Heavy conversations

"So, what is it that you girls wanted to talk about?" Chiaki asked, teacup in hand and arms crossed expectantly as she looked at the girls sitting across from her.

It was the day after the police-interview, and so far, everything seemed to be going well. No doubted anymore that Zouken had been responsible for burning the Matou-estate down, and any ongoing investigations were nothing more than a formality.

Sakura was fully in the clear –not that Chiaki had ever expected anything else– and had come over to the Mitsuzuri-estate that morning to thank them for their support during the interview.

At some point though, Sakura and Ayako had suddenly pulled Chiaki aside and asked if they could talk to her, or to be more specific, if they could ask her a question.

Not seeing any reason to refuse, Chiaki had made tea and then sat them all down at the table, before asking the girls what they wanted to talk about.

'This might take a while though.' She thought, as the girls suddenly seemed very hesitant and unsure of where to start the conversation, if the shifty looks, the constant tapping of fingers, and the way Ayako clung to Sakura for support were any indication.

"Well?" She prompted, making sure to keep her voice soft and kind. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Uhm, well, we need some advice." Ayako began, her eyes looking everywhere but at Chiaki. "And you're the only one we know who can help us with… t-this."

"Oh? And what about your father? Or Shirou? Perhaps a teacher or another friend?" Chiaki hedged, partially teasing, but also genuinely curious.

"None of the teachers are close enough to us, our friends won't know anything more than we do, dad is… well, a man and Shirou is actually a part of the problem." Ayako replied promptly. "You're our only hope, mom."

So Shirou was part of the problem. That made deducing the cause of this conversation much easier.

Chiaki's mood darkened as she realised that they were probably intending to ask her for romantic advice. She had known this day would come at some point, when the girls would approach her for lessons in love, but she had hoped that it would be far, far away. Like, well-into-adulthood far.

It wasn't that she minded them asking for love advice, in fact, she was delighted both Ayako and Sakura trusted her enough for that. The problem here was that they both had feelings for the same man, Shirou.

Chiaki feared that the girls might ask her to determine which of the two would get to pursue Shirou and who would have to back off. That they had decided to settle the matter once and for all by asking an adult to make that choice.

Chiaki couldn't do that! She just couldn't. One of the girls was her daughter, and the other was her daughter in all but blood. How could she ever be expected to choose between them, especially when it came to something as complicated as love?

"I see," Chiaki eventually said, carefully keeping her emotions hidden behind a poker face. "Then I suppose I would indeed be the only choice left. What kind of advice do you want?"

Damn, that came out way too harshly, and now they were looking at her with concern. She had to smile, smile dammit.

With great effort, she managed to put a smile on her face. It was a brittle thing, but it seemed enough for the girls, who were noticeably set at ease at the sight.

"Ah, I-I guess it's l-love advice." Sakura whispered, her face completely red. Not that Ayako fared any better at the moment. "We j-just wanted to ask you about relationships, and w-what to do when you b-both like the same p-person."

The pit in Chiaki's stomach widened. Her gaze flitted between the two girls, judging and weighing, trying to determine who she would pick in case she absolutely had to choose.

They both liked him, yes, and they both seemed genuine. They had both known him for too long now for it to be a simple and temporary crush. That meant that making a choice based on who held the more serious feelings was not an option. Comparing the girls by some kind of arbitrary definition of worth wasn't something she was willing to do, because that was frankly nonsense. Unfortunately, that left her with very little to make the choice with. Trying to compare people like this was extremely hard.

Could she even make that choice?

No, Chiaki firmly decided after a few more moments of fretting. She couldn't -wouldn't- make such a decision, not when it forced her to choose between her girls. If that disappointed them, too bad. They shouldn't have presented her with such a dilemma in the first place.

The tension was quickly becoming unbearable. The girls were about to present the crux of the matter to her, she could see it in their eyes, but she wasn't ready.

Could she get away with suggesting that they share Shirou? Was that an option? She would take it right now.

"S-So we just wanted to ask how we can make it clear to Shirou that we like him!" Ayako almost yelled. Her daughter's face impossibly reddened even more, until both she and Sakura resembled tomatoes. "A-And how we could maintain a proper relationship between the three of us."

…

Oh…

'That was easy.' She blinked in stunned disbelief. Should she perhaps also wish for a bag of gold and a lightsaber while she was at it?

The girls had decided to share Shirou, which… was honestly so very cute! Choosing not to compromise on their friendship over a boy, but instead opting to take the route of sharing him. With everything that had happened recently, it was a relief to hear that they hadn't let this get between them.

However, this was not a perfect solution by any means. This little play at a relationship might work well enough as long as they were young and innocent, but unfortunately, they would find out soon enough that relationships weren't such simple things, and that many would condemn them for even trying to be together.

On the other hand, perhaps it was for the best to let them share Shirou for now, and let them postpone the need to decide who would get to marry him until a time where the two of them weren't freshly traumatised.

Chiaki was pretty sure she could think of a real solution given time, and as long as the relationship remained innocent and healthy, she could play along for now.

Again, it was seriously cute how hard they were trying.

"So, if I understand this correctly, you intend to share him between the two of you?" Chiaki asked, holding a hand in front of her mouth to hide her large grin. "Willingly?"

"Y-Yes, i-if Shirou also agrees with that." Ayako nodded. "Sakura and I already talked it over."

Huh, she sounded incredibly resolute there, much more than Chiaki had expected. There was none of the hesitation she had expected, and, was it just her or had their expressions always held such a note of utter commitment and devotion?

Certainly, it wasn't possible that they were serious about this.

Right?

Realising she had been silent for too long, Chiaki made a snap decision.

"Good." She smiled, making both girls blink in surprise. "I almost feared you would ask me to choose which of you was allowed to get into a relationship with Emiya-kun."

"What!? NO!" Ayako protested, tightening her hold on Sakura, who nodded in agreement again, both having repulsed expressions on their faces. "We wouldn't do that to you, that would be cruel, a-and anyways, Shirou should also get a say in this."

"I guess that's true." Chiaki nodded, deciding to just play along for now and possibly have some fun while giving her 'advice'. "I'm sorry for doubting you, my dears. Now, you wanted advice on how to ask Shirou-kun on a date?"

"W-Well, mainly on how we can make it clear to him that we like him." Sakura corrected her meekly. "He never seems to realise when we try to hint at it, so making things clear is what we need the most help with. D-Dates can come after that."

"I suppose he wouldn't understand such a thing easily." Chiaki sighed, pondering deeply on what to tell the girls.

Perhaps some of Minori's manga could help here? She had read a few, and she was almost certain that harems had come up more than once. What was it again that characterised those so-called harem-protagonists?

Ah yes, their 'density', a tragic backstory, and all those other things designed to fuel cheap melodrama. She fought to keep the smirk from her face, instead putting on a solemn mask.

"It isn't surprising that he doesn't respond to your feelings," she declared, adopting a sad and somewhat dramatic tone. "With that horrible event in his youth, scarring him for life, it's very likely that he just completely refuses to acknowledge that anyone could love him, because he believes he deserves no love."

"What?" Sakura half-yelled, eyes wide in shock, seemingly taking Chiaki completely seriously.

"I second that 'what'," Ayako added, equally surprised at her mother's words, yet far more sceptical of them.

That is, until Sakura leaned over slightly to whisper something in Ayako's ear. Chiaki couldn't hear what was said, but judging from Ayako's shocked expression, followed by the look of immense respect her daughter gave her, Sakura had somehow managed to convince the girl that Chiaki was correct.

More evidence that they were living in a fantasy world, if they were actually believing this nonsense.

"Well, think about it. Shirou obviously feels and thinks differently from us," Chiaki went on, making stuff up as she remembered more and more about those manga. "In his subconscious mind, he believes he is partially to blame for the tragedy, even though intellectually he knows that he isn't."

"Senpai did nothing wrong!" Sakura whispered sadly but firmly. "But I think I know what you mean."

"It's nothing less than a tragedy." Chiaki sighed, idly wondering just how far she could take this. "I think, though this is just a theory, that as a result of his guilt complex, Shirou simply cannot accept that anyone would ever love him. Like him as a friend perhaps, but love him and value him for who he is? Never."

"That's nonsense." Ayako blurted out, her hands clenched so tightly her knuckles became white. "Why wouldn't we love him? He's amazing."

"He is excellent boyfriend material indeed." Chiaki allowed, knowing that, in all seriousness, if there was anyone who'd do right by multiple girls…

Shoving that thought out of her mind, she gave the girls a salacious grin. She would stir the pot a little, and perhaps prompt the girls to think about the situation in more adult terms "He's kind, driven, motivated, intelligent, considerate of others, helpful and, most importantly, also very yummy. Do tell me how he is in bed after you try it."

"M-M-MOM!" Ayako cried, scandalised, while Sakura have a small 'eep' as she hid her face behind her hands to escape the woman's teasing stare.

She cackled in glee.

Just as planned.

Nevertheless, she should throw in some actual advice too. She'd had her laughs, but it was important that her girls didn't get the wrong idea.

"But, in all seriousness," she continued, holding up a hand to stave off the outraged rebuttals. "You need to hit Shirou around the head with the facts, hard. My best advice is to sit down at a table, the three of you together, and just tell him how you feel. Say what's on your mind, make it clear that you two like him, and then let him decide what he wants."

"That's all?" Ayako asked dubiously, Sakura looking up next to her with a slightly puzzled expression. "I-I'm not saying I know better, but shouldn't it be more romantic or something?"

"Like what? Telling him you love him when he lies on the ground with his stomach slashed open, knowing you'll never get another chance? Perhaps when he's about to fight some great enemy and needs motivation? Or when he is about to go off on a deadly quest and you need something to tie him down with? Girls, real life often isn't as romantic or dramatic as films and tv-shows make it seem."

The girls blinked at her words, making Chiaki sigh deeply.

"Look girls, I understand that just calmly telling him might seem a little underwhelming, but in my experience, it is by far the best option. Just the three of you, no rush, no drama, no potential enemies around and all the time in the world to discuss your feelings. Believe me, it works far better than doing a hurried confession during incredibly a stressful moment."

"B-But, what if Senpai laughs at us? Or what if h-he's embarrassed by us and doesn't want to know us anymore? W-What if we come at a bad time?" Sakura rambled as she tugged nervously on her sleeves.

Chiaki tried not to raise an eyebrow. Just what kind of opinion did the girl have of Shirou?

"One, Shirou isn't a sociopath or an easily embarrassed child. He's not going to laugh at you, nor expel you from his life for embarrassing him, if he would even consider it embarrassing in the first place." Chiaki scoffed, flicking a hand in a dismissive motion. "Two, what do you mean 'a bad time'? Shirou isn't a Shonen-protagonist, he doesn't need your love-confession as some kind of character-development later on in the story. There's nothing wrong with telling him right away."

Smiling softly, Chiaki leaned forward and grabbed a hand of each of the girls. "Just sit him down at a table, lean forward to grab his hand like I am doing with you now, and confess. If he feels the same, which I find very likely, and he accepts your offer, follow that up by kissing him silly."

And again both girls' faces exploded with red, as Ayako started stuttering denials and Sakura seemed to suffer a critical meltdown.

Laughing merrily at their reactions again, Chiaki released their hands and sat back, idly tapping on the table with her fingers. From the girls' now dreamy expressions, they didn't seem all that averse to her suggestion.

"Just do what I told you and it should all work out," she continued after a few seconds, nodding sagely as the girls came back from wherever their minds had wandered off to.

"I-I see," Ayako mumbled eventually, sitting up straighter. "Thanks mom, we'll give it a try."

"We really should," Sakura agreed, her voice steady and filled with purpose now that she knew what to do. "No time to lose, we are already months behind schedule."

"Unforgivable! Let's do this as soon as possible. When is our next free day?"

Chiaki smiled contently as the girls hyped each other up. If they kept that spirit alive, there was no doubt they'd succeed in getting themselves their boyfriend soon. Meanwhile, she would try to think up a real solution.

Still, there was one thing that needed to be said, and the girls really needed to listen to this.

"Do remember to use protection if you're going to take it further than just kissing." Chiaki said sternly, being completely serious this time. "I mean it, this is no joke or anything. You are too young to be parents and I'm too young to be a grandparent. I don't want to hear of any pregnancies yet, okay?"

…

"MOM!"

"EEP!"

Shirou could only sigh as he looked over the papers detailing the overall defences of the Einzbern castle yet again, using his newly gained books about Runes and Bounded Fields, formerly belonging to the Matou-family, to try and find any possible weak spots that he may have missed before.

Most of what he had obtained from the Matou-estate had been useless to him, yet there were a few books about Bounded Fields that could prove useful, if only to find flaws in the Einzbern's defences.

No such luck however. Even with the new information on hand, the Einzbern's Bounded Fields seemed as perfect and daunting as ever.

If he wanted to get in, he needed to take a look at those Bounded Fields himself. Unfortunately, there hadn't really been any opportunity for him to do that.

The invitation he had gotten from lord El-Melloi had changed that however. Now that he could attend the Clocktower in a way that wouldn't raise suspicion, a lot of doors had suddenly been opened to him.

The summer holidays were approaching, leaving him with months of free time. Plenty to attend a few courses in the Clocktower, though honestly, Shirou didn't expect to really learn all that much. He was still a third-rate Magus after all, one that had no particular desire to rise in status. Those courses and lessons would merely be a ruse. He wasn't interested in anything the Clocktower could offer him. It was all just to get closer to the Einzbern.

It might just present him with a window of opportunity he could use.

There was nothing he could do about all of that right now however, so Shirou decided to start cooking dinner. He stretched himself, before he rose from his seating position and grunted as arcs of pain shot through his body, lightning sparking off him as he loosened his muscles.

The effects of Warrior's Madness were unfortunately still very noticeable, mainly in those little instances where he would temporarily lose control over his power, as well as the screaming protest of his body whenever he tried to do something strenuous.

He had played it off to Sakura whenever it happened in front of her, but he suspected she wasn't fooled.

Sakura wasn't present right now however, so Shirou felt free to stretch and groan out loud without fear of being overheard.

The symptoms were getting milder though, which eased most of his worries. He had a lot planned for the coming weeks, and he wanted to be at his best. Not to mention he still owed Sakura a demonstration of his new powers, during which he could hardly be groaning in pain all the time.

Speaking about Sakura, the girl had taken to her new life incredibly well. She had moved in without issues and seemed more than ready to do her share of the work. He was honestly surprised with how seamlessly she had integrated herself into his life.

Well, it probably had something to do with the fact she had been practically living at his house for years already. The only thing that had really changed was that she now had a key, access to his bank-accounts, and her own bedroom.

And, of course, she knew about his other life, which was why he was so much more relaxed in her presence now, especially since she had taken it so well.

She really was a fantastic person, and he should really tell her that more often. He would have told her right this moment, but she was at Ayako's place now. She had assured him she would be back in time for dinner, though possibly not in time to help with preparing it.

Seeing that it was getting late already, Shirou decided to just get started. He'd see when she made it back home.

Yes, home. Their home.

Sakura watched in awe as her Senpai blew apart another boulder with a lightning bolt he oh-so casually called forth, seemingly without any effort, incantation, or strain.

The sun had already set, and Fuyuki-City was slowly falling asleep after a long day, yet Sakura felt incredibly awake at the moment, watching Shirou demonstrate his power in incredible spectacles, his immense aura sending pleasant tingles down her spine.

It had only been a few hours since dinner, and Sakura was slightly disappointed that she hadn't been able to help prepare it. There would be plenty of chances in the future though. After all, she now lived with Senpai, actually lived in his house, something she still scarcely believed, so preparing meals with him was going to be a daily occurrence, even more so than before.

Besides, it wasn't as if she hadn't made productive use of her time. She and Ayako had been talking with Mitsuzuri-san, who, in spite of all the teasing, readily gave them a lot of advice on relationships and romance in general.

'A-And on Senpai specifically.' She mentally added as a faint blush rose to her cheeks.

Sakura was honestly surprised by how okay Ayako's mother was with them pursuing Shirou together. She had expected Chiaki to be against it, or judge them in some way, as polyamorous relationships were hardly common in Japan, much less tolerated, but the woman had been naught but helpful, even encouraging them to, as she put it, 'go and have fun'.

According to Chiaki-san, it was a whole lot better than the alternative, where they would have to compete with each other over Shirou, most likely ruining their friendship in the process.

Sakura wholeheartedly disagreed. If it had come to that, she would have backed off immediately. She really didn't want to lose Ayako's friendship, and besides, Senpai would be better off with Ayako anyway.

She didn't deserve either of them, but she would fight to the death to keep both of them in her life, as paradoxical as that was.

Chiaki had then continued by expressing her relief about not being asked to choose who of the two would get to pursue Shirou and who would have to give up. That was not a choice she wanted to make apparently.

Although Sakura herself couldn't quite see the problem with that. Obviously, she should have chosen Ayako. The brunette was better than Sakura in every way.

Purer, kinder, more self-assertive, prettier, and Chiaki's daughter by blood. The choice should have been an easy one, but apparently, against all of her expectations, Chiaki didn't see it that way.

Sakura still didn't know what to think of that, but she couldn't deny that it made her feel giddy to know that the woman considered her to be Ayako's equal, as unreal as that sounded.

When the woman had finally gotten around to actually giving advice, she'd been a great help, though Sakura's face still reddened whenever she recalled what the woman had told them to do.

Just sit Senpai down at a table with her and Ayako, grab his hands, look him deep in the eyes, tell them their feelings outright, and let him choose what to do with their words, before k-k-kissing him.

She still wasn't sure if she had the courage to do that, it would be so embarrassing. She supposed she was fortunate she had Ayako with her for support, or she probably would have sat in nervous silence the entire time. No way she could have taken such a step on her own.

After giving them advice though, Mitsuzuri-san had immediately resumed teasing them.

Sakura's blush indeed intensified as she recalled the woman offering to teach them a few simple tricks to use in bed, as well as urging them to find Shirou's kinks so that they could use them against him.

That was shocking enough, but it was only when the woman suggested that she teach Shirou a bit as well that Sakura started feeling very light-headed.

It was very difficult to look Shirou in the eye after that, an atomic blush appearing on her cheeks every time she tried, as she remembered that scandalous offer.

Now all that was left was to find a good time to confess, but that would have to wait. Sakura and Shirou still had to tell Ayako about Magecraft, because as Chiaki said, a relationship built on lies would never last.

So first they would tell her about the Moonlit World, wait a few days for her to process everything, and only then could they start their planning out their confession and relationship dynamics.

That had pretty much concluded their discussion, and Sakura returned home afterwards, but that was not to say her mind had also moved on.

She hadn't been able to think of anything but that discussion during dinner, making it a difficult affair to properly talk without stuttering and blushing. Somehow though, she had actually managed to make it to the end of the meal.

Fujimura-sensei had then left again with a wink and a crushing hug, and after they had cleaned the table and the kitchen, Senpai had asked her if she wanted to see a demonstration of his powers.

She had immediately agreed of course, and thus Senpai led her to his backyard, before lifting her up in a princess-carry and taking off into the sky.

It was a surreal experience, and, after the initial screaming in fear, she had really come to enjoy it too. There was a real thrill in flying through the sky, with the wind caressing her hair, held safely in the arms of her Senpai as they soared above the city at incredible speeds.

Well, not really incredible, since going too fast would have put too much strain on her body according to Senpai, but for her, it had still felt like they were going faster than lightning.

It could have lasted hours upon hours and Sakura would not have grown bored with it, but far too soon, they arrived at their destination, a large clearing in the forest next to Fuyuki-City, where Senpai usually practiced Magecraft.

He had already placed several Runic Arrays over the field and in the forest surrounding it, so that no one would notice them using Magecraft here. That was honestly a relief. They didn't need to be found by certain overly curious and meddlesome people.

No way she wanted to talk with…

She took a deep, shuddering breath, forcefully expelling the thoughts of that person from her mind. She was here to watch Senpai's training, not to get lost in memories, especially ones that would only spoil her mood.

She focused on the sight in front of her again, just in time to see Senpai throw Mjolnir at the rock-formation in the centre of the clearing. She watched intently, curious as to what the Divine weapon could do when thrown so casually.

It didn't disappoint.

The hammer obliterated everything in its path without slowing down in the slightest, but that wasn't even the most impressive about it. The weapon curved mid-flight, and then returned to her Senpai's hand, handle first and all.

She felt nothing during the return, no bending of reality, no burst of Magical Energy that would suggest a summoning spell, no manipulation of the rules of nature or anything. The hammer just returned, as if it had somehow decided that it wanted to.

Right, Senpai already said it was sentient, hadn't he?

Shirou then shot her a grin, as if having heard her thoughts, before drawing a Rune in the air. It wasn't one Sakura recognised, but the immense burst of fire that sprang forth revealed its nature just fine.

It was amazing to see. Even standing several dozen meters away, she could feel the scorching heat from the enormous cone of fire. Senpai let the flames burn for a while, before willing them away.

He then did several other things, like crushing a rock with his bare hands, drawing several more Runes, flying at incredible speeds, and, to her shock, wounding himself to show her how fast he could heal.

That was where she drew a hard line though.

"Senpai!" She cried loudly, startling her hopefully-soon-to-be boyfriend, who was just about to continue his demonstration by holding out one of his hands over a roaring flame held in the other palm.

"Ah? What is it?" He asked in surprise as she marched over to him and took hold of the hand that he had cut, forcefully pulling the appendage close to her face.

"You shouldn't hurt yourself, especially not for some stupid demonstration," she scolded him as she examined the hand closely, noting to her relief there were no signs of injury anymore.

"It was just a little cut." Shirou protested. "You don't have to worry, I'm fine."

Sakura's heart sank at his casual disregard of his own well-being. Yes, she knew that he would be fine, that he could heal himself, but that wasn't the point here. He still felt pain, didn't he? He shouldn't be that casual about inflicting pain on himself.

"But I do worry." She said, looking deep into his eyes, trying to convey her feelings. "I hate it when you are hurt, and I know that others do too. Ayako, Fujimura-Sensei, Chiaki-san and Ryozo-san, we all feel the same way."

She then hugged him, feeling his arms encompassing her trembling frame in return. "Please do not hurt yourself anymore, Senpai. If not for yourself, then do it for us. We cannot bear to see you in pain, you don't deserve pain. I'm begging you, just try to take better care of yourself."

Shirou stiffened in her hold, and she could almost hear the gears in his head turning. After a few seconds, he breathed out deeply, seemingly coming to a decision.

"I won't hurt myself needlessly," he mumbled. "But I will do what I have to in order to save people, you know that."

"Yes, but at least promise me you'll avoid getting hurt as much as possible."

"I promise."

"Thank you."

Sakura gritted her teeth slightly as she came to a conclusion. Her Senpai might have problems with his self-worth, and he might be fine with that, but she sure as hell wasn't. If he wasn't going to look out for himself, she'd do so in his stead, just like he did for her.

Two people, both broken in so many ways, looking out for each other because neither could take proper care of themselves.

She would have laughed at the irony if it weren't so tragic.

"It was a very impressive demonstration." She said after a pause, letting awe push away her lingering concern. "Was it tiring though? Do you need rest?"

"Not at all." Shirou assured her, a slight touch of pride entering his voice. "I still have more than enough power in my reserves to do this and much more."

She nodded before turning back to look at the clearing. Despite what one might have expected, it bore barely any traces from the violence that had just been unleashed upon it.

It was a really pretty place now that she properly looked at it. Soft green grass and pretty flowers swayed with the wind, while the curiously shaped and half-destroyed rock-formation in the middle gave it a mysterious presence. The small pond at the edge of the clearing reflected the moonlight clearly, casting a silvery glow over the scene.

All in all, a beautiful clearing in a beautiful forest.

She wouldn't mind visiting this place more often, and not necessarily for training either. It seemed like a good place for a picnic or something.

Maybe, if things with Ayako and Senpai went well, they could go here for their first dat-

"Oh gosh, look at the time." She blurted out before her mind went too far. "We'd better return, Senpai, you have school and work tomorrow, and I need to decorate and set my room up and everything."

Shirou blinked, before he nodded. Then, with a smile, he wrapped his arm around her waist, gentle as ever, and took off.

It felt as amazing as she remembered, if not better this time, and Sakura was quite sure the novelty of flying wouldn't wear off any time soon.

Romantic flights with Senpai. Perhaps it was something she could introduce to Ayako as well once everything was over and done with?

After putting on the show for Sakura, Shirou flew her straight back home, where she had gone to bed after an hour of idle conversation.

Once he was certain she was asleep, Shirou let himself fall backwards on the ground, groaning as lightning crackled over his entire body. He wasn't at the limit of his reserves, he could have pushed himself further had it been necessary, but his muscles weren't exactly happy with him either.

Fortunately, no lightning bolts were randomly flying from his fingers, as they used to the first few days after he had saved Sakura.

Sakura had looked very cute with her hair poofed up, but while she didn't seem to mind having it styled like that after he had told her so, it wasn't something that should be repeated. He needed to have better control than that.

He had good hopes though that it would be over soon enough. Then, all that was left to do was tell Sakura of Warrior's Madness, something he'd neglected to do until now, and the matter with Zouken could be closed forever.

Once he picked himself off the floor, he spent another hour going over the Einzbern's defences again, furiously glaring at the papers and reports as if trying to intimidate them into giving him a solution. But no matter how long he stared, nothing presented itself.

Frustrated at his lack of progress, he moved on to the next missions he had planned as Rakurai. He might have finally taken down the Magi he had been hunting, but that didn't mean his work was over. There were still many criminals out there after all.

Additionally, Ayako had informed him recently that Rakurai's absence was worrying a lot of his fans, including her. Shirou didn't care much for the opinion of his supposed fans, except maybe Ayako's, but it was a good indication that he had sat still for long enough, and that it was time to get back to fighting crime.

He had been looking through newspapers and the internet for rumours of high crime-rates or mysterious happenings that might require a visit from him, and he found several cities that fulfilled those requirements. Six of them, to be precise.

He would have to discuss it further with Sakura though. She was intelligent and quick of mind, and she was sure to spot any mistakes he might have made and could probably give some valuable input herself.

It was the middle of the night however, and she was fast asleep, so he would have to save that discussion for a later date.

Shelving the matter of those cities for now, he spent the last hour of the night on going over Osaki Koyo's profile, the detective in charge of the national investigation into Rakurai. He hadn't really looked into the man before, as there had been no need to, but now that he had stumbled across the man inside Fuyuki, the redhead had decided it was time to be a little more proactive. Nothing too invasive though, merely a quick search through some files he had recently been able to liberate from the city's archive.

What he saw painted the picture of a hard-working and serious detective, good at his job, dedicated to his family, and untouched by corruption. He was clearly competent too, having solved many cases his colleagues had previously written off as impossible.

All in all, a man Shirou would rather have in his corner than against him.

Too bad they stood on opposite sides of the law, without much chance of that changing. It was regrettable, but the detective had to uphold his duty, and Shirou could not and would not abandon his ideals.

Shirou also spared a moment to look over the file of Osaki's partner, one Yomaura Taya, though that name was almost certainly a fake one. It even said so in the file itself. No one really cared though, as the woman seemed a decent, upstanding person. As long as she didn't make any trouble, it was unlikely anyone would give her a hard time.

Yomaura was pretty similar to her partner; dedicated, serious, efficient, upstanding, and seemingly incorruptible. A real asset to the Law-Enforcement, an exemplary detective…

And her features looked incredibly similar to Bazett-san's.

Shirou studied the picture for a bit longer, taking note of the uncanny resemblance, before dismissing it from his mind. It was unlikely that they were related, and even if they were, he'd cross that bridge when he got to it.

With nothing more to do that night, he went to bed.

Shirou woke up after four hours of sleep, a good hour longer than usual.

He had decided to take it easier, letting his body heal a bit more, and so far, it seemed to have worked out pretty well, if the absence of soreness in his muscles and the gentle thrum of his power were anything to go by.

He made his way over to the kitchen, where he found himself face-to-face with Sakura, who was already at work, a bright, almost challenging smile on her face.

He sighed, grabbing some plates to set the table, knowing it would be a lost cause to try to get between the girl and the stove. "You could have waited for me."

Sakura merely shook her head. "You already cooked dinner yesterday, Senpai. Now that I live here, I should do my share of the chores."

Shirou opened his mouth to respond, but Sakura continued before he could.

"After all, if we are to live together, it is only natural that we divide the workload between us. Isn't that what marrie- I mean, housemates do? I won't be a freeloader here, Senpai."

Shirou noticed her little slip easily enough, and his heart beat a tiny bit faster for a moment, before he shoved it from his mind. It was probably just a joke between friends. Instead he nodded thoughtfully, surrendering to her superior logic. "I suppose you're right. Very well, I look forward to breakfast."

Sakura smiled happily, bringing the food to the table.

As if that was the exact sign she was waiting for, Taiga also chose that moment to burst through the door, announcing her presence with her usual volume and enthusiasm.

As the three broke their fast together, none could deny the homey atmosphere hanging around the house.

Afterwards, Shirou and Taiga left for their respective schools, while Sakura stayed home to decorate her new room, and do some much needed shopping.

School itself was as unremarkable and boring as ever. It was a mean thing to think perhaps, but Shirou simply didn't care all that much for the rest of the year. All they were doing was repeating things they'd already learned for the final exams, and Shirou didn't need to do that.

Alas, he was still required to attend, even if it was starting to grind on his nerves. He just wished for the year to be over already, so that he could spend his time on more important matters.

Poor Sakura, she would be stuck at her middle-school for another year after he and Ayako moved on. She still had Minori though, so it wasn't all bad, though Shirou wasn't sure if he liked the thought of Sakura interacting with the boy.

He would just have to make sure to be extra kind to her at home.

When school ended, he quickly made his way home. He still had his job at the Copenhagen to go to that evening.

"I'm home," he called out as he stepped through the door, putting away his coat and shoes before making his way over to the living room.

Sakura was sitting at the table reading the newspaper, most likely waiting for him to arrive so they could make dinner together. Nothing strange there.

Yet Shirou found himself frozen on the threshold of the room, watching the gentle flicker of her eyes as they scanned the page. He swallowed as something caught on the back of his mind, filling him with warmth and approval as he took in the sight of Sakura waiting for him to come home so they could spend the evening together.

He couldn't quite place the feeling though, nor could he find a reason why he felt so happy all of a sudden…

"Good afternoon, Senpai. Welcome back." Sakura called out. "I finished putting my room together some time ago, but it was still much too early for dinner. So I thought I'd read the paper while waiting for you. I hope that's okay?"

"You don't need my approval for something like that." Shirou said with a frown. "You can do what you want, you know."

"Oh, r-right, I kinda forgot about that." Sakura mumbled, looking down shyly. "Shall we get started on dinner now? I know you have to go to work soon."

"Yes, let's," Shirou agreed, a smile replacing his frown. "Fuji-nee did allude to being here early this evening."

Wearing their favourite aprons, the ones they had gifted each other for their birthdays, the teens prepared the food and set the table.

After a while, Shirou turned on the news to see if anything interesting had happened that day. He didn't get to watch it for long before Sakura grabbed his sleeve and wordlessly pulled him back into the kitchen with her.

Naturally, he offered no resistance. He did however catch the appearance of Terauchi Remon, a well-known crime-reporter, when her severe countenance took over the screen. When her prim and proper voice echoed through the living room, he and Sakura's both stopped to listen.

"It was confirmed this morning that Kurata Shojiro, a long time criminal and member of the infamous Murakami gang, was murdered in his cell." She said, motioning at the prison in her background. "It is speculated that Kurata was murdered in retribution for his extensive cooperation with the police."

Kurata Shojiro.

That name seemed awfully familiar to Shirou. He had heard it before somewhere, though he couldn't quite recall as to where and when that was.

"Police speculate that the killing was retribution for Kurata's willingness to confess to his crimes and aid the authorities in their operations against his former associates. He was found in his cell with his throat cut. The other prisoners claim to be oblivious, though it is speculated they are being untruthful. The investigation is still on-going."

The news then continued with an item about protests in Europe against something or the other, but Shirou stopped paying attention at that point.

He shook his head slightly in disappointment, as the police had managed to mess things up yet again. To put one of their informants in the same cellblock as other criminals, who had every reason to want him dead. That seemed unwise at best and actively malicious at worst.

There wasn't really anything he could do about it though, so he put it out of his mind.

True to form, Taiga walked in the moment that the last dish was put on the table.

"Hey, you guys," she shouted as she barged through the door. "Guess what? Gramps just signed the last of the representation-papers. Just a few more days of procedures and Sakura will officially live here! With me as her guardian."

Sakura started beaming with happiness at the news and Shirou walked up to his honorary big sister to throw his arms around her.

"That's amazing, Fuji-nee," he said, hugging her strongly as the woman squeaked in surprise. "Thank you."

"Y-Yes, 'sniff', thank you." Sakura agreed, wiping away the few tears that had escaped her eyes, before happily joining the hug as Shirou shifted to make room for her. "Thank you so much."

"Ack? E-Eh, i-it's no problem at all, I mean, of course I would have gramps take care of Sakura, why wouldn't I?" Taiga stuttered, trying to push them away without much success. "Okay, okay, I get it. You are grateful and everything, now let go of me so we can eat. I'm hungry and there's food right there."

It took another few seconds of pushing and twisting, but Taiga eventually managed to free herself from her wards' grasp. She immediately walked to the table and began eating without saying another word, vigorously munching on whatever she could get her hands on while stewing in embarrassment.

"Still, Fujimura-Sensei, thank you, truly." Sakura repeated as she took a seat at the table. Taiga didn't respond, save for a barely audible huff.

Mentally shrugging their shoulders, the teens too started at their dinner, ignoring the petulant tiger across from them and instead talking about giving old man Raiga some flowers as a thanks.

"Are you still going to your job tonight, Shirou?" Taiga asked after a few minutes of sulking. "At the Copenhagen I mean?"

"Yes." Shirou nodded. "I promised Neko-san I would be there, they are already understaffed as it is. No doubt half of the people who were supposed to work today didn't show up. Neko-san told me it's hard for them to find reliable personnel."

"Hah? Why don't they just fire them? That's what gramps would do." Taiga huffed, leaning backwards with an exaggerated sigh. "But Neko-san always tells me it's more complicated than that."

"It's not really complicated, it's just that most employees aren't worth that much." Shirou explained ruefully, missing how Sakura seemed to perk up slightly beside him. "So I have to go, if only for Neko-san's sake."

"Ah, Senpai." Sakura whispered, straightening her clothes as Shirou turned to look at her. "I was wondering, uhm, now that I live here and not with Gr- Zouken anymore, I'll be having a lot of free time now that I no longer have to… well, you know."

"Yes?" Shirou asked kindly, prodding her to continue when she fell silent, not wanting her to fall back in bad memories.

"Maybe I can take a job as well?" Sakura proposed. "I mean, I have the time available, and I can contribute more to the household that way and-"

"Sakura, while I won't stop you from taking a job if that's what you want, you don't have to pay or work to live in our house." Shirou interrupted her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Again, that's not how I manage things around here."

"If we live together, we should share the burdens together." Sakura said softly but insistently, crossing her arms to show she wouldn't back down. "I refuse to be a freeloader, Senpai, that is something I will never accept."

Shirou creased his brows, before he sighed in resignation.

"I'll ask Neko-san if they have a spot open for a new employee," he promised, smiling as her face lit up in apparent glee. "I'm sure there will be a place for you."

Taiga scoffed. "Sounds to me like they can use all the help in the world. Besides, Sakura is much better than those other employees, so even if there's no room, they can just fire someone."

"Yes, that too."

"Thank you, Senpai. I'll work very hard and won't be a burden."

"Again, I don't believe you can ever be a burden, Sakura."

The plum-haired girl smiled tenderly at his words.

Rin swiftly put on her shoes, her coat in arms reach, as she prepared to leave the Tohsaka Manor. Having just finished a training session with the fake priest in martial arts and general combat-abilities, her muscles were burning, but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle. Not when she had something so important to do.

Sa- Matou-san was now head of the Matou-family, and as per tradition, Rin, being the Second Owner of the lands, had to remind her of the rules that were in effect inside of her territory. Such were the laws of the Clocktower.

Additionally, the Matous and the Tohsakas had a number of long-standing agreements that would need to be revalidated, and for that, Sak- Matou needed to sign several contracts.

Rin didn't have any illusions about Matou-san's willingness to do so though, and had thus spent a lot of time over the past two days creating and rehearsing speeches and arguments about why the other family-head should care about alliances and rules.

In her haste to put on her coat, sunk in thought as she was, Rin accidentally knocked over the coat rack. Despite it being thankfully empty, it still created a lot of ruckus, which she just knew would signal to the fake priest she was leaving.

Indeed, barely two seconds later, Kirei's head poked out of the kitchen.

"Now Rin, what is this? While I understand teenage rebellions are a thing, don't you think wrecking your own coat rack is going a bit too far? While I stand here washing your dishes too. I thought I had raised you better than that."

"It was your turn to wash the dishes today anyway." Rin fumed, instantly pissed off by seeing the man's smug face. "And if you must know, I'm going away on private business. Some long overdue stuff."

"On your way to kill the Emiya-boy then?"

Rin balked, eyes widening in shock as she took a step back.

"What?" She spluttered, outraged by the mere suggestion. "What are you talking about? Why would I kill Emiya-kun? I have no reason to do that, and neither do you. Is this some new attempt to unbalance me?"

"Ah, but Rin, I thought you knew." Kirei said soothingly, which itself was already a large clue something was very wrong. Kirei did not ever speak 'soothingly' unless he was planning something nasty. "Especially since Sakura is living with him."

"What are you on about? And it's Matou-san to you."

"Well, the Emiya-boy is a teenager, and so is Sakura-chan. Furthermore, the boy lived alone, by himself, in a large estate, which he owns too. His guardian spends very little time at his house, effectively leaving him to his own devices. Now that Sakura-chan lives there as well, there might be a possibility that something unscrupulous is happening between them, don't you think?"

Rin gaped at the priest for a few seconds, somewhat aware that something in that little story was supposed to enrage her, yet with her mind still frantically trying to connect the dots, before it clicked, and she turned a furious red.

"NO!" She instantly denied. "No, no, no, they aren't doing… that. You can spin stories and mince words all you want, fake priest, but I'm not buying it."

Kirei merely raised an eyebrow, causing Rin to think deeply once again, before having to conclude that, yes, it was not only totally possible, but even likely, considering just how much Sakura seemed to value Emiya.

"Y-Y-You just focus on th-those dishes." Rin spluttered, voice high with her embarrassment. "I-I have to leave, right now! Goodbye."

Not waiting for an answer - it would probably have contained no useful information anyway - Rin sprinted to the door and hastily pulled it open. She was going over to Emiya's house right now, and God forbid, if they were doing those kinds of things, she would make her displeasure with Emiya known.

Before she was entirely out of the door however, something occurred to her, and she stopped dead where she stood.

Just in time, she realised that something was not quite right about all of this.

Her face shifted into a suspicious and inquisitive look as she turned around, facing Kirei again, whose head had not yet disappeared back into the kitchen.

"How do you know so much about Emiya-kun anyway?" She asked sharply, crossing her arms. "I wouldn't think there is a need for you to keep an eye on him, so why did you?"

"Oh my, Rin, you really are horribly uninformed." Kirei sighed despondently, shaking his head in disappointment as he emerged fully from the kitchen. "Then again, that is as much my shortcoming as a teacher as yours as a student, how terribly sad-"

"Shut up and tell me why you've been watching Emiya so much!" Rin hissed, not in the mood to play his games. Why did he always have to make things so difficult?

"Because the man who adopted him, his father, so to speak, was Emiya Kiritsugu." Kirei revealed blandly. "A man so skilled in the killing of Magi and other beings of the Moonlit World he was given the title of Magus Killer, in equal parts respect and fear. He was among the most feared assassins in the world, even in the Mundane one."

"W-Wait, what?" Rin gawked, a cold feeling settling in her stomach as her annoyance evaporated at the sudden reveal. "B-But-"

"And I had the dubious honour of fighting against him during the Fourth Holy Grail War." Kirei went on, ignoring or uncaring of her growing panic. "Naturally, it was my duty as a concerned citizen and a representative of the Church to keep an eye on the son of this man."

"Y-You think Emiya was trained by him?" Rin asked, feeling all blood drain from her face. A Magus? Emiya was raised by a Magus? D-Did that mean that he…?

"Very likely." Kirei nodded sombrely. "Possibly, or quite probably even, to continue his work as the Magus Killer. For your information, I will add that Emiya Kiritsugu raided the Matou mansion during the Fourth War and killed your uncle Kariya's younger brother. I hope you are at least capable of drawing your own conclusions from that, Rin?"

Rin couldn't answer, completely thrown by the information she had just been given.

Emiya Shirou was a Magus!

If Kirei was to be believed, he'd been a Magus since before she ever laid eyes on him, before Sakura had befriended him even. He'd been a Magus all this time and he had never told her.

Fury and disbelief coursed through her, as she realised just how badly she'd been played. There was no excuse for this, Emiya couldn't have any reason to hold this a secret from her. She was the Second Owner, she had a right to know about every Magus inhabiting her borders!

"He never told me," she eventually grounded out for Kirei's sake. "I had no idea."

"You are the representative of the Clocktower and he is the son of the most infamous assassin of modern times." Kirei pointed out. "Can you really fault him for keeping this a secret from you, considering how you are acting now?"

"Urk?" Rin almost bit her tongue, realising she was losing her cool. Taking several deep breaths to calm down, she spoke again. "Well, under such circumstances, I suppose I cannot fault him."

"Hm, and what about Zouken? Do remember what I told you about him and Emiya Kiritsugu?" Kirei asked, his grin widening just a bit.

What he told her about Zouken?

Ah yes, Emiya Kiritsugu and Matou Zouken hated each other and had confronted each other several times during that war. Their feud had never been resolved.

"Their feud had never been resolved." Kirei unknowingly parroted her thoughts. "And don't you think Emiya Shirou might have been tasked with finishing that feud?"

"..."

Oh, no. No, no, no, no!

…Yes!

Emiya may have killed Zouken!

Rin didn't allow for yet another crack in her Magus-visage, keeping her face emotionless and stern, but inside, her mind was whirling. Emiya might have killed Zouken, and perhaps Shinji too. If what Kirei had told her was true, then that was even likely.

That would mean Sakura was innocent!

Any warm feelings that last thought might have generated however were crushed by the realisation that, even though she was perhaps less guilty than before, Sakura may very well have been used for the murder after all.

Emiya might have seduced her for all these years, with the purpose of using her to kill Zouken and Shinji! She might have been abused and misused. He might even be after the Matou-Crest, which was no doubt in Sakura's possession right now.

"I see you do understand." Kirei nodded approvingly.

"Yes." Rin hissed. "If you'll excuse me, I need to go."

Without waiting for a reply, she stormed out of the manor, unaware of Kirei's grin becoming one of vicious amusement.

Standing in front of the Emiya-estate, Rin took deep breaths to build up her courage, trying to convince herself to ring the doorbell before her nerves would get the better of her.

Emiya at least wasn't home, she had made sure of that. He was off to his job somewhere in town, at some café she couldn't be bothered to remember the name of.

Originally, she had picked a time when he was away so that he wouldn't hear anything of the Moonlit World during Rin's discussion with Sakura. Now however, she was doubly glad she had chosen this time, as it made it impossible for him to influence or harm Sakura when Rin would reveal she was onto him.

She was cautious of the Wards and Bounded Fields too, but there was no reason for Emiya to want her dead yet. She was reasonably sure that, as long as he wasn't home and she was peacefully allowed inside, she would be safe.

Rin had first intended to come here to get Sakura to sign the contract for a new alliance between the families, and perhaps, to check up on her health, but those purposes were secondary at best now.

It was most important that she got to the bottom of what had just been revealed to her.

The thought of Sakura being manipulated and seduced into helping an assassin kill her family filled Rin with dread and anger, but also with a bit of hope that it wasn't Sakura's fault, that she had been used, that she was merely a victim of the true villain.

On the other hand, it was difficult to believe that Emiya could have been so cold and monstrous as to do such a thing. For as long as she'd known him, he had been helpful, kind, patient, and always ready to assist someone. He had been just about the last person she would have expected to be a Magus.

It was of course possible that it had all been an elaborate ruse, a trick to fool her and seduce Sakura to use her for his plans, but that didn't make much sense either. Why would he put so much time and energy into a fake persona when far less would have done the same? It just didn't add up.

Not to mention that Rin had never suspected him of deceit. She might not be perfect at reading people, as was now firmly proven, but she liked to think she could tell who was obviously faking a personality.

And even if Rin herself had been fooled, there were still Ayako and Ryuudou, both very observant people who would have instantly noticed any slip-up on Emiya's part.

It didn't make any sense whatsoever that Emiya was a coldblooded assassin, but the only alternative was that Sakura was a murderer, and that was even less likely. So logically, that meant Emiya was in fact the killer.

She didn't believe everything she once thought to know about Emiya was a lie –she could easily believe he was a mostly kind person– but it was a whole lot more likely that he was responsible for the death of Zouken than Sakura, who primarily focused on research.

At least, Rin assumed Sakura focused on research. She'd never actually seen the plum-haired girl cast any sort of spell.

She wouldn't get anywhere though by standing on the doorstep all night, so with one last breath, Rin pressed the doorbell, the sound echoing through the house.

Several moments later, the door was opened by a brightly smiling Sakura.

Unlike what one would expect from a girl who had lost her grandfather and brother in a fire less than a week ago, she looked not just happy, but positively vibrant.

She wore a purple apron with a cute cartoon bunny on the front, and a simple blouse-skirt combination underneath it, the large smile and the pure happiness radiating off her making her seem almost ethereal.

Rin had to suppress the urge to hug the other girl, for more reasons than one.

Sakura's smile and vibrancy disappeared immediately however once she realised who was standing in front of the door, her eyes widening in surprise and shock, before her expression turned cold, her eyes gaining a familiar dead look.

Rin felt a painful coil in her stomach at the sight.

"Tohsaka-san." Sakura's voice was ice-cold, uninterested. "What brings you here? If you are looking for Senpai, he's currently at work. Maybe you can try again tomorrow?"

"I am not here for Emiya-san." Rin said, burying the hurt feelings beneath her sense of duty. "I'm here for you. May I come in?"

"No." Sakura bluntly answered, already closing the door again.

"Eh?" Rin was caught off guard by the immediate dismissal, before scrambling to prevent the door from being closed in her face. "I am here in my function as Second Owner of Fuyuki-City, to talk with the new head of a family living within my borders."

"…Fine. Come in then."

Sakura opened the door fully again, and promptly turned around after speaking those words, not even checking if Rin was following. It could be taken as incredibly rude, and it was most likely meant that way, but Rin wisely kept her mouth shut about it.

She followed after her host, taking off her shoes before stepping into the hallway, and entered Emiya's living room for the first time in her life a moment later.

She was directed to the couch, where she sat in silence while Sakura- no! Matou-san, Matou-san!– made tea. Milk tea, judging by the smell.

Rin used the time for a quick revision of her plans, as this had been going quite differently from the scenario she had envisioned.

"What do you want then?" Matou asked the moment she had handed Rin her tea and found a comfortable position for herself, opposite from Rin. "I'm pretty sure I haven't done anything illegal, nor did I declare any agreements between our families moot."

"The Matou-estate burned down several days ago." Rin began, observing Matou-san carefully for any reaction. No success though, her poker face was almost as good as Rin's. "Did you hear about that?"

"Of course I did, I lived there." Saku- Matou-san scoffed, making Rin wince at the stupidity of her own question. "Zouken burned it down. Fortunately, Nii-san and I weren't home at the time."

Zouken, not grandfather?

"Do you really think the fire was lit by Zouken?"

"I can't think of anyone else who could have done it."

"The fire seemed to confine itself to one house only."

"I don't know much about the peculiarities of fire. From what I have heard, the firemen weren't surprised or mystified by it, so I assumed everything was normal."

It went on like this for a few more minutes, Rin asking questions about what happened, and Matou answering very shortly, not really providing any information at all.

"How do you feel about all of this?" Rin eventually asked, realising that asking about the fire itself would get her nowhere. "Are you alright?"

"Not just alright, Tohsaka-san." Matou huffed, before a cold yet innocent smile came to her face. "I'm glad."

Rin promptly took a sip of her tea to hide her reaction, the twitches in her face expertly hidden by the porcelain. Eventually, the only thing that came out her mouth was a simple: "I see."

Meanwhile, her heart sank to the bottom of her chest. This all but confirmed Matou had been complicit in the murder, but… but perhaps it was only because of Emiya's manipulations? Yes, that made sense.

Grasping at the straws she saw, Rin continued her questioning. "Why are you staying here, at Emiya's place?"

"I needed somewhere to stay, and Senpai immediately offered his house. He is a very good friend, and I accepted. Where else could I have gone?"

'You could have come to me.' Rin wanted to say, but she was more than aware such words would ring very hollow.

She quickly started taking sips from her tea again, lost on what to say next. She tried collecting her thoughts, but Sakura's piercing stare made it very difficult.

"What are you really doing here, Tohsaka-san?" Matou-san suddenly asked, yet again catching Rin off guard.

"I am here in my function as Second Owner-"

"Yes, I heard you the first time, but that doesn't require you to ask all these questions, does it? If there is something you want, please tell me, or else let me sign the paperwork and then get out."

"I… I just wanted to see if you're okay," Rin admitted quietly, her eyes downcast.

Matou scoffed, yes, scoffed, her expression one of complete and utter disbelief.

"Come on Tohsaka-san, if you're going to lie, at least make the lie believable." She huffed. "Again, what do you want? For real, not those attempts at directing the conversation elsewhere."

Rin had to violently push down a flinch at Sa- Mat- Sakura's harsh words, the girl's disbelief hurting more than any of the previous comments and actions.

Sakura thought she was lying? No, she was convinced Rin was lying. She didn't believe for one moment that Rin might actually care about her.

Why?

"You are the new head of the Matou-family, I have to talk with you to reaffirm the alliance between our families and to remind you of the rules of the Magus Association."

Without waiting for a reply, Rin took some pieces of paper from her jacket and placed them on the table in front of the other girl.

"Please read these forms detailing the previous alliance between the Tohsaka and the Matou, so you can negotiate for possible new terms." She said in a formal tone.

Matou took the papers without acknowledging any of what Rin said.

The girl read through what was written, not commenting on any of it and taking her sweet time too. She lightly hummed at times and nodded on several occasions. It was unclear though if those gestures were real or just mockery.

Eventually, she put the paperwork down and slid it back to Rin.

"I know the rules, and I hereby declare that our families are allies still. Now, was that everything? If so, please leave. I would rather not have you here." She said calmly, before pointing to the door. "Please, get out now."

Rin closed her eyes, the pain in her stomach intensifying. Sak- Matou apparently really didn't believe her when she said she came to see if she were okay. The girl seemed fully intent on being as rude as possible.

"Didn't you hear me? I told you to leave, and I don't see you getting up yet."

This time Rin couldn't stop herself.

"What is your problem with me?"

Sakura blinked at the sudden inquiry, but her expression of cold disinterest didn't change, though there seemed to be a spark of anger in her eyes. "My problem? I wasn't aware I had one."

"You have been cold and rude since the moment you laid eyes on me." Rin sputtered incredulously. "When I express concern, you laugh and throw it back into my face. For as long as we've known each other, you have been cold and distant, I do not-"

"For as long as we have known each other?" Sakura interrupted, her tone harsh. "Funny, I seem to remember we got along pretty well when we were little, until I suddenly didn't exist anymore to you."

"I have no idea what you are talking about-"

"See! You're doing it again. You accuse me of being cold, but then you turn around and pretend you don't even know me!" Sakura said with clear frustration. "So typical of Magi. Hypocritical until the very end."

"I wasn't supposed to talk to you, you know that-"

"Because daddy told you, didn't he? And of course little Rin does everything daddy told her, because Rin is a good girl who loves her daddy, even if all she ever was to him was a convenient pawn, one he would have traded off without a second thought should it have benefitted him."

"Wha-? What are you talking about?" Rin snapped, thrown for a loop by the sudden inclusion of thei- her father.

"You might think he loved you and mom, but he never did, not for a second." Sakura told her, a vicious, mocking smile coming to her face. "He didn't love me, and I have no doubt that he didn't care for you either. You were just his heir, his tool, nothing more."

Rin blinked in surprise, befuddled by the sudden aggression. Her anger was quickly rising though as Sakura kept making slanderous comments about her deceased father.

How dare she even insinuate such a thing? How dare she accuse her father, their father, of such heartlessness?

How dare she suggest that her father didn't love her?!

"You- You don't know what you're talking about." Rin hissed, gripping the edges of the table. "Father loved me-"

"As a good heir." Sakura repeated offhandedly. "And nothing else. If you think Tokiomi considered you anything more than a little puppet and an heir to indoctrinate, you're deluding yourself. That man was not a loving person, and he would have gladly killed you if that had even the slightest chance at getting him closer to the Root. He could just have his broodmare pop out another heir right after."

"He was a Magus." Rin protested, her anger rising even more at the continued slander. The girl simply didn't understand what was necessary for their Craft, and she didn't have the right to talk about murdering family-members anyway.

"Which only supports what I say." Sakura countered instantly. "He was weak, and if not cruel and sadistic, then at the very least uncaring of anything but himself. He was an evil man through and through. Just remember this, Tohsaka; he didn't care for you in the slightest!"

Rin couldn't take it anymore, the plum-haired girl had gone too far.

"At least he didn't murder his own grandfather!" She blurted out. "At least he didn't kill any family-members to gain more power or had their assassin-lover do it for them!"

This time, it was Sakura who was caught off guard, before she frowned slightly, which was followed by a slight widening of her eyes as she realised just what Rin said.

"Pft, ha, HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Then she started laughing, and laughing, and laughing some more, until she was in tears, holding her stomach as she almost doubled over. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Rin felt she should be insulted by that, but the sudden change in mood was too jarring for her to be able to muster the indignation.

"Y-You think I killed Zouken, for power!?" Sakura wheezed out between peals of laughter. "You think he actually saw me as a family-member?"

"He trained you." Rin hissed, feeling more and more ticked off by the mocking laughter. "He took you in, taught you about Magecraft, made you his heir even, and you repaid that by helping Emiya murder him."

"Do you even know what being the Matou-heir means, Tohsaka?" Sakura asked sharply, her laughter stopping in an instant. "Do you know what Zouken did to me to make me his perfect successor even though I came from another family?"

"He-He gave you his Crest." Rin said with a frown, trying to remember if her father had ever written down anything about the Matou. Now that she thought about it, it was quite strange actually that Sakura had been able to just receive the Matou-Crest without it killing her immediately. "He taught you the Matou-Craft I guess."

"Wrong." Sakura huffed. "He threw me into a pit filled with Crest-Worms the moment I entered that house for the first time."

Rin winced at the information, though she still didn't understand the other girl's venom. Training involving a pit filled with worms was gross and unpleasant, but Magecraft is rarely pleasant.

There was an odd focus on the words 'Crest-Worms' however, and Rin felt an oddly foreboding feeling.

"Crest-Worms." She asked, somehow knowing she wouldn't like the answer to her question. "What do you mean by 'Crest-Worms'?"

"Exactly what I said. They are worm-familiar that make up the Matou-family-Crest." Sakura said with a shrug. "Grandfather had a legion of them in the pit in the basement. When I arrived at his house, he locked me in there for three days, while those worms forcefully entered my body through every opening available to them, and by openings they made for themselves, before they started eating me alive."

"Eating you-!"

Sakura then suddenly reached out over the table, taking Rin's shoulders in a firm hold. Rin herself didn't resist, too stricken by the verbal blow to even think of pushing her away now.

Sakura's eyes were still blank, her face remained expressionless, yet behind that mask, a storm of emotions was visible.

Anger and hate were expected, and so were disgust and pain at reliving the memories of the Matou-estate. Far more unexpected was the hurt in those eyes, the betrayal.

"I screamed, I shouted, I begged for anyone to come and help me." Sakura breathed out, her voice strangely calm, almost upbeat. "I didn't understand back then. I thought father and mother loved me, that you loved me, but you gave me away, and never once looked back, and I just didn't understand."

Sakura shook her head, a sad smile coming to her face. "I held out hope, you know, that you hadn't abandoned me, that you would try to rescue me if you knew, but then I tried talking to you, and you pretended we were complete strangers, not even listening to a word I said."

Rin opened her mouth, and then closed it, struggling to find words. "A-At least he taught you Magecraft. T-To become a Magus, one has to walk with death-"

"He didn't teach me anything, Rin, not a single thing during those long years. Just the pit, day and night, again and again. It hurt, so much, every time. He wanted to break me, to mould me into whatever kind of object he wanted me to be. That seemed to be my only purpose there. One day, he even told me outright that he didn't value me beyond my Magic Circuits. I contemplated killing myself then, you know."

Rin's mask broke, ever so shortly, as she flinched, her grip on the table becoming so tight it started hurting her fingers.

"I guess I was too cowardly to do so at first, and then I met Senpai." Sakura's sad smile now turned dreamy. "He was always so kind to me, so considerate. He didn't care about how weird I was, or how I would disappear at times without explanation. I simply couldn't kill myself then, not if I had him to return to."

Her expression turned slightly sheepish. "I realise it sounds creepy and obsessive, but he was the only reason I could still hold on. Everyone else was gone, or ignoring me, while Zouken did nothing but feed me to his worms, time and again, but Senpai was there for me, always."

Sakura rubbed her eyes, and Rin realised with a shock that they were moist, as if Sakura had been seconds away from crying.

"And yes, he killed Zouken, but that was because that- that… that worm was torturing me. Senpai saved me, and Nii-san too, by killing the monster and burning its liar."

Things started to make a horrifying amount of sense to Rin now.

"My life was miserable, from the day I was cast out of a family I thought loved me until the day I was taken in by one that really loves me. Yeah, I'm rather angry at you right now, do forgive me. So please, Tohsaka-san, take your contracts and your accusations and go bother someone else."

"…"

Rin took in a deep breath, desperately trying to keep her emotions buried, to keep her mask intact. She couldn't allow herself to be compromised, not now, while she was sitting across from an almost-definitely hostile Magus.

Her father, Tokiomi, had told her that Sakura was merely becoming heir to a different family, because that would be better for her, because that would keep her from becoming Rin's rival. He said she would be trained, just like Rin herself, that she would be happy with the Matou.

He had lied to her. He had lied to her!

"I-I didn't know." She said, her voice distant, sounding unconvincing even to her own ears. "I had no idea."

"The colour of my hair changed; the colour of my eyes changed. I think that's a pretty clear indication that something was wrong." Sakura scoffed. "You didn't see anything because you were wilfully blind, Tohsaka, not because Zouken was so good at hiding stuff from you."

Rin's lips trembled ever so slightly, the mask she had worked so hard to perfect almost coming undone.

She… She had abandoned her little sister, turned her back on her, while that had been going on, while such evil had been happening right under her nose.

"I am sorry." She choked out, making Sakura's gaze turn to her in surprise. "I am so sorry, I didn't know. I swear I didn't, I-I-"

"Perhaps you didn't." Sakura said icily. "But you never cared to look either. At least not before coming here today, claiming you wanted to make sure I was 'okay' after years of not caring. Please get out now."

"W-What about o-our alliances?" Rin asked, loath to continue that part of the conversation but aware that she needed to handle that matter as soon as possible. She couldn't return later to settle the matter, she knew she wouldn't be able to.

"I don't have a clue what's in those papers, Tohsaka, none of it makes any sense to me." Sakura bit out. "It hardly matters anyway, the Matou-family has ended. Nii-san is gone, I don't know a single thing about the family-Craft, the Crest has been destroyed, and grandfather is dead and burned. The alliance between our families is the same as our personal relationship, nothing."

Rin's hands started shaking. "I understand, Matou-san. I-I won't bother you again."

"My name is not Matou-san. It's Sakura." The plum-haired girl hissed. "Now! Get! Out!"

Rin rose from her seat, making for the exit, too stricken to say anything in response.

Halfway down the hall however, she saw the front door suddenly open, familiar golden eyes meeting her gaze seconds after.

Emiya was home.

His sudden presence should have filled her with dread, as it meant that she had been caught in the territory of another Magus, and that she was at his mercy, but she couldn't bring herself to care.

He had been right to kill Zouken, and he wouldn't be unjustified in killing her too.

"Tohsaka-san?" Emiya seemed surprised by her presence, though less than she would have expected. "What are you doing here so late at night? Do you need help with something?"

"N-No, I, ah, I came to talk with Mato- with Sakura." She answered him, reaching for her shoes and coat. "I have said what I needed to say though, a-and I'll be leaving now."

Rin shrugged on her coat as fast as she could, but as she tried pulling on her shoes, she tripped over her own feet, landing sprawled out on the ground.

"Tohsaka-san!" Emiya's concern was clear as he helped her to her feet. "Are you alright?"

"Yes." Rin snapped at him, too distraught to even feel embarrassed. "I'm fine, j-just give me a second to…"

Finally succeeding at getting her shoes on her feet, Rin rushed outside as fast as she could, not even caring about looking elegant anymore. Before she could leave the house though, she felt Emiya's hand land on her shoulder, effectively stopping her cold.

She tried to keep walking, to shrug his hand off, but the firm grip holding her in place proved that Emiya's muscles weren't just for show.

"Please don't be too harsh on Sakura, Rin." He said softly, making her freeze on the spot. "There was no other choice when it came to Zouken. And, don't take her too seriously. She is hurting right now, and she took it out on you in place of Tokiomi, but she isn't mad at you, nor does she hate you, not really. I'm sure it'll be alright soon, you will see."

Rin didn't acknowledge his words, she didn't care for what he thought was happening. Without answering, she shook him loose, this time succeeding as he relaxed his grip, and she ran out of the house.

It had started raining outside, the drops falling down as thunder sounded in the sky. Rin didn't have any rain clothes or an umbrella, but she didn't care. It didn't matter that she became soaked in seconds, it didn't matter that her hair clung to her face, and it didn't matter that some of the drops streamed over her cheeks and into her mouth.

It didn't matter that some of them tasted strangely salty.

None of it mattered.

Shirou watched the heir of the Tohsaka-family disappear into the rain, stumbling with her back hunched over. It was a sharp contrast with the proud gait she normally had, and it showed clear as day that something had upset her greatly.

As he saw her turn the corner, he sent out a command for the rain to cease, which it did seconds later. There was no sense in letting her get drenched, not when he could easily prevent it.

He sighed deeply, feeling nothing but sympathy for the poor girl. To be confronted with the truth so suddenly and harshly, it was no wonder that she was upset.

Yes, Shirou knew what had transpired here. The unshed tears in Tohsaka's eyes and the pain in Sakura's had clued him in well enough the moment he had entered the house.

He couldn't help Tohsaka however, not now. She wouldn't let him, and forcing the matter would do more harm than good. Besides, she was a strong girl, and even though it wouldn't be pleasant, she would recover from this.

Sakura however, he could help. Even though her face was turned away and her body language was closed off, he would at least make an effort to talk to her.

He sat down at the table, and as subtlety had never been a strong point of his, he went for the direct approach.

"Are you okay?"

"…I am fine, Senpai." Sakura replied after several seconds of hesitation. "It was… well, just an argument with Tohsaka-san. She was saying things about alliances, and I was being mean because she reminded me of stuff, and she got mad and I got mad and before we knew it, we were fighting."

"I could hear the yelling from down the road." Shirou smiled, trying to lighten the mood, but his smile fell away as Sakura shrunk in on herself.

He didn't speak another word, but reached out instead, taking her hand in his.

That didn't feel right however, not anymore, not after their heart-to-heart the morning after Zouken was killed.

Following his instincts, Shirou rose from his place to do what felt right.

Sakura's eyes flitted upwards in worry that he was going to leave, but he did no such thing. Instead, he sat down, right behind her this time, and wrapped his arms around her torso, pulling her back against his chest, letting the back of her head rest against his shoulder.

He didn't know why he choose this specific way of holding her, it just felt correct for some reason.

Sakura sat frozen and stiff for a fraction of a second, before she relaxed in his hold, letting her head rest against him, letting out a deep sigh. A few seconds later, she started talking.

"Tohsaka-san knows that Zouken was murdered, killed by something else than the fire, and she came here to accuse me of the murder."

She then frowned slightly, before shaking her head.

"N-No, that isn't true. She started by asking me about the fire and how I felt about it, then we discussed the alliances between our families and the rules of the lands here, but after I… said some mean things about Tokiomi, she accused me of killing Zouken. That's when I blew up."

"You felt she was having it out for you." Shirou guessed after she had fallen silent.

"…Yes. She accused me of murdering an 'innocent' man, while not even bothering to collect evidence or try to understand the other side of the story. Just jumping to conclusions and obeying the rules set out for her by daddy like a good little obedient Magus-girl. It just… angered me."

"I am not the greatest fan of the Tohsaka-family myself at the moment." Shirou admitted, tightening his hold ever so slightly. "But I don't think we can blame Tohsaka-san for what happened. She did not give you to Zouken, nor did she throw you into that pit. She didn't talk to you because she was ordered to keep her distance, and while that was naive and unthoughtful, it is understandable for a little girl to do what her parents told her to. Not to mention that I did in fact kill Zouken, so while she accused the wrong person, she wasn't that far off."

Realising he was rambling, Shirou cut himself off with a sigh. "What I mean to say is, she isn't a bad person, and she didn't mean to hurt you or cause you any harm."

"I suppose so." Sakura sighed, a glimpse of guilt appearing in her eyes. "I-I know Nee-san didn't have anything to do with me being given away, b-but she…"

"She is the only one still around." Shirou nodded, as Sakura cast her gaze down in shame. "Tokiomi died years ago, your mother is, well, actually I don't know, but she's not around anymore either, and Zouken is dead too. That leaves Rin as the only option for you to vent."

"Which isn't fair to her all." Sakura finished with a guilt-ridden voice.

"No, it certainly isn't." Shirou agreed. "But you both were at a disadvantage in that conversation, and you both came out of it unhappy, with very real grievances. It was bad for both of you."

"It was worse for Nee-san though." Sakura argued, drawing a curious look from Shirou. "I have you here to help me with my problems. Nee-san will return to a cold and empty house, without anyone to take care of her."

That was unfortunately very true. Tohsaka had no one waiting for her at home, her entire family was gone.

Shirou admired her resolve in living alone from such a young age, while even managing to become the school-idol and maintain her perfect grades while still studying Magecraft, but it couldn't be a very happy life.

It required a great amount of discipline and management skills at a very young age, and while that did speak positively of her tenacity and independence, as well as her ability to confidently deal with trouble, it was still a tragedy.

There was no denying however that she did drop the ball with Sakura. If Illya had been in his reach like that, just walking down the street in plain sight and up for grabs, Shirou would have immediately taken her home, consequences be damned.

Also, he could probably assume now that Rin knew that he was a Magus, or if she hadn't figured that out yet, she would once she could think clearly again. His secret was out, but since there wasn't anything he could about it anyway, he didn't let it worry him overly much.

There might be trouble coming from it, but he would deal with that when it got here. It wasn't as if he could silence Tohsaka anyway.

After a few minutes, he let go of Sakura again. She didn't seem very willing to separate from him, but she did after a second or two.

"Thank you, Senpai, for everything." She said quietly as she sat up straight again. "Uhm, wasn't there something you wanted to talk about right now? You told me this morning you did."

"Ah, yes." Shirou nodded, though he felt uncertain he should burden her further with his own problems at the moment. "I'm not sure we should do that now however. It is late, and you just had a stressful conversation."

"I'll be fine." Sakura quickly assured him, brushing her hair out of her eyes and adopting a serious expression. "Y-You helped me, Senpai, s-so it's only right that I help you now in whatever way I can."

"…Very well then." Shirou agreed eventually, figuring a distraction might be a good thing for her. "First of all, you have a job at the Copenhagen, you just need to stop by to discuss your schedule with Neko-san."

"Really." Sakura asked in surprise. "You convinced them to take me on?"

"It was surprisingly simple." Shirou said, thinking back on the conversation he had with the daughter of the café-owner.

"Hey Neko." Shirou called out as he walked up to his boss. "Aren't we a little short-staffed today?"

"Yes, which is why I'm so grateful that you're here." Neko said bluntly. "Two guys that were supposed to come in today never showed up, with not even a phone call to notify me. They'll probably have some kind of excuse next time I see them, but I'm done. This is the fifth time."

"The fifth time already?" Shirou asked with a raised eyebrow. "Are they new?"

"Yes, but if it's up to me, they'll be gone again soon. Just like all those others. If this keeps up, I'll have to ask father to hire professional help."

"Why don't you do that yet?"

"Because it's incredibly expensive. Those people ask what they think we can afford and then a bit more, which is why we hire students and high schoolers. That worked for a while, but things are really getting out of hand now."

"Well, if you're looking for new people, I have a friend who is looking for a job."

Neko turned her head to him so fast her neck audibly cracked, eliciting a wince from Shirou. "What friend? Why are they looking for a job?"

"Her name is Sakura. Have you heard about that fire recently?" Neko nodded her head, prompting Shirou to go on. "That was her house. Her grandfather, who was also her guardian, died in the fire, so she lives with me now. She wanted to contribute to the household, so she is looking for a job as well."

"Does she work hard? Is she like you?" Neko asked sharply, her eyes boring into his.

"She works as hard as I do. She always helps me around the house, and I'd say her cooking is as good as mine."

"She's hired."

"Eh? Just like that?"

"Yes. Tell her to visit soon so that we can work out a schedule for her."

"And that was basically it." Shirou finished his story.

"Thank you, Senpai." Sakura smiled, having a small blush on her face. "Those were really kind things to say about me."

"I said nothing but the truth." Shirou smiled, before moving on to the next topic. "Now, what I also wanted to talk about was what I'm going to do in the near future, or rather, what my alter ego is going to do."

"Your alter ego? You mean Rakurai, the vigilante hero?"

"Hardly a hero." Shirou sighed. "But, yes, that is what I meant. I think I have been out of action for long enough now, and I need to get back to what I was originally doing, fighting crime."

"I see." Sakura hummed, her eyes sparkling slightly. "W-Why would you need my opinion though? Are you not the best person to decide what Rakurai is going to do?"

"Perhaps, but I would appreciate your input all the same."

Sakura beamed at his answer and eagerly nodded her acquiescence, so Shirou brought out the files he had been putting together over the last few nights.

"There are several cities within my flying range that have significantly higher crime-rates than normal." He began. "Examples include Matsue, Hemiji, and Kobe, with murder-, kidnap- and theft statistics that are far above average."

"So you can start with those then." Sakura nodded, cocking her head to the side, probably wondering why he was even asking her about it.

"Perhaps, but I actually also had my eye on these cities." Shirou said, showing her a few other files. "Kanazana for instance has had several strange murder sprees over the past years, without the perpetrator ever being caught. The way those people are murdered is the same every time, so it's likely that it either is the same person, or people related to each other in some way."

"Have there been recent murders?"

"No, it's been quiet there for the past two years, so Kanazana is more a city to keep an eye on than to visit right away. Nagoya on the other hand has had several disappearances over the past months, of people that definitely aren't the usual victims of such a crime. Doctors, solicitors, even a council member, very important people who will definitely be missed. I encountered such a thing before, in Urayasu, where a Dead Apostle was hiding. I hope it isn't one of those creatures this time, but I'm not willing to rule out the possibility."

"That sounds very important." Sakura said. "I think you should prioritise this one then."

"My thoughts exactly, though there is one other city that I should visit as soon as possible." Shirou said, putting the last of the files in front of a concerned-looking Sakura. "Sasebo, the popular tourist destination, has had several murders and many more brutal assaults over the past months, while before there was almost no violent crime in that city."

"You think something changed in that city?"

"Yes. Since the attacks have actual survivors that are still fully human, I doubt that it is an Apostle, but I also don't think the perpetrator is human. I'll have to find out after I deal with the matter in Nagoya."

"This really is a lot of information, Senpai." Sakura said, looking through the different files. "Did you gather all of this over the past night? Other Magi would kill to need as little sleep as you."

"Most Magi would commit murder for far less than that." Shirou answered with a shake of his head, to which Sakura gave a sheepish nod. "Anyway, do you agree with the plan or do you see any obvious mistakes in it?"

"Can I read these files first before giving you my thoughts?" Sakura asked, drawing a nod from Shirou, at the condition she would do so tomorrow, after a good night's sleep. "Thanks, I promise I won't take too long. There are people to save after all."

"Indeed."

Shinji stepped out of the train, taking a last look at the first-class compartment in which he'd spent the journey. The seat had been more comfortable than he could ever have imagined and came with breakfast and as many fancy drinks as he wanted.

Emiya had given him a truly ridiculous sum of money when he had left, and while Shinji would never complain about that, he did wonder why the redhead had done so. He knew he had done nothing to warrant such a generous gesture. They weren't such good friends, and Shinji certainly wouldn't have done the same for Emiya. He had no doubt the redhead knew that too.

So why? Why had he been so incredibly generous? Certainly, it couldn't just be that bleeding heart of his? This went too far, even for Emiya.

If it was for Sakura, or Mitsuzuri, or maybe even for a random person, the redhead might do something like this, but to be so incredibly kind to Shinji? The one who had helped make Sakura's life a nightmare?

That made no sense at all, but he couldn't for the life of him figure out what Emiya's game here was.

Shinji had been thinking it over since he had left Fuyuki-City, and he wasn't even a step closer to figuring it out. It simply didn't make any sense to him, no matter what angle he approached it from.

Even Emiya shouldn't be so quick to grant an enemy such an incredible favour. Even he couldn't be that altruistic.

People just weren't like that, even the fucking best of them would feel anger, spite, or something similar for someone like Shinji, so why didn't that golden-eyed bastard just throw him out on his ass?

Was he really just that kind and forgiving? Was it possible for people to actually be like that?

Shinji gritted his teeth in frustration. All of his core-beliefs were being upended here, and Emiya had just been smiling through it all, not bothered in the slightest by Shinji's words and actions, no matter how insulting or cruel.

The only time he had been truly angry with Shinji was on Sakura's behalf, because of course that was the only way to push Emiya's buttons.

Speaking of Sakura, Shinji could still scarcely believe what he had been told.

Sakura didn't hate him. Even though he had been the most terrible brother in all of existence, even though he had done unspeakable things to her, she didn't hate him, but still just wanted to be his sister instead.

What utter madness was that!?

A full-on existential crisis was approaching fast for the boy. His every belief, every lesson his family's betrayal had taught him, everything about human nature he had once believed true, it was all being challenged, and he was self-aware enough to know that he might come out of it a changed man.

On one hand, Shinji welcomed that, as he was perfectly aware that his current character was shit, but on the other hand, he also greatly feared it, perhaps more than anything else. The fundamental change that the future now potentially held for him was not something Matou Shinji had ever anticipated, and he was struggling greatly with it.

Unknown to him however, help was on its way.

As Shinji walked towards his hotel, a being slowly manifested itself in reality. It came from a higher dimension, yet by using its great experience with travelling between worlds, dimensions, and realities, it arrived without even a whisper of wind on the pavement.

Upon its completion, it greedily took several deep breaths, grateful to be able to do so again. Then, it aimed its gaze towards the boy having an existential crisis down below on the streets.

The Matou reminded the being of itself when it was young. The resemblance was almost uncanny in fact - an inferiority-complex resulting in arrogance, a deep-rooted fear of betrayal preventing trust from forming, and a tendency to lash out at those who merely wanted to help.

Oh yes, the young Matou was almost a carbon copy of the being back in its youth.

The being had not come to the Nasuverse idly. It was dead, and technically not allowed to further influence the living world, no matter in what universe or realm. The fact that it had taken the trouble to cross was a clear indication that it meant business.

Which was only logical. It now had a priceless opportunity of killing two birds with one stone. Help a lost soul find himself again and help his dear brother's last project on its way.

The being sighed as it watched the last Matou.

It too had lashed out at the wrong people. It too had attacked innocents for reasons far less valid than it thought at the time. It too had seen no light in the never-ending darkness.

It now had an opportunity however to prevent someone else from sharing such a fate. Perhaps, if it succeeded, it could save Matou Shinji from becoming a broken man, hated by all.

Only time would tell.

Fukushima Taro, leader of the Yakuza in the city Toyohashi, swirled the sake in his glass, absently tuning out the blaring news broadcast as he leaned back in his chair, letting his aching legs rest.

His city had been the scene of a gang war over the past weeks, and as the leader of one of the clashing sides, Taro had been constantly on his feet, rushing everywhere to direct his forces. It had been a total mess, and now, after it was over, he direly needed to relax and recuperate.

He supposed he should be glad that it hadn't been open fucking war at least, but rather a badly hidden scuffle in the underworld. If they had dared to hold their little war in public view, he didn't doubt that the army would already have taken control of the city by now.

There had been no shooting on the streets, both sides had been smarter than to try that at least. All the fighting had been done in abandoned warehouses and the like, which had fortunately kept the civilian-casualties low. It could, frankly, have been much worse.

Taro felt a momentary flash of anger at the people, the insolent animals, that had dared invade his city. He had been in charge of the underworld of Toyohashi for over thirty years now, and he would be damned if he let some upstart brats take it all away from him.

Not to mention that he had a duty to protect the town too, from people far more unscrupulous than him. Taro prided himself on his honour, the honour that he had managed to hold onto as Yakuza boss in spite of everything. The law-enforcement and the people of the city knew him and trusted him not to go too far, and he trusted them in return to look the other way most of the time.

Though of course, some financial incentive certainly helped with that last part.

It was a good way to run the underworld, and he knew of several other Yakuza-leaders, some his friends, other his rivals, that did the same. It almost always worked, as long as you didn't get too greedy or too arrogant.

But now some pup was on the rise, some wannabe big shot, not even belonging to a proper Yakuza-family, who thought he could just chase Taro out of his own city, to take away everything Taro had painstakingly built over thirty long years.

Not while Taro still drew breath. If the brat wanted the town, he would have to pry it from Taro's cold, dead fingers.

He sighed yet again as he let his head fall backwards against the back of the sofa, rage rising in his chest as he thought back on those mongrels that had been so eager to claim his city for themselves. And when they had it, run it into the ground with their excesses and general foolishness. The scum his men had captured and interrogated had no idea on how to run the underworld successfully. It was all vicious bravado and delusions of grandeur.

Like hell he was going to allow such people to take over his precious city!

Taro took a deep breath to calm himself, relaxing his hands as he took a small sip of his sake. There was no use in getting angry over it, he and his men had already won.

Most of the tension left his body again, but not all of it. After all, he might have been victorious against the invading hordes, but that didn't mean everything was truly over.

The new brat had failed in Toyohashi, but he'd had some successes in a few cities along the coast, and there were rumours he was planning on attacking several others soon.

In past times, this wouldn't have been a problem. The balance that had existed between the already established groups and families kept the underworld relatively stable and peaceful, making it impossible for bottom feeders to get far.

Recently however, that balance had been broken, and the vultures were now descending, looking for easy prey. Old alliances had fallen, and the rabble was preparing for war, all because of one man's actions.

Rakurai the vigilante.

Taro sipped from his drink, shaking his head slightly as the name popped up in his brain.

He had no doubt the man had nothing but 'noble' intentions in doing what he did, but there was no denying that his actions had sent the underworld into a frenzy that it would be hard-pressed to get out of.

The vigilante himself couldn't have visited more than two dozen cities in total, but where he came, he was brutal and effective, crippling the underworld and emboldening law-enforcement to act, thereby dealing the gangs a critical blow, if not a fatal one.

The news had spread to the rest of the country, and everywhere, gangs and crime syndicates were scrambling to protect themselves.

It was perhaps inevitable that there would be people trying to profit from that chaos, the new brat, whose name Taro really should get around to finding out, being an example of that. Someone who had seen a ladder in the chaos that had been unleashed.

Taro doubted the attack on his city was the end of it, and it would perhaps be a good idea to warn his old friends and colleagues about the brat's ambitions.

Especially his brother in all but blood, Fujimura Raiga. Fuyuki was a very valuable city, with a harbour, many distribution centres, and a police-force known for incompetence. It was sure to be attacked by the brat sooner or later.

Now, he wasn't saying that it was only Rakurai's fault that things had ended up like this. This was just human nature at its worst. It had been inevitable that something like this would happen sooner or later, and if Rakurai hadn't been the catalyst, something else would have taken on that role.

The vigilante had been nothing but cordial in his actions, never killing or maiming anyone, never taking anything with him from the crime-scenes, and never attacking the police or innocent civilians. In many ways, he was the best opponent you could ask for, and Taro greatly respected him for it.

He still wanted to throttle the vigilante for the mess he had indirectly caused, but he did respect him.

Also, the 'good' he had done far outweighed the bad, no one could possibly contend that it didn't. Only fools and people with agendas did that. Even the police had to admit that he was a great help.

Taro was willing to admit that he might be a bit biased though. Rakurai had come down hard on the gangs and the rabble, but he had let the Yakuza relatively in peace, only interfering when their actions were excessively unscrupulous.

It was something he could get behind.

The absolute best thing Rakurai had done though, that what would make him a hero even if dozens of people would die as a result of his actions, was killing Oni.

That monster of a man had been a plague on both the normal world and the underworld for decades, having murdered, blackmailed, and charmed his way to the top, before going utterly mad once he had reached it.

Oni had indulged in almost comical levels of evil, to the point where one would think he was just a badly written fictional villain. Murder-sprees, abducting teenage girls, raping and ruining them before delivering their corpses to their families' homes, actively recruiting insane and psychopathic underlings that agreed completely with his actions and views, the man was horrible, an abomination.

To quote a famous film, he just wanted to watch the world burn.

Yet despite all that, despite his obvious insanity, his excesses, and his countless foul deeds, people had still followed him. Many gangs and even several Yakuza leaders, damn their souls, had called him their boss, uncaring of what he did, or perhaps too afraid to call him out on it.

He had been a bogeyman for many people, known and feared by the law-enforcement, the underworld, and everything in between.

And then Rakurai had put a definite end to it all.

Taro could remember the party he and his friends had thrown after they had gotten the news that Rakurai had taken out Oni. In fact, he was unlikely to ever forget that day. It had been the best news he'd received all year.

The Brat that had attacked Taro's city might have some aspirations and ambition, but it was clear that he would never become another Oni. It was unlikely that there would be anyone in his lifetime that could become like Oni.

Rakurai was a damn hero for killing that psychopath, even the police knew it, pretty much sweeping the whole matter under the rug, not even trying to leverage the death as ammunition against Rakurai.

So yeah, enduring an attack from the brat was honestly but a small price to pay in exchange for Oni's death.

Taro rose from his seat to walk over to the window, looking out over the city. It was night-time, and the city looked calm, peaceful, and blissfully quiet. Barely any traffic, no pedestrians, save for a few drunken teenagers stumbling around, the shops were closed, and the lights in many houses were already turned off as the owners went to sleep.

It was a beautiful city, and one Taro would defend with his life if he had to.

He had defended Toyohashi, and soon, other cities would have to defend themselves as well.

He better get around to calling his buddies. There was no telling what the brat might do next.

Done, I think.

Alright, just to say right now, for those of you expecting plenty of action, that's not going to happen. This chapter, as well as the few coming chapters, will mostly be dealing with the fall-out from the previous ones, as well as setting things up for the following ones and bringing some arcs and storylines to an end successfully.

I'll do my best to keep it interesting, and Shirou won't be completely idle, but no more big life or death fights for now. Tremendous apologies.

Also, Ayako still needs to be told about a lot of things, the girls need to confess to Shirou (which might be delayed because of the aforementioned telling about the Moonlit World, though I assure you there will no drama, just Ayako having her mind blown), and Shirou needs to figure out what he is going to do with his alter ego, because he cannot continue like this, that much should be clear to you all.

Rin and Sakura are no longer on speaking terms. Sakura cannot stand the sight of Rin at the moment, but that is mainly because her last name is Tohsaka.

Understand well, the incredible animosity of Sakura in this chapter is against Tokiomi and those like him. Rin gets some blame for not checking up on her, but that is something Sakura can forgive. Please do not assume they are enemies for life, because they aren't even enemies now.

Again, not on speaking terms, but neither one of them will attack the other or betray the other or do something to harm the other. That is out of the question for them both.

And yes, Shirou's stint as a vigilante has some bad consequences that he'll have to deal with the coming chapters. Stay tuned for how that will end. Good thing though that he has a very experienced crime-boss living right next to him 'wink wink'.

As always, special thanks to Crazylich79, Liamrodhudson110, Woggie and a new guest on the show, Manram, as well as various people on the Discord Server who contributed to the chapter.

Ted collapses in relief, goodbye.

NO!

How could I forget?

This fanfiction now officially has a tvtropes-page! Created by LukeSky001, it can now easily be found. Please, thank this hard worker for his tireless efforts.

Of course, it is hardly complete, so feel free to make suggestions for tropes.

Edit: This chapter was Edited later to improve its flow. Once more, much of my gratitude goes out to Crazylich79, Woggie, Manram, Tungstencat and Liamrodhudson110. It is thanks to them that the chapters are readable.