+++++ NERV. (Monday, August 30th, +9, Last Quarter 4/4)

Shinji fought against the void of sleep to wrench his eyes open, now desperately afraid that Yuka was in grave danger. At first, the long-flashing red lights indicated to him that he might still be in Amara, when compared against the crimson glow he'd seen. The lack of Yuka, and the presence of several women he knew hadn't been there, quickly informed him otherwise. Reaching over and gripping Maya's arm, he coughed out hoarsely, "What's happening?"

"We're under attack," she stated calmly. "I've given you a stimulant, so please move carefully. How are you feeling? Can you move?"

The shift to red seconds before made sense, though he wasn't certain if Amara was attacking or if the ever-continuing coincidences in his life had kicked him in the face once again. Pushing himself out of bed, he took stock of the people present, identifying Andreja and Maya by name, but remaining uncertain as to the third person present. "Where's Chie?"

"We moved her to safety, with the other two, ok?" Andreja took hold of his upper arm, steadying his balance. "Sub-Commander Akagi did not feel it wise to risk her in combat. No training, no fighting, yes?"

That earned Naoko a titanic boost in his esteem. "Good…ok, we need to get to Unit-01?"

"Right this way, Pilot," the third woman, bearing hallmarks of Section Two, called for him to follow her. When she reached the hallway, she called out, "Ok, Six, form up around the Pilot!"

Andreja kept hold of his arm, neither hurrying him nor holding him back. Maya kept pace at his side as they moved through the hallways, monitoring a tablet that was displaying two windows: one containing what appeared to be vitals, and another showing what looked to be a seismograph. Both were moving far too violently for Shinji to feel comfortable. "How much trouble am I in?"

Looking up to him with a hint of confusion, Maya's mouth worked for a second before resolving around, "The Commander understands your position, and how untenable it has been. She is putting a great deal of trust in several of us to do what we can to help you overcome the traumas that led to you…believing what you do. I do not believe that she is interested in either a reprimand or a censure of you or your actions…I think that what she wants is for you to be healthy enough to not feel compelled to engage in another outburst of such destructive emotions."

He nodded, keeping his eyes forward. "I…should probably send my regrets and apologies to their families. Flowers, or money…something."

"We accept your apology, Pilot." The third woman, apparently the captain of his guards, turned her head just enough to catch his eyes. "Just do us a favor and head to one of the base gyms if you need to walk. I'll personally walk with you on any of the tracks we have, if it will keep you from getting swarmed by whatever the fuck those things were."

One of the Agents snorted out a laugh. "We've got stationary bikes, we've got treadmills, we've got ellipticals, we've got weight rooms, we've got pools, we've got those stupid-ass skiing machines. If you need to hit things, we've got speed bags, we've got heavy bags, we've got Mitsuhara."

"Fuck you, Konoe," the woman most likely to be Mitsuhara snarked back. "Point is, Pilot, we accept that we might die at any moment. Our job is to keep other people from doing that before we do, and it's not like you anticipated that a walk in the forest would lead directly to an ambush by spooky FMBS. Lieutenant Ibuki's tasked with getting your mind right, and we're tasked with keeping your skin intact. If you ever come to one of us and they tell you to fuck off? Kindly bring their dumb ass to me. You'll hold the idiot in place while I rearrange their digestive system until they see the light."

He frowned, trying to understand the lack of anger. "But…I got them killed…."

"Negative," Mitsuhara declared firmly. "We had zero intel indicating any kind of substantial enemy presence. I've seen what you can do; I was part of the team that was at the school the other day. You're our primary asset in the fight against these monsters, and they were tasked to serve as backup when you became swarmed by overwhelming numbers. You killed thousands of them, and it cost us dozens. In our job? That's a phenomenal asset expenditure ratio. We learned what they can do, the eggheads are working on countermeasures, and we weakened the enemy forces. It hurts, we're all sad that they're gone, but you need to not dwell on it so you don't get dead as well. Believe me, if I thought you had been reckless instead of just a young man needing to blow off some steam, we'd be having a different talk."

They arrived at the lockers he used to change into his plugsuit, and he stopped long enough to look at the agents in the hall. "I'm…I'm still sorry that they died. I wish I knew what was happening, so I could…I don't know…."

Konoe patted him on the abs. "We understand, man. Now get in uniform and go up there and kick that thing's ass. We're depending on you, in this fight. It's well out of our weight class." Her smile was charming, making up for a face that was aggressively plain. "If you need to talk more afterwards, we'll be around."

"Right." They were depending on him. He may have failed the three dozen women before, but he couldn't let that stop him from saving those that remained. He'd find a way to serve penance.

Maya and Andreja entered the lockers with him, the former removing his plugsuit from the bag that kept it from snagging on anything, the latter helping him get undressed. The gentle giant added her own thoughts on the previous discussion, quite familiar with the rancid stew of emotions Shinji was likely feeling, "Could you have avoided their deaths by not becoming overwhelmed with emotions? Yes. Were you prepared to endure the responsibilities placed on your shoulders? No. We would be more upset with you, if we knew that you did not have the demons you carry." With him fully undressed, she set her hands on his shoulders, gripping him firmly. "Grieve…but do not linger. We will lose more before this is through, I am sure. Their work has been set down, and it is now ours to complete in their honor."

Beating in time with her powerful heart, Shinji could feel the big woman's genuine compassion. She wasn't upset with him, she wasn't angry with him, and she meant every word she'd said. She wanted to be a part of his team, a part of his life, and to help him learn how to live through the terrors arrayed against them. Taking her elbows in his hands, he met her eyes and nodded once. "Help me…please."

With her eyes coming alight with holy flames, Andreja's grip on his shoulders tightened alongside her convictions. "Som tvoj, prisahám. Prisahám."

"Ok, this is the same production model of suit that worked for us before." Maya refrained from bodily interposing herself between Shinji and a woman she was overjoyed he was bonding with, instead presenting herself alongside them both and holding up the plugsuit. "We're going to use a similar test to trigger the sealing mechanism, and if it goes poorly we'll get it right off of you."

A spur of the moment thought led to him reaching over with one hand to include Maya in the physical display of affections by placing his hand alongside her neck. "I trust you with my life. Both of you." Tipping his head towards the suit, he set his course. "Let's get out there and fight."

+++++ NERV. (Monday, August 30th, +9, Last Quarter 4/4)

The 'safety' that Chie, Yukiko, and Rise had been moved to was found in Yui Ikari's office. Sitting on a comfortable couch with a titanic monitor that displayed Shinji's progress through the facility to Unit-01, Yukiko kept from dwelling on her own terror by comforting Rise as the former Miss Japan curled into a ball and murmured hopes that Shinji wouldn't die, wouldn't fail, and wouldn't be hurt. While she wouldn't chastise her best friend for her reactions, she did wish Chie would stop pacing in front of her field of view as it made it hard to see Shinji for a few seconds every few seconds.

"He's angry," Chie blurted out, demonstrating that she was also not terribly dispassionate at the moment. "He blames himself for everything. Everything! I mean, I get what he's thinking…kind of. I think he's an idiot for thinking it, but I can't deny that bitch Meroko really fucked his mind up. He literally does not understand why we're both willing and eager to accept this connection with him. To him, we're all puppets being controlled by his desires. My…our Shinji is going to get hurt, again. He might die. He might die, and he'll have died thinking that the only reason we grew close to him so quickly is that he's lucky and not because he's actually a big freaking sweetheart that wants nothing more than to give us all the happiness we can stand! I hate this!"

"He is not going to die," Yukiko stated evenly. She'd felt Rise tense up even further at the mention of his potential mortality and wanted to cut that line of thinking off before it took root. "He has survived far too much to lose to some trumped-up butterfly."

Stopping with a frown, Chie looked off towards where he was physically climbing into the Evangelion. "You know that big lady? An…something or other?"

"Andreja?"

"Yeah, her." She hesitated to speak, then decided that she needed help more than he needed privacy. "He can't understand her emotions. I have no idea what she's feeling, either, because I can only feel what he's feeling and hear most of what he's thinking. But the one thing that's pretty consistent is that he has no idea from one minute to the next what it is she is feeling. He can sense it, but he can't feel it."

"Is that unusual?"

"Yes! He knows exactly what Rise-chan is feeling when she's near him. He interprets it wrong, but that's a different thing than this. Same with you. The two of you cause him to feel safe, calm, and happy." Chie failed to note that Rise's ears not only perked up, but her fears began to subside. "Whatever vibe you have going on, it works really well with him. But the big lady? She's feeling something, and him trying to understand any of how it makes him feel is like me trying to understand Nebukawa-sensei's long-winded stories about pre-Impact."

"We…we probably shouldn't be discussing this," Rise ventured, against her own wishes. "These are his private feelings."

Chie rolled her eyes and glowered at Rise. "I can't stop feeling what he's feeling. You're asking me to look at what could very well be a live hand grenade, with the pin pulled, sitting in his hands, and just la-dee-dah on along as if everything was ok?" She pointed between the two women on the couch. "You two calm him. Maya-san brightens his mood. Ritsuko-san makes him want to improve. I…I think I challenge him. I think he looks at me and sees a chance to 'do something right'. But, and this is important, he loves all five of us in a way that confuses the hell out of him. The big lady? She doesn't inspire the same thing…it's like he's afraid, but he likes her. He has no problem being around her, at all, but he can't shake the fear…." She threw her hands up and blew out an exasperated sigh. "But that's just how I'm interpreting it. It's how it makes me feel, which is an echo of how he feels."

The room shaking in a far different way than it had been caused them all to look to the monitor. Unit-01 had been launched, and the view they had inside the entryplug showed the grim countenance of the man in question as he listened to a voice that they couldn't hear.

+++++Tokyo-3. (Monday, August 30th, +9, Last Quarter 4/4)

"…swinging that thing, chances are good that you're going to be able to read his attacks." Misato's voice was calm, cool, and completely focused on getting Shinji ready for what he was about to face. "You can try a ranged solution again, Science has cooked up some new toys for you to try out, but if that fails you're going to need to get inside of the reach of that scythe to do any damage. Focus on breaking the weapon, or disarming him some other way, before you move in for the kill."

This time, everything she was telling him was both useful and timely. As he reached the forest floor high above he nodded slowly while keeping his eyes locked on the enemy before him. "Understood. Let me know if you see anything, Misato-san…I've got a lot to focus on so I'll need your help to win." The warmth of the unity between him and Unit-01 informed him of how Misato's dedication swelled at being told by him that her efforts mattered. That bit of information was filed away for use later, if possible, to thank her for risking herself like she had in the apartment.

Floating on unmoving wings of white capped with red highlights, the entity that had been pounding through the hillside in an attempt to reach through the protective shielding around the GeoFront recognized its new foe and slowly pivoted to face the Evangelion. A crown of lanky grey hair lined a pale red face, with pointed ears and vacant eyes all analyzing his movements as it readied the enormous two-handed farming scythe that seemed to be its preferred weapon. "Hmph," it droned out, "I see the pathetic Lilin have finally sent you out to face me."

Reaching down to his side, Shinji pulled out the newly loaded rifle that the armorers had hoped might help him not have to face danger quite so close in the future. Placing the central mass of the enemy, obscured by a long, loose, purple robe within his sights, he fired an experimental burst. He'd tried talking the first enemy down and had wasted his time in doing so. If they would not be convinced by words, then they would be induced by death to stop their attacks.

The three-round burst smashed into a tight cluster where the creature's heart would have been, were it human, shredding the cloth of its robe and blasting a hole through its chest. If it had done any actual damage, however, it was unapparent. "There was a time, Firstborn, that you would have accepted a chance to parley. So dedicated to peace between your kind and my own that you forsook your chosen mate to take up one of my kin instead to maintain the balance. Is this what you've been reduced to?" The creature sneered as the damage that had been done healed easily. "A chariot only capable of following a half-breed's commands?"

Deep within his gut, Shinji felt disgust slither about. These emasculated abominations had spent untold epochs serving the will of a false idol, claiming to speak for something that wanted nothing to do with them in service of a maniac that only cared about its own pleasures. Snarling out in a voice that was only partly his own, he allowed disgust to become contempt, "There was a time, Bastard Son, that you had enough honor to ignore the mad ramblings of a false prophet. I have embraced my fate, have you? Do you not linger each night over the thought that he will never choose to pass down his authority to a traitor?"

"Better a traitor to arrogant tyrants than a supplicant to frail mongrels! I am Sariel, Prince of God, and I will consign your memory to the dustbin of history where it belongs!" With a roar of unbearable wrath, the terrible foe raced forward to slice through Unit-01.

+++++ NERV. (Monday, August 30th, +9, Last Quarter 4/4)

Keeping half her mind on the fight and Misato's coaching, Yui conferred with her sub-commanders over what had just happened. "Too many possible causes," she mused. "Genetic memory remains a concept without significant support within even the most radical psychological circles. I am inclined to believe that there is some interaction happening with the device in his neck allowing him to connect directly to the First Angel."

"That does have some merit to it," Kyoko agreed after quickly analyzing the idea. "We don't have enough data on the device, it's nearly opaque to our non-invasive sensors, and it is not in a location that I'm eager to perform an invasive test. A spinal tap performed by a drunken first year pre-med would be preferable, in my opinion."

"Agreed," Naoko murmured, watching Shinji block the sharpened tip of the alien being's scythe with a densified A.T. Field projected from one opened hand, then counterstrike with a blow to the flat of the blade with a solid slap. "Our known-unknowns continue to pile up."

Misato's voice was controlled, but still projected at a high volume to be heard over the sounds of conflict. "Just like that! The blade warped, try alternating sides to stress the metal."

"With the inclusion of Chie-chan in the dynamic as a sort of superego, we noted a halving of his typical ratio," Naoko continued.

Yui saw where she was going. "Which means that there is some component of the First Angel still present within the Eva itself…if another of the Children ties themselves to him in a similar manner, we should offer some form of compensation to him to entice him to allow us to do a test with all three involved."

"Understanding that it is in our best interests to maintain jovial diplomatic relations with not only the only person on what's left of this planet that can operate Unit-01, but a young man who has proven time and again to be both affable and companionable, we might need to consider simply compelling cooperation by leveraging the support we're offering to him, instead." When Yui shot Kyoko a dark look, the German-Japanese scientist simply shook her head slowly. "He has nothing he wants, Yui, other than perhaps to be left alone. Asking for his assistance as the price for our assistance in taking control over his life is not an evil act."

"Let me approach him," Naoko attempted to defuse the situation before things grew out of hand. "I intend to explain everything in an open manner, and I believe I can help him see the benefits of mutual cooperation. If I can't secure his help by simply asking him, then we'll worry about carrots or sticks." Both women looked to her, and she shrugged with a soft smile. "This might surprise you both, but I'm fully capable of being reasonable when someone is being reasonable with me in turn." Behind her, Shinji managed to snap the blade of the scythe into two pieces. "Trust me."

+++++Tokyo-3. (Monday, August 30th, +9, Last Quarter 4/4)

Holding his prize in one hand, Shinji slashed twice at Sariel's face, forcing the creature back and away from the GeoFront. A section of freshly overturned dirt, however, caused him to lose his footing as he advanced to continue the assault. Forced to choose between attempting to retain momentum in combat or avoid significant damage from what remained of the angelic being's scythe, he accepted that he'd have another opportunity to attack so long as he didn't allow a fatal strike in the moment.

When part of his vision displayed a bright orange clock with red numbering begin to count down from five minutes, he remembered that it was not only his physical body that needed to be defended. The armor's systems automatically ejected the useless portion of the umbilical that had provided power from the underground reactor to Unit-01, sending it towards Sariel as he rolled further away to give himself enough distance to look for a way to regain the offensive.

"Seven uplinks in sprinting distance," Maya's voice rang out. "Sending them to his HUD."

A field of flags appeared dimly in his mind, all of which would require him turning his back to the enemy and trusting to speed to keep him from being stabbed in the back. That sounded like a stupid idea on its face, and so instead he did what made the most sense. "Five minutes to kill this asshole. Misato, I need an artillery barrage to cover this area in smoke!"

"Sugiwara, target the center of his grid with lines fourteen, eighteen, and twenty-six. Whisky Pete, full saturation. Yoshitaka, box his grid with the heavy launchers on the Hakone ridgeline, continuous bombardment. Fire when ready!" Misato gave Shinji the trust she hoped he would reciprocate, with a warning that such trust would be earned in the future, "Don't you die on me, Shinji. You owe me an awkward dinner!"

A huge smile creased his face, wrenching the jaw restraints on Unit-01 apart to mime the motions with a violently terrifying visage. Launching himself skyward to intercept Sariel and drive him down to the ground, he roared out, "Name the time!" As burning white phosphorous shells impacted both him and the self-proclaimed 'Prince of God', he latched onto both wings and drove the angel down against the ground hard. With his A.T. Field down to maximize the amount of blinding fog, he switched the fight from keeping his foe on the ground to attempting to press what remained of his scythe down against his throat. "Tell me, Son of Light," Unit-01's green highlights shifted to an angry crimson, its eyes a livid amber yellow, "when did you decide to no longer shepherd the lost towards salvation? Can you recall?"

Kicking and punching against the armored Evangelion as it slowly forced the broken weapon against his throat, Sariel coughed out spite, "They are not lost, Adam. They damned themselves when they refused to accept the truth." With his robe smoldering under the heat of the phosphorous shells, he kept up his assault. "This smoke may burn my flesh, but it cannot destroy my spirit!"

"There are many truths you seem to have forgotten, 'Trembler'," Shinji lifted his head back up to prepare for the end of the fight, "such as what happens to you when your self-centered dictator can't cast his eye upon you anymore!" Slamming his faceplate down against Sariel's head, the horn slicing into the stylized cross tattoo it wore, he felt the fight leave the angel's arms allowing him to wrest control of the broken weapon. Reigniting his A.T. Field, he spun the scythe around and impaled the top of Sariel's head with the remaining jagged stub of the blade. The weapon effortlessly sliced through skin, bone, and what existed between and beneath.

The force of Sariel's energy blasting outwards would have levelled the surrounding countryside, save for the barrier Shinji had ensured would direct all of that pain to him, and him alone. Buffered by winds of agony, he stood up from the corpse of his foe and spat down upon the fallen with brutal scorn. "Misato…it's dead."

"Cease fire," Misato barked. "Talk to me, Shinji…how's things going in your head?"

"He is well, Daughter of Rebirth, I give you my word." Stepping through the fog of flame and death, Unit-01 was once more its typical coloration. "Without the benefit of one of the two that have accepted the duty and honor of his care, our presence becomes…confused. Where might I move, so that you may more easily return him to their side?"

Yui's voice cut into the conversation, control over all of the microphones removed from the users, "What are your intentions?"

"The same as yours, Blessed Widow. The man known as Gendo begged that I not harm his son, that he was not to blame for the forthcoming war. He was…convincing." Retracing the trail of footsteps that Unit-01 left in the soft forest floor as it had moved away from the sled, he shrugged one great shoulder. "As a father myself, I understand that sometimes sins must be borne by the next generation. I also understand that punishment…need not be destructive."

"…Are you who I believe you to be?"

Sliding into the restraints that would keep Unit-01 safe on the journey back down, it smiled with a soft laugh. "His final request was that you gift your son his book of poetry, the tome that he hid amongst your most prized memories." The countdown dropped to five seconds, the giant closed its eyes and relaxed. "He forgave you your sins. Perhaps you should consider doing the same."

The clock wound to zero, the Evangelion falling silent. Yui fought back several orders that would have been either counterproductive or explicit cause for her to be removed from command. "Return Unit-01 to the landing pad, Captain. Lieutenant Ibuki, coordinate with Section Two to recover Pilot Ikari. We need to check him completely for potential contamination, dress accordingly." Turning away, leaving the rest to the staff she'd hired to manage such banalities, she moved to the place she'd set the young women that he might have asked her to protect given the chance. She wanted to cry…but she had duties to be about still.

+++++ NERV. (Monday, August 30th, +9, Last Quarter 4/4)

When Yui walked into the room, the first thing Chie did was the most natural thing in the world for her to do. "Okaa-san!" She dashed over and gave a hug to the woman that had given birth to the young man that had won her heart and defeated yet another enemy of mankind. "I'm so glad he's ok," she breathed out. Stepping back and radiating with the happiness she felt that nobody had been killed, she continued, "Is there some way we can thank everyone for helping him?"

"Pilot Ikari will be receiving medical care for wounds received during combat." Yui's voice was lifeless, her emotions running too hot to be allowed to run free, "For the time being, we will not be able to allow you to see him in person. When it has been deemed safe, I will make certain that a video teleconference is set up that will allow you to speak with him directly."

The discussion she'd had before with Yui, where she'd been informed that she couldn't emote properly, allowed Chie to chime in before Rise fired off in anger at the woman most responsible for Shinji's past, "Ok. If you can, could you tell him we're grateful and that we love him?"

Kyoko performed her traditional role of 'peacekeeper' as well, "I will make sure he is told personally, dear. If the three of you would be so kind as to come with me, Ikari-san will need this room for its intended purpose."

Dragging Rise alongside her, recognizing the signs in Chie that there was information she didn't know but would learn later, Yukiko hurried out of the room to help keep things civil. When Chie herself went to leave, she found her arm had been caught in a light grip. Yui had something else to share, and it was something she would need help sharing. "I'll…uhm, I'll be just a second, doctor-san. Need to do wife stuff, you know how it is?"

"Of course, dear." Kyoko's voice never betrayed the hope in her heart.

The door closed, once again, leaving only Yui and Chie in the room. The elder was stoically glaring at a monitor that showed Unit-01, the younger trying not to squirm in the presence of her mother-in-law-to-be. The former was losing a battle with her emotions, the latter losing a battle with her natural energy. "I…." Yui swallowed, fighting harder to keep the tears back. "I need to ask that you look into his mind. I hate that I must ask this of you, and when you tell him that I asked it of you I want you to assure him that you did not offer it of your own volition. The blame must be on me."

Chie's head tilted slightly to the side in confusion. "He's got a headache. He's dizzy. He remembers winning the battle, but he can't remember piloting 'Unit-01', which I guess is the big robot, back to where it could be recovered. He…he doesn't like one of the ladies that's helping him. She smells like…her." Unable to read the emotional state of the woman she was speaking with, she asked for clarification, "Okaa-san…is there something I should be looking for?"

"Is his voice the only one you hear?"

"…Yes?" The thought that there might be other voices in his head was worrying. "His voice sounds the same, I mean, it's not really a 'voice' like when you talk to someone in person. It's…it's like looking at a series of paintings. Each framed portrait tells you everything you can know, and then another portrait takes its place. I can't feel anything but him."

Relief bled into her features. "Could you identify on this screen which woman he dislikes?" Letting go of Chie, she moved over to the main screen in her office and moved the footage it was recording back to display the entire group of personnel that was escorting him to the medical bay. "Can he really smell her through her protective gear?"

Glad that Yui was seemingly relieved, Chie hurried over to help further. "He can. His sense of smell is…really sharp, now that I think about it. He's able to smell us when we enter a room, knows which of us is who without even looking." Tapping the screen, she indicated the offender. "Her. Her shampoo smells like sandalwood."

"…That was Meroko's favorite scent." Typing out a set of instructions for Section Two, she looked directly at Chie and allowed a smile to show on her face. "Thank you. If you do not feel comfortable telling him, I will do so. I respect his need for privacy, and I encourage you to defend the same. Were this not a…very serious situation, I would not have asked that it be violated."

"Is something wrong?" She wanted to help. She could feel that Yui wanted to be a good mother, and she knew that Shinji was confused about what he'd grown up hearing not being what he'd walked into. "Can I help?"

Placing her digital signature on the orders, she sent them on their way. "There is a possibility that the consciousness within Unit-01, the animating factor for the entire Evangelion, is bleeding into Shinji-kun's thoughts. We do not have enough information to tell what, if any, effect that might have on him. If I had any other pilots that could control Unit-01, I would not be risking his mind this way. That I must risk my…that I have to put anyone through this is my responsibility. That it is my son makes that responsibility all the greater. If you wish to help him, be mindful of any sudden…changes in his thoughts. If you begin to doubt that it is his voice you are hearing, I want you to call me directly." Scrawling down her number, she handed it to Chie.

Pocketing the slip of paper, she nodded eagerly. "I'll keep both eyes on him! And, uh," she tried to give an encouraging smile, "don't worry about asking me to look in his head, ok? It's not like you're asking me to look because you want to know his secrets, you're asking because you're worried about his health and safety. I'll talk to him about it, explain that you're worried about what piloting is doing to his mind. I know he'll understand, and he really likes it when people care enough about him to worry over him."

"…Thank you. I…am truly fortunate that the woman he chose has a good heart." Attempting to make a joke, she added, "But I would caution against slapping him in the future. It sets a bad precedent for any children that might be watching."

Blushing brightly, Chie looked down in shame. "Y-yeah. I was trying to get him to snap out of it and stop repeating himself. He was too deep in his own mind, so I just grabbed him and ran."

Cursing herself for not being able to connect emotionally properly, Yui used the opening given to move the conversation along, "Can you remember what he was saying?"

"Yet between us, all has changed." She shrugged. "I don't know why he was saying that."

"He was quoting Fujiwara Sadaie." Yui began to wonder what Meroko had taught him, and what he'd simply remembered from a time he'd not yet been born. "So strong were our pledges, yet between us all has changed; in this world, in her did I put my trust..."