+++++ Marketplace, Azabu-Juban, Japan. (Saturday + 7)

Shinji's first destination for the day was the grocers that Makoto had taken him to. Choosing to try and complete unpleasant duties while his mind was still dealing with dark thoughts, he managed to find his way back with an uncanny familiarity that bothered him. When he reached the door, he held it open for a middle-aged woman that was approaching it from the other direction on the sidewalk. A quick, polite, bow, was rewarded in kind.

"Thank you, sir." Her smile carried none of the odd markers that confused him in the smiles from several of the women he'd been interacting with lately. She simply seemed genuinely pleased that someone was being polite, and nothing more. After she stepped inside, she paused long enough for him to enter as well. "It really is a shame that there are fewer and fewer men your age that remember their manners."

Fuck. He had a short moment of panic as he realized that he would have to be rude by not responding at all to her clear attempt at conversation.

Salvation, however, arrived shortly in the form of the shopkeeper he remembered. "Good morning! Welcome to our store!" Bustling over, she bowed a greeting to each customer, then focused on Shinji entirely. A series of gestures with her hands accompanied her words, "Thank you for coming back, Honored Sir."

Without warning, his own hands began to form similar gestures, communicating his thoughts, 'I wanted to…apologize. Wanted to inform you about Makoto-san.'

The shopkeep's cheer faded, replaced by a solemn sorrow. She turned to the woman he'd held the door for and explained tersely, "He's mute, and learning how to use sign language. He asked me to apologize to you if he seemed rude for not speaking."

"Oh, no, no." The woman's smile hadn't dimmed, her reply neither demeaning nor rushed, "It would have been my fault for not understanding. Please, sir, have a wonderful day."

Shinji ducked his head by way of farewell, and then looked back to the Kodama Shopkeeper in confusion. 'My hands…they move on their own?'

Herding him over to the door to the back of the store, she got them both out of sight of 'Normal People' before explaining herself, "The Foci," she took one of his hands, patting the sigil emblazoned on his palm, "they're responsible. Many young Elders couldn't speak without their emotions spilling out and destroying things. So, these helped them speak to people in society while learning to control their powers."

Oh. These really are a solution to a lot of my problems. Shaking off the matter for another time, he made use of the unexpected gift to further his day's goals. 'I am…sorry doesn't even begin to-'

"Shh, shh," the shopkeeper waved her hands, cutting him off. "It is not your fault. Word spread pretty quickly about what happened. About how you were trying to stop whatever possessed her from killing more people. She wouldn't have wanted to be allowed to be used like that. A quick, clean, death was far better than anything else you might have offered her at the time."

'I…I didn't know it was her.'

"No one could have." What he had believed would be accusation in her eyes was, instead, commiseration. Her voice remained pleasant, her tone soothing, and their destination turned out to be a makeshift altar to the young woman they had both lost. Gesturing to the picture of Makoto, taken with several of the store's employees laughing and cheering at some form of celebration, she continued to soothe his fears. "A warrior's life rarely ends in bed, surrounded by dear family and friends. She fought, and fought hard, against the evils of the world. You honor her by carrying her memory, by striving to be a part of the society she protected."

I carry more than just her memory…. Looking at the picture, at the way Makoto smiled, reminded him that he'd barely known her. She'd had a life beyond fighting, a life outside of the chaos of war. She had accepted him into her home, had pushed him to get him to view it as home. She had wanted, for him, what she herself had been given by the people around her. A life. 'I'm still sorry that I couldn't save her. Sorry that her life has ended. Sorry that….'

"You're sorry that you arrived at a time of significant change." She patted him on the back. "It is not your fault, Silent One. You will come to understand that, with time and distance. We Kodama live incredibly long lives, compared to our more 'human' allies. Our young often feel as you do, blaming themselves for living on as their childhood friends wither and die. It is unfair to compare a tree's life to a human's, in either direction."

His lips curled further towards a frown than was traditional for his normal resting appearance. Isn't that a good reason to not get involved? If I'm going to live forever, and they aren't…am I just causing myself more pain by growing close to them? Shaking off the thought, intending to pursue it further later when he wasn't being rude by just standing around like a lump, he began to ask a question that he was slow to realize might be rude, 'Do you happen to know where I can find a ce…dar….'

Her head tilted, her mind clearly rummaging through potential answers. If she took offense, as a tree-spirit being asked where he might find a piece of tree, she didn't show it. "I'm guessing you want to deliver a branch of cedar to that shrine maiden Makoto-chan hung out with. I think we have a shedding that might do well, give me just one minute." Leaving the room out the back door of the building, the matronly shopkeeper hurried away.

Caught flatfooted by her nonplussed behavior, Shinji could do nothing but stand there and wait while his potentially rude request was being considered and possibly filled. I really need to stop thinking that everyone around me is as human as they look. I'm standing here talking to her about how Kodama don't view life and death like humans do, I know that Kodama are tree spirits, and I still can't get my mind around the fact that asking a tree for a literal arm is probably…not the dumbest thing I've done, if I'm being honest. His lips curled off to one side, his brow furrowed. Maybe I don't actually use my brain after all.

"Uhm, excuse me," a vaguely familiar female voice drew Shinji's attention to the exit that his hostess had used, "Silent One?" Standing timidly, holding a long branch from a cedar tree, was Chihiro. The young woman who had become tongue-tied and skittish over his appearance in the shop with Makoto now continued to be bashful and hesitant to draw his attention to her.

I can't let her continue to see me as unapproachable. I'm never going to be able to develop friendships if everyone sees me as a hair's breadth from levelling Tokyo. Taking a deep breath, he forced his shoulders to relax and offered the young Kodama the same sad smile he gave himself in the mirror from time to time when he was trying to hide his pain. It wasn't the best smile, but it was the only smile he knew how to replicate with anything remotely close to 'natural motions'. His hands filled in for his thoughts, 'That looks like a very large branch. Is it for me?'

"It…uhm…." She nodded jerkily, creeping closer and offering it to him.

Before he set his hands out to accept it, he gestured his thanks and added, 'Chihiro-san, right?'

Her lips quivered between a smile and maintaining the death grip she had on her poise. "Y-you remembered my name."

Tucking the branch under his arm, he nodded. 'Yes. I thought the name fit you, when I heard it.' Another bracing breath, and he stepped back onto the topic that had brought him here. 'I am very sorry that I wasn't able to save your friend, Makoto-san. She really liked coming here to shop, and I think a lot of that was because she felt comfortable with the people who work here.'

"She w-was nice to me," Chihiro hesitated, "t-to…to everyone." Her hands worked against one another, her nerves flapping about. Starting out sotto voce and only becoming softer as she spoke, she asked something that clearly weighed on her thoughts, "Did…uhm…did y-you l-love her?"

His hesitation wasn't, as many would think it might have been, due to fear over hurting someone's feelings. Shinji simply did not have the emotional history required to truly know his own thoughts on the matter. He was attracted to Makoto, without question. He thought she would have been wonderful to spend time with, no doubt. But love? To his knowledge…he didn't love anyone, not even himself. 'I don't know how to answer that.' He shrugged his shoulders, the confusion written on his face. 'I thought very highly of her. I still do. But I can't say if that's love or not.'

"Nor should you." The shopkeeper had crept into the room, listening to the exchange and watching Shinji closely. "Love requires time. Confusing love and…other emotions," she changed what she had been about to say, "only results in heartache. You cared about her as a friend, you were taking your time in seeing if there might be more there. That time was stolen from you by terrible people that Reliqui is hunting down." Hugging Chihiro around the shoulders, she smiled at Shinji with trust and confidence. "Continue to remember her fondly, Silent One, but live your life. I know you'd ask her to do the same thing, if your places were reversed."

Honesty would ever be his burden, and so he answered with a simple, 'I'll try.'

+++++ Reliqui, Roppongi, Japan. (Saturday + 7)

"He's with the Kodama clan." The same young man who had shadowed Usagi to ensure her safety now reported what his people were telling him to Inari. "I didn't engage because if I was living through what he was? I'd want to get out and stretch my legs too. The three I have tailing him are good at what they do, they'll keep him out of trouble if things go sideways."

Inari sighed as she went over written reports regarding Elysium's movements of late. "He's a good young man…I just wish he was also a cautious young man."

He gave a darkly amused laugh. "That's a contradiction in terms, Denmother. Caution and young man do not go together well at all. We survive the mistakes we bring upon ourselves, or we do not." He weathered the rather significant glare Inari cast his way with ease. "If you would rather, you could always just marry him yourself. At least that way he'd never have a reason to go wandering about."

Muttering to herself, the Kitsune Matron growled out, "If he keeps it up, I just might."

+++++ Hikawa Shrine, Azabu-Juban, Japan. (Saturday + 7)

Shinji did not feel nearly as ridiculous as he'd feared he would, walking through the city streets with a branch from a cedar tree braced against his shoulder. People, by and large, simply ignored him or commented to their walking companions on his height and athletic frame. Some few asked each other if he might be a baseball player taking a piece of wood somewhere for a new bat, others wondering aloud if maybe he was paying a penance, and still others took one look and then conveniently found something else to admire well away from his general vicinity. Why don't I feel anxious?

When he reached the base of the steps leading up to the Shrine where Rei Hino served, he paused for a moment to remind himself that she could easily hear his thoughts. Schooling his mind away from anything except what he'd promised to do, he kept repeating the thought that he was only here to keep his word and nothing else. Each step up each stair, the same words in his mind. If the long raven-haired beauty could hear his thoughts, she would have no choice but to accept his intentions as pure.

"Ah, hello young man." The wizened voice of the grandfather he'd met here at the Shrine his first day in town greeted him from an alcove off to the side of the steps. The old man was cleaning off one of the stone lanterns, using soapy water and a soft brush to avoid scoring the surface. "I see you're back to try appealing to Rei-chan." When Shinji shook his head, waving with his free hand to negate the possibility, the grandfather laughed gently. "I know, I know. It's not the time to try yet. She just lost a comrade, though she won't talk to me about it. Hopefully you can get her to open up some. The cedar was a good idea, it's her favorite wood to make things from." A soft smile met Shinji's look of confused worry. "Just make sure you keep your work clothes available, in case she's in a foul mood. You look flammable."

Shinji wasn't quite ready for the jovial laugh and dismissive wave sending him on up the stairs, but he wasted no time in leaving the encounter he was not quite ready to have. He knows?! Minako-san said that they were keeping things from him, didn't she? Too busy ruminating in his own mind, he missed the woman he'd come to see standing off to the side at the top of the stairs, waiting for him. I…I just need to hand this over, and then-

"Shinji?" Rei wasn't quite ready to see the young man jump straight up, startled. After he spun about and saw her looking at him in concern, he then shoved the branch towards her in a rush to leave. Gripping both branch and his hands, she urged him to slow down, "Steady. You're fine. I'm not upset that you're here, ok? I can't make heads or tails of your thoughts right now, what's wrong? Is someone under attack?"

The gentle, reassuring, tone she was using did not fit at all with the woman he remembered from even the day before. H-Hino-san?

"I've taken some medication." Piecing together bits of his thoughts, she nodded to what seemed to be the biggest problem. "I can't go around weeping and fulfill my duties here. It's numbed the pain enough that I can get through the day." Taking the branch from him, and looping her other arm around his, she encouraged him physically to move over to a nearby bench to sit with her.

Having no choice but to either rip himself free and flee, or accept that he was going to be detained, he made the choice that would lead to the least amount of immediate conflict. I-I'm sorry. Sitting heavily as he was nearly shoved onto the bench, he set his thumbs to worrying at his hands. I…I just….

"Had no control over the situation." Seating herself with far more grace than she had him, Rei set the branch across both of their laps to further insist that he not immediately unass her area. "None of us did. Her death is not your responsibility, despite your very valid emotional thoughts that it must be. That is grief speaking, a grief you know I share." Feeling along the length of wood, her face began to display those tiny emotional variances that spoke of a public mask hiding much deeper pain.

I…do blame myself. Leaning back against the wall behind the bench, he set his eyes to scanning the skies. If I had worked harder back in my world, I wouldn't have become trapped by the Angel. I wouldn't have come here. Maybe that means the Angels wouldn't have either.

"Or maybe it means another Shinji Ikari does." With deft motions, she pulled out a scrimshaw knife and tested the cedar branch. "Maybe that Shinji Ikari isn't so dedicated to doing the right thing. Maybe he's an animal. Maybe he's an emotionally dead mockery of humanity. Maybe he's just insane." Her hair cascaded off her shoulder as she looked to him meaningfully. "What happened, happened. We can't reset time; we can't undo it. You and I? We have to live with this burden for the rest of our lives. We have to make the best of what is upon us." Shifting both knife and branch to rest in the same hand, she gripped his shoulder and gave him comfort. "That blonde psychopath we're both worried about was right about one thing…you're not a bad man. Thank you for coming here today, thank you for being a good enough man to feel burdened by a meaningless death. In another few days, we'll talk again. I'll be calmer, and not drugged. You'll be…who you are." Lifting the obstruction free, she waggled it slightly indicating he could leave now. "I'll give you a talisman from this branch. Something…something to help protect you."

Standing slowly, so as not to potentially hurt the Shrine Maiden, Shinji bowed once more before departing. I really am sorry. For not being able to save her…if nothing else.

Her eyes moistened, her sorrow threatening the pharmaceutically aided control over her external emotional displays. "And I am sorry that our first interaction was combative. I should have…had better manners. Be well, Shinji-kun."

+++++ Akagi-Ikari Apartment, Hiro-o, Japan. (Saturday + 7)

Ritsuko sighed in irritation after having read for a third time the note Shinji had left her after retiring to the comfort of her own room. The Mujina had long since done their duties, and now not only was the apartment itself better fortified, the entire building was more stable and secure. She wasn't a fan of the now conjoining walls between their apartment and the apartment the two Sailors shared, but she did recognize that the youkai had a reasonable point that it was far better for them to have a door into the apartment than to have them simply kick the door down every time something happened. "What is it you want from people, my newest friend? Love? Affection? …Or just to be left alone?"

Tucking the note into her memory album, she closed the large tome and set it aside for later organization. The next portion of her morning was taken over by trying on, once again, each of the freshly altered dresses that she could choose for the night's 'date'. There was a not inconsiderable part of her that wanted to just choose the most salacious dress to see what reaction it would provoke from Shinji, which was bolstered by the fact that the dress itself was beyond comfortable to wear. Turning this way and that, she admired herself in the mirror that dominated one wall of her bedroom. "Hot damn, I'd absolutely do me." Sticking out her leg and pointing her toes to see how much range of motion it allowed, she was impressed that it flexed without tearing, and then returned to its original shape without wrinkling. "…I wonder how much she charges?"

The calm piano notes that indicated someone at her door caused another flash of irritation. "I swear, I ask for one day to be a normal woman, and everyone and their fifth cousin has to come bug me!" Snatching a house robe from the nearby wardrobe, she threw it on to cover over a dress she wasn't positive she wanted to be seen wearing in public yet. "Urrrrrgh, I'm going to get him home, I'm going to kiss him just to spite this damn day, and then we're going to go on a dinner date that knocks his socks off." Gripping the handle to the door, she schooled her expression towards bored impartiality and slid it open, then reassessed all of her priorities at that moment.

"Hello, dear." Naoko Akagi, clearly fresh off of an airplane and carrying her luggage, now stood in the doorway. "Would you mind terribly having a chat?"

+++++ Hiro-o, Japan. (Saturday + 7)

There were a number of 'classical' things that Shinji was fairly well-versed in. One of the strangest, according to most anyone who discovered this fact, was that he knew 'the language of flowers'. Working with the vendor to put together a makeshift bouquet, he carefully selected anemone, bluebell, and daffodils. She might not 'get' his message, but she would at least appreciate the presentation of the colors themselves.

"Got your eye on someone special but can't quite admit it yet, eh?" The kindly florist had an easygoing manner about himself. "Sincerity, Gratitude, and Respect. You don't look like the kind of guy who has to buy his way out of the doghouse, and I don't see a ring on your finger."

Using his blackboard, not expecting that the man would know sign, he wrote out an evasive, 'She's above my reach.'

"Aww, now. No woman is above a man's reach, lad. Not if he's willing to put in the honest work needed." Putting the finishing touches on the ribbons that kept the bouquet together, he switched to 'fatherly advisor'. "Just like no man is above a woman's. There's an ocean between us and them, sure, but if they're willing to swim across the top to meet you halfway? You just remember that you're worth swimming for and show her as much by swimming the other half. The rest will work itself out."

The advice was not meaningless, nor was it poorly received. Is that what an actual father would tell me? Shinji pulled out enough to cover the flowers, according to the prices listed on the buckets, and additional funds to provide a substantial tip to the self-employed florist. If the man was going to be cordial, and capable of giving good advice, it wouldn't hurt to show him that the relationship could be mutually beneficial.

Blinking with surprise at the amount offered, he motioned that he couldn't accept that much. "Oh, no, no. You need that to spend on the lady, son."

Balancing money, flowers, and blackboard, Shinji added to the previous statement, 'I have more than enough. The extra is in case I need more flowers/advice later.'

The man chewed on his toothpick for a span of heartbeats, then nodded slowly. "Fair enough. You come back again, and I'll make sure I have something suitable for either an apology or a celebration. You just make sure you take a swing at the pitch she throws you, yeah?"

…It's a fair trade. He nodded firmly, accepting the deal. The man was honest, clearly having no interest in cheating anyone out of anything. Payment rendered, board back in bag, Shinji bowed a farewell and moved off sharply to return back to the apartment. It had been several hours, and from what he could see of the sun he made a guess that it was just past midway through the day, and he'd easily meet his stated time of return.

Walking with the flow of traffic, both pedestrian and wheeled, he again marveled that he wasn't having a massive panic attack at the press of the crowds. The Foci on his hands were obviously the culprit, but they weren't nearly as 'immediate' as the Kitsune's song. That shut off his emotions, put them on the other side of a window that he couldn't break without considerable energy. The Foci, instead, muted the highs and lows enough that he was able to remind himself that he wasn't in danger. It was pleasant, being around people without constantly assuming the worst. Jarring, but pleasant.

The last turn towards the apartments gave rise to a view of an overly familiar sight that belonged in a much different world. Two 'non-descript', which simply meant that they stuck out like a badger in an egg salad, black sedans parked with two wheels up on the sidewalk. The same general type of sedans that would be used by Section Two in his home reality. Sedans marked with 'GEHIRN' in blocky Western lettering on the license plates.

Gehirn. Several things found their proper place in his mind, with the breadcrumbs now laid before him. Gehirn means 'brain'. Ritsuko told me that the UN wanted her to work for some 'brain' organization yesterday…. Misato told me she met Ritsuko during their time going to a Gehirn-backed university. That…that was how they both got jobs working for Nerv. Gehirn…Gehirn had to be involved in studying the Evas. The Magi! The Magi were developed by Gehirn! Ritsuko told Misato that the Magi were based on her mother's personality. She told us that was why Ritsuko was able to beat that Angel, because she knew her mother's way of thinking. If Gehirn was Nerv's predecessor…no.

Suppressing the urge to run towards the building, knowing that the Section Two-esque hired muscle in the cars would see that as out of the ordinary, Shinji still moved with a greater purpose. He would not allow Ritsuko to get involved. Nothing good could come from being involved in Nerv. Jogging up the steps to the main entrance, his hopes for easy access died as two men in the traditional 'we're just normal businessmen' suits took note of him and gestured for him to stop and identify himself.

"Excuse me, sir," the shorter one blocked any further progress physically, "do you live here?"

Shinji hesitated to do anything, knowing the potential consequences. If I go for my blackboard, they're going to think I have a weapon. Section Two was always really…twitchy.

Taking his normal frown for irritation and his silence as a natural reaction to being challenged, the man provided a brief explanation of their presence. "Out of the ordinary, I know. We have a VIP that is visiting a resident. We're only allowing residents to enter for the moment, so if you could identify which apartment you live in, Mister…?"

"Oh, Shinji baby," Haruka's voice came from behind him with a sultry pout, drawing everyone's attention, "you…aww…." Plucking the bouquet from his grasp, she fussed over the scent visibly. The person most shocked of all of them was Shinji himself, as the tall blonde was wearing a sundress that changed her from androgynous to intensely effeminate. "You know that when I make a mistake, it's ok to let me suffer for it, right? I'm supposed to apologize to you for ruining the moment." Casting a playful smile to the guards, she wrapped one arm around Shinji's elbow and leaned into him. "I was a bad girl and made him think that he was a burden. Poor word choice, really. Would you mind terribly letting us up to my apartment so I can show him that I'm really a very, very, good girl?" Shifting her posture just enough to press her lips on the corner of Shinji's mouth, she winked at him before returning to her string of half-truths. "Haruka Tenou, Ninth floor."

The bigger man in the back was doing a poor job of hiding amusement as he checked a printed piece of paper. "She's on the roster."

Standing aside, with a smirk of his own, the shorter man gestured towards the door into the building. "Please. Enjoy the rest of your afternoon."

Punching in the code for the door and pulling Shinji into the building, Haruka kept up the ruse until they were safely inside the elevator and heading up. Once inside, she returned the flowers, stepped apart from him, and let her head fall forward, her emotions moving from flirtatious to embarrassed. "I am incredibly sorry, Shinji. I have a bad habit of playing rough with people who project vulnerability, and I really was just trying to-"

He couldn't speak, and so he couldn't interrupt to tell her that all was forgiven. If for no other reason than that she got me past the doors, I'm forgiving her for everything! Taking a risk, he stepped back against her and hugged her as tight as he could while not crumpling flowers, females, or fashion.

She was surprised, and a little startled, but was quick to return the hug with as much warmth as she could. "Thanks. I promise I'll try to keep it in check. It's a bad habit, and it just got me an ass chewing from Akagi-san and Michi-chan." When he stepped back, the elevator reaching the seventh floor, her smile was once again full of confidence. "Really, thank you for being a good person."

Both made sure they were ready for anything by the time the last floor was reached. Shinji would have felt bad about the flowers being damaged, but flowers were nothing when weighed against Ritsuko's life. The elevator doors opened, and both warriors checked the hallway from corner to corner before stepping out. Odd, he thought, there's no one guarding the hall.

"That's really weird." Haruka placed a hand on his back, to inform him where she was as they moved cautiously forward. "Normally if they're going to guard the front door, you'd think they'd be guarding the floor where the person was visiting."

Her summation of his own thoughts eased his mind, because if she was aware of the oddity as well, she was clearly worth having on his six. A quick visual scan revealed nothing, largely owing to the Mujina's efforts at reinforcing everything they could lay their claws on. It wouldn't be impossible for a new miniature camera or microphone to be implanted anywhere and still disguise it as 'new construction'. If they soundproofed everything, we might not be able to hear someone attacking Ritsuko. Damn it.

"Ok. You go ahead and knock, I'll hurry to the other door that leads between our apartments now." Haruka's voice was a mere whisper as she kept her mouth close to his ear. "If things are bad, unleash on them. I'll come in and back your play. That door isn't as tightly soundproofed, so I'll hear a tussle." When he turned his head to look at her and acknowledge her statement, she gave him another kiss, this time directly on his lips before pulling back and winking playfully. "Be careful, ok? I hear you're a monster in a fight, but we don't draw featherweights at our ranking. You've got backup, utilize it."

You are the most confusing woman I've ever met. He nodded, accepting her admonition as well-intentioned. I think I'm including Misato, Asuka, and Rei in that too. Waiting for her to hurry into her apartment, wondering how it was that she knew he was downstairs, he shook off the distractions and focused on the mission. If Ritsuko was in trouble, he doubted the Foci would stop what happened next. One slow breath in, and a slower exhale, and he knocked.

A span of heartbeats that felt far too distant from one another, and the door opened just enough for Ritsuko to poke her head out. Her eyes told a much different story than her voice, both confusing and worrying the man she attempted to direct, "Oh, hey! I'm sorry, but I just got an unexpected visitor. I know we had a thing for this afternoon, but I-"

"Oh pshaw," an unidentified female voice, sounding vaguely similar to Ritsuko's, declared from within the room, "if you had a date, you should have told me! Invite them in, I want to meet them." Ritsuko's eyes clenched. "Now, now, I won't embarrass you or anything. I know I haven't spent the time to be a proper mother, and you're all grown up now, but at least let me see them."

In a clear last-ditch effort, she gamely responded, "Mother, I'm wearing my house robe. It's not exactly suitable for-"

"Then I'll entertain them while you go get dressed." The voice grew closer, a few sharp claps clearly indicating that obedience was expected. "I'm sure that," finally breaking the barricade that was her daughter, the elder Akagi caught sight of Shinji and froze for a long second. When she spoke again, even the thin veneer of polite deference was gone, "Dear, please go get dressed."

There was an apology in Ritsuko's eyes as she set the door to nearly closed to cover her retreat to the bedroom. Shinji himself was apologetic that he'd possibly caused more problems by worrying than he might have caused had he kept to himself for the afternoon. The decision to engage, or not engage, however was one he would have made the same way if given the opportunity again. Ritsuko's safety was non-negotiable, no matter how embarrassing and embarrassed he might prove to be.

After a few seconds, the door swung slowly open, her mother motioning for him to come inside. "Please, come in. I'm terribly sorry that my daughter seems to have forgotten any semblance of manners." Her eyes scanned him from shoes to hair, and hesitated twice, once on the flowers, and once on his eyes. "Very thoughtful of you to bring flowers for her. I'm glad that her suitor was raised properly." She set her hands out. "Might I see them?"

If I talk here, I'm going to screw everything up. If I ever meet her outside of the apartment, she'll think I'm insane…or know something's wrong. Presenting them politely, he realized his mistake as soon as she took note of the Foci. FUCK.

"Interesting." Whether she was intentionally ignoring the marks she'd clearly seen or was playing a game that he wouldn't be able to keep up with was known only to her. "Anemone Narcissifolia, Hyacinthoides non-scripta, and Narcissus triandrus. Either you're fond of irony, or irony is fond of you." The flowers were gently deposited on the nearby dining room table, her eyes never leaving him. "I'm not entirely certain of your intentions with my daughter. I also understand that there is little that I could do to stop you…alone. My hope is that you are not someone with a penchant for unnecessary violence?" Seeing the worry that Shinji couldn't hide with the lights out and a full body covering, she sighed and shook her head. "Anemone narcissifolia, also known as Anemone narcissiflora. There is some debate regarding both the taxonomy and cultivars. It's a flower that is torn between two cultures, each who has a different name for the same thing. Hyacinthoides non-scripta, also known as Endymion non-scripta. A subtle reference to your nature as a hyacinthum exemplaris, or 'pattern blue', and your particular divide between both the Elysian culture and the Youkai culture. Narcissus triandrus, 'Angel's Tears'. I don't believe you require much by way of explanation for that last one. You have, after all, killed at least three of them."

He felt the gauntlet of his right hand, the bracer on that forearm, slide into place. It was an oddity, the bits of armor solidifying while the whole remained hidden. It was also a massive problem. The woman before him knew of the Angels. She knew about Pattern Blue. She knew about Elysium, about the Youkai, and now she knew about him. There were no good plays to make, but he did not want to engage in violence…which confused him as to why his armor was begging to be released. Stop. Frowning down at the hand, he refrained from balling it into a fist. Go away. I don't need to hurt anyone.

"Fascinating…." No longer afraid, if she ever had been, she stepped into his personal space and lifted up the gauntleted hand to inspect it. "You…are not a species we have on record." Her touch was probing, but very gentle. Nothing she did implied a threat, or even ill-will. Instead, curiosity was the main component driving everything. Feeling around the divide between Eva and Elbow, she looked up at him with a light smile. "This does explain a great deal. You're not actually a Blue, are you?"

He wanted to ask her a million questions, to ask her what she was doing risking the world, but instead he failed to catch himself before he shook his head, answering her question.

"A fusion. A combination, somehow, between…three at least." Letting his arm go, she placed both hands on his chest, feeling his musculature and bone structure. "Dense, but still elastic." Her hands began to caress down along his sides, her fingers making a light grasping motion. "Mmm…you clearly are a superior-"

"Mother, knowing Shinji as I do, I sorely doubt he's suddenly prone to bouts of intimacy with women he just met." Ritsuko stood, fists on hips, one foot cocked out to the side, anger clearly in her eyes, at the entrance to the main living area. "What on Earth do you think you are doing?!" Having changed into some house pants and a loose blouse, she did not give off the air of someone who was interested in hosting family.

"Admiring the presentation of the first Angel-Youkai-Human hybrid I've ever seen." Without stopping what she was doing, she looked back over her shoulder to her daughter. "He brought you some lovely flowers."

Shinji kept his hands slightly out to the sides, well away from where they might accidentally touch anything inappropriate. Catching Ritsuko's eyes, he shook his head. This just got a lot more complicated. Risking making anyone angry right now wouldn't-

"Either you stop touching him, or you find out how well I paid attention in Aikido." Ritsuko's voice left no doubt as to her sincerity. "Three."

Naoko looked back at Shinji and rolled her eyes. "Daughters." Retracting her hands, she turned around without moving away from him to face her daughter. "Child, knowing you as I do, I sorely doubt you're suddenly prone to desiring any intimacy with anyone. You are twenty one, almost twenty two, and yet I have not received a single report of a single date, tryst, or quick stop in a closet! For all I know, he could be trying to court an animate mannequin. If you're not going to try to entice data out of the greatest scientific discovery in history, I most certainly will."

"I'm terribly sorry that I have higher standards than a few cheap drinks and a love hotel!" Changing the target of her attention to Shinji, she motioned with one hand and seamlessly switched her tone to comforting, "It's ok, Shinji. You can come over here without setting off the walking STD repository."

Amusement permeated her defensive retort, "I may be guilty of many things, dear, but I have never once tested positive for diseases. With the HIV virus battering the United States, I am most certainly not going to cut my life short for a few minutes of mildly interesting exercise." Before Shinji could move, she pulled both of his hands down and wrapped them around her midsection, stepping backwards so that she was pressing firmly against him. "As I said, if you aren't going to take advantage of the opportunity, I will."

Both of Shinji's arms were now encased in Unit-01 up to the shoulders, each vibrating with some sort of unnamed desire. Stop. I am not going to hurt her! His heart was pounding, his jaw clenched, everything he had was dedicated to stopping himself from ripping the woman before him in half. Murder is not the answer here!

"What do you actually want?" Concern now entered Ritsuko's tone. She knew what Shinji was capable of, what her mother was flirting with. If she couldn't stop things from devolving further, it would be more than the evening that was ruined.

"Him…." She paused just long enough for the innuendo to no longer be subtle. "And you, on that lovely little trip with me." Amusement faded to determination. "We are going to be engaging in scientific research that might only be topped by determining whatever this charming young man is. This will change the world. It will change mankind's destiny. I know of, off the top of my head, four people on this planet that stand a chance at helping me unravel the mysteries of our past. That can help prepare us for what's upon us and what's yet to come. Two of those four are in this room. A few tests, some samples taken, nothing worth fussing over. You and he agree to my terms, and I will swear on whatever you choose that nobody else will hear about his…specialties."

Ritsuko was watching as Shinji's legs were slowly subsumed by Unit-01. The look of agonizing concentration on his face made it rather clear that he wasn't going to be deciding anything for himself at the moment, that somehow he was fighting against an impulse that would not end well for anyone in the nearby vicinity. "Fine." Moving closer, quickly, she made shooing motions to get her mother away from him. "I just want you to recognize that if you out him, there is not a force on this Earth that can stop him from redressing his grievance against you in whatever form he chooses."

"I'm sure I can convince him to keep me around for a few reasons." Stepping free with a shrug, Naoko walked over to her luggage, picking it back up. "I'll send you the itinerary. Make sure to keep your schedules free of major commitments, and," she turned and gave Shinji a 'come hither' smile, "keep your mind open to the possibilities of pleasant cooperation."

Despite Ritsuko gently smoothing her hands over his torso, Shinji remained a statue until the door closed behind Naoko. He could hardly breathe, his limbs ached, the Foci were burning hot, but nothing was going to move until he was positive that it was no longer covered by Unit-01. I don't hate her. I don't even know her! Why was I feeling like I wanted to paint the walls with her blood?!

"I am so sorry," Ritsuko kept her tone low and soothing, genuine shame coloring everything, "she is an aggressively forward woman when she finds something she wants. I know that you've been abused in the past, and I'm beyond sorry that this happened here. You should be safe here, you should-"

Unit-01 finally reverted back to its dormant state, allowing Shinji to collapse against the woman blaming herself for his failures. On his knees, his head shaking violently as he tried to make sense of the latest stumbling block in his life, he fought to both speak and breathe at the same time, "N-n-no. No. My. My f-f-fault." He wanted, desperately needed, to reach up and take Ritsuko's hands, to beg forgiveness for nearly killing her mother, for exposing everything, but he refrained and kept them braced on the ground in case they still refused to listen to him. "C-couldn't-"

Interrupting him with her new favorite method of simply sitting on him, Ritsuko straddled his legs and hugged him tight, burying her forehead in the crook of his neck. "Stop it!" Anger had grown as she watched him internalize everything, and now she would let him know how she actually felt about everything instead of insinuating. "She used you as leverage to get me to do what she wanted. She showed up out of the blue to argue with me because the representatives from Gehirn failed to convince me. She propositioned you to get what she wanted. You just continue to get your well-cared for teeth kicked in despite everything I'm trying to do to convince you to stay!" She had a firm grip on his shirt, both sets of fingers clutching the fabric. "I should have just given you the go-ahead to slap her."

The barrage of information forced his mental paradigm to shift course, which allowed the Foci to continue to do their job. Relaxing over several seconds, he took a chance and wrapped his arms around the woman on his lap, holding her without grasping at her. "I…uhm, I probably would have wound up taking most of her upper torso off. I'm still not very good at controlling Unit-01 when I'm too angry."

"Bitch would have deserved it," shifting her hands to his arms, she encouraged him to hold her as she sat back to look at him face to face, "ruining my plans for today."

The last thing Shinji wanted to do was something that would hurt another woman today. He'd done far too much of that of late, and the whole purpose of the flowers was as an apology. "W-we can still do what you wanted," he tried to smile gamely, "we're…uhm, we're already stuck in the situation. Might as well live our lives. Isn't that what you said?"

Ritsuko's lips curled into a slightly mischievous smile. "Are you sure?" She was honestly proud of him for taking one hell of a punch on the jaw and recovering as quickly as he had. "You're willing to do what I wanted?" When he agreed with an eager nod, clearly pleased that she wasn't down in the dumps anymore and obviously misreading her smile, she almost felt sympathy for him. Bucking forward and knocking him backwards onto his spine, she put her entire heart into a kiss that showed both his and her mutual lack of serious experience in the art. Despite said experience, however, there was true enthusiasm on her side and growing enthusiasm on his.

Shinji's mind, at first, rebelled against the thought of kissing her. That thought was quickly banjaxed by the wave of pleasure the kissing was producing. A soft, feminine, scent provided accompaniment to a soft, feminine, figure pressing against him in a much different manner than the one that had just occupied his personal space. The rebound thought after acceptance was that he shouldn't respond so positively after having nearly done what he narrowly avoided doing, which also fell victim to the fact that what he was now doing was easily the most pleasant thing he could remember at the moment. It was so entirely different than the aborted strangeness with Asuka, or the rushed hurriedness of Maria's, that his frame of reference simply couldn't begin to compare anything rationally. Before he knew what he was doing, his hands gripped her waist and tugged her physically closer to him.

That act was exactly what she had been waiting for. Applying what referential knowledge she had gained over the years, watching various movies, shows, and documentaries, she began subtly rolling her body against him as if she were in the pool while mussing his hair with her fingers. Sure, this was a lot faster than she had wanted to move, but if the world wasn't going to slow the fuck down and let Ritsuko Akagi do things properly, Ritsuko Akagi was going to show the damn world where it could get off! The man beneath her was pleasant, adorable, paid good attention to hygiene, was physically fit, and despite some curious methods of gaining knowledge was clearly capable of becoming a peer intellectually. If they fit together she wouldn't lose any sleep over the haste of things, to say the least.

For Shinji, this was a sensory feast that was actively pruning off any active processes his brain might have thought to run. Anxiety? Process terminated. Anger? Process terminated. Acknowledgement of consequences of proceeding? Process terminated. Recognition that he had three passengers in his soul that may or may not be aware of what he was doing? That process managed to cause him to slow down considerably, changing his hands from pulling her closer to gently urging her back. Once their lips parted, for the first time in around ten minutes, he could only stammer out, "W-w-w-we-"

"Have a dinner date, yeah." Misreading his hesitation as caution, and not concern, she slowly lifted her upper torso while maintaining firm contact with the lower portions of her anatomy. Managing a very sultry appeal despite no experience in exuding one, she casually made to fix her hair and smiled seductively down at him. "So…that was a nice first effort, yes?"

Somehow, and Shinji would never know how, his mind managed to convince him to shut up about what had actually stopped him before he nuked the moment from orbit. "Y-y-you…uhm…wow." His lack of eloquence inspired increased confidence in the woman atop him, and confusion in his own heart.

"I told myself that, just to spite this day if nothing else, I would give you a kiss when you came back." Leaving her hair artfully mussed, she pat-patted his abs with a hopeful grin. "I really hadn't intended on more than just a quick kiss. Something like the one I gave you when I thanked you for not letting me suffocate from my own stupidity back at NHK." The deep breath she took to settle her own nerves had the paired benefit of unsettling his nerves as he remembered that the woman atop him was fantastically endowed. "The moment kind of ran away from me." Aware of how her motions were interesting him despite himself, she inwardly cheered. "I'm glad you enjoyed it."

The phone ringing saved him from having to stumble through any other minefields, although the display of her sudden irritation striking him as an almost physically palpable wave did cause him to freeze up. Offering what help he could in moving her to a standing position, he earned another heartbreakingly warm smile, returning her to the pleased state she'd been in. "S-sorry."

Sticking her tongue out teasingly, she playfully bapped him with the back of her knuckles as he gained his own feet and moved to answer the phone. "I'm going to help you lose that bad habit." With an intentional sway to her hips, she let him admire the view from behind as she moved to pick up the phone. "Hello, Akagi-Ikari residence."

Ok. Confusing signals. Shinji, unaware of the other end of the phone conversation, had a quick mental chat with anyone that could hear him. Unit-01 was angry…or…maybe mom was angry? But why would she then encourage me with…it wasn't her. Makoto and Hygieia? Why would they….

"No, no, that's fine. Great, actually." Whatever it was she was discussing it had restored her good mood.

Do they know what's happening? They told me I was in control. Logically, that would mean that they weren't. Which means that when Unit-01 comes out, it's because I've lost control and…. Now it was his turn to be angry. The woman who birthed him, the woman who disappeared one day inside of Unit-01, was now actively trying to commandeer his body to make him…. She hates Hino-san. Whenever anyone else uses their magic, Unit-01 gains power. Because I'm still controlling things, thinking through and fighting, I gain those powers. Whatever it is that Hino-san gives me, she doesn't like…or Unit-01 itself doesn't like. That was what was happening with Ritsuko's mother. I need more data. Any further internal calculations were shoved off to the side as a brunette with bright green eyes obscured his vision of anything but her presence with another lingering kiss.

Breaking her 'attack' off after several pleasurable seconds, Ritsuko gave him an eager grin. "So, we're going to be riding in a limousine tonight to the restaurant. The driver will be here just after sundown, and she'll make sure to send up someone to get us." Toying with his shirt, she giggled girlishly, "As it turns out, the government of Japan believes that you are the same age as me…so we'll be given some champagne to enjoy as we take a scenic route home." Her joy waned a touch as his brow knit, his eyes turning towards the patio. "Shinji?"

This time, no force stopped him from speaking his mind, "Sorry…I'm…."

"I thought…don't you want to go on our date?" Realizing that she very well might have been misreading everything, she purposefully moved so that she was in his line of sight. "You really need to tell me if I'm overstepping-"

"I'm scared." Admitting that fact was probably the hardest thing he'd done that day. Putting his burden on someone else's shoulders, opening himself up for criticism, allowing ridicule of everything he thought, all took a level of trust that he simply didn't have.

Now with more data of her own to work with, the polymath began to piece things together on her own. Turning off her burgeoning libido and accepting that the wonderful man she'd just thrown herself at was also someone who would need a great deal of care and comfort, she put back on her best smile. "And that's ok." Hooking her arm in his, she guided him over to the couch, set him down, and then dropped onto his lap. Leaning against him, under his shoulder, she took his other hand and set it in her own lap to toy with as she talked. "Fear, or anxiety, are not things to be completely shunned. I came at you with something unexpected, and I'm going to guess that it was welcomed to a large degree. But it was still unexpected. You have a lot of things going on, in your mind, in your heart, and in the world around us. You're worried that you'll mess up. You're worried that you'll lose control. You're worried that you'll say something, or do something, and it's going to blow everything up again." Dancing two of his fingers along her thigh, she tilted her head and asked, "Am I close?"

He nodded, once again thrilled that Ritsuko Akagi was an unreasonably brilliant woman. "What if I screw up? What if I hurt you? What if I say something wrong, and…and I've…taken…."

"Accepted," she corrected him firmly. "If we decide to do something, tonight or any other night, it will be we who decide to do something. Which means you, just as much as I, can say yes or no as we feel appropriate." Patting his hand, she cupped it around her leg, thrilling in his touch. "If we sleep together, if we make out for hours, even if we just get naked and fail to get anywhere because of awkwardness, the first and most important thing you have to remember is that we are friends. Dating, lovers, husband and wife, whatever might come of things, we're friends first and foremost. If we don't work out, and we've slept together, all that means is that we know each other far better than your average friends. I promise," taking his hand and moving it up to her heart, and consequently her breast, she pressed it against her there too, "I will always listen to your reasons for whatever you do. I may be angry, because I'm scared, or because I didn't understand, or because you genuinely did something hurtful…but I'll always listen, and we will work on any forgiveness necessary."

Before he could open his mouth again, that same gentle pressure from moments before in his mind prevented him from speaking the rest of his concerns. It was becoming increasingly obvious that at least one of the women in his soul was not only unopposed to him seeking out physical affection but was actively encouraging it. Still, honor was something that he had grown to admire in others, and he would not lack it in himself if he could help it. "What…what about my mother? What about Hygieia-san and Makoto-san?"

Continuing her streak of insight, Ritsuko patted his chest comfortingly. "I hope that they're either unable to directly see or experience whatever we do, or that they're comfortable enough in themselves to understand that you deserve physical intimacy despite their presence. If we can find a way to…and I really can't believe I'm seriously putting mental energy towards trying to determine the impossible, if we can find a way to separate their souls from you, I'll apologize to them for making things awkward. I am not, in any way, shape, or form, going to let the vagaries of life keep me from showing you that I can be every bit as fun to be with as those magical girls." Twisting her body a bit to free her hands, she grinned up at him and gave herself 'cat ears' with them. "I can even cosplay as a nekomaid if you're into that."

His cheeks lit aflame as he imagined her with a cat's tail and ears in a maid costume. The rush of libidinous desire that came along with the illicit thoughts caused him to turn his eyes aside in an attempt to hide. I wish I was as confident as her. The internal remonstration was made more difficult by whatever it was inside of him encouraging him to make a move. I wish there was a way to talk to them….

+++++ Kaiou/Tenou apartment, Hiro-o, Japan. (Saturday + 7)

Michiru watched Haruka listening at the door they now shared with the dear young man that was rapidly becoming a dear friend. Whatever it was the Sailor for Uranus was doing, it was causing her to giggle and snigger like she as a woman ten years younger. "My love," the first two words, given in a tone of reproach, triggered the other woman to jump back from the door, "why are you listening at keyholes?"

There could be no doubt that she'd been caught in the act, and so she decided to simply own her actions with bravado instead of acting chastened. "I am silently cheering our new comrade as he moves closer to the world of dating." Clapping quietly, she bounced with joy. "The Doc is giving him a whole host of good reasons to not be so stuffy."

The news was not as well received as some might have hoped. "Is she also addressing the fact that he has Jupiter in his spirit? That his mother is there?"

"My presumption would be," Setsuna Meiou, the Sailor for Pluto, joined the other two in the conversation, "that she would not be as concerned about the feelings or desires of those within poor Shinji." Having come over to discuss how best to keep an eye on the Pilot of Unit-01 while also continuing the investigations needed, she wasn't terribly amused that the conversation had already been sidetracked by her employer's repressed libido finally awakening. "In his home reality she was vacuum sealed to his father every chance she could get. Powerful, vulnerable, men are the closest thing to a kink she has."

"Setsuna," Michiru purposefully did not look back at the long-haired beauty, "jealousy does not suit you. If you cannot control it, then we will not be able to include you in his surveillance."

Haruka agreed with her lover, "I don't remember anything, so I'm not sure what you're feeling jealous over, but the two make a good couple so far. She's going to push him to not be such a stick in the mud, he's going to dedicate his life to-"

"Haru-chan," she interrupted with a simple gesture, "when you remember what I do, you will know how close you just came to being incredibly rude. We've been given a chance to improve several lives, and Setsuna is fully capable of acting as she ought to. I did not admonish her to not attempt to draw his eye, I asked her to not ruin things with jealousy. He does not remember much of anything and is unlikely to regain even a fraction of those memories we will. He is not yet 'with' anyone, and proximity does not give Ritsuko a higher claim to him or his time."

"It's fine. He isn't the type of man to be controlled by his hormones, no matter what women throw at him." Setsuna took a deep breath, then shrugged and clasped her hands together to stop herself from yanking on her own hair in frustration. "I'll have plenty of time on the upcoming excursion to present my own case."

"Wait, wait," Haruka tilted her head in confusion, "you had…have…whatever, you and him?"

Michiru's tone became frosty, "Haru-chan, I meant-"

"It's ok," Setsuna sighed out. "She's not the type of person to let something like this slide for long." Moving to the nearby guest chair, she sat heavily upon it and prepared to hurt anew. "If I could bother you for some tea, Michiru, that would be lovely."

The Sailor for Neptune's tone didn't match the cold glare she gave to Haruka, "Of course, dear. Please, don't push yourself."

"As you will." Waiting until one of her hostesses was out of the room, the other standing nearby the couch with honest concern in her bearing, the long-haired Sailor of Pluto spent a moment gathering her thoughts before beginning. "In a future that very few will ever remember, there was a…Small Lady. She was the daughter of Queen Serenity and King Endymion." A sharp gesture cut off the other woman's interruption before it began. "I am speaking." Anger, honest and heartfelt, grew in her thoughts. "That future ceased to exist, as did many others, when a contraction of realities occurred. This contraction, for lack of a better phrase, pruned futures and pasts alike down to one single existence. This Small Lady, a dear, dear, friend of mine…sacrificed…." She had to swallow several times to keep the tears at bay. "She, in her unmatched wisdom, discovered a point in time that would hide a single person from the nothingness that consumed all. When we fought our way there, to…to where all life was born, the Small Lady revealed she had tricked me…."

Michiru returned while Setsuna dwelt within painful memories, setting down the tea service and pressing a cup into her good friend's hands. "She threw Setsuna in, saving her life, her memory, and charging her with finding and fighting alongside the 'Quiet Man'." She'd heard the story, in her memories, and would not force a woman to speak of the death of their first true friend. "Shinji needs us. He needs our wisdom, he needs our patience, he needs our strength. He cannot save all reality alone, but only he can do what must be done. The Small Lady gave us hope, Haru-chan. She also gave Setsuna a chance at finding someone who would love her for who she is, not what she can do or what she looks like."

"…Ok, then why are we letting him be seduced by our neighbor?" Haruka planted herself on the arm of the couch, now more confused than when the conversation had started. "I mean, I know that this future stuff is true, my girl is no liar, so why don't we move him in here with us and-"

"Because we lost." Setsuna fought to keep her volume down, her anger swelling. "The last time we tried to fight the Grey Chaos-" Her jaw clenched, her hands shook, and she clamped her eyes shut to stop herself from screaming invectives at the world around them.

"Shinji and I held the line long enough for her to overcome the taboo on rewinding time." Michiru was slowly stirring tea she hadn't touched. "We fought the tides of twilight for twelve centuries. Never slept, never quit, never let them come closer to her than we are right now." There was no life in her voice as she whispered, "He died protecting my lifeless body from being consumed. His last act was to self-destruct Unit-01 after she was safely away, preventing me from becoming corrupted. Even with reality crumbling around us…he refused to stop protecting me. He died saving my soul."

Control had been regained, memories pushed away for another time. "Unfortunately, Chaos is far too intelligent and cunning. It will take time for it to piece together why we are making some of the moves we are, it will try new stratagems and deceits. Chaos is, despite the apparent tautology, chaotic. We can only use some of what we've learned this time around. Already the pace of attacks is far faster than the last time. Now that Michiru remembers, now that Shinji is beginning to remember, our actions will further derail the logical course of events that we once experienced."

Haruka nodded slowly, weighing the information she'd been given. "So," carefully picking through her vocabulary, she chose words that were less likely to set off an explosion, "why can't we bring him here, then? If things are going to change anyway, what difference does it make that we have him with you?"

"Would you love me as much as you do, if someone forced me on you?" Michiru looked upon Haruka with heavy sincerity. "You and he are alike in many ways. Stubborn, loyal, quietly rebellious. I am not ashamed to say that there were plenty of times that he understood you far better than I did or could. If he placed me before you, told you that you would love me eventually…would you honestly not chafe at that, no matter how minutely? How do you imagine that would make me feel?" The points necessary had been made, and so she took a small sip of tea and hoped that history would both repeat itself and change for the better.