Tranquil Temple

The days that followed weren't very eventful, but they were far from dull. Ichiro had spent a few of them avoiding his companion, much to her extreme irritation. Feeling she had wronged him in some way, she began to withdraw from him not wishing to cause him any more trouble. Her assumptions couldn't have been farther from the truth.

In reality, her guardian was avoiding her purely out of embarrassment, as he wasn't entirely certain how to face her. Having assumed that she would no longer be breaking and entering, he had returned to sleeping in a state of relative undress. This hadn't been a problem until the New Type had decided to, naturally, invade his quarters late into the night. And he was happy that she did. Her comforting embrace had brought him solace and security as the two of them fell into a restful sleep.

The morning after however, was far less peaceful.

With daylight arriving and the lights of his room brightening, Ichiro returned to the world of the sentient. He had been awakened by Neo's shifting as she moved closer to him to enjoy his warmth. Her fidgeting roused him from his slumber, opening his eyes and looking down to meet a pair of multi-colored ones, as he had so many times in the past. But as his mind returned to him, so did his senses…

And that was where their tranquility had ended.

His brain fully functional, he became keenly aware of his current state of undress, wearing nothing more than a pair of boxer shorts. To make matters even worse, he found that Neo was in a similar state. After scolding her multiple times for climbing into his bed in filthy bloody clothing, she had finally taken it upon herself to acquire some more reasonable nightwear. And those thin layers of fabric were the only thing separating the two of them as they lay comfortably in his bed.

An immediate debacle ensued, as his startled reaction tore her from her resting state. Alarmed and tangled in sheets, Neo had tripped upon her exit, tumbling to the floor and knocking over nearly everything on his bedside table on her way down. He had barely a moment to avert his eyes as she wrenched herself from the fabric and bolted for the door, straightening her disheveled nightie along the way.

He wasn't certain what fate had befallen her once she left his room… but the crashes, thumping, and Soma's flustered 'What the hell?!' that followed gave him a pretty good idea.

Following the latest chapter of Neo's shenanigans, he had been keeping his distance from her, opting instead to spend his time around Shio to observe her continued progress. Of course, hanging out with the Aragami child turned out not to be the best strategy for avoiding his companion, and in fact only seemed to upset her further. It was only through a meal offering that he had been able to soothe her, as Shio had declared with impeccable timing that she was hungry.

It was for that reason that Shio, Neo, and Soma had found themselves in the field once again on another date night to feed their hungry ladies. This time however, Ichiro had decided to accompany them to avoid another mishap should his fellow veteran say something else incredibly stupid.

Heavy cloud cover blotted out the sunlight, tinting the world around them in shades of grey. Flakes of snow fell to the ground as they always did, sticking to their hair as they wandered through the village streets. The men for the most part, hung back slightly, allowing the women to lead the charge. This was their hunt after all, and the two of them were primarily present to escort them there and back.

Ogretails and Fallen Maidens littered the surrounding area, their bodies tossed unceremoniously to stay wherever they fell. The girls had decided it would be beneficial to slaughter as many targets as possible first. With the threats gone and a large number of carcasses to choose from, the pair of them would be rewarded with a feast to last them for some time. And as the final Zygote fell, Neo lowered her God Arc, sighing with satisfaction. The two giggled gleefully as they set aside their weaponry and examined their handiwork, more than prepared to enjoy their well-deserved treats.

"It's time to eat!"

"Yes, it is. Shall we…"

Neo paused as a familiar feeling reached her, setting her senses on alert. Something was coming. Had it been attracted by the noise?

"Shio!"

The New Type reached her before either veteran could react, diving forward and bringing both of them to the ground. Her arms wrapped protectively around her child-like form as the pink beam passed over them. A soft hiss escaped as the divine energy burned across her skin.

Having been only a short distance away the men reached them only seconds after Neo's maneuver. Two shields raised as a second beam swept over their position. With both women safe from harm, Soma and Ichiro lowered their shields. The towering masses fell, revealing a purple creature zipping toward them from the above.

The threat of burning lasers temporarily stalled, the four God Eaters scattered, leaping from the charging Sariel's path. As was customary with a setup like their current squad, Ichiro quickly filled the role of agitator, rushing forward to swing his massive blade against its green and purple coat. The ladies took advantage of the distraction Aragami, rushing to retrieve their God Arcs.

Scythe in hand, Neo turned to find Soma standing in front of her with his tower raised. A stray beam had been fired in their direction while their backs were turned, leaving them vulnerable. It seemed that her guardian wasn't the only member of their squadron with protective instincts. With the girls safe and properly armed, Soma lowered his shield, revealing the two women behind him. They were ready for battle.

Their target was a Fallen Sariel, a purple variant to the humanoid butterfly. Wielding poisonous clouds and divine beams of light, it could prove threatening if they were to act carelessly.

And for once, Neo had no intention of doing so, as she separated from Soma to look for an opening. Shio did the same, rushing in the opposite direction.

The target had no interest in allowing itself to be steadily surrounded. Opening its eye, it fired four lasers into the sky. They paused for only a moment before splitting in different directions, targeting all members of the group simultaneously. Four pairs of feet shuffled through the snow as they shifted their positions, avoiding the blasts. This Sariel was apparently fond of using ranged attacks rather than consecutive melee strikes… and they would use that to their advantage.

Charging it beams required focus and left the Sariel vulnerable and still. If they could continue to encourage ranged strikes, then they could trick the monster into leaving itself open. They would force a battle of the marksman: Neo's specialty.

Shifting forms, Neo took aim and fired. Her bullets struck the Sariel's skirt, agitating and gaining its attention. From the opposite side, Shio followed her movements, firing her bullets against its legs. Pulling its attention in different directions, it couldn't decide on a target. Instead, it opted for both, firing four more homing lasers into the sky and providing the opening that the men had been waiting for.

With its movements paused, Soma and Ichiro went on the offensive, taking to the sky and bringing their blades across the Sariel's skirts. Hamasaki's upward strike knocked it sideways and Soma's follow-up swung downwards, unbinding the cells and knocking it from the air. It stuttered, spiraling towards the ground below. The girls shifted forms and rushed forward to join their comrades in a third and fourth strike…

But they never got the chance.

The Sariel was down, but it wasn't out. Recovering from its bobble it flapped its arm wings, raising alarm from the group. A purple cloud of venomous spores erupted from its folds as it took to the air again, leaving the First Unit members below. Neo grabbed her scarf, lifting it over her nose and mouth as she retreated to safety. The others followed suit, evading the dangerous particles.

It wasn't finished. Turning, the Sariel targeted Neo, it's eye opening with an ominous glow. From the opposite side, Ichiro began moving forward to reach her before the cone of divine lasers… but he wasn't fast enough. He felt his heart drop as the light engulfed her, enveloping her entire form in pink light.

What…?

He felt his panic quickly morph into surprise as the familiar found of impact against metal echoed through the clearing. His eyes watched in startled relief as the lights faded, revealing Neo's shield. She had blocked the strike. A small smirk tugged at his lips as she lowered her buckler and gripped her scythe.

Ichiro had fought by Neo's side for many, many years. During that time, he had always acted as her protector, shielding her from harm and guarding her against all who would oppose her. He needed to, as her defenses were pitifully inadequate to the point of borderline uselessness. In fact, he could count on one hand the number of times that he had seen her successfully activate her shield, this instance included.

It seemed that she had altered her fighting style during his absence. It was just as well. Without his shelter, Neo would have been forced to learn to defend herself to some degree. And while her form was still sorely lacking, it was enough to prevent fatal injury. From a short distance away, Ichiro noticed movement. Drifting his eyes to the side he noticed Soma offering a small nod of approval, his lips turned slightly upward in an expression of pride. Had he been teaching her?

He had little time to ponder the matter as the Sariel was in motion once again.

Zig-zagging rapidly across the landscape, Shio and Ichiro were forced to reposition themselves to avoid the purple wrecking ball as it rushed passed them. It was growing aggravated and its movement patterns were starting to show it. The perfect time for a counterstrike.

Having missed both of its targets, the Sariel turned, opening its eye to fire a beam in Soma's direction. From her position, Neo could see the sliding lids and took it as a challenge. Shifting her weapon, she trained her barrel and fired… right into the Sariel's open eye.

With a deafening screech, the monster went berserk. It rushed through the air, spinning and dipping out of control like an insect with damaged wings. The members sprinted around it, trying to avoid its body as it tore through the area, crashing into buildings and tossing debris. It's rampage last for only a few minutes before finally slowing near Soma's position, which he happily took advantage of.

Throwing himself forward, he swung his blade against the Sariel's legs, tearing open the purple flesh and unbinding the cells. The force of his blow knocked the creature off balance sending it tumbling through the air and struggling to keep its balance. They had the upper hand. If they could bring it down, the battle would be over. His teammates had similar thoughts in mind as they began to slowly close in on the struggling Aragami. They leapt and slid, dancing around the lasers it infuriatingly fired.

Then he noticed something strange.

It hadn't occurred to him when they were fighting separately with greater distance between them, but as they tightened their formation he began to see a familiar pattern. The three of them were moving in unison, rotating around the Sariel and leaving it in utter confusion. Following Ichiro's lead, Neo was mirroring and behind her, Shio was doing the same. At equal spacing and with synchronized feet, they were operating as a single unit, with one following after the other. It was just as Sakaki had described in his office not so long ago. They were chaining.

Enraged, the monster erupted, unleashing a pillar of light to the heavens, surrounding itself in divine power. This had been the moment they were waiting for. The light began to fade, revealing the exhausted Aragami at the center. Its defenses were down.

In a single coordinated strike, the three of them closed the distance. Having different weapons of different lengths, they layered their strikes on top of one another with Shio striking the legs, Neo striking the coat, and Ichiro striking the head. With his opportunity presented, Soma went in for the kill, channeling his power into his coming strike.

Collapsing to the ground in a fluttery heap, the Sariel was utterly defenseless.

Taking to the air in his familiar fashion, Soma raised his buster high into the air. He watched as his three teammates scattered below, scrambling out of the way of his incoming blow. With his pathway cleared, he drove his God Arc downward. The heavy blade landed with incredible force, splitting the Sariel's head in two, rupturing its third eye and embedding his blade halfway into its feminine torso. The battle was won.

"It was a good job! Right?"

Neo smiled warmly at the pale child and her celebratory bouncing.

"Yes, Shio. It was a very good job."

"Heheheh!"

Soma shook his head at the display as the two women lowered their God Arcs for the second time, this time visibly more cautious. Their antics were adorable in the most unsettling way possible as they smiled at one another without a care in the world, oblivious to the to the blood dripping from their bodies. While he had grown used to their antics by this point, there was still something incredibly unnerving about watching the two of them revel in their slaughter. The core was extracted easily, as his blade was already driven deep within the Sariel's corpse.

With their prize collected, Soma lifted his gaze towards the two women again… only to find one of them missing. Where on earth had she gone?

"Neo…?"

He called for her, eyes scanning the area nervously for their missing New Type. He had made a point not say a word to her the entire time. There was no reason that she should have run off this time.

"Don't worry about her. She'll be fine."

"What?"

His eyes squinted suspiciously at his comrade, a bit taken aback by his nonchalant attitude. He seemed utterly unconcerned with Neo's missing state. He opened his mouth to protest, but quickly fell silent as he noticed a large indentation in the snow, dragging along the ground and further into the village. Alarmed, he looked around him, only to notice that a few of the Aragami's corpses were missing. Had Neo taken them?

"She just wanted some privacy. I'm sure you understand."

"…"

Soma's eye twitched slightly at his backhanded response. There was no malice in his statement, but he could feel the bite in his tone. The implications of his comment were well received. Neo was no longer comfortable feeding around them… more specifically, she was no longer comfortable feeding around him. She now felt the need to hide from him. And that realization stung worse than her initial avoidance.

His words had done far more than hurt her feelings. He had damaged the way she viewed herself entirely. And as he watched her guardian wander off into the snow, he vowed that he would find a way to rectify it.

. . .

Leaning silently against the stone wall, Ichiro patiently waiting for the squelching and tearing sounds to halt before he approached. He knew that she was feeling sensitive about the matter and didn't want to risk upsetting her by interrupting her private mealtime. Instead, he looked around the area, eyeing the bodies strewn across the area, the aftermath of the women's rampage.

His heart clenched tightly in his chest as his eyes drifted slowly across the body of a slain Zygote, lying motionless in the snow. Rage filled his heart at the sight of them, their very existence a reminder of what they had taken from him. Though all Aragami were generally loathsome, it was their species by far that he hated the most.

"…Ichi?"

"Huh?"

The sound of her gentle voice reached him, stirring him from his thoughts as he returned to the present. Neo had finished eating and noticed him outside of the temple… and apparently she had been watching him for a while, as he could see the mild irritation in her eyes at having repeated herself multiple times. But at his dumbfounded expression, her eyes softened. Her annoyance shifted into concern as she slowly approached him from the stairs.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm…"

"Don't lie to me."

"… No."

His mumbled answer was barely audible, his conviction crumbling under piercing gaze. Lying to Neo would serve no purpose, and she would see right through him anyway.

"You've been acting strangely ever since the Barrier Breach… Did I do something wrong?"

"What?! No, of course not! You could never…"

"Please… tell me the truth."

"I am."

"So then… why have you been avoiding me these past few days?"

His eyes widened slightly before quickly narrowing again. A pale pink hue rose on his light skin as the thought Neo in her bed clothes resurfaced in his mind.

"That has nothing to do with - I… the two are not related in any way, I assure you."

"Okay… Then, can I ask you one more question?"

"Ask away."

"… Does it have anything to do with the nightmares?"

"…"

Bullseye. As always, the New Type had hit her mark. Even his thoughts could find no cover from her intuitive mind. Truthfully, he wasn't surprised. Neo had always been very perceptive of him and followed his patterns closely. Such was her nature. He knew that eventually she would draw the connection just as he knew that she would one day inquire about the truth. It was only a matter of time… and far more than enough had passed. Perhaps to tell her would do him some good, to no longer shoulder his burden alone.

"…Misato."

"What?"

"Misato Hamasaki… my mother."

All movement ceased between them as Neo's body froze in utter shock. In all of their years together, Ichiro had never mentioned his mother to her. It was one of the few facets of his life that she knew almost nothing about. Her appearance, what type of person she was, her relationship to her son, were all details completely foreign to her. Until this very moment, he had never even spoken her name. She knew nothing of the mysterious woman… she knew only of her death.

"That's a beautiful name."

"She was a beautiful person."

"I have always wondered… would you tell me about her?"

"My mother was… a woman of the people, you could call her I guess. She was kind and compassionate, gentle but firm. She was calm, composed… the very picture of peace. Well, most of the time."

"Most?"

"She… had a bit of a mean streak when the of us were involved. She was a nice woman, but protective of her own."

"So in other words… she was exactly like you."

"Haha! I guess that's one way of putting it."

A smile formed on his lips at Neo's assertion. He had never really thought about the similarities between their personalities. He generally tried to avoid thinking about her at all. But hearing her observation given voice, he couldn't really refute her claim. While he shared his father's love of science, his peaceful nature came almost entirely from his mother.

"She was loved by nearly everyone she met. She had a way about her that simply drew people in… so when she was taken from us, the branch took it pretty badly."

"Taken… was it…?"

"Yes. It was an Aragami attack."

His answer was exactly as she had feared. There were countless ways in which a human could lose their life. They were such fragile creatures by design. Illness, starvation, burning, and drowning… were but a few among many, and none of them particularly comfortable. But in this world there were only a handful of likely possibilities, devouring being one of them. And it was by far the most unpleasant.

"Was she a member of the Exploration Initiative?"

Ichiro shook his head.

"No… she actually wasn't a researcher at all. We were simply visiting the facility."

"A security breach… in the main building? How is that possible?"

Neo's surprise was warranted. As the Russian Branch excelled in psychological studies and the Far East in research, the North American Branch served as one of the strongest in offensive capability. With multiple divisions of highly trained operatives ranging from the mundane hunter gatherers to special protection personnel, theirs prided themselves on the safety of their Headquarters.

Breaches were a rare occurrence and those that did were typically halted before they passed the outer limits. They shouldn't have been able to breach the inner perimeter, let alone reach their base of operations. As a member of Special Operations herself, Neo knew this very well… and from the bewildered expression on her guardian's face, he likely shared the same concern.

"A freak accident? A stroke of bad luck? No one really knows… and anyone who does has certainly not informed me."

The pain in his eyes was evident and she wondered whether or not she should continue forward. Neo wanted nothing more at that moment than to learn more about him, but not at the cost of his own wellbeing. If voicing his recollection would hurt him, than she wanted no part of it.

"You don't have to say any more than you wish, Ichi. Your story is yours and yours alone to tell."

"No, it's fine. To be honest, I've been holding onto it for so long… it might be nice to finally tell someone the truth."

Someone? Had he not even told Yuki?

"Then please… I would like to know."

"Alright. If you want to know, I will tell you. It happened many years ago… not too long after we met, actually."

"When I was eight?"

"No, even longer than that. It was before… you still had your voice then."

That long?

"Wow…"

"Mm-hm. I was just a happy child then, no different than any other. And it was a day like any other on our visit to the facility. You knew him well, so I don't have to explain it you, but my father was kind of…"

"A workaholic?"

"Yeah. Always lost in his research. He'd work all day and night if he could. Do you remember?"

"Of course. Yuki was always like that. He was always so busy he would forget to eat breakfast… and probably lunch and dinner too they allowed it."

"Haha! Exactly. That's why my mother and I would frequently bring him meals from home. Because, you know, if we didn't feed him, who would?"

"That sounds lovely."

"It was. I remember making onigiri and some makeshift norimaki… as best we could with rations, you know."

Neo nodded slowly, watching him intently. His story made sense so far. Onigiri was one of Ichiro's favorite foods, so it didn't surprise her that he would bring them along for a luncheon.

"Bento in hand, my mother and I made our way to the building. At that time of day, father was usually in the upstairs laboratory."

"The reinforced one?"

"The very same. We rode the lift up like we always did. People greeted us as we passed by. Even Samuel stopped to say hello, busy as my father kept him.

Samuel…

Her eye twitched slightly at the mention of his wretched name. Samuel… accomplice and ally to the violator.

"He told us where to find my father and we went on our way. We were walking down the hallway and then…"

His pause confused her, the pensive look in his eye raising alarm. Was he having second thoughts?

"… Hm?"

"Well… Okay, this is kind of silly, but… I thought I heard screaming. It was so feint that, to be honest, I still wonder to this day if I had only imagined it."

"Screaming?"

"Yeah. Like someone was in pain. We were halfway down the hall when the Aragami came. They were breaking through the windows and the walls… they came out of nowhere and we didn't know what to make of it. It was utter madness."

"…"

"We tried to get to the stairwell, but we were cut off. So we tried to double back, but… well you know how quickly those aerial species move. We simply weren't fast enough. I could hear it behind us… so close behind us. I could almost feel it. I thought I was gonna die."

"…"

"The last thing I remember was mother grabbing my hand… then I was airborne. I think she knew. She knew that there wasn't enough time. That we weren't going to make it. So she did the only thing she could in that moment. She threw me into an empty lab room and out of sight… then she… it…"

His shuddered for a moment as he composed himself.

"Anyway… that was it. I lost my mother just before the changing of the seasons. It was -"

"The end of summer…"

"I… wow. Yeah, that's right. Sometimes I wonder if you actually can read my mind, you know?"

His eyes gazed up at the cloudy sky, the snow falling softly against his cheeks. A wistful smile pulled at his lips as he thought of Misato's face, so gentle and warm… a stark contrast to the woman standing behind him, who had grown eerily still. Her shoulders trembled violently and her teeth clenched so tightly her jaw began to ache.

"Neo…? Hey, are you alright?"

The moment he turned towards her, she rushed forward. The veteran blinked, startled by her sudden reaction. He nearly stumbled as she collided with him, wrapping her arms around his midsection. The dumbfounded expression on his face quickly faded into a gentle smile as looked down at her. He could feel her tremors, belying the protective embrace she had enveloped him in.

"What's all this now?"

Her hold tightened as her temper rose.

"Ah… that's a little tight… come on, I'm supposed to be your guardian, remember?"

His humor went unnoticed as her grip grew even stronger.

"Okay, that's starting to hurt."

"Why?"

Something like me doesn't deserve your protection.

"Wha… huh? I…" Ichiro sighed, her question giving him pause. "Honestly…? Because I wanted to."

What?

"It probably sounds ridiculous… but I was actually happy when I found out that I was compatible… and I was even happier when Fenrir appointed me to your side. I became a God Eater not only to avenge my mother, but to be a shield for others. To ensure tragedies like this don't happen again. I guess in some way, it's a form of redemption."

"Redemption…?" Neo's voice wavered, cracking as she strained.

"Yeah. I was powerless when those monsters came. I could do nothing when they took her away. I couldn't help the people I cared about then, but I can today. I couldn't protect her, but I can protect others… I can protect you."

The last of her walls fell at his final words, her sadness spilling forth in raging torrent. Her hold threatened to crush him as she lost the last of her self-control.

Shaking his head, Ichiro smiled at the sobbing woman as he gently stroked her head. He hadn't expected her to be so upset at his pain. Fiery as she was, Neo was a sensitive person. It was one of the things that he loved about her… and it brought him joy to see truly how much she cared about him.

But it wasn't his pain that broke her heart. It was what caused it.

Her assumptions had been born not of intuition but of knowledge… she had been there. Ichiro did hear a voice on that fateful day. Her voice. A beacon that summoned everything it reached. It had been her call that brought the Aragami to their location, the sheer volume of them likely overwhelming their built-in defenses… the very same that would infiltrate the floors below her… and take Misato. She had used sound to drown out the pain, but she had only brought more.

It had been her that sounded the alarm and sealed his mother's fate.

And that fate had been the first domino in a wave of consecutive events that would drive him to become her guide. She who had taken everything from him. His father. His mother. Even most of his life. A life that he had spent training tirelessly to aid her. The dreadful irony was lost on him as he ran his fingers through her hair. He had walked this path as penance for the one he couldn't protect… and instead found himself guarding the very person who took her away. Even at this moment, he tried to calm her, blissfully unaware that he was embracing Misato's killer.

She was a monster.

No. She was something far worse. She was a creation of pure destruction married with the twisted cruelty of the sentient human mind. There was no word in any of her languages to describe it, so she knew not what to call herself. She knew only that it was the manifestation of pure evil. And if there was a hell, she was certain that there was a special place in there for her.

He should have ended her in the Infernal Subway, plunging her into fires below. If he only knew just how close he had come to exacting his vengeance… and were he do it again, she would not dare to stop him. She would deserve it.

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"

Her words were nearly unintelligible through her choked sobs.

"There is nothing to apologize for."

There is everything. And no amount can ever make this right.

"You didn't do anything wrong."

But I did.

"No one could've predicted this. It wasn't anyone's fault."

Yes it was. It was mine.