.hack/EVA: Catharsis: Calm before the Storm
Disclaimer: In this universe in the quantum foam, I do not own or in any way shape or form hold a claim to the .hack series or Neon Genesis Evangelion.
" " denotes speech
'italics' denotes thought
'bold' denotes location names
'bold italics' denotes skill use
NERV HQ, Temporary Warehouse, Tokyo-3
The Third Child was surveying the remains of the Fourth Angel, oddly less intimidating, now that it had been rendered inert by a stab of his prog knife. While it was indeed massive, enough so that the temporary warehouse for the corpse of the fallen foe required an entire city block, it was quite comical in appearance, resembling nothing so much as some sort of strange tentacle monster out of…less appropriate anime.
Not that he could fully appreciate the humor there, being vastly too innocent for a boy of his age, but the same could not be said of the rather prestigious company walking with him. Captain Katsuragi (or Misato, as she liked to be called so as not to feel old) of course, knew all about such ecchi things, mostly from her own experience, though the full extent was blocked from her mind by her hatred of the Angels, and Dr. Akagi found the similarity amusing in a cold, clinical sense.
"This is our enemy, isn't it?" asked Shinji to no one in particular. He glanced at his superiors to find that they had not heard him, being intent on their study of the corpse.
"This was truly an ideal sample—I'm very grateful for it," Dr. Akagi was saying to Misato. "But unfortunately, when we run the standard analysis…"
'Error 601' appeared on the MAGI terminal.
"Huh? What does that mean?" demanded a very puzzled Misato, who for all her tactical brilliance was lost when it came to technology.
Ritsuko looked taken aback for a moment, frustrated by the late nights that she had been working in her quest for results, and surprised that anyone would not be familiar with the MAGI. Then she sighed, remembering that Misato was the woman who continually managed to get herself hopelessly lost in the corridors of NERV.
That woman couldn't remember anything unless her life depended on it.
"That's our system's code number for "cannot be analyzed," she responded at last, wondering which would happen first: Third Impact, or the day Misato actually stopped drinking.
"So you don't know anything new at all?" pressed the purple haired Director of Operations, wanting to better understand the foe that had destroyed her life so many years ago. Say what you like, the woman can hold a grudge.
Ristuko winced, rubbing her tired eyes as she gestured to the screen.
"You are correct, though we do know the Angel is composed of matter which has both particulate and waveform properties."
Misato's lips compressed themselves into a thin line as she contemplated this state of affairs, arching her eyebrow a moment later as she remembered something that Maya had told her in passing about a startling discovery she had not had the chance to report to Dr. Akagi.
"What about analyzing the Angel's inherent wave pattern?"
Ritsuko's gaze snapped back to Misato with unnerving speed, eyes scanning her long time friend as if she were some sort of alien. And to be honest, the white-clad doctor had a right to be concerned, as technical analyses was decidedly not part of her friend's area of expertise, drunk or sober. Still, what she suggested had some merit, and nothing else seemed to work, so she was willing to give the suggestion a chance.
With a shake of her head, Dr. Akagi input the commands to alter the analysis parameters, as two sets of curious eyes looking over her shoulders to see the result. A pattern appeared onscreen, that of human DNA, overlaying the wave pattern, with a blinking tracer mapping corresponding areas on each. A chime sounded, and the examination was complete, with a simple line of text becoming visible:
"Analysis of arrangement and coordinates of waveform indicates a 98.89 match with human DNA."
"What does—" Misato began, only to be cut off by Ritsuko.
"It means we know next to nothing," interrupted Dr. Akagi with a measure of finality.
Meanwhile, a little ways away, Commander Gendo Ikari and his erstwhile mentor Sub-Commander Kozo Fuyutsuki had their own reasons for wanting to examine the Fourth Angel's remains. They asked in harsh, clipped tones about the integrity and condition of the sample, and then ordered most of the remains destroyed, save the core.
But Shinji noticed something else entirely: the burns on his father's hands.
Where could he have gotten those burns? he asked himself mentally, staring hard at the puzzle of the burns. His father didn't care for anyone, did he?
"What's the matter?"
Misato's words broke through Shinji's reverie, prompting him into classic Shinji behavior: evasion.
"Ah...No-nothing's wrong."
Of course, with the waver in his voice and the almost-stricken look on his face, she didn't believe him. Still, she tried to be kind to him, even while needing to be firm.
"Liar. You say nothing's wrong, but your face seems to say 'Worry about me, please.'"
Caught in his evasion, Shinji reverted to the truth.
"I just wanted to know how Father burned his hands."
Noticing the burns on Commander Ikari's hands for the first time, Misato was surprised herself. She didn't know how he would have gotten those burns, not with the gloves he always seemed to wear. But there was one person who might know, and thankfully, she was standing right there.
"Rits, do you know how the Commander burned his hands?"
Dr. Akagi frowned, recalling the events of the day when Eva-00 had gone berserk, and had tried to break through the glass on the observation deck in an attempt to kill all within. To a trained eye, she was obviously uncomfortable with the memory, and yet she was still willing to explain what she could.
"Before you came to this city, Unit One went out of control during the activation experiment. You may have heard about that?
Shinji nodded, his intent expression silently prodding Dr. Akagi to continue with her account of what happened.
"Well," she said, "The pilot was locked inside it."
Shinji's eyes widened then, realizing just who the pilot must have been.
"Ayanami…" he breathed, as Dr. Akagi cut in once more.
"Commander Ikari helped her escape from it. He had to force open the overheated hatch and in doing so, burned his hands."
Shinji could only stand there stunned, his thoughts reeling in sordid disarray.
My father did that for Ayanami? And he just abandoned me? Just who is she…
These thoughts would continue to trouble him in the following days at school.
Tokyo-3 1st Municipal Junior High School, Classroom 2-A
Two weeks ago, before Aranami-sensei had taken the reins of Class 2-A, the students within were a disaffected bunch who could not bear to listen to stories of Second Impact and its effects any longer. Most of them, being EVA candidates, had psychological issues of one sort or another, and all of them together had only been putting in enough effort to get by, simply trying to while away the days and hours until the end of the term.
This was understandable, really, since Boring-sensei had not truly cared about his students, merely droning on about the tragedy of Second Impact, and fretting about his ruined career as a Jpop idol. (Well, maybe not as a J-Pop Idol, but the man did dream), masking his disdain of the present.
Was it any wonder then, that when Morganna arrived on the scene, young, fresh with new ideas about teaching, and willing to bring a spark of humor to the classroom, that there had been a dramatic turnaround in student morale and performance? And with the coming of the transfer student Reimeiki Hakubo, things had been shaken up even more, as the students found themselves mindboggled by the fact that someone was now making overtures to Ayanami…that were accepted, and had seemingly gotten close to the Third Child.
So as was usual under the new regime of Yumi Aranami, Shinji Ikari could be found at his desk, alternating between taking notes and glancing at one of the two young women that were in his life. One, of course, was the enigmatic Rei Ayanami, who had intrigued him with her aloofness from the world since the day that they met (in addition to being the basis for his character in The World), and the other was Reimeiki Hakubo, the mysterious transfer student who was at once both wise beyond her years and unsure of herself.
A glance over to the seat by the window. Another to Reimeiki, who sat next to him. Back to Ayanami. One to—for a moment, blue eyes met golden ones in an unblinking stare. He had been caught, but before he could stutter out an apology, as he was in the habit of doing, Reimeiki had flashed him a shy smile and looked away just a little too quickly.
From a rather awkward beginning, the two had become…as close as two uncertain young people afflicted with hedgehog's dilemma could in a short amount of time. It didn't seem like it to many others, but they saw in each other a strange sort of comfort, not that they had been willing to talk about it since that night when their avatars had kissed in The World.
Speaking of The World…he looked back over at Ayanami curiously, thinking about his close encounter with the Macabre Dancer named Skadi, who was, for all intents and purposes, a carbon copy of Rei.
Puzzles, both of them. So similar, and yet so different…
Does Ayanami play The World? No…why would Ayanami play? But Skadi looked exactly like her…sounded exactly like her. It has to be a coincidence, right?
His mouth went dry in nervousness at that thought, as he remembered that he himself used a character model based on Ayanami. If anyone found out who he was in The World, there would be no end of teasing, especially from Touji and Kensuke, the so-called Idiot Duo. Gulping, Shinji tried to go back to the far more innocent task of taking notes, where his thoughts would not betray him.
Mere moments later, his willpower gave out, and he found his gaze drawn back to the blue-haired beauty, only to find himself meeting her gaze. This time, it was the Third Child that broke the contact, with a flinch, only to find two IMs popping up on his terminal a moment later.
(KAGamer): So you aren't satisfied with just the transfer student are you? You have to go after Ayanami, too!
(TSJock): Ya sly dog, we knew it! You have the hots for both of them!
As he looked towards the senders of the messages, Shinji noted the rather lewd gestures they were showing him, and blushed, a tasteful shade of red that would match the paintjob on EVA 02, or an Angel's core, for that matter. For a certainty, it did give off that much energy in the form of heat from his face, so much so, that he did not manage to type in anything else.
(SIkari):…
(TSJock): Ah, what's the matter? Ayanami got your tongue? And well trained too, I'll bet.
(KAGamer): Yeah, he's been holding out on us! Tell us about your "adventures", oh Ikari-sama.
It was then that a most welcome intrusion arrived, divine intervention in the form of an angry brunette.
(ClassRepHH): …this is your last warning…one more word and I will give you cleaning duty for the rest of the term.
An "eep" and a gulp escaped from both the bespectacled geek and the lanky jock as they quickly composed themselves, looking for the world like the perfect students taking notes. Morganna, at the front of the class, raised an eyebrow and allowed herself a small smile, thinking that this was the perfect opportunity to deal with a minor issue of discipline. She typed something onto her computer and sent it, causing all blood to drain from Kensuke Aida's face when the message appeared before him.
It said only this: "I know that you're a hacker, albeit one with little skill, and exactly what you've been trying to get into. See me after class."
This had Kensuke on the verge of panic, as he has previously tried to get into the NERV networks, as well as the strangely well-protected school records in his quest to find out more about the teacher and the Epitaph of Twilight. That alone was possibly enough get him a jail sentence, or worse…the death penalty. He had then proceeded to gossip with others on those topics in the school chatroom, which could be cause enough for a good deal of ire. And as even he knew, a vindictive superior was not good news.
Maybe he should not have been so vocal in his protests about how the Epitaph of Twilight being used as their text book could not be the real thing, especially as all known complete copies had been lost during Pluto's Kiss…and in his snide comments in how Miss Aranami was no better than Boring-sensei for assigning irrelevant work. Maybe…
"It has come to my attention that there are some of you who hold doubts as to the validity of the text we are using…and to my credentials," commented Morganna in a deceptively light tone. "I would have thought you would enjoy the challenge, but since you insist on answers, I will provide them. After university, I was affiliated with CC Corporation, where I had a hand in managing The World. It was then that I came across rumors that there was indeed a copy of the Epitaph in existence, the hard copy that had been created by Harald Hoerwick, would-be lover of Emma Wielant."
She paused for a moment to give a pointed glance at Kensuke Aida, who was beginning to quake in his seat. Letting him believe that she was once part of CC Corporation, one of the most powerful companies on earth, was not a bad thing…and they had a reputation for being particularly harsh on hackers.
"After searching the world and The World, which I helped to develop, I managed to find this copy, from which your copies have been made. It has been cross-referenced with known fragments of the Epitaph online, and with other works by Wielant, being found as authentic. Indeed, this is the copy that The World is based on."
Eyebrows shot up all around the class at these revelations. Now the thoughts running through the minds of the students were these: "This was basically an original copy?" and "She used to work for CC Corp?"
This explained much about what had happened in the two weeks since Morganna, in her guise as Yumi Aranami, had assumed her new role as teacher of Class 2-A. No wonder then, that she had done the unprecedented: assigned students to play an online game, even subsidizing the cost of said game and equipment. Copies of the software and vouchers for one-year subscriptions had been found at each desk one morning, along with a hardbound copy of the Epitaph of Twilight.
That had sparked murmurs of both approval and incredulity, especially as some saw The World merely as a popular game without any educational value whatsoever, and didn't see what the link was between the game and the book. And in an even more daring move, Morganna had instated out the unheard measure of extra credit for those who performed well…or who were willing to complete certain tasks in the game known as "The World."
"A startling revelation, isn't it? That the game you know and love so well is based on this treatise on the mind and the unconscious. And here's something that shouldn't be a surprise but most likely will be: I am assigning you a project today, one that will take up the rest of the semester—"
Almost from the very walls themselves erupted a symphony of moans and groans that elicited a smile and a rare chuckle from Morganna, who waggled her finger in admonishment.
"Oh, just as I suspected, you've already forgotten that this would be a project about The World! Well then, ti refresh your memory, here is the prompt. Come to my desk for the materials when you are ready…and bring your partner."
As she spoke, a chime sounded, and the assignment appeared on the screens of the student laptops:
"Welcome to the Eos Project, an endeavor which will shed light on day to day behavior, helping to you to understand yourself and those around you. Remember our basic lessons on how circumstances shape individuals? In this project, you will be free to shape your circumstances in a virtual world with few limits. This will run for the rest of the term, concurrent with any other assignments you may have.
Of course, there are a few ground rules and questions to consider. It would not be a project without some hint of the academic, would it now?
Play The World R2 for at least 2 hours a day with a partner and note your reactions. Why did you choose your class and character model? What is it like to explore a virtual world without the limits of reality? Is the chaotic world at all like life in the battleground of Tokyo-3? How so? Taking this into account, how are your actions and intentions different from real life, especially in regards to your partner? If you find yourself joining a party, how does this interaction change? How does the notion of purpose vary between the real world and the virtual world? Do you find yourself taking on an alternate persona to address the needs of your role in either? How is this related to the Epitaph of Twilight? Explain.
With these questions in mind, keep a daily journal on your experiences in The World, noting any special points of interest or connections to the Epitaph. These journals would be turned in at the end of the term, but should be discussed at regular intervals with one's partner, and with me at your convenience.
You will find adventures, friends, enemies, and brave new worlds to explore. You may even find a new home or old memories lost long ago in the land of Twilight under the moon. And perhaps…perhaps you will find the legends of the past or me, for that matter.
Now with that, choose your partners, and 'Welcome to The World.'"
There was a moment of relative silence while the scope of this project sank in…and then the student population remembered that it was to be a partner-based assignment. Someone from the class would know their online identities…who could be trusted? Who would understand the identity in the other world? Would their choices, if a boy chose a girl or vice versa, be interpreted as a romantic overture? Given that these were mostly insecure 14-year olds with their own problems, chaos descended, with muttering and grumbling breaking out like a rash.
But even as a riot seemed likely to occur, a frosty glare from Morganna was enough to cut the rapid bursts of conversation down to fleeting whispers. Her eyes seemed to dart from student to student, fixing them with her gaze as chills ran down their spines. Surely there was something demonic in those eyes, those eyes with dark shadows dancing in them.
"Noting the impossibility of getting any work done if everyone is shouting at once, you will work out partners among you quietly and then approach the front of the class," Morganna said icily. "You did have two weeks to think about this…much like—"
A sudden motion from the corner of the class, and violet met crimson in unflinching gaze. Rei Ayanami had risen from her chair, seemingly focused on her surroundings for the first time.
"Ah, Miss Ayanami. Have you a partner?"
"Hai" was the quick, clipped response, as Hikari Horaki rose from her seat.
"Very well. Both of you please come to the front, and 10 extra credit points for being on top of your game."
When the two approached the desk, Morganna offered them both a pair of FMD goggles, which were quickly declined, as both already played The World and had equipment of their own, and journals that seemed perfectly tailored to their characters, with online names already inscribed on them. On Rei's was the motif of a snowflake, on Hikari's a cloud obscuring the sun.
Seeing that Ayanami played The World, Shinji had a minor heart attack, frozen in thought as his worries about the identity of Skadi came to the fore once more.
"Curious," his lips unknowingly shaped, something that was not missed by the angelic enigma Rei Ayanami.
"Is anyone else ready?" asked the teacher when the surprising pairing of Class Rep and mysterious one had returned to their seats.
Before anyone else could move, Lycoris had stood up, taking hold of Shinji's hand with a blush upon her cheeks and pulling him to the front, all to the accompaniment of catcalls from the Idiot Duo. When the journals were presented, Lycoris looked up in surprise, as her journal had the engraving of a spider lily on it, and Shinji's a random sea-bird.
She looked at Morganna questioningly, only to be waved off with a look of "I'll explain later."
The rest of class was a blur, as willingly or unwillingly, people paired up, and the final materials were distributed.
Tokyo-3 1st Municipal Junior High School, Physical Education
But if things had changed at all in class 2-A, the same was not to be said of PE, which remained traditional as ever, with Boys on the Basketball court, and Girls at the pool. It worked out better that way, or so the students thought at least. The boys could stare up at the girls in their bathing suits with only minor hindrances to their vision, with the girls likewise looking down and commenting on the boys in their basketball shirts. Mutual benefit, really.
So Touji Suzuhara thought at least, undeterred from his lecherous ogling even by the lure of sports (even though he was the self-proclaimed jock who was always seen in a tracksuit and had a dangerously strong crush on Hikari…which he would never admit on pain of losing his manliness).
"All the girls have such lovely breasts…" he said, drooling over them, his eyes bright at the sight of so many attractive young women in their swimsuits.
This did not go unnoticed by the girls, one of which pointed him out as a lecher with this cry: "Suzuhara has a weird look in his eyes!"
Looking away quickly in an attempt to escape being caught by the Class Rep, Touji saw that there was someone else indulging in his favorite pastime of staring and grinned. The boy was Shinji, and the one he was staring at was…
Rei Ayanami, the cold blue-haired beauty sitting alone by the fence.
Perfect. And Ikari is always so easy to tease, too.
Clapping his hand on Shinji's shoulder, Touji spoke up brashly.
"Hey, man, whatcha staring at?"
Shinji, whose mind had been focused on the question of why Ayanami, who usually alone, had seemed unusually social in the last day or so, and who she was in The World, was nastily surprised by this, defaulting into one of his evasions.
"Nothing in particular."
Unfortunately for him, he was not exactly a consummate liar, and even Touji could follow the direction of Shinji's gaze.
"You was starin' at Ayanami. Oh man, first you have the hots for Ayanami, then for Hakubo, now Ayanami since Hakubo has you whipped? You sly dog..."
"I—er, that is to say," Shinji stuttered, a sign of uncertainty that was not well received by
"Don't lie to us, man. We know you were looking," Kensuke broke in, lowering his voice to a more conspiratorial tone. "And who wouldn't at—"
"Ayanami's boobs?" asked Touji with a leer upon his face.
"Her thighs?" chimed in Kensuke, who was just as lecherous as any 14 year old boy, if not quite so obvious about it.
"Her calves?" said the Idiot duo in unison, grinning so wide you'd think their faces would burst apart.
"I told you, it's not like that!" insisted Shinji, and rather loudly too, catching the attention of most people around. Fortunately or unfortunately, Lycoris took that moment to sit down next to Ayanami, looking curiously down at the trio of future stooges.
"Looks like Hakubo is jealous of you looking at Ayanami. Maybe she wants you to look at her instead," said Kensuke slyly.
Shinji froze for a second, but only for a second. To get himself out of this situation would require some quick thinking, he realized, and so there was only one thing to do. Moving with combat trained reflexes, he got Touji into a headlock and jammed his fingers up the self proclaimed jock's nose, causing the larger boy to flail about and look ridiculous.
The audience of students broke out in laughter at the sight of this, especially the girls. Humiliation and schadenfreude were both potent parts of humor, after all, and here was Touji being made a fool of by the hero of the city, the great pervert being given his comeuppance. Up by the pool, Lycoris didn't laugh, but she did give Shinji a small smile, something that brought a flush to his cheeks.
When the commotion died down, and Shinji deemed it safe to release the jock, Touji was furious.
"Why you—" he began, advancing on Shinji with a look of menace on his face, form tense with indignant anger. Unlike the audience, he had not enjoyed being made to look like a fool in front of his secret crush, and he was going to punish the smaller boy, hero or not. However, he had not figured on Shinji's ability to self-preserve with a hasty reply.
"Let's call us even now!"
As much as Touji would have liked to continue, regardless of debts, he couldn't without seriously impugning his own sense of honor. So he simply turned away from the laughter, shaking his head.
"I didn't want you to get even that way…"
Taking advantage of the lull in conversation, Kensuke took a moment to return to the previous topic: "So just why were you looking up at Ayanami anyway?"
Shinji's voice dropped down to a near whisper.
"I was just wondering why she's always alone…and why she plays The World."
Looks of puzzlement came over his friends' faces, followed by a shared look of realization and suspicion a few moments later.
"Ayanami plays The World? Maybe she wanted to meet people more like her. She hasn't made any friends since she came to this school in the first grade, except for Hikari and Hakubo, apparently," mentioned Touji, in an unusually eloquent speech for him.
"Hikari, eh?" quipped Kensuke. "Already on a first name basis with her, are you?"
Getting the attention returned to him was the last thing Touji wanted, so he tried the Shinji-like tactic of running away, that is, changing the topic in conversation.
"What was on the journal Aranami-sensai gave you?" he asked Shinji.
"An engraving of a seagull," replied the Third Child, slightly bewildered at the change of topic. "How about yours?"
"A desert wasteland," said Kensuke, "which is a little strange, because that's what my online name means. How about you, Touji?"
"Eh, some red guy leading the sun out of the sea," said Touji, puzzled. "Dunno why, but he's a cripple. And I ain't nothing like a cripple!"
The three looked at each other and shrugged, returning to what they were supposed to be doing like nothing had happened.
En route to Misato's Apartment
A heavy veil of awkwardness lingered in the air as Shinji was left alone in the class with Lycoris, who came up to him a friendly smile.
"Walk me home again, Ecchi-san?" she said, batting her eyelashes.
To his credit, Shinji had learned to be a bit more playful and to control his blushing around Lycoris, after daily exposure to her mysterious charms.
"Hai, Hakubo-san," he said, nodding, only to see her lean close to him and look into his eyes with a strange expression.
"Call me Reimeiki, Ikari-kun. We are friends, aren't we?" she breathed, looking every bit as angelic and beautiful as the day they met.
Then Shinji blushed in earnest, as proximity to attractive young girls was something he was still not used to. Not even after he and Lycoris had shared that kiss in The World, on that night when she was rather emotionally distraught.
While they had talked, walked home, and wandered The World together, their shared kiss had seldom been brought up. It was as if the incident in Hulle Granz had never happened, or had happened far too quickly, which might be a bit more accurate.
"Hai, Reimeiki-san," demurred Shinji, and once again he blushed at the smile he could see in Lycoris' eyes. Though the kiss hadn't been brought up, it was remembered…vividly remembered, at that. And as shy as Shinji was, even he couldn't deny the attraction he felt, or avoid someone who he had come to enjoy spending time with.
They walked along in comfortable silence this time, having learned each other's habits fairly well by now, until at last Lycoris voiced her thoughts to her friend.
"Do you know why I chose you as my partner, 'Skari'?" she asked, stopping in her tracks and glancing at the ground.
Shinji simply looked at her curiously, his open expression a plea for her to continue.
"Because you're not a pervert," she deadpanned, almost causing Shinji to facefault. Seeing his reaction, she chuckled, touching his chin with her fingers, an intimacy that made him flinch away. Regardless, Lycoris lifted his face till they were looking into one another's eyes. "I chose you because you've always been so nice to me, even on that first day in Hulle Granz, a place that holds many memories for me."
And because you do remind me of someone from the hazy distance of the past…
Ah, the hidden, forbidden topic had been finally broached, meaning that, at last those errant feelings had to be confronted, and for Shinji, there was no running away anymore. He had chosen to stay and comfort Lycoris on that night in which he had understood little. He couldn't run away and not hurt her, not when they were partners and had to spend time together.
Maybe that was what she wanted all along.
"I'm not that nice. I'm selfish," insisted he, though Lycoris would have none of it. Shinji sighed and put that aside for now, deciding to come back to the situation at hand. "Do you want to come home with me?"
"To work on the project," would have been next, but they never had a chance, for Lycoris' eyes widened for a second, upon hearing his previous words. Realizing that his intent was innocent, she smiled, though as playful as she way, she was not about to waste such a wonderful opening for a bit of teasing.
"So I was mistaken…you're a pervert after all, Ecchi-kun. But isn't this going a bit fast? Shouldn't you take me out on a date first before taking me home and having your way with me?" coyly said the silver haired girl, batting her eyelashes at him.
This time, Shinji did facefault out of shock, and though Lycoris tried to keep him from falling, she only ended up being pulled along with him, somehow landing on top of him in a rather…compromising situation. Out of instinct, he wrapped his arms around her as he hit the ground, opening his eyes to find himself looking in to a pair of entrancing golden orbs.
Oh, this is awkward was the mutual thought. Any move would cause one to brush against the other, and just being so close together was thrilling and frightening all at once, enough to cause both to flush furiously.
Shinji slid his hands down from Lycoris' back, intending to help both of them to get up, but stopped cold when his hands found themselves resting on her pert bum. Not knowing if there was any safe place to touch, he paled and looked into the face of what he was sure would be his doom.
But Lycoris wasn't angry with him, not at the inadvertent touch, nor at the way her was holding her in his arms, nor at the way something was poking insistently into her stomach. All perfectly normal reactions, she reasoned, and not something to get upset about, unlike a certain redhead might think.
Before things became too much more awkward, the golden-eyed girl diffused it with a playful whisper into Shinji's ear: "You planned this, didn't you, Skari Ecchi-kun?"
Her hot breath sent a tremor down his spine, as a breathy "Lycoris" escaped his lips, along with: "N-no, I—I didn't…"
"Hush", she said, with a finger to his lips. Then she leaned in close to him and kissed him gently on the lips. Naturally, given all of his (nonexistent) experience with women, Shinji stiffened, not knowing what to do. This was different from the first kiss, as it wasn't just online, and they were together in the real world (real being a debatable point for Lycoris, but that was irrelevant at the moment).
So he relaxed into the moment, as in a flash, his mind has ceased to function rationally for the second time in his life, the cause of this sudden onset of dementia the beautiful girl so close to him and everything that had transpired between them. The softness of her skin, the sweetness of her lips, the scent of her hair…the mingled sensations coursing through him overwhelmed his fears and insecurities, and almost as a mirror of the aggression that the berserker state could bring, Shinji wanted to drink it all in, to capture her in his arms and never let go.
At that instant, someone could have told Shinji that his father loved him, that his father was plotting to bring about the end of the world, or even that humanity was the 18th angel, and he would have agreed without doubt or hesitation. That's the extent to which the kiss, now realized in both worlds, had addled his mind.
Heat, searing, burning heat built in his chest, his loins, and in Lycoris who lay within the cradle of his arms. Hands roamed freely, electricity almost crackling in the air, as—
Emptiness. Coldness. Lycoris had recovered first from the grip of teenage hormones, understanding more clearly what it was that was happening, and while Shinji was still dazed, she had taken the opportunity to push up off of him. Before he knew it, she was not in his arms, nor was either of them on the floor.
She had hauled him upright, with strength belied her seemingly frail form, a blush on her cheeks and a glimmer in her eye. And curiously enough, when Shinji's mind returned to him, he noticed that Lycoris had not let go of his hand.
At first, he panicked, thinking that he must have daydreamed the situation, or somehow taken advantage of her, but the gentle warmth of her fingers intertwined with his reassured him that it was real, that he had not died and gone to heaven.
But then, nattered a little voice within his mind, what heaven could there possibly be for a slayer of angels. Besides, that sorceress in The World did say that this girl was a goddess of sorts…
They walked in silence after that, saying what they needed to in glances and in touch, walking closely enough that if Misato or the Idiot Duo had seen them, there would have been no end to the teasing. Still, they were willing to risk it, happy not to be so alone anymore, and it was with mixed feelings that they came to the corner where they had first met, and where they normally parted ways.
Today they lingered, loath to part, and so laughed over little things, like how they had met, or the things they had seen, in school and in The World. But eventually, they ran out of trifles as time passed by, turning to topics that were more serious in nature.
"I'm worried about The World," Lycoris said into the long silences.
"Why, Reimeiki-san?" asked Shinji, curious as to why a game, even if it were his second home, would worry someone else.
A sigh was the reply of the golden-eyed girl as she looked away, saying only: "The World is like a home to me, and the sorceress in white…Helba…once kept me safe after my mother…became unwell. She…died when my younger sister was born, but we've grown apart, she and I. There…I…I…"
Dabs of moisture, tears, found their way onto her cheeks, as the events of the past were still too traumatic for her to deal with well, even if time had given her the small mercy of distance. It was like Hulle Granz all over again, and this time, Shinji squeezed Lycoris' hand as he took her into his arms again.
"You don't have to deal with this alone, Reimeiki-san. The past is behind us," he said comfortingly (if a bit hypocritically). "We'll make sure nothing happens to The World…both of us, together."
They remained like that for some time, until Lycoris lifted her tear stained face to meet Shinji's, and stole a kiss from his lips, one that he was a bit shocked by, but gave willingly, even enthusiastically in the end.
But all good things must come to an end, and reluctantly began their goodbyes, interspersed with explanations.
"Hakubo-san…when I said come home with me, I meant for the project," Shinji said quietly, inducing a delightful peal of laughter from Lycoris. Not for the first time had he heard it, but it was as beautiful as ever.
"I'd love to, Ecchi-kun, but not tonight," she replied. "My guardian has a friend coming over for dinner, and wanted me to meet her. I'll see you in The World, though?"
Shinji smiled in answer to her hopeful tone.
"See you in The World," he said, quite happily at that.
With shy expressions and worn-half smiles, they came together once more in a warm embrace, and at last they parted company, heading to their respective dwellings, where guardians, dinner guests, and The World awaited.