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

Nobody questioned Minako's decision to gain valuable intelligence by observing the situation first. When Michiru accepted the Sailor for Venus' leadership without even a hint of complaint, Haruka was obligated to do the same. Rei Hino, on the other hand, was used to a far less assertive style of command from the blonde Warrior of Love but had no issue with the change after everything that they'd heard had happened.

The journey to Maria's Market was consumed by a quick recounting of Minako's defense of Shinji, the loss of her father, a clarification on why they didn't need to immediately hurry to Mount Fuji from Minako's side, and an explanation of the types of youma that had assailed the Shrine from the others. Both had been desperate battles; both had seen immense casualties. Nobody would have attempted to put any of those lost above Minako's father…save for Minako herself. As she crept closer to the edge of the roof of a high-rise overlooking their destination, she closed out that chapter of her life with cold finality, "He died before I could get there. I couldn't defend him against that gas even if I was there. Now let's focus on the fight in front of us so we don't lose anyone else."

Michiru gestured subtly where only the other two could see for them to leave it be for the moment. "As you say, Venus." Joining the blonde in a peek over the ledge, she saw a host of hundreds of varying demons pounding on a shell of hiccupping shadow. "Those appear to be much the same as the ones we fought earlier. They do not share the durability of those from the fight at the restaurant."

"Normal youma." Rei's frown was evident in her tone, "One has to wonder at how insane that statement sounds."

Haruka checked the edge of her sword for damage, despite never before having to fear for such. "It's been that kind of week, kid. What's our play, here?"

To the others, the ground below was an unforgiving jumble of jagged claws and barbed teeth, acidic fire and frozen lightning. To Minako, it was another checkpoint on her path back to Shinji's side. The rumbling had continued, his journey to Mount Fuji not yet complete, which meant that if she could close this out soon, she could lead the trio of other warriors to help him as well. "We strike hard at the center, near the door." There was no mercy in her as she looked back to her fellows. "Neptune, you push them away to the south with your heaviest attack. Mars, to the north. Uranus, you and I are going to protect their flanks and mop up stragglers. If she opens the door, we fall back inside to regroup and add her to our plan or escape with what can be carried. If she doesn't, we kill everything down there and kick the door down ourselves." She didn't like the idea, but she didn't have to like it to understand it. "As much as I'd like to beat her ass myself, we need what she knows to defend the Shrine against what's coming." Working her hand into a better grip on the Sword of the Silver Crystal, she received a nod of agreement from the others. "On three, then. One. Two. Three." She was joined by the others, leaping over the edge and plummeting down to do what had to be done.

The world that the Sailors had known prior to Shinji's arrival was composed of beings that could rarely equal even one of them at full fury. When the 'Inner Sailors' had attacked as a group, nothing had yet been able to come close save for Queen Metalia, who had the blessing of an ancient evil to draw upon. The river of youma that was the current target for four of the six remaining Sailors did not have that terrible woman's strength, but they were still a foe worthy of caution. 'Caution', as a concept, was not what Minako was concerned with as she unleashed a barrage of golden heart-shaped grenades focused on where they would land. They had to strike hard, strike fast, and overwhelm the superior numbers with unrelenting destruction or risk their ambush being turned about on them.

With their entry secured, Michiru and Rei landed back to back to deploy mirrored horizontal tornadoes of liquid ice and flame. Before their enemies knew what had struck them, their numbers had been reduced by half. Haruka touched down next, cutting down those few opponents that were tough enough to have survived Venus' initial assault before turning her attention to a few that were moving to attack Rei.

Venus forswore grace for the moment, landing directly on a horned abomination that was rearing back to hit Michiru from the side and impaling it through the skull with her sword. Youma died. There could be no better description for the violence that she gifted them. It was no 'berserker frenzy' or 'callous disregard', one instant there was something alive before her, the next instant there was something dead near her. The awe-inspiring devastation so terrified the seemingly mindless beasts that they began to fall back, believing that Death itself had arrived on the field as their undoing.

It was then that the Eighth Angel emerged from Mount Fuji, causing the ground to quake and shudder as the tightly knit surface of the planet obeyed the physical laws governing most of creation. Almost everyone else, youma and Sailor alike, lost their footing and focus as the very Earth itself expressed its opinion on events. Everyone save for Minako, who adapted the disarray into her assault, felling dozens more and adding to the impression that she was as far above the others as the others were above the youma individually. Before the ground ceased moving, the entirety of the southern stretch of the side-street was empty of demons, and the northern stretch was in full retreat.

"No pursuit," Minako shouted over the sound of buildings shaking and rocks falling. "Mars, Uranus, stand guard and call out if they regroup. Neptune, let's knock." The slight hesitation of the others to follow her lead irritated her. "He is fighting alone, ladies. He was stabbed, is probably poisoned, and needs our help. Stop gawking and let's get this done so we can go save our friend!"

The inclusion of the 'our friend' part allayed concerns the other three shared that perhaps Venus was travelling down the path of Jupiter and Mercury. No one wanted to voice it, but there were limited candidates for the next woman to lose the battle against whatever malady was causing the insanity, and Venus was right below Setsuna on the list as far as they could tell. The long-haired Sailor for Pluto hadn't been seen since just after Saeko Mizuno had died, which left Minako to absorb the brunt of observation. They trusted her when she was looking at killing youma, much less so when she was speaking of Shinji. Haruka patted Rei on the back and pointed her over to a nearby overhang that she could stand on and use as a sniper's perch, then nodded to her lady love and turned away to face the direction that the youma had withdrawn towards.

Michiru moved with Minako to 'knock', and made an effort to soothe wounds, "It was slightly-"

"I'm not losing myself to an Angel." Minako wasn't an idiot, and kept her temper firmly leashed. "He's fought alongside us. You two say you've got a history with him. He's a good ally, a good person, and a good man. We don't want to lose someone who is any one of those three things, and we really don't want to lose someone who's all three." Pressing her hand to the shadowy dome, she gave her colleague a grim smile. "If I do lose myself to…it, don't hesitate."

The diminutive Sailor for Neptune wanted to offer comforting words, to deny that such a thing could happen. She wanted to, but she would not dishonor the woman next to her like that. "You have my word."

The distant roar of titans clashing drew both of their gazes. Wherever he was, Shinji was in a fight for his life. Minako banged her fist against the translucent wall of energy, producing neither noise nor significant change to the surface. "Hey! Hey lady!" Shouting seemed like a logical next step. "It's us! Let us in! The Denmother sent us!"

Ten, agonizing, seconds passed in silence. Whatever was inside, whether it was Maria or not, did not seem to be inclined to respond to their hail. Michiru placed her own hand against the barrier, feeling along it for anything that might be useful. "There's…something." Turning her left ear towards it, she leaned in and closed her eyes. After a long pause, she began to hum a meandering tune.

"Ok…why is music keeping us out?" Tapping her knuckles against it produced no sound, once more. Several more minutes passed while she walked along the surface of the barrier, the trembling of the earth around them diminishing. "Is it keeping her in? It's black. Black's usually bad around us."

"I wish I knew." Regaining her feet, she decided to look through her talisman to see if there was a truth hidden from sight. Whatever it was that she saw reflected back at her, however, was not shared with anyone else. Like a marionette losing its strings, she collapsed to the ground in a pile of limbs, her mirror clattering away along the ground and her eyes blankly staring at a darkening sky.

+++++ Northern Slope of Mount Fuji. (Sunday + 8)

Shinji didn't know whether to react with violence or terror. Standing there, holding his head and smiling down into his eyes without malice, the mother of this world's Ritsuko Akagi had asked him how a man she could not have known existed was doing. He'd never met the version of her in his world that he knew of, though he'd heard enough about her to know how important she was to the world he'd come from. She had designed the Magi. She had been involved in the creation of the Evangelions. She had done countless other things that he had no way of understanding, and now…somehow….

"Got your attention, didn't I?" Leaning down, Naoko pressed her face shield against his facemask and made a kissing sound. "I'd really appreciate it if you'd come with me." There was no guile in her tone, nothing he could use to gauge her intent. "I really need your input. It would make everything so much better for me, and I'm positive you'd get something out of it too."

It was at that point Panacea interjected herself into the tête-à-tête, disrupting everything. "Silent One, I apologize for interrupting your conversation, but I truly must insist that you travel home with me." Shouldering Naoko out of the way easily, her physical strength far greater than the normal mortal's, she urged Unit-01 to its feet. "The longer that poison lingers in your body, the more dire the consequences will become. You are an exemplary man, of this I have no doubt, but there are none living who do not require healing from time to time."

"Ma'am," the general righted Naoko and moved to interdict before being blocked by Enyo, "we appreciate that you have some measure of diplomatic standing here, but I'm sure there's nothing wrong with Mister Ikari that we can't fix back at Yokosuka. It is imperative that we discuss the ongoing crisis with him, in order to prevent self-inflicted tragedies if nothing else."

Enyo, idly twirling her weapon, scowled down at the shorter military officer. "Your…concoctions would have no more effect on his malady than a kiss from a toad. Our healers are his only hope of restoration."

Naoko's smile had never left her face, the façade of politeness remaining over the undercurrent of darker tidings. "Then why don't we all board our helicopter and go to the closest Waypoint. On the way you can answer some of my questions about how you met him, and give him some backstory as to why he's worth so much of your time and effort. I'm certain that Hermes would not mind aiding in a matter that calls upon both healing and diplomacy. I have some standing myself within Elysium, and will vouch for General Soryu."

Shinji's head jerked towards the officer before his body was able to react by backing away. The competing sensations, in addition to blood loss and fatigue, caused him to stumble backwards then overcorrect and topple forwards. He startled slightly in surprise when he grew colder and stopped moving before striking the ground or Panacea, a pale hand covered in liquid ice gripping his shoulder.

"I too think it would be an excellent use of time to explain why the Silent One is so important to your kind." The yuki-onna that had protected Ritsuko, bathed him, and fought to defend him against Khlorya now helped him by pulling him back and draping one of his arms over her shoulders to support him. "Go ahead and share…I'll fact check."

Y-yuki-onna-san…. The typical urge to pull away from someone, especially a woman, was not tripped by this deceptively strong creature. She had bled for him, and bled hard. Of any way to earn trust, that was likely the quickest and surest.

"Please," Panacea motioned firmly for everyone to stop, "I believe it would be best if he made this decision. I plead with him not out of deference, but out of necessity. The more others make choices for him, the less he will learn to do so for himself. You are correct," she considered the yuki-onna, "in that history has been…edited. I would hope you understood that Elysium is not alone in engaging in that vile act."

It wasn't a desire to live that drove him to ask, he really had stopped caring one way or another if he did, it was more the sensation he received from the woman holding him upright. He might not desire or deserve life…but she did. Can Reliqui heal this?

"…No." Turning her head slightly, the snow maiden shrugged the shoulder furthest from him. "At least, not in time to get you back in the fight." Call me Mizore. It's the name I used…in a past life.

It is an honor to meet you, Mizore-san. She wouldn't be able to see it, but he smiled with something approaching true happiness at having been trusted with a name without having to beg or even ask. You can call me Shinji. It's who I was, before I came here. It's definitely not who I am anymore…. His smile died as he looked at the helicopter, then at Panacea. Let's go. I have things to kill, and I can't do that wobbling around.

"You have my deepest gratitude, Silent One." The healer urged everyone towards the machine, save for Pegasus. To her winged horse, she urged haste of a different sort. "Dear friend, please go and inform my mother. She will know what to do."

Enyo slipped under his other shoulder, a wicked grin on her face as she helped him approach the helicopter that had been chosen to carry them. "You recover quickly, child of frost. The last I saw of you, you were sprawled upon the field of battle coated in your own fluids."

"I will not caution you against listening to them, my friend." Mizore ignored the barb from the other woman, choosing to spend her time focused on Shinji. "The truth is far more complex than any one mind can grasp, and…sadly, I guess, is typically not anywhere near as important in discussions of the past as it ought to be. Instead, I would ask that you retain an open mind when considering alternative interpretations of events from differing parties."

It wasn't too much to ask, and it was far more honest than many others might have been. Shinji appreciated that she recognized that people lie, to themselves or others. He especially appreciated the way that she ignored Enyo's attempts at prodding her. I'll ask for clarification if something sounds too one-sided. He hesitated, wondering if he was prompted to say what he was about to out of a feeling of obligation or actual desire. …Thank you.

"What for?"

For fighting to save people. Waving off the offer of two marines and freeing himself from the women helping him, he climbed up into the helicopter on his own, then offered a hand to Mizore while continuing to ignore Enyo. Something told him to keep the snow maiden close, and his instincts hadn't been misleading him as much of late. With her on the bench next to him, he completed his thought. For doing more than duty would ask you to do…for being someone who doesn't stand aside and let horrible things happen. For not being me.

A small, secretive, smile curled one edge of her mouth up. The Shirayuki family failed to do enough many years ago. I vowed not to repeat that mistake ever again. When Panacea hurried over to take the side opposite her, the smile died as if it had never been there. "What is your intent here, Healer?"

"To do what I must so that a grievous wound may heal." Panacea spoke without ambiguity, her eyes firmly on her opposite's, "What happened to the Titans was unforgivable. The actions that led up to that heinous crime…more so. My sister, now a part of the Silent One, had the right of it. We cannot absent ourselves from a patient who was only brought to harm because of petty vanity."

Shinji's head tilted, confusion evident in his bearing. I…I didn't feel very vain when I was fighting. My mother took control of Unit-01, that left me open to being stabbed in the side. How is what happened to the Angels unforgivable? I, uhm, I guess I don't understand? I'm fairly worthless, where did vanity come in?

"She is not speaking of you specifically," Mizore thumped him on the arm, scowling at him, "nor are you worthless. The Titans she speaks of would be what we refer to as 'Elders'. They are simply different terms for concepts filtered through the languages and cultures they originated from."

Panacea joined the other woman in chiding him, "If I believed you worthless, I would not have placed my life in danger attempting to save you from yourself. I would not have been so kindly predisposed towards my sister's sacrifice. If you belittle yourself, you belittle her. Continue to do so and I will ensure that your healing is less comfortable than it otherwise might be."

"Oh, Shinji." Naoko sighed as she sat down across from him as she determined the context of the berating he received from the statements of the other two. Rolling her eyes, she motioned for the others to put on the earphones hanging above them. "You are quite possibly the most valuable creature on this planet. No one else can do what you do, not for the world, and not for me." Frowning slightly, she paused in her motions. "Can you let your armor do whatever it is that it does when you no longer need it? You won't be able to hear us speaking over the propellers without one of these." She waggled her own set of headphones. "Really noisy."

Panacea's voice intruded into his thoughts, I apologize. I would not make this general knowledge. Should you disengage your outer shell, the poison will begin to run unchecked. I believe that it has shielded you, to a degree, from the harm. You will be vulnerable. I trust Enyo's capacity for defense, but I must beg you Frostmother…help me right a terrible wrong.

"You're going to be very warm, Shinji." Using his name as authorized, Mizore drew his gaze back to her. "Lay your head on my lap, allow the Healer to ply her talents while we speak. The bench can be used to keep you from the floor, and I will moderate your temperature to slow further infection." It will also keep the Shieldbearer from molesting you further.

Keeping track of who heard who was impossible, from his perspective. Regardless, the current situation required that he trust Mizore to know best what to do. Too much politics at play, too many chances for something to go wrong. Relaxing the invisible muscles that summoned Unit-01, he felt pain, nausea, fever, and malaise grow as the Eva reluctantly obeyed. He flopped, more than laid, down against Mizore, with Panacea helping the youkai position him where he could lay flat and placing a set of headphones around his ears.

"Check, check one." The voice of General Soryu sounded clearly through the headset once it was on Shinji's ears. "Can you hear us, sir?"

Shinji held up an 'ok' symbol, his hand and arm trembling with the effort. I…really didn't think Unit-01 was doing so much to hold me together.

"Adrenaline is a miraculous substance; it is also quite possibly the chemical most responsible for fatalities amongst those we would call Hero." Panacea's hands were already glowing, her attention focused on gently unwrapping his side from the makeshift bandage he'd shoved into place. "He hears you. I would volunteer the Frostmother as his voice to those of you who cannot hear his words clearly. I feel that her deeds place her above reproach, and I will stand as her Second in the event of challenge as to the veracity of his intent."

Enyo, forced to stand near Shinji's knee, scoffed, "If there is any challenge-"

"The Silent One does not trust you, Sister of Strife." Mizore didn't need to hear him say as much to know it for truth. "I have earned his validation, and the Healer has set her case before him. You continue to press your offer of affections after he has made it clear that he has neither need nor use of them. I will agree to her request, and will attest to her own integrity should the need arise."

"Shinji doesn't trust anyone," Naoko stepped in firmly, "himself least of all. To look at how he acts, he has spent his life being abused. Whoever raised him did so with the intent to instill fear and doubt deep in his psyche. He wasn't raised as a child, or even as a weapon…he was raised to be a puppet." With her hood off, and the helicopter now taking flight, she motioned to a nearby corpsman. "It would make us all feel better, ladies, if you allowed one of our specialists to at least monitor his vitals."

The middle-aged sailor eyed the General for permission, and after she nodded assent, looked to Panacea for the next stage of permission. "I'm not looking to step on toes, ma'am. Pulse, BP, ox. Just a baseline. This bird goes down, and you get knocked unconscious, I need to be able to step up to save his life."

Shinji could see the nametag on the front of the MOPP gear, identifying the woman as Petty Officer Temple. She…looks polite.

"Please do not come close to his wound." Panacea accepted Shinji's observation as permission. "He survives this poison through strength that you do not possess. He…may yet die. You would be dead between two beats of your heart."

"Roger that, ma'am." Pulling a pack she carried off her back, Temple knelt down near his head and began to attach various medical devices to his upper arm. "Sir, I'm going to need to hold your arm. Do I have permission to manipulate it?" He nodded, prompting a warm smile. Flicking her eyes up to Mizore, she kept gathering the bits of intel she would need to interact with him. "Thank you. Does he have a rank? Title? Something I can identify him by? There are a lot of 'sirs' around, and it wouldn't be professional to use his first name."

Pilot. Shinji could at least answer that one. When I was where I came from, that's what I was called by everyone else on base. 'Pilot Ikari'.

"To you, and you alone, he will answer to 'Pilot'." Mizore worked carefully around prohibitions far older and stricter than anything else. "It was a title given to him by those he once defended, and has not been stricken from his life's scroll as of yet."

"Pilot it is, then." Writing down several numbers, she frowned at the data she collected. "Ma'am, I'd like to discuss running an IV into him. He's a couple quarts low, and his heart's working pretty hard for how sedentary he is."

No. Shinji's answer came unbidden, surprising even him. Too many chances for someone to have tampered with things. Ritsuko-san doesn't trust her mother, and her mother knew she was coming to see me. She wouldn't want me to have things injected into me that weren't able to be identified.

"He will survive until we arrive at Elysium," Panacea deflected the offer, "I would rather not complicate what we will do by mingling your treatments with our own."

Temple protested, gently. It was obvious that she wasn't insisting, and her bearing denoted great respect for another 'doctor' and their opinions. "It's just saline and potassium, give his body some materials to work with to create more blood."

"In what percent solutions?" Mizore offered a compromise, "I am capable of manifesting salts and potassium, and will administer them orally to him. Compromising his body's integrity by puncturing his skin would increase exposure for others to the vile poisons in his blood. Having him take my finger into his mouth will not."

"Twenty milliequivalents of potassium chloride per liter. Can you deliver the dosage that exactly?" Once again, she wasn't protesting or arguing. Professional to professional, she was simply trying to do what she was trained to do.

"I can." Mizore looked to Panacea. "Healer?"

The Elysian shrugged her shoulders lightly. "That would satisfy my concerns, yes. If that would allay the Ship's Healer, I see no argument against to be made." Your concerns are not without merit. I sense something…off about her.

That's putting it mildly. Mizore held her right pointer finger over his lips, "Open." When his lips parted, she lowered the digit down to where it would rest in his mouth up to the second knuckle. "Close." Starting a cool drip into his mouth, she nodded to Temple that it was done and lightly stroked her thumb along Shinji's cheek to soothe his mounting anxiety.

"It is fascinating watching three different cultures brush shoulders with one another." Naoko tittered. "You see, General, he is a young man torn between these three worlds. A piece of each has claims to his creation, and without knowing how he does it, he balances all three on the head of a pin." Demonstrating more knowledge that didn't seem appropriate for her to have, she picked up on the thread of conversation from earlier. "To the Pergamonian, he would be a Titan. Like Kronos, or Gaia. To the youkai, he would be an Elder. A primal deity with total dominion over portions of reality, not unlike Takemikazuchi-no-o-no-kami or Itsu-no-ohabari. To humanity, he would be considered a metahuman. A superhero, of a sort."

General Soryu kept her eyes on Shinji, weighing the man beneath the myth. "I would contend, Doctor Akagi, that he is none of those. Laying before me I see a man. With a man's doubts, a man's fears, a man's burdens. I see someone who fights because others cannot. No myths, no legends…just flesh, blood, and bone."

"You were paying attention when he dismissed his battle raiment?" Enyo had her eyebrow raised in contempt for the seemingly belittling comment. To her, he was power made manifest. Even wounded and poisoned, she saw a being capable of destroying the planet with a whim. "To my knowledge, no mundane mortal could manage such a feat."

"What I see, or don't see, doesn't matter as much as what he displays to the world." She wasn't one to be cowed by someone with seemingly greater physical strength. "The difference between a Prince and a Pauper is as much what each believes of themselves as what the world beholds when they look at them. He doesn't carry himself with pretense. He doesn't act like some childishly conceived superhero. Put him in a uniform like mine, stand him next to some of my Soldiers, Sailors, or Marines, he wouldn't look out of place. He's ready to die to do what's right, and he's forever questioning if he's doing the best job he can. Nothing fantastical about that."

From what he could see, with his field of view limited by Mizore's finger in his mouth holding his head still, the General had well-kept lustrous black hair and a steady gaze. Her voice was neither grating nor high-pitched, and when she spoke it was with the confidence of the learned. She…doesn't remind me of her at all.

"We have long perfected keeping our peculiarities shielded from your world, General." Mizore shifted her hand some to allow Shinji to look at the other woman. "We have lived among your kind since the first human set foot upon Ashihara no Nakatsukuni, and have warred amongst each other for just as long."

"Foolishly. Needlessly." As a healer, Panacea was disgusted by the self-inflicted wounds that living creatures caused through war. As an individual, she was simply tired of hearing the justifications being bandied about, feeding the retribution cycle. "The coveting of humanity's spiritual fixation, Silent One, is ultimately the reason you have no peers to learn from."

"There is no falsehood in that statement," she agreed easily. "This world has been burdened by a surfeit of forms of life, each competing as life does for limited resources…each creating tragedies that create more tragedies further along the path."

"This Academy War," Naoko leaned in, eager for knowledge, "it was the reason those closest to him were killed?"

Enyo responded with a growl, "Academy Wars. Far more than one Academy, and far more than a single conflict, were assaulted by-"

Shinji's pulse climbed, prompting Mizore to summon a band of ice around the shield-bearer's mouth. "You have not been granted permission to speak on the matter by either diplomat present." When her target glared death at her, the snow maiden smirked. "I was weakened when I fought against the chit. My clan has gifted me far greater reserves of energy, and his benediction feeds me further strength. If you feel you cannot control yourself, child, speak again…I'll be overjoyed to resolve the problem for you."

"She will remain silent, or she will lose the support of the Asclepeion." Panacea's eyes remained on Shinji's side, and her efforts there. "The academy system was simply the battleground politics dictated, Doctor," carrying the conversation away from the flashpoint, she gained standing in Shinji's eyes, "not the reason for anything. Those who set the system up had intended it to be a mechanism for exposure between the youth of varying cultures. Teach them how to exist as we must to maintain the Masquerade, teach them to endure, if not embrace, the differences that bring valued perspective to global issues. Like any system set up by those who exist with optimistic vision…it failed when corrupted by those of a more pessimistic bent."

Mizore's jaw was clenched, her hand stiffer still. Shinji stopped his analysis of General Soryu, turning back to the woman keeping him comfortable. Are you ok? The pain had lessened considerably due to Panacea's ministrations, giving him enough mental clarity to attempt to do what came naturally. You're…uhm…you seem…angry.

Violet-blue eyes drifted down to contemplate the tenor of the question. While her face remained impassive, her voice was quietly tender, I am a survivor of the Wars. I was in my final year at the Academy I attended when the first proverbial shots were fired. I believe, as a combat veteran yourself, you understand why remembering such things might cause anger.

"I am afraid the briefing did not include information on the genesis of intra-youkai aggression, ma'am." General Soryu, unaware that Shinji and Mizore were speaking, took the sudden silence as an opportunity to ask a question that was bothering her. "How is it that something so monumental as the destruction of an entire plethora of kami managed to go unnoticed by humanity? That's rather concerning, considering what we're now facing as a species."

"It is because of the nature of the weapons used, General." Naoko gestured vaguely at the non-humans present. "Where a gun, bomb, or missile may be enough to kill humans, they are capable of defending against such mundane assaults. However, a spiritual attack would devastate almost any of them, though it would only mildly disrupt a human's life. My assumption is that one faction or another engaged a weapon that had not been rigorously tested before implementation and the 'back blast', to borrow a term you're familiar with, was spectacular."

Panacea's mouth hardened into a thin line at the choice of words. "The Strategos made the decision to employ the weapon against the advice of the Areopagus. Once it was unleashed…the consequences of their haste to defend Elysium went far beyond even the Areopagus' dire predictions."

Shinji felt like he was still lacking necessary information. Why was Elysium under attack?

"Do you remember earlier when I mentioned truth?" Mizore sighed with resignation. "You can find as many explanations as there are people who were involved. The individual responsible for the first assault that triggered everything, however, is very well known." The way she pronounced the name of the person responsible struck those present as the way someone might declare that an individual took the lives of an entire elementary school, "Moka Akashiya."

"That…name does not sound correct." General Soryu frowned thoughtfully. "It sounds fake. As if someone was trying to be Japanese without being Japanese."

"She was a Western Vampire," Panacea explained. "Her father sent her to the Academy here as punishment for her 'weakness'. While attending, she made the acquaintance of a young human male, someone who had been brought to the Academy by the then Headmaster as an experiment to see if humanity had reached a point where they might be able to co-exist with those like us."

"Long story short," Mizore stamped on further clarification along that line of questioning, "when a youkai discovered that the young man was human, a fight ensued. The young man died, nowhere near strong enough to defeat his opponent. She then cursed him with her blood, turning him into an abomination."

"An abomination which then proceeded to slaughter three of every four students in the institution," Panacea herself was both disgusted and angered, her voice tight and cold. "He later came to his senses long enough to discover what he had done. No one knows who killed him, whether it was someone from the Reliqui-aligned factions or the Elysian…but the act which enabled him to murder so many others lay at the feet of an Elysian, and as she was still alive to face judgement she was the one who took the blame."

Whether a trick of the light or not, Shinji believed he saw a tear standing unshed in Mizore's eye. With some difficulty, he moved his right hand up to grip her right elbow. I understand why you're angry now. He wasn't any good at condolences, and he knew he sucked at lifting people's spirits without access to a kitchen, so he stuck with the simple truth. I wish I had been there to help stop that from happening. I might not have been strong enough alone to hold him down so he could get help, but I would have tried.

Under the pretense of checking his fever, Mizore lightly combed her fingers through his hair. I have no doubt that you would have done what you could. You share a great deal in common with him in that way. "When Elysium refused to turn her over to our authorities, the new Headmaster, the former secretary of the old Headmaster, expelled every Elysian student. Without ties to a university in Japan, that meant they had to return to their home nations."

"In an effort to save those few who remained, she used what tools she had available to move civilians out of harm's way." General Soryu nodded, the move making a much different type of sense to her mind than it might have to someone less versed in military tactics. "It saves face for Reliqui and allowed for the possibility of Elysium opting for a diplomatic solution by claiming that as the first penalty for one of their own causing everything."

"After a series of skirmishes resulted in two other Academies failing to protect their youkai students, Reliqui went on the march, aided by several Western-aligned groups that disliked Elysium's geo-political positions. Tens of thousands of young lives, little more than children, slaughtered for the crime of being born from parents not Elysian. It was inevitable that those failures would result in war." Panacea shrugged, the rest of the story only involving tales of battle that she had no interest in. "Most of the Titans sided with Reliqui, old grudges able to be settled after so long. With few Elysian victories to build upon, and no support for diplomacy from Mount Olympus, the Strategos turned to a weapon that was…untested."

"If by 'untested', one means 'criminally negligent'." Mizore locked eyes with both General Soryu and Naoko Akagi. "No. We will not explain what the weapon was, nor how the weapon managed it. I must assume that she, no more than I, are not authorized to divulge military secrets to foreign agents."

"It killed those Titans that strode amongst mortals." Her eyes grew haunted. "It killed them in ways that…ways that…."

Is…that weapon still around? The note of hope in his voice caused Mizore to gasp and Panacea's head to snap over to face him in horror. Is it?

"We will speak later." The air in the helicopter dropped well below freezing, Mizore's face and tone serene. "For now, I believe we have given enough information as to how we have come to lose all but one Elder." You do not have my permission to die. We will be speaking of this later.

+++++ Lunar Surface. (?)

Setsuna Meiou's mood was darker than the empty void she moved through. She had been chosen to guard the Door and the Key. She had been chosen because she was the strongest of them all. She was the only one strong enough to do what she had done. What she had confirmed had been done. What no one could have undone. Yet, despite all of these truths, that pampered twit of a woman somehow had gained access to power beyond any she could dream possible. She had attempted to kill Usagi the second time, thinking she could summon her spell before the other woman could cross the distance. Even with time frozen, the woman that had been Sailor Moon was too fast. Too strong. It ate at her gut, gnawing away at her mind. She would prove that everything was not how that madwoman believed it to be. She would prove it to them all.

Shifting through the mirror at the ruins of the Moon Palace, she turned around a corner to approach her goal…and found that the Space-Time Door stood open. Terror gripped her mind, the icy tendrils of a fear worse than even that of Usagi Tsukino's wrath arising from the possibility that everything that had happened this time around was, in fact, her fault entirely. Every death. Every wound upon Shinji's psyche. Every dark future that held no chance of parole for anyone…her fault.

Dashing madly over, she reached the twin panels of the Door in the blink of an eye. Yanking on both, she discovered that neither would move. Switching her grip so that both hands tore at a single panel, she used as much strength as she could summon to no avail. Nothing would move the Door now. Nothing could move the Door now. The only way to open the Door had been the Key. The Key that she had destroyed to ensure that she and Shinji would be safe in the space between the Moon Palace and the Door.

The way was…open. It had been made by those who were dead. The way was open.

+++++ Skies Over an Entrance to Elysium. (Sunday + 8)

In a typical interaction between the pilot of a military aircraft and the ranking officer on-board, the ranking officer is informed of situations below at the discretion of the pilot. The pilot makes an assessment of the likelihood of issues arising from incidents that are unlikely to impact mission security in the next few seconds, determines if they can make alterations to the flight plan without interrupting the rest of the wing, and undertakes those changes necessary at that time and not after bad things happen. The pilot in charge of the heavy-lift helicopter transporting General Soryu, Naoko Akagi, and the diplomats from the kami took note of a series of strange movements below and off to the side of his anticipated landing pad. He checked his fuel gauges, pondered if there was an SOP relevant to the situation, laughed at the thought of someone drafting an SOP regarding kami, and then flicked a switch to speak to the General. Unfortunately, distracted as he was by what was happening below, he hit the wrong switch and opened a channel to the entire helicopter. "General, Colonel Miyamoto. I've got motion close to the LZ. Can't get a positive ID on personnel or numbers. I have enough to get us back to the FOB, if you'd rather not risk it."

General Soryu noticed that everyone had stopped speaking as soon as the pilot started, and assumed that COMSEC had already been violated. "Can you gather better intel without risking the bird, Colonel?"

Enyo had approached one of the portholes dotting the side of the aircraft, and her eyebrows knit as she looked down in the direction of the oddity that had been mentioned. Cracking the ice gag with a forceful slap, she growled, "Daemons." Looking around for how to open the sliding hatch, she could make neither heads nor tails of the odd door. "How do I open this? There are enemies to kill below!"

"We cannot commit ourselves to-" The General was cut off by Unit-01 slamming into place around Shinji. "Sir, please, we need-"

The UH-60 they were aboard was designed to transport troops where they needed to go, regardless of combat situation. The frame, including the doors, was rated to withstand small-arms fire, and even a significant amount of fire from twenty-three-millimeter shells. Whatever one might refer to Unit-01's boot as, it would be irresponsible to attempt to categorize it as either of those. Despite the pleas of the General, and the urging of Panacea, Shinji kicked the door off of the helicopter and allowed momentum to carry him out.

Mizore, however, had decided to hitch a ride on Unit-01 and had her arms around his neck as she lay against his back while they fell towards the ground. These are not youma. They are creatures from Western myth as you might know it, though some few do hail from areas around the far west of Asia. Durable hides, strong muscles. Mobility is key when fighting them. If they have been corrupted, they will not die easily.

The pain from the wound in his side was settling back down, after having flared up when he donned Unit-01. The presence of the yuki-onna against him helped dull it further, the need to protect her for what she had done to save lives giving him a purpose beyond seeking death. Roger. Do you want to take lead?

No. I serve better in a support capacity. I am nimble enough to adapt to whatever you do, so you should lead the charge. What Shinji couldn't see was the tiny smile his question had prompted. The act of deference one that she had rarely received outside of her own rather insular community, and never from one as powerful as the man she was with.

The ground approached rapidly, the commotion below coming into view. Major targets presented themselves first, thick men with exaggerated features standing over two meters tall. Those entities were engaged in combat on two fronts, one side represented by two women wielding swords with a ferocity that went well beyond 'mortal', and a man and woman he recognized immediately. 'Noriyasu Seta', as he had been introduced, and the young woman who had attempted to harm the young man named 'Keitaro'. The focus of their defense was a rickety old van carrying non-combatants and children. The other party engaging the giant men was a copse of trees that had come to life, branches and roots growing beyond reasonable size to lash out and crush, slash, or stab anything they could.

Shinji recognized that the situation was unclear. He remembered Misato telling him, repeatedly, that battlefield intelligence was the key to any victory. You could not win a fight you didn't understand, and you would not win a fight that you refused to understand. Rushing in blindly when there seemed to be more than two parties would only get those people with the humans killed, which altered his immediate available options. Reducing his weight dramatically he grabbed onto a thick branch as he passed it, using it to change his momentum and sending him and his passenger on a course to land between the swordswomen and the daemons.

Fortune smiled on him as he came in for a landing, all four human combatants having pulled back due to the daemons recognizing a much more serious threat in the form of Unit-01. Landing far enough back to use the threat of force, instead of engaging immediately, Shinji allowed his Eva to deliver a roar that shook the heavens. The daemons took another step back, then turned and ran to help their allies fight the trees.

Mizore swung up to sit on his shoulder, her feet fidgeting against his chest. That's…odd.

Combat instincts kicked in just as he heard a powerful male voice shout, "Stop!" Unit-01 turned around and grabbed the sharp and pointy end of the sword of the younger of the two swordswomen before it could strike his passenger. Seta, as he preferred to be called, wasted no time in hurrying over himself to vie for diplomacy. "Motoko, stop!" Waving for Unit-01 not to respond violently, he spoke rapidly, "Please, everyone, stop! Ikari-sensei, thank you for coming. Thank you." Bowing enough to demonstrate physically that he knew everyone was safe for the moment, he nearly threw the young swordswoman towards the elder, leaving the sword in the custody of the purple titan of war. "She's keyed up. She's a trained demon hunter and doesn't understand that the lovely young woman on your shoulder is not a demon."

"I was aiming for him!" 'Motoko' was yelling at the archeology professor as much as she was the woman chiding her, drawing everyone's gaze. "He carries a snow demon, he lands and scares away those giant men with a roar that deafened me, you think I should wait for an engraved invitation?!"

The elder swordswoman, someone Shinji had a difficult time believing was purely human, seemed to consider the junior for a few seconds before striking her at the base of the neck with the pommel of her katana and catching the now unconscious young woman before she could hit the ground. Her voice was confidence and power mixed with femininity and grace, "Narusegawa-chan, take my sister to the van and comfort the children. She has been stretched beyond her limits for too long."

Narusegawa, on the other hand, had not lowered her defenses and was still facing Unit-01 warily. "Aoyama-san, I'm not-"

"Going to remain conscious much longer if you do not obey my instruction, you are correct." Sheathing her sword and staring down any further retorts, she waited for the university student to obey before approaching Shinji directly. Tall, slender, and deadly, there was nothing in her comportment that gave him any doubts as to her willingness to die for her cause…but there was also nothing that screamed a willingness to rush that death. A calm, simple, gesture towards the sword he held was partnered with a polite, "I will take custody of my sister's blade, Ikari-dono. I assure you, she will not receive it back before she is ready to responsibly wield it."

There was no reason he could think of to keep it, and Mizore wasn't giving off any sense of worry or consternation, so he lowered the weapon to angle the hilt where it could be taken safely. I get the feeling this fight was a big misunderstanding. Those guys behind me would have been able to stomp these people flat, wouldn't they have?

"The Demon Hunters of the Aoyama Clan are not your typical warriors, Shinji." Mizore patted his head, speaking aloud for the benefit of the humans before them. "Tsuruko Aoyama, the lady you've given the sword to, is the headmistress of the Shinmeiryuu school. Noriyasu Seta, the gentleman who stopped her younger sister from hurting herself attacking you, is a walking fount of trouble and mischief." Everyone's eyes were drawn to where Enyo had finally landed, aiding the daemons in beating back the trees. "Neither of them should be this close to a Waypoint."

Noriyasu's laugh displayed a good humor about his own reputation, and more than a touch of relief. "Well, Doctor Namaha and I have worked together in the past, and she was able to give me coordinates for this place and the appropriate counter-spell to pierce the veil protecting it."

Shinji's attention returned to the man when he identified the source of his benefactor. Maria? I haven't…. He tried to remember the last time he'd seen the woman. He was interrupted, however, by the approach of a man he did recognize. The man who had worked the protection detail for Ritsuko at Todai, and who shared the same name as Toji. Suzuhara-san.

"What a mess." The yokai's frustration was evident in his voice, though not his face. "The trees around Tokyo have been showing signs of rot and corruption lately, but not in any recognizable pattern. We thought that it was because of the proximity of those 'Angels' you fight, but this proves that's not likely either. The treants the Elysians placed to protect this Waypoint were infected with it, and so they ignored the counterspells that should have allowed peaceful entry. Then the daemons attempted to intervene to protect the children, and were confused for additional foes by people who've never seen the like." Tapping his fist against Unit-01's bicep, he snorted out a laugh of relief. "I'm supposed to be helping keep you safe, my friend. Then you fall right into my lap and save this situation from devolving further with a well-placed roar. Thanks."

Tsuruko added her gratitude, and demonstrated why she held the position she did, "You have our utmost gratitude as well. We have wounded, and are nearly out of fuel to run the vehicle we arrived in. I could sense the lack of killing intent in those tasked with intervening, but after they injured Urashima-san it was rather difficult to prevent a reprisal from Narusegawa-chan and Motoko-han. Is there a possibility we might continue this discussion at our destination, or perhaps a hospital?"

"Absolutely," Suzuhara waved for everyone to move back to the van, "let's get the wounded care and then we'll piece together what happened. Silent One, could you and the Frostmother run alongside the van? I can trust you two to keep any further incidents from happening while I navigate for their…." The man cut off as the sound of horses' hooves rumbled out of the cave mouth.

Pegasus, leading a convoy of horse-drawn floating carts, hurried over to the group and let the other horses move to the van to begin urging people to come and receive treatment. The noble creature came to a halt and stamped its front right hoof twice next to Unit-01, staring meaningfully at him. The aura it emitted was comprised of one single impulse, Ride.

The thought of riding a flying horse again prompted a series of thoughts ranging from confused bewilderment to frank irritation. He would not leave injured behind, and he would not race ahead to begin treatment while people were in danger. Not until they are safe. I can stand, and I can fight. They can barely do one, and certainly not the other well enough to defend themselves. If Epione-san thinks I'll risk everyone else to save myself-

"Shinji," Mizore moved to where she stood next to Pegasus, "your safety is everyone else's safety. You are correct, none here may defeat an Angel, nor can they easily beat back one of the Angelspawn. You are injured, and your injury is worsening. If you agree to ride at the rear of the convoy, I will take the fore and urge that they make haste. You will protect us from further assaults behind, and I will summon you to the head if we run into any foolish enough to attempt harm."

"With your permission," Tsuruko moved to stand next to Shinji, "I would prefer to help with rearguard duties. I am light enough that the steed should not suffer for an additional rider, and adept enough that I will be of use to Ikari-dono while reinforcements are summoned. If he has suffered an injury, it is unwise to trust him and him alone to provide our defense."

Pegasus nodded, agreeing with all parties. Turning about, he lowered one wing to allow people to climb aboard properly. Shinji's irritation remained, though he couldn't disagree about the logical merits of the arguments they had made, and so he did what he tended to do and fell back on manners. Kneeling down by Pegasus, he laced his fingers together to act as a stirrup for Tsuruko and kept his eyes lowered to avoid seeing up the casual yukata she wore as it parted to allow her motions. Mizore-san, would you please tell Aoyama-san that I'm not able to speak? I expect you to not hide even a bump from me, too. I can fight.

Mizore saw, as the swordswoman frowned at Shinji, that Tsuruko was pained at the aura he possessed. She knew the woman felt easily the debasement and abject abuse he had survived, and knew that it was a scar that would take ages to even begin to heal if it ever did. She also saw, in the woman, fresh sorrows of her own. "He is mute, for all intents and purposes, Headmistress. The malady is specific to his concept of self, and so you will find him unable to answer in any meaningful capacity. He has asked that I inform you, so he does not come across as aloof or rude."

Settling side-saddle, facing those remaining afoot, Tsuruko inclined her head in gratitude for Shinji's assistance. "Rude seems a poor fit for him. I am certain what needs must be said, will find a way to be said. Let us hurry, the sooner the young ones are safe, the sooner we can see about our own health and peace."

Reducing the weight of Unit-01 as much as he felt capable of, Shinji vaulted up and set himself where he wouldn't risk touching his fellow passenger inappropriately. I'm serious, Mizore…if there is an attack up front you are going to call me, or we are going to have words.

The snow maiden lifted herself up to him on a pillar of frost, placing a small kiss on the broken nub that had been the horn of Unit-01's faceplate. "Thank you for your concern. I understand that the safety of others is important to you, and will not act in a manner contrary to that end. However, you quickly forget that we already have a scheduled discussion regarding your question aboard the helicopter." There was no warmth in her smile, or her eyes. "Do not be a hypocrite." Turning about and moving to the lead horse, she left him unsteady and far less confident in his behavior than he had been.

+++++ The Path to Elysium. (?)

Pegasus was ill-content; both of his riders could sense the need he felt to hurry everything along. However, several serious injuries had been discovered among the van's passengers and the head of the column of magical medical ambulances refused to move any faster for fear of disrupting the healer working on their patients. Between the time that Mizore had cut Shinji off at the knees and the time they had begun their journey, Panacea had arrived to check in on him and had given him an admonition similar to that of the yuki-onna before hurrying off to care for the other wounded.

Silence had reigned for the first few kilometers, Shinji alternately growing angrier and despondent as his moods took him. He wanted to die. There was nothing else for it, in his mind. Everyone else could try to excuse or explain everything that had happened as someone else's fault, or as no one's fault at all, but he knew that this all started when he was given an opportunity to pilot Unit-01 and defend humanity…and he had run away. Now that he had fought beside actual warriors, people who were risking their lives to save others, he understood the humbling duty that came with capability. He had the capability to be a great man, and he had squandered it. Now, two worlds had been harmed through his inaction. If what his mother had said was true, by him dying he could allow the Nameless to take over Unit-01. They could do good deeds. They could fix the mess he'd created.

"I wish you understood the silent language," Tsuruko sighed out, apropos of nothing. "I can feel how troubled your spirit is, and you face daunting challenges ahead." Turning to face him, her mask of serenity dropped enough to expose the bone-deep fatigue she was experiencing. "I sense you have too much to say, and no one to say it to."

His hands moved, unbidden, alongside his thoughts, I'm sorry if I am bothering you.

The light of hope in her eyes lifted some of the tiredness. "You are most certainly not bothering me, good sir. To be a bother, one must be unwelcome. Any who would throw themselves out of a helicopter to save lives without once asking for repayment is always welcome in the lands of the Aoyama. Why did you not mention you understood the silent language?"

I…. Thankfully, his blush was hidden behind his mask. I forget what I do and don't know. My body knows a lot, my mind knows a lot, but they don't always seem to agree about what they know.

"A very astute comment, and a clever way to phrase the problems most of us face." Bringing her knees further onto Pegasus' back, turning her body to face Shinji, she pressed on a point that had prompted her comment. "You will hopefully forgive my forwardness, but I once failed to ask a fellow warrior something important and that lapse in duty cost me dearly."

Shinji winced, though Unit-01 remained impassive. The woman before him understood, by her own words, what he had just been thinking on. Forcing his hands to stay immobile, he tried to relax enough to not seem rude. I wonder how much of what I'm thinking people can actually hear. Or see…or just…know.

Tsuruko's hesitation was not born from doubt in the rightness of the question, but more on how to phrase that question in a manner that would not offend. "Too many suffer, quietly, from doubts. We hold lives in our hands, sometimes a handful, sometimes more than can be comfortably counted in an afternoon. A warrior, true of heart, understands that not everyone may be saved. We plan, we prepare, but when we perform…the enemy has a voice in the outcome of our engagements. Your…aura, as odd an aura as I've yet seen, is heavy with a sense of doubt. Of grief. Of…loss." Her head tilted slightly to the side in curiosity, her long hair cascading down along her shoulder and arm. "When you held the knife to your chest, when you sought to take your life as payment…what stayed your hand?"

The metaphor, and he knew it was a metaphor, was not quite correct. Not answering her would be unforgivably rude. She was his elder, though not by many years if he had to guess, and more importantly she held a position of great respect in society. She was blunt, direct…and one could say the question itself was rude, but answering that with rudeness only worsened the entire situation. Lying, on the other hand, was just something he wasn't able to do. Allowing his hands to move again, he simply stated, I let myself die. Panacea…didn't let me.

"I see." The way she judged him did not change an ounce. In her eyes, he was still no less a warrior than before, no less honorable than before. Her thoughts, hidden well behind a lifetime of guarding them, remained unspoken for a time. "Do you regret failing to die?"

Yes.

"Would you like me to strike your head from your shoulders?"

…No.

"So, you wish to die in battle. As fate decrees is necessary, and not through your own actions?"

I…don't deserve to live.

"As decided by whom?"

Several answers began and died as he realized each wasn't the 'right' answer. He could say that he was the one who decided, but that wasn't quite correct. He, it would be better stated, didn't care one way or the other. Life was suffering, ending suffering was what he wanted. Life wouldn't let the suffering end, and so that left death. Death brought an end. To him, and to his awareness of anything at all. No more pain. The pause had gone on too long, and so he gave what he could, The millions of dead that my failures are responsible for.

"Mmm." She nodded to some internal debate's logic. "So, you recognize that you still owe your best effort to those that may yet be saved. That only after the threat to their lives has been eliminated, or in the course of ensuring that safety, will it be…appropriate."

…Yes. It made sense. It was why he hadn't tried to drown himself, or hang himself, or any of a million other things he could do to try and end it all. There was always someone else in danger. Always someone else that needed him to stand between them and death. Someday, he'd fail hard enough that he'd die. He always failed, that was simply how things were.

Her small sigh spoke of a pain within her own spirit, something that she either had not, or would not, share. "A stronger man than many, at least." Turning to look toward their direction of travel, as the air around them grew slowly brighter, she stated her intent, "I will accompany you for a time while we are here. I sense…ill-tidings. I am far stronger than I appear, and have no desire to add the burden of failing to defend you to my miseries."

With the woman facing away, he had no avenue to ask about her sister, or the others she'd travelled with. She had other obligations herself, and her coming with him made no sense in the immediate aftermath of what had occurred outside in the real world. I don't understand people.

It took another half of an hour, as time was reckoned in Elysium, for the carriages ahead of them to be processed and assigned healers. By the time they reached Epione, Panacea and Mizore were standing there with matching looks of displeasure for Shinji. It was the elder who spoke, however, and her tone was conciliatory instead of accusatory, "Silent One, I am grateful that you did not spurn our pleas. While Panacea did not have official sanction for her actions, her intentions were pure and untainted by any other motivations than caring for you as best as was possible. May my words stand as testimony to her heartfelt concerns, and as the beginning of a new start to our relations."

Shinji dismounted easily, using Pegasus' back to steady himself as he balanced on his own two feet. The wound in his side was growing louder, but duty retained its hold on his actions. Standing before Tsuruko, he asked through Sign, May I lift you down, Aoyama-san?

"You may, and I thank you for the consideration." If she was surprised by how strong he was, she hid it well as he gripped her waist and placed her on the ground as if she weighed nothing at all. To the other ladies present, she stated her intentions plainly, "For the time being, I am placing Ikari-dono under the protection of the Aoyama clan. Where he goes, I go. Should he be assaulted, I will kill the guilty party without hesitation, or die trying." Her gaze focused on Mizore for a second. "The others I arrived with were attacked by creatures that I do not recognize. I have traveled far, seen many youkai, youma, and yousei…what attacked us was not of those groupings. I know of nothing that matches their description, nor what they wished with the prize they claimed, but as I stand here and look at the people present…know that I am concerned I may be standing in the Viper's Den."

You're not the only one, Shinji added darkly.

"…Hopefully we will be able to prove your concerns unfounded." Epione's mood shifted only slightly towards distress. "Please, follow me." With a smooth gesture towards the Asclepion, she urged everyone to move towards the proud structure before setting her pace in time with Unit-01's. "We have prepared the same room you occupied before, Silent One, when Her Majesty was with you. The Charites have made special efforts to furnish it with that which you will need as you spend time in recovery during-"

I don't have that long that I'll need furnishings. With no emotions available on his face, due to the helmet of Unit-01, the hard mood of someone that was not eager to compromise was all anyone could work with. If this healing takes more than a few hours, I'm going to have to leave again. The attacks are coming more and more rapidly, and the next Angel isn't something I can risk missing.

"Shinji," Mizore, drifting along the ground on a wave of snow, turned around while still moving with the group to face him, "the measure of time is far different here. Sixty-one days inside is equal to two hours outside."

Panacea supported the argument for patience eagerly, "There are ways to discover what happens outside of Elysium as well. It is how I knew you needed assistance, and where to find you to offer it. The Furies are willing to aid you, as far as they are able, knowing that your presence is necessary to avoid fates far worse than death."

And I will need every second to get to where I can catch the Tenth Angel. He would not be dissuaded. Shinji was not looking forward to the next fight, and the time between fights had been shrinking drastically. For all he knew, the Tenth was already floating above the Earth beginning its descent. I don't care how much it hurts me. Get the poison out so I can do my fucking job.

+++++ Elysium. (?)

Mizore stood with Tsuruko outside the chamber where Panacea and Aceso were working on coaxing the poison out of Shinji. Everyone had been ushered out, even Epione, when Panacea declared that he had accepted her as his Healer for the time being. A short discussion between him and her that neither youkai nor headmistress was a party to later, Aceso was summoned to assist her sister. Hours had passed, the term 'Silent One' having its limits tested as haste was prioritized over comfort, and eventually the pair was approached by two distinct parties at the same time. Noriyasu Seta had come with an update on the denizens of the Hinata Inn, and General Soryu and Doctor Naoko Akagi with questions about the odd being suffering inside.

It was the General who spoke first, Noriyasu hesitating after catching sight of the elder Akagi, "Ladies, what am I watching here?"

"The blood of the Hydra is a venom that cannot be diluted, distilled, or destroyed. It exists as it has existed since the beginning, and will continue existing that way until the end." Mizore was familiar with the weapons of her enemies. "When a living being is exposed to the venom their body suffers an immediate, and fatal, reaction."

Noriyasu had been watching Shinji with concern, and looked back to the yuki-onna quickly at the end of her explanation. "He's gonna be ok, right? I mean, he'd have already died if he was…err…."

"Normal," Tsuruko filled in dryly. "Seta-kun, you know as well as I do that such terms are only loaded around pedants or those looking to take offense. It is plain to the eye that Ikari-dono is not a normal man, and declaring him normal would only prove that you had gone blind and stupid at once."

"He'll live," Naoko's smile remained unchanged from the ride to Elysium, "he can't do anything else."

General Soryu had long since begun to doubt the stability of the woman she had been tasked with supporting, and it showed in her next question to Mizore, "What are the chances that he doesn't survive this procedure? Do we know? I have the utmost faith that the doctors in Yokosuka can find either a cure or a remedy for him. If he's the only one who can fight these monsters, it does us no good to watch him die while we can help."

"Every doctor that touched his blood without wearing equipment formed of the hide of the Nemean Lion, without masks formed from cloth dipped in the midpoint of the River of Sangarius, and without the blessing of Athena herself would die screaming." Epione gestured to where her daughters were working with as much haste as possible to do what even she believed was impossible. "We are granted protection, as immortals, that you are not." She paused, then sighed with a shrug. "Skepticism is a healthy trait, in moderation. It is natural for one such as you to be dubious of what you see around you, though I assure you my warnings are quite serious."

"Then I'll ask you plainly, ma'am," her tone was as cold as her eyes, "will he live?"

"Unfortunately, yes." The uproar from several people present was enough to make her raise her voice and shout over the cacophony of noise, "The Blood has changed him!" As the protests began to die down, she repeated herself with less vigor, "The Blood of the Hydra has changed him. That, I believe, was the intent of the attack. The dagger used to deliver the Blood was recovered by our messengers, was forged from arrows crafted specifically to pierce almost any armor. Whether it would or would not have worked is rather academic, as I am told that his armor denied him at a key moment. What lies behind me is not the same young man who came here seeking aid for Queen Selene. The Blood has seeped into his brain, as any toxin virulent enough will, and has stolen away parts of him that he will not allow us to restore."

Mizore's blood was boiling. "Define 'will not allow'."

"His impatience to return to battle." Tsuruko pieced together some of the truth from her previous conversation with him. "He is being led by the nose, though he does not recognize it. Someone is steering him towards a fate that fills their own need, and not his own." With two swords in her possession, she looked far more warlike than many would find her to be in peaceful conversation, and her insight into the masculine mind far keener than they might suppose. "His soul yearns for peace, not war. Life, not death. To look at him, to feel his aura, that is not what he is becoming." She nodded slowly, understanding Epione's statement. "Were he to lose that core component of his ethos, the desire to protect, the desire to live, he would be an unstoppable juggernaut."

"Then what do we need to do? How do we stop him from losing himself?" Noriyasu Seta trusted the headmistress without reservation, and knew well enough that she didn't speak merely to hear her own voice. "You've stopped worse from happening, I've seen you do it."

"But isn't it his choice?" Naoko's interjection brought everyone's eyes to her. She still smiled, despite the seriousness of the issue. "What if he wants to change? What if he's tired of old and outdated ways of thinking? Perhaps, instead of living for others, he would prefer living for himself? There are too many ethical concerns present to simply force something upon him. He's a patient, not a prisoner, and even prisoners have rights as human beings."

Epione's frown was slight, hiding a much deeper distrust of Naoko. "We will not force anything upon him. To be truthful, we cannot force anything upon him. We will present our case, make our offers, and let him choose. What others, those not of Elysium, choose to do is upon their own brow. Though, should any of you succeed in convincing him, we are and will remain open to doing everything we are capable of. No matter how unseemly some may find it."

"We will convince him." Tsuruko left no room for doubt in her declarations, "There is still far too much in him to do anything else." After another scan of Shinji's room, she looked directly at Epione. "Another several futons will be added. This is where I will sleep, while we are here." She glanced over to Mizore. "I presume you share my intent?"

"So long as you don't stop me from slapping him for what he said in the helicopter, I won't have to break your swords." The yuki-onna's eyebrow raised in challenge.

"He desires it as an end to pain. He is not in a rational frame of mind, and abusing him for his humanity will do nothing but push that humanity further into a hole." Noriyasu waved off threats of violence. "This guy stepped in to stop one of the young women with us from…." His jaw clenched for a moment, and he took that moment to gather himself. "She had been abusing a good man who had been attempting to court her."

"A good man who died defending the children Ikari-dono intended to protect," Tsuruko added. "There is a good heart in him, and as much as I share your worry that he would endanger that heart, I must agree that abuse will not lead to an end we desire."

"Maybe I could help us find out what he wants," Naoko offered. "I do have a degree in Psychology after all, as well as a degree in Neurobiology."

"Article six, subsection two, paragraph three, and I quote," General Soryu intoned with polished smoothness, "'at the discretion of the military liaison present during missions beneath the auspices of Gehirn, all interactions between civilian personnel and extra-natural entities may be monitored and recorded to ensure the absence of undue influence over said personnel'." Turning her body to face Naoko, she surprised everyone else present, "Article twelve, subsection one, paragraph six, and I quote, 'Individuals suspected to have motivations that run counter to Gehirn's interests may be detained or terminated at the discretion of the military liaison'. That smile hasn't left your face since you set eyes on Pilot Ikari, Doctor. I'm willing to overlook a lot when my country is threatened with oblivion. I'm even willing to overlook an unhealthy amount of lust towards a man not yet old enough to vote. I'm not going to condone putting you and him in the same room until you pass a number of evaluations, and I'm never going to authorize you spending time unsupervised around foreign agents." Directing her comment at Epione, but never losing sight of Naoko, she made her move, "Ma'am, I am requesting a holding cell be made available so that I may ensure custody of a member of my team, and a joint guard detail so that we both can trust what is happening is under control. I cannot in good conscience leave Pilot Ikari without making my case to him, and so I cannot leave to press my case to my superiors. My feet are nailed down here, and she's creeping me out."

Epione's façade of control cracked slightly at both the accusation and request, but not enough to unman her. "C-certainly. We have a building dedicated to the isolation of patients with extremely contagious diseases, as well as a building dedicated to housing penitents as they undergo spiritual purification. I…I would be glad to show you to either."

"Seta-kun," Tsuruko did not like leaving tasks to those without direct ties to her clan, but agreed that leaving Shinji unguarded was a monumentally idiotic move, "would you be so kind as to accompany the General? I am certain that you are more than capable of helping her subdue a single woman, should the need arise."

When Naoko made no defense of herself as she was escorted away, her smile remaining in place, everyone began to worry that things had yet to reach rock bottom.

+++++ Author's Notes:

First off, an apology for the delay in posting. The hospital I work for is one of those experiencing a serious surge in COVID cases, and I've been working eighteen hour shifts at times to make sure everything is being done that can be done. This may shock people, but that leaves only six hours in a day to do other things and proof-reading and repairing what I've written wasn't on the menu. I promise, the story will be completed, and I'm not taking a hiatus. I'm just suffering a real life interruption of my preferred hobby.

Jim D. Zas: RE: Historia.

Ojalá pueda responder esas preguntas con éxito en la historia.

Ghost Man: RE: Creation.

It's always a question with the Wanderer, which hat is he wearing today?

BloodStasis: RE: Wanderer v. Silent One.

I would assume that at some point, an unstoppable force and an immovable object will probably cross paths.