See Chapter 1 for Disclaimer.
Something screamed out in the dark shadows of the forest, and it took all of his will to ensure that he didn't scream in return. Shinji peered out from his hiding place in a small depression next to the trunk of some massive tree he didn't know the name of, praying to whatever god that might be listening for deliverance into safety. His uninjured hand clutched the bag that Richard had given him before he had left, if only to occupy his mind with the small task of ensuring that he still had it. It had been days since he had last seen either Richard or Hotaru.
The savage, eerie and hungry scream sounded again, echoing through the woods. Richard's instructions had been simple enough, before he had left to chase off... whatever it was that had been following them. Travel only during the day, travel south, hide during the night, don't lose the bag, and don't talk to strangers.
Hotaru's instructions when she had left him to do... whatever it was she was going to do... (he silently cursed their inexplicable need for secrecy and not telling him things) had been even simpler.
Run, and stop only at night to hide.
He wasn't even sure where he was anymore. After a few hours into the walk to the Ruined City, both of his escorts had started eying the woods and each other strangely. Then, Richard had thrust his bag into Shinji's arms, told them what to do, and headed off into the woods as Hotaru guided him south from the westwardly direction that they had been going in.
Thirty minutes after Richard had left, the screaming had started. Periodically, a strange buzzing sound also could be heard, at the very edges of his hearing.
Hotaru simply grew more arms, picked him up as easily as he might a small housecat, and then began moving quickly through the woods. They had spent the first night hiding in a cave along a river. They rose with the morning sun, and continued their flight south, until what he figured was about midday, when she put him down, told him to run, and headed back the direction they had come from.
That had been five days ago.
I'm not even sure if I'm going in the right direction anymore. He was tired, cold and upset. No longer could he hide behind the faint possibility that this was all some sort of messed up dream, no longer could he simply pretend that at any moment he was going to wake up in his bed back home, yawn, and forget about all of this during the normal course of his normal, comfortable life. He wasn't a very imaginative boy, and if you had asked him to imagine up something for a story, he might have been able to weave a story about a farmer who found a chest of gold and gems in his fields on day. He certainly wouldn't have been able to come up with a tale involving him running through a forest to an unknown destination, and he knew this.
What is making that sound? He grimaced, trying to think of what could produce that bowel freezing , blood curdling cry. You know what? I don't think that I want to know.
His eyes widened as he saw movement in the shadows. Something came shuffling along, making wet, disgusting snuffling sounds as it sniffed at the air and ground. His stomach clenched as it moved in ways he couldn't even begin to describe the wrongness of, rearing it's head and screaming again, spittle flying everywhere. He gagged as he caught the smell of it, reeking of garbage that had been left out far too long. The thing shuffled over, closer to his hiding spot, and he froze, unable to shut his eyes as it came closer. Had he the desire to, he could reach out and touch the thing's wet, matted hair. He had no such desire.
It was at this point, to his growing horror and terror, that the trunk of the tree shifted slightly, and with a slight groan, moved up and then down atop the screaming monstrosity.
Shinji flipped over onto his back, staring up at the tree, which went on up into the darkness, and it was now that he noticed that it joined with two other trees further up, and that it's branches didn't really move with the wind, or like branches at all.
A great mouth appeared in the side of the new, much larger creature, and a deep, rumbling sound that seemed to be at once a moan and a purr issued forth. Shinji, at this point loosing what little control he had left, did the only sensible thing that one could do in such a position, and began to scream mindlessly as he tried to scramble away from the towering beast.
Fire exploded all around him, and the tree-thing screeched and turned to trample off into the forest with a speed not expected of something that big. On the edges of his awareness he could hear people shouting, but he could not bring himself to stop screaming, as people-sized shapes appeared around him, fire and lightning issuing forth from their hands, pointed in all directions. One of the robed figures stopped in front of him, grabbing him by the shoulders, his mouth moving like he was talking, but Shinji couldn't hear what he was saying.
Makato shot a glance from the screaming boy in front of him to his friend and fellow GERHIN staff member, Branden, who merely shrugged before turning to continue the mages' assault on the dark forest and the darker horrors that hid within it.
Makato, looking around to see if anyone was watching him, and seeing that none were, slugged the boy in the head as hard as he could, catching the knocked out teenager before he hit the ground.
Pulling a small sphere that glowed with a cold, otherworldly light, he shouted to the other men and women in the woods. "I've got the boy, I'm leaving!" Not waiting for any replies, he smashed the ball on the ground at his feet, hugging Shinji's comatose form close as blue smoke and green fire shot up around them, leaving nothing but a small circle of fine white ash behind.
Eins, Zwei, Drei, Vier!
Shinji opened his eyes slowly and cautiously, looking at a most unfamiliar ceiling. This ceiling was no normal hospital ceiling, but rather a stone affair, but somehow had florescent lights installed in it. Still lying down, he narrowed his eyes. How does that even work? He slowly propped himself up with his good arm, noting the presence of both a new sling on his arm, and of a hospital gown. The rest of the room seemed to be made of stone, like the ceiling, but also had modern day electrical outlets and heating vents installed. His confusion began to grow. He looked at the beeping medical equipment, and poked at it experimentally to see if it really was there.
How did I get here? What is this place? Spying a dark brown robe on the back of a chair, he swung his legs out of the bed, when the door opened and a woman with blond hair and glasses walked in.
"Ah, ah, noo! You stay in bed young man!" She grinned at him as he blushed in embarrassment, while he silently cursed whatever it was about him that made him turn red at the drop of a hat. The woman pulled some little gadget from the pocket of her lab-coat, and grabbed him by the head and looked through it into his left eye, and then his right, all the while humming something under her breath. Apparently satisfied with what she saw or didn't see in his eyes, she stuck another part of the gadget in his ear for a moment, and then pulled it out, looking at a display.
"Hmmm... Well, I've got good news and I've got bad news. What do you want first?" She sat down in the chair, leaning back and watching him closely.
Shinji stared at her, not sure what to say. "Ummm... good news?"
"You don't sound very certain of that. You sure you want the good news first, or do you really want the bad news?"
What? Is she insane?
"Um.. I want the good news first."
She yawned, stretching her arms above her head. "OK, that's better, but not great. You need to be more decisive, more forceful with your will, kiddo. But anyhow, the good news is that you seem to be perfectly healthy, minus that arm." She pointed to the arm in it's sling as she spoke, as if it wasn't obvious about what she was talking about. "You don't show any signs of mental contamination, and should make a full recovery! Isn't that nice?" Her voice was bubbly and cheerful, but it seemed forced.
Slowly, trying not to be obvious about it, Shinji edged as far back on the bed as he could, trying to put as much space between him and this person he wasn't sure was all there in the head. "What's the bad news?"
Smiling in amusement at the teenager trying to scoot away from her, Ritsuko stretched again. "The bad news is that it's midnight, so you won't be getting any food for about seven hours." She winked at him. "Unless you can sweet talk me into getting you a snack."
Confusion now played openly across Shinji's face, much to the glee of the blond doctor. Oh, this is too easy. He's like a little lost lamb. "Do you want anything to eat? I can magic something up for you, if you want."
It has been a while since I had anything to eat. Anything real, anyways. I'm not sure those berries counted for much. "Um... you don't have too... if it's a bother or anything..." He was cut off by his rebellious stomach, which wanted to be a bother because it wanted real food, and not scavenged wild berries that may or may not have been poisonous and hallucinogenic.
She laughed as he turned red again, and stood. "I'll be right back then, so don't go anywhere. My name's Ritsuko, by the way." She disappeared out the door, leaving him to his own devices, for the time being.
Jumping out of bed, he grabbed the robe, throwing it on around his arm. Moving to the small window, he looked out to see that he has on an upper floor of a castle, of all things, overlooking a river, a lake, a small town and a large forest, that stretched out into the dark. He could see no moon or stars, but there were no clouds that he could see either. Just... darkness that went on forever.
Where am I? I don't ever remember hearing about a giant castle like this anywhere in Tokyo-3! This makes no sense!
He turned back to face the door as Ritsuko came back in, carrying a tray with a bowel of soup and a mug that he hoped held tea.
"Ah! Get back in bed young man! The last thing I need is for you to slip and hurt yourself. Then what will I tell the headmaster?" She set the tray down on a stand, and crossed her arms. "You're going to stay in here until I hear different, got it?"
"Ss..sorry." He climbed back onto the bed, and she put the tray onto his lap.
"Now, I must say you had all of us worried there for a little bit. Seriously, what on earth prompted you to go off into the woods after that crash? You should have stayed put and waited for the emergency rescue crews. You're luckier than you know that we found you when we did." She grimaced at some thought that she obviously didn't want to share. "By all rights we shouldn't have been able to find you." She pointed a finger at him. "Just remember that, OK?"
Shinji, still tired, and still upset at how his week had gone, and how his life seemed to generally be in the toilet, snapped back at her, surprising both her and himself. "It's not my fault that the My-go attacked the train, or that Aoba took me to the Shoggoths! I was knocked out at the time!"
Ritsuko's smile dropped instantly. "Aoba! Shoggoths!" She grabbed Shinji by the shoulders, drawing close to him. "What did this Aoba look like? Did he have scars on his face? On his right cheek?"
Dumbfounded, Shinji could only nod.
Ritsuko rose, dropping him back onto the bed. "You stay here. I'll be back." All warmth was gone from her voice, after she left, he could hear the echos of her footsteps as she ran down the corridor.
Staring at the door, feeling extremely put upon, Shinji gulped down the soup and tea as fast as he could, and then poked his head out the door, looking to see if there was anyone watching.
The corridor was unlike any other hospital he had seen, with numerous paintings lining both sides of the hallway, and while he couldn't see anybody, he was unable to shake the feeling that someone was watching him. Pushing out into the hall, he started down in the opposite direction the blond had taken.
This is insane. I'm going to find real clothes, and then get out of here and find the police. What type of place is this?
Eins, Zwei, Drei, Vier!
Kozo looked up from his book as Ritsuko burst into the room. "Ah, I take it that he's awake now?" He rose, putting the book on divinations and scrying down. "Has he said-"
"He said that Aoba took him to the Shoggoths!" Ritsuko gasped out in between breaths. "I asked him why he didn't stay at the crash site, and he said that Aoba took him to the Shoggoths!"
The headmaster recoiled, as if bitten by a serpent. "Aoba? Are you certain?"
"The man had the scars on his face! The boy confirmed it!"
"This is not good. Where is Shinji now?"
"I left him in the room. I came here directly."
"Good. I need to talk to him, now more than ever."
When the two got back to the hospital wing, they found Naoko waiting for them. "Where is the boy? When I got here, the room was empty."
Kozo cursed, startling both Akagi women. "It seems that he's fled. He met Aoba on the train, Naoko."
Naoko turned white, shuddering with fear and revulsion. "Aoba? What are the odds of that, do you think?"
"Astronomical. He apparently took the boy to meet the Shoggoths."
"No wonder he was running around in the woods. What do you think they wanted?"
"They all but worshiped his father. Aoba was Gendo's right hand man, up until he betrayed him. Do you think he was trying to recruit him?"
"But to what end? What would Aoba gain by taking him to the Shoggoths? They surely have no love for him. They would want the boy, no doubt, but they would most certainly kill Aoba on site."
"Something more is going on here. A hidden hand is moving pieces around, and we're not seeing the big picture."
Naoko shook her head. "We need to find the boy and find out all what happened. Standing here trying to unravel this by making wild guesses isn't going to net us the answers we need."
Ritsuko spoke up now, throwing in her thoughts. "It's not like he can get far. Even if he gets out of the castle, he still won't know what to do to get away from here."
Naoko sighed. "That is no reason to let the poor boy wander around. He's had some major shocks. He's lost and alone in a strange place, which apparently is at least the second of strange places that he's been in this week."
One of the oil paintings, showing an older gentleman dressed like he came out of one of Shakespeare's plays rolled his eyes. "You know, you could have just asked one of us where he's at. I don't know why you people always forget that we're hanging up everywhere and can see just about anything."
Kozo turned to the painting. "We don't ask because your lot typically mangles the truth, like most faeries. Time is of the essence here, and I do not have time to decipher your half-truths."
The painted man shook his head. "Riddling and puzzles have long since gone out of mortal fashion, it seems. Even amongst you longer lived ones." He sniffed, as if offended. "But, I suppose that I can be grossly blunt this time. The lad is currently in the main dining hall."
"Thank you." Kozo knew that it was important to thank the faeries when they gave help, solicited or not, and useful or not. Even trapped inside the paintings as this one was, he could still cause some trouble.
The three drew together, as Kozo teleported them just outside the dining hall. They entered, and saw Shinji at the far end, trying to open a door, which unfortunately for him, had been jammed for quite some time and no one had gotten around to fixing just yet.
"Mr. Ikari! Please, hold on!"
Shinji, tired and frustrated, turned to the three adults approaching cautiously. "Why? Are you going to turn into some huge thing and try to eat me?"
Kozo sighed. "No, no. Nothing at all like that. My name is Kozo Fuyutsuki. I am the headmaster here at the Academy."
Shinji blinked, his jaw dropping. "This is the school? This is in Tokyo-3? No way, that's not possible. I think I'd know if there was some huge English castle sitting there, and plus, Tokyo-3 is on the coast, not a river. I didn't see any city outside either."
The Headmaster smiled. "Scottish, actually."
Shinji's look of confusion set the others to chuckling as he shook his head. "What?"
"This castle is actually Scottish in origin, not English. But, come with us to my office and I'll explain everything and show you. It's quite all right, you're safe here. You don't need to worry about anything at the moment. We'll have some tea, and discuss matters."
Shinji watched the older woman frown. "As long as it's not chai."
Kozo rolled his eyes. "It's Earl Grey tonight, actually."
"Well, that's better then. A much more sensible selection."
Shinji had had enough of this. "Is everyone outside of Wessex-5 insane or some sort of creature? I mean, seriously, at this point I think I'd rather want to go live in the ruins of my Uncle's house."
"That statement is more true than you know, my boy. You are a member of two worlds, Shinji Ikari, two worlds that are both entirely separate and at the same time enter-twined closer together than the threads of that robe you're wearing. But this is not the place to discuss such things. Let us retire to my office, and we can all sit down, enjoy some tea while we talk."
Shinji, at this point still uncertain as to what he really wanted to do, stood still, one hand still on the door. His stomach, however, was unsatisfied with the paltry amount of food he had partaken of in the hospital room, growled loudly, eliciting a soft chuckle from the blond. "I can leave whenever I want too, right? I don't have to stay here if I don't want too."
"If you decide that you do not wish to remain at the Academy, I will understand. We will escort you back to your home, as well."
"OK."
Eins, Zwei, Drei, Vier!
Shinji looked around the office. The place... was strange, to say the least. It was huge, had several fireplaces, a massive desk, and all the manner of weird looking curios and objects cluttered around, and several strange symbols inlaid into the stone floor in spots.
Ritsuko handed him a cup of fine china, much fancier than he had been expecting, and settled in next to him on the couch he had sat down on.
"Now, my name is Kozo Fuyutsuki, and I am the Headmaster of the Academy of GEHIRN. The woman sitting next to you is Ritsuko Akagi, one of our staff here, and the woman sitting in the chair over there is Naoko Akagi, her mother, and another staff member, who also happens to be the Deputy Headmaster. You are Shinji Ikari, the son of Gendo and Yui Ikari."
Shinji nodded, sipping his tea.
"Now, the world you know is a normal, if complex one. There are superpowers who decide world policy, who fight with each other over resources in these troubled times after Second Impact and the Impact Wars. Your life is simple, you have lived in Wessex-5 for as long as you can remember, with your Aunt and Uncle. You go to school, you hang out with your friends, you have a job you work for spending cash. The sun rises in the east, and while it never sets on the Empire, it goes down in the west at night. The earth revolves around the sun, and the solar system is on one of the spiral arms of the galaxy."
Kozo paused, partially for dramatic effect, and also to drink some of his own tea.
"Now, what you don't know is the truth: Things are not as they might seem. At the edges of mankind's civilization, there lies ancient, primal things. Things that wait in the dark bowers and forgotten corners of man's domain. Things that were here before, some things that still are, and the things that will be again. Things, old and alien, as far removed from us as we are from ants. Then, there are the lesser beings, mere aliens, but make no mistake, for they are not simply men with green skin; they are alien. Their motives and the things that drive them are strange to us at best, incomprehensible at worst. This is why we call them the Strangers, the Outsiders. But not all is darkness, for there is light, and as long as Man exists, there is hope."
Ritsuko nudged Shinji with her elbow. "This is the good part of his speech, coming up." She whispered conspiratorially into his ear, trying not to laugh as he turned red.
Naoko rolled her eyes. "Please, dear, enough. Of all the bad habits you could have picked up from her, this one-"
Sighing heavily, Kozo rubbed his forehead. "If I may continue?" Not waiting for a response, he moved back to his 'speech'. "This secret world is also the world of Magic, and of the Mages. Real magic, spelled M-A-G-I-C, no Ks, no Ys, just like it's spelled by the rest of the literate adult world. The otherworldly interlopers are a nuisance, yes, and there are battles and indeed, sometimes wars that must be fought against them to ensure Mankind's survival, but they are infrequent. But we must keep the old traditions alive, to pass the knowledge on, and so, many, many, many years ago, four prominent Mages came together to create a school of learning, nestled away in the mountains of ancient Scotland. They were not the first ones to do so, but the school they founded came to be one of the most successful. The leader of this band of mages, their names lost to the ages long ago, hailed from what would become known as Bavaria, in Germany. He named the school 'The School of the Inner Mind', but as time passed, the name was shortened to 'The Academy of GEHIRN'. Don't ask me why, I wasn't around for it. I may be old, but I'm not that old."
"At any rate, I'm sure you're wondering just how you fit into all of this. Well, it's a sad tale, but it is also the truth, and your birthright. You are the son of Gendo and Yui Ikari, yes, but they were no simple farmers. Your mother was an accomplished Mage and Witch, don't worry, you'll learn about the distinctions later, and your father, well, your father was a Wizard of no small renown. He was a Wizard and a Battle Mage both, skilled in the arts of the will and the word. Gendo Rokobungi perhaps is one of the main reasons that Mankind persists today."
Shinji stared at the old man, certain that he must be in some coma, and this past week was all nothing but drug induced nightmares. This is all just a side effect of the drugs. That's all. I'm not actually sitting in a Scottish castle that's somehow sitting in Tokyo-3, drinking tea with a man who's telling me that my parents were magicians. That's it. It's all just a coma dream.
Naoko sighed, watching the boy's inner thoughts play across his face. "Look, Shinji, it's all true. Here, watch my hands." Once sure that the boy's attention was fixed on her hands, she summoned a small floating ball of blue fire.
A small gurgle escaped from Shinji's mouth, which was clamped shut. Ritsuko took the tea cup from his violently shaking hand as her mother set the ball up in the air, and called forth several others of different colors and set them up next to the first, and set them to slowly rotate around her head.
"Magic exists, Shinji, and people, certain people that is, can make use of it. There are different forms of, but it's all magic in one way or another. And the thing about magic, well, the thing is that it normally runs in the family. Your mother's family, the Ikaris, they hail from a long line of mages. Your father, however, does not. It jumps around sometimes, and we don't know why."
Slowly, Shinji forced his arm to stop shaking, his eyes never leaving the floating balls of flame. "Can... can I do magic?" His voice quavered, and his query was almost a whisper.
Kozo leaned in, putting a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder. "Yes. You perhaps have done stronger magic already in your life than many a mage has done after centuries of practice and study."
"What do you mean? I haven't done anything magical in my life."
Sighing, the elderly headmaster leaned back into his chair. "You have, but you do not remember it, for you were a small child, a baby, at the time. What can you tell me about the event that is known as Second Impact?"
Second Impact? What does that have to do with me? I wasn't even born then! "Second Impact refers to the cataclysm that shattered the world that was, forever altering the face of the earth physically, and then with the Impact Wars, politically and ethnically." Shinji recited the lines that his instructor had drilled into him since the beginning of his education. "No one is certain as to what happened, but it is known that the Event took place in Antarctica. No one explanation can be found that satisfies all that occurred that day."
The three adults nodded. "This is true, but it is also a lie. Do you know why the event is called Second Impact?"
"It was called that because it was thought that a meteor had hit Antarctica. Even when the idea was scrapped, the name stuck around because that's what everyone had been calling it."
"This again is both true and false. There once was a secret cabal of witches and warlocks, called SEELE. Buried deep under the ice of the frozen continent, there was a being, one of the Outsiders I mentioned before, that lay sleeping there, dreaming whatever dreams it had. It's name was ADAM, and it was a powerful, ancient thing, worshiped as a god by ancient peoples. SEELE sought to awaken and enslave ADAM, to further their dark designs. Something, however, went wrong. The ceremony was sabotaged by a group of battle mages, led by James Katsuragi, on what the magic using world celebrates as the Katsuragi Expedition. Your father was among them when they struck at SEELE, and was personally responsible for casting down the leader of SEELE, an ancient, even by our standards, man, who went by the name of Kiel Lorenz. This man, whose name is now considered taboo, for a myriad of reasons, worshiped and submitted to another of the Outsiders, a dark god that hails from the far reaches of cold space. His name, which is unspeakable, lest you call his attention to yourself-" His voice grew hard here, commanding the attention of all present, "and I tell you, you do not want to call his attention to you, is known as his servant is named now, as 'He Who Must Not Be Named', but is also called the King in Yellow, the Master of the Lake of Hali. His earthly servant is also called 'The Cyborg' for that was one of the means by which he maintained his failing body."
Kozo paused to refill his tea cup. "Naoko, will you continue?"
"Of course. Shinji, while the group led by James tried to stop the ritual, they were too late. They did manage to keep SEELE from accomplishing their goals, however, at the cost of many of their lives and of course, the cataclysm that shook the world. This ritual that they interrupted is known as the 'Ritual of Impact'. It is a dark and forbidden thing, for it call for the deaths and blood sacrifice of millions. This is the true reason behind the name of Second Impact. When the wars erupted across the globe, it was not merely the muggles that fought. The battles of the mundane world were terrible, but more so were the wars of the mages. Your father rose to great prominence during the wars, and eventually lead our armies to victory over the dark mages. He left the army after the wars ended, to stay with his wife, Yui, who he had met while they were both students here. When you were born, it could easily be said that that was one of the happiest days of their lives. This happiness was not to be long lived, however. Your father had made a very powerful and evil thing his enemy that day of Second Impact. The Cyborg, He Who Must Not Be Named, while cast down and seemingly killed, returned. Someone close to your father, one of his trusted lieutenants, a man by the name if Shigueru Aoba, betrayed your father and led the Dark Lord to their home here on Academy grounds. Caught by surprise, your father and mother were cut down. When the Cyborg turned to slay you as well, something happened. As to what happened, well, we simply don't know. Men and women have spent years trying to divine what went on, but the simple fact is that while we can summon up visions of the Dark Lord killing your parents, when he turns to your crib, there is only a massive explosion of light and fire. The entire cottage was engulfed in flame, leaving behind nothing but you sitting in ashes, crying."
Ritsuko handed the stunned boy his cup again, freshly filled with tea. Shuddering, he drank deeply, trying to eke out some comfort from the warm liquid. It didn't really help, however.
The gray haired headmaster nodded to Naoko. "I know that it's a lot to take in, right now, but it's the truth. We took you to your Aunt, being that she was your mother's sister, to live with. It was to protect you from this world, which would have hounded your every footstep. You are more famous than any other living person on this world, Shinji. Every magic user, mage, witch, wizard, every sentient magical creature, they all know your name. You are the One that Lived. You survived against a man that has killed more living things than there are grains of sand on a beach. A man for whom genocide is an activity one does just prior to taking tea. No one who ever was attacked by the Dark Lord ever survived, until you. So, even if there was not a single iota of magical talent in you, and that whatever happened was caused by another, you still will forever be remembered as long as there is someone to recall our history. We wished to shield you from those who would use you for their own ends. Our world has it's share of politics, and it is as every bit as dirty and nasty a business as it is in the muggle world."
Naoko cut in at this point, looking at her watch. "I think that perhaps he should get some rest? He has had a long day, and has found out a great deal all at once. Come, I will take you to your room in the hospital wing." She stood, holding a hand out to Shinji, who stood up but did not take the offered hand.
Knowing that from where he was sitting that Shinji would not be able to see his expression, Kozo smiled smugly. "Naoko, why don't you put him up in the guest room in your suite? I'm sure that staying alone in a strange hospital with no-one he knows nearby would be terribly unsettling."
Shinji turned to the headmaster, a protest already forming on his lips, and thus missed Naoko's dark stare towards Kozo. "No, no, I don't want to be a bother to anyone..."
"Nonsense, I'm sure it wouldn't be any trouble at all, right Naoko?"
The thatamurge looked like she was trying to swallow a live eel. When she spoke, however, her tone belied the murderous expression she held. "Of course not!" She said sweetly, before turning to her daughter. "Ritsuko, be a dear and get him situated for the night."
Not entirely sure what was going on between her two superiors, the blond doctor nodded, and grabbed the surprised boy's hand, and with a whisper, they faded from view.
Naoko exploded. "What the hell was THAT?"
Kozo put on a hurt face before answering. "I'm not sure what you mean. I just don't think that given the state he's in and the information we just dumped on him that he should be left unsupervised and alone right now."
She threw her hands up in the air in disgust. "Oh, and one of the elves in the hospital wing couldn't keep an eye on him? Or, he could have stayed with you! Don't think that I'm not onto you."
"Naoko, what are you going on about?"
"ARGH!"
Eins, Zwei, Drei, Vier!
Ritsuko whispered to him as she made up the bed in the guest room in the suite that her mother and sister lived in. "Bathroom's down the hall, second door on the left. Knock three times before entering, always. Kitchen is off the main room, just walk back to where we came in and you'll see it. I think there's some leftovers in there, so if you're hungry, help yourself."
Shinji, not sure why they were whispering, whispered back to her. "You don't really have to do this, I'm fine with staying in the hospital wing, really."
She smiled at him. "Look, it's too late now, so you're going to sleep here at least for now. It'll probably change later today, but you'll be alright." Finishing with the bed, she walked over to what he assumed was a closet door. She muttered something under her breath, and pulled the door open. "We managed to get ahold of your bags from the train wreck collection site. Everything should be here. You travel light, don't you?"
"It's... it's all that I could salvage from the house. I don't have a lot of things, anyway."
"It's alright, some people just don't gather a lot of stuff. From what I heard about your dad, he was the same way. Now, go and get some sleep!" Not waiting for a reply, she turned and left, shutting the door behind her.
Shinji carefully lay down on top of the covers that Ritsuko had set out, staring at the ceiling. Sleep overcame him almost immediately, and for the first time in a week, it was dreamless.