Chapter 8: House gathering

I'm already clothed in casual wear when Kobayashi knocks on my door, my new apartment took a little getting used too but it was still smaller than the Old man's house back in Fuyuki so it was no real concern for me.

I make my way over to the door and find both Kobayashi and Takiya there "Good evening Kobayashi-san, Takiya-san I assume this means it's time?"

"Good evening Shirou-san." Kobayashi returns my greeting and Takiya just gives me a small nod of the head and a smile "Yeah, we were just headed in now and thought to grab you quickly."

I shake my head at her "It's no problem." I leave the apartment and join them, closing the door behind me "I know you could always do with some friendly faces around when meeting new...people?" I say that last part hesitantly, we all know that Tohru inviting dragons into the human world might be a bit exasperating.

Sure, Tohru and Kanna are fine. The small dragon girl seems to just refer to me as 'Shirou' as goes all quiet when I pat her head and Tohru has been steadily getting better at her housework. It seems that Kobayashi took care of training her in actually cleaning rooms before they left and she no longer seems to have an issue with washing clothes, though occasionally I have to stop her from sniffing them, meaning all that's left is the cooking part.

She's not a bad cook, she just has a really nasty habit of sometimes trying to lace the dishes with meat taken from her own body. I really, really, really, tried to hammer in the importance of her not doing that but she's stubborn. However she couldn't have picked a worst person to try and outlast. Emiya Shirou is stubborn about many things as well, especially cooking.

More dragons however, that's probably a recipe for disaster and while I haven't need to use my projection yet its better safe than sorry.

"I'm home!" Kobayashi calls out as she enters, our group is greeted to the sight of both Tohru and Kanna standing in the hallway ready to greet us.

"Welcome back." They both say at the same time, Takiya pops his head in and greets them as well "Pardon me." and this time Tohru's welcome is far more strained. Seems she still doesn't like him very much.

"Pardon the intrusion." I say as I enter and Kanna turns to me with a slight smile on her face "Shirou!" she calls out and runs up to me before staring up into my eyes with an expression of clear hunger "Are you cooking tonight?"

Before I can even answer her Tohru chimes in "No! I'm cooking tonight Kanna!" before she points directly at me with narrowed eyes and a smug expression "This is the night I finally surpass your cooking Emiya-san!"

""Impossible"" Both Kanna and Kobayashi say at the same time and Tohru's expression falters almost tragically and she looks at the pair with eyes of betrayal.

I let out a weak chuckle as I take my shoes off "Sorry though Kanna-chan." I begin and the girl looks at me slightly downcast "As much as I would like to, I also need to see how much progress Tohru has made."

She pouts and walks away and I slightly cringe at the reaction.

"Come on in you two." Kobayashi points to myself and Takiya as we head on into the apartment, it's exactly the same as mine. An exposed kitchen next to a large living room, more than enough space.

"So, when are Tohru's friends coming?" I ask Kobayashi who shrugs at me and turns to Tohru.

"Don't worry," She waves us off "They'll be here any minute."

Immediately after she says that the doorbell goes off and she turns around with a smile on her face "That's them now!" she runs to the door and opens it "Yes."

I freeze the second the door opens.

Kobayashi and Takiya freeze as well.

Beyond the door is a giant dark skinned demon looking creature whose blood red eyes immediately hone in on all of use. My fight or flight instincts kick in and I immediately activate my circuits ready to project anything I can use to fight.

The door is slammed shut and I blink, realising what I was about to do I let out a slight breath of relief. Tohru turns to us and smiles nervously before sticking her head out of the door and whispering "Mr Fafnir-"

Mr WHO!?

"-Please arrange yourself like in the picture I sent over."

"Good grief." A deep voice sounds out from behind the door and my nose instantly picks up the tell tale activation of the same spell that Tohru used when I first met her.

Tohru opens the door again and this time a rather thin man wearing a butlers uniform, with long black hair covering half his face, red eyes and small glasses on his nose steps through the door and speaks in a voice full of indignation "This world is full of trouble." he looks at us then narrows his eyes with the same disgust that Gilgamesh once looked at me with "Makes me want to end it."

Tohru turns to us with a smile on her face, completely ignorant to the slight terror everyone is feeling right now "Miss Kobayashi, this is Mr Fafnir."

No one says anything until Kobayashi approaches him and delivers a rather stilted social greeting and hands him a welcome card.

I'm still reeling from the fact that Fafnir from Siegfried's tale is currently standing 5ft from me with barely concealed hostility.

"Tohru…" I turn to her and she tilts her head at me in confusion "Does...Fafnir hate people?"

"Well, he might have a slight dislike for humans." she admits with casual ease that there is a somewhat racist dragon who hates humans currently in a house. Full of humans. "But he has been guarding his treasure from thieves since ancient times so that might be why."

"Treasure? Like gold and stuff?" I turn my head slightly and hum, not too different from his legend then is it.

"Yeah, he's also got some cursed swords and stuff." Tohru nods happily "He likes curses, he spots a cursed weapon and..." She makes a 'you know' expression.

Note to self, never project cursed weapon in front of the Dragon from the Nibelungenlied. He'll try to steal it then get upset when he realises he can't.

I turn back to Kobayashi as she finishes her rather formal greeting with Fafnir, as he heads over to the main room, he stops briefly and looks at me with slightly narrowed eyes.

"Oi." His voice is like Ice "You've...been near curses haven't you?" His eyes wonder to my chest. Specifically where my heart is.

I nod. Very slowly.

"Hmmm" He turns away from me.

I feel like my blood froze for a second. I turn back to Tohru and Kobayashi who shrug at me, I'm about to leave as I hear the doorbell ring again.

"You invited more?" Kobayashi sweatdrops and Tohru waves her of with a placating smile "This is the last one." she opens the door, this time I'm treated to the sight of what can only be described as the enemy of every red-blooded male.

The person who walks in has very long messy blonde hair which goes green and then blue towards the ends, a pink cap with two cylindrical horns poking out from underneath the sides, a very tight fitting black vest and really short shorts.

The real problem is that the vest is only tight fitting because of the girls rather...generous chest. I turn my head to avoid staring and suddenly find the wall next to me very interesting.

"Miss Kobayashi" Tohru begins, I'm not quite prepared for the next words however "This is Ms Quetzalcoatl."

I choke on air, one brief coughing fit later I find everyone is looking at me with varying levels of concern. I cough a few more times before turning back to Tohru and Quetzalcoatl "D-do you mean like the Serpent God?" I ask, somewhat nervously.

"Oh, she's only an ex-goddess now." Tohru waves me off with a small smile and 'Quetzalcoatl' nods and me before talking "Lucoa is fine though."

"Shirou-san? Are you okay?" Kobayashi's worried voice calls out next to me "You've gone quite pale."

"I-I'm fine." I stumble over the first word as I turn to her, desperately trying to keep my panic inside at the thought of a divine spirit wondering the house "I'll head on in."

I walk through to find Takiya starting up a game while Kanna its near him on the sofa and Fafnir on the chair next to it. The second I sit down Kanna moves and sits on my lap and leans into my chest, I simply pat her head.

"Shirou…" Kanna speaks to me while Takiya puts on 'Darkest Souls 4' or something, I've never been good with games.

"Yes, Kanna-chan?" I reply, still patting her head.

"Why couldn't you make dinner?"

I lightly chuckle "Because Tohru needs to learn how to do it properly and I won't always be here to make food for you."

"Why?" Kanna turns around to look at me, there's a hint of concern in her eyes.

"Because I won't be here forever, Kanna-chan. I'll eventually move."

She frowns and looks somewhat sullen "I don't want you to leave." she mumbles out under her breath.

I say nothing and look back up, it seems Fafnir has started playing the game and is getting frustrated with it.

"Shirou-san?" I turn to see Kobayashi and Lucoa looking at me, small smiles on their face "Did you ever have a little sister?"

"You'd better summon your soon, Onii-chan."

"Y-yeah." I somewhat choke out, finding out that Kiritsugu had been involved with the Einzberns for the fourth Grail War and that Illya had technically been my sister was...a disturbing thought. Sometimes I'm still back in the Einzbern castle, watching helplessly as Gilgamesh…

I shake my head and turn back to the pair "I didn't really spend too much time with her though."

Kobayashi gives me a sad smile "That's too bad, you look like you'd be a good older brother."

"Hmm?" Lucoa tilts her head slightly "Really? I think he looks more like a Father."

Kobayashi and myself let out a small laugh at that and I shake my head "No, I don't think I'd be a good father."

"Why though?" Kobayashi looks at me in confusion and I just shrug.

"I'd probably be unable to spend enough time with them." I give myself a self-depreciating smile "I like to throw myself into my dreams and ignore everything else." I look down, it seems like Kanna has fallen asleep on my. I shake my head at the display before looking back to the pair.

Lucoa shakes her head "That's bad to ignore loved ones Shirou. From what Tohru has told me of you helping her with housework and cooking you'd make a good husband for someone."

There's a clatter of something and we turn to see Tohru glaring daggers at me, I start sweating slightly with the amount of rage that's in her eyes.

"I don't have a romantic interest in Kobayashi-san, Tohru." I say robotically, instantly murderous aura vanishes and Tohru smiles and goes back to work. I let out a breath I didn't realise I was holding in.

"Please don't mention that around Tohru…" I turn to Lucoa with a pleading expression "She's...possessive."

Kobayashi sighs at the same time "Also a pain to deal with."

Lucoa looks at us both with a raised eyebrow and a small smile before turning back to Tohru "She hardly ever used to smile you know." she eventually says and we look at her in slight confusion as she turns to the pair of us "Must be thanks to you two."

I shake my head "I haven't really done much, probably more Kobayashi-san than me."

Kobayashi looks slightly surprised though "Eh? I'm just a normal human being though, not some mage like Shirou."

"Magus…" I sigh, seems they haven't forgotten that.

Lucoa shakes her head "Mages or not that girls never had anything normal in her life, not even her friends."

Kobayashi looks at Tohru before leaning in and whispering to Lucoa, I don't want to ease drop to I turn back to see Fafnir die to a treasure chest monster. I don't know if its funny or sad that a dragon famous for hoarding treasure gets killed by a treasure chest.

"Foods ready!" Tohru's voice calls from the kitchen, I nudge Kanna to wake her up, she moans and rubs her eyes slightly before looking at me in confusion.

"Food." is all I say before she's off my lap and through to the kitchen.

"Let's eat then." Kobayashi nods before turning to Lucoa "Can you drink?"

Lucoa however narrows her eyes "Drink?" she lowers her head so her eyes are covered by the shadow of her cap "Sure, but let me just check it for curses first."

"Curses?" I quiz as I walk over.

"Long ago, Ms Lucoa was driven out of her seat as a goddess thanks to liquor." Tohru chimes in with a smile "She was forced to drink liquor her comrade had cursed, and I her drunken stupor she went into her little sisters room and-"

"Ah!" Lucoa cuts her off with an expression of horror and waves her hands frantically "Don't say it!"

Kobayashi frowns and turns to me "Dragons don't have very good pasts, do they?"

I shrug "Probably depends on the Dragon."

Ten minutes later I'm realising that letting Kobayashi drink so much was probably a bad idea.

She's back to ranting about butlers and maids again.

"She's a completely different person when she's drunk isn't she." Lucoa sweatdrops as Kobayashi's tirade continues.

"Yeah…" I sigh "I probably should have seen this coming."

"How come you're not drunk Shirou?" she turns to me and tilts her head in confusion "You've drunk as much as Kobayashi and you're fine."

I shrug "I've just never gotten drunk before." I crunch my face up in thought "Or sick for that matter."

"Hey!" Kobayashi's voice pulls our attention over to her "You over there, woman! Dress like a maid!"

"Eh?" Lucoa makes a noise of confusion, my hand is already on my face.

"Tohru you too!"

"But...I'm already a maid…" Tohru says.

"I told you, that's just cosplay!" She screams before rounding on her "If you have complaints then strip!"

She stands up and starts making her way over to us, I'm already moving to restrain her again.

"Kobayashi-san." I sigh and I grab her and stop her assaulting Tohru "You can't strip people, we've been over this."

"Shut up, Shirou! She's not being a proper maid!" She stops flailing and then looks at me ins suspicion "How come you're not drunk?" she slurs out the words.

"I'm better at holding my alcohol than you." I smirk at her.

She frowns heavily "Why aren't you a butler if your so good at housework!" she changes the topic, seems she's still hooked on butlers.

"Because I don't want to be a butler."

"You're underestimating the strength of your cleaning Shirou! Become a butler!"

'But I don't want to be a Butler Kobayashi-san. I want to be a Hero of Justice!'

AN: Nice, got that Kanna little sister dynamic going.

Yeah...maybe he'll start walking her to school or something.