Creation began on 09-20-20
Creation ended on 12-20-20
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Talismans: Repercussions
"…Well, Ms. Rekishi," went Auntie's physician as she redressed into her red and yellow yukata, "other than your muscle deterioration due to your age, you're in terrific health."
"Muscles wear down over time," she responded, "but that's understandable."
"Fortunately, you won't need a wheelchair, Ms. Rekishi. I'm impressed that your muscles barely show the slightest decay. With all due respect, you should've been in a wheelchair, or at least using a cane, ten years ago. It's a miracle that you're still able to walk unaided."
Auntie chuckled as she put back on the Horse Talisman around her neck.
"Thank the kami for small favors," she told him.
"See you again in five months," he responded.
As she walked out the hospital, she sighed as felt the magic of the Horse Talisman reinvigorate her leg muscles to fight back against deterioration. It was only because of this talisman that she was keeping her body in such a fit condition, but while it reversed the negatives of her age, her body wasn't as strong as it used to be decades ago. After hitting her sixties, she was past her prime, but spared from the ravages of sickness and decay, such as cancer and Alzheimer's. But she wasn't getting any better as time went by. She was only going to get worse over time; she wasn't even sure how many years she had left, as she didn't believe in people having an expiration date so long as they maintained a routine to stay in shape.
"…I heard my cousin's taking her family and getting out of Tokyo-3 after that pirate broadcast," she heard some women gossiping about the Demon Sorcerers' revelation of what was at that city that was meant to be a fortress against an enemy they now knew was never coming.
"…I never thought that a paramilitary agency would be hiding a monster underground that they were using to lure in other monsters…"
"…We need to be protected from the government…"
"…I'll take my kids to the US if I have to. I don't want to live in a country that supports a group of people that were lying to us for years…"
"…NERV robbed us of our hard-earned money to build their own monsters and they can barely use them…"
Auntie could understand their concerns; people were afraid and angry, responding to the discovery in different ways. Some people chose to relocate to wherever they felt was a safer location, others made the decision to change their career choices, while some started to wonder if they should focus more on religious views rather than scientific ones. While the restoration was seen as a miracle, some had to consider that it was a dark one due to how it was achieved. Outside her shop, she could see Shinji sweeping the sidewalk.
"I thought you had today off, Shinji," she told him, getting his attention.
"I spent all last night and early this morning wandering across the planet and keeping tabs on NERV," he explained his apparent irritability. "My lost cause of a father was interrogated by some men that hid behind twelve, holographic monoliths, all of them saying 'SEELE' with a number underneath, and he kept blaming his inability to handle the situation his agency's in on me rather than owning up to the fact that he never had anything under control to begin with. They were arguing about something they called the Human Instrumentality Project being for naught with the world restored to its previous state, something they spent over fifteen years trying to achieve. And then, they told him that if he couldn't deal with the lack of progress and the fact that the UN was now investigating everyone affiliated with their respective organizations, they were going to make sure he paid for their failures. One of them actually accused that jerk of being the one to bring about the project they were upset about being an impossibility now."
"Oh? Really? And how did your old man respond to this?" Auntie wanted to know.
"He tried once more to shift blame from himself toward others. He reminded them that Mr. Katsuragi was alive and here in Ōta and that he was involved in what started Second Impact, but they responded with his status being a moot topic to bring up, since they declared that he was as expendable as everyone else was, so it was pointless to bring him up. Once the meeting was over, I left after spending another hour waiting for him to go to sleep, and seeing that he's just another sex fiend with no actual respect towards women. He was involved with this woman I met at NERV with faux-blond hair. I then explored the Suicide Forest and saw a man that was there hang himself, saying that he wouldn't live to see the world end all over again because of the arrogance of people."
Auntie sighed at how miserable this act was, but there was little any of them could do to convince those that chose this route to reconsider their decisions. Free will was the gift and curse of mankind, and it gave everyone the option of making their own decisions. To live, to die, to go to war, to fall in love, to hate something or someone, to explore some unknown place, etc. The only drawback was that when you found people that had no shared interest in what others had, there would be differences that couldn't be set aside, or matters of opinion and choice that resulted in feuds or disagreements, which made people as a whole a self-conflicted species.
"You know what really disgusts me?" Shinji asked her.
"What disgusts you, Shinji?" She responded.
"People that think they can compare you to someone else when there's nothing about anyone to compare against. My aunt and uncle, they thought they could compare me to my parents, but I'm not like those two at all, am I? I'm not a scientist. I'm not a paramilitary head honcho. I'm not even a politician. I don't even have kids of my own to walk away from, not that I would ever do such a heartless act if I ever do have kids of my own someday."
"Heh… How right you are, Shinji. There's no comparing you to your parents…just as there's no comparing me to my parents."
"Why is that?"
"My parents were never married. My mother…well, she wasn't much of a romantic, and my father, the only two things I ever knew about him were that he was a war veteran and from America. But I don't let that get to me. I've done a lot more with my life that I'm proud of."
"You certainly have, Auntie."
-x-
"…We certainly know that the Third Child won't be coming back at all," went Ritsuko to Gendo in his office. "With the UN investigation now questioning Captain Katsuragi, who revealed how he escaped the first time and his refusal to return, we'll likely be prohibited from trying to persuade the boy to return."
"How much do they know?" Gendo asked her.
"She told the investigators everything she knew about the incident, including their little showdown at the train station after the riot ended in favor of the people that wanted to leave the city. They were not impressed that we were trying to force a young man to return to a position within NERV that he wanted nothing to do with, especially when she threatened him at gunpoint. It damages NERV's credibility. At this point, all we may have are the First and Second Children, but Germany may pull their support with the new operations to reclaim the coastal areas and rebuild former cities that were lost and try to recreate the lost species of fauna and flora that Second Impact wiped out that might not come back naturally. This may leave NERV as a Japan-only division if the rest of the world is more concerned with this more-realistic resurrection of the planet."
"And what of the Evas?"
"Unit-01 is still functional, but we have yet to progress on repairing Unit-00. At this rate, we may never get a chance to."
Gendo felt they were in between a rock and hard place; if the Angels weren't going to show up, the Human Instrumentality Project was for naught, if he couldn't manipulate his son into piloting the Eva for him, his goal was for naught, and if NERV was shutdown, there would be a different form of Hell to pay. Personally, he blamed Shinji for abandoning them just to return to some pathetic city with a worthless shop he found employment at. There was nothing to gain from such a life at an antique shop full of discarded items that nobody wanted. They were just relics of the past people clung to for as long as they could until they decided to throw them away.
Gendo would have to speak with Captain Katsuragi again…and hear from her what she told the investigators about her failure in reacquiring the Third Child.
-x-
Temptation. It was a word most often associated with unanticipated risks in a choice that was yet to be made. But it was a word that left Auntie with her current predicament. Tucked away in a small container, the Dog Talisman she and the others obtained from Hideki after he showed up had the shopkeeper enticed to exploit its powers. Except it was now among the set she promised to Shinji after he had saved up to procure all ten she had. Still…it was so tempting to her, to want to use it, to feel the power it had course through her.
And this is what we learned about the Dog Talisman…and what Hideki experienced because of it, she thought as he looked over the ancient information regarding the talisman. It negates the cons of aging through its power and enables eternal life to its possessor.
She reached for the case on her desk and opened it to look at the talisman. As tempted as she was to use it, she knew she had to draw the line in order to resist such a desire.
Auntie, she heard Shinji's astral form as he flew into her study.
"Yes, Shinji?" She responded, grateful that he was here now.
You will not believe what I saw in the Rishiri-Rebun-Sarobetsu National Park on Rishiri Island, he uttered. I saw what I believe to be another Demon Sorcerer. A humanoid dragon in clothing like medieval Asians. He was sitting by a tree, relaxing.
"He was just sitting by a tree?"
I think he saw me in the air, but he gave no indication.
"A regular demon, perhaps?"
If he was, he was the first one to do nothing towards me or anything else living near him. I mean, he just sat there and did nothing. It was like he gave up before he even started.
"But if he was a dragon, he probably has a relation to Shendu. He's a dragon, as well."
Maybe. How can demons be related to one another?
"The same way people are, Shinji: Relationships and their development."
Shinji then noticed how Auntie seemed tempted to use the Dog Talisman, just seeing that she was looking at it and then looking away from it.
Auntie, he spoke, I'm still saving up to buy all the talismans. Indulge a little and see how well the Dog Talisman is for you. Even if I decided to buy half the ones in your possession, I won't take that one yet. We all live only once…and should enjoy the time we have, even if it's because of a relic that grants a temporary reprieve from mortality.
"You have no idea how much I am tempted to use it."
Auntie reached over and picked it up, watching it glow in her hand as it activated.
-x-
Misato had been prepared to face the ridicule of her actions against the Third Child after explaining her decision to point a gun at him to force him to remain in Tokyo-3, but the UN had been wanting to know more about how it was possible for her father, who she had been certain of had died that day fifteen years ago, to survive where the beginning of the end of the world occurred. She couldn't just tell the investigators that he only survived due to a piece of stone with a picture of a dog on it. All she could really say…was that she didn't know how he survived in a place where everyone else died.
"I believed he was dead," she explained in her defense. "I never saw him die, but I saw him injured. When I was rescued from the water, I was deemed the sole survivor, so I assumed he was dead. I honestly don't care how he survived, so long as he stays as far away from me as possible. He's not my hero."
Yet, despite her claims of hating her father, she had to consider that, while her hatred was justifiable, she was hating a ghost of a man that could no longer walk the path of science and technology because of what happened that. And he himself had no intention of going back to that life of a scientist, reassigning himself to working at a junkshop where he could do no wrong or harm to anyone. There seemed very little point in hating a man that wanted to change his ways, to wipe the slate clean and begin anew.
"At least now, you got an opportunity to catch up on the years missed and try to repair your screwed-up relationship," Shinji told her when they were both at the shop with Hideki.
This is getting crazier with every passing day, she thought.
Fortunately, the UN had seen no point in reprimanding her for her inability to prevent Shinji from leaving NERV and Tokyo-3, even though she threatened to shoot him. The fact that she didn't shoot him, even to scare him against leaving, helped her to avoid such a reprimand. Instead, the blame for her inability to keep the boy from walking away fell on his father, who should've informed him of everything pertaining to NERV's responsibilities, which included showing him all of what they.
Again, it seems like Commander Ikari is the one getting reprimanded, she thought, wondering how the boy's father was going to deal with being the one getting the brunt of the fallout.
As she returned to her apartment, the woman counted herself lucky that there wouldn't be a trial or court martial held against her. The last thing she needed to concern herself with was getting handed a discharge from NERV for now.
"Yarp," went her feathered roommate as she returned home.
"Hey, Pen-Pen," she greeted him.
-x-
Drago looked up at the sky and could make out certain shapes in the clouds. One cloud formation resembled the Japanese archipelago. Another cloud formation reminded him of Po Kong. There was even a cloud that had the shape of a talisman belonging to his father. But that's all the clouds were right now, nothing more than shapes that reminded him of the past he walked away from after coming to terms with his present state.
Excuse me? He heard a voice call out to him. Can you understand me?
He looked away from the clouds and saw a young man's astral form. The human was clearly of Asian descent, dressed in modern clothing, but there was something about his eyes that caught his attention; the way they seemed to exhibit some degree of pain that was masked by something to make up for it all.
"I can understand more than you think," he told him. "State your business…but please, be brief. I don't want to spoil my tea."
The human looked over to a small teapot over a fire and nodded his head in the positive.
I just wanted to know…if you were affiliated with the Demon Sorcerers, he spoke. Recently, they restored the planet to its pre-Second Impact state, but the people I associate with don't believe they'll stop at just that.
"I am a Demon Sorcerer…but I have no affiliation with those that have restored your planet," Drago told him. "I care not for their agenda or agendas, nor do I wish to be sought out by them. There is no point in dragging me back into that life of darkness. Fifteen years ago, I realized that there was no point in anything I tried because no matter what I did, I would never measure up to my peers, so I turned away and settled for what I have right now."
Okay… Thank you for your time, sir.
"It is Drago."
Thank you for your time, Drago.
The human then flew off, leaving the demon alone…and Drago picked up his empty cup and poured his tea. He sighed as he returned to his peace and quiet.
"Whatever they have done, whatever they are up to," he uttered, "I want no part of it."
-x-
Shinji returned to the shop in his astral form and met with Auntie and Hideki in the back.
"What were you able to ascertain, Shinji?" Auntie asked him.
He was a Demon Sorcerer, he revealed to them, but he says he's unaffiliated with the ones we researched. He called himself Drago, and wants to be left alone.
"A Demon Sorcerer…that just wants to be left alone?" Hideki questioned.
"This is a first for me, as well, Hideki," Auntie told him. "I've never known a demon that preferred solitude over company."
There were some animals around, but I don't think that counts, Auntie, Shinji told them. Something about him just seemed…tamed. He didn't give off any indication that he was interested in anything these other Demon Sorcerers were up to, stating that he walked away from a life of darkness fifteen years ago. There didn't seem to be anything of interest to him beyond just wanting to drink his tea after the conversation. He didn't care about the agenda of the other demons. He just walked away and settled for what he had around him.
"It sounds like a demon that prefers peace over tyranny," Auntie suspected, fascinated by this possibility. "How about that? A demon that walked away from a life of darkness and settled for a life of peace and isolation."
What do you want me to do about Drago, Auntie? Shinji asked her.
"Nothing," she instructed him. "If he had no involvement in what the other demons did, then he's not involved in anything that's currently going on. If he walked away from his dark past, then he deserves to continue his isolation in peace. Leave him be, Shinji."
Yes, ma'am.
"Are you sure that's a wise thing to do, Auntie?" Hideki asked her.
"I don't want to drag in anyone that wants nothing to do with their former associates' acts or madness," she told him. "There are those that will do whatever it takes to achieve a goal…and those that will settle for whatever they can obtain, be it power or peace."
Hideki accepted her belief and picked up his cup of tea and drank it.
Shinji then sank through the floor to his room under the shop and back to his body.
-x-
Up in the air, unseen by everyone, Hsi Wu looked down upon the landmasses and humans that were helpless against him and his brethren. One of the best things about consuming the Angels and taking their powers to augment their own was how Hsi Wu's senses were amplified to the point where he could see things and people from miles away…and when he did see things up close, it was as though he were right next to them. As he flew over the restored archipelago that was Japan, he stumbled upon something he didn't anticipate on seeing.
Drago, on one of the islands, doing nothing but sitting in front of a small fire. There seemed to be no indication that he was planning anything, just sitting around, letting time pass him by.
So, he managed to escape from the banishment, as well, Hsi Wu thought, realizing that he needed to inform the others that their slithery brother's equally-wayward son, their nephew, was in this new world just like them. But what has he done in the past few years? And how did he manage to stay hidden in a world that had originally been reduced to smaller clusters of land?
He flew back to Po Kong's secret location where the other six Demon Sorcerers were instead of the Tokyo-2 building that housed Shendu. The sooner they were told that Drago was alive, the sooner they could make plans on how to best deal with him. If he still possessed their amalgamated demon chi, he would be just as difficult to deal with as they were altogether. While it might've been better to bring Shendu into the fold regarding his son, they still had to keep their brother at a distance due to him betraying them, time and time again. This was part of the reason why they wouldn't risk giving him the Tiger Talisman, even though it was his; the more leverage they had over him, the more they were in control this time.
This time around, if Shendu tried anything against them, there would be severe repercussions.
-x-
Shinji returned to the Geo-Front later that night in astral form and explored. The very last thing he wanted to see was a repeat performance of his father's depravity with another woman and lack of commitment towards a woman he had no memory of, but if there was anything else on NERV that was worth looking into and using as potential leverage against the paramilitary agency, it was all the more reason for him to serve as an unseen spy using the Sheep Talisman to gather more intel on someone that may have been an enemy. There was more than just karma and payback in this way of thinking for Shinji as he embraced this power that was gifted to him. Any wrong choice by anyone that was made…and those involved would suffer the fallout. Even if they tried to avoid so, they could only do so for by so much.
Still decapitated, he thought as he found the remains of Lilith within the large chamber she was kept in, her head now stuck back to her severed neck. But what else is being hidden here?
To be continued…
A/N: Well, one way or another, Drago gets dragged back into the madness that he spent fifteen years trying to stay out of, and everyone's facing the repercussions in different ways. If Shinji was bound to find out what his father and Ritsuko did behind everyone's back, the Sheep Talisman was a good way to mask his discovery of this sick behavior. It was never brought up on how he reacted to the discovery that his father and Ritsuko were intimate, but on here, he is outright disgusted with his old man for casting doubts on his commitment to the disgraced memory of his mother. Until next year, everyone.