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

Jewels and Crows

Prologue

Byakuya Matou threw the glassful of brandy back, feeling the familiar burn of cheap but strong alcohol searing its way down his throat. It wasn't doing him much good really, but he'd since stopped caring.

He didn't care for much these days, whether it was his health, his image, or even what was going on around him. As long as he did what the old worm expected of him and stayed out of the way, then he was free to do as he pleased. Except there was nothing really that would please him for a long time now.

Even his son, Shinji, studying abroad at a boarding school wasn't a source of pride for him. Only envy, envy and resentment, envy, because no matter how much the boy wanted to be a magus he would never actually be one, consigning him to living an ordinary life. Though he'd never admit to it, Byakuya would take an ordinary life over the shell of existence that was his lot in life. And resentment, because it was the boy's fault that he'd lost everything.

He would have been the hope, the next generation of magi for their family. Shinji should have been the heir, but he'd been born without magic circuits, and because of it his wife had been thrown to the worms. The memories of those days and nights came back, the screams and terrible cries echoing from underground, until there was only silence.

It was worse, for she was still alive. Byakuya had begged, on his knees no less, for her to be put out of her misery.

The old worm had granted it. On one condition: he'd have to kill her himself.

And he did. He looked into her eyes as he snapped her neck, and saw nothing. She was just a shell, a puppet bereft of purpose and meaning, just a chunk of meat to be used as food and as a nest for the worms.

It was then that he stopped caring. What was the point? Each and every last one of them – except for that smart coward Kariya who ran while he could – was just a means to an end for the old worm. Even Byakuya, despite being a pathetic excuse for a magus, was of use to Zouken, even if it was only to feed the worms and do menial labour around the house. Or in the case of his son, send him away where he'd be out of the old worm's way.

Somehow, he knew that eventually even Zouken would find a way to make use of Shinji. And even Kariya maybe, though given he was overseas at present he couldn't imagine how the old worm could pull that off.

He didn't try. It wasn't like he'd any chance of actually coming close to guessing how the worm could pull it off, and it's not like it would achieve anything.

Though there was still one problem left: the Matou family would die with Byakuya and Kariya. In other words, Zouken needed an heir. And he had found it.

That arrogant fool Tokiomi Tohsaka had actually agreed to Zouken's request to give him his younger daughter. Apparently, the man didn't want to see his younger daughter's potential to go to a waste, and between that and the old alliance between the Tohsaka and the Matou he'd seen nothing wrong with unknowingly sending his daughter to hell.

Byakuya didn't care. He didn't even pity the girl. It wouldn't do any good either way. He simply did what was asked of him: prepare the girl's room, and feed the worms extra to give them more energy for the first training session that night.

He'd done that now, and he once again sank into the bottle. It was the only thing that kept him going these days, given how apathetic he'd become.

The doorbell rang as he refilled his glass, and muttering curses under his breath Byakuya staggered to the door. Obviously it wasn't a mailman, they had a mailbox for that, and Zouken usually warned him if he was expecting anything or anyone. It was probably some door-to-door salesman, and Byakuya was going to run them off as usual.

He opened the door…and gaped, almost literally feeling the alcohol draining from his blood as he stared into a pair of blood-red eyes. The man was old, given the wrinkles on his face and his white hair. He was dressed typically for magi, in an anachronistic frock coat that wouldn't have been out of place in pre-WWI Europe. He leaned on a jewel-topped cane, shorter than that fool Tokiomi's.

As a mystic code it would probably crush anything and everything the Tohsaka and the Matou had put together.

"Good morning…" Kilua Zelretch Schweinorg greeted Byakuya. "…Byakuya Matou I presume? Might I ask if my old apprentice is around? I have a certain proposition to discuss with him."

Zouken Matou slid into his chair in the living room, carefully masking the trepidation from showing on his face as he faced his old master, seated opposite him. A surprisingly-sober Byakuya had been sent off to help the newly-arrived Sakura Matou he'd brought with him set up shop in her room, while Zouken dealt with one of the few people he actually feared.

And his old master was to be feared. He didn't need to use his famed Second Magic. He didn't even need to use his centuries-old jewel magecraft, far more powerful than most magecraft Association magi outside of the Barthomeloi wielded. All he needed were his claws.

Between his age, and his status as a Dead Apostle born of the Crimson Moon himself, few things could survive a physical attack from the Wizard Marshall and the Fourth Dead Apostle Ancestor.

"Master…" Zouken began. "…this is an unexpected pleasure I am honoured by your presence."

Zelretch chuckled knowingly. "Yes, I am sure you are." He said. "As it stands however I have other business to attend to, so you wouldn't mind if we cut to the chase would you? Even I who command time itself have limitations in its use."

"Yes of course." Zouken said with a nod. The sooner Zelretch's business was done, the better. His old master being who he was, nothing good could possibly come of this proposition of his. Or if there were, it would probably involve an insane degree of complexity that would only serve to amuse Zelretch and annoy Zouken.

Zouken enjoyed toying around with others as much (if not more so) as Zelretch did, but he irritably conceded inwardly that it wasn't nearly as enjoyable being toyed with.

Zelretch nodded, and with a pop of displaced air, summoned a small wooden box into his hands. Zouken arched an eyebrow as Zelretch placed it on the table between them, and opened it. Several vials of pink fluid were inside, and taking one of them Zelretch handed it to Zouken. Zouken's eyes widened as he sensed just how profound the mysteries that made up the potion were.

"Where did you get this?" he asked.

"Ah…" Zelretch said with a smirk, letting Zouken know that he'd found his usual brand of amusement while getting hold of those potions. "…I have a pair of acquaintances you see. A cradle-robbing witch and her redheaded boy toy – though I imagine they'd protest quite strongly if they heard that – the former of which made those for me in exchange for my…guarantee as the Wizard Marshall that those busybodies in the Clock Tower would leave them alone."

"And…?" Zouken asked. "Did it work?"

"The guarantee…?" Zelretch said with a shrug. "A couple of idiots tried to quietly ignore it. Even I don't know where I sent them, the defence system is…well, random."

Zouken laughed a rare of laugh of genuine amusement. "Yes, that sounds just like you master." He said, and Zelretch laughed as well.

"Yes, I suppose it does."

"So…" Zouken asked after a moment, rolling the vial in his hand. "…what do these do, and what's the catch for me to be to use them, and more importantly study them?"

"You always did have a cruel streak." Zelretch suddenly said, and Zouken froze as Zelretch's eyes flashed from red to gold. "You and Justeaze both did. What you plan in particular for that girl upstairs, is so cruel as to make even Altrouge Brunestud recoil with horror."

For several moments there was silence, and then Zelretch smiled, his eyes turning back to red. "But there are no such things as absolutes…" he said. "…even as True Magic may someday be reduced to mundane fact by the steady pace of Human advancement, that cruelty of yours that with the slow wearing of time has come to dominate you…it's not you. Not completely…"

Zelretch nodded towards the vials. "That potion grants limited immortality." He said. "With it, you'll be able to turn back the clock so to speak, to an extent. Much like the battle with the Crimson Moon did to me, time has greatly-damaged your soul. I doubt even if you use all those potions at the same time you'll be able to return to your peak. But you can and will return to a more…Human state, just like me. And if time wears away again, then you can simply take more. And I'm sure you'll have ample time to study and try to replicate the potion."

Zouken was silent, licking his lips once. If he could sweat he would. As it was, it all he could do to try and bring his thoughts under control. At long last, immortality was finally within his reach. With it, he didn't need to obsess after the Grail like Jubstacheit and Tokiomi and their ilk did. With it, he'd no need to maintain his pseudo-Dead Apostle existence. With it, he could…he could…he could…

"What's the catch?" Zouken finally asked. "That girl…Sakura, do you want her?"

"Tempting…" Zelretch said. "…that apprentice of mine would never be able to refuse a request from me again if that were the case. And certain…circumstances would undoubtedly prove to be of amusement. But no…I wouldn't want to appear…like a hero. I'm not a hero. Righting wrongs was never a driving force behind my actions. I would do the right thing, but I wouldn't go out of my way to do it."

"And yet…here you are, saving that girl from what I have in mind for her…"

Zelretch chuckled. "You truly are my student…" he said. "…but that apprentice of mine's been really loud about how indifferent I can be. Zouken…"

Zelretch paused, catching Zouken's eyes with his own. "That girl…" he said. "…train her properly. Do not mistreat her in any way, though apart from that you are free to mould her into a magus worthy of the name. And when the time comes, I'll have her existence make that holier-than-thou apprentice of mine eat her words."

Zelretch got to his feet. "I trust this is equivalent exchange for granting you your wish, my old apprentice." He said, and Zouken slowly nodded. Zelretch nodded. "Good…now remember, I am not all-powerful Zouken, but I will be watching."

There was pop of displaced air, and then Zelretch was gone. Zouken sat in silence, holding the vial in his hand while the container with the other vials sat on the table before him. Several moments later and he nodded. "If immortality is worth becoming a monster…" he said as he opened the vial and raised it to his lips. "…then it most certainly is worth training a proper magus."

Byakuya stepped into the library, looking for Zouken. He hadn't been in the living room, or in the underground and its adjoining laboratories and workshop, and given it was unlikely in the extreme he'd be in the kitchen the library was the likeliest place he'd be in.

"The girl's fixing her things." He began as he spotted Zouken's familiar kimono standing beside a bookshelf. "I suppose I should leave her alone before tonight's…"

Byakuya trailed off, staring at Zouken. It was Zouken he had the same clothes, the same cane, the same presence and even the same brooding expression on his face. Only…he looked Human. Where he'd been bald, he now had swept back white hair with hints of violet towards the edges, and where his eyes had once been opaque orbs of black they were now…normal, except for the violet irises rare among most people. And his skin…it actually looked a healthy shade for an old man, instead of the sickly grey it would normally appear as.

"My master and I have reached an agreement." Zouken said without preamble. "The girl will be trained, but along…orthodox lines. I will personally oversee it."

Zouken pulled out a book from a shelf, and made to leave. As he stepped past Byakuya he paused, and glanced coldly at his 'son' from the corner of his eyes. "Do try and keep your drinking and attitude under control." He said. "That girl is worth more than your life. If your vices spill onto her, I will make you pay."

Byakuya swallowed and nodded, and without a word Zouken left. He made his way up the stairs and down the corridors to where his new granddaughter was fixing her room. She was as to be expected, a forlorn little thing, silently arranging her clothes and what other personal effects she brought with her.

Zouken knocked on the open door, and the little girl jumped before turning around to face him. She blinked and visibly swallowed. For a few moments Zouken and Sakura stared at each other in silence, and then Zouken sighed.

I am not used to giving positive reinforcement, but I suppose it's…inevitable in a situation like this.

"Sakura…" he began while stepping into the room. He stopped a short distance from her before sinking down to a knee. "…I do not expect us to become familiar all at once. However, I do hope that at least, we can work together and in time, get to know each other better. Is that alright?"

Slowly, the girl nodded, and Zouken smiled. That smile faded as he got to his feet. "I assume your…that is Tohsaka did not teach you even the basics of magecraft?" he asked.

Sakura shook her head. "I…I know it exists but f…Tohsaka-san never taught me more than that." She said softly.

Figures…in other orthodox families any child worth bargaining away or even as a spare would be taught at least the basics. That arrogant fool Tokiomi takes things to the letter too much.

"I see." Zouken said, and then extended the book towards her. "Very well, I want you to read this and to understand as much as you can. By week's end, we'll review what you've learned and then we'll start on your training. Understood…?"

Sakura nodded as she took the book, and with a hesitant ruffle of her hair Zouken hobbled away. "Um…" a hesitant beginning from Sakura stopped him in his footsteps. "…sorry, but who are you?"

Zouken smirked, predicting what the girl's reaction would be. "You may address me as grandfather." He said, his smirk growing at the thunderstruck expression on her face. "Impressive what magic can do, no?"

Sakura nodded, still in shock at how much his appearance had changed from earlier, and with a chuckle Zouken left. No doubt the girl would have her curiosity sparked, and from there it would begin.

I'll have to redo my methods from scratch, but even if I have to use soft methods to do it, I'll turn that girl into a magus worth the Matou name.

A/N

I rewrote it because the original was giving me writer's block to continue.

Yes, those are Caster's (Medea's) potions. It should be quite obvious who her (Medea's) 'boy toy' is, and who Zelretch's 'holier-than-thou' apprentice is.