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

Fluffy and Warm

Illyasviel von Einzbern was very happy. One could see it in her relaxed and all but jumping-in-excitement pose, plus the wide smile on her face, and the way her hands were held together in front of her. In fact, if one listened hard enough, one could almost hear the angelic choir tuning their instruments for a rendition of Ode to Joy, such was the little homunculus' happiness.

"Wow, it's so nice you came by to visit!" she gushed, stars sparkling all around her. And then…

…the stars went out. Illya's smile went out, replaced by an exasperated expression, her excited pose likewise shifting to match. Indeed, if one listened hard enough, one could hear the angelic choir screaming in agony as they died en masse.

"Why'd you bring the deadweight?" Illya asked, pointing accusingly at the unconscious Rin Tohsaka carried on Saber's back. "Literally!"

"She's not deadweight…okay, so she is." Ayame replied. "But she's why I came here!"

"WHAT?"

"Look," Ayame said with hands raised. "I kind of…um…went…overboard, when I defeated her. And…well…um…"

Ayame broke off with a sigh, and turning to Saber grabbed Rin's limp arm and pulled up the sleeve, revealing the dying flesh beneath the cloth. "You took her command spells before they could fade away," Illya said while waving a hand dismissively. "And now her arm is dying. Is that right?"

"Yes."

"And?" Illya said without a hint of concern. "Just let it die and drag Tohsaka into the grave with it. No one will cry if that happens."

"Illya…!"

"Why do you even care anyway?" Illya demanded grumpily. "And what did you do to her in the first place? Did you place her under a spell or something? No, I'd have sensed it if that were the case…so why's she asleep? Very deeply too, now that I think about it."

"Eh…nothing special…" Ayame said evasively.

"Really…?"

"Okay, fine. Let's just say I made her look into the abyss, and it stared back into her."

"…did you just quote Nietzsche to me?"

"Who…?"

"…never mind."

"…so…will you help?"

Illya frowned at Ayame. "Why do you even care so much if that girl lives or dies anyway?" she asked. "She was your enemy, wasn't she? In your place, she'd just let you rot without a care."

Ayame's expression hardened. "Well, I'm better than her." She snapped. "And so are you, big sister."

"…she's still an enemy."

"Not anymore," Ayame said. "And while she was an enemy, there was no need to kill her, not unless absolutely necessary. Just kick her ass until she finally gives up, or until you've left them with no way to keep on fighting."

"Well, you've certainly done that." Illya conceded. "Trying to be a benevolent victor, Ayame?"

"…not…really…" Ayame said. "It's just that I know I'm a better person than she is. At the very least, I was raised more decently than magi like her."

"…you know I'm a magus too."

"No, you're not. You said so yourself."

"…damn it…" Illya hissed.

"Look…" Ayame said with exasperation. "If she doesn't get help soon, that arm of hers is going to rot and die, and she'll die with it. I don't know the first thing about magical medicine, so I can't do anything about it apart from bringing her to someone who can. And you're the only one I can trust."

"…um…I'm…thank you, for thinking so much of me…" Illya stammered with a blush before coughing. "Anyway…um…that aside, why not just bring her to the overseer?"

"Absolutely not!" Ayame said firmly. "Dad said never, and I mean never come near that man's church, much less the man himself. He never said why, but considering how dad was always so nice and friendly to people, if he said so much about Kotomine Church and the priest who lives in it, then it has to mean something. Besides, as I said, I'm a…um…yeah, I'm a good girl. And good girls listen to their daddies."

Illya blinked and then burst out laughing at the childish tone the last bit was delivered in. Ayame blushed and smiled while looking away with mild embarrassment, a lot of the tension going out of the air.

"Oh that was good." Illya said. "Okay! Back to what we were talking about…uh…daddy aside, let me guess, you don't trust the other Masters to help, right?"

"…would you?"

"Guess not…but I'm a Master too, you know?"

"Hmm…and you're my sister as well."

"…what does that have to do with anything?"

Ayame raised an eyebrow while smiling smugly at Illya. "If I'm a good girl," she said. "Then it follows my sister is also a good girl."

Illya laughed weakly. "Flatterer," she said. "But thank you…back to Rin, you could always just leave her with Matou. They're…"

"No."

"…what?"

"The day I ask for help from Matou is the day I die." Ayame said, and Illya blinked. While a vein wasn't quite throbbing on Ayame's temple, there could be had she been a couple of decades older, from the tone of her voice. "I don't care that there's a reason you think they're just as trustworthy as you and that we should just leave Tohsaka with them, but I am not asking those walking corpses for help."

Illya blinked, and then her eyes narrowed as her expression hardened. "So you know." She said. It wasn't a question.

"Dad told me all about them and what their magic involved." Ayame said.

"Good," Illya said with a nod. "Biggest mistake we've ever made, making allies of that bunch. Calling them 'walking corpses' is a complement by the way, it would be more appropriate to call them diseases that should have been cut out and burned a long time ago."

"…but you'd ask me to leave Tohsaka with them."

Illya scoffed. "The Tohsaka have never regretted their alliance with Matou." She sneered. "They seem to think that becoming parasite-ridden, bloated bags of flesh, and living hives and nests is a worthy branch of the Art. It just goes to show what their so-called pride and dignity is worth."

"Gold and jade on the outside," Ayame sang softly. "But rot and decay on the inside."

"A fitting proverb." Illya said with a nod.

"If allying with them was a mistake," Ayame said. "Then why hasn't your family done anything about it yet?"

"Too much trouble, that's why." Illya said unhappily. "You know as well as I do that magi society is a very complex place."

"Right, right…" Ayame said with a shrug, and then she narrowed her eyes. "But plenty of rules are relaxed in a Holy Grail War, right? I think there's an opportunity there."

"Yes…I think so too." Illya said with a cruel and bloodthirsty smile. "I like the way you think, sister."

"Well," Ayame said with a matching smile. "We are sisters."

Illya laughed, and then turning strode back into her castle. "Alright," she said. "Come inside. I'll see what I can do. You want to be a gracious and benevolent victor, then fine. Big sister will indulge you."

"Yes, yes, thank you very much."

A couple of hours later and Illya and Ayame were taking tea. "A bit of touch and go, to be honest." Illya said. "We had to take the arm off, but she began to bleed heavily. More than I expected, to be honest."

"What did you do then?" Ayame asked.

Illya shrugged. "Stopping the bleeding is the first and most important thing to do." She said before taking a sip of her tea.

"Makes sense…and then?"

"The lost blood needed to be replaced," Illya said. "And we did."

"…you did? I mean, don't you need to know which blood type she is and all that…"

"That's only for mundane medicine." Illya said with a dismissive wave of a hand. "My family specializes in making homunculi, and we've been at it for over a thousand years now. With all we've learned about the Human body in that time, well, we can make universal blood substitutes that also include additives to fight infection."

"…that's good…"

"Good?" Illya echoed with a raised eyebrow. "Throwing gems around and making big flashy explosions is good. Being able to laugh at things like blood type and blood poisoning is brilliant."

Ayame laughed weakly. "Yeah, sorry about that." She said. "Wait, blood poisoning? But her arm…"

Illya sighed. "It was already beginning to rot." She said. "Parts of it were already dead, so yeah…blood poisoning. She should be thankful for the anti-infection additives that are part of the substitute I gave her."

Ayame nodded. "Yes, as you say." She said before taking a drink of her tea. The sisters sat in silence for several minutes after that, simply enjoying their tea in each other's company. And then Illya set down her empty teacup, and looked at Ayame.

"What did you do to her, anyway?" she asked.

Ayame sighed. "I…um, drew her into a bounded field." She said. "It made her…face, her worst nightmares, or something like that. I guess she couldn't take it."

"Hmm…yes, she's completely shut down. From fear, shock, trauma, or a combination of those and/or others, I can't say. I can't say how long she'll be in a coma either."

Ayame winced. "Don't blame yourself." Illya reassured her sister. "You did what you had to do. Remember that battles more often than not are matters of life and death. That you defeated her but spared her life, no, more than that, even tried to save her from the lingering effects of the battle, reflect well on you. I doubt if Tohsaka, or other magi, would have been as generous as you."

"And you?"

"You're my sister." Illya said with a smile. "I'd have treated you well."

"…thanks."

Illya nodded. "Back to Tohsaka," she said. "If you don't mind, I'd like to keep her here with me until she wakes up. Observation, you know."

"Yeah, I understand." Ayame said with a nod before smiling grimly. "Doctor's orders, yes?"

Illya laughed. "Something like that." She said. "Also, it'll take a while to prepare a replacement limb for her, but once it's done, I'll attach it immediately and contact you. In fact, I think I'll contact you whenever you need to be updated, alright?"

"Yes, that sounds good."

Illya nodded, and after a moment Ayame finished her tea. "Thanks for the tea." She said. "It was delicious."

"…going already?" Illya asked wistfully.

"Yeah, I wish I could stay." Ayame said with a sigh. "But it's getting late, and I need to get back before it gets dark. You know how it goes. And I don't want to cause trouble by staying here."

"Oh I'm sure we can handle any trouble." Illya said. "Still, thanks for the thought."

Ayame nodded, and then Illya stood up. "Now then," she said. "Shall I guide you to the front doors?"

The wooden doors of Castle Einzbern closed shut with a resounding sound, and then Illya turned and strode back across the foyer. Sella and Leysritt bowed respectfully as she passed them by, and ascended the staircase.

Through hallway after hallway she passed, and then opening a door entered a well-furnished bedroom. The floor was covered with soft carpets, the walls paneled tastefully, and the furniture all handcrafted European hardwood. The bed was a four-poster with soft mattresses and sheets, and even the nightclothes Rin Tohsaka had been lent to wear were the finest silk and linen.

She lay there, on the bed, staring up at the canopy with half-open eyes. Faint breathing could be heard through a slack, partly-open mouth, and Illya leaned in for a closer look.

Rin's blue eyes were empty and hollow, and her eye sockets had turned dark and sunken. Reaching out with a hand, Illya patted a teddy bear which she'd placed right next to Rin. "The old body is in such bad shape." She said softly. "It must have been painful, being stuck in there going through treatment. But don't worry, you won't have to feel that or any kind of pain ever again."

Illya paused and smiled viciously, all the while patting the teddy bear.

"The new body is fluffy and warm, isn't it…Rin?"

A/N

Bad End.

My thanks to an acquaintance on SB for the idea. You know who you are.