A/N: After some delightful back and forth with GreenEyesOrigamiDragon, the term "Moonlit World" will remain in the established vocab, at least for this story. "Moonlit World" rolls off the tongue a fair bit easier that "World of Mages", though the latter may also see use. Also, the Clock Tower predates Modern English considerably, along with the earliest iterations of the language as we recognize it today. I regret nothing.

The Passing

Kiritsugu mulled over memories of the files he had assembled prior to the Fourth Holy Grail War, contemplating whether he should be more ashamed of having fought families of the kids currently enjoying a snack in the dining room, or falling back on old instincts when he had first seen them. Gut reactions were hard to suppress after how many times they had kept him alive.

Odd appearance aside, Shinji seemed to be a normal child. He looked quite a bit like Byakuya, though the splash of white and mismatched resembled Kariya during the war, if not as battered and broken down.

The former Mage-Killer had no plans of revealing why he could make the distinction, having brutalized the former and having probably contributed to the latter's death when Saber had fought Berserker.

The girl was…unsettling. Enlivened as she was by her present company, a girl her age shouldn't have had such lifeless eyes. And that was without touching on that aura floating off of her like a cloud, all too reminiscent of the Grail.

And to top it all off, he had no way of warning his own kids without telling them a lot of uncomfortable things about his past. The talk he had with Sayuri about Maiya had been beyond awkward. He didn't imagine anything resembling a positive reaction if he were to put all of the cards on the table, all of his past and misdeeds. And it wasn't as if he or Maiya could do anything about the matter at hand.

The corrupt Grail, Zouken Matou's machinations. He was fairly certain he had seen Kotomine shortly after the Grail War's conclusion. The first two, Kiritsugu was confident he had no real way of solving, beyond what he had already put into motion. And the third, well, if Kotomine had taken an Origin round to the head and walked it off, after already taking the Mage-Killer on at his level best and then some, the former Mage-Killer had no intention of squaring off with the man now.

There were too many things he needed to tell them, things they weren't ready to hear. Not yet. And Kiritsugu doubted he'd live long enough to see that day. The most damning thing of all, he could see such a time where that information might be necessary.

He took an empty journal and began writing, not looking up when Maiya walked into the room. "How are things going?" he asked.

"Shirou has a decent grasp of structural analysis, which is…fine, I suppose."

"I'm sensing a 'but'."

"But with Sayuri asking to learn Time Alter, I'm finding myself at a loss on what else I could teach."

It was an awkward position, Kiritsugu admitted. After some reflection and consideration, he was about on board with teaching his children magecraft, or at least the basics. But what reservations he had concerning Shirou would hardly apply the same way for Sayuri, and it was nigh impossible for Sayuri to practice magecraft and leave Shirou out. Not when she would inevitably pull her brother in for lessons. With or without his permission.

Shaking his head, Kiritsugu continued writing. "Even back a few years, I wasn't that great at magecraft, and whatever meager talent I had with time magic, it's degraded nearly to the point of useless. And the less said about my teaching abilities the better."

"You did fine by me, didn't you?"

"Yes, but you were working from a similar standpoint as I had, and had similar goals. Neither of us aspired to be orthodox mages by any metric. And while I could possibly make things work with Shirou, seeing as he might be worse at magecraft than I am, I wouldn't be surprised if he possesses some attribute that we're not seeing."

He had picked up on some latent magic circuits in the boy. It might have explained why the boy had survived long enough for Kiritsugu to find him, but that could have just as easily have been something else.

Shaking his head, he continued. "Sayuri's talent far outstrips either of our ability to teach and then some more. As a teacher, I'm more likely to drive rusty nails into their development than actually help them." Watching his kids continue working on their homework, Kiritsugu closed his eyes for a moment. "I think it's time I call in a couple of favors."

Maiya sat up, face scrunching minutely as she mentally reviewed who could possibly fall under the requirements her mentor/lover would expect, coming to one conclusion. She didn't like what her conclusions pointed to.

"Must you contact him again?" She wasn't whining, but it was a protest, quiet as it was. "I was hoping to never have to talk to him again."

"With as many enemies as I – and to a lesser extent, yourself – made during my career, the list of mages capable and willing to teach the kids how to use magecraft properly without asking for more than any of us are willing and able to provide is pitifully short." Kiritsugu sighed and ran a hand over his face. "He's one of the few outstanding debts I can potentially leverage, and is least likely to cross us."

"Do you trust him not to pull any other stunts?"

"Not really. But his reputation as a teacher is reliable, at least. And we count on his pride to do a good job of it. We should be relatively safe, as long as we don't fall into one of his schemes by mistake. On top of it, no one is likely to stick their noses into our business while he's involved. There are other reasons to talk to him, but those are secondary, and dependent on if he agrees at all."

Maiya stood up and crossed her arms. "You know that I still trust your judgment. If this is the route you wish to take, then I won't object."

"Right," Kiritsugu whispered, wincing slightly. "I'll make the call."

[F/R]

Shirou and Sayuri stepped into the garden after school one evening, where Kiritsugu was waiting for them, arms crossed and tucked under the folds of his kimono.

"Hey, old man," said Shirou, ignoring the annoyed elbow from Sayuri. "What's got you out waiting for us?"

"There are some changes being made for your extracurricular activities. Come inside, and I'll explain." Sitting the kids down in the dining room, he took a breath and began. "I'm sure you're aware that you have both been making decent strides in your alternate studies. Unfortunately, I may have to suspend my participation in your lessons."

Sayuri and Shirou shared a look. "But we're still learning?" asked the redhead.

"Yes, you are. I've hired a tutor to take over your instruction."

"Why can't you keep teaching us, Papa?" asked Sayuri.

"First off, my abilities have been waning. On top of that, there are things that you need to learn. Things I have no real way of teaching you, especially as things stand. And that means I had to talk to one of my old contacts-"

The doorbell rang.

"I'll get that," said Maiya, rising and leaving the room.

Gathering his thoughts back together, Kiritsugu continued, "As I was saying, I reached out to this old contact to see if would consider teaching you in repaying a favor. Long story short, he agreed."

"Oh," Shirou nodded, considering the information. "How soon should we expect him?"

"Right now," said Maiya. "Apparently."

Next to an obviously agitated Maiya was an elderly gentleman, who positively towered over the woman, by as much as a foot and half, only stooping in consideration for the ceiling. Dressed in a suit covered in an overcoat, a blue scarf around his neck, coke-bottle sunglasses, and a fedora, long silvery-grey hair tied into a ponytail and bushy beard groomed to a fine point. It was as if an archmage of fantasy had come dressed as mobster from the 1920s. In one hand, he had an ash cane, and in the other he had a large briefcase.

"Hello, little ones!" the man greeted, jauntily, accent just as vaguely British as the Magus Killer remembered. "Kiritsugu, it has been too long. You and Maiya look well for wear. I trust you've been keeping active in your advancing years." Seeing the intensified glare, he aborted waggling his eyebrows and laughed, holding up a hand. "I jest, truly. Far be it from me to disrupt romance, especially as long-suffering as your own." He paused, offering a teasing smile. "Though if you find yourself interested in expanding your horizons-"

"No," Kiritsugu and Maiya answered in unison, cutting him off.

"Your loss," he said, smugly smirking.

"Papa, you know this old man?" asked Sayuri, Shirou wincing at the blunt curiosity she expressed.

The "old man" snapped his focus on the kids again. "Hey! Who are you calling 'old'?" Sayuri and Shirou stared back at him pointedly until he rolled his eyes and gave off a lazy shrug. "Yes, I'm old. But it's hardly polite to point it out, is it?"

"To answer your question, Sayuri: yes. This-" Kiritsugu gestured to the old man. "Is your magical tutor."

Sayuri sized the man up, which involved a significant craning of the neck. "Do you have name? Or do we just call you 'old man'?"

"You may call me Mr. Lincoln," the old man – Lincoln – replied, with a slight chuckle. "Though it may be more prudent to call me 'Sensei', would it not?"

"Is that a personal name or a family name? Is it even your actual name?" she added with a slight teasing suspicion.

Lincoln was quite for a moment, during which Shirou inched closer to her side. Then squatting down to eye-level with the girl, Lincoln tilted down his glasses, amber eyes glinting in the failing light of dusk, and asked, "If it wasn't, would you think I would divulge it so casually upon a first meeting?"

"I suppose not," she admitted, inclining her head a little.

"Now, onto…other matters." Standing back up, he held the case he had brought in front him, letting it rest against his legs. "It took some smooth-talking, calling in favors and offering a few more – of both varieties – but I did manage to convince them to part with another portion of the Emiya crest. I should hope that should prove my reliability and sincerity."

Kiritsugu and Maiya glanced at one another, and then back at Lincoln, but he was focused on Yuri.

"Note that the process can be painful," he said. "Nonetheless, I shall endeavor to make this as painless as reasonably manageable while ensuring satisfaction in quality. Do you believe yourself up to the task, young lady?"

Sayuri gave it a moment's consideration before declaring, "I accept this challenge!"

"Well spoken. It won't be right away. There will be some preparations needed, so take the rest of day and tomorrow off. In the meantime, I believe your father has some words for me."

Kiritsugu nodded, curtly. "Maiya?"

"Of course."

While Maiya led the kids off to unwind from school, Kiritsugu led their guest to a table out in the gardens, gingerly taking a seat and waiting for the older man to do the same. Lincoln doffed his hat and removed his glasses.

"What game are you playing?" Kiritsugu ground out once the others were out of earshot.

Lincoln's smirk lost the mirthful edge, but retained all teeth. "You've become far more demanding with your losses and added years."

"It's also whittled down my patience for bullshit, which wasn't all that high to begin with. Providing lessons already surpasses the value of that favor by a considerable margin, let alone part of the Emiya crest."

Lincoln's smile widened ever so slightly. "Truth be told, the crest is the repayment of the favor. For a one-to-one transaction, it is far more equitable, wouldn't you agree?"

"Then the lessons are…?"

"An investment of personal interest. And to make sure my favor does not go wasted by…unfortunate circumstances."

Kiritsugu narrowed his eyes. "Will these 'unfortunate circumstances' place any demands on my children? Or put them at unnecessary risk?"

"Only what you have already planned. And nothing they aren't already prepared to commit to, mentally." Lincoln held up his hands, placatingly. "Worry not, as I don't wish my efforts to be wasted, I will lay the foundations for their preparations, and if they are as intelligent and determined as I suspect, they have fair odds of survival, and I like to think they will surpass expectations."

The former Mage Killer leaned back, relaxing after a fashion. He suspected Lincoln had some form of precognition, but that also meant that this was close to a confirmation of his worst fears. There was still the question of why Lincoln even cared beyond the bounds of their agreement, but Kiritsugu suspected the old man wouldn't be as open with his reasons as he was with his answers. That it put his kids on the same destructive path he had once walked was disconcerting, but if his suspicions were correct, he wouldn't leave them unprepared, either.

That was about as good as a guarantee Kiritsugu could manage with what resources he had. And he wasn't sure if that made him feel better or worse.

[F/R]

Shirou stood awkwardly as Lincoln studied him intently. The coat, suit jacket, and tie had been discarded, but the waistcoat remained and shirt sleeves were rolled up, and with the sunglasses gone as well, those amber-colored eyes almost pinned him in place, scrutinizing him with the intensity of a microscope.

"Why are you working with me so soon?" asked Shirou.

"Sayuri's initial assessment is more involved," Lincoln answered, "and she already has had most of her basic attributes tested for years ago. And it is rare that the Einzbern homunculi diverge particularly far from their template, even if her origins are unorthodox."

"Have you worked with them before?"

"A handful of times, over the years. Though not in recent memory. Before I talked to Sayuri, the last time would have been before either of you were born."

"I'm thinking Sayuri's right. You are old."

"And I'm thinking she reminds me a little too much of one of my daughters and you remind me a little of my sister."

"You have a family?"

"Most everyone one has kin, Shirou, whether they like it or not. Though mine seldom talk to me anymore. Though, I suppose that's hardly surprising when you've been widowed or divorced six times. That's ancient history, though, so I won't bore you with the ramblings and reminiscing of an 'old man'."

The old magus' hands glinted with green light, which translated into Shirou when fingers made contact with his chest.

"So…what are you doing?"

"Testing a theory while I wait for the other test to finalize. Structural analysis works well enough on the body, and it's not as if anyone is stopping you from learning the mechanics of your own body. As the saying goes, 'know the enemy as well as yourself, and you need not fear the result of a hundred battles'. This is a way to learn more of yourself, if you are so inclined."

"I'd like that."

"Excellent! But first, let's finish the prep work, shall we?" Shifting his hand down slightly, just below Shirou's sternum, Lincoln narrowed his eyes. "Hm…"

What happened next was hard to see, Lincoln almost flinched as if slapped, eyes flashing red for a moment before reverting to amber. Recovering, he smoothed his clothes and straightened his shirt collar. "Well. Isn't that interesting?" he said to himself. "Good news, bad news, and just plain, old news. Which would order do you want it?"

"I'd prefer to get the bad news out of the way first."

"Right." Clapping his hands together, Lincoln sat down. "Your Element and Origin are both 'Sword'."

"How is that bad?"

Lincoln tilted his hand back and forth. "It might lock you out of performing more elaborate spells and magecraft, but it allows you to focus on a single point. It cuts both ways, I suppose."

Shirou stared, incredulous at the pun, but said nothing, even as Lincoln's smile faded to disappointment.

"Ahem. Fine. Anyway, while studying your magical circuits, I noticed some modification that occurred; likely a result of the fire. But that wasn't the important bit. You have no memories of your family, correct?"

The redhead grimaced, stalling out any memories of the night of the fire. "No."

Lincoln clicked his tongue. "So neither you nor Kiritsugu know of where you came from. Lovely. Well, the good news is either you won a genetic/magical lottery, or you have at least some magus ancestors looking out for you. I'm counting about twenty-seven magic circuits. Relatively poor quality and underutilized, but that many in first-generation magus is virtually unheard of. And the few times it has happened, nothing good ever came of it."

"What happened?" Shirou asked, not sure if he wanted to know the answer.

"One of the more outstanding examples was a girl in France who had likely the highest record in both quantity and quality of magic circuitry in history. Wound up possessed by a Dead Apostle before being killed. Quite dramatic, if I do say so myself, though most things of arcane nature have an odd tendency towards such when interacting with more mundane quarters."

"And the point of that is…?

The old magus patted Shirou on the shoulder. "Point is you're pretty lucky Kiritsugu found you instead of some other nasty wandering out in the wider world. But that's a lesson for another time."

"What does that mean for me?"

"It means, that while you're starting from a lower rung than more established families and a handicap that most wouldn't tolerate, you still have a decent shot at being a passable magus, with training and determination. They best way to work around that handicap is discovering what you wish to do with your talents."

Shirou's mind went back to the memory of Kiritsugu finding him during the fire. To see someone so happy to have saved someone. What it meant, Shirou wasn't quite sure. But he intended to find out.

Lost in thought, he didn't notice Lincoln's knowing smile as the gears began turning, a seed planted and beginning to germinate.

[F/R]

Sayuri woke up from the magic circuit integration, just a touch cold and sore from the process. Sitting up on the bed, she blinked away the spots in her eyes and stretched out a little.

"How do you feel, child?" Lincoln asked.

"Things feel kind of funny," Sayuri answered. "Aches all over but buzzing beneath the skin, but nothing too bad."

"It happens. Though there were some other matters I untangle before I could properly follow through with the transfer. The Eiznberns are quite adept at crafting homunculi, but I question their ability to act rationally."

"Is there anything I should be aware of?"

"Your ties to the Grail System are…reduced, you could say. And many of the modifications they made to support its functions were reversed, at least in part. There was only so much I could do without risking your health and safety more than the modifications would on their own."

"Some of your magic circuits are being devoted to maintaining your internal organs and supporting other biological processes, and another portion were set to dormancy when I suppressed your connection to the Grail. Between the Emiya crest and the remaining circuits you were born with, you're still leagues above a normal magus in terms of raw power. The rest, well, that's what I'm to teach you."

"Why?" she whispered.

"Why….what, exactly?"

"Why help me? What do you gain?"

Lincoln looked thoughtful, but also amused. "No one should be forced to live their lives bound to the past. Literally or figuratively."

"Could you do anything to help Papa?" she asked, hesitantly.

At this, the old magus sighed. "I have studied curses of many forms when I was as old as you are. Both applying and removing them. My teacher was rather fond of 'learning by doing'." He paused to shudder in memory.

Sayuri watched him intently, waiting for him to continue.

"Unfortunately, curing your father is something beyond my talents. Oh, I can treat the symptoms, improve quality of life, maybe even buy him a few extra months, but a curse such as that has only one outcome. No transfer into a new vessel or a replacement of magic circuits would cleanse him of this, and the only way it would depart him is when it has finished its terrible work."

"He's going to die?"

The old magus nodded. "This is something that has worked its way into his soul by this point. Which is why you aren't inheriting his portion of the magic crest."

"Oh."

Lincoln continued to clean up, speaking as he went. "There's a luxury, knowing that the end is coming. Time to take stock of what you have, and to decide what you want to do with the time you have left with the ones you love." The old magus closed up his briefcase. "Kiritsugu Emiya has chosen to spend his final days not as a magus or an assassin. He has chosen to live out his final days as an ordinary man and a father. Cherish these moments, Sayuri Emiya. They are all too fleeting."

"What about me? Am I going to die soon?"

"Not anymore." Turning around, Lincoln's smile lightened. "Thanks to some magic I worked-" He laughed at his own joke before sobering up. "You've gotten more time than you previously had. Maybe not as much time as others would, but a decent amount, if you choose to make the most of it."

"Oh."

The old magus tussled her hair. "Don't fret too much over it. You're a growing young lady, and you should focus on exploring what life has to offer you. As I said, you have a better perspective to decide what you want to do with yourself."

Sayuri considered the magus' words for a moment, then nodded and said, "I will."

[F/R]

Rin was quite surprised when Sayuri had invited her to dinner one day. She hadn't spoken much to either Emiya after that near-miss with Shinji, and out a debt to the silvery-haired girl, she felt inclined to oblige, even after being informed of Shinji's own invitation. Sayuri had gone as far as stating neither Shirou nor Sakura would be present, so this was evidently a meeting between mage connections under the guise of schoolmates going out for lunch.

It was sort of upscale, even if it was just a fancy burger place, though the quality of the food was secondary to the privacy afforded by the stalls. Nonetheless, she found Sayuri digging into a sizeable mountain of fries with Shinji. While the former had the decency to stop when he saw Rin, Sayuri barely paused from shoveling a mouthful of fried starch before sitting back.

"Is there a reason there are rumors circulating about me and Shinji?" Rin asked, giving the two of them a look, and Shinji looked over to Sayuri.

The other girl hummed, holding up a finger while chewing and then swallowing her food. "The two of you were caught arguing," she answered, unperturbed by the stares she was receiving, "and about subjects best not aired to the general public. Right now, they think you shot Shinji down after he asked you out."

"Gross."

"Hey!" Shinji protested.

Rin shot him a glare, then recomposed herself. "And besides, that happened months ago. Why are they still talking about it?"

"Figured I'd let things play out with that misunderstanding and help the rumor mill along, especially with the two of you giving each other cold shoulders and colder stares. But as long as neither of you get into another shouting match, this should be more than sufficient to conduct talks without any of us needing to invite the others to our home."

Ordering her own food, Rin waited until the waitress had come and gone to begin talks. Seeing as there was no sense in beating around the bush, she cut straight to the point.

"You're both mages, correct?"

"Yes."

"Yup!"

Rin raised an eyebrow, turning to Shinji. "That's strange. I thought the Matous already had an heir."

"I'm not the Matou heir," Shinji replied. "My training came from my maternal family's lineage. That's why I'm allowed to pursue the Art without raising a stink."

"I see. Emiya, I assume you're still practicing?"

"Of course," Sayuri answered, as if it were obvious. "I'm the amalgamation of two prestigious lines. Why wouldn't I?"

"I've found no indicator or any documentation for anyone in your family getting permission to establish a workshop in my city."

"Well, the Einzberns had a castle set up here in Japan since the First Grail War, and that got wrecked during the fighting in the Fourth. My parents set up a secondary site, but as that was in the middle of the aforementioned fighting, bringing it up to a direct competitor seemed a poor idea. As for why he never brought it up afterwards, you were still too young and Kotomine was your acting legal guardian, meaning he's also been handling your job as Second Owner, and I think he and my father started a grudge match."

Rin huffed. "That's hardly surprising."

"So, yeah. My father wasn't inclined to be in easy reach of a man who had come very close to killing him, and vice versa."

"Hm. I suppose it would be difficult to argue with that. And I suppose I could forgive your family's infraction of operating within my territory without prior permission as long as continue to observe any laws concerning mages."

"Fine by me. All I'm asking is for a truce. As long as we stay out of each other's way, we act as nothing beyond classmates. And if we do have cause to work together, either for clubs, schoolwork, administration, or what have you, we act as professionals. And if we want to be friends, we cross that bridge when we get there."

"I suppose that is an agreeable proposal. So long as you refrain from interfering with my personal affairs, I shall endeavor to do the same."

Shinji let out a sigh. "Just…try and talk with Sakura outside of class. Even if only as a classmate, she still thinks highly of you. For reasons beyond my comprehension."

"I will give it some consideration."

The Matou gave the two of them a blank look, then stood up. "Guess I shouldn't be surprised. I don't like it, but I'll deal with it." Pulling out enough bills to cover for the food and tip, he added, "As I have nothing else to add to the conversation, I will take my leave here. Sayuri, Tohsaka, I'll see you at school."

Letting Shinji take his leave, Rin and Sayuri were left in uncomfortable silence of his absence. The former had her curiosity gnawing away at her good sense and prior resolve to avoid this exact discussion, but curiosity won out in the end.

Biting the bullet, Rin spoke up, "Mitsuzuri said your father had a falling out with your mother's family. Pardon me for asking, but how much of that is true?"

"And I thought we agreed to not interfere with each other's personal affairs. Does that mean you want to be friends?"

"If it might entail a conflict in my territory, I feel I should at least be apprised beforehand. And you did tell Mitsuzuri, even if you left out the more critical context."

"That I did." Sayuri fought a sneer, though it was enough to be called such. "She wasn't lying to you," she answered, "but that's because I gave her a grossly understated version of events. Suffice to say that the Einzberns weren't happy with my father's performance in the war, and I was to be used for family ambitions before he got custody of me. Anything beyond that is beyond our present friendship level."

"I see," said Rin, blinking at the frank delivery.

The silver-haired girl's eyes were distant. "You really don't."

Recognizing she wouldn't get any further on that topic, Rin changed subjects. "Why go by Emiya? Even with…whatever happened, the Einzberns still have higher status in virtually every sense of the word."

"Some distance was required for my own peace of mind." Sayuri's focus returned to the present, and she smiled bitterly. "Besides, my paternal grandfather had a viable method of reaching Akasha despite being only the fourth generation of his family. Got a sealing designation and everything because the big cheese at the Clock Tower couldn't figure out how he managed that."

Rin's eyes widened. "While impressive, that doesn't really strike me as something to necessarily be proud of."

"A fraction of that was able to keep my father in relevance amongst the Association, and that was without him really digging into his portion of the family crest. So, yeah. Not the worst inheritance to receive. Now, are you going to keep harping over my personal decisions, or do I need to remind you of what you've already agreed to?"

"I suppose that answers my questions for the time being."

"Great! Now, are you going to finish that?"

[F/R]

Kiritsugu sat on the front porch, Sayuri and Shirou on either side. Not that he could really see either of them at the moment. His vision had declined sharply, barely able to pick out vague shapes. The lights were dimmer than they had ever been, too. But he could still feel them beside him.

"Hey, old man," said Shirou, "if you're going to sleep, do it in your bed."

"Huh? Oh, right. I'm fine." Truth be told, he had been tired for a long time. A bone-deep weariness that had existed long before the Fourth Grail War. Maybe as far back as that dreadful day on Alimango Island, and Angra Mainyu's curse had only made it impossible to ignore.

Yet, as many regrets has he had, he was grateful for these past few years. Shirou was growing into a fine young man, and Sayuri had actually started growing, rapidly catching up on time lost due to her origins. For all of his other failures, he could at least be proud of the people they were becoming, even if he could only claim a partial credit.

Maiya, Taiga, Raiga, the Ryuudou family, and even Lincoln had taken up the slack when Kiritsugu's ability continued to wane. After so many years walking the path of blood and violence, he finally found some measure of peace and contentment. It still felt too short a time to try being a family.

His hands feebly clenched, his strength a pale shadow of what it once was, withered away as any other aspect of his body as time had gone on. A wan smile tugged at his lips. Even at the end, he was wishing for impossible things. Maybe it was time to give voice to those old dreams, long dead and gone to him.

"When I was little, I really wanted to be a hero."

"What are you talking about?" asked Sayuri, sitting up from leaning her head on her father's shoulder. "You don't want to anymore? Did you just give up?"

"Yeah. Unfortunately. It seems that wish has an expiration date. When you grow up, it's hard to call yourself one. I wish I had realized that sooner."

"I see. Well. Guess there's nothing you can do about that."

"Yeah. Right. Guess not." Kiritsugu sigh, another breath that was harder to draw than the last. "It really is a nice moon tonight."

"Fine," said Shirou. "Since you can't do it, I'm going to be a hero for you."

"We both will," Sayuri cut in, never one to be left out.

Kiritsugu sat up a little straighter at their declaration.

Shirou looked back up to the moon. "You're an adult now, so you can't do it anymore. But we still can."

"Just leave it to us. We'll make it happen."

That…well, that wasn't nothing, thought Kiritsugu. "Alright. You do that," he said, mustering up a smile. "I can rest...easy...now…"

Kiritsugu Emiya closed his eyes one final time, surrounded by family, relaxed and relieved in a way he had never experienced in life. Even as his last breath leaves him, the smile does not.

[F/R]

It looks likely to rain, thought Maiya. She wasn't sure if that was inconvenient or thematic. Probably both.

As painful as Kiritsugu's passing was, it was something she had anticipated a long time ago, even when their partnership first began. Lives violent as theirs left little promise of a safe return, if they ever returned at all, and that was something she had accepted, and even embraced to an extent. That hadn't made it any easier coaxing Sayuri and Shirou from Kiritusugu's side.

Mr. Ryuudou had spared no effort in the funeral preparations, and Raiga Fujimura was ill-inclined to be shown up by the priest. While the provisions Kiritsugu had made for this very event were far from lacking, the two men had tacked their efforts together and turned a modest affair into something fit for a state dignitary.

There was an unexpectedly large turnout for the funeral. Despite their relatively short time in Fuyuki, they had made a few friends, and that was reflected in the many well-wishers came by – even a couple of individuals they were acquainted with by the Mage Association, surprisingly enough – offering condolences, oddly heartfelt praises for someone who had spent most of his life killing people.

A shame Kiritsugu never heard them, Maiya thought. While the man had never been one to accept praise for what he did, it was something that both of them had wondered at times if what they had done and why was ever noticed or appreciated.

When the procession come to an end, Maiya stood firmly behind Sayuri and Shirou as Kiritsugu's worldly remains were laid to rest. For the most part.

He had been cremated before burial, but at his request, his bones had been turned into the foundations for another weapon. A sword. Anything not used up in the process was what was being buried now, but the kids didn't need to know of that just yet. In a similar fashion, his remaining Origin rounds, fired and unfired, were fashioned into a combat knife. In both cases, he would, after a fashion, be able to protect his children, even in death.

Maiya was not oblivious to the project her mentor and partner had busied himself with in his latter days. He had told her flat out what he was doing. He had hoped he was wrong, even with what Lincoln had informed him of. But in the event that the worst came to pass, and that his measures of preventing another Grail War failed, Sayuri and Shirou would have a guide, and with it, maybe the means to succeed where he had failed.

If and when that day would come, Maiya swore she would be ready. In the meantime, she would look after Kiritsugu's children. And maybe follow through with what Madame Irisviel had implored of her before their last parting.

A/N: Took a bit longer for this chapter because I've been needing to go through or back over some sections of the series, and have been procrastinating terribly when not busy with work (and periodically forgetting about it). Regaining some lost momentum now, so we'll see if the rate of production improves. The chapter also exploded in size when I realized how some characters were placed to fill needs I was pulling my hair out on trying to fulfil. Also, I meant to put more of Shirou's training, but I think that will have to wait until the next chapter. I've put off posting this chapter enough already, and I'll probably work myself into knots again if I don't do it now.

Anyway, in case it wasn't obvious, this story will have some intersection and overlap with other stories of the Nasuverse. To the initiated, you probably spotted the reference. Expect some shifts and tinkering to occur as I stitch bits of assorted canon together.

Onto other matters, Sayuri's talents and power set are going to be somewhat different from canonical Illyasviel's. Largely because, while she still has a theoretical endless supply of mana, her capacity to express it is highly curtailed, partly due to suppressing her Grail connection and another chunk of her power being eaten up in order to keep her alive as she continues to grow. That said, between her improving physical condition and tapping more into both sides of her family's magical history, she will be a more active participant in events going forward. And if you're curious about her personality shift, blame Taiga.

And since someone's going to ask at some point, Lincoln is not a character that exists within the established lore of the Nasuverse canon, though he is not an original character, by strictest definition; I didn't come up with him. Just the interpretation within this story (which will be a common theme for this project, actually). He does, however, have ties to a surprisingly large number of characters that have been introduced in the Fate universe. If anyone can manage to correctly, or even ballpark guess from the handful of hints (or conspicuously concealed clues), I will thoroughly impressed.

As for why he shows up here and now (or why he exists in the first place)? 1) I needed someone who would be of sufficient status and influence (and brazen audacity) within the Clock Tower to make off with another portion of the Emiya crest when Kiritsugu's portion was rendered non-functional due to Angra Mainyu's curse, 2) someone who could conduct Spiritual Surgery to both integrate the new parts of the Emiya crest into Sayuri and negate the other issues the Einzberns inflicted upon her, 3) someone else other than Zelretch who would meddle, especially where the Wizard Marshal wouldn't (or couldn't) interfere, and 4) someone whose background and experiences would make him inclined to help the Emiyas, especially when his usual reaction is to grab popcorn and watch, or make everything exponentially worse.

So, Mr. Lincoln will be making repeated appearances across this project, though he will likely not be more than a reoccurring character unless the story intersects with Clock Tower business (*wink*), and Zelretch is otherwise unavailable.

All in all, this chapter was to cover most of the passage of time so we could get into some of the more interesting stuff. Next chapter should be with our merry band of mages in high school, and a fair bit closer to the Holy Grail War, though still far enough to have some other adventures in preparation.

Okay, this chunk of notes has gone on long enough. I can add more to it, but most of that can wait for now. If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or points requiring elaboration, I will be happy to do so. If you have theories or guesses as to who (and what) the hell Mr. Lincoln is, let me know with a PM or review. Constructive criticism is always appreciated, especially when I write sleep-deprived and hopped up on caffeine.

Until next time!

Winterman, out.