The first thing Shirou noticed was the cold, followed an instant later by his lack of covers. He opened his eyes to the sight of Berserker in an ill-fitting set of sleepwear, blinked, and determined that he wasn't dreaming. The large servant released the blanket then stepped back, lounging against the doorframe as Shirou rubbed the sleep from his eyes.
"Emiya, there's someone at the front door. Girl, around your age. Purple hair, nice figure, kind disposition. Any of this ring a bell?"
Uh...what?
"Oh, right, wait a second."
Berserker took two steps forward, and slapped Shirou's chest. Pain radiated across his torso from the larger man's strike, echoed twice over in the scar left by Lancer's weapon.
"Gah!"
A smile appeared on the servant's face.
"Great, you're awake. As I said, there's a girl around your age at the front door. She knocked and asked if you were around, and now I'm making sure that you will be."
Sakura! Shirou thought, jerking upright.
"Tell her to give me second to get dressed," he said, motioning the man out of his room. "I'll be there in a minute or two."
"Oh?" Berserker drawled out, a smile on his lips. "Someone you know?"
"Yeah, she's the 'Sakura' that Taiga and I were talking about at dinner. Now would you please get out of my room?"
"Sure, sure," the servant said, swiveling his head away as he walked out the door. "I'll let you rush to your little rendezvous."
"I wouldn't really call it 'little'; if your description was accurate, she's not in bad shape, but I still need to be certain," the magus returned, Berserker's stomping momentarily accompanied by an acknowledging snort.
I hope she's okay.
Shirou stretched as he dug a long-sleeved shirt and pair of jeans from the depths of his dresser. Some fiddling, and he made his way to the front door, the sound of gentle knocking coming from its exterior. He gripped the door handle, took a deep breath, and turned it.
Standing before him was a girl dressed in Homurahara High's uniform, a tan vest, a button-down shirt, and a black skirt. Her hair was a dark violet, and in her locks rested a pink ribbon, the only accessory on her person aside from a pair of purple gloves. The girl's eyes widened, brows crinkled by her beaming smile, and she stepped forward, wrapping white-sleeved arms around Shirou in a tight embrace.
That's different, he mused, returning his junior's hug. Wonder why she's in such a good mood?
Sakura pulled back, radiant grin still affixed to her face.
"Shirou, I really, really missed you. I wish you were there while—"
She paused, eyes wide.
"Oh, but I shouldn't talk about that, huh? Forget I said anything, that's over."
The smile remained, but a hint of darkness wriggled its way underneath.
"Or at least it's about to be."
Shirou stared back, uncertain of how to respond.
What happened to her?
He chose not to say it, but the question reverberated in his mind nonetheless. Sakura frowned, eyes heavy.
"Hey, Shirou, what's wrong? Are you okay?"
"Huh? Oh, I'm fine." He stuck a smile on his face, but it was faltering, the curve of his mouth not quite reaching his eyes. "But what about you? Where have you been the last 2 days?"
She stared to the side, sight directed low. Her cheeks colored.
"I...had an infection, of sorts, and I've been healing from it. It's been cleared up, but the root cause is still around."
Sakura looked up, something flickering in her gaze, a flash of indecision slipping past her guard.
"It's something I have to deal with on my own, and I'll be glad when it's finally gone. Let's leave it at that, okay?"
She's changed. Why? How?
"Sakura, are you sure—"
"Shirou, I'm fine. I'm feeling better than I have in years; honestly, I'm feeling better right now than at any point in...well, a long time. But as I said, I'm not entirely better, not yet."
Her face contorted, the beginnings of a snarl sliding to her mouth.
"Not until those people who—"
Sakura cut herself off, purple gloves clenched into tight fists. She took a deep breath, color sliding from her face and lips relaxing.
"Shirou, I didn't want our first meeting after — ugh, after the thing to start this way."
She grinned, a tad forced but obviously genuine nonetheless.
"Let's start over, all right?"
The two stepped back, and she held her arms out again for a hug, her counterpart obliging in turn.
"Shirou, it's great to see you again!"
"It's, ah, great to see you too, Sakura."
He stepped forward, embraced her for a moment, then retreated. The girl frowned for a second, but the expression passed quickly.
"Shirou, forget me for a moment. Are you okay? You don't look very good..."
A pause, widened eyes, and a bright blush.
"W-what I mean is that you look exhausted, not that you look awful. You always look great! I mean—"
"I'm feeling fine, Sakura," the male magus interjected, "things have just been a bit hectic recently."
A huge understatement, he thought, but there's no way I'm getting Sakura involved in this grail mess.
Another frown, and she peered at him, eyes probing.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah." No, not at all.
"Well, alright." Her lavender gaze darted around, then refocused on Shirou's face. "Can I come in?"
He started, then moved to the side.
"Oh, yeah, of course. Make yourself at home."
Her eyes crinkled as she smiled, a hint of tears pooling at sight's edge. As Sakura walked past him, Shirou caught a whisper, nearly lost in the wind.
"I think...I think I finally can."
"Shriou, I don't think we should go to school today."
The male magus turned to the Rin-filled doorway, one hand clutching a spatula, the other a pancake-filled frying pan.
"I know you may think it's a good idea to go," the girl continued, yawning, "but if we—"
"Rin?!"
"Sakura?!"
Shirou twisted between the two girls, identical expressions of shock written on their faces. Sakura broke the silence first.
"I...what are you doing here, Rin?"
"Well—"
"She's been helping me with a project," Shriou interjected, flashing a warning glare at Rin. "It's a lengthy one, and she decided to move in for the duration."
Rin looked blearily at Shirou, tilting her head, and then nodded.
"Two of Shirou's father's coworkers showed up a few days back, looking for some of Mr. Emiya's old notes on deadly weaponry. We couldn't find all of the information, so Shirou and I are reading through a bunch of books I have on the subject."
Sakura's eyes narrowed.
"I didn't know that you had any interest in guns, Rin; in fact, I thought the exact opposite. 'Technology pales in comparison to magecraft,' were your exact words, I believe."
Well, Shirou thought, seizing on her wording, I guess she is a magus, after all. It's a bit weird that Illya's the closest of us to the stereotypes Dad told me about, but then again, we're all just teenagers; maybe the amorality and cruelty comes later?
Rin stifled a yawn.
"Not guns, explosives. Mundane machines do pale in comparison to the noble arts I so excel in, but when it comes to messy, brutal destruction, magecraft can be much more resource intensive."
Shirou shot Rin an incredulous look.
'Explosives?' he mouthed, prompting a shrug from Rin. He smiled, then turned to Sakura.
"Well, our rather explosive project aside, I didn't know you two were on a first name basis."
"Blame my grandfather and brother," Sakura responded, grimacing. "We haven't been allowed to interact. Not that she wanted to, anyway."
He frowned, setting down the frying pan.
"Is...there a reason for that?"
"Obviously," Rin interjected, shuffling slowly towards the coffee machine. "But to answer the question you didn't ask, it's because Zouken Matou is a bastard, because I never want to be anywhere near Shinji, and, well..."
She trailed off, looking uncertainly at Sakura. The younger girl sighed.
"Because we're sisters, our parents gave me to the Matou family for reasons I'm unsure of, and both Shinji and Zouken are disgusting, possessive monsters."
Sakura spoke in a monotone, looking away from the other two. Shirou gaped.
"Wait, hold on. Shinji's a monster? You're sisters?!"
"Yes," both girls answered, Rin with concerned eyes trained on her sibling.
"I'm not sure what Sakura means about Shinji," Rin clarified, hesitant, "but as for our sisterhood...Our father was a great magus, but he was not a great man."
Shirou grimaced.
A magus is willing to sacrifice anything to reach the root, right? Even his own goddamn daughter. So much for thinking the stereotypes might be wrong.
He glanced over at Sakura, her fists shaking as he watched. The boy walked over, putting an arm around her shoulder, leaning in, and speaking softly in her ear.
"I had no idea about any of this. Not about your family, and definitely not about Rin. I had my suspicions, sure, but I'm not gonna ask for any more details, or about why you never told me outright; instead, I'm going to make sure they can never hurt you again. Even if Taiga often stays here, this is my home, and as long as I'm here, I'm happy to let it be yours too."
He squeezed tightly, wrapping his junior in a one-armed embrace. Her eyes glittered.
"I don't expect an answer right now, but the offer — no, the promise — will always be open."
Shirou tried to release her, but with a whimper, she spun around, burying her face in his shoulder.
"They hated me, Shirou. Both of them h-hated me," Sakura choked out. "Shinji hated me b-because I was...because I had circuits, and he didn't. Grandfather hated m-me because those, because those circuits weren't Shinji's, weren't in his family. He made me...they..."
The girl broke off, tears trickling down her face, leaning further into Shirou as she took a shuddering breath.
"They did things to me, and no one came to help, even—and even though I'm not...n-not sick anymore, I can't forget what they did. I...I despise them! I hate them so, so much. I, I...!"
Sakura trembled in his grip, her words losing coherence and her form wracked with sobs. Shirou jerked his head towards Rin, wordlessly pleading for help. Something between shame and doubt clouded her aquamarine gaze, but, she nodded, stumbling forward and tentatively placing her hand atop her sister's back.
"Sakura, you..." Rin started, uncertainty lacing her words. "I never..."
She took a deep breath, then continued.
"After Father died, I felt, no, I was alone. I was five with a happy family, and then, just four years later, my sister, my father, and my mother were all gone, and all I had were memories, books, and Kirei." Rin's voice was bitter. "I used to look up to them, both my father and the priest, and I probably still would if I'd never asked Father Kotomine—" she spat his name as if it were a curse "—what happened to Sakura."
Rin grimaced. Shirou silently mimicked her earlier movement, moving his open hand to her shoulder, carefully keeping his still sniffling junior in his other arm.
"Kirei told me, smiling, that my father gave my sister away. 'Wasn't I so very lucky', he asked, 'that I was the one my father chose to keep? Wasn't it wonderful that my father cared so much about me that he was happy to remove my competition?'" Rin slumped against his grip. "I think that's when I started to hate him. Father was...he was always strict, but he was so proud when I drew my first circle, so happy when I infused my first gem. How could he have just given Sakura away?! I thought he was lying, and I said so. He..."
Rin shivered.
"He said, if I was a competent magus, I'd do the same thing. I was so angry at him, and I...I walked away, trying not to cry, his stupid, happy laughter ringing in my ears."
And he's the person who's suppose to oversee the grail war?! Shirou thought angrily, grasp tightening on both of his friends, trying to convey what little comfort he could. I know my dad said that magi were twisted and evil, but that's just...it's just sadistic. What kind of person would just say this to a child?!
"Rin, I—" he tried.
"Save it, Shirou. I don't want your pity." She cut him off, violently wiping a hand across her eyes. "I'm better than I was, stronger. Besides, it's too late to play hero for me."
Rin looked up and continued, voice acidic, toxic and bitterly dark.
"Kirei was right. The priest gave me access to my father's notes — I was Father's star pupil, after all — and my father kept meticulous records. His last mention of my sister was that Zouken Matou did him a favor and took Sakura, as his grandson Shinji was without magic circuits. Years of commentary on both of us, and then he just...He lived for three additional years, and not once did he say another word about his god-damned daughter!"
Her voice turned to a hiss, water pooling at the edge of her eyes.
"Maybe if I were a proper magus, none of this would matter, not the priest whose very words blaspheme god, not the parent who gave his daughter away like an unwanted pet. Maybe if I were younger then, or older, I would still be doing my damnedest to live up to Kirei and my father." She bared her teeth, scowling. "But I was the perfect age to have my faith in my role models shattered forever, and instead of wanting to be like my father, I want to be better. I want to be a better magus than he ever was, but I need to be a better person."
Rin wiped at her face again, this time unsuccessful in her attempt to stave off tears. She turned Sakura's face to meet hers, violet meeting turquoise, both girls with eyes ringed in puffy red.
"Sakura, I never got close to you because I was jealous of you. I was jealous that you had a family that took you in, that you had a brother who seemed at least defensive of you. That you had a guardian who didn't take, take joy in reminding you of what a monster your father was."
She looked down. Her voice fell.
"And now it turns out that I just repeated the same thing our father did. I abandoned you, Sakura. I'm so, so sorry."
Rin closed her eyes, and leaned into Shirou further, wrapping his arm around her.
"I'll understand if you...if you hate me. I can't leave, but while you're at Shirou's place, I'll do my best to stay out of your way."
She's not being fair to herself, Shirou thought. He opened his mouth to interject, but Sakura beat him to the punch.
"Rin."
The girl looked up, tensing at her sister's voice.
"I've never hated you," the younger girl said softly, "I was jealous of you, wanted to be you, and I resented you for leaving me to—" She took a deep breath. "—leaving me to be hurt. I thought, maybe, maybe you didn't care about me, because no one did. No one except..."
Sakura turned to Shirou, trailing her violet gaze over him. A faint blush appeared on her cheeks.
"...no one besides Shirou and Taiga. This house is...it's my refuge. When I'm here, helping Shirou cook, or helping Ms. Fujimura clean up after herself, I can pretend that people do like me, that I don't deserve what—what the Matou family did to me."
She smiled slightly, wistfully, still misty-eyed. Rin shuddered against his other arm.
"It's nice to dream, and I think I'd be happy here. Will be happy here, now. Having a fourth person to pretend with is nice."
"Sakura, we're not pretending—" Shirou interrupted, voice rising. The girl in question inclined her head.
"You aren't, I know, but the rest of the world left me to–left me to rot."
She sniffled.
"You saved me once, when we first met, and that was the only time, the only time in my entire life, where anyone felt anything for me beyond disgust or, or hatred." Rin flinched against his other arm. "You were my first friend, but you're still...you're still my only friend, Shirou. Your kindness is one of the only reasons I haven't yet—haven't yet tried to..."
Does she...does she mean...? Shirou asked himself, afraid, already knowing the answer.
She trailed off, her implication left hanging. The younger girl looked away, shoulders slumped, resignation shot through her pose.
No!
"Don't you dare. You're wrong." Shirou clutched her to his side, his breath ragged. "Even if I don't know how to...how to make you believe that you're wrong, you're wrong. You don't deserve what you've gone through."
He thought of the fire that haunted his nightmares. He thought of the priest, with his mocking expression and his red-hued arm. He thought of the empty look in Sakura's purple eyes, memory still clear a decade on.
His voice dropped to a murmur.
"None of us do."
Well, that could have gone much worse, Shirou mused, exiting the house with Rin and Sakura in tow. Much better, too, but for what sounded like a long overdue conversation between another pair of long-separated magus siblings, it really, really could have gone worse. Everyone still has all their limbs, no one's sworn vengeance, and it sounds like everything that's happened to them is firmly in the past.
"Shirou, who was that man in your house, and why did he call me your third girlfriend?"
Sakura's question broke him from his thoughts, causing him to stumble, and the boy's cheeks burned at the memory of Berserker stumbling into the kitchen, only to catch sight of Shirou, his arms draped over his schoolmates. The servant in question was currently astralized, moving behind the group to avoid alerting Sakura.
"It's a long story, but to keep it short, I just met my long estranged sister for the first time, and that man's her guardian. She's not staying over because her family is very rich, very extravagant, and built what I recall to be an entire castle on the city outskirts."
"And the girlfriend bit?" Sakura's eyes narrowed.
"Ah, well..."
Shirou turned to his other companion, giving Rin a pleading glance. She responded with a scowl, her refusal transparently obvious in her expression. His face fell, and he turned back, only to be hit with a glare from the other magus sister.
"Well?" Sakura prompted. "I'm waiting."
Shirou leaned forward to whisper in her ear.
"Okay, so, um, my sister, her name's Illya by the way, might be harboring a giant crush on me. Even ignoring the fact that she's my sister, the biggest issue here is that Illya is ten and I am not a pedophile. The other nominal girlfriend is Rin, who, while admittedly an attractive girl, is not actually in a relationship with me."
Shirou tried not to dwell on the uncomfortable realization that a part of him was interested in appending a "yet" to the last statement, then continued.
"Taiga saw her sleeping over and immediately jumped to conclusions. The man — who goes by Berserker, by the way, long story — took my sister's enthusiastic interest and Taiga's teasing, added his own rather informal relationship with Illya, and has apparently decided that his new purpose in this world is to mock me about the mess that is my theoretical love life."
Sakura stared at him, blinking for a moment, then blushed scarlet.
"S-so what you're saying is that you don't have a girlfriend?"
Shirou groaned, palming his face as he began to whine.
"Ugh, not you too. Why is everyone so interested in my romantic life, anyway?"
"Because you're a boy, so girls like to tease you, you're a teenager, so adults like to tease you, you're attractive, so a bunch of people are interested in you, and you're incredibly, ridiculously blind, which makes it impossible to not vent at you!" Rin joined the conversation with a huff, glaring at Sakura with an emotion Shirou couldn't quite place. "And Sakura: he invited me to stay over before you."
Sakura's gaze narrowed again.
"I met him first."
"I'm helping him with an important personal project."
"I've—"
"Um, let's just...get back to what we were doing, alright? Please?" Shirou interjected, clearing his throat at the glares he received at the sound of his voice. He raised his hands in surrender. "Sakura, you wanted to go away for a bit to finish something, right? And Rin, you wanted to head to your place to do some research with me?"
"Did I?" Rin mused, tapping her chin. "I suppose I might as well, it saves me the trouble of dragging reference books over. You can come too, I could use someone to grab things for me."
Sakura rolled her eyes, then smiled at the boy.
"Yes, Shirou, I had some...some remaining unpleasantness to take care of."
She paused, tilting her head.
"Will you be at Rin's later, or should I go back to your place, Shirou?"
"Ah, actually, I was planning to go to my sister's." Shirou scratched the back of his neck as he spoke, a slight grin on his face. "I'd like to get to know her a bit better, beyond her, um, less than reciprocated affections."
Both girls frowned, though only Sakura spoke.
"Well, I'm not certain where that is, but I can ask around; her name's Illya, right?"
"Yeah. Illyasviel von Einzbern, Illya for short."
Sakura blinked.
"Einzbern, huh? Well, alright, I'm sure I can find her."
She took a right, then paused, twisting to face the others.
"See you later, Shirou! And Rin, don't forget, I was first."
With a wave, she strolled off, leaving Shirou and Rin to themselves. The girl dressed in red sighed, rubbing her temples, and then sped up, forcing him to jog for a moment to catch up to her more hurried pace.
I'm pretty sure they were just arguing about who has a better claim on me, Shirou thought, smiling ruefully. I'm not sure whether I should be proud or terrified, but at least I know they're almost certainly both interested. I'm not quite sure who I'm more into, frankly; Sakura is kind, sweet, and devoted, while Rin is acerbic, anxious, and smart. They're both cute, they both obviously care about me, and they've both got a bunch of issues to work on.
He shook his head, still smiling. Berserker materialized next to him, a matching grin on the larger man's face as he companionably wrapped his arm around Shirou's shoulder. The servant leaned in to whisper to the teen.
"Girl trouble, kid?"
"Wondering how to choose between them, yes, not that you have a right to know anything about it."
The long-haired servant's grin ratcheted up, but he stiffened as he made to respond. Shirou opened his mouth, intending to question Berserker's behavior, but a flash of trepidation in his head stopped the words in his throat.
"Shirou, we do not have much time to speak; two servants are approaching the boundaries of the von Einzbern home. They are at too great a distance to identify, at present, but Illyasviel intends to call Berserker to her side in the event that hostilities break out."
"Things seem stable on my end, so I'd appreciate it if you'd stay and help Illya." He paused. "Not that you needed me to ask you, to be clear, I'd hope you know me well enough by now to predict my wishes."
"I would never abandon an ally, Shirou, independent of your request. I do appreciate your faith in my knowledge of your character, however, and will do my best to return it."
"Sounds good; let's talk as soon as you know more, alright?"
"A fine course of action, yes. Be well, Shirou."
"Same to you, Arthur."
I feel useless, he sighed, looking around with a frown. This plan to split our servants was a good one, but knowing Illya might be in danger, knowing I can't do anything about it...I really hate this.
"Emiya, what's going on? Why did Berserker just astralize and vanish, and why are you so grim?"
"Illya's got two unknown servants approaching. She called her servant back, and I told Saber to stick around." He responded curtly, frown not leaving his face.
Rin shrugged.
"Well then, here's hoping your little sister doesn't bite off more than she can chew."
He rolled his eyes.
They didn't speak again until they'd passed the church.
"Rin," Shirou broke the silence, "I'm sorry for not really helping you earlier. I was focused on Sakura, and..."
"And?" The Tohsaka magus said, not looking in his direction.
"And, um, I'm honestly not certain what else to say, but I feel guilty anyway."
She rolled her eyes.
"Shirou, I told you, it's all in the past. I'd like it to stay in the past. Your apology is unnecessary, though I accept it regardless, and I'd really like it if you didn't treat me any differently than you have been. All it does is remind me of things I'd prefer to avoid."
"Ah. Sorry."
"Stop apologizing!"
"Sorry!"
Rin growled at him, and he couldn't hide his responding grin. She threw her hands in the air, obviously exasperated. His smile widened, and eventually, after a short pout, Rin returned it. It slipped off her face in the next moment, replaced with a contemplative frown.
"Alright, while we wait for news on whatever is happening near von Einzbern, Archer's searching has dug up some interesting information. He's identified Lancer's master; she's a somewhat androgynous woman with short pink hair, dressed in a casual business suit. She looks to be basing herself in one of the hotels over by Ryuudou Temple, judging by the bounded fields around the place."
Shirou nodded, then gestured for Rin to continue. She nodded back, black pigtails bouncing behind her.
"Archer intends to wait for Lancer and his master to leave, then see if he can gather intelligence from the hotel staff. However, he suggested — and I agree — that we wait to try breaching the fields, at minimum until we have more servants free for the attempt, and ideally avoiding them entirely by fighting elsewhere. From what he's seen, this woman appears to have leased the entire building for herself, which tells us a few things."
She paused and took a breath.
"First, it indicates that the woman is well connected in some way. The temple is a popular tourist destination, and it would take sizable influence — monetary or otherwise — to secure an entire building without the police becoming involved. Second, it says she's likely interested in avoiding civilian casualties. This one is uncertain, as it's heavily dependent on what she knows of the other masters, but her not keeping a human buffer certainly suggests it. Third, it shows that she's competent. Unfortunately."
"When Saber and I encountered Lancer, the enemy servant said something like 'his master was likely to order him to take out the other servants'," Shirou thought aloud, "which, combined with what I'm hearing, sure seems to indicate that this master is content to stay in place, sending Lancer out to do her dirty work for her. Thanks to command seals, we will likely need to incapacitate Lancer's master just to fully defeat him. Archer's plan is good."
Rin opened her mouth to respond, but evidently thought better of it, leaving them in silence as they continued walking. The companionable air only lasted a few seconds, broken by a hiss from Shirou as Arthur sent him a short pulse of thought.
"The servants approaching the Einzbern manor are Assassin and Morgan. This will not end peacefully. Please stay safe."
Shirou conveyed the news to Rin, worry inflecting his voice. Her expression grew pensive.
"Two on two with the terrain in our favor are reasonable odds; your sister should be fine. Still, though..."
She turned on him, giving him a short glare.
"Emiya, you do realize that the fighting will inevitably put people in danger, yes? Even if they stay on the periphery?"
"I know, but—"
"But nothing!" Rin growled. "There's no conditional here, no secret way to save everyone from risk and danger. To be a magus is to walk with death, and to participate in the grail war is to outright court it. Everyone in this damn fight has a reason for it, and that includes your sister and me. So feel free to worry, and don't think I don't understand the intended sentiment, but at the same time, none of us are made of glass."
I...Well, I guess I've been a bit overbearing, he thought, taken aback, but...
"In exchange, would you please stop assuming I'm an idiot for not knowing much about the war?" he returned heatedly. "Your point is well-made, but just because I didn't intend to fight doesn't mean I'm any less involved than you are."
He paused for a breath.
"Anyway, what's your reason for intentionally getting involved in this mess? I think I can guess at Illya's, but you've said it yourself: you're strong. So what's worth risking your life for, here?"
"I'm in this damn war for one reason and one reason only," she ground out, "To prove that I'm a better magus than my father. He failed to reach the root. I won't."
Shirou blinked, but was cut off before he could respond.
"The first part of that should be rather simple, seeing as your father was an incompetent," drawled an unfamiliar baritone from the direction of the church. The two magi spun around, Rin's face paling in recognition. Cold red eyes bore into them as the yet unnamed speaker sneered, his golden armor gleaming in the morning sun. "Unfortunately for you, child, the second part would require me to fail, and that is impossible."
Um.
"You...?" Rin whispered, horrified, "but it can't be you, we know all the servants, all seven, and..."
The man before them scoffed.
"All you magi are the same. No imagination, no willingness to accept the reality before them. 'Root' this and 'Akasha' that, as if by word alone you could open the gates. It's pathetic."
Who is this?
"You should have vanished after the last war's end!" Rin all but shouted. "How are you..."
"Girl, I will forgive your impertinence, just this once, and only because it will give me the joy of correcting your idiocy."
"What the hell do you mean, Gilgamesh?!"
Wait, no way...
The newly named Gilgamesh sneered.
"Why, can't you guess? The fourth war never ended."
AN: Sakura is the second of the characters that are decidedly different than one might expect, following Shirou. Part of that is because I think making all the human characters act human is important. They've had awful lives.
I'm entirely undecided on romance in this story, to be transparent. In nearly all senses of that statement, even.
I hate my past self's insistence on avoiding internal narration. She was very naive, and now I have to live with her stupid "it's to get better" nonsense! Irrelevant to the story? Yes. Satisfying to vent about? Yes. Oh, and my stupid choice to stick commas in quotations. It might be grammatically ambiguous, but god, it looks awful. I may just go, download the story, and fix it out of frustration.
Anyway, the next chapter is actually almost finished, concluding the first story arc. I know, shocking; me, being productive?
