Rin scrubbed a charred sleeve across her face and gritted her teeth, a look of grim determination replacing the look of hopelessness in her eyes. Now was not the time to be blubbering like a child. She was always relying on Berserker to be strong, or relying on Shirou to be strong, Rin had to take a moment to remind herself that she was strong. Giving up simply wasn't something that she did.

Even though he was unconscious Shirou still radiated power faintly. Most likely his self fortification magic was the only thing keeping him alive. With all of her prana expended Rin couldn't use magic to stabilize him or even scan him to determine the extent of his injuries. She felt useless, like she was missing one of her limbs.

How frustrating. Could this be what Berserker felt? She thought. The sudden thought of Berserker was like running a finger along a fresh wound. If it wasn't for the tragedy of the situation Rin would have laughed at the cruel irony.

What a fool I was. I assumed that there was something wrong with him. That I had summoned the weakest possible servant. I had no idea how powerful he really is.

The swiftly approaching wail of sirens told Rin that she had no more time to reflect. Quickly she pulled herself to her feet and did her best to lift Shirou. Most of his left side had been utterly pulverized. His arm hung at an uncomfortable angle and while he had no compound fractures it was obvious that it was broken in several places. His face was the color of an eggplant and the texture of a cauliflower, bruises and abrasions purpling its surface into an unrecognizable landscape of broken flesh. Rin could feel broken ribs beneath her fingers as she threw his right arm over her shoulder and half dragged, half carried him away from the wreckage. She winced in sympathetic pain but despite the damage that moving him may cause she had no choice.

Rin kept moving until one of the distant sirens resolved itself into a careening firetruck from around a nearby corner. She ducked out of sight in a nearby alleyway and laid Shirou down as gently as she could, glancing over her shoulder to make sure they hadn't been spotted and struggling to catch her breath. He wasn't a lightweight at the best of times and with his magic increasing his body's durability and density he was almost too much for Rin to carry.

I need to get in touch with Ilya. She thought.

A quick glance at her cellphone showed that the electromagnetic force from Saber's nuclear attack had fried it. Rin gingerly checked Shirou's pocket for his phone on the hope that it might still be working but all she found were shards of plastic and silicone. Rin bit her lip.

She couldn't risk leaving Shirou in his current condition but without her magic she had no way of sending a message to Ilya. If she tried to carry him through the street she was sure to be spotted and questioned, possibly even arrested. Rin desperately cast about for anything that would help when a sudden idea struck her.

Quickly she rummaged around in her pocket. Did she have it? Yes!

Rin pulled out the small washer that she had enchanted to notify her when Caster's map went off. It held only a spark of magic, tenuously linked to the distant map in the Von Einsbern estate. Hopefully it would be enough. If Rin had any magic of her own left she would send a pulse down that connection to light up the map. As it was she had no prana to use, and if she drained any from the washer it would sever the connection.

Rin focused in on the tiny ring, her tongue between her teeth in concentration as she executed an extremely delicate magical operation. Carefully avoiding adding or removing any prana from the link she subtly manipulated it, stretching it and gathering as much energy as she could into a bundle at the washer. Without any prana of her own to work with the operation was like sifting grains of sand around with a yardstick, trying to coax them here or there into position without accidentally severing the link to the map.

The end result was hair thin wisp of prana with a slightly larger glob bundled up in the washer that Rin held in her hand. She took a breath, crossed her fingers, and deftly severed the link between the map and the washer. In theory the small bundle of prana would go whipping back to its source like a rubber band snapping back, creating a blip on the map. If she didn't make the thread of prana too thin. If Ilya and Caster were monitoring the map. If they hadn't left already to investigate the massive burst of energy that Berserker would have registered.

With help hopefully on the way Rin knelt back down besides Shirou to see what she could do for him. She had no way to tell if he was bleeding internally or going into shock. Still, the steady glow of magical energy radiating from his reflexive self fortification hadn't dimmed at all. That had to be a good sign.

Without anything to use for proper bandages Rin tore several long strips from the bottom of her skirt and used them as best she could to stop his bleeding. Although Berserker hadn't attacked him with a bladed weapon he still had cuts and abrasions from where he had been slammed into the car and a large ugly patch of exposed flesh where he had slid across the concrete. Rin also tore some wooden siding off a nearby building to form some makeshift splints so she could stabilize his broken arm and leg.

By the time she was done she didn't have much skirt left. She would have been embarrassed if not for the seriousness of the situation.

Luckily she was saved from having to decide between waiting hopelessly for rescue and carrying Shirou through the streets when an elderly male voice called out from the other side of the alleyway.

"I've found them, over here!"

Rin looked up as Caster and Ilya rushed around the corner. She heaved a sigh of relief but Caster's calculating glance and Ilya's horrified pause reaffirmed the desperation of the situation. She was kneeling over Shirou's broken form, her clothing charred and tattered, her face smudged with soot and blood. Shirou was unconscious and obviously gravely injured. Berserker was nowhere to be seen.

Rin braced herself for Ilya to throw herself into a hug but oddly enough she bit her lip, eyes downcast and shuffling from foot to foot. She looked almost guilty, probably beating herself up about not arriving sooner. Rin brushed off Ilya's odd behavior and beckoned her and Caster forwards.

"I did what I could for him but he's hurt. Badly. We need to stabilize him and get him back to the mansion." Rin said urgently.

Ilya knelt beside her, oddly keeping a cold distance between them.

Of course. Rin thought. She must be angry with me for putting her crush in danger. Nothing for it now, I'll have to make it up to her later.

Caster's hand stretched out and he ran an intricate magical diagnosis on Shirou's injuries. His brow rose slightly in that way it did when he'd discovered something interesting, always the scientist at heart.

"Interesting. He should be safe to move. But we need to act quickly. He hasn't got long." He said.

There was a light glow of magical energy as Caster levitated Shirou's prone form a few feet off the ground, careful to keep his limbs stable as they moved out.

"Can't you put him into a state of stasis? Like you did with Berserker?" Rin asked tersely.

The curious glances directed her way showed that her companions were both wondering where Berserker was. Neither came out and asked given the gravity of the situation. Rin was glad, she didn't know if she was up to explaining his madness or her own foolish mistake.

"I don't want to risk it. Berserker pulled power from the Grail, which is functionally infinite. Given the source of Shirou's powers and the rate he's burning through them putting him in stasis could lock them into a continual state of drain. That may kill him faster than his in injuries. Or it may not, but I wouldn't want to risk it."

By now they were within sight of the car. It took Rin a moment to realize what Caster had said.

"Given the source of his powers? You...you can tell where they come from?" Rin asked in wonderment.

The source of Shirou's seemingly unlimited mana had been one of the mysteries that intrigued Rin the most about him. She assumed it related in some way to the weapon that he possessed but she couldn't be sure. If Caster could shed some light on the issue it would help her to fathom out the true nature of the Omega weapon.

"You mean you don't...you two were so close, I assumed you knew." Caster said, quirking an eyebrow at Rin.

Rin didn't think Caster meant to come off as pretentious or a know-it-all, he simply lacked social tact and didn't realize that not everybody is a Servant level mage or a mechanical genius. Still Rin sighed exasperatedly. By now he had gingerly folded Shirou into the rear seat of the car. Rin got in beside him. He groaned as he slumped over, his head in her lap. For a moment Rin thought he was coming too but it was simply the pain of shifting around that pierced his fog of unconsciousness.

"Just tell me." She said tensely.

To her surprise Ilya took the wheel. She supposed it was to be expected, Caster wasn't exactly around in a time where he could learn how to drive.

Caster looked back at her over his seat, the city sliding past in the window as he contemplated her.

"He doesn't access prana the way that you and I do. He uses a different system, very powerful, but also very dangerous. Look at him. Look at the way he's accessing his energy. See if you can work it out." Caster said.

Rin gritted her teeth in frustration. She needed answers, not a lesson in investigative magecraft. Between the exhaustion and the stress her temper was at a breaking point. She forced herself to calm down and focused in on the magical aura that surrounded Shirou. There was a bubble that encompassed his form, the lensing effect that served the dual purpose of amplifying his magic and limiting his spells to his own body. But even with the effect increasing the power of his fortification spell the base amount of magical energy was more than a normal mage would be able to produce, and certainly more than they would be able to maintain for as long as Shirou had.

"There's a lensing effect, but that can't be all. There's too much power. He shouldn't be able to expend so much without recharging his prana reserves. I don't know where he gets it." She said, frustration tinging her words.

Caster considered for a long moment before he spoke again.

"Your prana reserves are like a cup of water standing in the rain. You draw mana out and the cup empties, you have to wait a while for it to fill up again. But since you're always collecting ambient..." He began in the tone of a teacher lecturing a student.

Rin waved her hand dismissively. It was a first year student's analogy. Actually she had used almost the exact same analogy when explaining how prana works to Shirou. The irony wasn't lost on her as she waved away Caster's explanation.

"I know all that, but how..." She began, but Caster cut her off.

"Now imagine that instead of drawing water out of the cup and letting it refill you instantly cut the top inch away from the rim. What would happen? A massive torrent of water would be released all at once. It would be far, far more powerful than drawing water out a bit at a time. But..."

"But the cup will never hold the same amount of water again." Rin finished grimly.

A sudden wave of cold rushed through her body. She felt like she'd been dunked in ice water.

"But...what does that mean?" She asked, afraid of what the answer might be.

Caster shrugged uncomfortably.

"To be honest I'm not sure. He's paying with his magical ability. His soul. The actual toll on his body could be anything from..."

Rin's eyes widened with sudden realization.

"I...try not to use it for trivial reasons. I don't wanna use it all up."

"Life's too short to wait around, ya know?"

"Life's too short."

"Life. It's his lifespan." She said dully.

And deep in her gut she knew it was true. She had always knew that Shirou was the type of man who would give his life for another person. What she didn't realize was that he did give his life for other people in a very literal way, minutes or hours or days at a time leeched away every time he activated his powers. He could give up the Omega weapon, cast it away, or if it was somehow part of him refuse to use it. But he didn't. He fought with every inch of his might whenever innocent people were in danger.

And me. Rin though. He fought for me so many times. I never knew...

She sat in silence for the remainder of the ride. There was nothing she could do for Shirou but cradle his head tenderly and hope for the best.

When they arrived Caster once again levitated Shirou inside, laying him on the kitchen table as Melva clucked her tongue and went to prepare hot water and bandages.

With Rin looking on anxiously Caster and Ilya set to work patching Shirou back together with mending spells and healing magic. By the end of the procedure Ilya was too tired to continue from the double strain of channeling Caster's power and using her own to help. She sat slumped in a chair seemingly refusing to look at Rin who was wracked with another pang of guilt.

When Caster was finally finished he straightened over Shirou's body and wiped his bloodied hands off on a towel that Melva handed him. Unlike the traditional magical healing that Rin and Ilya used Caster's didn't seem to be based around rapidly accelerating the healing process, but rather by moving the injured area backwards through time to a point before it had been damaged. As such his healing left no scars the way Rin's did.

Even with all the healing he had received to get him out of danger Shirou was in far from perfect shape. Caster had healed his most life threatening injuries but left his surface abrasions and bruises alone. He mentioned over healing and the risk of sending Shirou into temporal shock, not something that Rin wanted to find out what it was.

In the end Caster and Rin gingerly carried Shirou to his room and tucked him into bed. Thankfully his powers had faded and ceased automatically as his damage was healed, confirming Rin's hypothesis that they acted both under Shirou's control and involuntarily as some sort of defense mechanism. Ilya fawned over him a bit and then straightened. The look in her eyes told Rin that she had something to say but she bit her lip and rushed from the room instead, her eyes blinking back tears.

Rin was too exhausted to chase after her. No, for Ilya's sake she would make the effort. But when she went to rise Caster put a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Let her be." He said with fatherly concern. "You'll only make it more difficult for her."

Rin buried her head in her hands.

"She's in love with Shirou. No wonder she's so upset with me." She said, biting back emotion.

Caster nodded but hesitated to speak, as if unsure of his next words.

"I…don't think that's it. Oh, I do think she's in love with him. At least she thinks she is, the way any sixteen year old girl would love a handsome, mysterious stranger dropped into her life. She would love him the same way if he were a character in a play or a daydream that she entertained to pass the time. For what he represents, not what he is. But in this case I doubt her thoughts are on Shirou. It's you she's worried about. And…" Caster hesitated and trailed off.

"Between you and Shirou she'd choose you every time. That's what makes this so hard for her. She…" Once again he trailed off. It was unlike Caster to be lost for words but Rin was too tired and sick with worry for Shirou to analyze it.

Caster put a hand on her shoulder one more time before leaving.

"She's a good girl and a good friend. Don't be too hard on her afterwards." He said over his shoulder before closing the door.

Rin found herself alone with Shirou. He wasn't in a state for conversation so Rin simply sat by his beside and held his hand, his broken fingers just recently mended. She watched the sun sink towards the horizon, she tried to puzzle out her next move, she worked away at the emotional snarl that seemed to have collected around her, but eventually the exhaustion and stress took its toll.

…

She awoke disoriented and groggy. It was pitch black outside the window, the moon and stars blocked by a shroud of clouds. The only illumination was the dim glow of a desk lamp from across the room. A quick glance at the wall clock showed it to be a couple of hours after midnight.

Rin had fallen asleep in her chair, her head rested on her folded arms as she leaned forward over the edge of the bed. Since she had fallen asleep holding Shirou's hand it was trapped in the circle of her arms pressed up against her cheek. It was moving and the motion had wakened her.

Rin pushed herself up only to see Shirou pulling himself up as well. He winced as he righted himself and leaned back against the headboard, looking just as groggy as Rin felt. Rin was always so comfortable in his presence, even when he was at his most exasperating, but suddenly she found her self shy. Nervous of accusations or recriminations.

She needn't have worried.

As soon as he saw her Shirou's face broke into a grin. He jockeyed his head around a bit and reached up to rub out a kink in his neck with an exaggerated wince.

"Whelp, you sure do know how to pick 'em, Rin. That Berserker of yours hits like a mack truck." He said with a chuckle, falling back on his old defense mechanism of making light of every situation.

"I'm sorry, he could have killed you. He almost did. I…I didn't know…" Rin hung her head.

"Awww, c'mon now, buck up. There's no you could've known what would happen. 'Sides, I get smacked around plenty. I'm used to it. Life's too short to dwell on the things that go wrong. You just gotta keep moving forward, right?" He said with a wink.

Rin bit her bottom lip.

"Caster told me about the source of your power. The…price you pay." She said.

Shirou sighed and flopped back down, crossing his hands behind his head and staring up at the ceiling. The silence stretched between them for a long moment, just becoming uncomfortable as Shirou sat back up and drew his feet in, resting his elbows on his knees.

"Guess the cat's outa the bag, huh? So are you gonna start acting totally weird around me now?" He said morosely, his eyes searching Rin's face.

"Of course not!" She said quickly. "I mean, I don't know. How can you do it? How can you give so much of yourself all the time? You don't keep anything."

Shirou shrugged.

"It's not like my life was doing me much good. Besides, I made a promise to an old…friend." He said.

His words were just as light as they always were but somehow Rin could detect a grave seriousness beneath them. This was the core of who Shirou was, what made him tick.

"I read through that security file." Rin said quietly.

"It talked about the break-in at the complex, the man who stole away a…a survivor. Your friend...it was him, wasn't it? It was Emiya?"

Shirou looked at her sharply and then dropped his eyes in sorrow.

"He was the best person I'd ever met. He taught me how to be a man. No, that's not quite right. He taught me how to be a human. The last thing he ever said to me...'Be good'. That was it. Just be good. How could I do less after what he gave me?"

"What happened to him?"

Shirou turned his face away.

"He…died." He said, pausing for a long moment to search for the word. His voice was filled with a bitterness that Rin had never heard before and it took her by surprise.

The silence stretched once again, each of them brooding on their thoughts until Shirou spoke up again in his usual cheerful voice.

"Ah, but what's past is past right? What matters is what you do now. Life too short and all that." He said.

Rin marveled once again that he could be so up beat against all the pain that he held. She felt as if she should drop the issue but her concern for Shirou was too strong.

"So how...how much do you..." She said in a small voice. It was too much. Too intrusive.

But Shirou only heaved a sigh and rocked backwards.

"How much time do I have left? How long do I have before I run all the way out?" He said, finishing her sentence. Rin instantly regretted the question, unsure if she wanted to know the answer. He shrugged, staring up at the ceiling. The dim light of the lamp silhouetted his features, casting half his face into shadow.

"Does it matter? Less than all of it. More than none of it. I won't keel over tomorrow, or next week, or the week after that. But I won't see thirty either." He said.

His voice was filled with...not regret. Not sadness. But a kind of wistfulness that spoke of everything he would never see or do or experience. He didn't have the look of a man with nothing to lose. He had the look of a man who had nothing to lose for so long that he'd forgotten what it was like. A man consigned to his fate. But, since this was Shirou, a man consigned to go to his fate fighting tooth and nail with a grin on his face the entire way.

Rin slowly moved from her chair, her heart pounding. She meekly sat on the edge of the bed next to Shirou. He gave her a quizzical look, not surprised or eager, just questioning. After an eternity he reached out with a big arm and gathered her in, not in an intimate embrace, but in a firm hug of comfort and friendship. What they both needed wasn't passion, but the simple comfort of feeling a warm body next to them. Rin let her head rest on Shirou's shoulder and he relaxed backwards against the headboard.

They stayed like that for a long time.

"To think that Kotomine could be behind so much suffering. I would never have known him for what he was when I met him." Rin said drowsily.

Without warning Shiou's fingers tightened on her shoulder. He grabbed her by her arms and pushed her away, looking urgently into her eyes.

"Kotomine? You met him? You know where he is!?" He exclaimed, his eyes feverish.

All this time Rin had known that Kotomine was the director of Project Omega. It wasn't until she had read the file and realized Shirou's connection to the project that she knew what a monster he was. Of course! How could she have not realized it right away! There was literally nothing preventing her from marching back into the church and demanding answers from him. Shirou hadn't known that Kotomine was the priest presiding over the Grail War, and Rin hadn't known that he was behind Shirou's tragic history. They had been mere steps from each other and neither had realized it. It would have been comical if it wasn't so tragic.

"Y-yes. He was there, when I registered for the Grail War. I-I just didn't realize how he was mixed up in all this." She said.

Shirou leapt up like a man possessed, obviously determined to storm down to the church immediately and get...what? Answers? Vengeance?

Rin desperately pulled at his shirt as he moved, anchoring him back in reality.

"No, don't go. Not yet. Tomorrow. We'll go tomorrow." She said.

Shirou was seething with energy but he settled for nervous pacing.

"Very well." He said after a long time, his eyes filled with fire and steel.

"Get some sleep. This all ends tomorrow." He said with an air of deadly finality.