Chapter 1
"Papa, Mama, how long will you be away?" Kenji asked, holding on to Shiro's leg.
"I'm not sure for how long" Shiro replied, picking the boy up. "If we get to finish our work quickly, we will be back soon. If we can't, we won't be back for quite some time."
Upon hearing that, Akari started feeling anxious. "Don't leave us for too long!" Akari said in between muffled sobs.
"We will do our best to come home quickly okay?" Rin said, patting Akari on the head and giving her a hug. "While we are gone, you must listen to Aunt Reines, okay? She will be taking good care of you while we are gone."
Both Akari and Kenji nodded in reply as they continued sobbing.
"Are you sure that is what you plan to do?" Lord El-Melloi II asked Shiro. "It's completely unheard of, even heretical, should the Association disagree with this."
"They never agreed with our marriage in the first place," Shiro replied. "I'm doing what I believe should be done."
"However, Emiya-"
"It's the best thing to do." Shiro said, waving one hand up to end the debate as he bent to set Kenji down on the ground again. "Since we set this plan into motion two years ago, I have decided from the beginning that our children will carry the Tohsaka name, one of them will receive Rin's Magic Crest, and the other will be schooled in my abilities should we meet our deaths," Shiro continued.
"Usually, families train only one child to succeed the family in magecraft. You and Tohsaka Rin have been training both your children. What if there is a dispute on who will inherit the Magic Crest?" Lord El-Melloi II asked. "Have you not given any thought to the consequences of that?"
"Kenji has shown more promise in Rin's field of expertise, while Akari has taken more towards my knowledge and skills. From the looks of it, Kenji is going to inherit Rin's Magic Crest while Akari is going to inherit my abilities," Shiro replied.
"Still, it is something unheard of. The Association won't take kindly to this," Lord El-Melloi II said, with slightly more urgency.
"That is why I married Rin in private. As long as they carry the Tohsaka name, there will be fewer complications," Shiro replied. "Besides, we are all no strangers when it comes to defying the Association now, are we?" Shiro smiled.
"Hmph. Don't say I never warned you," Lord El-Melloi II huffed. "I just hope you considered their future."
"They'll be fine." Shiro said, putting his hand on Lord El-Melloi II's shoulder. "Let's just focus on getting this job done so that Rin and I can return to our children."
Rin was quietly listening to the conversation as she prepared her luggage for the flight to Japan. She felt a sense of nostalgia as she listened to Shiro while looking at a few pictures stuck on the corkboard at the wall. It was a little hard to believe that nearly ten years has passed since the events of the Fifth Grail War and that they are now married with two children. A lot has happened indeed.
Rin could still remember somewhat vividly the time that she and Shiro went public with their relationship at the beginning of their third year in high school. Obviously the entire school was less than impressed with Rin's choice, with her being a model student and the school idol, compared to lowly Shiro, the Homurahara Brownie. Ryuudo Issei threw a fit at Shiro, and Mitsuzuri Ayako thought it a prank, initially refusing to hand over the money she placed as a bet on who among the two girls would have a boyfriend first. And of all the teachers who disapproved of the relationship, Taiga Fujimura was initially extremely irritable every time Shiro and Rin were seen together, but after some persuasion on Rin's part, Taiga slowly and quite reluctantly gave her approval.
Shiro was on the receiving end of constant abuse from the male students for months. It was the usual sort of abuse that Shiro came to expect; thumbtacks found in his shoe locker, on his seat, in his desk drawer, and a whole lot of threat letters. It all finally culminated in a much talked about fight at the school grounds between Shiro and around twenty jealous male students who surrounded him, hoping to scare him off from continuing his relationship with Rin. Everybody was completely taken aback when Shiro easily defended himself against twenty attackers, and the abuse quickly stopped. Since then, Shiro earned the respect of the other students. It was certainly a first for everyone, seeing Shiro raise his hand against someone, but it wasn't so for Rin. She knew full well that Shiro was more than capable of defending himself against so many attackers, having experienced fights to the death with powerful beings called Servants.
The next surprise to the entire student body came six months later, when they were six months shy of graduation. When it was announced that she and Shiro were going to move to England to continue their studies there, there was a huge uproar in the school for weeks. On the surface, they were given a scholarship to carry on their education in a prestigious school in London, but the truth was that Rin was going to study at the Clock Tower, while Shiro was going to follow as her apprentice. Some were quite correctly able to smell some sort of conspiracy, but the majority were suspecting that Shiro was just being Rin's lapdog and following her around wherever she went. For Rin, all that didn't matter. She was doing her bit to take care of Shiro after all.
Rin's reverie came to a temporary halt as Saber walked into the room to pick up her luggage. Shiro walked in soon after with the kids in tow and somehow convinced Saber to allow him to do the heavy lifting. Watching Shiro handle her luggage and the kids at the same time was quite a pleasing sight for Rin, having watched Shiro progress from being a guy with no sense of self to the man he is now, never losing his ideals but is able to appreciate the finer things in life like having a wife and children. Rin could still remember the time when she graduated from the Clock Tower too. Shiro proposed to her, where she accepted it without a second thought. The look on Shiro's face was a mixture of happiness and relief as he received a warm hug from Rin then. Even though the Association disapproved of the marriage due to Shiro's status as a dropout from the Association and that 'two family heads were not supposed to be married', Shiro ignored their protests and married her anyway.
"I am still getting used to this sight," Saber said abruptly, startling Rin from her reverie again.
"What do you mean, Saber?"
"You and Shiro never looked so happy since the last time I saw you both. And that you're now married with two children," said Saber as she picked up whatever luggage was left over on the floor and carried it away to the car. Just before she left the room, she stopped and turned around, showing Rin a radiant smile. "I'm very happy for the both of you."
"Indeed we both are, Saber." Rin whispered quietly with a smile, watching Saber as she carried the luggage to the car.
After being married for less than a year and spending that period of time travelling the world to help people in need, Rin discovered that she was pregnant with Kenji. She and Shiro spent a long time afterward talking about their plans moving forward, and Shiro reassured her that he will not make rash decisions such as forging a contract with the world at the price of his soul. Satisfied enough with the answer, Rin decided to remain in London to work for the Association and raise Kenji.
Several years later, Rin was not just the mother of one child, but two children. She has also risen up the ranks of the Association and is widely seen as the future of the Clock Tower. Shiro is as dedicated as ever to being a Hero of Justice, but he is still firmly grounded thanks to having a wife and children. Now married for six and a half years, and their children aged five and four respectively, Rin knows full well that Shiro and herself is more than content with their lives as it is.
"Tohsaka!"
Rin snapped out of her reverie for a third time after Shiro called out to her several times.
"Like I said, time for us to go. Reines will be leaving with the kids soon. Let's go say goodbye to them before we go."
"Mou, why are you still calling me Tohsaka? Baka." Rin pouted.
"S-sorry, Rin" Shiro replied. "I can't seem to get used to calling you by your name for a long time before reverting back" Shiro said, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly.
Rin kicked him in the shin playfully and smiled at him. "Well then, let's go, Shiro."
"Ah, Emiya-san!" Reines said when she saw Shiro emerge from the bungalow with Rin. "There is someone who is looking for you."
"Who might that be? Shiro wondered as he approached Reines. He was a bit more focused on his children to notice someone standing beside Reines.
"Ah! It's been a long time, Emiya-san, Tohsaka-san!"
"Ciel!" Rin exclaimed. "How long has it been? Five years now?"
"Indeed it is," Ciel replied, the Executioner giving Rin a warm hug. "I can't imagine that it has been five years since that time when I met you and Emiya-san."
"Time flies indeed," Rin replied. "Shiro and I still remember the time we joined forces with you to destroy a vampire infestation in Guadalcanal."
"Ah, the memories" Ciel replied nostalgically. "And now the two of you are going off for another task, huh?"
"Indeed we are." Rin said.
"Well then, before you go, I have something for you, Emiya-san" Ciel said, producing a box from her bag. "I came across this while I was in Romania two months ago. It wasn't anything much when I first saw it, but somehow I kept thinking about the both of you. That was why I took it with me."
Ciel opened the box. Its contents surprised Shiro and Rin.
"This overcoat keeps you safe from external threats like curses and the like. It's made out of the burial cloth of a saint."
Rin turned to Shiro, who was swallowing hard. "Shiro.."
"I'm not sure what to say, to be honest," Shiro said after a while. "But I'm sure you had our best interests in mind when you thought of giving this to me, so thank you for this gift." Shiro took the overcoat and tried it on over his black leather jumpsuit.
"My goodness, Shiro. You look just like him." Rin said, completely stunned by the striking resemblance.
"I won't become him, I promise," Shiro said, holding Rin close.
There was a strange sense of familiarity in Shiro's gesture that reminded Rin of the Shiro she always knew and loved, and of him, all at once. "I know," Rin whispered, smiling and burying her face into Shiro's chest for a moment. "Thanks for the gift, Ciel." Rin finally said, turning to face her.
"No worries, Tohsaka-san, Emiya-san. All I want in return is a curry feast when you both come home," Ciel said, poking Shiro in the rib. "So then, be safe!"
"Ah." Shiro nodded. "I'll cook up some amazing curry for you when we come back. It will be a curry party like no other."
"I'm looking forward to it too. So, we'll see you soon, Ciel." Rin continued.
Turning to Shiro, she couldn't help but to see how much Shiro resembles him now. The difference is that Shiro's skin have not changed to the colour of tempered steel, his eyes are still the brown that never fails to give her warmth, and his hair is still the same auburn colour that she loved most. All that aside, Shiro has pretty much taken on the same tall, muscular frame of his. By now, Shiro had almost all the appearance of Archer, and none of Archer's despair. "If only you got to see the man he is now, you'd be content too" Rin thought to herself.
"Kenji, Akari, remember to listen to Aunt Reines okay?" Rin told the children. "Don't forget to practice your magecraft every night."
"Uhn" Kenji and Akari both said, nodding their heads, trying their best to hold their tears back.
"Kenji, remember to always protect your imouto-chan, alright? That is your duty as a man," Shiro said, placing his hand on Kenji's head.
"I will protect her for you and Mama," Kenji said, trying his best to put on a brave front to his parents.
"That's our boy," Shiro said, smiling. "Akari, make sure you show your onii-chan appreciation for him protecting you, okay?"
Akari continued to sob as she nodded her head.
"It's alright, Akari. Mama and Papa will do our best and come home soon," Rin said, planting a tender kiss on Akari's forehead.
Thus, Emiya Shiro and Tohsaka Rin bid their children goodbye and with Saber, got into the car which would take them to the airport for their flights to Japan.
In the car, Lord El-Melloi II handed a set of flight tickets to Rin. "You will be taking the same flight as Edelfelt and myself, where we will be laying over at Shanghai for several hours." Lord El-Melloi II handed another set of flight tickets to Shiro. "And you, Emiya, will be taking an earlier flight which will fly directly to Fuyuki City. I need you to prepare a vehicle for our use, and you being on a separate flight should reduce any suspicion of us working together."
"Has the Sophia-Ri faction arrived there yet?" Shiro asked.
"To my knowledge, only one of them have just arrived there a night ago. Bram himself and two more from his faction is still here in London, as far as my agents have informed me."
"What about reporting to the Mediator of the War?"
"Leave that for later when we arrive," Lord El-Melloi replied. "We need to establish a base of operations for ourselves first."
"By the way, who is our Mediator this time?" Rin asked.
"Someone who goes by the name of Caren Hortensia. She is Fuyuki City's representative for the Church."
"Hmmm." Rin paused in deep thought. "I heard of that name before somewhere, but I can't quite put a finger on it. Oh well, no matter. I'll remember eventually."
"This is certainly a first" Caren said, not looking up from the bible that she was reading. "A Master coming to announce the participation of four Masters right away?"
"We formed an alliance before coming here," Viola replied.
Caren closed her bible, and paced towards Viola. "Oh, an alliance? I see, then I shall take note of it then. I do have a question, though."
"What is it that you want to know?"
"I understand that the Grail requires the souls of Servants who have been defeated. Supposing that all four of you defeat the remaining three Servants, your alliance still needs to give up three Servants in order to complete the Grail. Have you considered that?"
"I believe sir Bram's Servant remains while the rest of us will sacrifice our Servants."
"Oh my. That's sad to hear" Caren said, her face looking downcast. "The poor Servants who have to give up their lives despite winning the War."
"Eh, but-"
"Oh, ignore what I just said, Miss Viola. I'm sorry," Caren said suddenly. "I shall certainly take note of your participation. All four of you."
Viola turned to walk away, and suddenly stopped in her tracks after a few steps. "If I may ask, have the other Masters informed you of their participation?" Viola asked.
"Only one Master so far. That is all I know right now since that Master sent a familiar to report to me. Whoever that is, he or she must be a very cautious one," Caren replied, stroking her chin as she remembered that time. "Is there anything else I can help you with?"
"No. Thank you."
Viola resumed walking. "My familiars have not caught sight of Lord El-Melloi II or his faction as of yet. This must surely be a different Master altogether." With that thought, she left the Church.
As she headed back to her base of operations, her mind was busy sorting out the information that she already had so far, and was also busy deducing the identities of the Masters and Servants. Thus far, she knew several things:
Sophia-Ri faction:
Master: Bram Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri
Servant: Rider
Master: Viola Dajanna Konig
Servant: Berserker
Master: Bree mac Branain
Servant: Lancer
Master: Mikhel van de Wolff
Servant: Unknown
Lord El-Melloi II faction:
Master: Lord El-Melloi II
Servant: Unknown
Master: Tohsaka Rin
Servant: Saber
Master: Luviagelita Edelfelt
Servant: Archer
Unknown faction:
Master: Unknown
Servant: Unknown
Viola frowned. The introduction of a new Master has presented her with plenty of incongruent information.
But who could this Master be?
Viola continued to remain deep in her thoughts as she processed the information that she had thus far.
If she remembered everything correctly, Bram approached her two years ago with the proposition of claiming the Holy Grail for the Association, and to ensure that Lord El-Melloi II did not destroy this miracle.
She was finally hit with the realisation of this new Master.
It had to be the Matou family. She remembered the time where Bram explained to her the mechanisms and the rules involved in the Holy Grail War. And she remembered now that the Matous were the ones who sent word to the Association of their possession of the Grail's vessel. And if the Matou family is participating in this War, and that they have already summoned a Servant, the Lord El-Melloi II faction must have had their forces reduced. Either that, or Mikhel is too late in summoning his Servant.
"Hmm. A very worrying prospect indeed," Viola mulled to herself. She had to inform Bram as quickly as possible to get Mikhel to summon his Servant right away if possible and ensure that they still have the advantage of numbers.