A title appeared on screen stating the following scene takes place 8 years before the grail war begins in the Einzbern castle, Germany. A maid could be heard yelling for Kiristugu as the screen fades into Kiritsugu sitting with a solemn look on his face.

Kirei edged slightly closer towards the screen which was noticed by Gilgamesh who sat intrigued beside him.

The screen then faced towards the out of breath maid as she informed her master what should have been the greatest news a father could receive. However, as it cuts back to Kiristugu his hands are visibly shaking.

"Do you not like children mongrel?" Gilgamesh laughed in a mocking tone but to his displeasure, Kiritsugu didn't react to his statement and instead sat watching, silent.

The scene cut to a large bed that held Iri and a newborn Illya while Kiritsugu stood beside them, staring out of a window into the white abyss outside. "She's so cute" Iri exclaimed "So small, so delicate" Kiritsugu continued to blankly stare out of the window.

Iri glanced at her husband who was on the brink of tears. He didn't want to show Illya any of this. Was it not the whole point of seeking the grail to stop all wars and keep Illya from acting as a sacrificable soldier for the Einzbern to use? Then why is there a fifth grail war? Why is Illya the new master of Berserker? What happened? All he knew was that he did not want to sit through this conversation again.

"Look, Kiritsugu" Iri once again attempted to grab his attention but it seemed nothing was getting through to him "She has your eyes" The future master of Saber stood motionless "I'm so glad that she was born" The screen showed the innocent face of Illya and then Iri who watched over her protectively. The back of Kiritsugu's head was shown as he spoke for the first time.

"Iri" Iri moved her head to face him, a smile on her lips. "I will be the cause of your death"

"What!" Shirou yelled before facing Kiritsugu as if seeing him would answer the question. Even Tokiomi showed signs of disbelief but for other reasons. He had just realized what Iri was and what her true purpose was. At that moment he felt a small amount of respect for the man known as Kiritsugu Emiya.

Iri, for a brief moment, showed signs of shock as she had yet to grow used to the mention of her ever nearing death but she quickly composed herself "I know" She smiled sadly to the child she held in her arms. "The Einzberns have dreamed of this day. It is the very reason I exist"

Shirou, still standing from his previous outburst, once again felt the strong desire to object. "How is that a reason to sacrifice your life!" this time he directed his yelling towards Iri.

"You clearly don't understand the importance of the holy grail young boy" Tokiomi turned to face the red-haired master "It is not your place to object to decisions made by a Magus" Shirou's teeth clenched but before he could think of a retort Iri continued speaking.

"When I came to know your ideals, I made your wish my own. You made me who I am today. You have guided me. You offered me a better life than that of a simple puppet. You needn't pity me" Iri exclaimed "So-"

"I" Kiritsugu interjected as he tensed his shoulders. Iri looked up towards him "have no right" Iri lowered her head, dejected. Kiritsugu's hand shook violently "to hold that child"

"Kiritsugu, do not forget" The screen cut back to the wide shot of the bed as Iri comforted Kiritsugu. "You're striving to make a world where no one needs to cry that way. That is the ideal of Kiritsugu Emiya."

Shirou stared in awe. Even back then, masked by his stoic face, his father shared his ideals. As he turned towards his father he noticed that he held his head in his hands while Iri gently stroked his back in a reassuring manner. The number of questions that flooded his mind showed him just how little he truly knew Kiritsugu.

"Eight more years, and your fight will come to an end. And our ideal will become reality. The Holy Grail will save you. I'm certain of it"

The statement caused a brief chuckle to escape Zōken's dry lips. "I wonder how well you will live up this, Kiritsugu Emiya"

A smile spread across Gilgamesh's face. "How amusing" he muttered.

The screen showed Illya's face once again as Iri spoke to her husband, her eyes not leaving her daughter. "So take this child, Illyasviel, and hold her. And be proud, like any other father" Kiritsugu hesitantly turned from the window and moved towards the bed as the screen slowly moved away from the castle before being overwhelmed by white.

Contrasting the previous scene the screen faded into a bright, colourful city in Torino, Italy which was set 3 years prior to the beginning of the fourth holy grail war. Tokiomi and Resei Kotomine were teaching Kirei the basics of command seals.

Shirou listened intently hoping for some answers to his millions of questions. Ryūnosuke began excitedly turning from the screen to his servant then back at the screen "This is that grail war you were talking about big guy. Cooool!"

"I have been chosen?" Kirei asked.

"Like I thought. You have no wish that you desire to be granted" Kiritsugu mumbled to himself

"Normally, those chosen by the Grail as Masters for the Servants are all mages.

It's highly unusual for someone like you, with no connection to magic, to be chosen so early on"

"Servants" Kirei stood facing Tokiomi as he spoke "I still find it strange to command the summoned spirits of ancient heroes to fight as familiars"

At that moment Shirou felt he could finally relate to something that someone was feeling. Heroic spirits. The holy grail. Command Seals. None of this made any sense.

"I know it's hard to believe" Tokiomi began. "Heroes from every age and nation will come back to life in the modern world, killing one another to vie for supremacy" The screen cut to Kirei's detached face then to Tokiomi as he said with pride in his voice, "That is the Holy Grail War"

Most of the masters and servants grunted at the unneeded introduction to an event they were all knowledgeable in while Shirou vigorously wrote down as much information as possible on his arm.

"Naturally, there is an unspoken agreement among all involved parties to conduct the battles in secret" Resei stated, "To ensure that this rule is upheld, we of the Holy Church send an observer."

"Can one of us really act as a judge in a battle between magicians?" Kirei asked, curious as to why the church would be involved in a magus matter.

Tokiomi began filling a champagne glass. "A Mages Association member would be too partial to one party to assure fairness"

Rin turned to her father thinking about the remnants of the last grail war. While it may be a secret it does still have lasting effects.

"My father will be coming to Fuyuki?" Kirei turned towards his father in shock. "But wouldn't it pose a problem for the overseer's child to be a participant?"

Resei stepped behind his son "Tokiomi"

"Let's get to the point" Tokiomi stated calmly as he began circling Kirei.

Kiritsugu sighed "I guess I am correct". When Archer came to the realisation of his master's plans, he was almost impressed by Tokiomi but yet he was still bored to death by how serious and plain his personality was. He turned towards the man who sat beside him. On the other hand.

"Kirei, everything we've spoken of thus far is known to all participants" Resei stated

'Not all participants' Shirou thought as he glanced at the markings on his hand. He then tilted his head so he could see Gilles and his master who paid very little attention to the screen but instead were caught in a deep conversation. While Shirou could not make out what they were saying, he had a strong feeling that it was nothing good.

"But there is an additional reason I've asked you and Tokiomi Tohsaka here today" Resei continued

"And what would that be?" Kirei questioned

"Actually, we found proof long ago that the Holy Grail that will appear in Fuyuki is not the sacred relic that belonged to the Son of God" Tokiomi staed

"So I gathered. Otherwise, an order to retrieve it would have been given to us of the Eighth Sacrament Assembly" Kirei added

"Be that as it may, Fuyuki's Holy Grail is too powerful to ignore. It is an omnipotent wish-granting device. Who knows what disaster it could unleash, should it fall into the wrong hands" Resei explained

For some unknown reason, images of the fire from 10 years ago flashed in Shirou's mind.

"In which case, the next best course of action would be to ensure that the Fuyuki Grail at least falls into the right hands"

"What?" Rin yelled at the screen then turned towards her father "Father, you wouldn't" Tokiomi gave no answer.

"The Tohsakas are a family of mages, but mages with a long history of friendship with the Church. We know what kind of person Tokiomi is" Resei stated "The Tohsakas are a family of mages, but mages with a long history of friendship with the Church. We know what kind of person Tokiomi is. And more than anything, their intentions for the Grail are plain"

"To reach the Root" Tokiomi finished "That is the Tohsaka family's sole desire. But the Einzberns and Matous have both forgotten the wish we once shared with them"

Kariya rose from his seat in anger as he faced the man that took Rin from her little sister. "How dare you" he yelled.

"We have simply moved on from such a self-centred goal" Iri huffed; her eyes remaining fixed on the screen. Kariya would have likely lept at Tokiomi if it wasn't for a strange force that pulled him back to his seat, restraining him.

"Please try to remain calm" the voice stated after being silent for the last 10 minutes "While there will be many moments shown to you that will cause such a reaction, please attempt to restrain yourself as I would prefer to unnecessarily use my powers" Only for a brief moment, Rin turned away from her father to face the man she once looked up to as an uncle. Both her and Sakura. But one day he disappeared and she never saw him again.

"The other Masters go without saying. Who knows what dark plans they may harbour for the Grail"

"Then the goal of my participation is ensuring Tokiomi Tohsaka's victory" Kirei asked

"Of course, we will maintain the appearance of enemies. But in secret, we will work together to defeat the other five Masters and assure our victory" Tokiomi answered

"How is that fair" Waver screamed bringing a proud smile on Iskander's face.

"When has the grail war ever been fair, boy" Tokiomi stated bluntly "What I am doing is preventing the grail from being used for malicious wishes"

"All you are doing is keeping the grail to yourself" Shirou yelled even though he is likely the least knowledgeable about the grail wars, therefore, the least worthy to object him.

"What you are doing maybe smart, Tohsaka" Kiritsugu stated "But it won't win you the grail"

"To that end, Kirei, you will be transferred from the Church to the Mages Association, where you will become my student" Tokiomi said

"The official orders have already been issued" Resei added

The two stopped circling Kirei "You must go to Japan and study magic, and become a mage of sufficient strength to command a Servant in the Holy Grail War in three years' time" Tokiomi took a sip from his wine "Now then"

"Any questions, Kirei?" Resei asked

"Only one" Kirei answered, "What is the Grail's criteria when it selects its Masters?"

"The Grail gives precedence to those Masters who need it most" Tokiomi answered, swirling around his glass.

"So all the Masters have a reason to covet the Grail?" Krei asked

"Not necessarily" Tokiomi answered "I'm told that in the past, there were cases in which command seals appeared on those whom you would never have expected to be chosen" Tokiomi showed signs of understanding before he finished "I see. Kirei, are you still upset over being chosen?" he asked before the screen zoomed into Kirei's eyes while ominous music played.

Kirei looked at the screen in confusing. 'Why would it paint him in such a bad light? What was it foreshadowing?'.

'This is going to be quite enjoyable' Gilgamesh looked at assassin's master and smiled 'Humans are truly fascinating, don't you agree?'

"I didn't expect him to give his consent so quickly" Tokiomi stated. The scene changed to Tokiomi and Resei overlooking the garden below where Kirei was currently walking away.

"My son would jump into a fire if the Church ordered it"

Kiritsugu gritted his teeth. 'A mindless puppet.'

"To be honest, I'm almost disappointed" Tokiomi said "From his perspective, he's been drawn into a war that has nothing to do with him"

"No, perhaps this will do him some good" Resei stated before turning from the balcony along with Tokiomi. The scene changed to Kirei walking down a path "Only a few days ago, he lost his wife.

A change of scenery and a new mission may be exactly what he needs to nurse his wounds" Kirei grabbed his hand stained with Command Seals unsure of what was in store for him.

Notes

This is only the first two scenes for now. I just realised how hard this is going to be.

Rinfantasy - I plan on doing UBW after Zero, however, I have yet to actually finish the show but then again I have plenty of time. Doing the fate route would be quite jarring as it contradicts moments in Zero but I would love to see Kiritsugu's reaction to Shirou and Saber.

Lytton - Thank you for your feedback. It is greatly appreciated. I'm sorry for messing up names and spellings but when I began writing this I was literally doing it from memory while tired af. I literally forgot lancer's true name even though he is one of my favourite servants. Please take into consideration I'm not doing this to create a masterpiece and I am far from a publishable author.

Justsomeguy - I'm planning on doing UBW but first I have to get through Zero which is going to take longer than I expected.

Ghostly - I will try my very hardest. If anyone is not to your liking then please inform me and I will attempt to fix it. I'm already thinking I made Gilgamesh too villainous and I'm only two scenes in. Also, Shirou is so hard to work with since I haven't played the visual novels.