Disclaimer: I do not own Fate/Stay Night.

Overwritten

Chapter 1

A glowing jewel was dropped into the little girl's hand, who pressed it to her chest with a small book, also handed to her by her father. The man smiled, and reaching down ruffled her hair, the girl giggling and leaning into his hand.

"Well then, I'll leave it to you." The man said. "Take care of yourself, along with your mother and sister."

The little girl nodded, and with a smile the man reached down to ruffle her hair, the little girl giggling and leaning into her father's hand. And then without another word the man turns and begins to walk away, leaving his daughter to look after him down the road in the afternoon light. The breeze picked up, sending leaves and dirt flying through the air, but the little girl continued to stare down the road at the man's back.

Even back then, I knew he would never come back.

He went to war after all.

Not a war between nations, but a war between seven magi and their Servants.

The sound of knuckles rapping rhythmically against wood broke through the fog of sleep, and causing Rin Tohsaka to stir beneath her sheets. Blinking her eyes open, she pushed the sheets partly off, and forcing herself up to a sitting position turned towards the door at another set of knocks.

"I'm up, mother." She said, stretching her arms overhead as she yawned.

"Alright," Aoi Tohsaka said through the door. "I've drawn the hot water for you, so you can take a bath before breakfast. Take your time, there's no need to rush."

"Yes."

Through the door Rin heard her mother's footsteps fade away as the older woman went back downstairs. Rin sat for a bit where she was, and then after another stretch she pushed the rest of her sheets off and swung her legs off her to bed to set her feet against the ground.

She sat there for a while, mulling over her dream, and then with a sigh reached over to her bedside table and opened a jewel box. Pulling out a glowing red jewel, she held it up and stared at it for a few moments, her father's words echoing through her mind.

Rin, the Holy Grail is the Tohsaka Clan's legacy. As our heiress, it is your responsibility and privilege to seek and claim it, when your times comes.

"I understand, father." Rin whispered, letting the gem fall into her other hand, the silver chain pooling in and out of her palm. "I understand. Tonight, I'll summon my Servant. And then…"


"When I was young, I wanted to become a Hero of Justice."

The boy and his father sat at veranda in the warm summer night. They were dressed in yukatas, having just returned home from the festival. They sat looking up at the stars, the skies clear of clouds in the summer, though the light bleeding out from the city still obscured much there in the suburbs.

The boy looked at his father. "You sound like you've given up." He said. "Why?"

The man smiled wearily. He wasn't that old, but his face was lined and wrinkled, his hair shot with grey, aged beyond his years. His hands too, were thin and bony, something that would be expected from someone suffering from a debilitating disease, or aged far beyond the man was. They did not and should not belong to him.

"I learned that saving someone means not saving someone else."

The boy silently stared at his father for a few moments, and then with a smile looked back up at the stars. "I understand." He said. "But, you're an adult, and adults give up on their dreams. So I'll make your dream come true, dad. I'll become a Hero of Justice in your place."

The man smiled sadly, his eyelids growing heavy as they slid closed. "Is that so?" he whispered. "I'm glad to hear it."

The man and his son sat in silence, but as the minutes passed the boy's smile faded, and he looked at his father. He sat silent and unmoving, a smile on his face with his eyes closed as though asleep, and after another minute the boy blinked back his tears.

The man would never open his eyes again.

"Sempai…sempai…Emiya-sempai…"

Shirou Emiya woke abruptly, jerking upright to a sitting position so quickly that the girl standing next to him took a step back. The moment passing, Sakura Tohsaka recovered, and with a smile pulled a stray lock of hair away from her face.

"Good morning, Emiya-sempai." She said.

Blinking, Shirou turned in her direction and smiled. "Good morning, Sakura." He returned her greeting.

"I've already started cooking breakfast," Sakura said as Shirou got to his feet. "But it'll be a bit before it's ready. You should take the time to freshen up, sempai. Though, you should probably hurry. I don't mind you sleeping-in for a bit, but I'm sure Fujimura-sensei will probably say quite a bit if she finds out."

Shirou laughed and rubbed the back of his head. "That's probably true." He admitted before looking down at himself. "And she'll say more if she finds out I fell asleep in here again."

Sakura giggled. "It's alright." She said. "She won't find out, at least not from me. But, you should hurry, or she might get here before you can get away with it, sempai."

Shirou glanced at her and nodded, before laughing softly, Sakura joining in shortly.


"Where's Sakura?" Rin asked. "No, don't tell me, I know. She went to that Emiya boy's place again, didn't she?"

Aoi sighed. "Yes, as she's been doing for some time now." She said.

Rin scratched her head in annoyance. "I didn't mind her going to help him when he fell sick a couple or so years ago, it was a request from a fellow council member and a generously-extended helping hand is something to be expected from our family," she said. "But I don't like her getting too close to that boy."

Aoi sighed again. "They're just friends Rin, you know that." She chided. "I trust your sister, and I have met Shirou-kun – the 'Emiya boy' as you call him – and he's a fine young man, reliable, hardworking, and trustworthy."

"I don't deny that, I have met him too." Rin replied. For a moment, a memory of a boy trying to jump over a high jump too high for him came to mind. "But, no matter what virtues he might have, he doesn't belong in the same world as we do."

"That may be true," Aoi said unhappily. "But that shouldn't get in the way of friendship. And I'm sure Sakura knows where and when to draw the line, and to respect it."

Aoi paused and sighed. "And," she said. "Sakura's only sixteen. I want her to be able to enjoy a normal life as much as possible."

Rin was silent, eating in silence for a few minutes. "She'll need to grow up soon." She said neutrally. "Even if she isn't the family heiress, she still has obligations to our family. And for those of our social standing, it's scandalous for a daughter not to be at least engaged once she comes of age."

Aoi looked sadly at Rin, and sighed again. "I know." She said softly. "And that's why she should enjoy life and make as many happy memories as she can right now. Because once she comes of age, she'll have so many responsibilities to bear."

"Life isn't easy." Rin replied. "And no matter how many responsibilities she will bear, mine will be heavier, no, they already are. After all, I've been bearing them ever since I was old enough to think."

"You think I don't know that?" Aoi asked. "I know. And if I could have my way you either of you wouldn't have to."

"Mother…"

Aoi looked away, the gesture enough to silence her elder daughter. "I know." She said. "I know you had to bear those responsibilities. I know Sakura has to bear them eventually as well. I've known ever since either of you were born, no, ever since I married your father. "

Aoi glanced back at Rin, who looked taken back at the surprising intensity in her eyes. "And, I too have responsibilities of my own, which I've carried even before I married your father." She said. "And one of those is to support both of you in any and every way I can."

Aoi sighed and shook her head. "You've been saying what you've said today for years now." She said. "And I don't disagree…for the most part. I will thank you for not having me fail my responsibilities, because I know you will do the same for me."

Rin was silent for several moments, and then she nodded. "Alright, alright," she said. "I'll overlook it, as usual. But, don't forget the Fifth Holy Grail War is about to begin. And with it, Sakura will have to step up beside me. No point in letting her talents go to waste after all."

Aoi looked away, and sighed. "I know." She whispered.


A crow winged her way down from the morning sky, circling down to an adolescent couple in brown and white uniforms making their way down the street. As she made her final approach, the girl raised her arm in expectation.

The crow beat her wings a few times to right herself, before firmly but gently gripping onto her mistress' – her 'greater part' – arm. "Good morning, Sakura." The crow greeted in a somewhat deep but undoubtedly feminine tone.

"Good morning, Karasu-chan." Sakura returned the greeting. The crow then glanced beadily at Shirou.

"Good morning to you too, boy."

"I have a name, you know." Shirou replied frostily. Karasu for some reason never seemed to respect him, which was really weird, considering she – Karasu – was actually a fragment of Sakura's own soul which she split off and put in a crow to make a familiar. And yet, Karasu never acted like Sakura did, and more like a cranky tomboy who liked to push other people's buttons.

"Good for you."

A vein began to throb on Shirou's forehead, and Sakura giggled before patting Karasu's back and then Shirou's shoulder. "Now, now," she said. "Don't fight the two of you. Sempai, don't rise to Karasu-chan's bait. Karasu-chan, please don't bait sempai."

"Yes, yes."

"Yes, yes."

"And?" Sakura said, raising her arm until Karasu was at eye-level. "I get the feeling you've got something important to say."

"Not surprising, you and I are still technically the same person." Karasu said, briefly preening a wing. "Your sister's not happy."

"Well there's nothing new about that." Sakura said with a resigned sigh. "Nee-chan never liked sempai, and she liked me coming over even less. Huh, maybe I should stay the night over for a few days. It could be interesting to see and hear her reaction."

The silence was profound, Shirou and Karasu staring at the completely unfazed girl. Sakura sighed. "It was a joke." She said.

"Not funny," Shirou growled. "Even if you just sleep over she'll still kick my ass, and worse your mom might raise a fuss over it. I don't mind Rin not liking me or you coming over all the time, but I'd rather stay on your mom's good side."

"Well," Karasu put in. "Even if Rin disapproves, so long as Aoi is fine with it then she'll have to tolerate it. So staying on Aoi's good side is most wise. Though, you mentioned 'even if you just sleep over'. Are you implying something else could happen by that, boy?"

Shirou's cheeks turned pink, and he refused to meet either Sakura or Karasu's eyes. "I have no idea what you're talking about." He said.

Karasu cawed in what sounded a lot like a crow's version of mocking laughter, before turning to her mistress. Just like Shirou her cheeks were pink, and refused to meet the boy's eyes. "What about you, mistress?" Karasu asked. "What do you think of what the boy said?"

"Let us not talk about it."

"Interestingly you have such similar reactions…"

"LET US NOT TALK ABOUT IT."

"…yes, mistress."

"Anyway," Sakura said with a cough. "Leave nee-chan to me. If there's anyone apart from mom who can calm her down when she gets into one of her moods, it's me. And besides, she'll come looking for me sooner or later. She always does."


"Sakura, we need to talk."

Sakura shrugged. "Okay." She said, handing over her paperwork to the class' assistant representative. Following after Rin, the sisters made their way up to the roof. As the door was closed behind them, Sakura felt the bounded field fall into place and sighed. "Is it that time of the month again?" she asked.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nee-chan, once or twice every month you drag me up here to try and get me to start avoiding sempai." Sakura said with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Then maybe you should start listening to your older sister for once." Rin said irritably, also crossing her arms over her chest.

"I do listen to you." Sakura said. "But I can't follow what you're telling me to do when there's no real reason to. Sempai's a good kid. I don't know why you can't trust him."

"It's not that I don't trust him…" Rin trailed off at the skeptical look on Sakura's face.

"That's a lie, and you know it." Sakura said darkly. "And I think I know why."

"Oh really?"

"Yes." Sakura said with a nod before sighing and reaching up to run through her hair. "Well I think I do. I think that because you consider Emiya-sempai lower class than we are, he's the type to string girls along, play them until they trust him enough to sleep with him, and then when he gets bored he'll just look for fresh meat. Or am I wrong?"

Rin spluttered in outraged denial. "T-t-t-t-that's not…I don't…you watch too much soap Sakura! And you should knock it off. That stuff rots your brain." She spluttered. Sakura's lips twitched in amusement.

"Mom watches soap regularly in her free time." She said. "Are you saying her brain is rotting through?"

"Don't put words in my mouth." Rin said firmly. "And the same goes for what you said earlier. And we've been through this before, though that soap-like idea of yours is new."

"If I followed your advice and held myself to 'my proper station' all the time, I wouldn't have any friends." Sakura cut in.

"I'm not saying you shouldn't have friends I'm just saying you should keep them at a distance appropriate to our proper station." Rin said. "I don't understand why you can't seem to understand this. You are a Tohsaka. You need to present…"

Sakura set her jaw and flexed her fingers as Rin gave her usual lecture on the proper behavior and such expected of a member of the Tohsaka Clan. "I could say it in a way you'd understand," Sakura thought. "But if I did you'd probably slap me."

"Do you understand?"

Sakura blinked, and then to Rin's surprise, shock, disappointment, and then resignation in that order, Sakura bowed formally. "I hear and obey, Your Excellency, Sixth Clan Head." She said just as formally.

Rin just sighed and shook her head. "Everything I just said went over your head, as usual." She said in frustration. "Alright, alright, it's as mother said, until you're of age you should be able to live normally, or as normally as a scion of a magus house should be. Because after that…"

"Fuck that shit," Sakura thought angrily, though she kept her emotions from showing. "I won't let you marry me off for political or financial gain, nee-chan. I hope you realize that in the next few years, because if you don't, we won't be family anymore."

Sakura closed her eyes, and bowed again as her sister finished speaking. "I'm sorry, mom." She thought, giving another formal acquiescence to her sister's uneasy acceptance. "Your daughter's so selfish. But, I won't accept it. If grandpa was willing to offer dad a choice to bear the family legacy or to walk his own path, then I should have that same choice as well! I'm not even heiress for gods' sakes! Why should I have to lose everything I could want and hope to become with no say in the matter?"

Rin sighed. "Alright," she said resignedly. "Although, it's gone over your head, I'm sure you understand. Please don't think I'm being imposing Sakura, I just want the best for you."

Sakura nodded, and with another sigh Rin dispelled the bounded field. "Well then," she said. "I'll see you later then. I don't like it, but you'll probably eat with that Emiya boy again later. Mother says it's fine so…anyway, the Servant summoning will be tonight. I could use your help in fine-tuning the summoning ritual."

"Of course," Sakura said with a nod. "I, and my talents, are at your disposal, Your Excellency."

Rin sighed again, and made a dismissive gesture. Sakura bowed, and leaving left Rin alone on the roof.


"So, how did it go?"

"It's the same as ever." Sakura said unhappily, she and Shirou making their way to the grocery to buy ingredients for tonight's dinner.

"I still think you should be more up front with her." Shirou said. "As you say, she doesn't understand. But how can she understand when you won't say anything to her?"

"None so deaf as those who cannot hear." Sakura replied. "Nee-chan is daddy's little girl. They have the same pride in our magus heritage and noble lineage. And everything else, be it our family, our individual opinions, or even our hopes and dreams, are secondary to living up to that legacy and its expectations. If necessary, they can and must be sacrificed."

Shirou's face hardened, and he looked away. "That's wrong." He said softly. "Family, how people feel, their hopes and dreams, they shouldn't be thrown away like that! People aren't tools! Tools to be used and then thrown away as needed! All for the 'power of miracles'? A list of names who kept repeating the same mistake over and over again?"

Sakura glanced at the boy next to her. She remembered seeing him back then, trying to jump over a high jump too high for him, but even so he kept on trying and trying, the whole morning, until he finally made it. It seemed so stupid, so useless, and yet…

…he never gave up.

And that was the whole point.

He never gave up.

Sakura smiled sadly. "Grandpa…he understood." She said softly. "He gave dad a choice. He could be a magus, or he could live his life freely, normally. Dad chose the former."

Shirou was silent for a long time. He'd heard this story before. And as they crested a hill, he glanced at the girl beside him, and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Will you really do it?" he asked. "When the time comes?"

"If grandpa offered the choice to dad, how could my sister deny it to me?" Sakura said softly. She smiled a bittersweet smile. "I guess I'm also daddy's little girl, aren't I? I'm going to use their – her – pride in family precedent to win my freedom. I'm no different, abandoning my family for my own selfish ends."

"No, I don't think so." Shirou said, looking up at the sky. "Even if it is selfish, you're different. Because, your grandfather wasn't wrong in giving your father a choice. He chose the path he would walk in life, so he should accept the responsibility that comes with it. And he, and your sister, are wrong to keep that choice from you, and force responsibility you never chose on you."

Sakura looked surprised at Shirou, who smiled down at her. "If your grandfather were alive," he said. "I'm sure he'd approve of your choice."

Sakura looked troubled for a moment, and then she smiled and nodded. "You have your moments too, don't you sempai?" she asked. Shirou laughed, and rubbed the back of his head as Sakura joined in.

"Well, I try."


A/N

Zouken never asked for Sakura ITTL, since there was no need to. Why should he? He knew Kariya had a daughter, and given Kariya had excellent magical potential (initially since by the time Fate/Zero rolled around a lack of training/use meant his circuits had atrophied) it's not a bad assumption he passed that on to his daughter, who would be better suited for the role of Matou heiress. Canonically, even with all the modifications done to her, Sakura was still ill-suited for the Matou magecraft, implicitly since her genetics were keyed for the Tohsaka magecraft.

Akizuki though is a Matou by blood. She is genetically-keyed for the Matou magecraft…or at least, she should be.

Of course, just because she isn't being used as a host and breeding ground for worms, it doesn't mean everything is golden for Sakura. Rin is living up to (or trying to) her status as clan head. And it's driving Sakura and Aoi nuts.