Interlude 10: Two Out of Reach, Two Reaching Out

Yamagishi Apartment, Tokyo-2, Early November 2016

It was a lot quieter now, since Mari and Mana had gone. Mayumi sat and contemplated the silence for a moment. Hotaru was getting refreshed after a day out, and Della (still their guardian, much to her delight) was out on a grocery run.

A part of Mayumi waited for Mari to barge in with her latest tune or strange, amusing thought, for Mana to sit quietly beside her at the dinner table and be a pillar of strength. But she knew it wouldn't come now. Not here, at least.

Mayumi sighed quietly. 'What I'd give for them to be here. Or Ichigo. Or Kensuke…'

She blushed slightly at the thought, another part of her cursing the fact that she found herself interested in both of them. 'Why can't I just choose and be happy?'

She recalled the words that Daniel had said a month ago, now. 'Air out your feelings for them. They're both very understanding. See where it goes from there.'

That had proven… difficult. Not simply because of work, though that was a great part of the reason. And not because she was uncomfortable with her feelings. After all, a good portion of her past was gone. She could have felt any which way about boys and girls, and she was open to finding things out.

No, it was… something about them. She didn't quite know. And it irked her to no end.

"Hey, there."

Mayumi looked back at Hotaru, dressed down into her casual clothes. She had spent the day doing job interviews, she remembered.

"Hi." Mayumi replied quietly. "How was your day?"

"Alright." Hotaru sighed quietly. "Still mostly just job interview after job interview."

"Okay. Have you considered Ms. Misato's offer more?"

"A little." Hotaru shrugged. "I mean, the benefits are nice, and the tuition help is going to be very helpful, but I want to explore my options, as I always have."

Mayumi blinked. "Oh. Okay, then." she paused for a moment. "I guess that's something new I know about you, now."

Hotaru blinked in turn. "Oh." it was silent for a moment more before Hotaru spoke again. "Speaking of HERZ and memories, have they made any headway into getting yours back?"

"Some. Now that I'm Interfaced, Daniel and Eleanor say it should be easier to get it back. But that's something I have to do myself. If SEELE didn't wipe my memory like they think someone did to Kyu."

Mayumi paused, then sighed quietly. "I just wish we could find our parents again."

The words came with them a new, if only second-hand, knowledge. Goro Yamagishi was a soldier, and Yume was a scientist or technician of some sort. Only Hotaru had any memory of them, and even that was a scarce thing. They had spent days after Mayumi had gotten her out just… talking about their parents. How they suddenly put them up for adoption, then disappeared. How Hotaru had made a promise to look after Mayumi. One she was intent on keeping still.

Hotaru's face fell slightly at the mention, then she sighed quietly. "I've tried finding them in my off time. Reaching out to people who I recall were old family friends. But…" she shook her head as she sighed again. "It's like they all vanished."

"SEELE…" Mayumi muttered, her brow furrowed.

The room was silent for a moment. Then Hotaru shook her head slightly. "So, how are your friends doing? Mari and Mana, right?"

Mayumi nodded. "Yeah. Mari is helping her mom adjust to life outside the Evangelion. It's… taking some time. The Ikari's are helping out with that. And Mana is at the aquarium today with her mom, talking out her future as an Eva pilot. We're getting together over the weekend, too."

"Lucky you." Hotaru said with a smile. "To have a schedule that's that open."

Mayumi began to smile in turn. "Well, you could have it, too. And you'd get to work with me while I'm saving the world."

"Decisions, decisions." Hotaru mused, and the sisters shared a quiet chuckle.

As they chuckled, they heard the door open, and a cheery hum filled the air as Della Duck emerged into the dining room, bags in hand. "Hellooo, ladies! Who's ready for some dinner?"

. . .

The Next Day

The weekend was upon her, and Mayumi… didn't quite know what to do with it. Mari and Mana were still off elsewhere for now, and the other Children were booked for the weekend as well. She contemplated for a moment if she could possibly go with them to do whatever they were doing. But… ah. Yes. It was a group date. A musical group date, but a group date nonetheless.

A sigh. 'I'd hate to be a third wheel. Or a seventh, for that matter.'

But that sense of companionship still called to her. She wanted to be with somebody, doing something.

Perhaps…

Mayumi sighed as she pulled out her phone. She needed to talk to him anyway. At least to start.

She waited as the phone buzzed, then the person on the other line spoke, sending a slight thrill through Mayumi.

"Oh, hey, Mayumi." Kensuke said. "What's up?"

"Nothing much. Well…" what did she say? "I'm kind of bored." she settled on. "And everyone else is busy. Are you?"

"Oh. Uh… no, not really. I was just doing some stuff with Ace."

"Really?" Mayumi's brow quirked slightly. Spirits had become fascinating to her, now. Due in no small part to Kensuke's explanations. "Do you mind if I come over, or will that disturb something?"

"No, no. Come on over. I'd be happy to have someone to yammer to about what I'm doing."

Mayumi chuckled softly. "I'd be happy to listen. Where are you?"

"Alone in one of the parks nearby. It shouldn't take long to get to me. Here, I'll send you my location."

It was quiet for a moment, then her phone buzzed as she received a message. "Get here whenever you can. I'll probably be here all day, really."

"Alright, then. I'll see you in a little bit."

They said their goodbyes, and Mayumi looked at the location. A 10-minute walk. Easy.

And yet she was still jittery as she pulled on winter clothes and said goodbye to her sister. The snow had gone for now but the chill it brought with it remained, along with clouds threatening to bring snow again.

As she walked to the park, she found herself lost in thought, wondering what Kensuke might have been doing at the park. She knew his Spirit was able to copy things. What experiments had he gone and considered doing? 'And is Ichigo there with him?'

A part of her wanted her to be there. As fascinating as Kensuke could be… he was a little too exhaustive sometimes. Knowing she could fall back on the seemingly ever-patient Ichigo would be nice, a calm port in a creative storm.

And yet, part of her wanted Ichigo to come later, when she'd managed to talk to Kensuke about her feelings for him. But…

She sighed quietly, her breath sending a plume of steam into the air as she began to approach the park.

The trees were starting to lose their leaves in droves, now, the fallen leaves rustling and crunching under her feet as she entered the park proper, the sound of the world around her, the cars and people who were still out, falling away as she went deeper into the park.

Eventually, she heard a strange whir, a muffled blare, then silence again. 'Well, I guess I know where he is now.' Mayumi thought with a slight smile as she headed towards the sound.

After a few moments, she stepped into a clearing, finding Kensuke holding a ghostly rife of some sort, a pillar of Plasm with a backing that was visibly cooling down about 7 or 10 meters away. He was in a sweater and jeans, a coat lying a little ways away.

"That's quite the armament you're packing." Mayumi said.

Kensuke turned, the weapon in his arms disappearing. "Or… it was, I guess." Mayumi added.

"Oh. Uh… yeah." Kensuke glanced down at his empty hands for a moment, as if he expected it to still be there, then started slightly. "Yeah, that was the Beam Magnum. Or a temporary copy of it made by Ace, at least."

"Ah. You've mentioned that one before. That one is from…" Mayumi hummed quietly as she thought. "Unicorn, right?"

"Yup." Kensuke said with an earnest smile. "I'm glad you remembered. It's not quite as well-liked as others, but it's got a special place in my heart."

Mayumi smiled slightly. "And what, exactly, were you doing, playing with your Beam Magnum in public like this?"

Kensuke blinked, then turned back to walk towards the pillar, and Mayumi followed, sure the cold was hiding a somewhat embarrassed blush. As they came to a stop at the pillar, Mayumi saw the tiny bullets, bright red, suspended in an invisible field.

Kensuke picked one out, holding it in his palm for Mayumi to study. "I'm doing some rather impromptu, I'll admit, studies of these Lancium rounds that we've recovered from various places."

"Lancium?"

"Yeah. It's what we're calling the material that the Lance of Longinus and its copies are made of. It's about as on the nose as Corite, but it fits, and it isn't taken."

Mayumi nodded as Kensuke continued. "It's been remarkably resistant to… well, just about everything we've been able to throw at it, Interfacing or no. Captain Ibuki thinks we'll need an Anti-AT Field to start shaping this stuff. At this point, I'm prone to agree."

"So… how does Ace figure into that?"

"Well, like we've talked about some, Spirits are able to bend the rules a bit. Like manifesting a complex mechanism out of thin air, for example, as Ace seems to like to do. However, I think he's still a little too young to be putting out the sort of power we need to crack these things."

Mayumi nodded. She had contemplated finding a Spirit of her own. The creatures seemed… fascinating. To have a companion like that, always at your side…

Mayumi blinked. "So, why Ace?"

Kensuke blinked in turn as he put the Lancium bullet back with the others. "What do you mean?"

"You said Ace was a reference to something at the Realignment Day party. But you never explained what it meant. What does it reference?"

Kensuke's mouth hung open slightly for a moment, then he chuckled slightly. "Oh. Well… it's another Gundam reference. An older one."

"Which one?" Mayumi arched an eyebrow.

"Well, it's based on the Turn-A Gundam. 1999. It had a hollow chest that allowed it to stuff just about anything inside. So, I thought, why not something like that for a Spirit who can seemingly have anything on hand?"

Mayumi looked at him with a bemused expression, and Kensuke raised his hands. "It's a stretch, I'll admit, but I'm not the best at naming things. That's the sort of stuff I leave up to my superiors."

"And so the truth is revealed."

Mayumi and Kensuke turned to see Ichigo, dressed comfortably as she smiled at both of them. "It's good to see you both."

She walked forward, giving both of them a quick hug as she came to stand beside Kensuke, looking down at the Lancium rounds. "What was going on here?"

As Kensuke filled Ichigo in, Mayumi couldn't help but… notice things. Small things, really, but… they added up. The way they grew just a little closer to each other. The way their hands brushed every once in a while. The way they smiled at each other, seemed to know what the other was going to say.

It made her feel… jealous. But who was she jealous of? Ichigo, for being that close to Kensuke, or the other way round? The feelings for both, the near anguish, compounded with the wondering, the want to see her parents again that had grown over the past… weeks nearly, swirled together to almost overwhelm her mind.

But then, she watched as Ichigo looked at her, saw the flicker of recognition in her eyes. "Thank you for explaining, Kensuke." she said calmly, looking back at him. "It's been a while since I last talked just to Ichigo. Will you be able to continue your tests, or should we meet you somewhere else later?"

Kensuke looked from Ichigo to Mayumi, then nodded. "Yeah. I can keep working here. You two have fun together."

Ichigo stepped to Mayumi's side, and grabbed her hand. "Come on." she said with a slight smile. "Let's go walk around the park."

Mayumi nodded silently as she followed, and for a few minutes, the only sound was the crunching of leaves underfoot.

Finally, Ichigo spoke. "You have a lot on your mind."

Mayumi opened her mouth for a moment, then shut it as she nodded. "That's putting it lightly." she sighed. "You looked into my soul, I'm assuming?"

Ichigo shook her head. "No. I just… know how you were looking at us."

Mayumi blushed as she looked away. "That easy, huh?" she muttered.

"When you've seen that same face in the mirror, yes." Ichigo replied levelly.

Mayumi looked back up at Ichigo, her eyes wide. "What?"

"I'll talk about it…" she stopped walking for a moment, turning to look at Mayumi. "After we talk about you. You have a lot you need to say, I can tell. So, let's find somewhere to sit and start."

Mayumi nodded silently as they made their way to a bench, sitting down as Ichigo took Mayumi's hand in both of hers. "So, where do you want to start?" she asked quietly.

"I… I don't know." Mayumi admitted. "Can't you just… look into my soul?"

"To speak aloud feels more… natural. More genuine, and willing for both of us." Ichigo paused for a moment. "How is your sister?"

"She's doing well." Mayumi said quietly. "Still looking around for something else to do as a job before she turns to HERZ. She's… surprisingly prideful like that, I guess."

"After a life like the two of you seem to have lived, it does not entirely surprise me that Hotaru would want to stand on her own before turning to someone for help."

Ichigo paused. "And what about your parents?" she asked quietly. "Have you been able to make any progress finding them?"

Mayumi sighed heavily. "No. There isn't anything that Hotaru can find. Or anyone. It's like somebody wanted to make utterly sure we only had each other."

Ichigo's brow furled. "Perhaps someone did." she said rather ominously.

"And… what happens when we find them? If we find them?" Mayumi looked away from Ichigo as tears welled upon her eyes. "What if they're dead? What if they're a part of SEELE? Even if they aren't, how am I going to explain all… this?"

There was little that could stop Mayumi now as everything began to spill out. "How do I even begin to figure it out myself? I've gone from piloting a giant monster using my sister's soul to using magic and meeting aliens and falling in love with two people who have helped me more than anything in the world and wanting them to be happy with each other too. I don't want to ruin things for you and Ken-"

She paused as Ichigo's hand cupped her face, gently pulling her gaze back to look at her. She was much closer now, wasn't she?

Mayumi could almost feel the blush on Ichigo's face as she inched a little closer, her heart beginning to beat faster as Ichigo brushed away years with her thumb.

"Mayumi…" Ichigo went in for a kiss, soft and short, and Mayumi's eyes widened at the feeling as she blushed deeply.

As Ichigo pulled back, she sighed quietly. "I understand the conflict, to some extent, that you have with Kensuke and I." she said, equally quietly.

Her hand fell away from Mayumi's face, holding her hand again as she continued. "I felt a… jealousy, envy, for Kaworu. I wanted Rei, my sister, to be happy… but many of the memories she had were mine as well. I…" she sighed quietly. "I loved Kaworu, too."

"But, for their sake, and for the separation of my identity from hers, I put away that want, even though I still loved them both. And, eventually… the jealousy went away as well. I am happy for them. But I still wanted that sense of companionship."

"Then, you came along, Mayumi, much like Kensuke did before you, and you helped me figure out who I was. Your kindness, your curiosity in wanting to know who you were, who you could be, spoke to me in a way that I could not ignore. A way that I am grateful for."

"So… I love you. As much as I love Kensuke."

Mayumi looked at Ichigo in somewhat shocked silence for a moment before Ichigo continued. "And however we find your parents, I know you have the strength to endure whatever comes of it. You've come this far, after all."

"Ichigo…" a hand went to join Ichigo's. "I… thank you." she finally settled on, smiling slightly.

Ichigo smiled back, and they sat there taking each other in for a moment. Then, concern passed over Mayumi's face like a storm cloud. "What are we going to say to Kensuke?"

"We will simply explain how we feel. You know as well as I how understanding he is." Ichigo paused for a moment before smiling slightly. "Even if he does ramble on sometimes."

The two shared a quiet, understanding chuckle.

"Shall we go and talk to him?" Ichigo asked.

"Not yet." Mayumi replied. "Let me just… figure this out for a moment with you."

"Okay."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, taking in the quiet world around them, and each other. After a moment, Mayumi tentatively reached out to Ichigo's soul, linking with it tenuously.

She stifled a slight gasp as Ichigo strengthened the bond between their souls, and serenity, a surety that couldn't be fully expressed in words, washed over her. Their smiles widened slightly as Mayumi let the emotions wash into her mind and soul.

After a wonderful moment, Mayumi sighed quietly. "Alright. Let's go talk to Kensuke."

They rose, and made their way back to the clearing, the pillar of Plasm gone as Kensuke looked up at them from a bench. "Oh, hey there." he stood, walking towards them as he slipped something into his pocket. "How was your walk?"

They came to a stop a few feet apart from each other, silent for a moment. "It was…" Ichigo began. "Illuminating."

Kensuke's brow arched slightly. "How so?"

"Well…" Mayumi said slowly. "We eventually came to the conclusion that I love you both?"

Kensuke blinked, then blinked again, his eyes widening as his gaze darted between the two girls.

Then, he took a deep breath. "Alright. I can see we need to talk a little more about this. Because… well…" he trailed off as he began to blush.

"You came to the same conclusion for us?" Mayumi said, her own brows rising slightly.

"Yeah."

It was silent again for a moment, then Mayumi began to chuckle. The chuckle spread, turning into a laugh that almost echoed in the empty park for a time.

The laughter died down, and Kensuke wiped a mirthful tear from his eye. "Yeah. So…" he took another deep breath. "Let's get inside somewhere. Get cozy. Cause I feel this talk is going to take a while."