Return to Null Chapter 4:

An Unwelcome Sight

(Warning: This chapter contains disturbing topics and images. Viewer discretion is advised)

Day 4

The morning sun beamed down in Fuyuki, filling the air with its warm gaze. But there are three people who have not seen its rays as they trekked through the sewers. In order to figure out who killed Ryuunosuke, Ritsuka returned to the sewers with Mashu and Cú alongside him. The Lancer and the black haired Master were on the lookout for any potential magic traps, while Mashu brought up the rear in the event more of Gilles' creatures showed up to ambush them. Ritsuka found one particular trap by their feet close to an entryway, and dispelled it with ease. They turned the corner, and what they saw made Cú click his tongue in disgust. More of Gilles' "art pieces" were riddled within the room, some of the limbs still writhing around slowly. In the center was a small bed, causing Ritsuka and Mashu to react with disgust.

"This….this is disgusting." Mashu said. "At this point I do not wish to see Gilles summoned at all….."

"I'd never let him be summoned at all." Ritsuka replied.

"I think we should….get rid of this, just to be safe." Cú said. "This is just too grotesque."

"How would you do it?" Ritsuka asked.

"Burning them usually is the best way to do it." Cú answered. "Listen, the kids….they're already dead, so let me put their bodies to rest."

Ritsuka gave a small nod. Cú drew the Anzus rune with his finger, and when activated, ignited the "art pieces". The intensity of the flames forced Mashu to cover her face and look away. Ritsuka, on the other hand, did not look away, and stared at the grizzly scene with sadness and pity. Those poor children didn't deserve this fate…

As the fires died down, the trio left the area to continue their trek in the sewers. By this point, they destroyed everything worth of note before they could head to the main chamber, meaning they could finally check Ryuunosuke's body to find any clues about his killer. As they made their way to the chamber, Cú tapped Ritsuka on the shoulder. "I've been meaning to ask, but what did you want to discuss with that Kayneth guy last night?"

"I….I'll tell you all when we get out of here." Ritsuka said. Mashu glanced at the male Master without him noticing. She had an idea as to what their conversation was about, but she didn't want to force it out of him. She wanted to wait until her Senpai was ready to speak up, so she would keep quiet until then. Not a moment later, they finally reached the center of the workshop, only to widen their eyes in shock at what they saw….or rather what they didn't see.

Ryuunosuke's body was gone, and some of the grotesque materials were gone as well. Some remained, but were now discolored. The group decided to split up while carefully looking around for clues to see who could have taken the body away. Cú looked at the remaining "art materials" and nodded. It was obvious whoever killed Ryuunosuke also took away the body to get rid of any evidence. The perpetrator was a real professional, but made some sloppy mistakes…

At that moment, Ritsuka saw something shine on the ground. The male Master walked towards it and knelt down to take a better look. It was a simple bullet brass casing. Ritsuka decided to wait to tell them of this find until they were safe from this area, and simply put it in his pockets to keep it safe for the time being.

"Hey guys, stay where you are for right now!" Cú shouted. "Looks like the person who took the corpse left a little surprise for us."

"Can it be disarmed?" Mashu asked.

"It should be simple enough." Cú answered back. With a wave of his hand, the Lancer dispelled the trap, but something fell to the ground in the center of the room. The trio saw what looked like a dead bat on the ground. A bat…Ritsuka's eyes widened in shock. This could only mean one thing, and they all knew it.

"Mashu, get your Noble Phantasm ready!" Cú shouted.

"I am on it!" Mashu replied. The Shielder activated Lord Chaldeas just as the dead bat exploded, but what they all didn't expect were multiple magic explosions to go off right afterwards, with the rubble and debris pummeling Mashu's Noble Phantasm. The lilac haired girl managed to hold out as the debris started to wane, allowing her to deactivate her Noble Phantasm as the last stone fell. As soon as the dust clouds dissipated, the group saw that the way they came from was now blocked off, as well as almost every other exit aside from the closest one. The beeping of the communicator made them all aware of Roman appearing on the holo with a concerned look.

"Is everyone okay?" Roman asked.

"Yeah, just a little shaken up." Ritsuka answered. "But we're going to need a new path out of here."

"Well it seems that we have the map of the sewer system all right here." Tatsuko said from behind Roman. The orange haired girl gingerly stepped in front of the acting director with him moving aside to give her room, allowing her to push the button, allowing the trio to see the map of the system. "Okay, so the closest exit leads out towards a place where you can get out and not be spotted."

"Can I see a picture of the exit?" Ritsuka asked. "I just want to be certain of where we're headed."

"I'll send it." Davinci replied. Not a second later, the image of the large rusted drain appeared on the holo, causing Ritsuka to widen his eyes in shock. He recognized that drain…..

Cú saw the look on his face and winced. "Looks like we're close by where you grew up."

Mashu stared at the map with concern. After everything she learned about that place from Ritsuka, she wasn't really looking forward to going to the district either. "Is there another way out of here that is close?"

Tatsuko looked at the group apologetically. "Sorry guys, I'd rather not have to force you guys to go there either, but you might not have a choice."

Ritsuka took a deep breath and sighed. "Looks like we can't do anything about this…..Okay, Cú and Mashu, we're going to have to suck it up, and go through my home district. However, you have to follow my lead and stay by me at all times."

"You know, maybe we should make a little detour there to see a certain someone." Cú said calmly.

Ritsuka stepped away and walked towards the tunnel. "Let's just get moving….."

"Was….was that really necessary?" Mashu asked.

"Mashu, you saw it for yourself." Cú countered. "He's itching to know, but he's scared to take the dive. He needs to get this over with and out of his system."

"But those he cared about will not recognize him…." Mashu muttered.

Cú shrugged. "Look, that doesn't matter right now. This is something that needs to be taken care of."

"I…..I guess you have a point." Mashu said.

"With that out of the way, you should stick closer to me when we get out of the sewers." Cú replied. "Ritsuka's not exaggerating when he says the men are predators."

Mashu stared at the Lancer nervously. Cú was usually very laid back and cheery, so for him to be this serious…it was as if he was a different person. The blue haired Servant walked away for a moment before returning a gaze at her. "We should get moving. We don't have that much time."

Mashu nodded and followed Cú towards the exit to catch up with Ritsuka. Despite everything the male Master had told everyone, she hoped that they would at least run into some good people there.

(Meanwhile in Chaldea)

As the trio of Ritsuka, Cú and Mashu were walking towards the exit out of the sewers, Romani and Tatsuko kept their eyes on the monitors to watch their progress. As that was going on, everyone else were discussing the missing body, and of the remaining mutilated corpses. However, one of the Chaldean workers felt a shiver up her spine as he watched the trio on the monitor and gulped.

"Should…should we just turn off the screens and just look at their vitals?" She asked.

"I don't know…." Roman said. "Maybe we should…"

"I think we should keep them on." Henry said. "I think it's time for everyone here to see exactly what Ritsuka privately told me about Shinkaichi and the hellish place it really is."

"Honestly it's more like Nassau." Blackbeard replied. "Actually scratch that, Nassau actually had some laws and rules…..unlike this place."

"Are you going to be ranting about how bad it is too?" Artoria asked.

"Nah, no use crying over how unfair the world is for the victims there." Blackbeard answered. "That's why you and I do what we do for the kid, right?"

"I still find the place he described as vile," Artoria replied. "But we both know that this isn't new to human nature."

"Aye, that it isn't." Blackbeard said.

"At this point, I have to agree with them." Tatsuko said. "This might be a wakeup call for us all."

Davinci looked at the workers with a stern gaze and took a deep breath. "Okay, if any of you do not want to see this place, leave now, or forever hold your peace. I do not want to hear any complaints of not being warned when this is over, am I clear?"

The room went silent after that order. While there were those like Henry, Eric and Blackbeard who already wanted to stay, others were not so convinced, and were scared about what they might witness. Even so, no one got up to leave. They remained seated, having made their decision in a few short seconds. If this would help them support Ritsuka emotionally, then they would not abandon him now.

(Meanwhile back in the Singularity)

After getting out of the sewers, the trio looked around to see if there was anyone around. Having already changed into more casual clothes to not stand out, they only had one thing to do, get through the red light district without drawing attention to themselves. They found a good place to walk up into the district, and a foul stench hit Mashu's and Cú's nostrils. The two of them winced and flinched from the stench, but Ritsuka showed no signs of being affected, and continued walking through the small alleyway. The two of them regained their composure and caught up with him to stay together. So far nothing too vile, but the air and area felt cold, dreary and foreboding. It was as if darkness was worming its way into them, wanting to eat away at them…..

Then they finally came upon the district itself, and while it seemed normal on the outside, Cú could smell how evil it was deep down. As they walked through the district, all they saw so far were people arguing, and being downright rude to each other. As they went deeper into the district, Mashu's heart dropped at the scenes before her. The first thing she saw was one man kicking an old homeless man in the stomach, laughing and calling him names as the older man writhed on the ground gasping for air. She turned her head right and saw a man pull a girl wearing what looked like a ruined schoolgirl outfit towards him, and forcefully kissed her despite her attempts to fight back. After a few more steps she could hear the sounds of screaming, and saw a man being beaten to a pulp by multiple men as a woman was forced on her knees to watch the brutal scene. The Shielder felt the need to stop them from, no it was a need to stop them. Cú gently put a hand on her shoulder and shook his head. "I feel the same way you do, and so does Ritsuka, but we can't do much now."

The next thing they heard was of the woman behind them screaming as she started to get beaten by the assailants who attacked the man as well. Mashu could only ball her hands into fists and shut her eyes in disgust with herself. She always heard from Ritsuka how hellish this place could be, but to see it with her own eyes, and how almost all the men here seemed happy and content with it…..it was impossible to believe.

How could anyone want to live like this?

The Shielder wanted to ask that question to Ritsuka, to see if he could give her a valid answer, but when she looked at him, she saw his fists were also clenched tightly, his knuckles turning white. He was holding himself back just as much as she was.

"Damn, I believed you already," Cú said. "But you really weren't exaggerating."

Ritsuka suddenly stopped in his tracks, his fists opened up causing the Lancer and Shielder to stop in confusion.

"What the fuck…..?" Ritsuka muttered. The two Servants raised an eyebrow in confusion before looking right in front of them. The moment they saw what caught his attention, their blood nearly froze in horror.

Right in front of them were empty stockades, bolted to the ground.

Ritsuka's eyes widened in terror as he saw the instruments. His knees nearly crumbled but he held firm as he shook in place. He remembered a time when he asked Tomiko why the year 1994 was a terrible time for Shinkaichi, and recalled the fear and horror in her eyes. It was only now did he realize that she and the other prostitutes omitted some things, and realized what this could be. "Bloody hell, when they said this year was bad, they never told me about this…."

"That is just wrong on so many levels…" Cú said.

"I…I think I am going to be sick…" Mashu muttered.

"Let's just get moving to get away from this area." Ritsuka said. The other two nodded and walked quickly away from the empty stockades. It didn't take them long and came upon a street vendor shouting out to anyone to try his food, but everyone ignored the man. He was fat, greasy and balding, and his eyes showed no real warmth or kindness, making it slightly obvious as to why everyone ignored him. The trio were about to ignore him as well, when they saw from the corner of the alley, a small kid wearing a dark hooded poncho sneaking towards the stall. He didn't seem malnourished, but his eyes showed desperation and fear. For the first time since coming here, Ritsuka actually smiled and turned to the others.

"Don't move, I'll be right back."

The two watched as the male Master slowly made his way towards the vendor, glancing at the kid and winking at him to not startle him. Ritsuka then cleared his throat and started talking to the vendor, smiling and reaching into his wallet to pay for some food. As the vendor gave Ritsuka some takoyaki, the male Master took a bite, and nodded in approval. The two Servants watched in confusion until they noticed something peculiar. The kid did not stop until he was behind the stall, and stole some of the takoyaki, some bread, and rice. Ritsuka continued to eat some takoyaki as the kid continued to steal, causing Cú to grin and realize what was going on.

Ritsuka was trying to distract the vendor so the kid could succeed.

The kid managed to grab a bit more before slinking off into the alleyway, something that Ritsuka noticed. The male Master finished eating and paid for the meal and bought four takoyaki before walking back to the others with a smile. "Okay, let's follow that kid."

"But why?" Mashu asked.

"Trust me, I think I know who that was." Ritsuka answered. The two Servants then walked behind Ritsuka as they went back through the alleyway the kid slinked off into. The male Master handed them both one takoyaki, and the three ate along the way.

"So, who do you think that kid is?" Cú asked.

"If my memory serves correctly, there was a kid named Yoshi who would steal numerous amounts of food from vendors." Ritsuka said. "He was pretty quick with it too. No one could catch him, but he'd always take only enough so that the vendors had enough for everyone else too."

"But why would he steal that much?" Mashu asked. "Stealing to feed himself, I can understand, but that was excessive."

Ritsuka chuckled warmly. "Why do you think all that food is for him?"

Mashu's eyes widened. "Are…are you saying what I think you are saying?"

Ritsuka said nothing as he ate another takoyaki. "We shouldn't be far now."

The two Servants heard tiny footsteps turning on their left, and saw another alleyway. Ritsuka was right, he was close. The three of them turned the corner, only for Cú and Mashu to be shocked, yet also smile as a warm tingly sensation ran through their bodies. They saw the kid walking gently towards two girls. One was a tiny girl with auburn hair and green eyes. She wore a shirt a couple of sizes too big, which only seemed bigger due to her thin frame. The other woman was much older, looking to be the same age as Ritsuka and Mashu, or perhaps a year younger. Compared to the two kids she wasn't as thin, but she still looked underfed. She had short purple hair and hazel eyes, both of which blended well with her outfit. She wore a white shirt that showed a bit of her midriff and slightly voluptuous body, with a black jacket and black shorts. She wore torn fishnet stockings and a pair of boots with heels. It was here that it became obvious as to what was happening.

He didn't steal the food for himself. He stole it to feed the girls.

"Here ya go little sis." The young boy said to the smaller girl. "I got some bread and takoyaki."

"Onee-chan?" The girl muttered. "Oh, you got food?"

The boy smiled and nodded. "Ya should start eating while the takoyaki's warm, Mimi. But don't eat too fast, or you're gonna get a tummy ache."

The girl named Mimi nodded and slowly took the food from his hands, and ate slowly. The boy turned to the purple haired girl, who sighed in disbelief. "Yoshi, I told ya to stop doing this. You're gonna get caught, and ya know what those guys will do to ya, and who will take care of Mimi then?"

Yoshi stared at her apologetically. "I'm sorry Ms. Nimura….but Mimi was gettin too thin, and I just….I just got scared…."

Mashu's eyes widened. "Nimura…..Senpai, is that-"

Ritsuka nodded. "Yeah….that's Tomiko alright. I guess this explains how she knew the stories about this kid."

Tomiko sighed as she took a lighter out and ignited a cigarette causing Ritsuka to widen his eyes in surprise. He never remembered Tomiko being a smoker before…

"Ms. Nimura, I thought I told ya that smokin' isn't good for ya…." Yoshi muttered.

"Just one smoke ain't gonna kill me, kid." Tomiko replied as she took a puff. The girl looked at the food in Yoshi's hands and raised an eyebrow. "That's only enough for one other person. So where's your share?"

"O-oh… I ain't hungry." Yoshi said. "Anyway, ya should take this and eat. Ya need your strength after all…."

Tomiko shook her head. "Yoshi, ya need to eat somethin' or you're not gonna get better."

"I said I ain't hungry." Yoshi said.

"And I'm sayin' you're a terrible liar." Tomiko said. "Do ya really want Mimi to be sad if ya starve to death?"

Yoshi widened his eyes and looked at the food in his hands. "But if I eat this, then that means ya won't be eatin' for another day….."

Ritsuka took this as his cue, beckoning the others to follow him. "Don't be gettin' too glum, kid."

As soon as he got close to the kid, Yoshi widened his eyes. "Wait… weren't ya the one who was talkin' to old man Yama?"

"Yeah, I thought I'd give ya a helpin' hand with him." Ritsuka said. "We both know he'd have beaten ya bloody if he saw ya."

"That's where ya got the food from?!" Tomiko asked in disbelief. "Yoshi, I thought Mai and I warned ya to never get near that pig!"

Ritsuka put a hand up in reassurance. "In his defense, that guy was the only one close by he COULD get food from. Not to mention that even though he's…well, a freakin' perv, his food is probably the best we got here."

Ritsuka smiled and handed Yoshi the last of the takoyaki. "Here, ya look like you could use some grub."

Tomiko got up and walked in between the boy and Ritsuka. "Okay, what's your angle here? Ya come out of the blue with these outsiders, and actin' all chummy when ya don't know shit about us."

"I know how it looks, but they're friends of mine." Ritsuka answered.

"Friends? Then you picked the wrong place to bring'em." Tomiko said. "Ya know what could happen to them, especially that girl over there."

"Trust me, comin' back here ain't what we had in mind." Ritsuka countered. "We basically had no real choice…."

Tomiko's eyes widened. "Fuck, you're a runner, ain't ya."

Ritsuka nodded. "I knew the risks of returnin' here, so please don't say anythin' to-"

"I ain't sayin' nothin'." Tomiko interjected. "If ya left, that means you're one of the smarter ones."

"So are you the older sister to these kids here?" Cú asked.

Tomiko widened her eyes in shock causing Ritsuka to chuckle. "Yeah, they can also speak our language."

Tomiko took a deep breath before shaking her head. "Nah, I ain't their sister. We just so happen to have been sharin' this little alley for the last couple of months 'cause it's one of the few places to protect ya from rain."

"You live out here?" Mashu asked. "Do you not live with your parents?"

"My parents?" Tomiko asked. The purple haired girl scoffed as she took another puff from her cigarette. "Those good for nothin' druggies kept shoutin' at each other and beat me 'til I got sick of it and left them to rot. Now I have to do what I can to survive out here."

"Is that why ya make yourself pretty for those strange men and women who come by, Miss Nimura?" Mimi asked.

Tomiko looked at the little girl with a hint of sadness before turning her attention to Yoshi. "Yoshi, how's about ya take your sister to play over by that small alley over there while I talk to these guys."

Yoshi gave a small nod and took his sister's hand gently to leave. Before he could get far, Tomiko stopped him and patted his shoulder. "Oh, and ya can have the takoyaki. But ya can't be stealin' from old man Yama anymore."

Yoshi nodded and gingerly took the takoyaki from Ritsuka's hand and thanked the black haired teen before walking away with his younger sister. The moment they were out of earshot, Tomiko returned her attention to the Chaldeans. "Okay, no more secrets. Why were ya bein' so nice by givin' him food?"

"I saw the look in his eyes." Ritsuka answered. "He was starvin' and scared, but I could tell he wasn't doin' it for himself. He hadn't eaten in days, and I just couldn't let him die of hunger…."

Tomiko raised an eyebrow. "Helpin' others outta the kindness of your own heart? That's a rare trait down in these parts."

"We just did what we thought was right, Ms. Nimura." Mashu said.

"How did…..oh ya must've been stalkin' Yoshi to give him that snack."

"Actually that little girl said your name." Cú said to salvage the situation. "Though since we helped him, we could probably use your help to call it even."

Tomiko looked at Ritsuka up and down for a few brief moments before shrugging. "Ain't sure ya got the money, but eh, what the hell? I'll do ya for free."

Ritsuka raised his hands with a frantic expression. "T-that ain't necessary!"

"Really?" Tomiko asked. "I've been told I suck good dick and eat good pussy. Or if ya want…..how's about I take ya and that girl over there together to have some fun. I know most guys would LOVE that."

Cú covered his mouth to prevent himself from laughing while Tomiko made a seductive glance at Ritsuka and Mashu. The Shielder blushed like a tomato, while Ritsuka mentally screamed as he registered what Tomiko was proposing. The black haired teen shook his head with a blank look on his face. "We're still gonna pass….sorry, but we need help in a different way."

"Sure thing, so whaddya want?" Tomiko asked.

"We're lookin' for someone." Ritsuka said. "A foreign woman with short brown hair, works as a doctor, loves talkin' about how she misses drinkin' tea? Hannah Williams is the name."

"Hannah Williams…." Tomiko muttered. "Nope, sorry, don't know nothin' about no doctor by that name."

Cú and Mashu stared at the prostitute in slight surprise for a moment before turning their attention to Ritsuka. The black haired Master simply widened his eyes a bit in disbelief, but recomposed himself. "Ya sure ya haven't met anyone like that?"

"Absolutely sure." Tomiko answered. "Besides, if she's a foreigner like ya said, then she'd have been run out by now. Ya know how the majority of the scumbags treat foreigners."

"Yeah….." Ritsuka muttered. "Well, thank ya for the info, sorry for botherin' ya too much…"

Tomiko shrugged. "Eh, it wasn't that much of a bother. Now if we're done here, I'm gonna grab those two and bring 'em back here before I get a client."

"We'll just take our leave then." Cú said. Tomiko nodded and dropped her cigarette on the ground, smashing it with her shoe before walking away to get the two kids. She stopped in her tracks and turned to face Ritsuka again with a sympathetic stare.

"For what it's worth, thanks for givin' Yoshi some food." She said. "He and his sister deserve better than this place."

Ritsuka nodded as Tomiko turned around and walked away again, leaving the Chaldeans alone in the alleyway. Cú put a hand on Ritsuka's shoulder, having noticed his conflicted aura. "Hey, maybe they haven't met yet in this timeline, why don't we go check the clinic for ourselves, just to be sure."

Ritsuka nodded. "Yeah…..yeah, that might work."

"Do you know how to get there from here?" Mashu asked.

Ritsuka nodded. "Yeah, I know how to get there."

"Then let's get going." Cú replied.

Ritsuka bade them to follow him out of the alleyway and back onto the main pathway. As they walked away and back onto the main path, Ritsuka felt uncertainty and fear take hold. He was sure Tomiko and Hannah knew each other by this point, but it would seem that in this timeline, they haven't met yet…or perhaps not at all…..

Ritsuka had to shake those thoughts from his mind. There was no way of knowing until he saw it with his own eyes. He couldn't be jumping to conclusions. He had to be sure. He had to know if she was here….

The trio continued their trek towards the clinic. Along the way they managed to avoid seeing any more atrocious acts, aside from some creepy catcalling for some of the prostitutes and the occasional fistfight. All that Cú could think of was that while this hellish district was disgusting, it was still for the best to have come for Ritsuka's sake. He recalled how Fou stayed by Ritsuka's side the entire night after returning from Kayneth's suite, clearly distressed and concerned over something, so when they had to leave for the sewers, Cú made it a point to make sure Fou stayed with Emiya and Waver to not draw attention. It was clear to him what the discussion was about, and he knew the best thing to do to help the boy was to see the answer for himself. And the answer became clear to them when they turned the bend.

Where the clinic was supposed to be stood a pachinko parlor.

Cú and Mashu turned to see Ritsuka's face, only to find it staring blankly at the building. The black haired teen soon walked towards one of the walls, and stood in front of it, looking at the ground to contemplate the reality of the situation.

"I am so sorry Senpai…." Mashu said. "This was supposed to be your home, and….."

"Thanks Mashu…" Ritsuka muttered.

"I'm sorry too, kid." Cú said. "I was hoping this wasn't the case either…"

"It's fine…." Ritsuka replied. "I guess deep down I suspected this was the case…."

Mashu reached out to try and touch Ritsuka's shoulder, but hesitated at the last second. As much as she wanted to comfort him in this moment, she didn't know if she would be able to, or if she should be the one to do so…

"What did you and Kayneth talk about last night?" Cú asked.

"I think you know the answer to that already…." Ritsuka said.

"It'll be better to get it off your chest." Cú replied.

Ritsuka took a deep breath and looked up to face Mashu and Cú. He knew the Lancer was right, so there was no point in bottling it up. "Do you know how many Magi were part of the Clocktower Rebellion?"

Both Servants shook their heads in denial. From how Kayneth briefly described it, it must have been close to fifty Mages total.

"Seven."

Cú and Mashu felt the world stop at that moment. Their minds were trying to comprehend what Ritsuka just told them. There was no way that was possible.

"You're…..you're kidding me." Cú said.

Ritsuka shook his head. "Aurelia Yggdmitz and six other Magi banded together, and decided to fight against the Clocktower. After a few months into their fight, Kayneth took over the command of the Clocktower forces, replacing Gordes Musik as the one in charge because they were getting impatient with their results…."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Cú asked.

"It means the rebels were gaining ground." Ritsuka said. "In the end, however, six of the rebels ended up dead, and one survived."

"There was a survivor?" Mashu asked. "Who was it?"

"I don't know." Ritsuka answered. "Kayneth said all the names aside from Aurelia's would remain classified."

"Then it's possible that the survivor could still be her." Cú replied. "For all we know in this timeline she could be the owner of that pachinko parlor."

"That would be even more unlikely." Ritsuka countered. "She'd have attracted too much attention if that were the case."

The black haired teen sighed as he stared at the ground again. Mashu saw him shake a bit, causing her heart to sink. She couldn't stand seeing him like this, and immediately wrapped her arms around him in a hug. "I know this must be difficult for you…..I….I do not know what to say…"

"I….I just don't know anymore." Ritsuka said. "I know that this is a different timeline altogether, and I'm glad that in ours, Doc's alive…..but…but what about the prostitutes in this timeline…..who's going to protect them now…..?"

"There's got to be someone else who'd be able to do that, right?" Cú asked.

Ritsuka shook his head slowly. "Before Doc came along, the prostitutes, male and female, were on their own. No one would help them, and even the other doctors didn't do much to give them any sort of help….."

The two Servants said nothing. Their growing disbelief rattled their minds. How could the other doctors fail so miserably at their own jobs? They were supposed to help others, yet they would turn these souls away when they needed it most…

"Then Doc came along, and she took it upon herself to treat them for free, and if any of them got overwhelmed by the abuse, or just needed a place to stay, she had a few places for them to just sleep and spend a night or two." Ritsuka continued.

"When exactly did she come here?" Cú asked.

"She would have lived here for a year by now…" Ritsuka answered. The male Master's communicator beeped briefly, only to show Roman's face on the screen.

"I'm sorry, but we decided to keep everything running to see what this place was like." Roman said. "And frankly, those other doctors you mentioned? They should be stripped of their positions, because they give the rest of us a bad name."

Ritsuka chuckled in disbelief. "Oh that's funny…. Doc wasn't exactly the perfect doctor either. She could have done more to help them."

"You're right, she could have." Roman replied. "But she did more for them than anyone else. Giving them shelter to give them rest from their daily lives? Being a shoulder for them to lean on? That's not exactly part of our job as doctors. Yes, she could have done more, and probably SHOULD have. But what she did do, was practically a godsend for those prostitutes, and it shows exactly the kind of person she really is."

Ritsuka stopped shaking and saw a look of calm on the acting director's face. That very look made Ritsuka felt calmer as well, as if everything might turn out alright. "Maybe you're right…"

"You bet your ass he is!" Tatsuko said. "Look, I have my own issues with her regarding keeping you in that hellhole, but at least you were safe under her watch."

"That is…..mostly accurate." Mashu replied.

Roman cleared his throat and grabbed everyone's attention. "In anycase, I made a decision given what has transpired…..Ritsuka, I'd like to help you in your studies in the medical field in Doctor Williams's place."

"But what about Tatsuko?" Ritsuka asked. "She still needs you and-"

"Don't worry bud, Johan's therapy sessions don't require Roman to be there with me." Tatsuko replied. "Thanks for the consideration, though."

"I, for one, am more than happy in splitting our training so Roman can help you in this field." Artoria replied. "So, what is your answer?"

Ritsuka looked at Roman, and saw the gentle smile on his face. The male Master smiled back, and nodded. "I accept."

Roman nodded back. "How about we discuss this further later after you guys get some rest."

"Yeah, I think we should get out of here." Cú said. "I'm getting tired of this place."

"You don't have to tell me twice." Ritsuka replied. "Follow me, I'll get us out of here without drawing attention."

The two Chaldean Servants nodded and followed the male Master away from Shinkaichi. Unbeknownst to them however, off in the distance, someone was watching them exit. It was a man heavily masked and wore a red hood. On his belt was a knife, and on his hip a pistol. He had been watching them ever since they came into the district. These must have been the ones who dealt with Caster earlier and set off his traps. But why are there multiple Servants? This wasn't something he was expecting on the job. The man then disappeared into the shadows, melting into the darkness.

They aren't part of his job here, but he would have to keep an eye on them if they continue their exploits. And if they proved to be a threat to the mission, he would kill them without hesitation.

OC: And so we finally showed the Shinkaichi district, and…..honestly this was both more toned down, yet also even darker and worse than what Vlad and I came up with.

Y: I suspect OC was inspired by the Edo era, the Meiji era and…well, a lot of red light districts in general Japanese history. Plus we did get to see the legit Yoshiwara red light district in Samurai Remnant, so that was some amusing timing. Especially considering Dayu's wish she wanted on the Waxing Moon

OC: If she ever met Ritsuka or Hannah, she'd be thanking them for their efforts, that's for sure. But in any case, for scene one, nothing much happened aside from them cleaning up from last chapter, but scene two is where things really kicked off. Shinkaichi was going to be explored further back before Vlad's death, but Yatsu and I decided to simply show this part instead, and yeah…. We definitely proved that Ritsuka had every reason to hate the place. And it also gave proof that it was actually much worse before he was born. Those stockades are….yeah I don't really want to say anything about that…..

Y: Still feels like a rather different depiction of Fuyuki compared to the original FSN, though I think it's something that could be explored in Hollow Ataraxia. Well, Shirou's boss in his part-time job was also apparently a drug dealer (or Nasu at least reused the name of his boss for the drug dealer that Mikiya was questioning in Kara no Kyoukai), so that was very amusing. Well, still fits.

OC: That will never not be funny lol. However, we also wanted to show that the district had some good people to give a ray of hope. That was in the form of Yoshi, who wanted to protect his little sister and only stole so she and his friends could eat. That kid definitely did bad in order to do good, and he never lost his sense of right and wrong. Props to him for being a good big bro. And we also showed Tomiko, the prostitute who would go on to become the unofficial spokesperson of that group for Hannah. And don't let her more stern and harsh actions fool ya, this is her when she was younger, so she kinda mellowed out a bit…..

Y: This was definitely a change in pace from the Zero event story, I noticed. Well, there were lulls, in a sense, but the surge of new characters and events is going to be explored further, I imagine.

OC: Not all at once, but this was a good starting place, and it allowed Mashu to have a bit of a realization that some people are truly unrepentantly vile, and she should be more cautious of who to trust. As for scene three, we got to finally reveal more of the Rebellion, and hinted at how different things are between timelines. Seven people. That's all it took folks. Seven people who decided to be brave and stand up to the Clock tower, wanting to stand up for what's right. They weren't going to let them be bullies anymore, and while it failed, it showed that not everyone is willing to be the Clock Tower's puppets.

Y: It's certainly preferable to 'X character wipes out Clock Tower with their OP Servant/special ability/etc.' mindsets that a lot of lower-quality fanfics try to bring out. The Clock Tower is supposed to represent an antagonistic force, of a sort, that is also representative of humanity needing to solve their own problems.

OC: True, but in the end it'll be nice to have some sort of karma to bite the Clock Tower in the butt instead of them just carrying on like usual. And no this ain't foreshadowing guys, just an opinion lol. In any case, the fact that Hannah wasn't here really was a blow to Ritsuka. Yes, this is a different timeline, but that's still the woman who took care of him growing up, and gave him a chance to live. It's only natural for him to be upset, even if it wouldn't be the same one he knew.

Y: Well, that's always a pain of traversing alternate timelines; similar visages but everything is different. And karma is a fickle thing, I personally see Clock Tower as something that should change by human hands; a Servant showing up and forcing it to change sounds like the sort of thing that would stagnate humanity since, well, why should they do anything to change themselves if Servants will do everything for them? That sort of mindset can easily spiral out, at least in my opinion. It needs to be done by human hands, hence stuff like the soft hand of the Counter Force pushing people to be in the right place at the right time, like Mikiya meeting Shiki, or Romani keeping his 10th Ring.

OC: An interesting observation, and something I can somewhat agree with. And speaking of Roman, it was really something that he decided to take Ritsuka under his wing and continue his studies as a medic. Back when Vlad and I were still throwing around ideas, this was one of those things that he jumped at immediately, as he always saw Roman as a sort of mentor and father figure for Ritsuka, just like he was for Mashu as well. So for those wondering why Roman is focusing so much on Ritsuka here, and how their relationship unfolds, you have Vlad to thank.

Y: It'd be nice to have more Romani bonding moments. Going through FGO's story again, you can see that the 'story really starts at X' thing hurts a lot of potential for character interactions and growth. Romani doesn't get much until the Solomon chapter…right before his death. It was a pain, and while later interludes (like Cas Gil and David's) try to take the sting off…it's kinda too little too late. Plus there's stuff like Boudicca's interlude which…yeah, that needs a hell of a rewrite.

OC: SHHHH! We don't talk about that here! She doesn't have an interlude!

Y: Right right, no Boudicca interlude. Just goblins doing goblin things.

OC: …In any case it's about time we wrap up here. Thank you all for reading this chapter of Chronicles, and please stay tuned in again for the next installment! Owen Chaser and Yatsu, signing off.