Soft Is (Not) Weak

by BardInTheForest

(Pax Ikari vol IIIS) Shinji, during the Evangelion story, comes across a woman that has different ideas regarding his potential and his current living situation. While navigating the trials of standing on the cusp of adulthood, the fight against the Angels, and his first year in a public school, he will be forced to find his place in the broader universe.

16. Chapter 16

+++++ Tokyo-3 Intercontinental. Saturday, +11.

Shinji had been released that afternoon, and was taken directly to his hotel suite 'for rest'. When he arrived, he saw many of the Juraians he knew already there talking animatedly about something that seemed very serious. As it was Funaho, Misaki, and Washu that were doing most of the talking, Nanako urged him to take a seat and wait it out. They both knew the women would want to know he'd arrived, but interrupting them was not the wisest course of action.

"…was stunted from the start," Washu exclaimed, throwing her hands up in frustration. "From everything I've seen, it is an almost one in five-hundred million chance that they have this particular modification. Even among those in the population with the modification, it's only three that have adapted that modification well enough to function. The half-breed, Shinji, and some girl in the middle of the ocean. When I modified Shinji, I triggered the change that we're seeing now. That pretty clearly screams 'preventing' instead of 'enabling' was the goal of the original modification. Judging by the population distribution among those who have this modification, I'm thinking that while the Adamites were terraforming the atmosphere about two decades ago they were also sealing away the capacity for anyone to stop them by limiting their potential physical growth. Like any genetic modification, it didn't take in a very, very, small subset of the overall population."

Looking up to Nanako, Shinji asked quietly, "What's terraforming?"

"Modifying an environment to be more suitable to a different form of life that is already there," she answered in a low whisper.

Funaho motioned for Washu to change topics. "Let us return to the original line of inquiry. Is he, or is he not?"

"No more than any other lifeform capable of crossbreeding," Washu asserted firmly. "He's of, from, and for this planet. He does not have Juraian ancestry, nor any other form of ancestry beyond that of a typical member of the consanguineous lineage represented in his nation's archipelago. How he is able to utilize the Wings without an external power source like the gems used on GP ships? I haven't the foggiest. He's always been a bit of a mystery, so this added mystery only makes him more mysterious."

"And more important to keep around," Misaki stated cautiously. "We cannot risk this planet seizing him for experimentation, nor can we abide them weaponizing him against other societies. The use of the Light Hawk Wings is governed closely for a reason." She looked to her spouse. "A spontaneous manifestation is…very unlikely. The modifications Washu made could not have led to this intentionally, and neither of us are silly enough to doubt her skill to believe that she mistakenly did this. If they aren't from her, then discovering whatever caused it should now be our top priority."

"Agreed." Funaho, who likely already knew Shinji was present, motioned him closer. "Please, no need to linger like a beggar at the door. This is your home, for now. We are your guests, not the other way round."

Standing slowly, Shinji made his way over to the trio carefully. "Are you…going to keep me prisoner?"

Washu winced and Funaho sighed. It was Misaki that, true to her nature, replied with a near lethal level of directness. With one smooth motion, a sword constructed of the same material he remembered saving his life against the Fifth Angel sprang into her hand and she slammed it down atop his head.

At least, that was her aim. Shinji's natural reflexes brought his arms up over his head to protect the thing that made him what he was. Crystalline music echoed softly throughout his head, and he waited three full seconds as he was before he began to wonder where the blow had landed. Looking up, he saw the length of Misaki's blade running crosswise against a similar blade resting atop his crossed arms. "I…blocked it?"

"The weapon you wield, if left uncontrolled or if bent towards evil ends, could split this solar system in half with a flick of your wrist." It was Empress Misaki Masaki Jurai speaking, not the woman behind that lofty name. "I ask you now, Shinji of the Ikari Clan, would you leave such a weapon in the hands of veritable children such as your species? Not one among your kind lives to be over one hundred years of age anymore, let alone the nigh-endless lifespan of the Royal House of Jurai. Your people's wisdom comes from tales and legend, not a life lived in service of peace and justice. The Intergalactic Council, a body of the brightest minds in all the known universe, laid down laws to govern its use. Only the most trusted Galaxy Police Grand Admirals are authorized to control the barest fraction of the power you now hold." Withdrawing her blade and dismissing it, her voice softened to be the woman he'd come to know instead of the Empress, "And while we trust you…we do not trust your species."

With the threat gone the music stopped and Shinji's blade vanished as well. He had asked an honest question, and the answer he received was not given in anger or with contempt. "I…uhm." Lowering his hands to work the thumb of one hand into the palm of the other, he pushed through the logic involved in the decision. "Am I a danger to everyone, now?"

"Yes." Stepping closer, Misaki cupped his chin with her hands. "Which is why we are going to teach you to not be a danger to everyone. If you gain control of this gift, you can use it for noble and just ends. You can protect others like you wish to. We do not seek to make you a prisoner, my dearest Shinji; we seek to be your friends."

With the 'why' of things now clear, Shinji reached up and risked much by taking her wrists in his grip. "I want to be…more than friends. I want…I want us to be there for one another, no matter what. I want to know that, uhm." He swallowed hard. "I want to know that you think enough of me to be there when I need you."

Misaki's face bloomed into an enthusiastic smile. "You have already sworn yourself in martial service to my wife. To return to her in victory, or in death. Will you swear to me, as well? Will you swear to live in victory, and to only bring death to those who deserve the blade?" Her face remained sunny, though her voice grew quiet, "Will you swear to seek help from those you love, and not face the traumas and troubles of life alone?"

He almost nodded, then chose to honor what Ritsuko had taught him. "Will you…swear…." He was asking for the impossible. He knew he was.

"For all the years of our life, I would swear to keep you by my side. You would be our Knight. Our protector and hu-"

"He will not." Stepping into existence from nothingness, who Shinji believed was Sasami walked in with the bearing and countenance of divinity itself. "This has already gone too far, and I will not allow it to go any further."

Quickly interposing herself between who she knew to be Tsunami and everyone else, Washu held her arms out and slowly shook her head. "Now, now…let's not start tossing around declaratives like that. Let's go talk to Tokimi, sis. She's a nice, neutral, third party that can help-"

Tsunami's eyes began to glow dangerously. "This is not up for debate."

"Funny, I wasn't asking." Snapping her fingers, Washu set six bands of light around Sasami, shoving her through a portal before dashing through it herself.

The last thing Shinji heard from Washu, in his mind alone, was an exhortation to avoid thinking the future itself was static and unchangeable. He was no more destined to ruin everything than the chair next to him was. It all depended upon how he let himself be used.

+++++ Tokyo-3 Intercontinental. Saturday, +11.

Funaho was livid. Her best friend was heartbroken by the actions of their daughter, as even though Sasami wasn't the product of her womb she was very much a part of her family. Taking her frustrations out on the preparation of food for the evening meal, she found solace in listening to Shinji do everything humanly possible to brighten Misaki's day. Immediately upon the exit of the two mortal goddesses, her wife had turned to Shinji and demanded that he begin his lessons that very instant. Instead of whining, complaining of his rightful injuries, or deflecting to another potential coping mechanism…a young man that was far too alike to their former husband squared his shoulders and put himself at Misaki's disposal. The thumps, grunts, and crackling lightning that had been produced over the subsequent three hours put proof to the truth of his devotion to his oaths.

"Grandmother," Minaho began, before hesitating and falling silent once more.

"If not us, then who?" As angry as she was, she would not take that anger out on a woman that had done nothing but the right things. "He wields at least one Wing of the Lightning Hawk, and he does so subconsciously. You know as well as I do that to have such an innate grasp of the technique is near impossible. Perhaps five, out of how many? Dozens? Were he not the kind, generous, young man that he is I would still tie him to our family to be certain of his loyalties. Should that lead us towards rough seas, we will endure as we always have."

Nodding in agreement, Minaho nevertheless asked, "But what if she's right?"

"Then this universe deserves the cold, cruel fate that would await it," she declared with flame and rage, snapping one of the knives she'd been using to filet the fish in half with her thumb where the blade joined the handle. "…I am no believer in prophecies, child. First causes, perhaps, but never the mad ravings of those who see the undulating strands of fate. We have our duty set before us. We are either worthy of the trust we have been given, or we are no better than the swaggering bullies our ancestors were proclaimed to be." Setting down the hilt of the knife, she picked up a towel and wiped her hands clean. "Please make sure there are no shards in the fish, dear. I'm going to work on pounding the millet into shape."

+++++ Tokyo-3 Intercontinental. Saturday, +11.

For more than four hours, Shinji had fought. He put everything he had, everything he could borrow, everything he could scrape together into the impromptu sparring session with a woman who he now knew had lost only once in her entire life and only that once to the woman she was wed to. As a human, he knew he had far greater limitations. He did not know where those limitations were until she slammed the flat end of her sword against him from the side, sending him to the floor. He made three attempts to stand, and each time his legs simply failed. The fourth attempt used more of his upper body to support his weight, and his shoulder gave in and sent him slamming to the mat. "I…I'm…sorry," he panted out, fighting for air.

"I am not." Bending down and hefting him up onto her shoulder, she carried him towards the bathroom like a bag of rice. "You performed exactly as I believed you would. You did not quit, you did not complain, and you did not fail. Your body has not been prepared for the life it must endure, and so it is upon us to ensure that your body understands that failure is not an option."

Feeling completely useless, he couldn't even assist her in being set down upon the shower's stool. He was propped against the wall, wholly at her mercy. "I…should…have…done…more."

"And you will," Misaki declared with the first truly happy smile he'd seen on her face since Sasami had been chased out by Washu. Taking hold of his shirt, she hefted it over his head. "The first step on a long and arduous path is always the hardest to take. Just because you can't take more than that one step right now, does not mean you cannot do more." Sliding off his pants and everything else below his waist, she tossed those clothes aside as well. "What you can do now is rest and allow me to take care of you. You can accept the affection I would give you, without comment or concern, so that you are rested faster and will be more able to do what must be done."

He tried, body shuddering with the effort, to lift one hand up even to just far enough to rest on his leg. Stopping once Misaki crouched down and gently stroked his arm, he frowned in frustration. "You…need…better."

"And you will give it to me, in time." There was neither doubt nor worry in her voice now, "It makes me feel incredibly special to see just how much you would give in service to women you have only just met. I must have made quite the impression upon you, to inspire that."

"You…are…kind. Generous." He blushed, but still added, "Amazing."

"That you genuinely believe that…." Stroking the backs of her fingertips down his cheek, she observed him for a moment, searching his face for something only she knew. "Do you fear what my daughter has said? Has…this gone too far?"

Shinji couldn't say what 'too far' was. He knew, in his soul, that he didn't know nearly enough to be genuinely informed. Ritsuko had encouraged him to think of his own worth, in comparison to the worth of others. Maya had taken the first opportunity she had to show him how she thought of him, all she asked for was nothing more than his warmth in return. Minaho and Nanako had both explained their thoughts carefully, with different reasoning but similar conclusions. The best answer he believed he could give was one that took all of that into account. "No." Swallowing hard, he tried to not gasp between words, "Too far is…when you don't…want to…anymore."

Before Misaki could say anything in reply, Washu stumbled back into the hotel suite through a portal between realms. The red-haired goddess looked as if she'd been fighting for days, her normally immaculate hair completely out of sorts and her skin showing signs of ash and dust exposure. "Ok, I'm really sorry to break this up, but I need your help Misaki." Straightening out her spine, she opened another smaller portal and began digging through it for something specific. "Please go get your wife and Minaho. Sasami's lost the damn plot and is starting to do serious damage to the holding cell." She looked meaningfully to the other woman. "The one we used to detain Kagato."

"We…will continue this another time," Misaki said to Shinji, giving him a gentle kiss before standing up and hurrying out of the bathroom.

"I'm serious, Shinji…I'm sorry." Finally finding what she was looking for, she pulled out a small bottle of pills. "Ok, open wide. This'll be a bit of a shock to your system, but it should patch you up enough to move around again." Tossing the pill into his mouth, she added, "Eventually."

Shinji felt like he'd swallowed fire. He could feel his throat seizing, this combined with the bone-deep fatigue he was going through quickly caused him to lose consciousness as what little innate energy he had left was spent. He'd wanted to offer help. He'd wanted to tell them that he hoped there could be a peaceful resolution. He wanted to offer to leave, if that would fix everything. Instead, he slumped back against the wall as blackness crawled over him.

+++++ Tokyo-3 Intercontinental. Saturday, +11.

There was a terrible ringing in Shinji's ears as consciousness forced its way into his life. The ringing changed pitch and tone slowly as objects resolved into view. The ceiling wasn't the one he remembered being beneath, somehow changing from the bathroom to the bedroom in the time since he'd…. Lifting his arm wasn't nearly as challenging as he'd believed it would be, which allowed him to scrub his face some to stimulate blood flow before sitting up and looking around the room. "How'd I get here?" When the ringing persisted, he frowned and tried to locate the source. "What is that noise?" Flopping over near where he believed it to be coming from, he saw that the phone he'd been issued by NERV was emitting the odd ringing while displaying 'PRIVATE NUMBER', while lying on the ground near the bed. Straining to reach it, he managed to swipe the button that would answer the call. Whoever was calling obviously had his number for a reason after all. "This is Shinji, who may I ask is calling?"

A very feminine voice on the other end answered his question with a question, "Shinji Ikari?"

He didn't recognize the voice, which confused him. "Uhm, yes ma'am?"

A quiet giggle of golden laughter preceded her saying, "I am sorry to call you out of the blue like this, sir, but according to our system you have been the victim of a most terrible error. I'm calling on behalf of my agency to see what we can offer to make up for your pain and suffering."

Now, Shinji wasn't exactly savvy in the ways of the world. He agreed whole-heartedly that it was for the best that someone like Minaho or Nanako remain by his side at all times, to allow them to use their greater social knowledge to protect him from people attempting to hurt him in a way he'd never detect. However, the complete lack of definite pronouns in the woman's spiel combined with the generic 'error' and 'pain and suffering' gave him enough pause to stop him from going along blindly with what was unlikely to be a fortunate event. "I…believe you have the wrong number, ma'am. Have a good day." Pressing the button to hang up, he scooped up the device and rolled back onto the bed fully. Holding it up, he looked through the list of numbers he had pre-programmed in. Misato wouldn't be much help, owing to her tendency to eschew propriety. Ritsuko could help, but asking her to essentially babysit him would be humiliating. His finger hesitated on Maya's contact info, the memory of their last encounter lending support for calling her to spend time together, but he then decided that making out with Maya while Sasami was in a crisis was a monumentally selfish and stupid plan.

Before he could move further down the list, his phone once more began to emit the same ringing sound as earlier. The screen lit up to display 'PRIVATE NUMBER', cluing him in to the likely caller. Tapping the 'decline' button, he kept scrolling down the list of numbers. 'NERV HR', 'NERV FINANCE', 'NERV ENGINEERING', 'NERV TECH SUPPORT', each of the remaining entries that wasn't for Minaho or Nanako was for some subset of NERV. Minaho was with Funaho, Misaki, and Washu. Nanako had ducked out of the suite as soon as Misaki started beating on him, murmuring something about leaving before she got in trouble. It was looking more and more like he might actually be on his own.

The phone, stubbornly, began to ring once more. Shinji scowled at the display, trying to think of a logical way to convince the person calling that he wasn't buying what they were selling. Thumbing the pip for answering the phone, he started assertively, "Ma'am, I apologize but I really do not believe that I am the person your agency is looking for."

"I assure you, we have the right man, sir." There was no frustration in her tone, nothing that would indicate she was losing patience with his refusals. "You were born Shinji Ikari, son of Gendo Rokubungi and Yui Ikari. When you were three years old, your mother was declared deceased, and your father sent you to live with a distant relative. For the next fourteen years, you were subject to extreme corporal punishment for the smallest infractions. You received no significant education beyond basic literacy and rudimentary mathematics designed around household sanitation. You currently live in a hotel funded by a group of non-humans, with unknown goals. You do not know how to swim, ride a bike, or play a musical instrument. You prefer the temperature to be lower in a room, owing to the unpleasant memories associated with warm, enclosed, spaces."

After a shockingly accurate summation of his life thus far, Shinji had to admit that they maybe did have the right person. "…Why are you calling me?"

"Because everything that I have just described to you was a mistake caused by a system error. In order to both take responsibility for the error having gone so long without appropriate attention, and to remedy as much of your pain and suffering as possible, I have been authorized to contact you directly to discuss what you believe we might do to help."

If he hadn't already been declared the pilot of a machine that made no sense, the recipient of a great deal of affection from alien royalty, and well on his way to being taken to an aircraft carrier in the middle of the ocean for no other reason than a beautiful military captain wanted him to accompany her, he might have thought he was going insane. "Is…is this a prank?"

"I can definitely understand why you might think it is, sir. Looking through your record, it is very clear that it is challenging for you to understand when an unexpected windfall comes your way. Is there anything I can do to help you feel more confident in cooperating with me?"

He had come to 'feel more confident' when he could look at the person talking. The micro expressions people made gave him insight into whether or not they were joking, or lying, or agreeing with him. "Is there a way we can meet in person?" He could set up a meeting, have some of his friends attend. It would work.

"Oh, certainly. Hold one second please."

Laying back and letting his head be cradled by the pillow, Shinji's arm slumped and rested the phone on his abs. With his eyes closed, he began to relax once more. He'd navigated a complex issue without having to run to his friends immediately. He'd acted like a semi-competent human being, and could report that success to the Empresses once they returned. Reaching up with the not-phone holding hand, he scratched at a sudden itch on the tip of his nose. His finger, instead of brushing directly against his nose, glanced against what he believed to be some form of expensive silk. The room around him had a whole array of amenities, but one of those was not silk. He only knew what silk felt like owing to Nanako's choice in undergarments, though, which would possibly lead to the misidentification…were it not for the giggle. Opening his eyes, he looked directly up into a pair of steel grey-blue eyes.

Jutting parallel to him out of the mirror that served as the connection point between bed and wall, a heartachingly beautiful woman peered down at him with openly friendly amusement. Her dusty blue-blonde hair pulled back into a loose tail was being pulled down by gravity, which had caused it to tickle his nose. Her pale skin was adorned by three blue markings, elongated triangular features that only accentuated her otherworldly visage. "Hi!"

"…Hello." Even Shinji was surprised at his lack of reaction. Had his world become so bizarre that this couldn't truly move him towards fear? "You are sticking out of a mirror."

"It's how I move through the border between my area and your own," she explained, still unbothered by the situation. "Are you feeling a little better, now that you can see me?"

"I'm not sure how anyone could see you and not feel better, ma'am." While not quite in awe of her beauty, he'd seen far too many beautiful women of late to be so unmanned, he felt that it was more honest of him to be upfront about how he saw her spirit and attitude.

A soft smile and light blush colored her features. "That is very nice of you to say. Please, my name is Verðandi. It is my honor to meet you."

"Bbuer…." Her name was not one he was going to immediately be able to wrap his mouth around. "It is a pleasure to meet you, too. Uhm," contorting his body so that he didn't hit her with his face, he moved so that he was sitting upright and offered her a hand to use as an anchor, "please, come in."

Taking his hand, more to make physical contact than out of any need for assistance, the strange woman floated through the mirror and took up a seat on the bed before him as if gravity was not a demand upon her movements. Not fully aware that she was doing so, her eyes wandered along his chest, along each scar, mentally documenting what had been done to him. "If it is too difficult to pronounce, you could just call me 'Ðandy'. The language of my people is quite different than your own, after all. I'm fortunate that your name is so easily pronounceable."

"Your people?"

"Ah, yes. You would not be familiar with my agency." She folded her hands into her lap, and assumed a professorial tone, "The purpose of my agency is to remediate errors caused by the System Force. The System Force is the unseen guiding hand of everything around us. From time to time, there are errors in the coding. Sometimes those errors are introduced by demons, sometimes it's just something that has run into trouble properly implementing things. In your case, we are not quite sure who is ultimately at fault. We do know, however, that the System Force has identified you as our top priority! If we allowed your situation to continue on the path that it was, there is every possibility that entire sectors would be destroyed. To prevent that, I am here to see what you would like done. To balance the scales, if you prefer that analogy."

"If…I can be honest?"

"Oh, please do," she brightened visibly, an act that defied logical probability. "I much prefer people who speak from the heart, it's so much easier to know what it is you are dealing with when everyone is honest."

"If you hadn't come out of a mirror, I would think you were insane." He shrugged helplessly. "I'm the pilot of an enormous machine. I am good friends with…people not from Earth. I can summon a weapon that is capable of cleaving planets in half if I screw up. All of that is true, I know it is true…but nothing you just said makes any sense."

While her demeanor remained bright, her smile turned understanding. "If we had done our jobs properly, you would never know we existed. Perfection is our goal, of course, but we remain imperfect creatures. I do not mean to be rude when I say that I fervently wish we never had to meet, simply because it means your life would have proceeded the way it was meant to. You would have had far less suffering, and that is the most important thing to consider."

Minimizing suffering seemed like a good goal. "So, uhm…what can your agency offer me?"

"Normally we would offer you a wish. You would tell us what we can do to make your situation right, we would make sure the System Force processed the request."

He nodded slowly, beginning to doubt that he was actually awake. "A…wish."

"Anything you wanted!" She grew animated again, excited to be moving towards completing her task. "You could wish to be immeasurably wealthy, or completely popular, or even to destroy your sun." Her face dropped to a pout. "But we prefer not to work with people who have such…inclinations. After all, if fixing your situation requires that we ruin so many others, it's just a lot of work for everyone."

"Of…course." He had to be asleep. This was a dream caused by his fatigue and anxiety. Not a nightmare, just a dream. Nightmares didn't involve friendly women trying to help. "I…don't know that your 'System Force' can give me anything I really need. The things I want in life are not…well, things."

"Try me," she encouraged him. "You're not going to be limited to just a single wish, so we're free to explore what it is that you might want without tying you down to any one idea." As he opened his mouth, she held up a finger. "But, it has to be something for you. We can't fix someone else's situation without creating more work, right? So let's focus on you."

If this was a dream, then what was the harm in playing along? Setting aside logic, he looked out the window to the world beyond. Maybe thinking about what he'd really like in his dreams would help him identify it in reality. He could learn about himself by thinking about himself. The first thing that popped into his head was his physical insecurities. He knew that only hard work could earn him a less shameful body, but if he could just snap his fingers and be in the best shape possible it would certainly be nice. "I…I guess I'd start with not being…disgusting."

Ðandy's eyes softened, her tone following, "You are not disgusting, Shinji. I know that it can be incredibly hard to look at yourself and then look at someone you think has it all together and not feel just gross…but I do not look at you and think to myself that you're vile or hideous." With a flick of her wrist, she caused a bright flash of light and the sound of a lock breaking. "But I will give you the health you ought to have had the opportunity to earn on your own, to show that I am…serious." She blinked a few times at what came out of the glow, blushing harder than before. "The…uhm, the mirror should show you the truth of things."

Turning his upper torso to the side, Shinji saw a version of himself that he knew was 'his ideal'. He wasn't some sort of muscle-bound god, nor was he a slender and agile athlete. He was himself, scars and all, just with the muscle mass to support what he knew he would have to do. "Huh. I'm glad I'm not…too much? I mean," he looked back to Ðandy, "I know that it's selfish of me to want to skip all of the pain I need to go through to get to this," he gestured along his torso, "but it's good to know that I think I can do it." If his dream mind was rooting for him, he really should have more confidence in himself.

"Confidence in yourself is truly very important," she stated, as if hearing his thoughts. "I believe that if you think you can, or you think you can't, you are generally correct in your estimation."

It took him a moment to work through the sentence before he could agree. "Yes…a positive mindset can help you succeed."

Visibly pleased that they were making progress, she fluttered her hands in a compelling motion. "This is great! I can already feel you becoming more like who you were meant to be. So, now that you know I'm serious…what else can we give you?"

Her enthusiasm was beginning to infect him. As a product of his imagination, he certainly was surprised to find her so supportive and considerate. The thought of having someone 'on his side' at his side at all times was probably what started the crazy dream in the first place. "It would be nice to have two or three people like you around me all the time. You're…very comforting to be around."

The sound of a lock shattering nearly deafened Shinji. It did smash against him like a physical force, sending him flying back against the mirror to splinter it into millions of tiny blades that dug deep into his flesh eagerly. The mixture of shock, pain, and fear all served to remind him that sleeping people probably don't have control over their own actions in dreams. He certainly never had. Looking into the stunned eyes of the woman he'd introduced himself to, he winced in renewed agony. "You…should leave. They'll have heard that, and you won't want to be here when they arrive." They could already hear the front door having opened, heavy footsteps moving towards the bedroom. Carefully picking a shard of glass out of the webbing of his hand, he begged her, "Please…I don't want you to be hurt."

"I…can't." She looked to where the mirror had been before she'd just done grievous damage to the man she'd been sent to help. With its destruction, she had no easy exit to take. Even if the mirror hadn't been broken beyond use, she was honor bound to not leave him until the System Force was satisfied that he was better off than when she'd arrived.

Booting the door open, Sig had his weapon levelled at Ðandy as soon as he made visual contact. "Don't move." Without taking his eyes off of her, he asked Shinji, "Are you mobile, sir?"

"D-don't," Shinji urged, instead of answering. Dragging his freshly bloodied body back over to Ðandy, he put himself between his 'doorman' and the woman who'd done nothing intentionally wrong that he could see. "There's been a misunderstanding."

Sig kept his weapon aimed at the part of Ðandy that Shinji wasn't covering. "Sir, misunderstandings are corrected once my principal is safe. Please, clear my firing line."

"…Do you promise not to hurt her, so long as she sits still?" He had to bargain, this could be fixed.

"She has my word; she sits still I don't kill her."

Turning painfully back to look at Ðandy, Shinji begged her as well, "Please…don't move. I'll help you get home, but he's very serious about protecting me." Sliding off the bed, he hobbled over to the table, leaning against it for support. "I'm safe now…can we please talk this out?"

Looking Ðandy over, Sig scowled darkly. "Well, 'goddess', you have an explanation as to why you just assaulted a member of the Juraian Royal Family?"

"I…I have not. The System Force-"

"Oh, of course. It's always the System Force's fault, isn't it?" His tone darkened noticeably, "We made no secret of our presence. You knew who you were targeting. Who sent you?"

"My father gave me this case." The shock was clearly wearing off of her, but she remained cautious. "If you would allow me, I'd be happy to heal-"

"Twitch, and your System Force has one less admin. Medical assistance is on its way."

"You must know who I am, sir. You can't possibly-"

Sig cut her off again, growing more intemperate, "Yeah, I know who you are. I also know what your family did in the Thanagarian Reach."

"The…System Force…." She withered, realizing that it was unlikely he would accept that explanation.

"Yeah, like I said, it's always the System Force. You would think after so many millions of years, you people would come up with a more believable excuse."

Jogging into the room, Nanako was already talking before she saw who was being held captive. "I leave to get dinner for twenty minutes," she sighed in mock irritation, "and you manage to…grow…." Only hesitating briefly as she took in Shinji's new body, she began the process of debriding the wounds to remove the glass. A quick glance over at Ðandy told her everything she needed to know. "Fucking Norns. Can't leave good enough alone."

"S-sorry," Shinji breathed out slowly, trying not to yelp as pain danced along his nerves. "I-I thought I was dreaming."

Restoring some of her good humor, hearing Shinji speaking clearly enough that he wasn't likely to be concussed, Nanako countered, "If you were dreaming, wouldn't it have been of me?"

He swallowed a squeak of pain as she tugged a larger shard out of his posterior. "D-don't dream of you…I have you where it matters much more."

"Damn straight," she agreed firmly. "Sig, can you take her somewhere else to finish questioning her? I've got to lay him down to get this shit out of him."

"All right," the big man motioned for Ðandy to slowly approach him, "we're going in the other room. Don't make me shoot you, you won't get shot." Backing up a few steps towards the door, he waited for his opponent to stand and begin moving towards him as well. His eyes only moved once, when Nanako urged Shinji to lay down on the bed after she stripped the top blanket off, to verify that was all that was happening.

Ðandy only made it as far as the threshold to the nearby sitting room before some invisible hand seemed to slam into her, sending her directly into Shinji. Her momentum, combined with his position at the moment of impact, sent both of them off the bed and more than a meter towards the bathrooms on the other side of the room.

With his face now planted firmly between the two softest points of Ðandy's upper torso, Shinji couldn't see or hear what was happening. Aware that any vocalization would likely be muffled, and that his mouth was touching somewhere very inappropriate, he nevertheless shouted for everyone to stop. He wasn't a scholastic genius, and he didn't understand very well how to learn the way other students seemingly did, but he was smart enough to piece together what had happened. Sig grabbed Ðandy by the back of the neck, and Shinji struck. Without pulling the punch at all, he slammed his fist into Sig's abdomen, sending the big man down to the ground hard. Grabbing Ðandy's wrist and putting her behind him, he stuck his other hand out in a warding gesture. "Damn it, I said stop!"

Nanako, just as much as Shinji, was someone who was very good at piecing things together with limited information. Horror reigned on her face as she asked, "Shinji…sweetie…what did you wish for?"

+++++ Author's Notes:

fictionelement777: RE: 'fun'.

Probably not the fun you thought it was going to be.

volbia: RE: Support.

I like taking the Neon Gen world to new places, as a way to work out my philosophies. Using Shinji's upbringing to mold who he is expected to be, then subverting it by introducing new variables at the point of contact between my story and the lore...I guess 'frees' me to show how even the darkest situations can be improved with the proper effort, support, and luck.

As far as the release schedule goes, I was trying to 'catch up' while I had some downtime in my work schedule. I haven't had to work overtime for a week now, though now that I've said something it's probably going to slap me in the head again. I'm glad everyone is enjoying the story so far, knowing that keeps me going when I'm otherwise too damn tired.