this house so we shouldn't miss it. I've set a wake up alarm on my phone."

Back in Homurahara academy Hiroto Tonomachi was just walking out of the school when he noticed Shido and Mana standing outside and talking. Remembering his last conversation with Kotori Emiya and what happened in his house after that he took a deep breath and walked up to them.

"Pardon me, Takamiya?" he asked to Mana but both gave him their attention.

Yeah… I'm boned. But whatever.

"Umm. I know this is a little out of the blue…" after he said it he quickly grimaced to himself, "No pun intended," he said while eyeing their hair colors.

"Could you just skip the point Tonomachi? We've got to go very soon," Mana stated flatly.

Tonomachi gulped, "Well… If I was wonder, if you, would like to go on a date with me? Some day, some time. If you want to," he said before quickly bowing slightly at the waist.

Damn I got word salad. Whatever. Her big brother is about to knock the sense back into me.

Shido simply folded his arms while Mana looked up at him. Now she was on the spot. Potentially with this boy's life in her hands depending on her answer.

"Wow… I wasn't expecting that. I thought you liked Emiya?"

Tonomachi looked back up and her and nodded, "Well yes. Of course I do. But she's my friend. I mean, she hates my guts, but she's my friend. It's complicated. But anyway. I'm asking you out."

"Yes… You certainly are. I wasn't expecting it at all… That's all," she said while considering her next words. "Hmm… How would you feel about a double date then Tonomachi? We have another friend coming from overseas soon and she really likes my brother. So maybe we can all hang out together and do whatever?"

"That's fine with me. If it's acceptable to Takamiya-senpai?"

Shido kept his arms crossed and a semi-angry scowl on his face for a long moment while considering his answer.

"Oh knock it off Shido dear. You don't need to make the poor boy sweat bullets," said Kurumi in her most sultry tone while stepping up beside the elder Takamiya. "Must have taken a lot of nerve for him to ask her out like that. You can respect courage can't you? And you Tonomachi. I'm glad you decided to take my advice. If you're not living life to the fullest, it isn't worth living at all!"

"Fine, I won't kick your ass. And at least I can supervise you if we do this double date thing… Whatever. I'm fine with it."

"Good boy Shido. There's hope for you yet. But who's the lucky girl? I'm so jealous!"

"That's none of your business Nightma-Tokisaki…"

"By the way, Senpai. I couldn't find you at lunch. Do you know where Emiya and Tobiichi are? I got a call from Emiya saying she was going away for a while. But she wouldn't tell me where or why? Do you know anything?" Tonomachi asked Kurumi.

"Worried about her?" asked Kurumi.

"Well yeah. Of course I am. She left in a hurry and out of nowhere. Even Miss Fujimura wasn't at school today and she's Emiya's Aunt, so that makes me even more worried," he answered her plainly.

"I'm actually a little worried too now… I hope they're alright. Emiya's a nice girl, and Miss Fujimura is really sweet," added Mana.

"Don't either of you read a newspaper? The whole Fujimura family were gunned down in some kind of Yakuza dispute or something. I'm guessing that since Miss Fujimura is close with the Emiya family, Shirou Emiya must have decided to send them all away to keep them safe."

"It's sweet of you to worry. But you don't need to. She's perfectly safe. If I were you Tonomachi, I'd be more worried about myself right now," she said before giving him a wink and Shido a pet on the head. Much to the blue haired boy's vexation.

"Damn… Did that really happen?" he asked while he and Mana pulled out their phones to read the news online.

"Daddy! Don't go in there!"

I yelled and pleaded with him but he wouldn't listen. Why wouldn't he listen? It was so hot, and the smoke was so thick. I knew there was no way he'd ever come back out of there.

"Kurumi!" I heard my mother calling to me. "Kurumi!"

I turned around and ran straight into her arms.

"Daddy went into the fire! I'm so sorry! I couldn't stop him!" I frantically told her.

I heard her sigh and she held me tightly, "Oh Shirou… Can't you ever for just once in your life stick to a plan?"

She pulled away from me and stared into my eye. "Kurumi. What were you even doing here?"

"I'm sorry. I was playing with a new friend and then I was on my way back when everything suddenly started burning!"

"It's alright. I'm not mad at you. I'm just glad you're alright," she said before taking my hand and placing one of her gems into it.

"Do you remember what I taught you about creating Familiars?"

I nodded to her.

"Have you been practicing it?"

I nodded to her again.

"Good. Because now I need your help to locate your idiot father and help him find his way out of there. Can you do it?"

"Of course!" I said to her with such confidence.

I held the purple gem in my hand tightly for a moment before I closed my eye and imagined myself drawing my bow and preparing to launch the arrow at myself, straight into the fake thing hidden behind my eye patch. When the arrow stuck I felt my magic circuits ignite, it hurt but I didn't mind the pain. It was a good pain. It was a pain that made me strong.

I had Pinchers in my hands as I ran away from all the fire and smoke to find my way back home where it was safe. I heard noises all around me and up in the sky but I ignored them. Whatever they were screaming and shouting about had nothing to do with me.

"Origami!" I heard my mother and father shout to me.

"Mom! Dad!" I was so relived. All the fear I felt as I ran away from the flames vanished as I saw them there.

Suddenly there was a loud scream from above, I looked up but all I saw was a big bright light in the sky. Then I saw a jets of fire following it up into the sky, there was was a bright blinding flash and I had to cover my eyes. The pain and stinging I felt in my eyes was worse than anything I'd ever felt before.

When my vision finally cleared I looked to see where my parents were, they were still there. But only for an instant. Then there was another flash of light, and then. Nothing. They were just gone.

I don't know how long I was there crying before I got up and started trying to find my way. I don't know where I was going or if I even had a destination at all. By now the flames were everywhere. Everything was burning. That's when I saw her. She was there for just a moment, she looked at me, I looked at her, and then she was gone. As if she'd never been. A girl surrounded by fire.

Origami shot up in the bed with a hand over her heart, breathing heavily.

Kurumi was up an instant later and quickly pulled her into a hug. "You had a that dream again didn't you? About the fire?" asked Kurumi in a softest and most soothing voice she could manage.

"Yes," she managed to say between her deep and rapid breaths.

"So did I," she said softly.

"You were there too?" asked Origami as she slowly started to calm.

"Yes," she answered while holding the white haired girl more tightly. "I was there with my mother. When my father rescued Kotori. The day I became a big sister. It was also the day I-"

"Sorry Kurumi. Could we not discuss it now?"

"I understand. But we'll need to talk about it at some point."

"We will. But not right now… We're suppose to be resting," she said before the alarm on her phone went off.

"So much for that idea. We should go get cleaned up. You're drenched in sweat and Kotori would probably go off like a nuclear bomb if she saw me with bed head at dinner with our hosts. We should make ourselves as presentable as we can."

"Agreed. But first a question. Do you know these people very well? The man who picked us up at the train station seemed to recognize you."

Kurumi nodded, "Yes. Our families are close. But it's been a very long time since I saw anyone but Shiki and Ciel. If you're worried about being here, don't be. These are good people. We'll be safe here."

"I'll trust you," said Origami before getting up out of bed.

Shirou opened the front gate to his house with curiosity when he saw Lord El-Melloi the Second standing there elegantly dressed in a well tailored navy blue suit with a young woman standing just behind him wearing a gray hood and cloak.

"Good evening," the man greeted him.

"Good evening. Is there something wrong?" asked Shirou while relaxing his grip on a sword which he had not yet traced.

"We have some information you might be interested in learning about, and since we had a dinner invitation we thought we should stop by. I hope you'll forgive us for any imposition but I do not believe this can wait."

Shirou considered it for a moment, "I'm afraid it might have to. There's been a tragedy in the family and I have my sister staying over. Her family were all killed just up the street. I also have my girlfriend here right now."

Waver nodded solemnly, "I heard. That's part of what brings me here. I had no idea that Taiga Fujimura was the sister you mentioned."

"You know her?" asked Shirou with a raised eyebrow.

"We were acquainted during the Fourth Holy Grail War. I came to offer my condolences to her, and a lead on the murderer to you. I had a strong feeling you would seek to dispense justice upon the killer."

Shirou nodded and stepped aside to invite them in.

If it wasn't such a bad time to do something so tasteless, Shirou Emiya would have taken a picture of the look on her face at this moment. For the first time in his life, he saw Taiga Fujimura utterly dumbfounded.

"You're taller," she said to him in English without any discernable emotion in her voice.

"My hair is also longer, and I'm uglier. Your hair is shorter but you're more beautiful. Time can be cruel to some, but merciful to others. And I dare say it's been very kind to you," he answered her back in Japanese.

Shirou did the only thing he could do. He stepped aside and wanded back into his kitchen to see what he could do with the dinner that was already cooking while they started talking.

"I had no idea they knew each other? Did you?" asked Tohka in a low voice.

I'm impressed… She's learned about being discreet.

"Taiga never mentioned him before. I had no idea they knew each other until a minute ago."

"Who is this man Shirou? And who's the creepy girl with him?" asked Ryouko in her low voice as well.

"That's Lord El-Melloi the Second. The girl, I assume, is his apprentice. He was one of my teachers when I was a student at the Clock Tower in London."

"The Clock Tower? You mean like, you know, Big Ben?"

Shirou nodded, "That's where the Mage's Association is."

"Hidden in plain sight…"

"What better way to hide something like that?" asked Shirou with a small hint of a smirk.

"I heard about what happened to you recently, I wanted to offer you my deepest condolences. If there's anything I can do for you, I will," Waver said to her solemnly.

"Thank you so much. I can't believe you even remember me, it's been…"

"More than twenty years. Believe me when I say that was a time in my life I am incapable of forgetting. I only wish it didn't take something like this for me to be able to find you again."

"Well…" said Taiga while gesturing with open hands to the house, "Are you staying for dinner?"

Dinner saw Taiga's true personality come back out for a while, under normal circumstances it would have been annoying, but these weren't normal circumstances. Seeing Taiga back to her energetic self as she caught up with Waver Velvet turned out to be one of those things he just didn't want to miss a single moment of. One of those moments that reminds you what life is all about.

Shirou sat the head of the table with Ryouko on his right and Tohka on his left. Taiga was seated beside her and Waver and his apprentice were seated opposite them.

"So how do you know Shirou?" asked Taiga while gesturing at the other man sitting at the head of the table.

"Ahh. Mr. Emiya was a student of mine in London."

"You're kidding? You became a teacher too?"

Waver nodded with a bright smile, "Believe me, I didn't set out for it, but it's where I ended up."

Taiga was smiling happily and looked over at Shirou, "Do you realize that I became a teacher because this man told me I'd be good at it? I wouldn't be where I am now if him and this big friend of his hadn't inspired me!"

"I did not know that. I had no idea you two knew each other. Unbelievably small world this is sometimes."

Taiga looked back to Waver, "What do you teach?"

Waver cleared his throat for a moment, "Economics," he said with a firm nod.

Taiga looked back to Shirou with a sly grin, "I can assure you Professor. Shirou has learned nothing from you."

"I never said he was a good student. I just said I taught Economics," he defended himself.

"For what it's worth Taiga. He's a very good teacher. I may not have learned much about Economics from him, but I did learn a lot from him."

"Like what?" asked Taiga trying to put him on the spot and embarrass him in front of his teacher.

Lord El-Melloi the Second. I hope you recognize what a favor I'm going to be doing you now. Don't drop the ball.

"I learned about what real confidence is, about what courage really means. He taught me that it's ok to be afraid, just as long as that fear doesn't keep you from doing what you need to do. I also learned that, if anyone thinks for a moment that they're too small and insignificant to affect the world, they're very mistaken. Anyone with a dream, no matter how small they are, or how humble their circumstances, can change the world around them. That's what I learned from this man. So while I didn't learn anything about Economics. I did learn something more important from him. I learned something about being a man."

Waver blinked at Shirou, "Are you sure you were in the right classroom Mr. Emiya? Because I want to meet this teacher you speak of and perhaps sit in on some classes."

Taiga burst into laughter.

Waver stood in the courtyard with a cigar while Shirou came out with a glass of brandy which Waver graciously accepted. Meanwhile there sounds of laughter coming from inside the house as the girls did the work of cleaning up after dinner.

Full house again. It's kind of nice.

"That's a very beautiful car you have out there Mr. Emiya."

"Shirou. I can't call you Waver if you can't call me Shirou."

"Very well Shirou. May I ask where you got it?" he asked while walking towards the old Mercedes Benz.

"Castle Einzbern. It belonged to-"

"To Irisviel von Einzbern. Now I know where I saw one just like before."

"You met her?" asked Shirou incredulously.

"Yes. We all thought she was Saber's Master. Wasn't until after the war that I learned that it was actually your father."

Shirou was speechless for a moment, "She was my father's wife. But I never knew her. Could you maybe tell me a little about her?"

"I don't really like to talk about those days. But I'll make an exception for you. You have a right to know about the woman who should have lived to have been your mother. I didn't really have the opportunity to get to know her. As you can imagine we were enemies. But for a short time, we were allies against a bigger threat. I managed to get a few impressions of her from that short time. For whatever it's worth to you, she was extremely kind and polite. She was unbelievably beautiful. Highly intelligent, but she didn't know how to work her cellphone. But above all she was very brave, that's what I'll remember most about her. She wasn't like like I was back then,

"I was a coward. I was literally just along for the ride with my Servant. But Einzbern. She stood by her Servant. She didn't hide away in the shadows like the other masters. Even when Saber told her to get away, she refused. She and I were really the only two who had the chutzpah to actually stand with our Servants, and considering how I was, that's saying something. I was a nervous wreck the whole time until just before the end. Everyone else just cowered in the shadows with their dirty tricks… And I sincerely mean no offense to you Shirou, but I count the Magus Killer among them. Saber deserved a better Master. When I look back on those days, I think of her as Saber's Master, not him."

"Ten years ago I probably would have punched you for saying that. But I know things about my father now that I didn't know back then. I know what kind of man he was. For whatever it's worth, he was a very different man after your grail war."

"Then I wish I could have met the man who was your father. But I never even got to meet the Magus Killer. But I'll never forget that snowy haired woman who stood proudly behind her Servant. I respected her. My Servant didn't respect Saber, but he respected her."

"Thank you for telling me, Waver. I appreciate it."

"There's also something else I have to tell you. About our present circumstances. I found out something about DEM you should probably know about. About what their real goals are, and it's why I've come to you. And it relates to what happened to Taiga's family."

Shirou held his breath and put on his best poker face as he stepped up closer to listen.

"You and I know first hand what the Holy Grail Wars are like. I fear DEM is playing with something which will cause a much greater conflict and on a much larger scale. The other day the DEM offices all over Italy were attacked by the Church because two very important and powerful things were stolen from them by DEM. I don't know what those things are, but when that happened, DEM Wizards and Association Enforces came into conflict in Moscow and New York. Unfortunately our side lost those exchanges."

Shirou bit his lip as Waver still had more to say.

"I learned something though. Something I've chosen not to share with my colleagues. Something I suspect you and your wife already knew about. The person who attacked Taiga's family was no ordinary person. My apprentice has already tracked her down. Apparently she's a school mate of your daughter."

"It's more complicated than that."

"I certainly understand why you and Rin didn't feel you could trust me with this. But I sincerely wish you had. It's all water under the bridge now and we have bigger problems than you not trusting me. Something is happening out there Shirou. Something unthinkable."

"A war is breaking out. And you're wondering which side you should choose."

"You're wrong. I've already chosen a side. Shirou Emiya," Waver said while turning to face him and extending his hand to him.

Shirou raised looked at the man's hand cautiously for a moment, "I have a family to protect here. That's my first priority. I don't care about the rules of the Association. I only fight for what's right. I fight to protect everyone."

"That's why I choose your side. The Association will fight to protect its secrets and its traditions. I find that to be a shallow cause. The Church will fight for the same. Others are staying quiet for the moment. But you. You fight for what's right. I remember when I first met you. You told me about that goal of yours. I remember saying to myself that it was indeed a silly thing, but I also knew your dream was too big for our walls to contain. Then I saw some of my best students go out into the world and accomplish such great feats. Who else could I reasonably side with in such a conflict?"

Shirou sighed, "Alright. Waver. I'll trust you," he said before finally shaking hands with the man.