Shirou left the church alone that early evening. He left by the behest of Kirei and a simple advice.
"What do you wish for?"
If he was still the naive boy who entered this Church this afternoon, he would say he would wish to become a Hero of Justice.
But that small innocent dream of his was shattered.
To think he would find out Kiritsugu's past like this. How long did the old man hide this? How long was he lying to him?
Did he adopt him out of guilt? Some twisted guilt in his conscience after what he did?
Was he…
"You look lost, oni-chan?" Shirou jolted out his thoughts.
On the road, a small figure stood. A girl with purest white hair and a porcelain-like appearance. She looked like an expensive doll with her features, dressed in a blue expensive coat.
Why is she here? Kids like her shouldn't be wandering around in the dark.
Thoughts of Caster and the atrocities they committed come to mind.
"I'm not lost." Shirou forced a smile, but it looked more tired.
Something the girl noticed.
"You should go home. Kids shouldn't be wandering in the dark, it's dangerous out here. Your parents would be worried." Shirou warned her, walking towards her to help her.
"No need to be worried about me, Oni-chan." The girl giggled.
"Berserker will always protect me."
Shirou paused mid-step.
Berserker, that's one of the servant classes in the war!
Seeing him pause midstride, the girl's smile became malicious. Like a cat catching her prey.
"So you do know why I'm here."
"...Yes." Shirou replied, a sense of defeat in his tone.
"Are you not gonna summon your Servant, Oni-chan? It would be more satisfying for me to crush you both." She eagerly suggested.
Shirou sighs and smiles.
"And then what? Fight and kill you or be killed by you? I don't want that. I don't want Saber to kill you or fight to kill for myself. I-"
"I don't know what to do anymore." He said, looking up at the dark sky.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This surprised the girl.
Illyasviel von Einzbern came to Japan to participate in the Holy Grail War at the behest of Jubstacheit von Einzbern, current head of the Einzbern family. Her goal, to either claim the Holy Grail for the Einzbern's or die trying.
She's basically the sacrificial lamb of the 5th Holy Grail War and she knew it. But her participation in the war wasn't something she hadn't planned or expected. Rather, she was waiting for this very moment since that fateful day.
When her own parents abandoned her for the same war.
Her mother killed and father abandoned her for some kid he picked up, settling in this backwater country of all places.
She hated them.
She hated them both.
They promised to come back and return. To win and play with her more.
But they didn't.
They broke their promise.
She hated it. She hated them and she hated Kiritsugu Emiya even more.
So here she is, hunting for her missing father. Imagine her surprise to find out he died of illness years ago. Good riddance, she would say but it didn't give her the satisfaction of killing him herself.
As such, she's gonna kill his precious boy. The same boy he chose over her.
She laid her trap, waiting for him after he entered the church with the Tohsaka only to come out alone and looking rather listless.
She approached him intent on killing him. To destroy his servant and claim her prize. She's going to destroy Kiritsugu's legacy here and now.
But instead, she got this.
This is not Kiritsugu's legacy.
He doesn't want to fight when he should. He should be struggling, kicking and screaming to live. His servant should be here to defend him so that Berserker can crush them both.
Instead of a magi capable of Kiritsugu's legacy, all she got was this poor broken thing.
Why?
Why?
WHY???
She silently ordered Berserker to crush him but he too didn't move or make his appearance. She knows his towering form is behind the boy but he didn't act.
This boy was no threat.
He's broken.
"Tsk, are all you Japanese men this weak? You all disappoint me." She clicked her tongue, now in a bad mood.
She can't even have the satisfaction of killing him now. It would be less meaningful and a waste of mana.
"Or maybe it's just me." Shirou laughed. Finally, he opted to sit on the sidewalk. Doing what he constantly does whenever he has a lot in mind.
Watching the stars.
Just like what he and dad did.
Illya snorted at the weak response and decided to join him, but remained standing a few feet away from him.
"Why won't you fight?"
"I don't know? I just… don't know what to do?"
"And why is that?"
"...What would you do if you found out your life was built on lies?"
Illya didn't know how to respond to that and Shirou simply accepted her silence to continue.
"I just found out my life was a lie. My father, someone I look up and aspire to be, lied to me. He hid many things from me and I just found out. To make matters worse, he had a hand in who I am today."
"I existed as the consequences of his own actions." Shirou snorted.
"This man? He wasn't a good father wasn't he?" Illya asked.
Shirou snorted.
"He wasn't the ideal parent. He can't take care of himself or a child by himself. I basically took care of him in my childhood. I practically grew up raising myself." Shirou laughed, reminiscing about the past.
"Sounds like a shitty father." Illya commented.
"He is." Shirou agreed. He won't normally badmouth his old man but for this one time, he would allow it.
Not after everything he knew.
"Still, it doesn't answer why you would not fight. You'll die for sure and your servant will be unsatisfied."
"Saber?"
"Aren't you being too selfish, taking away your Servant's chance to have their own wish accomplished." Illya added.
In truth, she's merely riling him up to stand up and fight. That way, she would get the chance to crush her in a proper way and most satisfying way possible.
"...Saber…" Shirou thought.
He had just met the woman this morning and listened to what she had to say. He never got the chance to know her or what her stake was in the war.
Was he being too selfish?
"... you're right, I'm being selfish." Illya nodded in approval.
"I need to go home and talk to Saber." That wasn't in the plan.
"Hey! You can't just-"
"Would you like to come? I'll be cooking dinner by then. It's already evening and she's probably hungry by now." Shirou offered with a smile.
"Now just wait for a-" Illya is about to reject his offer and simply kidnap him then there until she remembered why he is like this.
Kiritsugu lied.
Lied to them both.
What more lies can he be hiding from them even from death.
"Well, I'll accept your offer this time, Master of Saber." Illya decided.
"Let me introduce myself, my name is Illyasviel von Einzbern, daughter of Kiritsugu Emiya and Irisviel von Einzbern. It's nice to meet you, Oni-chan."
"Huh?"
The flabbergasted expression he made made this wasted night worthwhile for Illya.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"You really scared me, you know."
"That was the point of an ambush."
"... You were really going to kill me back then?"
"I was then I took pity with how pathetic you are. It saved you this night alone."
"Hahaha, should I be thankful?"
"No but you better start taking your own advice."
"Now you're just scaring me."
"Is it working, Oni-chan?"
"It is."
Finally, Shirou returned home. That no good boy of hers. When did she go wrong in raising that boy to bring a strange foreign woman into his home?
Granted, Saber's a darling and responsible adult but still.
Oh, he's about to get it now.
"Shirou, you better explain you-"
Taiga paused, seeing Shirou standing at the entrance with a child.
A foreign child.
"SABER! CALL THE POLICE! SHIROU KIDNAPPED A CHILD!"
"TAIGA-NEE!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Back to the Church…
"Was it all true, Kirei?" Rin asked, not looking up to the man as she stared at the floor to hide the tears in her eyes.
For so long, she wondered why her Dad lost in the war. How was he killed in the war when he's the strongest Magus she has ever known.
To think it was all bad luck, he just had to face one of the deadliest enforcers of the Mage Association.
A Magus Killer.
Kiritsugu Emiya killed her father.
"I don't know. All I know is that Tokiomi died at the end of the war when he and Kiritsugu were the last participants." Kirei answered her.
This only added to the boiling rage and lost Rin is feeling right now.
Unbeknownst to her, if she just simply looks up. She would see the twisted smile and malicious intent Kirei is sporting.
The man himself is ecstatic.
Once again, he orchestrated another event in this war. If he's lucky, he could watch the tragedy unfold.
That boy gave him the biggest gift in this war.
To see him slowly break apart on his own false image of Kiritsugu was exhilarating. And now, he would be the instrument of Rin's descent to for revenge. He knows she is reluctant to kill the boy due to his connection to the Matou girl.
But now, a clash between sisters would be inevitable.
Oh how he wished Assassin was still around but Lancer will just do.
Emiya, Rin, Matou, Einzbern, Caster, Assassin, Lancer.
The board is all set.
Let the 5th Holy Grail War begin.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Meanwhile deep within the Church...
A golden Archer stirred from his nap. Not because he waking up, no. It's because he felt something.
Something he haven't felt since the Age of Gods.
Pure Divinity.
A Divine Being has left the Church above him a while ago.
What kind of games are the God's playing this time around?
The very thought of being one of those horrid beings pawn makes his blood boil.
He, Gilgamesh, King of Heroes, will never be a pawn to them.
Not Again.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Author's notes:
Shirou lost a potential ally but got a little sister (maybe?)
How would Sakura react with Rin gunning for Shirou's dick!? (Rin's gonna cut it)
Will Archer have an orgasm for getting the chance to kill Shirou freely?
Will Shirou be arrested for being a lolicon?
Find out next time by giving me your stones!