Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and my OC. Everyhig else belongs to Type-Moon and Nasu Kinoko. This is just for entertainment purposes. So, don't sue me.

Prologue: The Meeting

Tohsaka Rin ran as fast as her short legs could carry her down the night streets of Fuyuki City. She knew she had to get away, away front the place she had called home for the past six years. But not now. Not after she chose to live, and survive in this harsh world on her own, without any guardians to look after her.

She wiped the tears from her eyes. The sapphire orbs were red and puffy after crying for so long. The young Magus was amazed that she still had tears in her to shed. She had thought that she had shed enough tears for those people.

A man whom she had admired. A man who had taught her so much. A man whom she wanted to make him proud of her achievements. A man she hoped that one day she could top.

A woman whom she loved. A woman whom had taken care of her for so long with loving gentle hands. A woman who had always smiled at her lovingly as encouragement when she wanted to give up.

And, a young girl, a year younger than her. A girl she had always loved and cared. A girl whom she had always looked it for. A girl whom she had hoped would achieve her best, even if she wasn't destined to be the heiress of the family.

But it was all lies. There was no father for her to admire anymore. There was no mother for her to turn to when she's sad and needed a loving embrace. Moreover, there was no more little sister to look out for.

Her entire life had been nothing but a farce. Even as an Average One, she couldn't come out on top. Her sister, someone without any elements, was chosen to be the heiress of the Tohsaka family. To Rin, it wasn't fair. She was the eldest, she was the one who was supposed to be the heiress.

Rin tripped over a stone, and fell. She didn't pick herself up immediately. Instead, she just sat up, and began to sob again. Her tiny frame shook, from both the crying and the cold winter night.

She didn't even manage to grab a coat before leaving the house. all she had on were a white blouse, maroon short skirt, thigh high socks and black shoes. The only clothing which provided warmth was a thin black jacket, but it wasn't enough. Now, her small hands were red, and they hurt. She exhaled onto her palms, and rubbed them, hoping to gain some warmth. But it felt like a drop of water in the desert. She still felt cold.

Pulling her thin jacket tightly around her, she stood up and began walking down the streets once more. Her hands were buried inside the pockets of her jacket, trying to ward off the cold.

"It's a bad idea to leave in the middle of a winter night," she murmured to herself. Sapphire eyes watched the thin trail of vapour forming, and directed her gaze to the moonless sky. "And an even worse idea was to leave without some money something warm. A gem or two wouldn't hurt too."

Rin spotted a police headlight in the distance, and immediately ducked into a dark alley. She had no intentions of being caught now, not after her mind had been made up. She knew she had to go, or else she would suffer a fate worse that death in the Matou family. Unlike her parents, she knew what the Matou magecraft was about. Her Kariya-oijisan had told her bits and pieces about the magecraft he turned his back to all those years ago. Those information were enough to scar a normal child for life. But she wasn't that weak.

She inched deeper into alley, pinching her nose when she smelled something foul. Rin had to get to her ojisan's place. He was the only one she could trust now. The only person in the world she could rely on now. But the brown haired man might not even be in Fuyuki at the moment. Business trips occupied his schedule most of the time, and he preferred it that way. He didn't want to spend too much time in the city where his immoral family lived.

She turned towards the outskirts of the city when she exited the alley, and found the sky darker than enough. Even though she was a Magus, she was still a mere six year old, wandering in the city at night, alone.

Shivering against the cold, she summoned up her courage to continue her journey. "Why is ojisan's place so far?" the auburn haired girl complained.

Staring at the ground, she kept muttering things to herself as she made way down the empty streets. Occasionally a car would pass by, but the drivers and passengers ignored the girl trudging the streets.

Rin bumped into someone, and fell onto her back. Wincing I'm pain from an injured elbow, she looked up at the man she had collided with. He was a man in his late fifties, with white hair and beard. His eyes were blood red, and they reminded her of vampires. She whimpered, but other than that, she didn't try to make a run for it. He was dressed in a weird fashion. Dark coat, fashioned in mediaeval style, along with black pants and boots. A black mantle hung around his shoulders, and in his hand was a cane, with a ruby on top.

"Child, what are you doing on the streets alone at night?" he queried. His accent was thick, but she couldn't place the accent.

"I... I ran away from home..." she admitted, suddenly finding her shoes more interesting instead of the stronger.

A white eyebrow was arched in confusion. "Ran away? Aren't you the daughter of Tokiomi?"

Rin's head shot up at he mention of her father. Sapphire orbs widened in surprise. "You know my father?"

He chuckled, and red eyes twinkling. "Of course. In fact, I tutored your ancestor, Nagato."

"You are Lord Zelretch..." she whispered in awe, and didn't even notice things when the old man pulled her to her feet and wrapped his mantle around her. "But...what are you doing here?" she asked when she finally found her voice.

He crouched down to her level. "I travel from worlds to worlds, looking for thins that would intrigue me. But lately, things have been quite dull, especially when my apprentice decided to take off on her own without any notice."

"You have an apprentice?" Rin asked. A part of her way still tying to process the fact that she was speaking with Zelretch, the only and only Zelretch. And surprisingly, he wasn't as scary as what she had heard. Silently, she decided that adults were all liars. Not Kariya-ojisan. She mentally added.

Zelretch ruffled the girl's hair. "Of course I do. By I only take in those who are exceptionally talented. Young, promising students who have a bright future. Someone...like you."

"Me?" Rin echoed. "Are you gonna take me in as an apprentice?"

"I don't see the reason why I can't," he answered.

Tohsaka Aoi wiped away her tears as she climbed the stairs to the first floor. She knew, as a mother ,she had to put up a brave face, especially when she had to break the news to her elder daughter. She was hoping the girl would be asleep, seeing how late it was.

She stopped in front of Rin's door, and studied the carvings on the oak door. She breathed in deeply, and raised her hand to knock. There was no response. Aoi was relieved, but she opened the door nonetheless. She wanted to kiss her daughter goodnight, as she did every night.

But she found herself in an empty room. The girl wasn't in the room. Her bed had not even been slept in. Her night clothes wee thrown on the floor, her wardrobe open. Aoi's heart clenched at the sight.

"Rin?" she called, hoping for some response. Again, there were none.

She left the room, and went to the room of her second child, hoping to find Rin there. But only Sakura was in the room. She left the room, and felt the tears coming.

"Rin, where are you?"

She knew she couldn't ask her husband yo help her find the missing child. He had said that Rin was going to be given to the Matou the day after tomorrow, thus he no longer viewed the little girl as his daughter anymore. For all that he cared, Rin was just a package waiting for the time to be collected.

Aoi descended the stairs, and grabbed the house phone, dialling a number she knew by heart. Her childhood friend, Kariya, would help her. Her daughter might even be heading to his place right now. She tried to calm her heart down while waiting for Kariya to pick up the phone. Finally the call was through.

"Kariya speaking..." he mumbled, red still closed. He was not happy to be interrupted in the middle of the night, especially when he needed the rest.

"Oh, thank god!" Aoi exclaimed when she herd his voice. "Kariya-kun, Rin is missing..."

Those few words were enough to wake the man up completely. For once, he was glad that Aoi had called his mobile phone, instead of his house phone. He pulled on a jacket, then put on another thick coat. "Missing?" he asked, pulling on his boots. No matter what Aoi was going to say, he was going to look for the little girl.

"I... I don't know what happened. I thought, maybe...maybe she might be going to your place..." she told her best friend.

Kariya didn't need to see her fave to know that she was worried sick. "I'll go out and find her, don't worry." he tried to comfort his friend, but he knew she would stay like that as long as Rin went found.

He locked the door behind him and began to walk down the streets, looking for the little girl he loved dearly as his own daughter. Aoi remained on the line, crying, begging for Kariya to find her daughter. He tried his best to console the woman, but his attempts were futile.

Then, he spotted Rin. She was speaking with a man he never wanted to meet, one of the Twenty-Seven True Ancestors. He cursed, and Aoi reprimanded him for his language.

"Aoi-san, I found her..."

Yes, yes, I know, the chapter seems short. But this is the prologue. Longer chapters will be coming up soon, but I can't promise regular updates. I can only promise that the story will be updated. So please, drop me a review? It's very much appreciated.