A New Child

Chapter 13: A Day in the Life

The sun had barely risen when Shirou woke up. He wasn't used to waking up so early, but ever since the house got more crowded, he found himself being more anxious. It wasn't just because of the amount of people, but Tiamat now had to divide her attention. He felt himself getting jealous. All of it was happening so fast. He could barely keep up.

He stood and rubbed his eyes. At least he still had his own room. He yawned and stretched before looking at the clothes Tiamat bought him. Despite Tiamat's reassurances, Shirou found himself worried. He knew Tiamat wouldn't lie to him, but...

"Shirou?" The boy flinched when he heard Tiamat's voice. She wasn't even in the room. "Oh... I'm sorry, my child."

"I'm sorry," Shirou muttered as he opened the door to see Tiamat looking down at him. He knew she could read his mind. He shouldn't have thought about things like that. He shouldn't have...

"Oh, Shirou," Tiamat put both hands on Shirou's sides and lifted him up. Shirou felt himself start to shake. Tiamat rarely called Shirou by his name. It must be something serious. "Shirou, you are my child. My first child. You are the one who brought me into this world. I will never neglect you."

Shirou felt his mind blank as Tiamat spoke. He could feel the warmth in her eyes. The sincerity of her tone. The fuzzy feeling he got whenever he was in contact with Tiamat. He felt his heart open up and his eyes water.

"Thank you," Shirou muttered. Tiamat placed him back on the ground before crouching over and hugging him.

"Your mother will always be here, okay?" Tiamat assured him.

"Okay..." Shirou buried himself in Tiamat's embrace as he felt the warmth take over. He closed his eyes. He would cherish this moment.

-

"What would you like to make for breakfast, dear one?" Tiamat asked as she followed Shirou into the kitchen. Shirou's frown had long since faded and his smile returned on his face.

"Do you know what everyone else would like?" Shirou asked. Tiamat couldn't help but smile.

"What a thoughtful child I have," Tiamat put a hand on Shirou's head as she thought. "Do you remember what you had at that restaurant that day?"

"Pancakes!" It was an instant reply. Shirou opened one of the cupboards and grabbed a cookbook on American dishes. He flipped through the pages before landing on the appropriate recipe. Tiamat took a look at it and with a flick of her hands, the appropriate ingredients floated over to Shirou.

"Thank you!" Shirou chirped as he grabbed a mixing bowl and got to work. As he started to put all the ingredients in, Tiamat sensed another presence starting to stir.

"Good morning," Tiamat smiled and turned to see Sella facing her.

"Good morning, Tia—" Tiamat shot the maid a hollow smile. "Mother."

"Good morning," Tiamat greeted. "Shirou is making breakfast right now. Feel free to sit down."

"Shirou?" Sella poked her head past Tiamat and looked at the young child happily mixing. "You should have woken me. I would have made breakfast."

"Shirou loves cooking. I would not want to take that away from him," Tiamat shook his head. By then, Shirou had caught wind of the conversation and turned to join them.

"It's okay, Sella," Shirou affirmed with a small smile. "I can do it."

"It's irresponsible to leave a child in the kitchen by his lonesome," Sella countered as she walked past Tiamat and stepped into the kitchen. "Allow me to cook breakfast."