Meanwhile, back at the Emiya household, Rin and Shirou "study" the fine art of projection magic. Sitting in the room Rin had once inhabited just months before, Shirou focuses intensely upon the clay lamp sitting before him. After picturing the object in his mind and mentally breaking it down into it's smallest components, a simulacrum of the true lamp t phased into existence just besides it's forerunner. The entire process, which should have been simple for someone capable of reproducing the legendary Sword in the Stone, enacted a toll upon Shioru, who began breathing heavily upon the completion of the simple spell. With one eyebrow raised, Rin, a power magus in her own right, couldn't help but notice the issue Shirou was having with his summoning rites.
"Your heads just not into this today, is it, Emiya-kun?" Rin kept her eye upon her study partner while carefully inspecting the ethereal lamp sitting at Shirou's feet. The lamp would likely phase out of reality at any second, a clear sign that something was weighing heavily on Shirou's mind and effecting his magical capabilities. Having lived through the fifth Grail War, Rin also had a good idea what exactly the cause of her student's problem was. "You know you can't angst over her forever. I think it would be best if you just found someone else already, I mean it's been six month since Saber disappeared! You've had plenty of time to get it out of your system." Rin's words were rather brutal to the grieving Shirou, though he refused to become angry as he knew this was Rin's way of showing that she cared, ever so crass as it may be.
"I've been trying, remember what happened with Sakura-chan?"
"Yes, I do. You two broke things off after two weeks, from what I can see she is like your best friend. It never was going to work. All things considered, I think you need to date someone you don't have such an emotional attachment to." Rin scowled for a moment. "And that isn't me either."
"Do you have any suggestions then, Tohsaka-chan?" Shirou's annoyance has been replaced with amusement as Rin's last statement.
Rin smiled evilly, she had been plotting something since seeing the way Illya had been behaving just hours before and chose the current moment to launch her plan into action. "I do, actually. Have you seen the way Illya has been acting around you lately? I think it is fairly clear that she has a crush on you."
Shirou stared blankly at Rin for a moment, as if trying to fully comprehend the word's she had just spoke. "I like Illya-chan, she's like a little sister to me, but isn't she a bit to young for me?" It was a completely logical thing to ask, but the circumstance surrounding Iliya were far from logical given her magical nature.
"Well, I've done some research on the texts I recovered the old Einzbern Castle and it looks Illya-chan is actually older then you are." As Rin spoke, a look of shock colored Shirou's face.
"How is that possible...?"
"Illya-chan is a homunculus constructed to be a vessel for the Holy Grail, the amount of magic circuits it takes to achieve such a feat tends to mess up a person's growth cycle, among other things. Her child-like nature, I assume, is simply a result of her having lived alone for such a long period of time." Rin was rather proud of her knowledge of all things mystic and esoteric and spoke with an almost academic tone.
"All right, that explains why a lot of things. But not why your trying to get me to date someone who looks to be half my age!"
"Well, Emiya-kun, that is because Illya-chan is likely not long for this world. At most she will last another year or so" Shirou was shocked by Rin's words. Being a person who simply could not help assisting those in need, his attention was firmly on what Rin was to say next. "Einzbern homunculus require a huge amount of mana just by living and they usually draw that Mana from the Holy Grail itself. With the Grail gone it is likely that Illya-chan will die as soon as the mana she has stored within her body runs dry."
Shirou's response to such depressing news was something that any one who knew the youth well could have predicted. "Is there anything I can do?" Shirou said, unsure what emotions he should be feeling.
"All I can think of at the moment is that it would be nice for her if she could be at the side of someone she loved until the time when she did finally die. Even if your just doing it to make Illya-chan feel better, It wouldn't be so bad for you either, Emiya-kun. Having her around all the time may help you finally get over Saber."
Though Shirou didn't like the idea of "getting over" his beloved Saber, he couldn't ignore Illya's sad fate either. "I'll do it if it will make Illya-chan happy. Just keep this a secret, all right?"
"Of course, Emiya-kun, my lips are sealed. I will also keep researching if their is anyway to save Illya-chan. I may not like her all that much but I wouldn't be much of a magus or a person if I let her die without trying everything I could possibility do." Rin smiled, in a manner suggesting genuine warmth. "Now, I think that is enough for today. I do believe Illya will be home soon, and I know you to have quite a lot to talk about. Now don't you?"