Chapter 3: Shamshel

"Okay, kid, I've gotta be honest. That…was possibly the most depressing battle I've ever seen."

Shinji groaned, memories of the utter horrorshow that was the previous battle springing to mind. "…It was your fault." He whined weakly, trying to ignore the throbbing pain in both sides of his head.

"Haha! Riiiight. So I'm the one who got slapped around like a racquetball?" Gig mocked, chuckling faintly at Shinji's attempt to spread the blame.

Shinji was stuck in a white hospital bed, recuperating from the myriad injuries the last Angel had dealt him. At last reckoning, his arms and face had been badly burned by the Angel's energy whips, he'd gained both a concussion and several cuts and lacerations from those same whips, and he'd lost feeling in his right hand. Plus, as the bloody cherry on the pain sundae, his foot was broken because the medics had dropped him while pulling him out of the plug.

As a result, half of his entire body was wrapped in white bandages, while his foot was hanging in a white cast. His whole body was covered by both a white sheet and a white hospital gown, with a bright white light shining down on him, in a room with four white walls and a white floor.

Oh, and there was a mirror on the wall reflecting light into his eyes.

Maybe this is a way of speeding up the recovery process. Make them hate the room so they have incentive to leave. "You were trying to get me killed from start to finish." Shinji groaned, wiggling slightly in a vain attempt to get the sheet over his eyes.

"Hey, I told you to dodge. Not my fault you couldn't pull it off." It felt like Gig was shrugging.

"The other twelve times you yelled it?" Shinji asked slowly, wincing slightly at the pain in his cheek.

"I thought it could use some repetition." Gig laughed smugly. "That, and it was funny watching you smack into buildings like a complete tool."

Shinji just sighed, recalling every impact with nearly perfect clarity. At least he's kind of honest. "…and saying that Hikari liked me?"

It felt like Gig was shrugging again. "I said she was checking you out. You're the one who got all panicky."

Shinji shut his eyes, feeling a headache coming on. "…And you said it again when I was trying to use the rocket launcher?"

"What? Don't thoughts of potential girlfriends make you fight harder? I thought that was, like, standard issue for somebody in your shoes, kid." Gig sounded honestly surprised, like he'd just seen an apple fall up.

Shinji's mouth dropped open, ignoring the pain this caused. "…That's only on TV! That's not real life!" Shinji protested. How can he think that's normal? Was he raised on anime or something?

"Really? All the dudes who tried to fight me used it…"Gig trailed off for a moment. "…Thinking about it, you might have a point there." He admitted, chuckling a bit.

Shinji just sighed. Hooray. I got him to admit he was wrong for once.

"But that doesn't excuse the last half of the fight. You have to admit, that was just shameful. "

"I've only been doing this for two weeks!" He said, feeling annoyance well up within him.

"Still shameful. I mean, after the thing punted you half a mile, you landed next to a whole stack of guns. You missed pretty much every shot."

"I couldn't feel my hands and my eyes were burning." Shinji growled, wishing he could just fall asleep instead of having to remember getting so badly beat up by the Angel.

"It was the size of a friggen castle. And you hit it, what? Ten times?" Gig needled, clearly unwilling to let it go.

"…Eleven." Shinji sighed.

Now it felt like Gig was grinning. "Right! Then you got the bright idea to charge it with a pocketknife. That worked out well, didn't it?"

Shinji shut his eyes. "…I didn't have a choice. It was that or let it kill everyone."

"Y'know, I could've-"

Shinji rolled his eyes. Again? "Not. Interested."

"Damn. Well, back to the results."

Shinji pushed farther back into his pillow. "Hooray."

"So, you ran screaming at the thing with a pocketknife, and you were surprised when it barely nicked the thing?"

"I thought the knives could cut through it. At least, that's what they told me." I bet they were laughing inside when they told me that.

"Pfft. Still, I do have to give you points for trying to tear out its eye with your hands. That was cool. Getting bitchslapped into the mountain, on the other hand, was slightly less cool. The stuff after, was just shameful."

"…Oh, thanks." Shinji said sarcastically. What I wouldn't give for a mute button right now.

"I mean, really. You ran into the giant laser tentacle at least three times. At what point did any of that seem like a good idea?"

Now Shinji was starting to get angry. "You told me not to block it, you…!" He coughed, trailing off into a dry rasp. He would've continued, but his throat was having none of that.

"No, I was using Reverse Psychology. Don't try to blame your failures on my tactical genius."

"RRRGH!" Shinji groaned and turned over in his hospital bed, fresh tears cascading down his nose from the pain of moving. Once the pain quieted down to a dull throb, he opened his eyes, coming face to face with his (also white) bedside table…and the (thankfully) black radio sitting on it. Oh. Misato must've sent this. Maybe I should turn it on…but is there anything I really worth listening to-

Gig coughed. "Kid, I'm not finished. You-"

On the other hand, Misato said to try new things.

He reached out, and with a slight wince and a shaky hand, turned the radio on.

"And now, it's time for the Melvin show! Our guests today, Cody and Zorc!"

Shinji sighed. "A Talkshow? No."

*click*

"This one cannot accept such an extravagant gift, Lady Mifune."

Shinji squinted. "Too old."

*click*

"Take this! My Love! My Anger! And all of my-"

Shinji rolled his eyes. "Too melodramatic."

*click*

"Lemme see you Grit! Those! Tee-"

"Too stupid." Gig growled.

*click*

"KILL YOUR FAMILY! KILL YOUR FAMILY! KILL-"

Shinji hurried switched the dial. "No."

*Click*

"Tune in next week for a chance to see Ira Glass and Ola Toya wrestling in Tokyo-2!"

Shinji sighed, shutting off the radio and rolling back into the middle of the hospital bed.

"Hey wait go back! That last one sounded interesting!" Gig cried. "And relevant to your life!"

Shinji shut his eyes. "No." He stated simply, leaning back into the pillow and waiting for sleep to claim him.

For once, he didn't have to wait.


"Let it go already!"

Kensuke stormed down the crowded afternoon street, dramatically avoiding the gaze of the track-suited boy following him. "Dude, I cannot believe you." He spat, stopping at the street light out of necessity.

Touji just sighed. "Ken, would you shut up about it?" God, get over it already!

Kensuke abruptly whirled on his erstwhile best friend. "Dude! IT was a perfect chance to see that robot in action! And you waste it because you were worried about the Class Rep?" He shouted, pointing a shaky finger directly in Toji's face.

Toji slapped Ken's hand down, repeating Kensuke's action with much more force. "A perfect chance? What if the thing fell on you? Or one of the missiles hit you? Or if that big monster decided you were a tasty snack? What should I say? 'Well, I could've stopped him, but I decided to let him go die.'" His face abruptly took on a look of cold anger. "What kind of a friend do you take me for?"

Kensuke cringed. Toji could've punched him and it would've hurt less. …But…I….He's right, but…"Aw come on, man. We would've been fine!" Kensuke protested weakly. "Y-you could've come with me, instead of sitting there with the class rep!"

"She was worried, man." Touji said, recalling the faraway look in the girl's eyes. She hadn't even noticed Ken's question to use the bathroom. Hell, it was only after Toji managed to grab his collar in the doorway that she even realized he'd been trying to leave! "You know as well as I do that the Class Rep never acts like that unless she's really worried!"

Ken started walking once the light turned green. "Yeah right!" He snorted. "I bet you just wanted to score with her!"

Touji actually had the decency to look shocked once he'd caught back up. "The Class Rep? Are you crazy? Her? She'd just order me around and make me do all the assignments. That would suck!"

"Oh, I'm sure it would. I bet you'd have a lot of problems having Ms. Suzuhara falling all over you!"

Touji just sighed. Okay, let's try something else. "Look, can we just go to the arcade and forget all this?"

Ken stopped for a moment. "Fine…but you're paying." He said, making sure to leave a dramatic pause in the middle.

Touji slapped him on the back. "Deal. Now come on. I wanna get in a good game before I go visit my sister."


An absolutely deafening explosion split the sky, throwing Shinji from the cloth bed. He opened his eyes and scrambled to his feet, panicking as he took in his surroundings.

He was standing in a ruined castle bedroom, with a door in front of him and a stone staircase behind him. The stonework under his feet was cracked and broken in dozens of places, and the banners on the wall were tattered and faded. The bed he's just been thrown from was covered in expensive looking silks and cottons, but they were all dirty and beaten. A heavy smell of dirt and blood hung in the dusty air, casting a smoky pall over the sunlight that shined through the ruined doorway. A ruined doorframe led outside to a balcony, the sky through the doorway colored a pallid sundown orange,

"Wh-where am I?" This was strange…he'd never had a dream like this before. Maybe…

A rough voice cut through the air, malice and pride more than evident in it. "Hehehe…HA-HAHAHAHAHA! Shattered to its very foundation! Come on, is no one around here man enough to stand up to me?!" The voice challenged, echoing in Shinji's ears.

Shinji froze. He knew that voice. "Wait, is that-"

"Then put your heads between your legs while I cut you down, one by one!"

That's Gig! Maybe he knows what's going on! Shinji opened his mouth to speak, only for a masked man in a steely-silver cloak to rush through him. He watched, dumbfounded, as the strange man dashed out the door, turning the corner as he broke into a dead run. "…He…He ran right through me? Wh-what is this place?"

"Ah-ha, finally someone steps up. A numbnut like you better not waste my time!" Gig laughed happily.

"Dio, The Sorcerer of the Evil Eye, shall send you back to the hell that spawned you, Master of Death!" The voice was imperious and confident, lacking any fear of its opponent.

There was a roar of thunder, and then everything lit up with a brilliantly blinding white light…


"Mrff…I…I don't…wanna..be…Guy…guh…"

"Should we wake him up?"

Shinji wiggled in the bed, pawing blindly at the air above him.

"I think he's coming around!" Someone shouted, sounding much like an overeager girl.

Shinji blinked, shaking his head as he woke up. "H-huh?" He mumbled groggily, the fuzzy shapes in his vision slowly coming into focus. One was a bemused blonde woman in a white labcoat, blue blouse, and brown skirt, and the other was a vaguely uncomfortable brown-haired lady in a beige dress uniform, and white pants.

"Shinji? Are you awake?"

I think that white blob is talking to me. Wait, no, she's…"D-Dr…Akagi? Is that you? …And…That lady…is…uh…." Oh man I know her name…but…what was it again…Mayan? Main? Meya?

The brown haired lady sighed quietly, a tiny frown of frustration momentarily crossing her young face. "Ibuki. My name is Maya Ibuki." She supplied helpfully, wrenching her face back into a smile after she finished. She smoothed out her uniform, standing stiffly at attention.

Shinji nodded, still only barely aware of what was going on around him. "…Oh, okay…why are you here?" He asked, once he'd gathered the necessary brainpower. Wonder what Gig would say if…Gig?

"…Mehfg…Huh? ...…Is something going on…?" Gig sounded exhausted. His voice was weak and muted, a stark contrast to the rough energy he usually displayed.

Gig, are you okay…? Shinji would've been more alarmed, but he just couldn't summon the energy.

"Oh yeah, I'm totally…fine…M-just…tired." Gig yawned, his voice just a little bit louder.

"Shinji?" Ritsuko called, smirking as the boy abruptly looked up. He seems rather distracted. I wonder why that could be…

Shinji blinked, realizing that he'd been silent for almost a minute. "…Oh… Um, sorry, I'm…still a little…tired. P-please continue." He offered meekly.

Well played. "Alright. Now as I was saying, I'm here to debrief you." The way Ritsuko said it made it sound like it was the simplest thing in the world. "We'd have done it yesterday, but you were a little too banged up. Do you want to put it off for a few hours?" She asked, her tone failing to imply that his comfort really mattered.

As much as Shinji didn't want to do this, the thought of being left alone in this white prison was worse. "Oh. Okay...Um…no, not really. W-we can do it now, if that's okay." Shinji fidgeted, worried that his 'debriefing' was not going to be pleasant. The slightly scary smile the doctor had on wasn't helping.

Ritsuko nodded. "Alright then." She turned to Maya and held up a hand. "Lieutenant?"

Maya froze, caught in the act of playing with her uniform's zipper. "Y-Yes, Dr. Akagi?" She enthusiastically asked, her brown eyes sparkling like a puppy awaiting orders.

Ritsuko's face shifted from a reassuring smile to a cold line like a well-oiled machine. She cleared her throat, olive-green eyes gazing levelly at her meek assistant. "What comes next is confidential. While you are my assistant, this debriefing is strictly between doctor and patient. Could you excuse yourself?"

Maya nodded. "O-oh! Yes. I'll…I'll go get him some breakfast." She nodded, looking expectantly at Dr. Akagi.

Ritsuko nodded, a tiny smile gracing her ruby lips. Ah, so young. So naïve. "Thank you, Maya. I suspect this won't take that long."

The door opened and shut, leaving Shinji alone with the doctor. What should I tell Dr. Akagi?

"Mrfh? …Oh! It's that doctor chick!...She's not as hot as that purple-haired babe, but blondes aren't so bad…" Gig helpfully supplied, still sounding somewhat out of it.

Shinji shut his eyes, already feeling a blush coming on.

Ritsuko cocked her head to the side. "Mm? Shinji? Is there something wrong?"

Please be quiet, Gig. "Umm…Well, you're…uh…kinda pretty."

"Why thank you." Ritsuko chuckled quietly. He's quite the flatterer, but I've got questions to ask. Her face quickly regained its impassive half-smirk as she pulled up a chair and sat down. "Unfortunately, while exchanging pleasantries would be nice, I've more important things to discuss with you."

"Y-you do?" Uh-oh…

"Yes. Now, how are you feeling?" Ritsuko asked, using the best bedside manner she could.

Shinji blinked stupidly. "H-huh?" Wait, isn't she going to grill me on talking to myself during the battle?

Ritsuko rolled her eyes. "I mean, how are you feeling? I know you were rather banged up yesterday, but do you feel anything 'different', for lack of a better word? Like if your body feels strange, or like something is there that wasn't before?"

"…N-not really."

Ritsuko brought up her clipboard, scribbling down nonsense to give to the doctors on duty later. "Ah. Thank you Shinji." Let's see…maybe a prescription for Perpedrin to take care of the injuries, possibly some anti-depressants…Hmm, would Perpedrin or Drixol be more believable?

Shinji moved a hand up to brush his forehead, only to freeze halfway there. N-nothing hurts? Wh-what's going on? He shifted, wincing as a spike of pain lanced through his arm. Okay, I guess I'm not totally fine, but compared to yesterday….I feel way better. Is this some kind of special NERV science or something?

"Hell no. That was me, idiot." Gig scoffed.

But….why?

"Remember the part about my ride getting banged up? It's not so great having to ride around in a busted up body like this."

But if that's true, why did you leave it unfinished?

Gig snarled. "You haven't given me the slightest way in, dumbass. Thanks to that A-grade decision making of yours, my power drains a hell of a lot faster than if you'd said yes." Gig switched to an obnoxiously cheery tone. " But I'm so very sorry I couldn't fix all your lil' boo-boos, but Unkie Giggy'll be sure to try harder next time."

Shinji groaned quietly. I guess he's got a point. "…Thanks."

Ritsuko looked up from her clipboard. "Hm? For what?"

"Oh…j-just, for coming to see me." Shinji hung his head, staring at his knees. "I thought I'd just be left here." He mumbled, a familiar black cloud beginning to gather over him.

Ritsuko laughed, amused at the sincerity of his utterly depressing image. It's a good thing I sent Maya out. He'd have captured her heart with this pathetic little show. "Funny you should mention that. Misato almost broke down the door yesterday asking after you." Ritsuko shook her head. "If she hadn't such a terrible sense of direction, she probably would've found you."

"…R-really?" Shinji asked, his voice edged with a tiny bit of disbelieving hope.

Well what do you know… He actually bought it. "Yes. It was rather novel to see her so worried. Even the usual threat of paperwork wasn't enough to stop her." Ritsuko chuckled faintly. Hah. She stayed in her office the whole time, bitterly complaining about all the paperwork. I bet she didn't even wonder if he was okay.

The black cloud gathering over Shinji's head blew away in the face of this admission. So…she was worried? About me?

"Yes kid, that is what the blonde piece of hotness said."

"Ahem." As Ritsuko's eyes met Shinji's, her smile vanished, replaced instead with cold indifference. "So Shinji, let's get to the point." She dropped all pretensions of friendliness, putting her hands on her knees.

"W-what do you mean?"

Ritsuko's gaze narrowed. "…Don't be coy. Who were you talking to during the battle?"

"I-I wasn't talking to anyone!"

Doctor Akagi snorted. "Oh really?" She dug into her lab coat's pocket, producing a beige tape player. "Let's see what this says."

*click*

"She What?!"

*click*

"…But, they told me to…"

*click*

"Please, just let me focus!"

Doctor Akagi stopped the tape, regarding Shinji with a coolly smug look. "It seems you were engaged in quite the heated conversation, Shinji." She asked, almost succeeding at hiding the smugness she felt.

Shinji turned white as a sheet. They know! I'm so dead! "…Uh…um…" He stammered, desperately searching for a lie and finding nothing.

Ritsuko had to fight hard to keep the evil smirk off her face. "So…Who were you talking to?"

Sweat cascaded down Shinji's neck. "uhhh…" So dead So dead So dead!

"Come on, focus now." Ritsuko was starting to feel impatient. She looked down at her clipboard, sighing quietly. Why does he bother with this song and dance? He knows that we know, so why try to hide it now?

Gig cleared his ghostly throat. "…Kid, I've got a plan. Just repeat what I say, and this'll all turn out fine."

R-Really? You mean that?!

"Yeah! You'll be fine …Probably!"

Ritsuko turned a hard gaze on Shinji, her brow furrowing in slight frustration. "One more time, Shinji. Who. Were. You. Talking. To?" She emphasized each word, rapidly tiring of dealing with the recalcitrant Third Child. I should've just had Misato bring him to one of the interrogation rooms and make her do this. She'd probably get him to talk. Or have one of the Section Two goons do it…No, we still need him to pilot. Rei's almost useless right now.

"Uh….um…." What's your great plan and can I have it now!?

"Alright then. Say it was… the robot!" Gig declared, making sure to pause for dramatic emphasis.

Wait, say it was the Eva?! T-That'll never work!

Gig laughed. "No way! It'll totally throw them off!"

"Well?" Ritsuko leaned in close, her hand on her chin. "Who was it?"

Shinji knew on some level that Gig was lying, but he didn't have any other options. He drew in on himself, summoning every bit of courage he had. His hand clenched, shaking in apprehension. Here goes… "…The EVA." He admitted, hoping against hope that Dr. Akagi would buy it.

But the reaction he got was far different than the one he'd hoped for.

Oh, if only I hadn't read the sync report before I got here. I might've believed that one. "Oh really?" She smirked, leaning back in the chair. She held up the tape recorder again and pressed play.

"She What?!" His embarrassed shout hadn't gotten any quieter on the second play.

Oh, I wonder what your excuse is now? Ritsuko smirked, feeling supremely smug right now. "So, what brought that little shout on?"

"…Umm…uhhh…" Shinji curled up tighter, unwilling to bring up what had happened with Hikari. "She…said that a girl from school…was…checking…me…out…"

"I'm not a girl you little prick!" Gig yelled, incensed at Shinji's little slipup.

I'm sorry! It just slipped out! But it'll look worse if I change it!

It felt like Gig was pouting again. "Rrrr…Fine. I'll let it slide, kid. But next time you- wait what going on with the doctor chick?

She…? Oh no… Ritsuko sat back in her chair, her complexion quickly turning a pale white. "…Oh. Oh I see." She said, a little too quickly to hide the nerves behind her words. "Well, thank you for telling me. A…doctor will come by later to discharge you…Misato will pick you up." She stood up, almost dropping her clipboard as she hurried out of the room.

The door slammed shut behind her, leaving a fairly confused Shinji (and a smug as hell Gig) sitting up in a hospital bed.

He looked around, feeling even more in the dark than usual. "…What just happened?"

Gig laughed heartily. "Told you it would work."


"…And that's what he said." Ritsuko finished, standing in the center of the Commander's cavernous office. The place was dank, dark, and cold, a perfect complement to the man who nearly lived in the damn thing.

The brown-haired man seated behind the giant black desk finally turned around, having faced the other way since the doctor came in. The unzipped dress jacket, red dress shirt, and black pants made him seem more casual than his employees. "…I see." The man's orange tinted glasses, plus his white gloved hands, effectively hid any reaction on his bearded face.

"What should we do?" Ritsuko asked, feeling like she already knew the answer.

"…Schedule an interrogation. Learn everything it could have told him." The tone was calm and quiet, masking the man's intense curiosity.

Ritsuko blinked. "You don't actually believe him, do you? I've checked the sync records during the fight. Gendo, his sync ratio wasn't anywhere close to being able to communicate with…her."

Gendo stood up, turning away from Ritsuko. He took a few paces towards the wall, locking his hands together behind him.

"…I'll schedule one for next week." Ritsuko slumped, feeling drained already.

He didn't turn around. "Good. Dismissed, doctor."

Ritsuko hurried out of the cold room, leaving Gendo alone in the black darkness of the office.

"It is impossible…" His voice echoed around the cavernous office. But maybe…Just maybe…


Shinji shuffled out of the school gate, his arms and legs still feeling stiff and sore. Guess that thing really wanted to leave a mark on me. "Well, schools over, so now what should I do?" He asked, watching as the last of the kids left the school.

"Can I vote we go somewhere not lame?"

It had been two days since he'd been discharged from the hospital. Misato had hugged him the instant she'd seen him, telling him that she was proud of how brave and tough he'd been in the Angel battle. This had earned an embarrassed (but happy) blush from Shinji and an internal laughing fit from Gig.

"Like the mall?" Shinji asked,

Gig coughed. "Lame."

Shinji deflated a bit, but he tried again. "The movie theatre?"

Gig sighed. "Somehow even lamer."

Shinji looked down at his shoes, thankful that the school was pretty much empty now. "…The dock?" he tried, already feeling stupid for suggesting it.

Gig growled, his voice filled with frustration. "Can't you come up- hey, there's some kid running towards us."

"hm?" Shinji looked up. Sure enough, there was some guy in a black tracksuit slowing to a stop in front of him.

The black-haired boy skidded to a stop only four feet from him. "Look man, I'm sorry! Please forgive me!" The boy doubled over, his hands on his knees, gasping for breath. He looked pretty built for a fourteen year-old, but this display was casting some doubt as to his real fitness level.

Shinji had been expecting another beating, so this threw him a little. "Huh?" he asked, confused as to why this kid was asking for his forgiveness. "Umm….who are you?" He asked, feeling stupid for not knowing his name.

The boy's face was a fire-engine red, and he was panting like he'd just run across the whole city. "My name's…Toji Suzuhara. I-I was outta line for beatin you up like that! Please, lemme make it up to ya!" The boy panted, holding up a hand to stop him.

"Wait, this two-cent chump is the guy who gave you that black eye? Are you friggen serious?"

Shinji blinked. "…How do you want to make it up to me?" He said slowly, unused to being apologized to.

Toji looked up, uncertainty writ large across his face. "You can beat me up, if you like! I did it to you, so…"

Shinji shook his head. While the thought of punching Toji back sounded nice, he didn't have the strength or willpower to actually make it count or go through with it. I'll just say it was okay. That's the easiest solution for everybody. "…You don't have to-"

Touji straightened up, holding up a hand to stop Shinji. "…I'll let you do it! Or…I'll throw a phys ed match for ya, …or…or…I'll do anything! Just, please, let me make it up to you!" he pleaded, desperation clear in both his eyes and his voice. Sis'll never let me hear the end of it if he just leaves!

"…Oh. Heheheh…"

Shinji didn't like that laugh. That was a knowing laugh. Gig?

If Gig could've smiled, he'd look like a shark that had just smelled blood. "What perfect timing! You were wondering about my powers, right? Well, I'm in a generous mood tonight, so here's a freebie. Dominion."

Dominion?

Gig chuckled. "Yup. The whole thing's really pretty simple. Hell, you probably don't even need my help, but… Basically, you can dominate someone once they consent. Since this dumbass just gave us a blank check, just use (Dominate). I'll be kind enough to represent it with a manikin." He said confidently. "I'll explain the rest once you do it."

"Well?! I-I'll do anything!" Toji tried again, unaware that Shinji wasn't paying any attention to him.

"Come on, what've you got to lose?"

Okay… "Um…there is something I wanted to try." Shinji started, unsure of how to phrase it without sounding like some crazy deviant.

Toji froze, dread creeping up his spine at Shinji's strange tone. "…wh-what is it?" He asked, a bit of fear slipping into his voice. Damn it sis! Why'd you have to make me go do this!?

"It's in this book I read, so, uh…"

"Oh, sure. Sure. I consent, to whatever it is."

"Welp, he said it. Go ahead then, dominate him."

This is so stupid. "Er…I dominate…Toji."

A bright flash blinded Shinji and Toji for a split second. When his eyes cleared up, he saw a tiny cloth doll lying in his hand. It had stiff black hair, brown eyes, and it was wearing a tracksuit.

"This manikin represents the dude you just dominated. And just like that, you control him!" Gig explained, his confident tone echoing in Shinji's head.

Wait, I control him?!

Gig laughed happily. "Yup! You can call him out and make him take a beating for you anytime, anywhere!"

Toji blinked, unsure of whether to believe his eyes or his brain. "Um…Was that it?" He frowned momentarily once he caught sight of the doll in Shinji's hand. "Hey, what's that you're holdin'?"

"Go ahead and explain it to him, will ya? I still can't control this sack of fat enough to make it talk."

Shinji scratched the back of his head. "Well…"


Toji blinked, slowly processing what he'd just been told. "…Oh. …I guess it's okay. I mean, I said anything, and well…I meant it." Toji shrugged, a smile inching on to his face as he turned to leave. "Still, it's kinda crazy when you think about it."

Shinji opened his mouth, feeling brave after explaining that weird concept. "…Oh and um…" He started, only to trail off. He looked away, hoping Toji would just keep going. I can't ask that of him.

Toji stopped, turning around to face Shinji. "Yeah?" he called.

Shinji felt his shoulders slump. "N-Nevermind…" He said weakly.

Touji frowned. "Look dude, what do you want?" He crossed his arms, tapping his foot impatiently. "I've gotta meet somebody, so just say what you wanna say."

Shinji swallowed nervously. "Um…Well…I…don't really know anybody around here, so…can I…um….hang out with you?" He trailed off, already berating himself for being so stupid to think that a guy whose sister he'd hospitalized would-

"…That's it? Man, that's no problem." Toji smiled, putting a hand on Shinji's arm and pulling as he started walking. "I'm heading over to the arcade later today to meet with Ken. Actually, I think he'd be more than happy to meet ya." Toji took his hand off Shinji once they'd crossed the street.

Shinji fell into step beside Toji, feeling a genuine smile creep onto his face. A warm and fuzzy feeling spread over the Third Child, leaving him almost…giddy. "T-thanks, Toji. This means a lot to-"

"Good god you're pathetic."

They both stopped dead on the sidewalk. Shinji slapped a hand over his mouth, looking around fearfully as Toji did the same. That…That was…Oh no…

Toji turned back to Shinji, dread creeping over him as he realized that this particular street was empty. "…Was…was that you, man…?" Toji swallowed, wondering just what he'd gotten himself into.

"Huh? What're you two freaking out over- Holy crap! I can talk now! This is awesome!" Gig laughed, his tone going from annoyed to jubilant in a microsecond. I'm gonna have fun with this!

Shinji's eyes shrank to pinpricks. Somebody help.


"Oh wow! They kept this one in too! This bodes well!"