Chapter 10

Rin was having a hard time this morning as her house phone kept ringing early in the morning. Her eyes tired, she stirred up and noticed it was 2 in the morning, a time she really didn't want to be up for as she went to sleep just 4 hours ago.

'What does that fake priest want now?'

She got out of bed and headed to answer, but unfortunately (or rather fortunately), the call went to voice-mail and Rin was listening to Kirei's message.

(Kirei, voice-mail): "Rin. Someone has eliminated the Matou. The residence is burned and no more. The authorities see it as an accident, but it does not seem like this was a mere assassination. Only someone with high knowledge of magecraft could have gotten up to Zouken to kill him."

Rin had not even fully woken up, but Kirei's message was enough for her to feel completely alarmed. Immediately, her tired eyes widened as she realized what he was saying.

'The Matou's residence was...? Someone did...? NO... NO!'

It was only a voice-mail, but Rin was able to hear the panic and distress in the fake priest's voice. It was clear that he had known about something being done, yet it happened so quickly that he also didn't know any details of the incident.

She was going to go to her boyfriend for support. Sakura could have been caught in the burning, and she had no way of finding out if she was collateral in this.

(Kirei, voice-mail): "It's as I have warned Rin. The foreigner is here on reconnaissance, and he might as well have taken down the Matou to eliminate the competition. Not a bad strategy, considering-"

Rin didn't listen anymore. While she agreed with Kirei that Abraham was suspicious at first, she learned more about his person, his personality and thought process than to simply suspect him to be capable of doing that, let alone allow for Sakura to be collateral. He's a sweet boy.

'I need to see Abraham, but still... it wouldn't hurt to be on the err of caution, just in case whoever assassinated Zouken is still out there.'

She wanted to head out to make her way to the Emiya residence. However, with her mind filled with all sorts of anxious thoughts that would not let her rest, she was rushing on all the possibilities that could be going on. Rin really needed to calm down, but she was too focused on making sure that Sakura had not been harmed that it consumed her entire thoughts.

As such, Rin decided to call Abraham to see if he would answer her. She needed him, and he would always answer her despite the hour.

When Rin called Abraham, the phone on his end began to ring. It took a few seconds, but eventually he picked up the phone, a bit surprised by the sudden call at this time of the morning. When he looked to see who the caller was, Abraham raised an eyebrow and chuckled a bit before picking up, trying to calm down the girl on the other side.

Midler and Polnareff watched as their mission leader answered this call.

They would get to observe just how he interacted with outsiders, then wonder what exactly was his real persona as there was a dichotomy between his mannerisms.

Abraham decided to try and keep things casual, and so he spoke with a soft and gentle voice to not worry her.

"Hello? What do you need?" Abraham said as he spoke quietly over to the phone, speaking clearly and directly as he often did.

Rin, when she heard Abraham's voice on the line made her feel a bit calmer; to her, the boy was always the one who knew what to do if anything went wrong since he was always prepared for everything. It took a while for the girl to speak, though.

"Abraham, can you tell me, are you safe right now?"

"Yeah of course. Sakura came over earlier, and Shirou was taking care of her fears since Shinji left their family residence after having an argument with their grandfather… which made the girl need reassurance for her brother's well being since he hadn't come back. I'm just finishing my other projects at the moment."

Rin then began to speak quietly and nervously, feeling anxious for the sake of her love. Abraham could feel this as he continued to stay silent to let her continue speaking. She was already in panic mode, so he didn't need to talk at all.

Midler watched Abraham's manner of speaking, seeing as he spoke rather simply and with a sort of calm and gentle attitude, although she was annoyed how he used half truths. She guessed they were necessary to keep his anonymity and play the role he was doing to remain incognito. Still, as she saw that Abraham would probably be able to reassure the girl from his tone alone (something she really liked), she also began to listen in on her leader's call.

Polnareff noticed this interest that Midler had, which made him a bit nervous as he knew that men prefer not having their personal lives be known to others like that.

Midler would continue to subtly observe Abraham, noticing her leader's demeanor during the call. She found it a bit unnerving, considering he was talking rather calmly despite the anxiousness that Rin felt in her voice, although she could certainly understand why: Abraham was a rather rational individual from her knowledge so far; he'd probably had a plan for every scenario that could have happened.

Even though she was aware of his potential strategies, she would still have an uneasy feeling about not being able to see his eyes for the most part.

Abraham would keep that cool calm and gentle voice as he heard Rin speak. When she continued the conversation in a quiet and nervous voice, he would make sure to listen closely as he could tell that she was panicked.

"Hey... hey, it's okay. Take deep breaths and remember that I'm completely fine. I'm not in any danger, and neither are you. Now, tell me, where exactly are you at right now?" Abraham spoke with a warm and gentle tone and voice, trying to make her calm down.

This change in his demeanor... his mannerisms he normally held in front of them when it was just the team, let Midler know that there was more humanity to this guy, despite being an ally of Dio and described by him as the most deadliest man you could have hunting you down, even if you thought you were safe as he wasn't a Stand user.

Could it be that Abraham was scamming the vampire?

A bit of hope started growing in the girl's mind as Abraham spoke calmly, his voice warm and soothing to her. He didn't sound surprised, shocked or even nervous in general. His tone did not change in the very slightest: not even a little. He was caring. This is why Rin liked Abraham so much.

"W...Well, I am heading to you," Rin started to calm down and get an understanding of what was exactly happening. Although she wanted to ask him what he was doing at this hour, she knew that was not the time for that.

On the other side of the phone call, Abraham's sudden change of attitude from his cool and gentle demeanours into a more caring response showed that he was just like Midler suspected: he was not a machine focused solely on killing or a puppet for Dio's amusement; there was still a level of humanity to him. When speaking with Rin, his tone felt more compassionate and caring, as well as his demeanor.

There definitely must be more to him that he was hiding from Dio.

"Rin, please, don't think too much about it right now. Just wait for me. I'll meet you. It's perfectly fine to be anxious, but you have to trust me as well."

She nodded in response. Abraham's sudden change of attitude made her feel more comfortable and assured in his words being true. When he told her to trust him, she could. It was one of the things she liked most about him: she trusted him without even questioning him.*

"Alright, I'll wait for you at the door."

Midler would see the conversation reach its end from the other side of the table as she looked at Abraham.

Abraham gave Polnareff and Midler information to follow. "I'm heading out to help my friend. If I don't come back by the morning and Shirou asks, just let him know where I went, not the reason."

"But aren't you tired? That mission really did get tolling with the performance we did."

Abraham smirked. His body was better than a regular human's, as it recovered at a rather... supernatural rate. "This is too important for me to just ignore it. You two get to rest now."

Polnareff and Midler both looked at their boss, seemingly both in awe and shock.

"Wait... don't you need your rest? You did more than any of us on that mission, with the whole acting stuff and everything."

"Indeed. It would be wise for you to relax instead of immediately going to help... especially at this time of the morning." Midler added.

Abraham responded calmly but confidently, looking at his two team members. He seemed calm and collected as he prepared himself to leave. "This girl has recently chosen to accept me as her boyfriend. I shall not ignore her worries. I know what you two are concerned about, but my body does not need that much rest compared to the regular 8 hours of recommended sleep."

Polnareff and Midler would see the seemingly uncaring leader leave with a purpose. Although they had just done an extremely difficult mission, the man left with such an unnatural pace and look that it was impossible to ignore. Abraham was not afraid of anything, that much was clear. And the fact that he could seemingly recover from exhaustion so quickly did make Polnareff wary.

Abraham was definitely suspicious. His looks and his actions made the two think that he was doing something on the side.

If he was to be incognito, why did he enter a relationship and risk getting found out? Could the girl be more important than they thought since Shirou informed them of Abraham's relationship status earlier?

They continued to remain with that suspicious, perhaps even worried look on their faces as Abraham calmly walked out of the team's meeting room. It was just so unnatural to them that they could barely believe it themselves... until it started to become very unnerving.

Polnareff and Midler would then proceed to talk to each other.

"Wait... he did say that this girl accepted him as her boyfriend, right? ...she might be his cover, but don't you find it a bit strange that he did this? Couldn't he have chosen any random girl to fit the role?"

Midler would decide on following their leader with High Priestess to find out what was so special about Rin.

The most they knew about Abraham was what Dio had informed them of, and the information Abraham gave about him being from a parallel world, not to mention his time-related powers and such.

Was Rin someone he knew in his old world?

"Where are you sending your stand to, Midler?"

Midler lied and said that it was to keep an eye on their leader's safety. "I am just checking on our leader, to make sure that he is safe out there."

Technically telling the truth if she was going to follow him and use High Priestess to keep an eye on him; but what she wouldn't tell her partner was that she was also curious about the reason. She was planning to stick with Abraham at any cost to find it out.

"Alright, then I will head to my room for the night. We will speak about the day's events tomorrow. I'm rather tired right now."

While High Priestess was out of sight, Abraham already could tell that he was being observed by Midler. He had his Wild Sense active, so there was no danger to him whatsoever as he strategically made his way to the Tohsaka Estate.

'They'll eventually find out about how I feel about Rin. She is the one I adored in my past, so it's better that they see me in action and know it now, than to have them question me once Rin finds out about my origins as well.'

He knocked on the front door, and Rin opened the door, glad to see that he made it as he said he'd do.

Rin quickly opened the door, visibly calming down when she saw Abraham once again. She then sighed a breath of relief. She had been waiting for him since the moment she called, and now she was glad to see him safely.

"H-hi." She said in a soft and gentle tone as she smiled calmly, before quickly shifting back into a worried look. "I... I was so worried about you..."

The girl did not hesitate to give him a hug, and Abraham hugged her back.

"It's alright. I know how anxieties can get a person to feel like this."

He guided Rin's thoughts by giving her different things to focus on, and hoped that it wasn't the fact that she may have some suspicions on how the Matou residence was set ablaze just over an hour ago.

Midler, who was currently spying on Abraham and Rin through High Priestess, would be very surprised to see just how casually the two were with each other. It's something that she would have never expected, but she also could not help but find it cute as she saw the two of them together. They looked really good together to her.

Midler would see a side of Abraham that would surprise her, as she saw him calmly try to distract Rin from her suspicions. It was almost as if these two individuals were close to each other, even if Abraham never had said it directly to her. They truly looked like a couple, as they had the most natural chemistry she had seen ever since she started observing other people.

That was... a side she never would have imagined Abraham had. It's something she would certainly keep in the back of her mind.

Abraham's casual demeanor while hugging the girl did help her calm down. In return, she relaxed with her grip around his waist, as her worry subsided for now.

As she looked at him, she began to notice Abraham's soft expression as he smiled at her fondly. She took the moment to study him more closely, taking in every aspect and little detail about his face. She felt comfortable around him, that he could truly care about her. And she wouldn't deny that there was some level of romance in what was happening right now.

'I don't know how Kirei could make me think that he's an enemy. It's just him wanting me to deal with more and more problems, testing me at every whim and claiming it's for my betterment as my father left him in charge of my upbringing as the Head of the family.'

As Rin's grip loosened up a bit and she studied Abraham's face, a calming aura surrounding him, she couldn't help but notice just how... handsome the man was. Despite him being older than her, not in just years, but in time, the way he took care of his appearances was something to be envious of. She would continue to stare at his face, admiring the features of his face and how he kept a gentle smile throughout all of this; it was truly a soothing sight to see.

'Could it be...? Could I really fall for him...?'

Indeed, Midler would notice just how natural Abraham felt in the moment. It was something that would raise her suspicions about the relationship between the two... and she would probably look more closely into the matter, to try and find any clues.

Meanwhile, Rin would look at Abraham for a bit longer... before noticing his eyes.

'I just realized how nice his eyes are... how peaceful they look. There's something very soothing about him; He's something different.'

Abraham would be pleased to see her expression become calm and relaxed. The smile was genuine and sincere as he patted her head gently with his right hand, his body language making it clear that he had an attachment to her which was not only as a friend, but also as a lover. Rin would find that he had become a lot more calm around her as well. Abraham's hands would then caress her cheeks.

'Is it even appropriate to consider myself her lover? We merely entered this relationship recently, not including the fake engagement prank.'

His doubts subsided, as he kept in mind how much he cared, because this girl was a version of his student that was able to live past her tragic death that took her from him when she was at 8 years of age. In this moment, she was like the Rin he knew.

Abraham was aware of Rin's close stare, as the girl examined his face almost intimately, but he didn't mind. She was curious about him in every aspect, and he didn't mind this at all. His soft expression remained as he then gently put his hand on her cheek.

"You look very beautiful." Abraham said, complementing her with a warm, gentle smile.

This caused her to blush, as she finds it to be too soon, as she's just getting used to being treated like this, since actually dating was new to her, and normally these compliments would come from boys trying to hit on her.

The look that they were exchanging right now was almost as if they were an engaged couple; although Abraham had not said it directly, he was indeed treating her very fondly as if she was his partner and loved one. Their relationship was certainly more than friends, that's for sure; and Midler was also starting to take note of that, as she saw that maybe those two actually loved each other.

Rin's gaze would then stop as she noticed his beautiful, dark eyes. Her own aqua blue eyes would be locked in with his and she would be taken aback by such a stare. She would snap away from the moment and try to regain her composure.

"I... uh... a-anyway..." Rin would say, trying to quickly change the subject by fidgeting with her fingers.

However, her thoughts suddenly shifted as a very specific thought struck the girl.

'But what if what I am feeling right now is just another ploy by Kirei? It can't be. No, I know. I know I genuinely like this boy. But it has me thinking; why did Kirei set me up to spy on him, if he's genuinely like this...?'

While she tried to change subjects, Abraham would look back at her.

"Is something wrong? You seem a bit nervous now." He would notice the slight movement of her fingers in a nervous gesture as she tried to break away from the eye contact.

'Why is she doing this? Am I doing something wrong?...'

It worried him a bit. He didn't want to harm her in any way. He wanted to be kind and gentle with her, especially since she reminded him of his old student.

Rin would look away from him in shame. She didn't like that he was behaving like he was, treating her like she wanted from a person that was genuinely caring. Meanwhile she was still somewhat behaving as she had to as the Second Owner. Kirei had her continue with this objective, to find out more and more about Abraham, because he was an unknown variable.

Why should she spy on him, if it was possible for her to have happiness right now? The 5th HGW didn't happen until 50 years from now anyways! She could just focus on Abraham and have him join her for the future they might have... if she could somehow find a safe way to reveal the moonlight world to him.

Abraham would notice this look on her face and become confused with her sudden change in attitude. At first, he would think it was because of what he said to her before, but she said nothing. He was thinking too much about it and so decided to take a different approach.

"You look like you have a lot in your head. If you have anything in your mind that bothers you, be sure to let me know." Abraham would have no idea that it was because of the spying Kirei asked her to do.

She was conflicted when it came to Abraham and Kirei, both being different people in her eyes. Abraham, the kind and gentle young man that showed a genuine interest in her while acting so friendly and open towards her. And Kirei, the priest who, at one time, raised her, but also treated her like a pawn most of the time for his own benefit.

Her desire to find out about happiness was something that was constantly in her mind. She wanted to be happy with this gentle young man she had found. But at the same time, she wanted to obey her guardian's orders. Not because she respected him, but out of duty to her ancestral name.

Rin would then look back at him, her face a bit redder than before as she realized that she actually was enjoying the attention that she was receiving from Abraham.

"Erm, um, you see... my legal guardian, Kirei Kotomine asked me to..."

Abraham's eyes would widen at the mention of his foe's name. He would then narrow his eyes slightly, as he knew exactly how Kirei would've been towards her.

"I see... And what was your purpose? I assume it was to gather info on me."

She nods, her face red with shame and eyes almost as if she was afraid of having him break up with her.

"Well... You need not worry about telling me. I will not get mad at you for doing this, because I know that you don't like it one bit."

Abraham would notice just how red she was, a small reassuring smile was on his face as he made her look at him.

"Look. I can tell that you're having a moral dilemma, and you were just doing this because you had to. I'm not blaming you one bit, because what you were doing hasn't led to any consequences coming to fruition."

He then proceeded to tell her his first interaction when he arrived in Fuyuki.

"I had gone to the church to find a way to get along with my potential classmates, but when I met Kirei, something was off about him. I didn't like it, so I kept my guard up without making it obvious. He's just too fake to take it at face value."

Midler observed as the conversation went to the most important thing possible that she could have imagined.

Abraham was in a relationship with the girl, and it turned out that her legal guardian was the priest that Dio sent her, Polnareff, and Hol Horse to help their mission leader eliminate.

Midler wanted to judge him then and there, but Abraham was behaving truthfully here with Rin, so perhaps he would show a glimpse of his true motives in this interaction.

Abraham would show a subtle look of annoyance when remembering that Kirei was not who he seemed. She had told him what would be the biggest issue here, which was that Rin was forcibly made to take the front lines for a man who could have done it by any other means.

"So that would be the purpose. I don't see why you had to keep it a secret, because after all you're not exactly enjoying this. You clearly have some problems with him."

"W-well. I don't actually care about my guardian."

Abraham would notice just how worried she looked, her eyes darting around in an almost anxious gaze. He then decided to comfort her.

"Calm down. Kirei might be the one who raised you, but his actions here doesn't show that he's looking after you as a caring guardian. Rather, he treats you like a pawn and wants to break your will from what I'm understanding. I'm not exactly sure of what his intention was in sending you to spy on me, but that's beside the point."

Rin looked back to Abraham and noticed that he spoke truthfully. She then looked down, not saying anything as she continued trying to hide her red face, still holding the blush she had from their previous eye-contact. Abraham could sense her embarrassment at the topic.

"Oh, you don't need to blush about it. I understand what is happening now. You are conflicted on who is right and wrong here. On one hand you've been raised by this man who acts all benevolent towards you, and has helped you out throughout life, yet has an ulterior motive for what he's really doing."

"You're not wrong."

She would be calmed down by Abraham and would look back at him again. She would then talk again, her eyes still filled with fear of what might happen if Kirei finds out that she didn't follow his command.

"But what if my guardian finds out that I didn't follow his orders? Won't I be in trouble?"

"When is your 18th birthday?"

Rin would be taken aback by this question. She would then think about it and speak.

"It's just about 2 months from now. Why are you asking me this?"

"So just a few days in February?" He would quickly set up a plan. "Since it's in just a few weeks, and school is going to have winter break soon... we can leave Fuyuki for a while to do something about this. For the meantime, just tell him what he wants to hear."

Rin's eyes would light up when she understood the plan he had for her.

A spark of hope could be seen in her eyes, and she nodded her head as she was in agreement with his idea.

"Ah, that would work splendidly. What do you plan for us to say to him? I know he has his ways of finding out the truth, especially when I lie to him."

"Tell him that I'm a hunter."

Rin's eyes would open up slowly as she heard that single word come out from Abraham's mouth. It's almost like she had just unlocked a mystery; something unknown to her is now out there, and she was ready to seek out the answer.

"...a hunter? What sort of hunter?"

"A hunter of betterment. A Cultivator."

"...a Cultivator?"

Her voice was that of pure curiosity and bewilderment. She's never once heard of a Cultivator in her life before, and it showed with how she raised her eyebrow and blinked slowly in shock, wanting for more information.

"W-what exactly is a Cultivator...?..."

"Simply tell him that, and he'll just be left with needing to figure it out. If you're this intelligent, he must have at least taught you at some point as your legal guardian due to obligations."

Now here, Abraham had made Rin confused by his double speak. While she didn't exactly understand what a Cultivator was, he was hunting for betterment. However, it was for Humanity's betterment, and not himself, so he allowed Rin to understand that Kirei would have to pick up the parts himself if he wanted the full information.

Except, the problem Rin saw with this was that Kirei might confront Abraham, and she didn't know if the boy could survive an encounter with her legal guardian if he tried to speak his way out, let alone if Kirei decided on fighting him.

She would think about the situation for a second before speaking again.

"W-well, I feel that if I say this to him... he'll know that something is off. Won't he question me more about this Cultivator position you have?"

"No. Because in his perspective, he could possibly think I'm giving a euphemism, when really I'm just trying to find out when in humanity's history was there a time period where civilization was close to a utopia, and how that could be applied to the modern day. Kirei would then see that this might be too dangerous for you to keep spying, so he'll let you act as you want from then on, and he'll step in instead. Of course, if he already knows that you and I are 'good friends' then that shouldn't mean he's going to keep you away from our relationship. The only thing that is of concern from there is if the confrontation happens, and I should be able to handle the guy. He isn't some sort of mercenary, is he?"

Rin wanted to convince him not to, since Kirei used to be a Church Executor, and they hunted Dead Apostles. But the way Abraham handled himself, with his plans and strategy... he could be right about this. There were no guaranteed victories anyways, and in the case of Abraham, he might have already found a method to win before the battle even started.

Rin's anxiety would almost fully disappear when she heard that he was actually confident that he wouldn't have any problems with Kirei. He was able to handle him, so she need not worry anymore; he can defend himself should it ever get rough. But then, suddenly, Rin seemed to remember something.

"...w-wait, I forgot to ask. I've made peace with the fact that you and I have a certain friendship beyond being classmates. However, how would we justify it to my guardian so he wouldn't break it off immediately?"

"He hasn't found out about us actually dating?"

Her face flushed with embarrassment, and she would nod once, confirming his question.

"Not yet. I'm afraid this might give him doubt about my loyalty towards him. Because you know, he wants me to be a good mage girl that will serve her nation... but my heart yearns for you, and-" She then realized she was getting so nervous that she was saying too much about her private life; she began to shut herself up.

He played dumb to Rin's mistake. "You mean he wants you to be a Geisha?"

Rin realizes that she almost got caught when she said mage. It was relieving that her boyfriend thought she spoke of the Neihongami hairstyle, which Maiko and Geisha wore.

Rin would then nod again and spoke once more, her heart beating fast with fear of the consequences.

"Yes, yes! That's what I meant... he wants me to be a good Geisha girl to support my nation. My guardian is... quite old-fashioned and strict in that aspect."

She breathed a sigh of relief when she realized Abraham was thinking of that hairstyle. He doesn't know that she's actually a mage yet, which would've been quite a blunder for her if he knew the truth from that slip-up.

Rin's anxiety would slowly dissipate and she gave a sigh of relief. It seems like he misunderstood what she said, which was a good thing. Though, as much as she felt good for the moment that she isn't being suspected of anything, she quickly realized another thing.

"U-uhm, Abraham?..."

She wondered if he wanted to sleep at her home, since she did make him spend more time awake after her phone call, and it wasn't the first time he was here after all.

The thought made her feel flustered and red, but yet she knew she wasn't opposed to it. The thought of her having her boyfriend sleep in her house in the same room as her, it made her heart race. It was something she never experienced before, even when she stayed with Kirei, and something she'd certainly look forward to. It was... a pleasant thought that she'd be willing for it.

"Uhm... would it be a problem for you to... uhm, you know, sleep here for tonight?"

Her sudden question would make Abraham blush a little. He would chuckle softly before speaking to her.

"Uh... yeah, I wouldn't mind that at all? I mean, I *am* exhausted. I don't mind sleeping in the living room."

"Oh. You don't have to do that. You can sleep in the same room as m-my family has for guests, like I had you the last time you were here."

Rin decided at the last moment it might have been too embarrassing to ask him to sleep in the same room with her.

"Sure. I need to get those hours, so this is great."

Rin's face would turn redder than before when she heard that he wouldn't mind sleeping in the house with her that night; it made her even more embarrassed and anxious about her suggestion than before. For some reason, she felt like she was being such a clingy girlfriend at that moment. But she was too deep in this awkward feeling to stop herself now.

"Wait! No!...I-I meant... you could just... sleep in my bedroom with me!"

He chuckled seeing her reaction.

"Heh. My girlfriend is afraid of what her guardian might do to me, that she's justified herself to get an experience of what living with someone is like while she can."

"Shut up!" Rin said with her face covered. She looked away as she started feeling like he played her. "I'm not scared, either. I'm just scared that he'll break us apart because of my loyalty. He'll probably not even punish me, but just force me not to see you anymore."

Her blush was so deep that she'd be better off as a tomato.

"...b-but... I'd still like you to sleep in my room... right beside me..." She was extremely anxious now, being so direct about what she wanted. That said, she felt so relieved when he would chuckle and not mind her sudden request.

'Just like how things were with my student…'

"Alright then. Lead the way to the queen's room."

Rin would feel her cheeks heat up once more as she heard him call her bedroom the "queen's room". No matter how many times she told herself that she must act mature and calm around him if she wanted to avoid being so embarrassing, she often forgot and went back to being a silly teenager. She would lead him to her room, feeling like a young girl again.

As Abraham had fallen asleep and would have stayed in his much needed slumber, Rin's mind would remain too busy for her to do so as well, since she was busy with a large amount of topics running on her mind.

Though normally any ordinary girl would be giddy and cuddle up with the guy they liked in the current situation Rin was in, the fact remained that she was curious about Abraham's words and seemingly nigh perfect sense of strategy.

'How is he always prepared? Is it because of the fact that he's this "Cultivator"?'

She wanted to find out, but in order to do so, he'd have to tell her completely, which she guessed wouldn't happen, because Abraham was trying to make sure that Kirei couldn't force the information out of her... or she could use a spell to look through his memories while he was sleeping right now.

It was a bad thing for her to do that, because it would be as if she didn't trust her boyfriend. Yet her curiosity was getting the better of her.

She would think of the repercussions of her looking through his memories. How would he react if he found out that she was prying into his life? He might get angry with her. He might leave her as well. But... the curiosity was too much, and the risk was low. Rin would try and attempt that spell; it was the fastest way for her to find out just what was with that "Cultivator" position Abraham spoke of.

Her curiosity was slowly starting to get the better of her. She could see no negative consequences to just taking a quick peep at his thoughts for the moment as he was sleeping; after all, he'd never know. Thus, she decided to finally put her strategy training as a magus to use, and slowly cast the spell to see her boyfriend's thoughts. She focused all of her energy and mana to focus on Abraham's head; she would see what's on that calculating mind of his... especially about this Cultivator profession.

'If he does find out, I just need to erase his memory of what I did. I-I... just want to know... how he's a kind guy, yet also someone Kirei is wary of.'

Rin, with her spell, would soon be able to see everything, past and present: all his life experiences. She would be able to have access to everything in his brain, and all his thoughts, feelings, and desires. It was like opening a treasure trove of knowledge about him! She had never felt more giddy and giddy with delight and curiosity.

'Kirei might've feared him... but is there a better reason as to why he did? Was he stronger than Kirei? Was he more dangerous?... I must find out more…'

She came across a memory where he was young and focused on what looked like some studies of such.

The memory

At 9 years of age, Abraham had now gotten his 20th degree. It was a hard time, but his mentor had managed to teach him everything needed to know the subject, then had him do the exams and projects required in a short amount of time. All of them were PhDs.

He hated the physics subject. It was so tiresome, but he was glad to have these achievements.

When he came to speak to his mentor, he saw the man looking through his personal documents.

He saw a picture of a young woman and man that looked like his mentor, Julianno Marzo, though with a different hair color.

"Who is that?"

"That's my mother… and that's my father. I never saw them, but my aunt has told me that they were important people. Her name was Sefarina, but Pachulí was what she used when she was younger and in hiding. She was capable of wind magic. She was a princess of Castilla, a kingdom inside of Kairne."

"Are you and I able to use magic?"

"I am, but it's not my preferred choice. You, on the other hand, don't have Magic Circuits. You can still use magic, just not like a magus does. You would have knowledge of it soon in order to know what your enemy might use, but it's highly preferable we use what we are able to master, rather than compete with your enemy. So, we are using Ki energy. It's what you're full of, and despite the fact that you are seemingly a normal human and non-magus/non-magical child… the power you are born with is rather extraordinary. You have natural access to the Mystic form, which means your connection to your full potential is incredibly high, and lets you get through training and studying faster than a normal person. In fact, your body doesn't tire out as much as I do either, and I'm much better than a regular human or subhuman!"

Abraham was amazed. "What are you, Mr Rutabaski?"

Julianno chuckled. "I'm a Saiyan, Abraham. Just like all of the Rutabaski before me, I'm a member of the people that have all the traits of the subhumans. It's why I'm protecting them from prosecution and hunting from the rest of the world that wishes to do them harm.

Julianno then got up.

"You've been making a lot of progress over the last four years with me. I taught you how to be independent, how to survive in the wild, and how to deal with people. You're a kid with dignity, and won't back down unless you know you're biting more than what you can chew. Of course, you're still having a bit of anger issues, but it's obvious that you have better control of it. I just needed to tell you that I was contacted by the Emperor of Japan that he wants me to teach one of his sons Alchemy. It shouldn't be too long, maybe a few years, but I'm not going to stop being your mentor. You're coming with me to Japan."

Rin, while going through the memories, was very puzzled at what she saw. His mentor, a Saiyan? Abraham was actually able to use Ki? She continued to watch as she saw the next memory come to play.

At the Emperor's Palace

Julianno and Abraham were greeted by the Emperor, Matsui Shiro.

"So this is the boy you say will be taking your role?"

"Possibly. He's got the same sense of morals when I first met him. I further strengthen it with the sense of justice I taught him, and he's got Ki energy. Of course, he's not going to use it unless he needs to protect himself or others, so don't worry about it. Now… while I am teaching Daisuke, do you mind looking after my apprentice?"

"Of course, Rutabaski. I'll have the best of my servants handle him."

Julianno wanted to argue about that, but seeing how his apprentice was looking around, he decided to stay quiet.

Abraham would later want to explore Japan on his own, and Matsui allowed that permission. He was going to fund the boy with an income, but Abraham refused.

Since he was a 10 year old, Abraham decided he needed to prove his independence now. "I am going to do this with my own income. I just have to work for it. Now, what job would you give me and I'll see if I can do it."

Matsui Shiro's opinion of the boy changed from babysitting a brat, to seeing a growing young man. He didn't want to have the boy do simple labor work, as only grown adults do that, and it would expose Abraham's secrets, and running errands would have him running into strangers that might try to capture him. Perhaps…

Matsui Shiro recalled a tutoring request that needed his approval. "Abraham. Do you recall the Regression War that made our civilization's technology move from near type 2 back to under type 1, about 500 years ago?"

"Yeah. Mr Rutabaski said that we did that because the idiots in charge of the government kept starting petty wars and used dangerous weapons recklessly. It almost caused a severe ice age. That's why our technology went backwards, and why everything is monitored so closely, so as to ensure only people right in the mind can learn specific information, like the high level sciences. He told me that our technological progression isn't as fast as it was before, but that we are still much better than how we were before. I think he said that after the Regression War happened, each century progressed as it would have a decade."

The Emperor smiled. He had a plan he wanted to go in motion. An important one that would best be done if he had Abraham do it. There was a request from Tokiomi Tohsaka, asking for a tutor for his 5 year old daughter to learn physics from. He didn't trust Magi, especially since they were unethical, but he knew since the Tohsaka lineage had some political power in the Magus Association, if the daughter could be inspired to have some humanity in her thanks to Abraham, then it would be worth allowing the request to go through.

"Very well. I will let you have a job for your financial income. I'll have you tutor a girl in Fuyuki. Be wary though; she is part of a magi family, so you need to be careful how you behave and not reveal too much of yourself to them. And if they ask whether you are a magus, try to be ambiguous, or trick them with a small amount of your ki so that it seems like it's magecraft."

Abraham nodded, and the Emperor called for one of his servants, who teleported in.

"Kouga. I will have you take our guest here to Fuyuki. He's going to the Tohsaka estate, and tutor the man's daughter. I've made my decision, do not question me."

"Yes. Emperor Matsui."

The next memory Rin would see would be of Abraham in a mansion, with a little girl. Who was she? She was probably the girl he had to tutor. She looked precious. She also looked like she was quite studious. But the image of that little girl would start a small idea inside Rin's mind...

'This is... she's the girl he said he used to tutor…'

What caught her off guard was that the surname of this girl was the same as hers, and the father had the same name as her father. Just what was happening here?

She needed to know more.

Rin would focus her thoughts into seeing the next memory. What could she discover about this little girl? The fact that they both shared a last name... it was too much of a coincidence.

Upon being welcomed into the Tohsaka estate, he was led to Rin's room

Behaving as a proper, dignified, and elegant magus her father taught her to be was a girl Rin recognized—herself.

"Hello. I am Rin Tohsaka, the 5 year old daughter of the Tohsaka family. Who might you be?"

"Hello Rin. I'm Abraham, your tutor. I'm 10 years old. Your father said that you wanted to learn about physics but he couldn't do it because he had an apprentice he needed to focus on."

The 5 year old raised her eyebrows in interest.

"You know about physics?" She sits up in her seat, eyes wide with curiosity. "Do you know about the 5th element? It is something that I want to learn more about…"

"I do know about physics—I've got a Master's degree on the subject thanks to my mentor training me." He was a bit confused as to why Rin wished to know about a theoretical concept so soon. "The 5th element, aether or quintessence? I have knowledge on that. But that may be too advanced to learn about right now."

Rin's face drops at the word "too advanced." Her little girl mind doesn't quite understand that she is being told that her interest is 'too advanced.' She only understands that she is being denied entry into this interesting topic. This didn't suit a girl of her stature at all.

"Too... 'too advanced'?... But I am a magus! Why would it be too advanced for ME?"

Abraham kept his mouth shut as he's surprised by what he heard from his mentor, as well as the Emperor of Japan was true. He was going to be teaching a magus, whereas he was a non-magus himself.

"Well... it's because you're asking to know about dark energy which is what quintessence is about. In physical cosmology and astronomy, dark energy is an unknown form of energy that affects the universe on the largest scales. Its primary effect is to drive the accelerating expansion of the universe."

Rin didn't understand what any of what he said was as she was still too young. Still, she wanted to learn.

"Dark energy?!"

"Accelerating expansion of the Universe?!"

"Cosmological and astronomical..."

"All of that... is something that I might not be understanding..."

Rin pouts, but still looks determined to learn more about this certain 5th element that was intriguing.

"But... but… Can I learn about it anyway?"

Abraham blinked as he was surprised that she wanted to do this. It seemed that his mentor was right in that magi were stubborn people and would rarely be convinced.

"Sure. We'll need to begin from the basics first, though. To know the universe, we need to know the mechanics of how its laws work and are limited."

Rin pondered this for a bit, almost as if she's considering her options.

She knew her father got her this tutor, and she doesn't know if he'd be happy learning that she wants to get a different person instead, especially because her father would be rather busy.

"The basics, huh? The laws and mechanics of the Universe... I want to know those..."

Rin seems to have lost her pouting form. Her desire to learn has made her forget about it.

"If we are going to learn about these basic things, we had best learn them now... or else I could get in trouble with my father..."

"All right then. We'll get started."

He pulled out a piece of paper that showed the stuff they'd be going over.

"You'll start first by learning how to see the world in mathematical terms, and the things that will be covered are: the basics of motion in a straight line, motion in two dimensions, motion in three dimensions, Newton's Laws, work, kinetic energy, potential energy, the conservation of energy, momentum, collisions, rotation and rotational motion, gravitation, and periodic motion."

Rin finds herself overwhelmed, but still keeps herself in check.

"By the way... why do you refer to yourself by Rin? It's kinda strange that you're using your nickname with me. It's short for Catherine, right?"

The 5 year old gets pissy at this, finally losing her cool and doesn't follow the proper behavior her father explained to her a Tohsaka should behave as.

Rin's head tilts, as if she was surprised that this person knew her nickname.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

"It's short for what? My father and everyone that I live with calls me Rin!" She crossed her arms, trying to hide her childish anger as her face got redder. "That's what I am called! So why shouldn't I call myself by my name?"

She doesn't seem to understand that this isn't a common situation.

A knock on the door captures their attention, putting a stop to Rin from continuing forwards with telling off on the 10 year old boy.

[This memory was getting too much for Rin, the current one looking into his mind, that she had to stop.]

'Did he... used to know me?'

The older Rin stopped the memory, feeling as if the information she had seen was more than what she expected.*

'So that 'Little Girl' from just now... was me?'

It felt surreal to think that she was having such distress over something like this. Of a world lost, yet so eerily similar that she completely recognized that this 'Little girl' was herself. Even the inside of the girl's room looked exactly like how her own room was back when she was 5. Yet... the other part of the memory wasn't as interesting.

"Even as a 5 year old I was a brat..."

But Rin didn't have a tutor when she was 5. In fact, she wasn't even interested in physics. Just...

'He did say he was attached to this girl. This other 'me' before she died.'

Rin would look through more information he had to figure out what the relationship between her boyfriend and this other 'her' was like.

She would continue to look through his memories. Seeing if she could find something about how their relationship was like. Something special perhaps? And indeed she found something...

In Abraham's memories

Two years later

Abraham, now 12, came to begin his tutoring with the now 7 year old Rin. She was now able to start the lessons she wanted to from the beginning, and he enjoyed that his student still held the enthusiasm.

It was when he arrived at the room where he normally taught Rin that he noticed the house did not seem as lively as it had a week before.

In fact, he did not know what was going on as Rin didn't speak with him about other things as she did in the past. She seemed more focused on her lessons, but it felt as if she was trying to get her mind off of something.

By the third day, he knew things were off.

He hadn't seen Sakura in a while.

"Rin. Why are you being silent with me about it?"

"..."

Rin just kept silent and her head was still down as she focused more on her math problems than anything else. She hadn't mentioned anything to Abraham at all about how she was feeling. Why did she act like this? Was she trying to avoid speaking with him for some reason? Maybe he was just overthinking it. But the only thing he knew for certain... Something was definitely off.

She didn't like how her father gave away Sakura to the Matou family. She missed her sister. She even missed how her sister called her Catherine.

Abraham spoke to her in a soft and considerate tone. "You can talk to me. I'm not just a tutor to you by now. We're also… friends."

Rin looked up and looked at Abraham. She wanted to speak about it, but she still felt that she couldn't talk about it with him. Yes, they were very close, close enough for her to consider him a friend as well. But it still felt weird to speak about it to him. However, the way he talked to her now... it made her feel a lot more assured.

"...You really think so? We're... friends?"

"Why wouldn't we be? By the manner you and I speak with each other, the way you sometimes talk me down when I joke around a bit... I'm pretty sure you already trust me enough for this. So speak with me. I won't judge. I promise you."

Rin nods her head in affirmation. She trusts Abraham enough to speak with him about this, but the idea of speaking to others aside from Sakura felt foreign. But he is here, promising to not judge. So she can speak to him and it'll be fine.

"Okay... I'll try my best..."

She sighs before speaking once more.

"I... I... miss my sister…"

Abraham nods, but remains silent, making Rin understand that she could continue.

Rin was unsure of what to mention next. She missed her sister a lot, that was for sure. But she was still at a loss with what to say next. So she just speaks about how she misses her and that things just aren't the same now that she was gone.

"E-Ever since my sister Sakura was taken to the Matou family... things just haven't been the same... it feels... like something is missing... like there is less... life in our house now that she is gone…"

"I see... And she wouldn't be coming back." He said that more to himself than to Rin, but she took it as him acknowledging what was bothering her the most.

Rin nods again, showing that she understood. Sakura wouldn't be coming back at all. She was gone... and they couldn't do anything.

"Y-Yeah... s-she won't be coming back at all... w-which means I won't be seeing her at all..."

The fact that she'll never see her sister again started to get to her. She starts to blink at her eyes more due to being on the verge of tears and she looks away, not wanting Abraham to see her cry.

Calm and collectively, Abraham helped the girl. "Rin. Let it out."

She didn't want to. She instead insisted that she wouldn't.

Rin sighs, knowing she couldn't hold back for much longer. She tries to take deep breaths, but it only makes the tears begin to flow. She looks at Abraham with teary eyes and speaks as best as she can.

"I.. I.. j-just..."

The tears have begun coming out. She hated that her emotions were this strong that she would break down in tears over such a situation. She wasn't afraid of her emotions, but it felt bad to feel that she couldn't control her own feelings.

"It's okay to do this. It's a natural response we humans have. All sentient species on the planet feel like this. We're emotional, but not acknowledging that part of ourselves simply harms us."

Abraham comes closer to her, and gets on one knee before continuing to comfort his student.

"You are human first and foremost. You cannot choose that. Whether or not you want to be a Tohsaka or simply Rin is up to you."

Rin was surprised with what Abraham said. Was she really being allowed to shed her emotions without being ridiculed or judged? She was so used to being told that she had to be a proper and dignified adult, that she didn't think that she would be allowed to cry.

"I-I..." She sniffles a bit before speaking again. "Y-You mean... crying isn't bad? It's allowed?"

"It is."

Of course, there were circumstances where it was necessary to keep yourself together, because if you were emotionally overwhelmed you could be stuck in place and be endangered, but Rin needed encouragement and support right now, not a lesson.

He spoke softly, wanting to reassure her she had nothing to fear right now. "You can trust me that I'd never tell someone that you cried in front of me about this."

Rin's tears finally began to flow freely. The dam that was holding it back has broken. Tears were rolling down her cheeks with no restraint whatsoever with the thought of what Abraham said. She didn't think she would ever be able to cry in front of someone else so freely... but here she was, and she felt safe and encouraged that he would keep quiet and say nothing about her display of emotion.

"T-Thank u... thank you…"

"It's okay, Rin. I'll help you through this. I won't let it harm you anymore, and I won't abandon you... even if it's out of my control. That's a promise."

"R-Really?"

She sniffles, still trying to hold back her emotions, though still letting them flow freely. She couldn't believe that she was being so open with Abraham about this. She felt like she could talk to him about anything now, like she could tell him all about her problems and she wouldn't be judged. It felt nice... comforting...

"Of course."

Abraham's words led to Rin hugging him. The unexpected action caught him off guard, as usually he tried to leave people alone as he didn't know how to comfort people that were sad.

In fact, part of the reason his mentor chose him was because he was a boy who wanted people to be happy. He didn't like that they fought and caused harm to each other, and Julianno Marzo had understood that the boy's wishes could come true if his hidden power was trained. Abraham needed to get his emotions in control before he could be taken by people that wanted to misuse it, so his mentor took him under his wing.

Awkwardly, but behaving as he thought he should, he hugged her back. "It's alright Rin. I'll be sure you can be happy."

Rin continued to hold onto Abraham as she continued to cry. She felt so... safe when he was like this. He was always proper and dignified in front of her, so her seeing him act like this was new. To see the side of him that Julianno Marzo saw when he was training him... it felt refreshing. She had no words, so she just continued to silently cry into his shoulder while wrapping her arms tightly around him.

As the two were inside the room, Aoi was watching the unknowing children. Her heart ached as she saw her daughter being supported. It was... different. Like how Kariya told her she should have the girls treated, and she now knew that it was truly what her daughter needed.

Unfortunately, she was a single daughter when growing up, so she accepted her parents' teachings and obeyed her husband Tokiomi, thus allowing him to give away Sakuya.

Aoi would do what she could to bring the two girls together, even if it meant having to go against her husband's decision, despite having little power to complete it.

She closed the door silently, allowing the children to remain as they did.

She hoped Rin would be safe with her new friend, the 12 year old boy who tutored her for 2 years now. And hopefully, things would be resolved before the 4th HGW started.

Rin continued to cry for a bit more, but eventually calmed down and stopped. With her emotions let out and she felt the relief that came with it, she was now able to take deep breaths and look up at Abraham with tear-filled eyes as she smiled at him.

"Th-Thank you..."

The hug was still present, and she didn't feel like breaking it, so she just continued holding onto his shoulder.

Rin, the girlfriend, exited the memory of Abraham interacting with this alternate Rin and was completely stunned.

'This is….!?'

The memory Abraham had was following the same history Rin had of her own past. It even showed how Sakura was given to the Matou.

'He really was there for me….'

Even after exiting out of the memory, the image of Abraham and little Rin, her own counterpart, embracing each other was still stuck embedded in her mind. She could feel their warmth, even as she left the memory.

'He understood. He really did. He saw my struggles, my sorrow, as well as understood the weight of having her dear sister taken away and knew exactly what to do.'

Rin smiled, feeling even more certain with her relationship with Abraham. She had the utmost faith and trust in him.

The problem now laid though: Would she want to know about what happened to her?

Abraham had told her himself that he lost the girl he tutored when she died. Would she even want to know what tragedy struck her counterpart?

Rin pondered this for a bit. Should she see how her counterpart did die? She could potentially see her own demise in it, even if she wouldn't experience it or even die the same way. But she also had the fear of losing the happy memory that she just experienced with Abraham. She might have her trust in him broken, and that would be devastating to her...

Rin was quite troubled, she wanted to know about what happened, but she was too scared at the same time. What should she do? Was there any other option?

She noticed how Abraham was stirring awake now. She couldn't continue on with observing his memories now. Not unless she betrayed her boyfriend and forced the memories out of him.

It would be a loss of trust. Rin didn't want to lose her boyfriend just because of her curiosity.

'Maybe I should be more open with him; he obviously knows the existence of magecraft and magi. It would be better if I heard it from him.'

It would also cement her relationship with Abraham, as he obviously had a mindset since childhood to help others... so her boyfriend would be a much better ally to her than her legal guardian, Kirei.

Rin made her decision, she won't search for the truth right now, nor would she try to pry it out of her boyfriend.

She decided to take the safer route and decided to stay with what she knew of her boyfriend, Abraham. She already saw how compassionate and caring he was when he was a boy, and he's still like that as an adult. Rin was willing to continue learning just by living with him.

'He knows what happened to my counterpart, of that I have no doubt. He would be able to tell me the things that…. I'm afraid of knowing alone.'

She will wait until she is more comfortable and closer with him before asking. It would be best to talk to him later then, when she believes it is the best and right time, but for now, she could build up their relationship by opening up with her magus training.

'Maybe I can talk about my magus training with him! It'd be a good way to know more about each other... Yeah, I'm doing it! I will talk to him about magecraft when he wakes up!'