Author's Notes: Well, it has really been a long time, but here is the overhaul of the very first chapter of 'The Strength of Bonds'.
I know it seemed like I abandoned this story, but I definitely did not. I've redone this first chapter at least fifteen or sixteen times within just the past two months. Even if it seemed okay, I would rewrite it because it didn't feel right. Before I broke my hand, I had rewritten this chapter at least ten to twenty times, and when I broke my hand, I had a lot of time to brainstorm and come up with new ideas and directions for the story. My hand used to ache a lot before, or whenever, it would rain, so that also kept me down for a bit, but I have had more than enough time to recover. By the time this has replaced the original chapter 1, I'll have started working on overhaul chapter 2. The overhauled chapter 2(part 2 of the prologue) should be done in about two or three days at least, or a week at most.
What stayed after the overhaul (even if it was never originally introduced):
-Personae, Persona Fusion and the Compendium
-Social Links
-Character Status (Tired, Sick, Good, Great)
-Social Status (Academics, Charm, Courage and Understanding)
-Ryuujin (now with double u's instead of that single line over the u)
-Enemies and Bosses from Persona 3 and 4(they now play vastly different roles than I originally planned)
What is now gone (even if it was never originally introduced):
-Fusion Spells
-The old plot
What's new? Well…this stuff:
-New plot
-New skill set for Ryuujin, and a new look
-Slower pacing, like the actual Persona games
-New format for flashbacks
-Shinji still looks weak, but is much stronger than he appears to be
-Shinji is much more aggressive
-Shinji's childhood is also different
And the most important change is...
-Shinji isn't as dense! Not exactly an #asskickerShinji, nor is he normal #wimpyShinji, this version of Shinji, after being raised by Mitsuru and Akihiko Kirijo, is somewhere in a comfortable middle between the two. He's definitely not wimpy, but he's still rather weak compared to fighters like Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Jason Statham, Bruce Wayne (nananananananana BATMAN!), Jotaro, Kenshiro, Suzaku Kururugi or Chuck Norris.
Well, that about covers it at the moment.
Now, let's get to the more important part: figuring out what is what!
A single sentence, or several sentences in a paragraph or section usually signify thoughts or a fragment of a memory.
An entire section in italics is a flashback.
Whatever is not italicized is, well, normal stuff and talking.
Persona thoughts, a persona speaking or a shadow self speaking will not be covered in this chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion or Persona 3 and 4. They belong to Gainax and Atlus, respectively.
Prologue Part 1 – As Fate Would Have It
September 2nd, 2005
A woman in a pink shirt, pink pajamas and white lab coat patted the head of the child next to her. A pair of little, dark blue eyes stared directly at her sapphire blue eyes, and the woman could see into the depths of the child's soul. There, she saw mostly curiosity and happiness, which was commonplace for children. She smiled at the child gently and pointed up to the stars. "Shinji, do you see all those stars up there?" The boy looked up at the sky, nodding without even turning to look at her. "One day, you'll be there, amongst those stars."
"Will I really be out there, mommy?" The child's mother giggled a bit, and then her mood darkened. "It's a possibility, sweetheart." Her train of thought followed the same path as her dark mood. One day, a threat greater than the angels would appear. Her son and several others would risk their lives to deal with this new threat, and one would even give up their soul to end the conflict. Yui Ikari hoped that her little one would not be forced to risk his life as he fought a war on two fronts. However, she knew that no matter how much she hoped for the best, it was inevitable that the creatures of the dark would come once more.
Present Time, Tokyo-3
September 2nd, 2015
"So, you want me to pilot the thing that killed my mother, don't you?" said the young man as he glared at the figure standing in the dark a few dozen feet away from him. "Why would I bother piloting a monstrosity that killed my mother?" The figure was about to speak until the young man spoke up once more. "Also, another thing that really bothers me is the fact that you expect an untrained civilian who has no prior training to combat what is the equivalent of an alien invader. You know, this would have gone better if you had told me two weeks, or even two months, in advance."
The figure slowly stepped into the light as he spoke. "Make a decision." He received a smirk in response. "What if I refuse?" Silence, for a moment, and a coldhearted reply was the answer he received. "If you refuse to pilot, leave and never come back. Cowards are not wanted or needed here." In the blink of an eye, the young man closed the distance between himself and the figure, delivering a devastating punch to the face. "You're right, you know. There is no room for cowards here. I suppose you should be leaving then, Rokubungi. You're a disgrace as a man and failure as a father the way you are now. Mother would be so disappointed in you." Gendo Ikari, formerly Gendo Rokubungi, grabbed the young man by his shirt collar and gave him a look filled with anger and hatred. "You have no right to say such things, you brat." To Gendo's surprise, he received another punch to the face followed by a roundhouse kick that shattered his orange-tinted sunglasses and broke his nose. The other people in the area, a blonde in a lab coat and the purplenette who had escorted the young man, stared in shock as their commander got his ass whooped by a fourteen-year old who looked extremely scrawny.
A group of men in black rushed into the area, the Evangelion cages as the young man recalled, with their guns at the ready and aimed at him. The purplenette started shouting at the armed men. "Stand down, idiots! That's the Third Child you're pointing those rifles at!" A chuckle escaped the young man's lips as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his own gun and pointed it at his head. "I suggest you put those rifles down before I blow my head off." There was a moment of hesitation, but that ended when he put his finger to the trigger. "I'm serious. Drop the guns. Ignore my warning and I won't even consider helping you guys. I'll leave you with a corpse instead."
In a distant corner of NERV nearby the cages, a black liquid began to leak from one of the pipes. At first, it was drop by drop. However, the pipe continued to open up more, and that small area became submerged in darkness and sharp, red slits for eyes. In less than five minutes, an army had been created. It started with one, and soon after, one became two. Two became four, and they continued to divide themselves until they numbered over sixty-five thousand in total. They did not stop, however, and continued to multiply while a group of twenty moved in on their prey: a small group of humans and one with the potential.
"You would actually pull the trigger to get out of this situation?" asked the blonde, whom the young man knew was Ritsuko Akagi, head of Project E. As she expected, he shrugged, a calm expression on his face. "Of course, and there's no changing my mind." No one, not even Gendo, expected a piece of ceiling to come plummeting down moments later, and with that gigantic piece of rubble came a horde of creatures that all, save for one, recognized. "It's just like Mitsuru-nee and Aki-nii predicted." Gendo glared at him. "What do you know of these odd creatures, Shinji?" Shinji, however, was too busy thinking back to when his cousin (and legal guardian), Mitsuru Kirijo handed him the weapon he was currently pointing at his head.
Two years ago
"Why are you giving me a gun, Mitsuru-nee?" The redhead gave him a sad smile as she stare at the gun, dozens of memories flooding her head. "It isn't really a gun. Do you remember that creature I showed you? That was a shadow, and this is known as an evoker. It's used to summon a tamed version of a shadow that resides in you, which we call a persona. This evoker…is special to me and the rest of S.E.E.S. It belonged to one Minato Arisato, who led our group in combat and gave up his life to seal away the Night Queen, Nyx." Shinji couldn't help but look at the evoker in a somber manner. "I'll do my best to honor Arisato-san, onee-san." She nodded and tossed the evoker's holster at him. "If you happen to come across shadows during your stay in Tokyo-3, point it at your head and pull the trigger. Once you hear the sound of shattering glass when no glass has shattered, everything will be okay."
And so, the shadows crawled quickly, heavily injuring three of the armed men while killing the rest. Bodies burned, were sliced to bits by hurricane like winds, shocked and turned into blocks of ice, and the three who had survived with heavy injuries were suffering due to broken bones, blood loss or impalement. Shinji, still pointing the evoker at his head, recalled what Akihiko (or Aki-nii, as he preferred to be called) said. "Get stronger, kiddo, so you can protect those you hold dear." A gentle hold on the trigger forced it back a tiny bit. "Per." The trigger moved back a little farther, nearing the point where it would go off. "So." The purplenette looked on in horror, thinking he was about to commit suicide. "Na." The evoker went off, and Shinji heard the sound of shattering glass. Behind him, a figure began to manifest, surrounding itself and Shinji with waves of energy.
And the battle to save mankind from itself began once again.
Preview of: Prologue Part 2
"What the hell was that?"
"That's scientifically impossible, you know."
"Evangelion-01 has engaged the target!"
"Somebody save my little sister! Please!"
"Save those two damn it!"
"THANATOS!"
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"
Next Chapter: Prologue Part 2 – A Frosty Spring Night
Chapter End Notes: Well, this was way overdue for many reasons, but enough of that. I'm glad I was finally able to finish this first chapter up, since it makes typing up the second chapter much much easier. I'm already working on that second chapter, if anyone is asking. If anyone has a questions about specific parts of the fic, or about the fic in general, let me know in a review or a pm.
Now, let me go over Shinji's stats when he starts taking classes in Tokyo-3, and the month after that (which will be chapters 2 through 4 or 5 and cover the battles with Sachiel, Shamsel and Ramiel, with a tiny bit of the Gaghiel battle). His stats will be updated after every chapter, and starting with the second half of the prologue, his persona will have a name. For now, it is unnamed, but for those who have read the story at least once, they know its name.
Shinji Ikari:
Persona: ?
-Current Moves: N/A
Social Links: Mitsuru Kirijo (Empress), Akihiko Sanada (Emperor), ? (Lovers), ? (Justice)
Social Status:
-Smart (Academics Rank 4 – Persona 3)/Informed (Knowledge Rank 2 – Persona 4)
-Determined (Courage Rank 3 – Persona 3)/Reliable (Courage Rank 2 – Persona 4)
-Kind (Understanding Rank 2)
-Confident (Charm Rank 3)
Anyway, if anyone is still reading this, I apologize for an extremely late and overdue update, and I hope you're excited for the second half of the prologue.
Whether you liked it or hated it, please leave a you.
TheAnimeFan0919