Epilogue: London

"Shiiiiirooooo. Is breakfast reaaadyyy?"

"Nearly done, Rin."

Rin got up slowly and rubbed her eyes. Turning to her alarm clock, she froze in place, blinking several times.

"Shiro! Why didn't you wake me up!?" Rin screamed. "Kenji and Akari are going to be late for school!"

"Relax, I woke them up and got them all prepared for school," Shiro replied calmly as he poured hot water into the teapot. "They both left for school an hour ago."

The calming smell of Earl Grey wafted around the house as Shiro steeped the tea in hot water. "You were up till very late last night, getting your lectures ready and all," Shiro continued.

"Oh, right. It's today already," Rin mumbled, stretching like a cat before heading to the bathroom to prepare herself.

Shiro smiled to himself as he finished preparing breakfast.

Before long, Rin was already out of the bathroom, dressed in her signature white blouse. Instead of her usual jeans, she wore a black knee length skirt and a red blazer completed her look.

"Thanks for taking care of things this morning, Shiro," Rin said, looking cheerful.

"I knew you needed the extra sleep. Besides, you're not a morning person at all," Shiro replied, deftly placing a plate of bacon and eggs on the dining table.

"You always know me best, Shiro," Rin replied lovingly as she sat down to eat. Glancing at her office space just beside the dining table, she caught a glimpse of the photographs tacked on the soft board mounted on the wall.

"Say, Shiro… it's been two years already, huh?"

Shiro paused for a split second.

"Come to think of it, I lost track of time."

"I can't blame you. You only just returned a month ago after spending… what… 18 months abroad hunting for Mikhel," Rin mused, sipping her cup of tea.

"I'm just glad I managed to persuade him to come back and face justice instead of having to kill him," Shiro said, letting out a sigh.

"Still, the past two years have been tough on everybody involved."

"Of course."

"Lord El-Melloi II and Bram Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri are still at loggerheads at one other, you know?" Rin said, looking at Shiro.

"So I've heard. I have been hearing the chatter from some of the magi I came across during my hunt for Mikhel," Shiro replied as he ate his breakfast.

"It's amazing how sore Bram is for not being able to bring the Grail back here," Rin commented. "For the longest time, the Association had to do everything possible to make sure the two of them did not cross paths."

"I am amazed that the both of them did not burn the Clock Tower down the first time they met after returning from Fuyuki City," Shiro replied. "That fight was terrifying, even by my standards."

"You know, it was only a year later that many of the top magi in the Association decided that enough was enough, and stepped in to seek a ceasefire. Once the ceasefire was agreed upon, only then did the wounds dealt started to heal."

Shiro sighed as he listened to Rin's report. "I've been back for a month, but I still miss you."

Rin smiled. "I missed you too. The children, too."

"You certainly worked hard in my absence, though," Shiro continued, returning Rin's smile. "Today is finally your first day as a senior lecturer in the Clock Tower."

"We aren't exactly poor by any means, but now that Sakura is living in London with us, we need the extra money to provide for her needs," Rin replied. "Not that she is incapable of working, but we are the only family she has left now."

"Nobody from the Association has any word on Matou Zouken, right?" Shiro asked, his eyes narrowing.

"There's nothing to worry about in that regard," Rin replied. "He's either dead, or he is too weak to return. Ever since his assets and estates were seized by the Association, I don't see any plausible means for his return."

"I won't rest easy until I know for sure that he is dead," Shiro said firmly.

"I know, I know."

After a brief pause, Rin finished her tea and stood up. "I need to grab my notes from the study table and head off for my lecture. What do you plan to do today?"

"I don't know. Train a while more, perhaps," Shiro replied. "I don't plan on accepting any jobs for a while. You know, settle back down, spend time with the children, see to Sakura's well being…"

Rin smiled, stepping over to Shiro's side and giving him a quick, warm hug. "You do that, my Shiro."

Rin hurries over to her study and grabs her notes, but as she grabbed them, she paused for a quick moment to look at the picture of herself and Shiro flanking Sakura.

Epilogue: Matou Sakura

"T-Tohsaka senpai?"

"Sakura!" Rin and Shiro exclaimed when Sakura finally opened her eyes.

"S… Senpai?" Sakura asked, puzzled by the appearance of Shiro. "Weren't you in London with… Tohsaka senpai?"

Shiro nodded. "I was, but we returned to Fuyuki not too long ago."

"Ah," Sakura replied. "I… I'm sorry, I should have been here to receive the both of you-"

"Sakura," Rin interrupted, her voice shaky. "D-do you remember anything from before you were unconscious?"

Sakura looked blankly at Rin for a moment.

"I… don't recall," Sakura finally said. "I only remember… that I was coming home one evening after visiting the supermarket, but… but I don't know what else happened."

"You really don't know how you ended up lying in bed right now?" Shiro asked.

"No… but… maybe grandpa or Shinji might know what happened."

Rin and Shiro froze.

"S-Sakura… about… your…" Shiro attempted to speak.

Rin hung her head in silence as Shiro began to have second thoughts.

"There's been an accident, Sakura," Rin finally said.

"An… accident?" Sakura queried.

"Both your grandpa and Shinji… have passed away."

Sakura's expression fell upon hearing the news.

"I am sorry," Shiro said, quivering as he felt a wave of guilt crashing over him. He was about to find a way to break the news when Lord El-Melloi walked into the room, looking annoyed.

"Matou Zouken was a participant in the recent Grail War in Fuyuki City."

"Lord El-Melloi II!" Shiro exclaimed. "As far as we are concerned, she had nothing to do with what happened!"

"Spare her the insult," Lord El-Melloi II replied. "It's true that she had nothing to do with what happened, but she is a child of the Matou family, and as such, is aware of all this, am I right, Matou-san?"

Sakura quietly nodded her head.

"I am truly sorry to bear you ill news, but Matou Zouken passed away as a combatant in the recent Grail War, and Matou Shinji died an innocent bystander."

"Ah, I remember now…"

Everyone turned their eyes toward Sakura when she silently muttered those words.

"As I was falling into a deep sleep, I could faintly see Shinji trying to protect me from somebody… who was that… I couldn't see very well by then… I wonder…"

"It doesn't matter now," Lord El-Melloi II replied. "The important thing is that you're safe now. In fact, you are safer than you will ever be from now on."

Shiro felt as if someone was driving nails into his heart. For better or worse, Lord El-Melloi II had just prevented him from telling the truth about Shinji's death.

"W-What will you do from now on?" Rin asked apprehensively.

Sakura said nothing at first, and merely shrugged after giving some thought to the question.

"Do you want to come to London with us?" Shiro asked.

"What?" Rin exclaimed, bewildered at Shiro's request.

"I mean, where will she go? Everything she has is either gone or will be taken away from her, right?"

Lord El-Melloi II merely sighed and turned to leave the room. "I leave this matter to the both of you as this doesn't concern me at all."

"I-I'm afraid I would only be a burden to you, senpai," Sakura finally replied. "You're married to Tohsaka-senpai now, after all."

"That isn't the issue!" Shiro replied quickly. Turning to Rin, he continued, "I don't think that Tohsaka would see you as a burden, right?"

"I-I don't think it would at all," Rin stammered as she gave the matter thought.

"At least it's better than living all alone, right?" Shiro continued.

"You might be right…" Sakura replied.

"Come to think about it, the house you have been living in has been seized, and you have nowhere to go… Shiro is right, Sakura. You should come to London with us. If you're worried about being a burden, you could just live nearby instead of with us, and I'm sure you would be able to settle down there," Rin said, stepping closer to Sakura.

Sakura nodded her head silently.

"We will be here at Fuyuki for a few more days before we return to London, so leave it to us, alright?" Rin continued.

"If you insist, I will come with you and senpai," Sakura replied, smiling softly at Rin.

"We'll be back in a few days, so take the time to prepare yourself, okay?"

Sakura nodded again.

Grabbing Shiro by the arm, Rin left the room. When they were out of the house, Rin turned to Shiro.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Rin hissed.

"I don't know," Shiro replied nervously. "I-I only made that suggestion at the spur of the moment!"

"She is eventually going to find out the truth about Shinji, and especially so if she is living with us," Rin continued. "Are you actually planning on telling her?"

"I… I suppose I will have to tell her, eventually…"

Rin sighed. Taking a step forward, she hugged Shiro. "I don't know if you were aware of this, but Sakura hasn't always been a Matou."

"... Huh?"

"Just like you, there is something I always wanted to tell Sakura, but I have been keeping this a secret to everyone, you included," Rin continued, tightening her grip on Shiro.

"I'm still not following," Shiro replied, looking befuddled by Rin's bombshell.

"Sakura is actually my younger sister…"

"... Huh!?"

"I have always wanted to tell her, for all these years, but I suppose that I will have the opportunity to tell her now that she is going to be living with us."

Wait, wait… what did you just say?"

London

Shiro looked around the house, and stretched his interlaced fingers.

"Looks like it's time to get to work cleaning up this house!"

Wasting no time, Shiro tidied up the dining table and cleaned the kitchen. As he was scrubbing the kitchen sink, he caught sight of two pictures stuck on the wall near the sink.

The first was a photo of him, Rin, and Taiga, who had her arms around Kenji and Akari. The other was of him, Rin, a scowling Ryuudou Issei, and a laughing Mitsuzuri Ayako.

Epilogue: Taiga

"I'm telling you! That night was really terrifying!" Taiga insisted.

"Still, I'm really amazed that you did not leave town when the outbreak started, Fuji-nee," Shiro said, smiling nervously as he ate the rice cake that he served earlier.

"People were just collapsing on the spot! Why would I want to risk the same happening to me? Of course I would hide in a restroom cubicle!"

Shiro and Rin both looked at each other with an unsettled expression, knowing that Taiga's version of the story differed slightly, having had her memories replaced with the version she had just recounted.

It turned out that Taiga was very near the center of the infestation when it broke out. They had no idea if it was sheer luck or her uncanny ability to avoid misfortune, but Taiga somehow avoided the horde of famished vampires and hid in the restroom cubicle all night until she was found by magi of the Association who was cleaning up after the infestation. They were the ones who promptly performed the memory alteration procedure on her to make sure she remained unaware of the existence of vampires, and magi, in extension.

"Why are we even talking about this? Remembering that horrifying night is making me very hungry now!" Taiga continued, grabbing more rice cakes.

"Well, I guess we could talk about Kenji and Akari, then?" Rin asked.

"Kenji? Akari?" Taiga mumbled in the midst of chewing on the rice cakes.

"Eh.. Kenji and Akari are… our kids," Shiro answered.

There was a brief pause.

The silence was deafening when Taiga suddenly stopped chewing as she stared at Shiro and Rin, dumbstruck by the revelation.

"WHAT?"

"Somehow I knew she was going to react that way," Shiro mumbled sheepishly.

"I agree," Rin replied. Unlike Shiro, Rin was composed and cool in the face of Taiga's reaction.

"Just as I have already accepted the both of you being together, you then leave for England, not even bothering to be in contact with me for ten years… Now you are here telling me you had… not one… but TWO kids?"

"Well, we have been really busy over the last ten years…" Shiro replied, still sounding sheepish.

"And what's worse, you did not even bring them here for me to meet them!?"

"Well… we happened to be back here for work," Shiro responded nervously.

"We could bring them with us the next time we are back, hopefully not for work," Rin added, smiling at Taiga.

"No… No can do! I must go to London at once to see your kids!" Taiga declared, her eyes lit with excitement.

"Wait, what did you just say?" Shiro responded. Now it was his turn to be dumbstruck.

"I said, I am coming to visit your kids in London!" Taiga replied.

"Eh… I d-don't think that's a g-good idea," Shiro stammered. "Our jobs aren't exactly steady or flexible…"

"And what of it?" Taiga asked in a deep voice, leaning forward at Shiro menacingly.

"Ehhhhhhh…"

Epilogue: Issei & Ayako

"Geh… Tohsaka…"

"Still doing that, Student Council President..? Or should I say, former Student Council President?"

"Why, you…"

"Hahahahaha, this exchange is hilarious!" Ayako exclaimed, holding her sides as she tried to restrain her laughter.

"Be quiet, Mitsuzuri! You have no idea the kind of person Tohsaka is, especially after her facade is removed!" Issei replied, slamming his fist on the table.

"Do not tell me you still hold a grudge over what happened in Junior High?" Rin asked calmly, sipping her cup of tea.

"Definitely not!" Issei replied promptly, almost immediately after Rin finished her question.

"I'm pretty sure it is about Junior High," Shiro whispered to Ayako, who was still holding her sides in laughter.

"Please, have a seat, Ryuudou-san," Rin urged, pointing at the empty space beside Shiro. "After all, we have not seen each other for ten years, and we are only back at Fuyuki for a short time due to work."

"I still do not understand why you chose to be married to Tohsaka, of all people," Issei grunted as he took his seat beside Shiro.

"I would say the same to Tohsaka-san," Ayako added. "You had the pick of the crop, and any guy… other than Ryuudou-san here… would have been over the moon, but you chose the Homurahara Brownie."

"He's got his quirks, which I happen to love very much," Rin answered simply.

"More like, he's willing to do all the menial work that you would never do, am I right?" Ayako asked, casting a knowing glance at Rin.

"If that was the case, I would have just hired him as my servant, isn't it?" Rin replied, returning Ayako's smile sarcastically.

"That aside," Ayako said nervously, trying to change the topic before she got herself into more trouble. "You both came to Fuyuki at a bad time. The outbreak and the subsequent cleanup is all the town has to offer right now. Everything in Mount Miyama suffered damages and because of that, nearly all the businesses have yet to reopen."

"I guess it couldn't be helped," Shiro answered. "We had work to do here."

"You know, I still do not know what your jobs are, having to live in London, and suddenly appearing back here without telling us beforehand," Ayako queried.

"I can't say exactly, but it did have something to do with what happened," Shiro replied, only for Rin to kick his shin below the table.

"It's related?" Ayako asked, her curiosity piqued.

"I really must apologise, but we can't divulge any information about it at all," Rin said, stopping Ayako from prying further. "At any rate, I am glad that you are safe… you too, former Student Council President.

"Ugh… you insufferable woman…"

Ayako's laughter pierced the room as Shiro nervously sipped his cup of tea.

It turned out that Ayako was among the first to be evacuated when the infestation began, and was spared from experiencing the brunt of the infestation, but Issei's fortunes were not as good. Due to their location, the priests were evacuated later, and to make matters worse, the destruction of the cavern housing the Greater Grail resulted in the partial collapse of the mountain face, which meant that the temple had to remain closed until it was deemed safe for habitation again.

"At any rate you are all welcome to see us in London," Rin said. "Do not expect Shiro to be around, though. His work requires him to be anywhere on Earth on short notice."

"Sounds rough," Ayako mused.

"You're probably right," Rin replied. "But my children and I always cherish the time that Shiro is home."

"Y-you have children?" Ayako asked in surprise.

"W-why are you even d-doing t-t-th-that kind of thing with Tohsaka!?" Issei stammered nervously.

Ayako let out a long sigh. "Not only did I lose my bet with Tohsaka-san about having a boyfriend first… I also lost to Tohsaka-san when it comes to having children first."

"You haven't found a boyfriend yet, right?" Rin asked Ayako. This time, it was Rin's turn to cast a knowing glance.

"S-shut up! It's about the q-quality of the man, not how soon!" Ayako's voice quivered as she tried to deflect the attention away from her.

London

A knock on the door snapped Shiro out of his reminiscing.

"Ah, Lord El-Melloi II."

"In a month's time, I will no longer be carrying that title, so it's best you start referring to me by my actual name," Lord El-Melloi II said curtly, walking into the house.

"What do you mean?"

"Reines has decided to officially head the El-Melloi faction, and therefore will be taking the Lord El-Melloi title which I have been holding on her behalf."

"Ah, I see," Shiro replied. "Are you sure she is… ready… to take on the title and the responsibilities it carries?"

"Whatever do you mean?" Lord El-Melloi II asked.

"Well, back when Tohsaka and I placed our children in her care while we went to Fuyuki, the children had to endure some… difficult times, so to say."

"Like?"

"If Kenji and Akari got into an argument, all Reines did was watch, and apparently she took great pleasure from it," Shiro answered. "Both Kenji and Akari were afraid of her after a few days and were extremely careful around her."

Lord El-Melloi II was busy lighting his cigar as he listened. "Ah, I suppose that is a very precise picture of Reines which you described."

"Wait, you know about this?" Shiro asked dumbfoundedly.

"Reines is like that," Lord El-Melloi II answered simply, taking a puff from his cigar. "Nothing can be done about it."

"So… if you are no longer Lord El-Melloi II, what's going to happen next, for you?"

"Nothing much, really. Everything is as it always was, except I will be properly addressed as Waver Velvet."

"It's going to be hard to make the switch, now that I have been calling you Lord El-Melloi II for twelve years," Shiro commented.

"It doesn't matter to me, what you call me," Lord El-Melloi II answered. "Besides, I came by to pass on some information that might interest you."

Shiro did not say anything in reply, but his leaning forward was all Lord El-Melloi II needed to know that Shiro was indeed interested to know more.

"In the 18 months you were away, the Association, working together with the Church, have managed to dispose of the remnants of the Greater Grail, and have also successfully dismantled Emiya Kiritsugu's machinations that would have triggered an earthquake in Fuyuki."

"That's good news," Shiro said, breathing a sigh of relief.

"I don't know if this bit of news interests you either, but the Einzbern family has disappeared," Lord El-Melloi II continued.

"As far as I remember, they decided not to participate in the last War right?"

"You're right. In fact, they really have decided to abandon their quest for the Grail altogether, and because the family has been in decline in the last decade, it seems that they are destined to fade into obscurity."

Shiro leaned back, taking a deep breath.

"The Association just enforced a Sealing Designation on Jubstacheit von Einzbern, and I am gathering a group of magi to have him delivered to the Clock Tower as the knowledge and abilities the family has acquired over millennia cannot be acquired by any conceivable means."

"Are you asking me to join you?" Shiro enquired.

"Truth be told, if you came, the job would be made much easier," Lord El-Melloi II replied.

"Tohsaka is probably going to kill me for this," Shiro answered, smiling.

"I spoke to Tohsaka Rin earlier today," Lord El-Melloi II added. "She knew you won't be able to say no, so she decided to come with me too."

"What?"

"If I know my pupil better than anyone else, she is more interested in the prospect of being able to secure the flesh and blood of a very old and prominent magus than anything else."

"That, I can't deny," Shiro replied.

"Indeed. You are one of the rarest of people, having successfully secured a magus with a Sealing Designation at least once in your lifetime," Lord El-Melloi II added. "I believe Tohsaka Rin would not miss the opportunity to join this very small group that you are a part of."

Shiro leaned further into his chair as he pondered his course of action for a while.

"I know what you're thinking, Emiya Shiro," Lord El-Melloi II said, breaking the silence. "At most, you and Tohsaka Rin will be away for a day. Jubstacheit von Einzbern is holed up in his castle in Germany, and has never left. The plan is simple; we travel to Germany, secure him, and bring him back, all without any complicated plans. The only trouble we would face is the homunculi that serve as his attendants, but the last I heard, even magi like Aozaki Aoko are participants in this undertaking."

"If Aozaki Aoko is going, I don't think I'm even needed," Emiya Shiro replied sheepishly.

"There's no telling how much resistance the Einzberns would be throwing at us. We will need all the firepower we can get," Lord El-Melloi II replied, placing his cigar on the table and getting up from his seat. "Think it over. We leave tonight."

"Wait," Shiro said, stopping Lord El-Melloi II in his tracks. "What of macBranain-san and Konig-san?

"Viola Dajanna Konig is, as you know, no longer who she used to be. The Association has had to withdraw her from the Clock Tower and she has been placed in an asylum to be treated. Whatever Mikhel van de Wolff - and by extension Caster- did, it certainly ruined her psyche. Bree macBranain… she still hates you for not killing Mikhel van de Wolff."

"I still think I made the right call," Shiro insisted.

"I am in no position to question your judgement," Lord El-Melloi II replied. "The Association thinks of you in high regard now, far more than they did four years ago."

"That's because I'm Rin's husband," Shiro said.

"No, Emiya Shiro. Word of your feats in the Grail War reached the Association and they acknowledged that you possess an ability that they feel should be appreciated by them."

"More like, they prefer that I do not go rogue, isn't it?"

"Would you?" Lord El-Melloi II questioned as he left the house.

"I swear, Luvia is really going too far with that act of hers!" Rin grumbled as she opened the door to the house. "For her to be slandering me in front of my own students… she's really asking for it!"

Rin paused as she entered the house. All the lights in the house were not turned on, save for the one in the living room. As she tiptoed into the living room, she saw a sleeping Kenji and Akari on the sofa snuggled up to Shiro, who seemed deep in thought.

"I just told them that we will be gone for a day, and that we're leaving tonight," Shiro said, turning his head towards Rin.

Rin glanced at the table. Lord El-Melloi II's cigar was enough to tell her what Shiro meant.

"So much for not taking up any jobs, huh?" Rin asked, giggling silently.

"Just this once," Shiro said. "Besides, you knew I wasn't going to say no."

"Just this once," Rin repeated, grinning mischievously. "After this job, I will have to consider hiring you to be my household slave."

"You know I will not say no to that," Shiro replied, returning Rin's mischievous grin as Rin climbed onto the sofa to snuggle with her family.

Author's Note

We have reached the end! What I thought would take 2 years ended up stretching over 4 years. While I'm glad I could finish this, I come away from this experience humbled by the enormity of taking on such a setting, and in reflection, I definitely feel that I have plenty to improve on. To work on improving my writing, I am working on a few ideas which I hope could result in some (short) spin offs, so I look forward to writing again.

As always, I appreciate feedback and suggestions, especially on the area of the creative process!