Waver sat with Kiritusugu and Shirou in his 'grandparent's' kitchen. Since they were all unhurt, they'd been allowed to leave. It had taken a few enchantments to avoid the media but soon, no one would remember there had been any survivors of the fire at all. That was for the best, because they might eventually have to erase Shirou's birth records as well. Fortunately, Waver had all of them, thanks to the media attention around his disappearance. He might want to do a genealogy search on Shirou someday, to determine if he had relatives in the magi community. But that was for later, much later.

"Sir, please, what happened? Why did you destroy the Grail?" Waver asked as Shirou brought them a plate of biscuits. Kiritsugu frowned, looking at the child.

"Should we be discussing this in front of him?" Kiritsugu asked and Waver grimaced as Shirou scowled at him.

"HEY! I've been fighting in this war you know! I was there when the dark stuff rained down and it – it – it cursed and screamed and… and…" Shirou's eyes were suddenly glazed and Waver swallowed, hard. Then Shirou shook himself, though, coming out of that spell. "I saw everything! You can't protect me now," he said firmly and Waver had to reluctantly agree.

"There's no point in trying to keep him in the dark sir. He's as much a part of this as we are." Trying to keep Shirou out of things now was utterly pointless, in Waver's opinion. It was also an insult to Shirou, after what he'd been through. Kiritsugu looked like he wanted to disagree but then sighed, looking into his tea.

"The Grail offered to realize my wish of world peace by killing everyone in the world except a few thousand people," he said painfully and Shirou gasped softly as Waver stiffened. "The Grail is tainted…" Kiritsugu told them everything then. The visions he'd experienced, his wife and daughter, everything. Waver swallowed hard at the descriptions.

"You stopped the bad things. You're a hero," Shirou said simply and Kiritsugu suddenly broke down. He put his face in his hands and quietly sobbed. Shirou quickly went to his side and hugged him. "It's okay. Everything's going to be fine now," he encouraged and Waver only wished that was true.

"The Chalice of the Grail was destroyed and the energies spilled out uncontrollably, resulting in this destruction. But the machinery of the Grail is still in place," Waver said, thinking aloud. Kiritsugu gently hugged Shirou, ignoring him, but Shirou looked at him with wide honey-brown eyes. "This isn't over."

"Then I'll be the next hero," Shirou said firmly, patting Kiritsugu on the back. He raised his head, looking at the boy through watery eyes. "Karna said this happens every fifty years. You'll be too old," he'd be dead. Waver could see the damage the Grail had done to him, the taint that was going to claim Kiritsugu's life. He didn't think the greatest of soul healers could help. "But I'll be, um, fifty-six! That's pretty old but not too old. I'll be the next hero of justice and save the world!" Waver was suddenly afraid for Shirou. This sounded like a budding obsession. On the other hand, by the age of fifty-six, Shirou would be a trained magus and settled into his career. If he was still ready to be a hero, it would be a good time for it.

"Ah, child… I will leave it to you then," Kiritsugu said with a pained smile before looking at him. "You are going to take him to the Clock Tower?" he asked and Waver nodded firmly.

"His mage circuits are active and he's seen too much. He needs to go and I'll adopt him," Waver said, hoping Kiritsugu would understand. The Magus Killer closed his eyes for a moment before nodding.

"It's best for him," he said but his voice sounded dead. Shirou looked at him with concerned eyes.

"Aren't you going to go home to your daughter?" he asked innocently and Waver saw that the sweet question was a horrible blow to Kiritsugu. He gave Shirou the saddest smile Waver had ever seen.

"They will see my actions as a betrayal. The boundary field has already been sealed against me, I will never see my daughter again," he said and Shirou looked horrified as Waver flinched. That was… a very Einzbern thing to do, but…

"I'll try to get them a letter sir. Maybe they'll listen to me," Waver said and Kiritsugu shook his head. "It's worth a try." They wouldn't listen to Emiya but maybe they would listen to a complete outsider, someone with no personal stake in the matter.

"Why wouldn't they listen?" Shirou asked and Waver considered trying to explain the Einzbern mentality to a small child. Immediately gave up. From the look on his face, Kiritsugu felt the same way.

"They're just very determined. Don't worry about it child. The tea is getting cold and there are biscuits," Kiritsugu said and Waver blinked before taking a sip of his tea. Lukewarm, oh well. Shirou hopped onto his chair and picked up a chocolate biscuit, eating it with good appetite. Waver was glad that he seemed to be fine… physically anyway. Would this determination to be a hero turn into an obsession? He was worried that it would but at least they had plenty of time. Waver had no idea it would only be ten years. By the time he realized, it would be much too late.

And to be fair, it was probably already too late.

In other places, things were happening.

"Rin, I am now your guardian and I have a special gift for you. But I want something in return," Kirei said to his young charge with a smile. She looked at him with trusting eyes. It was amusing to see although Kirei was sure she'd eventually lose it. He was a good actor, but Rin was intelligent. Sooner or later she would likely see through him but he'd use her trust for now.

"What's the gift? What do you want?" Rin asked and Kirei smiled at her before bringing out the item.

"This is a priceless artefact, the relic your father used to summon in the Grail War," Kirei said and heard Rin's soft gasp as she stared at the item. "A snakeskin, this is a relic of the most powerful of Heroic Spirits, the mighty Gilgamesh." Kirei gazed proudly at the snakeskin. He'd barely managed to recover it from the destruction of the church and losing it would have been a crime. "In return, I would like the pendant your father left to you." Rin was suddenly stricken and Kirei calmly explained. "It is not a relic at all, unbound to any heroic spirit. I merely want it to remember him by." That was a complete and utter lie. Kirei had prayed, extensively, and also done divinations. Those were always imprecise, giving just a general idea of what might lie ahead, but he'd come from his prayers and magic with the firm conviction that he needed the pendant. Without it, he would not be chosen for the next Grail War but with it, he would be a participant. Why, Kirei wasn't sure, but he thought it would come clear in time.

"…" Rin mulled it over for a long moment, looking at the snake skin. Kirei was sure she could sense the latent power in it, the hint of divinity. "…Alright," Rin gave up before reaching up to take off the pendant. Ah, she was wearing it, silly child. Kirei accepted it solemnly before giving her the snakeskin.

"I will treasure it," he said sincerely and Rin's face brightened with a smile. Ah, she was so easy to lie to. Under his teachings, that would change and Kirei looked forward to it.

Rin would be far more amusing.

Four years later.

Reines El-Melloi Archisorte sat patiently in a very comfortable chair in her study, and waited.

She was waiting for Waver Velvet and his adopted son and protégé, Shirou Velvet. Reines had definite plans for Waver. Her plans for Shirou were a bit up in the air. Her conversation with the two would decide her intentions towards the boy.

Her agents, magi who gave her loyalty, showed the two of them in. Waver Velvet seemed grim and determined while Shirou was frowning and looking around with keen and intelligent eyes. But then, they'd both been kidnapped, albeit fairly gently. Reines smiled at them both before rising to her feet.

"Waver Velvet, Shirou Velvet. I've so wanted to meet you. Please, take a seat," she said before gesturing to the other comfortable chairs. Her study was a marvelous place, full of old books and warm, inviting furniture. Archisorte aimed to keep it and that was part of why they were here. Waver frowned at her.

"Before I do any such thing I want to know who you are," he said with frigid courtesy and Reines gave him a poisonous smile.

"Reines El-Melloi Archisorte," she said pleasantly. "I'm a great admirer of yours, Waver Velvet." Reines was amused at the sudden taken aback expression on his face, followed by… shame?

"I see. I grieve for your loss, and that I partly caused it," he said quietly, catching Reines off guard.

"Do you imagine that I knew Kayneth? I didn't. But please, take a seat," she gestured again and this time they both obeyed. As they sat, Reines examined Shirou for a moment. He was a well-built child with a pleasant face and very nice eyes. The red hair was attractive as well. Hmm. "If you want to apologize for anything you can apologize for the loss of our Mage Crest. That has been a tremendous blow to the El-Melloi clan." Really awful. They were essentially first generation magi now. A hideous blow for any family, let alone one of their stature. "I frankly curse Kayneth's name for letting it come to this," Reines said coldly. Her idiot predecessor hadn't even considered the possibility of failure, from what she could see. While it was impossible to keep the entire mage crest in storage for the next generation – some of it had to be transplanted directly – he could have kept at least half, perhaps as much as three quarters. Instead she'd been left with a tenth, which was an absolute travesty.

"I can understand that. But forgive me, why are we here?" Waver asked, cutting to the chase. Reines leaned forward, gazing at him intently.

"The loss of our Mage Crest may not be directly your fault but you are still a thief, stealing the resources of the El-Melloi clan," she said sharply, remembering the arrow. Speaking of which. "Do you still have that artifact?" Waver's expression suddenly became guarded.

"Yes, and I want to keep it. Not to use it, but to remember him by," he said and Reines considered it. The artifact of Arjuna was a powerful thing but only useful if you wanted to summon him or enter a Grail War. Summoning such a spirit outside of a Grail War was prohibitively expensive, mana wise, and she wasn't interested in the Grail.

"Very well, but I have demands. But before we get to that… Shirou, we shared a few classes together, didn't we?" Reines asked the boy, knowing full well they had. That kind of red hair was easy to spot. Shirou nodded, gazing at her calmly.

"Two of them I think. With Professor Ranglestein," he said with a small grimace and Reines smiled. Some teachers were good, some were not so good. Ranglestein was definitely not so good. Although.

"I still don't know much about you. Can you tell me about yourself?" Reines invited and watched, amused, as Waver and Shirou exchanged a troubled glance. But then Shirou obliged.

"I'm from Fuyuki and I was involved in the Fourth War, I'm sure you know that." Yes, everyone knew Waver had brought home the child after the Fourth Grail War. They all assumed he'd been an innocent bystander caught up in the action, albeit with active mage circuits. "What you might not know is that I was a Master." What?!

"That's impossible! You would have been a small child!" Reines burst out and Shirou gave her a pained smile.

"I was six." …How?! "A serial killer murdered my family and painted the summoning circle in their blood. But then he used some of mine, too." …Ah. "I summoned Heroic Spirit Karna, but in the Rider class and a child form. He required very little mana upkeep so I was able to participate as a Master."

"It was rather funny, actually, how no one wanted to harm them." Waver commented as Reines tried to picture it. Shirou scowled.

"Everyone wanted to get rid of Karna and put me somewhere safe. Not that I blame them, exactly, but I wasn't cooperating with that," Shirou said firmly before looking her in the eye. Reines was impressed by the quiet determination there. "I want you to know, if you try to hurt Waver we will be enemies."

"That's not my intention," Reines said absently, absorbing the information. She'd looked into Shirou extensively but her agents hadn't uncovered this. But then, most of the people involved in the War were dead which made it difficult. "I'm told you have twenty-seven mage circuits, of good quality?" That was the rumor anyway. Shirou looked a bit surprised at the question.

"Yes, I do, and my Origin is Creation while my elements are fire and earth," he said and Reines stiffened a little. Why was he volunteering so much information? Was he a fool? "Which I'm sure you already know since I'm apprenticed to Glammy and he can't keep a secret to save his life." HAH!

"That is too true," Reines said, giving him a real smile. 'Glammy' was Glamberhaust Michaelous, the scion of a very minor family. He had no aptitude for politics and ran his mouth constantly, to the consternation of many people. But he could get away with it because he was the preeminent Code Crafter of his generation. Like Shirou, his Origin was Creation. "You're right, everyone knows about your Origin." It was in all the rumors. Of course, she hadn't had confirmation it was true until now. Waver sighed softly.

"If it weren't for the quality of training…" he muttered and Reines could sympathize with his position. It was hard to say but Shirou seemed like he might become a genuine player in the Clock Tower and Waver Velvet already was. Having all of Shirou's abilities revealed like this had to be mildly painful. "But if you don't intend to punish me for my theft, what is your intention?" Waver asked and Reines smiled nastily.

"I said I wouldn't hurt you. I didn't say I wouldn't punish you," she said pleasantly and saw the two of them stiffen. "I have demands. Firstly, I want you to take responsibility for the El-Melloi debts which you partly caused." Kayneth's death had caused a riotous battle within the branch families and that had ruined the main clan, before Reines had managed to take control. Waver frowned but said nothing. "Secondly, I want you to repair the El-Melloi Mage Crest." That was something of an impossible demand but Reines didn't much care. Waver could spend his life trying and when she was skilled enough, she would work on it as well.

"I accept," Waver said instantly and Reines blinked, surprised. Didn't he understand what a difficult task she'd set for him? But there was more.

"I also want you to accept the title of Lord El-Melloi until I come of age. I will name you my guardian," Reines said. She'd been thinking of naming him her step-brother but given the other plan she'd just made, that would be unseemly. "And your son and I will be engaged to be married at the age of sixteen." Waver and Shirou both stared at her, wide-eyed. It was Waver who found his voice first.

"Absolutely not! Shirou has no part in this and I won't let you use him against me," Waver said sharply as Shirou just stared, his mind apparently broken. "A young girl like you shouldn't even be thinking of this!" Oh, that made her angry.

"I have no choice! Do you know how many 'proposals' I've already gotten?" Reines snapped back, glaring at Waver. "First generation magus! You don't understand what it's like!" Suddenly unable to keep sitting, Reines jumped to her feet and began to pace. "I have a lordship, a broken mage crest and a packet of debts. Don't you see that other families want to buy me?" That was what it amounted to. "They all want to pay off my debts but the cost is what's left of the clan." If she accepted those offers, Reines would never take the lordship. She stopped and glared at Waver, feeling the fire of determination burning in her chest. "I won't have it! I will be Lord El-Melloi someday and no one is taking that away from me! Shirou will get the vultures off my back and help me rebuild this clan!" Shirou had everything she needed. A first-generation magus but with excellent mage circuits and a valuable talent.

"No," Waver snapped back and Reines ground her teeth at his intransigence. Talking to Shirou, just for these brief moments, had made her decide she WOULD have this! "You are both too young, I can't possibly – Shirou?" Shirou was touching his father's arm.

"It's alright Waver. I think we should accept," Shirou said calmly and Reines blinked, then blinked again as he gave her a friendly smile. "I like you." The ridiculous simple mindedness of that statement made her laugh.

"Oh really? Do you think I'm secretly a good person? I'm not," Reines said coldly, knowing even as she did that she shouldn't. She should let Shirou think she was a poor, misunderstood girl with a heart of gold. But Reines couldn't stomach that. Shirou's smile widened.

"I know you're not. You love to see people suffer, particularly if they brought it on themselves," Shirou said calmly and Reines stared. What? "You can be horrifically vindictive. I saw how you brought that girl, what was her name, almost to a nervous breakdown." …That had been fun. Wait, he'd noticed all that? "You have a terrible personality, but that's alright." Shirou's smile was bright and open. "I just like people like you."

"…" Reines had no idea what to say to that. He liked her? Just… liked her? Despite seeing who she was?

"Uh…" Waver was the first one to find his voice. "Fine, I'll allow it. But the marriage won't be until eighteen and I must insist that this not be fully binding. You can both decide, at seventeen, if you want to commit to the engagement." Reines understood what he was saying. For mage families, an engagement was usually a binding contract, every bit as binding as a full marriage. You couldn't just walk away… unless the engagement had an out clause.

"That might be wise," Reines said weakly, thinking that she might eventually want to use it herself. What had she gotten into here? Shirou chuckled softly and she thought he might be crazy.

Reines wasn't sure, but she thought she might have bitten off a bit more than she could chew with Shirou Velvet.