A corpse-star burns overhead as he walks on dead stone.
There is a figure at his side, guiding him out of this labyrinth of writhing horrors contained within glass tanks. His time among these monstrosities may be coming to an end, but the things he saw will mark him forever.
He hears a voice, and it takes him a moment to realize that it is his own, even if the words aren't.
"There is one last thing we must discuss. You were given a thousand subjects culled from dozens of Households, yet you only have one success to show for it. Why ?"
"Only one female one. The rate of conversion for males is much higher. But … yes. She was the only successfully subject. The others … did not survive the process."
"This is not acceptable. The final stage of the war to come will require a great deal of firepower for us to breach the final walls. We cannot afford to have half the candidates wasted."
"I know. We have plans to use her to create more viable candidates. She is very strong – perhaps too strong in some ways."
"How so ?"
"She sings to the others from within her confinement : we think it grants them some comfort. We have tolerated it for now, but it will end when we reinforce her containment before we begin the next phase. I swear to you that by the time you and our lord return, we will have succeeded."
"… I see. Very well, I shall trust you to do as you have promised. But one last thing, out of curiosity. Names have power, and if she is to serve as you intend, then her name should be chosen very carefully. What do you call her ?"
"Altani."
November 30th, 2002 AD – Emiya residence
For the first time since she had lost her innocence to the Matou Magecraft, Sakura woke up without feeling pain or discomfort anywhere in her body. There were no small teeth gnawing at her bones, no slimy feelers tightening around her organs, no unnatural heat driving her ever so slowly to abhorrent madness. She awoke confused, uncertain of what was happening. After so many years of emerging from the nightmares that haunted her every night only to be confronted once more with the horror of her waking existence, this new development left her groggy and uncertain.
Her eyes opened slowly, revealing to her a ceiling that wasn't her room's. She had spent countless hours staring at it, in that fake room she had been given to hold the possessions she needed to maintain the masquerade of normal life outside the Matou estate. A diffuse light came through the curtains covering the window, giving just enough illumination for her to finally recognize the room. This was one of the Emiya residence's guest rooms, one of those which hadn't been used since her Senpai had inherited the house. What was she doing here ? The last thing she could remember was …
She froze as the memories rushed in. The basement – the worms – Grandfather – Senpai – Nii-sama … Nii-sama.
Shinji … her brother was dead. He had died because Grandfather had tried to kill Senpai – Senpai had come to save her – it was her fault that Shinji was dead – her brother had died because of her –
As guilt and confusion threatened to overwhelm her, she suddenly realized someone was holding her left hand. Already halfway to panicking, she turned and she saw a red-haired young man – and just like that, the panic receded, and the self-accusing voice went silent. He was there.
Her Senpai was sitting on a chair next to her. His head laid on the bed, and he was asleep – still fully clothed. She blushed at his proximity and contact, but didn't move away. She breathed deeply, slowly, trying to calm down. More memories returned to her. She remembered Shirou's eyes burning bright, and the sudden transformation that had fallen upon him when Grandfather had tried to threaten him into doing the old monster's bidding. She remembered the sword that had pierced her, too. But when she looked at her chest under the bathrobe she wore – her face suddenly flushed as she realized he had changed her while she was unconscious – she saw no mark or scar.
Yet she remembered it clearly now – that look on Senpai's face as he asked her if she trusted him, and the burning sensation as her body was filled with an energy unlike any she had ever tasted. She remembered the words they had exchanged, just before she had fallen unconscious.
The worms are gone, Senpai had said. And … she truly couldn't feel them anymore. She had thought them to be impossible to remove – Zouken had explained their nature to her in great details when she had begun her "training", in order to crush any semblance of hope she might have had left after being abandoned by her birth family. But they were gone, and she knew enough about her condition to know that that meant Zouken was gone too.
The mere thought that her grandfather – her tormentor – was dead sent Sakura's mind reeling. It had been years since she had stopped wishing Zouken dead, since he had broken her to the point where she had stopped believing he could die. Just like removing the worms, her grandfather dying had seemed impossible to her. She had to think that way, because to believe otherwise would have let her cling to hope – and in the worm pit, hope was the cruellest of poisons.
But … her Senpai had done it. He had done both of these impossible things. He …
He saved me.
The how didn't matter to Sakura nearly as much as the why. Why ? Why had he done such a thing ? Why hadn't he turned away from her when he had realized what she was – when he had beheld her ugly, defiled, lewd body ?
Could it be that he, too …
Sakura looked at her Senpai's face more closely, and startled. Shirou was twitching in his sleep, and his face was contorted in a distressed grimace. Was he ... was he having a nightmare ? It felt strange to imagine her Senpai suffering from something as mundane as a nightmare, after he had confronted Grandfather in the heart of his power and emerged victorious.
"Senpai," she whispered, reaching out to shake his shoulder gently. It didn't work, and he looked like he was really in pain, so she shook him harder and called out louder. "Senpai !"
He jerked awake, his golden eyes snapping open. His mouth opened as well, as if he were about to speak – but it closed, and he blinked, the words he had brought back from his dreams visibly slipping from his grasp. His gaze fell upon her, and the sharpness in his expression vanished, replaced by concern.
"Good morning, Sakura." His voice was just as she remembered it – soft and kind, not at all like the commandeering and coldly furious tone he had employed with Grandfather. "How are you feeling ?"
How long had it been since she had been asked that question by someone she trusted and to whom she felt no need to lie ? How long had it been since the answer hadn't been 'horrible' ?
"I am feeling … good. Better than ever."
He looked at her, and his eyes flashed before he sighed, his shoulders sagging in visible relief.
"It looks like the magic I used to heal the leftover damage worked. Are you hurting anywhere ?"
She shook her head, unsure of what he had just done but trusting his judgment. "I feel a bit sore. And …" Her stomach grumbled. She blushed, and Senpai laughed gently, before helping her get up. When he was sure she could stand on her own, he released his hold on her.
"Come on. I am hungry too. Take a bath : I will prepare us some breakfast."
She was about to protest, to say that she would help him, but he raised his hand pre-emptively.
"Sakura, you have just been through a traumatic event. Your home and your family are gone, and you have been rescued from something horrible ..." He trailed off, gazing into the distance, and blinked. "Huh. So that's how Dad felt. Anyway, I am not letting you help with the chores until you have recovered, and that's final."
She wanted to insist, but a treacherously weak part of herself wanted to indulge in his care – wanted to let him spoil her, if only a little bit. And so she nodded.
By the time Sakura emerged from the bathroom, clad in a fresh bathrobe, Shirou had finished cooking a simple but plentiful breakfast. Both teenagers were hungry from their efforts of the last night. Shirou had gone to the Matou residence after eating only a little rice to ensure hunger didn't distract him, and Sakura never ate when she was going to the pit. In addition, the copy of Avalon had drawn upon the young girl's reserves to heal her.
All of that combined made the two of them eat like famished lions. Shirou kept an eye on Sakura as they ate, and the girl secretly revelled in being the focus of his attention in such a way.
"There are several things we need to discuss," Shirou began as he put down his empty bowl. He looked silently at Sakura for a few seconds, before forcing himself to continue : "First … I am sorry. For many reasons. This whole situation … I should have handled it much better. I should have seen what was happened to you earlier. I should have rescued you from that sooner."
"That's not true," Sakura protested. "You saved me, Senpai. I didn't – I kept the truth hidden from you all this time. I lied to you …"
"If you did, it was because you were scared," he cut her off gently. "Scared of what would happen to you or to me. And I should still have seen something was wrong. Looking back, it's so obvious … I knew there was something weird going on with your family, but I never suspected it was something Magecraft-related."
He sighed. "And even after that, I still failed you. Even if I saved you from Zouken, I should have found a way to do it without … without Shinji dying. Even if he was … who he was, even after all that he did to you, I know he was your brother."
"Nii-sama … Nii-sama used to be kind to me," said Sakura softly. "When I was little. Before Grandfather told him he could never become a magus himself, because he didn't have Magic Circuits. It was after that he started to take out his anger on me. But before that … before that, I think he did love me as his little sister, even if I wasn't really …"
"And he died because of me," finished Shirou. "I am sorry, Sakura."
There was a moment of silence as the two of them grieved for the boy who had been friend to one of them and brother to the other. It was Sakura who broke the silence first :
"I didn't know you were a magus, Senpai."
"I am not. Not really, not by the definition of the Association. A magus is someone who researches Magecraft in order to reach the Root, either for themselves or by helping their family advance their research so that their descendants will succeed one day. Like my dad, I am a magic-user : I use what Magecraft I know for my own goals, and my research is geared toward practical applications, not furthering my family's progress toward some elusive transcendence. Even if your 'education' wasn't typical of Magi families, you probably know more about Magecraft than me."
"But … you are the heir of the Emiya family," she protested. "And you can do incredible things. I didn't think anyone could kill Grandfather, or remove the worms without killing me. What you did yesterday … if you aren't a great magus, then you must have a powerful Crest then ?"
"Oh no," he waved off the idea. "I don't have anything like that. Dad adopted me, and if he had a Magic Crest, he never passed it on to me."
Sakura froze at the words. He … he had been adopted ? She hadn't known that. She had known his father was dead, and that Fujimura-sensei was his guardian, but that was all.
He is like me, came the thought.
"How did you do it then ?" she forced herself to continue. There was no academic curiosity in her words – she was even less of a Magus than her Senpai in that way, for to her, Magecraft had only ever been a source of torment. But the answer was part of her Senpai, and so she wanted to know.
He shrugged. "I don't know. I had never done anything like that before. When Zouken took you hostage ... No, even before that. Thinking back on it, I shouldn't even have made it to the basement without the Bounded Fields stopping me." He looked down at his hands, strong and calloused, and frowned. "I have theories, but they are just that, and not even good ones. I will try to look into it in the future, of course. For now … I am just glad that whatever happened did happen. Whatever that power was, wherever it came from, I couldn't have saved you without it."
"I am glad too, Senpai. You … You looked like an angel," the young girl whispered as she remembered the wings she had seen emerging from her Senpai's back, cloaking him in shadows as he looked at her Zouken with burning eyes.
Shirou scoffed. "Sakura, whatever that power was, I am confident it didn't come from anything we would call an angel. I don't really remember what I was thinking at the time, but I do remember that I was feeling a lot of anger and hatred toward Zouken."
Sakura didn't know much about angels – the Matou family wasn't exactly close to the Church, not since Zouken had abandoned all but the pretence of humanity to prolong his life. And she had never truly believed anyway – she had been too young to hold any true faith when she had been given to the Matou, and what benevolent God would have let what had been done to her happen ? It had been simpler to accept that the world was just cruel in a meaningless and senseless fashion than to believe that her torment had been part of some divine plan. Her fate had been in Zouken's hands from the moment she had been abandoned into the Matou's care. But now …
"Senpai, what's going to happen to me now ?"
"You are going to stay here and live with me," said Shirou matter-of-factly. "I didn't notice that you were hurting since we knew each other, and my actions resulted in the loss of your family and home. I have a responsibility to look after you now."
She looked at him, not daring to believe what she was hearing. She had dreamt of living with her Senpai every time she had come to visit him, every time she had helped him cook or clean. She hadn't been able to help herself, even as that dream tore her heart apart when she inevitably had to leave and return to her real, nightmarish life outside that small island of happiness.
"You should know that your house burned down last night," Shirou continued. "I saw the flames as I was carrying you here. I think the fire was started by some sort of magical dead-man switch, but it could also have been triggered by the incendiary I used to purge the … the basement. Sorry about that – you won't be getting any of your stuff back from there."
She shook her head wordlessly. There was nothing in that home that she would have wanted to keep anyway. There were only two possessions she truly treasured : the ribbon she had been given by her sister before the two of them had been torn apart, which she still wore in her hair even now; and the keyring Senpai had given her with the key to his home when she had told him she wanted to repay his saving her from that criminal. That keyring may be lost alongside the other, lesser possessions that had been in her fake room, but she didn't care about it – how could she, when it seemed that she had gained so much more in exchange ?
"The police will be all over the site," Senpai said. "And while I know how to perform simple hypnosis to keep the secrecy of Magecraft, it's far too late to hide what happened yesterday. So we are going to have to rely on more mundane methods to make sure neither of us get in trouble."
Senpai picked up the phone in the living room. Like most of the house's equipment, it was modern, one of the reasons why Sakura had never considered her Senpai could be a practitioner of Magecraft. Magi tended to look down on technology, and Zouken hadn't been any different – though he had admittedly had better reasons than most, since he was a very old man-shaped abomination.
After asking Sakura to remain silent, Shirou made a call, putting the phone on speaker so that she could hear both sides of the conversation. Five rings after the call connected, it was picked up.
"Kamido here," said a gruff voice on the other end of the line.
"Hello, Kamido-san. It's Shirou."
"Kiddo ? What's wrong ? I heard from the boss' granddaughter that you were sick."
"I am better, thank you. I need to meet with Fujimura-san as soon as possible. It's about the events that occurred last night in Miyama Town. I am sure you have already heard about them ?"
"... What the hell ? Yeah, we did. Kid, what happened ? That area is far from the contested territories – there is nothing there of interest to our rivals. Do I need to gather the boys ?"
"No, the immediate danger has already been dealt with. I need help managing the fallout, though. I have a guest in my home, and she too needs to meet Fujimura-san."
"'She' , huh ? Why am I not surprised ? … Fine. Wait a minute, I will go ask the boss."
Several moments later, the man called Kamido picked up the phone again : "Okay, kid, the boss is willing to meet you and your guest this morning. Be at the gates in one hour."
"Thank you, Kamido-san. I am sorry to intrude further, but could you send a vehicle to pick us up ?" Shirou looked at where Sakura was sitting. "And … if you could also bring some of Fuji-nee's old clothes – from her middle-school years ?"
"What." Kamido's response was utterly flat.
"As I said, I have a friend over," Shirou explained hastily, apparently only just realizing how what he had asked could be interpreted. "She is part of the reason I need to speak with Fujimura-san. I want her to be present at the meeting, and I don't have any clothing her size. She is younger than me, but anything you have would be better than what she is wearing right now."
"Tch. Fine. I will come pick you up myself and bring something for your girlfriend. But this better be important, kid," warned the man. "The boss likes you and you are useful, but asking for a meeting on such short notice ..."
"I know. I swear to you that it is important. I will see you soon, then."
"Yeah, yeah. Bye."
The line went dead, and Shirou hung up the phone.
"Who was that, Senpai ?" Sakura asked timidly.
"Someone I occasionally do odd jobs for," he replied, opening a drawer and pulling out an unmarked envelope. He opened the envelope, and Sakura's eyes widened as she saw the stack of bills inside.
Shirou counted the cash, before nodding. "This should be enough to buy you everything you need. I know some good shops where we can go. I will take you there after meeting with Fujimura-san."
"Why do you need to meet Fujimura-sensei ?" She asked, confused. What did the young woman who was almost always at Senpai's home whenever Sakura went there have to do with this ?
"No, not Fuji-nee : her grandfather, Raiga. Leader of the Fujimura Group, also known as the one and only Yakuza syndicate in Fuyuki." He smiled at Sakura's shocked expression. "I know. I was surprised too, when I heard Fuji-nee was related to a gang boss. Don't worry, he isn't too bad. Anyway, that's why we need to go see him : we need his help dealing with what happened yesterday."
She looked at him, trying to look past her surprise at the revelation that the ditzy woman who was almost always in Senpai's home when she came was related to a crime syndicate – or that her kind Senpai had apparently 'worked' for such an organization in the past.
Did Senpai think the influence of this Fujimura-san would be enough ? Maybe it would. Part of her wanted to believe that it would be – wanted to trust him. But Senpai had already admitted that he wasn't a Magus, that he wasn't perfect or infallible. And the thought that this unexpected happiness he was offering her may be snatched from her grasp was enough to stir her to speak.
"Even if Fujimura-san can help us with the mundane side of things," she began "what about the other magi of Fuyuki ? Grandfather was known to them, even if none of them liked him. They will come for you, Senpai. Does the Second Owner know you are a magus ?"
The idea that she did – that all along, she had known something about Senpai which Sakura hadn't – was … unpleasant.
"The Second Owner … that's Tohsaka, right ?" Sakura nodded, her shoulders tense. "I thought so. No, she doesn't know, or at least I don't think she does." All of a sudden, she relaxed, her fears, no matter how irrational, dispelled. "Her home isn't far from yours, so she probably picked up on what happened … That's even more reason we need to deal with the protection of the secrecy first. Then if she comes to investigate, I will tell her what happened. I am sure she will understand why I had to go and save you. As for living on her territory without her permission, I suppose I will have to find a way to make it up to her."
Despite her best efforts, something of Sakura's ugly feelings must have shown on her face, and he looked at her with renewed concern.
"You don't like Tohsaka much, do you, Sakura ? I noticed that, but I never thought about it."
"It's … it's not that I don't like her," she whispered, looking down at the table as she wrestled with a confusing mess of emotions – shame, guilt, and the one that caused the other two – anger.
"She is my sister," she finally said, daring to look up at him. "My birth sister. I … I was born Sakura Tohsaka, and was adopted into the Matou family when it was discovered that their only living descendant didn't have Magic Circuits. It was only later that Nii-sama was told, but it was always intended that I would become the heir of the Matou family, to carry on their Magecraft."
She ran her hand through her hair. "Zouken did … things to me, when I was first adopted, with the help of Byakuya – Nii-sama's father and the official head of the Matou family, even if he was always Grandfather's puppet. They changed my body so that I could use the Matou Mysteries. It changed the color of my hair and my eyes, along with other things."
"Magi," whispered Shirou, the word sounding like a curse. "Did … did your parents know what they were condemning you to ?"
"I don't know," she replied honestly. "I don't think they did, and now that they are dead I will never know for certain. But our families were allies for a long time, Senpai – they wouldn't have given me away to the Matou otherwise. I find it hard to believe they didn't know what the Matou Magecraft was like …"
Her Senpai closed his eyes for several seconds, taking deep breaths. When he re-opened them, there was steel in them along with the kindness and care.
"It doesn't matter. If Tohsaka comes, I will tell her the truth. If you want to reconnect with her, then you can. For now … let's clean up the dishes, shall we ? We can do that much together."
Less than twenty minutes after Shirou's phone call, a car parked in front of the Emiya residence. The Fujimura estate wasn't that far away, but Shirou felt it was best to avoid being seen outside with Sakura on the very tomorrow of her so-called "family's" demise. And he hadn't been lying when he had told Kamido-san he didn't have clothes that fit Sakura. For some reason, Kiritsugu had left him several wardrobes full of women's clothes, but all of them were sized for an adult woman – nothing that would fit Sakura, even if she were more developed than most girls her age.
Muttering something about how he would make Shirou pay for the humiliation, Kamido handed over an old school uniform of Fuji-nee, and Sakura changed quickly before following Shirou into the Yakuza's car.
Kamido drove the two teenagers across Miyama Town's Japanese section. Within a few minutes, they had arrived at the Fujimura estate – which was several times the size of the Emiya household. The guards at the entrance let them pass without problem, though Shirou noted that they were more tense than usual. It appeared that the events of last night had had more repercussions than he thought. That was something he would need to keep in mind.
Kamido escorted Shirou and Sakura through the estate. It was an old Japanese mansion, with plenty of signs of the Fujimura Group's prosperity in evidence. Like most Yakuza groups, the Fujimura had risen after the second World War, bringing a semblance of order to the war-torn nation. Raiga Fujimura, the current patriarch of the Group, was old enough to actually remember those days, even if he had just been a child back then.
It was under Raiga's guidance that the Fujimura Group had become something that Shirou felt comfortable supporting despite technically remaining an illegal organization. Raiga had remade the Fujimura, once a military family, into a syndicate that protected Fuyuki from the shadows. They had carved their territory through Raiga's cunning and held it because the people of the city recognized that they were better than any alternative.
For all intents and purposes, the Fujimura Group was more akin to a militia than an actual criminal gang, dedicated to keeping the worst of the underworld's scum from establishing any kind of influence in Fuyuki. They had regular contacts with the police force and other city officials. Most of their resources were tied down to legitimate businesses, which were supplemented by contributions from concerned business owners who didn't want the city's tranquillity to be disturbed, along with a few seedier businesses in the entertainment district.
Raiga had once described his position to Shirou as that of a castle's lord watching against foreign invasions. Having taken part in several operations against such "invasions", Shirou felt that the comparison was an apt one. The men in suits that Raiga employed were mostly uncouth brutes, but in Raiga's employ, they found a purpose that didn't involve hurting innocent people. The regular martial arts training sessions Raiga imposed upon his followers helped discipline them, along with providing them an edge in a country where firearms were much less prevalent than in others.
Shirou had told all of this to Sakura as they cleaned up after breakfast and waited for Kamido to arrive. He didn't expect her to have to say much during the meeting, but she should know what they were getting into.
Kamido guided Shirou and Sakura to a room deep within the estate, and gestured for the two of them to enter. They would meet Raiga alone, which was a sign of how much the old man trusted the teenager – or perhaps one that he knew whatever they were going to discuss wasn't for anyone else's ears. Side by side, the two teens entered, Kamido closing the door behind them.
At the end of the room was Raiga Fujimura himself, seated like a noble from a period drama welcoming a supplicant to an audience. The Oyabun was an elderly gentleman in his seventies, with a mane of white hair and a long beard of the same color. Despite his old age, he still commanded an impressive presence, and his brown eyes remained as piercing as ever. He smiled as Shirou and Sakura entered.
"Shirou-kun !" he greeted them with a wide smile that revealed several silver teeth – legacy of a misspent youth, as he liked to call them. "It has been a long time since you visited me in person. And who is your lady friend ?"
"Good morning, Raiga-san. This is Sakura Matou," explained Shirou, "a dear friend of mine."
Sakura mumbled her own greetings, staying close to Shirou. She wasn't exactly afraid – after what she had been through, it would take a lot to scare her – but she was definitely uneasy.
"Ah, I see. My granddaughter told me about her." The Oyabun's expression grew more serious as he focused on the girl. "I believe I owe you an apology, Sakura-san. It was because of the Fujimura Group's failings that you were subjected to that … situation one year ago. Our failings resulted in that particular individual escaping us, and Shirou-kun had to clean up our mess. I am sorry that you had to go through that traumatic experience." He lowered his head in apology.
"Ah ... that's not a problem. I wasn't really scared ... and it was thanks to it that I met Senpai."
Raiga frowned as he looked at her, no doubt finding no lie in her words and wondering how it was possible for a child not to have been scared when witnessing an armed robbery. He quickly shook it off, however, and gestured for the two teenagers to sit before him. A clap of his hands summoned someone bringing them cups and a fresh pot of tea before leaving them alone once more, and soon the three of them were drinking together.
The tea was excellent, Shirou noted, and not the standard fare he was typically offered when he came to the Fujimura estate on business.
"In case you weren't aware," the Oyabun told Sakura as they put down their cups, "Shirou has been working for me on and off for some time now. He has inherited some of his father's special talents."
"Not all of them," muttered the red-headed teenager.
"Something for which I have been grateful in the past years, considering some of the stories I heard about Kiritsugu. And yet, I find myself wondering if that has changed." The levity left the older man's eyes, and he fixed a serious stare on Shirou. "I have heard from my contacts in the force, Shirou-kun. They told me that the Matou estate completely burned down last night, though the firemen were able to contain the blaze to the property's boundaries … its exact boundaries, in fact. The greenhouse burned down too, but none of the neighbouring homes got so much as a fright. Quite strange, don't you think ?"
"Yes," replied Shirou. "It's lucky for those neighbours that the firemen were so efficient."
The Oyabun stared at the boy for a few seconds before shaking his head.
"Fine. Far from me to ask about your methods. Still, I need to know what happened, especially if you are going to ask a favor of me related to this situation." He stopped here expectantly, and Shirou took the offered opening.
"Yesterday, I learned that Sakura had been abused for years by her brother and her grandfather, and decided to put an end to it."
He wished he could have been less blunt, especially with Sakura being in the room. But he knew that brutal honesty was his best option there. He reached to his right and took Sakura's hand in his own, squeezing it reassuringly.
"Long story short," he went on, "Shinji – the brother – died in an accident during the confrontation, and I killed Zouken, the grandfather when he tried to hold Sakura hostage and force me to take Shinji's place in the abuse."
There was a moment of stunned silence. Raiga was a hard man, Shirou knew. His conquest of Fuyuki's underworld hadn't been bloodless, nor had been his reign since then. But even he was shaken by what Shirou was describing in the same neutral tone he had always used when reporting to the Oyabun or his subordinates after an operation.
If the ones responsible weren't already dead, Shirou had little doubt that the Fujimura Group would have gone after them without hesitation. He also knew that, had the Yakuza attacked the Matou residence, they would have been slaughtered. Their orders might have been enough for them to overcome the redirection wards, but the other defenses of the estate would have butchered them.
"I did not start the fire that consumed the estate," Shirou continued, "but it's possible that it was an unintended result of my actions. I left in a hurry after rescuing Sakura, and wasn't exactly thinking clearly. I brought her to my home and we spent the night there, until I called Kamido-san this morning to arrange this meeting."
For a long moment, Raiga remained immobile, looking down at his empty tea cup. Shirou didn't know what the old man was seeing, but he doubted it was pleasant.
"The Matou were one of the few families whose presence in Fuyuki predates even my own," the Oyabun said at last. "Far older than my own clan, and even more influential in certain ways. They had fallen from grace in recent times, yet even so, I made sure that my people know not to mess with them. And you claim to have all but destroyed them ?" The old man raised an eyebrow. "This is quite the escalation from your normal methods, Shirou-kun. Do you intent to follow in your father's footsteps ?"
Shirou shook his head. "No, Raiga-san. As I said, there were ... exceptional circumstances at play. And I didn't go there with the intent to kill anyone, even if I would be lying if I said I wasn't prepared to if needed. Even so, I didn't kill Shinji, and as for Zouken … let's just say that no court of law would recognize what I did to him as murder."
Raiga still seemed uneasy, not that Shirou could blame the old man. Even he knew that hearing a teenager talk about that kind of things so calmly was disturbing. Finally, the Oyabun sighed.
"Fine. I understand the situation more clearly. Now, what is it that you need from me, Shirou-kun ?"
"There are two things, Raiga-san. First, I need you to make sure that the investigation in the Matou residence burning down concludes that it was an accident, one that claimed both the lives of Zouken and Shinji Matou."
"That won't be easy," mused Raiga. "Zouken had his own contacts among the police, which he controlled through both bribery and blackmail. They will want to make sure that no trace of their illegal dealings can come to light. But as long as they have confirmation that Zouken is dead …"
"That's going to be problematic," Shirou cut in. "I know Zouken didn't leave a body behind, and I am not sure Shinji did either."
That had Raiga raising an eyebrow again. Shirou held the Oyabun's stare, schooling his features, revealing nothing.
"Hmm. Well, it's still doable. Let's see … Alright. The official story will be that Sakura-chan was spending the night at your place when her home caught fire due to a gas leak and a faulty electrical appliance, tragically killing her brother and grandfather in such a way not even the bodies remained. Thankfully, Sakura-chan was visiting you in your home, since you were sick – something which the school records will confirm – and decided to spend the night, which ended up saving her life. The fire spread across the entire estate, but the firemen were able to keep it contained and prevent damage to the other houses – I will have someone more versed in these matters come up with a suitable justification for the media. Yes, it should not be too difficult to arrange for this to become the official conclusion. I will contact some of my men to iron out the details, but that should be all you two need to know to keep up appearances on your end. What else do you want, Shirou-kun ?"
Shirou swallowed. This was it. The previous favor was important, to be sure, but this one was much more so.
"Sakura has lost her entire family, such as it was," he began. "With the circumstances of her upbringing, I don't think it would be a good idea for her to be passed on to social services. I need you to set things up so that she can live with me until she reaches adulthood."
Raiga cocked his head to the side, looking at Shirou and Sakura in turn with a thoughtful expression.
"I don't know if I should help you with that, Shirou-kun. Don't misunderstand, I am sorry for what has happened to the young lady, and I would be glad to help her. But despite your unique circumstances, you are still a minor living on his own, with my granddaughter as your guardian."
"Which is why I am calling in all of my markers for it," replied Shirou. "Do this for me, Raiga-san, and every debt between us will be cleared."
"I thought you were helping us because it helped keep the city safe ?"
"I do," confirmed Shirou, "but you and your men were the ones who kept insisting that you would pay me back someday. That day has come, Raiga-san."
"Hmm. Is that girl so important to you ?"
"She is," replied Shirou without hesitation.
There was a moment of silence, with Sakura fidgeting nervously at Shirou's side, her face red from Shirou's words. Then Raiga laughed.
"Good ! Good ! I am glad you are finally showing some desire of your own, even if it is to help someone. You are growing into a fine young man, Shirou-kun. But what of you, Sakura-chan ? Do you want to live with Shirou-kun ? If you are afraid of being separated from him, I can make sure you are put in the care of someone living close by. I have plenty of contacts with people outside of the underworld who would be happy to take in a nice young girl like you."
"I," began Sakura timidly. She glanced at Shirou."I want to live with Senpai."
"Then it shall be done. I will have to pull a lot of strings, and she will be marked down as the ward of someone – there is no going around that, Shirou-kun. But that person will be under my employ, or as long as Sakura-chan is fine at your home we will let it continue."
Shirou glanced at Sakura. There was an expression of mixed relief, joy and shock on her face – as if she could not believe that all of this was happening.
I will not fail her again, he swore to himself for what felt like the hundredth time since he had pulled her out of that dreadful pit in the Matou residence.
"One last thing, however," said Raiga, a worrying smile on his face. "I am fine with Sakura-chan living with you, Emiya-kun, but you are the one who will need to convince my granddaughter to let it happen."
You old bastard, thought Shirou, though without much heat. This was not a conversation he looked forward to, even if it needed to happen sooner or later.
By the time they left the Fujimura estate, there was still one hour left until noon, so Shirou kept his promise and took Sakura shopping. Feeling guilty for the fact that circumstances hadn't let her keep anything she owed, Shirou told Sakura not to hold back and pick up anything she liked. It took several attempts, but he eventually convinced her.
They bought an entire wardrobe, replacement for the school supplies she had lost (Shirou had already told her she could copy his own notes from last year), and an assortment of other day-to-day tools needed for any teenage girl. The minutes Shirou spent standing in front of the underwear store while Sakura was inside were some of the most awkward of the teen's young life.
Then Shirou, already carrying several increasingly heavy bags, had to nearly drag Sakura into the bookstore after he caught Sakura wistfully glancing at it.
The store's owner recognized Sakura. As Sakura ventured into the shop to find some books to buy, the old lady told Shirou that the girl had often spent hours in here after school, leaving only when the store closed, reading books and rarely buying any.
"Normally I wouldn't allow it," she confessed, "but the poor thing looked so sad ... I almost didn't recognize her when she came in with that smile on her face. You take care of her, you hear me, dear ?"
"I will," Shirou promised. "We are ... I am not sure what we are, but I will take care of her. And … thank you."
She smiled knowingly at him. When Sakura came back with a handful of books, she wished her good luck as she rang them at the counter.
With their shopping finished, the two of them ate together at a small family restaurant. While the food wasn't on the level of either of their cooking, it was still good, and Sakura ate with the same appetite she had displayed at breakfast.
"Were you really that hungry ?" asked Shirou, slightly concerned.
"No," said Sakura, blushing once more. "It's just ... food tastes much better now."
Was it because of the worms' removal ? Because of Avalon's copy ? Or just because she was free now ?
Shirou didn't know. In truth, he didn't really care, so long as she continued to smile.
"Alright," said Shirou once they had finished eating and paid their tab. "Time to go home and face the Tiger."
"Does Fujimura-sensei know about your involvement with her grandfather ?" asked Sakura.
"No. She knows I sometimes repair bikes and cars for the gang, but that's all. She doesn't know about Magecraft or my jobs for Raiga-san. And I think it would be better to keep it that way."
She nodded. Sakura's education into Magecraft may have been unconventional to say the least, but she understood the importance of preserving its secrecy.
As it turned out, Taiga was waiting for them when they arrived to the Emiya residence. Raiga had contacted her, and told her both the fabricated story about the Matou household catching fire and Shirou's request that Sakura live with him from that point on.
Of course, the first thing Taiga did when they arrived was fret over Sakura while Shirou carried their purchases to the room Sakura had woken up in, and which would be hers from now on. Then, once Shirou returned, she immediately turned on him – both figuratively and literally.
"Shirou, you are fifteen. You aren't old enough to take care of a teenage girl, and old enough that letting you live under the same roof as one goes against my duties as your guardian. The fact that it saved her life is the only reason I am not angry you let her stay here last night without telling me !"
"I have to take care of Sakura, Fuji-nee," he replied calmly. "It's my responsibility."
"Why would it ... Oh God." Taiga turned green, and shook visibly, before her anger resurged. "Sakura-chan, are you pregnant ?! Shirou ! How could you ?! She is only fourteen !"
"What ?! NO ! No, no, no ! We haven't ... we haven't done anything like that !" shouted Shirou, his face looking like a tomato.
"Oh thank God," breathed Taiga, sitting back down. "I was actually worried there for a second ..."
The three of them were in the living room. Sakura was sitting at the table while Shirou and Taiga talked. Thankfully, she wasn't wearing Taiga's old clothes, having changed into new ones at the store where they had bought them. Shirou didn't know if Kamido had told his big sister that he had borrowed them, and if the Yakuza hadn't he didn't want to be the one to open that particular can of worms.
"So," said Taiga. "If not because you made her … that, why is it that Sakura-chan should live with you, Shirou ?"
"She is my friend. And … and so was Shinji." Shirou's face turned grim. "Isn't there a saying that once you save someone's life, you are responsible for it afterwards ?"
"Yes, but … that's just a saying, Shirou," sighed Taiga. "You aren't supposed to take it literally, especially when you are still a kid yourself."
"You are always telling me that I am more mature than most adults you know," Shirou pointed out.
"And you are," she admitted, sounding more serious than Shirou could ever remember her being, "you really are. But this … If it comes out, it won't just be me in trouble as your guardian. Grandfather can keep you from legal troubles, but even he can't stop the rumors that will spread – and those may very well follow you all your life, so long as you stay in Fuyuki."
"I," Sakura began, and Shirou and Taiga immediately turned toward her. "I want to stay here. I want to live with Senpai."
Conflicting emotions flashed on Taiga's face, finally settling on a rueful smile.
"Argh. How am I supposed to say no to that face ? I feel like the evil stepmother trying to separate the two lovebirds … Fine, then. I will allow it. But !" She turned toward Shirou, pointing a threatening finger at the teenage boy.
"You better take care of Sakura-chan," she warned. "If you make her cry, I will never forgive you !"
"I won't," promised Shirou.
The young woman looked at the two teenagers, a wide grin slowly forming on her face. Then she shook her head, and started walking toward the door.
"I'll come back tomorrow for lunch," she called out "Don't do anything I wouldn't approve of !"
Shirou rolled his eyes at his guardian's parting words. Had he not done so, he might have noticed the wink Taiga directed at Sakura before leaving.
After Taiga left, Sakura worked together with Shirou to put everything they had bought inside the dressers of her new room, before going back to the living room, where they sat together in the quiet. After everything that had happened today, the sudden tranquillity was a welcome respite.
Sakura felt light-headed, giddy almost. Her entire being as high strung, her mind filled with disbelieving joy. She was safe. She was free. She was living with her Senpai now.
And yet …
"Senpai-""Sakura-"
The two of them paused as they began talking at the exact same time. With a smile, Shirou gestured for Sakura to go first.
"I wanted to thank you, Senpai. For everything you did yesterday, and today … and before."
Shirou frowned. "It wasn't the cleanest of rescues, and it took far too long to come. I am sorry you couldn't be saved by a knight in white armor," he half-jested. "You had to settle for me instead."
"I don't care," she whispered. "You saved me, Senpai. You saw me ... and you didn't abandon me. You didn't turn away in disgust, even if I was filthy-"
"You were not filthy."
His eyes narrowed, and for a moment some of the fierce figure he had been when he had stood atop the pit and faced Zouken without a speck of fear in his eyes returned.
"Whatever it was I did yesterday purged Zouken's manipulations from you, and Avalon's copy restored you to your normal state over the night. Even then, there are still traces left – like scars, except on the inside of your body. But, Sakura ... even before that, you were not filthy. Never think of yourself like that. You were an innocent caught in the clutches of an evil monster. Nothing that was done to you is your own fault."
"If it wasn't my fault ..." she began slowly, before she pushed through her shyness and looked up straight into Shirou's eyes, "then it wasn't yours either, Senpai. I am not an idiot. I can see that you are blaming yourself for what happened to me ... and for Nii-sama's death."
"Sakura, the only reason I was able to get you out was because I turned into some kind of monster without any idea how I did it. I went in without a plan, with only the thought that I had to save you without thinking about how I could do it. I was stupid, and only a miracle let us get out of there alive. You should not thank me for that. I didn't save you – I merely pulled you out of the wreckage of my mistakes …"
The same expression he had shown her this morning when she had woken up – that look of understanding as some epiphany flashed behind his eyes – briefly passed on Senpai's face, before barely-masked guilt replaced it. This … Sakura would not allow this.
"But you did save me," she replied, her voice as soft and unyielding as the sea. "You saved me long ago, when I first saw you."
"You mean in that store ? Sakura, that wasn't -"
"No, Senpai. It was long before that." She blushed and looked down. "It was at school. I had finished cleaning up the classroom and was leaving when I saw that there was someone in the courtyard, trying to do a high jump over and over again."
She smiled softly, briefly lost in her recollection.
"I thought he should just stop. I remember that it annoyed me that he kept going at it again and again, even if he kept failing. I thought that this boy should just give up, should just stop trying. But … you didn't. And I kept watching you, until you succeeded."
"Sakura ..."
"I sound like a stalker, don't I ? But … seeing you keep trying despite always failing … By that point, I had already stopped trying to fight against Gran-against Zouken."
Somehow, Shirou knew that Sakura would never refer to that old monster as her Grandfather.
"I had stopped even thinking about fighting him," she continued, "about resisting him. I was falling apart and I didn't even have the strength to care about it, or about what he would make of me after I had broken completely. But seeing you … it gave me the strength to keep going."
She felt his hands around her shoulders then, pulling her close. She laid her head on his chest, part of her revelling in his closeness, something she had not dared to hope for before.
"So … thank you, Senpai. Even if you didn't realize it, even if it was a small, silly thing, you saved me from myself then." She looked up at him, and her smile was bright as the noon sun. "Then you saved me from that robber, and now you have saved me from Zouken. You are making a habit of it."
"I will save you as many times as it takes," he promised. "I won't abandon you, Sakura."
"Part of me still thinks that this is a dream," she whispered. "That I will wake up and be back in the pit, with the worms inside me and Zouken looking down."
He hugged her. "This is real," he whispered back to her.
"How do you know ?" she asked him, her voice almost breaking. "How can I be sure ?"
Shirou thought on it for a moment. He had learned to distinguish between dreams and reality years ago, when the nightmares from the Fire had haunted his nights and he had thought he was back amidst the flames. He remembered that, the first times he had had those nightmares, he had thought that everything since – his adoption, his training, his life – had been the dream, that he had never escaped that place of ashes and ruin.
Maybe …
"I know," he said, "because I was saved once too."
He told her, holding her tight in his arms all the while. He told her about everything : about the Fire, about him being found by Kiritsugu. He told her about Avalon, and about Kiritsugu's activities as the Magus Killer and his participation in the Grail War – and the reason why his father had destroyed the Holy Grail at its conclusion. He told her about being a Sword Incarnation, and about the dreams of mist-filled forests. He told her of his dreams of being a hero, of fulfilling his father's ruined dream.
After years of keeping so many secrets, it felt good to share it all with someone he trusted. He felt Sakura relax in his arms as he spoke. The secrets he was telling her could not possibly have been imagined by her, and therefore this couldn't be a dream, no matter how outlandish reality was.
"You told Fujimura-sensei you would take responsibility," she whispered, her head resting against his chest, listening to his heartbeat.
"I will." There was no doubt, no question about it. Much of what Shirou believed had been shaken by what had happened in the last forty-eight hours, but this ? This, he knew.
"Really ?" She looked up at him. He met her gaze, and she saw only truth in his golden eyes. She hesitated, a sudden rush of fear nearly causing her to step back – and then Sakura Matou chose.
She kissed him. After a first instant of shock, Shirou returned her kiss. Within moments, Sakura was half-dragging him across the residence and to his room.
For all his maturity, Shirou was still very much an innocent in some aspects. It took him several moments, even as Sakura's hands began to fiddle with his clothes, to realize what was happening – but once he did, even his self-control could not keep him from answering Sakura's advances. Any reluctance he may have felt from Sakura still being in shock was swept aside by a combination of love, desire, and the will to prove to Sakura that he would never consider her tainted by what had been done to her.
Hours later, long after the sun had set on the horizon, the two of them finally fell asleep in each other's arms, utterly exhausted, both physically and emotionally. Once again, they dreamt, but neither was tormented by the nightmares that had plagued them all their lives. Instead, they dreamt of one another, and of the life that, by miracles dark and bright, they would make together.
AN : And so we reach the end of the chapters I had already written for this story, with Shirou getting the first member of his harem - and really, who else but Sakura could that possibly be ? I have done terrible things to my characters in the past - Corax from the RH comes to mind, but there is also Governor Valens Tarsis from Warband of the Forsaken Sons or even Ahriman from The Fifteenth Ascendant - but her fate in canon is still horrifying to me. I have no shame in admitting that the only way I could keep myself from crying when watching some of the scenes in the Heaven's Feel movies was by imagining this very fic.
To clarify one thing : that last scene is probably representative of the level of "explicit relationship" I am going to put in that story. I am not confident enough as a writer to try my hands at lemons, thank you very much. All you are getting are tasteful fade to black.
So, we have gotten this far. What did you think of the story ? Did you like it ? What do you hope to see in the future ? Where could it have been better ? As I have said before, this fic is an attempt at something completely different, so I welcome all constructive criticism.
Next chapter : the reaction of Fuyuki's remaining supernatural community, Shirou and Sakura settling in their new lifestyle, and a visit from a certain red-wearing Tsundere.
Zahariel out.