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

Different Fates

Chapter 31

"So…" Anika began over breakfast. "…what's your plan?"

Sakura paused in the act of taking tea, and set her teacup down on its saucer. "I'm thinking about it." She replied. "Right now the Holy Grail War is on the backburner. The priority is taking down Zouken Matou. However…"

"You can't take him lightly." Anika concluded, and Sakura nodded her agreement.

"Quite…" she said. "…old magi are powerful, and Zouken is well over a century if not more old. Furthermore he'll have the advantage of fighting in his home territory, and at the end we might be forced to take the fight into his workshop. That puts us at a disadvantage."

"No man's land and then a fortress, eh…?" Anika said. "Troublesome…"

"Indeed…" Sakura agreed, buttering a slice of toast. "…and I've no doubt he knows that I know of his treachery. He's probably digging in right now, breeding more of his vile monstrosities and setting up traps and boundary fields to batter and wear us down, until by the time we reach his last redoubt we'll barely be strong enough to engage him in person…and without the ability to weather a final counterattack."

"And there's your sister." Anika said. "I don't fancy getting attacked from the rear while in hostile territory and facing fortress guns in front."

Sakura and Archer laughed at that, and Anika smiled. "Interesting choice of words…" Sakura said, biting down on her toast. "…still, I've a plan. The only problems are…"

She trailed off and Anika and Archer stared at her. She finished chewing and swallowed, before taking a drink of tea. "…collateral damage…" she said. "…and of course if my sister is inside the Matou territory…"

Archer narrowed his eyes in thought, a nagging suspicion building in his mind as he considered the possible strategies Sakura might have thought of. "No…" he finally ventured. "…I do not believe your sister or even Zouken Matou will be inside."

"What?"

"Most likely Zouken will be sitting the siege out somewhere safe, just in case you actually succeed in breaking his defences." He replied. "With that said, he won't be too far away either, but close enough that should you break against his defences he'll be able to come and taunt you just before you die, or worse."

Sakura nodded slowly, her eyes narrow. "And my sister…?" she asked.

"The same…" Archer said. "…as much as it pains me to say and point this out, she is our enemy's great experiment in fusing Matou and Einzbern mysteries. My apologies for my choice of words, but bluntly put I doubt if he'd risk his prize specimen in line battle."

Sakura nodded again. "That certainly seems plausible." She said with a note of tightly-controlled anger.

Anika and Archer stayed quiet, Sakura drinking tea in silence. At length she spoke up. "I agree that Zouken will keep my sister out of the battle, and that he'd be skulking somewhere else while we attack his home." She said. "With that said I don't think he'll be able to do much less would even think of moving all of his facilities, his other research materials, and whatnot away in such a short amount of time without drawing potentially hostile – or acquisitive – attention from the other magi in the city."

"Yes…" Anika agreed. "…research material in transit between workshops is particularly vulnerable to being seized by fellow practitioners."

Sakura nodded. "Pragmatism and prudence drives him to be elsewhere in case the worst happens…" she continued. "…but that just it: it's the worst. He'll probably be anticipating a sweet victory torturing me like he tortured my sister. He'll have everything except my sister and himself inside his home territory."

Sakura's eyes glittered. "The only problem now is collateral." She said. "I'll…have to think on this some more."

Archer and Anika nodded, and Sakura leaned back in her seat, letting the tea fumes soothe her mind.

Rin Matou woke up, huddled against a cold and dank stone wall in a back-alley, the stink of rot filling her nostrils. And not the kind of rot that sets in in the underbelly of a city, that of rotting garbage and refuse, but the rot of corpses, of dark and wet places that never see the light of the Sun, where foul and twisted things breed and nest, and where the souls and bodies of men are eaten away until nothing is left.

She knew that smell well, having been part of it for so long.

But she never expected to find it outside of her home, or a morgue or slaughterhouse, much less out in the city. Not even in the dead-end streets behind the prosperous façade of civilization.

The smell came from the corpses around her, their clothes and general appearance marking them out as nothing more than the poor and homeless every city has. They probably got too close during the previous night, while she lay in stupor from her body's exertions and torment, only to be killed without their killer even being aware of it.

Rin whimpered at the sight, hugging her legs to herself. The anger and hatred she'd felt last night, which had led her to torch an entire block and kills dozens if not over a hundred people, wilted away at the sight of worms slowly but visibly eating the bodies of the dead in front of her.

Let's go Rin…let's go from here…with your sister and your mother…let's…be…happy…together…

Rin whimpered again, shaking her head with her eyes wide with denial.

The man keeled over backwards, landing with a sick sound on the floor. Flesh bulged and contorted unnaturally, exploding in places as worms burst out, ravenously eating their dead host's form.

"Get up…" the girl whispered, purple eyes wide with disbelief. "…get up…"

The man didn't get up. He never would again. She walked closer, purple eyes staring at the dead man, his half-eaten face transfixed into a satisfied expression born of delusion. Slowly but steadily, disbelief turned to anger, the girl's eyes and face twisting with emotion.

"I said get up!" Rin shouted, kicking at the corpse. It gave way slightly, rotting blood and ichor oozing out, worms slithering out with them. The girl briefly recoiled at the sight, but then the anger came back, and screaming with rage she kicked the corpse again…and again…and again…

"Why are you dead?" she screams. "Why? Answer me! Get up and answer! Why? Why? Why? Why are you dead? Why did you make me hope? Why did you make me believe? Get up! Answer me!"

Rin shakily got to her feet, sliding up along the wall and edging along it towards the corridor. She ran. She had to get away from there, before someone caught her. What had she done? They didn't deserve that. They weren't part of what had happened to her. They probably only wanted to help, seeing a schoolgirl who might have taken an overdose, or worse had been raped.

And she'd killed them. She might not have known what she was doing, but it didn't change the fact: she killed them.

She burst out into a busy street, slamming nearly out of control into the safety railing. As people stared and muttered at the sight of her, Rin belatedly realized her ragged appearance with her clothes stained with soot, dirt, and from the look of things, dry…something…

The girl stopped kicking the corpse, now lying in a puddle of leaked blood and ichor. Worms fed in frenzy, unfeeling purple eyes watching on. "What an idiot…" she finally said. "…to go against grandfather's will…"

Rin doubled over at the memory, retching violently. "I'm a monster." She thought. "In the end…I'm just a puppet…dancing to his tune whenever he plays it or otherwise lashing out like rabid dog with no real purpose at all."

The muttering around her grew stronger, and a few worried individuals even came closer.

"Miss, are you alright?" one of them asked.

"Should we call an ambulance? Or the police…?"

"Do you need help?"

"I'll be fine." She gasped out, staggering away down at the street. Prana flowed through her magic circuits, mixing with her voice as she tried to use magic to get them to forget about her. Too much…or rather she was too shaken for fine control.

Blood streaked down her cheeks from her eyes, dripping down onto her clothes or onto the ground, Irisviel von Einzbern's Mystic Eyes of Binding – unused in life and carried over in a flawed fashion into this twisted rebirth – coming to life. All froze as their memories of the past few minutes were erased, but this turned into disaster as drivers lost control of their cars, or pedestrians were frozen in place as they crossed the street.

As screams, screeching tires, and violent crashes reverberated through the air, Rin Matou fled, blood and tears flowing freely.

Monster….monster…monster…they only wanted to help…he did his best…you killed them…you killed him…you killed them all.

Shirou Emiya walked out of the shower refreshed, the feeling of clean clothes on freshly-washed skin a welcome one. Closing the door behind him he turned…and nearly ran into his Servant. And she looked rather serious.

Not again…she'd look a lot nicer if she smiled more.

"Can I help you?" he asked politely.

"It's just something I forgot to mention earlier." She replied, and Shirou sighed.

"And what's that?"

"Your mentor, Rin Matou…" Saber said much to Shirou's discomfort. "…as I understand from your narration during the previous night, you interfered in her attack on Sakura Tohsaka, and assisting in her and her friend's escape."

"Yes I did." Shirou said shortly, and beginning to walk away. Saber followed after him. "Do you have something against that?"

"Not at all…" she replied to his surprise. "…as I understand from your narration, she was simply put lost to her anger and would have killed her sister in blind rage if not for your actions. That is something worthy of praise."

"Thanks…I think…" Shirou fumbled, and Saber smiled at him. It was like the Sun rising.

"I am praising you Shirou." She said. "I imagine you were friendly with each other outside of a master-student relationship?"

"That's right."

"Then it is only to be expected for friends to help each other." Saber said with a nod. "And no matter how she might see it, you were only acting as a friend should when you stopped her from doing something she would regret later on."

Shirou sighed. "That's the problem isn't it?" he asked. "How she might see it?"

Saber looked sad and nodded. "Yes." She said. "Your actions were entirely meet, however it is likely she would not see it as such. She might see it as betrayal, tinted her perspective as it is by her anger towards her sister."

"It wasn't Tohsaka-san's fault what happened to her." Shirou said unhappily. "She was just a child! What could she have done? If anyone is to blame it should have been her parents, and especially that 'grandfather' of hers!"

"I do not dispute that." Saber said. "However I am well aware how…emotion can cloud the reasoning of men. So many of my own…"

Shirou paused and looked at her. She still wore a stoic expression, but there was more, hidden in the well-like depths of her eyes. There was sorrow there, and regret. She would not let it show, not so openly, but it was there. "Sorry…" Shirou said. "…I forgot that with your history, you'd know about people losing to their emotions."

"Quite…" Saber agreed. "…with that said I would suggest being very wary. As your mentor Rin Matou – assuming she turns against you – would know you and your magic quite well. It would be quite easy for her to use what she knows against her."

"She's a Master." Shirou said unhappily. "She'd turn against us sooner or later."

"Yes, there is that. However as her student you could also…"

"No…" Shirou interrupted. "…I can't turn what I know about her against her. Because of everything that's happened recently, it looks like I don't know anything about her at all. And I can't blame her for not opening up either: what's happened to her isn't something you just talk about after all. And even if I had pressed…"

Shirou trailed off, and he sighed. "Some hero I am…" He said bitterly. "…I couldn't even help my friend and teacher. And I can't even say I tried."

"Shirou…"

Shirou glanced at Saber and sighed. "Well I'll be careful." He said. "I still might be able to help her, but I can't do that if she or someone else kills me, right?"

Saber nodded and Shirou smiled weakly. "Then…" he said. "…I'll be counting on you when the time comes, alright?"

Saber smiled. "As you say…" she said. "…Shirou."

Archer stared.

Rider stared back.

Archer sighed. "Wait here." He said, and walked back inside the house leaving Rider and his Master outside the gate. Proceeding to the living room he found his Master lounging on the couch while Baroness Derfflinger sat reading in one chair.

"So what did they want?" Sakura asked.

"They want to talk apparently." Archer replied, and Sakura and Anika shared perplexed glances. "You won't see them?"

Sakura crossed her arms and thought it over. Between her short hair and different attire – Rin's usual casual attire was a long-sleeved shirt of red over a black mini-skirt whereas Sakura favoured a red long-sleeved blouse under a black apron and skirt (though they both favoured black knee socks apparently) – she looked very different to Archer's usual Master. They had the same thoughtful expression though. "No…" she finally said. "…I'll see them. Flora, prepare orange juice and sweets if you please."

Yes my lady.

Archer nodded even as Flora responded telepathically, making his way back to the gates where Rider and his Master waited. Again he stared, Rider looking…unusual for lack of a better word in a shirt labelled 'ADMIRABLE' in bold and all caps over blue jeans. His Master on the other hand looked pretty much like a typical aristocratic magus down to the stereotypical haughty expression.

"She'll see you." He said while opening the gate and letting them pass.

"Splendid…!" Rider said with a grin, walking in followed by his Master. The young woman looked around a few times and nodded with apparent approval.

So she can sense Sakura's defences without too much effort, eh? Not bad at all little lady.

Archer escorted them into the living room, Flora following – having stepped aside to allow Rider, Archer, and the former's Master in first – after them with a tray carrying several glasses with ice, a pitcher of orange juice, and a platter of sweetmeats. Sakura and Anika stood as their guests arrived. "Welcome Lady Archisorte." The former said. "This is an unexpected pleasure."

"Thank you for your welcome…" Reines returned, momentarily confused as to how to address Sakura. "…Dame Tohsaka."

Sakura laughed at that. "I suppose I would be called that as a member of Order of the Red Eagle…" she conceded while gesturing for her guests to sit. "…still I'm not married, so my apologies if that style feels a bit…inappropriate."

"True…" Reines laughed as she took a seat opposite her hostess. "…then how may I address you?"

"Ms. Tohsaka will suffice." Sakura replied, and Reines nodded. All seated, Rider immediately poured himself a full glass of orange juice, and drank half of it at once.

"Nice place you have around here." He commented.

"I suppose so." Sakura agreed. "This is the family home, so the accumulated…bric-a-brac of entire generations of Tohsaka tend to pile up. It's a bit cluttered for my taste though. I've gotten too used to relatively simple living at the Clock Tower dorms."

Reines chuckled with sympathy. "Yes that makes sense." She agreed. "You've lived there since you were a child, didn't you?"

"Yes…" Sakura said softly, her eyes far away. "…yes I did."

"My apologies…" Reines immediately said. "…it seems I asked something inappropriate."

"There's no need." Sakura said, pouring drinks for her guests (or in Rider's case a refill), Anika, and then herself. "It's the truth after all, and it's better than living alone in an empty house."

"I see." Reines said, dropping the topic. Sakura took a drink from her glass, sitting in silence as her guests – well Rider – helped himself to her offered sweets. At length she spoke up.

"So…" she began. "…how may I help you Lady Archisorte?"

Reines set her glass down before speaking. "Rider here…" she said and indicating her Servant with a gesture. "…has a proposition."

"Oh?"

Sakura turned to the giant Servant who grinned at her. "Well it's less of a proposition and more of an invitation really." He said.

"Invitation…?" Sakura echoed. "To what…?"

"Why, to a Feast of Heroes of course!" Rider responded grandly. "A gathering of the heroes who answered the call of seven Masters, to discuss their goals and purpose, and perhaps to determine who amongst us is the most worthy of the Holy Grail!"

Silence met his proclamation, Reines looking away while twirling a lock of blonde hair, while Anika, Sakura, and Archer gaped at Rider. Flora being Flora, she just stood there waiting for a command from her mistress.

At length, Archer stirred. "That has to be the most insane idea I've ever heard." He said while Anika and Sakura exchanged glances.

"Archer…" Sakura said admonishingly while waving him to silence. "…Rider, are you serious?"

"Of course I am!" Rider replied. "What point is there in speaking without meaning? Truly as Archer said, a gathering of heroes as what I propose is unheard of in this contest, the Holy Grail meant to be won by feat of arms after all. However I believe that great heroes such as ourselves can and should strive to achieve victory without unnecessary bloodshed, perhaps even without any bloodshed at all."

"That's impossible." Archer said. "And speaking of bloodshed, you're not really one to speak of avoiding it, should you King of Conquerors?"

"Archer…!"

Rider laughed. "No, I suppose not." He agreed. "Still, I strove to avoid bloodshed whenever I could, and I would do so again. There was and still is no need to stain history with hatred."

"Is that so?" Archer said disbelievingly.

"Archer, that's enough." Sakura ordered. "King of Conquerors, I apologize for my Servant's lack of manners."

"No, it's alright." Rider said. "I can't deny that I have blood on my hands. But this is neither the time nor place to discuss such a matter. No, if we're to discuss it, I daresay we should do it tonight, at the Einzbern castle, in attendance with the other Masters and Servants along with all our motivations and goals."

"Einzbern Castle…?" Anika echoed. "Then they've agreed to this?"

"Not yet…" Rider said with a smile. "…I plan to invite them last."

"In other words…" Sakura said with a knowing smile. "…you intend to impose on them, such that that little girl will have no choice but to go along. Not that I think she'd ever refuse: spin it as a party and like all children she'll probably jump at the opportunity."

"You shouldn't call her a little girl." Anika said with a frown. "You remember what happened the last time."

"Yes, yes…" Sakura said. "…have you invited any of the others, King of Conquerors?"

"Lancer and his Master have already agreed." Rider said. "And after this, I intend to visit the Emiya boy's home and invite him and Saber."

Anika looked at Sakura who kept her face carefully calm. At length she sighed and nodded. "I have a counteroffer, King of Conquerors." She said with a small smile. "Would you care to consider it?"

"A counteroffer to an invitation…?" the giant rumbled with a curious note. "Well let's hear it then."

"It's simple really." Sakura said. "I'll accept this invitation, but only if you tell the Emiya boy that I'd like to speak with him tonight, at this little gathering of yours."

Anika glanced at Sakura, who looked oddly melancholy. "Just speak with him…?" Rider echoed with a smile, and Sakura nodded.

"Yes, I just want to speak with him that's all."

Rider gazed at her for a few more moments and then nodded. "Very well then…" he said. "…I shall deliver your message, and in exchange expect your presence tonight. Of course, we will be under parley so no blood will be spilled, you know that right little lady?"

"Yes, I know that." Sakura said, and Rider nodded. He got to his feet, followed by Reines.

"Well then…" the giant said. "…thank you for your hospitality, but we shall take our leave. We'll be seeing you tonight then."

Sakura nodded, getting to her feet and asking Archer to escort them out. "Will you really just talk to him?" Anika asked Sakura once they heard the front door closed. Sakura sat back down and took a biscuit to nibble on before answering.

"I won't fight him." She said. "But it won't just be a simple talk. Nothing's as simple as it used to be, eh Anika?"

Sakura turned her head to smile at the baroness who smiled back and reached down to twirl a lock of Sakura's dark hair. "I wonder if things ever were." She said. "Just another nugget of wisdom of the world we magi have unlocked I guess."

Sakura chuckled and nodded. "It really is." She agreed, and Anika laughed as well.

"So what do you think of her, that Tohsaka?" Rider asked Reines as they walked down the street away from the Tohsaka property.

"I used to think of her as an upstart brat, an orphan who just got lucky." Reines replied with a smirk. "Now though…"

"Go on…"

"She's still an upstart…" Reines bluntly continued. "…but at least she's no longer a brat."

Rider burst out laughing. "Don't underestimate upstarts little lady." He said. "They used to call me one, by both my enemies in Macedonia and Persia alike. And look how far I went."

"I don't need to." She said. "One look at that insufferable brother of mine will be enough."

Rider laughed again. "He's rather cranky isn't he?" he remarked. "He didn't use to be like that."

It took a moment for the comment to sink in, and then Reines glanced sharply at her Servant with her mouth open slightly in surprise. Rider noticed and glanced at her. "What's wrong?" he asked, and she shook her head.

"No, it's nothing." She said, but inwardly her mind was awhirl.

He talks as if he knew Waver as a boy. That…that's not possible is it? A Servant is after all a 'copy' of a specific Heroic Spirit as recorded in the Throne of Heroes, and the memories and experiences of each incarnation is deleted upon the Servant's death. The Servant Rider my brother had during the Fourth Holy Grail War…

…he was killed by Archer wasn't he? His memories of Waver…they should have vanished with him.

Reines cautiously looked at her Servant walking beside her. "Maybe I'm thinking too much." She thought to herself. "Rider being Rider, he probably just said his assumption about Waver's childhood, well adolescence as fact. Yes, that's probably it. There's no way Rider could have his, no his previous incarnation's memories."

"You're not going to be trouble, will you Reines?" Rider suddenly asked. "When we get to Emiya's place that is?"

"Waver talks too much." She said at once.

"He's only worried."

"Fine…and no, I won't cause trouble." she said. "I agreed to let you hold this insane gathering of yours, and I'm not going to shame myself by sabotaging you while you arrange it. And besides…it's too troublesome."

"Getting revenge for your uncle…?"

"Do you disapprove?"

"No…" Rider said. "…if he'd been killed by an assassin's knife or by poison, I'd support you. But he died in battle didn't he, during the previous Holy Grail War?"

"He knew the risks." Reines agreed. "And Kiritsugu Emiya is dead. What's the point in getting revenge against someone who's already dead? And also…"

"Go on…"

In truth…when this war started…I did think of going after Emiya's boy. But after you became my Servant…after Waver made me study your history…your life…your legend…after those dreams…

Reines stopped walking, her mind recalling a memory of her Servant's that came to her in a dream, of how after a great victory against the Persians the Macedonians had sacked the Persian camp, sparing only the royal pavilions of the fled Darius III, belonging as they did by right to the victorious King.

They stood there, women and children, eunuchs and maidservants, staring apprehensively at the redheaded King at whose mercy then now lived or died. One of them, a breathtakingly-beautiful woman in finely-spun and richly-decorated robes embellished with jewels, stepped forward. Fear was evident in her face, and yet she stepped forward, daring the King's Companion warriors who laid hands on sword hilts at her approach.

And yet she approached undaunted, sinking to one knee, and spoke in a soft yet strong voice. A servant fearfully translated the queen's words into Greek, introducing her as Darius's queen, and how she offered herself as a hostage and more if that was what the victor desired, asking only for mercy for Darius' other wives, and for their and her children, and for the servants that accompanied them.

The King raised his hands, beckoning for the Companions to relax. And then, to the surprise of all, he knelt down, and raised the queen to her feet. And he assured them, that despite being the victor having the right to do as he wished, he would not impose on them, and they would be shown respect and honour due to their station, and should they need for anything, all they would have to do is ask.

And the queen bowed with gratitude and dignity, followed by the other wives and children, and their servants, the great King leaving having gained more than lesser kings would have in his place.

Reines smiled. "I'll beat Emiya into the ground if I have to." She said with a raised fist for emphasis, and Rider laughed. She took it in stride, and continued undaunted. "But for anything else other than the needs of the war…I won't hold his father against him. I'm better than that. Isn't that right, King of Conquerors?"

"Yes, you're certainly better that that Reines."

A/N

No, I'm not sure if Iri had Mystic Eyes of Binding like Illya but it's not unreasonable to assume that she had and simply never used them. But since Rin's…fusion with Iri isn't perfect, using those Mystic Eyes causes her eyes to bleed.

I MIGHT write a sequel to this when it's done, but I'm not doing a prequel. It'll just be a rehash of Fate/Zero with minor dialogue changes and a few added scenes (like Rin above savaging Kariya's corpse before saying the same thing as Sakura did in canon), so no. I might as well write a sequel/finish my other stories for all the effort I'd have to put into it. Probably Moonlit Fate…