+++++ The Between.
Shinji's clothes had long since been sliced free of his body. He'd managed to take from his opponent's wardrobe nearly as good as he'd lost, inwardly pleased to know that Motsuki was just as nonchalant about both nudity and intense about study as he was. They'd spent what he now knew were several days sparring with one another, first with hands and feet, then eventually with daggers. He was learning and improving quickly. She was indefatigable and gaining steam. Laughter, occasional oaths of pain as a point was won or lost, and a great deal of sweat and blood covered the area they fought over, and it was the latter two that caused the latest point to be lost.
Shinji's heel stepped in a slick mixture of the two, losing his balance enough that he took the vorpalized edge of her dagger along his shoulder. His momentum, already out of his control, further carried him backwards while sending his foot up into Motsuki's shin. The end result of the entirety of the debacle was Shinji landing with a wet splat on his back and Motsuki stumbling to land atop him with a second wet splat.
Laughing brightly, and sweeping her hair back out of her face with one hand, she leaned up enough to make eye contact with him. "So, I believe we both forgot that during training it's best to clean up from time to time to avoid accidents."
Her body was heaven against his. The adrenaline racing through his system, the fresh pain of a cut in his arm, the way she seemed so uncomplicated, all twirled together in his mind to overcome the small hesitation at what he said next, "Well, since you just stuck yours in me…mind if I stick mine in you?"
Her fey grin partnered with a sly wink. "To be truthful, I should have bedded you as soon as you came here. That we waited this long is dreadfully shameful in my culture." Sliding up enough that her face hovered just above his. "Whatever can a simple girl from [Song] do to wash away such," she felt him grow rigid and purred, "horrible shame."
The next several hours were spent in combat of a far more intimate variety. She was determined to return to him every delight he offered her, driven to take every touch and turn it into something greater. Freed of the concern that he might hurt someone, having seen firsthand how powerful she was, he held back nothing. The sex was violent, cordial, animated, and without any form of competition. They wanted to make the other happy, wanted to take happiness from the other, and when everything came to a glorious conclusion, they both let themselves go limp.
Motsuki rested her head on his shoulder, listening to the steady bass of his heart. "Thank you."
At that, Shinji scoffed out a snort. "Why are you thanking me? That was…fantastic."
"Because I took your choice from you with poorly chosen words." Her finger began to draw runes on his throat. "What I did would be considered very…poor taste."
He didn't honestly care. "I was raised by my aunt, not that I knew she was my aunt until I came to Tokyo-3. She took control of my entire life from the time I arrived in her care. I wasn't…I was very young when she began…."
Her voice never changed pitch or tone, still exuding the sexual confidence of a woman who knew what she was and what she wanted. "Whenever I figure out how to return to the real world, please point me in her direction. I will explain what poor life decisions she's made, and then restore our honor by bathing in her blood with you as we repeat what we've done here today."
"…You don't have to."
Chidingly, she tapped his adam's apple. "You are my [song]. An assault on your honor, whether past, present, or future, is an assault on our honor. It is not your place to get into duels, as you have more important matters to tend to…like Chie." She grinned comfortably at the way he briefly smiled. He would be a most lovely partner in life. "Leave such matters to me, and in return you can patch my wounds when I get home." Feeling him begin to expand again, she lifted her chin and licked his earlobe. "With your tongue, if it pleases you." This time, she ended up on her back with him worshipping every centimeter of her body. He will be the best partner my matriarchs have ever known.
+++++ Tokyo-3, NERV. (Monday, September 6th, +16, New Moon 3/4)
Suzuka Ikari was used to operating on little sleep. Every time one of her twins moved, or one of the medical professionals moved closer to perform their duty, one of her eyes opened enough to ensure that nothing untoward was happening. This latest 'interruption' in the dark hours of the earliest morning was performed by the version of her preferred wife from this strange universe, leading to her slowly sitting up and watching instead of merely checking. Speaking in the hushed tones used to stop others from waking, she asked, "Are they well, Ibuki-chan?"
"I ran their vitals through the MAGI, just before I came over now." Her elfin features glowed with hope. "I believe Doctor Amethyst has them on the right path." After a moment of hesitation, she added, "She…told me their story. I couldn't imagine…."
"It was a dark time, in a time of darkness. My loss was no greater or lesser than millions of others at the same time, only just more personal to me." She hadn't 'gotten over it', as some thought. She simply bore the scar with dignity, which was all she ever asked of herself. "You might enjoy knowing that the version of you I am wed to was of immeasurable assistance during those times. It eases my heart to know that you have offered your support to this Shinji Ikari."
A vicious blush grew on Maya's cheeks. "Yes…well…I, uhm…I try."
"I'm certain you succeed." Prone to playing both matchmaker and cat and mouse, she chased her prey a bit, "If I might make something of a recommendation, one that might help you land a place alongside your Shinji?"
Completely unprepared to defend herself against a woman with far more than a few centuries of life, Maya fell into the trap herself. "Y-you mean, things he might like?"
Her mood shifted from playful to bemused. Maya would always be Maya. "My husband, and his brother who is simply him in a different guise, both enjoy the feeling of holding someone with his arms around their shoulders, faced away from him. It is a display of trust, in their eyes, and more than once has led to the lucky lady receiving a whispered word of love and affection."
"He…he would like that, wouldn't he? Sustained body contact, but he can hide behind the person in front of him. Mutual fondness, with the clear display of trust and affection." Analyzing the act from a psychological angle, she nodded slowly. "I could just take his arms and put them around my shoulders, let him know I was there and would handle socialization while he sheltered me."
"And you would feel his affection for you in…other ways, with just a little shuffle of your hips." She knew her wife well, and doubted that this Maya was much different. "I've often seen my husband hold her tighter to keep her from continuing to arouse his focus."
She blushed further, biting her lip and thinking of the possibilities.
+++++ The Runic Throne.
In a display of the depth of their affection for The Silent One, and a testament to the type of women they were, those recently returned from death, aided by those from their now extended family, waited patiently for the Shinji they'd known to say anything. Each woman that had noticed his presence, and noticed that he sat sheltered by his armor, sans helmet, took one look at the tears flowing down his cheeks and understood everything they needed to. He'd believed them dead. Gone forever. A wound that had begun to close was now ripped back open, and despite the joy of their return there were still those among their number that had not. Quiet conversation among the stronger of those returned was directed at those who required greater buttressing, which made it easy for everything to become silent as the bedeviled warrior spoke.
"I…." He paused, clearly attempting to get words past his emotions. "I can't put into words…." Another pause, another series of mouth movements as a placeholder until his tongue chose to work. "Rebecca-san, I know that we only met a few hours before…before the monster that had taken over Minako-chan's form killed you. The world…our world, that is…. It's a barren, lifeless, rock now. Jill-san and Leon-san escaped to a future that I pray is better than the present there. Chris-san…he gave his life trying to save everyone. Claire-san…she…she was murdered for the same thing. I am…I…sorry doesn't even begin to cover it. They fought hard to help, they sacrificed their chance at the same evacuation I gave to Jill-san and Leon-san to stay in the fight. I'm…."
With the help of magic, given by Eve, Rebecca Chambers was able to understand what everyone had been saying. Because the man she knew as 'Shinji' spoke in every language at once, she was able to understand what he was saying. Because she'd known a few truly good people before, she understood that he was offering her a chance to go somewhere else. To leave the fight behind, to live her life as she chose. "I'm a member of S.T.A.R.S., Shinji. My place is in the fight, not running from it. I don't know what I can do, but I promise you I'm going to do the best I can to get it done."
"Well spoken, Daughter," Hera applauded with calm approbation. "There will be much to do, and I assure you that your services shall contribute." At that, The Silent One looked at the Greek Goddess with an apology etched into his soul. "No, my love, no." Spreading her fingers wide, she motioned for him to stay calm. "You struck me down after my mind had been imprisoned. I could not escape, and left alive I would have destroyed what remained of our children. I do not curse you for granting me release, I praise you for having the strength of character to do something that would forever haunt you. I am here, I am alive, and I rejoice at the return of so many of my daughters to our fold."
He looked down in shame. "I…have nightmares of the physical sensation of your death, Hera-chan. I wake up, screaming…because I…."
"Because you did what must be done," Kyoko Soryu interjected firmly. "I am in agreement with Hera: you made the choice, you pulled the trigger, and you saved lives. If I were in her position, I would beg you to do the same to me. If I was in your position, I wouldn't hesitate either. We don't get to allow our emotions to run the show." She smirked, letting out a chuckle. "I hope you don't think you killed me. That ricochet was just bad luck."
"My dad killed you," Sarah McDougal growled out angrily. "He couldn't leave well enough alone, and had his head filled with so many myths and legends that he forgot the humans who wrote those myths and legends. Shinji isn't a conqueror, or an evil tyrant. He's…he's Shinji."
Daphne scratched her back and agreed amicably, "He's ours, and he's nothing like the maniacs that ran Olympus."
"Your daughter," Shinji attempted.
"Chance and fortune provide unevenly," she cut in gently. "We cannot ask that they always shine their light upon us, and even when we do we must accept that they will provide only that which they deem acceptable. I grieve for them, just as I know you do, but they must remain in the past. Should either, or both, somehow find their way to us…I shall be fortunate to have two husbands, and a joyful daughter."
Into the pause that admission gave Shinji, Makoto Kino lifted her hand to ask for the floor out of habit. "Can I apologize to everyone now, or do you have more to say Shinji-kun?"
"I guess I need to apologize to you, Chambers-san. I promise, if I hadn't been infected somehow I really would not have hurt you, let alone kill you." Minako Aino urged her fellow Sailor to speak, "Go on, Makoto-chan. We all need to just get it out in the open so we can move on, like Daphne-chan said."
Standing slowly, to her towering height, the Sailor for Jupiter bowed deep in contrition. "I am sorry for allowing my emotions to run so wild that the Angel was able to use me as a weapon. I am sorry to anyone I hurt, and I hope that you will give me a chance to make amends."
Personally still coming to grips with the fact that she was alive, and her daughter was not, Saeko Mizuno reached over and took Makoto's hand. "This is why I always encouraged Ami-chan to spend time with you, Makoto-chan. I know in my heart you and Minako-chan are ladies with good moral grounding, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for being there for her all those years that I couldn't be."
"Support between sisters, even those not of the same blood, is one of the most important ingredients to raising a wise, emotionally strong, woman." Tsuruko Aoyama hadn't yet let her sister leave her side, her arm wrapped around the younger woman's shoulders as Motoko hugged her in turn. "My sister and I do not feel that anyone here has any black marks upon them for what has happened. We all, in our own way, attempted to do the best we could for others in the situation we were in. We fought a vicious foe, and we faced death with heads held high. Let us not dally on such things, and instead speak of more important matters."
Rebecca was eager to move on as well. She'd been dead, now she wasn't. All she hoped was that Shinji might be interested enough to let her work out a bit of frustration privately. "What's on your mind, ma'am?"
"Does any present seek to lay down their arms, knowing that they will not be held in contempt by any present?" The refined swordswoman looked around the room. "We have all felt death's sting. It is no shame to find that you cannot risk such again."
Saeko was the first to speak, "I think that everyone here will need someone to heal their wounds, and to cook food that isn't unhealthy. If it does not bother anyone," her eyes shifted to Shinji, "I'd like to try picking up where we left off." His slow nod was all she needed. "I'm staying."
"Well I'm sure as hell not going to leave," Sarah barked out, aghast at the thought. "Shinji needs someone to take care of his armor, to take care of his heart, and to make sure that he eats and drinks." She received a sad smile, and stuck her tongue out at him. "You promised, I'm holding you to it."
"It would be a mistake, in my opinion, to set my baton down." Kyoko shrugged. "Every army needs a General, and I have more than enough to offer besides." She looked at Shinji. "To the end?" His eyes hardened, and he nodded firmly.
"Sailors don't run," Minako looked to Makoto, receiving a strong nod of agreement, "the others are already fighting too. We're in."
"My time in the Elysian Fields was a pleasant rest, watching my former family suffer their torments." Hera stretched, slyly observing the impact her body had on The Silent One. "I'm feeling restless though, and the best way to cure that is through action. My place is with our family."
Tsuruko looked down at her sister. "Moto-chan?"
"He knows I will not leave," she replied with quiet confidence. "He promised me a chance at a family, after losing so many…I will defy anyone, mortal or immortal, who thinks they will take that from me now."
+++++ Tokyo-3, NERV. (Monday, September 6th, +16, New Moon 3/4)
Of everything Amethyst was worried over, her husband being irritated at what she'd done was among the least. She patiently explained what had happened, what influenced her decision to sedate Shinji, and presented the options that she could think of.
The Wanderer listened carefully, nodding when she reached the end of any specific point to indicate he understood, and once she gave him her options, he chose the only one he found acceptable, "Wake him. It's been months from his perspective, and I'm certain he misses his household." Looking to the commanding officer for the Ravens, he raised one eyebrow.
"She's one of my better students. I'd call this an honest mistake, and I'm sure she'll have an explanation once we can reach her." The alien warrior shrugged one shoulder. "He could do far worse for protectors."
"He can't have her as a protector, [Song]." Gesturing back towards Mitsuru and Yuka, he emphasized, "They are supposed to be his protection. It is their duty to grow, to learn, and to gain confidence in their abilities. I need solutions, and I need them soon."
"As you say, [Song]." Bowing, a hint of embarrassment in her eyes, she left the room quickly to be about her task.
"So, like, don't get all mad at us…but how are we supposed to protect him from things like that pint-sized brat and the winged guy with the scythe." Yuka leaned against Shinji's bed, eyeing the god sternly. "If Chie-chan couldn't do squat, the rest of us aren't suddenly going to totally score a victory."
"Because you won't be fighting that class of enemies." Despite his irritation, and the continuing growth of new irritations to add to old, he kept his bearing calm with those that would be his brother's wives. They deserved patience as they learned, and his best even when he felt at his worst. "Angels are his job, in Unit-01. Creatures like the former holder of the office of Hope are mine. If anything in that weight class tries something, I'll step in. If an Angel shows up, he'll fight it. For everything else, there's a sisterhood of powerful women that I have every confidence in."
Mitsuru didn't want Shinji to wake up to conflict, and stepped in. "We appreciate your confidence in us, Your Imperial Majesty. I believe that right now, what we want the most is a few days without being attacked, dragged into Tartarus, or otherwise inconvenienced by things well beyond our capacity to overcome."
"I will give you what peace I can." Noting Shinji's eyes fluttering, The Wanderer drew everyone's attention to the event. "He should come out of sedation much faster than you might expect, our medical abilities are…advanced."
Lucidity reached Shinji's face like a falling anvil. A quick scan of the room, his eyes landing on the two Ravens that guarded The Wanderer, and then he asked, "[Song]?"
He wanted to swear. Wanted to expunge some of his anger. Instead, The Wanderer calmly replied, "She should still be inside of your soul. The way that your bond with her was performed, the connection was far more…complete."
Blinking a few times, mentally readjusting to the language du jour, he grew angrier. "How long was I out?"
"Nine hours."
"She…she can't stay alone in there. I was in there for months! Asking her to stay alone is-"
"Who would you send in?" The Wanderer hated to be cruel, but there was no other way to explain. "You are needed here, to fight, to learn, to protect. Who would you sacrifice, then?"
"I'll go." Everyone turned to look at Shizuko, who had wobbled upright in her bed. The bedraggled angel smiled with grim confidence in herself. "I'm no use in a fight right now. I don't understand what power I have, what power I lost, what power I gained…." Struggling to her feet, she was quickly assisted by Rise and Hikaru. "You've already claimed me. I'll keep her company, and when everything calms down enough, I'll come back with her."
That idea both calmed Shinji's fears, and raised new worries. "I…don't like the thought of not having you around."
"And I don't like the thought of someone who would be my sister in protecting you being left alone." Having reached his side, she set her hand against his chest. "I'll know you're thinking of me, you'll know I'm sheltered in your heart. This is a better answer to the problems we face, brought upon us as they were by those that treat commoners like they don't matter." With a kiss on his nose, she vanished into his soul.
The Wanderer made certain to hedge their bets some. "I have my people working on a way to-"
"You so much as dream of touching Motsuki, I'll rain death on you and your family." Unaware, Shinji had materialized a non-playing card deck in his left hand. His flesh creaked as he gripped it tight enough to bow the entire seventy-eight card thick deck. "Try me, big man. I don't think your bullshit power level difference is going to matter much if we come to blows."
His anger was beginning to bleed over to Shinji, and he knew it. This is the danger of intervention, Amy. I'm going back to our new quarters. Calm the situation down here while I try to focus on stopping he and I from synchronizing further. Without another word, he and his Ravens disappeared.
It was Hikaru who broke the sudden silence left in the wake of The Wanderer's departure. With an explosive exhale, she motioned for Shinji to calm himself, "Oooook, my dude, I'm going to have to ask you to not ever do that again. I'll go keep an eye on Shizuko, see if I can't stop her from getting killed by the [Song]." With that, she vanished.
"He will not decide who I do, and do not, give my love to." Shinji's eyes remained dangerous as he slowly panned across all present. "I have spent months in my own soul finding my footing. Months with a woman who helped me understand the difference between infatuation, attraction, dependency, and love. Months constructing monuments to those women that have fought with me." Reaching with his right hand, he gripped Mitsuru's tight. "I…I will fight at your side. I will face boardrooms and beasts. I will take your commands, and I will ask of you what I need…. Please, stand with me. Please, accept my love."
Amy felt the surge of power spool up, and just as Mitsuru replied with, "I accept your love, and I return it without reservation," she slammed a shield intended to impede the burst of energy that roared outwards from their declaration.
With everyone else shielded, and the brilliant flash of light tempered, the perfect union of two more souls came and went without more devastation. After a minute, the shield was lowered. After another few seconds, Chie let out a whooping cheer. "He's learning!"
Mitsuru's smile was content, her eyes glittering as she looked towards her rambunctious classmate. "I can feel you, Chie-chan." Squeezing Shinji's hand, then moving over to hug Chie, she shared in the joy that was now four people deep. "I can feel why you were willing to go alone."
"Ok," Yuka took Mitsuru's place, and Shinji's hands, "look…. I'm a once and done kind of woman. We've already determined that you and I are together forever, and if you haven't picked up yet on the fact that I'm head over heels for you then you aren't nearly as smart as I think you are." When his lips curled into a contented grin, she wrinkled her nose at him cutely. "I love you, you dork."
Another shield, this time blocking out whatever it was that Shinji said in return. The words didn't matter as much, as anyone watching saw the impact they had on the world. Another woman fully bound to Shinji, tied together with a family of women that would fight and die for one another. Amy took note of how Chie was looking stronger, how Shinji was no longer quite so thin and listless, and began to relax. Two less patients to worry about, if nothing else.
Now that it was Isako's turn, Shinji took things in a different direction. Tugging her down to whisper in her ear, he asked her an honest question, "Would you rather wait? Being a teacher is important to you, as is doing what's right even if it's not what's easy. If you want, I won't say the words until you're ready."
"If you don't tell me you love me in the next five seconds, I'm going to start crying," she teased gently. "This is all going to pot, and if I'm going to risk dying by supporting all of you, I want to do so knowing that someone actually loves me for me." Her eyes searched his carefully. "So if you actually love me, say so. If you don't, I understand. Love takes time, it takes work."
Something Mitsuko said while they spent months together caused him to shake his head slowly. "It can also strike suddenly. It can last forever, with time and work…but it can hit you square between the eyes without warning. I love you, Isako."
This time it was Isako's words lost to the shielding. A mostly chaste kiss later, the shield was able to be lowered. Taking her position seriously, Amethyst moved over to take another look at Shinji's vitals. "Well, I've already seen what the love of a good [Song] can do for a guy." She patted Shinji's cheeks. "I'll forgive you for threatening me and my [Song]…but only this once."
"I apologize." The admission of error wasn't forced by his 'training' or his personality, he truly felt that he'd done wrong. "I could have expressed my opinion without making threats against the woman who saved the lives of several women I'd miss terribly. I should have limited it to him alone…sibling disagreement."
She pursed her lips and nodded. "Agreeable. What's between blood can remain there. Let me get these tubes outta ya, and then you can get up and walk around."
+++++ Tokyo-3, NERV. (Monday, September 6th, +16, New Moon 3/4)
Not long after recovering his mobility, Shinji made the executive decision that they needed to physically go see Miyuki Kirijo. He could feel Mitsuru's worry, though she never once voiced anything, and his anger with the mother of part of his very soul was nowhere near great enough that he wished for her to be harmed or worried. The decision to leave behind Chie with Isako, who was helping her nurse some injuries, was difficult for him. The decision to leave Rise and Yukiko behind to keep her and Sadayo safe was easier, but only just so. Standing on the tarmac, he faced his mother with what felt like new eyes. "Thank you for lending me the VTOL and the pilot. We'll radio back anything we find, if we can."
"If you can't receive confirmation, send the VTOL back with word. I will dispatch whatever is needed to assist, if something's gone wrong." Yui gave him a bow that walked the line between formally polite and familial bond, only to be surprised when the young man she'd given birth to stepped forward and embraced her in a light hug. Nearly frozen with the sudden emotional stress, she only barely got her own arms around him.
"We need to talk," he urged. "Too much has been changing, and too much anger has been allowed to live on for far too long." Letting go and stepping away, he looked her in the eyes with firm conviction. "The enemy is up there," he gestured vaguely towards the kagatsuchi, "let's not make the asshole's job easier."
She couldn't have paid for better news. "I will be waiting for word, and will make room in my schedule for us to chat."
"Thank you." He felt awkward, addressing her the way he was. Awkward, but like it was the right thing to do. With a brief nod of farewell, he turned and jogged over to the VTOL. Seated behind the pilot's yoke, he noted Noelle Minders and gave her a smile of recognition. "Good to see you, ma'am."
"Don't ma'am me, you blighter," she laughed out happily. "Come up here and keep me company. We don't have enough personnel for a co-pilot, and if you can keep that giant bastard from stumbling drunkenly around you can probably learn to fly one of these bitches."
A quick glance at Yuka and Mitsuru showed that they were wearing the proper headgear to be able to talk mid-air and holding some kind of serious discussion amongst themselves. With a shrug, he shuffled into the co-pilot's seat and put on the helmet hanging from a nearby hook. After positioning everything appropriately, he asked over the internal radio, "If I'm not supposed to call you a 'ma'am', what do you want me to call you?"
"Until you join up, you can call me Noelle," she replied, spooling the engines. "We'll talk about my handle after I've had some time with you."
"Noelle it is," he agreed, watching her work. The system in use made sense, and he was able to determine the 'why' of the various switches, levers, and buttons she used without too much effort. "Why is that switch up to down, instead of down to up?"
She tapped the name of the switch. "Because that gets shut off when I take off. Once we're in flight, I turn it back on if we need it." She grinned at him. "If we need it, I hope you're not a puker."
With a comfortable leap, the VTOL cleared the ground and the flight began. From his spot up in the cockpit, he was able to see the damage his fight with the golden giant had caused. That Tartarus had bled over so much to the 'real world' was worrying, because if that giant was as strong as she was, then the kagatsuchi had to be even stronger. Houses, shops, parks, there were so many buildings that had been reduced to rubble. The weight of responsibility, both for causing and stopping the damage, pressed heavily on his spine. "We've got to get ahead of this…."
"Didn't quite copy that, my friend," Noelle replied over the communications system.
Pressing the button that would allow him to speak freely, he repeated, "We have got to get out ahead of this. Chie and I got our asses kicked, and won because we worked together against someone who was overconfident. If fighting in Tartarus is causing this much damage now, it's just going to get worse."
"Solid copy. I'm sure the Commander is already planning for that, now that you're foot mobile again." She smirked with commiseration. "Your relationship being strained makes sense, but me personally? I'm glad you're a good egg, and I'm glad she's in charge. Way smarter than I'll ever be, the both of you."
"…She is brilliant, I agree." With a general idea of where he was now, he scanned the ground for the Blue House. Wincing at the damage the building had taken, he could only guess at what might remain of his 'families' belongings. Tracing the road back to the school, he was pleased to see it had survived intact. Mostly because that was the likely congregating place for a lot of people during the week. A slow bank off to one side put his vision away from the school, and towards the 'wealthy' part of the city. Toppled trees inside mansions, rockslides taking whole areas of the city with it, his heart ached at the devastation. His breath caught when he saw half of Kirijo Manor crumpled in on itself.
"I see it, lad, I see it. Prep the princesses for the sight, aye?" She twisted a knob, then wound her finger to prompt him to talk.
"Mitsuru…a section of your house has collapsed. I can't see any laborers from here." He turned, watching her as she moved to a new place in the rear of the craft to see through the window. He felt the moment she saw the manor, and instinctively replied, "We'll find them. That's our family, and we don't abandon them to suffering."
Her eyes shifted to him, and her tight smile brought with a surge of determination. Before she returned to her impatient waiting, she mouthed, 'I love you'.
Shinji would tear that house apart with his own two hands if necessary. "Noelle, once we're on the ground, if you can't get in contact with NERV, get back there and tell the Commander. Bring Andreja, back, too. She's an engineer, she'll know how to help."
"Sounds like a plan to me," the blonde pilot set them on approach.
+++++ Tokyo-3, NERV. (Monday, September 6th, +16, New Moon 3/4)
Her husband had entered the room without a word. It was Suzuka's opinion that he desperately needed to speak with someone, and a brief glance around the room gave no fewer than five women who would gladly let him bend their ear. Ignoring them all, he only walked halfway through the spacious former labs before picking up a folder he'd left there earlier and disappearing through another portal. She waited half a minute, in case he was going to return, then looked to Nicolette with a slight frown.
"He's guarding his thoughts again," the blonde dancer agreed, concerned as well. "He's walled his emotions off too."
Idunn disagreed. "He's not doing it because he's upset. He's worried." The tall redhead tossed her thumb towards the door into the room. "My guess is it's something to do with that Shinji. The last thing he wants is him failing, and least of all to fail because he did or didn't do something. I think we're good, but he's probably going to take some time and sit in the library thinking through everything."
As well as Suzuka knew her husband's moods, she gracefully admitted to not having Idunn's knack for understanding his thoughts. The two people were simply separately gendered copies of the same archetype, and that gave the Norwegian a huge advantage in that arena. "Then we will let him soothe himself, for a time. If he spends too long, however, I believe that we should send an envoy back home to make sure nothing untoward or uncouth is afoot."
+++++ Kirijo Manor. (Monday, September 6th, +16, New Moon 3/4)
Mitsuru had been nearly immediately swarmed by employees who were overjoyed to see her safe and sound. They filled her in on the chaos that had been unleashed, unbeknownst to them, by the fight between Shinji, Chie, and the golden giant. The highest ranking staff member was supporting the class representative, helping filter the discussion towards more profitable narratives and taking some of the weight from her in how to allocate resources to those who needed them.
While this was happening, Shinji had approached past the established 'safe zone', offering his arm to Yuka to help her navigate the uneven ground despite her being more than capable of performing the feat on her own. With a heavy scowl dominating his face, he simply spoke his mind, "There's not a single person from the Kirijo Group that wanted to come and try to help? Not one cargo helicopter? Not one crane? Don't feed me this bullshit about 'male dominated jobs', if they wanted to do it they'd have found a fucking way."
"It is…upsetting." Yuka knew she had to remain calm to temper her husband, and as much as she was disgusted at the lack of action herself, she kept her statements brief. "What do we do?"
An idea crossed his mind, prompted by the wind shifting. The scent of pine, of fresh earth and life, filled his nostrils. The source, a short, dyed blonde, with a heart of gold and freckles on her cheeks to show the mischief in her heart looked up at him as his emotions shifted from frustrated anger to anticipation and drive. "I try to find the smell of cinnamon and fudge." Separating from her, he took stock of possible pathways up into the rubble, and chose the one that seemed the most stable. The general floor plan of the house gave him likely destinations, and with agile movements he began the hunt. Finding one loose section of roof, he hefted it up out of the way and found that he could likely throw it clear of the entire structure. "Watch out," he called over the rubble, "incoming garbage!"
The wood, slate, and plaster sailed in a graceful arc away from the house, only to be hit with a burst of flame at its apex. Before it descended at all, the entirety was nothing more than a memory of building materials. "Call out the targets, babe," Yuka called back. "I'll stop it from getting messy over here."
Whimsy took him again, the pride he felt in her giving him greater strength. "Have I ever told you that I think you're hot?"
"Of course you do, you have eyes that work!"
Prying off sections that weren't supporting other sections, the game continued. It took him fifteen minutes to make his first discovery. The scent of an old, well-loved, chair. "Mitsuru!" He was not disappointed when he saw the Class Rep launch herself up onto the collapsed roof, dancing through the delicate footwork needed to make her way down to where he'd moved. "Aichi-sama is under here, I need you to get her, while I lift."
"Understood." Shedding her jacket and throwing it aside, she crouched down to do what she could.
"One…two….HRNNGH." Ponderously, a section of the roof larger than Shinji himself was powerlifted free of the rest, with tearing and cracking as the piece separated violently from its few remaining tethers.
Mitsuru struck like a snake, pulling the middle-aged maid out of the way, anticipating that Shinji would need to set what he'd lifted back down sooner rather than later. As she slid back and away to give him room, she felt the whoosh of air as he launched the segment over the house, only for it too to be turned to ash.
Resting on one knee, panting, Shinji urged her on. "Go, go, she's breathing but she's clearly hurt!"
After Mitsuru cleared the roof, Yuka's voice reminded him that they all had confidence in his capacity to save lives, "How are you doing up there, Shinji-kun?"
"Slacking off," he groaned back loud enough to be heard. "That wasn't that heavy."
"Show off!"
It felt like the entirety of the goodness in the world was focused on him. "Only for you, Yuka-chan. Can't crimp your style by looking lame."
+++++ The Runic Throne.
The Wanderer had quickly gathered his Foreign Policy council for an emergency meeting. Seated around the table were a mixture of his most diplomatically inclined wife and those citizens of the Ikari Empire that had a good head for knowing what would be best in certain situations where the 'other party' is not a reliable negotiator. "…which is why we're going to have to choose quickly." He'd laid out the basics of the situation, and that was more than enough to give them insight into the problems. "Gretchen?"
"We can absorb the population hit here, or if you insist on sending them to The Silent World, we can offer them agricultural and industrial help. Enough medical aid to develop their own doctors, things of that nature."
"They're going to The Silent World. We already have too many women here, and I don't want to risk contemporaries meeting. Humanity isn't ready for that." He looked across the table to a reedy man, someone who had actually sent him a resumé unsolicited years ago. "Oda-san, you're frowning."
"When am I not, Your Majesty?" He set his hands two lengths apart on the table. "As Her Imperial Highness has said, the logistics of the issue are not a problem. The problem is, however, population replenishment. There will be no births without males, and as…barren as our coffers are I believe it would be a wise idea to at least ask for volunteers with an eye towards a 1:100 balance. The Tajikistani government might be a good place to start. They have a lot of disaffected people that might see opportunity here. As might the Laotian."
The Interior Minister agreed with his colleague, "If nothing else, it might give us a better chance to see if Project Y is worth the expense."
"I am not eager to use these refugees as human guinea pigs," The Wanderer sighed, understanding the merit of the idea regardless.
"Volunteers, again, Meine Liebste," Gretchen rubbed his arm in sympathy. "We explain the problem to them, we show them the trials we've done, and we make sure to provide assistance for any complications. Those who will accept, and experience no hardships, will convince more to help us overcome the chromosome gap."
"…Fair enough." Standing, he adjourned the quick meeting, "Gentlemen, I would appreciate it if you prepared the necessary humanitarian agencies to help the resettlement. I'm going to have my people sweep that world in an hour, it's going to be a long day for a lot of people. Thank you." Setting one hand on Gretchen's arm, he kept her behind as the two men exited the room quickly.
Once they were alone the former UN Ambassador, now Secretary of State for the Ikari Empire, looked up at the man who'd shown her love that she'd never believed possible. "How are die kinder?"
"Stable." Gesturing to her seat, he took his own again. "Amy's doing her best, and Suzuka has only left to quickly shower. I…hate myself for not being there, and love her more than words can say, for the fact that she understands I can't drop everything and do just that."
"We all do," she assured him. "You are always much harder on yourself than we are on you, do not add that worry to your burdens."
He snorted. "Fat chance." Staring at a painting depicting a lonely cabin by a winter forest, he chose his words with care, "I can't go back there often. Each time I do…he grows stronger. I'm going to cause him problems simply by spending time with the twins."
"That's not unreasonable." She knew there was something deeper he was worried over, and waited for him to tell her when he was ready.
"He's strong. He's driven." He smirked. "He threatened to rain destruction on our family if I touched one of my Ravens who became entangled in his soul."
"I would expect nothing less from a Shinji Ikari."
"His mother…." He paused, drumming his heel against the ground with anxious energy. "The marker that he speaks of, the smoke that he says smells 'blue'? It's a reproductive signal. It indicates that the baby would likely be born male because of his part of the equation."
"Really?" In her mind, this was fantastic news. The fact that he seemed pensive tempered that reaction.
"His mother doesn't have that smell." He shook his head. "She can't have male children. The responsible segment of genetic encoding is too…'strong' for lack of a better word."
Gretchen frowned. "Then how did she have Shinji?"
"Now you understand why I'm worried." He caught her gaze and let down his guard for a moment. "If he was 'lucky' enough to be born male, despite everything seeming to contradict the possibility, is he 'lucky' or is he manipulating reality itself subconsciously?" He added, to himself alone, Am I manipulating reality to that extent without knowing it?
+++++ Kirijo Manor. (Monday, September 6th, +16, New Moon 3/4)
Help from NERV arrived, four full VTOLs loaded with personnel and several cargo helicopters with the necessary equipment to do what could be done. Having seen what Shinji was doing from the air, Andreja Valatok hit the ground running and climbed up into the debris herself. "Shinji, my friend, this is dangerous. Please leave the search to us, come back to where it's safe, ok?"
"No." Tearing open a decorative rug, he sniffed around again. "I'm close to finding her." The house shook, sending debris tumbling down to strike his back and shoulder, drawing blood. With a growl, he looked up from the hole he'd begun. "Tell them to be more careful, damn it!"
"Yes, yes." She turned around and showed off her parade field voice, "Tell them to land more carefully, yes? You nearly buried him alive!" Addressing Shinji again, she pleaded her case, "Shinji, you know that I care deeply for you. You are a good man, with a good heart, but if we do not do this carefully you are going to be a dead man with a crushed heart, you see?" She had to dodge backwards to avoid the wood flooring he launched up into the air for Yuka to destroy.
"She is close, Andi," he roared back. "I can smell her, and I am not leaving her down here to wait for 'safe'." Hopping down into the next hole he'd created, he landed on the second floor without disturbing even the dust and debris around him. "Drop me a light!"
"Stubborn man, no care for others." Pulling out a chemical light stick, she cracked it, shook it, and dropped it down to him. "I will be back, yes? I must go get better lights for you."
"Yeah, yeah." The light from the small green tube was more than enough for him to see the reason the room he was in hadn't collapsed fully. An enormous desk, clearly Miyuki's, was the foundation of a Jenga-esque structure of wooden beams from the floor above. "Miyuki-san?" Another two sniffs, it was clear that she was in the room. Creeping slowly along the floor, testing his footing the entire way, he ducked around or climbed over obstructions on his way to the desk.
Laying on the other side of the desk, pinned between the floor and some furniture Shinji couldn't immediately name, was his target. "S-stop…." Miyuki weakly asked him to stay where he was, "The weight…all on…crossbeam."
The crossbeam in question was only one-third on the large desk, and being kept there by the furniture that stopped her from freeing herself. The weight she spoke of, as he looked up, was the furniture from a room upstairs just above her office. If he moved things wrong, things would fall apart and kill her. If he didn't…. "I'll be right back, please hang on!"
"N-no!" Barely getting enough air to cry out for him to stop, again, her hand quavered in the air as she reached out for him.
As much as Shinji wanted to ignore her, to go get help, the long years of being told to obey a woman stayed his feet. Carefully approaching her, keeping an eye on the precarious balancing act, he knelt by her head. "I'm here, Miyuki-sama. I'm going to go get help, and we'll get this off you."
"Not…making…it." She swallowed visibly, working any moisture she could find into her mouth to speak properly. "Already…fading." Her arm jerked towards him, her hand grabbing his. "I…am…sorry. Not…mean…hurt…you…two. Please…tell…." A violent cough, spraying blood that had begun to pool slowly in her lungs, stopped her from saying anything more.
"No, no, no," he wiped the blood from her face so it wouldn't reach her eyes, "don't be sorry, it's ok, it's just…it's not your fault. I'll tell Mitsuru-chan that too, but please, let me try." The choice was made for him, as her eyes rolled back into her head, and her grip went limp. Extricating himself from the area slowly to stop everything from tumbling down, he dashed back over to the hole he'd made in the roof, "Hey! Hey, I need some EMTs down here! I found her, but she's hurt bad!"
While not who he'd asked for, his optimism raised greatly when Mitsuru and Yuka dropped down into the hole for him to catch. Mitsuru shone a flashlight she'd managed to find down towards the only real avenue to move forward, and saw the Seussian structure as the 'bad thing' that it was. "Ok…ok, I'll lift the crossbeam. Shinji, you pull her out. Yuka, if it falls, torch it."
"Ready when you are, boss." Yuka moved to take a position where she'd be able to hit anything with a fireball with very little physical motion.
Shinji hurried with Mitsuru. "Are you sure you-"
"I stopped a car from backing up into someone while you were in here. Physically." Mitsuru looked at him, fear nowhere to be seen in her eyes. "Let me lift, you get her out of here."
He'd asked, she'd answered. Words now were just wasting time they needed desperately to move her mother. Crouching down where he'd be able to scoop her up, he looked up to Mitsuru and nodded once. When she set one hand under the crossbeam and lifted it like it was a meterstick, he caught himself basking in love and snapped Miyuki with as much care as he could manage. Sprinting back to the hole, forcing himself to ignore the sounds of falling rubble and both Yuka and Mitsuru helping one another get clear, he set one foot on some rubble and with three bounces off other similar outcroppings he crested the top. There was no EMTs on the roof, and the closest he could see were halfway across the yard moving as quickly as they could across the ground towards the building while physically carrying the gurney.
Running back along the path he'd used to get where he was, he slid down on one knee and rode his leg to the ground along the largest remaining piece of roofing he saw. Regaining his footing smoothly, trying not to jostle Miyuki too much, he dashed towards the medics calling, "Stop there! Get ready for her!"
The first woman wasn't interested in debating, and hit the lever that would drop the wheels to give them a more stable base to work. Clearing room for him to set his passenger down, she asked him tersely, "Injury report?"
"She was pinned," he sucked in a lungful of air twice, the cardio of the day wearing heavy on him now that he'd found who he was looking for, "beneath a lot. Across lower waist. No water, or food. Didn't see blood."
"Ok, sir, we'll take it from here. Please give her some privacy, we need to cut off her clothes." The second medic patted him on the shoulder and urged him away.
Looking at where NERV was setting up, and then back to the house, his anger flared. They were moving as fast as they could, he didn't doubt that, but there was no way they were going to be able to move fast enough. Someone should have shown up earlier, someone should have been searching when this all happened. "I'm going back in," he announced to Andrea as she approached him. "We don't have time to tiptoe." Too many people he knew, too many he'd met, were likely already dead. He wouldn't just sit there and let it continue.
+++++ The Runic Throne.
The Wanderer and The Silent One were holding an impromptu meeting just outside the room that had been prepared for the recently returned ten women. "I need them safe. That's your world, and there's no better place to take a quick vacation with your family. If I need to find you, I know where to look."
The Silent One wasn't letting the point go unnoted, "We are currently engaged in twelve military conflicts across the Orion spur, and you want me to take a vacation! I don't care where you want me to do it, I care that you want me to do it! Yes, I'm happy they're back. Yes, I'd like it if we could stop for a bit. No, I'm not going to dump my work on someone because something wonderful happened in my life. No, your explanation makes no damn sense, what the fuck is going on?"
"A lot of stuff. You know most of it, but I'm keeping this bit to myself for now."
"Yeah, how are you doing that, exactly? We share a god damn mind!"
"Because there's a lot possible in theory that I'm not able to explain in practice." The Wanderer asked for patience with a motion of his hand. "Secrets bad, I agree. But this one is going to be even further complicated if you and I of all people are both aware of it, and neither of us want what's going to follow by both of us fretting."
Anger faded to genuine concern. "Are you ok?"
"No. That's why you're going to take a break. You're going to watch after the refugees. You're going to reconnect with some wonderful women. You're going to stay there until or unless I need you." Reaching out one big hand, he set it on the shoulder of the other version of himself. "I promise, you're not abandoning anything. This is a test for what's wrong, just as much as a gift from me to you."
"Why can't you take a vacation?"
"Because I'm not sure of the parameters of the problem. Once I know better, I might very well end up needing to take one. Until then, let me handle things. Please, you know us…work with me."
The Silent One's jaw worked slowly, chewing on the side of his tongue as he sized up his brother. "I want your word: you need my help, you contact me."
"I swear it. No 'oh, it's fine', or 'I can handle it'. I need you, I will find you."
Slapping him on the arm twice, he nodded. "Ok. Send word about the twins too, yeah?"
"I will." Offering his brother a smile he didn't feel, The Wanderer stayed where he was until his brother re-entered the room. Now alone in the hallway, his smile fell to a worried frown. He can have sons. I know he can. It's just me fucking with my own head….
Author's Notes:
My apologies, as usual, that this is far too late. I won my lawsuit (yay), but have been suffering with Covinflu (a lovely mix of COVID-19 and the seasonal influenza) that's lasted over a month now. I am also the proud owner of a lot of new debt (getting my roof redone, it's overdue) (new car to replace the one I wrapped around a streetlight during last year's snow). I took some of the advice given here by y'all to heart and just took a few weeks to myself. No stories, no stress, just focusing on fixing myself and my environment. I can't say I'm 'good', but I'm at least not looking longingly at my 1911.