+++++ Crime Scene, Azabu-Juban, Japan. (Tuesday + 3)

"I'm tellin' ya kid," Satou gestured again to the evidence around them. "Terrorists. Suicide bomber," he gestured to the mutilated corpse of the youma, "victims," then to the surrounding bodies. "Burn marks everywhere suggests explosives, and the crater under that supports that finding. We'll let the forensics lab take their samples, and then we'll let the MEs do their job. Don't know why they'd want to bomb this little slice of paradise, but I also don't know why someone would strap explosives on their chest and kill themselves for no military gain."

"But the blood splatter," his junior cut himself off at a sharp glance.

"Kid, don't let those TV shows fool you. Blood splatter's useful when you have a blunt weapon, and a closed room. It was rainin' for ten minutes before we arrived, and there's no telling what was washed away or shifted around by it. The scene doesn't support anything but terrorists, and that's what we're reporting." Satou pointed to the forensics team. "Now go make sure they have what they need. I'm going to use the payphone and call HQ." Waiting for a moment as his junior followed orders, the hard-nosed police officer let out a sigh of dismay. Approaching the phone, as he'd said he would, he lifted the receiver and waited.

A sultry voice, unseen and unseeable, responded quickly to his patience. "He was challenged. The idiot brought it on themselves, and from our view no crime was committed. He was attacked, he defended his companions, he left the field to avoid disturbing anyone further. That the damage was as…limited as it was, I would count your stars were I you."

Not what he'd wanted to hear, but also not the worst thing he could have been told. "Thanks. Do me a favor, if you can. Ask him to try to limit the damage he does to the infrastructure? Bloody corpses are easily swept under the rug, but if I have to explain away a supposed bomb without nearby glass windows being shattered more often, I'm going to draw suspicion. The fight down the way was easier to explain, bus accident, lots of corpses. Gruesome, but not unexpected. This? Too many more and you're going to have a lot more attention around here."

"I will relay your request, but I doubt he'll be amenable. He's an Elder, Satou-kun. You would stand more of a chance against me, then I would against him, and he has far less control over his might than I have over mine. The tornado, the hurricane, the earthquake, none restrain their might for they are unrestrainable." As her presence faded, she reminded him, "Be safe. These are dangerous times."

Digging in his pocket for a coin, he muttered darkly, "Be safe, she says. Hard to feel safe with living weapons of mass destruction strolling about marketplaces."

+++++ Kino-Ikari Apartment, Azabu-Juban, Japan. (Tuesday + 3)

Shinji, once more human and in dry clothes, was working on a light snack that involved nothing bloody as Minako called her parents to tell them where she was. Coining carrots to present next to several sliced apples, he was amazed at how similar the blonde Sailor sounded to the time he'd heard Asuka speaking to her stepmother. The only, and major, difference being that Minako actually had a smile on her face and was genuinely fine with the communication.

"No, no, I'm over at Makoto-chan's studying. I wasn't anywhere near there. I got caught out in the rain coming back from Usagi-chan's, she's still under the weather, and was close enough to Makoto-chan's place. I'm calling you because we agreed I'd call at this time of day if I'm going to be late. I'll wait a while for the rain to stop and then make my way home. She's offered to make me dinner, you know how good her cooking is." Pausing, she winked at Shinji as she listened to the other end of the conversation. "I absolutely will, ma. I'll see you when I get home."

After the phone hung up, Shinji glanced quickly over to the blonde, "You…you lie pretty easily."

"Acting lessons." She shrugged, not considering the matter worth discussing. Hopping up on the counter, much as Makoto and Usagi had before, she crossed her legs at the knee and crossed her wrists over the top knee. "So. Makoto is in the shower, and we shouldn't start with anything heavy before she's out here. How about…." She tipped her head back and forth in thought. "How about you tell me your favorite color?"

The answer to that question was simple, "Blue." Rei Ayanami's face appeared in his mind, leading to him setting down the knife and taking several deep breaths as he leaned against his hands on the counter. I didn't run away. I didn't. I'm sorry, Ayanami-san. I swear, I didn't run.

"Ok…uh…sports!" Minako flapped her hands, trying to will the man towards calm. "Nothing about colors, just…you know, putting the points up on the board!"

He was surprised that Unit-01 hadn't made an appearance. Surprised, but grateful. "Never…never really watched any." Focusing on his breathing, he shook his head. "Sorry. I…uh, I remembered someone I fought alongside. Her Eva was blue, like mine is purple. Her hair was blue, and she tended to wear blue clothes. Can't…uhm, can't really control where my mind goes."

"I like volleyball." Hopping off the counter, she pulled out her pen and willed herself into the High School's volleyball team uniform. The bright sheen of the transformation ended with her in a tight t-shirt style jersey and form-fitting short-shorts, a deep maroon and white affair that highlighted her coloration wonderfully, and her physique with devastating effect. "Made the team again this year, hopefully we'll be able to do better at the regionals."

How is it humanly possible for her to be this gorgeous?! Blushing in a tone that matched the shorts and banding on the jersey, Shinji turned back towards the attempt at a meal. "Th-th-that l-looks r-r-r-r-"

"You think so?" Perching on a new counter where he'd be able to see her out of his peripheral vision, she grinned with a sense of triumph. "I've always worried about how it makes my tummy look puffy." Leaning back and patting her abs, she sighed, "All these years on the team, never once managed to get a man I wanted interested in seeing a game."

Are they fucking blind?! "Th-th-that's a sh-shame."

"Ok, I'm-" Makoto stopped in the doorway leading into the kitchen, halting her statement and scowling at her peer. "I'm wondering why you're wearing your uniform in my kitchen."

"Soothing the Savage Shinji," Minako responded with a shrug and a knowing grin. "We almost had a flare-up, but I was able to help him stay out of his armor." Placing her hands in a cupping pose, as if to 'bump' a volleyball, she set her arms to amplifying her bust size via external pressure. "I was thinking about asking him to come see a game. Maybe cheer me on."

"Dinner's ready!" Tossing the last bits onto the large plate, Shinji nearly bowled Makoto over in his haste to exit the kitchen before he said or did anything stupid.

Makoto glared at her 'friend'. "Not. Helping."

"You, maybe." Minako slinked off the counter with a shrug. "I've tried to help set you up with nice guys in the past. Don't expect me to step aside for this one just because he's staying with you for the moment, and he reminds you of your old senpai. I agree, we shouldn't send him home. I disagree, you don't own him." Stepping up to the challenge, both physically and emotionally, she looked up at the taller woman. "This is a competition, and I won't fight dirty but I will fight. I deserve just as much a chance at seeing if he and I are compatible as you do. May the best woman win."

"We'll discuss rules at school tomorrow, then." She could respect the honesty, and her temper soothed as she reminded herself that Minako was typically one that refused to cheat despite possibly losing. "Tonight, we're not going to rile him up. I want to talk to him about his past. We need to know…we need to figure out why he isn't as disturbed as we are about what happened."

Letting her clothes return to normal, the blonde Sailor for Venus nodded grimly. "Whatever he's seen…."

+++++ Lunar Command Center. (Tuesday + 3)

"It was weird." Luna was busy cleaning her fur of the rain and the muck she'd aggregated as she reported what she'd learned from observing the humans at the scene of the brawl. "One of the police officers was adamant that the entire area was the result of a terrorist. He managed to convince the others, it seems, but why he ignored the obvious answer only made a little sense once I got closer to the youma."

Artemis was still working on pushing their computers towards developing tests to help both Usagi and Shinji. "Human?"

"Yep. From what little was left intact, I'm guessing it was a male. Suit pants on one leg, and I found a dress shoe with a foot still inside. They had been transformed into a youma, and without Usagi-chan…." Pausing in her motions, she scowled and shivered. "You should have seen it. Whatever powers him, Shinji-kun is an unstoppable force once he makes contact with something. He tore the youma apart without any hesitation. The fights he's survived must have been grotesque, because he seemed almost confused at how easy this one ended up being."

"Is he dangerous?" Right now, Artemis' friend was sitting directly next to the man. He wouldn't take risks with her.

"To the youma? Sure. To Rei-chan if she decides to try and hurt him again? Possibly. To the rest of the girls? Not a chance." She chuckled darkly, "He can control his weight, somehow. Even a mild guess puts the actual weight of him in that armor in the fifth digit's worth of tons. He lets himself be moved by them, allows them to push him, manipulate him, whatever they want. He views them as 'above' him, and is just as dangerous as a loaded gun."

"By itself, on its own, no danger to anyone." He could appreciate the comparison.

Luna completed the truism, "Put it in the wrong hands, though…."

+++++ Kino-Ikari Apartment, Azabu-Juban, Japan. (Tuesday + 3)

"It's…not like that here?" Shinji was baffled, combat was always a visceral experience. Pain and gore, horror and viscera. "Back, uhm…back home, I can't…uhm, can't really think of a fight that didn't end similar." Disinterested in food, he kept one slice of carrot and one slice of apple on his plate to not be rude. "The Angel, the one you killed…."

"With your help," Makoto added quietly, reaching over and gripping his wrist gently. "You were just as important to us winning that fight, Shinji. Don't think we don't appreciate you coming in and fighting alongside us."

Minako took his other wrist, smiling with a bright charm. "You even managed to find a way to communicate without being able to talk. You're very smart, Shinji-kun. I could probably use your help studying."

The beautiful pain settled into his soul as his compulsive restlessness eased. I don't know what to do. "It was…it was just a smaller version of the first Angel I fought. When I fought mine, though, I blacked out in the middle of the fight. Woke up in a hospital bed. It wasn't until I saw the footage several weeks later that I even knew what happened. The next fight I almost killed two…uh, two classmates. They'd strayed outside, and were nearly crushed when the Angel toppled me over next to the shelter for the school."

"Wait," Jupiter patted his hand. "Smaller? That thing was enormous! How much bigger was the one you fought?"

"At least three times taller, maybe bigger." His recollections were too hazy for exact measurements. "With the square-cube law, I'd feel it safe to say that mine was a lot larger and leave it at that. Math and the Angels don't always work together properly."

"And you fought that thing?" Minako was even more impressed than before.

"Well…I was larger too." I keep telling parts of my story, all piecemeal. "Unit-01, like I said before…I think…maybe I didn't. Unit-01 isn't normally like this. Usually it's the size of a business tower, and I'm piloting it from within a small capsule-shaped plug inside. I'm…I'm actually taller here than I was back home. Something happened, between my world and this world. Something, well…other than your friend…I'm sorry." His eyes dropped to his plate. Everything's all messed up. I'm sitting here complaining about my life, and they've lost someone they cared about too. It's always 'me, me, me', isn't it? Pathetic.

"Shinji-kun…." Minako hesitated for a moment, then sighed. "I'm going to ask some honest questions, and I'd like some honest answers. Ok?" Squeezing his hand a few times until he looked at her, she repeated herself, "Ok?"

"I…I, uh…I kind of suck at lying." Shinji shrugged his shoulders slightly. "If I tried, you'd know."

"That's not a bad thing," Makoto reassured him. "Honesty is a boon, not a burden. Especially since it's only when we're honest with each other that we can overcome serious problems." She knew exactly what Minako was about to ask, and supported the idea whole heartedly. "Go ahead, Minako-chan. Let's get it all out there."

"Right." Moving her other hand to hold onto his thumb, she smiled winsomely. "Could you, at any point in your actions before you arrived here, have stopped yourself from coming here?"

"N-no." He frowned, judging everything he'd done with an eye towards validating his own statement. "The Angel was going for Asuka. Her umbilical was stuck, and there was no way for her to bring her rifle around effectively. Ayanami-san was using the sniper rifle for long range support, but she'd have had to have shot through Asuka to hit the Angel." The fight replayed itself in his mind, then reversed, then forward, then reverse, back and forth several times. His face told the truth of everything he was saying. "I had to engage, or it might have reached Asuka. I…I had to show her that I wasn't…that I didn't hate her. That I forgave her for hitting me. That I…that I understood that she…that she was frustrated, irritated. That…that she wasn't the only one who suffered after every fight. That wanted to have an outlet. That if she'd just have talked to me, instead of yelled at me, I might have been able to do more than apologize uselessly."

Both women recognized the signs of a man who'd had an unrequited crush, and felt a small sting of jealousy for whoever this woman was that had blackened his eye…and bruised his heart. They now knew of at least two women 'back home' that had an interest in his return, though neither were appropriate candidates in their minds. It was the Sailor of Love that spoke up first, "So, you couldn't have stopped what happened. Imagining you sitting back while someone is in danger doesn't really fit what I'm seeing before me. Someone who didn't care about their allies wouldn't have cleaned Makoto-chan's place. Wouldn't have made delicious meals for people he'd just met. Wouldn't have risked death to fight these…Angels. Wouldn't have put his trust in me that I would aim him appropriately when I threw him at a youma like a yo-yo." Her smile grew a touch as Shinji chuckled at the mental image. "So, that's the first question answered. You couldn't have stopped yourself from coming here. Now, for the tougher question: could you have done anything about Mamoru Chiba?"

The memory of the dead man approaching him slowly crawled along his skin like cold maggots. "…I…I should have grabbed onto his corpse." That regret had gained more ground as he'd seen Usagi's mood plummet. "We, uhm…w-we collided. H-he was…uhm…." Swallowing several times, he pushed for the words to leave his throat, "He was dead when I saw him first. Floating in the…the red and the black. Whatever, wherever, that was…. Dead. H-had to have been. He, he wasn't moving. Just y-you know, floating, a dead man's float. I only saw him wh-when…when he…."

"You didn't know him; you also didn't grab onto a dead body." Makoto couldn't see herself grabbing onto the corpse of some random dead person while floating in a sea of 'red and black'. "I'd say that those are fairly normal, human, reactions to a situation that you didn't understand and had no way to understand. I mean…could you see me grabbing onto this 'Asuka' if I saw her floating? I wouldn't know her from any other random woman, and if she was dead I certainly wouldn't be eager to latch onto her. What if she died of a plague, and not suffocation? What if by touching her I became infected? It's a natural reaction."

"Good points," Minako approved. "So, to recap, you were acting to save your allies and were kidnapped acting to save lives, and you didn't grab onto poor Mamoru because randomly grabbing corpses is what insane people do." There were tears in her eyes, unshed yet still standing. "It's tragic, yes. It hurts to see our friend be so…sad. I can't even think of a stronger word, she's just sad. He fought alongside us from time to time, he also showed up and didn't do anything but claimed to have helped from time to time, but he was someone we knew. So I think we have the authority to tell you that you are not to blame. Just like Usagi-chan has told you. We all have the right to be sad about this, but we are not going to blame you or each other for the actions of someone else."

"We've all lost people." Makoto shifted herself closer, and hugged Shinji from the side. "You're not likely to find a way home, either. So I think what Minako-chan is saying, is that we need to make the most of the situation before us. It's fine to feel sad that bad things happened, but we can't let them dominate our lives."

Joining her teammate in hugging Shinji, Minako found out why the prospect was so alluring. As soon as she had more than his hand to hold, it was like someone was running an electric wire along her pleasure center. The closer they were, the more wonderful it felt. He was dangerous, powerful, wounded, and courageous. He had to be hers. "So we'll do what we can to support Usagi-chan, but we won't ever blame you for what's come to pass. Help us help her grieve, and keep being someone who fights to protect others."

His jaw was shuddering, all of his effort going towards not having Unit-01 take away the pure joy that they were infusing his soul with. S-stop. They're not for you. You are a disease. They are not your cure. Stop thinking of them like that. "I-I…I should…."

The phone ringing startled all three of them, leading to an armored Shinji, a frightened scream from Minako, and a frustrated growl from Makoto. Stomping her way over to the phone, she restrained her temper as she answered, "Hello, Makoto speaking."

"Oh, oh, I'm so sorry," Minako began petting Shinji trying to soothe what she felt she'd set awry, "I didn't mean to scare you. I just didn't expect the phone to ring, and you were speaking so quietly, it's like one of those horror movies!" The feeling she'd been adoring was gone now, and that absence was becoming painful.

Unable to speak, and still fuzzy from the near bliss he'd been experiencing, Shinji could only wave off the potential offense. I'm a mess. I can't seem to find a permanent solution for this. I can't even understand for certain what causes Unit-01 to pile on. I just want my emotions to stop for five minutes!

"Yeah, no, no, I'll tell him. Are you sure, Ami-chan?" Makoto seemed excited, "Great. I'm sure he'll say thanks too. K. Bye!" Hanging up, she clapped her hands and cheered, "Ami-chan's mom is willing to look at you without reporting the visit. Ami-chan apparently convinced her that you had left home because you were being abused, and wants the injuries documented so that the courts can see it if everything goes sideways."

Minako smirked, "That's our team brain for you. Taking care of future problems by taking care of present problems."

"Some real medical treatment, and some bloodwork drawn to check for anything bad. She said she'll set up an appointment tomorrow when she goes into work, to make it so you can visit at a less busy time." Jupiter had a content set to her shoulders as she looked at the clock. "We should probably all start moving towards going to sleep. Minako-chan and I have school tomorrow, and I'm sure Maria-san expects you to be well-rested for work." Waving her hands before her, she shook her head. "We'll talk more tomorrow about everything. It seems that this is going to be a long discussion, and we're probably going to want to gather everyone for it. It can't be fun going over trauma eighty times, and forgetting who you have and haven't told random things."

Shinji carefully stood, and looked around for his pen. I need to walk Minako-san home. Unable to locate it, he recalled Luna's admonition and sighed. I'm an idiot. Concentrating on the device, he hoped that it would somehow hear him and come to him. Instead, it simply appeared in his hand. Magic is…so strange. Asking for clothing worthy of walking by Minako's side, he was soon dressed far more sharply than he remembered ever having been in the past. A quick dig through the backpack produced his blackboard and chalk. 'I am going to make sure Minako-san gets home. Of anyone, I'm the most likely to survive an attack by myself.'

"Oh, that's so sweet of you." Standing on the toes of one foot, Minako tugged him down so that she could kiss his cheek. "My knight in purple armor."

Makoto shrugged, moving towards the door. "I'll come with you. A little extra exercise won't hurt me, and it's better than leaving any one of us to walk alone at night." Tapping on her shoes, she looked at her compatriot-slash-rival with a challenging glare. "Just because any one of us is powerful enough to survive alone doesn't mean we should tempt fate. Shinji is just as important as us, wouldn't you say?"

The blonde Sailor of Love glowered at her colleague-slash-rival, mouthing, 'It's on'.

+++++ Azabu-Juban, Japan. (Tuesday + 3)

The sun had long since gone down, which meant the temperature had gone with it. Able to calm himself enough to force Unit-01 to relax, Shinji now found himself dealing with a different source of anxiety. Holding onto his left arm, with the claim that it was because she was cold and he was warm, was Minako. She had been chattering the entire walk about random matters, all intended to bring Shinji closer into her world. What she did at school, what hobbies she'd developed, what her goals were, everything she spoke of was intended to inform him about her. What he found, using the same skills he'd developed living with Asuka, was that unlike his redhaired former apartment-mate Minako wasn't speaking over him. She'd pause, judge how what she'd said had landed, and alter her topic slightly based on that data. It was subtle, but Shinji was used to observing people and picked up on it easily.

Holding onto his right hand, not crowding him, was Makoto. She had the same light, friendly, grasp that she'd used in the grocers. The touch that gave him so much while demanding so little, and the way she was able to hold it without stretching his arm awkwardly or walking at a cant seemed to just make her fit with him. He had precisely zero experience before Makoto held his hand in the holding of hands for the purposes of friendly walks, but the more she held his hand the more he never wanted her to let go.

Which is a massive problem. Shinji sighed mentally, frustration slapping around the other emotions in his head. I need to stop thinking of them as…as ladies. They're warriors. They're people who fight by my side. They want me to be friends, nothing more. This…this is just how people act around people they're friends with. Friends. Nothing more. Catching the tail end of one of Minako's statements, he nodded his approval of the idea.

"Great!" Minako cheered with a happy bounce, jiggling his arm about with her motions. "I'm sure Makoto-chan won't mind carrying it in for me again. It was a wonderful change of pace, and I adored what you made me."

"Why don't you walk me to class tomorrow?" Before Minako could say anything, Makoto struck at a weak spot she knew Shinji had. "You can carry everyone's lunches, and if we get there early enough you can hand them to everyone yourself. They can thank you for your effort, so you can see how grateful they are firsthand. If anyone asks about you, I'll just say you're my boyfriend and you wanted to spend a little time with me before heading to your classes at university."

Shinji froze in confusion and disbelief at the same time Minako called out, "What did you say?!"

Her statement had been timed for when they arrived at the walkway leading to Minako's house, and so the statuesque stunner simply smiled and shrugged as Minako's mother called from the front door, waving hello. "Hello Missus Aino. One of my friends from my apartment building wanted to make sure Minako-chan got home safe with everything going on tonight, so he and I walked her here. Wave hello, Shinji-kun." As soon as Shinji made a slight wave of greeting, she forced Minako onwards with a playful shove. "He's mute, so he can't greet you properly."

"Oh, well thank you very much, sir!" It was fairly clear where Minako received her beauty from, as the age hadn't lessened it in her mother, it had only refined its elegance. Following a bow from the young man, where Shinji recognized the woman's gratitude, the housewife smiled with a light laugh. "It's so good to see young men with proper manners still exist."

"We're going to head back to the apartments now," Makoto bumped Shinji with her hip to get him moving, "I'll see you at class tomorrow Minako-chan." Preventing the blonde from recovering and attempting to hug Shinji, Jupiter waited until they were blocked from view by the wall surrounding the house to take his hand again. There was a strange contrition in her voice as she murmured, "Sorry about that."

About…what? Glad to be down to only one woman that he was painfully attracted to, he tilted his head to indicate confused curiosity.

"I…could tell you were startled when I mentioned pretending to be my boyfriend." There was something she left unstated, though he'd be damned if he knew what it was. "I shouldn't have thrown a curveball at you like that."

Startled. That's certainly one word to use. A part of him was coming to despise having to be silent outside of the apartment. He had a whole host of questions he wanted to ask, things that didn't make any sense. But, like usual, he knew he'd either forget them by the time he reached the apartment or the moment would be gone and bringing it up again would make everything awkward and forced.

"You weren't expecting it." She looked up at the night sky, trusting him to guide her around obstacles with their conjoined hands. "Probably more interested in someone like Minako anyway."

That caused him to stop dead. What?

Taking one more step forward then shuffling around so that she was facing him, their hands still entwined, she smiled sadly. "I really like how easily you fit in my life. You've been here for only a few days, but you act like the boyfriend I've always wanted. Quiet. Capable. Dependable. You're not flashy, or showy. You're strong without having to flex in everyone's face and trying to dominate everything. You enjoy cooking, and you try to make people feel better." Her smile brightened briefly. "I saw you comfort Ami-chan at the shrine. She's never liked it when Usagi and Rei butted heads. You were somewhere strange, you were lost, confused, and alone…and you still tried to do the right thing." Her long auburn hair swayed as she rocked her head slowly from side to side. "Tonight, you fought through your anxieties to try and have a good time with me. You let me drag you out where you were uncomfortable, and you're still standing here holding my hand." With a sigh, she let go. "Because I'm making you. So, I'm sorry."

The dying of the connection her touch caused was a nearly physical agony. She…she likes…she thinks….

"Pet?" Walking out of a nearby side-street, Maria waved with a fetching grin. "It is you. I'd ask you to introduce me to your friend," she bowed to Makoto with an inhuman grace, "but since you're mute, I'll take the first step on my own. Pleased to meet you, my dear, my name is Maria. I'm the owner of the establishment your friend has graced with his hard work."

Makoto compared herself against a woman that radiated out presence and seduction, and didn't like how she stacked up. With raven black hair that cascaded in waves and a figure that was both ample and slim, added to a voice that was just the right touch of smoky in its sultriness, Maria was the kind of woman men would bankrupt themselves trying to woo. "Pleased to meet you, Maria-san. I'm Makoto," fully expecting a dagger in the heart as she looked to Shinji, thinking that he'd be enamored with what was a near-flawless vision of womanhood, she instead became confused as Shinji was frowning at the woman. "Shinji-kun?"

Reaching into his pocket, Shinji pulled out the three coins he'd been given so far. She has to know about these. She was the one that told me a 'friend' was trying to earn good favor.

"Oh me, oh my." Laying one arm just beneath her bust, and resting her elbow in that palm, she patted her cheek with the other. "I guess you put it together on your own. Not exactly subtle about what I am, Pet, but I assume you trust your friend here?"

He nodded once. Makoto had never done anything that would cause him to mistrust her, and had actively defended him against things that would hurt him. He wouldn't lie to her, not if he could help it.

Stepping closer, and ignoring Makoto's defensive body posture, Maria shifted the coins around on Shinji's palm. Tapping the jade coin, she began her explanation, "Kitsune," the wooden coin, "Kodama," the molded coin, "Akaname." She then pressed Shinji's fingers closed, urging him to retain the marks. "I understand that whoever bore you gave you no direction in life, but you must take care not to draw attention to our kind. I'll allow Makoto-chan to know because I can smell her on you. You've placed your den in her home and are guarding her. If she's going to be your tether to the mortal world for now, I'll do what I can to help keep her safe." Turning to face the woman in question, her voice hardened, "In exchange, I ask that you maintain our secrecy. You have in your care an Elder. He is young, and confused, but make no mistake he is far more powerful than anything you might think to conjure mahō shōjo. Should he learn to control his might, should he regain his Voice, there is nothing that would stop him that I am aware of."

"Elder?" Makoto scoffed, "Lady, he's seventeen."

Sighing, Maria turned back to Shinji, "The ignorance of youth." It was clear that she was ignoring 'the other woman' for now. "I won't need you at work tomorrow, Pet. I'm closing the shop to go take care of some business in Aizuwakamatsu, and will be reopening the next day," she danced her fingers up the buttons of his shirt, "so I'd adore it if you'd make sure not to destroy half of the city while I'm gone? It is such a pain to establish a new business, and I won't have to for another sixty or so years unless you burn everything to the ground around us."

The fight at the café. He began to wonder how much his 'boss' knew, and what she wasn't telling him.

"A spectacular little tussle, that." Her hand came to rest on his heart. "The youma are not of us. Do not feel as if you have violated the Laws, no punishment is due. Should any be fool enough to attack you, or one you have given your favor to, all I ask is that you attempt to not deform the city with your might. The humans do not understand us anymore, even the priests." Kissing her fingertip again, she placed it against his lips, "We'll talk more when I come back. Sleep well."

Caught flatfooted herself, Makoto blinked in confusion at how Shinji seemed to shift from frown to a scowl. By the time she realized that she had her own questions, Maria had rounded the corner. Dashing over to where the proprietress had moved, she called out, "Hey, I…still…." No one was in the street, in either direction. "Where did she go?"

Why is it the only two jobs I've ever held were both for people who don't tell me anything without draping mysteries over it? The problem wouldn't resolve itself in a single night, and so he shoved the coins back into his pocket and caught up to Makoto. Standing where she could see him, he gestured towards the apartments. I can't ignore her warnings, though. Her and the little fox have both made it clear that danger is growing. I won't let them be hurt because something's aiming for me.

"Yeah…yeah, let's get home." Makoto set the pace hard, intending to get him where she could actually speak to him about things.

+++++ Kino-Ikari Apartment, Azabu-Juban, Japan. (Tuesday + 3)

Shinji was barely three steps into the apartment when the door was shut firmly and locked behind him. Turning about to try and determine what emotional state he was about to have thrown at him, he was surprised to see something he was incredibly unfamiliar with: concern.

"Ok. Ok…." Makoto had clearly done some thinking, and was pacing back and forth where the couch had been, having moved past Shinji to give herself room to think some more. "Whatever it means that you're an 'Elder', we have to be concerned about what Ami's mom might find out. I'll talk to Ami tomorrow, see…see if she can think of anything." Yanking on her ponytail, she spun about and looked at him. "I'm sorry, I'm…only a 'B' student at most. I'll do whatever I can to protect you, but I can't protect you from things I can't understand or see!"

She'll protect me. His heart felt like it would break and burst at the same time. She wasn't pacing because she was angry at him. She wasn't about to yell at him regarding things he himself couldn't figure out. She was anxious…because she cared. "I'm…uhm, I'm actually more concerned about you." Putting his hands in his pockets and looking down and to the side, he shrugged his shoulders a few times. "Where I'm from…th-the government can…uhm…can kind of just make you go away if you know too much. NERV had a habit of simply taking someone inconvenient and putting them in jail, or worse. If the government here finds out where I'm from, finds out about Unit-01…what are they going to do to you?"

"Kill me, before I let them take you." She was suddenly standing before him, lifting his chin up to glare at him. "You aren't a monster. You aren't an animal. You're not some…some freak that is going around eating children! You're a young man, with a terrible burden, who is doing his utmost to protect people. We fight to protect good, Shinji. Which means we'll fight to protect you."

She's not even using -kun anymore, hasn't been consistently for a while. "Y-you've dropped the honorific." Why am I so awkward?

"I'm quick to make up my mind." Her eyes narrowed, "What do you think of Maria-san?"

"I think she's…complicated." He wasn't sure where she was going, so like he always would he went with the truth. "She's nice, to me. I've seen her hit someone though, and I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of it. She commands respect, but she doesn't seem to demand respect. I don't think she's human."

Her lop-sided smile warmed his heart and her words were gently affectionate, "You are a silly, silly Shinji."

"I…I, uh, I don't understand."

"Shinji, I'm not into ladies and even I think that woman is sex personified." Laughing, she tugged on his hands to drag him over to where they could sit down. Hauling him down with her, she sat them on her folded futon and kept one of his hands in both of hers. "Most guys I know would have been drooling to have her flirting with them. To look at you, all you were wondering was whether or not you'd have to crush her throat. You looked ready to fight, not flirt."

"Flirting?" Now he was utterly confused. "Maria-san…no, no she wasn't flirting with me. She's just teasing, like Misato-san was."

"Misato-san…the woman you lived with?"

"Y-yeah," Shinji hated how his heart hurt at the memory of the lavender-haired warrior. "She'd always be teasing me. When I did her laundry, she'd make sure to purposefully set her bras on top so that I'd blush. I'd hang them up in the bathroom to dry, and she'd move them out into the main area by the kitchen. She…you know, she was playful. She was trying to push me outside of my comfort zone, I guess. She'd never have been interested in someone like me. I'm…I'm not someone talented, beautiful, intelligent women go after. I'm broken, and a coward."

"A coward." Pulling lightly on his hand until he looked at her, she repeated herself, "A coward." Reaching up with her left hand to pull her shirt down to display her back, she showed where the pavement beneath her seat at the café had scraped her. There was no admonition in her voice, no heat or venom, just confidence and surety, "A coward that jumps across a table to shelter me from an attack I didn't sense." She let go of her shirt and pointed back to him, "A coward that puts himself between me and a bus that had been thrown like a log at a festival. A coward that allows himself to be thrown at an enemy that we couldn't see to give us a chance at winning. A coward that attacks an enemy heading towards his comrade, even though it might result in his own death. A coward that after that enemy kidnaps him, rushes in to help people he doesn't know fight a monster he's already admitted to nearly dying to." Dropping her hand back to his, she shook her head. "Shinji…you're the bravest man I've ever seen. Fear does not mean cowardice. I'm terrified when we fight because I'm well aware that if I fail people will suffer. Because I know it's going to hurt. Because I know I might die. Bravery is just telling fear to shut up and doing what you can to help. Bravery is being afraid and still standing between danger and those who can't fight. People who aren't afraid are broken, Shinji, not you. You're just…wounded. Wounds heal, with time."

It was humbling, having someone spell out what he'd done. Having someone tell him that everything he'd done meant he was everything he thought he wasn't. It was marvelous agony to have her holding his hands and projecting her certitude onto him. She was someone who willingly courted death to do what was right, and she believed with all of her heart that he would stand by her. Her spirit made it feel so easy to agree with her. To say that yes, he would stand on that line with her and the others. That he not only mustn't run away, that he would never run away. Remembering her words from the night before, he took one small step towards daring to be what they believed him to be, "Can…uhm…can I have a hug?"

Nearly tackling him over, Makoto wrapped her arms around his torso beneath his shoulders and squeezed him with pleasurable determination, "Anytime you want one, just like I said." He couldn't see, with her chin on his shoulder, the smile that was glowing so brightly on her lips. He couldn't see the joy his touch caused. The way he made her worries evaporate while reminding her that there were terrors in the dark yet undiscovered. The thrill of battle mixed with the comforts of home. He was a bundle of contradictions, a chaotic maelstrom of paradoxes. And he'd asked her for a hug before anyone else.

She feels so wonderful. He still had no word for the sensation they provided, even individually, and certainly no cognition of how to describe how it felt when more than one was touching him. He had his arms gently around her shoulders, not wishing to harm her in any way or make her feel trapped. She…she said she likes compliments. She just complimented me, so I should try and compliment her, right? "I…uhm…I really like…uhm…shampoo. The…it, uh, it fits you."

Taking a deep breath, she squeezed him once and sat back, "Thank you. See?" Her smile hadn't dimmed. "Not only did you ask for a hug, but you remembered that you could compliment me! You're not broken, Shinji. You're not. Even if you were, I'd still do everything I could to help you get better. It's very rare that anyone is so far gone that they're beyond help, and certainly nobody willing to ask for it is too far gone. You recognize your problem, so now we attack it. What do you say?"

"O-only if y-you…uhm…." Nerves jangled around, her smile amplifying both her beauty and the feeling her holding his hands provided. "A-ask me f-for things. Wh-when you want. Wh-wh-when I can help."

She noticed the time, and inwardly groaned. "Well…could I ask you to sleep holding my hand again?" She laughed awkwardly, "If I don't get to sleep soon, I'm going to be a zombie tomorrow. I slept really well with you holding my hand, though. No nightmares. I'd like to see if you can repeat that kind of magic." When he blushed six shades of red, she swallowed her reflexive burst of laughter. "You really are adorable; you know that right? The guy is supposed to make the girl blush, silly."

"S-sleeping holding a b-b-beautiful w-woman's hand…." I can do it. She asked me to. I have to give her the chance to help, or I'll never see which of us is right! "A-Asuka w-would c-call me p-p-p-p-"

Makoto's eyes went flat. "And I'd probably thump her. I have not only the right, but the privilege to ask a man with a good heart to help me sleep better. I decide if you are being undignified," she wouldn't use that word around him ever again if she could help it, "and I feel you are nothing of the sort for holding my hand and chasing away the nightmares."

She stopped me from having nightmares too. I need to not get closer. The closer I am, the more I'll hurt them. "S-sure." I'm weak. Pathetic. "I-I…I'll try."

+++++ Kino-Ikari Apartment, Azabu-Juban, Japan. (Tuesday + 3)

While Makoto performed those nightly rituals held sacred by the feminine half of the populace, Shinji took the opportunity to read the letter given to him by the kindly shopkeeper. It was hastily written, and quite obviously heartfelt, but it did little to explain anything more than he'd already managed to guess at himself.

'Silent One,

I wish to thank you for your restraint and seek to assure you that we hold no quarrel with you, or those few who may be your kin. Please, it would honor us greatly to have you hang this token of our highest esteem in the place you have chosen as your Den. Any of our kith or kin who sense it will know that ground is sacrosanct, and will eagerly seek to maintain the property as befits someone of your standing.

With humble gratitude,'

The mark on the bottom of the page was a character he'd never seen in his life. It was obviously a name, and just as obviously older than he likely believed the woman possessing it to be. Taking the paper talisman included by her, he considered it a moment. If I hang this up…it will help Makoto? It made sense, after a fashion, with how several of the local youkai had nearly tripped over themselves to extend good will. I live here. Makoto lives here. If I'm 'scary', then hurting Makoto is a good way to discover how 'scary' I actually am.

The note from the grandmother who'd come for the book and dagger was similar, though much more formal.

'To the Esteemed Silent One,

For both your generous restraint during your interaction with a member of our clan, and in recognition of your dedication in reducing the threat youma pose to the good order of the land, I humbly extend our warmest wishes for peace and prosperity to you and yours. Should this token meet with your approval, we would take deep pride and satisfaction in declaring to the world that we shelter beneath your good will.

Yours in service,'

Setting down the letter, and taking up both talismans, he decided that the worst that could happen was he had to explain to Makoto that he felt better knowing her apartment was not going to be targeted by two families of youkai. The door seemed to him to be the best place to hang them, as the only other entry possible into the house was through a window and blocking the view with paper would be daft. "Going to need something to hang them, though. Guess I'll just see where they'd look best, and ask her when she comes out."

The moment he touched the Kitsune's talisman to the door, however, the talisman decided that it lived there now and didn't need him to help it live there, thank you very much. The paper, acting of its own volition, crept up to the uppermost corner away from the hinges and adhered itself with the sound of a bell being struck by a muffled hammer.

"That…makes sense." Magic. This world is filled with magic. I need to adjust to this. I can't continue to allow myself to be shocked every time something happens that doesn't make sense. Pressing the second talisman to the door, he noted that it was more sluggish in its motions, but no less dedicated to properly ordering itself on the surface.

As the bell tolled for a second time, Makoto approached him on soft feet. "These…prayer talismans?" She moved to stand beside him and touched the second paper first. A subtle pale seafoam green glowed at the contact, causing her to flinch and Shinji to take her hand and begin to look for damage. "No, no," reversing the grip before he could let go, she smiled with joy that he'd done what he'd done. "It didn't hurt, just startled me." Now holding his left with her right, she used her left hand to touch the talisman again. The glow, far from hostile, seemed to approve of the contact. "Where did you get these?"

"Letters, from two youkai." He gestured to the first, "Kitsune," and then the second, "Kodama."

"They look like protective wards. Like the kind…they use at shrines," carefully editing the thought at the last second, she tried to steer him away from negative thoughts just before bed.

"I thought so too." Shinji blissfully missed the reason for her hesitation. "I had meant, well I had thought to ask you to help me hang them. But they seem to have hung themselves."

"Good." A light tug set them back in motion towards the beds. "If they are meant to be a blessing on our home, then I am honored to have them." Turning about to walk backwards, she gave him a contented grin. "I hadn't really thought that there would be good spirits. We've only ever dealt with those that wanted to hurt everyone. It's nice to know that you've shown me something new about my world. I'm grateful."

You're wonderful. "I…uh, I didn't really do anything." Swallowing and looking away, he broke their grip to set out his futon. "I'm just glad that they want peace. I really don't want to fight, not if we can avoid it."

Her heart hurt, confused as to why he seemed so willing to do everything he could for her. Everything, that was, except let her see if love could blossom between them. Purposefully moving her futon half of a meter closer, acting as if she'd done nothing of the sort, she tried to keep that hurt from her voice, "So, what are you going to do with a free day tomorrow?"

"Shopping." She needs better cookware. "There are a few things I need to pick up, and maybe if I do it in the middle of the day there will be fewer people around with everyone at work." Setting the blankets and pillow in place, he asked without turning, "If you need anything, you'll…you'll ask, right?"

"I'd like it if you made sure to stay safe." She knew the chances of an attack were high, but she couldn't ask him to spend the day just staring at the walls. "The last thing I want is to find out you were hurt, and I wasn't there to help you fight."

The last thing I want is for any of you to be hurt…ever. "I'll be careful." The briefcase filled with 'his' money was now set aside, the futon made. If I'm going to hold her hand…I…I should warn her. Sitting on the edge of the futon, looking down at his thumbs as he ran one across the other, he performed his duty. "You…you kn-know I f-find you at-t-tractive, r-right?"

Lying under the blankets she preferred, her hand outstretched but not grasping for him, Makoto decided to let him speak his mind. "I do."

"Wh-when…when you, o-or Minako-san, or Usagi-san…when you t-touch me…." Calm. I have to be calm. "I-it's like everything w-will be…l-like life d-doesn't h-h-hate me anymore." His knee started to bounce, nervous anxiety threatening everything. "I d-don't want t-to get close b-because…because terrible th-things happen around me. I d-don't want t-to be a l-leech, o-or a c-curse." Momentum propelled him forward, "I-I'll move. F-find somewhere th-that-"

He was cut off, and startled enough to lose the battle against Unit-01, by Makoto tackling him backwards. Despite now laying atop metal instead of flesh, she still considered it a victory as it stopped him from finishing his declaration. "No." He's lost. Alone. Scared. He's been hurt, abused, and clearly never been shown honest affection. I am not letting him sabotage himself, even if he and I never hit it off. "Your place is here. I've told you, several times, that we do not let bad things happen to good people so long as we can do anything about it. If something comes after you, it's going to go through us." Separating enough to look into the frightening mask that was Unit-01, she kissed the side of the horn jutting from the central portion. "And I'm glad that…our…touch makes things feel better. That's good. Especially since touching you makes me feel wonderful." He's trying to be honest. I need to be honest in return. "That's…that's why Minako-chan wants to go on a date with you. Why…I want to go on dates with you. It's so rare to find a guy like you. A guy that reminds me…."

Shinji-OS

A fatal exception 0E has occurred at 0167:BFF9DFFF. The current application will be terminated.

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Press any key to continue

Unit-01 disappeared from sight, leaving her laying atop Shinji himself as he stared in confused horror at her. I should probably be blushing, or worried…but I'm really not either. The feel of him beneath her was power. It made her feel as if she could do anything she wanted. Like the world was hers for the taking. All she had to do was claim it. Makoto mimicked the motion Maria made earlier, kissing her fingertip, then placing it and leaving it against Shinji's lips. "Whoever left you adrift before you came here didn't deserve you." She could claim him. She could mark him forever. "I want you to remember, Shinji, that the reason I approve of you going on a date with Minako, or even Ami, or Rei, or Usagi if she wants, is because we are a team. I will not allow you to come between us, and so if I have to step aside because you find that you love one of them? All I ask is that you remain friends with me, and give me the dignity of talking to me about it." He is not mine. He's his. I wouldn't want someone to think of me as a possession, I'm not doing it to him.

"…Why?"

"Because you're cute, you're attentive, you're intelligent, and you're creative. We like similar hobbies, we come from similar backgrounds, and while your first instinct is to protect me it's because you're a combat veteran. You not only don't tell me not to fight, you cooperate with me and listen to my thoughts in battles. You don't view me as a trophy, or as lesser, and I can include you in my 'secret' world without fear. Do you have problems? Yes. Do I have problems? You'd better believe it. But, and this is why I'm saying all of this out loud right now, your problems are bigger than mine. You need to hear people tell you you're worth what we're offering. You need to see with your own eyes that the world isn't all gloom. Anything else…and I'm just abusing the very person I'm finding I like a great deal."

"L-like?" I can't. If I do, they'll die.

"For now." Sighing as she sat up, she let her hand trail down his chest. "I won't act like some starry-eyed damsel and declare my unending love for you just because we've had a good few days and found a lot of common ground. That doesn't mean it isn't becoming more…just that I don't want you to think I'm as quick to become infatuated as I am to decide if someone's worth dating." Winking playfully, she moved back to her own futon, "After all, I'd like to think I'm worth waiting for."

+++++ Kino-Ikari Apartment, Azabu-Juban, Japan. (Wednesday + 4)

Shinji woke up with a start. When did I fall asleep? Looking around, he tried to piece together from the tattered fragments of his memory what had occurred between Makoto saying she wanted to go on dates with him and the point in time he found himself in. The apartment was dark, the window only letting in the illumination from the streetlights outside. He could see what he presumed was Makoto lying in her futon, facing away from him and tucked into a ball. I…didn't she want to hold hands? He couldn't see the clock on the wall in the low light, and there was nothing but the analog alarm clock in the house besides that to tell time.

With his heart hammering, he decided to step into the kitchen so as not to wake his housemate. There's enough light to see the furniture by. Cautiously moving, his steps as light as possible, it took him three full minutes to cross five meters of flooring. Sliding the door shut, and internally wincing at the occasional squeak, he made a mental note, Buy oil for this track. Definitely need to make sure it's quieter. After opening the fridge to use its light to turn on the light above the stove, he closed the icebox and braced himself against the counter to think. Ok…what do I remember?

Five plus black equals echoes.

"What?" Clenching his fist after the word traipsed out of his grasp, he cursed himself for an idiot. Are…are you a youkai?

Silence greeted his query. Every second that ticked past seemed to last hours, increasing his unease at the potential for a sudden descent into insanity. This hadn't been the first time he'd heard a voice. Before the most recent battle, and during a dream at the shrine, it seemed to be similar, but not wholly the same. The clarity was gone, from what he remembered in his dream, replaced by a deeper concern and urgency. It was as if the intensity was inversely proportional to the reasonability of the message.

Or…maybe, relaxing his guard against Unit-01, he allowed it to consume him.

YOU THIS DREAMS WHITE THEY'LL WILL WORLD ARE IS NEVER NOT IS LIES BLACK LOVE CHOOSE NOT NIGHTMARES IS YOU THIS YOUR ARE WHITE YOU'LL FOR WORLD TRUTHS IS ALWAYS THEM THIS FREEWILL BLACK BE THEY REALITY IS IS SECOND MUST HAS A WHITE BEST DECIDE TO MYTH IS TO THIS BECOME DESTINY BLACK A FOR YOUR IS IS ROTTING THEMSELVES REALITY FACT WHITE CORPSE

He could feel his soul unraveling. The disparate strands of ether that made that which he was, exploding in exponentially faster fractal bursts. The smallest quarks and largest atoms of his being tearing themselves asunder all at once and in sequence. Life, death, creation, and entropy, he experienced everything the universe could offer to him in a span of time no greater and no lesser than the birth of the starry cosmos itself.

It tickled.

+++++ Kino-Ikari Apartment, Azabu-Juban, Japan. (Wednesday + 4)

The alarm going off shattered the quiet of the apartment. Makoto was quick to silence it, as she always was, and had a moment of confused panic as she realized she was alone in the room. He didn't say anything after I moved back to my futon. I offered my hand, and he just stared blankly. It hurt, if she were to be honest with herself. But she refused to blame him, or herself, for what others had done to him. He doesn't understand, so I'll have to walk him through things slowly. Easy enough to do. Finally waking up enough to notice the kitchen door was closed, she smiled believing her hopefully soon-to-be boyfriend was busying himself as he had the past several mornings. Brush teeth, then greet. Nobody wants morning breath in the face.

With a bit more pep than usual in her step, she hurried into the bathroom to take care of those important things that separated 'datable' from 'forever alone'. Eyeing herself in the mirror, she decided to leave her hair a little mussy. I saw how he blushed when he saw it yesterday. I think he likes the lightly rumpled look. With a quick second rinse, she braced herself for battle. I'm worth the wait. But he needs to know I'm here and available, or all I'll do is wait.

Halfway to the kitchen, she caught sight of a small fox pawing rapidly at the window. When it saw her looking, it sat on the ledge and made a beckoning motion with one forelimb. Repeating the motion with more vigor after she hesitated, it seemed to become more anxious the longer she waited. Deciding that the worst that would happen was she shooed it outside, Makoto walked the rest of the way and opened the window to let it in.

"Thank you." The vixen hopped in quietly, hurrying over to the kitchen and scratching at the door until Makoto once again opened something for her. "Thank you again." Two quick bounds put it on the counter, and with a glow that matched its fur, it began to sing soothingly.

Inside the kitchen, meals prepared and ordered, dishes washed and put away, Shinji stared down at the sink with her largest knife in his hand dulling the blade on Unit-01's gauntlet in an effort to sever an artery.

"Don't," a second fox sauntered past the shocked Sailor for Jupiter, anticipating the scream and rush. "He brushed against That Which Must Never Be in the night. We sensed it and attempted to enter." Sighing, she sat on Unit-01's foot and looked at Makoto. "I didn't notice the Kodama had given him a ward as well. It was either undo their ward and risk a minor scuffle with a friendly clan who can't protect him from this specific ill, or wait until morning and do what we could once you woke up."

The only thing stopping her from rushing over and slapping the knife out of Shinji's grasp was the fact that the song seemed to be slowly halting the repeated motions. "Ok. Ok, I'm…. I'm not going to freak out. That won't help."

The fox on the ground nodded in agreement. "Solid point."

"You…are a Kitsune." Another nod of agreement from her conversational partner. "A youkai." Yet another nod. "And your…friend, is singing to Shinji?"

"My triplet, and yes." The clatter of the knife into the sink released much of the tension in the room, though the singing continued. "His spirit is extremely pained, whomever it was that bore him must have wished him a terrible ill to have given him this darkness to bear." Her head tilted back to look up at him. "Or, perhaps, she felt him strong enough to bear it and others failed him. Regardless, the Elder required aid in returning his spirit to balance and we came to do so."

Makoto remembered enough legends and folklore to become worried. "At what cost?"

"Child," the vixen on the ground sighed as she returned her gaze to the auburn-haired beauty, "would you expect the tales of our enemy to speak of the good we did? The corrupted priests and conniving sycophants toppled, those who would sacrifice humans for their own ends and power? Yes, we can be tricksters if needs must be. We are not always so. The tokens of loyalty were given in good faith, in respect for the Silent One's own generosity and respect. You ought to overcome your biases, especially if you seek to mate with him."

Blushing was immediate, and total. "I-I am certainly-"

"Lying to a Kitsune is never a wise decision, mahō shōjo. You seek his favor, that is why you cover yourself in things that will draw his eye. Why you clean and preen before seeking him out. It is no shame on you; he is a handsome creature, without a doubt." Wrapping her tail around Unit-01's leg, splitting it into three tails, she snorted. "When we return him to his senses, do not overwhelm him with questions. His mind brushed madness and nearly destroyed itself. You would stand no chance at all of surviving what came to pass."

The first vixen's song drew to an end, her glow subsiding as Unit-01 faded away. "Ok, I have him settled." Stretching, she yipped in irritation. "He is not alone in this armor he wears, though the spirits are not youma. I think they want to protect him, after a fashion. They wouldn't speak, though. I'm not sure if they can."

"Let's be off. The kit has her own part to play now." Laughing as her sister pounced on her, the two tussled playfully in a tangle of six tails around Shinji's feet and then dashed past Makoto for the window. Pausing before jumping out of the building, she turned back and called, "Before you go, touch our seal to allow us easier entry! That way we don't have to leave him in torment for several hours while you dawdle about, dreaming of holding his hand!"

Makoto scowled at the window, too many questions still left unanswered and now more piled themselves atop the old. Her anger, however, was shoved into a sack and tied off when Shinji gasped. Spinning about and bracing him upright, she chose to turn on what charm she could to soothe him in her own way, "Hey there, handsome. You awake?"

"I…I…." Looking around, confusion hanging off of him, the man out of time tried to rationalize where and what he was. "When did…."

"It's ok, I think you kinda blacked out." Running her hand in small circles at the base of his back, she thrilled when he shifted his arm so that his hand was holding onto her shoulder. "We had a couple of guests this morning, two Kitsune stopped by to help you out."

"K-Kitsune?" He noted the open window, and then the meals. "I…I was cooking?"

"Smells like it." Don't freak out. He needs help, and panic doesn't help anyone. "Can't really tell what it is, though."

Locating the container with his name atop it, Shinji cracked it open and looked inside. "Futomaki and ebi furai." Popping open the small canister next to it, he sniffed, "Lemon miso." Closing both back up, his head shook side to side in denial. "I…I don't remember making this."

"Hey, hey," pressing herself between him and the counter, she forced him back from the food to distract him from spiraling back into anxiety, "it's ok. You've had a lot of stress thrown at you, right? Falling from the sky, fighting monsters alongside your beautiful roommate, having to make breakfast and lunch for her equally beautiful friends? You probably just…shut down for a bit." They didn't want me to ask him about what happened. "You said this is where you're most comfortable, right? Making food for people. So, you got overwhelmed, you came here, you cooked. It makes perfect sense."

He wasn't stupid, despite protests to the contrary from prior roommates and even from he himself. "Why did the Kitsune come?"

"Because they were worried." It's the truth, just not all of it. "They said they could sense your spirit was imbalanced, so they came to help balance it. Two little vixens, two of three triplets, according to the one that sat on your foot."

"Then…they left?" Her explanation made as much sense as everything else, which was precisely none, though he doubted she was lying.

"They said I had my part to play now." Smiling up at him, their height difference not tremendous but still present, she shrugged. "I guess it was my time to kiss the Sleeping Beauty so he'd wake up."

He blinked. I would not have forgotten that. "K-k-kiss?"

"If you insist." Tugging on his shirt, she gave him a mostly chaste kiss on his lips. Letting him stand back up, and hoping that she wasn't blushing as much as he was, she put on her best grin. "You did ask, after all."

'Because you're cute, you're attentive, you're intelligent, and you're creative.' Her voice echoed in his mind, jogging loose some of the previous evening. "D-d-date! Y-you want to…you want to…."

"There you are," patting his chest, her grin became an honest smile, "see? Princess kisses the prince, prince remembers his history, happily ever after." Watching his jaw work, the words clearly stuck behind something she couldn't quite see, she stopped patting and simply laid her hand on his chest. "Yes, I want you to go on a date with Minako, and Ami, and whoever else you think you might be interested in. Don't settle on me just because we live together. The last thing I want is to be the 'because she was there' girlfriend. It's not fair to me, and not fair to you."

"Y-you'd never b-be…." The pause as he gathered his thoughts and swallowed back his stammer gave her heart a chance to clench. "I'd never think of you as 'just because'. You're funny, and powerful. You're wise, even if you say you're not intelligent. You've fought through challenges, and not let life beat you. Any man would be fortunate beyond belief to have you at his side."

I could cheat. I could ruin everything. "From what I've seen, whoever ends up with you is going to be just as lucky. You're not broken, Shinji. You're just wounded."

More of the previous night became clearer. "Wounds heal."

But the heartache of you choosing someone else is gonna sting like a bitch for a long time. "That they do."

+++++ Author's Notes:

Guest: RE: The Tears of the Rabbit.

Having experienced deep, heartbreaking, grief many times, I feel I have an unfair advantage in writing those characters that experience it in turn. The random turns their mind takes to avoid having to deal with it all at once, the sudden squalls of sobbing that pop up out of nowhere. The listlessness that changes to anger, or a desire to do something, anything, to keep your mind away from what can never be again. Part of me hates having to do this to 'my' characters. The other part accepts that without tragedy, life is difficult to define.

JaceSterne:

RE: Spirits by any other name.

A central part of this exercise in writing is determining what 'Science' does when it is instead marinated in 'Magic'. NGE, in addition to being a dark world, is a world based on 'Science'. Sailor Moon, however, blithely dismisses 'Science' in favor of 'Magic'. Much like humanity might not be correctly perceiving the Angels it sees in NGE, those in SM might not be correctly perceiving Shinji/Unit-01. Or, maybe they're seeing the truth, and the people in NGE were seeing the lie.

RE: Youma v Youkai.

I have chosen to use Youma as the creator of Sailor Moon did. Unnatural spirits that act like little terrors, or huge terrors. I maintain my Shin Megami Tensei view of Youkai as 'Neutral' for the most part. Don't piss them off, they don't piss in your Cheerios. If they ally with you, it's because you represent something they need or desire. Some few are 'good', some few are 'evil'. Good luck telling which is which at a glance.

Bobberhd: RE: Unit-01.

Shinji and Unit-01…are. Each exists, and neither is anymore. If you keep reading, it'll eventually make sense.

nobodyreallyimportant: RE: A million words.

I think everyone has a story or two in them, and it is just a matter of time and focus. If you tried, I'm sure you could do it too.

DJexe: RE: Murphy's Laws.

Oh…it's about to get a lot worse.