The Story of Illya Emiya

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Fate Stay franchise or the characters associated with them.

"talking"

Thoughts

Candidate

~ Emiya residence ~

Currently a weekend Sella was trying to do some housekeeping. With a vacuum in hand, the Einzbern maid tried to get some cleaning done only to shutter in pain. Her body still felt rather stiff and hard to move.

"I thought I told you to take the next two weeks off" Illya pouted. "You still haven't fully recovered yet".

"I can't do that" as Sella continued cleaning. "It would be a derelict of duty for a maid to not be doing her job".

Illya sighed. "Why can't you be like Liz and just take it easy once in a while?"

Speaking of the other maid, Leysritt was currently lounging on a couch casually eating chips while watching the T.V.

"Ugh, she has no dignity as a maid".

As such Illya couldn't help but chuckle. "Just take it easy and trust the rest to us. So go and relax. If not, then this is a direct order from me".

Begrudgingly agreeing, Sella went to sit with Leysritt as she tried to do just that.

Hearing a knock at the front Illya went to answer it. But to her surprise, Luvia had appeared before her now.

Since rescuing her from Caster's clutches she has been nothing but apologetic for the trouble she caused. Although it was a war Luvia couldn't help but feel her honor be tarnished. As promised to Rin, she would only battle directly with those participating in the war. Even forbidding any underhanded tactics or involving civilians as she found it beneath her to do such callous acts. However things did not go to plan as her servant had successfully rendered her unconscious turning her into her own puppet to fulfill her own needs. For her carelessness in dealing with Morgan there were many casualties.

Though it wasn't her fault, she felt herself responsible for all the damage she caused. So sparing no expense, Luvia took care of everyone who was affected by her servants actions.

Just barely a day after the battle with the witch queen, the Edelfelt head had done much more then just apologize. Hiring both a construction and landscaping crew the Emiya residence was literally rebuilt in one day. She even went further by spending extra for cutting edge renovations providing the best comforts a home could have. She even completely restocked the fridge and pantry. Though a cleaning service was offered, Illya as kindly as possible rejected it.

For a couple of days Luvia was running around Fuyuki city attending to many reparations. But now today she had finally come in person to make full amends for her actions as she held a bouquet of flowers. "For you".

Peaking right past her shoulder, Illya couldn't help but give a strained laugh as there were many more lavish gifts behind her. "Oh the power of money" she chuckled internally. Of course knowing Rin, she would say this was a trap. However Shirou would warmly accept them rounding it up as a show of sincerity. Though she was on the side of caution, she as the head of the Emiya family would accept them as a sign of respect to another family head. Besides Luvia has already lost her servant. Though she may be many things as Rin would put it, backstabbing was not one of them. "I graciously accept".

"I wish to make a formal apology to everyone" said Luvia. "May I come in?"

"That might need to wait".

"Hmm?"

"We're about to prepare for an operation".

~ Emiya residence (Shirou's room) ~

"I'm getting the feeling that this is becoming a normal thing with us" said Rin.

Shirou chuckled lightheartedly. "Yeah I think so too".

At the moment the mage smith was getting his bandages looked over by Rin as she was in the middle of lecturing him as usual about his recklessness. Though she scowled while chewing him out, her aura felt pleasant and happy as she did so.

"I wonder if Tohsaka likes abusing me sometimes"

"You truly are a bit of a freak" Rin huffed. "Even by magic you're pretty much completely healed. Definitely not something I've ever seen before. Have you ever healed this ridiculously fast before?"

"Not that I know of" as Shirou scratched his chin in thought. "I was pretty human like everyone else".

"Well you did take a pretty nasty hit from Caster in the final attack. So let me take a look at your chest to make sure everything is really alright".

Undoing his bandages Rin placed her hand to his chest smoothing her fingers along his skin. It was really incredible. After what he went through there wasn't even a hint of a scar. But looking up to him, Shirou was looking away seeming a bit flushed.

"Are you alright? You're not catching a fever are you?"

". . . . I'm sorry . . . . I was just thinking about that . . . ."

Realizing what he meant, Rin became flustered herself. With Shirou low on mana she formed a contract with him to supply him with her own. This was evidenced with one of her own magic circuits that was now on his arm. However the signing of that contract was sealed by a kiss. Just thinking about that moment made the brunette magus grow a shade redder.

"About that Tohsaka . . . ."

"It didn't mean anything alright!" Rin immediately jumped. "It . . . . It was just a contract between partners! So think nothing else of it!"

Blinking at her outburst Shirou gave a strained chuckle. "I see, I understand".

Settling down as she recollected herself, there was one thing she had to know. "What did you see?"

"Huh?"

"When we were linked I know you saw something in my memories. So what did you see?" as Rin's mood was getting a little defensively hostile.

". . . . I'm . . . . Not really sure" as Shirou rubbed his head. "It was all a bit of a blur. But there was this one weird thing. I think you were standing along the path near the tracks. You seem to have been watching some idiot guy trying to get over the high jump".

Rin could only gape as she knew what memory that was. It was back during junior high. It was late in the afternoon as she was walking home that day. Crossing by the tracks that when she noticed that idiot guy. "Why does he keep trying?" she asked herself at that time. He was attempting to do the high jump only to fail. Yet regardless he dusted himself off to try again. At the time she could only feel how foolish it was. He clearly had no talent but he kept on trying regardless every time he fell. Before she knew it she found herself entranced standing there watching him. She wanted to know if there was any purpose to his struggling. Just as the sun had begun to set he succeeded doing what she thought was impossible. It was at that moment she felt drawn towards him for his incredible quality of stubborn persistence.

For that one miraculous instance it left a strong impression becoming a very fond memory that she treasured.

Yet it amazed her that Shirou didn't realize he was that idiot guy. But to be on the safe side, "you will forget everything you saw, right?" as Rin gave the mage smith an ominous smile.

"Right" as Shirou gave a strained laugh.

But concerning this entire situation, Rin found herself in a complicated point in her life. For a long time she had buried many of her thoughts and feelings for the sake of the greater good whether it be for the Tohsaka family or herself.

But dusting off that old memory and being so close to Shirou now she felt her heart shake. She was attracted to him there was no denying that. He wasn't bad looking either and had many great qualities as a guy. But knowing her luck, she always tended to fall short of her objective.

"I'm just getting ahead of myself again" Rin silently sighed. Till she figured out how she really felt about Shirou and vice versa it was best not to complicate their lives. More so how could she pursue a guy her sister was in love with?

Putting his shirt back on Shirou looked at the clock. "It's about time now. Let's get to work".

~ Emiya residence (Sakura's room) ~

Illya, Rin, Shirou, and Luiva were gathered together as Saber, Miyu, and Kuro was already present assisting Caster with what he needed.

"Right on time" smiled Caster. "Let's get started shall we master?" looking to Shirou.

After being freed from Morgan, Caster insisted on being Shirou's servant. He was a troublemaker by nature but he was still a great asset to them. Yet strangely enough he insisted on him being his master even though Rin would have been a better candidate. But for his sister, the mage smith could sense Illya's discomfort on the matter. However she wouldn't tell him why. "Ehh, she'll tell me when she is ready".

At the present Sakura was asleep lying down in the middle of the floor as preparations were completed. For all intents and purposes, she was qualified to be called a lesser grail. When she was a child, some Matou parasites containing pieces of the sacred artifact from the fourth war were infused into her. But as evidenced from what they saw, she was connected to something malevolent and was using her as a doorway to get to their world.

So for her safety and that of the world they needed to permanently sever her connection.

But the problem was that the parasite had already fused with her heart. For obvious reasons, any attempts to remove it would be fatal. Though a seal could be placed, it would only be as good as a temporary bandage with how powerful this thing was.

"But isn't it lucky that you guys have me around?" Caster boasted as Saber could only tiredly sigh at how egotistical he was at times. Yet it was well deserved as he was one of the greatest mages in the history of the world. For the operation itself, the group was curious to how he planned to remove it. But as with his usual whimsy, "I'm just going to pluck it right out of her" was all Caster said.

He insisted that Shirou and Saber presence were mandatory. Everyone else was on standby if something went wrong.

"Shirou, Saber, I want you to hold her hand" said Caster. "And whatever happens don't let go".

Doing as they were told the mage smith and the knightly servant each took a hand.

"Alright, let's do this" as a magic circle appeared around them. Placing his hand on her chest his fingers had started to phase through her skin. With his hand firmly gripped around her heart he started charging magic. In one fell swoop completely vaporized his target. Caster really wasn't one for complex spells or doing anything fancy. So long as it got the job done then he preferred the most practical approach. Of course his method would have been under extreme scrutiny hence why he chose to omit it.

Upon destroying the parasite, Sakura gasped in pain as she started to sweat under the strain her body was under. The group became tense hoping nothing had gone wrong.

But here is where the trick came in. Caster was well aware of where Avalon had gone off too. So with Saber and Shirou present all he needed was to extend the effects of Excalibur's sheath to her. In no time at all her heart started to regenerate back into place. But not only that any damage her body may have suffered from was starting to heal.

After a few minutes Sakura's state began to normalize as her expression became peaceful.

"Everything's fine now" Caster smiled. "Just give her time to rest. So you can all check up on her at a later time".

~ Emiya residence ~ (evening)

Everyone was in their own little groups as Sakura was resting.

Caster and Saber were with Leysritt and Sella on the couch.

Rin and Luvia were as usual arguing as Shirou tried to settle them down.

Meanwhile Illya and Kuro were having a bright conversation with Miyu. Though Kuro was somewhat aware Illya was surprised that for all this time her friend knew all about magic.

"I hope you're not mad at me" Miyu said saddened. Anything that upset her best friend made her upset as well. But for keeping such a secret for so long she could only hope she wasn't angry with her. However the response was quite the opposite of what she expected.

"I'm so happy!" Illya exclaimed hugging Miyu with all her strength.

"Illya?" as the usually stoic girl was startled that she would react this way.

Sitting back down the young homunculus couldn't wipe the smile from her face. All her life she had to live with two different identities. One as Illya the normal girl. The other as Illyasviel the mage and head of the Emiya family. She liked her life as both a normal girl and as a mage. However she couldn't share both her lives with a person. Though family was one thing she also wanted to truly be herself in front of her friends. But considering the rules, it was not allowed.

Growing up their have been a few times she used her magic to help her friends get out of a pinch. As miraculous and bizarre as the occurrences were her friends would chalk it up as strange delusions not giving it another thought. There have been so many times she wanted to share with her friends.

But with Miyu, all of that changed. She didn't have to hide anything about herself to her. She was now able to talk to her, confide in her, do anything she wanted without being afraid of how Miyu would react or what would happen to her for finding out the truth.

At learning this Miyu was quite touched as she held Illya's hands. Though on the surface she was genuinely happy for her friend there was a small part of her that felt disappointed. Unlike Illya . . . . She was not ready to share her past in fear of what it would mean for everyone else.

Now night, it was time to sleep.

Luvia and Rin were invited to stay over. But for the later Illya had one piece of business she needed to discuss with her. With everyone going off to their own rooms, Rin and Illya went to the study.

"As you should know, I don't sense Caster or Assassin spirit inside me" Illya started. "Caster I can understand as he is now my brother's servant and thus still in play. But Assassin is another matter".

"Well their summoning was unusual to start with" Rin shrugged. "But that does leave the question of who summoned it. But we can at least be certain if Assassin is summoned properly then it will be without a doubt Hassan-i-Sabbah. From there we just need to break down which of the nineteen possibilities it could be".

"Agreed" Illya nodded. "It won't be difficult to study them all. However it's best to keep the net as wide as possible. If there is anything life teaches you there are no certainties to anything".

"True" Rin nodded. But giving Illya a serious look, "so now that we got the formalities out of the way why don't you get to the heart of what you really want to tell me".

". . . ."

"There is no reason to be coy about it" Rin shrugged. "It's obvious it's something you can't say in front of everyone as you wanted to specifically talk to me". Giving a wary look, "does this have something to do with Sakura?"

"No it's nothing like that" as Illya shook her head while giving a strained smile. "It's just a little hard for me to bring this subject up".

"Oh? That's rare of you. You've never been one to beat around the bush. Now I'm rather curious what it is that you want to tell me" as the brunette magus lightened up.

"It's . . . . Not really tell. It's more of a request I'd like to ask of you . . . ."

"A request?" as Rin's brow arched at this. Now things were getting peculiar. For as long as she knew her Illya has always been very bright and direct about what she wants. Even in bitter situations she had never known her to cower away as she faced the problem wholeheartedly. Thus she had to wonder what this urgent request was.

For Illya, this was something she had been thinking over for days now. Ever since she learned about it she had been thinking of ways to fix it. However contemplating the matter over and over again she knew she alone wasn't strong enough to do what needed to be done. It wasn't something she could discuss with her family and friends either with how complicated this matter was to her.

After all this time it was the only solution she could think of. Rin has to be the one to perform this task as she was probably the only one who could.

Taking a deep breath to settle the chaos in her heart, her gaze steadied resolving at what she had to do. "Rin . . . ."

"Yes?" as the brunette magus patiently waited for Illya to speak her mind.

" . . . . I would like to request that you take Shirou as your fiancee".

Upon hearing what she wanted Rin's expression went through a plethora of complex feelings. To start off her eyes glazed over trying to comprehend what was said. Then her mind began racing from zero to sixty as it started spitting out what she should be thinking and/or saying. Her thoughts were firing out a volley of questions, answers, and random thoughts as both her consciousness and sub-consciousness tried to cope with the situation. "M . . . . M . . . . Me and Emiya-kun?!" as Rin's mind was starting to over load.

On one track, she was already imagining the supposed life they would have with dating, getting married, having kids, and growing old together.

In another track, she could only think of her sister. How this would break her heart as Shirou was always on her mind.

Although she had several reasons to say no she found the words caught in her throat unable to refuse her request. Her heart was in absolute turmoil of what she should do.

Yet in a very classic Rin Tohsaka style once her calm has been lost she stood up slamming her hands on the table. With her cheeks glowing red, "what did you say?!"

To be continued . . . .

Author's notes: Now for some commentary notes.

I don't know about any other versions, but from what I've seen Luvia seems to be almost or is god level rich. With how I've seen her throw around money in the anime/manga of the prisma series she should easily be able to repair any damage she causes. Just like Rin, though she is a little devious in some regards she has a solid moral compass. Hence her wish to help those her servant had hurt.

I have a reason why I paired Merlin with Shirou which I'll reveal later. Assassin is still in play as I'm sure if you're aware of Heaven Feel then you know who is commanding it.

Miyu considers Illya her best friend. But in canon I'm not sure why she seems closed off to others. Even her relationship with Kuro seems to be a bit of a toss up. The only other person she is close to are Shirou for reasons shown in the prisma series and Luvia for taking her in.

Sakura's healing process was a bit of a stretch on my part. However it is a fact that Merlin is very pragmatic choosing the most simplistic and straight forward approach to solving problems. Thus he just destroyed Sakura's heart along with the last parasite. Extending the effects of Avalon he regenerated her a new heart. But I do have to wonder what would happen if Sakura had Avalon during her infestation. Would Avalon perceive the parasites as threats and exterminate them like a wolverine healing factor or would it just regenerate whatever damage they cause as they go along? Got to love all these what if questions.

For the upcoming chapter, that's where things will certainly get heated.

If there are any questions or concerns feel free to ask as I'll try to answer them.

So thank you for reading as I further extend my gratitude if you can review as well.