+++++ Ikari Manor. Thursday, +16.

"…is an interesting perspective." Maya Ibuki's voice was the first Shinji heard on joining the waking world, which couldn't help but brighten his mood. "You can be healed, but you don't want to give others the perception that humanity has a cure available that doesn't actually exist."

The bed beneath Shinji's back was the most comfortable he'd ever slept in, even including the one from the high-class hotel that had been his temporary home. He could feel at least two others in the room, one of whom was Maya. Despite life's complications, it was heartening to know that he really wasn't alone anymore.

"Exactly," Sakura replied, her gentle voice showing no signs of strain or stress. "By the time we had discovered my paralysis, knowledge had already spread through the local medical community in an effort to find a way to reverse it. My mother was well-loved, which meant that there were too many people that might 'remember' if we altered only those we knew about. My accelerated education, a gift if ever I have had one, was more than recompense for the need to remain bound to my chair."

Working his jaw loose, Shinji groaned out, "You are the gift, Sakura. We are lucky to have you." Prying one eye open, he saw the blush brighten her cheeks. Working on getting his second eye to cooperate with the first, he added, "Good morning…I think."

"It's nine fifteen, lazy bones," Maya teased, a thick vein of relief in her voice. "You should already be out of bed!"

He let out an amused snort. "You two could always just join me in here? It's really comfy."

"Perhaps later, once duty is satisfied," Sakura replied with a warm purr. "For now, you will have to settle for joining us in the master bath."

Now with Maya at his side, helping him sit upright, Shinji let the good humor play. "Ugh, twist my arm why don't you?" His head felt as if it were oscillating, but it wasn't bad enough yet to unnerve him. "Ok…let's try standing."

"How about you try sitting up for a bit first," Maya disagreed. "Don't think I don't see that sway, dear."

Being called 'dear' by Maya made him feel like he'd won the lottery. "It's not bad…I'm just overwhelmed by all of the beauty in my room. Waking up to two amazing women is something I never believed would ever happen."

It was Maya's turn to blush. "Flatterer."

"I am becoming quite interested in what devilry that silvered tongue of yours might manage, my lord," Sakura added. "It is good to see that all you required was the confidence of camaraderie to fill out what your drive to serve prepared."

Swinging his legs slowly over the side of the bed, Shinji prepared himself for the attempt at standing. "I'm just saying how I feel." Pausing, he frowned. "Where's Ðandy?"

"Taking a morning walk around the grounds." Sakura pushed her chair over to where Shinji sat, preparing to catch him as best she could if he fell when standing. "She spent many hours with me in here, then when Maya woke up and came to see how you were doing, she begged our leave to stretch her legs. I believe she is trying to find peace with our presence, as well as determine just how far the tether between you can allow."

He blew out a sigh as he stood upright. "Everyone but her has chosen to be here." Twisting his torso to stretch out some, he dwelled upon that one fact. "I took away her choice when I said I wanted someone like her with me at all times, and…and I regret doing that to her. A lot." With Maya now flanking Sakura, he took an experimental step to test his balance. "I wish she had the freedom to go wherever she wanted."

The Mark Eighty Four 'flashbang' is capable of producing six to eight million candela, which translates to a visible candle flame at roughly five thousand to five and a half thousand meters distance. When compacted into a tight space, such as a bedroom, it is extremely disorienting to be in the presence of the Mark Eighty Four when it detonates. That is also when you discount the 'bang' portion, which at between one hundred and seventy to one hundred and eighty decibels is the equivalent of having a shotgun discharged next to your ear, or a rocket launched from the same. In short, it is a distinctly unpleasant experience that humans are not designed for.

Following Shinji's statement, he was hit with the equivalent of four Mark Eighty Four 'flashbangs' going off around him. Fortunately, the women he was with were not. Maya, being much smaller than Shinji, did what she could to slow his descent to the floor. Sakura, though smaller than Shinji, had the added benefit of Juraian DNA. Latching her hands onto Shinji's waist, she guided him to a seated position on her lap using Maya's attempted intervention to buy the necessary leverage.

"Something was just changed," the wheelchair-bound woman declared. "I will hold him here, please go ask Nanako to find one or both of Their Majesties." Arranging him carefully as Maya darted away, she managed to get him in a position where he could be cuddled to her. "It will be ok. Whatever mischief this is, it will be ok."

Appearing in the room through the open window, Verðandy wobbled her way over towards the pair. "M-Miss Suzuhara," her words felt as uneven as her knees, "did…did he?"

"I shall ask you in honesty, for I expect the same from you: did you use the System Force?" Looking up to Verðandy from her seat in the chair, she kept any anger from infecting her stare.

"No," Verðandy replied vehemently. "I used it yesterday to try and save us from having to harm or endanger his classmates, but today I haven't even prayed yet." Gently taking Shinji's head in her hands, she tried to get a feel for how his pupils were doing and found them unevenly dilated. "He is suffering from a concussion. I'm not sure if he's hearing anything we're saying."

As if suddenly thrown into a river, Shinji's head snapped backwards and he sucked in a huge breath. His mind still had not returned to clarity however, and Ashi herself made an appearance atop his head in a much smaller form. The lake kami looked between the two women in the room. "If I might beg a favor of you, would you be able to get him somewhere with water present?"

"To the bathroom, Miss Ðandy," Sakura directed the Norn. Soon, the three women were carefully cleaning the lone male present. Sakura, as she felt was only right, focused all of her attention on his head and shoulders. When she touched him in 'that' way, he would be conscious and able to choose. "Go ahead and slide him into the bath when you are ready, I will not be able to help much in moving him there."

Verðandy nodded, but instead of moving Shinji she picked up Sakura and set her in the bath gently, sundress and all. "You are a part of his life, and I must come to accept that if I am to be a part of his life as well." Picking Shinji up next, she encouraged Sakura to brace him as he went into the tub. "I…I can be rather jealous, and I know that it is not an attractive feature for anyone to be so…so please, be patient with me."

She couldn't deny that not only was the plea heartfelt, but it also showed a measure of self-reflection that few might be capable of. "I will show the patience you offer to us all," she agreed. "We are all entering a new dynamic, and few if any of us are prepared for every occasion."

Joining Sakura in the tub, still dressed, Verðandy inclined her head in gratitude. Directing her next question to Ashi, she hoped for some help from the spirit, "What do we do now, ma'am?"

"Right now, we wait." Ashi walked along the surface of the water, looking at Shinji from several different angles. "Through his connection to me, he should begin to recover consciousness soon. I will be mitigating the damage to his brain, though I fear I am not capable of more than just mitigating."

"Mitigation is enough," Misaki Masaki Jurai announced, striding into the room with a scowl and Maya in tow. "I have ordered that research be redoubled in that particular field, with how often he takes head trauma." Stepping into the water herself, she held him close. "Let us see what…oh." Surprised, she closed her eyes and set her lips against the top of his head for a time. "Mmm." She couldn't blame him. He did not ask for say in what the System Force did, and of anything he might have done with it, restoring someone's freedom of association was likely the most ethical act. Lifting her face, she made the situation clear for the others, "He freed you of the requirement that you be near him at all times, Princess. His connection to the roots of Yggdrasil, and the powers therein, heeded his desires."

Verðandy seemed aghast. "He…he wants me…to leave?"

Rolling her eyes to the ceiling, Sakura grabbed Verðandy by the hair and dunked her under water for a moment. "This is joyous news, Your Majesty." Letting her victim back up for air, she eyed her askance. "He wants you to have the freedom to go where you wish to go, you cloth-eared nonce. Be that to him, or to a beach for a day away from your worries."

Starting, as his mind chose to rejoin the rest of him in consciousness once more, Shinji's muscles instinctively spasmed out of concern for being in a new, strange, position and location. Looking around at the people close by, he finished with his eyes on Misaki. "I…uh…you're dressed."

"Oh?" She gave him a warm, amused, smile. "Were you dreaming of me in some other state?" His blush made her feel pleasantly fuzzy inside. "The act of drying off is far less worrisome when compared to not reaching you in time to assure your safety."

"How are you feeling, Shinji?" Maya sat on the edge of the tub, running her fingers through his hair. "You looked like you had a seizure."

He thought about how he actually felt for a second, then shrugged. "I hurt…but that's pretty much normal for me." His breathing steadied, and he hoped that his next statement came out right, "Could…could I ask to be left alone with Ðandy for a bit? She and I…should talk."

With a direct line to not only his heart, but also his thoughts, Misaki knew that he was being the man that had drawn her eye instead of anything untoward. "Princess, you are given responsibility for his health until relieved. I presume we may rest easy?"

"I won't let anything hurt him without a fight, Your Majesty," Ðandy agreed honestly. Accepting Shinji as he was offered to her, she blushed lightly herself at holding his nude form. Expecting jealousy, as she was feeling while watching Misaki hold him, she was instead surprised to find that the other women in the room only bade him farewell. Maya carried Sakura until Misaki had her chair in place, Ashi seemed content to simply disappear into the water, and then the bathroom was left with only she and Shinji. Being honest with herself, she clung tighter to him. "I don't want to leave."

Without room to do much else, Shinji freed one arm and hugged her in turn. "I…don't really want you to leave." Honesty not being something he struggled with, he shared his heart without hesitation or reservation, "You make me feel wonderful. Just a smile, or a meal, or a touch, and it's like I can take on anything." His smile became dopey as she clung even tighter than before. "But I can't dedicate myself to you the way you deserve…so I wi…uh, I hoped for what I hoped for. Should probably just forget that word exists. You deserve to be free to choose your own path, and even though it hurt a lot, I'm glad I was able to give you that back."

"It is quite the daunting challenge, being the only of your kind surrounded by those you may never be like." It was one of the things she liked most about him, the ease with which he accepted his own unique nature. "As…pleasant as Hild has been to me, I still find myself afraid that she has far darker motives than she lets on. She means no harm to you, but the same cannot be said to my friends, my family. We are alone, you and I, while surrounded by women with good hearts…it is an odd sensation."

He didn't follow where she was trying to go. "You…feel alone?"

"Do you not?" She knew the truth, even if he avoided it. "You are a male in a house with no others, in a Corps with no others. No other human bears the weight of a doublet, to say nothing of our triplet. No other human may use the holy power of Jurai. Each bit of your whole is in itself an example of solitude, and the unity of those pieces marks a greater solitude than the result."

It wasn't him that mattered at that moment, though. "You feel alone? I…I'm supposed to choose some others from your homeland. I can ask how that's going, we can ask some of your friends if they would be willing to come here to live?"

How could she ever doubt someone with his heart was worthy of her? The perfection of her daydreams in her youth had been just that, daydreams. Happiness in the real world would require more of her than she had anticipated offering, but the rewards were equally great. "You would willingly share your heart with others of my kind, just to give me the peace of familiarity?"

"My heart isn't worth much if those I've given it to aren't happy." He was ready to run out and ask that very minute.

She took in his features, how strong yet vulnerable he was, how full of hope for others yet devoid of any for himself. Would an eternity of this ever conceivably be a trial? "Kiss me." It was not an order, but it also was not a request. She wanted to know, for sure and certain, if there was a thrill there when their lips met. After a brief look of confusion, her desire was granted.

The sound of a lock the size of Jupiter shattering did nothing to break them apart. The feel of harmony of soul, flesh, and fire began to rattle around each of their hearts, every microsecond of connection pulling them closer and closer to one another until all that was left of their independent beings was a faint memory in the other's soul. Clothing was dismissed just as quickly as it had been applied the day after they'd first met, skin meeting skin with only traces of water between. Hands became more than extensions of touch, turning into instruments of shared ecstasy. Tongues no longer communicated words, only desire. Without request or offer, she once again had his face between her thighs…and this time, there was no reason to worry about asking him to stop.

He gave her everything he could, pouring his love for her into the point of connection they'd chosen.

She praised his worship of her form with a siren song that no other could produce.

Without warning, he was pushed back to lay against the wall of the tub, her dignity now mounted atop him.

With the grace of angels, she danced for him and him alone. There would be no more doubt, no more waiting.

They were one, now and forever.

+++++ NERV Tokyo-3. Thursday, +16.

"Huh." Ritsuko was not nearly as surprised as she thought she should be. The ground penetrating radar imagery that showed an oddly proportioned animal embryo lacked the menace of its fully grown adult siblings. It looked like a chick still in its shell, if the chicken that laid it was the size of a skyscraper. Pushing the call button on her phone, she reached out to Kozo Fuyutsuki.

"I have already seen it," the old professor admitted when he picked up his end of the line. "Our orders are to find a way to capture it, if possible. Destroy it, if not."

She pursed her lips, her distaste showing cleanly in her question, "You wish to risk our pilots on a KOC that requires them to go down through magma to reach the target?"

"No, but the Commander does. We will utilize Unit-02 for the mission, contact Major Katsuragi and have her begin drawing up plans for our approval. Unit-01 will be stand-by onsite, Unit-00 will remain here as rearguard, again…commander's orders."

Rolling her eyes, she avoided becoming waspish with someone she knew wasn't able to change the deployment orders, "I'll pass it along." When the line disconnected, she tapped out Misato's cellphone number and waited through three rings before the line connected, "The hell are you doing?" The sounds of someone in aggressive pain was the only thing she'd heard through the phone.

"Explaining to a thick-headed pervert that I'm no longer interested in being used as a mattress," Misato snapped. "I can do this and talk to you at the same time, Rits, what do you need?"

Kaji, you idiot. "I need you here. We have new orders."

Whatever Misato did next, it caused a gargling howl of pain. "Think real hard about that the next time you want to get handsy with me, asshole. I'm on my way."

As much as Ritsuko thought she should counsel Misato regarding assaulting someone on base, she felt an equally large urge to simply let the situation play out as it would. Kaji had been an ass to both of them, and now that Misato wasn't some starry-eyed youth it was good to let her get her claws out from time to time.

+++++ Ikari Manor. Thursday, +16.

After lounging with Ðandy for a time and finding that she wished to take advantage of her freedom to go do some shopping, Shinji joined Sakura in using a wheelchair with others giving them a hand in moving towards the physical form of Jishin towering over the lake that was Ashi's. The enormous shadow the tree cast by its broad boughs draped over the group, cooling them and inviting them closer to the main body itself. Feeling an overwhelming sense of welcome, Shinji found a broad smile growing on his lips. "They…really are beautiful. Ashi-sama and Jishin-no-ki, I mean."

"Am I to remain uncommented upon?" The voice of Helbon brought the group to a halt, the powerfully built redhead standing a respectful distance ahead and to the side. "To be seen, yet unheard?"

Holding one hand out to his side, Shinji growled, "Stop." He felt the powerhouses behind him preparing for a fight, reminding him of how tired he was of people not simply speaking to one another before pulling out weapons. Pushing himself to his feet, he took a few unsteady steps towards the third of his new guests. "What do you want?"

"My place at your side, my case heard before your court." She spoke to him with affectionate deference, each word spoken as if to scream at him how she wished nothing but his success, "No more, no less. What comes after your decision is to be what you wish and nothing other."

It was both respectfully delivered and respectably earnest, and when compared to the swagger of some others it was in a way refreshing. It also screamed 'trap'. "…I'll hear you out," he raised one finger, "after I take care of what I have been asked to do. This ceremony is important to my…to the Juraians, and as much as you seem to want to respect me, I respect them more."

"By your will." Curtseying in a surprisingly feminine manner when contrasted to her build, she turned to face the tree and offered her shoulder to him. "I would be honored to help you navigate the terrain, should you so choose."

He had promised to use the wheelchair, if they would promise to not get snippy when he felt he could walk again. If he used Helbon's shoulder to balance, he could walk and show that he was taking his health seriously. Gripping the shoulder closest to him with his right hand, he set their pace once more towards the pier that had been built out to the roots of Jishin. "Where are you from?"

"A place known as Hel," she replied quietly, "though I am told that I was not born there."

"So you don't know where you were born?"

"I do not." She glanced over at him and smiled sadly. "I was raised by Yggdrasil themself, and they are the only family I have ever known."

"So this Ygu…Yggg…they were the one who sent you here?"

"Ygg-dra-sil," she pronounced the word more slowly for him to hear the phonetic structure of the name. "No, I was sent by another."

Reaching the foot of the pier, Shinji moved over to support himself on one of the railings. "Please wait here. I…apologize for the offense, but I would rather not anger them by forcing you on them right now."

"A sensible precaution. I shall visit again, once you are no longer occupied." With another curtsey, she vanished from sight.

Letting out a long, slow, breath allowed Shinji to ready himself for dealing with the next issue. Carefully turning about so that he was facing Nanako and Minaho, he set his shoulders and flatly declared, "I am not a toddler. I am a combat veteran with access to weaponry capable of annihilating this planet. If I do not act in a manner that cries out for someone to help me defend myself and/or others, then that means that I do not feel the need to be defended. Either I am a partner to you in this insanity, or I am a servant that gratifies your need to treat others as children forever. I love you both, but I am starting to wonder if controlling emotional outbursts isn't just a Misaki issue, but is instead Juraian in nature."

Both women flushed, looking down to the ground as their anger slipped away following the upbraiding. For her part, Sakura responded with her traditional calm self-possession, "I assure you, it is not a species-wide issue. Though occurrences do tend to be more common than otherwise anticipated, especially around and regarding male affection."

With a wry snort, Shinji smirked. "It could be worse, I guess…. I could be dealing with this without the knowledge that I am loved."

"With all my heart," Minaho stated by way of apology. "I…don't want to make excuses, but it is very hard for me as a woman and a warrior to not intervene when someone so important to the Empire, and my heart, is in danger. I will try to learn how to show more trust in your abilities…but I beg you to be patient."

"I'm a bodyguard, Shinji. I'm supposed to guard your body." Nanako shrugged helplessly. "But yeah, what she said."

He had to stay firm, but that didn't mean he had to be hard. "I promised both of you nothing but my best…that's all I'll ever ask of you in return." He let his heart show in his smile. "Let's go perform the ceremony to honor Jishin-no-ki, and then we can all have a nice picnic under her branches while we wait for the others to come home."

+++++ Ikari Manor. Thursday, +16.

Funaho was slightly surprised when Shinji sought her out specifically of his own volition following his busy afternoon of officially meeting his tree and soothing tempers. When his presence was announced by her handmaiden at the entrance to what was his library, she let out a small sigh of frustration and set aside the defense ledger she had been doublechecking. "Always a pleasure to see you, my Knight," she said while standing and holding out her arms for an embrace. "What can I do for you?"

Holding onto her for longer than he might have normally, he breathed out into her shoulder, "Make the insanity stop."

"If only that were within my power," she lamented honestly. When he went to leave the hug, she kept her hands on him to keep him close. "What burdens can you share with me, then?"

Breathing in slowly, he made another guess at a likely ability he had, "Helbon?"

"You summoned me, My Lord?" The tall redheaded entity appeared nearby, her eyes appropriately lowered to not embarrass what would broadly be considered to be 'her betters' while they were showing emotional intimacy.

It was Shinji's turn to sigh as Funaho had. "I'm not anyone's lord. I'm just Shinji."

Before Funaho could correct him, she found the strange new woman quick to perform the task. "I beg your forgiveness, but you are in truth a Lord. To be a Knight of the Juraian Empire endows you with the title and responsibilities of the nobility. As distasteful as some might find it, you have also been declared a Hellknight under the hand of a Greater Demon. You, were I to hazard a guess, are no lower than a Prince Consort in her estimation. Even if she, for her own purposes, only declared you a Baron, it would still entitle you to be declared a Lord. As I am sworn to serve you from now until the end of all things…you are correctly termed 'My Lord'."

Funaho patted Shinji's chest firmly. "You are not a Hellknight."

"I've been given different perspectives on that," he muttered with irritation. "It doesn't matter-"

"It does," Helbon interrupted again, the apology writ on her face. "Matter, I mean. As you have not rejected 'her' presence in your soul, her declaration of your rank has taken root. The only way you might change what you are is to excise her presence entirely."

"My dear," Funaho already knew the answer, but wanted to change the topic away from what it had meandered towards back to what he had needed, "who is this?"

"Keep getting distracted." Shinji scowled to himself. "This is Helbon, she's the entity that interfered in the joining between Ashi and Jishin."

"I see."

Shinji felt the air grow frigid, though nothing changed in Funaho's body language or tone he accurately surmised that it was her who was responsible. "I wanted to talk to her about why she did what she did, but I didn't want to do it alone." He felt the warmth from Funaho's smile wash over him, despite her fury at Helbon remaining. "I…I do try not to make the same mistake twice."

"You try," Funaho encouraged him. "That is far more important than anything else." Her eyes hardened as she looked to Helbon. "Where do you come from?"

"The roots of Yggdrasil," Helbon answered, clearly wary of upsetting someone as powerful as Funaho.

"And who sent you?" Her question hung in the air for several heartbeats, prompting her to quirk an eyebrow upward. "Do not force me to engage in unpleasantries, child."

"She can't answer," Shinji shook his head, "not directly." He'd been thinking on the strange answers he'd received himself, and came to a conclusion that made the most sense to him. "It wasn't Ðandy's father. It wasn't Hild. There's no way anyone here on Earth could do it. Am I right?" Directing the last question to Helbon, he was heartened when she nodded quickly. "She's sworn not to say certain things…but she's not sworn to…not say…it made sense in my head," he finished lamely.

Funaho patted his chest again. "I take your meaning, my dear." The multi-dimensional political ramifications of what she'd just learned grew worrying. "You hail from the roots of Yggdrasil, you say?"

"I do, Your Majesty." Helbon seemed embarrassed, causing her eyes to once more direct themselves to the floor.

"Yet Tyr did not send you." Walking closer to Helbon, she took her chin and lifted her face up to stare into her eyes. "But you were sent? This was not of your own design?"

"I was sent, Your Majesty."

"You are not of Yggdrasil." Funaho released her hold on Helbon's chin. "Yet you hail from the very roots of the creature itself. A place none may live, and not be known to Hild or Tyr. What is your purpose?"

"To serve My Lord in all things."

"A strange lie to present, after you purposefully damaged his soul." Taking slow steps around Helbon, Funaho looked her up and down. "Explain the incongruity, if you would."

Feeling very much like a toddler cornered by a tiger, Helbon's poise began to fail. "I-I had not intended to harm him, Your Majesty. It became necessary when the minor spirit and your ancestor began their joining. I have been specifically ordered to ensure no harm comes to him, I swear it."

"No harm, until…what?"

"I-I-I-I-"

Shinji snapped his fingers, a missing piece falling into place. "Helbon," he walked over and took her hands in his, "who threatened you before you came here?"

Without hesitation she spat out the answer, "Ma'at."

"Under what conditions would the punishment be given?"

"Should I fail to integrate myself into your life, or should you stray irreconcilably from…the proper path."

With a weak smile at Funaho, Shinji shrugged his shoulders. "I'm…kind of familiar with this game."

"I do not recognize this 'Ma'at'," Funaho looked to Helbon to see if she'd pronounced it properly, receiving a nod of affirmation, "nor do I understand why they would have any sway or jurisdiction in the roots of the System Force made flesh. What are you, child?"

Hild, having invited herself to the affair, spoke up from her perch on Shinji's shoulder, "Well, her name would mean 'Hel's boon'. But, when you consider the fact that I have no clue as to where she came from or who she is, I don't quite know how that could be true." Catching Funaho's glare, she spread her hands with a roguish grin. "Hey, I live here too."

"Stop." Shinji held his hand between Hild and Funaho. "One, what is 'Hel', and two, what's a boon?"

"Hel is just a sobriquet for where I'm from, Sugar." Hild motioned for him to take his hand down. "Hel, Niflheim, it has as many names as people on your world, but it's the same place. A boon is much the same as a wish, just generally given to someone for work performed…or to be performed."

Funaho added with growing worry, "Neither of which is something you ought to be involved with, Shinji dear. The aims of that place rarely coincide with a benefit for sentient life in our universe."

"Far be it from me to agree with you, sweetie," Hild looked significantly towards the Juraian Empress, "but you and I are of a mind here. Excising the git should be our top priority."

"Hild," Shinji growled. He had made it very clear that he was tired of people sniping at one another, and he was not going to put up with it.

Jumping off of his shoulder and returning to her full size, Hild placed her fists on her hips and leaned forward slightly at the waist to push him back a step. "I am the ruler of Hel, and I did not send her here. When I came here, and when I joined with you and Verðandy in a Triplet, I at least did you the favor of explaining to you why I did it. I didn't come here with false promises, vague assurances, and under the force of a threat! If you can't put together that some of us actually care about you and your wellbeing, then let me spell it out with really tiny terms even you can understand: I, me, the person speaking. Will not, as in the opposite of will. Allow, permit, sanction, authorize, endorse. You, the lovable idiot I am speaking to. To be harmed, hurt, damaged, threatened, injured, tricked, abused, mistreated, choose whatever synonym you prefer. She is a walking bomb, and whoever this Ma'at is they are clearly the one with the trigger. Are you so enamored with a muscle-bound redhead that you're willing to throw the rest of us tied to you into the trash just so you can avoid hurting the feelings of a woman that directly and intentionally hurt her?" She pointed directly at Funaho. "I may not be on the best terms with them, but even I wouldn't stoop to harming one of their trees. It's like kicking a puppy, only way worse because in this case the puppy is a fundamental part of someone's religious focus." Catching Funaho frowning in confusion, she looked over to the 'other woman'. "The Juraian people haven't ever done anything to me. My fight is against Tyr. Not you, not your people, not your way of life. Name one significant military engagement where any of my idiots interfered against you or your people. Just one."

"If…if you remove me, I can't protect him." Helbon's plea was quiet, but earnest. "I have to protect him."

Shinji was poleaxed. He had clearly read Hild wrong, and he'd assumed that the distaste between her and the Juraians was based on some mutual conflict. "Is she…." He looked to Funaho, since it wasn't her who'd made the argument. "Is she really a threat?"

"Any unknown quantity is," the Empress replied. "Whether you are ruling an Empire or a household, the theory of 'risk management' remains the same. There is always risk in the unknown, and the degree of risk you are willing to accept will generally depend on what you perceive as the benefit of that risk. Do you feel she might protect you from something we cannot? Do you see something in her you do not receive from another already sworn to you? Are you willing to risk what harm would come to you, to Hild, to Verðandy, to Minaho, or Hikari, or Sakura, or Nanako? Is what I offer you insufficient?"

Opening his mouth, then quickly shutting it, he scowled and took a seat at the table Funaho had evacuated. He had brought this to Funaho for her wisdom, and because the last time he'd decided something on his own he'd stepped in a situation he was still untangling. Now, he had a…kind, if a bit frustrating, woman begging him to be allowed to take care of him. Once more, someone was pushing their way into his life. Once more…he was trying to be nice to everyone at the risk of everything they'd done to become a part of a team. A family. It hurt, it hurt in ways that he had prayed he would never again hurt, but he realized that the women he'd come to for guidance were right. "Hild?"

Without hesitation, the Queen of Hel decapitated Helbon with one smooth swing of her hand. The auburn-haired woman's head bounced twice, coming to a stop in a growing puddle of blood. Snapping her fingers, Hild whisked away the remains and what had spilled from them following the summary execution. "I understand you may not see it now, Sugar…but this was the smart play." Looking to Funaho, seeing a mask of ice staring back, she bowed slightly. "Take care of him, leave the cleanup and investigation to me." Without another word, she vanished.

Two steps put Funaho on Shinji's lap, holding onto him as she felt his tears begin to flow. "It never becomes easier, my dear, dear Knight." Stroking his face lightly, she encouraged him to let go of his reserve. "In the business of keeping trillions of souls from falling into ruin…the individual tragedies will always echo in the heart of good men."

He clung to her tightly, afraid that she'd leave at any moment. "I-I…I…." He was responsible. Hild may have been the blade, but it was his decision to kill someone who might have been a threat. No possible combinations of twists or turns would remove that truth, he had just killed someone for a 'maybe'. Howling with a pain that he knew wouldn't ever go away, he clutched Funaho close and bawled like the child he'd never been allowed to be.