Are you prepared to do this? Can you shoulder the burden of Chaldea and humanity's future?

He answered yes without giving it a second thought. It was something he could do, so he had to do it. However afterwards… he needed to think— to process everything that just happened. He wandered the near desolate halls of Chaldea, trying to sort through his thoughts as the weight of the situation began settling in. Without realizing it, he soon found himself leaning on the wall to support himself.

"What… the hell did I get myself into…" He was shaking, he could feel it. Everything was now crashing down on him; all these expectations were now on him and the consequences of failing terrified him to his core. "Calm down, Ritsuka… calm down…" He tried telling himself and grabbed his own wrist to stop his shaking. "Calm down… calm down…"

'Can I really do this?' The thought repeated in his mind as he slowly slid down the wall. Memories of what happened in the last mission— along with those last words from the Director —flashed through his mind.

No— No, no! Someone help me! Help! I...I don't want to die here!

"Director…" He was powerless then… there was not much he was good for out in the field. His job was just to command Servants; that was what being a Master was, right? If a moment like that came again, he knew… he wouldn't be able to do anything again. "I'm sorry… I'm the only one who could do this…"

As he fell deeper into his thoughts, Ritsuka failed to notice someone approaching him until they offered their hand. He looked up to see a face he did not know, likely one of the survivors of the initial explosion.

"Thank you…" Ritsuka quietly muttered as he took her hand and was helped to his feet. Now, he could better take in her appearance; the young woman had a mix of long white and red hair with equally red eyes. Her clothes were elegant and ornate; they were mostly red too and broken with gold, white, and dark accents. After a second thought, Ritsuka realized she was probably not a staff member or at least a normal one. He had already met the only other Servant in Chaldea which meant… the woman was likely a mage. "Sorry you had to see me like that…"

"Don't worry, it's fine," she gave him a small reassuring smile. "What's bothering you this time, Ritsuka? Whenever this happens, it's always in private."

"Huh?" Ritsuka quietly muttered as the odd woman glanced around the hall to make sure no one was around. "How do you know… Oh wait." Well duh. Of course she knew him, he was the last Master left in Chaldea. But what did she mean by that second part? "Sorry but… may I know you know your name?"

In a second, her face fell. "My… name…?" She repeated near-silently, her voice trembling. Her eyes were also widening in… confusion? Horror? Shock? It was a mix of emotions that Ritsuka couldn't fully decipher but one thing was clear— she was in pain. "Oh… It's finally that time," she stated with a calm tone that hid her sorrow. "I… knew this day would come one day and thought I'd be prepared for it. It looks like I was wrong."

"I'm… sorry?" Ritsuka apologized despite still being confused. All he knew was that he was the reason for her sadness. However, the stranger did not accept it. She gently cupped his cheek and Ritsuka could feel the warmth spread through his face as their eyes met again. This time, he could see the pain in them but also the care and… something else hidden underneath. Ritsuka, on the other hand, could only return her stare with uncertainty and slight discomfort.

"No, no. There's nothing to apologize for. I should have realized from the beginning, your eyes…" she stated with a shake of her head, pulling back her hand too. She then took a deep breath before finally introducing herself, her small smile returning. "As for my name, it's Fu Hua— or Hua at certain times. You'll understand what I mean one day, but for right now, it's a pleasure to meet you, Fujimaru Ritsuka."

"It's a pleasure to meet you too." Ritsuka couldn't help but match her smile. There was something about her presence that was calming as much as it was confusing.

"So… what was upsetting you?" The woman— Fu Hua —asked him with slight hesitation. "I know you just met me but I'm willing to lend an ear."

Ritsuka wanted to say that she didn't need to or that he was fine. However, he couldn't bring himself to lie to her; his mouth opened before he could stop himself— "It's… the pressure," he confessed. "I know I'm way in over my head here. I'm just some normal guy who happened to get hired here. I… How could I be the one who has to save the world?"

It was too sudden, too big, too… He didn't know if he could do it. It should be the last thing anyone wanted to hear from him; all their hopes in saving the world lay with him and he was saying he couldn't do it? That would shatter anyone's morale.

However… "It's natural for you to have doubts, Ritsuka. Anyone would." She spoke with a reassuring tone that soothed his worries. "But… I know you could do this. No matter what doubts you have, you'll overcome them just as you'll overcome the Singularities. You'll prove yourself to everyone, and him, that you were the best person for this task."

"...Why?" Why was she saying that? Why did she believe in him? Why—

"Because you're you," Fu Hua stated, her voice and face resolute. "No matter what may come, you'll keep your head high and eyes towards the future. You'll never give up; not just to save everyone, but to live for yourself too. That's the sort of person you are… nothing had or will change about that."

Ritsuka was stunned by her praise of him; she thought so highly of him despite being a stranger. Still… "Thank you…"

"It's what you did for me," was all she said before another voice called him.

"Senpai? Are you here?" Ritsuka glanced back to see Mash coming around the corner. She had a face of bewilderment and asked, "Were you talking to someone?"

He gave her an equally confused look before looking back to see… no one. "…No, I was just talking to myself," Ritsuka answered, letting out an amused sigh. The pressure must be really getting to him but… he supposed that was not too bad a mental break.

A/N: I realize now that I forgot to upload this on FFN too. So uh... here's another idea I had for Ritsuka x Fu Hua. So here's their relationship with a The Doctor/River Song twist to it. Why? Cause I have DW withdrawal atm I think. The next couple chapters will be up here soon.