Everything and Nothing Chapter 2, a fate/stay night fanfic

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

Everything and Nothing

Chapter 2

It wasn't fair.

It just wasn't fair.

Rin had everything.

Father taught her magic. Mother loved her more.

Sakura, though? She had nothing. Father talked a lot about big words like duty and honor. Big words that Sakura couldn't understand. Well…that wasn't true. She understood enough to know father wouldn't teach her magic, no matter how interested she looked. No matter how much she said she wanted to try too, whenever Rin showed off what father had taught her.

No…father would just laugh, pat her on the head, and say more big words. Mother would laugh, hug her, and then tell her to listen to father. Then she would go to hug Rin, and tell her what a good and smart girl she was, always making father proud.

It wasn't fair. It just wasn't.

It wasn't!

And now she had to leave! She had to stop being family, and go live with strangers! They said they'd teach her magic, but why couldn't father teach her magic? She could stay then, couldn't she?

No…this wasn't fair. It wasn't!

The little girl crept down the stairs in the dead of the night, carefully looking out for anyone who might catch her. The help…mother doing some stuff late in the night…father or Mister Kotomine poking their heads out from father's private room…

She'd make it right. She'd make it fair.

That's right…she just needed to do this…

The little girl reached the kitchen without anyone noticing. There, she quietly moved a chair to the counter, and climbing up, took a glass and a spoon from a rack. Then back to the table, where she filled it with a pitcher of water, placed there in case anyone needed a drink in the night.

And then she crept down, to under the sink, where she pulled open the small doors. She reached inside, and pulled out the box with the colored balls that mother and the help used to make the rats sleep. Sleep, and never wake up again.

That's right…with this…she could make her sister sleep. Sleep…and never wake up again…then father would have to teach her magic. He needed to, because he needed someone other than him and Mister Kotomine to use magic in their family. Once she could use magic, mother would love her as much as she loved big sister. And she wouldn't have to leave and live with strangers.

Yes…she just needed to put sister to sleep first. Sleep…and never wake up again…

Light clanging echoed in the kitchen as the little girl dissolved the colored balls in the water, and then leaving the spoon on the table, she crept back up. Past her room…to her sister's room…

…big sister was sleeping on her side, her sheets covering her up to the waist. The little girl quietly climbed up onto the bed, making sure not to spill the glass she was carrying in one hand. Then, kneeling next to big sister, she carefully pulled big sister onto her back, big sister scrunching her eyes and chewing silently, but staying asleep.

Then the little girl quietly got on top of big sister, who began to squirm under her weight. The glass was pressed against big sister's lips, but she kept them closed, until the little girl reached forward to pinch big sister's nose. Big sister squirmed some more, and then her eyes went wide as she gasped for breath.

Gasped…and then began to gurgle, as the little girl poured the colored water into her mouth. Plenty splashed onto the sheets and pillows as big sister squirmed, weakly pushing and shoving at the little girl, but most was going into her mouth.

Big sister continued to squirm, even after the glass was empty. The little girl just lay prone, on top of big sister, hugging her and hushing into big sister's ear.

"…sleep…sleep, big sister…just sleep…let me have a turn…"

Slowly, big sister's squirming grew weaker and weaker, until she finally just stopped. The little girl kept hugging her sister, though, and smiled.

"…that's right…sleep, big sister…it's my turn now…"

Blue eyes sprang open into wakefulness, and blinked a few times. Then Sakura closed her eyes, passing a hand over them before letting her arm fall onto the bed next to her.

"Where it all began, huh?" she thought. "Of all things to dream of, it had to be that night."

Driving the memories out of her mind with force of will, Sakura grabbed the nearest pillow, and hugging it close, rolled to one side and went back to sleep.

Gotta make a move to a town that's right for me

Town to keep me movin'

Keep me groovin' with some energy

The Sun shone down from a clear blue sky, a rarity in London which tended to have stormy or overcast skies by default. Birds flew through the air, their twittering and chirping forming a sharper counterpoint to the duller notes of vehicle engines, horns, and the other sounds of the big city.

Rin breathed evenly as she jogged down the streets, wearing a red sports bra with the silver cross of the Tohsaka family imprinted above and between her breasts, along with black jogging pants and matching rubber shoes. Her long hair had been tied back into a ponytail, while a pair of earphones were plugged to an iPod latched onto her belt.

Well, I talk about it, talk about it

Talk about it, talk about it

Talk about, talk about

Talk about movin'

The young woman stopped to a halt at a pedestrian crossing, bouncing on the balls of her feet and rhythmically nodding her head to keep her body warmed up while waiting for the lights to turn green. No one gave her a second look, not the businessmen, students, magi, couriers, or other joggers also waiting for the lights to turn green.

It wasn't as though people out jogging or exercising in the morning was an unusual sight, after all.

Gotta move on

The light turned green, and Rin moved on, jogging across the road and then up the street, to a small park several minutes away from her rented residence.

Won't you take me to Funkytown?

Making her way to a large clearing, Rin took a couple of minutes to catch her breath, before going through a series of calisthenics and then lying down on the ground with her knees bent. Folding her hands behind her head, she began to do pull-ups, counting under her breath even as her iPod began playing a new song to keep her motivated while doing her morning exercises.

Let this groove, get you to move,

It's alright, alright

Let this groove, set in your shoes,

Stand up, alright

If she were ten years younger, she wouldn't have been caught dead listening to music like this. Her younger self had just been so full of herself, eyes dazzled by the prim and proper example of Tokiomi Tohsaka, for whom anything remotely modern was barely worth considering. Modern music, for example, was just plain classless and second-rate, below someone born of the great and noble Tohsaka lineage.

Then again, if they – whether it was her father or her younger self – hadn't been so…pretentious, then a lot of the pain and hardship in her and her sister's lives would never have happened.

Gonna tell you what you can do,

With my love, alright

Let you know girl you're looking good

You're out of sight and alright

She was much wiser now. Finally able to reconnect with and have an actual and meaningful relationship with her sister aside, Rin could finally begin to live and enjoy her life. And modern music was among the things she unexpectedly found herself indulging in. Granted, it wasn't the most modern music, going back to the 70s…

…but who gave a damn?

Move yourself and glide like a 747

Loose yourself in the sky among the clouds in the heavens

Unknown to Rin, a pair of men in a nondescript car were discreetly following her movements in the morning. As she worked up a sweat, they kept their distance, using a small, digital camera with a lens attachment to take pictures from the safety of their car.

"So that's the new Tohsaka magus?" one of the men remarked. "She doesn't look much, does she?"

"She certainly doesn't look as formidable as Murderer Blue." His partner replied. "Still, I'm sure Lady Cecilia will want to hear about her."

"Yeah, well, that's why we're here." The first man said. "Got anything yet?"

"Yeah, about that…" the second man began while opening his laptop. "…her files from the Clock Tower are under surprisingly heavy protection. We've got her name, Rin Tohsaka, age twenty-six, rank Fes, color designation blue…but that's pretty much it."

"Wait, that can't be right." The first man said.

"See for yourself." The second man said, bringing up his laptop and turning it so his partner could see the screen for himself. "Long story short, her files resemble a barcode more than anything else, so much of it is redacted. Her personal background, her academic history, even her health records and title are all blacked out."

"…who the hell is this woman?" the first man said, looking to the distance with narrowed eyes. "Where'd she come from? And what's her connection with Murderer Blue?"

"I don't know," the second man said with a shrug. "But if Lady Cecilia takes an interest, we'll be finding out soon enough. Once the grease gets the wheels moving, we'll find out more."

"Yeah, that's what I think too." The first man said with a nod.

In the distance, oblivious to the trouble brewing from her relationship with Murderer Blue, Rin continued her morning exercises.

Sakura yawned as she made her way into the Department of Modern Magecraft Theories, most of her fellow members keeping a respectful distance from her. A few of them, the older ones mostly, the ones who could see through her reputation or didn't let it intimidate them, greeted her in passing, Sakura returning the greetings in her turn.

Then with a rustle of lace and brocade, a violet-haired woman in a matching dress and with an eyepatch over one eye fell into step next to Sakura. "Good morning, darling." Yvette L. Lehrman greeted Sakura while continuing to walk next to her.

"Good morning to you too, Yvette." Sakura said. "Can I help you?"

"I heard a relative of yours showed up." Yvette began without preamble. "Don't worry, I'm just surprised, that's all. I was under the impression that you were the only Tohsaka in the world."

Sakura snorted. "Turns out for all my master and other ancestors' asininely-strict adherence to the one child per generation rule," she said, and causing Yvette to make a familiar roll of her eyes at the reference to that particular idiosyncrasy of the past generations of Sakura's family. "I have a few relatives bouncing around. Rin's just one of them."

"…Rin, huh?" Yvette quietly asked.

"Yes, I know." Sakura said with a sigh. "That name and everything that comes with it…"

"Hey, don't sweat it." Yvette said with a friendly tap with her fan on Sakura's back. "Whether or not it gets to you is completely up to you. And I doubt you'd let it. I know you better than that."

Sakura snorted again, and then gave a laugh, before giving her friend a fond smile. "Thanks, Yvette." She said.

"Hey, what are friends for?" Yvette asked before tapping her fan against a cheek. "Tell you what, how about you bring your relative to Olga's tonight? We can introduce her to everybody, break the ice, you know…things like that."

"Hmm…" Sakura hummed as she considered the idea. "That's not actually a bad idea. Of course, it all depends on if Rin agrees, but I'll do what I can to convince her."

"That's the way." Yvette said with a grin, before she and Sakura came to a halt. "Anyway, I've got to run, so see you tonight. Besides, I'm sure you're very busy too, at least as busy as I am. Wouldn't want either Lords Beckenstein or Edelfelt to start shouting at us for slacking off, would we now?"

Sakura snorted. "Are they ones to talk?" she asked, and causing Yvette to laugh, considering how…easily-distracted, their superiors could get.

"Hush now." She said with a grin and a wink, placing a finger against her lips. "You know how it goes."

Sakura snorted again. "Right." She said, before bumping fists with Yvette. "Later then."

"Likewise."

The Clock Tower bells rang the time, but Rin tuned them out, busy reviewing her materials for the afternoon. While her morning had been free, her afternoon was not, the Wizard Marshal having arranged for her to hold several lectures at the Department of General Fundamentals. Something of a surprise, at least having to do the lectures there. She'd expected to have to carry her own weight, and show her worth as an apprentice, and holding lectures in an academic setting seemed a respectable way to do that.

However, considering her and her master's specializations, she'd have expected to have to do them in the Department of Mineralogy.

Then again, maybe that was the whole point. Mineralogy…Jewel Magecraft…was a specialization. And while a very eminent one at that, it still depended on a degree of finesse if not outright mastery of the basic principles and application of magecraft to function well.

In short, basics kill. Yourself, even, if you messed up the fundamentals and caused all higher-level mysteries built on them to blow up in your face.

Something she'd drum into the heads of all the inbred, self-centered, and self-absorbed idiots that made up the majority of the Clock Tower's student body.

"This is a private…" Rin began on automatic as someone pulled out the chair opposite her, and then sat down. She trailed off and changed course once she saw who it was, though. "Oh, it's you."

"Nice to see you too." Sakura said, before turning to the homunculus waiter that approached. "I'll have the C set of the lunch special, along with a can of Coke regular. And a second, ala carte serving of soup for the day…come to think of it, what is the soup for the day?"

"That would be Cream of Asparagus, Miss Tohsaka." The homunculus said.

"Great…well, that's all my orders." Sakura said.

"Thank you for your patronage." The homunculus said, before wandering off. Sakura then turned back to Rin. "Busy?"

"Yeah, I have lectures to do in General Fundamentals this afternoon." Rin said, closing her notebook and putting it on top of a stack of other notebooks. She picked at the fish on her plate, even as she continued to speak to her sister. "Long story short, master wants me to go back to basics, while also drumming in their importance to the rookies in General Fundamentals."

"Rookies, eh?" Sakura echoed with a chuckle. "Good luck. I get the feeling you're going to need it."

"Yeah, I think I will." Rin said with a sigh. "Thanks."

"No problem."

The conversation stopped, the sisters sitting in relative silence, Sakura waiting for her order, while Rin busied herself with lunch. After several minutes, though, the latter broke the silence.

"Do you need something?" Rin asked. "I mean, I know I have something coming up for the afternoon, but I'm sure I can find a way…"

"No, no," Sakura gently interrupted with a hand and a shake of the head. "It's not like that. Well…not really…"

"Oh?"

"Yeah…are you free this evening?"

"I have time." Rin said before tilting her head. "Why? You want to spend the night out?"

"Actually, yes I do." Sakura said with a nod of her head. "Introduce you to a few friends of mine, while going drinking at this pub not far from the Clock Tower."

Rin hummed in thought, even as a homunculus arrived with Sakura's meal. Then she nodded in agreement. "Okay." She said. "I mean…I don't know how long I'll be here, but I wouldn't want to spend that time, much less get a reputation, as a recluse or a hermit. We're well past that point, thank you very much."

Sakura laughed, as she poured Coke into a glass filled with ice. "I'm guessing there's a story behind that." She said, and Rin laughed in her turn.

"Oh, there is." She said, and resting her head against an elbow. "You see, back when I was still in school…well, I don't mean to brag…"

"What?" Sakura asked with a teasing smile. "Don't tell me you were an otaku or something back then?"

"Was not!" Rin quickly refuted. "Well…kind of…"

"What?"

Rin coughed, looking more than a bit embarrassed. "Let's just say back then I was little too full of myself." She said. "You know…needing to live up to the family's reputation, have to make a good impression, things like that…"

"…so, honor student?" Sakura ventured. "Spent too much time studying or whatnot, that you didn't have time for a social life?"

"Close enough." Rin sighed. "What a waste…"

Sakura honestly didn't know what to say about that, even as Rin continued to speak. "I had the best grades in my level." She said. "I was also the most athletic student, at least when it came to general athletics, and not counting the members of the sports teams and clubs. I also had a reputation for being…well…among the prettiest girls in my level. More than a few boys and even girls confessed to me…I turned them all down, though. And while I could have entered any club I applied for, I…never really did. Applied, that is…I was part of the Student Council for a year, though. Didn't work out…wasn't really a people person at the time…"

"…and now you're working to change that." Sakura remarked.

"I am." Rin said with a nod, and Sakura smiled encouragingly.

"I'm sure you can do it." She said. "Do your best!"

Rin smiled. "Thanks." She said. "What about you, though?"

"Oh?"

"Yeah…how was your school life? Or was it the same as mine?"

"Not…really…" Sakura said, trying to evade the question while cutting into her pork chops. "I don't mean to brag…"

"Really, Sakura?"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Fine," she said. "I was an honor student, just like you. That said, I wasn't the most athletic student, as I couldn't really bring myself to go…well, all-in on anything."

"So…honor student, but not top of your level." Rin concluded.

"Pretty much." Sakura said, and Rin nodded.

"Well, then," she said. "Did you have time for a social life? And I don't hold it against you, I mean, it's good you had a healthier childhood than I did. Kind of…"

Rin trailed off, as she realized why Sakura acted that way. After all…having murdered her version of Rin, and then disowned as family if not as a magus by their father, Sakura probably had a more…nuanced, view of the Tohsaka legacy even back then.

Sakura hummed, while regarding Rin with a raised eyebrow. Rin met her eyes evenly, and then Sakura sighed, taking a couple of bites before replying. "I don't mean to brag…" she began.

"Sakura."

"Oh fine." Sakura said with another roll of her eyes. "Yes, I actually had a social life unlike you. I was part of the kyudo team, and actually the best archer they had. Granted, I cheated using reinforcement…"

"You did what?" Rin gasped in shock and disbelief.

"I was also a member of the baking club," Sakura continued, ignoring Rin's scandalized response to her admission at using magecraft to get to the top of the kyudo team. "And I even had a boyfriend. Minoru Mitsuzuri…know him?"

"You dated Ayako's little brother?" Rin asked in disbelief.

"Oh yeah, we dated for two years." Sakura said before giving a regretful sigh. "Unfortunately, we drifted apart…still, we broke up on friendly terms, and it wasn't a bad experience."

Then she paused, and gave a sly grin. "That," she said with a wink, before holding up and wagging a little finger in the air. "And we made more than a few wonderful memories together."

Rin's face went beet-red. "SAKURA!" she exploded, and Sakura laughed.

A/N

It is honestly disturbing how easily murder can be framed from a child's perspective.

Yeah, Rin has mellowed out, hasn't she? Rin at the time of the VN/TV series/movies would be more likely to throw an iPod at the nearest wall in frustration at being unable to make them work. And I doubt that'll change in either post-Fate or post-UBW timelines (okay, maybe the latter, thanks to Shirou's influence). Post-HF, though? Give or take a few years, and yeah, I don't think it's unreasonable for Rin to not just mellow out, but even grow worldlier, from her past experiences.

Not so mellow that she wouldn't be scandalized at Sakura boasting that she previously dated and even slept with Ayako's little brother, though.