Sokila was drawing.
"I'm so happy for all the stuff we did yesterday..."
Like...a lot.
"...and I'm also happy for the fire-breathing snowman!"
She briefly paused; the wall was covered with pictures of himself and a tiny silver-haired girl playing a bunch of games.
"Maybe...maybe your next Persona will be a bird-man that can take any punch and dish it back!"
She smiled at him.
"If I can be tough, so can you!"
The faint haze of blue began to brighten-
xxxx
/Sunday: July 5, 2015/
/Room 23, 2nd Floor, Izanagi Dorms, Hakone Academy/
Shinji Ikari snorted briefly in his sleep, turning over; his phone read 05:34 AM.
He was ignorant of Toji Suzuhara rising from his bunk bed and departing, silent and solemn.
xxxx
Toji quietly jogged by himself. Given that it was a Sunday, there was little chance of anyone coming to the track grounds so early.
It gave him time to think in solitude.
What am I gonna do? He didn't have to think about doing anything now, right? Niijima-san had spoken as if he had time to make adjustments...if needed. If 'needed'.
'Need' was one thing he really didn't focus on. Not 'personally', anyway. Everything had been about his sister, in the grand scheme of things.
Perhaps...this change had only cemented the truth of his situation. Parents are dead, so I can't rely on em' forever...but how the hell am I going to keep things going? The sort of care that kept Sakura Suzuhara going was...not too expensive, if it was just the matter of life support. But the sort of technology involved with keeping her soul from fragmenting was...
("Manifesting the will to act is not the only problem," said Sae Niijima, explaining his sister's condition. "Her soul's condition is such that her A.T. Field is...very fragile. Without those experimental machines hooked up to her, her very soul would collapse upon itself in short order...and then she would die for real.")
...not cheap, as far as he was aware. If...it it came down between my school life and her...then I'd pick her. It seemed like a no-brainer...but it wasn't.
He had a good thing going with Kensuke. Nagisa, for all his weirdness, was oddly...tolerable. The Class Rep...well, there would be other Class Reps (don't kid yourself, what other Class Rep would spend time trying to help your sorry ass get better?), in the grand scheme of things. Ikari was...well, he hadn't turned out to be too bad, but he wasn't going to miss the craziness that seemed to revolve around the deceptively timid boy. But...what would leaving say? Wouldn't that be as good as saying that Tomochika had basically died for jack squat?
Hell, if I hadn't come here to begin with, Tomochika might still be alive. And why had he come here to begin with? Because this school was closest to the hospital my sister's at.
Everything seemed to revolve around his sister.
Even if he felt a little sore about that, he had long come to accept that (because it wasn't like he could blame his parents for randomly dying). But all of the time he had spent at Hakone Academy...was it really okay for it to just come to an end like that...?
Before he realized it, he had been running rather heavily for about twenty minutes, and was breathing heavily. "...feh." He hadn't really cleared his head that much. What am I doing...?
He quietly walked towards the nearest entry to the boys' locker rooms, seeking to take a quick shower.
Right as the door closed behind him, he fell straight through the floor into a white void the HELL-?!
xxxx
Far away, slumbering next to a loudly snoring Misato Katsuragi, Pen-Pen opened one eye. Time for the boy to add another piece to the board. Yawning, the curious penguin went back to sleep, content with the knowledge about what was to come.
xxxx
-IS GOING ON?! was all Toji could think before the blank whiteness faded. With a painful smack, the boy fell onto the ground, cheek rubbing against asphalt. "Ow...what...what just happened...?" Rising, he noticed two things immediately.
One: Kobayakawa Memorial Hospital loomed large above him.
Two: the sky was colored in alternating waves of red and black.
Given how often Kensuke had talked about this place, it wasn't hard for Toji to connect the dots. "...how the...the Metaverse...?" HOW'D I END UP HERE?!
xxxx
Shinji hadn't thought much about it when he had awoken to see Aida and Nagisa studying (with the former flipping pages far more swiftly than the latter; a sign of panic, or perhaps frustration?). That Suzuhara had been absent didn't really ring any alarm bells.
After grabbing a small breakfast, both he and Aida had made their way to NERV HQ. ("The Doc wants me to observe," Kensuke had complained, irritably rubbing at his hair. "I've got finals to prep for!") The bespectacled boy's griping had mostly washed over Shinji, who was actually looking forward to getting his spiriology examined. (No, he wasn't looking forward to basically napping for a few more hours. Not at all...well, maybe.)
Lying within the translucent tube - feeling somewhat bewildered that he was allowed to wear his normal clothes - Shinji Ikari closed his eyes...
His Other frowned.
"The world continues to turn..."
He looked down at his hand, clenching it tightly.
"...as does our fate."
...and soon fell asleep.
xxxx
Griping aside, Kensuke Aida had actually been pretty interested in observing a full-blown spiriological scan. It allowed him to fully embrace the Exposition Fairy Stereotype and ask semi-dumb questions that he knew would rankle Dr. Akagi something fierce. "Why is he still wearing his normal clothes? Aren't ya supposed to...you, know strip him down to his boxers, or something?"
Dr. Akagi just stared at him. "...why would we strip him?"
"You know, to let the science rays scan him more accurately. And stuff."
"...you're trying to irritate me."
"I might be."
The blonde snorted, typing away at her terminal while her subordinate technicians monitored Ikari from their own stations. "We're not scanning anything physical or material; the presence of clothing doesn't inhibit our scans. In fact, if they make him feel more comfortable - if they make the subject less irritable, or less out of their element - then that's only a good thing for us."
"...something about his A.T. Field being less prickly?"
"More or less. We can't exactly go without the full sensory suite in our proprietary scanner," she remarked, referring to The Tube™ (because there was no way he was going to refer to it by its official name. That would be boring) in which Ikari lied. "However, anything to make him less jittery means his ego barrier will be less defensive...which makes our scans more accurate."
"Huh. Neat."
"It is."
The sound of whirring machinery and whining electronics was punctuated by the typing of various keys and quiet murmuring.
Kensuke couldn't help himself. "...if making him feel comfortable was the goal, why not give him a pillow? And a blanket?"
"There's a difference between items which tend to be part of one's self-image - like your clothing, which you wear and see yourself in on a daily basis - and inanimate items which aren't. There's no need for unnecessary clutter in the machine."
"...but what if he had, like, a favorite blanket? Or pillow? One that was passed down his family line for generations!"
"If you're that interested in being a little troll, you can start reading the scanner's help manual. We have a debugging scheduled for after this scan. Expect to spend several hours here."
"..."
"In all fairness, you were kind of asking for it."
"...yeah, I kind of was."
Dr. Akagi sighed heavily. "Of all the people who had to be the Third Child's inquisitive roommate...I bet Misato isn't having nearly as much difficulty with Kirishima..."
"...how's that going? I haven't really met her yet."
"Knowing Misato..."
xxxx
Meanwhile, in the Metaverse, within the training arenas deep inside NERV HQ, Misato Katsuragi and Tokoyo stared intently at Mana Kirishima. Clad in her familiar bodysuit, the girl was clutching onto LABRYS and AIGIS as though she had been reunited with long-lost family members...which was rather literal, in all honesty. "Before NERV can authorize you to go on patrols within the Metaverse, there'll be a brief period where they get an understanding of what you're capable of."
"I went toe-to-toe with an Evangelion-user. Doesn't that count for anything?"
More than you might realize. "True, but all of the scanners within this place will help provide a baseline as to what your limits are. NERV has plenty of Archetypes to help with that practice...and if I'm going to be your minder, I should at least get something out of it."
"Like what? Are we going to spar?"
"Pfft, as if. We can do that whenever! But a place like this will provide us easy targets to fine-tune something which you might be interested in..."
"...like what?"
"Combination attacks."
"...wait, like techniques which you require you and me to work as a team?" answered Mana with a blink. "Like how Sapphire Swan and Diamond Dove used the Fatal Feather Flamenco to defeat the Iron Kaiser's minions in Episode 11?!"
"Sure, why not?"
Mana pumped her fists, an innocently joyous grin coming to her face. "Let's do it!"
Misato couldn't help but smirk. This is turning out to be easier than I thought!
xxxx
"...probably being ludicrously unprofessional," griped Ritsuko Akagi.
"...is that a legitimate criticism regarding Katsuragi's style, or does it have anything to do with the fact that she can get away with it while still doing a good job and you're glaring at me I think I'll shut up now."
"You'd best."
xxxx
Toji Suzuhara didn't know what he should have done. All of Ken's idle rants and ravings about the cognitive world had slipped away like a wet bar of soap, no matter how hard he had tried to grasp for them. Anything to try and make his stay there more...tolerable. Safer. Anything.
No dice.
Instead, he had recognized the form of Kobayakawa Memorial Hospital. With nothing better to do, he went inside to try and see if he could at least get to his sister's room (because hell, maybe his sister's mind had left an impression or something? If what he had been told was true, Sakura could still think, right? That had to count for something).
Not ten minutes in, he was already starting to regret that decision.
The hell are all of these things? he thought with a nervous grimace; fantastic beasts and bizarre creatures went through the halls with absolute ease, and the interior layout varied from confused to utterly disgusting: a twisted reflection of the hospital which he had visited so much. Should've just taken my chances outside...
He nervously tried finding some stairs leading up to the proper floor (and ended up having to backtrack at least twice); rather than getting used to the crazy architecture or becoming increasingly panicked by the utter strangeness of it all, he maintained an unsteady equilibrium of grim anxiety. I should leave, I should leave, I should LEAVE. Yet he kept on walking. He had come this far, so he might as well go all the way, right? Damn it, how did I even get in here?! And why did it feel like he was being followed?! Glancing over his shoulder, Toji briefly faltered, eyes widening at the sight.
He had no instinctive or developed knowledge of the Archetypes Inugami, Cerberus, Shiisaa, or Ara Mitama; in his eyes, he was being trailed by numerous canine and feline beasts, accompanied by floating teardrops with angry faces...and they were spawning in greater numbers. "Uh...good boys...nice boys...I ain't a threat..."
"A threat," barked the slim, ghostly dog with a black head.
"He thinks he's a threat..." snarled a Cerberus. "Ridiculous."
"Pathetic. Pathetic. PATHETIC!" yapped the Ara Mitamas.
A Shiisa huffed. "Impotent and blind."
"...okay, y'all don't have to be a bunch of asses about it," growled Toji, impulsively clenching his fist. "If you're gonna take me on, then bring it!"
The hackles of the thoughtbeasts rose, ready to charge and tear him limb from limb...until they paused. With sudden nervousness, they began to retreat backwards (other curious Archetypes from the nearby hospital rooms, unbeknownst to Toji, quickly ducked back into their abodes); some promptly dispersed back into stray bits of ambient cognitive energy.
"...yeah. You'd better run!" yelled Toji, inwardly freaking out because why the hell would they run from him?! With purposeful slowness, Toji tried turning around...only to pause. And look up...and up. Oh. That's why they ran. A bear with blue fur and a tan snout stood at twelve feet on its hind legs, clad in what looked like a red and white clown suit with red roses for buttons along the torso. None of that did anything to detract from the fact that it was a freakin' giant BEAR! "Uh...good bear...nice bear..."
The bear - looking like some cross between a grizzly and a polar bear in terms of its structure and build - looked quietly at him, setting down onto all fours. With surprising dexterity, the bear lifted its right front paw...and with a strange flick, manifested fancy eyeglasses which it then put on. The bear peered at him with stunningly clear eyes colored a crystalline blue...and then, with a satisfied snort, the bear walked forward.
Toji impulsively got out of the way, letting the bear lumber down the hallway. All of the other creatures seemed to shy away from the ultramarine ursa, seemingly terrified of it. Well...I ain't gonna complain. He quickly hurried on, taking another stairwell and finally making it up to the eighth floor. At the end of the hallway, where his sister's room should have been, was something he could only call Distortion. "The hell...?" Armed more by concern than by good sense, Toji steeled his nerves - this better not kill me! - and walked into it...
"Well well well..."
...and came face-to-face with himself. Well, a version of himself with unnerving yellow eyes, a green tunic, and a cape made from animal skins...and dang, he looked jacked. "The hell...?"
"...looks like we finally get a chance to chat," said the doppelganger, grinning widely. "Let's get your ass in gear."
Toji Suzuhara was at last starting to recall some of the stuff he had heard Kensuke talk about over the years: about the Metaverse, and about Shadows. (Recent heavily censored tales of Ken's exploits were finally coming to mind.) "So...you my Shadow?"
"Ah, the track jock has a mind after all," snarked the Shadow; the tunic was missing its right shoulder, allowing Toji to see a physique that he wished he had. "Took you long enough."
"...ain't you supposed to be a part of me? I don't insult myself like that."
His Shadow laughed mockingly. "Oh, DON'T you? Tell me: why would someone like you bother applying for a prestigious place like Hakone Academy?"
Toji decided that his Shadow was a smart aleck who needed a good punch to the face (and what does that say about me?). "What, you think I'm not good enough?!"
"You've begun to slip a little. Things weren't that hard early on...but this year has been harder."
"Can you blame me? A lot of shit's happened."
His Shadow chuckled, slowly rising from the chair he sat in. Walking over to the golden coffin (embossed with images of mom...and dad...and Kenji?), the muscular doppelganger quietly caressed the face of his sister, lying atop (yet within) the coffin. "You remember, don't you?"
"...yeah." Memories of Sae Niijima going over his educational options came to mind; his choice for the one closest to his sister had been...easy. That it had been the one with the most opportunity and prestige was an added bonus. "I do."
"Of all the ones you could've chosen, you picked Hakone Academy. You're a stubborn sort, you know?"
"I've been told that."
"...so why the HELL have you been slacking?" said his Shadow with sudden venom.
"What do you mean!?" he demanded.
"Guilt can kill a man...and you've been drowning in it." His Shadow gestured to the wide reaches of the Realm, which was choked with human bones. "Why do you feel any guilt at all?"
Toji blinked, unsure of what his yellow-eyed clone was talking about (why does my chest hurt?). "...what are you getting at?"
His Shadow sneered. "Feh. Guess I need to spell it out for ya."
"Spell what?!"
"You think you've gotten over Tomochika's death...the deaths of mom and pop...but what if someone else died for you? What if it was Ken who ended up biting the bullet to save your sorry ass?"
Toji grimaced at the rawness in his chest, a cold ice pick tearing into him; memories and recollections of the agony he had faced after Kenji Tomochika's death (you say that so casually, he died to save ME) were strangely fresh, in this place. "I'd..."
"You'd feel REAL torn up...but only for a little while. It would only waste more of your time...and your time is a precious thing."
"What are you getting at?! Get to the point!" This feeling...why...?
His Shadow smirked, confident in the way of someone who knew that they possessed what the other lacked: knowledge, and insight. "You keep wasting time on feeling guilty; wasting energy on all this moping around...when deep down..."
Don't say it. Part of him was screaming, he didn't want it to be said aloud-!
"...you're GLAD they died...because it meant you would live on."
With animalistic rage, Toji stomped the ground, pointing angrily at his Shadow. "THAT'S A LOAD OF BULLCRAP!"
"Why?"
Such a simple question. Yet the answer...was the stuff of cowards! Of dishonorable scoundrels! "Because...it ain't right! I'm not the kind of guy!"
"Oh SPARE me!" jeered his Shadow, gesturing all over his Realm. "If you die, who's gonna take care of Sakura, huh? Do ya trust anyone else to look after her? Resources are precious; limited; if you died, what reason would they have to keep her goin'? Mere charity?" With a scornful snort, his Shadow glared. "You've been through too much to believe in charity."
"And what the hell would you have me do?!" he demanded. "Treat Tomochika's death like it was worth it? Like I wanted it!?"
"You're trying to overcomplicate something pretty damn simple," chided his burly doppelganger. "If they hadn't died...it might have been you who died. It's such a simple thing...a NATURAL thing...to be glad to live on...so why keep hanging onto that pain? It's just holding you back-"
"SHUT IT!" yelled Toji, teeth bared with an anger born from desperate denial, because the implications...no. No. He wouldn't dare think of it! "I'm not...I'm not like that..."
"Like WHAT?" challenged his Shadow, who slowly began walking towards him.
"Like some wretch who thinks people dying is a good thing! Like some...some...worthless bum, who's ungrateful for everything that people have done for me...!"
"You're pretty melodramatic for someone in the Track Club. Maybe you should have gone for the Theater Club?"
That damn smirk was really pissing him off. "You're really annoying me-"
"WHY do you have to make it so tough?" His Shadow stood face-to-face with him. "There's nothing wrong with surviving...nothing. And you're HAPPY for that, because it means you can keep doing what you have to do for your sister...because if you die, you can't do NOTHING."
"Shut up-"
"What's the matter? Having a tough time accepting the truth? Your mopey act pisses me off as it is."
"I said shut up-"
"Why be so obsessive about it? You already spent enough time moaning about Tomochika's death, and for what? You did the same bit years ago when your parents died...but you can't change the fact that they died. Why waste anymore ENERGY on people who are dead and gone?"
"WHY THE HELL WOULD I DO THAT?! Why would I disrespect their memory!" To be like that...would be akin to spitting on their grave-!
"Because you have more important things to do. So why don't you man up and focus on what you can change? After all...dead people can't help you anymore."
"...Kensuke had to be mistaken about Shadows," he growled. "Because there's no way you could be mine..."
"Is that a fact? Face it: I'm the truth you refuse to acknowledge...cause I'm you, and you're me."
Mustering all of his defiance to the forefront, Toji punched his Shadow in the stomach. "LIKE HELL YOU ARE! I'M NOTHING LIKE YOU!"
In the face of his rejection, the Shadow simply stood back, looming larger...and larger. "Yeah...I guess that's true, ISN'T IT?"
Toji Suzuhara paled, gasping with horror as the entire Realm swirled around them, dissolving into a torrential downpour of rock and bone...
xxxx
From the outside of Kobayakawa Memorial Hospital's cognitive double, the walls burst outward; a hulking brute landed upon the ground, his bronzed skin bleeding from various places. Clad in animal skins, the man's beard was wild and unkempt; strapped to his back was the golden coffin bearing the relief of Sakura Suzuhara. "I am a Shadow...the TRUE self..." he said aloud, as though confirming something to himself. "Gotta find...a new place to rest..." With lumbering steps, Toji's Shadow walked forward, uncaring for how each footstep seemed to briefly destabilize the ground beneath him.
Little did he know that an Ocular Drone was observing from above.
xxxx
/The Cognitive Protection Center, Tokyo-3, the Metaverse/
From his station in the main monitor room, Goro Akechi blinked at the sudden alert. "What's this...a Realm has detached from its normal location?" Not good; that tended to be the sign of a berserk Shadow. The Ocular Drone's sighting was quickly cross-referenced with any ID tags that were registered to that location. "...Denizen Omega-Omega-Seven-Two-Zero-Alpha..." An unregistered Shadow, then...why would it go berserk like this? Alas, the cause could be investigated later; a wild Shadow had to be restrained before it could introduce any cognitive abnormalities to the surrounding area. "Let's see who's available..."
xxxx
As Toji's Shadow lumbered away - unknowingly trailed by one...no, three Ocular Drones - the blue bear in the clown suit watched silently from a shadowy alleyway, grumbling quietly to himself.
"Many thanks for clearing the path for the boy." The bear looked over his meaty shoulder, staring at a mohawked bird-man in a purple tux. "It would have been inconvenient for the lad to get waylaid by Archetypes on the way to his Shadow."
The bear snorted, holding up his left paw; with a dexterous flick, a hand puppet manifested over the claws, looking like a cartoonish version of himself: a rounded head and face, big black eyes, and mitts for hands. The puppet's head flapped up and down like a Pez dispenser, as a surprisingly high-pitched voice came from it. "Wouldn't it have been a bit easier to just drop him off in front of his Realm? It was a pain being on paw-trol in that hospital!"
Mister P huffed without a care. "A little bit of danger makes the mind more susceptible. The threat of death and peril tends to make people more...honest."
The bear grunted while his hand puppet yapped, "if you say so...can I go now? This place is really cramping my style!"
"But of course Teddie; do keep me apprised of any unusual developments out in the wild..."
The bear - Teddie - nodded, hiding his hand puppet with another deceptively quick motion of the paw. The colorful ursa turned around, walking through the alleyway and disappearing into the shadows before fading away from sight.
Now...who will be the first to find you, young Suzuhara? Mister P calmly withdrew, making sure to keep out of sight and out mind of both the boy's Shadow and his Task Force pursuers.
xxxx
Underneath NERV HQ within the Metaverse, Tokoyo and Mana landed on opposite sides of a Mothman Archetype - which promptly fell apart into slices - as Misato felt a familiar buzz in the back of her head. Thumbing her A.T. medallion, she said, "go ahead." She blinked. "Repeat that, Akechi-kun? An unregistered Shadow went wild, huh? Not an Acolyte? Hmm..." It had been quite a while since she'd encountered a genuinely wild Shadow. I wonder what poor son of a gun it happened to? "You wouldn't happen to have any secret records on hand, would you?" There was a buzz of irritation, combined with a pointed distaste for a certain set of ethics guidelines as the randomized ID tag filtered through her mind. "Yeah yeah, unregistered Shadows are kept incognito as a point of law, you don't have to gripe at me about it...fine, I'll do it. I'm gonna bring a new pupil of mine along to help...don't worry, we'll make sure to keep the collateral damage minimal. Who do you think I am?" An amused flicker of emotion prompted her to scowl. "Yeah yeah, you laugh...wiseass." Huffing, Misato looked back towards Mana, who was looking at her quizzically. "Okay Mana-chan, we've done good work today, but now we have an opportunity to test something else."
"Like what?"
"Your ability to subdue a Shadow without killing them."
"Why would I do that?"
"Because if you kill whoever's Shadow this is, they'll die."
"...and?"
Baby steps Misato, baby steps. "This ain't a criminal necessarily. This could be a guy whose Shadow went berserk without meaning to."
"...how is that any different from an Acolyte though?"
...baby steps. Baby steps. "How about this; let me ask Ritsuko if she can find anything," she said, thumbing her medallion once more, "and I'll explain the difference to you on the way."
xxxx
Within NERV HQ in the real world, as Shinji Ikari slowly exited the spiriological scanner, Ritsuko Akagi blinked as the MAGI relayed an impromptu message from Misato. "Hmm?" Briefly typing onto her keyboard, her brows furrowed with concern. "A wild Shadow..."
"Say wha?" drearily said Kensuke, looking up from the giant help manual.
"Nothing. Misato's just asked if the MAGI have logged any unusual anomalies within Tokyo-3 over the past twenty-four hours." She resisted the urge to reach for a cigarette, curling her nose with irritation. "Denizen Omega-Omega-Seven-Two-Zero-Alpha...tch. The fact that the A.T. Task Force even allows for unregistered Shadows at all is just-"
"Could you repeat that ID tag?"
At Aida's interruption, she looked over her shoulder, blinking at the sudden seriousness in the boy's expression. It would have been welcome had the circumstance not been so odd. "Omega-Omega-Seven-Two-Zero-Alpha...?"
With sudden panicked energy, the intern whipped out his phone and promptly dialled a number in his contact list; when no one picked up, he quickly dialled another one. This time, there was an answer. "Hey, Nagisa-kun. You seen Toji anywhere today?" There was a brief pause as he received an answer that was not welcome, judging by the slow widening of his eyes. "Haven't seen him at all...okay. Thanks. Nah, nothing major, just wanted to talk to him about something. See you later." Cutting the call, the boy let his strange anxiety show more fully. With deliberate motions, Aida rushed over towards the scanner, yelling, "IKARI! I think something's happening with Toji's Shadow!"
The sudden alarm that Dr. Akagi felt (wait a minute isn't Toji Suzuhara one of their OTHER roommates at the Academy?) was only matched by the emerging terror in Shinji Ikari's eyes.
xxxx
Kensuke Aida wasn't sure where the concern had come from.
Perhaps, in retrospect, it had to do with the fact that he still had no idea about how he had ended up in the Metaverse on June 14. The trial involved with facing his Shadow - and subsequently gaining his Persona - had blunted his curiosity about such an unusual occurrence. After all, it wasn't unknown - albeit rarer, these days - for people to slip into the cognitive world unknowingly...but no. This was ringing too many parallels. If Toji actually ended up in the Metaverse somehow...and encountered his Shadow...
"Hold on, Aida-san," said Shinji, clasping onto his shoulder. "Try to keep your thoughts focused."
"Not a problem, Ikari," he answered, readjusting his glasses; the various technicians around them were backing away, while Ritsuko Akagi was trying to get some measure of control over the situation. "We'll be back later Doc! We just have to check something!"
"Now wait just a second-!"
"Sorry Doc, can't hear you!" he yelled, right as they began to phase out of reality...
xxxx
Shinji found it an interesting...experience...to transition between dimensions, with someone else alongside him. Normally, he had to focus on the patterns that his thoughts carved, the boundaries of his soul in relation to others; that sense of identity and separation allowed him to slip from physicality to cognition.
But with Kensuke Aida - whose own thoughts were foreign, yet directed; whose own A.T. Field was separate from his, yet still connected(?) - there was more to account for. He was the one directing their entry into the cognitive world, so his thoughts had to be paramount; a metaphor of a passenger taking a bus came to mind...
His Other's gaze was steady.
"To slip away from the clutches of this world, while maintaining a connection with another?"
His knuckles clenched tightly.
"Such a task can be arduous, or even foolish..."
But there was a knowing smile.
"...but Fools are known for such things, aren't they?"
...but if he focused on their bond - however imperfect it was - it felt simpler. Especially since their purpose for entering the Metaverse was directed to the same end.
As everything faded into grayscale, Shinji's expression hardened into one of worried determination. I hope Suzuhara-san is okay...
xxxx
/Tokyo-3, the Metaverse/
Once leaving NERV HQ's cognitive double - rather appreciating the great deal of cognitive engineering that had gone into making the hallways relatively similar to their real world counterparts - Misato Katsuragi and Mana Kirishima had taken to the rooftops. While Tokoyo carried her, Mana-chan had no difficulty keeping up, performing leaps and bounds far beyond her physical ken. The stuff that axe and shield allow her to do is insane. Shaking her head, the A.T. Agent mentally directed her Persona to take them towards the general location that Akechi had indicated...ah. That small cluster of Ocular Drones flying in a straight line towards the north of the city was a good enough lead. "Over there!"
In a matter of minutes, the duo had tracked down the wild Shadow, which looked like a berserk wildman bleeding from various places, with a golden coffin strapped to his back; his movements seemed no less the worse for it. Wonder where you're going in such a hurry? "Watch my six, Mana-chan."
"...your six?"
"It means cover my back!"
"Ah. Got it!"
With a graceful leap, the cognitive swordswoman leapt in front of the Shadow's path. Her sudden entrance forced the wild man to slow to a halt. "Howdy there!" Misato was slowly set down by Tokoyo, allowing her to strike a hopefully friendly pose. "A.T. Agent Misato Katsuragi; where are you off to in such a hurry?"
The mention of 'A.T. Agent' caused the Shadow's yellow eyes to narrow with suspicion. "None of your business."
"Running like you are, causing distortions in ambient cognition? You kind of are."
"...I had an agreement with you goons. Leave me alone."
"See, the thing with unregistered Shadows being left alone? It kind of depends on them staying in their Realms. Mind filling me in on why you're out and about? Or telling me your name, for that matter?"
"Couldn't stay anymore. And my name's none of your business."
"...uh-huh. You know, being uncooperative doesn't really help your case. I'm just trying to minimize difficulties, keep the populace's thoughts from getting too affected by abnormalities. Boring stuff like that." Negotiation was good. Negotiation was king. When the Shadow didn't immediately answer, Misato tried her opening gambit. "Maybe it's high time you tried out the Cognitive Protection Center? It's much safer than being out here by yourself, where dangerous Archetypes could threaten you-"
The hulk chortled cynically. "Keeping me trapped in your little prison in the sky? No thanks...can't trust you...can't trust ANYONE...because everyone eventually dies...I have to live, no matter what...!"
Aw crap, this Shadow's going berserk-
"...so...GET OUT OF MY WAY!" With the burst of a sickly black aura - great, he probably has Dark skills - the wild man charged forward with surprising speed-!
Tokoyo grabbed onto Misato's torso, diving out of the Shadow's way. Every footstep caused the asphalt to deform beneath the Shadow's feet. "Mana-chan!"
With a ferocious grunt, Mana Kirishima stepped forward, holding AIGIS at the ready; the brute smashed into the shield, driving her back...until her booted heels, bending the cognitive road, slowed them to a halt. "You're not going anywhere," growled the girl; with a flash of light, the shield unleashed the absorbed momentum, forcing the Shadow to stumble back.
"If that's the way it's going to be, then so be it!Maeiga!"
xxxx
Mana Kirishima dove to the side, avoiding the deathly bursts of red and black energy; the berserk Shadow no longer seemed interested in running away, having fully decided to fight them. Fine by me! A mental check of the energy levels within AIGIS and LABRYS...
xxxx
One soul furiously tried to pump water(?) out of a dry well; the other simply crossed her arms, pantomiming a drought with surprisingly evocative hand gestures.
xxxx
...well, they weren't good. I used too much of my reserves during the fight with Ikari, she thought with a grimace, dodging the wild fists of the hulking Shadow. The brief training against NERV's selection of Archetypes had filled them up slightly, but nowhere near what she was used to. I might have to spend a while wailing on weaklings just to prepare for actual combat again. Fair enough; she'd fought with dwindling reserves before. She'd just have to get creative...
"Heat Riser! Garudyne!"
...and remember that she had a partner fighting alongside her. So to speak. Have to get used to that, she thought wryly, watching as the Shadow was struck by an empowered Tokoyo's miniature cyclone. With glaring eyes, the wild hulk turned towards Misato's Persona, howling with anger. "I don't want nothing to DO WITH YOU!"
"You attacked first!" yelled Misato, standing to the side of the street, mostly away from the combat; Ocular Drones were observing them from above, and native Archetypes had scattered to the proverbial winds. "You shouldn't start what you can't finish!"
The Shadow snarled, glaring at Misato (damn it don't attract the attention of the monster) before roaring, "Speed Buster!" A purple aura flickered around the beast as it took off in a sprint (Mana's legs were already moving), aiming to crush the woman into paste (DON'T YOU DARE); roaring, Mana reared her axe to slice the Shadow's leg off at the thigh and wait a second it had turned on a dime and was now sprinting at her (oh damn oh crapcrapCRAP-) and SLAMMED into her before she couldn't even think to halt her momentum. With agonizing ferocity, the beastly man bulldozed over her, trampling her into the cognitive asphalt with a throaty snarl. Agh...ow. Her arms were flickering with purple. What...? Then she saw Misato kneeling over her, even as the cry of Tokoyo - "Myriad Slashes!" - sounded in the distance, followed by the striking of sharp metal against rough stone. (She could not see that that the Shadow had grabbed whole chunks of the road to serve as impromptu shields.)
"Easy kid, easy Mana-chan..." Misato looked at her body with experienced eyes. "Looks like a physical attack combined with Rakunda..." Ah. No wonder it hit so hard. A simultaneous attack that also lowered her defensive capabilities? Unfair. "Here. It should heal you." Misato reached behind her back for a satchel on her belt that was normally hidden by her uniform's waist-length cloak; she pulled out a golden can, popping the top off. "Drink up."
What a sweet lady, deliriously thought Mana, glad she didn't have to use any more of her weapons' reserves to heal her body; she eagerly swallowed the amber liquid, inwardly (and finally outwardly) grimacing at the mildly foul taste. "What is this...?"
"Most of my healing items taste like beer."
"...ah. That makes sense." The lady had a lot of beer at her apartment, she now recalled (wow the pain's going away REAL fast now). "Does it do that normally? Heal you?"
"...eh, not really."
"Then why-?"
"Long story, involves lots of personal issues that I used to have more trouble with."
"...okay?" She wondered if real beer would do the same-
"Aw damn it I'm gonna have to lock away my alcohol from you, aren't I?" groused Misato, apparently seeing something in her expression that she didn't like. "Get up, we have a battle to get to-"
SMASH!
Tokoyo smashed into a nearby building, barely landing on her feet; the impact elicited a minor wince from Misato (sympathetic pain from her Persona, that must suck), even as the wild Shadow advanced towards them. "You'll keep coming after me if I don't stop you...have to stop you if I wanna live..."
"We don't have anything against you, idiot!" growled Misato. "Mana, time to use one of our team maneuvers. We need to take this guy down in one shot."
Mana could practically feel her eyes light up. "Which one? Which one?"
"Friendly Fire."
"...ah. Got it!" She quickly split from Misato's side, bringing AIGIS up to bear-
"Rising Slash!"
-right as Tokoyo slammed her twin katanas into the shield, delivering a blow that would've shattered Mana's knees if the entirety of the force hadn't been absorbed by AIGIS-
"Garudyne!"
-and followed it up with a torrential whirlwind that was eagerly sucked up by her shield, its red gemstone glowing brightly.
xxxx
Both souls yelped as the formerly dry well erupted with a torrent of shining water.
xxxx
"Get back," growled Mana, slamming LABRYS into the ground and stepping towards the wild Shadow. She braced her shoulders and knelt down, willing the shield to unleash-
FYOOOOM!
A horrific gale erupted from the shield, united with a brilliant column of concussive energy. Choke on this, you-!
"Speed Riser!"
An emerald aura flickered around the Shadow, and the hulk actually dodged. The concussive beam exploded far in the distance as Mana groaned, "oh come on-!"
The Sukukaja-enhanced Shadow proceed to stampede around the road, each footstep unleashing shockwaves that battered Mana, Misato, and the latter's Persona. With desperate purpose, Tokyo grabbed onto both of them and vaulted atop the nearest building. "Damn it," grumbled Misato, eyeing the Shadow warily. "Do those techniques come combined with a random support skill...?"
"Can't stop...have to keep moving...can't let ANYTHING get in my way..." growled the frenzied hulk.
"...we should kill him," growled Mana.
"Not our call to make."
"He's not stopping."
"That's what backup is for." With a frustrated grimace, she reached up for her A.T. medallion-
"Dazzler!"
A flash of flickering yellow light smashed onto the Shadow's face, briefly bewildering him.
"HEY! TOJI!"
That youthful voice prompted Mana and Misato to look further down the street; standing there was a sandy-haired boy in glasses and an outfit that looked like a poor imitation of Misato's own Agent wardrobe. Beside him was an Egyptian-themed Persona holding a shepherd's crook and a grain flail. "Who's that?"
"...what's Aida-san doing here...?" murmured Misato. "Wait, did he say Toji...isn't that-?"
"You...of course you're here...this change is YOUR fault..." growled the Shadow. "But you wouldn't be alone...where's IKARI...?"
"...well, if I tell you that, would you mind calming down?" The Shadow merely snarled in response to Aida's request. "...yeah...about what I thought."
That's when Kinnara landed behind the Shadow (who's this Toji guy they're talking about?), having fallen from a great height. "Agi!" With a strum of his harp, Kinnara loosed a bolt of fire that smashed into the Shadow's muscular back. The Shadow - growling angrily - impulsively swiped backward at the Persona, who leapt backwards; right at that time, the bespectacled boy's Persona struck with a Pulinpa, further disorienting the hulking monstrosity.
"Misato-san...Kirishima-san."
Mana and Misato looked around, marvelling at Shinji Ikari's presence. "When the hell did you get up here?!" the girl demanded.
Shinji blinked. "Um...I had Kinnara drop me off here, and then had him jump real high so he could land behind Toji's Shadow without getting his attention..."
"...how'd you know where we were?" demanded Misato. Shinji wordlessly pointed up at the various Ocular Drones which were still observing from above. "...yeah, that would do it." Misato then looked triumphantly in Mana's direction. "See? Backup."
"...but you didn't even call for them-"
"Backup is backup!"
xxxx
"Misato-san, please keep an eye on us," said Shinji, his hand gripping tightly onto his characteristic shovel (I still can't believe that's the weapon he conceives of in his self-image); he quickly sought the nearest fire escape, clambering down with measured steps to join the battle with the Shadow. Toji's Shadow, apparently. I should've seen the signs, thought Misato with a grimace; this Shadow had been rather monstrous (and inherently destructive in its distortive effects on the immediate Metaverse) in appearance for a cognitive self which had merely gone wild. No...
("Accepting your other self will be...difficult." Those had been the words of her trainer. Alas, for most trainees, they were unable to do so seamlessly or without issue; they ended up denying their Shadow's incisive words, and succumbing to it. Thus, it fell to the experienced Agents on hand to subdue their berserk selves. It had happened to her...and she had seen it happen to many other prospective Agents in her time.)
...this was someone who had actually been consumed by their Shadow; the resultant beings always tended to be deranged and manic in a way that was unique. What did Aida-san say? 'Toji'? That was one of the boys' roommates at the Academy; if that was true, how had he ended up in the Metaverse? Come to think of it...last month...hadn't Aida-san somehow ended up in the Metaverse through unknown means? Shinji-kun, Ayanami, and the mysterious 'Mister P' had helped bail the boy out when he had encountered his Shadow...but this was now the second of Shinji-kun's peers that had ended up within the cognitive world via unknown means. Once is chance, twice is coincidence...a third time...? This would merit further investigation. But for now, there was a battle to finish. "Mana-chan, use your shield to protect Shinji-kun and Aida-san; we're gonna be running support for those two."
Mana almost looked offended. "Seriously!?"
"If that Shadow is who I think it is...then those two are going to be our best bet at stopping him." Still, no need to take chances. Tokoyo, use Heat Riser on them. Keep your Wind skills at the ready.
xxxx
Shinji Ikari kept his shovel at the ready, even as Kensuke kept talking to Toji's Shadow. "Come on Toji, it doesn't have to be like this!"
"Bullcrap!" snarled the hulk; the golden coffin on his back flickered with a celadon glow. "Diarama!" The Shadow stood tall, reinvigorated by the curative skill.
...that doesn't seem fair, thought Shinji with a grimace, trying to avoid the Shadow's gaze; with a thought, Kinnara was replaced by Pixie, while Ozymandias kept unleashing ailment skills with regularity. Tokoyo's calm voice - "Heat Riser." - sounded out as both Personas were empowered. Slow and steady...slow and steady.
"All of you...nothing but trouble to me...gonna get me killed...I WON'T LET YOU!"
The Shadow spoke with such rage and anger. Suzuhara-san...is this how you truly felt...?
"Speed Buster!" The aura of Sukunda covered the Shadow as he burst towards Aida's position-!
Kirishima was suddenly there, shield at the ready. The momentum of the charging hulk transferred into AIGIS, lashing back against him with equal ferocity.
"You're gonna kill me...have to kill you first...HAVE TO LIVE...DIA-"
"Makajama!" cried Ozymandias, his shepherd's crook unleashing a spectral aura in the form of a giant question mark; it latched onto Toji's Shadow-
"-RA-!" he tried to finish, only for the word to vanish from his mouth. "What...what just happened-?"
"Zio!" squeaked Pixie, flinging a bolt of lightning that arced across the Shadow's skin. Grimacing, the frenzied hulk tried to move-
"TOKOYO, NOW!" cried Misato.
"Garudyne!" The swordswoman unleashed a torrential gale that ripped into the Shadow, further disorienting him. The hulk stumbled, dazedly stumbling in his direction.
Sorry Suzuhara-san, grimly thought Shinji as he winded back with his shovel. This isn't personal.
THWACK!
The sound of flat metal smashing into a human face sounded like a thunderclap; Toji's Shadow gurgled as his head lurched backward, stumbling woozily. Like a boxer hit with a knockout blow, the Shadow fell backwards, crashing laboriously into the street.
"...nice swing, Shinji-kun!" called Misato from the rooftop.
Shinji tried not to flush with embarrassment. "Misato-san, that's not appropriate...!"
Kensuke rushed toward the Shadow's side; it dissipated in a rush of blue fire, coagulating into a smaller Shadow adjacent to the original Toji Suzuhara. "Toji...how you holding up...?"
"...like crap," muttered the track jock, slowly rising. Although looking relatively fine, he still had a churlish yet thoughtful expression on his face. "...man, you guys hit hard...how much was I spouting off about?"
"...a bit." The bespectacled boy sat down, a complicated grimace on his face. "I...gotta confess. Ikari and I...we encountered your Shadow. Last Sunday, I mean. It...said some stuff."
"...huh. You two seemed a little weird this past week..." Rather than being offended by this, Toji simply sighed. "...it sucks, you know?"
"What sucks?"
"Having your Shadow throw stuff in your face that you know is true but don't want to admit."
Kensuke grinned knowingly. "I've been in your shoes. It really sucks."
Toji glanced over at his Shadow, which was slowly sitting up; the burly doppelganger's yellow eyes were no longer narrow with anger or fury, but were simply...open. Accepting. "I felt like a heel, trying to move on from when Tomochika died...from when my folks died...I felt like I didn't deserve it. Even when I tried to move on...it didn't get to the root of it."
"That being?" asked Kensuke.
"That...I was glad that I had survived. And I felt like an ass for that."
"...huh, kind of explains the bones, a little..."
"Yeah, that place where my Shadow was...it was kind of screwed up."
"We all have our own issues, Toji."
"...yeah Ken, I guess we do."
Shinji resisted the urge to squirm, feeling like he was witnessing something private. They've known each other a lot longer...I shouldn't be here. Still, he felt like even trying to back away would draw their attention, so he just stood at attention while things resolved themselves.
Slowly rising to his feet, Toji walked over towards his Shadow. "...I admit that I'm not an expert on Metaverse stuff, or on Shadows...but you were pretty upfront, you know? You're right: I was glad that I lived; can't do nothing for Sakura if I'm dead...but I was ashamed for feeling that way. It felt like dishonoring their memory...but our folks told me to run. So did Tomochika...and I can't change that. Wish I could...but I can't. Dwelling on it won't change anything for me." He held his hand out. "Have to keep moving forward...ain't that right, me?"
For the first time, Toji's Shadow bore an expression other than surly anger or deep-seated irritation: with a satisfied smirk, his Shadow swelled with blue fire, taking on a new form that was no longer corrupted by wrath or rage, but perfectly congruent to his power. Standing at a towering height similar to Hamlet's, the Shadow took on the image of a muscular man with a well-groomed beard that went down to his chest, clad in fine blue robes - fit for a king - that left his right arm exposed; the golden coffin had morphed into a gauntlet that covered the entire forearm, bearing the face of Sakura Suzuhara on the back of the hand. Stylized tattoos of Toji's parents and Kenji Tomochika covered the left arm, while his feet were wrapped in sandals of fine leather. Atop a head of dark, long, and curly hair rested a small crown of gold, which extended down to form a thin mask over his piercing yellow eyes. With skin the color of polished bronze, his Shadow - nay, his Persona - looked like a figure of heroic myth. "I am thou, and thou art I...thou hast finally acknowledged the fetters which bound thee...and thus has finally resolved to move forward with head held high. Remember this lesson; for I, Gilgamesh, shall ensure its wisdom will endure to the end of time..." With those words, Gilgamesh faded away into wisps of azure flame, converging on Toji's form.
"Whoa, WHOA-!" yelped the befuddled boy.
"It's normal," assured Kensuke. "Call it the Metaverse responding to your self-image."
"...if you say so," muttered Toji looking warily at himself as the fire faded; instead of his sea green track uniform, only the pants remained, and his normal running shoes had been replaced by really sporty athletic sneakers. Everything above the waist was much more elaborate; wearing a loose and short kimono colored golden yellow with green trimming, the fabric - bound to his waist with a black cord - bore designs of black deer all over it; with the gnarled wooden staff in his right hand, Toji might have come across as a mythical sennin were it not for the white headband bearing the kanji for aku ( 惡 ) in black, mirroring a similar character plastered on his back. "...huh."
"Ooh, symbolism," said Kensuke with a joking grin. "Not bad, not bad..."
Toji huffed, ignoring Aida by looking over his shoulder. "Ikari."
Shinji blinked (oh no he's spotted me), sputtering, "um, yes...?"
"...you probably should have joined the Baseball Club." He rubbed his chin, smirking wryly in spite of himself. "Not a bad swing with the shovel."
"Suzuhara-san, I'm sorry, it was a battle, and I was just-"
"Damn man, calm down! I was trying to compliment you!"
It seemed at least some things were constant.
xxxx
"Okay kids, pow-wow time's up!" Misato's call prompted the trio to look over towards her; landing deftly and quietly on the street, the A.T. Agent observed the slight distortions caused by their battle, wondering if people in the real world felt the sudden inclination to experience a brawl. "First things first: Suzuhara-san, do you have any idea how you ended up in the Metaverse?"
"...um, no," muttered Toji, slightly flushed just from looking at her (ah thank God, a NORMAL teenage boy, he'll be easy to deal with then). "I was...I was going to wash up from running on the track. I fell...and next thing I know, I'm here."
"Anything more than that?"
"...nope. Sorry ma'am."
"Hey now, I'm not that old," she cheekily joked.
"Ah. Sorry. Just saw the ring and thought...you know, I'm gonna shut up now."
Ah. The wedding band. You'd think I'd have moved on by now. "You'd best," she said, trying not to let her sudden frostiness slip past her smile. "Well, now that you've joined the Junior High Persona Club, there's a bunch of stuff we have to go through now. So why don't we head back to NERV and get you sorted out?"
"...do we have to?" asked Kensuke Aida, suddenly looking nervous in the way of a trainee who just got caught doing something naughty by their supervisor. "We...kinda maybe bailed on Dr. Akagi?"
The grin on her face was more joyous than malicious. Really. At least an 80-20 mix. "Nah, that just makes me want to watch the fireworks even more."
"Aw..."
"Anyhow, let's skedaddle on back to NERV HQ before returning to the real world!" Surreptitiously glancing up the Ocular Drones, Misato thumbed her medallion. Hope you caught all this, Akechi-kun...
xxxx
/The Cognitive Protection Center, Tokyo-3, the Metaverse/
"Indeed I did, Katsuragi-san," murmured Goro Akechi, leaning back in his chair; as he observed the footage from the brief conflict, he couldn't help but chuckle. So...that Shadow belonged to one of Ikari's roommates.
The quiet stranger smiled. "Another bond...another ally."
"Rather blunt, don't you think?"
"The nature of this world offers enough of a cover, I think..."
"I would find it suspicious, is all."
"A fair enough observation."
"If he had any other roommates, I would be focusing on them next."
"You refer to Kaworu Nagisa."
"Will he be a problem?"
"His presence is interesting, I won't lie...but if he were going to be a problem, I think Ayanami would have handled him by now."
"You 'think'?"
"Well, I would know. Ayanami's tendencies are...well known, by this point."
"If you say so."
Akechi sighed, trying to determine how things would go from here. Hmm...what a way to begin the month of July...
xxxx
As the gaggle of teenagers plus one A.T. Agent departed, Mister P watched from afar with satisfaction. Peering from around the corner of a distant building, he smiled. Good...another ally for the boy. Without turning around to face the alleyway behind him, he said, "hello, little missy."
"Mister P," calmly spoke Rei Ayanami; her Persona Lilith hovered menacingly behind her. "You've been busy today."
"On the contrary, I've just been observing." With sudden ferocity, he was actually yanked down from behind by a dainty hand; the burly bird-man huffed, unphased by the smaller girl's anger. "Awfully rude of you."
"I do not appreciate you acting while I am away on missions."
"It's not my problem that you've decided to be such a busy little bee. Mind letting go of the hair?" His mustache twitched with amusement. "The mohawk is rather distinctive."
"...I have spoken to Phanuel."
"Ah." It had taken her long enough. "So that's who Ryoji Kaji's Shadow took you to see last week. I trust you were satisfied?"
"...they kept your true identity a secret, Pen-Pen."
"Ah, but am I not an important little bird? Whenever I depart the stage, things tend to go badly for the boy and his compatriots."
"An observation that, however true it may be, does not explain your powers."
"And to the people of this world, your true abilities would be equally bewildering. After all, if you so desired, your 'Persona' could unmake many things."
Lilith bristled, but Ayanami didn't rise to the bait. "It would not be enough to stop the Usurper." That title was safe enough, and sufficiently separated from the truth to speak aloud.
"Then let me make the boy stronger as I please."
"There is such a thing as acting too rashly."
"And given their capabilities, do you truly think they are that BLIND? Acting in secret for certain fields is still fine...but the boy has made too many waves, now. It is simply IMPOSSIBLE for him to be an unknown, now."
"...Phanuel stated as much."
"Then you know that time is of the essence."
"...so you say." Sighing, Ayanami released Mister P's mohawk, allowing him to stand back up at his full height. "...I do not want it all to be in vain."
"With that attitude, even victory will be soured." The bird-man dusted off his lapels, adjusting his tie before brushing past Ayanami and Lilith. "Until next time, dear lass." He had an apartment to get back to, and a nap to take before Misato and Mana returned home. Ah, the struggles of being a pet to Misato...
xxxx
All the while, the One who Sat Upon the Throne observed.
And they smiled.
"One more pawn for you to use in this crucible..."
It was an amusingly delicate dance.
"Let us see how you will fare, Shinji Ikari, during the next new moon..."
xxxx
/NERV/
Needless to say, Dr. Akagi had not been happy by the sudden departure of Shinji and Kensuke.
Fortunately, the presence of Toji Suzuhara and the fact that he was now a Persona-user provided enough of a distraction.
("Toji Suzuhara, you will get into the scanner. For all you know, your A.T. Field could unravel from the mental strain you just went through, and you could die right here and now. You wouldn't want that, would you?" That was enough to prompt Toji to get into The Tube™.)
Even if it was through the use of complete and utter bullcrap ("Why yes, I did lie to you. Spirit and cognition may have connections, yet they're also intrinsically separate. What are they teaching in school these days...I don't care if you're only in Junior High, this is basic metaphysical biology!"), the blonde had a way of getting people not named Misato Katsuragi to do what she wanted.
Fortunately, Toji was in the clear. Sort of. As for Aida-san...
"We'll still be going over the results for Ikari's spiriological examination until tomorrow, but in the meantime...Aida, it's time to begin debugging."
"...I thought you would have forgotten about that."
"Hilarious. Come on."
The bespectacled intern slumped, looking a little despondently in Shinji and Toji's direction before following the head of Project E out of the secure conference room. That still left Misato Katsuragi and Mana Kirishima with them.
Shinji Ikari didn't know if he should be concerned or not by how tightly Kirishima-san was holding onto her distinctive weapons.
("Yeah, I know I'll have to hand them over before I leave...just...let me hold onto them for a little while." Mana didn't look embarrassed by her admitted dependence in the least.)
"So," said Misato, drawing his attention. "I hope you at least have some ideas about the parts of the Cognitive Service Act which now apply to you as a Persona-user."
Suzuhara simply looked...well, rather out of it. "Uh...could I have it in writing? Cause you kind of hit me with a lot."
"Given your current status as a ward, a lot of what we discussed would have to go through your custodian anyway...which is kind of convenient for me," admitted the A.T. Agent.
("Wait. Your custodian is Sae Niijima? So's mine!" said Mana. She smirked at Toji, even while Misato muttered something about "come on, there's been too many coincidences already...")
"...guess that's fair enough. I don't have to leave the Academy or anything, right?"
"Well, you don't have to," answered Misato. "With a Persona, you have a couple of options...but again, that's a conversation that requires your custodian to be present. Which will be for a later day."
"Fair enough."
Misato nodded, seemingly satisfied with the overall conclusion. "Come on Mana-chan, let's turn your axe and shield in before heading home."
"...can I have like, five more minutes?"
"...well, we can take the long way back to Ritsuko's department."
Mana blinked, apparently surprised by Misato's acquiescence for even that much. "...uh, thank you..." Looking oddly chastened, the girl stood up, following Misato towards the door.
"As for you two, you're free to go for the evening...but be ready to come back tomorrow. And the day after. And...you know, we'll play it by ear." With those words said, Misato promptly escorted Mana out of the conference room; now Shinji and Toji were alone.
The new Persona-user groaned, slumping over onto the table. "Damn it...I had a feelin' you and Ken were gonna get me dragged into your craziness, but I didn't think it would be this quick..."
"Sorry," said Shinji, feeling a little bit awkward about how everything had turned out.
"Eh, you didn't have anything to do with it. Not your fault I got yoinked into the Metaverse..."
xxxx
Meanwhile, back at Misato's Apartment, Pen-Pen suddenly sneezed, accidentally spilling the can of Yebisu he had been drinking from. Oh, balderdash!
xxxx
"...so don't apologize for it," finished Toji. Notwithstanding the past hours spent going over legal jargon and some practical scenarios involving legal restrictions as a Persona-user, his roommate lacked his usual abrasiveness. "...the Metaverse is crazy stuff."
"...yeah, it is."
"...what was encountering your Shadow like? Was it just as crazy?"
"Um...from what I've been told, Evangelion-users awaken to their Personas without meeting their own Shadows. I don't know why."
"...lucky bastard," muttered Toji.
"...I awoke to my Evangelion on the train into Tokyo-3, and fought an Acolyte. I...think a lot of people died. And I can't remember what happened. But it hurt...a lot, I think," he offered, thinking it would mollify Toji, somehow.
"...damn, that's rough," admitted Toji. "World's a crazy place, ain't it?"
Shinji only nodded, because what else could he add on top of that? Some truths were perfectly communicated in simple terms. "Um...no matter what happens, you can ask me for help. You know, with Metaverse stuff...and I'm sure Aida-san will as well."
Toji snorted, his lips contorting into a knowing smirk. "Heh, knowing Ken, he's been waiting for an excuse to show off...but as far as you're concerned...I appreciate it." There was a certain openness, now that no one else was present. "Sorry for being a jerk to you."
"...well, I can't blame you-"
Toji interrupted him. "Yeah yeah, I may have had a reason, but it still wasn't a manly thing to do."
"...well, apology accepted?" He honestly didn't think Suzuhara had anything to apologize for.
"Good. So...we cool?" Shinji couldn't think of any appropriate words, so he simply nodded; this seemed to satisfy Suzuhara. "Cool. For such a timid guy, you do have a pretty good swing. I can respect a man who can smash a big monster in the face with nothing but a shovel."
"...thanks?"
xxxx
And all the while, on a subconscious level, in words he had no way of knowing...a familiar voice spoke, within the depths of his being:
I am thou, thou art I...
Thou hast acquired a new bond.
It shall lead thou to the truth
that parts the seas of depravity.
Take hold of the Chariot Arcana,
and let it guide you
to a new Promised Land...
xxxx
"...should we get back to the dorm?" asked Shinji.
"Oh hell yes," said Toji, leaping to his feet with a burst of adrenaline. "This place is boring, and I have exams to prep for. I ain't got time to waste! Mind powers later, finals now!"
Ah. Exams. Yay...
xxxx
/Room 23, 2nd Floor, Izanagi Dorms, Hakone Academy/
It was well past dark when Shinji Ikari and Toji Suzuhara returned to the dorm.
Kaworu Nagisa, sleeping quietly on his bunk bed, didn't stir in response; however, he had sensed their presences from afar, keenly observing their A.T. Fields within his mind's eye. There was a connection present - a bond - that hadn't been present before. So...Shinji Ikari has forged another one. Kensuke Aida had been first, as far as roommates were concerned...and now, Toji Suzuhara. It was of a similar character to the other bonds which stretched beyond vast stretches of metaphysical spacetime, now sixteen in total, each one of varying strength and depth. Bonds...connections...
Ikari was slowly drawing all things towards himself. As was expected. As was natural.
I wonder...would I be able to withstand such a bond? Would I be able to maintain myself?
There was only one way to find out.
Patience. All things would proceed as they had to; as they must. Such is the providence which binds us all...
Thus did the enigmatic boy sleep away, purposefully ignoring the two boys as they studied long into the night.
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END OF 7/5/2015
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Author's Note: First update of 2021!
Misato Katsuragi being the cool yet irresponsible mom figure to Mana Kirishima is something I never knew I wanted when I started writing this, but here we are. Now, for the origins of Toji's Persona!
Imagine my shock to find out that Gilgamesh - the heroic figure of Mesopotamian myth, most famously the Epic of Gilgamesh - has never appeared in a mainline Persona game. So I was like, 'lemme YOINK that.'
One particular strand of Gilgamesh's story stuck out to me, and is the reason why he's Toji's Persona: from the Epic in question, after slaying the Bull of Heaven, certain gods declare that - as punishment - either Gilgamesh or Enkidu must die. Enkidu - being Gilgamesh's great friend and comrade (or nakama, to use One Piece lingo) - is chosen; he soon grows sick and dies. Gilgamesh is inconsolable because of this, weeping over the death of his friend; because of this, Gilgamesh becomes obsessed by grief and fear of his own mortality, and thus seeks out the means to live forever.
And I was like, this is PERFECT for Toji.
As far as Toji's Metaverse get-up is concerned: the track pants and shoes are remnants of his identity as a member of the Track Team. The more traditional outfit is based on one of the Seven Gods of Fortune, particularly Jurōjin, who is oft-associated with a symbol of longevity: the deer. However, this desire for long life is marred by the hang-ups Toji has about the mishaps he's endured in his life already, symbolized by the aku kanji - meaning 'bad' or 'evil' - on his headband and his back.
/it also serves as a reference to a legendary bro and anime tough guy
/Sagara Sanosuke of Rurouni Kenshin
/and to make the choice even more fitting
/Toji shares the same Japanese VA as Gilgamesh from the Fate Series; namely, Tomokazu Seki
/oh yeah, and a wild Teddie appears