There was nothing but silence in the room. Everyone present was surrounded by the grinning, confident faces of the Phantom Thieves. Figures stood proudly on the table, littered with red and black stationery. The dresser was swung wide open, allowing its contents of clothes and costumes to lay in an undignified heap on the ground. The red and black was almost overwhelming to nearly anyone’s eyes and painted the owner of the room as an unabashed Phangirl.
There in that room sat two of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts themselves, staring at the quivering pile of blankets and pillows on the bed that was the aforementioned Phangirl.
Nobody knew exactly how to open a conversation. After all, how does one begin a conversation with one who was an enormous fan of theirs and was practically melting down in her panic? Alternatively, how did one exactly start a conversation with their idols when they were sitting about five feet away from her after showing one’s utter obsession with them wholeheartedly? Especially after the incineration of humanity forcing them all into close quarters?
It certainly was a small world.
“So, I guess we should say that we’re flattered you love our work so much,” Ren said, unable to hold back a grin. Ritsu squeaked and seemed to bury herself even deeper into her bed.
Morgana shot a glare at Ren. “Come on, Ritsu,” he called out coaxingly. “We’re not mad or anything – we’re just… um… a bit bewildered by all this. We didn’t expect you to be such a huge fan of ours is all. Um… can you come out so we could have a proper conversation? Maybe?”
“Don’t wanna,” came the muffled reply. “Oh god, this is beyond embarrassing. The Phantom Thieves are here and in my room and working alongside me to bring back humanity and here they found out I’m a huge, huge fan and they saw it all and I realized it too late and someone please just kill me NOW!” She screeched the last word as she somehow burrowed yet deeper into her pile.
Ren chuckled awkwardly. “Well, it’s certainly something, I get that much,” he admitted, sitting back in the chair and looking around casually at the different memorabilia. “Honestly, I thought Da Vinci would be the only Phangirl around here – didn’t expect anyone else to be either.”
The pile moved upward slightly as Ritsu raised her head. “Wait, Da Vinci’s a Phangirl too?” she asked.
Morgana scoffed. “Yeah,” he replied. “She found us out from Shido’s calling card. Guess it was kinda obvious – our silhouettes give us away. Especially mine – I’m pretty unique after all. Lemme guess, you saw the calling card too?”
“Well, duh,” came the immediate reply. “Everyone saw that calling card. It even got uploaded to YouTube. Pretty sure it got about six or seven million views before it got taken down. Even then, I think I saw some other uploads of it anyway. You know what they say about the internet – what goes on the internet stays on the internet.” Then she let out another strangled noise. “Oh god I made it awkward again! Whyyyy?!? Just end my life PLEASE!!”
The two glanced at each other. “We’re not gonna get really far like this,” Morgana muttered. “Oi, you’re one of the last Masters of Chaldea, aren’t you? If we’re working together, we need to fill you in on a lot. So get yourself out of there – it’s gonna be a doozy.”
The pile on the bed stilled. Eventually it raised itself up, with Ritsu’s flushed face poking out like a cocoon. “Well, better conversation than wallowing in embarrassment, I suppose,” she sighed. “So, give me the sitrep – what’s been happening? Starting from what happened after the bombing. Roman gave me a lowdown but nothing detailed; he thought my recovery was more important.”
The Phantom Thieves glanced at each other, wondering where to even start. They began filling her in, starting with the Fuyuki Singularity – their new magecraft, the Caster Cu Chulainn, shadow Servants, and finally Lev and Olga. Ren was about to repeat Olga’s aria when Ritsu popped her hand out of the blanket to stop him. “No need,” she said casually. “I trust you. If you told Roman, Da Vinci, and Mash this and they’re okay with it, then I’m okay with it too.”
“You sure it’s not because we’re the only ones available to do this?” Ren asked skeptically, raising an eyebrow.
Ritsu shook her head, moving more pillows and blankets aside. “Nope,” she replied easily. “If that were the case, you wouldn’t ever be sent to meet me, let alone be believed in the first place. What you guys are telling me is honestly ridiculous, not gonna lie, but then…” Her eyes shone as she stared at the two of them. “If you guys really are the Phantom Thieves, then that’s to be expected right?”
The two could only look away, unable to meet her enthusiasm head-on. That simplified things considerably, at least. They really had to wonder just how much her being a Phangirl would color their interactions with each other but honestly, it couldn’t be helped at this point. They had to trust their backs to one another, after all. They just hoped they could get things ironed out before long.
Before launching into explaining the Orleans singularity, they explained their powers. It couldn’t be helped and frankly, the more she knew about it the less shocked or surprised she would be if Ren pulled out Satan or Metatron once more. They explained to her the concepts of Personas and Palaces, as well as shadows and cognitions. As they explained, the blankets and pillows fell from around Ritsu as she crossed her arms, thinking hard as they explained.
Once they were done, there was a moment of silence as Ritsu processed the information. “We realize that what we just explained seems rather unbelievable and crazy,” Morgana began. “But what we’re telling you is the truth. Er… did you understand what we explained by the way?”
Frankly, neither of them would be surprised if she didn’t. Only Makoto and Futaba, both incredibly intelligent, understood it on the first go. Yusuke, Haru, and Sumire needed a bit longer to process the concept while Ryuji and Ann had been the slowest to grasp them.
Ritsu blinked and peered over at them. “Well, yeah,” she said simply. “Basically, you go into a person’s mind, which takes the shape of whatever deviousness they’ve been up to, you use your own mind and personality powers and beat the crud out of them while taking whatever made them that kooky to begin with – and that’s their Treasure, right? Sounds pretty straightforward to me, to be honest.”
Both Ren and Morgana blinked with surprise. “Er, yeah,” Morgana stammered. “That, uh, about sums it up, actually,” he stammered. “Wait, you’re not even the tiniest bit skeptical? When we explained this stuff to Roman, Da Vinci, and Mash, their jaws were about to literally drop on the floor. They were calling the cognitive world another ‘texture’ of the World or something.”
The girl shrugged. “Honestly, it makes sense,” she replied casually. “After all, how else would you make people like your targets confess so genuinely on live broadcasts? Blackmail wouldn’t work and neither would coercion. Plus, the guys you nabbed were pretty powerful, meaning it probably wouldn’t work anyway.”
She sat back on the bed, holding her knees close as she did so. “So the method you told me may be completely bonkers but hey, it checks out. What was that one saying Mash always told me? ‘If you remove the impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.’”
“Sherlock Holmes,” Ren said, recognizing the quote. “To be kind of honest, I’m a bit surprised you’re so…”
Ritsu beamed. “I’m so what?” she asked eagerly. “Smart? Clever? Bright? Cute? Hot?” With each adjective, her grin grew more and more teasing as she leaned towards him more and more on the bed, her eyes burrowing into Ren, causing the young man to stumble a bit as he leaned away in response. She broke out into a giggle. “Didn’t expect the leader of the Phantom Thieves to be so shy, but it’s adorable,” she commented brightly.
Ren gave a nervous smile back. Honestly, he didn’t know precisely what to make of Ritsu. She was extremely cheerful and forward, getting into his face easily. None of the girls he met were ever so forward. The most was Sumire who managed to confess to him that one night in LeBlanc, but even then, it was fairly ordinary. Not even Ann matched Ritsu’s boldness and energy.
Honestly, it was rather overwhelming, but not in a bad way. If anything, he found the change of pace refreshing overall. Ironically, it got him to relax as opposed to being on edge. ‘What you see is what you get’ was Ren’s impression, and in a time where everyone wore masks – both literally and metaphorically – it was a very welcome change.
The girl looked over at Morgana. “By the way, if you don’t mind me asking, what exactly are you?” she asked, looking him up and down. “You honestly remind me of the mascot characters I see hanging around at times.”
Morgana bristled. “Hey, I’m not a mascot character!” he snapped. “I’m the first of the Phantom Thieves who taught our illustrious leader here all he knows! I’m the great Morgana, the greatest cat that ever existed and will exist! So show some respect!”
Ritsu’s eyes widened in fear. “Oh, I-I’m sorry!” she immediately spluttered, bowing her head. “It’s just that you caught me off guard because I’m not exactly sure where you were and oh no I just insulted one of the Phantom Thieves what if they hate me oh god are they gonna change my heart I’m too young to have my heart changed but maybe I deserve it but AAAAA!”
With that, the girl immediately dived back under her blankets and muffled screams once more began sounding out from the pile. Both Ren and Morgana just gave bewildered looks at each other. How exactly were they supposed to deal with her?
Suddenly, the door beeped. Mash’s voice issued from the speaker. “Um, Ritsu-senpai? May I come in?” she asked hesitantly.
Immediately Ritsu shot up. “Mash?!” she exclaimed. She immediately raced to the door, to the further bewilderment of the Phantom Thieves, slammed it open, and dived for Mash, giving her a gigantic hug. “Oh my god, I missed you!” she cried, grinning ear to ear. “Oh man, Roman told me you almost died from that bombing! Oh, to see you so well and whole – I am so, so, SO glad!”
Mash blinked in surprise as she was hugged, being squeezed all around a lot more tightly than she expected. She chuckled. “Well, yes, but it is thanks to Ren-senpai that I managed to survive,” she replied with a shy smile. “Both he and Mr. Morgana are exceptionally talented and gifted after all.”
“Oh, don’t sell yourself short,” Ritsu immediately chided, pulling back from the hug. “Ren, Morgana, and Roman have told me about you becoming a Demi-Servant and being completely badass. You’re a lot tougher than you think, Mash, and strong. You’re gonna be ridiculously awesome – wait, never mind, you already are! Sheesh, I lose track of things.”
The Shielder blinked in surprise at Ritsu’s rambling and glanced over at Ren and Morgana. Both of them flashed her encouraging yet bewildered smiles and only shrugged helplessly. Honestly, Ritsu was about as energetic as she always was, and that relieved her.
She recalled Ritsu always dragging everyone this way and that to do things around Chaldea or meet up with people. It drove many of the senior staff up the wall, but surprisingly most of Team A and even Olga seemed to appreciate it, even if they were reluctant to show it.
To see Ritsu so energetic… Mash missed her dearly and accepting they wouldn’t be able to talk again had been exceptionally difficult. She didn’t dare voice it before though – Ren-senpai and Mr. Morgana had more than enough burdens on their minds and lives.
“Oh yeah, remember what I told you before? About the Phantom Thieves?” Ritsu asked with an ear-to-ear grin at Mash. “Well, guess it’s a small world after all – look where they are!” With that, she stepped aside and made a grand gesture of showing off, indicating Ren and Morgana. Both of the Phantom Thieves winced and sheepishly waved in response. After all they had done to keep their identities a secret, to have it immediately figured out by coincidence like this was honestly painful.
Mash blinked in surprise and glanced at the memorabilia in the room before her eyes widened. Then she gave Ritsu a rueful smile. “I already knew,” she replied softly. “Ren-senpai and Mr. Morgana already told us when we were debriefing. I had a feeling too before, but just didn’t want to say it.”
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That caught Ren and Morgana off-guard. Just how long did she suspect it? They could only feel embarrassment – maybe they were just as good at keeping secrets as Ryuji was. Which was to say, not at all.
“Wha?!” Ritsu exclaimed. “You kn- I- Why aren’t you making a bigger deal of this, Mash?! These are the Phantom Thieves, some of the most awesome people ever!”
The shielder winced in embarrassment. “Er, there was much going on, Ritsu-senpai, and I lost track of things,” she murmured apologetically. “I truly apologize. I didn’t mean to forget what you’ve told me.”
Ritsu blinked in surprise, then shrugged. “Ah, let’s let bygones be bygones. Come on, you’re joining us! I wanna hear EVERYTHING I missed out on!”
That was Mash’s only warning before Ritsu grabbed hold of her hand and dragged her in with a surprised yelp. The door closed behind her.
They wouldn’t leave the room for some time.
------------
The stockroom of Chaldea was a rather large affair. It was designed to feed hundreds of staff members for months at a time. Kept by preservation magecraft, the food within the storeroom would never go bad, allowing supplies to last for ungodly amounts of time. Before the Incineration, supply runs were often done every three months due to such preservation and capacity of the storeroom. Even now, supplies weren’t a problem.
After all, the storeroom was designed to feed hundreds, not a mere twenty or so.
Archer walked through the storeroom with a clipboard, carefully inventorying what the room had. It was a good idea to keep track of things, just in case. Everyone had been eating well and healthily thanks to both him and Ren (as well as the robots, though no one ever thanked them), but a situation that might threaten their food stocks might happen. It would be prudent to have some sort of plan for supply runs just in case. He would have to talk to Roman and Da Vinci about it once he did a tally.
Truth be told, it was busywork that could have easily been left to the robots, with data sent directly to the two of them. However, it was an old habit from a past life that he ultimately found relaxing. Tallying up food and supplies, considering what dishes he wanted to make, what he needed to shop for, things of the like. He certainly needed it after all the bombshells their Masters had dropped from the debriefing.
He recalled what Ren and Morgana told him when he asked them about what it meant to be a hero. So that was how they went about it. He heard one or two tales about the Phantom Thieves but was never in a position to find out who or what they really were. Were they still active before or after his execution in life? He couldn’t remember. All he knew was that he died with a smile, despite being killed by those he had saved in the end.
The red-mantled hero had to wonder – if their journey had ended with Okumura, where justice was done but they were condemned by those they saved, would they be smiling like him and accept it? No, they wouldn’t. They would do everything to clear their guilt and find whoever framed them in the end, as they had ultimately done. Anybody would.
Anybody that wasn’t him would.
A bitter smile twisted his lips as he took stock of the potatoes, his expert vision quickly figuring out their weight by their impression on the floor alone. He had long ago discarded his former identity. It wasn’t who he was anymore: A foolish boy with a foolish if beautiful dream. He didn’t need more proof that he – the being known as Shirou Emiya – was ultimately broken beyond repair. Well, perhaps not completely. Recent events in Orleans and his Masters’ story changed that a bit.
“I thought I would find you here, if not in the kitchen.”
Archer didn’t bother looking up at the voice. “I’m a creature of habit, Saber,” he replied casually as he tallied the peppers, strolling to the next item down the line. “Breeding a pattern of predictability pays off when those observing lose track of you once you break it.” He smirked. “One that I’ve no doubt our capable Masters themselves have bred to keep their heads down, though undoubtedly they were inexperienced considering how they were caught in the end.”
Artoria frowned slightly. “True,” she acceded. “Their efforts seemed less than subtle overall, though they managed admirably nevertheless.” She looked over at him as the man continued inventorying the storeroom. “Have you considered any of my questions since that day, Shirou?” she asked gently.
The red-mantled hero glanced over at her. “There hadn’t been much time to think about such esoteric things, Saber,” he chided her lightly. “It doesn’t really matter anyway. We’re Servants, overall. Whoever we are has long since been recorded in the Throne of Heroes, and there it will stay. What changes we make now won’t take effect even if we try. So long as we serve as useful tools to our Masters, then that’s all that matters in the end.”
To that, Artoria marched up to Archer and slapped him square in the face. The Servant’s eyes widened in surprise, any snarky reply forestalled by the action. “You are many things, Shirou Emiya,” she growled. “Compassionate, kind, helpful, a hero, and yes, a fool as well. But you are no coward. So do not speak like one – it ill becomes you.”
Her gaze relaxed into concern. “You are considering it heavily, aren’t you?” she asked gently. “The changes of heart. Are you going to ask our Masters for one?”
Archer didn’t respond immediately, his cheek still stinging from the slap Artoria gave him. “The being known as ‘Shirou Emiya’ is a fundamentally broken one, Saber,” he murmured. “I do not know if that is even possible. Even a construct of artificial emotions such as the doppelganger Jeanne d’Arc is less broken.”
His grip tightened on the clipboard. “As I’ve told you before, Saber, I am not Shirou Emiya,” he ground out. The image of the table in Fuyuki, surrounded by smiling people flashed before his eyes, and vanished just as quickly. “That was the name of a foolish boy who left long ago. One that now has people around him to properly guide and restrain him. The one who stands before you is a hero of justice. No more.”
Could he even call himself that in the end though? No matter what he tried or what he did, it all fell to pieces around him. He simply wanted to make the people around him happy, yet it was always fleeting in the end. Was it just pure selfishness on his part? Probably. The other Shirou did say that it wasn’t wrong to help others – a foolish dream that was beautiful, nevertheless. In the end, he was summoned with only one purpose: To kill on Alaya's behalf.
Truly ironic.
“And why can you not follow that same path?” Artoria asked gently. “You speak correctly: Our time here is fleeting. Before long, I will be whisked away back to the Throne once more and everything here will be for naught. However, that does not mean we cannot make meaningful use of our time here.”
She stared up into his eyes. “Is Elizabeth not doing so?” she asked. “Joan? Even our Masters blazed their own paths despite everything that was wrought against them, from powerful figures to gods to fate itself. You can do the same, Shirou.”
Their own path? There had only been one path for him, set by circumstances beyond his control. The image of flames and hell as the screams of the damned surrounded him. The vision of a tired, old man telling him sadly that it was impossible for adults to become heroes. A promise to become one. To aid, to help, to save those in need, no matter what the cost.
After all, what was his life in comparison to so many others?
Archer scoffed. “You are putting far too much faith in me, Saber,” he commented bitterly. “And what would be so different now than it was before?”
The red-mantled hero tensed up as Artoria approached… and laid a hand on his arm. “This time, I refuse to let you be alone,” she replied, the steel in her voice ringing out.
He looked down in surprise at the hand on his arm, then back into Artoria’s eyes. Her green eyes showed compassion and care, but at the same time showed the same resolve and determination he had seen countless times before in the heat of battle.
All directed toward him.
He wanted to ask why she cared so damn much about him, but whatever argument or question he had died within that gaze of hers. All he could do was let out a small scoff. “Do as you wish,” he replied with a small smirk as he turned back to continue his tallying. “You seem to be extremely stubborn about this anyway.”
A hint of a smirk curled Artoria’s own lips. “Oh?” she asked. “I thought stubborn women were your type, Shirou. Especially considering Rin Tohsaka.” Emiya’s jaw dropped a bit at Artoria’s tease, then he couldn’t help himself – a bark of genuine laughter escaped his mouth before he could stop it, joined by the Saber’s own chuckles in turn.
Stubborn women indeed.
-----------
Tiny steps pattered down the halls of Chaldea, unbeknownst to anyone. The corridors were deserted, as nobody really had reasons to traverse them overall. This was a far wing of Chaldea, filled with various miscellaneous rooms. A robot rolled by, scrubbing the hallways as it went. Maintenance of even deserted hallways is still within its routine functions, after all. It neither acknowledged nor even noticed the sole wanderer of the hallways, rolling by peacefully with barely a sound.
After all, as adorable as Fou was, he was rather hard to notice when he didn’t wish to be noticed.
Since this morning he had been cooped up in Mash’s room. He had been happily napping on her bed in her scent, but she had taken her time coming back overall. Something to do with the new Master? Deciding to stretch his legs, he left her room to wander around.
He thought about finding that catlike being – he seemed to instinctively know about Fou and that drove him to absolute terror. Tormenting and scaring him had been a fun little pastime for him whenever they encountered each other, but he decided not to push his luck. He didn’t want the being to figure out who or what he was ultimately. All he was currently lacking was knowledge, and once the catlike being had that, he’d quickly put two and two together. Cats were intelligent like that.
That and Mash might get angry with him. He’d rather not deprive himself of that particular source of comfort.
As he passed by a door, he noticed a presence within. Odd. There wasn’t supposed to be anyone else here. No one really had a reason to come by, after all. It wasn’t anything strange or hostile though, which left him wondering what it was. Curiosity getting the better of him, he walked up to the door and began pawing at it on hind legs, barking at it.
A few seconds later, the door opened and Ritsu looked out, blinking. She looked down the hallways to see who it was, then felt a presence brush up against her shins. Looking down, her eyes widened as she saw Fou. “Hey there, little guy!” she cooed, grinning as she scooped up the little creature. “Haven’t seen you in forever! Did you miss me? Rare to not see you without Mash!”
Fou blinked up at the cheerful Master before snuggling into her chest. “Aww, missed you too, little buddy,” Ritsu chuckled. “Welp, so long as you’re here, I guess you can keep me company for a bit.” She closed the door, turning around and sitting back down, allowing Fou to easily look around and see where they were.
It was a storage room, filled with boxes of items. A few of them had been opened by hand, though there was a roll of duct tape and scissors nearby to reseal them as necessary. Small, random items were scattered around where Ritsu was sitting without any particular reason.
“Fou, fou?” he barked, looking up at the Master quizzically.
Ritsu blinked, then chuckled again. “Oh, not much,” she replied lightly, looking around her. “Just… visiting some old memories, I guess. This is where they’re keeping the items of… of those that didn’t make it from the bombing.” She picked up Fou again and gently hugged him to her chest as she looked around, her eyes starting to blur a bit.
She picked up a small pocket watch. “This one was David’s,” she murmured to Fou, rolling it in her hands. “He was always such a fraidy cat – literally me popping up to say ‘hi’ to him got him jumping into the air. I think he nearly hit his head on the ceiling once.”
The girl chuckled at the memory. “He always got so angry with me afterward. Then we got to talking about mecha stuff. I still have his copy of Armored Core. Was just about to beat it too. Game’s hard, though.”
Putting the watch down, she picked up a lighter. “And this one was Amanda’s,” she explained. “Apparently, she had a pretty bad smoking habit before she got hired for Chaldea. She kicked the habit with Roman’s help. She was a whiz though – pretty sure a good part of Chaldea’s UIs were her work. I tried to learn from her but her lessons flew over my head at Mach 20.”
Fou tilted his head at the lighter before reaching over to bat at it with his paws – and nearly fell over when Ritsu yanked it away. “Come on, Fou,” she chided though unable to keep the bit of laughter out of her voice. “A little respect for people’s belongings would ya? Even if they’re not here to give it!”
She paused at her own words. “Es… especially when they’re not here to give it,” she whispered, putting down the lighter and hugging her knees to herself, pulling in Fou closer. “What am I doing here, Fou? Here I am just… rummaging through their belongings like some sort of rat. Holed up in a storage room in some empty corner of Chaldea. The Phantom Thieves are here and humanity’s all but incinerated.”
Ritsu let out a mirthless laugh as she slid a hand over her own eyes. “I can’t tell if this is a dream or a nightmare,” she muttered. “I pinched my cheeks a thousand times until they were sore as hell. One moment I was in the Coffin and the next, I was in the medbay, with Roman telling me that… that so many people are gone. I mean, I wasn’t close to them, but still they were mostly good people. And…”
The girl looked around her. The small belongings of those passed scattered about. She hadn’t been friends with everyone – that was impossible – but she knew many of them by name. Their jobs, routines, a few interesting stories or hobbies they shared, an interest she garnered and they were happy to teach or speak to her about. She smiled and laughed when they greeted her, and they returned it. With each item she saw, she could see their faces and hear their voices as if it was just yesterday.
And…
She swallowed hard past the lump in her throat. Wodime. Ophelia. Peperoncino. Kadoc. Hinako. Daybit. Even that dillweed Beryl. The Masters that comprised Team A – the most promising team of Magi selected to handle the singularities. She had been jumping for joy when the new director had added her to their team at the last minute, and they welcomed her gladly. The Singularities were a huge deal, but with such a collection of brawn and brains, they were definitely going to succeed no matter what.
But now, they were still confined to their Coffins. They tried everything but Ritsu had been the only one undamaged enough to come out of her coma. The others were still stuck there in some medical limbo, and frankly she had no idea whether it was more merciful to cut them off or hold on for a tiny sliver of hope they could still be saved.
“Fou, fou?” She looked up as Fou stood on his hind legs, gently licking the tears off her face and quietly yipping. The girl blinked in surprise before laughing again, wrapping her arms around the fluffy little creature.
“Yeah, yeah, you’re right, Fou,” Ritsu replied with a grin despite her tears. “I can’t exactly hide away and cry forever. The Phantom Thieves are here – I gotta show them my stuff after all. And even if the rest of Team A aren’t here, I’ll be their sole representative – I’ll make sure to make them proud. And everyone else too who couldn’t see us off. Yeah…”
She relaxed back against a box, looking up and around the room at everyone else’s belongings. “Just… just for now,” she whispered, gently petting Fou. “For now, just let me cry a bit. Need to get this out of the way. Then I’ll be the cheerful Ritsuka Fujimaru once more. I’ll be up and at ‘em in a bit. Just give me a little bit longer.” Ritsu closed her eyes as tears rolled down her face once more.
A solitary, grieving girl, amidst belongings of those who had passed and would never be able to see her off.