Shinji quietly glanced over his shoulder at Sokila: sprawled and snoozing noisily upon her bed.
"You have availed yourself of our services quite heavily, this morning."
He slowly looked up at Igor, sitting calmly at his desk as ever. "I can't afford to stay still..."
"Indeed," agreed the Velvet Room's proprietor. "Not only yourself, but for your comrades as well."
Shinji sighed, looking down at the orbs of complicated cognitive 'mass' which contained the new weapons he had forged: one for Toji Suzuhara, and one for Asuka Langley-Sohryu. "I can't be the only one getting stronger..."
"And in doing so, you have not only travelled the road of your predecessors..."
As Igor spoke, Shinji followed his eyes towards a spear-wielding warrior with black hair cut into a bowl cut; pale skin; the lower half of his face covered by a thick scarf; and a metal breastplate over what looked like leather armor colored white—Setanta, formed from Clotho and Archangel in his Compendium.
"...but you have also tread new ground."
Igor gestured to the two other Personas that Shinji had fused. From the Compendium had come Decarabia, and from his 'party' had come Sobek, combining in a surprising manner to form a tiny white anthropomorphic fox with a masked helm of gold, and a bow with arrow—Chironnupu. Meanwhile, Shiki-Ouji and Shachihoko and emerged from his Compendium to create a fair-skinned woman, with clothes woven from a night sky and hair shimmering like the Milky Way; all the the while, the clay pot balanced on her shoulder spewed forth a river of stars that perpetually orbited around her waist—Aquarius. "What do you mean by new ground?"
"Personas that your predecessors never fused."
Shinji blinked with surprise. (His trio of new Personas, meanwhile, began to act according to subconscious whims: Setanta stood at attention at the foot of Sokila's bed, Chrionnupu quietly snuggled up against the sleepy girl, and Aquarius sprinkled soothing stars upon her silver hair.) "...what does that mean?"
"Only that you are willing to follow paths not yet travelled by our prior Guests...but don't be concerned. The experiences of humanity span far and wide, and delve just as deep: just as you walk upon new paths, I am sure that some of the paths your predecessors walked would be ones you would never consider."
He wasn't sure why Igor seemed so pleased by the idea. "Isn't that bad?"
"The journey that our Guests travel is theirs, and theirs alone. Each one has a standard which is unique: a calling not shared by their fellow Wild Cards; to compare one to the other would be to miss the point. After all, this is is not their journey...but yours."
"...I think I understand."
"Then perhaps it is time to face the day," said Igor with is ever-present smile.
The faint haze of blue began to brighten-
xxxx
/Tuesday: September 22, 2015/
/Room 23, 2nd Floor, Izanagi Dorms, Hakone Academy/
Shinji slowly opened his eyes, feeling a sense of mental fatigue combined with a paradoxical sense of alertness: a side effect of fusing new Personas and forging new items while he was asleep. It's a new day...
That day wouldn't wait for itself.
xxxx
/Amagi Resort Inn, Fujimi, Nagano Prefecture/
"-and that's when the fish pulled him into the lake," finished Yu Narukami, quietly finishing his tale.
The proprietress of the Inn—sitting across from him in the hotel lounge—about laughed herself hoarse, so much so that she was audibly snorting. "S-S-Stop," she managed to eke out between her wheezing. "You're g-g-gonna give me a h-h-heart attack..."
"My apologies ma'am, but I'm afraid I'm not into cougars."
The nearby clerks looked at him with downright murder in their eyes, downright aghast that he would speak to their boss in such a juvenile manner. However, it tickled the woman's funny bone something fierce, judging by how much she howled.
Needless to say, Yu felt rather mollified that Yukiko Amagi's sense of humor was something which was more or less consistent throughout the ages. For all the things that change, there's a core which I can still recognize. Maybe that was simply because of how often he had encountered his loved ones through timeline after timeline, but he could hardly be blamed for being analytic.
Once Yukiko got her laughter under control, the elderly woman wiped a tear away from her eye. "My word, young man...I haven't laughed so hard since my husband passed. He was always such a kidder..."
"My apologies for your loss."
"Ah, it's been years since; time has a way of soothing over old hurts, and leaving only the good times behind. It's a lesson I wish more young people would learn." Folding her hands into her sleeves, Yukiko remarked, "It's rather heartening to see such a young man with that sort of confidence...then again, it seems a lot of youth have been been forced to grow up before their time. Why, before Second Impact, a high school student like you would have been turned away without an accompanying adult!"
"I mean, I would have been a toddler before Second Impact, so I would hope you wouldn't have rented a hotel to me," he blithely—intentionally—replied.
Yukiko snorted. "Ah, you know what I mean...but I'm surprised you would travel here, all the way from Hakone."
"I heard good things about this place from a friend," he said, without elaborating any further.
"Even so, you didn't have to let me talk your ear off..."
"I find that the oldest among us tend to have a lot of wisdom," he remarked, thinking deeply about his own tribulations. "Besides, given yesterday's holiday, it only felt appropriate."
Yukiko smiled genially, slowly rising to her feet. "Wait here, young man."
As she quietly shuffled away, Yu leaned back in his chair, quietly thinking about his motivations for coming here. Not to indulge in a Social Link, heavens no...but to indulge in a palette cleanser, nonetheless.
(With the long weekend coming up, he had told Minato and Ren that he would be taking a minor road trip to clear his head. "What if Adachi targets you?" Ren had asked. He had assuaged their worries; he wasn't a part of Adachi's 'game' at the moment.)
As much as he didn't want to admit it, Tohru Adachi's 'villainous monologue' at Kobayakawa Memorial Hospital had rattled him; angry as he had been over Nanako's murder, he had let the man get into his head. This little trip away from Tokyo-3 had certainly been helpful in keeping him mindful of the stakes, and just where he stood in relation to the bigger picture. Adachi...I still understand you, on some level. But I can't agree with the path you've taken. To do so would be a betrayal of everything and everyone he cared for.
Yu was brought out of his thoughts by Yukiko, carrying a small little bag. "A little homemade gift, for the road."
He took the bag, opening it up; to his surprise, several dark confectionaries lied within. "Manjū?"
"It's the darndest thing," admitted the older woman. "My cooking has never been anything more than passable...but for some reason, making manjū is something I've always been good at. We used to sell it like crazy when I was younger, but these fingers of mine can't knead as well or as long as they're used to..."
Yu quietly look at the little treat, marvelling at ramifications only he understood.
(September the 5th: As Adachi waxed eloquent with malicious glee, the man relayed a story that he hadn't had cause to think about for untold ages. "Tell me, Narukami...do you remember how you died?" The 'first' life, as far as they were concerned. "From some manjū...made by the Amagi girl. How do you think your friends reacted to that?" So stunned had he been by the implications, that Adachi had been able to press on without resistance. "Jokes about that girl's cooking ability were a dime a dozen, you know? Even I couldn't help but overhear them back when I was still on the beat in that sad little podunk town. But they just didn't seem as funny after your corpse became their greatest punchline. Oh, everyone tried to assuage Amagi; tried to tell her that they didn't blame her; that they forgave her, even though their beloved leader's death was her fault...but you can't get away from that sort of thing. When people know you're a killer, they look at you differently. And the ones looking at her were her little band of 'friends'...can you imagine just how much it ate at her? To know that one of her best friends was dead, 'cause of her? That Shirogane's squeeze was dead, 'cause of her. The town's charming city boy, friend of all, Dojima-san's nephew, Nanako-chan's 'big bro'...dead. Because of her. Imagine the guilt she felt.")
Quietly taking a bite, he marvelled at the texture and the taste. It felt like an apology from across time and space itself. It's okay, Yukiko...I never blamed you for a second. "Apology accepted," he whispered.
"Hm?" wondered Yukiko with a tilt of her head.
"Ah. Sorry. Just thinking about something." Taking another bite, he chewed with appreciation. "This is very good."
Yukiko's smile was small, yet genuine. "To hear you say that makes me feel...strangely happy, for some reason..."
"Like I said ma'am, I'm not into cougars."
His joking segue elicited a laugh from the older woman, successfully distracting her. "Oh, you!"
xx
As Yu exited the Inn, he quietly inhaled the air, thinking back once more to what Adachi had admitted to doing. With some separation from the event in question, he could think more rationally about it. It's the curse of us Wild Cards, he mused, quietly walking towards his 250cc motorcycle: a sleek little thing with a silver and yellow paint job. As we deepen our bonds, we increase our power...and we become more indispensable to our comrades. Not only in battle...but in life. When confronted with loss, grief had a tendency to overwhelm the mind, driving people to do unpalatable things. Adachi...you thought you were making some grand point, didn't you?
(Adachi had relayed Yukiko Amagi's visit to the prison containing him, way back in their 'first' life. "She came in a dark kimono; wouldn't be surprised if it was the same one she wore to your funeral...and between words...she asked for something in silence. Something that only I could do." Adachi spoke with such relish regarding how his Persona had broken through the plexiglass separating him from Yukiko and Ryutaro Dojima, followed by breaking the girl's neck. And why had he done it? "Because she asked. She was being kind, you know? Too guilty to live, yet she didn't want to put her friends through the pain of finding her corpse as the victim of suicide. She was just savage enough to think that Tohru Adachi would be willing to throw all his 'progress' away for the chance at killing a woman with his bare hands...and she was right. That, and it would give her friends something to be angry at. Kinda selfless, you know? But pretty damn selfish at the same time...not that I had long to think about it. After all, when you murder a woman in front of witnesses, there's no coming back from that." The man's smile was brined with a sick sort of fascination. "Poetic, really, that I was executed a month later by hanging...but as you well know, that wasn't the end for me. And yet, for all the sadness and drama...they're all dead and gone. None of it mattered: everyone's anguish over your untimely death, Yukiko Amagi's shame for committing involuntary manslaughter, her decision to commit 'suicide by Adachi'...it might as well have never been. And that's the most hilarious thing to me." With a smug leer, Adachi added, "Really makes you think...I wonder if anyone else took your death too hard in all these lives you've lived through?")
...in the end, regardless of how you justify it...someone was in pain. Someone who was strong enough to learn from that pain and live from it, if she had just been given enough time, and a hand to help her to her feet. And all you did was push her off the proverbial cliff, thinking that you were doing her a favor. A nihilistic worldview, and one that Adachi had become wedded to...yet it was one which was ultimately futile, in the grand scheme of things. You say that it was all for nothing...that none of it mattered. Looking down at the little bag of homemade manjū, he couldn't help but feel a bit of awe at how just this small thing was, in its own way, a refutation of that perspective. Yet here I stand. He calmly withdrew some books from his travel bag: souvenirs from his brief little trip.
One focused on police officers of great renown from the 20th century: Yosuke and Chie Hanamura had a dedicated section. Another focused on the cast of Featherman Z, and so it contained lots of stories about Rise Kujikawa and Naoto Tatsumi. The last was about the Emporium, and so it naturally included an in-depth look at Kanji Tatsumi.
Even if the information was easily available on the Internet, there was something about the tangibility of physical media that made the information feel more real...hence why he had come to spend the night at the Amagi Resort Inn in the first place. Even if we're the only ones who remember our past lives...we still carry those experiences with us. That which we live through will always mean something, no matter how small or inconsequential. Putting his books and the manjū away in his motorcycle cargo compartment, he keyed the engine and prepared for the long drive back to Tokyo-3. Even if that's a lesson you've refused to learn, Adachi...I'll make sure Shinji Ikari understands it, at the very least.
xxxx
As the day proceeded, Shinji Ikari — feeling more vigorous relative to yesterday — worked on various missions locally, mostly within the Cognitive Protection Center.
His fellow Evangelion-users were on assignment elsewhere, working together as per the outstanding order from Misato Katsuragi...
xxxx
/Elsewhere in the Metaverse/
Within Hokkaido Prefecture, Asuka Langley-Sohryu—recuperating her energy after the last Acolyte had taken a toll on her stamina—kept shooting suspicious looks in Rei Ayanami's direction.
"...seriously, what's your beef with Ayanami-san?" asked Kensuke Aida with a frown, his eyes nonetheless focused on Sinbad and Lilith coordinating to fight an Acolyte's Shadow. All the while, Mayumi hovered above them on Armisael, keeping them apprised of the beast's movements. Matilda quietly stretched her quads and hamstrings: a reflection of mental recuperation.
"None of your business," muttered Asuka, looking down at her switchblade...which was actually different than before.
(That morning, when trying to determine who would take which mission, Shinji had approached her with an offer. "Could I see your weapon?" he had politely asked. Knowing it was going to result in a change, she had seen enough utility with Kensuke's weapon to let it happen. Needless to say, the switch had been intrinsic, causing a slight yet noticeable change to part of her cognition.)
She wanted to hate him, for being able to so effortlessly change something that had been a part of her self-image for literal years.
Alas, the more practical side of her could recognize the superiority of the weapon: from a knife that had been more akin to a box cutter, her blade was now a full-blown Stiletto. With a longer reach, a double edge, and a needle-like point, it was far more suited for thrusting and stabbing maneuvers than her old weapon.
"...it kind of is our business if it it impacts your ability to work together," mused Kensuke, interrupting her pondering.
Asuka shot the Stooge a stink eye. "We can fight together; hell, we have fought together, even today. You can fight alongside someone you have a personal disagreement with."
"But what caused it? It's like a switch was thrown. Your hostility to Ayanami-san just didn't exist before the last New Moon. Is it that weird for me to wonder about?"
Asuka huffed. "Again: none of your business. Our problems aren't yours to pry into." (The fact that the Stooge apparently had more insight into whatever it was motivating the Angels than she did was still outrageous. The utter indignity of it all rankled.) Looking ahead, she noticed the Acolyte's Shadow swelling with a buff. "Back into the fray. Let's go Matilda."
Little did Asuka know, but Matilda quietly looked back at Kensuke, giving him an apologetic shrug.
("Even your Other Self knows you're being too stubborn," Kensuke muttered under his breath, raising his Chu-ko-nu repeater crossbow and joining the fight once more.)
xxxx
...which left Shinji to work alongside Mana Kirishima, Toji Suzuhara, and Hikari Horaki.
The particular Shadow they were trying to pacify — a Human Resources employee with a notable aggressive streak and a very competitive edge — was in the middle of arm-wrestling Mana. The Shadow's face was comically exaggerated, complete with steam hissing out of his ears.
"Is...this normal...?" wondered Hikari, hovering at the side of an exaggerated arena surrounded by shadowy crowd members.
Toji, still fiddling with his new weapon, offhandedly remarked, "By now, this is honestly kind of tame. Some people's hidden selves can get kinda freaky."
(Before deploying to the first cell, Ikari quietly placed a hand on his Seven Star Stick; in a burst of blue flame, the black staff transformed into a weapon formed from bone: as though someone had taken the spiky horn out of the top of an ogre's skull and elongated it into a bo staff. When he remarked on that aloud, Ikari had quietly mumbled, "Well, I used a Berith and an Oni to make it, so you're kind of right...?" He didn't know what to make of that, so he just thanked Ikari for it.)
Lightly swinging his new Ogre Staff around, Toji added, "But hey, I'm fine with things that aren't that freaky."
Shinji, standing at attention, nodded with agreement.
Without warning, the Shadow — "You little brat! You should be more respectful!" — brought up his other arm, pressing against Mana with renewed strength.
"HEY! THAT'S CHEATING!" yelled Hikari, impulsively reaching for the nearest blunt instrument...which just so happened to be Toji's staff. "STOP THAT!"
Toji stared, dumbfounded. "Hey-" He couldn't even get a word out before Hikari bonked the Shadow on top of the head. "Hey-!" Before the Shadow could get another word in edgewise, Hikari unleashed a tirade on fairness, being a good sport, and ethics in competition: all with such force that the Shadow actually began to shrink down to normal size. "...oh."
"...she's really good at that sort of thing," observed Shinji.
Toji, feeling an odd twinge in his chest at the sight of Hikari serving as an impromptu referee—complete with Ogre Staff resting across her shoulders, ready to inflict discipline at a moment's notice—couldn't help but nod. "Yeah..."
xx
Morning passed; Rei briefly returned so that Mana and Mayumi could switch places before the afternoon missions: an intentional decision, to ensure different team formats could still work.
Lunchtime arrived, so Shinji, Toji, Hikari, and Mayumi went to fill their bellies.
There was a dedicated cafeteria, aboard the Cognitive Protection Center. Through the power of intensive mental engineering, a device sat in the middle of the room which could generate an endless supply of food.
The caveat was that said food only consisted of white rice, chopped daikon, grilled salmon, and a cup of green tea. ("We were only able to tune it the most common of culinary expectations...trying to introduce more variety made it impossible to work," an older Agent had said, bearing a stoic grin.)
"...so, is this real?" asked Hikari, prodding at her food. "I mean...it's made out of 'mindstuff', isn't it?"
"Yes," explained Mayumi. "It has cognitive 'mass', if you will. And that has meaning within the cognitive world only."
"...so if you tried to take it to the real world...?"
"It would vanish, because it lacks physicality. It's why we're able to move back and forth between the cognitive and physical worlds, because we have both minds and bodies," Mayumi elaborated. "At least, that's how I understand it."
Hikari still stared at her 'food' with suspicion. "But if it's only in the mind, how would it actually feed me-?"
"Don't think about it that way, or else it won't work!"
"But-"
As Mayumi tried giving Hikari a crash course in the more nuanced principles of how things functioned in the Metaverse, Shinji observed them from the end of their long table. "At least Horaki-san seems to be adapting well..."
"Hmm," murmured Toji, idly chewing on his real-yet-unreal salmon.
Shinji looked at him. "Is...something wrong?"
"...you had another close call," he remarked. "If that Adachi prick had been...well, less of a prick, he might have killed you and Mana-san."
Shinji winced at the utter bluntness of it all. Yet, he couldn't quite say he was wrong, either. "...he could have, if he wanted to." (Unless you were willing to throw everything away...and you're not there, yet...)
"Does it bother you?"
"That I could have died?"
"Well, yeah."
"...I'm not sure. It's hard for me to think about it in that way...at least when it comes to Adachi." Because Adachi—his sadism notwithstanding—had made it abundantly clear that death had not been in the cards. That by itself was enough to make the hypothetical less real. "I felt more afraid when fighting Minako, to be honest..."
Toji shrugged, as if to say 'well duh'. "But does it bother you?"
Shinji frowned, wondering at what Toji was trying to get at. "I think death bothers most people. I know it bothers you..." When Toji didn't immediately retort or agree, Shinji couldn't help but feel surprised. "...doesn't it?"
"...with all the shit we've been through, it's pretty clear that it could...end. You know." He lightly dropped his fist on the table, emphasizing the finality of life. "Like that."
Shinji, knowing just how many close calls they had been through, could only nod.
"...you ever wonder if you could ever be in a place where you might be okay with that happening?"
Now that was truly surprising to hear, coming from Toji. "...it depends," he cautiously answered.
"On what?"
"On what my life would be ending for." Would it be doing something worthwhile? Would it be whilst running away? Would it be as a hero, or a coward? Or perhaps neither? "Not that I want to die..."
"I don't think any of us do," replied Toji, propping up his Ogre Staff. His eyes focused keenly upon its hardy surface, as though trying to memorize every groove and every notch. "But...if I'm too focused on trying to stay alive, then I might not be trying my hardest. And if I don't try my hardest, I might end up dying for real."
"...because you're afraid of not holding back?" he asked, almost guessing.
Judging by how Toji leaned back with surprise, he had apparently hit the mark. "Afraid, huh?" Toji briefly glanced over at their two other comrades — where Hikari was clearly perturbed by how animated Mayumi was getting in her explanations — before murmuring, "Can't do anything if I'm dead...but there's more than that...right...?"
"Suzuhara-san?"
"...eh, forget it. I'm starting to confuse myself." Scratching irritably at his scalp, Toji said, "I just have to get this stuff out, and hear myself, you know? Makes it easier to think about all of the heavy shit."
That, at least, Shinji could understand. "Well...at least I'm good for something," he said, with just a hint of self-deprecation.
Toji snorted, shoving Shinji in the shoulder. "Don't put yourself down. It's stupid."
That utter conviction in such a minor comment was certainly refreshing. "I'll keep that in mind," he acknowledged, quietly taking a bite of rice. (If nothing else, he had come to understand Toji's struggle a bit more...)
xxxx
Missions continued on throughout the afternoon, and Shinji had to get creative with quite a few of them. (He'd needed empathy to help calm the Shadow of an old and bitter woman; he'd needed determination to fight an angry Shadow that had desired nothing more than a fight...!)
Before long, however, the day was over, and the quartet of Shinji, Toji, Mayumi, and Hikari congregated outside of NERV, where Asuka, Rei, Kensuke, and Mana were waiting for them.
"I will be undergoing scans for the rest of the evening," said Rei, bowing in everyone's general direction. "Good night."
Asuka watched Rei walk away, unable to help the snort that escaped her.
"Seriously, what did Ayanami do to you?" asked Mana, without a care in the world. "You've been short-tempered all afternoon.
Kensuke threw up his hands. "Thank you! That's what I've been saying!"
Asuka simply rolled her eyes, outwardly unwilling to fight on the matter. "Whatever. I'm going back to the dorm." The redhead waved her hand, letting that serve as her goodbye.
For some reason, Shinji felt compelled to follow. As she got out of earshot, he turned to the others. "I'm going to talk with her."
"Good luck," grunted Toji.
"Didn't you work well together yesterday?" asked Mayumi.
"Team Attacks alone do not make a good relationship!" retorted Kensuke.
"...are you sure, Ikari-san?" wondered Hikari. "She's...a complicated person."
That was selling it short. "Well, we're both Evangelion-users...maybe that'll be enough..." He slightly bowed before heading after the Second Child.
xx
"And there he goes, never to be seen again," dramatically remarked Kensuke.
"Is it that dangerous?" wondered Mana.
"He's exaggerating," said Mayumi, critically looking at Kensuke with a frown.
"...so, what now?" wondered Toji. "I'm kind of up to grab a bite to eat, but I'd also like to unwind..."
"...what about a movie?" wondered Hikari, looking furtively in Toji's direction. "I haven't gone to one since the summer break..."
Kensuke whipped out his phone. "Flick-Plex is within walking distance."
Mana looked up, frowning at the sight of rain clouds rolling overhead. "We should hurry."
And thus the decision to watch a movie was made, as the five teenagers scurried along.
xx
Shinji frowned as Asuka—briefly glancing over her shoulder, eyes narrowing at the sight of him—increased her pace. "Sohryu-san, wait up-!"
She didn't answer: still keeping at a brisk stride, yet not quite running.
Shinji managed a fast enough to slowly inch closer, managing to slip between the evening crowd. (The fact that pedestrians seemingly parted without a word to let Asuka move by was also rather noticeable, as though she radiated an aura of frustration.) Alas, before he got within arm's reach, the first fat raindrop fell on his nose. Eh?
Asuka suddenly paused as well, looking up at the sky with a frown that was somehow audible. "Scheiße."
Their brisk walk turned into a frantic run as they ducked inside the nearest restaurant — one specializing in hot pot dishes — moments before the rain became a torrential downpour. "...that was fast," he idly noted.
Asuka, impulsively wringing her hair, grumbled, "I'm gonna warp back to my dorm."
Before she could even begin to concentrate, Shinji gestured further inside. "We can at least grab dinner, first."
The redhead snorted, looking at him with suspicion. "You know, as far as asking for dates go, you don't have to be so pathetic about it."
Shinji — unable to stop the flush coming to his face — impulsively retorted, "It's not about that. I'm trying to understand why you and Ayanami-san are suddenly at odds."
"What, you think you can fix us?"
"...I can't fix anything that doesn't want to be fixed," he managed to say, just noble enough to see to the truth of the matter. "But there have been things about me that I didn't realize were wrong until someone pointed them out...and vice-versa. Even if you don't change your mind, what's the harm in just...talking about it?"
His Other muffled a joyous laugh.
"Ah, the great irony in such words coming from your lips..."
Asuka stared interminably at him, scrutinizing his motives and demeanor with fierce judgment. When she spoke — "You're paying, Third," — and turned to get a table reserved with the receptionist, it was the only evidence that she had relented.
Thus did they take their seat at a table for two, with a single hot pot — split right down the middle into two semi-circles — between them on the grill. Once they selected their particular broths—a light dashi stock for Shinji, and a more savory pork broth for Asuka—as well as their choice of ingredients, it was a matter of waiting for the broth to boil.
"...did your missions go well?" asked Shinji, as a means of breaking the ice.
Asuka didn't buy it. "Don't beat around the bush, Third."
Sorry for asking, he didn't say out loud. "...after the fight against Israfel...after our debriefing at NERV...something changed between you and Ayanami-san. I don't know what, but I'm not the only one who's noticed..."
"And why is it anyone's business but mine and First's?"
"...well, you and Ayanami-san were the only Evangelion-users, right? For years..." He thought about how his relationships with the rest of Team Statherós—Kensuke, Toji, Mana, Mayumi—had changed because of everything they had experienced. So much had happened, over mere months; if they had fought alongside each other for years, how much deeper would those bonds potentially be? "...I would think such a bond would be important to you."
Asuka crossed her arms, looking almost mulish. However, with steam slowly beginning to rise from the broth, she remarked, "You know my story, with my parents. The First did, too; and I knew that she had been found in the Metaverse as a kid. In a way, we were both seen as freaks." Shinji didn't interrupt, letting Asuka parse through her own thoughts. "But now, when we're facing enemies who are more than just mere monsters...she's not saying anything. She's keeping quiet, to me of all people. But you? And your buddies?" Asuka leaned forward, as if daring him to rebuke her. "Hikari and I are in the dark about whatever it is you and the others apparently know. But the things Israfel said...and the fact that Tohru Adachi, another Angel flunky, has his eyes set on you? If I'm going to actually fight worth a damn, I need to know."
That was the scenario as it stood.
The Beast hissed.
"Shall you take a risk? You are clearly too weak to do so..."
His Other stood from afar, saying nothing...but his eyes spoke of one who challenged fate itself.
"...there's a lot of people I'd like to talk to about what we're facing...about what Ayanami-san knows we're facing," he added. "I know she knows more than she lets on...but I think her motivations are good."
"If she thinks I need protecting, she's got another thing coming," growled Asuka.
"I don't think it's that simple-"
"Like you don't need protecting?" she interrupted. "You just got your shit kicked in two days ago. For someone with all the powers you've got, you sure have a terrible way of showing them off."
Shinji couldn't quite deny that.
"But you apparently know something that I don't. The fact I'm even asking a newbie like you is downright infuriating...but I have to take what I can get. I can't afford to be picky..." Sighing, Asuka leaned back in her chair, watching as a server dropped of numerous bowls filled with vegetables, raw meat, rice, and noodles. "...I'll give you until we finish eating to make a decision."
No pressure, mused Shinji as he placed cabbage, onions, and mushrooms into his side of the hotpot; while Asuka dunked her soba noodles, carrots, onions, and broccoli into her hot pot, Shinji calmly dunked a slice of beef into his broth, letting it cook for a few seconds before he dropped it onto his rice bowl. With a separate pair of chopsticks, he quietly took a bite, letting the warmth spread through his belly.
(Eating shabu-shabu on a rainy evening, mind churning with the consequences of his past and potential actions, whilst a stern redhead sat across from him...somehow, it was quite invigorating...)
"...not bad," remarked Asuka, near the end of their meal, fifteen minutes later. Pushing her bowls aside, Asuka asked, "So. Do you have an answer?"
Shinji had thought about it. (He had just enough knowledge to know how to phrase things.) Based on his interactions with Asuka, the Second Child hated being condescended to...so he didn't. "I want to talk with the others...with Kensuke, Suzuhara-san, Yamagishi-san, and Mana-san."
"About?"
"...you have to understand, Sohryu-san, that the things we learned over the summer were...monumental. And our true enemy reacted...and as a result, people died. I don't want to act foolishly, or rashly." Ayanami had warned him of the consequences, in no uncertain terms. "But...if you're going to be fight alongside us, I also don't think it's fair that you and Horaki-san don't know..."
"True enemy?" she repeated.
"...for all that humanity and the Angels are opposed...we're also opposed against another: a mysterious being that counts something as powerful as the Reaper as a pawn." That, at least, seemed to sufficiently alarm Asuka to make his point. "There's a lot of risks..."
"There are risks involved with life, Third. Especially ours."
"...I know." Yet, risks he took upon himself were far removed from those he invited upon others. "Let me talk with the others about it, please...?"
"...if Ayanami said 'no', would you agree with her? Or would you still tell me?"
(This felt like a test.) "...I...even if I agreed with her...I think I would still want to tell you."
The odd tension in the air released, ever so slightly. The proverbial wall that Asuka had put up crumbled, ever so slightly. "...hmph. Kind of wishy-washy. But...I'll have to take what I can get." Asuka quietly pulled out her phone, accessing her financial account with NERV. "I've got dinner."
Shinji blinked at the sudden swerve. "But-!"
"You covered breakfast way back on the 8th. Now we'll be even."
He didn't quite know what to think. "...thanks."
(For all that Asuka was a conflicted and confusing person, he now had some further understanding of her...)
They soon departed: the rain had passed, so they were able to return to the Academy with no further issue. (Yet they did not speak again, consumed as each one was with their own thoughts...and the thought of piercing that barrier was one they didn't dare countenance now...)
xxxx
Meanwhile, elsewhere in Tokyo-3, five teenagers walked out of the Flick-Plex cinema, where they had just finished watching an animated movie called Magus Militus Matara Arcana.
"...that was...surprisingly violent for something with such a cutesy art style," remarked Toji.
"But the fight scenes were cool," remarked Mana.
"I mean, that goes without saying!" Toji glanced over at the other three to get their opinion, only to balk. "Uh...?"
Mana blinked. "Are you guys crying?"
"...Yukika's constant sacrifice..." blubbered Kensuke.
"...her sheer determination to try and save Matara from fate itself..." hiccupped Mayumi.
"...the depth of their friendship and devotion...!" murmured Hikari with a trembling voice.
Toji blinked. "I mean, yeah, it was pretty intense, but I wouldn't say it's deeper than our bonds, right?"
"YOU JUST DON'T GET IT!" exclaimed Hikari with a burst of passion.
"Yeah!" chorused Kensuke and Mayumi.
Toji and Mana simply shared a look of utter bewilderment.
xxxx
END OF 9/22/2015
xxxx
Author's Note: So, Chariot hit Rank 7, and Lovers hit Rank 3.
As some might have guessed, "Magus Militus Matara Arcana" is an allusion to "Puella Magi Madoka Magica", with Matara and Yukika being the analogues for Madoka and Homura.
Anyhow, as seen from the opening, Shinji fused some new weapons, and new Personas! Time for an updated list:
ACTIVE PERSONAS AS OF 9/22
HAMLET: Mudoon, Tentarafoo (causes Panic), Cleave, Power Slash, Mapsio, Giant Slice, Psio, Final Thrust (Unique: Light Physical. When enemy is below 15% HP, random chance of instant-kill. Probability increases based on Luck stat. Ignores affinities.) (Fool) *Resist Psy, Weak Dark*
KUCHISAKE-ONNA: Maeiga, Tentarafoo, Bloody Blade (Unique: Medium Dark+Physical attack, x2), Fatal End, Hell Smile (Unique: Heavy Dark, high chance of Fear or Despair), Decapitation (Unique: Heavy Physical damage, low chance of instant-kill), Eigaon (Tower) *Absorb Dark, Null Psy, Resist Phys/Ice, Weak Bless/Fire*
NEKO SHOGUN: Psio, Diarama, Masukukaja, Null Dizzy, Mafrei, Rakukaja, Invigorate 1, Cornered Fang (Star) *Null Bless, Resist Phys/Elec/Dark, Weak Wind* (Formed from Kodama, Sudama, and Anzu)
AKABEKO: Headbutt, Makouha, Me Patra, Energy Shower, Ailment Drain (Unique: A Passive Skill, where any Ailment Skills inflicted are instead absorbed, resulting in a slight boost to HP and MP), Vajra Blast (Strength) *Resist Ice/Wind/Bless, Weak Fire/Dark*
ABE NO SEIMEI: Summon Spirits (Unique: Commands two weak oni to fight and take damage on his behalf; their damage type is Bless and Nuclear), Hamaon, Makouga, Mabufula, Marakukaja, Null Despair (Magician) *Repel Nuke/Bless, Null Psy/Wind, Resist Ice/Elec/Dark, Weak Phys/Gun/Fire* (Formed from Isis and Shachihoko)
JATAYU: Garudyne, Masukukaja, Nocturnal Flash, Dormina, Diarama, Rising Slash (Hanged Man) *Repel Wind, Resist Ice/Bless, Weak Nuke* (Formed from Lamia and High Pixie)
MOTHMAN: Skull Cracker, Mazionga, Shock Boost, Hysterical Slap, Miracle Punch, Freila (Moon) *Null Elec, Resist Psy, Weak Gun* (Formed from Ara Mitama and Fuu-Ki)
HELL BIKER: Mudoon, Agilao, Speed Master, Tetraja, Dormin Rush, Giant Slice, Tentarafoo, Fire Boost (Death) *Reflect Fire, Resist Wind, Weak Bless* (Formed from Archangel, Matador, and Decarabia)
SETANTA: Giant Slice, Dormin Rush, Counter, Tetraja, Tarukaja, Charge (Emperor) *Resist Gun/Nuke, Weak Psy* (Formed from Clotho and Archangel)
CHIRONNUPU: Ghastfire Rain (Unique: Medium Fire+Physical+Gun attack to all foes), Hama, Recarm, Mabufula, Tetrakarn (Fool) *Null Psy, Resist Ice/Fire/Bless, Weak Dark* (Formed from Sobek and Decarabia)
AQUARIUS: Stellar Flow (Unique: Medium Ice+Almighty attack to all foes), Mediarama, Marakukaja, Double Shot, Null Despair (Star) *Null Ice/Bless, Resist Fire/Wind, Weak Dark/Elec* (Formed from Shachihoko and Shiki-Ouji)