Chapter 2: Wayfaring Stranger
Disclaimer: Evangelion is owned by Hideaki Anno and Studio Khara. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth. No monetary gain is intended from this work.
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Yang closed the front door and turned around. She let out a massive yawn and walked back into the kitchen. She opened the closet door and grabbed some cleaning supplies. With tools in hand, Yang swiftly wiped down the kitchen table with some disinfectant. She then started to sweep up the flakes of that nasty substance that had fallen off their sleeping houseguest.
Yang started sweeping in the kitchen and made her way outwards to the front door. She gathered the mess into the dustpan, deposited the rubbish into the kitchen's garbage can, and put away her cleaning tools.
Yang walked back into the living and stared at the boy passed out on the couch.
"Man, you sure know how to cause a ruckus, don't ya?" She snarked at the lad.
"Yang! He can't help it, his spaceship crashed!" Ruby's voice echoed from above.
She looked over to see her little sister descending the stairs, freshly cleaned and dressed in her black pajamas. Clutched in her arms were her soiled clothes from earlier.
Ruby reached the bottom before heading over to the small laundry room underneath the stairs and opened the door.
"Sis, I'm pretty sure he's human. I didn't see any tentacles or extra limbs when Dad and I stripped him down!" She wiggled her eyebrows at her sister.
"Yang, that's gross!" Ruby shrieked as she tossed her dirty clothes in the washer and turned it on.
"Oh, really? You didn't seem to think it was too gross when I saw you peeking around the corner when we were getting his suit off!" She grinned.
Ruby's face turned scarlet.
"I-I...uh...was just, uh, making sure he was okay!" She stammered.
Yang howled in laughter at her sister's rather pathetic defense. Ruby slugged her in the shoulder and Yang just laughed even harder. Ruby's blush deepened and she pouted.
'Darn it, I thought I was being sneaky!' Ruby thought while crossing her arms.
It was true what they said. Curiosity killed the cat and Ruby had just lost all nine lives. Her teenage brain had gotten the better of her and she just had to peek.
"Don't worry, Dad didn't notice. He was busy with Stitches over there!" Yang snorted while gesturing towards the couch.
Ruby's blush faded a bit.
"That being said, I'm glad you're finally taking an interest in boys. You see when a man and a woman love each other very, ve-"
"I KNOW WHERE BABIES COME FROM, YOU BIMBO! PLEASE DROP IT!" Ruby shrieked in embarrassment.
"Bitch, you started it by creeping!" Yang smirked.
All of a sudden, a devilish idea popped into the red-haired reaper's mind and an evil smile broke out on her face.
"B-word, I know what's in your C-Net history!" Ruby smirked right back.
A tense air descended on the room and both sister's faces became completely serious. The two narrowed their eyes at each other. Neither said a word and neither moved an inch.
Until they couldn't hold it in anymore and both began laughing their butts off. Name-calling and arguing were something the two sisters did often but it was very rarely serious. Even physical fights between the siblings were all in good fun most of the time.
When her laughter finally died down, Yang let out another yawn.
"Hey, I'm gonna make some coffee, you want some?" She asked as she walked to the kitchen.
"Sure!" Ruby replied cheerfully. She spotted Zwei frozen in place like he was some sort of gargoyle, dutifully guarding their sleeping guest.
"What's up with Zwei?" Ruby asked.
She followed Yang into the kitchen and shut the door behind her.
"Dad told him to watch our patient." Yang snickered.
Ruby just let out an 'Ohhhh' in response. She was very used to the family dog's antics by this point.
As the two sisters made their coffee, their injured guest finally began to stir.
Shinji Ikari opened his eyes to see a wooden ceiling
"Najimi no nai tenjō." He whispered.
'Am I...dead?' He wondered.
The ability to still feel his body and the pounding headache disproved that little thought. Along with the headache, he now felt a stinging pain just above his right eyebrow. Shinji reached up to lightly touch the offending area. He hissed in pain and jerked his hand away. Best leave that alone for now.
'Where am I?' He thought as he shifted his eyes about the room.
Did NERV somehow rescue him from the Angel? If so, why wasn't he in the hospital like he usually was after sustaining an injury? From what he could see, this wasn't Misato's apartment either.
He tried to mentally retrace his steps.
'I remember the Eva going berserk and launching me outside. I hit my head...and there was that girl…'
She was without a doubt the prettiest girl Shinji had ever seen, and he was surrounded by attractive women on a daily basis. There was something about her striking silver eyes and neck-length black hair that faded into red at the tips that made her seem otherworldly. So much so, that in his few moments of consciousness inside the plug, he'd thought the girl was an Angel who'd come to spirit away his soul.
Not the city-destroying monster kind, though. The Biblical kind.
But if his soul hadn't been taken to Heaven, and he wasn't in the hospital or Misato's apartment, then where was he?
With some effort, he slowly sat up and took in his surroundings. Shinji looked around the room and saw that he was in a western-style house. A log cabin, to be exact. He also realized that instead of a bed, he was resting on a comfortable green couch.
Directly in front of him past the couch's left arm was a small table with a lamp sitting on it. Next to the table was a plush-looking chair in the same color and style as the couch. On the far wall was a bookcase that contained an almost overflowing amount of books. Another lamp sat towards its left edge.
Above the bookshelf was a large window with light green curtains that had been drawn shut.
To the left of the bookshelf and window was a corner staircase that ascended to a second level that he couldn't see from where he sat. A door underneath the stairs lay open and he could see a washing machine dutifully cleaning a load of clothes.
Shinji tossed the blanket off his legs, pulled his feet on the floor, and shifted to sit on the couch properly. He then noticed that he was no longer wearing his plugsuit.
'What the heck?! Whose clothes are these?!'
A set of oversized clothes adorned his skinny form. A quick check under the pajama pants revealed that he even had some underwear on! Whose fucking underwear was he wearing?!
He looked around once more.
In front of him now was a wooden coffee table. Past it was another table, this one larger with three drawers inside it. A potted plant sat on its top next to a plastic device that was placed in the center where a TV might be. A large green rug covered a big chunk of the living room floor.
Beyond the large table was a closed doorway on the far wall. To its left was another bookcase that was much larger than the one near the stairs. It held quite a few books but wasn't as full to bursting as the other one was.
To Shinji's left was a glass sliding door close to the large bookcase. Moonlight streamed into the living room from it but it was too dark outside for Shinji to make out any details.
Closer to the Third Child was a large brick fireplace with several pictures adorning its mantle.
With some effort, the young pilot stood and made to get a closer look at the photos. He knew it was rude to look at other people's things without their permission but he desperately wanted to know whose house he was in. He stretched his sluggish body and began to walk over to see the photos.
Before he reached the mantle, a sound stopped him in his tracks.
CLACK CLACK JINGLE JINGLE
He turned around and glanced about the room. He didn't see anything out of the ordinary. He idly took notice of two more windows that had their curtains drawn to a close the same way as the one near the stairs, a wooden barrel in the corner that had been converted into a chest of sorts, and a door that looked like it led outside.
A bit of red at his feet caught Shinji's attention. He padded up to it and looked down. Underneath the couch's right arm was a small bed belonging to a pet.
'That's weird, I didn't notice a p-'
CLACK CLACK JINGLE JINGLE
The sound came from right behind him this time. Shinji turned once more and was shocked by what he saw.
'Woah! No way!'
Standing in between him and the fireplace was a small dog. It was a Welsh corgi clad in black, white, and grey fur. A red collar and golden tag with the image of a bone adorned its neck.
It stood in a strange pose with one of its front paws lifted into the air and its nose pointed directly at him. The dog stood motionless with unblinking brown eyes that stared into his blue ones.
Shinji wanted to be excited at seeing the small pooch but it was kind of creeping him out with its staring.
The Third Child realized the clacking sound from earlier was the sound of the little dog's nails tapping against the hardwood floor and the tag on its collar jingling as it walked.
'How did it sneak up on me?' Shinji wondered.
Even if the pint-sized pup walked on the rug, he still should've heard it. The rug may have muffled its footsteps but he still should've heard the tag around its neck jingle.
BUZZZZZ
The small canine narrowed its eyes slightly.
'Uh oh...'
The boy didn't even get a chance to say 'nice doggy' before the corgi leaped towards him with supernatural speed. It planted its paws into his chest and knocked him back onto the couch with a girlish shriek.
On the way down, the tiny dog used Shinji's chest as a springboard and launched himself up several feet into the air. During his flight, Zwei snapped his jaws and finally caught that annoying fly.
Got ya, fucker! All according to plan. That'd teach any pesky bugs to invade his turf!
He did a full flip in mid-air before landing back on Shinji's chest and knocking the wind out of him. Zwei swallowed the fly and began vigorously licking the young lad's face, his stumpy tail wagging so fast that Shinji swore it could break off and fly away.
Shinji regained his breath and laughed as he put his hands up to try and deter the small pup from trying to lick his face off, to no avail. He heard the closed door at the end of the room explode open.
"DAMMIT, ZWEI!" A feminine voice to his right yelled in English.
The corgi was suddenly snatched off his chest.
"Are you okay?! He didn't hurt you did he?!" Another voice asked, this one higher-pitched than the first. Shinji wiped his face with his sleeve and looked up.
Cobalt met silver for the second time.
It was the same girl from earlier with a look of concern plastered on her face. The girl was dressed in a set of comfortable-looking baggy pajamas and red socks. She stood an inch shorter than him at a height of 5'1 with a petite figure. Her black and red hair was slightly damp, making strands of it stick to her face slightly.
Next to her, stood another girl with lilac-colored eyes and the most lustrous blonde hair he'd ever seen. She was dressed in an orange tank top, a pair of grey pajama pants, and black and yellow striped socks. She stood several inches taller than the red-haired girl and himself. And unlike the other girl, the blonde had a full figure that Shinji thought could give Misato a run for her money. And despite the girl's hourglass figure, she also had quite a bit of muscle.
Clutched underneath the blonde's muscled arm was the corgi, staring at him while it wagged its tail excitedly.
The two had caucasian features and slightly resembled each other. Shinji wondered if they were related somehow.
Both of the girls were achingly beautiful. Toji and Kensuke would probably be drooling over the blonde if their crush on Misato was any indication. She was gorgeous Shinji would admit, but there was just something about the redhead's eyes that enthralled him. Besides, purple was no longer a color he particularly cared for thanks to Unit-01.
Shinji realized he was staring and blushed before stammering out an answer.
"Chigau...I mean, no! No, he didn't hurt me." He replied as he shifted to sit on the couch properly.
In his embarrassment, Shinji had accidentally slipped back into his native tongue. The two girls gave each other a glance of confusion before choosing to ignore his slip of the tongue.
"Well, that's good. Glad to see you're finally awake. You gave us quite the scare for a second." The blonde girl said.
"I-I'm sorry." He stuttered.
"Don't sweat it. No one plans on getting injured. Just like how I didn't plan on seeing you naked tonight." She teased.
Shinji's face turned a shade of red he never thought possible. The silver-eyed girl's face joined his in turning crimson before she yelled at the blonde.
"Yang! He just woke up!" The redhead hissed.
"He's also skinny and probably needs to eat more." The blonde sassed.
The redhead turned back to him.
"Ignore her, she's dumb and has no filter!" The girl said.
"Whatever, you saw too." The blonde grinned.
"YANG!" The girl shrieked.
"Alright, alright, changing the subject. So, what's your name?" The blonde asked the boy as she sat the corgi down. The canine charged towards Shinji and sat down at his feet.
"Shinji Ikari." The Third Child replied nervously. He made sure to introduce himself with his given name first instead of the usual Japanese way of surname before the given name.
"Nice to meet you, Shinji. I'm Yang. Yang Xiao Long." The blonde girl explained.
'Xiao Long?' He wondered.
Yang Xiao Long sounded like a pretty Chinese name to the boy but the girl before him didn't look Asian at all. He mentally shrugged and decided not to think about it too much after remembering Asuka. The redheaded Second Child had a mostly Japanese name despite only barely having Asian features.
The girl, who had introduced herself as Yang, gestured at the red-haired girl.
"And this is my little sister, Ruby. Oh, and the furry troublemaker there is Zwei." Yang continued.
His eyes shifted over to Ruby and she gave the boy a nervous wave.
"Ruby Rose...hi." She yelped.
"Rose?" Shinji let slip.
"We're half-sisters." Yang explained.
It seemed the two were related, after all. Yang looked a bit uncomfortable at having to explain that particular detail but her cheerful demeanor quickly returned.
"Well, now that introductions are out of the way, care to tell us what happened to you before my baby sis dragged you home?" Yang asked.
Shinji's gaze snapped back over to Ruby and she flinched slightly. She wasn't very good with new people.
"You got me out of the entry plug?" He inquired.
'So that's what it's called!' Ruby thought as she nodded vigorously.
"Yeah! You were hurt and I didn't know how bad it was so I brought you back here! Taking you to the hospital in Palinwood would've taken too long." She explained.
Shinji had never heard of a place called Palinwood before. It didn't sound even remotely Japanese. Plus, he never saw many foreigners when he lived in the countryside. It was only when Shinji arrived in Tokyo-3 did he see people from all corners of the world that had moved there to work for NERV, with a majority being Americans.
'Maybe it's a town that popped up after Second Impact?' Shinji pondered.
He'd ask about it later. Right now, he had something that needed to be done.
He stood from the couch with a small grunt of effort and bowed deeply towards the young lady.
"I'm so sorry for any trouble I may have caused. Thank you for saving me." Shinji said respectfully.
Ruby blushed scarlet and rubbed her arm.
"I-It's no big deal. It's what a Huntress does, after all." She divulged.
Shinji came back up from his bow. He didn't know what a 'Huntress' was but it seemed to involve helping people in some fashion. All of a sudden Shinji's stomach let out a loud growl.
"Why don't I make us all a snack while you tell us your story?" Yang asked.
Shinji didn't want to impose but after not eating anything for almost a full day, he was more than willing to accept the girl's hospitality.
"If that's not too much trouble." He replied softly.
She gave the boy a calming smile.
"It's no trouble. Besides, I'm kinda hungry too." Yang grinned as she headed for the kitchen.
Shinji, Ruby, and Zwei followed the blonde into the kitchen and the red-haired girl spoke up.
"Do you...want some coffee?" Ruby inquired.
"Yes, please. That would be nice." The Third Child replied.
They moved over to the coffee maker on the counter and Ruby grabbed some mugs from an overhead cupboard while Yang set about making everyone some simple turkey sandwiches.
Ruby took the coffee pot and poured each of the teens a mugful.
"How do you like yours?" Ruby asked.
"Just black is fine." He replied.
'How anyone can drink coffee like that I'll never understand. Cream and sugar are what makes it good!' Ruby thought as she added the ingredients to her coffee.
"Okey dokey, sandwiches are done! Let's sit down, shall we?" Yang asked while carrying a plate of three turkey sandwiches over to the table.
The three teens then sat down at the kitchen table with Ruby and Yang on one side and Shinji on the other. Zwei sat down on the floor next to Shinji and peered up at him with a dopey expression.
"Thanks for the food and coffee, Miss Xiao Long, Miss Rose." Shinji said with a nod towards the girls.
Yang waved it off with a cheerful grin and Ruby gave a bashful smile.
"No need to be so formal, buddy. We aren't royalty or anything!" Yang joked as she grabbed a sandwich from the plate. Ruby followed her lead and also grabbed a sandwich.
He gave a small smile in return before closing his eyes and clapping his hands together in an almost prayer-like fashion.
"Itadakimasu."
Only after he finished speaking did Shinji open his eyes, grab the last sandwich from the plate, and scarf it down. Ruby and Yang gave each other another confused look at their guest's odd vocabulary. Maybe it was a religious thing?
They'd ask later, it wasn't important right now.
"So what happened to you?" Yang questioned as she took a bite of her sandwich.
"I...uh…" Shinji opened his mouth to respond but he stopped. What was he supposed to say? His identity as an Eva pilot was classified for his protection. His life was essential in protecting the human race so he couldn't go telling people all willy nilly.
The last time he did, Misato wasn't happy with him and all the kids in his class and their families had to sign NDAs to not reveal his identity. They were also monitored by the MAGI.
He noticed Ruby's eyes light up and an excited smile appeared on her face.
"It's okay, you can tell us if you're an alien! We won't tell anybody!" Ruby whisper-screamed.
He saw Yang slap her palm against her forehead and groaned at her sister's question. A confused look made its way onto the boy's face and an awkward silence descended for a solid five seconds before Shinji replied.
"...What?"
The silver-eyed girl's smile faded.
"Y'know...like from outer space." She elaborated.
Shinji flickered his gaze to Yang. The older girl was now looking at them both and trying desperately not to laugh at her little sister.
"I'm not an alien." He disclosed.
This time it was Ruby's turn to look confused. Yang lost the fight to not laugh and guffawed. A vein appeared on Ruby's forehead.
"Don't laugh at me! You weren't there, you didn't see the tube thing!" She growled.
'That's right, she saw the entry plug. No wonder she thought I was an alien.' He thought.
These girls seemed trustable enough to tell them the truth. Plus, he at least owed them an explanation after all they'd done to help him out. He cleared his throat to get the sisters' attention.
"I'm not an alien but...I am an Evangelion pilot." The Third Child explained.
Instead of shock and awe, he was met with silence and more confused looks.
"What's an Evangelion?" Yang asked the lad.
'What?!' Shinji thought.
It was hard to imagine that the two didn't know what an Eva was. The Angel War was worldwide news, with footage of the battles constantly making its way onto the internet. At first, the NERV had sought to censor footage of the fights as much as possible but when that proved impossible, the MAGI had shifted their priority onto making sure the pilots' identities weren't leaked to the public.
Judging by the house the two girls lived in, it didn't look like it was in a place without access to TV or the internet. In fact, it was quite a nice cabin. And even if he was somewhere without any internet connection or TV, word of mouth still should've carried the news of the Angels attacking Tokyo-3.
So why didn't they know about the most talked about thing on the planet?
"You know, the Evangelions. The robots that defend Tokyo-3 from the Angels." He elaborated.
Yang had a puzzled expression on her face but Ruby zeroed in on his story and looked like she might believe him.
"Why would a robot fight an angel? Angels are supposed to help and guide people." Yang probed.
"Well, they aren't those kinds of Angels. At least...I don't think they are. The important part is that they're monsters that are trying to wipe out humanity!" Shinji explained before taking a sip of coffee.
"What kind of monsters are these 'Angels'?" Yang asked.
"Well, they come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. The first one I ever fought looked like a giant birdman with a skull mask." Shinji answered.
'Sounds like Grimm to me. I wonder…'
Yang had two possible theories about this boy. She wasn't entirely sold on the idea that the lad was some kind of hotshot robot pilot but he sounded so serious about it that it was hard not to believe him. And it didn't seem like just an overactive imagination or a prank, either.
"Is it okay if I ask you something?" Shinji questioned the girls.
Yang held back on making a joke about him just asking a question and nodded. Ruby let out a loud 'Sure'.
"Where exactly am I?" The boy inquired.
"You're just outside of Palinwood, on the Island of Patch." Ruby divulged their location.
Shinji just stared at her in confusion. He'd never heard of this place before. Wherever it was, it wasn't his homeland.
'I'm outside of Japan?! How did I get here?!' Shinji wondered.
"I'm gonna go out on a limb here and assume you're not from Vale, right?" Yang questioned.
"Vale? Where's that?" Shinji inquired.
"Y'know, the Kingdom of Vale!" Yang explained.
"K-Kingdom?!" Shinji stuttered.
"Is any of what my sister saying ringing any bells?" Ruby asked.
He just shook his head.
A lightbulb turned on inside Yang's head. She leaned back in her chair with a smug grin and crossed her arms.
"I figured it out." She smirked.
"Figured what out, sis?" Ruby inquired, curiously.
"He's from outside the Kingdoms! These Angels things must be wherever Shinji's from calls Grimm! And the robots he mentioned have to be some kind of anti-Grimm weaponry." Yang exclaimed.
'Grimm?' Shinji had no idea what the blonde girl was talking about.
"He's probably from somewhere up in Wyvos that the Kingdoms haven't discovered yet! It would explain why he has no idea what Vale is." She continued.
"I guess... that's possible." Ruby replied.
She didn't look like she really believed her sister's theory. Shinji may not have been from space but something was off about his situation. Plus, there was the fact that the further you went outside the Kingdoms' capitals, the less technologically inclined settlements became.
A settlement with the kind of tech to teleport the 'entry plug' as Shinji called it, that hadn't previously gotten in touch with any other Kingdoms could theoretically exist. It just wasn't very plausible.
Ruby chose to stay quiet and finish her meal while Yang did the talking. They'd figure this out.
"No, I'm from Japan! I-I don't even know where Wyvos is!" Shinji declared.
"It's the dragon-shaped continent to the West of here! I'm guessing it's called something different where you're from?" She asked.
Shinji recoiled back. A continent shaped like a dragon? That sounded like absolute nonsense but Yang didn't look like she was joking. He rubbed his temples and drained the rest of his coffee in one go. His brain told him he was going to need it for this conversation.
The two sisters stared at him with wide eyes. Did he really just do that?
"That's the first time I've ever seen some chug coffee before. You want some more?" Yang asked with a smile.
"No, thank you." He replied.
"And about your question a second ago. I don't mean to be rude, Miss Xiao Long, but I have no idea what you're talking about. There is no continent shaped like a dragon." The lad continued.
The blonde's smile drooped and she scratched the back of her head nervously. It was time to call for backup because it looked like her other theory was starting to become more apparent.
"Hey, why don't you ask our dad about this? I'm sure he'd be more knowledgeable about world geography and stuff than us. I'll just text him and tell him to come back home." Yang remarked.
Shinji just nodded his head. He didn't say anything but he thought that these sisters may have been messing with him. Being bad at geography was one thing but thinking there was a continent shaped like a dragon was just too much.
Yang seemed to pick up on his state of discomfort and echoed it. A tense silence filled the room for a few seconds until Ruby spoke up.
"Hey, why don't we go into the living room and play with Zwei while Yang tells our Dad to get his butt back home?" Ruby asked a bit nervously.
Shinji's eyes lit up for a split second and the two sisters took notice.
"Good idea, Rubes! I'll take care of the plate and mugs while I text Dad." Yang encouraged her sibling's idea.
"O-Okay." Shinji stammered.
Ruby stood from her chair and began making her way into the living room with Shinji following suit. Once they were out of the room, Yang let out a quiet sigh, pulled her scroll from her pocket, and shot her father a quick text before taking care of the dishes.
Once the two teens reached the living room, Zwei seemed to realize that his master and their guest wanted to play and his excitement boiled over. He charged around the room in random patterns, leaping up on the couch before jumping off again.
"Looks like he's got the zoomies!" Ruby giggled.
"Zoomies?" Shinji asked.
"Hehehe, yeah! That's what I call it when he does that!" She laughed.
Shinji did not fully share the girl's amusement. He truly didn't want to be rude but he wasn't in the best of moods. He needed to get home ASAP. There was no telling when the next Angel could show up.
At least that was the excuse he told himself. In reality, he just wanted to see everyone and make sure they were okay.
Ruby placed her hand on her on Shinji's shoulder and he jumped slightly at the physical contact.
"Don't worry so much. I'm sure we can get you back to Tokyo-3...wherever that is." Ruby assured him.
The tension slowly began to drain from the lad's shoulders and he gave the redheaded girl a strained smile in return.
'She's right, I'll be home before I know. I need to calm down before I make a bigger ass of myself.' He thought.
SQUEAK SQUEAK
The sudden sound at Shinji's feet caught his attention. Zwei sat in front of him, happily squeaking a stuffed turtle in his mouth. Shinji moved to pet the small canine but stopped and looked over to Ruby.
"Go ahead, he doesn't bite. Well, unless you're a Grimm. But you're not a Grimm so you...don't have to...yeah…"
And just like that, her confidence left her, and Ruby's awkwardness returned with a vengeance.
'No duh, he's not a Grimm! Why'd I say that?!'
"Uh...right." Shinji blurted out. He chose to ignore the girl's awkwardness.
'It's not like I'm any better at interacting with people…' He thought, sadly.
He then bent down and scratched behind the corgi's left ear. Zwei's stumpy tail somehow wagged even faster and he squeaked his toy once more. The small dog shifted his head to point his snout towards the boy's hand. Shinji picked up on the pooch's intent and took the stuffed turtle into his hand.
Zwei backed up slightly and let out a happy bark. Shinji moved the hand holding the toy back and forth. Zwei's eyes stayed locked on it, following it wherever it went. Shinji suddenly gave the toy a toss and the stuffed turtle sailed through the air before landing near the barrel at the far end of the room.
Zwei snatched it a second after it landed and sprinted back to Shinji. Zwei sat back down at the Third Child's feet. Shinji petted the small dog before giving the toy another throw. Zwei retrieved the toy and ran back to the boy once more.
For the first time in over a day, Shinji gave a small, honest smile. Zwei noticed the boy's expression and decided that he liked this human. And that meant it was time to test his new friend's mettle.
When Shinji grabbed the toy this time, Zwei didn't let go. Instead, he initiated a tug-of-war. When Zwei yanked on the toy, Shinji almost lost his balance and fell forward. He managed to stop himself and pulled back on the stuffed turtle.
Zwei shifted his position and tugged towards Shinji's right. Again, he stumbled a bit and almost lost his grip on the toy. Zwei pulled a bit harder and slowly started pulling the lad towards the glass door that led out to the porch.
"What the hell?! Why is he so strong?!" Shinji gasped.
"It's 'cause he has his Aura unlocked! You're gonna have to pull harder if you wanna win! C'mon, Shinji, pull harder, it won't rip!" Ruby cheered the boy on.
'Aura?' He pondered.
Shinji's lack of attention nearly cost him the game as Zwei tugged even harder. Shinji was forced to give up some ground as the small dog yanked him further towards the door. The young pilot put more strength into it and quickly gained the lost ground back.
Zwei's eyes narrowed slightly. It seemed his new friend was stronger than his skinny frame let on. It was time to start getting serious. Zwei was determined to win this game. His master's cheers for his opponent to win only fueled his determination.
Shinji noticed the look in the pint-sized pup's eyes and began tugging in earnest. It was all or nothing.
And so the real contest began. After about a minute of the two losing and gaining ground respectively, it was apparent that Shinji was fighting a losing battle. Zwei was slowly using more of his Aura-fueled strength to gain an advantage over the boy.
If Zwei could've smirked, he would have at this moment. It was time to show this human who was the king of tug-of-war around here!
The puny canine suddenly used a lot more of his enhanced strength and yanked backward on the toy one last time. Shinji stumbled forward with a yell and smacked his already injured head into the wall next to the glass before he crumpled to the floor.
Zwei dropped the stuffed turtle and ran over to his new friend who lay on the floor. He didn't mean for that to happen!
"Oh no, are you okay?!" Ruby shrieked as she ran over to his prone form.
Rapid footfalls could be heard in the kitchen before Yang burst into the living room. Her eyes went wide as she took in the scene of the Third Child on the ground clutching his forehead while her little sister knelt next to him.
"What happened?!" Yang gasped as she rushed over to the pair.
"Zwei got too rough during tug-of-war and Shinji hit his head on the wall!" Ruby explained.
Shinji slowly pulled his hands away from his forehead and rose from his spot on the floor. When he stood upright, Yang carefully grasped his face in her hands and inspected him for any further injuries. He blushed slightly at the intimate contact and moved his gaze towards the wall instead of her lilac eyes.
He wasn't great with maintaining eye contact sometimes. It felt like people could see directly into his soul if they looked hard enough and that frightened the boy.
"Are you okay?"
The question brought Shinji's eyes back to Yang's and he let out a quiet 'Yeah'.
"Good. Now then…"
The boy recoiled from Yang's touch when he noticed a frown form on the teen's face and her eyes change from light purple to a bright red.
"Sorry to scare you. It happens when I'm upset." Yang explained.
Shinji still had no idea what she meant by that but what he did know was that people's eyes didn't just change like that.
'Maybe she has some kind of condition? Ayanami's eyes are red like that too.'
Shinji tried to rationalize what he'd just seen but whatever answer his brain came up with just didn't click. Besides, Ayanami's eyes had always been red, they'd never changed colors.
He idly watched Yang while racking his abused brain for any possible solutions to the mystery he'd just witnessed.
Yang's gaze zeroed in on the corgi who had caused too much trouble for one night. She snapped her fingers and pointed to Zwei's doggy bed next to the couch.
"Bad dog! Go to your bed, you're in timeout for the rest of the night!" Yang scolded.
Zwei's ears drooped and he let out a high-pitched whine as he sadly skulked off to his bed. He'd won the tug-of-war but at what cost?.
"Sorry about that, he's used to playing with people who have their Aura unlocked. I guess you don't have yours unlocked?" Ruby inquired.
He shook his head and spoke up.
"No. And it's not his fault, I should've let go earlier. I just...well…" Shinji didn't finish his thought. His right hand clenched into a fist before releasing. He repeated the process several times before Ruby took notice.
Ruby raised an eyebrow at the lad's nervous quirk and looked at him inquisitively.
"Just what?" She asked.
"It's just that I got too excited when we were playing. This is the first time I've ever been around a dog before." He said.
"WHAT?!/Seriously?!" The sisters exclaimed.
He gave a small nod in response. Ruby and Yang gave the young pilot a bewildered stare.
"HOW?!" Ruby shrieked.
"Well, there just weren't any dogs where I lived. I saw them on TV and stuff but never in real life." He answered meekly.
It was true, Shinji hadn't ever seen a dog in the flesh. His only experience with animals were bugs, the odd stray cat, and one peculiar penguin.
"You missed out, dogs are awesome! Especially Zwei, he's the best dog ever!" Ruby beamed.
"Not tonight, he's not. He could've opened up Shinji's stitches with that little stunt he pulled!" Yang gestured towards the boy's forehead.
"Stitches?" He wondered.
He moved his arm up to touch his forehead but Ruby grabbed his wrist before he made contact.
"Don't touch, they might come out!" She pleaded.
The pure amount of concern in her voice shocked the lad. They'd only just met, so why did she care so much? Ruby had saved him when she didn't have to, brought him back to her home to have his wounds mended, and now was concerned he might reopen his stitches. His depressed brain reminded him that he would have to repay her and her family somehow and that people did not do things for him out of the kindness of their hearts.
Everybody always wanted something in return.
Even Misato, whom he cared about so much, had an ulterior motive for being his guardian. She had told him about how she had been at ground zero during Second Impact and how her Father had neglected her during her childhood but had ultimately saved her during the horrific event. She wanted revenge against the Angels and he was one of three tools she possessed to get it. He didn't mind though. He was okay with being used so long as she was nice to him.
His eyes drifted from hers and onto the floor.
"Right, sorry." He apologized.
Ruby released his arm and shied back. Once again, her burst of confidence faded into her meek state. He wondered what that was about but didn't dare say anything in the odds that he might accidentally embarrass or offend someone. Instead, his thoughts focused back on his wound.
"Is it...bad?" He pointed to his head.
"It wasn't too bad. It'll probably leave a scar since you don't have your Aura unlocked but it should heal up just fine." Yang explained.
'There's that word again.' He thought.
He had no idea what the girls were talking about when they mentioned the strange word. Ruby had said that Zwei had whatever 'Aura' was unlocked, whatever that meant.
And speaking of the corgi in question, HOW THE HELL WAS HE SO STRONG?! Shinji may have been small and skinny but there was no way such a small dog should have been able to pull him around like a ragdoll. At least, no normal corgi should've been able to do that.
'He must have been genetically engineered like Pen-Pen was!' Shinji thought.
Misato had mentioned that the lab where she used to work had quite a few different animals that were being experimented on better adapt to the post-Second Impact world, dogs included.
He glanced at the small pooch and Zwei stared back at him from his doggy bed. His stumpy tail thumped lightly against his bed and he let out a whine. Yang noticed the two and smiled slightly.
"Don't worry, you two can play tomorrow. Zwei's serving out his prison sentence tonight." Yang stated.
"Tomorrow?" He asked.
"Well yeah. You're staying with us tonight." Yang informed the lad.
"A-Are you okay with that?! I mean I've already caused so much trouble!" He fretted.
"It's really not that big of a deal." The blonde argued.
"Do you even have anywhere else to go?" Ruby piped up.
"...No." Shinji shook his head.
Shit, she had him there. He still didn't even know where he was. Looks like he was going to have to rely on these girls for a bit. Plus, it would be a shame to not play with Zwei one more time before he went home.
"Then it's settled, you're staying with us tonight. Besides, you'd probably freeze to death if you left with that suit you were wearing!" Ruby remarked.
"Freeze?!" He exclaimed.
"Yeah, Patch gets early snow in Fall sometimes and it gets really cold for like a week or two and then it goes back to normal." Ruby explained.
"Sucks that it takes off most of the pretty leaves off the trees." Yang chimed in.
Shinji stared at the girls with a bewildered expression. What the hell were these two on about? Everyone in the world knew that the four seasons had pretty much been erased by Second Impact knocking the planet off its axis, so why did they act as if the seasons still existed. Plus, if the girls were to be believed and he really was on some island, then there shouldn't be any snow. All the islands he knew of all had tropical climates.
The girls noted the look on his face and a stilted silence passed over the room. It stretched on for a few seconds until Shinji couldn't take it anymore.
"What are you talking about?" Shinji yelped.
"Look." Yang said as she walked past him to the sliding door.
She flicked on a switch next to the door and a light turned on outside, revealing a wooden porch and just beyond it…
Snow.
"See? Early snow like my Lil sis said." Yang stated.
Shinji made no attempt to answer the girl. He was too busy trying to process what he was seeing. His eyes bugged out of his head and he walked towards the door in a zombielike state. He stared outside at the white powder covering the ground.
"Holy...shit…" He whispered to himself.
"Huh?" Yang said.
He didn't respond. His brain was rebooting and his body was now on autopilot. After a few seconds of staring outside, he realized that it wasn't some kind of waking dream. This was real! There was actual snow outside!
'I NEED TO SEE IT!' He thought.
In a burst of motion, he flung open the sliding door and charged out onto the porch. A row of wooden railing separated the lad from his goal. He clumsily vaulted over it and ran several feet ahead, ignoring the sisters' cries for him to wait.
The biting cold made him start to shiver almost immediately and the snow underfoot soaked into his socks, turning them into a squishy mess. He didn't care. This was something he'd wanted to experience for as long as he could remember.
An elated smile broke out on his face as he gazed at the beautiful sight of the snow-covered land. Moonlight streamed down and reflected off the snow in a dazzling display. The forest surrounding the cabin was mostly bereft of leaves, icicles growing along their branches.
Tears of joy spilled down his cheeks and Shinji began to laugh. It started small before gaining power and before he knew it, Shinji was laughing so hard he could barely breathe.
The two sisters watched from the porch and were completely baffled by the Third Child's odd behavior. Shinji dried his eyes as best he could and spun around to face the girls. The lad's smile was infectious and Ruby couldn't help but grin as well.
"I take it you haven't ever seen snow before either?" Ruby smiled.
Shinji shook his head.
"No, I haven't...It's beautiful." A small cloud formed in front of him with every word and breath he took.
"Then I guess this means you're extra excited to play with Zwei tomorrow, huh?" Ruby teased slightly.
He just grinned bashfully and averted his gaze.
Yang watched the whole thing unfold with her arms crossed. The blonde girl kept her face politely neutral to not show her distaste for what was happening. She was almost positive about her theory about this boy now and that was not a good thing.
She'd seen people get excited over snow for the first time. She had friends that had moved to Patch from Vacuo and they had certainly been excited by snow but never had they burst into tears over it.
Shinji swung his gaze around to view the frozen landscape once more. It was pure ecstasy for the boy to unwind a little as he viewed the natural wonder. Once he got home, it'd be more heat, humidity, and the constant chirping of cicadas. He wasn't about to waste this chance.
He gazed skyward and stared up at the brilliant infinity of the cosmos. Twinkling stars shone down on the world from lightyears away. It reminded him of stargazing with his fellow pilots after they defeated the Ninth Angel.
'I wish they could be here to see this!' He thought.
The whole thing felt surreal for the lad. First, he'd survived what seemed like an inescapable situation, then he'd met a dog, and now here he was, standing in real snow! Seeing the gorgeous constellations above was just the icing on the cake.
Sure, the snow meant that he was no longer in his home but that'd get worked out soon! Ruby and Yang's father would come home soon and he'd thank the man and politely ask to use his phone to call Misato. It was best to enjoy this while he could.
Shinji hadn't smiled like this in so long he thought he may have forgotten what real happiness felt like. No bad thoughts of Eva or his Father, or anything else could spoil this moment for him.
Or so he thought.
Shinji turned around to view the moon and his overjoyed face shifted to one of pure horror. His breathing grew heavier and despite the cold, he began to sweat. He shook in place, pure fear and shock radiating from him.
"Something's not right." Ruby whispered.
"Yeah…" Yang replied.
The blonde girl's face was now that of concern instead of the neutral mask it had sported moments before. Yang's muscles tensed at the Third Child's actions. She had no idea what to expect from the lad next.
"Shinji...are you okay? What's wrong?" Ruby called out to the boy.
He raised a trembling hand and shakily pointed at the looming satellite in the night sky. In place of what should have been a perfect circle was a partially shattered celestial body that looked to be about twice the size of Earth's Moon.
"T-T-T-The M-Moon…"
He could barely get the words out before collapsing to his knees. More tears welled up in the young pilot's eyes but this time they were not of joy. He stared at the broken moon with a look of incomprehension. Shinji raised his arm and slapped himself across in a vain attempt to change what he was seeing.
Yang extended a hand to stop her sister but she was too late.
"Shinji, what are you doing?!" Ruby cried as she vaulted the porch railing and ran over to the lad. She knelt next to the boy and placed a hand on his shoulders. No reaction, he didn't even acknowledge her presence. Shinji kept his eyes locked on the shining satellite above.
Yang watched the exchange with a small scowl on her face. She was sure of it now.
'There's something wrong with him. Maybe some kind of amnesia or something…'
She didn't know what it was, but something was very wrong with their guest's mind. No sane person goes nuts over snow, only to be scared shitless by the moon Shinji's strange attire and injuries only helped to further Yang's theory that all the lights weren't on upstairs.
She didn't think the lad was dangerous or had anything nefarious in mind but she did worry about the effect the boy might have on Ruby. Her baby sis wanted to help people and do good in the world but she could be painfully naive about the world's cruelty sometimes. Yang worried about what meeting someone who couldn't be helped would do to her.
Back over on the ground, Ruby was trying desperately to snap Shinji out of his trance by shaking his shoulder. Still no effect. The small redhead moved over to block the Third Child's line of sight of the broken moon and placed her other hand on the boy's opposite shoulder.
"Snap out of it, what's wrong?!" Ruby yelled.
The concerned redhead blocking his view seemed to break the lunar spell on the boy and he pointed a badly shaking hand past her to the moon once more.
"T-The moon…" He whimpered.
"Huh?" She blurted as turned to look at the moon in the night's sky behind her. There wasn't anything different about it, it was the same old shattered moon that had always been there. So why was Shinji freaking out over it?
"What about it?" Ruby asked.
"I-I-It's b-broken!" He quivered.
Ruby's eyebrows raised at that.
"Well yeah...Remnant's moon has always been broken." She replied softly.
Rational thought left for a second before rushing back in a wave of negative emotions the likes of which he'd never felt before. Not even his near-death experiences piloting Unit-01 could compare to the fear he now felt. At least then his brain could comprehend what was happening.
"REMNANT?! REMNANT OF WHAT?!" He screamed fearfully.
"U-Um..I-"
He saw her lips move but he couldn't hear what she was saying. Earth's moon was round. It had always been round and not even Second Impact changed that fact. And also, what the fuck was Remnant? WHERE the fuck was Remnant?
'Ican'ttakeitanymoreIcan'ttakeitanymorIcan'ttakeitanymore!'
His thoughts were a jumbled mess. The metaphorical dam in the boy's mind finally burst and the tears poured down his cheeks. He'd hit his threshold. It was just too much for the boy so he did the one thing he knew how to do when things became too hard for his heart to bear.
He ran.
The Third Child shot to his feet and took off into the woods. He didn't care where he was going or what he was going to do when he stopped running. Neither did he care that the girls must've thought he was crazy. And right now he wasn't so sure they were wrong about it either.
He vaguely heard their cries for him to stop and slammed his hands onto his ears and ran even faster. He didn't want to hear it. He wanted this dream to be over now but every time he glanced up at the sky, the shattered moon remained as if taunting the boy.
He sprinted through the leafless, moonlit forest as fast as he possibly could, dodging obstacles as he went. Within a handful of minutes, he'd run out of steam. Shinji came to rest at a small grove of snow-covered trees. He doubled over with his hands on his knees.
He took a moment to catch his breath and looked up again. Still, the broken moon hung in the sky unchanged, still mocking him. A fresh wave of tears arose and he stood there in the grove, sobbing quietly.
'Where am I?! What's going on?!' He thought madly.
And then he heard it.
GRRRRRRR
A deep animalistic growl followed by the crunching of snow sounded out from behind him. He turned slowly and gasped in horror at what he saw. Approaching the lad was a monster straight from a nightmare.
It looked like a werewolf that had part of its face melted off.
The beast had a coat of pitch black fur with bony spikes protruding from various spots on its body. Underneath its fur, it held a muscular human-like physique with clawed hands. Old scars littered the monster's form.
But the absolute worst part was its face or lack thereof.
The wolf-like creature's head showed its exposed skull with red markings covering it. Yellowish-red eyes stared unblinkingly at the boy with trails of crimson light following them whenever the thing moved its head.
It trudged towards the boy on all fours, a small cloud came from the hole in its skull where a nose should've been with every snorting breath it took. When it got within 20 feet of the boy it stood up on its hind legs, revealing how big it actually was.
The beast stood almost two and a half feet taller than the boy before it. It was on the smaller side for Beowolves but to Shinji, it was enormous.
'I-It's a demon!' He thought fearfully.
What else could it be? If so-called Angels existed then why couldn't demons? The young pilot didn't have the time to ponder it. His death was walking toward him at a leisurely pace and he was too terrified to move.
The monster was close now. Its horrid mouth opened and its tongue extended to lick the teeth on its upper jaw as if they were lips. It let out another deep growl and Shinji's life began flashing before him.
There were so many things he regretted. So many things he wished he'd done. So many people he was going to miss.
As the beast got within a few feet of him, Shinji remembered the voice that had spoken to him before he'd been ejected from the entry plug.
'Anywhere can be Heaven so long as you're alive' it had said. He didn't know if the voice had been his Mother like it claimed but what he did know was…
"You lied…" He whispered.
Wherever he was, wasn't anything like Heaven. It was much closer to Hell.
He really thought he'd come out of the battle with 12th Angel okay at first. He'd met two pretty girls that seemed nice, he'd met a real dog, and then he'd seen actual freaking snow! But that was all the buildup for this cruel joke.
And the monster in front of him was about to deliver the punchline.
It grinned evilly as it reared back a clawed hand to deliver him to the grim reaper. Shinji stood terrified but made no attempts to run. With any luck, one swipe would kill him. The lad didn't know what might happen if he ran. The creature was surely faster than him and being mauled wasn't the way he wanted to go out.
Being mauled sounded painful and Shinji wasn't a fan of pain.
'Goodbye, ever-'
"RAAAAAAAAGGGHHH!"
A primal scream interrupted his last thoughts. The world almost seemed to slow as Yang's fist impacted the monster's face and sent the beast flying several feet away. Wood splintered and cracked as it grazed a tree on its arc through the air. A cloud of snow and dust erupted from where the demon landed.
Yang moved in front of the young boy and assumed a combat stance, making sure to keep her eyes on where the living nightmare had impacted. Ruby came charging out of the woods after her and ran over to the pair.
The Beowolf surged to its feet and snarled at the newcomers. It was furious at having an easy kill taken from it and even more furious about the small crack on the tip of its snout from the blonde girl's punch. It realized it was outnumbered so it hung back and began to circle the three humans.
Shinji felt like its gaze was burning a hole through his chest. He was so far beyond scared and confused, it wasn't funny. One of his gracious hosts had come sailing through the air and belted the nightmarish creature in the face with inhuman strength that sent the demon soaring like it was nothing. It was like something right out of an anime!
Yang kept her eyes on the beast as it seemed to study them while it paced. Ruby kept her vision on a swivel, searching for any more Grimm nearby. When she saw none, she called out to Yang.
"There's only one of 'em!" Ruby informed the blonde.
"Good. Now take him and get outta here!" Yang ordered.
"What about you?!" Ruby cried.
"I'll be fine, just get back to the house!" The blonde yelled.
"But you don't have Ember Celica!" Ruby argued.
"I don't need it! I can handle this punk without my weapon, you can't!" Yang snapped.
It hurt a little to admit but her sister was right. Without Crescent Rose, Ruby was helpless in a fight. Plus, she needed to get Shinji out of here ASAP!
"Fine, but be careful!" The redhead cautioned.
"I will." Yang grinned as she cracked her knuckles and stomped forward towards the snarling Beowolf. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed her little sister grab Shinji's hand and take off running back home, dragging the scared boy along.
The Beowolf stopped its circling and its eyes flicked over to the two teens booking it back the way they'd come before settling on the approaching threat. It decided to go after them later. There were bigger fish to fry and it had been a while since it got to fight.
It threw back its head and let out a roar of challenge before rushing toward the young lady.
Yang met its challenge head-on with a roar of her own as she sprang into action. The two sprinted towards each other with snarls on their faces. When it neared her, the Beowolf swung a massive clawed hand at the blonde that she deflected with a roundhouse kick.
Yang used the momentum from her kick to spin around and deliver a powerful uppercut to the Grimm's chin. The force knocked the beast's head back but it quickly retaliated by lunging back down at her with a snap of its jaws. She sidestepped the bite with another spin and slammed her elbow into the monster's temple, delivering another small crack to its skull.
It staggered to the side for a few feet before collapsing onto its knees and Yang rushed forward to keep up the pressure. The Grimm spotted her out of the corner of its eye and waited for her to get close before propelling its arm in a backhand swing. Yang's eyes widened and she put up her arms in an X shape to guard the attack.
The impact of the backhand sent the Huntress-in-training skidding back on her feet a few meters. The Grimm roared again before charging for her on all fours. When it got within a few feet of her it stood up on two feet and raised its arms above its head. The creature swung its fists downwards with a growl.
Yang stood her ground and raised her own arms to block the blow. Her Aura flickered and snow exploded outwards as the Beowolf's massive forearms slammed into hers, creating a small shockwave. The beast's strength had almost broken through her guard.
"This is...a lot harder...without weapons!" She hissed through clenched teeth as she struggled against the monstrous force. If she had Ember Celica with her, this Grimm would already be dead. Luckily, there was always one thing she could count on, even without her gauntlets.
'Screw this!' She thought.
The Beowolf's head snapped back in surprise as its prey's eyes changed from a soft lilac to a raging crimson and her hair became a blonde inferno. Yang roared in anger as she broke her guard and grabbed the demonic-looking creature's arms. With its forearms securely in her grasp, Yang jumped up and kicked the Grimm squarely in the chest with both feet.
It went soaring and its spiked back impacted a tree. It barely had the time to shake its head and come to its senses before a blonde fireball hit it with incredible power. The Beowolf raised an arm to block but it was no use. The force behind Yang's punch shattered the monster's arm with a sickening crunch and continued on to hit the Grimm's chest so hard that it was launched through the tree behind it.
The Beowolf was sent skidding several yards away before coming to rest in a heap. The tree fell to the ground with a loud boom and the snow near Yang had turned to steam due to the sheer amount of heat and force her punch produced.
Yang trudged out of the steam, panting lightly. Her eyes remained their deep crimson but her hair was no longer alight with searing flame. She stomped forward, angrily. This night had not gone how she wanted. She was too tired for this crap.
The Beowolf slowly pulled itself up onto its feet with a whining growl. It stared down at its mangled right arm before looking back at the approaching girl. Its arm was a mess of mangled flesh and broken bone that would only slow it down. The monster snarled as black blood oozed from its wounds and dripped onto the forest floor before turning into wisps of smoke and fading away.
When the Grimm didn't make an immediate move to attack, Yang stopped in her tracks.
"Had enough, or are you thirsty for more?" Yang taunted the beast.
It glared at her with unfathomable hatred as if it knew she was mocking it. It wanted nothing more than to crush this annoying insect that had dared harm it but the Grimm knew it was suicide to continue. It had survived battles with humans before and its instincts were screaming at it to run away.
Plus, if it died here, it would never get a chance to eat the other puny humans from earlier. And there was something about the boy's scent that made him smell especially delectable to the Grimm. It couldn't wait to get its claws on him.
It roared at her one last time before releasing a billowing howl and sprinting away deeper into the woods. Yang's eyebrows raised in surprise at the monster's course of action. It was rare for her to see a Grimm retreat. Most of the ones on Patch were young and too stupid to do anything else besides fight until they died.
'Ehh, whatever…' Yang thought as she lowered her guard.
Her sister wouldn't like that she let the Beowolf live but right now she had bigger things to worry about than one stray Beowolf with a useless arm. With that in mind, Yang turned and started back to her house at a moderate run. As she ran, Yang tried desperately not to jinx herself by wondering what else could go wrong that night.
"At least it's the weekend..." Yang muttered as she ran.
XXXXXXXXXX
Najimi no nai tenjō - Unfamiliar ceiling
Author's Note: Little lore bit. All of Shinji's thoughts are in Japanese since it's his first language.