Crawl like a Worm (Nasuverse SI)

Prologue: Blood, Pain and Worm

Life is a painful reminder of the word 'harsh'.

This little poetic detachment doesn't come of some boring tome of old English but from my very tired mind.

Tired, tired and tired. PAIN!

I sighed and got up from my bare bed, putting on some old-fashioned clothes as I gave a quick glance to the small luggage that had been prepared for the travel, I felt the quivering sense of nervousness plaguing my mind.

When I opened my eyes to stare at an uncomfortable ceiling, I certainly wasn't expecting to wake up fully thanks to the sharp bastards lingering even now within my body.

I coughed a little as I tried to restrain myself from collapsing at another sudden burst of torture from the crest worms.

The first two weeks could be easily be called the worst period of my newest life, trying to fit in the macabre lifestyle of the Matou Family.

'Mom' was dead, 'dad' was 24/7 drunk and 'uncle' Kariya wasted his remaining time helping little, emotionless Sakura with her insane burden.

It was scary to know that every single day there was a little girl, getting killed in her soul by the bastard's plays.

I pulled the small bag in my back and walked out of my new room to find a familiar, wrinkling old man that I would have preferred to met only once today.

"Shinji-kun."

Zouken Matou, or Zolgen Makiri, was scarier than how it had been potrayed in the FSN Visual Novel and games. If I had to find a fitting visual depiction of the old timer, I would say he looked quite the shorter, creepier version of Voldemort from the Harry Potter movies.

A disgusting corpse sustained by his descendants' life force, forcefully stolen thanks to his disgusting mascots.

"Grandfather, I see that you are up earlier than usual."

The wrinkly smile widened and his pitch black holes he had for eyes glowed in dark amusement. "Of coure, dear grandson, why should I miss the opportunity to bid you a good voyage?"

Hoping for me to die already, aren't you?

I would have died if I had broken facade in that circumstance as I had picked up quite the interesting flaw in Zouken's foul monitoring means. They couldn't truly read anyone's mind.

The worms would just pick up the unusual emotions, sending the relay back to their main hive (Zouken) whom would then deliver a fitting 'punishment' to the unwanted behavior.

"I am flattered by your kindness, grandfather." His smile was next to decay under my lack of reaction.

It had been something quite amusing and annoying of the old worm that I partly knew from initial knowledge but the real experience helped to fully understand.

It could have been senility because of the fool's ancient age, but the man seemed to have a 'villanous' kink when dealing with everyone. Everyone needed to suffer once in a while to please his next-to-useless mind.

"Oh, I almost forgot.." His grin turned in quite the shit-eating one as I knew what he was going to use to push my buttons. "Sakura-chan is currently in an intensive training session. She wanted to come to see you one last time but.. her training is very important."

It was a sliver of rage to broke my little composure, further increasing the glee in the bastard's face. "I.. see."

I proceeded to walk towards the entrance of the mansion and stopped just to the handle of the door.

"Grandfather?"

The quiet Zouken blinked. "Yes, Shinji-kun?"

I took a large breath. "The Matou are going to rise back to power."

.... A cackle ruptured the momentary silence as the elder glowed with amusement as he stared at me. "Foolish boy! We are always going to be in power."

The deplorable denial of a traditional fool, just like I had expected.

My lips turned in a thin line as I nodded. "I am quite dumb, grandfather..."

I didn't wait to hear the full reply, but I kept my blank expression going until I reached the car prepared to take me to the airport, the muffled cackles reaching my sensitive ears.

The Matou are going to rise back to power once more..

---

The flight was as tiring as I had expected, nothing too much unusual from the classic Tokyo-London trips but still I had some uncertainity about my only gamble to take revenge on Zouken.

The man that had been taken to be my bodyguards was inexperienced, probably someone more adept to guard VIPs than babysit children and I was glad he was this uncapable.

It did help further in my little 'escape' that the Heathrow Airport was one of the greatest maze ever created by mankind, giving me more than enough of a chance to get myself out of the worm's clutches.

Trusting the shady lore, Kariya had been able to avoid being reached by Zouken until his return because of the long distance between the host and the hivemind, making it impossible to suffer 'punishments' anymore.

I decided to leave the airport the quickest possible, walking for a hour or two in random directions while trying to get myself to a safe distance from the zone I was last spotted.
God bless for abandoned churches just being in the area.

As I sat in one of the several, intact benches, I started to think about what to do next with my newfound freedom and peace.

I was quite glad of this opportunity. Now in this circumstance I would try to gain some mean to attain magecraft and... I wouldn't be truly wrong in considering to turn some of my nerves in Circuits.

Maybe those will not be enough to make me turn in some blue-haired Shirou Emiya but it was a good way to start to get in some good state... plus I had to remove or sterilise the worms from within- or maybe do both at the same time.

With a grin plastered on my face, I skipped merrily towards where I had planned to go first, the very place I shouldn't be approaching so soon but I had to.

Sited within the British Museum, it wasn't hard to find the correct entrance to Clock Tower.

The Magus Association was something I had thought about multiple times before my journey in England, but I found myself always denying going inside it anytime close to my little 'escapade'.

But there was no choice and... I had to venture inside the lair of the Dragon-

Octavia Leyland was... bland.

A woman with brown, shoulder-short hair, young and fit... quite annoyed if I had to deduce her current reaction to the insufferable blonde girl that was whining at her.

I had hoped to see Bazzett first, curious to see how a younger version of the Enforcer would look like and... I was gifted with the (not yet) arch-nemesis of one Rin Tohsaka.

Luviagelita Edelfelt was as abrasive as I would have expected her childish self to be but my mind was hardly keeping my patience to dwindle away at the incessant rant coming from the pint-sized brat preceding me in the small line to the secretary.

I stopped listening to whatever Luvia was lamenting about the moment she moved the topic back to her family, a subject I was quite knowing about and... Oh God, I just recognized the dark irony there.

The Tohsaka had to give up Sakura because Magecraft families can have just a heir while... the Edelfelt that had the blasted Ore Scales trait just had Luvia as the single heiress.

...Nasu, thou are an arse. A good gamer but still an arse.

Once my mind returned back to the never-ending situation in front of me, I decided that drastic predicaments required drastic actions.

So, giving the greatest uncaring expression I could muster, I walked forward and shoved lightly the blonde aside as I had no time to waste there. "I am sorry but I have quite the urgent thing to get done and-"

I paused, trying and failing to get some dramatic effect to add to my sudden intrusion.
"I need to speak with Zelretch."

The brunette blinked several times before stating quite the loud response. "No."

... "It is important-"

"The Wizard Marshall is hardly someone that would accept being disturbed in busy moments from a simple child-" "Kaleido Ruby and Kaleido Sapphire."

The woman narrowed her eyes in confusion at the curious names. "Tell him this and he will receive me."

She gave me a long look before sighing tiredly, clearly not paid enough for this shit, and picking the phone in her desk, calling for.. someone.

"Lord Zelretch, I have a little nuisance here that wish to- Yes sir, I have already told him but-"

I didn't have time for this! I was already waddling in hot waters and like hell the old man was going to ignore this plight.

The secretary was unprepared as I snatched the phone out of her hands and brought it close to my face and-...

"Are you playing at Super Mario Bros.!?"

The familiar menu theme was faintly reaching from the other side of the call and the gruft tone paused there, silent. "I... can explain-" "Yeah, but I would like to have a chat, sir, something about Kaleido Ruby and Sapphire-Argh!"

Tragically enough I couldn't speak further as two men rushed towards me and happily decided to turn me in some punching bag.

At least the beating wasn't as bad as the worms were...

---

The cup of tea sitting in the small stool in front of me was warm to the touch, something that didn't help with my whole bruised self.

The room was dark as the only source of illuminations where few lightbulbs spread in the corners.

There was a small globe made of wood on the side of the mahogany desk as a certain Dead Apostle grimaced towards me as we stared at each other.

"Matou Shinji, a little boy with no magical potential." He whistled softly and grinned widely, showing his elongated canines. "How may I help you?"

I tried to blink through the pain and somehow managed to croak a reply to the bastard.

"I... need your help with the Grail War."

The old man rested his back on the chair and hummed quietly, thinking about the proposal.

"I... will not help you."

I froze on my seat at those words. I had thought that Zelretch had some limits within the Magus Association, that Gaia would have been a bigger obstacle to face that could have stopped him early on...

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T WAN-" Red eyes glowed murderously for a moment and I paled instantly as my childish body was ill-prepared to the Killing Intent the Apostle had just thrown at me.

"An annoying youth you are, little Shinji. One that should remember that this is not a playground for kids." He turned to stare at the side and I followed his line of sight, blinking the moment I remembered we weren't alone in his office.

For some unmentioned reason, Luvia was there, sitting on the other chair the opposite to the Wizard Marshal, her eyes distractedly looking quickly at the various artifacts and jars lying around the room. "The same applies to you to, young Edelfelt."

Hearing her name being called up so sternly was what it took to return the blonde's attention back to the real thing of the office.

"I-I'm sorry, Lord Schweinorg. I didn't mean to be disrespectfu-" "Yet you were annoying that dear Olivia with your whining, showing quite the unbecoming behavior for a noble Magus."

The girl had the decency to appear ashamed at the rightful accusations, preferring to keep quiet right now as the vampire returned his attention back at me.

"Apart from this desperate need of yours to 'fix' the Grail War, the reason why I wish to not meddle with this situation is... it would be troublesome."

..."W-What?"

"It is always the same. Everyone expects me to be something like a God because of my control over the Second Magic."

I flinched at his annoyed tone as it sounded similar to his stern one, letting the man rant more about himself.

"That was the case before I had to fight Type-Moon and before being left an undead being, literally crippling my hold over the Kaleidoscope."

"B-But Lord Schweinorg, what do you mean that your form is-" "Because I am a corpse stuck within a single reality in infinite, parallel worlds."

Luvia's eyes widened in shock as he lashed verbally at her half-question, surprising even me in the process.

His words literally shattered the idea that the Dead Apostle was capable of dealing with almost everything in the world but just... ignored it.

But I had a clear sight now on the issue, I knew what was going on now with the vampire and why he refused the request.

"The Second Magic is requires its user to not be tied to a specific reality."

Zelretch paused, his mouth open to continue as his eyes widened at the explanation.
"When you were turned in a vampire-" "My existance was splintered from a single entity into the multiple parallel beings that existed prior to my acquisition of the Second Magic."

His voice was softer, impressed even as he turned his attention once more at me, his red eyes glowing in intrigue. "You.. you are the second Magus to reach this conclusion."

"A-And you created Ruby and Sapphire to try and replicate the phenomenon without the need of being once more a single being."

A little smile reached his face as the Wizard Marshal nodded at me. "Truly marvellous."

He commented as he turned to pick some old book. "To think that a Matou would be the one that understood this after Nagato." A sad sigh as he mentioned his first apprentice. "Truly a shame you don't have any possibility to-" "I want to banter."

... "What?"

"I... want to help you with something with the Kaleidoscope as I know you still help around when possible when one of your other selves require it." He frowned at my words, humming once more before asking.

"And you would want to have me deal with the Grail War in exchange of that?" I nodded quickly and the man snorted. "That sounds like gibberish but.. I think I know a good place where to send you."

I was grimacing inside as I started to count the numerous possibilities that would be thrown against me and- "But I cannot throw you aloooo-ne." His eyes zeroed on Luvia, the girl having been quiet until that moment as she tried to understand whatever we were talking about.

"Young Edelfelt, from what I understand your family has tried multiple time to reach out for an apprenticeship from me, correct?"

The blonde seemed to be revived by that question as she smiled eagerly. "Y-Yes! It would be an honor if-"

"Only one condition." He held an index up and then pointed it right onto me, blue eyes following it dutifully. "This little guy is quite a pest but.. I wish for him to not die where I am going to send him into. That is why I will entrust you with the life of your fellow apprentice, Luviagelita Edelfelt."

... "What do you mean I'm an apprentice too?"

"I will be honest, I should have you two killed by now." Cue both Luvia's and my faces paling rapidly at the horrible outcome. "But I see that you both might have some uses after all."

He pulled out a blue box out of his desk and moved it towards the girl. "This will help you along the way."

I knew exactly what was inside but I was quite amused when Luvia picked the container and opened it, expecting some grand and powerful artifact to boost her chances and... getting it in a very confusing way.

Sapphire stood still and I felt Luvia glancing my direction, clearly trying to get some hint about what she was now holding in her hands.

"That is Sapphire." I said quietly as I stood up and walked towards her. "She is a Mystic-Code, a Kaleidostick and... possibly your best friend from now on."

She frowned at my words as I got my eyes fixed on the unmoving Sapphire. "A.. stick is going to be my 'best friend'?"

Her skeptical expression was quite entertaining but I decided to cut short the comic relief as I spoke directly at the Mystic Code. "Shouldn't you have been the one to introduce yourself, Sapphire?"

At first she didn't react at my input but soon Luvia's confusion turned into shock when the very object the girl had considered until that moment inanimate started to freely float and fly around her head before settling in front of me.

"I am surprised that you know about me, Shinji-san. This development is indeed unexpected but still a good one to smooth out the best mutual relationship between me and..?"

The blonde blinked, realising that Sapphire was asking her name. "M-My name is Luviagelita Edelfelt, heiress to the Edelfelt family."

The stick nodded, bending a little as if it was bowing her direction. "Nice to meet you, Lady Luvia."

Yet Luvia's face showed some pain as she turned her attention to the hand the stick had approached, noticing it now bleeding a little. "And now the contract is done."

"Uh?" Her confusion was soon drowned by the blinding light coming from a seal in the floor beneath her, the same happening to me as I turned to the Dead Apostle, seeing him smile widely.

"Your mission is to assist those that stands against the calamity of the Earth I am sending you into. Good luck, brats!"

The light continued to intensify and I felt my body get warm as.. I wasn't touching ground anymore, finding myself falling for few moments before truly crashing on the floor.

The texture was the same as dirt to my touch while I tried to stand up to find-

"Kyaaahhh!"

*Thud*

-pain from above as I brought forcefully back on the floor, a new weight now sitting on my back.

Luvia blinked twice as she realized she was not falling anymore and she looked down on the soft object that had cushioned her fall.

"G-Get off!"

The Edelfelt yelped before getting up from my poor back. I am seven for crying aloud, I shouldn't be suffering this much!

Was this Karma? Was this because I was stuck in Shinji Matou's body?

I groaned as I got once more up as dusted my clothes, trying to recollect my thoughts and see where we were left.

We were in a clearing, a familiar one and... I facepalmed as I realized where we were.

This... This was Fuyuki and-

*Crack*

Dread surged within my chest as I saw a pink and red blur rush towards us and was suddenly tackled on the floor.

"My back..." Yet my pain become unimportant as I found myself staring at a pink-haired, tanned version of Illyasviel von Einzbern, her face slowly lowering towards mine and I truly knew where and WHEN we were.

We were in Illya's Route: Dark Soul Edition and I am going to suffer one of the fan services of the whole series.

I HATE MY LIFE!

---

AN

Shinji is hate, Shinji is dead. Thank God, we ain't that poor bistard!

Update Schedule and Why this exists? Boredom, this idea was buzzing in my mind for a while and I decided to fully move Easy Way in SB forum. Sadly, no regular updating as I wish to make this a long experience as I am trying to do with FPO.

Why Shinji? Cause other than Shirou, Shinji starts the crappiest of start and has to do a lot to get to acceptable levels. Plus everyone need to be redemeed one way or another, in his case it is thanks to OCI-way.

Why Prillya? Because the series is quite unfinished even through it might be completed anytime soon now that the Manga version of 3rei is reaching its grand finale.

But what about the 4th War: Since Shinji is here with Loli-Luvia things are going to be finished much quicker than in Canon. Just to clarify something: Yes, I've read the Manga and I found the suspence a right level of deadly to my poor heart because... cliffhangers everywhere!

How will this develop? A secret for now, I've decided to keep quiet about this but I can assure you now that it will not go to repeat stuff from the other stories I am writing. I prefer to keep thing unique in everystory, where I can at least.

Pairings? Dunno, maybe I have one in mind but... S E C R E T !

AN for QQ readers: This story is already advanced to Chapter 16, so I will update twice a day until we get up to that number and then I will switch to the regular updating, which is on Saturday bi-weekly.

 

Chapter 1: Copy, Angsty and Worm

I know well enough that the Nasuverse is a place filled with the worst thing an Anime could require. Fan Service.

It could be good if it was moderated and didn't touch the limits between Ecchi and Hentai, but Prillyaverse was a stark example of perverted moments lingering every single episode, may it be 'comic' ones or HF-level of dark shit.

But the pressing issue was the one girl, three years 'older' than me, pressing her face toward mine, her lips positioned and ready to catch mine. A low growl, a muffled 'no' managed to reach her ears as her brows narrowed but she continued.

It wasn't anything perverted, I do reckon as I considered 'why' she was doing so. Condemned to have an imperfect body that couldn't produce enough prana to sustain itself with the world deteriorating it moment by moment.

It wasn't lust that forced her into this, the sinful tease being just a secondary thing to her mind as only one thing roared within her mind, something that was quite visible from the closeup.

Survival. She needed to receive mana from the quickest way possible, saliva and... I was scared.

Seeing this from the point of view of a seven years old, this was scary because unwanted, while from the point of view of a 20ish young man, this was scary because unwanted AND because jail was terrifying.

This was not alright! I shrieked in my head but my mouth was closed, trying to defend itself from the incoming unrequited kiss.

I braced myself for the seemingly unavoidable fate that was now few millimeters from me, my eyes narrowing as I tried to push my head further on the ground, hoping to gain some relief from the distance.

It was a single fleeting moment, but I was quite surprised when Kuro's eyes widened in panic and she jumped away, dodging a thunderous blast of blue coming from... Luvia.

...I had totally forgot about her. The blonde was now donning the Kaleido Sapphire attire, cat ears and tail included.

But I felt the need to voice a 'small' issue with her intervention...

"WHY DID YOU TAKE SO MUCH TIME!?"

She 'eeped' at my outburst and her full-face blush became evident to my glare, making me understand that... I went a bit too far.

I forgot that the girl shared my 'age' and that she was quite the sheltered brat, naive about part of the world.

Maybe she had heard about perverted men but to see a female being the aggressor was... surprising.

"Net! Make a net!" Apologies needed to wait as I noticed that the snarling pseudo-Servant had yet to project EMIYA's favoured blades.

The blonde paused for a moment and seemed to panic until a blue light formed a small bundle of reinforced rope in my waiting hands, my legs already moving towards Kuro.

"A net? Do you think it will work, Matou." I let a faux scowl at my surname being mentioned but I replaced it quickly with a smile as I knew what I needed to say to stop her from acting up against me.

"Fancy words coming from someone in your predicament, Illyasviel von Einzbern."

I think the extra attention I put in the correct pronunciation was what truly made her surprised as her attempted projection, the familiar prana configuration to recreate copies of EMIYA's UBW, collapsed due to her distraction. I jumped onto her, net unbundled as the struggle began.

Few punches passed through the simple barrier as I tried to close it around her, landing right to some sore spots of my skin, still recovering from the quite recent beating I took thanks to Clock Tower's security.

I gritted my teeth in pain at the brutality and the flurry of physical attacks the girl decided to throw while trying to shake away the net but... I did it. With an angry Kuro secured away, I turned on the ground and felt my legs aching.

I was extending myself too much, I reckoned as I failed to get up. I turned to see Luvia approaching us with a concerned look towards me. "J-Just tired and a bit- a bit bruised."

She nodded but her worry was still there. "I-I need to you create a sweet treat filled with some prana. S-Sapphire, can you help her with the task?"
"Yes." The Mystic Code replied as she instructed the newfound magical girl in the creation of the small piece of food.

It was a big cookie, something that made me frown at the texture as it was almost too white but I took it out of the blonde's hand and moved it right above the snarling Einzbern, the girl didn't skip a beat in biting an acceptable chunk out of the treat and.. she munched at it calmly. Her eyes widened a little as the prana invigorated her body while the sweet taste soothed her mind and she stared at the cookie hungrily.

"I can give you the rest of it.." I started, biting down the pain running in my limbs. "If- If you promise us to not do anything drastic. W-We don't want to hurt you, Illya."

She blinked as I muttered her name once more. "H-How do you know who I am?"

"I know lots of things and... my arm here is going sore with the shenanigans I've been through. I will explain later."

She stared hardly at me for few moments before nodding. "B-But you are not friend with.. her?"

Luvia looked confused and I sighed tiredly. "No, we are not allied with your other self."

Another surprised look but she finally nodded once more and I lowered the cookie close to her face, letting her munch at the treat a little longer as I tried to keep an amiable stance in front of the distrusting pseudo-Servant.

This was going to be a long day.

---

We had settled to sit in circle in a small hiding spot between the deep foliage.

I was lying on the ground while the two girls were chatting together as I tried to catch some rest.

"So you are... from a parallel universe?" Kuro had seemingly accepted our goodwill and was engaged in quite the Q&A with Luvia.

"That is correct." The blonde was quite enjoying being away from the previous action-filled, insane moments, the relaxed expression on her face showing this much.

"And you are here for... the cards?"

Blue eyes narrowed as the Edelfelt thought about it. What was her mission her?

She turned to stare at my resting body. "Why are we here?"

I blinked at the question and sighed, hoping to give enough stuff for them to not ask further. "We are here to make sure the Cards are secured in a safe place AND deal with the one that put them in this universe."

Her tongue clicked in her teeth. "Truly? Is the situation really demanding this much of a following."

"A following?"

I grimaced as my mind was not up to answer everything now. "This universe is set in 2004, 10 years from where we come from, and its main quality is the fact the Holy Grail was dismantled before the Fourth War."

Kuro blinked at the answer. "1994? Isn't that the time the Fourth Heaven Feel was supposed to happen?"

"T-Then why you want the Grail dismantled?"

My hands were on my face as I groaned loudly before the two staring at me. "I have... reasons! Reasons I know that Illya will be eager to tell you about in regard of the Grail's sacrifice."

The blonde frowned. "Sacrifice?"

"Despite the competition being mostly known for the battle between 7 Heroic Spirits led by 7 Masters, the truth is that the Grail existed to facilitate a clear path to the Root. The means for this to happen was the Einzbern's unique talent in Wishcraft."

"They overpower a conduit tuned to Wishcraft with the souls of the Heroic Spirits and the one from the Homunculus used to channel the spirits to stabilise the process."

"But then why everyone says that it is any possible wish if it is just calibrated to reach the Root?"

This time I... didn't have an answer and we both turned to Kuro, the tanned girl fidgeting in her seat before realising that she was being stared at. She flinched a little but ended up answering our little dilemma.

"It... was manpower."

... "W-What?"

"Seven Servants is the least amount of energy required to permit a connection to the Akashic Records and there were only three Masters ready to share a single wish. Other influencial individuals were greedy at the time and so the founders set a lure for their desires."

"The Holy Grail, catfishing Magi since 1814."

Kuro blushed at those words. "I-It wasn't that bad. I- I mean- Sure, Nagato had warned both Justeaze and Zolken that it would have been a bad idea but how should have they known that the mess that were the 2nd and 3rd War were going to happen?!"

..."I think I will take a nap. Please don't try anything on me, Illya."

"W-What about the ones that are searching for me?" Her concern wasn't misplaced and I groaned, giving a glance to the currently floating Kaleidostick.

"Sapphire, from what I remember you should be able to contact Ruby. Could you try and send a message to this universe's countepart of your sister to prepare a meeting in two hours by the Edelfelt mansion?"

"Why?" I blinked tiredly at the panicked question.

"Because we need to settle down the 'feud' you have with the other Illya without you being killed one way or another."

She opened her mouth again to protest but paused, closing it quietly and deciding to think about my words.

Sapphire nodded my direction as she tried to get hold of Prillya Ruby's prana pattern, no more questions being asked as I finally let the stress of this long day take hold over his consciousness. Slowly I was lulled in a state of sleep, my mind fending off against the nightmares of the life I had at the Matou mansion as I tried to achieve a good rest.

---

It was unnerving that I had just an hour to nap as I still had so much to do before the mind-blowing encounter.

We had moved to a nice café on the edge of the city, knowing that going in the more inner sections could increase the chances of encountering some people that would mistake the tanned Einzbern with the fair-skinned one.

The first thing being making sure I could trust Kuro to not murder Prillya.

I started the debate with a simple topic, weather, and proceeded to make some simple demands over where we were going.

"B-But she took my place!"

I sighed at the loud rebuttal. "She didn't do anything, it was mostly your parents' decision at that point."

She snorted, crossed her arms close to her chest as she tried some pouting.

"From what I understand.. you wish to 'slay' your counterpart and.. then what?"

Luvia's question was a legitimate one as the Einzbern looked surprised at that specific query to something she hardly considered in her initial plans.

"I... getting along with Papa and Mama would be difficult if I.. killed her." I nodded with a smile but she still huffed disgruntled. "B-But I am the real one."

"Technically you are wrong about that." Thank God I had some paper in my backpack as I started to write down things I was going to say. "You are the Einzbern-created personality that is usually active in a Justeaze-model homunculus, which was sealed away from Kerry and Iri and then got out of 'your' body."

Truly a confusing but fascinating topic. "You could be considered a Pseudo-Servant. Your main body is Illyasviel von Einzbern but the 'clay' used to build it up is from Counter-Guardian EMIYA's Heroic Spirit."

She flinched at the name and I paused a moment to try and remember if Kuro knew or not about the Archer Card's identity.

"H-how do you know that?"

I opened my mouth to answer when Luvia slammed her hands on the small metallic table. "No excuses, no lies!"

I blinked in surprise at the outburst. That was the very situation I had wanted to avoid, knowing full well that this was not ideal for my survival plans.
But then again I needed to have the Edelfelt's loyalty to avoid any possible issue with her.

"I will say that... I know many things of the Moonlit World." I looked at Luvia and then back at Kuro. "About the past, the present... and the future."

"Preposterous!" Seriously? A seven years old girl capable of using that word? That reminds me so much about the strictness of the Magus families and the early education they give to their children. "Such a capacity w-wouldn't be keep unknown, especially because it would-" "Warrant a Seal Designation?"

She closed her mouth, paling a little as she now noticed my dry expression at that horrible fate. "I-I didn't mean-" "I know you didn't mean it. I know that you are a good person."

"But?" I glanced at the Einzbern, the tanned girl recognising that I had something that needed to be said.

"The reason I am concerned about this meeting is that... you might not like how you behave around some people."

The blonde frowned. "How I behave? What would my older version be doing to be given such accusation-"

"You are daily engaged in a petty competition with the second apprentice of Zelretch, which is not me in this timeline, about trying to win the heart of a red-head boy that frankly doesn't have much charisma to start with-" "H-Hey! Oniichan isn't that bad!"

I paused, the dreadful words piling up inside my throat as I delivered a really harsh truth about Kuro. "You mean your biological Oniichan?"

She frowned. "He is adopted-" "But you share now a pattern similar to his own. Biologically speaking, thinking of him that way is incestuous."

"B-But my other self-"
"Is her adoptive sister and that would also be immoral before the laws of... the entire world!"

She pouted a little and I decided to add some extra salt to the open injury. "You should also not contemplate engage in 'activities' with Miyu."

..."You mean Edelfelt's younger sister?" At this Luvia looked confused at the news that she had a younger sibling.

"Yes but also no. Her 'adoption' is something related to this whole 'Cards' Debacle and her real name is.... Emiya Miyu."

..."WHAT?!"

I sighed once more as I decided to give a full explanation of this timeline, without going to touch too much about the future section of it and getting some truthful oaths to not speak about anything I was telling them.

An hour passed quickly and soon we were on our merry to reach the Edelfelt Mansion.

---

I bet it was a shocking sight from the two morons to see two 7yos and a tanned Illya enter the office room they were waiting us for the meeting.

Rin was pale, her mind already imagining the chaos that would be created by two Luvias, while her blonde colleague was confused at best.

"Good morning and thank you for accepting the offer for negotiations regarding some issue my newest minion- Owh!" Even without her Class Card Installed, Kuro's punches stug like mad to my poor skin.

"S-She is the one that tried to hurt me!"

It was an interesting sight to see Prillya's funny reactions from this persepctive, the girl was exaggerating the whole outburst but it wasn't... that horrible to see from a simple elementary-grade school girl being thrown in this magical girl plot without any instructions for the use.

At least this wasn't Madoka I was speaking with!

"Indeed and she is quite ready to-" I blinked her direction, Kuro trying to appear unaware of my stare. "To?" She pouted and I sighed and gave a nod to chibi-Luvia, the girl materialising another mana-filled cookie in my hand.

"I can give some compromise but-" She didn't let me finish as she stole the treat out of my hands and munched at it quickly, gulping and then bowing in front of a confused Miyu and Illya.

"I'm sorry for... trying to hurt you."

..."EH!?"

"There is a lot to say and..." I grimaced as I was prepping myself to remind everyone about two present threats in the near future. "And it is not all that funny."

---

AN

The meeting will continue next chapter as... there is a LOT TO SAY AND AVOID!

Lastly, Just to let me know if you have suggestions I might use for the plot, maybe even something that Prillya doesn't truly show in the canon series like..

WHERE ARE THE MATOU HERE?!

 

Chapter 2: Girls, Cards and Worm

This is... a terrible predicament.

I had expected that things would have been far more different than what I knew of the Kaleidverse but... Kiritsugu and Irisviel were in Fuyuki right now and they were already suspecting about Illya's little magical adventure.

I had hoped that the changes would have been minimal at best, like the Tohsakas still living in Fuyuki for some reason or that Shirou had not been adopted... but the mere idea that the Magus Killer was there, quite close to find about the whole 'magical girl' debacle was something chilling.

And that was the first of the infinite issues that were there in Fuyuki that the series has never touched nor hinted.

The second problem, a personal one, was that the Matou existed just... not in the way I had expected.

It would seem that Zouken had perished few months after the dismantling of the Grail, the proud bastard deciding against trying to tickle the ever-attentive Zelretch about a Dark Grail and had decided that there wasn't anything worthwile to do in his life.

The worms had all been removed but at the cost of the family losing their noble title for the horrible practice being brought to attention to the major individuals in Clock Tower. Byakuya had lived happily with his wife and a little child that was conceived two years after Zouken's death.

It stung a little that there was no Shinji in this part of the Kaleidverse, that I was pretty much like Miyu at this point but I was hardly happy that the old worm had died mysteriously, something in the back of my head demanding real evidence of his passing.

Maybe I was paranoid but.. I am not willing to deal with two old bastards and their habit to cheat for some stupid Wish. The Grail was stupid like the ones that believed it to be some blessing from the past.

It is a curse and... I will destroy any single one I will find in my path.

But let us pause for a moment. Let us return to a real problem that was going to be a hassle to deal with. Where was I supposed to live while staying in this dimension?

The 'kindness' from the older version of Luvia was refused on the basis her mansion was right in front of the home of a man capable of killing me if he caught me in some shady situations, plus my mind was not ready to deal with the Rin-Luvia shenanigans in an usual basis.

The Matou Mansion was now in ruins and it would take too much coin and effort to restore it to acceptable conditions and the former home of the Tohsakas was in a worse situations.

I was kind of touched when Prillya, red-faced and quite embarrassed, expressed her hospitality if there was no other places that could house us all. I declined again but this time I explained that the reasons was more about her father's and mother's reactions to two unknown Magus asking for two rooms for free.

I could already imagine two Origin Bullets being rapidly fired, the first one between my eyes and the last one between my legs.

It was actually Kuro that pointed out something I had totally forgotten about this universe. There was the Einzbern Castle still sitting by the end of the town's forest, with fully operational Homunculi working day and night to make sure the fortress was optimal to live in.

But I should explain the logic behind this acceptable option: when the Greater Grail was dismantled and the Einzberns decided to let Irisviel and Kiritsugu go and live their merry life away from the strict family, the group had pushed for two simple demands. A) Illya's memory regarding the Grail's working and the ones related Justeaze were to be sealed away and B) Irisviel would have to forfeit her rights as heiress to the family.

Both clauses were accepted and Illya's mother was Einzbern only nominally at best, leaving the castle's inheritance to... Kuro.

Now things turn tricky as the pseudo-servant's claim was stronger than anything Illya herself could muster legally. Being the direct part from Illyasviel that is related to Justeaze and now a independent individual, Kuro/Chloe was the sole heiress to the old Magus family from Germany.

The idea was instantly approved by the girl herself much to Prillya's dismay. Maybe it was disappointment because she wanted a 'younger' sibling or maybe she just wanted to accomplish her little 'Oneesama' kink she had long harbored in secret.

I almost wanted to pinch those adorable cheeks but then it would become weird. It would become quite awkard and if I have to be honest, the FBI is still a tangible threat to fear for a small Magus like me.

It was utterly hilarious when I had to explain how to beat Bazzett in the quickest and craziest way possible. Let Miyu install the Cu Chulainn Card and let the Irish woman fawn over the Lancer Loli.

And in the middle of that embarrassing moment, the 'adopted' Edelfelt made it clear with her gestures that she had a question she wished to ask me.

'Did I know about her predicament?'

It was subtle but I could clearly see her nervous about it all and I decided to be today. "He is alive."

Surprise ruled in that maelstrom of emotions hidden within the quiet girl's visage but a small brave smile showed gratitude. What a delightful response, I mused as I found amusing Prillya's confusion over my words.

As the meeting was concluded I was surprised the moment I was stopped by Chibi-Luvia. The blonde took hold of my arm, keeping me stuck and confused. Her eyes were directed to the floor but there was once in a while a flicker my direction. "Are you okay?"

She started to tremble a little and my free hand went to pull her in a small hug.

Maybe I should have picked better words to address the fact the young version of the 'Ohohohoh' was quite distressed by the overwhelming situation, something that looked so endless in her logic to solve and.. yet I could see it so clearly.

But the problem lingered far away from mere present circumnstances and hovered over a terrible realisation I had time and time again come to forget.
Luvia was 7, my own age, and she had two doting but loving parents. Sure, becoming Zelretch's apprentice was enough of a treat to coat the growing anxiety but it vanished the moment reality reared its ugly face.

She was stuck in a place with familiar faces that barely give her the same comfort that gave before being thrown here. Like a castaway stuck in a city, one that had long forgotten its past familiarity to assume a better concept that alienates the very exiled man that had sought for so long to make a return to it.

Luvia was stuck in the water that is the unknown to her and... I was the small boat, that she had grown accustomed to, that could help her from drowning in the nothingness.

See? I can be quite the poetic trash once in a while.

"Do you want to come with us?" Maybe I should have said 'with me' but then I would have to face double the trouble that rose out of that question.

"Little Luvia is an Edelfelt and she will live here, foolish Matou." Cold, political and quite extravagant. If I was to compare chibi-Luvia with the older one I would say those were the adjective she would have acquired if she had stayed within the walls of Clock Towers, where only politics and powerplays made Magi capable of gaining some important standing within the Moonlit World.

"She has the right to decide where to stay and..." I turned to look at a frowning Kuro. "I suppose one person will not 'burden' the Castle too much?"

She knew I was joking about it, the servitude being as plentiful as the rooms available in the fortress, but she nodded nonetheless. Her eyes were glowing a curious light, craving to.. ask something.

Hopefully nothing that saw me going to jail one way or another, I stated within the safety of my mind.

In the end, Chibi-Luvia accepted the proposal, continuing to hold my arm even after we stepped over the gates of the mansion and I decided to not mind it over too much as my glance was stolen by another sight. One far scarier than I had thought possible.

Caring for some small flowers growing in some of the pots near his house's entrance, Kiritsugu Emiya glanced up and in my direction, giving me a long look that managed to send a multitude of shivers down my little spine before returning to his gardening.

What an annoying Hero of Justice.

---

The insides of the Castle were far warmer than I had expected. I contemplated if it was something like some special magecraft applied there or this was the result of a modernisation led by the last generation of Einzberns.

Maybe both, I deduced without much proof, maybe both.

The reason I was staring so hard to try and focus on things so flimsy was because I was unnerved by the Homunculi. The realistic touch to the emotionless being was something I had hoped wouldn't have been as impactful as it was being to my mind.

Those are not real people. That is what I was trying to repeat like a mantra the more I saw the ever-so-similar maids around the castle's halls. Those are not real people.

It sounded cruel but... the sight was inhumane. To consider those models humans would be like saying that Illumi from Hunter x Hunter was one of the most cheerful characters ever existed.

The emotion, or lack thereof, was something that added more to the dreadful lullaby those individuals made while walking. The pattern was always the same, the steps being so perfect that sounded so dull to my ears.

Maybe challenging myself to not get killed by the Magus Killer would have been a funnier exercise for my mind than dealing with this psychological torture.

At least the worms are not hurting.

"I wonder if there is still some gold from the Grail within the Castle..." I paled a little as Kuro mused outloud those very words. "Maybe we could sell it to have something to use." Her glowing eyes turned my direction and I felt addressed by the girl.

Sell Fafnir's cursed gold? It would be a good way to get rid of the bad luck this place has if there was any lying around. I nodded at her and Kuro looked pleased by my approval. I was doubtful that this wasn't out of mere friendship but.. that it was because I proved to be a stable crutch in her current instability and had been the very first individual that didn't considered her a.. mistake.

I wonder what Irisviel actually thought when she first saw that part of her daughter she had hoped she would have never see until the very end of her life. Maybe regret, the knowledge that she had been sentient must have been terrible to deal.. and yet she hadn't showed much reaction about it.

Was I rambling now? Maybe this world was just as cotton-candyish as I had expected or maybe the world is dumb enough to ignore the chaos and terror it was still suffering everyday.

I mean, does the Magus Killer even do missions? I could remember that his job was something that he accomplished oversea, in foreign countries. Like assassinations were supposed to be.

Today was truly a good day to consider gloomy fates but maybe it was in my DNA as a member of the Matou family. We are edgy and tragic. We are tragedgey.

I wonder if puns are truly the first sign of depression in people...

Ignoring this insignificant monologue, I returned back to stare at the door that led to a simple room. The main feature, a large bed (which looked a little smaller than Queen-size) looked quite soft to my tired eyes, but I was far too much experienced with deceptive looks to know that this wasn't the case.
I wonder when was the last time the Einzberns had considered to optimize their living quarters- Actually, I wonder if Kuro will be interested in buying a TV, console and videogames just like Illya did in Carnival Phantasm. Sadly there wouldn't be a faithful Berserker-kun helping in buying batteries for the gamepads if that was the case.

Anyway my 'room' looked quite big, maybe twice as big as it was back in my 'home' and less oppressive too. There was a large part of the wall in front of the bed dedicated to the wardrobe, a massive wood furniture that reminded me of a womanly-house.

Obviously mine wasn't some kind of derogative insult towards the family but the castle was hold and I doubt the Einzberns had ever had trouble with the equal male-female sthick. I mean, wasn't Justeaze the head of the family in a certain period of their history?

Returning back to the room, I noticed that it had been refurbished with clean objects but no clothes. Smart Kuro, knowing that it would have been quite distasteful to have old clothes to wear when going outside. That also reminded me we were going for a shopping spree, one that would have Luvia and Kuro as protagonists and... I was going to die by boredom.

I stared out of the window, my blue eyes still tired out and I noticed it was afternoon. Soon it will be time for some dinner and hopefully the food reserves were well-stocked... somehow.

Hopefully we weren't going to eat wood out of the long tables of the dining rooms of this large fortress because that would be quite the 'crux' of the situation.

...

Goddammit, was that even a pun or just trash now coming out of my mind?

It would seem like my head was starting to lose its touch when dealing with the disappointing situation and- "Uh?"

I was tackled on the bed from behind, couldn't see at first whom was the culprit but her arms were lax in letting me turn around in her hold and.. I blinked as Kuro snuggled her head close to my chest.

"Are you low in Prana?"

She glanced up, quickly shaking her head as she returned to stare in the distance, absent to the world. "No."

Few moments passed in silence and then the girl spoke again. "When did things went wrong?" I blinked again. "When did I start to see myself not as Illyasviel von Einzbern?"

I frowned at her words, contemplating why she was suffering now this kind of identity crisis. I had yet to tell her something about that but...

"I suppose it starts because you are not her."

She didn't reject my words, merely narrowing her eyes in a confused stare before sighing. "Why am I not her?"

"You are part of Illyasviel von Einzbern. Just like the one that live in this world with that name is." I paused for a moment, trying to remember how to phrase this kind of explanation without my death. "You are a mashup of a Hero and Justeaze. You are unique."

"A copy of copies?" I blinked twice at that, a small smile rousing in my face as I thought how amusing it was that she considered her that.

"Why are you smiling?"

"Because you fail to see a very big detail, right on your face." I poked at her nose and her lips, still stuck in a thin line, showed a quick upward twitch. "You are someone, Illya. You may have whatever name you wish to have. Illya, Kuro, Chloe... you are still someone that is alive and.. can feel emotions like a human being."

I looked up at the room's ceiling. "Maybe you have a mix of different abilities some have used in the past but... who doesn't think what you have isn't cool? How many people would crave to have this opportunity in their lives... you have been blessed. Half and half but... it still counts as a blessing."

"How so?"

My smile widened just a little as I enjoyed how wrong I was about the bed being sturdy.

"You can live. So live and be alive."

...

At first it was muffled in my shirt then she move her mouth up, letting a delicious series of giggles that ended with the biggest grin I had ever seen in her face.

"Shinji." She tilted her head cheerfully. "I am glad I met you."

I was glad myself but I decided to nod at her, my hand now patting her head softly as I let sleep take over my mind. Maybe I will regret falling asleep with a known pervert resting on my chest but... I was tired. I needed to unwind those monumental moments with some rest.

What a good day to be alive.

--------------------d-d-d-----------d-d-d-d----------d-d-d-d--------------d-d-d-d--------d-d-d-d--------d-d-d-

AN

Shinji is safe and sound, Luvia is a lovely child and Kuro will turn into something peculiar. She will tease people but... she will be more open around those she felt she can trust.

Also the reason Shinji didn't tell Rin and Older!Luvia about the fourth card is... for a childish reason. It will all become clear next chapter.

Lastly I noticed that people are looking at this. HALLELUJAH FROM THE LOWEST HELL'S CIRCLE! xD

Are there pairi- NO DANGIT, Age is not just a number and Jail is not just a room. I will still drop some heavy fluff bomb left and right once in a while.
You mentioned something about gender- I was doing it for the joke's sake! I am not going to sponsor any unnecessary politics in my stories if only for the sake of jokes and satirical content.

Hello, I am a Nigerian Prince- HOW IN THE FUCK DO I GET SPAM EVEN THERE! xD

 

Chapter 3: Parents, Shopping and Worm

I knew things were going to be dandy that morning by the annoying way I woke up. Purple eyes stared at the bed ceiling as my body started to follow my mind back in the land of the living. No more tired, actually very refreshed from that sleep, I groggily turned my attention to Kuro's sleeping face, quite close to mine.

I admit my cheeks reddened a little at the closeness but I was quick to see that nothing 'unwanted' had happened in my rest. At least that was my initial deduction before I noticed that the pair of simple clothes I had been wearing before falling asleep had been folded by the end of the bed and.. I was wearing a simple, purple-themed PJ.

Panic was chased down by logical reasoning over what could have happened while I was out for some rest. Kuro was wearing a pink PJ with small, white dots, something I could see the girl appreciate to put on to sleep and... I was actually surprised by the very situation I woke up into.

There was none of the usual teasing, the need to embarrass people left and right just to charge up her mana's reserves. I was being reminded painfully of the Fate Stay Night version of Illyasviel von Einzbern.

Short, mature and... quite kind to those she cared. The ending of the Heaven Feel's Route was still a sad part of the story I hardly stomached the moment I first saw it and it was one of the reason I liked Illya as a character, someone that would sacrifice to preserve her family's life.

I decided to ignore the fact that Kuro may or may have not been directly responsible for my clothes change, seeing no 'weird actions' done on my body, but I knew I couldn't return back to sleep. The crescendo of voices echoing loudly through the castle continuing to persist even after the minutes I spent trying to remember where I was.

Sleepiness faded as I felt newfound energy fuel me up. My hand carefully caressed the sleeping girl's head, moving away some strands of pink-white hair away from her tanned visage and... orange eyes slowly opened to stare back on my own eyes. She smiled softly, her eyelids half-closed. "Good morning."
I smiled back, yet mine was possibly smaller. "Morning."

Kuro stretched a little and rolled closer to my chest as she 'hmm'd a little. "Someone is causing... quite the loud mess."

Her comment, albeit whispered, reached my ears perfectly and I sighed, confirming my agreement. "We should go and check."

She groaned in the purple shirt I was wearing. "Don't wanna..."

"C'mon, Illya, you need some-" "Chloe."

..."Uh?" She stared away from me, a pleasant smile in her face.

"I decided to address myself as Chloe von Einzbern." She looked back at me once more. "I think you are right. I don't need to prove anything."

I blinked as I sponged up this little bit of information. "Then... I remind you that you still need some mana to sustain your form-" "I am fine."

My eyes narrowed at the interruption but she emphasised our closeness by tightening her hold over my arm and chest. "You had some... nightmares yesterday and you started to sweat a little."

Oh... ohhh... "D-Did I say something-" "No. You didn't but-" She sighed tiredly as she closed momentarely her eyes. "I... He knew about the Matous. He knew but... never did much about it."

I grimaced as I realised she was talking about EMIYA. It was no big secret the Archer Servant had never bothered to direct either Rin or Shirou to investigate Sakura's insane family.

Sakura's insane family, not mine. I was beyond sanity to be recovered in any shape or form but... I will make things work.

"But that wouldn't be enough to-" "Just enough to keep the reserves stable. I will ask when I need some mana."

Did I just make Chloe a lot better in planning her needs than her annoying canon self did? Not that I despised her in the original series but... it was insane how much fan service she was subjected with in the Anime. Not even the Manga has ever reached that kind of lewd.

"Still we need to see what is going on." She nodded slowly, her grimace showing quite the lacking willpower to deal with that madness so early in the morning and.. wasting the warmth of the bed. "Should we wake Luvia-chan up or..."

"If she isn't already up, we could give her an hour or two more of rest. She is afterall dealing with a lot of things ever since she joined up in the madness."
We got up from the bed and we were respectully giving each other our backs as we started to change our clothes to ones fitting to leave the room, yet I could see the girl twitching a little, maybe thinking about giving a peek or two at my naked back.

Her resolution seemed to hold true to her early principles and... she twirled once to show her cute clothes as we both moved towards the door and- *Knock Knock* "C-Come in?"

The girl's voice broke at first because of the unexpected knocking but quickly recomposed the moment it opened to show a panicked Homunculus maid.

"I-Illyasviel-sama, intruders have tried to force their way in the castle. They asked parlay and are waiting for you by the gates."

I had a feeling that I knew who was causing this ruckus, especially since Prillya would be quite easy to reveal that 'another' Illya is wandering around Fuyuki. I guess I should have expected something coming my way the moment I learned that the Magus Killer was home.

"Shinji?" Her hand was on my sleeve, tugging softly at it as we slowly followed the maid back to the entrance. "Do you... think they will accept it?" And me? I could feel her add the more steps we took toward our destination.

"They will." I stated as it was a factual matter. "They are way too soft to even think to kill you."

Chloe hummed at my words, a bit relieved that she wasn't going to face some fight anytime soon. While her reserves had stabilised for a while during their rest, the girl was hardly in a position to even defend herself with what energy she still had.

It took us few moments to reach the entrance of the fortress and... I admit I had not expected to find such a dreadful sight so early in the morning as my eyes landed on the two parents.

Kiritsugu was wearing his usual dark clothes and was equipped with his Calico and the Colt Contender, armed with an Origin Bullet. His cold eyes as he patiently waited for us to arrive... this was all the least of my issues in that moment.

Irisviel was wearing some kevlar, donning a red bandana and... was that a mother-f*cking gatling gun in her hands!?

---

The lounge that was the main living room of the castle had been conceived with a need to represent warmth and safety within the sturdy walls of the fortress. This whole idea crashed and burned the moment the 'enemy' was invited inside and given some tea and cookies.

How was I feeling in that moment? Incredibly scared as Irisviel's sweet smile promised more pain that whatever Kiritsugu could muster in his stone-like face. They had taken seat in one of the large couches while Chloe and I were sitting on the one right in front of theirs.

I took a quick sip from the white cup, trying to find harmony in this insane moment and... I wasn't. Maybe we should have gone to pick up Luvia, just to bring more firepower in case of some fallout.

"The weather is... nice today." I blinked as I wasn't the one that decided to break the ice, Kiritsugu staring calmly at his own tea as he said those words.
"It is sunny..." This was difficult as both females in that room kept quiet, Chloe alternating glares from Kerry to Iri while her 'mother' was keeping her eyes fixed on me- "What is your name, young man?"

A chill went down my spine the moment the woman asked that question, something attaching to her words as they reached my ears.

I gulped nervously, trying to untie the knot in my throat. "M-Matou, Shinji Matou."

She nodded, a somewhat pleased note settling in her features as she continued to stare at me. "Nice to meet you, Shinji-kun." She paused a moment, blinking just once as she continued. "By the way, why did you decide to kidnap our daughter?"

... "What?"

"There is no reason for Illya-chan to go and run away with some strangers if not she had been kidnapped."

What a plain logic but... it was Irisviel talking and I would have been quite surprised if she had made a less dunderheaded plan of action.

"I didn't-" "What if I wanted to stay with Shinji-kun?"

Red eyes moved away from my small body and onto Chloe's vivid orange. "Illya-chan-" "Chloe."

The older Einzbern tilted her head a little in confusion but the girl didn't miss a beat. "Illya is the name of thechild you have taken care of after you sealed me away. I decided to pick the name 'Chloe' to identify myself from my... countepart."

"B-But Chloe-chan- We would have been happy to consider you another child of ours-" "That is not the point, nor the reason I don't wish to live in that house."

The tanned girl huffed, her arms crossing near her flat chest. "The mere idea that you can't even consider the 'seal' the very reason I am doing this is-" "Partly true and false."

Their eyes quickly snapped my direction and I sighed as I prepared myself to deal with this mess of a world. Seriously, when you decide to leave this much emotional baggage unveiled, it is quite difficult for an 'intruder' to deal with it quietly and smoothly.

"While your main issue is the fact your parents decided to seal that part of Illya's personality that is you, Chloe, that doesn't mean your intense dislike is motivated by this only." I paused for a moment, getting a quick breath. "Your being was incomplete when it was created physically and the Archer Card filled in the missing bits. The process left quite the subtle influence of the Heroic Spirit's hatred for Kiritsugu."

..."W-What?" Irisviel's voice sounded closer to a whisper than a clear, distinguishable query but I still answered as honestly and simply as I could.

"The Heroic Spirit's True Name is Shirou Emiya, or Counter-Guardian EMIYA. The adopted son of a Kiritsugu Emiya that won the Holy Grail War, he lived a normal, somewhat disfunctional life until... the Fifth Grail War came to bite down his ass and got him straddled to the gorefest until he won and.. fell in love with a Servant."

I was deadpanning by the end of the quick, summarised story as I seriously disliked Shirou Emiya in many of his shapes and forms. Only Prillya Shirou and Miyuverse one managed to be acceptable in my good list but it was because the former was just a normal teen while the latter started to care for his little sister early on and was ready to die for her survival.

"But why would he hate Kiritsugu if-" "He decided to try to become a Hero of Justice."

The Magus Killer paled a little and I merely stared at him, no hints of emotions as I tried to sound as objective as I could. "He hated it after becoming Alaya's dog and tried to kill every single Shirou Emiya he encounters in the Wars he is summoned."

"How do you know about this?" I blinked as the experienced mercenary spoke, a dry tone in his voice as his throat was sore and aching under that unwarranted assault of mine.

"Zelretch's student, I know stuff about the multiverse."

He continued to look my direction for a few more seconds before finally accepting my excuse and dropping the subject altogether.

"Still Chloe-chan should live with her parents-" "No."

..."Chloe-chan-" "I am serious with this, mama. I don't want to go there and... and I need time to think."

Both deflated instantly at their respective words and I cringed a little as I hoped that none of them was going to cry in that moment. Seriously, why are women's emotions this similar to minefields in the Nasuverse?

---

I sighed tiredly as I waited by the bench in front of the clothing story Chloe and Luvia had decided to enter. It has already been 30 minutes ever since I had last sighted them inside the shop and I was growing concerned over the limited budget we have managed to obtain by having Sapphire create a milion yen out of nothing.

While this could be considered a case of counterfeit, I knew that spending that paper quickly or getting some real change out of different shops would solve the issue of getting caught by someone.

Yet I hardly felt like a milion would have been enough to satisfy the needs and the craves of both females, Chloe wanting quite the large wardrobe while Luvia requiring one that befitted a noble of her stature.

But I was happy to wait outside, unwilling to fall in that patient hellhole that wanted to make me stick around for hours as I would need some extra clothing if our stay was meant to be a long one because of the Ainsworths and their antics but I decided that the three sets of clothes I had prepared previously would be more than enough for what I had planned to do in this universe.

I had to start to consider how to deal with the real threats that have yet to surface like... what was I supposed to do with Kid Gil? There were many possibilities and the most opportune choice was befriending him and.. asking him to do some favours for me.

Simple things, I can assure you all, things about using Enkidu to steal some Cards I needed to have to... further study. If I managed to get hold over the Caster Card I could be able to do something against the Pandora's Box if my suspicions over the Card's functions were correct.

If those were using a system to pull the heroic spirits within the real world similar to how Zouken had done with the classic Grail War, then I should be able to... switch the Spirit with another one, even one that should be impossible to summon in normal circumstances.

The fact that we were going to fight in a world were Gaia's influence was weaker than usual also give me more hopes of accomplishing my little plan to deal with the Ainsworths.

As I continued to think calmly about the future, I felt a familiar buzzing in my pocket and I pulled out a... cellphone?

I blinked as I picked up the call and- "McRemitz called our offer a bluff and-" "She is destroying your house, Luvia. She doesn't have a warrant to do that."

... "Truly?"

"Seriously, aren't you supposed to be knowing this kind of stuff more than a 7 years old should?"

I could hear her pause a moment as she contemplated the best way to diver the attention out of that peculiar situation.

"I heard that you were shopping around-" "Spare me the excuses, Edelfelt. Just get the 'invader' out of your property and continue for your merry way without bothering me."

"Quite the gentleman, aren't you?" I smirked at her question. "I aim to please... myself."

An unnerved 'huff' was the last thing I catched before the call ended, leaving me to once more stare at-oh.

I was giving a long glance at the massive trail of bags filled to the brim with clothes when the two girls approached me, sharing a nervous smile. For some reason I knew that those were all theirs and.. my wallet was crying silently within the safety of my pocket.

"W-We might need to call some maids to.. pick things up." "And make multiple journeys... too."

I sighed tiredly as I realised that the greatest threat I was going to face in this world was the impressive thirst for clothes both girls had.

---

AN
My God, did I just made Chloe a proto-Illya?! And what is this about Irish redheads smashing into a noble's mansion? Shouldn't they do that only in pubs?!
Anyway, Shinji has a simple but easy-to-fail plan that will require ingenuity and luck to truly work. If it doesn't? Well, that is why contigencies exist.

Chloe, between Softcore!Illya and Angsty!Shirou: A tired girl, Chloe von Einzbern loves attentions from those she cares about. Differently from Kuro/Dark!Illya, Chloe moderates her attitude before strangers, teasing rarely if the situations allows it. The powerful arsenal of UBW is at her disposal but she lack the capacity to fully use the true power of EMIYA.

Why do you say that EMIYA is Fate!Shirou and not UBW!Shirou? Because EMIYA develops UBW much after the Grail War and he is able to use it without its ill effects and addiction because Alaya supplement him with the energy required for the action. UBW!Shirou is exposed much earlier to the Reality Marble and he is seen obsessing over Tracing aimlessly during the time he spent in Clock Tower with Rin. I also suspect he actually become another Kiritsugu in that Route and not EMIYA himself.

What about school? Chloe and Luvia will be sent to school next chapter while Shinji tries to find someone that would help him with his worm problems.

 

Chapter 4: King, Tyrant and Worm

I was quite regretting having asked for help to the two moronic girls that are Rin and the older Luvia.

Gloating at the fact I was asking, I repeat 'asking' and not 'begging' them to combine strengths to take on the Eight Card, was something that was grating on my incredibly short patience in this kind of situations. Serious kind of situations.

I think the fact Bazett had accepted to join up in this little coalition managed to break through their dumb heads and bring them back to reality. The card had been leeching off prana for two months now and I wouldn't be surprised if the damage it had given to the Earth Pulse was more than a marginal one.
The reason why I truly needed their help? I didn't have the resources nor the knowledge to afford to create the optimal condition to break into the Mirror World in the right place.

It was way below underground and the labor it would take with only the three of us and mere physical hardwork would be insanely time-draining. So we had to concede that there was some utility within the idiots that were supposed to be grand apprentices of the Wizard Marshal.

"Ah- Shinji-san, what are we doing... here?"

Illya looked quite confused about the whole room prepared for the fight and I sighed calmly, understanding that something like this is far from easy to comprehend for someone her age, albeit she was older than the younger Luvia and I.

"The eight card isn't... supposed to exist. It spawned in a place between the original dimension and ours, making it possible for a miracle to happen and... he is here."

"What are you talking about, Matou?" The Irish Enforcer asked quickly. "Who is 'he' and what kind of miracle are we dealing with?"

We all stepped in the Mirror World and... there the paradox smiled madly.

A mix of Gilgamesh and two kind of corruptions, Pandora's Box and Angra Mainyu.

I was still unsure how this all came to happen, how the Avenger Servant had wriggled his ass through space and time just to attach itself like a parasite on the child version of the King of Heroes.

"Reincarnation." That put Rin, Bazett and older Luvia in an alarmed state as they stared at the greatest foe ever. "Gilgamesh, the first Hero."

Speaking of the mindless Heroic Spirit, his red eyes were quick to adjust onto us, a pompous, kiddy cackle leaving his throat as the fight began. "Finally! I was waiting for some challenge-"

A shield formed in front of Gil-kun as both Miyu and Illya launched their ranged attacks, not even a crack over its trasparent surface.

"What a rude beginning! And I thought I would have made some friends today!"

"Luvia-chan." The youngest magic girl glanced my direction but I could see she was fully taken by the dark humanoid floating mid-air. "Take him out."

She merely blinked, frowing with some hesitation as she gauged the request. The previous attacks had failed and maybe she thought she didn't have enough.

So I approached her slowly and patted her head, surprising her with my action and making her blush a little. "Do you remember what I told you about Sapphire and the Kaleidoscope?"

"'E-Every wish, every need, every desire-'"

"Shall become true, yes."

I nodded and she smiled at her minor accomplishment. What can I say, her attention span is far better than any child her age. "Now take a good aim and... knock him out of the sky."

She returned the nod as her vibrant blue eyes turned to Gilgamesh, the boy pausing in pulling everything out of the Gates of Babylon to stare at the Edelfelt, surprise turning in awe as a powerful blast of blue teared through the barrier and... a series of explosions rocked the poor sod from doing anything else.

The spectacle lasted long and.. I recognised the rhythm within the barrage from somewhere I had recently... heard.

I think I was looking quite mad in chuckling at what I understood was a very, very apt song for this kind of situations and, seriously, who let Luvia listen to the 1812 Overture of Tchaikovsky?

The girl fidgeted a little in her position. "D-Did you like it?"

"Did I like it!?" I exclaimed with a large smile. "That was brilliant!"

Her eyes looked away as the red tinge in her cheeks returned full power. Ignoring the metaphysical sirens I was hearing in my ears, I returned to look at the battered shadow Gil, breathing raggedly as he tried to move away from the shitty predicament.

"T-That was unfair!" He whined loudly and I sighed, nodding at Chloe as she rushed rapidly at the downed Heroic Spirit and pulling out the card out of the hole in his chest.

The mud fell instantly, revealing a completely naked blond boy with red eyes. He was pouting very adorably.

"Rude, unfair and uncalled for! I am trying to appear menacing and all and you!" He pointed his finger at me as a gate opened, releasing a set of clothes onto his waiting hand. "You are a party pooper."

"But 'your majesty', I thought it would have been best for you to face someone worthy of your time with your mind and soul cleansed... even a little."

He frowned at my open mockery but he kept a challenging smile. "Truly? And who it is?"

His eyes wandered away to look at the group, his smile widening a little. "Is he or she here?"

I nodded. "She is and... you cannot see her right now but-" Rin and older Luvia paled as I pulled out from my pocket a familiar card.

"T-The Saber Card?" Indeed the small smooth card was in my grasp and the one they had safely assumed was the real one was merely a fake. It had been all part of a long plan, one that dissuaded the two incompetent girls to actually mess it up against the Ainsworths.

The aftermath of the attack caused by Bazett was a good opportunity to take just what I needed to study and... modify. I had been quite surprised to know that Chloe had easily bypassed the remaining runes left to deter thieves in the Edelfelt Mansion to retrieve two cards and I had been quick to praise her impressive feat with kind words and headpats.

The second card that had been taken, Caster, was supposed to help me in dealing with the mind-controlled Gilgamesh. I needed the chibi version of the strongest Hero to aid me in my little crusade against the pesky card makers.

"Shinji-san, w-why did you take it?" Were those tears I was seeing on Illya's face?

I can understand emotional but to mistake betterment with betrayal is quite harsh onto me. I am still dealing with depression- Geez!

"I had long suspected that the cards had a matrix similar to what the Matou had used to create the Greater Grail and... I was mostly correct."

The card started to glow a soft blue. "The foundation of the matrix is made by a Matou... but the new codes used within the card are innovative, so endearing and- But let's not digress."

The card landed on the ground as I let it fall.

"With a further modification I know how to replicate the miracle that created you, King of Heroes."

His eyes widened in childish wonder and recognition.

"You are summoning- no, you are incarnating a hero using the card as a sacrifice?" I nodded and he giggled happily.

"That is good! Who is she?"

I stared at the card and nodded to myself. "Summon!"

The blinding light that showered the room was majestic, awe-inspiring and... preluded the beginning of a change in this world.

As the light vanished and my eyes adjusted on the new figure, I felt a sense of dread knotting at my throat.

I had messed up... just a little.

The summoning array was supposed to bring forth the rightful version of the Hero in question, ignoring what kind of version had manifested previously.

Yet this was proved wrong by the pale woman with yellow eyes in front of me, Excalibur Morgan a mesmerising sight to my vision.

"Servant Sa-" Artoria paused with a shocked expression and turned to stare back at me.

I blinked.

She blinked.

"Y-you- what?"

...Did I just made Saber Alter canon with this? Wasn't she supposed to be a version of King Arthur created by AM during FSN and only existing in that circumstance?

I managed to get a hold over my confusion. "Y-You have been restored to the real world, King of Knights."

Mentioning her title seemed to calm her a little out of that maddening situation she was experiencing in front of us all, while I tried to quickly make sense of why things went awry here.

The commands I put on the card- those should have worked rightfully how I had written them and- I grimaced at the idea of doing something like that with the Caster card.

Summoning Medea could easily create back her Lily version, nullifying the usefulness that is Rule Breaker. And that was unacceptable.

"I suppose... you should be my.. master?" I could understand that this was a messy way to introduce myself to the reborn Dark-Tainted Tyrant but... I needed to return back to the real issue.

Gilgamesh looked to be ready to lose his patience at this situation and I needed to break the ice with the woman. "I will explain our roles on a latter date, Artoria. I require your assistance against a threat to Humanity itself."

Her eyes narrowed a little as I addressed her informally. "A threat?" She turned to stare at the waiting Kid Gil. "Is he a worthy challenge?"
I think both the King of Heroes and I smiled at the questions.

"Yes."

And the King of Knights required no more word as she was quickly rushing at the still Chibi-Archer, her jet black sword roaring dark flames as it approached Gilgamesh.

Red eyes gave a mirthful light as the gates spawned behind the child and tried to intercept the fast Saber.

Swords, axes, spears and lances failed to halt the march of the Tyrant and soon Gilgamesh noticed something I already knew and was exploiting. He wasn't whole.

While he had retained his body and his mind, experience and half of his treasury had gone to the other card, the one Angelica guarded zealously.

The following beating that saw a bored Artoria Alter mincing up the child was... partly gorey. There weren't limbs flying but... there was some blood being spilled here and there.

I was slowly considering to call off the woman but... I realised that I didn't have Command Seals.

...

I think I did mess up a little with this plan, or maybe I just succeeded more than I needed.

---

We were once more inside the Edelfelt mansion and I was suffering the worst case of headache.

While on my sides were Chloe and chibi Luvia, I was partly mortified by the fact Salter had decided to offer her lap as a seat for 'her Master', the young woman currently focusing on the cheeseburger I had managed to buy before being pulled inside the large house.

I had tried to explain to her that the roles behind the classic Grail War weren't in vigor but she shot down my explanations and merely settled with the familiar roles.

Meanwhile we were all sitting in the two opposite couches, an heavily bruised Kid Gil was softly resting in one of the small couches, a small pillow and a white cover helping him to rest. Rule Breaker had shattered the connection between Pandora and the King of Heroes, but I wasn't that much eager to let the flamboyant boy lurking around the city without a minder.

That is why the current predicament was seriously eroding my sanity the more words were said by the two teens.
"The eight card should be sealed away! He is not trustworthy-"

"He was being manipulated and... he will cooperate with us because he would want to take revenge on the one who was controlling."

Too much pride was within Gilgamesh, even his child form had a portion of that massive ego and that would explain his willingfulness to attack back Darius.

"You said this was supposed to be a joint mission-"

"For logistical purposes. I would hardly assign two little girls with little knowledge of the Kaleidoscope and the reach of their current abilities and two older ones unable to avoid bickering mid-fight."

Miyu frowned a little at my words, maybe I had been a little harsh on their part since they had gone quite far without proper guidance. That, I suppose, should be given consideration too.

"I-Is it about Luvia-chan being able to break through the shield?"

I turned to Illya, the girl having that very look one had when realisation struck like a train on their mind. "That is an example."

"But we are limited because-"

"Nothing."

The surrogate Edelfelt shut down as the youngest version of the blonde spoke curtly.

"Sapphire confirmed that there is literally no limit to the scope of the Second Magic, making this something about... creativity."

... "E-EH?!"

"You both have a slight stunt in your magical prowness caused by two distinct and different issues:"

I pointed my finger at Miyu. "You are trying to 'make sense' of something that is meant to be senseless. Magic doesn't abide to natural laws and thinking otherwise is only going to reduce your capacity to fight and use its full potential."

I moved the finger back to Illya. "You are incredibly influenced by Magical Girl... shows. The protagonists of those stories are mostly limited by what they can do and, while this helped you to develop quickly and smoothly, that doesn't mean you will end up in the same predicament Miyu-san is. You both are weaker than you are supposed to be... because you are not trying."

"B-But I thought it was... Chloe-san's creation that made me weaker-"

"That is because you got drained from part of your own magic and that influenced your capacity to quickly call upon the Kaleidoscope. You are merely... slower than before."

"So what you are trying to say... is that we could ask for anything?"

"You could," I sighed calmly but narrowed my eyes on the fellow dimensional hopper. "But I wouldn't try to do anything overly-complex knowing the repercussions it might have."

...

"What?" Miyu asked with a soft voice.

"Requesting thing through the Kaleidoscope is finnicky when said requests are complex," I replied calmly. "Asking to bring a person you know out of a terrible situation could easily bring the version of said person from a parallel universe. Meaning... it works pretty much like the infamous Genie's wishes."

I would have used the Grail as an example but... I don't think part of the occupants would have known much about it to connect the dots.

"You wish to fix 'that' predicament and I think you will be glad that 'we will be forced' to deal with it." I stated as cryptical as I could to the introvert girl, her eyes widening in surprise as I cited once more something that wasn't mean to be known outside of her, older Luvia and this dimension's Sapphire.

"The Card Makers are trying to do something very dangerous and damaging for the multiverse."

"The Card Makers? You know who they are?" I nodded at Rin, the girl finally asking a good question.

"It is a family that copied most of the three grand families' works. The Ainsworths... are trying to create something far worse than the 'simple' system that is the Holy Grail War."

"How much... worse?"

I turned to glance at Chloe and noticed that she was incredibly interested on the matter. I suppose speaking of something 'worse' than an already deadly competition was something worrying.

I opened my mouth-

"Something that could see the end of Magic everywhere in the other universes."

And stood silent as I turned around to glance at... an awake Gilgamesh.

He smiled brightly as he turned his attention on me. "Hello friend."

...Since when we were friends?

"I suppose I shall accept your kind request of hospitality and good food, properly offered to a king."

...What?

"We didn't even talk about this, you brat." The tanned girl by my side spoke softly, yet her tone was far from calm as part of her growing concern started to influence her words.

"Crude, genuinely true! I suppose I am being too much forward with how I wish to court Shinji-kun."

...Court?

...

...

WHAT!?

"Y-You cannot be courting Shinji- h-he is a boy!" Little Luvia voiced out my thoughts but Kid Gil continued to smile, unfazed by the collective reaction."

"But it can be done! Why, I have been quite interested in my friend Enkidu-"

Nonononononono!

I- This cannot be allowed but- I need his help and- UGH!

"Master." Artoria asked blankly, her golden eyes on my face. "Permission to teach a lesson to this little scoundrel."

...When did she get Excalibur Morgan out?

---

AN

Gil is here and, before anyone asks if I am pulling some Yaoi here, no. Gil's courting is... not romantic but... weird. Plain weird, especially because the previous individual he 'courted' was Enkidu.

 

Chapter 5: School, Priest and Worm

---

"B-But why do I need to go to that place?" Luvia whined at the prospect of being sent to school. "I am the heiress of a noble Magus family and I don't need common education-"

While this is indeed a weird decision because of the tight schedule I was forced to deal with, I still needed to have an excuse to approach Homurahara Academy without becoming a student myself.

I wasn't going to deal with the shenanigans happening there, too much of a drag to go along with the insanity prospering in what was supposed to be a normal place of learning and education.

"New friends, subjects that Magus family never teaches and..." I started to list, then I paused drammatically, her eyes narrowing in curiosity as my widening smile. "I will buy you some ice cream once you are done with your first day."

Luvia paused, the idea of a pleasant reward like the delicious and sweet treat started to slowly overturn her small opposition. Considering that I also gave her something else to do other than being bored and doing nothing within the Einzbern Castleand, she quickly conceded to my point and 'sadly' decided to go to school.

Chloe was actually the one that took the request happily and eagerly, already wearing her uniform and her new dark-purple backpack. A giggle reaching my ears as I noticed the tanned girl smirking my direction and posing with her new clothes.

"Ne, Shinji-kun, are you already checking me out?" The little blonde blushed at the tease but I was merely smiling as it completely sunk in my brain without getting much of a change in my expression.

My initial silent reaction seemed to unbalance Kuro and I took the opportunity to return the favour with some amusement coating the sweet victory.

"I was merely enjoying the fact that you are so happy to go to school," I admitted with a frank tone. "I guess I am proud and..." I let some of my amusement make my smile twitch. "Do you want to be checked out, Chloe-chan?"

The effect was immediate much to my glee. A scandalized look with severe hints of embarassment, a light blush turning moderately pink, her eyes an hurricane of emotions that didn't allow nothing to truly pass through her shock.

Truly a delightful counterattack!

I let out a loud chuckle, a muffled giggle following soon by a red-faced Luvia but the blonde was instantly looking away from the Einzbern's and my stares, with Chloe pouting cutely while also annoyed at the counter-tease.

We were already by the door and I decided to leave one last request to the oldest of the two. "Remember that school isn't meant to be a competition, don't try to win a 'challenge' at school. We both know there isn't one between you and Illya."

Kuro looked bummed but nodded begrudgingly at my request, knowing that there wasn't much to do about it.

"I will behave until she does." She replied as she took the lead of the duo, Luvia turning around for a moment to wave nervously my direction before resuming her walk, which I returned with a nod.

Closing the front door, I turned around to see-

"Good morning, Shinji-kun."

Red eyes were vibrating with absurd optimism and the mere close-up sight was enough to make me jump back. "Gah!"

A masculine giggle left his throat as Gilgamesh tilted his head in genuine amusement. "Did I scare you, friend?"

I sighed at the King of Heroes' faux curiousity over my reaction.

"You did, Gil," I admitted with a sigh. "Seriously, what is with people and jumpscares nowadays."

"It is more about how your type of people react to this with... quite the endearing reaction." He smugly replied. "You are just a treat to look at when you are flustered, by the way."

I grimaced as once more I had to deal with this new unpleasant development. While the blond kid had barely tried to go beyond simple pseudo-flirting, I was still weirded out by the situation.

If I hadn't been Shinji, then the scene would have been comical since... yeah, the several deaths of the Shinji by the King of Heroes.

I wonder if death by jealous Gilgamesh was going to become a real issue to be wary of.

But it wasn't a case that the Archer was here by the entrance, I was actually waiting for Artoria to arrive so that we cold finally go and have a private consultation with someone more or less trustworthy within town.

I had been contemplating about solving this major issue early on, before going to Clocktower and get into riskier businesses about it, but I was morally convinced to deal with the greater problem first, leaving the lesser evil to pester a little longer, and I wasn't even sure if this was going to end positively for me.

It was a pale blur that made me notice the woman now in front of me. "I'm here, Ma- Shinji." She greeted with a quick but courteous nod.

To think I would have to deal with the edgier and more blunt version of King Arthur the same way Shirou had to in the original story was... thrilling.

It wasn't a case that I had also started to tinker around the massive kitchens of the castle, trying to get some knowledge in making some pseudo-junkfood to appease the voracious lady with sword.

While the 'normal Saber' would have accepted all kinds of food if it was refined by good hands, Salter was a completely different woman with incredibly specific interests.

Her tastes were less regal and more earthly compared to the Ideal King in FSN so, when I tried to serve her a cheeseburger I have carefully crafted with the available ingredients and she found it delicious, I knew I had conquered her full loyalty by the mirthful expression that domineered nowadays.

"Good morning, Artoria. I hope you had pleasant dreams." She nodded at the kind words and soon we were all starting to walk out of the fortress with our destination being the Fuyuki Church.

...Uh? Why are you staring at me like tha- Oh right, I totally forgot.

A quick search around the city confirmed that this universe Kirei Kotomine became the local Christian priest of the only church in the city after his father had passed away peacefully and in his sleep.

The stern-looking man having actually gained quite a good standing with the people and having hosted several local events together with his daughter in the last few years.

It was Caren Hortensia of this timeline that was turning to be the biggest headache to stomach.

While there had been some documents that said that she had been living in Italy for some time, there was no indication nor detail between her arrival in Japan and her gaining a job as a nurse in Homurahara Academy that could give me further hints over her personality.

Older than her FHA counterpart, this Caren seemed to have a weakened sadistic attitude and was less prone to proceed with her painful promises, maybe her broader knowledge of the world giving her less of a blunt edge to her mind.

Maybe it was the fact that the known threats were given to young students and the young woman knew that if she went along the lines she would enunciate then her job here would be forfeited.

Thankfully, today I was going to deal with just one of them and hopefully it was the least problematic of the two nutcases.

Like heck I was going to deal with the sadist father-daughter duo without a proper mindset ready to face their combined insanity.

The walk was a calm one as we avoided walking near any of the major no-no areas in town, making the whole experience a tad bit more easy to enjoy as I could imagine this Fuyuki being the future of the city I was born in.

No more Zouken, no more Grail and... no more senseless 'Hero of Justice' crap.

As we continued to pace quietly in the crowded streets, I think I spotted in the distance a familiar redhead wearing a... very revealing maid dress. I blinked her direction but decided to not give too much attention to it.

I had already enough issues to deal by being non-active with the plot, I don't need to deal with that fan service anytime ever.

---

If I have to be honest, churches were the places I generally disliked the most since my previous life.

Hours-long cerimonies, choirs singing that would either be too religious or too ear-bleeding to listen to and priests that behaved far too holier-than-thou in way too many circumstances than acceptable.

So when I first stepped inside the Fuyuki Church, I could feel a grimace starting to build up on my face the more I walked towards the priest.

Kirei Kotomine was softly praying while looking at the representation of Christ cruxified, when I finally reached him, Gilgamesh and Artoria followed behind me.

"I have been waiting for you, Matou Shinji." The Kotomine muttered, breaking away from his prayers.

I blinked as the man slowly and carefully turned to stare at me, his blank expression close to send shivers down my spine.

"To think that I would see someone as young and diligent with what you have," He mused quietly, his eyes sporting a perplexed glint. "Such a blessing is unheard of."

I bit down a groan as I felt the anti-Christian side of my morality rising up to the challenging times.

I wasn't really attached to religion, for good reasons if I had to give further details, but I appreciated the current moral code of Christianity and thus I barely accepted it as a way of life to follow on a very limited scale of things.

"While I would enjoy asking for some forgiveness," I joked dryly. "I suppose you also know that I am not for niceties." He nodded at my words.

"I need you to check if it is possible to do a Spiritual Healing surgery-"

"Impossible," Kirei interjected with a hum. "Sadly, it wouldn't work with what your predicament is and even if it was the chances of survival in the eventuality I decided to still try andoperate would be far too low to ignore."

...

"Why wouldn't it work?" I felt my hopes crushed as the priest sighed calmly.

"Spiritual Healing doesn't truly cure a condition, it restores the body, or part of it, to a previous situation," He explained quietly. "Since Zouken was known to have planted the Crest Worm in his family members from their birth, your body would be literally stripped off of any chances of ever gaining a control over magecraft."

"W-What if I don't care about magecraft-"

"Then you would be lying to yourself and to the world." He interrupted again, his tone gaining some color. I would say some bloody red.

I froze, warmth leaving my face as I stared at the darkness hidden within Kirei's eyes. A glimpse was enough to send shivers through my soul and I felt stuck in place as he continued.

I was dead, but also alive. The murderer was enjoying my inner squirming with pleased glee.

The priest's amusement broke the moment several golden rips opened and Enkidu tied him up. The moment this happened I felt a warm hand squeezing softly at my shoulder, it was Artoria.

"Tell us what to do, Master." She requested with a strong voice, her knowledge and distrust of the priest being more than enough of an incentive to go for some brutal response to this situation.

The man started to laugh emptily, ignoring the horrible predicament he was being subjected as Enkidu wrapped around his limbs without strain.

"Of course. To think this could have been done quickly."

Intrigue flickered back but I was already facing the new wave of killing intent with a strong facade.

Despite having none of the darkness present in the corrupted heart given to his other version, this man was as horrible as his counterpart, maybe worse considering the lack of external influences in his growth to evil.

"You are going to change a lot of people... and yourself, Shinji-kun. Your terrible and majestic heart is a never-ending source of amusement for tired men and bored monsters," Kirei started to chuckle, but soon his amusement was interrupted by a quick fall on the floor. We were already leaving as he continued to speak, the threatening display seemingly leaving him giddy and eager for some horrible pleasure. "Try to keep that heart beating for as long as you can and... it will make the whole castle of card fall apart, I'm sure of it!"

The words of a mad man, but those words would then reveal some sight of the true path. What an horrible heart I have...

---

Chloe von Einzbern stared dully at the doodles she had just finished to draw of the small head of an angry tiger.

It became quite clear after three hours of lessons why school was boring to normal children.

Her maturity, the one that comes from Justeaze's memories, had been quick to dismiss the notion that a place of learning would turn this monotone so quickly but now that very part was keeping quiet as Taiga Fujimura continued to properly teach another topic in English.

Her tone was flawless, something that the tanned girl recognized mere moments the young woman started to speak in the foreign language, but it was quick to pick up how she had accomplished such masterful level.

Intonation, grammar knowledge and proper exercise of both writing and oral capacity to reply and speak in English.

A simple pattern, one that the Einzbern was quick to write down in her small NekoArc notebook.

As much as Chloe was glad that she was actually learning something out this first day, she was incredibly annoyed by the growing list of distractions that started to grate at her patience and calm.

While her counterpart had been mostly quiet during the day, there had been timid attempts from her when the two were relatively close during the pause breaks, but nothing overly important or noteworthy in the general situation.

Miyu was actually the one putting some effort in her trials, but it was mostly because her objective wasn't Chloe herself. Shinji had been quite open in explaining to her the situation regarding the usually introvert girl, the same sorrow that the Illya stuck within the walls of the Castle in Germany knew more than enough and that made the tanned Einzbern more than prone to be helpful of the girl.

Yet something held her back from properly addressing the concerns of the faux Edelfelt, a sense of restriction coming from the deepest part of her consciousness.

Was it jealousy? That was ruled out by the mere fact that Shinji had not shown any inclination towards that kind of relationship with the silly girl- but then what was holding her back?

The answer lied in the lingering memories of her counterpart still within her mind.

The sense of uneasiness and inadequacy that Miyu had been eager to stoke and fuel the first few times the two had interacted.

She was being petty. Chloe von Einzbern was going to be childish when dealing with the fake Edelfelt, just like the silly girl had accused he-Illya to be.

It was a matter of pride, of honor.

She was a proud member of the Einzbern family and, no matter the current standing of the family, she still had to keep her head up and keep some resemblance of their legacy going.

Ignoring the dumb attempts from her counterpart's friends about her identity and trying to investigate about the almost-identical appearance she had with the more soft-spoken Illya was something that was slowly turning Chloe mad. The angry kind of mad.

Before the last straw could be broken, another teacher rushed inside the classroom, his eyes scanning around the place.

"I-I'm sorry to interrupt your lesson, Fujimura-sensei," The young man stated with a nervous tone. "But there is a situation and one of the students has called for one Chloe von Einzbern."

The woman blinked in surprise.

"I-I, sure! Einzbern-san, please follow Takinaki-san. I don't think you will miss much with your current situation and-"

But the girl was already chasing after the man before the Tiger of Fuyuki could finish, her mind picking any possible explanation about Luvia having troubles with her first day.

Childish logic was employed as it was a good way to trace back little Luvia's attitude and she thought properly that simple excuses wouldn't warrant this staff's mobilization... so what had sparked this curious case this early on?

As they turned the corner, amber eyes were quick to spot the blonde sitting on the floor just outside of her classroom. Her eyes were red and puffy, clear signs that she had been crying until very recently.

Golden eyes blinked and soon the younger girl rushed her direction. Bracing herself for the impact, she let a single 'huf' as the little Edelfelt held her tightly, as if she was scared of something or someone.

Now that was something curious, Kuro mused and she turned to the sad-looking teacher. "What happened to her?" The request was simple but, even though informal, the teacher replied.

"One of the boys in the classroom got his nose broken by her," He started to explain with a neutral tone. "She says that she was defending a fellow classmate but the boys says that-"

"Then she is right." The interjection was swiftly granted without hesitation.

The interruption snapped him out of that depressing mood, surprised at the tone the tanned girl was now showing.

"If Luvia said that she was defending herself and one of her classmates, then she is right." Chloe said once again.

His surprise decayed in a defeated and hopeless expression.

"You cannot say that for sure, Einzbern-san. She might be lying-" "That would be highly unlikely, sensei. I know that."

The staunch defense was a strong enough deterrent to the appeasing attempt of the man as he tried to point out other scenarios and the girl slowly melted in Chloe's embrace at the support she was giving her.

"Shinji will hate me."

The muffled whisper reached the older girl's ears, which proceeded to pat the blonde's hair.

"You did nothing wrong," Kuro replied with a snort. "He will share the same thoughts as mine about the matter."

Luvia didn't spoke further, trying to find solace and comfort in the hug while the Einzbern felt happy that she was proving her maturity in this case.

While little Luvia was still going to be an obstacle in conquering the seemingly unconquerable Shinji, she was still a ward protected by the Einzberns and Chloe wasn't going to forfeit an ally for some foul rumors coming from childish individuals.

That was her oath.

---

AN

Kirei is a dingus, Kuro is a loving sister and chibi-Luvia get a taste of bitter life.

Spiritual Healing, a misconception: I think I've read somewhere that the procedure is meant to be easy for people that knew their stuff... but it isn't. The procedure is something akin of a miracle as it is very unlikely to perform the surgery and get an immediate and positive result. That is why that option doesn't exist for the reasons Kirei had listed.

What is this Kirei: The one that sells Mapo Tofu is the one from the Miyuverse, Prillyaverse Kirei is still a pathological monster with a kink for pain and sorrow. Caren will turn out to be a surprise next chapter.

Chloe and School Life: While she is highly advanced thanks to Justeaze's knowledge and her inherent bookwormish attitude towards general study, Kuro is pretty much set for life... if it wasn't for boredom around the corner.

Luvia and bullies: As much as she had grown in a semi-aristocratic family, Luvia is a child that knows the standard black and white vision of the world and she hardly can see a reason behind common cruelty among children.

 

Chapter 6: Nurse, Invitation and Worm

It is quite an interesting situation I had been presented with. Homurahara Academy is hardly showed in the franchise, at least not much is known about the rest of the teaching staff and the principal administering it.

I noticed almost immediately that the office wasn’t meant to house the number of people it currently was holding. Taking one of the free seats in front of the headmaster’s, I gave just a quick glance around the place and grimaced just once.

Deciding against bringing too much heat during this close encounter, I had asked for Gilgamesh and Salter to wander around (more like Artoria keeping the little King away from doing anything particular chaotic) as I fairly knew that I was going to be the safest in this formal office.

I wasn’t surprised that there had been other individuals joining what was supposed to be a private meeting.

One of the small couches was occupied by Irisviel and Kiritsugu, the married couple possibly having used Chloe’s presence in this situation to intrude in something that wasn’t actually related to her.

Little Illya looked embarrassed, possibly because she too had understood that she wasn’t supposed to be there.

Speaking of Einzberns, Kuro had carefully decided to pick the other seat in front of the headmaster, letting Luvia sit on her lap. A choice that wasn’t simply motivated by the displeasure of sharing the room once more with the Magus Killer and his wife, but also by the mere fact that I was her ‘legal guardian’ in those circumstances.

The last individual present in the room was someone I truly wished to not be around, especially with the fact that the encounter with Kirei was still fresh on my mind.

Caren Hortensia had a very calm outlook, something humane within her features that the priest that is her father seemed to lack. Something so deadly that if applied correctly would be able to lure innocents with a mere request.

She looked normal and yet it wasn’t a secret that she was as ruthless just like her sadistic father.

Adjusting the collar of the light-blue shirt Gilgamesh had offered from his treasury, I wasn’t there as Shinji Matou, the young scion of the family. I was there as Shinichi Makiri, thirty years old businessman and tutor.

Until now I had been particularly careful in asking things to the young King of Heroes, hoping to avoid some predicaments I truly wanted to not be part of, and yet I had to push my paranoia just for the sake of keeping up with the situation I was going to face.

The potion I drunk was supposed to last for few hours and, in case there were any issue, I had the antidote to revert back to ‘my real’ age. I was prepared for… most of the shenanigans that were going to happen within this office.

With a candid smile on my face, something manufactured by repeatedly exercising my acting skills in front of Zouken, I decided to start the discussion.

“I wish to begin my thanking Terui-sama for accepting a reunion to discuss with Luvia-chan’s behavior in school.” I paused just a moment, glancing at the blonde as she looked away in shame.

Silly girl, didn’t I tell you already that you are supposed to fight back in those situations?

“From my understanding this is a rare occurrence as the headmaster should hardly be addressed with childish bickering and I hope that my word only can address the fact I am sorry for this situation to have urged your intervention.”

The man was old, not the ancient or decaying type I had long seen in Zouken and Zelretch, but he still had gray hair and some wrinkles in his serious face.

Terui Homurahara was the fourth principal of a long dynasty of headmasters, all having ruled the Academy like a family business. While the situation was unheard off, there had not been any particular reason to disdain this curious practice, the school actually being administered perfectly under the old family.

“In a normal case, I would have just classified the case regarding Luviagelita as a self-defense situation.” The man spoke with a respectful tone, appreciating the fact I was behaving properly about this. “And this is the case indeed.”

…What?

A sliver of confusion influenced my features and the principal sighed tiredly. “The reason why you have been invited there and why I am present to watch over this reunion is… about Chloe von Einzbern.”

The tanned girl was immediately alarmed by the development, her body tensing as the blonde sitting on her legs paused to look at her. Kuro was angry, a shade of fury worse than any previously shown as she coldly regarded the silent couple in the couch.

Irisviel’s smile seemed to be forced now, lacking much of the warmth it was renowned for, while her husband kept his perpetual frown on his face.

A perfectly-set trap, one that would have easily ruined most of the plans being laid against the Ainsworth… if I hadn’t been ready for this situation.

“Truly?” I smiled at the elder. “And what might be the issue with my ward?” I didn’t turn to look back at the Emiya couple, only imagining their surprise as I looked so calm about what was ‘supposed’ to happen.

“The young girl is related to Irisviel-san and she had said that the charge over the girl isn’t something she was aware of. She had forwarded her suspicions that you may have kidna-”

I snorted at the accusations, the principal raising his brows in annoyance. “Makiri-san, this is anything to joke about and-”

“Terui-sama, the situation is… far more complicated than Irisviel-san might have told you as… I am legally authorized by the previous guardian of the girl.”

… I opened the small case I had brought with me, documents previously stored in a small backpack in case of necessities just like this one being taken out and placed on the desk.

The elder looked at the presented files with a curious glint, slowly taking them in his hands and starting to read those in silence.

Moments passed, his eyes narrowing in confusion the more he continued to read and then…

“This seems to be a legitimate documentation.” Terui stated quietly, re-reading it quickly once more. “I-I don’t think there is a reason to be this doubtful of Makiri-san’s role as tutor of the ward.”

I was sure that the Einzbern woman looked positively shocked at the development, but I was hardly going to let this opportunity without milking it the fullest.

“I suppose that the issue might be related to communication, Terui-sama.” I stated with a clear and concise voice, hiding my inherent smug over this formal victory. “Irisviel-san has been detached from the family for almost a full decade and the decisions made there had obviously not been received by her during this period of time.”

I paused with a simple glance to stare at a pair of red eyes, fury etched on them as Iris was feeling the bitter taste of defeat. “I suppose that she might have lost much favor with Jubstacheit-sama, the current head of the family and Chloe’s former guardian, that he might have found the idea of contacting her less plausible than affording a proper tutor.”

The cup of tea the white-haired woman was holding close to her chest cracked at the sheer pressure her hands were exercising over it. There wasn’t any liquid inside, but the effect of calling the attention of everyone on her was still there.

Gone was the cool mask she had tried to keep up during the meeting, eyes looking at the floor with a defeated expression as the woman tried to salvage something out from this delightful act I had just realized.

But nothing came and I returned to take the lead of the discussion. “After this little explanation, I think there is no need for this meeting to continue-”

“Actually, Makiri-san.” I froze the moment Caren stood up from her chair, a small medical bag in her hands as she approached me. “There is something else that I wish to address. Something that I hope you will understand I have to do as my duty as a Nurse.”

I blinked in confusion at the ciphered tone she was using and I felt oddly dreading the moment I spotted a needle being pulled out of the bag… and it wasn’t directed to neither Chloe nor Luvia.

Amber eyes were fixed on my arms- “What are you talking about, Hortensia-san?”

She sighed blankly as she took her chair and moved it to be right beside mine.

“While I am capable of doing this kind of things with the students as I am contracted to do, I wish to do a quick check-up for you, Makiri-san.” The needle was ready and she was gesturing me to roll up my sleeve. “I noticed that you are pale, seems quite drained and… I suspect that you have some serious sickness.”

“Your point being, Hortensia-san?” A small smile appeared in her face. It was a smug one.

“For the sake of keeping my students safe and healthy, I wish to know what kind of situation you are afflicted at.”

I blinked, looking at the headmaster and... he was confused as well. I tried to make some sense behind this blatant attempt to draw some of my blood and yet I couldn’t find anything that could directly cause issues with me.

I wanted to look back at the couple and yet I was stuck to a limited zone of sight by the close nurse.
It was by the time she gestured me to move for the second time that… I realized what the young woman was trying to accomplish with this ploy.

In the first encounter I had with the Emiyas, my explanation regarding my knowledge had been very easy to mistake as a lie. Sure, Zelretch was considered a man capable of getting strange peoples on the loop… but no one has ever been part of the big picture that was solely known to the Wizard Marshal.

Plus the fact that I was fairly young and behaving like some battle-hardened man while trying to keep around both Kuro and Luvia, sounding incredibly greedy for power.

They thought I was Zouken, this dimension’s big worm and… that would be a legitimate reason for them all to behave like this.

Sure, I might have dodged the first bullet with the documentation I had properly falsified back in the Castle but this very predicament could also be used as another proof for that theory.

The fact that they were going so far to verify if I was or not the old bastard was… intriguing.
I decided to indulge without further hesitation, rolling up my sleeve and showing my arm to the waiting nurse.

Caren blinked in surprise, possibly expecting me to continue to refuse her request, but she still went ahead to pick a blood sample.

I flinched at the sensation of the metal probe entering the vein, drawing part of my blood and then being safely removed. She was quick to apply some bandage over the entrance, placing the needle safely on the box it had come from.

“While I appreciate the concern over the students, Caren-san.” Her eyes widened a little more at being addressed this personally. “I think you will hardly find any illness.”

I finally showed a tired smile as I rolled down the sleeve, trying to ignore the small pain from the arm.

“The cause of my physical frailness is connected to abuse. My family… they have always had quite the disdain for those that didn't reach an acceptable level in their opinion.”

As the silver-haired nurse took her chair back, I managed to catch her flinch at my words.

“Well… I guess after this little surprise, we are all free to go. Am I correct, Terui-sama?”

The headmaster nodded slowly, his head possibly focused over the actions of the amber-eyed girl.

---

Luviagelita Edelfelt was incredibly confused by what she had just witnessed.

Her initial presumption had been that the meeting would have been a quick one, so much quick that the results would have been guaranteed by the first few words from the principal and from Shinji.

And yet things went in a completely different way.

The blonde should have been the subject of the discussion, but the chess board she had been ready to face surprisingly got thrown at the older girl. Chloe had managed to keep some restraint in her reactions, while still showing her displeasure at what was happening in the main stage because of her ‘parents’.

Merely thinking of her mother and her father, Luvia felt oddly distressed about the distinct lack of nostalgia she was feeling.

Sure, the Edelfelt loved her parents and they loved her back… but it has been already few days since the girl had last seen them and yet she wasn’t feeling overly-hurt by the ‘distance’, nor the ‘time’.

It all felt so natural to her and… she horribly realized why it was like this. Being rich investors that liked to move around the world, her parents were hardly sticking home, coming to visit once in a while for some celebrations like her birthday or Christmas.

The bitter taste of the discovery would have made her tear up a little, but she found comfort in something she had truly not expected.

When she had heard that Shinji would have been the one to come and talk with the headmaster, Luvia had been incredibly confused.

Shinji was as young as she was… and he had arrived inside the office with the appearance of an adult. It was something that brought awe out from her core, seeing someone her age turning out… so well.

She blushed a little as she started to point out his developed beauty and built, a major improvement not even her imagination would have been able to create.

The blonde tried to divert her attention away from the thoughts that were starting to pester her, once more, about her more experienced companion- but it was turning out to be a difficult task because of her current predicament.

Being a small child, Shinji (or Shinichi) had been keen to pick her up in his free hand, bringing her close to his chest.

Eyes wide open, protests from the sudden act died the moment her ear picked up his heartbeat.
A slow rhythm that lulled her calm, just like in the past times she had the chance of hearing it. Why did it calm her down so quickly?

Melting in the embrace, Luvia barely noticed the pout coming from Chloe. The older girl was a little too big to fit in the same position of the blonde… and that was possibly infuriating her to the core.

A small, easy smile formed in her face as she barely heard the words being said around them… except when the serious-looking man placed his hand on Shinji’s shoulder.

“I am sorry for what had happened.” The black-haired father stated genuinely, guilt showing in his face. “I-It’s just to make sure-”

“That he is dead?” The Matou ended with a knowing smile. “I understand the worry… and I kind of understand the little ambush there.”

“I know I shouldn’t be asking this with what had just happened and… I understand if Chloe doesn’t wish to accept.” He sighed tiredly, his charcoal eyes directed at the man holding her. “I would like to invite you and… ‘your family’ for dinner tonight.”

A perplexed brow was raised from Shinji’s face. “Dinner?”

Luvia glanced at Chloe, the girl looking skeptical over an acceptance. “I guess that it could be… done.”

The tanned girl froze instantly at those words and seemed ready to spark the greatest of trouble- but she stopped as the Matou went to pat her head, softly and caringly. “I think you will understand that it isn’t a sure thing. I don’t wish to tire my ‘wards’.”

The Emiya nodded calmly, yet there was some relief leaving his features and that surprised Luvia.
Why would someone be happy of an unknown situation? What if they merely decided to stay in the castle?

“Because he is happy that he might have a chance.” Shinji whispered to her ears, shocking her out of her comfort. D-Did she speak her thoughts out-loud? The Matou chuckled while he ruffled her hair, causing her to huff in annoyance at the action.

“Kiritsugu-san has been living a life of unexpected developments. Sometimes hoping is the best thing possible for this kind of people.”

Luvia blinked and huffed again. “T-That is stupid.”

And Shinji chuckled once more, followed by Chloe.

Why were they laughing? It was true!

---

AN

Luvia-tan trying to understand the world of adults and failing epicly at it.

Genuine question: where are the Salty and the Gilly? This author knows little about their current whereabouts, the only thing that is certain is that they will be there for the dinner and… hehehehehehe.

Might have left some extra errors compared to previous time, been feeling a little down with the principle of Bronchitis I am dealing with. Hopefully it will not fully develop and turn in a pain in the arse (literally, because of needles involved).

 

Chapter 7: Crush, Dinner and Worm

---

Having long served the Emiya-Einzbern Household for more than a decade, Sella was someone that had seen so much weird things in her life.

Not ‘weird’ of the Magus kind, but still relatively strange compared to a normal lifetime.

As much as Kiritsugu and Lady Irisviel had tried to keep both of their children from dealing with the affairs of the Moonlit World, the fact that young Illya was caught by the two adults dabbling with a Mystic Code created by Zelretch was no little concerning.

The Wizard Marshal, albeit the very responsible for making it possible for both parents to give a harmless life for their family, was still someone that was known for dealing with high-level threats.

Discovering that cards connected to another Holy Grail War had suddenly appeared in their dimension had been something that had worried the older Emiya the most.

It wasn’t much difficult to pick up that if the ones responsible for the cards managed to reach this plane of existence, any ritual relative to the Grail (even an alternative one) could activate the long-deactivated Lesser Grail functions within Lady Irisviel’s body.

Precautions were already being taken, the Magus Killer having managed to get in contact Touko Aozaki thanks to some old contacts in Clock Tower and planned an appointment to completely remove the inactive Grail-relative functions.

Still the man was quite nervous, Sella could see that the former mercenary had gotten slightly more attentive of his wife and she hardly could fault the extra layer of protection the man was capable of affording to protect the former Einzbern Heiress.

It didn’t help that another issue had roused out from even another dimension.

The serious maid had hardly followed the subject regarding this supposed ‘Matou’ and the interesting move he had managed to pull in such limited frame of time.

The Einzbern castle in Fuyuki, which had been mostly inactive for almost six decades, was now fully operational under the cautious rule of this new Magus.

It was intriguing, but the maid would hardly give it too much of a brief thought during her day. The young Homunculus had so many things to do and someone that had already proved to be friendly to both Kiritsugu and Lady Irisviel was not something worth of fearing nor consider truly a threat.

She was a humble servant of Lady Irisviel, nothing more and nothing less.

And yet, as she heard the bell by the door ring while she was finishing to prepare the dinner (Shirou had been running late because of his Archery club that day and had left the ‘rightful’ ruler of the kitchen undisturbed), Sella finished her current task to go for the main foyer of the household, knowing full well that her ‘twin’ was still watching some TV program from the comfy sofa in the living room.

The young woman reached for the entrance and, adjusting her posture, she went to open the door and-

She blinked.

---

I blinked back at Sella, waiting for her surprise to cease as we all waited to be allowed inside.

Much to my dismay, I discovered from a cheeky Gilgamesh that the effects of the growth potion were going to last few hours longer than I had expected as the duration was not something calibrated within the potion.

Something that I found oddly weird since the chibified King of Heroes had initially stated that his treasury contained Quality objects and… the potion wasn’t?

Shrugging at this odd details and ignoring the blond’s attempts to get picked up in my arms, I had to spend most of the few hours before the dinner to finally convince Chloe of coming to the event.

It was a difficult discussion, one that got heated more than once as I knew I was poking at some sore spots in the girl’s still fragmented mind.

Sure, I was helping up by showing support and suggesting her some path to take in the recovery, but the road to make a full one would take months if not years to achieve as I had been reminded quite recently of a small, but significant detail of her psyche.

Chloe was sure made by the sealed pieces of Illya’s mind and Archer’s memories, but the very fragments that made her original self came also by Justeaze herself. The girl wasn’t trying to harmonize just ‘Illya’ and ‘EMIYA’, but also ‘Justeaze von Einzbern’.

The grand clan leader had left quite the large content of information in her descendants and that was something not even Kuro could grasp completely.

I suppose that she had unconsciously created a filter between the Illya-EMIYA mix and the first Lesser Grail’s extensive knowledge, letting just some bits of information relative to a topic inside her head when required by the situation.

Luvia had been easier to convince. The blonde had appeared initially skeptical to join a dinner with someone that had ‘so deceitfully’ tried to ‘outsmart’ me. She had followed that reasoning with some strange praise towards me and by strange I mean something awkwardly trying to flatter me for my ‘grand acumen’ in ‘shedding some light’ over ‘the dangerous Einzbern’.

The last bit she had excused herself for as she went on to say that it was just the ‘cadet’ branch of the family and not Chloe’s ‘Pure branch’.

This logic was kind of amusing when it repeated back in my head, considering that there wasn’t truly a division within the German Magus family but…

I might be wrong but… I think Luvia here was trying to use her basic knowledge of politics between families to make sense of what was going on.

It was a wrong thinking, but the girl was genuinely putting an effort in formulating a proper explanation to herself about what was going on, something she had little clues about as Kuro had been adamant to keep our private discussions… private.

Gilgamesh was quick to accept the offer to join up, much to my chagrin, and the one that gave me the most trouble was, surprisingly enough, Salter.

The Alter version of Artoria Pendragon had still some memories about the Emiya family. I don’t know if it was because of her remembering from the ‘original’ Grail Wars or if it was the Ainsworth Grail having given her that much information, but she had been quite… drastic in her reaction to the news.

Golden eyes widening in surprise, she snarled a little before forming her armor and Excalibur Morgan, her mind set to utterly crush the reason why she had ‘suffered’ for some reason.

The chibi Sta-rcher was quick to bring out his trusty Enkidu out from the Gate of Babylon, willing it to keep the enraged woman in place as I tried to salvage the situation.

“Artoria, I-” “I will not accept letting them free from their faults, Master. Kiritsugu Emiya is-”

“A terrible excuse of a human being, yes.” I interceded in her anger-induced rant. “But also need to remember this isn’t the same Kerry from.. your timeline.”

“He is still a murderer and-” “Irisviel is here too.”

Her fury grew cooler as her eyes widened in surprise. “I-Iri?” I was kind of stunned by the fact that she addressed the woman with the nickname but then I remembered that this is the King that ruled with her emotions and she was less restrained in showing some warmth for that individual.

“She is alive, happily married with a retired Kiritsugu and… with two kids.”

The Tyrant blinked again. “S-Shirou?” I had to genuinely restrain myself from scowling as I heard her tone getting a soft shad and… why?

Why was I getting mad at the fact she was still attached to her Shirou?

I wasn’t supposed to have nice things, so why I was getting mad? It wasn’t like I was the protagonist of a story.

“He is a normal school student that is not sticking for some heroic ideal.” He is happy, I had wanted to say, but I guess I just wanted to get curt in my response. For some reason my throat was itching.

The young woman nodded slowly at my brief reply and… smiled in my direction. “Master, why are you getting flustered?”

The blunt query was confusing, so much confusing that I was blinking and -poke- I turned to see the owner of the small hand touching my cheek, a smug looking Gilgamesh pressing further as to- show that I was indeed flushing, blood warming up my face.

“I think Shinji is getting irritated by Lady Saber’s interest in the nicer version of the Faker.” The little brat eagerly pointed out, further exploiting my growing embarrassment to my current reaction.

Enkidu was slowly removed from restraining the now casually-wearing Tyrant as she… fell on her knees and bowed my direction.

NOW I am confused.

“Master, I am sorry. I didn’t mean to be this interested in someone that isn’t truly there.” She paused a moment, causing me to tilt my head at her sudden action. “I will skip ten of your delicious meals as a punishment.”

…

I was kind of perplexed to what I was supposed to do and… decided to reply crazy with crazier.

Sitting on the ground in front of the still bowing young woman, I sighed. “Come here.”

She raised her head just enough for her eyes to pick my gesture and she blinked in surprise.

Few moments later, she had her eyes closed as I continued to carefully caress her head as she rested it on my lap.

Yes, I was giving Salter a goddang Lap-pillow and… it was kind of nice. The quietness of the room (excluding the pouting from Gilgamesh at being ignored) was kind of relaxing and the calm expression in her face was… heart-warming.

I wonder how happy she was, away from the duties of being a ruler, to fully experience the beauty of a simple life.

Her eyes opened and she stared up at me. “M-Master, why aren’t you mad?”

A sigh left my mouth and I cracked a little smile. “I suppose I have no reason to be truly mad at you, Artoria.” She blinked in surprise but I continued. “You were merely remembering a good period of your existence, the first time you tasted a good kind of life.”

“B-But I shouldn’t be focusing on the past. The present-” She hummed for a moment, her face scrunching in thought as she found it difficult to pick up words at my kind ministrations distracting her. “The present is currently good-no, it is better than I have ever experienced and-”

“You are a kind being, Shinji.” We both glanced at Gilgamesh as he decided to sit beside me. “I have ruled enough to know when one is trying to mask insecurity and yours isn’t something that should exist.”

“I am a simple human.” I stated out loud. “Barely a Magus-”

“But you are more than worth of my attention, even Lady Saber surely considers you that.” The girl nodded and I sighed. “And then there is your dull sighing.” He scowled mockingly.

“You are good, Shinji. Never question that.”

It was a very strange ending to that warm moment, but I felt like the words answered some unknown questions that I had in me. I wonder what it was all about…

Anyway, I think the brief digression can now be wrapped up as I have a dinner to be focused onto.

Sella slowly backed away from the door, making way for us all to enter inside the foyer and-

“I AM READY-IIIIIH!” I heard loud footsteps descending from the stairs in front of the entrance and I saw a familiar girl slipping off and launching towards us but… I caught her without much hesitation.

My chest and back taking the brunt of the impact, I hugged Illya close for brief moments to fully stop her momentum, letting her go just as she was safe to be released.

Red-faced, embarrassed at that foolish situation, she bowed her head continuously. “I’m sorry, Shinji-san!”

“That was a close call, Illya. You should be carefully to not run while using the stairs and-”

It was kind of funny how I was literally chiding someone ‘five years my senior’ and she had yet to take notice of that.

Few moments later, a properly lectured magical girl skipped towards the dining room while I was stopped by Chloe tugging my sleeve.

Some bangs of her hair were covering her expression, her scowl the only thing evident as- “So you can pick someone my age in your arms.”

I blinked, paling a little as I saw the tanned girl picking some space before running and jumping towards me.

Instinctively, I grabbed her and picked her up, her giggle reaching my ears as she snuggled her head on my shoulder.

Defeated by the cheeky girl, I remembered that there was one individual that would take offense at that situation.

I glanced at Sella and.. she was staring back calmly. There was no hint of disgust at me doing something remotely ‘perverted’ on her watch but she looked quite tired.

I suppose living with people like Shirou Emiya and Prillya, the maid had to have had some close experiences of the worse kind.

“So… I heard that you are the chef that is going to delight us with some delicious dishes.” I smiled a little. “Could you give us some insight over the menu?”

She blinked, her cheeks reddening a little at the indirect compliments. “I-I decided to mix some Japanese to some classic European meals.”

I nodded. “Then I am in luck as I would like to taste some European after so long.”

Man, I would kill for some Pasta.

Her blush intensified but she didn’t reply, her mind switching to the sole role of guiding us to the dining room as Chloe continued to hum as she tried to relax on the annoying hold she had over me.

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Leysritt was a simple woman.

To live a happy life, she just needed a couch, some ice cream and a TV with working channels.

Nothing was worthwhile other than that little certain idea of life and yet she was surprised at the cast of guests for dinner.

The tanned Illya behaved pretty similarly to a sophisticated version of the original one, maybe just a little more mature too.

The pale, golden-eyed blonde eating slowly the content of her plate with a disappointed look seemed to be a fellow woman of culture regarding food.

The little blond boy with red-eyes looked like the average little kid from any TV series.

And finally there was the reason why she felt quite bothered that very night.

Smiling kindly as he was trying to fend off the innocent flirting coming from the tanned Illya, this Shinji looked like a protagonist from a Shonen anime.

While his cheeks were sunken and his hair quite unruly in the style they were left into, the warm dark-blue eyes and the genuine care he was giving to those around him was… curious.

Irisviel had been quite tense at first, same for Kiritsugu, but after few minutes of simple eating and chatting both parents seemed to relax more than enough to engage themselves in simple questions with the young man.

Yet Liz wasn’t the only one intrigued by the individual as even Sella was giving quick glances his direction, cheeks flaring the few moments Shinji would chuckle at the continuing bantering by the table.

It was interesting to see that even the laborious maid was showing some attention to the unknown element, the very individual that seemed to lack unique details to make him stand out… except his social capacity to do answer at the several questions thrown his way.

But Leysritt was hardly interesting in mere bantering. No, she felt like this Shinji was hiding something truly worthwhile.

Something that felt familiar but also not. It felt like Shinji was someone she needed to know more, that she needed to befriend at all costs.

She blinked, surprise painting her face just a brief moment as she mistakenly recognized this as a sign of something only the TV had prepared her for.

Was this how a heart felt when it went Doki-Doki?

---

AN

Before everyone starts a crusade for Liz, I want to give a reason behind her sense of connection with Shinji. She is not currently truly crushing on Shinji… she has recognized a major detail of the one inhabiting the brat’s body (the SI) and his inherent similarity to her lifestyle.

Couch-potatoes are capable of perceiving each others and… Liz was the first one to notice.

I wonder how things will develop now.

Also yes, the dinner scene is officially going to be dragged into next chapter too and… it will have a surprise ending to it.

About this ending I can only say that people might see it as me going too fast but… it’s just a logical addition to the story, nothing that will kick up the following large part of the plot so… yeah.

 

Chapter 8: Surprise, Doll and Wormette

I took another bite from the delicious plate of Kare-Raisu, my forced smile sounding less forced as of the pleasant sensation my mouth was enjoying. I was nervous, so much nervous that I hardly could afford glancing much around the table. While I would look once in a while at Salter and Gil to see that they behaved in this delicate situation, I decided to leave Chloe and Luvia to deal with the situation without causing any mess.

It was a minor surprise when I saw Illya shifting nervously in her seat, seeing that her red eyes were erratically staring in Kuro’s direction before panicking and turning her attention to her legs, a soft sound coming from the tanned Einzbern. A chuckle? It was muffled, but I was fairly sure that the girl kept part of her teasing side even after being around me for so long.

It was a light-heart action from the Pseudo-Servant, which the ‘original’ template was having a difficult time in understanding and, from her visibly known confusion, she was also mistaking it for something not-so-normal. Being nearby Ruby for that long could get people paranoid of lewd situations and, if I had to be honest, I hoped I wasn’t never going to be dealing with the most eccentric of the Kaleidosticks.

But of course it was all up to Zelretch and, seeing how he was renowned for delivering some bad surprises, I was already bracing for when I would receive the quirky Mystic Code. I took another bite and Irisviel decided to break the thin ice that had kept the dinner silent until now.

“So I saw the Castle has been renovated.” She mused loud enough to catch everyone’s attention. “Last time I checked if it was operational was when Illya was merely one years old.”

...And now I couldn’t help but imagine baby Illya on the loose. But baby Chloe worked too, especially with how ‘mature-ish’ she would try to appear.

“It was in a state of decaying when we first entered but it was quickly fixed back to acceptable living levels.”

The woman nodded at the limited reply but she wasn’t even close to keep quiet now. “But I have to say that I found it very strange to know that Chloe-chan is living in that big fortress with a boy and another girl.”

I blinked at the quick jab, one that seemed to surprise Sella and… Leysritt? It was difficult to decipher emotions through that natural capacity to keep stoic every moment of the day. What an impressive homunculus- actually were they still homunculus?

I mean, they do ‘serve’ the Emiya family, but their appearance is less ‘doll-like’ compared to the other maids back in the Castle. Could it be that Sella and Leysritt were actually altered the same way Irisviel and Illya were? There was so much to ask, most of it being related to the possibility of integrating whatever process they had used to turn to a more human-like aspect and with a proper lifespan in Kuro’s new body.

It had already been decided by the girl that no modifications had been required in case we contacted Touko Aozaki for the operation and- sigh -the Worm issue I needed to deal before returning back ‘home’.

“Boy, Irisviel-sama?” Sella mustered the question out of utter confusion at the choice of words by the wife of the Magus Killer. The woman sighed and frowned in my general direction, forcing me to look away nervously. It wasn’t that I was scared of her in particular, but that kind of expression was… oddly reminding of some naughty moments back in my childhood. I was a pest and… I could recognize a lecturing gaze.

“Shinji-san is not as old as he appear to be.” Iris replied with a quiet tone. “But I wonder when you are going to drop your current illusion.”

I blinked, finding this a good statement that I had no clue how to answer. Ko-Gil had been clear in giving an ample time range, saying that it wasn’t limited to just a few hours and- oh?

I blinked again, this time my eyes directed right at my surprisingly small right hand. I closed and opened it- and soon I started to slowly lower down a peg or two in my seats, my clothes feeling larger than before and almost falling off of me. My cheeks flared a fiery red as I felt embarrassment at the indirect answer to the woman’s query and most of the other occupants of the table reacted to the situation.

While the two Heroes merely glanced my way just to see if it was something horrible happening to me, they both resumed to eat, only Artoria seeming a little bit red in her face at the sight of my body holding very frailly at the clothes I had taken with me.

Luvia and Illya ‘eeped’, the blonde being the only one that kept looking my direction and… Chloe chuckled as she smiled my way, a little hint of blush on her face as she enjoyed the humiliating situation I was currently facing alone.

Irisviel giggled, shaking her head as if this was all a normal situation- oh wait, that is indeed the case. I wonder how many times Shirou got caught half-naked by the ‘incredibly motherly’ Einzbern. Maybe more than it had happened to the two maids, both surprisingly blushing at my ‘meek’ side and… Sella wasn’t responding violently at the situation.

The introvert maid was merely staring at me, her face red and her mouth open, twitching as words failed to reach out of her brain. Maybe she wasn’t answering because this situation wasn’t their usual cup of tea but… why was she nose-bleeding?

And finally my eyes landed on Leysritt. The busty woman looked… enticed? I don’t know what adjective would even come close to the intense glance she was throwing at me. Her mouth was slightly open, just enough for me to see some saliva dropping on the table and-

Seriously why Shotas caused this much of a big deal around people? I wasn’t even showing any part of my skin that could theoretically cause this much physical interest on me, so why were they this much interested in-

~Dingle~

“I am home.”

The voice sounded just like Patrick Poole and we all turned to look at the main door to see it being opened by the one and only Shirou Emiya. “I am sorry I am late, I had to tour around the school a new student that joined the club and-” He stepped by the side, showing someone that-

...She smiled as she bowed politely, a hint of shyness in her posture that showed how much of a timid girl she was.

“M-My name is Matou Sakura. Nice to meet you all-?” ‘Sakura’ froze the moment she stared up again and noticed something unique. Her violet eyes, so dull and almost empty found place in my own. The embarrassment was gone, only dread and fear skyrocketed at the mere presence of this young girl.

There was no Matou Sakura in the Illya’s side of this universe, the girl that was the sister of Rin Tohsaka being adopted by another family and currently living in London as of now. This one was not the kind and tragic figure of the Heaven Feel Route, nor the girl back home that was waiting for someone to save her from Zouken.

I wasn’t the only one that noticed that something was wrong with the new individual, Saber paling a little at seeing her ‘previous’ Master while Gilgamesh had completely stopped smiling, a scowl that his adult form had long mastered in his face as he glared at the young woman.

Chloe was… perplexed. She wasn’t angry or threatened by the figure, but she felt quite saddened by her whole person. The reminder of the fact that Archer never bothered saving the Matou girl was enough to make her hesitant at the idea she was now supposed to face her.

Too much attention. They were all putting too much pressure in the Ainsworth’s Berserker and, if I have to be honest, I didn’t want to be turned in mincemeat by Yandere Sakura with Dark Lancelot tendencies.

A fake smile was forcefully pushed on my face as I tried to make it seem to the others that she was merely surprised by my current wardrobe malfunction. “S-Sorry, I had some issues with my clothes and- Yeah...” The blush on cue was something that was very easy for someone with my current predicament. You just needed to push just a minuscule fraction of prana on your face, right on the spots where the cheeks were and

…She blinked in surprise at the excuse and the child-like tone but she managed to regain her composure. “I-I see. I wasn’t e-expecting to see-”

“Shinji-kun, right?” I saw the plum-haired girl flinch at the name, going unnoticed to Shirou as he patted my head. “I think I have some old clothes back in my room, I could lend those to you and-”

“Do go and take them, Shirou-kun.” Irisviel interrupted curtly, making the teen blink in surprise and glance at his father. Kiritsugu nodded, literally denying him further explanations as he rushed to his room and leaving just Sakura here to deal with all of us- “So Sakura-chan, are you a friend of my son?”

Oh right, I completely forgot that Iris was keen to pull this kind of actions. Call it something every mom does once in a while to study the opportunity to gain grandbabies in the nearest future, the how and where quite ‘useless’ in their minds during those interviews.

Poor Sakura had been pursuing ‘her’ senpai for a long time and I am quite sure she was completely unprepared to face a strong mother like Iri.

She was offered a seat after her attempts of refusing the offer to spend the dinner with the family were completely ignored by the Einzbern woman and she was soon eating an extra plateful of Kare-Raisu with everyone else, sitting between Leysritt and Sella.

The interrogation continued until Shirou returned with the spare clothes he had promised to take. I quickly ventured for the bathroom, swiftly changing my clothes as fast as possible. While I didn’t expect to deal with the usual situations that occurred in the room, I preferred to not challenge fate way too much in this regard.

Returning back to my seat I found myself returning to be the center of the attention of some individuals. “Chloe-san told me that you were quite smart for your age, Shinji-san. Is that true that you got home-schooled and then passed some high-school exams to gain the promotion?”

I nodded slowly, staring at the tanned girl with a curious brow. She shrugged and I sighed as I took a sigh, sitting down back to my seat.

“I was mostly helped by my uncle if I have to be honest.” Sakura was silent, but the mentioning of the only uncle that she knew of was enough to get her attention on the topic. Now it was time to relay an elaborate lie to the young girl that would then tell it to the Ainsworth. “Kariya-jichan was the one that took care of me after my mom died.”

Her presence could mean so many things, so I opted to pick the closest possibility that could justify her presence in this dimension: They somehow know that someone from another universe is in this Fuyuki and was causing their plans to fail. I wouldn’t expect Darius to take a big risk and trifle with this dimension’s Zelretch.

While their own was surely dead because of the sudden deterioration of Gaia and Alaya, none of their family could be able to deal with someone with the power of the Kaleidoscope, even in limited scale.

So they sent Sakura as a recon, a pawn they could afford to lose to study more the ‘pests’ meddling with their plans. This was a bad predicament for now but, if I planned this carefully, the plum-haired girl was going to return with just fake news.

The dinner continued for another half an hour, then people started to get a little tired of staying there at this hour. I yawned as I saw Chibi Luvia doing the same, it was time for us to go.

“I suppose we should go.” I stated as I looked at the small group, getting a common agreement on this and, thanking the Emiya family for their kind invitation, we proceeded to leave as- “A-Actually.”

I stopped on my steps, glancing at Sakura as the girl meekly stared at me. “I-If it’s not asking too much, could I join you? M-My house is right between the castle and here.”

Blinking cautiously, I felt my throat drying as I knew I had no choice if I wanted to avoid any suspicions from the family. Knowing the Magus Killer, he had already spotted the simple fact that they both shared the same surname. “S-Sure.”

I ignored the collective stare of the others, questioning my sanity at this move as they ignored the context that motivated this action. I had to make sure that Sakura didn’t cause any issue while here.

“Are you sure, Sakura-san? If you want I could walk you back home and-”

“I-I appreciate, S-Senpai, but I don’t wish to ask too much and- S-Shinji-kun has already agreed.”

I nodded. “Don’t worry, Illya-chan’s big brother, we will be safe.” Chloe snorted as the little Einzbern blushed furiously at the jab her direction. I admit it was cute teasing her for a while but… yeah, it was fun only once or twice a while.

Bidding some goodbyes, we were on the road back to the Castle as I started to glance silently at the Ainsworth’s puppet. How much was alive in her? How much of the true Sakura was there? Was this like how Shirou ended in HF True ending, with his soul inside a different body?

Could it be possible that was how the Dolls worked? I mean, didn’t Beatrice remember her memories before her death? There was so much that could be learned from this experience, especially to fill in with some of the plotholes in the timeline.

“Neh Sakura-nee, can I ask you a favor?” I found myself saying absently at the nervous girl. The panic she was feeling was possibly caused by the fact there were two Servants (Four if Archer Chloe and Kaleido Sapphire were counted in) close to her position and Berserkalot isn’t good against multiple enemies. Multiple blade? He could face them all day. But fighting more than two was suicidal for the Berserker class.

Thus the girl answered readily at the query. “Y-Yes, Shinji-kun?”

“Can we talk… alone?” I asked with a genuine tone. “I wish to ask just few questions, nothing more and nothing less.”

She blinked in surprise, finally looking once more at me as to gauge whatever ruse I was trying to employ here and how much of her cover had been blown by me. She nodded while looking at her feet. “I-I guess if it’s just few questions we could do that.”

I nodded. “Guys, I know I shouldn’t ask this but...” They were already glaring at my foolish attitude but I was set with my plans about her. “I need to have this chat.”

It took me few more attempt to get Chloe, Luvia and Salter off my tail with some bitterness on their part, but it was done and I was alone with her.

“Sakura-” THUD

I was on the ground, Arondight firmly piercing the ground just above my right arm as I found my body forced down by the armored glove of the Berserker Card-Servant. Sakura’s mouth was twitching in a feral snarl and I felt like a little bunny soon to die to a murderous wolf.

“Why it had to be you?! Why not another Senpai or his sister and-” Her mouth closed shut, her hand clenching her visor in pain as Mad Enchantment was trying to fully reduce her free will. She wasn’t supposed to use the Card to interrogate people. Most of the time Berserkers are not made to deal with that kind of operations and the girl was running low on time if she wanted any answer for me.

I would say that I was peachy, but then I would be ignoring the growing back pain and lie about my current mind’s situation. If I failed to get her to remove the class card, I was dead with a capital ‘D’.

The plum-haired girl seemed to push back the murderous instinct as she pressed her palm again on my chest. “Talk! Why are you here? Why you still want to hurt Senpai?!” She relaxed a moment, going blank. “Why do you want to still hurt me, Oniisan?”

I blinked, having some issue in thinking properly with the hot tears falling on my face and my owns. I was given the worst hand ever by Fate itself, dealing with a situation that was insanely difficult to solve from the inside. “I-” My mouth was dry, I was growing tired the more time passed. Tired to making excuses about what I truly am and… It was hurting more than ever.

“I- I am sorry, I-Imouto.” A sob left my mouth, I felt the weight of the world I was trying to ‘save’ coming crashing down all at once. This endless crusade had taken a massive toll on my sanity, I was supposed to save my own sister and I was failing her by- by dilly-dallying in other dimensions!

She paused, her face lowered and… she sniffed my chest. “You...”

The armored girl sniffed again and her face showed sudden shock. “Y-You have worms?”

Her craze-looking expression was now directed back at my face. “Why do you have t-those?”

I sniffed, my mind too much clouded to actually formulate some lies and… I spoke the truth. Will I come to regret it? Maybe. But I was too tired to truly care in that moment.

“I-I tried to-” My brain picked the images of what had happened one of the first days as Shinji, when I first saw the basement and… Sakura being tortured there. She was unconscious at the time and, trying to just get her out of there only that time, I had jumped into that mess of bugs. I hoped that those would have ignored my presence, lacking Circuits and all but-

The searing pain of all my nerves burning at once was the most terrible of sensations, far worse than anything I had faced back even in my previous life. Zouken had been amused by the dumb attempt, stating that thanks to my foolish bravery ‘I revealed to him I had some Circuits worth of cultivating’.

The Crest Worms were properly placed and I was considered a backup heir in case something happened to Sakura. In case Kariya managed to win, the old worm had mirthfully added at his explanation. What a terrible liar.

“Y-You did that- But why- No!” Sakura jumped off as I blinked back in reality, realizing I had indeed blurted out those memories with words. Words that shocked and hurt at the same time the girl as she literally ran away the fastest pace her form could allow. She was quick and… I continued to stare at the black and red blur for a while.

Silence ruled for almost an entire hour, my eyes moving to the sky as I quietly watched the stars and the moon.

I wonder if Brunestud is still up there.

I wonder if Primate Murder is Altrouge’s pet or Fou.

I wonder if Julian and Erika can be truly saved.

I wonder when I will be killed.

---

AN

Shinji is (not) strong.

 

Chapter 9: Night, Resolve and Worm

---

I had a very strange relationship with my younger sister.

Nothing out of the ordinary, but I always found the love-hate chemistry to be something quite difficult to understand. Before being ‘taken away’, I had been busy trying to patch one way or another the damage that I had caused, strong enough to strain the relationship to a frail level.

My ‘Rebellious’ phase had been relatively complex, nothing compared to the usual ‘screw the system’ or something that went towards the ‘Emo’ side. I was angry at the world and I think I still am, but after so much time of thinking and contemplating about everything and everyone my capacity to convey my emotions about it had turned… less aggressive.

I was pretty snarky, preferred the loneliness to company and… and I was pretty much a jerk to my own sister in this period. I had sworn to help her around her first years at high school, to be there to work out the issues I had already faced and…

I broke the promises and I was left pretty much devoid of any chance of reconnecting for a long time.

When I was put in Shinji? I knew that someone had decided to dispense some kind of punishment for my ill-behavior and… I found it to be the harshest of the punishment. While little Shinji had yet to ‘bully’ little Sakura, the Miyuverse version of the plum-haired cinnamon roll was one of the several ones that had suffered for years the abuse of the young Matou. Even worse she was killed, reborn and then brainwashed by the Ainsworth to serve them as a mad attack dog.

I might not be the Doll that once was Shinji Matou, but I still had his name and his face and… this meant I had to take in the burden.

Why not kill her? Why not spare us senseless moral questions about-

How about I do care for this question in particular!? What if I truly want to make sure I can at least save Sakura where I can?

I might not be the ‘real’ Shinji Matou, but by being forced in that household, to deal with the insanity that Zouken dares to call a ‘grand Magus family’. Was I going to stay idle as she suffered even there? No, I couldn’t afford that.

It was instinctive, my inner sense of refusing to NOT help someone that is so close to me and yet not. She was family, one way or another, and that meant I had to get up and face the music!

Darius was going to be dangerous, the man would surely be prepared to face a Matou from the other side of the ‘mirror’ and I dreaded what kind of solution to the issue I represented he would take into account.

He had destroyed Zouken on his own in the Miyuverse and the old worm was nigh-impossible to kill without some holy rite or blessed weapon. This man was not someone to trifle with without being ready to face a Dead Apostle kind of BS.

The walk back to the castle was a silent one and I was glad that Sakura had truly decided to stay away from me until she sorted her own problems. Dealing with a Berserkalot with Yandere tendencies without Servants to help around would have been an unpleasant affair.

Finally I passed the gates, making my way to the main porch as I noticed that there was no light in Kuro’s and Luvia’s rooms that I could notice by the windows… but I could see light coming from my room?

Maybe Chloe had wanted to hear some explanation about the whole situation with Sakura? A strong maybe, but I didn’t felt strong enough to face this situation right now. My musing lasted for a while and properly ended the moment my eyes noticed a figure standing by the door.

Gilgamesh was giving off the same friendly attitude that he would usually give, yet this time something was off about his whole appearance. My eyes narrowed as I continued to approach, his smile widening as I was finally close enough for him to speak in a comfortable tone.

“Good to see you still standing, Shinji-kun.” The King of Heroes commented mirthfully. “I guess your meeting with the fair lady was… fruitful.”

I managed a nod as I reached for the small stairs that led to the entrance. “Nothing overly terrible. It will be an issue to deal tomor-” I blinked as I found my path barred by his stretched arm. His red eyes were giving something similar to… worry?

“Shinji-kun, do you honestly think that you can keep up with this pace for so long?” The blond pulled my tired body closer, his mouth brought to my ear. “We don’t want to see you hurt because of how much you care for everything, our Shinji.”

W-We? My eyes widened in shock at the curious way of addressing himself. Was he using the Royal ‘We’ or-

“Come on, Shinji-kun. I feel disappointed you have to notice that… we aren’t what they all think we are.”

The answer was fleeting my mind in a sickening childish way but I still paled as I realized it had to be way beyond a simple language use. It was his-their way of hinting to something I had not thought about. Something beyond… the way he was brought in here.

The Eight Card, it was made by parts of Gilgamesh and…

And Angra Mainyu.

The fragments from Avenger were meant to have been purged just like in Canon but… the way how Gilgamesh was beaten was completely different. He wasn’t purified by the Zwei Form’s Quintett Feuer and thus it had remained attached to the Card.

The one I had until now spoke to was… was not just Ko-Gil-!

Just as I turned around to try and rush away from his hold I found myself constricted in place. My body was trembling, my efforts of moving failing as my eyes widened even more as the Amalgamation of the two beings showed its Avenger form.

Black hair and black eyes, several dark marks spread across his chest and body, a sad smile and… and I was staring at my face. He chuckled, sending chills down my spine as his hand went to my cheek.

“No, No, Shinji-kun. You don’t need to fear.” His smile softened. “I don’t wish to harm you. At least not you.”

“W-What?”

Another quick chuckle and he finally let go. “I have met several Shinji Matou in my long, prolonged existence and… and none comes this close to truly make me… consider things.”

“What do you want, Avenger?” I wasn’t in the mood to chit-chat with the Spirit of All Evils just because I was standing out before the rest of Shinji’s versions.

“I want many things. But I want also nothing.” He said with an amused tone. “And if you are referring about your unique case… I want just one thing.”

He spread his arms, showing one of the strangest smiles I could ever see on someone. It was sad, but happy, it was content but also desiring.

“I want your friendship.”

…

“I want that you, Shinji Matou, keep us loved as we love you the same. You are our dearest friend and I find you worth of surviving this hideous path ahead of you.”

“But why?!” His hands were once more cupping my face as I felt shivering at the cold touch. “W-Why me?”

“Because… I can relate to your plight.” He stated seriously. “You could have just given up with the illness hurting you, the unfair odds staked against you and… yet you persevere for the sake of helping those around you. Even that dull puppet, maybe even the lost soul that is being forced to do all this delicious chaos. You shouldn’t be caring, for how much the world despises you, but you keep going for the sake of others.”

I blinked and I found myself staring at Gilgamesh once again. “You are a good friend, Shinji Matou. And I bet I will see you in the Throne once this is all over.”

Now that was a dreadful scenario unfolding in my brain. To be sent to the Throne of Heroes? While it would be a grand honor and all, I hardly think I would manage to deal with Sakura 5, Parvati and… Kama.

While I might be able to help one or two Sakuras along the way, I don’t think I could manage to deal with the Sakura 5 themselves, BB being the one I was scared the most of encountering.

“But let us not waste more time to the cold.” He gestured to the now open doors. “Please, do come inside and get comfortable. Maybe take a day or two off to rest.”

While I wanted to protest those suggestions, I lacked the energy to formulate a proper refusal of such notions. Too tired to reply, I merely nodded as I started to slowly walk towards the stairs and… now I had to deal with Kuro?

Why not, it’s not like my brain is threatening to burn out at how much stuff was happening today…

---

I was partly right about my early assumption that the tanned Einzbern had decided to wait for my return to my room, but I was surprised when I found myself staring at a stern-looking Chloe standing right in front of the bed and a sleepy Chibi-Luvia having taken a seat on the very bed.

“I want to explain things and… I really need to tell you this-”

“But you are tired.” Chloe muttered with some minor annoyance in her tone. Her bright eyes glanced at the younger girl, the Edelfelt ready to collapse in a deep slumber any moments now.

“I-” “Be quiet.” She walked toward me and I was once more reminded of the fact that the girl was taller and older than I was. She noticed my staring and I cursed inwardly as I blushed in embarrassment at that.

The Einzbern grinned, a small victory to seal away another day and proclaim a new one. It was odd how her competitiveness about this kind of little things was… aggressive. It wasn’t unpleasant nor dangerous, but it was interesting how far she would go to get the emotions she wanted out of me.

It was… an endearing trait.

“Then I suppose we shall all go to sleep and you will answer us tomorrow?”

I nodded, expecting her to take this gesture to leave with poor Luvia to their respective rooms as it would usually end like this and-

She smiled as she walked back to the bed and shifted closer to the little blonde girl, accepting her sleepy arms as they wrapped around her chest. Luvia hummed pleasantly as she snuggled her way on the older girl’s chest.

Chloe giggled at the childish action and I frowned at the overall sight. What was I supposed to do about this?

It wasn’t anything remotely lewd as they were both wearing comfortable pajamas that hid most of their skins, the cold weather quite restricting for simpler clothing for the night-time. I was actually tempted to ‘Awww’ at the sight, but I was too much tired to compute complex responses and… shrugged.

“This is just sleeping.” A giggle retorted, promising some interesting aftermath for the following morning. I shrugged and decided to gamble my fate with the teasing girl. This suspect intensified the moment I found myself between the quietly snoring Luvia and the cheeky-looking Einzbern.

I might have been mostly tired at this point, but I still managed to let out a single statement that got quite the reaction out from the tanned girl. “Goodnight, Onee-san.”

While I knew the honorific would be enough to partly flip Illya’s switch, I was quite unaware What would even incite something out of Kuro. The girl didn’t reply, a half-thought gasp leaving her mouth as she squeezed me closer.

I could feel her face burning above my hair and I sighed happily at this small win for me.

---

Sakura Matou was staring silently at the pale moon and its bright stars. It has been hours since she had come to face with a very confusing being and… her mind was having trouble finding a reason behind her newfound need to investigate this individual.

Shinji Matou was a horrible person, the plum-haired girl didn’t need to have someone to tell her that her step-brother was a disgusting monster after so many years of unanswered abuse pending upon that name. The boy, or the puppet left behind, had been the one responsible for her first death.

Tragic, it had been… it had all been so close to culminate with the best ending she would ever dream off. Yet she died and… then she was revived.

It had been her senpai, Shirou having spent time and effort to bring her back to life because he loved her. She had been so happy, so genuinely elated at this situation and… and then things started to take a curiously weird note.

She could remember Angelica and Beatrice, both girls having worked for the scary Ainsworth boy until… they decided to join forces with her Senpai? The reasons eluded her and even questioning it led to some strange headaches.

Maybe she just forgot? Yes, that would make so much sense. Her senpai had been quick to tell her about the Cards. The very Cards that had been used for the Grail War were now gone to another world, another dimension and…

And there had been her senpai. He looked calmer, happier and… glad to met her.

It had been like the sweetest dream for her. To have a second chance with her senpai, away from the terrible things of her original dimension. There were no Matou, no Sakura and… no Ainsworth.

She had almost squealed at her luck, but only showed a bright smile as she contemplated all of this during her Senpai’s tour of Homurahara. Infiltrating had been fairly easy, Angelica herself having hypnotized the headmaster to accept one Sakura Matou in Class 1-C quickly and easily.

Sakura’s happiness increased when she spotted her Neechan. Rin Tohsaka having died long ago in the original dimension as the family was dragged in a political war within Clocktower. A tragic tale that made her weep for days as the plum-haired girl was denied the chance of meeting once more her former sister.

But now she could and… she was glad she did. While the young Tohsaka had been suspicious of her familiar name, she had all but gone far to help her around. The young girl reminded her of her little sister, she had said quietly.

Sakura was soaring through the heavens as two idyllic days passed so smoothly and quickly… but then her Senpai had invited her to his house. This senpai had a kind family that loved him and wanted to know about her.

A father, a mother and a sister. The Matou was so happy to learn about this, to know that she wasn’t the only one enjoying this different reality. Her acceptance, albeit meek, was quick and she spent the following few hours after school trying to get some strategy to get to know more about her lovely interest.

Fast-forward to the dinner and Sakura was finally delivered the first surprise since her stay. There were other guests at the house, ‘new friends’ Shirou had called them. The host of individuals was almost unrecognizable but… then she noticed him.

Very short, child-like and… sad-looking. This Shinji Matou was fairly young, younger than her and… he knew. The plum-haired girl couldn’t understand why, but she was incredibly sure he knew about her situation. Dread and panic were quick to rise but then the opposite of what she had expected happened.


He asked to leave the room to change out from the curiously bigger set of clothes and… and then returned back without giving much but curious looks back. Confusing, frustratingly so.

What kind of Shinji Matou was this one? A fellow dimensional hopper? The theory was chilling but would explain his age and knowledge of her. Paranoia was a terrible thing and she had been fiddling with the Berserker Card under the table before deciding to merely leave the delightful event.

She was happy to know that Irisviel was a good mother for her senpai and was glad when she had offered her an interesting deals about… private photos. Yes, the woman had managed to reach her number two list of favorite people with this move.

Shinji had followed her, ‘escorting’ he had said and she had gone along with it. Maybe he was just going to take her out? Was he going to kill her… or worse?!

But nothing horrible happened as he merely asked for some time to talk together about… the things only they knew about. A dangerous situation that turned in a juicy one.

Shinji was dangerous, a pawn that was going against her senpai’s plans and Sakura had gladly installed the Card right as the group had left their sight, her mouth snarling as she prepared to kill the representation of her sufferings of her anger and- Sniff

Her enchanted nose perceived something different in this Shinji’s scent. It wasn’t something external, no. She brought her face on his chest, nose sniffing strongly as it tried to find what was hiding under his skin.

It was familiar, it was disgusting and… it was Crest Worms. Several of them.

Not five, not ten. There were twenty worms wriggling within the child’s body.

Twenty worms that had a familiar pattern, very similar to the ones she once had within her body… No.

He tried to make it pass as if those worms had only been placed because of his active Circuits and, while this reason worked for at least eight of those, the remaining twelve were badly placed within himself. It was a poor job of surgery, or maybe a failed attempt of the worms to infiltrate a… dangerous host.

What if-? No!

Shinji would never sacrifice himself to bear some of the Worms from her version’s body. She refused to accept the idea someone as selfish as her hateful brother could do something this selfless. It was paradoxical, unacceptable and…

He looked so sincere.

He had looked so much genuine and his voice had rang so true that… that Sakura was shaking now.

The bench she had been sitting on had slightly bent because of her strong hold, her fresh Circuits boosting her current physical capacities in this particular situation.

She could have killed him, avoid to let a possible threat to fester and grow under her silent watch. But then her mind found the option difficult to execute, her willpower opposing this without explanation and…

And that unnerved Sakura to no end. It was infuriating how, after so many weeks of being free from that horrible cage, she still submitted to him and his fake ambitions. His words were gibberish, no matter how true they sounded…

But she still found a minor opposition to this trail of thoughts, something within her that found the development interesting and worth of further investigation. She had Berserker with her and, knowing that none of the present Servants could match her power, Sakura decided to go for a long road.

Maybe this decision will come and bite her in the near future… or maybe she will find a definitive answer behind the fact her heart skipped some beats as she imagined his young face. Her face heated up and her breathed went ragged for several moments.

He does look quite adorable~

---

AN

Throwing tactical truth MOABs as if I am some COD pro player… which I am not.

Gilgamesh and AM: The Eight Card is composed by both Servants, but in Canon only Gil emerged out from the battle. This time, without the purging effects of the Zwei Form, Angra Mainyu is now joining the cast for some debauchery.

I have planned for five-six more chapters for this Arc and then… we will back to Zero.

 

Chapter 10: Morning, Musing and Magic Girls

---

Illyasviel von Einzbern didn’t felt like getting up from her comfy bed that day.

It was quite early in the morning, her curtains were still low enough for only a small sliver of feeble light to pass through and she couldn’t hear anyone messing around the kitchen, meaning that Sella was still sleeping for now.

With a sigh, red eyes stared quietly at the ceiling, her mind returning to once more wander about what had happened in the last few months. Becoming a magical girl, facing so many enemies and making new friends along the way and…

And then Shinji Matou happened.

She wasn’t by any mean annoyed, nor she felt any particular negative for the young boy as he had so far been helping them with the cards and joining in the ‘peace-keeping’ group in Fuyuki. She wasn’t even mad when the boy had taken the Caster and Saber card away from them, it was odd but… he wasn’t planning to conquer the world with those.

It felt more like a parent taking a dangerous object from a child’s hands and making better use of it to protect and help. It was kind of infuriating how he showed a maturity she was still exploring… and she was 13!

He mentioned the ‘Kaleidoscope’ several times to motivate his impressive knowledge over the whole situation but the thing was that… uh…

Ruby said that wasn’t possible.

“While Zelretch-baka might be able to know stuff from other dimensions, no one can truly use the Kaleidoscope to find out the full history of even a single dimension.”

Being that the Mystic Code was tuned to the Second Magic, it was clear that her knowledge over the subject was factual and truthful, but it left little Illya to approach the matter the best she could.

Asking him directly? Part of her ushered her away from even thinking about that. While Shinji had been friendly around them, his group was very protective of him and the Einzbern was quite sure that questioning him like that would warrant some aggressive reactions from them.

Speaking of the group, her mind shifted to a lone member of it that Illya could consider ‘family’ to some extent. Chloe von Einzbern, Kuro or… her ‘real self’ was a topic that left her chest squirming in thought. The mere sight of someone looking just like her, but behaving differently around others and ignoring him the best she could, was a constant reminder that her mama and papa had lied to her.

She had thought that her parents’ experience with Magecraft was limited, as their lack of grand surprise as they discovered about Ruby and her contract with her gave the young girl so much confusion and shock that she couldn’t even find something to start with in an attempt to elaborate her thoughts about it.

Illya sighed as she found herself drawn back to reality as she spotted a familiar object flying right in front of her sight. Ruby giggled as she slowly descended and- BONK

“Owie! Ruby!”

The magical stick giggled again, this time with a teasing tone. “Ne~ is Illya-chan thinking about her Onii-chan?”

Cheeks burning red, Illya made a monumental effort by shaking her head negatively. “I-I wasn’t!”

“Oh? Maybe about Myu?” The mere mentioning of her close friend caused her cheeks turn a darker shade of red. “S-Stop it!-”

“Or is it Shin-ji-kun~?” Her mouth opened automatically, ready to dismiss the umpteenth guess of the stick when she realized it was indeed that.

“I… was?”

“Oh! Is little Illya-chan preparing to wage war against his harem? Is she ready for a legendary conquest?”

“N-Not that way, pervert!” She huffed annoyingly, her embarrassment dissipating after too much teasing. One could say that after living with Ruby for months she long grown accustomed with most of her shenanigans. “I-I was thinking about that question I asked you a week ago.”

“The one about him using the Kaleidoscope to accommodate his surreal amount of knowledge over this world?” The stick stopped a moment to breath, taking her owner’s nod to continue. “Then you wish to infiltrate his lair, which is actually more of Chloe-chan’s love castle?”

“Yes- Wait, ‘love castle’?”

“A mature young lady, seeking to breach her interest’s cool heart and ensnare him to herself and her lovely friends. I think ‘Love Castle’ is aptly picked-”

“I-It cannot be that way-”

“And why is that, Illya-chan? Do you know Shinji-kun and Kuro-chan that much to say they would fall in that kind of line?”

“I-” And Illya stopped there. The stick had brought up one thing she had considered marginally but was quite important and essential if she wished to know more about Shinji’s secret. She had yet to make steps to approach him, to be called his friend and…

She knew little how to meet him ‘casually’ when he was in town. The girl groaned, bringing her pillow over her face, drowning a small scream of annoyance.

Why was socializing this difficult now?!

“But I think you might have the chance of talking with him quite soon as your mama got something yesterday.”

“Uh?” Red eyes looked over the pillow as the Mystic Code hummed. “What do you mean?”

“Do you remember that she was thinking about summertime now that school is coming to a close and how we all should be spending it?”

… “Yeah?” For some reason, Illya felt the need to brace herself as something terrible-

“Well, your mama managed to find an affordable mini-swimming pool yesterday and she wanted to try it out! Shinji-kun and others got invited too!”

…

“EEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH?!”

---

Miyu Edelfelt was feeling incredibly nervous.

She had overheard Luvia speaking to Illya’s mom, Irisviel-san, about the chance of them spending a day together by the swimming pool the woman had just bought few days ago. The young girl could remember when Luvia forced Rin to built one because she was a maid and… their mutual boss showing her vindictive self when she wanted.

The Tohsaka was angry through the whole day, but managed to get the medium-sized pool working after a day or two of strenuous working. No ‘Thank you’ or a tip for the hard-work, the older Edelfelt was enjoying the fact her very rival was forced to respect every single whim for her.

She was obviously apart from that kind of relationship, receiving quite the minimum work for her job, the blonde mentioning that she wouldn’t ‘slave’ a little girl for duties normally given to adults. Something that surprisingly enough helped her managing her schedule about school and work while also letting some free time once in a while.

But she was nervous!

In few hours from now, Miyu was going to be at Illya’s house and- She didn’t know what to do about it. They have been close friends for a long time now and yet she felt that… there was more.

She knew that there was more, something beyond friendship that she couldn’t grasp fully. Her heart would beat quicker, faster, as she would see Illya smile and it didn’t help that Ruby had been alluding to an amorous relationship that needed to blossom.

The idea felt abstract, but also right. This was… confusing without ending to it.

She sighed, her eyes glancing at the ceiling as she had woken up quite early and it was too much early to wake up Luvia for breakfast. She noticed Sapphire floating around as she got closer and sighed.

“Something on your mind, Miyu-sama?”

A polite tone, the very same the Mystic Code would use in every situation. It was mellowed after some time of being together as the kaleidostick had enough time to grow more accepting of her young master and… she would offer some advice when needed.

“Today is going to be an important day, Sapphire.” The girl spoke softly, knowing to not use a loud voice or else waking up the rest of the house at this ‘unholy’ hour of the morning. “I… I don’t know how to face Illya.”

“I think Nee-san has already mentioned that you need to be a little less restrained around Illya-sama. Plus you will enjoy some less pressure with Shinji-sama around here too.”

Miyu shifted in her bed, eyes closing a little in thought as she contemplated about the other reason she was quite nervous for today.

Shinji Matou was… an unknown element in her world. She could remember her Oniisan mentioning someone with his name going missing for few months and his surname matched up with the kind girl her Oniisan would walk around with before she got kidnapped. Sakura Matou.

She had long tried to understand if this ‘Shinji Matou’ was dangerous or not, part of the Ainsworth family or someone even worse, but all research yielded little to nothing as the boy was… not in this dimension.

The Matou stopped existing decades ago, the last surviving member having changed his surname because of ‘bad memories’, thus he wasn’t from this very dimension. She had weighed the fact he could have been from another dimension, his statement proving it and little Luvia cementing this theory pushing Miyu to evaluate other details of such individuals.

He knew about her plight, he knew about her Oniisan and he knew about the Ainsworth. The disdain he shown with his voice about the group further assured his trustworthiness, going so far to even keep her little secret she had thought of revealing to the rest of the group now.

With the event of today, a chance for further understanding of his character would be available and… she could maybe get to know him more.

Her curiosity of befriending such individual stemmed by the fact, for some reason, she felt a connection with him. Something, in his eyes, felt familiar to her, the very haunted look she would see in the mirror of her bathroom when she looked at it while thinking of her Oniisan.

Both wanted to save their respective siblings and both came from less than normal situations. If she had to be honest, part of her would have considered this Shinji to be her very counterpart in the dimension he come from.

It was an odd theory but the more he interacted around her, the more Miyu was sure of it as her mind resonated in agreement with his logic. There were some questionable morality here and there, but he seemed to be keen to remind everyone he knew that some of the things he was doing was wrong and that he wasn’t doing out of pleasure, but out of duty and safety.

When he took few of the Cards they had for his plans? The young Edelfelt understood that only someone that knows better about the inner workings of the Grail could truly make sure that those were safe to have around. That is why she had been incredibly confused when Zelretch had refused to accept the seven Cards, ordering to keep those in Fuyuki for… reasons.

Sapphire had been quick to explain her how her creator’s mind worked and, if she had to be honest, she found the man to be someone to never met, not even once in her life.

Ambitious, eccentric, mysterious and playing around with people, never showing true caring for those around him. He was the epitome of a selfish person, the kind of individual Miyu disliked the most.

Shuffling under her covers, the young girl sighed softly and her eyes slowly closed as sleep had finally come to her. “T-Thank you, Sapphire.”

She couldn’t see the mystic code from there, but Miyu could imagine her bending a little to nod at her.

“You are welcome, Miyu-sama.”

---

“This is a bad idea.”

Five words to describe in the best light possible the distress this new development was bringing to my poor brain. Irisviel was starting to show the very thing I had long feared to see her showing with this ‘kind’ invitation.

Once she knew that there is someone ‘cute’, ‘adorable’, ‘child-like’ and ‘mom-less’, she would try to approach them, cuddle them and then make them part of her expanding family. It was all done with a good heart, but the planning was atrocious.

Going in a swimming pool, a very ‘little’ one to booth, with several younger girls in skimpy bikinis that were all going to press with each other and me-

Thank God I wasn’t going to enter that blasted pool!

My saving grace was that I wasn’t keen to be this close to people with so little clothes on. Why was I like this in general? Well, I have something of a fake illness called obsessive privacy preservation and that did cost me several things in my life.

But now? I was going to employ all the tricks and expedients I had learned from years of practicing such situation to avoid getting ‘fan-serviced’ by fate.

And while I was plotting all the possible ways to avoid getting stuck in any ecchi scene, the girls and Gilgamesh were already checking on their swimming clothes and my reaction to all those were… mixed.

Chibi Luvia’s was so far the cutest as it was the classic school swimming suit children her age would use. It was oddly adorable to see the girl fidget at the staring but, seeing me giving her a thumb up, she seemed to relax and enjoy the praising coming her way.

Turning to Gilgamesh, I was glad that he didn’t pick anything overly-exotic as he choose what looked to be a common swimming trunks with yellow and red color as main theme. He seemed to enjoy flexing the muscles he didn’t have but giggled when he was being reminded he wasn’t his older Archer self.

Artoria was kind of a surprise as I had expected her to pick her Summer’s Rider clothes for this occasion and yet… she picked her ‘normal’ self’s Archer swimming suit, the one she got at Stage 3 of her Ascension. The color were different, the grand white replaced by purple and the black by the side replaced by a soft red.

I nodded at her choice and she turned her face away, unable to cover the little blush appearing at the compliment as the Tyrant of Knights was glad to have found a good compromise.

Kuro shocked me the most having decided to wear a decent-sized swim skirt and a bandeau bikini top. Overall an acceptable mix that didn’t show any unnecessary skin while also not being oppressively conservative.

She let out a giggle at my compliment and she slowly tip-toed to me, bringing her mouth close to my ear.

“You know, I wouldn’t mind seeing what is underneath that shirt.” I blinked and paled a little as I was bringing with me an open shirt as… I had to hide several little, unpleasant reminders of my time with the Matou family. “I would love to see you wear the scars bravely.”

I sighed. “I would too, Kuro-chan, I would too.”

She nodded and backed away as she went to comment amiably the other girls’ clothes, understanding that the topic was quite sore on me and I was still thinking what to do when I was going to be told to ditch the shirt.

While I could staunchly opposite this and ask to be left alone, I know the tactic would only end up having them want to see me do that even more.

“Shinji, could you help me with my hair?” The cute voice Chibi Luvia used to ask such request sweetened the whole situation and, with a small smile, helped her hair to fit better in the short comb she wanted to use for today.

Letting long hair hang freely while swimming might be fun but the aftermath was going to be an atrocious mess to deal with. Humming quietly, I felt like today was going to be an easy day.

It was going to be tiring too but… it was a pseudo-beach episode. No bad guys, no terrible encounters and especially… no Ainsworths to deal with for the day.

---

“Sel-la, why are you wasting so much time trying on your swim wear?”

Of course Sella had to be convinced to partake in such indecent display of skin. Staring at the long mirror in the bathroom, she posed to see if her current state showed too much of herself. Maybe she should have picked a swimming suit? Bikinis generally showed too much skin and-

The door behind her opened to reveal Leysritt, the bustier of the two maid appearing quite annoyed by the time her fellow Einzbern was wasting to pick a proper clothing for the occasion. She ignored the scandalized shock in the hard-working maid and picked her orange swimming wear.

“I-It was busy-”

“You are wasting too much time.” The chill woman reminded and she gave her a long look. “You know that Shinji will not like it if you are this indecisive about things.”

The little mentioning of the boy caused her to pause, blush and having her eyes shoot wide open. “What?! I-I am not going there because of Shi- the Matou boy!”

“You almost said his name. For someone that tries to lie around about the reason you accepted ‘begrudgingly’ Irisviel-san’s offer, you sure seem eager to make a good appearance.”

“I do that every special occasion- And y-you did accept that too for Shinji-”

“That is one of the reasons, yes.” Liz stated shamelessly, ignoring the following shock from Sella. “But I think I like the cool water with the warm weather-”

“You- WHAT?”

“I like… cool water?”

“Before that!”

“Shinji?”

“Why would you be interested in a boy? That is so wrong-”

“What do you mean?” Leysritt tilted her head in confusion. “I just want to eat snacks with him while watching some TV.”

… “That is wro- wait, what?”

“I don’t see why age would be a problem if I want to spend some afternoon with him. It’s not like I lack the same company with Illya and Shirou once in a while.”

Sella frowned, her words while genuine lacking one real truth. “You mean that you have no interest in… being in a relationship with him?”

Leysritt sighed at the question, turned to the fellow maid and grasped her shoulders, causing the woman to look at her in confusion. “I want to. But he is young and that would be wrong.” She stated calmly. “Differently from you, I am not trying to make a ‘fake good’ impression now because of that. He is young but… with what we are we got enough time to wait for the ‘proper’ time to truly try.”

It was one of the few times the lazy woman showed interest in someone, but not just a superficial and marginal kind of interest. That was serious interest, one that well-gauged and planned to avoid failure and conquer success.

Thinking about this, Sella felt her shoulders sag a little and was about to let the short-haired Einzbern off when-

“’D-Differently from me?’ Are you calling me a pervert, Liz. You?!”

“You are fawning over a little boy. That is what only degenerates do, don’t they?”

“GAH! COME HERE!”

But surprisingly enough, the ever-lazy Liz managed to out-speed her ‘sister’ almost instantly. Rushing to her room, the woman then started to quickly prepare herself for the day as she had indeed laid out a plan for little Shinji.

While indeed she wanted to spend some good afternoon time with snacks and TV, Leysritt had failed to mention that she wanted to make good use of the modified ‘Game of Life’ tabletop game Irisviel-san had already used on Sella and her.

What good occasion to make use of such delightful game and get some further entertainment out of it?

---

AN

Poor Shinji is walking towards a trap and sadly he cannot do much but let it happen. Plus what seems to be the classic OVA episode from the 2herz series is actually something a little more complex. You see, there is something like ‘jinxing things up’ and Shinji did that.

Lots of women and girls, trying to fit in such a small swimming pool…

Now that is the evolution of ol’ cat-fighting.

Also first step in the project of the fan-game: I got the sprite of Shirou almost done, needs only some shadows and refinement and should be good to be applied. Progress Reports are going to be available in my p tr eon page so… cheers!

 

Chapter 11: Siblings, Scars and Worms

Chloe von Einzbern hummed quietly as she led the small group of friends towards the Emiya household.

At this hour of the morning most of the city was already either to work or enjoying some early beginning of their own holidays. With a modest beach and a pleasant park all within Fuyuki, very few individuals preferred to go somewhere else during this season and that has been a particular tradition for more than a decade now.

The memories from Justeaze were useful, deadly so, as the tanned girl had some major insight over the happenings of this important place in the last two centuries and about the leylines present within the land.

It was helpful but also dreadful, some memories unpleasant to even think about because of their weight for the current present. That part of her that was influenced by those images looked at Shinji with curiosity, failing to grasp how someone like him came from Zolgen Makiri.

Brief fragments of a snappy Magus, sprouting about superiority and ambitions of ideal world peace. The latter bit was what allied the Einzberns to the Makiri/Matou as the chance of ending all conflict and bringing a unitary push for the Root resonated deep within the prime homunculus.

And yet it was all for nothing.

The mere proof that Justeaze’s oldest ally had gone through a radically different path was unquestionable as the scars Shinji was hiding with his shirt carried a familiar energy trace.

Zouken was a monster, the young Matou had repeated this several times when she asked about his past, his answers curt and quick to the end as too painful to phrase around. She would be wrong in saying she understood the plight of the leading figure in this ragtag of misfits, but Kuro knew one little thing many would skip about Shinji.

In that smile, even when genuine, there were still hints of something terrible looming over his mind, a thought of the past that keeps him from fully enjoying the present, denying him a happy future after so much suffering.

Angry and helpless, there was little the young Demi-Servant could do about this issues, only be there and give her support when needed. It sounded little but… it was what she could do at the moment.

Suddenly Kuro stopped in her tracks, eyes blinking once and then twice as she caught sight of a distinct individual standing by the entrance. Her sight, enchanted by the Archer Card, gave her some better look over said figure and she dreaded what she was seeing.

Sakura Matou wasn’t Shinji’s little sister. While the boy might be convinced and determined to help this look-alike because of the stark resemblance with his younger sister, they both knew that this individual was far too dangerous to not be treated with caution.

She came from Miyu’s Dimension, bearing a familiar undertone only those with a Servant Card would and… her body felt odd. The actions and the reactions to certain phenomena were genuine to a real human body, but her Circuits felt different from anyone else.

It was like… she was facing a puppet, not a true organic being. Like a homunculus but… emptier.

The female Matou noticed the approaching group and waved with a small smile, behind her a familiar redhead trying to help with some bags. Kuro decided to ignore the distracted Shirou, her eyes fixed on Sakura as the plum-haired girl gave off multiple emotions at once.

There was surprise, some fear and… genuine happiness?

It was a strange reaction from someone that was supposed to be their future enemy, but it was also even more confusing that this young woman decided to take a gamble in coming here, in enemy territory.

Shinji waved back, a simple smile on his face, and Artoria narrowed her eyes at the seemingly harmless girl. Gilgamesh didn’t show any reaction to this development, merely walking closer to the young Matou.

Kuro glanced back and saw Luvia looking right at her, a questioning expression that she replied with a shrug. Without knowing what to do about this situation, the little blonde followed Kid Gil’s example.

They finally closed up to the gates that led to the modest house and Shirou stared up from his task of sorting out the two bags. “Oh, Shinji-kun and others.”

“Shirou-senpai, Sakura-senpai.” The boy replied with a child-like voice, drawing a bigger smile from the carefree Emiya as he continued to try and fail in taking both heavy bags inside.

Meanwhile the plum-haired girl twitched at the way she was addressed, eyes widening as her smile turned uneasy at the turn of events. Yet there was something hiding that Chloe had some trouble in identifying and…

Why was she pleased by this?

-------------------d-d-d--------------d-d-d-d-d-d------------d-d-d-d-d--------d-d-d-d--------d-d-d-d--------

“Good morning, Shinji-kun~!”

I groaned inwardly as I was scooped up by the swift Irisviel, my body instantly pressed on her modesty as I tried to keep my mind from wandering through a very dangerous road. My determination to avoid getting caught in some difficult-to-explain situations further improved by the individual behind the kind mother.

Kiritsugu Emiya was ripped, muscles and all, maybe slightly less than Kirei and he was showing some minor scars here and there in his chest. His glare, which promised utter pain at those who dared to touch inappropriately his wife, was a good deterrent for any poor soul ending up suffering my face.

Seriously why the few interactions with this version of the Emiya family generally ended up with me trying to wriggle away from some murder by paranoid husband?

The hug lasted little as I heard three other individuals approaching. Sella was for some reason hiding behind Leysritt while Illya looked quite normal at first sight.

“Oh, Shinji-kun?” I nodded and the Einzbern approached, glancing briefly towards Kuro and sighing as she got an approving nod from her. It was an odd situation between the two, some friction present here and there but not as much as before.

“I hope this has not been forceful from Mama-”

“I will be honest and say ‘kind of’.” She sighed at my reply and I still smiled. “Still, thank you for showing some consideration.”

A little blush emerged and she smiled herself. “Y-You are welcome, Shinji-kun.”

As I was about to continue to address the others, I felt a strong hand squeezing at my shoulder. I didn’t need to stare up to recognize the familiar dread coming from the Magus Killer and gulped nervously as he started to speak.

“Shinji-san, a word in private if possible.”

Irisviel seemed to be busy bothering Chloe with showing her some other pairs of swimwear for her to use, the maids were helping Shirou and Sakura with the bags while the rest of the group was moving to greet two annoyances approaching.

I might sound harsh about the two apprentices of this universe’s Zelretch, but I did have my reason to be this petty around them, especially counting the fact they grew in the best dimension possible that was known.

Nodding slowly, I was quickly ushered in a particularly dark room, an office of sort and placed on the chair in front of Kiritsugu. The man had his stare narrowed on my small frame and he kept quiet for a while.

Then he spoke. “Shinji Matou, I’ve a request that I wish you could answer without hesitation or doubt.”

I blinked at the sudden seriousness he was bringing in that situation, but I nodded nonetheless, waiting for him to ask.

“You have said that you know what happened if we went ahead with the Holy Grail War, how it would have ended up into.”

There wasn’t any question, only words working as pieces of a puzzle for my mind to form silently and quickly. I sighed. “You want to know if that would have worked-”

“No.”

...What?

“Beg your pardon?”

He blinked and nodded. “I spent years thinking if the Grail could have truly achieved my dream of ending war all around the world and all the clues led to an unmistakable ‘no’.”

He leaned closer and his expression softened. “I… I want to know what I did in that War.” There was a simple pause. “I want to know how far I went for that competition.”

...Shit.

I might have been ready to deal with the usual pragmatic Kiritsugu as this one did resemble every single one version of his, but this query was unexpected. I mean, I could understand that he would want to know how he behaved in that conflict, but I have completely forgotten about this very Kiritsugu.

He didn’t behave like he had as the Magus Killer, those days gone after years spent with a loving family around him. He was genuinely concerned because, within himself, he knew that he would have gone through some actions that he wouldn’t condone now.

I sighed gravely and glanced behind at the only door of the room, being greeted by the familiar face that was Maya Hisau’s, the assistant of the Emiya wearing a simple gray bikini. At least now I knew that she was alive in this timeline...

“Is this office soundproof?” I turned back to the man, giving me a curious stare. “And can she be trusted to not tell this to anyone else?”

Maya coughed. “I am going to preserve the secrets told there.” She gave me the scariest emotionless look I had ever to face, worse compared to the maids back to the Castle. “Even the most sinful of them all.”

I slowly nodded at that and started to speak with the worst detail of Kiritsugu’s participation in the War.

“If you knew that Irisviel needs to die for the Grail to work, how would you deal with the guilt and remorse at committing such act?”

There was silence, the man’s eyes closing in thought before sighing. “I would try to cut the connection.”

“And you did, but it was all for naught.” I stated clearly, ignoring the confusion rising on his face. “The Master of Assassin killed her, he broke her neck.”

More silence but I could hear some shifting behind me. I mean, if Kiritsugu was supposed to be something like Fate’s Batman, his way of ‘cutting the connection’ are pretty quick to understand and imagine.

“His name-”

“He is not going to bring harm in this dimension.” My tone showed some confidence as I knew that Kotomine was passive nowadays about this behavior of his. “He has his own family to deal with.”

He nodded thankfully. “What about… Illya and Shirou?”

“Acht kept the Boundary Fields up when you tried to approach the Castle, saying that you failed the contract and thus wouldn’t be allowed to approach the ‘new grail’.” He flinched at the way I addressed his daughter but… this had to happen this way. “You found Shirou in Fuyuki, only survivor of the… Fire.”

“Fire?” He was clueless of the event, as this dimension never experienced it.

“You ordered your Servant to deploy their Noble Phantasm to destroy the Grail.” I explained quickly. “The corruption sparked a fire that destroyed a good part of the city, Shirou was the only survivor of the disaster because you gave him Avalon.”

“Excalibur’s scabbard?” He glanced on the side and I did notice a safe on the wall. “So I did summon him-”

“Her.” I interrupted quickly.

He blinked. “What?”

“King Arthur was a woman.” I continued without hesitation. “The young blonde, Artoria, is her ‘Alter’ version, a corrupted version of the original Saber.”

His eyes widened. “A-And she is a Servant-”

“No. She has been… resurrected.” I state with some minor doubt. What if the Emiya was going to take the following bit badly as I did resurrect a dead woman from a card.

“How-”

“Heroic Spirits only.” I squirmed in my chair as I felt Maya now relatively close where I was. “I can’t bring your… surrogate mother back.”

He didn’t react to the mentioning of Natalia, but I knew that I did come close to a beating from the man. His past was a sore subject and I was playing with fire there.

“Understood.” He looked like he had swallowed a lemon but he managed some restrain at the woman being mentioned. “I’m sorry if-”

“Don’t apologize, Kiritsugu-san.” I muttered quickly. “Everyone would like to have that kind of power to… destroy that fear.”

He nodded, a brief smile on his face before he returned his attention back at me. “You know, you shouldn’t hide the scars.”

I froze on my seat at the words and sighed. “I- I don’t want to-”

“Are you proud of why you gained those, of the action that caused those to be dealt to you?”

I flinched, mind bringing me back to the very moment I received them.

I remember letting out some yells as Byakuya, my father, complied with Zouken’s orders. It was the first few times when I tried to directly pull Sakura out of the pool of Crest Worms, ignoring the damage as to get her out of that horrible place.

Sakura blinked in surprise, pale and empty orbs of purple watering with some strangely familiar emotion. Tears fell but her mind couldn’t compute what was happening within her, a nostalgic sensation that only renewed her sadness somewho.

Her head would bow down during the whole punishment as she didn’t dare to look as her older brother paid for his kindness, but then she saw the daring smile on his face and… smiled herself.

“I… I did what was right, yes. But-”

I felt hands pulling my shirt up and removing it from my hold. Maya didn’t show much in her face but I could easily spot some mischievous glint in her eyes. “Give it back!”

“Sadly this discussion is over, Shinji-kun.” I turned back to Kiritsugu with a snarl and felt paling as I was graced with Killing Intent. “But if I am told that you did commit some lecherous deed with my wife AND my daughter; you better have the grave ready.”

I nodded quickly and he smiled. “Good.”

Thus I was suddenly thrown out of the office without my shirt and I heard a gasp. Looking up I groaned as I spotted Irisviel staring at my back and… at my scars.

Closing my eyes as my fate was sealed, I accepted the new glomping with some disinterest. I knew that this was merely the prelude for the madness of today’s event…

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AN

Not much to say... except that Fatelayer Online reached 1100 Followers!

 

Chapter 12: Pity, Punishment and Worm

If there was something that I found legitimately worth of utter hate and silent anger, it was pity thrown at me.

The way Irisviel kept me around like a toddler, a murderous-looking toddler that was ready to spit fire and raise hell all around just for the fact I was being manhandled like that.

While many could easily confuse this as a childish tantrum, being actually an adult stuck in that very limiting body the issue was the fact I was being babied too much.

There was no cooing, nor any of that stuff, but I was still being ‘comforted’ by the lovely mother while the last preparations were made.

Of course the gravity of the situation was way beyond the simple irritation at being hold like that, the scars visible in my body easily sparking the morbid curiosity of the many people around for today’s ‘event’.

And as much as I wanted to push away the Einzbern from coddling me like that, I soon realized that… my scars were glowing slightly. The bluish prana coming from the scarred circuits couldn’t be easily hidden without… a shirt.

Thus the second best thing was… a tall human being. That could have been one of the many reasons why I was suddenly pulled in that annoying embrace, didn’t mean that I was going to let this go without some proper ‘acting’.

Yet the scars had been partly revealed to the others, their reaction being mostly of shock and gloom, the only worthwhile reactions being Chibi-Luvia’s, her older self, Rin, Miyu, Illya and… Sakura.

The two blondes shared the same horrified expression, yet the younger version sported a set of emotions different, more… apt to the current state of our friendship.

Being her pillar, an example to follow to become ‘a proper apprentice under Lord Zelretch’, Luvia was mortified at the knowledge that I didn’t have the best of childhoods. Sure, I might have said that I didn’t have a kind home back in Fuyuki, but words fell deaf when tangible evidence was bestowed in such a fashion.

I was unsure by her mere look if she understood the implications regarding the glow of said scars and I strongly hoped she didn’t as… then the dread would be twofold than the one showed right now.

The Prillya’s apprentices of the Wizard Marshal did recognize the extension of the damage inflicted upon my body, sharing a glance and for once appearing serious regarding a serious situation. There was hardly something that could match this predicament in the series, or at least this early on.

The two girls would surely continue to think about this, hesitate about ‘solving’ my plight at the price of getting some respect. Hopefully I will end up getting Touko Aozaki to do a professional work rather than trust my life on their hands.

Miyu… How could I describe this...

Miyu’s face was blank, none of the struggle that would come at seeing this level of abuse after so much time spent at ease. I could see a glint flickering once or twice during the stare, a sense of kinship, of understanding and… of respectful silence.

It was never expanded in the lore what kind of ‘experiments’ the girl went before being found by Shirou. It was mentioned that the children of the Sakatsuki clan were subjected to special rituals, but nothing was given for certain.

Same for what Kiritsugu did to her. While I was certain that none of the Magus Killers in the whole Nasuverse was keen to torture children, I bet the Miyuverse’s Kiritsugu had to have let go of some morals… for the Greater Good.

A fully functioning Holy Grail? Who would be so stupid to waste that easy opportunity to get their dreams to happen?

And then when she was captured by the Ainsworth family, but knowing Darius, she had to endure some rituals there… to speed up the Grail process.

Maybe what happened during her second ‘stay’ was because of the limited time Darius was working with and… I could see that being a thing since she hardly seemed too much traumatized.

Turning my attention to the young Einzbern’s reaction, I was quick to notice how nervous she looked.

As much as the girl was trying to enjoy a peaceful life, the sudden presence of the dangerous threats coming from Miyu’s home-dimension were giving her a new perspective of the Magical Girl’s experience and with that she was also growing mentally.

Growing smart and wise enough to understand that the world could be terribly horrible, the world could be unjust and… unfair.

Yet the possibility of having someone having experienced abuse this early on? She would have started to realize this harsh truth with Miyu after reaching her dimension, but now that she was still developing and far from being capable of properly decide how to deal with this kind of situation? I wasn’t surprised to see her this much… clueless how to react to this revelation.

Finally… there was Sakura.

The plum-haired girl was paler than before, her face holding strongly at a blank mask trying to slip away at the sudden development.

With the scars, my words regarding my genuine intentions were given some legitimacy. Not enough to make her fully accepting of my presence and… plans, but good enough to possibly avoid some stabby encounters anytime soon.

The terrible thing about the Miyuverse’s Matou that I was left confused and terribly unaware of was…

How far did Zouken trained Sakura before croaking a last snarl at the Ainsworths?

Did he follow the same pace as his Fate Stay Night’s version did or… did he try to speed up the process in a desperate attempt to get a functional heir before his demise?

The girl tried to avoid my gaze, but my eyes would match with hers more than once, her mask slipping the more I pressured her to give a genuine reaction.

Knowing that poking too hard while everyone was around could… end up in a difficult mess.

Since my status didn’t… allow me to enjoy any swimming, Irisviel was ‘kind’ enough to put me in one of the present chairs and give me a towel to cover up before joining the others and… cause some of the classic antics this perverted universe was known for.

I sighed, deciding to bide my time and maybe get a nap or two done before the end of the swimming session.

Just as I slouched on the chair and prepared to close my eyes, I felt a shadow looming over me for a moment before she settled down on the chair beside mine.

Sakura looked nervous, terribly so that she tried to pull up a fake smile while waving at her ‘senpai’ while he joined up with the group already inside the swimming pool. Freezing a little, she then glanced at me and I returned the look, a placid and silent expression.

“C-Can you spare some… answers? I… I have some questions.”

I blinked, I didn’t expect her to… be intrigued this much. Sure, I did expect this situation to happen but… not now of all the times possible.

She was supposed to act normally rather than trying to ‘screw her cover’.

But I didn’t mind, I wasn’t going to lose anything by satisfying her curiosity just for once.

“Sure.”

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Chloe sighed tiredly as she tried and failed once more to hear what Shinji and the Doll were talking about.

She cursed EMIYA for having some of the best set of eyes but not good ears to match the quality, her gloomy mood hardly hidden while she took one of the furthest corner from anyone to brood safely about the matter.

While the mixed group seemed to have mostly ignored her strange behavior, she knew that it was a matter of time before someone decided to poke around to see why she wasn’t happy.

Irisviel was busying herself with Leysritt and Sella, both maids surprisingly having a matching expression. An annoyed pout, something that could easily be found in the more serious of the two, while the blunter was a strange surprise to see this… expressive.

Returning back to the tanned girl, Kuro was certainly curious but also worried about the topics exchanged between the two. She knew that she could easily jump in action and cleave the dangerous threat just in time if she noticed any attempt against the boy’s life.

The churning of her stomach didn’t help with her nerves, she was way too tense and nervous to truly enjoy the pleasant water and… seeing Shirou shirtless.

As much as she knew that she was related to him even more than her other version, it didn’t certainly mean she couldn’t glance at his built and-

B-Back to Shinji! Eyes fixed on the ‘toweled’ boy, the young Einzbern was hopeful that he wouldn’t go as far as getting the Berserker to snap on and him.

She hummed calmly, trying to soothe her worries but hardly getting any relief in that situation. She was itching to attack that Doll, to finally get some well-deserved peace with the looming threats that had yet to present themselves.

The fact that Shinji was visibly delaying what the tanned girl knew was unavoidable left her perplexed, confused and terribly concerned. It was an odd sensation, to be this much tense about… someone’s else life.

Odd as positive, odd as fresh. Odd as warming…

Her little moment alone was concluded when her ‘mother’ finally approached and started to talk just as expected.

“Is something wrong with Shinji-kun?” Was the question of the blissfully-unaware woman.

Chloe wondered darkly if she should tell her that her son ended up bringing a monster rather than the soft-spoken girl that was Sakura Matou. Possibly badly, the Archer-wielding girl mused back, and that would put the boy in danger…

She was in a swimming pool, a place she was quite enjoying but her interest over the situation was screwed by the dangerous place the young Matou has placed himself into.

Thus the girl sighed. “He is a dummy.” The curt response caused the woman to giggle.

“He is quite funny about that.” Irisviel admitted with a mirthful smile. “He reminds me much of how Kiritsugu behaves nowadays.”

A dreadful comparison. Sure, Shinji was planning how to solve ‘everything’, but he never seemed to endear the idea of ‘Hero’ as much as the Emiya patriarch was known for-

Wait, she meant ‘this’ Magus Killer, not the mindless drone prior the marriage.

Kuro sighed, this was certainly a difficult development to digest but… it was like that. The Card had knowledge over the Kiritsugu from another dimension, the one where… the young Matou supposedly came from.

It wasn’t a nice light, her ‘papa’ had killed innocents to assure that the ‘most’ lived through conflicts, through disasters. She could see the logic in some decisions but… some other instances left her sick, disgusted by how far the Emiya would go for… Justice.

“He is my dummy.” The little Einzbern corrected herself much to her ‘mother’ surprise.

“Is that so? Is someone in love for little Shinji?” There was amusement in the tease but…

Sadly the reality was far more different than the woman hoped it to be.

“I do.” The girl admitted placidly, ignoring Irisviel’s eyes widening in shock at the news.

“...Sweetie, isn’t he a little to young-”

“Aren’t you literally just a year or two older than Illya-”

“Human-wise, age is still an important factor in love.” The woman interjected the sassy remark from Kuro. “Do you even know what love is-”

“I prefer to keep my love life private.” The girl interrupted coldly. “But yes, I do take into account everything about… this situation. It’s not a crush and… I am not rushing anything.”

“That’s good but… why?” The question felt… strange to hear. “Why do you ‘love’ him?”

There would be hundreds of thousands of words that could fill up the answer but the little Einzbern was aware that she didn’t have that much time and… went with the shorter summary.

“He is kind, honest, caring and… he is genuine.” Her lips twitched, warmth slowly increasing in her chest, her heartbeat increasing just a little. “I can go for hours but I don’t want to. I can say for sure that he is interesting and… we both care to each other.”

The woman chuckled. “Yet I’ve seen you staring at your Oniichan~.” Irisviel pointed out much to the girl’s discomfort.

“He is good-looking.” Kuro admitted quietly. “But beyond your teasing, will you let Shirou tie up with so many… suitors?”

She hit the spot, the mother tensing a little and looking nervous for a moment. “I- I think you know that I can’t let that happen-” The woman tried to explain.

“Yet you are putting fuel on the fire some have for him.” Chloe pressed on. “While I can understand that he is dense and needs someone to help him around with girls, don’t you think that you should tune down the effort… just a little.”

Iri blinked. “You think I’m pushing too hard?” She questioned a little curious now.

“Just a little.” The tanned girl continued. “I understand that you are trying to help him up, but if you press too much… the situation might escalate to a point where he might have too much to chew.”

The woman nodded slowly. “I understand. Then I shouldn’t probably try to sell photos of-”

Irisviel stopped mid-speech, her red eyes trailing back to the chairs and… the two females stared at a curious scene.

Shinji was passing to a beet-red Sakura some pictures. From her reaction and the allusions the woman was trying to make before stopping to see this scene, these have to be photos of Shirou in… questionable situations.

Just as Chloe was ready to ask if this theory was true, Irisviel stood up and clapped her hands together.

“Sella and Leysritt, could you take the children inside to play that ‘fun game’ you wanted to try with Shinji.” The matriarch ordered the maids, her smile sickly-sweet. “Meanwhile I wish to speak with the girls and Shirou-kun in private.”

It didn’t take long for the tanned girl to recognize the strategy the woman was pushing for.

Developed by the mother from the ‘Divide et Impera’ basis, the ‘Divide et Puni’, better known as Divide and Punish ruse, was used normally to punish Shirou and Illya when they committed some mess together, not generally of the Ecchi kind.

And while Kuro realized this much, her eyes widened at the impressive speed exercised by the two young women in rushing towards the confused boy and proceeding to pull him inside the house.

Panic surged at the scene and the girl literally jumped off the pool’s thin walls and rushed inside, followed by Chibi-Luvia and Gilgamesh.

Artoria wanted to join too but… Irisviel decided to put a stop at her attempt. “Let the children play a little.” Her voice was just… like back then.

The Tyrant held back a shiver, the unpleasant memories trying to reach back but she was strong enough to keep a calm posture externally.

She nodded slowly and soon the pool was occupied only by the older girls, Irisviel and Shirou.

Most of them interested in the dense redhead while the poor Salter faced the embarrassing situation that ensued alone. With pride and… blush.

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Next Chapter will get some fun scenes. Sella and Liz were given the powah over the poor Shinji, yet nothing ‘that bad’ will happen (pinkie-promise!).

BTW a funny detail about the Kuro-Shinji dynamics: Both are the jailbait for each other and can’t do anything about that… yet. (No lewding people in this holy fanfic, of course.)

 

Chapter 13: Game, Friendship and Worm

If there was something that Leysritt was unsure in that very easy-to-understand situation was… how she was dealing with Shinji Matou.

While the young maid had been keen to avoid appearing too much interested by the child, she couldn’t help but scope him in her hold as they all reached the living room. The place was big enough to house the small group formed mostly by children, yet it all seemed rather… small to her.

It was a subjective detail that defied anything factual about the very room she had been spending most of her time here in Fuyuki. This was her haven, her safe place, and yet Liz felt far from calm as she noticed how tense the boy was in her pseudo-hug. They were both sitting, the rest taking their place around the small tabletop game Irisviel had used against Sella not so long ago.

The game was simple as only those that ‘hosted’ the game were able to avoid any of the impish repercussions that would soon fall on the contestants- or rather the diluted version of those.

As much as it would be… amusing to have Sella deal with the incredibly-awkward predicament, maybe to see how her fellow maid would solve such a horrifying situation without going berserk against her.

Liz wouldn’t have minded some loud rants directed at her, but the fact she had to also be mindful of the other children, young and impressionable youths that could easily mistake a simple action to something much more complex and traumatic, made the whole idea kind of unacceptable.

And she also wanted to make a good impression with Shinji. Especially with Shinji, at least.

The Einzbern maid couldn’t see the boy’s current expression because of the position they had both taken, but she could perceive some tension still-present and visible form his shoulders.

Red eyes blinked, trying to quietly guess why he would appear this much… unnerved. It wasn’t overall unpleasantness, but Leysritt was feeling rather guilty for some reason.

She wasn’t truly hugging him, only letting him rest on her lap as the game began.

Illya was the first one to face the ‘family-friendly’ dares left in the deck for this occasion.

The little Einzbern was given the card, she quickly read the kanji and… blushed. There was silence just for a few moments, then she glanced at her recently-gained friend, Miyu Edelfelt, and leaned in to… plant a kiss on her cheek.

It was a swift act, particularly harmless in Liz’s mind, yet both girls’ faces were now sporting the same shade of red as they returned to their initial seats.

Leysritt’s confusion was shared by the young blonde that was little Luviagelita. The girl, differently from her older counterpart, did seem rather… shy and reserved. Very polite and showing none of the eccentric attitude the young woman going after Shirou’s heart revealed in spades.

Kuro and Gilgamesh looked uncaring of the scene, the former not even deigning a glance their way while the blond merely smiling and nodding placidly.

Sella looked partly-surprised at the reaction, but she was also looking conflicted about what was going on with the two classmates.

Shinji… merely sighed. There wasn’t anything else she could pick up, mostly because of the limiting point of view she had over him.

Time passed and the turn proceeded smoothly with little worth of interest. After Illya’s and Miyu’s card, the rest revealed to be rather tame and… dull.

Leysritt bit down a sigh as it was her turn and…

How odd.

Without deigning a comment over the curious ‘dare’ of the card, the maid was quick to hover her free palm over Shinji’s head as she started to softly ruffle his hair.

He tensed up even more, his head slowly turning to give her a wide one-eyed look of surprise, urging her to reveal the card’s content to the other players.

‘Head-pat the closest player for the entire duration of the game.’

The written dare was received with mixed reactions. Once more Gilgamesh, with Miyu and Illya following his example, looked quite fine with it but… the rest of the group looked quite annoyed.

Luvia wasn’t sparing herself with the pouty glare she was throwing at Leysritt, the child’s arms crossed close to her chest. Her stare moved to Sella, the fellow maid frowning and showing annoyance at the curious dare Liz was meant to continue for the rest of the game.

Finally, red eyes met with bright orange ones and…

Kuro was far from angry. She was also far from expressive… and yet the most interesting one in the group.

Her stare was coldly fixed on the maid, sending a shiver down her spine, her blank expression mirroring to a terrifying degree those that only the normal Homunculi of the Einzbern Clan- No.

She stopped in her own thoughts, eyes widening just a fraction as she realized that she was wrong with this assumption. The regal scowl, the well-crafted look that showed displeasure while also revealing nothing else from the owner of such expression…

This was Justeaze’s trademark look. The one that their creator, Jubstacheit, had been keen to impress upon all the various models of homunculi.

A stare of power, of undeniable respect and… a sign of possible danger for the one it was directed at.

Liz’s instincts were quick to give her an answer, one that she couldn’t exactly commit to as… it meant letting go ruffling Shinji’s fluffy hair.

She couldn’t exactly say this out-loud, she didn’t need to- but the boy’s hair was just so… soft.

Her hand was literally in fluff heaven, a place where only those that knows how delightful is to head-pat someone with well-cared hair.

Something that Liz was very aware of as… she did take care of Illya when her parents weren’t around, giving her baths, helping her clean up and… her soft hair.

She could remember trying to do something like that with Shirou but… the boy had been quite keen to tell her to not ‘enter the bathroom when he was in’. A little hurtful, but Irisviel did mention that boys were less prone to accept a female in the bathroom they were using if it wasn’t their mother or their lover.

Yet the red-haired teen also rejected Irisviel when she asked moments after the boy had refused the maid in.

In the end, the matter was fairly simple: there wasn’t nothing wrong to get the chance to head-pat someone or something this adorable and… the woman wasn’t backing away from this opportunity!

Tension didn’t simmer much to the rest of the group’s chagrin and the game resumed with a less-happier tone. Something that was clear to both females, but none seemed to be willing to show more than they had.

And if the Matou was aware or not that he had just become a reason for some cold war, he wasn’t giving any sign of knowing about it. Hopefully he was blissfully unaware.

Moments later, with Shinji picking up a mere ‘What is your favorite animal?’ question, it was Kuro’s turn and… the girl gracefully took the little card atop the reduced deck in her hands and glanced just briefly at it before returning her sight at the fellow Einzbern.

Her whole demeanor suddenly changed, a subtle but ‘victorious’ smirk replacing the scowl as her sight lowered to Shinji and… she started to crawl towards them.

Liz frowned, something was missing from that strange situation, a context more than necessary to understand the unexplained smug exuding from the tanned girl and… her arms wrapped around the Matou, creating a small barrier between the maid and the boy.

Her red eyes gave a surprise expression, ready to silently question such a behavior and-

The scowl was back, this time fully channeled onto Leysritt. The Einzbern homunculus froze as she was suddenly hit by the domineering effects of the glance, strong enough to have her froze in her act and retract her hand away from Shinji’s head.

The paper, the little card, it was now revealed too as Kuro held it close to her face.

‘Hug the closest player for the entire duration of the game.’

A successful overrule of the previous card, something that the maid had completely forgot about.

The girl seemingly didn’t care of the shock visible through the red eyes as she picked up the boy, much to his minor discomfort and took him back to her previous seat.

Something bubbled within Leysritt’s chest and it wasn’t hunger. It was primal and… incredibly nagging at her.

It was a need, a crave to show the ‘thief’ how that slight wasn’t something a Einzbern maid could certainly allow to pass without consequences.

Just as Sella got a card that merely asked for her ‘weight’, which for some reason sent her on a brief mumbled rant, Shinji decided to interrupt the beginning of the second round.

“I think this game is turning a little… too aggressive.” He said from within the clutches of the tanned girl. “Can we call a vote and see who wants to continue?”

Dreadful news for both maids’ plan, yet it was surprisingly only Liz that took it the worst considering how the more introverted of the two had yet to get a ‘chance’ to do something with Shinji.

“Those who wish to continue?” Liz, Kuro and a hesitant Sella lifted their hands up, confirming three votes out of eight.

Chloe’s eyes snapped at Luvia, the girl looking calm as she refused to join in that coalition. There was a strange gleam in the blonde’s eyes and then… it was the turn for the other part of the vote.

“Those who wish to end this here now?”

Illya, Gilgamesh, Miyu, Shinji and… Luvia all voted to end the game.

A strange development indeed, one that Shinji put an end by addressing both Illya and Miyu.

“Also, from what I understand, you two wish to talk with me, right?”

The girls looked a little surprised, but both shared a nod to confirm the guess as the Matou stood up from Kuro’s shell-shocked self and followed the two Magical Girls towards the staircase that led to the upper floor.

Gilgamesh joined in, same for Luvia and… the still-gobsmacked tanned female.

Soon the living room was deserted, leaving just Leysritt and Sella behind to pick up the pieces of… what had just happened.

And to pick up the used cards and put everything back to normal… well, that actually something that only Sella had to do. Lazy-mode Engaged!

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I should have seen that one coming… somehow.

I know that over-thinking was my forte and that missing something that was blatantly visible to everyone was still my major flaw, yet the way Kuro reacted to the mere and harmless session of head-patting (as much as unnerving as it was) was more than enough to leave me with some suspicions regarding why she behaved like this.

Affectionate? Yes.

But Yandere-level of obsession? Kind of overboard even for her.

Something I was missing in front of me, something that had to do with me for some unspecified and unexplained reasons.

I was glad that Illya did ask for some private time to discuss more about… the overall situation. She was more than entitled to know a little more about why she was supposed to put her life on the line while also allowing me to be taken away from an explosion in the making.

We reached her room and… yep, it was like the one showed in the series.

Seriously, why do I feel dirty all so suddenly?!

Ignoring the sins crawling on my back, I was given the only chair in the room as both Illya and Miyu took a seat in the former’s bed. Kuro leaned on the medium-sized wardrobe, while Gilgamesh and Luvia decided to sit by the floor.

“So, I know that you have tons to ask, but I have to ask one little question before you have a go at it.” I threw this sudden premise, my sight fixing on the adopted Edelfelt. “Miyu, I want to know if I can say to Illya something more about your situation. Your ‘unique’ dimensional state and… why you are connected to all of this.” I calmly said and I waited for a response.

She tensed at the blunt request, something that she had to have expected to happen now of all times, but that she couldn’t have been truly prepared for.

The girl nodded slowly and sighed. “I-If it helps- then yes, please go ahead.”

I hummed, smiling a little as I turned to Illya. “So… what is your first question?”

The Einzbern blinked, surprised for being given the chance of asking first and… she settled for something ‘light’.

“S-Shinji-san, if it isn’t asking too much… can you tell me what happened to ‘me’ in your dimension?”

I shifted nervously at that very query before… sighing tiredly. Seriously, why did she hit me with something that heavy.

“This is a question that has a lengthy answer. I wish to ask you how much you know about the Einzberns, how much did your parents tell you about them?” I asked once more, getting a frown from the girl.

There was a brief confused pause before Illya spoke again. “I- I think it’s a rich family based in Europe.” She explained the best way she knew. “Mama said that they didn’t like moving and… that’s why they ceased contacts with Mama and Papa.”

So terribly lacking and prone for traumas once I’m done with this.

“The Einzbern clan is considered one of the most powerful families in the Moonlit World, the ‘place’ in the world where Magus live away from mundane people’s knowledge.” I started with something… lenient. I knew that I could go far and wide with their history, but I had other things to do in that interrogation. “Their most recent greatest leader being… Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern, a prime Homunculus that served as the Head of the family for almost a century.”

Red eyes widened. “A-A Homunculus?”

Of course she would end up interested about the term.

I prepared myself for some deep-lore exploration, trying to keep my tone as mindful as attentive of the girl’s reaction to what was going on be said now.

“A Homunculus is a more humane version of a Golem, a creature born from alchemy and magecraft.” I stated as calmly as I could. “The Einzbern Clan is known for two important subjects they were the most adept at: Wishcraft, which is something that will be important later in the explanation, and Homunculus-crafting.”

“Y-You mean that they created… human-sized puppets?” There was a little hesitation in Illya’s tone. “B-But why? Why would they need to have these… Homunculus?”

“The plural is ‘Homunculi’,” I corrected quickly before answering her query. “And the reason is… because they wanted to achieve immortality.”

… “W-What?” Miyu finally blurted in shock, glancing at the pale Einzbern in surprise. “I-Immortality, but-”

“’To be a Magus, you have to always walk the fine line between life and death.’. The Einzbern once had the knowledge of the Third Magic, the Heaven’s Feel, something that allowed their soul to not disperse once they reached the end of their bodies. The Magic itself focused on denying the soul from dispersing by the end of their lives, giving the chance for… a new body to be given and continue to work at their projects.” I took a breather, this was going to be a difficult task but… I think I was doing alright. “The Third Magic was lost a thousand of years or so, leaving the Einzbern with only the capacity to create Homunculi and… nothing to keep a real soul to perfectly integrate with the new bodies.”

…

“B-But- Why- How does this connect to m-me, Shinji-san?” Illya asked, her mind still trying and failing to grasp the complex depiction of her ‘mysterious’ family.

I nodded. “Wish-craft is the response of the family to recover the Third Magic. Given a powerful construct with immense prana the rightful runes to activate a Wish-craft device, a Miracle can be achieved. The opportunity to do something that shouldn’t be happening, even with Magic itself.” I continued to say much to her ever-growing confusion and then… pointed my finger at her.

“When you fought the Saber card and you used the Archer Card-” I paused to glance at Kuro, the girl blinking in surprise but nodding in remembrance of the event. “You made use of the Wish-craft magecraft only the Einzbern could use and, with the prowess of Archer in creating copies of swords, you ended up copying for more than a few moments… a true projection of a Divine Construct.”

Miyu’s eyes widened. “That golden sword?” She asked, Illya looking at her for a moment before turning her attention back at me.

“Excalibur, the Sword of Promised Victory.” I named the blade. “This weapon is one of the strongest, if not the strongest excluding Gilgamesh’s Noble Phantasm.” I paused just a moment and then sighed. “The thing with Archer is… he can project copies of swords, but he can’t truly replicate the full effect of Noble Phantasm. But you, Illyasviel von Einzbern, not only recreated the blade but you brought with it the whole power it is known for.”

There was silence, the two girls giving their all to absorb this new information while… Gilgamesh decided to pipe in.

“So that’s why her blade isn’t in my treasury?” The blond asked out of curiosity. “I’ve never learned about this but… why is it called a ‘Divine Construct’? Does it have to do with Gods?”

I nodded, getting a gasp from Luvia. “Y-You mean that Gods e-exist?”

“Many deities have existed before the end of the Age of Magic.” I replied quickly. “And yes, most of them were responsible for Excalibur’s creation. A sword born from the crystallized wishes of Mankind as a whole, its main duty to protect the world against dangerous threats.” I finished to explain.

“But I think I can return to the main story rather than digress further.” I admitted with a sigh. “The little reminder is to explain… how the Grail works. Or at least how the Grail partially works.”

“I- Can I try to… guess?” Illya lifted her hand up and I nodded with a small smile. “T-This Grail makes u-use of an abnormal amount of energy a-and activate the chance for a… miracle?”

“That’s the simple explanation, yes.” Kuro butted in with a calm tone, surprising us all as she took the lead. “Yet the system has some… other requirements. Seven Servants’ souls that are filtered inside the construct… via a Lesser Grail.”

Miyu tensed a little, possibly remembering that it was her role in the Ainsworth’s Holy Grail War.

“A-A human sacrifice?” She asked fearful, drawing Illya’s surprised but supportive look as she received a nod back.

“The human sacrifice bit is… partly different between Einzberns and Ainsworths. While the latter make use of full humans… the Einzbern used Justeaze-model Homunculi.”

…

“No.” Illya said in a dull tone. “Y-You aren’t telling me that-”

“In the Fourth War, you mother was meant to be the Lesser Grail.” I decided to drop all at once, ignoring the horrified look on her face. “...And you were going to be the one for the Fifth.”

“W-WHAT?!” Kuro leaned off from the wardrobe and glanced at me with a shocked expression. “A Fifth War? I thought the Fourth would-”

“The Grail is terribly corrupted, no real wish can be made without the worst version of it to happen.” I interjected strongly. “A-And… this is actually the only route where Illyasviel von Einzbern survives… with the rest of the Emiya family.”

“Mama… Papa and… Niichan.” Illya blinked, tears slowly flowing. “A-And Sella and L-Leysritt.”

“Shirou… survives.” I glanced at Kuro while saying this. “But he ends up living a terrible life, one that he comes to regret.”

The following silence was… gloomier. I think I should have sweetened the fall for Illya, the girl already dealing with her own problem and… me telling her how this is the only known timeline where she survives? Not a pleasant situation.

“Still,” I continued with a steel-like voice. “There are a few details that are worth to mention as… this isn’t a situation that is going to happen again.”

… “W-What?” The pale Einzbern asked once more.

“The Illya from my timeline is still in the Einzbern’s Castle in Germany.” I confided with certainty, smiling a little. “Once I’m done with the Ainsworths and we are back to my timeline, I will make sure your version is taken out from the Einzbern clan’s possession and put in a safer place.”

“A-And Mama and Papa?” Her tone was… frail, slightly hopeful as my words were now lifting her off the floor.

“I will make sure they are both saved too. I will save people, I will prevent the Fourth Holy Grail War and… I will destroy the Grail myself.” I re-affirmed by promise, getting all their eyes on me.

It was one of the few times I seemed so serious, so hell-bent on doing something this massive. I knew the risks, I knew the costs that would scar upon my own soul, but there was no alternatives and-

“Thank you.” Illya muttered with a soft voice. “Y-You, You are meaning it. I-I can tell.”

My lips twitched and I sighed as I stood up from my chair, made just a few steps towards her and…

She started to sob a little louder, head pressing on my chest, as I pulled her in a hug.

I patted her head as I ended up turning to see… a slightly sniffling Miyu. I sighed at the Sakatsuki and nodded opening the hug a little as the other girl didn’t hesitate to jump at the opportunity.

I tended to the two sobbing magical girls as I tried to make sense of what I was supposed to do here.

“Both of you are… good people.” I began to say. “You two are responsible for saving Fuyuki multiple times now and I know you will do more in the future. I want you to know that you are doing a good job.”

I relented the embrace a little, just enough for the two girls to look at me.

“Miyu, I… I will be honest with you. I know that this might sound weird but… when you feel down, when you feel the need to cry, remember that you have Illya.” I turned to the aforementioned girl. “The same applied to you too.”

They both blushed a little and I sighed. “Hugging is by no means something perverted. So cease at once with the day-dreaming and remember that you two are good friends.” I huffed and relaxed a little. “And there is also the fact that Miyu is her dimension’s Shirou’s Imouto.”

The silence that followed was brief but also amusing as the little Einzbern jumped in surprise with a ‘What?!’ while the ‘Emiya’ blushed a little in embarrassment.

“So yes, you two are step-sisters… to a degree, and I want you both to remember that you can trust each other.” I concluded, feeling the burden lessened from my back… FINALLY!

Just as I expected this emotional moment to be concluded, we were all distracted by… fake hand-clapping from… Ruby?

The Mystic Code was floating by the… open window?

“Outstanding ovation, Shinji-sama! Truly an emotional moment, to show those poor girls proper kindness and manners!” She commented happily and over-the-top… yet I could sense that something was off about her.

I opened my mouth, ready to ask her if she was alright when…

“You know, I think we should really poke more about this Sakura girl, Sapphire. I think she has potential for- UH!?”

The door slowly opened to reveal another Ruby and Miyu’s Sapphire.

The Mystic Codes stopped and soon even Luvia’s Sapphire left the safety of the blonde’s pocket, approaching the giddy-looking ‘impostor’?

Then… she spoke. “N-Neesan?”

A giggle, then she floated closer… towards me. “That is correct, Sapphi-chan! I, the legendary Ruby, managed to escape the evil clutches of our creator to...”

I took a step back as I knew what was going on already. My legs never moved this fast as I was being chased by a flying magical stick.

“Shinji-samaaa! I just want to become your best friend!”

HELL NO! I’M NOT DOING THIS!

I rushed away from that room, ready to make my last stand by leaving Fuyuki by feet if forced to

Shinji Matou would concede half an hour later, barely three blocks away from the Emiya’s household, his poor body unable to keep up with the endless bundle of energy known as Magical Ruby and the forced bonding would leave him without a chance of getting out from the madness in the making.

Look and behold, the CLAW!Ruby-chan is now in town!

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AN

This chapter is packed with stuff. Hopefully with little mistakes too (an empty hope, just like Kiritsugu’s dream).

 

Chapter 14: Plan, Kidnap and Worm

Zelretch is an utter bastard.

Ruby, just like her sister, was an immensely powerful Mystic Code. There was no hesitation in my thoughts to confirm that, if she had been given a proper owner, she would have done some impressive work around the world.

Rin was naive, mostly materialistic, and terribly narrow-minded over the complicated thing known as Kaleidoscope. If Hollow Ataraxia wasn’t the ‘dream’ sequel of one of the original Routes, then I can happily say that the girl did mess up big time by willingly ignoring the Kaleidostick during the Fifth Holy Grail War.

An easy win denied by the idiocy of the Tohsaka heiress.

And while I could see why she would be deterred from making use of Ruby’s potential, as the Mystic Code was proving to be as annoying as her Prillya’s version was during the walk back home AND the hours that preceded the usual nightly rest, I couldn’t exactly fault the stick until a certain degree.

Boredom is terrible for mortals, but it is even worse to those that don’t have an expiration date. Couple that with whatever trash Rin had left in her ‘pseudo-interdimensional’ chest and I could see the giddy Kaleidostick driving herself deep in the world of magical girls and… super sentai.

Actually, I was quite confused by the whole fact that the twin-tailed tsundere somehow ended up having magazines about the topic, possibly something pushed subconsciously by Kirei’s tutoring years before the Grail War.

Then I decided to not delve further in the madness, the growing headache that persisted even when I went to sleep being more than enough to keep me from going too deep about the lore behind Ruby and Sapphire.

Yet, by ignoring the ‘theories’ around the overly-childish kaleidostick, I was also forced to deal with the brutal reality that limited me in the usage of such a powerful instrument of cuteness and doom.

While Ruby is capable of perfectly grasp the nature of the Kaleidoscope, to actually make use of its power while being fueled by dimensional energy itself, in my hands she was incredibly restrained by a very crucial requirement the show never lingered much.

The use of the Mystic Code… required the user to have decent Magic Circuits.

I could make use of Magecraft to a minor degree, but going too far could easily compromise my whole being. The Crest Worms that offered me the chance of dabbling in small-scale experiments were similar to Kariya’s, the ones that my ‘uncle’ used to become the Master of Berserker.

While those offered some functional circuits, the ill-usage/over-usage of those forced the worms to feast upon their host’s lifeforce and… would cause a quick decay of the body.

Something I had been incredibly paranoid about, being quite careful to not jump in action with the Card Installations as I worried about a continued drain from the transformation that could have seen me death. Paranoia was legitimate in that case, not rightfully as I found out that the Card didn’t drain too fast from the fake circuits, but in this predicament the fear was confirmed by the Zwei Form.

Illya, Miyu, Chibi-Luvia, her older version, and Rin were capable of sustaining their ‘Magical Girls’ forms because they had an absurd amount of good-to-high quality Circuits in their bodies. I knew that if I even went in some ‘form’ with Ruby, my body would have been strained beyond recovery.

A minor issue that hopefully was going to be dealt by the time Touko reached Fuyuki to deal with her contract.

But the reason behind my annoyance at being restrained from making use of Ruby’s true power was actually something a little more… pressing.

While large-scale spells were a big no-no, I found quickly enough that the most useful of lesser spells I could truly use to the maximum capacity was… storage spells.

A pocket dimension that could easily hold an immeasurable number of inanimate objects and be taken around as far as I wanted until I continued to have the Stick around.

This discovery helped in the formulation of a little plan of mine regarding the current plot situation. It was clear that the Ainsworth family was still preparing on the other side of the ‘dimensional portal’ and that if I wanted to truly defeat them with minimal-to-none casualties, I had to take several precautionary steps in front of their pacing.

Early in the morning as we were all enjoying some breakfast, I mentioned calmly about having to go for some important business that required my lone presence.

The majority of the group sitting at the table was surprised but hardly concerned by the announcement as I did have situations like this one where danger wasn’t implied in any shape or form.

No, the real problem was the frown plastered on Gil’s face. I swore inwardly at the fact I did forget that the blond youth still could make use of his Sha Naqba Imuru, the Noble Phantasm granting him non-negligible glimpses of the nearby future and possibly offering him a clear sight over my plans.

He didn’t call me out, but the stare he was giving me was enough to bring a certain level of uneasiness regarding my own idea for the day.

I mean, there was nothing truly dangerous about sneakily setting up a forward HQ in Miyu’s home dimension, placing several objects that could help in creating a temporary workshop where to build and prepare for the next phase of the ‘counterattack’.

I really didn’t want to give Darius the chance of getting Miyu, because having him unleash corrupted Servants wasn’t going to help us with what we were meant to deal early on.

Angelica’s Archer Card might be weakened and lacking half of the full-fledged Gate of Babylon, but her propensity with Flash Air was enough to stabilize if not increase her current threat. And there was also the fact she wasn’t as cocky and moronic as Adult Gilgamesh was, making her capable of deploying Ea without having to dilly-dally around too much.

But I would be lying in saying that the ‘eldest’ sibling was going to be the scariest to face as Beatrice Flowerchild was easily going to be the worst to fight in the upcoming assault.

Having two Berserker-Cards and Mjolnir, the unstable girl was going to be hell to dispatch quickly. With Magni being the only other Card known, I was quite unwilling of going to fight her without a proper study of what the other card was.

...Then there is also Julian.

The possessed Head of the Family was seriously powerful on his own, his grasp of magecraft beyond anything a modern Magus could even dare to achieve on their own. Yet the young Ainsworth, with just some little help from his Zouken-alike ancestor, could manipulate Prana to an insane degree.

And that wasn’t something to be scoffing at. Never.

I blinked as I found myself staring at the strange transparent tear within the space-time continuum. The only way to enter Miyu’s dimension and once I stepped through it… I would have to deal with an unforgiving time limit.

I sighed, my eyes closing for a moment before turning my attention to Ruby, the Mystic Code floating around the rift. “Remember the plan-” I repeated with a nervous tone, getting a groan from the Kaleidostick.

“No stunts with Magic, no attracting attention- but it’s kind of boring-” She twirled, her tone dry at the lack of action and… explosions.

I don’t know why, but this Ruby loved explosions and… I could get around that interesting trait.

“If they notice us and get their full manpower to us, we wouldn’t survive the encounter.” I reminded quickly, drawing a simple nod from the stick.

“I understand. It’s just…” She tensed up suddenly and giggled. “What if we prank them somehow? Like we get a massive amount of pizzas at their house-”

“They would kill the poor man or woman enlisted to take the pizzas to their home.” I blinked, frowning quietly at the deflating stick. “But I guess we could prank them if a situation present itself.” I promised and flinched moments later as Ruby squealed with a high-pitched note.

I nodded and turned back to the tear and… jumped into it.

I felt wind twisting around me for brief instants and then… I found myself crouching in pain on… a few meters away from where I once was?

I turned around, just in time to see the Kaleidostick leave the rift and flying near me.

“That was weird.”

“Not so different from the dimensional hopping that took me in this ‘universe’.” I commented back, getting her to nod quickly.

“It’s similar, but also rather unstable and… I’m actually surprised you didn’t suffer more during the ‘voyage’, Shinji-kun.”

“I’ve some luck… rarely.” I paused, before sighing sheepishly. “Maybe even never. I guess this is just something to prepare me for some… bad situations that will happen soon.”

Ruby floated right in front of my face. “Oh? You are already expecting some fun things to happen? Even if this ‘serious work’ shouldn’t have anything turned at us?”

“It depends if we avoid encountering some characters that are going to be wandering around the city right now.” I mused quietly, picking the stick mid-air much to her whining and placed her in the small backpack I had brought with me.

While a child could appear harmless, a possible elementary student was going to appear even more innocuous to the ‘guardians’ of this Fuyuki Town. And since I was still ‘fairly young’, I had no need of getting the uniform required by the school.

Rushing inside the town proper from one of the least frequented entrances, I was quick to take the shortest path that would have me taken to the abandoned building I had decided to set up the secret base.

I had taken into account the fact that a third of the Miyuverse’s Fuyuki had been vaporized during the penultimate Holy Grail War and that the place had to be abandoned on this side of the universe too.

I was granted relief by the fact the small warehouse was indeed unused and devoid of human presence. Making a quick patrol around to make sure I didn’t end up getting anyone following me at a certain point of my walk, I was swift in preparing workshop, a war room and a medical section that could house more than enough people in the group. With Ruby around, the job was less difficult that early planned and it did take me just four hours to prepare this HQ.

With a tired but satisfied smile, I ventured outside the building, knowing that I was now ready to return back home and ignore any of my silly worries. It was surreal that something terrible could happen now of all time-

Thud

Uh- What the-!!

I almost fell on my butt as I crashed onto someone, a feminine and youthful ‘eep’ surprising me as my eyes were quickly on the fallen child and… I froze in fear at the sight bestowed.

Her blonde hairs were tied in a ponytail with a bow that reminded much of bat ears. Her eyes were twitching in pain and closed, but soon I was granted a little glare from the little girl I just stumbled upon.

Erika Ainsworth, or Pandora, looked incredibly incensed by the sudden obstacle in her path.

“Y-You meanie!” She exclaimed, her little index pointing at me accusingly. “W-Why did you appear so suddenly a-and my Papa will-” The blonde paused, turning around as if expecting someone else but… there was no one behind her.

I paled the moment I heard footsteps behind me making the presence of someone unseen right nearby and… two adult hands were now squeezing at my shoulders. My eyes widened in dread as I heard him.

Darius smirked. “Who would have thought that you would have come out from your little hideout, Shinji-kun.” The faux Leader of the Ainsworth family mused quietly, his tone demanding answers to silent question.

I gulped nervously, but a tentative smile developed as the now-confused Erika stared both at me and at her ‘father’.

“I-I think I need Chris Hansen for this.” I admit I could have picked better words but… yeah, nervousness is a troublesome influence.

He lowered his head near mine and whispered right into my ear. “At least I don’t make use of worms to keep my family loyal.” His smug tone was slightly infuriating, yet the jab at Zouken was well-received.

That is, I needed to get out of that incredibly bad situation. I jinxed myself in the past, but never to the horrible crap I was currently dealing with.

I blamed the Nasuverse’s logic.

“Y-Yeah, you just need to be inside one of your children to keep control of everything.” I shot back calmly, my little safety now broken as his hands tightened on my back and starting to draw blood with his fingernails from my neck.

“Cheeky brat- GAH!” Before an escalation could have ensued, Ruby jumped out of my backpack and crashed painfully… between the man’s legs. Something cracked, he howled in pain and fury, and in that moment of chaos I pulled a smoke grenade from my backpack and prepared for the greatest run of my life.

With the bastard disabled for a while, I had less than a minute to rush away from the range of Authoritarian Personalism, the Noble Phantasm being what could possibly get me captured for real.

Just as I started to move through the smoke, my eyes catching quickly on a small opening towards a long alley that could get me away from public sight, I felt something crash onto me as a pair of short legs and arms wrapped around my body.

“I got you!” Erika squeaked in victory, her body being quite a hefty weight to consider as I was just… her age? Maybe her body was a little older than mine but… her interruption did little to stop me from rushing away from the spot I once was.

She squeaked as I started to move, surprise painted on her face as I easily managed to run with her non-negligible intervention. “W-Wha-Wait!” She begged loudly, but I was too focused on not being murdered by a surely-pissed wraith.

I saw the dark presence of Authoritarian Personalism finally snapping into action from Darius’ trembling body, but just as expected, the range being a step or two shy from getting me.

A minor relief in what was going to be a terrible chase through the city. Ruby was incredibly helpful as, despite being limited with her magical prowess, she could still remove the pins from the other smoke grenades before hauling them behind me, providing me some cover as I rushed towards the rift hovering by the forest outside the city.

It took some minutes to finally get through several corners just to confuse my pursuer and-

My worry tripled as I heard a sizzling sound and… I saw blades slamming strongly onto the ground nearby me. Angelica just found me, yay!

I wasn’t smiling, I was close to cry out at the scariest chase of my life. Zouken was something to be afraid of because of how volatile he was… but to deal with someone that casually used swords, lances, axes as long-range throwing ‘daggers’ while I continued to rush because my life depended on it, was more than a legitimate reason to be frightened to death.

The smoke was more than enough to hinder her aim and the presence of the still-screaming girl latched onto my body was more than enough to get her to try to not just pincushion my whole body.

I entered the forest and I started to feel the strain, plus Ruby mentioned something about running out of bombs, which was quite troublesome on itself-

I blinked as the portal was now wavering a little and then I remembered something good but also bad.

The rift itself was unstable and… could partially collapse if too much ‘matter’ moved through it. So, if too many people went through it, the tear was going to be… impassable.

It wouldn’t close up, the connection being too strong right now, but it would make it impossible for people to make use of it for possibly a week or two.

More than enough to prepare myself from a more-pissed, less-classy Darius/Julian going for a ‘stroll’ to try and get Miyu.

Without thinking twice, my legs increased the pacing as my hopefulness drowned my fatigue as I managed to jump through it and… crashed on the floor. I groaned, my eyes half-closed in pain as I felt my left arm hurting and-

“Owie!” Erika whined even though I was the one that took most of the brunt damage and-

…

…

Did I just forget about- No, I don’t want to believe. This, this is not happening- this is-

She blinked a few times and recovered from her brief ‘pain’, re-adjusting on my chest and smiling smugly.

“I caught you!” She declared proudly, something that made me frown in simple and utter… annoyance. The girl wasn’t that much heavy, but my body was kind of getting back from that mad run across town.

“I think the opposite is correct.” I stated flatly, the girl’s pose stilling as her eyes narrowed on my face and then… she stared back. The rift was now minuscule and nobody could pass through it. The blonde’s eyes went wide in realization and then she slowly returned to glance at me.

She blinked, I sighed and then she sniffled again, tears swelling up. “I-I won, right?”

I looked at her intensively and then… sighed. “Nope.”

Her crying and straddling was far worse than I thought it to be but…

Now things were truly going to go insane with the ‘essential’ element to Darius’ plan now deprived from him.

As I returned my attention back to the crying girl, I started to notice something I had failed to catch on at first.

While Little Pandora continued with her ‘tears’ of sadness, my sight caught some little twitches on her face. The little scowl turning upwards once or twice in a while as a sign of… relief.

The original lamb had just discovered that she had been freed from her ties to a dying world.

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AN

Before writing this chapter, I had gone to see if there had been any new chapters from the Prillya’s Manga and… there has been an update on November 1. The final battle is intensifying and I’m partly confused by Illya’s moments of being a Pseudo-Shirou.

Not the idiotic kind, more like the Hero-twist to her personality. Rather odd and… I hope KALMIA-sensei can pull through the hard-work. I can’t help but be excited for Season 4~!

 

Chapter 15: Futile Hope and Worm

Returning back to the castle proved to be a particularly-difficult task to accomplish with a struggling Erika Ainsworth latching and whining against my small body. She weighted as much as I was and yet I was having some difficulty with the sore legs and arms I had at the moment, the result of the previous mad-chase I had in the alternative Fuyuki.

Ruby could have done so much to help other than merely putting some rope to keep the little blonde from jumping off and try to hide away from me. I was far too tired to be dealing with that kind of issues and I sure was starting to feel the strain building up the more I ventured deep in the safe woods.

And while my body ached and silently groaned at the pressure I was putting onto it, my mind was rendered free from actually summarize what had just happened mere moments ago.

I had taken initiative in setting some forward base in the Miyuverse version of Fuyuki, fully aware that the real fight would have to happen in that place and not in this ‘stable’ universe. It was the Ainsworth Family’s turf and they would have fought bitterly to the very end for the sake of ‘saving the world’.

The world couldn’t be saved even if they pulled the wish. Why I was sure of it? It was Erika’s secret burden that had caused the mess that was known as ‘Degradation of Gaia’. Or at least the missed opportunity to activate it when it was needed back in the fading Age of Gods.

Pandora’s Box was a difficult Noble Phantasm to understand, Darius only mentioning and trying to use it as a ‘greater version’ to the standard Holy Grail, yet failing to mention a single thing. If the box had been opened back in the ‘canon’ time, then the world wouldn’t have needed any savings and, if he tried to do this now, the Degradation would have reached a higher pace compared to prior to the unorthodox pithos’ activation.

The Box itself was inspired by the (in)famous Greek legend that saw it as a container of the greatest sins bestowed to mankind and the hope to fight back such adversities and… It missed the fact that it had also resulted in an effective slow down of the first Deterioration, the original one that caused the end of the Age of Gods and the period of time known as an Age of Fairies.

With the Box left closed in the Miyuverse, the world experienced just a briefer Age of Fairies compared to the FSN version and that ended up causing a dangerous shift of natural laws as unchecked Magic started to devastate the world itself.

Natural disasters, changing climate and other horrible effects that cursed Earth to suffer for decades and… Erika decided to abide to Darius’ plan, that is why she ended up helping him set up the proper end of the world.

While the little girl whining against my chest might have seemed like a minor issue to deal with, I was currently holding one of the few strong beings that despised humanity as a whole after the tortured lifetime she had to survive until now.

She was a tool, she was born one and, even if she tried to appear normal, she would have never obtained that kind of peace. The guilty mind, the infuriated soul and the impotent body she was provided with could hardly give her satisfaction and… that was a constant for her to be hurt by everyone around her.

Even those that tried to ‘help’ her. She was aware of the truth of everything and I was afraid of how much she was aware about me. It was terrifying to know that this little girl was… this threatening and powerful if given the chance to fully manifest and that was why I had to return to the castle without any break along the way.

Luck was surprisingly on my side as I started to feel my legs close to give up at the burdened road, my eyes lit as I spotted Kid Gil waiting patiently for me. He was alone and… he looked annoyed.

He was staring at me, barely caring for Pandora as her blue eyes took notice of him and she started to yell at him too, his red orbs fixed silently onto my face. My frown was met with the appearance of his trusty chains, Enkidu wrapping comfortably around my body and the girl’s as we were both lift off from the arduous ground.

I opened my mouth, maybe to greet him or merely sigh, yet I closed it as soon as possible when I saw a brief flash of anger coming from his face. I blinked, keeping quiet as the boy turned around and started to walk towards the barely-visible castle in the distance, the small portals from which Enkidu originated moving with him and dragging us along.

It was an awkward moment, one that Erika’s sudden silence worsened up just a little. Her puffy eyes were recovering from some tears, her lips closed as she probably knew that lamenting her situation now wouldn’t have truly gotten a better chance of leaving compared to mere instances ago.

The walk proceeded uneventful and soon we entered inside the large fortified set of building. I spared just a glance by the entrance and it seemed that there was the entire group preparing for a ‘warm greeting’.

I gulped nervously as Gil barely spared a word even as we entered inside the castle and, moments later, he stopped right as we all joined him inside the closest living room. The part of Enkidu wrapped around me unfolded and I fell to the ground… painfully.

Not painful enough to have me needing some medical assistance, but enough to get my mind to fully realize that this wasn’t going to be a good situation for me.

Just as I stood up in a shaky manner, I found my cheek slapped by the tiny hand owned by Luvia, the blonde looking worried but also irritated by my reappearance with another child. Salter went in to pull my aching cheek with a sharp hold over it, causing me to groan in pain, the young woman looked annoyed if not hurt by my ‘unexpected walk’ and the danger I had gone through.

How was I aware that they knew ‘a little’ of what had gone through my first step in the Miyuverse? Gilgamesh’s reaction and the lack of warmth in continuing to stare me down with such a neutral tone.

The Alternative version of Artoria made way for Kuro and, instead of a punch or something along those lines, I found myself tackled on the floor by the tanned girl. Some tears started to fall to her partly-obscured face, her pink-toned hair hiding the puffy eyes from continuous crying.

I blinked as she crumpled, bringing her face incredibly close to mine. Eyes going wide open, I was finally given a full glimpse of the turmoil she was going through. It was a painful sight as I found it difficult to keep a straight stare at the disappointed and aching look she was giving me.

She knew that, Kuro was doing the worst thing I could have to endure about this very situation. Physical pain? I can tank it after so much torture. But emotional one? My mind was already fragmented as much as it was sane, and seeing how she had taken my solo mission…

I felt my throat hurting. I felt my eyes burning. This is unfair!

Just like lying to them was.

A traitorous thought pushed back, yet my intention was legitimately good as I wanted to reduce the chances of seeing them hurt… at the danger of having myself hurt by the threats lingering in that dimension.

For a moment, I could see Shirou’s point and… and that was hurting my heart too.

“D-Dummy...” She whispered dully, getting my eyes back on her face and… she pressed her lips on my hurting cheek. “M-My dummy.” She proclaimed frailly and softly, enough to get me easily sobered out from that intimate action.

It was innocent, it was meaningful as it dignified our ambiguous relationship and…

Why was it still hurting me?

I gulped again, this time my lips parting to say something. “S-Sorry,” An apology, a true one that-

“No,” She refused quietly. “Not like this.” The girl continued but… she stood away from the closeness and away from me. I stood quiet as I lied still for a moment, eyes going wide and hyperventilating for just a moment.

I glanced around me, trying to find anything, something that could get me to find hope for an apology but…

Nothing. Everyone was angry, everyone was infuriated by what I did a-and-

A giggle from Erika caused my attention to snap at her and instead of the childish blue eyes of hers, I was graced with a pair of malicious cold-sea orbs. A bitter smirk was displayed on her face and then she spoke.

This… this was Pandora. Why was she showing herself this early? Why would she-

“Little, little worm~,” She sang with an amused tone. “I wonder when you will snap and die.”

The blonde didn’t rhyme, there was no need to do that. The words struck a strange chord within my soul and…

And it started to spread.

Eyes going wide open in shock, I stared at the familiar dark and red lines spreading all along my body. Passing through the barely-used lanes of my crest-worm Circuits, hitting and warming those up with energy and dark desire.

I could remember the day I saw Sakura starting to cry for no apparent reason right as I helped her to bed after one of the sessions she had to endure with Zouken. She had looked so helpless and I felt so much weak towards the monster that was my ‘grandfather’.

My Worms wiggled eagerly as they fed upon the new energy, my sight going blurry for a moment as I felt my brain slowly being burned out by the sudden appearance of this corruption.

How- Why- WHEN?

But nothing replied back to me. Even in my mind I was alone to deal with such a horrible fate.

Everyone, those that I wanted to be friend to me- They were treated as tools. I could feel the old cackle keep me awake from that insane situation, I could see how Zouken had been right about me.

“In the end, you are still someone born out from my mind, Shinji. Something made to suffer, endure and become as empty and devoted to life and death as I am. You and I are… similar and the same even.”

Another cackle, another bout of pain ruptured from my Circuits and then-

THUD

Something blunt slammed on the back of my head, I felt the darkness draining away from my skin, from my circuits from my thoughts as I fell at the safe hold of someone familiar.

There was a simple lullaby that took me fully out from consciousness, the language being neither Japanese nor English.

It was in German. Die Lorelei.

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“The situation is as bad as I thought,” Ruby muttered darkly as she escorted the group back to the bedroom the boy had last used. “Jiji-baka might have said that there had been some foul influence conditioning the boy but… to this degree and extent? We are lucky that his body hasn’t deteriorated even more than it is right now.” The Kaleidostick finished with a simple sigh.

Luvia was uncertain of what was being said and sought more information with a quiet tone, ignoring the grim looks appearing in both Gilgamesh’s and Artoria’s faces at the dark news they had just received from the floating stick busy with helping the boy.

Kuro was silent as she put Shinji on the bed, her eyes staring attentively at his chest. It was rising and lowering to a proper pace, the little Matou’s breathing having grown stable and comfortable, hopefully like his rest was.

Shock, mortification and doubt struck her mind without mercy, part of her already calling the blame on herself. It was her reaction, or rather her planned attempt to scare Shinji off from his quirky attempts to get some solo action in dangerous situations, that had caused the horrible development she had witnessed as the closest being to the phenomenon.

Pollution, his Circuits had turned dark and red as to signify the corruption and the death of those.

His hair and eyes flashing the distinct Einzbern’s colors before returning to their normal coloration, the quick sight having been more than enough to left her stomach churning at the scene.

Justeaze had been silent at first, out of fascination and morbid curiosity instead of simple shock and surprise. To see this degree of pollution, even her Ancestor would have been baffled by the state the boy’s body was.

It was rotting to a worrying speed, enough to make her understand the insistence Shinji had pressed on getting a new body rather than trying to cure what he already had. It was devastated, damaged beyond recovery and even her Magus’ mindset failed to see it as a chance to learn something new.

It was beyond the scope of their comprehension, the extent of the corruption being something that couldn’t be studied even with the most modern or effective tools allowed by the current Age.

There was an expiration date on that body, Kuro thought nervously and worringly, one that Shinji had been aware until now… and had looked very unafraid of even now that he had been close to suffer some serious damage.

He had shown some distaste and minor anger at the time requested by Touko Aozaki, the woman having to deal with some other appointments before reaching out for Fuyuki, and he never once shown to be afraid at the deadly time pressing on his soul.

A ticking bomb that waited to explode on them, she childishly added with an inner sigh, the body needing for sure to be burned with powerful fire after the boy’s soul had been removed from it.

If it continued to rot and corrupt to the final bits of the few available Circuits, the chances of dealing with a worrisome undead creature would be fairly high. And that couldn’t be allowed for the sake of keeping the Magus Association out of the city for the time being.

Ruby was going through numerous tasks without a pause, analyzing vital signs and other details, mundane and not, regarding Shinji’s state. Reports after reports, his conditions were brought up with accurate words and enough detail to put even more concern in everyone’s minds.

Mostly normal, his Circuits suffering from the sudden exertion of energy and depletion. The Worms would have started gnawing in panic in this situation, yet the Mystic Code was keen to provide them with some of the energy she was allowed to pass to him, giving him some relief as his body started to recover from the phenomenon and-

How did it happen? Justeaze spearheaded with her usual dull tone as they both finally moved their attention away from the present and back to the recent past. It certainly didn’t happen without external cause.

While the Crest Worms were indeed a nasty specimen to deal with and have inside a body as young as the Matou’s, the pollution wasn’t related to their nature and reason to exist. Their purpose was the same as they were only living as replacement Circuits to the boy, none possessing anything that could spark the process and… he had been fine until a certain moment had struck.

In fact, from what Ruby was telling mid-activities, the reason behind her arrival had been mostly kept a secret to Shinji himself, the boy unaware that the Zelretch of his world was keeping a close watch over his ‘apprentices’ and that he had grown worried by how the boy had ‘changed’.

Something had caused him to develop this dangerous crescendo of pollution, but what ‘certain moment’ could have initiated this horrible situation?

Something that had happened recently, something that could have been caused by someone that wasn’t currently here in the castle as the boy was being treated.

None of the Emiya family, nor Miyu and her ‘sister’. Rin was excluded too as she had been the former master of this dimension’s Ruby and-

That left to only one possible candidate.

Sakura’s core was inhuman, simplified and dollified for the purpose of keeping her weakened and easy to manipulate. The plum-haired girl had been spending some time with her ‘brother’ during the little event happening just a day ago.

Innocent and seemingly harmless, the female Matou would have eluded her sight… if not for her connection to the Berserker Card and her rare biology compared to normal humans.

She was dangerous even when she meant no harm and she was responsible for Shinji’s current plight. Anger was bubbling nastily inside Kuro’s head, roaring and demanding for some retribution and yet her mind was fixed on the sleeping face of the boy.

The little Einzbern was still guilty of having struck at the tired and drained Shinji, to have brought him to this meltdown and… she had to fix things. She had to.

Eyes going slowly away from the Matou to the rest of the room, she was surprised to learn that it’s been three hours of silent contemplation. Three hours of watching over his slumber while making sure he was alright.

Luvia had fallen asleep on her chair, some droll starting to roll off from the edge of her lips as she frowned in her rest, aware of how uncomfortable was sleeping in that sturdy chair.

Gilgamesh’s calm eyes bore on Shinji, yet he seemed unwilling to share a look to her as he was the one that was truly devoting his full attention at the boy. There was no thinking, there was no guilt, there was only mindful staring from a concerned kid.

Artoria’s golden eyes were directed at the door, there was some uneasiness playing on her features and Kuro was certain that part of her truly wanted to look at Shinji but… she couldn’t bear it. It was something that had come from the original Saber, the fact that she can’t in her good heart look at a wounded comrade of hers.

The Einzbern sighed and… she stood up from her own chair as she silently made her way toward the door and-

“You shouldn’t go,” The younger version of the King of Heroes mused loudly enough to stop her on her tracks. “She is at fault, but you aren’t-”

“As if your clairvoyance helped you when a faker killed you, Gil,” The girl scoffed back with a cold tone, drawing an irritated look from the blond.

The boy looked angry at the comment, the sore defeat something that even her younger version was embarrassed of to some fair degree. Yet he didn’t jump to the bait, knowing better than fight in the same room where their common friend was resting from that horrible ordeal.

He was calm, but he didn’t deign her any other words as she walked out of the room and slowly went toward the entrance of the castle. Her clothes melted in Prana as her Archer dress materialized.

Her reserves were filled to the brim, enough to allow her for a precise and quick assassination in the proper style that only Counter-Guardian EMIYA could manage. She rushed through the cold breeze of the nightly time and quickly went for the roofs of the tall buildings making up the industrial district of Fuyuki.

There was silence, her breathing and her heartbeat keeping stable as she went ahead with a simple but effective plan. Her mind having its attention on keeping the specific pattern of her target highlighted compared to the innocent bystanders that could be around her.

She ventured deeper in the city, trying to find out where Sakura was and… the young woman wasn’t in the central quarter?

A confusing surprise, but one that gave reason for a scowl to form on her face as Kuro was forced to leave the safety of the height of the small skyscrapers and rush towards the ‘calmer’ blocks of the town.

She stopped just as the place where the girl was came into sight and… the Einzbern frowned at the scene.

Sakura was silent as she quietly pushed her feet to propel the small swing she had taken seat into. It was a small playground, slightly off from the nearby park where children would wander around during daylight.

Violet eyes were hard-pressed on the floor as the girl seemed to be… thinking? No, it felt more like she was having an inner conflict about something. There was some quiet struggle.

How odd, Kuro thought while she traced her bow and a Caladbolg II appeared on her free hand. Red lines broke the projected copy, rendering it in a Broken Phantasm. Her eyes narrowed in deep focus at the target as she readied the projectile.

Yet Kuro made a sole mistake.

Her breathing was deep, her eyes blinking just once, the wind having her sight clouded for a brief moment.

It was enough for Sakura to move out of the swing and drop her Card to the floor.

“Install,” She said with a feeble tone, almost passing unheard by her soon-to-be murderer.

Kuro didn’t wait any longer as the spiral-sword rushed out of the bow and flied right towards the transforming girl.

The arrow detonated during the spacial distortion that it was known to create, the cracking explosion shattering the quiet setting as the playground was bathed in fire and power.

And Sakura…

There was a growing giggle, from soft to loud, the mad Servant laughed at the damage caused by that simple attack. Her red visor turned with a craze-looking smile at the position the Einzbern was currently hiding in.

“I see you~!” The Berserker announced giddily, causing a scoff to leave the tanned girl’s lips as she jumped out and prepared Kanshou and Bakuya.

Both swords readied as she saw dark-armored Sakura bolting flashly from her previous position and right towards her. “Let’s play~!” The crazy Matou shrieked as her sword prepared to clash against her opponent.

A terrible development, Kuro mused darkly, but one that she could play around with some proper attention.

Her guard was ready as the older female swung in an attempt to cleave the Archer-class wielder down with a single hit. She ducked, letting her black scimitar return the attempt by clashing against the armored side. Hot sparks erupted from the hit, but there was no damage registered by the mad enemy.

How resilient is that thing?

“Overedge.” The command was immediately received by the simple swords as they updgraded to their feathery-like form as the fight finally began. The longsword slammed with immediate strength and no hesitation, while Kuro’s blades were deftly deflecting and hitting the giggling Berserker.

Finally, the armor started to crack at the following strike but as the first blood was drawn by the Einzbern, the tanned girl was taken by surprise as a knee drove painfully on her stomach.

The hit was non-negligible, sending her flying away from the immediate proximity of the stronger but crazier Servant. A groan left her lips as her back started to hurt, a lesser evil compared to the ache developing from her chest.

Blood flowing in a calm stream from the edge of her lips, Kuro knew that she had let that happen for greed. She had seen the opening and she had been baited in a terrible counterattack.

Unacceptable, she thought tiredly and her hold over the twin swords renewed as Sakura rushed for another close engagement.

The Einzbern jumped away, her bow forming again as she flung two quick Caladbolg III. The weaker version explosive Broken Phantasm had the mission of stalling the opponent just for a moment, enough for the Archer to think for a proper plan of action.

She blinked as she was forced to move away from a strike landing to the ground from the seemingly-rabid Berserker, the crazed look now starting to irritate her. Just a little.

This sure looked like to be the beginning of a difficult fight.

Maybe it was hope or maybe it was a prayer, but familiar words absently left her lips as she braced for the following assault. “I’m bone of my sword,” Kuro muttered, knowing already that the Card wouldn’t allow her access to the full extent of EMIYA’s Noble Phantasm, but rather she felt them as words of calm and focus.

A creed of Justice to keep herself standing before the worst nightmare.

But justice to whom? To the world? To Alaya?

No, she sighed before roaring a battlecry and resuming the melee.

In her mind his name burned brightly, a motivation worth more for a failure of a world.

Hopefully, once things were concluded, Shinji will be there to… bash her head and call her a dummy. His dummy.

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AN

I bet nobody saw this escalation. Well, I mean, I understand that it comes out from nowhere but… yep, things are happening even without the full presence of the Ainsworth.

It ain’t that difficult, it is just complicated to then evaluate how things are supposed to end and… next chapter will see a very complicated but desperate action from Shinji. You thought that the ‘Pollution’ was the worst that would happen to him? Prepare for some deep Magecraft poop coming soon!

 

Chapter 16: Degradation, Plight and Worm

My mind was aching, my brain was burning and my soul was suffering at what has just happened.

A white noise, a shallow shriek and then I was bestowed with sight.

It was pitch black, so dark that I thought I had been still blind and clueless over whatever was happening inside of me.

Then I blinked to the darkness surrounding me, uncertainty and uneasiness displayed by my body’s language, but then… I was granted a different setting, something a little more substantial compared to what I just woke up into.

The room was familiar, it was one that existed within the rotting mansion owned by the Matou Clan. I blinked again, silently grasping with my mind the entirety of the squalid place around me.

‘Magically’-working candles kept the illumination going, albeit dim and near-dead, for me to have a good sight over this… office. A particularly worn desk with papers and books, tomes and other literary pieces.

Several where the libraries behind the desk and its chair, numerous the decrepit leathers of the old books and the jars containing dark-colored substances.

For someone that was completely unknown to this room, this ominous place would have sent shivers and made them question their sanity at being there.

There were just too many red flags about the owner of this strange office, enough to warrant a quick run away from there before he could return to commit his usual rounds of heinous crimes.

Yet I didn’t run, nor I did contemplate hiding away at that prospect. I was just too lucid over the situation, aware that the predicament was far too surreal to be true.

I had a perfect remembrance of what had happened prior to my trip down my unconscious psyche and I was sure that no one was here to make my life a living hell-

“Brave words from scum like you,” A soft voice called out from behind the desk. “First you… deprive me of my rights and then you valiantly vouch for the horrors of my family.”

I blinked again, this time in shock as I found myself warped to the chair in front of the desk and my eyes were now directed at the origin of that comment.

A tired but disgusting smile was latched at his face, his blood red eyes were mirthfully fixed on my frame. His stark-white hair with diluted red tips, a black copy of my current clothes with their themes alternating a primary black and secondary crimson.

Cracks were now spreading all over his skins, blood and corruption the more evident in that display of horrible decay.

“What… are you?” I cautiously asked, my entire body was tense and ready to spring out of what looked to be an ambush playfully set by the corrupted version of Shinji Matou.

His smile widened and his eyelids dropped partially, then he answered.

“I’m… not you,” He commented so eagerly and giddily. “I’m the real owner of the body you have so gladly stolen from me.”

...I thought he- generally in SI-related stories, the previous host of the body taken shouldn’t be around to-

“Mess your plans?” He casually finished my thought. “Maybe even introduce obstacles and render your hopes and dream nigh-impossible to reach?” The boy wondered with glee and curiosity.

It was silence what he was bestowed as I was just too surprised about the scene.

I couldn’t even try to think about the situation. He was aware of my thoughts and that put me in the worst of the cases to face a child-version of Shinji Matou. The FSN version to booth.

Then the child tilted forward, his expression twitching to a serious mask that was more than enough to give an intimidating appearance to the overall being before me.

“I want my body back.”

The demand was clear, but my interest about considering that was non-existing.

“No,” I said back, expecting something of a tantrum or even worse from the childified version of the future ‘Master’ of Rider.

“A pity,” He replied smoothly. “It’s actually sad that I can’t impose myself too much, not with the ‘care’ provided by your pets.”

“They are not my-”

“They exist for the sake of giving you something to fend off in the harsh worlds ‘around us’,” Shinji interjected with a sigh. “You are just in denial about their true purpose, trying to not sound yourself as selfish as that fool of Emiya.”

I tensed up even more at the mentioning of the name and his grin returned once more.

“Oh right, I forgot to mention that I know everything from within your mind,” He declared happily. “I know of your plans, I know of the ‘routes’ that would end up with ‘Shinji’ dying one way or another, I know of the ‘protagonists’ and I know that you are trying to meddle against destiny for the sake of a filthy invader.”

I steeled my feature at that insult, realizing quickly that it was directed at Sakura. “She is not-”

“Consider her your sister as much as you wish, Bukharin, but you are not a Matou and so isn’t she,” His interjection was brutally-composed, a symphony that left a bitter note out for the witnesses to hear and understand. “You stole my body, albeit unwittingly, and now you wish to ‘make amend for my sins’? Are you perhaps demented or worse?”

“I-”

“BE QUIET!” His loud and demonic tone sent the room through a shake, the chair trembling in abstract fear as I stared at the monster now unfolding before me. “I didn’t do anything yet and here you are like many would that I can’t be saved.”

He cackled. “I’m unable to find redemption where my crimes were related to a dysfunctional family, yet the bitch that went close to end the world for the sake that she was abused just like I was is given a freebie from hell.”

I couldn’t reply and he capitalized on this. This wasn’t just… a good situation to be centered into.

“My only sin is being named as someone that will commit those deeds, things I as an individual have not committed and-”

“No.”

…There was silence, this time his eyes widening at my quirk quip and I sighed.

“Differently from Sakura, you are not condemned just because of what you are going to do,” I started to explain with a soft tone. “You can’t be redeemed from your nature, one born from the gruesome horror that is commonplace within the Matou family, something that I hadn’t experienced myself but… I consider to be your falling grace.”

Shinji blinked, he seemed impatient at my slow-paced wording. “Tell me then, Bukharin, what is it that condemned me to eternal damnation?!”

…

I looked at the desk, eyes showing little fear at the anger exuding from the query as I sighed and swung the metaphorical axe down.

“Your mother’s death.”

I wasn’t sure of what to expect the moment I concluded my reply. Maybe I would be subjected to the boy lashing out with what he could muster in that moment, maybe I would end up suffering a tantrum that would deeply condemn the very flaws my own character had and the lack of effort in some of the things I had to do to save her.

But he didn’t do anything, he merely stood still as his brain tried, failed and then continued the senseless search of a response to that painful stab in his own mind.

Many forgets that, despite the cruelty of the Matou, Shinji did have some solace in the form of his mother… until Zouken decided to kill her.

His father was so much deep in his own depression that Shinji’s self-worth shifted to depend on Zouken, beginning what would turn out to be a shit-show where the boy would hopelessly try to be considered worthy of the title of heir to the clan.

The arrival of Sakura, which could have helped to save him from the hideous path he ended up falling into if it had happened much earlier, only fueled a sense of faux rivalry with the younger girl, further enabling his unrestrained negative emotions and turning his step-sister in a mean to deal with frustration and stress.

It was in that moment that I truly realized what I was looking at.

This wasn’t just the soul of the young boy which body I was currently inhabiting. No, it was now far too gone for it to be the true host of Shinji Matou.

The unusual cracks on the skin, these were brand unique compared to his attempt to emulate Dark Sakura’s style, but dignified something far worse and… something I should have been conscious of.

The soul was once Shinji’s but it had deteriorated so much without a connection to the living world, it was slowly decomposing like a dead corpse and the resulting pollution was spreading into my very soul.

It was like Zouken, but instead of having some failsafe to keep the soul from free-falling into the process of the degradation, it was happily letting it happen.

It would be death, it would be rebirth in something terrifying as Wraiths were nothing to scoff at.

I stood up from my chair and started to walk away from that horrible desk, gone was my willingness to be in the proximity of the dangerous tumor spreading so quickly and without proper care.

“W-Where are you going?” I heard him call in shock. “W-We are not done yet!”

I ignored him, just like I should do with my own melancholic thoughts for the time being. The gravity of the situation far beyond my inner insecurities and I have to put aside my doubts for the sake of getting some treatment.

I stopped by the door-handle, glancing at the confused, angry, irritated and lost Shinji Matou. Or what was left of his original self as the fragment barely resembled him with how his personality now was.

He was afraid and he had the knowledge to hurt others.

“I’m leaving,” I finally stated with some conviction. “And I refuse your demands.”

He snarled as he tried to move out of the chair but… he was stuck there. His eyes widened as the more he tried to get away from it, the more the seat would pull his body within it.

There was true fear but I had the door already open. “You hope for salvation, when your inner desire is the damnation of others.”

I closed the door behind me without hesitation and I humbly accepted the blinding light as it came to me, coaxing me out of that feverish nightmare.

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Regret was a powerful word to describe the current mix of emotions desperately flooding her mind while she ducked away from a sharp slash from her enemy’s longsword.

Kuro was having some trouble with the still-cackling Berserker and, truth be told, she was starting to get angry at how annoying the noise had turned out to be after a full hour of hearing it.

Seriously, was it one of the cards’ ability to giggle dementedly for hours or was that something born out from the plum-haired Matou.

Questions, questions. Curious ones but she didn’t have the mind and time to truly focus away from the seemingly endless fight for her life.

A full hour, it was impressive how sheer determination, Card-boosted stamina and careful mana-usage could take her so far in this difficult brawl.

Part of her was astonished by how much good-thinking could help her, but part of her success was mostly granted by the brute-like mindset her opponent had developed several minutes in the battle.

Sakura could have gained a minor resilience to Mad Enchantment, but no human was truly capable to manage and avoid the cursing effects of the ability for too long and thus the tanned Einzbern was granted some minor advantage in the form of a mindless beast rather than a brutal butcherer.

The older girl’s strength had increased over time, but it was now easier for Kuro to telegraph her actions and avoid getting hit by her powerful hits thrown at the chibi-Archer.

The issue was that while the Berserker could go for more than an hour or two, Chloe was limited by her body and the need of mana to survive.

Her reserves had started to go below half of her usual capacity and that was starting to leave her in a concerned thought of dying if someone didn’t join her to help or if she didn’t escape the rabid Matou.

Time was proving to be her truest foe as she wouldn’t have minded having Shinji to actually help her right now.

Her arms and legs were sore, terribly so, and her back was aching at the constant dodging which required inhuman flexibility to pull properly, something that the Archer Card was giving her the chance to perform without further straining her body.

Explosive rounds were ineffective against the adaptive bitch, all versions of Caladbolg failing to get anymore damage on her armor.

The same was for Kanshou and Byakuya. The Over-Edged scimitars were unsuccessful in gaining more momentum out from the openings present in the animal-like stance adopted by Sakura.

Her chances of success were now close to none, the fight had proved to be a fatal mistake to begin and-

Crack

Air sucked out from her lungs, Kuro’s eyes widened at the sudden attack at her ribs. The kick had been far quicker than any of the previous attempts at landing damage on the shorter girl and the effects proved to be as devastating as she had expected.

Her bones ached all at once, her tongue tasted some strangely familiar substance- blood, the Einzbern realized as she was sent flying away from her still-energetic opponent.

Sakura seemed to be barely winded, looking more eager than anything at how long things have gone and… Kuro couldn’t get up.

The moment she landed on the floor, she rolled for some time and… the girl’s legs refused to properly obey with her needs, her arms failing to pushing her face off the floor as the Berserker approached towards the downed Einzbern with a slow pace.

It was cocky, it was pompous and it was easy to discern the predatorial instincts behind such a slow walk. It was domineering for the victor and humiliating for the loser of this challenge and she waited for the final blow to come.

Sakura lifted her longsword, the twisted smile still visible through her mask as she prepared to end the girl’s life.

Kuro was thinking several things at once as the blade started its descent, chiding herself for being this headstrong and arrogant over her masterful hold over the card, her foolish image of having the complete powers of EMIYA and the fact that she hadn’t prepared any backup for these kind of occasions.

She thought how she should have considered Gil’s disinterest in partaking with her plan as more than just a need to stay beside Shinji and more of a factual matter regarding their current inability to keep up with Sakura.

Artoria wouldn’t have any difficulty in matching and overwhelm the Berserker, the boy would have just some trouble with Lancelot’s Noble Phantasm and… Kuro wasn’t just enough to go in a fair-fight.

Not even an unfair one like the precedent one had allowed her some relief or minor victory, only a slow path to her self-created demise.

She sighed, too tired to beg and too annoyed to even consider talking with the mad girl, waiting for her mistakes to come down upon her and-

The sword stopped mid-arc as several magic beams slammed onto Sakura, breaking through her little armor and piercing through her skin.

A surprised shriek was the only thing leaving the Matou’s lips as she was then sent flying with a stronger beam of light.

Kuro’s sight was limited, but she suddenly saw a short figure descending from the sky, a hooded cloak covering his face and body. In his hand was a long staff with a large circular form in top of it and… he rushed towards her.

She didn’t need any further instructions to understand what was going on and, as Shinji crouched down to pass her the familiar cookies, she took a bite from one of those and then proceeded to devour the rest.

Her Mana reserves started to soar back to normality, her wounds slowly healing at the sudden intake of energy and then- the young Matou chopped at her head, causing her to yelp.

“You and I are going to have a really serious talk after this is over, you dummy” He promised with a tired tone. “But first… I will deal with family matters...”

Just as he said that, Sakura recoiled from the damage suffered and it wasn’t the best of scenes for sure.

Taking the brunt of the sudden magical attack, her entire armor was mostly shattered and ready to fall apart, giving to the two witnesses more of her pale skin now stained in crimson-red blood.

But the plum-haired girl didn’t seem to mind, rather her full attention was taken by the new arrival as she giggled with a more innocent tone. “Hello Oniichan~, are you here to play too~?”

Shinji sighed and glanced at her with a deadpan. “Sakura, it’s late, can’t we play later?”

The Berserker huffed and pouted, then she smiled and giggled. “Nope~-!” The girl said before rushing to attack her step-sibling, blade ready to draw some blood out of him.

Kuro tried to stand up and maybe help Shinji but… she soon realized that it wasn’t truly necessary.

Not at all.

The end of the staff slammed on the ground with vigor. “Atlas.”

A large distortion appeared right around Sakura’s surroundings, the Berserker stopped on her tracks by the unexpected trick as she tried to shake and break free from that stun-spell, the results being miser at first.

It was magic, the Einzbern remembered as Shinji had confirmed Caster to be Medea of Colchis, a witch from the Age of Gods, thus the effects were quite… interesting to see from a visual perspective.

It was flashy, way denser than normal magecraft in terms of Prana/Mana, but the results were indeed a level beyond any magecraft coming close to this specific spell.

But the boy was far from done, the girl realized as soon, he aimed his hand at Sakura’s… wrist.

“Aero.” The new spell was a wind-based one, damaging the hand of their mutual opponent that held her long-sword, forcing Sakura to drop it out of pain.

A loud clang signaled the weaponless state of the plum-haired Matou, further weakening her current state.

Shinji then proceeded to lift off to the air, turning briefly to Kuro to tell her something, a warning. “Move out of the way, dummy,” His tone was easy to perceive as still-annoyed by the current predicament, enough to make Kuro flinch briefly.

She still ended up obliging, her skin tensing at the sudden intensification of magic energy around the boy. Just as the older Matou looked ready to break free from the spell, the boy unleashed his attack with a longer incantation.

“Rain of Light: Machia Hecatia Graea!” Numerous seals developed mid-air all around Shinji, these directed at the struggling Berserker and then…

Things exploded in a blinding light, smoke erupting from the blast and causing the tanned Einzbern to cover her eyes and bring her arms up to protect her face.

Moments of uncertainty passed, worries lifting up as soon a particularly familiar noise caught her attention. It wasn’t pleasant, her guard tensing up as she summoned her dual scimitars at it.

It was her giggling.

It was soft and mixed with coughing as Sakura, now deprived of armor and visor, stared at the sky with a crazed look. Her lips were a little burst as more blood rolled out of her mouth.

Then the giggle became a full-fledged laugh, the one kind only a mad-woman would have and more than enough to prepare the Einzbern to capitalize the current damage inflicted.

“I-It didn’t work- IT DIDN’T WORK, ONIICHA-GAH!”

She was pushed forward, her eyes widening this time in utter shock and fear as… she looked back to find Shinji holding the now-plunged Rule Breaker on her back. He was smiling softly.

“I know that you are strong, sister,” The boy said quietly, removing the small dagger out of her body. “That is why this was just a distraction.”

The girl blinked in shock, mouth opening to speak again but… then she stumbled and fell forward.

With a calm but loud thud, Sakura Matou fell unconscious as the effects of the dagger started to work through her entire self.

The connection to the Ainsworth was severed, her connection to the card was severed and soon a blinding light coated her for a few moments, returning to her body her previous clothes.

In Shinji’s hands was now the Lancelot-Berserker Card. “And… that is done for,” He proclaimed calmly, the Caster Card then was uninstalled with Ruby appearing out of the… staff?

Was that how he had managed to keep up with the Card’s draining price? Maybe it was Ruby’s energy and-

Her curiosity was given little life as soon she found herself tensing with some embarrassment at the glance the boy was throwing at me, a shiver or two going down her spine.

“And now, I think I will have to rehearse the little chat we had back in the Castle,” He mentioned with a careless tone, starting to approach the now tense-still girl. “It was something like ‘Dummy’ and ‘my dummy’.”

He hummed quietly as he got close enough to stare at her full-blush, the smug look hardly helping with how much humiliating this situation was. She should have been happy to be classified like that and… yet the way he said it felt off. Something was off about it.

“I think your punishment should be a little more… articulated compared to what you did to me,” He nodded to himself. “Maybe a stroll around the city will help.”

...What? That didn’t sound that much difficult.

“Without Cards. Without Servants’ powers,” He continued giddily. “You know, a simple walk through Fuyuki.”

She blinked, before sporting a nervous look. “B-But what about Sakura?”

Shinji glanced back as they both stared at Ruby while the Mystic Stick opened a portal to the castle and yeeted Sakura in the unused bed of that room, entering it herself and then closing up.

“It’s not a problem,” He admitted with a calm hum. “Now, let’s go for-”

“My bones are sore.”

“Pity,” He sighed with a little smile. “It would seem like they will be sore for a while then.”

… “Shin-kun,” Kuro tried to reason in a nervous manner. “We can talk about punishments back home, I’m still tired and-”

“Too bad, Kuro-tan.” He interjected mirthfully. “I think I will go for a stroll myself and… you wouldn’t like for me to wander alone during nighttime in the city, wouldn’t you?”

There was a pause, the girl evaluating the ways and means of dodging that annoying and tiring task but, seeing the shit-eating grin on Shinji’s face, she now was sure that it was meant to be a penance walk rather than one to think about stuff.

She sighed and nodded, the boy taking the lead for the rest of the night as he safely lead her back to the castle, all while holding her hand and giving it some quick but comforting squeezes.

The tanned Einzbern was unsure of how she should remember that night. Either the night where she had almost died, the night where Shinji got some revenge out of whatever had happened with his fainting or… the night she finally made progress.

...Still, she had to admit that Kuro-tan had some giggly ring to it~.

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AN

You thought I would have skipped the update, but it was me, one day later!

Yep, I didn’t mean to skip updating yesterday but… I was kind of tired. I had been working with some side-projects and that got me tired to the point I couldn’t pull anything out of my brain about the update.

So that is why this update is now here for you all to enjoy…

And now I will have to write up the update for Golden Month.

Drat.

 

Chapter 17: Inception, Worm and Wormlet

A full day of relative quiet had gone by at the castle as we recovered from the quick-paced escalation we had faced in the last week.

The final day before Touko Aozaki reaches Fuyuki to finally provide with her services and give me some advice about the situations at hand.

She was experienced in neutering threats early on, so it was a sure matter of fact that the woman would know how to properly deal with the Wraith that was Darius Ainsworth.

Pandora had been carefully secured away from everyone’s sight, the girl still given the chance of enjoying some food during lunchtime and dinnertime. She was also given some pretty clothes and toys to try out and keep herself away from boredom itself.

The blonde was mostly harmless if kept at distance and away from her Box, her case being fairly complicated and surely going to require the direct intervention of some specialists from Clocktower; maybe some Enforcers if the Ainsworth managed to somehow fix the fragmented portal and invade this dimension.

With Sakura deprived of her Berserkalot Card and safely monitored in her new room, I was left to study the case I had been given and the little unexpected development I had now to face in the form of the furious plum-haired girl.

This version of my little sister was legitimately angry at what had just happened, after all Kuro had attacked her ‘without an apparent reason’ and that had surely sparked a furious outburst that lasted several hours.

She was so angry that she tried to refuse eating her share of lunch and dinner that were served by battle-trained Homunculi, only the threat of being force-fed managed to get through her stubborn resistance but other than that she was despondent to anything else.

Trying to dialogue this soon would surely fail and, truth be told, I was unsure of what I was supposed to say with her without getting shouted at for having ‘attacked her’ in an indirect way.

Rightfully so, I was also careful to chide the tanned Einzbern for going for that dangerous and life-threatening attempt on her own, the girl now forced to endure what I considered to be the best kind of punishment that someone like her could have to face.

At first Chloe was confused by my demands, almost eagerly jumping at the opportunity to don the purple-themed clothes that came from Germany, the ones that she had been meant to wear if things hadn’t changed much in this timeline; if she had remained one with Illya.

Giggling melodiously as she went to try the dress she was meant to have used in formal occurrences, the girl expected me to be dejected by her reactions but, much to her initial surprise, I was smugly smiling while Gilgamesh tried to hide a smile on his face.

Artoria looked surprised at my little request, but there was also a melancholic stare that I was quick to identify while the others were partially-distracted from it because of the tanned Einzbern’s amusement.

Saber did meet with Illya back in the castle in Germany in the FZ timeline and… maybe that was bringing up that kind of sadness attached to the specific nostalgia; Something I needed to help her with in the near future, this kind of feelings going to surely become a problem for her if I didn’t intervened soon.

Luvia was frowning at this, praising the clothes as something incredibly pretty and even going as far as to ask if it would have been possible to get a blue copy of it.

As I accepted her little request with a kind smile, Ko-Gil decided to answer for me and he wasn’t anyway near lenient as I would have been in this kind of cases.

Possibly because the blond was slightly at odds with the girl, especially after I had been reprimanding him for not stopping her when he could have back when he knew of her intentions.

He pleaded that it was because she would have still gone anyway and that any attempt at stopping her would have resulted in a stronger reaction, but I knew very well that it was a lie to mask up something I was already aware of.

The normal Kid Gil was a mirthful child that would let some ‘jokes’ pass by for the sake of creating an amusing situations, couple this comedic touch to the grittier taste from Angra Mainyu and… he was a very sadistic young boy.

My lecture got him quiet, surprisingly enough he didn’t deny the accusations I had thrown at him, further cementing that he was indeed in the wrong over the subject.

“You know that you are supposed to wear that even at school, right?” He asked with a cheeky tone. “That you can’t change to your regular uniform?”

The tanned Einzbern stopped with her happy twirling, stilling as her wide eyes snapped at me with some confusion before she stomped until she was standing in front of me. “What?!”

“I decided to send a message to the principal and Taiga to tell them that you were going to present yourself with some traditional German clothes because of some festivity happening right now,” I replied with wider smile, cautious to not spring the frowning girl. “They were elated that you were going to go at school with elegant clothes, Taiga even asking if she could make a special lesson in English about Germany and their traditions.”

Her frown deepened with some irritation and she stood quiet just for a brief moment as she thought about the proper reaction to give out to my smug expression.

“You are a jerk, Shinji,” She said with a small pout, eyes rolling. “I mean, if I was the one getting hurt you-”

“I would have tore apart whoever decided to attack you in a safer and non-life-threatening manner,” I chimed in with a sigh, my hands quickly reaching at her pouty cheeks and pulling a little, causing her to squirm in minor surprise and pain at the sudden torture. “I remind you that the punishment is for being dumb, not because you went against a possible treat, you dummy.”

For some reason, the moment the last two words left my lips the girl seemed to ease for an instant, a blush erupting on her features and causing her to back away from this little escalation.

“I-It wasn’t that bad-”

“You were almost drained out of mana, your body was close to collapse at the lack of energy and that is why you aren’t going to be the one escorting me today with your whole core recovering.”

Kuro pulled away from my hold with a huff, arms crossing in annoyance. “W-Well, at least I’m fabulous.”

She truly was, that adorable clothes truly brought out a regal cold beauty element out of her appearance and part of me contemplated if this punishment was influenced by the fact I had always wanted to see Kuro with FSN Illya clothes or not.

Diverting away from that digression, I shifted my attention back to Artoria and Luvia. “You are and… I hope you two are ready for today’s task.”

The two blondes nodded almost at the same time, the shorter female smiling happily at the Tyrant and… Artoria gave a nod back to the child, sporting a small smile of her own.

Kuro seemed ready to say something more about the matter but, before she could try and bring even a word out, our attention was taken away by the distinct noise of a car’s horn echoing through the walls of the fortress.

I snorted, Gil giving a bright smile as he took the lead out of the room as we all soon followed; Kuro looked confused as she took her school bag and walked up to where we were going and… she froze as we finally reached the entrance of the castle, her sight finding a distinctly familiar car and an even more familiar woman waving happily at her while holding a camera.

“Chloe-chan~! You look so pretty!” Irisviel von Einzbern giggled happily, the car having two extra passengers in the form of Illya and Miyu.

Both girls seemed surprised as well for this development, but when Kuro turned to glance at me… well, she found a knowing smile as I was well aware of this interesting visit as I was the one that asked the Einzbern matriarch if she could accompany the tanned girl to Homurahara for that morning.

The woman accepted without hesitation and now… she was here. And her pseudo-daughter was rightfully furious at me for this little deception.

A deadly glare ensued and she looked positively ready to jump on me. “W-Why!!”

I blinked and merely shrugged, but what followed was hardly-innocent as it might seems.

After all, I was more pissed than her.

“When I first found you, back before I had Sakura removed from your proximity, I thought that you were dead,” I finally admitted with a simple frown. “I felt my heart dying for that very moment, even though Ruby told me that your vitals were still stable, I felt at fault for pushing you to commit that difficult situation.”

Her eyes were wide open and she was kept quiet as I continued to speak, but still I decided to start walking towards the car, the girl following closely as we did have just a little amount of time before having her turn out late.

“I was so certain that I had been the cause for your pain, that I could have been capable of making sure that Sakura had been neutralized before this happened and...” I blinked, then nodded. “I’m not angry at you, I’m angry at how you took things in your hands without backup or support. This why you will experience this discomfort; a fraction of what I truly felt that day when I got you back to the castle.

There was silence, the girl was listening raptly at my words and appearing quite mortified at hearing my own plight at what had happened almost two days earlier.

Her shoulders were tense but she finally nodded at me. “I-I see.”

A little smile was painted on my face at that and, before she could turn and enter the car, I reached out her hand and stopped her. “Kuro.”

The girl turned slowly, a little surprise at this approach and feeling unsure about what I planned to do with her but…

I gestured her to lean closer, the girl frowning at the request but complying as I slowly went forward and… planted a quick peck on her cheek. A blush erupted almost immediately but I was quick to speak before she could ask why I did that.

“Do learn from this mistake, I know you can do and… do smile at school,” I said while nodding at her. “You really look fabulous.”

Face sporting a confused but energized expression, the Einzbern merely nodded before waving and entering the car with a small twitchy smile.

Before I could have the chance of moving away from the vehicle, I heard a familiar giggle as the pale-haired mother jumped in action and started to affectionately tease the poor girl, Illya and Miyu looking fairly surprised of my action themselves and deigning me a confused and inquisitive look.

I merely shrugged and snorted as I turned back to walk inside the castle followed by the rest of the group.

There was still much to do about what had happened between Sakura and Kuro and… now it was about time to check where my lovely sister had set her hideout.

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The first clue I decided to use to backtrack Sakura’s past steps was to go through her possible modus operandi upon entering this dimension.

As much as the girl was so soft-spoken and seemingly naive about the world, she was also incredibly cunning about the things she was accustomed with and… she was also capable of remembering where she had lived for years.

This was the first time I had ever gone this close to the grounds were once the Matou’s mansion existed, the ruins of the scorched building leaving a somewhat unsettling sensation at seeing these instead of the decaying part of town.

Gone was one of the symbols of ‘my childhood’, now a grand grave left for everyone to look from afar.

The place was deemed haunted by the neighborhood, the eerily ominous feeling reaching out to those that merely looked at the area, feeling a bitter taste reaching mouth as if bile building up from the stomach was tried to burst out.

And that was something that happened even to those that had been unaware of the happenings within the house prior to its destruction.

It was disorientating as a first experience, but I stepped up inside as I was used to much worse than this little frightening stare.

Luvia was attached to me, shivering a little as her whole body and mind was screaming fear at being in the proximity of this place and even someone as battle-hardened as Artoria seemed affected by being there, her whole self tensed up and her guard ready for any attack.

Not a positive sign for sure but… we had to check there before going elsewhere; Sakura had to have tried to control this place as a hideout, so maybe it was here?

What a difficult complication to deal with!

Just as we passed the ruined gates, I found myself mesmerized by the noisy silence that was evident from that destroyed mansion, the laughs of that disgusting old man still persisting even now that he was long deceased.

Seriously, was I walking on cursed grounds or what?

Before I could call off the visit at the visible lack of hints that could lead us to where Sakura might have taken refuge until two days ago, my attention was drawn by a detail I had not noticed at first.

While the manor had been horribly mauled by what could be considered Zouken’s last stand against Zelrecht, I couldn’t help but notice a particular section of the place that just was… confusing.

There were two small dirt-filled sections that were meant to be used to grow some flowers by the entrance, something that had to have been ruined by the flames just as it had happened to the building… but there were some growing flowers there.

While plants could have grown after the fire, the kind of flowers I was looking at were not among those that could have been conceived without an artificial touch bringing them here.

They looked healthy, domesticated and… well-cared for.

My sight heightened as I started to look around some more, dragging the visit for a little more than I had expected it to be as we slowly ventured to see the entire proximity of the destroyed house, my eyes keeping a wary look as I had a feeling that we weren’t alone in that specific time of the day.

Moments of restless calm passed, the agitation brewing inside my core was close to burst out as my nerves were quick to call out the mansion as a dangerous place to be wandering around without more precautions.

But the curiosity was here, my mind was yelling at me that it couldn’t be possible for anything dangerous to have settled here of all places and… then I saw them.

My chest tightened in sudden panic, my eyes going wide open in silent horror as I froze on spot at the shocking sight I was presented in what could be described as a ‘seemingly normal scene’ to be looking at.

I was dreaming, there was no way in hell that this could be a normal predicament. This has to be a nightmare!

Luvia was shocked too, but it was confusion more than anything dominating my brain right now and Artoria seemed ready to bring up Excalibur Morgan at the surreal picture presented to her.

I blinked as the plum-haired girl sighed happily, blissfully unaware of our presence as she continued to water some flowers.

She was wearing a simple white sundress and she seemed slimmer than she should look like.

Sakura Matou seemed to be having a quiet moment of delightful peace in that simple task of gardening, her mind completely devoted in tending at the flowers growing by the side of the mansion while a figure watched her silently go through this activity.

Sitting in the stone bench just a few meters away from the teen, the bald head of one Zouken Matou was enough to send me in a dreadful fit and… he slowly turned to look at our general direction.

I expected a disgusting smile, a devious idea at the opportunity presented by this careless wandering and-

I-I chewed too much, I was already trembling more than Luvia and the little blonde was having trouble keeping me from not falling on the ground and… the elder merely looked surprised if not confused by our presence.

Maybe he had been unprepared too? Maybe this was our chance to get out of there before things could turn even worse than-

“Sakura-chan,” He finally stated with a tired voice. “There are some… intruders.”

-now.

Gulping nervously, I braced myself as the young woman reacted at those words.

The warning was quickly heard by the girl, the teen jumping up in surprise and causing the small watering can to fall on the floor, spilling the entire content on the dirt beneath her shoes.

Sakura Matou looked shocked at seeing the three of us and her violet stare briefly lingering with the two blondes’ before she ended up glancing right at my eyes.

I saw surprise, confusion and… realization and mortification. It was a flurry of emotions that looked so genuine and so innocent.

Why, why was I subjected to this? Why was this happening to me?!

And while panic was consuming my already-damaged sanity, the scene continued to unfold and bring out some more uncertainty to what was currently going on here.

“I-I didn’t expect that you-” The girl tried to say, blinking before glancing at the old worm. “G-Grandfather, what is-”

“It would seem like your version was ultimately,” The founder of the Matou Clan stated, his darkened eyes boring dully at mine. “And this mysterious Matou decided to finally investigate about us.”

W-What? They expected this- why were they even-

At those words, the female Matou seemed to ease up and give me a kind smile; trying to get me to calm down as I was incredibly agitated by what was happening right now.

“W-Who are you two?” I bluntly demanded, my face the palest possible. “I-I know that Sakura is safe and that Zouken died years ago, so who are you two?!” I ended the question with a loud-pitched tone, regaining some bearing over my fear and starting to think about what I was supposed to do now.

Run, my brain screamed to run without giving a look back at the sight and… maybe torch this place.

This was an illusion, it should have been one and yet the two girls standing by me seemed to be seeing the same thing I was. That meant that… that, they were really there.

“I suppose that you aren’t truly that much aware of what is happening in this universe, not as much as Zelretch had intended you to be at least,” The old man said with a sigh, slowly standing up from the bench and carefully turning to look at us better. “Still, it’s interesting to see whom could have been my grandson if Byakuya hadn’t run away with his brother.”

I tensed up again and prepared to tell Salter to jump at the attack as dark mist started to cover the entire frame of the elder, the darkness lasting several moments and disappearing to reveal… someone much different than the decrepit old worm.

Gone was the close-to-death appearance, his entire appearance was… rejuvenated. He looked much younger, still old enough to appear as a grandfather and… he had hair.

It was styled similar to mine, the dark-violet tone of his hair had grayed down to a light gray but, instead of the same-color eyes I was greeted with a pair of red orbs.

It took me a moment to connect the word ‘Zelretch’ to the current change, my eyes widening once again as I took a step back from the man. “A Dead Apostle.”

Luvia gasped and stepped a little closer to me, while Artoria’s eyes narrowed at the smiling vampire as the elder started to clap his hands at me.

“Impressive, that is a correct statement, yes,” The man admitted happily, his eyes glowing powerfully and mirthfully. “So there is still some hope that you aren’t going to be a threat to us and… maybe we can discuss rather than fight with each other.”

“What is there to discuss with something worth killing on sight,” I snarled back at him. “That was the last step to shatter your own humanity-”

“H-He isn’t a horrible person,” Sakura piped in nervously, her eyes darting from her grandfather to me… and then back to Zolgen. “W-While the Association has warranted the full extermination of Dead Apostles, grandfather is now sane again and… and he stopped hurting me since Zelretch-sama made him sign that Geis-”

“WHAT?!” I shot back as my panic was overlapped by utter shock and confusion, my eyes then turning at the still-smiling bloodsucker. “What is she talking about?!”

Yet the man didn’t reply at first, his stare slowly dropped at… my lower face?

“You are bleeding from your nose,” He commented quietly, his index aiming right at the little string of blood slowly leaving from my left nostril; I blinked and my hand was quickly checking as… I was truly bleeding, self-shock at this discovery.

But the man was hardly done with me. “What is the current stage of your body? How much did the Crest Worms already consume your prana and-” He paused a moment, initially frowning before gracing me with a wide-eyed look. “How many do you have?! You barely have the Circuits to dignify this unnatural number and-”

“G-Grandfather!” Sakura interrupted with a stern look. “I understand the interest but… he isn’t a specimen.”

Zolgen blinked and slowly nodded at her chiding, bowing his head a little and-

What is going on with these two? Why was the man this submissive to her?!

It should be the opposite! Even in case of Geis, the man would have continued to be the hierarchical leader of the clan and-

I stopped for a moment, my thoughts intensifying in crystallizing a guess that was as surprising as terribly possible; A guess that explained why Zolgen was this much submitted to Sakura’s words and why he wasn’t making much of a fuss over it.

A traitorous thought, but a sure possibility considering what I could drawn from the little hints given and-

“S-Sakura,” The girl glanced back at me, eyes giving curiosity at being called. “Y-You are the head of the Matou Clan!”

There was silence and… the young woman slowly nodded, surprise evident in her features. “I-I am but- how do you know about this?”

Everyone was looking at me with a confused look, shocked by this wild guess of mine that was seemingly correct in the long term and…

Zolgen cackled.

It wasn’t the same pitch as his more repugnant version, rather it was something a little more elegant than else. It was a slight improvement than the coughfits-inducing laughs of my grandfather.

“Yes! I knew that Zelretch wouldn’t have told me about your brilliant mind and then show me someone lesser!” He chuckled, amusement dripping from his fanged smile as he leaned forward. “It’s a waste! To think that I would have wasted this goldmine of an heir for the sake of turning him a specimen is-”

“I wasn’t a specimen.” I interjected curtly, my dry comment seemingly plunging a metaphorical dagger right on the vampire’s heart. The man looked confused at my statement and I sighed before giving out the truth.

“This is punishment,” I said vehemently. “Punishment for interrupting ‘training’ sessions.”

Sakura gasped, eyes widening as she suddenly started to walk towards me, ignoring as Artoria summoned Excalibur Morgan and Luvia prepared to turn in Kaleid Sapphire-

But the plum-haired girl didn’t care as-

-She dropped to her knees and delivered a heartfelt close hug.​

“I-I’m s-sorry!” It was a prelude for thousands of apologies, sobs mixing between those and bringing me to a state of utter speechless.

My strength was forfeited as I felt my eyes watering up at the situation, the pressure immense and my core quivering tiredly as I returned the hug and placed my chin on her shoulder.

I started to say ‘sorry’ myself.

Sorry for being a bad big brother,

Sorry for not being there to protect her,

Sorry for not being strong enough to keep her safe,

Sorry for… for failing her so much.

And in that very moment, the world made by others was forfeited for the sake of family. This Sakura was the one that was granted a happy ending and… his heart steeled at the chance of doing the same with his own sister.

A bond formed by uncertainty but sureness, by chance but destiny, by desire and temperance.

The world rolled, but the two keep hugging.

-------------d-d-d-d------------d-d-d-d-------------d-d-d-d------------d-d-d-d------------d-d-d-d----

AN

So, I’ve discovered that there is a very minuscule section of the manga that does ‘partly’ address the Matou Situation. Sakura is a Matou and she is Shirou’s kohai… but she seems far happier compared than her other selves and there is no mention of Zouken.

The manga in question is Prillya 2wei Volume 1 Chapter 4.5, BTW. (It contains a Yamcha EE too, my God~!)

Next chapter will see Luvia-tan making discoveries about Shinji’s families from the most ‘trustworthy’ source over the matter.

And yes, I didn’t explain what is truly going on as of why Zouken is alive, a vampire and… Sakura is happy and the head of the family. Next chapter will bring an answer to that, I just wanted to show some emotional break before giving something logical and worth some reasoning.

QQ AN: We have reached the current pacing. The update schedule is an update every two weeks on Saturday.

 

Chapter 18: Vampire, Evil and Worm


Things were sure escalating beyond any of my previous expectations and that is saying a lot considering that the worst case scenario was Zouken still alive like a worse parasite than in the FSN timeline.


That couldn’t just be topped off this easily, especially not with how things were developing as of now.


We were led away from the ruins of this version of my home and right inside one of the newer numerous houses making up the Western-side of town.


It was a big place, I would say just ‘a little’ bigger than the Emiya’s household and it had to be immense for the two owners of this building.


I was granted a seat by one of the chairs available by the living room, Luvia taking another while Saber decided to stay standing for the time being, her golden eyes fixed on the old man that was Zolgen Makiri.


This modest house looked incredibly normal if I thought of the real owner of said building, a completely different place to the now-destroyed Matou Mansion.


Maybe it was the less gloomy look it had outside and inside, maybe it was the surprising lack of bugs crawling around and letting out disgusting little noises once or twice in a while.


Or maybe it was because Zouken didn’t look like a decaying puppet of flesh, his body having been completely purged of the entirety of the Crest Worms that made him capable of surviving for so long, all because of his new state within the world.


He was a Dead Apostle, there was no doubt about it especially with how sharp and real his little fangs were and how disgusting his presence felt to have around.


It wasn’t the same horrible sensation I was much accustomed to, but it was still enough to make him feel ‘wrong’ to even look at.


Sakura was fine, this happier and surprisingly worms-less version of my younger sister looking incredibly well-cared for and her curiously-different physique confirmed it.


Instead of having a fully-developed chest, her whole body had received some more attention and her frontal space was a little lesser than the girl I knew about.


There was no sign of mistreatment, nor there were sign of magical drain upon her body.


I was stomped by the vast twist of this situation, but I was far from even getting an answer from the grinning bastard sitting on the chair opposite to mine.


Sakura had gone by the kitchen, maybe to prepare something like some tea or coffee to deal with this tense situation but I wasn’t certainly going to wait that much to get some explanation about this development.


Why did this world’s Zelretch decide to do this? Why did he spare someone as terrible as the decaying old worm?


It was Zolgen to speak, amusement dripping as he began speaking.


“I see that you are impatient, Shinji,” He commented mirthfully, something that was slowly but surely grating at my nerves. “But I guess I should be a good grandfather and tell to my grandson about why things have gone this way and… why I’m more of an ally than a friend.”


“I’m sorry, but I’ve to say that I don’t find this amusing. Not at all.”


Saber tensed a little and Luvia’s nervousness was stark clear to everyone in that room.


The Dead Apostle was aware of it, the uneasiness only giving him a sense of control over the circumstance and I couldn’t just let him bask in this much power.


“But please, grandfather,” I interceded with a stronger tone. “Do explain us why you became a vampire from being a rotten body kept up by a handful of worms?”


He sighed, leaning back on the chair. “Impatient and rude. But I guess you are merely intrigued by this all,” He turned to glance at the young Edelfelt, the blonde averting her eyes away. “It all started a decade or so ago, when I was left with no heirs and… without much of a mean to avoid getting eliminated by my former mentor.”


I didn’t react to this attempt to get surprise out of me. This detail was well-known to me, both from my original knowledge and the fact Zouken had been so much elated, if not giddy, to punctually point out his apprenticeship with the Kaleidoscope.


But while I was aware of this information, Luvia wasn’t and her soft gasp as she connected the dots over this premise was enough to warrant a brief snort from the man.


“Indeed, Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg was my teacher for decades before me, Nagato Tohsaka and Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern decided to invest our lives in the conception of the Holy Grail War,” He quickly mentioned, drawing even more surprise from the blonde but… his attention no longer was onto her.


His red slitted eyes were fixed at me, narrowing out of curiosity and general interest over the limits of my current knowledge of the world’s affairs and matters.


“Do you know why the ‘big guy’ came to dismantle the Grail just twelve years ago, Shinji-kun?” He leaned forward, causing me to frown at me. “He never explained it to me as he was so close to kill me, so close to put an end to my existence; Do you know?”


I felt a wave of nervousness wash over my entire body and… I nodded.


“Third Holy Grail War, the Einzbern summoned Avenger-”


“A completely pathetic Servant,” The man interjected with a disinterested sigh, but then he stopped and blinked at my irritated expression. “Oh? Were you going to tell me something else? I’m sorry, the… boredom is a terrible beast to face, my boy.”


…You know, the Dumbledore’s treatment wasn’t certainly an upgrade compared to the creepy elderly figure he once was and I didn’t hesitate to let out an instantaneous flinch at the ugly parallel.


“Avenger wasn’t a Hero,” I continued curtly, unwilling to give him more about the matter.


He blinked at the sudden silence, his eyes narrowing with even more curiosity but… the Dead Apostle merely started to think about it.


Pondering about the little info I gave him, it wasn’t truly that difficult for him to discern the proper explanation about the curious dilemma as he was one of the creator of the system behind the Grail.


Actually, I was surprised at first that he was unaware of the corruption within the Greater Grail, but then I remembered that the geezer found about it only at the end of the Fourth Holy Grail War when the pollution spilled onto the city while he recovered some fragments of the damaged construct.


I tensed up as he snapped his fingers, a smile growing in his tired but lively face.


“The soul of Avenger, it couldn’t return to the Throne… since he is not a hero,” Zolgen answered to himself. “And his soul couldn’t be preserved as a lone entity, it dripped within the Grail’s system and- Oh my!”


He started to cackle at that point, making me shiver a little as… this was certainly a reminder of some unpleasant situations back in that horrible place that was home.


But before I could concede to a full-fledged trembling I felt a soft hand squeeze at my shoulder, I glanced to the side and noticed Artoria.


The Altered version of the King of Knights looked supportive while also throwing glares at the elder.


The Apostle ignored it all, still lost in his own discovery to mind the whole predicament happening in the real world.


It was moments after that he seemed to be brought back to reality, right as Sakura returned from the kitchen while holding a plate with some small white cups filled with steamy tea.


I was careful to not drink at first, letting the swordswoman by my side to test the drink from her own cup and… she nodded back at me and Luvia, the two of us calmly sipping from the still hot liquid.


“So, I’ve heard you two had been talking,” The young woman mentioned, glancing at the elder. “Can I inquire what was it all about?”


“Talking about why the old fool came and brought some change to my life,” He admitted quietly, almost submissively to the girl.


This behavior was odd to see unfolding before my eyes, especially since it was Zolgen Makiri we were talking about and… I blinked as the girl turned to look at me.


“Mh? That sounds quite interesting but, I guess this isn’t what Shinji-kun wishes to know about your state as a Dead Apostle and… my title as Head of the family,” She commented softly, smiling my way. “Isn’t that right, Shinji-kun?”


...I think I can say for sure that, if I hadn’t been related on a dimensional scale to this lovely individual, I would have probably have found myself having trouble speaking with her.


Not only she was polite and had some good grasp of her control over discussions, but she was also very kind and… nice to look at.


I blinked, feeling a slight blush on my cheeks as I nodded at her while I tried my best to not look at smug-looking bastard that was her grandfather.


“T-That would be the case, yes,” I replied quietly. “But from what Zolgen said, he was close to die to Zelretch so I can’t certainly imagine why would the Wizard Marshal not only spare him but also give him this ‘second chance’.”


The plum-haired Matou blinked in minor surprise. “Is that so?” She said while looking at the old man, now sighing nervously at that. “Well, then I can say his explanation was flawed at best.”


I frowned at that, Sakura returned her stare back at me.


“Grandfather was dying, but it was his previous state that was causing this quick path to death,” The girl explained calmly. “When Lord Zelretch came to investigate over the foul presence in Fuyuki while the rest of the men sent by the organization started the dismantlement of the Grail, he found grandfather and… forced him to accept a deal.”


“Twenty decades that I could spend for the last meaningful thing for my life’ and that is how I ended up doing so by grooming a proper new leader to this family, someone that has a chance to stand well against the Tohsakas and the Einzberns,” Zolgen proclaimed with a smile. “In exchange, I would have never invested myself in creating new Crest Worms or even rebuild the Grail.”


That sounds like an oddly uneven deal, why he seems so happy about it.


“I don’t want to offend Sakura-nee but… making her someone capable of beating both families wouldn’t be much of a difficult task,” I dryly pointed out, getting a confused look from both Matous from this dimension. “Considering that the only active cell of the Einzbern Clan is the castle here in Fuyuki and the heiress isn’t someone that wants to continue any feud, while also easily commenting over the childish manners of a certain big sister that has barely grown in the last few years, I can say without hesitation that there isn’t much of a great obstacle.”


“Are you referring to… Rin-neesan?” Sakura asked quietly, eyes widening in calm surprise as I nodded. “You mean that… she is infantile?”


“Quite,” I replied truthfully. “Especially since she has been forced to work for her rival to have some money to survive.”


…


“Y-You mean that, someone like Rin-neesan ended up… working for Luvia-san?” Before she could continue, Sakura turned to the young blonde. “O-Of course, I don’t mean any disrespect for-”


“I-It’s alright,” The little girl interrupted politely. “I understand that my older self can be… quite eccentric. And that it has to be quite horrible to work for your ‘enemy’.” Then the Edelfelt looked right at her with a confused look.


“Still, I don’t understand why they are against each other like that,” She continued to say. “I just can’t see why they would go ‘after’ Shirou-san.”


The young woman smiled and nodded. “I guess you aren’t much interested in Shirou-senpai and, while I would like to know more about whom got your attention, Luvia-san,” At the teasing note in that sentence, the young blonde blushed a little. “I think I can say for sure that it was all because of senpai’s dedication and honesty. Both traits are so strong that it’s quite difficult to not look at him as the ideal ‘knight in shining armor’.”


“A knight that also got your heart, I reckon, Sakura-chan,” Zolgen mused loudly enough, causing the girl to tense up and appear flustered at the mention.


“I-It’s just that he is a nice individual,” She tried to explain, her eyes locking onto my face. “It’s not that bad, isn’t it?”


I cracked a tiny smile and sighed. “He is a good guy for sure, but he is also dense over romantic attention. I’m sure you’ve seen him ignore hints easy to notice.”


“He can be a dummy,” Sakura giggled and nodded. “But he is a lovable one, that should be-”


“Unquestionable.” I concluded for her and then I switched back to a more serious expression. “But I would still ask about a few things I feel are… important.”


“Sure, do ask, Shinji-kun.” The plum-haired teen gave consent and I went ahead.


“Your Origin is still Imaginary Numbers, right?”


She nodded. “It still is, a choice that made most of the means of quickly attain the Matou Magecraft quite difficult to master,” Her voice turned a little tired, my mind bringing up the fact that learning Matou Magecraft without an affinity with any of the five great elements was something incredibly difficult to accomplish. “But I can still show my true talent by rediscovering new spells to expand the family’s grimoire.”


I nodded at that, but Zolgen jumped in the discussion that very moment.


“Don’t tell me that my other self had Sakura switch to one of the elements for affinity,” He groaned, facepalming the moment I slowly nodded at it. “The fool, it’s good for the family magecraft but since I had to turn to the old magic crest since the most recent one was destroyed with the worm it was contained within, I just ended up changing some of the traditions to adapt to the current present.”


I blinked with some silent surprise at the mentioning of the crest I knew about had been destroyed and… something was off about it all.


So I went with my next question. “Then how did Sakura ended up being adopted within the family… when there isn’t actually a family to begin with.”


The old man coughed, looking at the girl as the new Head of the family merely nodded at him, urging him to continue.


“Illusions,” He replied quickly. “With a clearer mind and my sanity mostly restored, it was easy to use illusions to make Tokiomi believe the family was doing well. Plus, he seemed almost ‘happy’ about ‘giving up her daughter to another family’.”


I flinched at that comment and Sakura sighed. “While it was a difficult time for my childhood, to be alone in this house with Zolgen… I’m now aware that it could have been much worse… since you are here as proof of it, Shinji-kun.”


Yep, that was something I didn’t want to hear… but considering the little thought over this possible horrible development for her life, I can say she had the right of giving a shoot back at me.


“One last question, I think this one is the most pressing one of them all,” I said carefully, gaining both Matous attention. “Why didn’t you… react to the other Sakura? The one that came from the other dimension?”


“You mean the Sakura that had the ability to make use of a Berserker Servant’s strengths and powers?” Zolgen asked jokingly. “I can be an experienced Magus, but that kind of threat was beyond our current abilities and… I advised to let hide from her as she took refuge in the ruins of the mansion.”


“My other self was prepared with a tent and several resources to survive for some time, we could only assume from her limited equipment that she wasn’t going to stay for too long and...” The girl paused. “You captured her, didn’t you?”


“I did,” I admitted with a tired nod. “One of my closest friends tried to face against her alone and almost got killed. I had to step in and have her capture.”


“An impressive feat, I wonder how did you manage to do that,” The old man mused quietly, but I decided to not answer to that.


Ruby was still in my backpack, the kaleidostick listening to everything but not bothering to screw things up by popping out in that very delicate moment.


So, I merely went with a simple distraction.


I hummed quietly before glancing back at Luvia and remembering a small detail I had forgotten about this curious predicament.


“By the way, Sakura-nee, were you aware that you are biologically related to Luvia-chan?” I asked quietly, drawing both girls’ stares at me while Zolgen nodded.


“Shinji is right, Sakura’s grandmother was one of the Edelfelt sisters, the one that was left behind in Fuyuki and then married to the Tohsaka family.” The elder confirmed, the two girls now staring at each other with a surprised look.


“So… that means Luvia-chan is my second cousin?”


A nod left me as Sakura smiled at the blonde. “Then I suppose it’s nice to meet you, cousin.”


Luvia blinked, a small smile appearing on her face as she nodded at the greeting.


“Likewise, cousin.”


-----------------d-d-d-d--------------d-d-d-d--------------d-d-d-d----------------d-d-d-d-----------d-d-d-d----


Back in the Einzbern Castle…


Sakura was clueless about her current whereabouts.


Her memories of the previous day had been quick to come to her aid to give a clear face to her captor, but much to her surprise she could barely get any clues over where she was currently being hold in.


The simple looking bedroom was spacious, the queen-sized bed being incredibly soft and comfy much to part of her interest over it.


But her attention wasn’t directed at her prison room, no matter how well-furnished and caring it looked like to be.


The bedroom was connected to a full-fledged bathroom with a large stone bathtub and other bits that much resembled an onsen than an actual bathroom and she was granted food and beverages in the form of snacks, bottles of water and of soda.


It wasn’t the brutal cell she had expected to be confined to, not as spartan as brutal as she could have expected her traitorous ‘fake otouto’ to put her in.


Anger was raging inside her mind, but it was just a simple emotion compared to the negative wave that she would have to control with the Berserker Card.


With the card having been taken away, she was just a simple girl jailed within an unknown place for no major reasons.


Or actually no logical sense to abruptly interrupt their long-lived truce.


Yet her musings were hardly yielding any hints over this sudden and sharp turn, why did the tanned girl that held the Archer card attack her without any major reason?


Why did she attack when Sakura was merely enjoying some free time alone and away from everyone?


It’s been so long since she had enjoyed some peace without having to deal with familiar faces that weren’t the people she knew about, so long since she had the chance of not getting hurt and abused by her former family and by the Ainsworth.


A pity that such a moment of peace was interrupted by the brat, her current irritation growing even more as she huffed from her little perch on the bed.


The girl had already gone for a long and relaxing bath already, the she had tried to get her fury under control by also drinking some water and eating two chocolate bars.


But nothing was working and her mind was starting to burn at how much she was thinking about this infuriating case and… the lack of any life outside this functional prison was draining.


She needed to talk to someone, to vent and maybe get some answers about her pressing questions.


Yet the Matou was there alone and left to drown her multiple foul screams onto the comfy pillows of that lovely bed.


How enraging, how aggravating!


But then, in the midst of her lengthy tantrum something did happen.


It wasn’t something expected, nor something that brought her much relief as her ears caught a feminine giggle coming right behind her.


Sakura turned around quickly, eyes wide open as she ended up catching the responsible for the amused noise.


Sitting by one of the chairs in front of the bed was… Erika?


The little blonde looked at her with a mirthful look, yet despite her similar appearances to Senpai’s little sister, her eyes were showing an unfamiliar and nerve-inducing glint.


She was staring at her with such an intensity and interest that a shiver or two went down her spine.


“Sa-ku-ra-nee~!” Erika exclaimed giddily and with a sing-song tone. “How are you?”


“E-Erika-chan? Why are you here and- were you captured too-”


“Shh!” The little girl suddenly shushed her quiet, the gesture getting the Matou to stop. “Not so loud and so annoying!”


The plum-haired young woman blinked in surprised at that domineering display, but she complied as the strange child continued.


“You know, it’s kind of interesting,” The little girl admitted with a curious tone. “I would have expected Shinji to end up becoming the second coming of Darius, maybe try to use me as a Grail like many did in the past but… maybe he’s afraid?”


… “W-What?”


“Oh right,” Erika hummed quietly as she seemed to return her attention to Sakura. “You aren’t aware of the little plot going on, you are still a Doll after all.”


She tensed at the mentioning of the term as she knew the blonde wasn’t meant to know about it and… then it struck her suddenly.


This ‘Erika’ was an impostor, someone that was making use of the lovely child’s appearance to enter in her mind and trick her with this crazy behavior.


“Wh-Who are you!?” Sakura finally rose up from the bed, trying to appear menacing. “I-I will not tell anything about sen-”


“Oh please, be quiet.”


It was instantaneous, the moment she tried to move out of the bed the girl was hit by a sudden wave of dark mist that pressed her on the comfy mattress.


The Matou whimpered as she felt the solid mass coat her entire body until she was unable to see anything.


But she could still hear and another giggle made her squirm against the stubborn hold of the shadow.


“Silly Sakura, failing to see something as obvious like an illusion conjured by ‘Julian-nii’, thinking that your senpai would steep so low for the sake of saving the world,” The blonde explained mirthfully. “There are Shirou Emiyas that would have done this, but your senpai? The one that wanted nothing more than save his younger sibling? This one was golden and you lost him the moment you tried to ‘heroically’ save him.”


Tears were forming in the girl’s face. “L-Liar! Like Shinji, you are lying! Senpai is-”


“Rotting in a prison cell back in the Ainsworth Castle,” Erika interjected with an irritated tone. “And I would like for you to be quiet, Sakura-nee. I need to think about what I can do with you?”


W-What?


“Should I turn you in a monster? Maybe push Shinji to become selfishly selfless and ask for a wish to be granted to save you?” The child sighed. “Nah, that would be too much and it wouldn’t draw much of a proper picture of his true nature.”


“I mean, he has to be egoistic from a certain point onward,” The little girl continued to ponder loudly. “There is no human that can survive without greed. Even his friends are greedy, about something intangible like love and… yet he is afraid.”


The darkness parted and Erika’s face appeared before her eyes. “Why?”


Sakura blinked. “What?”


The blonde’s smile returned. “When and where!” She giggled and shook her head. “But seriously, you’ve met him, you should know what makes him selfish?”


Confusion was still present in her mind, but the Matou gulped nervously and spoke.


“H-he cared about me-”


“He cares about you, silly girl,” The child interjected once again. “Of course he does, why didn’t he kill you if he didn’t now? Why are you granted so much liberty and freedom if he didn’t care about you?”


A legitimate query, but one that was easy to see as a ploy to get her comfortable for an eventual interrogation.


It was logical, she had seen the true ramifications of the plans, she knew what was needed to bring balance to their dying world and… it was all for the greater good.


And what Shinji truly wanted was, just like her real brother, to undermine senpai and his plan to save the world with his family-


Before she could conclude that thought, Sakura was once more obscured away from Erica while the girl sighed tiredly.


“I asked you a question and you didn’t answer it. You are a rude meanie, Sakura-nee,” The child angrily pointed out, ignoring any of the noises coming from beyond the mist.


There was some silence, only some loud humming and thinking sounds as the little girl continued to contemplate about the current situation, unsure how she was supposed to deal with the Doll.


And then, realization struck in an amusing and thrilling way.


“Why not tempt Shinji with one of his current problems?” She asked loudly once again, expecting no answer from anyone as she continued. “I could do something that could make it clear that I could solve one of his problems, that I can be used as a tool and… yes, I think I know what I will do to you, Sakura-nee!”


At first the words meant so little because of how cryptical they were, but then Sakura felt her entire body starting to get constricted by the shadows, her entire being captured by the mist as her screams were silenced and voided.


Another giggle. “Yes, that will do. If I can prove him that I can fix you, that I can make you alive again… he will have to consider, even for a moment of using my power. Yes, I wish for him to squirm and… you will do!”


But while this final rant was being exposed, Sakura’s mind was being rewritten or rather returned to a previous point of her past existence.


Gone was the former wielder of the Berserkalot card, gone was the pawn to the Ainsworth and gone was the Doll known as ‘Sakura Matou’.


The shy girl that was Sakura Matou, the lovely young woman that had so valiantly tried and failed to save her recently-proclaimed love for senpai and suffering from Assassin’s Noble Phantam, woke up in a peculiar room with a comfortable queen-sized bed.


The bedroom was spacious and it was connected to a large bathroom with a wonderful stone bath, it looked just like the room to wash before entering or leaving the real onsen!


Her awe increased when she was presented with the incredible amount of water and soda bottles, plus snacks between sweet and salty.


She smiled brightly and nodded, maybe senpai had taken her to safety and… maybe he had saved her.


Yes, it has to be it.


And without thinking about it much more, the plum-haired girl decided to rest and wait for Shirou to return.


Maybe they had finally left Fuyuki, maybe they were finally away from the Ainsworths!


What a lovely development!


-------------d-d-d-d-------------d-d-d-d-------------d-d-d-d-----------d-d-d-d-------------


AN


Yes, Pandora/Erika can do something like this, her Box granting her a full-fledged power that can be used for Wish-granting magecraft, just like a Holy Grail… but better and older.


Why is she doing this? She wants to prove Shinji wrong, despite the lack of proof behind such beliefs.


Lets see where madness will take us all then!

 

Chapter 19: Prerogative, Unexpected and (not) Worm


~Kuro’s POV~


After facing quite the embarrassing day at Homurahara because of her ‘lovely but antiquate dress’, Chloe von Einzbern was now firmly aware of the truest extent of Shinji’s style of passive vengeance.


Not only did the tanned girl have to deal with the overly-annoying girls trying to get photos of her ‘mature clothes’, but she also had to endure the comments coming from her counterparts.


Illya was the quietest, yet she would actively interact with Miyu’s queries over the curious dress and why Shinji had deemed it right to give it to Kuro.


“A-Ah, that is because… it was one of the classic clothes for the Einzbern family,” The red-eyed girl had replied nervously. “I remember Mama having some spares of this very clothes but for me… when I was younger.”


At this new detail, the Edelfelt’s eyes widened in surprise. “So you used to wear clothes like that?”


It was a question of pure curiosity, innocent and curt discretion but for some reason the pale Einzbern blushed at it, possibly thinking of the strangest of escalations that could be born out of that conversation.


“Y-Yes- I mean, it was tradition and-”


“Have you tried to wear it to see how would you look with it?” Miyu inquired even more, seemingly interested by the topic. “It looks pretty comfy.”


“M-Mama would surely issue a newer set by the local tailor but-”


“I’m already doing that, sweetie~!” Irisviel interrupted chirpily while her fingers swiftly wrote something by her cellphone, the woman standing beside an amused Taiga Fujimura.


“S-See- Wait, MAMA, what are you doing here?!”


Cue the ultimate issue that Kuro could have to face in this specific circumstance, the bane of her existence dignified in a kind and beautiful woman that was Illya’s mother and… her ‘relative’ to a fair extent.


‘It was part of the tradition,’ the woman had motivated without skipping a beat in pestering and giddily distract the living heck out of the trio of girls.


Yes, Miyu was surprisingly caught in the crossfire and rendered an interesting target considering her friendly relationship with Illya.


Which of course was beyond the normal friendship considering the blushes both would sport when the other appeared to be so ‘cute and adorable’.


It was like watching two black holes starting a paradox, it was a slow process but one that offered just some moments of relief away from dealing with the woman herself.


Irisviel decided to be merciless for this occasion, her phone steadily getting filled with numerous photos of ‘little Chloe’ in her plum-colored dress.


And the worst thing? She didn’t like the dress. Not at all.


While the tan girl had tried to appear unimpressed by the early decision of the young Matou to have her wear such an old piece of her family’s past, Kuro couldn’t certainly deny how uncomfortable it was to don it around.


While it did look ‘comfy’ from the outside, the fabric of the dress was incredibly itchy and quite distracting as she tried and failed to keep calm during a mere English lecture.


Even the quirky nature behind the teacher, Taiga sparing her class none of her excited self, failed to get her attention onto the lesson itself… which then prompted some words from Irisviel about her inattentive self.


“Chloe-chan, don’t doodle!” and other comments of the kind were quick to draw everyone’s looks on her already-difficult attempt to write down some notes over the lesson.


The humiliation was stinging, there was no doubt about it, but beyond the ‘acceptance of this punishment’, Kuro was also starting to feel the need to wack Shinji’s head for having got Irisviel to join her in this horrible day at school.


Kami, why are thou so cruel? And why is Shinji even crueler than thee?


But God failed to answer, something she was already aware about and… yet it didn’t change much about her current predicament.


Patience was the strong of the virtue, but so was the cunning of a scorned woman.


Something, eventually, will bring her the chance of returning the favor back to the Matou, his little payback starting to sound way too vindictive to be associated just with going against Berserker.


Sure, fighting a monstrous girl with immense stamina and a non-negligible regenerative power while having to already face the issues coming from a body that drained much faster than a normal one should was not something a sane individual should be even consider mostly because of the deadly nature of such development.


Still, that didn’t mean that the very predicament didn’t leave plenty of understanding about not engaging in these kinds of activities, at least those that could potentially see her killed, and urge her to be a little more collected over problems instead of trusting negative emotions.


So… why did the boy want this overly-excessive escalation to fall upon her if he was perfectly aware of her inner wisdom?


Maybe because you did something dumb despite having the incredible chance of making some smart decisions?


Her consciousness was mostly correct in proclaiming doubt about her ‘rightful indignation’, she was still at fault for having gone berserk against a… Berserker.


Truly not a smart thing considering the effectiveness of her abilities was achieved from long distances, as pointed out by the ‘Archer-Class’ Card that she used for those kind of fights.


...Maybe she should really think about this after this punishment was over.


But while her brain would logically pursue the ‘waiting tactic’, her current maelstrom of emotions weren’t so kind to not starting to list down any proper retaliation over this utter humiliation.


Recess was a little mercy from this maddening torture, or at least Kuro had seen it like that before Irisviel decided to spend much more time with her during this little pause from lessons.


The woman was all the kind of lovely and sweet, but the insistence and the pestering were starting to seriously grate at her already-limited patience.


One thing is being an over-bearing parent, another was doing it on purpose.


It was so blatant for Kuro to notice that and yet it was actually surprising how nobody else had failed to see this little act behind the smiles thrown around by the older Einzbern.


The class had been mostly empty, many of the students waiting by the corridors for the beginning of the next subject and both Illya and Miyu had decided to follow the examples of their friends at Homurahara, leaving just Irisviel and Kuro to chat privately.


“So, how are you doing with the festivity, sweetie?” The woman inquired with a hint of sarcasm, something that got a faux chuckle out of the girl.


“Haha, very funny,” The tanned Einzbern replied with a scowl. “Seriously, you could at least try to appear genuinely naive instead of-”


“And miss the cute little grumpy self you are right now?” She mirthfully interrupted with another question. “But if I have to be honest, I guess I just want to take proper part to this punishment.”


The girl blinked. “But why?”


“Why? Well, let’s just say that little Shinji-kun, being a smart and intelligent boy, decided to tell me a little more about your quarrel with the Berserker-card holder.”


...Did the room’s temperature lower or was this the prelude of something scary?


“I-Iris-”


“Nope~! You don’t have the prerogative for a plea, especially with the foolish decision to attack someone without much of a plan,” The woman replied calmly, seemingly unfazed by the worrying circumstance she was bringing up in that very discussion. “At least I know that Shinji-kun does keep a constant watch over you… even when he should have been resting his little episode out.”


“Did he tell you about-”


“The pollution? He was keen to know if Kiritsugu had ever faced something even similar to his case,” Irisviel continued, this time her posture relaxing in a somewhat serious look. “He mentioned that Touko Aozaki will be coming tomorrow, so I assume that he plans to do something about his body.”


Kuro merely nodded at this, rendering the plausible theory truth while she contemplated over the news.


Shinji had told her that he had been ‘consulting’ with some experts that could have given him some more insight over the problem, but to think that he would just ask for advice from Kiritsugu was… quite concerning.


Not because the two were not in a good relationship, but because the young Matou wouldn’t generally risk giving too much about himself out so… suddenly and without hesitation.


“And here is that worried look I was expecting to find at mentioning this issue.”


Chloe blinked in surprise when a giggle left Irisviel’s lips.


“What?”


“Back in the swimming pool, after we had our little discussion over Shinji, I felt like something was missing from the puzzle,” The woman kindly explained with a polite tone. “It just felt so odd for someone with a fierce and distrustful personality as yours to just… trust him more than… family.”


A blink, then two as she took a little breath about the matter.


It didn’t take too much thinking for the girl to understand the little pain coming from that situation.


And it wasn’t actually anyone’s fault but fate itself, there was no ‘family’ for Kuro.


As much as she tried to imagine a life with them, it wouldn’t just be the same.


Even though she was the original ‘Illya’, she had long been replaced by someone much more ‘normal’ and easy to adapt to their current lifestyle, it would have been just a big, fat lie to have ‘something’ happen because… she looks just like her.


And the worst part? Considering her current body, it would have been awkward to explain in a few years why their eighteen-year old tanned niece looked just like a young teen.


Touko could fix this, her problem wasn’t big enough to create any issues in producing a better-quality body to host her soul and the only cost would be losing the high-affinity with the Archer Card.


She would still use it, she would probably recover the mastery overtime, but the card wouldn’t have the same hold it has over her.


There wouldn’t be that persisting sense of inadequacy that was so well-ingrained in EMIYA’s perception of things, that inability to understand the big picture without also getting drained by the toll of his own actions.


She would stop feeling like a hopeless and purposeless scabbard, lying there without neither the original drive nor promised future to a simple red-haired fool.


“I suppose… Shinji is just more meaningful to me-”


“And he thinks the same if not more about you by the way he keeps you close while walking around,” Irisviel giggled quietly at that. “I suspect that you are aware of that already.”


Kuro-tan.


A smile squirmed on her face, a furious blush almost exploding at that very memory but she couldn’t just allow this to be seen.


It was her secret. For now, at least.


“I do.”


“Then I have to ask,” She then continued with a curious expression. “Do you think that you will follow him… back to his original dimension?”


...What?


For a brief moment, Kuro was brought before a question she had long tried to not think about.


What happens once everything is done here? What will Shinji do, will he take them with him or… be forced to leave them here?


Albeit Justeaze’s perspective of the Kaleidoscope was limited, the little she knew mostly about was that…


Large-scale alterations were forbidden to happen.


A stronger force than Alaya and Gaia existed within the lines of the macroverse, safely securing the stability for all those dimensions existing within its infinite space and time.


Zelretch had only mentioned about its existence, a creature of immeasurable power that defied even the standards of the Types.


So what would happen if Shinji and Luvia decided to take the entire group back to his universe?


Two scenarios were the highest possible, especially considering all elements about the matter itself:


1) The two can’t take them all and someone will have to be left behind, or worse everyone will have to be left back to avoid major repercussions for everyone alive;


2) Justeaze was unsure about the rules behind the Kaleidoscope, the uncertainty and lack of proof going as far as denying her a genuine depiction of the Second Magic, if the magic itself was an act of defiance against this unknown being or something that permitted an extensive maneuvering for the practitioners of such art.


The latter one was the one she hoped for it to be correct, being denied the chance of following Shinji was… worrisome. At least.


There was no doubt that he had given her a purpose- or better, a pleasant perception of life as someone that was as human as everyone.


She wasn’t a byproduct of some fragments of a girl’s mind and a Magecraft-born Servant Card. She wasn’t EMIYA, nor his darker self.


But she wasn’t Illyasviel von Einzbern and she wasn’t Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern.


She was Kuro and Chloe von Einzbern, she was a fourteen-years old girl that has to deal with a predicament far worse than the classic Magical Girl dilemma.


It was much worse, so worse that she couldn’t help but consider it impossible for someone like Illya or Miyu to survive in her circumstances, to live a half-life that was only sustainable because someone decided to care.


Would it have happened if Shinji and Luvia hadn’t been there to notice her? Would it have mattered to anyone the need to find a solution to her own problems?


Would have she mattered if someone hadn’t genuinely asked ‘Are you okay?’?


There wasn’t going to be an answer for this question. Not just for her own sanity, but for the safety of those blissfully unaware of her plight.


“I would follow him.”


“But what if there is no-”


“I would follow him,” Kuro repeated with a sterner tone. “If there is someone trying to block me from going forward, then I will have to make some harsh decisions over it.”


“Even if it’s your mother asking to?”


Another pause, this time her mind needed the opportunity to think how to answer to that terrible trap in front of her.


Was it fair? The world wasn’t and she had expected this to happen from the very moment that early question had popped up.


“Do you understand that the only thing that connect us is… my appearance?” Chloe replied with a mindful approach. “I’m not Illya and I refuse to be considered her anymore. Not because I hate her, but rather I know that it would be painful for the two of us.”


Amber eyes glanced at the saddened expression on the woman’s face. “You are her mother, she loves you a lot. You love her a lot but when you see me, you shouldn’t see her in me.”


“B-But I don’t,” The older Einzbern said quickly. “I consider you as Chloe, another daughter-”


“I think you are misunderstanding my words.”


Red eyes widened in surprise at that calm but cold interruption.


“W-What?”


“When I say ‘Illya’, I’m not just talking about the girl that is currently enjoying the fresh years of her teenage life,” Kuro continued with a polite voice. “I’m referring to Illya as a whole. From the beginning to now, from infancy to elementary school, from what I remember to now.”


… “Y-You mean that-”


“As much as it pains me and… I did contemplate about this a lot of time- I think it’s best to cut the toxic connection and just ignore Illya’s childhood as a mean to bond over.”


“B-But- Was it Shinji-”


“Don’t,” The tanned girl interrupted again, this time sighing tiredly. “Just… don’t bring him into this, as if he is guilty of giving me the time to think and… it wasn’t even just a little amount of time. He granted me until now and even beyond, there isn’t a limit to this chance to think about my own decisions.”


A sigh, then two, her breathing was slowly bringing her to hyperventilation, she didn’t need that.


Breath in, breath out.


“When I woke up, my two main emotions were anger and confusion,” Kuro admitted with a frown. “I was angry that my name felt so wrong, and I was confused as to why it did felt so foul to even label me as such. Why would I despise my origin? Why would I even feel wronged by that name and… the reason is that it was killing my novel existence.”


The girl tapped at the desk’s wooden texture. “I wasn’t born in November 20thj 1990, I was born in July 20thj 2004. My parents are not Kiritsugu Emiya and Irisviel von Einzbern, and my life is barely tied to the Emiya family only because of the card that makes me… me!”


“The Card?”


...Shinji didn’t tell her. Irisviel didn’t know about-


She sighed, preparing to give a proper talk this time.


“When you look at Shirou, what do you see?”


Her surprised look extended at that sudden question. “He- He is a normal young man. A little clumsy but-”


“He was not like this from where this Heroic Spirit that houses the card came from. He was a young orphan because a grand fire that destroyed a large section of Fuyuki ten years ago, his only parent was a dying Kiritsugu Emiya. He lived with PTSD and Survivor’s Guilt, he faced a Fifth Holy Grail War, winning it and trying his best to become a Hero of Justice,” She explained quickly and with little mentioning of the fling he had with Saber, the fact that Illya had been the Lesser Grail and… other messes about it all. “Do you want to know the name of the Hero?”


The older Einzbern didn’t reply, her eyes were already showing some suspicion over the possible name and… Kuro spoke again.


“His name is Counter-Guardian EMIYA, his former name is Shirou Emiya and… he died an empty man’s death.”


There was more silence, some legitimate quiet after the enunciation of those words and… Kuro stood up and started to walk away.


“W-Where are you going, Kuro-chan?”


The girl paused by the door, blinking for a moment before glancing back at the woman.


“I don’t want to be here, I think I have a small fever and… I don’t really want to deal with this unnecessary punishment.”


“B-But what about Shinji-”


“I will accept any other punishments from him if he think I need more,” The tanned Einzbern continued unfazed. “But for now I don’t have the willpower to deal with this shenanigans. Just not now.”


The door close silently, leaving a sad, confused and immensely drained Irisviel Einzbern to pick the pieces of her hopes to have a greater family.


Did she expect this to happen? She may have thought it a possibility… but she hadn’t been ready to deal with the onslaught it presented.


And now that it was all over… it was best to take a pause and understand what truly went wrong with this.


And why is the card so important for her daughter.


--------------d-d-d-d--------------d-d-d-d---------------d-d-d-d-------------d-d-d-d-----------d-d-d-d--


AN


Despite having planned to make it a longer chapter, I decided to stop myself from putting in another perspective for the sake of not ruining the little speech given by Kuro.


I know I’ve been throwing some mad 4-5k words’ chapters but I think this one will give the most by ‘standing alone’ instead of being part of a two-perspectives situation.


I think I put everything I personally consider saddening about Kuro. There was no genuine interest in helping her current conditions, heck the series try to pass it as something that could be just ignored but… that just is even more sad. Imagine the fact that, since her body isn’t a real one, she will never age. She will never grow up to genuinely represent a real girl like the ‘real Illya’ and she is forced to be in that family.


She loves them, dearly so, but that would only end up in pain. Yes, I think that the most tragic figure in Prillya isn’t Miyu, but Chloe.


P.S. Speaking of tragic figures, I’ve uploaded the first chapter of a rarity for JoJos story. A SI with Dio… starting by early Phantom Blood. Why is it a rarity? There is no SI about Dio… like really.


I will upload the link in the signature in the forums and you can find it in FF as ‘Absolute Divinity’, it has Chibi Young!Dio as main image.

 

Chapter 20: Cuddle, Pillows and two Worms


~Shinji’s POV~


When I returned from my unexpected visit with what was left of the Matou family in this universe, I had been quite eager to enjoy some relative quiet and peace from any other escalations ready to implode on my face.


At least those that I wasn’t aware of since the large majority of the issues lingering in the Prillyaverse were either away from happening here at this time and place, leaving me with plenty of time to either prepare or elaborate my next steps with my own individual plans.


Sadly, there is no peace in a world as this one, especially with the quirky characters I had been mingling with about the multiple problems that required proper attention and intervention.


When I returned at the castle, ready to go for a quiet nap over the ordeal I had just finished to deal with the Matou family, I wasn’t prepared to take in the little shock which I was granted right as a curious group of homunculi greeted me inside.


Artoria was a little tense, irritated by the unusual behavior of the doll-like maids, yet she wasn’t enough to truly feel threatened by this approach.


The reason behind such an odd development was… an even odder development.


I was given some papers, a thick stack of reports that had been compiled in the last two hours, almost since after I had left for my little visit at the former family mansion, and the content within it was more than enough to bring another rounds of headaches over it all.


And that’s why I was now lying on some comfy couch in one of the various living rooms of the fortress, left alone as I groaned and whined over the insanity that just ensued while I was away from the castle.


The first few pages of the big report were fairly normal, the data was a copy of the readings from the seals I had ordered to be placed in Sakura’s and Pandora’s rooms, to keep a constant inner watch about the happenings in both places.


I had these specific runes set up as a precautionary step and I actually hadn’t expected of having to make use of any of those for this curious circumstance.


I was glad to have been wrong about overestimating the issue at hand.


The ‘magical’ ink transcribed down by the special runes and then processed by the maids assigned to keep an eye for any unusual activity, giving them a close seat to two strange phenomena happening in the span of mere moments.


The first one was a dual distortion of the space-time starting from a certain blonde-haired girl that was supposedly unable of using her full magical potential, two trips had been registered, with the first beginning right from the blonde’s room and concluding into Sakura’s room while the final one was used to make a return back to her confinements.


Rather odd for a prisoner to avoid escaping their captor if they have the means to do so, especially if said individual was a pseudo demi-goddess with a troublesome affinity with the magic of old and a strong affiliation with a certain Magus family trying to create the ‘best’ world ruled by them… or the better men that they considered themselves to be.


I was confused, incredibly so by this lack of attempts from Pandora’s part to try and evade her captivity, yet I was quick to also remember a specific issue.


The girl didn’t want to die, that was what had stopped her from opening the box the first time around.


Fear had dictated her from opposing the completion of her main purpose, her original reason to be and… now she was here, without her creators’ iron-like rule and free from pursuing anything that she wanted to.


Sadly, freedom is not something that sat well with Pandora, especially since she wasn’t human to begin with.


Considering her a mere homunculus would be a serious mistake, especially since the pseudo-humanoids in question had a very limited lifespan attached to their creation, with only just some few types (the Einzbern maids being the prime example) capable of sustain themselves for longer times, even longer than human lives, with proper reparations and careful maintenance.


She was less than a proper human, but her main flaw was her lack of ‘general sense of life directions’.


Smart she might be and capable of creating immense anomalies with her top notch Magic Core, Pandora wasn’t provided with the means of conceiving complex independent thoughts.


She could go for a walk in the park one day, she could decide to eat ice cream during a sunny day, but she couldn’t exactly make grand plans on the go without the capacity of ‘dreaming and establishing a future for herself’.


It wasn’t her function, it wasn’t the reason that saw her created. Her purpose was to die to fuel that blasted cube of hers and cause the Earthly corruption and sins to reach all over the world and introduce a major shock effect against Gaia.


Which right now would seriously speed up the process of the destruction of Earth in the Miyuverse.


Really bad, but not terribly so since that world was meant to die anyway with how little time was left to it.


Yet this very detail about ‘Erika’ wasn’t something that I was just going to put away yet, especially since it added a curious clue over the second phenomenon she had caused.


The Einzbern Clan had registered just a handful of cases about transmutation and all of those were old depictions of the Age of Fairies that left them with some records over theories born from those recollections.


Nothing truly exhaustive, but it was still enough material to recognize the happening of a transmutation with some of the reports here and the object that was used for such a process was…


Sakura.


The girl was now normal and no longer a Doll. She didn’t have any Crest Worms, nothing that would confirm any residue of pollution within her body and the final proof was her Element.


My mind had to reboot when it was confirmed that her current Element was Hollow.


Imaginary Numbers, the definition it was commonly known as, was the original affinity of the plum-haired girl and her Magical Circuits, the original ones, were healthy and perfectly-working.


But the greatest mystery was her lack of memories over her current whereabouts.


One of the maids had ultimately gone and checked on the girl after a thorough distanced-test occurred and gave them the opportunity to study the case closely.


It would be a massive understatement to say that Sakura was confused and incredibly afraid when she was confronted by the maid sent to get some answers out from the ‘specimen’ in the room.


The plum-haired girl freaked out incredibly and legitimately as she hadn’t expected this situation to unfold, her mind seemingly stuck to a more easy-going nature compared to her previous encounters in this universe.


She didn’t have to lie her emotions for some mission ordained by her senpai and thus there was no reason to appear secretive.


And some answers had indeed come out from such a situation, some of those were quick to cement the actual suspect that…


Pandora had reversed Sakura to a state of humanity and liveliness that was way-beyond what the strongest Magus could ever hope to achieve.


It was an effort that was eagerly defying Gaia’s rules, it was… transcending mere magic as that level of transmutation, provided so effortlessly, couldn’t be achieved by any Magician.


Yep, I had a pseudo-deity in captivity and… her reasons to commit such a morally-good action had to have something that I was failing to see.


Something simple, something that had to be inherently bad for her to accept as a viable action.


But what could it be?


My brain was burning at the immensely complicated mystery I had to get solved before the blonde managed to do something even more messy and somewhat good for my plans.


I groaned, drowning my face even more onto the soft pillow I had been resting it onto.


Why were things being this incredibly complicated and crudely annoying even now that I had the upper hand?!


“Because the universe as a funny way to show its care over its children,” A familiar masculine voice mirthfully replied, causing my entire body to tense up and my face to slowly shift to look at the origin of the voice.


Gilgamesh smiled, the child version of the King of Heroes was currently crouching down near to my face and holding quite the amused posture as I frowned my tired eyes at him.


“Gil,” I greeted curtly, feeling far too irritated by the world itself to grant him with a frightened reaction to such a close up. “I hope you weren’t getting bored while we were away.”


Red eyes widened just a little and his smile deepened in a genuine curve of happiness.


“A little, but now you are back,” He admitted with a soft hum stuck in his throat. “The maids are fair to easy to prank and their reactions is lacking.”


The homunculus weren’t meant to show panic about some simple jokes and pranks, but I was mostly surprised that Gil would still try to get that kind of reaction despite the fact it wasn’t just possible.


I nodded. “I’m sorry if I don’t appear too susceptible to anything you are saying but… I’m facing quite the conundrum with-”


“The little puppet becoming a real girl?” The blond interjected with fake surprise, then his tone turned back to his previous amused state. “I suppose it had to have been a shocker that she is no longer an enemy to us.”


“She is a scared young woman that possibly think that was kidnapped by the Ainsworth and…” I paused a moment, slowly turning my body belly up to stare at the ceiling. “She thinks that her senpai is on his way to save her from our clutches.”


The boy nodded at my words and soon accepted the silent gesture to take a seat by the free space on the couch.


“Shirou Emiya… I don’t know what to truly say about him,” Gilgamesh commented with a certain fascination in his tone. “I’ve seen many variations, some in his youthful and more idealistic state, his feats reaching a legendary degree in this phase of his life, others where he is just that dull-edged watchdog that can’t even accept the unfairness of every single job.”


I blinked at that last bit.


“You aren’t much of a model individual yourself,” I mused softly, drawing a surprised look from his red eyes. “You overworked yourself to death-”


“Because in my last few days of mourning I found no reason to continue with that perfect life,” The blond replied with a hint of annoyance. “Imagine being bestowed with everything since my birth, to have the respect, either out of awe or fear, and being forced to find something meaningful in this life.”


There was some silence, my eyes still staring at the ceiling.


“It was Enkidu that brought you out of that loop, wasn’t he?” I asked quietly, my voice faltering a little as I felt like there was no need for answers after what he just said. Yet I found myself urged to ask him about it all.


“He was odd; so odd that even before his impertinence, I wasn’t able to do anything about him as he would so bluntly state his opinion over the world around me,” He narrated with a certain nostalgic voice. “He was annoying, but funnily enough I couldn’t bear to have him stop being that much troublesome. He was a pest, but one that challenged me with his own simple and strong mind and body.”


“He was your milestone,” I continued for him, feeling quite detached from the current issues for that very moment and right into this conversation. “Someone that would keep you on your toes and-”


“Then a sad excuse for a goddess took slight of being politely refused.”


I would have questioned him a little more over the ‘politeness’ in that fairly brutal response to Ishtar’s advances, but he seemed to be annoyed by the topic itself so I kept quiet just enough to come up with some other topics.


“Do you think that-”


“She would feel a little better to see a familiar face,” The blond-haired boy interjected blankly. “She might be displeased that it’s yours as she does assocites it to the pathetic scumbag that was her brother.”


I flinched at the murderous tone at the end of it and I nodded slowly.


“Still, she would be afraid of me, wouldn’t she?”


He shrugged. “What if she is? I think immediate fear gives people the chance of mustering some courage faster than letting them suffer a slower but more lenient fright.”


But would it be convenient for me to approach Sakura this early on, especially with how distressed she was?


I was quite sure that Gil wasn’t saying anything wrong by pointing out how it would eventually conclude in something more acceptable, the initial panic would be troublesome but not impossible to curb down to an easier level to try and get some conversation going with her.


Before I could say something more, I felt a pair of arms pressing on my legs and I stared down to see Gilgamesh slowly crawling over my chest and stopping to lie his head on there, red eyes carefully staring onto mine and… he smiled.


“I saw Chloe do something like this, to try and show affection in your regards and… is this how cuddles work?” His inquiry was somewhat stomping, my brain failing to register the scene until it was far too unraveled for me to avoid. I was embarrassed, enough to hesitate to give him an answer and ultimately I conceded a sigh.


“Something similar, but yes, this is the basis.”


He hummed, nuzzling closer and almost melting his body in that position, letting go of the last bits of tension he had over his arms and legs.


“It’s… similar to what Enkidu used to try to do after every spar, hugging and trying to tackle me down on the floor to nestle his head on my chest,” He muttered quietly, eyelids almost dropping and ready to succumb to the tiredness. “It was draining, but in the good way. It felt endearing and… warm. Like it’s now.”


He yawned, giving a final nuzzle before finally… snore.


It was soft, very unusual to see someone- him sleep so suddenly and without any major warning.


I was shocked by the scene, my brain scrambling to recover some sense or lucidity but… I really needed that nap.


I had been dealing with ordeals after ordeals, two hours of rest would make me better-prepared to face what was going to be quite the troublesome encounter with Sakura.


So I yawned myself, adjusting my head on the pillow as my descent to sleep began and concluded with my own snoring.


Silence reigned in that room for at least an hour…


Then a certain giggling Kaleidostick decided to finally leave her hideout, preparing her camera feature and- SNAP – take a picture of that high-level blackmail situation.


Maybe Kuro would reward her handsomely if she showed her those… maybe she would be eager to try out some of the magical girl clothes that she sadly couldn’t use on Shinji-sama.


-----------d-d-d-d-d-----------d-d-d-d-d--------------d-d-d-d-----------d-d-d-d-d----------d-d-d-d----


~Sakura’s POV~


In her mind, she was chiding herself for having failed to see the signs that things were far from good ever since waking up in this spacious room.


Sakura was a smart individual.


A little shy and reserved, but still capable of deducing simple issues from little clues that were so visible from her little fortress of pillows.


The bed had become her sanctuary after she had realized that this wasn’t part of Senpai’s plans.


Quite the opposite considering how expensive everything looked to be in that unknown place and her beliefs were further cemented when she was introduced to one of the servants working in this building.


The pale woman had some of the most unsettling red eyes the girl had ever seen, quite similar to the ominous sensation conceptualized by the form of her late grandfather during the little time she spent under his ‘mentorship’.


But it wasn’t malicious, nor it was sporting any positive emotion as it just offered some neutral coldness with the lack of expressions in her face.


The woman merely demanded some questions, her tone firm but not overly-commanding, and Sakura slowly but surely conceded to reply to the sudden interrogation she was subjected with.


There was no major reaction from this maid, the only noise coming from her being the scribbling of the pen she had on her hand over some papers, copying her verbal answers down on the documents.


Most of the queries were simple ones that were easy to answer, about her age, her height and other measures; then the questioning moved up right to topics related to her current state of being.


She felt healthy- She was healthy and that was quite a perplexing self-discovery as her body shouldn’t be feeling this much well-accustomed to the world as a whole.


While Zouken had died after the Ainsworth had decided to eradicate the Matou clan, the Crest Worms that had been there in her body had been ‘neutered’ of the chances of resurrect her grandfather, but they had been left there in her body both as a sadistic ‘punishment’ and as a mean to cripple her means to make use of her magecraft.


Yet now she felt an unfamiliar sense of vitality running in her limbs and torso, as if she was finally breathing cleanly and away from some poisonous gas around her.


It was liberating and somehow horrifying as it meant just a sole thing.


This wasn’t some hideout planned by her senpai, nor it was the Ainsworth’s castle…


This was a completely different place altogether!


And so she was completely clueless about whom had decided to capture her and confine her in this room.


She was still receiving some decent food and she couldn’t feel anything odd coming from the fruits she had requested from the surprisingly lenient maid.


Apples tasted much better now that her body wasn’t in constant agitation, yet her mind was still failing to accept the fact that this was a safe place just like the servant had admitted to her with quite the genuine reply.


This wasn’t a place of bad people, or at least not of cruel ones.


The room she was confined within was a ‘precaution’ from what the maid had continued to tell her and that her senpai ‘was actually alive but captured by the Ainsworth’.


The mere idea that her lover had been ultimately been kidnapped by the family was… worry-inducing but also infuriating.


Without the concerns required about the emotions that would drive the Crest Worms to react on her body, she was given a complete freedom over her emotions.


And with her emotions left unrestrained, she was able to finally explore the height of her overall anger.


The two pillow in her bed were shredded without second thoughts and, while the maids keep pouring more white pillows to replace the ones she was destroying, the more Sakura was eagerly letting the furious sensation of vindication pour in her veins and prompt her to shred more of the little things.


Feathers were now filling the floor of the room, painting the ground white as she was given the chance of letting go of so much inner frustration and contempt she held over her family and other individuals.


After a few hours of spending her energies in such a destructive activity, her tired body had finally decided that it was more than enough for now and she decided to take refuge under the warm covers of her bed, waiting for whatever next development was prepared for her to witness.


It didn’t take too long for the door of the room to open one last time, drawing her attention as this time it wasn’t one of the maids to enter the room.


Her focus shifted to a more panicked expression as she realized whom was now standing with an uneasy smile right by the door.


She couldn’t never forget her vicious older brother and his unique characteristics, Shinji Matou was here before her and…


He was far shorter than she remember him to be.


The young boy looked quite nervous and squirming under her own uneasy stare, lacking any of the cruelty and deviousness that the young man would display back a few days ago… before getting turned into a puppet.


She gulped, her throat tightening at the sight as horror forced her face to drain much of its color and…


He spoke.


“H-Hi,” He said while waving at her, some uncertainty noticeable in the action. “I know that this might look… bad since my face is surely bringing quite the fair share of unpleasant memories but...”


He sighed, his posture easing just a little.


“My name is Shinji Matou, I’m an apprentice to the Wizard Marshal, Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg and I’m in the middle of a mission to fix some bad situations involving yours and the one where your senpai’s little sister has been sent after the end of the Fifth Holy Grail War,” The boy explained with a more serious voice.


Her eyes widened at the mentioning of her senpai and… his sister!


“Y-You are talking about-”


“Miyu,” His interruption confirmed his truthfulness over this knowledge. “She is currently a ward of the Edelfelt family as Luviagelita Edelfelt has recently set her residence here in Fuyuki after her own Zelretch had asked her and her fellow apprentice to investigate the situation.”


There was a little pause, giving her plenty of time to properly sponge up his words in her brain and… her mind felt like some details just felt odd.


‘Her own Zelretch’? Wasn’t there just a single Wizard Marshal?


“There are currently three Zelretchs involved over the matter,” He continued with a nod, before shrugging a little. “Okay, maybe two since the one from your dimension had yet to speak with any of his counterparts and-”


“I- You are not from… here?”


He nodded with a patient smile on his face.


“That is indeed the case, but my presence here is caused by a little favor I’m trying to get out of that lazy vampire.”


She frowned at the strange comment about the supposedly-respectable elder, but for some reason she couldn’t exactly defend him.


Yet her attention was drawn to another, more important detail.


“A favor?”


Shinji Matou was still a materialistic individual and surely this good-version of his wasn’t actually truly that good with his intentions when-


“I want to destroy the holy grail from my original dimension before the Fourth Holy Grail War begins,” The boy replied with some determination. “From there, I will kill Zouken and free my little sister.”


…


What?


Her mind exploded with multiple opposing thoughts from that very heated proclamation, her brain almost melting at the weird circumstance unfolding before her eyes.


Three dimensions.


Her Senpai was alive but captured.


Her Senpai’s sister was alive and protected by a Magus family in this Fuyuki.


This Shinji Matou was actually good and-


This Shinji Matou was adorable-sized.


A giggle almost left her lips, the bout of insane thoughts finally starting to flow more regularly and making her efforts to keep those from becoming troublesome easier.


Sakura hummed at this, seriousness finally regaining some dominance in her trail of thoughts.


“Does this mean that… you are against the Ainsworth family, Shinji...-san?”


It felt odd to address her brother as such, but the usage of the usual honorifics just felt… wrong.


Tainted.


“Me and a large group, yes,” He answered happily. “Julian Ainsworth is trying to achieve the realization of a wish to ‘save’ humanity by proclaiming his family to some new gods and… he wish to use an artifact that… isn’t meant to do that.”


The explanation clicked somehow with her knowledge of the Holy Grail War, the magical construct used was something that caused the Great Fire of Fuyuki, erasing a little more than half of the city.


A terrible disaster and… it had all been prevented from reaching the full annihilation of the town only because of-


Miyu.


Was that why the Ainsworth had wanted her? Did the little girl have some sort of power that-


Her thought collapsed as she felt a slight sense of sickness making her a little nauseating.


At the mere sight of seeing her a little bit tired, Shinji looked incredibly concerned and proceeded to just take two steps closer to the bed. “Is everything alright?”


“My head is… spinning a little.”


She lowered herself deeper in her cover, resting the back of her head onto the… mattress.


Oh right, the pillows are all shredded.


A sigh left her mouth.


“I’m- I’m sorry,” The young woman apologized out of instincts, only getting a sigh from Shinji.


“You don’t have anything to apologize for,” The boy calmly stated, his soft gaze putting her at ease just for a little. “I suppose thinking too much about these topics might be getting you to remember some of the stuff you have forgotten.”


F-Forgotten?


She could clearly remember everything, from the little plan she had gotten prepared a few days ago to when she confessed her love to senpai and-


…


And then-


Her body tensed up in a seizure-like manner, but it didn’t convulse just yet.


“I-I-”


“S-Sakura, that’s enough- If you continue to think about the past you might hurt yourself too much and-” It was a blink of an eye, he was already by her side with his small hands grasping at her arm. “S-Stop, I will tell you- not now, your mind isn’t ready yet.”


But the girl was so close to completely faint under that pressure, the mystery driving her to think more about the strange lack of recollection about what happened after that kiss and-


“D-Don’t, please. I-I beg you.”


There was a moment of stillness, her mind regaining just some base control over her twitching body as her eyes fixed upon the distress within Shinji’s face.


It was so odd, so fascinating, so heart-crushing and-


And so familiar.


That pseudo-sob, that slight of fear that she had let out when her uncle Kariya had gone to fight the Ainsworth to save her, her mind already knowing that they were too strong to oppose and-


And how he became one of their emotionless dolls.


Her breathing was starting to stabilizing a little more, but her body and mind felt too tired to continue any conversation.


Eyelids half-dropping, Sakura gave a tiny smile. “I-I think I got- I got this.”


There was a pause, surprise surging from his face and soon he gave a nod back at her.


“O-Okay, do you need anything or-”


“I-I’m tired,” She interjected with some whiny tone. “A-And I don’t have a-”


“A pillow,” He nodded again, this time his attention turning to the door where a certain strange stick was poking its ‘head’ from.


“Ruby, can you please-”


“A super-fluffy and comfy pillow coming right up!” The strange object exclaimed, giggling afterwards while a strange light propelled from it and created a-


A pillow out of nothing, landing right into Shinji’s waiting hands.


The boy approached her closer as to put the pillow under her head and it was incredibly comfortable.


Her eyes widened just a little in awe at how… comfy it was.


Sakura let out a cute, little yawn, her eyelids dropping a little more as she nodded. “Thank you.”


He smiled. “You are welcome.”


The interaction concluded there, with her mind finally ceding to the growing weight of tiredness and she ultimately closed her eyes and she drifted away in her sleep.


Shinji’s smile widened a little more at the pretty sight and, while part of him would have wanted to accept Ruby’s offer to take a photo out of that scene, he decided against it.


He wanted this moment to be unique after all.


--------------d-d-d-d------------d-d-d-d-----------d-d-d-d-----------d-d-d-d------


AN


You know what would be absurd?


Shinji vs Dio- And I’m not talking about the original characters.


No, no, it would be hilarious to test the might of the protagonist of Crawl like a Warm against the Heaven-Holder from Absolute Divinity.


Can’t you feel the WRYYY in that crawling? What an odd sound!


(But yes, I did start a DIO!SI from Ep 1 of Phantom Blood, it’s the first Dio SI… ever!)