After his "encounter" with Scathach, Gudao did eventually rejoin Gabrielle and the Servants. They retired to their quarters for the night, leaving the two masters with Mashu until Gabrielle turned in herself. The Demi-Servant was accompanied by Gudao when they arrived at her quarters, with Fou walking beside them. Before she went inside, Mashu stopped in front of the door and turned to her master.
"So how did things go with Doctor Roman?" she asks him. Unbeknownst to Gudao, Mashu had been wanting to know what was on the boy's mind since they checked back with Roman earlier.
"Pretty well," Gudao replies soon after, sounding nonchalant. "He said that they're no signs of a singularity forming, so we're still good outside of Chaldea for the time being."
Despite the boy's laid-back demeanor, Mashu thought it best to press him further. She knew since they had all left Chaldea that Gudao was not being as forth coming with her as he usually was on assignment, and it worried the Shielder.
This all started after she fainted unexpectedly after the American singularity...
"Did he say anything else?" Mashu asked nervously, putting her hands behind her and swaying. She appeared naturally curious, but Mashu was watching Gudao's facial expressions as he replies with:
"Like what?"
Mashu notes his guarded look before clarifying:
"You know, like asking about all of us... if we're okay, alive and breathing..."
"Oh right!" Gudao said suddenly in realization, but Mashu thought his initial response was exaggerated. "Now that you mention it... he wanted to know how you were doing, what with Scathach putting you through her training and all."
"And what did you tell him?" Mashu presses subtly.
"I said that you were doing fine..." Gudao answers, rubbing the back of his head like he should have understood her sooner. "Nothing that a Servant can't handle..."
Mashu's face turned sullen, and Gudao stops once he notices.
"Senpai..." she starts. "I know you aren't being honest."
Gudao's eyes widened slightly.
"About what?"
Mashu sighs as Gudao stares at her with what looked to her like with a sense of dread.
"You lied to Roman..." she lightly admonishes. "You saw yesterday how on edge we all were with each other. Today was not much better in terms of our teamwork. Our training has not been going well at all and you know it. Not nice of you to keep that from him, Senpai."
Gudao blinked at her for a moment. Mashu observes as his face turns to that of... relief?
"Oh, I... I didn't want to worry Roman," he admits, his demeanor lightening considerably. "He's taking a huge risk with us being outside the barrier."
"But if this doesn't work out, what are you going to tell him then?" Mashu asked, sharing her doubts with him about Scathach's training. Gudao assures her:
"That won't happen," he said while putting his hands on her shoulders. "We can't be thinking like that, Mashu. Once me and Gabrielle hone our magecraft more, any issues with the team will be alleviated."
Mashu manages a weak smile, wanting to share in the boy's optimism. Yet, after what had transpired between her and the other Servants so far since arriving at Castle Dunscaith, she was completely convinced.
"I honestly think it's going to take more than that, Senpai," she admitted to Gudao as she gently grabbed his wrists and slowly lowered his arms off her. "Brawn alone is not going to be enough to defeat Solomon. I've been doing all I can, but I can only do so much as a single Servant."
Mashu lets go of Gudao's arms, only for the boy to then hold her hand for more assurance. Mashu fought the urge to blush at how gentle the boy's touch was.
"Me and Gabby know," Gudao tells her. "I have to trust that Scathach knows how to get everybody on the same page. She just needs time."
"Time that we're short on..." Mashu found herself saying absently. Immediately after, Gudao suddenly let's Mashu's hand free to her surprise. She then looks up and sees a panicked look on the boy's face directed at her. In her shock, Mashu thought she had said something wrong and swiftly apologized.
"Sorry Senpai! I didn't mean to sound like such a downer."
Gudao eventually calmed down, but Mashu thought his reaction to what she said to be odd despite her feeling bad about upsetting him. Silence hung in the air until-
"It's okay Mashu... really," Gudao soon said to her in a vain attempt to resolve the downward shift in the mood. He then reached behind Mashu and opened the door to her quarters for her. "You just rest up and save your strength. We'll figure this out tomorrow..."
Mashu reluctantly went inside, with her and Fou stepping through the doorway before she turned to Gudao and said:
"If you say so, Senpai. You always seem to know what you're doing..."
Gudao smiles weakly.
"It doesn't feel that way half the time," he remarks, trying to end this interaction with levity. "Goodnight Mashu."
"Goodnight... Gudao."
The door shuts, leaving Mashu to process what just happened. Fou jumps on the bed before Mashu sits down, thinking about how strangely Gudao had been acting up until now. The little furry creature rubs against Mashu's thigh affectionately as the Demi-Servant recalled Gudao's horrified face just moments ago.
Why did Senpai react like that? What is it about what I said that upset him so much?
When Mashu was saying something about time being short for them, she was referring to Solomon probably wanting to make his next move soon. While she, Gudao, and Gabrielle have been under stress at the fact of the looming threat of the King of Mages, they have never let that stop them from doing their best to resolve every singularity he has manifested thus far. It especially has not bothered Gudao throughout it all up until just now. Gudao was brave in the face of imminent danger because he knew he was never alone.
So why did it scare him just now? It made no sense unless... Gudao thought Mashu meant something else?
If so, Gudao did not share it with her. Something was wrong, and Mashu could feel through hers and Gudao's connection that something was troubling him; something other than Solomon.
Yet... Mashu could not put her finger on what that was, and it bothered her greatly. She kept racking her brain on what it was that was troubling her master to the point that he was keeping her at arm's length which was SO unlike Gudao.
You can tell me anything, Gudao... you know you can trust me... as I do for you.
Mashu believed that she and Gudao were a team. They should be helping to elevate each other so they can overcome obstacles in front of them. There were to be no reservations between them, no room for one to doubt the other. It was the philosophy that Mashu, Gudao, and Gabrielle have held true to each other with each mission they went on; without which Mashu was sure that they would not have made it this far.
And that philosophy was true from the moment that Mashu and Gudao solidified their bond as Servant and Master respectively...
Flashback
"Mind your step, Senpai."
Mashu warned Gudao behind her as they walked over the rubble of destroyed buildings and debris on their way towards the skyscraper.
"Thanks for the heads up," Gudao said as he carefully traversed over the pile of rubble before rejoining her on the street. Once he had slid down, Gudao walked over to Mashu until she put a hand up, stopping him in his tracks.
"Hold on..." Mashu warns again in a whisper, summoning her shield. Gudao then saw an armored skeleton soldier walking into view ahead of them. Mashu winds back and throws her shield at the hostile, striking it with perfect accuracy. The skeleton guard blew apart and the shield flew back into Mashu's hand.
"Nice shot," Gudao compliments her.
"Thanks," Mashu said before adding awkwardly, "I... never knew I could do that..."
Indeed, Mashu never wielded any weapon before... ever. Yet, since assuming this form, she found herself able to do things she never could before. She could not explain it, but it felt she had ALWAYS known, and she used her shield instinctively like she had used it for years. Mashu felt stronger too, lighter even. It was almost frightening to her how powerful she was after being sure that she was always as average a human as any just after what felt like an hour ago.
Before she and Gudao were banished by the Chaldeas device.
It was surreal. Gudao had passed out as they traveled here... wherever "here" was, but Mashu, on the edge of death felt a presence before arriving; one both foreign, yet very familiar...
"Mashu?"
Gudao watched as the lavender-haired girl looked at her shield vividly as if distracted. Eventually, Mashu motioned them forward, deciding to dwell on how these powers came to her later.
"We're almost to the building," she stated. "Let's not linger..."
They walked on, over the broken, uneven street. It was clear to the duo that it looked like this city had been devastated by something truly calamitous like an earthquake. Gudao and Mashu arrived at the base of the skyscraper; the most stable looking structure they could find, only to discover that the building had sunk down in its foundation, and getting in will not be easy.
"Now what?" Gudao asks, not seeing an obvious way in. Mashu looks up at the skyscraper and then down to the pit separating them from it. She sees that whatever devastation this block endured has partially exposed the underground parking complex beneath the building.
"I bet we can get in down there," Mashu points to the exposed tunnel, which was several feet down from the raised section of Earth that she and Gudao were standing on. So far down that a jump would from this height would be treacherous. "But that's a long drop..."
"It probably wouldn't be for a Servant," Gudao pointed out, and it struck a chord with Mashu.
"Hmmm... I have an idea. Hold on to me, Senpai..."
"Wha-?" Gudao asked in confusion as he saw Mashu doing a few stretches.
"You heard me," Mashu said casually. "I can get us both down if I jump and take the landing for the both of us."
"Are you sure?" Gudao asks nervously. The Demi-Servant could tell that not only was he worried about if he and Mashu would survive the jump unscathed, but also doing so would even getting close to her; uncomfortably close considering Mashu's outfit. Being respectful, Gudao started asking her:
"Well, what about-? Ah!"
He did not finish as Mashu forcefully held Gudao against her. The boy blushed madly as Mashu told him:
"No time to discuss the matter. Hang on tight, Senpai!"
The boy's embarrassment turned to existential terror as Mashu started moving towards the edge of the jump with Gudao helpless to stop what was coming. Mashu steps off as Gudao exclaimed:
"No need to tell me-eeeeeEEEEEEEE...!"
Mashu jumps down with Gudao held against her, they fall for a good two seconds until Mashu lands feet-first on to the ground with a slam. Gudao lets go and falls to his knees, high on adrenaline and desperately trying to catch his breath.
"Whew!" Mashu started with levity, none the worse for wear. "That was a rush..."
Having finally calmed down a bit after surviving the fall, Gudao looked back at Mashu casually dusting herself off, amazed at how she was able to bear the impactful landing.
"How did you know that would work?"
"I didn't," Mashu shrugged, then gesturing to herself. "I just know since THIS happened; I feel like I can bench-press a tank."
She then helped Gudao back on to his feet, and then dusted him off for him.
"Feeling okay to walk, Senpai?" she said almost flirtatiously, to which the dumbfounded Gudao could only reply with:
"Yeah..."
Mashu then patted his shoulder before pointing ahead.
"Good. The way in is up these stairs."
Eventually entering the high-rise through the parking complex, Gudao and Mashu found themselves in the front lobby, or rather what was left of it. As they navigated through the dark hallways, Gudao conjured a light in his hands using his magic circuits. With Mashu following close behind, they look around for a stairwell up to the roof. What became apparent to them was the inside of this building was just as much in a ruined state as the outside; signs of destruction everywhere and devoid of life. As they weaved through a narrow corridor full of debris, Mashu looked forward at Gudao and could tell that he too was taking in his surroundings, thinking the same thing as she was:
What on Earth happened to this place? Why is the entire city destroyed?
Mashu was even thinking about this more deeply based on what Roman had told them both earlier; that apparently, they had travelled back in time to Fuyuki City, Japan... during the Fifth Holy Grail War. She wagered that Gudao knew more about this than she did given the hint he gave earlier.
"Senpai?" she asks him. "You know about this place and time?"
"I do, unfortunately," Gudao remarked as they carefully trekked on. "Fuyuki City was where the last Holy Grail War took place. Last I checked, the Grail was destroyed, and the city still thrives today. If we did go back in time to this moment, something must have changed."
Gudao then looked back at Mashu and asked:
"You familiar with the Holy Grail Wars, Mashu?"
"I've heard Roman talk about it a few times," she admitted. "Makes sense considering Chaldea started recruiting masters to command Heroic Spirits as Servants. The Chaldeas Apparatus is functionally similar to a Holy Grail in that regard."
Once they were through a narrow passageway, Mashu then points out:
"Senpai, on your left... it looks promising."
Gudao turns and sees a doorway that Mashu was pointing to. Peeking inside, Gudao looks up and sees that they have entered a stairwell, along with how far it went up; far enough that not even his light could let him see the top.
Needless to say, it would be a long and perilous climb.
"This might lead to the roof... only one way to find out."
Minutes later, Gudao and Mashu were carefully climbing up. They lost track of how many floors they had passed, but Mashu assures him that they were nearing the top. Meanwhile, Gudao contemplated what they were going to do after they got up to the roof. They were trapped in this place until they could find whatever disturbance brought about this altered timeline, and he could only hope that they would get some clue to finding it after getting their bearings.
Mashu was vigilant, but felt an emotion was not her own. She soon realized that it was coming from Gudao through their "connection" as Master and Servant. Mashu was able to tell that with each step, Gudao's trepidation grew.
"Nervous, Senpai?" she asks gently, not wanting to worry him further. With a sigh, Gudao admits:
"I'd be lying if I said that wasn't even a little bit. I was just a trainee who got dragged into this mess with a remarkable girl I had only met today, who apparently is also a Servant..."
"Should I take that as a compliment?" Mashu said lightheartedly, trying to lighten the mood. Gudao smiled nervously, before his face turned serious again at a rather troubling possibility.
"I'm just worried that with us being here at this time, monsters might be the least of our problems."
Mashu figured out what Gudao was getting at.
"You think we might end up encountering other Servants," she affirms, looking back at Gudao who nodded in response. "Unfriendly ones..."
"That's right... think you can take one on?"
Mashu thought about it, but before she could answer, they finally made it up the final flight of stairs to a door that could very well let them access the roof... but the issue was that it was barricaded.
"I guess we'll find out," Mashu said cautiously. "We might not be alone up here..."
With the possibility of an ambush, Gudao thinks carefully before coming up with a plan.
"Let's catch them by surprise," Gudao whispered to the Demi-Servant who summoned her shield, ready to smash the door open. Gudao then charges a Gandr curse, ready to fire at a moment's notice. He nods at Mashu to proceed; she reels back and then-
(SMASH!)
Gudao hurriedly follows Mashu outside to the roof, and they look around frantically for any hostile. Just then, Mashu looks back in alarm and pulls Gudao behind her as she raised her shield to block a flaming projectile that would have incinerated him. They both look up on the roof of the stairwell they just exited and see a blue-haired man clad in a robe and pointing a glowing staff down at them.
"Shoot," he remarks in disappointment. "I thought I had you lads that time..."
The man's statement caused Mashu to raise her guard and back up closer to Gudao.
"Watch out, Senpai!" she said with seriousness. "This guy is a Servant..."
Gudao tensed, seeing that his hunch was correct. He sees the robed man raised his staff again to charge another spell, so he and Mashu braced themselves for-
"It's about time they sent a rescue party!"
The voice of another person caused the man to stop his spell and look back. Gudao and Mashu stayed on guard, but they could both swear that voice sounded familiar to them. They only relaxed when they saw a woman appear behind the Servant and motioned him to stand down. To both Gudao and Mashu's shock, the woman was-
"D-Director?!" Gudao stammered in surprise. "You're alive!"
"Thank you for stating the obvious!" Olga Marie Animusphere scolded him. Gudao was too relieved to even refute her, having thought the Director perished during the initial attack on Chaldea. Mashu slowly lowered her shield as she thought with relief:
That's HER alright...
Olga put her hands on her hips and asked Gudao sternly:
"Mind telling me what on Earth took you so long?!" Immediately after speaking, she visibly pondered and quickly backpedaled, waving off saying, "Actually... DON'T answer that. I think it's apparent that you are stuck here too."
"That's true Director Olga," Mashu said to her with a relieved smile, "We're just so glad that you are okay."
Turning to the lavender-haired girl, Olga was prepared to give her a stern mouthful, but instead when she looked at Mashu, Olga merely blinked in surprise.
"Mashu? Is that you?" asked Olga before her tone changed to one of amazement. "I be damned... It worked!"
Gudao was visibly confused, having remembered that Roman said something similar regarding Mashu in her current form, yet not having a clue what exactly they were talking about.
"WHAT worked?" It slipped out of his mouth before he could stop it, as sure enough-
"I wasn't talking to you..." Olga scolded Gudao before turning back to Mashu, her tone softening a bit towards the lavender-haired girl. "We can discuss this another time, I bet you're wondering why my "friend" here gave you a rude greeting."
Mashu saw that Olga was referring to the Servant beside her. Before the robed-clad man could introduce himself, Olga cut him off.
"I'll explain as much as I can..."
With daylight fading, Gudao and Mashu stayed with Olga and her Servant in her temporary encampment. Sitting around a campfire, courtesy of her Servant, Olga explained the circumstances of the incident at Chaldea and how she ended up in this singularity.
"Just as Team A rayshifted, I was reading unusual activity from inside the pods," said Olga as she recounted the events in chilling detail. "We crossed the threshold, and suddenly there was an explosion originating from the Chaldeas device. The transition was... harrowing."
"By God," Roman's voice came through on Mashu's shield. He and Gabrielle were hearing all of this at the same time as Mashu and Gudao, relieved that Olga was alive despite the catastrophe. "I'm surprised you came out the other side intact. Was anyone else with you when you arrived?"
"No, Doctor Romani," the Chaldean Director answered solemnly. "I rayshifted with Wodime, Ophelia, Beryl, Hinako, and three others... I have no idea what happened to them. They're probably all dead..."
"It looked pretty grim back at the main chamber," Gabrielle revealed through Mashu's shield. "We did not find anyone besides Mashu before the room locked down."
"I guess that also answers if any of the teams on stand-by made it," Olga remarked bitterly. "My father designed that device; he spent years making sure it was infallible, every redundancy accounted for. I refuse to believe it was an accident."
"Didn't seem that way either," Gudao reveals. "The damage to the chamber seemed to suggest that it was sabotage."
"That's what I assumed, Gudao," Roman said. "I've worked beside Marisbury making it sure Chaldeas was safe for humans to use. Olga is not kidding when she said her father was meticulous when it came to construction."
Having listened to everything so far, Mashu shares something on her mind.
"If that's the case, and the explosion was deliberately caused... then who could have done it?"
"I intend to find out the moment we get our backsides back to Chaldea," Olga said, from the look of determination in her eyes, Mashu could see just how much burning desire the Director had for finding the culprit and bringing them to justice. "Roman, you said the device was still functional?"
"We are preparing some vacant pods, but they were damaged in the explosion. It will only take a little while to do so, but none of you are coming back until we find and neutralize the thing stopping the return rayshift."
"The source of the singularity," Gudao affirmed before standing up, looking at the view they had up here on the roof of the high-rise. "We've been up here a while, Roman, but I don't see where we should be going."
"That's only because your eyes aren't attuned to it, lad," said Olga's Servant, who then stood up and walked towards Gudao. From the holographic image on Mashu's shield, Gabrielle looked at him and said:
"Who are you again?"
"Caster," Olga's Servant answered. "Mages as young as you and your brother can't see the leylines that pass through this city, but we Heroic Spirits can sense where residual Mana is at its most dense.
"How is that important?" Gudao found himself asking.
"Wow," Olga lets out sarcastically before remarking bluntly, "It's a wonder how you and your sister got through your courses at the Clock Tower. Allow me to explain, Mr. Fujimaru... altering time is not as simple as Back to the Future would have you believe. Theoretically, even if you could go back to a previous event in history and alter the outcome, what you end up doing eliminates the reason you even went back in the first place, resulting in what quantum physicists call a temporal paradox. The laws of causality make time constantly break and repair itself simultaneously."
Roman listens intently while Mashu, Gudao, and Gabrielle do the same... albeit looking a little lost. Ignoring their befuddled looks, Olga continues.
"Of course, with us being mages, we are used to "bending" the laws of the physical world. But there is no magecraft that exists that alters time to the extent needed to overcome a temporal paradox. To do so, you need a source of power that forcibly "breaks" the laws of the physical world, a way to do that would be-"
"True magic," Caster finished for her, much to Olga's surprise and disappointment. "And if you know your history, and how mages sought it, then..."
Suddenly, to Mashu, Gudao, and Gabrielle, it all finally clicked.
"A Holy Grail!" they all exclaimed in epiphany.
"Took you kids long enough..." Olga remarked bluntly. Gudao then deduces:
"Since we are in a time when a Holy Grail War took place, then that would mean that Holy Grail is still present."
Then a thought occurred to the boy... a grim one.
"Did that Holy Grail do... this?" Gudao spoke in a low voice, gesturing to the destruction all around the group. Caster nodded solemnly.
"Aye, lad," he confirms. "That's why I'm here..."
"You?" Mashu asked him. "A Servant, without a Master?"
"Well," Caster starts, rubbing the back of his head bashfully. "I was already here when this ruckus went down. It was pure fluke that I came across this damsel in distress..."
He looked at Olga when he said that, and she refutes him.
"Excuse me! I was doing JUST fine against the skeletons that ambushed me right after I arrived in this hellhole. I would have made it out without your help..."
"They all insist that..." Caster remarked. "Without our contract, you would've been dead several times over, lass."
Olga huffed bitterly, then she raised her fist, threatening him in a low voice.
"Do I need to use a Command Seal to shut you up? 'Cause I will! Practicality be damned!"
Caster just shrugged.
"If you want me to be quiet, all you have to do is ask nicely..."
"So..." Mashu starts cautiously, the atmosphere becoming awkward after Caster's and Olga's banter. "You know where the Grail is, Caster?"
"Of course I do," he said to her before then turning to Gudao. "It's right over there..."
Caster raised his hand and pointed off into the distance. Mashu got up on her feet and joined the group while she and Gudao followed the direction Caster was showing them:
A hill... across the river and through the old district of Fuyuki City...
A hill where there stood a temple...
"The mountain where that temple sits on," Caster begins explaining. "Is where the Grail manifested towards the end of the war. It sits in the leyline where it has not moved since."
"So, a mountain temple," Gudao clarified, sounding hopeful. "Got it. We head over once we're well rested, destroy the Grail and get back to Chaldea."
"Hold on a minute, cowboy," Olga interjects. "That's easier said than done..."
"Aye," Caster said evenly, and both Mashu and Gudao could see that the Servant was not joking around. "The hard part is getting to it."
"You mean the skeleton things?" Gabrielle asks nervously from the shield's projection. Beside her, Roman explained to her, and by extension, Gudao and Mashu:
"I think what Caster means is that they are inconsequential. If there's a Holy Grail, then there are other Servants..."
"Oh," Gudao said evenly, remembering that he came to that same conclusion himself before now. "How many are we talking about, Caster?"
"Four," the Servant reveals, his expression wary. "Three Servants being led by one, all the masters along with Lancer and Assassin are dead. The Grail was restarted by their leader and caused the destruction you see around you."
"Three... led by one?" Mashu asks curiously, anxious of the fact that she and Gudao have to fight through four Heroic Spirits to return to Chaldea, especially considering that Mashu had only just awakened to these powers of hers without knowing very well how it happened nor her full capabilities. Caster nods and explained to her and Gudao:
"Saber won the Grail. Corrupted Archer, Rider, and Berserker who now act as guards to her stronghold at the Temple. There was something dark about the Grail, and it just consumed everything."
"So these aren't just regular Heroic Spirits either," Gudao surmised. "And with the Grail being used as a font of Mana, they can function without Masters."
"Precisely," Olga affirmed. "Getting out of here means fighting our way out..."
"If that's the case, Olga," Roman said. "Then you guys need to plan your moves before you make them. Once the pods are repaired, we can provide Gabrielle here a Servant and she can rayshift in as reinforcement-"
"Absolutely not, Doctor," Olga stood up and crossed her arms in an authoritative stance. "I am still Director of Chaldea, and I forbid you sending anyone to aid us here."
Hearing this left Gudao and Mashu appalled.
"Why?!"
Gabrielle was not happy about this either.
"Director! You guys can't possibly take four Servants by yourselves! You only have one and...! Mashu I guess... but still you're both outmatched and outnumbered! Let me help!"
Olga's stoic demeanor did not change one bit by Gabrielle's outburst.
"Ms. Rutherford, since you and your brother are bad at following instructions, let me tell you both my reasoning. The incident at Chaldea had left all the Prime Candidates, save for you and Mr. Fujimaru dead. If we don't make it back, YOU will be the only Master left to fight what's coming. I cannot needlessly put the final master in danger just for my sake, considering that you will be trapped here too."
Mashu and Gudao stared at the scene unfolding, lost for words. Olga was just admitting that she was not as important compared to Gabrielle and Gudao, and that she would let herself die to not endanger either of them. Gabrielle was visibly shocked, and she struggled to argue.
"But- But you-!"
Olga curtly turned her attention to the holo-image of Roman beside Gabrielle's.
"Doctor, don't send anyone here," she told him. "That's an order..."
Roman was silently solemn before replying with great reluctance:
"Understood, Director..."
Gabrielle gasped in disbelief and Mashu watched her as she pleaded with her brother.
"Gudao, don't let them do this... I can't leave you there!"
Mashu turned to Gudao, who looked like what he was going to say next would tear his heart asunder.
"Olga's right, Gabby. I'm not putting you in danger..."
But Gabrielle was not having it. She reached out frantically to her brother, unable to bear the thought of leaving him in this hostile place without help.
"Gudao please-!"
"Excuse us," Roman said with a sigh before cutting the feed to Mashu's shield, and powers down. Astonished, Mashu turned to Gudao and demanded:
"Why did you do that?! She's your sister! You can't just turn down her desire to help you!"
"I didn't want to," Gudao replied without looking at her, his head tilted down, and his eyes hidden under his hair. "But it had to be done..."
Mashu looked down at Gudao's hand which held her Command Seal, and could see that it was clenched tightly, betraying his inner conflict. Her heart started to ache for her Master.
"With that out of the way," Olga announced, snapping Mashu's and Gudao's attention. "Let's return to the matter at hand and plan how we are going to get this Grail. Salvation won't come if we just sulk around..."
Caster looked between the pair that was Gudao and Mashu, then at Olga Marie Animusphere as the she sat back down and waited for everybody impatiently.
"Your Director sure is bossy..." he remarked before leaving to join Olga. Mashu looked back at Gudao, who simply followed Caster without looking at the lavender-haired girl in the eye. She could only imagine what was going through the boy's head as he reluctantly obeyed Olga's wishes.
Mashu found her heart aching with Gudao's...
Later on, darkness fell. Deciding best to wait until daylight to push towards the Grail, Mashu, Olga rested around the campfire while Caster kept a lookout in spirit form.
While Olga was sleeping soundly, Gudao was restless. Unable to sleep, he stood up and walked towards the edge of the roof. Unbeknownst to the boy, Mashu opened her eyes and was watching him, perhaps unable to sleep herself same as Gudao. She slowly sat up and saw Gudao take a seat by the ledge, taking in the scenery, from the flame-lit, ruined streets below, and up to the sky, where the supermassive black hole stood out even in the darkness, looming over ominously. Mashu felt compelled to join the boy after hearing his sigh, so she stood up and walked over to him, carefully as not to surprise him. The boy hardly acknowledged her as Mashu sat down beside him.
"Can't sleep?"
Her gentle voice prompts Gudao to give her a sideways glance.
"What gave you that idea?" his sarcasm was undercut by the solemn tone. It sounded to Mashu that Gudao was not willing to indulge in her company but did not let it dissuade her.
"I know brooding when I see it," she says with sympathy. "It's okay to be scared..."
"I'm not scared," Gudao said quietly but firmly, turning away slightly. "I can't afford to be..."
"But you are... it's only natural-"
"How do you know what I feel?" Gudao cuts her off, his voice quivering at Mashu's words having touched a nerve. Mashu was not going to let the boy push her away, as he needed her help whether he liked it or not.
"Because of this..." Mashu grabbed his hand and held it up, showing Gudao his Command Seals. "I'm feeling everything that you are right now. No need to deny it... I'm not here to judge you."
Gudao looked between Mashu's look of resolve and the seals on his hand. His indifference turned to regret at having been rude to the lavender haired girl. Taking a deep breath, Gudao sighs.
"I'm sorry Mashu," his apology was sincere as Mashu gently let's go of his hand. "That wasn't fair for you."
"It's fine," Mashu insists, changing her approach now that Gudao lowered his walls a little bit. "You don't always turn down help when it's offered to you... do you?"
Gudao cast his head down shamefully, saying to Mashu hesitantly:
"I... I don't like dragging other people into my problems..."
Hearing this, Mashu thought a bit of levity would ease the tense atmosphere between them.
"If you ask me, Senpai, we are both in the same "problem" right now."
Gudao finally faces Mashu again, realizing that the lavender-haired girl was referring to the desolate cityscape around them. He grins at seeing Mashu's awkward smile.
"Point taken," Gudao humors her. With silence encroaching on them, the boy decides to share what he was feeling, sighing before continuing with, "Truth is, I am scared..."
Gudao then looks back out at the ruined city, adding:
"Not for me, but for Gabby."
"What do you mean?" Mashu's question lingers in the air for a moment until Gudao looks at her again.
"If I know my sister, she won't listen to Olga's order to leave me behind. She'll risk her own life if it means saving mine."
"But if the roles were reversed," Mashu starts. "You would do the same for her, wouldn't you?"
Gudao simply sighed again.
"Of course, I would... not that we'd ever let each other do it," he said with an ill attempt at injecting levity of his own, but Mashu did not pay any mind. She simply listened as Gudao continued, saying, "You heard how Gabby insisted that I'd stay with the masters instead of staying behind with her after she fainted..."
Mashu understood perfectly, remembering Gabrielle wanted Gudao to achieve all he could rather than tend to her while she suffered symptoms from the VR simulation, just as Gudao did not refute Olga's order for Gabrielle to stay in Chaldea where she could be safe. It was clear to Mashu that the siblings had each other's best interests in mind all the time.
Yet, Mashu had gotten to know both of them in the short time they have all been acquainted so far. Gabrielle seemed to always wear her heart on her sleeve and acts purely on emotion, that while giving her a firm sense of right and wrong, makes her the more reckless of the siblings. Gudao was more reserved and logical, but as Mashu learned firsthand moments ago, he was the one most likely to close himself off emotionally if it meant sparing others the despair he was feeling.
It also seemed to Mashu that Gudao would be the most self-sacrificing to others besides his sister. Mashu wondered what brought the boy to act in such a way. Perhaps that was why...
"Had you not come back for her," Mashu found herself confessing out of the blue. "You might be dead right now... and perhaps me as well."
Gudao looked at Mashu in surprise.
"Things work out when you two go out of your way for each other," she continues. "You can't blame Gabrielle-Senpai for wanting to come to your aid. She wants to be strong for you, just as you are being strong for her right now."
Gudao was momentarily speechless, but after taking in Mashu's heartfelt words, he faces away with contemplation.
"I guess that's true," Gudao said with a hint of admiration for his sister. His voice soon turned solemn again, revealing another one of his worries to his Servant; "Besides, even if Gabby complies, we're still left here with the possibility of not making out this place alive."
Mashu watches Gudao cast his head down again and sees his hand close into a fist.
"If Olga insists on keeping the last Prime Mage from endangering herself here, then if we don't make it... Gabby will be facing whatever is waiting for her all by herself. I can't let her bear that alone..."
A tear then escaped Gudao's eye, and Mashu felt a pang in her heart for the boy's fear of leaving his sister to a great burden too great for anyone never mind someone as young as he was. Mashu could tell that it was Gudao's responsibility to fight his way out of this place and back to Gabrielle, just so that she would not be alone.
"It's always been just me and Gabby," he confessed. "We had no friends besides each other, so we've both become the most important thing to the other. After everything we've been through together to get where we are, I think we have both become afraid of losing each other... more than anything."
Collecting himself with a sigh, Gudao finishes with a sad smile:
"Gabrielle is very strong in her own way. She doesn't need to be like me..."
Mashu found herself in admiration as well as sympathy for the boy beside her. Despite his own predicament, Gudao was very proud of her sister, and he was doing his best not to let the peril he and Mashu were in deter him from facing the challenge of escaping this place head-on. Not only was Gabrielle someone Gudao wanted to protect but she also served to give him strength to move forward. Mashu was reasonably sure that Gabrielle thought the same towards her brother.
The lavender-haired girl had trouble believing two wonderful people existed beyond Chaldea... people she had met on the same day no less, and both who tried to save her...
Mashu thought it was a coincidence of truly cosmic proportions. Maybe this was fate...
"You and your sister are truly inseparable, Senpai," she said admirably to Gudao, finding herself confessing something else of her own. "I... I wish I had something like that with someone..."
Gudao turned slowly in wonder, looking at Mashu in the eyes; his own showing sympathy, as well as curiosity.
"Mashu, do you have siblings?" he asked out of the blue, and Mashu found herself taken back. Seeing this, Gudao backpedaled, "I'm sorry! If it's too..."
"N- No, don't be...!" Mashu quickly assured him. "I was surprised, that's all..."
Once they have both calmed down, Mashu then added:
"It's hard to explain, but I'll try to..."
Gudao stayed silent as Mashu took a deep breath and thought about what to say. In truth, she wanted to share this herself at some point, but felt that nobody would truly understand her experience. Yet, she felt that she could trust this boy more than she ever could with anyone else. Gudao had been nothing but nice and friendly to her in the time since they met. Mashu knew he was not someone who would betray such trust. Putting her hands together nervously, Mashu explains:
"I... I was raised in Chladea my whole life. I had only one adult I could interact with in my early years, and he would give me mental puzzles and active activities to aid in my "development." He'd watch me carefully, taking notes and never letting me out of his sight until..."
Mashu could feel Gudao's gaze on her as she stared at her clasped hands and took his silence as her assurance to continue. It was just becoming harder to emotionally on the lavender-haired girl's end...
"At one point, I remember being allowed out of my quarters and into a room with other kids, who all seemed to be a lot like me. We'd play, we'd gossip, and we'd even compete together."
"Friends?" Gudao asked in sympathy, and Mashu answered as best she could.
"If we all were... we did not have names. Just identifiers. One day, some of the kids would be absent, never to be seen again. Each day I went into the playroom, I'd see new faces, but the old ones were disappearing one after the other. Then even the new kids started going absent... the number of kids I played with dwindled until... I was alone..."
Mashu's voice broke as tears soon fell out of her eyes, and she cast her head down in shame at appearing so vulnerable in front of Gudao. Even so, she worked up the nerve to say:
"I learned not to expect anyone to be around for long."
Silence hung in the air again, and Mashu could only wonder what the boy thought of her so far. To her surprise, when Gudao finally broke it...
"You... never had a lasting bond with anybody?"
His words were so gentle, so full of sympathy, it felt like he was sharing her pain. It gave Mashu the resolve to continue her story, so she wiped her tears and continued.
"I... always had with my caretaker, even though it didn't feel quite the same as playing with other kids. Whenever I had a nightmare or injured myself, he was always there for me. He said I could call him "dad" if I wanted."
Turning back to face Gudao, Mashu could see the look of realization on the boy's face.
"Your caretaker was-"
"Doctor Roman, yes," Mashu confirmed for him with a nod. "He was the one person I could turn to whenever I was scared, or when the loneliness became too much."
Gudao looked away briefly, seeming unsure about what to ask next.
"So, what happened after...?
He trails off nervously, and Mashu could tell that he was doing so out of consideration for her.
"One day," she starts again. "I met Director Olga for the first time. She said that I will be living in the facility with her and Doctor Roman from then on. With most of Chaldea open to me, I would never set foot in the playroom again or those quarters again. I was so excited I thought I would see the other children again, figuring they must have been let out at some point too..."
Mashu's face fell after she had said that, telegraphing to Gudao that it was NOT what ended up happening. Mashu was partially glad that she did not need to say so explicitly, but still, sorrow seeped into her voice again as-
"I would later learn that they all had... "medical complications." That was all they would tell me..."
Gudao appeared lost for words. Mashu was expecting nothing but silence when-
"I'm sorry..." Gudao's apology surprised Mashu, especially from hearing how sincere it sounded coming from the boy. The lavender-haired girl composed herself enough to continue.
"Aside from Olga and Roman continuing to support me, I never felt like I "fit in" with the other people living in Chaldea; the technicians, programmers, nobody. I was the only non-adult allowed to walk around."
Mashu then adds out of levity:
"There were places where I wasn't permitted, and when I "let myself in" let's say... Roman would give me an ear-full afterwards, but he never could stay mad at me. Rules weren't much of a barrier to me..."
To her surprise, Gudao suppressed an amused laugh.
"I know what that's like..." he reveals, prompting Mashu to look at him curiously.
"You do?"
Gudao looks away bashfully.
"I was... quite the rascal myself once. My dad was a very busy man, working on behalf the Mage's Association as an experimental conjurer, looking for new methods of magecraft. My family worked constantly to keep a roof over our heads, and they couldn't make much time for me. So I had to make my own."
The slight embarrassment in his voice turns nostalgic.
"I used to sneak into the museum at night and explore the exhibits at my leisure. It's how I developed an aptitude for history. I never stole anything, yet it was some of the most fun I ever had... until I got caught."
"Mu- seum?" Mashu questions, having never heard of the word before. Judging from Gudao's reaction, it seemed strange to him, as if it was a term that Mashu should know. The lavender-haired girl was feeling a little insecure of herself as Gudao looked at her in confusion.
"Uh, yeah... a museum," he starts, trying his best to explain to her. "You know... a place where they display objects from history and where someone can learn all about the periods of time when they come from?"
"But you can learn all that from a computer..." Mashu told him, not seeing the value of needing to go someplace just to learn about something when you could look it up in seconds. She wished Gudao could see that she truly did not understand what this "museum" was.
Mashu had experiences like this in Chaldea, when she would ask employees about something she overheard; a word or phrase used all the time by other people, and they would look at her like she was a freak or something. She then had to bring her questions to Roman, who happily explained whatever that new term or phrase meant.
Only unlike those unhelpful adults, Gudao was legitimately trying to explain this "museum" to her. His reaction was not quite like those employees who thought she was dumb for asking them anything.
"It's not the same experience. Seeing a dinosaur skeleton or a period suit-of-armor is more amazing than simply reading-" he stops, seeing that he was only adding to Mashu's confusion. "Never mind, I'm getting off topic."
Seeing his distress, Mashu felt that she should apologize.
"Forgive me. I don't know very much of the World beyond the facility... I'm still learning these things from Roman."
Gudao briefly blinked at her in surprise, but he said nothing more about it as he continued his story.
"Anyways... for my mischief, my family had to pay fines for the museum, and it left us in even more dire straits. The expenses were piling up and we were struggling to sustain ourselves."
Mashu notes how Gudao's face turned serious as he was explaining all this to her. She thought she could sense sadness and regret through their connection.
"Worse yet, with my father's projects not satisfying his superiors, the Association threatened to discredit him, and that would have left us with no income. So, my dad was forced to do an experiment that he wasn't prepared for..."
It was Mashu's turn to become astonished as he saw another tear escape Gudao's eye. She understood what had happened before he started explaining:
"I watched my father die in front of me..." Gudao's voice shook with anger as well as sorrow. He cast his head down and clenched his shaking fists. "I was too selfish before to realize that all those days and nights away from us, was all just to support us; so that I could have a future. I blamed myself for what happened, thinking that if I never got in trouble in the first place, my dad would not have taken up such a dangerous project."
Mashu found her heart breaking for the boy, knowing very well how hard it was for Gudao to reveal all of this to her. Hearing his shame made Mashu realize why Gudao is the way he is; why he puts his sister's needs far ahead of his own, and why he did not hesitate to go to Mashu's aid when the explosion occurred in Chaldea.
This was someone who seemed convinced that his selfishness leads to the people around him getting hurt...
"Members of the Mage's Association came to his funeral," said Gudao. "They offered compensation and a chance for us to move to London. But there was a catch; the Association would acknowledge dad's death as a suicide rather than an accident. That meant it would absolve the Mage's Association of any responsibility on their part, preserving their image as infallible. I was angry and bitter at them... and to myself. I shut myself off from everybody, hardly ever speaking to my mom."
Mashu was experiencing the powerful emotions Gudao was feeling in that moment, and she too felt Gudao's family was dealt a great injustice. However, she felt it unfair for Gudao to blame himself for his father's passing so harshly. It was not like he could have known what would happen.
But she was left wondering; what had changed? Gudao did not seem at all like an angry person to her.
"That anger stewed until I met Gabby," Gudao's voice relaxed slightly. "My mother and her father were dating for months before we finally came face to face. I found her annoying at first, but we eventually got along after discovering this love of history we both had amongst... other interests. My anger turned to resolve, and I found myself wanting to become a mage so I could truly make a positive difference in magus society, so what happened with my father will never happen to anyone again."
Mashu's gaze was fixated on Gudao, feeling that newfound resolve replacing the anger and sorrow that he was feeling before. It felt weirdly intimate for Mashu to be connected to him like this; Master and Servant.
And how could she not commend Gabrielle for saving Gudao from going down a self-destructive path? Mashu was sure that was why Gudao cares so much for her.
"Me and Gabby studied at the Clock Tower. We worked together to pass our courses, much to the chagrin of our peers. After our finals, Olga interviewed us and made us a once in a lifetime offer. That's how we ended up in Chaldea..."
Mashu smiled, as that led to her meeting Gudao and Gabrielle. The siblings knew how to bring out the best in each other and wanted to prove that they could conquer anything together. Despite her sympathy for all that had happened to him, Mashu was silently thankful to Olga for having met them. It was truly extraordinary that the Director of Chaldea saw fit to recruit such remarkable individuals. Mashu knew Olga enough to know that as abrasive as the Animusphere heir was, she could see people for their merit, and Gudao and Gabrielle had so much.
"The ironic thing is," Gudao's words snapped Mashu's attention, and he turns to look at her before gesturing to the environment around them. "Now that all THIS is happening, I'm left wondering just what in the World me and Gabby have gotten ourselves into."
There was no fear besides the reserved anxiety in his voice. It seemed that whatever he was feeling before Mashu joined him seemed to have gone away for the most part. The lavender-haired girl felt the need to keep this positive streak going.
"You know..." Mashu starts suggestively. "I heard Olga talking about the Prime Candidates in recent days. Apparently, some of the high-level employees were gossiping about two outliers on the roster, a boy and girl with no pedigree, and Olga told them off... adamantly. It must have been about you and Gabrielle-Senpai..."
Mashu smiles as Gudao lets out an exasperated sigh.
"Ugh... I'm not surprised they were making fun of us. Me and Gabby felt like ants compared to all the other masters we saw this morning."
Mashu found his modesty charming, but she really wanted to lift Gudao's spirits as she put a hand on the boy's shoulder, surprising him.
"But Olga believes in you two," she said resolutely, stunning Gudao. "She would not have taken you and Gabrielle on if she didn't. I think she not only wanted to keep Gabby safe, but something tells me she would do the same for you, although she might not admit it."
Mashu's little speech amazed Gudao, but he then appeared skeptical as he looked at her in the eyes.
"I don't think you know Olga Marie Animusphere like we do, Mashu. She's kind of a BIG deal where me and Gabby come from..."
Mashu understood what he was trying to say. Although she knew next to nothing about where Gudao and Gabrielle come from, she did know Olga enough to know that the Director was not all she seems most of the time.
"I get she can be... overbearing let's say. But she's always been pretty kind to me even though I don't see her very often. She's distant, but not inconsiderate. I would bet that when it comes to the remaining two Prime Candidates, she would put your lives ahead of her own."
She finally removed her hand when Gudao's face changed from skepticism to being inclined to believe Mashu's words. He then said amusingly:
"So, she's just essentially the "I care, but I won't let you know it" type? Sounds like a tsundere..."
Mashu blinked at him in confusion.
"A tsun- what?"
Unlike last time, Gudao was not caught off-guard as he explained to her lightheartedly:
"Oh, it's a word in Japanese for a certain kind of girl."
His answer was short, but Mashu understood clearly. She wondered...
"I see... then what am I?"
Gudao was slightly surprised at that, even Mashu herself who may have asked a bit too... "insistently" than she intended. A blush appeared on the lavender-haired girl's face as Gudao took a moment to seriously think about it.
"Hmmm... I'd say mostly dandere..."
Gudao had said that pretty confidently, even giving Mashu a smile that only deepened her blush.
"Is that... good?" she found herself asking nervously, but Gudao's smile only grew as he said with the utmost sincerity:
"The best."
His answer made Mashu's shyness fade almost instantly, leaving her feeling flattered like she had received a compliment.
"Thank you..." she said contently before asking, "Are you feeling better?"
"Much better..." Gudao answers. "I just have to believe that we can get through this. I mean, I already have a Servant apparently; one that can kick serious ass... I shouldn't be worried at all."
Mashu admired Gudao's newfound confidence, but she was not feeling it herself as she tapped her fingers together awkwardly.
"Err... about that, Senpai..."
Gudao's smile faded as he looked at Mashu with worry.
"What?"
"I..." she starts hesitantly before gesturing to herself, or rather, her battle-attire. "I don't know enough about this..."
"What do you mean?" Gudao asks. "I've seen you bulldoze through those skele-things. You seemed to know what you were doing..."
Mashu got why Gudao saw no reason to think that she could not hold her own, considering the feats she displayed earlier. But the truth was, Mashu does not understand her powers, having never even known she even had this potential her whole life.
Stretching out her hand, Mashu summons her shield with just one thought. Looking at the weapon, having never seen anything like it, she was just as confused as she was before as to how she could wield this implement to devastating effect. Having no answers as to why exactly that was, Mashu shared her doubts to Gudao...
"Senpai..." she said as she looked at the boy dead in the eye. "Believe me when I say... that I've never harmed anybody, or anyTHING in my life. That whole thing just sort have... happened."
Hearing this left Gudao baffled.
"So, you mean to tell me that you know how to use that shield, despite never using it before?"
"Pretty much..." Mashu answers while racking her brain to recall what happened when she and Gudao rayshifted. "
It was slowly coming back to her as she stared at her shield...
"When we went through the rift, I saw someone; someone who looked like me. He asked me if I wanted to protect you, and I said that I did, with all my being. When the skeletons closed in while you were unconscious, the next thing I knew, my legs were healed... and I was like THIS..."
Mashu dissipates the shield into a mist of mana, then holding up her hands in front of her face and recalling how much stronger and faster she was as well as Gudao bearing her Command Seals. She closed her hands, lost for as to why she has these abilities, or if she had these all along.
If she could do more... Mashu had not the slightest idea...
"My body just moved on its own... I can't explain further."
Mashu made her disappointment in herself apparent to Gudao.
"So, what you are meaning to say," Gudao starts cautiously. "You don't know what else you can do until...?"
"Until I actually "do it," yes..." Mashu finished for him, knowing the predicament this puts them in. "I don't blame you if you're still anxious or scared, Senpai. We will be going up against four Servants who aren't going to wait for me to figure out all my abilities. We'll be learning as we go..."
Despite her own apprehension however, Mashu knew that she and Gudao could not afford to be doubting themselves.
"Don't worry, Gudao-Senpai," she says before standing up, and stating resolutely, "As your Servant, I'll fight as hard as I can to protect you, and I'll make sure you see Gabby again. We'll be a team... no need to keep anything from each other, okay?"
Seeing Mashu's resolve, Gudao takes her example, holding up his hand which held her Command Seals.
"You're right. I'll do my best to support you as your Master, Mashu." Then with a grin, he adds, "Or should I say... Shielder?"
Mashu smiles confidently at Gudao using her Servant-Class Name. They both knew that the two of them were not simply Master and Servant, but also something Mashu found that she had always wanted: People around not just to care of her, but people she could see as her equals.
Friends...
What friends Mashu had when she was younger were gone far too soon. She wanted to keep the people she cares about close and dear to her. Thanks to Gudao and Gabrielle, Mashu found herself believing that she was given these Servant powers for that very purpose.
To protect her friends...
With her confidence renewed, she offers her hand for Gudao to help stand up with.
"Sounds great," she said cheekily as Gudao got on his feet. "But I think I prefer "Mashu" better. It sounds gratifying coming from you, Senpai."
When Gudao gave her a coy look, Mashu stiffened as her blush returned in full, realizing what she just inferred. She tries desperately to clear up the misunderstanding.
"Wait! I didn't mean like-!" she stops when it sunk in that the damage had been done, and now she seemed depraved in Gudao's eyes. She buries her face in her hands and returns to the campfire saying, "Oh, why did I say it like that?!"
Gudao watches in astonishment as Mashu hurried off in an attempt to hide her embarrassment. Mashu could have sworn he heard the boy remark:
"Yup... you're definitely a dandere..."
[After the debacle was cleared up, Mashu and Gudao turned back in for much needed rest. Unknown to them, Olga Marie Animusphere had been awake listening to their interaction, her face appearing conflicted as she soon got up herself after Mashu and Gudao had fallen asleep]
Present
Mashu fell backwards in her bed, reminded of the moment she and Gudao shared in that singularity; when from that point on they would have the utmost trust in each other and themselves. She did not understand why now of all times she and Gudao have not been following it when that trust has helped them through every hardship up until now. Without it, Mashu felt the connection between her and her masters slipping further and further away... like she was losing friends...
Was there something wrong with her? Does Gudao not see Mashu as someone to confide in anymore?
Going through all the possibilities in her mind was slowly breaking Mashu's heart. She did not this rift growing between her and Gudao.
Not when there were rifts between her fellow Servants already...
Mashu was feeling just as alone as the day when there were no kids waiting to play with her all those years ago. She felt helpless and began to cry until Fou jumped on top of her.
"Kyu?" The creature looked at her with sympathy. Mashu affectionately pets Fou, rubbing under its chin.
"I don't know what to do, Fou..." she says to it with a sniffle. "Gudao isn't letting me in..."
"Fou..." the creature mused sadly. Mashu then said to it:
"I thought me and him had something special..."
"Fou!" the creature suddenly exclaimed and rubbed hard against Mashu's chin, and she found it irritating, distracting her from her sorrow.
"Hey!" Mashu said in surprise. She grabbed Fou and held it in midair, which made it calm down. Mashu looked at Fou in surprise, noticing the way it was looking at her like she should have known better. "Eh? You think we still do?"
"Kyu...!" the creature "replies" as Mashu sets it back down on top of her.
"Is that a yes?" she asks, only for Fou to walk up and lick her chin before returning to its original position, which was right between Mashu's breasts weirdly enough.
"Well..." Mashu starts thoughtfully, her lingering doubt from earlier receding gradually. "I know Gudao holds his pain so as not to hurt others... I just wish he would let me help him..."
"Fou..." the creature flailed its paws at her, and Mashu took that as a sign to not give up on Gudao.
"I guess I should keep trying..." she said resolutely. "If he is my friend, I should help him regardless of if he wants my help or not!"
"Fou!" The creature made a hop on top of Mashu, almost in rebuttal. The lavender-haired girl found her mood lifted miraculously by her little interaction from her little furry friend, moved by its "words (?)" of encouragement.
"(giggle) But don't worry, Fou. You'll always be very special to me..." Mashu assures the creature by rubbing it affectionately. Fou stretches and rolls on top of Mashu contently, enjoying the treatment it was getting from the reinvigorated Demi-Servant.
"K-yu!"
Mashu continued playing with her furry friend until sleep finally beckoned her. With Fou lying right up against her as she settled in bed, Mashu eventually fell asleep, cautiously optimistic that she and Gudao can get back to nurturing the bond they shared again.