Disclaimer:
I do not own Fate/Grand Order, any Type-Moon properties, characters, or trademarks. Any resemblance to persons living, deceased, historical, or fictional are purely a work of fantasy and not a reflection of historical fact. Please support Type-Moon, DelightWorks, and the official releases.
Similarly, this work of fiction takes certain liberties with the rules and effects of the FATE system within Nasuverse, and thus requires the learned reader to disassociate these unlikely facts from one another. Please enjoy.
Synopsis:
Fujimaru Ritsuka was born to a Japanese magus family, pretty red hair and amber eyes- and as lovely as could be. The second child, he received no family crest and only had high quality and quantity of circuits to his name- no talent whatsoever for Magecraft beyond that of simple Reinforcement. Sent away to the remote Mage Association facility known as Chaldea- his destiny would make him come to know what it was like to be (with) a (lot of) hero(es). R-18+, AU, Gudako-is-a-Trap-fic.
Fate/Grand Ball
Prologue
A Worthless Magus, and the Girl from Chaldeas
It was said that our family history dated back to the Meiji era, when Japan began to annex and disparage the native Ainu people, among whom were our ancestors. Hiding Magical teachings behind Animist religion, my Great-Great Grandmother married a Japanese man and bore him two children. The man had been a Buddhist monk famous for climbing a distance up Mt. Fuji's great height. From these roots, came the Fujmaru clan of Magi. From our family history, it has been said that that man died of illness shortly after the second heir was born.
Regardless of the truth of that story, what mattered most was the fact that was presented in the present day. That of June 25th, 2015 A.D., was that I stood within this hall where it all began. I am Fujimaru, Ritsuka- and this is the beginning of my story.
June 25th, 2015 A.D.
Human Extinction Factor: -
Steadily, it got harder for me to sleep. The dismissal haunted me on both the train and in my dreams. My brother had been chosen, and I had been cast aside- it was the most gentle thing in Magi Society, to be sure, but-
"Fou, fou kyuu kyuu?" A warm sensation, across my chest and face, my eyes opened and I stared up at a sterile hall. My eyes were filled with the sight of a cloud with a face, and a pink ribbon. "Fou!" I hear the sound of boot-steps and my gaze turns towards them as I stand up- the creature on my chest scrambling onto my shoulder as if it simply belonged there. Strangely, I feel as if that is alright.
"Fou, what are you doing-" She comes into perfect view, and I skip a beat for a moment. Lavender bangs frame a soft- cute- face with glasses and dark purple eyes. When she sees that the creature- Fou- is on me, she stops in her tracks outside of arms' length and gives me an expression that I find unreadable. As if she is unsure herself how to react- and I find myself equally discouraged. I feel like this distance between us is inevitable- crushing- which is strange since we have just met. "Were you sleeping on the floor, Senpai..?"
Part of me understands her confusion- but such a fact feels unimportant. I know where I am, so the only question I can answer her with is- "Who are you?" My voice feels raspy, like I haven't spoken in awhile. Perhaps I haven't- my obsession with every moment before the train-trip from Hokkaido and then the connecting plane to London and beyond. Perhaps I've said nothing more than "yes" or "no" ever since.
"Am I not even worth remembering..?" She mutters, but I wonder if she is truly talking to me, or if she has resentment built up in her breast. "Of course, I have a proper name, even if most don't call me by it. But- can I ask you a question in return? Why were you sleeping on the floor? Can you not sleep unless it's on a hard bed?" I glance to the side, watching as the little cloud-like creature- Fou- prances off as happily as any beast might.
My eyes drift back unto her face, memorizing after a few moments the lines of her jaw and brow. Her features are cherubic- she might be a little younger than me, though I don't think I deserve the "Senpai" title. "Was I sleeping here?" It was reflex- a thought that slipped free from my lips instead of a fully-formed choice.
"You were- like a baby, even." She answered her lips tugging upwards into a smile for the first time since I'd met her- no longer that befuddling and unsure expression on her face. I liked this much better. My attention was drawn back down the hall, to where the fluffy little creature had retreated. "Oh, I should have introduced you while he was here. That was Fou, he's a special designation life-form allowed to wander Chaldea. Normally, he doesn't like anyone but me- but he seems to really have taken a shine to you, Senpai." Maybe because he's a Familiar? I thought privately to myself, and kept such musing to myself for fear of a stern look or lecture. I let my eyes drift down to my boots for a moment, before I started to speak again- - -
"There you are, Mash- don't you know you shouldn't be wandering around unsupervised?" A new person brought themselves before me, adorned in gaudy green and purple, with a mess of fuzzy brown hair decorating his European features. "You really should be more mindful- Hm? Oh, You're-" His eyes locked with mine, and for a moment, I wanted to retch. Something- something made me dislike this man deep down to my very core. "Fujimaru, Ritsuka, aren't you? The last of the forty-eight Master candidates, I see- well, that explains a lot."
Pushing down the nausea, my eyes glanced towards Mash- seeing a downtrodden look enter her face, "I'm sorry, Lev-san." Lev's gaze turned from me to Mash, then back again.
"Haha, well, I suppose it's only reasonable for your curiosity to get the better of you. Though, I can't imagine seeing Ritsuka-kun here in That uniform being that shocking." Though I was sure my face was placid, I felt my teeth grind for a moment, even while Mash's look became one of confusion. "Still- you should both be hurrying along. It's starting soon- so you should both head towards the orientation- before you manage to upset the Director on the first day, right?" Lev waved his hand gamely, grinning in a way that failed to comfort me. Why was I feeling so much vertigo by being in this man's presence?
"Yes. Senpai, why don't you follow me, and I'll show you to the briefing room?" I could only thank Mash mentally.
June 25th, 2015 A.D.
Chaldea Staff Briefing Room
Accessing records, acquiring template, beginning scans-
"You should all be-"
Please enjoy a simulation while the diagnostic completes-
"-chosen to protect the very fabric of human-"
Diagnostic complete-
"Senpai?" My eyes fluttered open and turned towards Mash, sitting next to me, while the woman I presumed to be the Director- with her white hair and intensely aristocratic and very magus-like aura- began to finish. I offered her a smile that I was sure felt more uneasy and tired than I wanted it to be. By the time I noticed the Director's stare, she had already began to chastise me for falling asleep during the debriefing. "Maybe you should go to the infirmary, Senpai- you don't look well."
Alignment: Neutral Evil confirmed. Please enjoy your stay within Chaldea, Master Candidate.
"You're right, I think." My lips and throat felt terribly dry, so I had no interest in speaking further, even as Mash gave me the directions to the infirmary and my room.
June 25th, 2015 A.D.
Chaldea Infirmary
When I arrived in the Infirmary, no one seemed to be present, so I took a few moments to look around. To be expected of a facility built by the Association, the room did not quite have the kind of modern accommodations that one would expect from a hospital. Coffin-like furnishings dotted the walls, hooked up to electronic readouts and magical arrays- none of which made a remote amount of sense to me- alongside more traditional cots and a pair of desks and drawers likely filled with what little medication was readily on hand.
While part of me wanted to rifle through the drawers for painkillers, or sleep medications, I instead moved to one of the cots to sit upon it, discovering it's slightly rigid mattress, part of me wondered how someone could sleep on something so blatantly uncomfortable- though I suppose that when one is injured or sick enough, anywhere will truly do. Before I know it, my head is drifting off into reverie again.
"Huh?" My gaze turned from my legs, clad in the skirt and tights as they were, to the man who appeared from the doorway. Pink hair pulled back into a messy ponytail, and gold eyes blinking with a somewhat dumb look on his face- He looked fresh out of a comedy- or perhaps that was just my impression of him. Something about him was just- dopey. Whereas with Lev, I felt.. At least like I could put up with this man. "Aww, and here I was hoping I could sneak in a nap- I mean-" Yes, I could feel that telltales sweat-drop marking my temple.
He cleared his throat, "You must be one of the Master candidates who flew in today. I'm Doctor Achaman, Romani Achaman. I'm the head of medical staff here in Chaldeas. What's your name?"
For a moment, my brain seemed to shut down. Instead of answering the question simply, I uttered something unintelligible. I don't even know what it was that I said, but the queer look on the Doctor's face said that it certainly hadn't been a human language. Flushing, I tried again, "Fujimaru, Ritsuka."
"Ah, right. You're the forty-eighth Master candidate. You really squeezed in, didn't you?" He smiled, and I was half-tempted to scowl, but settled instead for feeling apathetic. "Heheh- sorry. Welcome to Chaldea Security Organization. Though, weren't you a-"
The sudden sound of static near his ear brought my attention to him, as his own attention was diverted. "Medical Staff-" He started, only for whoever was on the other side of that communication to start yelling. To the point I could hear it several feet away. Still- volume wasn't clarity, so the only thing I could tell was that it was probably that Director- since it sounded somewhat like her.