Sokila was drawing a picture of people smiling.
"There's been so much sad stuff lately..."
Among those smiling were Zenkichi and Akane Hasegawa, as well as Sojiro Sakura.
"...so I'd like to see you smile!"
There was also a walking cup of coffee with cartoony feet.
"So with that in mind...I have another request!"
She wrapped herself in the covers of her bed, leaving only her face visible.
"I want someone with a really big smile. Like, super big! From ear to ear!"
The faint haze of blue began to brighten-
xxxx
/Tuesday: August 4, 2015/
/Sojiro Sakura's Residence, Nishiawakura, Okayama Prefecture/
Shinji Ikari grimaced as a foot nudged his torso. "Mrmm...huh...?" He blearily opened one eye. "Amamiya-senpai...?"
The high school student was looking down at him with a quiet calm yet lucid expression. "Up and at 'em."
"...why?"
"We need to talk about...certain matters that may or may not have anything to do with a certain playing card."
"...oh." Right. The whole Wild Card business. The prospect of getting some more concrete answers was always welcome. (Because who liked flailing about in the proverbial dark?) "...can we grab a cup of coffee first?"
"As if I'd turn down the opportunity for a cup of coffee from Sojiro Sakura."
"...you talk as if you know him."
Ren smirked. "Insightful. It's a bit of a long story."
"...right. Can I get dressed first?"
Amamiya dramatically moonwalked backwards, bowing theatrically before sliding the wooden door shut.
...I'm not going to end up that weird, am I? Shinji tried not to feel despondent about the prospect. Do I seem that weird to others?
Gods, he hoped not.
xxxx
After having a cup of coffee from Sakura-sensei and some leftover curry for breakfast, Shinji pointed Amamiya through a small path behind the old ryokan that led up the gentle slopes of the mountain; the various cats that roamed the premises watched them warily as they ascended the forested mountainside. "So...your sensei's a cat person, I take it."
Ren's comment elicited a shrug from Shinji. "They keep away rodents from his vegetable garden, so he lets them use the porch for shelter whenever it rains or snows. A lot of the locals also come by on occasion to pick one or two for their own farms, so the local veterinarian will sometimes come by to make sure they're healthy...they just seem to like this place, I guess."
Ren smirked. "He's a regular Cat Whisperer then, huh?"
"...not really? He doesn't really whisper; he'll just look at them and sound really disappointed and they'll just...obey. It's usually only whenever one of them gets into a fight..." For some reason, Shinji's answer caused Ren to chuckle, so he didn't say anything else.
The walk through the woods was...nostalgic. There were memories of occasionally walking up these slopes after school (memories of just existing and witnessing the world as it moved on without his input), ascending over two hundred meters over the course of about eight hundred meters or so (just over half a mile of walking); the tall trunks of cedars and cypress loomed over them in a way that wasn't domineering or intimidating, but rather...paternal. Protective, almost, if that made any sense, (He briefly wondered what sort of Archetypes populated this trail in the Metaverse.) As such, he didn't mind Amamiya-senpai taking the lead on this little morning hike of theirs. It certainly allowed for a great view when they did finally get to the top of the ridge about fifteen minutes later, it offered them a pleasant view of Nishiawakura (which was still shrouded in shadow; the sun was just barely visible over the horizon to their east). It was peaceful...and quiet.
Perfect for a serious talk.
"...you said you knew Sakura-sensei." Shinji leaned against a nearby cedar, staring at his senior (in more ways than one). "I don't remember ever seeing you."
"That's because you haven't. Not before coming to Tokyo-3, at any rate. Can't exactly speak for any prior timelines before I went to the blue room, but this is the first time I recall ever meeting."
"...is it safe to talk about this?"
"If you're worrying about a certain mutual enemy of ours...Iet's just say that we're under someone else's protection."
"Whose?"
"Can't say. I'm sure it would be a bit of a spoiler, if you're not already in the know. I'll just say that this eventuality — you and me having a chat — was anticipated a while back. Notwithstanding the normal protections that the Velvet Room gives us as its Guests, as well."
"Anticipated?"
"It doesn't help if you keep talking about it."
"Sorry..."
xxxx
From afar, Minako Arisato tried to observe Shinji Ikari's presence.
For some reason, she couldn't determine who he was talking to...and advancing any further carried a strange sensation of dread (from...on high?).
The One Who Sat Upon the Throne frowned.
"How curious...this is a new development."
They leaned forward, narrowing their eyes.
"Who could be distorting my sight?"
Their frown was...rife with displeasure.
"Hold your position. Wait until the boy emerges once more. This warrants...investigation."
Minako nodded, obeying the Usurper's commandment. Straddling the threshold between dimensions, she waited...and watched.
xxxx
Shinji inhaled. Exhaled. Inhaled. Exhaled. "...so...you're also a Wild Card."
"Yep. Nowhere near as experienced as Arisato or Narukami. I have a bit more experience than you do, though."
"...how were you chosen. Why were you chosen?" Ren's shrug was not the answer he was looking for. "...was it just chance...?"
"Maybe. Perhaps the one who picked me saw something underneath it all. My story with the Velvet Room is a bit of an odd one; does the name Yaldabaoth ring any bells?"
It was so bizarre that he couldn't help but remember it instantly.
(Marie was not yet done upending his world. "There have been...some worlds where the Usurper took a more active role. Others where they seemed content to sit back and let things 'play out' from the initial conditions. But a being as powerful and categorically multi-faceted as ADAM can't be constrained indefinitely...and as a result, the Usurper lets those facets manifest in every world in different ways. Most of the time...they manifest as the beings you know as Angels. But sometimes...they take on more unique appearances." The floating lights around her shifted; after displaying the being called 'Nyx', they then shifted into a mechanical angel of sorts, with metallic wings and spindly limbs aplenty, each one wielding a certain weapon or implement. "Yaldabaoth.")
"...yes. A unique facet of ADAM."
"A facet that managed to temporarily take over the Velvet Room, at that."
"...what? How?"
Ren shrugged. "It wasn't until after the fact that I found out what Yaldabaoth actually was, and I never really got a detailed explanation. 'Need to know,' and all that."
"...so even you're kept in the dark?"
"Well, think of this whole phase of this 'war' as a heist. The big bad is the guy with the treasure that we're trying to steal; however, there's another group of thieves that are trying to steal that treasure at the same time...and each group of thieves has members who have worked for each other at various points. In other words, the concept of 'operational security' is even more important than usual."
Shinji blinked. "...that sounds complicated."
Ren chuckled bitterly. "I know, right? If only we could all work together...but from what I've heard, most of the Angels aren't interested in playing nice. I can only imagine what they were trying to get at by having one of their own take possession of the Velvet Room, even for a short time. It's probably not anything good."
And there was that creeping feeling of paranoia. (It was practically an old friend.) "...is it normal to feel like you're in over your head?"
"Oh, I had that feeling all the time."
"How did you deal with it?"
"I faked it 'til I made it. Be confident, throw out a snarky comeback or two, and just look cool, and you'd be surprised at how much you're able to get away with."
That answer did not feel him with confidence.
Ren quietly stretched his legs, briefly glancing towards Nishiawakura. "Probably don't have much longer...after all, you've got a training session today."
"...ah." There had been talk of that, yesterday, hadn't there? "Right..."
"So let's get down to brass tacks: namely, your combat ability in the Metaverse."
"My combat ability?"
Ren slowly paced, hands in his pockets. His sneakers crunched against the leafy needles coating the forest floor. "Well...you can summon multiple Personas. From my understanding, that's generally a game breaker in most situations, since you're already more versatile than most anyone else in the Metaverse will ever be. But why stop there?" He withdrew his hands; one held a coin, while the other held a knife. With scarily casual grace, he began flipping them up and down in his hands. "Why let the limits you're accustomed to hold you down? Why let them be chains?"
Shinji frowned at the rather serious swerve in the conversation's tone. "I'm...not sure I follow...?"
"It's simple, really; in the Metaverse, cognition is king. It's not just a matter of thinking about something...it's about believing it, manifesting the entirety of your will into your thoughts. And before you can even want something...you have to think that it's possible." Without hesitation, Ren tossed the coin into the air with the flick of a thumb; then, as it fell, he flicked his pocket knife with shocking dexterity, With a loud thunk, the knife smashed into the side of a tree...having pierced the coin?!
"...whoa..." The effect was ruined by Ren pulling out his knife and showing that it was a trick coin, designed to be pierced. "...oh."
"When I say fake it 'til you make it...I'm being rather literal. Even if you have to cheat a little, if it helps you get into the habit of manipulating cognition. Of course, our minds aren't accustomed to thinking this way; that's why the most strenuous and crazy things in the Metaverse require a lot of effort, from a lot of people. And I'm speaking from experience on this."
"How so?"
Ren scratched at his face, looking a little...embarrassed. "Well...in order for my awakened Persona to have the power need to one-shot Yaldabaoth, I needed the willpower and cognitive support of the entire populace of Tokyo...well, Tokyo-1, I guess you'd call it. But it wasn't blown up at that point...you know, forget that point. Don't want you to get mixed up on timelines and whatnot. I still have trouble sorting through some of these memories of mine..."
At that moment, Shinji couldn't help but feel pity for Amamiya-senpai.
However, the older boy was rather quick to pick himself back up, metaphorically speaking. "Anyhow, big stuff can be difficult...even if you have the potential to do that on your own, it's best to focus on the little things." With aplomb, he reached behind his back (wait, how long had Amamiya been wearing that fanny pack?) and pulled out a sheathed Bowie knife of all things. "For example...what's your normal weapon in the Metaverse?"
"...a shovel." Ren's flat stare caused him to squirm. "I'm not sure why..."
"Hey, I ain't judging. One of my old teammates once had boxing gloves that looked like rabid teddy bears."
Shinji blinked, because how else was he supposed to respond?
"Anyhow, back on track: I'm fairly certain that by this point, someone will have introduced the concept of how drinks and foodstuffs can have crazy effects in the Metaverse...but what's more natural than having your weapons transform upon entry into a new world? What's more normal than the mundane becoming more fantastic once you enter another dimension?"
"...to be honest, that doesn't sound normal," he was forced to admit. (The Metaverse had been accessible to humanity for less than fifteen years; compared to the entirety of human history, how did that compare?)
His Other sighed.
"You're undercutting yourself."
He tapped the ground with his foot; flowers bloomed from where he had touched the soil.
"Why focus on what's merely expected, when you could focus on what you can do?"
"Well, that just means you'll need to exercise your imagination a little bit. It could mean the difference between life and death." He casually tossed the sheathed Bowie knife, which Shinji barely caught without dropping. "Take that with you when you next go into the Metaverse. Start experimenting with other items in your free time! I think you might be surprised at what you can pull off...and that experience will allow you to start pulling off even crazier things."
Shinji stared quietly at the Bowie knife, which seemed rather compact...yet it was still heavy. Pulling it part of the way out of its sheath, he stared at the edge, gulping at the sheen of the metal, the sharpness of the edge.
xxxx
Another time. Another place. Somewhere...painful.
He was larger. Much larger. Why was he staring over the skyline of a city?
Yet...that was not his focus.
It was the knife — a Bowie knife, one that seemed so much bigger than it should have been — that held his attention.
It felt...comfortable. It felt...right.
He hated how easy it was to wield.
xxxx
There was an awful nostalgia to it. "...isn't this illegal to carry?" he asked, defaulting to trite legality, because seriously, it was a really big knife.
"Well, you could always get better at being sneaky...but you're an Evangelion-user, who's gonna stop you?" asked Ren with a cheeky grin.
"...I don't like thinking like that," he murmured with a grimace. It was that sort of thinking which justified the heavy-handed actions of PubSec...because if he really put his mind to it, who could stop him?
The Beast pawed at the earth.
"Indeed..."
Each stroke of the earth ended countless lives.
"...who COULD stop you...?"
"And the key is making sure you've got people to pull you back from that awful abyss," Ren said with a sigh, placing his hand on Shinji's shoulder.
Shinji impulsively jolted from Amamiya's touch; he slowly raised his eyes, looking up into the older boy's eyes. The cocky mask was gone, replaced by...genuine empathy, tempered by long-lived weariness. "Huh...?"
"...it really does suck, having all of this put on you. I wish I could do more at this stage...and I bet Arisato and Narukami feel the same. Hell, we Wild Cards were practically the protagonists in our own adventure, driving events forward, making things happen...so holding back so much really, really sucks." He grinned knowingly. "Which is why you need to rely on your allies...and your friends. They'll keep you sane. They'll keep you strong. And that's not something to be ashamed of...because I certainly couldn't have pulled off half of the insane crap I did without my teammates. Why should you be any different?"
"...thank you, senpai," he managed to force out. "...is...is that also something I'll have to fake...?"
His senior snorted. "Of course not. That would ruin the whole point."
There was something undeniably comforting about that thought. "...um..." There was still one problem. "...I still don't think I can sneak a Bowie knife back into my house, though..."
"...fair enough. I'll hold onto it until we get back."
Because seriously, he had enough problems without having a concerned citizen call the police on him for carrying a dangerous weapon. (He managed to ignore the fact that Ren Amamiya apparently felt no fear in carrying illegal weapons around. For the most part.)
xxxx
After a hearty breakfast, the Hakone Caravan had rendezvoused with the Hasegawas on a sandy ridge to the west of Nishiawakura, overlooking the village from several dozen meters up; an artifact of deforesting gone wrong, an old attempt at mining, or perhaps even a landslide from long ago, Shinji had no way of knowing.
(He impulsively kept a hand atop the waist bag wrapped around his hips: a gift from his mysterious senpai, which now held a Bowie knife. "You'd be surprised at how much you can fit in these things," Amamiya had earlier remarked.)
Zenkichi Hasegawa looked at them all with a wry grin, his daughter Akane standing diligently by his side. "So...basic ground rules! To the kids who are Persona-users, move over there," he said, pointing to a patch of dirt to the right of the group. When Shinji, Kensuke, and Toji did so, he then said, "girls with a giant axe, please join them." Mana did so, lips quirked into a confused scowl. This left Mayumi and Ren standing alone, separate from Sakamoto, Amada, and Iori. "Now, you two are gonna be standing by my daughter's side during this training session, under Amada's supervision. Are we clear?"
"Yes sir," said Mayumi with a tiny nod.
"Ten-four," acknowledged Ren with a neutral smile.
(Unnoticed by the others, Ryuji — leaning on his cane — murmured, "keep an eye on Amamiya. I want to see if he shows any unusual abilities...")
(Amada nodded. "Don't trust his explanation from the ferry?")
("That's putting it mildly..." admitted Sakamoto with a grimace. "Keep an eye on Yamagishi too. We still don't know why she fell unconscious in the Metaverse.)
("Understood," whispered Amada.)
"Excellent!" boisterously said Zenkichi, looking back towards Shinji. "Now...Ikari, I've been told you can pull multiple people into the Metaverse at once?"
Shinji blinked. "Uh...yes sir?"
"I'd like to see it for myself, if you don't mind. But later, after you and the others have been put through your paces." He thumbed his Agent medallion, keeping a hand on Akane. "Now, to transition into the Metaverse; even with four adults, it may take another trip...urm, what is she doing?"
Without hesitation or warning, Mana had walked several meters away, pulling LABRYS off of her back; with a decisive slash, she tore a visible hole into the air. As its edges wavered and flickered, she gazed over her shoulder. "Now you can all enter the Metaverse in one go."
"...huh. Was not expecting this," admitted Zenkichi.
Shinji calmly walked forward. "It's okay; it's just like going through a short tunnel..."
"Yeah, we can vouch for Mana-san," remarked Kensuke as he confidently fell into step behind Shinji.
Shinji decided that everyone would hash things out in their own way, so he simply walked through the tear; colors flashed and flickered as he entered into the cognitive world.
The sepia ambience, the black flickers of angular lines and smoky wisps, and the red-and-black sky were constants as always; however, the cognitive double of Nishiawakura seemed relatively similar to its real life counterpart. From the sandy ridge he stood upon — seemingly more barren than its real-world equivalent — he could see various Archetypes working the fields: Tanuki and Momotarō and Shikigami being the most common varieties. Certain forests had an orderly appearance to them, as Lumberjack Archetypes chopped down trees and replanted them in a never-ending cycle. However, some forests had a decidedly wilder (more primal) appearance to them from afar.
The sound of footsteps behind him caught his attention; he glanced back at Kensuke, who remarked "seems pretty normal, all things considered. Don't you think?"
"...I suppose." It was hard to think of the Metaverse as 'normal.'
Alas, their brief introspection had to come to an end, as everyone followed them through the hole carved by Mana. The girl took up the rear, stepping through right as the tear in reality stitched itself shut behind her.
"Well, that's certainly convenient," idly remarked Zenkichi. Akane nodded in agreement, clearly fascinated by the giant weapons that the girl wielded with such ease. "But time's a'wasting! Ikari, Aida, Suzuhara: you three will start with a two-on-one. I want an idea of where you stand at." Stepping back to keep a keen eye on the proceedings, he added, "oh, and remember that this is just a spar. Try and hold off on any fatal attacks, got it? If any adult thinks you're going too far, we'll intervene. Got it?"
"Understood!" responded Kensuke as he took position. "PERSONA!" Ozymandias emerged in a flash of blue fire, standing stalwartly with shepherd's crook and grain flail at the ready. Kensuke, clad in his faux A.T. Agent garb, stood beside the Egyptian pharaoh with arms crossed.
("Huh...pretty small for a Persona," murmured Akane from afar, eyes narrowing as she pondered what Aida's self-perception was supposed to imply.)
"Crystal clear." That was all Toji said before he yelled, "GILGAMESH!" His Persona loomed tall, looking appropriately intimidating per his appearance as the ancient Sumerian king. Toji adjusted his sennin robes, as well as his white headband; satisfied, he held his gnarled wooden staff at the side, ready to strike with it.
("Now that's more like it," Akane said to herself, pleased at seeing a Persona of a more typical size.)
Shinji wondered how he should start. (The Bowie knife would stay...for now.) Then, it clicked. "...Shiki-Ouji," he said aloud, manifesting the intimidating shikigami monster.
(Shinji's appearance garnered a raised eyebrow before it suddenly hit Akane that he had summoned an Archetype as a Persona. "What the...?")
Zenkichi hummed, looking rather intrigued. "So the rumors are true..." Clearing his throat, he spoke aloud. "Well? We don't have all day!"
"Don't mind if I do!" yelled Toji. "Eiga!"
Kensuke blinked, opening his mouth in warning. "Wait, TOJI-!"
Gilgamesh tossed a burst of cursed flame towards Shiki-Ouji, who promptly ignored it.
"...did it work?" dumbly asked Toji.
"Shiki-Ouji is immune to Dark skills like Eiga!"
Toji boggled at his friend's words. "WHAT?! HOW IS THAT FAIR?!"
"Please go easy on them," murmured Shinji (to Shiki-Ouji, and hence himself) as he raised his shovel. "Dormin Rush."
And then Toji and Kensuke had no more time to argue as their Personas whisked them away from the barrage of sleep-inducing punches.
xxxx
As the training continued and the hours rolled on into the afternoon, an event of a far more somber nature was occurring in Germany...
xxxx
/Asuka's Room, NERV-03, Southern Outskirts of Darmstadt, Germany/
It was strange, how the lack of possessions could transform a room. Even if it was a room that Asuka Langley-Sohryu hadn't been in that much to begin with, it had been hers.
And now it was empty; all of her possessions were packed up and ready for transport. Within a matter of hours, she would be out of Germany. All because of some limp-wristed bureaucrats who don't have a clue. 'Fear'? Pfft. Fear could go take a hike and fall off a mountain and into a river and drown, for all she cared.
Her Other lightly tapped her shoulder.
"Temper, temper."
Sighing, Asuka looked down at one of the few possessions she had which really counted as personal: a tiny photo from when she had been much younger, showing the Langley-Sohryu family: her father, Pieter Langley; her mother, Kyoko Zeppelin Langley-Sohryu; herself, smiling widely.
It didn't feel real.
(It had never felt real.)
(Why doesn't it feel real?)
Existential dilemmas would have to wait, alas; looking over her shoulder, Director Mitsuru Kirijo was staring solemnly at her. "Sister Mary is waiting. You have quite the journey ahead of you."
Asuka snorted. "I'd much rather get there and get it over with."
"Unfortunately, your travel plan had some conditions attached to it."
"Don't remind me." Spending the day of the new moon travelling by boat over the Atlantic was not her idea of a fun time.
The imperious woman turned around, leading the way through the halls of NERV-03: a strange mix of modern and medieval, as the research facility gave way to the old castle corridors the further up they went. All the while, Asuka stared at the woman's back; for once, her long and luscious hair was out of its usual bun, falling down in glistening curtains towards the waist.
Asuka remembered envying that hair, as a child.
(She looked up into Mitsuru Kirijo's brown eyes, hard as steel...yet filled with an emotion she couldn't identify. "So...you're the one designated by MARDUK as the Second Child..." That emotion might have been pity. "My name is Mitsuru Kirijo; I was technically your mother's superior." She didn't know why the woman was introducing herself; she had seen her often enough. Kirijo was happy enough to explain. "What passed before might as well have been a different life, for you and I; where once you were the daughter of one of my subordinates...now you are a subordinate, one gifted with great power. In spite of your age, it is only fitting that I speak to you not as a mere child...but as a soldier-in-training." Somehow, part of her appreciated that blunt candor.)
She remembered envying a lot of things.
(The older teenager — a burgeoning A.T. Field Adept, and a postulant for some religious order — looked down at her with eyes that seemed far too innocent. Far too...cheerful. "Well...this is an interesting assignment, but I'll certainly give it my all!" Yep, definitely too cheerful. "My name is Mari Makinami, and I'm going to be your caretaker. Director Kirijo pulled some strings, and the Order I want to join is deeming this my 'final exam' of sorts before deciding if I can become a novice...so take it easy on me, if you don't mind?" Too cheerful by half; it was honestly disgusting. Yet the young woman would never waver, now matter how hard she tried to push her away.)
It all seemed so meaningless, in retrospect.
(Mitsuru Kirijo looked imperiously at her; her Persona — Artemisia — hovered above them, ready to strike at a moment's notice. "You have asked to be treated as an adult. I will give you what you ask for." By the end of it all, Asuka could barely move; as such, she could barely muster up the energy to protest when the Director dressed her wounds and carried her out of the Metaverse and towards the Third Branch's medical wing. "I am treating you as an adult; when my subordinates are wounded in battle, they receive treatment. To do otherwise is counterproductive, and foolish...it would be a childish thing, to not see you get better." With those words, she stopped protesting.)
As they exited NERV-03, Asuka inhaled the crisp morning air; flickers of morning sunlight could barely be seen filtering through the trees. In the distant parking lot, Sister Mary was standing besides a van that had been loaned to her by her religious order for temporary use. "...it'll be weird, not waking up in a dusty castle."
"Have the janitorial staff been slacking off again? I'll have to chastise them-"
"It was a joke, Director."
"...ah. Of course." The woman turned on her heel, looking down into her eyes with a sober expression. Despite being only five inches taller, the Director had always seemed so much taller. "...it feels like it was just yesterday, when you were placed under my care: a proverbial ward of the state."
Asuka narrowed her eyes. "You're acting like this is a goodbye. I'm not going off to die." (This wasn't a death sentence. It wasn't.) "You'll just have to get reports about how much I'm kicking ass from someone else, for a change."
"...I suppose that attitude is a good thing. But you're not in this battle alone, Asuka. You never have been."
She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Come on, even if your Persona is kickass, there's not much you can do in the real world." Not like an Evangelion could...and there were only three of them in the entire world.
"And yet every warrior worth speaking of...had something to fight for, and a place to call home. Without those things, you're nothing more than a wandering barbarian...and for years, this place has been your home." Kirijo briefly looked up, towards the castle. "And we're all grateful for that. Never think otherwise."
Blinking, Asuka turned around...and stared dumbly. Dozens (maybe hundreds?) of NERV-03 personnel had gathered on the upper walls of the castle, as well as the upper windows and rooftops of the prefab structures that dotted the grounds of the facility. All of them were cheering loudly, waving flags and holding banners with various inspirational messages.
'You've got this, girl!'
'Make Germany proud!'
'Tritt den Engeln in den Arsch!'
'We'll miss you, Asuka!'
"...what-?" Without warning, Mitsuru hugged her from behind. "...what's-?"
"You've sacrificed much for our continued survival; no one who's worked here is ignorant of that. So if worse comes to worse, and you have nowhere else to turn...this place will always welcome you back. You've earned that much."
Asuka scowled. "...this is so sappy..." (She was grateful that the woman was hugging her from behind, if only because it meant Kirijo couldn't see her cry.) "I'm out of here." She pulled herself away from the Director's embrace (with more gentleness than she herself had expected) and stomped towards Makinami.
(She managed to dry her eyes clean of burgeoning tears before getting there.)
(You're not fooling anyone.)
Mercifully, Sister Mary didn't comment on her face. "Are you ready, Miss Sohryu?" She tapped the side of the light blue Citroën H Van. "Your stuff is all in the back."
She managed to brush past her emotional vulnerability with petty criticism. "This thing looks like a clunker."
"It was cheap, and it helps us get places. You'd be surprised how many crops my fellow Sisters could pack for the convent into this old puppy."
Hopping into the passenger seat, Asuka asked, "so...what's our itinerary?"
"Well, our first stop is Orléans. I have to finalize some aspects of my transfer to Japan, and I'd like to do it in person...plus, there's someone I'd like to meet, if possible. They'll be travelling through the city tomorrow."
"Who?"
"Well, they go by the not-so-unknown title of Pope Thomas..."
Asuka impulsively snorted. "That would be a big deal, for you."
"And for you, as well," remarked Sister Mary with a knowing smile. "Not only being a Persona-user and A.T. Field Adept...but also the first man of Japanese ethnicity to become the Roman Pontiff?"
"...okay, so maybe it's a bit of a big deal."
"...want to see if I can somehow arrange a meeting?"
"If it's not to spar, forget about it," she said with a snarky tone.
The tertiary grinned serenely. "Never say never, Miss Sohryu..."
And so the van rumbled into action; it would take several hours to reach Orléans.
Thus did Asuka and her attendant leave NERV's Third Branch behind.
xxxx
Akane Hasegawa was honestly puzzled.
As the training session had continued on, the arrangements had become more elaborate and varied: Ikari versus Kirishima, Aida, and Suzuhara; Ikari and Aida versus Suzuhara and Kirishima; Ikari versus her father; a free-for-all involving Ikari, Aida, Suzuhara, and Kirishima; Iori fought Ikari and Suzuhara while Sakamoto faced Aida and Kirishima. Now, it had come down to her father facing all four teenagers.
In every single session, Ikari had manifested a different Persona. (Titan had roared in defiance, brushing aside the trio of teens; Inugami had slipped in and around Suzuhara and Kirishima as Ozymandias bedeviled them with debuffs; Shiki-Ouji had been taken down in one shot by a Megido from Valjean; Ikari and Nekomata had desperately tried to avoid the crossfire from their fellow teens; Ippon-Datara and Gilgamesh had tried unsuccessfully to ground Trismegistus.) In every single session, win or lose, Ikari had refused to give up.
It was...utterly confounding. Where had this boy been for the past ten years?
Yamagishi had been mostly quiet, occasionally making comments about the mythical or literary figures on display; as for Amamiya...he had taken to occasionally playing air guitar, humming certain songs to himself.
("I have to go for ones befitting a training montage. It fits the mood!" the high schooler had said.)
The strange thing was, if Akane concentrated hard enough, she was pretty sure she could hear faint echoes of the songs that the boy was 'playing.' However, most importantly, he kept to himself, which allowed her to think.
Ikari...where was THIS you...? Had the unassuming boy been hiding this the entire time? It didn't seem possible for someone so withdrawn to have hidden this sort of drive; had it all been because of his time in Tokyo-3? No...that doesn't seem probable. Even so, this whole training session had proven instructive, in both what to do...
xxxx
Zenkichi stood tall, balancing his claymore on his shoulders. Valjean — whose image of a European gentleman in a blue and white coat was marred by the metal cages wrapped around his hands, legs, torso, and head — swung his chains, unleashing a Megidola that forced Hamlet, Ozymandias, and Gilgamesh to scatter. However, through the chaotic swirl of dust, Mana leapt to the side and then at his back. With a defiant roar, her axe was ready to strike-!
CLANG.
Zenkichi's blade smashed against the pole, angled such that he slid past the curve of the giant axe. "Too slow."
POW!
With surprising force, his sidekick smashed into Kirishima's torso, sending her flying. "Keep them busy, Valjean!"
His Persona responded by unleashing Deathbound, which forced the more agile Hamlet and Ozymandias to scatter from the waves of spectral hands emerging from the ground. Gilgamesh, alas, was slapped silly.
"Oh COME on!" yelled a frustrated Toji.
xxxx
...and what not to do.
"Your father's pretty strong," calmly remarked Ken Amada.
Akane nodded with a smile. "Of course he is." Even if his A.T. Agent wardrobe was a little embarrassing (because seriously, why did his breastplate have to read '#1 DAD GUY' on it?), she couldn't help but marvel at his capabilities. "My dad's tough..." She shivered, oddly enough. (What was that strange feeling?)
"...are you okay, Hasegawa-san?"
Akane glanced at Mayumi, brushing off the bizarre sensation with ease. "Yeah...just a lot to keep track of. This will definitely help me with the preliminary examinations..."
Those words seemed to be an unwitting signal, as her father suddenly straightened up and dismissed his Persona. "Okay kids, I think that'll do for now! There's only so much to be gained from kicking you all into the dirt."
"I can still keep going!" protested Mana, who tried not to look like she was leaning on her axe for support.
Zenkichi was unimpressed. "My word is final!"
"Good, because I was getting hungry," remarked Amamiya with a smirk, even as the three teenage boys collapsed to the ground; exhaustion, alas, had finally set in.
All in all, Akane had been given plenty of food for thought. (And it would last her for quite a while...there was that odd sensation again. Why?)
(Little did she know that a smiling figure watched from afar, breathing in a manner that evoked a hiss.)
xxxx
Taking advantage of their enhanced mobility in the Metaverse, the Hakone Caravan and the Hasegawas quickly made their way to the northern half of town, where the valley containing the village split into two. Re-emerging into the real world in a shadowy alcove behind a large building, they walked into the open and towards the front doors; inside was a buffet restaurant, featuring many seasonal dishes made from local ingredients.
"Ooh," said Kensuke with a theatrical sniff of the air. "Is that grilled sweetfish I smell?"
"Among many other things." Zenkichi gestured with his arm, remarking, "go ahead, it's my treat."
"Ah yeah, I'm starving!" Toji barrelled ahead, seeking out plates.
Shinji barely heard Ryuji say something about paying — "come on Hasegawa, we're already imposing enough, we've got this" — before grabbing a plate, filling it with sweetfish, sushi rolls, stewed vegetables, and fresh udon noodles. As he sat down at a long table, his gaze fell upon Zenkichi mingling with the local villagers, many of whom were enjoying the fruits of their labors. It was strange, seeing him move about and talk with the denizens to inquire about any problems they were having. It's strange...
(He had visited this place...often. He had never really talked with anyone, though; he had observed, and watched, and listened...but little else.)
...how many times did I come here...? It had to be often, because there were relatively few restaurants in the village, and Sakura-sensei hadn't been up for cooking all of the time...
(One of the highlights of the Farming Club, and a test of their agricultural aptitude, was allowing the buffet restaurant their pick of the Club's crop to serve on a given day near the end of the term. It was...a point of pride, for most of the members. Pride that he had never felt.)
...why had he been so detached? Why had his life here felt so...empty, in retrospect? Was something wrong with me...?
"He seems like a pillar of the community, doesn't he?"
Shinji glanced at Kensuke Aida, sitting down across from him. "Huh?"
"Agent Hasegawa," Aida clarified, chewing on a fried strip of eggplant. "He must have been stationed here a long time, to talk that easily with the locals."
"...well, that is true," Shinji remarked. "I think he's been stationed in the Aida District since...before I even lived here, I think?"
"So he's a local, too?"
Memories trickled back, as if on demand.
("Life can be dangerous in a Post-Impact world," remarked Zenkichi Hasegawa, speaking in the school auditorium as a guest speaker. The year was 2010. "Some of you know that better than most. Me, I was just a humble Community Police officer, trying to keep the peace. But then tragedy struck...and I decided to join the Anti-Terror Task Force, to be one of the brave souls acting to defend our people from paranormal threats!")
It had been a bit of a recruitment and public relations spot, in retrospect...but public safety officers did the same regardless, didn't they? Besides, the A.T. Task Force, as a relatively young organization, had been seen with curiosity and suspicion by many; for the village to have a local like Zenkichi represent them? It had been a boon. "...yes."
"Neat."
"...you look like you want to say something."
Kensuke blinked, only to chuckle. "Ah...am I that obvious?"
"Well, it's just that...you're not one to leave things unsaid. Not usually, anyway."
Kensuke hummed thoughtfully. "I guess I am a bit of a chatterbox...I guess it's just that I was thinking about some of the stories that mom used to tell."
"...right. She was an A.T. Agent, too."
Kensuke nodded, chewing on a portion of mackerel as he gathered his thoughts. "She never worked with anyone that we knew: not Katsuragi, not Sakamoto, not Iori or Amada, not even Hasegawa...her stories were always about other people. She didn't really have consistent teammates, you see; her skill set was such that she could either work solo ops, or she could be slotted into teams that needed an extra hand for whatever reason. It meant that she travelled a lot...but it also meant that she had lots of stories to tell."
Shinji briefly wondered what life would have been like if his mother had lived long enough to share stories of her work, of her childhood. (Given what Fuyutsuki-sensei and Futaba Maruki had told him thus far, he imagined that he would have enjoyed it quite thoroughly.) "...it's strange, thinking about how many A.T. Agents we know..."
"Is it, though? Our circles are pretty much set up so that running into them is going to be guaranteed. And the Anti-Terror Task Force is pretty big, relatively speaking." Kensuke stirred at his vegetable stir fry, a complicated frown on his face. "...if mom had lived, I bet I'd be like Akane Hasegawa: following in the footsteps of an Agent, I mean."
"...was it because she was an Agent? Or was it because she was your mother?"
That question elicited an amused chuckle from Kensuke. "You know, I think I would have told you it was all about being a badass Agent, fighting Acolytes and saving people from Ghosts...but dealing with the realities of this life firsthand has...well, made me think about it more, you know?"
"...you mean with what happened on the ferry?"
Kensuke winced. "Well, that's one of the reasons. But also getting manhandled by you, Agent Sakamoto, and Agent Hasegawa. Especially by you, because your ability to handle multiple Personas?" Aida dramatically pointed his chopsticks towards his face. "Seriously unfair."
Shinji blinked, awkwardly brushing the pointy utensils away. "Sorry..."
"Eh, I've just chalked it up to you being you by this point," said Kensuke with a shrug. "I think...it was because of how cool my mom was, that I wanted to be an Agent. Maybe, if she had done something else, I would've felt the same about that...because my dad's always been a quiet type, you know? Maybe mom was just being extroverted enough for the two of em'...I don't know. I think I'm rambling now."
Shinji opted to eat more of his late lunch, if only to allow Kensuke a chance to think. Or to stop rambling. Whichever one was preferable.
"...maybe it was more about what she did with the path she chose, and not the path itself..." Kensuke groaned audibly, resting his chin in his hands. "Growing up is hard."
To that, Shinji Ikari could only nod in agreement. "Your food's going to get cold if you don't finish."
"Aw, going to indulge in your 'domestic' tendencies?"
Shinji flushed. "I-I-It would be rude to let it go to waste...everyone here worked hard to harvest it..."
"I know I know, I'm just teasing," joked Aida as he ate a hearty spoonful of rice porridge.
Thus did lunch proceed in a relatively amiable manner.
xxxx
Shinji Ikari quietly sat the edge of the engawa around Sakura-sensei's home, looking up at the sky; with a cup of tea in hand and a fresh yukata, it felt rather...nice. (Being freshly showered also helped.)
It was a brief moment of solitude, while everyone else cleaned up, and dinner was being prepared.
("You had lunch not too long ago, so I figure we'll go for something simple tonight," remarked Sojiro. "Let's see...rice, fermented soybeans, miso soup...chicken stir fry would be quick to make...")
He gazed down at the distant Yoshino River from above; flickering fireflies — a staple of summer — hovered above the grasses of the river, providing a fitting backdrop to the encroaching night. Today was...pretty tough. Zenkichi Hasegawa and the other Agents had put him and his peers through their paces. Regardless...it been a test of his determination and vigor, so there had been value in it. Even if he had gotten the odd impression of Akane staring at him at various times throughout the day...
Bzzt.
Shinji blinked, reaching into the pocket of his yukata; he hadn't gotten a notification on his phone in a while...ah.
HEROD: WE HAVE ANOTHER QUERY FOR YOU.
It's been a while, mused Shinji; it had been...at least two weeks since HEROD had sent him a question?
HEROD: SUPPOSE SOMEONE YOU KNEW WAS KIDNAPPED; THEIR LOCATION IS UNKNOWN, AND YOU DO NOT KNOW IF THEIR KIDNAPPER INTENDS TO RANSOM THEM OR CAUSE BODILY HARM.
HEROD: HOW WOULD YOU ACT?
HEROD: WOULD YOU CHARGE AHEAD TO RESCUE THEM WITHOUT HESITATION; WAIT FOR REINFORCEMENTS *OR* ADDITIONAL INFORMATION BEFORE ACTING; OR LET SOMEONE MORE QUALIFIED AND CAPABLE ATTEMPT TO SAVE THEM?
HEROD: THERE IS NO RIGHT OR WRONG ANSWER.
HEROD: PLEASE RESPOND WITHIN 96 HOURS.
"...huh." This was an odd one.
Bzzt.
And then he got another one immediately from the other MAGI subroutine. Another one?!
PILATE: WE UNDERSTAND YOUR VACATION HAS GONE 'SMOOTHLY'
PILATE: FOR THE MOST PART
PILATE: THE SENSORY DATA CAPTURED BY YOUR PHONE DURING THE FERRY TRIP WAS MOST ILLUMINATING
Shinji frowned.
S. Ikari: please provide your question
PILATE: HOW PRECOCIOUS. VERY WELL
PILATE: SUPPOSE YOU WERE BORN AS SOMEONE WITH A TERMINAL ILLNESS. REGARDLESS OF WHAT TREATMENTS WERE PERFORMED, AND NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU SUFFERED, YOUR LIFE WAS DOOMED FROM THE START.
PILATE: IMAGINE THE BITTERNESS YOU WOULD FEEL IN SUCH A SCENARIO, AS PEOPLE AROUND YOU LIVED ON. IMAGINE IF YOUR OWN FAMILY CONTINUED TO LIVE LIFE, TRYING TO INVOLVE YOU IN THEIR FEEBLE WAYS, UNKNOWING OF THEIR OWN CRUELTY. IMAGINE IF THOSE AROUND YOU SOMEHOW TOOK SOLACE FROM YOUR OWN ILLNESS, AS THOUGH THE MERE ACT OF YOUR SUFFERING MADE THEM FEEL BETTER ABOUT THEIR OWN LIVES. IGNORANCE IS TRULY BLISSFUL TO THEM, IS IT NOT?
PILATE: HOWEVER, THERE IS A CHANCE FOR SALVATION
PILATE: A WANDERING STRANGER PROVIDES A MEDICAL TREATMENT THAT WOULD HEAL YOU. THIS STRANGER IS A GOD, SO THEIR TREATMENT IS GUARANTEED TO SUCCEED...BUT THERE WOULD BE A COST.
PILATE: ALL MEMORY OF YOUR LIFE UP TO THAT POINT WOULD BE REMOVED. ALL KNOWLEDGE OF YOUR OWN TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS WOULD BE NULLIFIED, AS IF THEY HAD NEVER BEEN. IN ADDITION, THIS TREATMENT WOULD HAVE TO BE CONTINUOUSLY APPLIED DAILY, RENDERING YOU UNABLE TO FORM LASTING MEMORIES. YOU WOULD ESSENTIALLY WAKE UP AS A NEWBORN EACH AND EVERY DAY, STUCK IN A STASIS OF MEMORY AND TIME.
PILATE: DO YOU FOLLOW, SO FAR?
Where are you going with this? wondered Shinji with a frown.
S. Ikari: yes
PILATE: NOW
PILATE: THIS IS GOING TO BE SOMEWHAT OPEN-ENDED
PILATE: BUT WHAT LEVEL OF PAIN WOULD MAKE YOU ACCEPT SUCH A TREATMENT?
PILATE: WHAT LEVEL OF SUFFERING IS TOO GREAT FOR YOU TO LIVE WITH, THAT EVEN A PERMANENT STASIS WOULD BE PREFERABLE?
PILATE: TRY NOT TO OVERESTIMATE YOUR TOLERANCE FOR SUFFERING.
PILATE: WE'LL FOLLOW UP IN A WEEK
PILATE: END OF LINE
...HEROD...and PILATE. Shinji grimaced, idly rubbing the head of a stray tabby cat that had deemed him sufficiently safe for cuddling. What benefit are you getting from these questions...?
Before long, the call for dinner sounded out; Shinji shelved his circuitous thoughts for the time being, deciding to save them for another day.
xxxx
END OF 8/4/2015
xxxx
Author's Note: Judgement Social Link (the Wild Cards) is now at Rank 2, and the Magician Social Link (Kensuke) is now at Rank 5!
/also
/"Pope Thomas" is a canon Persona character
/you may now proceed to guess wildly as to who he is