Every Angel Has A Shadow
By SWZ
Shadow The Hedgehog leaves his world behind crosses through time and space all the way to the EVA verse merging his soul with Shinji Ikari as an infant. Now Shinji battles the angels struggles to control his powers piece together his dreams and try to discover who and what he really is
I own nothing
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Chapter 11
Spirits?" - scoffed Shinji, his exasperation reaching its peak when Ruju raised an eyebrow - "So what? I'm possessed?"
"Not in a traditional sense, no" - Reizu replied, obviously amused by his continuous disbelief - "I mean, unless you find your body doing things you don't want to, then yes" - she looked up raising a finger to her chin - "That does sound like possession"
"Oh hush" - admonished Ruju - "What my sister failed to illustrate is that it is not the question of having an extra soul in you, it's rather that your soul has, shall we say, some extra pieces to it. Those dreams I mentioned- Ah see now I got your attention. In any case, those are not so much dreams as they are memories. Your mind is trying to reconcile two sets of lives in one, and the resulting clash echoes throughout your subconscious."
Shinji simply looked at her with a dubious look on her face, but he knew she could see the gears grinding in his mind, the – however unbelievable they might be – facts slowly worming their way in.
"A more specific example, then. This afternoon. What did you see?"
Shinji started.
"Don't worry, I'm not some stalker" - she laughed - "That's Ami's job"
"Hey!"
As Shinji turned his somewhat bewildered gaze towards her, Ami blushed profusely and looked down. She was now sitting in a more subdued, kneeling position, twiddling her fingers - "Yeah I kinda watched you during your run"
"But how?" - putting aside the fact that he didn't know how to react to being stalked, he focused on the other side of the tale - "There's no way you could see clearly enough from the out-" - and then it hit him.
Seeing the realisation in his face, Ami gave a confirmatory nod.
"I kinda came in late, only just in time for the P.E." - she smiled sheepishly. Then she cleared her throat and after a visible amount of steeling herself, she continued - "But, yes, I have watched you run. And not only were you, like, super-fast- I mean, like super-fast! How fast can you run? Does it tire you out? W-"
But she cut off when one of the other women – Shinji was not sure which, he was so focused on Ami – gave a loud, yet delicate cough.
"A-anyway... It also seemed like you were looking for something" - her fingers went back to twiddling, with her gaze firmly on them - "Like you were racing against something only you saw"
"Or someone" - Ruju's voice finally unglued Shinji gaze away from the profusely bashful Ami - "So the question is: Who did you see Fine" - Shinji threw his hands up in defeat - "Let's say – hypothetically! - you're right about this... whatever this is" - he sighed and rubbed his eyes for a moment - "I'm not sure, ok? But what does it have to do with anything? What does it have to do with spirits and being possessed or... err... not being possessed? Gah!" - he threw his head up, running his palms down his face in frustration.
"Well, then, back to the heart of the matter at last" - Reizu said smiling. She and Ruju exchanged a look and a nod.
"Right then" - Ruju cleared her throat - "We believe that you are one of the unknown number of people who came to be possessed, as you put it, around 14 years ago, during – as best as we can guess – the total solar eclipse in June."
"But, again, possession may not be the best term for it" - Reizu picked up the story flow - "The so-called foreign presence melded into the host's own, forming a new entity that had the imprint of both, yet was definitely singular"
"Wait, wait, wait" - Shinji's eyes narrowed - "You talk like you-" - then he saw the two women smile - "But-" - he turned to Ami, only to see her fold her hands over her head, imitating the ears, smile and shrug.
"In any case" - Ruju spoke up again - "It seems that these spirits brought with them both memories..."
"... and abilities" - and as she said it, Reizu gave a casual flick with her left wrist and above her palm was floating a small ball of fire. She let it linger long enough for Shinji to register what he was seeing and just as promptly put it out with another flick.
Nobody spoke. Ruju and Reizu simply sat there, coy smiles on their faces, while Ami, whose hands were obviously tired from all the twiddling, laid them across her lap and resolutely refused to meet Shinji's gaze. Shinji simply crossed his arms and lowered his head, thinking. And so they remained for some minutes, until Shinji muttered something under his breath.
"What?" - asked Ami, glad to finally break the silence.
Instead of answering, Shinji took off his shoes and laid them on the table. Ami was slightly bewildered by this strange motion, while Ruju and Reizu bent over for a closer look. Shinji looked up only to see the two women reaching into their kimonos in unison and bring out a pair of pendants, which they laid next to the shoes. It was Shinji's turn for a closer look. Ruju's one was a pink spinel cut in a shape of a heart with the height of a thumb, while Reizu's was an oval ruby half the size of Ruju's.?" "Well that clears it up doesn't it?" - Reizu said smiling at her sister.
"Indeed" - Ruju smiled back. Then she turned to Shinji - "Let me guess, your abilities only manifested themselves when you put on these?" - she laid an index finger on one of the shoes. Shinji nodded.
"You see, we had a theory a while back, that while the memories were brought into the mind, the abilities were transferred into, shall we say, artifacts, that when found by their respective owners would give those abilities back, so to speak. These" - she laid her hands near the pendants - "Are our artifacts"
"Yes" - Ruju picked up hers, gazing at it fondly - "We bought these some years ago for a pretty ridiculous price, but..." - she looked at him, and Shinji understood, before she even uttered the words - "It was as if they were calling to us, as if destiny itself was calling to us, telling us that we absolutely must, at any cost, attain them"
"And attain them we did!" - Reizu laughed - "I still remember the look on his face when we told him we were willing to pay what he asked" - she shook her head, smiling.
"In any case, not long after came our abilities..."
"... and some clarity, to boot" - Reizu tapped the side of her head - "I mean for years, we had visions, dreams, incomprehensible mess of images, sounds, even smells! But right at that moment it just... realigned itself. Just like that!" - she clicked her fingers, sparking a flame - "Oops!" - shaking her hand she hastily put it out.
"Yes, in one magnificent sweep we had a whole second life play out in our heads, imprinting itself in all it's completeness into our minds"
They all fell silent again, while Shinji processed this new information. Ruju and Reizu took back their respective pendants and put them on, hiding them again under their kimonos.
So, you too?" - Shinji finally turned to Ami, who nodded vigurously.
"Yep! You wouldn't believe half of what is in here" - she tapped her own head and laughed somewhat sheepishly.
"But where is your...?"
"Artifact? Oh you just saw it"
"The hammer? Where the hell...?"
"Oh I got it from that cool antique shop owned by this sweet lady named-"
"Marika"
"Yes! … How'd you know?"
"She happens to be my landlady. And that is also where I happen to have gotten these" - he pointed at the shoes with his thumb, and as he did so he spotted the tiniest of glances between the sisters. Deciding it didn't matter for now he turned back to Ami - "But where is it now?"
"Oh, I don't know, really. It just sort of disappears whenever I want to, along with" - she cupped her hands on her head again.
"So how come my memories haven't... realigned themselves?"
"Ah, now we have an interesting theory as to that too" - Reizu said - "It seems that you are in the unique situation where you require two artefacts, or rather" - she nodded to the shoes - "two sets"
"So you're saying those" - Shinji nodded towards the box conaining the rings.
"Are another part of your puzzle, yes" - answered Ruju.
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(Sometime Later)
Shinji found himself pausing in front of the window of Marika's shop. The light was not on, as it was past closing time, but he knew she was waiting for him inside. He attempted, and failed, to glimpse any of the items through the dark. How many of them could have been the same as Ami's mallet? A seemingly strange curio that turned out to be an artifact of great power for the person destined to wield it?
"You... You alright?" - Ami asked as she joined Shinji outside the jewellery store - "Mind if I join you?" - when she got a nod in return, she plopped down on the kerb beside him - "You kinda left without, you know, saying anything"
"So, what, the wonder twins sent you out to scout out the situation?"
Sorry"
A soft smile reached Ami's lips. Without another word, she got up, and headed back in, but not before putting a hand on Shinji's head. Before he could even register the sensation, she was gone. Sighing, he got up, gave the place on last hard look, put his hands in his pockets and walked off.
And so he was here. Taking in a deep breath and clearing his mind of anything irrelevant, he finally put a hand on the doorknob and headed inside. The only source of light was a desk lamp on the counter, which was now flanked by two chairs.
His hand reached for the bell-
"You took your time" - breathed a soft voice from right beside his ear.
Shinji was glad that no-one else was around to hear the sound that escaped his lips at that moment. It was bad enough that the person responsible was on her knees laughing herself silly. Shinji was not impressed.
"I'm so-sorry Sh-*hic*" - Marika's hiccup – from laughing too hard - had her redoubling in laughter all over again, until a few more hiccups and a considerable amount of mouth-holding and eye-squinting, she finally straightened back up, mouth a-twitchy and eye a-sparkle.
"All done?" - Shinji asked sullenly, unfolding his arms, reaching into a pocket and pulling out a small, carefully folded piece of fabric, which Marika took from him with an air of intense curiosity, immediately sitting down on the chair closest to the lamp. Laying the package on the counter, she unfolded it with utmost care, revealing the medallion. Her eyes widened and her mouth made the 'oh' shape. Carefully, she picked it up, held it closer to the light, turning it over a few times, her nose practically touching the metal.
Shinji, who was practically nodding off from boredom at this point, only noticed that she was out of her chair when he heard her voice from the second floor.
"Stay right there! I'll be back in just a moment!"
True to her word, only a few noise-filled – the best Shinji could guess she was digging through her library, throwing irrelevant books down in a rush – minutes later he heard a distinct "Ha!" and thundering footsteps on the stairs. Then a book slid under his nose. He raised an eyebrow at Marika before taking a closer look.
The book was actually a journal, with its somewhat faded handwriting making reading a tad challenging, but Shinji got a hang of it pretty quick. The paragraph was opposite a rough, yet detailed
"The ancient city of Soleanna was a city, a country and a prominent trade route all rolled into one. Governed via constitutional monarchy denoted as Dukes for males and Princesses for females. The main worshipped deity was the sun god Solaris, aka The Living Flame. While the details of hit city's demise are scarce, legend states that a certain Duke – whose name is lost in the bowels of history – angered Solaris in a foolhardy and mislead attempt to kill the god, who scorched the city off the face of the earth in retaliation. God or no god, though, there still remains evidence – slight as it is – of a presence of something unnatural"
And looking past the text, Shinji – despite his reservations – gasped the 1:1 scale sketch of the very medallion that they had with them, followed by the signature of
"Professor I. Hirota" - he read the name out loud - "Your grandfather?"
"Yes" - Marika answered, wiping the corners of her eyes, that were practically ablaze with excitement and pride
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(later on)
As Shinji walked down the dark Tokyo streets, his head was once again a-buzz with strange questions. Combined with the pre-Marika excitement, it was giving him quite the headache.
After the whole grandfather's journal episode, he was unceremoniously shoved outside and told he'd be called upon when needed.
He was so caught up in his musings, he did not notice the headlights until they were already close enough to blind him.
It was as if time slowed down to a crawl. On pure instinct, Shinji reached out for the hood, put his palm on top of it and jumped, his momentum flipping him over. Once he was above the car, the time sped right back up and his somewhat awkward landing made him drop to his knees, while he heard the tell-tale squeal of breaks and rubber. Looking behind him, he groaned. Getting out of the driver's side was none other that Misato. Deciding he has had enough headaches for the night, he sped off.
"Who was that? Did you hit them?" - Ritsuko called out from inside the car.
"... No, I don't think so" - Misato answered somewhat unsurely.
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(Next Day)
Shinji awoke the next morning completely exhausted. A quick shower later he felt decidedly better, and was munching on his breakfast contentedly, trying his best not to think about anything, before a knock on his door startled him out of his reverie.
"No. Just no. No way. Too crazy. Even for you!" - Shinji could not believe she would even consider such a plan.
" I don't know whether to be flattered or insulted-" - Misato had a resolute look on her face.
"That's not the point here!"
"-But this is the only option"
Shinji bit back his retort. He hated to admit it – hated himself for being able to admit it – but she was right.
He was briefed before he even had the chance to have this fruitless talk. Apparently JSSDF's pet project, Jet Alone, - which involved replacing the Evangelions with a walking nuclear reactor - has backfired. The task of cleaning up their mess was, of course, left to Nerv, who promptly commissioned Unit-01. Shinji rolled his eyes at the irony.
"All you have to do is to drop me onto its back" - Misato's voice came over the comm - "I'll handle the rest"
"Got it" - Shinji replied. Sighing, he added - "Just... Just be careful"
And so there they were, two giants, one chasing the other to prevent an unspeakable catastrophe. With the head-start that the Jet Alone mech had, the Eva barely managed to catch up. Once Misato disappeared into the belly of the beast, Unit-01 pulled with all its might, to absolutely no avail. Cursing, Shinji willed his Eva to move faster.
'Come on. Come on! COME ON!'
And then it happened again. He was so surprised, he sprinted right past the Jet Alone, which was moving so slowly, it was almost as if it was standing still. Unit-01 immediately corrected its course, ran back up to the metal behemoth, planted its feet and shoved with its shoulder for all its worth. And just like that, everything was back up to full speed, with Jet Alone's progress considerably slowed long enough for Misato to finish her job.
' What just happened?' thought Shinji looking at the robot and the surrounding area
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( The next morning )
When Shinji reached home, he was greeted with a sight of the box outside his door, a small note attached
"For when you're ready"
Whatever Shinji was at that moment, "ready" was definitely not it. Sighing, he put the box onto his table before falling on top of his bed. He was lying there contentedly for only a short while before, for the second time that day, he was roused by a knock on his door. Unlike in the morning though, this knock was soft and measured. Whoever it was – and Shinji could easily guess – knocked exactly three times, each knock just loud enough to be heard, and stopped completely. Before he could even begin to decide whether or not he should bother, a note slid from beneath the door, and he heard the distinct sound of retreating footsteps. Sighing, Shinji got up and shuffled over, and picked up the note, which read:
"We have to talk ASAP. Marika"
End Chapter
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End Notes: Major thanks to my man Popkov for his incredible beta reading. More Sonic Characters are coming to pieces of the puzzle have yet to be discovered. All from SA2 Sonic 06 and Shadow The Hedgehog. And maybe just maybe Shinji/Shadow will do battle outside Unit 01. It'll be a blast from the past with the emphasis on blast. So please R&R and shoot off suggestions