Rin Tohsaka lay silently in bed. Though nearly half an hour had passed, sleep eluded her.
Alone in the quiet, she felt an unexpected pang of loneliness.
She wanted to talk to someone familiar, but realized she had no one truly close.
Perhaps Sakura Matou, her sister, was the most familiar, having lived with her the longest.
Yet Rin didn't know how to approach her, and Sakura felt strangely distant.
Despite being classmates for years, Sakura was a junior, in a different grade, and they'd rarely spoken, making Rin hesitate.
She touched her chest, feeling her heartbeat, and gave a soft, pained laugh.
"Am I scared?"
Muttering to herself, it was a self-directed question, an admission.
She was indeed afraid.
Afraid to face her sister.
They'd finally met face-to-face, able to talk, but the sudden truth had made her fearful instead.
Who could she rely on now?
Rin realized, with some helplessness, that the person she was most familiar with was Morpheus.
"But he's never really been close to me, has he?" Rin shook her head, sighing.
Morpheus was free, unlike a typical Heroic Spirit or Servant. Uncontrolled, with his own ideas, he led her more than she led him as his Master.
The group gathered here owed their unity to Morpheus, while she felt like a mere accessory, useless.
Self-conscious?
Not quite. Rin didn't feel inferior. She saw herself as a genius, but had no issue with Morpheus, an even greater genius, surpassing her.
She just felt lonely, unsure who to confide in.
Loneliness and inferiority weren't the same.
Rin thought as much.
After lying there for another ten minutes, still sleepless, she considered calling Morpheus.
"Can't sleep?"
A sudden voice made Rin bolt upright, staring at Morpheus beside her. "How'd you just appear?!"
"I sensed someone restless, unable to sleep, so I came to check," Morpheus said, shaking his head. "You're my Master. If you don't rest, it affects my output!"
"S-Sorry…" Rin apologized earnestly, prompting Morpheus to study her, confirming her troubled state.
He sat casually nearby. "You should try talking to Sakura properly."
"You two are really close," Rin said, causing Morpheus to stare at her for a long moment. Uncomfortable, she asked, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"It sounded like you were jealous."
Rin's reaction was sharp. "No way!"
"Alright, alright, you're not," Morpheus said nonchalantly, making Rin pout, though she said nothing.
"Sakura trusts me more than I trust her. Understand?"
Rin shook her head. "So she knows you? Or the you from this world?"
Morpheus shared what happened, and Rin was stunned.
"You appeared and helped Sakura when she was in danger?!"
"From what she said, yes. It seems a future me appeared ten years ago. Why? Because she had something closely tied to me."
"Tied to you?"
"Like your moonstone. She has something similar, which likely summoned my future self," Morpheus said, shrugging. "It's fate's arrangement. Otherwise, I can't explain why it's in this world."
He grew curious. "But with that item, why didn't she summon Atalanta? It could've been her Saint Graph catalyst."
Rin was even more confused.
"Tied to you, but Atalanta's relic?"
"Simple. I gave it to Atalanta. After her death, it must've circulated, ending up with Sakura.
"The real question is how it crossed time and space. Atalanta's world should be a parallel one."
Rin tried to understand but gave up, pushing it aside. She sighed in relief. "So Sakura didn't suffer too much?"
"You didn't ask if she suffered nothing."
"I'm not naive. She got that item from Kariya-san, but by the time he arrived… days had passed. She must've suffered."
Morpheus hadn't shared this at dinner. Now, confirming her guess, Rin felt pain but also relief.
"Good, at least… something protected her…"
It eased her guilt as an older sister.
But seeking such a comforting excuse made her feel disgusted with herself.
Finally, she changed the subject. "I've been here so long, and you only show up now?"
"I was setting up a bounded field around the Emiya house to keep intruders out," Morpheus said, smiling and patting her shoulder. "Rest now. I'll leave once you're asleep."
Rin eyed him. "Don't try anything!"
"I'm a gentleman, don't worry."
Skeptical, Rin stared at Morpheus, then lay down, pulling the blanket over herself.
Watching her close her eyes, Morpheus smiled. "Need a lullaby?"
After a long pause, her faint voice replied, "No need!"
***
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