Disclaimer: I do not own the Fate franchise it belongs to Kinoko Nasu and Type-Moon.

Different Fates

Chapter 3

"When I was a boy…" Kiritsugu Emiya wearily began. "…I wanted to become a Hero of Justice."

Shirou Emiya turned his head to look at his stepfather. The two sat on the veranda of the house, dressed in yukatas to watch the clear night sky of midsummer. "Why do you sound like you gave up?" he asked.

Kiritsugu smiled sadly, but didn't meet Shirou's eyes. "Saving someone's life…" he answered. "…means not saving someone else's life…"

Shirou kept looking at his father for a moment before smiling and turning back to the sky. "I see…" he said. "…but you're an adult, so it's alright if you've given up on your dreams. But I'm still a kid, so I'll make your dream come true instead. I'll become a Hero of Justice, and save everyone."

"Is that so now?" Kiritsugu replied softly, his eyelids growing heavy. "That's good to hear…"

The two sat in silence for a while, and then Shirou glanced at his father, the older man sitting still with his eyes closed and his mouth set into a slight smile. The boy kept staring, and then blinked once, holding tears back…

Shirou Emiya woke suddenly, sitting up on his futon with light playing through the paper sheets of the door over him. "Dad…" he whispered sadly, sitting silent and unmoving for a long time. He blinked once as footsteps approached the door, and blinking in realization at his inaction he turned towards the door in time to see it slide open, with a young woman several years older than he was standing glaring at him in the doorway.

"What's this?" Fujimura Taiga, Shirou's legal guardian snapped. "You've been awake all this time and yet you're still here? Shirou, hurry and wash up already or you're going to be late. You still have to eat breakfast too…ah! You didn't help out either!"

"Fuji-nee…" Shirou said in a placating fashion. "…sorry, sorry…I kind of…woke up late…"

"That's obvious…" Taiga said while stepping forward and grabbing his arm to lift him to his feet. "…come on, get a move on, you're short on time as it is, honestly…"

Shirou just smiled at the older person's chiding, before heading off to the shower for a quick bath. After such a…depressing start for the day, Taiga's scolding was a comforting touch of normality. Hopefully it – the reminiscence of his father's last moments – wasn't a premonition of some sort for the day.

"Honestly…" Taiga said over the breakfast table. "…I don't particularly mind cooking breakfast on my own, but don't get into the habit of not helping, Shirou."

"Yes, yes, I'm sorry."

"If you don't want to wake up late, then you should go to bed earlier. But then again, if you're working on homework I suppose it can't be helped. I still remember my school days, after all."

Shirou paused eating to throw a grin at Taiga. "Hey…" he began. "…aren't you still in school Fuji-nee?"

"College isn't quite 'school' you know." She shot back. "Honestly you hang around too much with that Mitsuzuri girl you're starting to sound like her."

"Well she's my best friend so I can't really help it."

"Well I suppose she's not that bad an influence." Taiga conceded. "What about Shinji?"

"Oh him…" Shirou paused to think. "…actually he's been avoiding me lately, ever since he had an argument with his sister over something again. To be honest they argue a lot, but if the rumors are true – which they probably are considering they're the same age despite not being twins – that either of them was adopted or born out of wedlock, then it can't be helped."

"Oh?" Taiga mused. "That doesn't sound like you at all."

"Then maybe this sounds more like me: adopted or wedlock or not, it doesn't matter, they're still siblings. They should at least try to get along."

Taiga gave a short laugh. "Yeah that sounds more like you." she said. "On the other hand…well you'll understand that it's not quite as simple as that once you get older."

"Really…?"

"Yes, really…" Taiga said. "…but enough about that…about Mitsuzuri-san, well I don't really mind if you have a best friend that's a girl, but shouldn't you have other friends?"

"Not really…" Shirou admitted. "…I mean I have other friends, but Issei's too busy with his class representative duties and I'm not really that close to anyone else apart from Issei, Shinji, and Mitsuzuri. By the way, about your course, will you be teaching at our school eventually?"

Taiga smiled. "Maybe I will…" she answered thoughtfully. "…but that's a decision for a good time away…and you know what's strange: among those three best friends of yours, only Mitsuzuri-san's not mentioned by her first name."

"And what's wrong with that?"

"Nothing really…" Taiga said with a grin. "…except that you really seem to be trying not to appear too close to her…is she a prospective girlfriend for you I wonder?"

"Oh come on Fuji-nee…" Shirou protested, his face turning red. "…we're just friends. And besides aren't we too young to be having that kind of relationship?"

Taiga scoffed. "You certainly are." She agreed. "And I'm glad you know it. You'd be surprised at how young some people who get into strange situations these days are."

"Strange situations…?"

"Eh…never mind you'll learn about it eventually."

Shirou blinked at her unwillingness to explain, and then shrugging it off returned his attention to breakfast. They ate in silence for a while, and then Shirou decided to break the silence. "Actually…" he began. "…I was already awake for a while before you came into my room earlier. I was just…thinking about some things."

Taiga looked at him with a neutral expression on her face. "What kind of things?" she asked quietly.

"Just…some things dad said before…before he left…"

There was silence, and then with a rustle of cloth Taiga moved from her side of the table and sat down beside Shirou, hugging him close. He hugged her back. "I understand…" she said softly. "…it's only been a few months after all, so it's alright if you're thinking about him. And sorry for snapping at you, I…I didn't know…"

"It's alright…" Shirou replied just as quietly. "…you meant well, and as you said you didn't know. I just wish…"

"Yeah, I know. You wish things were different, and he was still with us right now."

Shirou didn't say anything, instead opting to stay quiet in his sister's comforting embrace. It was agreement enough, and words weren't needed.

The lunch bell rang, and Rin Matou stepped out of her classroom only to be intercepted one of her schoolmates, one Ayako Mitsuzuri. It was something of a surprise if she was honest, they didn't know each other that well and she had a feeling that the other girl didn't like her all that much.

What does she want?

"Matou-san…" Ayako began. "…can we talk?"

"About what…?" Rin asked back. The other girl gestured with her head at the stairs.

"It's something personal." Ayako replied. "Let's talk about it upstairs."

"Lead the way." Rin replied, and Ayako narrowed her eyes but did as invited. It didn't take long for them to arrive on the rooftop, and then she turned to Rin with a serious expression on her face.

"I'll be honest…" Ayako began. "…I don't like you Matou. You…I just don't feel comfortable about you, even though I can't put my finger on why, only that my instincts tell me to stay away from you. If that offends you, then sorry for being rude, but I'd like to get all that out in the open to avoid misunderstandings in the future."

Rin had to admit, she was both surprised and impressed. The other girl had good sense, divining her…unnatural nature and interpreting it right. And she was honestly straightforward, which was something she could respect.

"I see." Rin said aloud. "Is that all you wanted to talk about?"

Ayako raised an eyebrow at Rin's apparent lack of reaction to her earlier explanation, but decided to let it go. She sighed. "No, it's not." Ayako said. "I wanted to talk about Emiya. You've been asking him to help you with your job as a class representative, and Emiya being Emiya, he can't really say no. And I can't help but worry about him."

"Is it because you don't like me?"

"That's right." Ayako confirmed, and Rin chuckled.

"Would it help if I said I'm only taking advantage of his helpfulness, and apart from that I don't have anything else planned for your boyfriend?"

"Boyfriend…? He's not my…we're just…I…ugh…you really are something else, you know that?"

"Oh yes…" Rin said with a straight face. "…I am something else."

Ayako blinked, and she felt as though Rin meant something by that last statement. And Ayako didn't want to know what it was. She moved on. "Anyway…" Ayako said with a cough. "…going back to Emiya, you really don't have anything in mind apart from having him help out with your workload...?"

"No plans at all for him, I promise."

Ayako narrowed her eyes at Rin, the two girls locking gazes for several moments. Ayako broke the gaze, feeling…afraid ever so briefly at a slight flicker – a challenge of some kind maybe – in the other girl's purple eyes. "Alright…" she conceded. "…I'll have to accept that, but I'm going to hold you to it. And something tells me you're not the type to say one thing and do something else."

"I'm not." Rin said in all seriousness. "I've had experience with being lied to, and I'd rather not repeat it."

Ayako glanced sharply at Rin at that, her last statement not really meant. But it seemed that Rin had taken it at face value. Of course, Ayako couldn't have known about Rin's past, at the living nightmare of her life brought about by an old magus' deception of her father and family, and her lack of interest in becoming just like him.

"Sorry…" Ayako finally said, noticing the veiled bitterness of Rin's face. "…I didn't know. But now that I know Emiya won't be in any trouble because of you, we can pretend this never happened, is that alright?"

"Fine by me…" Rin said, apparently back to normal. Ayako sniffed, and then left. Rin stared after her as she disappeared down the stairs, and then she looked up at the sky.

"You should be thankful Emiya…" she said softly. "…you have people that care for you. Me…no one cares about me anymore…the web is just too well-made…"

The man from the Clock Tower stepped into the Matou living room, followed by Zouken Matou, the former taking a seat on the couch and the latter heading for a nearby cupboard. "Please accept my apologies…" Zouken began. "…my grandchildren are currently out at school, and given my age I am unable to offer you anything but alcohol. Do you have any preferences?"

"That's understandable…" Enforcer Arthur Graves said with a nod. "…and brandy will be fine."

Within a moment Graves had a glass with ice – the wine cabinet apparently having a magically-kept icebox of its own – and brandy in hand, while Zouken was taking a seat opposite the Enforcer. "Well then…" the old magus said. "…shall we get down to business?"

"Of course…" the Enforcer said, taking a moment to savor his drink. Despite the uneasy feeling he got from the other magus and the house – though magi being magi that was probably just due to the heavy wards against magical scans, which was quite understandable really – his host was quite hospitable. "…Mr. Matou, I'm here on behalf of the Association with regards to the position of the Supervisor of the territory."

"There shouldn't be a problem, should there?" Zouken said with a frown. "Young Tohsaka is still a child, and currently engaged in studies at the Clock Tower. Her late father was the one who arranged that, along with a temporary transfer of the Supervisor's authority until his daughter was ready for the post."

"We have no problems with that." Graves replied. "And the situation has precedent, and the proper documentation filled out. However, given the catastrophic explosion four years ago, concerned elements in the Clock Tower have certain inquiries to make about the continued health of the territory."

"Ah…I see…" Zouken said with a note of understanding. "…and these inquiries were not answered immediately, since as I recall after the explosion the Church – in their role as neutral overseers of the contest – placed an interdict on the territory excepting only those individuals already residing within while they carried out their investigation."

"That is correct." Graves agreed. "The Church forwarded their findings to us, but understandably the powers-that-be want independent verification of those findings."

A bit late for that and this alone tells me the real reason for this. This is not good at all.

Setting those thoughts aside, Zouken gave a nod. "I understand." He said. "How may I be of assistance?"

"Firstly as the temporary Supervisor I am obliged to inform you of my presence and purpose within the territory." Graves said. "Apart from that, I would ask you to provide any information you may have with regards to my investigation: while it might be too late to find evidence as to the origin of the explosion…"

That only proves that this little charade is pure falsity. If it weren't for the fact that I'd be risking censure from your masters in the Clock Tower, I would have made you pay for lying to me, you little fool.

"…in the event of negative findings, the Clock Tower no the Mages Association will discuss the matter of the supervisor-ship of Fuyuki City, on whether or not it should be maintained. There is after all, not much point in supervising a spiritually-damaged territory."

"That is rather arguable in my opinion…" Zouken said while rising from his seat. "…with that said, I do have some help to offer. In my role as the Supervisor I have conducted my own investigations to the territory's health, and have documented them. Perhaps I should…?"

"Oh of course…" Graves said with a nod. "…I will await your return."

Zouken nodded and hobbled off, his mind awhirl with the possibilities. "Young Tohsaka has gained the attention of the Association's factions…" he thought darkly. "…if they're measuring the value of her territory, then they're also measuring her value as a potential asset. Damn it all, first the contest is earlier than expected, meaning the experiment isn't even close to being ready, and now young Tohsaka is aligning with an Association faction which would inevitably be involved with her participation in the coming conflict! I have no choice: I must accelerate my plans. I will not lose yet another opportunity to obtain the Grail!"

"Hey Mitsuzuri…" Shirou began.

"What?" the girl replied.

"I heard you talked to Matou earlier." He asked.

Ayako glanced at him. The two of them were walking down a street in downtown Fuyuki, Shirou carrying bags full of materials for their respective classes' upcoming projects. "I did." She answered carefully.

It's probably best not to let him know everything about that.

"About what…?"

"I don't like her…" Ayako admitted. "…but I don't want to fight her either, or something like that, so we decided on things to keep it quiet between us, get what I mean?"

"Yeah I think I do." Shirou said. "It'd be better if you could get along, but this is a step in the right direction."

Ayako laughed. "Always so optimistic, aren't you?" she asked. "Well that's just like you."

"Is it wrong?"

"No not really…oh…"

"Huh?" Shirou echoed before following Mitsuzuri's line-of-sight to a jewelry store opposite the street. It had apparently been broken into, given the broken door and entrances as well as the police line…and the Human-shaped outlines on the ground inside and outside made it clear that things hadn't gone well.

"So that's where it was." Ayako said quietly. "I read about it in my dad's newspaper this morning. Apparently a gang of some kind broke in and tried to rob the store."

"Did the police get them?"

"No, they fought back. I heard all of them got killed."

Shirou looked shocked, and then he looked away. "I see." he said with a sigh.

"What are you thinking about, Emiya?" Ayako asked.

"Well I know that they were bad and all…" Shirou began. "…but was it necessary to kill them? They could have gone to jail instead."

"Maybe…" Ayako admitted. "…but from what I read a couple of them deserved to die."

"How can you just say that?" Shirou asked softly. "Can you really say who deserves to live and who deserves to die?"

"Emiya one of them was wanted for raping and killing a girl only a few years older than we are…" Ayako said, and the blood drained from Shirou's face. "…another one was wanted for killing seven people, one of which was his own brother. I know you want to be a hero and save people, but…"

Ayako trailed off, and she sighed. "We really shouldn't talk about this." She said. "We're much too young for it."

"You're probably right. Sorry for bringing it up." Shirou said, but his mind was on different matters. Specifically: his father's words.

To save someone means not to save someone else.

"What did the Association man want?" Rin asked as she entered the basement for the night's 'training'.

Zouken turned, watching the ten year-old girl descend the stairs and approach the pit, dressed in a simply nightdress of white. She was growing surprisingly well, and if he was younger he might consider how her appearance would be like in a few more years on a personal note. He might have to regardless, to find a proper match for her eventually to continue the bloodline.

Then again it could be better to let Shinji solve the problem, though it risks lowering the offspring's chances of having magic circuits.

Bah…thoughts for another day…there are more pressing matters that need to be considered.

Rin was standing on the edge of the pit, apparently waiting for an answer. He decided to indulge her curiosity. It cost him nothing, and it might even be helpful to his cause. "The Association apparently wanted to ascertain the continued health of the territory." Zouken replied. "So far so good, though it'll be a couple more days before the man leaves."

"I see."

"With that said though…" Zouken said. "…it seems to be a ruse. More than likely young Tohsaka – given her impressive magical potential – has drawn the attention of some of the Clock Tower's factions, and given that Fuyuki is technically her territory, the inspection of the territory is also part of an effort to ascertain her value."

"Is that so?" Rin murmured, seeing through her grandfather's ploy. No doubt the old man wanted her to resent her sister for stealing her birthright, and now advancing higher in the Association hierarchy…as if she were that petty and shortsighted. Oh a part of her was angry at being set aside, but if she hadn't then Sakura would be the one standing here and not her.

As far as Rin was concerned, keeping her sister safe was worth the sacrifice. Her duty as the elder sister to the younger sister fulfilled was something she could take pride in, and anchored her sanity within the nightmare of a world which hated her.

Without another word, she slipped off her nightdress, and stepped down into the pit.

Zouken watched impassively as the girl's form quickly disappeared beneath the worms, and he sensed her alarm at the more vicious than normal nature of tonight's training. Well, she'd better get used to it because things had changed.

The experiment was failing. Despite Rin's status as an Average One, she didn't seem to be able to synchronize with the Grail. Zouken wondered if Sakura Tohsaka's Imaginary Numbers could, but he put the thought aside. There was no point in indulging in maybes and what ifs, not when he was short on time.

No doubt the Association man could deduce from his findings the early onset of the Fifth Holy Grail War, and if not him, then his masters in London could and probably would. And word would inevitably filter through to whichever faction young Tohsaka was involved in. And even the weakest Clock Tower factions could call on greater resources than he ever could.

Young Tohsaka would be prepared for the appointed time.

He would not let the experiment fail. Either he would get his own vessel, or prepare a perfect Master for the coming war. He would not fail, not this time.

He would obtain the Holy Grail.

He smiled at a whimper from below, something that he hadn't heard in a long time, the girl usually silently letting the worms violate her in a form of passive resistance by not letting him get a reaction from her. Well, he'd see about that now.

Shirou Emiya stood in the moonlight in his workshop, staring at the magic circle that his father had left engraved on the floor. Taiga was cooking dinner, and sensing his current mood, had decided inexplicably not to ask him to help, and merely to wait.

They'd probably talk about it over dinner.

To save someone means not to save someone else.

…a couple of them deserved to die…one of them was wanted for raping and killing a girl only a few years older than we are…another one was wanted for killing seven people, one of which was his own brother.

"Is this what you meant dad?" he murmured as he knelt down on the ground. "I don't know why they did what they did, but they got what they deserved. Mitsuzuri was right…if I had the power…if they were in front of me…if I knew what they were…I would be a Hero of Justice."

Shirou knelt in silence in the moonlight, staring at his palm. "They're dead…" he murmured. "…they can't hurt others anymore. That's justice right? But there are more of them out there, and they'll still be hurting people. Isn't that right dad?"

To save someone means not to save someone else.

"Trace on…" Shirou said, and closing his eyes while holding his hand out before him. In his mind he visualized a sword he'd seen on a rack while visiting the Fujimura property, and how he'd been told that it had been used by one of their ancestors back during the Sengoku Jidai.

Prana flowed bright, and Shirou opened his eyes and held up the sword in his hand. He rose and swung it a couple of times, and he narrowed his eyes. Something didn't feel right. He swung the sword against the ground, and it shattered into prana.

I need to make it stronger, something that wouldn't shatter like glass when it strikes something solid.

"Trace on…!" he said again, and again closing his eyes while holding his hand out before him. This time he visualized not just the sword and its history, but its very structure, the effort and material that had gone into its forging, the skill it required to wield, every last aspect and perspective of the blade. Prana built up into a familiar heat and pain across his body and in his hand, but the mysteries wouldn't become reality.

Shirou pushed, pumping more and more prana into his spell. The strain continued to build, and Shirou ground his teeth as he felt sweat run down his face. "Just a little more…" he thought resolutely. "…just a little more…I'm almost there…"

He felt as though he was in a forge, hammering away at a red-hot blade over the anvil, and holding the blade high, sank it into cold water. As steam exploded in his mind, fire ripped through his body, and he bit back a cry of pain. If not for his past experiences walking through the ruins of the Fuyuki Great Fire, he would probably have collapsed then and there.

This pain was nothing compared to that.

But the pain was worth it, as he opened his eyes and looked with awe at the sword in his hand. It was just like the sword he had seen in the Fujimura property, but unlike his first copy, this one felt right. He couldn't explain why, he just knew.

Without conscious thought, or even realizing that he'd never taken more than a basic course in kendo, he fell into a stance and went through a simple kata with expert precision, the gleaming sword in his hand cutting through the air smoothly. A thud of something hitting the ground caught Shirou's attention. He looked in its direction and stared.

"W-w-w-w-w…" Taiga stammered out with eyes wide while pointing at him from the ground at the outhouse's entrance. Apparently he'd been so focused on what he'd been doing that he never noticed her coming…and she'd apparently seen everything.

"Uh…I can explain…?"

A/N

Ahem…to my knowledge the Church never did an interdiction like they did here, though both they (because they oversee the contest) and the Association (because magic was involved) probably did investigate the explosion. Just a plot device on my part…as is the Association inspection here. Zouken is both right and wrong. He's right that the Association will discover that the Grail war will come early, and this will inevitably reach the ears of Sakura's faction (the Hohenzollerns). OTOH, it doesn't necessarily follow that it was the Hohenzollerns who ordered the investigation, though they might have caused it indirectly: their rivals/fellow factions could easily want to see just how valuable their newest asset/member is.

As for Rin…well she can't go Dark Rin because AFAIK her Five Elements can't quite sync with Angra Mainyu like Sakura's Imaginary Numbers can, OTOH having what's left of Irisviel inside of her will have an effect (apart from theoretically-infinite prana due to being able to draw on the World like a homunculus).

Shirou…that's just a sword, it's not a Noble Phantasm, even if he managed to perform tracing/open his magic circuits early on, move along, move along, no need for lynching…