Kariya felt like a corpse being carried by pallbearers. Lio was extraordinarily strong, as one would expect from any Servant, let alone one whose parameters were raised by Madness Enhancement. So carrying Kariya's weight was no extra burden for the Servant, but Kariya still felt humiliated to be relying on Berserker for even basic transportation.

But what could he do?

His body was falling apart, and the thought that he could walk all the way from the Matou manor to the Tohsaka estate was ridiculous. Certainly, being carried on the back of a salivating high-school-aged boy would look very strange, but fortunately it was early enough in the morning that everyone was still asleep.

Well, everyone sane.

Kirei lay in bed, carried to and fro by visions of utopian brilliance. It was like a new world had been opened for him yesterday, and he could finally envision a bright future for himself. Who could sleep like this? The world was so wonderful.

Even the rays of light poking in through the window in Tokiomi's bedroom - now that Kirei was the Master of Archer, and Rin's guardian, he thought it would only be appropriate to take the Tohsaka master bedroom for his own personal use - which used to promise only another day of self-denial, of fighting against everything he was, now shone upon a new day, with all the hope that could bring.

Yes!

For every day is another step closer to the fulfillment of the new person, the happy Kotomine Kirei.

What a wonder!

Solomon said there was nothing new under the sun, and while Kirei knew this must be so, he still felt that nothing this splendid could have existed in God's creation before. For if it had, how could the world have continued to spin on its axis? How could men have wasted their time with charity (though charity bore the ability to control the fate of the poor, and make them just independent enough to not die, but still reliant on their benefactor for the barest necessities of life, which could be given or denied at said benefactor's whims; but while Kirei had no care for power for its own sake, he realized the uses of power for the sake of inflicting suffering upon those under one's thumb) and empty philosophy, as Kirei had, when the beauty of sadism existed?

Even a child can go, find a squirrel, trap it, and skin it alive.

Watching it writhe in pain, he might learn of a secret joy that he cannot reveal to anyone, certainly not an adult, for it scares him just as much as it would scare them, and he fear that if he reveals it to another, that will make it only more real.

And if it is real, it cannot be ignored, and must be confronted.

No, even if nothing new existed under the sun, and such had already occurred in the great history of humanity, it had not yet occurred in the life of Kotomine Kirei, and so it held a sacredness.

He finally felt that he was the receptacle of divine blessing; and he had to say, it felt good.

Without opening his eyes, Kirei smiled.

"I see someone's in a good mood this morning," a voice wafted over to him, carrying the sweetness of honey.

"Hello, Gilgamesh," Kirei said.

He opened his eyes, and turned to his left, to see the golden Servant reclining, shirtless, on the bed next to him.

"I trust you rested well?" Gilgamesh said.

"Hardly," Kirei said. He sat up, and swung his legs over the side of the bed. "Not that I mind. I seem," he flexed his hands, and their Command Spells - including the ones he had liberated from Tokiomi's hand last night - glowed. "To no longer need sleep; it is as if I am energized by sheer will."

"Excellent," said Gilgamesh, rematerializing in a lean against the wall opposite Kirei. "You grow more and more lovely every day, jester."

"If I can amuse you, my King, the honour is all mine," Kirei said.

Gilgamesh chuckled. "Quite so. I have some information sure to tickle your heart, as it happens."

Kirei continued his morning arm stretches, flexing his biceps, lest they lose their strength. Discipline was still paramount, and he couldn't afford to forget that, even if he now had something to live for; after all, without strength, how could he fulfill his desires? "Do tell," he said.

"Well, in my morning promenade about the estate, I noticed a particularly mangy mongrel at the door. I imagine it must have been one of those so-called Heroic Spirits. It was panting like the dog it is. But the truly interesting - if disgusting - thing was that it was carrying a human, and in all honesty, I cannot say which of them was more incorrigibly ugly. The man looked dead, with white hair. Kirei, while I care not, I imagine you recognize this description?"

Truly, divine providence still smiles upon me, if it can grant me such exquisite developments, which I could not even have thought to pray for, Kirei thought.

"I believe I do, Gilgamesh," Kirei said. "What say we greet our guest?"

Kirei opened the heavy front door of the Tohsaka mansion, and saw Matou Kariya lying on the ground unconscious, with a young man next to him, curled up, and asleep. He guessed that the boy was Kariya's Servant - his father had mentioned that the Matou had summoned a Berserker, but if so this one seemed fairly docile for his class, at least at times - and idly wondered if Kariya had been carried here.

Kirei bent down, and examined Kariya.

Interesting, he thought. He palpated the skin on Kariya's back. It felt... squishy. When he pressed a finger into it, he felt something underneath move away from the spot, and saw motion under the skin like spasming muscles. The area around his finger then swelled like a pimple being squeezed. When he removed his finger, the muscles - if that was what it was - moved back and restored the appearance of Kariya's back to as it was before.

He doubted it was a muscular issue, though.

He removed a scalpel from his pocket - he had brought it from his medical kit upstairs after Gilgamesh reported that Kariya looked dead - and cut open the latissimus dorsi, expecting at least a gasp of pain, which unfortunately did not come.

Seems the Matou heir is so far gone as not even to feel anything. What suffering left him as numb as this? I wish I had seen it.

Moreover, instead of muscle and blood, hundreds of wriggling, white larvae spilled out of the wound. They resembled leeches, though their heads were distinctly reminiscent of a penis' corona.

Ah, is this the Matou Magecraft?

He closed the wound. The larvae, freed from their host, wriggled over each other, and one of them began cannibalizing the others. It ate the others, not leaving any remains, and grew bigger and bigger. Kirei watched, transfixed.

Soon, it grew as large as a small dog, and began advancing on Kariya's body. It reached his left hand, on which Kirei could see the Command Spells, and began chewing on his fingers.

Kirei considered the situation.

I could dispatch of the Matou Master right now, and rid myself of a potentially annoying threat. Berserker is an unknown quantity, and while he cannot possibly stand up to Gilgamesh, there is such wide variation in Noble Phantasms that he might be able to exploit some loophole of which I have no knowledge, and snatch victory on a technicality.

On the other hand, I could revive the Matou Master. Given that he has come here, he is either allied to Tohsaka, or wished to attack him. If he were allied to Tohsaka, either I or Gilgamesh would surely know of it. Besides, I do not think Tokiomi would ever lower himself ot allying with someone as pathetic as this. Even if he is a powerful Magus - and that is exceedingly unlikely, for he would not be in this position in that case - or his Servant is stronger than he looks, Tokiomi would consider anyone who would leave his workshop looking as disheveled, injured, and *vulgar* as that, someone who cares nothing for Tokiomi's ideals. He might be a hypocrite, but he is unconscious of his hypocrisy; thus, he would see the lack of Magely honour in this man, and shun him.

So Mr Matou has come here to kill Tokiomi. But he is collapsed at the door, and his Servant is just sleeping, ignoring everything.

Well, combined with his physical condition... I cannot imagine he was able to walk here from the Matou manor. Thus, he must have ordered his Servant to carry him here. And being that the Servant is a Berserker, and under Madness Enhancement, he likely could not understand any orders more complicated than "Bring me to the large mansion over there," and now that that objective has been fulfilled, the Servant is simply waiting for further direction.

Perhaps Berserker's Master wasn't expecting to lose consciousness on the way. Or perhaps he simply didn't care.

Either way.

I do not have much time to make a decision, since whatever that wormlike thing is, I have no idea what will happen if it consumes Matou's hand along with its Command Spells. As much as I am curious, I fear that that might jeopardize my welfare.

What if the sudden influx of magical energy would strengthen the worm? Well, Archer could dispose of it, but I'd rather not force him to appear here. He seems like he tires of being used to dispatch enemies that he considers below him. If he has no respect for Alexander, the King of Conquerors, what would he think of an overgrown insect?

He might very well kill it, or he might instead ask that I do my best to kill it myself. Treat me as a gladiator in the ring with a wild beast. He might find that entertaining.

I do not entirely trust that Gilgamesh has my best interests at heart - he never professed to, after all - and would not instead be willing to sacrifice me if it meant he would enjoy it. Especially if he feels I have slighted his honour.

I do not wish to make the same mistake Tokiomi did. I must keep the King of Heroes enamored with me, that I might learn all that I can from him. For I feel I require his aid, his guidance, in this new path I am to walk.

What a troublesome relationship we have... Still, I enjoy it.

Kirei grinned.

Let us see how much further this new development can expand my joy.

Tohsaka Rin still slept. Her soft locks were wet with tears shed in her dreams, dreams that were filled with the neverending repeats of the events of the day.

Swords.

Millions of swords, it seemed, erupting from thin air.

A woman, a face filled with sadness, stabbed.

Over, and over again.

The blood spurted out of her, and the drops flecked Rin's cheek.

But in the dreams, it did not stop there.

The woman, though she was being continually impaled, began walking toward Rin, who found that her legs were already stabbed with daggers, and would not respond.

As Rin looked around for something, anything to save her, she saw her Father come out to protect her.

Father! she thought. You're here!

"Yes," he whispered, as he stood before her, a shield of infinite power against the blue-haired woman advancing. "And remember, a Tohsaka must always be elegant."

She nodded. "Quite so, Father," she said, in a voice far stronger than the weak little girl inside her. "Please dispose of the intruder."

"Gladly," he said.

Then he raised his staff, and the mana pooled at its tip, a glowing red aura. The blue-haired woman drew back for a moment, and Father pressed in to attack, but then the blue-haired woman smiled, ducked, and buried her knife in Father up to the hilt.

Then he gasped, and wheezed, and fell.

Then the woman smiled widely. "I'm sorry, Rin," she said. Then she put her knife, the murder weapon, in Rin's hands. Rin looked down at it, still moist with her Father's blood.

Then Rin collapsed to the ground in tears, and held the knife point-up, so that it entered her, and finally gave her peace.

She woke.

Her pajamas clung to her body, sticky with sweat. She didn't want to open her eyes. She longed for the dream, though she couldn't understand why she would want to return to visions of pain.

She just knew that every second she could postpone facing the world again was a second she could remain the child she was.

"Girl, you cannot sleep forever, you know," said a voice.

Though Rin prayed for comfort, she only felt contempt.

So she ignored it.

"One thing you seem not to realize, child," the voice said, "is that there is no shame in mourning. Indeed, it is honourable to mourn for a deceased father. But to hide yourself from the world is modern foolishness. Your heart should be afire with revenge. Is that not what Tokiomi would desire?"

"Shut up," she said. "Don't speak of him that way."

"Oh?" The smug voice continued to attack her. "Do you perhaps think that Tokiomi was a paragon of virtue? That he would not take the first opportunity to reestablish the Tohsaka honour?"

Rin couldn't stand the voice telling her things she knew were true, precisely because she knew they were true. She wanted so much to go back to what she knew was not true.

The night before, after the... incident happened, she collapsed. Then, the golden Servant carried her back to the sitting room, on Kirei's orders. He carried her without any kindness, but while still being careful not to hurt her.

She had never seen him before, but she felt something horribly alien from him, and wanted to distance herself from him, but while she was held in his arms there was nothing that she could do. She was like a possession, to be spent as he pleased.

She wanted to join her Father, but she could not escape the grasp of the blond man.

So she let him do as he wished.

Then, she was laid on a couch, and the blond man disappeared into a shower of golden sparks. She opened her eyes, and saw Kirei entering the room.

"What are you doing here, Kirei?" she asked him, too frustrated to look him in the eye.

"Rin," he said, sitting down on the chair opposite her. "You must understand, that if I were not here, you too might have died in this attack."

"It would have been better than having to listen to you talk on and on," she said.

"While it may be difficult to face the facts, it is necessary for you to take up the Tohsaka mantle. Rin, you are Second Owner of Fuyuki now. Understandably, you do not yet have the training nor ability to carry out your duties, but that can come in time, and I will be privileged to aid you in your development as a Magus. It's what your father would have wanted; surely, you agree that he would."

"Kirei, are you saying that you are to serve me as a tutor?"

"In a manner of speaking."

"In that case," she lifted up her head to glare at him, "You're an employee of the Tohsaka estate."

"The estate you've inherited, yes."

"Then leave me alone," she said. "I have preparations to make, and things to think about, and you are way too annoying for me to do any work with you here."

He smiled. "As you wish, Rin." He stood up, and left.

Father, why did you leave? she thought, and then she cried.

"You can't be serious," Kariya said. His perch on the couch was precarious, but he was surprised he was alive at all after the ordeal he had to endure to get to the Tohsaka manse. And to be welcomed in! What sort of luck was this? It couldn't be true, that someone like him could experience a good turn...

"It is exactly as I said, Kariya," said Kirei. "I had no choice but to stand and watch as my Servant turned against me. Tokiomi, in an act of great magnanimity and fairness, ordered his own Archer to protect me from this treachery, but unfortunately he could not save himself from Assassin's rampage."

Kirei shook his head.

"I require your aid, Kariya. While Archer was instructed to ally with me, I fear I am too weak as a Master to win the Holy Grail War alone. Now I know it is difficult for one such as yourself to join forces with another for victory; surely you feel that your Servant can conquer all and win the Lord's Cup for you. And yet, consider that as the son of the Overseer, I would offer a special advantage to my party."

"Kirei, that would be unfair, wouldn't it?" Kariya asked.

"Think of it this way, Kariya." Kirei leaned in, and clasped his hands together. "You are of the Three Great Magical Families of the Grail, are you not? Isn't the house of Matou guaranteed a spot in the Holy Grail War? Did not your progenitor design the Command Seals themselves? Would you not agree that this gives you an unfair advantage above me?"

"I suppose, but there's nothing I can do about it!" The effort to speak was threatening to pull Kariya away from consciousness; he felt the edges of his world begin to fade into red.

"Indeed not, Kariya; we cannot undo the station into which we were born. So why bother trying? You have your advantage, and I mine."

"It feels illegitimate, though, to deliberately circumvent the rules of the War, priest."

"These rules are not divine but the work of men, and so they can be broken by the hand of men. Come, Kariya. We shall work to win the Grail. Together, we cannot lose."

Kariya rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling. Ah, the times he had thought of being in this mansion, caressing Aoi... and yet that time had never come, due to his own weakness! Could he possibly turn up another chance for greatness? What if he lost the War- who would save Sakura then? Zouken would surely kill him and make her watch.

He remembered the vow he made to the girl in the worm pit. *Sakura, no matter what, I will save you.*

He closed his eyes, and felt the air begin to animate his throat.

"All right, Kirei, I accept your offer."

Kirei coughed. "Excellent, I am glad our purposes coincide. Do you have any questions about the terms of our alliance?"

Kariya sat up. His hair was haggard, hanging thinly over his face. "First, I don't care about the Grail. Use it for whatever you want, as long as you don't hurt anyone. Open a path to the Root, recreate the One True Cross, whatever makes you happy."

"Understood."

"Second, where is Rin?"

"Tokiomi's daughter?" Kirei asked. "She is upstairs; Archer spirited her away to safety after the incident."

"Good," Kariya said. "Keep her safe. If she is hurt, you will die, I promise you this."

Kirei chuckled. "I assure you, Mr Matou, I have no intention of seeing young Rin come to harm." He stood up, and put his hand on Kariya's shoulder. Kariya looked up at him, and Kirei said, "Would you like to rest in one of the bedrooms?"

Kariya pushed Kirei's hand off, and shook his head. "I'm afraid not. I've still got business to attend to."

Kirei raised his eyebrow. "Are you sure you are able to stand?"

Kariya raised himself on one leg, which then trembled and collapsed underneath him. "I'll be fine... Just give me some magical energy for my Servant."

"Gladly," Kirei said. He knelt down to Kariya's prone form, and appreciated the hairline fracture in the sick man's tibia. He rolled down his sleeve, revealing Command Seals. He put his other hand on Kariya's leg, and then inside the leg, and his Command Seal began to glow.

Kariya screamed, and Kirei intoned.

"On wings the Angels of the Lord shall carry thee, lest thy foot tread upon the worms."

So saying, a new Command Seal blazed upon Kariya's leg.

"Kariya, this cannot be used as a Command Seal in the usual way, but it will provide you with an extra reserve of magical energy. Use it wisely."

Kariya, his forehead caked with sweat, panted and nodded. "Berserker," he called. The Servant materialized before him, crouching like a lion. "Take me back to her."

The familiar stench of the worm pit assailed his nostrils. So many times Kariya had tried to save the women of this family. Aoi, Sakura, and Rin. And now Rin was finally safe, though Kariya wasn't sure he could trust that priest. Still, he had to be better than Tokiomi. He wasn't an aristocratic ass; he was a Servant of the Christian God, who preached a reversal of the social order, and the placement of the earth-inheriting meek above the fat rich Lazaruses who would never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. Kariya wasn't a religious man, but he certainly respected the ideals of these Christians.

So, Rin is safe.

Aoi... Who knew where Aoi was at this point. Kirei was probably protecting her too. Kariya cursed himself for having neglected to ask about her... what a pathetic piece of shit he was! He should just throw himself into that worm pit, let himself be consumed completely by those monsters, and maybe they'd leave Sakura alone, at least for a minute...

But no. No, no, he must be strong now. Now there is a chance to save them all. A chance to save Sakura, and reunite her with her mother and sister, and give her the loving family she'd never had, except in brief glimpses when the four of them would play together in the park, when Tokiomi was too busy to appreciate the real jewels of his collection.

His throat tore like there were swords erupting from his voice, but he spoke anyway. "Sakura! I will save you! Just wait; soon you will see Rin again!"

Silence for a moment, and then a still, small voice.

"Uncle Kariya?"

It came from the pit, and it had no emotion. He would almost not have recognized it if it were not the particular profile of pitches he had played in his head over and over again for over a year.

"Sakura! I haven't heard your voice in so long!" He crawled to the edge of the pit, and looked over the side. He could see nothing but the undulating mass of worms, yet he knew that she was there.

"Will I see Rin again?"

"Of course! You will see her again, and we will all be happy together! Soon you will be free from this hell Zouken put you in."

A sigh.

"And Mother?"

"Your mother has missed you so much, Sakura. Can you imagine the look in her eyes when she sees you again? She will take you in her arms, and hug you until you beg to be let go, my sweet girl."

"Oh. Ok," the voice said. "Um, Uncle Kariya?"

"Yes, my love?"

"What about Father?"

His teeth grit. "What about him?"

"Will he be with us?"

"Sakura, it is terrible that I have to tell you this, but your father is gone, and will not be coming back."

"Father?"

A whimper from the girl.

The worms underfoot hummed.

"Don't worry, Sakura, you won't need him. I'll be there to protect you," said Kariya.

"Can you bring Father back to me? Or is what Grandfather said true?"

"What did Zouken say?"

In response to his question, a swarm of worms collected at the far end of the pit, and formed themselves into the shape of Kariya's father.

"Oh, don't worry about that, Kariya, my boy," said Matou Zouken. "Just focus on your task, and save your girl. In the meantime, relax. I'll be taking good care of her." He took his staff, and stabbed the mass of worms beneath, and a small girl screamed. He dug the staff into the mass, twisted it, and pulled it out. He lifted it up, and Kariya saw a small purple form impaled on it, but instead of blood flowing from the wound, the writhing shape leaked only Crest Worms. Sakura turned her head to him. He expected a look of pleading, of tears on her face, her sweet adorable face that he used to kiss when she was a baby. But now, there was none of that innocence left. There was nothing at all left. She just lay there, like a pig on a spit, as she merged with the Worms. "Isn't she beautiful, Kariya?"

She was naked, and Kariya saw the worms entering her from every orifice; her mouth, nostrils, ears, anus, and genitals were filled with the disgusting magic.

She was being violated everywhere, and there was nothing he could do.

Except to win.

The reserves of mana Kirei had given him began to falter, and he rent his garment.

Berserker, bring me back to the Tohsaka manor, he thought, and then his mind dissolved into endless cycles of pain and hatred, visions of Zouken violating Kariya in the same way as Sakura was, visions of Tokiomi too suffering the same treatment.

But beyond all the visions, there was a voice that whispered to him, and it sounded like Sakura.

"Give me back my Father."

The girl was pathetic, lying on her side, eyes puffy with tears. Gilgamesh didn't understand it; in a world full of incorrigible mongrels, this girl had potential. She could be someone, and exert real authority over her fellows. Certainly, not even the merest shadow of the divine Authority of the King of Uruk, but such could not be expected...

He materialized above her, and touched her shoulder. "Wake up, girl," he said.

She buried her head in the pillow. "Go 'way," she commanded.

"I do not have time for your childishness. You wish to avenge your father's honour, do you not? Then, there is something you must know."

"As if there's anything I can do," she said.

"That nihilistic attitude is for the mongrels who are only fit to lead lives of slavery. You are made of better stuff, if only marginally so. I will not tolerate your shirking your responsibility." He flicked her forehead. She lifted her face and scowled at him. "Get up, or feel the taste of iron," he said.

She sat up, and smoothed her skirt, already covered in her father's blood and her own tears and snot.

Gilgamesh groaned. "That will do, for the moment, I suppose."

"What did you say about avenging my Father's honour?" Rin asked.

"We have obtained an ally, girl-child. We are one step closer to restoring your House to its rightful place, and we have the perfect back to walk upon to reach that goal."

"My father would never approve of such callous mistreatment of other humans, Servant. Didn't I tell you to shut up, and go away? My God, I'd almost rather be talking to Kirei right now." She scoffed and turned her head.

Gilgamesh smiled. "And I'm sure he would have loved to be the one having this conversation with you right now," he said. "But the Fates have decided that that pleasure should fall to me, and why should it not? I am the King of Heaven and Earth, and thus am the most appropriate Overseer of all events of importance. So about Tokiomi disapproving of 'callous mistreatment of other humans'... Rin, tell me something."

A beat.

"Does the name 'Matou Sakura' mean anything to you?" he asked.

Rin looked back at him, and her face fell. "She... I was told not to talk about her anymore."

"Why, Rin? Why can you not talk about her anymore? Is she not your sister?"

My sister... I miss those days. Those carefree, halcyon days. Sharing ribbons, playing with crystals. But a Tohsaka must always be elegant, and endure whatever was necessary. And Father said that Sakura needed to go away for her education, for her own good - it would be too selfish of me to want her to stay with me, and to never learn to fulfill her potential.

Father always knew what was best for us.

She fought back the tears as she spoke. "She's not. Not anymore."

"Do you know what she is doing at the Matou manor?" Gilgamesh asked.

"Training? I don't know. Why are you asking me this? Why does it matter?" Rin just wanted him to go, so she could be safe from these feelings again, lock them up again in that tight lockbox where she kept everything that got in the way of her aristocratic duty, everything that got in the way of her being the good girl who would follow in her Father's footsteps as he wanted of her, so she could make him happy, so she could see the smile on his face as he patted her head, so she could hear him say he was proud of her. So that one day, when Rin and Sakura were both strong Magi, and their educations were finally complete, Father would call them both together, and they could embrace each other, and the pain of years would fall away like a rain jacket thrown off when the sun comes out.

And then they would be happy again.

"Do you want to know?" he asked.

Rin was about to cry, but she couldn't show it.

"If it'll get you to leave, fine. Tell me what Sakura's been doing."

Rin had thought she had been traumatized enough in the past day for several lifetimes, but the look of unrestrained glee on Archer's face penetrated the walls of ice around her heart and struck her heart with terror.

"Gladly," he said.

And another chapter that differs from what I had been doing before... again, feedback very welcome. This shift in the story is pretty intentional, as I have realized I have a somewhat easier time covering certain characters/arcs at a time rather than jumping between members of an ensemble cast (which is what the story was doing originally). So on the one hand, I'm not sure if I'm executing the shift properly, and even if I am, it is probably so that if I care about the overall structure of the story, I will have to edit it a bunch when it's finally done so it seems more cohesive/consistent in its narrative structure. See y'all next time.