+++++ Azabu-Juban, Japan. (Sunday + 8)

The street she'd lived on for years was no longer worthy of being called such. Craters, fires, mounds of rocks, bones, and corpses littered the area. Devastation beyond any Minako had seen before had not even reached its final form. She didn't care. Lying in the middle of the street, crumpled onto his side, was the human form of Shinji Ikari. A dagger jammed between his side and the ground, his skin paler than her own.

Most people had thought that the blonde beauty wasn't truly capable of actual, genuine, rage. Sure, she'd get angry and begin yelling at people. She'd stomp her feet, or slap a table to accentuate a point. Her former fellow students, the non-Sailor kind, believed that she was just one of those people that was demonstrably angry, but never truly angry. The reason they had such beliefs was that none of them had ever threatened someone under her protection.

Ignoring whatever Lithion was saying to her, she landed ten meters away from Khlorya, bunched into a crouch to gather potential energy, and summoned the one item that she truly did not like using on anything less than a threat to all life in the galaxy: the Sword of the Silver Crystal. The weapon had a spotty track record of working for her, seeming to make up its own mind on whether or not the needs were dire enough to function as it was capable of.

Uncoiling herself, leaping directly at Khlorya, she roared a wordless oath that nothing would harm Shinji so long as she drew breath. Putting every ounce of torque she could muster into the swing, she was both heartened and worried when it struck true. The yellow-hued youma was thrown back violently, blasting through a stone fence that had managed to avoid destruction to that point, but was not cut or even bleeding visibly. Before she could redirect her momentum to continue the attack, a gout of intense flame erupted from beneath their foe obscuring her.

"I'm not entirely sure why nobody listens to my practical advice, really." Lithion's eyes were locked on where the fire was blazing, and he walked carefully over closer to Minako than to the yuki-onna he doubted trusted him at all. "However, I must admit I did not know you were in possession of an artifact of that strength. If you would be so kind as to take the Silent One and run, I'd be truly grateful."

"Not a great tactical move," Minako growled as she readied herself for a counterattack. "Last time I left, I stumbled across you planted in the ground. Come back here, and the nice lady behind us was fighting a defensive action that was two seconds from failing because Cuddles there was becoming bored." She wanted, desperately, to go to Shinji and see if he was ok. Battles did not stop simply because you asked them nicely. "Ma'am, I'm going to take her on from the front. Use your ice to slow her down while he recharges. Lithium, call out when the temperature is going to change, and I'll adapt."

Singed, covered in molten stone, with a jagged rent cut into the front of her shirt showing a growing bruise, Khlorya sauntered out of the flame. Her tone was no longer childish, her mood no longer playful, "I'm getting tired of every single ugly bitch that thinks she's something special getting between me and my prize." Throwing the mace Lithion had been using directly at him, she was further irritated when Minako slapped it down into the ground easily. "Ok. I'm guessing you're one of those Sailor Sluts?"

Minako had observed the way Shinji attacked, defended, and otherwise comported himself in battle. Several flaws he had required training time to be worked on, but the one thing that she took note of that she herself could adopt was not getting caught in a battle of wits. If it was time to fight, it was time to fight and not talk about fighting. And so, her reply was in the form of a feint followed by an upwards draw cut. Her opponent's dodge was hampered by an uneven mass of ice appearing behind her where only Minako could see it, and the fight was once again on.

+++++ ? (Sunday + 8)

Shinji tossed aside the corpse of Yui Ikari, the shell of Unit-01 no longer surrounding her. Turning to face the other woman present, he waited to see what her reaction would be. He was tired. Physically, emotionally, mentally, tired. Now I guess we find out if dying here actually means anything. He held out a hand, warding them off as they moved towards him. No.

To her credit, she halted when he asked that she do so. "Shinji, you're going to-"

What is your name? He was about to die. His body was going to quit in the waking world, and that would be the end of his wretched existence. I'd really like to know what to call you, before the end. He'd finally be at peace. The suffering would finally end.

"I…don't really have one." Her hands clenched repeatedly, a need to do something born of several lifetimes of doing something for people who were dying. "I'm not Hygieia, or Makoto, or Ami, or Saeko. I'm all of them, and none of them. We're not separate beings, like Minako-chan or Rei-chan. We don't have 'Makoto thoughts' or 'Saeko thoughts'. We have memories, that's it."

The answer was more or less what he'd expected. Not what he'd desired…but what he expected. You're what Carla-san called 'The Nameless'. Pain roiled through his body as he coughed out a laugh. I guess that makes two of us that don't have a name. Another cough dropped him to his knees, his torso barely propped up in time by arms that felt weaker by the second. If…if this is your end…I'm sorry I failed you. If it's not…do better than I did. His final words spoken he allowed the void to claim him with relief.

+++++ Hikawa Shrine, Azabu-Juban, Japan. (Sunday + 8)

Tungsram was growing more and more irritated with the lack of cooperation she was receiving from her hosts. When she'd arrived, her intent had been to deposit the elder Aino with the closest guards and hurry back along her path to try and find the younger. She knew the Silent One needed the strengths Venus brought to the field, and that he regarded the blonde Sailor with both admiration and affection despite only admitting to the former even in his own mind. Her plans were being thwarted, however, by needing to prop up a segment of the defenses of the Shrine against an assault by thousands of youma. Protecting the area was important, but in her mind it was not as important as returning and securing several of the only people capable of protecting far more than a pretty hill. Still, three of the other Sailors remained behind with her to secure the area. If they did not challenge her presence, she had hope that he would not either.

The battlefield commander finally responded to a youkai that had delivered bad news. "Get that battery back in the fight. Take whatever materials you need from the apartment complex, there should be more than enough metal in there to use to repair it." Inari finished with the latest distraction from a conversation that had lasted at least ten times longer than it ought to have. "I understand well enough what it is you're attempting." Her voice was carefully moderated to not seem hostile, despite her dislike of Tungsram. "I even appreciate your honesty in explaining your motivations. I cannot sacrifice a willing hand right now to watch you, and I'm not going to allow another youma as powerful as you are to run off towards a battle that's going as badly as that one. You're staying here, you're earning trust, and if I ask you to…." Her eyes drifted over to where Maria's shop was several kilometers away. "You're coming with me to deal with a situation that neither of us wants to continue."

+++++ Maria's Market, Azabu-Mamianachō, Japan. (Sunday + 8)

Maria had thought herself stronger than almost anything in the known universe. Her brother-in-law, perhaps one of her sisters, and Shinji. Before the past day or so, that was the extent of the people that she thought would trouble her in a fight. She might have difficulty with Inari, bolstered as she was by Amaterasu, but she knew more than enough secrets to tip the scales in her favor. Now that she was struggling to keep a mob of rabid youma from beating down the front door of her shop, she lamented not pressing herself harder in both her studies and her training.

Several artifacts hummed, thrummed, or drummed in complementary rhythm as they fortified the shielding across the front of her shop. She added more as she could, neither hurrying nor dallying in assessing whether they'd throw off the harmonics entirely or blend into the orchestra properly. That task had caused her to miss the first few rings of her landline, and it was only after the third time the caller attempted that she noticed and picked up the phone. "Maria's Market, Maria speaking." Nudging aside the headless corpse of Satou with her foot, she tugged another bag of relics closer.

A familiar voice carried a great deal of fatigue along with it, "Ah, yes…good afternoon Doctor."

"Seta-kun?" She was actually surprised the man was calling, and had to start over on the assessment of her current object. She didn't really have time to deal with the oddball professor of archeology from the university, but manners were still manners. "I'm sorry for rushing you, but I'm a little busy right now. If this is about-"

"I apologize, but I need you to set aside the typical dance we play." Regret partnered with exhaustion in his tone, "I know precisely who you are, and you know I've known for a while. I'm calling because I'm out of other options and am willing to make a deal to get what I need."

She blew out a huff of dismay. "I'm going to miss that particular game of cat and mouse." Flinging the object she knew would tear down what she was doing aside, she picked up the next one and began studying it. "I regret to inform you that I'm currently surrounded by a horde of ravening beasts, hence the 'busy' thing earlier. I can't make any guarantees, but as long as your quick about it I'm willing to listen."

"Funny you mention it." There was a pause, and then several shots fired. After another long pause, his voice returned. "I'm currently trying to extract what's left of my…extended family from something similar. You're closer to the danger, but I'd kind of hoped you had better fortifications. After what happened further north yesterday, I'm guessing that things are going to get worse before better even bothers to wake up."

A short list of objects in his area of Japan didn't bring to mind anything that might draw the attention of their enemies. "Why would they be attacking a hot spring?"

"It was playing host to a pair of demon slayers. That's a really long story that involves a broken foot, a terrible lie, and a challenge issued at a really bad time." Several more shots rang out, his voice becoming colder, "Please. I have children here."

So did most of the people killed yesterday in the fighting. Maria couldn't summon up much sympathy for the man. Die now or die when Second Impact tore through the world like a tsunami through tissue paper, they were still dead. She couldn't even get out to go to Shinji's side, and his life's candle was down to a faint ember in a hurricane. If he finds out I let them die…. "I can't arrange transportation, so you'd better have something figured out. You also will not like the price this will cost. Go to the following address and ask for a man named Suzuhara…."

+++++ Hikawa Shrine, Azabu-Juban, Japan. (Sunday + 8)

"Keep the wound clean. I don't know anything about your biology, but I have to assume sepsis is still an issue since you're an organic lifeform." Ritsuko finished bandaging the leg of a tengu that had been dragged into the makeshift field hospital she was staffing with a few youkai that were trained in battlefield medicine. "Those stitches are not rated for heavy exertions, so if you're going to go out and fight, you're going to go out and die. Do what you can from the rear."

"As you say, Healer." The proud half-bird accepted her admonition and inclined its head in respect before hobbling out of the tent to make room for someone with greater need than he had.

She had wanted to have a chance to learn about the enigmatic creatures that she was almost entirely positive had existed before she even met Shinji. Too many things didn't add up in her equations, too many questions that had far too convenient answers. This mess was not what she had in mind when she asked for that chance to learn. Moving on to her next patient as two Akaname carried the next youkai in to be triaged, she greeted them without mindless niceties, "Broken limbs. Compound fractures. I'll do what I can to set them for now, but you're out of combat unless you're waiting to restore your energy and are capable of healing yourself spontaneously."

The young Jorōgumo shook her head, wincing with the motion. "I just need them set. I'll go sit in the corner afterwards and make bandages and slings for you to use." When Ritsuko took her head between both hands, inspecting her eyes, she frowned at the sudden closeness.

"Concussion too. If making bandages requires focus or attention, you're not doing that either." Motioning for two of the Mujina that had been set to guarding the area, she bulled over any possible disagreement. "Hold her still. I have to set the limb, and then she's going over to the trauma ward. Tell the charge nurse that if she does anything but rest she has my permission to apply coercive reinforcement of my orders to any part of her but the head and broken limbs."

The bulkier Mujina nodded once, glaring at the Jorōgumo challengingly. "We'll make sure she does wot you want, 'Ealer. Nobody gonna go about wasting yer time and effort on our watch."

"Thank you." After feeling along the opposing, whole, limbs for a general idea of what they ought to look like, she went about setting and splinting everything in place. Over the pained cries of her patient, she asked the same question she'd asked every twenty minutes since the battle started. "Any word?"

"One a them witches 'it the field. The ugly blonde one wot ain't crazy." The smaller badger chuckled. "Word is she's managed to force the bitch back on 'er 'eels, might 'ave saved the day."

It wasn't what she wanted to hear, but it also wasn't what she feared she'd be told. "If he dies, I'm probably going to need a few moments to collect my thoughts. Please make certain not to tell me in the middle of a procedure."

+++++ Azabu-Juban, Japan. (Sunday + 8)

Minako was not giving an inch, despite having lost the support of both the yuki-onna and Lithion in the rolling brawl. Each time she sensed Khlorya growing comfortable with the tactics she was using, she shifted to an entirely different fighting style. She had long since stopped thinking, her sole focus in life was to bury the bitch responsible for Shinji's condition. Shallow cuts and abrasions were all she'd been able to inflict against the hardened skin of her enemy, but those had begun to compound themselves to the point that blood was flowing freely. She hadn't managed to avoid injury herself, sporting several deep bruises and what she guessed were a few minor broken bones. Defeat, however, was unthinkable.

Random chance, contrary to her hopes, did not care what she did and did not believe was possible. A major tremblor rocked the area just as she went to brace to defend against an axe-kick, sending her rear foot out of line with the rest of her form. The misalignment meant she didn't deflect enough strength from the strike and caused her to be batted down against the rising earth, careening several meters away and smashing into a toppled over delivery van.

Whatever powered Khlorya, whether it was rage, contempt, or disgust, roared out of her throat as she leapt forward to capitalize on her luck. Midway towards her goal, her lips curled back in a feral grin, she was smashed away by a new warrior entering into the battle.

Built for war, and clearly not a child of Yamato, the new woman had landed between Khlorya and Minako and slapped the former with a backhanded strike from a round shield that covered her lean and muscled frame from thigh to bicep. Levelling her blade, a luminous golden xiphos, she challenged Khlorya without saying a word.

"Ok." Khlorya closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she regained her feet. "I think I've been understanding." Madness was all that could be seen when she opened them again. "He is going to come with me. I will have him. You can send as many people as you want against me, but all you're doing is dying before the fun can really begin." A Pegasus alighted on the ground next to Shinji, a young woman hurrying down from the saddle to begin treatment. "No. No, that doesn't mean more women." Launching herself at the other newcomer, she was once more efficiently redirected by the swordswoman via a tackling strike, sending her tumbling uncontrolled through the ruins of several houses.

The healer, another woman that did not appear to be from Japan, was unhurried as she updated the situation, "Enyo, this is going to take me at least a few minutes to stabilize. I need to concentrate. They've stabbed him with a dagger forged from the arrows of Heracles. The ones he'd dipped in the Hydra's blood." The first sign of irritation seeped out. "I told them that they needed to account for all of those; whatever that muscle-headed blowhard thought, he clearly didn't find them all."

"Minutes, hours, or days, you will have the time you require." The woman known as Enyo had a voice filled with gentle power. "What of you, fair champion? Will you favor me with your strength and defend Panacea while she tends to the Silent One?"

Minako wasn't completely ignorant, despite her protestations to the contrary from time to time, but she was almost positive she'd never met anyone that looked like Enyo did and she certainly had never been called whatever it was the woman had said. Still, if they were attempting to heal Shinji she'd fight alongside an animal cracker if it gave her a chance at victory. Regaining her feet and moving to a position where she was increasing the blockade between where Khlorya had been sent and Shinji was being healed, she attempted brief introductions, "Call me Venus. Your name is Enyo?"

"It is indeed." Squaring her shield and readying her blade, she smiled grimly towards the onrushing Khlorya. "Well met, Venus. Let us see what fight this day brings us!"

+++++ Azabu-Juban, Japan. (Sunday + 8)

Usagi finally turned away, looking up at Setsuna with thinly veiled anger. "All of this," her hand gestured back towards the fight, "because you ignored the wisdom my mother imparted." When the other woman went to speak, the Princess of the Moon teleported directly before her and silenced her by gripping her jaw. "There is never a situation so dire that it justifies breaking those prohibitions. Yet here you stand, away from your post. You have left the door unguarded, allowing uncounted evils to use it as they will. You travelled back through time, repeatedly. Never once did you stop to ask Galaxia why she couldn't do more. No. You simply trusted the woman who corrupted Endymion, corrupted my future daughter, and has embraced Chaos." Lifting her off the ground, she trembled with a need to crush her. "You think that the excuse of being lonely is anything to the countless lives lost? That your pathetic puppy love for Shinji will explain to them why they had to die again and again? You violated the sacred trust placed in you and sold us all into slavery!" Smashing her down into the ground, she stamped on her chest to hold her in place. "Creation gave me one last chance, at a dreadful cost. One chance to save everyone. I am letting you live because killing you would be far too lenient for what you have done. If you so much as dream of breathing near Shin-Shin, I will place you just outside of time, bound to his presence so that you can watch a worthy woman actually earn his love. He will never hear you, see you, or feel your touch." Pressing down with frightful force, she growled, "Now get out of my sight."

+++++ Azabu-Juban, Japan. (Sunday + 8)

If there was one thing Shinji was truly coming to despise, it was managing to live through things that would have killed anyone else. Things that should have killed him. Every time the release of oblivion was offered to him, his body or his mind or some other damn fool managed to drag him kicking and screaming back into the meat grinder. His eyelids did a poor job of preventing a gentle silvery glow from irritating his blissful stupor, and when one eye fluttered open he beheld a woman that looked similar enough to someone he'd known that he had no trouble placing where they were from. I don't remember ordering Greek.

"My culture is fond of pressing food onto those who carry great burdens." The woman's voice was soothing to the ear, her smile one that spoke of sorrow and understanding. "Sometimes we simply can't wait for them to remember our offers before we act."

Lifting his head was not possible at the moment. He felt as if he'd run five marathons in a row, all while carrying Unit-01. Why aren't I dead?

"Because my culture is also fond of adding burdens onto the shoulders of those heroes who already carry far too many. We embrace the mystique of suffering stoically while despising the gods who curse us with those burdens." A major tremblor caused her to wobble, but she never lost focus on holding the light over him. "If you are not alive, that beast that is breaking through the surface will kill everyone. I know that I have nothing to offer you worth what I ask of you, but I must beg of you: do not damn all of humanity to death for the miserable crimes of others."

His eyes drifted closed, a sigh escaping his lips. Of course. It's the letter from my father all over again. 'Come'. I can't even manage to die right. The dark energy that had helped him kill his mother swelled through him as he clenched his fists tight. I can't win. It's just one fight to the next. I couldn't protect Minako's parents. I couldn't control Unit-01. Now I have to go jump in a damn volcano, just like my mother accused me of being willing to do! I'm proving her right, right after I killed her! A third tremor prompted him to slam the fist away from Panacea against the ground. Shut up down there! Fine! If it's just going to be one battle after another, then let's fucking well get it over with. One of these idiots has to manage to succeed in finishing me off eventually.

Unable to prevent him from standing without hurting him, an act she was sworn not to do without dire need, Panacea helped him get to his feet while holding the dagger and stopping it from tearing out of him due to gravity. "Silent One, please, I am not yet through with cleansing you of this poison. If I remove the-" The decision was taken from her as he gripped her hand and ripped the knife out himself.

Without wincing, without tears forming in his eyes, without an ounce of complaint, he picked up the pieces of his shirt that had torn free and wrapped them around his waist as a makeshift bandage. If the Angel climbs through the ground in a populated area, it's going to kill another million people at minimum. Unit-01 slammed into place around him, cutting off the outside world and holding the bandage in place. Do you at least know where it is?

Pointing towards where she'd been sensing that the demon would appear, she kept up what pressure she could for him to allow her to heal him, "We have enough time to-"

Mount Fuji…of course it would be different. If that erupts, I think a million is probably an understatement. Turning his gaze towards where Khlorya was fighting the others, he frowned. A warmup. Before the latest woman to attempt healing on him could ask what he meant, Shinji sprinted towards the fight. Incoming, on your six! The idea sprang into his mind, the thoughts forming without words and without prompting. He could see what Minako would do before she did it, see what she wanted him to do before he had to do it.

Slicing her sword down at an angle to lead Enyo out of the line of fire, the blonde Sailor of Love set Khlorya up to be hit with a spear tackle at full stride from Unit-01. Driving the jagged fragment of his broken left pylon into her gut, he lifted her up and slammed her down into the ground before moving into a mounted position and battering her head and face with punches. The follow-up to the plan involved Enyo using the edge of her shield to split the irritating youma in half.

The plan failed, unfortunately, due to another major earthquake that loosened the earth beneath Shinji enough to form a chasm. The last he saw of his foe, she was blowing him a kiss as she fell into the gap in the ground while he hung off of a sewer pipe that had been torn in half in the commotion. Damn it! He smashed his fist into the ground, causing a minor tremor of his own. Fuck it. Whatever. Climbing up and rolling away from Minako's side of the chasm, he looked back to Mount Fuji. I can probably run there, but there has to be a faster way to get there. Anyone have any ideas?

Wiping her sword clean, the other newcomer seemed curious. "Pegasus should be able to carry us," Enyo offered with a hint of a question to him.

Unit-01's eyes took her in briefly, then turned to the winged horse, then back to her. How many can he carry?

"All four of us, if you are comfortable sitting between fellow warriors." The rugged woman finished with the cloth she was using and tossed it into the chasm that had swallowed Khlorya. "You and I will have to sit in the center, to keep the weight balanced properly on the saddle. Would you rather be between my legs, or me between yours?"

Minako stammered out, "H-hey, I don't think-"

I'm assuming the one who healed me has to steer, so I'll let you sit in front of me. The last thing he was interested in was biting on an obvious entendre. I'll stay in Unit-01 to keep as much blood as I can where it belongs. Turning slightly to indicate he was speaking to Minako, he made clear his position, I'm sorry that I failed. If anyone died, the fault is mine. Please make sure that yuki-onna-san and Lithion aren't dead, and get them back to the Shrine. He cut her off again with a firm shake of his head. I am going to be jumping into a volcano. I've done it before, and I'll survive. You are not lava-proof. I can see that Lithion at least held up his side of the bargain, if those cuts were from the other one. We have to move on the Angel, and they have to be shown the courtesy of medical care for what they did. You're right, I need to be a good little soldier from time to time…but right now I have to do the thing that only I can do. Turning back to the flying horse and walking away, he motioned to the two women that would be travelling with him, Let's go.

+++++ Hikawa Shrine, Azabu-Juban, Japan. (Sunday + 8)

Minako arrived at the tail end of the defensive stand the youkai forces had engaged in. Piles of dead were being created of their foes, orderly rows of their friends. All of her anger at Shinji drained away as she took in the staggering cost of the battle, relief taking its place as she caught sight of three of the other Sailors working together to clean the temple grounds of heavier debris. Several other yuki-onna took their compatriot, offering thanks for the Sailor's actions of bringing her to safety. When she saw Tungsram approaching, Minako had a momentary lapse in capacity to speak as seven questions climbed up her throat at once.

"I'll take him to the Healer." The lithe youma provided most of the desired answers without prompting, "Your mother is being tended to by someone skilled in mental trauma. Your fellow warriors acquitted themselves with great honor, and saved many lives through their valor. I apologize for not returning to aid you, as soon as I arrived I was pressed into service preventing its servants from overtaking the eastern flank. Had I left…I do not know of many others that would have been better suited than I. I chose to trust in the established leadership, as I am obviously suspect."

After carefully handing over Lithion, Minako nodded in understanding and gratitude. "Thanks. For everything." There was so much that needed doing, so much happening that was stopping them from reacting like they ought to be able to, it had reached a point for her that she could not honestly state what her number one priority ought to be.

Before Tungsram could demur any rights to praise for doing what she'd done, Inari interrupted the conversation with more questions and concerns. "Where is he?"

Minako didn't need to be told who 'he' was. There was only one 'he' that anyone really cared about at the moment, and it wasn't her dead father. "On his way to Mount Fuji on a horse with wings, with two Europeans."

That answer didn't please the kitsune progenitor. "Have you seen my granddaughters? We lost contact with that whole unit when the earthquakes became more serious."

Family was something to be concerned over. Especially family that might be in danger…or dead. "No. After they split away from our group, I didn't see them again."

"Damn it." Glaring off in the direction of the largest volcano in Japan, she motioned for Tungsram to take Lithion away. Remaining silent until the woman did as requested, she leaned in and lowered her voice to a mere whisper, "The Europeans…women? Healers?"

"One of them was a healer. She stopped him from dying after he got stabbed. The other lady was a warrior. Almost as tall as Shinji, well-muscled and well-armed." They stopped him from dying. That was a good thing. They didn't stop her father from dying. That…wasn't their fault.

Inari grimaced. "Ok. We need to get your team to-"

Patience was more or less absent at that point. "I need to make sure my mother is-"

"She is with the best therapist I have, receiving information as she'll accept it." Shifting her tone from 'fellow commander' to 'matriarch', Inari realized that she'd created a mistaken impression. "I am not splitting her attention to any of the others that need therapy at the moment, expecting that you will fight best with the knowledge that I am providing everything I can for your only living relative. You are her best chance at surviving long enough to benefit from that therapy, which is why I need you to be the incredibly strong woman I know you are and take your team to help him." Reaching out and placing a comforting hand on Minako's shoulder, she gave a pained smile. "You gave off enough magical energy during whatever fight you had that I did not doubt for his safety. You are an exceptional warrior, and you have not sacrificed your femininity or familial piety at that altar. Your father would have had no reason to be anything but proud of you and your actions. Your mother will know, when she is ready, and I will be there to speak of your great deeds. You are young…but not so young that you think I'm wrong."

She was a walking timebomb. Her father dead. Her mother mad. …The world on her shoulders. He doesn't get a break. He doesn't get to rest. He doesn't get a week between battles, he doesn't get to spend time in school engaging in hijinks with friends. He doesn't get to flirt, or tease, or do anything but fight. "I hated every minute of the fights we had before he arrived." She had to get some of it out. Had to vent the steam before the machine blew. "Every tactical error, my fault. Every time my friends were hurt, my fault. Every time we couldn't save someone and had to kill them to save others, my fault. I've lost two sisters, and now my father." She took a steadying breath, then snorted out a laugh. "I'm sorry I don't have more information about your granddaughters. I'll brief the others on the way to Mount Fuji, we'll do what we can to support him and bring him home."

"No." Inari tightened her grip on Minako's shoulder. "You won't catch him in time. As much as I despise the Elysians, they have far too great a stake in keeping him from dying. I can trust their greed and leave him to his business for the moment. I need you and your sorority to go and extract the Succubus from her marketplace." The look of disbelief on Minako's face made far too much sense. "She has items and information we need to make this camp safe from another attack just like this one. He needs a safe zone to return home to, or all he's going to be doing is what you now understand he's been doing. She's currently keeping the attack around her shop from flooding out into the rest of the city, but she's also running out of time to keep them from flooding into her Realm. You four are her only hope."

That number seemed too small. "Four?" She'd seen Rei, Michiru, and Haruka. "Where's the bitch?"

"We haven't seen her since earlier this morning." Urging the younger woman to walk and talk, she tried to use social convention to force momentum to carry the blonde towards helping everyone. "The others were an enormous boon in stopping us from losing this hill, but we certainly could have used a fifth. You were occupied helping him calm down, and then saving your mother. I do not blame you, and until I know what happened to the other I'm not going to throw about speculation. Now, I'll give you directions to where you're taking them. Get there, get her out, and do not let her talk you into going anywhere but here."

+++++ Skies over Yamanashi Prefecture. (Sunday + 8)

Shinji sat astride Pegasus' saddle with Enyo in his lap, the warrior facing sideways between him and Panacea with her legs thrown casually over his left leg. Despite her best attempts at prompting conversation, he'd retreated to a state of mind more in line with his time in his own world: silent. Every person he reached out to was someone else harmed, killed, both, or worse. The fewer people he interacted with, the less likely it would be that any of them died with him.

The peak of Mount Fuji was perfectly visible in the dying light of the late afternoon sun, the skies around them clear and calm. With the Earth's axis at a 'normal' tilt, the sky was growing darker far more rapidly than it would have where he was from, and the colors present provided ample explanation for the glut of art that had sprung up around the enormous fixture. Snow covered, seemingly immovable, and as proud as any god would be watching over the land of its birth, it would have made an awe-inspiring sight to anyone else. He was busy imagining what it would look like once the Angel burst out of the top.

Panacea, for her part, was unhappy with the knowledge that Shinji's side was a timebomb waiting to explode in all of their faces, unhappy with the fact that she couldn't deny the need to destroy the Angel outweighed the risks posed by that timebomb, unhappy with knowing that her family was going to be immensely disappointed in her actions, and unhappy with how Enyo was humming a wedding song while drumming her fingers in time with it on Shinji's thigh. Calling out over the wind, she trusted Pegasus to fly them straight while she turned to face him, "What is your plan, Silent One? We should arrive at the peak in another few minutes. How can we best assist you?"

My plan is to jump off and let gravity do the rest. He'd grown comfortable with falling. He had begun to understand better how his own thoughts changed the amount of 'mass' involved in his 'weight' during the recent fighting. The heavier he thought he was, the heavier he became. The logical limit being the total mass the Eva had at full size, but logic had stopped working properly once magic was involved so he couldn't trust that to be infallible and had to focus on how heavy he would have to be to do the job.

"I do not believe that to be the wisest course of action!" Her training prevented her from a complete panic but did little to stop her anxiety from growing. "Surely there must be some other way to defeat the accursed beast?"

Lightning probably won't do much, even if I could control it. I've been trying to use ice the entire time we've been flying, haven't managed to do much more than make my gauntlets slightly wet. He kept his eyes on the peak, despite catching Enyo appraising him from the corner of his vision. Even if I don't kill it with the jump, I should still blow a hole through it. Climb back up from whatever hole I make, punch the core, that's that.

"And if you are unable to extricate yourself from the flows of liquid rock that lie beneath?" Where Panacea was worried, Enyo was curious. Her tone conversational, the set of her face bemused. "I am no expert in matters of what Hephaestus has wrought, but I am given to understand that it is quite warm."

Then aim for the red sphere. He was going to be fighting an Angel alone. They didn't have anyone around that could survive lava, and with his mother hopefully dead he stood a decent chance at keeping Unit-01 in place around him long enough to figure something out. He wanted to die, but he couldn't stop himself from trying to kill the Angels first and was more comfortable with the thought of being killed than he was with killing himself and thereby directly killing the women inside of him. If I'm close enough, its A.T. Field should be down, and your sword might work if you swing or throw it hard enough. I don't know how strong you are.

"Neither do I." She shrugged, smiling with contentment that she'd managed to get him to finally address her. "That's why I'm here protecting her," she tipped her head towards Panacea, "because I heard there were some fairly strong warriors going around recently. Thought perhaps I might have an opportunity to overcome what limitations I've found I have."

The young healer was taken aback. "You said you wanted to help me save the world!"

Enyo winked at Shinji, keeping her face turned away from the other woman. "By finding out how strong I am, I can't do anything but help save the world. The goals aren't mutually exclusive."

There was a part of Shinji that had to laugh at the insanity playing out. Once again, two people were spending time 'playing' when there was a monster working to tear apart a volcano. Once again, a small group of people weren't looking at death with grim determination on their faces. Once again, and he couldn't explain it with a gun to Misato's head, these people weren't…afraid. Am I afraid? Is that the problem?

Neither woman had a chance to question the seeming non-sequitur as Pegasus suddenly pulled violently upwards, attempting to gain altitude milliseconds before the northern face of Mount Fuji exploded outwards, sending enormous chunks of stone and globs of magma spewing outwards towards areas of the country that were still populated. Panacea reclaimed the reins, focusing her effort on preventing the animal from running wild. Enyo was startled when Shinji shoved her off of him and cried out in alarm as he let gravity take him.

With his eyes focused on the center of the eruption, his body angling itself to increase the speed of his descent, and his mind shoving aside everything else, Shinji began formulating the rest of his 'plan'. His hands and feet moved slightly from time to time, steering him on an intercept course with what he thought of as a strange insect-like crustacean fish thing with two long appendages that acted like arms and tentacles. I don't remember really seeing this one. A sense of calm washed over him as he fell. The certainty that he would soon be in combat took away any other cares. The video we had from -02 really…didn't come out clear. Ugly. Nothing but that critique had come of his attempts at thinking beyond hitting it like a meteor, so that's what he focused on. I need to hit it hard…but not hit the ground hard. If I hit the volcano hard, I could cause more damage. Need to redirect energy.

Far below, though growing closer with every second, the once and future Eighth Angel locked eyes with what it knew to be a mortal enemy. A second eruption ripped outward from it as the alien creature bellowed with hatred, exposing the location of its vital nerve cluster at the center of an oddly shaped tongue. Quickly reaching back behind itself, it tore chunks of rock and lava free and threw them up to strike the purple titan.

Shinji didn't even flinch as he made contact with the first boulder, blasting through it without slowing. If I hit at an angle, use my A.T. Field to push through like Asuka did. The lump of cooling magma offered less resistance than the stone. Worst case scenario is I probably end up under the volcano. He was halfway down. I can't fly. Can't climb lava. Over to the side, the slope of the mountain was affected by the molten rock. He could see chutes and slides forming where denser or thicker stone refused to yield to the slow moving, but inexorable, tide. Wait…like the park.

He imagined a child's slide and a child's swing set, similar to the one he'd spent time at during evening walks around Tokyo-3. Can I…can I make an ice slide? Maybe if I drop Unit-01? I wasn't in Unit-01 when I helped Setsuna. Head right to the core, slowly redirect my momentum after crushing it, and spiral enough that I reduce my speed to avoid punching another hole. I don't know if the…wait. Stopping himself from closing his eyes and losing sight of the target, he mentally berated himself. Why am I complicating this so much? Hit the core, reduce my weight to as low as I can, roll with the impact. The memory of jumping out of Ritsuko's window provided him with the necessary information on body control. The dance training was just Misato trying to get Asuka to learn how to coordinate with someone else. She didn't come up with insane plans because they were 'cute', she did it because it was what she could do with the time she had. It's like what Minako-chan said, you have to know when to use the different tools you have available. I can't just go around blasting through everything with my size…I have to think, not just-

The attempt at multitasking left him blind to a new threat entering his battlespace. A spray of acidic mucus coated the right side of Unit-01 from his elbow down to his knee. Searing pain combined with nausea and disorientation, the impact of the Ninth Angel's main offensive weapon was not just limited to pushing him off course. The split-second decision to either locate the new threat or correct his trajectory to eliminate the original threat was made even more difficult by a new barrage of rocks from the Eighth.

He couldn't see clearly, the world existed as mind-scarring torture, and his window for action was closing rapidly. A dim voice pierced his thoughts, the same crystalline warmth that he'd felt numerous times before smoothing out his concentration. You are in control. You are not alone. We work as one. Use me. Embrace me. Save them. The sound filled him, caressed him, and pushed everything that was not it away.

His perception of time slowed, much as it had when the corrupted Makoto fired upon Usagi from the church steeple. The distractions, the interruptions, the fear and anxiety, everything that was not victory ground to a halt. Shinji's thoughts accelerated, analyzing what he had to work with. Right side's gone numb. Can't trust that it'll work right. A path from boulder to boulder became clearer. Reduce weight, land there, find new target, jump to that rock, kick it towards spider. His body began to flip forwards, already in motion to enact his plan. Increase mass afterwards. Use gravity to draw me closer faster. Closing his right eye as he contacted the first boulder, he scanned the area and located the Ninth crawling around the far side of the mountain where it had been hidden, lying in ambush. Crush core, redirect momentum into flying leap. He had to twist in mid-jump as he leapt to the second boulder that would become his distraction to keep the spider away from him, avoiding another stream of acid that he couldn't prevent from damaging the land behind him. It can do more than drip, this time. Need to close the gap quickly.

Once he made contact with the second boulder, he flared out his A.T. Field to add velocity in sending it towards his foe. Five more jumps from boulder to boulder added several more projectiles to the plan as his vision cleared with focus. The rapid motions made it difficult for the Eighth to effectively target him, allowing him to take advantage of the mistake it had made. It had created a screen of rocks to hide itself, which meant it also hid him from the Angel. From Sandalphon's perspective, Unit-01 materialized out of thin air and grew into immensity. In the blink of an eye there was nothing but Unit-01. No light, no sky, no land, only Eva. Unit-01's gravity had multiplied so many times from the sudden increase in mass that the Angel itself was pulled up from the volcano, tumbling helplessly towards a fist that any outside observers would swear dominated all known reality.

Ending before it began, the moment became lost between causality and relativity. Sandalphon was a limp, lifeless, ruin and Unit-01 was already halfway to the Ninth Angel. There were no witnesses to the strike that shattered the core, the act itself could not logically be conceived of having never occurred. The severity of Shinji's exertions on the normal gravity of the area had warped not only spacetime, but had snarled the magical weave of life itself. The disparity between what had been seen and what had been done bought further time for Shinji to close the gap. He was running on trust. Trust that his leg was doing what he told it to, despite not being able to feel it. Trust that the ground below would continue to hold him. Trust that he wouldn't suddenly lose control of Unit-01 again. Trust that the voice in his head was benevolent. He was in control. He was not alone. He could…he would save them.

You need not fear me. The voice remained constant. Together, we can work wonders. Together, we can save what's left. Together, we can become what we must.

He had no weapons. He had no cover. He was running directly at an Angel that was twenty times taller and forty times wider than he was. The last of the boulders thrown by the Eighth were crashing to the ground around him, the lava and acid raining down like a mid-summer squall. He was charging towards his own death.

It felt like freedom.

+++++ Skies over Mount Fuji. (Sunday + 8)

Panacea's hands were cramping for how tightly she held Pegasus' reins. Watching the man she had come to save ignore all reason, throw himself directly into danger, fight through pain and suffering that had no right to exist in the mortal realm, she felt a degree of helplessness that went beyond even those moments where she performed the final rites. She could sense the life energy of the unclean beings; she could taste the power that went beyond even those gods she venerated. Somehow, boiling inside a shell of flesh and metal, there existed an even darker strength. The man they called Silent One echoed with a force capable of unheralded devastation.

"I believe that I might ask him to bed me here next to the volcano." Enyo's titter of laughter was full of life, full of amusement. "I wonder if he can manage to unsheathe his weapon while wearing that armor. It'd be a new experience, to be certain."

"Would you kindly display at least a modicum of decency?" The healer was less than amused at the way her confederate had comported herself, and such a crass statement was well beyond the pale. "He is injured! The poison is still gaining ground, and now healing that will require far more time than if I had-"

"He's a warrior, child. Whatever confusion he has in his mind about his role in life, the one truth he's embraced is that life itself is to be won…not accepted as a gift." A small pout grew on her lips as she watched Shinji climb one of the Ninth Angel's limbs. "If he had asked me, I would be down there fighting alongside him. When the acid burned away my clothing, I'd have more than enough of a notion as to whether he's interested in those of our make as he beheld my glory."

Panacea did not support any of what she'd just heard. She had seen inside his soul as she attempted to keep it from Tartarus, and nothing she had seen indicated a warrior born. He was a confused and overwhelmed man. A mortal out of his depth. He had been thrust into the role of protector, then destroyer. He had a soul meant for art, for creation, for service. He had been, and was being, twisted to serve far darker masters. He longed for a death he would forever be denied, doomed to a life of service to powers that cared nothing for him or his desires. "You should not project your lust for strife and war upon him, Eris. The bards may have confused you as two souls, but do not think you have me fooled so easily."

Huffing out a small laugh, Enyo patted the healer on her shoulder gently. "Fear not. I would not deprive you of his touch. I need no wedding, should he be willing to give me what I need from time to time."

"Vulgar." Tugging her shoulder free, she scowled back down on Unit-01 as it ripped one of the Angel's legs off before stabbing it to death with the same. Urging the winged horse they rode down to pick him up, she summed up the situation adroitly, "He will be doing no such acts until I have cleansed his wounds, at the very least."

+++++ Northeastern slope of Mount Fuji. (Sunday + 8)

He was covered in acid. In LCL. In dust. Inside of the armor he wore, he was coated in blood. In poison. In sweat. Shinji Ikari stood 'victorious' over two more Angels, on the side of a volcano that was weeping lava out into the lands around him. He had bought the world more time, at the cost of pain that grew with every breath he took. Who…who are you? Silence. Swallowing hard, he tried to feel the warmth that had coated him just moments before. The way the voice made it seem as if he had a purpose, a use. All he felt was more pain. All he heard was the sound of trouble approaching. Slowly walking towards Tokyo, he tried to keep the acid from doing too much damage in any one spot.

The clatter of hooves led to the sound of Panacea slipping off of Pegasus, then the sound of her feet slapping against the stone as she rushed over to see to his wounds. "Silent One, please, the day is won…let us go to Elysium. To the Asclepeion, where-"

If I go near that thing, I'm going to kill people. Looking down at his hands, he frowned at the realization that he couldn't go near Pegasus either. Whatever that thing was, that jar…vase…thing, it caused me to lose control. Hygieia-san and Epione-san had the right idea…I'm too dangerous to take there. Taking in the sky around them, dark save for the glow of molten rock, he shook his head. It's a long walk home. I need to get…. The steady thump-thump-thump of a wing of heavy-lift capable helicopters caused him to trail off. You should leave. They can't do much to me, but I'm not sure about how well either of you will respond to machineguns.

"The pitiful contrivances of mortal man will not inconvenience me overmuch," Enyo shifted closer to Shinji, subtly blocking off the most direct route anywhere but to Pegasus by causing him to take a longer route around several blockages. "So long as I am here, I will not allow them to harm Panacea. I will not leave you to walk alone, nor will I abide those who do not understand your actions harming you either."

A winged horse, a beautiful woman wearing braided ropes and long sheets of cloth, and a warrior armed with a shield and sword. He could almost smell his own pain. Does Elysium usually accept their people making that kind of a scene? If there are cameras, I'm pretty sure you're going to be the news story, not me.

"Pegasus can easily outrace them," Panacea renewed her pleas, "we can be gone before-"

He cut her off with a fatigued wave of one hand. I'm coated in an acid that's eating through the rock beneath me. There's a reason I've kept moving and stayed away from you both. I'm not going to hurt your friend by forcing him to carry me like this. The steam rising off his armor was worrying. I'm not even sure what would happen if I went to wash it off somewhere.

Searchlights blinked on, three of which quickly located him and the others. One of the helicopters that had remained further back quickly lost altitude and moved to land nearby to where he was walking. It didn't honestly surprise him all that much when he read Gehirn on the side of the vehicles. After the side hatch opened, three people hopped out and began hurrying off towards the corpse of the Ninth Angel. Another pair climbed out with more grace, but no less haste to hurry over to him. The most surprising thing was that only one of them was armed, and she was only armed with a pistol.

Wearing a mask that helped to filter out the noxious air around them, a voice he recognized after a few words as belonging to Naoko Akagi greeted him with sincere relief, "You, my good sir, have a knack for providing me with extraordinarily valuable data." Displacing both Panacea and Enyo at his side by shouldering each out of the way, she kept up with his pace easily. "Unless I miss my guess, judging by the way things are disintegrating beneath you, you're coated in an organically produced acid from our new research subject back there. If you'd be so kind as to walk towards the helicopter, I've got just the thing to get that off of you."

The other woman, military from her bearing, coughed out an apologetic concern. "Doctor, we don't have anything on board that meets that classification, at least not to my knowledge. We're still-"

"Your fire suppressors are filled with sodium bicarbonate, General." Naoko hurried in front of Shinji, waving him towards the helicopter. "It will neutralize the acid, produce some form of salt and some level of water, and make it safe for him to touch things again." Her smile made it clear that she wouldn't take 'No' for an answer.

Shinji was somewhat relieved that Unit-01 hadn't engaged 'Semi-sentient Murder Machine' mode, the way it had when he first met the pushy scientist. His jaw worked for a moment, no better ideas for cleaning the substance from Unit-01 making itself available. Enyo-san…if this goes sideways, get Panacea-san out of here. That helicopter isn't taking off if I don't want it to. Changing direction carefully, telegraphing the movement so everyone steered clear and didn't presume hostility, he did as he'd been asked.

"Of course, Silent One." The proud warrior woman looked at the interlopers with well-concealed contempt, keeping pace with Shinji herself. "I would be glad to."

"Silent One?" Naoko picked up the new bit of knowledge the same way a magpie would pick up a shiny pebble. "Is that why you didn't say anything before? You're mute?"

He couldn't respond, and so he chose not to respond at all. He'd accept the aid, thank her politely, and then leave her to whatever it was she wanted to do with the Angel corpses. He couldn't stop them without violence, and someone had to start to clean up the devastation.

"I'm truly heartened to see that you've chosen to fight to protect humanity, sir." The General took a shot at extending an olive branch to someone she wasn't certain she had the capacity to harm. "If I understood the briefing properly, you're at least partially 'human', and could very easily have chosen to attack us after the way you were greeted following the Tokyo Incident."

They stood about as much chance of harming me as dry leaves. He 'remembered' only parts of the more destructive moments from that evening. More than anything he remembered the ruined devastation of buildings, machinery, and humanity. I would have killed them all if they fired at the others.

"There is no honor lost in choosing to defend your allies from attack," Panacea offered. "The misunderstanding that provoked their aggression was undone because you chose to passively defend, rather than proactively defend. You need not harry yourself for being the greater man, Silent One."

They reached the helicopter before the General could say anything else, and Naoko took over the situation with practiced ease. Addressing another soldier inside, she gave orders less than professionally, "Chief, my shiny friend here needs two of your men to spray him down with fire extinguishers. Please don't be sparing in their use. The acid is rather potent." Once the warrant officer moved to issue orders, she turned back to Shinji. "Please spread your legs apart and hold your arms out to the sides, if you would be so kind." He saw her give him what seemed to be a genuine smile of warmth from beneath the mask. "This is a bit more rudimentary than I would prefer, but I assure you it will keep everyone safe."

The idea that others were at risk fiddled with the buttons in his head that had been placed there by so many before, and without questioning the intent of the request he moved to comply. The ground beneath him slowly gave way, now that he was standing still, the acid chewing easily through the surface of the mountain side. Two more men hurried out of the helicopter, and immediately went to work on hosing him off with the chalky white exhaust from a pair of red canisters. Commands for how to stand, and eventually where to kneel to allow for cleaning the bottoms of his boots, were given by the elder Akagi. The itching pain began to recede, serotonin flooding him as the agony he'd been ignoring was quietly erased, Naoko's voice twining itself with that feeling of relief. He could still feel where he'd been stabbed, as well as the fatigue of having been awake for what felt like weeks, but removing the lingering attacks of the Ninth Angel served to soothe the savage Shinji rather well.

After several minutes, and fourteen complete fire extinguishers from the various helicopters nearby, Unit-01 had gone from covered in harmful acid to salt encrusted and slightly wet while kneeling on the ground. Naoko took his gauntleted hand before he could stop her, and scraped off some of the mixture for future analysis. "If we have to face something similar in the future, it would be best that I determine how to defend against it. The polymers in your armor reacted with the acid, and have interacted with the salt. You're healing it, somehow, and that will be useful in a war against these things." Placing the sample in a bag, she tossed it over to one of the others and stepped against him, holding his head against her torso in a tight embrace. In a voice pitched so only he could hear it, she whispered something that would change his entire perspective on the situation, "How's Gendo doing?"

+++++ Author's Notes:

JaceSterne:

RE: Notes.

If I make the joke too often, it stops being as funny.

RE: Minako.

It was always my plan in this story to display how important she was to the team, and to emphasize that it was her and not Mars that was responsible for the majority of tactical and strategic decision making. You just happened to catch me right as I was delivering the final setup to what you have now read as the payoff. My distaste for 'one-note' characters probably has made me a little predictable, though. I'll have to work on that.

Ghost Man:

RE: Khlorya.

Yep. Chlorine. I almost went with Fluorine, but I think that would have tipped my hand far too much.

RE: Tungsram.

I'm not entirely sure how many people are going to grab the "Carla Scheele" reference.

Jim D. Zas: RE: (Excellent Story).

Gracias mi amigo. Gracias.

DJexe: RE: Misato.

I've probably said it before, and a million times, but Misato was a far more complex character than most people give her credit for. Too many people only see narrow aspects of her character, or the purpose it served to the overarching narratives of growing up, maturing, and learning to interact with other humans. I won't say she's one of my favorite characters in that series, mainly because I don't know if I have favorite characters in that series, but she's easily one of the more entertaining characters to write.

SirchSidhe: RE: (Commentary on Chapter 15, Ritsuko).

It wasn't incredibly fun writing that section of YA(N)C. I was writing from experience, which always complicates things, and I was walking a very fine line between character assassination and alienating my readers. I will admit that this version of Ritsuko is an apology to the character itself. She, like Misato above, was nowhere near as one-dimensional as people make her out to be. She wasn't a 'villain' or an 'unwitting victim'. She was complicit in her own downfall, and was ultimately guilty of loving the wrong man. Did she deserve her end? Probably not. Did anyone in Evangelion get what they deserved? ...Probably not.