Fictions Mentioned:


Episode 4


OP Song:

NEXT LEVEL · YU-KI(TRF)


Insert Song: Start

Dies irae - Animation OST: Ewige Wiederkunft


PART 1

A very young Shinji Ikari, three to four years old, was softly crying from his seat just as he was being left by his father.

He had already seen his father leave and tried to run after him after telling him to wait for someone that he had assigned to pick him up, only for his father to say this.

"Shinji...stay."

It was neither a loud voice nor was it a soft one. It was clear, it was sharp, and it was a normal kind of voice that was cold as stone. It made Shinji stop in his tracks. And now, he sees the fleeting figure of the man that he called father slowly disappearing from his sight, leaving him here.

Why? Did he do wrong? What did he do?

These were the confused thoughts of a child that didn't know any better. He felt so very alone at the moment. It was even more apparent when there wasn't anyone else at this train station.

Maybe...Maybe if he did as he was told, maybe his father would come back to pick him up. He didn't know. All he did was that he softly cried on that day.

But...

"...!"

He noticed a gentle hand softly patting his head as if the calm him down. It was very warm and firm, strong and yet paternal. He looked with his teary eyes and sees a mysterious young adult man with white clothing smiling at him. The man was a stranger as Shinji didn't recognize him. And yet, he just feels safe in his gaze that was full of empathy.

This man was the only one in this station. Was he perhaps the one that father asked to wait for him?

"...Who...Who are you?" Shinji softly uttered.

The man smiled as he raised his right hand into the air and spoke with a solemn tone. "Obaa-chan once said this: "("Walking the Path of Heaven, the Man who will Rule Everything.")"...Tendou...("Path of Heaven.")...Souji...("Ruler of All")."

And it is something that would leave a great impression on the young man who would eventually follow in the footsteps of Heaven.


From another angle, there was the presence of a man that looked rather discontent, wearing a business suit and carrying a briefcase. He had just arrived in the train station in order to pick the boy up as requested.

But...

There appeared to be no one there in the train station.

Could his client be late?

That was the first thought that came to his mind as he decided to wait for the client to arrive. But he would soon realize that there would be no one coming and that fate had another purpose in mind.


PART 2

Somewhere in Tokyo-3, amidst the buzzing crowds that have already come out from the underground shelters, there was Hikari Horaki, a simple ordinary girl that has the feeling of an everyday next-door neighbor that one can find anywhere, was out in the market that was filled with a ton of people, carrying a basket that is filled with vegetables and other ingredients that she would use for cooking when she gets back home to her father and to her siblings who were no doubt waiting for her.

She was looking at all of the cabbages that were all lined up with moderate and acceptable price ranges. She was thinking about what to pick from as her face became thoughtful, thinking of picking the best cabbages for a good meal.

"This."

Hikari became surprised at the sudden intrusion of a voice, And she noticed it was right next to her. She turned to find a young man wearing a white shirt with a green jacket, grey pants with several pockets, and black shoes. He looked to be about the same age as her.

She blushed a bit as she got a good look at his face which is admittedly handsome, showing blue deep eyes that were quite mesmerizing, and whose voice was smooth and accommodating. She noticed that he was giving her a cabbage that was in his right hand. The head is firm and heavy for its size, but not too large for her to carry. There were no blemishes to be found. Quite the fresh one from the looks of it.

"Oh...thank you," Hikari slowly grabbed the cabbage from his hands. She begins to fix herself properly and bows at him in gratitude.

The young man thought nothing of it and just smiled kindly. "Not to worry," he said as he showed a few cabbages from the basket that he was carrying. "As you can see, I've got plenty for me to make use of so I thought that you are more in need of this cabbage than I do."

"...I see," Hikari was surprised if only because of the strangeness of this encounter. Not just anyone would do as the young man had done as other people have personal businesses to attend to. Such an act of generosity on his part was quite the curiosity.

"Well then, I should preferably get going. I have other important matters to attend to such as buying the necessary ingredients for what I'm about to cook for dinner so if you were to excuse me, ma'am," the young man said as he begins to walk past her.

"Wa-Wait!" Hikari managed to find her voice as she called to the young man who turn to her with a concerned expression. "Um...I never really got your name..."

The young man simply smiled and introduced himself. "Ikari Shinji, you?"

"Umm...Horaki Hikari," Hikari smiled.

"Well then, Hikari-san, I hope that this wouldn't be our last meeting as I look forward to encountering you again one day," Shinji smiled as he bowed his head to her before taking his leave.

And as he leaves, Hikari can only look on at the figure who had given her the cabbage.

"Right..." she muttered.


"I'm home."

"Welcome back, middle train!"

Hikari was ceremoniously greeted back by a warm hug from none other than her younger sister, Nozomi, who appeared to have been waiting by the door of their house. It managed to drag Hikari out of her thoughts at least. What were those thoughts? About a young man by the name of Shinji Ikari.

"Oh, hey little train," she smiled as she uttered the family nickname. "Where's older train and otou-san?"

"Still out for now. Kodama said that she'd be late while otou-san simply took a walk outside so he'll come back eventually," Nozomi said with a cheerful smile.

"Well then," Hikari smiled. "Might want to let me go for now as I fix us up with a nice and warm meal."

"Hooray!" Nozomi cheered as she let's Hikari go and sprints off to the dining room.

Hikari simply shakes her head and smiles. And then, she becomes more thoughtful as she heads toward the kitchen, already taking off her shoes as part of proper manners.

She was still thinking about the young man that made quite a good impression on her. He didn't seem to be like the other boys that she knew who would be rowdier and more chaotic which were par and par for her experiences as the class representative. She had dealt with a lot of types of boys, including two of her childhood friends, Toji Suzuhara and Kensuke Aida, the former of whom she had complicated feelings for. But Shinji Ikari was quite different.

Maybe it was merely first impressions, that is all. The coincidences of them meeting again may prove to be unlikely, is what she thought.

But there was some part of her that hoped that she would meet him again.

He seemed to be a nice person to talk with.


PART 3

Misato Katsuragi was very quiet. One can also follow it by feelings of being bewildered and stumped because of everything that had happened for the past several hours. And also at the same time was simply enjoying a very admittedly delicious meal consisting of seafood ‒ Sashimi to be more precise. And no more beer for her for this very specific night and to eat nutritious food just as she was told. She was supposed to be in charge, goddammit!

But then...she supposed that she could let this slide for now. Especially when she sees the interior of her apartment. Once, there were lots and lots of beer cans that were all stacked and littered from every part of the house. It showed the unnatural habit that Misato had accumulated over the years and she had been trying, with emphasis on trying, to not even lay a hand on a single beer can. But...it's just something of an addiction that one cannot just let go especially with everything that had happened to her in the past.

She looks from the left side of the table and sees Pen-Pen, her pet warm-water penguin, eating the meal with proper manners...A penguin with proper manners, one had to see to believe it, and yet Misato wasn't really surprised as this penguin was a special case. It was somewhere on the hush-hush side of things, but this penguin was the only reminder that she ever had of her late father. Yes, this penguin once belonged to her late father, Dr. Katsuragi. He provided much comfort for her whenever her father was always busy with work, never having the time to spend with her, and it was one that she still resents about him.

And yet...she also couldn't help but thank her father truly from the bottom of her heart to give this penguin to her and to her mom, making him a part of the family.

From somewhere on the other side of the table from the other end was Shinji Ikari...or rather Shinji Tendou who was currently sipping his miso soup silently with utmost care and tasting it as if he were a food critic that needs to take mental note of what he is tasting.

He was a very strange young man. But he was more mature, intelligent, and industrious than she give him credit for. After finding out about the fact that he had been working part-time jobs for an unknown period of time, it wouldn't really be much of a surprise for Shinji to be this skilled. He had already grown up even before he had met her. It made her heart ache for some reason. He was a child and young boys like his age should be the more happy-go-lucky types or less serious types or immature types. It wouldn't really be such a surprise as she had dealt with another problem child with red hair who is currently back in Germany.

But this young man was a lot different from the rest. Especially when he introduced to her who he truly was. He revealed to her that he had already gone by a different name and simply retained the usage of "Shinji Ikari" so that one can avoid any unnecessary confusion, especially in light of the Angel attack and that he thought to wait for the right moment before eventually revealing his name as if it were a pearl of great price that wouldn't just be given away so easily.

In fact, he even requested that "Shinji Ikari" would be something that he would be called by her and not by his other name which he thought to be sacred in light of his sensei who was the one who apparently raised this young man to become what he is today.

She can still remember the sunlight coming down on him, shining at him as if it found the chosen one that the world truly needed at this darkened hour when the Angels from the heavens would begin their warpath upon humanity.

She shakes her head and continues to eat what was on the table.

There was silence for a few moments before Misato decided to speak with a smile.

"Umm...Shinji-kun?"

"Hm? What is it?" Shinji looked at Misato with a concerned look.

"I was just wondering...Did you're sensei ever taught you how to cook?" Misato asked.

"Since I was a young child, yes, somewhere during the time when I was about five years old," Shinji explained.

"...Oh, I see," Misato made an interesting expression. "You know, I can't help but wonder what else had your sensei taught you. I mean, you've managed to clean my enitre apartment, put the garbage where it belongs and recycled the beer cans littered everywhere, not being surprised at Pen-Pen and even befriending him with your food, and then some. You seem to always have some idea on what to do and just roll with it."

"Household skills were one of the most basic things that sensei had taught me. Like I said before in my father's office, I do not wish to burden others and wished only to earn my keep. Those who have the strength to work but don't do not deserve to eat food as even the poorest who can't even afford a meal after much hard work is much more deserving than they are who simply waste food based on their vexing appetites," Shinji said with a serious expression.

Misato smiled, noting the deep and thoughtful words. "...Speaking of which, I just wanted to say thank you...for cleaning up my apartment I mean..."

"It's not a problem," Shinji reassured. "This is your apartment which is where I am going to live from now on and you are of two things: my commanding officer and my guardian, therefore you have the full authority to command me as you see fit."

Misato became rather concerned when he simply said something like that, making a frown on her face. "What...What do you mean by that, Shinji-kun?"

"I don't mean being a simple good solider that just follows orders, I mean that I respect your authority as a whole and that I would follow your orders to the best of my abilities. If by some hypothetical scenario, there may come a time when I would have to disobey any orders from you in light of my own conscience and of thinking about what is truly the proper mode of handling the situation without risking the lives of more innocent people, I hope that you wouldn't hold the decision against me, even if it were to your eyes or anyone else's, an act of insubordination," Shinji explained.

"..." Misato remained silent, mulling over Shinji's words as if they were pricked thorns that were inserted into her defensive metaphorical stone walls. She simply shook her face, making a sad smile. "You...You really do thought of everything, huh..."

"I'm simply thinking about the present moment. The future is a mystery and the past had already been written. Combining them both, one get's the present where all you have to do is learn from the past and look to the future," Shinji said.

"And...what exactly do you see in the future?" Misato asked, tasting her food and munching it.

"Hope," Shinji answered with no hesitation, his blue eyes showing a gentle and steeled look. "I see hope. Even if things get dark, there will always be hope at the very end of the path. That's why I have no hesitation to fight the Angels as the Third Child."

Misato couldn't help but feel that there was more that was said when Shinji mentioned "Third Child" as if he was referring to another thing in his mind entirely. The young man is an enigma, something that she wasn't really used to interacting with. It almost feels like she was in the presence of the Commander himself, that is if he even bothered to entertain the notion of small talk.

"So...tell me about yourself, Shinji. As I recall, the last school that you attended was somewhere not too far from Tokyo-2," Misato said with a smile.

"Ninomiya Rural Middle School - two years at least before coming here and counting as well the shift between this and my first day of school which would no doubt come the day after tomorrow which is a Monday," Shinji said with a sad smile.

"You must have had a lot of friends that you've left behind there," Misato made a concerned expression.

"Well, in a sense that is true, but I can still call them on my phone every now and then, so it doesn't really bother me so much. Although, I do remember a few specific people who had some problems with me leaving town which was understandable but I still desired to go either way since it's my father's orders after all," Shinji explained.

"Hmmm," Misato's spirits had grown rather interested as her smile became wide open. "Those specific people wouldn't have to be girls, would they?"

"You are quite correct on that," Shinji said with an honest tone while eating a bit of the cabbage from the plate.

"Well, I don't find it that surprising that you are quite popular with the ladies due to how hard-working you are," Misato smiled, relieved at least that the young man appeared to be experiencing the same normal everyday problems as anyone else.

"That in fact is one of the reasons why they took an interest in me, and I even got plenty of love letters and confessions. I turned them all down though in a much more accommodating manner," Shinji explained.

"Ehh? You turned all of those girls down? Why?" Misato made a bewildered expression. And from the side, Pen-Pen appeared to be rather interested in the conversation.

"Sensei once said this: "("All girls are equally beautiful, but life is a long path to a goal.")" I haven't really found the girl that I'm looking for yet at that time as I was focused on other things...that is...until now I think," Shinji said solemnly.

"Oho!" Misato's smile widened. "Are you saying that you may have found someone that you could be interested in?"

"It's possible. We only just met most recently in the market while I was buying the ingredients that we needed for dinner," Shinji explained, his eyebrows becoming knitted.

"What is she like? Tell me?" Misato asked, a little too eager for the itty bitty details of a potential crush.

"She's..." Shinji puts down his chopsticks and became rather thoughtful, putting his right hand to his chin. "Well, when I first saw her, she wasn't someone that most men my age wouldn't really catch their eye on. By personal assessment, she's no more than just your average, everyday girl from next door. Quite thoughtful of a person as she doesn't seem to be in a rush when trying to pick the cabbages, looking for the best one for dinner. I can only assume by this that she has family matters to attend to which I tend to admire in people as a family is to be valued like a priceless treasure that shouldn't be taken for granted. She's about my age, pretty but not glamorous. has freckles on her face. She doesn't stand out based on her clothing which appears presentable but not too eye-catching. When I started to talk to her, she appeared to be rather shy but polite. Overall, she's a simple girl trying to get by in life even in spite of an Angel attack, worrying about the simple things such as family life."

"Ho-ho, you know, for someone that you've recently met, you seem to know an awful lot about her?" Misato made an amused expression, crossing her arms.

"I just simply read the situation, that is all. I wouldn't necessarily call it a perfect skill of mine but it's one of the things that my sensei taught me," Shinji said with a smile, grabbing his chopsticks once more.

"Tendou Souji, right?" Misato made a thoughtful smile. "You know...the way that you act right now makes me want to meet this person."

"Maybe someday since my sensei is not here in the country at the moment and is busy travelling elsewhere," Shinji smiled. "Although, I must warn you that if you do manage to meet my sensei, there may be the possibility that he could get into your nerves as much as a lot of people's nerves were, especially back in the day."

"Hm? Why? Was he the kind of person that seemed to tick other people off?" Misato asked, raising an eyebrow.

"More or less and it depends on the person as well, especially considering the fact that my sensei has the skills to back it up and isn't all talk. People tend to see sensei as arrogant, but it's just self-confidence and assurance. The apparent arrogance in fact is a way that tends to throw people off too easily which is what my sensei can take advantage of like a fiddle since he knows which buttons to press. The skills that he pulled for everyone to see didn't suddenly come out of nowhere, he had to undergo a rigorous training regiment under his grandmother to whom I give absolute respect as many of sensei's sayings come directly from her," Shinji explained.

"In other words, the man seems arrogant but he means well in his own way," Misato said, trying to summarize the character of Shinji's sensei.

"In a nutshell, yes," Shinji said with a smile.

"Then...I'm probably gonna dread the day when I do encounter him if your personality is already anything to go by," Misato made a humorous shiver.


It was one silent night.

And there were two people in the city who were staring at the moon and the stars from the skies from their own rooms, admiring it in their own way.

Shinji Ikari and Hikari Horaki.

They both have very different lives and different forms of circumstances. And yet just from this one single night, their destinies seemed to be intertwined and linked in a way that no one could have ever expected. And each has their own thoughts as they stared into the skies.

For Hikari Horaki, she was thinking back to the first random encounter that she had with Shinji Ikari. Even in spite of family conversations, her thoughts seemed to fly to the young man that made a good impression on her.

What was happening with her?

She never really thought about another boy as much as Toji Suzuhara whom she had a slight crush on. Perhaps this was simply her mind playing tricks on her, she thought. Shinji Ikari was simply just one random face that she had encountered in the market just as she was buying an edible cabbage. And yet, she felt that she couldn't really forget that simple conversation that she had with him.

She wondered if she were to see him again. She recalled him hoping it in fact. And naturally, she felt the same thing as she smiled at the moon and the stars, thinking about what the young man is now doing at this time of night.


"Hey partner, what are you thinking about just now?"

Shinji Ikari glances to find the Kabuto Zecter hovering towards him. He smiled. "Oh...just thinking about something...interesting..."

"Hm? And what might that be? Would it be that girl that you talked with on that marketplace?" the Kabuto Zecter asked.

"I suppose so, especially since Misato-san was the one who brought up the discussion in the first place," Shinji smiled sadly as he continued to look into the moon and into the stars.

"(Sigh). Partner...Sometimes I worry about your state in life...I honestly do wonder if you were ever gonna get someone to settle down with with after rejecting plenty of the girls from your last school who were clearly romantically interested in you," Kabuto Zecter made a heavy sigh of exasperation.

Shinji made a serious expression. "I'm more focused right now on the mission at hand, Kabuto Zecter. You know how much the fate of this world is now being tested by forces from within and from without."

"I know that. I was there when the plans were concocted after all," Kabuto Zecter said with a reminding tone. "That being said...I really do think that you should give this one a chance...a leap of faith...if you were to ever meet this girl again, ask this girl that you met out some time..."

"Hm? Partner, you do realize that we've only first met, correct? Isn't that a little too soon?" Shinji raised his eyebrow towards Kabuto Zecter.

"Not right away, certainly!" Kabuto Zecter was shaking itself in order to clarify what it meant. "What I do mean is that you and her can test the waters a bit, starting from friendship. Everything starts from friendship after all and whether or not something happens would ultimately be up to the both of you."

"Friendship..." Shinji made an amused smirk. "You sounded like Rito-san when you mention that term."

He said this as he recalled one of his fellow comrades among the Heisei Successor Kamen Riders from another Earth by the name of Rito Yuuki who has taken the path of Kamen Rider Fourze just as Shinji has taken the path of Kamen Rider Kabuto.

"Hey, if it works, it works. I mean, it worked on Fourze and he turned out pretty well in life," Kabuto made a smiley facial expression.

Shinji can only shake his head as he turned his back toward the moon and the stars as he begins to draw himself inward to his general thoughts.


Insert Song: End


ED Song:

YU-NO (Anime) Ending Sub Español『Konomi Suzuki - Shinri no Kagami, Tsurugi no You ni』


Legend Main Heisei Riders:

Souji Tendou/Kamen Rider Kabuto - A: Hiro Mizushima

New Characters:

Hikari Horaki - VA: Junko Iwao

Nozomi Horaki - VA: Junko Iwao