Tohsaka Rin’s chest hurt. It felt like her heart was just squeezing inside her chest. Her throat also felt tight. She wasn’t sick. She rarely got sick, and was usually in perfect health. So, she didn’t know why. Why she felt like this.

…

No. That was a lie. She knew full well why she felt like this. She looked across the playground, where her sister Sakura sat alone, blank-faced, eating her lunch, and very conspicuously missing the red ribbon Rin had made for her so long ago.

It had been a week since Sakura had worn it.

It made Rin feel like an awful Magus. ‘Forget you had a sister, Rin.’ Her father had told her. And she had tried. Tried to forget, hoping to one day reconcile with the girl as allies. Maybe even friends.

But Sakura always looked so lonely. She had always been shy, but Rin didn’t like how lifeless she looked when she thought no one was looking. Like… like their mother did now, inside intensive care, unable to even remember her daughter. Rin couldn’t keep an eye on her outside of recess and other such times, seeing as they were in different years, but she hoped she was at least a bit livelier in class. She… she wanted to reconnect with Sakura, but she had to hope that she was happier than Rin herself was. Her father had been murdered, and her mother had been an inch from death herself, something she couldn’t truly recover from. Kotomine Kirei was a… a jackass and she always felt uncomfortable around him. Even her fortune was… slowly dwindling away under Kirei’s tender care. She had convinced herself that Sakura was far better off without her.

But Rin had always had heart that Sakura still remembered her fondly as well. After all, she wore the ribbon Rin had made for her every single day. The sight of it had always filled her with happiness even if she couldn’t show it.

Up until Sakura had stopped wearing it. The first time she had (secretly) gazed upon her sister with her head bare, she had almost cried. She had scared the other kids in her homeroom and classes with her stone-faced glare at nothing. It had… hurt.

So, she thought to herself, maybe it had gotten dirty? Surely Sakura would wear it the next day, right? But she hadn’t. She had come to school, as silent and as empty-eyed as ever. And then the next day. And then the next day.

Rin had to do something about that pain. She had to. She had to know if Sakura really had let her go the same way father had told her to do. So, she went home and made a beautiful new ribbon. She was tempted to change the color to better match her sister’s hair and eyes, but she figured going with what was familiar would be better.

The next day, she forced herself to wake up at an ungodly hour and snuck off to school, using a tiny bit of harmless Magecraft to open Sakura’s locker and place her gift inside. She created a small familiar and hid it in the ceiling to watch.

When Sakura finally arrived, she did so before the throng of students like normal. She opened her locker, and Rin could see the moment she saw the ribbon. Her entire body seemed to freeze for a moment, before a shaky hand reached out and grabbed it. Rin’s heart was in her throat as she waited to see how her sister would react.

She could never have predicted what that reaction would actually be.

Silent tears started to leak from the younger girl’s eyes, before it was like a damn burst and she started to sob in full, clutching the ribbon and holding it to her chest like it had been a gift from God himself. “N-Nee-san… Why? Why did I have to get abandoned? I-If you still care…”

The secretly watching Rin felt cold. No, more like someone had yanked on her shirt and dropped ice on her back as she finally allowed herself to consider things that she had forced herself not to. Was… was Sakura not happy with the Matou? Was she as miserable as Rin was?

And then Sakura whispered something that was as loud as a gunshot to Rin’s ears, “Save me, nee-san…”

Save her? Save her from what? Were the Matou hurting her sister?! Rin felt her circuits flare to life of their own accord as she clenched her tiny fists. She cut the connection to her little familiar and let it disappear. All traces of grogginess had vanished. The school was empty, and she knew she shouldn’t do it, but she Reinforced her legs, something she was still very much practicing, to get from her homeroom down to the locker room. She zoomed faster than she ever had and burst into the room with a bang.

Sakura startled, and before she had even a moment to wipe her tears, Rin had her in her arms, “I’m here, Sakura.” She said, clutching her tightly.

“Nee-san…!” Sakura managed to get out, before her tears renewed and she sobbed into her sister’s chest. Rin cast a few spells for privacy, just to make sure that no one would enter and that they couldn’t be spied on. She spent the next several minutes just running her fingers through her sister’s hair. When Sakura calmed down, she backed away hesitantly, holding her new ribbon. “N-Nee-san… why?” She asked, looking more alive than she had in years.

Rin swallowed the lump in her throat, “W-What happened to the old one?”

Sakura sniffled, “It… it got worn out. I… I didn’t want to lose it, so I…”

Oh. Of course it had been something that stupid. She had barely been able to use magecraft back when she had made it. It had been just a nice piece of cloth. Rin looked away, “I… Father told me, back when you were…taken. That I should forget I had a sister.” She said softly and Sakura flinched, “But I never could.” She looked down at her hands, “I… I missed you so much. I didn’t speak to mother or father for weeks unless they spoke first. And then father died and mother…” She clenched her fists.

Sakura couldn’t believe her ears. All this time? All this time…

Rin continued, still not looking at Sakura, “With mother and father gone, the fake priest became my guardian and… and everything went to hell. I’ve always watched over you, and I wanted you to see you smile... I wanted to believe that you had it better the more I suffered. I thought you would be better off without the broken girl barely holding herself together. That you were happier without me.”

“No.” Sakura sobbed out, feeling both sadness and anger in equal measures for the first time in years. “Nee-san, how could you ever think…”

“I was wrong. I can see that now.” Rin said, before her face hardened into her Magus face. “What are they doing to you, Sakura? Why did you ask me to save you?!”

A full body flinch ripped through Sakura, “NO!” She shrieked, “Y-You can’t save me.” She wrapped her arms around herself, “No one can save me. Uncle Kariya tried to save me… I can’t lose you too! Not after I just got you back!”

‘Oh.’ Rin thought to herself. ‘This is way worse than I feared.’ Her face went even colder, “What. Are they doing to you, Sakura? What are they doing to my little sister?” She grabbed Sakura’s arms to anchor her in place and demanded to know.

“I-I can’t.” Sakura whispered, trying to get away.

“If you don’t tell me, I’m going to assume it’s as bad as possible and try to find out for myself.” Rin said coldly, “And that’s probably going to get messy.”

Sakura broke.

…

Tohsaka Rin transcended rage as she listened to what Matou Zouken, their family’s centuries-long ally, had done and was still doing to her sister. She sat, stone-faced and continuously feeding her own emotions into a fire in her mind’s eye to keep from exploding.

This… this was heresy. This was a betrayal of the highest order. Zouken had taken Sakura with the promise to train her into a great magus. He had instead broken her. He hadn’t trained her at all. His training was sticking her sweet, innocent sister into a pit and violating her with WORMS! He never meant to train her at all! She was just supposed to be breeding stock.

Suffering? Rin had thought that she had been suffering?! She didn’t even know the meaning of the word! Her sister’s entire LIFE had been suffering from the moment her bastard of a father had given her away!

“I’ll kill him.” She said, her voice completely dead.

“NO!” Sakura shrieked. “Nee-san, NO! He… he already killed Uncle Kariya. He wil-”

“I’m not stupid, Sakura.” Rin snapped, and punched herself in the thigh just for the pain to take some of the edge off when Sakura flinched away from her. She took several deep breaths and forced herself to calm. All the rage and despair she was feeling, she fed into the fire. What she needed now was ice. When she opened her eyes, she stared at her sister, “I know I’m not strong enough. I’m ten. I know that it’s likely I’d just be hurting you if I succeed.” She glared, not at Sakura, but at the fucking worms she now knew were inside her. “And that I’d hurt you more if I failed.” She stared Sakura down, “But I swear to you. Matou Zouken will pay for what he’s done. It may not be this week. It may not be this year. But I swear Sakura, I WILL save you!”

It may not have been a Geas, but Rin would fucking treat it like one.

-]|[-

Another two years of pain passed. Rin and Sakura could only meet in secret, because they both worried about Shinji tattling to Zouken that the two were friends. Rin cherished every moment she could sneak with her sister, but her anger and frustration were starting to get to her. She felt no closer to getting her sister away from Zouken than she had when she had first made her foolhardy declaration.

And she could see how it was affecting her sister. ‘I guess what they say is true. Hope really is the most dangerous poison of all.’ She thought to herself bitterly as she walked to her new school for the first time. It was spring, and she was entering junior high now. It should have been a time for happiness. A time for new beginnings.

She almost felt like burning the world instead. How was that for a new beginning? Sakura wasn’t getting one, and she never would if Rin couldn’t find out how to get those fucking worms out of her so she could kill Zouken. She couldn’t even experiment properly because there was a risk of the worm discovering it if she tried to study the ones inside of her sister.

All this new school was going to do was cut into her time with Sakura even more, since she was still in the final year of elementary. She entered her homeroom and put on her ‘dutiful student’ face, not letting any of her negativity show. Their teacher was a sweet, middle-aged woman, and she started taking roll. Rin paid attention. It wouldn’t do for her to not know the names of her classmates, after all.

Only the teacher called out a name that made Rin’s brain go fuzzy. “Emiya, Shirō.”

“Here, sensei.” A…white???-haired boy raised his hand. He had golden eyes and, yeah, her eyes weren’t deceiving her, snow-white hair.

‘Emiya?’ She thought to herself, ‘As in, Magus Killer Emiya Kiritsugu?’ She completely forgot about learning the other student’s names. ‘No, surely not. He’s dead, isn’t he? That’s what Kirei thinks.’

She needed to get to the bottom of this. She hoped her hypnotism was up to snuff.

…

The school had closed for the most part, with only a few stragglers still there. She went to the main office, and smiled when she scanned the area and discovered only the secretary was there. “Oh, how can I help you, little miss?” He smiled at her kindly.

She returned it, her eyes glowing, “You can show me Emiya Shirō’s enrollment records.”

“Yes, of course.” The implanted suggestion made that seem to be entirely natural to do. He quickly dug through the records, before printing off a copy and putting it into a manilla folder. “Here you are.” He droned despite his smiling face.

“Thank you. Please forget this ever happened.” She walked away, and five minutes later, the man shook his head in confusion, wondering if he had just fallen asleep in his chair.

Rin made her way home before opening it. She bit her lip at the information she read.

Emiya Shirō

Mother: Unknown

Father: Emiya Kiritsugu.

…

She sat on the information for a week before she made her decision. She didn’t go to Kirei with it. She was worried that her guardian would try to finish what had been started five years ago, and then what was she going to do?

She had the infamous Magus Killer living in her city completely against her knowledge. He surely would be able to kill Zouken and save Sakura! So why hadn’t she jumped at the chance?

Just the tiny, insignificant fact that he had killed her father.

Angry, no, furious that he had given Sakura to Zouken she may have been, but he was still her father. She had loved him more than anyone. More, she was ashamed to say now, than even Sakura. The pain that acknowledgement brought her now…

But she didn’t know what else to do. Sakura seemed to be getting worse by the day. In the end, she did as she always would from now on. Place Sakura above all.

…

“Good morning, Emiya-kun.” She said once Shirō had opened the main gate of his traditional Japanese compound.

“Tohsaka?” He raised an eyebrow, “What are you doing here?” He then grinned slightly, “Come to declare your undying love?”

Rin sputtered, blushing frantically, “Wh-what are you saying?!” She squeaked out.

He was still grinning as he tilted his head, “Well, you showed up at my house out of the blue. I haven’t shared my address with anyone in class. How did you manage that, I wonder?”

She coughed into her fist, before forcing the conversation to go where she wanted it. “Yes, well-” Okay, maybe she was still frazzled, “I wish to speak with your father if he is in.”

Shirō’s gaze sharpened, “Ah. One of those calls.” He muttered, before standing aside and allowing her in. That statement was telling in and of itself. He led her into the house, “Have you had breakfast?”

“I have, thank you.” Rin followed him.

“Okay then. Sure hope you know what you’re doing, Tohsaka.” He muttered as he opened one of the sliding doors.

Rin stepped inside and blinked. ‘This is the boogeyman Kirei tried to haunt my dreams with?’ The man in question was thin and looked haggard, though his gaze was sharp. She swallowed, before walking inside and kneeling on one of the pillows in front of the man. “Emiya Kiritsugu?”

He nodded, “You are brave to walk into my home like this, Tohsaka-san.” His face gave nothing away, and it made her swallow nervously. “What can I do for you?” So, he knew who she was.

“I could say I am here to do my duty as the Second Owner of Fuyuki.” She kept her voice steady, “You did settle here without notification, after all.”

“You could.” Kiritsugu agreed, “Though I sense that isn’t what you are here for. Again, what can I do for you, Tohsaka-san?”

“I am here to hire you for an assassination.” She said, keeping her voice as steady as she could.

He leaned back as he looked at her, “…You are rather young to be playing those kinds of games, aren’t you?” Her hands clenched into fists on her thighs, “Who, and why?”

Rin blinked in confusion, “…Why? Does the why matter?” She asked him, befuddled, “I am willing to part with a great deal of my wealth for this.”

“I am retired.” He continued to stare at her silently for a moment as she glared furiously at him, before letting out a sigh, “It may surprise you, Tohsaka-san, but I was not an assassin for hire merely for the money. Every contract had a purpose. I never accepted contracts with which the only ones who benefited were the ones trying to hire me. Every person I accepted a hit on was already a murderer who would have killed hundreds more.”

Rin came very close to snapping entirely and ruining her one chance. “Then why join the Holy Grail War?!” She snarled before she could contain it, “Why did you kill my father?!”

He again leaned back on his haunches as he stared at her, “I killed many people, Tohsaka-san. Many who were deserving, and many who were not. I also killed two of the Fourth War’s masters, one by hand, and the other on my orders.” He looked her in the eyes, “Your father was not one of them.”

“What?” It was like the air had been sucked from her lungs.

“Admittedly,” Kiritsugu continued, “This was not due to any form of altruism. The easiest way to defeat a servant is to kill the master.” He leaned forward as he saw anger return to her eyes, “And I indeed broke into your home to do just that. All I found was an empty building, with a large blood stain on the carpet, in a room where two cups of tea had been prepared.”

Rin’s eyes were wide, “That, but-”

Kiritsugu nodded, “No sign of a struggle. He had clearly been meeting with someone he trusted. Someone who I suspect quite literally stabbed him in the back.”

“No.” She said, trying to force her mind to not go in the direction it wanted to go. But it was impossible. ‘Kirei.’ She ground her teeth, trying not to show weakness in front of Emiya Kiritsugu. She knew she was failing as black rage engulfed her, ‘He lied. He lied, he lied, he lied. Why would he lie?! Emiya has no reason to lie to me right now. He’s not trying to make himself look better. He clearly doesn’t care about his image. He admitted he broke into my home to kill father! So why would he lie about not getting the chance?!’ She hissed out, “KIREI!”

“Yes, that is my suspicion as well.” Kiritsugu said flatly, “Especially since he shouldn’t be alive after I blew out his heart during the final battle.”

Rin ground her teeth, “Can I add a name to the list?” She hissed out. Before Kiritsugu could even say a word, she continued, “I’ll give up my entire fortune if I have to!”

Kiritsugu sighed, “You still haven’t told me who or why, Tohsaka.”

“Fine!” She spat, “I want to kill Matou Zouken to save my sister from his torture!” She glared death at him as she explained that she and Sakura were sisters by birth. That they both had been exceptionally gifted by magus standards. That Sakura had been given to Zouken because they only had one Crest and her father couldn’t give it to them both. That instead of treating her as she had deserved, Zouken had shoved her into a pit and violated her with his worms. That he tormented her every day under the guise of training. That Sakura had lost hope of ever being rescued up until Rin had figured out what was going on. “Is that fucking good enough, Magus Killer?!” She finally spat, truly at the end of her rope.

Kiritsugu closed his eyes, “Yes.” He said softly, “That is a contract I would have taken any day. A worthy cause, Tohsaka-chan.”

Rin felt ice fill her spine at the same time as anger filled her from the term of endearment. “…Would have?”

Kiritsugu let out a heavy sigh, before holding out a hand to her, “I presume you know Structural Grasping?”

She narrowed her eyes, “Are you trying to insult me?” She grabbed his hand and activated her circuits and-

FIRE BLOOD RAGE HATE PAIN AGONY

She let go with a scream, almost crab walking backwards away from him. His body was falling apart. His magical circuits were almost completely fried. It was as though his body was self-destructing- no, like his body was cannibalizing itself. “What the hell is that?!” She asked shrilly.

“Do you really want to know?” He asked, looking tired and drawn. She nodded, “I have not been able to discover the details, but something has poisoned and corrupted the Grail.”

‘No.’ Horror engulfed Rin at his words, ‘No, no, no, no, no.’

“It has turned into a Monkey’s Paw, Tohsaka Rin. I was the ultimate victor of the fourth Holy Grail War. I killed everyone who got in my way. I sacrificed everything I had managed to claw back for myself after a life of misery. My only true friend and a lover. My wife. My daughter. Even my humanity. All for the sake of my dream. My desire. My wish.” He paused for a moment, reliving his trauma, “And in the end, it was all for nothing. The grail took the form of my wife, the Einzbern homunculus that had been the host of the Lesser Grail, and told me that it could only grant my wish with the same methods I had always used. The Utopia I dreamed of where the endless killing and violence would stop could only be achieved using my own methodology. Of killing every single human alive until there were none left to cause destruction.”

Rin’s pallor had curdled, “Th-that’s insane!”

“And so, I asked it for another wish. For my wife back, so that she, I, and my daughter could live in peace and safety. And so, the grail informed me that it would grant it, by putting us in a castle we could not leave, and destroying all threats everywhere, leaving us as the only three left alive.” Unbidden, tears started to fall from Rin’s eyes. “Do you understand, Tohsaka-chan?”

Rin forced the lump down her throat and croaked out, “My father died for nothing.”

“Yes.” Kiritsugu said, “I was so disgusted by it that I rejected the grail completely. And so, it cursed me. That curse has done nothing but destroy me for the past five years. Even my attempt at destroying the Grail only caused more pain. I used my final two Command Seals to order the Grail destroyed, and it was that which caused the fire that killed five hundred people.” He swallowed, “Including Shirō’s mother, and almost him.” He clenched his fists, “He… he was the only one I was able to save.” Kiritsugu glared at nothing, “I’m sorry Tohsaka-chan. I would have done this for you for free. But I no longer can. I doubt I could kill a Third-Rate Magus with how badly my hands shake now.”

Rin hunched over, fury and despair warring within her. “Damn it.” She punched the tatami mat below her. Her father was dead for nothing, betrayed by the very man who now raised her, and was likely mismanaging her estate for his own twisted amusement! Her sister was trapped in a home she hated, violated by disgusting creatures she wanted nothing to do with, day in and day out. “Damn it!” She slammed her fist down again and she began to rage and cry. Her heartfelt plea had been heard, but Kiritsugu could do nothing! She could do nothing! Her sister was going to keep suffering until she broke! “DAMN IT!” She cried out, but rather than the thud of her fist hitting the ground filling the air, the BANG of a door being slammed drowned it out.

“I’m going for a walk, Kiri.” Shirō announced, and both Kiritsugu and Rin looked at him.

And then they both blanched. Shirō had a… very familiar (to Kiritsugu) gun in hand. “And why do you have my Contender on you for this… walk?” Kiritsugu sounded…exhausted.

“It’s going to be a very…enthusiastic walk.” Shirō growled out.

Rin twitched, ‘He’s not this stupid, is he?’ She stared at him in shock.

Kiritsugu was much more deadpan, “It wouldn’t happen to be in the direction of the Matou household, would it?”

“Wow! It’s like you’re a Wizard, Kiri!” Shirō deadpanned back, before turning around and starting to walk away.

“Wait!” Rin yelped, before scrambling to her feet and running after him. “Are you stupid, Emiya-kun?!” She grabbed his arm and tried to hold him back, and was astonished when she felt her feet starting to drag even when she reinforced herself.

“You think I can hear a story like that and not act?” He continued to walk as if he didn’t have eighty pounds of cute trying very hard to pull him back. “I’ll kill the bastard for you and your sister.”

“What can you do?!” She snarled, and finally got him to at least stop and look at her, “You’re my age! I’m not going to let you kill yourself and get Sakura into trouble!”

“Actually.” Kiritsugu had apparently caught up, and he had a contemplative look on his face. “Shirō could certainly do it.”

Rin let go in her shock, “What?!” She stammered, “What the fuck do you mean?!”

Kiritsugu let out a humorless chuckle, “Shirō is stronger than I ever was for…various reasons.” He said, rather evasively. Rin gaped at him, “But can you do this, Shirō? Can you kill a man in cold blood?”

Shirō looked at him, stone-faced, “He’s not a man. A man would never do what he did to Tohsaka’s sister. He’s a beast. A rabid beast. And even if he wasn’t, there’s no way I could leave a little girl to be tortured like that.”

Kiritsugu let out another humorless smile, “Then good luck, son, and never-”

“Become like you.” Shirō finished softly, “Yeah, I know, Kiri.”

Rin felt very wrong standing there, but snapped to attention when Shirō walked away, “Wait! Emiya-kun!”

Shirō’s eye twitched, “Do you want your sister saved or not?” He turned around and gave her a lidded glare.

“Of course I do!” She spat, “But we have to do it right! The worms are inside of her. If we don’t get them out of her first, then killing Zouken will probably kill her too! And I have no idea how to get them out of her without hurting her! They’ve replaced some of her nerves!”

Shirō clicked his teeth, “I can get them out.” He said, and Rin blinked in shock, “Healing her might be another matter.” He didn’t know if Avalon would work.

“How?” She asked after a moment. Then she shook her head, “No, if you can really get them out, I can use a few of my most powerful gems to heal her.”

“But will your healing return her to perfect health, or will it simply heal the damage?” Kiritsugu threw his two yen in, “Because if it is the latter, she will likely end up with nerve damage at best. Possibly crippled at worst.”

Rin bit her lip in frustration. And then Shirō raised his hand, and Rin gasped, “Wh-what is that?!” She was staring at something too beautiful to have been wrought by human hands.

“Avalon.” Kiritsugu said, staring at it with melancholy, “The scabbard of the Holy Sword Excalibur. My catalyst from the Fourth Holy Grail War.” He looked at Shirō in confusion, “But I thought it had grown inert?”

“It had.” Shirō said, “But lately, it has almost felt like it has started waking up. I’m not sure it will work, but maybe in combination with Tohsaka’s gems?” He didn’t really need the healing when he had his own inborn regeneration, but it didn’t hurt.

Rin bit her lip again, “It’s our best chance.” She said softly. She clenched her fists as she looked at Shirō, “I’ll owe you everything if this works, Emiya-kun. Let’s do it.” She held out her hand to him.

He grabbed it gently, and she blushed, “You don’t owe me anything, Tohsaka. I couldn’t call myself human if I refused to help.” She didn’t catch the odd…intonation that he had on that one specific word.

“Not very Magus-like of you, Emiya-kun. Most Magi would love to have the Second Owner over a barrel.” She said in mild amusement.

“Well, I ain’t a fucking Magus.” He smirked back at her, “They seem like assholes.”

She winced, “Can’t argue there.” She sighed, slumping, “Guess that’s why I’ll never be a proper one.” She muttered under her breath.

-]|[-

“Where are we going, nee-san?” Sakura asked quietly as she followed behind her sister. What joy she had found had dimmed these past two years, though Rin was glad to see that there was still life inside her eyes. At least whenever she was with her sister.

“To a friend’s house.” Rin smiled, giving her younger sister’s hand a squeeze. “I met a new classmate and he’s interested in meeting you.” She wished she could tell Sakura why they were really going, but she couldn’t risk there being any of Zouken’s familiars around spying on them.

Sakura gasped, “Y-You told them about me?”

“Of course.” Rin smiled at her again, “You’re my precious little sister. You could do with a friend that isn’t me.”

Sakura gripped her hand with some trepidation, and said nothing. They walked for a few minutes more before they arrived at the Emiya compound. Sakura expected Rin to ring the doorbell, but was surprised to see her open the gate as if she owned the place. “I-Is this okay, nee-san?”

“Yeah, they’re expecting us.” Rin said as they stepped through the threshold, and Sakura let out a gasp as she felt a Bounded Field settle around them.

“Nee-san!” She let go of her sister’s hands so she could nervously rub her own together, “Wh-where? Grandfather will-” She felt the worms inside of her writhing in some agitation due to the unfamiliar Bounded Field, which made her wince.

“Hey Tohsaka.” Shirō walked up to them, “You must be Sakura-chan! Welcome! I’m Emiya Shirō.”

“Ah.” Sakura hurried to give him a small bow, “T-Thank you for inviting us, Senpai.”

“You’re welcome!” Shirō smiled at her, before looking to Rin, “We ready then?”

“We are.” Rin’s smile fell, and she swallowed nervously, “You still haven’t told me how you’re going to do it.”

Sakura’s feeling of dread increased, though that was mostly from the increasing agitation of the Crest Worms.

“Yeah, sorry about this, Sakura-chan.” He said, and before the two sisters had time to process that, blood burst from Sakura’s lips as a katana blade buried itself in her heart. And Rin could taste the power radiating off of it.

“SAKURA!” Rin screamed in shock and horror, and before she could act, Shirō yanked the blade back with the sound of audible sharpness. And as Sakura fell to her knees, she was astounded to find that every single worm that had been inside were now just flopping helplessly on the ground like fish that ended up out of the water.

And then they were all annihilated by black-red bursts of energy that Shirō shot at them from a pair of handguns. Rin couldn’t believe the power she felt in those blasts. Each one was stronger than almost every single jewel she had! Sakura meanwhile couldn’t believe her eyes as she slumped bonelessly to the side.

“WHAT HAVE YOU DONE, EMIYA?!” Rin pointed her arm at him, a terrified and infuriated Gandr on the tips of her fingers.

Shirō switched his sword out for Avalon, “I told you she would need healing! Hurry the hell up!” He kneeled next to Sakura and helped her onto her back. He concentrated and Avalon disappeared into a field of motes of light before sinking into Sakura, who arched her back from the unfamiliar feeling.

Rin scrambled, pulling her pendant off her neck. It had accumulated five years of her own mana at this point. She couldn’t think of a better use for it. She placed it on her sister’s chest and began chanting to use her spell. Instantly, she realized that the pendant by itself would not have been enough if it wasn’t for Avalon. It didn’t have enough energy for it.

But together with the legendary scabbard, which really shouldn’t have been working at all without the fabled King Arthur around, she was able to create a new heart inside Sakura’s chest, as well as recreate the nerves that had been consumed by the disgusting worms. In a matter of seconds, Sakura had been brought back up to perfect health. Her eyes changed back to her original colors, perfect matches for Rin’s. Her hair stayed purple though, and her magical circuits rejoiced as they snapped back to their original Element.

The two sisters were breathing hard from the exertion, “A-Are you okay, Sakura?” Rin begged her to be.

“I-” Sakura teared up as she touched her chest, “I can’t feel them.” She said as she began touching herself all over. “I can’t feel them!” She sobbed out finally, “They’re gone!” Rin helped her sit up and her sister sobbed into her neck.

Shirō smiled, before turning around. “Shirō.” Rin said, and he turned back around. She glared at him, “Go get that son of a bitch.”

Shirō smirked, “You got it, Rin. Be back soon.” And then he vanished, and the two young girls squealed as a wall of wind blew them back.

“H-Holy crap!” Rin was awed as the boy their age rushed so quickly that he caused a shockwave. That-that was impossible! No modern Magus could do something like that! That was straight out of the Age of the Gods!

“Nee-san, what?” Sakura asked cluelessly, “Wh-y did Senpai leave?”

“He went to go do what should have been done hundreds of years ago.” Rin growled out as she cast a new spell, connecting to a familiar at her property. “Exterminate a worm.” Her and Sakura’s vision filled with the sight of the Matou mansion, just in time to watch Shirō arrive and draw his katana again.

The Matou property was protected with dozens of bounded fields. Several were benign: privacy, maintenance, etc. Others were punishing, meant to trigger in the event that someone approached with hostile intentions. Each esoteric effect was designed to maximize pain and keep the afflicted alive for Zouken to consume. Others were even more defensive and could activate to block straight-up artillery.

Shirō swung his katana once and cut through every single barrier and a part of the mansion in one fell slash. They knew this because the dome flashed before collapsing almost instantly. Rin and Sakura’s jaws dropped as they watched a portion of Sakura’s hated home slide cartoonishly off the rest of the structure, and before the soon-to-be debris had even crashed to the side of the house, Shirō had busted down the front door. “What is he?!” Rin gaped, “And what is that sword?! It’s like a Noble Phantasm! He cut every last Bounded Field!”

Sakura didn’t know, but she was cheering for him with all her heart.

…

As Shirō kicked down the door of the Matou family manor, he was instantly assaulted by the absolute worst smell of his entire life. Not even the curses from the Fuyuki Fire smelled this bad. He brought his hand to his ultra-sensitive nose as he almost staggered, before fighting it off with sheer force of will. He forced his way in, and the smell got stronger once he got to a certain set of stairs. Bashing it open broke some kind of sound ward, and the howling of a man inside erupted from the opening. “Pest control!” He called out, smirking viciously when he realized cutting those worms out of Sakura had hurt the bastard.

As he descended into the room, he growled at the sight of the pit. It was positively writhing with worms of all shapes and sizes. And in the middle of it all was an old man who looked positively mad. He was foaming at the mouth, and it made him look like a man who was deep into the torture of Rabies. His flesh was taut around his bones, or at least appeared to be, and his eyes were beady little shadows with the sclera having turned black. “W-Who a-a-re YOU?”

“Didn’t you hear?” Shirō smirked at the man, “I’m a local exterminator. I was hired to clean this place out.”

“Ghhh.” The foam seemed to burble out of his mouth, “Wh-o hi-red you?” He seemed to strengthen, “I bet it was that philistine Hohenheim! He was always jealous of my genius!” Zouken seemed to have lost either his marbles or his memories.

That took the wind out of Shirō’s sails for a moment, “…No, it was the sister of your little granddaughter. For the torture you put her through.” He said, sensing Rin’s familiar had followed them and that she and Sakura were watching.

“G-Grand-” He seemed to destabilize, his flesh melting and writhing as if something was inside of him, “Grand… no, I would never harm my lovely Katerina.” His flesh destabilized even further, and he had no way of knowing that Sakura was quite put out when she realized that Zouken didn’t even realize what was happening. Rin was much more vocally incensed when she realized it too.

Shirō frowned, and rubbed the back of his head, “Man, I almost feel bad. Guess killing that worm you had next to Sakura’s heart destroyed most of you. Guess I’ll just have to put you down.” He had long since sheathed Yamato, so now he flicked his thumb to unsheathe it just a tad.

“Saku-ra.” Zouken growled, “NO! NO, YOU FOOL! SHE IS NECESSARY! SHE IS THE KEY TO MY REBIRTH! I WON’T LET YOU STEAL HER FROM ME!” And with that, his body was completely torn apart, revealing that even he himself had been made out of the Crest Worms that had been inside of Sakura’s body. His ‘body’ had just been a corpse.

But these weren’t exactly the same. No, they had bladed wings and were practically made of armor, and they exploded towards Shirō at bullet speeds. He just grinned, eager for some action even if it was against a hamstrung and mindless opponent. In a flash, he was down the stairs, and the worms that had flown at him were all sliced in half. He growled down at the pit, “It’s here, isn’t it? Where you tormented her?!”

“Fool! She should have been grateful!” Zouken’s voice sounded from the entire room in every direction. “I gave her a home! Food! Clothes! She wanted for nothing!” The insanity in his voice made Shirō’s teeth clenched, “She should have been honored to become my new vessel!” The worms surged upwards, but they needn’t have bothered.

Shirō had jumped into the pit himself. In midair, Yamato vanished and had been replaced by something much stranger. A nunchuck, but not one that anyone would have ever recognized, because there were three sticks rather than two, all connected to a ring much farther away than the conventional weapon ever would be by what seemed like icy mist. “WANTED FOR NOTHING?!” Shirō roared as he dropped down into the mass of disgusting, snapping worms. That single statement had done almost as much to enrage him as the original story had.

As he landed, he slammed the sticks into the ground, forming a massive wave of ice that flash froze every worm around him. “Tch.” He clicked his teeth as he realized these worms didn’t have much if any of Zouken’s withered soul within them. He sprang up and cracked his nunchucks on the icy pillars and they all shattered instantly.

“Kekekek. Not so confident now, exterminator?” Zouken’s mad voice again sounded from every direction, “Don’t you know better than to fight a magus in his place of power?”

“You have no power.” Shirō said blandly, “Don’t you know all worms are good for are getting eaten by the animals around them?”

“Kekekek!” The statement seemed to amuse Zouken, “Your bravado will do you no good, exterminator.” The walls seemed to ripple as more of the flying worms crawled out from cracks and hidden crevices. This time, they shot at him from all sides and angles except below.

Shirō’s weapon changed in his hands, the sticks lengthening, and they were now connected to each other rather than a ring. Shirō whipped the tri-sectioned staff around him, and purple lightning fried all of the flying worms. But they just kept coming, this time from the floor too. Shirō jumped, whipping the weapon again, all while seemingly jumping in the air. Occasionally, he even allowed a worm through just so he could give it a devastating stomp and seemingly juggle himself in the air. The worm in question was always torn in half from the force.

“Oh, but aren’t you interesting? Such power, boy.” Zouken grunted, “But how long can you keep that up for?”

“At least make it a challenge for me!” Shirō was apparently content to use only one arm and used the other to yawn.

“Very well.” Zouken agreed… and then a massive worm the size of a family sedan fell out of the ceiling.

“Eh?!” Shirō’s eyes bugged out, before the worm slammed into him.

“Kekekek! Excellent! Your body and magical power shall nourish me for generations! I won’t even need to play with little Sakura anymore! I’ll simply consume her and her lovely big sister too.” Zouken laughed madly as Shirō was crushed under the sheer bulk of the huge worm. More and more of the actual worms started to come out of their holes and cracks, heading towards the big one.

“Dude, vore is not cool.” Shirō commented… from where he was sitting casually on the giant worm, idly spinning the nunchucks on his foot.

“WHAT?!” Zouken roared in shock.

And then Shirō kicked the nunchucks up and grabbed them, slamming down on the ground. Lightning roared all around him, frying every single small worm and causing the large one to writhe in pain as he cooked it.

“RAGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!” The entire manor seemed to shake from Zouken’s cries, and that just made Shirō smile.

“So, these big ones do have quite a bit of your putrid stink in them, huh?” He dismissed his tri-section staff in favor of his katana. He turned and sliced the giant worm in half before sheathing the blade.

This time, there was no doubt about it. The entire manor shook as Matou Zouken shrieked in agony. Pieces of the building started to come apart as more of Zouken’s soul and memories were lost. And with it, what little remained of his intellect started to vanish after five-hundred years of borrowed time and the loss of his most important Crest Worm in Sakura.

Worms burst from every part of the house, tearing wood, stone, and everything else apart as they rampaged. There were at least a hundred of the giant ones and tens of thousands of the others. They swarmed Emiya Shirō, with the smaller worms acting almost like shields for the larger ones. They were still trying to kill him and would if they could, but their primary purpose was to defend the big ones that had the better chance.

They were mere feet from him as Shirō smirked. He bent his knees as he assumed an Iaidō stance. For everything around him, time seemed to slow down as he vanished in a flash of what seemed like godspeed. To the watching Sakura and Rin, Shirō just seemed to vanish for a moment before glowing blue lines appeared absolutely everywhere. Absolutely instantly. Each and every huge worm had dozens of blue lines crisscrossing them.

And then Shirō appeared at the top of the pit, away from the worms which seemed to be frozen in time. And he slowly sheathed his blade. The second the click of the blade being secured within the saya rang through the silent dungeon, the blue lines seemed to almost detonate, carving through each and every one of the worms in the dungeon instantly. Green, diseased-looking blood flew absolutely everywhere, with loud, disgusting splashes ringing through the despised basement.

And Zouken howled in agony, completely incoherent as his diseased soul tried to flee to his last Crest Worms hidden around Fuyuki. Shirō’s eyes narrowed, before he leapt straight up and cut through the ceiling of the now-dilapidated mansion. He landed at the peak and looked around as he sniffed the air, closing his eyes to enhance the sensation. As little as he wanted to smell this particular scent, he knew he needed to. When he opened them, he was almost literally smelling colors, represented by the sickly green trails he could see. The katana vanished, and was replaced by the most massive blade Rin and Sakura had ever seen. They could hardly even call it that. It looked horrendously heavy even for a magus and was far larger than Shirō was tall.

It looked like frozen lava, or perhaps Damascus steel. And then it came to life, seemingly splitting down the middle as the lava reheated itself. Shirō swung it with some difficulty. For someone who had displayed absolutely no difficulty at all with any of his prior feats, this was very telling. Everywhere the blade trailed, red, ghostly phantom blades were left behind. Each blade fired itself like a bullet into the distance. Each aimed at a target and destroyed it with absolute power and authority, leaving small gouges absolutely everywhere in Fuyuki. Hundreds of blades did this until finally, he rested the massive and cooled behemoth on his shoulder. After a moment, he breathed deeply again, and finally was able to smile, “Phew!” He wiped his forehead, apparently content with a job well done.

With a look of distaste aimed down at the building below, he swapped the behemoth in his hand for the katana and swiped it into the air. Another line trailed before he cut down as well, and a second line crossed it. Unearthly mist seemed to swirl out of the tears before a gaping void opened in front of him and he stepped into it.

…

Rin stared in stunned shock as a matching void opened up next to them, revealing Shirō. The void closed behind him as he smirked down at the sisters, “Easy-peasy.” And then Sakura scrambled up and launched at him, hugging him for all she was worth as she sobbed into his chest. His smirk turned into a tender smile as he headpatted the purple-haired girl, “And that’s why we do it.” He returned the hug happily.

“E-Emiya-kun.” Rin stammered as she got to her feet, “W-what are you? HOW DID YOU DO ANY OF THAT?!”

Shirō smirked at her, and she blushed just a bit, his roguish grin cutting right through her fear, “You sure you want to know?”

Rin opened her mouth, closed it, looked over at the Matou mansion’s direction, and then looked over at Sakura, who had stepped away from her Hero and was looking at him like he hung the sun in the sky. Rin made her decision, “Hell yes!”

Shirō laughed, “Well, it’s funny you mention Hell.” He grinned evilly as the girl paled, “The name’s Emiya Shirō, and I am a Devil.”

-]|[-

Shirō had been five when his old man died. He had always seemed larger than life and looked young, but his body had just given out on him, as if from old age. Shirō had never really understood how that could have been possible. His father always seemed like he would be around forever. Always running around and playing with Shirō. Always telling his fanciful stories, making Shirō and his mother giggle with his antics. It just didn’t... feel right for him to be gone.

He and his mother had mourned the silver-haired man greatly, and their little family of two never grew past that point. He missed him so much, even two years later.

That fateful day hadn’t really been any different. Shirō had woken up without complaint and helped his mother in the kitchen. She had been concerned about him getting hurt, but Shirō never seemed to. Even when he accidentally touched the stove and yelped at the searing heat, when his mother checked the wound, there was nothing there. It didn’t even hurt!

Plus, he was a far more active little boy than most other kids. Shirō could run and jump around for hours, tiring out even his father. She needed ways for him to burn energy since there was no way she could be as active as her husband had been. She often wondered if there had been any truth to his claims, as ridiculous as the stories had been.

She would never get a chance to find out. She and Shirō had been eating dinner when the screams had started. “Mom? What’s…?” Shirō never got a chance to finish his question as the earth began to rock. They both screamed in fright as she got out of her chair, trying to hurry to grab her son and try to find some safety from what felt like one of the worst earthquakes she could remember.

And then the roof collapsed. “SHI-!” Her scream was cut short as a supporting beam cracked on the roof and fell down, smashing into her and pinning her down with the most terrible agony she had ever felt.

“MOM!” Shirō yelled in anguish as he saw it happen. Even as their home burst into flames around them, the fire spreading unnaturally fast, Shirō rushed for his mother instead. He couldn’t lose her too!

“Shi-rō…” His mom said weakly, blood burbling from her lips.

“Mom, no! No! You-you can’t!” He started to sob as he grabbed the beam on top of her.

“Y-you have to run, dear…” She managed to get out, feeling tears of her own, “I-I’m n-not g-going to…”

“Don’t say that!” Shirō screamed, “DON’T SAY THAT!” He tried to pull the beam off, but couldn’t even make it budge.

“P-Please Shirō…” Her vision was already starting to swim.

“RAAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!” Shirō roared as he yanked on the beam, and to his mother’s weak astonishment, it didn’t just lift. Shirō threw it across the dining room.

“Sh-Shirō?” Her astonishment didn’t last long because a searing pain ripped through her abdomen. She looked down and saw a long spike of wood from the beam had been buried in her gut, and it had been ripped out.

“No, no, no, no!” Shirō cried out when he saw the gaping hole in her stomach.

“I-It’s too late for me, Shirō.” She smiled sadly at her son, “Y-You have to run. You have t-to live!”

“I can’t!” He held her hand, “I can’t lose you too! Please, mom!” The flames were encroaching, and black, putrid smoke was filling their home.

She coughed harshly, agony tearing through her again. “You have to live!” She rasped as she arched her back and grit her teeth. “Go, Shirō! GO!” She weakly pushed him away, “Don’t die, son! You have to live!”

The sobbing redhead who looked so like her just cried harder as he turned around and ran.

Her hand fell to the floor as she drooped, ‘Please, son. Be safe. You have to live. You have to…’ Her final thoughts were consumed just like her body by the cursed flames engulfing what had been a beautiful home.

Shirō wiped his horrified tears as he burst into the street, and found himself in hell. Everywhere he looked, there were only flames. The sky was red and angry, and several of the taller buildings and apartments had already collapsed, mercifully burying hundreds before they could be burned alive by the fire.

He ran, his lungs heaving and searing from the sheer heat around him. The guilt of leaving his mother behind was eating at him just as much if not more than the heat. As he looked around in terror, he saw someone screaming for help as the flames came closer. Shirō turned and ran towards him, howling as the flames licked at his clothes and burned his skin. But he reached the man anyway and got the iron fence that had fallen on him off.

He didn’t understand where this strength was coming from, but it meant he could help! “Oh, thank the gods!” The man cried out, “Thank you, son! Thank you!”

Shirō groaned as he helped the man up, and together they walked away, the man hopping on one leg. But the heat, and unknown to Shirō, the curses just ate away at the man’s vitality. He slowed down, his hops decreasing in strength and distance as his vision started to fade. “Come on, old man!” Shirō cried out, “You have to fight!”

“S-Sorry kid…” The man fell over, nearly throwing Shirō to the ground.

“Old man!” Shirō turned him over, and let out another cry as he realized the man was dead too. Just like his mom. “DAMN IT!” Shirō punched the ground in anger before getting to his feet and staggering away. He ran, trying twice more to save people before he realized that they just couldn’t survive. He didn’t know why. He was making it through! Even the fire didn’t seem to be hurting him as much.

As he tried to stagger to safety, he tripped and fell down an embankment. The waters looked like black and red sludge, and he found himself dipped into it.

“AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!” He screamed in agony as the curses assaulted him, searing his leg down to the bone. Instantly. He pulled his leg out and was horrified to see his blackened bone where a healthy leg had been moments before.

And then bone whitened, before muscle started bubbling out from where it ended. Before Shirō’s astonished eyes, his leg was regrown. He was hyperventilating as he scrambled up the embankment, “Mom!” He cried out, sobbing, “Dad! Help!” He didn’t know what was going on. He didn’t know what to do! Everywhere he looked was nothing but disaster! No one tried to help him.

But the one thing he knew he couldn’t do was die. His mom had told him to live. So, he trudged on, stumbling, running, and crying as he was forced to leave more and more people behind. The fire licked at him, but he stopped feeling the pain. Even the puddles of black sludge stopped hurting him when he stepped into them. He didn’t know it, but everywhere he went, every bit of the black sludge he touched, the curses within were absorbed. And within him, inside the very core of his being, something started to wake.

Shirō took a step, and his body flashed, his body turning black, red, and silver. Had anyone seen him, they would have screamed in terror as wings flexed. Another step, and he was human again. He didn’t know it, but the bright red color of his hair was starting to bleed away as if being bleached. His vision was hazy as he looked at his hands, watching as they turned into sharp, red-tipped claws with his next step. And then back to normal with another step.

On and on he went, not knowing that something in his very soul started to consume the weak curses trying to hurt its host. On and on he walked, until the puddles of sludge simply evaporated before him. until his body stopped transforming unconsciously. Until the flames stopped hurting him at all. Until the fiery air stopped hurting his lungs with every breath. Until all the red bled out of his hair, leaving him with the same snow-white that his father had possessed. His body and mind were paradoxically exhausted and …invigorated at the same time. Strong. He started trying to help people again but failed every time. They were just too frail. The curses around them were just too strong, even with Shirō consuming them. They were too weak to survive the disaster, even with help.

And so Shirō trudged on, even as that burst of energy seemed to vanish and his steps began to slow, his vision beginning to dim. And that’s when the man found him. “You’re alive!” He sounded rapturous. “Thank god! Thank you!” He looked like the happiest man on earth, tears of joy pouring from his eyes.

Shirō’s eyes swam with his own tears, “I couldn’t…” He sobbed out, “I couldn’t save anyone.” He fell limp into the man’s arms.

“I couldn’t either.” He clutched onto the boy, who finally passed out. The man quickly summoned a beautiful artifact and implanted it into the boy. The residual energy from its departed owner instantly healed Shirō of his wounds before falling dormant. And as the thing inside of him pulsed in almost… amusement… Emiya Kiritsugu carried the boy out of the disaster zone as quickly as he could.

He couldn’t possibly have known just what he had wrought by giving the boy that precious artifact.

-]|[-

“You’re awake…” When Shirō opened his eyes, he saw the man who had taken him once he’d lost the last of his strength. He instantly teared up as he realized what that meant. His nightmare hadn’t been a nightmare at all. It had been as real as he had been. The man trailed off as he allowed the young boy to cry, simply taking a seat on the empty chair. Once Shirō calmed down and sat up, the man began to talk again. “I’m sorry to say, but no one has come to claim you…” He trailed off as he realized Shirō wasn’t listening. In fact, he wasn’t even looking at him. He was looking at his hands. With a look on his face that Kiritsugu couldn’t quite make out. “Kid?” Shirō didn’t respond. “Kid?”

“You have GOT to be kidding me!” Shirō blurted out, clenching his fists.

“Kid?” Kiritsugu blinked, looking at him in bemusement.

Shirō shook his head, “S-Sorry.” He chuckled weakly, “I just… realized that my dad hadn’t been pulling my leg with some of the stories he told…” Kiritsugu raised an eyebrow, “N-Never mind. I’m Shirō.” He introduced himself, “Thanks for helping, old man.”

Kiritsugu smiled gently, “I’m Emiya Kiritsugu. It’s nice to meet you, Shirō-kun.”

“What were you saying before I got distracted?” Shirō asked sheepishly.

Kiritsugu’s smile fell, “Sorry to say, Shirō-kun, but no one had come for you.”

“Ah.” Shirō flinched, before looking down at his hands, “…I know. Mom… mom didn’t make it.” He started to cry silently once more. “Dad already died two years ago.”

“I see. I’m sorry.” Kiritsugu hesitantly patted the boy on his head, “I know this is sudden, but you’ll have to go to the orphanage. Unless, of course, you feel like being adopted by someone you just met.”

Shirō wiped his tears before he rubbed his chin to think, “I’m… okay going with you.” he smiled, “You were… trying to help too.”

Kiritsugu suppressed a flinch and smiled instead, pretty much in relief. “That’s good to hear. You were brave, trying to save people too.” He reached down, “Let’s get you dressed then. We’ll be leaving since you’ve been given a clean bill of health, and the faster we can get your adoption processed the sooner we can go make a home for ourselves.”

“Okay.” Shirō started to get up.

“Oh, and I suppose it’s important that you know.” Kiritsugu looked at him, smiling though with dull eyes, “I’m a magician.”

Shirō blinked and, remembering everything that had happened to him the previous(?) night, displayed a surprising amount of intelligence. His eyes sharpened as he said, “The…fire wasn’t natural, was it?”

Kiritsugu flinched, and looked down at the luggage, “No…” He let out a sigh, “No, it was not.”

Shirō stared at the top of his head for a moment, “I’ll still… go with you.” He said as he got out of the hospital bed, “But I want to know everything.”

Kiritsugu tried to joke, “That’ll take forever.”

Shirō smiled sadly, “Then tell me while we walk.” He accepted clothes from the man. “I want to… no, I need to go home. One last time.”

Kiritsugu swallowed, “It’s… not safe there. And the area is quarantined.”

“Hope you’re good at magic then, Mr. Magician.” Shirō smirked as he started to change.

Kiritsugu let out a sigh. He may have met his match with this willful child.

…

Kiritsugu’s eyes narrowed as he followed his new son. The curses in the area should have been suffocating, but it was almost as if they were dispersing as they walked. ‘What in the world?’ he thought to himself as they walked through the destroyed part of town. He looked left and right and his skin crawled. Those curses were definitely still here, so why were they vanishing faster than everywhere else where they were walking?

“We’re here.” Shirō said softly as he stopped in front of what had been a very modest home. The ruin was smoldering still in some places, but the fire had burnt itself out.

A minute passed, then two, and Kiritsugu put his hand on Shirō’s shoulder, “It’s okay to turn back, you know.”

Shirō swallowed, “If I step back now, I’ll never get the chance.” He slowly made his way in and navigated to the dining room. And then he fell to his knees before the blackened skeleton of his mother. He started to cry again, and behind him, Kiritsugu wanted to throw up. He had caused this. Shirō knew he had caused this. Their walk here had been awkward and stilted as Shirō forced him to reveal what had caused the fire.

“I’m sorry, Shirō.” He managed to croak. “I…” Shirō had his head on the ground before the skeleton, sobbing his heart out.

Shirō didn’t respond and simply continued to cry for a few more minutes. He finally got up and sat on his knees, “I love you, mom.” He finally said, before getting to his feet.

Kiritsugu swallowed the lump in his throat. “I’ll… I’ll make sure she gets buried, Shirō.” Shirō wiped his face and forehead and said nothing as he walked off to another room. Kiritsugu followed him, and then his eyes widened when he saw Shirō walk up to another fallen beam that was on top of a dresser that was strangely not as damaged as everything else in the house. “I’ll get-” His eyes widened as Shirō lifted the beam and tossed it away with barely any effort. “-it…What the?” Shirō opened the dresser and Kiritsugu was surprised to see only a single case inside. It was almost as long as the dresser itself and completely undamaged. “What…is that?”

Shirō ignored him as he grabbed it and put it on the floor. “Dad… dad told me never to touch this until I was ready. I…I never knew what he meant.” Until the fire. Until he had seen the truth. He then put the combo in, smiling in amusement as he remembered that it was 6-6-6. One last joke from his dad. He opened it, and Kiritsugu practically threw himself back as he felt the sheer power that burst from the case.

“Wh-” He stared with his jaw on the floor as Shirō pulled a katana from the case. It was almost a nodachi in length, but not quite. The fittings were blue and gold, with the menuki being a coiled dragon. The saya was black and had metallic ornaments near the tip. And the sheer power he could feel coming from the blade eclipsed even Avalon.

Shirō had a strange look on his face as the sword simply vanished. One moment it was there, and the next it was gone. And then Shirō gestured, and it was back. The boy smiled as he put it away… wherever it went when he wasn’t using it. And then he reached down and grabbed something else. What looked like a set of nunchucks with three sticks rather than two, held together by icy mist that connected to a ring.

Shirō again stared at it strangely, before he expertly attacked the air, doing a few moves that he had never learned and yet his body seemed to just know. And then the nunchucks turned into a tri-sectioned staff that crackled with purple lightning. And then a staff that roared with fire as he spun it. Shirō apparently had enough of testing it and allowed it to disappear too.

Kiritsugu let out a weak chuckle, “I suppose you not being surprised by me being a magus makes sense now. You are too. Or at least your father was.”

“No.” Shirō said, giving him that… strange smile again. “Dad told me he was a Devil.”

Kiritsugu almost felt the floor fall out from underneath him, “A what?” He croaked out.

“A Devil.” Shirō said, “A Half-Devil, I think he said. Guess that makes me a Quarter-Devil?” He shrugged sheepishly.

A Devil. A Devil. His new son’s father had been a Devil. What did that even mean? A True Daemon? The thought was terrifying to even contemplate! And for it to have bred with a human woman! What in the world could have possessed it to do that?! “D-Do you have any proof… of that?”

Shirō shrugged, “I…uh… well, when I was… trying to escape… Something weird happened. I…guess I could try that?” He said and closed his eyes. He grunted, and then Kiritsugu was brought to his knees as Shirō transformed into a leathery-skinned demon that practically made Kiritsugu’s mind shut down from the sheer power he could feel emanating from him. Shirō’s skin was primarily black, with lines of silver running through his body. His arms, parts of his legs, claws, and foot claws, were all blood red. His wings were a mix of both, with the bony sections being black and the actual wings being red. His head was much the same, but silvery fire had replaced his hair. And the sheer amount of energy he was outputting was enough to almost choke Kiritsugu, and Shirō immediately yelped and transformed back. He put his hands on his knees, gasping for breath, “Holy crap, that was exhausting!”

Kiritsugu stared blankly at Shirō, “Son… never do that again unless your life is in danger. You…” he struggled to find words, “You have no idea what the Magi will try to do to get their hands on you. You’ll never know a moment’s rest again. Promise me, Shirō.”

Kiritsugu couldn’t even understand how the being before him could exist on this plane. Everything with that kind of power should have been banished to the Reverse Side of the World long ago.

Shirō was unnerved, “O-Okay, Kiri. I’ll be careful.”

“Good.” Kiritsugu sighed, and shakily got to his feet. “Let’s go, Shirō. I think we’re done here.”

-]|[-

As Rin stared blankly at nothing in particular, Sakura was hugging him again, “It doesn’t matter! You saved me! You’re my hero!” She said plainly, almost petulantly. “Nee-san! You need to give him a hug too!”

“A Devil…” Rin said, her mind not even there right now. “A devil!”

“Nee-san!” Sakura marched over and shook her sister. “Nee-san!”

“WAH!” Rin jumped a foot into the air, “S-Sakura?!”

“You need to thank senpai too!” Sakura said firmly.

“Wah!” Rin yelped as she was yanked by her suddenly way too willful sister towards Shirō. And watched as Sakura resumed hugging him for all she was worth. “S-Sakura!”

“You need to hug him too, nee-san!” Sakura glared at her sister.

And all the while, Shirō just stood there in amusement… and a little bit of sadness from how scared of him Rin had become. “It’s okay, Sakura.” He patted his new young friend on the head, making her blush. “She has her tsundere protocols engaged.”

“Who are you calling a tsundere, jerk?!” Rin immediately proved him right when she blushed bright red and stomped her feet.

Shirō grinned and spread his empty arm, “Hug then? Sakura gives great ones! You going to let your little sister beat you?”

“No way!” Rin practically tackled him before her brain caught up. And her face went even redder. “J-Jerk!” Shirō cackled as she tried to hide her face in his chest. “Emiya-kun.” She said after a few moments, and turned teary eyes up at him. “Thank you. Thank you.”

“And there’s the ‘dere.’” Shirō smirked at her, and she made a sound like a teakettle.

“You!” She steamed.

“You’re welcome, Rin.” He disarmed her immediately with a sincere smile, and she mewled and buried her face in his chest again.

Shirō smiled as a brisk wind blew gently around them. He was glad the spring had finally come. It truly was the time for new beginnings.

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