Disclaimer: I do not own the Fate franchise it belongs to Kinoko Nasu and Type-Moon. I also do not own the Megami Tensei franchise, it belongs to Atlus.

Aftermath

Prologue

How absurd…

You wish for me to unleash my power when all Reasons have been forsaken?

The kingdom you would create promises nothing but suffering…

Demon…Human…

Violet eyes flashed open, and a violet-haired girl violently forced herself up into a sitting position, gasping and breaking out into a cold sweat. For a few minutes, she just sat there, catching her breath, and then looked around as though in confusion.

This was her room…wasn't it?

Yes…it was her room. But…

"Was it all just a dream?" Sakura Matou asked herself. "A nightmare?"

The girl swung her legs over the edge of her bed, and resting her arms on her thighs, slumped forward in thought. After a few moments, she held up her hand, and squeezed a few times. It felt…different. She felt different. There was none of the…what, exactly?

What was she trying to remember?

After her…dream, if dream or nightmare it truly was…trying to remember was like trying to recall the memories of a different life. What…

Sakura placed a hand over her face, as she realized what it was she was trying to remember. There was none of the constant wrongness now, of something else living inside her body, writhing around and through her insides, swimming through her blood and fluids, feeding off her life and soul, and driving her to seek out further degradation all so they could have more to sate themselves with.

All the memories came back like a torrential flood, of that day in spring so many years ago when that man and his family sold her like cattle to a walking corpse, of how she screamed for three nights straight as its creatures invaded her flesh, whether simply tearing through her or forcing their way through places a child should have kept inviolate. She remembered the vain sacrifice of a man deluding himself into thinking he could still win a wretched woman's love, of how it broke a child already stained black with corruption, of the hollow years that followed, until a light came into that child…no, not a child. A young woman already…a light came into her life.

…Shirou Emiya…

The name echoed in Sakura's mind, but…

…along with the memories…it was like…yes, it was like watching another person's life. Like living a dream, for all that that child – woman – would call it a nightmare. Sakura mentally scoffed and lowered her face. Nightmare…that child – woman – did not know what a nightmare was. Compared to what a true nightmare was…it was but a feverish dream, nothing more and nothing less…

Sakura took a deep breath and glanced at a nearby clock. Staring at the glowing numerals, a memory stirred, telling her that this was the usual time she woke up at, and getting ready for the day to come, would pass by the grocery store to buy ingredients for breakfast at that boy's – man's – place along with the rest of his family.

Do they remember the nightmare too?

Would they also think they had woken to find themselves living a dream?

Or…

Sighing as she realized such abstract considerations were…hollow, and meaningless, Sakura got to her feet, and walked over to her closet to prepare for the coming day. If nothing else, following this…surreal, routine her (?) memories provided her would distract her as she figured out what to do next.


Sakura was caught completely by surprise when but a few steps inside the Emiya mansion, Taiga Fujimura came around a corner, golden eyes wide as she stared at Sakura, and then rushing forward, pulled her into a bear hug. Groceries fell to the ground in a rustle of plastic and tin cans clinking against each other and the ground, while Sakura just…stood there.

One reason was shock.

Another reason was surprise.

And the final reason was she was fighting the instinct to lash out, to tear the woman in front of her to pieces with her claws, or to unleash her power and burn the woman down to her very soul, all for seemingly attacking her out of nowhere. Deep down, crystallized power hummed and trembled, whispering voicelessly into Sakura's mind and soul (?), calling to her to claim the power she had won, and unleash it once more.

Power to break the world.

To raze cities to the ground.

To unleash hell on Earth.

To damn the Human race.

Sakura grit her teeth, fighting and suppressing the call of her other self, even as Taiga pulled away but keeping her hands on Sakura's arms. "You're alright." Taiga breathed, tears shining in her eyes as she smiled widely at Sakura. "Everyone's alright. The world is back to normal…all thanks to you."

"You're…welcome…" Sakura stammered out, before her countenance turned stern, violet irises briefly flashing to gold before turning violet again. "…so…you remember…it's not just me…"

"No…it's not just you." Taiga said, looking away in shame while backing down. "And yes…I remember. And I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" Sakura echoed. "Sorry for what?"

"For everything," Taiga said. "I…if I hadn't been so…stupid, none of that would have happened. I caused so much trouble all because I couldn't keep myself from looking into things I should have left alone, and then getting in so deep that I couldn't get out. And worse…I dragged you all into it."

Sakura was silent, and then taking a deep breath, Taiga turned back to her with a small smile. "You went through so much to fix things." She said. "I…I know I probably don't have the right to ask for your forgiveness…for everyone's forgiveness…but even so…"

Taiga bowed low. "I'm sorry." She said. "Sorry for all the trouble I caused, for all the pain and hardship I put you and everyone else through, and thank you. Thank you for setting things right."

"…and?" Sakura asked after a moment.

Taiga raised her head, and smiling weakly, rubbed at the back of her neck. "I…I'll do better this time." She said. "From now on…I'll be more careful. I've learned the hard way, I guess, that some things are better off, well, left well enough alone, or something like that. I should just focus on living the life I have, no matter how ordinary and unexciting it might seem. And if I ever need to…spice it up…"

Taiga paused and gave a small chuckle. "There are more wonderful things than arcane stuff and things like that, right?" she asked.

Sakura stared at Taiga for a long moment, and then smiling, nodded. "I guess I can't ask for more from you than that." She said, sinking down to a crouch to gather her groceries.

Taiga nodded while stepping aside to lean against a wall. "…thank you." She repeated before giving a sigh. "Though…to be honest…now that I've said all that, I'm not sure if I needed to. You already know it all…I think."

"The latter part?" Sakura asked, looking up. "Yeah…I do."

"Of course you do." Taiga said with a laugh. "How could you not? You were the one who set things right."

"Hmm…the former needed to be said, though." Sakura said, and getting up placed a reassuring hand on Taiga's arm. "It's alright, sensei. Let's move on. We…the world, has this second chance. Let's not waste it."

Taiga nodded. "Yes," she agreed. "You're right."


Sakura leaned against the rooftop level's safety railing, letting the wind blow through her hair as she stared out over the school grounds and then the suburbs beyond. Though she'd packed a lunch for herself, she had no appetite for it, not after coming to school. As she passed through the grounds and down the hallways and corridors, and the hours passed filled with lectures by men and women whose devotion to their vocation she found herself…questioning…

…her mind had wandered.

All of these people, each and every one of them, had died with the world.

Everything they were, everything they had been, everything they could have been, had simply ceased to be.

And even if some of them had joined the ranks of the Mannequins…

Sakura closed her eyes and sighed as the thought of the Mannequins brought another person to mind. Rin Tohsaka…the heir of the Tohsaka family…the cold, cruel, enigmatic, intelligent, and charming darling of the student body.

Once, in another life…Sakura had envied and resented her. Now…

…now, when Sakura had looked at her earlier, Sakura could only see a queen in white, crowned with light and seated on a throne of gold, who sought to build a pure and perfect world.

Then there was Shirou Emiya, her dear sempai…was he still dear to her? Perhaps he was…she certainly felt a pang in her heart when she thought of what he'd become, and of the despaired cursing of her by the fallen knight of light clutching a broken sword that when whole, could have ended entire worlds.

And…her brother…

Pathetic…

…that one she had no second thoughts about, trampling the broken, four-armed serpent and its shattered gold and jewel-encrusted armor underfoot, and claiming from its corpse the prize it had kept from her.

…I…was I really…afraid…and at the mercy of that guy…

…how…surreal…

"Hey there!"

Sakura turned at the voice, and found herself looking at a grinning Ayako Mitsuzuri. "You skipped out on practice this morning." She said. "Your brother was pretty pissed about it too."

"…sorry, sempai." Sakura said with a small bow and trying to avoid thinking of how this person had once been…gone, along with the rest of the world.

World…?

Was it really just the world that had ended?

No…not just the world…

…the entire universe had ceased to be.

And yet…here they were.

"Meh, it's alright." Ayako said, walking over to stand at the rail next to Sakura. "I'm sure something important came up, you're not the type to just play hooky for the heck of it. Just don't make a habit of it, alright?"


"There you are, you little bitch!"

Sakura paused, and then closed the doors of the Matou mansion behind her. She stared at the source of the shrill shout, and narrowed her eyes at his approach. Looking up as he stepped up to her, Shinji Matou raised his hand, to slap her with enough force to send her falling to the ground.

In another life…

…in this life, Sakura caught him by the wrist, and then squeezed down with just the tiniest fraction of her power. Shinji screamed as the bones in his wrist shattered like dry twigs, and then letting him go, Sakura flicked her finger ever so lightly.

The displaced air sent Shinji flying clear across the foyer, and shattered every window and sculpture in the room, and sent cracks across the walls. Shinji himself slammed against the wall with enough force to knock him out cold, and sliding down, slumped on the floor.

Sakura's eyes stayed narrowed though, as the atmosphere seemed to shift, as though reality itself was obscured by a film of oil, and then the light darkened, a cloud of chitin and iridescent wings rising up around and over her. Dry, mocking laughter echoed through the air, and a black-eyed figure melted out of the cloud opposite her.

"Granddaughter…" Zouken Matou said with a small grin. "What have you done to yourself?"

Sakura was silent, and Zouken sighed and shook his head. "You really should not play with magic without my supervision, you know." He chided. "Or even under others' guidance…they do not…mesh well, with our mysteries."

He paused and then smiled. "Don't worry though," he said. "We'll set things right in a bit."

A clawed hand grabbed Zouken by the neck, and the five-hundred-year-old vampire gasped in horror, eyes widening in fear as he was lifted into the air with one hand. All around him the darkness came to life, becoming a thing in itself, as opposed to merely being the absence or obscuring of light, a void that sought to consume anything and everything, but for a transcendent will that bound it under control.

Sakura regarded Zouken sternly, black flames burning around and over her as she returned to the form she had worn in the Vortex World. Violet hair turned black, the corruption tainting it in life scoured clean by energies unleashed by the death of an entire universe, while faintly-luminescent tattoos flashed into existence around her eyes, running across her face, down her neck, over her body and thence her limbs. Clothes burned away, save for a sports bra and a pair of shorts over her breasts and genitals.

"Don't think I'm the same person you used to breed your worms and get your rotten little soul off with." Sakura warned. "That person died along with the universe, reduced to a rotting half-corpse riddled with dead parasites, only to have her soul forged anew in the universe's funeral pyre, and forcibly grafted power by a being beyond your kind's comprehension…just as she became in the end."

Sakura tightened her grip, and Zouken gasped and flailed and vainly worked at his throat, none of his spells and familiars responding to his desperate thoughts, words, and actions. "Pathetic…" Sakura contemptuously said, and threw Zouken against the staircase with enough force to reduce his body to mulch. "I know that's not enough to kill you, so you have the barest bit of my respect. But from now on…things will change around here."

Then Sakura sighed, and the darkness around them faded. She remained in her true form, that of a Demi-Fiend, and the air stank of rotting flesh and of Shinji's piss as the terrified boy wet himself. No sound could be heard but that of liquid dripping…

…and a cellphone, ringing happily on a nearby plinth. Neither plinth nor phone were there before.

"Nii-san…is that your phone?" Sakura asked.

"N-n-n-no…" Shinji squeaked.

Sakura was silent and still for a moment, and then turning, walked over to the phone. Picking it up, she answered it, and set it to loudspeaker. "Hello?" she asked.

"Hello there." A cultured and urbane voice returned the greeting.

"May I know who this is?" Sakura asked.

"…should our paths ever cross again, then I shall introduce myself properly to you." The man – if man he truly was – on the other side answered. "For now, I simply wish to pass on my regards."

"Really?"

There was a soft chuckle at that, but completely lacking in mockery. "Yes." The man said. "After all, you chose to follow your will and tread the path of thorns…like myself."

Sakura's eyes widened. "Be warned, however." The man continued. "In time, the true enemy will appear before you. So until that day, stay strong."

The line cut at those words, and Sakura lowered the phone while closing her glowing, golden eyes in thought. "S-Sakura?" Shinji timidly asked. "Who was that?"

Sakura didn't answer immediately, and then taking a deep breath, opened her eyes while turning around, once again wearing the disguise of Humanity. "No one you would know, nii-san." She said with a small smile, and once again, Shinji wet himself.


A/N

Yeah, it's set in/after an AU of SMT 3. Let's see where this goes, yes?