Sokila tapped at her chin, frowning intently.
"Huh..."
She had drawn a crude picture of a woman that looked Dr. Ritsuko Akagi, albeit with burgundy hair.
"...hmm..."
She had likewise drawn a picture of what appeared to be a cute redhead with a small yet poofy dress of white.
"...Lavenza-senpai..."
There was an equals sign between the two drawings, amended with a question mark.
"...if this is the way things are...why does it feel weird...?"
Lavenza looked at the crude caricatures, looking somewhat forlorn. "Not quite real...yet not quite a dream. The story of how Sophia came to be is a little complicated. But it was all for the sake of eventually helping
your Guest."
Sokila gasped with delight.
"Really? Tell me more!"
The faint haze of blue began to brighten-
xxxx
/Saturday: September 19, 2015/
/Courtyards, Hakone Academy/
Kensuke Aida and Toji Suzuhara were pantomiming a scene from the film they had watched last night, punching at each other at rapid speed whilst making machinegun noises with their mouths.
Some of the other students looked at them with derision for making such a ruckus, whilst a few were critically judging their performance. Maybe they're really big JuJu fans? wondered Shinji.
"Ah, to be so inspired," remarked Kaworu Nagisa with a grin. "Shall we also partake, Shinji-kun?"
"No thank you," Shinji said politely.
"Ah, how disappointing...were you not as immersed in the film's spectacle as they?"
"...well, it's more like I don't want to accidentally hit you." To punctuate his point, Toji suddenly reeled back, holding his cheek with a grimace. ("OW! Damn it, Ken!" he yelled with anger.)
Kaworu smirked. "Fear not, Shinji-kun; I can handle whatever you can dish out~"
Shinji, somehow completely missing the innuendo, simply nodded. "Maybe Asuka would be willing to do it? She's in the Boxing Club with you, right...?"
"Oh, she could only dream of hitting me, I'm afraid..."
xx
Elsewhere in the courtyards, Asuka Langley-Sohryu went stiff. "...hm."
"Is something wrong?" asked Mayumi Yamagishi.
"...I sense someone talking shit," she growled.
Hikari Horaki patted her shoulder with emphasis. "Easy now. We're at school."
Rei Ayanami said nothing, walking along in silence.
Asuka huffed, nonetheless looking around with a weary glance as they approached the academic building.
xxxx
/Class 2-A, Junior High Branch, Hakone Academy/
As first period proceeded, Aoi Mogami moved through kanji like a woman possessed. Drawing 縁, she called out a student's name at random. "Suzuhara-kun!"
"Er...relationship?"
"Acceptable." Another kanji: 宴. "Midorikawa-kun!"
"Banquet, sensei!" called out a boy near the front.
Another kanji: 姻. "Sohryu-kun!"
Asuka frowned, making a show of squinting at the board to disguise the fact she could barely make heads or tails of some of the squiggles. Stupid language. Stupid characters. Stupid stupid stupid! Between her hands, her phone buzzed. Leaning back to disguise the fact she was using her peripheral vision...
(The Third Child, sitting in front of her, had apparently texted her. The answer was 'marriage', apparently.)
...and without showing any evidence of looking at her phone, she answered, "Marriage, sensei."
"Good!" Mogami moved on to the next kanji.
Asuka tried to balance the impulse to knock Shinji's head off for thinking she needed help against her gratitude for not looking like a fool in front of the class. As a result, she settled for feeling merely disgruntled. "Hrmph..." she grumbled under her breath.
(Shinji, meanwhile, somehow felt closer to Asuka whilst simultaneously feeling some measure of concern for his future health. I wonder what that's about, he innocently wondered to himself.)
And so classes continued.
xxxx
Once classes concluded for the shorter Saturday school day, the collective of Shinji, Kensuke, Toji, Asuka, Mayumi, Rei, and Hikari made their way towards NERV Headquarters. Waiting for them was none other than Mana Kirishima, with LABRYS on her back and AIGIS in her hand...albeit with the latter significantly reduced from what it once was. "They...sure trimmed down on it," observed Toji.
Where before the powerful shield had been large enough for the girl to comfortably hide her whole body behind, now its diameter only went from her upper torso down to her thigh: still substantial, but nowhere near as hefty as before. "She can still provide protection," said Mana, forcing spiritual energy to surge through the shield; the red gemstone glowed, and AIGIS's golden rim suddenly emitted a flickering torrent of light blue energy. It followed a geometric pattern — almost akin to lines on a circuit board — before eventually terminating at the shield's former diameter.
Kensuke leaned forward, pressing a finger against the glimmering surface: it did not give way to the pressure. "Neat."
"Best way I can think of it is that Little Sis remembers how big she was," explained Mana, before the energy vanished with a quiet crackle and hiss. Placing AIGIS on her back in its customary place, she added, "Just gotta get used to it."
With that brief interlude concluded, the eight teenagers entered NERV, with Hikari letting herself be led along in a pliant manner. They eventually found themselves in the ubiquitous Training Room Seven, where Ryuji Sakamoto was waiting for them. "This isn't being led by Misato-san?" asked Shinji.
"Being the Chief Warden means she's a busy bee," joked Ryuji, tapping his cane on the ground for emphasis. "But I'm sure you can stomach me being the teacher for this little training session of ours."
"Always, sensei!" exclaimed Toji with vigor.
"Especially given that I already have a little cheat sheet for what the new kid's capable of," he said, looking knowingly over in Asuka and Hikari's direction. "I appreciate being go-getters, but there's a reason we do training under supervision."
Although Hikari looked somewhat worried, Asuka merely arched an eyebrow. "How did you know-?"
"Ocular Drones," Ryuji answered, referring to the A.T. Task Force's rainbow eyes that were everywhere within the vicinity of Tokyo-3 in the Metaverse. "They see everything."
"...I'm not even sure why I'm surprised," grumbled Asuka. "Is it a problem?"
"Since nothing bad happened? Nope. I'm supposed to let you off with a warning according to Katsuragi, but I think we all know how that little song and dance goes...so let's not waste any time, shall we?"
They shifted into the Metaverse in short order.
xxxx
Whilst Ryuji Sakamoto led the training session into the afternoon, Dr. Ritsuko Akagi was busy fending off a colleague. "You already have access to the data," she muttered, speaking into a headset. "Is it just about putting them in your stupid 'cat ear' headset?"
"Hardy har," griped Futaba Maruki, her voice sounding slightly garbled; the gremlin was doubtless moving about her lab in a frenzy, judging by the sounds. "Like you wouldn't get a kick out of it, Cat Lady."
Ritsuko rolled her eyes. "Cats are cats, while people are people; putting cat ears on someone doesn't mean they have the advantages of being a cat."
"With cognition, you never know~"
"But seriously, what's with your fixation on the Second and Third Children?"
"I mean, you have seen the package I sent you about it, right?"
"Yes, but I'm not sure why you think this little wavelength of theirs is of any relevance," she grumbled, referring back to an old report that Futaba had sent her way back in August. "The MAGI have already flagged it as ancillary, just like with the vast majority of other signals sent off by the human brain." When it came to analysis of brain waves, there were certain neural oscillations that were more commonplace amongst Persona-users, which provided a roadmap of sorts for them to analyze. "If it's not tied to ensuring the mental states are optimal relative to established baselines, why focus on it when we have so much other data to parse through?"
"Uncurious neanderthal," grumbled Futaba in a joking manner. "It's just bothering me, is all. There's more to it...whatever it is."
"Has it ever occurred to you that Ikari and Sohryu simply have a mutual crush and are just thinking about each other a lot?" The redhead was not as subtle about her grumbling as she might have thought...notwithstanding the times Ritsuko had heard Aida muttering about tsunderes when he thought she wasn't listening.
Futaba audibly snorted. "If it were that simple, it would be registering for me and my husbando. Isn't that right, Taco-kun?" Futaba's voice became slightly hollow, signifying that she was speaking away from her microphone. "Yeah yeah, it's just Ritsuko denying the power of love, as usual."
"Spare me your attempts at being lovey-dovey," she said, before suddenly pausing. "...you've made him wear the cat ears before, haven't you."
"Anything can be justified for science~"
"And I don't need to hear it." What the Marukis did in their personal lives was none of her concern, frankly. "I'll make sure the MAGI categorize the signal differently so we can track it. Happy?"
"You're just saying that so I'll drop the subject. I know how you operate, Ritsuko!"
And sometimes I wish you didn't, she mused, trying to ignore an impulsive rush of childhood memories. "Don't you have more Promethean data to analyze?" she asked, changing the subject.
Futaba audibly heaved as a show of disgust. "Please don't remind me. I've looked through enough data on Ikutsuki's undead minions to last a lifetime."
"Now that kind of talk would probably get you in trouble," chided Ritsuko, briefly looking at a news headline in a separate computer tab. Apparently, another deployment of Prometheans had successfully protected a MAGI cluster in Italy from an assault by Strega. "Can't have potential clients think of NERV's new weapon as anything akin to zombies."
"I stand by my description." Futaba hummed under her breath, going quiet after a fashion.
Ritsuko suddenly became alarmed. "Whatever you're thinking, stop it-"
"Eh, it's been a while since anyone from the First Branch has had a personal briefing with HQ. Long-range meetings are good and all, but even introverts can't rest on their laurels forever!" There was a brief pause, punctuated by a flurry of typing on Futaba's end. "I'll send the itinerary when our flight's booked. Say hi to Uncle 'Yutski for me!" And just like that, Futaba hung up.
Ritsuko pulled off her headset, staring at it incredulously. "...fantastic," she murmured, kneading the bridge of her nose to ward off an impending headache. "As if I didn't have enough on my plate..." Now Futaba was going to be travelling to Tokyo-3 at some point in the near future. And knowing my luck, she's going to want to reminisce...how dull...
xxxx
Ryuji Sakamoto conducted the training session amongst the eight teenagers with his usual flare: arranging duels amidst the combatants of the group, with Mayumi serving as overwatch to train her ability to mentally coordinate. Hikari was reserved for Ryuji himself, so that he could put her through her proper paces.
Hikari seemed to appreciate that, because Ryuji was experienced enough to modulate his force to accommodate her skill level.
(Plus, it gave everyone time to get used to her admittedly macabre self-image: it wasn't often that people saw a straitjacket in person.)
"You might want to consider bringing along a tool to amplify your voice," said Ryuji, sidestepping a burst of Nuke energy from where Hikari had shouted.
"Pardon?" asked the newest Persona-user.
"For one, it'll be easier on your throat when starting off. Second, it'll allow you to 'prime' your mind to reduce the randomness of your attacks."
"...how so?" she asked.
"Well, it could be as simple as color-coding your device. Or swapping between different voice amplifiers depending on what attack you want to use. And the more you get used to it, the more your own self-image will adapt." To emphasize his point, he pointed to the firearm aspects of his gun-cane. "I mean, it's not like this puppy carries bullets in it in reality, right?"
"Right...?"
"But, my original Persona had a gun for an arm, so when I first started out, I wanted to match it in kind. So..." With a cheeky grin, he said, "I taped an airsoft gun to my weapon of choice whenever I entered the Metaverse...and eventually, it stuck!"
"...hmm." Hikari looked rather intrigued by the simple logic of it. "I see..."
"Anyhow...I think we're in a good enough position to try and test you with group formations." With a grin, Ryuji looked over at the others. "Oi, kids! We're doing group battles!"
Asuka, who had just managed to get Shinji Ikari in an armlock, huffed angrily. "Your timing sucks!"
Your timing is fantastic, Shinji thought with a grimace, rubbing at his joint to get the feeling back in it.
"Okay, first up, we're doing two-on-two! Ayanami-san and Sohryu-san versus Horaki-san and Suzuhara-kun!" Ryuji glanced over at the others. "Yamagishi-san, you're on overwatch. Ikari-san, Aida-san, Mana-san, you're on the sidelines for this round."
Asuka audibly grumbled at being told to work alongside Rei, who simply accepted the assignment. Hikari and Toji, however, seemed rather nervous at the prospect. "Er, you sure about that sensei?" asked Toji, pointedly not looking in Hikari's direction. "I mean, we're...kind of weak to each other, right? Our Personas, I mean!"
"You need to get used to coordinating with each other. Nothing worse than accidentally getting hit with your weakness by friendly fire."
Ryuji's reasoning was sound, so Toji couldn't really complain any further. Nonetheless, he looked over at Hikari, who acquiesced with a quiet bow. "We can work together...right, Suzuhara-san?" she asked.
"...yeah, I guess," he murmured, fiddling awkwardly with his headband.
Over on the sidelines, Mana watched with a frown as the two duos began sizing each other up. "...why does it seem so tense with them?"
"Don't know why Ayanami and Sohryu are at odds. Really wish I knew, though. As for Toji and Horaki-san..." Kensuke simply grinned. "That's just them being them."
"...what does that even mean?" demanded Mana.
Shinji let the words tune out, so focused was he on the interactions between the four current combatants. With Horaki-san...that would make eight. Himself. Kensuke. Toji. Mana. Mayumi. Rei. Asuka. Hikari. Eight...why does that feel like a good number? (Not just a good number, but a proper number.) But how would Asuka and Hikari react to the truth? And can it be done safely?
(Once more, he rued that such a responsibility had been placed upon his shoulders.)
(Yet you're going to have to bear it anyway.)
Alas, he could only focus on one thing at a time. The Usurper...the Angels...Strega...and Tohru Adachi. That wasn't even counting every other bit of drama in his life. Just...one thing at a time...
xxxx
Meanwhile, in the real world, Gendo Ikari was entertaining a rather unusual visitor in his office at NERV HQ. "I trust you left my secretary alone," he dryly remarked, referring to the woman sitting idly amidst a hall clogged with yellow fog.
"Well, it would be rude, given that you invited me," remarked Tohru Adachi, stepping foot into the darkness of Gendo's office. Tellingly, the yellow fog did not — could not — leak in. "And given that this is 'your' city, that would be the polite thing, wouldn't it?"
Gendo nodded, keeping his hands folded in front of his face. "Then let us set our terms."
Adachi honestly couldn't recall a time he had ever come face-to-face with NERV's enigmatic Commander. Sure, the times he had gotten assigned to Tokyo-3 tended to revolve around shooting Ryoji Kaji in the face, but there really wasn't much of an occasion to actually get into close contact with the man. "You know, the Angels actually dream about you, sometimes. I don't know if it's pity or curiosity, but they don't know what to think...I mean, you did stick ADAM into your hand." Only to lose it, in the end: the odd sensation of a girl's womb actually devouring Gendo's hand before becoming one with LILITH was a dream that filtered through, from time to time: the sheer metaphysical shock of ADAM becoming part of LILITH's proverbial soul jar ensured that it was memorable for the Angels. "How does that pan out, by the way? Does the blue-haired girl chomp you up to keep you in your place? Or is it something more...basic?"
If Gendo was bothered by Adachi's knowledge or the lewd implications of his accusations, he didn't let it show. Instead, he countered with something unexpected. "Did you enjoy your little bout of medically induced euthanasia? I'm sure Narukami 'enjoyed' seeing Nanako Dojima's passing."
Adachi arched an eyebrow. "You keep tabs on that much, huh?"
"I keep tabs on many things," he cryptically responded. "But given the presence of the yellow fog and the fact that Dojima-san was the only victim, whilst Yu Narukami was on the staff that day? Anyone with an understanding of the underlying events would be able to make the connection."
"...wasn't aware he actually spilled the beans about his life as a Persona-user to you," said Adachi, feeling somewhat bothered by the idea, masking his irritation with an apathetic face.
"Oh, heavens no," retorted Gendo. "He and I were never that close. But when an individual with knowledge of other timelines makes themselves known as such, it's wise to go through the trouble of at least keeping an eye on them. He had a rather regular tendency to visit the town of Inaba in timelines where it actually exists...and he went out of his way to associate with specific individuals in particular: Nanako Dojima being one of the most common." Leaning forward on his elbows, he added, "Narukami must have thought you quite the monster."
Adachi snorted. "You flatter me."
"Not at all. It's honestly quite dull, coming from one who claims to be so detached from it all."
Ah, he wants to try his hand at comedy. Adachi rolled his eyes. "Like you're any better, sitting here in your ivory tower, practically wasting away. I mean, not that I don't get why you would hate a lame-ass waste of space like Shinji Ikari...but it seems rather odd to give me your blessing."
"Because it simplifies matters, in the end. With so much riding on his shoulders...I simply desire to be a witness, when his hope dies a deserved death. How that comes about is really of no concern to me."
Adachi couldn't help but whistle. "Damn. That kind of hate is impressive."
"And why should it be?" remarked Gendo, keeping his hands folded in front of his damnably stoic face. "Is it because you can't even pretend to have such a vigorous emotion anymore?"
Adachi narrowed his eyes. "Trying the whole 'psycho-analyzing' shtick, huh? Leave it to Narukami; he's better at it," he grumbled, by way of dismissal.
"And yet you're so hollow of a person that you couldn't even follow through and kill an elderly bishop well past his prime," Gendo said, referring to Adachi's failed assassination attempt against Taro Namatame. "Someone with conviction would have followed through...and I bet that's why you went out of your way to antagonize Narukami. Seeing him reminded you of a time where you actually gave a damn, didn't you? I bet that the 'what ifs' ate at you...because if the likes of Narukami was able to stay the course over all of his countless lives, what does it say about you? That you're a mere hedonist, gorging yourself on whatever pleasures you? That you're a sadist, seeking to provoke strife for your own amusement?" In the impossible darkness of Gendo's office, his shades still managed to glow opaque. "Or is it because you want something—anything—to fill that gaping void you call a heart?"
Gendo's monotone delivery was starting to piss Adachi off. Who the HELL does he think he is? "You know, I was considering offing Lorenz for shits and giggles; it's not every day you get to kill your old boss." Pulling out his Nambu Model 60 revolver, Adachi aimed it squarely between Gendo's eyes. "But maybe I'll kill you, and see what kind of chain reaction that sets off. Whaddya think? Wanna test me, you piece of shit!?"
Gendo did not react in the way Adachi expected. (Why were the innermost depths of his soul so quiet...?) He quietly rose to his feet (why aren't you pulling the trigger?), walked around his desk (pull the trigger), wrapped his hand around the revolver (PULL THE DAMN TRIGGER!), and disarmed Adachi. Placing the revolver back into his jacket's pocket, Gendo quietly helped Adachi to his feet. "Remember: this is my city. You can only act here because I allow it. And so long as you act as an antagonist for Shinji Ikari...you are free to do as you please. Within reason." Turning away, he shot back with, "I know being reasonable is hard for you, but you're not so hollow as to have become a complete idiot."
(Why wasn't his Angel doing anything?) "What the hell are you?" Adachi wondered, trying to ignore the shiver running down his spine.
"...you see, Tohru Adachi. there are many differences between you and me. One of them is quite fundamental: you think you don't need saving." Look over his shoulder, Gendo coldly said, "I, on the other hand...know that I'm beyond saving. And that changes the calculus quite significantly." Returning to his desk, Gendo sat back down without aplomb. "If you actually manage to get under my son's skin, I'm sure we can put this unpleasantness behind us. Do be careful on the way out."
Adachi looked at Gendo like he couldn't quite fathom what had just happened. Only sheer animal instinct pushed him onward, backing out of the dark office and delving back into the yellow murk.
As the fog swirled around him, Adachi scowled, trying to calm his racing heart. What was that shit?
The Angel of the Sky, previously blocked by stormy clouds, finally peered through.
"HE IS NOT ONE TO TRIFLE WITH."
So he wasn't blowing a bunch of hot air?!
There was hesitance, on the part of the sky, and the great eye within.
"...WE DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO MAKE OF GENDO IKARI."
Sahaquiel said nothing else, which only frustrated Adachi even more. Tch. I'll show 'im.
He swiftly departed, and the yellow fog receded.
xx
Gendo Ikari quietly felt Adachi's departure, pondering what exactly the debased individual would do to antagonize Shinji. Adachi will seek to try and prove me wrong...
(Elsewhere, a gaggle of eight teenagers — tired and exhausted from Ryuji Sakamoto's training — dragged themselves to the nearest restaurant, if only to distract their aching bodies with food...)
(Elsewhere, Katsuragi quietly and determinedly browsed through footage from the Himmel facility, trying—failing—to ignore the distance between herself and her plucky pet penguin.)
(Elsewhere, Strega — hassled without end by the NERV's cadres of Prometheans — moved about with vicious alacrity, leaving as much destruction in their wake as they could.)
(Elsewhere, a trio of Wild Cards quietly pondered the days to come, and what still needed to be done for the sake of their ultimate victory.)
...and because of that, he will do his utmost to make Shinji's life a living hell. At this, Gendo could only smile.
xxxx
END OF 9/19/2015
xxxx
Author's Note: You know, we *still* haven't found out what exactly Gendo did to Shiro Tokita.
Also, it's been a while since this was revealed, but just as a reminder: Futaba, Yui, and Ritsuko are childhood friends (because Wakaba, Fuyutsuki, and Naoko were all colleagues, and were the assistants of Yui's father during their younger years).
Given that Wakaba is dead, Naoko is dead(ish), and Yui is missing (though Ritsuko thinks she's probably dead), it's basically another instance of Ritsuko being sore about the past (because she KNOWS Futaba is going to want to poke and prod).
