So, courtesy of the talented Renu of the Sufficient Velocity forums, there's a commissioned piece of Mister P and his Persona, Gryphon! The full size version can be found on the story thread at either Sufficient Velocity, Space Battles, or the story version hosted on Archive of Our Own.
Now, onto the chapter.
xxxx
Sokila was pouting.
"...that boy's still a meanie..."
She was drawing an absurdly muscular boy, stomping with exaggerated fury.
"...but I guess you're trying to make up..."
There was another picture of Shinji standing heroically atop a fallen Toji. Kensuke, Mana, and Misato were standing in the background.
"...is it possible for you to be friends? Like, for real?"
The faint haze of blue began to brighten-
xxxx
/Monday: July 6, 2015/
/Room 23, 2nd Floor, Izanagi Dorms, Hakone Academy/
Shinji Ikari slowly rose, trying to filter through the muted sound of the shower running. Looking around, he didn't see any of his roommates; blearily looking at his cell phone, he opened up their group chat message log.
-The Room 23 Group-
K. Aida: holy crap it's late
K. Aida: so as it turns out, my boss doesn't remember wut its like being N school
K. Aida: CUZ IT BE LATE
T. Suzuhara: was wondering if you were gonna show
T. Suzuhara: you're not even bothering spelling right
T. Suzuhara: you that tired or panicked?
K. Aida: this internship has made me appreciate efficiency
K. Aida: gonna crash NERV
K. Aida: I'll meet you at school tomorrow before class starts.
K. Aida: c, I can be proper :3
T. Suzuhara: Nagisa's been asleep since we got back. Ikari turned in about ten minutes ago
K. Aida: My my, burning the midnight oil!
T. Suzuhara: whatever
T. Suzuhara: Ken
K. Aida: yes?
T. Suzuhara: n/m, we'll talk later. see ya tomorrow
K. Aida: Likewise.
Then, hours later, Nagisa had replied at approximately six in the morning.
K. Nagisa: My, the things I miss! I suppose we'll talk at a later time. Going on a nice morning walk; ta ta! ^.^
It was strange, going back over the chat log (which, by process of elimination, meant it was Toji taking a shower); he had contributed very little, relative to his three roommates. It's just...what could I talk about, with them? With Aida, there was plenty to talk about in confidence, but Suzuhara and Nagisa had been...removed, from that world. It seemed that now he would at least be able to connect over something with Suzuhara...but it felt odd that Nagisa would be such an outlier, now. Huh...strange. Maybe he should make a better effort to learn about his dorm's most eccentric denizen?
Looking over at the other chat logs received since yesterday, he frowned at the sight of two familiar ones.
HEROD: WE HAVE ANOTHER QUERY FOR YOU.
HEROD: SUPPOSE AN ACQUAINTANCE WERE GIVEN A CHOICE THAT WOULD CHANGE THEIR LIFE FOREVER. IF THEY ACCEPTED, IT WOULD GUARANTEE THEIR DEATH IN A YEAR, YET THEY WOULD HAVE A SENSE OF PURPOSE AND CONTENTMENT; IF THEY DECLINED, THEY WOULD LIVE A LONG LIFE, YET THEY WOULD LACK FULFILLMENT FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIFE.
HEROD: DO YOU TELL THEM TO ACCEPT? DO YOU TELL THEM TO DECLINE? OR DO YOU DO NOTHING?
HEROD: THERE IS NO RIGHT OR WRONG ANSWER.
HEROD: PLEASE RESPOND WITHIN 96 HOURS.
Shinji sighed. Well, there's another question to stew over for awhile...
And then the last one simply threw him for a loop.
?: Hey, kid.
?: Been thinking of shaving my mustache. Think it would turn out well?
?: I'm surprised she hasn't figured out who I am yet, so maybe I should give her an easier chance?
?: Ah, but you probably don't know who I'm talking about, do you.
?: For now, at least.
?: Have a good day~
...wait, what?!
S. Ikari: Seriously, is this Mr. P?
ERROR: INVALID NUMBER.
Of course. Shinji sighed, shaking his head. Why does he text me if I can't reply to him...?
A question for another day, perhaps.
xxxx
/Neo Hagakure, Outskirts of Hakone Academy/
Toji Suzuhara, at the end of classes, had told Shinji Ikari and Kensuke Aida to meet him at Neo Hagakure.
Aida, bringing up a good point, had also gone to grab Kaworu Nagisa.
Thus, the four roommates found themselves sitting at a table in the ramen restaurant, with an early dinner before them...well, a practical buffet, in the case of Nagisa. "Dude, how much meat did you get?!" exclaimed Kensuke, eyeing the pile of shaved beef, shredded chicken, pulled pork, and fried eggs sitting atop his noodles.
The ashen-haired boy's smile was positively cherubic. "You tend to work up an appetite at the Boxing Club. Besides, I'm a growing boy."
Shinji looked down at his relatively small bowl of kitakata ramen, and wondered where exactly it all went on the slim teenager.
Toji huffed, looking simultaneously impressed and befuddled by Nagisa's choice. "Yeah yeah. Might as well start eating."
"Didn't you want to talk about something?" inquired Kensuke, trails of noodles already hanging limply from his lips.
"Still thinking about how to say it."
"Haven't you had all day to do that?"
"Ken."
"Yes?"
"Shut up."
The four boys spent the next few minutes eating in relative silence (because slurping is far from a quiet activity) before Toji finally sighed; it wasn't a 'why did I bother doing this?' sigh, or even a 'I should have ordered something else' kind. Rather, it was a full-blown 'I have to get through this now or I'll never get through it' sort of sigh. (Shinji briefly wondered how he was able to tell the difference.) "...guys. Sorry for being a dick for the past several weeks."
"All is forgiven!" immediately said Kensuke, a happy grin on his face.
"It's...okay," said Shinji, not really sure what to add to that.
Nagisa, chewing through a large chunk of poultry, promptly swallowed before saying, "I'm confused. Why were you thinking of yourself as anthropomorphic male genitalia?"
Shinji nearly choked on his ramen. Kensuke actually spat some of his noodles back into his bowl.
Toji, caught between bites, had to settle for staring. "...dude, it's just a saying."
"My point still stands."
"I was apologizing for being a jerk!"
"Why would you associate male genitalia with offensively boorish behavior?"
Now Shinji couldn't help but stare. Kensuke was practically wheezing.
Toji's eyes narrowed into a glare. "You're doing this on purpose."
"Doing what on purpose?" asked Kaworu, blinking owlishly as he took another large bite of noodles, vegetables, egg, and pork.
"...whatever dude, you ruined the moment."
Swallowing, Nagisa replied, "ah, but it's only one moment out of eighty-six thousand and four hundred. I believe we'll all be fine for today."
Shinji blinked. Kensuke was trying not to fall out of his chair from laughter.
Toji grimaced. "I can't tell if you're joking or not...how the hell did you and Tomochika get along so well?"
The boy smiled serenely. "Alas, poor Kenji-kun. He didn't much care for my reputation, in return for the help I gave him with personal matters."
"Still can't believe he went to you for romantic advice," groused Toji, biting into his ramen with exaggerated irritation.
Kensuke snorted. "Hey, Tomochika may have been a hound dog, but he used to be one who couldn't talk his way out of a paper bag. At least Nagisa-kun taught him a bit of class!"
"My contributions are surely being overestimated. I've simply...gone with the flow. Waiting for something...special. A particular occasion, where life as I know it changes forever." Briefly glancing at Shinji (why does this feel so heavy?), he added, "alas, I'm still waiting...I hope that by the end of my time here at the Academy, I'll have found my long-awaited answer."
"...that's awfully poetic, but what does that have to do anything we just said?" asked Toji, his words garbled by the mouth full of food.
Nagisa simply smiled. "My apologies, Toji-kun. I went off on a...tangent, I believe you'd call it."
"That's putting it mildly," joked Kensuke.
Shinji looked at the trio, inwardly marvelling at the sense of history on display here. It only further cemented the fact that he was still, in some way, an outsider. But...
His Other gazed at his three roommates.
"Three lives. Three unique existences beyond yourself."
He gazed at the sky.
"Yet bonds do not stop them from being unique..."
...I don't have to stay like that, do I? "Um...if you don't mind my asking...how did you three meet?" When the three stared back at him, Shinji managed to bluster pass the immediate awkwardness. "I mean, did you only meet at the start of this school year, or...?"
"Nah, nothing that simple. I think I can take point on this bit of exposition," answered Kensuke, looking over towards Toji and Nagisa. "Unless you two want to?"
Toji grunted. "Go for it."
"By all means," acquiesced Nagisa.
"Sweet!" exclaimed Kensuke, taking another big slurp of his ramen before beginning. "So...I think I've told you this before Ikari, but I first met Toji in the first year of middle school, at Narumi Gakuen. Back in 2011. He was a bit of a distant guy at first, with everything that had happened the year before...which is something we can talk about, now that everyone's in the know?"
Toji shrugged. "Guess so. 2010 was a bit of a shitty year for my family." He occupied himself by picking at his ramen.
Shinji looked over towards Nagisa, who simply said, "I believe Kensuke-kun was told the truth about Sakura-chan over a year after he and Toji-kun became acquainted; it only took several weeks of being friends for Kenji-kun to have been let in on the secret. By comparison, I learned through simple observation."
"More like eavesdropping on a private conversation," griped Toji.
The red-eyed boy smiled with seraphic serenity. "You two were rather loud, and whatever Kenji-kun had said resulted in you punching him. That was quite an eventful day." He punctuated that observation with another large gulp of meaty ramen.
Kensuke took that as his cue to continue. "Anyhow, that's not really here nor there. Fast forward to 2014, first year of Hakone Academy Junior High; I was in class 1-D with Toji, but we didn't share the same dorms. That was when we became acquainted with both Kenji Tomochika and Kaworu Nagisa, who were in class 1-C...though not by our initiative."
Toji chuckled. "Tomochika just approached me out of the blue during lunch period one day, and was basically like 'yo, let's be friends'."
Kensuke snorted. "Nah, he was just being friendly."
"Ain't that the same thing?"
"Nagisa-kun's friendly by default, but that doesn't mean he's friends with people in general."
"...eh, guess that's fair enough."
Nagisa sighed. "A sad commentary, on the separation of mankind."
"You'd probably have an easier time of it if you didn't use given names with everyone," griped Toji. "Seriously, you've even done it with complete strangers! People are iffy about that."
"But using only family names seems so...impolite," bemoaned Nagisa.
"Yeah, to you."
"Back to the story," said Kensuke, "Tomochika had already managed to make friends with Nagisa-kun, which is something I still find bizarre."
"And the story behind that is even stranger," muttered Toji, giving Nagisa the stink eye. "Seriously, for someone with your mannerisms, the thought of you throwing a bunch of girls into the courtyard fountain is just...weird."
Shinji blinked, because what. "Huh?"
Kaworu smiled innocently. "It was the first week of the first year, and Kenji-kun endeavored to try his hand at flirting with the girls of our class; they put him down none too politely. I later heard them talking behind his back in a very unflattering manner. Since punching students is against the rules, I opted for throwing them into the large fountain in the center of the Academy courtyard. Although I was given detention for that action, Kenji-kun took it to mean that he 'owed me one', whatever that meant."
Shinji tried to envision Kaworu Nagisa - the unfailingly serene if strangely-mannered boy - throwing a bunch of first year girls into a fountain, and promptly failed. "Uh...that seems...extreme...?"
Kaworu shrugged. "If you say so. I merely quenched their thirst."
Toji nearly spat out his noodles, while Kensuke managed to choke out, "er, I don't think that's what it refers to...though in retrospect, it seems like fate that you ended up in the Boxing Club...anyway!" The bespectacled boy coughed, trying to get his voice back in working order. "It was through Toji that I became acquainted with Tomochika, and we ended up becoming thick as thieves, much to the chagrin of the Class Rep."
"Seriously, can't believe Horaki ended up being Class Rep two years running," griped Toji.
"Eh, you're lucky she sort of tolerates you."
"You and I have very different definitions for 'tolerate'."
Kensuke blustered onward. "As for Nagisa-kun, well...we mostly knew him by reputation, along with whenever Tomochika felt like including him."
"And for that, I am grateful," lightly said Nagisa, tilting his bowl to sip at the remaining broth (oh wow he actually ate everything). "But I'm a rather distant and detached individual...by nature, you could say."
"Anyway, when the second year started and dorm assignments were made, we were stoked for all four us to end up in the same room...and then came May. That's when Tomochika...well, you know." The mood soured. Kensuke managed to add, "anyway, that's the abridged version of how we came to know each other! Fairly uneventful, all told."
"...I see." Shinji glanced towards Kaworu Nagisa, who had set down his now-empty bowl. "Um...I know that Aida-san and Suzuhara-san's parents are associated with NERV...and my father is, well..." It sort of went without saying. "But what about you, Nagisa-san?"
"That's...actually a pretty good question. I don't think you've ever told us about your family situation," said Kensuke, eyes widening with realization. "For such a gregarious guy, you haven't really been open about your life outside the Academy."
For the first time, a hint of melancholy came to the boy's face, even though his smile did not fade. "Well...it's not exactly a topic I like to speak about." He folded his arms, leaning on the table. "Let us simply say that I am a ward of the state...and that it has been many years since I've even seen the face of my father."
The three boys stared quietly at Kaworu Nagisa, unsure what to make of this revelation.
(Unseen by those three boys, Kaworu's right hand - hidden underneath the crook of his arm - clenched tightly.)
"...huh. Who would've thunk it," muttered Toji, sipping at the last of his ramen. "Well...y'all know about my dad. Or lack thereof. Being dead and all." Curtly, he glanced over at Kensuke.
The bespectacled boy anxiously readjusted his glasses. "Um...me and my dad are kind of on icy ground, right now. What with the whole...thing that resulted in me becoming an intern for NERV without his knowledge or consent."
"...and...I guess you know my dad by default," murmured Shinji. It was hard to ignore the whole 'Ikari' angle.
"I can't say that I much know about your father," remarked Nagisa. "Is he...a difficult sort?" Kensuke's subsequent laugh - which the boy poorly tried to choke off - seemed to provide enough of an answer. "I see."
"...I honestly wish I could tell you more." And wasn't that one heck of a thing to admit about one's own father?
The Beast howled with impulsive anger.
"What is there to admit?"
Her monstrous hand rested atop his head.
"Your desire for his love is outpaced only by your wish to wring his neck."
"...it seems that we all have father issues," idly remarked the ashen-haired boy. "A strange confluence, one might say."
"Eh, I can go without talking about em'." Toji slowly stood up, pulling out his phone. "After all...I can't change the fact that they're dead." Looking at his screen, the boy winced at whatever he was looking at. "Aw, hell...my custodian's found out about my change of circumstances."
"...so, can I expect you to become an intern and suffer alongside me?" asked Kensuke, sort of joking but not quite.
Toji snorted. "Who knows Ken, who knows...anyhow, I said what I wanted to say, so I'm gonna head out now. This was...something." And that was all Suzuhara could say before departing.
"...should probably get back to doing homework." Aida slowly rose, an exaggerated grimace on his face. "Man, I'm too young to be griping about lost time...but this was pretty enjoyable! Nice way to relax...even though the subject matter was kind of heavy...yeah." Thus did Kensuke Aida depart.
And then it was just Shinji and Nagisa. "...we live in a very strange world, don't we? Shinji-kun."
Shinji wordlessly nodded.
Nagisa uncrossed his arms, laying his hands in his lap; a distant expression crossed his face. "...I do not know what the future holds for us. My only desire is that I live to see its consummation."
"...um...I guess?" What is he talking about?
Nagisa chuckled, mirthful yet serious and melancholy. "Forgive me. I've always been told that I come across strangely to other people...though I'm not sure why."
"...well...I don't think you're bad at all, Nagisa-san."
"You're more than welcome to call me Kaworu-kun."
Shinji flushed at how forward his roommate was being. "Uh...that's...okay..."
"Then will Nagisa-kun suffice?"
"...well..." Nagisa-kun was easier (because that's the honorific Kensuke used, notwithstanding the fact that he had known the boy for much longer, why am I overthinking he's waiting for a response). Simpler. Less...intimidating. "...sure."
The boy smiled seraphically. "I look forward to becoming very good friends with you, Shinji-kun."
"...likewise," he said, not quite opposed to the idea.
xxxx
And all the while, on a subconscious level, in words he had no way of knowing...a familiar voice spoke, within the depths of his being:
I am thou, thou art I...
Thou hast acquired a new bond...
It shall lead thou to the truth
that parts the seas of depravity.
Take hold of the Death Arcana,
and let it guide you
to a new Promised Land...
xxxx
Nagisa briefly paused, a flicker of unease crossing his face. Shinji frowned, asking, "Nagisa...kun?"
"...it's nothing. Merely...thinking." Slowly standing, the red-eyed teenager briefly nodded in acknowledgment as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. "This meal was a pleasure. I'll see you back at the dorm."
"...okay then. Bye." Shinji leaned back in his chair as the boy departed, mulling over everything that had just been discussed. What's today...Monday? Hard to believe that another week was already underway. Time...why can't we have more of it...?
A mere wish among many, doomed to never come true.
Sighing, he resolved to finish his ramen. Waste not, after all.
xxxx
Kaworu Nagisa quietly walked in a fashion that some would have called aimless. Turning without thought, moving without purpose, for he was too focused on his hands.
Patience. Control. Patience. Control.
The metaphysical bond...it was there. It now existed. That in and of itself nearly drove him over the edge...and that just would not do.
PATIENCE. CONTROL.
With an outward calm that belied the internal tempest, Nagisa entered a nearby alleyway, departing from the foot traffic just long enough to have a moment of isolation. With a anguished sigh, he slowly withdrew his hands, watching with an almost detached gaze at how they twitched and spasmed. Is this it? Am I to be undone?
Bit by bit, he waited. Bit by bit, he regained control.
Slowly, but slowly, his hands relaxed.
...so I can withstand it. That brought a small grin to his face. Then I can continue on. Looking up at the sky, the strange child's eyes seemed to shimmer in the reflected ambience. Somewhat more content, the boy quietly made his way back to the grounds of Hakone Academy. All the while, his face bore a contented smile. Shinji Ikari...you'd best not perish. We must make it to the end, you and I...
xxxx
/Misato's Apartment/
Mana Kirishima found herself lying on her futon, staring silently at the ceiling. 'Her' being the operative word, denoting possession.
It was strange, to think of something as truly belonging to her. Even her own life had been subject to the whims of Shiro Tokita (it felt strange to think that now, and not fear a sense of immediate reproach). Now...she had an entire room to herself. It was so bizarre.
There was a dresser with clothes, a desk that she could sit and write at, various plastic drawers to put things in; a small TV sat atop her dresser, which she could use to watch...well, whatever she wanted. A small bed was nestled into the corner, next to a blank bookshelf that currently bore only one particular item.
(Whilst at the thrift store the other day, she and Katsuragi had briefly passed by the toy section; eyes wide with disbelief and uncertainty, she saw one old - and rather marred - figurine sitting amidst the discarded playthings. Without hesitation, she asked if she could have it.)
It was a simple figurine of Emerald Eagle from that Featherman show that Mana had become hooked on, with a few smudges on her green sailor uniform, a bit of missing plastic from the tiny cape, and a chipped gem on the headgear. That did nothing to reduce the figurine's ferocity, posed in the middle of a fierce Talon Strike; if anything, the damage made it seem more real. I wonder if I can find the others...complete the set? It was such a mundane thing to think about, almost...pathetically simple. Yet she could, and that's what counted.
Even the books sitting on her desk - mostly educational pamphlets that Sae Niijima was apparently going to quiz her on next week - were a sign of opportunity.
Compared to most Japanese teenagers, Kirishima's room would have seemed spartan, or colorless. To her, it represented unthinkable luxury.
It was mesmerizing.
It all made her ache. "Soon..." Musashi-niisan...Keita-niisan...I wonder where you are, right now? Once she got enough authority (and trust, that was important too), she was going to spend every waking moment trying to find them. They deserved to experience this kind of life as well.
These thoughts and more plagued Kirishima. Her relative tiredness from yesterday's battle against Suzuhara's berserk Shadow had made sleep easy; now, she couldn't find it in herself to even close her eyes. She contemplated turning the television on, but it somehow seemed...inappropriate, given everything swirling about her head. Even using her bed instead of the futon was out of the question, because it was too comfortable. It was...honestly starting to infuriate her. I wish I had LABRYS and AIGIS with me...
There was the sound of a sliding fusuma door, prompting Kirishima to instantly sit up (and that was another thing she was getting used to, because her entire time with Tokita and his operation had involved doors which could be locked and sealed and shut tight; the very concept of a door which couldn't be locked was odd). "Yes, Katsuragi..." Her voice trailed off. "Oh. Hello." It was the penguin.
"Wark." Pen-Pen waddled towards her; a bit of paper with hastily written characters in black marker was taped to his chest, relatively visible despite the dim city lights filtering through her window.
"...I'm your...sleep aid?" she spoke, reading the message out loud. "What...?"
Without ceremony, the penguin ripped the paper off of his chest before plopping down onto her futon. Moments later, with an insistent "wark", he patted at the bedding with his clawed flipper.
Uncertain, Mana slowly lied down beside Pen-Pen (because obviously Katsuragi had sent him in here, so she had to obey his - and hence Katsuragi's by proxy - command), wondering what was going to come from this, and the penguin practically dragged her left hand around his feathery torso with surprising dexterity for a bird. "Wark."
"...so am I supposed to hug you?"
"Wark!"
"...fine then." Sighing, Mana loosely wrapped her arms around the smaller animal, pulling him close enough that she could feel not only his ambient warmth, but also the soft sensation of him...breathing...
...huh...he feels pretty...nice...
xxxx
From outside Mana's Lovely Suite, as Misato had taken to thinking of the girl's room, she watched from around the corner as the young girl finally began to still. Heh. Figured that Pen-Pen would do the trick. The little bird had always had that sort of uncanny effect on her; given the odd litle funk the girl had been in since dinner, it had only felt proper.
The fact that the sight was too damn cute was an unintentional bonus. (Some small part of her briefly experienced a surge of maternal feelings that she didn't quite want to snuff out.)
You sleep well, kid. The whole process of 'adjusting to Japanese society and modern civilization in general' was a long one as it was; how much more so, for a child soldier?
xxxx
END OF 7/6/2015