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

Peaceful Days

Epilogue

"YOU DID WHAT?"

Eyes turned to where Shirou was staring, slack-jawed and wide-eyed, at his sister-in-law. In contrast, Rin looked cool as a cucumber, lounging on a beach chair with a glass of whiskey in one hand. She'd even changed from beach clothes to business attire, if only to give the appropriate appearances, when she'd left a couple of hours ago. And when she'd returned, she looked like the cat that had caught the canary.

"WHY?" Shirou asked.

Rin gestured at the Tower of the Sorcerers. "That place is just too well-built to tear down." She said. "In fact, it's perfectly functional, if lacking furniture and various amenities. Plumbing, for one. Electricity, for another. And a few other things, but those can be easily corrected. That, and it's…magically-latent, so much so, that it's the perfect place to conduct certain rituals. I'm sure your children – at least one of them – might find it useful in the future."

"I'm not complaining," Sakura began while rubbing her husband's arm reassuringly, Shirou exasperatedly rubbing his face with one hand. "But, how'd you convince the landowner to sell?"

"First, a very good team of lawyers." Rin cheerfully replied, taking a folder next to her and handing it to Sakura. "They had the documents written up in about half an hour. Second, an equally good team of bankers and accountants, who put together the money needed in about the same time. And third, just a bit of mental interference, to nudge the landowner and his wife to favorably consider my proposal."

"That's not very nice." Shirou censoriously said.

"I didn't steal the property." Rin reminded him, straight-faced. "They were suitably compensated."

"How much?" Shirou asked.

"I paid fifty per cent via bank transfer as a downpayment." Rin replied with a shrug. "A hundred and fifty million yen now, with the remaining one hundred and fifty million to be paid in monthly installments over the next three years."

Sakura and Rider's mouths fell open, while Shirou was spluttering incoherently. In contrast, Luvia looked impressed, even as she opened a case of a cigars and offered one to Rin. "Why, thank you!" she said, before letting Luvia light the cigar with an antique lighter, and giving a few appreciative puffs. "This really isn't healthy…but I could get used to it."

Luvia couldn't help it, she threw her head back and laughed. Rin grinned, blew out some smoke, and sipped at her whiskey like a mob boss. "W-w-w-where did you get that much money?" Shirou all but screamed.

"It's not actually that much money by international standards." Kirsikka replied, walking by with a heavy case full of fireworks. Little Rin and Mikasa followed her, sitting on the floating disc and licking at a pair of obsidian crystals as though they were lollipops. Never mind that they'd easily slice their tongues open…if it weren't for the fact that they were a) a vengeful spirit, and b) a vengeful spirit's familiar, respectively. It'd take more than magically-latent obsidian to hurt them in any way. "Let's see…um…three hundred million yen, more or less…that should only be around two point four million American dollars. Pretty average, really, when it comes to luxury real estate."

"Generous, actually." Rin replied. "That amount usually includes a proper mansion, and not just a small beach house. See, Shero? It's not so bad."

"That doesn't answer my question!" Shirou exploded. "Where did you get that much money?"

Rin rolled her eyes. "I've long since rebuilt the Tohsaka Clan's fortunes, no thanks to that fake priest." She said. "Sorry, Caren."

"Father was a heretic, and an apostate." Caren admitted. "The truth does not offend me."

"Right…anyway," Rin continued with a cough. "I've got plenty of sources of income, and not just from rents in Fuyuki. I've got investments in Chinese and Indian textiles, Middle Eastern oil, Russian gas, European steel and metal, things like that."

Rin grinned and puffed at her cigar. "Money, money, money!" she softly sang. "It's a rich man's world!"

Luvia looked at her approvingly. "We ought to talk business in the future, cousin." She said.

Rin's response was to pour whiskey for Luvia. "I'm looking forward to it." She said, the two Edelfelts sharing a smirk while toasting each other. Shirou covered his face at the sight, Sakura rubbed his back with a sympathetic smile, Rider just looked resigned at yet another one of Rin's idiosyncrasies, Caren looked slightly disappointed at such a materialistic show, while Bazett was unfazed.

Then Kirsikka was shouting from further down the beach. "HEY!" Murderer Blue roared. "A little help setting these up?"

Rockets screamed up from the beach, soaring high into the sky before exploding in brilliant starbursts of many colors. Fiery red, vivid green, blushing pink, bright yellow, rich blue, and glowing orange, all shining against the velvet backdrop of the night sky. On the beach itself, the children held sparklers, scattering fiery points of light over the sands by the water.

Thunderous crackling erupted as Shirou set off a belt of nearly a hundred firecrackers on a rack of traced iron. Sparks flew along with clouds of smoke, but the flashing and crackling still had Sakura and Rider clapping their hands. Even Caren and Bazett gave small smiles, even as more rockets soared up into the sky and lit up in glowing flowers of flame.

"Enjoying yourself?" Rin asked.

Kirsikka lit a small firecracker, small enough to fit in her hand, basically just a triangle of rough paper stuffed full of powder. She tossed it into the distance, where it exploded with surprisingly dimness, but with a thunderous boom that had everyone else jumping where they sat or stood. Murderer Blue smiled at the chorus of surprise and appreciation.

"I am." She said, offering Rin more of the thunderclaps, Jeweled Sword Blue smiling and shaking her head before accepting the offered firecrackers. "I'm surprised, though. I'd have thought you'd be against fireworks. These things are expensive, and some people have called it all but literally burning money."

Rin snorted, and lighting a firecracker, set off another thunderclap. "Eh, I've got plenty of money to burn." She said, smiling as she saw Shirou helping his children light a fresh set of sparklers. "Besides, it's a special occasion. A short vacation to the beach, a few days of peace and enjoyment with family…it's nice, you know? Ending things with a bang."

"That was the idea." Kirsikka admitted, reloading the improvised launch tubes before lighting the fuses with a torch. Sparks flew as the fuses burned, and then with a roar, the rockets launched in sequence up to the sky. This set, though, didn't simply explode once, but sent out smaller sparks that exploded into a second set of sparks that lit up the skies and the waves. "Not exactly a genius moment, not even close, but it doesn't always have to be."

"Yeah, just…just another way ordinary people can enjoy themselves…" Rin mused, tossing a lit firecracker and setting off a thunderclap. "…it's not bad."

Kirsikka chuckled, before lighting a sparkler, which she then handed to Rin. Rin hummed while watching the sparks dance hypnotically as they scattered over the sand, and smiled wider as Kirsikka lit her own sparkler, letting its sparks dance with Rin's. "…tomorrow, it's back to normal." She said softly, with just the faintest hint of regret. "Or as close to normal as it can get."

"What's the plan for you?" Rin asked.

"I've got a lecture or two, plus a spiritual dissection at Spiritual Invocation back in my home timeline." Kirsikka replied. "After that, who knows? Lord El-Melloi probably has a couple of things at least to send me out to deal with, if not, I've got my own research to do."

"Like completing your path?" Rin asked.

"The path is already complete…in theory." Kirsikka said with a wink. "But before that…I need to make sure my sister is looked after. There's no guarantee, after all, that even if I complete the path, I can make it to the end, or even if I get that far, that I can get back. At the very least, I have to make sure my sister isn't left destitute. I owe her that much."

"If you ever need help…" Rin began, only to trail off as Kirsikka shook her head.

"I appreciate the offer," she said. "But this is something I have to do on my own. You understand, don't you?"

Rin was silent for a long moment, even as her sparkler died. She stayed silent as Kirsikka's own sparkler went out, and then as Kirsikka looked out over the sea. Behind them, further up the beach, quiet conversation started up between their friends and families, all looking up at the sky now that the fireworks display was finished.

Then Rin stepped forward, crossing her arms while standing next to Kirsikka. "Yeah, I understand." She finally said. "It's…not something any of us have to deal with alone, but…we have to. You have to. Otherwise…"

"…yeah." Kirsikka admitted before smiling and looking up at the sky. "Beautiful, aren't they? The stars, I mean."

"They are." Rin agreed, staring up at the countless thousands of stars visible in the night sky. "Here…so far from the city…the sky's so clear…you'd barely be able to see the stars in a city…you could probably count their number with your hands…but here…"

Kirsikka chuckled before winking at Rin, who looked curiously at her. "I heard someone once say," she began before reaching up at the stars with a hand. "In any age, when people are young, they reach out with their hands to hold the stars, only to realize that their arms aren't long enough to reach. They call that 'growing up'."

"…point, I guess." Rin admitted, before her own expression turned determined. Then she reached up to the stars, and closed her hand, as though holding them within. "But, as history tells us, some people, one way or another, did hold the stars in their hands."

Kirsikka chuckled. "I ripped that line off from an anime." She said.

Rin laughed in her turn. "It doesn't matter." she began while lowering her hand, and opened it to look down into her palm. "I stand by what I said."

"As would I." Kirsikka agreed.

Rin glanced at her, but said nothing more, only looking back up once again at the stars. Tomorrow, they'd have to return to their everyday lives, and face the challenges and dangers that came with being magi. But here and now, they were just sisters, looking up at the stars, as though looking forward to the day when they held them in their hands.

A/N

And that's a wrap. I know, right? I actually finished another fanfiction story.