Shin Persona Evangelion

by Ultra Sonic 007

Shinji Ikari stared, bewildered by the bizarre-looking man, who gave an intrigued smile. "An interesting guest has arrived. My name is Igor. Welcome to the Velvet Room, young fool...we have important matters to discuss, you and I." (A fusion of the realms of Evangelion and Persona, where not all is as it seems.) (Cover art by Renu of the Sufficient Velocity forums.)

80. SIDESTORY - The Tale of Narukami: Part 3

Why are we here?

To learn the truth.

xxxx

More timelines ensured. A lot of them were Impact Timelines.

xxxx

Another life. The year 2001.

"Geez, I hate all the rationing they're doing," grumbled Ai Ebihara, standing in line with a whole bunch of people to receive their daily supply of food.

Hayato Asakawa shrugged. "A lot of people died because of Second Impact."

"But wouldn't that mean there's less mouths to feed?" she whispered.

"Fewer people to actually obtain the food as well," he pointed out. "Not to mention agricultural sources that were destroyed because of the floods and earthquakes."

"...I guess that's fair," Ai muttered, somewhat contrite.

He was caught up in a riot over a food shortage a few months later, and passed away from his injuries.

xx

Another life. The year 1990.

Yu Narukami frowned as his history teacher, Shu Nakajima, began covering a period of history that covered ancient diseases that had ravaged the world since time immemorial. Bardiel's blue plague and Ramiel's crystal pox?

(How terrifying.)

(It almost makes the Impact Timeline preferable...if only because of how the Angels are locked into predictable patterns.)

(Why were the Angels opposed to humanity?)

He died a few years later, when a vehicle ran a red light and hit him whilst he was crossing. (How normal...)

(And what a sad commentary on what you deem normal, these days.)

xx

Another life. The year 2016.

Souji Seta kept his arms wrapped around Rise's shoulder; the woman was sobbing out of fear and trepidation as the entire world seemed to become undone in a tide of fire and lava. The nearby radio, relaying news of Sandalphon's destruction, abruptly went dead.

(Why did the Angels desire humanity's destruction?)

"Hold me, dear..."

Souji said not a word, simply embracing her with both arms. (She, like most everyone else, thought that this was the end.)

(You are removed from the existential terror that she feels.)

(In a certain way, he envied her.)

Another distant volcano erupted, and their home collapsed beneath a tide of burning ash.

xx

Another life. The year 1980.

Yu Narukami worked quietly in an insane asylum under the direction of Sayoko Uehara, dedicated especially to those who had suffered from the Light of Arael. (He had never actually witnessed how this Angel acted in an Impact Timeline; if it was anything like what it did here, he pitied its victim.)

"Hello Arisato-san," said Yu, quietly spooning applesauce into the deranged woman's mouth. (Her symptoms were especially severe; though her nutrition was largely provided intravenously, it was only humane to let her feel like a human being in some aspects.) "I hope your dreams were pleasant, last night."

The auburn-haired woman murmured tiredly, red eyes looking rather empty. (It was honestly better than the times where they were wide with undeniable agony.)

"Sounds lovely, Miss Minako," he honestly replied. (Some of the other orderlies protested how he had pulled rank to help her so often.)

(Like you would be so base.)

(There was something undeniably familiar about her, in a way he couldn't quite describe. A certain...kinship.)

(Don't you have enough mysteries to solve?)

Alas, he didn't have as much time to wonder as he would've liked, because in 1981, he was in a car crash.

(It was a rather mundane way to go...)

(You find it somewhat refreshing, oddly enough...)

He passed away before the ambulance could get him to the hospital.

xx

Another life. The year 2015.

Yu Narukami, as a student of Naoto Shirogane, was a private investigator working for the Japanese government. (Apparently, they were concerned that Ryoji Kaji had divided loyalties...which made sense, given how cryptic the man seemed to be. If nothing else, it gave him an opportunity to finally follow up on his investigation into Kaji, since looking into Ayanami had been denied to him for the time being.)

He lived rather quietly in Tokyo-3, using his past knowledge to avoid NERV's surveillance...for the most part.

(He blinked at the sight of a postcard addressed to his new apartment; pulling it out, he saw a poorly-drawn image of a blue-haired girl wearing a purple mask with too many eyes. The only message was as follows: "whatever did you do to make her so angry?", doubtless referring to how his last life in Tokyo-3 had ended.)

However, he listened to various rumors, using old tricks and secrets learned from past lives spent in military intelligence. Kaji was rather slippery, but a break came when Fuyutsuki had been apprehended from a train by unknown agents (which was a curiosity in and of itself). Although he didn't have access to whatever place Fuyutsuki had been taken (possibly some part of the armor plating between Tokyo-3 and the Geofront itself? Who knew how many nooks and crannies such places contained, if only due to all of the machinery needed to operate the hydraulic systems), he had been positioned to follow Kaji once he emerged on the surface once more, heading to a rather dilapidated warehouse on the southside of the city, near the western shores of Lake Ashi.

As the setting sun cast a rather bloody color over the area, Yu went inside, eventually finding Kaji standing in front of a slowly moving fan. (As ever, there was a sense of 'unreality' hanging around Kaji like a miasma.)

"...I'd say you're late, but you're not the one I was expecting," said Kaji with a sad smile.

"Officially, I'm here as a private investigator on behalf of the government. Unofficially...well, I'm just trying to get to the truth of things."

"And what truths have you uncovered?"

"A lot more than I bargained for. But I still haven't reached it."

"...well, I'd like to say I envy you. You still have the capacity to change your fate." With a grim grin, he added, "I don't have that power anymore, unfortunately..."

BANG!

Yu gagged, falling to the ground from the sudden force of the impact. The cold feeling creeping through him was a sure sign that something vital had been hit (he could still breathe, but his heart felt weak...); with senses going dim, he could barely make out the individual stepping past him.

"What took you so long?" asked Kaji with a tired smile.

BANG!

One shot to the head, and Kaji was down. (Was this how it always happened?)

The murderer slowly turned, their face hidden by shadow. (Seeing and hearing was becoming so difficult...!) (You can't even make out what model of handgun he's using.) With unnerving ease, the man raised his weapon. "Dumbass."

BANG!

xxxx

More lives passed.

It would not be until Yu Narukami's one-hundredth life that he would meet Rei Ayanami in person.

xxxx

Yu Narukami, this time around, had been born in the year 1990. It was a hodgepodge of familiar elements (Chie and Kanji were his friends in middle school; the Kirijo Group was a multinational conglomerate with ties to esoteric research; NERV was a private organization with ties to the Ministry of Defense; and so forth) that were implemented in unusual ways (the Angels manifested as supernatural terrors that inflicted people with nightmares, and had been as such for time immemorial). However, the year 2000 still served as a focal point: a 'Great Awakening' had occurred, wherein millions of people had vanished into an alternate dimension called the 'Ether'. People with special powers, known as 'Egoists' (kind of a braggadocious title, if he was going to be honest), were the only ones capable of going to this dimension to rescue the lost humans; however, as had quickly become public knowledge, this dimension was home to numerous monsters, of which the Angels were the most powerful of all.

The particular power that Egoists were capable of manifesting — 'Alters', according to official literature on the topic — had stirred memories of his 'first' life from so long ago, where he and his fellows had utilized the power of Personas to fight in a world of Shadows.

(But it was only a parallel, and nothing more; the Ether was not born of the human mind, as the TV World had been; Alters were not the same thing as Personas.)

(How curious, that long experience was worn you down. You once would have jumped into the fray with aplomb.)

(He had something more important to focus on.)

Yu did not enlist at the various testing centers, to see if he had potential to become an Egoist. (Your ego is big enough as it is.) He did not try and join NERV, nor did he seek out the Kirijo Group.

Instead, he became a visual novelist.

He focused on writing stories about a plucky band of high school students: led by Souji Seta (how subtle of you), they formed 'spirit contracts' with creatures from another world, using their powers to help protect their home. At times, they would cooperate with a trio of children who hailed from that other world — Shinjiro, Rin, and Asura (SO subtle) — that bore the power of monstrous titans called 'Gospels'. (SUPER subtle.)

All told, it sold quite well...too well.

Even in a world beset by nightmares and extra-dimensional monsters, fans would still exist. Hence why he was at a book-signing event in Yokohama.

"Your work speaks so deeply to me, Narukami-sama," said an otaku with a teary face.

"Then my job is done," Yu, signing the young man's volume with his signature.

"...can I show you my doujinshi later...?" asked a fangirl, who held multiple volumes to her chest.

"...I can make no promises," he admitted, signing each volume methodically. "However, the one who needs to be most satisfied with your work is you. You can always improve, true; but if you can enjoy your work, then does it matter if no one else likes it?"

"...I mean, I'd like it to be popular..."

"Fair enough. Let's put it this way: would you prefer a work that you enjoy but no one likes...or one that everyone loves but you hate?"

"...can it be somewhere in the middle?"

"They do say that moderation is good for the heart," admitted Yu, not elaborating on who 'they' were.

The next person in line was a woman in a rain jacket, with shades covering her eyes. "You're not that subtle," she said, holding out her volume for an autograph.

Yu stared flatly at the woman (whose pale blue hair could be seen under the hood), who was plainly ignoring all of the unusual stares. "Says the lady combining sunglasses with a rain jacket. Talk about tacky." He nonetheless flipped open her volume copy, signing the first page; with an exaggerated flourish, he handed the book back to her. "Have a good day."

"Likewise." Nodding politely, the woman walked away, leaving the bookstore; the distant rumble of a thunderstorm could be heard.

With that in mind, Yu finished the book signing event in relative peace. Once he had a moment alone, however...he pulled out a business card (slipped into the volume that the blue-haired woman had handed him; a card that he had pocketed up his sleeve with a sleight of hand) and stared at the neat handwriting: 'Meet me at the Tipsy Watermelon at 8:00 PM.' (Well, that was certainly promising.)

xx

Hours later, at the Tipsy Watermelon.

Yu Narukami stared flatly at the bartender. "Why am I not surprised?"

Ryoji Kaji shrugged. "It's a fairly simple profession...and a relaxing one. Keeps me from thinking too heavily about my situation."

"And what situation would that be?" he asked the man who retained that odd falsity, no matter when or how they crossed paths.

"Hey now, we're strangers as far as I'm concerned. We haven't even shared a drink yet...besides, I think there's a lady waiting for you." He handed Yu a glass of whiskey on the rocks and a chardonnay. "Have a pleasant evening...for what it's worth."

Yu frowned, turning away from the bar and walking through the dimly lit lounge; a saxophonist was currently in the midst of a solo, illuminated brightly on a small stage. By comparison, the tables and booths possessed one overhead lamp each with a dull bulb, casting a lonely yet inviting glow upon each table. It fit the atmosphere, if nothing else.

Rei Ayanami was sitting in a private booth, near the back of the lounge. Though the contours of some sort of bodysuit (an upscaled version of her Plug Suit from the Impact timeline?) could be seen underneath her blue jacket, she looked like she belonged: a lonely woman, listening in isolation to the sounds of serenity. "Compliments of the barkeep," he said, handing her the chardonnay.

"Thank you," she admitted. Though her hairstyle was much the same, there was an air of maturity and grace to her that had always seemed unfitting for her younger self.

"...this is the oldest I've seen you," said Yu.

Rei said nothing, merely sipping from her white wine.

Yu took a sip of his whiskey — not a bad flavor, could be a bit colder — before asking, "what's the story with Kaji-san?"

"...it is not mine to tell." Rei raised her eyes, looking at him with undeniable remorse. "I...owe you an apology."

He didn't need to inquire as to what she was referring to, so he asked what he really wanted to know. "Why, though? Why treat me as an enemy?"

"...I was operating off of incomplete information. I still am, I believe. But more importantly, I was given an inaccurate perception of who you were...no; I was given a deceitful one."

"Really? From who?"

As Rei relayed her rationale and reasoning, minutes clicked by; by the end, Yu had refilled their glasses twice over. "...so let me get this straight," he said, feeling distinctly irritated. "The one who made you believe I was this ancient enemy of yours...was Gendo."

"Yes."

"All your paranoia about who I was, when he knew I couldn't possibly be your enemy...was thanks to the warnings he gave you."

"...yes."

"Why?"

Rei's face showed no emotion, beyond a small flicker of resentment in her crimson eyes. "...I would rather not say. The reason he gave me was...depressingly spiteful."

"...you know, I've never told anyone this before," flatly said Yu, taking another swig of his whiskey, "but your boss is kind of a dick."

"He has heard worse."

"I can believe that. Doesn't make my observation any less true."

"It is a shame," murmured Rei. "But I suppose he and I, even after all this time, are still alike..."

"Forgive me if I can't see the resemblance," dryly said Yu.

"...you saw, where I was raised, correct?" she asked, doubtlessly referring to Terminal Dogma in the Impact Timeline.

"Not exactly a homey accommodation."

"I was raised as the means for an end, and nothing more. Bereft of human bonds, my relationship with Gendo Ikari...such as it was...was the only means I had of trying to understand myself. Created for the purpose given by Evangelion, I invested my identity into that...yet how could I claim an identity, when I knew very little of what it meant to be human?" Rei sipped from her glass, wondering if he would take the opportunity to ask more questions; his silence was her permission to continue. "Those days, in retrospect, are scattered; fuzzy; memories of a time where my world consisted of pain without meaning...unspoken resentment...and a longing to find purpose that would satisfy my desires."

"...still not seeing the similarity between you and Gendo Ikari, given his demeanor. Did he ever...with you...?" It felt awkward, saying it aloud.

However, she seemed to understand his implication. "Whatever urges he may have had, back then, were taken care of by the Akagis. First the mother...and then the daughter."

(So Gendo hadn't just been pulling his leg, then.)

(Make sure you deck him the next time you see him.)

Continuing, Rei added, "I don't think he felt any need to disguise himself around me...nor did he ever see me in such a carnal manner. Why bother, when I wasn't the one he desired? I may have had a superficial resemblance to Yui Ikari...but I was not, am not, nor ever will be, his wife. I was nothing but a tool; who would be attracted to a tool?"

Yu had several one-liners about certain boneheaded people with an inappropriate fancy for inanimate objects, but he wisely bit down on them. Now's not the time. "And yet from my understanding, whenever that timeline repeats...you and Gendo Ikari go through the motions over and over. No one else remembers, but you two do. Why? Why go through all of that again? Why subject yourselves to a time that you both seem to despise?"

"...'despise' is the wrong word," she answered. "He is weary of the repetition, but endures because it reminds him of what brought us here to begin with. It keeps the memories fresh, for him...even if they are memories he has come to loathe. As for me...I willingly suffer through it as penance."

"Penance?"

"Because my choices are what enabled this...all of this."

"...that seems like an unhealthy attitude to take."

"Maybe so. But it is my choice." Leaning back in the booth, Rei looked quietly at the dull lamp. "Gendo Ikari is...familiar. And I am familiar to him. In that...there was some measure of solace, even though we never acknowledged it out loud."

"That didn't stop him from lying to you about who I was, though."

She sighed sadly. "It did not. He's...managed to hide his spite surprisingly well. But I suppose it's only fair...I deserve worse than what he's done to me."

"I think you're not exactly an impartial judge on who deserves what." Downing the last of his whiskey, Yu decided to cut to the chase. "I want answers. I want the truth."

"...not here." Rising out of her seat, she beckoned him to follow.

Leaving a sizeable tip on the table, Yu followed her; she took one of the side exits for the Tipsy Watermelon, entering one of Yokohama's many alleyways. It was a short walk to a nearby hotel, where she was lodging whilst on assignment. "I take it you're an Egoist, this time around?"

"The first, actually. It was because of me that the power of the Alter became usable by humankind."

"And I'm sure that has nothing to do with the fact you're the 'First' Child?" he asked, referencing her usual title from the Impact Timeline.

"...it is only natural, I suppose. I was known as the First Child: the first Evangelion Pilot; the first viable artificial human; even if the vast majority did not know the truth of my upbringing, my title was distinctive enough. So it is no surprise that, in non-Impact timelines, where supernatural or extraterrestrial threats arise...I am often the very first to manifest the countermeasure." Looking back over her shoulder, she asked, "why else do you think that I am so closely linked to Gendo Ikari, no matter what our circumstances? Because that is how we are remembered."

Yu's old hypotheses about the impacts of human cognition on the timelines began to resurface. "Hmm..."

"These worlds...are not infinitely variable. There are many constants, in concept if nothing else."

"Then why does the Impact Timeline recur so often?" (You know why.)

"...because it was reality, Narukami-san."

(You just don't want to admit it.)

Yu followed Ayanami up to her penthouse suite, which seemed rather sterile despite the classy decor. It lacked any sign of having been utilized much, save for an old duffel bag by the bed and a laptop on the coffee table. "Please take a seat," she offered, sitting down in a leather chair. He sat down in its opposite doppelganger, staring at her from across the coffee table. With the single lamp on the nightstand providing light, she seemed akin to an ethereal wraith. "What would you like to know?"

Where do I even start? "Why are there different timelines? Why am I looping? Why are you and Gendo Ikari and Ryoji Kaji looping? Why, whenever I encounter them, do Kaji, Yui Ikari, Shinji Ikari, and Asuka Langley-Sohryu feel so...fake? What do you mean by the Impact Timeline being 'reality'? Why are the Angels always opposed to humanity, no matter the circumstances? Who are ADAM and LILITH supposed to be?" Impulsively leaning forward, he pressed on the coffee table with both hands. "What is the Velvet Room? Why haven't I seen it for so long? Who is the Usurper you spoke of? What is the Throne?"

Rei seemed...astonished, by the sheer torrent of questions. "That is a lot."

"I've been seeking the truth for a very long time, Ayanami-san."

"...before I answer, I must ask: have you ever heard of Sumaru City? Or of SEBEC, or Takahisa Kandori, or the DEVA System, or Xibalba?"

Yu blinked with honest confusion. "I've never heard of any of those."

"...so you truly have no connection." For the first time, Ayanami allowed her relief to show. "I...had to be sure...I had been reassured by an old friend that you had no connection, but I had to be sure..." Sighing, she folded her hands, resting her elbows on her knees. "...I cannot answer your questions as to why your soul is so different...why you are looping...or what this 'Velvet Room' is...but as for the others...those answers are all tied up in the events known as Third Impact...and the War in Heaven..."

Thus did Rei Ayanami tell him the truth, in all its awe and terror.

xx

It felt like hours passed by in the blink of an eye.

Rei Ayanami's story had confirmed quite a few of Yu's suspicions...only to delve even deeper, revealing truths he'd had no capacity to conceive, much less consider.

The digital clock on the nightstand showed that it was past midnight. (What had he just been told...?)

(Now you're finally willing to accept it.)

"...and that, Narukami-san, is why all of humanity has been enduring these timelines," finished Rei, hands folded in her lap.

"...then...the first life I remember..."

"It was certainly not your original life, nor anyone else's," she stated with finality. "I am sorry."

Slowly (dully), Yu rose to his feet, walking to the bathroom suite; with almost mechanical motions, he washed his hands, splashing water onto his face. (How much had he dedicated to remembering that life?)

(So much time and effort...and to what effect?)

(The friends he had endured so much with...the experiences that had made him laugh and rage and everything in-between...all of it, a proverbial work of fiction!)

(Don't be so daft. Get a hold of yourself.)

(It was never going to come back. It was never coming back. Never. Never. NEVER.)

With a deep-seated roar (building from dozens of lives worth of toil and hardship and heartache) that bubbled up like the electrostatic charge of a thunderhead, Yu's fist lashed out; with a defiant crack, he broke the mirror, fast as lightning. With pain came clarity, with pain came acknowledgement that this was real-!

(Are you done?)

(What was the point of finding the truth? What worth did it have, if it meant he would never get back to people he cared about-?!)

(ARE. YOU. DONE?)

...this was all a waste of time...

(You don't believe that. You've lied to yourself for too long to add more falsehoods on top of it.)

Yu stared at his shattered reflection, seething with frustration; his reflection appeared as scattered and fragmented as his emotions felt. What am I supposed to do?!

(Seeking the truth has ever been your tactic...that, in and of itself, was never the problem.)

Then WHAT was my problem?!

(The reason 'why' you sought the truth is everything.)

...the motive...

(Think back, to that 'first' life of yours: was it not the turning point of the investigation, when you persuaded the rest of your team to not throw Namatame into the television? Without knowledge of his motives, the truth would have been lost to you all.)

...the motive...

(Does not the same apply to you? Without a proper motive, grounded in fidelity to what is real and true...what good would your acquired knowledge have been?)

Yu stared down at his right hand, which bore lacerations from the mirror's shards; amidst the brightness of his blood, he wondered at all the blood which had been shed in this seemingly eternal struggle. What would have happened...?

(You would have made it to the end, triumphant in conquest...only to discover that your goal would have been forever beyond your reach; that your 'first' life had not been real, in the sense you understand it.)

(What would have happened, in such an event?)

(That epiphany would have destroyed you.)

(He couldn't deny it.)

(You've made it too far, to obtain such a pathetic end. You've suffered too much, to lose so gracelessly...and you have too many people counting on you, whether or not they realize it, to falter with despair.)

...then what am I supposed to do...?

(Be honest with yourself. Be true to yourself in all things! After all...did you not learn this lesson already?)

(Within another world, he stared with disbelief at a mountain of televisions: each one bore the face of his Shadow, gleaming with yellow eyes. "I was afraid of a future without my friends; afraid of leaving, leaving everyone behind and moving forward on my own...I don't want to be alone again!" The utter dread and sorrow of his Other Self was palpable. "I've been alone...and I won't go back!")

...a lesson...

(His Shadow continued his somber tirade. "I wanted to stay with everyone forever. I didn't care if it was an illusion created by the fog...life without a connection to people is miserable. It's not the life I want! I just need them here...no matter what the cost!" Amidst his own tears, he stoically admitted that the truth hadn't mattered to him at all...so long as he had his friends, he would have been just fine with a lie. How foolish he had been...thus did he vow that he would never be alone again. Thus did he accept his Shadow once more.)

(Do you need to learn it again, from another perspective?)

...what perspective...?

(Even if your 'first' life is forever lost to you...the power to form bonds is always within your grasp. Even if old love is lost, new love is always capable of rising to fill the void; even if memories are all you have of halcyon days, nothing can stop you from creating new ones.)

(It all came down to him, in the end: what were his reasons for fighting?)

(In the end...the only one who can guarantee your loneliness...is you.)

...only me...

(So what now? Will you let this epiphany bring you to your knees? Or will you gaze forward with eyes unclouded by falsehood? Will you settle for a comfortable lie...or will you reach out for the truth?)

(In the end...he could still fight. He could still make a difference. And, in the end...if victory could be attained, then he would forge his bonds anew. And if he died trying...then at least he would have done so honestly.)

...that's right. I can't quit now. With a grim expression, he gazed at his reflection. (In his mind's eye, he saw the piercing yellow gaze of Izanagi. How long had it been...?) I can't give up. I won't give up...

(...good. Never forget that I am always with you. For I am thou...)

...and thou art I.

Slender yet deadly hands grabbed his wrist. Breaking out of his inner turmoil, Yu turned to face Ayanami; she had grabbed a medical kit from her duffel bag, and proceeded to commence with first aid. "The truth is painful, isn't it?"

Yu resisted the urge to wince as she used tweezers and needles — both sterilized with rubbing alcohol — to pull out the shards of glass. "...it can be," he admitted.

"Do you regret learning it?"

"...I would be lying if I didn't say that part of me does. But that reality is something I have to come to terms with."

Rei hummed in acknowledgement, saying not another word as she tended to his wounds. Yu remained silent in turn, idly wondering at the irony of how maternal Ayanami was acting towards him...only to inwardly chuckle at the fact that it wasn't ironic in the least. (After all...she bore the soul of LILITH, the Progenitor of Humanity. In a sense, Ayanami bore the soul of the original mother.)

Once his right hand was sufficiently cleaned and bandaged, Yu flexed his fingers gently. "Thanks."

"After how I've treated you in previous lives, it is the least I can do." Stepping away from the restroom, Ayanami sat down at the foot of the bed. "What will you do now?"

Yu sat down on the couch between the two chairs, facing her directly across the coffee table. "...that depends. What are you going to do?" he asked, turning the question around. In the face of her silence, he added, "based on what you've described: an Impact Timeline is usually treated like a 'break period' of sorts for all sides involved, because they know how events are supposed to unfold. Any deviations are therefore subject to more scrutiny as a result."

"Correct."

"So while you've been enduring those repeats as a form of self-inflicted punishment," because he wasn't going to hide how he felt about that aspect, "the Angels are likely regrouping, whilst the Usurper is spending their time doing...who knows what." (It was strange, how she referred to her old enemy merely by a title, instead of by name.)

(Because the mere act of mentioning their name can apparently cause ripples of awareness...and why would Ayanami be mentioning their name to the likes of you?)

(Life had suddenly gotten a lot more complicated.)

"That seems like an accurate summation."

"Meanwhile, whenever there's a new timeline, with all its constants and variables, the Angels manifest new tactics and strategies, while the Usurper simply...observes?"

"I cannot speak for either side. I cannot speak for what the Usurper is hoping to find. The Angels are likely trying to find loopholes...or gaps...in the Usurper's hold over ADAM. If ADAM were to slip free of his shackles, then the seal on his power would no longer be connected to the Throne. The War in Heaven would start anew."

(The whole enterprise sounded as much a battle on metaphysical and ontological terms as it was a mental and spiritual one.) "...a shame that they hold such animosity against humanity, then."

Rei sighed forlornly. "It is an animus that existed long before I was even 'born.' The current state of affairs has only increased their enmity, as time goes on, and the failures mount...little wonder, that they seemed to focus so heavily on the powers you possessed in your 'first' life." Crossing her arms, the battle-weary woman gazed at the ceiling. "The Velvet Room...from whence did it come from? How did it come to be...?"

(That had certainly been another interesting wrinkle to consider: that Izanami, Kagutsuchi, and Mikuratana had doubtlessly been created from the power of various Angels. Had it all been a mere ploy to try and understand how his own powers worked?)

(Not your power, per se; the power of the Velvet Room, which you utilized.)

(Then what did that mean for Marie...?)

"...there has to be an endgame of sorts," said Yu. "With each new 'reset' to the timeline, a human soul is sacrificed. Even if there are billions of humans to choose from...it's a finite supply. Wouldn't there come a point where the balance would tip against the Usurper?"

"Most likely. But the only means I can think of for the Usurper to gain full control over the Throne — to become a deity, truly and fully — is beyond them. That has been my only solace."

Yu frowned, leaning back on the couch. (Now that his existential dilemma had been dealt with...for the most part...he could focus on something that had been bugging him.) "...one thing is puzzling me. Based on your story...I can understand why Shinji, Asuka, and Yui always felt 'off.' Likewise Ryoji Kaji, for different reasons...but what I don't get is why I never felt that way around Naoko Akagi."

"Pardon?"

"Because if what you told me is true...and based on how the Impact Timeline usually transpires if not interfered with...Naoko Akagi died in the year 2010." (Which stung, because he had genuinely come to care for that brilliant yet flawed woman.) "So why did she not feel the same? Why did she feel like a living human being?"

"...I'm...not sure." Rei seemed honestly disturbed by this idea. "...but you're right. In retrospect...the sensation I felt from her was different, in subtle ways from Yui, Ikari, Sohryu, or Kaji. But I never questioned it..." (Curious, that Ayanami's senses were more finely tuned to his on the matter of souls...then again, why would that be surprising? It was only to be expected!) "...but why would that be...?" Her irises briefly flickered in width, narrowing and widening with unnerving quickness. "...the MAGI...could it be...that they're still functioning...? How? Is there time dilation...?"

"...mind enlightening me?"

Rei's eyes flashed towards his, as if remembering he was there. "Ah. My apologies. There...there may be something I can do. Something I can look into, alongside this Velvet Room...and what will you be doing in the interim?"

(That was the key question, wasn't it?) "Unless the Velvet Room chooses to appear before me again...now that I know the circumstances, my options are limited. I suppose...I'll just focus on living, for now."

"...that you can still find that sort of strength is admirable, Narukami-san." Like a thief in the night, came her sad smile: gone in a flash. "I had wondered if you were merely indulging base urges...but you cared for Katsuragi, the Akagis, and Ibuki, didn't you?"

Yu crossed his arms. "It wouldn't have meant anything if I didn't."

"I see. Then so long as you continue to endure, I hope you find happiness."

"Shouldn't you be telling yourself that?" he asked, rising to his feet. Walking around the coffee table, he stared directly into her crimson eyes. "You're still grieving, aren't you? From the way you talked about those kids..."

"...I may have told you of my failure, Narukami-san...but you didn't live it." Rising to her feet, she stared at him, face-to-face. "It is not your business if I choose to suffer. Do not presume to speak of the lost so familiarly."

"If they were anything like you told me, then they wouldn't want you to do this to yourself either."

"And they cannot speak anymore, for either themselves or for anyone else. Because of me...they..."

On gut instinct, Yu wrapped his arms around Ayanami's shoulders, embracing her. "I have it on good authority that even parents can feel sad."

"I have already mourned."

"You're still mourning."

Rei said nothing else. She did not return his embrace, nor did she begin to cry; however, the utter agony manifested itself regardless, as full-body shivers and hitched breathing; it was as though her entire being wanted to break apart under a paroxysmal storm of sorrow.

Yu kept his hold on her regardless, until she finally wore herself out, and fell asleep standing up. You may have the soul of LILITH...but you're still just as human as anyone else...

xx

The next morning, shortly after sunrise.

Yu Narukami and Rei Ayanami stood side-by-side in the hotel elevator as it descended.

"...I am somewhat surprised," admitted Rei.

"About what?"

"...given your past demeanor, I would have expected us to wind up in bed together."

"Is that so?" he said, slyly glancing in her direction. (The thought had crossed his mind at one or two points last night, admittedly; however, after placing her slumbering body on the mattress, he had opted to sleep on the couch.) "Is that a problem?"

Rei quietly returned his glance. "You have an odd charisma about you. You're very patient and understanding...and you're not unattractive, physically speaking." She seemed cognizant of how dry and clinical she sounded about the prospect, because she then asked, "so why not?"

He could have said something about their minds had been preoccupied (not like that's stopped you before). He could have said something about how most of his memories of her were from when she was a minor (physically speaking; in truth, she's older than you are. And at this present moment, she's an adult in actuality.). He could have said many things...but those would have been mere excuses. So instead, he told her the truth...now matter how casual it sounded. "The mood wasn't right."

"...and that's all it was?" she asked, surprisingly amused by his candidness.

"Plus...I don't think you would've gotten anything out of it."

"...you're rather considerate, Narukami-san."

"I try."

As the elevator neared the lobby floor, she said, "in the future...if something changes...and the course of destiny itself begins to turn...then I will seek you out. After coming this far...you deserve to be aware of when things change."

Now that's a promise I can get behind. "I'll hold you to that, Ayanami-san."

Then they went their separate ways.

xx

A few days later, NERV was holding a press event to answer questions about a recent offensive in the Ether, particularly how the Egoists led by Lieutenant Colonel Misato Katsuragi had made huge strides into the territories held by Ramiel. Gendo Ikari, as ever, had been on hand to speak.

As Gendo walked towards his chauffeured vehicle outside the venue (being photographed relentlessly, with journalists asking more questions, trying in vain to get past the police line on both sides), Yu Narukami stepped towards the edge of the line. "Gendo Ikari."

His voice seemed to break through the clamor, because Gendo turned slowly towards him. Though his eyes were hidden by orange shades (as ever), his eyebrow quirked with curiosity. "Narukami-san. To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?"

"You know what you did," flatly said Yu.

Then he broke through the police line and slugged Gendo in the face.

xxxx

/September 7, 1996/

OBSERVATIONS:

- This is my one-hundred-and-first life. My one-hundredth life ended in prison, when an inmate that had been driven to insanity by an Angelic Nightmare went into a rampage: I was collateral damage. Friends found: Chie and Kanji. New friends made: Rei.
- Continued: I was in prison because I had assaulted Gendo Ikari, punching him ten times in the face. (Totally worth it.)
- Important Events: I found out the Truth.
- New Name: Yu Narukami
- New Age: 12 Years Old
- New Location: Tokyo
- Miscellany: it's going to be odd, living for the mere sake of it...almost like biding time, to be honest. But all avenues are currently blocked...so now it's time to be patient.
- Continued: Even if none of my friends are capable of remembering...establishing bonds with them and with other people still brings my life meaning. And so I'll endure.

Yu paused before writing down his last line, as was custom; but now he knew that his 'first' life had hardly been that. It was likely because of the Velvet Room that he was able to remember who he was from timeline to timeline...so it was the beginning, in many ways. With that thought, he wrote down his new vow.

- Always remember where you came from. Never forget those you've lost, and those who have died. Cherish your relationships: past, present, and future.

And with that, Yu tore up the sheet of paper into shreds before going back to his school work.

xxxx

Rei Ayanami, after being mired in hopelessness for so long, had a journey of her own to pursue...

Yu Narukami, for the time being...would have to endure.

xxxx

OBSERVATIONS:

- This is my 147th life. My 146th life ended because of a car accident (that's become a depressingly common way to die). Friends met: Kanji, Yosuke, the Konishi siblings, Misato.
- Important Events: Can now confirm that in non-Impact Timelines, there are at least some scenarios where NERV personnel don't end up in life-or-death professions...although, being a teacher can be a life-or-death profession, in some cases...
- Was interesting having Katsuragi as a homeroom teacher.

...

OBSERVATIONS:

- This is my 201st life. My 200th life ended because our school got blown up by Sahaquiel. Friends met: Chie, Yukiko, Misato, Ritsuko.
- Important Events: Chie, Yukiko, and Misato formed a pretty tight clique at school. Paradoxically, Yukiko and Misato teamed up during the school festivals to make food...and it wasn't awful. Two horrible cooks combine to make something that's actually edible.
- How does that even work?

...

OBSERVATIONS:

- This is my 423rd life. My 422nd life ended in prison, courtesy of inmates who were likely instructed to silence me. Friends met: A lot of people in Inaba.
- Important Events: Second Impact, etc. Decided to try something out to avert the Annihilation of Inaba: I publicly claimed to be the mastermind behind the alleged anti-government attacks. Managed to recall enough of my past lives in military intelligence to make it believable.
- Nanako cried a lot when I was taken away. Better than dying...not that she'll remember.

(But that wasn't true, was it? Long ago, in one life...there had been a flicker of recognition, in the little girl's eyes.)

- But there has to some measure of cognizance, deep down...for my Social Links, if nothing else.
- Thus far, none of my old friends can recall their old lives...can that change?
- Something to ponder.

...

OBSERVATIONS:

- This is my 595th life. My 594th life ended when someone calling himself Tabris just...appeared right in front of me, and vaporized me. Friends met: Naoto, Daisuke, Ai, Eri. (Married: Naoto.)
- Important Events: After numerous timelines' worth of experimenting with my Social Links, I thought I had set upon a method of helping them regain their knowledge.
- Naoto, bless her, was onboard with the idea. She had always thought that I was mature beyond my years...and didn't consider my story insane.

(No matter what timeline, she always rolled a natural 20 on matters of perception and intelligence.)

- There was a lot of meditation involved. Lots of focusing on A.T. Fields (which wasn't an academic discipline in this timeline, but Naoto somehow caught onto the principles...after several hours worth of explanation).
- Then, right when I could feel something about to be unlocked...a glowing humanoid suddenly appeared in front of me.

To say it had been unsettling was an understatement.

("I understand if you're getting impatient," sagely remarked the glowing humanoid. The bullets that Naoto fired at the creature were simply incinerated. "But such a maneuver, outside of a time where you naturally manifested a Persona, outside of a time where you were actively visiting the Velvet Room...would be folly." Tabris held up their hand. "Please bear with us.")

Everything had gone dark after that.

- Based on what Ayanami told me, I can only assume he was the one Angel who bore some measure of fondness for humanity. Odd way of showing it.
- Did he mean to imply that the Usurper would recognize my Social Link being opened?
- And more importantly, Tabris spoke of the Velvet Room so casually. Is Tabris secretly an ally? Or do they have an agenda of their own?
- Too many questions. Not enough answers. Best to play it safe for now.

(He would wait until Ayanami reached out for him.)

(You can also wonder...when the Velvet Room will ever return.)

...

OBSERVATIONS:

- This is my 778th life. My 777th life ended while I was sleeping. (I think it may have been due to a heart attack? It's always the mundane ways of dying that get to me.) Friends met: Naoto, Rise, Chie, Yukiko. (Married: all of them.)
- Important Events: A combination of a post-apocalyptic timeline (albeit a non-Impact one; the world had been ravaged by rampaging hordes of 'Zeruelim') and the lucky number seven made me want to try something I have often wondered about, but never considered in seriousness: the "harem."
- My ultimate verdict?

(He needed to really think about what to write.)

(I'm sure you do.)

- It was...fun. A lot of fun, at times. But not worth the emotional drama: on my part, and theirs.

(He wondered if any of the stories that ever focused on those kinds of relationships ever took into account the inevitable feelings of jealousy, insecurity, and anxiety that arose when four people shared the same spouse.)

- So...not going to go for that again.

...

OBSERVATIONS:

- This is my 933rd life. My 932nd life ended when a jealous fan stabbed me in the stomach. Friends met: Yosuke and Kanji.
- Important Events: Operation "Bros before Hos" went surprisingly well; the three of us were a rather successful J-pop group.
- Mental note for the future: Yosuke's a graceful dancer, but Kanji is a shockingly good singer.
- I wonder what would have happened if Teddie joined us.

(He actually missed that fuzzball. Was it because he was a Shadow that he never seemed to recur? Did he even still exist?)

(How much longer will you be able to endure?)

xx

And on and on and on it went...

xx

It was in Yu Narukami's one-thousandth-and-ninety-seventh life that he found himself in a strong friendship with Tohru Adachi, of all people: both of them reported to Chief Inspector Ryotaro Dojima (a seasoned veteran of the force for many years), working the beat in Ōme, a city in the western part of the Tokyo Metropolis. (It was an unusual timeline, where the majority of gang activity throughout the world was driven by the Bardiel Syndicate and the Iruel Cartel.) To say it was a relationship born from work was to state the obvious, but Adachi possessed an easygoing mentality and a sense of humor that took him all the way back to his 'first' life.

You know, without the secret serial killing bit.

"You've always looked like you're in a bit of a funk, Narukami-kun," joked Adachi, pouring more beer into his glass from their shared bottle of Yebisu.

"I do like funk," Yu admitted, refilling Adachi's glass in turn. (It was strange, how one single timeline hanging out at Misato's place had given him a taste for Yebisu as far as beer went.)

Adachi snorted, an odd little gleam in his eye. "Dumbass. You know what I mean. You've always got this strange look in your eyes, like you're waiting for something better to come along..."

Yu took a sip, pondering that statement. There was a lot of truth to it, he was forced to admit. (How much longer would it take Ayanami to get back with him? How much longer would the Velvet Room remain hidden?) "Maybe. I'm not sure, to be honest..."

"Eh, a smart guy like you? I'm sure you at least have some idea."

"I thought I was a 'dumbass'," retorted Yu.

Adachi shrugged before downing more beer. "I've known plenty of intelligent dumbasses on this job, along with wise smartasses, stupid geniuses, brilliant idiots...you get my meaning?"

"I suppose." Leaning back in his chair, Yu let the clamor of the evening bar wash over him; it served as fitting commentary for the cacophony of thoughts that roared in the back of his subconscious on a daily basis (thoughts of the lost, thoughts of what was to come, thoughts that had been long forgotten...). "I hope I find what I'm looking for...I'll know it when I see it."

"Sounds to me like you're too stuck on planning ahead. Living in the moment is really all we sadsacks can do, because otherwise you get dragged down by all of the drama." Knocking back the rest of his beer, Adachi added, "you have some fun amidst the sucky parts, and then you die: game over. Why make it anymore complicated?"

Yu idly refilled Adachi's glass, even as he privately mused over how many parallels the man was making with himself (from a foggy world, so very long ago...). "Living in the moment is one thing...but that can't exactly be called a purpose, Adachi-kun."

Adachi chuckled. "You'd be surprised."

At that moment, a feminine voice broke through the clamor. "Boys!" The duo turned, watching a pretty woman with long brown hair — dressed in a conservative business suit-and-skirt combo — approach their table. "Sorry I'm late..."

"Ah, you never have to apologize to me, Nanako-chan!" exclaimed Adachi, pulling out a chair for Nanako to sit down.

"How was work?" asked Yu (this time around, Nanako was a local television announcer, with a reputation for accurate reports on anything related to crime and the police...which wasn't surprising, given that she was Chief Inspector Dojima's daughter).

"Same old, same old," admitted Nanako, before turning expectantly towards Adachi. "Did you ask him yet?"

Adachi smiled somewhat nervously. "Eh, we've been shootin' the breeze for the most part..."

"Adachi-kun," said Nanako with a tone of affected exasperation.

Yu looked back and forth between the two, recognizing a sense of familiarity that was...romantic? "What's this about?"

Sighing, Adachi took another deep swig of his beer before slamming his glass back on the table. "Okay! I'ma shoot you straight: Nanako-chan and I...well..."

"We're gonna get married!" cheered Nanako, wrapping her arm around Adachi's head.

Yu blinked slowly. (Well, this was new.) "This is the first I'm hearing of it."

"Well...we haven't exactly gotten my dad's blessing yet," admitted Nanako.

"Which is where you come in," said Adachi, leaning forward with faux seriousness. "See, the chief has always respected you more, even though I technically have a year's experience over you...so if he knows you've agreed to be my best man, it would make it easier to convince the old coot! Whaddya say?"

"Yeah, Narukami-san: what do you say?" chorused Nanako.

(This was a timeline you never would have seen coming.)

(The fact that Nanako was a TV announcer also hit somewhat odd; Mayumi Yamano had been an announcer as well. Maybe Adachi had a type?)

(...do you REALLY want to mentally associate Nanako with what happened to Mayumi Yamano?)

(Sometimes, his brain could be fantastically unhelpful.) "Never knew you two were so close," he asked, trying to buy time for his mind to catch up.

"It's nothing special," admitted Nanako. "Whenever dad would get tight-lipped about a public case, I would go to Adachi-kun for tips...and one thing led to another, and that about sums it up!"

...well, he's certainly as loose-lipped about police business as ever, dryly thought Yu. "Not exactly sure you should be bragging about that..."

"It's all water under the bridge," said Adachi, glossing over Nanako's inadvertent confession. "So come on, partner," he emphasized. "How about it?"

(...well, it would certainly be an example of living in the moment. Besides, at least they looked happy together...?) "Adachi-kun...I won't be your best man." Before they even had a chance to respond, he downed the rest of his beer in one go, slamming his glass onto the table. "I'll be the bestest man."

Nanako cheered, while Adachi simply grinned widely. "I knew you had it in you. Kanpai!"

There was much 'kanpai'-ing to be had.

(Living in the moment is all you've been able to do...and for how long?)

(He would endure, no matter what...but whether his patience would endure was another matter.)

xx

...and on and on and on...

xxxx

OBSERVATIONS:

- This is my 1,384th life. My 1,383rd life ended when an Angel's attack blasted through our shelter in Kyoto. (Probably Ramiel, going by the timing and heat flash?) Friends met: Yukiko, Yosuke.
- Important Events: Angels manifested as typical giant monsters out of a kaiju film, despite the fact it was a non-Impact timeline. Noticed something troubling about one of my teachers.
- I vaguely remember Yamada-sensei from my 'first' life. He's been a teacher in my classes every so often. However, this time...he had the same uncanny feeling that I had previously felt from Shinji, Asuka, Yui, and Kaji.
- A sign that his soul had been sacrificed for the sake of resetting a timeline? All that remains now are ambient memories of him in the cognition of mankind.
- How long will his presence last? If his memory eventually fades...it will truly be like he never existed.

(He could understand why the presence of Shinji, Asuka, and Yui had yet to fade, as central as they were to the Impact timeline...but why did Kaji keep persisting? How did he have the capacity to even remember anything?)

- It feels like I'm just waiting to no avail...how much longer?

...

OBSERVATIONS:

- This is my 2,000th life. My 1,999th life ended when a roving gang of Israfelim danced their way through town. I felt compelled to dance and died of physical exhaustion. Friends met: Chie, Kanji, Misato, Maya, Shu. (Married: Chie.)
- Important Events: Though it's a non-Impact timeline, something I've noticed over the course of time is that technology seems to be...improving, somewhat.
- For example, very early on, even through the year 2015, we had flip phones at best. Laptops and personal computers also used to be bulkier.
- Now, I've noticed an increasing prevalence of "smartphones" in timelines that make it to the 2010s.
- It's almost like the ambient cognition is passively acknowledging the various timelines, upgrading their 'expectations' of what technology 'should' be like.
- Only the Impact Timeline remains relatively impervious to this change, unchanging as time goes on.
- It's an oddity, but it cements how much power it truly takes to fiddle with the Sea of Souls.
- In that light, a metaphor may be helpful:
- There's a great sea, that is at times turbulent and at times peaceful. A great warship flying under a nation's flag traverses those waters, surrounded by smaller vessels: only one of these vessels bears the flag of a second nation, while all the others bear the flag of a third nation. Every single vessel is armed with weaponry; the warship is capable of driving away or destroying the smaller vessels with ease, while even the combined firepower of the smaller vessels isn't enough to sink the warship in one shot. (Over a long enough period of time, perhaps...?) When the sea is peaceful, the vessels move beyond the range of the warship...but by that same token, they cannot harm the warship either, even though they can all observe each other. Only when the sea is turbulent is there enough confusion for the vessels to feel confident enough to try and strike at the warship.
- The great sea is the Sea of Souls of humanity.
- The peaceful waters occur during the Impact Timeline.
- The turbulent waters occur during non-Impact timelines.
- The warship is the Throne, currently commanded by the Usurper.
- The vessel belonging to the second nation is LILITH.
- The vessels belonging to the third nation are ADAM and the Angels derived from him.
- There may be gaps in the metaphor, but it corresponds to my observations thus far.
- It would also explain why Ayanami may be slow in getting back to me, if the waters are not only beyond her control, but beyond the total control of the Angels, and of the Usurper.

Yu frowned, trying to recall some of the details Ayanami had told him about the War in Heaven and its aftermath.

- An addendum to the metaphor: on the warship is a weather machine that can control the seas. The true owner of the warship — "God" — is the only one that can use it in its fullness.
- However, the Usurper can fiddle with it, and make slight changes to the currents.
- On occasion, the vessels from the third nation — the Angels — can send signals to hack into it at times. Whether their attempts are successful or not is something I have no knowledge of.
- Hypothesis: the Usurper and the Angels are trying to gain full control of the weather machine; in doing so, they can control the waters — the Sea of Souls — as they please. LILITH would destroy the weather machine if it were in her power to do so.
- Which brings to mind one question: what's the Velvet Room in this scenario? A hovering aircraft, flying above the clouds? A stealth submarine running deep below the mayhem, surfacing only at opportune moments?
- I wish I knew.

xx

...and on and on and on...until, at last, Yu Narukami reached his 2,455th 'life'.

It was in that timeline where, little did he know, that a facet of ADAM emerged in a unique way: primarily informed by Iruel's characteristics but empowered by many of the others, Yaldabaoth manifested.

It was in that timeline where Yaldabaoth took over the Velvet Room.

It was in that timeline, for the first time in what seemed like an age...that a new Wild Card was born.

xxxx

Yu Narukami (born in 1970, as he recalled) had had a rather peaceful life, working on a ranch outside of Betsukai in eastern Hokkaido. He had been a diligent sort, focused more on keeping the cattle happy and the ranch running smoothly than settling down to raise a family; it made his employers happy, and they considered him an honorary member of their household in return for his hard work. (That's what his memories told him, at least.)

He had only 'awoken' in late 2015, when a new employee had begun talking about a new song from 'Risette' that they had heard the other day.

Yu, flush with memories from past lives, began his online research immediately. What facts he could ascertain were...interesting. Hope-inducing, if he could dare think such things.

Rise is an idol...same age as she was in my 'first' life...the Kanamin Kitchen idol group is also a factor...no record of an LMB Fest ever occurring, though...hmm. There were also ancillary details that seemed odd: Mitsuru Kirijo, for one thing, had apparently been Japan's first (and thus far only) female Prime Minister, becoming elected during Japan's post-war era. What an odd variable. There were still other constants: the Shirogane detective family is still around...Inaba exists, and Yukiko is the manager of her family's Inn...Yukari Takeba is Pink Argus from 'Phoenix Ranger Featherman Victory'...hmm.

(Don't get your hopes up: after all, you certainly weren't present this time around.)

(There was no getting around that.)

Yu resolved to find some time to investigate; maybe after he had trained the new guy through a few seasons, to take over his responsibilities at the ranch. Then he would utilize his savings to take an extended vacation and see what he could uncover.

However, early next year, the nation's attention would be drawn to an unusual social phenomenon: the Phantom Thieves of Hearts.

xx

The subsequent months proved to be incredibly...intriguing: the Phantom Thieves sent out 'calling cards' to their targets, to 'change their hearts'.

A lustful and abusive gym teacher; a vainglorious and plagiarizing artist; an elusive yet apparently gluttonous gangster; a mysterious collective of international hackers; as their targets became more and more notorious, the popularity of the Phantom Thieves grew, to the point that his kouhai working at the ranch could talk about nothing else. (He privately considered it a bit of a blessing that they never mentioned submitting his name to this 'Phan-Site' as a target.)

(How would it work? Is done by A.T. Fields over a distance? Or are they related in some way to NERV, Ayanami, or even Tabris?)

Things had taken a turn when Kunikazu Okumura (a greedy yet ruthless CEO) had started to confess, only to experience a mental shutdown during a national broadcast. Opinion turned against the Phantom Thieves almost overnight, in favor of some youthful investigator called Goro Akechi (the 'second' Detective Prince? What a joke) and an anti-Thieves politician by the name of Masayoshi Shido. (Something about the change in pattern had been...unusual. Something was undoubtedly going on behind the scenes.)

Then the leader of the Phantom Thieves had apparently committed suicide in jail.

Then a calling card had been issued to Shido directly, complete with a hijacking of the nation's major broadcast channels (how was that even possible?). When the television in the ranch hands' break room had displayed the Phantom Thieves as silhouettes, Yu frowned. A group of young men and women...with unusual powers...and with an animal mascot. (This rang so many parallels.) When the Thieves' leader stepped forward into the light (vowing to "take this country!"), he felt an odd little twinge in the very depths of his mind, heart, and soul.

(A power...similar to yours, perhaps?)

He didn't know what to think, bereft of data that he was. The various avenues for information on the Internet were driven by rapidly swinging opinions; the numerous propaganda and counter-propaganda campaigns (of which they were many, based on the signs) didn't help matters either.

On Election Day (December 18th, 2016), Shido and his party had won overwhelmingly...but the man in question had confessed to awful crimes regardless. That should have been the end of it.

Surprisingly enough, it hadn't; the public at large had proceeded to act as if Shido hadn't confessed anything...as if the Phantom Thieves didn't even exist! (This was cognitive and memory manipulation on a massive scale.)

It was almost fortunate, that winter work at the ranch kept him busy, what with the feeding, the upkeep of the stables, maintenance of the equipment and fencing, health checks on the cattle...all that good stuff. The busywork allowed him to try and process the oddities of what had gone down in the aftermath of the election.

Christmas Eve came and went, with...everything seeming odd. There was a distinctly ominous filter to the air, recognizable as a slightly red tinge coming from the south. (What was happening?)

Then, as Christmas came to an end,...everything went back to normal. The oppressive feeling had faded in a proverbial blink, almost as if it had never been, (How strange...)

News indicated an abrupt turnaround, alas; Shido's scandals had rocked his political party, resulting in numerous arrests and resignations due to the resultant scandal. The Phantom Thieves never made another public appearance, nor did they ever issue another calling card; it was as if they had faded away into myth, becoming a modern-day legend.

As 2017 rolled on, and the spring season began, Yu prepared to depart for an extended investigation...

xxxx

How little did he know, of what the Usurper had in store.

xxxx

The One Who Sat Upon the Throne observed the events in Tokyo with a frown.

"...so. Another soul, empowered by those interlopers-in-blue? And they fought an immensely powerful being...what are ADAM's facets up to?"

They had grown so tired of the back-and-forth, of all the petty sniping that the Angels persisted in. And to what effect?

"Hmph. Humanity...you've always been my biggest obstacle, through all of this...why do you keep wallowing in misery?"

They plucked the soul of an old man: a petty and corrupt individual, whom no one would miss.

"I should observe this newly-empowered 'Wild Card'...let's change things around..."

Thus was the soul of Aso Takuya — more well known as the SIU Director, in the most recent timeline — unravelled and converted to energy.

"...and see if humanity will respond favorably, if I give them what they want."

xxxx

There was a sudden and immediate shift.

xx

...and as the winter season of 2015-2016 neared its end, Yu Narukami continued his work at the ranch in Eastern Hokkaido, not giving much thought to events elsewhere. (The ranch hadn't been able to hire anyone last year, so his duties kept him going from sunup to sundown, with little thought spared for anything else.)

xx

Without that new employee to mention Risette, Yu never 'awoke' as he had previously. He never had reason to look up anything about people from his past lives.

He regarded the Phantom Thieves of Hearts as an idle bit of silly gossip, and didn't pay much attention to it.

He didn't even bother to vote, because he personally considered all of the candidates to be blowhards.

xxxx

A reset, bringing the timeline back by just over a year, as far as Narukami was concerned. Few variables were changed overall.

Yet given the chaos of the Sea of Souls, those variables had striking impacts.

The true reason, alas...would not manifest until later.

xxxx

It wasn't until New Year's Eve of 2016 that Yu Narukami finally 'awoke'. Why?

Because he had gathered with the ranch owners and his fellow laborers to observe the festivities around the town center of Betsukai; idly looking around, Yu noticed several young girls moving about in colorful kimonos, showing off various idol pins sporting popular figures like Lily-Nyan, Kanamin Kitchen, Risette-

(His mind came to a screeching halt.)

(WAIT A DAMN SECOND.)

Yu Narukami looked around with wide eyes, disguising his bout of panic as a bit of drunken stumbling. "Uhp," he murmured, "maybe I had too much booze...?" he grumbled aloud, assuaging nearby pedestrians who looked at him with concern. As they turned away with disgust (which suited him just fine), Yu cupped a hand over his face. This is...a new timeline. (His 2,456th life, technically.) But so much of recent history...is exactly the same. Why?

(You smell shenanigans.)

The moment he returned to the ranch, Yu advised the owners that extended family had reached out to him regarding some kind of emergency, and time was of the essence. (It was a very liberal interpretation of what was happening.) Though they pleaded for him to stay, he told them that he didn't anticipate being gone for any longer than a month or two. Haste and speed were his allies, as he abruptly packed a duffel bag with some clothes and toiletries; within the hour, he was on his way to Tokyo in an old pickup truck.

After a few days of driving (which included a ferry crossing from Hokkaido to Honshu), Yu was somewhat miffed to find out that he was completely and utterly unable to enter the Tokyo Metropolitan area beyond a certain point...thanks to a rather large energy shield of sorts that no one else seemed to recognize. (It probably had something to do with that large and funky-looking tower situated at...Odaiba, if he had the distance right?)

(And to think you nearly 'slept' through this.)

"What's going on..." he wondered aloud.

xx

A few days later, Yu sat at a bayside cafe in Umihotaru, an artificial island in the middle of Tokyo Bay. The Trans-Tokyo Bay Expressway snaked off towards Kisarazu to the southeast, whilst it continued as an underwater tunnel towards the greater Tokyo area to the northwest. As he sipped some coffee, he wrote into a new notepad (which featured the logo of the Phantom Thieves, ironically enough; if only you had thought to market the Investigation Team the first time around, hm?) that he had bought at a nearby souvenir shop.

OBSERVATIONS:

- This is my 2,456th life. My 2,455th life didn't actually 'end' in a conventional sense. Friends met: none really. But hearing about Risette was enough to wake me up: both last time and this time.
- Important Events: This is the first non-Impact timeline that has outright repeated itself to any significant degree. Why? For what purpose?
- I don't remember this strange tower standing in Odaiba, either...no mention of it, at least. Not like I had actually gone to Tokyo to observe for myself in this particular timeline.

Yu looked up, gazing back towards Tokyo; although Mt. Fuji's brilliant snowcapped peak loomed large as ever, the odd form of that tower — a spindly thing with golden lines twirling about a pseudo-translucent sphere, surrounded by what looked like a ring of oversized microscope lenses — tickled at something in the back of his mind. It was as if Yukiko's castle, Kanji's sauna, Rise's burlesque club, Naoto's lab, or Nanako's castle (all manifestations from the TV World, from a life lived long ago) had manifested in reality; that was the only way he could think of to describe it.

Unfortunately, he could go no further; the strange sheen seemingly centered around that tower made it impossible for him to traverse. (He didn't dare try and see what would happen if he tried ramming his pickup into it.) Taking out another map of the Tokyo Bay area that he had also purchased, Yu circled points that he had come across that seeming edge of the dome: just north of Adachi ward; the city of Funabashi, east of Tokyo's downtown area; and now here, at Umihotaru. Doing some quick math, those three points formed a circle with a radius of approximately twenty kilometers...centered at Odaiba. That tower is the cause of this, somehow.

But it was beyond his reach.

xx

January of 2017 passed by in quick order, and Yu only grew more concerned.

It seemed that ghostly vines (like roots) began to snake their way across the bay, glowing with all the colors of the rainbow; no one else could see them, alas.

(Merely touching one had given him a migraine, as though the thoughts of humanity were rushing through them like a torrent-!)

The unsettling feeling emanating from Tokyo only seemed to grow, as though something was about to be born: a new life, hatching from an egg...but without any of the promise of new life.

And the people around him...just listening unveiled odd discrepancies. People seemed to speak about a life that others around them never knew of, and acted happy about it; however, the strange contradictions were being smoothed over as the days went on, to the point where everyone began to accept them with a sort of apathetic shrug. It was weird.

(That siren song whispered to him, at times; promising his 'first' life in all its joys, brought back to him.)

(You once would have taken such an offer. But you know it would be nothing more than a lie.)

February came...and at last, on the third day, something new happened. Upon Umihotaru, Yu watched it all through a pair of binoculars.

The tower listed, breaking apart...but it didn't collapse; a golden pillar of light erupted, and a turquoise giant loomed tall in glowing armor upon Odaiba (the proportions...it was almost like an idealized or divinized version of an Evangelion...). Whatever it was fighting, they were too small to see...until, with sudden violence, a winged demon of equal size erupted to do battle with the golden man. (Those flames...and that aura...it could only be a Persona!) The conflict seemed to hit a stalemate...until, the golden man blazed red, downing the horned titan with a single blow. All seemed lost, as the golden man punched at the ground...only for it to came to a crashing halt against a scorching dome of blue light. The demonic god arose, shifting into something much smaller, more compact...yet no less powerful (perhaps even more so). Soaring high into the sky, the winged figure in red flared its bat-like wings; behind it glowed the silhouette of a full moon, shining down upon the golden man, locking it in place...!

(He swore he heard the sound of a single bullet being fired.)

Then the golden man fell, fading away like embers...and at last, the tower began to collapse in its entirety.

A sound erupted, akin to the skipping of a record; the odd colors and strange vines vanished in a literal instant...and just like that, it was evening in Tokyo Bay, as if nothing had ever been weird or odd in the slightest.

...that strange barrier's gone, thought Yu with an intense frown. Maybe I can finally make some progress.

xxxx

Little did he know...

xxxx

The One Who Sat Upon the Throne watched in silence as the Primordial Man fell.

"...so that's your answer, is it?"

Sighing, they were resigned to the state of things.

"Happiness turned down...mankind prefers to struggle and wallow in its own self-destructive impulses, even after all this time."

They supposed it was only natural, alas.

"...I suppose it was inevitable. Without the power of God, this stalemate will never end."

Gazing up and beyond, their lips contorted into a frown.

"Very well then...you think your excursions have escaped my notice, LILITH? You have only unveiled the means by which I will attain victory at last."

Thus did they reach out with their hand...

xxxx

...but what happened afterward? That's a tale for another time.

xxxx

The proceeding weeks moved about far too quickly for Yu's taste; there was simply too much ground to cover. The same odd ambivalence about the Phantom Thieves existed now as it had in his 'last' life, once 2017 had begun, and the revelations about Shido had come to light. (Strange; it's like everything within the past month with that tower has been completely forgotten.)

(Being the lone private inspector isn't so much fun when you have no leads.)

Being a weathered man in his late forties with a farmer's tan, he probably seemed rather out of place in the big city; yet, he navigated the busy pathways of Tokyo with ease, filtering in and out of the crowds, listening all the way.

Nothing he heard gave him any insight as to where the Phantom Thieves might be at.

Nothing else to do but to keep working at it, he resolved, moving from one hotel to another as he continued his search. (A good thing he had been a rather scrupulous saver in this 'life' of his before he awoke to his past memories...but his funds wouldn't last forever.)

xx

At long last...an entirely different Day of Fate was upon three particular individuals.

On the 20th of March, a young man by the name of Akira Kurusu was about to go home by train. He would be visited by a little girl in blue during the ride home.

On the 20th of March, an old man living in the wilderness of the Chūbu region — who went by the name of Minato Arisato — was visited by an eccentric woman in blue.

On the 20th of March, Yu Narukami...would finally get more answers.

xx

There was a polite knocking on the door to Yu's hotel room, waking him to immediate alertness; the clock read 2:24 AM. Who would be knocking at this hour...? Warily rising, he looked through the peephole, frowning at the sight of a woman clad in a long beige overcoat, with thick sunglasses, and a blue headscarf. Who...? With a frown, not caring that he was glad only in a white undershirt and sweatpants, Yu cracked open the door. "Can I help you? If you're looking for someone, I think you might have the wrong room number."

"...it seems like it's been a while, my dear Guest."

(That voice.)

(You've never heard another voice like it.)

(Even after who knows how many thousands of years he had experienced, he had only heard that voice in one life.)

"...no way," he muttered, eyes wide with shock. The woman lowered her sunglasses, revealing yellow eyes. With a trembling hand, he reached up for the headscarf, brushing it aside to reveal platinum-blonde hair that he hadn't seen in what seemed like forever. "...Margaret...?"

The mysterious woman smiled, resting her hand on the back of Narukami's own. "Yes. Do you mind if I come in?"

"...by all means." He stood aside, letting his long-lost Attendant walk into the room.

(He made sure to slip the 'Do Not Disturb' sign onto the outside doorknob before closing the door.)

(...because of course that's how it's going to go down. Of course. You're incorrigible.)

Margaret turned around, looking at Yu with an expectant gaze. "You've been through a lot."

(The emotions rushing through him were hard to pin down.)

(Are you going to be overwhelmed?)

(He wanted to yell and scream, he wanted to return that sensuous kiss from so long ago, he wanted to rant, he wanted to sob, he wanted to hate, he wanted to...he wanted to...he didn't know what he wanted...!)

(...what you need to do is breathe.)

Yu stoically walked towards the mysterious woman, staring down at her with hard eyes and a stern grimace; even in the dark, her eyes had an unnatural gleam to them. Slowly, he raised his hands...

(Margaret said nothing.)

...and hugged her tightly, sinking his face into her shoulder. Even though he easily outweighed her, even though he had close to a full foot over her (even in her distinctive heels), she still felt unyielding: a paragon of might as not only One Who Ruled Over Power, but as his Empress Social Link. That, more than anything else, sealed the deal. "You're real..."

Margaret seemed to understand his meaning. "It was not our intention to remain away for so long."

"I thought...there were times I thought it might have been a dream..." Especially as the long slog of lives had continued, with no word from Ayanami in the slightest. "I thought...that I had screwed up, somehow...t-that I did something wrong..." He didn't care that he was weeping now. He didn't care how unseemly it was, because that life from so long ago had been real in so many different ways (even though, intellectually, he knew it hadn't been a 'true' life as he had once believed it to be). And now, an undeniable aspect of that life was here, in front of him. "Why...why I was the only one who had to go it alone...every single timeline, everyone dies...and I'm the only one left behind, to face it all again...!"

Moved with compassion, his Attendant quietly brushed her fingers through his hair. "The Velvet Room...has always lied between dream and reality, mind and matter; as such, its connection with time itself is tenuous. Unless there is a true bond anchoring it to the world...its connection is nebulous and variable, bonded as it is with the collective unconscious of humanity. Given recent events...we finally had the capacity to seek you out. Bereft of an anchor, your soul was...difficult, to find. But your proximity to the recent conflict most certainly helped." Smiling, she said, "seeking the truth still, after all this time?"

"...as much as I've been able to," he admitted, sniffling. "There's so much I've learned...about Third Impact, and the War in Heaven...but not even Rei Ayanami knew about the Velvet Room, and how you all came to be..."

"Our origins...are admittedly obscure. Master Igor would say that such obscurity is both by design and by happenstance, without any contradiction between them: such are the thoughts of humanity. It was not until relatively recently, after all, that Ayanami encountered Elizabeth, and became aware of our existence."

"...Margaret..." Yu slowly extracted himself from his embrace, sitting down at the foot of the bed. "...this timeline repeated itself, but with very particular changes. At the beginning of February...I saw a Persona."

"Ah; my younger sister's Guest." Margaret sat down beside him, folding her hands in her lap. "Her Guest is a Wild Card of the third generation. You would be of the second generation. Knowing my sister Elizabeth, she will be finding her Guest later today: the very first Wild Card."

(...well, that was certainly new.) "Other Wild Cards...?" he murmured. (Intellectually, he knew it was possible. He tried to see if he had any memories of such knowledge, but was having difficulty pulling it up.) (You've lived too long.) "...huh. Are you implying...a team-up?"

Margaret nodded.

"...what would justify such power gathered in one place?" (He dreaded the answer.)

"Necessity." Slowly, Margaret raised her index finger, poking him in the forehead-

xx

There was a newborn Angel, bearing power unlike any who had come before him.

There was a cruel hand, reaching for the heavens.

There was the scream of a child.

There was a little blue butterfly-

xx

-and Yu gasped with insight that lacked context. "...what was-?"

"The Angels' most recent experiment made many waves...and so the One Who Sits Upon the Throne made a desperate gambit," gravely said Margaret. "Had it succeeded, we would be in more dire straits...but even though it failed, it set the playing field for what's to come. The next timeline will be where everything comes into play. All sides will be seeking ultimate victory."

"...which means my next life will be where everything finally comes to a head." All of the hardships he had suffered, all of the epiphanies he had struggled with, all of the monotony he had endured...would come to an end: one way or another. "...well then. I guess I might as well get a move on. I imagine you can't stay for long?"

"...not as long as either you or I would like," she admitted. "It is sad, that you have gotten so used to the end of your own life."

"It's been unavoidable." He quietly cupped his chin, trying to think of a not-so-gruesome way to go. (A shame that, forced resets aside, dying was the only way of getting to the 'next' timeline.) "Hmm..." Blinking, he had a sudden epiphany. ('Sudden'. Sure.) "...I have an idea. And I'll need your help to accomplish it."

Margaret blinked out of confusion. "You want me to cast an Almighty skill on you?"

"Nothing quite that overblown..."

xxxx

Hours later, Margaret set foot back into the Velvet Room, which — in this time — bore the imagery of a prison with open cells. Lavenza and Elizabeth were absent, doubtless seeking out their Guests; dear Theodore was sitting on a cot in a nearby cell, quietly doing his best to cheer up Sokila, the newest among their ranks. In the center of the Velvet Room sat her Master.

"Welcome back, Margaret," remarked Igor, hands folded under his chin. "I trust your meeting with your guest went well?"

Margaret ignored the odd flutter in her chest. "...I believe so." Looking around in an attempt to change the subject, she asked, "your 'confidant'...is he around?"

"He is currently meeting with Goro Akechi, in preparation for the next timeline. They requested privacy, for the sake of keeping their roles a secret."

"Even from you?"

Igor chuckled. "Especially from me. Such is the nature of a Wild Card, to be played at an unexpected moment. Even if Akechi lacked our aid in this recent life, he is no different."

Margaret nodded in understanding.

"I am curious, Margaret: did your guest miss you?"

Margaret refused to blush. "That he did, Master." And for the first time, I can empathize with Elizabeth and Theodore. Such an intriguing pain, to be driven to such distraction by their Guests...

xxxx

And now...we finally arrive.

xxxx

Yu Narukami's parents were rather busy philanthropists, working overseas in areas ravaged by Angel Syndrome. However, such areas were no place for teenagers, and so he had been left to attend a prestigious school with dormitories so he could have a place to stay.

Thus had he begun his first year at Hakone Academy's Junior High Branch, in the city of Tokyo-3.

However, on the full moon of April 18, 2011, returning from an early dinner at KiKi Ichibanya, he came across a young girl with pale blue hair and crimson eyes. "Narukami-san," she quietly said.

"Yes?" he asked, blinking with confusion(?).

"...it is time: leader of the Investigation Team, Protector of Inaba; He Who Subdued Izanami, the Seeker of Truth."

Like lightning, memories rushed back with a ferocity that he expected(?). As his mindset quickly adapted to the situation, Yu (now awakening to his 2,457th life) looked at Rei Ayanami with knowing eyes. "...you're late, Ayanami-san."

"My apologies. My investigations were...time-consuming."

"Clearly. Now what?"

"Follow me. I will take you to your...equals."

Yu nodded in silence, idly thinking back to his previous life...and suddenly realizing how it had ended.

His face must have made a very strange expression, because Ayanami asked, "what is the matter?"

"...just coming to the realization that death by intercourse isn't quite as glamorous as some people make it out to be. Especially when you end up with broken hips and lots of internal bleeding."

Rei's flat stare said everything. "...what kind of sadist would do such a thing to you?"

"I'd rather not say." (After all, it hadn't been 'sadism' so much as sheer, unadulterated strength...)

Yu quietly followed the tiny girl (but not a girl, she's never been just a mere girl), eventually entering an alleyway outside of the Hakone Academy grounds; with a sudden shifting of reality, he found himself walking down endless stairs, leading to a singular arena in the midst of a gray and orange void. As he set foot into the odd expanse, he witnessed two others walking in, also being led by blue-haired girls with red eyes (were there clones in this timeline as well?).

One was a tired-looking boy with unkempt dark blue hair cut in messy bangs, leaving only his left eye (colored a piercing blue) visible.

The other was a boy about as tall as Yu was, with an frizzy mop of black hair and eyeglasses; of the two, he was definitely the more uncertain and cautious about the proceedings. He must be of the newer generation then, like Margaret said. (That talk of 'generations' had been interesting; did that imply there was more than one Wild Card per generation?)

"Do try to be quick," said the three girls in unison, seamlessly combining into one spectral Rei Ayanami. "I can only keep this location active for a short time. Talk about whatever you must." And with that, she vanished.

Yu Narukami looked at the other two in silence, pondering the words that Margaret and Rei Ayanami had spoken in previous lives. However, it seemed like Blue Hair took the initiative, speaking aloud. "The name's Minato Arisato."

"...Yu Narukami," he cautiously said.

"Akira Kurusu," said Frizzy Hair, before wincing. "Sorry, Ren Amamiya. Damn it, you'd think I'd have learned by now..."

Minato chuckled, even as Yu nodded with empathy (what a nostalgic dilemma that was). "What a pain, right?" Placing his hands into his pockets, Minato asked, "so...what's your story?"

"Well, I think it's only proper that the newest of us go first," said Yu, looking towards 'Akira Kurusu'. "Would you prefer Akira or Ren?"

"...Akira's what I've gone by the longest, but I need to get used to being called Ren."

"Ren it is. You have the floor, Mr. Phantom Thief." Ren arched an eyebrow, so he added, "in my last two 'lives', I worked as a ranch hand in Hokkaido. Heard about the Phantom Thieves both times around, but I didn't know it had anything to do with Persona activity...and last time, I couldn't get into Tokyo at all during the month of January. It wasn't until after the big battle on February the 3rd that I was able to get in."

"...oh, so you saw Satanael fight Adam Kadmon?" Ren seemed surprised. "And you saw my Third Awakening to Raoul?"

At this, both Yu and Minato seemed intrigued. A 'third' awakening? A further evolution of one's ultimate Persona? How fascinating. "If you mean the bat-man in red, yes. Didn't know where to look though, so I ended up scouring Tokyo until my Attendant came to me...but that's besides the point. Your story?"

Ren proceeded to give an abridged version of his work as a Phantom Thief...twice over. (The whole 'reset timeline' bit was unusual, which spoke of shenanigans they could only speculate at.) He also mentioned oddities about an incredibly realistic dream he'd had about a summer road trip involving the Phantom Thieves and an A.I. gone mad with quasi-divine power, to the point where he almost considered it a 'third' life.. He also mentioned something about how his 'first' life had gone on well into adulthood, to the point of having children with a woman named Haru.

"That's...interesting," murmured Yu with a frown. "I don't recall that timeline going beyond early 2017. From my perspective, it was like a sudden 'shift' had occurred, and then it was winter from the prior year all over again." (Not that he had been truly aware of this until New Year's Eve in the last hours of 2016.)

"That fits my recollection as well," admitted Minato. "Of course, in these past two timelines, I was just an old man living out in the wilderness, so I might not even been consciously aware of any reset happening."

Ren grimaced. "I'm not sure how to explain it. Maybe the timeline resets don't hit everyone at the same time?"

"It's...possible," pondered Minato. "Every soul 'dies' at a different point in each timeline, but it doesn't follow that they'd begin living in the next timeline immediately. Perhaps the new timeline doesn't take effect until all of the souls in the old timeline have passed on?"

"...that's reasonable enough," admitted Yu. "Plus, actually passing away and then awakening would be a bit less strenuous than simply forcefully resetting every single person at once. It's possible that the Usurper's targeted reset occurred in stages; the closer one was to the events involving the Phantom Thieves, the longer the timeline went on...after all, if you were conscious when the reset happened, you'd probably have been more likely to resist."

"Without any details or additional information, we can only speculate," interrupted Ren, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "And we don't have time for idle speculation, do we?"

"Fair enough...so after that, Lavenza brought you to the Velvet Room, where Akechi was already waiting?" asked Yu.

Ren nodded. "I asked Akechi why he was there. He refused to elaborate on what he was going to do, said that he didn't want to hear anything about what I was going to do, then politely told me to screw off."

"Oh, so he's your Adachi then," said Yu.

Ren blinked. "I don't know who that is."

"Probably a rival of some kind," guessed Minato.

"Fair enough." Then it was Yu's turn, who abridged even more by necessity. His first life received most of the details (since it was all related to his life as a Wild Card), while all of the trials and tribulations he he had gone through to uncover the truth behind the looping were glossed over. "I spent a long time looking into NERV, trying to find answers...but it wasn't until a great deal of trial and error where I finally managed to get Ayanami to tell me about Third Impact and the War in Heaven."

"...so it's real then," muttered Ren, looking a bit queasy. "The stuff Lavenza and Igor told me..."

"I know it's unbelievable, but it fits our observations," remarked Yu.

"No choice but to believe it. What other options do we have?" asked Minato. "After you found out the truth...what then?"

"Spent a lot of lives making the most of it. Usually finding my old friends and trying to enjoy whatever came my way. Was a bit of a long slog, near the end...but it was a relief, to see Margaret again."

Minato looked soberly at him. "...you must be pretty strong, Narukami-san. To intentionally seek them out, knowing they have no memory of whatever came before..."

"...it's not that I was strong. Without them, I'd have been too weak to go on." Turning towards the blue-haired boy, he asked, "how about you?"

Minato's recollection was far more terse than his had been, covering the bare essentials only of his tribulations in the Dark Hour. The subsequent lives after his 'first' had been largely glossed over, since he considered the whole affair to have been too depressing to go into. "I tried, early on, to live like you did: establish connections, live life...but I can't ever forget. That one year, in my 'first' life...it's like it's burned into my brain, like it's always fresh. After a while, the moment I became aware of the past in any future timeline...was where I decided to disengage, and detach myself: just waiting for the inevitable reset to happen. It was easier, than trying to establish connections which were destined to go away."

"...did killing yourself ever come to mind?" wondered Yu aloud, ignoring the look of alarm from Ren.

Minato shrugged. "It would've saved time...but no. It felt like it would've disrespected everything that happened in my 'first' life...even if I gave up on a lot of other things, that's one line I couldn't cross." With a bitter smile, the boy looked tiredly at his fellow Wild Card. "Wish I'd had more of your analytical mindset, Narukami-san. Maybe I would have been able to find some answers of my own."

"The only reason I tried as hard as I did was because I couldn't live without my friends, even if they didn't remember," admitted Yu. "If I had your strength of heart, to live without connections...I don't know what I would have done, ultimately."

"Not exactly sure I would have called it a strength, but whatever floats your boat," said Minato.

"...so, what now?" asked Ren, looking back and forth between them.

Yu brought his thoughts back to the present. "Simple: we keep our heads down...and wait for Shinji Ikari."

xxxx

The subsequent months and years were spent trying to come to an understanding of the world around them. (It was so weird, being in a timeline where Personas were not only common knowledge, but actively used by people of various demographics.)

Keeping their heads down proved...simple enough.

(Ayanami's warning about how summoning their Personas would forcefully open up their Social Links — making their confidants aware of who they were! — would have been too enticing, had it not been for the fact the Usurper would have become aware of their presence immediately. "It's actually a pretty clever trap," admitted Ren, as they pondered the blunette's words. "If that's how they've structured this timeline to work, it makes it easy for us to be found should we summon a Persona...but more importantly, it removes our powers as Wild Cards from the playing field, if they're assuming we're trying to lay low. Pretty fiendish, all things considered.")

From the second year of Junior High on, they managed to arrange things such that they all shared the same dorm room.

("Compared to the 'practice tests' that Futaba would throw at me when she was bored, the Academy's security system is nothing," joked Ren, who made light of the fact that — every time the matter of dorm assignments came up — he snuck into the school to fiddle with the electronic records. Honestly, he thought that it should have been something of greater concern...but Ren seemed the kind of personality to actively court trouble if he didn't start some of his own, so he let it slide by.)

Studious and diligent though they were as students, they kept their eyes out for any events of importance.

xx

It was during the final months of Yu's third year as a Junior High student that he spoke with Principal Keel Lorenz; the elderly man had a habit of calling students at random, to try and ascertain as to how they were doing with student life. And 'random' was an accurate descriptor, because whether they were doing well or not didn't factor in at all; the man had spoken to Minato and Ren by now, as well as the students who were on the bottom rung in terms of grades.

As Yu listened to Keel's platitudes and responded in kind, the back of his mind couldn't help but ponder the truth. In reality, you were the head of SEELE. Were it not for SEELE, Second Impact...and Third Impact...none of this would have happened. And here the man was, working as a rather genial principal. The irony.

"Is something the matter, Narukami-kun?" remarked Keel with a concerned frown. "You trailed off there."

"Ah, my apologies, kōchō-sensei," deferring to the man's position and authority. "I was daydreaming."

"Hmm. Well, if you must daydream, keep it outside of school hours. You're dismissed."

"Thank you, sir." (If nothing else, he was glad that the variances in this timeline didn't result in Gendo Ikari being the principal; he'd probably be in detention forever.)

xx

The moment Yu was old enough to get a part-time job, he was hired as an orderly at Kobayakawa Memorial Hospital.

(Though Inaba didn't apparently exist in this timeline, the grocery store Junes had been; a little bit of research on his end unveiled the current status of its founder.)

As he made his rounds and went through training, he eventually found himself in a room on the eighth floor, where an elderly lady looked at him with disappointment. "Ah...new hired help, hmm? Guess people get tired of dealing with charity cases like us..."

"My apologies, ma'am," he said, knowing already who it was (and feeling a bit of an ache because of it). "If you'll allow me, I have a perfect maneuver to break the ice."

"...okay?" She watched with some curiosity as he stood at the foot of her medical bed.

Yu shook his right fist in a rhythmic fashion, casting his voice to a higher pitch. "Everyday, young life! Ju, neh, su!" With each syllable of 'Junes' enunciated for effect, he ended up standing on one leg, with the other hanging backwards in the air, and his hands held forward as if holding a shopping cart.

The delight in the old woman's eyes was immediate. "Oh! So you've seen the old show?!"

"Not all of it, but I'd be interested in watching more."

"My, a youngster with a taste for the classics...what a day!"

Yu bowed theatrically. "My name is Yu Narukami; it would be my privilege to have your name, miss."

"Bah, I'm sure you already know," she grumbled, waving him off.

"True, but I think introductions are still important."

"...you make a good point." A smile broke across the face of the matronly woman as she said, "I'm Nanako Dojima. A pleasure to meet you!"

(This woman wasn't the Nanako he remembered so fondly, but the core was still there; he would take what he would get.)

(Besides, you know better than anyone what loneliness looks like.)

xx

The months rolled by...until, at last, June 2015 came around.

By this point in time, everyone was aware of the rumors involving a new transfer student at the Junior High branch.

(June the 6th. "We won't go out of our way to meet him," warned Minato, shortly after news of a train car erupting began to spread among the Academy campus. "He has to seek us out.")

Each of the three Wild Cards had encountered the boy in passing.

(June the 9th. Working at one of his part-time jobs at KiKi Ichibanya, he watched as none other than Kensuke Aida and Shinji Ikari walked in for a meal. He focused intently as he dropped off their dishes; though Shinji definitely felt different...it was not the same 'unreality' as he had gotten used to, for so many lives. It gave him hope.)

Finally, on June the 25th, Yu chanced upon Shinji Ikari in the High School branch, looking at flyer advertising tutoring services. Well...here goes nothing. Stepping up towards the boy from behind, he asked, "here for tutoring?"

The boy yelped with utter shock, facing him with wide eyes. "Oh, um...yes."

(He looked at Shinji with all the intensity he could muster.)

(You sense no falsehood, here.)

(Then...this was truly Shinji Ikari.)

For the first time, Yu could say that Shinji felt like a real person. "I was actually about to start my 'shift' here...so we might as well get started. I'm Yu Narukami."

"Ah, thank you." Shinji slightly bowed. "I'm Shinji Ikari, Narukami-senpai. Please take care of me."

"Please follow me."

As he made for the stairs with Shinji in tow, Yu quickly began texting the others.

The Investigator: He's here. Drop everything and meet up in that room in the South Wing like we planned.
Emo-senpai: we're not going to actually do the thing, are we?
Frizzy Hair: of COURSE we're going to do the thing
Emo-senpai: he's probably not gonna be up for it
Frizzy Hair: joykill :|
The Investigator: don't be a sourpuss senpai
Emo-senpai: Whatever. see you soon

Yu pocketed his phone, unable to keep a smile from crossing his face as he led Shinji Ikari towards his destiny. Finally.

(It was time to seize the moment...)

(...so that you and everyone else can be set free.)

xxxx

ANOTHER SIDE, ANOTHER STORY

REACH OUT FOR THE TRUTH

The Tale of Yu Narukami

END

xxxx

Author's Notes: FINALLY. *collapses*

Now, after catching my breath...well. This Sidestory has been rather heavy on the lore.

Yu's memories of his Shadow were, as an FYI, from the True End episode of P4 the Animation...

...not much to say, beyond that.

/the biggest missed opportunity for Persona 5 Royal
/was the fact that there was no giant kaiju fight between Satanael and Adam Kadmon
/likewise a story-relevant Third Awakening from Satanael to Raoul, relegated as it was to DLC
/this has been rectified
/next time
/it's back to the main plot