Disclaimer: I do not own the Fate franchise it belongs to Kinoko Nasu and Type-Moon.

Aurum, Sanguis, et Mors

Prologue

Summer, 1995

Valkolumi Edelfelt sat in the back of her custom Mercedes, brooding on the catastrophe that had taken place the previous year. Given how the fourth Heaven's Feel ritual had failed, it had taken a whole year to piece together what had happened during the previous year, and more after that to pull herself together, and do what needed to be done.

And to think it had gone so well at first.

Her pawn had succeeded in 'seducing' Aoi Tohsaka, and both had been exposed to Tokiomi Tohsaka. Tokiomi had been suitably enraged, and nearly did kill Valkolumi's pawn and his by then-adulterous love.

Ultimately though, Tokiomi had shown that iron control that he'd always had, even as a boy, and spared their lives. He had allowed them to leave, albeit prohibiting Aoi from ever seeing their daughter ever again as punishment.

Valkolumi had heard that this caused the woman no small distress then and now, not that she particularly cared, of course. Everything had gone according to plan, with Tokiomi having been left with a hole in his heart, a cold and empty spot by his side…

…and with some more work, no doubt, Valkolumi could have stepped onto that spot, given him the warmth that he deserved, and filled that hole in his heart. It was her place, after all, her duty. It always had been, just as she had always loved him, and still did.

And so it should had been…if not for that man's betrayal.

A betrayal he would soon pay for, and by her own hand no less. It was not and should not be an honor that he deserved, but Tokiomi was not his to take. How dare that treacherous priest raise a hand against her beloved cousin? How dare he spit on the trust her love had extended to him? How dare he give Tokiomi a coward's death?

He would pay! He must!

"Lady Schnee," Adelheid von Falkenhayn said from the driver's side seat said. "The target has entered the zone of operations."

"Good," Valkolumi said. "Commence the operation."

"Yes, my lady."

It had been easy to falsify summons from the Archbishop of Tokyo to Kirei Kotomine. Authenticating the summons and manipulating Kotomine's route was not as easy, but it had been done. And here, on this sparsely-travelled route leading away from Tokyo to what was supposed to be a country retreat where the archbishop would meet with priests from across Japan, Tokiomi would be avenged.

Tires shrieked and metal screamed as armored trucks smashed through the barricade in the middle of the road, and cornered Kotomine's car from front and back. Mercenaries jumped out and leveled SMGs at the taxi, while bounded fields slammed into place around the section of road. They would keep anyone from seeing or hearing anything out of place in the middle of the field, save for a traffic jam caused by a perfectly-ordinary accident, and cause other drivers to slow and halt.

Together with a mental compulsion not to look further into the matter, it should be sufficient to provide ample time to complete the operation. As for those inside…

…those without magic circuits would be left in a trance-like state, during which they would remember and could do nothing.

Adelheid stepped out of the Mercedes, and lifted a megaphone to her face. "Kirei Kotomine," she began. "Come out slowly, and with your hands apart."

For a few moments, there was utter silence, and then the taxi's passenger door opened. A tall man with dark hair stepped out, wearing a dark habit. He moved slowly and deliberately as asked, with hands held away from his body, but when he faced Adelheid…

…the mercenary narrowed her eyes. That smile…that was not natural. And more than that, her instincts were screaming at her that she was facing…a predator.

"Well now," Kirei began conversationally. "Am I right in assuming that the summons by the archbishop were false? Or did you simply take advantage of them?"

"That is no concern of yours." Adelheid countered. "Confirm for us, you are Kirei Kotomine, yes?"

"I am."

The Mercedes' door opened, and as Valkolumi exited, Adelheid felt the sense of danger subside. In contrast, Kirei's smile faltered ever so slightly, and if anything it seemed that this time it was his turn to feel wary. "So you are the employer of these men." Kirei observed. "And it seems you have the advantage of me, and in more ways than one. Might I have the honor of your name, my lady?"

"You are not the one asking questions around here." Valkolumi said, masking the bottom half of her face behind her fan. "I am. Answer me: did you kill Tokiomi Tohsaka?"

For a moment Kirei was silent, and then he chuckled, placing a hand against his hip while ignoring the SMGs being raised in his direction. "I see." He said. "Master Tokiomi was most curious, who had sponsored Kariya Matou during the previous war. Having abandoned his family long beforehand, his unexpectedly-impressive ability as a Master and as a magus caught Master Tokiomi completely by surprise. Am I right in assuming that you are said sponsor?"

Valkolumi was silent, and after a moment, she briefly closed her eyes. "Did you kill Tokiomi Tohsaka?" she asked again.

Kirei sighed and shook his head. "Such a question is most illogical." He said. "Why do you bother so much with who it was who slew Master Tokiomi, when you yourself engineered the destruction of his family?"

Kirei paused and smirked at one of the men facing him. "I recognize that man." He said. "He was present when young Mistress Rin was killed. Also, I found it suspicious that Kariya Matou was able to seduce Mistress Aoi so easily. Did your agent make use of magic to besot…?"

"I will not repeat my question again." Valkolumi said with narrowed eyes, inwardly-disturbed by the priest's ability to connect the dots. "Did you kill Tokiomi Tohsaka?"

Kirei smiled, and briefly closed his eyes. "I do not see what point there is behind your grudge," he said after a moment. "Given all you seem to have done, but if you must have answer, yes. I killed Tokiomi Tohsaka."

Valkolumi's fan snapped shut. Kirei stepped into a stance, Black Keys flashing into existence between his fingers.

"Tuulen," Valkolumi began to cast, blue lines flashing across exposed skin as all her magic was focused on revenge, and Kirei leaped forward, fast enough to match the Magus Killer in his prime. "…Salamurha!"

As blinding light filled his vision, Kirei's eyes could only widen in shock and disbelief.

"No…I…"

The Present Day – Winter, 2003 to 2004

Sakura Tohsaka, Sixth Head of Tohsaka shifted under her sheets, rapidly slipping back and forth between slumber and wakefulness, but ultimately unwilling to concede to the latter, weighed down by the comforting and all-encompassing warmth of her bed. But as she sank back into slumber, she felt something soft and heavy fall by her side, along with a flowery sweetness that drew her towards wakefulness.

Finally, Sakura opened her eyes, she saw Luviagelita Edelfelt lying next to her, long blonde hair styled into drills as usual. "Wakey-wakey, sleepyhead!" she said with a grin, only for Sakura to flip to her other side and curl up back into sleep. "Hey!"

Ignoring Sakura's protests, Luvia rolled her cousin out of bed. "Come on, wake up already!" Luvia huffed as a grumbling Sakura sat on the floor, rubbing her ass. "It's past nine in the morning. There'll be no breakfast if you don't!"

"How are you awake so early? And on a winter's day, no less?" Sakura grumbled, and Luvia haughtily huffed in response.

"I'm a hardworking girl, that's why." she said, and prompting Sakura to roll her eyes. "But more important than that it's almost time for breakfast! So hurry up and get ready already, before either breakfast gets cold or my little sister gets impatient."

"Yeah, yeah," Sakura grumbled before walking over to her closet to grab a towel and some fresh clothes. "Now, can you give me some privacy please? You certainly seem to have freshened up enough to have your hair curled already, and the same probably goes for Marjatta, so I'd like to freshen up myself before heading off to breakfast. And you did say almost time for breakfast. That means I still have some time for myself."

"I'd say that's only because Marjatta and I woke up early," Luvia said. "But alright. Just don't take too long now, Marjatta and our parents will be waiting in the usual place."

"Got it!"

Fifteen minutes later and Sakura walked into a dining room, joining Luvia, her twin Marjatta, and their parents for breakfast. "Good morning Uncle Kaleva, Aunt Anneli," Sakura said as a maid showed her to a seat.

"Good morning, Sakura." Kaleva Edelfelt returned the greeting.

"Good morning, Sakura." Anneli Edelfelt also returned the greeting.

"What, no good morning for us?" Marjatta remarked.

"I already said good morning to Luvia," Sakura said while taking a pastry from a platter and placing it on her plate. "But right, sorry about that Marjatta, so good morning."

"Strange, I don't recall such a greeting." Luvia said mock thoughtfully.

"I'm sure I gave such a greeting," Sakura said piously, while pouring orange juice for herself. "After all, you did most graciously wake me up for breakfast, didn't you? Why wouldn't I greet you when you're the first person I saw this morning?"

Marjatta snickered while Luvia's eye twitched. "Sakura dear," she said while cutting into a sausage on her plate. "I love you like a sister, but I do wish Marjatta had rubbed off on you less."

Marjatta wordlessly raised a hand, and Sakura's hand automatically rose to meet it, both girls wearing matching grins. Luvia's eyes twitched again, her parents laughing at the sight.

"So…" Sakura began several minutes later while busying herself with some sausage and bacon. "What's our schedule for today?"

"Well, Valkolumi's coming back from London today," Kaleva began and smiling as his niece perked up at the mention of her guardian's return. "So we'll probably have lunch out. After that, well, your Aunt Anneli will probably want to go shopping with Valkolumi before we head back here. Now, since Valkolumi and I will be busy going over her recent business, I'd say you're on your own until dinner."

"I want to go skiing." Marjatta said softly.

"Only if the weather holds." Anneli said firmly. "Got it, Marjatta?"

"Yes, mother."

"Good." Anneli said with a smile. "And the same goes for you, Luvia, Sakura."

"Yes, mother."

"Yes, Aunt Anneli."

"And after dinner?" Marjatta asked.

"Depends," Kaleva said with a shrug. "If Valkolumi and I aren't finished yet, or something comes up, then you'll probably on your own. If not, then magecraft practice. Or your mother could oversee it."

"That assumes that I won't be involved in anything that might come up." Anneli said. "Touchy thing, this business Valkolumi's gotten involved in recently."

"Agreed," Kaleva said with a nod. "But, I agree with her judgment. Too much of an opportunity to pass up, even if it is something of a…well, high-risk, go big or go home affair. Well, it comes with both what our family is known for, and of course, being magi."

"I suppose I can't argue with you there." Anneli said. "And Valkolumi is one of the best magi we have."

"Yes, she is." Kaleva agreed, as did Sakura.

"She's amazing." Sakura thought. "A better magus than father. Father barely knew what to do with my Imaginary Numbers, but Aunt Valkolumi quickly figured out how to put it good use. I…"

"What's with the smile?" Marjatta asked teasingly.

Sakura giggled and glanced at her cousin. "Just thinking," she said. "How lucky I am, to have family like Aunt Valkolumi."

And then blinking as she realized what she just said, turned to her uncle with hands raised reassuringly. "Oh but you've also done so much for me, uncle!" she quickly said. "I'm not saying that I'm ungrateful or anything, I just…no, um…"

Sakura trailed off, blushing as her cousins and their parents laughed at her. "No, it's fine." Kaleva said with a wave of his hand. "I see what you mean, and I understand. For all we've done for you, Valkolumi was ultimately the one who raised you. That aside though, I'm glad to hear we've been a good family to you…as we should be."

Sakura nodded, and beamed at her uncle. "Yes," she said. "I'm very thankful, and happy that you're my family."

Kaleva nodded, followed by Anneli and Luvia. Marjatta placed a hand on Sakura's hand, and sharing a nod at her, squeezed reassuringly before they returned to their meal.

A/N

Tuulen Salamurha: Finnish for 'Wind Lightning Dragon'. Single-count spell, but enough to reduce a man to a blackened husk, as Kirei found to his (permanent) dismay.