It was two weeks before the Grail War, that Tohsaka Rin found the little corner restaurant known as 'Ahnenerbe'. She didn't think much of it, but entered anyways with Ayako when she'd proposed to try it out. It had a nice little feeling to it, with old-fashioned, but not out-of-date furniture, and the Tohsaka heiress took a liking to it.
She visited another time, just before the start of the war, and had a nice chat with some traveler who was visiting Fuyuki. The cheerful island girl known as Shirley took an immediate liking to Rin, and asked the older girl to meet up again, sometime in the cafe.
Rin never saw her again, sadly; even though the girl had an interesting air around her.
The next time she visited would be after the fifth Holy Grail War, when she'd dragged a moping Emiya Shirou into the establishment. She wanted him to cheer up, after losing Saber; and it worked, in a way. The patron of the cafe needed someone to cook for them, since their usual person was sick, so Shirou volunteered. Rin sighed, but she'd take every distraction she could.
Over the course of the next one and a half year, while Rin prepared to leave for London, Clock Tower, with Shirou in tow as her apprentice, they often found themselves visiting Ahnenerbe. It seemed to be a gathering point for traveling magi, since they more often than not found someone with a magical presence in the cafe. It seemed to be a cease-fire zone for the Moonlit World. One of the more memorable visits to the place was when they met a woman named Shiki with her husband and daughter – a group apparently from Tokyo – with whom Rin had an extensive discussion about Mystic Eyes.
Another time, when Ilya tagged along, they met a maid from one of the nearby towns, whose name was Kohaku, and she and Ilya had a small discussion about the values of maid etiquette.
It was the last day before their flight to London, so Rin made it mandatory for her and Shirou to go into Ahnenerbe for a last time. They met Ayako in there, whom begun working there as a maid, and had a good talk with her. They also met – shortly before they wanted to leave – a magus by the name of Bazett, a member of the Fraga family. The woman looked quite sour, grumbling about the 'fake priest who stole my Servant', and both Shirou and Rin halted in their tracks. Turning to the depressed woman, they asked her what she meant, only to find her gone.
That was when Rin decided that Ahnenerbe might be more than it looked like.
Arriving in Britain, home of the King of Knights and the Association, Rin quickly forgot about the strange encounter. The next couple of months passed by in a blur for the Tohsaka heiress, as she and her apprentice settled into the life at the Clock Tower. Rin turned over the ownership to Sakura, whom she revealed to Shirou was a magus, as well as her sister, while Ilya stayed with Taiga. Once the two young magi reached a routine, Rin lamented the fact that none of the cafes served quite as exquisitely as Ahnenerbe, so they spent the reminder of that week looking if it had a branch in London.
It did, and thus the ritual of going to the strange little cafe-around-the-corner continued, albeit not as frequently as before, since neither of them really wanted to go without the other. It had become their thing, she mused.
What Rin found strange was the interior, which looked exactly like in Fuyuki, but Shirou meant that it probably was the same everywhere, some sort of tradition.
The relationship Rin and Shirou shared was a complicated one, which many of their colleges mistook for as romantic in its nature. Shirou would simply laugh and wave them off, saying they were nothing more than friends, while Rin smiled a strained smile and nodded.
She knew that he loved Saber, knew it with all her heart, but she still loved him, loved him until it was painful. She had seen his future, through her own Servant, and hoped with all her soul that he would not walk along the same path. Alas, Rin knew that Shirou loved Saber, so she kept silent, bottled up all of her feelings, and suggested one day, in the cafe; them sitting at their usual in the back corner with the window-view of the Thames, that they visit King Arthur's tomb.
Another pair had overheard – a Japanese girl whose name was Ayaka, and her boyfriend, a British blonde who goes by Arthur – and they'd given Rin and Shirou tickets for the occasion, saying that they'd already visited not too long ago.
When they left, Rin peered out of the window, but didn't see them walk along, disappointed that they went into the other direction.
The next time they visited was – much to her chagrin – with Luvia, who decided to tag along out of spite. The newly reforged rivalry between the Tohsaka and Edelfelt heiress was, in truth, a rivalry born out of mutual understanding, as well as the open affection the drill-haired magus held for Shirou.
She took one look around the cafe, called it boring, and left; leaving a seething Rin behind.
Sometimes after the magus' first successful Apostle hunt, Rin dragged him into Ahnenerbe, celebrating their victory. There, they'd met a white haired individual – a magus – who invited them to his table, where he was sitting with a purple haired woman and a brown haired woman who, Rin swore, looked like the Mona Lisa. They talked about many a things, especially about the brown haired woman's Mystic Code, her gauntlet, as well as lectures about spear wielding from the other one. The white haired man spoke of mysteries and prophecies, and stayed long with them, even after the other two left. By the end of his tale – a story of two star-crossed lovers – he had an arm swung over Shirou's, another over her own shoulder, and was grinning like a madman, whispering to the red haired magus soft words of reassurance.
They never saw of him again, but Shirou had renewed hope, and set forth to search for his Saber, leaving Rin with a foul taste in her mouth, and hating herself for it.
Sadly, after that night, visits to Ahnenerbe became exceedingly rare, as both became engrossed in their work – Rin in her magic studies and her rivalry with Luvia, Shirou in his search for Saber and his development of his Reality Marble. They still saw each other often, but they had little time and energy in the evenings to go to the cafe, but Rin made it a point to always go there whenever there was something in need to be celebrated – a birthday, a successful hunt, a breakthrough in research – she always dragged him to the little cafe-around-the-corner.
Then, the news came. Both left for Fuyuki in a hurry, Rin's sponsor, the late Professor El Melloi II personally arranging the flight. Ilya was sick, and had only a few days left to live, her body finally giving in to the atrocities that were committed to it.
Everyone was there, Shirou, Sakura, Taiga – even Raiga, having grown fond of Kiritsugu's daughter – and herself. Ilya's last wish? To go to Ahnenerbe one last time, together with her Nii-chan and Rin.
The walk to the cafe was full of a lingering sadness, no matter the girls forceful attitude. When they entered – Ilya barely able to take another stew without collapsing, everyone ordered their usual. They smiled and laughed, thinking about old times, until a surprised voice called out the homunculus' name. All of them turning around, they saw a short-haired woman approaching, at which Ilya's face immediately lit up in an expression the dark haired magus could not discern. Wishing some time alone, Shirou and Rin left for the outside, leaving both to catch up to old times.
They found out later that her name was Hisau Maiya, a helper of Kiritsugu. Shirou wanted to go inside to talk to her, to find out more about his father, but Rin shook her head. He could go in later, if she was in Fuyuki. Ilya glanced at Rin.
The sermon was little, but it left all of the occupants of the room grieving, as they said goodbye to the lively homunculus who died peaceful the night after, with a smile.
They never saw the companion of Kiritsugu again.
After they were back in London, much fell back into the same rhythm they were in as before, Rin dragging Shirou to Ahnenerbe whenever they had something to celebrate. Only this time, she added the anniversaries of the first and last day of the Grail War, as well as the death of a certain homunculus who was like a little sibling to everyone.
On one such anniversary for Ilya, Rin could've sworn she saw a white-haired girl enter the cafe, but when she turned around, there was nothing there.
Life continued onward, her getting a scholarship from the Wizard Marshall, together with Luvia, and Shirou perfecting his Reality Marble. For both times, they went to Ahnenerbe, the first time around draggind the Edelfelt heir as well as the Professor around, and the stay was spent merrily. The Professor befriended a new barman who was named Alex, and they seemed to get along pretty well, so Rin was surprised when – upon leaving – he looked at the cafe with a wistful smile, and said – upon her inquiring if he would want to go again with them, the next time – that he'd never enter it again.
They never saw Alex again, but Rin barely paid it attention.
After the visit from Luvia and Waver, Rin went into the cafe once, alone. She and Shirou had – something she called a date with mirth to his face, full well knowing that he'd laugh it off, even though she meant it – the usual appointment, but he was whisked away on short notice by the Enforcers, so she ended up standing alone in front of the cafe, phone in hand, glowing with his text-message. She sighed, entering.
Barely a step in however, she apologized to the stunned looking boy who was on his way leaving, apparently, and retreated outside.
She very hardly tried not to think about all to familiar gold eyes and red hair, and instead focused on the fact that she never heard the door open or the child leaving.
They left for Fuyuki once again, this time armed with the backing of the Wizard Marshal, the Queen and with Professor El Melloi II in tow, looking into recent disturbances in the Ley lines as reported by Sakura. What they found was a residue of the Grail that was corrupting the local magical energy under Fuyuki, as well as a creepy old worm by the name of Zouken Matou.
Both was dealt with swiftly and cleanly, and shortly before their departure, Shirou and Rin went into Ahnenerbe, like they always did.
They met Ayako once again, who was still working in the cafe, apparently having taken a shine to it. They talked a short while, until a man entered who caught Rin's attention. She smiled at him, urging Shirou to leave.
The white-haired, sickly looking man stared after her with shock, but she never met him again, either.
Back in London, Rin added another date to the list of their scheduled visits. Shirou asked her for what it stood, but Rin simply smiled.
This routine changed little over the years; sometimes Luvia would tag along, and they even met Ayako once, in London, at which Rin only smiled bitterly.
Another time, they met a brown haired girl, Hakuno, who was waiting for someone to show up and once, when there was a renaissance fair in London, a purple haired man and another, blond haired one, who spoke briefly with them, before they were on their way.
After Sakura's wedding, Rin added that date to it as well and she would add the date of her children too, when they were born.
Then came the war, and Shirou, the fool he was, went to participate, hoping to save as many lives as possible. Rin would sit in front of her phone, always staring at the damned thing, willing for Shirou to make his daily call. Wiling him to be alive for another few, precious hours. Wherever she went, inside the Clock Tower or outside, she always clutched the phone like a lifetime, willing it to ring.
The day the phone didn't ring, everyone in the Clock Tower knew, for it was the day Rin barricaded herself into her room for a week, never leaving it.
Three days later, it was officially announced that Emiya Shirou, age twenty-eight, was dead. That he had become a hero – not only in the Association or the Church for his previous deeds, but in the eyes of the many as well; in the eyes of the humble, the poor, the sick or the helpless; Emiya Shirou had become a beacon of hope during the war, ending further bloodshed with his heroic sacrifice.
When Rin heard about it, a laugh, hollow and dull, echoed in her throat. The Crimson Archer, they called him, and she was not lost on the irony. The Magus Knight, The Samaritan, The Humble King, The Nameless Hero. Helping people out of his own goodwill, never taking in return. Many frowned upon him, many more adored him.
When they held his burial, many a great people – friends and family alike – attended it, and Rin was glad for him, despite her mourning, for he did not become Archer, for he did not die completely alone and she hoped – with all her heart and love – that he would finally be reunited with his Saber. It was love tinted with sadness, but then again, she was accustomed to it already.
And as the world moved around Tohsaka Rin, she found herself unable to go to Ahnenerbe, not even when Luvia suggested she go too.
It was something she and Shirou did, so Rin found herself unable to go without him. She threw herself into her studies once again, exceeding the expectations of her instructors and teachers, swiftly raising up in the scale. Many a days, Rin would spend studying – so many in fact, that Luvia, fed up with the blue eyed magus, ordered a permission to let Rin have a vacation, back in Fuyuki.
She was enraged.
Alas, the flight was booked, her classes canceled, and Luvia saw to it personally to drop the magus off at the airport.
Thus, she flew to Fuyuki. Rin did not inform her friends and family, not wanting them to worry, so she stayed at the much-too-large Tohsaka mansion, wishing desperately it were the Emiya compound. Sakura was living with her husband, having removed all of her belongings and as such, Rin felt like she did before the Grail War: completely alone and isolated from society.
At the last day of her first week of vacation, when she was walking through Fuyuki late at night, a little restaurant around the corner caught her attention, it was called Ahnenerbe. Her feet had carried her unconsciously to the cafe, after having gone there so many times before. She also knew why.
It was the monthly anniversary of Emiya Shirou's death.
How many months? Rin did not know, only that they were many. She was fleeing, she knew. She thought that if she would not enter it alone, Shirou would come home eventually, going in with her on their not-dates.
If she'd enter now, the illusion would be shattered.
Still, Tohsaka Rin was not a person that ran away, and she knew that her friends and family were worried for her. So, steeling her resolve and taking a deep breath, Rin walked forwards, putting her hand on the doorknob like she had done so many times before, and she pushed.
The cafe was still decorated in it's old-fashioned, but not out-of-date furniture, and there were still few people inside. She made for their regular seat, only to notice that two people were sitting there already. Still, she walked, being drawn to them.
Stopping shortly behind the blonde girl, her eyes widened.
"Took you long enough, Tohsaka."
There he was, sitting in their usual perch, eyes full of mirth as he looked at her, followed by the greeting of the blonde haired woman who, Rin noted with tears in her eyes, was Saber, smiling jovially at her.
Afterwards, Rin never saw Ahnenerbe ever again, the little around-the-corner cafe having disappeared completely, all records of it wanishing.