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 12
Shinji laid the note next to the box and dropped back into bed, falling asleep almost instantaneously. Whatever it was Marika wanted with him would have to wait till later.
Shinji's eyes snapped open. Dazed, he glanced over to the clock: 4AM. Grumbling, he rolled on his side and closed his eyes. He was back to sleep soon after. In the morning he would not remember what woke him, but right now he could still feel it: the sensation of falling... falling... falling...
When Shinji woke, he was surprised to discover it was 10 in the morning.
'Good thing I got the day off' – he lamented – 'Ah, the perks of being a pilot'
Merely half an hour later, he was off to see Marika. Whatever the woman's agenda, she wouldn't bother with notes under the door unless her need was great enough.
About half-way to the shop, Shinji suddenly had a strange feeling someone was following him. Without stopping, he turned off into a side-street and sped off.
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(Akagi's lab; yesterday)
Ritsuko was in the middle of yet another analysis of the Third Child's blood samples. The boy was an ever-shifting genetic enigma.
'Interesing' – she mused – 'It seems the unidentified chromosomes are becoming more active. Is it a natural progression or was it caused by the recent events?'
So caught up in her musing Ritsuko was that Maya's arrival was altogether unnoticed.
"Uh... Akagi-senpai?" - Maya called out tentatively, making Ritsuko visibly jump – "Sorry to interrupt"
"Ah, Maya, I assume the scans are complete then?"
"Yes. Here" – Maya handed Ritsuko a tablet already preloaded with the relevant data that Ritsuko immediately began scrolling through.
"Mm-hmm... mm-hmm... Yes, as I expected" – Ritsuko glance up to see a quizzical look on her protege's face – "There were no anomalies"
"That is correct" – Maya answered, still confused – "But, sempai, these were very thorough scans. If you didn't expect to find anything, then why...?"
"Ah, Maya, but it is my scientific duty to confirm my theory" – Ritsuko handed the tablet back with a satisfied smirk – "Which I have" – as if struck by a sudden inspiration, Ritsuko beckoned Maya over to her desk – "Take a look a this. Tell me what you think"
Curious, Maya obliged. Barely seconds later, her eyes widened and her mouth fell open with a soft "Oh!".
"Say, Maya..." - Ritsuko's smile took on a slightly sinister look – "Could you do me a favor?"
(Now)
Maya stepped out from an alley, a startled look on her face. She dug a phone out of her pocket and dialed.
"Hello? Akagi-senpai? Hi! I... uh... I lost him. Sorry"
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( When Shinji reached the shop, he was surprised to find it closed. Even the front door was locked. Wasn't she expecting him? Shrugging, he knocked as loud as he could.
Within moments, he heard the noise of the locks and the door swung inwards to reveal Marika, who immediately grabbed him and pulled him inside. Before he could even ask what was going on, she all but dragged him to the counter – which, once again, had the two chairs flanking it.
"Wait, here, I'll be right back"
And off she went up the stairs. Sighing, Shinji plopped down into the same chair he sat on during the last of these meetings. He barely folded his arms and leaned back when he heard the tell-tale pitter-patter of her feet as she raced back down. He raised an eyebrow at the large bundle of paper she had dumped on the counter before plopping down on the other chair, trying to catch her breath. While she was doing that, Shinji realized that the papers were actually maps of various regions of Tokyo-3 and Tokyo-2. Hell, he caught a glimpse of a couple being labeled as just Tokyo.
'Now that's truly an antique'
"I found it" – Marika announced proudly, her eyes shining excitedly.
"Huh?" - Shinji tore his gaze away from the maps to look at her – "Found what?"
"A clue!" - she faltered a bit – "Well, more like a bit of a clue" - she raised a finger to her chin, looking up, as if trying to find an answer there – "A clue to a clue?" - then she shook herself out of it, diving back into the topic – whatever it was – in full force. Before Shinji could even get a word in, she got up and shuffled through the maps, before getting one that – to Shinji's surprise – depicted the are not too far from where he found that weird temple with the medalion. The map itself was peppered with notes and calculations that he couldn't understand. He could, however, easily discern the importance of the fat red circle that Marika was pointing to.
"Mount Ontake" – Shinji read the name out loud – "So? What of it?"
"That's where it is!"
"What?"
"I don't know!" - the thought seemed to excite Marika even more – "Isn't that exciting?"
Shinji barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes. It was then that he realized that the seemingly easily-excitable woman was back in her seat, watching him, waiting for him to respond to this... whatever this was.
"Let me guess" – Shinji felt like he knew the answer to this one – "You want me to go there and find... whatever – i anything – there is to find there"
"Exactly!"
"Yeah, no thanks" – Shinji got up and headed for the door.
"What? Where are you going?" - Marika seemed legitimately surprised by his reaction.
"The last time I went to a strange, crazy mysterious place was to effectively repay a debt" – he reached for the door, only to realize that it was pair of double cylinder deadbolts. And as he turned back to look at Marika, he saw the keys twirling around her index finger. For some reason, Shinji felt a slight shudder.
"Ah, but you see" – her tone was even, but her expression eerily blank – "The transaction was incomplete" – then, just like that the excitement was back full force – "See, that medallion was only a small part!"
"A small part of what?" - Shinji folded his arms, staying where he was – "Oh, wait, let me guess" – he added, rolling his eyes – "You don't know"
Without another word, Marika patted the chair he had just vacated. But Shinji stood his ground, his face slowly setting into an annoyed scowl. Marika's smile grew a shade sadder.
"You remember what I told you about this place the first time we met here?" - her arms moved in a sweeping, all-encompassing motion.
"... Memories" - Shinji replied, surprised he even bothered to remember. Without another word, she threw the keys to him. But by the time Shinji's hand closed in on the cold metal, his mental gears were already in motion. He looked at the keys in hand. Something finally clicked. As he put the keys back down on the counter and settled back in his chair, he said, with a rueful grin - "Alright. Show me how deep your rabbit hole goes"Marika's Shop)
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(The Next day)
Shinji's mind was still focused on last night when he left home, so he didn't notice Ami waiting for him at the entrance of the Izumo. Though initially surprised, she shrugged and caught up, settling into his pace beside him.
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(Last Night)
So, why there?" - Shinji asked – "What is so important about that mountain"
"Usually, nothing" – Marika replied, her energy obviously renewed by Shnji's choice to stay – "Unless you're a shaman or an artist" – she gave him a peculiar look – "You don't look like one, though"
"What, a shaman or an artist?" - Shinji asked, with an amused smirk. Marika laughed at that.
"Anyway, the mountain is actually a dormant volcano. Dormant, that is, until last year. It was a big deal, because not only was this the first eruption in decades, but because it caught everyone by surprise. Including the groups of tourists visiting the mountain at the time. A lot of people got hurt. The mountain was off-limits since. Nothing amazing there. But here's the thing: there was another eruption!" - Marika exclaimed clapping her hands.
Shinji was about to ask "when", but then a realization hit him. 'No way'
(Now)
'So I almost bring down a weird temple on my head and a volcano nearby just so happens to erupt that same night? Crazy doesn't even begin to describe it' – Shinji shook his head. Only then did he notice Ami walking beside him.
"So, what were you thinking about so intensely? It took you a while. I mean, we're almost there. See?" - she pointed in front of them and Shinji realized that, indeed, they were almost at the school. Deciding he had dwelled on things long enough, he simply gave Ami a shrug and a smile.
The school day was a blur. Before he knew it, the last bell for the day has rung and they were back outside.
"Hey, Shinji" – Ami popped up beside him – "Ready to go home?"
"Sure" – Shinji said absent-mindedly. He felt tired for some reason. As such, again, he didn't notice Ami following him all the way home. He stopped abruptly. He turned around, staring down at the irrepressible girl – "Ami, this is my home, remember?" - to his surprise all he got in return was a wink and a giggle. Before he could even ask, she grabbed his arm and all but dragged him inside.
Marika was inside, watering some plants.
"Oh, Shinji, Ami. Good evening" – Marika greeted the two of them with a wide smile.
"Hi, Ms Izumo" – Ami replied, smiling as widely, still maintaining her rapid pace past the landlord.
Shinji's mind was practically numbed by this exchange. 'No, no, no, nonononono' – he hoped against hope it wasn't true. That same hope was crushed when Ami stopped in front of his door, and with a flourish spun him around.
"Ms Izumo told me that one has been empty almost as long as yours" – Ami sounded almost proud.
"B-but..." - Shinji had difficulty forming sentences.
"My aunt?" - Ami laughed – "But that's the thing! Since she already looked here, she won't be coming back here. Genius, right?" - Ami's smile faltered somewhat when she finally looked at Shinji - "... Shinji?"
Shinji awoke with a start. He was lying on top of his bed, fully dressed. His throat felt dry. He sat up, coughing slightly. As if anticipating this, a hand proferred him a glass of water. Shinji accpeted it gratefully, gulping down half of it.
"Thanks" – he said as he passed the glass back to Ami. She took it and went off to the kitchen. Tell-tale signs of the glass being washed followed. Shinji shuffled on his bed and settled his back onto the wall, rubbing his his forehead – "What happened?" - he asked when she came back.
"You tell me" – Ami replied as she sat back down onto the chair, facing Shinji. She gave him a half-smile – "Don't tell me I'm moving too fast" – the look Shinji gave her made her laugh – "Now I know you're fine"
"... Falling" – Shinji murmured, something poking at him through the fog of his memories. At Ami's confused look, he explained – "I felt like I was falling"
"Well, yeah, you did. Or you would've, if I didn't catch you" – she smirked – "At this point I'm supposed to tell you you're heavier than you look, but eh you weren't that heavy"
"Says the hammer girl" – Shinji replied, half-laughing. Then – "No, I mean, like I was falling from a great height, like..." - lost for words, he simply shrugged.
"Guess you're not ready yet"
Shinji knew exactly what she meant. He sighed.
"Guess not"
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Thursday came and went, with Friday coming to a rapid close. Once again, around closing time, Shinji was walking through the front door of Marika's shop, his backpack, packed with some necessities, slung across his shoulders.
"Hello, Shinji" – Marika greeted him from behind the counter, with what looked like a wrapped gift box in her hands – "To commemorate the occasion" – she said, handing it to Shinji.
Shinji almost laughed when he unwrapped his gift: a pair black cargo pants, a red shirt and a black jacket. The shirt was a regular shirt, but he could not place the material that the pants and the jacket were made of. It was light but tough, hard to the touch, but flexible. With a playful grin, Marika turned around to give him some privacy. When he was done changing, he marveled at how well the clothes fit. It was like they were made just for him.
"I guessed your size" – Marika answered him before he could ask.
"Good guess" – Shinji replied – "Who made these"
"A friend of mine. She has a gift working with all sorts of unusual materials" – she laughed – "And before you ask, I don't know what those are. All I asked was for protective clothing in style. The rest was up to her" – She made a circling motion with her finger. Shinji obliged, spinning around once – "And I'd say she did a great job. One last test" – suddenly Shinji had a pair of scissors flying straight at him. He raised his arm to protect himself and to his surprise, the scissors bounced off harmlessly. Marika nodded, satisfied – "Yep, a great job indeed"
"Holy crap!" - Shinji rubbed the part where the scissors hit. No marks. None. He picked the scissors up and laid them on the counter – "A bit of warning next time" – but he was smiling. These were perfect. Without another word, he shouldered his backpack and headed out.
"Shinji" – Marika called out just as he was about to close the door behind him. She could see him pause – "Good luck" – Shinji's hand let go of the door, giving her a thumbs-up before slipping out.
Shinji took a big breath, taking in the night air. He had a long way to go. Taking a position like a runner readying for a sprint, he paused for only a moment, before speeding off.
It took Shinji less than an hour to reach the hill overlooking where the temple used to be. By the moon's light, he could still see the mound of rubble it had become. When he touched down at the bottom of the hill, he sped off again, straight for the mountain.
'Well this was a waste of time' – Shinji cursed inwardly. It was midnight. He spent the last two hours trudging the perimeter of the mountain with no results. His flashlight was starting to run out of battery – 'Guess this is where I call it a nigh- What was that?' - he listened intently – 'There it is again!' - it was official, he was not alone. He pointed the flashlight towards the sounds, only for it to start going out again
"Come on, you piece of-"
The whole forest echoed with a high-pitched scream.
"In hindsight, it's your own fault" – Shinji said. He was sitting on the ground with Ami, first aid kid open beside them, prodding a cut on her temple with an alcohol-soaked cotton wad – "What were you thinking, sneaking up on me like that?" - he threw the cotton away, and proceeded to apply a bandage – "Does that feel alright?" - he slapped Ami's hand away as she tried to touch it – "Leave it"
"It's fine. Thanks" – Ami replied somewhat dejectedly – "I wasn't sneaking! My flashlight ran out of battery" – she pulled out a flashlight of her own backpack, flicking the switch to demonstrate. Yep, definitely flat.
Shinji pulled out a pack of spare batteries, chucking a couple to her. When they were done and packed up, Shinji got up, then helped Ami up. Under the beam of his flashlight, he got a good look at her.
Ami's clothes could be described in one word: Pink. A pair of pink ugg boots, a pair of pink track pants with a white longwise stripe on each side, with her regular pink dress being framed by a pink hoodie. Even her backpack was of – as Shinji had guessed by now – her favorite color. Shinji wondered how he did not spot her before.
"So, what are we looking for?" - Ami sounded like she was back to her old self.
"'We' aren't looking for anything" – Shinji replied, sighing – "It doesn't matter any—Whoa!"
He couldn't believe it. A quake. An honest-to-god, rattle-you-to-the-bone earthquake. But before he could even process it, the whole event was over. Or so he thought.
"Look!" - Ami pointed with both her finger and her flashlight. Shinji turned around, his beam joining hers, and together they watched huge clod of dust drift up from around the other side of the mountain.
"Fine" – Shinji said as he saw the excited look on her face – "Let's go"
And there it was. The entrance. A dark tunnel that did seemed to swallow the two little beams of light shining into it.
"Now we gotta be-"
Be fore shinji could finish, Ami, with a squeal of delight, dashed in. Shinji slapped a palm against his forehead. 'I swear, that girl will be the end of me'
It only took a couple of minutes for them to reach a dead end. But that wasn't what made them both gasp. It was what stopped them: a giant circular vault door, looking in way too good of a shape for how ancient it seemed. Emblazoned across the middle of it was the same grinning mustached man insignia as on the box that contained Shinji's shoes. Unbidden a single word came to Shinji.
"Robotnik" – he almost whispered it, but apparently it was enough.
A wall panel he did not notice before came to life, its screen's greenish light obstructed somewhat by dirt and cobwebs. Apprehensive, Shinji approached it.
"Whoa" – Ami gasped, as Shinji cleared the stuff away, exposing the screen in its entirety.
["Username: Robotnik"]
["Username Accepted"]
["Password: "]
"So?" - Ami looked up at Shinji expectantly – "What's the password?"
"What?" - Shinji looked back at her confused – "How the hell should I know?"
"Well, you knew the username" – she looked at the panel – "Robotnik. What, is that an actual name or something?"
"I... think so" – Shinji said, thinking. He did know it. How did he know it? He peered at the panel. If he knew that much, could he possibly guess the password. 'Wait' He didn't have to guess it. He knew the answer. For as long as he could remember, he knew the answer. He cleared his throat and said – "Maria"
["Password: Maria"]
["Password Accepted"]
There was a great rumbling as the door started shifting inwards, while also rolling sideways. The noise was almost deafening.
["Welcome, Dr Robotnik"]
The door was now fully open, readily exposing whatever it was that it guarded all this time.
["Welcome to Project Omega"]wait up!" - he called as he sped after her.
End Chapter
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End Notes: I think I'm gonna bring Omega back. Not in human form in Robot form exactly how he was . What fun will be if I brought most of the Sonic back characters as humans? Now that caveren Shinji/Shadow found is basically one Eggman's hidden bases from SA1. Also if you missed the sinister part there is a slight chance I might make Ritsuko sorta the big bad or prelude to the big bad or Big bad in general what goods a Semi dark hero without a villain? The next chapter will feature elements from Shadow The Hedgehog and Sonic Heroes. Thank to mr Popkov I'm sorry I kept him waiting along with everyone else. R&R and please give ideas.