AN: And you have now entered the Akiha route. Tsundere pettanko with brother complexes ahead. To be forewarned is to be forearmed.

I apologize if this feels at all weaker than the other chapters, but I'm recovering from a cold and thus extremely prone to distraction right now.

Fate/Far Side: Origami Blades

Chapter 1

Green Ambrosia

It really was rude of me last night to shack up in some stranger's house and not even bother to say hi. I ought to get up and actually make myself presentable.

The bedroom had a bath nearby, and poking my head out found the house just as quiet as I could have imagined such a large place and such a small complement. Kohaku mentioned that besides the brother and sister Tohno family members, she and her sister Hisui were the only ones that lived here, making a grand total of four people to a house that could comfortably accommodate five times that. It would not exactly surprise me if this entire wing I was staying in was empty.

I took to the washroom across the way and, though I was not used to it, took a quick shower for the morning. It occurred to me the last time I had properly bathed had been before the train ride, which was full of the kind of things one does not usually want to transmit to others…

I changed into the somewhat cleaner-cut clothing I had—white shirt, not-raggy jeans—and shaved, then went to try and find Kohaku. Since she was the cook of the house, I assumed Kohaku would already be up and preparing breakfast for the family head, even if said family was not going to be up early due to a late night.

The Tohno mansion's kitchen was indeed active when I snuck in, Kohaku humming something as she cracked some eggs open over a skillet. I knocked lightly on the door frame and the maid glanced over her shoulder at me. "Ah, already awake are we? You should take the time to relax, Shirou-san."

"I sort of realized I zonked out so fast last night that I didn't have a chance to even say hi to the lady of the house," I said, scratching the back of my head. "Pretty rude of me. Thought I should get up to make sure and remedy that."

"I see, I see," Kohaku nodded, then split another egg and started working it into the pan. "Well, you could certainly help me with that. I should be going to check up on Akiha-sama in about five minutes, but I need to watch these cook. Could I bother you to do so instead?" She went on to describe how to reach the room from here.

I went to nod, then paused and felt my eyes narrow. "This wouldn't be an attempt to boot me out of your kitchen, would it?"

"I would never do such a thing." Kohaku grinned.

"Then it's an attempt to skive off more work."

"Bingo."

I gave her a mock glare. "I'm certain there are ulterior motives here that you still aren't telling me. Like you don't want a secret recipe to fall into my hands."

Instead of answering, she turned back to her food and started whistling, that cliché sort of whistling one did when they're obviously hiding something and obviously you're not supposed to know that they're doing so.

"Okay. You win this round. But you will fork over your secrets for my own devilish plans," I said, wishing I had a mustache to twirl for effect.

The whistling continued even after I was clear of the kitchen. I think it turned into a theme song for a show at some point, judging by the constant change in tone.

Akiha Tohno's room was, as I expected, in a completely separate wing from mine in an area that looked a little more lived in. Even as clean as the entire place was kept, it was pretty clear that the floors in this wing were worn down a little more.

I knocked on the door and heard a muffled "Come in," so I didn't really think twice about it—

The naked backside of a young woman.

There was a shriek—I'm not sure whether it was from me or her—and I ducked back into the hallway as fast as humanly possible. "W-wh-who—" came the confused stuttering from inside.

"Kohaku sent me!" I blurted. My own words suddenly let click why the maid seemed so intent on getting me away, not only to keep me out of her kitchen, but to embarrass both her employer and myself. Such flawless skin—I mean, plan, plan!

The sound of clothing rustling and the padding of bare feet about the room momentarily, and then the person within cleared their throat. "I…you can enter, now."

Enter? Enter what? What was that supposed to—

Oh. Duh. "Sorry for the intrusion!" I yelped, peeking carefully around the doorframe and back into the room.

The girl stood fully clothed now, a long and flowy red skirt replacing the bare skin—don't think about it!—from before. Her blouse was almost school uniform-like in cut, giving her a very pre-professional look. She was slipping a headband on when I looked in. "I thought you were Kohaku," she said, a little red in the face.

"I should've said who it was," I admitted. "It's still early; I'll, uh, I'll blame it on that."

Awkward silence settled in, and I thought briefly of when something like this had happened with Saber. Her unflappable demeanor had driven through it, leaving me the only one embarrassed. Here, I think, I was going to have a hard time not feeling guilty every time I looked at Tohno-san.

"I, um," she muttered, "Anyway, Kohaku sent you?"

I nodded furiously. "She was busy making breakfast and said she usually went to wake you around this time."

Tohno-san gave a nod, her arms crossing in front of her chest. "Honestly, what is that girl thinking," she mumbled, though loud enough that I could hear. She seemed to huff to herself, then her voice picked up. "Emiya-san, correct?"

"Yes," I bowed, probably more than once. All to avoid eye contact. "I wanted to thank you and apologize for the intrusion and see if there was anything I could do to make it up for you and this really isn't a good start is it?"

Another huff, followed by a flick of her hair over her shoulder. She glanced once toward the vanity to one side of the room and then came out into the hall. I had to refrain from the urge to back away with my head bowed like some kind of courtier in the presence of royalty. "Just…next time, don't listen to what she tells you to do. Without thinking it through carefully, I mean."

"Right." So, I was wrong before. Kohaku was not working for the government. She was going to be an expert salesperson that convinced me to hand over all my money. Or my secrets. Hmm. I'll have to make sure to always keep at least one recipe in reserve, then.

Kohaku kept giving us these fox-like grins as she served us breakfast, and though she never brought up a question on what had happened, I think our silence indicated everything she needed to know. Somehow.

Her sister, Hisui, stood off to the side in silence, and I was struck by the difference in appearance they had despite the fact that they were twins. Of course, that may have to do more with the vast difference between Kohaku's smirk and Hisui's flat expression. It made me feel doubly self-conscious over everything that was going on, like I had just returned from doing something completely unmentionable to their employer.

"So," Tohno-san said, "what brings you to Misaki, Emiya-san?" It sounded just like any other small-talk, though I had the distinct feeling that she was doing it to get us completely on a different topic. I'm pretty sure that Kohaku wasn't convinced, anyway, because the maid only added a faint giggle to her grin, hidden behind her hand.

"I…well, traveling, mainly," I kept getting distracted by the maid. She really had that I know what happened sort of look down pat. "My, uh, my dad came here once, to talk to a doctor, and I wanted to stop by and maybe see if I could find that doctor again."

"Didn't you say your father died?" Kohaku asked.

I nodded, taking another bite from the omelet. Kohaku really was a good cook, and this further fed this desire that I needed to challenge her skills. Also, to defeat her in light of her joke at my expense. "Yeah. Peacefully, though, and I wanted to thank the doctor for that." I mean, it was somewhat true, now that I could look at it all in hindsight. Kiritsugu was clearly suffering greatly from the curse put on him by the Grail, but whoever this doctor was had alleviated him at least enough that he could function without showing his pain. "I'm sure my old man would've liked to thank him, anyway."

"What was he suffering from?" Tohno-san asked.

Er…damn. I guess I was rambling a bit now, and I didn't have much I could say on the matter. "It…well…" I blushed and felt like sinking into my chair. "It was alternative medicine," I said, which was probably true. "So it was never diagnosed by a regular physician. The old man was into…somewhat old-fashioned stuff."

Tohno-san and Kohaku both had thoughtful looks on their faces at this, though. Tohno-san said, "Do you think it could be Jinan-san?"

"Jinan-san?" I asked. Somehow, that name did seem to ring a bell.

Hisui bowed and left the room when Tohno-san motioned to her. Kohaku, meanwhile, gave me a smile. "An expert in alternative medicine, though he had a license to practice pharmacology as well. It sounds right up his alley, actually, since most people around here are generally preferential toward modern medicine." She shrugged. "There was a time when all you'd read about in the paper was one acupuncture clinic after another going down."

"Huh." Of course, sometimes I was certain half of those places were also shams, with the people running them not actually aware of old medicine practices that worked, bringing in clientele and then randomly jabbing them with needles and prescribing herbs that do nothing but smell. Kind of like how Westerners always associated witches and wizards with pointed hats and broomsticks.

The quiet maid returned with a slip of paper, handing it to me and bowing just as silently. An address was scrawled out on it. "That would be his address, if it is helpful," Tohno-san said.

I nodded. "Very much so." A thought passed through my mind, and with it came a grin to mirror Kohaku's from earlier. "Is there anything I could do to make up for all these favors? Perhaps cook for you? I'm pretty handy in the kitchen." I gave the energetic maid a stare-down.

"Oh-ho-ho, you dare to intrude upon my territory, little grasshopper?" Kohaku said, puffing her chest out and putting her hands to her hips like a television superhero. "There is no way I'll let you get awa—"

"That sounds like a fine idea, Emiya-san," Tohno-san interrupted.

Which deflated Kohaku like poking a balloon with scissors. She turned a betrayed expression upon her employer, who merely responded with crossed arms and a haughty look away from the maid.

"I'll bring my attack tonight, then, after making a trip into town." Though now, I really could care less about seeing this doctor. Potential meals were already flashing through my head. I recalled passing some nice tuna in the grocery, so maybe tataki. I'd have to figure out some nice greens to match that, though…

Tohno-san was grinning, and I was sure it had nothing to do with my promise of food. I would have to change that opinion, though.

Origami Blades: Green Ambrosia, End

Typically, the Japanese bathe in the evening, so if anyone was confused by the emphasis on "shower in the morning = uncommon" that's why.