The Truth Comes Out (Post-HF True)

Disclaimer: Fate/stay night is owned by Nasu Kinoko and TYPE-MOON. I take no credit for those works.

Note: This story is Post-HF True, about 8 years later. I just had to get this out of my system.

Prologue

It was a beautiful spring day in the Emiya household. The birds sang and all was right with the world. Emiya Sakura sat on the bed in her and Shirou's room, concentrating on the task in front of her. She gathered the energies of her body, and as she focused them, whispering her words of power, a dark haze formed in front of her. It coalesced into a humanoid form, and became somewhat female. Creating her familiar was going to be arduous work, so she stuck with a form she would be more comfortable with, because making a male familiar would be a bit embarrassing...

Smiling, she traced her hand upon the crown of the head of the shadow-being and whispered, "Yes, you'll have the loveliest hair...maybe I'll make it long like Rider's and mine," Sakura mused as the creature took form.

She would not leave the slightest blemish on this, her first work. The next time her Nee-san came around, she would be in for a surprise. It would soon be the eve of her 23rd birthday, among other things she would be celebrating her graduation from college, gaining her Bachelor's in Horticulture, with a minor in, or all things, Psychology. She had found it fascinating, and, even if she didn't want to pursue it as a career, she wanted to study it for curiosity's sake. She hoped to one day fund a botanical garden in Fuyuki, because she loved the very real healing nature of observing plants. Currently though, she helped in landscaping projects all around the towns her main occupation.

"Almost..." she strained to say, as she found the task more difficult by the second, stealing a glance at the sketch she had made, and the notes she had gotten about familiars from the Association.

"Ahh, that place," she thought. She and Shirou weren't very comfortable there when she accepted Rin's offer to study abroad, as one of her 'apprentices'. She only stayed a year, before returning to Japan, but she had to admit it was fun. To start off, because she didn't want to squander the remaining inheritance she got from the Matou fortune, she worked as a short-order cook at a street cafe in London. This really helped with her English, and helped her pay for tuition and living expenses. Besides, the Matou fortune was, in monthly installments, going to her friend Dilo, who had replaced 'Father' Kotomine, from the Church. It was one of the ways she had tried to make amends for the events of the Heaven's Feel.

Shirou had, though one of Rin's connections, got a housekeeper job with a Ms...Edelfelt? She had tried to get him to accept a live-in position as her manservant, but after a few words and a possible brawl, he took a job as a part-time housekeeper. With that, they didn't have too much trouble maintaining the rent for their flat.

At the Clock Tower, she taken to one lecturer, a Mr. Lucian, who happened to be the authority on familiars and their usage. When Rin went to show Rider off to him and the other members of the Spiritual Dispelling department, their jaws almost hit the floor. Whether this was for her breathtaking beauty or the marvel and wonder that surrounded a Servant, one could only guess. Rider eagerly took to the Association's archives, burying herself for days at a time sometimes.

"Heh." She grinned at the funny memory, almost breaking her concentration. Mr. Lucian, he had given her the wonderful gift of being able to create her own familiar, so for all the failings of the Association, time with him was time well spent. But there was another reason she wanted to make a familiar. Due to the way her 'grandfather' had experimented on her as a child, she would forever be unable to conceive children. It was something that proved to be a rocky part of her and Shirou's relationship. She had felt that, as the love of her life, and savior, to not be able to give him the joy of fatherhood was something that couldn't be forgiven.

She sighed. It had taken awhile for her to forgive herself for this, but as always Shirou was understanding through it all. He stubbornly, in his own way, supported her. Though, even if she knew that he would never blame her for it, he couldn't hide the disappointment from his eyes when they heard the news. It had been the rather powerful sour note that had plagued their first year of marriage. For a long time, they even refrained from making love. But as with all things, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and through counseling, they resolved it. Or she thought she had. She couldn't refute the irony that a small part of her was performing this ritual to replace that hole in her heart.

Sen-Shirou - yes, she still had trouble not slipping into calling her husband 'Senpai' - had become a rather chiseled diamond in the rough she thought, blushing. He took his training as seriously as he ever had, and there wasn't a night he wasn't in the shed these days. The first couple of years, his new body had given him no end of trouble during training, as he struggled to activate his magic circuit. But, as time went on, he figured out how to work with the irregular flow of magical energy, allowing him to better practice his reinforcement and projection. But despite what he gained during the 5th Heaven's Feel, he said:

"Trying to grasp that magic is like trying to remember every detail in a dream after awakening. It's there, but it's not. It'd be better to just start from scratch."

So he did. He has practiced it continuously, and for some reasons, these oddly beautiful twin swords he'd said he saw Archer use are the ones he has most success with. But it was not without hard training. He brought as much effort into enhancing his projection as he did with his studies at Kobe University. This is where she and Shirou both attended after they came back from London. It had been rather odd when he mentioned wanting to study law. Once he got into it, he really saw there were many ways to help the community in this manner. He was currently interning during his college career at a local firm. He looked pretty darn good in a suit!

"I hope he doesn't go at it too hard," she thought, "I think I saw a few strands of white hair..."

She then refocused on her task again, as she was reaching the final steps.

"Alright, now I need to bind the wraith's soul to this container," she read off the pages of the notes. Taking the soul that was inside her and biding it to the shadow-being was the next step. It had been odd, she had found after the war when she concentrated, that there were a few such souls inside her. So she decided to put them to good use instead of letting them wander or dissipate inside her as energy.

"Finally, impart part of your essence to finalize the process," she read aloud and in the next line it said, "do note however, the familiar you create, as it is a part of you, will adopt a part of your personality and characteristics...but it will be completely random which part. But that is is all part of the fun, right?"

The note ended there with a smiley face. She blinked a few seconds at that.

"What a joker Mr Lucian is." She laughed to herself. But then, she grew serious. She cut her finger and placed a drop of her blood on the forehead of the creature. Then, there was a bright flash of light as the shadow weaved into a more solid shape. She felt the burning inside that signified they were linked together, and the process was complete. It was a success. She looked with pride at her work. And the girl in question blinked at her.

The young girl, looking to be in her teens, had hair down to her calves, free flowing,

about as long as Sakura's. It was bluish black, framing her round face. She was shorter than Sakura, was, about 5'3, looked pretty normal, and had a modest frame. Her nose was small and she had thick lips, one might say they looked like an octopus with their shape. Her frame was not too skinny, but not really curvy. The girl looked like any normal girl, except she seemed to have one blue eye, and one brown eye, without pupils. It'd be the only sign that something was up with her. Her familiar was complete, and the results were better than she had hoped.

But this girl wouldn't be a tool, not like she had been. As far as Sakura was concerned, from this day forward, they would be family. And so, she greeted her:

"Good Morning, and Happy Birthday."

She said this and looked upon the girl with a smile. And to her surprise, the girl smiled back. Sakura was ecstatic. This was her own familiar, no, her own child! She took the girl in her arms and hugged her for all she was worth, to which the girl struggled a bit under the embrace.

"...!" The girl gasped for air a bit, and in reaction to that, Sakura pulled herself away.

"Sorry, I was just so excited..." she blushed. Regaining her composure, she said, "I think it was time you were given a name."

She didn't even need to think about it, there was a name that stuck with her and it was the only choice she really seem to like. "Alice, yes, that will be your name."

Alice...

Sakura suddenly heard a voice say the name in her mind, which startled her.

Ah, yes, Mr. Lucian talked about this, how familiars communicate through telepathy.

Suddenly, Shirou burst through the door, and yelled, "Sakura! Come to living room, you've got to see this news report!"

With that, he hurriedly ran back into the living room, leaving the two stunned.

"Alright. Guess we can leave introductions for later if it's that serious," she said getting up, and taking 'Alice' with her. They raced to the living room, and Rider was already sitting on the couch, a book she was reading on the table next to it. Her brow furrowed as she watched the television. Sakura asked her, "What's going on?"

Rider pointed to the television, "See for yourself. I think we're in trouble."

Looking toward the television, Sakura saw the image of a man reading off names:

…...Sanada.

Takada Hiromitsu.

Father Dilo Graham.

Emiya Shirou.

Emiya Sakura.

Tohsaka Rin.

Medusa Anania*

These are some of the names obtained from an anonymous source, along with video footage claiming the existence of magi and users of magic in our city! In fact, there is even a claim that the mass disappearance of citizens back in 2003 was the scheme of one of these individuals! This breaking news ladies and gentlemen! Sources also indicate these names and tapes have been filtered to the police as well...

With that, the image of the man disappeared, and the message "We are experiencing technical difficulties, please stand by" appeared on the screen.

"Well, at least someone is trying to cover this mess up." Rider said, while brushing a lock of hair from her face.

"How did this get by the Church and the Association?" Shirou roared, startling Alice, who hid behind Sakura.

"Let's not panic, I think we should call Nee-san up and see what she thinks of this..." Sakura calmly said, although her stomach was turning in knots. She patted Alice on the head to calm her.

"I'm on it." Shirou quipped, as he raced to the phone, and starting dialing.

Before he could finish however, there was a banging on the door.

"Open up! This is the police!"

Prologue End

To be continued...

* * - This is the fake name that Rider is using now.