Sokila was frowning.
"...you sure ran a lot..."
She looked down at the threadbare cuffs of her pant legs.
"I bet I could run pretty fast too..."
She swung her legs up and down
"...but then I'd have to put on shoes..."
She gave him a cheeky, knowing grin.
"...and I don' wanna!"
The faint haze of blue began to brighten-
xxxx
/Saturday: June 20, 2015/
/Courtyards, Hakone Academy/
Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Each new step elicited a fresh ache from Shinji Ikari's legs; he tried not to let it show on his face.
He was probably failing miserably.
"Man Toji, what did you put him through?" asked Kensuke Aida.
"Nothing major!" retorted Toji Suzuhara. "He just pushed himself too far. He'll be fine by tomorrow, no problem." He briefly paused. "...unless he managed to give himself shin splints."
Those sound painful.
"Those sound painful!"
Thank you, Aida-san.
Toji nonchalantly shrugged. "Eh, if it persists, we'll just take him to a doctor. I'm sure NERV will cover for it." He briefly paused. "...how much are they paying you, anyway?"
"Gee, that sounds a lot like 'I'm poor, please let me mooch off you'," snarked Aida.
"You damn prick, you know I'm over a year-and-a-half away before I can get a job of my own! I don't even qualify for those little waiver things that you apparently got!"
"Well, you could always volunteer for a Metaverse research program if you're that desperate..."
"No thanks Ken, I'd rather not become a hopeless weirdo like you."
The good-natured bickering served as ambient white noise as they continued their trek to Hakone Academy. At least we've only got a half day today...ow. Ow. Ow.
xxxx
/Class 2-A, Junior High Branch, Hakone Academy/
Shortly before homeroom began, Rei Ayanami felt her NERV-issue phone buzz. Slowly pulling it out, she saw that she had received a message from an unknown sender.
?: Howdy, little missy.
?: I'm calling in my favor.
?: Bring the boy to Brainy Town later today. Make up a reason if you have to.
?: Au revoir~
Rei narrowed her eyes, promptly deleting the message log. Mister P...he wants Ikari in the Metaverse? For what purpose? Why? She had no way of knowing. Pen-Pen...what are you up to?
xxxx
/Class 2-A, Junior High Branch, Hakone Academy/
Right as cleaning time ended, and the clock struck a quarter til' two in the afternoon, Rei Ayanami walked towards Shinji's desk. "Ikari. I require your presence." She glanced in Kensuke's direction. "You as well, Aida-san."
"...why?" suspiciously asked Kensuke.
"It has to do with NERV. You will have received messages from Katsuragi-san by now."
...I have? Shinji curiously reached into his pockets, only to not find his phone. Why did...? He then reached into his book bag, feeling the contours of the device in question. Oh. Right. There was a reason he had taken it out of his pocket earlier today, he mused as the most recently opened message log appeared:
HEROD: WE HAVE ANOTHER QUERY FOR YOU.
HEROD: WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING CHARACTER TYPES WOULD YOU MOST WANT TO BE LIKE?
HEROD: AN AMBIVALENT YET STRANGELY COOL GUY; A SOMEWHAT BIZARRE FELLOW WITH IMPROBABLE CHARM; A MYSTERIOUS ROGUE WITH A SMART ALECK'S TONGUE.
HEROD: THERE IS NO RIGHT OR WRONG ANSWER.
HEROD: PLEASE RESPOND WITHIN 48 HOURS.
He couldn't exactly recall his mood at the time, but it must have been unpleasant based on his first response from 10 AM:
SI: someone with tired legs
HEROD: THAT IS NOT ONE OF THE POSSIBLE CHOICES.
Shinji actually flushed with embarrassment, because gods his response sounded so sarcastic! It would help if I knew who HEROD was, so I could at least apologize in person...hmm. On a whim, he typed:
SI: I'm sorry that was rude of me
The response was immediate.
HEROD: THAT IS NOT ONE OF THE POSSIBLE CHOICES.
Shinji grimaced, feeling a vague sense of irritation that he couldn't quite articulate.
SI: can't i just be me
What came back was something different for once.
HEROD: THE QUESTION WAS REGARDING WHO YOU "WANT" TO BE LIKE.
HEROD: YOU ARE ALREADY YOURSELF.
Shinji blinked, feeling somewhat perplexed by this sudden change in response.
SI: what if i don't want to be either of those three
Buzz.
HEROD: SOMETIMES IN LIFE, YOUR OPTIONS ARE RESTRICTED BY CIRCUMSTANCE.
HEROD: CHOOSE.
...I'll pass for now, thought Shinji, finally switching over to Misato's chat log. Sure enough, there had been a bunch of texts from the woman earlier that day.
MK: So, Ayanami had a bit of an idea, apparently.
MK: And it sort of gives a head start on something we were going to do tomorrow to begin with, so it all works out!
MK: Basically, she's going to give you and Aida-san an opportunity to encounter some unruly Archetypes.
MK: And let you two work on some tactical maneuvers in battle while you're at it.
MK: Maybe give you a chance to stick some new buddies into that head of yours! ^_~
MK: This way, you can be prepped and raring to go when I introduce you to the Mission Board tomorrow.
MK: Have fun! ^3^
MK: oh
MK: 1 more thing
MK: if anything strange happens in the Metaverse
MK: lemme know immediately, m'kay?
MK: cool thxbye
MK: *heart emoji* *hug emoji* *penguin emoji*
Shinji blinked, nervously glancing up at Ayanami, who had apparently been elaborating to Kensuke what Misato had communicated to him. There was a brief twinge in his legs at the thought of doing any physical activity. "...do we have to?"
The girl seemingly divined the source of his discomfort, answering, "I do not anticipate that we will need to do any amount of running that would be considered strenuous."
...well, that's one small relief.
Kensuke's eyes narrowed with suspicion. "Strenuous by normal standards, or strenuous by your standards?"
"My standards are normal," she responded with a confused blink.
"For you, maybe."
"You are speaking in tautologies."
"No I'm not! Do you really not know what I'm getting at? How can you be so badass yet so clueless at the same time?!"
As Aida continued his typically facetious rant at a seemingly befuddled Ayanami, Shinji felt his hopes dwindle. Maybe I should buy some pain relievers after we're done...
xxxx
Within the cognitive world, Misato Katsuragi waited in silence upon the roof of the Izanami Dorms. Hakone Academy was a hodgepodge of various things: stacks of giant computer monitors, phone screens, and television sets displaying scenes from exaggerated reality shows or Slice of Life anime, a reflection of the absolute drama that defined the lives of so many students; pockets of clustered emotions and items reflecting the various extracurricular clubs, coexisting in chaotic fashion; the dorms themselves exhibiting stereotypical expressions of their respective sex, enhanced further by the wild hormones that gripped so many kids in those years (she idly noted with a knowing grin that there were just as many Succubus Archetypes floating around the females' dorms as there Incubus Archetypes hovering around the males' dorms; teenage girls could be just as horny, if not more so, than the boys...albeit more subtle and less in-your-face about it...at least, that had been the case when she had been growing up); and so on and so forth.
However, her mind was not on the exuberance of youth or the wild manifestations of their subconscious; it was all business.
She briefly glanced back down at her phone, looking back over the chat log from earlier that morning.
R. Ayanami: I have a request.
M. Katsuragi: for what?
R. Ayanami: I would like to bring Ikari and Aida into the Metaverse this afternoon.
M. Katsuragi: ...why?
R. Ayanami: Now that Ikari has recovered from his battle against the Angel, I would like to see if he can absorb more Archetypes.
R. Ayanami: This will also provide more experience with wild Archetypes, in a less controlled environment than at NERV.
R. Ayanami: And, if Ikari's negotiations with the Archetypes break down, it will allow him and Aida to practice their tactical maneuvers in battle.
M. Katsuragi: sounds good
M. Katsuragi: go for it
R. Ayanami: Thank you. I will be bringing them into the Metaverse near the dorms.
M. Katsuragi: I'll give him a heads up
Of course, Misato wasn't going to leave it there. Something about the request by the girl just rubbed her the wrong way.
"Her insubordination and deception about Mister P still lingers in your mind," calmly said her Persona; Tokoyo was kneeling quietly on the rooftop, hands held on the hilts of her swords.
Misato snorted; that almost went without saying.
"Trust, once damaged, is not so easy to repair."
"You're preaching to the choir," she joked with her other self. At least she could still count on Ayanami's practical nature, because the moment she had made sure her afternoon was clear, she had plonked herself into the Metaverse. Something just seemed off about her request.
The statuesque swordswoman suddenly rose. "They're here."
Misato's eyes narrowed, looking around for that telltale shock of pale blue hair...there. Emerging from near the cluster of dumpsters were a trio of kids in school uniforms. "Okay Ayanami..." With a brief gesture of her fingers, the A.T. Agent ordered a nearby trio of Ocular Drones to turn their surveillance onto them. "...let's see what you're going to do."
xxxx
"So, this is the Academy's cognitive double?" inquired Kensuke Aida, looking around with a discerning eye. "...not sure what I expected, but I don't find myself surprised."
Rei Ayanami was observing the area silently, as though...on the lookout for something. "...Ayanami-san?"
"...it's nothing." She slowly turned, facing them both with a stoic expression. "Summon your Personas. Then we'll-"
"Greetings!"
In the blink of an eye, a tuxedo-clad bird-man was standing upon Rei Ayanami's head, as though he had just materialized out of nowhere. The sudden addition of mass in such a lopsided manner elicited a look of befuddled shock - which translated on Rei's face as somewhat widened eyes, and nothing else - from the girl as she fell forward, falling face first into the cognitive soil. The mohawked humanoid stood with his arms crossed, looking remarkably nonchalant about his abrupt entrance. "Would you like to see something cool?"
Shinji and Kensuke stared at Mister P, eyes wide.
"...I'm taking Ikari. Bye!"
And just like that, one burly arm wrapped around Shinji's waist while his Persona Gryphon manifested into existence; with a flourish, he leapt upon the winged beast as it took off into the air, flying into the distance.
Kensuke stared, almost mesmerized as Ikari's screams echoed back as if on delay. The fact that Ocular Drones began to pursue them almost seemed ancillary. "...did he just get kidnapped?"
Ayanami slowly rose, dirt marring her pretty face. "...I do believe so," she admitted, eyebrow twitching with irritation.
xxxx
Misato Katsuragi boggled at Mister P's sudden appearance, even as some small part of her wanted to chuckle at Ayanami's proverbial face fault.
Then, in a matter of seconds, he had suddenly absconded with Shinji-kun, taking off into the sky. "AFTER THEM!" she yelled at the Ocular Drones, almost at a delay. What the hell's going on NOW?! As the Ocular Drones took off after Mister P and his abducted 'cargo', Misato darted towards the kids' locations, using Tokoyo to cushion her fall from the rooftop; as Aida-san helped Ayanami to her feet, she came to a stop besides them. "What just happened?"
"I, I don't know!" yelped Kensuke, eyes wide with shock at her sudden appearance. "Ayanami brought us here, was talking, and then bam, the bird-man's just standing on her head!" He briefly glanced at his peer before looking back at his erstwhile superior. "...d'ya have a handkerchief or something? Her face is kinda...well..."
"It is of no consequence." With a thought, Rei's body flickered with fiery light as her Persona manifested. With a surprisingly dainty movement, one of Lilith's fairy wings curled downward, brushing the dirt off of the girl's face.
"...you're acting awfully calm," said Misato, nose slightly curling with suspicion. Her request...did she mean for this to happen?
"...Mister P, despite his mysterious demeanor, has been nothing but helpful to us in the past," calmly remarked the First Child. "Besides, you have Ocular Drones in pursuit; wherever they go, we'll be able to find them."
...that's a fair enough point. Her obvious soreness with Ayanami's prior insubordination aside, maybe she was being too paranoid about Mister P...?
There was a telltale mental buzz in the back of her mind, prompting her to thumb her A.T. Agent badge. "This is Agent Katsuragi, go ahead."
'Katsuragi-senpai.'
"What is it, Akechi-kun?"
'I've been monitoring the feed from the Ocular Drones...' The boy's voice trailed off.
An unpleasant feeling curdled in Misato's gut. "What happened?"
'...we've lost sight of this Mister P, alas...as well as Ikari-san.'
"...what?" she bit off, nostrils flaring with anger. "HOW DID YOU LOSE THEM ALREADY?!"
Her outburst elicited looks of shock and worry from the two younger children. "...maybe it's high time we split?" offered Aida, feeling rather off-put by this sudden change of events.
"...I believe we should assist Katsuragi-san in her search," said Ayanami, her brows slightly furrowing. "Even if I don't think Mister P has ill intentions, this sudden disappearance is concerning."
"Damn straight you two are," griped Misato. "Akechi, give me the last location our mohawked interloper was spotted at!" What the hell is this guy up to...?
xxxx
Gryphon had pulled strange twists and turns before darting downward amidst the tall skyscrapers of Tokyo-3's cognitive downtown area, which was generally dominated by a giant logo of NERV on the top of every single building: a sign of just how omnipresent the organization's influence was in the city. Before he knew it, he had found himself in the midst of a small alleyway, littered with walking trash cans and several slimy-looking Archetypes. However, he was mostly focused on trying not to throw up. Because wow, Gryphon could fly fast. "...what...was...that...for...?"
"I have need of your assistance, young whelp!" said Mister P; with the snap of his gloved fingers, his winged Persona vanished in a flurry of blue fire. "If you'll recall, I told you that I would have much to teach you: that starts today."
"...teach me what?" asked Shinji, staring quizzically at the enigmatic bird-man. He didn't quite feel like he was in danger, because of how the bizarre...person(?)...had assisted him and Aida-san and Ayanami-san in the past.
"Things that are easier to teach in isolation, away from prying eyes!"
"...is that why you kidnapped me?" he bluntly asked. Why is this becoming a 'thing'?
The penguin beak opened wide with a hearty chortle. "Hah! If you truly felt threatened, you could have summoned a Persona; think of it as more of an unexpected detour on a lengthy road trip!"
"...but we weren't traveling anywhere."
"Ah, but didn't the young maiden tell you of her plans for the day? There's much more interesting game afoot than wild Archetypes, which you'll have plenty of opportunity to encounter...but wild Shadows are far rarer than those. Given the circumstances you'll find yourself in, learning how to negotiate and converse with them will be crucial!"
Shinji blinked. "A...wild Shadow?" He craned his head upward; he couldn't see the Cognitive Protection Center from here, but that was the first thing he thought of. "...you mean...Shadows which haven't been placed into the Anti-Terror Task Force's custody...?"
Mister P nodded sagely. "Indeed; by this point in time, the vast majority of Shadows within the Hakone region are within the protective arms of the Task Force. That means those which haven't are either sufficiently powerful enough to feel safe on their own...or have the means of avoiding their detection." The bird-man's eyes twinkled knowingly. "Either one will tend to have useful knowledge that you won't find through 'official' means...and sometimes, you have to be 'unofficial' to get anything done."
"...I'm not about to do anything illegal, am I?"
"Ha ha!" chortled Mister P; it was a wonder his laughter hadn't drawn anyone to them already! "You will find that there's a great many things you can do if you can think unconventionally...and given the crisis that this world faces, you'll need every advantage that you can get."
"...this sounds very reasonable," admitted Shinji. "Why didn't you just, well...ask?"
"Notwithstanding the fact that the individual we're going to see is a rather private sort...it's more fun this way! Keeps NERV and the A.T. Task Force on their toes, makes them have to step up their game!" He playfully nudged Shinji with his elbow; given the height disparity, it came off as a downward poke onto his shoulder. "Besides, I'm sure the dear blunette's expression was worth the price of admission, eh?"
"...I wouldn't know." Everything had happened too fast; he had barely managed to register Ayanami-san's shocked expression before she had faceplanted into the ground. "...why did you do that, anyway?"
"Because I wanted to. Besides, the girl needs to lighten up a little!"
"...but how would that help her lighten-?"
"Anyhow," interrupted the boisterous bird-man, "let us be off! Time is a precious resource. Stick close with me, young man, and I'll see you through to the end!"
"...okay." Not having anything better to do - and really, Mister P hadn't really done anything dangerous to him so far, as far as he could tell - Shinji quietly fell in step behind the burly figure.
Deeper and deeper through the alley they went, stretching far beyond its actually physical equivalent; there was almost a labyrinthine quality to the surrounding area, as the walls on either side of them seemed to stretch higher and higher. Do people really think of alleys like this in the real world...? Surely not; this seemed far too foreboding. The leery Archetypes - long and sinous dogs with ghostly white bodies and black heads; horned ogres without arms; lean and pale humanoids with long fingers and a triangular cone hat blocking their face; and who knew what else lurking within the darkness - didn't make it any better, either.
Suddenly, Mister P came to a halt. "We're here."
"...where's here?" It just looked like another dim alley, with walls stretching upward for what seemed like forever; the sky of the Metaverse was merely thin red line from their current vantage point. Only flickering lanterns protruding oddly from the walls provided any semblance of light. The sense of unease was slowly beginning to build. "...can we go now...?"
"A little old to be afraid of the dark, aren't you?"
Shinji nearly screamed from the unexpected voice echoing out from the alley ahead. Mister P was unperturbed. "It can be a useful fear, if kept in moderation. After all...many unpleasant things lurk within the darkness."
The unseen stranger chuckled. "Fair enough." The sound of footsteps approached: hardy soles scraping against the concrete. "So...this is the Third Child everyone's been making a fuss about, eh?"
Shinji squinted, trying to focus from behind the proverbial meat shield that was Mister P (hey, he was just staying behind like the bird-man had said!). The silhouette was vaguely the size of an adult man, but he couldn't make out any details...until one of the nearby lamps decided to stop flickering, shining steadily for once. The Shadow's appearance elicited a surprised gasp from Shinji; not because he recognized the man, but because of his appearance. "Who are...?"
The Shadow of a man who was on the young side of middle-aged chuckled mirthlessly; he seemed like a rather bedraggled sort, with plain clothes and a loose tie; his chin bore some unkempt stubble, and his messy brown hair was kept in a low ponytail. His cigarette glowed with a pale blue fire at its tip, now visible to his vision for some strange reason; yellow eyes gleamed with the same light common to all Shadows; however, his form seemed almost transparent, flickering in odd places...and yet, that was not what had grabbed Shinji's attention. Rather, it was the bullet hole in his face: right above the nose and between the eyes, it was an old wound, yet no less macabre. The blood trails marring his face were simultaneously old yet new. It was a ghastly sight indeed. "Who am I? No one special, in the grand scheme of things, really..." The Shadow's cigarette bobbed as he grinned warily. "...but introductions are only fair. You can call me Kaji."
"...Kaji..." Shinji sounded out the name. It sounded...forlorn. He wasn't quite sure why. "...why are you hanging out here?" he blurted out.
A nearby Inugami floating amidst the darkness snorted. "What, you have a problem with where we hang out? RUDE." Other nearby Archetypes chorused their disdain.
"I'm s-sorry! I didn't meant to insult your home!"
"Oh, you think we LIVE in this hovel?! The nerve of this guy!" growled a Take-Minakata. Their discontent only seemed to grow.
"Oh...um, well, hovel's kind of a...strong, word?" he diplomatically tried to say.
"You think we can't afford anything better, wise guy?!" snarled a Yomotsu-Ikusa, pounding the butt of its staff into the ground.
What am I doing wrong?!
"Ah, the rambunctious reflections of human thoughts are far more unruly than the sedated pups kept by NERV, eh?" sagely said Mister P. "Good thing I'm here, or they might have swarmed you already!"
That didn't fill him with confidence.
Fortunately, the lone Shadow present seemed to calm the nearby Archetypes with the mere wave of his hand; they receded deeper into the alleyways, leaving the three of them alone. "Can't really blame them. Not many times this place sees a stranger...now, let's get a look at you."
Shinji blinked nervously as the Shadow approached, briefly removing his ethereal cigarette; he tried not to focus on the bullet hole in the man's face. "Um..."
"The bullet hole? I can see you staring."
"I'm sor-"
"You know, girls don't like a guy who constantly apologizes. Makes it hard to tell when he's truly sorry." Kaji's yellow eyes narrowed slightly; with a disappointed sigh, he stood back. "Sorry Mister P, I don't think I can trust going forward with him just yet. Not enough...determination in those eyes."
"I see." Mister P did not challenge his appraisal of Shinji's character. "A tad disappointing, I must admit."
"Well, I didn't quite make it this far by being too trusting...though some people would say that's a problem of mine." The enigmatic Shadow chuckled good-naturedly. "But I don't want to make it seem like you came all the way here for nothing. Some strange rumors circulating around the outskirts of Tokyo-1, these days, about something unseemly. Quite a few Shadows have decided to vacate it for greener pastures."
"Oh? How interesting...might be worth taking a look."
"I'm sure it will."
Shinji was so lost. "Um..."
"Just a conversation between adults," coolly said Kaji. "But I'm sure you'll come to understand one day...just as I'm sure you'll eventually have what it takes to move forward without regrets."
Those words struck a chord, somewhere deep within. "...okay."
"Anyhow, I'll be going now." Kaji returned the cigarette to his mouth, its tip glowing with a pale blue flame. "I'm off to another appointment with a rather...memorable maiden," he said, turning on his heel.
Mister P's mustache wiggled with obvious delight. "Oh-ho? I see..." The burly bird-man chuckled. "Do give dear Marie my regards."
The Shadow lightly waved his hand, not even looking back as he quietly retreated deeper into the alley, before disappearing from sight entirely as the lamps began their wild flickering once more.
For some reason, Shinji couldn't help but feel let down by how this rendezvous had turned out. "...um...so, what now?"
"Well, since this turned out to be a bit of a bust, we can make the afternoon productive in other ways! But first, let's leave this dreary place." Instead of summoning his Persona to fly them out of the alley as Shinji expected, the bird-man turned towards a wall, staring rather intently at it. For several seconds. As the silence grew in its awkward tension, Shinji felt the growing impulse to speak out...until, without warning, a strange white void opened up like a doorway out of nowhere. Most bizarrely, the void didn't brighten up the alleyway in the least, as if its immense light was bound by some arbitrary barrier.
...I feel like I've seen this before. But where?
"Come along boy, the day is still young!" With a hearty pat on the back, Mister P guided Shinji forward, leading him through the doorway-
There was...a strange energy to his surroundings. Mister P's form, though constant, seemed to blur at the edges.
The doorway was closed behind them by something...no, someone. Someone speaking with a childish tone.
That individual calmly floated ahead of them, opening another doorway amidst the void to somewhere else.
Shinji barely had the focus to look at the entity as they walked past him; for the briefest of instants, their form solidified into something tangible.
A tiny boy with solid(?) silver hair, wearing a white raincoat patterned with gray stars, smiled at him. "A lot of people are rooting for you, mister."
The last thing Shinji registered was that the boy's yellow eyes were...concentric-?
-and in what seemed like no time at all, they were stepping into a forest; through the canopy, he could see the distinctive black and red sky of the Metaverse. Turning around, he barely caught the doorway into the white void slamming shut, as though it had never been. "...where-?"
"Near Lake Ashi, my boy," said Mister P, answering a question he hadn't asked. The bird-man calmly rotated his shoulders, flexing his neck to get the cracks out. "So, since that was an unfortunate bust, we can at least get ONE thing done today!"
"...what's that?
"Why TRAINING, of course!"
xxxx
The 'training' apparently consisted of what Shinji was originally going to be doing that day to start with: recruiting Archetypes.
"So...I'm cute, aren't I?" inquired a tiny orange sprite with translucent butterfly wings and a short white Chinese dress; a Hua Po, apparently.
"Um...yes?"
To be blunt, it hadn't gone well.
"You jerk! I'm not some floozy that gets all aflutter so easily!" she chirped angrily.
Shinji blanched. "I'm sorry-!"
"And no confidence either. SO not charming!" With a furious flap of her wings, the Archetype launched a flurry of fire. "Agi!"
With a frightened yelp, Shinji impulsively summoned a Persona. "Kinnara!" The musically-inclined horse-man emerged in a burst of blue fire, tanking the fire without damage. With a burst of movement, Shinji charged from behind his Persona, swinging his shovel at the belligerent fairy.
THWACK.
"OW!" squealed the Hua Po, the blow sending her crashing into a nearby tree. "You meanie!" With a dramatic cry, the Archetype promptly flew away.
Shinji grimaced. That's the third Archetype that's run away...
"Not so easy, are they?" inquired Mister P, leaning against a nearby tree. His Persona, Gryphon, was calmly resting atop a higher branch, preening his wings calmly. The fact that a number of Ocular Drones had taken to observing the winged lion-bird didn't seem to bother the Persona or Mister P in the least. "You'll need to get better at identifying their personalities if you're going to successfully negotiate with them. After all, unlike NERV, there's nothing stopping them from simply running away."
"I know, I know..." The brief sting of frustration was an uncomfortable one; perhaps his training with NERV had given him unrealistic expectations regarding Archetypes?
"Actually, you quite clearly don't know, or else you'd have been successful."
"..."
"But that's fine!" Mister P calmly stood at his full height, walking towards Shinji with arms crossed. "Chicks learn how to fly before leaving the nest. Anyone expecting you to be such is simply unrealistic...but given the nature of the trials facing you, the amount of time that the world will give to learn is short indeed...but that's why I'm here."
"...why?" As Kinnara idly strummed his harp, Shinji turned to face the enigmatic figure. "...what is it about me? I mean...you're clearly powerful...and you seem to know a lot...so why focus on me? Wouldn't someone else be better to help?" After all, it wasn't like he was the only Evangelion-user...
Mister P chuckled knowingly. "My dear boy, such pessimism is unbefitting. Understand: the circumstances that have led you here are myriad. Some would say unfair. And yet, I haven't gotten where I am by ignoring my instincts...and they're telling me that you have great things in your future. Important things." With an affectionate gesture, he patted him on the shoulder, communicating a strange combination of paternal concern and brotherly wisdom. "And if there's anything that I can do to help you see that future with head held high...then you can count on me."
Shinji looked up at the bird-man's green eyes, and saw no deceit. "...thank you..."
xxxx
And all the while, on a subconscious level, in words he had no way of knowing...a familiar voice spoke, within the depths of his being:
I am thou, thou art I...
Thou hast acquired a new bond.
It shall lead thou to the truth
that parts the seas of depravity.
Take hold of the Emperor Arcana,
and let it guide you
to a new Promised Land...
xxxx
"...but who are you?"
Mister P's mustache bobbed with amusement. "That would be spoiling~"
Then, from far in the distance, Shinji heard a familiar voice call out. "Shinji!"
Shinji blinked, turning on his heel. "Misato-san...?" Had she found them? "Hey-" He back towards his comrade/kinda-sorta-kidnapper(?), only to blink at the utter absence of tuxedo-clad bird-man. The bizarre being's Persona had vanished as well. Why can't he just say goodbye like a normal person?!
Mere moments after Mister P had pulled his vanishing act, Misato and her Persona burst through the proverbial canopy of the cognitive forest. Rei Ayanami and Kensuke Aida trailed behind them, carried by their respective Personas. "Where is he?!"
"I don't know," blurted out Shinji. "He just kind of vanished." A beat. "He keeps doing that, somehow."
"For real," griped Kensuke.
The A.T. Agent looked like she wanted to pull her hair out. "Just my friggin' luck, the Ocular Drones finally catch wind of him in this location, and then he pulls his damn vanishing act again?!" She looked at him with a brief hint of concern. "He didn't hurt you, did he?"
"No," he honestly answered.
Apparently satisfied for now, Misato turned on her heel, stomping towards Ayanami, of all people. "Who the hell is he? I want a straight answer, now."
The blunette coolly responded, "I do not know for certain, Major Katsuragi."
"Then tell me what you do know," she growled, "and this time, I'm not going to take any bullshit."
"M-Misato-san?" said Shinji, looking rather flummoxed and alarmed by how unexpectedly things were escalating. What's going on?
"I was not lying to you about my lack of certainty," calmly replied the First Child.
"Yet you apparently know a lot more thanI do, and I'll take what I can get."
"We have had this discussion before-"
"Stop right there," bit out the older woman, her voice laced with steel. "For all the authority Commander Ikari has with regards to NERV, I as an A.T. Agent have the legal authority to pull rank on a hell of a lot of people when it comes to incidents within the Metaverse itself...and even though Evangelion-users fall into a bit of a legal gray area, I'd be willing to bet my tenure that I'd come out on top if this escalated to the Ministry of Cognitive and Spiritual Affairs, much less the UN International Military Court."
Kensuke blanched at the terminology being thrown about. "Whoa now, let's all calm down-"
"I am not an enemy, Major." Ayanami seemed resigned to whatever was about to occur.
"I'm past the point of caring. So what if he's been helpful so far, by all appearances? He just abducted an Evangelion-user without warning, and was able to somehow vanish from our surveillance! Quite frankly, I'm past tolerating the actions of someone whose loyalties I have no clue about. And the fact that you, of all people, can't seem to grasp why that's a problem, makes you really really suspect...because I know you're not an idiot." With those words, her Persona Tokoyo gripped the hilt of her sheathed swords tightly.
At this movement, Lilith quietly went tense besides Ayanami, ready to fight at a moment's notice. "...you do not want to pursue this course of action."
"You're not really giving me much of a choice, Ayanami."
Before their verbal back-and-forth could become something deadlier, Misato's vision of the First Child was blocked by the Third Child himself, standing stoically between them. "Move aside, Shinji-kun."
"...Misato-san...if I tell you what Mister P and I did after he took off with me-"
"The term's kidnapped."
He pointedly ignored her interruption. "...if I tell you what we did, will you stop this? I'm...I'm sure Ayanami-san has her reasons...and even though Mister P is pretty weird...I don't think he means any harm. He'd...he'd have had plenty of opportunities to do so by now...right?"
Misato's nostrils flared, her eyes flattening into an unimpressed stare. "Kind of hard to trust anyone who's being that cagey, kid."
"...then trust me." He resisted the urge to gulp, no matter how much he wanted to (because seriously, why were Personas so tall?!). "Even though we haven't known each other that long...trust me when I think that Mister P means well." To accentuate his point, Shinji willingly debased himself, kneeling into the seiza position and bowing deeply - cupping his hands in front of him, bringing his face parallel to the ground, keeping his body as compact as possible - in Misato's direction. "But it's not worth you and Ayanami-san fighting..." He knew he should have risen from the saikeirei by now, but he honestly didn't want to look at Misato's face until she answered. Five seconds passed. Then ten. "...please?" he added, trying not to sound as desperate as he must have looked.
His other self chuckled.
"Desperation is in the eye of the beholder..."
His smile was a proud one, somehow.
"...for what seems as such to you, may very well be conviction in the eyes of others."
"...geez, way to make me feel like a heel. Get up, Shinji-kun." Exhaling a breath he didn't know he had been holding, Shinji sat up, looking at Misato's expression: she looked somewhat exasperated by his overly formal apology, yet her prior anger had diminished to vague irritation. "...don't get me wrong, I do want answers on who this guy is...but I guess I can put a rain check on that for now." She stared knowingly at Ayanami. "Sound fair, Ayanami?"
"That is acceptable," acknowledge the blunette as she briefly bowed. "I do not intend to be difficult."
"Pfft, and I'm sure every teenager who's ever said that meant it..." Misato ran a hand through her hair, grumbling to herself. "...fine. But if I'm going to grill you, it's going to be with food in my belly. Let's get back to reality, you three..." She shook her head, muttering under her breath. "Troublemakers, seriously..."
"Thank you," said Shinji, honestly grateful that the tension finally seemed to bleed away.
"Yeah yeah, no need to rub it in..."
On the periphery, Kensuke Aida dramatically collapsed onto his back. "Geez, you guys are gonna give me a heart attack..."
"It IS what you signed up for, practically speaking," sagely said Ozymandias.
"Don't remind me..." griped the bespectacled teen.
xxxx
/Big Bang Beef Bowl Shop, Tokyo-3/
Sitting in a booth for four, three teenagers with cognitive superpowers and an A.T. Agent ate with gusto...well, two of them at least.
Kensuke Aida sighed with content as he chewed the thinly sliced steak. "Man...the seasonings...!"
"This is a little shop that's only been around for a couple of years," remarked Misato, sipping at her can of beer between mouthfuls of rice and ground beef. "They have a strange mix of gourmet and everyman kind of food, and some of their beef bowls have a really cool twist using ground meat instead of the usual stuff." She paused to take another long swig of her alcohol.
Shinji calmly observed the surroundings of the beef bowl shop; the lighting was rather pleasant with shades of orange and yellow, and the decor was oddly childish, with cartoonish figures of beef bowls and cows; however, it was intermixed with stylish photos of restaurant employees and countrysides. Most prominent were the images of the restaurant's proprietors: a father-daughter duo, apparently. Kunikazu and Haru Okumura, huh...? The woman with poofy auburn curls was running the kitchen with a soft yet firm hand; meanwhile, her father was casually glad-handing the various customers, his stern face and gray hair countered by his pleasant, easygoing smile. "It seems nice..." He glanced over where Rei was sitting besides Misato; the blunette was eating with more measured grace than either of the others, having gotten a bowl with tofu instead of meat. "...do you not like beef, Ayanami-san?" It seemed kind of odd, to be at a beef bowl shop and not get...well, beef.
"I am a vegetarian," calmly answered the girl, as though that explained everything.
"Oof, ya should have told us, we probably would have gone to a place with more meatless dishes," remarked Kensuke, who had moved on to sipping the meaty broth at the bottom of his bowl.
The way Misato briefly hitched while sipping her beer was a sign that she had known that...but had forgotten. Maybe? "Anyhow..." With a hearty gasp, she downed the last of her beef, allowing the tension to bleed out before she turned her eyes on him. "Start talking Shinji-kun."
"...oh. Right." Thus began the whole tiresome ordeal of relaying the events that had occurred from the time Mister P had kidnapped him: from the dynamic evasion of the Ocular Drones, to the entry into the foreboding alleyway in downtown Tokyo-3 which seemed to go on forever, to the encounter with the wild Shadow. That's where things went...somewhat awry.
"What was the Shadow's name?" asked Misato.
"...he said he was no one special. But he said I could call him Kaji."
For a moment, it looked like Misato had been shot, so great was her shock. Her composure returned with impressive swiftness. "...Kaji, huh...?"
"Is it someone we should be on the lookout for?" inquired Kensuke.
"No...it's nothing..." The way the woman's eyebrows furrowed said that it was anything but. "...keep on going."
Well, the meeting hadn't gone on long; Kaji had summarily dismissed him as not having enough determination for whatever reason ("Gee, kidnapped for nothing. Just your luck!" joked Aida-san. Thanks.), before dropping off some cryptic hints about something occurring around Tokyo-1. Then, after the Shadow had departed, Mister P had pulled him through a white void of some kind before emerging in a forest near Lake Ashi, where had spent the next hour or so trying - without success - to recruit wild Archetypes. "...we really didn't do much, now that I'm thinking about it," he admitted.
"...I see." The A.T. Agent had pulled out a notepad and scribbled down a few notes as he had talked; underneath the characters for 'Mister P', she had written 'Tokyo-1', 'Marie?' and 'KAJI'. "...I've just got this uncanny sense that he's involved with something nefarious. And he may be trying to use you."
"...well, to be fair, ain't NERV using us anyway?" remarked Aida.
"At least NERV and the A.T. Task Force are above board," pointedly retorted Misato. "...I'll hold off on this Mister P for now, because there's a least some other avenues I can follow...and from what it sounds like, he's capable of warping between parts of the Metaverse at will, so containing him will require more resources than we can bring to bear..." The woman was speaking somewhat absentmindedly now. "...you kids grab yourself some seconds. Or dessert. This meal's on me." She slowly rose, a rather deadset look in her eyes. "I've got a long night ahead of me..."
"Shall I tell them to debit your account with NERV, or with the A.T. Task Force?" asked Ayanami.
"I already had the bill tabbed, don't worry about it...which reminds me, it's almost time to compile my expense reports..." Grumbling to herself, Misato calmly walked for the door, exiting the restaurant.
"Thank you for stopping by!" called out Kunikazu Okumura, raising a gloved hand to wave her off.
"Come again soon!" sweetly called out the twenty-something Haru Okumura from the kitchen.
"...huh. Well that was nice of her." Kensuke looked warily at his two peers. "...Mister P's been a very mysterious guy so far, but his whole demeanor so far just screams 'Secretive Mentor Type'. Or maybe a late-game party member...then again, he could be a servant of the final boss, setting us up for a fall..."
"I sincerely doubt that," dryly said Ayanami, as she finished eating her rice.
"...yeah, you're probably right," agreed Kensuke Aida as he began browsing the dessert menu. "They have a lot of mochi...ooh, but they have a seasonal special on anmitsu...!"
Shinji quietly let the ambient sounds of the restaurant wash over him, privately pondering Misato's obvious distress. I wonder what's going to happen next...? The world was truly too big...how in the world was he supposed to cope with the various unknowns out there?
His other self crossed his arms.
"As you must."
The Beast snarled with strangely savage satisfaction.
"As you will, in the end..."
Mentally shrugging, Shinji returned to his beef bowl. If nothing else, he could finish off his meal.
xxxx
/?/
Within the confines of a dark and shadowy expanse, laced with crystalline formations that bore a mirror sheen, Kaji's Shadow walked in silence, emerging from the darkness.
At the center of this place, sitting underneath a spotlight, was a feminine figure in a billowy white robe, face hidden by a large cowl. "...you're alone?" She sounded intrigued.
"Well, our mutual feathered friend brought the kid to me...I don't think he's ripe, yet."
"...hmph. You're too cautious."
"Mah, just not one to take risks if they aren't warranted...besides, we're not exactly pressed for time."
She raised her head, allowing her face to be seen: that of a young woman with dark hair, with her right eye colored a deep gray...while her left was an unnaturally bright green. "Easy for you to say. But some of us have gotten tired."
"...fair enough, Marie-chan. So...shall we begin?"
"...this part always sucks," griped Marie, as an ethereal halo manifested over her head. With a sudden jolt, her form was possessed by something other. Something greater. Her green eye transitioned to a brilliant blue, as angular wings of blazing white energy appeared behind her. When she spoke, it was with the tone of something soft, and hollow...utterly inhuman. "we meet again, drifting sorrow."
Kaji's Shadow chuckled, his spectral cigarette burning brightly in the darkness. "You always have the most poetic titles, Arael."
"our time is short. speak of all that you've observed since our last meeting"
"Well...it should go without saying, but among other things, the Third Child's finally arrived."
"shamshel's termination has already testified to this. speak of that which we are blind to."
"Very well...where shall I begin...?"
And so the Shadow spoke to the Angel's avatar of a great many things.
xxxx
END OF 6/20/2015