Setting up the Scenes

Raiga still hadn't called him.

Shirou looked at his phone with a frown, glaring at the innocent device as if it held the power to summon the Yakuza-lord at will, but refused to, simply to make his life more difficult.

Raiga had promised to contact him as soon as he had found the Brat, or at least had a good lead, but it had been two weeks already, and there was still no sign of the old man.

Over the past weeks, Shirou had done what Raiga asked of him. He had hunted down every criminal the yakuza-boss wanted removed from the game and delivered them to the police.

All that was left now was the Brat himself. Once that guy was safely locked up too, Rakurai could disappear. With that, the unrest in Japan should hopefully come to an end, and the doom scenario Raiga had envisioned would never come to pass.

That did require however that the Brat would show himself at some point, but so far, the man had managed to completely elude any attempt made to find him or lure him out of hiding.

Raiga had estimated that it would take about a week to get the Brat to Fuyuki, but they'd gone past that deadline eight days ago now and there was still no indication the Brat was coming any time soon.

Shirou didn't like that at all.

Thus his constant staring at the phone.

In the meantime, Sakura was busy in the kitchen, quietly working on their lunch for school, periodically glancing at him as she cooked. At first, she had been disapproving of his budding obsession with the phone, but as more and more time went by without any sign from Raiga, she was also getting anxious.

The matter of Rakurai hung above the Emiya-residence like a dark cloud. Always present, inescapable, and impossible to ignore for long.

On the upside however, Sakura's 'medical leave' had finally ended; she had been deemed mentally stable enough to go back to school without complications. Her examiners considered it odd she had recovered so quickly from her 'terrible experiences', but they had given her a clean record and permission to continue with her life nonetheless.

There had been an offer from her school for her to follow a separate class to catch up on what she'd missed during her forced absence, but she'd only been absent for slightly more than two weeks, so Sakura had refused.

There was no way she was going to delay her re-entrance into normal society even more.

She did appreciate that the school was trying to look out for her, but there really was no need for them to do so. She would much rather have things go back to how they were, though of course, without Zouken.

Despite that however, Shirou could tell that she was troubled somehow.

It wasn't anything big, and Sakura wasn't morose or glum because of it, but at times, when she thought he wasn't looking, she would flinch slightly, or bite her lip with a pained expression, as if she was recalling something shameful.

She hadn't spoken about it so far though, and experience had taught him that it was unlikely she ever would without external pressure. She was still far too worried about being a bother to come to him for help with her problems.

Shirou didn't want to press her, but if the matter was still bothering her by nightfall, after she'd been to school again, he would address the matter himself.

He did not want a repeat of the past years.

Nodding to himself, Shirou went back to staring at his phone, before a bento was suddenly held in front of his eyes, blocking his sight of the device.

"Here's your bento, Senpai." Sakura smiled. "I finished early, so we'll have to wait for a few minutes before we can go to school. Ah, I can't wait to finally see Ayako again."

"You saw her just yesterday," Shirou pointed out in a slightly exasperated tone, accepting his bento and putting it in his bag. "She was here for most of the afternoon and almost the entire evening."

"Yes, but she didn't stay the night, so it has been far too long already." Sakura grinned impishly, before she frowned slightly. "Besides, I… we have something we need to talk about with her."

Shirou lifted an eyebrow at that last bit, but she didn't continue, instead changing the subject.

"Have you heard anything back from lord El-Melloi yet? It has been some time since you sent him a letter about that sponsorship he promised you."

"Sure did. His letter arrived just this morning." Shirou grinned, holding up the piece of paper that contained the lord's answer. "It's a lot of lordly talk and high-class vocabulary, but from what I could actually understand, he writes that he expects me at Heathrow Airport on the first day of the summer break."

"That's good to hear. I'm happy he is keeping his promise." Sakura smiled, though there was a trace of sadness in her expression as well. "It will be lonely without you, but I suppose I can ask Ayako over every day, and I'll call you as often as I can."

"Don't forget Taiga." Shirou grinned, chuckling as Sakura's smile turned brittle. "When I'm gone, it falls to you to keep the tiger fed and satisfied."

"Don't remind me." Sakura groaned, clearly not looking forward to having to withstand the beast's moods on her own. "Have you told her that you'll be gone for the summer break?"

"…Actually, I haven't yet."

"Senpai." Sakura's tone was both disappointed and exasperated, and though Shirou had his eyes turned away from her, he could feel her disapproving gaze burning a hole in the side of his head.

"I didn't forget, I swear! She just hasn't visited us over the past weeks as she was too busy with the whole gang war-matter, so I couldn't tell her!"

Sakura shot him a look that spoke volumes about how much she believed that, before shaking her head with a sigh. "You'll have to tell her soon, Senpai. The longer you wait, the harder it will be."

"True. I will tell her next time she visits." Shirou decided, hitting his fist on his closed palm. "I'll have to make her favourite food, and lots of it, and bring the message as gently as I can."

"That sounds like a good idea." Sakura agreed, her expression softening again. "Fujimura-Sensei does love you a lot, Senpai. She'll miss you very much when you're gone, and not just because of your food."

"I know." Shirou rubbed his face, letting himself fall backwards onto the couch. "I'm not looking forward to leaving you all either, but I have to."

"Of course." Sakura agreed, sitting down next to him, her expression kind. "You have to save your sister after all. That is the most important right now."

"Thank you, Sakura." Shirou said warmly, taking her into a hug. "For understanding, I mean."

"No problem at all, Senpai." Sakura beamed, eagerly reciprocating the hug.

They sat like that for a while, before Sakura broke away, a serious look on her face.

"We'll have to tell Ayako, you know."

"About me being gone for the summer break? Didn't we already do so?" Shirou asked lightly, giving the plum-haired girl a smile, before it fell when her expression didn't change.

"You know what I am talking about, Senpai."

"Yeah, I do." Shirou agreed after a moment. "I suppose we've been putting it off for too long."

"It is time for us to tell her." Sakura repeated with forced calm, though her lower lip was trembling and her hands were clenched tightly. "We have told her about Magecraft, we have told her about the Moonlit World, we have told her about the various dangers and even about the intricacies of Magus-society, but we've barely told her anything about us. She has a right to know about us, about our secrets, and I am ready to talk about it."

Shirou nodded in agreement, taking her hand in his own to try and reassure her. "I agree. We shall tell her this evening."

Sakura seemed satisfied with the gesture, placing her head against his shoulder as they both leaned back against the couch again.

It was very comfortable to sit with Sakura, and Shirou wished they could have stayed like this for the rest of the day, but he also knew they couldn't. Not only would they have to go to school before long, there was also the matter of the unknown thing that was bothering Sakura. So with a mental groan, Shirou shattered the peaceful atmosphere.

"Sakura." He said, lazily drawing out her name, causing her to cuddle up to him some more. "What's wrong?"

Her body went stiff, before she withdrew, sitting up as she looked at him with shocked eyes.

"Senpai?"

"I might not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but I do try to pay more attention to your mood these days." He said slowly, sitting up as well. "And something is clearly troubling you. Sakura, I do not want to press too much, but would you like to talk about it?"

For a few moments, Sakura didn't answer, turning her head away, but just when Shirou was about to press her more, she turned back to him with a pleading look in her eyes.

"Senpai." She began softly, folding her hands together under her chin. "Am I a hypocrite?"

Shirou blinked at the unexpected question.

Sakura, a hypocrite?

His first instinct was to deny it. He had never known her to be hypocritical in the slightest, and he was about to tell her so, before he remembered that immediate denial was not always the best option in situations such as this.

"Why would you think you are a hypocrite?" He asked instead.

"Because of what I said to Tohsa- to Nee-san when we had that argument, and what I said to Fujimura-san when I scolded him for being so unreasonable to you." Sakura explained, her hands gripping each other so tightly they turned white. "I have been thinking about it, and I was definitely being hypocritical."

Shirou pursed his lips, before motioning for Sakura to explain further.

"I told Fujimura-san that you weren't guilty of the difficult situation in the underworld," she reminded him, a spark of indignation appearing in her eyes for the shortest of moments. "I told him that you had good intentions when you became Rakurai, and that there was no way for you to know or predict what would happen as a result of your actions, and that you weren't responsible for the actions of other people. I told him he couldn't blame you for any of it, and I was angry that he did."

"And I really appreciate it." Shirou nodded with a warm smile.

Sakura gave a shaky smile in return, before it fell again as she continued. "That was what I said, but it wasn't what I did. All those things I became so angry about because Fujimura-san was doing it to you? I was doing those exact same things to Nee-san."

"Oh?"

"Nee-san didn't know what was going to happen to me. Nee-san did what she thought was right, with only the best intentions. Nee-san didn't hurt me. She didn't do any of that, but I still blamed her for what happened, for the actions of other people, before chastising Fujimura-san only days later for doing exactly that to you. I-I think that's pretty hypocritical of me."

"I guess so." Shirou said after a moment of thought. "When you present it like that, I have to agree. You were being pretty hypocritical."

Sakura slumped, her gaze becoming transfixed on the floor as a metaphorical dark cloud seemed to form over her head.

"But that's only natural." Shirou continued immediately, waving his hand through the cloud in an effort to dispel it. "In both cases, you were emotional and hurt, and you said what seemed right to you at that exact moment. You had every right to be hypocritical. That's human, Sakura, and it is not something you should be so ashamed of."

"That doesn't make it okay though." Sakura argued, lifting her head, her gaze focused intently on him.

"No, it doesn't. It was still a mistake, no matter how understandable, and you should take responsibility for it." Shirou agreed, smiling as Sakura cutely tilted her head in confusion. "So that's why you have to make a decision now. You have to decide whether you still think having good intentions and being ignorant of the consequences of your actions absolves you of blame when you make a mistake, which I believe is the thing you were being hypocritical about. If you don't think so, you owe old man Raiga an apology for saying things to him you didn't mean. If you do still think so, then-"

"Then I owe Nee-san an apology for wrongfully accusing her." Sakura finished, nodding rapidly. "Yes! You are right, Senpai. I must make a decision."

"Take your time to think about it." Shirou said gently, privately hoping she'd remain on his side, though acknowledging that it was unlikely, considering that would mean she'd have to apologize to Rin. "There is no rush-"

"I have decided." The plum-haired girl announced, looking relieved at having a proper course of action. "Senpai, I'll apologise to Nee-san."

"…Eh, really?!" Shirou spluttered, caught completely off guard when Sakura blew his expectations out of the water. "I-I mean, are you sure?"

"I am." Sakura's voice was clear and free of hesitation. "I have thought about it, and I stand by what I said to Fujimura-san, so that means I owe Nee-san an apology. If she ever wants to see me again after I was so mean to her."

"Come now, there's no need to be so pessimistic." Shirou shook his head in fond exasperation, inwardly scolding himself for forgetting that Sakura was simply an amazing person. "I think she'll be delighted to have you talk to her again."

The smile he received in return was bright as daylight.

"Yes." Yomaura breathed out as she put the last of the files into the correct box, absolute euphoria filling her at the sight of the hated pieces of paperwork disappearing at last. "Yes, yes, yes, YES! Finally! We are done! Senpai, we made it!"

"Indeed." Her Senpai smiled tiredly, the bags under his eyes clearly showing his exhaustion "We made it at last. We finally have enough evidence to start our case against the corruption in our precinct."

"By the Lord, it better be enough." Yomaura groaned, stretching in an effort to work the kinks out of her back. "All that work better be worth it, or I'm going to cause problems."

"Please don't, I'm too tired to deal with anything like that right now." Osaki protested weakly, holding up a hand as if to stave her off. "I am certain that our work has yielded enough evidence to prosecute and convict most of our corrupt colleagues."

It had taken them two entire weeks of sleepless nights, overdoses of coffee, near-breakdowns and, worst of all, endless, infinite paperwork, but in the end, they'd been successful.

Day and night, they'd looked through police-reports, phone-registers, certificates of all kinds, witness-statements, and money-flows across thousands of bank accounts, and by now, she and her Senpai had a very good idea of who the rats and moles in their precinct were.

They knew how many there were, what positions they held, who they worked for, and even how much they were all being paid for betraying their oaths to Justice.

In other words, their operation to end the corruption had been a complete success so far.

By now, she and Senpai had enough information and evidence to begin prosecution of dozens of officers and detectives, scores of police-administrators, and even several commissioners, and have them all in prison in less than a year if all went well. If they encountered no significant obstacles on the way, they might be able to enjoy a somewhat corruption-free precinct soon.

Unfortunately however, there were several who were yet beyond their reach. Corrupt officers who had been smart enough to mostly hide their tracks. Not enough to escape notice, but just enough to make sure any trial would exonerate them by lack of evidence.

When she brought that up however, her Senpai made a soothing motion with his hands.

"They may beyond our reach for now, but I am absolutely certain we will get them as well." Osaki said calmly, radiating a quiet confidence despite his exhaustion. "Though not with this paperwork. We completely exhausted it of every clue and piece of evidence it held."

"That is so." She nodded quickly in agreement, thanking everything in sky for the fact that she wouldn't have to look through the files yet again. "We will have to look elsewhere. Do you know of any other avenues of investigation?"

"I shall think of them tomorrow, after a good night sleep." Osaki gave a close-eyed smile. "Best to ponder on such things while properly rested."

Yomaura nodded firmly, knowing that she wouldn't have the best ideas when her head was tolling, and she had to fight just to keep her eyes open.

They would think of ways of obtaining more evidence tomorrow.

And if they didn't, well, she was brushing up on her Magecraft anyway. If the situation really called for it, she might just decide to emulate Rakurai and Hypnotise a confession out of them. It would raise some eyebrows of course, but no one would ever suspect magic.

One way or another, the rot would be removed.

The next day, Osaki and Yomaura found themselves back at the precinct, ready to pretend they were continuing their hunt for Rakurai while actually investigating their colleagues.

Osaki was already in the detective-area on the third floor, and Yomaura was just returning from picking something up from his car in the building's garage. On the way back however, she ran into someone she would rather have avoided.

"Hey there, Yomaura-san. Back from your holiday?"

She immediately identified the speaker as one of the corrupt officers. In fact, it was one they didn't have enough evidence on to successfully convict yet.

Nakagawa… something. Yomaura couldn't quite remember his first name.

The man was well-known at the precinct for being laid-back and friendly, though it was clear to a perceptive few that it was just a mask hiding a slimy, slippery personality. Senpai had once described the man as an 'odious little toad', and Yomaura was inclined to agree.

She was about to give him a standard, bland answer fitting for someone you only spoke with once in a blue moon, when the man continued talking, his tone suddenly becoming very unpleasant.

"You look exhausted." The man smirked, coming up to stand uncomfortably close to her. "Been going at it with Osaki for the past weeks? I feel for ya, it can't have been easy, pretending he was actually able to please you, but you got to work hard and suck up for that promotion, don't you?"

For a moment, Yomaura almost didn't believe her ears, caught off guard by the sheer audacity of his words. She very nearly took a step back, only her pride stopping her from showing such a submissive gesture to a toad.

The toad wasn't finished yet however and continued digging himself a deeper grave, while Yomaura listened with increasing disbelief and outrage.

"And then there are those brats of his." He scoffed, rolling his eyes in apparent exasperation, leaning in even closer, as if imparting a secret. "I don't know why he keeps them around. He's completely unable to handle them. Guess he has you helping him out with that? God knows they need it, or they'll just end up on street corners, offering themselves to the highest bid-"

"Finish that sentence and you will be suspended for the rest of the year, officer." A sharp voice cut through the insult, just in time to stop Yomaura from punching the fool's lights out.

Yomaura immediately recognised the voice, a mixture of happiness and slight apprehension filling her as her eyes fell on the owner. An elderly woman with a very stern expression, whom Yomaura was very familiar with.

It was Tomita Miwa, an under-secretary of the Japanese ministry of Justice, who, in a far past, had taught Osaki Koyo everything there was to know about being a detective, and had personally presided over Yomaura's final exams at police-school. Tomita was even acquainted with Osaki's daughters, making her a bit of a 'friend of the family' to the Osakis. Safe to say, she was the most important and most influential friend the family had ever had.

Having started as a lowly grunt, a junior officer in a rundown, no-name place far in the north, Tomita had worked her way up in record time, rising through the ranks in progressively more important cities, until she was selected as undersecretary, most likely in preparation for becoming Minister of Justice herself one day.

The elderly woman was experienced, outspoken, and had a reputation as one of the harshest taskmasters of the entire Department of Justice, being one of few people in the government who could boast of always producing results.

Yomaura couldn't fathom why the woman was in Fuyuki all of a sudden –there had been no warning of her coming– but it was good news all the same. The woman despised corruption with a vengeance, and would surely agree to help Osaki and Yomaura with their case once she heard what was going on in the city.

Her influence and reputation were exactly what they needed to bring their anti-corruption operation to an optimal end.

All of that and more shot through Yomaura's mind when she saw Tomita, but the elderly woman wasn't looking at her yet, instead focusing on the man she'd just threatened.

"Why are you still standing there?" Tomita sneered at Nakagawa, looking at him like she would at a cockroach, her scarred and weathered face radiating palpable disgust. "Get back to work, now!"

The man slunk off without a word of protest, hastily disappearing out of sight.

Tomita then turned to Yomaura, her stern look freezing the young woman in place.

"You should not have let him get to you like that, detective, he was obviously trying to provoke you." She reprimanded the redhead, having no doubt noticed Yomaura had been about to beat Nakagawa to an inch of his life. "Have you already forgotten what they taught you about such provocation-tactics at the academy?"

"I haven't forgotten." Yomaura half-squeaked, stopping herself from taking a step back in fright only through an immense application of will. "He just… caught me by surprise."

It was a weak excuse, and she knew it. She had learned how to resist provocations at the academy and even from her family. It was a standard tactic among criminals and Magi to taunt their opponents in order to get a rise out of them. For criminals to use against you in court later and for Magi to properly gauge your personality. That she had slipped up so badly as to almost assault a fellow officer was unforgivable and inexcusable.

"I am terribly sorry for my conduct. It won't happen again." She swore, to which Tomita responded with a slight nod of acceptance.

A few beats of silence passed after that, neither woman saying anything, until…

"It is good to see you again, Tomita-san." Yomaura put the awkward moment behind her and smiled brightly at her former teacher. "How have you been?"

"I hardly see how that is relevant at the moment, detective. I am doing my job, as should you." Tomita answered sternly, frowning at Yomaura. When the redhead didn't let up on her smile however, the elderly woman sighed deeply, before giving a small smile of her own. "I am well, Taya-chan. It is good to see you again. It has been far too long."

"Far too long indeed." Yomaura nodded in agreement, before cocking her head to the side as curiosity bubbled up inside her. "But why are you here in Fuyuki-City?"

"To speak with you, as a matter of fact." Tomita said gruffly, her expression hardening again. "Take me to that fool of an Osaki. I have business with you both."

"You have? Then please follow me." Yomaura's curiosity was quickly replaced by nervousness, but she didn't let it show on her face, and she dutifully led the elderly woman towards the third floor. "Uhm, can I ask what kind of business you have with us?"

"Rakurai." The undersecretary of Justice answered, her gaze hardening even more. "I am here to check on your progress on that man's case."

"…" Yomaura bit her lip hard, doing her very best not to flinch at her superior's words.

She really should have seen that coming. Rakurai's fame had reached international levels by now, so it was only logical that the government was starting to pay more attention to the vigilante. Having someone like that operating freely and virtually unopposed in their country would turn the Japanese government into a laughing stock after all.

'…This might be a bit of a problem.' Yomaura nervously thought to herself, silently gulping as Tomita's gaze never seemed to waver.

Yomaura was ashamed to say it, but Senpai and she had been making very little headway in their investigation, even after months of work, and they had barely even looked at the case over the past two weeks.

It wasn't that Osaki and Yomaura had forgotten Rakurai during that time, it was just that he'd taken a backseat against the far more pressing matter of the rampant corruption in Fuyuki-City's law enforcement.

"Right, Rakurai." Yomaura laughed sheepishly, doing her best not to shrink away from Tomita's piercing gaze. "S-So, you want to look at our files, and everything else we've gathered so far?"

"Yes." The elderly woman nodded sharply. "I am here to inspect your work and then report to the Minister of Justice, who will then decide on what to do. Let me warn you now though that it is unlikely he will be pleased. While I do not doubt that you have been working hard, the lack of results is grating, and people, important people, are getting upset over it. This is rapidly becoming an international embarrassment."

Yomaura did flinch this time, but rather than just shame, she also felt indignation, and she stopped in her tracks to properly face her superior.

"They can hardly blame us for that. We are not the only ones chasing him, and no one has been able to catch him so far. Not even the best detectives in the country." She defended herself and her Senpai, crossing her arms. "I do not think even you would have succeeded."

"Probably not." Tomita acknowledged with a nod, crossing her arms as well. "You, however, are the ones in charge of the national investigation into the vigilante, a special taskforce created with the sole purpose of apprehending Rakurai, which means better results are expected of you."

"Oh, come on, that might sound impressive and all, but it's meaningless." Yomaura bit out, glaring at several passers-by who seemed a little too interested in their discussion, making them scurry off. "The bosses might like to boast about the taskforce, but we get no funds for this operation, no equipment, not even extra personnel. Seriously, I don't know why they even bothered creating a taskforce if they won't do it properly."

"Why they created a taskforce, you ask? Simple, it is pure symbolism." Tomita replied bluntly, not holding anything back. "I think you have already realised this, but your role in this whole matter is nothing more than a show for the public. Fuyuki is the first city the vigilante has ever been active in, so having the taskforce responsible for his capture located in that very city is sure to please the populace. Quite simply, you are understaffed, underfunded, and uninformed, because you were never expected to succeed in capturing Rakurai in the first place. Even my visit here is purely for show, to look good in the papers."

"Yeah, we guessed as much." Yomaura grumbled, dragging a hand across her face in frustration. Neither she nor Senpai had said it out loud yet, but there was a reason they'd been so comfortable with setting Rakurai's case aside every time something else came up, and it wasn't just because she had asked Senpai to keep his distance from the vigilante.

"Cheer up, dear." Tomita said, the slightest hint of playfulness in her voice, even as her expression didn't change at all. "At least you are doing good work for public relations. It would not surprise me if you were as famous as Rakurai at this point, with the newspapers touting you two as his nemeses and everything."

"It wouldn't surprise me if the only reason Rakurai knows about us is because of those newspapers." Yomaura groused, before she sighed deeply. "I am sorry, Tomita-san, I do not mean to gripe and complain so much, but it's so frustrating to essentially be doing nothing."

"I do not think anyone will blame you if you take some other cases on the side." Tomita said, before raising an eyebrow when Yomaura reflexively looked away for a split second. "-You already did?"

Well, yeah. The whole matter with the corruption at the precinct. Not to mention the approaching gang war-

Hold on!

"Tomita-san." Yomaura directly faced her superior again, feeling dread pool in her stomach. "Have you received any information at all about the gang war that might break out here in Fuyuki-City soon?"

The woman certainly didn't act like she knew such a thing was about to happen, but perhaps Tomita was just a stone-cold person who wasn't afraid of a few punks with guns-

"No, I have not." The woman's answer was immediate and crystal clear, and also precisely what Yomaura had been dreading. "I have had several briefings on this city before I came here, but there was no mention of any sort of war. I was under the impression Rakurai had broken the underworld already?"

"That's actually part of the problem." Yomaura sighed, feeling her last bit of trust in her superiors vanish upon receiving the confirmation that they had not only refused to do anything about the impending gang-war, but also hadn't even reported the dire situation to the ministry.

She then explained the current situation to Tomita, about Rakurai's actions having left a power-vacuum, other gangs coming to the city to exploit this vacuum, the Fujimura-clan wishing to stop others from muscling in on their territory, and the absolute refusal of their superiors to take the threat seriously.

"I see. A situation that mirrors that in some of the other cities Rakurai has visited, yet unlike in those cities, no one has bothered to inform us or make any kind of preparation here." Tomita sighed, looking very tired for a moment. "I knew that this city does not have the most stellar officers, but I did not expect this level of incompetence."

"Not incompetence, Tomita-san." Yomaura corrected her. "Corruption."

"What?" The temperature around the two women seemed to drop several degrees as Tomita levelled a gaze at Yomaura that was colder than the Artic, making the redhead freeze in place yet again. "That is a serious accusation, Yomaura-san. Have you got any evidence to back it up?"

"…No, nothing official." Yomaura admitted reluctantly, finding it difficult to meet that unblinking stare. "Senpai and I are working on our own… 'internal investigation', and we have found some concerning things."

"Such as?"

"I can't tell you any more right now. If you could come with us to Senpai's house after work though, we'll brief you on our findings."

"I see, that is acceptable." The freezing gaze let up, and Tomita brought her hand to her chin in contemplation. "If you are indeed fighting corruption, I will endeavour to aid you wherever I can. I guess we also know now why Nakagawa was goading you."

"What?!"

"Oh, do not look so surprised." She added when she saw Yomaura's shocked look. "No doubt he already noticed something was off, and he wanted to cover himself. You can hardly charge him with anything when you are suspended for attacking him after all."

"That's a lot more cunning than I would expect from him." The redhead admitted after thinking for a moment. "Do we need to be concerned about him being on to us?"

"If he was really on to you, he would be running for the hills already." Tomita scoffed. "No, he was just being cautious, and apparently he decided getting a beatdown was an acceptable price to pay for a bit more safety."

Yomaura felt like kicking herself. Not only had she let herself be goaded by a toad, but she had also almost ruined the entire operation with a single action, throwing away weeks of hard work for nothing.

Perhaps she shouldn't have completely discarded everything her family had taught her. Some of their lessons were quite useful in retrospect. Like not being provoked by lowlifes.

"But enough about corruption. We still need to discuss Rakurai, preferably sooner rather than later."

"Right."

The women then continued climbing the stairs and eventually reached the third floor, entering the hall and making their way over to the correct desks, where Osaki was already waiting for them.

"Senpai." Yomaura called out once they were in hearing-range, seeing that the man wasn't looking in their direction at the moment.

"Ah, Yomaura." The senior detective replied, his back still turned to the two women as he went through a drawer. "Do you know where I left that report on Rakurai's actions in Hikone? I can't seem to find it, and now I'm beginning to wonder if I might have displaced it quite badly two weeks ago."

"Well, I guess you did, since you left it in my desk, not yours. But never mind that. You'll never guess who's here!"

Her Senpai, who had been in process of straightening up with a sheepish laugh, froze stiff, a sense of dread beginning to exude from him.

"Ah, would that be Tomita-Senpai?" He asked carefully, turning around slowly until he could face the two women.

"Indeed." The redhead confirmed cheerfully. "She's here to check on our progress with the Rakurai-case, among other things, and to help us if necessary. Isn't it amazing?"

"I will be helping you out with the matter of Rakurai at the behest of the Ministry of Justice." Tomita confirmed, stepping forward until she stood across from Osaki, studying him closely. "Long time no see, Koyo. I look forward to working with you again."

"Y-Yeah, me too, Senpai." Osaki agreed in a shaky voice. "I-I mean I look f-forward to working with you, not with myself of course, haha. T-That would be strange."

"I suppose it would be." Tomita agreed with a raised eyebrow, giving her former student a concerned look. "I will also be helping with your other matter of course, though that can wait until we have moved to a safer environment."

"Our other matter?"

"What we've been working on recently." Yomaura said as she started up her computer, wondering why her Senpai seemed so slow suddenly. "She has agreed to help us with it."

"R-Really? A-Ah, t-that's good." Her Senpai stuttered, which yet again got him a concerned look from Yomaura and a raised eyebrow from Tomita. "B-But let's stay focused on Rakurai for now."

"Yes, let's." Yomaura agreed, turning back to her computer, though she kept an eye on her Senpai.

What on Earth had gotten into the man?

"Did everything go well?" The elderly monk asked as he led Taiga to the exit of the Ryuudou-temple. "Did Souichirou-kun meet your standards? He's been looking forward to doing something useful with his life for a while now, so my prayers have been going out to him."

"Oh yes, he did very well." The exuberant brunette grinned as she mentally went over the unofficial interview she had just conducted. "As of now, Kuzuki Souichirou has the Fujimura-stamp of approval, so he can start teaching at Homurahara right away next year."

"That's quite the reversal from your attitude when you entered the temple this morning." The monk remarked drily. "I seem to recall you muttering dark things about his ancestry, general appearance, and sexual prow-"

"L-Let's not drag up ancient history!" Taiga sputtered, rapidly waving her hands in front of her face. "I-I was just… irritated because he was always so hard to read before, that's all."

"If you say so, Fujimura-san." The monk accepted her answer without comment. "Does Souichirou-kun already know he has passed your test, or should I be the one to bring the good news to him?"

"I told him he was hired, and that he could start next year after a quick course over the summer."

"He must have been delighted." The monk finally cracked his stoic façade, allowing himself a small smile. "He's been so nervous over the past weeks; he really wanted this job."

"If you say so." Taiga said slowly. If you asked her, the man hadn't shown any kind of emotion, ever, least of all delight, but maybe she just didn't know him well enough to tell. "Is he going to stay at the temple for now?"

"Souichirou-kun is free to stay here for as long as he wants, and since he has not expressed a wish to leave, I assume he is indeed going to stay. Should he ever decide to leave, we'll keep you informed about his place of residence."

"Appreciate it." Taiga grinned, once more glad that the monks of the Ryuudou-temple were so perceptive. They'd long since noticed Kuzuki was an odd man, though they never judged of course, and were more than willing to help her keep an eye on him. "I suppose he'll leave at some point, right? It's not like houses are that expensive in Fuyuki."

"Perhaps, but Souichirou-kun has told me multiple times he likes the ambience and general mood of the temple, so you shouldn't expect him to leave soon."

"You don't mind keeping him here?"

"As I have said before, he is free to stay for as long as he wants. We don't reject guests unless they become a real nuisance, and Souichirou-kun has shown himself to be a pleasant and diligent person."

"Right." Taiga wouldn't know about that –she thought the man looked a little robotic– but it was up to the monks whether someone could stay at the temple or not. "Well, see ya."

"Be well, Taiga-chan."

Taiga then left the temple, waving goodbye to the elderly monk that had shown her out, before returning home, where she promptly went to her grandfather's office.

"Oi, gramps!" She shouted as she threw the door open. "Kuzuki Souichirou has been approved, so you can call back the guys watching him right now."

"Hm?" Raiga looked up from his paperwork with bleary eyes, the large bags under his eyes indicating a severe lack of sleep. "Oh, that's good. He wasn't as bad as you assumed then?"

"Oh, he's definitely extremely dangerous." Taiga admitted in carefree tone, ignoring the deadpan look her gramps shot her. "But he's trustworthy and I don't think he'll do anything that would harm the students under his care."

"Do you think that, or do you know that?"

"I am one-hundred percent certain that he won't harm anyone, unless forced or compelled to do so by an external influence."

"An external influence? Like what?"

"Someone attacking him or a student under his care, I suppose," Taiga said ponderously, placing a finger on her chin. "Or someone committing a crime right in front of him. Or perhaps a witch from the past seducing him and making him fall back to old habits, because he wants to help her achieve her goals yet the only way to do so is through violence."

"…"

Taiga could admit she probably deserved the incredulous look gramps gave her. That last option seemed a bit out there, or very much out there, though to Taiga, it almost seemed logical, somehow.

"My point is, I think we can trust Kuzuki. Like I said, you can call off the guys you have watching him and approve of his application at Homurahara."

"Then I will do so."

With her piece said, Taiga turned around again to leave the room…

"Hold it right there, Taiga."

…Only to stop at her grandfather's order.

"Have you been in contact with Shirou lately?" He asked, piling up several reports in front of him. "Called him? Visited his house? Have you seen him or spoken to him?"

"…No, I haven't." Taiga admitted, shame colouring her voice. "Not since you had that talk with him. I thought he would need some time to process everything, and that I could better stay away."

"Well, that time is over now." Raiga said sternly. "I need you to deliver him a message from me so we can wrap this whole ugly matter up soon. Besides, even without the whole affair with Rakurai, you are his guardian and big sister. It is high time you took up your duties again."

"Yes, grandfather." Taiga clenched her jaw, inwardly berating herself over her shameful behaviour. She had been avoiding Shirou for the past two weeks, and it wasn't to give him time to 'process everything'. That was just an excuse.

The actual reason was that she was scared. She was scared of how he'd react to seeing her. Taiga was after all the one who'd betrayed his secret to gramps, and he would be well within his rights to tell her to leave and never come back.

She could only hope he wouldn't be too angry with her.

"Go to Shirou. Tell him that it's almost time for us to move, and that I want to meet him tomorrow-evening, here in my office."

"I will, gramps." Taiga saluted, before turning around to leave for real. "See you later."

"See you later, Taiga." Her grandfather sighed, already turning away again, his voice sounding utterly exhausted and his face set in an expression of wariness.

Taiga felt her heart clench at the sight.

They had to fix this mess, and soon.

"So, why am I here?" Ayako asked lightly as she leaned back into the couch, patting her stomach in satisfaction after eating a well-cooked meal. "Do you have more Magic-facts I need to hear about?"

"Yes." Shirou nodded, his expression neutral and stern, which couldn't mean anything good. "There are… several major things, things about us, that we haven't told you yet. We want to tell you about those things right now."

"…Okay." Ayako nodded, her satisfied feelings disappearing quickly. "But once again, you don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to. Honestly guys, if it's too painful to talk about, we can forget all about it and just watch some tv together."

"Thank you, Ayako." Sakura said with a smile that made the brunette's treacherous heart skip a beat. "But we want to tell you."

"Then I'll gladly listen of course." Ayako assured them.

"It won't be pleasant." Shirou warned her.

"So? I can handle it." Ayako scoffed, sitting up straight again. "If you have lived through it, I can manage to listen to it. I'm not a wimp, you know?"

"Yes." Sakura smiled, reaching out to take the brunette's hand in her own, lifting it up to press it against her cheek. "Yes, we know. Thank you, Ayako."

"Just get started already." The brunette grumbled, lowering her head to hide her blush but keeping her hand as still as possible.

"Well, it's mostly about Magi again." Sakura began slowly, carefully contemplating her words. "About the humans that can use Magecraft and have values and motivations that any normal person would consider horrendous."

"Yeah, those bastards, I remember them." Ayako nodded, frowning at the memory. "They are brutal, insane, psychopathic, and would consider the two of you either weaklings or heretics for not being the same."

"Yes, that's right. Senpai and I aren't Magi, nor did we ever want to be." Sakura confirmed with a determined nod. "B-But my family is in fact a family of Magi."

"You mean Zouken." Ayako could definitely see why that old man would be considered a Magus, but she was taken aback when Sakura shook her head.

"N-No, Z-Zouken isn't my r-real grandfather, he is not family." Sakura took a deep breath. "It's all a bit more complicated than that."

Ayako remained silent this time, listening intently and putting her free hand on Sakura's shoulder. Shirou also shifted closer, taking hold of Sakura's other shoulder.

"The first thing you should know is that Magi value very few things." Sakura stated, her voice perfectly steady, almost suspiciously so, as she held up a finger in a lecturing pose. "They value their research, some of their possessions and, perhaps most of all, the so-called 'accumulation of their bloodline', which they call 'a Crest'. A Crest is essentially an organ filled with Magic Circuits, spells-matrices, and everything else that the Magus wishes to preserve for the next generation. A Crest can be transplanted from one person to another and can be added to by each person possessing it. It is a way of steadily making every family head more powerful than the previous one. After a Magus dies, the Crest, as well as a few other things, are left to their heirs. Those heirs are usually their children, as Crests don't easily accept people from different bloodlines."

"Transplanting magical organs to keep the power in the family. I have to admit that's a new one." Ayako mused, cocking her head to the side. "But what if they don't have any children? Or if they have more than one child?"

"That's what happened to me actually." Sakura smiled sadly. "I am a second child, but, when I was little, my elder sibling was not Shinji-nii-san. My parents, my real parents, already had a daughter before me, Tohsaka-"

"Rin?! Rin is your sister!?" Ayako blurted out, her eyes immediately roaming Sakura's form and especially her face, searching for any similarities with Rin.

"Yes," Sakura confirmed. "But when she was less than half a year old, she got very sick, possibly lethally. My parents thus had another child, me, as an insurance. When Rin got better though, they suddenly had two children on their hands, which in a Magus-family means rivalry later down the line."

"What? Nonsense!" Ayako protested, looking between Shirou and Sakura again. "You and Rin wouldn't have fought each other, right?"

"I can't say." Sakura said with a shrug. "When I was three years old, my father gave me to the Matou, a family that had no heirs of their own. As such, you can probably imagine I was an appreciated gift to them."

"Eh? I-I mean, I can see why they would be happy, b-but-" Ayako stuttered, shocked at the notion that parents could so casually get rid of their child merely because there was a possibility that she would become an inconvenience to them. "But didn't you just say that having a different bloodline made it impossible for you to inherit that, uh, Crest-thingie?"

"Under normal circumstances, it is indeed almost impossible." Sakura nodded, the smile on her face turning bitter as tears started to form in her eyes. "T-The Matou however, t-they had a way around that. Their C-Crest was made almost completely out of w-w-worm-familiars. C-Crest-worms, t-they are called, w-with the ability to i-infect a-anyone who has m-magic."

"Infect?" Ayako whispered, having a feeling where this was going but hoping against hope that she was wrong. She had heard of parasites before, and this sounded an awful lot like…

"Zouken had his worms enter me, infect me, in every way possible." Sakura choked out, as Shirou immediately took her into an embrace, while Ayako felt like someone had punched her in the gut. "They fed themselves on my magic and on my flesh. Doing so, they somehow managed to transform me into an acceptable heir for the Matou-family, though I likely wouldn't have survived past twenty because of that. It even gave me purple hair and eyes, which is why I don't look like a Tohsaka anymore. It was incredibly painful, but-"

Ayako saw red.

"WHAT!" She screamed in absolute rage, making her friends start in shock as she shot to her feet. "THERE ARE FILTHY MAGICAL PARASITES INSIDE OF YOU? ZOUKEN TORTURED YOU? WHY THAT SLIMY LITTLE-"

"Not anymore!" Sakura yelled, grabbing Ayako's arm and pulling her down into a seating position again, before taking the brunette into a hug. "There aren't any worms inside of me anymore. Senpai destroyed them all when he saved me and killed Zouken."

"KILLED- eh, I mean, k-killed Zouken?" Ayako asked, the red haze disappearing as she reigned in her anger, helped by the news that the monster was already slain. "Oh, right! Shirou, you killed Zouken already, didn't you?"

"I did." Shirou nodded, saying no more. Not that he needed to.

"Damn right." Ayako seethed, hoping that the monster's final moments had been agony and untold suffering, returning Sakura's hug, embracing the other girl strongly. "Rotten creature."

"I'm happy you think that way too."

Ayako held Sakura for a few more seconds, and then released her. The purple-haired girl quickly wiped her eyes, and Ayako was relieved to see she wasn't crying anymore.

This had been a hell of a story alright, but Ayako was glad Sakura had gotten it out of her system.

"I am very glad you are far away from there." She told Sakura. "And I think you are amazing for having survived all of that. If there's anything at all I can do to help you, just tell me."

"Well, there is something." Sakura began hesitatingly, before looking at Shirou. "But I think you should hear Senpai's story first."

"Shirou?" Ayako turned towards the redhead, a hollow pit forming in her stomach. "You also have a story like this? I mean, even more than the fire?"

"Well, mine isn't quite as tragic as Sakura's." Shirou shrugged slightly. "I suppose it has a tragic start, but aside from that, my life has been going rather well."

"You lost your memories and almost your entire identity in the Great Fire." Ayako scoffed in disbelief, seeing Sakura nod from the corner of her eye. "That's hardly 'rather well'. That's just plain tragic."

"A bit, but like you said, I remember nothing of my previous identity, so it is hard to feel sad." Shirou explained, reaching out to softly pat the brunette's head. "Don't worry too much about it. The main reason we are talking about the Great Fire again is because it is connected with something else we wanted to tell you about. You see, the cause of the Fire wasn't exactly what you'd call normal."

Ayako didn't need any more clues than that.

"The Fire was magical, wasn't it?" She asked with a deadpan look. "Or at least caused by something magical."

"Yes to both." Shirou admitted readily, before pursing his lips. "For the next part of our explanation, and my own backstory, let me tell you about something called the Holy Grail War."

For the next twenty minutes, Ayako listened, with open mouth and wide eyes, to a recounting of perhaps the most ludicrous, insane, and utterly inane story she'd ever heard.

Heroic Spirits, Grails, Homunculi, Masters that were supposed to power said Heroic Spirits, betrayal, hate, immense property damage, and countless deaths, and they had done this four times already?!

And then Shirou had been adopted by a super-assassin who taught him about Magecraft and assassin-stuff before dying to a curse, leaving him with a mission to save his sister, because of course he had a sister all of a sudden, one who was being tortured by her family, just like Sakura.

"You know, I was completely wrong to think the Moonlit World was amazing." She said bluntly after Shirou finished telling her about the actual devil that lived in that Grail, who had apparently created the Great Fire after Shirou's father had prevented it from killing every single human on the planet. "You people are crazy as fuck."

"Language!" Sakura snapped. "I understand this is upsetting, but there's no reason to be so vulgar, Ayako."

"Y-Yes, of course, I'm sorry," Ayako muttered, clasping a hand over her mouth, wilting before Sakura's stern frown. After the plum-haired girl accepted her apology, she turned back to Shirou. "Okay, to summarise your story, you went crazy in that fire and your father somewhat patched you back together by turning you into an obsessive Hero of Justice-to-be. Did I get that right?"

"Yes." Sakura confirmed, cutting off Shirou, who looked like he was about to protest Ayako's summary. "Senpai has been training very hard to achieve his goal, and he already made progress, right Senpai?"

"I… Yeah, when I decided to become a Hero of Justice, I trained a lot for that. Dad was a big help." Shirou said with a sigh, giving up on protesting Ayako's description of his mental state. "After he died though, it all slowed down a bit, before my plans were completely upended. Mostly because of this thing here."

'This thing here' was of course Mjolnir, the hammer appearing in Shirou's hand in a dramatic shower of sparks.

"Mjolnir came to me, and we started fighting crime together, eventually becoming Rakurai." Shirou recounted, before he slumped slightly. "And well, you know how that ended. With one big mess I am still trying to solve."

"Yes, about that, you said you were busy fixing it with Fujimura-san." Ayako recalled from one of their previous conversations. "How's that going?"

"I haven't heard back from him yet-" Shirou began, before he was interrupted by a racket in the hallway, sounding like someone had stormed into the house with far more violence and noise than was in any way necessary.

"Shirou!" Ayako almost jumped in shock when Fujimura-Sensei came barrelling through the door. "Gramps said it's time, he wants you to come to his office tomorrow evening."

Silence reigned for a few moments, before Sakura turned to Ayako with a blinding smile.

"Ayako-chan is like a lucky charm." She giggled, prompting a small blush from the brunette.

"Alright, Fuji-nee. Once more from the start, what's going on?"

Shirou poured his big sister her tea, waiting for her to take a few sips to calm her nerves.

"Gramps wants you to visit him tomorrow evening." Taiga repeated after she finished her tea in record time, somehow without burning her mouth. "Only you though, I'm pretty sure he doesn't want Sakura, or Ayako for that matter, coming along."

"Very well." Shirou nodded. It wasn't like he wouldn't tell them everything Raiga said anyway, so it hardly mattered.

"That was it."

"Eh?" Ayako reacted before he could, her face the picture of disbelief. "That was everything you came here to tell? Isn't that far too little?"

"It's everything gramps wanted me to tell you." Taiga shrugged, a helpless expression on her face. "I assume he'll tell Shirou all the good stuff tomorrow, but I simply don't know anything else."

Sakura and Ayako slumped in their seats, while Shirou shook his head in exasperation. Raiga really was a little too fond of the saying 'only tell people what they absolutely need to know'.

"Again, I'm sorry." Taiga apologised once more, before looking at him with a cautious gaze. "So, uhm, Shirou, are you angry with me for telling gramps about you being Rakurai and stuff?"

Never let it be said that Taiga wasn't a very direct person.

Shirou was taken aback by the sudden question, but only for a moment.

"Before I answer that question, can you tell me how you even figured out that I was Rakurai?"

"Oh, well, I overheard you and Sakura talking about it a few weeks ago." Taiga confessed sheepishly, pressing the tips of her index-fingers together. "Then gramps made me tell him."

"Well, I suppose it was inevitable that it would get out at some point, especially since Raiga already knows about magic." Shirou sighed. "So no, I am not angry with you, Fuji-nee."

Taiga let out a deep breath in relief, but really, Shirou was just glad she wasn't angry either. She had every right to be angry with him after all, for keeping him being Rakurai and a Magus a secret for so long, so he hardly had the right to lecture or judge her.

"So you forgive me? Fantastic." Taiga cheered, leaning forward over the dinner table, her voice still upbeat. "Can I now ask you about the people you killed?"

The difference between her peppy tone and her dire words was so jarring Shirou didn't know how to react at first. When the meaning did sink in, he flinched, hard.

"So you know about that too?" He asked, mentally kicking himself for being so poor at keeping secrets. "Did you overhear that as well?"

"I heard you mention killing Zouken, and since you're Rakurai, you also killed Oni." Taiga shrugged almost carelessly. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not judging you, I just want to know if you're alright. Killing another human being is very difficult after all."

The worried look in her eyes and the relaxed pose of her body lend credence to her words, and not for the first time, Shirou was grateful he had a yakuza-family as neighbours. A normal family would have long since ran away or reported him to the police if they'd found out even a fraction of what Taiga apparently knew.

"It was difficult at first." He admitted, before looking back at Sakura and Ayako. "But I got through it, not in the least because of their support. So, I guess I'm alright."

"Good. That's really good to hear." Taiga said, looking very relieved. "Now, let's leave this ugly business behind, shall we? As per tomorrow, I'll be visiting for meals again. I expect my favourite food for at least a week, to make up for lost time."

"Of course, Fuji-nee." Shirou smiled indulgently, before his eye twitched involuntarily as he remembered something important. "Ah, Fuji-nee, by the way, I'll be gone for the summer-break, so I won't be able to cook for you then."

"W-What?!" Taiga seemed utterly appalled, reeling back as if he'd struck her. "T-That isn't funny, Shirou!"

"Sorry, Fuji-nee. It's not a joke." Shirou said with regret, bowing his head in an apology. "I'm going to London, and I probably will be gone for quite some time."

"No!" Taiga wailed, rounding on Sakura and Ayako. "Why aren't you surprised? You should be surprised! This is horrible!"

"Oh, Shirou already told us." Ayako explained, looking unsure what to do with the distraught English teacher. "Ehm, you can still come over, and Sakura and I will cook for you?"

"You will?" Taiga sniffed, hope shining in her eyes, before bursting into tears again when the girls nodded. "Uwah! You're such good girls! Shirou, marry both of them, right now- bufwah!"

Shirou knocked her on the head rather forcefully, only just able to keep his embarrassed blush down by focusing on his irritation.

"Ahem, right." He tried getting the conversation back on its proper track. "I am sorry, Fuji-nee, but I will be going to London. That is final."

"You… you really are serious about this, aren't you?" Taiga asked, her childishness being replaced by concern. "Why though? What's in London that's so important? Is there something I should know?"

"I have to get my little sister and bring her home with me."

"Your little sister? Wait, you mean-?!"

"Kiritsugu's daughter, yes." Shirou recalled that Kiritsugu had already told Taiga about the daughter he couldn't get back because of difficult in-laws, though he hadn't given many details. "I'm getting her back, Fuji-nee, one way or another."

"I want an explanation later." Taiga ordered him, to which Shirou nodded in acquiescence. "But for now, good luck, I guess."

"Thank you, Fuji-nee."

"…"

"…"

"Do… Do you perhaps want some dinner, Fujimura-Sensei?" Sakura spoke up after Taiga and Shirou both fell silent. "We already cleaned the kitchen, but I can make something for you if you'd like-"

"That's so kind of you, Sakura." Taiga gushed, her seriousness disappearing in a flash, before she rose from her place. "But I have to refuse. I have a lot of work left to do before tomorrow and I can't delay it anymore. Sorry for the abruptness, guy and gals, but I have to leave now. Have a good night, all of you."

"Good night." "Bye Fuji-nee." Shirou and the girls answered, waving at the exuberant woman as she disappeared into the night again, as suddenly as she'd appeared, leaving a few seconds of silence in her wake.

"Okay, that was random." Ayako was the first to speak up afterwards. "What were we talking about again?"

"Our backgrounds and the Holy Grail War." Sakura reminded her promptly. "I think Fujimura-Sensei came in when we were discussing Rakurai."

"Let's move on to the next subject then." Shirou said, not in the mood to talk about his failure of an alter ego any further. "I believe Sakura had something important to say."

"Yes, I… I have a favour to ask of you, Ayako." Sakura nodded, turning towards the brunette.

"Sure, what do you need?"

"...Nee-san and I had an argument the last time we met." Sakura began slowly, pressing the tips of her index fingers together again. "It was the first time I saw her after Zouken died. She came to visit, for a lot of reasons, and I… might have… told her off and… threw her out."

Sakura's voice tapered off towards the end, her head lowering in shame.

"Oh, so that's why Rin has been so down over the past weeks." Ayako said, hitting her palm with her fist in realisation. "I already wondered what could have happened to make her so sad."

"I… might have blamed her for… a lot of things." Sakura whispered despondently. "I may have told her that… we weren't family and that… I never wanted to see her again."

"… Well, I suppose I understand. It makes sense you don't want to see any Tohsakas around after what you've been through." Ayako scratched the back of her head. "But I don't think Rin had anything to do with that though."

"I know. I was being too harsh on her because I was angry." Sakura groaned in shame and embarrassment, grabbing her head in her hands as she wiggled on the couch. "I was being very unfair and hypocritical, and I want to try talking to her again to make up for it, but I don't know how."

"Maybe it would help if you could recreate the situation from back then." Ayako suggested, grabbing Sakura's shoulders to hold her still. "Just you and her, in a private spot, this time without nasty surprises for either of you, so that you can properly talk things over."

"You can just do it here if you want." Shirou suggested, happy that Ayako was thinking along the same lines as him. "I can just go to the shed for a while, and you'll have the house to yourself."

"Y-Yes, that's what I thought too." Sakura nodded, before she blushed slightly. "But ehm, could one of you ask her for me?"

"Hm?" Shirou cocked his head to the side. "What was that?"

"Could one of you ask her for me!?" Sakura almost yelled, before shrinking back in on herself. "Eh, s-sorry. I just… do not dare to ask her. What if she's really angry at me because of last time?"

"Sakura, I have seen how Rin has been behaving over the past two weeks. If she hears you want to talk to her again, she won't be angry." Ayako huffed, crossing her arms with a confident smile. "If anything, she'll be delighted. If you really want though, I can go over tomorrow and ask her for you."

"Would you really?" Sakura perked up, a blinding smile appearing on her face. "Thank you!"

"Want me to accompany you?" Shirou asked Ayako. "Not that I think it's necessary, but…"

"Sure." Ayako shrugged. "Tomorrow straight after school?"

"Works for me."

"Great."

"Thank you so much!" Shirou didn't know how Sakura did it, but her smile was so blinding it seemed to light up the entire room.

Sitting at his desk in his new office in Hikone, a certain man looked out over the city he had just taken over.

He had swept the rulers of Hikone's underworld aside, disorganised and divided as they were, and had taken over as the city's unquestioned crime-lord.

It was yet another city he could add to his long list of conquests, yet he was far from done. He wouldn't be satisfied with only a few cities, he wanted to rule the underworld of the entirety of the Kyoto-region, and later of all Japan.

It was an ambitious project, some would say too ambitious, but then again, he was a very ambitious man.

His birth-name was Jonatan van Galen, but it had been many years since anyone had called him that. Not because he didn't want anyone to, but because his name was considered unpronounceable by most people on the globe.

In his home country, the Netherlands, people didn't have any trouble pronouncing his name, but that made them one of the exceptions, along with the German people and the Mongolians.

Most people had taken to call him by bastardised versions of it. In England and other English-speaking countries, they had named him John; in France, they had called him Jean, and so on.

Here in Japan, one of the politest countries in the world, people often tried pronouncing his name correctly, oh yes, they tried hard, but they too ultimately had to give up.

They too mostly used bastardised versions of his name now, which he honestly didn't even mind all that much. It got the message across after all, and it was better than what his rivals in Kyoto had taken to calling him.

'The Brat.'

As far as insulting nicknames went, it wasn't even particularly bad, but nevertheless, Galen really disliked it. It implied that he was a newcomer, a greenhorn, even though he was already very experienced. Somehow, it was worse than all of his previous nicknames put together.

Still, he tried to ignored it, and he often told himself that the nickname was nothing but an expression of his enemies' powerlessness and impotence as he slowly took over their cities and pressed them out of their territory. Being bothered by the words of losers was far below him.

Many cities and towns had already come under his control, and many more would follow. His enemies were too weak to stop him, and he would crush them underfoot. He was winning and they were losing, that was obvious.

It wasn't his enemies' fault that they were losing though, not really. They couldn't help it they had grown up in Japan, where they were raised on the principle that everyone had to be polite, calm, and reasonable. They talked and simpered and flattered all the time, because that was the way of their culture.

He, as Dutchman, wasn't like that. His culture was one of directness, of taking what you wanted and then protecting it from others with force. He didn't talk endlessly; he was a man of action.

It was ultimately nothing more than a clash between a superior culture and an inferior one, and he, as member of the superior culture, would inevitably come out of the winner.

He would teach them the proper way though. As soon as he had won, he would teach his Japanese underlings how to forget about all those useless courtesies and just do what they wanted. How to live their lives properly, like real men.

But first, before he could enjoy the fruits of his labour and impress upon his underlings the correct road to take in life, he needed to deal with his greatest enemy so far.

Fujimura Raiga.

The leader of the Fujimura-clan, a branch of the local Yakuza. Ultimately nothing special, but damn if he wasn't a persistent cockroach.

Galen had been 'chased' out of towns he had tried to take over before, or rather cut his losses after he deemed the rewards weren't worth the cost, but those had been temporary setbacks that he had easily recovered from.

Fujimura's men however had stopped him from even just setting foot in their territory. No matter what he tried, his troops kept getting caught at the city's borders. All he had been able to do was obtain some private property at the very edge of Fuyuki's harbour, but that was his secret safehouse, so he couldn't use it for attacks or smuggling, lest it may be found by Fujimura's men.

Worse, whenever he sent a competent lieutenant to properly guide the foot soldiers that were camped outside Fuyuki-City, they disappeared without a trace, before turning up again in the hands of the police, all too willing to talk for some reason.

Galen didn't doubt for a moment that Fujimura was responsible for the setbacks. The man was a cunning opponent, Galen had to admit as much. Too stale and old to adapt to the new ways, but cunning nonetheless.

It was certainly annoying to have his efforts be countered so often, but in a way, it could also be considered a blessing.

He always made an effort to know what his men were generally talking about, and as such, he was more than aware of the malicious whispering that was spreading through the ranks of his army.

'The Brat got lucky.'

'He would never have gotten so far without Rakurai.'

'Opportunist and war-profiteer.'

That was what his men were whispering when they thought his back was turned. All kinds of nonsense and drivel.

Yes, Galen knew a small part of his success was because Rakurai had devastated the status-quo during their rampages across Kyoto, he knew that and he admitted that, but some people pretended that was the only reason he had made it so far.

They were all wrong of course! If Rakurai hadn't been there, it might have taken him a bit longer, but ultimately, he would have easily taken over the underworld, just like now.

Japanese people just weren't capable enough to stop him, and he, Galen, who was from the civilised world, would never lose to them.

That was why it was good to have an opponent like Fujimura Raiga. Once he crushed that Yakuza, without any assistance from Rakurai or anyone else, no one would doubt his capabilities anymore. No one!

Galen sneered at the thought of his detractors, and grabbed his phone from his desk, dialling one of his moles in the Fujimura-clan.

"It's me." He barked into the phone. "We're moving up the schedule. I'll be coming to Fuyuki soon. Yes, to the hide-out at the harbour. Yes, along the planned route. Inform our men in the police-department as well and be ready to move. Remember, serve me well now and you'll be set for the rest of your life, I'll make sure of that."

Galen slammed the phone back down on the desk, grinning darkly to himself.

Fujimura might be good at tactics and guarding a border, but he was very bad at keeping his men loyal.

In Fuyuki-City, Galen's mole also put down the phone, before reclining in his chair, casually glancing back at the figure standing behind him.

"You got that, boss?" He asked, receiving a pat on the back from the figure in return.

"I did." Fujimura Raiga grinned. "I certainly did."

"So, if I understand this correctly, you have enough evidence for the arrest and conviction of twenty-three officers, twenty-eight detectives, and four commissioners and commanders, while you lack the necessary evidence to convict another three officers, five detectives and one commissioner?" Tomita asked, reading the reports she held in front of her.

"That's correct, Tomita-san." Yomaura nodded confidently, standing right next to the elderly woman, looking over her shoulder to read along. "Do you have any suggestions to gather more evidence? We are rather stuck at the moment."

As the women discussed the matter and bounced different ideas off each other, Osaki was standing in the corner of the room, trying his very best to be invisible.

They were at his house, discussing the matter of the corruption in Fuyuki's precinct, and ever since coming home, he had tried to stay out of his Senpai's sight, first by using his daughters to distract her, and later by using his Kohai.

It wasn't very brave or honourable, but he had no choice. Tomita had been pleasant enough so far, but experience taught him that could change in a heartbeat.

He had known her for a long time. In fact, she had been one of his trainers and later even his Senpai for a while, and while Osaki didn't want to be dramatic or whiny, it had left its scars on him.

For as long as he could remember, Tomita had been pushing him far harder than she did anyone else. She watched him more closely, she gave him harsher punishments, and made him do far more work than the other trainees or co-workers.

It had confused him at first. All other trainers and superiors had had nothing but praise for him, so he hadn't been able to understand why Tomita disliked him so much.

Later though, she had told him that it was because of his talent and drive. She pushed him so hard because she knew he could take it, and because she wanted him to the best he could possibly be. She didn't dislike him, she had high hopes for him and genuinely wanted him to succeed.

Without her, he wouldn't have been half the man he was now, Osaki knew that very well. He owed everything to her, and he wasn't afraid of telling that to everyone he met.

Nevertheless, she still scared him like few other things did, so if it was at all possible for him to stay under her radar and out of her sight, he would do just that.

Fortunately, Tomita had taken a liking to Yomaura and spent most of the time chatting with her. Osaki didn't know why, but the elderly woman really seemed to approve of his Kohai, to the point where even honorifics were sometimes left aside.

"Alright, so, ultimately, we would really like to gather enough evidence and material to at least arrest these three." Yomaura pointing at a page of the report she was holding. "Nakagawa Iwo, Azuma Jurou and Iwata Gorou. The others are not that important."

"An officer, a detective and the commissioner." Tomita nodded. "Sensible choices. It would be best to rid ourselves of these vermin as soon as possible. It will be… most pleasing, to have Iwata in prison for a long time."

"You know him?" Yomaura asked in surprise.

"I do, unfortunately." Tomita confirmed, glaring angrily at the picture of the man. "I do try to make it a point to at least have a passing familiarity with the commissioners under my jurisdiction, and I also keep an eye out for people with potential. I must admit I like pushing that kind of people to be the best they can be."

"Don't I know it." Osaki mumbled quietly.

"But Iwata did not once give me the impression he was in any way competent. I never did quite understand how he could have become a commissioner, but I guess I now have my answer." Tomita frowned. "We must take him down, along with Azuma and Nakagawa."

"Now that I think about it, wasn't Nakagawa the one who was so rude to me this morning?" Yomaura asked with a frown.

"Rude?" Osaki asked out loud, forgetting for a moment that he was supposed to be quiet and discreet in his corner. "What did he say?"

"He said… w-well, it doesn't matter all that much." She deflected quickly, refusing to meet his eyes. "He was trying to provoke me, Senpai, most likely to get me suspended."

"Do you think he is on to us?" He asked sharply, only for Yomaura to shake her head.

"We don't think so. If he had, he'd be running, not putting himself more in the spotlight."

"Good." Osaki sighed in relief. "That's good to hear. Now, what were we talking about again?"

"These three weasels." Tomita reminded him, turning towards Yomaura. "If you cannot find enough evidence to convict them in the paperwork, you can try surveillance."

"Ah, good old-fashioned surveillance." Osaki smiled fondly, deciding to join the conversation now that Tomita's ire was aimed at someone else. "It takes a long time, but it often produces excellent results. I have always liked it."

"Senpai, I wish I had that saintly patience of yours." Yomaura sighed. "When I think of surveillance, I mostly see backpain and tediousness. I don't know how anyone with even the slightest bit of excitement in their character could ever stand it."

"I am fully aware I am a boring person." Osaki joked lightly, lowering his head to hide his smile.

"Wa?! No! T-That wasn't at all what I meant!" His Kohai waved her arms up and down in a frenzy, trying to assure him she didn't think of him as boring. "I-I was just trying to say that-"

"Settle down, you two." Tomita snapped, and Osaki found himself giving an American salute before he knew it. "I am not talking about constant surveillance. It can be limited to keeping an eye on them in the precinct. Depending on our findings, we can increase the level as required."

"Yes, ma'am." Osaki nodded, as did Yomaura.

"Get to it then. Oh, and one more thing." The elderly woman levelled a terrifying stare at both of them. "I hope this extra project won't have a negative influence on your normal work?"

"It won't." Osaki didn't squeak, but it was a close thing, the expression on his Senpai's face setting off all kinds of long-ingrained alarm-bells. "We will still continue our investigation into Rakurai, though I do not know if we'll have any success."

"Well, do something about that then." Tomita ordered him. "I did not train you for all those years just so you could give up when the first difficult challenge crosses your path, fool."

"Yes, Ma'am." Osaki sighed.

"In fact, your first clue can be those mysterious arrests of high-level gang-members that have taken place over the past weeks. I do not believe for a moment your colleagues were the ones to make those arrests, so it was probably Rakurai. Now get to it."

Truly, there was no rest for the righteous.

Things hadn't been going well for Rin during the past weeks. They hadn't been going well at all.

Ever since her fight with Sakura, she'd been completely off balance, and it had massively impacted both her studies and her Magecraft. She could barely even pay attention during the lectures at school anymore, and she hadn't dared cast a single spell, certain that she would make a mistake and blow her own face off.

It was not how a Magus was supposed to behave, how a Tohsaka was supposed to behave. Even if they were scorned by a family-member, a Tohsaka was supposed to keep their head high and march on.

If she'd really been the Magus her father wanted her to be, that she had wanted, and believed, herself to be, she would have been able to just banish all those useless thoughts, feelings, and emotions from her mind.

Her father wouldn't have been shaken by this. He would have dismissed Sakura from his mind, no matter what he personally thought about the situation, and focused on his research. He wouldn't have cared about anyone's feelings, least of all his own.

Not that Rin was all that sure anymore she wanted to be anything like her father, but being able to set aside these horrible, conflicted emotions sounded pretty good right now.

But she couldn't.

She just couldn't let go of the guilt and shame. Even just trying to do so only increased those feelings, her every instinct screaming at her that she was just being a coward again. Trying to bottle them up only had the same results.

Through titanic effort and will, she had managed to keep her grades from slipping, though she wasn't sure if her idol-persona had survived as well. She had been rather snappish lately, and much less patient with her idiot classmates.

Couldn't they see she had better things to do than entertain them? That she had bigger problems to worry about than the fact her hair wasn't perfect? That she didn't attend that 'amazing party'? That she didn't have a boyfriend yet?

Rin groaned, letting her head fall onto her desk. Even just thinking about that nonsense made her angry, her frayed nerves unable to take much more.

She wasn't going to last like this, something had to be done, and fast.

So Rin had put her not-inconsiderable intellect to work to find a solution, and since she was rather smart, if she did say so herself, she had been able to quickly reach a conclusion.

Since dismissing her feelings wasn't working and bottling them up was too risky, her options were limited, very limited. In fact, it might just be that the only possible solution would be to face the source of her current problem.

Sakura.

If Rin ever wanted to get closure, she'd have to talk with her sister again, explain her side of the story, show that she really hadn't known about what Zouken had been doing to her, and that she was as shocked and appalled as anyone else when she'd learned about it.

If she did that, then maybe Sakura would agree to bury the hatchet, so that she, and Emiya as well, wouldn't become Rin's enemies later down the line. Maybe Sakura would even be able to forgive her, if Rin showed how sorry she was, so they could build a solid friendship.

Most of all though, if Rin apologised, if she showed she was appalled at what had happened to Sakura and that she genuinely cared about her, then maybe, just maybe, Sakura would want to be her sister again.

Rin would really like that.

...

There, she said it. She missed Sakura.

She missed the time when played and laughed together, she missed the time they shared a room and laughed about the events of their day, and she hated it that they had spent their childhoods separated.

Rin had always hoped that they would grow closer again after Zouken finally died. That they might do research together, hang out together, fight together, perhaps even get a place at the Clocktower together, not really as sisters, but allies so close they might as well have been.

But then Zouken had actually died, and Rin, with her typical tendency to mess up when it really counted, had completely blown her chance to connect with her sister again.

She had been rude, in denial of what had happened to Sakura, dismissive of her valid complaints, and had just plain refused to even consider Sakura might have genuine grievances against Tohsaka Tokiomi.

If only she'd been able to be a little more honest with herself during that conversation, if only she'd taken the time to think for a second instead of just charging ahead like a bull, it might have gone better.

She'd handled that entire conversation wrong from the very beginning. Talking about contracts and agreements and just expecting Sakura to read between the lines and somehow discern that Rin cared about her, what had she been thinking?

Not to mention the whole mess with Shir- Emiya. It had admittedly been a shock to learn that Emiya was capable of Magecraft, and she'd been justified in suspecting him of ulterior motives at first, but again, if she'd taken a moment to stand still and think, she'd have seen that Kirei had just been riling her up again when he had told her the redhead was a Magus.

Emiya had done nothing to warrant any sort of suspicion, save for killing Zouken, which she wasn't going to hold against him, but she had still spent the entire conversation expressing hostility to him.

It had been a conversation of barely thirty minutes, but she'd made more mistakes than she cared to count, ruthlessly stabbing at Sakura's open wounds. It was a miracle Sakura hadn't bodily thrown her out of the house before the first ten minutes had passed.

It was yet another reason that Rin wanted to talk to her sister again. To prove that such behaviour wasn't normal for her. That she was more rational and wiser than that.

Not that such a thing was going to happen. Sakura probably never wanted to see her again.

And she was right not to want-

'DING DONG'

The sound of the doorbell ringing broke Rin out of her morose thoughts.

Grateful for the distraction, however small, the black-haired girl went to open the door, hoping that it was more than just a package being delivered.

She suspected it was either Ayako, who'd come to check up on her, or Shir- Emiya, who… probably was here for the same reason as Ayako.

Had it been any other Magus visiting, she would have been certain they were up to something malicious, but with Emiya…

She didn't know, she really didn't know. She didn't know enough about him to judge him accurately. She'd thought she knew him, that she had him pretty much figured out, as a kind, mellow, and slightly naïve person, but that turned out to be a self-delusion again. There was no way a Magus, no matter how crappy or un-Magus-like, would ever be naïve or mellow.

His kind behaviour wasn't a front, Rin was confident in saying that at least, but it was entirely possible that it was only a part of who 'Emiya Shirou' really was, just like her Idol-persona was also but a part of who she was.

But there was no use pondering about all of this when she didn't even know who was standing in front of her door. It could be Emiya, but it could just as well be Ayako or someone else entirely.

'Or both.' Rin amended with a twitch of her eye when she opened the door. 'It could also be both Emiya and Ayako standing on the porch.'

"Heya, Rin." Ayako grinned widely, throwing up a 'V'-sign. "How're you doing? You aren't looking all that well. Can we come in?"

Rin blinked once at the sheer casualness expressed by the brunette. Surely a little bit more… decorum? Seriousness? could have been expected after everything that had happened?

"I am doing well." Rin said slowly, not quite sure what to feel. Angry at being mocked? Happy the brunette was still friendly to her? Something else? "You can come in if you behave."

"We will, Tohsaka-san." Emiya promised, his expression and demeanour unusually serious, to the point it was making Rin uncomfortable. "There shall be no trouble from us. We merely wish to talk."

"Oi, Shirou! Don't sound so serious." Ayako complained, shooting him a dirty look. "We're not going to a funeral."

"It would be inappropriate for me to act anyway other than this." Emiya answered coolly, his expression carved from stone. "We are visiting another Magus, and decorum demands that I am on my best behaviour."

"How kind of you, Emiya-kun." Rin snipped with a frown, feeling irritated that he found it necessary to put up such an obvious front. "But after all this time, you shouldn't bother. You can act normally."

"If you're sure." Emiya said, before his stony façade fell away and he smiled kindly again, which honestly looked a lot more normal on him than the previous, overly serious look. "Thank you, Tohsaka-san, I never was all that good at acting like a Magus."

"Ugh." Rin shook her head. "You really are hopeless at this. Just come in already."

"Don't mind if we do." Ayako said happily, stepping into the hallway before removing her shoes. "Wow, so this is Rin's house. It's pretty fancy, isn't it, Shirou?"

"It is." Shirou nodded, looking around with a slight glint in his eyes. "A lot more tasteful than the houses of most other Magi too, but I suppose that's expected of Tohsaka-san."

"Well of course, that's Rin for you."

Rin scoffed. It was obvious they were trying to butter her up with compliments, she didn't need to be a Magus to see that, but they weren't going to succeed. No matter how pleased she was to get their praise, it wouldn't influence her one bit.

The other two followed her inside to the dinner table, neither of them appearing nervous, anxious, or even just wary, which both confused and vexed Rin.

Surely, they knew that she had Wards and Bounded Fields over her home? That they had willingly entered the place where Rin was at her strongest?

They had put themselves completely at her mercy by entering her house, but they didn't even seem to think about that. Did they have such a low opinion of her skill? Or were they simply convinced she wouldn't attack them?

Rin wasn't sure, and she was still stewing over it by the time Ayako and Emiya had taken a seat and she had poured them tea.

Sitting down across from them, Rin decided to open the conversation.

"Do either of you know how foolish it was to come here?!"

Rin blinked, just as surprised at her own words as the other two. That was not what she wanted to say, not at all. Why was she being so confrontational again?

"Foolish? Why?" Ayako asked curiously, looking at her with honest, trusting eyes.

"Because of the Wards!" Rin snarled, anger bubbling up at the sight of that look, causing her to double down on the confrontational approach. "I have Bounded Fields protecting my house. In here, you are at a severe disadvantage. I could kill you at any time I want."

"Oh, that." Emiya said, rubbing the back of her head, still looking entirely unconcerned, which only served to vex Rin even more. "No, we trust you."

"You shouldn't." Rin hissed, now well and truly pissed off. "I am a Magus. I am someone who will not hesitate to kill you should I benefit from it or if you irritate me. That girl you met at school was just a mask, a persona, hiding someone who is as ruthless as she is cold. I am evil, and you shouldn't trust me at all!"

"Nah, I don't believe that." Ayako countered immediately, smiling confidently, bringing Rin up short. "I mean, that idol-persona of yours is indeed just that, a persona, but you aren't evil. None of us would ever have interacted with you if you were 'ruthless and cold'. No matter how much you try to convince yourself otherwise, you are a good person, Rin."

"N-Nonsense." Rin blurted out, turning red from sheer anger. Yes, it was definitely anger, nothing else. "The only reason you could ever think something so… so asinine is because you were fooled by my acting."

"Your acting is good, Tohsaka-san, but it isn't that good." Shirou shook his head with a smile. "Just ask anyone who has ever bothered to pay real attention to you."

"No, you're wrong." Rin insisted, "I am not-"

She was about to continue her case, but it seemed that Ayako had other plans. Without another word, the brunette launched herself forward, sweeping Rin up in a hug.

"Got you!" She laughed, tightening the hug to the point Rin barely had any room to squirm.

"Wha? Let me go!" Rin yelled, struggling against the brunette's hold. "I'm serious, Ayako. Let me go, now!"

"Make me!" Ayako challenged, not letting go at all.

Rin snarled, trying to free herself, but it seemed Ayako's muscles weren't just for show, as the black-haired girl couldn't budge her arms an inch, no matter how hard she pushed, squirmed, or struggled.

"So, Rin." Ayako began after a few moments, in an almost conversational tone. "Why am I not dead yet?"

"Huh?" That surprised Rin enough for her to stop her struggles. "W-What?"

"You said you wouldn't hesitate to kill me if it was beneficial or if I irritated you." Ayako grinned. "I dare say you're pretty irritated now, so why haven't your Wards killed me yet? Why have you not Reinforced yourself and broken my arms to get out of my hold?"

"T-This is hardly worth killing over." Rin huffed, looking away in irritation. "I'm not going to waste precious energy on this-"

"That sounds like an excuse." Ayako said in a sing-song voice. "I think you just don't want to kill me, because you aren't a killer, and because you like me so much of course."

"T-That- that's-" Rin stuttered, but she was spared from having to come up with an answer as Emiya finally decided to do something.

"Ayako." He said, placing his hands on the brunette's upper arms and pulling them apart, letting Rin escape her hold. "Don't push it."

"Oof." Ayako pouted, but she did obediently return to her place at the table.

"And Tohsaka-san." Emiya continued, placing his hand on her shoulder before she had the chance to scold the brunette. "Don't see not killing Ayako as a loss on your part. Caring for others is not a weakness, and our opinion of you isn't lower because you are a better person that a Magus should be."

"Y-You…" Rin wasn't sure what to feel when Emiya released her and sat down again, so she settled for good old anger. "What was that for?! Did you come here just to humiliate me?! Why is it so important to you that I am a good person?!"

"Because Sakura wants to speak with you." Emiya casually dropped the bomb on her. "And we wanted to make sure you won't hurt her when you meet again."

Rin froze, her mouth open and her fist half-raised, her anger replaced by shock.

"Sakura feels awful about her words and actions during your previous conversation." Emiya explained. "I wasn't present, so I don't know what happened exactly, but I do know both of you said things you are regretting now. Sakura certainly regrets it, and she wants to make amends."

Rin still didn't react.

"Please, Rin." Ayako's mischievous grin had made place for a pleading expression. "Sakura really feels terrible, and I know you do too, so will you please at least consider it?"

"…Sakura wants to speak with me again?"

Emiya and Ayako perked up at her question.

"She actually wants to see me again?" Rin asked, a sense of happiness filling her, before she shook that off very quickly and coughed into her hand. "Ahem, I mean, yes. I too would like to repeat our conversation. T-There's a lot we need to discuss, and last time was so unseemly."

Rin almost felt giddy, though it was tempered with a lot of caution too. She had gotten the second chance she didn't think she'd ever be granted, and she really couldn't afford to mess this up again… b-because she didn't want to alienate an old ally of course, that was the only reas-

'SLAP'

Rin promptly slapped herself in the face.

That wasn't the reason. She wouldn't go to Sakura again because she wanted an ally or because she wanted to make sure she didn't have an enemy close by.

She just wanted her sister back. She had been beating herself up over handling that previous conversation terribly and wanting to do better. The first thing she should do then when being granted a second chance was being honest with herself.

"Where?" She asked, no longer bothering to hide the smile on her face.

"It would preferably not be here." Emiya said slowly, looking around the house. "I don't think Sakura can handle being here, not yet. We can choose neutral ground though, if you want. There are several cafes in town-"

"That won't be necessary, I'll come to your house." It was a spur of the moment decision, and Rin spoke before thinking, but she didn't take back her words. She could trust Emiya.

She could trust her sister.

"When?" She continued.

"Whenever you have the time." Emiya smiled. "This evening, if you want."

"E-Eh? I-Isn't that a bit soon?"

"The sooner the better." Ayako told her in a sagely tone. "Delaying the matter will only complicate it, not to mention that you'll just be brooding in the meantime."

"I do not brood." Rin protested indignantly. "I don't!" She repeated when Emiya and Ayako gave her indulgent smiles.

"Sure." Ayako grinned. "So will you visit us tonight?"

"I-I… I t-think that..." Rin stuttered, before looking away. "Will you be there?"

"Probably not for the first part, I have somewhere else to be, but I'll be back as soon as possible." Emiya said.

"I will be there the entire time." Ayako promised, grabbing Rin's hand, and Rin found she didn't have the will to shake her off. "I'll only leave the room if you and Sakura both want me to."

"Okay. I'll be there." Rin agreed softly.

Both Ayako and Emiya smiled in response, and Rin realised she had missed those smiles far more than she had wanted to admit, even to herself.

Gods, she was being pathetic. Her father would have been ashamed.

…Good.

"See you tonight, Rin." Ayako waved at her as she and Emiya left through the front door. Rin dutifully waved back, before she closed the door again. She then let her head fall against the wood, letting out a deep sigh.

"Annoying." She muttered. "Annoying. Annoying. Annoying. Annoying."

They just came in here like there was nothing wrong with it. They just ignored her warnings about the Bounded Fields. They just brushed off her threats and then dared to claim she was bluffing.

Any other Magus would have killed them for it. To challenge a Magus so blatantly and openly inside their own home was a crime worthy of death. By all means, she should have murdered them the moment she saw them standing in front of her door.

She wasn't going to though. Ayako had been right, she couldn't do that. She didn't want to kill her f-f-f-friends, not now, not ever.

They had casually walked into her life, and they weren't going to leave, and Rin found she was actually happy about that.

Now if she could get her sister back with her as well, and a place at the Clocktower, she would be perfectly content.

Rin promptly turned around and walked back to her room. She had to change, put on something nicer than this. She couldn't go visit her sister with rumpled clothes after all, not to mention that it was still a conference of Magi, no matter how personal everyone's motives were.

And if there was a tiny little skip in her step while she walked to her room, well, who could blame her?

George Wesley, experienced Enforcer, employee of the Clocktower, veteran of over a hundred missions, and self-proclaimed ladies-man, was counting his money with a big smile on his face, sitting at a table in one of the Clocktower's cafeterias with a nice, cold glass of beer in front of him.

He'd made some neat profits of his last gig, and the fact that he had found a full wallet that morning had also contributed nicely to his current fistful of cash.

Sure, it had a note saying 'property of Bazett Fraga McRemitz' in it, but you didn't get anywhere in life by sweating over the little details.

The last few months had been quite profitable. There had been plenty of missions for him and his colleagues, well-paying ones too, while the nature of those missions ensured he had barely any costs.

Going on a hunt for Dead Apostles with Lorelei Barthomeloi meant that your every expense on the trip would be taken care of, on top of a rather good salary.

Of course, the best part of such missions was to watch the Queen absolutely demolish her enemies, and to watch her rear while she was at it, but the money was also very nice.

Wesley was pretty happy all things considered, but there were a few things that bothered him nonetheless.

The first was that the frequency of Dead Apostle-hunts had increased sharply over the past years and was showing no sign of stopping any time soon.

Part of the reason for that was that Barthomeloi was trying to escape her suitors by going on more hunts, but it wasn't just her who was taking on more such missions, it was nearly everyone who specialised in killing those vampires.

Those bloodsuckers were becoming more numerous and more active. They were up to something, and Wesley had a bad feeling about it.

The other issue that bothered him was that the tensions between the lords in the Clocktower were rising. Factions were being formed on all sides and everyone seemed to be preparing for some kind of war.

It was always bad news for the soldiers when the important people started fighting, and Wesley didn't even know what was going on that had the lords on edge like that.

He had tried to subtly question lord El-Melloi about it, but the man had been annoyingly tight-lipped for a change.

Wesley took a large swig of his beer, sighing deeply. It was probably no use to worry about it. The whole matter was way above his paygrade anyway. He'd just muddle through, like he always had.

He then perked up in his seat as he saw one of the subjects of his musings walk past.

Barthomeloi was looking great as always, her butt straining against the material of her pants as she loomed over some poor fool who had probably done something wrong at some point.

He let out another sigh, this time one of content.

'DING DONG'

Sakura opened the door not even a second after the bell had rung, revealing Tohsaka, who seemed slightly startled by the quick response, before she composed herself again.

Sakura quickly looked her over, and found herself impressed.

Rin looked like she was going to a fancy party. Instead of the usual jacket and skirt combination that Sakura was used to seeing her in, the black-haired girl wore a long, black dress, with bracelets on her wrists and a black purse held in her hand. She was also wearing a necklace and had her hair out of the usual pigtails.

The dress was very conservative, covering everything except Rin's hands, feet, and head, but it did nicely show off her figure, though it was still subdued enough to be more elegant than daring.

It was enough to make Sakura feel a little underdressed.

"Ahem." The black-haired girl coughed discretely into her hand. "Ehm… I- Good evening, Sakura-san."

Sakura gave a cautious smile in return, noting how Tohsaka explicitly didn't use 'Matou' this time.

"Good evening, Tohsaka-san." She answered in kind. "Please come in."

"Thank you." Tohsaka nodded, walking inside, before hanging her coat on the rack and setting her shoes aside. "I… hope this will be a nice evening."

"So do I." Sakura nodded, truly meaning it.

She led the other girl to the living room and directed her to one of the couches, before seating herself across from her. Ayako was already there, a little to the side, keeping a sharp eye on the proceedings.

Sakura rubbed her hands, trying to think of something to say. She truly, genuinely wanted this to go well, to make amends again and let the past behind, but for that, she would need to control her impulses and prevent things from going off the rails like last time.

"Before we start," Tohsaka suddenly began, giving her a nervous smile. "I just want to say that I am happy we could talk again, i-i-imouto."

Sakura almost choked on air at that last word, emotions she had buried for over ten years suddenly coming back to her all at once, along with a thousand new ones, all trying to overwhelm her.

But despite all those emotions, Sakura knew perfectly well what to say in response.

"I am happy too, Nee-san."

Shirou entered the Fujimura-estate with haste. He had no time to lose today, he had to be back as soon as possible to support Sakura and Rin.

"Shirou, welcome." Raiga rumbled as the redhead entered the old Yakuza-boss' office, the old man pointing at the chair across his desk. "Take a seat and pay attention. A unique chance has presented itself to us."

Again, a chapter without battle. If all goes well though, the next chapter should wrap up a lot of things (sometimes through the use of copious violence) and I'll be able to do a couple of time-skips, so that we can head to the Clocktower already. I know a lot of you are eagerly anticipating that.

I decided on holding out on the conversation between Rin and Sakura for the next chapter, just like the end-battle to end Galen and Shirou's career as Rakurai for the time being. Also in the next chapter is the confession from Sakura and Ayako.

Maybe some of you think the reconciliation between Rin and Sakura happened very fast, but they did in canon as well, and by that point, a whole lot more had happened than here.

Rin's character-development might seem fast too, but I have been working towards a more honest and less Tsundere-Rin for a while now. It is just healthier, you know.

I am not saying everything will be fine between Sakura and Rin after this. Things will still be awkward and they will not be able to discuss certain things at all (trauma-buttons and stuff), but a normal conversation should be perfectly doable.

Fate: Hammer Time Server link : discord. gg/YaZv JJj but without the spaces in between.

Once more my gratitude to Tungstencat, Crazylich79, liamrodhudson110, Manram and Woggie, for their hard work to make this stuff actually readable.

Ted is gone, though hopefully not for so long again.