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

Purified by Fire, Dancing with Fairies

Chapter 23

"Glitter, Fairy Lights!"

Golden light flashed and fairies spun around Ayame, rendering her unnoticeable to those blind and deaf to the mysteries of the World. The girl grinned wider as she picked up speed and climbed higher, arcing up into the sky and over the suburbs to the city beyond. The wind blew strong through her hair and clothes, and pausing only to secure her hat as she broke through the thin cloud cover, Ayame glanced back behind her at the city below, and the blue of the sea beside it.

Narrowing her eyes, Ayame's grin turned from cheerful to daring, and at a thought command her broom's flight functions cut out. At the same time, Ayame pulled up, and closing her eyes with a deep breath, flipped over to face the surface below.

Spinning like a drill, the witch fell from the sky, plummeting at breakneck speed to certain death on the blue waters below. But even with the wind howling in her ears, and fighting back the pressure to blackout, Ayame continued to grin as she spun and fell, until finally, she pulled up with a thought, her broom's flight functions coming back to life with a vengeance, the witch yelling with exhilaration as she swooped low and fast over the bay, towards the river's mouth and up to the city beyond.

Eyes turned to where water was streaking out across the center of the bay for seemingly no apparent reason, and towards where a container ship was lumbering out of the river's mouth. Ayame flew low, along the water, then up along the hull to sweep over the deck and past the superstructure, slipping through the gaps with inches to spare, and then climbing approached the great suspension bridge which crossed the river.

"BRING IT!" Ayame yelled as she jumped up, standing on the broom as she accelerated towards the bridge. At breakneck speed, Ayame corkscrewed through a gap between the steel cables, across the bridge, and then through another gap. Howling and cheering with delight, Ayame slowed to fly up, high over and across the city, breathing hard as she came down from her adrenaline high.

Stepping down to sit sideways, legs dangling and swinging into the open air, Ayame pulled the hat off her head and wiped at her forehead. "That was awesome." She said with a grin. "A bit dangerous, though. Right?"

The fairies flying around her glimmered, one swooping in to touch an arm with a flicker of gold. "Yeah," she answered. "But totally worth it."

The fairies glimmered again, and Ayame frowned. "What next, huh?" she murmured before brightening up. "Oh I know! I'll pay my sister a visit!"

The fairies glimmered questioningly as Ayame swung her legs around, sitting properly on her broom while putting her hat back on. "Which sister…?" Ayame asked. "I only have…oh right, two sisters…a homunculus and a magus…man, I have one twisted family."

The fairies glimmered sympathetically as Ayame flew off in a new direction. "…no, I actually don't know where she lives." Ayame said after a few moments, the fairies actually freezing in their orbits at the remark. "Do you?"

The fairies glimmered, and with a laugh Ayame sped off in the direction of the Einzbern Forest.

Soft chimes played from a phonograph in the corner, Leysritt silently taking away a dirty plate and utensils as Illya sipped at a cup of tea to wash down her midmorning snack. Sella still hadn't come back from delivering her little sister's presents, while Berserker was sleeping elsewhere in the castle.

All in all, it was a surprisingly peaceful day, for which she wasn't complaining. Berserker still hadn't recovered the lives he'd lost fighting Rider, and until he recovered at least half, Illya wasn't risking going out to go hunt down Lancer or challenge Caster in her lair. And with Saber…

That light…it fits the description, but shouldn't King Arthur be a woman like in the last war? Or did Ayame summon a parallel self?

It's not impossible, the mysteries that make up the Grail reach into the domains of True Magic, just the fact that Servants are incarnated Heroic Spirits prove that…

…Heroic Spirits…the Throne of Heroes exists outside of the time axis…

…a parallel King Arthur who was a man…shouldn't be impossible…

Illya broke off her thoughts as she felt someone enter her territory. No, they didn't just enter her territory, they flew into it, and still were while heading to her castle. And more than that, according to the Einzbern bounded fields, they were packing incredibly-heavy concepts with them.

"No way…Caster?" Illya thought in disbelief, quickly setting down her teacup to rush out onto the nearest balcony, and readying her command spells all the while. "Is she going to risk a battle in broad daylight? And in my territory too?"

Illya narrowed her eyes at the rapidly-growing dot in the distance…and then alarm turned to incredulous disbelief as a dot resolved into a black and white shape getting bigger as it approached. "That looks like…" Illya found her herself thinking as the shape came within earshot.

"Hello, big sister!" Ayame said as she slowed to a halt, hovering in front of Illya's balcony and giving the gaping homunculus a cheerful wave. "I came by for a visit! Thanks for the new clothes and the broom, by the way! I love them!"

"…you flew all the way from your house to here?" Illya spluttered.

"Not really, no." Ayame said with a shrug. "I went on a joyride first."

"Joyride?" Illya echoed.

"Yeah." Ayame said with a nod. "Flew up, higher than the clouds, and out over the sea. Then I dropped, almost to the surface, and then up as fast as I could the river, and then over the city. That's when I decided to come and visit. I hope I'm not being a hassle though, it is a surprise visit, after all."

"No, it isn't." Illya conceded. "No wait! You did all that, in broad daylight? Are you crazy? What if you get seen? No, what if you did get seen?"

Ayame just laughed, waving off Illya's concern with (apparently) uncaring cheer. "Oh don't worry about that." She said. "I took measures to make sure I wouldn't get seen. So…can I come in?"

"We're in the middle of the Holy Grail War, you know." Illya pointed out.

"Hmm? And? We're family aren't we?"

"Well, yes…but…"

"Alright, I can't come in." Ayame said with a sigh. "Do you want to go out to town with me for the day? Lunch and ice cream?"

"YES!"

Ayame grinned as Illya pounced at the mention of ice cream, clambering up the balcony parapet and with some help from Ayame, sat down on the broom in front of Ayame. "Alright then," Ayame said, swinging away and flying back out over the forest to the city. "Hang on tight."

"Don't treat me like a child!"

Ayame laughed and nodded. "Yes, yes." She said, before picking up speed.

"Welcome!"

Ayame and Illya stepped into the ramen restaurant, which was still rather empty given it was still an hour before lunch for most people. "You've never eaten ramen before?" Ayame asked Illya as she led Illya over to the counter.

"No." Illya answered. "What is it?"

Ayame grinned. "You'll know soon enough." She said, before helping the smaller girl up to one of the chairs, and then sitting down herself.

The middle-aged chef turned, and blinked before giving some quiet instructions to an assistant, and then approached. "Ayame-kun?" he asked.

"Hey, Uncle Gorou."

"Cosplay?"

"Well, you could say that."

The chef laughed and then noticed Illya sitting next to Ayame. "And who's this little lady?" he asked.

"I am Illyasviel von Einzbern." Illya said with a nod. "I am Ayame's sister."

"Sister?" the chef echoed in disbelief.

"Well," Ayame said with a wave of a hand. "Turns out dad had more and deeper connections than with just Uncle Raiga."

"Ah, I see, so that's how it is." Gorou said with a sage nod, and deciding to drop the topic. Sometimes, it's just better not to know. "So the usual, Ayame-kun?"

"The usual." Ayame said with a nod before blinking and thinking better of it. "No, wait…I have some money to spend today, so how about an egg on top?"

"Got it! And what will your sister have?"

Ayame turned to Illya. "What do you want for lunch?" she asked.

"I don't know. What do you think I should get?"

"Miso ramen for her, regular with egg on top as well." Ayame ordered. "We'll have an order of dumplings with that, along with fried rice. And some cold tea to wash it all down with."

"Alright!"

Illya watched as the chef strode off to prepare their meal, and then turned back to her little sister. "You seem really familiar with him." She remarked.

"Well, I've been here plenty before." Ayame replied. "He makes good food. And in any case, he's an old friend of one of dad's…well, I wouldn't call them friends…um…let's see…business associate, I guess. Yeah, let's go with that."

"…dad, huh? I see…"

Ayame glanced in Illya's direction, her face falling at the wistful expression on Illya's face. "Dad never told me about you." Ayame said softly after several moments. "I…I don't know what to say about that."

"…it's fine." Illya said with a sigh.

"Really?"

"Yeah, it is." Illya said.

"…alright."

Lunch was eaten in silence, and after paying their bill, Ayame and Illya walked off to find an ice cream store to get some dessert. "Hey," Illya began. "What do you want?"

"…what?"

"What do you want?" Illya replied. "If you didn't want anything, you won't be a Master, you know. That's why, I want to know. What do you want?"

Ayame stared at Illya from the corner of her eyes for a few moments, and then sighing, looked back to the street in front of them. "Nothing special, really." Ayame said. "Three things: I don't want to get killed by being dragged into all…this, without a fighting chance of getting through it alive, then to keep the mistakes of the past from getting repeated, and finally, to keep people who can't be trusted with it from winning the prize. That's…pretty much it, actually."

Illya stared at Ayame with a neutral face for several moments, and then scoffed. "Those reasons are boring, little sister." She finally said.

Ayame laughed. "Yeah, the latter two are really cliché, aren't they?" she said with a wink. "But it's all true. And the first one…well, speaking selfishly, I wouldn't call trying to stay alive boring."

"…that's true."

The sisters shared a laugh at that. "But," Illya said after a moment. "If you do win the contest, then what? What will you do with the Grail?"

Ayame was silent for a long while. "I don't know." She eventually admitted. "I guess…I'll just have to figure it out once I get there."

Illya snorted. "You know," she said. "Just from what little you've told me, other magi would see you as a massive disgrace."

"That's not my problem." Ayame said with a scoff. "As far as I'm concerned, magi can take their pride and nobility and stick it up so far up their asses that it pokes out of their mouths."

Illya made a face of disgust at the resulting mental image, and then Ayame blinked as she realized who she was talking to. "Um…sorry about that." She said with a weak laugh. "I forgot, unlike me, you're a proper magus. I'm just a good for nothing spell-caster."

Ayame laughed weakly some more, while Illya was silent. "No, I'm not a magus." Illya said after a moment. "I…well, I'd say I'm not too different from you actually."

"Oh, is that right…alright then."

The sisters smiled reassuringly at each other, and then finding an ice cream store entered with a nod at each other. "What'll you have?" Ayame asked as they arrived at the counter.

"Up to you," Illya said with a shrug. "The lunch you ordered for us was delicious, so I'll let you order our dessert too."

"Okay then."

Turning back to the counter, Ayame ordered two scoops each for herself and Illya, chocolate ice cream with almonds and marshmallows for toppings. Paying for their desserts, Ayame and Illya left the store after several minutes and making their way to a nearby park, sat down at a bench under a tree to eat their sweets.

"Hey, careful now." Ayame said, noticing melting ice cream drooping down Illya's cone. "You wouldn't want your clothes to get stained, would you?"

"No." Illya said, before licking the melted part away. Smiling at each other, the sisters finished their ice cream, and then sitting back on the bench, just sat in silence for several minutes.

At length, Ayame got up, and stretching her limbs paced for a bit. "What about you, though?" she asked.

"Huh?"

"What would you do with the Grail," Ayame asked. "If you win this war?"

Illya stared at Ayame for a few moments, and then she shrugged. "Nothing," she said. "I'll just bring it back home to grandfather. It's up to them what to do with the Grail."

"…I see."

"Do you disapprove?"

"Yes," Ayame said with a sigh. "Though I can't really say why. And I guess…family is important. Just…I don't know…"

Illya stared uncomprehendingly at Ayame, and after a few moments, the younger girl blinked and smiled at her. "No, it's nothing." Ayame said. "Don't mind me. I'm not a magus, just a spell-caster, a witch even."

Illya giggled. "I'm not a magus either, little sister." She said.

"Okay, there's that." Ayame conceded. "But…you're from a really old and powerful family of magi. Me…I'm just a nobody."

Illya chuckled at that. "No," she said knowingly. "You're not a nobody."

Ayame glanced at Illya questioningly at her tone of voice, and the older girl smiled wider at her younger sister. "You're my sister." Illya said. "And that's all that matters."

Ayame blinked, and then laughing weakly, nodded. "Yes," she said, rubbing her head. "I guess so. I wish…I wish I could have known you even before this war. Grown up with you too."

"So do I." Illya said softly with a hint of sadness. And then getting up, she curtseyed to a surprised Ayame. "I thank you for today's lunch and dessert, it was most delicious. But, I must take my leave now."

Ayame blinked. "Y-you're welcome." She said. "Do you want me to give you a lift back home?"

"No, I'll be fine." Illya said, and then waving goodbye, walked off. "See you again soon, little sister."

"Y-y-yeah…" Ayame said softly, and returning Illya's wave. She watched the smaller girl walk out of her sight, and then sighing, adjusted her hat and also began to walk home, her broom carried against a shoulder.

"…you went to your sister's house, at the heart of her territory, where you personally thanked her for all the gifts she sent, and then invited her to have lunch with you. Which you did…is that just about it?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

Saber pinched the bridge of his nose, sitting with Ayame at the table in her living room. Ayame had changed out of her witch attire, and was now wearing casual clothes. Tea steamed in mugs between them. "I have to say," Saber said with a sigh. "You took too much of a risk, Ayame."

"She's my sister, you know."

"And Morgana was my sister too." Saber said, and Ayame glared at him. Saber was unfazed though. "And Tohsaka's your sister too, and she was Archer's Master, and we didn't hesitate to crush them. And neither would they, had they held the advantage. Your sister is and remains Berserker's Master."

"I know." Ayame said shortly. "I haven't forgotten any of that. I also know it was something of a risk, but since it was in the day, I thought it was an acceptable one. And it doesn't look I was wrong, does it?"

"I suppose not." Saber agreed. "This time, that is."

Ayame didn't reply, just taking a drink of her tea. "So," Saber continued. "What now?"

"We wait and see." Ayame said. "There are still four Servants out there, after all. As we've discussed in the past, if we get too proactive, they might unite against us. Not too surprising, given our string of successes in the war so far."

"We need to give the impression of not being so threatening, despite our past successes, so as to prevent turning ourselves into a common enemy for the others…is that it?"

"Yes."

"…it's not a bad idea," Saber said. "But as I said before, the problem here is that we're giving up the initiative. Strategically-speaking, that puts us at a disadvantage."

"True…but no matter how I look at it, it's essentially a calculated risk we have to take."

"…also true."

"In any case," Ayame said with a grim smile. "I can say with some assurance that my older sister at least is very unlikely to join a united front against us. If it comes to that, then we should make an effort to join forces with her. Even against Lancer, Caster, and Assassin, between yourself and Berserker, we'll have better chances than we'll have on our own."

"Also true."

"Welcome back, my lady." Sella said with a bow as Illya returned to her castle, Leysritt bowing in silence beside her sister. "I trust your excursion was most fruitful?"

"It was." Illya said.

"Would there be anything you require?"

"Tea and cold water; it's a long walk from the city back to here."

"As you wish, my lady." Sella said with another bow, though ultimately it was Leysritt who walked off to obtain their mistress' requirements. Sella trailed after Illya from a polite distance.

Mistress and servant walked for a few minutes in silence, until Illya reached her suite. Taking a seat on her favorite armchair, Illya silently regarded Sella for several moments. "And," she began. "It seems you have something you want to say to me. So go ahead and say it."

"My lady," Sella began. "I venture to say that you take too many risks. Even if it is the daytime, to go out alone and unchaperoned with an active Master…"

"It would only take a thought," Illya interrupted dismissively. "And Berserker would be my side, and the treacherous fool who thought it…wise, to strike at my seemingly-unprotected rear would be regretting their choice of actions. In the few moments they would have left to live, that is."

"That may be so, my lady." Sella conceded. "However, I would argue it would be better not to have taken the risk in the first place."

Illya was silent for several moments. And then tilting her head, she rested it against her elbow. "You have something else to say, isn't there?" she said. "What is it?"

"I apologize if it seems discourteous," Sella said. "But I cannot help but be concerned about your apparent sentimentality with Miss Emiya."

"Sentimentality?" Illya echoed with narrowed eyes.

"Yes, my lady." Sella said with a nod. "Your respect and recognition for her destruction of the attainted Makiri lineage is understandable, but to offer her gifts? To fraternize with her so closely…"

"Enough, Sella." Illya interrupted with a sharp swing of one hand. "Are you accusing me of treachery, is that it? Are you somehow suggesting that I would sabotage my own efforts in the war?"

"I would not go so far…"

"In other words," Illya again interrupted. "You suspect I am beginning to lose my focus, is that it?"

"I would not presume to say so, my lady."

"And yet that is what you wished to say." Illya sneered. "Know your place. I will have you obey my strategy, or I shall have you…disciplined. No matter my words or actions, I remain committed to ensuring an Einzbern victory in this war, at least so long as I have my Servant and command spells."

"And afterwards?" Sella asked.

Illya didn't reply at once. "You know as well as I do what my role is." She said, and there was a flicker of emotion on Sella's face. It was brief, so quick as to be unnoticeable and what it was could not be discerned, but it had been there.

"So I do."

Illya nodded. "It's not that I don't understand how you feel." She said in softer tones. "I remember what it is you owe to me, and that your loyalty is in part in order to repay me. And no matter how this war ends, I won't live to see the end of it. Thus, you seek to make that final sacrifice mean something…isn't that right, Sella?"

Sella did not reply, but after a few moments, Illya nodded slowly. "It's not something to be ashamed off." She said. "Rest assured, it will mean something. But, more than that, I would meet the end on my terms. Is that understood, Sella?"

Sella closed her eyes, and after a moment, bowed low.

"It is, my lady."

The rest of the day passed slowly. The Sun climbed down from its zenith towards the horizon, and then dipping beneath cast the city into the night. Artificial lights glowed bright from Fuyuki City, percolating up into the sky above, while countless sparkles of similarly-artificial sources of light glittered outwards from the city proper, marking the suburbs where a great part of the middle class made their residences in.

The night passed in relative peace. Here and there, Dragon Tooth Warriors went on the hunt, preying on isolated apartment complexes to harvest prana for their maker. But for the most part, the night passed as it usually did, people coming and going as they had for the past years of their lives, and as they likely would keep going in the future years of their lives.

In a certain church, however, things were coming to a head. Lit only by the light of the Moon passing through great windows of stained glass hanging in iron frames, a priest took the hand of a young woman. Quoting the bible, a trio of sigils within a greater mass of similar sigils glowed bright, and then vanishing they reappeared, cast in new, circular forms on the young woman's forearm.

"You know what to do." The priest said.

The young woman nodded, and they both turned to the third figure in the church. A tall man dressed in blue and silver, his matching hair swept back over his head. Crimson earrings hung from his ears, and holding out his hand allowed the young woman to place her hands over and beneath it.

Let silver and steel be the essence.

Let stone and the Archduke of Contracts be the foundation.

Let rise a wall against the wind that shall fall.

Let the four cardinal gates close.

Let the three-forked road from the crown reaching unto the Kingdom rotate.

Let it be declared now: your fate shall serve under me, and my fate shall be with your sword.

Submit to the beckoning of the Holy Grail.

Answer, if you would submit to this will and truth.

An oath shall be sworn here: I shall attain all virtues of all of Heaven, and I shall have dominion over all evils of all of Hell.

From the Seventh Heaven, attended to by three great words of power, come forth from the ring of restraint, Protector of the Holy Balance!

Glowing red magic circles shone beneath their feet as the young woman cast her spell, binding herself and the blue-haired man together. As the spell approached its climax, the circles revolved and rose up around them, and as the spell reached completion, flashed blinding bright.

"Well done," Kirei said as the light faded, casting his smiling face with ominous-looking shadows. "And welcome back to the Fifth Holy Grail War. Rejoice as well, for it may be that your wish will be granted."

Lancer glanced at the priest with disgust, while Rin nodded numbly. Raising her eyes to the crucifix hanging on the church's back wall, the magus stared at the image of the Son of God for a few moments, and then closed her eyes.

I'm sorry, Ayame. But I can't live knowing there's a way I can set things right, make them the way they should be. Sakura…oh Sakura…soon…very soon…I promise…big sister promises…everything will be alright…

A/N

Ayame and Illya bond, while Kirei plots and Rin rejoins the war.

Yes, just like her mother before her, Illya is doomed to die once the war reaches its completion. In canon she avoids this fate in the Fate route and Heaven's Feel due to Sakura being the Lesser Grail, but here, with Sakura dead and the Matou Grail Project in ruins with her death…Illya is the Lesser Grail. And she already has the power of two fallen Servants (Archer and Rider) within her. Once she reaches four, she'll be paralyzed, and once she reaches five, it's the end for her.

She won't be Human anymore, not even an artificial one. She'll be the Lesser Grail, the power source for the Greater Grail's wish-granting and World Gate functions.

Poor girl.