She had a dream... She saw herself behind three people. Surrounded by radiant white and cherry petals. In front of her, Aoi and Rin were waiting for her with the soft wind caressing their bodies, and in front of everyone, on a small hill looking at the horizon, with his cloak and scarf dancing to the rhythm of the wind, Toru turned his gaze and smiled slightly.
"Onii-san..."
The boy answered him.
"You've been waiting a long time for this, haven't you? The day when we can all be together. I'll see to it that that happens. So just watch me, don't let me out of your sight, for if you do..."
You'll never see me again...
***
"Onii-san!"
Sakura suddenly woke up. She was lying on the bench in that park she always used to visit. She looked around but there was no one there except for a thin boy who was staring into the void with a depressed expression.
"Who are you, where am I, where is onii-san...?"
Waver noticed the girl's voice. So he approached with a folded sheet of paper in his hand.
"Hi. This is very strange and sudden. My name is Waver Velvet. I have something for you that someone told me. Here, read it. I haven't seen what it says yet because I guess this is something personal to you."
"Waver... your name is funny..."
"I think my name is pretty normal. Now read the note. We don't have much time."
"It's okay..."
Sakura noticed that that sheet of paper was the drawing she made days before. On the back was something written in rather horrible handwriting.
[Let me tell you a story.]
She began to read while Waver peeked a little at the sheet of paper.
[A long time ago there was a boy who, despite being surrounded by people, felt extremely lonely. The boy, in search of the love his little heart needed, allowed other people to hurt him.
That made the boy unable to bear so much pain and he finally broke down. He became sad and gloomy. He pushed everyone away from him and was left alone forever.
I don't want you, just like that boy, to stay alone and break down to become someone gloomy and sad. I really like the Sakura who smiles and is happy together with her mother and sister. Do not let that Sakura who is still in the bottom of your heart die.
Live, look for your way and be happy. Some time ago, one of the most important people in my life told me: "No matter how much pain and tears we have to shed, I hope that in the end we can see the Rising Sun on the horizon" With its radiant light it will give us another chance to move forward. Your light will give us a chance to live.....
And in the end, I will be with you even if I no longer exist. With Aoi-sama, with Rin, by your side.
So don't worry. Don't cry anymore... Sakura...
Asahi Toru]
When she finished reading the note, Sakura had simply fallen silent. She looked down at her clothes and realized what she had done. Throwing the sheet of paper on the ground, she tried desperately to wipe the blood off her clothes, but that wasn't working. Instead of wiping the blood, it was just spreading all over her clothes.
Over and over again, Toru's words written on the paper were projected in her mind.
Toru liked the usual Sakura. He didn't want to see this little girl that way and that was something that this same girl was slow to understand. Being very young, very impressionable, everything in her mind had become eternal chaos.
Tears ran down her face, thinking over and over again why she had decided that killing Toru and therefore dying was what she really wanted. That was not her wish. That was not what she wanted for both of them. What she really wished for was what was in this drawing.
'Onii-san... forgive me.'
Waver saw the little girl crying and inevitably thought of how he felt when he lost Iskandar. His heart is still young and kind. I don't know he has been lost to the teachings of the Magus, for fortunately he didn't come from a family that has magic as a tradition. Magus cannot really be considered human. They lack many typical human characteristics.
'Asahi Toru is no ordinary person. He plans to kill Archer and reincarnate to protect this girl. I'm already beginning to understand what Iskandar said that time. Although I still have no idea how he plans to do it, but since he said he'll use his Noble Phantasm and that we have to get out of the city, I'm already getting an idea of what it might be. Maybe it's something of Excalibur's caliber. But in the meantime...'
Sakura stopped crying, but she was still internally lamenting.
"I made a pact with him, with Toru."
Sakura turned her attention the moment Waver mentioned that boy's name. He took it upon himself to explain the situation.
"He's fine. Right now he should be heading towards the place where the war will end. His goal is to win the Holy Grail, like everyone else. He told me he'll come back for you, but we need to get out of the city."
"You made a pact with onii-san, what did you ask of him in return?"
"I asked him to defeat Archer in exchange for taking care of you. Uh, right. There's your suitcase. It looks like it has all your clothes in it. You should at least change."
The bathroom was close, but Sakura was still confused. However, that note was from Toru. There was no doubt about it. That awful handwriting gave it away. If that boy trusted Waver with her safety, then she wasn't going to refuse. After how she stabbed him earlier, she was going to follow all of Toru's plans.
***
Waver was now waiting outside the park's bathroom. Sakura was changing her clothes, so he was to keep an eye on the surroundings.
'Ha~ she must be really confused. I don't blame her, me too. This has all happened too fast'
"Waver-san. I'm done."
Sakura came out of the bathroom after changing. She was wearing the clothes she used to wear to train with Toru.
"Good. Now we have to leave as soon as possible. A pact between Magus is something that can't be broken. I must keep my part. I don't know if I should call myself Magus though. Let's go."
Waver extended his hand and Sakura shyly took it. For her to talk to this guy was very difficult. She didn't know him at all, but she was supposed to be under this guy's care now. She could do little to change that. She also understood that if she didn't leave together with Waver, Zōken would look for her and bring her back home.
"Looks like onii-san thought of everything..."
She tried not to remain silent. That way all of this wouldn't become awkward over time.
"Seeh... I've noticed that he thinks things through very quickly. He's pretty good at making rash decisions. I witnessed that during the kings banquet. He fooled us all."
"Banquet?"
"You weren't there, you obviously don't know what I'm talking about. He managed to fake his death. Maybe he used some illusionary type magic to make us see something that wasn't really happening."
Sakura's eyes sparkled, and with a soft smile, she said:
"Onii-san is amazing. Not only can he handle five different elements, but he can also combine them and can even generate illusions. He is a great Magus."
He listened to this in silence. Waver saw the great admiration this girl has for Toru. She holds that ninja in high esteem and that is something that made Waver understand Sakura's personality better.
'She calmed down pretty quickly. Now that she knows Toru is fine, she surely thinks everything will be better. I hope so too.'
Meanwhile, remembering that Toru was stained with blood, Waver held out his hand with the Command Seals. Sakura looked at him and he just winked.
"Cure yourself."
-Near Fuyuki's central theater-
Toru was approaching his destination at full speed. He could sense that the Grail is about to appear. All he needs to do is wait for Saber and Archer to clash and kill them both with his Noble Phantasm.
"Uh...?"
A revitalizing light covered his entire body and the internal wound from the dagger that stabbed him earlier closed completely. He felt his strength returning and looked down the road earnestly.
'Healing me with a Command Seal, huh. Sometimes those things aren't as bad as they look.'
His wounds healed. Even though his parameters were lowered by his pact with Waver, his Noble Phantasm will still be just as strong as Saigo no Yoake's power depends not only on the user's energy, but the hydrogen present in the air.
'Let us begin...'
The theater finally flashed in front of him.
***
After, at the top of the theater, Irisviel's body became the Holy Grail, it expelled that strange crimson sludge that fell from the ceiling filling the scene; showing that realistic vision inside the minds of these two men.
It was then that he opened his eyes in confusion. However, he smiled, and kneeling on the mud, he raised his hands feeling Kiritsugu's dangerous presence behind his back.
"What a boring way to end all this, why did you turn him down?"
Kirei asked with a tired sigh. Followed by that, the click of the gun resounded and Kiritsugu answered him with another question.
"You saw that too?"
The fake Irisviel. The fake memories and the mention of that name "Angra Mainyu."
"You've sacrificed everything to get this far. It's ridiculous that you gave up what you were supposed to have fought for."
"The desire for that thing comes at too high a price for too little gain. It's simply not worth it. Besides that 'thing' is not an omnipotent wish-granting thing. Therein lies the contradiction..."
"Then hand the wish over to me! You may not need the Holy Grail, but I do. If what 'it' showed us was part of its power, then it can answer all my questions. He wishes to live, he needs it! So please don't kill him!"
Kiritsugu didn't listen to him anymore and pulled the trigger. The loud detonation of the bullet flickered as it pierced Kirei's chest, who fell onto the mud, with no life to keep in his body.
"You are such an idiot. In the end, I can't understand you in the slightest."
Without waiting any longer, he turned around and advanced towards his final destination.
'Now I know that I must prevent that Servant from gaining the Holy Grail.'
For the intentions of the being that lies within the chalice are darker and more dangerous to mankind.
-Fuyuki Airport-
Getting out of the cab, they both looked at the airport. There were quite a few people coming and going, which made Sakura nervous. Waver, on his side, went into a strange internal conflict. He wondered if doing this was right. Right now he was planning to take an unknown girl out of this country at the request of a Servant.
'The more I think about it, the more ridiculous it becomes. I don't want to regret it, therefore, I will move forward without looking back. This little girl is my guarantee to bring Iskandar back. I will take care of her until Asahi Toru fulfills the pact.'
He took the girl's hand and gave her the confidence that all this will turn out well. Even though he is a mediocre Magus, he has a plan in mind to get through even without paying for the plane tickets.
'This is a bad idea... a very bad idea...'
But regardless of whether he thought that way, he smiled and advanced next to Sakura.
She looked at him, obviously confused. Waver, unlike a few days ago, has changed a lot. This war has turned him into a man who holds himself accountable to his pacts and promises. And that was, in part, something that also gave Sakura confidence.
She felt deep down that Waver was not a bad person. He might even come to resemble Toru in some ways or another.
"If onii-san says I should leave Fuyuki, then that's what I'll do. I'll wait for as long as it takes."
Those gloomy thoughts still lurked in the depths of her being, but now the confidence and hope she has about Toru were eclipsing that. Moving on and growing up meant leaving things behind. Sakura was already prepared for this.
She is ready to grow up.
-Inside the theater-
Artoria's mind was still in chaos after everything she experienced a few hours ago. Wounded, with blood pouring down her body due to the beating Lancelot gave her, she walked through the city until she felt Kiritsugu's presence nearby and entered this theater. She walked through the corridors tired and confused. Her gaze was on the ground, unable to even look forward as she always usually does.
Is this the attitude a king should have? she thought. And she came to a conclusion.
'I have become all the mistakes I have made...'
And even at that moment she was alone, surrounded by the great walls and dozens of seats of this theater. I look at everything with a faint tired smile. The end was already near, but....
"I'm not sure what I want anymore."
Irisviel said that in the end somehow her doubts would be resolved.
'I guess they were just words of encouragement. Irisviel was always a very kind woman.'
She took a step forward and a drop of blood trickled down her forehead. This place is very empty, which inevitably made her feel the loneliness of her actions. In the end she was still alone, walking along an endless path filled with thorn bushes and stones.
'I guess, realizing all that my actions cause, it's impossible not to feel depressed. Kiritsugu... I suppose the Holy Grail will be yours. Your wish is more noble and knightly than mine. I have no business here anymore...'
The omnipotent Grail was shown floating on the stage of the theater, which for some reason had a large hole leading to the subway area.
"Irisviel..."
"You made me wait so long, Saber. Did you have so much fun fighting that rabid dog?"
Archer's smug voice was heard.
"What are you doing here? No, that doesn't matter. Move aside."
"Come on, don't be so bitter. If you become my wife, I'll give you the Holy Grail. It will be just for you."
"For me? No, you're wrong..."
"Hm...?"
Saber now knew. It is impossible for her to be a perfect king. It was his humanity that led him to make all her mistakes. Everything in her life and even in her death was a failure. Artoria Pendragon, the king who failed...
But now she at least was able to avoid failing at this moment. So that's what her tired smile from a moment ago is due to. This is the end of her road, the end of this failed king. To leave this war, with the Holy Grail in Kiritsugu's hands, the world can be a better place.
But this did not please Gilgamesh.
"Something happened to you, Saber. That's making me angry. Where is the wish you wanted so much to fulfill?"
Artoria smiled defiantly at him.
"My wish is now with someone else."
At the same time, Kiritsugu appeared at one side of the theater and extended his hand, showing the only Command Seal he had left. His lips moved, dictating an order that left Artoria very confused and caused Gilgamesh's anger to flare up like a burning flame.
***
And at the same time, on the roof of this theater, Toru was shown looking at the sky. He smiled slightly, for the last two remaining enemies are here.
While Waver and Sakura had already boarded the plane after this guy used some magic to brainwash those at the airport, Toru sighed the cold night air and a peculiar light showed in his eyes.
That wave pattern showed purple in his gaze as the X expanded focusing on the scene.
"This is the end of the road..."
To be continued...