Sokila frowned as she strummed her little ukulele.
"That was an interesting feeling, wasn't it?"
Twang, twang, went the little strings.
"Your last...'So-shell' Link..."
She grimaced, feeling as though she had pronounced it wrong.
"I wonder how everything will go? I don't know..."
With a sudden grimace, she played a bit harder.
"That meanie with the silver hair better not hurt her...or else...I don't know, something bad!"
The faint haze of blue began to brighten-
xxxx
/Wednesday: September 9, 2015/
/Room 23, 2nd Floor, Izanagi Dorms, Hakone Academy/
It was incredibly early in the morning of the Ninth — barely past midnight — when Shinji got an alert message on his phone. It was with blurry eyes that he realized it was a message from the MAGI. Huh...new Pattern Blue in Mie Prefecture, near Ise. His thoughts impulsively wandered to Rei, and then Asuka; they had already fought Acolytes mere hours ago. Well...I guess I have the first 'night shift'...
(It was so tempting to just roll over and go back to sleep.)
(But you're too determined to do that, aren't you?)
Sighing quietly, he slowly sat up, planting his feet on the floor. Almost as an afterthought, he texted Rei. That reminds me...I need to get Sohryu-san's number...
S. Ikari: I'll take care of this Pattern Blue, Ayanami-san.
S. Ikari: you and Asska get some sleep
Shinji froze at the sight of his very unfortunate typo. She must never find out. (On the bright side, the spike of adrenaline served well enough to rouse him to wakefulness.)
R. Ayanami: Very well. Be vigilant.
Small mercies, that Rei was the type to not harp on such silly things.
S. Ikari: I will.
He only took the time to put on some socks and shoes — not even bothering to change out of his sleeping shorts and shirt — before phasing away into static; the other three boys in his dorm room slept soundly, unperturbed by his departure.
xxxx
/Room 1, 2nd Floor, Izanami Dorms, Hakone Academy/
Rei glanced away from her phone, watching a figure quietly try to move about in the dark. "Ikari-san will handle it, Sohryu-san."
Asuka, in the midst of putting on a pair of sweatpants, faltered. With one pant leg flopping about, she silently crashed to the floor. "Scheiße," she quietly hissed.
Mayumi simply snorted, turning over on her top bunk; Hikari, meanwhile, sat up with a jolt. "Wha-?"
"Sohryu-san was simply trying to leave quietly for a mission; however, our comrade has already volunteered to take it," elaborated Rei. "You can go back to sleep, Horaki-san."
"...oh...right..." The Class Rep sleepily yawned, rolling back over to face the wall.
Asuka quietly knelt down beside Rei's bed; even in the dark, her silhouette was still visible. The light of her phone reflected off of the Second Child's eyes, illuminating her pensive expression. "So, Third told you?" she whispered.
"Yes," she calmly remarked, angling her phone.
Asuka briefly read the text log, only to freeze. Her brows immediately narrowed with irritation. "So. Asska, huh?"
"It is obviously a typo-"
"I'm sure." With a snort, she added, "Text me his number. I'll give him a piece of my mind in the morning...or if he needs one of us to bail him out, in which case I'll get onto him for being a slacker." Without another word, she quietly climbed back onto her top bunk to get some sleep.
Not that you would have asked for Ikari-kun to give you his number, idly thought Rei. That is not your way. Either way, she had given Asuka the means to contact Shinji in private. That would have to be enough.
xxxx
/Outskirts of Ise, Mie Prefecture/
It was atop the Uji-bashi Bridge — an ancient bridge of cypress wood, customarily rebuilt and destroyed every two decades — that Shinji Ikari emerged back into reality. Skimming the threshold of the cognitive realm had enabled him to sense at least two A.T. Agents fighting a corrupted Shadow; thus, he defaulted to the physical world, setting foot down upon the wooden bridge. At each end, a few monks and maidens from the nearest shrines had gathered, serving as a proverbial wall; though their A.T. Fields were not quite visible, the metaphysical presence at each end of the bridge solidified that they had Adepts among their ranks. As it stood, it was only because of interference in the Metaverse that the berserk human stumbled about like a drunk, rather than charge with all their might.
Judging by how the poor man's bloodshot eyes narrowed upon Shinji's form, that wouldn't last much longer.
"I'm sorry for this," murmured Shinji, quietly pulling the blue fire from his forehead; his bodysuit phased into being, as Shogoki's solidly spectral form loomed over his shoulder. With a thought, the silhouette of Sobek overshadowed his Evangelion, giving Unit-01 a bit of a hunched figure and a nigh-reptilian aura. "Rest in peace."
As the Acolyte charged, Unit-01's clawed hand latched around his throat, with a snarling yet somehow gleeful roar, the Evangelion leapt over the side of the bridge, slamming the Acolyte into the shallow waters of the Isuzu River.
...so it's not just Ghosts, thought Shinji; as most of his will focused on wearing away the incredible metaphysical defenses of the Acolyte, he observed the conflict with an almost detached air. Even Acolytes are getting tougher...but if that's the case, why haven't we been overrun, yet? Was it possible that the victims of Angel Syndrome — Ghost and Acolyte — responded with a power proportionate to their opponents? (He didn't like the implications of such an idea.)
Even so, before ten minutes were out, the Acolyte had been neutralized, courtesy of a piledriver into the ground. Shinji looked away from the grisly scene, feeling for wherever the nearest disturbance was...there: to the north, by about two kilometers. "Let's go," he murmured to himself, not even waiting to receive gratitude and well-wishes from those who had witnessed the battle. As Unit-01 grew to a height of over a dozen meters, Shinji jumped off of the bridge, landing lightly upon the shoulders of his Other Self made manifest.
Huffing, Unit-01's feet splashed through the river, making waves as it went for the next battle.
(As the darkness of early morning ticked by, Shinji would face twenty-six more Acolytes, occasionally shifting into the Metaverse to fight their hulking Shadows due to tactical advantages available in the moment.)
(To fight despite your tiredness, to fulfill your duty even though you ache...you cannot call such determination merely dogged...!)
xx
It wasn't until after 5:00 AM that the Pattern Blue finally faded, and Shinji made his way back to Tokyo-3. Shifting back into reality within his dormitory's bathroom, he washed his face before tiredly emerging, dragging his feet back to his bed. Without another word, he all but crashed into the mattress. So tired...ugh...
Bzzt.
...oh, come on. He resisted the urge to groan aloud, bringing his phone back up. To his surprise, a number of actions had recently taken place without him realizing it: he had received a Contact invitation from an unrecognized number, followed by his phone — or a MAGI algorithm, more likely — automatically registering the number under the Second Child's name. Asuka...? He clicked the message.
A.L. Sohryu: So.
A.L. Sohryu: Asska, hm?
Shinji's face curdled from a combination of disbelief and disappointment. Did Ayanami-san actually tell her...?
The texts didn't stop.
A.L. Sohryu: I can see the read receipts, Third. I *know* you're looking at these.
A.L. Sohryu: Respond, damn it!
A.L. Sohryu: If you ignore me, there will be hell to pay later!
...nope. Shinji promptly put his phone into sleep mode and turned over to try and get some semblance of sleep...
xxxx
/Misato's Apartment, Tokyo-3/
Mana Kirishima was unused to how quiet the apartment had become. Even if it hadn't been that long, she had gotten accustomed to Yamagishi's little morning routines: alternating turns in the shower; preparing breakfast for whenever Katsuragi inevitably awoke after a late night; idle chatter over whatever various text or manga had caught the bookworm's attention. (To this point, she had yet to provide anything quite as gripping as works from the Featherman series.) Then, whenever Misato awoke, their day would be planned out — a proverbial itinerary, a plan of action — and they would get to it. Then, once the day was done, they would all rendezvous back to have dinner, and to occupy the rest of their evenings with some mind-numbing entertainment: usually in the form of more literature or television. However, the probability had been high that any other member of Team Statherós (usually all of them) would visit, adding more color to...everything.
Even if it hadn't been quite as eventful as the road trip had been (which had been so eye-opening in ways she was still processing), it had been pleasurable in its own way.
Now? It was the third day of the new school term at Hakone Academy.
The apartment had become...quiet.
Too quiet.
With Misato throwing herself into her work — reviewing footage from the Himmel facility whenever she wasn't preparing for her upcoming role as Warden of the city's Cognitive Protection Center — Mana had found herself rather...flummoxed.
Things were just fine whenever she was on a mission, whether it be at the CPC or with her comrades...her friends. Situation normal. Yet these past nights...and these past mornings, when it was just her? (That was a lie; she had AIGIS and LABRYS, she always had them...)
She felt wrong. And she couldn't fathom why.
Such thoughts roiled in the back of her mind as she quietly ran a soapy rag over her bodysuit, which was resting in a shallow level of cold water inside the bathtub. It was a sort of maintenance that she was used to, drilled into her head by Shiro Tokita over many years.
(In those early days of July, when NERV was recording her physical, cognitive, and metaphysical baselines: it had only taken some brief scans by the MAGI to realize her bodysuit was not 'normal'. Upon absorbing energy within the Metaverse via AIGIS and LABRYS, her bodysuit — still torn and ripped from her fateful duel with Shinji Ikari at NHCI's JET ALONE facility — slowly began to mend. "Well isn't that convenient," remarked Dr. Akagi with a raised eyebrow.)
Alas, such fabric could not be duplicated for others to use; not truly. The principle of a Persona-user's self-image — an outfit that was part and parcel of who they were in the cognitive world — had become wedded to her very being by Shiro Tokita's varied experiments, granted a measure of physicality by the complex bond connecting her with the minds and souls of her sisters. So long as she willed it so, the energy of LABRYS and AIGIS could be dedicated to repairing her 'self-image': hence how she could rejuvenate both herself and her proverbial wardrobe.
The bodysuit was not impervious, nor invulnerable; it was designed for functional movement, with leather plates over vital areas for some level of additional protection...but that was it. She needed nothing else, for her axe and shield had been the true threats. She had been their wielder, nothing more.
(But that was no longer the case; she was more than just a mere wielder of LABRYS and AIGIS.)
(Right?)
Frowning, she let the bathtub drain, using another rag to wipe away at any leftover suds. Taking the damp bodysuit, she calmly hung it out to dry from the clothesline over the apartment balcony. With a pensive expression, she returned to her room, looking around at her relatively meager amount of possessions, especially relative to Katsuragi and Yamagishi. Her eyes fell upon LABRYS and AIGIS, resting quietly against the wall. "...sure lucked out of having to go to school," she murmured, echoing her own thoughts from not even two days ago.
(Why, then, did she feel so bothered?)
It all sounds so boring, she thought, quietly pacing back and forth. Learning about stuff that doesn't sound all that useful. (The only things she and her brothers had ever learned under Tokita...had been for the sake of making them more useful. Able to talk. able to write, able to understand tactics, able to use whatever rudimentary math skills were necessary just to function...but no more.) Learning in a cramped classroom, having to do paperwork, having to read boring things...what's the point? They have skills that could be put to better use! They have Personas...and Ikari, Sohryu, and Ayanami also have Evangelions! Why are they wasting time?!
(Why did they have anything resembling a 'normal' life beyond their missions?)
And the way I heard Suzuhara and Aida talk about it, they find school to be a pain! So why do they keep going?!
(Why are you envious of such banality?)
The utter irrationality of it all was such that Mana couldn't even hear the voices of her sisters in her subconscious; even as the gemstones in her axe and shield glimmered in sympathy, her head was increasingly consumed by her own thoughts. It's all part of the Cognitive Service Act, she distantly recalled, defaulting to the trite legalisms that Tokita had judged 'necessary knowledge' for her purpose. They legally have to go...so they're just following orders. Rules. That was reasonable; justifiable, even.
(Her circumstances were not like theirs. She was not bound as they were.)
(Yet such binds seem so very fetching from the outside looking in...)
So why was she so...frustrated? I've been through worse, she growled, looking down at her fist with growing anger. You've survived worse. What would Musashi and Keita think if they could see you now? Her fist seemed to become offensive to even look at. I lived through Tokita's hell for so long...I was able to endure so much...so why is this pissing me off?!
(She had quickly gotten used to her new state in life...)
I'm Mana!
(...and yet that state was inextricably bound to her combat skills, to the weapons only she could use.)
I'm not weak! I'm strong!
(In the end, you'll never escape the truth of what you are...)
I'm supposed to be better than this!
(...and what you are is a mere weapon, good only so long as your blade remains sharp.)
SO WHY-?!
"Hey."
Mana blinked, pulled out of her trance by a woman's voice. Looking to her left, she blinked at the sight of Misato Katsuragi: still in her sleepwear, but looking seriously severe despite the bedhead. "Katsuragi."
"Pen-Pen was waddling back and forth through the hallway in a tizzy; I had no idea why until I heard the noise." she elaborated, looking tellingly at the wall. "I'm surprised you haven't felt that yet."
Yet? Blinking dumbly, she realized that her right fist was embedded into the drywall and the insulation behind it. Wha...when did I...?
Sighing, Misato slowly walked towards her, raising her left hand in a gentle manner.
When she let her hand fall, performing a gentle headpat...the tension in Mana's body leaked away, like a tightly wound spring beginning to unwind. "...sorry," she murmured, feeling a piercing sensation in her gut that could only be shame.
Misato didn't comment on it. Instead, she gently removed Mana's hand from the wall, focusing on where the skin had split on her knuckles. "Come on; let's get this cleaned up, and then we'll try and make ourselves presentable."
"Presentable?" she numbly echoed, letting Misato lead her along as a mother would a child.
"Your new custodian, the one taking over for Sae Niijima. She should be arriving in about an hour."
"...ah. Right." The thought felt hollow; what was the point of a custodian, in her daily life?
(Were it not for the work of Sae Niijima, she would not have been placed with Misato Katsuragi. She would not have been in a position to become so close with so many people.)
(And yet here you stand, forever cursed: set apart, by virtue of what you are...)
xxxx
/Meanwhile.../
/Class 2-A, Junior High Branch, Hakone Academy/
Kensuke Aida observed with some amusement as Shinji Ikari finally nodded off for the third time.; unlike the last two times, he didn't immediately jolt himself back to wakefulness. Fortunately, the faculty seemed to be in the loop regarding his literal 'midnight mission', as Fuyutsuki-sensei didn't even bat an eye.
That wasn't enough to stop Asuka Langley-Sohryu from discreetly pelting him with wads of crumpled paper whenever the teacher wasn't looking. I literally sit right next to Shinji, and you're sitting behind him, Sohryu, mentally groused Kensuke. I can SEE you. Apparently, her inability to care was secondary to getting some minor comeuppance, however petty it actually was.
(The moment the boys of Room 23 had made it to the Academy, Asuka confronted them near the front doors. "So; how many did you defeat last night?" Whatever question Shinji had been expecting her to ask, it hadn't been that, because his answer was impulsive. "Twenty-seven." That, for some reason, made her face curdle with irritation, as she turned on her heel and walked away. The boys all looked at each other with honest befuddlement.)
I wonder, mused Kensuke right as Fuyutsuki's class ended. Once he departed, there would be a brief ten minute period until second period with Makoto Hyuga began. Time to be efficient! "Let me guess," said Kensuke as he turned around in his chair, critically eyeing Asuka. "He managed to outpace your kill streak from your last mission?"
"I'm testing him," said Asuka, flatly ignoring the question. "His reflexes are abscheulich." To punctuate her point, she tore another sheet of paper out of a blank notebook, wadding it up and lightly tossing it. It bounced off the side of Shinji's face, who didn't even blink. "Tsk."
"Because I'm sure you are the epitome of awareness at all times," groused Kensuke.
Asuka snorted, looking utterly unimpressed. "Sometimes, you have to get used to running without sleep; during the November 2013 solar eclipse in Africa, it was so chaotic I ended up going two whole days with a few naps in-between. Ayanami was there; she can back me up."
Kensuke recalled the news reports of that event; to this day, vast swathes of the northern Congo were still cognitive dead zones. "Hmm...that seems logical enough..."
"Good, now get off my case-"
"However," interrupted Kensuke, dramatically shifting his glasses. "I think that's just a convenient excuse, because I bet you'd be doing it even if that solar eclipse hadn't happened."
Asuka, tellingly, did not respond. Not verbally; she simply narrowed her eyes, as if reassessing his proverbial threat level.
Into this fray stepped Rei Ayanami. "I defeated twenty-three Acolytes during my last mission," she calmly confessed, not caring that she had admitted to being 'bested' by Ikari.
Asuka stared at Rei as one betrayed; then, looking back at Kensuke, she puffed up her chest, crossing her arms haughtily. "Twenty-four."
"So you're irritated that Shinji beat your kill count," triumphantly said Kensuke.
"As if," retorted Asuka.
Rei once again stepped into the fray. "She has not forgiven him for making an obvious typo while texting."
Asuka, scandalized, whirled back towards Rei. "First, don't you dare-!"
"What's going on?" came the authoritative voice of Hikari Horaki. Looming over them with her 'Class Representative' aura set to the maximum, she looked at the paper balls around Ikari's desk before asking, "Sohryu-san, leave him alone."
Asuka huffed, looking up at her with a critical eye. "Or what?"
(From a further part of the classroom, Toji and several other students watched the impending carnage with intrigue.)
"I can utilize whatever disciplinary methods I must, up to involving the faculty if I must. But I must say, if you're an Evangelion-user yourself, then you know exactly why he's tired."
"So classes will just let us sleep in, is that it?"
"Did you go on a mission last night?" remarked Hikari, already knowing the answer from Ayanami. "Whatever issues you may have, Sohryu-san? This is a place of learning. And honestly...it's just so disappointing to see you act so..." She paused for effect." ...childish." There was an audible chorus of 'oohs' and hisses from elsewhere in the class.
Asuka's frown deepened, yet she did not respond. Not immediately. After a pause of several seconds, and after looking silently at Rei Ayanami's expectant gaze, Asuka finally relented. "Fine."
"I'm glad we came to an understanding." She then pointed a finger at the paper on and around Ikari's desk. "Please pick up your trash."
"...wenn du darauf bestehst," the redhead muttered under her breath, rising to do just as Hikari had requested.
(Toji snorted. "And the Class Rep remains undefeated.")
Kensuke couldn't help but grin. Man, I gotta find out from Shinji what typo got her so ticked off...
xx
Hikari Horaki resisted the urge to sigh with relief, or pump her fist from excitement. I did it. Even if she's difficult...she respects my authority, at least. (Progress was progress.)
It was at that point that Makoto Hyuga entered. "Good morning class," said the social science teacher, as everyone stood and bowed in acknowledgment of his authority. "As we discussed on Monday, given how the current political developments in this country are mirroring the feudal domains, we'll be completing our review of the Sengoku Era before moving onto-"
Like lightning, Shinji sat up with wide eyes. "Nobunaga Oda was one of the Great Unifiers of Japan!" he shouted deliriously.
Everyone stared at him. With a blink, Hyuga-sensei replied, "Yes. Yes he was, Ikari-kun."
"...good." Then he audibly plopped back down on his desk, resuming his slumber. He utterly ignored the subsequent laughter from most of his classmates.
Hikari couldn't help but shake her head. Honestly...
xxxx
Misato Katsuragi hadn't known what to expect when Sae Niijima's designated replacement arrived.
When she first laid eyes upon Yuko Nishiwaki, she'd been surprised by the sight of a woman — maybe her age, maybe a bit older? She couldn't tell, but Nishiwaki was definitely younger than Sae Niijima — with a dusky skin tone that Misato couldn't quite tell the origin of (a good tan? Okinawan ancestry? Mixed race? Whatever, it was none of her business). She wore a conservative gray pantsuit over a light blue blouse, while her hair was parted to the side, with the back professionally tied up by a slim barrette. Her brown eyes, meanwhile, exhibited youthful vigor; this was accentuated by a tiny decorative lapel pin fashioned after a pink rose.
After exchanging greetings, Misato directed them to the kitchen table, where Mana — dressed in jeans and a Featherman tee shirt — was already sitting on the side facing the entry corridor. Misato took a seat to Mana's right, whilst Yuko took the side opposite from Misato. "Hello Mana-san," Yuko said with a pleasant tone, bowing as a show of respect. "Or do you prefer Mana-chan?"
"...I'm fine with Mana-san," replied Mana with a stoic tone, unsure of what to make of the newcomer.
Just let it play out, thought Misato with a calm expression, idly watching as Nishiwaki tested the proverbial waters. (The custodian had doubtless seen the bandages around Mana's hand; mercifully, she didn't seem to question it. Not immediately, at any rate.) Yuko asked rather harmless questions: how was Mana feeling, what was she thinking about, were there any fun things she had done recently, how was living with Misato, stuff of that nature.
(Mana's short answer to the question about living in Misato's apartment — "It's a home." — would have seemed brusque and blunt to anyone who didn't know her. As it was, Misato felt a small iota of pride even at that small admission. Yuko, fortunately, seemed to take it at more than face value.)
Mana seemed a bit evasive, however; so much so that about thirty minutes into the quasi-interrogation, Yuko asked, "How do you feel about Niijima-senpai? Sae Niijima, I mean?"
"My old custodian?"
"Well, technically she's still on the books as the official custodian for you and Mayumi Yamagishi; you could say I've been delegated to work this caseload in her stead."
"...she was cool," admitted Mana, without much in the way of feeling. "She's the one who convinced me to even stay with Katsuragi in the first place. And she stepped up to help Yamagishi when she needed it."
Yuko nodded, smiling. "So you trust her judgment?"
"...I guess?"
"Then you can trust that she wouldn't stick someone onto this job who couldn't pull it off, right?" At this, Mana mulled the question over for a bit longer before nodding. "Great," said Yuko with a smile, before turning to Misato. "Do you mind if I look around? Just to get an idea of her living conditions."
Misato nodded, even as she mentally winced. Hoo boy, here we go.
Fortunately, Misato's own room was in a much better condition than it had been even a month ago, looking merely 'lived in' instead of messy. Mayumi's room elicited a raised eyebrow ("Man, someone really likes books! Is she a speed-reader or something?" Yuko marvelled at the sight of so many bookshelves crammed into one room), whereas Mana's...well, the hole in the wall was a bit too obvious to ignore.
Before the obvious question could be asked, Mana apparently decided to volunteer. "Sorry about that."
Yuko looked down at her bandaged fist and asked, "Is there a reason you punched the wall, Mana-san?"
"...I really don't know," she admitted, looking a bit lost.
Yuko simply nodded, not asking any further questions; she didn't even bat an eye at the sight of LABRYS and AIGIS leaning against the other wall. Back in the living room, she asked, "Do you mind if I speak with Katsuragi-san in private? I won't be long."
Mana shrugged, nodding in acquiescence. When Yuko looked at Misato, she silently sighed. I wonder what she's thinking. Jerking her head towards the balcony, Misato led Nishiwaki outside, where they leaned against the guardrail to look over the city. After a brief period of silence, Misato said, "The hole just happened this morning."
"I could tell," remarked Yuko, somewhat solemnly. "You'd have patched it, otherwise. But it seems like she's been in control, for the most part...especially if this was her first incident, I'm assuming? Niijima-senpai's notes didn't mention anything else."
"No," answered Misato with a shake of her head. "I was with her a lot in the beginning, both in the Metaverse and outside it...but the big change happened with the road trip she went on with Shinji-kun and his friends. How much about that are you in the know about?"
Yuko waved her hand back and forth. "Enough to know the basics, but not the nitty-gritty. It's enough to make even me blush; it would take at least five kids' worth of problems to even match the stuff she and Mayumi Yamagishi have been through."
"You've been with the Special Custodial Service for long?"
"Five years as of this past May," explained Yuko with a small smile. "Orphans have it tough enough without strange powers being thrown into the mix."
"So what's your take? Mana-chan's been in a bit of a funk these past few days."
"How about I get yours, first," rejoindered Yuko.
Misato rolled her eyes. "Fine...she obviously misses being around her peers. With school starting back up, this is the first time in over a month she hasn't been around her comrades on a regular basis. And what they went through over the summer...that's the sort of stuff undying bonds are made of. No wonder she's gloomy." With a minor bit of petulance, she jabbed her foot against the bottom of the guardrail. "It still amazes me that they've got Persona-users and Evangelion-users going to school."
Yuko shrugged. "The law is the law. Besides, it was put into place to give them a normalizing influence."
"Whoever thought school is a 'normalizing influence' should be dunked into a toilet."
Fortunately, Nishiwaki's giggle indicated she had a sense of humor. "Well, in Mana-san's case, her whole setup with you and with NERV is precisely because she was deemed too unstable for a more conventional arrangement...at least, that's how Niijima-senpai sold it to her superiors. Would you trust her to be in a school?"
Given that I'm trusting Shinji-kun to go? she wondered, thinking back to the monstrous beast which had ripped and roared through Himmel a mere week ago. Then again...her problems are different from Shinji's. "...I don't know," she honestly admitted. "Now it's your turn. Do you know what it is she wants?"
"I think that's clear enough; the real question is if what she wants now is in conflict with what she wanted previously." Yuko crossed her arms, looking forlornly across the Tokyo-3 skyline. In the sunlight, the skyscrapers seemed like daggers piercing the sky. "She's already at an age where girls are changing, finding out more about themselves, thinking about what they want in life...and she also has to deal with a life of combat against monsters and terrorists to throw on top of being an orphan and an experiment-turned-child soldier."
"...I just want what's best for her," grumbled Misato.
"You've clearly been trying. Better than some horror stories I've heard from Niijima-senpai...but I think she needs to get used to the reality that people will come and go, that their lives will take them in directions that aren't always in proximity to her as an individual...but that doesn't mean anything like saying 'goodbye', or that life is over."
Misato huffed. "Tall order."
"I think what you should focus on is helping her be happy with who she is currently. Doesn't mean that she can't aim for something higher, or aim to grow...but it's hard to do that if she doesn't love herself enough to even try."
"But she's been improving so much from where she used to be," she protested.
Yuko shook her head. "True. But was that improvement for the sake of herself? Or for the sake of others only?" At this, Misato had no answer. "If she's frustrated with the fact her friends have to go away to school, that means she's conflicted about what she wants out of life...and she can't come to a decision about that until she figures out more about herself." She capped this off with a thumbs-up. "And that's where you as her guardian come in to provide loads of wisdom!"
"...yeah," agreed Misato, speaking halfheartedly. There are some days I wish I could be happier with myself. (A happier individual wouldn't have had so much trouble letting go...of so very many things...) "On another topic," she said, changing the subject, "Did your boss look into that matter with the Yamagishi register?" She had called Sae Niijima on the way back from Osaka, leaving a voicemail regarding the potential link between Fuuka Konoe and the Yamagishi family in Tokyo-3. "I don't know if that's too much to ask-"
Yuko grinned. "The details you provided were enough for Niijima-senpai to find that out easily. It's official: Mayumi Yamagishi and Fuuka Konoe are cousins."
"I see," said Misato, knowing she should feel happy. However, she was very uncertain as to how Mayumi would react. How will she handle this...?
"Do you want to tell her, or should I?"
"...can we set up a separate appointment for that? Sometime next week, after the new moon?"
"Nervous?" asked Yuko with a sad yet knowing smile.
"I want to talk to her about it." I just need some time to figure out how to do it...
xxxx
/Class 2-A, Junior High Branch, Hakone Academy/
By the time classes came to an end, Rei Ayanami had already departed on a mandatory mission. This, of course, left Asuka Langley-Sohryu to the proverbial wolves.
"So," said Kensuke with a dramatic flourish, "You really got so irritated by a typo that you felt the need to start bullying Shinji?"
"How pathetic," agreed Toji.
"Come on guys, it's not that big a deal," murmured Shinji, stifling another yawn.
(During lunch, Kensuke and Toji had all but mobbed his table in an attempt to find out why Asuka seemed to have it out for him today. When he revealed the unfortunate 'Asska' typo, the duo quickly gained devilish grins.)
"But I guess it fits the name, Asska," joked Toji.
Asuka, surprisingly, didn't explode in response. Rather — briefly inhaling through her nostrils — she simply arched a finely trimmed eyebrow. "Pretty childish behavior from you two. Also, if you think what I'm doing is 'bullying' Third, then you have incredibly thin skin."
Kensuke and Toji blinked; looked at each other; blinked again, even more dumbly than before. Finally, Kensuke muttered, "Is she for real?"
Toji was somewhat louder. "Are you for real?!"
"I'm just saying, you seem to have some pretty silly ideas about what I do." Crossing her arms with emphasis, she concluded, "Just because I'm still a kid doesn't mean I have to act like a child. Maybe you should learn from my example."
"...wow, I think she's actually for real," said Kensuke with a dumbfounded expression.
"What kind of UNO reverse crap is that?!" retorted Toji.
Asuka rolled her eyes. "Referencing a children's card game too, huh? Really selling yourself short, there."
Shinji, inwardly, was somewhat impressed by how quickly Asuka was managing to turn the game of rhetoric back on Kensuke and Toji. Still, why are they focusing so hard on it? Is it really that big of a deal? Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Hikari Horaki slowly approach, drawn by Toji's loudness and Asuka's visible irritation. Maybe I should leave them be...
(Elsewhere on the Academy campus, Yu Narukami suddenly felt a burst of nostalgic pride. "Huh. This keeps happening.")
As Shinji quietly slipped away from his desk, he nonetheless felt a measure of curiosity regarding Asuka's general demeanor. The differences between how she acted around others, and when it had just been the two of them...were stark, in some aspects. Surprisingly so. I wonder...what way would there be to help Sohryu-san get along with everyone else? Somehow, he doubted just asking her would pan out that well. But who to talk to...wait a second. There was someone, in fact. Hmm...
xx
Several seconds later, Kensuke suddenly looked over his shoulder. "You've been awful qui...et?" He boggled. "Where'd Shinji go?"
Asuka turned away from Hikari — who was simultaneously lecturing both herself and Toji — at the sound of his disbelief. "Wait, he seriously bailed?"
Kensuke resisted the urge to roll his eyes. To be fair, I can't exactly blame him...
xxxx
/St. Paul Miki Parish, Southern Outskirts of Tokyo-3/
Sister Mary Makinami, in the midst of pulling weeds from the yard around the church, looked up out of instinct. "Oh? You've come to visit?"
"Hello, Makinami-san," said Shinji with a bow, his Evangelion — utilized to quickly travel from the Academy to the parish — vanishing into diminishing fragments of spirit and thought. "I'm sorry if this is out of the blue...but I was wondering if I could talk to you about Sohryu-san?"
"Oh ho~?" The young woman's impulsive grin — showing far too many teeth — was surprisingly unnerving. "Is that a fact..."
xx
However Shinji expected Sister Mary's response to go, it hadn't been a request to have him help with the weeds.
Even so, old instincts from his time at the Farming Club in Nishiawakura — half-remembered though it still was — combined with his usual politeness: the result was him kneeling in the grass, digging out dandelions and knotweed.
As they worked, Makinami spoke. "So, I have to ask: why seek me out for answers? Why not go to Miss Sohryu herself?" With a strangely sly tone, she added, "Is she being that difficult?"
"...I'm not sure," Shinji admitted, even though his impulse was to say 'yes'. "I'm not sure what to make of her, to be honest." Her general demeanor thus far had been somewhat blunt, confident to the point of cockiness, and brazen in various ways...and yet, the manner with which she had carried herself during breakfast yesterday...it spoke of someone with layers. Maybe. "But I get the impression that if I asked her about this sort of thing, she'd throw a wall in my way. Or a fist, if we were in the middle of training."
At this, the religious couldn't help but sigh. "She's always been the prickly sort. It took me quite a while to get her to open up." Gathering uprooted weeds and sorting them into piles by species, she remarked, "And you believe I would be the sort to provide you insight?"
Shinji pondered; his impulse was to say yes, but her tone indicated that it would have been wrong to say 'yes'. Was that the only reason...?
"...you're a thoughtful sort, aren't you?"
Makinami's question brought him out of his introspection with a slight jolt. "Oh. Sorry..." It was a reasonable question. "...I think...I guess I'm just trying to understand her."
"A very heavy mentality, for one who has only really known her for a few days," Sister Mary said. As she took off her glasses, staring intently at a smudge on the right lens, she asked, "Do you think she's a private person? Do you get the sense that she would see you coming to me as...meddling, shall we say?" After a few seconds of silence, he hesitantly nodded. "So why feel the need to come to me for answers? Because it would be easier?"
Shinji's face flushed with something akin to shame.
Strangely, this only made the religious laugh, as she reached out to ruffle his hair. "Ah, I've been around Miss Sohryu for so long that I've forgotten how normal people react. You're a precious little puppy, aren't you?"
Her tone was cheeky, yet without malice; it made it difficult to tell if she was being serious or not. "Makinami-san...?"
"It's only reasonable for people to default to what's easier," she went on to explain; as she stabbed at the roots of a particularly hardy plant with a garden knife, she continued speaking. "The sense I get from you...is that you're a quietly honest sort: someone who would prefer others do the talking. Not out of laziness, but out of a simple desire to listen, and experience the lives of others. It's almost as though interacting with other people is...a novelty; one that you've come to enjoy. In fact, I would surmise that the relationships you've cultivated with some of your peers are the first true friendships you've ever really had...and you've come to like that feeling." Looking over her shoulder, peering with bizarrely mature eyes of teal, she added, "Yet...it's not all about mere self-gratification, is it? Because I bet those friendships have resulted in pain and turmoil that you could have gone without experiencing..."
Where was this woman's insight coming from? Had she read up on him? "Um...how did you...?"
"Prior to this, we've only really interacted twice," Mari remarked, speaking in a measured tone. "But compared to Miss Sohryu, you're so transparently earnest that it's honestly refreshing. And given your age, it's the sort of demeanor I've come to recognize from those who grew up in a rather lonely environment."
"Really?"
"I was a young girl among a bunch of other young girls at an abbey in France, learning the methods and means of manipulating one's own A.T. Field," she explained. "So many of us came from different backgrounds, and not everyone was of the same means. Some were put there because of family expectations, or to get them out of the way; some were highly privileged, while others had signed up for the sake of having a steady meal. Some sought to act on behalf of those who could not defend themselves...and others wanted revenge. Etcetera, etcetera: so many people of different backgrounds, yet ordered toward a particular purpose, a singular system. Learning to understand one another...you learn when to push, and when to pull." She suddenly giggled, winking playfully. "Though to be fair, I can't really claim credit for all of the smart things I say."
"...so...what's your advice, then?"
"Did you become close with your peers overnight?" When he shook his head, she nodded. "There you go: trying to go for shortcuts in any relationship tends to end poorly. And don't just aim to be yourself: if you want a fruitful relationship, aim to be the best version of yourself. And a lot of times, that means turning away from the easy path and picking up your cross. Figuratively speaking." She briefly tilted her head. "Do you understand that saying?" When Shinji slowly shook his head, she explained, "Well, notwithstanding the Christian meanings of the phrase...one way of thinking about it is to turn away from the things that make you strong: to instead embrace your weaknesses, to carry them with you in all things."
"How...how is that a good thing?" he honestly wondered. (Even if part of it appealed, every aspect of him that was conscious of the necessity for strength and power — especially in the face of so many enemies that threatened those he cared about — recoiled.)
The Beast sneered.
"Embracing your weakness...is a fantastic way of realizing just how much you need me."
Sister Mary smiled genuinely. "Because when you turn away from the things that make you strong, you realize just how much you — as an individual — can't get far in life without the help of something or someone else. Through understanding our own weaknesses, we come to understand the struggles of others. Whether it be family, friends, loved ones...whether it be an idea, a belief, or a principle...we all need something to motivate us to move forward, day by day. If it were just a matter of satisfying ourselves...then what kind of life would that be?"
"...not a very pleasant one," he muttered.
Makinami grinned, patting Shinji on the shoulder. "I can tell that you mean well...but just as you've endured struggles to make it this far, so has Miss Sohryu. Just as you have your own weaknesses, she has hers. It would be underhanded for me to talk about things she has spoken in confidence, even if your motives are good. Part of the joy of any friendship is carrying the pain it can bring...because what is happiness without knowing what sorrow is?"
"...I think I see what you're getting at," admitted Shinji, feeling more insightful regarding his own feelings. (Not just aiming to be altruistic...but to be truly noble...)
"I suppose the question now is this: what do you intend to do?" asked Sister Mary.
Shinji pondered the question for a moment. "I guess...I'll try doing things the hard way." Which was honestly a shame, because why couldn't at least one thing in his life go easy...?
His Other quietly gazed through the looking glass.
"Most things are hard at first...but are they always? Your bonds...your relationships that have grown...is being with them easier, now?"
"That's the spirit," remarked Makinami with a smile, her eyes gazing over his shoulder. "Speaking of spirit...hello, Miss Sohryu!"
Shinji blinked, turning around with a start; he witnessed the last vestiges of static fade from Asuka's form — the remnant of how one travelled via Evangelion through dimensions — as she emerged into physicality once more. Her expression was intensely suspicious with a side of paranoia; so much so that he could only say, "Hi."
"Hello," she grumbled, holding up her phone. "You too 'busy' to respond?"
Blinking, Shinji reached into his pocket, pulling out his own phone; Asuka had indeed texted him several minutes ago, it seemed: mostly about who was going to handle missions for the day's 'evening shift', so to speak. "Um...I was too focused on weeding?"
"...weeding. You didn't see my message because you were weeding."
"...yes?" What else could he say other than the truth? (Even if it did sound kind of silly?)
Asuka's frown communicated a certain disdain, mixed with even greater disbelief. But before she could say anything, both of their phones buzzed.
-Evangelion Group-
R. Ayanami: I will be returning to Tokyo-3 in short order.
R. Ayanami: Who will be on standby for this evening?
Shinji arched an eyebrow, looking with confusion at Asuka. "Ayanami and I started up a group chat for the three of us. Didn't you respond to our invites?"
"...I didn't realize I had gotten an invite," he admitted. (Somehow, he had a sneaking suspicion that the MAGI had 'accepted' on his behalf...)
"Seriously?! Are you a tech-illiterate Neanderthal or something!?"
It was at that moment that Sister Mary lightly bopped Asuka atop the head with the side of her hand. "Now now, no need for insults. Not everyone lives attached to their device, you know~"
"Look, I'll go ahead and take this one," Shinji said, typing a similar response onto his phone into the 'Evangelion Group' chat room. "I didn't mean to ignore."
"Well, do better!"
Shinji stared heavily at Asuka, before glancing meaningfully at Sister Mary. Turning back to Asuka, he honestly asked, "Is not looking at my phone when it wasn't an emergency that big of a deal?"
Asuka arched an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"
"I mean..." Relying on his determination, he mustered forward. "...if it had been an actual mission alert, I would've responded." Helpfully, one such mission prompted, delivering a very recognizable chime that all three of them could hear. "Like this one. I'll let you and Ayanami-san know when I return." He promptly shifted out of reality, heading for Miyagi Prefecture.
xx
Asuka immediately turned her gaze towards Sister Mary with a frown. "So. Weeding, huh?"
Makinami couldn't help but smile at her immediate suspicion. "He's curious about you. And apparently, you throw up so many walls that he's unused to dealing with in his other relationships that he thought to ask for...advice." Holding a hand to mollify the young girl, she added, "I didn't reveal anything private, or anything that would make you upset."
The redhead huffed, her ire simmering yet not spiking. "...I don't know what to make of him," she admitted, an acknowledgment of weakness and defeat (in Asuka's eyes) that she would not have done with just anyone. "For someone to have become as powerful as he is, out of nowhere? To be the son of Gendo Ikari, yet to have that kind of attitude? I don't get him."
"Unfortunately, for all our natural capacity at finding patterns, and for all the knowledge gained from the cognitive world...the human mind can still be quite indecipherable, to others, and to ourselves. Much like our hearts: perverse above all things, and unsearchable; who can know it?" she said, quoting from the seventeenth chapter of Jeremiah.
Asuka rolled her eyes. "Pretty cynical."
"Yet you understand and agree on some level, don't you?" countered Makinami. "Understanding others; understanding ourselves; to look with worldly eyes at the surface of things misses so much. And that way of doing things may be easy...yet it doesn't satisfy. Not truly."
"...I guess," muttered Asuka. "He could stand to be a man and just ask me about whatever he's curious about."
The religious tittered. "He is but a boy...but when you give off the impression of someone who's willing to chop off heads, is it any surprise he would seek less hostile avenues for information?"
Asuka's silence was telling.
Makinami accepted it nonetheless. "Wonderful!" exclaimed Sister Mary, lightly guiding Asuka along with a hand on her back. "Now, I'll cook up dinner, and you'll tell me all about how your first days at school have been going..."
"Do I have to?"
"Not if you want me to break out the German cuisine~"
Asuka pouted, yet nonetheless acquiesced.
xxxx
Once night had fallen, Asuka returned to her dorm room; Rei was asleep, while Hikari and Mayumi were both studying. There was an undeniable tension in the air — of four new roommates still trying to find and determine their own social dynamic — that Asuka promptly ignored, reaching for her phone to play with some games for a bit. Falling asleep amidst the silence was easy.
Meanwhile, Shinji would not return to Hakone Academy until just before midnight: exhausted from fighting Ghosts and a few Acolytes here and there, yet still nonetheless pleased with a job well done. Falling asleep amidst the silence was easy.
(Would the gap eventually be bridged?)
(The upcoming new moon, mere days away, would decide...)
xxxx
END OF 9/9/2015
xxxx
Author's Note: Fun fact: when initially posting this chapter over to SpaceBattles, the final snippet was literally sitting in a partially-completed state for over four weeks.
Blame "Xenoblade 3: Future Redeemed" and "Tears of the Kingdom" for taking up so much of my brain. XD
Anyhow, here's some of the changes that happened in this chapter:
- Shinji's Determination hit Rank 4, growing from "Dogged" to "Ironclad"
- Temperance Social Link with Mari hit Rank 2
- Shinji's Empathy hit Rank 4, growing from "Altruistic" to "Noble"
- Lots of family drama involving Misato and her wards
- Lots of school drama involving Asuka (because of course)
Also, given all the jokes made at Shinji and Mana's expense at this point about their typos, it's telling that "Asska" is the one that finally got people at Sufficient Velocity to focus on said typos. But it does bring to mind that, on the surface level, this sort of joke in English wouldn't work in Japanese, because of the entirely different characters involved.
Imagine, then, if you will: in the original (and highly hypothetical) Japanese release of SPE, instead of texting "アスカ" (or "Asuka"), he tiredly flubs his response and types "アしカ" (or "A shi ka", which translates to "sea lion").
Asuka, being a paranoid and touchy sort, immediately leaps to the worst possible conclusion.
A.L. Sohryu: Sea lion?!
A.L. Sohryu: Is that a World War 2 crack?!
A.L. Sohryu: Just 'cause Makinami's half-British and annoys me a lot doesn't mean you can joke about that sort of thing!
A.L. Sohryu: And to think you were hiding that spine of yours in such a sly and underhanded way!
Shinji, being too tired and too addled to wonder what in the world she's talking about, simply 'nopes' out and puts his phone away before going to sleep.
Naturally, a joke wherein Shinji's typo unintentionally makes a Nazi comparison with the half-Germanic Asuka wouldn't fly in the overseas release of SPE, so the English dub instead went for a much easier joke based on a typo of Asuka's romanized spelling instead.
(It does, however, come at the cost of not continuing the grand Evangelion tradition of Asuka making poor assumptions about Shinji's knowledge base, a la the infamous "Wall of Jericho" scene. :p )
/now granted, I'm sure native Japanese writers
/would have a legion of more appropriate puns/wordplay involving Asuka's name that wouldn't involve touching on World War 2
/but it was late, and that was the first one I found after about twenty minutes of searching that was even halfway clever
/because if I wanted to be lazy, I would have gone for a typo of two characters instead of just one
/such as instead of "アスカ" (or "Asuka"), Shinji typed "アしり", or ("Ashiri")
/now, "shiri" (しり), according to at least one online dictionary, is a word whose most popular meaning is "buttocks, behind, rump, bottom, hips"
/so he'd be calling her "a butt"
/and thus the joke is preserved in a sensible way in both languages :D