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

Alea Iacta Est

Prologue

Rain fell heavily from a grey and dreary sky, streaming down along the facades of the city's buildings, puddling on the roads, streets, and alleys, and flowing down gutters and into drains. The city's air matched the sky's appearance above, people going to and fro on the streets in silence, huddled into coats under umbrellas, hurrying without care for strangers towards their destinations and out of the cold and the wet.

Water splashed from puddles, strongly as cars and other vehicles sped past on the road, weakly from the more sedate pace of the pedestrians on the street. It dripped down from overhangs above the partly-sheltered alleys, the homeless and the destitute huddled in makeshift shelters with what little possessions they had, struggling to keep warm and dry as best they could.

One such homeless was a little girl, not even of school age, huddled in a shelter of cardboard somehow patched together. Her clothes were dirty, her skin all scuffed and smudged, and her dark hair matted and tangled. Blue eyes dully stared out onto the world, face slack with resignation, and as her stomach growled hungrily she closed her eyes and huddled further into herself and her shelter, even as lightning flashed and thunder boomed overhead.

She didn't notice the slight tingling of her body, as something swept out in response to someone else feeling her presence. Not with the numbing cold and wet, and even if she had she'd have dismissed it as coming from the gnawing hunger that had been a constant companion since she'd had to fend for herself.

She did notice, however, when someone approached her shelter, heavy boots stepping firmly on the concrete, and came to a halt in front of her. The little girl looked up, taking in the redheaded young woman in a plain brown but well-made overcoat, holding an umbrella over herself and the little girl's shelter.

Brown and blue eyes stared into each other, but when the young woman knelt down the little girl looked away. She ignored the young woman holding out her hand, but as the minutes passed and the young woman just stayed there, the little girl finally looked back.

The young woman smiled kindly, and nodded encouragingly. Smiles…kindness…she missed being given those…but she had been the ones to give up on them…if only because they were fake…they weren't real…

But…she missed them so much…maybe…this one…wasn't fake…

Slowly, the little girl raised her hand, thin and bony from hunger, and met the young woman's. Heat and numbness jolted through the little girl body at the touch, and she jolted back, scrambling back as she could in fear into her shelter.

They'd found her.

They'd take her back.

Back to that house where people smiled and were kind…but didn't really care at all…didn't want her…so she didn't want them either…

…even though she missed them so much…

…why?

It was all fake. It wasn't real. Nothing in that house was real.

She was just like a doll to them. Something to play with, and give away when they got tired of her.

That was all she ever was.

"Interesting," the young woman said, taking off her glasses. "Now, what are the chances I'd find someone as…exceptional, as you in a place like this? And how?"

The little girl looked away. "Please go away." She whispered. "I just…I just want to be alone. I…I don't want to go back. I…"

Heat and numbness burned through the little girl's body, and something moved unseen through the air towards the young woman. "I…I'm not who you're looking for." The little girl said.

The young woman laughed softly. "Very interesting," she said. "I guess that answers the what and the how. A little runaway from an incompetent family…well, what's their loss might just be my gain."

"…please go away. I…I just want to be alone…that's all…"

"I could do that." The young woman answered with a nod, but then her eyes began to glow. "But I won't. Because you see, you're a very interesting child. And I like interesting things. So, come along now."

Slowly, jerkily, fighting to keep her body from doing something she didn't want it to do, the little girl crept out of her shelter and towards the young woman. "Sleep." She said, pressing her fingers against the little girl's temple.

Darkness fell.

Thirteen years later

"Where's Luvia?" a brunette young woman asked.

"No idea." A blonde young woman of the same age answered.

"Oh I know!" a second brunette replied to the first brunette's question. "I hear she got into a spat with a newcomer from Japan. Apparently, the newcomer's boyfriend knew Luvia, and well, things kind of got…heated."

"Okay…that's good to know." The first brunette answered. "That doesn't answer my question though. Where's Luvia?"

The second brunette shrugged. "They went for a spar, I hear." She said. "You should probably be able to find them in one of the training areas."

"Okay…I think I will. Thanks Julia." The first brunette said, already walking away. "See you later."

"Yeah, see you later, Sakura." The two girls chorused, while Sakura strode off.

Making her way through the Clock Tower to the training area usually favored by Luvia, Sakura only had to ask a few times to know where Luvia exactly was, and as the sound of heavy fighting could be heard the young puppet master sighed and picked up the pace. Entering through a doorway, the training area was well-lit, surrounded by great pillars, and large enough to allow two fighters to pummel each other without regard for collateral damage all the while allowing spectators to look on from a safe distance.

Sakura raised an eyebrow as she spotted Luvia fighting in that leotard of hers, and her opponent…

"Who's that?" Sakura thought to herself, watching the brunette dressed in a sweatshirt and shorts trading blows and leaping and moving around the training area at high speed along with Luvia. "She looks…familiar…could it be?"

Sakura took a step back, and palmed one of her cards. Taking a look around, she stepped into the thin crowd of onlookers, and then raised an eyebrow as her eyes fell on a redheaded young man standing at the head of the crowd. Something about him seemed…promising, promising in the way that her master had taught her to spot in the ten years and more they'd been on the run from the Association's hounds, before the sealing designation was finally lifted, but it was one lesson among others that was well-learned and still well-used.

Stepping closer, Sakura politely cleared her throat. "Hello," she began. "I haven't seen you around here before. Are you new?"

"Huh?" the redhead asked, turning to Sakura, who smiled up at him. "Oh uh…yes, yes I am. My name's Shirou Emiya. I'm uh…an apprentice, of Rin Tohsaka over there. We arrived just recently so…yeah, you probably haven't seen us around here before."

"Rin…Tohsaka...?" Sakura echoed before looking back out onto the training area. As Luvia's opponent continued to fight and move with her, Sakura carefully took in her features, and briefly met her eyes, and Sakura smiled slightly.

"Well, that explains why she looks familiar." Sakura thought to herself. "Yeah…I should have remembered. She should be finished with high school by now, and it's only to be expected that she'd come here."

Sakura laughed internally. Interesting times were here, it seemed. And to think she was getting bored not having to keep a constant eye out for assassins and bounty hunters and other lowlifes that she and her master had had to watch out for back before when they'd been on the run.

It was honestly not something she had expected…though things not going as expected had always been a thing for her through her life.

More to the point though…

…her sister was here. And it was inevitable that she and Rin would end up meeting each other, sooner or later. How would things go when that happened?

The perfect heiress of the Tohsaka Clan, meeting the – as Sakura assumed she was seen by her (former) family – disgraceful runaway who'd abandoned her responsibilities and the opportunity offered to her. Admittedly, it was rather stupid – if her master hadn't found her on that day she'd have probably starved or frozen to death or worse within the year – and born of childish impulsiveness, but still…

…she knew better than to expect forgiveness. Magi were not the kind to forgive easily.

Even her master's sealing designation being lifted was only done for pragmatism's sake, the Association finally deciding that reconciliation with one of their brightest (former) members was more beneficial than said member constantly on the run or in hiding from them, and likely to end up biting the dirt sooner or later and taking her research to the grave with her, and forever beyond the Association's reach.

"I should make some preparations, just in case." Sakura thought while continuing to watch Luvia and Rin fight. After a moment though, she turned back to Shirou.

"I assume that Rin Tohsaka is the one Luvia is fighting?" she asked, feigning ignorance.

"Yeah," Shirou replied. "Wait…Luvia? You know her?"

"Of course I know her." Sakura said, crossing her arms and smiling smugly. "I'm her best friend…or at least I like to pretend I am."

Shirou laughed weakly. "But you are her friend?" he asked.

"I am." Sakura said, briefly closing her eyes before looking back onto the training area. "Though I've only known her for a year or so."

"I see." Shirou said with a nod, also looking back into the training area. "That's fine. I've only known Rin for about as long, maybe less actually, and well…"

Shirou trailed off, and though Sakura looked at him curiously he didn't continue. The fond smile though…that was pretty telling.

Sakura was fond of her master herself, though there were different kinds of fondness. The fondness that Shirou Emiya seemed to have for his master though…

That might be useful.

"Aren't you two a bit young to be master and apprentice?" Sakura asked instead.

Shirou laughed weakly again. "Yeah, well…" he hesitantly said, rubbing at the back of his head. "These things happen."

"I'm sure they do." Sakura said with a laugh. "No, really: I was five years old when I met my master and started my apprenticeship."

"Five years old?" Shirou echoed. "Isn't that a bit young?"

"Not really," Sakura said. "Magi start training fairly young, usually around four or so."

Well, Rin had started training at four. She didn't know about her master, or other magi for that matter, but that didn't matter.

"I…see…"

Sakura smiled encouragingly. "Anyway," she said, turning to face Shirou fully and holding out a hand. "I haven't introduced myself properly. Sorry for that, my name is Sakura T. but you can just call me Sakura. Nice to meet you."

"Shirou Emiya…but you knew that already." Shirou said cheekily and with a smile, the two of them sharing a laugh as they shook hands. "Sakura Tee though?"

"Yes, T." Sakura said with a nod. "And yes, I'm Japanese like you and your…master, though I haven't been to Japan in a long while."

"I see." Shirou said with a nod. "That's good to know. And it's nice to meet you too."

Sakura nodded, and then as the two of them turned back to the training area, Sakura nodded. "This might take a while." She remarked. "From the look of things, your master's gotten Luvia really riled up for some reason. I wonder why."

Shirou laughed uneasily. "I wonder why too." He said.

Sakura laughed as well. "Well," she said, turning to leave. "I have to go attend to other things. I hope to see you around, which we probably will, seeing as you seem to be familiar or at least acquainted with Luvia."

Shirou nodded. "Yeah, I suppose we will." He agreed.

"Come to think of it, have you even joined a department yet?"

"Not…really…" Shirou admitted uncomfortably. "As I said we only recently arrived. Rin's headed for the Department of Mineralogy. Not sure what I can do there, but I might end up there, being her apprentice and all."

"Not necessarily," Sakura said. "My master's from the Department of Archaeology, but I'm a member of the Department of Creation."

"I see." Shirou said. "That's good to know."

Sakura smiled and nodded, and without another word left. Shirou stared after her until she vanished into the crowd, and then turned back to where Luvia and Rin were still hammering at each other.

Unnoticed to the rear of the crowd, Sakura continued to watch until the match's end. As it did, Luvia and Rin lying side by side in the middle and Shirou hesitantly moving closer, Sakura pulled out her deck of cards. Replacing the card she'd palmed earlier, she shuffled the deck and then pulled out another card on random.

Turning it, she raised an eyebrow at her draw: the Joker.

Now, is that a good or a bad omen? Oh well, we'll see soon enough, I'm sure.

Replacing her deck back into a pocket, Sakura smiled at her friend and (former) sister in the distance, and then turning, left the training area. She had other things to do, plans to draw up, and preparations to make.

A/N

Alea iacta est, Latin for 'the die is cast'. Originally referring to Julius Caesar's crossing of the Rubicon river in defiance of the Roman Senate, here it refers to our girl Sakura running away after she was told she'd be given away but before the Matou could pick her up.

Because reasons.

And she got lucky, way luckier than if she'd stayed. Of course, her luck may have just run out, what with Rin now at the Clock Tower, and she may or may not be hostile to the runaway who shamed the Tohsaka Clan by abandoning her responsibilities and the opportunity given to her.

Whether or not her musings on 'interesting times' being there for her (again) are accurate…we'll see.

Somewhat slice of life, so updates will be infrequent.