"I want us to be together."
- Kasumi Yashiro
Walking out of the hospital tent and into the sunlight, Yui spotted Izumi sitting in the grass outside. The girl had her knees up to her chin and was silently overlooking the ruined capital through her glasses, deep in secluded thought. She turned her head only when Yui quietly took a seat beside her.
"Is Kazusa going to be okay?"
Yui offered her a friendly smile.
"She'll be fine. She's still a little spooked over those Tanks almost getting her and she'll be out until her arm heals, but you know how she is. She'll be the same stubborn bitch when she gets back."
They both gazed toward the devastation below while they continued talking.
"So what are you thinking about doing, Izumi? It's not very often you have someone from the Shogun family apologizing to you and offering you an honorable discharge if you think this is too much for you. Do you still want out?"
"No. Not now. I want to make sure things like Kyushu and Kyoto never happen again."
Izumi stared at the remains of the city for a few more moments, then shifted her attention toward her palm. Her thumb traced over the portrait in her pendant.
"It's just, I'm not sure being in the Royal Guard is the best way to do it. No offense, but I don't want to just sit in some royal palace until the BETA are at the front door. I want to be out there helping on the frontlines. I want to hit them where it hurts before they even have a chance to do something like this."
"You're thinking about enrolling in one of the UN academies."
Yui always had a knack for catching on to what she was trying to say. Izumi sighed as she glanced back toward the city.
"I'm not sure if I should really do it, though. The Notos aren't exactly one of the most famous samurai families, but I still have a duty to follow since I'm one of them. Yuuhi needs me here."
"She'll support your decision either way, Izumi. She knows how brave you are for still wanting to have anything to do with the war after what happened to the rest of the team. She considers protecting the rest of the world to be just as noble as protecting Japan."
Izumi stopped to think to herself. She then curiously turned toward Yui.
"What are you going to do?"
"I'm going stick around in the Guard. I don't want to walk out when my uncle needs me here and I'm one of the Shogun's direct vassals."
Yui's mouth formed a friendly smirk.
"Besides, Yamashiro will get lonely if I'm not around to help her clean the Zuikakus anymore."
She reverted to a more serious expression before continuing.
"I heard the Commander of the UN base hates anyone she doesn't get to train from the ground up. She'll probably chew you out the moment she finds out you almost finished your Royal Guard classes. Think you can handle it by yourself?"
Izumi answered with a slow but certain nod.
"I think that's what I need right now. You two already have the whole soldier mentality going, but I've been spending all this time goofing around with the other girls. I'll be better off if I start over from scratch, so I can actually take the training seriously this time."
Yui patted her companion's shoulder for support. She had to force herself not to cry, knowing they would never grow up together and this could be the last time they ever talk to each other.
"Good luck, Izumi."
Vice Commander's Notes, 09.17.1998: Began screening new TSF pilot applications. Successful trainees will join Special Task Force A-01 upon graduation.
09.24.1998: Noto, Izumi. A peculiar one. Royal Guard trainee who was smart enough to drop out before I wouldn't want anything to do with her. Not as raw as I would like, but possesses enough key traits to make me curious. Lower end of the age range, lost her boyfriend in the initial BETA invasion, one of the few living eye witnesses to the Kyoto disaster. Piloting potential is a virtual unknown, but her survival instincts are extraordinary. Willing to throw out everything she was already taught and start over with the Alternative IV curriculum without a single complaint.
If she sticks to her word and makes it through training, we might just find some routine position for her. If she ends up repeating the same mistakes as her first squad in Kyoto, survival of the fittest will get her out of my hair.
ACCEPTED
01.02.1999: Latest wave of Alternative IV recruits completed basic training. No retakes this time.
08.09.1999: Operation Lucifer successful. One living human specimen was found in the hive. Subject's ability to defy all logical probability and survive the living hell the BETA put it through makes it an ideal candidate. Will be sustained for further research.
Additionally, several surviving A-01 pilots were briefly exposed to the perimeter of the G-Bomb blasts during the withdrawal. Subjects will be monitored as they recover. There appear to be no serious lasting effects.
10.22.2001: Spoke with Prisoner 3759 today. The guards found him wandering through the old city. Claims to be a dead man named Takeru Shirogane. Kept rambling about how he's from an alternate universe where the BETA never invaded and he's some plucky high school kid with too many girlfriends. Figured he was another homeless nutcase and almost had him shipped to the psychiatric wing.
But then he started talking about Alternative V in exact detail.
Consulted with Kasumi. I doubted it could ever physically happen, but according to the boy's memories he's telling the truth.
Seems Sumika was closely tied to the original Takeru before Japan fell. Thanks to what appears to be a space-time distortion resulting from a combination of G-Bomb fallout and hive Reactor activity, she was able to bring this alternate Takeru into our universe so he can fill the void left by the original. And she has apparently done this in at least one other universe already, hence why he knows about Alternative V so far ahead of time. The information he can give us may be exactly what Alternative IV needs to ensure its completion.
10.24.2001: Kasumi is acting extremely odd, even considering the latest developments. She spent the past several nights scribbling out page after page of the same puzzling thing. The text is nothing but incomprehensible scratch marks, but every page shares the distinct format of a handwritten letter. When I tried to get a closer look at one of the papers, she became extremely protective of her sketchings and would only tell me they're "from him." It's as if she's shy about sharing them.
All that matters is Sumika is apparently becoming more mentally active as a result of the second Takeru's arrival. Why she would have so many memories of exchanging long-distance love letters with a boy who lived just beside her all of her life, I have no idea, but the exact details are not particularly important to my goals.
10.27.2001: Kasumi's artwork has taken a turn for the morbid. A city on fire, face-to-face contact with multiple strains of BETA, and finally the outcome of Operation Lucifer. All of this is consistent with what we've discerned about Sumika's background. One thing has begun to bother me, however.
The drawings depict the outside of the hive at the time of the bombings.
10.29.2001: The images are coming from a second stream. The reason why Kasumi's most recent drawings are divergent from Sumika's previous recorded memories is because they were never part of Sumika's memories to begin with. I should have suspected this sooner.
The fact Kasumi has been automatically receiving information at this magnitude can only mean one thing. Someone within range of the original trans-dimensional anomaly that allowed Sumika to bring the second Takeru into existence is making their own subconscious effort to reach through the pipeline. Considering this is only the second instance of someone exerting enough willpower to have an observable effect on space-time causality, it is imperative that I identify the exact cause of this phenomenon.
I tried to have Kasumi trace the source of these new images. After hours of concentration, she was able to show me one thing: A drawing of the A-01 flight emblem. I will be interviewing each member in Valkyrie barracks over the next few days.
Didn't one of them say something about a boyfriend before?
UN ALTERNATIVE IV - RESTRICTED DATABANK
USER VERIFIED: Y. KOUZUKI
RADIO CORRESPONDENCE ARCHIVE: ARASHIYAMA SUPPLY POST, 07.31.1998
"Izumi, fall back! Izumi!"
"Shut up, Yui! I won't run away!"
"Revenge! I have to get revenge for him!"
"You!"
"You!"
"You!"
[file terminated by User]
10.30.2001: Lieutenant Izumi Noto is creating the second anomaly. This is the only possible explanation. Her personnel file is startling evidence on its own, and I lost count of how many red flags I was picking up within the first couple of minutes speaking with her. I have concluded this increased distortion in the space-time continuum can be traced back to her time as a Royal Guard cadet.
Around that time, she was in a relationship with a boy who was deployed to the Kyushu ground forces. He was one of the first to be killed when the BETA reached the mainland three years ago. She claims his death is only a small part of her motivation today, but I can see it in her eyes. She never truly got over it. She just learned how to harness her emotions in a way that helps her focus on protecting the rest of her squadron. Ask anyone in the PX and they'll tell you the easiest way to recognize her is that trinket she wears every day. I suspect it's her refusal to let go of her loved one and her ability draw strength from his memory that made her a candidate in the first place.
Three key variables have given Izumi this ability. First, the photograph in the locket she always carries must act as some form of visual prompt, effectively providing her subconsciousness a set of coordinates in the space-time continuum. In this case, those coordinates point to a time and place where her boyfriend is alive. Second, being in close proximity to the Yokohama Hive at the time the Reactor resonated with the G-Bomb blasts has supplied her mind with a means of interdimensional locomotion. Finally, Sumika taking the first leap and creating a pipeline (i.e. bringing the second Takeru here and leaving a finite path between his world and ours) has given Izumi a way to retrace her own coordinates. She's unconsciously developing her own abilities by piggybacking on the existing causality opened by Takeru and Sumika.
Why hasn't she brought an entire second anomaly into this world, if she is indeed trying to reach her personal conductor? I have several hypotheses. Her subconscious willpower may not be as developed as Sumika's due to Sumika spending years cut off from all other physical interference and thinking about nothing but Takeru. Also, the individual Izumi may be "tugging on" through the pipeline is either also deceased in the second Takeru's universe, or never existed there to begin with. Third, and I suspect this to be the most likely case, she may simply not be exerting as much willpower as Sumika. Sumika witnessed the death of her beloved first hand and was reduced to a prisoner of her own mind, constantly screaming to be rescued. Izumi's background is similar in a few ways, but it is nowhere near as drastic. Her record indicates she faced her own share of misery and suffered from temporary psychosis during the last month of her Royal Guard training, but whatever happened to her after her TSF blacked out over Kyoto was enough to help her cope with her trauma.
Additionally, and as absurd as it sounds, I feel Izumi's subconsciousness could be acting this way because it doesn't want to be discovered. While all of her conscious decision-making is firmly anchored in the present (focusing on her current objectives and protecting her squadmates), she has essentially hidden her subconsciousness at a point in the past where her lover is still alive, and her mind doesn't want to intrude on what it perceives as Takeru and Sumika's time together. This would explain why Kasumi seemed shy when she began channeling Izumi's thoughts.
So far all this means is Izumi is performing elaborate mental gymnastics to reinforce her own willpower. She appears to have no idea her personal thoughts have been sending small ripples through the fabric of space-time for at least the past week. I will continue observing this phenomenon in the hope of finding some practical use for it.
11.23.2001: Izumi has begun working with Cadet Squadron 207B. Officially, she was selected out of our best pilots to serve as a senior technical adviser for the proposed XM3 operating system. If nothing else, she does have the legitimate experience to analyze each of Takeru's suggestions on the spot so we'll spend less time weeding out problems when the rest of A-01 joins the trial phase. Unofficially, I'm curious to see what kind of effect Izumi will have if I allow her to fraternize with a walking causality conductor.
She seems anxious to return to active duty with her Valkyrie squadmates, but something tells me she already knows from personal experience why insisting you should be rushed to the front lines just because you really want to kill some BETA is not always the best course of action. Despite this, she hasn't raised a single objection over an assignment that could easily be interpreted as a demotion. Maybe she holds more respect for cadets as a result of her own rough start.
The squad was surprised to find out someone their own age had nearly three years of regular piloting experience over them, but they haven't asked too many questions concerning her past. Tsukuyomi and her subordinates know exactly who she is, but their usual insistence on keeping Imperial matters in-house works to my advantage in this case. Mitsurugi has her suspicions, I suppose. The others have accepted her as just another squadmate with a conflicted family background and are respecting her privacy.
The interesting part about all of this is Takeru has no recollection of Izumi's existence in any of his previous worlds. The only thing he knows for certain is interacting with her triggers one specific image of a time when he and the Sumika from his world shared their lunch with a stray dog. Based on my current theories and the limited feedback Takeru has given me, the only conclusion I can draw from this is the Izumi Noto of some other possible universe exists in the form of a hamburger. I guess no theory can be right all the time.
12.05.2001: UN forces have been dispatched to end the rebellion of Naoya Sagiri. 207B and 19th Royal Guard will be defending Her Highness's most probable escape route. Kasumi showed up early this morning, stated "It begins again," then quietly returned to Sumika's room.
12.07.2001: Received a formal congratulatory letter from the Grand Shogun. She thanked the UN for helping her in desperate times and made a special note for the 207 cadets. She then had this to say about Izumi:
"Her concern for my safety throughout the retreat rivaled that of my most devoted personal guards. I fear she has spent the past several years convincing herself she owes me her life, and I wish not to burden her with any such belief after so many already died for my sake. Please inform her any debt she still feels she owes me from the assistance I provided her in Kyoto has been repaid in kind."
The letter went on to state Izumi has proven herself to be a true Royal Guard and will be offered the title as long as it doesn't interfere with her existing duty. I have authorized her to accept the position on the condition she remains a member of Alternative IV until the project's completion.
12.26.2001: UN's Prominence division has pitched a specialized XFJ prototype as a possible option for Operation Ouka. I refuse to allow an unsanctioned test pilot to participate in the mission due to all the obvious uncertainties involved, but both members from the Japan side are insisting I won't have to worry because one of my existing pilots is qualified to take the helm. I'm still hesitant to throw a wildcard into the equation.
Then again, Izumi herself has been a wildcard ever since Kyoto.
12.30.2001: Lieutenants Takamura and Yamashiro were very adamant in the emergency video conference. They're doing this because they genuinely believe it will help their friend. They learned early on that rivalries and personal agendas have no place on the battlefield when the main objective is to help each other survive. I'm convinced if any one of the three had wound up on the mission, the other two would given her nothing but total support and encouragement. They are all extremely fortunate one of them was able to make the decisions that would lead her to this position.
The exchange will occur under the official purpose of accumulating invaluable performance data through extensive on-field use. I signed off for the delivery after Izumi had a chance to try the software simulator herself. She was surprised even Miki had trouble keeping track of the multi-view targeting system, but everything came naturally for her because "I can't really describe it, but it's like I'm able to put my brain in six different places at once." Funny how things work out.
In regards to the prototype itself, I was wondering what kind of particularly sick mind would come up with the suggestion of renovating the equipment racks on a TSF's shoulder armor and Jump Units so they could be loaded with what amounts to half a dozen SDS-grade explosives. At first I brushed it off as typical American overkill, but then I discovered one of the Japanese project leaders was deeply traumatized as a child when she was trapped in a disabled TSF and a swarm of Equus nearly devoured her alive. In any case, the fact this technology was developed independently from the Yokohama network means there's a slight chance the Original Hive BETA have no information pertaining to its existence. This may very well be the only thing we can throw at them that they'll never see coming.
And remodeling the Shiranui's head sensor with a central horn so it can used as a remote weapons antenna? I can't help but feel a little disappointed I didn't come up with that idea myself. Assuming I wouldn't notice they added the initials for "House Noto" to its model number since they lacked the time and authority to christen it as a proper Royal Guard unit was a bit uncalled for, but it's clever enough to convince me it technically doesn't breach the pilot confidentiality protocol. Besides, I'm more concerned with Meiya having enough time to reconfigure the unit's radio marker on such short notice.
A sad, lonely little girl who never should have survived Kyoto now has every major power block left in the world betting on her. Alaska will have the satisfaction of knowing their machine made a difference at Kashgar. The UN couldn't be happier with one of their hand-selected pilots in the cockpit. The Royal Guards even get to have someone directly representing their virtue and honor in the battle that saved mankind.
Don't disappoint us.