Sokila snored softly, curling up into her new bed.
"...mrm...don' wanna wear shoes..."
He quietly tapped her head, telling her that he had something to show her.
"...'kay...I'm getting up..."
She sat up, staring at the faces of one of his newest Personas: Orthrus.
"...huh?"
The monstrous dog of Grecian myth woofed.
Sokila clapped with glee. "A doggie with two heads! You got me one!"
He smiled as both heads of the large canine proceeded to lick her with abandon, eliciting squeals of delight from the little girl.
"S-Stop it, that, t-t-that tickles...!"
The faint haze of blue began to brighten-
xxxx
/Thursday: July 30, 2015/
/LeNoir Café, Outskirts of Hakone Academy/
Shinji Ikari had awoken that morning to a particular invitation. Since it was unusual to receive such from the person in question, he had promptly made his way to a cafe he had yet to try out.
Based on French-inspired decor, the relaxed jazz instrumental playing over the speakers and the robust aroma of coffee floating throughout the interior, he resolved to return, and often.
Sipping from a coffee mug containing a nice serving of the Owner's Special Roast (man, each sip was so invigorating), Shinji looked at the girl who had invited him here. "Ayanami-san...what was it you wanted to talk about?"
Rei Ayanami had dressed casually for once; with school on hiatus for the summer break, she had adopted to wear a pair of blue jeans and a white camisole, with a loose, classical chemise (colored a creamy yellow) covering her top. It was simple, and unassuming...yet it looked good on her. (He wondered if she realized just how good. He could only fathom how many boys at school would hover about her if she had a less unapproachable demeanor...though, a Rei Ayanami that wasn't distant and aloof would be a very strange and intriguing individual.) Quietly drinking from a steaming cup of plain green tea, her red eyes seemed to stare right into his very soul.
"...Ayanami-san?"
"...your thoughts...they have a different flavor, to them," she murmured. "The core is still there...but there are subtle yet numerous changes to the accidents..."
Shinji blinked, impulsively thinking back to last night.
(Into the twin pools of orange, fell the cards bearing the image of Matador and Koppa Tengu; inside the central glass tank, their essences combined into the two-headed dog of Greek mythology. "Me Orthrus! Me can't wait to be your loyal guard dog!")
(Into the twin pools of orange, fell the cards bearing the image of Yaksini and Agathion; inside the central glass tank, their essences fused into a faceless oni clad in white, its skin marked with lines evoking gusts of wind. In its right hand was a glaive fashioned in the shape of a windmill's blades. "I am Fuu-Ki; let my thunderstorm rage, and blow away all the trifles that plague thee...")
(Into the twin pools of orange, fell the cards bearing the image of Kinnara — which felt strange and slightly sad, for the musical horse-man had been the first Archetype he had ever recruited —and Andras; inside the central glass tank, their essences merged into a muscular male humanoid, clad in Hoplite armor forged from the purest bronze. "I am Titan; with me by your side, all resistance shall fall away!")
(The card bearing the image of Bicorn fell into a pool; Igor grabbed the card bearing Onmoraki's image from the Persona Compendium, tossing it into the other pool. Within the central glass tank, their essences coalesced into a lovely blue ballerina, looking like an ice sculpture made flesh and blood. "I am Apsaras; may my dance lead you to paradise...")
(Igor pulled two cards from the Persona Compendium: those of Matador and Cait Sith. Into the pools they went; inside the central glass tank, their essences mixed and transformed into a green-skinned humanoid clad as a blacksmith. Of particular note were the metal helmet covering all but its left eye, and the fact that it stood upon only one leg. "I am Ippon-Datara. Let me forge you into something stronger...")
(Igor pulled two cards from the Persona Compendium: those of Matador and Berith. Into the pools they went; inside the central glass tank, their essences blended and morphed into a giant humanoid monster made of paper: a shikigami, tall and terrible to gaze upon. "My name Shiki-Ouji. You strong enough to wield me? Then we be friends!")
"...I had an interesting dream," he relented. "I guess it stuck with me?"
"..."
He took another nonchalant sip of his coffee. "This is really good."
"I'll take your word for it." Rei quietly titled her cup back for a longer sip, gathering her thoughts. Finally, she continued, saying, "I heard through word of mouth that you will be going on a summer trip soon. With friends."
The immediate reaction in Shinji's mind was 'oh no' followed by 'I HURT HER FEELINGS' with a side of 'you're an awful person Ikari', combined with a one-two combo of 'why why why didn't you try asking her' and 'that whole joke about what assuming makes you is so very painfully true!'
(Fortunately, he had just enough charisma to roll with the proverbial bunches.)
Instead of blurting out what was on his mind, he seamlessly responded with, "do you want to come along too?"
Rei blinked.
"Well, you're usually so busy...even during exams," he said, trying to explain his rationale and thought process. (How are you pulling this off?!) "And...to be honest, that's what kept me from asking. Sorry..." It had the added benefit of being a genuine apology too.
His Other chuckled, reading from a book titled 'How to Apologize and Actually Mean It.'
"Well...you have had a lot of practice, in your time..."
"...I will have to decline. My work keeps me occupied enough as it is. I would likely be absent for the vast majority of such a trip regardless. Besides, from my understanding, you already received permission from the Commander; I doubt I would receive the same."
"Why not?"
"Necessity and practicality. I doubt anyone would sign off on two Evangelion-users going on a summer vacation, if only for the optics it would have in the eyes of the Defense Ministry."
"So how come I can?"
"You have been at this for less than two months. I have no doubt that it could be spun as you needing the opportunity to rest and recuperate. That you can be anywhere on Earth within a reasonably quick timeframe also helps."
"...it's because of that last fact that you should be able to come along to, if you really wanted to." And yet, Ayanami was only offering...flimsy excuses. (He had offered plenty enough in his lifetime; from the outside looking in, they were easy enough to spot. But he had once been too polite — or too timid — to point them out. You're changing.) "...what's the real reason?"
Rei blinked once. Then, without hesitation, she answered, "you are different from me, Ikari-kun. As your bonds grow, and become stronger...you become more powerful. The Commander is aware of this. Is it not ironic, that a vacation with your friends could strengthen you more than any amount of training? I...do not have that talent."
"...but aren't we friends also? I mean..."
xxxx
Another place. Another time.
He was standing on an escalator with a girl.
He said something out of bitterness, and spitefulness...about someone else. He couldn't recall.
She turned around and slapped him.
xxxx
"...I'd like to think we are," he murmured.
At this, she smiled. Very slight, almost imperceptible...and yet for so small a thing, it was still transformative on her face. That she still somehow looked sad made it a tragedy. "I...appreciate that." Just as quickly, her face returned to its usual stoicness. "But as for why I've called you here...you've learned of something...troubling, haven't you?"
Boy, wasn't that the understatement of the century.
Another jazzy track began to play in the background (somehow, the old and tinny speakers that this cafe used — more fitting for a jukebox than a sound system — only heightened the nostalgic atmosphere of the place); taking another bracing sip of his coffee, Shinji gathered his thoughts. (How you will go about this?) "...I heard a story...about a war, in a very far away place. Two individuals were involved among many: ADAM and-"
"Cease." The word was quietly said, yet it carried all the force of an order barked by a drill sergeant.
Yet it was confirmation enough, in a certain sense. "...so you do know..." How many people were aware? How deep did it all go?
"There are a lot of things I know. There are some things I don't know. But I will say that that time...is not spoken of lightly, or casually."
"Why? Is it because...of..." The Usurper? The One Who Sat Upon the Throne? How are we supposed to talk about someone if they could be listening?! "...well-"
"You do not need to say anything more. I know what you're getting at."
"...and?"
"...that is one major reason, yes. But another is because...of everything that happened. It was a conflict that spanned across dream and reality, across mind and spirit; that the outcome was less than pleasant makes it...difficult, to speak of."
"So you were there." Marie had mentioned a being called 'LILITH', the supposed Mother of All Humanity; given Ayanami's Persona, was there truly a connection?
"...in a certain sense." She paused, finishing the last of her tea. "...I was born in the Metaverse. Or perhaps you might even say I was 'created'. I am aware of many things as a result...much more than I ever let on to the members of GEHIRN that found me, all those years ago. To them, I was a simple curiosity; an anomaly; a baseline, upon which Project E was founded. And yet, for all of that...I am nothing compared to you, in terms of importance."
"But why? I don't get it..." he growled.
"You will. Eventually. It is the nature of this type of causality, for one to reach their apotheosis at the climax: not before, and not after. To try and hurry it along, out of anxiety, or some misplaced desire to reach a conclusion...will only end badly for you, and for everyone else. So please...be patient. You will learn what you need and what you must when the time is right...that much, I believe."
"...and why do you believe that? What have I done to even earn that?"
"If it were based on merit, we wouldn't be having this conversation...but merit has little to do with it, in my eyes." With a quiet sigh, she leaned back, staring at him fully with those solemn eyes. "I have faith in you."
It should have been humbling, even heartening, to hear those words from someone who had been an Evangelion-user for so long, who had been fighting for so long. It still was.
(Yet he could sense the trepidation that his peer carried herself with.)
(You can see how weary she is, can't you?)
"...but do you have faith in yourself?" he honestly asked.
Whatever degree of insightfulness he displayed must have hit the mark, because all aspects of her immediately clammed up. Any and all emotion she had previously been radiating simply ceased to be. "I hope you enjoy your summer vacation, Ikari-kun," she calmly said, rising to her feet. "I would not mind a souvenir." She slightly nodded at him in acknowledgement before departing.
Shinji sighed — out of frustration, out of tiredness, out of bewilderment — as he raised his mug to his lips. Ayanami-san...what have you been through...?
xxxx
As Rei Ayanami walked away from LeNoir, steering herself towards a discreet place in which she could transition into the Metaverse without causing a disturbance, she found herself...perturbed.
But why? The knowledge and memory of her losses and failures...was always with her.
So why was it hurting now?
Her Other brushed a hand through her hair.
"It is one thing to rebuke and chastise thyself..."
The Beast knelt over a plain full of ashes; her hands were caked with gray dust.
"...it is another for someone else to unknowingly speak of what you carry in your heart..."
Was it truly that simple?
Perhaps...perhaps it was...
xxxx
Another time. Another place. Practically another reality, for how different the circumstances of those days had been.
She stood in all her splendor upon a floating platform in the middle of empty space, which glowed various shades of orange, ranging from persimmon and pumpkin through coral and tangerine to butterscotch and saffron. Around this circular platform stood nine pristine crosses.
She could've looked down upon the young man who had ended up here, but that was not her way: she stared at him, face-to-face, her white sundress moved by an unreal breeze. The straw hat sitting upon her head, although simple, carried all the weight and magnificence of a crown.
"Welcome; it's a pleasure to meet you," she said politely. "I am LILITH: She Who Dwells Within and Without Humanity. Please...would you tell me your name?"
The young man, clad in a gray high school uniform, rose to his feet. His brown eyes were narrowed with uncertainty, and his messy locks of black hair curled in a lively way. He briefly fiddled with the piercing in his left ear before blinking, as though the action had reminded him of something. "...Toudou. Naoya Toudou."
She smiled. "Wonderful. That you could remember that much in this place...the sign of a strong soul that is aware of itself and its boundaries. You have a very firm grip on your identity...I respect your strong will. In return, I will acknowledge the reason you sought me out, and grant you this power..." She held up her right hand, upon which glowed a concentric three-dimensional fractal of interlocking octagons and hexagons, all bound within a translucent sphere of orange light. "...to manipulate the barriers of one's own soul, to enact thy will upon the world around you: it has had many names...but you can call this power...the A.T. Field."
xxxx
Rei Ayanami sniffled. That was all she allowed herself. Anything more...would be spitting on their faces.
(For how could one who had failed so horribly even allow herself the reprieve of grief?)
(You don't have the right to cry for them...no matter how badly you want to.)
Selecting a mission from her phone, the First Child steeled herself before shifting out of reality.
xxxx
/Aida Residence, West of Lake Ashi, Tokyo-3/
(Meanwhile, as Shinji and Rei were chatting at LeNoir...)
Kensuke Aida quietly nibbled at his grilled fish and rice, seasoned with a little bit of salt and pepper. A simple breakfast, all things considered.
His father, Seigo Aida, might have made a comment about it being a reflection of his personality...because he was a rather simple man, all things considered. Simple; somewhat traditional, but not too much; prudent; pragmatic.
Boring.
At least, that's what Kensuke thought. (Or what he liked to think.) The fact that the silence hadn't choked them both out of sheer awkwardness didn't speak well for that hypothesis.
Finally, his father — short black hair, eyeglasses (because he just had to get his dad's eyesight instead of mom's 20/10 vision), but very similar facial features (honestly, were it not for the hair, he'd probably look like his dad's de-aged clone) — said, "how did your test scores go?"
"Hmm?"
"For the first term exams." There was no variance in his tone; nothing but the sensation of placid emotion and fine control. (It was like the man was afraid of showing any kind of emotion at all.) "You neglected to talk about them when I got home last night."
"...well, to be fair, you arrived late from work, and you were too shocked by the fact I was here and had already made dinner to ask."
Seigo hummed, acknowledging the point. "Your test scores?"
"...number twenty-seven overall, out of two hundred in my year."
"Ah, I always forget how elite that school is...not a lot of students for a given year of junior high. How many teachers do you have in your year?"
"Nine."
"...very elite." He quietly sighed, taking another small bite of rice. "Making it above the 86th percentile...not bad, but it could be better."
Kensuke resisted the urge to roll his eyes (because that was something his father had to be worried about, really?). "It's not like I really have to worry about it. I've already got an internship with NERV, of all places."
"And you didn't earn it by academic merit, now did you?"
The fact that his father said those words without sounding snide or spiteful somehow made them worse. "...haven't we had this conversation already?" He wasn't in the mood for it.
"Not since I first found out about how you entered the Metaverse and joined NERV after the fact, and I don't think we need to retread any of the words I said then." (For this, Kensuke was glad, because his father was...well, scary when angry.) "But even though you're ostensibly an intern at NERV, you've somehow managed to avoid me, even though we work in the same building."
"...well, Akagi's hours can be a little unpredictable, and sometimes I have to do stuff in the cognitive world-"
"But to the point where we can't even meet in the employee cafeteria for lunch?"
...okay, he's got me there. "Well...life's been busy." He would stick to that line of argument till the end!
"Life is busy for a lot of people. Yet they still make time for family, do they not? Or are you content with separating yourself from my house entirely?"
"...do we really have to talk about this?"
"What better time than now? After all, I only have rumors and office gossip to go by...and what I heard yesterday was that Dr. Akagi reacted negatively to your request for time off. For a summer vacation with your peers, I believe?"
Damn it, how come gossips exist no matter where I go?!
(After the lunch at Neo Hagakure, he had gone to NERV to do a bit of work...and also to request time off. The blonde had proceeded to rant and rave at him in a very mild voice about how unprofessional it was to request time off after not even being on the job for two months. Then she had irritably informed him that Commander Ikari had already cleared him — "Of all the times for that damned man to exercise nepotism, it's for a kid's summer vacation?!" — and told him to get lost...but not before ordering him to catalog all observations related to Shogoki over the course of the trip.)
Kensuke tried to shrug it off. "Well...that's kind of why I'm here. To ask permission."
Seigo sighed. "A measure of thoughtfulness, for once? I'm glad." Even though he didn't sound happy about it. "I'm very touched to know that you would at least ask before going off on a grand adventure with your friends. It's an improvement, compared to your recent behavior."
Kensuke indignantly chewed and swallowed the last of his fish before replying, "hey, at least I'm making an effort-"
"Don't insult me or yourself by calling it an effort," he calmly replied, yet with a bit of anger. (Finally.) "Who do you think is paying for your tuition at Hakone Academy? Do you think a NERV internship means guaranteed employment? Then again, getting a job with them wasn't on your mind, was it? No...you took NERV's hand for the sake of avoiding criminal charges for accessing the Metaverse illegally."
"I've already gone through with this song and dance, you think I haven't kicked myself enough for that?" he growled.
"...choices and mistakes are an inevitable part of growing up. But I'm still your father, and I can't help you with any mistakes you make if you cut me out."
"Cut you out?" he nearly sputtered, because who the hell was his father to talk about cutting people out. "I wouldn't think about it if you hadn't done it first!"
"And when have I ever cut you out? Have I ever denied you anything if you asked for it?"
"Yeah: Mom," he spat, rising to his feet. "Ever since Mom died...it's like you've gone out of your way to treat her as if she didn't exist! You never talk about her anymore! I mean...she was my mother; she was your wife! How am I supposed to come to you when you act like you'd rather forget she was ever even a part of our family?!"
At long last, the awkwardness had climaxed, and there was now only silence. (He had picked at a scab so he could see it bleed.)
(Better to pick at it than to ignore the wound that caused it.)
Finally, his father sighed, closing his eyes; all tension seemed to leak out of his frame. "...you have my blessing to go on your trip. I truly hope you enjoy yourself, Kensuke."
"Thanks," he grumbled, turning around to leave.
"Son."
"What?"
"...do try and stay out of trouble."
Kensuke didn't answer, because honestly, what was he supposed to say? 'Why yes father, I actively and intentionally seek out things that make my life more difficult!' Seriously...
No wonder he had come to hate coming back here.
(No wonder you've come to dread facing your old man...because he hurts you without even trying...)
xxxx
As Kensuke stormed away, Seigo Aida quietly finished the rest of his breakfast.
It was only once he heard the boy leave their apartment that he finally allowed himself to pinch the bridge of his nose, because gods that boy could be so headstrong. "Naomi," he murmured aloud, "he has too much of you in him..."
xxxx
It was around midday.
Toji Suzuhara hadn't known what to expect when Ryuji Sakamoto had called and told him to go to NERV HQ.
Needless to say, sitting in Misato Katsuragi's room in the Medical Ward alongside Mana Kirishima? Listening to his custodian talk over his sensei's phone (because damn his cell phone had some loud pipes), while Misato Katsuragi laid in her cot?
Not what he had been expecting.
"So let me see if I have this straight," asked Sae Niijima. "Now that school is out for the summer, you wish to on go a road trip...and your destination is Nishiawakura. In Okayama Prefecture."
"Well, that's where Shinji's old sensei lives...and didn't I talk about this yesterday?" he pointed out.
There was a frustrated sigh from the other hand. "I'm repeating it for the sake of the people in the room with you," she clarified. "Furthermore, Mana-san...why is it that you want to go along with them?"
"...Ikari and I agreed to train together, so I could get stronger. I can't train with him if he's gone."
("I'm sure that's the only reason," Katsuragi whispered to herself with the roll of her eyes, unheard by anyone; Toji could still read her lips, though.)
"He would not be gone forever: mere weeks, if that."
"...so...am I not allowed to go? Is that what you're getting at?" Kirishima asked with suspicion.
"I simply want to ensure that your reasons are honest."
Katsuragi sighed. Loudly. "Hey, Niijima-san? Does she really need to be given a third degree over something as simple as a little vacation...?"
"It's a concern when you, Mana-san's guardian, are still recovering. It's a concern when the only 'chaperone' for five children is a high school student. It's a concern when the five kids in question are an Evangelion-user, the result of a secret Metaverse research program, two Persona-users, and...as far as I've been able to ascertain, a completely ordinary civilian girl. That's just asking for trouble."
"Um...Ikari can kinda kick a lot of ass," interjected Toji. "So if someone trying to get the jump on us," though he had no idea who or why, "is what you're worried about...I don't think you have to worry."
"It's a matter of accountability on my end, but it's also a matter of simple realism. Four teenagers with cognitive powers alongside a civilian, with no adult supervision? Other parties would view that as a prime target of opportunity."
"...you really think so?" murmured Toji.
"...there's a pretty good chance of it," murmured Misato, speaking up from her cot. "Not guaranteed...but a decent possibility. For all we know, given that knowledge of the Angels has become more public...people might be too scared of Evangelion-users to try anything blatant. If anyone does do anything...they might just stick to simple surveillance."
"Or they might opt for overwhelming firepower to try and acquire them."
...this is starting to sound a little heavy, inwardly winced Toji. Why did they have to worry about this kind of crap for a freakin' road trip?!
It was at this point that Ryuji Sakamoto cleared his throat. "So...if I might interject, I have a suggestion that might solve all of our problems."
"Well? Lay it on us," demanded Kirishima's guardian.
His sensei proceeded to do so.
To Toji's complete lack of surprise, it sufficiently mollified both Katsuragi and Niijima-san, because his sensei was the man. "Gotta say...didn't think you'd have that kind of pull," admitted Misato.
"What can I say? I'm kind of a big deal...but seriously, those two owe me: I've bailed them out of enough scrapes in my time. Though, compensation will definitely be required..." Sakamoto trailed off, deciding that speaking the obvious wasn't necessary.
"I'll see what strings I can pull. I may even be able to get it arranged as a private mission, deliverable only to you and your partners."
Ryuji grinned. "Sweet."
Mana looked back-and-forth with slight anxiousness, masked only by her stern frown. "So...are we going or not?"
"...given the additional safeguards, I don't see why not. Katsuragi?"
Misato looked briefly in his direction, before staring intently at Kirishima. "...Mana-chan...I get why you're telling yourself you need to stick with Shinji-kun...but you deserve to relax a little, you know? So...I hope you find a way to be just...well, a girl on this trip. Okay?"
"...but I'm always a girl," she bluntly replied.
This answer only caused Katsuragi to chuckle. "Yeah, yeah...just be careful, and you've got my approval."
"Okay. I'll be careful," she said with the sort of matter-of-fact tone of someone who didn't quite get the point that the questioner was getting at, and was just interested in getting them off their back.
(After all, he had enough experience with that sort of thing himself.)
Awesome, can't wait to tell Ikari that we'll be coming along.
xxxx
(Meanwhile, as Toji and Mana were trying to get their road trip greenlit...)
Elsewhere in Tokyo-3, near a cluster of apartments on the eastern shores of Lake Ashi, Mayumi Yamagishi lay within her room.
The lights were off, but there was enough sunshine coming through her window that it didn't really matter. Anyone who looked inside would see shelves full of books, acquired over the years: new and old; some untouched, others in tatters; there were also numerous sketchbooks, filled with sketches and drawings that the room's occupant had never shown anyone. Where she didn't have any shelves, there were books sitting in stacks. All told — save for the lone windowsill, and the empty pathway of floor around her bed, her desk, and her closet — it was more of a library's cluttered storage than a bedroom.
(Most parents would have gotten on someone for such a mess.)
(Mayumi didn't have that privilege.)
The girl calmly rested on her bed, eyes closed; were she not whispering aloud, it would have seemed as though she had fallen asleep. "...can I really do this...?"
Rumbling storm clouds.
"...it's not much...it really isn't..."
A bonfire, burning brightly.
"...I don't understand...what has he done...?"
An inferno, consuming a forest entire.
"...why do I have that impression of Ikari-san...he's been nothing like that..."
Two lovers, whispering intimate things to each other.
She couldn't help the mad flush that came to her face. "That...that has nothing to do with it...he wouldn't be interested anyway..."
The phone call from yesterday, replayed with perfect precision in stereo surround sound.
"I...that's just..." She sniffed. "It doesn't have to be like that..."
A gentle rainfall, one that nonetheless snuffed out the blaze.
"...I don't want to be difficult...just..."
An inquisitive cat, sniffing at a hole leading underground...only to yowl as a great beast emerged, surrounding her in its sinuous coils.
"...let me have this..."
The beast withdrew into the darkness, dragging the struggling cat with it.
"...just one thing..."
The beast stopped; the cat knew it as a stay of execution, and simply ceased to struggle.
"...please...?"
Silence.
The beast's coils loosened, and the cat immediately wiggled out, limping away into the daylight.
"...thank you..."
Mayumi opened her eyes; hours had passed, judging by the angle of the sunlight coming through her window. My parents should be back from work by now.
Getting up, she went over her desk and promptly typed up a note, essentially saying that her parents were giving her — Mayumi Yamagishi — permission to go on the road trip with Shinji Ikari and his friends. Printing it off, she then walked into the living room, where her father was quietly watching television with a perfectly neutral expression...and that was no exaggeration. Were he not breathing, he would have seemed dead. Mother, meanwhile, was robotically making dinner, saying not a word the entire time.
Mayumi had long ago mentally categorized their behavior as of the 'Uncanny Valley' trope, so she didn't even react. Placing the note in front of her father, she held out a pen towards him. "Please sign this."
Father did so without a word, moving efficiently yet listlessly (if such movements were even possible).
Nodding, she did the same with her mother; as she finished putting the seasoned pork cutlets into the oven to bake, Mayumi asked, "please sign this."
Mother did so without even acknowledging her. (Not like it would have made a difference.)
"Please call me when dinner's ready." With those words said, she returned to her room to start packing for the trip. I wonder what I should bring? I'll have to look it up. A strange and almost giddy excitement was filtering its way through her, now that she knew permission had been given.
(She had once wondered if her parents behaved differently when she wasn't around.)
(Now, she no longer did...because what would be the point, in wondering about something she had no control over?)
I can't wait to go on this trip! she thought with a genuine smile, her face flushed red with both nervousness and anticipation.
xxxx
As for Shinji Ikari?
Well, ever since breakfast, he had been languishing at NERV, thanks to an impromptu text from Ritsuko Akagi.
Aside from a brief break from lunch...he had been in The Tube™. For hours.
At least the MAGI were playing some pleasantly atmospheric background music, because otherwise the boredom would have been unbearable. "Dr. Akagi..."
"Yes?" she distractedly answered.
"...are you upset with me?"
"Oh, not at all, why would you get that impression?"
"Well...you just sound...grumpy, is all," he murmured, trying to not sound rude.
"I'm not sure why you have that impression. You're just about to go gallivanting across the country on a summer vacation when you honestly have better things to do. For all Ayanami's cold and unapproachable at the best of times, at least she's got the right idea of it." A brief pause. "Maybe a brief visit from the Second Child would be enough to get your head straight..."
(Somehow, the very thought of Asuka Langley-Sohryu arriving in a fiery rampage filled him with a primal dread.) "...it's not like I'd be absent. I could still do missions...if I couldn't travel quickly like I can, I honestly don't think I'd be allowed to leave..."
"Well, you have some thinking ability left in the brain of yours." There was a brief grumble that he couldn't quite make out. "...confound it."
He turned his head, trying to look at the doctor from his perspective; she was huddled behind her computer terminal, hunched over with visible anger. "...what's wrong."
Her tired face poked over the top of her monitor, revealing weary eyes. "Tell me, Ikari: why did you not think to tell me that you were communicating with another cycle of the MAGI?"
"...huh?" he muttered dumbly.
"I knew about HEROD, and was monitoring her questions to you, as well as your answers. Interesting answer with the sword instead of the potion or guide, by the way." She ignored his impulsive blush of mortification. "But, there were unknown data transfers being logged; while your spiriology and cognitive profile was being scanned today, I've been running a manual diagnostic on your phone. And I've found nothing."
"...nothing?"
"Nothing. No unusual apps, no logs of applications being uninstalled, no records of deletion. I'd be inclined to have believed the security logs had glitched about the data transfers if I hadn't gotten this text message about ten minutes ago." She promptly rose, stalking over towards the tube; she pressed her phone's screen against the side of the glass, showing her text message app.
PILATE: DO TRY HARDER NEXT TIME, RITSUKO
His reaction must have been obvious, because her lips contorted into an irritated sneer. "So that's the new pseudonym they're using, hmm? What have you been talking about?"
"...well...more questions like HEROD's honestly. Just...more detailed. More elaborate. Like having me roleplay...that's the term, right?"
"It's a term."
"Well...they're interested in seeing how I would react...in scenarios I wouldn't be a part of. Having me step outside of myself...I think."
"And why did you not see fit to tell me about this development?"
"Because they wanted it kept secret."
"Why?"
"Because...I think..." It was hard recalling certain messages from so long ago (not that long ago at all, objectively speaking, but it felt like a long time ago). "...PILATE said you would disapprove."
The woman snorted. "Gee, I wonder why. Why would you cooperate?"
"Because...they said that they desire my victory 'against the doom of this world'...and because they said they had answers about my mother."
"Oh, this again. People in this building seem to have a hard time letting go of the past." With a frustrated sigh, Dr. Akagi walked back over to her terminal, plopping down in her chair with a huff. She reached for a cigarette cartoon in her coat and promptly lit up a Seven Suns brand. "Why poke and prod at something we have no power to change? It's utterly stupefying." Her green eyes flickered back over to him; her expression was enigmatic, pensive. "And all for a child, no less...even one as gifted and strange as you..."
"Hmm?"
"Nothing."
"...um, Dr. Akagi..."
"What?" Her voice was clipped, her tone short.
"...why are the MAGI getting you so irritated? Why is it a problem if they talk with me?"
There was a long silence from the blonde, lasting at least thirty seconds. (A practical eternity in awkward terms.) Finally, she relented with a long and tired sigh. "I've told you before, on the day you signed the contract with NERV...about how the MAGI in this building are the originals. Why do you think I know so much about them? Why do you think their maintenance and upkeep falls within my purview?"
He had a simple answer ready, yet knew it wouldn't be what she was looking for (Dr. Akagi seemed to despise things that were simple in principle). In silence, he tried thinking (put your knowledge to use) about Dr. Akagi's specialities: the journals in her office (Cognitive Psience, Metaphysical Biology); the people she had known growing up (Futaba Maruki, Yui Ikari, Kōzō Fuyutsuki); the fact that Naoko Akagi was her mother (she worked with Fuyutsuki-sensei under my grandfather's tutelage, right...alongside Futaba-san's mother too, right?); the overall specialties that the students of his grandfather were apparently famous for (Fuyutsuki-sensei said that Naoko Akagi and Wakaba Isshiki were more into applications...?); how PILATE seemed to speak as though it knew Ritsuko Akagi in a very familiar way (wait...could it be...?); finally, as a light clicking on, he understood. "...because...your mother invented the MAGI, didn't she...?"
Dr. Akagi actually seemed surprised. "Not bad. Though, it's a bit of information that's publicly available, so you could've found out about it if you were legitimately curious...though, the MAGI have become so commonplace, why even bother thinking about who invented them? Then how about this: why do you think the MAGI are even capable of communicating with you in such an inquisitive manner?"
"...I'm...not sure about that one," he admitted.
"HEROD is dynamically generated from certain subroutines in BALTHASAR, MELCHIOR, and CASPER...and I assume PILATE is similar, given the theme...but the MAGI are biological supercomputers. Whose biology do you think they were based off of?"
"...Naoko Akagi's..."
"Correct. In fact, my mother pioneered a means of transplanting aspects of her very personality onto their physical hardware, using clones of her own brain as the means and the cognitive world as the medium. That's why the MAGI are capable of tunnelling into the 'Metaverse' when they work in concert: together, each trio duplicates the thoughts and patterns of a particular human being, yet does so simultaneously from different perspectives in a fashion that would be difficult for a normal human to imitate, if nigh-impossible from a practical perspective. It forms a distorted wave pattern that inherently destabilizes the barriers between matter and cognition...but because they lack an A.T. Field that binds them to the spiritual dimension that we have to deal with, there's less interference for them to deal with. It's really quite ingenious, if you think about it."
"...your mother sounds amazing," he honestly admitted.
(Fuyutsuki-sensei's tone was somber as he recalled his memories. "Then of course, the following year was Second Impact...and Wakaba passed away during the chaos of that day. Yui-kun vanished without a trace in 2004...and Naoko died in 2006 in circumstances I'd rather not go into.")
Still, the fact Naoko Akagi was no longer around couldn't be ignored. "I'm...sorry she died, back in 2006..."
Dr. Akagi apparently didn't care that he knew that, judging by her irritable snort. "Please, you don't even know her. Besides, I'm not. That sorry bitch killed herself without even leaving so much as a suicide note."
The stark and sudden swerve in the conversation removed the breath from Shinji's lungs, so great was his shock.
Ritsuko moved on as though she had said something completely normal. "Still, it's interesting that the MAGI are so chatty with you. Probably gonna have to spend a while debugging the actual mainframes to see if I can find the actual data logs of your conversations with PILATE...about ten more minutes and you'll be free to go for your little 'trip'." There was an undeniable derisiveness baked into that last word. "Do try to bring yourself and everyone back in one piece; you're rather indispensable, Aida is a useful gofer...Misato would probably be miserable if anything happened to her new 'kid'...don't much care for Suzuhara or whatever civilian you're dragging along, but their deaths would be inconvenient."
He would've called her snide and uncaring of human life if she didn't sound so detached from it all. "...you talk about our possible deaths like they were nothing...like your mother's death was nothing...why?"
"...kid, you have to get used to the fact that people die. A lot of people seem to forget that, but everyone dies eventually. If they realized that, maybe they'd stop clinging to the dead so much and focus on the living. But in this place, that's asking the impossible." As Dr. Akagi promptly went back to typing at her terminal, that signalled an end to the conversation.
Sighing silently, Shinji leaned his head back against the surface of the tube, staring blankly as his thoughts simmered and churned in his mind. People...are complicated...
His Other shook his head.
"And are you any different? Simplicity is of the divine..."
He held up a familiar skull, which chattered endlessly.
"...while those of mortal ken are muddled and mixed. Such is life..."
He had a lot to think about.
xxxx
As the sun set beneath the horizon, a light shower fell upon Tokyo-3.
Ren Amamiya sighed, flipping open his umbrella; he'd rather not get his hoodie wet. Then again, it did match his mood. Just a little.
As he walked along the sidewalks of the city (which was rather densely packed in the downtown area, all things considered), his eyes eventually fell upon the sign for Jazz Jingisukan. Closing his umbrella as he walked under the awning, he opened the door to hear a jazzy harmonica playing over the speakers.
His eyes fell upon a red baseball cap, the lone splash of color amongst the more conservatively-dressed folk; as he approached the table (seriously, he always picks the same table, where's the spontaneity?), he tried so very hard not to laugh.
Goro Akechi frowned in the way that was natural for him. "What idiotic thing are you laughing about now?"
"Oh, nothing in particular," he said, looking at the 'GET SMOKED' embroidered in big yellow letters along the front of Akechi's cap. If there was at least one positive about this whole 'repeat timeline' business, it resulted in scenes of serendipitous hilarity like this. I wonder if I should tell him?
Akechi simply narrowed his eyes, placing slices of lamb onto the convex grilling pan in the center of the table, alongside onions, peppers, and bamboo shoots.
"What, didn't have it ready for my arrival?"
"You're a grown-up who knows how to be patient, aren't you?"
"Very liberally speaking? Not as much as I'd like to be."
"I'm sure." Akechi leaned back, arms crossed arrogantly. It didn't fit well with the baggy sweater he was wearing. "So...I've heard you're going to be a chaperone for some particular junior high students."
"That was fast."
"Gossips exist everywhere, it would seem...but why exactly did you volunteer? Don't lie."
Not to you, he admitted to himself, because why burn a bridge with the only friend of his who remembered? "...besides the practical stuff related to my kouhai? I need a break from this place." At Akechi's raised eyebrow, he added, "just to refresh my head, you know? It's been...difficult, seeing so many familiar faces."
"Is that so?"
"Kawakami and the Yoshizawa Twins are all teachers in the High School faculty...and I just found out the other day that the replacement for one of the first year teachers who died during the last new moon is going to be Ichiko Ohya, so that's another familiar face I'll have to deal with. Walking around trying to avoid the Big Bang Beef Bowl Shop has become really awkward," because deep down he wanted to see Haru's face so badly that his very heart ached, "and that's not even getting into the people I can just...sense, you know?"
"No, as a matter of fact I don't," Akechi snidely responded. "Why, it almost seems as if 'teammates' and 'friends' are a burden."
Ren snorted, letting a bit of his Joker persona (heh, pun) slip through. "Yeah yeah, you've done this song and dance before. Nobody's buying it, Mister Warden."
"And it's a role I play to perfection, as far as everyone else is concerned."
"I'm sure. I just...need to get away from this city, for a little bit. And this road trip will help." (It also wasn't an excuse to indulge in fun memories, not at all. Seriously, how did Arisato and Narukami live with this?!)
"If you say so," relented Akechi.
"You change your mind, by the way?"
The angry (because really, an Akechi who didn't have some element of anger within him was simply...not Akechi) boy's eyes narrowed. "Operational security exists for a reason. I don't know what part you and your...roommates...are ultimately going to play...just as you don't know mine. Let it be."
"...being on the other side of secret plans sucks."
"And now you know why you and your little ragtag band of delinquents were so...vexing on a personal and professional level."
"I know we were," he snarked, reaching for his chopsticks to grab some of the grilled meat and vegetables now that they were done cooking.
Even so, as the duo prepared to eat, Akechi said, "by the way...just in case you were unaware, the reason Sakamoto has been hanging around Tokyo-3 is because he's taken on one of the boy's friends as an apprentice. From what I've heard from Katsuragi, his presence on your upcoming road trip was nonnegotiable."
Ren froze (damn it so I'm going to be travelling with Ryuji for this whole trip that just RUINS the whole point of it and DAMN IT I can't back out now), his face going still. "...thanks for the heads up."
Akechi smirked. "I bet that stung."
"Not at all. Unlike you, I don't mind showing gratitude to my friends."
And just like that, Akechi's mood soured, as he irritably began eating his portion of jingisukan.
They ate in relative silence as the background music transitioned to a somber saxophone solo...because what was there to say?
xxxx
Another time. Another place. A nostalgic cafe, in the middle of winter. An offer made by a mutual enemy had been discussed.
Naturally, Akechi was opposed...for very obvious reasons. "...I will carve my own path for myself. I refuse to accept a reality concocted by someone else, stuck under their control for the rest of my days."
"Are you sure?"
A snide glance. "Why wouldn't I be? Don't ask such stupid questions after all this time. All you have to do is stick to your guns and challenge Maruki...or are you really so spineless that you'd fold over some bullshit, TRIVIAL threat on my life?"
Sometimes, the urge to kick all of the stupid out of the boy's head was overwhelming. "This isn't small potatoes."
"It IS." For once, the quiet despair began to slip past his mask of edgy anger and hardass brashness. "Do you think I'd be happy with this? Being shown mercy now, of all times? I don't want to be pitied—this isn't something I'm debating with you!" Little did they know that their decisions were much less 'final' than they realized, that this life would not be their last. As such, his next words hurt. "Your indecisiveness on the matter is essentially a betrayal of my wishes."
He knew nonetheless that a part of Akechi desired happiness: that he DID want a place to call home, just for once...that he wanted to live. And yet...the far greater part, who had been toyed with by others for his whole life, wanted to be free. Even if meant his death.
"...I want to hear you say it aloud," growled Akechi. "What do you intend to do?" A brief pause. "I won't wait a moment longer. Answer me."
Really, Joker knew there was only one answer he could possibly give and still be able to live with himself. "We're stopping Maruki." To say otherwise would be to spit in Akechi's face.
For the very first time, the boy's smug smirk showed a hint of gratitude, and his tone betrayed the same. "All right...I'm relieved to hear it. I will never accept this form of reality...I'm done being manipulated." Resolved to his fate, Akechi said, "let's go back...to our true reality."
And yet their 'true reality' would end up being anything but.
xxxx
"...life can really suck sometimes," Ren said, out of the blue.
Akechi snorted. "As if you need to remind me of that." As he finished his food, he finally added, "my father has been...making overtures."
"...that's right, he's the Governor of Kyoto now, isn't he?" he quietly replied. (Learning that Old Man Tora had passed away from a stroke still hurt, even weeks later.) "...think you'll end up being reassigned there?"
"I don't know yet. I'll fight it every step of the way."
"...I'm sure the plan would survive your temporary absence."
"Even if I wasn't involved, I would still fight."
"He as bad as he was last time around?"
"I wouldn't know. The moment I remembered...I got away as fast as I could. I want nothing to do with that man in any life."
"Sounds a bit pusillanimous of you."
"Don't you try throwing impressive-sounding words at me."
"Yeah, sucks to be on the other end of someone trying to be a smartypants, doesn't it?" As Akechi grumbled ineffectually, Ren added, "listen...judging by some of the stories I've heard from my 'senpai', you never know how he might be this time around."
"...unless you're fundamentally broken, there's a core to who you are, deep down," he mused. "And for my father to have been as bad as he was...speaks very poorly of who he is."
"More on the side of nature as compared to nurture, huh?"
"...if I'm going to be honest, I don't know. I'm just cynical."
"And you've got good reason to be, Shishi," he cracked with a grin.
Goro Akechi — whose 'real' name in this life was Shimaru Shido — scowled. "I will punch you if you call me that again."
"Hey, at least the lion imagery is somewhat noble. I could be way crueler about it." The wonders of multiple meanings and wordplay. "But I'm a nice guy, so I won't."
"...whatever." And that was the sign of surrender, as Goro Akechi stood up. "I've already paid, so you can take the rest with you."
Ren looked up at Akechi (his Justice Confidant, a bond that wanted to be released to its fullest like all the others, but since Akechi actually remembered, the temptation was less stark...and for that alone, he was so very thankful), nodded in acknowledgment. "...take care of yourself."
The boy snorted. "Save it for yourself; I'm not the one about to be the driver for five brats."
"So charming. I'll make sure to keep you in mind as a babysitter if I ever have kids."
The very thought of caring for his spawn seemed repugnant, judging by how quickly Akechi walked out.
Joker smirked as he went back to finishing his meal. Point for me.
(He would be forever grateful for the circumstances that had allowed Akechi to remember.)
(Because it meant he wasn't insane, that everything he had endured and struggled through had happened.)
Now it was a matter of mentally preparing himself for being in proximity to Ryuji for who knew how long...
xxxx
END OF 7/30/2015
xxxx
Author's Note: Well. I'm sure there's nothing foreboding about this upcoming summer trip. It'll be fun times for all! (Also, Priestess Social Link with Rei and the Moon Social Link with Ritsuko are now both at Rank 4.)
Also, regarding the status of P1/P2: although the plots of those specific games are non-canon to this story...that doesn't mean elements won't slip through (judging by how LILITH just utterly yoinked Philemon's place in the cutscene with the P1 Protagonist).
Anyhow, since Shinji just fused a bunch of new Personas, here's the current list of active and registered Personas:
ACTIVE PERSONAS AS OF 7/30
HAMLET: Mudo, Tentarafoo (causes Panic), Psi, Cleave, Mapsi, Giant Slice (Fool) *Resist Psy, Weak Dark*
APSARAS: Rebellion, Ice Wall, Bufu, Tarunda, Eiha, Agi (Priestess) *Resist Ice, Weak Fire/Elec* (Formed from Bicorn and Onmoraki)
IPPON-DATARA: Sledgehammer, Tarukaja, Resist Dizzy, Agi, Garula (Hermit) *Reflect Wind, Resist Fire/Bless/Dark, Weak Ice* (Formed from Cait Sith and Matador)
TITAN: Mazio, Skull Cracker, Dekunda, Media, Terror Claw, Foul Breath (Strength) *Resist Elec, Weak Ice* (Formed from Kinnara and Andras)
INUGAMI: Pulinpa, Tarukaja, Giant Slice, Dream Needle (Hanged Man) *Null Gun/Fire/Dark, Weak Wind*
NEKOMATA: Magaru, Terror Claw, Evil Touch, Hysterical Slap (Magician) *Resist Psy, Weak Elec*
SHIKI-OUJI: Tarukaja, Taunt, Double Shot, Double Fangs, Null Dizzy, Dormin Rush (Chariot) *Null Phys/Gun/Bless/Dark* (Formed from Berith and Matador)
ORTHRUS: Agilao, Double Fangs, Maragi, Sukukaja, Garula, Growth 1 (Hanged Man) *Absorb Fire, Resist Nuclear, Weak Ice* (Formed from Matador and Koppa Tengu)
FUU-KI: Tetra Break, Tarukaja, Garula, Dia, Zio, Hysterical Slap (Star) *Absorb Wind, Resist Gun, Weak Elec* (Formed from Yaksini and Agathion)
REGISTERED PERSONAS AS OF 7/30
PIXIE: Zio, Dia, Patra, Tarukaja (Lovers) *Resist Elec/Light, Weak Gun/Ice/Dark*
AGATHION: Dia, Baisudi, Lunge, Rakukaja, Zio, Dodge Elec (Chariot) *Resist Gun/Elec, Weak Wind*
MANDRAKE: Pulinpa, Energy Drop, Lunge (Death) *Resist Elec, Weak Wind*
BICORN: Lunge, Tarunda, Garu, Ice Wall, Apt Pupil (Hermit) *Resist Dark, Weak Elec*
CAIT SITH: Agi, Cleave, Tarukaja (Magician) *Resist Elec, Weak Wind*
SILKY: Dormina, Bufu (Priestess) *Resist Ice, Weak Fire/Elec*
BERITH: Cleave, Rakukaja, Double Fangs (Hierophant) *Null Gun, Resist Fire, Weak Ice*
KOROPOKKURU: Makajama, Bufu, Dodge Ice, Sukunda, Fire Wall (Hermit) *Resist Ice/Wind, Weak Fire*
MOKOI: Tarukaja, Dazzler, Skull Cracker, Marin Karin (Death) *Resist Elec, Weak Wind*
KINNARA: Agi, Media (Star) *Null Fire, Resist Light/Dark/Psy, Weak Ice*
JACK FROST: Bufu, Dormina, Energy Drop, Agi (Magician) *Null Ice, Weak Fire*
KOPPA TENGU: Garu, Sukukaja, Growth 1, Taunt, Rage Boost (Temperance) *Resist Wind, Weak Ice/Bless*
ONMORAKI: Eiha, Ice Wall, Agi, Evil Touch (Moon) *Null Dark, Resist Fire, Weak Ice/Bless*
MATADOR: Psi, Null Dizzy, Sukukaja, Double Fangs, Garula, Dormin Rush (Death) *Null Dizzy/Wind, Weak Elec* (Formed from Berith and Sandman)
YAKSINI: Hysterical Slap, Wage War, Counter, (Empress) *Resist Ice, Weak Nuclear*
SANDMAN: Dormina, Garula, Dormin Rush (Magician) *Resist Wind, Weak Elec/Fire*
ANDRAS: Foul Breath, Terror Claw, Zio, Bufu, Energy Drop, Counter (Devil) *Resist Ice/Psy, Weak Fire/Bless* (Formed from Pixie and Jack Frost)
ARA MITAMA: Miracle Punch, Freila, Taunt (Chariot) *Resist Phys, Weak Ice*