Sokila quietly looked down at her newest painting.
"...you still struggle with that, huh...?"
It depicted a scene from a dream: from July the 1st, when the ghoulish face of Unit-01 had loomed over himself and Sokila in the Velvet Room.
"Mister Igor said that...accepting it would be hard...but you could still grow beyond it..."
She looked up towards the edge(?) of the Velvet Room; where Theodore had once stood, now there was Lavenza.
"...maybe the thing that Lavenza-senpai is working on will help?"
Lavenza looked over her shoulder, her hands glowing with a strange light; right at the threshold of the Velvet Room, a form was taking shape.
"Perhaps. From my understanding, boys often bond more easily through trial by combat."
Sokila blinked.
"Eh...?"
The faint haze of blue began to brighten-
xxxx
/Thursday: September 3, 2015/
/Medical Ward, NERV HQ/
Shinji Ikari briefly stirred, turning over in his cot; mired in weary memories and strange dreams, it was not yet time to wake.
The clock on his phone read 2:32 AM.
However, while the night had not yet waned, shenanigans were occurring elsewhere...
xxxx
/Junior High Branch, Hakone Academy/
A window into Class 3-B on the first floor slowly slid open; moments later, a figure in dark clothing lightly stepped in, looking around warily. "So glad that window's lock still hasn't been fixed," mused Ren Amamiya under his breath.
(Mere hours ago, within their dorm room, Yu Narukami had gravely said, "Your mission, should you choose to accept it, will be fraught with peril. If you're not back by morning, we will assume your demise." Minato, whilst watching TV from his nearby bed, waved a small pennant in lackadaisical fashion.)
It was a strange little ritual, but one that they had engaged in ever since their second year at Hakone Academy Junior High. Ren, being the one with actual thieving experience, had always been the one with this task.
(As the days for the winter term of the 2011-2012 academic year wound down, Yu Narukami quietly walked beside him through the Academy Courtyards. "...so, according to one of our sempai, a certain window in Class 3-B has a busted lock. If you fiddle with the window in a certain way, it'll loosen the latch, even from outside." That was very good to know.)
If only they kept the primary student records in the High School branch, mused Ren to himself as he snuck through the halls; clad in a dark hoodie with a face mask on, he likely would have been very difficult to identify on security camera...if this place had any. (Which was a bit weird; he had often wondered why a big Academy like this would skimp out on something like internal surveillance, beyond the sensors for Angel Syndrome that had been mandatory for nearly a decade, now. Maybe the principal was just that old-fashioned?) Still, better to play it safe than sorry.
With that in mind, Ren made his way to the room reserved for secretarial staff, separate from the faculty lounge. Sitting down at an old computer (complete with a bulky CRT monitor, what a nostalgia trip that was), he cracked the knuckles in his gloved hands before turning it on. Flipping over the keyboard, he grinned at the sight of an old sticky note which showed a reminder for the user's login and password Ah, Mikami-san, never change, he mused, thinking of the kindly old secretary who had been employed by the Academy since its founding. A genial and diligent sort, and a hard worker...but a tad forgetful, at times.
Once he had logged in, Ren navigated through the folders until he found what he was looking for: the master copy for the dorm assignments. And here we go. As Ren scrolled through the digital spreadsheet, he quickly zoomed towards the High School second years, tracking down Room 3-4: the fourth room on the third floor. Okay, so there's me, Yu, Minato...and Ango Natsume? His face impulsively curdled, thinking of the president of the High School's Literature Club: a guy who was definitely passionate about the art, but way too high on his own vapors for his own good. (The dreamlike memory of a Jail fashioned after a hackneyed, trope-overdosed castle came and went.) Yeah, you can bunk with someone else. He referenced the accompanying notes — apparently, the three guys he had been rooming with in Room 18 were way too tired of his crap — before dumping him into Room 15, which had a slot open after someone else had transferred out over the summer break. Good; it'll still be just the three of us. Now...for the others.
He quickly checked for the Junior High Branch; fortunately, Room 23 on the second floor of the Izanagi Dorms was unchanged. Shinji, Aida, Suzuhara, and Nagisa are still together. We'll leave them be. He double-checked for certain females of importance: Rei Ayanami was still by her lonesome in Room 1 of the Izanami Dorms' second floor; her profile came with a specific note that she was not to have any roommates. Sensible...in a normal time. But should she be alone?
(In the years between his awakening in this timeline and whenever Shinji Ikari would finally make his appearance, he had spent a good deal of time listening to Yu Narukami and his tales about NERV. In all honesty, it sounded like an awful place to work. However, certain names came up often enough that he committed them to memory as people of importance.)
He quickly looked at the list of new students transferring in; sure enough, one stuck out like a sore thumb. Asuka Langley-Sohryu, huh? So...the Second Child has made landfall. About time. He had been wondering as to when the third of the Evangelion Trio was going to relocate to Japan, because Narukami had made it sound like a relative constant in the grand scheme of things. Hmm...I wonder. He looked at various other room assignments, looking for two names in particular. Mayumi Yamagishi. She was already well acquainted with both Ayanami and Shinji, for obvious reasons, so that would be a natural point of reference for Sohryu. As for the fourth...
(As Yu regaled stories of one particular life where he had been a teacher in Tokyo-3, certain names kept cropping up as civilian acquaintances-turned-friends of the Second and Third Children: Toji Suzuhara, Kensuke Aida, and...)
...Hikari Horaki. The girl who had apparently been Sohryu's friend in 'reality'; a girl who — if he understood the current state of affairs correctly — was one of Shinji's Social Links (a Class Representative to boot? You KNOW she's gotta be his Empress); and the girl who was in a two-way 'will they or won't they' crush with Toji Suzuhara. It practically writes itself. Resisting the urge to grin, he quickly pulled the three names, sticking them into the cells for Room 2-1. Rei Ayanami, Asuka Langley-Sohryu, Mayumi Yamagishi, and Hikari Horaki. Perfect. He put the finishing touches on the file, saving the master copy; he then overwrote all other duplicates and secondary versions with this copy, to ensure nothing would get reverted. Satisfied with his work, he promptly logged off and shut down the computer, taking pains to ensure he left no trace: all the way to leaving the chair at a certain angle and putting the mouse back in the precise spot it had once been in.
Quickly and quietly, Ren Amamiya was out of the building, acting like the Phantom Thief he had once been.
xxxx
Later that morning, when the school staff showed up to continue their preparations for the upcoming term, old Mikami-san — not checking over the master copy since she had finished it the prior day, because why would she? — forwarded the dormitory spreadsheet to the few IT staff that the school had onboard, who would then be responsible for converting the data to a massive multi-user message that would simultaneously notify all students as to their room assignments.
The sun would already have been up for a few hours by the time the message went out.
xxxx
Shinji blearily woke up to the sound of his phone buzzing. "Wha?" Checking at it with tired eyes, he opened the message without thinking.
ACADEMY: Your assigned dorm room for the upcoming Fall Term is Izanagi Room 2-23. Your roommates will be Kensuke Aida, Kaworu Nagisa, and Toji Suzuhara.
...oh. That's nice, I guess. Convenient, too.
xxxx
Elsewhere in Tokyo-3, Asuka was having breakfast by herself at Suemitsu Gurume when a message came through on her phone. "Hmm?" she mumbled, mouth full of eggs, sausage, and potatoes.
ACADEMY: Your assigned dorm room for the upcoming Fall Term is Izanami Room 2-1. Your roommates will be Rei Ayanami, Hikari Horaki, and Mayumi Yamagishi.
Ah, this whole Quatsch with school, she mused to herself, looking over the names with a critical eye. So...I've got the First Child, a civilian, and the girl who was infected by an Angel before becoming a Persona-user. At least, that's what she had gleaned from the reports she had managed to read during her time at NERV's branches in America.
(Once the data from the August New Moon had become available to the staff at the First Branch, she had found some downtime to proverbially devour the after-action report for the Angel battle near Nishiawakura. Although a lot had been censored and classified, the stuff she was able to read was absolutely crazy.)
"...well, two out of three ain't bad," she murmured, taking another big bite of her hearty breakfast. Hopefully this Horaki girl won't be too annoying.
xxxx
Meanwhile, within Rei's own familiar dorm room, she looked down at her phone with a deadpan stare.
ACADEMY: Your assigned dorm room for the upcoming Fall Term is Izanami Room 2-1. Your roommates will be Hikari Horaki, Asuka Langley-Sohryu, and Mayumi Yamagishi.
This smacks of meddling, she thought with a flat expression.
(Not that she was opposed to those three, per se; far from it. But...it would be a change, after having a room to herself for so many years, now.)
(You're too used to living alone.)
xxxx
/NERV HQ/
As morning rolled over Tokyo-3, Team Statherós found themselves sitting in a small conference room, with Ritsuko Akagi at the head. The faux blonde gazed over Toji Suzuhara, Kensuke Aida, Mana Kirishima, and Mayumi Yamagishi, before finally settling upon Shinji Ikari. "So. Yesterday was fairly eventful, it would seem."
"We weren't even there for the big stuff," griped Toji with crossed arms. "Helping Sakamoto-sensei put Ken through his paces doesn't compare to...well, all that crap at this Himmel place."
Kensuke arched an eyebrow. "My Toji, are you complaining about not being involved with any 'Metaverse shenanigans'? I thought you hated those."
"Don't get me wrong," he grumbled, putting his hand into Kensuke's face. "But maybe Ikari wouldn't have had to go...'super ultra mad' or whatever, if he had more backup."
Shinji resisted the urge to duck with shame. "Yeah, about that..." Turning towards Mana and Mayumi, he bowed his head. "I'm sorry, about what happened-"
"Did your 'Ascended State' help you beat that buffed-up Acolyte?" asked Mana.
Shinji blinked at the abrupt interruption. "...well, yes-"
"Did your Ascended State help drive off Strega?"
"...yes, but-"
"And when it was just us left, did you attack us?"
"I mean, no, but I almost-"
"Then all's well that ends well," concluded Mana, as though that was the end of it.
"...but-!"
"Ikari-san," said Mayumi, drawing his attention. "...whatever part of you was in control yesterday...it's certainly not a large part, going by how you've been with...all of us." Smiling weakly, she said, "I mean...I had an Angel that was a part of me, and wanted to help destroy humanity. So...we're sort of similar, aren't we?"
Shinji wasn't quite convinced. (Somehow, you can't help but feel that the Beast is on a different level from a mere Angel.) Nonetheless, he accepted her commiseration for what it was (because the thought of Mayumi utilizing guile or deceit for some other motive was unthinkable by this point). "Thank you..."
Dr. Akagi cleared her throat to get their attention once more. "That's all well and good, but it's a bad sign when a seemingly alternate personality takes precedence in the Ascended State. It'll have to be something you'll need to learn to control...which is not the only thing you'll be working on." Holding up a clipboard, she turned towards Kensuke. "So. Aida's Second Awakening resulted in his Persona changing from Ozymandias to Sinbad. The emphasis on Ailments is still present...albeit with the added benefit of actually being offensive attacks, instead of just purely Support-based. Aida's tactical options have increased as a result, but you'll need to practice in order to ensure you don't trip each other up."
Kensuke briefly pumped his fist with honest excitement. "Teamwork makes the dream work, as they say."
Ritsuko ignored him, looking towards Mayumi. "Similarly, on the Persona front...Yamagishi. Your Persona manifested a unique ability: one that's more limited than Ikari's ability to use multiple Personas, yet more versatile in its own way."
Mayumi fidgeted in her chair, fingers fiddling with the tips of her hair. "...I can only surmise that it has something to do with the Angel itself, when the others fought it back in August."
"You referring to all those Archetypes we fought?" asked Toji.
"Armisael described itself as the Angel of the Womb...as Potentiality itself," said Mayumi, folding her hands in her lap to keep them from moving. "Through the Angel's bond with me...it was able to utilize the Archetypes of human cognition. I think that may have carried over, in some fashion..."
Dr. Akagi nodded. "Our preliminary tests yesterday while Ikari was unconscious seem to bear this out; after subjecting her to numerous Archetypes within our training facilities, the probability of her being able to summon a given Archetype increased with the extent of exposure."
(Under his breath, Kensuke whispered, "Blue Mage," towards Mayumi, which only warranted a quick 'shush' in return.)
"Given that you had literally manifested that power the same day, it's forgivable that you're still learning to control it," remarked Ritsuko. "However, you will be practicing with it to gain better control. Whenever Ikari goes on missions related to Acolytes or the Cognitive Protection Center, you'll be accompanying him so as to get more field experience. That tends to provide the greatest returns, I've noticed." When Mayumi nodded, Ritsuko looked at Mana. "As for your weapons...I want you to try and see if you duplicate their feats in reality alone, or in the Metaverse alone."
Mana tilted her head. "Eh?"
"Based on the mission report from the August New Moon, and now with what happened yesterday? AIGIS and LABRYS's ability to operate without your direct input has only occurred in realms where cognition, spirit, and physicality overlap. You should be seeing if you can duplicate that feat in only one world at a time."
"...that might be a tall order," grumbled Mana, looking near the entrance of the room; her axe and shield were resting against the wall, gemstones glittering in the pale office lights. "But I can give it a whirl."
Nodding, Ritsuko finally turned to Shinji. "...you need more practice in your Ascended State."
"But-!"
"No buts," tersely interrupted Dr. Akagi. Her eyes evoked a detached air, matching the coolness of her voice. "It is an important ability to master; your personal issues have no bearing on that fact. If they're getting in the way of optimal utilization...then you need to work on that."
("And this is why she's not a therapist," whispered Kensuke under his breath, only to receive a brief elbow to the side from Mayumi.)
"...what do you suggest?" asked Shinji.
"When using that form, I recommend either working exclusively with Ayanami...or with everyone on your team. If you happen to go berserk, Ayanami would be able to subdue you...while the others would likely have the capacity to pull you out of your berserk state, judging from yesterday. But let's try and go in baby steps, in light of yesterday," she added, almost as an afterthought. "I'd rather not have to deal with a report finding out that you killed your comrades in a fit of rage."
The temperature in the room immediately dropped, as everyone let the blunt message wash over them. "You know, you could have phrased that better," griped Toji.
Dr. Akagi rolled her eyes. "You'd rather I speak in euphemisms? It's the cost of dealing with a power we still don't understand fully; especially when we're dealing with a developed personality that didn't show up in our previous psychiatric profiles of the Third Child. I'd rather you deal with some discomfort over harsh words than act foolishly because of misplaced kindness."
("It's called not being a bitch," harshly muttered Toji under his breath, looking away with irritation.)
"...you've got a weird definition of kindness," remarked Mana.
"So I've been told," dryly noted Ritsuko.
All the while, Shinji looked down at his hands; impulsive thoughts of losing control — of making Dr. Akagi's grim words a reality — filtered through, complete with horrific images of his friends meeting their demise at his hands. No...I won't let that happen...
The Beast stood tall, floating over an endless field of crosses.
"Oh, if only you knew..."
...I won't, he vowed to himself, even as part of him continued its everlasting struggle with the power he possessed; its immensity; its weight; and its horror.
xxxx
Misato Katsuragi had wanted to be present for with the kids for their meeting with Ritsuko earlier that morning.
Alas...other things had taken priority.
Hence, as she sat in an electronics repair shop within downtown Tokyo-3, she was busy dealing with an unpleasant phone call. "-seriously Akechi-kun, I get it, but-"
"No Katsuragi-san, you don't." The Chief Warden of Tokyo-3's Cognitive Protection Center had been insistent on the matter. "Acting Commissioner Iwai has been fielding quite a few complaints from the Governor of Tochigi Prefecture; your little jaunt to Mt. Nyoho didn't go unnoticed, you realize?"
"I kind of figured it wouldn't, but it's not like the Pattern Blue alerts would have been out of the blue."
Akechi completely ignored her pun. "You're missing the point."
Misato stared indignantly at her phone. "Hey now, no need to sound so short with me."
"...circumstances are changing, Katsuragi-san," said Goro Akechi, after a tired sigh. "Your impromptu adventure might have been excusable if the collateral damage hadn't been so extreme. The Himmel Research Institute launched a formal complaint with the governor's office."
Misato blinked dumbly. "Come again?"
"Just because an NGO has a defunct facility doesn't mean the NGO itself has ceased to function; they still have an office located in the prefectural capital of Utsunomiya for legal purposes. Even if their activity was significantly reduced after their Mt. Nyoho facility went dark, they still went through the trouble of paying the government all applicable taxes and fees to maintain ownership of the facility...along with the leasehold on the land itself."
"...it's been several years since that place went down. Why would they still pay for it...?"
"Building up capital in the hopes they could make it viable again? Ensuring no one would bother investigating the place so long as it was still legally theirs, until all memory of their scandalous misfortune had faded away? Who's to say. Any such plans went down the moment the facility was destroyed...yet they still had an ace up their sleeve." Akechi sounded almost amused by the duplicity of it all. "An unauthorized foray into their property, when there was no Pattern Blue prior to your arrival that would have warranted your presence to begin with?"
Shit, mentally cursed Misato. Are they gonna charge me with trespassing? Destruction of property? Something worse? "Just lay it on me. How bad is it?"
Akechi's chuckle was simultaneously annoying yet reassuring. "HRI is lacking in quite a few areas, fortunately; it's apparently only valued these days for their connections with other NGOs in Europe, but the prefectural government still has to give an ear to their complaints...because, legally speaking, they are in the right. And with the recent reorganization of our country into a confederation, the prefectural governors have a lot more sway in how things are done."
"That still doesn't answer my question."
"Iwai-san's interference could only do so much...however, I proposed an elegant solution, of sorts. One that he was happy to agree with, because it removed two birds with one stone." After a dramatic pause, Akechi said, "You will be succeeding me as the Chief Warden of Tokyo-3, after the next new moon."
"...huh?" That technically counted as a promotion. With a harsh whisper, she growled, "How the heck is giving me your spot supposed to be a punishment?"
"Because your duties will keep you within Tokyo-3 for the foreseeable future, where your ability to meddle will be significantly reduced. That's as good as you're going to get."
...oh hell no. Her mind reeled from the ramifications — your investigation into Mister P and Kaji is gonna get stalled yet AGAIN, damn it damn it DAMN IT DAMN IT— before she huffed audibly. The sound evoked tension and frustration. "...I take it it's non-negotiable?"
"Iwai-san advised the governors of both Kanagawa and Tochigi Prefectures that this would be the simplest solution; it wouldn't be seen as a 'true' punishment, given that it's all too easy to retroactively justify your presence at Mt. Nyoho. However, they'll still be able to present it as a loss of face to HRI, which will have to mollify them...especially given how your retrieval of those hard drives was all for the sake of tracking down the culprit behind the facility's ultimate destruction. Isn't that right?"
It was a convenient fiction, all things considered. It was even true to some degree...save for the fact that she already knew that an Angel was the 'culprit' in question. "Am I gonna have to hand this stuff back?"
"You have one month. You should have already been forwarded a non-disclosure agreement regarding any proprietary information you may come across. Had you taken anything beyond mere security footage — such as papers, computer databases, and so forth — I can assure you that they would have pressed much harder. Do we understand?"
"...crystal." A time limit. Lovely. "What about you, Akechi-kun? Are you vacating your spot because of me?"
The young man snorted. "If it were merely about that, there were other positions you could have filled. No...I'm afraid that my time in Tokyo-3 will be coming to an end, fairly soon. Let's just say...that I have an old debt. And someone finally called to collect: nothing more, and nothing less."
Well, ain't that interesting. "...guess we'll hash out that stuff later, then."
"Indeed we shall. Take care, Agent Katsuragi."
Needless to say, Misato's mood was rather foul from that point forward.
It became even more so when the poor store manager of the electronics shop informed her that couldn't help her. "Seriously?"
"I do apologize, ma'am," remarked the fairly affable gentleman, a handkerchief patting away at his sweaty forehead. "But some of the damaged drives require equipment we currently don't have on hand; they're still pending parts for repairs on their own, you see. And with all of the economic issues of late, some of those parts are on backorder."
"Fantastic," she groused. "Any place nearby you can think of that might help me?"
"Not within Tokyo-3 proper; if we don't have it, none of our competitors will."
"I'm sure."
"I'm being serious, ma'am; however, if you'd like, I can give you a referral for our main office in Osaka. They've always had a backlog of spare parts, and the lady who runs our main shop there is a proverbial whiz with electronics. If she can't help you, then nobody can."
"...just give me a card or something." Can't believe I'm looking at another road trip in the near future...but I don't have much time to do it, either. Once the store manager finished writing down the contact info for their Osaka office, she was at least informed that none of the diagnostic work done would be charged to her. Small mercies, she mused, stepping out of the glass doors. She briefly glanced at the store logo before looking down at the card which bore the same: Konoe Cybertech Systems. Flipping it over, she read the address and phone number for the Osaka office before reading the name of the point of contact. "Fuuka Konoe, hmm?" Doing a quick search on her phone, she stared quietly at the photograph of a woman in her late twenties with teal-blue hair. "Granddaughter of company founder Akira Konoe, been in the family business since she was a teenager...hmm." Let's hope she's all she's cracked up to be.
xxxx
As the sun neared its apex over Japan, it was still rising over the horizon of the arid lands of Afghanistan...
xxxx
/The Metaverse/
/Central Afganistan/
Musashi Strasberg knew that Takaya Sakaki wasn't going to punish them. The man's actions and rhetoric up to this point had not portrayed an individual prone to emotional explosions or displays of painful retribution. Even if the world vilified Strega...Takaya had given him and Keita food. He had given them power. More importantly, above everything else...he had given them the capacity for choice: to choose their fates, however dire or seemingly unfortunate.
Even so, years under Shiro Tokita's 'tender mercies' made the prospect of failure...daunting.
Hence why he and Keita Asari were kneeling on the hard ground, heads bowed towards Takaya. Standing upon a rugged mountain in the cognitive world, the ostensible 'leader' of Strega quietly communed with his Persona, or so it seemed; the blue veins of Bardiel extended from Takaya's outstretched hands: all intertwining with the limp body of Hypnos, as well as the vibrant red tendrils connecting him with black, leathery wings. What was Takaya thinking; what did he see? Musashi wasn't sure.
By comparison, Jin Shirato — listening to the rhythmic robotic chirps from Moros, a stern frown on his face — and Sho Minazuki — mediating through labor, as he and Tsukiyomi sharpened their blades — were easier to perceive. Jin, dedicated as he was to Takaya's goal, had little patience with other people who were not a part of their core group; Sho, meanwhile, was driven by a certain mania and battlelust. However, they all shared a particular antipathy towards humanity, on the verge of total misanthropy.
Musashi wished that Takaya was easier to gauge.
His Other inhaled deeply, relishing the sensation of terror.
"You are afraid of what you do not know."
Buzzing about them in intricate fashions, the legion known as Iruel spoke with analytical insight.
"DREAD CAN BE RECTIFIED WITH ADDITIONAL DATA. BUT MORE DATA MEANS NOTHING IF YOU LACK A MEANS OF INTERPRETATION, OR A METHOD OF EMPLOYING IT."
"...a very curious outcome, don't you think?" Musashi suddenly looked up with a jolt; Takaya had spoken without prompting. "A battle that could have easily been to the death; a battle where out of an old compassion, the full might of your Angelic gifts is held back; a battle where an arbiter of death and destruction renders all such conflict...pointless." Turning towards them, his yellow eyes glimmered with amusement. "Yet another illustration of just how little we matter, if we lack the power to make our wills manifest."
"Sakaki-san?" murmured Keita, as if questioning his point.
"The bond between the Angels enables me to understand a great deal," he explained. "The perceptions of your patrons are shared and filtered through my patron...and that knowledge becomes available for me to use as I see fit..."
(Part of Musashi, who had lived under the ever watchful eyes of Tokita and his subordinates in the JET ALONE Project, felt a streak of paranoia rise...)
"...so in a sense, no matter where you are, and no matter what stands in your way, I'm always with you."
(...but that paranoia gave way to appreciation for what seemed like honest camaraderie.) "And?" asked Musashi, trying to prompt an answer.
"I wonder what you'll do, the next time you meet?" loudly mused Takaya. "Your sister has made her loyalties clear...and, it would seem, so have the sisters who were bound to those manmade weapons."
Keita flinched at those words. "Big Sis and Little Sis...they just-"
An audible scoff from Sho interrupted him. "Oh come on, give it a rest; they've picked their side. Are you gonna be cowards about it?" The redhead shot them a crooked, toothy grin. "Or are you terrified that you may have to fight them for real, next time?"
Musashi resisted the urge to seethe and snarl at Zeruel's thrall. "You don't know what you're talking about-!"
"Let me guess," he interrupted once more, the sound of sharpening blades breaking through the silence. His tone became uncharacteristically melancholy. "You have people who...are all you've got, even if it ain't much. Then you lose 'em. You go through a bunch of shit. You see a light at the end of the tunnel, and it turns out it's just the beginning of the very same tunnel; there's no escape. No one's gonna save you, because they don't even care enough to reach out for you when you had nothing. At that point...destroying everything seems like a pretty good deal. And those same people you lost at the beginning...still think fighting for this shitty world is worthwhile." Smirking, the wildness in his eyes faded to an almost fatalistic resignation. "You gotta get used to the idea that your sisters don't matter, in the grand scheme of things. Kirishima, and that axe and shield of hers...they're always gonna be turned against ya. The humans they've sided with won't give them a choice in the matter."
"...we can still convince them," insisted Keita. "If...we had an Angel bond with her, and AIGIS and LABRYS, they'd understand-"
Jin snorted derisively. "You're wasting your time. Armisael was bonded with the Yamagishi girl, and what good did that do? Evangelion was still too much...and it was only sentimentality that allowed the girl to live, freed from her Angel's influence." Adjusting his glasses, Bardiel's second thrall coldly said, "Do you want to gamble on that same sentimentality sparing your sisters? NERV, the Anti-Terror Task Force, the Japanese government...either one of them would rather destroy the fruits of JET ALONE than let it become our ally...and you know it."
Takaya raised his hand, quieting Jin with a mere gesture. Crouching down, the pale and lanky man gazed into their eyes. "You swore that humanity would finally meet the end it deserves...the end it desires. Did you believe that your sisters would be spared from that? Did you believe, in your heart of hearts, that they would ever side with us?"
Musashi and Keita said nothing. (In a sense, they had always known.)
"...I suppose it is understandable, the longing of a child: to bring back those halcyon days, shining with innocent joy and hope." Takaya sighed, sounding almost mournful. "But those days are lost; that which is lost, can never be reclaimed...no matter how hard we try. Because time, no matter how often it rhymes, cannot be turned back." Tracing a finger along Bardiel's throbbing lines upon his flesh, he continued, "The way of life you have chosen is at cross purposes with the way of life chosen by your sister: a life dedicated to humanity's destruction cannot coexist with a life dedicated to protecting it. Thus shall you clash again and again...until one side lives at the expense of another. Will you be the ones who give way?" he asked, resting his hands upon his knees. "If so...it would be more merciful for you to die now, than to continue on in such a manner..."
Musashi impulsively glared, wanting to say so many things. Keita himself simply clenched his fists with quiet resolve.
Takaya, oddly enough, seemed pleased by their expressions. "And there it is...even now, you possess the will to live. Yet you have allowed yourself to be shackled, to keep yourself from experiencing every moment to its fullest...what is the point of having a goal, if you hold yourself back? Why have a desire at all, if you refuse to dedicate everything towards accomplishing it?" His yellow eyes seemed unnaturally piercing amidst the cognitive gloom. "Can you picture yourself ever forgiving those who took everything from you?"
Thoughts whirled through Musashi's mind: of Big Sis and Little Sis volunteering themselves as sacrificial lambs for Tokita; of Mana-neesan slaving away for their sake; of their growing anger and frustration as his sister carved away more and more of herself for the sake of those who cared nothing for her wellbeing; of the utter hopelessness that was humanity's current state, conjured by wretched dreams and restless spirits. "...no," he whispered.
"Can you picture yourself ever fighting for humanity, like your sisters have chosen to do?"
(What would be the point?) (Tomorrow is a mere delusion; there's no point in fighting for a future that doesn't exist.) This time, Keita spoke before Musashi could. "No."
"Then do you understand what the most merciful thing is that you can do for her?"
Takaya's question was open-ended. Yet, in light of everything they had witnessed, and what they had just spoken about...the orphaned brothers found themselves drawn towards one conclusion.
(The prior day: when Shinji Ikari walked back into the Auditorum, he felt as though he were staring at the essence of humanity's darkest and most destructive qualities. Asking what kind of monster it was felt only natural; what did it say of humanity, when its most vaunted guardian seethed with so much malice...?)
His Other quietly looked at a picture from older times: a picture of five orphans, doing their best to live.
"It would have been nice..."
(The prior day: as Mana-neesan's axe and shield took on a proverbial life of their own, he imagined them looking at him and Keita throughout the renewed battle. Were they still capable of thought? Were they alive, in a meaningful sense?)
"If they could have talked...what would they have said...?"
(The prior day: "I'm telling to go for your own good! LEAVE!" In the face of that monstrosity, Mana had told him and Keita to retreat...to abandon her. Keita tried one last time, to have her see reason: "you could come with us," he offered, because the choice would always be Mana's. They would never take that from her.)
His Other sighed, gazing at a nearby bonfire, born from nanomachines that had formed a living engine of combustion and heat and flame.
"...but wishing won't do us any good, will it?"
(The prior day: Despite being in a position of strength, compared to their clash in Tokyo-2; despite the fact that Mana-neesan was still standing, when they were wounded and forced to retreat...she still turned her back on them, to face Ikari. "My place is here, for now...but you're gonna see the light one day...you'll see.")
With a fateful gesture, his Other tossed the photo into the fire.
"The light she speaks of...is a light which was snuffed out before our time. Why fight for a species that has already died...and has simply yet to accept its own death throes?"
"...to end her life," murmured Musashi, grimacing as he felt hot, anguished tears roll down his cheeks. "To keep her from suffering pointlessly in a battle that has no meaning."
"...we can't change her choice to fight for them," echoed Keita, who was quietly crying as well. "So...the only thing we can do is respect that...and face her with everything we have. Either she dies...or we die."
Takaya's smile seemed genuine, for all that it lacked the patronizing condescension of Shiro Tokita. (It was a smile of satisfaction.) "When mutually exclusive choices are presented...one must give way to the other."
"Takaya," interrupted Jin with sudden alertness; Moros's head spun briefly. "We've got A.T. Agents inbound from Kabul."
Sho snorted as he rose to his feet. "Was wondering when they'd spot us. Not like we've bothered hiding."
Takaya stood back up; against the red and black sky of the Metaverse, his pale flesh cut a striking and illuminating figure. "You have already been baptized in the blood of human vermin...and have confirmed yourself in the deaths of those that these vermin have sent to stop us." Holding out his hands, the leader of Strega gave them a choice. "Will you consecrate yourself with the fullness of Strega's conviction, and renew your oath to the path you've chosen?"
Musashi and Keita glanced at each other. (If nothing else...they would be there for each other, until the bloody end.)
As one, they turned back towards the man that had helped them gain the strength to live...and took his hands in their own.
xx
It was a one-sided slaughter: Strega left no survivors.
By the time the carnage had come to an end, Musashi Strasberg and Keita Asari had shed the last of their tears.
xxxx
Once the meeting with Dr. Akagi had concluded, Team Statherós had collectively decided to head to the Cognitive Protection Center. The rationale had been simple: compared to missions involving Ghosts or Acolytes, anything involving other people's Shadows would necessitate a light touch. An intentional shackle, one might say.
Shinji wasn't going to complain.
Serendipitously, their presence turned out to be a boon, of sorts. The Chief Warden was apparently having various unscheduled meetings with the Anti-Terror Task Force personnel under his supervision. Their willingness to assist freed up Agents who would have otherwise been stuck with handling Shadow pacification.
It was enough to actually arouse curiosity.
xx
As Mayumi quietly read a bedtime story to an overly emotional Shadow — a gruff and temperamental police officer, of all things — Mana and Toji sat the foot of the bed: both as an audience, and as insurance to restrain the Shadow if he went berserk (again).
This freed up Shinji and Kensuke, who were sitting on stools at the edge of a cognitive kitchen that bore elements of a police interrogation room, a bar, and a wedding chapel. (Human thoughts could be so weird.) "...wonder what the Chief Warden is so preoccupied with..." murmured Kensuke.
"What do you mean?" quietly asked Shinji.
"...just an odd feeling I got, when we were getting the authorization to enter this cell. The Agents on duty in the Panopticon seemed...miffed."
Shinji mulled over Kensuke's words, wondering what they entailed. "...hmm." When's the last time I actually spoke with Akechi-san? Now that he was thinking about it...it had been back in August, when he had delivered Governor Shido's message by phone to Akechi.
(August the 5th: after delivering Shido's message, Goro Akechi had seemed...resigned, almost. When asking why Masayoshi Shido had had such an interest in Akechi, the older boy's response had said plenty: "Perhaps it may have something to do with the fact that I'm his son. If he's going to resort to such blunt and crude means of getting my attention, I'm certain that rumors of my parentage will soon start to circulate. In fact, I would count on him actively spreading rumors, albeit through proxies.")
...and now Shido is the President of the Japanese Confederation. Did that have something to do with it? "...hmm..."
"Have I got your noggin' goin'?" joked Kensuke.
"...a little. I think I'll want to talk with Akechi-san, once we're done. I haven't spoken with him in a while..."
Their brief conversation came to an end, as Mayumi suddenly remarked, "He's asleep." The police officer's Shadow was curled up in his bed, sleeping soundly. "So...where to next?"
"On to the next Shadow that they need us to pacify," answered Mana, picking up her axe and shield. "They've been relatively mild, so far..."
"Says the girl who didn't get punched in the face," griped Toji.
xx
In the very next Realm, Team Statherós started stoically at the resident's Shadow: a gluttonous giant that seemed to be inhaling everything within sight. "So hungry...I need more...!" growled the mass of seemingly gelatinous flesh, its hulking form slithering amidst a cognitive city.
"...you know, I want to get angry at you for jinxing it," griped Toji. "But...we'll finally be able to work on that stuff Dr. Akagi told us to focus on."
"Fair enough point," admitted Kensuke, gazing at Sinbad with excitement.
"...I'll try and see if I can summon Archetypes that will slow it down," said Mayumi, rising into the air upon Armisael's throne.
Mana glanced at AIGIS and LABRYS, focusing on the glimmer of their gemstones. "...hmm. No choice but to try and work on it the hard way."
Toji leapt upon Gilgamesh, flashing everyone a confident grin. "Guess I'll use my speed to run a distraction then; you guys do what you need to do!" With a triumphant cry, the boy's Persona took off on a boisterous sprint towards the gluttonous Shadow.
Shinji quietly gazed within himself, feeling for his Personas. (This Shadow did not merit the Ascended State.) Relying on an inner intuition, he tried to feel for Personas which complemented each other, operating by unwritten yet self-evident rules. Thus did he find himself riding upon Akabeko, with Hamlet standing upon the crimson cow's head. "...let's go."
(Fighting alongside his peers in a battle that was not to the death, where they were all working together to become stronger in new ways...was quite invigorating...)
xxxx
After nearly twenty Shadows had been pacified over the course of several hours, Shinji Ikari found himself face-to-face with Goro Akechi. "You look...tired."
Akechi quietly looked up from his desk, which bore numerous stacks of paper; they weren't even real papers, but the cognition of Akechi and the rest of the Agents had spawned them as a reflection of how much work the Chief Warden was enduring. "That's putting it mildly."
"...how come?" he asked, taking a seat across from the older boy; his answer was an arched eyebrow. "If you don't mind my asking..."
"Hmm. I suppose Katsuragi-san must not have told you, yet." Leaning back in his chair, Akechi looked around the cognitive office with a strange melancholy, laced with a readily identifiable bitterness. "Due to certain...extenuating circumstances, my tenure in Tokyo-3 will be coming to an end. She will be taking my place as the Chief Warden after the next new moon."
Shinji visibly balked at this news, because what. "I...but why? Did something bad happen?"
"I suppose one might call it a matter of perspective. Good for some, bad for others...or perhaps it's entirely neutral. It all depends."
"...you don't sound happy about it."
Akechi shot him a strange look, as though he hadn't expected him to say what was obvious. "Hmm. I must be more tired than I thought, if you can see through me. I'll have to work on that."
Shinji tilted his head, unsure if Akechi had meant to phrase his words as though they were an insult. "Why would I have to see 'through' you?"
"...you've become more inquisitive." Akechi folded his hands, his manacles clinking from the movement. "Hmm...you carry yourself differently...when was the last time we spoke? At least a month, yes?"
Shinji nodded. "It was about Governor Shido's message...though, I guess it's President Shido, now." With a measure of insightfulness, he asked, "Does you leaving have anything to do with that?"
Akechi's smirk was a strangely intimidating thing to witness. "Hmm...curious, how the past keeps clawing back. Curious, how making the best of one's circumstances can be so...vexing." For the first time, Shinji felt oddly perturbed by Goro Akechi; though the Chief Warden had always possessed a certain melancholic undertone, he had never felt...threatened. "I wonder: do you find yourself wondering why it never seems to end?"
"Why what never ends?"
"The struggle; dealing with issues that seem to always recur; feeling like you've moved on, only to realize you've ended up back where you started. Does that ring any bells?"
Shinji grimaced with each word spoken...
The Beast chuckled quietly.
...because why did Akechi have to hit so close to home? "...more than you might know, Akechi-san..."
"Oh? Elaborate."
Shinji blinked." Eh?"
"For someone so young, it might be considered quite gauche to claim such experience; can you actually back it up?" Akechi even phrased it as a challenge, which was...odd. (Why would he be competitive about it?)
"...well..." As he tried to think about how to phrase it, certain words from their past meetings came to mind...
(June the 23rd: After inquiring about the fate of Chiba Takehide, Akechi had discussed how awful an A.T. Agent's responsibility was, given the Shadows they interacted with. The young man challenged him as to whether he would change the unseemly desires of another person, even if there was no evidence they had ever acted upon them; when turning that question right back at him, Akechi-san's remark had simply been: "At one point...I would have done so without any hesitation." A brief aside about facing the consequences of his actions led to a foreboding comment: "Well...everyone has little bit of a dark side. I am no exception. The only question is: how much sway does that madness have over you? It is a question all agents ask themselves, at one point or another; I would advise that you ask yourself that same question too. Otherwise...there may come a time where you can't distinguish between yourself and your darkness...and the capacity of making a free choice could be lost to you forever.")
(July the 29th: After subduing Maiko Oohashi's Shadow, they had discussed how good intentions could have disastrous consequences. "It is a very tempting thing, to think of the power we possess, to use it of our own volition, and shape the world according to our own whims...but all too often, that way of thinking is a road which ends in ruin. It discards the fact that other people have wills of their own, and have just as much right to the consequences of their own actions as we do...no matter how much it may gall us. No matter how much we think that we're right, and they're wrong. Accepting that can be...difficult." Shinji could relate; Akechi then continued on. "It never ends. But I have to make do with what I have...and accept that there are things about the world, about humanity, that I can't change. If nothing else...it allows me to focus." Turning towards Shinji, he asked, "And how about you, I wonder? As an Evangelion-user...as someone who can wield multiple Personas...how much are you tempted to change the world, to accomplish your goals? What are you willing to do, to grasp your destiny? How many people are you willing to trample, to get what you want? I am not accusing you. I am simply offering you food for thought. After all...those are questions I must remind myself of every day.")
...and he couldn't help but wonder what Goro Akechi had gone through. "...I can't really speak for the other two Evangelion-users...but for me...it's like a fire that threatens to burn everything if I lose control. I don't know how or why I have this dark side...but it exists. And even though I've changed since coming to Tokyo-3 in June...even though I like to think I've grown as a person...I sometimes feel like I'm struggling with the same things, over and over. And...it gets..."
"Tiring?" interjected Akechi, his tone drier than a desert.
"...yes."
Akechi's expression was oddly heavy; untold memories passed behind that gaze, Shinji could tell. (What was he thinking about?) Finally, he lightly said, "Well...I suppose it is appropriate, for one of your station, to endure such struggles...but in the face of such repetition, the temptation to simply give in will undoubtedly arise. What do you think you'll do then?"
"...I..." He clenched his right fist. "I can't predict the future...but I won't give in. I...I can't afford to give in..."
The Beast chortled.
"We shall see..."
Yet, his Other was always watching: sometimes silent, sometimes distant...yet never forgotten.
"Never forget to take a stand...even if it takes an eternity to get back on your feet."
"...hmph." Akechi seemed amused by his words. "Out of the mouths of babes...it's strange, what similarities can be found in other people. It can be quite...irritating." He muttered something under his breath that Shinji couldn't hear, before adding, "I suppose...even if my disdain for Shido has yet to wane, circumstances have drawn me back to him. As ever...I must make the best of it. That's all we can do, in the end...no matter how much it galls us to do so."
"...I guess so," he admitted, feeling a strange sort of kinship with the older boy...
xx
It was only after Shinji left that Akechi allowed himself to scowl.
(August the 27th: After discussing how Shido wanted him reassigned to Kyoto Prefecture, his three...'peers' — and what a laughable farce that was, he had to admit; how could he ever be a peer to the likes of Arisato, Narukami, and Kurusu? — had advice of varying kinds. Though the prospect of 'making nice' with Shido made him want to commit murder, Kurusu — even now, it was still difficult to think of his rival as Ren Amamiya instead of Akira Kurusu — remarked, "Ever considered talking to the boy about it?" The prospect of confiding in Shinji Ikari made him feel ill, for how unbecoming the thought was: what did it say, for him to rely on the youngest of their number, even in light of the importance of his role? Narukami, alas, was quick to puncture his indignation. "Even children can be a crutch to lean on when you can't stand by yourself. Speaking from experience...and honestly, it makes them feel good, to be relied on.")
I hate that they were proven right, he mused.
The quiet stranger chuckled. "The truth shall set you free, as they say."
"I don't want to hear that from you, of all people."
"Perhaps...but so long as you and the boy improve...I'm willing to endure whatever stones you care to sling."
"...hmph."
Akechi threw himself back into his work; he had a lot of preparations to finish, to make Katsuragi's transition into the role of Chief Warden an easier one. (It also saved him the trouble of having to think about his father, if only for a little while longer...)
xxxx
The trio of Shinji, Kensuke, and Toji were well and truly tired by the time they returned to their room at the Izanagi Dorms.
"Welcome back," remarked Kaworu, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "How was your day?" he asked from his desk; in his hands was a book in a foreign language that Shinji didn't recognize.
"Ergh," muttered Kensuke, sinking into the floor.
"...busy," bluntly answered Toji.
Shinji's answer was to grab his SDAT player and fall onto his bottom bunk bed.
"I see. I hope your summer homework is complete, at least?"
Shinji heard Kensuke and Toji audibly groan in response to that question. I...will work on it tomorrow, he resolved, sticking the earbuds in and pressing play. As expected, a familiar blue tape began to play...
xxxx
...and he found himself sitting in a folding chair. The song was a soothing balm already. "Ah..."
"Mister Ikari!"
Shinji, already used to Sokila's capacity for explosive changes in volume, turned towards her with a smile. "Hello, Sokila-chan," he said, patting the small girl on the head. "It feels like it's been a while..."
Sokila blinked. "Really? We hung out in the Metaberse just last week!"
"Metaverse," he automatically corrected, moving his lips to make 'b' and 'v' sounds. "Can you repeat after me?"
He had the sinking suspicion that she had said the word incorrectly just to play this 'game' with him; she listened with a rapt interest that evoked happier times. It was strange, how simply making noises for Sokila to repeat could improve his mood.
Alas, boredom did as boredom does. "...can we do something different now?" asked the little Attendant, her hands fiddling with the straps of her sandals. "We can draw...paint...cook...play music...there's lots of stuff to do in the Velvet Room, now!"
"...well, while I'm thinking about it...there is something I want to do, first." It was strange, how the constant worries and struggles of reality seemed to fade away to the periphery, within this place; though they never truly left him, they seemed less daunting than usual. It allowed him to remember things of importance that were more relevant at the moment.
Thus did he approach the stage, where Igor sat patiently as ever. "Greetings, dear guest; do you require our services, on this night?"
"I do," he said, reaching for the Compendium.
Just as with Neko Shogun on August the 17th, Shinji worked in reverse to form the Persona that satisfied Sokila's request. He needed Decarabia, Matador, and Archangel; Matador was already in the Compendium, but Decarabia and Archangel would require some work; he could use his current Clotho and a registered Shiki-Ouji to form the first, whilst his registered Inugami and Kodama could form the last. His tiredness ironically made the mental strain seem less painful, as he slowly manifested the three cards: the ever-familiar Matador; the armored and winged knight of Heaven that was Archangel; and the starfish with an eye that was Decarabia. Humanity's thoughts can be so strange, he mused, as the three cards fell into their own individual pool. The orange liquid drained into the familiar central tank, swirling together and coagulating into a new form. Tetraja...came from Clotho into Decarabia...and now into this new Persona.
The glass tank seamlessly opened without shattering, letting the larger Persona emerge into fullness; atop a motorcycle with long handles and azure fire for wheels, the rider was a skeleton in black leather. Notably, his head was burning with similar flames, ending in a fiery scarf that billowed behind him. "Call me Hell Biker," he said with a crackly voice that echoed and reverberated. The rider leaned forward, grinning grimly at him. "Ah...you're pretty familiar with violence. We're gonna get along fine!"
Shinji grimaced as Hell Biker faded away, becoming one with him (no; it was already a part of him). Looking wearily at Sokila, he noticed that her reaction was somewhat...muted. "Sokila-chan?"
"...Theo-senpai made being on fire look a lot more fun..." she muttered, seemingly displeased with the result of her request. However, with one look at him, she pasted on a smile. "B-But it was what I asked for! A guy with a fiery head with Tetraja is what I asked for! So...I'm still happy!"
"...you don't have to pretend to be happy for my sake."
With a delightful pout, the girl grabbed at his hand, dragging him over towards the pile of musical instruments in a corner of the auditorium. "We can play music! That makes you feel better, right? I mean, some of the songs I've heard sound sad, but they made you feel better anyway, so I'm kinda confused as to how sad things can someone feel better-"
Shinji let the girl ramble on, even as he absentmindedly reached for a cello. Even though he wasn't quite sure as to how he had a talent with this instrument — compared to trying to master the awful powers of Evangelion, could he afford to spend time trying to look into the oddities of his memories? — he nonetheless took comfort in motions that shouldn't have been familiar, yet were.
The song of the Velvet Room, and the strings of the cello, overshadowed the uncertainty within his heart. If nothing else...it allowed for a peaceful night's sleep.
(And all the while, the other Attendants toiled away, unseen...)
xxxx
END OF 9/3/2015
xxxx
Author's Note: Interesting bit of historical trivia with regards to Japanese school security: since Second Impact occurred on September 13, 2000; it would have resulted in the IRL Osaka school massacre never occurring (which was a mass murder at an elementary school in Ikeda on June 8, 2001; that incident was what prompted an increase of security throughout the Japanese school system, including the introduction of stationed security guards as a commonplace measure).
Anyhow: Shinji fused three new Personas (Archangel, Decarabia, and Hell Biker), got to Fortune Rank 5 with Akechi, and Star Rank 6 with Sokila!
Also, more Persona characters got name-dropped: Ango Natsume and Akira Konoe...but more importantly, FUUKA!
/also
/Takaya needs to stop getting so many luck rolls on Charisma checks