A/N: Welcome to the chaos box! I look forward to this one, and I hope you enjoy it!

As a note, I've changed the ages of some of the characters around slightly, and there are reasons for this that will be revealed in time.

For now, the only change worth mentioning is that Rin is currently 19 years old instead of 17 years old.

Asahi Emiya

When he opened his eyes, all the world was fire. It was burning, endlessly encroaching on all things. The fire crept like skittering insects as it sought out life. Curses marred flesh and devoured the minds of those unfortunate enough to touch that rancid blaze, becoming nothing more than fuel for it to continue its destruction. High in the sky hung a black sun, bleeding like an infected wound.

Asahi stared at the blackened sun, shudders running down his spine as he watched it silently. █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ Opened a single eye from the center of that pit of curses to stare back down at him. It had no mouth, but he could feel its smile all the same. A voice ripped through his head, then another, and another, until the cacophony was entirely unintelligible. It burned at his mind, twisted his cortex like it was wringing out a rag, gnashing grey matter through eldritch tongues and teeth that spoke of destruction and nothing else.

"█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █." Asahi could not understand, would not understand, REFUSED to understand. He would never be this. He couldn't. He had too much to do. He gnashed his teeth and turned, breaking out into a sprint. His blood roared in his ears, chest pounding like a hammer as he ran, ran as far as he could. He felt the flames chasing him, but he could not look back. Claws of cursed fire stretched over him, but he could not look back. They stretched and stretched until they covered the sky entirely, hiding even the red pitch of the burning night, and they swung closed.

December 12th, 2003. Emiya Estate. Miyama District, Fuyuki. 9:54 AM

Asahi snapped upright, chest heaving and heart threatening to pound out of his chest. Hair tumbled down his head in frizzy curls as his eyes shrank down to pinpricks, blinking back and forth as he quickly checked the room for danger. He held his breath briefly before slumping over with a quiet exhale that seemed to drag the tension from his bones. He was safe. Everything was fine. His eyes slowly dilated as his consciousness fully returned to him, accompanied by a roiling pain that thrummed through his veins like wildfire. It seemed the curses were acting up today. He shook his head as he dragged himself from the bed, groaning and pulling the curtains he had put up back from the windows. A soft hiss escaped his lips as the light filtered in, and he rubbed his eyes before stumbling over to check the clock. It was almost ten a.m. He looked over at the calendar hanging on the wall to see if he had anything important to tend to today, and the words on it made him groan again.

"Fuck, right, today is Sakura's healing session, then I have to meet the Second Owner tonight. God." Asahi chewed at the inside of his cheek, wondering how much trouble he'd get in for rescheduling, before sighing and shaking his head. He had to deal with it eventually, so there wasn't any point in putting it off for another day. Besides, he still had time to get himself centered and prepared! The meeting wasn't until the evening, after all.

He sighed and grabbed some clothes from his closet before slamming open his door and stumbling to the bathroom. Forty-five minutes later, he finally emerged, now much more awake and ready to start the day. He had tossed on some baggy pants and a simple tee shirt, straightening and pulling his hair back into the usual wolf tail, the rest of his hair falling around his neck while his bangs framed his cheeks. Asahi would never openly admit how taken he had been by punk culture while overseas. Still, he definitely took some of its stylings to heart, with multiple piercings dotting his ears, snakebites, and even a septum piercing on his face. He thought he looked cool, at least (He didn't, but he tried).

He thumbed awkwardly at the small object grafted into the flesh of his left arm as he wandered through the Estate, sighing at the uncomfortable feeling of the Philosophy Key. He never got entirely used to the sensation of having something grafted under his skin, but he could deal with it a lot better now than when he first got it. He made his way outside, then off to the dojo for his morning rituals.

He stood in the center of the room, legs apart, arms hanging at his side. Eyes closed, palms relaxed. He took a deep breath, body surging with energy...And then he moved. Palms lifted slowly, then fell as he exhaled. The room shuddered for a moment as his palms turned, leg lifting in silence as he took a step and bent his knees. Motion became force, force became intent, intent became repetition, and repetition became perfection as he moved throughout his morning meditation. He could feel the curses in his blood shifting, moving along the path he created. Churning, roiling tides became the gentle ebb and flow of a stream as his body hummed with power. His flesh became a conduit, and his steps became water as he recalled his master's lessons.

He had called him a prodigy, a child born with a gift. Breathing and Walking. The correct way to move and live. Most people who practiced Eastern magecraft spent their entire lives cultivating that skill, but in rare cases, one was simply 'born correctly.' It had been that that had kept him alive in the fire when the curses sank into his skin. His entire body was like a magic circuit, reproducing and creating Mysteries with the simple swipe of a hand. His mind faded to white as he continued his meditation, formless and without distraction.

The pain began to ebb as he neared the end of his morning routine. His body relaxed slowly as he brought himself back to center, the air around him becoming lighter as he finished the ritual. His eyes drifted open, and he exhaled with relief. The searing heat that had become part of his everyday life had reduced from burning in his veins to gentle embers. His gaze drifted to the clock on the wall, curious to see just how long he had been out of it.

"Huh, it's already been thirty minutes. Time sure flies, I guess." His eyes drifted back to the door, and he let his shoulders sag. He had to get going if he wanted to get his morning chores done and get over to Homurahara Academy in time to meet Sakura for her lunch period. "First thing's first: Fixing this shitty Bounded Field Kiritsugu put up." He had been putting it off for months, mostly because of how familiar and comforting the feeling of the field was, but that didn't matter now. With The Grail war little more than a month or two away at most, he had to make absolutely sure the defenses on the Estate were fixed. He had already painted the Ofuda. Now, all that was left was to put them all up.

For the next thirty minutes, Asahi painstakingly set up talismans all over the Estate, with eight placed at the eight directional corners of the estate grounds, until finally, he could make his way to the exact center of the Estate. It had taken him a couple of days to figure this positioning out, but it was worth it. Asahi gently raised the floorboards and drew a Seiman at the center. He kneeled and sat seiza, bowing his head and whispering a mantra to the Hasshoujin. Prana surged as layer upon layer of Bounded Field wrapped around the Estate, blanketing it in a series of interconnected protective barriers that specialized in unwelcome spiritual bodies. It wouldn't keep out a Servant, but it'd be damn annoying for them, and that might just be the difference between life and death here.

Asahi closed his eyes and sharpened his perception, feeling the Bounded Fields thrum with prana. Eight layers of bounded fields, each interwoven with numerous protection and fortune charms, created a spiderweb of defense around the Emiya Estate. He nodded his head once in appreciation of his work. Now, to go meet up with Sakura! He grinned a bit, eyes flashing with barely concealed delight as he bounced on his heels. The heavy thud of his footsteps thumped against wooden floors as he bolted back to his room, throwing open his door and collecting his bags for the day.

He paused as he spun around, glancing at a decorative chest on his shelf. He reached out for a moment, and his hand hovered over it, but eventually, he shook his head and turned away. There was no need to open that up yet.

He ran through the halls again, quickly kicking on his shoes and darting out of the Estate.

December 12th, 2003. Homurahara Academy. Miyama District, Fuyuki. 12:05 PM.

Sakura was quiet as she looked around the forest, twiddling her thumbs as she relaxed against the cool stone she sat atop. It wasn't the first time Asahi had been late, but the Crest Worms were acting up particularly severely this week, so she was still a bit impatient. Her foot tapped rhythmically against the hard surface of the rock when the sound of rustling leaves in the underbrush caught her attention. Asahi stumbled into the little area a few moments later, tripping over a stump and faceplanting into the dirt, and Sakura had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing.

"Hello, Asahi-Nii. I see you decided to show up after all." Sakura giggled into her palm, grinning under her hand as she looked at the...man today, it seemed, stumble up to his feet. Asahi groaned as he rolled his neck before pausing, looking at her for a moment with a furrowed brow as he replayed her words in his head.

"You...How do you always know?!" Asahi gave the girl an incredulous stare before simply shaking his head free of dust and letting out an exasperated sigh when she giggled again. His eyes landed on the half-formed stigmata of command seals on the back of her hand for a moment before shaking his head free of the thoughts. They had agreed not to discuss it, so he would honor that.

"It's a secret, Asahi-Nii." Sakura lowered her hand and tilted her head, flashing Asahi a smile that was all too warm compared to her usual expressions. He flashed his own grin back to her, settling down on the stone beside her and pulling out a pouch from his bags. Sakura saw the pouch, and her body sagged with relief. She hurriedly began to unbutton her shirt, fighting with the fabric of her uniform for a moment before finally tossing the vest and button-up off to the side, where it landed on a branch. Fingers combed through violet tresses as he gently moved her hair over her shoulder to get easier access to her back.

Her back was covered in bruises again, and even the cursory glance he had given revealed what looked like a large gash that had scabbed over. That...That was different. Asahi shook his head, opened the pouch, and pulled out five small Ofuda. "Alright, these should be more efficient in stabilizing your body's functions than the last ones. I still haven't quite figured out how to deal with the Crest Worm in your heart, but I'm getting closer...I promise you, Sakura, this will be over soon." Asahi ground his teeth, Tracing his fingers over the ridges of the scabbed-over gash. He felt the sharp intake of her lungs through her back as he heard her suck in a breath, the corners of his lips turning down into a frown at the feeling.

She bit back a hiss as she felt him place the paper seals on different places on her back, drawing out a Seiman with an Ofuda at each point of the 'star.' It was a simple overlay, but it would be enough for this. His palm hovered over the center of her back, gnawing on his lower lip as hesitation seeped into his features. "It's...I'm alright Asahi-Nii. Don't worry." 'I've felt far worse' were the unspoken words that always set Asahi alight with anger when he spoke to her. His eyes locked into her own as she turned back to give him a reassuring smile, making sure he knew this would be okay. This girl was so kind and so good. She didn't deserve this. Asahi gave her a short nod and pressed his palm to the center of her back.

His palm twisted as he took in a long, slow breath. His eyes drifted shut, and he hummed for a moment, then his palm twisted back into its starting position with a slight jolt, keeping perfect time with his exhale. She bit back a curse, but bruises faded, and scabbing fell away as he healed her wounds. As this happened, the five Ofuda lit up in a gentle glow, surging with prana as pre-written spells began to take effect. The energy pulsed and sank into Sakura's body, diffusing throughout her as the light subsided to a gentle hum that tingled against her skin. Asahi gave it a few moments to settle, then nodded triumphantly. "Alright, looks like it's taking well. Leave them on for the next four hours, and that should keep you stable for the next week or two at least." He flashed another softer smile at her, which she returned happily.

"Thank you for doing this Asahi-Nii. I...appreciate it." Sakura mulled over her words for a moment before finishing her statement. She made to stand up but froze up as a hug quickly wrapped her up from behind. She leaned into it after a moment of reminding herself who it was that was here with her. Asahi wouldn't hurt her. She knew that for a fact. She let a different kind of warmth flood her chest at the touch and placed a palm over his knuckles, giving his hand a gentle squeeze.

Asahi's chin rested atop her forehead, and Sakura could feel the shudder in his chest as it pressed gently against her back. He let go after a few more seconds, and she walked over to put her shirt back on. After all, no one needed to stumble into the area and get the wrong idea. He packed his stuff away and glanced back over to where she was, fixing up her jacket and fiddling with her tie. He smiled, and suddenly, his hands were on the edges of the tie, fixing it up perfectly and fixing her collar over it. Her cheeks lit up with a soft tinge of pink, but he just smiled at her. "Gotta make sure you look your best! Head on back now and eat your lunch, and I'll see you tonight for dinner." His smile was infectious, and she couldn't help it when her lips curled up in response. It was always strange how much she smiled around Asahi. It was like her time with Senpai, but also...different. Sometimes, she wondered if this was what a sibling's love was supposed to feel like. Like the first scent of honeysuckles dancing across one's senses in the middle of June.

Sakura paused at that, some unidentifiable emotion dancing behind her eyes as she watched Asahi brush off her vest to make sure it looked nice and free of any creasing. He gave her one last look, and she quickly pulled him into another silent hug. She broke away after only a few moments, smiled, and turned to run back towards the school. His eyes followed her for a moment. Then he just sighed, shook his head with an exasperated grin, and made to leave.

December 12th, 2003. Riverside Park. Miyama District, Fuyuki. 4:30 PM.

The day had been quiet after visiting Sakura, and Asahi had had little to do after that excursion until later in the evening. As a result, he decided to spend some time simply exploring Fuyuki. In the end, he ended up where he needed to go anyway. His eyes fell half-lidded as he watched the sun dip into the horizon, a soft smile spread across his lips as the twilit sky was bathed in a kaleidoscope of reds and golds.

He watched lazily as the sun continued to sink lower and lower, falling behind the mountains until the only evidence of its presence was a deep purple that cast the rapidly approaching night sky in the last of its waning colors. A chill set in against his skin, and he found himself wrapping up the maroon scarf he had picked up after leaving Homurahara tighter around his face. He bundled up in his jacket and sighed, watching the cool air coalesce and disperse into the breeze.

The clicking of shoes roused his attention, and he glanced to the source of the sound, where a young woman, maybe nineteen or twenty, was approaching the bench. She wore a red, double-breasted jacket that fell to her thighs alongside a knee-length black skirt over a pair of leggings and ankle-high boots. A yellow scarf wrapped around her collar and kept her from the cold. She had black hair pulled back into a ponytail with a reddish-pink ribbon eerily similar to Sakura's own, and his eyes finally caught hers. Glimmering blue eyes stared back into his golden irises, and he straightened up almost unconsciously. This was her.

"You must be Asahi, then?" The woman's voice was curt and level, but he could see the unease in her eyes. This was probably the first time she had done this, and it showed.

Asahi gave her a simple nod, scooting over on the bench to give her room to sit down. She sat quietly, hands folding over one another in her lap as she took a moment to settle. "Rin Tohsaka, Second Owner of Fuyuki. It's nice to meet you." Polite and proper, open simply, and stay neutral.

"Asahi Emiya, charmed." His voice was similarly level, keeping his gaze forward instead of looking at her, and as a result, he almost didn't notice the slight hitch of her breath at their family name. The park was mostly empty now, and with a simple tap of an ofuda against the leg of the bench, a bounded field pulsed into existence around them that kept anyone from paying attention to them. "I'd like to officially request permission to set up a Workshop within the city."

Rin stared at him from the corner of her eye, head tilted slightly as information raced through her head. Was it the same..? "Emiya...Are you, by chance, related to Shirou Emiya?" Rin turned to watch Asahi closer, hoping to gauge his reaction. She saw him go rigid, sitting up straighter as his jaw set in place. That confirmed it, then.

"...Yes. Shirou is my younger brother. He has barely anything to do with the Moonlit World outside of the vague knowledge of its existence. He's not a proper magus, at most, a barebones spellcaster. You should have no worries about him." Asahi had reacted too quickly, dammit. He sighed and looked over at her, once again meeting her eyes. "I shouldn't cause you any issues either. My area of specialization is Eastern Magecraft. Our Mysteries are useless to one another." Asahi kept his voice measured but was obviously on the back foot from the get-go. Rin's eyes searched his own, her gaze scathing, before she rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

"I see. So you've been living here unregistered for years and are only just now deciding to ask for my permission to set up? You do understand how that sounds, correct?" Rin's eyes sharpened, narrowing her gaze at him as she spoke. The wind picked up, cutting into them both as they stared each other down for a moment. Asahi's lips pressed into a thin frown as he searched for an opening before he slumped and let out an exasperated sigh while his shoulders sagged.

"Hahhh...You got me there, honestly. Our old man never properly registered because he was a paranoid old fuck, and I wanted to rectify it, but I guess it wouldn't be that easy without incentive. He left us a good amount of money that I've kept hidden away, though. I can pay you in exchange for the permissions." Asahi grimaced as he put that option out there, but he saw her attention perk up and smirked. Ah, so money was the answer. Well, that made things a bit easier, even if it stung a bit.

"Hm. That sounds agreeable. I'll take the week to draft a proper contract, after which I will visit you at the Emiya Estate next Saturday to finalize all dealings, such as monthly costs and other finer details. Does that arrangement work for you?" Rin gave him a somewhat pretentious grin, happy that she had found an in towards dealing with her current financial destitution at the hands of that fake priest. She might even be able to afford the expenses of a proper catalyst if she approached this right!

Asahi groaned but gave her a simple nod in response, knowing this was probably the best he'd get. Damn old man leaving him to clean up his messes. He stood up right after, giving the Second Owner a curt bow in respect for her position, and she flushed a bit.

"H-hey, you don't need to start up with all that now! I-I mean, obviously, you know your betters at least, but-" Rin had devolved just a bit, and Asahi couldn't help the smirk that played across his lips at the sound of her awkwardness. Oh, she was adorable. That was good information to remember when dealing with her in the future. Any weapon helped when dealing with magi, even something as simple as a Tsundere complex.

He flashed her a grin as he lifted his head while she huffed and crossed her arms, turning her head slightly and closing her eyes. They chatted for a few more minutes before Rin finally turned and left, with Asahi embarking on his own path home shortly after that. In the end, neither ever did notice the figure watching them, white cloak billowing and giving off the slightest scent of flowers before they turned and vanished into the breeze.

December 12th, 2003. Emiya Estate. Miyama District, Fuyuki. 7:00 PM.

Asahi stared at the current state of their Dining Room with no small amount of contempt. His cat, Awafuro, sat quietly off to one side, grooming itself as if nothing was wrong. The source of the disturbance was, as usual, one Taiga Fujimura, who seemed to be rather greedily grabbing for a plate at one end of the table. Shirou was trying to protect the food, while Sakura was fretting and scrambling, panicking at the situation. None of them had even noticed him yet.

"Fuji-Nee! This is for Asahi-Nii when he gets back!" Shirou groaned as he held back the dreaded tiger, one arm wrapped protectively around a bowl of ramen. Sakura, meanwhile, was holding back Taiga.

"But Shirooooouuuu, he stillll isn't back yet, and it's gonna get cold! You can't just make him another bowl? I'm still hungry." Taiga whined, pouting a bit. Then she froze as a certain menacing presence made itself known behind her. "...He's right behind me, isn't he?" Shirou only nodded in response, staring up at Asahi after finally noticing him. He did not look happy.

Asahi had a violent grin, eyes shadowed by his bangs as he leaned over so his head was next to Taiga's before looking right at Shirou. "Hey there, Sundrop, mind telling me what this stray cat is doing here? Seems like she's causing trouble, and you know I'm not above calling Animal Control."

Asahi refused to acknowledge Taiga directly, but the message was clear. The woman shivered, her lips pressed into a thin line as she slowly turned to look at Asahi.

"H-hey Asahi...Let's not be hasty now. You know y-your big sis Taiga wouldn't-"

"Save it, Fuji-Nee. We can settle it in the kendo dojo tomorrow morning! After all, I also have practice with Shirou tomorrow morning, so we can have a big sleepover and handle it all later." Asahi gave them both a capricious, faux saccharine smile that betrayed the absolute murderous intent behind her closed eyes. Shirou and Taiga both felt a jolt of fear run down their spines, Taiga from the promise of retribution and Shirou from the reminder that he was going to spend his Saturday morning getting his ass kicked, while Sakura simply watched the scene with an exasperated sigh. Asahi-Nii could be so mean when he wanted to be!

"Asahi-Nii, you shouldn't bully Senpai and Fuji-Nee like that. It's mean." Sakura pouted a bit, and Asahi's grin twisted into a pout.

"Mou...I can't believe Sakura-chan won't let me bully my other precious siblings." Taiga and Shirou sighed in relief, their shoulders sagging as Asahi relaxed, though the fear of what tomorrow morning would bring still hung loosely over their heads. She stood back up and laughed, walking around the table to sit down and eat her dinner as the table slowly devolved into quiet conversation. The sounds of laughter echoed through the halls of the Emiya Estate, the warmth of the family biting back against the chill of the night.

Ultimately, no one noticed the white-robed figure standing just outside the window, disappearing in the winter breeze.

End of Chapter A/N: So! that was the proper Chapter 1. I don't have much experience writing some of these characters, so do forgive me if some characterization is off, and feel free to offer me pointers as well. This is my first time writing for any of the canon characters outside of Sakura, really, and Shirou himself changes quite a little bit when he has an actual family to rely on from before the fire.

I also hope you enjoyed Asahi. I decided that I wanted this OC to fill a different niche than the other masters that will take part in this war, so I ended up landing on Eastern Magecraft, as it's not heavily explored in the Nasuverse. Specifically, Asahi is an Onmyouji that specializes in curses, shikigami, and sympathetic magic, as well as energy flow, so we'll dig deep into that soon.

Finally, I hope you also enjoyed them as a character. The time period is the early 2000s, so the idea of this extremely skilled Onmyouji being a goofy-ass, happy-go-lucky punk was really fun to me. She has a lot more to her than that and shes an Emiya so we all know she's fucked up and depressed, but she's, at her core, meant to be 'fun', kind of like a magi version of taiga (truly, the most terrifying concept)