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

This Cannot End Well

Chapter 13

"There you are!" Rin irritably snapped as Sakura arrived. "Where have you been? We've been looking for you for nearly an hour now!"

"Sorry, sorry." Sakura said with an unconcerned wave and a disarming smile. "I just needed to put together a couple of things."

"Oh?"

Sakura offered two things each to Rin and Tom both. One looked like – and was – a wireless communication system like what the homunculi had for long-range communication, while the other was a surprisingly heavy set of visors. Or not: the glass was very thick.

"What's this for?" Rin asked, holding her visor up.

"Zarathustra works by firing off high-energy x-rays at a target." Sakura explained. "The beam is concentrated, though, so you don't have to worry about the x-rays. What you should worry about is what the x-rays do to the surrounding air. You see, x-rays move at the speed of light, so you wouldn't be able to see them. But, x-rays with as much energy as Zarathustra uses causes the surrounding air to get so hot that it literally becomes incandescent. Blindingly so, in fact. Hence, the visors."

"…I thought you said you've never used Zarathustra before." Rin asked suspiciously. "Outside of testing, that is."

"Yes, I did."

"…you do realize that means the flash, heat, and boom will be much greater, right?"

Sakura beamed. "As should be expected of my genius sister." She said. "Yes, I do, but I'll be operating Zarathustra from a pocket of warped space, so I'll be safe from physical effects. Aside from the flash, of course. So, make sure to listen – assuming you're still alive, all things considered – because when I say to 'brace for shock and flash', then put those visors on, and get in cover. And when I say cover, I mean something solid. Inside a house, in a basement, a vault, even…and no, hiding behind a car or in an alley is probably not enough cover. Not when Zarathustra is fired."

"…this is going to fry Fuyuki as a whole." Tom said with a sigh.

"Considering in the…normal, so to speak, timeframe of this timeline," Sakura coldly remarked. "It's overrun by freaks and monsters, I'd say it's an improvement. Besides, you talk as though you guys wouldn't sterilize the place afterwards if I didn't fry the city along with the Matou Hub."

"…good point."

Sakura nodded. "Then if there's nothing else…?" she prompted.

"No, I'm good." Rin said, sliding her communicator into place with the bead in an ear.

"Likewise." Tom said, doing similarly and putting his visor in a vest pocket.

"Well, if there's nothing else, let's go." Sakura said.

Rin and Tom nodded back, and then they headed for the side of Fort Yggdmillennia bordering Matou Central. The boundary between temporal zones shimmered like oil in water cast with half-light, and the three magi looked apprehensively at it. Then Tom dryly swallowed, and moving slowly, poked his hand through the boundary, almost like dipping it into water.

His eyes widened as he reached in, and then pulling it away, chuckled while rubbing his fingers together. "It's…weird." He said. "It feels weird. Like…like something warm and tingly, that feeling you get on your scalp and neck when someone rubs you in just the right way…"

Sakura sighed. "ASMR…?" she asked.

"…yeah…I think that's what it's called…" Tom said, grinning as he again dipped his hand into the boundary. "…right then…like we talked about earlier, I'll be going on ahead. Don't keep me waiting, Rambo's pretty tough, but he's not invincible. That said, don't get surprised if you find half the city on fire, and the streets littered with corpses. Rambo's job is to kill as much of the bad guys, after all."

"Give them hell, Tom." Rin said.

"Don't hold back." Sakura added.

"I never planned on doing otherwise." He said, and with a deep breath, he stepped into and through the boundary field.

Rin and Sakura stared at the boundary for several moments, waiting for Tom to come back, but when he didn't, they turned to each other. "Looks like it's our turn." Rin said.

"Looks that way." Sakura agreed, the two of them making their way to the other side of the fort. There, they stood before the boundary of Warzone IV, and stared at the shimmering patterns of light for several moments before again turning to each other.

"So…" Rin began. "…who gets to go first?"

"Rock paper scissors?" Sakura proposed. "Or do you want to just flip a coin?"

"Why don't we just walk through it together?"

Sakura laughed. "Works for me." She said, before taking her sister's hand and lacing their fingers together. Rin raised an eyebrow, then smirking, gave her sister a quick kiss on a cheek.

"For luck." She said with a wink, Sakura smirking back before they turned back to the boundary. "On three, then…one, two, three…!"

And with that, they stepped into and through the boundary together.

"This is actually kind of disappointing."

Sakura looked curiously at her sister, who looked as disappointed as she sounded. "Call me crazy," Rin explained with a glance at her sister. "But since we crossed over back to the 90s I kind of had…expectations. Like…I don't know, women going around with hair-sprayed dos, teenagers in baggy jeans…basically, I expected more neon, color, or simply…radical stuff."

Rin paused and gestured around them. "Instead, this looks…normal." She said. "Sure, the cars are of the older kind, but they look pretty much more or less the same where we come from. The streets are still full of plainly-dressed salarymen, plus schoolchildren in various uniforms all sharing the same kind of…unthinking uniformity, but…you get the idea."

"Well, if you're looking for color, there's a couple of gyarus over there." Sakura said, pointing at a coffee shop.

Rin gave her a look, and Sakura shrugged. "Maybe you've been watching too many movies." She said. "Real life isn't as…I don't know. Stereotypical, I guess?"

"…probably." Rin said with a sigh. "Come on, let's go find something to do."

"Well, it's the daytime." Sakura said, looking around and spotting a clock in a restaurant. Reinforcement let her see through the window with inhuman clarity, and find the time of day it was. "Looks like four twenty-seven or so in the afternoon."

"The Sun should be setting in a couple of hours then." Rin said, heading over to a newsstand and buying several newspapers. "We should be able to move and act freely by then."

"Anything interesting…?" Sakura asked as Rin quickly speedread through the newspapers.

"Yeah, a lot of kidnappings." Rin grimly said. "And someone blew up the Fuyuki Grand Hyatt Hotel a couple of nights ago."

"…I've heard the story from Reines so many times." Sakura idly remarked as she followed Rin to a nearby coffee shop.

"I can see where Shirou gets his idiocy from." Rin acidly said.

"To be fair, we're not exactly ones to talk." Sakura remarked while looking through the menu. "Sure, we've renounced our family's…most infamous, legacy, but we're still descended from the same people who built the damn thing, and put everyone around it at risk. We even carry bits and pieces of them with us, considering what crests are made from."

Rin snorted in disdain, also looking through the menu. "After all the trouble they've caused us," she sneered. "It's only right they – posthumously – help us rebuild the family into something that isn't warped by enigma, but something our children and grandchildren can look back on with pride."

Sakura laughed. "No disagreement there." She said, before gesturing for service. A couple of moments later and a waitress arrived. "I'll have a latte, two pieces of blueberry pancakes, and an extra serving of cheese."

"I'll have a latte as well." Rin said. "I'll also have a club sandwich with my coffee."

The waitress dutifully jotted down their orders, repeated them, and then confirmed with a bow before leaving. "Don't go overboard." Sakura asked.

"Later, you mean?" Rin asked.

"Yes."

Rin snorted and then smirked knowingly. "And you are one to talk?" she asked, causing Sakura to laugh.

Night fell over Fuyuki City, a cold breeze blowing through the skyline and whipping through Sakura's long coat as she stood on top of a skyscraper, looking out over the glittering skyline of the city below. Then she blinked, sensing a powerful presence arrive, heralded by the glimmer of gold and the clinking of metal. Turning, she bowed low, showing the proper respect, before rising back to her full height before speaking.

"Good evening, King Gilgamesh of Uruk." She said, and making sure to meet the blood-red eyes of the King of Heroes. "It is an honor to meet you."

"Finally, some respect." Gilgamesh drawled, barely deigning to acknowledge Sakura's greeting. He strode forward as he did so, Sakura stepping out of his way and keeping a respectful distance between them, while keeping her eyes on the King of Heroes who contemptuously regarded the city below. "The pretenders and the mongrels who brought them forth all think so highly of themselves, and yet they cannot even recognize the one true king returned to his garden at last."

Sakura was silent, and after a moment, Gilgamesh turned to her. "Usurper." He said. "Kinslayer."

Sakura stayed silent, and Gilgamesh tilted her head. "Have you naught to say in your defense?" he asked.

"What is there to say?" Sakura asked back. "It's both true."

Gilgamesh snorted. "You have nerve," he remarked. "To respond to the king in such a manner. You are your father's daughter in that sense."

Sakura's eyes hardened and her lips thinned at that, causing Gilgamesh to smirk in amusement. "You are offended, I see." He said. "Good…perhaps you are not so much like your father after all. That dull fool is about as expressive and as interesting as an ass…except an ass would actually spit on if not kick at you were you to prod it one too many times."

Gilgamesh paused and made a dismissive wave. "As you say, it is all true." He said. "But, you were a child at a time. It is not meet for a child to be blamed for simply being a child. No, it is the parents who should bear responsibility for their children and their actions. You are an usurper and a kinslayer, but judgment for such should fall on those who drove you to such ends in your ignorance."

"…it has served me well." Sakura softly said.

"It is of no concern." Gilgamesh dismissively said. "All must rise or fall on what they have done in their lives. On the contrary, I commend you for having risen so highly, though it remains to be seen whether or not you succeed."

Gilgamesh paused again, and smiled ever so menacingly at Sakura. "I look forward to witnessing your eventual attempt to usurp the Heavens." He said. "Do not disappoint me, usurper witch."

"I have no intention of being a disappointment." Sakura coldly remarked, and causing Gilgamesh to once again look amused.

"You wish to honor your ancestors with your achievements?" he mockingly asked.

"I spit on my ancestors." Sakura bluntly replied, and causing the King of Heroes to laugh. "No, any honor I win I win only for myself…and for my sister, who fights beside me."

"Indeed." Gilgamesh drawled, smiling knowingly at Little Rin's silent essence, the vengeful spirit curled tightly around Sakura. "Your sister…the remorseful one, where is she?"

"She went looking to avenge a friend, and if possible, rescue her." Sakura replied.

Gilgamesh frowned. "She has nerve," he said. "To put vengeance over attending to the king."

"She is my sister." Sakura proudly said, and Gilgamesh snorted.

"Indeed!" he scoffed.

"Besides," Sakura said. "I would think Your Majesty of all people would understand the desire to avenge a friend long lost…"

"Do not speak of matters that do not concern you." Gilgamesh coldly interrupted, and Sakura gave a small bow of apology. The King of Heroes stayed silent, instead looking to the distance with eyes that seemed to see something only he could see. After several long moments, he briefly closed his eyes before giving a contemptuous snort.

"What a waste of time." He said. "The friend she hopes to save has long since passed beyond saving. As for vengeance…"

Gilgamesh trailed off, and turned back to Sakura. "Curious," he said. "You have no desire to save your counterpart, despite knowing what has happened to her?"

Sakura smiled at Gilgamesh realizing the nature of things without needing any given explanations. Sha Naqba Imuru: The Omniscient and Omnipotent Star, granting him foresight and perception unparalleled across the ages among men.

"I do." Sakura admitted. "I also want to find Tokiomi, and cut out his heart, before showing it to him as he dies. Preferably with Aoi watching."

Gilgamesh chuckled. "Kinslayer…" he mocked. "…and yet you would not act upon such desires? Vengeance is yours, after all, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, those fools' status as your parents granting them no excuse for the punishment they are rightly due for their betrayal and mistreatment of their own children, as per the king's own law."

"Space and time have been fractured." Sakura said with a shrug. "They are beyond our reach."

"But after space and time have been restored?" Gilgamesh challenged.

Sakura just smiled cruelly, and Gilgamesh chuckled. "It would certainly be interesting to see." He said. "But enough about that, usurper witch, have you not noticed?"

Sakura frowned, thinking things over, about what things she could not have noticed. After several moments, she sighed, and gave up. "I'm sorry, Your Majesty, but I do not know what you are referring to." She said.

Gilgamesh gave her an unimpressed look. "As you yourself said, time and space are fractured." He said. "And yet, life goes on."

Sakura blinked, and then narrowed her eyes. "They cannot have failed to notice how there should be…a bubble, of warped space around this entire area of the city." She finally said. "But…they didn't. Otherwise, the city should be in a panic. So…how…?"

Sakura blinked again, and focusing on Gilgamesh, smiled. "May I assume that Sha Naqba Imuru allows you to see through whatever it is that's clouding everyone else's eyes?" she asked.

Gilgamesh smirked. "You may." He said before looking out over the city. "Think it over, usurper witch. It would be disappointing if you failed to understand it…but enough about that. Your sister is about to make her move, and it should prove interesting. For that alone, I would suffer her insolence at failing to attend to the king."

Sakura bowed, and taking a step back, looked out over the city as well. She didn't have to wait long.

"Als der Drache tief aus dem Fluss trinkt, fallen die Flussjungfrauen in einen kalten Schlaf wie der Tod selbst."

Rin held the Jeweled Sword in one hand, from which she drew a steady stream of prana, which shimmered in a glittering stream through the air and around her other hand. Her circuits and crest both glowed bright and hot, and without hesitation, she stepped off the pier to fall onto the river below.

As her foot stepped on the river surface, it froze all the way to the bottom in an instant, temperatures plummeting to forty degrees below zero. The ice spread outward, turning the Mion River from a dark expanse of polluted water into a mass of ice, the cold causing the water in the air to turn into snow which slowly fell from the sky.

"Während die Flussjungfrau schläft," Rin spoke, raising her free hand into the air, fingers clenched like talons. "Tritt die Hexe hervor, der Zorn des Drachen kündigt ihre Rache an."

Ice cracked and shattered, rising into an arch beneath Rin's feet, raising her into the air and over the river. "Die Hexe gießt ihren Hass aus," she continued. "Und die Flussgeister antworten, indem sie in einer Flut aufsteigen, um alle zu ertränken, die sich gegen sie stellen."

As she spoke, the ice continued to break, pieces thereof forming new shapes and forms with other pieces. Most took the form of birds, from humble sparrows to proud eagles, but there were also lions, hounds, tigers, serpents of every size and length, even beasts from myth and legend, such as dragons, wyverns, and chimeras.

Ice was a crystal too, after all, much like rarer and more valuable gemstones like diamonds, rubies and sapphires. Its commonality meant few if any jewel magi used it, barring certain outliers who could get their hands on ancient ices from the world's oldest glaciers, dating back over a million years as Humans measure the passing of time.

Common ice just wasn't useful enough…

…but with the Second Magic on her side, Rin didn't need historical weight at all. All she needed was the crystalline metaphysics of ice, and the sheer infinity of prana the Jeweled Sword could give her would do the rest.

"Lass die Erde brechen!" Rin spat. "Lass Licht in die Höhlen drinnen fallen! Lass die Dunkelheit wie nichts sein!"

Now Fuyuki itself trembled, Rin's prana causing the ground to buckle and break, a magnitude five earthquake shaking the city, but that was nothing compared to the area before Rin. The ground simply tore open, concrete crumbling and rebar snapping as the undercity was not simply exposed, but outright heaved up to the surface.

Shoggoths screamed in anger as they were exposed to the light and the open air, but anger turned to fear and terror as Rin's magic drew the heat from the air, their gelatinous forms hardening and shattering. A gesture had Rin's unliving constructs charging forward, the Shoggoths screaming as they desperately fought back, but every bite, scratch, blow, and even simple touch was something they could not recover from, their very beings freezing and breaking away.

In contrast, Rin's constructs could simply draw more ice to them to repair the damage done. And as the battle raged on, Rin's eyes fell on what had once been living children.

They still lived.

And there was only one thing she could do.

"Geh hinaus, zu purpurnen Flammen," Rin softly said. "Und so gereinigt, finde Frieden in Freyjas Umarmung."

Flames ignited, turning mutilated but living and tormented flesh to ash in an instant, a gentle breeze carrying the ashes away, free in death of the horror the promise of their lives had ended in.

Rin's rage was cold, her hatred glacial. And Caster's Master would know no mercy.

But first, Caster would fall.

"Witch!" Caster howled, frantically but shakily leafing through his grimoire. "You will not…!"

Caster broke off as an air bullet shattered his jaw into bloody chunks, before chains of ice a hundred degrees below zero bound the French warlock in place, while a bird snatched his grimoire and brought it to Rin. It shouldn't have been possible, the grimoire was a Noble Phantasm, but in the face of True Magic, such things had no meaning.

"A pity you are too dangerous to live." Rin sneered as she obliterated the grimoire with a single blow from the Jeweled Sword. "Gungnir!"

Lightning flashed above and thunder rumbled, before blinding light lashed down. Rin caught it on the Jeweled Sword, and simultaneously redirected and empowered the lightning strike towards Caster.

For an instant, Caster's skeleton could be seen, the lightning strike burning the Servant down to the bone. Then he was gone…

…but Uryuu Ryuunosuke was still there.

"W-w-w-w-w-wait…!" the young man pleaded as Rin towered over him, beautiful and terrible as a queen about to pass judgment, wetting himself as he cowered in fear on the ground below. "W-w-w-we can t-t-t-talk about this…!"

"Du wirst keine Ruhe finden," Rin said, ignoring the young man's pleas while opening and then slowly closing her free hand into a fist. "Weder in Valhalla, noch in Folkvangr, noch in Hel. In der Dunkelheit wirst du für alle Ewigkeit bleiben, sogar der Frieden des Vergessens verweigert!"

And as she spoke, ice encased Caster's Master, before a flash of light that marked the prison being phase-shifted out of alignment with the space-time continuum. "Look on the bright side, murderer." Rin mockingly said, regally descending down a stairway of ice, bannisters carved like twisting serpents. "You are, for all intents and purposes, immortal. The ice will never melt, never break, and so long as you remain within, you can never age, grow sick, much less age and die."

Then Rin paused, and smiled cruelly. "Of course," she silkily said. "You will never again know warmth, hear the sounds of the world around you, or the touch of your fellow man. But such is the least you deserve."

And with a final sneer of contempt, Rin turned and left, her crimson cape flapping in her wake.

A/N

Well, Rin is technically a queen…in her divine alter ego as Ishtar, goddess of love and war, and Queen of Heaven.

Yes, Shoggoths don't like the cold. It's explicitly shown all throughout The Mountains of Madness.

Aside from that, Gilgamesh is in fine form, but if you expect him to help, you're going to be disappointed. I mean, from his perspective, why should he help? Or rather, why must he lower himself to the task of pest control, when there are others more suitable for the role? He's the king, not an exterminator. That said, he does make nudges every once in a while, if only because it amuses him to do so.