+++++ University of Tokyo, Komaba Campus, Meguro, Japan. (Friday + 6)

Walking towards the Graduate School campus building where Ritsuko taught was an educational experience for Shinji in and of itself. Surrounding him was a sea of young adults, far more males than females, at least five men for every woman, and none of them had the world-weariness he'd come to associate with people of that age. He knew that the world he'd come from, the world where Second Impact had ripped apart the social order, had far more women than men. Easily two females for every one male, and there was an enormous age gap with regards to the male populace due to wars and natural disasters. The youngest 'old adults' and the oldest 'yet-to-be adults' were at least two generations removed from one another…but not here.

Ritsuko, once more holding onto his elbow, allowed their supernatural bodyguards in human disguise to clear them a path as she kept up a calm running narrative of the various functions of the buildings. She described how the trees had been replanted after the Pacific War, the buildings rebuilt, and the land used for far different means than it had previously been. Woven into her commentary was nearby places for food, opportunities for amusement, and the educational facilities that high school students used to advance their dreams of attending Todai someday.

"It's a far different place, I'm sure, than what you might think of," she finished as they reached the stairs leading to the building they'd been walking towards, "a lot of people work very hard to spend the first two years of their post-high school education going through the Gen Ed stuff here. It's how they weed out those students that either somehow cheated to get here, or just aren't cut out for the life of academia." Snorting, she began them up the steps with a gentle tug. "It's also how I can tell someone who got here based on financial or political connections from a mile out."

Yasuji, who'd remained in the background after Ritsuko had transitioned the conversation towards Shinji, held the door open as he indicated his need to go a different direction. "If you'll excuse me, Doctor Akagi, I need to go have a chat with some folks. I promise, again, you won't even notice your protection as they perform their duties. If you do see them, please, listen to them?"

"I'll take their requests under advisement, Suzuhara-san." Whether she was playing her part, or simply disliked the interruption of Shinji's tour, Ritsuko seemingly dismissed the man with a casual non-answer.

Don't worry, Silent One. Yasuji's voice spoke with calm ease as he appeared discontent. She's playing her part. Before you climbed in the car, I told her that we were watching for opportunists. She's giving us a chance to find some. Bowing in farewell, he spoke aloud once more, "Thank you, Doctor."

Inside of the building, the main entry hall was much like the rest of the building: utilitarian. Everything served a purpose, nothing appeared as 'flair' or 'art'. Orderly, clean, and ready to accept people intent on learning. Clusters of students of varying ages stood huddled in quiet conversations regarding a wide array of matters, though all of them were focused on the 'Hard Sciences'. However, to Shinji's mind, this was a wonderous place that he'd never have anticipated going. To him, he was an idiot. He'd heard as much far too often to believe anything else. Miwa's spell could not remove self-sustained negative thoughts, and thus his thoughts remained negative.

"Rits?" A slightly familiar female voice sounded from their left, "Good morning!" The woman, Kimiko by name, who had jumped up into his arms at the park on his second day on this world danced quickly over to stand before them. Her smile was bright, and from what Shinji could tell, fake. "You're a little…late."

Unfortunately for the pilot of Unit-01, while he understood visual ques and how they translated to some emotional states, he was blithely unaware of many feminine social subtexts owing to a lack of experience. To him, the woman was speaking to a friend and inquiring as to why she hadn't arrived earlier, exactly what was stated. To the rest of the world, Kimiko was clearly asking, 'Who is this and why are you holding onto him?'

"Well, my mail order groom makes a fantastic breakfast and an even better coffee," Ritsuko sighed out with a shrug. "I would have been even later, but he insisted that I continue to set a good example for the youth of Japan."

Rolling her eyes at what she believed to be a terrible joke, Kimiko scoffed a laugh out. "Don't we wish it was easy enough to just snap our fingers and have a good man fall out of the sky." Turning more fully to face Shinji, she bowed with an energetic friendliness. "Pleased to meet you, sir. Since my friend is too rude to introduce me, my name is Kimiko Taniyama," her eyes raised before her torso, a question hanging from both, "and…you are?"

"Suffering from an inability to speak due to an unexpected strike to the head that damaged his Broca's Area," Ritsuko supplied for Shinji. "I didn't introduce you because I am late. I need to get my class ready, Kimi-chan. We'll talk at lunch." Without acting aggressively, she still managed to physically move Shinji around the social obstruction towards one of the hallways. More than a hint of irritation was present in her whisper, "Despise that."

He couldn't ask her what she despised and couldn't understand why it sounded more like she was in pain than it did that she might actually be angry, so Shinji contented himself to scan the hallway for potential obstacles. An unfamiliar place, filled with unfamiliar people, and all he had was a sense of wonder that he wasn't attempting to crawl out of his own skin. I wonder if I can get Miwa to make this spell permanent…. If this is how people actually view the world around them, it kinda makes sense why everyone says I'm weird.

"Excuse me, Professor?" An older male's voice called from a room they passed, "I need to set up a quick appointment for this afternoon, if you don't mind." After Ritsuko repositioned them both so that she could see into the room, Shinji saw that the man appeared rather similar to his old high school teacher from Nebukawa. "We have guests coming here to discuss something with the Dean, and I would truly appreciate you representing us at that meeting with me. You are far more personable, and the subject matter falls more into your area of specialty than mine anyway."

Surprising Shinji, all of the irritation from her tone vanished as if it were never there. Instead, Ritsuko spoke as if she was talking to a favored uncle. "Of course. Have your Assistant run a note by my classroom at the next break, I'll make time for it." Gesturing with a wagging finger from her free hand, she teased the man with a 'demand', "Though your wife is going to have to make a few of those cookies she's so good at. I'll introduce you to him later, but Shinji-san here is new in town and I want to show him that we're not all uptight city folk around here."

"She'd love to, I'm sure." The man's pride in his wife's ability shone out through the set of his eyes as he nodded his agreement. "I look forward to meeting you properly, sir. Please, have a good day."

All Shinji could do, again, was bow with due respect for his elders. It was slightly awkward with Ritsuko not letting go of his arm, but not so awkward that he didn't feel it met his standards. When he moved to stand back up, however, Lady Luck turned her attention somewhere else, allowing the next in the never-ending chain of ill-fate to strike.

A man, with medium-to-light brown hair and wide lensed glasses, tripped over either his own feet or a suddenly dense pocket of air just behind Ritsuko and put his hands out to stop his fall. His hands, however, were on a direct course for Ritsuko's shapely posterior. Shinji, being combat tested, both noticed and sensed the motion as it began. There was no evil intent, no aura of maliciousness, and so instead of reacting violently, he simply removed his housemate from the line of fire and set himself to catching the poor lad.

The young man was surprised that he hadn't finished falling, and after looking up at Shinji seemed even more surprised that his fall had been arrested gently. Behind him, however, was a woman of a similar age to the young man. She, unlike he, was quivering with truly evil intent. Her back length, light brown, hair shook violently as she shouted, "Keitaro!"

There had been many times where Shinji had chosen to stand aside and allow life to happen. More than once he had seen some poor man being berated for an innocent mistake by a woman that was all too willing to air publicly what should have been private. More than once he had seen some poor woman being treated like a mental invalid by a man that had no respect for anyone. More importantly, the evening before he had been pulled through space and time, he himself had been on the receiving end of what was about to happen. In his mind, it wasn't the young woman pulling her fist back for a blow there anymore. Gone was the light brown hair, in its place was a mane of orangish-red. It wasn't 'Keitaro' cowering and bracing for impact anymore. It was a much shorter, meeker, child with blue eyes.

As the woman's fist came forward in a well-thrown punch, Shinji acted. After six centimeters of her motion forward, he'd moved 'Keitaro' out of its path. After ten, the combat veteran had his stance set to prevent damage to himself or others. With a sharp twist of his hips, he directed all of his weight and torque up and under her fist through his open hand, shoving her punch off course and redirecting her momentum. Sliding his fingers through her attack, he gripped her wrist and completed his body's turn, sending her ass-over-teakettle onto the floor with a controlled throw. When she bounced twice, her energy taking her a meter or so down the hall, he returned to the same defensive position he held in Unit-01 whenever he was facing an Angel.

"N-Naru-san!" The young man who'd received Shinji's protection now scrambled to see to the woman he'd received protection from. "Are you ok?!"

Everything around them froze, not through time but through social convention. Someone had attempted to harm someone. Someone had prevented that harm with far more grace than seemed humanly possible. Whispers began to flow around the hall. Everyone there knew the story of Keitaro Urashima and Naru Narusegawa: the woman with a beautiful face that hid an ugly temper, and the young man who reached for the stars only to have them pummel him every time his klutzy balance failed him. What nobody knew was the young man who walked with the youngest professor in Todai history and was capable of moving with a fluid violence that none of them had ever witnessed.

Shinji's eyes never left the woman named Naru. She was a threat, still. He saw her control her landing well enough that he expected a reprisal soon, and he'd felt enough force behind her punch that he was positive the man named Keitaro likely would have suffered a broken bone had she connected with him instead. He, of course, was not wrong about another attack coming. He was just wrong about who the attack would be aimed at and was almost unable to act in time.

The subtle bunching of the muscles in Naru's right arm tipped off her intentions. A sitting strike up and under Keitaro's chin, a blow that would likely knock him unconscious, if it didn't smash the hyoid bone causing him to suffocate to death. Before her knuckles had reached the halfway mark, Shinji once more interposed himself between assailant and victim. Using his knee as a pivot point against the lever that was her arm, he forced her into an extremely uncomfortable pronating wristlock and carried her further forward so she lay supine on the ground with his knee in her back.

A different male voice snapped out clearly over the din of the crowd, "Naru Narusegawa, I did not teach you those forms so that you could hurt those who can't defend themselves!"

Shinji flicked his eyes up to take the measure of the man approaching him, and nearly lost his concentration. What appeared at first to be Ryoji Kaji now stood there glaring in disappointment at Naru, only for several of the features to not add up. The haircut was far too controlled, the five-o-clock shadow far too unkempt, and the glasses and lab coat were something that would never have fit with the man he had once known.

Once more, Keitaro attempted to deflect criticism from the woman, "S-Seta-sensei, it's not-"

"You're right," the newcomer cut in harshly, "it's not your place to attempt to defend the indefensible. Would you go around punching people because of an accident, Urashima-kun?" When Keitaro blushed and looked down, the man in the lab coat bowed an apology to Shinji. "Please, Sensei, if you would remand my student to my custody?" Standing back up and looking down at the crouched pilot with a great deal of respect, he further expounded, "I taught her how to fight, that makes it my responsibility to punish her for failing to know when to fight."

I really need to thank Miwa for this spell. Easing back on the wristlock he'd applied, Shinji stood up and grabbed Keitaro by the shoulder to move him out of reprisal distance as well. He found it far too easy to control the man's movements, and began to worry that he might have been using far too much strength himself.

"Thank you." 'Seta' performed a much similar function in pulling Naru roughly off of the ground and restraining her using both shame and strength. "I'm afraid, however, I can't quite remember your name, Sensei. Have we met?"

"I'm afraid my friend is mute, Seta-san." Ritsuko, having watched and analyzed everything, stepped in to cover over for Shinji's flaw. "He's new in town, so it's quite unlikely you've met him before." Turning so that she stood aligned between Shinji and 'Seta', and coincidentally physically stood between Naru and Keitaro, she made introductions, "Noriyasu Seta, this is Shinji Ikari." Her attention shifted more fully to Shinji. "Seta-san is Todai's lone Archeology Professor, focusing on the indigenous peoples of the outlying islands."

"It's an honor to meet you, Ikari-sensei." The man's easy smile hid his other emotions rather well. "Again, I appreciate your restraint in preventing my student from harming anyone. It's clear to see that you wouldn't have found it terribly hard to dismantle her should you have had to." The way his hand flexed stopped Naru from speaking. "I'm familiar with a number of the more prominent Jiujitsu schools in Japan, where did you study?"

Ritsuko rolled her eyes and raised her eyebrow towards the Archeologist. "I've already called 'dibs', Noriyasu. You aren't going to drag him off on a dig."

The roguish grin Noriyasu Seta offered her was paired with a 'what can you do' shrug. "Never hurts to try, Rits. Never hurts to try." His joviality faded as quickly as it had come on. "Urashima-kun, go to my lab and wait there. If you leave before I come get you, you're fired. Narusegawa-chan, since you're acting like a child, I guess you might need a reminder of how they are treated in the Hinata Inn-aligned families. We're going to my office." Nodding to both Ritsuko and Shinji, he made his silent farewells before beginning to tear into Naru as he left.

"Urashima-kun…I believe you need to seriously consider the example you are setting for your peers." Ritsuko's voice was moderated so only she, Shinji, and Keitaro could hear what she was saying. "It's one thing to remain persistent in the face of adversity, it's another to rush headlong into your own destruction. If she is willing to use her fists without being under direct attack, she is not whole and well in her own mind." She gestured with an open hand towards Shinji. "Power must be guided by restraint. My friend here wouldn't break a sweat in crushing anyone here, and yet he did only what was necessary to stop violence. Consider what I've said and consider what you're willing to endorse for everyone around you that looks to you for help as you sit in Seta-san's lab. Go."

Relinquishing his grip on the young man, Shinji patted Keitaro's back gently before clearing out of his way. I feel kind of bad for him. He loves someone who has no…oh fuck me running. The two points of information collided in his brain, and he received a moment of clarity that showed him that he was no different himself. He allowed Asuka to run all over him without a word of complaint. He showed everyone around him that being beaten down emotionally and verbally was fine. He had not set an example for anyone in his dealings with his fellow pilot.

Ritsuko guided Shinji the last few steps to her classroom, stopping in the antechamber and pointing out the obvious, "You hurt yourself."

With his mind so focused on preventing injuries to anyone else, Shinji had lost track of his own recent traumas. The wound from the night before, the one he had been rubbing absentmindedly, flared in irritation at both the worrying over it and the excessive use of the strength Unit-01 passively lent to him. Unable to restrain the wince, he pressed his hand harder against the shirt just over the scar. Right. Pain. Forgot about that for a moment.

"I approve of you defending people. I disapprove of you harming yourself." Her tone was calm and even, her words chosen deliberately and spoken without hidden meanings. "Please remember that not everyone needs you specifically to save them, ok?" When he nodded twice, she gave him a soft smile. "Good. Now please carry my bag into the room, sit down behind my desk, and let me corral my idiot students while you take a few moments and recover."

Following in her wake as this world's Ritsuko Akagi proved that she had not only the lung capacity of the one from his world, but also the sheer presence as well, Shinji moved to the large teacher's desk in the corner away from the front entrance to the auditorium-style classroom and carefully placed the satchel she'd returned to his care down upon it before taking a seat and watching a true talent at work.

"I hope all of you spent the ten-minute reprieve wisely, because now we're going to have to forgo the question and answer session at the end of class." Standing at the center of the front stage, before a blackboard that was easily twenty times the size of any he had seen before in his life, Ritsuko began her lesson with a primer on the style of mathematics they'd be using that day.

Shinji nodded at certain points of the twelve-minute primer, remembering a great deal of the information from his high school math class. As new layers were added to allow for a transition to the theoretical maths the class was focused on, he recognized portions of it from Ritsuko's lab inside of NERV. He noted that she was moving towards a step ladder that would allow her to reach higher on the board to continue writing down portions of the formulae, and stood up to offer his own assistance as her scribe now that his pain was under control.

"Thank you," she stated with a collegial nod as she handed him the chalk and moved away from the board to focus on the class. She wasted no time in pressing on faster now that she didn't have to slow down to write out the symbols, only pausing occasionally to gesture to previous entries on the board itself.

His memory served him well for the rest of the class, as did his familiarity with her speaking patterns. His hand moved without requiring his total concentration, his mind garnered information without distracting his hand, and information flowed freely through him to the board and through the board to his brain. This proceeded for another forty minutes before he heard a request for a pause from the woman herself. Finishing out the portion he had been writing, he turned to look at her for instructions only to see her looking up at what he'd written down.

"…Of course." When her eyes went slightly wide, and her grin blossomed, she appeared even more beautiful than he thought her before. Hurrying over to her desk, she took out a disposable camera and began taking pictures of the board. "Finish your thought, Shinji-kun." Noticing his hesitation, she waved him on impatiently. "Go. Go."

The final portions of the proof he'd been transcribing took up the last of the available real estate on the blackboard. Replaying what she'd been speaking on, he started to understand why he'd been asked to stop. I…was correcting her mistakes? She hadn't made it this far on the proof yet! Oh fuckberries.

"As you can see by the alterations made by the talented Ikari-sensei, the conjecture first posited by Burnside, and later attacked by Suzuki, can in fact be considered provable." Taking the last few pictures, she handed the camera to Shinji for safekeeping and wrapped up the class for the day. "You can all expect the proof to be published sometime in the near future, but that doesn't mean you can stop studying the conjecture. The test next week on this material will cover only what was on the syllabus, before any of you start whining, but I will accept answers that invoke the rationalizations posited here. Dismissed."

Anxiety was howling inside of Shinji's mind to be released, yet all he did was take up a pencil and scrawl on a notepad on the lectern, 'I'm sorry,' before offering it to his new housemate.

Ritsuko glanced at it before snorting an amused laugh and crumpling the note up to throw in the recycle bin. "For proving me right? That's a silly thing to be sorry for, you know." With both of them now by the lectern, she glanced past his shoulder for a second, then turned him around to face the people she was about to speak to. "Yes, Hayashibara-chan? What can I do to help?"

"Oh, I was just wanting to introduce myself to Sensei!" Now facing Shinji, and standing in front of one other young woman who was radiating with a level of embarrassment that, if given power and form, would have condensed the universe into a version of the 'Big Crunch' that would never again expand back outwards into a new universe, was a very enthusiastic twenty-four year old student. With average features, and typical hair color, the only thing that truly distinguished her from any other random woman was her heterochromia. One of her eyes was brown, the other…was nearly red. "It's a real pleasure to meet you, Ikari-sensei!" She bowed, far deeper than was required by social convention, and seemingly with the intent of giving him a look along her body should he so desire.

Shinji returned the bow, though he chose the standard and sedate version rather than the more exuberant and livelier version she shared with him. She's…not a youkai. I can't smell anything, or sense anything. So why is her iris red? He glanced over to Ritsuko, both asking for a hand in navigating the situation and to look for cues on how he was intended to comport himself. He was no sensei, and he had flatly forgotten to ask her what he was before they came here.

"He's pleased to meet you as well," Ritsuko's voice held a tint of amusement, though her face remained approachable. "Unfortunately, he's recently suffered exposure to some variables that have removed his capacity for speech. He'd greet you himself, otherwise."

"Really?" Instead of her interest in conversation waning, as Shinji had hoped would happen, the young woman found yet another higher gear and stepped directly into his personal space to look up at him and begin to barrage him with questions. "What happened? Did it hurt? Do the doctors think they'll be able toOOOOO!" Hopping up, turning around, and holding her posterior where she'd been pinched, any retort was cut off by the other young woman present. "Yuko, you-"

"Megumi, you are embarrassing The Elder." With her jaw clenched, the second woman's anger gave Shinji what he needed to see to identify her as a youkai. Just-too-pale skin and hair that moved a touch too much without any wind or motion on her part to cause it to do so, the young lady couldn't be anything else. When she offered him the kind of smile prey gives to a predator that had recently eaten, it infected her voice as well, "I'm sorry, Silent One, she tends to be really enthusiastic when she meets 'someone new'." Her eye really is just normally that color. She's just like Professor Akagi, promise.

Pleased to finally have someone that could hear him again, Shinji bowed in greeting to her with more respect than he'd given to Megumi. Thank you for reeling in her…uhm, exuberance. Unless I misheard, I think her family owns the restaurant I'm supposed to visit at some point soon. Hopefully that won't be as…well…awkward.

"Speaking of new things," Ritsuko regained control of the conversation, not hearing Shinji's commentary, "I would like to ask for your assistance in scheduling a dinner appointment at your family's restaurant, Hayashibara-chan. If you would be so kind as to contact someone before the end of your classes today, perhaps?"

"Love to!" Megumi's smile split her face. "Just for one, or-"

"It will be myself and Shinji, thank you." Gesturing to the clock, she inferred that time was not waiting for anyone. "I believe your next class starts in ten minutes. On the other side of campus."

"I'll walk you there," Yuko took Ritsuko's hint and grabbed a firm hold of her friend's arm to drag her towards the door, "thank you for the lesson today, Sensei. Having two people teach made it stick a lot better."

The two students were the last out of the classroom, aside from Shinji and his roommate. When the door slid closed behind them, he heard a small chuckle and tilted his head questioningly.

"You'd never know it from looking at her, but poor Hayashibara-chan spent over a decade in a near-fugue state." Drawing Shinji with her by convention, she went to her desk to return those papers she'd used in her lesson. "Yuko Miyamura, the other young lady, spent that time as her only real friend. Studied with her, walked to and from school with her, helped her in every way you'd expect a sister to do so." She gave him a sad smile and a shrug. "It's life's little ironies that always amuse me. I'm sorry for putting you on the spot like that, but I gained a lot of information about how you react and even more about why she was interested in you by telling her about your mutism."

Few constants existed in Shinji's life, but interruptions remained steadfast in their presence around him. A polite, but firm, knock on the door preceded two unfamiliar faces entering the room. The first to enter was an older male, clearly some form of administrator at the university by the way he appraised the room as if he owned it. The second was an almost-middle aged female youkai that was pretending to be human, her black hair done in a neatly adorned knot. It was the man who broke the ice with nothing remotely resembling tact. "Professor, what is this I hear about you hiring someone to work directly under you? I made no such approvals; we don't have the budget to support it!"

"As I mentioned on the way here," the smooth voice of the new woman showed no signs of irritation or dismay, "your esteemed university's president signed off on the matter himself." Producing the paperwork from the leather binder she carried without looking at either, she offered it to Ritsuko as they reached 'social distance'. "Our negotiations concluded in a mutually beneficial manner, I would say. The sole inheritor of the fortunes of several prominent families, Ikari-san needs the cachet that your college within the University system provides. Your college, in turn, receives an infusion of funds from several trustees from affiliated families that should more than remunerate you for the expenditure on his salary and benefits."

Scanning the page, and the names appended to the bottom of it, Ritsuko played her part the best she could without being given the pre-read. "Perhaps, Ogata-san, you should look at the Proof Shinji and I spent the morning working on before making any rash decisions." Looking meaningfully over the top of the paper, she applied further pressure to the issue. "Especially considering he was discussing other potential places that might better utilize his unique skillset."

The dean looked at the blackboard and began piecing together the meaning behind the fragments of formulae written down. The transition from one style of handwriting to the other served to cause his eyes to open wider, his fingers dancing before him as if they were writing what had been inferred, declared, or left unstated as obvious.

"I am terribly sorry for how late I am, my friend." The new woman's smile covered for her mental statement to him, Run with it. Please. "The girls were all in a dither this morning over some news they'd received, and it took longer than I expected for Miwa-chan to come back home from where I'd sent her. It's my fault, and I do apologize."

The likeness in her face attached itself to the name she'd just given him, identifying her as the mother of the Triplets, and therefore a kitsune of some form. Is employing me here a wise idea? If someone makes an attempt on my life here, there are going to be a lot of casualties.

We have rather deep roots here ourselves, and anyone interested in making that attempt would have to go through more than one extremely powerful youkai to even reach you. "Does everything meet with your approval, Doctor? As you can see, he was rather insistent that he not make more money than you, despite his talents commanding a premium wherever he might go."

Ritsuko handed the paper to Shinji to read and bopped him with the back of her hand playfully. "My vote was never in question, Akigawa-san. More money than me, less money than me, I have no doubt that he'll earn every Yen and more before all is said and done. What I am concerned about now, however, is facilitating communication. His condition creates something of a problem with regards to passing along his own insight to future generations."

The woman tilted her head in recognition of the issue, and vied for time, "We already have someone working on that, have no fear. We-"

"If I have to take a pay-cut to employ this young man, then that is what will happen." The dean of the college blundered back into the conversation, turning and reconsidering Shinji with nearly fevered eyes. "If this proof bears fruit, you and Professor Akagi may very well have advanced our knowledge of Group Theory by more than a decade! You'll have beaten the Americans, the Germans, even the Soviets! Please, young man, say that you'll lend us your strength!"

The terms of employment, as far as Shinji could understand them, seemed to greatly favor him. He could leave at any time without penalty, he was granted very liberal usage of administrative leave to 'handle his investments and obligations', he was to be paid a sum of money that seemed rather excessive in addition to several perks and benefits befitting someone with far more seniority, and his employment was to be directly linked to Ritsuko. If she left, he was to be paid a severance of no less than ten times his annual salary and offered her position before anyone else, on new terms to be negotiated at the time. Is this really necessary, ma'am?

The kitsune's voice spoke in his mind, though her eyes casually perused the blackboard, Are you familiar with the term 'money laundering'? Because we need to explain to the central banking authorities why and how you have so many transactions in a newly established banking account. We have more than a few of our kin working in those agencies, but they still need cover to work with.

Shinji then looked over to Ritsuko, tilting the paper questioningly. If she was unhappy with any of it, then he wouldn't impose on her.

"Colleagues. That's the only change I'm requesting. You do not, and will not, work for me. You'll work with me," Ritsuko looked to the dean, "or we won't work here at all."

"Agreed!" The man nodded eagerly. "Compatriots, two brilliant minds pushing each other ever higher!"

"Done, then." She took the paper from Shinji and handed it back to the other woman. "Also, Ogata-san, the USSR dissolved last year. They aren't 'Soviets' anymore."

"Bah, it's the same people in a different organization. They're Soviets until they prove otherwise." He gestured towards the board, and then the door. "I'm going to go free up your schedule some, Professor. I'd like you and Professor Ikari to strike while the iron is hot and get more of this Proof formalized! The other professors can take turns answering your students' questions." Without waiting for confirmation or recognition of his decree, he turned and hustled out of the room with far more energy than he'd entered it.

With the door once more closed, the kitsune moved faster than the eye could track over to lock the door and draw down the shade covering the inset window. With that done, she tugged out the jade hair stick that had kept her mane in a more professional style and stretched her arms and waist with exaggerated relief. "Doctor, you work for some truly insufferable doddering old fools. How you manage to not slap the lot of them is truly beyond me."

"It's a bit easier for me, since I'm not quite the bombshell you and your daughters are, ma'am." Her smile held a hint of self-deprecation, combined with a more than healthy amount of self-confidence. "Besides, I'm smarter than any of them. None of them would want to bother with a woman who isn't shy about outshining them academically. It'd tarnish their reputation."

"That's nice of you to say," she recognized the compliment for what it was, twirling the jade hair stick between her fingers as she strolled back. "I'm afraid I have to be faster than I'd prefer, Silent One. The Denmother has us all scouring every crook and nanny trying to find the beasts responsible for the spate of murders. I had to play a little fast and loose to garner those signatures. All I need from you for now," she once more opened the leather binder she carried, pulling out a stack of papers, "is you to put your hand on top of the documents here. They'll all place your signature in the right places on their own."

When Shinji moved to follow instructions, Ritsuko took his wrist and stopped him. "And these documents are…?"

"Identification, certification, things of that type." No offense appeared to be taken for the caution. "I intend on leaving a copy of everything here with you to go over at your leisure, the rest will go to the local magistrate for filing. He's an old friend of the family, knows all about what we're accomplishing here."

She wasn't convinced in the slightest. "Then I'm sure he wouldn't mind us taking a moment now to look them over, would he?" When Shinji frowned in confusion, Ritsuko sighed and explained her concerns, "She's a kitsune, Shinji. I don't doubt that they're interested in your well-being, they've proven that well enough. I am concerned that she might try to slip a few things past you that will come back to bite you later. They may be servants of Inari, but they're still tricksters."

Biting on the corner of her lower lip, the fox-spirit looked up and to the right innocently. "There…might be a few extra papers in here." Her cheeks puffed out when Ritsuko snatched the stack from her hand. "Hey! It's nothing bad, it's just a few things from a…well, a wish list."

Ritsuko flipped through the pages rapidly, depositing the sensible in one pile and those she couldn't understand the purpose of in another. "I.D., Driver's License, nonsense, Health Insurance, banking account, nonsense, nonsense, credit card approval, residency, nonsense, postal registration, nonsense…oh really?" Turning to look at the Triplet's mother, she held the last paper out so that Shinji could begin to read it without touching it. "Now, I have already told Shinji that he and I are not dating. We are, however, looking to see how compatible we are with an eye towards possibly beginning to date. I am, and will remain, his friend. Friends do not let friends sign these kinds of documents."

Shinji read through the simple contract. 'Simple' being a polite way of saying that it 'simply' stated that he consented to taking Mika, Misa, and Miwa out on no less than two dates a week, with a provision that he also would make himself available should they require a companion for an evening. His confused frown dropped to an openly hostile scowl. Akigawa-san, would you care to explain?

"What?!" Fluttering her eyes with well-feigned innocence, she spread her hands enough that her figure was presented flatteringly. "Can't a mother look out for the best interests of her daughters? Can you identify a better potential mate than an Elder, Doctor? Because I can't!" Her posture sank as Shinji set his hand atop the documents that had come from legally appointed ministries of the nation of his birth, his signature automatically applying itself to the stack.

His anger couldn't quite gain traction, owing to Miwa's spell, but it was evident in his gesture towards the other papers. These, the documents were struck with a quick pulse of lightning summoned from a point half of a meter above, reducing them to ashes in a violent display of power, …are…. He looked at the hand that had sent the power forth, open confusion regaining control over his features. What was that?

Ignoring a huff of protest from Ritsuko, the elder Akigawa moved quickly to take Shinji's temples in her grasp. Closing her eyes and murmuring an ancient song, her own mouth began to twist in confused worry. "There's more than one in there now." Her hair swayed as her head shook in disbelief. "Your mother is not alone in there now…but I can't quite identify the others. They aren't…all there? I'm not really sure how to…." Slipping her hands down to his cheeks, she thumbed the bottom of his eyes down so she could get a good look into them. Whatever it was that she saw, she didn't like it. "Yes, Doctor, I am a trickster by nature. I am also devoutly focused on making sure that the Silent One survives." Patting Shinji's cheeks, she let her hands slide down his throat, then his chest, before resting just below his sternum on his flanks. "The world teeters on the brink of insanity, the universe itself follows the fulcrum it represents. We need him to help set things aright, or it won't matter who shares his bed."

+++++ Lunar Command Center. (Friday + 6)

Rei Hino took note as Usagi's eyes grew unfocused, drifting off towards a point well outside of the boundaries of the room they stood within. "Something wrong?"

The group had spent the free half-day off of schooling to meet and begin to strategize. More than once, strategizing had given way to consoling one another over their recent losses. Despite her own heart wanting to tear itself free of her chest, Usagi had been the one providing much by way of consolations. "I felt something familiar for a second…it's nothing," she shrugged, motioning for her chief strategist to continue, "please."

"…Ok." Genuine concern was present in the set of her jaw, though she carried on regardless. "From what I was able to make out, there are over a hundred more pylons just like the one Ikari-san destroyed. We know that the youma who were setting that one up are aligned with the Dark Kingdom somehow, whether they're left over from the war, or part of a new wave. The chances of them being able to take over Makoto-chan's mind, though, can't be very high. Ami-chan?"

"Different energy signatures. During the…incident…last night, I wasn't seeing the same kind of magic that Metalia was using in my visor. It looked backwards. Wrong." The bluenette shrugged helplessly. "It looked like the same energy we saw when Shinji-kun arrived, and again when he and I fought that Angel at the park, the one who caused the blight?" Discontent began to show through her eyes. "To be honest, it looked…familiar."

Minako, holding Luna and gently stroking the feline's black fur, was leaned against the pod containing the healing Artemis. "Familiar how? Have we seen it before?"

"Every time we try and use our powers," Usagi snorted. "There's a reason we couldn't hurt those Angels without his help."

Rei strangled down the angry retort that she'd done just fine when she'd erased their friend from reality. Her jaw popped as she instead replied, "Which makes it all the more important that we determine how this happened. We can't develop defenses against something that exists as a fundamental part of ourselves, not without knowing a great deal more about how and why we are what we are."

Luna's voice was heavy with fatigue and worry, "Maybe instead you should think about who and what you want to become." The plans that had been laid out so neatly for everyone were nothing but ruins about her paws, and it wasn't doing wonders for her spirit. "Ami-chan discovered a new attack. She didn't just use the magic that had been passed down through the cycles of rebirth, the powers of Mercury that have always been there. She found something else. Something…different."

"We all have." Usagi closed her eyes, leaning further back into the chair she was reposed within. "All of us except Minako. Our connection to him through healing gave us a piece of his world in return. Makoto-chan was essentially bathing in it, because she was around him so often." Tears began trailing down her cheeks, her voice trembling with pain. "Shin-Shin was pulled here to this world by Chaos itself, somehow. Every second of the day, he's radiating pain, misery, and anger. His world beat him into the ground, turned him into a monster, and let him loose on these Angels. But we know all of this already." After several calming breaths, she managed to regain control over her voice. "What my fuzzy sister is telling us, is we need to decide whether we're the protectors of this world…or the women who will avenge it."

+++++ University of Tokyo, Komaba Campus, Meguro, Japan. (Friday + 6)

Shinji sat in Ritsuko's office glowering at his hands. Ritsuko had gone to her meeting alone, giving him time and space to try and figure out exactly how he managed to summon a controlled burst of electrostatic energy. The Triplet's mother had quickly left to go and report on the new problem and attempt to gain assistance in either controlling it or explaining it. He, however, had made no discoveries himself.

I was angry. His head bobbed, yet again, as he verified the truth of the matter once more. I was angry that their mother would treat them like that. I was angry that I wasn't asked how I felt. I was angry that someone would do that in front of Ritsuko-san. But I wasn't 'angry' angry. His hands clenched and opened several times. Normally when I get angry, I flex my hands. I also start thinking of why it's my fault. I also can't look at anyone else, and I certainly can't demand answers. But I did those last two, and not the first two.

The room itself offered little in the way of answers. The window looked out onto the grassy quad, an entire host of people sitting in small groups eating meals or studying together. The board on the wall her desk faced was filled with half-thoughts, notations from the mind of a genius allowed to speak with itself and not bother trying to help others keep up. Little knick-knacks and figurines of cats filled the empty spaces where piles of texts and papers didn't occupy, in addition to three coffee cups of varying sizes and colors.

…Red, blue, and purple. The irony wasn't lost on him, and he felt the dull echo of sorrow hammering away at the invisible wall his friend had built for him. I hope they're alive….

"Ugh!" The door opened, admitting an irritated and dismayed Doctor Akagi. "Unless you have any real desire to stay here and work, we've been given the rest of the day off to work on that Proof." Stretching as she walked, she moved over to stand before him and offered her hands to help him stand. "That meeting was a waste of time. They wanted our division to help the UN with a new Department they're standing up. Something about a 'Brain' or somesuch, my German is a little rusty. My mother, of all people, is involved so of course they come looking to try and get me on board." When Shinji didn't take her hands, and instead frowned down at his own, she stifled a sigh and scooped them up from his lap. "No. We are not going to sit here and worry that you might suddenly hurt me. You pulled me out of an environment that was asphyxiating me. You defend people, sir. You do not go around killing them at random."

A small blush crossed his cheeks, the simple and pure joy of her touch causing him to remember how beautiful she was, and so he allowed himself to be pulled to his feet. Once more on his base, and only having to look slightly down to see into the gorgeous emerald eyes of the woman he now lived with, his heart clenched violently at the realization. Her eyes look just like Makoto-san's. When did I forget that?

"What?" The nurse came out past the professor as he paled, and Ritsuko took a quick check of his pulse with one hand and felt his forehead with the other. "Did you stand up too quick?"

The powerful wave of regret drained quickly away, leaving him embarrassed and shaking his head. Freeing himself from her ministrations, he moved over to the board and wrote down the hiragana of Makoto's name, and then 'Green eyes'. When he looked back, he knew he'd said enough.

There was empathy in her gaze now where there was concern before. "Let's get home. I'm pretty sure I could write this Proof in my sleep now, and considering it's probably going to be over a thousand pages I might have to at times. We'll grab some ice cream, throw on some maudlin television, and you can lean on me." Moving before he could prevent it, she stepped into the type of bear hug that Misato had given him only a few times before. Her words were slightly muffled by his chest, but they were still audible, "It's not your fault. It's not her fault. When we find out who did it, I give you full permission to proactively defend everyone else with as much violence as is necessary…but for now, let yourself grieve the loss of a friend, no matter how long or short you knew her."

'It's ok for you to hug me back,' Makoto's voice echoed in the silence of his heart. His arms awkwardly curled around the woman before him, remembering the sensation of the woman he lamented the passing of. My life will never be enough of a penance.

Tilting her head to the side so that it lay on his shoulder, she gazed at him with renewed determination. "We are going to hug every chance we get, until you do it more naturally. You are not in that terrible place anymore. You are here, where people want you around. You have a job, you have friends, and you have a future." Squeezing him twice, she stepped back out of his personal space. "If you would be a dear man and carry my bag again, I'd like to walk on your arm," her smile was a touch childish, "because I never got a chance to do that before I met you and the confused looks the others were giving me is worth more than I make in a month."

Coughing out a silent laugh, Shinji moved to do as requested. If carrying her bag makes her happy, then it's a cheap bargain. Stepping to the door and pulling it open, he offered her the arm she'd shown a preference for with a slight dip of his upper torso.

Batting her eyes with an innocent coquettishness, Ritsuko played the part of a faux-naïve teenager. "Why thank you, kind sir. It's so rare to come across a strong, polite, and handsome young man these days." Pulling him out into the hall and locking the door while playfully turning him around, she started them back out the way they'd come earlier that morning. "So, we have chocolate, strawberry, and green tea ice cream at home. If you want something else, we'll have to pick it up on the way."

I don't need anything special. He shared a small smile with her and shook his head. I can make do with what she has. Maybe tomorrow I'll go grocery shopping. He remembered the market that was run by the Kodamas. I need to tell them. They knew Makoto-san, they deserve to know it…it wasn't her fault.

"Oh, excuse me, Doctor Akagi, I…." An adult woman of comparable age to Ritsuko seemed to forget everything she was saying as she caught sight of Shinji, her hand still outstretched from the adjoining hallway that she'd seen Ritsuko from. With long, flowing, knee-length green hair and piercing red eyes accenting a somewhat pallid and grey complexion, she appeared distinctly foreign but spoke Japanese with a fluency that outstripped most of the people Shinji had heard speak.

Ritsuko herself smirked, some hidden thought managing to amuse her. "Yes, Meiou-san? Did you have a question for me?" When no response was forthcoming, and as the woman continued to stare at Shinji with her mouth slightly agape, Ritsuko pulled her hands free of Shinji's arm and clapped twice to refocus her. "Setsuna Meiou, would you kindly-"

Time itself seemed to creep to nearly a halt around him, Ritsuko's pitch changing downwards and dragging out the last sound she made, setting off Shinji's hard-won combat instincts again. His first step forward, intending to place himself between the green-haired woman and Ritsuko, was matched by said woman, who threw her arms around Shinji's neck and hugged him, defusing his anger and confusing him completely. I…w-what?

"You're here!" Joy and sadness battled for control over her tone, her tears dampening his collar. "I hadn't thought it was so late. Everything got muddy and confused, the timeline just rearranged itself without warning, and suddenly I was back here again! But you're here!" Standing as tall as Ritsuko, she had no trouble leaning back and still looking him in the eye. "I was terrified that Chaos had won, somehow, and you'd been sent back to your own world. Michi-chan and Haru-chan won't remember you, not at first. Give them some time, they'll remember everything. I made certain of that, at least." Joy won out, her smile one of relieved pleasure. "Shinji-kun…I'm really glad to see you."

Who is this?! He knew for certain he would remember a rare beauty like her. While he wasn't quite the hound that Toji and Kensuke were, he was still a young man and appreciated a beautiful woman.

Squeezing her eyes shut tight, she clicked her tongue in exasperation. "I am an idiot, sometimes." Without warning, she pulled his head towards her and gave him a kiss that curled his toes.

With his arms flapping, trying to figure out what to do on their own with 'central command' no longer responding to their inquiries, Shinji's confusion grew at the same pace as his face reddened. Then, again with no warning, it felt like his head exploded. No longer was he standing on his own, or breathing on his own, or even thinking on his own. The woman, Setsuna by name, was now keeping him alive and upright. Every hair on his body felt agony, his very blood recoiling. After an eternity, his vision recovered, presenting him with part of an explanation.

A fuku, much like those worn by the Sailors he knew, now adorned Setsuna. A golden tiara with a blood-red garnet affixed to the center kept her hair controlled. A long, pale, staff in the form of a key with a heart at the top rested against the wall nearby. If she had seemed beautiful before, she had been a peasant compared to what she currently was. "How about now?"

There was a thin thread connecting events where before there was only empty confusion. P-Pluto? His heart lurched with the same agonizing glory the others caused in him at her renewed smile. You…you're responsible for Pluto.

"And you're responsible for stopping the universe itself from falling to ruin, and for holding everything to its proper orbit." She rearranged his clothes, smoothing out the wrinkles she'd caused and wiping off the lipstick that had smudged off on his lips. "The memories will come, slowly. I'll tell you right now, though, that you need to be very cautious around the woman you know as 'Maria'. She does not have the world's best interests at heart, and you are too soft-hearted to tell her 'No'." Her hands massaged his shoulders, a caress far more familiar than friendly. An unfamiliar emotion hung heavily in her eyes, and then was banished behind one he had seen often on Misato Katsuragi: a will of iron. "When you remember me, call my name. We'll talk, and I'll answer your questions. Right now, the conversation would be meaningless, and I will not belittle what we will be by confusing you now."

Makoto-chan is dead. Blurting it out, he felt compelled to ensure that this warrior knew of her fellow's fate.

"I know, and I hurt for it." Stepping free and moving back to where she had stood before everything changed, she kept her nerve screwed down tight. "You did everything you could. I have never known you to ever give a half measure when someone's life is on the line. She'll forgive you. When you truly love someone, you can forgive a lot." A shooing motion was all she had left for him, urging him back to near where he had been.

Once he was in place, time accelerated back to its normal pace. "-stop staring rudely at my colleague?" Ritsuko was now between the two of them, chastising Setsuna. "I know you have a hard time with change, and I appreciate your hard work, but you're going to be working for both me and Ikari-sensei now. I'd really rather you put a better foot forward."

"I'm very sorry, Doctor." The green-haired beauty bowed deeply, shame hanging from her voice. "I felt as if I had met him somewhere before, and my thoughts ran away with me. Please, Ikari-sensei, forgive my lapse of manners."

Shinji was quick to flank both of the women and wave off any possible offense. Meiou-san, I'm going to have to tell her! I live with her; I can't hide stuff from her! I suck at lying!

You'll have to tell her, silly. Standing back up and seeming grateful for his understanding, her smile took on a whole new meaning with her thoughts in his mind. I'm play-acting for everyone else. She'll understand the why of things. "I'm very grateful for the opportunity to learn from someone Doctor Akagi holds in high enough esteem to call a colleague. I look forward to interacting with you more. Please, if there's anything I can do to help, let me know." The smile turned hard for a moment. And don't call me Meiou-san. I have a given name, and you once told me it was beautiful.

Ritsuko wasn't daft and continued to pick up a great deal simply from observation. "Thank you for apologizing properly, Meiou-san." Reaching over and rubbing Shinji's arm, she kept up the ruse as well. "She really is very intelligent, brilliant even. She just sometimes gets a little unfocused, and stares off for a while. It doesn't affect her work output, only occasionally the timeliness of it."

"Ah, that's why I stopped you," Setsuna returned everything to the original topic, "I wanted to let you know that I'm back in town after dealing with that family matter. Are you already heading out for the day? Is there anything you need me to do?"

"Actually, yes. I left a disposable camera that I need Rapid Reproduction to develop for me overnight. I'd also like it if you would contact the Facilities Management Service and have them put a partner-style desk in place of my current one. Make sure to move everything off and out of it before they touch anything, you know my filing system, they don't." She bumped Shinji with her shoulder playfully. "I want to keep this one where I can pick his brain. It turns out he's pretty knowledgeable regarding patterns."

"I don't doubt that for a moment." Ducking a quick farewell bow, she dismissed herself to be about the tasks she'd been given. "I'll make certain everything is settled, Doctor. It was a pleasure to meet you, Ikari-sensei." I missed you, far more than you could possibly know.

Ritsuko watched Shinji watch Setsuna walk away. She noted that his eyes never left the back of her head, despite what she knew to be a fantastic view from behind in the more southern climes. She carried a great deal of approval for his restraint, and would pick through his thoughts when they were alone regarding what she knew to be a fabrication. That he continued to prove to be a gentleman, even if only because he was traumatized into the actions that led him down that path, furthered her feeling comfortable at having him live with her. He was a gift; it was as simple and complex as that. "You ready to head out?"

She's seen Second Impact. Shinji's jaw clenched. Turning to Ritsuko he nodded, trying not to act strange as his housemate took his arm again and led him back out into the throng of students milling about the halls.