The King of Heroes

by PLPanda

Gilgamesh was the first hero of humanity. In his journey to the distant lands, he had killed the mighty giant Humbaba and gathered all the world's treasures. Hailed as the King of Heroes, this mighty warrior has no equals. And yet, his death at the hands of the newest Godslayer would be the catalyst for something even greater. This is the story of Shirou Emiya, the sixth Campione

2. Opening the Gate

King of Heroes - Chapter 2/Opening the Gate

=2=

It floated in the middle of a black space right before him. It was within a hand's reach.

A sword… Golden handle, with guard more reminiscence of a cavalry lance. Blue markings ran all over the guard. The blade was unlike any other sword. Three black cylinders with red lines running up to the golden point formed the core. Despite their appearance, it was a weapon capable of cutting.

It was a sword that predated the concept of a 'sword'.

Shirou reached for it. When his fingers grazed the handle, the cylinders started spinning. The red lines shined for a moment. From the guard up, the lines turned black as the cylinders themselves lit with aquamarine light. The blue markings on the guard became red.

Shirou grasped the sword firmly. He felt the power flow all around him as aquamarine beams of energy whipped around, striking at imaginary targets. He raised the sword above his head and held onto it tight as a beam of light fired from the point. The very dream around him shook. Parts of the black firmament cracked and shattered into motes of light. Golden glow shined in.

The sword calmed down when there was no more blackness around him. Instead, all that remained was pleasant golden light. Shirou let go of the handle. For a moment, the sword hung in the air before him.

A beam of golden light hit the sword directly. Then another. They were shining from all directions. Shirou watched as thirteen beams of light wrapped around the sword and held it in place.

=2=

He sat up, pushing the covers off. Checking his clock told him it was about time to get out of bed. Sakura would be arriving soon and he had to prepare for the hurricane Tiger.

A shiver went down his spine.

Surely… she can't tell what I'm thinking in private…

He put that thought out of his head and went to the dojo to get some exercises in. Afterward, he decided to get ahead on the cooking. Rin was staying with him so he needed to account for that when making breakfast.

A doorbell rang.

"Oh. Sakura is here." He put down the spatula and went to open the door.

"Hello Senpai!" The purple-haired girl greeted him. "How are…" She drifted off, looking at him.

"Huh? What did you want to say?"

A bit of drool leaked from her mouth.

"Oh! I left the fire on. The rice is almost ready! You must be extra hungry today, yeah?" Sakura only nodded. Shirou rushed back inside to deal with the food.

He completely missed that outside of his pants, he only wore the apron. Which meant no shirt underneath. Which meant Sakura got a nice image to feed her imagination. And then, when he ran off, she got to watch his naked back with all those well-defined muscles…

With titanic effort, she dismissed her fantasies and walked into the house. Shirou was already putting the breakfast on the table.

Then some beast marched through the middle of the room and staggered into the kitchen. The thing stumbled around for a moment before letting out a deafening groan.

"Tohsaka?" Shirou looked at his guest. Her hair was a mess, standing in all directions. And she wore yellow pajamas with black cats all over them.

All that answered him was a tired groan.

"Let me make you some… coffee," he decided looking at her. "Sakura, could you please help Tohsaka to her seat?"

"Oh! Of course senpai." The girl nodded, internally panicking. Why was her sis- no… why was Tohsaka staying with Shirou? She guided the girl to the table.

Tohsaka plopped down and let out another tired groan.

"You're not a morning person, huh?" Shirou brought her a cup of black coffee and put it in front of her. Sakura was saddened to see he now had a shirt on.

She downed the entire cup in one gulp.

"Senpai… why is a girl staying here?"

"It's not what you think!" Shirou panicked a bit. "Tohsaka's was just helping me with some stuff yesterday and we stayed up late so I offered to let her stay so she didn't walk alone through the city."

"Oh. That's so kind of you." Sakura spoke in a perfectly flat tone.

The awkward moment was interrupted by the hurricane Taiga bursting into the room. "I'm here! Shirou, feed me!"

Shirou smacked her hand with a shinai before she could pounce at the food laid on the table.

"Aw… Wait, where did you get that from?" She pointed at the wooden sword in his hand.

Shirou looked at his sword and scratched his head. "I… don't know. I think it was just lying around. Are you sure you didn't leave it by the table yesterday?"

Rin gasped. She covered her mouth. Taiga's eyes narrowed. She watched Shirou carefully. Then she spotted the food in the corner of her eyes and shrugged. "Don't know. Time for food!"

The boy shook his head and joined the girls for breakfast.

"Let's check the news." Taiga turned on the TV in between servings.

"Where does she put it all…" Rin whispered under her breath as she watched more food disappear from the table. What seemed like an absolute feast at first, now appeared to be just enough to feed the four of them.

"...And now returning to the studio." Shirou and Rin caught the last few photos of the destruction caused by the Heretic God attack the previous evening.

"Thank you, Ohya-san. Coming next, the weather."

Rin barely held back another groan. Now her job of cleaning up after the Heretic God was even harder. At least the weapons disappeared, but it's not like she could affect the entire city with a single mind-altering spell. She'd have to track the witnesses one by one. That fake priest must have had people for that. Stupid Kirei.

"Well, gotta go. See you in school!" Taiga rushed out, leaving an empty bowl clattering on the plate.

"Is it just me or was Fujimura-san in a hurry today?" Sakura asked, staring at where the woman just disappeared.

"Now that you mention it… she didn't even beg for takeouts." Shirou nodded.

"Takeouts?" Rin blinked, looking at the pile of empty plates and bowls left on the table.

"Good point. I think I need to adjust the portions better for when we have more people staying."

"We should probably leave if we don't want to be late." Sakura pointed while gathering the plates.

In response, Rin let out a tired groan. "Ugh. I had to stay up way too long last night."

"Sorry." Shirou smiled. Tohsaka saw her sis-… saw Matou frown.

The girl waved her hand. "Not your fault. I had to make some calls to London. Argh. If Fujimura-sensei hadn't seen me I would've called in sick… Well, there's no point crying now. If it's no trouble, could you please find me during lunch break?" She looked at Shirou. "We have some additional stuff to discuss. Regarding yesterday."

"Sure." The boy shrugged. He didn't have any plans beforehand.

Behind him, Sakura stiffened. No… She is going to… take Shirou from me?

=2=

As soon as the lunch break began, Tohsaka found Shirou and led him to the rooftop. Luckily, they didn't run into Issei or he'd probably complain about the witch putting her hands on Shirou.

"I apologize for my behavior in the morning, my lord. I… forgot myself."

"Nah. Don't sweat it." Shirou waved her off. "I told you yesterday that it was just making things awkward."

"If you say so…" Rin released a breath she was holding. At least Shirou wouldn't be like Marquis Voban. "I have confirmed your ascension with the Mage's Association last night."

"Wait, what?"

"Well, I had to inform relevant parties about your rise to the status of Campione to make sure your authority is recognized."

"Okay, Tohsaka, back away for a second. I still don't really get the whole authority bit. You mean that special power I got from the god I killed?"

"No. In this case, I meant your status as the ruler of Japan and the Pacific Islands. As far as the Mage's Association is concerned, Campione is free to do what they want on their land. For example, Marquis Voban had taken over a castle in the Balkans in the fifteenth century and has now become a folktale not unlike Dracula. A monster deep in the woods, living in a remote castle. He usually doesn't care what happens in his territory. Lady Luo Hao has closed herself in a monastery pursuing Perfection in martial arts."

"And the others? How many Campione are there?" Shirou… didn't exactly see himself staying in seclusion for the rest of his… apparently immortal life.

"There are five in total currently alive, with you as the sixth." Rin recounted. "I've already mentioned Marquis Voban and Lady Luo Hao - the second and third oldest. There is also Lady Bathomeloi, the current Vice-Director of the Clock Tower. She is mostly interested in hunting dead apostles and keeping her backyard clean. Then there is the second youngest, John Pluto Smith-"

Shirou interrupted her. She had to lean back because of how much forward he leaned. "The Masked Superhero of Los Angeles is a Campione?"

Rin has never seen the redhead so enthusiastic about anything. Yes, he was often incredibly determined, but he acted almost like a child here.

"Yes. Please calm down." She pushed him back. Luckily, he didn't object, as Rin was doubtful she would've been able to put him in his place if he didn't want her to. "John Pluto Smith was the youngest Campione before you. He is perhaps the most… prominent King with the most hands-on approach."

"He is one of my idols!" Shirou smiled. "I wanted to become like him. Though… I figured that if a magus was ever seen acting so… brazen, in such a public manner, the Mage's Association would hunt them down to be killed. Father always said that keeping magecraft a secret was the most important thing."

"That is correct." Rin nodded. "In normal situations, the Mage's Association is very strict about keeping anything supernatural secret to protect the Mystery. But, Campiones are above normal rules. In this case, literally. Due to John Pluto Smith's action, the amount of Mystery in the world has increased slightly. The consensus was to let him continue. And as I said, most Campiones are allowed to act however they want within their land. Only someone on an equal level could contradict them."

"So they can do whatever they want?" Rin wondered if Shirou still didn't get that he was also a Campione or if he had something else on his mind.

"Pretty much. Don't think you can just go around causing a mess!" Rin grumbled. "I'm going to be the one cleaning it all." She then sighed. "Look, while the Campione are mostly free to do anything they want, there are some limits. Some time ago, there was a witch who became a Campione. Madam Aisha. She obtained authority related to time. It's not clear what happened but in the end… The Wizard Marshal had to intervene. He erased her from reality to protect the timeline from shattering."

"Oh…" Shirou shivered. That seemed… bad. "Anything else I should watch out for?"

"Yes. So far we've gone over the four modern Campiones. But there is one more. Your big sister. A Godslayer who remembers the change of Ages. Scathach. Think of her as the highest authority for all Campione."

"So… she's keeping everyone in line?" The redhead guessed. Is that Scathach like Taiga? He shivered at the idea of Taiga with divine powers.

"Sometimes. Usually, she is either hunting down Heretic Gods around the world or simply traveling and exploring. She is the one Campione who doesn't have a territory as such to call her own, but no one is stupid enough to go against her." Rin stared at the boy in front of her. She couldn't get a read on him. Which was bad given that he now had the power to remove Fuyuki from the map if he had a bad day.

"I see. Thanks, Tohsaka. You're rather accommodating."

"No problem whatsoever. It's in my interest to make sure you don't accidentally make Fuyuki vanish from the maps."

"I wouldn't do that!" Shirou screamed in protest. Rin just deadpanned.

"If you picked a fight with another Campione… most of them would consider this city as acceptable collateral damage to put an upstart in their place. There are many tales of cities being destroyed by an irate Campione. I'm just covering my bases."

Shirou frowned. "I wouldn't put innocent people in danger."

"Then good thing you now know what not to do." Rin has been saved from further discussion by the bell. They had more classes in the afternoon.

After the lessons were over, Shirou returned home. While on any other day, he would've stayed to help out around the school, he had stuff to deal with.

His 'workshop' was certainly not as impressive as most mages, but it was still his retreat - a place where he could safely practice Magecraft.

"Trace. On." A switch inside his head flicked and he felt… something inside him come to life. Words echoed inside his mind as the new knowledge formed in his head.

[The King of Heroes] - The authority of the first hero. The power over all the riches he had gathered inside the [Gate of Babylon], as well as the ultimate reflection of his [Heroic Resolve], which allows him to overcome insurmountable odds.

Shirou extended his hand forward. He focused on the power inside him. In his mind, he could picture the treasury. There was no end to the treasures that now belonged to him. He didn't focus on any single one. Instead, he simply pulled.

"[Gate of Babylon]"

The air shimmered in front of him. Golden ripples pulsed as the hilt of a sword emerged. Shirou grabbed it and pulled. Golden handle, golden guard, and a blade made of the finest metal he had ever seen emerged. When the tip of the sword was out, the ripples vanished.

He gave the sword a tentative swing. There was no resistance as he sliced the metal chair apart. The sword hummed with magical energy. Shirou refrained from taking any more swings. There were some items he still wanted to fix here and it would be a shame to damage them.

"Trace. On." In his mind, he could perfectly picture the sword's structure. It had no history to speak of. A sword, forged by the best smiths of Uruk. Presented to King Gilgamesh who then put it in his treasury without much care. A sword like countless others he already had. Though, it was a mystic code from the Age Of Gods. A weapon whose power was only fit for the king.

"I guess I qualify now, right?" The sword didn't answer him and Shirou bowed his head in defeat. "I'm talking to a sword…" He placed the sword in the corner and walked out. There was still time until dinner so he could squeeze in some training.

No sooner than he reached the doors to the dojo, he heard someone ring the doorbell.

When he opened the doors, he was surprised to see Sakura standing there… with a bald wrinkled old man accompanying her.

"Hello?" Shirou almost subconsciously tugged ever so lightly on the [Gate of Babylon]. He didn't draw anything but he was ready just in case. Everything about the old man screamed untrustworthy.

"Lord Emiya." The man bowed, with Sakura following suit. "We're pleased to meet you."

The girl tightened her grip on the suitcase she had with her. She felt the worms inside her wake up as soon as Shirou came into view. "Y-Yes Senpai. Really pleased."

The boy blinked. "Excuse me?" Sakura didn't move, but she cringed on the inside. Shirou has always been so clueless.

"Forgive me. I'm Zouken Matou, the current head of the Matou family and the grandfather to young Sakura." He rubbed the top of his cane.

"Good afternoon." Shirou nodded. "Can I help you?"

Sakura couldn't help but smile. Shirou was always first to help, no matter what was happening. That's probably how he became a Campione in the first place.

"I wanted to pay a proper tribute to the new King." Zouken nudged Sakura a bit, who nodded.

"Y-Yes. Grandfather wished to thank you. And… And… ensure your Majesty will look on… on our family favorably." It's not like her senpai would want to hurt them. Sakura felt her grandfather's glare on her. "I humbly present myself to you." She bowed deep, which might have or might have not shown some of her cleavage to Shirou. "Please take care of me."

She had dreamed of being senpai's for months now, but it always remained nothing but a fantasy. There would've been too much in the way. And she didn't want any of her grandfather's attention on him. But now, Zouken found a way to turn her little safe place, her escape, into another plan. He wanted to leverage her friendship with the new King to ensure their family would remain undisturbed, and in his mind, the best way to do so was to use her as a bargaining tool.

"Sakura, is everything all right? Did you do something? Did Shinji-"

"No!" She rushed to stop him. Shirou could get a tad overprotective of her (and didn't that cause some pleasant feelings), but she in no way wanted to see him accidentally do something to her brother. "Nothing like that. Just…"

"I believe you are already familiar with my granddaughter. Thus, I decided that giving her over to you would be the best tribute my family had to offer." Zouken was smiling, but Sakura easily saw how he gripped the cane ever so tighter than normal. How his eyes didn't show the usual malice he had when smiling. No, her grandfather was worried. Not scared. Zouken didn't get scared. But Sakura had seen enough times when her grandfather had no immediate answer or when there was something beyond his control that she knew the signs. Shirou was currently a dangerous unknown.

"Are you insane?" The said teen yelled. "You can't just… just trade away family members like they are some sort of collectibles!"

Oh, senpai… so naive when it comes to magi… Sakura smiled at the thought. Even if Shirou practiced Magecraft, he wasn't a Magus. Or more accurately, no self-respecting Magus would call him that. Which suited Sakura just fine.

"Forgive me if I offended you, my Lord. I only wanted to present you with something that you'd enjoy."

Shirou almost shivered at the way Zouken pronounced the last word.

"It's still wrong. I can't just take Sakura and… keep her around as a pet. Slavery is wrong." He protested.

I'd be the best pet though… Sakura squashed the thought as soon as it appeared. The worms inside her started to move around, sensing her emotions. She couldn't… Not now… "Please, Shirou… can I just…" She wasn't above abusing her strongest weapon: puppy dog eyes.

"Sakura?" He stared at her with that confused expression of his.

After a moment of hesitation, she nodded. "I am yours, Senpai." I wanted this for months. To escape. To be with you. To no longer have to return to him.

"See, the girl is all for it. I'm sure your Majesty will find her useful. If only for her impressive number of Magic Circuits." Zouken's glare left Sakura, who took a step forward. The redhead didn't dwell too much on what the old guy meant and instead focused on the different implications.

"Wait, you're a Magus?" Shirou's gaze turned to Sakura, who refused to meet his eyes.

"Oh yes, she does her family pride with her diligence in her studies." Zouken chuckled at some joke while Sakura shivered. She knew what her grandfather referred to… what he expected of her now…

"I… I'm sorry I hid it from you senpai. I just…"

"Never mind." Shirou dismissed it. "I get it. Magecraft is supposed to be a secret and all that. Besides, I never told you I was a Magus either."

"I actually… I figured out the day I first came here." She revealed. She didn't want to hide… she wanted to tell him at least this one thing. "Your bonded field is subtle, but… I'm really… sensitive to Magecraft."

The boy let out a nervous chuckle. "Yeah… I'm only a beginner so I guess it's obvious once you look for it."

Sakura spotted the wrinkles on her grandfather's forehead wiggle. Most people wouldn't think much of it. It was barely noticeable. But she had learned to recognize even such small ticks over the years. That was her grandfather's eyebrows rising and his eyes going wide. He must've expected Shirou to be like his adopted father, a trained killer honed to perfection in taking out anything supernatural.

For a second, she feared he'd retract his offer and take her away. No, he wouldn't risk angering Shirou either way.

Zouken looked at the boy with a critical eye. Sakura was intimately familiar with that judging glare, but Shirou's only reaction was to narrow his eyes a bit. Then, both Sakura and her grandfather noticed a subtle golden glow near his hand. The air almost instantly grew heavy.

"Please forgive me. I have prior responsibilities. I trust my dear granddaughter will be in good hands." Zouken was not smiling. Sakura inhaled. He was not smiling. He was displeased with her. He was angry! Grandfather…

"Of course. Sakura's important to me." The golden glow dimmed, but it wasn't gone.

"Very well." Zouken walked away. Shirou stood at the doors until her grandfather's figure disappeared from view.

"Come in, Sakura. I'll start making some tea."

"I… Thank you, senpai…"

"That was your grandfather? Man, I know magi are often right bastards but…" He slapped his hand over his mouth. "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean you of course!"

Despite herself, she giggled. "I know Shirou. I… you're right. My grandfather is… ancient and his views reflect that… I guess…" Zouken would always complain that the younger generations are too soft when she…

A shiver went down her spine.

"Hey, it's okay." Shirou left the kettle and walked over to her. He extended his arms, inviting her into a hug. Sakura practically launched herself into his embrace as soon as she saw it. "It's okay." He awkwardly patted her head. "You're safe now. And I can protect you from him."

"No! No… He's… Grandfather is… I…"

Shirou tightened the hug. The girl felt his arms envelop her like a warm blanket. Shirou's chest was broad enough that she could cuddle into it without issues.

"If this whole 'Power of The King' means anything, then I can promise you that no one will hurt you again. Even him. "

"Senpai…" Tears streamed down Sakura's cheeks but she didn't care. At that moment, she felt safe. She finally felt like there was no more danger. Even the worms were forgotten… for now.

=2=

With Sakura now moved into one of the guest rooms (now her room), there was only one more issue remaining. Explaining things to Taiga. Though Shirou got an idea.

With the phone in his hand, he stood in the middle of the kitchen. "Tohsaka?"

"Emiya? How did you get my number?" The tired and irritated voice of Rin sounded from the speaker.

"I called Issei and he was almost too happy to give me your number. No questions asked. I'm honestly slightly worried…" The boy rubbed his neck.

"That irritating little wannabe-bald-" Before she could finish the rant, Shirou interrupted her.

"Tohsaka. I got a question." He called over her curses. "Specifically related to my status as a Campione." He added as an afterthought.

"Ah… Uh… what do you need, my lord?" Her voice did a one-eighty. It was like night and day. She was no longer irritated and instead sounded… submissive.

"Don't worry." Shirou could imagine how she was already kneeling… and that chain of thoughts was over. He shook his head. "I just wanted to double check there would be no consequences if I told someone about the Campione business."

"..." There was a pregnant silence on the other end of the phone for a moment. "As a king, you are technically allowed to tell anyone and it's not like anyone can protest really, but if they then babble too much, it's gonna be on your head."

"Okay, bye." He smiled.

"Wait!" Rin called out, but Shirou already pressed 'end call'.

With that call done, he went back to cooking the dinner while whistling a tune. Sakura was currently asleep in her room. The emotional afternoon has completely exhausted her.

It was about an hour later that Taiga arrived.

"No Sakura today?" That was the first question she asked as soon as the greetings were out of the way.

"She is resting in her room." Shirou began setting the table. "Fuji-nee… after dinner, we've gotta talk."

"Oh! Did you do it? Is she exhausted because my Shirou-kun has showered pure little Sakura with tons and tons of love? Or did she get tired of waiting and pin you to the wall and have her sweet way with you? Tell me! Tell me!" She practically begged.

"What?! No! Sakura had a very emotional afternoon. Her grandfather…" Shirou didn't want to reveal too much because he only had some guesswork for now and it wasn't his story to tell anyway. "She's gonna be staying here for the foreseeable future."

"What!?" An idea formed in her head. "Why just let me-" She jumped to her feet, rolling up her sleeves. Taiga was ready to march out that instant but Shirou held her back.

"Wait! It's not like that… I think. Look, Fuji-nee, you can't just go right now. Just wait until I explain some stuff, okay? It's all related to what I have to tell you." He was surprised that holding her back turned out to be easier than he would've expected. Taiga was equally surprised because she stopped struggling. "Look, let's just eat for now and then talk."

"No way, mister! I'm not letting you distract me with food." Taiga stomped in place. "Explain it right now or else."

"Fine." Shirou bowed his head in defeat. If the food didn't work, he had no other hope. "I… am a wizard. Like my father before me."

"EH!?" Taiga screeched. "What sort of stupid joke is that supposed to be? Kiritsugu wasn't a wizard! And besides, magic is just a bunch of stories for kids. Hah. Wizard. Good one."

"It's true! Well, the technical term is a magus. That's what Dad was. I, on the other hand, am a Campione."

"Okay, it was funny but come on, no more distracting me. And don't think I'm going to forget about Sakura's grandfather so easily. Now spill." Taiga huffed.

Shirou groaned. "Okay, look closely." He put his palm forward and concentrated.

"Just because you learned some sleight of hand doesn't mean…" Taiga stopped as she saw golden ripples appear above his palm. Then, it shifted and Shirou was left holding a golden necklace. It had a pendant in the shape of a disk with a large circular hole in the upper part. "WHAAAAAT!?" Taiga let out a startled scream. "No way! You're really a wizard?!"

"Yeah… sorry for-" Before he could finish, she interrupted him.

"Awesome! Is that why your cooking is so good!? Do you use magic to do housework faster? Do you cheat on my tests with magic?" The last one came out… perhaps a bit more threatening than she intended, but she could live with that.

"No. Magecraft is dangerous. I'd never use it for such trivial things." He protested.

"Spoilsport." Taiga pouted. "If you can't use it for fun, what's the point?"

"Well, I mostly use it for repairs in my workshop. Occasionally I try to help at school. When I'm sure no one can see it." He paused to shake his head. This was getting off topic. "Fuji-nee. This is really important. Magecraft and everything related to it must remain a secret. I mean it."

"Or what? A bunch of men in black suits come and take us all away?" She snorted. "This isn't some American movie Shirou, right?" Seeing his silence, she blanched. "Right!?"

"Like I said. It has to be kept a secret. That's why I tried to keep you in the dark. But now things got a bit more… complicated."

"Huh? Does it have to do with Sakura?"

"Partially." Shirou nodded. "But more broadly… remember how I told you that I'm a Campione? Well, it's a classification for those who killed a god."

Taiga snorted. "Funny joke." Then, she realized. "Oh my, you're being serious. So what? Did you kill a god and get roped into some magical prophecy? Do you need to assemble a badass team to go on a quest around the world to gather some magical devices to stop someone from making a dangerous wish that would destroy the world?" Her eyes were practically sparkling. "Is Sakura now part of your party? Can I join?"

"No! No one has to… what? No… The whole deal with Campione is more complicated. Killing a god gave me one of his authorities. It's like a part of their myth that gives them powers. And now I have that power instead."

"Nice. Nice… and what does that mean?" Taiga bounced in place.

"Well, for starters now most magi treat me like a king. Or a walking natural disaster…" He deadpanned, recalling Rin's reaction. "I am, according to Tohsaka at least, recognized as the ruler of Japan and all Pacific Islands."

"Oh? And King Shirou decided to finally take Sakura as his queen?" Taiga wiggled her eyebrows.

"No! Sakura is also a Magus. As is her grandfather. He decided to 'give' her to me as a tribute. So that I will leave him in peace and protect him from whatever angry god comes my way."

Taiga's eyes narrowed. "What?"

"Look, I don't like it either, but… Sakura was terrified. I don't know what's going on, but she was… relieved when I took her in." His fist balled. "Magecraft training can be brutal, but her reactions… It was more than that."

"And here I thought you were oblivious," Taiga muttered. "Well, what are you planning to do?"

"For now, she will live with me. It's not like it'll change much since she's been coming over almost daily. And definitely no more training with her grandfather. Other than that… I'll see what she says when she wakes up. But magi are dangerous, Fuji-nee. Even old man Raiga can't do anything to protect you from them." It was a bit of an open secret that Taiga, in her teenage years, got into all sorts of troubles until she settled on a teaching career. It was usually not intentional, but her temper did lead to some… interesting situations. Her title as the Tiger of Fuyuki wasn't just because of her name.

"Fine. But don't think this is over, understand mister? I reserve the right to kick that creep's ass if he did anything to little Sakura." Taiga relaxed in place after a moment. "Man, I'm famished. Feed me Shirou!"

"Yeah, sorry… I think all the food is now cold…" The Tiger of Fuyuki cried that evening.

In all the commotion Taiga caused, neither of them had noticed that Sakura was listening in to their talk.

=2=

When Shirou woke up the next day, he was greeted by an amazing smell coming from the kitchen. When he arrived, he found Sakura preparing breakfast. She was humming something as she worked.

"Hey there."

Startled, she turned in place and almost dropped the knife. "Oh! Hello, senpai. I didn't notice you there." She put down the tool and turned around. "The breakfast is almost ready."

"Lemme help." He went over to grab the apron but she stepped in his way.

"No!" She then looked down. "I… I want to do it myself today. Please?"

"Sure. But I'm cooking tomorrow then." Shirou went to set out the table. He idly flicked the TV on to check the news.

They were still talking about the destruction of the Shinto district. There were many theories about what could've caused so much destruction, but nothing definitive. Some journalists even got witness accounts of a man in golden armor marching through the destroyed streets.

Sakura paused the preparation to look at Shirou. The table was already set and he was only waiting for her. He looked so peaceful… so content… Would you still let me stay if you knew just how dirty I am…? I live deceiving you… Worms inside her wiggled impatiently and she barely held herself together. Her grandfather's orders were… no. She was no longer beholden to him! She knew her cheeks were flushed and her forehead wet from the sweat. She did her best to ignore it and the feeling welling inside her.

"Sakura? You okay?" Shirou was not stupid. He noticed something was going on.

"Yeah. Sorry senpai. It was rather hot in the kitchen."

"If you say so." He shrugged but kept giving her side glances. As she started eating, the fever seemed to go away so he let it go.

"Fujimura-sensei is not coming today?" She asked, putting down her plate.

"I… don't know? She should've already gotten here by now, but maybe it has something to do with yesterday. Remember how much in a rush she was?"

"Maybe. Why do you think that is?"

"Who knows? With Fuji-nee, it could be anything." Shirou waved his hand. "If she told me she was raising a bunch of circus monkeys and training them in Kendo I'd believe her."

"Oh?" A voice spoke from behind him. "Maybe I should revisit our training Mr. Wizard?"

Shirou jumped from his seat and before anyone realized was now pointing a sword at Taiga who was laughing her ass off.

"Gotcha!"

"Fuji-nee! I could've hurt you!" He tried to scold her, but it didn't get anywhere.

"Aww. My little Shirou-kun thinks he can hurt his Nee-san? For shame." Taiga cooed.

"Ah…" Sakura let out a small gasp.

"Oh! Right." The boy straightened up and dropped the sword. Both women could watch it get swallowed by a golden ripple before it could touch the ground. "Don't worry Sakura, I told Fuji-nee about the moonlit world. She knows about Magecraft and me being a Campione. All that stuff. So you don't have to worry." He gave her a thumbs up.

"O-Okay." Sakura bowed her head and stared into her meal, refusing to meet their gazes.

"I cleared it with Tohsaka so there aren't gonna be any issues." Shirou decided to reassure his kouhai. "By the way," he turned to look at Taiga. "What keeps you so much in the mornings? I thought you'd never miss a free meal?"

"Not telling~" She sang. "A woman's got to have her secrets. Now… Feed me Shirou!" She cried out, but the boy just shook his head.

"Never change, Fuji-Nee." He laughed as led her to the table.

With breakfast over, Taiga ran off to school. Shirou and Sakura cleaned up and also left. On the way, they ran into Rin.

"So. Have you informed Fujimura-san about your new status yet?"

"Huh? How did you know?"

"I guessed." She spun around and resumed the march to school. One of her pigtails hit him in the face. "After all, it was either her or Matou-san, so I had fifty-fifty chances."

"It could've been Shinji. Or Issei." Shirou decided to point.

"I guess…" Tohsaka put a finger to her lip before smirking. "But you've told me that you've called Issei to get my number. And Shinji was busy being beaten by the two girls from the track team that he's been cheating on."

"Eh?" The boy looked at Rin with a defeated expression. "Seriously?"

"Yeah. Who would've thought that all that was needed to reconcile two bitter rivals was just one sleazebag." She fluttered her eyelashes trying to present an innocent girl image.

"Shinji has his flaws but deep down he isn't evil," Sakura spoke barely above a whisper.

"Of course." Shirou smiled. "Though now that I know his grandfather…"

"Wait, you've met Zouken Matou?" Rin froze in place.

"Yeah. He came yesterday to deliver a tribute." The boy spat the last word as if it left a bad taste in his mouth. "He decided that I could make use of Sakura. Not sure what he expects me to be doing with her… I told him I don't condone slavery but it didn't seem to faze him."

Rin paled, then turned red. Her fists clenched. "That… that… Absolute bastard. What does he think-"

"I… actually don't mind. I prefer to stay with Senpai." Sakura interjected before the other girl could fly off the handle.

"Really?" Tohsaka looked at Sakura for a moment. Her eyes narrowed. "I see…"

"Uh… Girls?" Shirou checked the time. "We're about to be late."

"Oh no!" They both panicked. The trio rushed to the school as the warning bell rang. Luckily, Issei didn't comment on them coming together. Though… the look he gave Shirou seemed to promise an interrogation in the future.

The day was dull as any other. The school was still abuzz with the talk about the events in Shinto, but Shirou made a point to stay away from the talk. Instead, he focused on evading Issei who probably had questions for him. Between arriving at school with Rin and the phone call the day before, Shirou could predict that his friend already prepared an hour-long speech about the dangers of associating with the 'witch'.

After the classes were finally over, Shirou and Sakura returned home. The boy wanted time to practice with the authority he now had. There was still a lot he didn't know. Like what is the limit or what constitutes a 'treasure'.

No sooner than he got into meditation stance to try and explore his cool new powers, he heard a crash from inside the house. Rushing inside, he found Sakura on the floor, with a cup shattered next to her. There was hot water splashed everywhere.

He picked her up and walked over to the table. He put her down on the pillow, taking extra care not to drop her at any point.

Sakura was breathing heavily. Her entire body was hot. Her pupils kept dilating.

"Sakura? What happened? Are you okay?" Her cheeks were reddened and she kept shifting around.

"Sen… Senpai…" One of her hands traveled to her breast and the other shot out to grab his arm. She kept twisting as she rubbed her thighs together. "Senpai… Please… I…" She interrupted herself, letting out a loud moan.

Shirou shifted around. He was torn between trying to do something and looking away. This was entirely indecent and oh so lewd. His kouhai was all but masturbating in front of him, calling out for him. "What's happening to you, Sakura?" It was painfully obvious to him that it wasn't normal.

"Please Senpai. Give… Take me. Take me here and now." She called out. With no other warning, she bolted up to the seating position and pulled Shirou into a deep kiss. For a moment, the boy was stunned. Before he wrapped his head around it, she already practically shoved her tongue into his mouth.

Finally, Shirou managed to push her away.

It seemed that whatever got a hold of Sakura receded because she looked much better now, if still out of breath.

Tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Hey. Sakura. It's okay. I know you didn't mean it. Whatever it is, I can help. Remember? I've promised to always be there for you. That no one will ever hurt you again. Please, talk to me." He begged. What use was all the power in the world when he didn't know where to direct it?

"I… I'm so sorry. I'm dirty. And now I tried to make you dirty too. I… I don't deserve your kindness…" She tried to move away from him, but he held her hands in place.

"That's not true. Whatever happened, it wasn't your fault." He brought her hands together and enveloped them with his own. "Just… talk to me."

"O-Okay." She hiccuped. "But… when I'm done you'll understand that I'm just useless, dirty-"

"No. Sakura… I will never think that of you." He looked into her eyes.

"Shirou…" And so, she told him. About the truth behind her 'training', about the worms, about Zouken's true nature, about how she needs a constant supply of magical energy and regular mana transfers.

By the end of her story, Shirou was almost deathly still.

"When my grandfather learned about your new status, he decided to… leverage it. Children of the Campione are always incredibly powerful mages so he… he ordered me to… to get a baby by you… He even…" She sobbed. "He…" She couldn't finish and Shirou kept stroking her hand almost on instinct. He didn't push. This was enough. "So… Um… I understand if… if… you don't want me anywhere near you anymore."

In lieu of answering, Shirou pulled her into a crushing hug. She dropped like a boneless heap as all strength left her.

"Don't worry. I'll fix everything."

"There is no fixing me senpai. I'm just a broken toy now. But… maybe I can be your toy?" She smiled even as tears streamed down her face. Even as she sat there, Shirou noticed she was shifting around and trying to rub her tights again. The kiss, potent as it was, didn't seem to give her enough mana for long.

"No. You're not anyone's toy. You're my friend." He closed his eyes and extended his hand. "[Gate of Babylon: Open]" The words reverberated across the room.

First I need to get rid of the worms. But they are now part of her. A treasure that can heal and hurt at the same time… Shirou's brows furrowed as he concentrated on his authority. There was no order to things. He could spend months just meditating to find what he was looking for and it could still evade him. There was no way Gilgamesh didn't have some separate authority to help him search through this mess. He didn't know how long it took him to find two treasures that could be useful, but he had a potential solution.

In his hand was a glass whistle shaped like a horse in gallop, with both sides decorated by golden fleur-de-lis.

"Sakura, relax. It should all be fine in a moment." He put the whistle to his mouth. "Proto-Guillotine Breaker!" He whistled.

Crystal sparkles shot out of the. Dozens of miniature horses galloped across the air. They swirled around Sakura. One by one, each struck into her and vanished in a pulse of light. With each hit, the blush receded. She was no longer turning in place and her breathing evened out.

"They… they're no longer moving…" She gasped. "I… I'm free…" She smiled as she lay down on the pillow.

It worked. At least… he hoped it did. With a flick of a finger, he sent a golden coin at Sakura. The doubloon had an image of a castle over a cliff on one side and a jolly roger pierced by a rapier on the other. "Attendre, Espérer" Shirou whispered the name, activating the noble phantasm. "Rest, Sakura. I have something to deal with."

"Wait!" She grabbed him as he was standing up. "I… Shinji was innocent. He was as much a victim as I was." She held onto his trouser leg. "Please?"

"Okay." Shirou nodded. Honestly, he wanted to spare his friend. Even if he was an asshole, Shinji didn't seem like a monster. At least for now.

When he got out of the room, he pulled out his phone and called Shiji's phone.

"What do you want, Emiya?" The teen grumbled.

"Hey, would you mind coming over for a bit? I gotta show you something." He tried to keep the anger out of his voice and at least partially, he succeeded.

"Fine. Not like I had anything better to do today anyway."

That's what happens when you date two girls behind their backs. Shirou held the comment to himself. "I'm waiting then."

It didn't take long for his friend to arrive. Shinji sported a black eye and Shirou could spot some bandages poking from under his shirt.

As soon as the doors closed, the blue-haired boy found himself pinned to the wall with a sword pointing at his manhood.

"Hey! What gives!? Where did you even get that!?" He pointed at the sword that was uncomfortably close to him.

Shirou snarled as a golden ripple in the air formed next to his head and another sword poked out.

"I talked with Sakura." And everything became clear.

"It's not like you think!" Shinji cried out. "I only did what I had to. Grandfather said that without it she'd die. And… And…"

"I know." Shirou took the sword away. "Just wanted to make it clear that things are changing today. You'll stay here and if I learn you did anything to Sakura…" To make a point, he stabbed the sword into the wall until over half the blade was in. "Does your grandfather have anyone imprisoned at this moment?"

"No." Shinji shook his head. "At least I don't think so. The dungeons were empty last time I was…" He paused, unsure what to say.

Shirou nodded. He then turned and started walking away.

"Uh… you know you'll have to fix that?" Shinji called when he collected himself. Shirou just shrugged and continued to march away toward the Matou residence.

He arrived in front of a Western-style building. It was an impressive-size manor, with dark-blue rooftops and dark-red walls.

Shirou didn't care. The grounds were quite large. He could also feel his skin tingle from the bounded field that surrounded the place.

His shoes vanished, replaced by a pair of golden sandals. He was lifted in the air. While unsteady at first, finding the right balance was a simple task as long as he didn't move from the spot. As he now stood above the mansion, he focused on his authority. At the same time, he recalled his fight with the heretic god. As he began to pull on the new power more than before, words flowed into his mind. He began chanting as the first golden ripple formed in the air.

"Time for some discipline.

Barbaric, but this too, is a strategy...

This is how you use treasures." With each word, more and more golden ripples appeared everywhere around him. Soon, the grounds were surrounded by the shining golden light.

As Shirou chanted the incantation, he spotted a swarm of bugs emerge from the manor. It didn't matter. "[Gate of Babylon: Open. Continuous Assault!]" On his command, a flood of steel and gold fell on the Matou Residence. Weapons of all shapes and sizes struck the area with enough force to cause miniature explosions. Dirt, bricks, and tiles flew everywhere.

The swarm heading toward him was decimated. The worms were unable to evade the sheer number of attacks going at them.

The intensity of the attack kept increasing. More and more weapons fell onto the Matou residence. Some of the treasures exploded on impact, creating small fiery blasts. Others left the blast zone covered in jagged ice. Yet more seemed to vaporize everything in its path until it ran out of energy. The structure long since collapsed but Shirou kept the assault going.

The underground levels were revealed. A pit brimming with worms that scattered everywhere as soon as the light hit them. Shirou had to put considerable effort not to vomit when he spotted just how the worms looked resolved and hardened.

Seeing the familiars escape, Shirou focused on the Gate of Babylon. While healing treasures were rare, weapons with the capability to annihilate the enemy of the King were all over the place. A spearhead emerged right next to Shirou. The golden blade lit with fire as it launched at the worms that were trying to escape through the holes in the wall.

As soon as the spear impacted the ground, everything was covered in flames. The fire inside the pit vaporized any bugs close enough and even those that escaped into holes would most likely cook alive inside there. The ball of flames enveloped the entire property.

It took only a few minutes from when Shirou began the bombardment. But in that time, the entire Matou residence was turned into a boiling crater. Weapons began to disappear in flashes of golden light as he descended. When entered past the bounded field (which was on the verge of falling), he spotted a burned rag and some dead worms surrounding it.

Looking closer, he found a small white worm frantically trying to squiggle away. He picked it up and held it by the tail. A scant wave of his hand sent a sword at the other worms, ensuring none survive.

"But… why?" The little creature gasped. "I… I paid my tribute." His raspy voice only made Shirou angrier.

"She's not some tribute! She's my friend! And you've been hurting her. You've kept abusing her all her life. And you tried to force her to… to… seduce me so you could steal our child?"

"Everything I did… was to preserve the Matou line. Make it stronger." Zouken tried to argue, but Shirou applied some pressure to his tail.

"You wanted to strengthen yourself, you mean?" He accused. "She told me how you've lived inside her for the last decade. How you only removed this worm from her when you decided that she'd be best used as a breeding stock!"

"You have no idea what you speak of. She should've known better what is expected of an heir of a magus family…"

"She is a person, not a toy for your sick mind games." Shirou grabbed the worm's head with his other hand and pulled a bit.

"So you are like your father after all…" Zouken rasped. He tried to find any worm to try and transfer his consciousness to, but they were all dead or dying.

"What do you mean?" Shirou snarled.

"Don't you know? He was called the Magus Killer. A ruthless mercenary. Infamous for going any length to complete his mission." The worm chuckled. Its low, coarse voice struggled to get through Campione's tightening grip. "Kill one to save a hundred. Kill a hundred to save a thousand. Kill a thousand to save a million." He recited with no small amount of amusement. "He did not care for collateral damage. And I see neither do you." The worm nodded toward the mansion.

"You're wrong. Shinji is safe with me. And you had no prisoners. Plus, your bounded field kept everything inside." Shirou lifted the worm close to his eyes. "Your desire to make sure your victims can't escape meant that at worst some of the neighbors saw flashing lights."

"All my research. Centuries of Matou family work… all gone… You've destroyed… everything… Even the Magic Crest inside Sakura… My magnum opus ruined by some hormonal teenager with a crush."

"If Sakura was supposed to be your greatest work, then that's perfectly fine with me." Shirou started to squeeze harder. Fragments of the story Sakura told him were still fresh in his mind. Seeing Zouken so irrepentant… so casual…

"Heathen…"

Shirou's fist clenched, splashing Zouken's blood everywhere. The centuries-old magus was gone.

The bounded field would dissipate within maybe half an hour. Shirou wisely decided that there was nothing more for him to do here.

=2=

When he arrived home, Shirou found Shinji sitting on the stairs in front of the doors.

"Uh… Why are you sitting here…" He took a closer look. "And what happened to your other eye?"

Shinji would've given him a deadpan stare, but with both his eyes swollen all he managed was a pained groan as he lifted his head.

"Fujimura-san came over. When she saw Sakura unconscious in the living room and me sitting in the garden, she attacked first and asked questions after I was on the ground." His jaw was slightly swollen too, and Shirou could spot several bruises on his body that weren't there when he was living.

"Ah… Sorry for her. Fuji-nee is very…" Shirou decided to not continue that sentence when he spotted Taiga standing in the open doors.

"Very what?"

"Energetic?" He offered. "Zouken is dead."

"Hah. You think it's that easy?" Shinji snarled. "That old bastard is immortal. If you destroy his body he'll simply reform and go back to doing what he used to."

"No. I made sure to destroy his true body, just like Sakura said."

"Wait, so the old man is really gone? No coming back?" Shinji's eyes widened despite the swelling.

"Yeah. I burned all his worms and destroyed his true mind."

"But… he always had some safety in place. He always boasted about his immortality."

"Not if the Heretic God attack destroyed his contingency." A new voice joined the discussion.

"Sakura!" Shirou and Taiga rushed to hug the girl.

"Senpai… you did it. You made the worms go away…" She let tears freely fall as she let herself be consumed by the double hug. "I no longer feel them inside me."

"Damn, I only regret I didn't get to punch that old creep when he was still alive." Taiga snarled.

"It doesn't matter. He's gone…" Sakura trembled. "I'm… I'm safe. I'm free…"

"As long as I'm here, you'll be safe. I promise you that." Shirou patted her head.

=2=

Inside a penthouse overlooking the city, a man in a white suit stood watching the people below. Everyone went on with their lives, blissfully unaware of just how dark and unforgiving this world really was.

"The tests all went down without a hitch. I've already secured the first few buyers." The man spoke into the phone. "Sir… what about the new King? Should we not consider moving this operation?" Another pause. "With all due respect, I do not believe operating right under his nose is beneficial to this project." The man started to pace back and forth in front of the window. "Maybe we should at least delay the implementation of phase two until we gather more information on him. This is the son of the Magus Killer we're talking about." He paused. "No, sir. Look, if the new King follows the same operational model as Kiritsugu Emiya, he will consider removing this city off the map as an acceptable casualty to stop the project. We have to be careful. I just need a week or two to get some idea of his personality."

He paled.

"No, sir. Of course not. Understood. We'll proceed as planned. I'll get right to it."

=2=

OMAKE

Shirou: I'm a wizard.
Taiga: Oh no... Shirou's doing drugs now.
Shirou: *traces a sword*
Taiga: Oh no... I'm doing drugs!