A/N: Trigger warnings for abuse, sexual assault, rape, and torture (similar to Heaven's Feel and Remaining Sense of Pain). Reader discretion is strongly advised.

Chapter 2: Home Is Where The Heart Is

It had been a stressful and tiring semester for Shirou and Rin. Having to navigate the Clock Tower's bureaucracy was difficult even for experienced and worldly mages. For the young duo, especially without the guidance of any established lords or mages, they were plunged directly into a completely different society.

Luvia alone had given Rin headaches. Within the first week of their arrival, she had already hired Shirou as a butler, right in front of Rin. Shirou wasn't idiotic enough to acquiesce to Luvia's romantic advances, but Rin's jealousy was so thinly veiled she practically assaulted Luvia in the halls when she saw them together. Their frequent bouts in the training facilities had already become public spectacles, and the betting circles that had sprung up amongst frequent attendees were an open secret even amongst the faculty. Shirou distinctly remembered Rin pulverizing three stone targets in a rage while practicing for another rematch.

Worse still, Lord El-Melloi II, widely regarded as brilliant but a complete eccentric, was a complete enigma. Asking Rin to do him favors as part of her tutelage was fairly standard for a professor, but instead of asking her to help him with experiments or research, he had stranger requests. His usual demand for the latest Admirable Tactics video game and completely blasé attitude towards genuine requests for academic support made him impossible to work with, and insufferable outside of his lectures. His permanent scowl and seemingly complete disregard for his students' wellbeing made him the Clock Tower's resident grouch. His saving grace was that his lectures were about practical applications of magic, instead of the arcane magical theory that the other professors preferred. Despite being uncooperative outside of class, Rin had already progressed more in a year learning from him than she had through three years of "training" with Kirei.

Even Shirou, notorious for being the most agreeable person back in high school, was set on edge by the detachment and disdain from some of the other mages. Whether it was his extreme specialty in projection and reinforcement magic, his utter ineptitude at the vast majority of basic magecraft, or his roots in distant Japan, the amount of students looking at him with predatory eyes made even his continual cheer falter.

But that was all behind them now. The winter chill had given way to the summer heat of May. After weathering the rainy London spring, the bright Japanese summer was like a refreshing, sunny, beach in comparison. The cherry blossoms in the parks were in bloom, framing the grassy fields and green bushes with vibrant pink flowers. It was almost like a flower girl had prepared the walkway for whoever happened to chance upon the extraordinary sight. Rin's eyes, having become tired and dull from spending late nights at the Clock Tower, were starting to regain their natural sparkle. Finally, they were home, and no amount of mage bureaucracy could bother them now.

Absently, Shirou felt the sleeve of his shirt tighten as someone pulled on it, and looked down to find a pair of blinking aquamarine eyes and a hand waving in front of his face. He blinked in turn as he stepped onto the sidewalk, wheeling his arms to prevent himself from tripping, and he faintly heard the bus behind them begin to shuffle away from their stop.

"Are you going to help me with our bags, or do I have to carry them all back myself?" Rin said, wearing a red cardigan, black skirt, leggings, and her signature smirk, while holding her hands on her hips. Shirou blanched, then picked up their luggage, grabbing their two suitcases and giving Rin her tote bag, sheepishly apologizing as she affectionately rolled her eyes.

Shirou mentally kicked himself. He was trying to hide his unease about returning home, but he was doing a poor job of it, and he could tell Rin saw right through his faraway look by the not-so-subtle glances she gave him as they walked. What exactly would he and Rin be doing in Fuyuki while on leave from the Clock Tower? Maybe he could go talk to some of his friends and see if they knew if anything was going on, or knew any work he could do in the meantime.

Despite trying to find jobs and pursuits online while in London, he hadn't found anything worthwhile. Rin had immediately abandoned that pursuit when confronted with Shirou's laptop, so she had not been able to help. His best opportunity had been a job in Mifune City, with some sort of company that needed people "versed in the supernatural" as some sort of private investigator, but that offer had been taken nearly a month ago. He could go check in person, but there didn't seem to be much hope there.

Regardless, he'd need some way of providing for both their living costs and Rin's ever-growing need for research materials, primarily expensive jewels. He shuddered as he recalled the first time he and Tohsaka had tried to inject mana into a projected jewel. He was glad that he could reinforce his limbs, otherwise that explosion would have dismembered him. The stipend that the Clock Tower had provided for Rin's jewel research and the income from the ancestral Tohsaka magical prototypes would have to be supplied by some form of income, so he'd have to pick up some side jobs here and there. He could always help out at the Copenhagen, like during high school, but he'd prefer to find something more related to helping others than bartending. Not that bartending couldn't be fulfilling, but he could do more good elsewhere. He'd also have to find a place to practice using his reality marble in secret. Rin had warned him of the possibility of a sealing designation if the Clock Tower ever found out about the true nature of his abilities.

Shirou and Rin rounded the bend and turned onto Mount Miyama, Fuyuki's market district, only a quick stroll away from the Emiya residence. Shirou was used to frequenting these stores and stands, and the majority of the little shops peddling various foods or goods were largely the same as he remembered. The fish peddler, the florist, and the antique shop were identical to his last grocery trip almost a year ago. Beside him, Rin blinked, then tapped him on the shoulder.

She gestured to Edomaeya, the food truck where Ayako had brought her to eat one afternoon. "Can I stop and grab some food before we leave? I want some taiyaki since we didn't get any food on the flight here."

"Might as well, we're not in any rush today," Shirou said, and shrugged. "Go ahead, I'll meet you back home later. Let's meet back at my place in an hour or so, at five o'clock?"

"Let's have dinner then, while we're at it. I want some of your Japanese cooking for a change."

Shirou shook his head with a wry smile, and he began considering what he might make as his eyes wandered to the nearby fish stall. Something quick and easy would do. At least salmon was on sale; he could make those foil-baked fish and mushroom dishes with little to no cleanup required. Perfect, for their first night back. Now, where could he find mushrooms and sake?

Meanwhile, Rin practically skipped off to the stand, ready to sink her teeth into a delicious, filling, red bean taiyaki. There was only so much Western food she could tolerate at the Clock Tower before beginning to crave her home cuisine. Even if, technically speaking, taiyaki was fast food, and couldn't hold a candle to Shirou's home cooking, she wanted to treat herself before catching up with her responsibilities as Fuyuki's Second Owner. Maybe she could find someone to keep vigil over the city while she travelled elsewhere.

Picking up her lightly steaming taiyaki, shaped like a fish and wrapped in a fold of wax paper, Rin closed her eyes and inhaled the smell of freshly fried dough. She wandered through the market, browsing the storefronts and shops for anything that caught her eye. She munched on her snack and watched as some younger Homurahara students, dressed in the traditional beige uniforms and running with youthful enthusiasm, passed by. The sound of storekeepers advertising deals and chatting with customers echoed all around her as people flitted from place to place, oblivious to the magus walking in their midst. Rin walked amidst the crowds and relaxed. The words passing by her ears were in her native tongue, the sights and smells were the same as ever, and she felt the tension and unease of the last few months slacken.

Rin walked aimlessly for several minutes, watching pedestrians stroll by amidst the low growl of motorbikes and cars in surrounding streets, until a red ribbon tied in a loose head of violet hair caught her eye. Curious, Rin stopped and stared as the unmistakable figure of Sakura Matou shuffled into the street, holding plastic bags full of groceries. She was wearing a long, white dress with a pink cardigan instead of her school uniform. With a jolt, Rin realized that she would have graduated just over a month ago, with the annual high school graduation ceremony on the first of April. Then, what would she do in the future? Would she find a job, or go to university, or… would she pursue magecraft?

Unconsciously, Rin chewed on her lip as she struggled with the guilt and discomfort of twelve years of separation. No magus would approach a near-stranger so casually. And despite her best efforts to be friendly towards everyone at school, as per her reputation as the school idol, it always felt as if their interactions as students had an aura of forced calm. Both of them wore masks, silently agreeing to avoid any topic too personal or intimate. It was too direct to simply talk to her as if there were no barriers between them. But her conscience wouldn't let it go. The voice that spoke in Archer's pointed barbs, which made her confront and accept her feelings for Shirou, pulled at her once again.

Don't you want to get to know her? You were once inseparable. Hmmph. Or are all mages this insufferably stubborn?

Despite always defaulting to her ingrained tendency to ignore her emotions, that ever-growing urge to be human wouldn't allow Rin to stand by and let this opportunity to make amends pass. And if Sakura was going to get involved in magecraft, she wouldn't stand by and let her suffer just because of something as stupid as a little embarrasment.

So as Sakura walked down the side of the street, quietly weaving between bodies and occasionally giving longing glances to the wares in various stores, Rin swallowed the last of her delectable taiyaki, crushed the wax paper in her hand, and quietly started following her. Making sure that her shoes made no noise on the concrete sidewalk, she trailed right behind Sakura. Delicately timing her footfalls, Rin began thinking of how to initiate such an overdue reunion. She stalked closely behind her target, thinking of various greetings and introductions, until she saw Sakura suddenly flinch, stumble, and fall out of the corner of her eye. Rin reflexively grabbed her flailing arm, pulling her out of the way of any concerned passerby.

"You should really pay more attention to where… Sakura?" Rin's brow furrowed as her voice trailed off. Sakura's eyes were slightly unfocused and cloudy, and one of her hands almost unconsciously encircled her stomach in a vise-like grip. The arm Rin had grabbed during her fall was tightly clenched, and the muscles underneath were trembling, as if she was cold despite the rays of summer sun and the busy crowds enveloping them in heat.

Sakura teetered on her toes for a moment, then with an exhale that seemed entirely too forceful for Rin's liking, straightened up, all traces of any discomfort gone. The cloudiness in Sakura's eyes was replaced with a clear, almost piercing gaze, and her hand no longer wrapped around her ribs, but hung by her side loosely. Rin, confused by this unexpected behavior, defaulted to the first question on her mind. "What just happenedー?"

Sakura levelled Rin with a solemn look, interrupting her. "It's nothing, Tohsaka-senpai. I just bumped into someone by accident." The steely undertone in her voice, however, seemed a little too steady for the fall she had almost taken.

Rin knew that face all too well. It was the same unshakeable barrier she herself used in high school, shrugging off any pain or loss or loneliness, forcing a smile to her lips and a quick reply to her tongue even when she wanted to curl up and cry. Her father had worn the same visage when he had taken Sakura out for a walk and came back alone.

Gently probing for a reaction, or lack thereof, Rin asked, "How are you feeling?"

Shirou had told her that vague responses tended to conceal a deeper emotional state, and after examining how she habitually deflected emotional inquiries with vague answers, she had to agree. Whenever she was agitated or exhausted, her mind would simply default to an evasive answer to divert the conversation away from what really bothered her. It hadn't been until that night, under the stars and in a grassy field, that she had learned how open and straightforward people could be with their emotions.

Sakura's eyes widened at the unexpected question. "I'm fine, don't worry about me." Her lips thinned into a hard line, inviting no further conversation. Rin gave her a terse smile, trying to ease the palpable tension in the air.

Running a hand through her hair, Rin tried to organize her thoughts as best as she could. She had plenty of questions to ask her in private about Shinji and the Matou family's familiarity with magecraft.

It seemed as if the Matous hadn't activated her latent mana circuits, since there wasn't a single trace of mana coming from her body. Even so, Sakura had to learn about the Moonlit World somehow. Whatever dizziness or spell Sakura had just experienced warranted some minor concern as well. "How bothersome," she complained to herself.

You brought this on yourself by acting like your relationship had vanished as soon as she left the house. If you had at least tried to reach out, this might not be so difficult.

She was really starting to regret the cold mentality she had tried to don for so much of her life. It was only making opening up to others more difficult.

You also never told Shirou that Sakura is—or was—your sister. He cares about you two. He deserves to know.

She recoiled in surprise. Archer's acrid tone was harsh; the steel-on-stone rasp of his voice, echoing his reality marble, burned in her ears. She heard what he left unsaid: I deserved to know.

It would be best if Sakura stayed for dinner. She could discreetly make sure Sakura was alright, and rekindle their relationship while explaining the Holy Grail War and magecraft in Shirou's confidence. And while Shirou was present, she could describe their childhood separation and why it had been kept secret. Surely he would understand their odd relationship, given the circumstances of her sister's… it was best to refer to it as "adoption".

She pursed her lips. "Are you busy later today?" Rin asked, trying to keep her voice as casual as possible. It was essential not to make Sakura think she was imposing, giving her no excuse to leave under the guise of good manners.

Sakura shook her head. "The semester's ended, so there's not much going on." That was an uncomfortable reminder of her uncertain future.

"I suppose we'll have an extra mouth to feed at dinner tonight," Rin mused. She pulled out her phone and typed a message to Shirou, cursing her own ineptitude with technology, before pulling Sakura along with her at a brisk walk. "Come on, we're going to Emiya-kun's place tonight. We're going to celebrate our homecoming and the start of summer together."

But despite the smile on her lips and her deceivingly cheery tone, Rin's brow was furrowed in thought. She had unconsciously donned the mask she used to deal with other Clock Tower mages. Even the knowledge of magecraft's existence could come with risks, and a dead bloodline like the Matou family likely concealed secrets she couldn't account for. She'd just have to hope that Sakura could take care of herself.

Sakura bit her lip and quietly trailed Rin. She let herself be led through the streets of Fuyuki, even if Shinji would be annoyed that she came home late without warning, not to mention what Grandfather would say if she was late for training. The glimpse of hope and joy that sparked in her chest when she had spotted Shirou in the market had already awakened the crest worms, and she was sure Grandfather would notice their hunger.

She had to keep the punishments that had been inflicted on her and the toll they had taken on her body secret. Knowing that Rin had already seen her vulnerable state earlier, when she almost fell, it would only be increasingly difficult to act like nothing was wrong, especially when her feelings refused to stay suppressed around Senpai. No, it was impossible that the signs of her affliction would stay suppressed forever, especially when she was so weak that her heart still leaped at the sight of either of them. The shameful lust, the chest pains, the suffocating burning in her chest, they would consume her eventually if she tried to stay with people more deserving than her. It was best to simply end this quickly and move on.

She was far too defiled to deserve what others had, but she had to be strong regardless, so that others wouldn't have to worry about her. Rin and Senpai were happy together, enough to move on with their lives together outside of Fuyuki. She knew they would live longer and achieve greater things than she could ever hope to. She would choose to suffer alone so they could move on from caring for such a tainted soul. Their current kindness was more than she deserved, and it wasn't like she really mattered to them. She would be happier once they finally let her go.

Sakura was glad Rin's back was turned, so she could not see the tears that flowed down her cheeks, despite her eyes being clenched shut. Discreetly, she raised her arm and dried her eyes with the cuff of her sleeve, shoving away any intrusive thoughts of jealousy or regret. Like Grandfather said, tears were a sign of weakness, and such vulnerability was not tolerated in the Matou household.

She would accept what fate Grandfather determined for her. There was no other path for her, and crying wouldn't change that.

With each silent sob, the familiars implanted throughout her nerves and heart twitched, and it was all Sakura could do to grit her teeth and keep from collapsing. She latched onto Rin's hand as she walked.

She repeated the mantra she had heard throughout her entire childhood, the one that Grandfather said defined her existence: "You're worthless." She repeated it to herself over, and over, and over again. With every step, she whispered it under her breath, hammering the words into her brain. Her tears slowly stopped flowing, and the pain running throughout her body started to subside.

She felt the grip of Rin's hand on her own, and latched onto her strength for just a little longer, as Rin led her on the familiar path to where Shirou lived for the last time.

Shirou stepped into his kitchen and turned on the lamp. It was just like he remembered it, save for a long-discarded can of beer sitting on the table. Fujimura-sensei's doing, no doubt. He felt his phone buzz in his pocket, and he put down his groceries to find a rare message from Tohsaka. Sakura was coming for dinner? It would be nice to see her again, too.

Shirou had already begun preparing dinner portions for three. It would be like old times, when he would make dinner for whoever happened to come by in the evening. "What a pity Fujimura-sensei had to be out of town, she would have been ecstatic that we were finally back." Shirou said to the empty air. He chuckled to himself as he thought of the nights when she and Saber would eat five people's portions between them.

With the amount of people staying at his home during the Grail War, he could have run a ryokan. Now, his kitchen cupboards largely gathered dust. It was easier on his wallet, but he sorely missed the company of others. The satisfied looks on others' faces when they ate their fill of delicious food made him happy. Their smiles filled the void in his heart, back when his wish to make others happy had wholly consumed his existence. But even after realizing his paradoxically selfish wish for others to be happy, putting on the apron and lighting the stove felt like putting on a familiar, comfortable outfit.

He pulled out the filets of salmon he had bought, drizzling a hint of sake on top, then generously seasoned them with salt and pepper. Cleaning, cutting and measuring out the respective proportions of ingredients, he quickly constructed what would become mouth-watering buttered salmon with mushrooms and vegetables in small aluminium foil packets. After pouring some water into his pan and covering the lid to steam his folded parcels, he turned the heat to low and turned to make rice.

As he poured water into his rice cooker, he heard the rattling sound of the front door sliding open.

"Shirou? We're home." He heard Rin's distant voice echo in from the doorway.

Not bothering to remove his apron, he met the two girls as they were removing their shoes. Sakura looked almost the same as he remembered, but she wore a long white dress and pink cardigan instead of her old high school uniform, and she gave him a hesitant smile in lieu of a greeting. It had taken him the better part of two years, but she had eventually broken out of her shell. Especially in his last year of high school, she had become less timid, perhaps because of Shinji's mellowed demeanor after being rescued from the Grail. He hoped she wouldn't revert to the withdrawn, timid girl she had been when they first met.

However, the look in Rin's eyes was frosty, and she wore a slight scowl instead of her earlier smile. "Wasn't she feeling better earlier?" he thought. She had even thought to bring Sakura home for dinner. He hadn't noticed that they were friends, but perhaps they were closer a few years ago. Shrugging it off, he welcomed them with a smile.

"It's great to see you again, Sakura. Dinner's almost ready, so I'm going to go get the table set. Make yourselves at home."

Unfortunately, both of them were too lost in thought to enjoy the meal he had prepared.

Sakura used the action of taking off her shoes to disguise the shudder that ran through her body as she entered Shirou's home. The hint of desire that she felt at seeing the target of her affection caused the familiars within her to awaken again, leeching the energy and mana from her body. A wave of exhaustion struck her, accompanied by the familiar sensation of agony in her core.

She quickly sat down at the table, eager to disguise her discomfort and dizziness. The blood in her veins burned with a fiery heat, and her heart pulsed at a frenetic pace, as if she had just run for kilometers on end. The mana drain from the familiars seemed to centralize all the warmth in her body, and the goosebumps that rose on her skin created peculiar tingling sensations on her arms. Blood rushed into her cheeks and she flushed, tiny drops of sweat beginning to invisibly bead on her forehead and legs.

Sakura fought to keep her emotions and body under control, pressing her arms to her stomach. The prickling she felt on her skin gradually spread beneath her navel, settling into an uncomfortable ache in the pit of her stomach. She hadn't felt the nagging, primal hunger of her body for a year, ever since Nii-san and Senpai left, and it threatened to overwhelm her. She bit her bottom lip, tasting the metallic tang of blood as she drowned out the rest of the sensations with a sharp pain.

Shirou brought out the filets of salmon, accompanied by bowls of sticky white rice and a small bottle of soy sauce. Throughout her life, the one constant of his home was the delicious food. From the first time she had stayed over for dinner throughout the rest of her time in high school, she had admired his skill in the kitchen. Looking at the food on the table, Sakura couldn't help but feel nostalgic. The lessons he had so graciously given her seemed dreamlike, the one respite from her family every day. Even when she wanted nothing more than to curl up on the floor and cry, she couldn't help but appreciate the culinary skill on display.

The three of them settled in to eat. Though Sakura's appetite had mostly vanished due to the crest worms' feeding, she took small bites, not wanting to offend Senpai's hospitality. For a few minutes, the three of them ate quietly, appreciating the rare chance to share a home-cooked meal.

"How has school been, Sakura? Was running the archery club difficult in Mitsuzuri-san's absence?" asked Shirou between bites.

"Mitsuzuri-senpai still visited to observe team practices, even if I was captain this last year," Sakura said, in her usual self-deprecating tone. "In some ways I think she still wishes she could keep running the club, even though she still does kyudo at college. She never really gave up trying to train up the next generation." As she finished her sentence, her eyes met Shirou's curious gaze, and her heart began to pound anew. Even as she hunched over to keep her gaze lowered, her eyes rebelliously drifted across the line of his jaw and his muscled arms. Her chest and neck began to flush, and she was so warm that even her thin dress threatened to suffocate her.

Shirou chuckled to himself. "That does sound like her." Those were simpler times, when all he had to worry about was Mitsuzuri begging him to rejoin the club or Issei's routine spats with Rin.

"Do you think the school has a chance to top the regional meet next year?" Rin asked politely. Archery was the one activity she feigned interest in, though whether for Sakura's or for Emiya's sake, she was unsure.

"Some of the juniors are already better than me, so I think they'll d-do great." It was all Sakura could do to choke out a nonanswer, her eyes boring holes into her lap. Just sitting in such close proximity to Senpai twisted her tongue, causing her words to fall out in a jumble. She didn't notice how her mumbled words slurred together into a stutter. She clenched her arms and legs against her body to concentrate and took deep breaths, trying to calm the heartbeat that threatened to erupt at a moment's notice. Never before had the worms been this active.

"So, Sakura. Now that you've graduated, what do you plan on doing?"

Was it Senpai or Tohsaka-senpai talking? How odd, that she could not tell. She shook her head, trying to clear her mind, but the pounding in her chest was deafening. It seemed as though their voices were drifting farther and farther away. Blood rushed throughout her body and made her skin flush. She could feel the worms fueling her body's desire, pooling heat and moisture at her core. She squeezed her eyes shut, hoping this was some sort of nightmare.

She lay still as the worms crawled around and inside her. After a year of Grandfather's training, she had long since learned to move as little as possible. Her squirming and thrashing during the first few sessions had sent the worms into a frenzy, exacerbating her pain tenfold. But now, her muscles relaxed, and she simply let the worms eat their fill. She reinforced the mental walls that blocked out her senses, retreating into her mind's gallery of memories and fantasies.

She was sleeping on her bed, curled up under warm blankets. She was in the archery range at school, taking aim at a target next to Mitsuzuri-senpai. She was lying next to Senpai, at the top of a hill under the shade of a tall tree, with a picnic basket at their feet. She yawned lazily, and after blinking drowsily several times, felt a cool breeze ruffle her hair. A broad arm curled around her shoulders, and she listened to the orderly thumping of his heartbeat.

The door opened at the top of the training room, causing a thin beam of light to silhouette the hunched old man, leaning on his twisted cane. His body dissolved, and the mass of familiars forming his human body melted into the pit. As one particular crest worm inched its way into Sakura's chest, she felt a frozen hand curl around her heart. Her eyes opened, and her mouth opened in a silent scream.

She distantly felt her hand let go of her chopsticks and heard them clatter on the table. The world around her seemed to spin, and the muscles holding her frame upright gradually went limp. Her eyes were shut before her back touched the tatami floor.

She did not hear Rin's anguished scream.

"NEE-SAN!"

Warning: Explicit Material Below

She was becoming less entertaining every week. It was impossible to elicit any reactions from her, even when threatened or hit or pleasured. When she had first been laid bare on their ramshackle pool table months ago, all they had seen was a pretty young thing, someone to dominate and abuse as they saw fit. But she gave none of the reactions that they sought. The cowering and begging that they were accustomed to was replaced with detached, half-hearted rejections. Her mouth told them to stop, but she didn't even give them the fun of trying to resist, resembling a doll more than a girl. It was almost as if she was mocking them with her halfhearted denials.

The air underground was somewhat stale, mixed with the smell of an outdated kerosene lamp and the acrid undertones of cigarette smoke. With only a small, flickering flame illuminating the ramshackle bar, the men surrounding her were like wolves, preying on a lone camper in the forest, simply waiting for someone to make the first move. Tonight, the hunt resumed.

Kono made the first move. He liked to bring a set of brass knuckles or a broken pool cue to prepare the girl for her punishment, but tonight, a metallic glint hung at his side. He held a twisted, aluminium baseball bat by the barrel and harshly jabbed the knob into the girl's stomach.

"Wake up. You ready to feel good?" A moment passed before he lightly swung the end of the handle into her stomach, but she barely flinched. It must be the drugs dulling her reactions, he reasoned. What a waste of good molly if she couldn't even feel the high.

"Please, stop." Another delayed reaction. He let out a frustrated scoff.

"I'll stop when you scream for me." Letting the bat rest on the wall for a moment, he roughly opened the front of her dress, tearing one of the buttons out, and pushed the collar up onto her neck, exposing the girl's entire torso. He lifted the girl's bra out of the way of her breasts and squeezed one crudely, tweaking the pink nub harshly. She didn't even flinch, angering him further. He inspected her body, laid bare in front of him, and smirked, turning her so she faced towards the door on the opposite side of the room. She barely seemed to register his grip on her delicate arm.

Reaching behind him, he picked up the bat in a loose one-handed grip, hefting it a few times to test its weight. Giving it a brief examination, he swung it directly into the middle of the girl's back, watching as her back arched . Her face bunched together in agony, and the shriek she let out as she thrashed against his hand was music to his ears.

"Let's see if you can feel this now." The man dropped the bat and sat the girl on the dilapidated pool table. He smirked, seeing tears leaking from her eyes, and closed both of his paw-like hands around her throat. The girl's eyes bulged, and she clawed at his arms with panic evident in every motion. There was fear in them now, and when he let go, she immediately gasped and clutched her throat.

"Please… it hurts. Stop it… please, PLEASE!" The frantic, almost hysterical tone of her voice only fed his drug-fueled eagerness, and he quickly stripped away her underwear, batting away her pale, frenzied hands.

He propped her limp body against a wall before beginning to thrust into her, reveling in how warm and accepting her body was after being broken. He looked down to see a distorted face, almost twisted in pain and pleasure, and his grin morphed from disturbing to sadistic. He pushed her down onto the table, pinning her there with his weight, and the gasps and moans echoing throughout the basement rose in pitch and intensity. The girl's normally stoic eyes were half-lidded, rolled upwards with rapture, and the resistance Kono felt as he rolled his hips upwards repaid his past efforts tenfold.

The girl's screams tasted sweet even hours later, as the men left her bruised, naked, and quivering in a corner. But amidst the tears and torn clothes, no one, not even Fujino Asagami, noticed the spiral glint appearing in her bloodshot eyes.

I'm sorry this took so long to get out, Spring Song's Blu-Ray release and rewatching UBW with a friend made me rewrite the entire story's plot just to have Sakura involved. I hope you enjoy this chapter; I rewrote it from scratch 4 times.

I noticed TungstenCat favorited this story. Thank you, it means everything to me! If you haven't already, go read her stories, they're all really emotional and wonderfully written, especially Winter Flame. Thanks for all the support so far from all you readers. Hopefully I can get more updates out soon.

Other Notes: No, neither Luvia nor Waver will appear in this story (sorry if either is a bit OOC, I've not read Hollow Atraxia or watched Case Files). The Japanese school year starts in the spring, despite having a vacation during the second half of summer, but the Clock Tower uses the Western (September to May) school year, which is why Sakura graduates before Shirou and Rin return from London.