City Ablaze

"Fou, Fou!"

Ritsuka groaned as he felt something lick his cheek. "Wha…."

"Senpai, please wake up."

Ritsuka didn't move as his eyes opened slowly. He could barely see anything as his vision was clouded. The boy feebly moved his arms to try and get up, but couldn't find the strength in his groggy state.

"Oh screw this, let me do it. WAKE UP YOU IDIOT!"

A sharp slap quickly roused the boy, and his vision cleared as he rubbed his cheek to soothe the pain as he glared at the instigator. "Was that really necessary?"

Tatsuko nodded. "What, you think that I was going to sing to you to make you get the hell up?"

Ritsuka got up to his feet. "Well you could have shook me!"

Tatsuko raised a finger to protest, only for her to widen her eyes in realization. He was right, she could have just shook him, so why did she slap him? She shook her head and looked at the black haired boy. "What's done is done. In any case, you were out cold for a few minutes, so we got worried."

Ritsuka looked at her in confusion. "We?"

"That's right Senpai, I'm glad you're awake now!"

A small smile formed on Ritsuka's face as he heard Mashu's voice. He turned to face her, only for him to blush crimson red when he saw her. The lilac haired girl wore what looked like a black leotard that didn't hide the swell of her breasts and showed her midriff, and black gloves with purple accents that reached up to her elbows. She wore stockings of a similar pattern, and a metal skirt that went around her hips and small, armored heels. The most striking thing about her new look was the large shield she carried. It was round and black, with what looked like a giant cross on top of it.

"I-I-I…." Was all Ritsuka could say as he stared at her.

"Senpai, what's wrong?" Mashu asked curiously.

"Nothing!" He answered. "Nothing at all!"

"Are you sure? You look like you have a fever."

"It's nothing, I swear," Ritsuka answered. The black haired boy felt scorching heat emanating from the ground and stared at Tatsuko. "By the way, where are we?"

Tatsuko shrugged. "Not sure, but I don't like the looks of it. Turn around, and you'll see what I mean."

Ritsuka turned around, and his eyes widened in absolute horror. A city was ablaze, with flames stretching as far as the eye could see. He looked at the bridge now ruined and covered in flames. He stared at the river and saw the flames reach its edge, and beat back the flames. His breathing became more frantic as Tatsuko and Mashu walked towards him with fearful looks. What they saw in front of them couldn't be a city. To them, it was hell on earth, plain and simple.

The young trio heard a beeping sound close to them. Ritsuka regained his composure long enough to look down and see that the watch he was given the moment he stepped into Chaldea glowing. Out of curiosity, he pressed the watch, causing the others to gasp as they saw Roman staring at them through a hologram.

"Oh thank goodness, I finally got through!" Roman shouted. "If anyone is listening, this is Chaldea's Command Room! Does anyone read me?"

Mashu stepped up quickly and nodded. "Doctor Roman, this is Mashu Kyrielight! I successfully made it into the singularity with Masters Fujimaru and Tachibana, so please go ahead and register them."

Roman looked at Ritsuka and Tatsuko and sighed a breath of relief. "I'm glad you two made it. Give me a moment to register you both as masters."

The two of them nodded as the doctor wrote something on his notepad. A moment later, he looked at Mashu, and his eyes widened. "Mashu, while I'm glad you're okay, can you please explain to me what the hell you are wearing?!"

Mashu looked at the doctor with confusion. "You might want to look at it, young lady! I didn't raise you to dress in something like that!"

Mashu looked at her outfit, and saw that Ritsuka was avoiding looking at her, making her blush in embarrassment. "I swear, I transformed into this! I never intended for it to be so….."

"Transformed?" Tatsuko asked. "What do you mean transformed?"

Mashu looked at the orange haired girl and took a deep breath. "Doctor Roman, I need you to check my vitals for me."

Roman stepped aside a few seconds from the hologram before returning "Everything looks fine for the moment, heartbeat is stable and there seems to be nothing wrong."

"Hello? We still need an explanation, why is Mash dressed like that?" Tatsuko asked harshly.

"Master Tachibana, that will be answered soon," Mashu answered. "Doctor, I need you to take a closer look."

Roman nodded and stared at the lilac haired girl's vitals once more. Not a moment later, his eyes widened. "What the hell?! Everything's improved! Physical strength, Magical circuits….. It's like you're a-"

"That's right Doctor, I'm a servant," Mashu answered. "I don't really know what happened, but the servant must have lost his master in the explosion, and offered me a contract. He would give me his noble phantasm, and I would use it to investigate Singularity F."

Roman's arms fell to his side. "A human fusing with a heroic spirit….then that makes you a demi-servant. I can't believe it actually succeeded…"

"What succeeded?" Ritsuka asked.

Roman's eyes widened and he shook his head. "Nothing, just rambling." Roman took a moment to recompose himself, and cleared his throat. "In any case, I think it's time that I explain what a servant is to the two of you, so-"

"That won't be necessary, Doctor Roman," Ritsuka answered as he showed the command seals on his hand alongside Tatsuko. "I'm a mage, so I know what a heroic spirit is."

"Wait, you're a mage too?" Tatsuko asked.

Ritsuka nodded and gave a weak chuckle. "Yeah, but I'm pretty bad at magecraft. I never had much talent for it…."

Tatsuko laughed. "Well that makes two of us Twig Boy. My magic circuits are complete shit, so doing any spells is a no-go for me."

Ritsuka nodded and returned his gaze back to Roman. "Okay, so we're in this…..singularity as you call it. Can you tell us exactly where we are?"

Roman nodded. "You three are in the city of Fuyuki. The year is 2004."

Tatsuko looked at him in slight surprise. "Wait, did you say 2004? Are you implying that we traveled to the past?"

Roman nodded. "That's right, I'll explain how they work when you guys get back. But, this singularity appeared a while ago, and we've been preparing to rayshift here ever since."

"Thank you Doctor Roman," Mashu said with a smile. She turned to Ritsuka with a hopeful glint. "Master Fujimaru, I suggest we move and-"

The lilac haired girl's smile faded as she saw the look on Ritsuka's face. The black haired boy's expression was one of disbelief and slight fear. He slowly looked at Roman, his eyes darting back and forth. "Doctor, can you say where we are again?"

Roman nodded. "I said that the three of you are in the city of Fuyuki."

Ritsuka lowered his arm, and looked at the city with a shocked expression. He looked around and saw nothing but charred corpses, like a twisted nightmare, only this time he was awake.

"No, no no no…" He said quietly. "This can't be happening….."

Tatsuko looked at him in concern. "You okay there?"

Ritsuka looked back at the orange haired girl and shook his head. "No, how could I be alright?"

"Master Fujimaru, what's wrong?" Mashu asked.

Ritsuka looked away from Mashu and stared at the burning city with a blank expression.

"My home is burning right in front of me…."

The two girls felt a chill up their spines at the statement. Tatsuko took a step forward with a frightful expression. "Wait…you don't mean…."

Ritsuka nodded. "I was born, and grew up in Fuyuki. And now I'm watching it burn….."

Tatsuko and Mashu looked at each other in shock and horror. Ritsuka's legs started to buckle, but the two girls quickly rushed to his side and held him up. Mashu stared at Ritsuka with a sympathetic expression. "I'm so sorry Senpai. I promise you that we will fix this."

"Mashu's right," Tatsuko chimed. "We'll get to the bottom of this. And hopefully, we'll save your home while we're at it!"

Ritsuka looked at them and regained his composure. The male master took a deep breath and looked at Roman's hologram. "Doctor Roman, I'll help guide everyone through the city. I'd hate to ask this of you, but could you check our lifelines and vitals?"

Roman nodded. "I'll do more than that. If I see any enemy signatures, I'll let you know."

Ritsuka nodded. He turned to the two girls and took a deep breath. "I don't really want to put you in danger, but can you walk in front of me Mashu?"

Mashu smiled and gave him a quick nod. "Leave it to me Master Fujimaru, as your servant, I'll do my best to protect the both of you."

Ritsuka nodded and looked at Tatsuko with a stern expression. "I hope that me taking charge here doesn't bother you Ms. Tachibana."

Tatsuko shook her head. "No need to worry about me, twig boy. I'm a team player, my only concern is if you are as well."

"Looks like we have more in common than I thought," Ritsuka's expression softened and nodded towards the female master. "However, I need you to stick close to me, just in case."

"Fine, fine, have it your way." Tatsuko answered back. "Just don't do anything stupid, and I'll listen."

The male master nodded and he returned his gaze back towards the city. The two teens made their way to Mashu as she turned off her communicator and petted Fou's head, the little critter had apparently snuck it's way into Mashu's shield, and was the one to lick his cheek earlier. "Doctor Roman said there's somewhere that we can set up a base camp, I have the coordinates with me right here."

Ritsuka smiled and nodded. "Okay, then let's go."

The young trio took small steps forward, and walked towards the burning city.

Ritsuka and Tatsuko covered their mouths as the smoke became thicker and thicker. They entered Fuyuki a few minutes ago, and the heat was almost unbearable, and the smoke almost clouded their vision. Mashu looked around for any potential enemies, but there was no sign of life, nor any corpses in the city. Ritsuka looked around with a frightful look. "Something's wrong…."

"What do you mean?" Tatsuko asked.

Ritsuka turned to her with a look of suspicion. "Do you hear anything?"

Tatsuko looked at him with a confused look. "I don't hear anything."

"Exactly," Ritsuka answered. "There should be people screaming or sirens from fire trucks. But it's completely silent here."

Mashu and Tatsuko looked at him with slight concern. The eerie silence made them all feel vulnerable, and it unnerved them. The three of them then looked around, and a realization came to them. Where was everyone? There should be some people at least running out of the city, but there was no one. Not even an animal could be seen. Ritsuka's eyes darted back and forth looking for any sign of life when Tatsuko's communicator rang to life. The orange haired master touched the button and saw Roman's frantic expression looking at all three of them.

"Guys, I see enemy signatures all around you!" He shouted. "What's going on?"

"Nothing's going on," Tatsuko answered. "And we're the only ones here Roman."

"But how's that possible? I swore I saw red dots everywhere on the map."

"Doctor, there's no one here," Ritsuka answered. "Maybe the sensor is damaged?"

Mashu looked around the city frantically with her shield raised. There was something here, but she couldn't see it. But what could it be? She closed her eyes and focused. Faint noises echoed around her, causing her to gasp and look at the two masters. "Master Fujimaru, Master Tachibana, get behind me!"

The two masters looked at her in surprise, only for them to look around frantically as the ground suddenly shook. Mashu leapt in front of them and planted her shield in the ground, ready to protect the two masters. Not a moment later, Roman's assessment proved true as hands shot up from the ground. The trio stared in horror as skeletons, charred black from the flames, rose up. Their creaking bones grabbed anything that could be used as weapons, and charged at them. Ritsuka and Tatsuko instinctively activated their magic circuits and fired basic spells at the skeletons. They weren't powerful, but they could at least stop the skeletons from advancing. Mashu, on the other hand, rushed towards the enemy and swung her shield, destroying one skeleton, while kicking another one that was running towards the two masters. The lilac haired girl blocked two more strikes aimed at her, and shattered the offending skeletons. The girl gasped as five skeletons ignored her and ran towards the two masters, who were starting to get overwhelmed.

Mashu held her shield with both hands, reared it back, and threw it at the charred skeletons. Ritsuka and Tatsuko watched in awe as Mashu's shield shattered all the skeletons in one swift motion. Mashu leapt into the air, kicking two more skeletons away from Ritsuka and Tatsuko. She grabbed her shield and blocked three incoming strikes, allowing the two masters to counter attack by firing Gandr at the three skeletons. The stunned enemies had no time to react as Mashu smashed them to pieces. The three of them panted heavily as they caught their breath. Ritsuka looked at Mashu with a pleasant grin.

"That was amazing Mashu," Ritsuka said in between breaths. "You're really strong."

Mashu looked at him with a furious blush. "I-I-I-I'm not really that strong. During training exercises, I had to stay behind because I couldn't even do a pull-up….."

"Really? You could have fooled me!" Tatsuko said enthusiastically. "You threw that shield like it was nothing!"

"Please masters, it's embarrassing…" Mashu muttered.

"Don't be, you're amazing Mashu! I wish I could do half the stuff that you just did!" The compliments of the orange haired girl caused Mash to blush slightly and try to hide her face with her hands.

The three of them stood there for only a few moments longer, when they heard a woman's scream towards their left.

"Someone's still alive here!" Tatsuko shouted.

"Mashu, can you take point? We're going to save her!" Ritsuka said loudly. The lilac haired girl nodded as they ran towards the source of the scream.

Several minutes passed as they continued to run towards the source of the noise, the cries for help growing louder and louder as they quickened their pace. They took a right through an alleyway, then a left as the scream became louder. They turned the corner and gasped as they found the screaming woman surrounded by skeletons. She had white hair and gold eyes. Her button down shirt matched her eyes, with a black overcoat with gold accents at the end of the sleeves over top of it, and a white dress underneath it. Her red leggings were torn, but her black heels were miraculously intact.

"Help!" She screamed again.

"It's Director Olga!" Ritsuka shouted. The black haired master turned towards his companions and nodded. "Mashu, can you stop those skeletons?"

Mashu nodded. "Leave it to me Master Fujimaru!"

The lilac haired girl leapt into the air towards the skeletons. Tatsuko grabbed Ritsuka by the shoulders and shook him angrily. "Are you crazy?! How are we to defend ourselves?!"

"What do you want us to do, leave her to die?!" Ritsuka asked in disbelief.

"No, we could have drawn their attention and led them to us, and take them out that way you idiot!"

"Listen Ms. Tachibana, I thought of the first thing that I thought would work, and I made my decision. So instead of arguing, how about we help Mashu repel the skeletons!"

Tatsuko opened her mouth in protest, but no words came out. The orange haired master sighed and let go of Ritsuka's shoulders. "You're right, let's help Mashu."

Ritsuka nodded as the two of them rushed towards the lilac haired girl and the white haired director. Mashu blocked all incoming strikes, allowing the two masters to fire Gandr at the skeletons, paralyzing them and allowing Mashu to smash the skeletons to pieces. The trio scanned the area and saw that no more enemies were around and took a deep breath. "No more enemy signatures, I think we're safe for now." Mashu said quietly.

"Okay, what's going on?!" Olga asked.

"Director Olga? I know my situation might seem strange, but allow me to-"

"I don't need an explanation! It's obvious that you're a Demi-Servant," Olga countered. "What I'm wondering is WHY it's possible all of a sudden. And YOU two! How did you become masters?"

Ritsuka and Tatsuko looked at each other in confusion and back towards the director. Olga rolled her eyes and glared at them. "I mean only first class Mages can make contracts with servants. There's no way that you both could be masters!"

"Is that how you thank people who just saved your life?" Tatsuko countered.

"Excuse me? I am the one asking questions here!"

Ritsuka instinctively got in between the two girls with a calm expression. "I don't mean to be rude, but I don't think right now is the best time to be arguing amongst ourselves. Not when we have to find a way out of here."

"And who are you to order me around boy?" Olga said angrily. She took one look at Ritsuka and growled. "Oh, it's you….."

Ritsuka scratched the back of his head sheepishly as the two girls stared daggers at him. Not a moment later, the four Chaldeans jumped a bit in surprise as Ritsuka's communicator started buzzing. The male master pressed the button and saw Roman's relieved face staring at them once again.

"Oh thank goodness!" Roman exclaimed. "Communications are working again, and-DIRECTOR OLGA?! You're alive?!"

Olga Marie looked at him with an offended glance. "What's that supposed to mean? Where's Lev, and why is the chief medic taking command?!"

Roman looked at her sadly. "I'm sorry, Director, but we have much to discuss. And none of it is good."

Olga Marie stared at the city with a blank, sullen expression. Forty six candidates died in the explosion, and Lev was most likely a casualty. The only two masters available are third rate mages, and what's more, Roman had to take command. Thankfully, the doctor is making sure to send all repairs to maintain Sheba and Chaldeas, but that didn't change the fact that they were stuck here. The director sighed in grief, there was nothing that could be done now except to try and figure out what to do now. She turned towards the young trio with a stern expression.

"I don't like this one bit, but we have no choice," Olga muttered. "Romani Archaman, you're in command until we return. Just make sure that the Rayshift repairs are your top priority."

Roman nodded, causing Olga to smirk as she pointed at the two masters and the Demi-Servant. "As for you three, we're going to explore this city."

"Are you sure Director?" Roman asked.

"I might not have much experience with this sort of thing, so we're just going to discover the cause of the singularity, nothing more."

The trio nodded slowly causing Olga's smirk to widen. "Excellent. Roman, cut communications for now, we'll call you when we're ready."

The coms were shut down and the group were left alone in Fuyuki.

"So… What should we do now?" Tatsuko asked curiously. "We saved the Director, which was good, but I'm not sure what to do next."

Olga stepped in front of Tatsuko after she finished speaking, crossing her arms and looking at the female master.

"We're in a Singularity, so it's easy. We find the core of it, and we shut it down to stop it for good."

"Do you know where we should start?" Mashu asked.

"Well, we obviously need to investigate this city first, and find any abnormalities," Olga answered. She stared at Ritsuka with a professional look. "I understand that you lived here, so you shall serve as our guide, and as a master, nothing more, nothing less."

Ritsuka nodded. "Understood Director."

Olga grinned as she stood up, only for a sharp stab of pain caused her to fall back onto the ground. The young trio looked at her in concern and rushed to her aid. Olga tried to get up once more, only to fall back down with a hiss of pain. Ritsuka looked at her curiously before kneeling down. Olga glared at him with suspicion, only for Ritsuka to put his hands up in reassurance. "I just need to check something."

Ritsuka put a hand on her feet and traced his fingers along them. Tatsuko raised an eyebrow while Mashu looked at the male master with idle curiosity. Ritsuka's patience was rewarded as he heard Olga hiss in discomfort as he touched her ankle. He pulled his hands back and sighed.

"You have a sprained ankle, Director," He said calmly. "You won't be able to walk alongside us until we wrap it up."

"Well this is just great…." Olga snarled. "We don't have any bandages, so how in the hell are we supposed to fix this?!"

Ritsuka looked around the area with a calm expression. The alley was definitely one he knew all too well. He took a deep breath and sighed, he didn't think he would have to return back there at all, but they had no choice. "I know a place where we can attend to your ankle. There's a clinic not far from here."

The three girls looked at him with slight curiosity. The way he spoke made it sound like he didn't want to go, but they had no choice. The male master turned to look at them with a conflicted look. "I'm sorry Director, but I'm going to have to lead us to our destination."

The Director groaned. "Fine, fine! Just do your damned job."

Ritsuka nodded. He turned to Tatsuko with a shy smile. "I hate to ask this of you, but could you carry the Director?"

Tatsuko looked at him in disbelief. "You can't be serious…" She muttered. "Why can't you do it?"

"I need to be in front, and if I carry the Director, she'll be in more danger. You're the safest bet Ms Tachibana."

Tatsuko looked at him and groaned. "Okay, I'll do it. But Mashu has to be in front of you! You're our guide and we can't let you die."

Ritsuka chuckled and nodded. "Does that sound good to you Mashu?"

The shielder looked at him with surprise. "Me? I'm just a Demi-Servant, I don't think my opinion matters in this."

"I disagree," Ritsuka countered. "You're part of the team, so your opinion DOES matter."

Mashu stared at him in shock. No one ever said that what she thought mattered, so to hear it from someone she met mere hours ago took her aback. She shook her head and smiled at the two masters. "Leave it to me! I, Mashu Kyrielight, will make sure to protect everyone here!"

Ritsuka and Tatsuko nodded at her. The female master gently picked up Olga as Ritsuka got behind Mashu. "Okay, take a left here."

The four Chaldeans walked cautiously forward, keeping an eye out for enemies, all the while Ritsuka told them exactly where they needed to move. The male master paid attention for any familiar marks on the buildings to see how close they were. Thankfully, an arrow shaped mark appeared on his right.

"Okay, we take a right here, and we'll enter the red light district. That's our destination." He said with slight hesitation.

Tatsuko and Olga looked at each other with slight shock and disgust, but didn't push the matter further. Maybe it was a shortcut? Either way, they'd ask him later as to why he'd lead three women into such a place. Ritsuka put a hand on Mashu's shoulder and stopped in his tracks. The four Chaldeans stared that the building in front of them and took note of it's ruined state. The bricks were charred and chipped, some windows shattered and cracked, and a small, rusted fence stood between them. Ritsuka gently passed Mashu and walked towards the large door in front of them. He opened the door and gave them a stern look.

"In here, quick!"

The three girls entered the ruined building and ritsuka shut the door behind them quietly so no one could hear them. The boy turned around and saw the faces of his companions and nodded. He gave an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Director Olga, but allow me to continue to take the lead here."

"And why would I do that?" The director asked irritably.

"There's an operating table in the center of the clinic's interior that we can use. Your ankle is sprained, and we need to wrap it up as soon as possible." Ritsuka answered.

"That didn't answer anything at all!" Tatsuko shouted.

"I'll explain later, but please trust me on this."

Mashu looked at Tatsuko and then at Olga. She could see the distrust in their eyes, but for some reason the shielder couldn't help but feel that Ritsuka was being honest. She saw the calm, yet troubled look in his eyes and knew immediately that he wasn't going to try anything.

"I'm sorry if I sound too brazen, Master Tachibana, Director Olga", she said politely. "But I trust Master Fujimaru's words. We should listen to him."

The other two girls looked at her with curious expressions. Tatsuko looked back to Ritsuka and saw his pleading eyes. She looked back at the shielder and nodded. Olga sighed. "Okay, I get it! Just don't mess this up!"

Ritsuka nodded. "I promise you, I won't."

The boy walked in front of them and took the lead. As they followed, Mashu and Tatsuko noted how Ritsuka's posture changed from slightly timid to sharp and confident as they neared the center of the complex. He gently opened another door and bade the girls to enter. Tatsuko and Olga raised an eyebrow as they looked at the main room of the building. It's walls were cracked and filthy with ash, the floors were grimy. The most striking features of the interior, however, was the filthy curtain that shimmered brightly, as if cutting off half the room, and the staircase. The railing was rusted and cracked and the staircase itself had tiny holes. As he closed the door behind them all, Ritsuka looked around and took a deep breath.

"Hey Doc, You alive?!"

Olga and Tatsuko stared at him in disbelief. Their guide was yelling for someone when they should be keeping quiet so as to not draw attention!

"What the hell?" Tatsuko asked in disbelief. "Are you trying to get us caught you idiot?!"

Ritsuka ignored her comment and looked around for the person he called Doc. The boy looked behind the curtain, then up the stairway. He clicked his tongue in frustration. "Damn, looks like she's… no, no I can't think that right now."

Mashu looked at the boy's expression and saw the sad look in his eyes. Ritsuka walked towards the three girls and gestured to them to follow. He pulled back the curtain and walked towards the main chair. Ritsuka looked back towards tatsuko and nodded. "In a few moments, would you kindly put Olga on the table right there?"

"Why not now?" Tatsuko asked.

"I want to wipe the table down first and disinfect it."

The girls looked at each other and nodded. Ritsuka seemed to know what he was doing, so maybe they should listen to him. The boy came back with some disinfectant wipes and washed the table clean, causing Olga and Tatsuko to stare in awe. The table itself was very clean and intricate. The male Chaldean looked at Tatsuko and nodded. The orange haired girl gently put the Director on the table as Ritsuka walked towards the desk and found some bandages. He looked at Olga with a reassuring smile. "Okay, I'm going to need you to extend your foot so I can wrap it up."

"I appreciate the offer, but why can't they do it?"

Ritsuka put a hand up in reassurance. "I know you don't trust me, but I must ask that you have a little faith. I know what I'm doing."

The director scowled at him for a few moments. Who did this boy think he is? He's supposed to be her subordinate following her orders, not the other way around. She looked into his eyes and saw no malice, nor any ulterior motives. Why does he not snap at her? Why is he being so nice? Olga sighed, she had no choice in the matter after all.

"Fine, but don't do anything weird!" She said as she extended her sprained limb.

Ritsuka flashed a reassuring smile. "You have my word, director."

The black haired boy started to wrap the bandages around the director's foot as Tatsuko and Mashu looked around the complex. The shielder couldn't help but feel uneasy about the eerie silence, while Tatsuko looked at the ruined clinic with irritation.

"Man, this place is a dump!" She said harshly.

"I don't know Master Tachibana," Mashu countered as Fou returned to his perch on her shoulder. "It has a homely presence to me. It's as if whoever built it did it with love and care."

"Well whoever built it definitely let it go to shit."

Ritsuka overheard their conversation, but ignored them. He kept focused on wrapping Olga's ankle. The director stared at him and saw the intense focus in his movements. Whoever he is, he definitely knew what he was doing. He looked up to her with a calm expression. "I'm almost done, but the next wraparound is going to be uncomfortable. I need to make it tight."

"Whatever, the sooner it's done the faster we can leave this dingy clinic."

Not a second later a sharp feeling of pain shot up through Olga's body as ritsuka tightened the wrap. She glared at the boy for a moment before softening her gaze as she stared into his eyes. She saw that he wasn't angry at her statement, he did that because he had to tighten it and nothing more. Ritsuka slowly got up, and gave the director his outstretched hand. "Can you stand up?"

She took his hand and struggled to stand for a moment. Her eyes widened as she walked around slowly yet clumsily. She turned towards the black haired boy and nodded gently.

"Thanks for your hard work. I'll be sure to properly compensate you for this."

Ritsuka shot up his hands with a frantic expression. "Oh you don't have to do that! I just wanted to help!"

"I made up my mind boy. I hate being in someone's debt so I'm not going to let this go without repaying it!"

Ritsuka looked at her stern expression, and sighed. He wasn't going to have a say in the matter, and he knew it.

"If you insist, Director…." He said reluctantly. Ritsuka shook his head and regained his focus. He turned to Tatsuko and Mashu and walked towards the shielder. Fou ran up to him and licked his cheek causing the boy to chuckle.

"Thanks for placing your trust in me earlier Mashu." He said with a smile as he pet Fou.

"Oh, you don't need to thank me master!" She exclaimed. "I don't think I did anything special…"

"No, you got them to agree to follow me," He countered. "If it wasn't for that, the Director wouldn't be able to walk right now."

Mashu looked at him in surprise. He was praising her? But she didn't think she was any help, so why would he-

"Also Mashu, I have a favor to ask."

The shielder stared at him curiously. "How can I help?"

Ritsuka looked at her shyly and took a deep breath. "I don't want to sound rude, but please don't call me Master….."

Mashu tilted her head. "But why? I'm your servant, it's only proper that I call you by your official title."

Ritsuka shook his head. "I don't feel comfortable with that title. We're both human beings, so I'd rather you call me by something else. I don't want to be your boss, I want to be a partner."

Mashu stared at him calmly. He called her human! The shielder smiled and nodded with enthusiasm. "Okay Senpai! I look forward to our partnership!"

Ritsuka looked at her with a small blush. He could see how the shielder's outfit hugged her form again, and it made him self conscious. He tried to look away when he heard Tatsuko clearing her throat. "Sorry to interrupt, but I couldn't help but overhear your little conversation…...again."

The black haired boy stared at her and noted her warm, yet gentle smile. She nodded to him and turned her gaze towards Mashu. "I'd actually like for you to not call me Master either. It's too stiff and formal for my liking."

Mashu nodded. "Okay then Ms. Tachibana!"

"Please, call me Tatsuko. And that goes for you too twig boy!"

Ritsuka chuckled. "Please, call me Ritsuka…"

Tatsuko nodded. "I'll consider it," A small smile formed on her lips. "I guess you aren't one for formalities either, eh?"

Ristuka chuckled. "I guess so."

Tatsuko grinned maliciously. "I think I'm starting to like you, Ritsuka."

The male master smiled and nodded towards his companion. "Likewise, Tatsuko."

The sound cleared her throat caused the three teens to look at Olga's stern gaze. "If you three are done chatting, let's get out of here!"

Ritsuka shook his head as Fou jumped back towards Mashu's shoulder. "If I may, Director Olga, I suggest we go upstairs for a moment."

Olga looked at Ritsuka with a raised eyebrow. "Why?"

"There's a room up there where we can see a lot more of the city, we can use that to find the best path and figure out the best path to find the core."

Tatsuko and Mashu looked at Ritsuka with intrigue. The idea was solid, if they could figure out a way to avoid any potential danger, then maybe they would have a chance to get out of the city alive. Olga stared at him and sighed. "Okay, you made your point. Take us to this room."

Ritsuka nodded and walked towards the staircase. The three girls followed him as he walked up the stairs. After carefully walking three flights of stairs, ritsuka stopped and walked towards his left and opened the door. He bade them to enter and the three girls stared in shock. The room was pretty small, but inside were children's drawings, a small bed, a simple yet ornate lamp and a ceiling fan. Ritsuka stopped in his tracks as he saw the large hole in the room that showed the entire city. He pointed towards it and sighed. "Well, this was where the window was, but I guess this would work better."

Tatsuko looked around the room with great curiosity. "Did someone actually live in this trash heap of a clinic?"

Ritsuka nodded reluctantly. Olga, Tatsuko and Mashu looked at him with various emotions. Olga stared at him with irritation, tatsuko curiosity, but Mashu stared at him in concern. The shielder then realized why he looked so hurt.

"I did…..This clinic was where I grew up. And this was my room."

The air ran cold as tatsuko stared at him in shock. The shielder put a hand over her mouth as Olga stood there silently, her eyes like saucers.

Ritsuka didn't take them somewhere random, they knew that already. But now they realize that he just took them into what could be described as his previous home, and Olga and Tatsuko just insulted it.