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

Everything and Nothing

Chapter 3

"This looks like a nice place."

Sakura grinned. "I'm glad you think that way." She said. "That said, I'm curious, and concerned. Olga's doesn't exist where you come from? Or you just never stumbled across it?"

Rin shrugged, already relaxing from the leisurely jazz tunes happily spilling out of the jazz club's open doors. "It could go either way," she said. "But it's more likely – and I certainly hope – it's the latter. Don't get me wrong, I've long since passed the stage where I go 'modern music is so for plebs' the way father would have gone, but…let's just say I never really had incentive to go looking for jazz clubs before."

Rin paused, and then gave Sakura a look. "Also," she continued with a raised eyebrow. "A pub, really? You should call a place this classy properly."

Sakura laughed, and stepped forward. "Just keeping it simple." She said.

"Fair."

There was a long line going down the street opposite from where they came from, but Sakura ignored it. Clearly a familiar and regular face, the bouncers let her pass without question, and while they did briefly give Rin the stink eye, relented after Sakura gestured at her to follow. As they passed through the doors, Rin's eyes quickly adjusted to the shadowed half-light inside, her nose taking in the smoky air even as her ears tuned out the mingled voices of dozens of people inside.

Quickly taking in the sights, Rin swept the club interior with her eyes, from the couples dancing slowly on the dance floor, the men and women at the booths and tables, the band and the husky contralto on the stage, the servers going to and fro, the bartender at the neon-highlighted bar, and…

…Rin blinked, then narrowed her eyes at the madam having a quick chat with Sakura. Then stepping back outside, looked up at the neon sign above the door.

Wait…something doesn't seem right about this…

"There you are." Sakura said, coming outside to grab Rin by the arm. "What's up?"

"I don't know." Rin said, scratching at her head with her free hand even as Sakura dragged her back inside. "But…I'm getting a really strange feeling about this place?"

"Huh?"

"Yeah…haven't you noticed that the madam looked a bit…I don't know. Familiar?" Rin asked. "Almost like we've seen or met her before…oh, and that…chibi, up above the door. The one in neon? Doesn't she almost seem to resemble Lord Animusphere?"

"…déjà vu?" Sakura ventured after a moment, but still guiding Rin along.

"What?"

"…I got that strange feeling too when I first visited this place." Sakura admitted. "Madam Trisha does look a bit like us, doesn't she? An older version of us…that, or Lord Edelfelt and her various relatives. Likewise, yes, I have noticed that the chibi in neon above the club looks like Lord Animusphere, well, the current one, at any rate."

"…and…you don't think that's strange?" Rin asked.

Sakura scratched her head. "This is London." She finally said. "The closest thing we magi have to a proper capital for our kind and society. We might both have the color blue, and the rank of Fes, but it's still a good idea not to tip over every stone we can find."

"That is…a good point." Rin conceded with a nod.

"So I let it go." Sakura said, and Rin nodded again.

"I think I'll follow your lead here." She said. "Besides, Madam Trisha could just have some Edelfelt blood in her, and that chibi's resemblance to Lord Animusphere is probably just coincidence."

"Yup."

"Great."

The sound of drums from the stage seemed to underscore the sisters' agreement not to pursue the…curious, case of Madam Trisha and 'Olga', i.e. the chibi in neon that the bar was named after. Driving it from their minds, they simply carried on their way.

"You are late." Yvette remarked as Sakura and Rin arrived.

"Fashionably late." Sakura replied, and Yvette hummed and hawed for a couple of moments before accepting the excuse. "Moving on…everyone, this is my relative, Rin Tohsaka. Rin, allow me to introduce you. We have our host, the current head of the Lehrman family, Yvette…"

"Charmed." Yvette said with a sultry smile that had Rin's heart fluttering.

"Likewise." She replied, barely masking her breathlessness, her mind going a mile a minute. "Oh…she's so beautiful…that eyepatch especially…it makes her look so exotic…"

Unaware of her sister's flustered attraction to her friend, Sakura continued with introductions. "The heir to the Escardos family, and former apprentice to Lord Beckenstein," she was saying. "Flat Escardos. Say hello, Flat."

"Hello!" Flat said with a wave and a smile. "That wasn't completely correct, though, Sakura. I mean, yes, he's Lord Beckenstein now, but when I was his apprentice, he was Professor Waver, and still is."

Sakura sighed, clearly having long since admitted defeat on this front. "Yes, Flat." She said. "Whether it's Lord Beckenstein or not, he's still Professor Waver."

Flat grinned at that, and Sakura continued introductions…

…or should have, as they were the only ones at the table. "Grey's not here?" she asked, as she and Rin took their seats.

"Something's come up at the College of Law." Yvette said. "Priority, she needed to catch a plane to America as soon as possible."

"Hmm…it's gotten lonely."

Only silence greeted that remark, a sad silence shared by everyone else at the table, except for Rin, who was only uncomfortably feeling out of place. "Svin…Caules…" Yvette murmured sadly, only to wince as Flat stepped on her foot at saying those names. "…well, we're here now. So let's enjoy ourselves, alright? We've all had a busy day, so let's unwind, shall we?"

"You don't have to tell me twice." Sakura said with grin that looked ever so slightly forced, before waving a waitress over. "Rin, what'll you have?"

"Huh? Oh, I uh…I'll have a Cosmopolitan."

"Okay." Sakura said even as the waitress arrived. "I'll have a Rum and Cola, while Rin here will have a Cosmopolitan."

"And I'll have another Cowboy, and bring us the special platter." Yvette added.

"Very good, ma'am." The waitress said, dutifully jotting down their orders. "And the good sir? Does he have any additional orders?"

Flat responded by noisily finishing off her his current cocktail, and then giving a burp. "Oh, I'll have another Pina Colada." He said.

"Very good, sir." The waitress said with a nod, and then left.

Yvette looked after the waitress until she was out of earshot, and then turned to Rin with a smile. "So," she said, looking at Rin with smoldering eyes. "Tell me about yourself."

Rin was only too eager to comply.

"Please stop flirting with Rin, Yvette." Sakura said with a sigh after Rin had gone for a quick trip to the ladies' room.

"Oh, hush you." Yvette said with a wave of a hand. "We're all adults here, and I'm sure Rin can make her own intelligent discussions. Besides, what's a fling or two between friends?"

"You're making her uncomfortable…"

"On the contrary," Yvette interrupted with a tutting gesture. "I dare to say she actually appreciates the attention. If anything, it looks to me like it's the first time in a long while since she's had someone as beautiful as yours truly reciprocate her attraction."

"…what?" Sakura deadpanned.

Yvette tutted. "Not very observant, are you?" she asked. "Rin's been smitten with yours truly from the very moment you introduced us. She hides it well – a little too well, I dare to say, which says a lot about our society, and not in a good way – but she's clearly attracted to yours truly. And my…flirting, as you call it, has only made her even more smitten with yours truly."

Sakura pinched the bridge of her nose, and then rubbed her face as a whole. "Just…just don't hurt her, alright?" she asked.

"Don't worry," Yvette reassured Sakura. "I'm not going to string her along. I won't force her to do anything she doesn't like."

"Good." Sakura said firmly. "I'd rather not have to risk losing any more friends than I already have. It's not like good friends grow on trees, after all."

Yvette laughed. "That could so easily come off as a threat, especially coming from you." She said. "Still, I understand. I'll act like a responsible adult, just as I'm sure Rin also will."

Sakura hummed, taking a drink of her Rum and Cola, even as Rin returned from the ladies' room.

"Okay, I'm back." She said as she retook her seat. "What'd I miss?"

"Oh, nothing much." Yvette said, before giving a sly look and smile at Sakura. "Apart from Sakura here being so very concerned about our…blooming, romance."

"YVETTE!" Sakura exploded, cheeks pink about her concern getting outed to Rin.

"I…that is…um…" Rin fumbled, her cheeks also pink from having her…preferences, exposed to another person, and her own sister no less. "…I can explain…it's…uh…"

"I'm not judging you." Sakura quickly snapped, before glaring at Yvette, who stuck a tongue out at her. "I just don't like it when someone snitches on me, especially when I was just being concerned."

Rin took a deep breath. "I…thank you." She said. "But you don't need get bothered on my account. I can take care of myself, really."

"See what I mean?" Yvette smugly asked, and causing Sakura to grind her teeth.

"Don't worry." Rin quickly reassured her sister, a hand on her arm. "Really…I…I can make my own decisions, and face their consequences. Trust me. I've long since learned how important they are, and how I can't live life, not really, if I avoid one or the other."

There was something off about the way Rin said that sentence, that everyone at the table looked curiously at her. Flat, though, was the one to voice it.

"The Tohsaka family has a really complicated past, huh?" he mused while sipping on his cocktail. "Even for magi, you've got a lot of stuff threatening to spill from the closet."

"Shut up, Flat." Rin and Sakura chorused, and causing Yvette to snicker while Flat looked ever so crestfallen.

"…mmmmm…ctlly wndrng…bt smthng…" Flat mumbled while shoving nachos and salsa into his mouth.

"Didn't your mother tell you not to talk with your mouth full?" Rin asked.

Flat gave her a look, then exaggerately chewed before swallowing and washing his mouth down with water. "Sorry, sorry," he said. "Anyway…I was wondering about something."

"And that is?" Rin asked.

Flat – rudely (though it could just be his usual obliviousness) – pointed his fingers at both Rin and Sakura. "How closely related are you two to each other?" he asked.

"Cousins." Sakura quickly said.

"Though, we're not exactly sure how far apart we are." Rin said. "It's complicated."

"Really?" Flat mused. "Because considering how the two of you could use each other as mirrors, I'd say you're actually sisters. Not twins, but still sisters for that."

Both Rin and Sakura simultaneously choked at Flat's earie levels of perception, and causing Yvette to raise an eyebrow in surprise.

"Not only that…" Flat continued to muse aloud. "…but the two of you…actually look…quite a bit like Luvia…yeah…apart from the blonde hair…and smaller breasts in Rin's case…"

Sakura and Yvette palmed their face at that last, while Rin choked and then glared at Flat. "W-w-w-what has breast size got to do with anything?" she exploded.

"Isn't it the female equivalent for men deciding who's the better man from the size of their…" Flat began, only to have a hand clamped tight over his mouth.

"Gods above and below," Yvette began, looking and sounding very scandalized. "Will you ever learn that thing called tact?"

Flat quickly shook Yvette off. "I'm just stating facts, that's all." He said. "Back to Luvia…stick her with Rin and Sakura, and they could all pass for sisters."

"…that's…" Yvette began only to trail off, scratching at her head. "…that is a very good point…"

"Well, the Tohsaka family does have a link with Edelfelt." Sakura said with a sigh.

Rin sighed too, and gave an agreeing nod. "Our grandmother was an Edelfelt," she said absent-mindedly, and sipping at her drink as she did so. "I believe she was the sister of Luvia's grandmother."

"Yes, I think so too." Sakura agreed.

"Oh…then I guess that explains that." Flat admitted. "Also, wouldn't that mean you're actually first cousins?"

"I…uh…" Rin fumbled, Sakura doing likewise next to her.

"…that is…" she said, while Flat tilted his head.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"I remember this guy from my timeline." Rin telepathically threw the thought into her sister's head.

"Not so loud." Sakura said, hiding her wince by drinking water. "Even magic can only help so much against getting drunk."

"Sorry…" Rin responded, and tweaking her telepathy just so. "Anyway…I now remember. This guy…Flat…he's pretty much the same from my timeline. A savant with no social graces that's both a constant asset and a headache for Lord El-Melloi II."

"Savant with social graces that's both a constant asset and a headache…that…sounds accurate…"

"What are you talking about?" Flat asked.

"Nothing." Rin and Sakura chorused, before the latter continued. "Anyway, enough about Lord Edelfelt. You know the old saying about speaking about the devil? Yeah…let's stop before tempting fate to conjure Lord Edelfelt here and now."

Rin raised an eyebrow at Sakura's formal way of referring to Luviagelita 'Luvia' Edelfelt. Clearly, the two weren't on good terms, not the way Rin and Luvia were (not that they would admit it).

"Problems?" she asked, but Sakura looked unwilling to explain.

"Well," Yvette said with a sigh. "Let's just say Luvia doesn't trust Sakura. 'Murderer' Blue and all that."

"Something about pots and kettles come to mind." Sakura groused.

"I have to agree." Rin conceded. "The Edelfelt are thieves and hired killers. If stealing and killing for money is, well, something they take pride in, why draw the line at…well…you know…"

Yvette snorted. "Don't let Luvia hear you say that." She said. "You'll never hear the end of it."

Sakura snorted in her turn. "Sophistry, says I." she said with a sneer, and Yvette gave a laugh.

"Maybe…" she conceded.

"Well, we do walk with death." Flat pointed out. "It's the first thing all of us learn. So…murder, battle, fratricide, sororicide, patricide, even suicide and so on and so forth…it's all the same in the end. So…why get all worked up over it?"

Yvette laughed. "If Luvia were here…" she mockingly mused, already imagining the blonde's shrill protests and philosophical rants about how there was a world of difference between her family's mercenary character and Sakura's cold-blooded murder to usurp her sister's inheritance.

"…then the night be ruined beyond repair." Sakura just as mockingly concluded, and Yvette tilted her head.

"Is Sakura's reputation really as bad as it looks?" Rin asked while her sister was visiting the ladies' room in her turn.

"That depends on how bad you think it looks." Yvette answered.

"You know what I mean." Rin said with a sigh.

"Hmm…well, she's not hated, if that's what you mean." Yvette said before glancing at Flat, who was snoring softly while slumped in the corner of their booth. "Like Flat said earlier, things like murder, conspiracy, even plots and counterplots by relatives against each other are expected for magi. More cynical people would even call it normal."

"But?" Rin pressed.

Yvette sighed. "Thing is," she said. "Had your cousin killed her sister when they were a few more years older, everyone would just shrug it off. Just your typical magi family internal power play gone bloody right…but Sakura killed her sister when she was five. No other magus alive has ever done that…"

"…that's why they call her Murderer Blue." Rin sadly finished.

"Yup." Yvette said. "Let's face it, no one expects a child that young to be capable of murder. Together with Sakura's sheer magical potential and proven talent, well, she's feared, but respected."

"Only the door swings both ways, eh?" Rin asked.

"Quite," Yvette agreed. "It also means most people would rather keep her at arm's length. It's a shame, really. Once you get to know her, Sakura…she might be a bit cold, calculating even, but she's a good friend. In short, she's just another magus."

"…I wish things could be better for her." Rin sadly said after a moment.

Yvette eyed Rin for a few moments, as though measuring her character, and then gave a sigh. "So do I." she said.

For a full minute, the conversation stilled, only the music and the voices of the club's other patrons to be heard. "Earlier," Rin began. "You mentioned names…Svin…Caules…but Flat seemed to imply…something…"

Yvette sighed, took a sip of her drink, and silently looked away for several moments. Rin stayed silent, until the other magus finally relented. "It's not my place to tell the whole story." She said. "But let's just say they ran afoul of all the normal politicking and infighting of magi society. One died. The other…well, let's just say it surprised a lot of people that given Sakura, no, Murderer Blue's involvement, there was only one corpse left cooling at the time."

"At the time?" Rin asked, but Yvette didn't seem to hear. Instead, she just murmured softly to herself, so softly Rin couldn't hear without using reinforcement on her ears, and that was something she was sure she wanted to do. Eventually, though, the wistful expression and distant eyes of the Lehrman magus hardened, and her fingers clenched so tightly they snapped the cocktail glass' neck in two. "Yvette!"

"…right…sorry about that…" the other magus said, quickly repairing the glass with a simple application of magic. "…like I said, Sakura's just another magus. Just like me…looking back on it all…we…I…"

Yvette trailed off, but the coldness in her eyes and the hardness of her face told more than any words possibly could. Rin knew it all too well, having seen something similar a decade ago.

This was not simple hatred. This was pure loathing.

And Rin knew that it had been a miracle that anything good had come out of that confrontation.

Something she knew could not be guaranteed, not with all the mysteries in the world. Whatever it was that happened years ago…

…it still haunted the players today, and no one could say how it might turn out when it finally reached its conclusion.

"I can't believe you're making me do this."

Yvette rolled her eyes. "You and Flat live in the same area." She said. "Practically neighbors, even. So, it only follows you have to bring him home after he drinks himself into unconsciousness."

"Stupid savant…stupid not knowing his own limits…"

Yvette rolled her eyes again. "Stop complaining and just do it." She said. "It's not like this is the first time it's happened."

Sakura rolled her eyes in her turn, and then stomped off, a drunkenly-asleep Flat draped over her back. She took a few steps away, and then pausing, turned to look back at Yvette and Rin with a deadpan expression.

"Going home together?" she asked.

Yvette looked cool and unconcerned, while Rin's cheeks turned pink. She also looked away, scratching at her head, while fumbling with the right words to respond with. "I…that is…we…" she began, and Sakura rolled her eyes again.

"I don't want to know, and I don't want to find out." She said. "Just…do me a favor, both of you. Don't overdo it, and don't hurt yourselves."

Yvette laughed. "We will." She said.

"We're adults, too, you know." Rin added.

"Right…" Sakura said with a sigh. "It's not like I have so many friends and relatives to spare…anyway, I'll see you both tomorrow. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Rin returned the greeting, Yvette doing likewise.

"Goodnight." She said with a wave of a hand.

Nodding at them both, Sakura then turned away, and began to walk back to where she lived, taking Flat with her. Yvette and Rin stared after her until the other woman was out of sight, and then turned to each other. After a few moments, Yvette smiled, and tilted her head.

"Coffee shop?" she asked, and Rin nodded.

"Coffee shop." She echoed.

Sharing a smile between them, the two women began to walk away.

A/N

What name could 'Trisha' be an anagram for, I wonder? Likewise, I wonder what relation a chibi named 'Olga' could have with the title of Lord Animusphere.