Disclaimer: I do not own the Fate franchise it belongs to Kinoko Nasu and Type-Moon.

Risen from Ruins

Chapter 17

The Matou mansion burned. Masonry creaked and groaned as flames hungrily licked out of broken doors and windows, smoke pouring through the holes in the roof lit from below with angry red and orange.

No firefighters stood around the property though, pouring jets of water into the building to put out the fire. There was no one chopping down the trees on the grounds, or digging trenches as firebreaks to keep the flames from spreading. No one sounded the alarm as sparks flew on the night breeze, bringing with them the danger of starting more fires elsewhere in the district.

There were no crowds on the street, as there should be in such an event as this, gawking and wasting time and effort in a mix of apprehension, anxiety, curiosity and fear. There were no policemen keeping them away, and trying to get them to go home.

There was simply no one to witness much less take action against the flames ravenously consuming the Matou mansion. And how could there be, when no one could notice?

Bounded fields were such versatile things. In this case, a bounded field around the Matou property kept anyone from noticing what was happening inside, either until the mansion had been reduced to an ash-filled pit in the middle of the grounds, or the field's makers thought to do otherwise.

The latter was all but impossible to happen, though.

And so the Matou mansion just kept on burning. No one saw, no one could notice, and no one cared.

Magi could see and notice, but none of the magi present in the city would care. They were all busy elsewhere, celebrating their triumph. Indeed, the burning of the Matou mansion and everything it represented was just another part of that triumph.

And so the fires just kept on burning, hungrily devouring everything it could inside and outside the mansion. Fabrics made from rich and handwoven brocades, linens, silk, cotton, and wool, gold-embossed wallpaper, handcrafted hardwood furniture dating back centuries, oil paintings and portraits…all those and more, there was just so much to burn. And burn they did.

Everything burned, the home of the Zolgen lineage of magi for the last two centuries tottering and shaking as the extreme heat cracked and shattered the masonry of its walls, and melted and distorted the internal framework. The building wouldn't last much longer, and once it was gone, so too would be the last visible legacy of the Zolgen lineage of magi.

Going back five hundred years to the Renaissance, it would all end here, in a burned ruin in a city on the far side of the globe from the land of their birth. No one would shed a tear though.

Zolgen's legacy was one of unspeakable horror, after all. It was a legacy of excruciating torment and horrible death, of walking the world in a half-life as a nest for parasites, literally consumed bit by bit with every day that passed, before ending as a rotting corpse being devoured by worms in a dark pit beneath their homes, whether in distant Russia or here in Japan.

Whether it was the world of common man or that world which existed only in the moonlight, the legacy of the Zolgen brought nothing good and fair. Fear, agony, and horror were their only fruits, with even those who knew only of what the Zolgen wanted others to know holding them in contempt, loathing, and distrust.

Even their (former) Einzbern allies had held them in low regard, the alliance merely one of convenience, nothing more and nothing less. Indeed, past a certain point in time, the alliance existed only on paper, with the representatives of the Einzbern regarding the Zolgen – or as they were known by then, the Matou – as worms only to be crushed underfoot.

Such irony…

Only their other allies, the Tohsaka, ever held them with respect. Fools…

…in decades to come, the seventh head of Tohsaka – or as she was also known, the first head of Tohsaka Yggdmillennia – would transcribe in her memoirs the painful (if not knowing and willful) ignorance of her ancestors regarding their so-called allies. The Matou had figuratively been feeding them dirt from the very beginning, and they never even realized it.

Small wonder Einzbern had held Tohsaka in contempt as well, if to a lesser degree than they held Matou in.

Tohsaka Yggdmillennia would also write in her memoirs that it should come as no surprise that Zolgen/Matou's legacy was complete malignance. Their founder and patriarch, right up until the end, had been a Dead Apostle, after all. A bloodsucking and flesh-eating monster who had deliberately discarded his Humanity for some selfish goal of little to no value.

How could a being such as that, much less its descendants, ever contribute to the betterment of the world?

To be sure, there were outliers, but they didn't count. They were aberrations, men and women with good hearts and strong wills, enough to turn their backs on their monstrous kin and live good and normal lives of their own.

There were few and far, typically only appearing once every century, the latest being one Kariya Matou. More to the point, as aberrations and outliers to their monstrous family, they could only be judged separately on their individual merits.

Tohsaka Yggdmillennia would also remark in her memoirs that perhaps Zolgen/Matou's departure from Russia centuries ago was more than just meant to bring them in closer proximity to Fuyuki's Holy Grail. Though evidence is scarce and circumstantial, what there is seems to indicate that Makiri Zolgen/Zouken Matou's true nature was beginning to show, and the move from Russia to Japan was also meant to avoid swift and just retribution from the powers of the moonlit world.

Regardless, Tohsaka Yggdmillennia condemned her ancestors' incompetence for failing to notice their so-called allies' monstrous nature. Even more so, as evidence indicated hundreds of deaths in the centuries of Zolgen/Matou's residence in Fuyuki, no doubt devoured to sate the vampire's need for Human flesh and blood.

Tohsaka were the Second Owners of Fuyuki, after all. It was their responsibility to know and take action. And they failed.

Worse, they might have known, and actively conspired with Zolgen/Matou to cover up the latter's wrongdoing, and in so doing, became active accomplices in their crimes against Humanity.

Tohsaka Yggdmillennia would later admit her vendetta against Zolgen-blooded families in Eastern Europe was rooted in a sense of responsibility and to atone for the failures and crimes of her ancestors. It would be carried on by her heirs, most famously – or infamously, depending on who you asked – the complete and utter extermination of the Bondar and Borovyk lineages of magi by the brothers Altair and Asterion Tohsaka Yggdmillennia.

But that would be in the future.

Now in the present, the Matou mansion's burning edifice caved in on itself, sucking in huge amounts of air before throwing it back out in a blazing fireball. Hot debris flew along with the fireball, and started smaller fires across the grounds and beyond, but while the mansion had caved in, the destruction was still far from complete.

And so the fires continued to burn, and would burn all through the night.

As the Matou mansion burned in the distant suburbs, a trio of airships flew triumphantly above the skies of Fuyuki. The Ceahlău Massif and the Peleaga flew next to each other, steel cables hanging between and below them, holding aloft the Holy Grail.

The Carpatin flew a safe distance away, but from the viewing deck on top of the airship, spotlights illuminated the Grail, as did other spotlights from the cabins beneath the other two airships. Chamber music provided a cheerful accompaniment to the Yggdmillennia scions celebrating their triumph on the viewing deck, and another step taken to the goal of opening the path to the gates of the Root.

Champagne flowed freely, served in crystal glasses on silver trays by homunculi servers, along with finger food on porcelain plates. Scions gathered in small groups and cliques, chatting and conversing with one another, while others – usually the younger ones – gathered along the safety railings, staring out into the open air and pointing down at the glittering cityscape of Fuyuki in awe.

In the cabin's dining room, more scions enjoyed five-course meals with a wide selection of wines, again to the accompaniment of chamber music. Others were sightseeing in the sitting rooms, or passed the time one way or another in desired privacy inside the cabin's suites and rooms.

Other scions were even more daring, making use of hang gliders to fly past and around the airships and the Holy Grail. A few even used familiars to touch – by extension – the Holy Grail.

"Is something the matter, Missus Tohsaka?" Caules asked, approaching his future mother-in-law with a pair of wineglasses in hand. He offered her one, and as Aoi took it, raised his own glass in a toast.

Aoi returned the toast, and took a sip as Caules did so as well. "Not…really…" she said softly. "I'm just…not used to such large, social gatherings as this."

"I see." Caules said with a nod.

Aoi sighed and took another drink to brace herself. She sat at an out-of-the-way corner of the viewing deck, wearing a white, long-sleeved dress with gold trim along the hem, cuffs, and collar. It was very…different, compared to what everyone else was wearing, but as she wasn't a magus herself, she wasn't entitled to a proper uniform. Even so, she still had to fit-in, hence the dress.

Instinctively, Aoi's eyes sought out her daughter, and found her standing with several other scions. They were chattering excitedly among themselves, very much like young women of their age, gesturing wildly and flippantly to each other, before breaking out in laughter in unison.

Aoi simultaneously smiled in happiness for her daughter at the sight, and felt her gut twist with envy. Happy, that Sakura had found good friends in this…family. Envy, no matter how unexpected, because Aoi had never really had any close friends such as those Sakura appeared to have.

Whether it was her parents or her late husband, Aoi had always had to present the appearance of the dutiful daughter and wife respectively, demure, modest, and noble, unhindered by meaningless and wasteful frivolities. Only Kariya had ever indulged and drawn Aoi out of her shell, and even then it had only been on sufferance from her parents and husband.

Guilt filled her then, so much so that Aoi drained half her glass to drown it with, on how she'd pushed her first, oldest, and perhaps, only friend away with her defense of her husband all those years ago.

"…um…are you alright?" Caules cautiously asked, having noticed Aoi suddenly drinking so heavily.

"…just…some old regrets coming to mind…" Aoi answered softly. "…old wounds reopening…"

"I…I see…"

Aoi took another drink before lifting her head up to look at the starry skies above. "…perhaps you should go around, maybe…converse, with some of…our, relatives?" Caules ventured. "That might get your mind off…old regrets…"

Aoi shook her head with a smile at her future son-in-law. "Thank you for the offer," she said. "But I don't really know anyone here. I wouldn't want to intrude. Besides…"

Aoi trailed off with a sigh. "I can only speak Japanese." She continued. "And from the sound of things, most of…our, relatives, don't speak it."

"…sadly true, I have to admit." Caules conceded after a moment.

"…how many languages do you speak, Caules?" Aoi asked in genuine curiosity.

"Six," Caules admitted. "Though not all fluently. I can speak Romanian, Russian, and English fluently. I can also speak German, French, and Japanese, though as you've noticed, I…have something of an accent, whether it's any of those three."

"It's not that bad." Aoi reassured Caules. "What about Sakura, though? How many languages can she speak?"

"Five, I think." Caules said. "Romanian, Russian, German, English, and Japanese, though she can speak all but German fluently. That one she speaks with an accent."

"…I see." Aoi said while draining the rest of her glass. Caules looked on in concern, even as Aoi played with the glass' stem with her fingers. "Come to think of it…no, I know Sakura grew up in…Trifas, wasn't it? But, who raised her? Did she have…parent figures…surrogates...someone like that?"

"…not really," Caules said after a moment. "Well, there was grandfather, but apart from him…as far as I know, Sakura only really had a governess as a child, and only until she was old enough to take care of herself."

"I see." Aoi said with a slow nod. "But she didn't grow up alone?"

"…no…" Caules said slowly. "I mean…she had the rest of us who lived at Trifas, but she didn't really have anyone she could call a sibling. Wait, no, there was Fiore…"

"Fiore…she's your older sister, isn't she?"

"Yes." Caules said with a smile. "She is, and now that I think about it, yeah, you could call Fiore Sakura's surrogate older sister."

"I see…"

"Would you like me to introduce you?" Caules offered. "I mean, Fiore can't speak Japanese, but if it's just the two of you, I can mediate."

"…I don't want to cause trouble."

Caules laughed. "It's no trouble at all." He said. "And once Sakura and I…well, get married, then Fiore will probably be even closer than before. I'd think she'd want to know you some more."

"…hmm…alright then…"

Caules smiled, and helping Aoi to her feet, looked around for his sister.

A server bowed as the scions took all the glasses from his tray, and then rising, strolled away to get some more. Edda raised her glass, and the rest of them did so to return the toast. "So," Kendra Tathame Yggdmillennia began. "What's next for you, Sakura?"

"Back to London, I suppose." Sakura replied, while swirling the champagne in her glass. "I've done my part in the plan so far, and from here on, it'll be Meister and his select lieutenants who'll be in charge of figuring out how the Grail works."

"That's probably going to take a while." Opeline Airaldii Yggdmillennia remarked with a sip. "The Grail was the nexus for a Grand Ritual, and partly based on the Third True Magic. And you know as well as I do how…complicated, High Thaumaturgy can be."

"That's true." Edda said, and nods went all around.

"Best not to rush things too." Wassa Ashe Yggdmillennia said. "Haste makes waste, and all that. Like you just said, it's complicated. And the more complicated things get, the more chances there are something could go wrong, especially when you're tinkering with something."

A chorus of assent went up at that. "Well, I'm not complaining." Sakura said after another sip. "I've been taking the past couple of years a bit fast, to be honest. It'd be nice to slow down and start living life for a while before the next big thing that needs to be done."

"Oh yeah, definitely." Lili agreed before winking at Sakura. "Especially since you're going to get married in a couple of years, aren't you?"

Sakura's cheeks turned the palest shade of pink, and she took a drink to regain her composure. "Yes, that's…pretty much been a thing for two years now." She said.

Giggles went up all around. "I have to admit I'm a bit jealous." Lili said. "I mean, Caules isn't really a…what do the Americans call it? A chunk?"

"Hunk…they call it a hunk." Edda supplied.

"Oh right…thanks. Ahem…Caules isn't a hunk, but he's quite handsome in his own way, and he's such a nice guy too. He'll be a good husband and father, that's for sure."

Sakura hummed her agreement, eyes distant while staring into the swirling champagne in her wineglass. "Yes…" she said softly. "He definitely will be."

The rest of the girls stared at Sakura for a few moments, and then giggled again. "…looking forward to getting married, are we now, Sakura?" Wassa teased.

Sakura threw a smirk their way. "Jealous?" she asked.

"Yes."

Laughter went up at that. "In all seriousness," Sakura said once the laughter had died down. "Yes, I am looking forward to getting married, and having a family of my own. It'll be…nice…yes…very nice…"

"How many kids do you plan to have?" Lili asked.

"At least two," Sakura said, her quick reply clearly showing she'd thought of it beforehand. "But I want three, two boys and a girl, in that order."

"…why that order?"

"The boys can help each other lead Tohsaka Yggdmillennia," Sakura said confidently. "And the girl…well…to be honest…"

Sakura paused, and blushed while rubbing the back of her head. "…I just want a little girl to spoil, that's all." She shyly admitted.

Sympathetic and agreeing noises went up from the girls, while Sakura took another drink to regain her composure. "What about baby names?" Edda asked. "Thought about them yet?"

"…no…and even if I did, that'd be a thing for between Caules and me." Sakura said with a teasing note.

Disappointed responses went up at that, though it was clearly just for show. "I suppose it makes sense you'd want to keep things like that private." Kendra admitted, to an agreeing chorus from the other girls. "Wouldn't want to spoil the surprise for when your children are born, after all."

"My thoughts exactly." Sakura said, and getting another round of agreeing noises from her friends.

"So…" Sakura conversationally began as she sat down for a late dinner with her mother in the Carpatin's dining room. "How was your talk with Fiore?"

"I wish I could have spoken to her myself, instead of having Caules as an interpreter." Aoi said with a sigh. "I mean…I'm grateful to him, I really am. And I trust he made sure to stay faithful to what I wanted to say. Even so…it doesn't feel as…genuine, as speaking for yourself does."

Sakura nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I see what you mean." She said.

Then the conversation stilled as servers set down the first course, green vegetable salad served with vinaigrette dressing. Afterwards, their glasses were filled with ice water, the glass frosting over with condensation immediately.

For a few minutes, mother and daughter ate in relative silence, and then Aoi was dabbing her mouth with her table napkin. "If I were to learn a language to speak to…the rest of the family, myself," she hesitantly and softly began before taking a drink. "What would you suggest?"

"Romanian," Sakura said immediately. "The family's heartland is in Romania, after all. So we all learn to speak Romanian, even those who don't live in Romania."

"I see…" Aoi said with a series of slow nods.

The rest of the course was again eaten in slow silence, and then servers were taking their dirty plates and utensils away, before replacing them with clean ones. Glasses were refilled, and then the next course was served, cream and mushroom soup steaming hot. Aoi took a cautious spoonful, and then making a delighted sound, took to her serving with greater enthusiasm.

This course was finished quickly and again in relative silence, and then the servers were again replacing dirty bowls and utensils while topping up Sakura and Aoi's glasses. The next course was fish, trout cooked in light cream sauce served with greens, and after making a choice from an offered selection, white wine was poured to compliment the course.

"Caules tells me you know how to speak five languages." Aoi lightly remarked while slicing into her fish. "I also get the feeling you needed to learn those. Why?"

"…Romanian because I live in Romania." Sakura said, also slicing into her fish. "Russian because in Eastern Europe, if you're going places then you need to learn to hear and speak Russian. German, because in Western and Central Europe, if you're going places then you need to hear and speak either or both German and French. English, because the Clock Tower is in London, and English is the lingua franca of the world. Japanese, because I'm Japanese by birth and blood."

Sakura paused in thought, and then shrugged before putting a forkful of fish into her mouth. She finished chewing and swallowing before continuing. "I might have to learn Finnish, one day." She said, before taking a drink of white wine. "My grandmother was Finnish, after all. It might come in handy."

"…it might be." Aoi conceded.

The rest of the course was finished in silence, and then servers were taking away their plates and silverware, and replacing them with clean ones. Water glasses were topped up, and red wine selected, opened, and poured. Then the meat course was served, pork chops cooked in sweet sauce served with a side of mixed vegetables.

"How did your conversation with Fiore really go?" Sakura finally asked as she sliced into her chops.

"…she's a sweet girl." Aoi said after a moment. "I can see why you look up to her as a sister. She's nothing like Rin at all."

"No, she isn't." Sakura agreed, before taking a bite and washing it down with red wine. "But I don't think it's fair to compare them either. Rin is Rin. Fiore is Fiore. They're their own persons, and both have their own good and bad sides."

"…and?" Aoi said, focusing on her meal and refusing to meet Sakura's eyes. "Which of them would you prefer as your older sister?"

Sakura paused, looking at her mother with a raised eyebrow. Aoi though, pointedly refused to meet her daughter's eyes. After a moment, Sakura smiled. "Why not both?" she asked.

Aoi laughed, relief and happiness evident in every peal. "Greedy, aren't we?" she asked.

Sakura shrugged. "Rin's my older sister, no matter what." She said. "We have the same parents, after all. Fiore…well, she was there for me growing up, and once me and Caules get married, she really will be my older sister. An in-law, of course, but that's good enough for me."

"Hmm…I suppose so." Aoi said before tilting her head. "About Caules…do you really want to marry him?"

"…I'm a magus." Sakura said after a few moments. "I have a duty to ensure the next generation is born with the best they can be born with. Marrying for love isn't really an option for me."

"…true." Aoi admitted. The next several minutes were spent eating in relative silence, and then Aoi continued. "That said…I…I wouldn't want you to end up with the same failed marriage I had. Whether it's you or Rin…you both deserve better."

Sakura sighed and looking up at her mother, smiled without reservation for the first time. And for the first time since their reunion, Aoi saw the little girl she'd thought she'd lost well over a decade ago. It made her really warm and light on the inside, and in a way she hadn't felt in such a long time.

"…thank you." Sakura said. "That means a lot, really."

Aoi nodded. "Going back to Caules…that's also why I'm fine with marrying him." Sakura continued. "If I'm going to be saddled with an arranged marriage one way or another, I could do worse than Caules. We know each other, growing up together as we did, and we work well together."

"He respects you, in other words." Aoi perceptively said. "He sees you as an equal, and is prepared to compromise and work with you to make things work between you, instead of one or the other between you playing follow the leader."

"…yes."

"That's good…very good…I'm sure you'll be able to make it work…the way I couldn't with…with my husband…"

If I had married Kariya…run away with him the way he asked me to a few days before he turned his back on his family…then…could we possibly have…?

"…as for Rin," Sakura was saying while forking vegetables into her mouth. "Well, since she's no longer head of the family, she can marry for love if she wants. She can even stop being a magus if she wants to, I won't hold it against her. If she wants to become…say, a schoolteacher, a doctor, a lawyer, or even to enter politics, then it's fine. I'll support her all the way."

Aoi chuckled. "I'm sure she'll be glad to hear that, Sakura." She said happily.

Sakura shrugged and returned to her meal. After several more minutes, the course was done, and again the servers took the dirty china and silver away and replaced them with clean ones. Coffee and dessert preferences were selected, and then water glasses were being topped up. A few minutes later, and both Aoi and Sakura were served with freshly brewed coffee along with slices of cake.

Chocolate cheesecake for Sakura, and lemon cheesecake for Aoi. Aoi took a sip of her coffee, preferring to take it black, while Sakura first added cream and then sugar to her coffee. Then Aoi replaced her coffee mug on its saucer, and patiently waited for Sakura to finish taking her first drink of her coffee.

"Sakura," she began with a serious tone that caught Sakura's attention immediately. "Are you happy?"

Sakura smiled. "Yes," she said. "I am."

A/N

And that's the end of the first arc. I'll be putting this on hiatus (again), though I'll be dropping a few interludes every once in a while. Such as: Reines' business with Shirou with regard to Kiritsugu's butchery of her brother and the destruction of the El-Melloi Crest, Rin and Luvia, Caules and Sakura's wedding, and the disposition of the Tohsaka Crest.