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

Different Fates

Chapter 30

Smoke rose from the ruins into the night sky, firemen and aid personnel determinedly going to and fro on their duties, the precious few injured so badly hurt that they had to be rushed away on stretchers, while the sobering many cadavers were placed in body bags before being taken away for burial. Detectives and their assistants went over the ruins with cameras and other tools, looking for any sign that could explain the murderous fire that had swept over the surrounding block barely hours ago, while policemen stood guard and kept any bystanders away.

Veiled from the eyes of mundane Humans by magic, a young lady in dark clothes made her way over to a giant in armour standing beside a chariot. Reines Archisorte El-Melloi patted her beret clean and then replaced it over her blonde hair. "Well?" Rider asked her, his tone of voice bereft of any of his usual joviality. "What do you think?"

"Whoever did this was powerful." She replied, turning to look back over the ruins. "Starting a fire with magic is actually quite easy, the same for sustaining it long enough to kill a person or to spread it out over a large area. Heating it up to melt stone and metal is more difficult, but manageable."

"But…"

"Yes." Reines agreed with a nod. "Look…the buildings in this block have been gutted. Most are two-story affairs, while a few go up to five stories. All…gone…and the corpses are all burnt black, reduced to little more than charred husks."

Rider made a thoughtful noise, but said nothing. Reines too stayed silent, and while she wasn't a particularly kind or emphatic woman even by the standards of magi, something like this didn't sit right with her.

I've no problems with killing people. I've done it before. This...? Why? What purpose would killing so many, and in such a flamboyant manner serve?

Was it to empower their Servant? That doesn't make sense. If they have the power to do something like this, then they should be more than capable of powering their Servant on their own.

Who? Who could have done this? Tohsaka…? Makiri…? Einzbern…? Or one of the other Masters…?

Reines cleared her thoughts as the other Master investigating the fire approached. "McRemitz…" she said with a nod.

"Lady Archisorte…" Bazett said and returning the nod. The two of them had met in the ruins, and while Bazett had quickly realized that Reines had merely been investigating, the other magus had jumped into assumptions and had blamed Bazett for starting the fire.

Ultimately though Lancer had pointed out if that were the case, and his Master had been plain malicious, then she – Reines – would already be dead, killed for failing to avoid sticking her nose where it didn't belong. The noblewoman was furious of course, but had calmed down after Bazett put forward her own findings as a goodwill gesture.

Rider laughed softly, patting his Master on the head as she finished recounting how she met Lancer and Bazett in the ruins. "Never assume without reason…" he said. "…it's a good lesson to learn."

"Yeah, yeah…" Reines waved it off, and then turned back to Bazett. "…did you find anything more?"

Bazett stared at her. "I wasn't aware that we were sharing information beyond what was necessary to avoid unnecessary fighting." She said coolly. "An exchange perhaps…?"

Reines made a sound of discontent but assented anyway. "Nothing…" she said unhappily. "…I've found nothing more than what you and I already knew earlier."

Bazett smiled a more than a little smugly. "Well I don't blame you." She said. "After all you're still a child, and not an Enforcer to boot. You wouldn't have much experience in collecting data outside of laboratory instrumentation and experiments."

Reines coloured angrily but said nothing. Bazett's smile grew slightly wider before she pulled a pair of amulets from a pocket and tossed them to her. They were makeshift ones, cloth and twine with the former inscribed with a rune Reines couldn't recognize. What she could recognize though was the palpable…wrongness that seeped from the rune, as though something…liquid but was not was seeping into the air. "What is this?" she demanded. "A curse…?"

"Yes…" Bazett agreed. "…to be honest I'd be surprised if you found it out. I nearly didn't if Lancer hadn't sensed it himself."

"A rune of binding…?" Rider asked, and eyes turned to him. "What? It's a reasonable assumption. You said the curse was almost impossible to sense, so how else could you show it to us apart from casting it on yourself? Based on that and what I can see, you bound it to something harmless instead."

"Not bad…" Lancer said with a smirk. "…I'm actually qualified as a Caster myself, rune magic you know. How about you…?"

"Well now…" Rider said with an answering smirk. "…I could be a Caster, but I'm not really and never have been a magus."

"Oh…? That sounds interesting King of Conquerors. You could be a Caster but you're not a magus. That sounds crazy."

"It does." Rider agreed. "But it's still the truth."

"Is that right?"

The two Servants exchanged respectful smirks, while Reines walked over to a burnt-out building nearby. Bazett and the Servants looked on as she extended a hand to the ruins, her other hand holding Bazett's amulet. Several moments later and she returned. "Sorry about that…" the blonde said while giving one amulet back. "…but I had to make sure."

Bazett shrugged. "No problem…" she said. "…verify right?"

"Quite…" Reines agreed before giving a sigh. "…still, what a troublesome curse the magus behind this has. I won't be sure until I can analyse it in depth, but just from what's leaking out…"

"It's corrosive on a conceptual level." Bazett concluded as Reines trailed off. "It's…the best I can describe it would be an 'echo' of death and destruction, and nothing more. It's as though the mysteries behind the curse have no other purpose and application apart from those."

"Apt…" Reines agreed, staring flintily out over the ruins. "…it fits a magus who'd do something as senseless as…this."

"This war's heating up." Bazett said. "From here on out, we might be seeing more scenes like this. Thus far the fighting's been…tame, but with something like this happening other Masters might be emboldened to go equally or even further in pursuit of victory."

"Including you…?" Reines inquired, and Bazett glared at her. Reines didn't flinch, meeting the Enforcer's eyes bravely. "Those are nice eyes. My brother has eyes like those."

"I'm sure he does." Bazett said. "And I'm sure he'd be disappointed if you'd do anything he wouldn't do."

Reines shrugged, the tension melting out of the air. "That…" she said softly. "…that's something I can't deny, or intend to do."

"I'm glad to hear it."

"As am I…" Rider said, stepping forward and placing a hand on Reines' shoulder. "…terrible things happen in war, and war itself is a terrible thing. Ultimately it is only the purpose behind it, the purpose behind the men – and women – who stand on the frontlines that redeem it."

He paused and glanced down at Reines who looked up at him. Master and Servant stared at each other before Reines smiled reassuringly, and Rider smiled back. He then looked at Lancer and Bazett. "I agree that this war will be heating up from now on." He said. "With that said…"

"Seriously Rider…?" Reines cut in, and had a hand placed on her head for her trouble.

"Tell me Lancer…" Rider continued with a smile. "…would you care to join me for a drink tomorrow night?"

"Oh?" Lancer said with a smile, motioning for Bazett to wait. "A drink with the King of Conquerors…? Well why not? Are you buying…?"

"Of course…!" Rider replied at once. "I was the one who gave the invitation wasn't I? What kind of host imposes on his guests?"

Lancer barked out with laughter. "True enough…" he said. "…in that case we accept the invitation, don't we?"

Bazett didn't look happy, but she nodded her compliance. Her expression though, it clearly said that she expected answers from her Servant later on.

"You know what?"

"No."

Anika Freiin von Derfflinger wasn't completely comfortable, but she hadn't been able to say no either. Thankfully though, Sakura only wanted to keep her close and not push things too fast, so while they slept together in her bed nothing…inappropriate had happened.

Not that Anika would have minded either way…though given Sakura's current mental state, pushing things beyond what they had right now was probably NOT a good idea. And thankfully she knew that.

It felt nice though, snuggling up to each other like this. Oh they'd slept with each other in the past, usually on field duties, but nothing like sharing a bed without any real need to do so.

Not that they could get any sleep, Anika due to worries over Sakura, and Sakura over the ruins of everything she'd believed up until earlier that day.

"What's really terrifying is that those two genuinely believed they were doing the right thing." Sakura said, speaking softly while snuggled up against Anika's chest.

"The path to hell is paved with good intentions, eh?"

Sakura laughed weakly. "It is." She said, nodding against Anika. "From a purely objective perspective there's nothing wrong with my father's designs, much less my mother's lack of protest. But…"

"Do you hate them?"

Sakura didn't answer at once. "If you had asked me that earlier, I might have said yes." She finally said. "No, I would have said yes. But now…I can't. I can't hate them. No matter what mistakes they made, they're still my parents. I loved them, and I still do. And I knew that they loved me…loved us, me and my sister both."

"Sakura…"

"Mother…if she hadn't, she wouldn't have cried when sister was given away. When her mind broke after father's death…the memory she came back to…the illusion she wrapped herself in, it was all four of us: father, me, sister, and her all together again. It was a delusion, a delusion she took wretched comfort in until the day she died, but it was the only thing left to her…the most important thing…"

"And your father…"

"Father…father was cold. He and I were never close. But he cared…it wasn't his fault that he could only show it the way a magus could. But he wanted the best for us, and no matter how much of that was his duty as a magus, he still cared. And I can't hate him…I just can't."

"Your reason for being a magus was for him to be proud of you."

Sakura laughed with a bitter note of self-derision. "Selfish…" she said. "…that's just like me I suppose."

"Sakura…"

"He smiled you know." She suddenly said. "A few times in the year between sister's disappearance and his death…he smiled at me. Nothing like the smiles he gave Rin, few and brief…but he smiled. And every time he did, I felt happy."

"What will you do now?" Anika asked, and Sakura disentangled herself from Anika. The Japanese magus lay back on the pillow, one arm held against her forehead. "Will you seek revenge again? For them and your sister…?"

"No…" Sakura whispered. "…no more vengeance…earlier you said I stood on the edge…and now…remembering that…and my sister's hatred…I don't want it. It's so easy to replace my sister's face with my own. And seeing that...I don't want it. I don't want to lose everything. And most of all…I don't want my sister to lose what little she has left."

"So…?"

"I'll save my sister no matter what." Sakura said, looking sideways at Anika. "And I'll get that Zouken Matou."

Anika smiled at her. "I thought you'd given up on vengeance." She said, and Sakura smiled back.

"It's not vengeance." She said, leaning forward and resting her forehead against Anika's. "It's justice."

"Ha!" Anika barked out, pulling Sakura into an embrace. "So you'll be a hero of justice?"

"No…" Sakura replied. "…there's no such thing as true justice anyhow. It's impossible to give everyone their due. But I can do a little. And I'm going to do just that, starting with a worm that long since needs to be stepped on."

"Be careful."

"I don't need to be." Sakura said, closing her eyes and snuggling up to Anika. "I have you don't I?"

"You depend on me too much." Anika said in all seriousness, but Sakura didn't reply. After a few moments of silence she looked down and sighed at Sakura sleeping peacefully against her. "Sweet dreams Sakura."

She kissed her hair, and then closing her eyes went to sleep herself.

Dead…the dead covered the ground like a morbid carpet, the fallen Saxons lying limply as their blood stained their clothes and armour or soaked into the ground from wounds already beginning to rot. Sightless eyes and voiceless mouths gaped lifelessly into the sky, the ground, or at their fellow fallen, but while others might recoil from such a sight, Shirou Emiya could only look on with pity and sadness.

"Why?" he asked in silence. "Why did they die? What were they fighting for? What did they want so badly that they left their homes only to die here?"

Sound and movement behind him caught his attention, and he turned and gasped. Saber stood before him, mounted on an armoured warhorse surrounded by mounted knights in polished plate. Behind them stood rank upon rank of soldiers, spears, swords, mail and armour shining in the Sun. Banners of blue and white flew in the breeze, and wordlessly Saber raised her sword, the same golden sword he saw her wield against Berserker.

"That sword…" Shirou thought over the sounds of soldiers cheering and raising their shields and weapons in triumph. "…I've seen it before…even before that fight…but where? Where have I…?"

As he mulled it over, he heard more. There were words…sentiments…whispers of dissent barely legible over the triumphant sound of thousands.

"The King sacrificed one of our villages."

"Even without sacrificing that village victory would still have been ours."

"What kind of King would place easy victory over the lives of his people?"

"The King only cares when it suits him."

"Do we really want a King like that?"

"Can a King really be King when he doesn't care for his people?"

The whispers continued, and Shirou narrowed his eyes angrily. "That's not true." He thought. "Even if she abandoned a village to her enemies, she wouldn't have done it without good reason. And how can they say that she doesn't care? She's here isn't she? She defeated her people's enemies, staining her hands with blood for their sake. So how can they say she doesn't care? If she didn't care she wouldn't be here. She'd have hidden away, and let her enemies at her people. So why…?"

Shirou slowly blinked his eyes open, fidgeting under his sheets. Turning his head he blinked twice at Saber coolly looking down at him from where she was sitting beside his bed in the morning Sun. He blinked for a third time before abruptly sitting up in surprise at her presence. "Good morning, Shirou." She said.

"Um…good morning…" he returned warily, and she tilted her head.

"Did you have a good rest?" she asked.

"Yes."

"I see." She said with a nod. She stared at him, and he stared back. This continued for a few more moments before Shirou sighed.

"I'm guessing you want something." He said.

"Yes." Saber said with a nod. "This might be the only chance I can talk frankly with you. I'd rather not darken breakfast matters with what I wish to speak with you about, nor do I wish to discuss it in the presence of your sister and consort."

"Stop calling her that." Shirou said irritably. "We're not married. She's a…uh…close friend."

"I see." Saber said with another nod. "Regardless we need to talk about this disturbing habit of yours. First there was Berserker's Master. Even after you knew she was a Master, you did not summon me…"

"She just wanted to talk." Shirou cut in but was just as quickly interrupted.

"That doesn't matter." Saber said. "Examples exist in the past of either or both parties in parley turning on the other after a bad turn. What would you have done if Berserker's Master had done so?"

"I'd have summoned you of course."

"That assumes you would have the time to do so." Saber said. "Please remember Shirou that Servants are more than Human. The speed with which a Servant can attack could easily be greater than the amount of time you have to use a command spell, much less for me to get to your side."

"Well she didn't." Shirou replied a bit testily. "In fact she offered an alliance just before you showed up…"

"And if you had refused there is a good chance she might have set Berserker on you."

Shirou narrowed his eyes at the mention of Berserker. "And if I had accepted…?" he asked to her veiled surprise. "Would you have refused to fight with Berserker?"

"I can keep control my impulses." Saber said. "And I will thank you for not questioning my loyalty to you, Master."

Shirou looked shamefaced at that, and Saber continued after a moment. "An alliance with Berserker and his Master is not something I would necessarily oppose." She said. "Berserker being who she is, I can all but guarantee she would turn on us sooner or later. That assurance actually makes her and her Master more reliable than others."

"I can believe what you say about Berserker…" Shirou said slowly. "…but surely her Master can keep her under control. And besides, Illya is my stepsister. She wouldn't…"

"You are aware of who I am, are you not?" Saber asked. "Even your relatives are not fully…"

"That's enough, Saber…!" Shirou said angrily, and she bowed.

"My apologies…" she said. "…it seems I've said too much. Just because my own sister betrayed me, it does not follow that yours would follow Morgana's example."

"No it doesn't." Shirou said sternly. "Is that all?"

"No…" she answered, and Shirou sighed. "…there is also the matter of Sakura Tohsaka. As a battle between magi I can understand you not wishing for me to get involved, but considering how quickly the situation deteriorated and dragged in the Servants present…Shirou you should take it to heart."

"In other words I shouldn't hesitate to summon you to my side whenever I encounter another Master, is that it?"

"Yes." Saber agreed. "In this war there is no such thing as battles between magi and battles between Servants, or at least the lines between the two are blurred. Shirou as your Servant one of my duties is to protect you. However you have duties to me as well, including avoiding getting into needless dangers."

"Tohsaka was the one who went…"

"But you were the one who refused to summon me…" Saber interrupted. "…and you were also the one who entered into discussions with Berserker's Master without taking precautions."

"Alright, alright..." Shirou said irritably. "…I get it already. I promise I won't take needless risks from now on, alright?"

Saber stared at him, and despite a slight sense of intimidation he stared back into her green eyes. At length she closed them and bowed. "I'll trust you then, Shirou." She said.

"You misunderstand him, Saber-chan." Taiga Fujimura said to the blonde Servant as they mused over after-breakfast tea. Classes had been cancelled for the foreseeable future considering the damage to the school, with the staff being placed on paid leave. Needless to say any irritation the 'Tiger' might have felt evaporated at the idea of free paid leave.

"I beg your pardon?" she asked in surprise. Despite the fact that the woman had a slight 'babying' perspective towards her, Saber instinctively felt that she was not to be trifled with. And there was strength in her eyes and demeanour that gave the Servant an inclination to respect her.

"Shirou's not putting himself into unnecessary risk because he's disregarding you…" Taiga said. "…it's more that he doesn't want you to fight."

"What?"

Shirou however turned to Ayako who was watching TV while munching on a biscuit. "You were eavesdropping weren't you?" he asked irritably.

"No I wasn't…!" she protested. "I was going to call you for breakfast, and I just overheard."

Shirou scratched at his head and just decided to let it go. He could however feel Saber's eyes boring into him from one side. He didn't trust himself to look.

"A Servant's duty is to fight." She said simply.

"Girls shouldn't have to fight." He replied shortly, and Saber looked taken aback. Anything further was cut off with laughter from the other people around the table.

"Sorry Saber-san…" Ayako said. "…it's just that Shirou here wants to be a Hero of Justice."

Shirou flushed and looked away, Ayako grinning at the sight. "Back then, we were asked what we wanted to do in life." She continued. "He wrote down just that, and that he wanted to spend his life helping and saving people."

"Is that so?"

"Well he's gotten a good start. He is after all a vigilante called the 'Archer of Winter'." Ayako said a bit hesitantly, and Shirou looked at her in surprise. Not so much that she'd revealed it, considering it was tame in the face of the existence of magic to say nothing of the Holy Grail War.

No, what was surprising was the pity and sadness in her voice at the title.

"Ayako…?"

"You're probably thinking what I'm thinking." Saber said. "You should say it. You are after all, in his own words, a close friend."

Ayako looked at him, and he blushed and looked away. Ayako blushed herself. "Shirou…" she said after a pause. "…do you really think that you're helping people?"

Shirou looked at her in surprise, but she continued before he could say nothing. "No that's wrong." She corrected. "You are helping and saving people. But…is it really just? True you're taking down criminals and other lowlifes, but…are you really any different from them? You're still breaking the law like they are. Laws are flawed, and the same goes for the people behind them and those enforce them, but at least there's responsibility above and behind them. You though…"

She trailed off, and Shirou looked away. "No…" he said. "…I've known for a long time that in my own way I'm just another criminal. Nothing like them, but still the same…but…what else can I do? It's the only way I know of helping others."

Taiga looked sadly at Ayako, who kept her face down towards the table. "I won't ask you give up on your dream." The girl eventually said. "But…think on it won't you? I'm sure…if you put your mind on it, you can find a way. A just way to make your dream come true, alright…?"

Ayako looked up with a smile, and reaching forward took his hand and squeezed. "Please…?" she said, and Shirou smiled and blushed.

"Alright, alright…" he said, rubbing his head. "…really…this is playing dirty you know. Using our relationship against me like this…"

Ayako and Taiga laughed at that, and even Saber managed a small smile. Ayako noticed it and had a thought. "Hey Shirou…" she began. "…can I ask you for something?"

"You just did."

There was more laughter at that, Shirou joining in this time. "What is it?" he asked.

Ayako glanced at Saber. "Shirou…" she said. "…promise me you won't be reckless. Summon Saber if you have to."

"Ayako that's…!"

"As hard as it is to believe…" she cut in with an apologetic glance at Saber. "…no offence Saber-san…"

"None taken…"

"She is or was King Arthur." Ayako finished, turning to face Shirou again. "She's fought in war and battle before. She's a legend Shirou. I'm sure she can take of herself, and protect you all at the same time. And besides, Master and Servant are supposed to support each other right?"

Shirou looked uncomfortable, but Ayako continued to smile. "Please…?" she asked, and Shirou caved in.

"Alright, alright…" he said resignedly before smiling at her. "…you really do play dirty. But since you're asking, I'll do it. I promise."

Ayako's smile widened. And while he'd seen her smile before, this was the first he saw her with such a smile, and the first time it made him feel so thankful at her smile. "Thank you." She said. "That's all I'm asking for."

"You're welcome."

A/N

They were just sharing a bed so get your minds out of the gutter.

Unlike most people I refuse to think that Tokiomi and Aoi were ignorant of canon Sakura's fate. That seems unlikely in the extreme, considering that Aoi and Kariya were close friends and he'd undoubtedly have told her at least once he learned that Sakura had been given to Zouken. Also Tokiomi is a magus, and it's a backstabbing society where pursuit of knowledge is paramount. Even AU Sakura is caught in the politics of the Association and the noble families, as I've explained (and described in-story) in past chapters, no need to rehash it.

With that said, I won't unilaterally condemn either or both of them (as happens in a few fics I've read but won't name). First of all they're dead, not much point left in going after them. Next, the world (both IRL and in the Nasuverse) is rarely if ever black and white. The road to hell is paved with good intentions after all.

Feast of Heroes countdown begins…now.