Fate's End

Illyasviel von Einzbern was as happy as she could be. She had a new family, something she was actually willing to fight for. She had a new home, and didn't have to worry about spending nights alone in her large mansion. Her maids were not exactly the best company, which was a shame. She would always miss her parents, despite everything that had happened, but she knew that wherever they were they would be proud of her and Shirou.

Even though she only had a few years left to live at the most, she was still happy.

The winter months were approaching once more, and she wanted to be sure that the person who saved her short life was ready.

She sat with her legs crossed under the kotatsu, her project sitting before her as the news anchor talked about boring things on the TV.

The front door opened and a grocery bag was set down. "Hey there kiddo," said Taiga, shutting the door behind her. "Whatcha got there?"

"Just a winter cap. I'm having trouble figuring out how to knit."

Taiga laughed. "Maybe I can help you out with that."

Illya raised an eyebrow as Taiga sat down across from her. Taiga, knitting? Illya bit her bottom lip, refraining from a sarcastic remark. She knew if she said something now Taiga would smack her right upside the head. Better to not anger such a violent person.

"I guess it couldn't hurt to have some help," muttered Illya.

Taiga's face lit up, "Alright! That's the spirit!"

Taiga started to prattle on and on about different knitting techniques and tricks. Illya could hardly understand what she was talking about. She found herself staring out the window and noticed it was snowing. The slow fall sticking to the ground mesmerized her. It reminded her of Kiritsugu and Berserker. She must have had a melancholy look on her face, because Taiga had fallen silent.

"Hey, you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah. Just... thinking about the past."

Taiga sighed and leaned forward, resting her hands on the table. "Shirou is a lot like him, ya know."

Illya looked up at her.

"I know he wasn't exactly the best person at first, but... he tried."

Illya felt her eyes swell up a bit, but held back from crying. It had been a long time, and she had shed enough tears. Shirou had given her another chance, and it would be a shame if she wasted the precious time she had left crying over things that happened in the past.

"Hey, Illya. If you ever want to talk about anything, we're all here for you."

"Thank you." Illya nodded softly.

Yes, she was thankful.

Chapter 1: A Normal Life

It had been six months since the final grail war. Saber's connection to Shirou was solidified thanks to his training as a magus, and things were finally at a restful pace.

If one could call constant training, schoolwork, housework, and little to no sleep restful. Shirou supposed it was better than constantly being on the run from one servant or another. Today was a Sunday, which meant no school, luckily. He also had not fallen asleep in the shed, which was a good start to the morning. That particular occurrence had been happening a lot less ever since Rin started to teach him personally.

'No offense Dad, but Rin is a much better teacher than you,' he thought as he sat up from his futon.

"Oh, Senpai. Good morning." Sakura had just entered his room with a trey in her hands, shutting the door quietly behind her. "Where's Saber?"

Shirou looked around himself, then let out a yawn, "Must have gotten up before me."

Sakura smiled, "Well, today is your day off, so she probably went to the dojo by herself." She stepped forward.

"Breakfast in bed huh? What's the occasion?"

Sakura's cheeks went red, "Erm... you work so hard, and I uh..."

"Thanks."

"Have you um... given thought to whether or not you want to go to college?" she asked timidly, setting the tray down by him and stepping back.

"I was thinking about going to Clock Tower."

Sakura nodded, "Ah, I suppose that would..." she paused, then her eyes widened when she fully processed what he had said. "Cl... Clock Tower?"

"Yeah. It's like the headquarters and school for mages, isn't it? I bet they have all sorts of interesting stuff there."

"That means you'd be going to London." Sakura brought a hand to her chest and looked down.

"Just for a couple years at the most. Rin offered. Saber and Illya are coming with us if I decide to do it. I want to find a way to extend Illya's life while I'm learning."

Sakura shuddered, "Hopefully not one that involves insects or worms."

Shirou almost gagged. "Ugh, you make me food and then bring that up?"

"S... sorry." Sakura sighed and sat down next to him. "Maybe I could come too. I'm a mage so I would qualify. I imagine Sensei would be lonely with everyone gone, though."

"It's up to you. I'm still deciding whether or not I should graduate before we go. If I end up being a professional magus Rin says High School wouldn't even matter. You sure you'd want to just drop out like that?"

She nodded, "I'm pretty sure it would be for the best. I'll make sure to think about it, though. With you and Rin there... I'm sure magic would stop being so frightening." Images of a black tendril dress and worms assailed her thoughts. She shook them off before continuing. "I'm thinking that learning some normal magic might help me cope."

"Cope?"

She nodded. "Up until now it's all been terrible. Everything with the Matous using magic to try and change me. The Holy Grail's corruption, and when I did those awful things. My experience with magic hasn't been healthy. You and Rin used it to save me, though. So if I give it a try on my own terms, I'm sure I'd see the better side of it."

"You don't have to push yourself."

"I know. I'll give it some thought. You should eat that before it gets cold." She stood and dusted her skirt off. "I still have some cleaning up to do before I can relax for the day. Enjoy your breakfast."

"Thanks, I will."

Rin sat at the desk in her room, shuffling through her mail. Ordering forms for more jewels, letters from Clock Tower she would rather ignore. She stopped when one caught her eye. It was not a normal envelope like the others. It had a flowery design on the edges, and was sealed with wax. Rin took a look at the seal. A small Mockingbird. After seeing the gaudy design and seal Rin didn't even have to look at the return address to know who had sent her this. "What could that dumbass want that would be worth sending me a letter?"

Only one way to find out.

She pulled the seal open and tore the letter from the confines of the envelope.

'Dear Worthless Commoner,

I tried to convince Renaldo that you weren't worth the family seal, but you know how he gets.'

Rin's eyebrow twitched. Was that any way to start a letter? "I'm gonna kill this bitch." She growled to herself.

'I just figured you should know that the books you requested on biology, life magic, and homonculi are on the way. Consider the speedy request process a repayment for your actions a few months ago. Let it never be said that Luviagelita Edelfelt does not repay her debts, even to distasteful persons. Oh, and tell your boyfriend I said hi. We hardly got to talk the last time I was there, and he was rather dashing, if I do say so myself.'

The letter was signed with her disgustingly fancy signature, and another copy of her family symbol, this time in ink.

Rin crumpled it in her hands, gritting her teeth, trying not to scream curses at the walls of her room. It proved quite a feat.

After a few minutes of deep breaths her rage had subsided and she rolled her eyes, leaning back in her chair. 'I'm glad we don't have to wait for those books, but what's Luvia's game here?' she thought, bringing a hand to her chin. 'Why would she pull strings to help me? It's not like I saved her life or anything, I just let her use my notes. Is that really worth going through all that red tape?'

A knock sounded on her door, interrupting her thoughts. "It's open."

The door slid to the side, revealing her sister, "Good morning Nee-san."

"Ah, Sakura, just who I was hoping to see. I have to tell you something."

"Is it about Clock Tower?"

Rin raised an eyebrow, "Yeah... how did you know?"

Sakura smiled, "Shirou told me."

"Oh you've gotta be..." she bit her bottom lip, "That big blabbermouth!"

"I was actually thinking of coming with you."

Rin paused, then she stood from her chair and smiled so brightly that Sakura thought she was a different person for a moment. "That would be great!" She stepped forward and grabbed Sakura's hands. "There's so much you'll like about Clock Tower. The higher ups can be prudish and pretty dumb sometimes, but the knowledge you have access to, and the architecture is GORGEOUS!"

"I... I'm glad you're excited."

Rin wrapped her arms tightly around Sakura, "I was hoping we would all go."

Sakura returned the hug and smiled, "I'm honestly worried about Taiga-sensei though."

"Urk." Rin stepped back from the hug, "Come to think of it, without you and Shirou here cleaning up after her mess..."

"Please don't make me imagine it," mumbled Sakura.

Shirou stepped into the dojo. As he slid the door shut behind him he saw Saber with a wooden sword, doing some normal practice. Or at least as normal as practice could be for the king of Britain. He stepped to the side and sat against the wall, watching her movements. Her hair was loose, a habit that formed after Shirou off handedly said that she looked good with her hair down.

'Even her armor is white now, and it looks more like a dress,' he thought.

It seemed Saber was starting to get more comfortable with her feminine qualities. A far cry from the girl who was embarrassed to admit she was a girl. Shirou guessed that came with the territory of being raised to be king instead of queen. A queen in Britain held a lot of political clout back then, but it would be strange for her to march into battle and it would probably effect morale.

That would explain why she decided to be a king instead.

"Hello Shirou," she said, turning and giving him a warm smile. "You should be resting, it's your day off."

Shirou nodded, "I am. I came here to watch you."

Saber's face went red. She was used to training with Shirou, but having him just sit there and watch her...

She walked over to him, shoving her embarrassment aside as she hung up the wooden sword and sat next to him. "It's a beautiful day," she said softly, "Illya said she wanted to make a snowman, perhaps we should assist her."

"That sounds fun."

"Have you decided?" she asked.

"On what?"

"Whether or not you'll be going to Clock Tower."

"The answer to that is probably yes. Rin is a great teacher, but we can only do so much without having access to the knowledge of other magi. Not to mention..." Shirou gazed out the window at the snow slowly falling.

"Illya?"

Shirou nodded. "Yeah... Rin said she ordered some material that could help us, but who knows how long that'll take? If we have access to that pool of knowledge, and maybe even make a friend or two that could help us, it wouldn't be so out of reach."

"Figuring out she was a vessel for the grail must have hit you pretty hard."

"You saw what it did to Sakura. Illya kept talking about being a homunculus like it's no big deal, but I can tell that it makes her sad."

"Well," said Saber, leaning onto Shirou's shoulder and smiling, "She is your sister, even if it's only by adoption. It makes sense that you'd want to give her a full life."

They stayed like that for a while, silently appreciating each other's company.

After about ten minutes the door slid open once more. "Ahem!"

They both looked up to see Rin with a smug smile on her face, "Am I interrupting?" she asked coyly.

Saber pouted, moving away from Shirou and leaning back against the wall.

"What's up?" asked Shirou.

"Oh no, don't mind me," said Rin, covering her mouth with her hand, "Please do continue. I want to see where this goes. Maybe I can join in."

"Rin!" shouted Saber.

"Okay okay. No need to get mad. Those books I ordered that might help us with Illya are on the way here. Should be here in a day or two."

"Wait," said Shirou, "I thought you said it would take a month at best."

Rin nodded, "I did, but having friends in high places helps, even if those friends are annoying." She gritted her teeth and looked to the side. Luvia was technically her friend, she supposed. They had helped each other on more than one occasion. 'If only she could do something about her attitude... and those gross tube curls,' she thought.

"This is great!" shouted Shirou, sitting up with a big smile.

"Don't celebrate just yet. I don't know anything about Homonculi. Once we have the materials we need we should also check Illya's old place. Who knows what kind of knowledge we'll find there? Creation of a grail, maybe even how to sustain it. It could help greatly."

Once again, the door slid open, this time to reveal Illya. "You won't find much," she said.

Rin turned to her, her eyes widening, "Illya, we were just... uh..."

Illya smiled, "Talking about how to extend my life. I know." She was holding something behind her back. "I thought about it a lot too, but my specialty isn't biology, it's the mind. I also didn't have anyone to help me before aside from Sella and Leysritt. They're homunculi as well, but since I didn't know much about the process, who knows how long they'll last?"

"It's okay," said Shirou, "We'll find a way to help all of you."

Illya grinned, "Careful Onii-chan. That never give up attitude is what makes girls flock to you. Having more competition would be a shame."

Rin's brow twitched, 'This little...'

Saber edged closer to Shirou again, wrapping an arm around him and glaring at Illya.

Illya simply giggled and skipped towards them, pulling whatever was behind her back out to show them. It was a knitted winter cap. "Here," she said softly, handing it to Shirou, "This will keep your ears warm."

"Thanks. Did you make it yourself?"

"Uh huh!"

'Am I hearing things, or did Saber just growl?' thought Shirou.

Night had fallen over the city a few hours prior, and Shiki found himself waiting in front of some random seedy bar at the request of a strange letter that arrived at the mansion with no return address. He hadn't come alone, of course. To do so after everything that happened would be foolish, to say the least.

"So... what exactly are we doing here?" asked his would-be bodyguard/vampire.

"Interesting question, Arc."

"So not even you know." She pouted and shoved her hands into her pockets, leaning against the wall. "Well you can't go into the bar."

"I know that!"

Arcuied grinned, "Ooof, a bit touchy about that, are we?"

"Could you just keep an eye out?"

"Hey, how come you get to mess with me all the time, but every time I try to return the favor you go all stone cold? Not fair at all!"

Before Shiki could reply a man entered their vision across the street. He began crossing and walking towards them.

Arc went quiet, "Careful," she whispered. "I didn't sense his presence until we saw him."

As he approached, neither Arc nor Shiki could get a close look at his face. It appeared to be hidden in the darkness itself, but they could tell he was not wearing a hat or hood. His body was covered with a large trench coat. "Shiki Tohno." The voice was booming and deep. It felt like it made Shiki's entire being vibrate with its tone.

Shiki's hand grasped the knife in his pocket, and he could see Arc spreading out into a stance through his peripherals. "That's me. What do you want?"

"Odd. A killer of supernatural beings relying on one of them."

Shiki's eyes narrowed, "You seem to know an awful lot about me. How come I don't know anything about you?"

"You will, but not now." The man reached into his pocket and produced something. Three tickets. "Use these to travel to Fuyuki City. I will meet you there."

"Who's the third ticket for?" asked Arc.

"The oni."

Shiki raised an eyebrow, "Oni?"

"Your sister," replied the man. Suddenly, the man's head snapped to look behind him, "I should go," he said after a moment. "I suggest you both do the same. Do not leave the oni behind. You will need her."

Then, just as quickly as he had appeared, he was gone.

"Arc, did you see which way he went?"

She shook her head, "No. Then again I'm still not at full capacity over here. Maybe another month or two and I'll be back to the way I was. He must have a lot of power to be able to mask his presence like that though, even if I'm still weakened."

Shiki looked around, then shrugged with a sigh. "We should get going. Whoever that was they looked jumpy about something, and I don't wanna stick around."

"Kay."

"We need to tell Akiha about this."

"Ugh. You do the talking. I'll just be here if you need me."

-Clock Tower-

Gregori leaned back in his oak chair, taking a deep breath. His room was lined with full book shelves, and barely lit from the candle on his desk. A lot of the places in Clock tower were gloomy like this, but his room was at the top of the list. He had locked his door so no one would disturb him until the next hearing.

Lillian had meddled into his affairs for far too long.

Even if he were to be removed from his position he would make sure she paid dearly.

"Master."

Gregori looked up, "Ah. Yvette. I did not hear you enter. You are making considerable progress."

The woman, Yvette, was barely lit by the candle light. Her face was thin and pale. Her hair long and red.

"Is it ready?" she asked.

"Not quite. Though the test run we did a few months ago seemed to shake things up a bit. Tell the council I will be ready for the next hearing on the morrow."

"I see."

Gregori grinned, "I'm sure Lillian and Tohsaka will appreciate your gift."

Yvette let out a soft giggle, "Yes, I'm sure they will."