Rin stared morosely down into her cup of tea, ignoring the late afternoon hubbub of the small roadside diner. Across from her Shirou was watching her from over his rapidly cooling coffee with a look of concern heavy on his features. She idly twisted the cup back and forth on the fragile saucer while she tried to muddle her way through the situation she was in.
She had no Servant, no base of operations, no car, and a list of allies that was rapidly dwindling to just the goofy, loveable reformed killer sitting across from her. She had no plan, her role in the Grail War was essentially over, and the only thing keeping her in Valencia was her investigation into Project Omega. Even that wasn't a compelling reason to stay in the city. She already knew that the Tohsaka family's involvement had been minimal. Right now the most logical course of action was to return home and alert the Clocktower to Kotomine's activities. They'd launch a full scale investigation, perhaps getting the Church and their burial agents involved as well. She wouldn't have to do anything else. She would be safe.
But...
There was that goofy, loveable reformed killer. Rin knew that Shirou would never leave when he was so close to catching Kotomine. He'd never leave the task of capturing him up to the Mage's association. Was it worth it? To give up on her chance of escape? To risk everything just to stay by his side?
Of course it was.
Well, that didn't take long to decide. Rin thought ironically.
Love can be awfully inconvenient sometimes.
She leaned heavily on her hand and looked across at Shirou for a long moment. Then she sat bolt upright when she realized what she had just thought. A look of shock crossed her face. Shirou caught her mood and began looking around covertly.
"What is it?" He asked urgently, glancing around. "Did you see something?"
Rin's eyes went wide and her mouth opened and closed soundlessly.
"I...I...I..." She stammered.
She was in love with him? How could that be? She barely knew him. He was a magical clone created in a laboratory. She was the heir to a vast and powerful family of mages. Everything he did made her angry or exasperated.
But for every mental protest that she threw up her heart of hears whispered into her ear ...so?
There was only one relevant question. Did she love him?
The answer came to her simply. She didn't have to rationalize it, or reason her way through it, or into it, or out of it. She just knew.
Yes.
Rin suddenly became aware that she was still staring at Shirou and she blushed, looking down. He reached across the table and took her hand.
"Are you alright? You look like you got hit by a truck." He said with concern. Rin's blush deepened and her pulse began to beat a staccato rhythm against her ribcage.
"Of course I'm alright!" Rin snapped, yanking her hand back in embarrassment. She wanted to slam her head into the table. Why did she always bite his head off when he was just trying to be nice? Shirou looked hurt and Rin quickly put her hands up in a placating gesture.
"I-I-I mean it was n-nothing and I was just thinking and t-t-thanks for asking but I'm o-o-okay." She said, suddenly bashful. Shirou gave her an unreadable look and then shrugged, his usual happy demeanor quickly returning. He pulled his hand off the table before Rin could reach out and take it again and she pouted internally just a little.
"Well, first thing's first. We need to get a safehouse set up. C'mon, life's too short to mope around." He said cheerfully, pushing himself up and making his way towards the door.
Rin jumped up and quickly followed him.
"Do you have to say that all the time?" She said sourly.
"What?" He asked, confused. "I think this is the first time I've ever suggested that we set up a safehouse."
"No, that thing about life being too short. I mean, I agree that there's rarely a good reason to waste time. I just...I just don't like being reminded of the price that you pay for your powers." She said bashfully.
Shirou fixed her with a rakish grin and stroked his chin exaggeratedly.
"Oh, concerned about me, are you?" He asked with a wink and a twinkle in his eye. They were walking side by side and he nudged her playfully.
Rin almost responded with an acid retort but recalled her resolution of just a few moments ago.
"Of course I'm concerned about you. You're my sidekick, after all." She joked, nudging him back.
He laughed.
"Great! I always wanted to be a superhero."
As they walked Rin gathered up her courage and then timidly slipped her arm into the crook of Shirou's elbow. He glanced down at her but didn't protest. Instead he flashed her a smile and hitched her arm up into his and so, arm in arm, they went down the street.
…
Rin was surprised at how thorough Shirou's idea of setting up a safehouse was. Then again she reminded herself that he'd been a covert operative hunting other covert operatives for most of his life.
He led them to several hotels across town from ritzy to rundown. He had Rin check into an expensive hotel in the downtown tourist area using her own name. Rin protested and insisted that they should stick together but Shirou just tapped his nose knowingly and told her to trust him. They went up to the room briefly and Shirou ordered takeout from a nearby restaurant, again using Rin's name. Before it arrived they left and headed to a smaller motel a couple of blocks away. He checked in under his Shane Rowe identity and Rin got an inkling of what he was up to.
"You're setting up decoys." She said.
He nodded.
"Anybody that's lookin' for us will check here first. All we need to do is keep an eye on these hotels and we'll know when they start gunnin' for us." He said.
They went to three more small hotels across the city where Shirou checked with a different identity each time, presumably IDs that Kotomine would be aware of and be on the lookout for. By the time the evening was falling they found themselves at an out of the way motel in the open air style. The rental office was up front and the rooms circled a small parking lot.
Shirou rented two rooms, one close to the entrance and the other farther back out of the way of the brightly lit central area. Rin insisted again that they should stick together and he nodded.
"If they do find us they'll hopefully check that room first. You can ward it, right? Magically? That'll give us a chance to get away if we get found out." He said.
They walked across the parking lot in the swiftly gathering dusk, the bored desk attendant ignoring what he assumed was yet another sordid love affair. If he were to guess why two attractive young people were sneaking out and renting a hotel room his last guess in the world would be 'hiding from an evil mage and his cadre of cloned assassins'.
Shirou opened the door to their decoy room and carefully explored it before motioning for Rin to join him. She quickly set herself to the task of erecting a series of magical wards around the door frame that would trigger and alert her if anyone other than she or Shirou passed through.
"You'd better make it just you, and don't complete it until I'm out." He said when she explained what she was doing.
"If anyone comes after us it's gonna be Sigma or one of the others. Who knows how the magic will react to someone else like me? If the ward is tuned to let me through one of Kotomine's other agents might not trigger it at all. Best to exclude me from the field, just to be safe." He said.
"Well, you need to get out then. I'm tying it off now." Rin said.
"One sec," He said.
He quickly drew the shades and switched the television set on then stepped outside.
"Okay, go for it."
Rin carefully terminated the spell and ran it through a couple of layers of obfuscation so that whoever tripped it wouldn't be able to detect it until too late. By the time she was finished Shirou was already investigating the second room he'd rented. He took a moment to satisfy himself that it was secure and then waved Rin inside.
She flopped down backwards on the bed with a whoosh of air and lay there with her arms spread, processing everything that had happened. The ceiling was an impersonal beige darkened by the inadequate lighting of the small room. It had the mass produced and impersonal feel that all hotel rooms do, their identical and generic decorations both deferential and imposing. You are welcome here, they seemed to say. But not for more than an evening. No matter how long you stayed in a hotel room you were always sleeping in a strange bed.
There was a nervous shuffling from the small kitchen area and Rin looked over to see Shirou leaned up against the door jamb. He was shifting from foot to foot, changing his position and generally looking uncomfortable.
"What is it?" Rin asked with a giggle at how nervous he looked.
"What is it?" She repeated in a serious tone, sitting up on the edge of the bed. He looked agitated, like there was something wrong. He looked like he was about to deliver some very bad news.
"Do...you wanna go get some dinner?" He said at last, nervously fiddling his fingers in front of him.
Rin quirked an eyebrow. That was what he was so nervous about asking?
"Sure. We can head out for supplies and get some food too." She said.
"No, I meant, er, do you want to go out to dinner? With me? Like, on a date?" He said nervously.
"Oh!" Rin said in a small voice as she finally caught on to what he was asking. A blush suffused across her face. But he was blushing too, so that was okay.
"Y-yes! I mean...I'd love to."
She screwed up her courage and bounced up, skipping across the room to plant a small peck on Shirou's cheek. He quickly turned the color of a beet, which made Rin laugh, which made Shirou laugh. The tension and nervousness quickly dissipated into happy mirth and Shirou fixed her with a familiar goofy grin.
"So where do you want to go?" Rin asked.
"Oh, I dunno. Somewhere fancy and romantic? With candles and chandeliers? Or do you want to go somewhere fun where we can play games and eat cheap hotdogs?"
Rin considered for a moment. Both were tempting.
"Part of the fun of going out to a fancy restaurant is dressing up, and all my things are still at...you know. At Ilya's house. Both sound fun but neither is very low key. Aren't we in hiding?" She said.
Shirou nodded thoughtfully, considering for a long moment.
"Hmmm, good point. I don't think I even own a necktie. Oh, I've got it!" He exclaimed. He grabbed Rin's hand and rushed out. The rushed pace wasn't something that was comfortable to maintain, however, and he dropped into a leisurely walk about halfway through the parking lot. Rin suspected that his sudden haste may have been a ploy to take her hand. Which was fine by her.
They strolled through the deepening dusk hand in hand and as they chatted about inconsequentialities. Rin was once again surprised at how easy Shirou was to talk to. Most of her experiences in her admittedly brief dating experience were awkward, short affairs. Most of the boys she knew were mages, and most mages found her as intimidating and powerful as she was beautiful. The result was a constant, awkward dance as they each tried to impress the other while not violating any political taboos or losing face.
With Shirou she felt the simple, easy flow of conversation between friends. His offhanded confidence and easy-going sense of humor put her at ease and she found that she wasn't planning where to steer the conversation or what she would say to get a desired reaction out of him. She just talked about what was on her mind and listened while he talked about what was on his. She found that he had a very intelligent and analytical mind under his affable and humorous persona. He wasn't very serious, and he didn't have a lot of education, but he was very clever and methodical. His compassion and unerring sense of honor had started as an over correction for what he had been when he served Kotomine but over the years had come to reflect his true internal nobility.
Shirou led them to a small convenience store near the motel. Together they picked out some easy to eat finger foods and and sweets which he bundled into an impromptu picnic basket. He led them through the quickening dusk to a large, heavily forested park in the center of the city surrounded by thick trees and bisected by meandering walkways. There was a large hill in the center of the park that was clear of trees except for a large, gnarled oak perched at its very crest like a lone sentinel. Rin and Shirou made their way up the hill and sat with their backs against the rough bark while they enjoyed their picnic dinner.
Regrettably they'd missed the sunset but the sky was still deepening towards twilight. Jagged tiger stripes of orange purple against navy streaked the sparse white cloud cover. The light shrank towards the horizon as the sun receded deeper and deeper beneath the horizon. As the light finally died the tiny twinkling of stars shone through to replace the multi hued brilliance, their milky expanse mirrored in the the glittering lights of skyscrapers and headlights below them.
As the evening wore on the conversation died down. Not because they had run out of subjects to talk about, but because any conversation would be an intrusion on the loveliness and ambiance of the moment. Shirou was leaned back up against the tree and Rin was snuggled next to him, his arm over her shoulder and her head resting on his broad chest. She could hear the steady even beat of his heart and feel the rise and fall of his breathing. His features were silhouetted against the stars, the strong cut of his jaw running past his neckline up to his ear. She traced his features in the dark until she reached his eyes, glittering in the darkness and fixed on hers.
They stared at each other eye to eye for a long moment. Rin couldn't tell if her own heart was pounding in her chest or if Shirou's was pounding against it. Shirou's gaze flicked downwards, flittering between her wide eyes and her ever so slightly parted lips. Her breathing quickened as his head dipped, lower and lower. One hand left hers and rose to gently caress her cheek as he pulled her up to him.
Rin closed her eyes as he kissed her. The kiss was tender, tentative. He drew back for a moment and then kissed her again. And again, and again. Each kiss grew in mounting waves of intensity and passion until at last Rin collapsed panting against him with a breathless sigh.
Shirou held her close and they sat in satisfied silence until the evening chill began to creep up on them.
"C'mon." He said at last, gently nudging Rin and then helping her to her feet.
"It's getting late, let's go home."
She waited for a moment while he gathered up their trash and stuffed it down into one of the plastic bags they'd brought. He quickly caught up to her and slipped his free hand around her waist. She leaned into him as they walked. The worm of an idea had been growing in the back of Rin's mind but she had been too nervous to voice it out loud. But what better time than now, with Shirou on her arm radiating warmth and comfort?
"S-Shirou?" She said, somewhat more timidly than she'd like. She was glad for the darkness to hide her blush.
"I-I-I've been thinking about your powers, and the way you pay for them from your lifespan. There-there might be a way to avoid that. There's a ritual, a way to t-t-transfer mana from one person to another. I...I could give you..." Rin trailed off nervously, her courage failing her.
Shirou heaved a sad sigh and kissed her forehead.
"I don't think that will work." He said. "Correct me if I'm wrong but from what Caster told me everyone has reserves of prana, right? Some more than others? And as you cast spells your prana becomes depleted until you run out, then you need to rest and let it regenerate. But in my case my powers don't actually use my prana. My mana reserves are technically always full, I just pull from my soul instead of using mana at all. I appreciate the thought but I don't think this is a problem that we can solve by lighting some candles and casting some kind of energy transfer spell."
"But it's still worth a shot, right? I m-m-mean, we can at least try it, right?" Rin pushed on, her nervousness hitting her in the face like a brick in a handbag.
Shirou shook his head, as oblivious as ever much to Rin's chagrin. He had no idea what it was that she was suggesting.
"I'm not willing to risk it. Who knows what would happen? My powers shorten my lifespan. I know it. I've accepted that. I gave up feeling cheated a long time ago. If we try any sort of ritual you may give me your mana. But you may give me something else, something you can't afford to lose. I might hurt you and I...I'm not willing to take that risk."
Rin harumphed remorsefully and snuggled closer to Shirou. She wanted to jump on him like a tiger pouncing on a deer. A sexy, mysterious deer with a heroic physique and a smile like sun breaking through the clouds. In the heat of the moment it was easy to overlook the deer's constant lies and history as a mass-murdering assassin. Okay, maybe not that easy to overlook now that Rin thought about it. She did love Shirou, that she knew. But maybe he was inadvertently right even as he completely missed the point of what she was proposing. There were too many trust issues between them. It would be better to take things slow.
Still, Rin felt a slight twitch of regret when Shirou pulled away to toss their leavings into a nearby dumpster. There was something familiar about the way he moved, a presence that seemed to fill her mind. It reminded her of someone.
No, it wasn't Shirou. Rin was detecting a presence. A presence that she'd be able to recognize even if she was blind. Berserker!
"Look out!" She screamed. At the same time she threw her hands out and sent a wave of force barreling towards Shirou. It knocked him off of his feet and threw him out of the way. At that same instant something enormous smashed into the ground where he had just been standing. It was a telephone pole, the end still caked with black earth where it had been wrenched out of the ground. Shirou groaned and tried to sit up, dazed, and Rin looked around wildly for Berserker.
She saw him, his massive form unmistakeable even in the darkness, silhouetted against the moonlight. He was just recovering from his throw perched on the eave of a nearby rooftop. He must have been tailing them, waiting for them to separate so he could try and crush Shirou without harming Rin.
"Berserker! Wait! Just come talk to me!" She cried.
But before she could follow he had disappeared over the eaves of the roof. Rather than pursue him Rin rushed to Shirou's side.
"I'm alright. Just a little shook up is all." He said as she helped him up.
"Perfect end to a perfect evening, eh?" He joked. "We'd better not stick around. Tomorrow we'll find out what Kotomine is up to once and for all. And maybe if we're lucky we can find out why Berserker wants me dead."