Honor thy father
In the twilight hour of the day, Kenichiro Yashida stared into his glass of sake.
He had not taken a single sip of the drink. He just gazed at it as it were some sort of curiousity. The man had a whirlwind of thoughts about today, what it meant. He let a sigh escape his lips.
Today was the day of his father's death.
It was not an especially dramatic thing. The long standing Shingen Yashida fell in his own bed, his shriveling old body having surrendered itself to a painful heart disease. His sons were barely able to watch him go. While the elder Kenichiro kept a stoic demeanor, the young Shiro Yashida felt no need to prevent the tears from coming out.
'Little brother,' Kenichiro thought. 'You were always such a crybaby…'
Shiro Yashida was a man who wore his emotions on his sleeve. While the rest of the family were criminals and liars, he valued honor and truth more than anything else. When their sister Mariko left Japan with a Canadian foreigner, Shiro took over the business and tried to run it cleanly. Kenichiro thought he was naive, but even he recognized that Shiro had a ton of potential and heart, which if given room to grow could have made him something more…
Unfortunately, the potential was lost when he fell ill. As it turned out, the disease that ravaged Shingen's heart was hereditary. Within the months. Kenichiro spent all the money possible to find the best medical aid he could for Shiro.
Things only got worse when Second Impact happened.
Kenichiro remembered going to the hospital, hearing the doctor informing him that the medical costs were too high to keep a barely surviving Shiro wrapped in bandages surrounded by all sorts of machines and tubes around his body. He suggested pulling the plug.
Kenichiro beat the man to death right then and there.
It was but a fleeting anger though, as the elder Yashida could only weep at the sight of his brother, the light in his life, breathing so slowly and in so much pain. Kenichiro wondered if there was anything else that could be done.
Then… he came.
It was a representative of SEELE. He offered him many things. Money to restore his family name, a company for which he could rebuild Nagano into something more, the best medical treatment possible for his brother, all in exchange for his cooperation in whatever schemes SEELE would assign him to.
Kenichiro had no choice but to accept the offer. If it meant saving Shiro's life, anything would do.
It had been years since then. The head of the Kuzuryu looked at the wooden practice sword on his left. Kenichiro realized he had not practiced the sword in quite some time.
With that thought, he picked it up and struck the bag in the room.
All this conspiracy drove him mad. Yashida hated every single moment of submitting to the likes of SEELE, like he was some sort of lapdog. There was not much he could do to rebel, but that didn't mean Kenichiro liked it. Not one bit.
Especially when the GODDAMNED SPIDER-MAN KEPT GETTING IN THE WAY!
He felt some sand on the sword and his hand. He looked to find he had destroyed the bag in his silent contemplation.
Ignoring the damage he caused, Kenichiro instead stared at a painting on the wall. It was a traditional woodblock paint, depicting an army of faceless shadows surrounding the frame on all sides with a shining silver warrior standing in the middle of it all, the samurai wielding a sword surrounded by an aura of power and mystique.
The Silver Samurai was the ultimate legacy of the Yashida family, more so than the clan's rule over the criminal element. It was a title passed down from generation to generation, symbolizing the Yashida Clan's might and honor. Shiro would have embraced the role had he not fallen ill. Kenichiro would have to claim the title himself now. He would hunt down the Spider himself and at last nothing will stop his plans.
A beeping noise was heard. Kenichiro knew what it meant.
"Yashida," the hologram said with contempt in his tone. "You have disappointed me for the last time."
Kenichiro turned to face him, "How so?"
The hologram raised an eyebrow. "Where do I begin? Not only have your operations been dwindling, not only have you allowed Spider-Man to roam free, not only have you allowed the test subjects to escape your grasp, but now Doctor Akagi is not only alive but currently in prison?"
Yashida shrugged it off, "No one would believe a word she says."
"That is beside the point. You didn't obey instructions." The hologram said. "You fool. I have no use for a puppet that can't dance on my strings."
Knocking was heard from behind Yashida.
"Open the door! We are police!"
Kenichiro was shocked. "What is this?"
"Your fate." The hologram smirked. "The police just received mountains of evidence of your dealings and all the operations you've done. Now they're here for you."
The elder Yashida slammed his fist into the table. "We had a deal!"
"Yes, to save your brother in exchange for your cooperation." The hologram dismissed. "But you have failed. Now your brother will have to serve a different purpose. Good bye, Yashida."
The police busted down the door, grabbing Yashida's arms as the hologram fizzled out.
"NO! YOU BASTARD!" Kenichiro said as the hologram fizzled out. "YOU CANNOT DO THIS TO ME!"
"Shut up Yashida, hands where we can see 'em!" yelled out an officer.
As Kenichiro was taken away, one could see that the plant that he so carefully cultivated, laid on the floor damaged and broken. Whether during the struggle either the police or Yashida had broken it… that was something nobody would ever know.
"It's absolutely shredded!"
Shinji Ikari held in his hands the tattered remains of his Spider-Man suit. Due to the adrenaline and the emotions he felt during the fight against Naoko Akagi, he had not noticed that the costume from the hoodie to the pants were torn apart and reduced to chunks. The only thing that remained was the mask and goggles, and even then he noticed some cracks on the glass.
"I won't be able to use these for much…" Shinji said, letting out a small sigh. "I'll buy some spares later."
When he initially made the suit, all the boy did was buy some clothes and spray paint it red and white with a small spider in the center. Shinji wanted to it to look heroic, in order to not scare anyone.
No, he didn't just look like a hero anymore. He had become one, that was something he had become certain of.
Shinji rubbed the back of his head. "Mayumi said dinner would be in an hour… maybe I'll clean up the house first."
With that, he resolved to go downstairs to get a mop. He walked the empty hallway, passing by sets of empty he stopped.
Shinji took a glance at the door.
Takuji Yamashiro's room… he had not entered it in quite some time. Shinji always made some excuse not to go in. The pain of Yamashiro's death burned into his mind, struggling between school work and being Spider-Man… Mayumi…
'Should I?' Shinji thought.
He was tempted now. In the last conversation he had, Shinji found out he had been wrong about Yamashiro not caring about him. His teacher and caretaker apologized and said he wanted to make things right. The boy wondered then how much he got wrong about him. He hesitates… would he be disturbing the dead if he entered his teacher's room?
'No,' he reasoned to himself. 'You're just trying to keep yourself from learning anything. I mustn't run away.'
With that thought in mind, Shinji opened the door.
He found a room that was almost exactly how he thought his guardian would keep it. It was very clean, and orderly, almost mechanical how the things were arranged. There was an absence of anything considered a personal touch. No mementos or pictures, not even paintings. It was an empty room… fit for a ghost.
He noticed a camera lying on the night table.
'Wait, I've never seen that before?' Shinji thought. He took a hold of the object in question and inspected it. Opening a small lid the boy found it had film already in place, and that it seemed to be a recently bought camera. On the side, a note said For Shinji.
Shinji felt a pang in his chest.
He noticed that the camera was on top of some sort of book. Shinji had no idea what this book was. He flipped some pages until he found a passage.
First day at home. Shinji refused to come out of his room. Losing his mother and being abandoned by his father does that to a poor soul. I left some food outside to give him some space. Sometimes, I wish Mei was here. She would know what to do. Goddamn it Rokobungi, I thought Bastard King was just a nickname but you truly are one aren't you?
Shinji slammed the book shut.
'The date… 2004… that was Yamashiro's writing!' Shinji realized 'I shouldn't be reading his personal journal!'
He knew that was the right thing to do. Indeed, Shinji was about to put the book back on the table but stopped. Isn't this what he wanted? To find out more about the man who raised him? Should he just ignore it like nothing happened? 'I don't think this is a good idea… but…'
He opened the book and read. Page after page showed Yamashiro's thoughts were laid bared as the years passed from 2004 to 2015.
Some teenagers were parked outside my house listening to their boombox. I yelled at them to turn it down and get out of the street, they were disturbing me! I guess now I know how my neighbors felt way back when.
It was a sharp contrast remembering the quiet and reserved teacher that he knew with thoughts like that put into the page. Shinji could see how much Yamashiro, in spite of his reluctance, genuinely tried to help him.
Little Shinji is trying out the cello… hmmm, maybe I should get it for him? It seems like something he might be good at.
Oh I see he's trying to cook some eggs! I wish I had my camera on me right now, Shinji's doing so well!
He's growing into a young man, but Shinji has yet to show any ambition. I chewed him out over it, but to be honest perhaps I was too harsh. Neither me nor Takuya were much better than him when we were teenagers. I'm sure he'll grow out of it soon enough. Shinji can do anything if he put his mind into it.
It was the last note however, that made the boy pause.
I'm rattled. Shinji said I didn't care about him. I wonder where everything went wrong, what an ungrateful child!
…no… it was my fault. Mei always told me I should be more open with my emotions, less people think I was some aloof jerk. Even after Second Impact took you away, you were right Mei.
Funny… I remember a conversation I had once with dad years ago. Me and my big brother and sister Takuya and Shinko were eating breakfast while Dad talked the Nuclear Plants being built. Takuya was so bewildered, he asked why were we even making Nuclear Plants when it was that same power that destroyed Nagasaki and Hiroshima! I agreed, we JUST spoke about it in class and wondered about it too.
Father looked at all of us and politely said, "Yes, they have the power to destroy, that cannot be denied… but it is that firm belief that this power can be used to save lives as well. We just have to be careful with how we handle it. Remember everyone, with great power there must also come great responsibility!"
For a long time, I just took those words at face value and didn't think about it much. It wasn't until I took philosophy classes in college that I really thought about them. Power, I learned, came in many forms and each human being has a power over one another, whether through words or actions. Because humans could be either a God or a Devil, each man has a responsibility to help one another.
That's what a parent is all about isn't it? Power over a child, to help them nurture and grow to help them become independent… I failed in that responsibility. I need to set things right with that boy… my boy.
Mei… I imagine him as the son you and I could have had.
A single water drop stained the page.
"…Y-yamashiro…" Shinji stuttered, his eyes sparkling with tears. "… I'm so sorry…"
The meeting with Mayumi and her father would not be for another hour. In that time, the boy allowed himself to cry, kneeling beside his old teacher's bed.
Mayumi Yamagishi looked up from the ground to see her friend had stopped running, clutching legs trying to catch a breath.
"Am… *huff*… I late?" Shinji asked, panting heavily.
Looking on with concern, Mayumi said, "Are you alright?"
Shinji raised his hand up, "I'm good… huff, I just had to rush quickly. Had to do some last minute cleaning, you know?"
Deciding not to press further, Mayumi continued speaking. "In any case you're right on time. Father will greet us on the way in."
She noticed something hanging around Shinji's neck. "You brought a camera?"
The boy looked downward. He moved a hand and clutched it, his eyes closing. "It was a… memento from my teacher-" he opened his eyes again. "I thought it'd be nice to bring it here."
"Oh…" Mayumi nodded. "I see."
With that, Shinji looked up from the ground and took a gaze at Mayumi's apartment.
Except it wasn't an apartment complex at all.
It was a mansion. Impressively large in fact, towering over the two houses to it's left and right. The mansion was well maintained as well, the grass not rising beyond a few inches and a fountain sitting close to the front door.
"Wait, didn't you say you lived in an apartment?" Shinji asked, only now just remembering that fact.
"I did… sorry, I-" Mayumi stopped herself. She took a small breath. "I didn't want to give off a bad impression."
Shinji could understand that perfectly. "It's alright Yamagishi. I'm just surprised and all."
The two made their way to the household. Mayumi opened the door.
Inside showed splendor. On the floor, a checkerboard of black and whites, a long flight of stairs that separated to left and right. All around the room are paintings that showed scenes of armies battling each other out.
Shinji could barely make it all out, instead focusing on the statue. A giant statue of a man holding a bearded face in one hand, a sword raised up in the other sat in the center of the room
"That's a statue of David after slicing the head of Goliath."
He turned to the left, finding Tachiageru Yamagishi standing there.
"Very fine piece of art isn't it?" the elder Yamagishi said with a smile. "It's something of a fond memory. My mother made fantastic sculptures in her prime. This was the last piece she ever made, so it's something of an important keepsake."
Tachiageru then bowed.
"Oh sorry, I forgot my manners," Tachiageru Yamagishi said. "Welcome to my humble abode Ikari Shinji. Mayumi is always fussing over you, so I made time to see my daughter's friend."
"I… I don't.." Mayumi stopped herself. "Thank you for your generosity, Father."
"Umm, thank you Mr. Yamagishi." Shinji said scratching the back of his hand. The boy couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding, that something wasn't right… but he couldn't pin point the reason why. He pushed those thoughts out of his mind. He wasn't in the mood for any trouble today.
"While we get to dinner let me show you some of my collection." Tachiageru said. "Ah this is a favorite portrait of mine!"
He pointed to a painting showing a woman about to nail a a larger man with a hammer.
"This is a scene from the Book of Judges. The Canaanites were oppressing the Israelites, so Jael, a woman who sympathized with their plight, invited their commander Sisera into her tent. When he fell asleep she killed him, delivering the Israelites their freedom. Jael is something of an inspiration to me. Her use of deceit was spectacular."
Shinji nervously responded, "I guess it is…"
"Ah here are some others I enjoy!" Tachiageru seemingly ignored him. "Esther making an appeal to the king for the survival of her people, Daniel in the lion's den, even Moses tearing apart the seas with God's power… My parents disapproved of my dream but never let it be said I am not a man of God."
"W… what sort of inclinations?" Shinji asked.
The man smiled. "All in due time… let's get to the dining hall"
And so they did.
Nobody spoke as they ate. Mayumi had an unflappable air, but Shinji could tell there was a nervousness to her as well. As if any moment something could cause her to snap from the tension. Tachiageru for his part was calm, though it seems he was preparing for something. Shinji kept himself quiet since he wasn't sure what to say.
Thankfully, that dilemma was taken away when Mr. Yamagishi placed his utensils down.
"See Ikari, even though I was raised Catholic I always had an interest in Biology. My parents disapproved since they wanted me to work as a cleric or become a priest. I fought and fought with them so many times, in the end I had to forgo their permission and signed up for a college anyway. Not like they found out though. An unfortunate… accident… caused a fire in my old home and they died, leaving all the money to me. It was with a heavy heart I set out to achieve my dream!"
Shinji looked downcast. "Sorry to hear about your parents…"
"It was a long time ago. Anyway, I met a lot of great people in college and moved with my life. I even dated a lot of girls, including Akagi." Yamagishi sighed. "Those were the times… Her breakdown was very unfortunate. Simply terrible. Anyway, has little Mayumi told you anything about herself?"
Mayumi's eyes widened. "Father, please."
"We don't really talk about each other that often." Shinji admitted.
"Well she is an interesting story." Tachiageru said. "After my parents' deaths, I realized how destiny can take away anything at any time. It make exceptions for no one. Because of that, I wanted a child of my own to carry out my legacy. None of the relationships I had were fulfilling or went much farther than a one night stand, so I had Mayumi be made in an incubating chamber using DNA donors from some random woman to this day I don't know about. Even with her… unnatural origins I raised her as my own daughter, who I hope would become a biologist like myself."
Shinji was surprised. "She was born in a test tube?"
"Made in one, yes. Didn't she tell you? Mr. Yamagishi continued. "I sometimes wonder what it must be like, to be made without a mother. It must be so strange. You're a good friend for willingly hanging around her."
RING RING!
That awkward conversation came to a merciful halt when a phone rang.
"Excuse me." Mr. Yamagishi said as he raised a hand to answer.
Mayumi couldn't take it anymore. She got up from her chair and ran as fast as she could. Shinji's eyes widened in surprise.
"Mayumi!" He shouted as he ran after her. Mr. Yamagishi… he only continued the conversation on his phone, "Don't worry, I'll be right over. Make sure he's kept secure in the lab."
When he caught up to Mayumi, Shinji heard her sniffle as her back was turned.
"Yamagishi?" Shinji asked, his hand moving to reach out.
It stopped when her face came into view… her ruby eyes stained with tears.
"Father…" She says quietly. Almost broken. "He always does this. He always treats me like this."
She covered her face with a hand. "Why can't he just be happy for me? Father always goes out his way to make me feel worthless… I'm sorry Shinji. You can go."
The whole evening, Shinji wasn't sure how to react to anything that happened. However even his naive mind knew he had to comfort Mayumi somehow. She had been there for him so many times, it would be irresponsible not to say anything.
Mayumi felt a hand on top of her head. She turned, looking up to see the hand belonged to Shinji, who was blushing and looking away from her.
"Yamagishi…" He said. "I won't go."
Brief words, and yet… Mayumi felt calm upon hearing them.
The boy grabbed the camera in his hand, "I'm sorry today was such a disaster… maybe we can take a picture? Together?"
Mayumi looked at it. She gulped. "… yes…"
In the picture taken, Mayumi could be seen smiling. And that, to Shinji, was worth much more than a thousand words from her own father.
Kuruto Inumaru was tied up in a dark room.
"I failed." he said to himself. "Damn it… that stupid boy got me into this."
Inumaru hated Shinji Ikari. He hated the boy for exposing himself out there, for putting him at risk, for being a terrible student who doesn't pay attention and causes trouble.
Or at least, that's what he told himself. The conversation he had with his wife enlightened him to many things. Primarily, the truth. He resented Ikari for daring to do what he couldn't do. For better or for worse, Ikari tried to stop the threats that came to himself and the city. Not like himself. Not like Doctor Inumaru who participated in horrific experiments and allowed them to happen.
Inumaru knew he would have to make it right. He would destroy his equipment, stop the program, call the authorities. His own guilty conscience would finally be at peace.
Only that wasn't what happened. Instead he was here.
He had no clue about what would happen. Would his family be killed? Would he be killed? Or would something worse happen?
He heard the door open behind him.
"Well, well well... it seems the good professor found himself in a bit of trouble."
Inumaru knew that voice quite well. He had conversed with this man so many times he would never forget him.
"Yamagishi."
Tachiagaru smirked. His expression was sinister, sending shivers down the professor's spine.
"Professor Kuruto Inumaru. I am so disappointed in you. Coming in here to destroy the equipment would be a new low... but that isn't even the beginning of your treachery is it?"
Inumaru's eyes widened. "How did you-?"
"I know everything. I know how you took the spider that was supposed to be contained in the lab to your classroom. I know that you've been in contact with the Spider-Man, who had been given the powers from the spider bite."
Inumaru was shocked. "You knew all that?! Why didn't you try to stop me before?"
"Honestly…" Yamagishi answered. "I just wanted to see what you would do. Would you sell out the Spider-Man to HERZ, therefore SEELE? Come here and beg for mercy? Trying to destroy your own legacy was unexpected, but not impossible. A guilty conscience can do things to a man. But what I really wanted to know was why you even brought the Spider with you to school anyway? Then I remembered a few things and put the pieces together…"
Yamagishi pressed a button. The wall opened up to Inumaru's side, who turned to look at the sight.
It was a man made jungle, bathed in green light. A stack of abominations surrounded the setting. Weird, deformed, mutated lizards, freaks of nature courtesy of the HERZ organization's experiments.
Inumaru noticed how... ghastly Tachiageru Yamagishi looked, his skin bathed in the green light contrasting with the tacky violet suit he always wore.
"… you lost your leg back in Second impact didn't you? You experimented with the lizard DNA to help regrow it. But the subjects all turned into misshapen monstrosities that died as quickly as they were born. But the spider… that survived. You wanted to see what made it so different without my interference. So you took it to the school for analysis, only to end up creating Spider-Man. Am I somewhere in the bullseye?"
Inumaru shook his head. "Stop… stop please…"
"Your act of selfishness brought forth something… amazing…" Yamagishi said elated. "You turned a fourteen year old brat into a potential prototype of human potential. With Ikari's DNA I took from the hospital he stayed at in my possession, I will perfect the formula for myself. But first..."
Inumaru felt a needle stabbed into his neck. "AUGH!"
"You should have thought about your wife and son when you performed your little rebellion, little lizard. You, the serpent, brought the fruit of knowledge to Eve, and now Eve is offering that fruit to Adam. That cannot be allowed. I will bring forth God's might upon this world."
Author's Notes:
The section with Shinji going to Yamagishi's room and reading the journal would go well with Chikai no Ballad, the ending theme to Toei's Spider-Man. Give it a listen, it's a great song!
I've been thinking. I see some fanfics hat have the authors answer reviews before and after the chapter. I think I might do that myself, starting next chapter I'll do that. Any questions you have, I think I can answer.
A lot of reviewers compare this story to Ultimate Spider-Man (or that it gave them Ultimate vibes). Looking over it again, it's true I've been pulling a lot from it. I think it's just that lot of it's ideas just work well in the context of Eva, but there's possibly a deeper reason for it.
Both Evangelion and the Ultimate universe take place in these realistic landscapes where genetic experiments and government conspiracies are given a lot of focus, with characters being a lot more flawed compared to other mecha shows or the regular Marvel universe respectively. Evangelion achieved it's realism by having characters be nuanced and multi faceted with complex psychological problems that made it interesting to watch. The Ultimate universe just turned almost everyone into assholes for no real reason XD.
Anyway, The Lizard shall strike in: "Metamorphosis"