As Expected He Was More Warped Than Most

Hachiman yawned. The television was on a news channel and showed nothing of importance. Something about dead bodies being found. Cause of death, Drug Overdose. So again, nothing of importance. To him at least. Hiratsuka had gone out earlier to meet up with some friends for a couple of hours. He doubted that claim of hers, mostly because she probably didn't have any friends. Which was rather ironic because she had been pushing him to make friends for months now. Coming back to the present, she likely went out to smoke because he wouldn't let her smoke in her own apartment. She threw quite the fit about it at first but eventually let it go as he stayed firm on his ground. That was good, smoking was bad for her anyway. 'Why can't she just act her age a little more anyway?' Maybe if she did then she could actually get that boyfriend she's always been groaning about. Although, thinking about it now, at this rate he was starting to think that he would end up having to take her... It took him a full minute to realize that was much more probable than her actually finding a boyfriend or husband... That's kind of concerning.

His lips curl down to a slight frown. His eyes fixed on the Television even though his thoughts were in a completely different place. He never really thought about it before. Could that be it? Could one of the questions he had been seeking the answer to be answered by something as simple as getting a wife? He had a 'girlfriend' before for a short period of time... sort of girlfriend? Wait ... What was her name again?... Well, not like he would meet her again so back to topic. He wasn't really sure of the qualifications required to be to be a 'couple'. Most of his classmates in middle school called them that, begrudgingly of course. Something about him not being 'worthy of her'. Even the girl herself called them a couple, and although that was almost two years ago, he still remembered some parts of 'being with' that girl and the emotions it brought him.

Nothing.

It brought him absolutely nothing. It didn't make him feel any different than usual. Thinking about it now. Why didn't it? He had seen many couples in the past and all of them looked happy. Yet even though he had a 'significant other' he was not happy... At least he thought he wasn't happy. What was happiness to begin with anyway?

The image of MAX COFFEE and Mapo Tofu comes in front of his vision. He shook his head to get the images out. 'No. That can't be it.'

Was it because of that girl? Or did he misunderstand the term 'significant other'? He had seen more than his fair share of romcom anime and read manga and light novels of the similar genre thanks to Zaimokuza. And in some of those, more than one character, regardless of gender and even animals on rare occasions, would fall for a single male character but that male character would choose the one he... feels the most 'complete' with? At least that's what he remembered Zaimokuza saying. It didn't really make sense to him but to someone like him it... probably wasn't going to make sense anyway. Or maybe it didn't make sense because it was fictional and not real life? He could still remember himself and that girl 'going out' about... what? Twice? Maybe three times? At any rate, he guessed that the girl had simply gotten bored of him which inevitably lead to her 'breaking up' with him. He could barely remember the disappointment in her eyes when that happened. But he did remember the glares and insults the other boys and even some girls throwing his way the rest of his middle school days quite clearly.

Hachiman rubbed the bridge of his nose. These thoughts were too confusing. He considered taking a walk outside, it has been almost a week since he came to Hiratsuka' apartment and all he did was just stay indoor all day and night. Quite relaxing yes but he had gotten so used to doing things day in and out and then some when he became a high school student that he had been getting bored rather easier than ever before. Cooking and cleaning could take only so much time if it's done every single day... He was starting to reconsider wanting to become a househusband. A blasphemous thought. One he would likely change once his daily schedule became packed again with both school and work. And eventually just work after high school.

He stood up to stretch his legs then checked the time on his phone, 1:30 PM is what it showed. His stomach growled and he wondered when Hiratsuka was going to come back. Just as he was about to put his phone back, it buzzed. A text message. He quirked an eyebrow. Sometimes he asked himself why sim card companies sent messages after messages to people that rarely call other people. Like him for example. He clicked on the menu button and then again to open the message menu, expecting to see some sort of 'special' or 'limited time' offer but saw that it was actually from Hiratsuka.

He blinked then opened the text message. After reading the text, his eyebrow twitched. A soft sigh escaped his lips as he went into the kitchen, with nostrils flaring briefly he muttered. "More for me I guess." And after all the trouble he went through to make lunch as well. Speaking of which. After having lunch he should make a trip to the convenience store to get stuff for dinner. The fire underneath the pot kept going as he pulled the lid up, the smell it brought to his nose was good. And at moments like this he would normally wish he could properly taste the meals he cooked.

Fortunately this meal he was going to enjoy to it's fullest. After all, on today's menu, lunch was-

*Ding Dong*

'Who could that be?' he questioned. By the contents of the text Hiratsuka sent him, she wouldn't be back till late night. 'Looks like she does have friends after all.' Now he had to admit, that was a surprise. He turned the stove off and put the lid back on, leaving a small gap open so it would cool down a little faster. He still wanted to enjoy it after all. Can't enjoy it with a burnt tongue.

*Ding Dong*

"Coming!" he called out and headed for the door. But before he exited the living room he turned off the television.

He opened the door. On the other side was a woman. One he had never met nor seen before, he knew it was no one he ever met because he couldn't remember meeting any woman with graying hair. He raised an eyebrow and greeted. "Good afternoon?"

The woman looked surprised as she pulled a piece of paper over her eye and read the words written on it. "I think I have the right address? This is the Kurohiko Apartment Complex right?" She asked him. Truthfully he had... absolutely no clue. He did not pay attention to the large sign on the building's outer wall when he came here.

"..." he remained silent for a few seconds. "How can I help you?" It was a technique he picked up from one of Yukinoshita and Yuigahama' conversation. Ignore the originally asked question and divert the flow of the conversation with a question or statement seemingly related to the previous topic to make yourself not look incompetent and avoid the need to lie. He remembered Yukinoshita saying something about having never lied and not lying back at Chiba Village which he still called bullshit. Maybe she meant this when she said that. After all, it's not technically a lie if you don't answer at all right?

"Itadakimasu."/"Itadakimasu." The phrase echo in unison.

It was a phrase often used before meals. Usually by those with a Japanese background. It had more than one meaning but it all boiled down to something along the lines of thanking for the meal the speaker was about to consume. After all, multiple people had a hand behind the creation of the meal. To thank them for their hard work, even if they weren't physically there to hear it, had a logic of its own didn't it?

"Hmm." the older woman in front of him hummed as she took a bite of the mapo tofu and rice combination he had provided her. "You've made this yourself? My Shizuka didn't help at all?"

Hachiman nodded. He had shown this woman the text Hiratsuka sent her. Her reaction to it was a little more than he expected. Actually, when this woman showed up almost everything she did was 'a little more than he expected'. She had looked him up and down, as if inspecting him. He thought that she wanted to ask him something but she didn't. "No she did not. She went out with some friends earlier and won't be back til much later."

"It's delicious, albeit a little spicy for my taste... You're a good cook." She nodded in understanding before taking another bite from the dish. He felt a tinge of... pride(?) in him as he did the same, unlike hers though, he didn't mix any rice with his own mapo as he preferred the spicy sensation it gave him. The woman in front of him was Hiratsuka Shiori, mother of Hiratsuka Shizuka. She had shown up just in time for lunch which he offered her out of courtesy. She was hesitant at first, weary of him but for some reason didn't think Hachiman was as threatening as he looked. The woman had shown up without telling Hiratsuka about her visit, in an attempt to surprise her daughter. Unfortunately Hiratsuka wasn't home so her efforts went wasted and she wasn't picking up her phone. Meaning they couldn't even contact her to let her know of her mother's arrival.

"So... How long have you known my daughter?" she asked him. An odd question he had to admit. But he answered anyway.

" About sixteen months." Wait. Sixteen months was including the days he didn't have school after first year classes were over. Did that count? Because he didn't really see her those days. Nor think of her even once. So this question was odd and harder to answer than he realized. However he had already given his answer so there is no point in changing it now.

"Hmm." she hummed again. "What happened to your arm?" she realized the question may have been a little personal. "You... um... don't have to answer if you don't want to."

He thought for a second. Since he was given the choice to answer or not he made sure to use it well. The last time he was asked the same question by Hikigaya Komachi he ended up lying even though he didn't need to. He still didn't understand why he lied to her though. "It was an animal attack."

Shiori looked surprised at that. "Oh my."

Hachiman nods. "It's healing quickly enough. I should be able to take off the bandages in a couple of more days." It was true, it honestly didn't even hurt that much now. That was why the sling was taken off. Made movement and doing errands a lot easier.

"H-How did it happen? I-I if you don't mind me asking." the elderly woman stuttered. He guessed she was at unease because physical injury was involved.

"You daughter had taken me and a few others to chaperone some elementary school children far out north. A bear had stumbled upon our camp and attacked." he explained. The woman gasped when she realized children were involved. She was beginning to lose her appetite. Hachiman saw the gasp. "The children were unharmed. Only I and one other were the one's to get hurt before the authorities got there." She calmed down. How did he know? She visibly exhaled in relief. She didn't speak, leading him to believe she no longer wanted to talk about it.

They continued to eat in silence, Hachiman could feel the tense atmosphere. He could also see that Hiratsuka Shiori was uncomfortable in the silence and her eating pace was far slower than his own. "Hiratsuka-san." He began. "Forgive me if I am being rude but the food has done no wrong, your feeling of unease, while justified, is not enough a reason to neglect it. If it is of any help, know that both I and the other person I mentioned are now safe and well." Half of that last statement was a lie. He had absolutely no idea if Tobe was alright. The boy's arm looked to be in a real bad shape. He had heard from Takeshi that Kyo had to take an entire week off to 'be there' for his family. If Hachiman had to say haphazard a guess, Tobe would not be allowed to play football anytime soon. If at all.

The elderly woman was a little caught off guard at his bluntness but saw that his words meant no ill will towards her. Although, to be scolded by someone so much younger than her did make her feel out of place. She smiled nervously. "Yes of course. You weren't being rude at all. Thank you Kotomine-san."

The awkward atmosphere faded. Hachiman' phone rang. He pulled it out and checked the caller ID which made him raise an eyebrow. His lunch was already finished. "Excuse me for a moment. I need to take this. It's from my boss." he didn't see the woman raise an eyebrow at that.

"Don't mind me. Go ahead." she replied. Since Shiori believed him to be living with Hiratsuka in her apartment, she thought him to be jobless. Yet she didn't question her daughter's decision. After all she was a grown woman. She was allowed to make mistakes. But now- 'At least he's got a job. Not bad so far.'

When Hachiman got back, he noticed both plates were missing from the table and the water was running on the kitchen sink. He peeked inside, only to see Shiori cleaning the dishes and pots. Hachiman didn't really mind but she was technically a guest. And even he knew enough to not let guests do housework. "You didn't need to do this." He joined in, picking up a plate.

"It's fine." Shiori said with a smile and without looking at him. "I only wish Shizuka was here. I'll have to leave in a bit. Shizuka' father is looking after our store by himself. But at his age, working by himself is really risky. Last week he hurt his back by standing up too fast." she giggled at the memory. Her expression morphed into one of reminiscence. "The first time he complained about his back was when Shizu-chan was a toddler and wanted him to give her a piggyback ride."

Hachiman... did not know how to followup on that, with no memories of his family... if he had one... he couldn't find himself able to relate to people with familial problems and thoughts.

"If you hold it like this. It's less likely to fall." Shiori showed him another way to hold the plate. He blinked, not because he thought it to be bad. But because he actually found it to be a good idea. Having broken his fair share of plates in the past, he realized now that by holding the plate this way all of those plates and tableware could have been saved.

The next few hours flew by just like that, Shiori giving Hachiman advice about certain things which Hachiman would listen to. She would randomly ask him questions which he would answer. Questions like what he did for a living and his salary. Truthfully Hachiman didn't mind. He couldn't help but think if this was how it felt to have a mother. The sun began to set. By then Shiori was preparing to leave. Hachiman decided to walk her to the station. He saw an odd expression on her face when he told her of his decision. She looked... impressed? Why that was Hachiman had no idea. But let the matter go, thinking he was just misinterpreting her expression.

When they arrived at the station, Hachiman saw her enter the train. He was about to turn back he heard Shiori' voice.

"Hachiman-san." Hachiman was a little surprised since the older woman had been calling him by his other name till now, he found himself oddly okay with her new address for him. He looked to his right to see Shiori sitting on a window seat that was closest to the train's entrance.

"Yes Hiratsuka-san?"

"I know my daughter may be a bit overbearing sometimes but she means well. For what it's worth, thank you for putting up with her." the train's engine started. Causing Shiori to perk up. A soft giggle escapes her lips. "She needs someone as grounded as you to keep her in check. Please look after her." the train started shivering, signaling it was ready for departure. She waved at him. He thought of waving back but his body seemed to have decided for him. He waved back. "I look forward to hearing the wedding date." All of his thought processes came to a screeching halt at that moment. The train moved forward. But as it began it's journey to it's next destination Hachiman heard the mother of Hiratsuka Shizuka exclaim one more time. "And please! Call me Shiori!"

The train station's lights turn on. At that moment Hachiman's vocal cords did the same. "... What?"

Night rolled around rather quickly. It was almost Ten PM and Hachiman began to wonder if his meddlesome teacher was going to come back at all today. He had already eaten dinner. He wasn't intending on waiting for her for dinner, although after eating dinners with people lately, it felt odd to have dinner by himself sometimes. However, thinking logically, the chances of her coming back with a full stomach was rather high. So there was no point for him to wait for her, unless he wanted to go hungry. And he would rather avoid that.

The dishes were done, a lone plate of Mapo Tofu was resting in the fridge waiting to be re-heated then eaten. The reason why he decided to make Mapo Tofu today was because of Hiratsuka having a hard time believing that his taste buds were burnt off by the sheer spiciness of the mapo so she had him make some in order for her to test it out herself. Now that he thought about it, how did Hiratsuka Shiori manage to eat his mapo? Even with rice it should have been too spicy for most people to eat without sweating up a storm... The woman had already gained his respect for raising Hiratsuka but now that respect had reached a new level. Speaking of Shiori though, Hachiman had absolutely no clue on how she got the idea of him and Hiratsuka getting married. Was it something he said? Did he raise a weird flag without realizing it again? Nevertheless, he hoped that misunderstanding would be cleared soon enough.

*Ding Dong*

That was... who was that? Hiratsuka already had a key. After all this was her apartment. So she had no need to ring the doorbell when she could just slip in the key and open it. He stood up from the couch and steadily walked towards the main entrance. The lights were turned off, the only light in the room was coming from the television. He didn't get the chance to open the door as it suddenly swung open. He flipped the light switch on and raised an eyebrow at Hiratsuka as she entered the apartment and locked the door behind her. But instead of coming in she turned around and leaned her head on the door. Hiratsuka was drunk, that much Hachiman was certain of as he saw her face flushed pink. However, her expression did not show the 'cheerfulness' he would normally see in her when she was utterly drunk. In fact, she looked like she was about to give up on life!

"... Are you okay?" despite his better judgement, he asked. For several agonizing seconds she stood without moving a muscle. Her eyes glazed over as she looked at the door with a frown. She muttered something even he couldn't hear.

"What?" he asked her. She spoke again, this time with her voice louder.

"I'm lonely." she said which made him blink in confusion.

"..." he tried to think of how to respond to that. Nothing came to mind. "... What?"

"My friend took me to a mixer..." she started with her shoulders slumping with each word. He noticed a box on her right hand, slowly slipping away. He was about to alert her about it but it fell down before he could utter a word. The contents inside fell out... Was that cake? Why would she bring cake? Didn't she remember he made dinn- "NONE of the men there took notice of me."

'Can't imagine why...' he thought as he eyed her choice of clothing for the day. It was comfortable for sure, but definitely not something that would get a rise out of his carnal desires. Not to mention she could get rather...overwhelming when drunk. "I see."

"I'll be alone forever." this time she actually did start to cry, making Hachiman take a step back.

'Shiori-san, your gratitude is misplaced. I don't think I'll be able to look after her. It's too much trouble.' even though he didn't really promise Hiratsuka Shiori that he would actually look after her daughter, he... wanted to try at least. As a way to repay all the housework advice he was given earlier today. "You won't be alone forever."

His statement gets her attention. Her voice shaking she turned to him and asked. "Really?" Her eyes held the same amount of hope as her voice.

Hachiman nodded. "I'm here now, aren't I?" He would be staying here for a few more days. So she technically wouldn't be alone forever. Just a few days shy of forever. That counted for something right? Hiratsuka continued to look at him but stayed silent, staring at Hachiman the entire time with wide eyes. Hachiman stared back. Seconds passed in silence. Hachiman blinked.

When his eyes opened after the blink, Hiratsuka was less than a feet away from him. She jumped, the sudden action caught Hachiman by surprised as he took a step back. It wasn't enough as he lost his balance. His arms, flailing around in an attempt to grab something. There wasn't anything to grab onto, instead his flailing flipped the light switch back off. He fell on his left side with a thud and Hiratsuka clinging onto his stomach.

"Thank you." she muttered. Her grip on him tightening as she did so. "...Happy Birthday."

"... Your welcome..." Birthday? Today was his birthday? He never really paid attention to such a thing before. After all, the date of birth written on any document with 'his name' on it was fake. So it didn't really mean anything to him... Then again, he supposed she didn't know that. "Can you let go of me now?"

There was no response to his question. His head elevated a bit as he tried to get a better view of her. With the light switch turned off he only managed to hear the sound of soft snores reached his ears. He tried nudging her awake. But when she didn't he just let out a sigh. She was out cold and he didn't have the strength to pry himself off her or carry her to her bed. His eyes wandered around, with the only light source coming from the TV in the other room it was not easy to see things. He finally found what he was looking for. After pulling his shoes out of the shoe rack he placed it under his head. It wouldn't be anywhere near as comfortable as an actual pillow but it would do for tonight.

-The Next Morning-

When Hiratsuka awoke all she could feel was her sore neck and back. She noticed how numb her right arm felt and was left confused. Her head turns and eyes wander upwards to see a sleeping Hachiman which confused her even more. Something under her head twitched prompting her to lift her head up and see what it was. It was Hachiman' palm. Her eyes widen as she jumped to conclusions. She then literally jumped up. But couldn't get too far as her right arm which was still numb restricted her movement. Her actions cause Hachiman to abruptly awaken. Their eyes meet. Hiratsuka' widen even more. She opened her lips to speak but nausea hit at that very moment like a truck. Instead of words, half digested food and liquid come out. Hachiman had to hold back the urge to flinch as his only clean shit was coated in vomit.

-Chapter End-

Note: Skip to the end for the memory 'segment' if you don't wanna bother with this messy and long Author's Note.

Well, I'm back! When I said I was going out of town(feel free check chapter 15 AN if you don't remember) I was not lying one bit. I know what some of you are thinking. If I was out of town, who uploaded the '?' chapters? Truth be told, I was not intending to have them uploaded till after this fanfic ended as 'Bonus Chapters'. But I felt bad about not giving you guys stuff to read while I was away. So I called a friend and had him upload the first two for me. The first one being on christmas eve and the second on new year(yes I did notice the second one was a few days late, my friend took an RKO from me for that.). I wrote those whenever I managed to make the time between everything else and wrote the last one after coming back. Originally I was intending to make four of them but making FOUR 'filler' chapters was just too much for me. I can't imagine how bad it must have been for you guys that weren't given any prior warning about them. Looking back at the reaction I guess uploading them was a bad idea(I don't mean the reviews, they were all pretty much what I was expecting. I meant the 7 follows I lost.). Too late now I guess, at least now we're back on track... Oh hey, I guess I won't have to tiptoe around Hachimans' past and his connection to Kirei at least.

And YES, holy crap I can't believe people still have to ask. This IS in the Fate universe. You'd think it would be obvious from the first chapter. I changed the summery a little bit so people shouldn't get confused about it now. And no, those weren't references on the first '?' chapter. Those were all literally events going on in the background while Hachiman doing his own thing(If any of you want to know what was happening and what Hachiman was doing while it happened, just send me a PM and I'll tell you). Speaking of references, I dislike how some fanfics point out references and what it's a reference of used in that fanfic. The purpose of a reference is to make the reader/viewer go "Oh hey! I know that reference!". It gets the reader/viewers excited as they realize their nerd level is higher than normal nerds(lol). Not sure about you guys but having it pointed out and it's source literally just explained just takes away all the fun for me.

Here's an explanation as to why someone Like Kotomine Kirei helped Hachiman: (This is all based on my interpretation of Kirei's character. You have every right to disagree with me.)

Kotomine Kirei was a man that felt no happiness in his existence, felt no sense of purpose. He spent years trying out different things to feel the spark of joy but there was nothing. When he saw Emiya Kiritsugu he was very interested to know how Kiritsugu who Kirei believed was once so similar to Kirei had found his own happiness. But was ultimately disappointed at the end. When the Holy Grail showed Kirei that he felt joy from the pain and suffering from others he was ecstatic, but also confused. As a 'man of god', to feel joy from something so horrible was wrong but he couldn't deny what he felt. Even so the confusion remained and in canon he would search why his joy was linked to the suffering of others. In canon he couldn't find his answer and had ultimately turned to the Grail once again for answers. But here, in this fanfic I had him meet a Hachiman that reminded Kirei of how he was before the fourth grail war. At first Kirei thought that Hachiman was like that because the great fire traumatized Hachiman so Kirei decided to test out that theory at the risk of pissing off Gil by letting Hachiman go. So when Kirei would see Hachiman again, months later without a single noticeable change, he would think that Hachiman was more like Kirei than Kiritsugu and could be a potential link to Kireis' search to find out why he felt joy from the pain of others. If not give Kirei a second answer to his original problem of not feeling joy from anything. But unfortunately after seeing no changes to Hachiman during his middle school years Kirei would try to throw a monkey wrench into Hachiman' life by cutting off Hachimans' financial supply. Which he paid for by slowly draining money from the Tohsaksa fortune he would have control over until Rin would become of age.

A little over year after that we end up here at the this fanfic. I tried my best to have this make sense, hope it worked and didn't disappoint too many people with "Kotomine" Hachiman' past.

Sorry about that rant. Till next time

Past(Title: Mapo):

Red and Orange. But mostly red. Within the mass of red and orange was squared chunks of redish white tofu and dark reddish mixture of minced meat, beans and... celery? Steam radiated from it. He had eaten many things these recent months. Things that gave him a bad stomach ache, things that could have probably killed him, things that were just downright rotten even. But even after all that, he was having second thoughts about eating this... dish... in front of him. The man sitting across him watched the boy curiously. The empty plate in front of the man was finished merely seconds ago and now the man waited for his next plate.

Even though the man was drenched in sweat, his elbows resting on the table with fingers interlaced he kept watching the boy in compete silence and an even expression. When the man saw the boy pick up the spoon he smirked and waited for the boy's reaction.

The boy scooped a small portion of the dish on the spoon and eyed it suspiciously. As the spoon neared his lips, he could still see the steam... no... the spiciness... even though the dish had been sitting in front of him for at least five minutes. Warning signs were raised yet promptly ignored, this was a part of the conditions for their arrangement. An agreement that was too good to be true. He couldn't back down now. To do so would be folly on his part.

The spoon entered his mouth and got out without the contents it had moments ago. A trail of Red so dark that it could be mistaken for blood leaked out from a corner of his lips. That corner of his lips felt like they were on fire. The boy rapidly chewed and then swallowed. His eyes burned as small droplets of tears formed from them as he clenched them shut. The man sitting across the boy couldn't help but lean forward, the anticipation he held could be seen even in his dead eyes. When the boy opened his own eyes the man blinked.

The boy blinked as well in confusion before his entire body shook for a brief moment. Seconds pass in silence before his lips parted to let out the heat. He looked back at the dish in front of him without anymore doubts and took another bite.

Then another.

Then another.

The man leaned back as his own dish, similar to that the boy was eating, was served to him and dug in as well. The man looked both surprised and impressed but said nothing. Aside from the deafening silence because of the lack of words, the soft clanging noise made by their spoons hitting the plates could be heard in the small Chinese restaurant.

Changes from the original: Some spelling errors fixed. A paragraph removed because it was entirely about smartphones which were not common at that time period.