Songs in the Void: A Multiversal Score

Hub World, Earth, Japan, Tokyo. 

{[Dimensional Chat] 

===Black Holy Grail changed nickname to Sakura=== 

===Wizard Marshall changed nickname to Zelretch=== 

Lici: No, not yet 

Lici: What about you? 

Tatsuo (Admin): No, I still haven't drawn my reward, either 

James: What are you two waiting for? 

James: Just check the damn rewards already 

James: The anticipation is killing me 

Zelretch: I must admit, I'm rather curious as well 

Alfonzo: Go on, do it 

Tatsuo (Admin): Fine 

Tatsuo (Admin): You all are more excited about this than I am 

Lici: I'll do it, too} 

Still in the shower, Tatsuo enjoyed the feeling of the hot water running down his body for a moment. Then, he mentally navigated away from the [Dimensional Chat] and opened the [Missions] tab before choosing to receive his reward for the completed [Mission]. 

{[Notifications] 

Congratulations! You have successfully completed the [Mission]! 

Your rewards will be distributed momentarily. 

Please wait...} 

While waiting, Tatsuo pulled his wash cloth off the shower rack and picked up a bar of soap before starting to create a lather. 

"But seriously, how the hell did Zelretch end up in the chat?" Tatsuo asked himself as he started to wash. "We'll have to make him tell us after we finish with the rewards. I just hope the explanation doesn't take too long. Mom and the others might get impatient." 

{[Notifications] 

Rewards have been distributed. 

-Obtained 8,000 Coins 

-Obtained 1 Random Reward Draw. 

-Would you like to start the lottery? Y/N} 

Tatsuo commanded the lottery to begin mentally while continuing his shower. 

{[Notifications] 

Beginning lottery spin. Please wait...} 

While waiting for the lottery to finish, Tatsuo finished washing himself, rinsed off the soap, and stepped out of the shower. Then, he pulled a towel off the rack and started drying himself off. 

"I wonder what I'm gonna get this time." Tatsuo asked himself as he walked back into his bedroom. "Well, I guess I'll find out soon." 

And just as if it were waiting for him to say that, the [Notification] sounded in his mind. 

{[Notification] 

Reward Chosen! 

-Obtained [Passive Skill], [Riding – A+]} 

"Well, that was a bit underwhelming." Tatsuo muttered as he threw his towel onto the bed. He then stepped into his closet to choose an outfit to wear as he continued. "Well, you can't win 'em all, I guess. I'll just tell everyone else what I got before going to the living room to talk to the others." 

{[Dimensional Chat] 

Tatsuo (Admin): I got Riding – A+ 

Zelretch: Oh, now you really could qualify as a servant in every one of the common classes, huh? 

Tatsuo (Admin): I guess 

James: At least you didn't get some kind of cheat skill again 

James: The End is still bullshit 

Alfonzo: agreed 

Alfonzo: Lici, did you get yours yet? 

Lici: Yeah 

Lici: I got [Armament Haki] 

Lici: This is gonna be totally awesome 

Lici: I can hit the intangible now 

Tatsuo (Admin): I wonder if it will work on me 

Tatsuo (Admin): My intangibility is a little different 

Tatsuo (Admin): I kinda shift into another dimension, you know 

Alfonzo: Like Kamui? 

Alfonzo: Bullshit 

James: +1 

Violet: What's Kamui? 

Akatsuki: Yeah, someone explain 

Tatsuo (Admin): I'll leave that to Lici 

Tatsuo (Admin): She saw it in action, after all 

Tatsuo (Admin): Oh, and speaking of Lici... 

Lici: Tatsuo, don't you dare 

===Tatsuo (Admin) sent file: Lici_Powerup_Sequence.mp4=== 

Tatsuo (Admin): Well, I'll see you guys later 

Tatsuo (Admin): My family is waiting to hear about the mission 

Lici: Tatsuo! You'll pay for this!} 

After seeing Elicia's reply, Tatsuo smiled as he finished getting dressed. Then, with a little extra pep in his step, he walked out of his bedroom wearing a loose t-shirt and a pair of shorts. 

"Okay, I'm back." Tatsuo said happily as he entered the living room. 

"Good, come sit next to your Mai-Nee." Mai said with a wide smile on her face as she patted the couch cushion right next to her. 

Taking Mai's invitation, Tatsuo made his way to the seat between her and Kasumi before plopping down comfortably. Then, just as he expected, Mai smiled even brighter as she wrapped her arms around his and laid her head on his shoulder. 

"So, tell us about your trip." Sumire said while focusing intently on her son. 

"Hold on." Ayane said, raising a hand as a signal to stop. "How could you have actually taken a trip anywhere? I mean, you haven't even been gone that long. Like, did you just pop over and come back?" 

"Oh, I guess she doesn't know the details yet, huh?" Tatsuo muttered to himself. "Yeah, she did come after my last [Mission]." 

"Stop talking to yourself and just explain." Ayane said impatiently. 

"Well, on some of my trips, time stops here when I leave." Tatsuo replied with a shrug. "So, it makes sense that you wouldn't realize I was gone until Mom and Mai made a fuss." 

"Bull---" Ayane began to say. 

"It's true." Sumire said, interjecting before Ayane could finish her expletive. "Unfortunately, I have no tangible way of proving it to you." 

"How is that possible?" Ayane asked incredulously. She then turned to look at Tatsuo and asked another question. "And how long were you gone? If you were gone long enough, you should look like you aged, even a little bit." 

"My body reverts back to the state when I left whenever time stops." Tatsuo replied with a shrug of his shoulders. "It's one of the most painful experiences I've ever had, too. But I do keep any growth I made while I was gone. Still never feels like it's worth it, though." 

Although she had about a thousand more questions after hearing the explanation, Ayane did not know where to start. So, she simply took what Tatsuo said at face value and moved on. Thinking too hard about things she did not understand in the slightest would not do her any good, anyway. 

"Alright, since it looks like all the questions are over, I'll get started.' Tatsuo said with a smile. "This time, I was thrust into some kind of magical ritual between seven Magi and their Servants. Oh, and I was somehow turned into one of these Servants, a historical figure from the past..." 

With that as the beginning, Tatsuo told the story of his time in the TYPE-MOON Universe. He told them everything from when he woke up in the Throne of Heroes, to how he was summoned by Elicia, to how he saved Bazett from Kotomine Kirei, and all the people he interacted with and battles he fought during the month he spent in that world. 

"Then, after my dragon side was finally under control, I finished the fight with Saber, who was actually King Arthur, and won the Holy Grail War." Tatsuo said, his story winding down. "Then, we used the energy in the Grail to help a girl regain the life force she lost when she was experimented on by her family and brought to of the defeated Servants back to stay with their Masters from the Grail War." 

"That was very kind, Tatsuo-Kun." Kasumi said with a gentle smile. 

"It really was." Sumire added with a proud smile and a nod. "Tatsu-Chan, Mommy is so proud of you." 

However, as soon as she finished speaking, Sumire's expression changed completely. Now, instead of a proud smile, she was staring at Tatsuo with her eyes narrowed. 

"But more important than that, I need to give you an examination." Sumire continued. "Especially after what you said about your dragon half. We need to make sure that the two sides have integrated properly. Otherwise, you could lose control of yourself in certain situations." 

"I figured you'd say something like that." Tatsuo replied with another shrug. "Well, let's just get it out of the way. It's kinda late and you said we had stuff to do tomorrow, right?" 

"That's right." Sumire replied, her smile returning quickly. "Tomorrow is your first day of Spring Break. And we've got a lot to do. For one, we should go and look at the lot I chose for our new house. Also, we need to head to my record company to make a few arrangements for your album and public appearances, too." 

"Okay." Tatsuo replied simply as he pulled his arm out of Mai's grasp, eliciting a whine and a pout from the needy kunoichi. "Let's get it over with, then." 

With that, Tatsuo stood up and started walking towards Sumire's bedroom. Sumire stood up shortly afterwards and followed him with her usual smile on her face. 

Meanwhile, Mai, Kasumi, Tio, and Ayane were left in the living room, watching the mother and son leave the room. Then, when the two could no longer be seen, they turned to each other. 

"Is it just me..." Kasumi said in a contemplative tone. "Or does Tatsuo-Kun seem a little different? Freer...?" 

"I wouldn't say freer, per se." Mai said, sounding much more serious than usual. "More like his emotions aren't so muddled." 

"It's probably because his dragon aspect isn't conflicting with him as much." Tio added. "But I have no way of knowing for sure. I haven't known him for even half a year yet." 

"Actually, none of us have known him for more than a year yet." Kasumi said. "Sumire-Sama only rescued him from DOATECH in July of last year." 

"That's true." Mai replied with a nod. "But every time he goes on one of these trips that stop time, he comes back showing more emotion. The first time, he unlocked the ability to use [Energy]. The second time, he tapped into his dragon form for the first time. And this time, he had an actual confrontation with his dragon side, which is weird in itself. "Even so, I think Tio is right." 

Mai received nods from both Kasumi and Tio in response to her conjecture. Ayane did not react much, though. She neither knew Tatsuo long enough to have much of an impression of how he had been, nor did she have enough of a bond to care all that much. Though, she would admit that hearing him call her Nee-Chan was nice. Especially since she was the youngest of her siblings. 

However, the serious atmosphere was broken almost immediately after Mai finished speaking. And it was broken by Mai herself as she wrapped her arms around herself and started writhing happily. 

"I love~~~~ it!" Mai cried emotionally. "Tatsu-Kun is so much cuter now that his smile isn't so fake and guarded. Ooh~! I just wanna eat him right up. Then, I'll get pregnant, and we'll get married!" 

*Sigh!* x 2 

Hearing Mai slip into her usual attitude, Kasumi and Ayane sighed while Tio only smiled gracefully as she raised an arm to cover her smile with her folding fan. Then, Kasumi, Tio, and Ayane exchanged glances before standing up simultaneously. 

"Hey, Tio, wanna go downstairs and spar for a little bit?" Ayane asked as she started walking towards the elevator. "After all this commotion, I'm not really tired. So, I wanna burn off some energy." 

"I don't mind." Tio replied as she followed Ayane towards the elevator. "Perhaps a bit of pain... *Cough* sweat would help me wind down for bed, as well." 

Ayane could only roll her eyes at Tio's slip of the tongue. Her only solace being the fact that Tio only really gets out of hand when Tatsuo is the one inflicting pain on her. 

Meanwhile, Kasumi also stood up. However, instead of heading towards the elevator, she made her way towards the bedroom she shared with Ayane for now. 

"Well, you two have fun.' Kasumi said softly. "I'm going to work on the homework that was assigned over the break. It's best to get it out of the way early, after all.' 

With that, Mai was left to her own devices in the living room. And she eventually toppled over onto the couch while continuing to writhe in fantasy land. 

Meanwhile, Tatsuo and Sumire had arrived in Sumire's bedroom. And Tatsuo, now topless, was lying face down on Sumire's bed with Sumire sitting on his lower back while her hands, covered in her own royal purple [Energy], were placed on his back. 

'Hmm... It looks like the two previously separated parts of his soul have fused... mostly.' Sumire thought to herself while examining the seal on Tatsuo's soul. 'Unfortunately, the Dragon Aspect he inherited from my main body is still too strong. In fact, that's the reason why he lost control while fighting Artoria. But with that outburst, it looks like the two halves have integrated almost completely. Yet, there is still a bit that is resisting. I should probably as Tatsu-Chan about the encounter in detail.' 

"Okay." Sumire said after ending her examination and patting Tatsuo on the back. Though, she did not move from the spot on his lower back where she was sitting. "Everything looks good for now. But can you tell me about your conversation with your other half?" 

After saying that, Sumire laid down on Tatsuo's back. Then, she started playing with is ponytail with a contented expression on her face. Meanwhile, Tatsuo could only smile awkwardly at his mother's clinginess. 

"Well, there isn't much to tell." Tatsuo replied with a shrug. "I was fighting Saber, and I didn't have the upper hand. Then, she started using [Mana Burst], a skill that increases her parameters with the use of mana. A pretty nice technique, actually. I even managed to learn it from watching her. Anyway... When she started using that, I was getting frustrated because I couldn't get the timing to counterattack right. I think she was varying the level of amplification so my timing would be off." 

"Well, that's what I would do, too." Sumire said while nodding her head against Tatsuo's back. 

"Yeah, so would I." Tatsuo replied. "Anyway, as I got more and more frustrated, I heard a voice telling me to stop holding back and just crush her with overwhelming force. But I ignored it at first. However, as time went by, I found myself losing my tactical thinking. Then, before I knew it, it was like I was watching the fight from my own point of view... But I was no longer in control. And big surprise, I was beaten like I stole something when I fought such an accomplished swordsman without any strategy." 

"But you won the fight in the end." Sumire said calmly. 

"Yeah." Tatsuo said with a nod. "While I was on the ground, I was finally able to communicate with my other side. And it eventually listened to what I had to say. But it said that if I ever ended up like that again, it would take over my body and destroy my psyche to take over my body forever." 

"I see." Sumire said as she once again sat up. She then continued after climbing off of his back. "Wel then, you know the best way to make sure that doesn't happen, right?" 

"I guess you're gonna say training." Tatsuo said as he rolled over before sitting up. 

"That's right!" Sumire cheered as she jumped to her feet on the floor. "My Tatsu-Chan is so smart." 

"It's not like it wasn't completely obvious." Tatsuo muttered under his breath. 

"Anyway, like I said, we've got things to do tomorrow." Sumire said, completely ignoring Tatsuo's muttering, despite the fact that she could hear him perfectly. "So, you should go get some rest. We'll start your training tomorrow night after we get back home." 

"Okay." Tatsuo replied while swinging his legs over the side of the bed. "Well then, I'll see you tomorrow. Good night, Mom." 

"Good night, Tatsu-Chan." Sumire said as she leaned in and gave Tatsuo a kiss on the cheek. 

After that, Tatsuo stood up and left the room. However, he came to a stop when he reached the living room and stared at Mai, who was still lost in La-La Land. Then, he shook his head and decided to ignore her before heading to his room. 

Meanwhile, Sumire sat on her bed and closed her eyes. 

'I guess it's about time that he met his real mother.' Sumire thought to herself. 'And based on the story, I think it's time we started adding restrictions to the [Missions]. Other than his fight with Saber, Tatsu-Chan did not have much room to grow during the Holy Grail War.'