Scars of the Past

(Disclaimer: This chapter goes into topics such as suicidal thoughts, attempted suicide and depression. Viewer discretion is heavily advised)

August 16th, 2015

The halls within Chaldea were peaceful and mostly silent. After the events of the third Singularity, life returned to normal, and everyone continued their duties. The cafeteria was nearly empty as well since everyone else was either training, or working on finding the next Singularity. It was here that two people were having a pleasant chat over the progress of their mission. One of them was a beautiful young woman with blue hair with magenta highlights. She wore a standard Chaldean uniform with black and orange. Her gray eyes held reservation, but were warm and inviting. Her nails were each painted differently, some pink, and some blue. Next to her was an older man with brown eyes and dark brown hair.

"So, have you told him yet?" The man asked.

The woman sighed. "No, I chickened out again….."

The man shook his head in disbelief. "You have to have more confidence in yourself, Cerejeira."

"It's easier said than done, Dustin." The woman named Cerejeira retorted.

"Hey hey, I have some experience in the field!" Dustin said. "Just let me give some-"

"Shhh!" Cerejeira said. "Something's wrong."

Dustin raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

"Look at Tatsuko, and you'll see what I mean."

Dustin turned to see Tatsuko sitting down at one of the other tables simply staring at her food. Tatsuko usually had quite an appetite for her age, so to see her not eating was incredibly strange.

"She's been like this for two days now." Cerejeira said.

"What other things did you notice?" Dustin asked.

"Bags under her eyes, meaning she's been getting lack of sleep." Cerejeira replied. "And she's been walking very strangely."

"Maybe it's just stress and nerves?" Dustin asked.

"That might be it." Cerejeira said.

"What's up losers?!"

Dustin and Cerejeira groaned in annoyance as they heard Gary's voice ring throughout the cafeteria. They didn't even bother to look up to see the annoying man walking through the door.

"Of course we had to eat when he shows up…" Dustin muttered.

"Don't worry Dustin, maybe he'll go and leave soon." Cerejeira whispered.

"One can only hope." Dustin whispered back. "I see Chaldea as family and all, but Gary would be the disowned bratty relative."

"That's putting it nicely." Cerejeira said quietly.

The two of them became silent as Gary whistled to himself as he got his food. The most annoying man in Chaldea then saw a space available at Tatsuko's table, and sat down right across from her and scowled.

"Tachibana." Gary said coldly.

Tatsuko didn't respond. Instead the girl simply stared at her food with a blank stare. Gary clicked his tongue in annoyance and gritted his teeth. "Hey Tachibana, I'm talking to you!"

Tatsuko snapped back to reality and shrank as she saw Gary's irritated face. "Sorry Gary….."

Gary raised an eyebrow in irritation. "Oh so now you notice me? Typical. You and those other two brats get all the preferential treatment that you fail to notice us. How arrogant can you be?!"

"I'm not…"

"You're not…not what?" Gary asked mockingly. "Arrogant? Ignorant? A fucking brat? Oh but you are!"

"Gary, stop!" Dustin shouted.

"Stop what? Telling the truth?!" Gary shouted back. "This girl and Ritsuka always get treated like royalty because they're the Masters of Chaldea, and Roman pretty much gives them free reign to do as they please!"

"Gary, you know that's not true!" Cerejeira shouted. "Remember when everyone got angry at Ritsuka for hiding his malnutrition? Does that sound like us treating them like royalty?!"

"Oh shut up Cerejeira!" Gary yelled. "They practically get special treatment!"

"I'm sorry…" Tatsuko muttered.

Gary gritted his teeth again. "I would hope so!"

"Gary, what the hell is your problem?!" Dustin asked. "All she's been doing is trying to help!"

Gary stared at the older man in disbelief. "Help?! Oh please, she doesn't help around the base! All she does is prance around like a little princess and expects handouts because she's a Master!"

Tatsuko's eyes widened briefly with a hint of hurt and shock. The orange haired girl then shrank back in her chair and rubbed her shoulder slowly. "I didn't mean to make you angry…"

"Well it's too little too late princess!" Gary shouted. "You don't really contribute much to running this place. Ritsuka's done more than you, so why do we even need you around?!"

Tatsuko trembled. "I…"

"You what?!" Gary asked. "Oh whatever! All you are is a waste of space! A damned brat who just runs her mouth without a care in the world. All you do is drag Ritsuka down and took up a job that could have gone to someone more qualified! Face it Tatsuko, you're nothing more than a disappointment!"

"A disappointment…"

"That's what you are." Gary said boldly. "We'd all be better off without you, so why are you still here?!"

The entire room went silent at his remarks. Dustin tried to get up in anger to correct Gary of his behavior, but Cerejeira held him back. Instead, they simply looked at Tatsuko, her head hanging down in shame, and shivering. The female Master soon got up and walked towards the exit.

"Tatsuko, where are you going?" Dustin asked. "You didn't even touch your food."

"I…..need to be alone for a while." Tatsuko said. "Just need to think….."

Without another word, Tatsuko slowly walked out of the cafeteria with an empty look in her eyes. The female Master didn't even hear the greetings of some of the Servants walking in the opposite direction, nor did she acknowledge their presence. Something was consuming her. Things she suppressed long ago, and Gary's words made them louder than before….

The female Master finally reached her room and locked the door behind her. She then slumped to the floor on her knees, letting the thoughts scream in her head.

"Useless!"

"You're nothing!"

"Waste of space!"

"No one likes you!"

"Nothing but a delinquent…."

"You like girls? What a freak…."

"Who would ever want to be your friend?"

"You're a disgrace! Your parents would be disappointed in you."

"Who could ever love someone like you?"

Tatsuko's expression never changed. She no longer had the energy to keep those thoughts back anymore. When she had Renji, she could keep them at bay, but with him and her landlady gone…perhaps the thoughts were right again…..

The orange haired girl then saw an object lying on her desk. The box cutter she was using to cut through some old papers and rotted rope. Tatsuko got up and walked towards her desk, and picked up the box cutter.

It was then that she activated the blade, and held her left arm out.

This time for sure…

In the gymnasium, Ritsuka and Artoria sat on the bleachers going over the lesson plans for that day, and waiting for two particular people to enter the area as well. However, time soon started to draw near for them to begin, yet it was still just the two of them.

"Maybe they got held up by Davinci?" Ritsuka said.

"Perhaps." Artoria replied. "It wouldn't be the first time that she kept them much longer than intended."

The sound of running footsteps grabbed their attention. The moment the door opened, they saw Mashu staring at them with worry and concern written in her eyes.

"Mashu, what's wrong?" Artoria asked.

"Something happened to Tatsuko!" Mashu said. "I saw some people rushing her to the med bay!"

Without wasting any time, Ritsuka and Artoria got up and bolted to the door. The three soon sprinted to the med bay to see what was going on. They didn't bother asking Mashu what happened, it was clear she was just as confused as they were, and the adrenaline made it harder to think. All that mattered was a feeling of dread hanging over them as they continued to make their way to the med bay. Soon, they made their way to the med bay, only to see Medea, Cerejeira and Davinci standing by the entryway. The three of them wore frightened expressions on their faces, with Medea pacing back and forth with fear taking hold in every step. However, the three newcomers felt a chill up their spine as they noticed something on their hands and uniforms.

It was blood.

"I…..what happened…..?" Ritsuka asked flatly.

Davinci looked at the others before nodding and walked towards the newcomers. The Caster tried to look at them calmly, but it was clear she was shaken up.

"Cerejeira and Dustin were in the cafeteria with Tatsuko earlier today, and noticed she was not acting like herself." Davinci said. "Gary came along and said some….well, he basically just insulted her and made her upset."

"What did he say?" Artoria asked.

"I….I cannot repeat them right now." Cerejeira answered. "I just can't stomach it."

"I see…." Artoria muttered.

"That's not all….." Davinci said. "Cerejeira was concerned about Tatsuko, so she grabbed me and Medea so we could talk to her but the door was locked. We had to force it open and when we got in…..we saw her lying on the floor with blood pouring out from her arm, and a box cutter on the floor next to her."

The three newcomers went pale as their blood began to turn to ice. Ritsuka's eyes widened in horror as it finally dawned on him.

"She….she tried to…."

Davinci nodded. "She attempted to commit suicide."

Mashu covered her mouth in shock as Artoria closed her eyes and clenched her fists. Ritsuka could barely stand, his legs turned to jelly and he nearly fell to the ground. Artoria immediately went into action and steadied him, but it was clear that Ritsuka was trying to process the shock and what they just learned. He wanted to deny it, he didn't want to believe that Tatsuko would do this. Someone as bright, cheerful, kind and witty would have been able to move forward and push on. She was strong, unlike him. However, as he saw the looks on the three women's faces, and the blood on their arms, he couldn't deny it. Tatsuko did indeed try to kill herself.

"But….why?" Mashu asked. "Why would she…?"

Cerejeira stared at the lilac haired girl sadly. "It's my fault…..I shouldn't have let her leave the cafeteria alone…."

"What are you talking about?" Artoria asked.

"For the past couple of days she wasn't eating much, the bags under her eyes, her strange way of walking….." Cerejeira muttered. "She had the signs of someone suffering from depression, and I didn't even consider the possibility….."

"Oh no…." Medea said. "When she said that what Matsuri said to her messed her head…"

Davinci widened her eyes in horror. "That would explain the other…"

The Caster stopped in her tracks as she saw the eyes of Mashu, Ritsuka and Artoria widen further in horror.

"What are you talking about…..?" Ritsuka asked.

The three women looked at each other and shook in disbelief and grief. Before any of them could say anything, the door to the med bay opened up to reveal Roman walking out, his eyes bloodshot and puffy. It was clear that he was holding back tears. The moment he saw everyone outside, he froze like a deer in headlights before wiping his face and taking a few deep breaths. The acting director stared at them calmly, but it was clear he was still reeling from what he had seen.

"She's awake and breathing."

A collective sigh of relief was heard throughout the hallway. Davinci clenched her fists and stared at Roman calmly.

"Where is Gary?"

"I don't know." Roman answered. "But when I do, I'll handle him. And I'll be sure to make sure he regrets ever setting foot in the cafeteria today."

"No. You send him to me." Davinci said.

"Davinci, no. I'm not going to-"

"Non fermarmi, Roman!" Davinci shouted. "Quando metterò le mani su quel bastardo gli stringerò quel sudicio collo!"

"Oh no you don't." Medea said. "I want a piece of him too!"

"Davinci, Medea, please stop." Mashu said.

"Mashu, he caused Tatsuko to-"

"Davinci, Gary can wait." Ritsuka said, his voice still trembling. "I just want to see Tatsuko…."

Everyone went silent as they stared at Ritsuka. The male Master was shaking, and his face looked like he was holding back his anguish, but his eyes showed that all he wanted right now was to see his partner in crime. Roman nodded and put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "I'll take you and Mashu to her now."

"I'll stay out here for now." Artoria said. "I'll…I'll be sure to see her after you two are done."

Ritsuka and Mashu nodded and followed Roman into the med bay to see Tatsuko. They didn't know what to say to her. All they knew is that they wanted to be there for her, and make sure she wasn't going to be alone. It didn't take long for them to reach her room, and for Roman to open the door so the Trio could be together. Without saying a word, he closed the door when Ritsuka and Mashu entered, and left them to give them some privacy. The black haired teen and the Demi-Servant stared at the orange haired girl with pain and sadness, causing Tatsuko to look away in shame.

"Why….?" Ritsuka asked.

"It….it got to be too much for me again…." Tatsuko answered.

"Too much?" Mashu asked.

"I…I relapsed…." Tatsuko said. The female Master raised her left arm, and took off the bandages for them to see what she was talking about, and what the image broke their hearts.

Her wrist and forearm were riddled with cuts. Most were small and starting to fade, but there were two big ones on her forearm, and one of them was obviously fresh.

Mashu could only cover her mouth as tears began to swell in her eyes. "Oh Tatsuko…."

"Remember when I mentioned how Matsuri rejected me?" Tatsuko asked calmly. "Well, after she did that, I went into a spiral ... .I started cutting myself just so I wouldn't hurt as badly inside…This went on for weeks until I finally snapped, and decided to end it all….by some twisted form of fate, my landlady came in as I started passing out, and she rushed me to the hospital. The next thing I know, I woke up in a hospital bed with my landlady sitting right by my bed. A few days later, she got me in contact with Renji, and he helped me get better about myself…."

The two of them saw Tatsuko's hands tremble as her lips started to quiver. The orange haired girl stared at Ritsuka directly in the eyes with tears starting to swell and cloud her vision. "I'm so sorry, Ritsuka. I've been such an awful friend to you. I wanted to help you by having you open up about your childhood, that part was true…..but I also wanted to deflect attention away from me so no one would-"

Tatsuko's eyes widened in shock as Ritsuka and Mashu rushed up to her, and embraced her tightly. She felt their bodies trembling, and then the choked sobs could be heard in her ears.

"I'm the one who was a terrible friend." Ritsuka said through choked sobs. "I should have realized how much you were hurting too."

"I am sorry too." Mashu said as the tears fell onto Tatsuko's shoulder. "I cannot even imagine the pain you must have been holding in all this time."

Tatsuko was completely speechless. Even after revealing her selfish reasoning, and her explanations, they didn't get angry, nor did they leave her alone. They were crying for her, and felt pain because she was hurting…..

"Tatsuko, no matter what happens, we're here for you." Ritsuka said.

"You do not have to be alone like this anymore." Mashu replied. "We will not let anyone hurt you the way you have been. Ever. We will be by your side, even if the world itself becomes an enemy."

The dam finally broke. Tatsuko openly sobbed as she wrapped her arms around Ritsuka and Mashu, joining their hug. The only sounds that could be heard inside the room was the Chaldean Trio sobbing together.

April 18th, 2015

Tatsuko stood outside Ritsuka's doorway calmly. The past two days were incredibly serious and dour, with news of Tatsuko's attempted suicide, and news of her clinical depression sent shockwaves within the halls of Chaldea itself. When that happened, Gary faced a harsh punishment of being confined to his quarters for two months, and after that he would be chaperoned with parole officers for the rest of his time in Chaldea. He was also informed that once the Grand Order was completed, he would be dismissed from his position, and be forced to leave Chaldea permanently.

"Fou, fou!"

Tatsuko snapped back to attention and looked at Fou, who was standing on her shoulder. The little critter rubbed her cheek affectionately, causing her to turn her attention towards him. For the past two days, Mashu had given Fou over to Tatsuko to help make her feel better. And for the past two days, Tatsuko was able to sleep better with the little critter curled up next to her and giving her some emotional support. She brought him with her to Ritsuka's room because she knew he would be needed.

"I hope he's home." Tatsuko said as she rubbed Fou's chin. The orange haired girl didn't see Ritsuka after that fateful day in the med bay, and it only made her situation more grim. He was probably mad at her now and actually felt betrayed by her secrecy now. Tatsuko buried those thoughts from her mind for now, and knocked on the door.

"It's open!" Ritsuka said. Tatsuko used her key to open the door, causing Ritsuka to smile when he saw it was her. "Hey, what's up?"

Tatsuko smiled softly. "I'm feeling a little better."

"I'm glad to hear that." Ritsuka said. "By the way how is Roman? Last time I saw him, he was scowling pretty intensely."

"I think I have an idea why." Tatsuko answered. "Damn, I never thought I'd hear about Roman scowling."

"Well in any event would you like some tea?." Ritsuka asked.

"Oh that actually sounds good right now." Tatsuko said.

"Why don't you sit down and make yourself comfortable and I'll go make some."

Tatsuko nodded and sat down in one of the chairs at his table. Fou leapt off her shoulder, but remained by her side, wagging his tail back and forth. The female Master fidgeted a bit as she tried to think on how to tell him, and how he'd react. However, before she could even try to process, Ritsuka came back with two bottles of tea in his hands alongside a bowl of milk for Fou. The male Master put down the milk dish for Fou, and scratched behind the critters ears as Fou began to drink the milk happily.

"I was actually hoping you'd come over." Ritsuka said.

Tatsuko widened her eyes in shock. "I…thanks."

Ritsuka smiled and handed Tatsuko her favorite kind of tea, and sat down across from her. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

Tatsuko took a deep breath. "I'm…..I'm going to be taking time off from being a Master."

Ritsuka stared at her in shock. Tatsuko looked away without a hint of hesitation. She knew that by doing this, she was forcing him to take on the role of the only Master of Chaldea for a while. It wasn't something she decided lightly, of course, but given the circumstances, it was the only way for her to try and recover again. There was zero doubt in her mind that he'd get angry at her now, but she didn't care. She couldn't forgive herself anyway, so she might as well get it over with and-

"You don't need to apologize."

Tatsuko's eyes widened as she saw Ritsuka smiling at her warmly. The black haired teen took a sip of his tea before setting it down and taking a deep breath. "You need time to yourself and get better. And this might be the best way to do it."

"You really think so?" Tatsuko asked.

Ritsuka nodded. "I do. I know it'll be difficult being the only on duty Master for a time, but I know that it'll all work out."

"I don't know…" Tatsuko muttered. "I still have a hard time thinking that this will blow over."

"It won't." Ritsuka said. "But I know you can do this."

"You're putting a lot of faith in me." Tatsuko replied. "I don't think I'm worth that."

"So, you still have a hard time forgiving yourself about helping me open up about my childhood so no one would look closely at you?"

Tatsuko sighed and nodded slowly. "I guess so, but I practically cost myself our friendship."

"No you didn't." Ritsuka said. "Wait, did you think that our friendship was over because of that?"

"Well….yeah?" Tatsuko said in confusion. "I mean I was such a terrible friend for what I did, so why bother being friends with someone like me?"

Ritsuka shook his head. "You weren't a terrible friend. Not in my eyes."

Tatsuko raised an eyebrow in confusion. "You still think of me as a friend? Even after that?"

Ritsuka smiled and shook his head. "No, you're not just a friend. You're my best friend."

Tatsuko's eyes widened in shock and disbelief. He…..he called her his best friend.

Sensing her confusion, Ritsuka got up from his seat, and walked towards Tatsuko. Before she could realize what was happening, Ritsuka knelt down at her side, and put a hand on her shoulder.

"How about I let you in on a little secret of my own." Ritsuka said.

Tatsuko cocked her head to the side. "What kind of secret?"

"A very personal kind…" Ritsuka muttered. "I…can't forgive myself either."

Tatsuko's eyes widened. "You mean about…..that night?"

Ritsuka nodded. "Among other things ... .However, that one incident stands on top."

"I….I see…." Tatsuko muttered. "So I guess we both have a hard time forgiving ourselves…."

"I guess we do." Ritsuka replied.

Tatsuko went silent once more. She saw Fou stopping his drinking and looked at both her and Ritsuka in intervals, trying to gauge the situation. The little critter felt uncertain as to what would happen next, but wagged his tail as soon as he saw Tatsuko taking a deep breath. "Well, I think we have a long way to go before we can truly heal…"

Ritsuka said nothing. The male Master simply stayed where he was and smiled. "I know you can do this. I trust you completely."

Tatsuko chuckled at the comment silently. This guy was really something else. "Well, I guess if we're going to be trusting each other more, then I have something to tell you."

"Okay, lay it on me." Ritsuka said.

"Before I do, I have a question," Tatsuko replied. "Before I met you, how many people do you think I came out to and told I was a lesbian?"

Ritsuka put a hand to his chin in deep thought. Given the circumstances of what she went through, it couldn't have been many, and she was definitely good at hiding things. "Hmmmmmm, I'd say three? Maybe four?"

Tatsuko shook her head. "Nope. Try again."

Ritsuka raised an eyebrow in curiosity. So it was probably less than that. The male Master snapped his fingers in an epiphany. "Oh I think I got it! You only told two people. Your landlady and Renji!"

Tatsuko went silent. Ritsuka cocked his head to the side in confusion as he watched her finish her tea and stared back at him.

"I never told them."

Ritsuka stared at her in astonishment. "Wait wait wait, you never told them?"

"No, I didn't."

"How in the world did they not know?" Ritsuka asked.

"I just never told them." Tatsuko answered.

"But..but that doesn't make any sense." Ritsuka said. "If they don't know, then how many people did you come out to before coming here?"

Tatsuko took a deep breath. "None."

Ritsuka raised an eyebrow at the answer. Why would she ask him this if she never…

Ritsuka's eyes began to widen as he stared into Tatsuko's golden eyes in astonishment. "Tatsuko…are you saying what I think you're saying?"

Tatsuko nodded. "You were the very first person I told, Ritsuka."

Ritsuka knelt there in silence, not even blinking. The male Master could hardly believe what he just heard. Back then, he and Tatsuko were merely strangers, not knowing one thing about the other. And yet, she trusted him enough to be the first person to come out about being gay. Tatsuko could see the gears turn in his head, and saw him starting to smile warmly.

"I….I don't know what to say." Ritsuka said. "I'm honored that you trusted me so much with it."

Tatsuko started to smile gently. "And I'm glad that you were the first person I told."

The two of them returned to a comfortable silence until they heard Tatsuko's wrist watch beep. The orange haired teen looked down and sighed. "I gotta go. I'm going to go to Johan for weekly therapy sessions for the foreseeable future, and our first one is in a few minutes."

Ritsuka nodded and got up alongside Tatsuko. Before she left, the two teens leaned in and entered a warm hug.

"Just so you know, I'll be here for you, no matter what." Ritsuka said.

"Thanks Ritsuka." Tatsuko said. "I'll definitely try to be the best friend you deserve one day."

Ritsuka chuckled. "And I'll strive harder to be the person you can trust."

The two of them pulled away, allowing Tatsuko to leave Ritsuka's room with a small wave. As soon as the door closed, Tatsuko walked towards Johan's office, but she felt something was different. She felt….somewhat lighter. It was as if a part of her felt happier with her talk with Ritsuka. The orange haired teen smiled softly, and continued her pace towards the office. Even with all that has happened, she knows that no matter what happens, she will be grateful to Ritsuka for giving her some inspiration to heal.

And maybe one day, she can help return the favor.

OC: Okay, this has been without a shadow of a doubt the most difficult thing I have ever witnessed, and written…..

Y: Well, considering the subject material, that is a given. People put themselves into their work, I feel, and it's natural to become overwhelmed

OC: That is true. But the fact that Tatsuko first tried killing herself when she was ten years old…I can't even find the words to say how I feel about it…..

Y: It's difficult to put those feelings into words. It's not exactly something that is conducive towards spoken language.

OC: Yeah, but at the very least she's on the road to heal again. Now to our audience, I know this chapter might have come as a shock, and with it, a huge shift in the narrative. However Yatsu and I are right there with you. This was not easy for either of us given this is a very sensitive topic, and I know some people will probably not feel comfortable with the idea of one of the Chaldean Masters struggling with such thoughts. However, this…..was something Vlad and I planned on doing for some time, and make no mistake, he wasn't looking forward to making this chapter either when he was still alive. However, we both agreed on one thing; Fate is no stranger to approaching incredibly sensitive topics before, so we decided to keep that tradition, and make it so that all three of the members of the Chaldean Trio had some…internal conflict and struggles to overcome from their pasts. Ritsuka had a traumatic childhood, Mashu…..well we all know what she went through. So that only left Tatsuko. For the longest time, her past was just that she lost her parents in a fire and she had no memory, but some time last year, I suggested to Vlad that we gave her more to her character because we wanted the Trio to "find" each other, and through their friendship and camaraderie, start to heal the scars of their pasts and issues. So….I took inspiration from one of Vlads other stories, one where Ritsuka and Mashu were highschool students, and…well, let's just say that version of Mashu and Tatsuko had one thing in common. I was reluctant in bringing it up to him, but in the end, I did it, and he agreed to it.

Y: How people react to pain is always rather fascinating. Some treat it as an aversive stimulus, others a spur; I've seen two people react to the exact same circumstances completely differently. Well, I suppose that's one of those mysteries of life that writers talk about in chicken soup books. Pain is also a recurring theme in a lot of Nasu's works; it's pretty much Gudao's lack of a solid backstory that qualifies him as the most non-traumatic of the Nasuverse protagonists' backstories.

OC: Indeed. However, onto other news before we do anything else. It has come to my attention that we have now reached 70k views. Granted, I'm not a fan of the timing of this and publishing this chapter, but regardless, we would like to thank everyone who has followed us this long, and we promise to continue giving you all quality content.

Y: I'm a newcomer to this, so can't really say much from the heart, as it were. Still, 70k views is always a cause for a celebration, so thank you everyone!

OC: Okay now onto scene one. So for context, Vlad and I were always planning on hinting at Tatsuko's past of her cutting herself and attempted suicide in her childhood, but whenever I wanted to give a clue, Vlad stopped me and said that it would make it obvious, and wanted to wait for the right moment, and that moment came here. And Yatsu gave you all a treat in having Cerejeira be introduced early! The most recent Chaldean staff member revealed in Ordeal Call has now made her grand debut in Chronicles, and you can all thank Yatsu for that.

Y: Thank you. Cerejeira has a wonderful design, Redrop really hit it out of the park with her look; I kinda feel bad that her colors clash with the Chaldea uniform, cuz her darker 'punk-alt-chic' look is fire with her highlights and multicolored nails. Definitely the sorta woman I'd ask out after a show…Well, on the narrative front, she also has an eidetic memory (basically a perfect memory), so she'd be the one to notice the slightest details that have deviated from the norm. Actually, makes perfect sense she'd be record keeper

OC: Yup yup! And having her notice Tatsuko was off was the perfect indicator that things weren't going to be pretty. And Gary proved that by being a grade A asshole. Fucking Gary…

Y: Characters should always serve their roles, and the writer must respect their creations, even the small ones, or it'd be impossible to expect the readers to respect their work. Well, hate sinks are difficult to make well, I'm curious on where that will go.

OC: I'll tell ya the original idea Vlad and I had. A few days after Tatsuko was released from the med bay, she would have overheard an argument between Ritsuka and Roman where it's revealed Ritsuka, Eric, and another person (aka Mashu) would have jumped Gary and beat the ever loving shit out of him and Roman would have given them a slap on the wrist while still scolding Ritsuka and Eric because Mashu's involvement was covered up by Ritsuka. I wanted to show Ritsuka having an incredible protective streak towards those he cares about, and also showing a flaw of his; keeping his anger under control. Yeah, for Ritsuka one of his character flaws will be to struggle when to show anger, and when to unleash it. But I decided against showing that here because that would have made the situation worse, not better.

Y: Anger as a flaw is a classic, but one must remember to make sure that flaws are flaws; that is that they have negative consequences. "If hence upon thy face there lies a scar, then thou wouldst have lied to me as to being the fairest" "Nay, my face is not hindered by the scar. My words were true." AKA, actions have consequences.

OC: Indeed. Now onto scene two. This is where all the build up led to. With Ritsuka and Mashu learning of Tatsuko's suicide attempt and how they immediately became devastated. To be honest it's the most heartbreaking moment for them, as they realized that they never really noticed how much pain Tatsuko was in.

Y: Hrmm, that's a very common reaction to people finding out their loved one was hurting

OC: And it only got worse when they saw the other scars on her arm. And the majority of those were made when she was ten years old…..that poor girl.

Y: Truly tragic. Well, I think there is always a value to reaching out to others; an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of reaction.

OC: And at the very least she had her pen pal Renji to help her out with some of her issues. He might not have been able to fully heal her, but his letters were something she always looked forward to, and it brightened her day to read them. But now she has her friends in Chaldea to help her whenever she needs it.

Y: It's the small things that can sometimes have the largest impacts. Particularly the ones people don't always give too much of a mind about. Diligence, consistency, and kindness aren't flashy, but I'd argue they're just as powerful as other aspects if not more so.

OC: And that leads us to scene 3. Like I said, I decided to change it from the original draft because I wanted to give this dark chapter a bit of a hopeful and tender moment between Ritsuka and Tatsuko. Ritsuka shows that he's now going to be paying more attention to Tatsuko's well-being and he's already doing that by being able to tell when she's going to apologize.

Y: This is a big development into the story; it's been a lot of chapters since the characters were established, right? How will Tatsuko contribute to the story going forward? Stay with the support crew?

OC: That will remain to be seen. But now this also means that for the next few months at the very least, Ritsuka will be going solo. But knowing him, he's not going to back down. And it's that attitude that led to perhaps one of the most adorable interactions between Ritsuka and Tatsuko. The revelation that HE was the first person she ever came out to. Back when she came out of the closet to him, they were basically strangers, and yet she felt she could trust him with that knowledge, and it's also the reason why she had a fierce loyalty to him. He accepted her for who she is, and she wanted to repay that.

Y: Will Mash be jealous of their closeness? KD

OC: Well this also means that she's going to be having more quality time with him alone in the Singularities so it evens out.

Y: That is true. Going to be more difficult to run simultaneous operations though. I did like that part in LB7 where Gudao and Mash handle one part, while Kadoc and Goredy handle the other. It's nice to have two fronts, makes things exciting

OC: Well that might be happening at some point in the next arc. That is correct folks, this is the only slice of life chapter for the foreseeable future because the next chapter will be the beginning of a new Arc. And what Singularity will we be tackling? Why it is none other than the Fate Zero Collab event! That's right, Ritsuka's going back to his hometown in a time before he was born!

Y: So he's from Fuyuki as well? Does he know the shady drug dealer that also doubles as Shirou's totes-legit boss? Well, I do remember the fun fan theory that Hakuno was in Fuyuki when it got bombed in the backstory for Extra; simply cuz it seems that place is a magnet for trouble.

OC: Lol. Well this is also going to be a big surprise for the readers. I know a lot of you are wondering about the nightmare Ritsuka had in Septem, and I will reveal something to you. Vlad and I talked about it months before his death, and we both agreed that you will finally see the impetus that changed Ritsuka's life forever. Given that this arc has Fuyuki as the setting, it only made sense to actually move it forward instead of keeping it from you guys any longer.

Y: Well, there's also the theories that the Fuyuki Singularity is going to become a big thing in the future, what with Nasu clarifying that Salter is a Defender of Humanity, the Singularity NOT being one of Goetia's, and that it has yet to be resolved even by the Lostbelt Arc…it really does feel wooden when nobody talks about this stuff until it crops up.

OC: Well they'll be getting around to it eventually. And just like the previous arcs, this one has its own arc name. It is called….Returning to null. And with that we are out of time folks. Thank you again for reading this emotional roller coaster of a chapter. Please stay tuned for the next chapter, whenever that comes out, and be prepared! Owen Chaser and Yatsu, signing off.

Y: Bye Bye!