Synopsis: A few months after adopting the boy he saved from the fire, Kiritsugu agrees to take in another child as a favor to an old friend. 12 years later, Shirou Emiya moves to Tokyo for 2 reasons - To find a way to save his stepsister Illya and to re-unite with his other missing stepsister, Eto Emiya. A Nasuverse x Tokyo Ghoul AU. Rating may go up to M later.

Beta read and Co-written by D-Quarter005 And NimtheWriter


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-Fuyuki-

The embers of fire filled the air, a chorus of screams and pained cries leading the man traversing the sea of flames deeper into his despair. A tragedy that was caused by his hand, by his orders. In his drive to save people, he brought forth hell on earth, killing countless people. Kiritsugu was inching upon the brink of complete mental breakdown, huffing and gasping as he traversed the burnt terrain, searching for a sign, the slightest sign that would show him that someone was still alive. Trying to reach the light at the end of the tunnel in the scorched rubble, pushing back against the exhaustion and wreckage — but only coming across dead and burnt corpses.

"Someone, please let there be someone," he pleaded… begged even. "Is there… truly no one left?"

The accursed mud, the baleful substance that engulfed the area, continued to taint the very land. He could feel the effects on his body, but his damaged magic circuits and the events that transpired prior to this tragedy left him mostly numb.

'I shouldn't have given Saber the order to destroy the Grail,' he thought to himself, regretting his decision but also fully aware that the artifact had to be destroyed one way or another. A monkey's paw in disguise, one that would have caused more damage in the long run if kept whole. 'I should have tried to find another way.'

Regrets kept piling up one after another, growing with every step he took. Kiritsugu Emiya already had many regrets from the past, from those he sacrificed for his ideals to those he failed to save including his assistant, Maiya. Yet he couldn't look back, a broken man who knew he did not have the luxury for second thoughts or hesitation. All the same, he wished he could redo it all over again.

A faint thud reached his ears, followed by the sound of a child's grunt.

"—!?" It wasn't long before he stumbled upon a miracle, a boy who still held a spark of life within his eyes. The man rushed towards him, pushing back against his crumbling mental state and exhaustion before finally reaching the child. Trudging upon the ash filled landscape, the pain from some of the wounds flaring up but he didn't care.

"Thank God, thank God you're still alive!" he said, trying to hold back tears but unable to do so. Quickly pushing away the rubble, he picked up the young boy and gently hugged him as sheer relief flooded his being.

He smiled, thanking every god and divine spirit out there for giving him this one ray of hope. Without hesitation, he retrieved the golden scabbard, Avalon. The noble phantasm created by the fae and entrusted to the king of all knights, granting her eternal youth and near immortality. A treasure worth more than a mountain of gold that any magus would have greedily kept locked away was now being gently pressed upon a young child's chest. Having never truly cared about its value nor the benefits it gave him, Kiritsugu watched as the waves of golden light slowly started to seep beneath the child's skin, disappearing completely within his chest in a matter of seconds and hopefully ensuring that even with the burns and wounds upon his body, he would survive.

From that day, Kiritsugu Emiya truly let go of his dream of becoming a hero, letting it burn alongside the fire around him, leaving behind a broken man, a shadow of his former self. Yet, he did not care as he picked the boy up who had fallen unconscious. He released a sigh of relief as he saw color return to the boy's face, indicating that the noble phantasm was still working despite Saber no longer being here. Her remaining magical energy continued to allow the scabbard to work its magic and slowly heal the boy. With heavy steps beneath a red moon, Kiritsugu Emiya walked out of the fire as a different person.

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Months flew by in the blink of an eye. The boy, whose eyes held little life before, now stared back at him with worry. Kiritsugu sighed, knowing full well that the child, whom he found out was named Shirou before he adopted him, didn't want him to go on this trip. But he had to; before his body gave out, he still had some things to resolve.

"You're leaving again," Shirou remarked, the young boy having grown to some extent after the Fuyuki fire. His wounds and burns had been healed by the remnants of Avalon's ability; though by now, most of its effect was lost and without Saber, there was no possible way to use it anymore. All the same, he decided to keep it inside the boy, counting on even the smallest trace of Saber's presence to keep his adopted son safe.

"I am. It won't be too long this time, just a few days at most. Taiga will be here to take care of you," Kiritsugu said, scratching the boy's head, hoping that he wouldn't dwell on it too much and would quickly get over it. "It's not a flight to another country this time, I'll be visiting Tokyo for some business and that's about it. If you need my help for whatever reason then just call me."

"But you've been getting more and more sick lately, old man. You shouldn't be traveling so much anymore. Yesterday, you kept coughing and couldn't even drink water properly."

"…"

He couldn't say anything in response to what the boy mentioned, as the latter was correct. Indeed, ever since the fire, his body had been gradually growing weaker week by week, starting small from experiencing light headaches to a lack of energy. Lately, he had been sleeping more; usually, he would only remain in bed for five to six hours, but now eight had become the minimum. He couldn't even get up early if he tried; the headaches that would follow and nausea were overwhelming at times. Supplements and other medicines only helped him so much, but he knew that at best, he was only buying a meager amount of time for himself.

The curse had taken hold, even if he had kept Avalon within himself, it wouldn't have made much of a difference. Perhaps give him an extra year or two at best…

"I'll be fine; you don't have to worry about me. It's just my age catching up to me; I'll be sure to get plenty of rest. Your old man just can't keep up with today's fast paced way of living anymore." He tried to play it out with some humor, but unfortunately, the boy didn't laugh.

Tough crowd.

The last trip was the second time in a month he had traveled abroad, in Germany to be more specific. Traveling along the Rhine River and scouting the area where the Einzbern Castle was located. Attempting to break through their bounded field and near-endless blockades proved to be a bigger challenge than he imagined. What made him feel worse was that his past self had gone through similar defenses and succeeded in breaking through without raising any alarms. But his current self had grown too weak, and slowly, he started to realize that his goal of reuniting with Illya grew ever so dimmer until he had to come to face the reality of the matter: he could no longer reach her by normal means. Jubstacheit was a cunning old man; who knew what kind of nonsense he was feeding to his little girl, alienating her from him and feeding her lies upon lies. Most likely, telling her that he had abandoned her and would never come to get her, a notion he wanted to challenge every day but could not.

"You still haven't taught me how to use magecraft, old man." Shirou asked, causing his adoptive father to release a tired sigh, having heard that phrase again and again for the past few weeks.

"You know what I told you last time, your affinity with magecraft is very abysmal, you won't be able to achieve much so why bother? The path to being a magus is filled with death lurking at every corner, the slightest misstep would end it all for you and you want to continue down that road?"

Shirou nodded his head without hesitation, unafraid of anything Kiritsugu mentioned. His stubbornness made the man start to regret revealing his identity as a spellcaster in the first place. "Fine, when I come back, I'll teach you how to create a magic circuit. If you can't master that, then don't bother asking for more; it would be a waste of time."

"Okay!" The boy showed genuine excitement within his eyes.

He wasn't lying, Shirou truly showed less talent in magecraft than anyone he'd met in the past. Any kind of progress was so slow that it made him conclude that Shirou most likely didn't have more than a handful of magic circuits.

Due to his deteriorating body and destroyed magic circuits, he couldn't really perform a proper ritual to check every aspect of Shirou 's body. But he didn't want to, even if that weren't the case; the pain that the boy would feel trying to create a circuit would be more than enough to deter him from proceeding any further down that path.

With that matter dealt with, Kiritsugu grabbed his bag and left the house an hour after Taiga showed up, the energetic girl still the same as always, waving at him from afar with Shirou next to her doing the same. The trip to the airport did not take long. Upon arriving at his destination, he took a deep breath, walking through security with ease along with having his papers checked. He looked at the board where he saw his flight leading to a single destination where he believed he could find answers for his troubles: Tokyo.

While sitting, a tension welled up as he thought about the text message he had received a few days ago. Initially, he didn't pay much attention, but eventually, he decided he couldn't keep putting it off, it being one of the major reasons why he came to Tokyo in the first place. The message opened to reveal that the sender happened to be a person named Noroi.

"He hasn't contacted me in years. If he's the one reaching out to me first, it has to be important," he thought frustratingly, half the mind to just ignore it completely and continue on with his affairs. But given he was searching for any kind of aid to allow him to see Illya again, perhaps he could use this to his advantage.

Noroi didn't bother adding any more details to the message, specifically asking for him to be present to see for himself, leaving it up to his judgment for his final decision. The man wasn't someone who sent such messages without a reason, so he went there nonetheless. 'Just what is that man planning…'

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(A few hours later)

[This train has reached Tokyo station; please make sure you have your luggage…]

Arriving within the heart of the capital from Fuyuki took less than a day; yet already, Kiritsugu could feel his exhaustion start to catch up with him. He was pushing himself to the limit, but he couldn't afford to lower his guard here of all places especially.

"So you've returned."

"..." Kiritsugu stopped in his tracks, looking behind to find an old man with swept back white hair and his eyes closed. A tall and powerful man who wore a large cloak and a hat, whose presence stood out amongst the crowd to the Magus Killer's eyes. Yet he remained calm, turning around with his hands held within his pockets. "Yoshimura Kuzen."

"Emiya… you've changed." The old man spoke, focusing on the sunken eyes of the man once feared by nearly every ghoul and magus within Tokyo, a true bogeyman who left a trail of dead bodies in his passage. One a few considered to be a bigger threat than even the CCG, as they never saw him coming and when they did… it was already far too late.

Yet something was different about him.

"Have you come for business or pleasure?"

"Business."

An aura of apprehension surrounded Yoshimura's body. "I hope it's not me."

"..."

"Though even if I were to be the target, there is little chance for me to escape let alone kill you without alerting the doves. Strange isn't it? Even those who hunt us with the remnants of our own kind turned into grotesque weapons failed to instill the same kind of fear." He did not know why he continued to speak, a habit he'd gain whenever interacting with this man. For the latter, strangely enough, he always listened. Those dead, broken and soulless eyes looking back at him without betraying an ounce of emotion.

In some twisted way, it was comforting to the old man. Knowing that any message or thoughts he kept hidden were able to be shared with someone else like the Magus Killer without fear of it reaching unsavory ears.

Unlike those from the Commission of Counter Ghoul, where he doubted they'd even remember his name after a few days.

"You would have been long dead if that were the case." A quiet, clicking noise came from Emiya's pockets, alerting Yoshimura to the presence of a gun being pointed right towards his head.

The ring from the metro system rang, telling him that it was for the best that they'd have this conversation come to an end. It served as a sign that he had indeed been spared, as Kiritsugu wouldn't take any chances of killing him in front of so many people.

But then again, that wasn't exactly a guarantee as shown by the mercenary's past kills.

"I stand corrected, you haven't changed. But you should also know that a gun isn't enough to kill me."

"I know."

Spoken with such confidence… it made the elderly ghoul wonder if there were any traps or explosives beneath their feet. Regardless of how powerful his body was, against enough firepower it crumbled like anything else.

Human or not, this person was not someone who could be placed in any faction as an ally; as long as one presented themselves to be a threat to innocents, they'd be gone the next day.

"I want you to prepare a few meetings for me." Kiritsugu asked, Causing Yoshimura to tilt his head in confusion. "I'm not here to kill, but to buy information. Can you manage it?" A simple question, yet the weight behind it made it hard for the elderly ghoul to not feel worried. A slip of paper was thrown towards him, which he caught without trouble, unfolding the paper and seeing the names written.

Some he recognized with a few unknown ones.

"I can, give me two days."

"Tomorrow morning, that's it."

Tomorrow? An unreasonable demand, just trying to get into contact with a few of these names required time. But… he was willing to step on toes if it meant not being on this man's bad side and earning a favor in return.

After all, while he felt confident that he would win in a head-on fight against the Magus Killer, that man wasn't known for playing by anyone else's rules. More than a few of his victims met their end abruptly and unexpectedly; taken out even in their own homes, where they should have been the safest. He had no intention of becoming another fool done in by their own arrogance..

"... I'll try, but I can't promise you anything. You know how some of us can be, even the threat of death is not enough to make them listen."

"Good." With that said, the lights around him turned dim, Yoshimura voluntarily closed his eyes and opened them back the following second to find the man gone from his spot along with the presence of death that always seemed to follow him.

"That man… he's reaching his end."

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"This must be the place," he muttered to himself.

Standing before an abandoned warehouse, Kiritsugu cautiously checked his surroundings for any signs of traps or an ambush. Even if this was a person he knew who had helped him in the past, it was never easy to trust completely in his line of work. There were only a handful of people he truly trusted; nearly all of them were dead.

He placed his hands on his waist, feeling the presence of his holster along with a gun firmly held in place. Picking up the weapon, a Beretta 92FS Brigadier, the magazine filled with special bullets made to specifically hunt down a certain species. He had saved up enough bullets just in case he had to use them against the creatures that inhabited the shadows of this city. "This should be enough."

Without wasting any more time, he slowly opened the door to the warehouse, the metal creaking against the floor. The inside was dark, with no visible source of light. Taking a single step, he cautiously surveyed his surroundings, and not long after, a light bulb lit up in the middle of the room, his eyes catching the sight of a single person standing in the middle. The figure was cloaked, with most of his upper face hidden by a veil of darkness. Which only lasted for a few seconds as the latter looked up as their gazes met.

The man was a giant, easily taller than Kiritsugu himself, towering over most of the people he had met in his life. The stoic face was eerie to say the least, one that mirrored Emiya's own emotionless husk. But he was already familiar with his appearance, having grown to accept it as a part of that man's normal demeanor.

"I'm here..." Kiritsugu trailed off.

"…"

As expected, the man wasn't one of many words, someone who hardly spoke and remained quiet, fooling many into believing he was mute. But the Magus Killer was certain the person could speak, having heard him on extremely rare occasions. Noroi stayed still, observing the man just like the other was observing him in silence. A minute passed by as both of them continued to size each other up before Noroi broke the silence, surprisingly being the first one to speak.

"You're dying," he said in a grave voice, a single sentence that made Kiritsugu clench his fist and resist the urge to show the frustration on his face. Kiritsugu had made sure to keep his appearance normal, ensuring that no one other than him would be able to see the signs of his weakening self. But someone like Noroi would obviously notice the signs; from his body having grown much thinner, losing most of his muscle mass, to his hollow cheeks. His pale face and sunken eyes were getting harder and harder to disguise. Regardless, even if Noroi knew about the truth, it did not change anything.

"I know, I'm just paying the price of my sin," he said, not willing to elaborate on the details for no reason with someone like him. "But you don't need to know the details. Just remember that even in my state, I can still kill you if you force me to. So why did you ask me to come here?"

"I need your help."

His help? Doubtful, considering his reputation... His forte lay solely in terminating lives, so he struggled to comprehend how he could be of any aid to a peace-seeking individual like Noroi.

"For you to call me here, much less speak to me... It must be something rather urgent."

Noroi wasn't one to work in groups, their past allegiance mostly due to uncertain factors and spur-of-the-moment decisions as they faced a mutual threat that would have killed them otherwise. But on regular occasions, both of them operated by themselves.

Rather than answering his question, the ghoul instead turned around, and before his eyes, another person emerged from the darkness. His hands twitched, nearly going to his gun by pure instinct alone, but he held back. He was much more cautious given his current physical state, but from the looks of it, Noroi didn't harbor any hostile intentions. However, this new person caused him to raise an eyebrow in confusion. It was clear that this wasn't an adult but rather a child, given how small they were, only reaching about the large man's waistline in height. Their features were hidden with a cloak and a mask, with no discerning traits for him to find out who exactly this was. He looked to Noroi, waiting for him to explain just what was going on.

Though Noroi wasn't the one to speak to him first, as the newcomer slowly pulled back their hood and removed their mask, revealing a face that made Kiritsugu's eyes widen. "A child?" he mumbled, seeing a bundle of messy green hair.

"Eto, that's her name."

"..."

For a moment, the Magus Killer didn't know how to deal with this, wondering if Noroi was messing with him or not. No, that couldn't be the case, that man wouldn't resort to such a thing. So he observed her carefully now that he had a clear view of her face, taking in every little detail.

Including her most noteworthy feature - that she only had one kakugan. The bright red eye was a stark contrast to her other green human eye.. "What?" So taken aback by her appearance, Kiritsugu unconsciously went to hold his gun, scarring the child behind Noroi. Only a second later did he realize what happened before taking a deep breath to calm down, glaring at the man he muttered one simple thing.

"Explain."

That child… she was definitely a ghoul, but the fact that she only had one kakugan was an odd detail he couldn't look past. This was a first case, a phenomenon he never encountered in the past and it left him feeling very uneasy.

"She's not a ghoul… or at least, not fully one of us." He said calmly as Kiritsugu didn't bother putting his gun back, his body remained tense trying to figure out why Noroi of all people would present such a person to someone known as the Magus Killer. "She's a half-ghoul; a natural born."

"Impossible," he instantly answered with a distrustful stare, "Ghouls and humans can't procreate, their genes are unable to blend together perfectly to create a stable form of life. Even in the very rare occasion where the mother is able to conceive, the baby dies in the womb, either from starvation or being absorbed by the mother. Now out of nowhere, this girl shows up and you expect me to believe that she's an actual half-ghoul?"

"No, I don't. I knew this was going to be a stretch, but the truth is right before you. You can look at it however you want to, but Eto is the first half human, half ghoul hybrid. She's a living miracle that many want to capture or kill at any cost."

Regardless of how Kiritsugu looked at it, this child was a threat to humans. A wild card who was not supposed to exist in the first place who could lose control to her ghoul side at any moment. The chances she could live in perfect harmony with both opposing natures were slim to none, where it would be much easier to just kill her right then and there.

This girl would never live a 'normal' life, no matter where she hid in Tokyo. Even if he tried to help them, the man doubted it would be effective in any way, especially when considering he wasn't going to stay here for more than a few days at most. More so, he would have to keep an eye on her constantly, but that wasn't an option given there were other matters to deal with.

Matters concerning his own life and possibly having a lead to save Illya.

"That thing does not need to live." He said, seeing the girl flinch from behind Noroi, and instantly he was hit by a strange feeling of remorse. He shook his head to get rid of the feeling, unsure why it appeared now of all times. Having become far too numb and broken from his past career, he never thought that he would feel hesitation again.

"The doves have started doing sweeps to explore the twenty-fourth ward, and I'm afraid that either they've learned of Eto's existence… or they will learn about her eventually. I have managed to keep them away so far, but it's only a matter of time at this rate."

"It's still impressive you managed to evade the attention of the CCG for this long."

"I also have to keep her hidden from the eyes of other ghouls as well." He added, his statement making sense to the Magus Killer. "They are far more troublesome to keep away."

In a way, they were getting cornered with each passing day.

"She's not safe here in Tokyo."

Noroi nodded his head. "I believe… a small town outside the doves' influence and away from other ghouls is far more ideal."

Kiritsugu frowned, "You want to hide in Fuyuki?"

Noroi shook his head. "Not me, unfortunately. I can't leave the capital with RC-scanner checkpoints and military personnel stationed all around the edges of the city. Eto's case is a bit different. Her RC cells won't trigger any of those devices; she's no different than a regular human to them.

"If not the CCG, then the Clocktower will learn of her existence eventually, and they'll come after her for research purposes." Kiritsugu added, wanting to remind the man that the government and other ghouls weren't the only thing he needed to worry about.

"I know."

Each one of those words kept hacking at his resolve, tearing down the steel around his heart bit by bit. "She's innocent, not one to have asked to be born as a half-ghoul. She's never lost control and is a perfectly normal child; leaving her here will only lead to a self fulfilling prophecy… we can't let that happen."

This matter was getting more and more troublesome, "What makes you think I will agree to take her in my care? You know me, we've worked together long enough to have gotten an understanding of one another. You know as well as I do that the moment she shows the slightest trace of falling to her ghoul side, all that will be left is a bullet through her head."

"I never asked you to take her in… just make sure she gets there. Eto knows how to take care of herself."

"But you very much are," responded the Magus Killer, "You think I'll casually let a ghoul, and a hybrid at that, wander around Fuyuki without supervision? Don't take me for a fool."

"Still, you are the only one capable of saving her." His heart shook at those words. "I'd rather take my chances with you than anyone else. If that outcome were to happen… then I'll have no one to blame by myself for my judgment. Do not let her fall in the wrong hands, she can still be saved."

Once again, the remorse returned with vengeance, the girl's face momentarily replaced with that of his own daughter. Wasn't she also seen as an abomination by some? Made from the union of a homunculus and a human, one that should have followed the fate of becoming a mindless puppet yet, he made sure to never let it happen.

His grip on the gun loosened, no longer having the same conviction as his past self anymore. After all, Kiritsugu had burned away the identity of the Magus Killer long ago, sworn to never go back to that mindset after the conclusion it brought him at the end.

'But can I truly risk bringing her to Fuyuki? I can't leave her alone with Shirou, she could lose control.' he thought, knowing that if he were to choose that path then traveling around the world would come to a halt. Or at least until he was absolutely certain that the girl was trustworthy enough to be left with the boy.

He closed his eyes and finally came to a decision. "Fine, I'll do it. But in return, you'll have to help me with something as well. But I warn you, the slightest sign and I won't hesitate to pull the trigger."

It was kind of ironic for Kiritsugu now that he thought about it. The Magus Killer from the past would have not hesitated in his action and would have taken out both Eto and Noroi, making sure to patch up any loose ends as well. It was weird he actually contemplated and agreed to take in a half-ghoul into his own home. To say it was shocking would be an understatement, perhaps he really had gone insane.

"That's all I ask."

(Fuyuki, Emiya Estate)

"He's late," sitting on the porch, looking at the moonlight in the sky, a young boy spoke out loud. He had been wondering why his adoptive father hadn't returned yet. More than a month had gone by, and the man had gone way beyond the mentioned time. Shirou started to get worried, questioning whether or not the old man had kicked the bucket.

The redhead sighed, when out of nowhere, his vision suddenly turned dark as a pair of hands blinded him. The silent chuckles, coupled with the familiar scent belonging to someone who spent too much time in a dojo under sweaty equipment, gave him enough information to figure out who this person was. "Stop it, Taiga. You haven't taken a shower yet."

His dry response was met with a betrayed gasp from the person behind him before he felt a swift but gentle smack to his head. "Ouch."

A young woman in her early years of adulthood, wearing a standard frilly purple shirt and tight pants, her light brown hair styled in a ponytail, with similarly colored eyes, huffed, her arms crossed as she glared at the little boy before her. "What a mean thing to say to your lovely sister, Shirou! You should never tell a woman how she smells and should always compliment them instead! Like, 'Oh wow, the smell of lavender and lilac.' or even blush a bit!"

"..." He raised an eyebrow at her statement, wondering whether or not she was being serious or messing around. But unfortunately, this was Taiga and knowing her, she was being fully serious. 'Better I don't ignore her like last time, she won't stop nagging me otherwise.'

So he forced one of the driest smiles on his face, "Oh wow, I never knew you could smell manlier than some of Fujimura san's own men. I'm truly impressed," his dry comeback had a physical effect on the girl, as if someone had punched her in the gut. She fell to her knees and pretended to cry as if he had wronged her terribly.

"Uuuuuh! Shirou has become a delinquent! Speaking so badly of his sister who spent her entire day taking care of him, bathing him, and making delicious food for him! Anyone else would be crying out of joy having me by their side."

Alright, perhaps he went a tiny bit too far.

"Stop lying! I'm the one who does all the cooking, cleaning, and even help you with your homework! If anyone is the actual adult here, it's me. Also, I left you some hamburger in the fridge," as soon as he said that, Taiga jumped from her spot and picked him up with a bear hug, giving him a firm kiss on the cheek before grinning widely.

"That's very nice of you! I knew you liked me, you're just being a tsundere, hehehe!"

What the hell was a tsundere? The way she said it sounded like an insult… oh well, he would check it on his father's laptop.

He was going to mess up her hair if she didn't let go of him in the next few seconds. His eyes twitched with irritation at how jubilant she could be. He loved her like family, but she could really be a handful at times.

"Aww, is little Shirou mad? You look so cute when you're angry like that. Wait, hold on! Let me take a couple of pictures for my collection. I just got this awesome phone and it can take amazing pictures without them looking blurry."

And just like that, the boy was lowered back onto the porch before sighing as multiple flashes of light flooded his vision. He let her do as she pleases, knowing full well that there was nothing stopping Taiga as soon as she had her mind set on something. Not even the combined strength of every Yakuza member in all of Fuyuki would be enough to stop their ferocious princess, the Tiger of Fuyuki. "No wonder they call you Tiger," he mumbled under his breath, making sure she wouldn't hear it and start another fit as she hated that name.

"You know, it wouldn't hurt for you to smile a little bit, Shirou."

"I do smile, just not when you're taking pictures to show to your friends."

"Eeeeeeh? There is nothing wrong with that!"

No, but it was still very embarrassing. He got teased by a bunch of women who were apparently Taiga's friends on his way back from school last week… he never ran so fast in his life.

"Why are you so happy all of a sudden? You're not usually this energetic on a regular day. You just keep moaning that you're hungry before sleeping in the living room until your father calls us to make sure you weren't somewhere else." He knew he wouldn't be able to keep up with her antics if he stayed silent, so better to divert her attention to something else.

The girl thankfully put away her phone and swiftly sat beside him. "Ah! I have something amazing to tell you, Shirou; something you wouldn't believe happened to me today. It was honestly like one of those adventures you would see in a fantasy game."

"You didn't go into a territory war with one of the neighboring Yakuza gangs without your grandfather knowing, did you?" It sounded like a joke, but he was being dead serious. On top of being a brat, Taiga was a prodigy at kendo. Able to be qualified as one of the best in Japan and feared amongst many. Tora-Shinai was especially infamous amongst many students who were on the receiving end of the shinai. Many mentioned that that weapon possessed a ghastly aura and hurt far more than a regular shinai. Of course, everyone just chalked it up to mental and physical trauma caused by the woman, which made them hallucinate all of that.

"What? Of course not! I leave that to grandpa, and he's got the police by his side to help."

The fact that the police force was working hand-in-hand with the Yakuza in Fuyuki did not fly above his head; he'd just already grown to accept it.

"Is it like that time when you captured a thief with the help of that British guy and his macho friend a couple of years back who also inspired you to study to become a teacher?"

"... I honestly didn't expect for you to remember that story. But no, nothing like that."

Just as Taiga was about to recount her adventurous story, she perked up as she heard someone open the gate. Without wasting any time, Shirou ran towards the entrance, leaving Taiga behind. She slumped down in depression, feeling casually ignored. But she also realized what it meant if he was acting like that.

"Ah! Kiritsugu must have returned!" In a similar fashion to Shirou, she hastily got up and rushed towards the entrance. Truth be told, Taiga was beginning to worry about the extended days of absence of this man. He had mentioned to her that he would be gone for a few days at most and return before the end of the week, but already so much time had passed that she was genuinely considering asking her father to contact the police. He wasn't answering his cell phone either, which further added to her worries.

But it was a bad idea to show these emotions in front of the boy. Shirou was still very young and did not deserve to go through more stress after everything that had happened to him before. So she kept quiet, purposefully trying to distract him from such thoughts every day, staying over longer than usual and even sleeping over when she was too tired to go back home. The boy still had some episodes in his sleep, the memories of the fire causing him to have panic attacks. Thus, on many occasions, she would hold him and calm him down, though it didn't seem he would remember such episodes in the morning. Or maybe he did but chose not to bring them up, and if so, then she was in no position to address them.

"Ehh?"The young girl noticed Shirou looking outside with a confused and surprised expression. Wondering what could have caused such a reaction, she walked over and peeked outside only to be rendered speechless as well. "What the..."

It was Kiritsugu who had arrived and returned back to the house. He looked slightly paler than usual and looked as if he had lost a few pounds but still healthy as far as she was concerned. But the most eye-catching detail wasn't him, but the person standing right behind him. A young girl, physically looking to be around Shirou's age if not a year or two older. She had a messy and unkempt appearance, especially her long hair, which was a similar shade of green as her eyes. But what stood out most, was her shy attitude, which led to her hiding behind Kiritsugu, cautiously peeking out at the two.

''Don't tell me you had an illegitimate child this entire time and never told me anything." She mumbled without missing a beat, having the man roll his eyes while Shirou looked back and forth with surprise — wondering if that was indeed the case.

Fortunately for both of them, the former Magus Killer was quick to speak up and to stop any misunderstanding from taking place.

"No, well it's a bit complicated," the man responded, turning around with his hand going behind the girl's back and gently pushing her forward, presenting her to the duo in front. "Everyone, this is Eto… Eto Emiya."

"Eh!?"

He noticed their reaction, but said nothing and continued his explanation. "She, just like Shirou, has been adopted by me and will be living here for the foreseeable future. Eto, this is Taiga, who is a friend of our family. She regularly comes over and helps us out with many things. And that boy over there is your younger brother — Shirou Emiya."

Shirou couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something about this girl felt off to him. Her eyes seemed familiar, reminiscent of his own, yet different in some indescribable way. And there was a strange metallic scent lingering around her, even though she appeared clean without any visible traces of blood. Above all else, he couldn't shake the feeling of unease in her presence.

.

.

.

As a couple of months passed since her arrival, not much seemed to have changed, at least from Shirou's perspective. Eto had settled into the house quite easily with the help of Kiritsugu and Taiga. The latter was particularly active, excited about having another sibling, especially a little sister. Taiga had become more involved in their daily lives, taking them to cafes, restaurants, and parks whenever she had free time from school.

"What are you making?"

"What would you like?"

Regarding their relationship, Shirou still didn't know how to treat Eto. Technically, she was his sister now, or more precisely, his adoptive big sister, but their dynamic didn't truly reflect that. At first, whether at home or when they hung out with Taiga, they mostly remained silent, only communicating the essentials when necessary.

But that kept changing with time.

"Can you make the pasta dish we had last time with Taiga?"

"Sure, I can. But don't come in the kitchen, I don't want the house to be nearly burnt down again."

He said to the girl, the latter sitting at the table in the living room with her head lying upon the surface. Absent-mindedly watching TV while munching on a piece of rice cracker. A cup of coffee was placed next to her head which she had already drunk half of. Hardly anything about her features had changed as well. She had grown a bit taller given she was in the middle of puberty, her hair was finally combed compared to the first day she arrived. And she had developed a liking for wearing long-sleeved sweaters, even if it was boiling hot outside.

"It was only that one time, Shirou. And that wasn't even my fault; the recipe said to add some wine and so, I did. It never mentioned anything about it catching on fire. I thought the alcohol was going to boil away."

"What part of the word 'flambé' don't you understand in the first place? It was literally shown in the picture that the entire thing was going to catch on fire if you exposed it to heat. I'm pointing at it right now!" he said while holding a book, his finger tapping at the page with the recipe she tried.

"Really? I hadn't noticed. Thankfully, I have my talented younger brother who will replicate it for me without any incidents," she said dryly, mimicking his tone and sarcasm. Shirou could do nothing but sigh; perhaps Eto was spending too much time with Taiga. He prayed that she wouldn't become as needy and high maintenance as that woman in the following years. Already, she was showing signs of becoming one, and that worried him. "Don't forget to make extra for Taiga."

"She won't be eating with us today," Shirou replied as he turned on the stove. "She called earlier and said she'd be eating out with friends from the kendo club." Between her outgoing personality and natural talent, Taiga was popular with the members of the kendo club. On more than one occasion, she had one or more of them over for dinner, which meant more work for Shirou. Given that he loved cooking, he didn't really mind although he wished she'd give him some advance notice.

"By the way, where is the old man?" Shirou asked Eto, seeing no traces of his adoptive father since the morning. It was already nearing noon, and he should have been up by now. "Lunch will soon be ready," he said while looking at the water boil, adding a handful of spaghetti while preparing the sauce on the side. A simple dish that wouldn't take long to prepare, unlike last time when it asked for ramen, which took him hours to perfect. Even though he was pretty sure the girl was just talking about instant ramen, he didn't want to settle for something so cheap and unhealthy.

"He went out to meet with someone," his sister answered, leading the boy to pause in his tracks in confusion. His father rarely met with other people in Fuyuki other than Taiga's grandfather. Other than those two, he never saw him interact with anyone else for that matter. Shirou couldn't help but feel worried. The old man had been getting weaker and weaker these past few days.

He started to nod off frequently even when sitting on the porch and was having more trouble getting up for breakfast, which he was starting to skip with increasing frequency. Shirou had asked him if they should visit a doctor to have him checked up, but for some reason, Kiritsugu chuckled at his suggestion before stating that there was no use wasting someone else's time for such a minor thing. A statement that the boy did not like to hear, as he did not believe it would be a waste of time.

"Hm," the boy was cut from his thoughts as he felt someone's head come to rest upon his shoulder as he was cooking, strands of hair irritating his face with the girl curiously peeking over at what he was doing. Even though they didn't talk much, she sure was very comfortable approaching him physically like this.

A bit too touchy at times in his opinion.

"Wow, it smells good! At this rate, it would be a good idea for you to become a Michelin star chef. You could put every restaurant here out of business."

"It's nothing impressive," he tried to hide his smile, feeling a sense of pride as she complimented his skills. "I'll be in the shed for a while after this is ready; so don't disturb me, okay?"

Surprisingly, or rather not surprisingly at all, Kiritsugu already revealed to the girl about his identity as a spellcaster, as he did with Shirou when they first met at the hospital, making no attempts to hide such a piece of information.

He also believed it to have been the best option as it would have been unfair if she were to remain in the dark. Strangely enough, she took the piece of news without much of a reaction, though Kiritsugu did hint that she herself was part of that world from the beginning. 'But now I know she's from a magi family. I found her reading some books about magecraft not that long ago. The cover looked very old and the overall appearance does not seem like something that would have belonged to the old man. He already told me about not having such things before, and always taught me through words.'

Eto did propose having him read the content as well, but Shirou denied it, as much as he wanted to do otherwise. Not willing to go behind Kiritsugu's back basically and wanting to succeed on the first step through his own efforts first.

He had to stubbornly convince the old man into teaching him the very basics of thaumaturgy, especially when he apparently had no talent with said craft.

"Are you going to practice again?" she asked. "You were doing that all day yesterday. You should take some time to rest, Shirou. It's not good for you to overdo it."

"I told you, I am taking my time," he answered, having no plans to slow down anytime soon. "Are you going to go out to practice today as well?" He asked the green haired girl, having noted how she and his adoptive father would at times venture out together and return a few hours later. At certain times when washing her clothes after such trips he smelled the scent of faint traces of blood.

"I'm not really practicing my magecraft when I'm going out, you know. It's hard to explain, but you'll learn soon enough." He didn't know if he imagined it, but there was a trace of worry in her voice as she said that, her grasp on him tightened further.

"Oi, give me some space, you're going to get burned if you're this close."

Usually, she would listen and just go back to sleeping in the living room, but this time the girl just hummed with amusement. "I don't know, I read this book not that long ago about how siblings who regularly hug one another have a stronger bond. And I'm feeling cold, you're warm."

"You're wearing a sweater."

"Still not enough."

"I'm going to smack you with the spatula."

Thankfully, that seemed to have done the trick, as Eto huffed before letting go. Shirou shook his head; at times like this, he couldn't get a good read on the girl at all. One moment she was silent, meek and shy but the next moment she became open and very attached.

After finishing cooking lunch, Shirou left the living room and walked outside to the shed. A place barely used by anyone, which he took for himself to practice magecraft. Far enough that no one would hear his voice whenever he is practicing and isolated enough to give him peace of mind. "All right, I'll try again today;" his first task was to manage creating a circuit without failure on his part. Sitting down on the floor, he took a deep breath.

"Trace on," the image of a gun's hammer cocking played in his mind before he felt the familiar sensation of a faint amount of magical energy stirring within his body. The mental trigger to activate his magecraft, everyone had a different visualization and he found this to be the most effective.

Kiritsugu even mentioned different cases, with some imagining themselves pulling the pin from a grenade, stabbing themselves or even falling into the middle of an ocean, there were so many different cases that there was no true explanation as to why those particular scenes would act as a trigger.

The boy couldn't explain why it was a gun in his case, given he had never even held one in his life. Even imagining the flames from the Fuyuki Fire did not work nor did the image of Kiritsugu saving him — despite both of them being the most important memories in his life.

"Focus… don't think about anything else. Feel the mana around you and take it all in." The world was filled with raw mana, this form of energy not usable by normal magi to use their spells. They first needed to absorb it through their magic circuits and convert it into magical energy.

He concentrated on how to move and manipulate this energy; the first step was to create a circuit, and so he did.

"Hng!" the boy bit his lower lip as the pain instantly started, as if someone had inserted a red-hot iron bar into his spine. His body heated up to such a high degree that smoke started to rise in the air as his sweat evaporated. "Hold on, I have to hold on for longer." If he faltered even for a tiny bit or made a mistake, then the result would be lethal. There was no room for errors, as Kiritsugu mentioned, to be a magus was to walk with death.

"Aaaa!"

The pain started to rise even more, almost becoming unbearable as he applied more force into keeping his consciousness stable. "Hah… Hah… Hah… calm… focus… stay strong!"

The pain grew, his body wanted to shut down and his vision started to turn dark with black spots appearing. But he shook them away, pushing through the pain with an unbreakable resolve to achieve his goal of learning magecraft. "I can do this!"

He looked at his red hands, sweating and steaming just like the rest of his body. His fingers spasming with each passing second with what felt like electricity passing through his veins.

Blood leaked down his chin as he bit his lower lip with too much force. His hands dug into his knees as his entire body shook. He was almost there, the circuit was almost complete, and he only neede—

"—Shirou?" came a voice from behind, the sudden intrusion breaking his concentration and halting the process. The resulting shock instantly forced a gut-wrenching cry to escape his mouth as he lost sensation in much of his body before falling to the ground.

"Shirou! What happened to you!?"

The voice became more panicked, and he could hear the sound of footsteps rushing next to him, with a pair of gentle hands picking him up and carefully cradling him. But he couldn't speak as his body continued to spasm. Thankfully, he used every ounce of his willpower to ensure that the resulting crash failure wouldn't cause any permanent damage. With little strength left to keep his eyes open, he soon drifted into unconsciousness as the voice next to him continued to shout his name and try to bring him back to consciousness.

.

.

.

Coming back from his little trip outside, Kiritsugu released a breath of air as he felt exhaustion wash over him. Who would have thought that one day, taking an hour walk around the city would drain him so much? At this rate, it was better for him to just take a ride wherever he wanted to go somewhere and not risk falling unconscious in the middle of the street.

"I hope those two already had lunch," he said with a small smile on his face. Surprisingly, both Shirou and Eto got along nicely in his opinion. Both adoptive siblings never quarreled nor did they treat each other disrespectfully. Watching them interact with one another was one of his favorite activities of the day. "If Illya was still here, then I'm sure she would have gotten along very well with both of them." Sometimes he had dreams where he saw his daughter playing with her two siblings, Irisviel sitting next to him taking pictures of the trio and having the time of her life.

But unfortunately, life was cruel, and when he opened his eyes, he was met with the curse eating away at his body and both his dead wife and imprisoned daughter missing. "No, I'll find a way to get her back," he declared, though his voice lacked the strength it once had. After expending so much time and resources on breaking through the Einzbern estate, coupled with assistance from some of his contacts in Tokyo, his efforts had yielded no results.

If only his body was still in its prime, with his magic circuits still functioning properly, then breaking into the fortress and rescuing his child would have been a minor chore at best. But now, it had become an ever-growing wall, and a part of him even started to despair that he would never see his daughter again. He had basically become a rotting corpse, about to die at any moment.

Despite the flood of emotions threatening to overwhelm him, Kiritsugu forced himself to focus on the urgent situation unfolding before him. Stepping into his home, he was met with a distressing scene that struck him to the core. The young girl's cries cut through the air, her tear-streaked face a stark reminder of the seriousness of the situation. In that moment, Kiritsugu saw her not just as an acquaintance, but as a member of his own family, and he knew he had to act swiftly.

His heart clenched at the sight of the boy in her arms. Shirou's red skin and the wisps of steam rising from his body signaled a grave condition. As the girl pleaded for help, Kiritsugu's mind raced with possibilities. Something was undeniably wrong, and a sense of dread gripped him tightly.

Perhaps it was out of stress, one of her eyes had turned pure black with a red iris. And even though he knew it wasn't her fault, Kiritsugu for a split second feared that Eto's ghoul side had taken over. But the lack of bite marks, or blood on her mouth dispelled that notion instantly.

Also, it did not explain the steam.

"I-I heard something odd f-from the shed and smelled blood! I r-ran over and saw him like this!" She explained, her eyes going over to the slightly bloody hands of her adoptive brother.

The mention of Shirou being in the shed and his body emitting steam triggered a chilling realization in Kiritsugu's mind. 'No, it couldn't be...' The only action that could induce such a reaction was unthinkable. Shirou couldn't possibly have attempted it, given the excruciating pain it entailed and the minimal results it offered. But the evidence before him spoke otherwise. "Quick, bring him inside!"

His body felt too weak to reliably carry the boy.

With trembling hands, Kiritsugu reached out and touched Shirou's forehead, feeling a surge of despair and self-loathing wash over him. Every fiber of his being screamed for action, for a solution to this dire predicament. He couldn't afford to falter now; lives depended on his swift and decisive response.

"What have I done…"


Hello, this is my first story and I hope it is good enough. Not going to say much, but this world is an AU of both Tokyo Ghoul and Fate existing together. I know, matters concerning magecraft, the Clocktower, CCG and Ghouls mixing with fate elements will all be adressed and clarified as the story progresses. I do not want to just info dump every little aspect but we try my best to make it as clear as possible in the story. Another matter i would like to point out is that this version of Tokyo Ghoul is the manga version and not the anime. Yes, those two are very different and the anime takes a very different route from the manga, so if you see major elements that do not look familiar from the anime then keep this in mind.

Also, I have been told that the website is very buggy lately, so if something does not seem right or the chapter shows up blank then let me know.