AN: WARNING! THIS STORY HAS TEH SEXXORS. Though again, like with Escaping Fate, it's mainly to emulate the VN and is only a small part of the story.

Yes, I had the image at the end planned from the get-go. Honest to god, it has nothing to do with impending scenes from the Fate/Zero anime.

Actually, this was super hard to do after Fate/Zero started. I kept thinking of this teamup story between Kiritsugu and Kiri Nanaya that I'm mapping out in my head and not what I needed to get done here.

Darker Than Black shoutout incoming.

Fate/Far Side: Healing Hands

Chapter 7

Synchronized Moments

It felt both a little liberating and a little terrifying explaining such a thing to someone completely unrelated to it. Obviously, I could commiserate with Tohsaka over what had transpired, but telling such a radical thing to someone else felt equal parts exciting and scary. Hisui, for all her personality quirks, seemed completely normal and extremely sheltered; how she would take my story—or even if she would take it at face value—was a mystery to me.

I didn't realize I was staring off even until Hisui put her hand out over mine, the slightest of trembling apparent. I refocused on her and wanted to tell her not to be upset or afraid of anything I had explained, since it was long over now.

"So, she died in your place," Hisui said.

Or I'm an idiot, and she was just being sympathetic, not afraid. "Yeah. I guess you could say that's the second time such a thing has happened in my life."

"And…she, um…"

I carefully reached up and pulled the necklace out. "It's silly, but yeah. Sometimes, I'd swear I still hear her voice, guiding me."

Hisui reached up to trace her fingers along the blue enamel of the tiny sword charm. A silly reminder of my fascination with swords even when just goofing off in a shopping arcade and getting Illya a present to cheer her up after Berserker's defeat.

Yes, I tried cheering up a person that wanted at one point to kill everyone around me. And yes, that same present came back around just to save me. Someday, I hoped things I did would no longer boomerang back to me. Besides Kanshou and Bakuya, anyway.

"Do you believe—" Hisui frowned, her lips moving as she tried words out to see if they fit what she was attempting to say. "Do you believe she was without regret, in the end?"

The weight of those words made me understand that this really wasn't about Saber any longer. Hisui was finding something within this all that she might be comparing to her own life, or to her sister and Tohno-san. At least, I hoped that's what she was taking from it. "I think, if you truly believe in your decision, you won't regret the outcome."

Hisui held the keychain out, her thumb brushing along the edges. "This is why you heal so fast?"

I heal because of one thing, was healed because of the other. "I'm just lucky. I'm not really special otherwise. The one who sacrificed herself is."

"No, Emiya-sama. That is where you are wrong." She leaned forward, and, before I could say anything, touched her lips to the charm. "I am…very glad that you are here."

"Hisui?" The…well, sensual way that looked…

"Can I say it?" Hisui whispered. "You are scared that your life will be for nothing." She blushed, but looked askance, disappointed-like. "I am scared of simply setting foot outside."

Finally. She admits that she's scared. Just to reach that far felt like a victory of sorts. "Don't let my weird life be what you measure things by, Hisui. The little things, the little choices, they all still matter."

There was a fierce look that she gave me in return. "Do not let my small life be what you measure things by, Emiya-sama. What you have gone through is more than enough for one person to shoulder."

"Don't sell yourself short."

Hisui sighed. "I…thought for the longest time that I should fight for my sister. She…has been very hurt by this world."

I nodded. By now, it was pretty clear that the way Kohaku acted…well, maybe it wasn't too far from the way I did. Smile in the face of adversity. Don't let them see you hurt. I don't know what happened to make her like this, but, it made sense. It also made some sense as to why Hisui acted as she did, trying to be a strong foundation for her sister to not be concerned by. Moving away from everything you have ever known and not even showing signs of the fear…

"I thought I should keep myself from harm at all costs so what she suffered would be balanced by what I did not. I suppose that is merely egotism on my part."

I watched her carefully, wanted to take in everything she said and did and looked like as she confessed these things. I felt certain this was important, not just for her, but for me to listen.

She moved up closer to me, close enough that I could feel her breath against my skin, and I shivered. "I realize now that I have merely been avoiding what I fear for myself, and I do not wish to do so. What does one do when confronting fear, Emiya-sama?"

"Then I would be proud of trying. If only I had been given the courage to do so, instead of wallowing in fear like I did."

I gave her a sad smile. "Remember the good things you are determined to reach. The fear is nothing to that."

She looked sad in return. "Good things. Good things…"

Reaching up, I slowly touched the corner of her lips with a finger and drew upward until she was giving a smile beyond the stoic mask she wore. "For me, things like this. Smiling faces."

Very slowly, she tilted her head, leaning into my touch, and pressed her lips to my finger.

I almost groaned outright. Not good. The proximity to this girl reminded me of how lonely it felt sometimes, her touch reminded me that, in the years since the Grail War, mere human contact has been very foreign to me.

Unable to help it, I pushed Hisui onto her back and leaned over her, hand sliding away to trace over her cheek and ear, almost jumping right down atop her. "Hisui, I…uh…" I heard myself mutter, my body certainly wanting one thing but my brain still attempting to maintain reason.

The girl beneath me blushed further, but reached up to take my wrist in her hand. Yes, okay, too far, too fast, message received—

With greater force than I expected, we tumbled around until my back was to the bed and Hisui leaned over me, that fierce look returning even stronger, though she did not actually look angry. It was more like what I expected when someone was hard at work, facing something frustrating and attacking it with all their might.

Oh. That was it. It reminded me of—

"And what if," Hisui said, straddling my waist and leaning down until her hair was to either side of my face, "what if the good and the bad are wrapped into one, that the fear and the good things are together?"

I gulped. "Um…"

Dammit.

Hisui, your hips…they're just…

She stared down at me intensely, as if she could will me to break.

Expert interrogation technique. "I…try harder?"

"Understood."

Her lips descended to mine, and the moment they touched, I had my arms around her waist in an attempt to crush every inch of her body against mine. I didn't care, this was too much, maybe I was just feeling lonely after explaining what had happened before and maybe Hisui was just too enticing a target—

She pulled away the moment my hands found the clasp at the neck of her uniform, and I blanched. Dammit, Shirou, you're such an idiot…

Why do I hear Tohsaka's voice even when I'm berating myself? "S-sorry, Hisui, I, uh—"

"Turn out the light?" she said.

I blinked up at her.

Her lips met mine again, briefly, and she mewled faintly into my skin. "Just…do not want everything so open."

Wait.

So…

This…really was going to happen?

Even as she was reaching up to pull the uniform off, I was on that. Forget the consequences or even sensible thought—

I had Assassin's Dark copied and thrown into the light socket so fast I might've qualified for the class at that very moment.

Hisui's dress hit the floor and I was out of my shirt in record time, pulling her back to my body as fast as humanly possible. My lips pressed to her neck and she let out a sound that was part shuddering exhale and part gasp—I'm not really sure how one did that at the same time. My eyes flew open when I realized she had no bra, and I hastily trailed my kisses down to her chest, swirling around the buds that I could only faintly see by the dim light from beneath the door. I belatedly realized it must be overcast, since no light came through from the window.

I guess I could Reinforce my eyes to see better, but, well, that wouldn't be fair, right?

Shaking beneath my mouth, Hisui was fumbling for the clasp to my pants, and I only made it more difficult, reaching around to grasp her by the rear and pull her completely flush to me.

"E-Emiya-s-sama, p-pants," she moaned. "Your."

I am so glad my mind wasn't the only one completely backwards right now.

My brain—well, and my body too—refused to listen, and I continued to lick around her body, ignoring everything else but the way she would squeak or moan with a touch or a nip. She shook, then finally managed enough power to push me back, and as my elbows hit the bed she slid off my legs, unbuttoned me, and pulled at the waistband of my pants and underwear in one go.

I felt her tongue dart out and swirl around me, and it took every bit of focus from my mind to resist the urge to grab her by the hair and shove myself into her mouth. I wanted to, I wanted to thrust into her, wanted to come with myself lodged in her throat—

Even though I couldn't see well, I felt her breath on me, felt the way her lips curled upwards faintly even as she had me in her mouth. Her hand moved over me and she looked up and said, "Glad…you feel this way too."

Okay, maybe the lights were a good thing. I'm sure, quite sure, if I had seen her face at that, I'd have just swooned over into unconsciousness.

She descended on me again, her head bobbing, and I fisted my hands against the sheets, trying to hold on for dear life.

So…who was the one with the power here?

I groaned aloud, felt the vibrations reach all the way down to my toes. Hisui's breath hastened at that, an exhale through her nose in amusement or excitement—I couldn't tell which—and she moved faster over me, pulsing her head, her tongue licking my underside—

I came, my feet digging into the bed and my hips trying to push up further into her mouth. She held herself over me, slowly drawing up and down as I did, pulling more out of me until her mouth was full. Shuddering, I realized I might have just screamed.

Hisui licked me until every last drop was clear of my body, swallowing me, then gently moving her hand over me in the same motion as before, and I grit my teeth. She could tell, and I could tell, it would not take much, and she continued to move and flick her tongue against me, I don't know for how long, until I was up again, the pounding of blood the only thing I could feel in my eardrums.

I managed to sit up as she moved over me, though I reached for her first, my lips once again finding her breasts, and she tittered when I gently jabbed her sides with my fingers. Her laughter made me look up, though I could only faintly see her expression, though there was at least a faint smile there.

"Hisui…" I said, wishing my voice didn't sound ready to crack right there.

She leaned into me and I guided myself beneath her, pressing to her warmth, and she moved down.

Then gasped in pain.

I caught hold of her body as she wavered between tension and release, silently cursing myself. Of course, you idiot, she would never have done this, try thinking more than five seconds in front of your own face—

"E-Emiya-sama," she muttered, fearfully.

"Here," I said, pressing my lips to her neck, just below her ear. "Right here."

She nodded, faintly, and I brushed my hands down her back, tried to calm her frazzled nerves with kisses to her cheek. Hisui started moving on her own, and I wanted to stop her, tell her she didn't need to force herself like this.

And remembered our conversation.

Maybe…

I wrapped my arms around her waist, held her as she moved atop me, and let myself relax a little.

No. I would be here, and she could do what she felt she had to.

Hisui's hesitation slowly sank away, and as she would draw up, she would gasp as the sensations changed. I held onto her and onto the feeling, and hoped it would be enough.

It was morning.

She was gone.

I shot out of bed as if something had bit me, fumbling around as my sleep-addled brain attempting to process this. Hisui's warmth wasn't even present in the bed, nor did I see any sign of her clothing about at all.

Since when have I become such a heavy sleeper, dammit?

Biting my tongue, I groped around for clothing and hastily zipped and buttoned up, then charged out of my room and to Hisui's. I knocked once, then just pressed right in, the tight feeling that I knew what I would find shooting up my spine.

Yeah.

Her suitcase was gone.

"She left about an hour ago."

I turned to find Tohno-san standing behind me—I didn't even hear her approach, the sound of my blood pumping too strong in my ears—her arms folded and hands to either elbow. I wondered if it was cold at this early hour and this large house, but the burning I felt running through my veins sufficed enough heat my way. "Guess I should've seen this coming," I said.

"Guess you should have."

The sincere way she said that gave me pause, and I felt my eyes narrow. "Implying something?"

Tohno-san gave a triumphant little smirk. It wasn't quite Tohsaka's Cheshire-cat expression, but it was enough that I bet her brother and classmates all feared when it appeared. "I don't know what it's like in Fuyuki, but, around these parts, one assumes the man will take responsibility."

I felt all that heat running through my body now center itself on my face. How did she know? Were we that loud? I mean…

Her grin widened. "So, then, it is true."

Wait.

I…damn.

Raising a hand to her mouth in that completely patronizing way of covering laughter, Tohno-san's smirk widened to the point that no amount of covering would keep anyone from knowing what was going on behind there. She snickered in a very unladylike fashion and then flicked her hair behind her shoulders. "Only a hunch. Hisui is…well, she certainly doesn't do things by half-measures, as you can tell. And I saw the way she looks at you."

I'm glad, though, that Tohno-san was clearly that attuned to the stoic maid's slight changes in expression. I'm pretty sure any lesser person would have completely missed the fact that Hisui was even expressive to begin with.

Still, embarrassing. "I…er, yeah. I mean, I guess I'm not one to do things by half-measures either."

Even if it was just a moment of comfort for the both of us…

It's not something I want to end in this way.

"Good enough," Tohno-san said. She motioned for me to follow after her. "Hmm, slightly shorter than nii-san…" She led me into another room, diving right into a closet off to one side. I heard some shuffling and the sound of hangars rattling against each other, then a pair of trousers went flying out and landed on the bed. "Put those on."

I stared. "What?"

"Just do it!" Tohno-san's voice was muffled by the closet, and I started to wonder how deep that thing was.

I complied, moving to the corner of the room so that looking out from the closet would not give her a view of my underwear. Something in her tone suggested that if I tried changing in the other room, I would be yelled at for taking too long.

Just as I finished belting the trousers, Tohno-san came out of the closet holding a hangar with a blazer and button-up on it. The clothing was fancier than anything I owned, though Fuji-nee sometimes threatened to change that—I just always dodged that, since Fuji-nee had an odd taste in clothing. "What's all this?"

"So you don't look like you," Tohno-san said. "You might have noticed earlier, but the Touzaki are full of suited tough guys that are somewhat known to the business world. You looking like this might make them think a rival company, or the like." She paused, considering. "You're the type of person that just blindly runs into a situation and doesn't really think of the consequences, huh?"

Well…more like I ignore the potential of consequences. If I thought everything through, I'd never be able to act, and—

Though, I guess, my rash actions have caused a lot of grief.

Keep moving.

Yeah.

As I changed, Tohno-san must have caught sight of the jewelry around my neck. She must have found it odd, too, since she gave me a funny look. "A heart-shaped gem and a sword connected by a red ribbon. Don't you find something ironic about that?"

"My life is full of irony and odd symmetry."

"More to add to it, then," she said. "The Touzaki family specializes in sword-crafting. You might consider the possibility of a knife fight if you try and take Hisui back with force."

I nodded. "I'll remember that. Why do they want her, anyway?"

"Honestly? They just want to try and exert power over this part of the family." Shaking her head, Tohno-san handed me the matching boots and motioned for me to follow her once more as I finished donning the blazer. "I think one of the reasons Hisui and Kohaku were quiet about this was for that very reason, and because they both know the Touzaki's won't do anything terrible. They're just being political, something I just have to deal with now."

"You mean, something you're having me deal with," I said, though I grinned.

"Only fitting that I should turn to the son of an outsider like Magus Killer Emiya."

Tohno-san had started down the stairs, and I was glad that I was short of them myself, else I might have just crashed right down every single one. "What?"

"I did some digging," Tohno-san said, grinning up at me. "You're not the only special one."

She continued down the staircase, leaving me to stumble down after her. "Are you—I mean, is your family—"

"Magi? No. Perhaps, if you return, you can ask Hisui and Kohaku all about it. I'll give my permission." Ignoring my start-and-stop faltering, the young woman led me back toward one wing of the house. "I don't suppose you know how to drive, Emiya-san?"

"N-no," I admitted, my mind still whirling. "I've driven a moped, but not a car."

Tohno-san nodded. "Then, we're in luck."

Through two sets of doors and pausing only to let me put the boots on—which were a little large, though I'd just fix that later—she showed me into a fairly spacious garage. It looked disused, though clean, and I remembered that Tohno-san had said she hired a driver. The cars here all were nice and the kinds I associated with "rich people," though I had a feeling they had remained here in state for a long while.

Weaving past a BMW convertible—the first one I'd ever actually seen up close—Tohno-san motioned to a sheet-covered motorcycle. "If you take the Chitano road, you should be able to catch up to them."

I guess knowing a bike over a car is even beneficial in this case.

I threw the cover off the bike and stared down at it. Again, like everything else, it seemed to be in well-maintained condition and regularly cleaned, though the bike itself was a little intimidating. Much larger than a moped.

My eyes caught Tohno-san's, and I had a billion and one things to ask and say. But the most important one was thankfully at the forefront of my mind. "Thank you."

"Thank me once you have her," she said, handing me the key.

I nodded. Mounting the vehicle and keying the ignition, I knocked the kick-stop up and revved the engine on.

Tohno-san hit a switch on the wall and the garage door before me slid open.

And, careful not to pop the clutch and look like a complete idiot, I gunned the V-MAX out of the mansion.

Akiha smiled to herself as she made her way back into the mansion proper. It was only a short while, but getting to tease someone like Emiya-san was something she found she enjoyed, as he certainly wore everything on his sleeve. Watching his surprise at her knowledge was enough to tell her that, despite who he had been raised by, Emiya-san himself was a saver, not a killer.

She was glad, then, that he had come here.

She made it back to the stairs, then stumbled. The pain of maintaining her normal air, the energy required to put up that front had taken everything from her, and now, the moment she had to do more than shuffle her feet along the floor—

Pain shot up her spine as she tried to lift her leg, and even just that momentary jab was enough.

Doubling over, she coughed into her hand, and saw red smear her skin.

She fell to her side against the staircase, and between the bars of the railing, she espied Kohaku watching her with a blank expression, a doll's expression.

Akiha smiled, despite herself, despite the pain, despite the feeling of blood pooling within her.

She was glad.

Her nii-san would be kept apart from it all.

And maybe, Shirou Emiya would be able to look after the sisters when she was gone.

Healing Hands: Synchronized Moments, End