18 Chapter 18: Festival

Beta read by Shigiya and Paragon of Awesomeness

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-Sainan-

It turned out that Mikado possessed far more equipment than she had alluded to. It wasn't just a handful of alien machines here and there, but an entire basement filled with high tech computers, medical equipments, and large tubes of clear liquids, one of which currently had the naked body of Yami floating inside as she remained in a state of unconsciousness while various sensors checked her current state. 

Emiya stood off to the side, listening to the sound of keys tapping as Mikado ran her various tests using a language he couldn't make heads or tails of. 

"Her vitals are perfectly normal and stable. She doesn't have any major lingering internal or external injuries left on her body. The injuries that were on her wings and hand have healed well enough that they are now only faint white scars, and even those should disappear in the following days. No signs of infection, or contamination of foreign bacteria that could lead her to falling sick or poisoning. Minor signs of malnourishment and excessive brain activity from her going days without any sleep — to a human this would be very bad, but she'll recover after a good night's rest and some proper food." The nurse went on in a long description of her finding which he listened to carefully. 

"Who would have thought that eating nothing but junk food would even affect a 'perfect' entity like Yami." She mused, finding this small revelation both fascinating and ironic. On many occasions, she dealt with aliens who experienced some form of poisoning with Earth's food, thanks to their bodies not being compatible. "You can take her out now, it's done." 

Emiya walked forward, seeing the tube getting flushed from all the clear liquid as the seal opened, letting Yami fall into his arms where he had a long towel prepared to dry her up and cover the girl. 

"Any specific diet or food her kind needs or should avoid?" He asked, walking to Mikado who started stretching her arms in a manner that caused her breasts to nearly snap the buttons off. A part of him knew she was doing it on purpose just to earn a reaction from him. 

"Nothing of note on that part, she can consume anything a human eats, so don't put too much thought behind that." The nurse got up from her seat, walking over to the door where he followed which led to the living room after climbing up a flight of stairs. "She just ended up in her current state due to her body needing a lot of resources after your battle, and her not eating enough just aggravated what started out as a small problem." 

Placing the girl on a sofa, Emiya spent the following few seconds absentmindedly observing her face. Their circumstances were vastly different, from beginning to end they didn't share that much history and events. Yet for some reason, the Counter Guardian couldn't help but find a tiny part of himself sympathizing with the girl. A machine with the sole purpose of killing, losing a sense of self… all alone. This further bugged him since unlike him, Yami was still a young girl around the same age as his sister. 

A body made of swords, and a weapon taking the form of a body. Though Mikado didn't say it, he began to question whether she was naturally born from a particular race or an artificially created entity. 

"I'll borrow the kitchen if you don't mind." Pushing these thoughts to the side, Emiya walked over to the other side of the room where a clean kitchen came into view. Fully equipped but strangely barren of any ingredients or fresh produce. 

"Ara~ Am I going to get a personal taste of Emiya-kun's cooking? I'm sure many girls would be envious." She said while trying to hide her surprise as the boy before she took her apron and put it on, grabbing what little she had in her pantry which actually forced a small blush on the nurse's face on the very lacking ingredients. "Er, why don't I go buy some groceries first? I used up everything yesterday and didn't have the time t—"

"You don't cook," he spoke, Tracing a knife without reservation and starting to rinse and cut the vegetables. "The stove and pots are all covered in a thin layer of dust, and some of these utensils have never been used since their purchase. You're the type to only prepare ready-made meals or just order something for delivery. There's no shame in admitting that, Mikado." 

"Oh my, I got caught red-handed." Despite acting coy, Mikado still felt some of her pride take a hit with how his image of her had surely been changed after seeing this aspect of her home life. "How shameful. As a host, it is my duty to take care of my guests. To make up for this—" 

"If you finish that sentence with something along the line of, 'you can eat me if you want to' then I'll walk right out of the door." His dry cut-off once again made the woman freeze, her eyes twitching at how secure this kid's defense was. "…I'll take your silence as a confirmation of my suspicions." 

Releasing a sigh, Mikado admitted defeat and went over to get a closer look at what he was doing. "You know, most boys end up blushing like a cherry or tripping over their own feets when I make any suggestive comments. It's no fun when you completely anticipate me like that. Maybe I should up my game?" She leaned against the counter, facing her redheaded guest as her prominent chest rested on the surface, which gave him a perfect view of her deep cleavage if he decided to take a look. "How about staying over for the night so I can study your body and figure out how those abilities of yours came to be? I think that could prove an enjoyable and memorable experience for us both." 

Her suggestion was met with a light chuckle, "If I let you do that, then I'm afraid you might find a way to reproduce my abilities, especially if you were to get Lala's help with it. Knowing her, she would find a way to make a robot version of me with all my abilities, with several of her own additions just for fun." He wasn't even joking, the more he dealt with her inventions the more speechless he became with how absurd they were. Calling Lala's intelligence a new form of True Magic honestly felt appropriate. If she found her way to his original world then he couldn't imagine the neverending chaos that would surely spread everywhere

"Whaaat~? I would never do anything like that, Emiya-kun. I just want to satisfy some personal curiosities, and I'd be more than happy to offer you some things that I'm quite certain you'd enjoy in exchange… Or we could do them anyway just because it'd be fun," she smiled sultrily. 

"I don't doubt that. Though I feel your definition of 'fun' may be too much for me to handle." He leaned backward as the pan sizzled loudly after he placed in three cuts of steak he found in the fridge. A day past the expiration date, but still safe to eat. "Also, before you ask, I'm doing this as both a thank you and because I couldn't bring you any coffee like I promised." 

"I know," her smile grew bigger. "You do tend to keep your promises, even if it's for the smallest thing." 

"You make it sound like it's something to be impressed about," Emiya answered. "Any regular person with decent morals would know to keep their promises, that doesn't make me special." 

"You would be surprised how uncommon such a mindset is, especially when looking beyond the confines of Earth. Sometimes it's hard to trust someone when you don't have the power to make them fear or respect you. Even here, most keep their promises because they're expecting something in return or because they desire something more. You can't imagine the number of groups that did their utmost to curry favors with me and then were murderous in the blink of an eye when I rejected all of their ridiculous demands." 

"Who's to say I'm not doing the same thing? I did come to your house to have Yami get checked out. I'm very much using you and your expertise in the field of medicine." His eyes glanced over at the living room where the little assassin was about to wake up at any moment; the effects of the anesthesia were wearing off.

"Using me? Well, I very much doubt that's how you think of me, Emiya-kun. Something tells me you would have done the same thing even with or without Yami's presence. You were willing to do so before knowing that I am an alien, so I'm not worried." She looked at him in the eyes, enjoying the view before her as it felt oddly soothing. "Honestly, I wouldn't mind if you were using me. So long as you don't try to force me to create a super soldier serum or modify an entire race to become planet-destroying entities." 

That part made him pause what he was doing and give her an incredulous side glance, and he got his answer as soon as he saw her tired face. "You're not joking… Do you need any help?" 

His current self and former self couldn't hope to handle a being capable of destroying a planet, let alone an entire race of them. If Mikado truly had the knowledge to create such beings and someone was hunting her down to try to force the nurse to do so, then he needed to intervene before things got too out of hand.

Mikado gave him a gentle smile, "Don't you worry, Emiya-kun, I'm perfectly safe, I've long since left that part of my life behind me and distanced myself from all such people even before I came to Earth. That said, I certainly do feel more secure with a caring, capable, handsome young man being next to me willing to risk his life for an old woman like me. I really should show you the appreciation you're due one of these days." 

"Careful, don't forget I'm still a student." He reminded her with a small smirk, making the nurse laugh until he brought a small spoon halfway filled with sauce near her face. "Here, have a taste." 

Mikado leaned forward over the counter as Emiya gave her a taste of a sauce he made with the vegetables. "Hmm, could be spicier." 

"Then you should've at least stocked up on chilies, woman." That earned him a slight pout from the nurse. She certainly proved herself to be a fun person to interact with. An alien of all things who turned out to be the most normal person aside from Mikan he conversed with since reincarnating. Sure her blatant attempts of teasing him using her charms and body wasn't something that could be considered normal — but he didn't mind it all things considered. 

"Hm~ smells nice!" She walked around the corner and peeked over his shoulders, her chest very deliberately pressing against his back. "I may need to find a way to make you come over more frequently — I'm really starting to get jealous of the girls that get you to make lunches for them so often. What are your thoughts on having a mature concubine to comfort you daily in exchange for you personally seeing to all her needs?" 

"Ha, ha," his laugh couldn't be any drier or more sarcastic. "I'm not even married, and you already plan for me to have concubines? You can easily make this yourself if you put in a little time and effort; it's not anything complicated that requires a lot of skills." Just a simple steak covered in a vegetable sauce reduction and homemade fries. A dish that Mikan learned to do on her own at the age of six. 

"Hmmm, I don't know. I find it much more comforting watching you cook while I relax on the couch after a long day of work, dear." She teased again. "You know, it's getting quite hot in here. Maybe I should take off my—"

"Ecchi is bad." Both Mikado's and Emiya's eyes widened as they turned around to find Yami now standing at the edge of the kitchen, once again wearing her black outfit. Her stomach made a loud rumbling noise as she focused her eyes on the pan. 

"..."

"Oh my, I guess that's enough fun for today. Come on, let's have dinner together!" 

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Soon after, both Emiya and Yami left, and Mikado stared at the door for a good second. "You can come out now, Oshizu. He's gone." 

From the wall emerged the translucent blue figure of a young girl with blue-violet hair and matching irises. She wore a white kimono, though her most notable feature was a wispy tail where her legs should have been. "I-Is he really gone?" The ghost stuttered, her head snapping left and right with a sense of terror evident in her whole demeanor. 

The nurse sighed at her assistant's fearful reaction. "Yes, I wouldn't lie to you. Oshizu, Emiya-kun may be scary at times but he would never hurt you for no reason." 

This wasn't the first time Oshizu had been in Emiya's vicinity if Mikado remembered correctly. Their first encounter happened a few years ago, which left a deep-seated fear of the boy within the girl's heart. Unfortunately, her words didn't seem to elicit much of a change as the floating soul shook her head. 

"N-No, he's super dangerous!" she exclaimed, descending next to Mikado as the latter turned on the TV. "If he found me then I'm sure he'll try to kill me!" 

"You're already dead," Mikado pointed out, feeling her words were a bit harsh, but the truth nevertheless. "Whatever happened between you two for you to fear him like this? As far as I know, he's not even aware of your existence or else I surely would have known. And Emiya-kun isn't a priest or exorcist who can purify your soul." 

Oshizu hesitated, her face deeply focused as she recalled the events of the past. "But he can hurt me…" 

Mikado wanted to press for more but stayed silent, not wanting to push her little ghost assistant out of her comfort zone, she waited patiently. "...I-It happened a year ago, I found him wandering the old school building like he was searching for someone. I don't know if he was looking for me or something else entirely, but I decided to play it safe and stay hidden." 

Realization dawned within Mikado's eyes as she recalled a small memory from the past. "Ah, I think I remember. Apparently one of the rabbits from the enclosure escaped and the class it was assigned to started an area-wide search. Emiya-kun must have gone to the old abandoned building to search for it."

"It was a rabbit!?" Oshizu screamed with a shocked face. "I thought it was a dog this entire time!" 

Right, Mikado knew about Oshizu's major case of cynophobia. In many cases she accidentally allowed her telekinetic powers to spiral out of control due to panicking over one of those animals getting close to her. Despite having lived four centuries as a ghost, she never seemed to have gotten over her fears in the least. 

"I take it you mistook the rabbit for a dog and used your powers near him?" 

"Well… kinda," she whispered while avoiding any eye contact. "I got so scared that I started to run away from it. He happened to be close by and before I knew it… I tried to possess him." 

That made Mikado's interest in the boy soar, despite knowing Emiya for years and even once again getting the confirmation that he was human. She wondered how his body would react to getting possessed and why he never brought up the topic with her. Well, body possession tended to leave the host lacking any memory of such occurrences — so it was possible he just didn't remember it. But her curiosity turned into worry as the girl in front of her started to fidget and hazy, as if she was recalling a horrifying memory. 

"Oshizu?" 

"A-All I remember after that is that I found myself… somewhere else. I-I don't know where, but it was as if I couldn't breathe. It felt like the only thing filling my lungs was ash and everything in sight looked barren and dead, like a wasteland. And then… my body… It felt like my skin was buring the longer I was there and before I knew it, I found myself back at the school waking up in the middle of the night. I… I really thought I was going to die then." Whatever place that was, it filled her with dread. Even if she was only present there for a single second it had felt like hours, and all the while there had been the sensation of hundreds of blades nearly cutting her body into pieces. It all felt so wrong that she wanted to puke, but couldn't. That land… she never wanted to experience it ever again. 

Though in her last moment, the girl was certain that she had seen the shadow of a sword near her, but couldn't confirm. Now, seeing Emiya casually bring out that knife with his magic made her even more uncomfortable around him. 

"A wasteland?" Now Mikado found herself getting further confused with this story. Since when did possessing someone else's body teleport a ghost into another location? Perhaps Emiya had some defense against external forces and what Oshizu experienced was merely a nightmare. She did mention waking up in the middle of the night, so that explanation sounded more plausible. "I think this is all just a big misunderstanding between you and Emiya-kun. How about I introduce you to each other, and with me there I can promise no harm shall come to you. He's a pleasant man, I know he'll be surprised to see a ghost and happy to make another friend — god knows he needs more." 

Of course, there was no need to mention any of the incidents regarding Emiya having the power and will to blow up Laposco's ship and kill the Gaamian prince without hesitation. Such knowledge would just worsen Oshizu's fear of him. 

"...I don't know." She answered, that being scared of dogs was one thing, but experiencing the sensation of death again as a ghost left a bigger impact on her mind and soul. 

"You can't become a successful nurse if you get scared of every person. What if one day he needs medical help and you're too scared to help out? That would go against your oath and my teachings, wouldn't it?" 

She made a good point, "I-I can try." She finally had a goal in life — or the afterlife, as it were — and if her fear was threatening to come in between it then she had to conquer that obstacle. "I'll do my best, Sensei!"

"That's what I like to hear~!" Mikado praised the girl, though, at the back of her mind, this only made her more curious about Emiya's abilities. Where and how did he learn all of this?

{Break}

-Yuuki Resident-

"What's she doing here?" 

When was the last time he saw Mikan this upset? He honestly couldn't recall. The girl's temperament had always been very mature for her age, and in keeping with that Mikan practically never threw a temper tantrum or a rage fit after she had turned six. Their little argument recently about his actions during the battle against Yami didn't count as one, since she had been fully in the right for her outburst. Now seeing her squinted eyes and darkened face as if she was about to lash out at any moment, coupled with Rito standing behind her all pale, certainly didn't paint a good picture regarding her mood. 

Though Lala's confused stare as she slowly munched on some of the snacks he made for her broke that weird tension. Also… was she wearing his shirt? Her eyes turned towards him for a second as if she was trying to read something on his face. The more his frown deepened the bigger her smile became as if she found something amusing with his expression. Grabbing her phone, she typed something on the screen before turning the screen over. 

'You have a soft heart, Shirou.' Written in bold text. 

"..."

Damn that woman, saying something so false with the utmost confidence. Evidently, her ability to read other people was really that bad for her to judge someone like him in that way. Even Rin wasn't so troublesome to deal with whenever she got cranky in the morning.

"Yuuki Mikan, Princess Lala Satalin Deviluke, and Yuuki Rito," Yami spoke their names as a form of greeting, standing behind him without a single change in her expression. 

"Get away from him!" Mikan spoke with a tone filled with vitriol, making Rito twitch at the intensity and Emiya worried about how much resentment she harbored within her heart. "Did you come back here to try and hurt my brothers again!? Like I'd let you set your foot in here!" 

Nodding her head, Yami turned around and started to walk away without so much as a single word… only to get pulled back by her collar with Emiya giving her an unimpressed look. "Where do you think you're going?" 

"Away, Yuuki Mikan shows hostility to my presence." The meaning behind her words was clear, if his sister already hated just seeing her, then asking for an apology was next to impossible. "I'll return to the library." 

"No, you won't. You'll be staying here for the day until we figure out what to do with you." 

"Nii-san!?"

"Shirou!?" 

"Yay!" 

All three of them had a different reaction. Rito's was one of pure surprise, Mikan now directed her anger at him with those burning eyes, and Lala just cheered. He sighed, such reactions were to be expected with everything that happened. 

"How can you say that, Shirou!?" Mikan demanded. "Don't you remember she tried to kill you not that long ago!" 

Rather than immediately give her an answer, he pulled up his arm which still held onto Yami — almost dangling her like a cat — and dropped her back on her feet next to him. "I know, but I'm not dead or even injured, nor do I hold a grudge against her for coming after me since she was paid to do so while given false information. But I'm still less than pleased on how she nearly hurt you… Yami?" 

Giving the assassin a clear prompt, he watched as she almost fidgeted in place before bowing down her head. "I'm sorry for having tried to hurt you and Yuuki Emiya Shirou." 

That kind of answer was nothing Mikan was prepared for as her face became blank. But it was not like a single apology would appease even a tenth of the anger she held inside, and it showed. So before she could start to shout again, he went and caressed her head gently, a move he knew always worked whenever she used to cry as a baby and in her early childhood. 

"Yami never had any grudge against us in the first place. She was merely a contracted assassin trying to do her job. The real villain behind all of that ugly business has already been captured by Zastin and Lala." half-lied Archer, not wanting to inform his sibilings on what really happened to the former king. It managed to calm her down a bit, though she still kept glaring at the blonde before her. 

"Then shouldn't she just go back to wherever she came from? Why does she need to stay here… and why are you suddenly acting so nice to her?"  

Why indeed? Even he didn't know the answer to that particular question. Maybe Lala was right in the end, this world truly made him too soft for comfort — forcing him to do something that only the fool Emiya Shirou would do. Crazy, ridiculous, absurd even to one who long since cast away that name of the foolish boy who didn't know better. Yet despite that, here he found himself helping someone he had been ready to kill without hesitation a few days ago — forget about Rin, that red-headed idiot was going to die of laughter seeing him like this.

"He's helping me find a purpose," Yami answered before he could. "I… I want to see what I can be other than an assassin. I don't want to be a machine anymore." That last part she said to him rather than anyone else. 

Once again she bowed her head. 

"I'm sorry for having attempted to hurt you or Yuuki Emiya Shirou." This hit Mikan's resolve, putting more and more cracks within it as she struggled to keep up her enraged face. 

Lala was wrong, it wasn't him with the soft heart in the family. His sister was easily the most caring of them all, something both he and Rito agreed on. 

Now it was Rito's turn who walked up to her and put his hand on Mikan's shoulder. "I heard from Lala-san about what happened. While I also am not sure about her, if Nii-san feels like she's safe to have around then I trust him. And besides, you don't have to worry about anything, Mikan, your big brothers will protect you no matter what!" The boy assured her confidently, this being the last straw that made their sister's shoulders drop. 

"Idiots, both of you," was all she said before walking away. 

"I'll take that as a yes." Emiya guessed, happy to see the conversation didn't escalate too much. "You see that Yami? You can stay here, but you've got your work cut out for you. Until Mikan verbally accepts your apology, you're still on the hook." 

She nodded, "I shall put this mission as one of my primary objectives." 

"Ah, Yami-chan can sleep in my room! I already prepared two other beds just in case!" Lala, just as upbeat as ever, grabbed Yami before dragging her upstairs. "We also need to buy new clothes for her, let's get something cute later!" 

She sure was excited to have the infamous assassin over, not that he planned to have Yami stay in this house for long. Emiya refused to let this place become a hub for any more strange aliens to just crash in any time they wanted — there was already more than enough trouble outside his little haven for him to deal with. 

"You should go check on Mikan." He said to his brother, the latter scratching the back of his head with a weird expression. 

"Really? She can be very mean when she gets like that. Better you make her something sweet or bring her a gift of some sort." 

He was right, but just baking a cake or some sweets wouldn't help as she would see straight through his intentions and cause the whole thing to backfire. She hated to be treated like a little girl who could be appeased by simple things after all. "Wait, I know. There's a festival coming up soon right? One where they will have a fireworks show this weekend." Emiya recalled the talk he had with Kotegawa and knew this was the perfect opportunity to see off Mikan's anger. 

"Oh right, Saruyama mentioned it to me yesterday! Sairenji will also be going there!" Of course, his brother focused on that part immediately. Not that he blamed him, a young teenager with a big crush, just the regular life of a high school boy. "And this will be the first time we'll be attending it by ourselves. Dad just called about some deadlines he needs to focus on, and Mom's flight got delayed." 

Those two deadbeats… though at least they genuinely loved their children, but still! They really needed to be more involved in their kids' lives!

"So it seems, but Rito… don't ruin your chance by accidentally stripping Haruna or molesting her… again. Any more of that nonsense and I'll genuinely drag you to get checked by a priest for some kind of curse." 

"Nii-san!?" 

"Hn," Emiya exhaled with a grin on his face. "Just kidding — about the priest I mean, the rest is very much applicable to you. Anyway, I'm sure Haruna will be happy to have you along with her for the festival. Even if you don't end up confessing, at the very least try to get more comfortable with her without stuttering every time you catch sight of her. Better yet, behave with her like you do with me and Mikan. If she sees a more confident and casual side of you, then she'll be charmed for sure." It looked like that little pep talk seemed to work as Rito looked pumped up with determination present on his face.

"Yosh! By the end of the festival, I'll confess my feelings to her! Thanks, Nii-san!" He shouted while running up the stairs to get ready. 

"...I don't think he understood my meaning." Trying to confess to a girl when he actually barely knew her only spelled the beginning of a disaster unless she already liked him as well. Then again, he wasn't one to talk as his love life wasn't anything to really brag about.

Poor Haruna, having to deal with his dense brother — even Emiya Shirou wasn't so blind.

Going to the porch, Emiya took a deep breath as he finally got a moment of peace to himself. "Hm?" Vines and thick barks of wood extended from the garden with the giant head of an alien flower leaning over him. "You look like you're in good shape, I guess you enjoyed the meal I made last night?" 

The vines wormed their way inside his pockets, trying to find something tasty much to his amusement. "You won't find any food there, for now, I'll give you some water and we'll be eating in an hour. Okay?" Patting the flower's petal, the plant seemed to understand his words as it returned to its position and let him water the garden in peace. "If only everyone was as easy to handle as you." 

{Break}

-Sainan Festival-

In the blink of an eye, the anticipated festival started with a lively ambiance. A big chunk of Sainan's population was present for this event, some people he recognized and even that darned Principal was present… that didn't bode well. Making a note to be wary of that small but glaring issue, he came over with his siblings, Lala, and Yami. All the girls were wearing kimonos while Rito had regular clothes on. As for him, both the alien princess and his sister joined forces to make him wear a black montsuki haori hakama. 

It felt far too formal as if he was attending a wedding rather than a festival. But alas, the girls were not willing to give up anytime soon, so he relented.

"So this is what a human festival looks like, it is quite fun~!" Peke exclaimed while floating next to Lala, the latter wearing a light blue kimono. All five of them were holding cotton candies bought from one of the stalls lining the streets that led toward the main shrine. He was extremely against the idea of Peke wandering around in public; a talking robot who could fly around acted as a giant magnet for trouble. Lala though just insisted that everything would be fine as she attached a visible string around Peke and wandered around holding the end of it. 

To his shock, everyone ignored it, thinking it was some sort of balloon with a device that made it talk. Once again the bowman had to force himself to cope with how… different the people in this world were.

"Yay! So many people and shops!" The pink-haired girl moved from booth to booth, buying anything she got her hand on, eating all kinds of sweets, and bringing Mikan along to play all kinds of games. 

"This is your first time coming to a place like this, isn't it, Lala-san?" His sister asked, wearing a flowery pink kimono Ringo had made and sent over as a gift. 

"Yup! I only saw stuff like this on TV and magazines until now." 

As they conversed, Emiya looked at Rito. The boy had an anxious expression as he looked left and right, most likely searching for Haruna. "You don't look so good." 

"I'm just not used to crowded areas that much, it's draining." Said the boy who ran out of the house the moment Mikan suggested having him wear a kimono as well — leaving him alone to fend off the girls by himself. "What's with her?" 

"Hm?" Following his brother's gaze, Emiya looked at Yami wearing a black colored kimono, just standing there and observing Mikan and Lala in the distance. "I take it you'll not be joining them." He stated, to which she slowly nodded her head. 

"…If I remember correctly, Mikan loves caramel apples. Rito and I used to buy some for her whenever she cried or got hurt." He idly commented, the blonde turning her head toward a booth that sold them nearby, her mind processing her next move until it got interrupted by a loud cry of joy.

"Oh my god! It's Emiya's little sister! You look so adorable and your kimono is just beautiful!" 

"What the— let me go, crazy woman!" 

Emiya, Yami, and Rito all turned their attention to the commotion and found Mikan getting bear-hugged by none other than Saki. The heiress twirling around with their sister held tightly in her arms with the biggest smile on her face as she rubbed her cheek against Mikan's. "Oh my, you even speak like him! Hah~ I can't resist the sheer cuteness!" 

Saki was accompanied by her usual posse consisting of Aya and Rin, and just like all of the other girls attending the festival, they all wore kimonos. Black with a golden pattern for Saki, green for Aya, and red for Rin.  

"Wait, if you're here then that means… Emiy—!" Her voice got stuck in her throat as she saw him. "Rin, do the thing." She ordered with a serious tone.

Within a split second, Emiya's eyes were assaulted by the glaring white flashes of an expensive and powerful camera as the swordswoman took dozens of pictures of him before he could react. "Why!?" 

"Don't blame me, I'm following the mistress's orders," Rin said in a monotone voice. "Strike a pose for Saki-sama. Better yet, you can remove one piece of clothing which she will appreciate, don't be a coward—" 

The wind whistled as goosebumps spread across Rin's body. She jumped back out of instinct only to realize the camera in her grasp had somehow gotten cleanly sliced into two pieces. 

"No ecchi," Yami whispered with a frown on her face, the tip of her hair gleaming from the light for a second. Fortunately, no one seemed to have noticed how fast she moved other than Emiya and Lala. 

"Is that a sign of challenge, Yuuki Emiya Shirou?" Rin spoke with her hand going for her waist only to realize she hadn't brought her bokken along with her. "Damn it!" Her mood soured even further as the redhead smirked, amused by her inability to resort to her default response.

"What exactly would you do if I said yes? Unfortunately, it seems neither of us has a sword prepared, so I'm afraid we'll have to dismiss it. Also, both you and Yami need to stop calling me by my full name, just Emiya is enough…" Frustration leaked out of his voice at that particular habit. Especially with Rin, she only did this with him and no one else! 

"You look amazing in those clothes, Emiya!" Saki — still holding tightly onto his feisty sister who struggled to free herself from this weirdo — approached, getting a good look at his getup. "Now that's what I call class, you should consider wearing a similar type of clothing more regularly." 

"We're not living in the Heian period, Saki." He said, secretly sharing her opinion as he did indeed enjoy kimonos and had thoughts of wearing someone similar and less formal in his house from time to time. Though wearing it in public would honestly be weird. "Also, I didn't think you'd be here. With how crowded everything is, I expected you to keep away from such events."

"Fufu~ Then you don't know much about me at all, Emiya. While I do like to have my personal space and a more opulent atmosphere — I am more than capable of handling such occasions from time to time. Don't look down on the heir to the Tenjōin family!" After she said that, her attention once again returned to Mikan. "And finally I have been rewarded for my endeavors. I got to hang out with my little sister!" 

"I'm not your sister!" 

"Oh my~ She's so shy!" Unfortunately for her, his sister proved to be a master escape artist as she finally slipped out of Saki's hold and hid behind him and Yami. Using them both as shields while glaring daggers at Saki. "Ara, who might this little doll next to you be, Emiya?" Saki asked, finally taking note of Yami's presence. 

"She's… one of Lala's distant relatives. Call her Yami, she doesn't like to talk much." He introduced her, the assassin nodding her head without much of a reaction. Emiya's ears twitched as a distinct angered voice emerged from the crowd more toward the shrine's gate. Guess it was time for him to uphold his side of a promise he'd made. "Say, Saki. Mikan here hasn't been feeling well lately. Do you mind taking her and the others to explore the festival? I need to rest a bit and there are very few I'd be willing to entrust my sister with." 

More specifically, he knew that with Rin and Yami around, nothing bad would befall any of them. 

"You're sacrificing me to this weirdo again!?" Mikan exclaimed, not the first time her brother let this crazy person do as she pleased. "Traitor! I'll remember this, you coward!" 

He chuckled at her reaction. 

Meanwhile, Saki's eyes shined with stars, as Emiya entrusting his adorable little sister's safety with her basically meant… oh god, she nearly fainted from joy. "D-Don't worry, I-I will make sure to entertain Mikan-chan and Yami-chan and buy them everything their hearts desire! Let's go, you two, I'll give you both the festival experience of a lifetime! Hohohohohoho~!" With a snap of her fingers, Rin moved and grabbed onto Mikan like she was a sack of potatoes.

"I can't believe you've done this…" the little brunette muttered sourly as she joined Yami in Rin's grasp. "Hah, are you planning on meeting someone in secret? It's not like you to let me hang around with another group so easily." 

Emiya's eyes widened a bit, his sister turned out to be sharper than he gave her credit for. But he soon shook his head and decided to own up. "I am. A friend who wanted some help for the festival, and I said that I would be willing to lend a hand. And I'm not letting you go alone — Yami here will make sure you and the others stay safe." 

"...?" The blonde herself was confused by his statement as she gave him a curious gaze. "Are you sure?" 

"I've seen your abilities and powers firsthand. That's why I'm asking you to keep Mikan and Saki's group safe against any kind of danger." A spark flashed across her eyes as she slowly nodded her head. 

"I will eliminate all enemies." 

"Well, I wouldn't go that far. If someone does try anything you're free to beat them up, though do it discreetly— what!?" As if on cue, his senses blared like loud sirens as a large shadow appeared above Yami. 

"Wooooaaahhh!!! A super cute blonde! Want to become a student in my school?" Shouted the pig principal, having somehow evaded his senses and launched a surprise attack from above in the middle of a crowd! How degenerate and shameless could one person feasibly be!? 

Just as he was about to move and deliver the strongest Reinforced kick this body could muster, throwing out any means of holding back with how persistent this fool was, the wind stirred. Tens of thousands of golden strands of hair moved in unison and covered Yami's leg, ripping the lower part of her clothes with countless spikes jutting out, acting as both armor and weapon. She twisted her body in a way similar to the technique he used on her. Her graceful arc culminated in a devastating blow to the principal's visage, unleashing a mini shockwave that sent the sad excuse of a human hurtling skyward until he vanished from sight.

Before the droplets of blood could reach the ground, Yami reverted to her original form, leaving her kimono's lower half in tatters. She softly declared, "All perverts must meet their end," to no one in particular, her gaze shifting to Mikan. "Fear not, Yuuki Mikan. With me by your side, no such threats shall harm you."

"I think that thing was coming for you rather than me," Mikan said with a deadpan face. "Still… thanks." Anyone could have easily missed her voice, but Yami heard it and just for the briefest of moments, her eyes turned brighter as a smile almost graced her face till she shook it off. 

"It is my duty." 

"Wha-what just happened?" Saki and Rin who were covering their faces. "For a dusty gust of wind to happen here or all places. It's not safe! Come Rin, Aya, we'll bring Yami-chan and Mikan-chan somewhere cleaner and safe. Oh dear! What happened to your kimono!? We need to get you a new high-quality one as soon as possible, these scamming vendors will sell poor-quality kimonos to anyone these days." With that, they rush in the opposite direction with Yami keeping pace. 

Emiya on the other hand still remained slightly stunned at what happened at the end there. Even Rito, who witnessed the entire scene, had his mouth hanging open. Then again, this was the first time he saw Yami's weapon transformation abilities. "You fought against that and WON!? HOW!?" 

Good thing he wasn't there to see the battle, he could only imagine the shock Rito would have experienced. 

"Hey Shirou, I found that shooting game Rito was talking about! Want to come with me… ah, where is everyone?" Lala soon came back, holding a bigger bag of prizes that had doubled in size from the last time he saw it. 

"They met some friends and were dragged away." 

"Really? Aw, I wanted to play around a bit more with Mikan." Lala said, disappointment evident in her tone and expression. But she managed to recover rather quickly as she eagerly linked her arm with his. "At least I can still spend more time with you here!" 

Emiya sighed, "Well, I'm also going to meet someone. You're welcome to come along to meet her as well, I think she'll be happy to have more people along." 

"So this is what it feels like to be a third wheel," Rito commented, making Lala tilt her head in confusion. 

"Oh right, Rito, I just saw Haruna-chan at the booth over there with Risa and Mio. Shirou told me you wanted to hang out with her and confess, right? Then this is the perfect opportunity!" 

"Eh really? Thanks, Lala! I'll be going now, Nii-san!" And just like that, it was only him and Lala as they made their way through the crowd. Her bright features and his formal attire drew some attention, especially from the elderly who joked about them being a young married couple, only for Lala to take their jokes seriously and earnestly affirm it, making the misunderstanding worse. Fortunately for him, he didn't have to wait for long until the loud voice from before got clearer. Walking towards the entrance, they saw Yui shouting at a couple behind a tree. The duo most likely had been searching for a dark place to get intimate, but unfortunately for them that didn't sit well at all with the Disciplinary Committee President of Sainan High. 

"This is a festival where young children and families come together and play! Such salacious behavior right next to the entrance is unforgivable!" Even outside the school, she remained the same as ever. Not taking even a moment of rest with her duty even if she didn't have any authority here. Her outburst scared off the weirded-out couple, who would most likely just find another spot and start all over again. 

"I hope you haven't been waiting for too long, Yui." His call made her neck almost snap with how quickly she turned to the left as Yui, without much success, tried to look like she hadn't just been waiting for him here the entire time.

"A-Ah, Emiya-kun, w-what a coincidence…" Yeah, her talent for lying was abysmal. Probably around the same level as his brother, and he couldn't even lie to himself in the mirror if he wanted to. "Y-You f-finally d-decided to show up. Though it's not like I was waiting for you or anything… Wait, why is she here?" 

She pointed with a surprised face at Lala, the latter rushing past him and giving the shaken girl a big hug without hesitation. "Yui-chan! You look so cute in a kimono! Almost like an older Mikan!" 

"L-Lala-san?" Yui's face blushed red with the open display of affection from the alien princess. She was very much not used to getting hugged so brazenly in public, or with Emiya watching from a distance. "Shameless! You shouldn't be doing such things in public, Lala-san!" 

After a bit of struggle, she managed to push the girl back and get some space. 

"I brought Lala along to join our little group. Patrolling the entire festival with just the two of us is impossible, so she can help us and make it less burdensome." Yui hesitated at first, seemingly a bit disappointed with his words, but was unable to refute him as his statement was logical. 

"Yeah… the more the merrier." She said, lacking her usual energy for a moment before shaking off that meddlesome feeling within her chest. "So let's go, we have a lot to do!" 

So she said, but as he soon discovered, most of their patrol just ended up being Lala dragging the poor girl to every game booth and food stall that caught her eye, where at first Yui was uninterested, but slowly got more and more invested with each game and tasty treat. In less than an hour, both girls were sharing laughs and snacks as he kept up with them at his own pace. 

"Hey Shirou, let's try this!" Lala called him, pointing at a large section of the festival near the shrine where a large number of people were gathered. 

"A Tanabata? Didn't know they'd have one." He didn't remember hearing anything about this from people who'd attended this festival in prior years. It also didn't make sense for there to be one for this particular event… perhaps it was not an official one?

"The lady said if I write my wish on a piece of paper and hang it on one of the branches of this tree, then it will come true!" Already holding three pieces of paper in her hands, Lala handed one to him and Yui each. "What do you guys wish for?" 

"You don't just ask others what their wishes are, Lala-san. It's a personal matter that requires privacy. Also, don't go looking through other people's Tankazu as they are writing it!" Yui hid her paper as Lala tried to sneak a peek. 

"Ehhh, is that so? Ah, I know what I wish for!" Lala said as she excitedly started scribbling away. Her full focus was on the piece of paper, and from the looks of it, she was writing an entire paragraph. 

As for Emiya, he stared blankly at the Tankazu before him. What did he wish for? He had wishes, goals, and desires just like any other human being, but those were buried under a mountain of regret so large that he nearly abandoned them. Yet here he was, somehow alive and living with a family in a sort of chaotic yet still 'normal' life. Maybe wishing for his siblings to grow up well, healthy, and live a full life was the right answer. Humph, he didn't even believe in such simple trinkets made to attract visitors to the shrine, still he racked his brain for a proper answer. 

'What do I really wish for?'

In a twisted sort of way, he already accomplished most of his goals. The mere fact that he gave up his arm for Emiya Shirou had helped to push the boy away from the path that led to the birth of EMIYA. No, just their meeting each other already altered that course for good. Hopefully, Rin survived the war, that girl was just too stubborn and cunning to die so easily. Despite the appearance of the corrupted grail that in the end, took his life, somehow he knew that red-headed idiot would find a way to beat the odds. 

'Though if he died, then I honestly wouldn't mind that much.' 

Humph, who was he kidding? He had long since understood not to expect such things when it came to dealing with that brat. A true cockroach with how many times he kept surviving impossible odds — though, by that logic, the same could be said about him.

Letting his mind take hold, Emiya moved the pen in his hand. There wasn't anything particularly deep or profound to what he wrote, just a simple statement that managed to wrap up all of his current desires and any new ones he might have in the future.

"That should do it." He said, though when he looked up, Lala and Yui were nowhere in sight and the crowd was growing denser. Some even started to push others until one got close enough to bump into him hard enough for his paper to slip out of his fingers. But he grew surprised to find the person who bumped into him had a familiar shade of blue hair and a voice he instantly recognized. 

"Haruna?" 

"Emiya-kun?" 

The shy schoolmate, wearing a white kimono with a similar design to Lala's. A white hairpin was her head which he remembered her sister using not that long ago. All that aside, one question rose up in his mind and bothered him. "Were you perhaps with Rito?" 

"Ah, Yuuki-kun!" As if remembering something, she looked back into the crowd only to sigh in defeat a minute later. "I was just with him, Risa, and Mio. The crowd got too rowdy and before I knew it, we got separated and here I am." 

Huh, his brother's luck was worse than anyone he knew… aside from one particular Saber Servant, one of his versions fought in a Holy Grail War. At least Rito's luck didn't bend reality itself against him.

"Ah, you're also planning on making a wish?" She got curious, looking at the paper he picked up from the ground next to hers that she'd dropped as well. "Let me have a peek! Ouch!" 

Her excitement was met with a prompt yet light chop to the head. 

"Don't peek. It's rude and I wouldn't have to ask for a look at yours." He said while pointing at the Tankazu in her hand. "Though knowing you it'll probably be something simple like having a good year, succeeding your studies, or growing bigger than your sister."

"You didn't have to add that last part." The poor girl whined, a shadow casting over her face as she hoped to possess a similar figure to her sister. Everyone in her class had started to grow more mature and curvier while she remained the same. "I remember you telling me to exercise, saying it'll stimulate my bones and muscles to help me grow taller. I got good at bar jumping but there's still no changes." 

"You actually believed that?" Surely she did some research before following his words blindly. "Exercising does increase your muscle density and affect the size, but it will not necessarily make you taller or cause you to develop more. I was just joking back then." 

"Emiya-kun!?" The look she gave him was no different from that of a hurt puppy. He quickly put up his hand and calmed her down. 

"Don't worry, Akiho mentioned she was a late bloomer, didn't she? Then you might also be in a similar situation." That worked as she found hope in his words. Despite all that calm demeanor she was known for, Haruna still was a young teenage girl with mundane worries one would expect to find in someone her age. "Anyways, how was your time with Rito? Hopefully, he didn't get his hands over you by accident again. Another one of those punches and he may suffer from a fractured cranium." 

"You know, it wouldn't hurt to not be a jerk for five minutes." She said with a dry voice. 

"Sorry, can't help it given the kinds of reactions you both have." Both waited for the crowd to thin out, hoping to see Rito, Saki, or Lala soon and return to their respective groups. 

"It's been nice, he showed me around the festival and we talked a lot. He spoke about how there have been a lot of guests visiting your house and you being a lot livelier than usual lately."

"Lively… guess you can say that." It has been a rollercoaster of shenanigans lately, but it wasn't so bad all things considered. "I'd rather call it stress."

"Is that why your hair is losing its color? It's not natural for someone your age to have white hair so soon if you weren't born with it." She was right, it was unnatural. The changes to his body were happening at an accelerated rate that didn't make sense for it to occur due to his Magecraft or activities. He even began questioning if he would revert to his past self's appearance within a year or two. 

"Who knows, even Mikan keeps teasing me about it. So don't you start too." 

"Ah… not fair, I need to find a way of getting some revenge for all the head chops you give me." She said while pouting. "What kind of man hits a lady? You could learn a thing or two from your brother, he's much nicer." 

A grin appeared on his face as she described Rito. Good, the way she spoke about him gave the bowman some hope for the future. "Unfortunately, that delusional thought will never see the light of day. You'll have to keep dealing with a jerk for years until you'll eventually get tired of me."

"What a dreadful thought, too bad for you that'll never happen. I've grown used to your ways of speaking. It's a miracle Rito didn't end up like you, I can already imagine how weird it would be if there were two of you! Ffufufufu~!" Well, he knew how it would end up, and it was no different from a complete nightmare to anyone involved. Having more than one Emiya gathered in a spot just invited all kinds of trouble. The name alone seemed to carry a curse at times.

Without even realizing it, both continued to speak for another hour until the crowd thinned out to half its previous numbers. Having found a spot near the shrine gateway and sitting on the ground with their backs against the wood, they talked until they got interrupted by a loud cry… a panicked shout that sounded an awful lot like Rito. 

"Hm?" 

Looking down the stairs, both spotted Rito getting punched by Yami whose hair turned to fists as she shielded Mikan and Saki with her new dark blue kimono torn into two pieces, exposing her legs again. "Even if you're Yuuki Emiya Shirou's brother, I won't show mercy to perverts." 

"I-I-It was a mistake! I didn't see you in front of me and grabbed onto the closest thing as I slipped and— wah!" He narrowly dodged a punch and started running. "Why me!?" 

"..."

"..."

Haruna and Emiya gave each other a look before going after Rito. "I-I'll go check up on him! See you tomorrow, Emiya!" 

How she didn't have any reaction to Yami's hair transforming into functional fists, even if the girl tried to hide it, failed to find a logical explanation in his mind. He waved her goodbye as he checked the time. "Well, I should be putting up this Tankazu soon. Hm, I should perhaps also wish for Rito's and Mikan's good health." 

As he opened the paper in his hand, Emiya froze as he gazed at a soft handwriting that wasn't his with a wish he had never written. His subsequent reaction to the content written elicited a single word to pop out of his mouth.

"What?" 

{Break}

"Are you okay, Yuuki-kun?" Haruna checked the beaten boy on the ground, having run all the way to the entrance, and hid under the bushes to escape Yami's relentless pursuit. "You should be more careful." 

"I'm sorry… I tried to find you but there were just so many people and I got lost and… yeah, it didn't go well. Sorry about ruining your day, Sairenji." 

Haruna giggled, "It wasn't bad, fortunately, I got to meet your brother and we got to talk for a bit until we spotted you. Ah, it's almost closing time, Risa and the others should be at the Tanabata. We should hurry up and run to see the fireworks before it's too late." Though it might have been already too late as the fireworks were about to start in a minute, she really lost track of time back then. 

"You're right, I also need to put up mine." Rito showed his piece of paper. 

Arriving at the shrine, she found Emiya and most of the people gone, leaving them alone to hang their pieces of paper. As Rito stepped forward and placed his wish on the tree, Haruna took hers out and noticed something odd. 

"Mine wasn't red," she had a pink paper. Much to the dismay of her morals, the girl found herself opening the paper that wasn't hers as a part of her already knew who this belonged to. Unable to suppress her curiosity, she wanted to know what someone like him would wish for. Knowing his personality, he probably wished for his siblings' prosperity. "Wait, if I have his then he must have… " Panic spread across her face as she hastily looked at the Tankazu in front of her hoping to not see hers hanged. But her body moved outside of her control as her fingers continued to unfold the paper, she was met with a simple sentence that was completely out of her expectations. 

'I wish to continue living this dream as long as possible before it finally ends.' 

The background was filled with the sound of fireworks exploding, dozens of different patterns and colors filling the sky above. She paid no attention to them as her mind couldn't help but feel a small sense of uneasiness at how weirdly ominous this phrase sounded.

------------

The next 5 chapters of Snafu, and my other Fate fics (Fate Coiling Sword with 3 chapters, A Fake Familiar Reborn with 3 chapters, Steel Eyed Faker soon to be 3 chapters, Hound having 1 and To love a sword having 4 chapters) are already available on my P@treon. With 4 more Broly chapters at /NimtheWriter. Also, I post commissioned arts on each story, already posted a few on an Archer's Promise, Broly and Snafu.