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It took about a month for Khun to really believe he’d been given a physical body. He didn’t sit around for that month of course- there were papers to forge and apartments to rent- jobs to acquire. He had to let Kotomine and Tohsaka out of the White Heavenly Mirror, which by pure luck wasn’t corrupted by the grail mud.

And he had to make plans to rescue one Matou Sakura.

Of course, Archer, whom Khun decided at some point was going to be called Gil, was entirely unhelpful on all fronts. He had even seemed scandalized at the idea of getting an actual job as opposed to declaring himself king.

By the end of that month, Kotomine had slunk back to his father at the church, Tohsaka was grieving the loss of his wife with Rin and avoiding both Gil and Khun, and Khun had managed to become employed at the same local bookshop as Waver Velvet.

“How are you still around?” Waver hissed at him while they both waited behind the register for the next customer.

Khun shrugged. “Not sure, but I do know mud does wonders for the skin.”

Waver leveled him with a glare.

“Honest. Besides, I don’t think this is the appropriate place to be discussing this. Grab a coffee with me after work?” He made sure the last sentence was louder. They weren’t being suspicious. Just making plans for after work.

In addition to his glare, Waver was now glowing a soft pink. Khun smirked. How interesting.

Waver did end up meeting him for coffee. He then proceeded to explode at Khun about the death of his precious King Iskandar. Khun let him get it all out before answering.

“I am sorry that he didn’t make it. I think I would have preferred him to my current roommate, if I’m being completely honest,” Khun said, grumbling the last. “If there’s anything I can do to make our workplace relationship easier, let me know.”

If Khun could convince Waver that he wasn’t as evil as all that, he would be a useful ally.

Waver pushed his bangs away from his forehead and sighed. “As much as I want to, I can’t really blame you. That fight probably would have happened anyway- he was insistent on fighting all of the strongest opponents.”

“Still, you’ve read my story. You know you’re well within your rights to blame me for the manipulation,” Khun said.

“And you know Iskandar wouldn’t have blamed you himself. It was part of our deal. You gave us information, we distracted Archer,” Waver reasoned. “Did you at least get your wish granted?”

Khun laughed humorlessly. “No. I don’t think I did. I wound up giving the grail to Saber’s master.”

As Waver nearly spat out his coffee, Khun added, “It was his wife’s dying wish. Who was I to deny her, since she became the grail.”

Waver recovered quickly, mopping up the table. “You mean Miss Einzbern wasn’t Saber’s master?”

“She was a decoy. Her husband, Kiritsugu Emiya, was Saber’s true master.”

“The Magus Killer?” Waver choked on the words.

“Is that what they call him? That’s almost as bad as Slayer Candidate.” Khun frowned.

“Never mind that.” Waver’s wild gesturing nearly knocked over his coffee. “You know Emiya was responsible for my professor’s death.”

Khun frowned harder, if possible. “Yes, I know. I was there. Made sure Diarmuid got his wish too.”

Waver stilled. “What do you mean.”

“All he wanted was to fight honorably for his lord. For whatever reason, he decided your professor was worthy of his servitude, despite that same professor being filled with nothing but narcissism and jealousy. Lord El Melloi was killed by Kiritsugu Emiya, but only after Diarmuid had fought honorably against and lost to Saber. I made sure of that.” Khun’s tone could have been less venomous, but by that point it was too late to fix.

“Did you just… decide to become the true grail or something? Who else’s wish did you grant?” It seemed like Waver was struggling very hard not to throttle Khun where he sat.

Khun leaned back in his seat. “I gave Berserker the opportunity for closure he needed by pitting him against Saber. He had been one of her knights. I’m still working on his master’s wish.”

“And what was that? The end of Tokiomi Tohsaka?” Waver was very close to losing control.

Khun waved a hand. “That may have become a tertiary obsession as a result of Berserker’s overflowing madness enhancement. I promised Kariya Matou that I’d save his niece, even in the event of his death.”

Waver blinked, once, twice. “You’re going to kidnap the Matou heir?”

“I’m going to save Sakura Tohsaka from a family that may be even more abusive than mine, give her a loving home, and let her have the childhood she deserves,” Khun said. He could feel his natural shinsoo fighting the Fire Fish around his heart. “And if you don’t by this point absolutely hate me, I could use your help.”

“You know I’m useless as a mage, right?” Waver asked, incredulous.

“I don’t need a mage, Waver Velvet,” Khun said, leaning foreward. “I need a Scout and an Alchemist.”

Waver grinned then, almost maliciously. It was the most mage-ly expression Khun had ever seen him make.

“Count me in.”

***

Gilgamesh had been lounging on a host of pillows, reading a novel by some modern English author, sipping one of his lesser wines. He had been comfortable, relaxed, ready for Khun to arrive home with a pile of advance reader copies and some take out for dinner.

He had not been prepared for Khun to return to the apartment with a frightened little girl in tow. Long purple hair hung in front of her eyes, hiding her expression, though it did nothing to mask the tension in her shoulders, arms, and torso. Nor did it mask the numerous bandages.

“Khun Aguero Agnis, what have you done?” he bellowed, causing the child to shrink in on herself even further.

Understandably, Khun glared at him. “This is Sakura. She’s going to be living with us. Please try to be nice.”

Sakura tugged on Khun’s pant leg. He knelt down to listen to her for a moment. She spoke so quietly that even with his godly hearing, Gilgamesh could not decipher what she was saying.

“Don’t worry,” Khun said, a whisper not nearly as quiet as Sakura’s had been. “He’s not going to hurt me. We’re not in trouble. He’s just surprised, and he doesn’t like surprises very much.” He was smiling softly. It was obviously fake, but Sakura seemed not to notice. He also took great care not to touch her.

She leaned in to whisper again.

“I’m sure he’ll warm up to you.” Then, louder, “So what do we want for dinner tonight?”

Sakura shook her head.

Gilgamesh tutted. “If we must have take out once again, I demand something not bathed in sugar or grease. If we are to cook here, you and I both know we are limited to grilled meats and vegetables.”

Then, for the first time, Sakura spoke up. “I can cook the rice,” she said, still quiet, but earnest.

Khun smiled at her bemused. “I can’t let you use the stove yet, Sakura. You’re only six.”

Sakura stared him right in the eye. “I will make the rice.”

Perhaps this little girl was more interesting than Gilgamesh thought she’d be.

***

Within another month, Sakura Matou had become Sakura Khun. Her Aguero-ni was the best big brother she could have asked for. Far better than a monster like her deserved. She still danced around Uncle Gil. He was easily annoyed and his red eyes frightened her.

Still, he seemed to at least appreciate her attempts at cooking.

Neither of them had made any moves to teach her their families’ Magecraft, but she wasn’t too upset about that. The break was kind of nice.

The one thing that would have made it perfect was if she could play with her older sister again. She still wore Rin’s ribbon every day. She missed her terribly.

Since Aguero-ni told her to ask if she felt like she needed anything, she approached him one day when he came back from work.

“Um… welcome home, Aguero-ni,” she opened.

He smiled at her, toothless, but all the way to his eyes. She liked that smile. “It’s good to be home, Sakura. What’s up?”

She froze for a moment. His casualness threw her occasionally still. “I… um… I was wondering if I could invite Tohsaka-senpai over to play?” She tried to ask as respectfully as she could.

She winced when Aguero-ni’s expression darkened.

“I’m sorry. I won’t ask again,” she said, hurriedly. Oh how she hoped he wouldn’t stay mad.

He sighed. “That’s not it,” he said, sitting down to take off his shoes. “I’d love to be able to set you up on a playdate with Rin. It’s her father I’m worried about.”

“Do you not like Fa- Mr. Tohsaka?” She asked.

He winced. “Not particularly. I don’t think he likes me very much either.”

Oh.

“Ok. I’ll continue to stay away.” She tried so hard not to sound sad. She didn’t think it worked.

“What? No, Sakura, you can still talk to your sister. I’m just going to have to find a solution Tohsaka and I can both be happy with- that’s safe for both of you.” Aguero-ni was looking her in the eyes, one hand raised like he was going to touch her. He stopped short.

Something welled up inside Sakura- something powerful enough to make her start crying even as she reached out to hold Aguero-ni’s hand in both of hers. She smiled through the tears.

“Thank you, Aguero-ni.”

***

“Sakura wants to have a playdate with her sister,” Khun said, by way of greeting.

Tohsaka cleared his throat, likely to buy time. “As far as I am aware, Sakura Matou has no sis-“

“That’s Sakura Khun, Tohsaka, and you know exactly who I mean.”

Tohsaka rubbed the back of his hand where the command seals once sat unconsciously. “ And if I am not comfortable allowing Rin within the presence of Archer?”

Khun shrugged. “That’s understandable. He has a temper, and from what Sakura’s told me, Rin does too. I would suggest meeting at a neutral location. Kiritsugu Emiya has recently adopted a boy orphaned in the fire and moved into an old samurai estate. We approach him together about the girls socializing with his boy.”

Tohsaka blinked at him. “Why are you pushing so hard for this?”

Khun leveled a glare at him. “Sakura wants this. It will make her happy. And the last thing I want is for Sakura to be unhappy and estranged from her sister because of family politics.”

“We approach Emiya then,” Tohsaka acquiesced, rubbing at the back of his hand once again.

***

“No,” Kiritsugu called out the gate to the floating blue box that had become the bane of his existence for the past few days.

Despite his refusal, the box continued to float outside his home. He took to escorting Shirou to school as much as he was able, and when he couldn’t, Fujimura’s daughter would. Neither of them truly understood, and if Kiritsugu had his way, they would both remain ignorant of the danger that blue box posed.

He knew Assassin had survived the war as soon as the Matou heir went missing. Maya confirmed he was working with Waver Velvet, who appeared to be in country explicitly because he couldn’t afford the plane tickets back to London. Now his own makeshift family was being targeted and he lacked much of the strength to protect them.

As the week went by, Kiritsugu came to the realization that this was going to end in his surrender. He was going to have to engage with Assassin somehow.

Barely two weeks after its first appearance, Kiritsugu once again poked his head out the front gate.

“What do you want, Assassin?” he sighed.

He nearly slammed the gate closed when the back of the box opened up and out came Assassin, himself.

“The war is over now. You can call me Khun, like everyone else.”

Kiritsugu gestured for him to get on with it. Before Khun could say anything though, Tokiomi Tohsaka came stumbling out of the box. Kiritsugu frowned. Two people should not have fit in that box.

“Khun-san and I are here to make a request,” Tohsaka said after straightening himself out. “Rin and Sakura would like to meet up for-”

Khun interrupted, “The girls want to have a playdate, but neither of us is comfortable letting our respective charge into the other’s home. We hoped you’d let us use your home as a sort of neutral ground. It could also help socialize your son.”

Before Kiritsugu could deny having a son, Shirou poked his head around the edge of a bush. “You should invite them in before doing negotiations, Old Man.”

“And you should be inside doing your homework,” Kiritsugu responded.

“I finished it ages ago. Come on. I’ll even make the tea.” And with that Shirou trotted off toward the house.

“... He has no sense of self preservation, does he,” Khun said, face hiding in his hand.

“No, I don't believe he does,” Kiritsugu answered with just as much exasperation.

***

They were not to teach Emiya-Senpai any magecraft. Sakura was just fine with that. She’d never known anything but hurt from the practice anyway.

Really, even if she had loved magecraft, she would have given it up easily to see her sister again.

Rin, on the other hand, seemed upset. Sakura was tempted to give her a hug, the way other kids at school tried to make each other feel better on the playground, but Rin seemed like the kind of girl who liked her personal space.

“Um…” Emiya-Senpai said, breaking the awful silence. “Have either of you played Tower of God?”

Sakura frowned slightly. She’d never heard of this game.

“I can’t play video games,” Rin said.

“It’s not a video game. It’s a pretend game!” Emiya-senpai almost looked excited. “You pretend to be characters from the comic series.”

“That sounds like fun, Emiya-senpai, but I don’t know those comics,” Sakura said, quietly.

“Neither do I,” Rin agreed, crossing her arms.

“Oh… Well… I have the first book. We could read it together first, then play?” Emiya-senpai suggested.

Sakura smiled- no teeth, but all the way up to her eyes. “I think I’d like that.”

Rin was silent for a moment before slumping forward. “All right, why not.”

***

“There’s three of us and three main characters-” Shirou started.

“But I want to be a Princess,” Tohsaka cut in.

Shirou sighed. Even when they’d been reading, Tohsaka had been in love with the Princesses of Jahad. “Fine, you can be a princess.”

“Can I be Yoru?” Sakura asked quietly, digging her toe into the dirt.

Shirou shrugged. “I don’t see why not. You sure you don’t want to be Khun?”

Sakura shook her head quickly. “I love Aguero-ni, but I feel more like Yoru.”

Shirou jolted at the name.

“Sakura, who’s Aguero-ni?” Tohsaka asked.

“He’s my big brother. I live with him and Uncle Gil now,” Sakura replied, giving that beautiful but incomplete smile. “I never expected to see him in the book.”

Shirou racked his brain for whatever information he could remember about Sakura. She was a year behind him in school, but she still stood out. As far as he knew her big brother was Shinji Ma-

But that wasn’t true anymore. Shinji was really upset about it too. A Matou who had changed her name to Khun.

“Khun Aguero,” Shirou muttered. “But that isn’t… real.” but he had come out of a floating blue box. If that was a Lighthouse…

“You can be Yoru,” he said, mostly to distract from Tohsaka and Sakura’s distress. “I can be Rak.”

Tohsaka caught on faster than Sakura. “You should be Hatz.”

“Oh?” Shirou asked. “Are you going to be Anaak then?”

“Why you!”

Even if he had bruises later, hearing Sakura laugh was worth it.

***

When Khun picked Sakura up, she had a brilliant smile on her face. Rin too, looked to be on the verge of laughter. All three were covered in mud, leaves in their hair, grass stains on their knees. Emiya was looking at all of the children bemused. Tohsaka was horrified.

He couldn’t help smiling, himself. It was too perfect.

“Say thank you to Mr. Emiya,” he said.

Sakura turned around and bowed. “Thank you for having me, Mr. Emiya, and Shirou-senpai.”

Khun raised an eyebrow. So he’d become Shirou-senpai, huh?

Sakura waved goodbye to her new friend, and they were off.

“So what did you guys do today?” Khun asked, peering down at the top of Sakura’s head.

She looked up and backward at him. “We played Tower of God.”

Oh. Oh dear.

“Aguero-ni, why didn’t you ever tell me you were in comics?”

Khun sighed. “That is a long, long story, Sakura. And not exactly a happy one either.”

“Does it involve Uncle Kariya?” She asked, far too innocent.

“It does,” he replied. “Do you still want to know?”

She thought about it for a minute. “Maybe when I’m older,” she said.

Khun quirked an eyebrow. “How old do you think is old enough?”

“Hmm… Nine. I think when I’m nine I’ll understand about Uncle Kariya.”

“Sure. I’ll tell you that story when you’re nine,” Khun chuckles. Was this what it was to be a real child?

“There is someone I think I could understand about now though.” Sakura had gone back to walking.

“Oh?” Khun asked, catching up to her side.

“Can you tell me about Yoru?” She asked.

Khun winced. “Bam,” he said. “His name was Bam. Why do you want to hear about him anyway?”

Sakura looked straight ahead as she spoke. “He seemed so kind, but people called him a monster.”

Khun moved to kneel in front of Sakura then. “Did Shirou tell you that?” He asked.

She shook her head. “We read the first book today before playing. Nee-San wanted to be a Princess, but I wanted to be Yor- Bam.”

“I see.” Khun nodded before standing up. “I’ll tell you about Bam, but only over a cup of hot chocolate when we get home.”

Sakura nodded. “Ok, Aguero-ni.”

***

Kiritsugu watched, bemused, as Shirou pulled him into the courtyard with the girls.

“C’mon Kiritsugu. We need someone to be a Ranker,” Shirou said by way of explanation.

“And what, pray tell, does that involve?” Kiritsugu asked.

“You need to make sure no one’s cheating on the test.”

Kiritsugu coughed. “And how exactly will I know if someone’s cheating?”

Shirou stopped. He turned to look up at Kiritsugu. “You make up the rules,” he said as though that were obvious.

“Of course,” Kiritsugu said. Shirou got going again.

As soon as they entered the courtyard, Tohsaka’s daughter came sprinting up, twin ponytails whipping behind her. “Are you going to be Lero-ro, or Yu Hansung?” she demanded.

Before he got the chance to ask who those people were, Shirou answered, “I think he’ll be a better Lero-ro. Yu Hansung is evil.”

“Now now,” Kiritsugu jumped in, “this old man doesn’t have much energy. I’m just here to make sure none of you are cheating.”

Sakura tottered up and pulled on his sleeve. “Being Mr. Lero-ro just means you need to be nice about it. Yu Hansung is mean.”

“And he drinks coffee,” Rin added.

Sakura looked at her, scandalized. “So does Aguero-ni.”

Shirou explained a bit more while the sisters argued over whether this Aguero-ni was evil because he drank coffee. Kiritsugu decided not to comment. If Aguero was who he thought he was, it was likely his opinion wasn’t wanted anyway.

Hours passed playing pretend with the kids. Taiga joined in as another Ranker- someone by the name of Quant. Evidently her personality was perfectly suited to the role. There was one more argument, once again with Sakura on the defensive.

“I want to be Bam today,” she said.

“Who’s Bam?” Rin asked. Shirou looked interested too.

“That’s Yoru’s real name,” Sakura said, hands on hips.

Rin frowned. “No it’s not. Yoru’s name is Yoru. It said so in the book.”

Sakura wilted a little. “Aguero-ni said the Japanese translator changed it. His name was Bam.”

Ah. This was going to be a tough one.

Kiritsugu watched as the argument escalated. Shirou looked like he wanted to help, but jumping to Sakura’s defense just had Rin snipping at him too. When it looked like it was about to devolve into tears, he jumped in.

“You know, Rin-chan, it’s possible Mr. Khun knows more about this story than you,” he said.

“How’s that,” she asked, clearly distressed. “Sakura-chan said he hasn’t even read them.”

Kiritsugu honestly didn’t have an answer for that. Luckily for him, though, Shirou did.

“He’s in the book, Tohsaka-chan. He doesn’t need to have read the books. He lived it,” he said, almost too quietly for any of them to hear.

Rin relented then, allowing Sakura to be called Bam for the day. Kiritsugu apparently made a poor Lero-ro after that- unsurprising really, given that his son had casually revealed the identity of Assassin.

He was going to need to borrow those books.

***

Gilgamesh was alone at home when the call came from the school one day. He rolled his eyes and got up from his position lounging on the pillows to answer. They had better have a good reason for calling.

“Khun Residence, Gil speaking,” he answered with a frown. How he hated having to introduce himself in such a lowly manor.

“Hello. This is the principal of Homurahara Elementary. Is Mr. Khun home?”

Homurahara Elementary… That was Sakura’s school. Had something happened?

“Aguero is at work at the moment. I should be listed as Sakura’s second contact though. Did something happen?”

The line was silent for a moment. “She was involved in a fight.”

Gilgamesh seethed. If there was one thing he had picked up on about that interesting little girl, it was that she absolutely despised violence.

“I am on my way.”

“That won’t be necessary, Mr. Ur-” the principal tried to ward him off, but Gilgamesh had already made up his mind. He may have been a tyrant in life, but he still tried to be just (for the most part). He would see that Sakura and the other children faced what they deserved.

Something told him that Sakura was a victim in all of this.

***

Sakura sniffed as she sat in the too big chair outside the principal’s office. Shirou-senpai sat next to her, arms and legs crossed, his eyes burning even through the swelling shiner on the left. On his other side sat Shinji- Matou-senpai. He looked downright murderous.

She felt awful, for a lot of reasons. Shirou-senpai being in trouble because of her was just the tip of the iceberg, really. Having her hair half cut off with awful safety scissors felt like it actually hurt, even though she knew there were no nerves in her hair to hurt in the first place. She couldn’t help but jolt every time the ends brushed against her ear.

You’re Sakura-kun now, so why do you still look so girly? Matou-senpai’s harsh words echoed around in her head.

Then, Uncle Gil showed up and she actually burst into tears. Of course he was upset, and it was all her fault.

He pulled a pillow out of… somewhere… and sat on the floor next to Sakura’s chair, on the other side from Shirou-senpai.

When Mr. Emiya came in, he glared hard at Matou-senpai -- why would he do that? -- before going very stiff when he saw Uncle Gil. He tried to get Shirou-senpai to sit with him on the other side of the room, but Shirou-senpai refused to move. Even if it did end up getting him in trouble, it gave Sakura some relief. She didn’t know if she could take having to sit next to Matou-senpai.

Mr. Matou was the last to arrive, though something in his eyes told her it was actually Grandfa- Zoken in control. She shivered and started crying again.

If she hadn’t left the Matou this never would have happened.

If she’d been a good little girl like she was supposed to.

If she’d never met Aguero-ni --

No. She’d never wish for that. Aguero-ni was one of the best people she’d ever known. He loved her, even though she was a monster. He told her stories about the Tower and his old friends- about outwitting Rankers and Jahad’s forces. He was smart and kind and strong and she’d never wish she hadn’t met him.

It was with that thought that she steeled herself. What would Aguero-ni do right now. First, he’d probably stop crying. She could do that.

… How could she do that?

She was so wrapped up in her own head that she missed the parents entering the office.

***

For the first time in a while, Kiritsugu was afraid for his life. While he suspected Shirou getting into a fight had something to do with protecting someone, the last thing he expected to encounter at the school was a livid Archer.

He had to know better than to open the Gate of Babylon in the middle of an elementary school office, didn’t he? The pillow he sat on made Kiritsugu doubtful. There was no possible way a public school could provide such finery.

His initial reaction was to get Shirou as far away from Archer as humanly possible, but Shirou refused to move. It was then that Kiritsugu saw little Sakura’s uneven, violent haircut.

Never had he had such an urge to hurt a child. Sakura was a sweet, innocent little girl. What reason could Matou have had for attacking her like that.

He was lucky, Kiritsugu thought, that Rin Tohsaka hadn’t been present. If she had, he might not have been breathing.

Before he could try to help Sakura work through her obvious panic, the principal called them in.

As soon as the door was closed, Archer tore into the principal.

“How could you let such an incident occur? Surely your teachers are not so incompetent as to lose a pair of scissors? Or to not notice an altercation so traumatizing that another student had to become involved?” He spat the word teacher like a curse.

“I can assure you, none of our teachers noticed anything strange happening between Khun and Matou until Emiya started screaming.”

Kiritsugu paled. Until Emiya started screaming. Sakura hadn’t screamed. They hadn’t even known she had disappeared.

“I’m glad my son stepped in then,” Kiritsugu said icily. “Sakura is already clearly traumatized. Who knows how much worse it could have been.”

Matou continued to look impassive.

The principal swallowed. “Our policy is to enact an out of school suspension for anyone caught fighting. Emiya’s suspension would nominally be longer, given his was the first witnessed-“

“You dare punish the one who protected my charge more harshly than the obvious aggressor, and potential abuser?” Archer demanded. Kiritsugu could feel his charisma oozing into the room. How the principal hadn’t caved to him yet, he had no idea.

“What would you have me do?” The principal demanded in return. “Students are not to fight.”

“I want Shinji Matou expelled for his blatant bullying of a young girl who was too frightened to even scream,” Archer said darkly.

“You have to understand, Mr. Uruk, Matou is a promising young man. We can't just expel him for one incident.”

If Archer’s look could get any darker, in that moment, it did. Kiritsugu had a feeling he was mirroring the expression.

“If you think we’ll be satisfied with that,” Kiritsugu stepped in before the principal was skewered with something from the Gate, “you are sorely mistaken. My wife would have been disgusted if she could hear you say something so dismissive of an obvious behavioral problem, particularly towards someone who attacked a young girl.”

The principal paled further. The school was aware of Irisviel‘s passing. Kiritsugu didn’t usually feel the need to bring it up. It had been nearly a year since the end of the war, but the school board still suspected Kiritsugu was grieving.

“Sakura should not bear any of the punishment,” Kiritsugu added after a moment. “She is innocent.”

Matou snorted.

“Have you something to add, Mongrel?” Archer spat.

“Nothing, nothing. Continue.”

Kiritsugu shivered at that voice and the slither of something under Matou’s skin.

Eventually, a compromise was reached, though Archer still looked like he might execute the Matou boy himself. Kiritsugu found himself unlikely to stop him.

They exited the office to find Shirou holding hands with Sakura. She had calmed down enough to not be sobbing, even if her grip was white knuckled.

“Come, Sakura,” Archer said, too severe for a person trying to comfort a child. A flash of gold behind him signaled the opening of the Gate. “Let us go. I shall regale you with a story of my friend, Enkidu.”

Sakura looked back at Shirou, who nodded resolutely. She let go of his hand.

“Ok, Uncle Gil,” she said.

Once they and the Matou had left, and Kiritsugu had gotten Shirou off school grounds, he knelt in front of him.

“Shirou, you know why you got in trouble with the school, right?” He asked. At Shirou's furious look, he added, “I’m not mad. I just want to make sure you know what happened.”

Shirou glared at his feet. “I hit Shinji.”

“And why did you hit Shinji?”

“He was s-sitting on top of Sakura.” Shirou’s voice broke. “He had her by the hair, Kiritsugu! I couldn’t just sit there and do nothing.”

Kiritsugu put his hands on Shirou’s shoulders. “And I don’t expect you to. As far as I’m concerned, you did the right thing in trying to save her. Next time, though, the school will expect you to get a teacher.”

“But-“

“Hopefully there won’t be a next time.”

Shirou nodded. Kiritsugu pulled him into a hug. “Let’s get you home.”

***

Sakura knew Uncle Gil was angry. He wasn’t even trying to hide it. And when someone around her was angry, she knew she was usually the cause.

She froze when he dropped a candy into her hand. She didn’t know where he got it- maybe it came from the same place as his pillows?

“Why?” she asked, not looking away from the wrapped sweet in her hand.

“Mongrels of this time seem to enjoy these overly sweet things. I thought, perhaps, it would improve your mood.”

She couldn’t help the giggle that escaped, even through the occasional sniffs. Uncle Gil always had this funny way of talking.

“Clearly, my assumption was correct. Your spirits seem to be improving rapidly,” he said, like he was gloating.

She giggled again, and held the candy close to her chest. “Thanks, Uncle Gil.” For caring about a monster like me.

She looked up to find him blushing, avoiding looking at her. “Think nothing of it. It was simply annoying to see you so downcast.”

How like Nee-san.

She reached up, hesitated, and then grabbed hold of his shirt sleeve. He snapped his head back to her.

“Can I… hold your hand?” she asked, softly, quietly, voice barely there at all.

Uncle Gil studied her for a moment before taking her hand himself. “I suppose I will allow it.”

At that, despite everything else that had happened that day, Sakura beamed.

***

“I will assist you with your hair,” Gilgamesh said, once they returned to their apartment.

Sakura looked startled for a moment before shrinking a little.

Perhaps not…

“Unless you would prefer someone else take care of it? We could go to a professional or wait for the princeli-”

“Please fix it,” Sakura cut him off. His lips formed a thin line, but he’d allow it this once.

“Before Aguero-ni has to see it…” she added, barely loud enough for him to hear. Was she ashamed?

He produced a chair and a pair of scissors. They were in good condition despite not having been used for centuries.

“Sit,” he said. Once she had, he added, “I do not believe the princeling would think less of you for your scars. Nor your haircut.”

She sat, in stony silence. For minutes, the only sound between them was the soft snick of the scissors with each cut. Soft lavender hair fell soundlessly to the floor.

“You often ask the princeling for stories. Would you care to hear one of mine?”

“Did you have adventures too?” she asked, fidgeting lightly in her seat. Gilgamesh removed the scissors until she had calmed back down.

“Yes,” he answers. “I shall now recount the tale of myself and Enkidu, and our quest to end Humbaba the Terrible.”

Before long, Sakura was once again relaxing. Gilgamesh had never considered himself to be a proficient storyteller, but recounting his adventures with Enkidu almost seemed to come naturally. Once the story of Humbaba was finished, Sakura asked for another. A story of himself and Enkidu- though she specified that it did not have to be an adventure as such.

“Perhaps you could tell me a story this time? I have heard from the princeling that you and your… friends are quite proficient at the art,” he suggested.

Sakura seemed disappointed, but decided to humor him. He had, by this point, finished cutting her hair.

“Let us see if the cut is to your liking first, shall we? Then we can trade more stories.”

More sure of herself, Sakura nodded. Gilgamesh produced a mirror from the Gate. Her hair was in the style of a bob now, far too short to be tied back as she had been. As they both looked in the mirror, Gilgamesh had a spark of realization.

“You’re nearly the spitting image of the princeling now,” he said. “Just a couple of plaits and it would be perfect.”

Sakura giggled. “Can we? I want to see the look on his face.”

Gilgamesh raised his eyebrows. So she had a mischievous side. How unexpected.

“I am sure, regardless, he will be shocked,” he said. “I must admit, though, I am rather unskilled in the art of braiding hair.”

Sakura looked at him in the mirror. “You can do it!” she said. “I believe in you.”

How odd- that little turn of phrase brought a warmth he had not felt in quite some time.

“You will tell me a story while I make the attempt?” he asked, producing a brush, some ties, and a reference book the princeling had brought him once they started living together.

“Alright, but Shirou’s the one who’s really good,” Sakura said.

In a mirror of her words to him, Gilgamesh found himself encouraging her. “It’s all right. I believe in you.”

Sakura’s eyes went wide, and then she began.

“Mukashi Mukashi, there was an old woman who lived by a river and wished for a child…”

***

Khun arrived home to find Sakura and Gil in the living room, Gil scratching his head and pulling a tie out of one of Sakura’s many, very short braids. He froze in the middle of his greeting. They both looked up.

“Welcome home, Aguero-ni!” Sakura said, running up before stopping about a foot in front of him.

“It’s good to be home, Sakura. Gil.” He tried to keep his voice even. “What happened here?”

“There was an incident at school,” Gil said. “The administration is incompetent and I will be taking steps to correct it.”

That didn’t sound good at all. Khun resolved to interrogate him later.

“I… got a haircut,” Sakura said. She stumbled in the middle, almost like the cheer was forced.

Khun was definitely going to interrogate Gil further after they put Sakura to bed.

“It’s ok though! Uncle Gil helped me fix it and told me stories. We even tried to braid it to look like yours, but it went a little… funny.” And oh she was trying to reassure him. Clearly he’d gone soft in the year since the grail war.

He actively softened the expression on his face. “Why don’t I teach you how to braid your hair while we wait for takeout?”

Sakura scowled at the idea of takeout, but relented. They sent Gil out to get it.

The next day, Khun and Sakura styled their hair alike, Sakura tying her ribbon to one of her braids. Together they walked into school, straight to the administrative office. They could have been siblings if not for the hair color. (Khun was trying very hard not to remember a Khun with similarly lavender hair. Lybrock was more Po Bidau than he was Khun anyway, and nothing like Sakura at all.)

“Mr. Khun, to what do we owe-”

“I have a bone to pick with the principal. Is he in?” Khun demanded. Sakura stood next to him, imitating his posture. Her eyes were wider, but still sharp. Smart, clever girl.

“I- I’ll retrieve him for you.” If Khun let some of his ice shinsoo creep out, well, no one would be the wiser.

With that done, Khun sent Sakura off to the playground. “Remember,” he said, “You are not Sakura-kun. You are Khun Sakura Aoi, adopted sister of Khun Aguero Agnis, and a Khun is never to be taken lightly.”

Sakura nodded before marching away. She didn’t know any ways of killing yet, but Khun could feel the mana roiling around her the way shinsoo would around Ran or Bam.

I should probably start teaching her to use it soon, he thought. He smirked. Tohsaka was going to hate it.

***

Rin knew something was up when Sakura showed up on the playground with her ribbon in a different place, most of her hair lopped off. Both Matou and Shirou were conspicuously absent as well. Something must have happened between the three of them.

After thinking it over for more than ten seconds, Rin decided it was probably a good thing she hadn’t been involved. Someone may have ended up dead otherwise.

“A magus walks with death,” she muttered, noting that that death wasn’t always that of the magus themself.

“Morning Sakura,” she said, louder, brighter, as she approached.

“Good morning,” Sakura said back.

“Who do I have to kill?” Rin asked, still smiling brightly.

Sakura inhaled loudly. “Um… no one?”

Rin didn’t believe that for a second.

“Nee-san, I’m ok. You don’t have to do anything,” Sakura assured, more sure of herself. “Um… but next time we play Tower of God with Shirou-senpai, I want to be Aguero-ni, if that’s ok.”

Rin squinted at her. Something strange was going on, and she was going to get to the bottom of it. “If Shirou-kun says it’s ok, then I don’t see why not.”

Sakura smiled, no teeth but all eyes. “Thank you, Nee-san.”

“But this time I actually want to meet this Aguero-ni.”

If he was responsible for Sakura’s weirdness, she was going to give him a piece of her mind.

***

The last thing Khun expected when he dragged Waver with him to pick Sakura up from school was to get cornered by her sister. Rin Tohsaka might have only been eight years old, but she was still a force to be reckoned with.

“You’re Sakura’s Aguero-ni, aren’t you?” she demanded.

“I am,” Khun said.

“What did you do to her?”

“What do you think I did to her?”

Rin stared him down for a moment. “You coerced her into cutting her hair just like yours. Just like this guy,” she pointed toward Waver, who’d actually been growing his hair out for a while.

Waver, in turn, gave Rin a disbelieving look. Khun stifled a laugh.

“It’s some sort of weird cult thing,” she insisted.

Khun cleared his throat before she could get any further. “Rin, do you know what a reclamation is?”

She blinked at him. “Of course I do.”

Of course she would pretend to. She was eight, but also a Tohsaka. He sighed.

“I would suggest looking it up when you get home. Tohsaka taught you how to use a dictionary, right?” he asked.

She huffed, turned around, and marched right past Waver, ponytails flipping. Not even a goodbye. Clearly Tohsaka’s etiquette lessons weren’t getting through.

“If you really want to prevent something like this happening again, tell your father to pay attention to the next school board election,” Khun added while she could still hear.

Rin paused for a moment before continuing off. She disappeared right before Sakura found them.

***

The next time an election for school board came about, the whispers officially started. Most of the town couldn’t believe some stupid foreigner was running. The most they’d heard about this Gilgamesh Uruk before was that he’d appeared in town in the winter of 1994, sneered at almost all of the shopkeepers at one point, and then never left. He and that strange blue haired bookseller had been living together.

Many members of the PTA had rioted. Kiritsugu would know. He had to sit through those meetings, even while Shirou was suspended. None of them seemed to have realized that those two were Sakura’s guardians.

He looked at Fujimura next to him. He had no doubt Taiga had gushed to her father about Sakura Khun, the sweet little girl who always loved the monsters in stories most, especially when they were also the heroes.

“What’s the name of Uruk’s roommate?” Fujimura asked him, leaning in so he could whisper.

Kiritsugu leaned in to match him. “Khun. Sakura calls him Aguero-ni.”

Fujimura nodded and sat back up in his seat. “I support Gilgamesh Uruk for school board,” he announced loudly.

Around them, the room went silent.

Kiritsugu cleared his throat and stood. “I, too, support Gilgamesh Uruk.”

Never in his life did he think he’d be supporting Archer for anything. If he had a plan for how to bring justice to the Fuyuki school system though, Kiritsugu was ready to put the past behind him.

The biggest surprise to the community came a few weeks later, when Tokiomi Tohsaka announced that he, too, endorsed Gilgamesh Uruk for school board.

With that, his victory was basically assured.

Provided he doesn’t try to skewer any of the opposition, Kiritsugu mused as he sipped tea on the engawa of his home. He nearly choked on it when Taiga burst in, ready for Shirou’s latest attempt at breakfast.

***

Sakura took to Lightbearing like a sweetfish to water. By the time she was about to turn nine, she’d taken to organizing both Khun’s household paperwork and Gil’s work for the school board digitally on one of their Lighthouses. She’d also figured out entirely on her own how to connect a Lighthouse to a familiar for the same purpose as an observer.

She’d also been learning how to cook more, which really, Khun wasn’t going to complain about. Eating takeout and Tower Barbeque all the time had been a real drain on their resources. The smell of stew or curry or a good braise would often have his mouth watering through their games of chess. She’d come close to beating him in their more recent games.

On the day of her ninth birthday, Khun was reminded of her assertion that she’d be ready to find out what happened to her Uncle Kariya.

“Are you sure you’re ready?” he asked over a game of chess.

“I’m not sure I ever will be. I have a feeling it’s important though,” she said in answer.

So Khun told her- told her about the fourth holy grail war- about the history of the grail war in general- everything he could about what happened to her Uncle Kariya and why- everything he and Waver had been able to glean before Waver inevitably had to return to England.

Sakura cried, and Khun hoped desperately that it wasn’t because she was blaming herself at all.

She was startled out of her tears by a loud thump from the entryway. They both stood up so fast that the board spilled- their progress lost. Sakura summoned one of the Lighthouses, just as a precaution.

Lying there in the entryway, still wearing his coat and shoes, was Gil, as thoroughly asleep as a Eurasia. It took both of them to drag him back inside the apartment. Sakura got his shoes off while Khun stripped him of his coat. They got him over to the cushions.

“Does this have something to do with him being Archer?” Sakura asked, punctuating with a sniff.

“Not as far as I know. It might be related to his legend though. He was known to overwork himself, once he had a fire lit under him.” Idly, the Fire Fish swam around Khun, ready to heal Gil if necessary. “He still had a pulse though, when I checked. I think he’s just asleep.”

Sakura frowned. “That sounds more like your Laure than Uncle Gil though.”

Khun couldn’t help the snort that escaped him. Had he somehow given her the impression that Laure actually worked hard more than once in a blue moon?

Before he could formulate a better response, Gil sat up, blindly grabbed Sakura’s Lighthouse, and started groping around inside for something. It wasn’t long before he produced a pen and a notepad and started scribbling. Khun took a good look at his face- it was like Gil wasn’t even in there- like his body was running on autopilot.

He collapsed back onto the pillows once he finished writing, pen spreading ink all over the rich fabric of one of them. Khun picked up the paper, while Sakura dealt with the pen and went for a stain remover.

Sooner than expected, the wish of Humanity will try again to manifest- when fourteen come together, a city will be plagued by the void, a man will achieve another’s wish, and a god will be born. In seven years’ time, the ritual of wishes will begin once again. Beware the Irregularities.

Khun blanched. According to his and Waver’s research, the holy grail war was only supposed to happen once every sixty or so years- definitely not within a decade. Clearly that would not be the only problem with this grail war, either.

Beware the Irregularities.

Was it wrong of him to dream?

“Sakura, will you be all right if I go make some phone calls?” he asked. Maybe he was jumping the gun. Gil wasn’t a guide after all. He shouldn’t have been able to see the future.

“Is something wrong, Aguero-ni?” she asked.

Then Gil woke up.

***

“Yes, yes, I occasionally have bouts of clairvoyance,” Gilgamesh tried to wave off the princeling’s concerns.

The princeling frowned at him. Behind him, Sakura was making the exact same expression. Gilgamesh almost wanted to laugh.

“What are you, the Grand Archer or something?”

Gilgamesh sighed. The princeling’s expression shifted- frustration to disbelief to something Gilgamesh decided was much more dangerous.

“Wow, you sure are powerful, Gil.” Oh how he hated that tone. “Surely you can acquire an adequate gift for Sakura’s birthday with your Grand Archer prowess.”

Sakura blinked, freezing for a moment before emphatically gesturing that he not do that please.

What was the modern turn of phrase for this situation? Stuck between a rock and a hard place.

“I’m sure I am capable of finding whatever Sakura desires,” he settled on. Sakura sagged in relief even as the princeling glared daggers at him.

As with every year, Sakura insisted she didn’t want anything. That lasted for all of an hour before she finally gave.

“You won’t be able to get it though,” she said.

“Are you underestimating the king of the school board?” Gilgamesh said in mock hurt.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself. You’re not superintendent yet,” the princeling poked back.

Sakura mumbled into her lap.

“Speak up,” Gilgamesh reprimanded.

“I want one of Shirou-senpai’s bento,” she said, holding herself more like the princeling.

The princeling smiled, all eyes. “I’m sure we can give him a call and ask.”

Sakura turned as pink as her namesake, but gave a sure nod. Gilgamesh found himself preening on her behalf. She was becoming so brave. Was it wrong to be proud of such achievement?

Later that evening, Shirou Emiya arrived on their doorstep with far more food than Sakura alone would be able to eat. Kiritsugu was with him, though he had been looking more poorly as of late.

“Happy birthday, Sakura,” they said.

Lo, there was cake as well.

***

When Mr. Uruk ran for superintendent, Kiritsugu was there to endorse him. However, he passed the summer before the election.

Mr. Uruk and Mr. Khun helped Shirou plan the funeral. He was glad for their help- it was hard to plan anything when you felt so disconnected. Mr. Khun also assured him it was all right that he didn’t cry.

“Not everybody does. Especially when you know it’s coming for a long time,” he said, helping Shirou prep vegetables for the reception.

Shirou was handling the hamburger steaks. They were always Kiritsugu’s favorite.

Sakura was in the yard with Mr. Uruk arranging flowers and chairs. They’d gotten lilies- more vibrant than anything Kiritsugu grew in life.

She and Rin had wanted to do something blue and gold, but Shirou had objected. The color should at least be natural, he thought, regardless of how often he played with them. They settled for lilies with white petals streaked with gold.

Soon, people began to show up. The Fujimura family was first. Even Fuji-nee was quiet. Then Rin’s dad came. It wasn’t long before practically half the town showed up. Shirou didn’t know Kiritsugu even knew so many people. Little old ladies from down the street brought mochi and daifuku. Kids he and Shirou had helped with scraped knees and other bumps, gave more flowers in all the colors of the rainbow. Some even brought pictures they’d drawn. Men Shirou had never met shook his hand.

The Daifuku were beautifully sweet, though he had a feeling Sakura would find hers to be too salty. Rin certainly did.

Shirou struck a sad smile as he prayed over the ashes of the only father he’d ever known. I’m gonna miss you, Old Man.

***

Mr. Khun was visibly scandalized when he heard Shirou was living on his own.

“You’re twelve! Shouldn’t you have a guardian or something?” He demanded.

They were eating dinner over the very small table in the Khun-Uruk apartment. Sakura had made too much food again, so they’d invited him over. That had been happening a lot since the funeral.

Shirou shrugged. “Fuji-nee comes to check on me sometimes. I know how to take care of the house myself, and I always get to school on time. I don’t see what the problem is.”

Sakura was staring a hole in her plate. “Doesn’t it get… lonely?”

It did, but Shirou wasn’t about to admit that and make her worry.

“I promise, I’m fine. Fuji-nee said you can still use it as neutral ground if you need.”

Mr. Fujimura, it turned out, felt much the same way. He’d been hiding it because he didn’t want to upset Shirou, but when he suggested Shirou move in with them, he protested. Mr. Khun contacted him, and together they were able to come up with a solution. Shirou didn’t want to move, but he couldn’t live alone, and the Fujimuras - legally his guardians - couldn’t move for reasons they wouldn’t tell Shirou but apparently made sense to Mr. Khun. Mr. Khun and his family though- they could move.

“The apartment is getting cramped anyway,” Mr. Khun said when the adults had suggested it.

Shirou did have to admit, there were plenty of open rooms in the house, and it would be nice to have some help taking care of the place. And Sakura would be there all the time. He knew Mr. Khun and Mr. Uruk could protect her, but he always felt nervous when he couldn’t help.

Maybe he’d be able to see more of her genuine smiles too.

The one thing that concerned them both was whether they could still play with Rin.

“Can you talk to Mr. Tohsaka?” Shirou asked once he noticed Sakura had been moping. “I know he didn’t really trust you with Rin-chan, but-”

“We will,” Mr. Khun said with a smirk. “You’re mostly asking for Sakura though, aren’t you?”

Shirou felt his face heat up.

“She looks up to you, you know.”

“I kind of wish she didn’t. I’m… I’ll always protect her, but I don’t think I’ll ever be as amazing as she is.”

“Are you crushing on her?” Mr. Khun teased.

Shirou made a face. “Ew… no. She’s like my little sister.”

Mr. Khun shrugged.

Later, he made good on his word to talk to Mr. Tohsaka. It turned out Mr. Tohsaka had been hoping to introduce them anyway. Trust had been built through Mr. Uruk’s dedication to the school system, even if he didn’t approve of whatever magecraft Mr. Khun had been teaching Sakura.

***

Much as Khun had been expecting, Rin and Gil immediately got in a fight. By the end of it, Gil was laughing whole heartedly. Rin, on the other hand, was fuming.

As they spent more time together, Khun got more and more worried. They got on like a house on fire.

They’re conspiring against me, he couldn’t help but think.

Meanwhile, Sakura and Shirou were the mature ones. Together, they split up the chores, cooked meals, and generally took care of the house. Khun suspected Shirou might be trying to avoid his grief through work, but it would be hypocritical of him to say anything.

One day, Shirou came knocking on Khun’s Lighthouse.

“Mr. Khun, are you in there?” He called.

Khun powered down the Lighthouse and peeked outside. “You know you don’t have to call me that, right?”

Shirou shrugged.

Khun shook his head. “What did you need?”

“I need you to teach me Magecraft, like you’re teaching Sakura.”

Ah. So that was it.

“You know, it’s not quite the same thing. Magecraft and what I’ve been teaching her. She’s developing a technique all her own, but that’s beside the point.”

Shirou blinked at him. “So I need to teach myself Magecraft?”

Khun sighed. “I would ask Gil for more basic lessons. He’s actually a highly skilled magus himself.”

Shirou thought for a moment, then shook his head. “I can talk to him later. If you haven’t been teaching Sakura Magecraft, what are your lessons in?”

“I think you can figure it out.”

A pause. “The only thing that’s coming to mind is shinsoo control, but there’s no shinsoo here.”

Khun pat him on the head. “Come back when you’ve learned some basic Magecraft from Gil. I’m willing to bet you’ll have the answer then.”

Then, he closed himself back in the Lighthouse. He still hadn’t quite figured out how to connect it to the Internet.

“Shinsoo and mana are basically the same thing,” Shirou announced over breakfast one morning. “So you have been teaching Sakura Magecraft. Just not the kind that’s typical… here.”

“Very good,” Khun said. “Are you ready to learn how to operate a Lighthouse?”

Gil snorted. “The fool isn’t ready to activate more than a single magic circuit. Trying to use one of your boxes might kill him.”

Sakura and Shirou both blanched.

“I- I’ll let you know when I can use all of them,” Shirou said weakly. “More rice?”

***

Sakura came home from school to find Aguero-ni staring down a cute little black kitten with luminous green eyes. (She’d just learned the word luminous in school. It was a good word.)

“Aguero-ni, I’m home,” she announced, so as not to scare him.

He grunted and continued his stare off with the cat. She had to edge past them to get into the kitchen.

When she came back to greet Shirou after his part time job, both Khun and the cat were still there. Shirou was staring at them blankly.

“Sakura, why is Aguero-ni having a stare off with a cat?”

“I don’t know. He’s been like that since I got home.”

They both looked at Khun and the cat.

“Hey Aguero-ni,” Sakura said.

He hummed in response.

“Where did the cat come from?” Shirou asked.

“Hell,” Aguero-ni decided.

Well, that was unlikely, at best.

“Do you think Uncle Gil could have brought it home?” Shirou asked, edging past Aguero-ni.

“Maybe. I haven’t seen him all-“. Sakura stopped herself short. She hadn’t seen Uncle Gil since she came home.

Shirou and Sakura looked at each other in panic before sprinting off to Uncle Gil’s study. Today wouldn’t be the day he worked himself to death a second time, would it? He was still young, even if he’d been doing probably too much for the school system.

Please let him just be asleep. Please let him just be asleep. The words repeated like an aria in her head.

Shirou threw open the sliding door to Uncle Gil’s study, startling him awake. Sakura let out a sigh of relief.

“Uncle Gil!” She said. “It’s time for a break.”

Uncle Gil yawned, then frowned at his desk. Sakura winced in sympathy. He’d drooled on his paperwork. Sakura could hear him grumbling to himself- such a mess is unbecoming of a king, etc. etc. She had to try not to giggle.

Shirou went on ahead to make tea. Genmaicha, they’d found over the years, appealed to all of them. Uncle Gil yawned again.

“What treats have you prepared today?” He asked.

“Well, we need to go to the market soon, but I managed to throw together some chocolate-lavender cookies with what we had left,” Sakura answered. “I did have to take some blossoms off the bush in the entryway, but I think the end result was worth it.”

Uncle Gil nodded. “Unconventional, but appealing. Not too sweet?”

Sakura scrunched up her nose. “No. They might even be too bitter for the tea.”

“Somehow I doubt that.” He ruffled her hair.

She’d kept it short since elementary school- her claiming of the Khun name. Aguero-ni had even shown her how to do the bandana styling.

That thought reminded her- “Uncle Gil, did you bring a cat home today?”

Uncle Gil stopped and looked down at her. “Yes. There was an elegant little black kitten wandering near my office. I saw fit to bring him home.”

Sakura smiled, a bit tense. “I’m sure Enkidu would approve, but Aguero-ni’s been staring at it for hours now.”

“He has? Whatever for?”

“I was establishing dominance,” Aguero-ni answered. He had the cat by the scruff.

“It’s… a cat,” Shirou said. “What is there to establish dominance about?”

“Oh, tea’s ready,” he added as an afterthought.

Sakura thought about it for a moment. “Can we keep it?” She asked.

“No,” Aguero-ni said.

At the same time, Uncle Gil answered, “Of course.”

They glared daggers at each other.

“Not so long ago, you brought home an entire stray child. Surely a cat is less of a problem,” Uncle Gil said.

Aguero-ni muttered unintelligibly under his breath, before announcing, “Fine.”

Sakura beamed. “Great! I already have a name picked out too.”

She retrieved the cookies while Shirou served tea. The cat had migrated to Uncle Gil’s lap.

“Are you keeping us in suspense?” Uncle Gil asked as he pet the cat.

She sat down, not saying anything for a moment. Then, she looked directly at Aguero-ni, smiled, and said, “I’m going to call him Yasratcha.”

“Absolutely not.”

Aguero-ni did not win that argument either.

Sakura glanced at the back of her right hand as the people around her laughed and argued good naturedly. The command spells stood out like fresh burns against the pallor of her skin. Rin had hers too, when they met up after school that day. Shirou had been trying to do research on the other masters, compiling what Mr. Velvet had relayed to Aguero-ni about those from Britain. Still, if the last war was anything to go by, it was unlikely that it would be as easy as they hoped.

She glanced back at Yasratcha and smiled softly. Grail war worries were for later though. For now, she was going to drink tea and eat cookies with her family and cherish everything she had.