“Hey, Tohsaka.” Shirō called out to the school idol as she was making her way to the cafeteria for lunch.

“Hmm?” Rin turned around and looked out for who was calling her, “Emiya-kun? You’re back!” He smiled at her, earning the tiniest of blushes, “You missed a week. Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine now.” Shirō told her, “Sorry for worrying you.”

“Hmph, now, I wouldn’t say that.” She teased, trying to hide the fact that she had, in fact, been rather worried about him. Shirō had never really missed any class time at all, other than a day or two when he had broken his arm.

“Ouch.” He pouted at her, which was apparently weapon’s grade because Rin’s blush became just a bit more visible.

She let out a giggle, “What can I do for you?”

“Well, I have something important I need to talk to you about.” Shirō said, before raising his arm to show her two nicely prepared bento, “Care to join me for lunch? Sakura and I made extra.” Around them, the watching students started to murmur. Was the school’s handyman trying to ask the idol out? Her fanclub was incensed and glared daggers at him.

“Hmm, did we have a project I wasn’t aware of?” She asked with a small smile of her own. She was already sold though. No way she would miss out on a chance to try her sister’s cooking. She wished she could actually be a sister to the purple-haired young lady, and lamented that it wasn’t in the cards. She would take what little victories she could. “Sure.” The two walked away, lightly chatting as Shirō led them up to the school roof. She was amused, “My fanclub seems to be following us.”

He rolled his eyes, “Yes, it appears they are.” He stopped and turned, “And you all are following us, why exactly?”

One of them scoffed, “What are your plans with Tohsaka-hime, Brownie?!”

“As I said, to eat lunch and have a private discussion.” Shirō said, “So please go enjoy your lunches in the cafeteria.” Rin sighed internally as that seemed to incense her fanclub something fierce, and they began to yell at Shirō. She wondered if she was going to have to use some light hypnosis just to get them to go away. She was, in fact, about to do that when Shirō gave the other boys a kind smile that made Rin outright shiver. “I said… go enjoy your lunch somewhere else.” And in that kind smile, the boys saw death.

As the other boys ran away, Rin reevaluated her opinion of Emiya Shirō. “What did you need to talk to me about again, Emiya-kun?” She asked, somewhat warily this time.

“Food first.” He said, before giving her a nostalgic? smile. “After all… hunger is the enemy.” Why did that feel so much like a quote from someone?

…

“This is amazing!” Rin had stars in her eyes, her momentary wariness totally forgotten as she ate the lunch Shirō and Sakura had made.

Shirō chuckled, “We’re very proud of our cooking, you know? Sakura made the rice and sides. I made the beef.”

“I should hire you both to be my cooks!” Rin’s mouth ran before her brain. Despite the speed that she was eating with, she still managed to be as ladylike as Shirō had ever seen, savoring every bite.

Shirō chuckled, “Well, you’re welcome to join us for dinner whenever.”

“I might take you up on that.” Rin smiled at him as she put the completely empty bento down. Shirō still had half of his left, which made Rin blush in embarrassment. She shook herself lightly, “So, what did you need to talk about? You said it was important.”

“The Holy Grail War.” Shirō said airily, taking another bite as if he hadn’t just made Rin feel like the roof had fallen out from under her.

She gaped at him, ‘Wh-what did he say?’ She asked him to repeat himself, which he did. ‘The Holy- EMIYA-KUN IS A MAGUS?!’ Him?! The sweet, helpful, and dutiful boy she had known since junior high?! The one she had been foolishly crushing on ever since she saw him try again and again and again to clear a long jump he couldn’t possibly make?! “YOU’RE A MAGUS?! YOU’VE BEEN A MAGUS THIS WHOLE TIME?!” Oh god, had he poisoned her just now?!

“Eh, more of a spellcaster.” He said airily, “Wouldn’t really call myself a Magus.” He chuckled, “In fact, if you had found out about that a week ago, you would have called me the Third-Rate of Third-Rates.”

Her jaw opened and closed, before she glared heatedly at him, “And why am I learning about this now?!” She hissed furiously, “As Second Owner of Fuyuki, I must be notified of other Magi entering my territory. You’ve been living here for years!”

“Two reasons. One: I had no idea that was even a thing.” Rin stared at him as if he was stupid, “Third-Rate of Third-Rates, remember?” He chuckled at her indignant rage, “And second: even if I HAD known about that, I would have assumed my adopted father would have informed you prior to his death.”

She growled. That was actually a fair point. “…What do you want to talk about?” She continued to glare at him, “The War won’t be for another fifty years.”

Shirō snorted, “If only.” Her glare melted and was replaced with confusion, “This is a long story, so we might need to continue at either of our homes later today if we run out of time.”

“Nice try.” She snorted, “As if I would enter an unknown Magi’s home or allow one to enter mine.”

“No trust.” Shirō pouted again, and despite her anger and frustration, her crush flared up again.

“…Just…start talking, damn it.” She let out a suddenly exhausted sigh.

“Sure.” He chuckled, “But this story requires a lot of context, so I have to start at the very beginning, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah.” She waved him off, “Just tell me already.”

“Well, as you well know, the Holy Grail War began almost two-hundred and fifty years ago, as a joint venture between three families: yours, the Matou, and the Einzbern. They realized that their ritual could only have one person utilize it. Being Magi, they broke off their alliances and turned it into a fight for the Grail, inviting four others for the ritual’s success. That War ended without a victor due to the destruction of the Lesser Grail, and so they needed to try again, sixty years later.”

“Yes, I know all this. When you said you had to start at the beginning I didn’t think you meant a history lesson.” Rin grumbled, glaring at him again.

Shirō continued as if she hadn’t spoken, “The sixty years passed, and they tried again. Except they were fighting much more viciously for the grail than they had the first time, and it ended with every master and servant dying horribly, and again, the war ended with no victor.”

Rin was rapidly losing her patience, and her expression was showing it.

“For the third war, the three main families put more rules in place, to try to avoid the bloodbath of the previous war and keep the ritual from going to waste. The ritual was modified so that the Lesser Grail would manifest in an area declared off-limits so that it could not be destroyed. This time, the war went off without a hitch, with the Tohsaka triumphing over the Edelfelt siblings in the final battle, and yet, the Lesser Grail did not manifest.”

“What is the point of all this?!” She yelled finally, “I know all this!”

“Oh, you do, do you?” He finally looked at her, and smiled.

“O-Of course I do! This is my family’s history!” Rin blustered, though her eyes were narrowed. ‘What do you know that I don’t?’

“Then you know why the Lesser Grail did not manifest at the climax of the war?” Shirō’s smile turned into a small smirk, and she froze.

None of the main families in the ritual had ever been able to figure out the cause of that. Her eyes narrowed, “What do you know?”

Shirō sighed, “The three families created Heaven’s Feel as collaborators intending for all to benefit. The Tohsaka provided the land and the Matou created the Command Seals.” He scratched his forehead in irritation, “But the Einzbern? The Einzbern sacrificed something very important to them. Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern became the core of the Greater Grail. She was a unique homunculus created by accident, and one they were never able to replicate. All for the sake of regaining their lost Third Magic.”

He turned around and Rin saw as his expression became frustrated, “So after a hundred and eighty years of failure, the Einzbern were desperate and decided to do what Magi do best. They tried to make their own advantage. They attempted to summon not a Heroic Spirit, but a Divine Spirit.”

Rin inhaled sharply, “Bu-But that’s impossible! The Summoning System can’t summon Divine Spirits!”

“Exactly.” Shirō gave her a humorless chuckle, “So they got something… else instead.” His voice was dark and furious, and Rin’s spine straightened. “The God they were attempting to summon was Aŋra Mainiiu, the Zoroastrian God of Evil.” Rin started to sweat, “But that God was one that never actually existed.” Rin tilted her head in confusion. “What they got instead was an Avenger-Class servant, and quite literally the weakest servant ever summoned in any Holy Grail War.”

“Why?! Who did they summon if it wasn’t a god?” Rin looked confused. “And how do you even know all this?! You said yourself that you’re a Third-Rate!”

“We’ll get there when we get there.” Shirō let some amusement show as Rin growled again, “Aŋra Mainiiu in life had been a man. A simple man, who was nothing special. But he lived in a village that experienced natural disaster after natural disaster. Those living there thought that they were being punished for their evil. And so, the villagers decided they needed a scapegoat.” Rin paled to the color of curdled milk. She had a feeling she knew where this was going, “They captured him, beat him, and carved every word that cursed mankind onto his body. They forced every sin imaginable upon him. Took out bits and pieces of him slowly. Defiled his mind with absolute evil, and held him responsible for all of it in the world. They would not allow him to die until he succumbed to old age.” As he spoke, Shirō’s fists clenched tighter and tighter.

Tohsaka Rin was a Magus. And at that moment, she understood that she was not a good one. A good Magus would not have been feeling the horror that she felt. A good Magus might even have been curious about the results of the ‘experiment.’ Rin, instead, was having to fight to keep the delicious food Shirō had given her in her stomach. “That-That’s monstrous.”

Shirō gave her a small, exhausted smile. “I thought so too. It… infuriated me when I learned it. Such a…sad creature. Someone to be pitied.” Rin nodded, still holding her hand over her mouth. “In any case, the man whose very name was ripped away from him was made into Aŋra Mainiiu, and he grew to utterly despise humanity over the years. So, when the Einzbern made the mistake of summoning him in the Third War, he hated everything and everyone and was eager to start getting some revenge of his own. He never got the chance because he wasn’t a real Heroic Spirit. He was weak. He had no Noble Phantasms. And so, this regular human who had no business being summoned in the Holy Grail War was the first to die and be absorbed into the Grail.”

Rin gasped as her mind raced. Memories swam in her mind of Gilles de Rais from the previous war. The demonic Caster who had kidnapped so many young children, murdering many others. His serial killer of a master who wasn’t even a Magus. “No. No-no-no-no.” She shook her head in horror.

“I see you figured it out.” Shirō groaned, “Only two things could enter the Grail. A human to claim the prize or a Servant. And Aŋra Mainiiu wasn’t strong enough to even truly register as a Heroic Spirit, so clearly he was the winner of the War and should have his wish granted.”

“No!” Rin yelled out, almost pulling her hair out, “That- there’s only one wish such a creature would have! Such a thing would completely corrupt the Grail and the Ritual!”

“Exactly.” Shirō sighed tiredly, “Aŋra Mainiiu was born inside the Greater Grail. While he may have just been a tormented and tortured human in life, now he was truly the Zoroastrian God of Evil. And his nine million curses seeped into and began to infect the Grail. He changed the parameters, allowing not just Heroes to be summoned as the Ritual initially intended, but Anti-Heroes, Villains, and Monsters as well. Just the first of the changes that creature wrought when it took over the Grail.”

Gods! How could her family have allowed this nonsense on their land?! She was the one that was going to have to deal with this! And she had no idea where to even begin!

Shirō swallowed, “My father learned about the first bits of this almost ten years ago now. He was the Magus contracted by the Einzbern, and he fought with the determination of a man possessed. He had his own wish for the Grail. Everything that had happened to him in his life turned him into a man exhausted by everything. Someone who just wanted the endless pain in the world to stop. For the world to be at peace. And for that wish, he sacrificed everything. His happiness. His only friend. His daughter. Even his wife, for she was the homunculus designated as the Lesser Grail of the Fourth War. He used every underhanded tactic he knew, every weapon he possessed, and in the end, he won.” Shirō sighed, “And was greeted by a corrupted version of his wife inside the Greater Grail, who informed him that it could only grant wishes through the same methods the wisher knew. So, his request for peace would be granted, through the destruction of humanity.”

It was Rin’s turn to clench her fists, “That… Damn it! Damn it all!” She punched her own thigh, “My-My father fought in that damned war!” She teared up, “He died for nothing!” She finally roared.

Shirō wrapped an arm around her shoulder, and Rin didn’t even notice as she clenched onto him like a lifeline. They sat there for a few minutes before Shirō continued. “My father tried again. He wanted his wife back. He wanted him, her, and his daughter to be able to live in safety. And so Aŋra Mainiiu told him that it would be granted, again by killing every other human on earth so that there would be no more threats.” She hissed like a cat that had its tail stepped on. “And my father had enough. He rejected the Grail. Completely. And so, it cursed him. His days were numbered from that day forward. He knew he couldn’t let anyone else have the cursed Grail, and so he betrayed his servant, who had her own wish. He used his last two Command Seals to order her to annihilate the Grail completely. And she did, vanishing in the process.”

Rin gasped, “The Fire.”

“The Fire.” Shirō confirmed with a sad nod, “A minute quantity of the curses spilled out of the Lesser Grail, incinerating over a hundred buildings and miles of land. Killing my parents, and almost me.” She recoiled out of his arms in horror.

“Oh, Emiya-kun.” She said softly.

Shirō looked down, “They sacrificed themselves to get me out of the house. I ran. And ran, and then I walked, and stumbled. Every time I saw someone crying for help… I had to look away. I… everything that I had been before the Fire, I lost. I couldn’t remember anything but my first name. And then he saved me. The one person he was able to find who was still alive.” A tear leaked from his left eye, “And this blank slate of a human who had been wiped clean saw the face of this desperately broken man smiling and thought to himself, ‘I wonder if one day, I could be as happy as him.’”

Rin stared at him in horror. Now she understood why he was always so helpful. Why he couldn’t seem to say no to anyone who asked him for even the tiniest bit of help. “God, Emiya-kun…” She trailed off, not sure what to even say to that.

“I’m better now.” He told her, and watched as she sagged in a little bit of relief, “Though only because of what happened last week.”

“I see.” She bit back a sigh, and gestured for him to go on.

“That man adopted me, and told me he was a Magus.” He chuckled dryly, “And naturally, I wanted to learn as well. But he had no interest in teaching me. No, point-in-fact, he purposefully taught me incorrectly, thinking that I would give up. He had no idea how broken I actually was. That I would never give up.”

She swallowed heavily, “I barely know you and I could figure out that much…”

He smirked tiredly at her, “And that leads us up to a week ago. I went to bed sore and exhausted, having tried and failed to perform Magecraft once again.”

She furrowed her eyebrows, “…Emiya-kun… what were you attempting?” Her concern warred with the urge to glare at him.

He chuckled. “Well, because the old man never taught me properly, my idea of using my ‘Magic Circuits’ was turning my nerves into makeshift ones.” Rin wanted to scream. And raise Shirō’s father from the dead just so she could kill him herself. Not necessarily in that order. “Yeah, have to say, not too happy with him at the moment.” He said dryly. “In any case, when I woke up, I found something that definitely hadn’t been there the previous night. Someone had broken into my… ahem… workshop and just… left something behind. Didn’t touch anything, didn’t hurt me. Just… dropped something near me and left.”

“Why?” Rin asked, bewildered, “Who? For what purpose?! What was it?!”

“Something I had definitely never seen before and most certainly could not allow anyone else to see because it was magical for sure.” He reached for his backpack and took out a small case. He opened it, and Rin couldn’t see what was within as he grabbed it, but could sense the magic coming off of it.

He raised his hand, and Rin’s mind went fuzzy as she saw what he had grabbed. ‘No.’ She thought to herself plainly, ‘No, no, no, no. This isn’t happening.’ For Rin recognized what was in Shirō’s hand. She had seen it before. In a drawing in one of her family’s older books. She wanted to cry.

Shirō snorted and handed it to her, and she could immediately feel that it was the real deal. She had the gods damned Jeweled Sword of Zelretch in her hands. “And the second I touched it… I was forced to see.”

Rin closed her eyes in sheer exhaustion and frustration. “See what?”

“Ninety-nine different versions of the Fifth Holy Grail War and their resulting futures.” Shirō said, and allowed the back of his head to gently whack the brick they were sitting against. “Which starts in six months, by the way.”

Rin almost started to sob. She wanted to go home and hide under the covers and never come out again. Instead, she clapped her cheeks, “But we know it’s coming. We know what’s coming.”

Shirō smirked, ‘There’s the Rin I fell for. Or some of me, anyway.’ He thought, “Yeah, and that wasn’t that crazy old vampire’s only gift.” He held his hand out. “Structurally Grasp me.”

Rin looked at him in confusion, before grabbing his hand.

CIRCUITCIRCUITCIRCUITCIRCUITCIRCUITCIRCUIT

So much mana and so many circuits sprang up in her mind’s eye that she let go with a scream, “Wh-What the hell!?”

“Like I said… presents.” Shirō laughed tiredly.

“How many Magical Circuits do you have, Emiya-kun?!” Rin gasped out.

“Twenty-Seven Hundred.” He said and Rin’s heart stopped beating. “Twenty-seven for each of me that I saw.” Rin gaped at him like a fish out of water, her mind both skipping like a broken record as well as rapidly reevaluating her crush on him. She had never acted on it because she knew that as the heir to the Tohsaka, she needed to ensure her children would be as strong and healthy as possible. That meant she would need to be incredibly selective when choosing a husband from the list of eligible Magi worldwide… But Shirō had very much shot up to the top of that list.

And then the bell rang. “Well, looks like our time is up for now.” Shirō stood and offered her a hand.

Rin stood with his help and hesitated for a moment before she handed him back the sword. “This is yours, Emiya-kun.” She said softly.

“Nah, it’s yours.” Shirō said, and once again, Rin’s heart stopped. He smiled at her, “You’ll make much better use of it than I ever could.”

Rin very heavily contemplated starting on the baby-making right then and there and fuck the consequences. Instead, she forced herself to say, “Six months to prepare. We’re definitely going to have that chat after school.”

“Good. Best place to do it would be my compound.” Shirō said with a nod as they started making their way down.

“Why not mine?” Rin asked curiously. “If I had no idea you were a Magus then your home probably isn’t as well protected as mine.”

“Oh, convenience.” Shirō said airily, but there was something to his tone that made Rin take notice. “Because Sakura will be there, and step one of our plans is saving her from her worm of a grandfather and rapist of a brother.”

Rin reflexively ripped the steel railing she had been holding right out of the wall and turned it into a mangled heap of scrap.

-]|[-

Rin had been absolutely seething for the entirety of the rest of the day. Even looking at Matou Shinji almost set her off, and she was forced to leave the room the second the bell rang to avoid doing so more than necessary. And she knew her idol persona had taken a hit that day. She had spent the entirety of the final hours of that school day surrounded by a black miasma of death. Figuratively, of course. She was going to kill Shirō for dropping that bomb on her, refusing to elaborate further, and leaving her to deal with classes.

She also didn’t care one bit about the rumors when she grabbed Shirō by the arm and dragged him away from the school. Which was how she found herself seated in the Emiya dining room, nursing a cup of tea as he sat before her. She drank it slowly to attempt to calm down. It did not work. “Explain.” She ground out.

“Your father gave your sister to Matou Zouken in the hopes that he would be able to make her a great Magus.” He said evenly, though Rin knew enough about him to know how incredibly deceptive his current placid face and even tone was, “But Zouken hasn’t taught her a thing. Zouken only cares about immortality. He spread his mind and soul throughout his familiars, and his ‘body’ is nothing more than a vessel for them. His crest is also nothing more than his familiars at this point. He never intended on training your sister, only for her to be his next vessel.”

Rin let out a scream of anguish. “This-THIS ENTIRE TIME?! HE- HE WAS- SHE!” She couldn’t even articulate herself in her enraged despair.

“I know, Rin.” Shirō quickly got up and hugged her. She gave him a few frustrated whacks. “This entire time, you forced yourself to think she was safer and happier than you were.”

She sagged in his arms, “Damn it! Damn it, Emiya-kun!” She pulled back in frustration, “How bad is it?” She wasn’t glaring but her face was scary. “I-Sakura would never tell me. I NEED to know what he’s done to her.”

Shirō closed his eyes, “Don’t do this to yourself, Rin. It’s enough to know that you’ll be saving her while I kill them.”

“No.” She glared at him coldly, “I will-”

“You can’t.” He said, cutting her off. Rage grew on her face, “This isn’t an insult against your skill and talent, Rin. This is about reality. Matou Zouken is five hundred years old, and you lack the weapons needed against a being like him. In the right circumstances, he can even kill a servant.”

She had settled down as he spoke, so when he finished, she snarled, “Tell me.” She glared, and though she didn’t say it, he could see in her eyes that it was an ultimatum.

He let out a sigh, “Zouken’s familiars are disgusting things called Crest Worms, and he has hundreds of thousands of them. Maybe even millions. Sakura’s training is laying in a pit of them while they violate and enter her body, and she has been doing that since your father gave her away.” He jumped and caught her, locking his arms around her as she struggled.

“LET ME GO!” She howled, but Shirō was too strong for her to break free from even when she tried to reinforce herself.

Shirō refused, forcing her to struggle until she exhausted herself. As she fell limp in his arms, shuddering in the horror of what she had learned, Shirō forced himself to continue. “Those same worms have formed her Magic Crest, entangling with and replacing many of her nerves. They are impossible to remove by normal means.”

Silent tears dripped from her eyes onto his arms, “…And Shinji?”

“The worms consume her energy constantly.” He said clinically, “They are normally…inert, almost, but they can be incited by her emotions. And when they are, they want to consume more energy than she can provide, and so they secrete an aphrodisiac to make her lustful.” His voice grew hoarse, “When he learned that Sakura was to be the heir of the Matou and saw her in the pit, he began to abuse her. She had no self-worth of her own and didn’t fight it. He took that as permission and decided to ‘take possession’ of her. So Zouken, eager to break Sakura’s will in any way he could find, gave him an aphrodisiac to use whenever he wanted. He’s been raping her with Zouken’s approval ever since.”

“Those-those bastards.” She let out a despairing breath, “…How do we save her, Emiya-kun?!”

“In… most of my lives, the war began in a similar way. You and your Archer fighting against Lancer. I stumbled on the fight and Lancer always chased me down and killed me. He would pierce my heart with his spear and leave me to die.” She closed her eyes as they watered, “And then you come in and revive me.”

“H-How?”  She gasped, “I can’t even imagine-”

“You can.” Shirō hugged her tighter to him, “You’re Tohsaka Rin. A genius.”

“But that’s the Third Magic! That’s Heaven’s Feel! I can’t bring someone back to life!”

He loosened his grip and reached for her neck, making her stiffen, “What are-” And then he pulled on her necklace, “My…”

“You used the mana you’ve stored for a decade to recreate my heart from scratch.” He smiled as she shuddered.

“That.” She shook her head, “Gods, that-that’s an achievement I can’t even comprehend having actually done.” She reached up and grabbed it, noticing idly that her pendant was now being held between their hands. She couldn’t find the energy to blush. “You want me to practically recreate her nervous system?! This can’t possibly have enough energy for that.”

“No.” Shirō grinned, “This time it’s my present that will save her.”

Rin choked, ‘How the hell did I forget that thing! It’s strapped to my thigh now!’

“But not alone.” Shirō said, and let her go. She inched away from him, feeling a loss she didn’t quite want to acknowledge now that she was no longer pressed against his chest. “You’ll need something else too… and a lot of mental fortitude, because you’re going to have to hurt her first.”

She shuddered, “What do I need to do?”

“I am the bone of my Sword.” Shirō declared, and Rin felt her spine stiffen. An aria? A blue flash erupted in his right hand, and Rin stared at the weirdly-shaped cylinder in his hand.

“What is that?” She blinked, “Was that a Projection? What use is that?!”

Shirō chuckled, “Nothing so weak. I call it Tracing.” He Traced another small knife and bent it before her watching as her eyes widened when it refused to break.

“What?” She asked flatly.

“I’m a Third-Rate Magus.” He chuckled, “Ask me to do something as simple as repairing battle damage and I’d take ten times the time and effort that you would. No, there’s only one Magecraft allowed to Emiya Shirō. One expression of my soul. Unlimited Blade Works.”

Rin choked, ‘Is-Is he saying what I think he’s saying?!’ She shook her head, before looking at the cylinder, “What is it?”

Shirō channeled a bit of mana into it, and it rapidly expanded into a bladed staff, “An Anti-Zouken weapon.” Rin paled, “You’ll have to stab Sakura in the heart. It will kill all of the Crest Worms in her body, throwing Zouken’s soul into disarray, especially if he’s already made the worm next to her heart his true body.”

“Damn it.” Rin couldn’t help but curse, “She’s already been through so much pain. Isn’t there another way?!”

“I know this won’t make you feel better, but with her pain tolerance she would barely feel it.” He shrank it back down into a cylinder, “What’s important is that you do it quickly. Without giving her time to react. Because if Zouken suspects something is wrong, he will take her hostage and kill you before you can save her.”

She growled as she snatched the weapon from his hand. “She’s going to hate me. She probably already hates me!”

“No.” Shirō shook his head, “You’re her sister, Rin. This is the moment you’ve hoped for. For so many years. You’re the one that’s going to save her.”

“And what will you be doing while I’m stabbing my sister?” Rin snarked, glaring at him.

“That’s simple.” Shirō said, before raising his hand. Rin choked as a sword appeared in his hand, and unlike the cylinder and the knife, she could practically taste the power coming off of it. “I’m going to drop the sun on Matou Zouken.”

-]|[-

“Senpai?” Hours later, Sakura used the key that her beloved senpai had given her to enter his home. She was surprised to not hear a response, “Senpai, are you here?” She opened the door to the dining area and froze when saw Rin sitting at the table and nursing a cup of tea. “T-Tohsaka-san?!” She yelped, horrified to find her estranged sister inside of her senpai’s home. H-Had senpai fallen for her sister?

Rin smiled at her brightly, “Hello Sakura.” She said pleasantly, as if there was anything to be happy about in this situation. “Emiya-kun isn’t here right now. He realized he didn’t have enough food, so he stepped out to go to the market.”

“O-oh?” Sakura looked confused, “I… I thought the supplies were okay this morning.” She mumbled, “I-in any case, what are you doing here, Tohsaka-san?”

“Oh, I’m working on something with Emiya-kun, so he invited me over for dinner.” Rin replied, draining the last of her tea to fortify herself for the most painful thing she would ever do.

“I…I see.” Sakura was quite put out. This… this was her and Senpai’s special time! She… she knew that she could never be what he wanted, but… “I should start on dinner.”

“Do you want any help?” Rin asked as she stood up, and flinched lightly when Sakura stiffened and looked as though Rin had kicked a puppy in front of her.

“N-No thank you. Senpai only allows me in his kitchen.” She replied robotically as she crossed the dining room to get to the kitchen.

“A-Ah, okay…” Rin then blocked her path, “But before you do, can you do me a favor, Sakura?”

Sakura’s bad day turned worse, “What is it, Tohsaka-san?” She asked in near monotone.

“…Please forgive me.” She said, letting her tears show as she thrust her arm forward. Sakura had a moment to be surprised before a disgusting sound of tearing flesh and shattering bone rang through the air.

Sakura shakily looked down, where she saw the weapon buried in her chest. Her hand shook as she reached up for it, unable to comprehend that her sister, estranged as she was, had just killed her. She fell to her knees and then a blinding pain ripped through her. She could hear screaming, not knowing it was her own. But she did hear Zouken. His roar of agony, she could certainly make out.

As the pain cleared, she found herself on her back, tears in her eyes as her sister desperately fiddled with a phone. “…N-Nee…san, why?” Blood erupted from Sakura’s mouth.

“Do it now, Emiya-kun! Do it now!” Rin screamed into the receiver, before tossing it to the side and drawing the Jeweled Sword from its holster on her thigh. She placed it on Sakura’s chest, who could barely focus enough to raise a shaking hand up to it. “Don’t move, Sakura.” Rin sounded desperate, “Just don’t move! I don’t-NO, I CAN’T get this wrong. Just hang on.”

Odd words from the one who had just killed her. And then more magical energy than Sakura had ever felt before flooded her body. She arched her back, feeling her strength returning almost instantly. And more important than what she felt was what she didn’t feel. The worms. They… they weren’t moving. The spots on her body where she knew they rested… it was… it was like they weren’t there anymore.

As the light dimmed and vanished, Sakura had her eyes wide open. She looked at Rin. At her sister. “R-Rin?” She weakly raised a hand up, and Rin sobbed as she clutched it.

“I’m here, Sakura.” She gave her a teary smile, “I’m never leaving you again.”

Sakura swallowed heavily, her tongue feeling wooden, “Wh-” She started to ask, and then an earthquake ripped through the building, making them both squeal. “What?” Sakura asked in shock as the rumbling subsided.

Rin looked panicked, “Damn it, Emiya-kun!” She held her head in her hands, “That was too much, you idiot! Oh god, did anyone see?!”

“R-Rin.” Sakura groaned as she tried to sit up, “What?”

Rin turned back to her, vowing to give Shirō a few good whacks for his stupidity. She pushed Sakura back down, “Don’t move yet, Sakura. Just rest for now.” She started to examine her with her Magecraft, and let out a relieved sigh when she could sense that there truly was nothing wrong with her sister anymore. “Thank goodness.”

Sakura bit her lip, “Where is Senpai?”

Rin growled, “If he has any sense, running as far away as possible so I don’t strangle him for this stunt!”

“N-No!” Sakura yelped, “Don-Don’t hur-”

“Shush, Sakura, I’m not actually going to hurt him.” Rin said, before slumping, “I couldn’t have saved you if it wasn’t for him.” Rin started to cry again, before looking deep into her sister’s eyes, “I-I wouldn’t even have known that you needed to be saved if it wasn’t for him.” She sobbed out.

Sakura’s eyes widened and she felt complete and utter panic. Shirō knew about her suffering?! How much did he know?! Oh god, was that why he wasn’t here?! Was he so disgusted by her that he didn’t even want to be in the same room?! Sadly, for Sakura, despair and terror were not rational. Otherwise, she would have realized that wasn’t the case at all.

Rin smushed Sakura’s cheeks as she saw her sister spiraling, getting her attention. “They’re gone, Sakura. You never have to worry about them again.” She said, making the plum-haired woman’s breath hitch. She leaned down and hugged Sakura as tightly as she could, “I’m sorry!” She said, her voice muffled by her sister’s body, “I’m sorry for not fighting harder to keep father from sending you away! I’m sorry for not trying to reconnect with you once he was dead! I’m sorry for being so wrapped up in my own pain that I couldn’t see how much more you were hurting than me! I’m sorry for being such an awful, stupid sister!”

Sakura began to cry as well, “N-Nee-san…” She raised her arms and hugged Rin back. “A-Are they really?”

“Yes.” Rin said, pressing a kiss to Sakura’s forehead. “Shirō made that Anti-Zouken Spear. It destroyed every single one of the worms that disgusting monster forced on you.”

Sakura began to cry harder, “Th-then you know? You know about-”

“I do now.” Rin said hoarsely, “Emiya-kun told me everything.”

Sakura started to panic again, “Then he- he knows how…dirty I a-”

“DO NOT finish that statement!” Rin snarled, and Sakura quieted instantly with a squeak of fear. “You’re not dirty. You’re not disgusting. And none of what happened to you was your fault.”

“She’s right.” Shirō entered the room, and Sakura let out a squeak of embarrassment as Shirō saw her in her disheveled state. “I’m home.” He offered a hand to Sakura and another to Rin.

Sakura hissed as she got up, and Shirō hurried to hug her for all she was worth. Her entire body sagged as she allowed the embrace, filling her nose and brain with his scent. “S-Senpai.”

“Shirō, you idiot!” Rin punched him multiple times ineffectually before he pulled her into a hug as well. “What the hell did you do?! What were you thinking?!”

“I was thinking Zouken needed to die before the worm could figure out some way to put himself back together.” Shirō said coldly. “And as for what I did... wellllll…”

…

A few minutes prior, Shirō sat hidden by a Bounded Field on top of Rin’s roof. He may not have had any talent for Bounded Fields in the traditional sense, but thankfully, if he had a problem he couldn’t overcome, then all he needed to do was imagine something that could. And the little dagger with a concealment bubble that was strapped to his side was more than enough.

The Nokia phone he had in his pocket rang, and a desperate Rin’s voice came through, “Do it now, Emiya-kun! Do it now!”

Shirō stood and summoned Excalibur Galatine once more, along with his bow. He began to reinforce the Noble Phantasm, both to alter it and to turn it into a Broken Phantasm. The sword warped, lengthening as he drew the string back, while also twisting into a helical shape. Caladbolg II had been another option, but Excalibur Galatine was his preferred arrow since it made him feel closer to Saber. He was pumping so much mana into it that the air around him began to warp. He’d have to apologize to his tsundere about the roof because the tiles were melting beneath him. “Excalibur…” He said shortly, “GALATINE!” He roared as he let it loose.

The modified sword flew straighter than any arrow towards the Matou estate. It pierced through Bounded Field after Bounded Field before smashing through the front door. It then buried itself into the stone floors and drilled into the basement, before flashing over the head of a screaming Makiri Zolgen.

And as promised, a sun erupted above his head, consuming him and every single one of his disgusting familiars in the vicinity. An explosion rocked the estate, detonating gas lines around the manor. A localized earthquake rocked the rest of Miyama Town as the basement simply vanished, and the heat from the sun inside it lit every single wooden structure in the home on fire in an instant. Shinji Matou didn’t even have time to fall into the new, much rounder pit as the manor collapsed around him before his skin and muscles evaporated off his bones.

Shirō watched on as the ground quaked and Sakura’s despised, feared home began to burn down to cinders.

…

Sakura again began to sob as Shirō finished his retelling, “S-Senpai, Nee-san…” She hugged the two of them with every bit of strength her body could muster. “Y-you came for me. You saved me. You didn’t abandon me…”

“Of course not.” Shirō said softly as he ran his fingers through her plum-colored hair, “You’re our precious Sakura.”

Slowly, the three’s emotions subsided a little, and Sakura pulled away. She found she couldn’t meet Shirō’s eyes. “S-Senpai… you… you know… everything…then?”

Shirō gently grabbed her face and turned her to look at him. She still tried to avert her eyes, “Sakura.” Shirō said, not chidingly but firmly. “You’re not dirty. You’re not disgusting. And none of what happened to you was your fault.” He repeated Rin’s words to her, “You are beautiful, kind, and wonderful, and no one can ever take that away from you.”

She teared up again and hugged him once more. “H-How long have you known?” She asked hesitantly as she pulled away, “…Nee-san? Senpai?”

“Shirō told me about it today.” Rin huffed, rubbing her back. “It’s… for the best that I never found out.” She said heavily, “I would have just gotten killed trying to rescue you.”

Sakura flinched, but they all knew it was true. “A-And senpai? Wh-when did, HOW did you…?”

Shirō rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, “Well, the answer to that question depends on…perspective.”

Rin snorted at the lame joke that Sakura wouldn’t get. Predictably, Sakura tilted her head cutely to the side. “S-Senpai?”

“Depending on perspective, I’ve known anywhere from a couple of days to a couple of decades.” Shirō deadpanned, and Sakura stared blankly at him in confusion. “It’s a… long story.” He said lamely.

“Will you tell me?” Sakura asked, now feeling completely lost.

“Of course.” Shirō said. “Tonight. After we make dinner.” He laughed, “Otherwise the hungry tiger will start chewing on me again.”

Rin and Sakura both started to giggle, “Is that a metaphor, Emiya-kun?” Rin managed to get out, which made Sakura begin to laugh even harder.

“Ah… no, Nee-san. Senpai is being…quite literal.” She felt lighter than she had in years. She didn’t want to tempt fate, but… but the worms were gone. Grandfather was gone. Nii-san was probably gone! Her beloved senpai knew about her and didn’t care. Her sister still loved her and immediately rescued her when she found out about her torment.

She didn’t think anything could ruin today. This was the best day of her life.

-]|[-

“SHIRŌ!” A panicking Fujimura Taiga burst into the Emiya compound. “Shirō, the Matou manor-” She skidded into the dining room and saw Sakura sitting at the table with Shirō and Rin, and her eyes started to water. “UWAH!” She cried out and lunged for a wide-eyed Sakura, “Oh thank goodness, you’re safe!”

“F-Fujimura-sensei?” Sakura yelped as the excitable woman hugged her, “Wh-what?”

“Gods, I’m so sorry Sakura!” Taiga pulled away, “Y-You haven’t…” She looked at them, “Sakura, your home is either burning to the ground or already burnt out. There was some sort of explosion.”

“Ah.” Right. A normal person would have been distraught about that.

And yet Sakura couldn’t feel anything but joy. Something Taiga realized, “S-Sakura?” She looked at the beautiful young lady, “Sakura, your family… we don’t know if…”

Sakura looked down. And then she looked to Shirō and Rin. Rin sipped at her tea, “Your choice, Sakura.”

The plum-haired girl swallowed, “…Zouken abused me.” Taiga felt her stomach fall through her shoes, “And…Shinji…” She couldn’t finish, and instead looked down at her clenched fists on her lap.

Rin’s fingers tightened on her cup, “Raped her. Repeatedly. For several years.”

Taiga closed her eyes, feeling first devastation, and then rage, and then cold acceptance. She may not like her family business, but she knew how things worked. “Grandfather once joked that Kiritsugu was some sort of assassin.” She opened her eyes and glared at Shirō, “Those weren’t jokes, were they?” Shirō said nothing and sipped at his own tea, “Do I need to get Grandfather involved?”

“No.” Shirō replied evenly.

“All this time…” Taiga said, frustration bubbling inside her, “Did you never try to get help, Sakura?”

“…Someone once tried to help me. My uncle Kariya.” Rin stiffened as Sakura spoke, “Zouken killed him in front of me.” Rin let out a hiss like an enraged cat.

Taiga growled like her namesake. She hugged Sakura again, much more gently this time, “I know it doesn’t make up for years of torment, but I’m glad you’re safe now.”

“Thank you sensei.” Sakura said, finally smiling a little.

“What will you do now?” Taiga asked her.

“Senpai has offered to let me move in.” Sakura said, and Taiga held back an elated squee. She had always rooted for the girl!

“Good. I’m sure Shirō already said this, but you’ll always have a home here.” Taiga said resolutely, before turning and tilting her head, “…Why are you here, Tohsaka-chan? I didn’t know you were friends with Shirō or Sakura.”

“…” Rin debated, and let out a sigh, “Mother and father had two daughters, not one. They couldn’t raise both.” She said bitterly, glaring at the table.

Taiga’s mouth opened to respond, then closed it, and then snapped her head rapidly between Sakura and Rin, “EEEEHHHHH?!” She yelped, “But- But I’ve barely ever seen you two speak!”

“I was… afraid of Zouken hurting her too.” Sakura said softly, “And… bitter too.”

Rin flinched, “And daddy dearest told me to forget I had a sister.” She looked down at her knees, “And after he died and mom was hospitalized, I convinced myself that I would just make her life worse. That at least one of us should be happy.”

“Nee-san…” Sakura said softly.

Taiga rubbed the bridge of her nose to ward off a migraine, “What is this, a fucking Greek Tragedy?” She grumbled under her breath.

‘Closer to the mark than you know, Fuji-nee.’ Shirō almost snorted.

“Okay. I get it.” Taiga said after a moment, “Sakura, you’ll need a legal guardian. I can become yours too if you want.”

Sakura smiled at her, “Yes please, Sensei.”

‘Mine too.’ Rin almost said it out loud, but kept her thoughts to herself.

“Okay, I’ll go talk to Grandfather. He can nudge things along.” Taiga said, before finally grabbing her bowl and beginning her dinner. She looked at Shirō before taking her first bite, “…How did you even-”

“Don’t ask questions you don’t want answers to, Fuji-nee.” Shirō replied, before eating his chicken. Taiga growled lowly before beginning to stuff her face too.

…

After Taiga left, Rin couldn’t help but let out a snort, “You know, somehow I feel like she should have been a lot more upset that you killed two people and blew up a massively expensive home via unknown means.”

Shirō chuckled, “Her grandfather is the head of the Yakuza.” Rin’s jaw dropped, “She might not enjoy that side of things and has little to do with it, but she understands. And she loves Sakura-” The girl in question blushed, “So knowing I killed her two abusers is enough.”

“S-Senpai…” Sakura’s face was still hot.

Rin smiled, “So now it’s time to let you in on what Emiya-kun meant, I suppose?”

“Yes please.” Sakura replied, “I am…confused.”

“Do you know what this is?” Rin drew the Jeweled Sword to show her sister. “I don’t think you will, but you might have seen it in one of our books back when… back before…” She growled, clenching her hand around the hilt.

Sakura shook her head, “No nee-san, I never did.”

Rin nodded, “Thought not. This is the Jeweled Sword of Zelretch. The Second Magician Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg took our ancestor Nagato as a pupil over two centuries ago and gave our family the designs for this blade. It was essentially…homework for us to be able to recreate it.”

“And you succeeded?” Sakura knew very little about Magecraft, but she did at least know of the Second Magic.

Rin snorted, “I wish. It feels like cheating to even hold this thing.” She grumbled, “Emiya-kun woke up one day last week with it lying in his workshop.”

“And when I grabbed it to get it out of sight, it ended up showing me ninety-nine parallel lives.” Shirō replied.

“That’s why you were so sick last week!” Sakura gasped, “B-But why would-”

“Because the Fifth Holy Grail War is starting fifty years before schedule.” Shirō said, and Sakura felt her heart drop.

“And it is our duty to completely dismantle this useless ritual.” Rin finished, putting her sword away.

Sakura blinked, her jaw lowering slightly. That had taken a totally unexpected direction! “But…”

Shirō then spent the next several minutes explaining what he had learned about the Grail… and providing several more bits of information that he hadn’t given Rin, leaving both girls staring at him in horror.

“…The shards.” Sakura said hoarsely, “Can-Can we remove them from me?”

“No.” Shirō said heavily, “Not even I know how to do that. But I do know how to stop Aŋra Mainiiu from corrupting you if it comes down to that. Which it usually doesn’t, mind you.”

Both girls sighed in relief, “You’re going to give me gray hairs, Emiya-kun.” Rin complained. “But why does it usually not affect her?”

Shirō smiled, “Because she’s one of the strongest people I know.” Sakura blushed beet red as Shirō cupped her cheek gently, “Usually Illya is the one that ends up absorbing the fallen servants, but when she can’t and you end up doing it, it takes almost all of them to allow Aŋra Mainiiu even a chance to put you under control. Illya starts breaking down after only four. And you fight it every step of the way.”

“S-Senpai.” Sakura bowed her head, smiling.

Rin pouted, ‘Damn it, they’re so cute together… it was a nice dream, I suppose.’ She sighed sadly. Something both Shirō and Sakura noticed, and glanced at her quizzically, “Never mind.” Rin smiled at them, “So, what other things will you try to break my mind with now, Emiya-kun?”

Shirō snorted, “Well, we… and by ‘we’ I mean you… need to teach Sakura to properly use her Magecraft. Not only is it powerful in general, but it is extra effective against servants. I’m hoping that we’ll be able to just stall the war out indefinitely by getting the other masters to agree to a ceasefire while we figure out how to dismantle the Grail.”

“That’ll be a tall ask.” Rin frowned.

Sakura nodded, “Um… maybe even more difficult than you think, nee-san. If the other masters see we’ve grouped up, they might team up too to take us out. And that will leave us three against four.”

Rin winced, “We’ll have to make sure we can summon the best servants possible.” Rin nibbled on her thumb.

“I had an idea regarding that, actually.” Shirō said, “And to be perfectly honest, I’d rather you not summon a servant, Rin. At least not without a catalyst.”

Rin looked affronted, “Why the hell wouldn’t I?” She glared at him.

Shirō reached out and grabbed her pendant again, “Because of this.”

“Μy pendant? Why?” Rin clutched and looked at him in confusion.

“You used it to save my life.” Shirō growled, “So you usually summon yet another version of me, and we are… not compatible.” He growled out.

“How can you not be compatible with yourself?” Rin asked incredulously.

“Remember how I told you that The Fire burnt everything from before out of me? That I was practically born again in those cursed flames?” Rin growled, and both her and Sakura latched onto him with hugs. He pulled them both close and rested his head on Rin’s. “Well, because of it, seeing Kiritsugu’s desperate smile and thinking he was happy, and several conversations with him later on in life, Emiya Shirō became a man who had to be a Hero. He had to save others, no matter what. Saving others was his only happiness. If losing his life meant one person got to live, he would make that trade.”

“Senpai!” Sakura sounded horrified, “NO! You’re not-” She looked at him desperately.

“Shh, it’s okay, Sakura.” Shirō smiled at her, “I’ve… moved away from that man. I’ve seen what happens when I follow that path. And I’ve seen what happens when I break from it.” God, the Superhero path. He wanted to murder Zelretch for forcing that one on him.

Sakura and Rin both sagged in relief, “Promise us, Emiya-kun. Don’t throw your life away. Swear it!” Rin demanded, glaring at him with tears in her eyes.

“I won’t. I’ve got too much to live for.” Shirō gave her a charged look that made both girls stiffen. He closed his eyes, “But EMIYA-” Both girls almost giggled. They could hear the capital letters, “Never got that memo. He became exactly like Kiritsugu, a man who started out as an idealistic fool who had the naivety and optimism ground out of him.” Their faces fell as Shirō continued, “Everyone around him thought he was starting wars, not ending them. And eventually, to gain the power he needed to stop a tragedy from happening, he made a deal with ALAYA.” Rin and Sakura let out horrified gasps, “He managed to prevent the tragedy, and then was betrayed by his allies who thought he was the mastermind and executed.”

“Oh God…” Rin covered her mouth with a hand and Sakura began to cry again.

Shirō sighed, “He thought he’d be able to save people even after death. Instead, he became a Counter Guardian, with the orders to kill and kill and kill. Little by little, mission by mission, he was ground down until he gave up. Whenever he gets summoned in the Fifth War, he cares most about trying to get his younger self to give up on his dream… and killing him if he can’t.”

Sakura let out a wail and hugged him so tightly he could barely breathe, blubbering into his chest. “Never.” Rin growled out, grabbing his cheeks to force him to look at her, “Never, do you hear me?!”

Shirō smiled at her and pulled him into his chest as well. He could feel her own tears dripping, “Like I said… we’re not compatible.” He said dryly.

“So, what do I do about a servant?” Rin asked curiously.

“Also, senpai, I don’t know if that’s smart.” Sakura mentioned, “If you or her don’t summon your own servant, there will be one guaranteed wild card involved.”

“She has a point.” Rin pursed her lips.

“There’s going to be a wild card regardless, but I’ll save those details for later. That said, I do see your point, and we have time to decide.” Shirō said. “As for getting you a servant: I can either give you a Noble Phantasm to use as a catalyst,” Right, there was that as well. Rin was very carefully trying to avoid thinking about that, but he wasn’t making it easy on her with statements like that! “Or either you or me can contract with Caster. Her master is an utter bastard and a misogynist who uses human sacrifices to power his Magecraft, and even sometimes uses a Command Seal to force her to sleep with him. She kills him and I know when and where to find her.”

“Monster.” Sakura said quietly. “We should save her.”

“I want to.” Shirō agreed, “But we don’t necessarily have to. I saved her in a few of my lives and we were happy, but in most of my paths, she ended up being saved by someone else and even fell in love with her new master. Unfortunately, she never survives in that scenario, so allowing her to keep that happiness would prove difficult.”

Sakura and Rin both frowned, “Why would we not save her ourselves?”

“Because the conditions for earning Medea of Colchis’s-” Rin blanched, “-loyalty will be…” Shirō pursed his lips as he tried to think of what to say, “Much more difficult, shall we say.”

“Why?” Sakura asked, feeling a little uncomfortable.

“Because I can’t give her what she wants the way I did in those lives where I saved her. Or at least I can’t give that to her in the way she wants.” Shirō sighed heavily.

“And what does she want?” Rin asked, her hand on her hips.

“Love.” Shirō said simply.

The two flushed, “Oh?” Their eyes narrowed, “Shacking up with an older woman, are we, Emiya-kun?” Even Sakura was puffing her cheeks slightly.

Shirō let out a chuckle, “Rin, I have ninety-nine sets of memories in my head, each with different, conflicting paths. I’ve fallen in love and lived long, happy lives with every single woman involved in this damn war at least once. You, Sakura, Saber, Rider.” He smirked as they reddened, “Sakura and Rider. You and Saber…”

Rin and Sakura almost purpled from the frank admission, “Y-You playboy!” Rin hissed, “Lech! Hentai! Pe-” Shirō silenced her with a kiss, which made Sakura’s stomach fall to her feet. When he finally pulled away, Rin looked dazed, her tongue was still poking out from between her lips, and a small strand of saliva connected them.

“S-Senpai!” Sakura sounded devastated before Shirō attacked her as well. “MMMPH!” Sakura relaxed and deepened the kiss herself. Even with the worms gone, just this was enough to get her going. Her body shuddered in anticipation.

“Emiyaaaaa-” Rin growled out as her vision cleared, “Give it back, you bastard! Give back my first kiss!” She fruitlessly pounded a fist weakly into his chest.

Sakura and Shirō broke their kiss, and Shirō chuckled in self-depreciation, “I know it’s not conventional…” He looked at both of them, “But I love you both, and that’s not something I’ll ever be able to stop. Not something I could possibly compartmentalize. Not with the decades we spent together in my memories. But if you want nothing to do with a weird relationship like that, I’ll understand.”

“…Damn you, Emiya-kun. You don’t play fair.” Rin growled out.

“…You’ve had my heart for years, Senpai.” Sakura said, before pushing her lips on his one more time, “I’m yours. Forever.”

Rin glared over his shoulder. “Damn you. I love you too, you stupid, irresistible-.” She kissed him hungrily one more time, and Shirō’s hands went under their butts as he hauled them up into his arms, before carrying them into what would soon become their bedroom.

-]|[-

The next morning, Rin was even more of a zombie than usual. Shirō proved beyond a shadow of a doubt how well he knew both her and her sister by playing their bodies like fiddles. He awakened things in her even she hadn’t known she would like. Rin was exhausted… and spent half of her time in Shirō’s arms like a sleepy child while he and her all too chipper sister happily cooked breakfast. Rin alternated between trying to sleep more and glaring at Sakura, who looked energized from all the fun the previous night.

It took the siren’s song itself – coffee as black as Zouken’s heart – for her to wake up and blush profusely when she realized he had been carrying her like an infant for nearly half an hour. She bit his shoulder in recompense, which just embarrassed her more. It took a valiant effort to try to regain even a shred of her dignity, “S-So, what are we doing today?” She asked, trying not to blush at the knowing smile on her sister’s face. “F-Fujimura-sensei managed to get us off school for Sakura to… ahem, grieve.”

“I am going to start teaching you a few things.” Shirō said immediately, “We basically need to train Sakura from scratch-” His plum-haired girlfriend pouted, “Which is more up your alley, Rin, but I know a few things that she learned how to do and can push her in that direction.”

Rin nodded resolutely, “You can count on me, Sakura.” She clenched her fists under the table, “I’ll do what father should have done for you.” She growled under her breath.

“It wasn’t your fault, nee-san.” Sakura heard her anyway. “And there was nothing you could have done.”

“I could have not been a damn coward and at least talked to you!” Rin snarled out. “Maybe I couldn’t have killed Zouken and maybe I’d owe the damn fake priest a favor but-”

“Stop, Rin.” Shirō put a hand on her shoulder, “Zouken wouldn’t even have killed you. He’d have shoved you right next to Sakura and used you to control her.” Rin ground her teeth together, and Sakura moved to hug her.

“It’s…” Sakura stopped, “No… I shouldn’t lie. Not anymore. It’s not okay. But knowing that you loved me and that you got hurt or killed trying to save me would have destroyed me.”

Rin let another few tears out, “I love you, Sakura. And I’m so sorry. God, what I wouldn’t give up to kick father right in-”

“That’s enough of that, Rin.” Shirō squeezed a little, “Everyone involved is now dead. Just leave it at that.”

Rin was silent, “…I’m going to learn the Second Magic.” She said, “And when I do, even if only once, I’m going to kill that bastard, save my sister, and give father a piece of my mind.”

Shirō chuckled, “Well, if you were going to pick any of them, it’s certainly the most likely option.”

Rin huffed, “So, shall we start teaching Sakura then?” She regained her confident smirk as she squeezed her sister, “Or ‘I,’ rather?”

“No.” Shirō said, “I have something you need to learn first.”

“No offense, Shirō…” Rin started to say.

“Typically followed by something offensive.” Sakura giggled, “But go on.”

Rin’s eye twitched, “You said yourself that you’re a Third-Rate Magus. What can you teach me?”

“Something you and Professor Velvet, or Lord El-Melloi II as he’s known in the Clocktower-” Rin’s eyes widened at his words, “-developed, based off my own specialized Magecraft.”

Rin blinked, “Y-you mean your Tracing? I can learn that?”

“Sure.” Shirō said, smiling at her. “You can mimic it if you follow certain requirements, though no one can bring it to the same level of versatility. It will take quite some time and a bit of sacrifice for you to get to that level with a few items, but it’s doable. There are seven steps to my Magecraft, each building on the last to make a more durable and authentic Projection.”

Rin’s eyes widened, “Seven? You use seven steps? How did you get so off base from the original Projection?” She asked in frustration, “All Projection does is create an empty shell with Magecraft. It’s useless for anything that needs to last more than a few minutes! Why did you even focus on it?!”

“Because it was one of the few spells I could actually do.” Shirō chuckled, “And I developed it further to improve the spell, of course. Shells which easily break are useless, after all.”

“What are the seven steps?” Sakura asked curiously, eager to learn from her Senpai.

Shirō smiled, “The first four steps are what you need to focus on Rin, and they are, in order: judging the concept of creation; hypothesizing the basic structure; duplicating the composition material; and imitating the skill of its making.”

Again, Rin’s eyes widened, “That’s… that’s a lot of detail to go into a single item. ‘Imitating the skill of its making?’ What?!” She put her hand on her chin, “I suppose I can see how that would make a much better Projection, but you must use a lot of mana for it!”

“Not as much as you’d think.” Shirō chuckled, “It is quite a bit, yes, but less than a lot of other spells I’ve seen.”

“What are the final three?” Rin asked, the curiosity now eating at her.

“Sympathizing with the experience of its growth.” Shirō replied, and then he smiled, “Reproducing the accumulated years.” The record inside Rin’s head scratched, “And excelling every manufacturing process.”

“Repr-” Rin floundered, “How the hell-?! That’s- You Traced NOBLE PHANTASMS!”

Shirō chuckled, “That knife to your right was stamped in a factory 1,789 days ago. There was no skill in its making, merely cold machine labor. It has been used 2,917 times by eight total people.”

Rin stopped, “…What?”

“It’s easiest with blades.” Shirō said, “Or weapons, but anything I can see, I can structurally grasp just by sight. I see everything about it. It’s history, the people who used it, techniques used with it…”

“But how can you possibly-?!” She paled, “Rem…ember… all the details….” She let out a keening noise, “I-I was trying not to think of it, but it’s true, isn’t it? Unlimited Blade Works… it’s a Reality Marble, isn’t it?”

“That’s my Rin.” Shirō said warmly, and Rin flushed red, “Storing all the data on every blade I’ve ever seen. Nearly perfect copies which can remain in the real world indefinitely as long as it is not broken or dismissed.”

“But I DON’T have a Reality Marble!” Rin protested, “I definitely can’t do anything like that!”

“No, of course not.” Shirō agreed, smirking at her, “But that doesn’t mean you can’t make the spell more… useful.” There was a small flash in his hand under the table. “After all, Projection can be used to create almost anything, can’t it? It’s just a sadly all-too-fragile, empty shell, and doesn’t last long at all. Buuuuut-” He raised his hand and started tossing something up and down without taking his eyes off her. Her eyes snapped to the gem he was tossing up and down and her throat went dry. “If you can make the item just a bit more useful?”

Oh, she was going to crush his dick tonight.

-]|[-

In the end, it took Rin just one week to get to the point where she could Project gems that she could use actual Magecraft with. They still only lasted seconds at best, but they were solid. Shirō had started by having her do something quite unusual, and something that pissed her off a bit. She had to sacrifice five of her best gems, one for each element. They implanted them inside her soul, and though Rin could remove them, Shirō told her to leave them where they were. Her soul would start to learn what her eyes and hands could not, but it would take years. After that, he had her practice.

In the meantime, Shirō started to teach Sakura about what she learned of her own Magecraft, and Rin would forever deny her squeal at seeing Sakura’s cute little shadow familiars. For now, he had limited her to using those, as well as attacking with shadow ribbons that Sakura could summon from her own body. But Rin had to admit, she was a little bit jealous when she heard what Sakura could be capable of. Her adorable little sister could be a real monster of a combat Magus! From what Shirō told them, Sakura could even grow capable of redirecting Noble Phantasms through Imaginary Number Space back at their original attackers. AND her abilities were extra effective against Servants!

Once Rin got to the point where she could use her new Psuedo-Edelsteine spell, Shirō immediately started to fight her as often as possible, both with magic and in hand to hand. She usually went to bed so bruised and exhausted that she didn’t even join in on the fun with her boyfriend and sister. And then they were forced to go back to school which just cut into her time even more, and it was making her very cranky. So, three weeks in, when Shirō told her she had a day off, she was suspicious.

She tried to get him to spill the beans for the entire day, but he refused to say a word, and she gave up after dinner. She just enjoyed having him inside her again and took full advantage of it. “So, is it back to training, Shirō?” She asked archly, while Sakura stopped eating and looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

“Nope.” Shirō took a bite of his salmon, “Today, me and you are going to go kill a few people.”

Rin and Sakura both choked, “S-Senpai?!” Sakura sounded scandalized.

“Who the hell do you want to kill?!” Rin asked incredulously.

“Kotomine Kirei.” Shirō said and took another bite.

Rin immediately changed her tune, “Well if you insist.”

“Nee-san!” Sakura protested and jabbed a finger into her sister’s ribs, making her jump and glare at the younger girl. “Why would you want to kill Father Kotomine?!”

“Because he stabbed your father in the back with the Azoth Sword the man had just gifted to him, and then gave the murder weapon to Rin as his own gift for his own amusement.” Shirō put his chopsticks down and looked Rin in the eyes.

Right as she snapped her own chopsticks in her clenched fists. Her neck creaked as she mechanically looked at him, “Excuse me?”

“Kirei is an empty man.” Shirō said, “A broken man. He found no happiness no matter what he did. He saved people and felt nothing. He learned every bit of Magecraft your father taught him and had no sense of accomplishment, nor pride. He even attempted to fill his emptiness with love but was unable to actually care for his wife or daughter. He was just fundamentally wrong and thought he would go his entire existence without being able to fill that emptiness. Except that wasn’t quite true. There were moments when Kirei felt joy. He felt joy when his wife died.” Sakura and Rin were both turning puce. “He felt joy when his father died. He felt joy when others around him suffered. And so, he told your father’s Servant the true purpose of the Command Seals and convinced him to form a contract with Kirei once Tokiomi was dead. And then he did the deed himself.” Shirō sighed, “I first learned about it from looking at your Azoth Sword. The rest of it, I got from Archer’s memories. There were a couple of times he was summoned in the Fourth.”

“That-he- that son of a bitch.” Rin couldn’t even articulate.

Sakura felt sad. Not because Tokiomi was dead, betrayed by his own apprentice. No, she was sad because her nee-san was sad. She quite frankly hated her birth parents.

“…And it gets worse.” Shirō sighed, which made both of them snap their heads towards him, “After killing your father, he arranged things so that your mother and uncle Kariya would both find the body at the same time. All so that he could get his kicks as he watched your mother accuse him of the murder. He got more than he bargained for when Kariya strangled her.”

Rin screamed. She screamed herself hoarse as she tried to punch a hole through their table. Shirō caught her fist and held her firmly as she just…lost control. He couldn’t blame her. Sakura certainly couldn’t either. And so, Rin found herself being squished between her sister and boyfriend. “He-Father TRUSTED him!” She sobbed out onto Sakura’s shoulder, clutching her desperately. “He made that bastard MY GUARDIAN!” She let go of Sakura, and glared at Shirō, “We’re going now.” She snarled at him.

“No.” Shirō said, “You need to calm down first. I told you all of this for motivation, not so that you could run off half-cocked and get yourself killed. Do not underestimate that bastard. My father shot him in the heart with the same bullet that turned Lord El-Melloi I into a cripple and completely shredded his Magic Crest, and he’s still alive. We will kill him, Rin. You will kill him. But your anger must be cold and focused.”

Rin took a few deep breaths, and nodded. She sat back down and Projected a new set of chopsticks for practice. She resumed eating quietly. After a few moments where they ate in silence, Rin finally said something again, “Sakura…”

“I love you, nee-san.” Sakura interrupted her softly, but for the first time in a few weeks, it was cold, and she wasn’t looking at her sister. “You had nothing to do with my suffering. Tokiomi and Aoi do not have that benefit. They gave me away like leftovers. Without even making sure that the home I was going to would be good for me. Zouken may have done the deed, but he never would have had the chance if it wasn’t for them. I am sad that you are sad.” She said softly, “But I cannot bring myself to feel anything for them.”

Rin breathed deeply and let out a few more silent tears, before nodding and not saying another word.

The rest of the meal continued in silence, and most of the rest of the day was spent in bed showing her the love and support she needed.

 -]|[-

The sun had performed most of the day’s journey, and the church was illuminated in reds and oranges. Rin and Shirō were walking hand-in-hand to their destination, and though the rage was gone from Rin’s face and eyes, she was completely and utterly focused. As they reached the door, Rin didn’t slow down a bit and kicked it, launching it off its hinges and into the darkened building.

“That was quite rude, Rin.” Kirei said softly as he eyed the heavy oak door that had stopped right at his feet. Shirō opened the other of the double doors almost gently. “You haven’t come see me in months, and now you-”

“Shut up.” Rin said coldly, before eyeing the only other person in the church: a blonde man practically lounging on one of the pews. Before she could say anything, Shirō spoke.

“Good evening, King Gilgamesh.”

The man smiled slightly and rose, “Well, I suppose you have manners, mongrel. The woman is lacking in them, however.”

“Oh, I’m afraid she has business to attend to tonight.” Shirō said apologetically.

“Clearly.” Kirei said tartly, “This will take quite some time to fix. Why are you here, Rin?”

“To kill you.” Kirei’s eyes widened slightly in surprise at her response.

“Oho? In the house of our God?” He sounded amused. “And what have I done to deserve this honor?”

In response, Rin drew her Azoth Sword and threw it, allowing it to stab into the floor between them. “That look familiar to you? It should.”

Kirei chuckled, and Gilgamesh joined him, “I see. I suppose there is nothing left to say, is there?” In fact, Gilgamesh was practically belly laughing.

“Well, at least you’re less of a bore than your father.” The Golden King said, and frowned when Rin didn’t so much as react. “Be grateful you have amused your King. I suppose watching one of you die screaming will be entertainment enough if you won’t indulge in the pre-battle banter.” But then he turned his eyes to Shirō, “But if you interfere, I shall kill you both.”

“Oh, don’t worry, King Gilgamesh. I’m not here to help her kill Kotomine.” Shirō responded to the arrogant lout.

“Oh? Then what are you here for?” Gilgamesh smirked at the boy.

Shirō smirked back, “Oh, I’m here to sell you some high-quality copper-” He swung his arm and deflected the Noble Phantasm the man had fired at his face. A sword of his own had just appeared in his hand.

Gilgamesh’s right eye was twitching, “You arrogant brat.” He ground out. More golden portals began to open behind him. “If you were auditioning to be my court jester, you’ve missed your mark.”

“Really? Gilgamesh of all servants calling someone arrogant?” Rin asked rhetorically, incensing the blonde even more. “Let’s just get this started, shall we?”

Shirō’s smirk widened, “I am the Bone of my Sword.”

The golden portals fired ten Noble Phantasms at them, but ten appeared next to Shirō and deflected all of them. Just from those twenty blades, the church was full of holes and even some of the pews were cut in half. “My heart is Steel, and my blood is Fire. With the Forge of my Soul… I have stood, creating Countless Swords.” Beneath his feet, the floorboards started to char from his magical energy racing through them.

Gilgamesh raised an eyebrow, “Oho, a four-line aria with more to come? Perhaps this will be entertaining after all. Very well! It will be my pleasure to cut this weed from my garden at its strongest.” He ceased firing, even as Kirei adopted a look of confused wariness.

“Unaware of exhaustion, Nor aware of despair. These hands will continue to grant deliverance.” Shirō continued to chant, and Rin took careful note of the lines of his aria, “I am Unlimited Blade Works.”

Fire started to flow around them, burning through wood and stone alike before engulfing them, and revealing crystal-clear blue skies. The sun was positioned perfectly in the sky to illuminate them all. Beneath their feet was green grass, and a field of flowers in all different colors. Rin couldn’t help but smile as she saw the reds and purples. A deep, royal blue, a lighter, softer blue, bright pink, shining silver, shimmering gold, and glimmering magenta completed the set. In the distance, she could even see the oceans surrounding the land. She looked behind them, and saw something at the apex of a hill, covered in much fewer blades than the cactus of blades around them. It was shining a brilliant color, and its light was rising into the sky, keeping the clouds frozen away from view.

And then there were the blades. Rin had truly underestimated just what Unlimited Blade Works meant. Swords, spears, axes, it didn’t matter what it was. If it had a blade, it was here. And to her astonishment, several of these weapons had no blades at all. There was even a large shield inscribed with letters that were almost making her go cross-eyed.

Gilgamesh’s amusement had evaporated like water in a desert. “What is this?” He hissed out, seeing tens of thousands of copies of his treasures in this land.

“A Reality Marble…” Kirei sounded amazed. He did not get to elaborate that his amazement was due to Shirō’s young age and the sheer completeness of the world around them.

“I know what this is, fool! And this boil infecting my garden must be lanced.” Gilgamesh ground out, before a hundred portals appeared behind him. And then a hundred Noble Phantasms clashed against his portals, dispersing them. “What?!”

“Don’t be so surprised, oh King of Kings.” Shirō chuckled, “You need time to bring out your toys. All my blades are already here, ready to respond.”

“You worthless cur.” Gilgamesh ground his teeth.

“Now there’s no need to be rude. You chose this path, after all.” Shirō shrugged, “You’re a collector. You don’t care at all about any of the weapons you hold. You didn’t make them famous, after all. Others did.”

“Damn you!” A thousand portals appeared, and a thousand portals were shattered.

Shirō smiled, “Have fun, Rin.” He said, and then both her and Kirei were gone, moved by his will to another part of his Reality Marble. And then he focused on Gilgamesh. Once upon a time, he had fought this servant with this same technique. He’d won only because of the King of Uruk’s arrogance, and reluctance to use his greatest weapon on one he’d deemed an inferior. But Shirō was that man no longer. He was the modern magus who overcame his Counter Guardian self’s armory. The modern magus who had defeated a berserk Heracles with his own sword and techniques. And he was the modern man who had made it to Avalon despite the impossibility of his task. He wasn’t going to defeat Gilgamesh. He was going to grind his pride into dust.

“Bastard, did you believe that I would have to target your woman to defeat you?!” Gilgamesh growled out. “There is a limit to how arrogant one can be, mongrel!”

“You should take your own advice, King of Uruk.” Shirō said blandly. He held out his hand, and behind him, Excalibur Galatine flashed before appearing in his hand, “Excalibur Galatine!” He roared as he tossed the blade into the air. The sun burst into being above him, and then the flaming sword fell into his hand before he swiped it. Fire rushed towards Gilgamesh, who quickly summoned Vimana and got the hell out of the way.

“To make me resort to this against a mongrel like you!” Gilgamesh cursed as he stopped restraining Sha Naqba Imuru for a bare second as he gazed at Shirō. “What?!” He gasped as he saw just how many Magical Circuits Shirō possessed.

And those circuits were flaring brightly as he held a weapon in his hand that even Gilgamesh had never been able to collect. “Brahmastra Kundala!” He threw Vasavi Shakti like a red missile at Gilgamesh. The land beneath him burned and cracked as the weapon flew true and even faster than Gilgamesh could fire his own weapons. The sheer power of it annihilated Vimana beneath his feet, sending it spiraling and forcing Gilgamesh to bail.

“HOW?!” Gilgamesh spat out, “How do you have that spear?!”

Shirō ignored the Golden King, “Does it make you proud, oh King of Kings?” Shirō walked forward calmly even as the world beneath them repaired itself instantly. It was impossible to break this world with its connection to Avalon. Not without Ea. “Does it make you proud to treat the weapons others made famous like trash? How many of these priceless treasures have you even held in your hand before tossing them into your inventory like so much garbage? How many of them have even had their names called out?!” He grabbed Gáe Bolg and charged at the man.

“Damn yooouuuu!” Gilgamesh roared as hundreds of portals started to appear, “Damn you, damn you!” He fired Noble Phantasm after Noble Phantasm at Shirō, and yet nothing even managed to touch the ground. For every weapon Gilgamesh fired, Shirō fired two.

And Gilgamesh hadn’t noticed yet but the weapons that he had fired were now embedded in the world, and weren’t returning to his treasury.

…

“Well, I suppose we should let the boys have their fun, shouldn’t we Rin.” Kirei smirked as he summoned his black keys. “It isn’t too late to turn back, you know? I would hate to have to bury you beside your mother and father. After all, I taught you everything you know, but not everything I know.”

“Oh, is that right?” Rin asked before raising her hand. She smirked as his eyes widened at the pentagram of jewels that appeared before her. “You couldn’t kill my father without stabbing him in the back when he least expected it. What makes you think you can kill me? Die Instrumente wurden gestimmt. Grüne Nummer sieben. Der Wind dringt ein und breitet sich aus!”

The jewels were all consumed in explosions of wind that rapidly spiraled, and then launched forwards. The tornado of cutting wind carved up the world beneath their feet as Kirei dodged at his fastest speed. He threw his Black Keys at her, and she reached behind her back and drew her Jeweled Sword. “Eins, zwei, RandVerschwinden!” A powerful burst of light erupted from the blade, shattering the Black Keys and aborting Kirei’s charge into a desperate dodge to the right.

“I never taught you this!” Kirei said, sounding surprised as he looked at the devastation her two attacks had caused, even as the world repaired itself.

“I didn’t come here to talk.” Rin said, walking forward calmly.

Kirei chuckled, “Oh, but there is so much amusing information I could give you!” He laughed, “Shall I describe what the Matou did to your sister? Your uncle Kariya had so many interesting things to say!”

“Was that before or after he strangled my mother?” Rin asked, and smirked when his face fell at her total non-reaction. “You’re off your game today, Kirei! What will you poke at next? That my father likely would have approved of Zouken’s experiments if they had been done to make Sakura strong? That he wouldn’t have cared about her getting raped by worms and her own brother, eventually? That he died for something that doesn’t even exist because Aŋra Mainiiu has cursed the Grail? Come on, say something witty.”

Kirei’s response was to move so fast that the Rin of a month ago would have been killed instantly. The Rin of today reinforced her arm and blocked his punch. With her leg gleaming red, she kicked at him, just barely missing as he practically flew away from her, throwing Black Keys all the while.

She Projected an equal number of gems, launching them at Kirei’s weapons and annihilating them in brilliant, multicolored explosions. “What’s wrong, I thought you wanted to talk? Try to throw me off my game! Make me angry! Make me stupid!”

Kirei’s smile was long gone as Rin taunted him. He had thought this would have been one of the most enjoyable moments of his entire life. Rin was ruining this for him. And that was pissing him off.

Kirei dashed at her, utilizing his full speed. In a crowded forest, he had clocked in at fifty kph. Here, where there were no real obstructions besides the blades that littered this Reality Marble, he could make a cheetah tell him to slow the hell down. And that was without taking reinforcement into consideration. He came at Rin from behind, and almost felt a little bit of pride as she still proved able to track him. And then there was pain.

He grunted as the flash of brilliant light cleared, revealing Kirei’s left arm had been completely annihilated. Black, cursed blood poured from the wound as he fell and rolled in the grass, knocking over several Noble Phantasms, all of which left their marks on his body.

He tried to get up, but Rin had another trick for him. A swirling set of five gems appeared above him, before crashing down and exploding with wind and fire, causing a tornado that seared Kirei’s body down to the bone. When it was over, he was a mess, laying spread eagle and missing one arm and a leg. But rather than howling in agony like any normal person would, he laughed. “Well done, Rin.” He rasped out.

“Don’t praise me.” Rin said flatly as she grabbed his fallen arm and cut off the sleeves. She smirked as she saw the Command Spells from the previous wars all over it. “Thank you for the contribution to our success.”

He smirked even as he bled out, “You won’t be able to take those without the proper spells.”

“We’ll see about that.” Rin replied airily, “They’re only contingencies, after all. And now I suppose it’s time to say goodbye.”

“Aren’t you even going to ask why I ki-” Kirei said, before the brilliant light from the Jeweled Sword completely annihilated him.

“I don’t care.” Rin said slowly as she sheathed Shirō’s gift. “I just care that you did.” She said quietly, before she sat and focused her gaze far in the distance.

…

“Gáe Bolg!” Shirō roared, thrusting the eponymous spear forward.

A massive, hulking shield popped out of the Gate of Babylon: the Shield of the Gods. “To think I’d have to bring even THIS out!” Gilgamesh cursed the faker before him. But he needed a good defense for this one. Without it, his heart would already be pierced by the curse of the spear. But the Shield of the Gods was more than enough to overcome the magical energy behind the attack.

Shirō backflipped away from it as the portals above him resumed firing, letting go of the spear and returning it to Unlimited Blade Works. “Well, that’s going to be a tough nut to crack.” He chuckled, “Guess I’ll have to kick things up a notch.” His body lit green as more of his circuits activated and more magical power burst from him.

The ground beneath him cracked, and a monster of a blade began to rise. Behind his shield, Gilgamesh stared in complete and utter disbelief as Ig-Alima rose from beneath the earth of Unlimited Blade Works. It was a gargantuan weapon, and in the distance, Rin’s jaw was fully dropped. “Th-This isn’t possible!” The Golden King stammered.

But it was. He got the hell out of the way with a summoned chariot, and Ig-Alima fell upon the Shield of the Gods and rent it asunder.

“How do you have that blade?!” Gilgamesh demanded as he raced around Shirō, knocking other copies of Noble Phantasms around and firing his own legitimate copies at Shirō, “You’ve been copying all of my treasures, but that one was the real deal!”

Shirō chuckled, “You haven’t noticed yet, have you?”

And that was when Gilgamesh looked around and truly saw. Several Noble Phantasms littering Unlimited Blade Works were no mere copies. They were his treasures. He could even see the genuine articles sitting next to their copied and degraded imitations in some cases. His treasures were being stolen. Which meant that this mongrel somehow possessed the genuine article that he had just used against him! But that couldn’t possibly be true! He could still feel Ig-Alima sitting inside his treasury!

Shirō saw the moment realization and sheer hatred ripped through Gilgamesh, “All the Treasures of this world may belong to you.” Shirō smirked at the King who had so tormented him and his friends through so many lives. “But all the weapons of this world belong to me.”

Gilgamesh had truly underestimated this mongrel. He wasn’t just a mongrel. He was the mongrel OF mongrels! Gilgamesh was being robbed and he hadn’t even noticed! And clearly, this wasn’t the first time. Gilgamesh cursed as he came to the only real conclusion that he could. ‘That damnable Second Magician!’ He howled inside his own head as he jumped back off his chariot. One of Shirō’s Noble Phantasms had taken out the axle, forcing him to bail. As he landed, he roared, “ENOUGH!” A sword that looked not unlike Excalibur itself popped out of a single portal and into his hand.

Shirō smiled, “Finally taking me seriously, oh King of Kings?” He held out his right arm and Lord Camelot flew into his hand.

“Mero-” Gilgamesh raised it over his head with both hands, its light almost like a second sun before Shirō.

“LORD-” Shirō responded, raising it over his head.

“-DACH!” Gilgamesh swung Merodach (the prototype for ALL Swords of Selection such as Caliburn) at Shirō. The energy burned and shattered the land in front of it, turning all into rubble.

“CAMELOT!” Shirō declared, slamming the tip of the shield into the dirt. The shield lit up blue with Fae writing lighting up before it. And then the walls of Camelot itself rose, solidifying into an unbreakable shield powered by Shirō’s will. As long as he held this shield, he wouldn’t let even one of the glittering white walls suffer so much as a smudge.

The light of Merodach smashed into the shield and walls of Lord Camelot, The light shone so brightly as they clashed that Rin was forced to look away entirely and shield her face even as far away as she was. When the light ended, the grass beneath their feet had been scorched raw and thousands of Noble Phantasms had been blown away.

A massive crater sat before the glimmering walls of Camelot, and as Merodach fell from Gilgamesh’s limp fingers and failed to return to his treasury, Shirō smiled. ‘As promised, my King. Not a smudge.’

Lord Camelot fell away, and Shirō planted it next to him as the burned and destroyed landscape filled with grass and flowers once more, the earth heaving as it healed itself of the damage. “Very well.” Gilgamesh clenched his fists and trembled in rage. “As your reward for pushing me this far, I will grant you this Honor. Rejoice, King of Blades, for few have ever laid eyes on this! See it and lament as I DESTROY THIS CURSED WORLD OF YOURS!” Red magical power began to swirl around him as Ea, the Sword of Rupture, erupted from one final golden portal. He grabbed it and pulled it from the portal entirely, before raising it. It was unlike any blade of this world, having predated the concept. It was the one weapon in existence that Shirō could lay eyes on and feel static in his head.

And it was now flying towards him, as a chain link from Gilgamesh’s most precious treasure pierced his arm from behind. Gilgamesh’s eyes widened as he turned to his right, watching in disbelief as his arm flew from his body in a shower of blood. A second chain link of Enkidu smacked Ea lightly, making Gilgamesh’s amputated arm let go of it. More chain links wrapped around Gilgamesh’s other arm, legs, and torso, robbing him of his strength because of his own Divinity.

He could do nothing but watch as Ea landed in Shirō’s hand. The magical power of the ancient relic invaded his arm, red lines racing up his fingers, hand, and arm, making Shirō hunch over as the weapon fought against Unlimited Blade Works. Blades pierced out of Shirō’s arm, forcing him to howl in agony. Oh, he had not missed this feeling. Avalon began to shine behind him, healing him as the blades sunk back into his flesh. The green of his own Circuits overcame the red as his perfected Unlimited Blade Works overrode the ownership of the Sword of Rupture. He hissed, ‘…Maybe I should have just taken the fucking hint when I couldn’t read it and its history.’ But knowledge and truth were flowing into his mind from the weapon.

“You… what have you done?” Gilgamesh’s tone was dead as Unlimited Blade Works fell away from them. Now, he finally understood what this farce of a battle had been about. Shirō could have ended him at any time. His one and only purpose had been to force the reveal of Ea. Gilgamesh didn't know it because he kept Sha Naqba Imuru restrained, but the moment he had allowed Shirou to activate Unlimited Blade Works, he had lost. Inside this Reality Marble, the concept of Victory did not exist for the King of Kings.

Shirō looked at him dispassionately as Rin stood off to the side, “Your time on this earth ended long ago, King of Uruk.” Shirō raised Ea, and the red-and-black cylindrical sections began to spin in opposite directions from one another. “You’ve lost faith in humanity despite having closed the curtain on the Age of the Gods yourself. Your desire to ruin this earth as Aŋra Mainiiu’s dog is nothing more than blind conceit. Humanity has survived everything thrown at them and you aren’t going to be the one to change that. I will let you be remembered for the great King you once were, and not this arrogant savage that stands before me.” Shirō declared as red light started to form a ball on the tip of the ‘sword.’  

Off to the side, Rin instinctively covered her ears as the Chains of Enkidu raised Gilgamesh into the air, his body arrayed in a familiar fashion to any Christian. “Now for all the pain you caused my family, here in this worldline and all the worldlines I witnessed, I will issue this final blow.” He swung the ‘sword’ and declared, “Enuma Elish!”  A gigantic red blast of energy raced forward, and it was like the world’s soundboard had just been cranked to the maximum with pure bass. The attack struck its target, disintegrating Gilgamesh, and everything behind him before racing into the sky where it couldn’t do any harm.

As Shirō lowered the weapon, Rin carefully walked towards him. She watched as it vanished, “…The Clocktower would utterly annihilate itself to get a piece of you.” Amusingly enough, it was the first thought to pop into her mind. Shirō might not have reached Akasha, but he had just killed one of the strongest Heroic Spirits in existence on his own. Her boyfriend was scary.

Shirō smiled at her, all traces of stress gone from his face. “Only my loved ones can get a piece of me.” He held out his hand, “Let’s go home, Rin.”

Rin took his hand as they walked from the half-destroyed church. She thought that she, Shirō, and Sakura had more than earned the upcoming five months of peace and quiet.

-]|[-

Hope you enjoyed this one guys! Here I am, going balls to the wall overpowered again. LOL

And as per any fate content I write, if something contradicts canon, assume I don't care. Nasu barely does and retcons shit all the time, so I don't see why I should. I have helpers knowledgeable regarding Fate and I'm familiar with it myself, but I'm not gonna kill myself trying to be perfect.

This will be the last of the fate content for a while. The Mid-month update will be a new Quantity of Quirks! Hope you're ready for Two For All and Melissa getting piped.