moshimo ima subete ga umaku nante ikanai
makesou ni naru toki datte
hitomi wo tojireba kokoro kara
sekai ga miete kuru
Even when it seems that nothing can go right
and you want to just give up,
if you close your eyes,
you can see the world from your heart.
In this world when life can be so tough
You must be strong
Just believe in yourself and don't you fear
So open up your mind and close your eyes
Take another look from the other side
In this world when life can be so tough
You must be strong
Just believe in yourself and don't you fear
So open up your mind and close your eyes
Take another look from the other side
kodoku na yoru demo mayoi osoreru toki mo
ima wa hitori demo kono ashi de doko made mo
aruite ikeru hazu dakara
Even on a lonely night, when you wander afraid,
you may be alone now, but
your feet can take you however far you want to go, so
Just hold on tight hitomi tojita nara
Look inside yourself kagayaki ga aru kara
Yes, subete shinjite hoshii
You can take another look from the other side
Just hold on tight, because if you close your eyes,
look inside yourself, there's a shining light there.
Yes, I want you to believe in everything.
You can take another look from the other side
Just hold on tight kokoro kujikete mo
Reach into your soul ashita ga mienakute mo
Yes, ikiru tsuyosa ga areba
You can take another look from the other side
ai no subete ni deau made...
Just hold on tight, even if your heart is breaking.
Reach into your soul, even if you can't see tomorrow.
Yes, if you have the strength to live,
You can take another look from the other side,
until you find all that is love...
kono sekai de ikinuite-iku tame no tsuyosa wo
anata ni negatte-iru kara
kokoro no tobira wo hiraitara
nanika ga miete kuru
I wish for you to have the strength
to make it through this world,
so open up your mind,
and you'll be able to see...
Just remember you are not alone
So don't you fear
Even though you're miles away
I'm by your side
So open up your mind and close your eyes
I'll be there for you no matter where you are
Just remember you are not alone
So don't you fear
Even though you're miles away
I'm by your side
So open up your mind and close your eyes
I'll be there for you no matter where you are
hoshi no inochi nara nagai kedo itsu made mo
onaji kono hibi ga kurikaesu wake ja nai
ashita wa dare ni mo mienai
The stars may live for a long time, but that doesn't mean
that the same days will repeat over and over forever.
Noone can see into tomorrow.
Just hold on tight hitomi tojita nara
Look inside yourself kodou kanjiru kara
Yes, "MIRAI" shinjite hoshii
You can take another look from the other side
Just hold on tight, because if you close your eyes,
look inside yourself, you'll feel a heartbeat.
Yes, I want you to believe in the future.
You can take another look from the other side.
Just hold on tight kokoro kujikete mo
Reach into your soul ashita ga mienakute mo
Yes, chigau sekai ga atte
You can take another look from the other side
ai no subete ni deaeru yo...
Just hold on tight, even if your heart is breaking.
Reach into your soul, even if you can't see tomorrow.
Yes, there's another world out there.
You can take another look from the other side,
and you'll be able to find all that is love...
Just hold on tight hitomi tojita nara
Look inside yourself kodou kanjiru kara
Yes, "MIRAI" shinjite hoshii
You can take another look from the other side
Just hold on tight, because if you close your eyes,
look inside yourself, you'll feel a heartbeat.
Yes, I want you to believe in the "future."
You can take another look from the other side
Just hold on tight kokoro kujikete mo
Reach into your soul ashita ga mienakute mo
Yes, chigau sekai ga atte
You can take another look from the other side
ai no subete ni deau made...
Just hold on tight, even if your heart is breaking.
Reach into your soul, even if you can't see tomorrow.
Yes, there's another world out there.
You can take another look from the other side,
until you find all that is love...
Open up your Mind – Mirai
「幻想魔伝 最遊記」より - mirai
Chapter 4
Sentaro looked around, trying to figure out where he was.
He was, as best as he could determine, nowhere.
All around him was white. He couldn't even tell if he was actually walking on anything. Finally, he gave up figuring things out on his own.
"Arael!" he shouted, his voice echoing.
"What?" came the reply.
Sentaro looked around. "Where are you?"
"I'm here. What do you require?"
"Why don't you show yourself like before?" Sentaro asked.
"Like a God, I cannot access the system." Arael's voice replied, "You may as you are able to go through your mother."
"What….I'm in Yggdrasil?"
"Yes."
Sentaro whirled about and found himself face to face with a demoness. Her eyes glowed a bright red as she stared at him. Her brown hair was pulled into a tight ponytail.
"Welcome to Yggdrasil." The Demon said.
"Arael?" Sentaro called out, "There's a Demon here!"
The demon rolled her eyes.
"Negative." Arael replied.
"I'm looking right at one!" Sentaro shouted.
"What you are seeing is an extension of your mother's mind." Arael said.
"My mother was a Demon?"
"No." the Demoness said, "I changed her."
Sentaro looked back at the Demoness.
"Who are you?"
The Demoness smiled, "Once I went by the name Soultaker."
"So you're the one that caused this virus?"
The Soultaker sighed, "Did you not listen to the Messenger?"
"Well….yeah. She's been talking to me all through this."
"Apparently you haven't been listening enough."
"I agree with that assessment." Came Arael's voice.
"HEY!" Sentaro shouted, "Can you please stop playing gang up on the Mortal!" He turned and looked back at the Soultaker. "So exactly how ARE you here?"
"Years ago I turned your mother into my servant." The Soultaker said, "I made her an extension of me. Though she was freed from my control, my presence remained. That was useful for a time. One who is dead like me discovers a few things here and there and can pass it on to the living. Over the years, I have slipped deeper into her subconscious." The Soultaker looked around. "Though this incident seems to have brought me forward again."
Sentaro sighed and closed his eyes.
"Arael, did you know she was here?"
"No." came the Angel's reply.
"The Angel can't read a Goddess' mind," The Soultaker said, "Not without the Goddess' knowledge."
"Right." Sentaro looked around. "So if we're in Yggdrasil, shouldn't we see the virus or something?"
The Soultaker shook her head.
"You're not seeing it because you're not looking for it." The Demon said.
"What?"
The Demoness rolled her eyes.
"Didn't they explain anything to you before you entered Yggdrasil?"
Sentaro thought back. "Grandma said I would be able to access Yggdrasil because the Mortal mind can break down the information better then a Deity could."
The Soultaker waved her hand at the whiteness around them.
"That's pretty well broken down don't you think?"
Sentaro frowned, "So how am I supposed to find the virus?"
The Demoness crossed her arms and glared at him. Sentaro frowned. The way that the demon was holding herself and glaring reminded him of someone……. Sentaro shook his head. Back to the problem at hand. Sentaro looked around. He couldn't see the virus because his mind was breaking down the information Yggdrasil was sending him. That could mean either Yggdrasil didn't know it was infected, or, as the Demoness said, he wasn't looking for the virus.
Sentaro closed his eyes and concentrated, repeating 'look for the virus look for the virus' over and over in his mind. When he opened his eyes, the whiteness wasn't as white any more. Several areas had distinctly grey spots, others shaded black.
"Whoa." He muttered.
"Someone's been watching too many Matrix movies….."
Sentaro turned and looked back at the Demoness.
"What?"
The Soultaker sighed, "Never mind."
Sentaro looked back at the spots. Now he could at least see the virus. But how was he going to stop it? If he was back at school, he'd have the anti-virus software target it and delete or remove the virus. But how was he going to do that here?
Yggdrasil was sending information through his mother, then to him. His brain took that info and broke it down to so that he originally saw only white. Now he was seeing the virus, mostly because he concentrated and told himself to look for the virus.
'Maybe if I concentrated again,' Sentaro thought, 'I could get my brain to reinterpret the information in another way, then I'd be able to eliminate it.'
Sentaro closed his eyes and concentrated. As he did so, he tried to think of a way to eliminate the virus. He thought he had it, when his world lurched.
Sentaro opened his eyes. He caught site of a strange landscape of craters, rock formations, and gnarled trees, right before he slammed into the ground. Beside him, the Soultaker let out a low whistle.
"I didn't think you had it in you mortal." The Demoness said, "This place is actually rather cool."
Sentaro sat up on his knees and looked around.
"What is this place?" he asked.
"Don't know." The Soultaker said, "You're the one that made it."
Sentaro stood up and looked around.
"Arael?"
"Yes?"
"Can you see what I'm seeing?"
"To a point."
Sentaro sighed. "So I have to look for the virus on my own?"
"Correct."
"What am I?" the Soultaker asked, "Your token demon to be tossed aside when not needed?"
Sentaro looked at the Demoness.
"Somehow I don't trust you." He said.
"No one ever does. I wonder why that is?"
"Because you're a Demon."
The Soultaker smirked. "You don't trust Mana then."
"Mana has spent more time on Earth and Heaven then she ever has in Hell." Sentaro said, "She hates Hell. I know that much from my family."
"You know nothing of her." The Demoness said.
"I know a lot more about her then you." Sentaro said.
"That remains to be seen."
"Whatever." Sentaro turned and started off in a random direction. "Follow if you want."
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It seems as if Sentaro had walked for hours. The landscape remained the same no matter how far he had gone. Stepping over a fallen tree, Sentaro glanced back over his shoulder. The Soultaker was still there, just as she had been since he'd first started walking. She hadn't said anything since her last remarks about Mana.
'She knows nothing of Mana.' Sentaro thought to himself, 'She's just a dead demon trying to get revenge against the ones who defeated her.'
"Am not." He heard the Demoness mutter behind him.
Sentaro turned around and glared at the Demoness.
"Must you read my mind?" he asked.
"Not my fault." The Soultaker replied, "You are the one using your mother to access Yggdrasil."
Sentaro sighed. "At least try to not to read my mind?"
"So long as you stop thinking snide little comments about me, I will."
"Why don't you…" Sentaro began before the ground between him and the demoness exploded.
Sentaro was thrown backwards by the blast. He lay on the ground a moment, trying to figure out what had just happened. He then looked over and saw another Demon, glaring at him.
"Who are…" Sentaro started to asked. His voice trailed off when he saw that the demon was preparing another force bolt.
"SHIT!" he swore as he leaped to his feet. He turned back towards the demon just in time to see the force bolt heading towards him. Sentaro ducked. He felt the heat of the bolt as it tore through the air above him.
"ARAEL!" Sentaro shouted, "I NEED HELP!"
"She won't be able to help."
Sentaro dodged another force bolt and looked to where the voice had come from. It was a figure in white robes, who looked strangely like his Great Grandfather, Kami-sama.
"The Soultaker?" Sentaro asked, dodging yet another force bolt sent at him from the demon. He looked around to see if he could spot the Demoness.
The man shook his head.
"She cannot help you either." The man replied, "She is powerless here."
Sentaro leaped out of the path of yet another force bolt.
"Then who's going to defeat that Demon!"
"Well," the man said, "You are."
"WHAT?" Sentaro shouted as he stared at the man.
The Demon spotted his moment of distraction and sent forth another force bolt. Sentaro didn't see it until it was upon. He cringed and covered his head with his arms.
'I don't want to die!' he thought.
A loud roar filled his ears then, and a wave of heat washed over his body, though it wasn't as intense as he thought it would have been. Sentaro opened his eyes to find a blue shield had formed around him. The last remnants of the Demon's force bolt burned themselves out against the shield. Then the shield vanished.
"Wha….." Sentaro was in shock. He quickly looked around. The Demon was still there, only it seemed to be studying him. The man was still there as well. Sentaro looked at the man.
"Who…" He started to ask, when the demon charged at him, it's fists raised.
Sentaro ducked the first punch. After that, it was like something had taken over his movements. Each punch and kick the Demon threw at him, Sentaro dodged or blocked as if he had been training for all his life. The Demon threw one more punch at Sentaro's head. Sentaro quickly grabbed the Demon's fist and twisted. The Demon's arm let out a snap as it broke, twisting the Demon's face into one of pain. Sentaro then raised his other arm and threw a punch of his own at the Demon. As his punch landed, there was a bright flash of blue. The Demon soared through the air before landing in a heap against a tree. Then it vanished.
"What the hell is going on around here!" Sentaro shouted out. He looked at the man. "There's no way I could have done that!"
"Quite right." The man replied.
"Then how did I?" Sentaro asked, "And who are you!"
"Well to answer your last question first," the man said, "I am Yggdrasil."
Sentaro blinked. "You're the computer?"
"It's better then 'that thing that runs the universe', but yes." Yggdrasil pointed to where the Demon's body had been. "That was part of the Virus that has been affecting me. Thanks to you, several systems I had lost control off are now back online."
"Does this mean the Gods can access you with the terminals?" Sentaro asked.
"No." Yggdrasil replied, "Those areas are still under control of the Virus."
Sentaro turned and stared at the spot the Demon had been.
"I should be dead." He muttered, "That energy bolt should have ripped me apart."
"A mother will always protect her child."
Sentaro looked back at Yggdrasil.
"What?"
"A mother will always protect her child." Yggdrasil repeated.
"But she's unconscious." Sentaro said, "She can't have know……."
"Subconsciously, she does know." Yggdrasil replied. He then pointed off to the side. "Part of her subconscious is here."
Sentaro turned and to his surprise, found himself looking at the Soultaker.
"Where did you go?" he asked.
Before the Soultaker could replied, Yggdrasil spoke up.
"The Demoness is but an echo of what once was." The computer said, "As such, she is at the whim of your mother's mind."
"I am not a 'whim'." The Soultaker muttered.
"But.." Sentaro began.
"As to your defeat of the Demon," Yggdrasil continued, "You are accessing me through your mother. As such, you have access to your mother's powers, with a little help from her."
"The power you so much wanted when you were younger is now yours." The Soultaker said, "But only as long as you are here."
Sentaro sighed. "So I have to run around and kill off all these viruses that look like demons?"
"No." Yggdrasil replied, "You need only to find the main Virus and destroy that. Once gone, control will be restored through the terminals and the others may finish off the last of the viruses."
"Alright." Sentaro said, "Where is the main Virus?"
Yggdrasil pointed. "It's over that way in the area that contains……."
"Does he really need to know what's there?" The Soultaker asked.
"Perhaps." The computer replied, "And perhaps not. But he….."
"Come on kid." The Soultaker said, pushing Sentaro along. "Times wasting."
Yggdrasil watched the two walk off, then sighed.
"He deserves to know what he is about to encounter." Yggdrasil finished sadly.
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The Soultaker led Sentaro through a dense portion of trees. On the other side lay a sight the young man had never seen nor could he have possibly dreamed of in his lifetime.
For what seemed like miles around, strange clear tubes covered the landscape. At their base was mechanical controls as well as a display that came out and was positioned at eye level. The tanks glowed an unearthly green. Inside, there seemed to be something floating, but from this distance Sentaro could not tell what.
"What is this place?" Sentaro asked.
"An Archive." The Soultaker replied.
"An Archive?"
"Yes." The Soultaker replied, moving closer to the nearest tube. Sentaro followed. As he got closer, the form inside the tube began to take on more familiar lines and become more distinct. He gasped out loud when he realized what the shape was.
"That's a Goddess!" he shouted. He stared in shock at the girl that floated within the tube. Her robes floated around her as if on air. Her eyes remained closed, yet Sentaro could plainly see the markings on her cheeks as well as a half moon shape on her forehead.
The Soultaker nodded.
"This is the archive of the Gods." The Soultaker said, "Any God or Goddess that ever lived is here."
Sentaro stared at another tube and the God that floated within.
"Are they alive?"
The Soultaker shrugged. "I cannot read Yggdrasil code. Some may be alive, others may be dead. Take note though. What you see is not the God themselves, but a file on them, nothing more." She began to walk again.
"How do you know so much?" Sentaro asked.
The Demoness stumbled slightly. She then turned and stared at the mortal before her.
"I may not have the power to effect things here." She said, "But I do keep my eyes open. While I see things at your prospective, remember I can see things differently." She turned and walked on. Sentaro remained in place for a moment, then followed, thinking about what the demoness had said.
'How can she see things differently?' he wondered, 'Wait, maybe it's like what Grandma said. The Soultaker is like the Gods, she sees the whole picture.' He then frowned. 'Then how come she's not overloaded like Mom was?'
All of Sentaro's thoughts ceased when he happened to glance at one of the tubes. Floating inside was his Grandmother! He paused for a moment and stared at her. His eyes soon traveled to the small display panel. It was in Yggdrasil code, which being the primary written language of the Gods he should have expected it. What he didn't expect was to be able to read it. The Soultaker had stated she couldn't read Yggdrasil code, so it seemed likely that he couldn't either.
Yet he was able to read all of his Grandmother's vital statistics, from her date of birth to her current goddess level.
Turning, Sentaro headed to the next tube and found Great Aunt Skuld floating within. Another tube held Great Aunt Urd. Sentaro looked at another tube, then another. It was almost a minute before he realized what exactly he was looking for. By that time, the Soultaker had had enough.
"Will you stop gawking at them and find the damn virus!" she shouted.
"But I'm……" Sentaro began.
"Look." The Demoness walked up to Sentaro, "Every moment you screw around here means that the Universe has more time to go nuts. Do you really want the entire Universe to end?"
"No." Sentaro replied.
"Then keep looking!"
Sentaro mumbled something unflattering about the Soultaker and her heritage, but moved on, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Surprisingly enough, he found it. One of the tubes was almost completely black. Every few seconds, a small speck of darkness flew out of the top of the tube and hurtled off to who knew where. Sentaro walked up to the tube and read the display panel.
"Loki?" Sentaro muttered, "Wasn't he the Prankster God or…." Sentaro found himself whirled about and slammed back against the tube by a very angry Demoness.
"DON'T SAY HIS NAME!" The Soultaker snarled.
"Why not?" Sentaro asked.
"He corrupted the Demons!" she replied, "Because of him, the Demons of Hell have become WEAK!. You know that Heaven actually outnumbers Hell in deities? If HE hadn't pushed those Demons into taking Heaven…….. I could have….." The Soultaker stopped speaking and looked away. She then dropped Sentaro, who landed at the foot of the tube with a thump. "Never mind. You found the source of the virus. Destroy it and let us be done with it."
Sentaro looked up at the Demoness, curious as to her change of attitude. He then stood and looked at the tube.
"How?" he finally asked.
The Demoness looked back at Sentaro.
"How do I remove the Virus?" Sentaro repeated.
"How did you defeat the Demon?"
"You said my Mother did that."
"I didn't say it. That computer did." The Demoness said, "But you are the one here, she isn't. Remember the computer told you that you have access to your mother's powers."
"Right." Sentaro turned and looked at the tube. "I have her powers. So what? I point my hands at it and say 'go away'?" Sentaro waved his hand at the tube.
With a loud boom, the ground in front of the tube exploded, tossing mortal and demoness onto their backs. When the smoke cleared, a large flower had sprouted beside the tube. The Demoness rolled her eyes.
"Nice. Real nice. You picked a hellova a spot to start a garden."
"It's not my fault!" Sentaro shouted, waving his hands. "I don't……"
Another explosion and yet another flower appeared a little ways from them.
"Would you mind not waving your hands like a mad man?" The Soultaker asked, "I'd prefer to not get killed by a rogue daisy."
"Fine." Sentaro replied. "Hey wait a second. You're already dead!"
"Details." The Soultaker said, "Now do something!"
Sentaro looked back at the black tube.
'How the hell am I supposed to do this?' he thought, 'Maybe it's like how I changed what this place looks like. If I think about blowing up the tube, maybe it will happen.'
Sentaro concentrated on the image of the tube exploding. He then raised his hands at it. The tube shattered in a massive fireball. The blackness from inside the tube expanded outward, engulfing Sentaro and the Soultaker in darkness. When it dissipated, instead of shattered glass, a man stood before them. More specifically a God.
"Loki." The Soultaker whispered.
"So." Loki said, "The spawn of that half-breed is here in Yggdrasil."
"You're dead." The Soultaker said, "Gungir doesn't leave anything behind."
"And yet here I am." Loki said with a smile, "I must say, I'm a better programmer then I thought I was. Five hundred years later, and my viruses still go undetected and bring the Heavens to their knees." Loki looked around. "I must say I like what has become of this place. However……" Loki looked at the Demoness. "You don't belong here."
Loki snapped his fingers and before the Soultaker could utter a word, she vanished.
"Wha…?" Sentaro began.
"What?" Loki said, turning to look at the mortal. "You're shocked that I could remove her? She has no power here, just as you have none."
Sentaro's eyes widened, "But I defeated that Demon virus thing!"
"Did you?" Loki asked, "This is your mind's version of Yggdrasil. Maybe it was all in your mind."
"What?"
"You heard me." Loki continued, moving towards Sentaro. "Your mind created this representation of Yggdrasil, so you'd be able to comprehend it. It's quite obvious then that the 'Demon' you defeated was but a figment of your imagination, created by your mind being over stressed."
"No…." Sentaro said, "The Demoness and Yggdrasil both said it was part of the virus."
"Once again, your mind telling you what you want to hear." Loki then smiled, "Of course then am I really here? I could be another figment of your imagination. Or perhaps I am a defense mechanism of your mind, trying to get you unattached form the computer before your mind fries."
Sentaro closed his eyes and fell to his knees. 'Help me Mom, Please……"
"It can happen you know, mortals cannot handle what they see here, thus go insane." Loki knelt down beside Sentaro. "Just give it up before you hurt yourself. Go home."
'Mother, Help me." Sentaro thought. Suddenly he felt warm flow through his body, like someone had wrapped him in a full body hug. He knew then he had an answer for Loki.
"Loki." he said.
"Yes?" the god replied.
"You're a basterd." Sentaro raised his fist and sent a force bolt right at the God.
The bolt slammed into Loki, sending the God hurtling across to slam into the side of another tube. Loki sat dazed at the base of the tube. Sentaro stood up and walked towards Loki, his eyes glowing a soft white.
"It….can't be…." Loki muttered.
Sentaro grabbed Loki by the neck and lifted him up into the air.
"Believe it." Sentaro replied before tossing Loki high up into the air. He then formed a powerful force bolt and sent it hurtling after Loki. Loki let out a shriek of terror that was cut off as the bolt slammed into him and exploded. When the cloud vanished, there was no sign of Loki.
All around Sentaro the world began to flicker. Suddenly, the tubes vanished, as did the ground he had been standing on. He was now back in the white empty space.
"Hello?" He called out.
"Over here."
Sentaro turned to see The Soultaker, Yggdrasil, and even the ghostly shape of Arael standing before him.
"Congratulations." Yggdrasil said, "You have eliminated the main Virus. Now my systems can clean out the last bits of it."
"That was it?" Sentaro asked, "It was just so…..easy."
The Soultaker rolled her eyes. "Easy he says."
Yggdrasil smiled. "If it was easy, it wouldn't have taken you as long as it did."
"Right." Sentaro said, "So what happens now? Will I still have Mom's powers when I leave?"
Yggdrasil shook his head. "No. You were never meant to have the powers of a God."
"What was I meant to have?" Sentaro asked.
"I cannot tell you." Yggdrasil replied, "You must learn that on your own."
"Now you sound like my mother." Sentaro mumbled.
"She is a very wise Goddess." Yggdrasil replied.
Sentaro shrugged and then looked at Arael.
"Pull me out of here Arael."
Arael nodded. Within moments Sentaro and Arael vanished, leaving only Yggdrasil and the Soultaker.
"Nice kid." The Soultaker said.
"Indeed." Yggdrasil glanced over at the Demon. "You will see him again."
The Soultaker looked at Yggdrasil curiously.
"I'm dead." She said, "There's no way I'll see him again."
"Oh?" Yggdrasil replied.
The Soultaker narrowed her eyes.
"What are you not telling me?"
"As I told young Sentaro," Yggdrasil said, "You will find out on your own."
"Now what is that….." The Soultaker started to say before she suddenly vanished.
Yggdrasil sighed, then looked off towards the distance.
"It means," Yggdrasil said, "death is not the end, but the start of a new journey."
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Much later.
Sentaro looked through the window as the nurse (if you could call her that) moved about the bed of his mother in the infirmary.
Sentaro had no idea why he was here.
After defeating the virus, Sentaro had 'woken' back up in the core of Yggdrasil. Almost immediately Arael had collapsed from exhaustion. His Grandmother had quickly taken him up to the infirmary for a quick examination. After all, no mortal had ever accessed Yggdrasil in such a way before. The Healer himself had said there was nothing wrong with him, but that he would probably be watched over just in case something did happen to him.
Sentaro was very unhappy with that idea.
Afterward he'd once again gone to the entry hall and looked down at the main floor so far below. Megami had found him there. She once again had talked to him. As a result, he now found himself outside the Infirmary.
He hadn't seen any of his family here, though he knew they had to be nearby. Perhaps it was some of his Grandmother's doing again.
Suddenly the door to the room opened allowing the nurse to exit.
"You can go in now." She said, "She is awake."
Sentaro blinked. Before he even realized it, he had walked into the room. He glanced over at the bed. His mother was laying on her side, facing towards the windows, her white hair splayed out on the pillow. She seemed to be breathing steady, like she was asleep.
Sentaro walked up to the bed. As he reached it's side, his mother said.
"Look really, I'm fine. Please leave me alone."
"Is that what you really want?" Sentaro asked.
Sayoko whirled about on the bed and sat up. Her eyes went wide as she took in the sight of her son. Sentaro shifted slightly under her gaze, but he kept eye contact with her. The two said nothing for several minutes. Finally Sentaro spoke.
"How are you feeling?" he asked.
"Alright." Sayoko replied, her voice practically a whisper.
"Look," Sentaro looked down at the ground, "I didn't mean to say what I did back then."
"Don't lie." Sayoko replied softly, "You meant every word."
Sentaro sighed. "You know you're making this more difficult then it should be."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be." Sentaro said, "It's just your nature." He let out another sigh. "Yes, I meant those words I said back then. I was angry, and everything that I thought about you and everything came out."
Sayoko finally broke eye contact with her son. "You were justified in your anger. I……….was too overprotective of you. Your Grandmother and even your father have told me so."
"You were doing what you thought was right." Sentaro replied, "I couldn't see that then. I just wanted you to go." Sentaro moved over and knelt down beside his mother's bed and looked up into her face. "I don't want you to go anymore. I want you back in my life."
Tears formed in Sayoko's eyes.
"Is that your wish?" Sayoko asked softly.
Sentaro wrapped his arms around his mother. She hugged him back in turn.
From the door, Belldandy watched the scene with a smile. She then turned and walked away.
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Several weeks later
Neo-Tokyo
Museum of History
Sentaro and Megami looked up.
And then some.
"I always knew the Evas were tall." Megami said, "But I didn't realize they were this huge!" She then glanced at Sentaro. "And your mother piloted them?"
"Yeah." Sentaro replied, still looking up at the behemoths that dominated the room.
"She pilot one of these?"
Sentaro shook his head. "I don't know……. She never….."
"Asuka piloted the red one, Unit-02." A voice came from behind them. "Touji piloted the black one, Unit-03. My Eva still exists in heaven. Unit-00, Rei blew up during the Angel Wars, and Unit-01 was destroyed many years ago in Heaven."
Sentaro sighed, "How long have you been here?"
Sayoko smiled, "Since your girlfriend found out they had Evas here from that display in the lobby."
"My WHAT?" Sentaro shouted while Megami blushed.
"So how long has this been going on?" Sayoko asked, "Should I be expecting wedding bells soon?"
"Mom!"
"Just so long as it isn't grandkids." Sayoko said, crossing her arms. "I'm still to young to be a grandmother."
"You're older then when Grandma became a grandma." Sentaro replied.
Sayoko stared at her son in shock.
"I'm not THAT old!" she cried out.
"No, you're not." Sentaro said with a smile. "Not with a lifespan of infinite."
"Thank-you. I think……"
Sentaro looked back up at Unit-02. "So what brings you here?"
"Just checking up on my son." Sayoko replied, "Can't I do that?"
"I thought the Doctors told you to rest."
"They did." Sayoko replied, "Your Grandmother even went so far as to order me to take a vacation."
"So why are you here?" Sentaro asked.
"Your father ordered me out of Heaven." Sayoko replied, "So, I'll be staying at your Uncle's for awhile."
Sentaro glanced back at his mother. "So that means I'll be seeing a lot of you?"
"Only if you want to."
"Of course he does." Megami said with a smile, "And you can tell me all sorts of embarrassing stories about him."
Sentaro paled. "You wouldn't…."
Sayoko looked up towards the ceiling and tapped her chin.
"I might."
"Mother…..please……"
Sayoko smiled and looked at Megami.
"As I'm sure you've found out, Sentaro is rather easy to tease."
Megami smiled, "Oh yes."
Sentaro sat down heavily on a nearby bench and put his head in his hands.
"Why me?"
From across the exhibit hall, a woman looked over from the map she had been reading.
"Poor brother." Kristine said with a sigh, "Just like Mom to want to catch up on all the teasing she's missed.
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"Is that her?"
"Yes." The figure stared downward from the balcony with glowing red eyes. "She is the one that caused my downfall so long ago."
"Remember our deal." The first said, "I get you the half-breed goddess, you get me the half-breed demon."
The second figure smiled.
"All in good time." The second said, "First, the Queen must go. Then during the chaos, Hell will fall. Heaven will come to their aid……."
The first smiled, "Then we strike. And the Heavens and Hell shall be full of pure-bloods once more."
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Later that night.
Sentaro stared up at the ceiling of his hotel room. Even though he had been walking around all day, Sentaro was not the least bit sleepy. In fact, he still had quite a few things mulling about in his head.
Foremost of which was the fact his mother was going to be on Terra 2 for awhile.
"Why does she have to vacation near me?" he muttered out loud.
"Maybe because she misses you?"
Sentaro froze at the sound of the voice, the voice that for the briefest of moments, he thought was his mother's. He slowly turned his head to see his sister's smiling face in the room's mirror.
"Why are you hanging around in my mirror at this time of night?" he asked.
Kristine shrugged. "Thought I'd drop in and see how my little brother was doing."
"Suppose I was in the middle of something?" Sentaro asked.
Kristine wrinkled her nose in disgust.
"Please! I don't want to picture you jerking….."
"NOT THAT!" Sentaro shouted as he sat up, "Geez! I meant what if other people were here!"
"You'd do that in front of other…..?"
"NO!" Sentaro shouted as he leaped to his feet.
"Good. Because doing that in front of others is just……."
"I WASN'T JERKING OFF DAMMIT! I WASN'T EVEN THINKING OF DOING THAT!"
"Maybe you should. You seem slightly stressed and doing that relieves……"
"KNOCK IT OFF!" Sentaro shouted. As he did, his eyes flashed white for a second. A loud snap filled the room as a crack shot across the surface of the mirror over Kristine's face.
The siblings stared at the crack, one from outside the mirror, one from within.
"What the hell?" the two said together.