Illya's New Family
Summary: Illya gets her wish. A what if 'the Holy Grail was purified from its tainted state through its destruction in the previous Holy Grail War' fic.
Disclaimer: I do not own FSN
In the Holy Grail War, it is a rule that a mage can only summon one servant. But in actuality, that law is actually nonexistent. The reason why the rule exists is because to attempt to summon another servant after successfully being able to summon one would cause the mage's magical circuits to overload and would cause the mage to literally burn up, be reduced to mere ashes and the servant would of course also disappear as well, at least this is what usually happens in most cases.
This fact has already been proven and reinforced in the past Holy Grail wars when masters have tried to summon another servant. The one survivor ended up in a comma and after a few days was declared brain dead. After the attempts made in the second war, the next masters wised up and there were no masters who attempted to summon another servant after they had already successfully summoned one in either the third and fourth Holy Grail War.
The reason why this happens is because a summoning activates all the mage's magical circuits and when a mage already has a servant, his magical circuits are already constantly channeling mana to the servant. To attempt to summon a servant while your mana is flowing one way will make the mage's mana flow go the complete opposite way and the sudden switch will make one's magical circuits overworked, and will cause a magical spontaneous combustion.
So, no mage in their right mind would attempt to summon another servant unless they were feeling particularly suicidal. That was also why the rule about having only servant is not an official rule, but just a way to make sure that a mage that is participating or will participate in the Holy Grail War doesn't ruin his chance at the Holy Grail by accidentally causing his own death due to his greed for power, in the form of having more servants.
But theoretically, it's not impossible to summon more than one servant. In order to get more than one servant, the mage must attempt to summon them at one time to prevent a magical circuit overloading. But it isn't as easy as it sounds, to summon a servant you must have at least one magical circuit. So, it's necessary to have a lot of magical circuits and a lot of mana. But in the end, this is only a theory. Summoning multiple servants has never been successfully done before by any mage.
There are mages that have tried and almost succeeded, but they have always ended in failure and not even one servant appeared. Those who have failed have said that it might be impossible to accomplish because the human body was not made to handle such a strain of summoning multiple servants at once. While the mana cost for summoning multiple servants at one time can also be the cause for the failure since a great amount of mana is required and most mage's mana pools are just short of what's needed.
With so many problems and no possible solution, the research of how to summon multiple servants was abandoned. But several years later, the papers to this research find its way to the Einzbern family and this causes the wheels of fate to begin turning. The lack of mana and the strain on the body might be something that makes the multiple summoning impossible for humans, but what if the one who attempted this was a homunculus, a being with nearly unlimited mana and a body that could handle the strain.
Crimson light flooded a room in the Einzbern manor as a young girl stood in the middle of a circle with drawings inside. She recited an incantation in a clear and firm voice and continued to chant until the crimson light died down a bit and seven figures of light appeared around her. The very second they did appear, the girl felt her heart stop and time freeze around her. She opened her closed eyes and came face to face with a blinding orb of light that she knew in her heart, was the Holy Grail.
"IIlyasviel Von Einzbern, what do you wish for?" A gentle voice asked her. The girl thought about it, her grandfather had wanted to bring glory to the Einzbern family through attaining the Holy Grail, but she could care less about that. What did she really want? Freedom? Yes, the freedom to go anywhere she wished and the freedom to do whatever she wanted. To be able to leave the Einzbern castle and just live and enjoy life, the thought was tempting, but that wasn't what she really wanted.
She just wanted a companion, no, not just that, she wanted people who would love her, care for her and would accept her for who she was. People who wouldn't judge her and would support her choices, people who wouldn't make her feel as if she were a trapped bird in a cage. She wanted to be surrounded by people who would never leave her. That was her heart's true wish. She took a small shaky breath before opening her eyes and with an unwavering resolution answered the Holy Grail.
One Year Later
The alarm clock went off and Illya groaned as she blindly reached for her alarm clock on her bedside table. After a couple of hits and misses, she finally managed to hit the top of the alarm clock, making the noise stop. She then curled up into a ball once more and began to drift back to sleep when there came a knock on her bedroom door before it was opened and a person stepped inside her room. The person approached her bed and stopped a couple of steps away.
"Illya, wake up. You're going to be late for school if you don't get up now." A female person said and was answered with a sleepy moan. The person sighed before walking closer to the bed, the person then bended slightly and began to gently shake the girl. "Illya wake up, Castor and Assassin have already made breakfast. It's your favorite French toast and poached eggs. If you don't hurry, Rider and Berserker will eat it all."
Illya immediately sat up and shot out of bed. She then began to change her clothes in an incredibly fast pace. While she was changing, the person went around the bed to the window and opened the curtains. Bright morning light flooded the room instantly and Illya couldn't help but flinch and put her hands up to block out the blinding light. Her eyes squinted until they got used to the light. She then dropped her hands and looked at what was in front of her.
Aside from the window that showed her the beautiful and bountiful garden outside her home there was a woman wearing a white button up shirt with a blue ribbon underneath the collar and a long blue skirt. The woman was also wearing brown boots and had her blond hair in a bun. She had bright green eyes, fair skin, and was overall very pretty. She gave Illya a small smile as she greeted the girl a good morning and Illya smiled as she gave her own greeting. "Good morning, Saber!"
The two of them found their ways to the dining room on the first floor and headed towards their respective seating. On the way they received greetings from the others who were already seated around the dining table. Saber sat down next to a man with long violet hair and deep obsidian eyes. Illya sat in between Saber and a man with long blue hair and striking crimson eyes. Opposite her was a teenager with raven colored hair and dichromatic eyes, the left eye was golden while the right eye was crimson.
Next to him and sitting opposite the blue haired man was another teen. This teen had a tan complexion like the other teen, had raven colored hair as well, but had a pair of golden colored eyes and not a mismatched pair. Sitting directly opposite of Saber and on the other side of the teen with a mismatched gaze was a boy of no more than ten. He had golden colored hair and bright crimson eyes. The one sitting next to him and opposite the man with violet hair was a was a very beautiful woman; she had long light violet hair and eyes.
Illya cheerfully greeted them back before turning her attention to breakfast; she said a quick 'ittadakimasu' before beginning to eat her French toast, salad, poached eggs and milk. She was just beginning with her salad when the two teens stood and began clearing their plates. "What? You two are done already?" Illya cried as she began to pick up her pace.
"Yeah, we have morning practice today so we have to go to school earlier today." The teen with the golden colored eyes answered her as he and the other teen dropped their dirty plates and utensils in the sink. The two then washed their hands in the sink before heading upstairs to get their school bags. Illya had finished with her salad, had half-eaten her French toast and was finishing up the poached eggs when she began to choke on them. She frantically grabbed for her glass of milk and drank it to help the food go down.
"Illya, that's why I told you not to just inhale your food, you're just going to end up choking." Saber scolded lightly as she began to pat Illya's back. Illya gave a nod as she set her now empty glass of milk on the table. "You okay there Princess?" The man with blue hair asked as he looked at her with concern in his eyes. Illya nodded in reply and the man ruffled her hair lightly. "Illya, you might be in a rush but don't forget to chew your food properly."
Illya was going to complain about him messing up her hair when someone else spoke up before she got the chance to. "I'm done!" Illya turned her head to see the child with golden hair and crimson eyes begin to pile his dishes as he got up from his seat and begin to carry his dirty dishes. "Let me help you with that, Gilgamesh." Saber said as she began to rise from her seat but the boy now known as Gilgamesh shook his head. "No, I can do this myself." He said as he brought all of his dirty dishes, utensils and glass to the sink.
By then the two teens returned with their bags in tow, they grabbed their lunch on the counter before heading for the door. "Well, we're off!" The teen with golden colored eyes said while the other teen just gave something that sounded like a grunt. By then Gilgamesh had finished washing his hands and called after them. "Wait up! I'm coming too!" He then got his bag from its place on the couch that was next to the dining room, grabbed his lunch, said he was off, and went out the door.
Illya chewed the last bite of her poached eggs and hurriedly piled her dishes up and put them in the sink before washing her hands and rushing up to get her bags. She came down, got her lunchbox from the counter, said a quick 'I'll be going now' and ran out the door. Once she was outside she saw that the three males were already more than a couple of meters away from the house and she raced after them. "Dia-nii, Ber-nii, Gil!" She called after them and once she caught up, she was out of breath.
"You guys are terrible, leaving me like that!" She said as struggled to catch her breath. "Sorry, sorry!" The teen with the golden eyes said before continuing. "It's not like we wanted to leave you behind, it's just that our captain can be really annoying when we come late for morning practice, right Berserker?" The teen next to him merely gave a grunt of agreement and Illya perked up at that. "Oh that's right, the next archery competition is coming up soon, isn't it Dia-nii?"
"That's right, it's next month so the captains having us train like crazy. But speaking of competitions, Gil isn't your soccer team going up against Mikashima elementary?" Gilgamesh nodded. "Yeah, coach is really busy right now thinking of new strategies, formations and plays for the game." Dia, or Diarmuid chuckled at that. "I bet he is; I've heard the Mikashima elementary soccer team is one of the best in this part of town."
"Eh? Are they really that good?" Illya asked. "I heard they were good enough to beat a middle school team, but my team's not bad either." Gilgamesh said and Illya giggled at that. "Tell me when are where's the game going to happen, I'll definitely come to root for you." Illya said to him before turning to face the two teens. "But of course, I'll also go to cheer you both in your competition." The two teens both smiled at that, though the teen with dichromatic eyes' smile was barely noticeable.
They walked and chatted on the way to their respective schools. Gilgamesh left their party when they had arrived at his elementary school. He said a quick see you later before going in the gates of his school. Illya was next and was dropped off at her middle school, she said farewell before going inside. While the two teens continued on to their school. Illya walked at a leisurely pace through the outer courtyard, stairs and corridors to get to her classroom.
She opened the door to her classroom, '1-A', and after she took her first steps inside she was instantly greeted with good mornings from her friends. She greeted them back before walking over to her table. When she got there, she was greeted by her best friend, Miyu Edelfelt. She returned the greeting before putting her bag down on the bag hook and sitting down on her seat. They then chatted until the bell signaling homeroom was starting, rang.
Her first period was English with Ms. Nishioka. She didn't really have a hard time with this subject because of her prior tutoring at the Einzbern family. After that was Science with Mr. Yukimura. Science was one of her favorite subjects; it was also the subject she truly excelled at. There was a break after science and she spent it just chatting with Miyu in the classroom. They talked about the new ice cream parlor that was opening by the train station and made plans to go there.
The next period was Health with Mr. Tachibana, which was kinda boring in Illya's opinion. Then there was Math with Ms. Taki, which more of confused Illya rather than teach her anything and Art with Ms. Toki, which Illya enjoyed. They did water color which was really interesting for Illya. Then there was lunch and Illya spent it in the same manner she always spent it, eating with Miyu on the roof. She opened her yellow and pink lunchbox and squealed in delight at what she saw.
Inside her lunchbox were her favorites, rice, flavored rice, umeboshi, tamagoyaki, croquettes, pickled vegetables and rabbit shaped apples. "Wow Illya, your lunch looks as good as always." Miyu commented as she took a sandwich from her lunch box and took a bite. Illya smiled in response as she also began to eat her lunch. "Illya, it's your aunt who makes your lunch, right?" She asked and was instantly answered. "Sometimes it's aunt Caster, but sometimes it's my uncle Lancelot who cooks."
"You know your aunt Caster and uncle Lancelot should open a restaurant. Whenever I come over to your house and eat there, the food always taste good. Their restaurant would be a hit for sure." Miyu said and Illya laughed in response. "Yeah, that's a good idea but I think that their current jobs already take up all their time." Miyu's face turned thoughtful as she considered her friend's words. "Oh yeah, your aunt Caster already runs a store and your uncle Lancelot is a piano teacher."
"Hmmm... I can't believe it's only been a year…" Illya looked up from her lunch and looked at her friend. "Miyu?" But Miyu only shook her head before speaking. "It's nothing, Illya. I was just thinking about how your family has already truly settled in this town. Sometimes, I can't believe it has only been a year since your family moved here, Illya, you and your family have really been accepted into this city, no, not just that, all of you have made so many bonds with so many people."
"You think?" Illya asked and was answered with a smile and a nod. The two then ate the rest of their lunch in silence. The next period after lunch was history with Mr. Yagari. Illya also enjoyed this subject, despite Mr. Yagari being one of the strictest teachers in Ridai middle school. She honestly thought that he was a good teacher. Next was two periods of physical education with , it was pure torture for Illya. Not that she disliked the subject; it was more of the teacher always made them experience hell.
Today he made the class do laps until the two periods ended. When his class was over half of the class could barely walk to the changing room and had to drag themselves or be dragged by their friends. Finally there was last period, Japanese with Mr. Yugori. Japanese was probably the most challenging subject for Illya. This was also the subject which she tended to zone out the most. Today was no different, after five minutes of Mr. Yugori's lecture her thoughts began to wander off to different things…
She was thinking about what Miyu had said about her 'family'. Illya also thought that she and her family have really been accepted into this town and they have made a lot of bonds this past year. But to think this all started when she made her wish to the Holy Grail. The next thing she knew her servants, the ones she summoned for the Holy Grail War- actually, there wasn't a war this time around since she summoned all seven servants like her grandfather instructed her, had all become quasi-human beings.
It was because of her multiple summoning that she, and the Einzbern family managed to finally win the Holy Grail. Technically, she became the Holy Grail, but she was also the winner. But that's another matter. Anyways, when she woke up she found all her servants there, but they became different somehow- changed to be more precise. For example, her Archer turned into a child. Not just that, her Rider and Berserker turned into teens and Berserker was noticeably sane, well, quiet but sane.
At first she didn't understand why they were like this, or why they were still in her world. Not that she was complaining, it was just that she had been taught that when someone manages to attain the Holy Grail all the servants were supposed to disappear and their own wishes would be granted. This had constantly puzzled her, she had actually thought that her servants became like this because she had summoned them in a multiple summoning and sadly for her, she didn't realize the truth for some time.
She'd bet that her servants had probably known the truth all along. But that's beside the point. The point is that after she managed to attain the Holy Grail or become the Holy Grail, and win the fifth Holy Grail War the Einzbern family got the glory they have wanted for so long. Her grandfather's gamble to let her try to summon all seven servants had paid off and because of her success; she also won her gamble with her grandfather. She had gambled and won an amount of freedom.
Freedom that lets her leave the Einzbern castle and live her life as she wishes, at least until her grandfather can no longer lead the Einzbern family, then she has to return to the castle to take the reins of being the head of the family. Anyways, she had wanted to live like a normal girl, so she had decided to go to Japan to start over. Japan because it was far from the area of influence of the Einzbern family and because when she was younger, her mother had once told her that it was a beautiful country.
She had chosen a small city called Natsu-o-machi, because according to her grandfather it was the place farthest from Fuyuki city, the original battlefield for the Holy Grail War. Her grandfather had said something about someone called Zoken being a sore loser and warned her to stay clear of that city. She had spent a month in Einzbern castle while her new home was being prepared and she took this time to bond with her servants when they didn't have lessons-yes, they were given lessons on current culture.
The lessons had been her grandfather's idea. He said the lessons were so they would be able to fit in with today's society and so that they wouldn't look too suspicious and more normal, more mundane. But actually, even Illya agreed with him a bit, because even she thought that her servants just had that kind of amazing presence to them, even her servants who were changed the most. Her servants were to go with her to Japan but she had no problem with that, she was actually quite excited at the prospect.
During the one month of waiting, she became very fond of her servants and considered them as her good friends already. She also learned their identities and they even told her some stories of their previous lives. She learned her Saber was the same Saber as the one from the previous war and that her real identity was king Aurthur. Saber had a serious and strict personality, but she was also very kind to Illya, so the homunculus girl loved her very much.
Saber would tell her bedtime stories sometimes, stories from her homeland about dragons, knights and of swords. But sometimes she would also be given bedtime stories about her parents during the past Holy Grail War and this made her more curious about them. She then decided to ask her grandfather, who at first didn't want to answer her questions, yet because of her unrelenting badgering, eventually decided to humor her. But somewhere in between her unending questions, and his answers, he slipped.
Not literally, but he did slip that 'Kiritsugu was a fool who could no longer make it to the castle.' This little slip, coupled with a few magical threats promising the destruction of Einzbern castle, got Illya what she wanted-the truth. She found out that her father abandoning her was actually a lie and the real reason he never came back was that he couldn't come back after he lost most of his magical power. Illya had never been more betrayed, sad and enraged than when she learned the real truth.
She had locked herself up in her room for a week; the only people she had contact with were her servants. Her servants had been the one who comforted her. She refused to see or talk to anyone else, especially her grandfather. After half a month she calmed down enough to talk to her grandfather. The two of them had a very long talk, and her grandfather did apologize for being blinded by his greed for the Holy Grail. She eventually forgave him, but the trust between them would never be the same.
Her Archer had also been the same Archer as the one from the previous war. His identity was actually, Gilgamesh the fifth king of Uruk. He had been turned into a child, but he didn't seem too upset over this. He was polite, which he said was the opposite of his personality when he grows older. She calls him Gilgamesh or just Gil, because she knows he prefers those to Archer. Gilgamesh was also one of her servants who played with her the most. They had tons of fun playing tag, hide and seek and catch the weapon(the weapons used for this game being provided by Gilgamesh's treasury).
Her Lancer was Cú Chulainn, or more commonly known as Ireland's Child of Light. Her Lancer was a bit of a joker, but was intimidating when he got serious. He had a very playful personality and called her 'Princess'. He was a bit of a flirt too; he would either subtly or flirt outright with women, especially Saber. The king of knights would always shoot him down, but those never seemed to stop him from trying, or even discourage him in the slightest for that matter. But recently, Illya noticed that he's been flirting with Saber more and more and other women less and less.
Her Rider used to be the Lancer from the previous war. His real identity was actually Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, or Diarmuid of the Love Spot, as he was usually called from his legend. But Illya just calls him Dia, which her rider seems to be fine with. Dia would play with her and would teach her all sorts of games and songs from his childhood. Her Dia was really kind, though a bit hostile with her Saber at first for some reason, but they eventually became good friends.
Her Caster was the witch Medea and was very polite. Caster taught her all sorts of things, from songs and dances to stories of nymphs, stories of her aunt Circe and stories of her homeland. There was always some bitterness when she talked about her homeland, Corinth, but she would try to cover her feelings up. The woman was a good singer; and she would sing lullabies to Illya if she had trouble sleeping. She was also a great cook; her dishes were just to die for.
Her Assassin was Lancelot of the Lake, and he had also been the Berserker from the previous Holy Grail War. There had been initial awkwardness between him and Saber, but once that was broken over that they got along great. While Saber was his king, right now they seemed to just regard each other as friends. Lancelot had been nothing but courteous to Illya, he was a true knight. He was normally very calm but was quite protective towards his current master. He would even play with her sometimes. He would teach her the ways of a knight and even taught her how to use weapons.
Her Berserker's identity was Heracles, but unlike her other servants, he didn't speak much. Actually, he usually just used grunts to communicate, the only word Illya ever heard him say was her name, but he had only said that once. He might not be able to speak to her like the others, but he is always there for her when she needs him and that is enough for her. He is sane, but when he sees something that would endanger her, he goes into a wild enraged battle frenzy to protect her from any and all threats.
Illya is very glad that her servants didn't disappear after she won the Holy Grail War. She thinks of them as her irreplaceable friends. Especially since there aren't any command spells on her hand that would act as both a connection and a barrier between them and her. Before they set off her grandfather cast a spell on her and her servants, this spell would make non-magi see any of their irregularities as normal. He also gave them magic amulets that would conceal their magical power from any other magi.
They flew to Japan through plane and arrived at the Narita International Airport at nine AM and from there they took a taxi, walked, rode a train, took three different buses and finally took another cab to arrive at their new house. They had eaten an Ekiben for lunch and had some dinner in between the second and third bus ride at a Japanese restaurant that had been close to the bus stop. When they finally arrived at Natsu-o-machi it was already eight in the evening.
Their new house wasn't anything too grand; it was just a three story house in a peaceful neighborhood. The house itself was western with a few Japanese inspired rooms scattered around the house. The good thing about the house though was not only was the house already furnished, but the phone, electricity and plumbing were also already installed so Illya was able to take a warm bath and crash on her new bed instantly.
The next day was spent in unpacking their suitcases and exploring their house and discovering what was where. Among the things they discovered was that their refrigerator and their kitchen cabinets were stocked up with food and that their closets were like what you would see in movies. They weren't walk-in-closets, but they were very close to being one, but not only that, the closets themselves already came with an assortment of clothes, shoes and even accessories.
Things had been going well so far then, but that was when they reached their first hurdle. They were beginning to run out of food, so the practical solution to this problem was to shop for more and that was just what they did. They all went out so they would all know where things were, what they didn't realize was the amount of attention that they would garner from the townspeople. Not only were they all new in town, but they also stood out from the crowd with their exotic features.
They had literally become the talk of the town from their little trip to the supermarket, but that wasn't so bad, it would barely qualify as something major. But what did count as something major was what had awaited them on their trip back home. There, at the house next to theirs, the door opened just as they were passing and that was when the hurdle appeared, in the form of their next door neighbor, Yukimatsu Issei.
Now, Illya didn't dislike him and actually grew to be quite fond of Issei over time, but he was just unfortunately the first hurdle. Issei was about to go out with his wife, Yui and son, Yuuto. But when Issei saw them he energetically greeted them and asked if they were his family's new neighbors, and once Lancer confirmed it began to converse with them. Well, it wasn't really a conversation, it was more of an self-introduction. He introduced himself and his family and when he finished, did they realize their situation.
They realized that since Issei had introduced himself, it was only polite to do the same. This wouldn't normally be a problem, but unfortunately while it is a simple thing to give their names, what could they say in terms of their relation to each other? They were at a loss, but it was Lancer who had cleared this hurdle with his quick wit. He made stuff up at the spot. It hadn't been intentional but he just went with whatever he thought of first.
So, his story ended up like this somehow: he was married to Saber and their children were the fraternal twins Dia and Berserker- because according to Lancer, they kind of looked alike, Illyasviel and Gilgamesh. Castor was his sister and Lancelot was Saber's brother. Fortunately, the Yukimatsu family had bought it. But that was mostly thanks to the spell that Illya's grandfather had cast on them that made all their irregularities, no matter how big or strange seem normal to all non-magus.
That was the start of the whole thing. That same day once they got home, they decided on two things, the first was that they decided to stick with Lancer's story, while the second was that they needed to have a background story, before any of them make up a ridiculous-on-the spot story, or heaven forbid, completely different background stories. They just decided to go with a simple story; they were the von Einzbern family from Germany who had migrated here for a change of their hectic lifestyle in Germany.
After that had been decided, they had decided to take measures as to appear more like a regular family. Spell, or no they were to be normal, after all, that was what Illya had wanted- she had wanted to live a normal life. This was why they had left the Einzbern castle and came to Natsu-o-Machi. First, they enrolled Illya, Dia, Berserker and Gilgamesh to schools in their area. Then they decided that those who were supposed to be the "adults" should have jobs, just to avoid looking suspicious.
Castor began a trinket/charm/antique shop and Lancer became a photographer. Illya had been surprised at their profession choices, but Caster had only said that she enjoyed handling antiques and the likes while Lancer had told them that photography and pictures seemed interesting. Lancelot became a piano teacher. He had learned to play at the Einzbern Castle and like everything else he tried, he excelled at it. Lancelot had chosen to be a teacher though because he liked both children and teaching.
Saber's job had been the biggest surprise though, no one had expected her to become a children's book author. Nor did they expect her to be good at drawing and at illustrating. But her works were a hit with the children. Actually, when Illya thought about it, they were all successful in their respective fields in one way or another. Her "aunt's" shop was a place where tourists, antique collectors and people in general frequented because her aunt's shop always had interesting things for sale.
Her "father" was a nature/wildlife/landscape photographer and his photos were quite well known for being taken from hard angles. These hard angles pictures he had taken with his camera were only possible because of his inhumane agility and dexterity. One example was his close up picture of three baby birds in a nest. But the baby birds were mountain eagle hawks, and to take that picture one would need to look for their nests deep in the mountains then one would need to climb a tree, and to do those are harder than they sound.
Her "uncle" was considered to be a musical genius and a lot of people enrolled their children in his class. Lancelot was a good teacher and was always patient and kind to his students. At first, he only taught children, but due to many requests-most from women, he began teaching people of all kinds and of all ages. Her uncle had soon become famous throughout the town because he was the only piano teacher in town who had a waiting list for lessons.
Her "mother" was a very successful children's book author. Her books were not only interesting, but they even had morals in them, so parents approved of her books. Her books, the adventures of King Leo were a series of picture books that were not only enjoyed by children, but also by people of all ages. It became so famous that if you asked a child about King Leo, most would know who that is. Not just that, but her books are also so famous that most bookstores nationwide always have her books in stock.
Her younger "brother" was famous at his school for being a prodigy. He always perfected his tests, was good in sports and was very charismatic and friendly. The younger students of the school looked up to him, all of the teachers loved him and he was also someone people depended on. His classmates trusted him and he was a natural leader at the school. Not only that, but he also played soccer and was also the class president. He was also known for being responsible and very lovable.
Her elder twin "brothers" were famous at their high school. Dia and Berserker weren't really twins, but they did kind of looked similar with their golden colored eyes, raven colored hair, tan complexion and not to mention they also looked to be around the same age, so they could easily be passed off as fraternal twins. They were known as the Von Einzbern twins at their school and they were famous for several reasons.
The first was because they both excelled in school, both academics and non-academic subjects. They actually always scored the highest in tests and they were both consistent honor students. The second was because they were the aces of their school's archery club . They were considered a master when it came to their skills with the bow. Thirdly, they were famous because they were apparently the hottest boys at their school. In their high school they were considered as every girl's dream boys.
They were tall, dark and were very handsome. Not to mention they also stood out because of their foreign appearances, especially with their golden eyes or with Berserker's case, eye. They also had very well toned chests, but what made them catch every girl's eye wasn't just their outward appearance, but also their personality. Her brothers, even Berserker, had a reputation for being courteous and kind to others, especially to females, like knights in shining armors.
When Illya thought about it, all of her family members were stunning, in terms of both their outward appearances and in terms of their personalities. The girls in her class were practically green with envy that she had such a handsome father with an amazing six pack, a really good looking uncle who was musically talented, elder twin brothers who were known as archery experts and a cute younger brother who played soccer.
Her male classmates were also jealous that she had such a beautiful mother, who had an exquisite smile, captivating emerald green eyes and a regal air about her. But it wasn't just her mother, they were also jealous that she had a gorgeous aunt, who had such a charming personality. Illya was actually considered as the luckiest and most envied girl by her schoolmates. But that didn't mean that Illya wasn't attractive- she was very attractive with her snow white hair, ruby eyes and fairy like appearance.
But that's wasn't the point. Anyways, the point was that it ever since they cleared the first hurdle, they became a family. At first, she had only seen this fact at face value. But Illyasviel von Einzbern was an intelligent child and it didn't take that long for her to realize the truth that had been there all along, the very same truth that had just been waiting to be realized by her. Looking back, she thought of how foolish she was not to have noticed something so obvious, so incredibly simple.
She had been so engrossed with her thoughts that she at first didn't realize that the teacher was calling her. "Einzbern… Von Einzbern-san!" Illya shot up from her chair. "Yes!" The class laughed and Illya could feel her face and ears going red from embarrassment. "Von Einzbern-san, I know this is already the last period, but please pay attention." Illya felt her face grow even redder as she lowered her head in shame before responding to Mr. Yugori. "Yes, sensei."
He then let her sit down before resuming his lesson, and exactly five minutes later, the bell signaling the end of the period rang and the teacher dismissed the class before leaving the classroom. Illya was in the middle of packing her things when Miyu came up to her. "Illya, are you ok?" The white haired homunculus girl only sighed before answering in a small, timid voice. "I'm just so very, very, very embarrassed right now."
"Cheer up Illya, it could have been worse. You could have been caught spacing out at Ms. Jiya's class. That would have been at least eleven times worse" Miyu said and Illya nodded, but she didn't look completely reassured. "Well, I guess it is my fault for spacing out in the first place... Oh well, what's done is done. There's no use in regretting it now." Illya said as she got herself out of her slump. Miyu only smiled in response before they both walked out of their classroom.
"Miyu, do you want to get some crepes or some taiyaki on the way home?" Illya asked as they walked down the corridor. Miyu shook her head before answering. "Sorry, Illya I won't be able to walk home with you today. I have something I need to do for my club activities. I'm really sorry about this Illya, Gai-sempai only told me about it this morning." Illya looked disappointed at her answer. "Oh, then it can't be helped. We should go next time then." Illya said and was answered with a nod. "Yeah, we'll go next time instead." Miyu answered before she began to turn and walk to the opposite direction.
"See you, Illya." Miyu said. "Yeah, see you Miyu." Illya replied as she continued down her path, down the stairs and to the shoe lockers where she exchanged her inside shoes with her outside shoes before going out of her school building. But as soon as she stepped out to the outer courtyard, she instantly noticed the crowd of female students by the gate. Curious as to what they were crowding for, she went closer to see what was going on there.
What she saw surprised her. There, outside the gates of her school were her brothers, her elder twin brothers to be more exact. They were being crowded by the female students of Ridai middle school, all of them showing obvious signs of being captivated by the two. "Dia-nii! Ber-nii!" She called as she tried to make her way through the crowd. "Illya! There you are!" Dia said as he and Berserker turned to face her.
When the Von Einzbern twins began to move toward her since it looked like she was having some trouble combing through the crowd, the female population parted and made way for them. Once they reached her, the crowd around her had already moved to give the siblings some space. "Dia-nii, Ber-nii, what are you two doing here?" Illya asked them and was answered immediately. "We're here to pick you up of course."
This was how she ended up walking home with her brothers five minutes later. "So, what's the occasion for picking me up today? Don't you two have after school practice today?" Illya asked, looking in between her brothers. "We don't have any after school practice today. Dad wanted us to go grocery shopping. So, Berserker and I thought it would be nice to have you come along with us to pick out what you want for dinner." Dia explained to her and Berserker grunted as if to agree with what he had said.
Illya let out a happy squeal as she ran over to her brothers and hugged both of them. "Thank you! Dia-nii! Ber-nii!" Dia laughed as he patted her head. "You're welcome, Illya. So, what do you want to have for dinner?" Illya's face turned thoughtful before she answered him. "Curry!" Dia laughed again before turning to face his twin. "How about you Berserker, what do you want for dinner?" Berserker grunted and Dia's face turned thoughtful.
"You want to eat some hotpot, huh?" Dia asked and was confirmed by Berserker with a nod. "Well, I guess we can have some curry hotpot for tonight's dinner." Illya cheered in approval while Berserker merely gave what sounds like a grunt of satisfaction and agreement. The three of them then headed to the supermarket to buy the ingredients for tonight's dinner.
When they got home Caster was there waiting for the ingredients to start making dinner. She only needed to glance at the ingredients to figure out that they were for curry hotpot. While Caster was starting with dinner, Illya went to the living room and there she saw her father, her uncle and her little brother playing a card game. Her father was the first to notice her. "Oh, hi Princess. You wanna play a game of cards with us?" Illya immediately perked up and she ran over to where the males were playing. They then ended up playing until Caster called them for dinner.
But they ended up getting too engrossed in their game, and Saber had to go over just to make them stop their card game to eat dinner. They ate their dinner of curry hotpot while engaging in small talk. They talked about each others' day. Illya loved eating meals with her family like this, the atmosphere was so happy and relaxed, which were completely different compared to her quiet and formal meals she had when she was still living in the Einzbern Castle. The differences between these and those were like night and day.
After dinner, she had her chores. It was her turn to wash the dishes tonight. There to accompany her was her uncle, who would dry the dishes. "Illya, are you enjoying school?" Lancelot asked and was answered immediately with furious nod. "Yeah! School's really fun! I learn loads of things there like how to do watercolor and… I also get to see my friends and…" Illya rambled while Lancelot only listened, smiled at some parts of her story and interjected when it was necessary.
After her chores she began to do her homework in the living room. "Illya-nee, what are you doing there?" A voice asked and when she turned, her ruby eyes met another pair of red colored eyes. "I'm doing my homework, Gil." Illya answered and Gilgamesh walked closer to where she was on the couch. "Can I join you then, Illya-nee?" He asked and Illya smiled at him. "Of course you can Gil; you don't even need to ask." She answered and as soon as she said that, Gil raced to his room and came back with his bag.
He then opened it and got his books out and took the spot on the couch next to her and began studying there. After thirty minutes of studying, Caster entered the room with a tray that had ice cream. The ice cream was her homemade creation and she decided to give it to them as a reward for studying so hard. Gil and Illya's eyes both lit up as they saw the frozen dessert and after thanking Caster for the ice cold treat, they began to dig in.
"But don't tell your mother I gave you two ice cream, I was supposed to give you some fruits." Caster said as she placed one of her fingers on her lips and as soon as she said that, she left the room. In the next fifteen minutes, Illya and Gil ate their ice creams as they continued studying. When they finished all their homework, they decided to call it a night. Gil decided to get some sleep and went to his room, while Illya went to take a bath.
But when Illya was on her way to the bathroom, she had run into someone. But of course, she didn't run into someone literally. "Illya?" A voiced called. The white haired girl turned to the voice that called her and saw her mother standing there behind her, holding a set of pajamas under one of her arms. But it wasn't only Illya who noticed a set of pajamas; Saber noticed a pair of pajamas in Illya's hands too. "Illya, were you on your way to take a bath too?"
About a couple of minutes later, Illya was enjoying a bath in their huge eastern themed bathroom with her mother. A couple of minutes earlier, the two ladies had decided to take one together instead of having one of them wait while the other took a bath first. The two girls took their time and even chatted in the bath. They eventually got out of the bath thirty five minutes later. They then dried off, changed to their pajamas and Saber toweled Illya's hair before Illya did the same with Saber's hair.
After her bath, Illya was lying in bed awake. She was just thinking about the day's events when came a knock at her door. Illya was instantly brought out her reverie and sat up. "Who is it?" She asked while turning to face where her door was. "It's daddy dearest." When Illya heard those words, she didn't hesitate to let him in. The door opened seconds later to reveal Lancer. "Hey there, Princess." He greeted as he made his way to her.
"Hi there Lancer, what's up?" She asked as he sat down on the bed in the space next to her. "Nothing really. I had just wanted to check up on you." He answered her in a nonchalant tone before regarding her with a fatherly gaze. "Illya…" He began as his face turned serious. "Are you happy? Living with me and the others in this quiet town, away from the world of magic and with being away from the Von Einzbern family, are you really alright continuing to live a boring yet peaceful life?"
Illya answered without batting an eyelash. "There's nothing wrong with living a boring life. For someone like me who was born into a family of mages, having a normal life is my biggest dream. Right now, I'm very happy with how things are and even though I know this is selfish of me, I want to continue living here in this town with all of you." Lancer's eyes shone with an emotion that looked like pride? for a second before his eyes seemed to search her face, as if it was looking for something in her face.
When it looked like he didn't find what he was looking for, his eyes filled with mirth and a grin made its way to his face. He then laughed, his laughter being rich and genuine before he stood up. He ruffled her hair, and she was about to tell him to quit it when suddenly his ruffling turned into gentle patting. Lancer's face held such a gentle expression and it carried to his voice. "We, the ones you had summoned, all feel the same way Princess." Lancer then tucked her in bed and gave her a kiss on her forehead before leaving.
After he left, Illya just lay in bed thinking about what Lancer had told her. He had said that they felt the same as her. If they did, then that meant that they also enjoyed living in this town with her and their new family? Family, Illya smiled at that word. It was one of her favorite words, because it was the one word that could perfectly describe the ones she summoned to this world and because she knew that she actually has one of those.
She had figured it out long ago, the connection of the wish that she had told the Holy Grail to her servants. At first, she had thought that the Holy Grail had simply restored her life after she became the Holy Grail in order to help her out in granting her wish herself. But the truth was that the Holy Grail had actually already granted her wish.
Her wish had been granted. Her servants were her wish. That was why they didn't disappear after she won the fifth Holy Grail War.
They had probably known why they remained in this world, even if they didn't say anything. They had probably known that they were here because of her wish. But they just kept this to themselves for some reason. It didn't upset her that they said nothing, but she was a little upset at herself for taking such a long time to figure it out. But life goes on and she'll get over this mistake, and soon Illya closed her eyes and let sleep take a hold of her because she knew, that even if she fell asleep, the dream wasn't over.
"Holy Grail, I wish to live with a family that will love me, accept me despite all my flaws and imperfections and that will never leave me." She spoke in a confident tone and as soon as those words had left her mouth, an intense light began to shine from the Holy Grail. The light was too bright for her eyes' comfort and she quickly raised her hands in front of her face to cover her eyes from the light. That was when she awoke and her eyes slowly opened. Immediately, she felt the presence of others in the room.
"Are you the one who had summoned us?"
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