"You're just the most adorable thing, ever!" Taiga squealed in delight, holding and squeezing Illya in her arms like one of those life size dolls. Except this doll is actively trying to beat up said woman.
"Let me go, you wretch! Peasant! Commoner!" Illya hissed, kicking her legs wildly in futility as her own arms were very much useless against this woman's strength. Curse her stupid small body and this woman.
"Your sister's cute, Shirou." To add insult to injury, Saber also joined in giving Illya some love albeit much less aggressive than Taiga with small head pats.
If it weren't for the rules of secrecy, Illya would have murdered this woman here and there. Unfortunately, she's a guest and as a noble, she has to act fitting to her own pedigree.
But this woman is testing her limits.
Illya promised herself she'll get back on these two.
In the kitchen, Shirou can only nervously laugh at Illya's predicament. Currently, the redhead is cooking a feast for his guest on Taiga-nee's orders. It's not every day they get to meet Kiritsugu's family and past acquaintances.
Somehow, Saber managed to trick Taiga when the woman herself discovered Saber. Thanks to her quick thinking and curiosity around the house, Saber managed to come up with a wild story about being an employer of Kiritsugu in the past who had helped her and her family. She came to employ him again but found out he was dead.
As for her clothes? She just likes to dress extravagantly while traveling.
Another wild excuse she made up upon her stay in Shirou's residence is her luggage being lost and losing her personal items by some vagrants on the road. She had already called her folks by home and was just waiting for a phone call back home.
Being helpful she is, Taiga offered Saber some of her clothes. As such, Saber is currently wearing the teacher's clothes which cling to the woman rather tightly due to her figure.
More than once Shirou had to avert his eyes from her hips wrapped in tight jeans and her abdomen peeking at the smaller t-shirt. Turns out, Saber has bigger guns than Taiga, go figure.
As for Illya, she just simply introduced herself as Kiritsugu's daughter from his late wife.
"I know that Kiritsugu was married but I didn't know he had such a very cute kid." Taiga gushed, rubbing her face against Illya's soft cheeks.
Illya made sure to give Shirou a pointed glare as he tried to cover up his mirth at the scene. Her glare would be very much intimidating if it weren't for Saber head patting the girl.
Going back to his work, Shirou let his mind get lost in cooking. Whatever doubts and turmoil he had, he has to ignore them for now. He had three, no-four mouths to feed. Looking at the three, he can't help but feel happy.
This is normal.
Not a hint of what dirty secret or hidden danger lurking beneath the surface.
If only it's true.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Don't steal my share, woman!" Illya cried out, awkwardly wielding her chopsticks to pry off the stolen beef from Taiga's grasp.
"Ho ho ho, getting-hic! Used to chopsticks aren't we?" Taiga hiccuped between words.
She's already drunk. Having Saber as a fellow adult (she probably is?). Taiga found a drinking partner in her. Unfortunately for said woman, Saber has far better tolerance than Taiga.
"Taiga-san, come here." Saber thankfully assisted the drunken woman, pulling her back and placing her head into her cleavage as pillows.
"Hehehehe." Taiga giggled drunkly, enjoying the sensation of her new soft pillows.
Even though she was just shouting how unfair it was to be born as a Japanese woman a minute ago.
"This woman raised you?" Illya jabbed at Taiga's direction, who is currently trying to molest Saber's curves. Said servant casually fended her off half-heartedly, the sight making Shirou turn red and a little uncomfortable.
"Yeah but it's mostly me taking care of her and Kiritsugu." He instead opted to answer Illya.
"Huh?" Illya wondered.
Looking at the house, he really can't see her father staying in one. Being raised in a castle, she's more comfortable behind sturdy walls and well defended corridors, not this paper house. But…
She can see the appeal to such poor quality housing.
It's warm, far warmer than Einzbern's Castle back home.
This is where my father lived in his dying days.
"What was he like… before he died?" Shirou was startled about the sudden question. Looking at the girl, he found her gazing at the food in front of her with a forlorn expression.
Shirou smiled.
It didn't hurt to tell her.
So for the entire night, he told her everything about Kiritsugu.
From the day he took him in, to the day he went to sleep peacefully and died.
Illya listened through the entirety of it.
All the while ignoring the rambunctious tiger trying to play with the lion.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Here, I'm sorry it took so long but with Taiga inside I can't give you food until she's asleep." Shirou apologized as he stared at the massive figure sitting at the porch.
Berserker.
Huge is an understatement to describe the man. He was colossal in size and made of pure muscles. Darkened skin and a wild mane, he truly embodied his namesake as a Berserker in appearance alone.
But Shirou wasn't scared.
He saw it.
This servant cared for Illya.
And it's only right he would care for this guest.
As such, he made sure to set aside a portion (a considerate amount of it) for the servant. Saber didn't eat as much as Taiga, who has a large appetite. Illya only ate her fill. This left a large spread of dishes to be offered to the huge servant.
"Hope you would like it." Shirou offered.
What he didn't expect is for the servant to pat his head. A grunt escaped his lips, a low rumble of appreciation before picking up a dish.
"Well then, Goodnight Berserker."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That boy will do good to his Master.
Since his summoning, he had always worried for his master. Contrary to her appearance and age, Illya is very much a child.
A woman stuck in a child's body, whose mentality stagnated to a child. She always tried to portray herself as a mature girl but he always sees the slips and cracks in her facade. A mask she developed to protect herself in the cruel home she was left behind.
On that day he was summoned, he vowed to make his master's revenge come true.
To kill her father.
That endeavor turned out to be a disappointment. The man himself died years ago, his tombstone displayed on a graveyard they just visited upon the first day of their arrival to this country.
His master, driven by nothing but vengeance, has her chance snuffed out immediately. Deep inside, he was glad. The path of vengeance isn't something she should tread lightly.
But then she discovered a son.
Her dark desire was passed on the poor boy. He didn't like killing the innocent, it reminded him of his sin. But he would follow his master's desire no matter how dirty it is.
So when she found out he was a master of the war, I was relieved. Relieved and disgusted with myself, relieved that his death won't be in vain and disgusted at the notion of his death.
The sins of the father shouldn't burden their children.
And yet here they are. Two children, meeting in the most dire circumstances by the sins of their father.
He was ready to kill him. To simply crush his feeble body in his bare hands, it would be a fast and clean death.
Except, he saw the boy.
He was just like his sister, lost.
Lost in the same sense, burdened by their own father's past actions.
So he stayed his hand despite his master's orders. Deep down, he can feel her hesitations.
Because in the end, they are both the same.
Two children lied to by their own parents, abandoned and left behind to bear the sins of the past.
So he was glad. Content to see both of them set aside the war and be children. Know each other, learn their past and be together for a while as siblings despite their differences.
That boy will do good for his master.
He'll make her grow.
But he was worried about him.
He can see something building up deep with the boy's core.
It's altering him deep within.
He doesn't know what alterations it would be but he knows the results of what he will become.
That boy is slowly turning into a divine being.
Curse the Gods and their folly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sneaking out the night after everyone's asleep was easy.
Shirou was too naive to invite her to sleep in after the night got too late. Doesn't he know that letting an enemy magus wander around his own home is the height of foolishness? Makes her question Kiritsugu's sanity even further.
Even his own servant, Saber is just as careless as her master. She went to sleep with that insufferable woman. Good grief, that woman cannot be seen as an adult and she was so glad that the servant kept her entertained till that woman fell asleep.
For now, she's free to roam around the house while everyone's asleep.
The first thing she did was to find Shirou's workshop. Any magus with their own worth will have their own workshop to hide and perfect their own Magecraft.
Except Shirou doesn't have one except for a simple shed full of junk.
It's not even a proper workshop!
It's stupid for her to expect something else from that foolish brother of hers.
This leaves one area to investigate.
Kiritsugu's old room.
She already noticed the wards and protection wrapped around the said room and made it her last destination. The wards themselves aren't special, they're just recognition wards that let the owner know who enters and with him dead, it's useless. It was all harmless. The other protection meanwhile is rather strange.
It recognizes bloodline, more specifically.
It's keyed to his bloodline.
By passing it was easy as she's the true blood child of Kiritsugu.
The room was bare save for a shrine. Incense and his photo was enshrined. She had half a mind to blow it up but she's a guest here, proper decorum as lady should be kept and undignified temper would be unsightly.
But what drew her attention is the rune wards on the wall. It's the bloodline recognition wards that recognized her. The wall was actually a door to a cabinet, this house is really confusing for her. The door had been unlocked upon recognizing her blood.
Opening it up, she was greeted by dust and darkness. A single strand of hair later, she had a small light source to see the suitcases covered in cobwebs and dust.
Kiritsugu's personal belongings.
Picking one up, they all have the same blood locking rune. Opening one up easily, she was greeted by the sight of metal pieces.
She recognized them.
Kiritsugu's guns.
All of them. They're all here, hidden and kept safe from Shirou with his wards. Illya can't help but scoff. Of course he would get this from his own son.
Then she noticed something more.
Papers, passports, and contracts.
She read them all and slowly, everything made sense.
A sense of clarity dissolved the heavy clouds beneath her as the truth laid bare in front of her.
Kiritsugu tried to get her. All this paper trail was his travel log, he travelled again and again back home to return to her.
But he most likely failed, she didn't get to meet him.
He pulled every single connection and favors he had to get her with all the contracts he took.
He didn't give up on her.
Tears dotted the papers. That night, she cried silently beneath her father's shrine.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Saber."
"Shirou?"
By chance, Shirou met Saber on the balcony after a bathroom break. Clad in bathrobes, the blonde foreign woman looked ethereal beneath the moonlight, taking his breath away.
But he isn't here to admire her, but to talk.
"Saber… What is your wish?"
"What is your stake in this Holy Grail War?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author's notes:
Illya finally found closure (maybe). I really don't get how she got over Kiritsugu abandoning her in the three fate routes.
Also I was curious where the Contender (Kiritsugu's best gun) was and found out it was just hidden in the Emiya residence in Prisma Illya so it's safe to say Kiritsugu kept it hidden and safe.
Berserker
Hercules is probably one of the most sane Berserker's out there. Yeah, he is hulk out with little conversation skills but more than once did he show intelligence and empathy in the three routes.
Fate: Commended Shirou and Saber for killing him with Caliburn
UBW: He went all out to save Illya but failed.
Heaven's Feel: Tried his best against Salted before being blackened.
Also, Berserker is one of the strongest Demi-Gods so he would be able to sense Shirou's alteration. To him, he would be like a fledgling Demigod like the Argonauts or a newborn God.
The next chapter will be a turning point to this Shirou.
This Shirou will not have access to Unlimited Blade Works!
He will be different.
Bonus:
Here are some images on the 5th Grail War Roster as Kamihime.