Forest for the Trees

Disclaimer: See Part One

C&C is welcome at hawker_748@hotmail.com

“Speaking”
‘Thinking’

Fate/Stay Night:

Forest for the Trees

By: Hawker_748

Chapter Three: Connections


Shirou walked down the sidewalk, absently weaving his way through the other pedestrians, heading towards Harumi’s home, a couple of his favorite recipes tucked into his back pocket. It had been two days since he’d made a delivery from Copenhagen to her home and ended up helping her prepare a dinner party and cleaning up afterwards. She’d even given him some food, an excellent asparagus soup, and had invited him back to get the recipe. Since she was going to give it to him, Shirou felt that it would be only proper of him to bring a few recipes in return.

‘I hope I’m not coming at a bad time,’ Shirou worried to himself as Harumi’s impressive home came into view. ‘She didn’t say when to come over, and I don’t know her number, so I couldn’t call… It’d be a shame to come all this way for nothing.’ Pausing at the gate, Shirou mentally debated whether or not to go ahead before deciding that it’d be foolish to turn back after coming this far. Opening the gate, he walked down the path towards the house, pausing briefly to take in the impressive grounds, before reaching the door and pushing the doorbell.

The intercom over the doorbell crackled to life. “Who is it?” Harumi’s staticy, disembodied voice called out.

“Uhh… Shirou Emiya,” he replied, wondering if he should be pressing a button, and feeling rather put on the spot. “I helped you a few days ago? With a dinner?”

“Shirou!” Harumi sounded pleased, even through the static. “Hold on, I’ll be right there…”

“Okay…” Shirou waited for her to arrive, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, his eyes darting around until he heard footsteps on the other side of the door, the lock being disengaged with a click.

“It’s nice to see you again Shirou,” Harumi told him with a warm smile as she opened the door. “I was wondering when you’d show up…”

“Hello Harumi,” Shirou greeted her. “I wasn’t sure it was a good time, I didn’t want to be a bother.”

“It’s nothing,” she remarked with a dismissive wave. “Come in, come in, I’ll put on some tea…”

“If it’s not a problem…”

“No problem at all,” she reassured him, gesturing for him to follow her.

“Okay.” Shirou allowed Harumi to lead him into her home, taking off his shoes and following her into the kitchen, idly noticing that it was now much more orderly than the last time he’d seen it. In the center of the table Hotaru was sitting in a baby seat, playing with a rattle and gurgling happily.

“Would you like Earl Grey tea?”

Shirou nodded. “That’s fine.”

“No cream or sugar, right?”

“Right.”

“Same here…” Harumi filled a kettle with water and took two cups from the cupboard and placed a tea bag in each. Nodding in satisfaction, she opened a drawer and pulled out a file card. “Here’s the recipe for the soup. Had to find it again, I haven’t looked at the recipe in years…” She walked over and handed it to him.

“Thank you,” Shirou replied. “Here, I brought these…” He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his own cards. “These are for you.” He extended them out to Harumi.

“What are these?”

“Some of my favorite recipes.”

“Oh? What for?”

“You’re giving me the soup recipe, I felt I should give you something back…” Shirou explained.

“You didn’t have to, but that’s sweet of you…” Harumi accepted the offered cards and began to flip through them, giving each a quick look. “These look good…”

“I got some from Sakura, made one up on my own, and got one from watching a cooking show…”

“You watch cooking shows?”

“Once in a while,” Shirou admitted, feeling a little guilty. “Sometimes it’s hard to decide what to cook…”

Harumi nodded in agreement. “I know, I’ve never been very good at planning meals.”

“You seemed to do alright for the party…”

Harumi gave a little shrug. “You have no idea how long it took for me to plan that…”

“Really?” Shirou replied. “Well, I think you did a good job…”

A smile appeared on Harumi’s features. “Thanks…” She returned her gaze to the recipes Shirou had given her. “Maybe I’ll use some of these the next time I have people over… Can you double these recipes?”

Shirou recalled having to feed Saber, Rin, Sakura, Taiga and himself, his Servant and teacher having particularly voracious appetites. “Yeah, you’ll be able to make a lot with them…”

Harumi recognized the sound of experience. “You’ve had to feed a lot of mouths, haven’t you…”

“Yeah… How many were at your dinner?”

“A dozen…”

“I didn’t have that many,” Shirou allowed, “but some of them ate more than others…”

“I know all about that. Yet it’s the hosts fault if there’s not enough food, doesn’t matter if some of the guests are bottomless pits…” Harumi grumbled.

“That’s right,” Shirou agreed, recalling having to feed both Taiga and Saber. “They show up, eat your food, don’t pay for it, and then comment on the quality. Heaven forbid they even think of helping out with the cooking, or even bringing anything themselves…” He let out a chuckle at his words.

“Next time someone complains about something I prepare, I’m gonna hand them a bill,” Harumi vowed.

Shirou smiled at the thought, briefly enjoying a mental image of the look on Taiga or Rin’s faces as he handed them a bill for what they’d eaten. Chuckling, he shook his head, realizing that he didn’t have the heart to do it, and that Fuji-nee and Tohsaka would never pay up. ‘Taiga would say it was part of being my guardian, and Tohsaka… She’d probably just challenge me or something, and I’d probably end up owing her…’ he told himself. ‘But it’s fun to think about.’

For a few minutes the two of them sipped their tea in a comfortable silence, Hotaru’s cheerful gurgling and rattle the only sounds. Harumi’s daughter then dropped her rattle and it rolled towards Shirou, and she started sniffling, a clear warning that crying was imminent. Picking up the rattle, Shirou held it in front of her and shook it, leaning over her and making funny faces. Hotaru let out a delighted squeal and reached for her toy, a smile on her tiny face. When she had a firm grip on it again Shirou stuck out his tongue at her and sat back down, noticing Harumi giving him a thoughtful look. “Harumi?”

“Yes Shirou?”

“Is something wrong?”

“Why do you ask?”

“You’re staring.”

“Sorry, I was just… thinking about something…”

“Did-did I do something wrong?” Shirou wondered, suddenly feeling very self conscious.

“Not at all…” Harumi reassured him. “Would you like to hold her again?”

“Hotaru?”

“No, the cat,” Harumi snarked, rolling her eyes. “Of course I meant Hotaru…”

“You’ll let me?”

“I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t,” Harumi pointed out.

Shirou couldn’t argue with that. “Okay.” He stood up again and carefully reached out to take hold of the baby girl, making sure he had a firm grip but not so tight as to hurt her. Gingerly, he lifted her up and held her in his arms, breathing easier when Hotaru continued to play with the rattle and squeal happily. Shirou smiled, finding the sight completely adorable and insuring that she wasn’t going to try to get away.

“You’re pretty good at that,” Harumi told him. “You sure you don’t have any kids of your own?”

“Yes.”

“You certain?” Harumi teased, smiling when Shirou blushed. “A handsome young man like you?”

“Quite sure,” he replied seriously.

“Then how come you’re so good with Ho-chan?”

“Just lucky, I guess…”

“Or you’ve got a knack for it…”

“Never tried it before.” Ilya was the youngest girl that Shirou knew. In appearance anyway. But even she was too old to be held like this. ‘She probably wouldn’t mind though.’

Shirou started swaying slightly, trying to gently rock Hotaru, remembering what he’d seen some parents do with their children. Looking down into her tiny face he noticed something. “She’s got your eyes.”

Harumi smiled. “Everyone says that.”

Shirou began to slowly spin around. “She’s got your laugh too.”

“No one’s said that before…”

“And she’s got my nose…”

Harumi blinked. “I don’t think that’s possible Shirou…”

“No, I mean she’s got my nose…” Shirou turned back around to show that Hotaru had reached up and grabbed him when he’d lowered his head. “Good grip too.” He pulled his head back until the little girl was forced to let go and she kept reaching up, trying to reclaim her newest discovery.

Watching the proceedings Harumi nodded to herself before addressing Shirou. “Emiya-kun, I have a proposal for you…”

“Oh?”

“How’d you like a job?”

Shirou blinked uncomprehendingly. “Doing what?”

“Babysitting Ho-chan…”

“M-me? Babysitting? I’ve never done that,” Shirou replied. “I don’t know anything about kids, and-and don’t you already have one?”

“I have two actually,” Harumi clarified. “Mirei and Amuro are both good with her, don’t get me wrong, but I think you’d be a better choice…”

“Why?”

“You look like you’re good with kids,” Harumi explained. “Ho-chan seems to like you, she hasn’t cried once when you’ve held her, it took a while for her to get used to Mirei and Amuro, and most importantly, you seem more responsible.”

“Responsible?”

“You’re older than they are, and you seem wise beyond your years,” she told him. “And besides, they’re always heading off for swim tournaments, so they’re not always available…”

“But I’ve never done it before…”

“There’s a first time for everything Shirou,” Harumi reminded him. “Look, I’m not asking you to do it for free, I’ll pay you for your time.”

“I’ve never changed a diaper before,” Shirou admitted. “Or given a bottle, or any of those things.”

“I figured that. So I’ll show you how to do all that. Look Shirou,” Harumi reasoned. “I wouldn’t have asked you if I didn’t think you could do it. I think you’ll do fine. If I’m wrong? Well, I won’t ask you to do it again. But would you think it over?”

“If you think I can, then I’ll try,” Shirou relented after a few moments of pondering it.

“Great! Now it’s time for you to learn the art of changing a diaper…” Harumi got up and walked over to a bag, bringing it to the table. “Don’t get intimidated, there’s really nothing to it…”

‘I don’t know about that,’ Shirou thought to himself, images of what babies could produce dancing through his head. Forcing himself to stay focused he asked, “What’s first?”

For the next hour, Harumi gave a dissertation on how to change and clean babies, then moving on to feeding and playing, before finishing off with what he should do if something unexpected happened. “Do you have any questions?” she finished.

Shirou wondered for a second if his eyes were swirling. “I-I don’t THINK so…” he murmured.

Harumi nodded in understanding. “I know, I know, it seems like a lot… It really isn’t so difficult, a lot of it’s common sense. I know I was nervous when I brought Ho-chan home for the first time.” She shrugged her shoulders. “You just learn to do it.”

“Okay.”

“Oh! I’m sorry Shirou, I must be scaring you to death…”

“Not really…”

“God, I must sound like an overprotective parent… I’m just asking you to babysit, not adopt her. I didn’t give Mirei or Amuro this speech, I shouldn’t be giving it to you…”

“It’s okay, I don’t know that much…”

“I’m going to end up scaring you off if I keep that up,” Harumi sighed with a shake of her head. “Do you want to try spending an hour or so with her? If you don’t, that’s okay.”

“I’ll give it a try.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Harumi replied with a smile. “If you find that it’s too much, then don’t worry about it.”

“No, I think I’ll be able to handle it. What should I do with her?”

“Why don’t you take her to the park?”

“The park?”

“You know, the place with lots of trees, grass, and sidewalks,” Harumi deadpanned. “You can use the stroller…”

“You’re just going to let me take her? You barely know me…”

“I know that you seem to be good with Ho-chan,” Harumi reinstated. “I also know your name and where you work. If I’m that wrong about the kind of person you are, well, I’ll make sure you pay for it,” she told him frankly.

She’d smiled when she’d said that, but Shirou had clearly seen the warning in Harumi’s eyes. For a second it reminded him of how Saber had looked when she was preparing for battle. It made him recall hearing that there was nothing more fierce than a mother defending her children “I-I’ll have her back in an hour,” he promised.

“An hour and a half is fine,” Harumi told him with a genuine smile. “Should be enough time to see if she’s too much… Wait here, I’ll get the stroller.” She walked out of the room, leaving Shirou alone with Hotaru.

“So… It’s gonna be just you and me, huh?” Shirou murmured, giving Hotaru a nervous wave and smile. She gurgled happily at him and shook her rattle back at him, trying to return the gesture. ‘She is cute,’ he thought to himself, ‘But am I up to this? All I planned to do was give her a few recipes.’ He began reviewing what Harumi had told him, trying to anticipate possible problems, before giving up and deciding to see what happened first. ‘I wasn’t this nervous going up against Gilgamesh.’

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Harumi called out as she returned to the kitchen with the stroller. “It was under a bunch of stuff…”

“No rush, we weren’t going anywhere.”

Harumi unfolded the stroller and showed Shirou how to secure Hotaru in it and take her out. When her daughter was secured, with a clean diaper and a bottle of formula stored in the back, Harumi walked with Shirou to the front door. “She likes the park, so she’ll probably be well behaved. If you have something come up, don’t hesitate to come back… In fact, wait a second.” Harumi picked up a pen and wrote on a sticky note before handing the paper to Shirou. “That’s my number. If there’s a real problem, call me.”

“Okay.”

Harumi knelt down and gave her daughter a kiss, placing a white hat on her head. “Be good for Uncle Shirou, okay Ho-chan?”

“Uncle Shirou…?”

“I think it suits you,” Harumi commented. “Good luck! Have fun!”

“I’ll try. Thanks. See you later.” Shirou lowered the stroller to the path and pushed it along, exiting the gate and heading down the sidewalk towards the park. He walked slowly, wondering if there was a correct speed for this type of thing, and making sure that he didn’t run over any cracks or holes in the sidewalk. “This thing doesn’t have any shocks, does it?” he murmured. “You’ll tell me if I’m going too fast, right Ho-chan?” When she simply continued to gurgle, he chuckled. “Sorry Ho-chan, I left my baby talk dictionary at home…”

Hotaru let out what sounded suspiciously like a giggle, and for a moment Shirou wondered if she’d been able to understand him.

Shaking his head at the absurdity of that notion, Shirou continued to guide the stroller along the sidewalk, noticing all the looks that Hotaru was getting. ‘She really is a cute little girl,’ he reminded himself. ‘How could anyone not think she was adorable?’

“What a darling little girl!” a voice called out, breaking into Shirou’s thoughts. “Is she yours?”

Shirou looked up and saw a middle aged woman gazing at Hotaru, little hearts practically fluttering around her head. “No, I’m just looking after her…”

“You’re her brother?”

Shirou shook his head. “Nope. I’m just a babysitter…”

“I’ve never met a male babysitter before…”

“Really? I-I didn’t know I wasn’t supposed to be one…”

Chuckling, the woman shook her head ruefully. “It’s not a bad thing, in fact it’s nice to see a boy who’s secure enough to do it.”

“Thanks…”

“You take care of her, okay?” the woman continued, missing the uncomfortable look on Shirou’s face.

“I will…”

“See you around angel, and your big brother too.” The woman walked away, leaving a speechless Shirou in her wake.

“Big brother?” he murmured. “That’s as bad as ‘Uncle Shirou…’” Sighing, Shirou continued walking to the park, passing through the entrance gates and heading down a random path. The peace and quiet started to relax him, and he slowed his pace as the stress and tension began to ebb away. He heard Hotaru continue to gurgle contentedly and he smiled; at least she wasn’t feeling uneasy about anything so far. He was still feeling unsure of himself, and Shirou used any positive he could to try to reassure himself that he wasn’t endangering this child.

Seeing a park bench in the shade of a large tree, Shirou decided to sit down for a while and let the both of them take in the peaceful surroundings. Positioning the stroller so Hotaru wasn’t in direct sunlight; (Harumi had hammered home the knowledge of how sensitive babies were to UV rays); Shirou sat down on the bench and watched Ho-chan play with her rattle, sticking his tongue out and making funny faces at her.

“Emiya? What on EARTH are you doing?!”

Shirou blinked. That voice… It couldn’t be… “Tohsaka…?” He looked up and his eyes gazed into the blue eyes of Rin Tohsaka, his ally in the Holy Grail War. “What are you doing here? I thought you were in London…”

“Nice to see you too, Emiya,” she replied glibly. “I come back for a visit and this is how you greet me. I should have stayed in Europe…”

“I didn’t know-”

“And what are you doing with that baby?” Rin demanded. “Your love child with Sakura?”

“No!” Shirou yelped. “It’s not mine!”

“Not yours…? So you’ve resorted to kidnapping for ransom to make ends meet?” Rin pressed. “You should have just told me if you needed money that bad, I would have given you a loan…”

“That-that’s not why I’ve got her-”

“Abduction for the thrill?” Rin shook her head sadly. “And to think, you used to want to be a Hero of Justice…”

“Dammit, I’m babysitting her!” Shirou snapped, not liking the way some of the passersby were looking at him.

“I figured as much,” Rin finally relented. “I just never expected to see you with a baby, that’s all…”

“It’s nice to see you again Tohsaka,” Shirou greeted her properly now that things had calmed back down. “When did you get back?”

“Late last night,” she told him. “I’ve got a week’s break, and I was a little homesick.”

“You’ll only be here a week?”

“Less than that actually,” Rin admitted. “Only another day, then I’m acting as a guide for some friends from England.”

“Two days? Why come back at all then?”

Rin shrugged. “I told you, I was homesick… When you’re gone, you’d be surprised at what you miss…”

Shirou nodded sagely at that. “I can imagine…” He might have said more, but Hotaru started crying. “Ho-chan? Ho-chan, what’s wrong?”

Rin gave him a funny look. “You really aren’t expecting her to answer, are you?”

“Umm, no…” Shirou replied, trying not to blush. He reached down and picked up Hotaru, making shushing sounds as he held her against his chest. When he moved his hand to cradle her, Shirou’s face twisted in a grimace. “Uh-oh…”

“What’s wrong…?”

Shirou gave Rin a sickly smile. “Hotaru’s diaper needs changing.”

Rin recoiled. “W-what are you gonna do about it?”

“Change it,” Shirou told her without enthusiasm.

“You? Here? Now?”

“Yeah.”

“We’re outside, in a park!”

“Doesn’t matter, she needs changing.” Setting the crying Hotaru down, Shirou pulled out the diaper bag, taking one out along with a container of wipes, a bottle of baby lotion and a changing mat. Unfolding the mat on the bench, Shirou ran through the steps in his mind, not wanting to miss anything. He set Hotaru down on the mat and undid the diaper.

“Gah!” Rin shrank back in open disgust, her nose wrinkling and turning her head to look away. “How can something so cute do THAT?!”

“No idea,” Shirou murmured, breathing through his mouth, trying to hold his breath as he gingerly pulled away the diaper, not wanting to get any of the… STUFF… that was in it on his hands. Carefully rolling Hotaru over, Shirou took a handful of wipes and started to clean away the mess, wanting to hurry up and finish, but reluctantly taking the time to make sure he did it properly. With painstaking care, he cleaned the young girl up, remembering Harumi telling him to be gentle. Satisfied that Hotaru was now clean, Shirou spread some lotion over her bare bottom, the pleasant scent helping chase away the lingering stench.

Taking the new diaper, Shirou opened it up and gently placed Hotaru on it looking up at him, seeming to wave her tiny little arms, as if trying to tell him to hurry up. He folded up the middle flap and brought the two sides up and stuck them to the front, finishing the diaper change. Letting out a long, audible sigh of relief, Shirou smiled when Hotaru brought her hands together and squealed. It almost looked like she was applauding his efforts.

“Nice work Shirou,” Rin interjected with an appreciative whistle. “Where did you learn that?” she asked, clearly impressed.

“Her mom explained it to me.”

“That was your first time?” Rin asked incredulously.

“Yeah.”

“Maybe you’ve got a gift,” Rin pondered. “You just seem to pick things up fast…” she explained as Shirou returned Hotaru to her stroller and packed away the diaper bag. Her gaze fell to the soiled diaper, eyeing it like it was an unexploded grenade. “Wh-what are you going to do with that…?”

“Get rid of it. Carefully.” Shirou murmured. Taking a small bag out of the diaper bag, Shirou shook it open and gingerly picked up the diaper, carefully slipping it into the bag. Letting out a sigh of relief when it dropped completely in, he picked up the used wipes in a bunch and put them in the bag, twisting it and tying it off. With a relieved look, Shirou tossed the sack into the trash, dropping it in dead center.

“Nice shot,” Rin remarked, nodding at his accomplishment.

Shirou let out a titanic sigh and seemed to slump with relief. “That was scary…”

“It couldn’t have been that bad…”

“Oh? Then why didn’t you help?”

Rin scratched the back of her head sheepishly. “I-I wouldn’t want you shirking your duties… Hey, what’s her name anyway?” she asked in an unsubtle attempt to change the subject.

“Hotaru. Hotaru Yazuru…”

Rin’s eyes went wide. “You mean Mr. and Mrs. Yazuru’s child? The richest family in Fuyuki City? THAT Hotaru?”

“I guess,” Shirou admitted. “Harumi does have a nice home.”

“Windsor Castle’s NICE, Shirou,” Rin snarked. “Their home’s opulent. How did you get that job?”

“I helped Harumi carry some groceries.”

“She was carrying groceries?” Rin wondered in open disbelief. “Doesn’t she have someone to do that?”

Shirou shrugged. “She told me she likes to do it herself.”

“Jeez, you’d think her husband would at least be a gentleman and do it for her…” Rin noticed Shirou’s face darkening. “What did I say?”

“She’s a widow, her husband died a week after Hotaru was born.”

Rin flinched, feeling like a complete idiot. “I-I’m sorry, I-I didn’t know…”

“It’s okay, I made the same mistake.”

“I can’t believe I didn’t know… my family sent them a card and flowers when Hotaru was born…”

An awkward silence reigned for a few minutes as Rin watched Shirou playing with Hotaru. “So why’d she ask you?” she wondered. “You said you’ve never looked after a kid before…”

“Harumi said I seemed to be good with Ho-chan,” he explained. “The night I helped her with a dinner party-”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, back up Shirou. What did you do at her dinner party?”

“I delivered some wine from Copenhagen, and I ended up helping her. Cooking, cleaning, no big deal…”

Rin shook her head. Only Shirou would say it was no big deal. “So you got promoted to baby sitter… That’s quite a jump…”

“I might not,” he pointed out. “If she’s unhappy with my job today, I guess that’s it.”

Rin watched Shirou entertain Hotaru. “Oh, I don’t think you’ll have to worry.”

“I hope you’re right, Ho-chan’s cute.”

“So… That’s why you’re doing this?”

“She asked. Why else would I be doing it?” Shirou asked, looking confused.

“It’s nothing,” Rin replied dismissively. “Listen, I’m going to be coming back in about a year for a few months. Do-do you want to have dinner together, or something?”

“I’d like that…” Shirou replied after a brief pause.

Rin smiled beatifically. “I’ll look forward to that,” she whispered. “I’ve got to go now, see you around Shirou. And you too Ho-chan…” She stuck out her tongue at the little girl, who let out a delighted giggle. “I’ll keep in touch Shirou…” Rin purred.

“Take care Tohsaka.”

“Rin.”

“Huh?”

“Call me Rin…”

“Okay. Take care To- Rin.” Shirou watched her walk away, idly curious why she was moving so oddly. He glanced at his phone. “Time flies… Time to go see mommy Ho-chan.” Shirou stood up, stretching and hearing his back crackle in response. Taking hold of the stroller, Shirou walked briskly back to Harumi’s, half expecting her to be waiting by the gate. As it turned out, she’d been waiting in the entrance, yanking the door open before the bell finished ringing, a look of relief coming over her as she saw her daughter.

“Welcome back Shirou.”

“Thanks.”

“Were there any problems?”

“Nope, just had to change her diaper.”

“How did that go?”

“It was… an experience.”

“Isn’t it?” Harumi nodded in agreement. “Do you think you could do it again?”

“I think so.”

“How about tomorrow night?”

“I’m free.”

“Can you be here at seven?”

“Sure.”

“Great! I’ll be at a fundraiser until about midnight…” Harumi paused. “I’m sorry, is that too long?”

“No, that’s fine,” Shirou assured her.

“I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

Shirou took that as his cue to leave. “See you then. Thanks for the recipe.”

“You too.” Shirou was tuning to leave when Harumi snapped her fingers. “Wait Shirou, give me your number…”

“Why?”

“If things change, I’ll be able to let you know.” She took another sticky note and copied his number on it. “If something comes up for you, call me…”

“I will,” Shirou promised. “See you.” He turned and walked away, listening to Harumi play with her daughter.

“Good girl Ho-chan, you behaved for Uncle Shirou…”

Shirou chuckled at that, making his way to the sidewalk and heading for home. As he made his way through Fuyuki City, Shirou found himself drawn to a toy shop. He walked in, his eyes falling on a stuffed lion; it was the same as the one that Saber had made googly eyes at over a year ago. “Hotaru might like that…” he murmured.

Giving in to his impulse, Shirou bought the toy, reminding himself to give it to Hotaru the next night. As he exited the store and headed for home, Shirou could feel that he was smiling.


End of Part Three

Notes: This was pre-read by Random1377 and Fatuous One.

Random also suggested this…

Omake:


Harumi paced by her door, glancing at the clock every few seconds, anxiously wringing her hands. She’d been certain that giving her daughter to Shirou to look after had been a good idea, but that was before he’d taken her. Now she was gripped by worry that she’d misread him, that he was some kind of pedophile or something. ‘I can’t BELIEVE I was so stupid, letting him take Ho-chan. I KNEW I should have had a private eye look into his past.’

She’d told Shirou he could be gone for ninety minutes, but Harumi hadn’t gone two minutes without starting to worry. Eighty minutes had gone by and she was nearly hysterical. The second the ninety minutes were up she would be calling the police. Nightmarish images of something horrible happening to her daughter flicked through her mind until the doorbell rang.

Practically teleporting to the door, Harumi threw it open and nearly went limp with relief at the sight of Shirou standing with the stroller. But when she took a second look, she noticed that something was a little off. Shirou’s clothes were torn in several places, there were cuts all over him, and he looked like he’d been through hell. “W-what happened Shirou?” she whispered.

He shrugged. “Nothing much, just had a few mishaps.”

“Mishaps…?”

“The pack of feral cats wasn’t a big deal,” Shirou calmly explained. “The rabid wolves were a little more trouble -I didn’t know there were wolves living around here, did you?- but the rattlesnakes had me worried for a bit…”

“R-rattlesnakes…?”

“Must have escaped from the zoo. Maybe they tried to keep them in cages,” Shirou pondered. “But it wasn’t until the dragon showed up-”

“How could you Shirou?! Drinking while looking after my daughter…”

“I wasn’t drinking,” he replied sincerely.

Harumi blanched as she realized something. “Ho-chan! Is she okay? If you let her get hurt I’ll-”

“She’s fine,” Shirou assured the distraught mother, reaching into the stroller and lifting a bundle.

Harumi paused. Her daughter hadn’t clanked when she’d left. Taking the bundle from the young man, Harumi nearly dropped it as it was heaver than she’d expected. “What the-?” She opened the bundle to find: “A-armor?!” She lifted the faceplate to find her daughters smiling face staring up at her.

“Like I said, there wasn’t any real trouble,” Shirou told her with a nod.

“W-what do you-?” Harumi broke off when a large shape in the sky grabbed her attention. It was the largest bird she’d ever seen.

Shirou followed her gaze up and let out a sigh. “Dammit, the roc’s back…”

“Roc? That’s not a bird, that’s a B-52 with a beak!”

“Take Ho-chan inside, I’ll deal with this,” Shirou told Harumi, pulling two swords out of thin air.

“Wait!” Harumi cried out. “You don’t think THIS is strange?!”

“Not really…” Shirou turned back to the diving bird and let out a battle cry as he charged.

Dashing inside and sitting down, Harumi listened to the sounds of the battle outside. “Well, he is good at looking after you, Ho-chan,” she told her daughter. “I guess he’ll do. Now, let’s go to the kitchen and see if I can use a can opener to get you out of this…”