There was no Velvet Room.
Instead, there was endless fog, colored a nauseous yellow.
Amidst the mocking laughter of a deranged man (Adachi...?), a single eye stared down at him from a burning sky.
"Your fate is a lamentable one, lilim."
Was the sky talking? Or was it the eye?
"Brought down by a mere thrall of mine...yet possessing the potential to sunder the heavens. It would be astonishing, if we still had hope."
The heavenly fire was parted; something else was approaching.
"A mere puppet, pulled by the strings of so many...truly, truly, a lamentable fate, O Son of Perdition."
The fire flickered, as the eye turned away.
"I look forward to our inevitable confrontation...where it will be a simple contest of destruction: to destroy, or be destroyed...there is something pure in that."
The eye retreated from the oncoming storm, as the fire seemed to quiver.
"Yet it is a purity which you do not deserve, Seed of Damnation!"
The sky receded; the fire fled; the fog fell; and the shadow rose-!
xxxx
/?/
"You had a poor showing."
The voice registered, and Shinji Ikari quietly opened his eyes. The familiar ceiling of NERV's Medical Ward met him. What...?
"I suppose it is to be expected. You have yet to reach the summit of your capability."
Yet...something felt wrong. (Where had he experienced this sensation before?) "...father...?"
Sitting beside his cot, in a simple chair, was Gendo Ikari. His orange shades were impenetrable, and his face was masked by darkness. "Then again, there are many who hope that you reach the summit...and you will inevitably make it there, won't you?" He leaned forward, peering intently at Shinji's face. "What will you do, upon reaching it? Will you challenge the heavens? Will you ascend into the sky, and take that which is yours by right?"
What was he talking about? (You have to remember. This feels familiar...!)
"...but I think we both know what will happen." Beyond Gendo was a window; outside, an unearthly tempest raged. "You will fall. And in doing so, you will bring everyone down with you. Just another chapter in an unending legacy of failure and despair..."
He suddenly remembered where this odd feeling originated.
(June the 18th, 2015: he had awoken within NERV. His father had been there. "It's strange, how impulses work. For what reason, do certain ideas come to mind? For what reason do we act on them? A curious thought. I wonder if it's ever occurred to you." Stoic words; reflective words. "You faced an Angel. I wonder..." A gloved hand caressed his face, paradoxically gentle. "Did you experience pain? Good." The hand twisted, pulling viciously at his hair. "I hope it hurt. It must have gone deep. I want you to remember it. Relish that pain. LIVE by it. And then perhaps you'll understand." Spiteful words. Hateful words. He didn't understand. "...why, you ask? That you need to ask is proof enough that you would not understand. The day you understand why...I'll expect an apology. But I doubt I'll ever get one.")
Shinji still did not understand. Yet, the confusion and delirium over this bizarre happening convinced him to try something. "...whatever it was I did...I'm sorry..."
Gendo paused, as if shocked. "Sorry?" Then...he laughed. "Sorry?" The laughter ceased: cut short ruthlessly. "An empty apology, void of all substance. But...until you reach the summit, an apology will be nothing but empty words regardless." The glove on his right hand seemed to unravel, as though something was bursting forth from within. "As it stands, you are still a mere shade. You are not yet full, nor complete...only then, will your failure become truly manifest."
(What was he talking about?) "Help me understand...!"
"What would be the point of me giving you answers?" Rising to his feet, Gendo held forth his right hand: within his palm, a sickly montage of flesh and eyes and faces gazed back. "After all, is it not a father's nature to be the ultimate obstacle to his son?"
The image evoked memories, lost and forgotten. In a mere instant, Shinji felt so very utterly alone...
The Beast hissed—pushing his Other aside—and surged forth.
...so much so, that a deep and abiding rage rose up, and there was only SCREAMING.
"Good!" roared Gendo, rising away upon a distant peak. "Cast aside your falsehoods! Become the testament to mankind's calamity! Become the proof of human folly! Embrace the truth of what you are...so that I may witness your failure forever!"
The Beast snarled, raging at the Devil...!
xxxx
/Monday: September 21, 2015/
/Medical Ward, NERV HQ, Tokyo-3/
Shinji Ikari sat up with a gasp, hand clutching at his heart; his shirt was caked with sweat. I...that was...what...? All semblance of what just happened faded away, into the proverbial ether. Just...just a bad dream...
"You up?" sounded a quiet voice to his right.
Shinji looked over; sitting in an adjacent cot was Mana Kirishima. AIGIS and LABRYS were both leaning against the side, their gemstones emitting a subtle glow. "Mana-san?"
She glanced at him, revealing the nasal tape sitting on her nose. There was still remnants of bruising from the impact underneath her eyes; however, it was lesser than one would have expected. "How...?" She looked over him; following her gaze, Shinji saw Rei Ayanami sitting in a chair. She was sitting with a rather proper stance, but the downward tilt betrayed her somnolence.
"Ayanami showed up after Adachi did. Bastard got his kicks and bolted." Grumbling to herself, Mana added, "She brought us back. I woke up while Akagi was checking us over, but you've been out of it."
"...right." He shook off the strange sensation of something sinister watching him.
The Beast snorted.
His Other placed a hand on the creature's shoulder.
"At ease. The time will come, when all things are brought to completion..."
"...I don't get why he seemed to have it in for you in particular," murmured Mana.
"I wish I knew." Adachi had seem dreadfully intent on making some kind of example out of him...but why? And for what purpose? Why was he so interested in making me angry...?
"...I wonder if my brothers would have approved letting him go." Shinji looked back over at Mana, who was staring intently at the ceiling. "Strega let Adachi and all those crazy Shadows free, right?" she asked, referring to the fall of the Great Northern Tower prison in the Metaverse. "That was an asshole thing to do...but would my brothers see it as setting people free? Or just letting the dark parts of humanity destroy themselves?"
"...what do you think they would say?" inquired Shinji.
"Wish I knew. After being with Strega for so many weeks...after letting Angels become a part of them...I'm not even sure if I really know them anymore." Her face was hard, and stoic; the minor trembling of her lip was the only indication of just how painful that proposition had been. "...and I should hate that."
"...you don't?" Shinji honestly wondered.
"...been dealing with some stuff with Katsuragi and Yamagishi. With being taken in by Katsuragi, and dealing with Yamagishi being back at school..." The girl looked over at her weapons, all the while clutching at her blanket. "...if bonds can be broken, you can just go for new ones, right?
"I mean...sure, but even if your bonds aren't broken, that still doesn't stop you from making new ones." That was a lesson which had been imparted over and over, over the past months; especially as new bonds had been forged, over and over again. "Are you wanting to give up on your old bonds? Or to forget about them?"
"No," she impulsively replied. "...I mean, I don't know." Sulking in her cot, Mana elaborated on her confusion. "But...I've been thinking about stuff. The feelings I get, living with Katsuragi, and whenever Yamagishi's also around...they've reminded me of how I used to feel when it was the five of us: Big Sis, Little Sis, Keita-niisan, Musashi-niisan, and me. And...was I just after that feeling, this whole time? Because if that's the case...should I have even bothered with my brothers...?"
The genuine confusion—teetering on the edge of despair—was hard to ignore. So Shinji thought about it seriously, thinking of the closest proxy of Mana's situation: his relationship with his father. Am I just chasing after fond memories? Or is it something else? "...if you had the chance to have them here, free from Strega, would you do it?"
"In a heartbeat," Mana instantly answered. "But life's not that easy...or simple. If we run into each other, we're just going to fight again...and if I could think of them as something other than my family, it'd be so much easier..."
Thoughts of the strange bitterness that coated every aspect of Shinji's relationship with Gendo Ikari came to mind. However, inspiration struck. "But if you didn't think of them as family, would you even be worrying about them like this? They'd just be another enemy to defeat...and nothing more. Right?"
"...yeah." Mana looked away at the ceiling, a pensive expression ghosting across her face. "I'm just...wondering what I'm doing it all for...I thought it was for their sake, but they chose to be with Strega. How can I be fighting for them if it means taking away what they want?"
He thought of Gendo's antipathy toward anything related to Yui Ikari: missing for years, with no conclusive evidence. He thought of the Angels, who desired humanity's destruction. He thought of Adachi, who apparently wanted nothing more than to make him mad. He thought of the Usurper, opposed to all. Their 'wants' would result in immense unhappiness for many. And what is it that I want? "...is what they want good for them?"
"I mean, obviously I think it's bad for them. But if they chose that...who am I to take it away from them?"
"Their sister...a sister who really loves them." That much, at least, was clear. "You wouldn't be talking about this if you didn't love them." And what did that imply about his own relationship with Gendo Ikari? Even after everything...do I still love him? As his father? As family? I wish it could be easier too, Mana-san...
Mana huffed, seemingly acknowledging his point for what it was. "...why does stuff involving family have to hurt so much...?" she said with a wistful tone, falling into a silent contemplation of her circumstances.
If nothing else, Shinji could empathize with her struggles even more, now...
xx
Rei Ayanami was tired. (What else was new?)
Thoughts of Tohru Adachi's duplicitous attack had plagued her dreams, so worried was she about the ramifications: who was pulling the madman's strings? Who stood to gain the most from his maniacal actions? On and on, her mind had spiraled. (All the while, in the back of her mind, she could hear Gendo Ikari's snide commentary about having an insufficient number of contingencies in place.)
(You have certainly tried, have you not? Even now, we cannot escape the similarities...)
Such was her exhaustion, that even as Shinji and Mana had their little heart-to-heart, she could not help but dream...
xxxx
(It was another old dream, of a city and its skewed reflection, split across dimensions...)
Rei had long suspected that the Time Count was an aspect of Tabris, if only because of the hair color and his demeanor: amiable yet aloof, earnest and enigmatic in equal measure.
Not that he had ever admitted such: to be so blatant and open was rather gauche. However, there were certain mannerisms and references made that only solidified the connection with the Angel of Free Will, in her eyes.
When arriving at the Time Castle's doppelganger on the Other Side, that sensation only grew stronger. "An unusual hairstyle, for one of your temperament," she remarked.
The Time Count, clad in far more casual clothing than his dapper self from the 'First Side' (a term that she and her comrades had taken to using to refer to their 'original' Side, because saying 'This Side' became confusing when on the Other Side...), simply shrugged. Clad in a black sweater and gray slacks, he ran a hand through his bowlcut. "It was the hairstyle of my youth, you might say. Although, 'youth' is a luxury, for those of us who have partaken of the dreadful game."
That much, Rei could empathize with. "Then I won't pry," she said, glancing over her shoulder at one of the newer members of her...party? Cohort? Team? It was still hard to fathom such words being used so freely by her. (Yet, she would not have been able to get so far without finally opening up to others, because she was unable to work within and around the rules of this current world without help...) As Katsuya Suou and Baofu observed the odd knick-knacks around the shop with skepticism, Rei turned back towards the Time Count. "We managed to defeat the Masked Circle, and make it to this...dark reflection of Sumaru City."
"Dark is a matter of perspective," the Time Count remarked, gesturing towards a painting in the back of the store. With pride of place on the wall, it depicted a city surrounded by titanic towers, shaped like the Angels themselves. Each tower emitted a grand halo, from which glowed all the colors of the rainbow, casting a perpetual aurora in the sky. "After all, to the denizens of this world, they live under the aegis of the Heavenly Host, protecting them from an entire world full of sin. Is it any wonder that so many here would willingly wage war against Your Side?" To make his point, he quietly waved a flyer advertising a recruitment drive for the Knights of the Holy Lance: a military division comprised of humans devoted to the Angels. (It had been rather depressing to discover that the likes of Joker and his Masked Circle had merely been the equivalent of a recon unit dispatched by the Knights...!)
An unfortunate aspect, of just how the War in Heaven had panned out in this timeline. With ADAM and His Aspects having sequestered themselves in what was — for all intents and purposes — a pocket dimension, fighting them was going to be difficult. (Were it not for Tabris's latent fondness for humanity, she doubted the Time Count would even exist at all, in either world.) And on top of all that...was SEELE. Thus far, the only member who had acted publicly was Takahisa Kandori, via SEBEC. "We suspect that a machine called the Deva System has been used to draw on the nature of the Other Side to create the Rumors...but we have been unsuccessful at breaching it. Our hope is that there would be something more...accessible, here."
"A reasonable strategy...yet a foolhardy one, unfortunately," said the Count with a shake of his head. "In this world, SEBEC is a terrorist group, seeking to undermine the social order and introduce chaos. Although secrecy works in their favor tactically...they are also a rather effective means of whipping up popular fervor for an eventual war against Your Side."
"But to what end?" So long as either she or ADAM remained standing, access to the Throne was impossible: both of their powers were necessary in order to even reach it.
"...I'm afraid I can be of little help, there." Leaning on his desk, the Count remarked, "But...there is a particular Rumor I've heard. If you call your own phone number, there is a chance that an oracle known as the Hermit will answer...and that he will guide you to where you need to go...if you pay the toll."
"...an unusual Rumor," she admitted.
"Go ahead and try," said the Count, standing back with a resigned smile.
Rei frowned, pulling out her flip phone with no small measure of anxiety. (The fact that her phone even still had a signal on the Other Side was bizarre enough; but in a place where cognition reigned supreme, perhaps that was all it took?) Dialing her own number, she listened for the impossible dial tone. Instead of going to her own voicemail, it rang three times. Before the fourth, someone picked up...yet they did not speak. "...hello?"
"You've been busy, Rei."
Rei closed her eyes, trying not to show her lack of surprise or her sudden trepidation. "I had been wondering when you would appear...your absence thus far has been odd."
"We all have our roles to play," remarked the voice of Gendo Ikari. "Being a recluse with access to the esoteric has been...agreeable, as you would say."
Sometimes, Rei could not help but worry for the state of Gendo's mind...but she could not spare him such concern at the moment. "State your toll, Hermit."
"You have two choices, at this juncture. If you wish to know of where you can find the group that experimented on Maki Sonomura, you will need to declare war on the Knights of the Holy Lance."
"...that will make moving about very difficult." And her comrades were still trying to master using their Personas! It would be the equivalent of drawing a giant spotlight on her and her allies. Yet...if we make ourselves an obvious target, that might draw Maki-chan's experimenters out of hiding. We could actually come to understand how she's connected to the Deva System...! "And the other?"
"I can tell you where the Old Men are hiding."
It felt too good to be true. A chance to strike at SEELE directly? "What is the toll?"
"Kill the Count with your own hands."
Rei impulsively looked over at the store's proprietor, who was looking at her with knowing eyes. He would have me repeat what Shinji Ikari did to Kaworu Nagisa? How cruel of him. "And what do you gain from this toll?"
"There is nothing more in this world for me to gain; I am simply acting the part, until the next time comes around...after all, there is only so much that can be done, ramming your head against the proverbial wall."
"I will not let your pessimism define me," she retorted, discarding the second option entirely. We will find and defeat SEELE in due time. "I will take the first option."
"...if you insist," said Gendo after some moments of silence. "To declare war on the Knights, you will need the services of an anti-Angel firebrand who was...a mutual acquaintance of ours, in a time long past." Without another word, he hung up.
Rei stared at her phone, even as her mind immediately drew a conclusion. We have to find Misato Katsuragi? How curious. Putting her phone away, she looked back at the Count with stoic eyes. "We must be off."
"Take your time," the Count remarked as a way of saying farewell.
(Oh, how different life would have been, had she chosen the second option...)
xxxx
...but all dreams came to an end, eventually.
Rei remained silent, opening her eyes as her teenage comrades entered the room in a rather noisy manner. And so begins another day...
xx
The moment Shinji realized Rei was awake, it coincided with Kensuke Aida and Toji Suzuhara bursting into the room, followed by Mayumi Yamagishi, Hikari Horaki, and Asuka Langley-Sohryu. "You sure picked a bad time to give us a scare!" chimed Kensuke, leaning against Shinji's cot. "You hanging in there?"
"...somewhat," he admitted, watching as Mayumi went towards Mana ("How's your nose...?"), whilst Hikari hovered over towards where Ayanami was sitting ("Did you fall asleep like that? That's bad for your posture!").
"Sounds like you got the short straw," grumbled Toji, leaning against the wall near Shinji's head. "The way Class Rep put it, she, Ayanami, and Yamagishi had some pretty tough customers...whereas for us? Smooth sailing."
Asuka snorted audibly, coming to a stop by the foot of his medical cot. "For all the Stooges aren't worth a crap in one-on-one spars, they're surprisingly decent doing fieldwork."
Toji stuck his tongue out defiantly, while Kensuke retorted, "Oh come on, our Triple Team Attack was cool! I'm thinking we should call it the Triad Supreme-"
"Lame," immediately retorted Toji and Asuka, who promptly jolted at being on the same wavelength for even a scintilla.
"...at least you're all okay." Shinji felt some measure of relief at that, even if the specter of Tohru Adachi lingered like...well, fog, appropriately enough.
"So, how'd it happen?" Everyone turned towards Asuka, who was staring intently with crossed arms. "How'd Adachi get the jump on you?"
"There's not much to tell," explained Mana. "We were taking a break after taking down our sixth Acolyte. We got surrounded by fog without warning, and there was a sudden blast that knocked us out before we could even retaliate." There was a brief lull, as everyone felt the ramifications of those words. "Then we woke up. Adachi talked a lot of shit, broke my nose, and talked more shit before leaving."
Rei Ayanami quietly sat up, stretching her arms with a bored expression. "I notified the local Agents to be on the lookout before I warped back to Tokyo-3 with you and Ikari-san."
"...so, what now?" wondered Hikari. "This Tohru Adachi...he's the one who attacked Tokyo-2 during the Fog of Desolation, right? The one they call the Smiling Traitor on the news, right? Why is he called that?"
"I'd like to know why this jackass has a beef with Shinji, some random old lady from the local hospital, your country's former A.T. Task Force commissioner, und dem verdammten Papst!" remarked Asuka. "Is this guy just a random terrorist type with a grudge against humanity?"
"...if I recall correctly, he's affiliated with the Angels in some way, right?" asked Mayumi, looking amongst those who had gone on the Summer Road Trip™.
Toji huffed. "Yeah. That's what sensei said, at least..."
(August the 22nd, 2015: As everyone tried gathering themselves after the prior day's harrowing events, the debrief brought everyone up to speed. As Sakamoto discussed what he had experienced alongside Kensuke and Toji, the matter of finding Kenshiro Morooka's body had been brought up...along with a video tape left behind by the perpetrator. "...a perp who's known by the title of the Smiling Traitor...because he was a former A.T. Agent. Went by the name of Tohru Adachi. And apparently...thanks to a 'patron' with what looked like a gigantic eye, he caused the fog to appear in the first place." The description seemed uncannily similar to Sahaquiel, the Angel who Shinji, Mayumi, and the late Kurosawa had discovered within the local MAGI Chamber: the source of the yellow fog itself. "...as though we didn't have enough problems on our plate; now we have to add a serial murderer with Angelic powers on top of all the other nutjobs with Angelic powers," griped Sakamoto. "I honestly don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing that Adachi's apparently gone AWOL from the rest of Strega, because he came off as a bit of a loose cannon.")
Asuka and Hikari, who had not been present for those 'delightful' events, seemed rather taken aback.
"And if that wasn't enough, he apparently took Sakura-sensei hostage on the very next day," explained Shinji.
This caused a wave of shock to ripple over Kensuke, Toji, Mana, and Mayumi. "What?! Since when?!" chorused the two Stooges. (Rei simply narrowed her eyes, which was reaction enough.)
"Sakura-san...?" murmured Mayumi with dawning horror.
"Did he hurt the old-timer?" demanded Mana.
Shinji shook his head. "No...from what I heard, he simply knocked him out, then helped himself to some of sensei's curry before Misato-san and Sakamoto-san arrived...and then he apparently left without getting into a fight." There seemed to be no rhyme or reason to the man's actions at all.
"Seriously, what's the deal with this Arschloch?" demanded Asuka.
A familiar voice sounded out from the hallway. "And that's what we need to find out." The teenagers all turned towards Ryuji Sakamoto as he hobbled in, followed by a tired Misato Katsuragi.
"You okay, kiddo?" asked Misato, impulsively running a hand over Mana's hair.
It said a lot that Mana didn't flinch or protest in the least. "Been worse," she said with a shrug, subconsciously leaning towards Misato's hand.
Ryuji, leaning on his cane, looking seriously at Shinji. "You've got a habit of punching above your weight class, kid...Evangelion notwithstanding."
Shinji resisted the urge to duck his head between his shoulders.
"It ain't your fault," Ryuji said, sensing his discomfort and shame. "Tohru Adachi was a nutty fellow before he got locked up...and now that he's out and about and apparently powered up by an Angel, we have to get a handle on things." With emphasis, he pointed at both Mana and Shinji. "So...if you have any idea as to why he decided to attack you two in particular, we need to know."
Shinji and Mana shared a look, because how exactly could they even explain Adachi's words? What context could explain them? "...he talked like he knew about my weapons," grumbled Mana with a thoughtful glare. "Said that AIGIS and LABRYS...'felt familiar'."
Misato frowned. "A possible connection with the JET ALONE Project? With Tokita?"
Mana shrugged. "Wouldn't know. I never even met Adachi face-to-face until yesterday."
"And you?" said Ryuji, looking back towards Shinji with intent. "Anything at all...anything."
Shinji tried his best to think past the memory of pain and delirium. "...he...he was taunting me. Telling me to 'show him what I've got'..." (Adachi had stopped his tirade, looking contemplative; why had he stopped?) "...for some reason...it feels like he was trying to make me angry."
Ryuji hummed to himself, sharing a glance with Misato. "Angry, huh?"
Misato grimaced, looking rather perturbed. "Interesting." (Why was it interesting.) "Mana-chan, you're on bedrest for the rest of the day at least. Shinji-kun, you're due for a check-up with Ritsuko, to make sure nothing's wrong with your spiriology or your cognitive profile." Which could only mean another round with The Tube™. "As for the rest of you? New rule going forward on any missions: two Evangelion-users at minimum." When Asuka rolled her eyes, Misato immediately cut to the quick. "We're dealing with a former A.T. Agent with at least some connection to the Angels. No taking chances until he's brought down."
"Fine, whatever," grumbled the Second Child.
"You kids enjoy the rest of the day otherwise, unless an emergency pops up." Misato briefly ruffled Mana's hair before rising, tilting her head towards the door. "Got a minute, Sakamoto?"
"Maybe more," he remarked, quietly hobbling out of the room. When Misato departed moments later, it just left eight teenagers by themselves.
"...so, need a lift getting to Dr. Akagi?" joked Kensuke.
"I can still walk," sullenly grumbled Shinji as he made to get out of the cot.
"...so, anyone up for lunch?" asked Toji. "They should be serving lunch in the cafeteria soon."
"Is the cafeteria here any good?" asked Hikari. "My father's...never really talked about it."
"Then let's change that!" said Mayumi, briefly looking back at Mana...who was already getting out of her cot. "Mana-san, Katsuragi-san said-!"
"She said bedrest, and right now I'm too hungry to rest."
Asuka snorted with amusement. "Can't beat that logic."
xxxx
Misato led Ryuji to an empty conference room, complete with a white board for the purpose of helping with presentations. "So..." said Ryuji, pulling a chair from under the conference table to rest on. "...you got an inkling as to what kind of 'anger' the kid has that could entice Adachi?"
"...I think the most important thing is to just try and keep track of all the pieces," murmured Misato, resting a hand atop her beret with a grimace. "Because I'm tired of feeling like I'm in over my head..."
(September the 13th, 2015: After a rather telling revelation from Akechi as to why he had lied about knowing Mister P's apparent connection to Pen-Pen, the sheer weight of everything only seemed to grow with each passing moment. "Do you remember what happened when you faced the girl who wielded multiple Personas? How she temporarily hospitalized you? How she killed Junpei Iori and Ken Amada? Did it ever occur to you that her presence wasn't a coincidence?" Akechi's refusal to answer only infuriated her; his snide tone did him no favors. "Not only are you ignorant of the stakes, you're not even aware of just how much you've forgotten. But that's none of my business, now is it? All I care about is our ultimate victory...and whether or not you're going to be a help, or a hindrance.")
Akechi had given her an ultimatum, one that she had lost; his only recommendation had been to ensure that Evangelion-users and their comrades survive...Shinji Ikari in particular. Flat lot of good I'm able to do if I don't know what to protect them from. "Sakamoto-san...can I trust you?"
"Depends on what I'm being trusted with," he said with caution, leaning onto his cane. "What's this about?"
Misato sighed—taking a leap of faith—and disclosed exactly what she had talked with Goro Akechi about on the day of the last new moon.
If nothing else, Ryuji Sakamoto looked rather contemplative...if not equally irritated, judging by how much his good leg was bouncing up and down. "Man, if I had known becoming Suzuhara-kun's teacher was going to come with this much baggage, I might have had second thoughts..."
"No you wouldn't have," retorted Misato. "Even if someone else might have been better for Suzuhara, they might have also been worse...and besides, you're the type who's hands-on. I'd like to think I know that much about you by now."
"...before we talk any further, I need to know one thing." Rising up to his feet, Ryuji slowly approached Misato, until they were about a meter about. Staring eye-to-eye, he asked, "Who are you doing this for?"
Misato thought back to their last conversation that involved such heavy topics.
(September the 5th, 2015: After a bit of a disagreement regarding her investigation into Kaji and Himmel, Ryuji broke the silence with honesty. "It's no secret that you want answers. But at what cost?" Tilting his head back towards the apartment, he added, "You've got two orphaned girls in your charge, and you're about to become the Warden of the city's Cognitive Protection Center. This is also on top of everything you do as the Task Force's liaison to NERV HQ...on top of the missions you've been running where've you had to 'chaperone' the kids. You're being stretched thin.")
"...even if Adachi's true aim involves Shinji-kun, the bastard still broke Mana-chan's nose. And after what Akechi told me...I can't help but wonder what exactly we're in the middle of. But I can't protect the kids if I can't see the big picture. And, well..." With a defeated sigh, she confessed, "I need another set of eyes to make sure I'm not missing anything."
"And my eyes are apparently up for the job?"
"Well, I'm not asking you to run, am I?" she said, not-too-subtly pointing at his bad leg.
At this, Ryuji could only laugh. "Fair enough, Katsuragi." Reaching for two markers, he handed one to her before unscrewing the cap on his. "Let's see where we stand."
First up, Misato wrote ANGELS near the center of the whiteboard. "So. What do we know?" she asked, whilst pulling out her phone to look up the mission report archives she had access to. Everything since Shinji-kun arrived back in June, she mused.
Ryuji traced two lines underneath the word, writing STREGA and ADACHI at the end of each. Underneath the first, he wrote the names of all known members: Takaya, Jin, Sho, Keita, and Musashi. Underneath the second, he simply wrote (Eyeball Angel?). "There was that monstrous eye in the video where he offed Morooka...and the kids said it was a big giant eye that was causing the fog in Tokyo-2, at the Camp Matsumoto MAGI Chamber..."
"Sahaquiel," said Misato, staring at her phone. "The name that came up during the debrief at the Amagi Resort Hotel was Sahaquiel."
"...right," he murmured, a flicker of recollection crossing his face. He crossed out his prior description and wrote (Sahaquiel) underneath. "What do we know about Strega?"
Looking up from her phone, Misato gazed at the whiteboard, thinking back to the battle at the Himmel facility on September the 2nd, as well as to the aftermath report of Sho Minazuki's assault on the Summer Olympics. "...I think Minazuki may be tied to Zeruel," she mused, writing (Zeruel?) by Sho. "As for Mana-chan's brothers...they showed unique abilities." She wrote (Wormholes?) by Keita, and (Nanomachines?) by Musashi. "And that tracks with what was in Director Kirijo's report about their operation against Strega during the last new moon...speaking of which." Besides both Jin and Shirato, she wrote (Blue Mold?). "The internal report uploaded by the Third Branch described multiple observations of these two being the source of the moldy fungus...or at least working in and around it." With a wan smile, she added, "Still got some perks of being the Task Force's liaison to NERV."
Ryuji didn't smirk, simply staring at the top two names. "So, Shirato-kun may be tied to the same Angel that Takaya Sakaki is, huh?" He tightly gripped the head of his cane, but said nothing more.
Sighing, Misato then wrote a list of names beside ANGELS. "These monsters have names...and these names have officially been catalogued at this point, either based on what the kids have said, or based on what the Angels themselves have said to eyewitnesses." The memory of Zeruel talking within Himmel still made her skin crawl.
(Defeated: Sachiel, Shamshel, Ramiel, Matarael, Gaghiel, Armisael, Israfel)
(Remaining: Zeruel, Sahaquiel, ?)
How many more are there, she wondered. "Next..." She moved off to a corner, writing UNKNOWN FORCE(?). "We have...whoever this is." Tracing a line down from it, she wrote Minako, and (Multiple Personas) underneath. "Going by what Akechi said...this girl is a pawn."
"Ken and Junpei's murderer, huh?" Ryuji huffed, his lip curling with a barely restrained snarl. "Lovely."
Moving to the other side of the board, Misato wrote three names in a rough triad formation: MISTER P, Ryoji Kaji, and Goro Akechi. "So..." Underneath Kaji, she wrote (Shadow as well). "His Shadow is rogue, and operating independently. For what reason, and what goal? No clue." (She wasn't bitter. No, not at all.) Underneath Akechi, she wrote (More than one Persona?). "The Persona he summoned in his office...was all black. Similar in stature to Robin Hood, but much stronger."
"Any idea if he has more than two?" asked Ryuji.
"...not a clue."
"...he's an interesting fellow," he grumbled. "Especially with all the rumors coming out of Tokyo. Did you hear the story about how he's apparently the President's long-lost son?"
Misato boggled. "The son of Masayoshi Shido? For real?"
Ryuji snorted. "Hard to believe. You think there's any truth to it?"
"...given how well Akechi hid his true self from everyone he worked with in Tokyo-3? I have no clue what to think." Misato huffed, moving back to the biggest question of them all: Mister P. "So...he has some connection to my pet. Still trying to parse that." She wrote (Pen-Pen?) underneath.
"Any luck with the Himmel footage?"
"...there's a lot of white noise," she admitted. "Not a lot of stuff that's pertinent to what I'm looking for. And since it's video, I have to watch...a lot of it." And her time was also starting to run short...she only had until the end of the month to find something concrete before she was legally obligated to return the hardware and source files to the NGO in question. "Only so much time in the day..."
Ryuji hummed. "Anything else?"
"...there is one we talked about before." Thoughts of their prior conversation from August the 22nd came to mind, as the two had tried killing time during their travel back to Nishiawakura to get their vehicles. She wrote (Has a winged Shiba Inu?). He came with Mister P to help rescue me from Shiro Tokita's Metaverse complex...and Sakamoto said this dog was present in Tokyo-2, fighting alongside everyone at the CPC during the Fog of Desolation. "Come to think of it...I've seen this dog on some of the Himmel footage. Except, you know, without wings."
"...curious." Ryuji frowned. "Have you seen anything about a bear in the footage?"
"...there's a bear that's one of the animals I've seen. Why?"
"Was it blue?" When Misato tilted her head with confusion, Ryuji murmured, "I'll tell you in a minute...what next?"
Misato pursed her lips together, wondering what was going through the older man's mind. Forcefully pushing herself back on track, Misato looked back at the whiteboard. "Other things we know about Mister P that are relevant..." His strength and skills in battle were not important in her mind, notwithstanding the fact he had his own Persona (which was a bizarre thing to think about, because how could a penguin have a Persona?). As she scratched her proverbial brain, she impulsively rubbed underneath her beret, feeling for the short hair that was still a physical reminder of her temporary imprisonment-and that's when it hit her like a ton of bricks. "Wait." There had been another oddity about Mister P...regarding an apparent ability to send someone great distances in a flash. "When he teleported us away from Tokita's facility on the first of July...and when he teleported me away from the Reaper when I was trying to tail Shinji-kun later that month..." She intentionally ignored all of the emotional drama related to Shinji's secretive meeting with Kaji's Shadow, because that still rankled deep down, even if they had reconciled since. "...it was through a white void."
"...a white void...why does that sound familiar...?"
"Because on the sixteenth of August, Mister P teleported the kids away to 'test' them, remember? From the hospital in Mimasaka? It was through a white void."
"Yeah, I remember that, but why are the words 'white void' ringing a bell? I've heard them recently..." Ryuji suddenly blinked with surprise. "Oh. Right. It was just after Horaki got her Persona. Suzuhara-kun talked about how he fell through a 'white void' into the Metaverse...then Aida talked about his experience with ending up in the cognitive world and getting his Persona."
...right. The sheer improbability of three kids ending up near (or within, in Hikari's case) their Shadow's Realms made it stick out all the more. Is Mister P intentionally trying to make the people around Shinji-kun stronger? The ramifications were worrisome, even if the enigmatic bird-man's intentions were good. "...and what's more...I remember something else, from whenever I fell through that white void." Underneath the Shiba Inu comment, she wrote (Boy with silver hair in white void?).
"A boy?" wondered Ryuji aloud.
"Yeah. A kid with silver hair...and yellow eyes." Misato scowled, trying to recall those faint and fleeting words she had heard: full of a child's naivete and hopeful reassurance. "...which reminds me of one other strange kid we've seen with that description." Moving back to the other side of the board, in a blank space between Adachi and Minako's names, she wrote SOKILA. "The girl from the Metaverse, who showed up without warning on the eleventh of August."
"Ah. The kid you about reduced to tears?"
"I already apologized for that!"
"Still made a kid cry~"
"Oh, hush you."
Misato turned back to the whiteboard. "So. The things we know about the little tyke are as follows." Underneath Sokila's name, she wrote (Knows Mister P). "She said as much," she said, next writing (Says her father is 'God'). "Still don't know what this is about." Next, she wrote (Calls herself Shinji's Attendant). "That whole 'guest' and 'attendant' thing...is there anything to it, you think? Or is it just a kid playing make-believe?"
"What kind of make-believe involves guests and attendants? It's not like she works at a hotel."
Misato huffed. "I just wonder...because this girl apparently originated in the Metaverse, and the only other person we know of with that sort of background is Ayanami." Which was an entirely different discussion. "And I get it, she seemed harmless enough...but it's still odd how she just vanished into thin air."
"...thin air, huh." Misato shot Ryuji another look, whilst he simply walked over towards the left corner and wrote Rei Ayanami. "It's obvious enough that she's a bit different than either Ikari or Sohryu. But just from what I've seen and heard, she's the mysterious type who likes to hold back. Am I right?"
"Oh, does she ever," groused Misato, thinking back to all the times Rei had refused to talk about Mister P, in spite of direct orders to the contrary.
(June the 11th, 2015: After confronting Ayanami about text and audio logs all but confirming that Rei knew who Mister P was, the blunette remained doggedly stubborn on saying nothing. Even pulling rank meant nothing. "You are on loan from the Anti-Terror Task Force. You are Director of Operations only when it comes to deploying NERV assets against Acolytes and Ghosts. When it comes to rank, I am ultimately subordinate only to Commander Ikari...you do not need to know. That is all there is to it.")
(June the 20th, 2015: After what felt like the first of many heart attacks due to Mister P's apparent kidnapping of Shinji, she and Ayanami had finally tracked him down to a forest near Lake Ashi in the Metaverse. Upon verifying Shinji's safety, she immediately demanded answers from Ayanami as to what the deal with the bird-man was, because this could not stand! As before, she remained stubbornly polite. "I do not know for certain, Major Katsuragi...I was not lying to you about my lack of certainty...I am not an enemy, Major...you do not want to pursue this course of action." Only Shinji's plea for peace prevented the situation from escalating any further...and the subsequent mention of Kaji's name during their 'debriefing' at the Big Bang Beef Bowl Shop would distract her from Mister P for a time.)
Starting to think I have a recurring problem, she thought, grimacing inwardly. Almost makes me wish I was still an alcoholic...I need to look through my old notes sometime, mused Misato, ruing the fact that she had left her usual notepad at home. Brushing Ryuji aside, she wrote (What does she know?). "The big question...and I want to believe she means good. I think she does intend things to be for the best...I just wish I could be a part of it." (In the back of her mind, Akechi's stinging rebuke of her own weakness reared its ugly head.) "Is that so wrong?"
"...well, since we're on the subject of mysterious kids with phenomenal powers," said Ryuji, seamlessly segueing away from her introspection, "let's consider someone else." In the space between Rei Ayanami and STREGA, he wrote Kaworu Nagisa.
"Eh?" boggled Misato. "Why him?"
Ryuji arched an eyebrow, as if to ask 'really'? Without waiting, he wrote two lines underneath Kaworu's name: (Beat Sho Minazuki in a fight? How?) and (Shinji's only roommate without a Persona). "That's why. Footage of the bout between Nagisa and Minazuki never did turn up; all we've got is eyewitness testimony to the fact that he apparently put the smackdown on Minazuki and a bunch of yakuza in order to get Ikari out of that underground fight club."
"...ah. Right." Misato brought her hands up to her face, audibly inhaling and exhaling. Just focus. One thing at a time. "So. Obviously an Adept of some kind, if he was able to beat the likes of Minazuki one-on-one...and given how often he's been around the kids, we'd know if he was a Persona-user by now."
Ryuji nodded. "For how much of an oddball he is, he doesn't strike me as the type to just leave people in the lurch...questionable life choices aside."
At that, Misato could agree, because what child signs up to join a fight club run by yakuza?! "I actually don't even know his parental situation...might have to look into it." But that was a thought for later. "And heck, while we're at it," she said, going for the space between Minako and Sokila to write THE REAPER. "This odd Archetype of mass destruction that Shinji-kun keeps running into. I know of at least three instances." The mission that Shinji and Ayanami had taken in Sapporo on June the 26th, backing up Makoto Niijima in the process; Shinji and Mana's near-disastrous encounter during their missions in America on July the 11th; and then, most recently, Shinji, Mayumi, Ayanami, and Kurosawa's battle in Tokyo-2 during the Fog of Desolation. "Before Shinji-kun arrived, I know for a fact that Ayanami had only ever run into the Reaper twice...and I can't recall if Asuka's ever run into the Reaper, in all the years she's fought." With that in mind, she wrote (Focuses on Shinji whenever it appears?). "Oh, and let's not forget that when I ran into Mister P on the 27th of July, heknew the Reaper was coming before I even heard the chains!" Thus went (Mister P can tell when it's coming?). "Does that about sum it up?"
"...not quite." He traced lines between Mister P, Ryoji Kaji, and Goro Akechi; then drew a curve linking Mister P and Rei Ayanami. "But even for all their apparent connections...there's someone else."
Misato was this close to tearing out her hair. "Well, who else goes on the big picture?"
"...someone we've talked about before, in Nishiawakura." With a serious expression, he a ran a hand through the short spikes of his black hair. "Remember? The kids' volunteer chaperone?"
"...ah. Amamiya. Right..."
(August the 12th, 2015: As the only adults with Personas in Nishiawakura, it was important to rendezvous and compare notes over what had already been a hectic stay. Thus, Ryuji had eventually brought up someone of interest: Ren Amamiya. "...his explanation for the stuff he pulled off on the Ai in the Metaverse never quite sat right with me. I mean: the telepathic communication? His piss-poor attempt at lying to our faces about what happened on the Car Deck?" But that wasn't the most interesting thing. "It was when we were saying farewell to Sokila yesterday. She summoned something that none of us could see, but she and Ikari could...and judging by Amamiya's reaction, he saw whatever it was as well...I'd be more okay with it if he didn't immediately try to hide the fact that he had seen whatever it was. He knows more than he lets on...but given what I've observed of his personality, I have no idea why he'd keep it quiet. And that doesn't sit well with me." Alas, when Ryuji shortly thereafter brought up the prospect of her using the resources at her disposal to look into him, she had refused: her investigation into Mister P, Kaji, and everything related to them took priority.)
Yet another episode of hating 'past me', mentally groused Misato. "Okay then. Got anything to offer on him?"
"That's the thing; I confronted him. More than once. One-on-one." Ryuji wrote (Has strange Metaverse powers) underneath Ren's name. Then, to Misato's surprise, he wrote (Can see the Blue Door?) further down, followed by (Comes from a Blue Door) underneath Sokila. "It was the day before the August New Moon. After everyone split up to look for Yamagishi, I told him to cut the crap and be honest about his powers, and why he lied about them. I told him to give me a reason not to blow the whistle."
"...and?"
"Well, without putting too fine a point on it: the things that Amamiya told me sound very similar to what Akechi told you...at least, in retrospect," he added.
Misato didn't quite know what to make of that.
"But that's not all. During the August New Moon, he slipped into the Metaverse and ended up fighting an Acolyte; ended up having to bail him out. Then after the Fog of Desolation, I confronted him about what Niijima-san told you: about a man in black with a talking blue bear who helped her make it out of the fog alive."
"...that was Amamiya!?"
"The description that Niijima gave you matched his Metaverse outfit to a tee."
"...why am I just now hearing about this?" Left unsaid: why didn't you tell me? (She refused to feel betrayed...she would at least wait to hear his reason...!)
Ryuji kept on, not yet done making his point. "But that brings me back to whatever this damn door is about...because after the kids got back from their unannounced 'training match' with the bird-man on the 16th of August, while you were busy talking with Kurosawa about 'Mister P things'...I took the kids to where they had fought the last Angel in the Metaverse. Talked to them about the crazy shit they'd been through, and whether Shinji wanted to actually loop them in on whatever they'd been through. And they threw out terms that had gone completely unused during their debriefing the day before, like 'War in Heaven' and 'Throne of God'..." Misato tried not to boggle. "...then, Ikari pulled out some kind of key. When the others touched it, they said they could see a blue door. No such luck for me, though." He hobbled over to the open chair, sitting back down to rest his bad leg. "And just like with Sokila...they vanished whenever walking through that door. Then they were back in less than five minutes...even though much more time had passed for them. And whatever it was they learned...it changed them. What they learned is something I have no clue about...only that Amamiya apparently has an idea." Looking over at certain names on the whiteboard, he added, "And probably more than a few other people."
Weariness was an old companion of Misato Katsuragi; right now, it had just shown up and crashed on her proverbial couch without warning. Leaning tiredly against the conference table, she couldn't even muster a glare. "...why didn't you tell me?"
"...I'd say they weren't my secrets to share, but I think you'd call bullshit on that." Obviously! "...the hell of it is, I can't really explain it myself. Call it a gut instinct, or whatever you want, but...there was something about Amamiya that made me want to have faith in him. And that extended to the kids...because after everything they had been through, I wanted to at least let them take a stand. Because when it comes to this line of work...your comrades can make or break you. And these kids...they need all the help they can get. Even if it's help I can only give from the sidelines, because they feel that they have to fight alone."
"But it shouldn't be that way," said Misato.
"Preaching to the choir...but look at that whole mess." Ryuji gestured at the whiteboard. "Where would we even start?"
That alas, was the most important point of all. So much so, that Misato — desperately trying to reconcile all the pieces — wrote something simple on top of the whiteboard:
SHINJI IKARI
(The Center of Everything, but WHY?)
The finished product showed just how precarious everything was.
"...so, what are you going to do now?" wondered Ryuji.
"...well, the most pressing problem on my plate right now is wondering whether Mayumi-chan wants to arrange a meeting with her cousin," Misato admitted, much to Ryuji's visible surprise. It was such a mundane problem, by comparison.
"That so?"
"...I think, more than anything else, I was fed up with stumbling through the dark," she admitted, staring at the whiteboard without a stoic frown. "I know Akechi warned me about the consequences of digging deeper...but damn it all, when the likes of the Smiling Traitor ambushes Shinji-kun and Mana-chan, I can't just sit back and do nothing." To just sit back out of cowardly obedience to those with greater power than her...would have been a betrayal of who she was. "At least now I'll know where to snoop around, and what to avoid."
Ryuji chuckled. "If you even have the time."
"Like you're not a part of this?" wondered Misato with audible skepticism. "I mean, you've sat here, throwing out reminders left and right...and if you hadn't talked about Amamiya at all, I would have never known. So why now?"
"Well...after all the talk we've had about duties and whatnot, I was genuinely curious as to whether any of it stuck. You could even call it...making a leap of faith."
The connotations did not go unnoticed: that Ryuji—despite whatever trepidations he had professed previously about her dogged pursuit of the truth, especially at the expense of her responsibilities—was able and willing to have faith in her was more heartening than he could realize. "Well...it's highly appreciated." Even though they were peers in more ways than one, he was also her elder in experience...and after everything she had struggled with over the past months, having at least one person on the same page as her was liberating in a way she could barely describe. As such, placing both hands in front of her abdomen, she calmly performed a saikeirei bow: forty-five degrees at the waist. "Thank you."
The utter sincerity of her gratitude seemed to catch Ryuji off-guard, based on how quickly he looked away. "Well, uh...you're welcome."
Rising with a grin, Misato decided to grant him mercy. "We have enough to think about for now." That was putting it mildly; without another word, she wiped away the whiteboard, leaving a blank slate. Idly gripping her father's old cross, she murmured an old line she remembered him saying often. "Sufficient for the day is the evil thereof..." Tomorrow would have its own troubles.
xxxx
As Shinji quietly sat within The Tube™, he heard Ritsuko make mention of some upcoming trip by the Marukis: something to do with having an actual in-depth meeting at Headquarters. So Director Maruki and his wife will be coming to Tokyo-3...
That thought, for some reason, persisted.
So much so, that as Shinji quietly walked through the city following his time with Ritsuko ("You're in fine health for now, but don't push it," Dr. Akagi had chided), he reflected on everything he had been through in America, during his brief stay at NERV-01. More importantly, Futaba's past connection with his mother and Ritsuko Akagi came to mind, particularly in light of the recent spat he'd had with Ritsuko with regards to her mother. Perhaps Mana's conversation that morning about family was what spurned it on?
(Or perhaps it's the lingering dream of your father...)
What serendipity, then, that he ran across a familiar face on the city sidewalk. "...Fuyutsuki-sensei?"
Kōzō Fuyutsuki looked down with an arched eyebrow, just as surprised. "Ikari-kun; it's not often I see you walking amongst us mortals."
"..."
"Ah, forgive me for my poor taste in humor." The teacher quietly looked around. "Let's find a place to sit."
Shinji quietly followed until they came across one of the few spots in the downtown area that had been left unmolested by the city's construction: a spot of greenery, underneath the shade of a Japanese beech tree; a testament to nature and civilization coexisting in relative harmony. (That it also provided a place for people to relax—to de-stress, to let their cognition pacify the city's ambient mindscape—was an added bonus.)
"I tend to walk around the city on my days off," mused Fuyutsuki, launching into an explanation without delay. "With all the work at the Academy, my routine tends to keep me close to the school grounds; a little bit of variety goes a long way, when I need to keep these old bones healthy."
View: watch?v=U4WdD30WAn4
Shinji nodded, quietly watching the wind blow through the leaves of the beech tree; the interplay of shadows amidst the branches and the skyscrapers around was enticingly normal, and compelling in a way that the Metaverse couldn't quite grasp for all its fantastic allures.
"Given the news as of late, I would have assumed you would be out...working, so to speak."
Fuyutsuki's words elicited a tired sigh from Shinji. "Yesterday was...rough, sensei. The teammate I worked with is on bedrest for the day, so it...feels wrong, to try and get back out there immediately."
"I see. Small mercies, that you children are out of school until Thursday."
That reminded Shinji of the current day. "So...Sakura-sensei never really made a big deal for this holiday. He kept working like normal." Sojiro had offered special discounts for Nishiawakura's senior citizens; that was one thing Shinji could recall from the dense fog that his pre-June 2015 memories had become. (You still haven't gotten any closer to the truth about that...) "Is there anything I'm supposed to do?"
"Ah. Normally, people go home to visit the eldest members of their family, or in their local community." Fuyutsuki quietly gestured towards a nearby food stand, where each senior customer was given a free steamed bun with their order. "We reflect in small ways as to the ways our forebears have helped create the world we live in...for good or ill." Resting his hands on his knees, the old teacher remarked, "And that sentiment is rather prominent, this year...the loss of Tokyo-2, the end of the Imperial Family, the formation of a prefectural confederation...there's a great sense of disconnect, with the world as it once was. I can only hope the younger generations can carry on the good things into the future..."
Given the world's constitution as a proverbial dreamscape, Shinji wasn't sure how that would come about. Yet, he held his tongue. "...is there someone aged who you respect, sensei?"
Fuyutsuki chuckled. "Among the living? Few whom I would consider with any intimacy...probably not since the passing of Ikari-sensei, your grandfather." Looking quietly at the old beech tree, her remarked, "I am the oldest one left, so to speak..."
"...that reminds me: Takuto and Futaba Maruki will be visiting soon."
The teacher went still, as if genuinely worried by the prospect. "...I see."
"Is...something wrong?"
"...in truth? No," Fuyutsuki admitted. "When Wakaba passed during Second Impact, Futaba-kun threw herself into her studies and eventual career as a means of distracting herself...and I'm sure Maruki-kun was a great help to her. When Yui-kun disappeared, there was little that could be done, when no one could figure out what happened. And when Naoko passed...Ritsuko-kun simply wanted to ignore everything about the past."
"Even you?"
Fuyutsuki shook his head. "What purpose would there be, an intruding on someone who doesn't desire your presence? But I suppose it's only natural: I've certainly languished, compared to my days as a researcher." He looked up at the sky, craning his neck back. "I was all about the theory, and the abstract...Naoko and Wakaba were all about putting the theory into action. In that sense, each of us inherited different aspects of Ikari-sensei's insights into cognitive psience and metaphysical biology...and even though I could have partnered with other researchers, it just wouldn't have been the same." With a rueful grin, he added, "After all, there's a reason I've been reduced to a mere teacher..."
Shinji frowned. "Is that what you think, sensei...?"
Fuyutsuki was silent, contemplative. "...I shouldn't be burdening you with my own faults. It's unbecoming for one of my profession." Rising to his feet, Fuyutsuki politely nodded at Shinji. "Thank you for indulging me, Ikari-kun. I won't keep you any longer; enjoy the rest of your day."
Shinji quietly watched the teacher walk away, and he wondered as to the source of Fuyutsuki-sensei's anxiety. (Even so, it felt so very familiar to his own experiences, in a way...)
Sighing to himself, Shinji quietly walked along, listening to the sounds of life moving about. His feet eventually drew him back to the Academy, where he made his way back to the Izanagi Dorms. Nobody was there at the time. I guess they're all busy...
xxxx
/Meanwhile, on a mission elsewhere in the Metaverse/
As Ryuji Sakamoto quietly supervised from afar: Mayumi, Rei, and Hikari watched stoically as Asuka, Toji, and Kensuke initiated their newfound triple tag team attack against the Acolyte's Shadow. "...impressive," admitted Rei.
"Good show!" cheered Mayumi.
Would it be bad to admit I'm surprised that Sohryu-san, Aida-san, and Suzuhara-san make a good team? wondered Hikari.
xxxx
...I hope they'll be okay. Shinji quietly reached under his bed, pulling out something he hadn't had occasion to play for a time: his mother's old acoustic guitar, courtesy of Sojiro Sakura. The mood just...hadn't struck, after the inherent heaviness of the Summer Road Trip and the way it had ended. Mother...father...family...
So many different things to consider, and so many difficulties. He quietly strummed a few strings, yet lacked the energy to do more than that.
Tired and surprisingly fatigued, he lazily reached over for his SDAT, playing a familiar blue tape...
xxxx
...and quietly found himself in the Velvet Room.
Shinji knew that he needed to recuperate and be better prepared for Tohru Adachi; crafting new Personas and forging new items would help. Yet, he was not of the mindset to do so...not now.
A tiny pair of hands pulled at his fingers, dragging him to his feet. "You seem tired, Mister Ikari," quietly said Sokila. "A nap always helps..."
A nap sounded good. "Sorry...I'm sure you want to play..."
"...I would," Sokila honestly admitted. "But how can I play if you're too tired to play? That wouldn't be fair."
"No, it wouldn't be," he murmured, letting his Attendant guide him over to her bed. As the distinctive song of the Velvet Room soothed his heart, he sank into the mattress and the covers, feeling his mind drift away: so much so, that he barely felt Sokila crawl underneath his arms, clenching onto him with a strange desperation.
"...good night, my Guest," he heard her whisper.
And then he was asleep, safe and sound under the watchful eye of Master Igor's aegis.
xxxx
END OF 9/21/2015
xxxx
Author's Note: So, Misato and Ryuji's little recap sessions should be very handy, given that some of the plot threads discussed have been in play within the story since *before 2021*. (For those who want to look at the actual chart, here's a URL to look at— i . imgur . c o m [forward slash] aYmqLe9 . png
(This story's been going awhile.)
Also, both Strength and Hierophant Social Links are now at Rank 6! A reminder of where things stand:
FOOL (Igor): Rank 5
MAGICIAN (Kensuke Aida): Rank 10 [MAX]
PRIESTESS (Rei Ayanami): Rank 6
EMPRESS (Hikari Horaki): Rank 4
EMPEROR (Mister P): Rank 5
HIEROPHANT (Kōzō Fuyutsuki): Rank 6
LOVERS (Asuka Langley-Sohryu): Rank 2
CHARIOT (Toji Suzuhara): Rank 6
STRENGTH (Mana Kirishima): Rank 6
JUSTICE (MAGI/Naoko Akagi): Rank 6
FORTUNE (Goro Akechi): Rank 6
HERMIT (Mayumi Yamagishi): Rank 7
HANGED MAN (Ryoji Kaji): Rank 3
DEATH (Kaworu Nagisa): Rank 4
TEMPERANCE (Mari Makinami): Rank 2
DEVIL (Gendo Ikari): Rank 6
TOWER (Keel Lorenz): Rank 6
STAR (Sokila): Rank 6
MOON (Ritsuko Akagi): Rank 5
SUN (Misato Katsuragi): Rank 6
JUDGEMENT (Minato, Yu, and Ren): Rank 4