Author's Note: With this chapter, we finally breach a million words per FFNet.
xxxx
Sokila was painting and drawing with a frenzied and joyous passion.
"It's been a long time since you met her..."
She was drawing pictures of Asuka Langley-Sohryu, all in the midst of fighting.
"...and she's still so COOL!"
Her smile was wide and genuine, yet her eyes glimmered with uncertainty.
"She seems...like a tough friend to make...but I'm sure you can do it!"
The faint haze of blue began to brighten-
xxxx
/Tuesday: September 8, 2015/
/Room 1, 2nd Floor, Izanami Dorms, Hakone Academy/
Asuka Langley-Sohryu woke up first, well before 7 AM. Hmm...first time I've slept in the same room with so many people in a while. Mercifully, Rei Ayanami slept like the dead, Hikari Horaki was near silent, and Mayumi Yamagishi — save for the occasional tossing and turning — was also a quiet sleeper. Huh. Not as bad as I thought it would be. The workings of her mind — her thoughts; her dreams; the voices that spoke to her, conjured from somewhere unknown — were still the loudest part of her room, so it was almost like nothing had changed from life at NERV-03.
(When she had returned from dinner the prior night — phasing back into reality outside the Izanami Dorms — she had all but ignored Hikari Horaki's attempts at communication, delving into the bathroom to take a shower. By the time she got out, both Mayumi and Rei had made it back; thus, she had felt no guilt in clambering onto her top bunk and going to sleep.)
Sure, she probably wasn't treating Hikari fairly...
Her Other arched an eyebrow.
"You definitely haven't. What has she done to earn your ire?"
...but compared to everything, dealing with school stuff was just so dull. The fact that the girl had seemed so intent on trying to make her 'fit in'...well, that didn't endear Hikari to Asuka. At all. Which isn't really her fault, but verdammt having to go to school is just such a drag. The longer she mulled over it, the more she was going to get irritated. I have to work off this stress. Get my mind in order...
The Beast weathered the roar of a mountain wind.
"The weight you've chosen to carry...how much does it define you?"
Asuka slowly sat up, grateful for the fact that the bunk beds were solidly constructed; they didn't sag or squeak with her movements, allowing her to quietly climb down without waking the others. Rei had the bottom bunk on the opposite side of the room, whilst Mayumi slept on the bunk above hers; this left Hikari Horaki to have the bed below Asuka's. With Hikari's hair loose from their usual pigtails, the freckled girl looked more mature than normal. Weird; you'd think she'd shoot for a more authoritative hairstyle if being the Class Rep is such a big deal. Maybe she's vain about looking youthful? Asuka shook her head, going for her designated drawers to find some clothes fit for jogging. Eh, I can psychoanalyze her later. She'll probably reveal more of who she is and save me the trouble of thinking too deeply.
(Such was the world of the Second Child: an Evangelion-user, primed for warfare against misanthropic paranormal entities; a geopolitical tool, constantly wondering at the motivations of those who had yet to earn her trust...)
(You'd prefer it if she just got the hint and stopped trying. It'd make things easier on you both...)
Unlike the last time she had gone on a morning run around the campus, Asuka — putting on a pair of sweatpants and a baggy sweater, because like hell was she going to wear that perverted gym uniform (bloomers! In this day and age! The nerve!) unless she absolutely had to — moved with an intent to get her workout in as quickly as possible, aiming for efficiency instead of leisure. Quietly binding her long hair into a simple ponytail with a hair tie, the Second Child quietly slipped out. There were only a few other girls moving about at this time of the morning, openly gazing at her as she moved by. I wonder if getting stared at like this will ever get old?
(Probably.)
Once she was outside, Asuka — inhaling deeply of the morning air, still warm despite the fact that the sun had yet to completely clear the Hakone caldera — stretched as she moved, loosening up with the aim of testing herself...that is, until her eyes were drawn to an unexpected individual. "Huh. Well if it isn't the Third Child."
Shinji Ikari, clad in a simple shirt and shorts, blinked owlishly at her. "Oh. Good morning, Sohryu-san."
Well, I suppose there are worse ways to start the day. The events of yesterday had at least cemented the fact he wasn't useless. (Even if the sheer variety of powers at his fingertips was completely unfair.) "Why are you up so early?"
"...I was about to go on a morning jog," he calmly replied, as if unsure as to why she had even asked.
Oh HO. Another opportunity to test their mettle. "Hmm. Guess you wouldn't be up for a race then. Eh? Wie klingt das?"
"I thought I told you before, I don't speak German-"
"Context clues, Third," she interrupted. "Sure, going on a jog is one thing, but I'm sure you're interested in getting revenge over how I beat you yesterday." Go for the ego, that should be an easy way to bait him-!
"Not...really?"
Asuka resisted the urge to deflate. "Seriously? Why not?!"
Shinji looked at her as though she were an idiot.
Her Other giggled.
"Careful not to project...Sister Mary and Director Kirijo did their utmost to stamp that out...
Asuka ignored the niggling sensation within her chest. "Well? I'd like an answer."
"...it was training. Everyone was trying to get better," he calmly replied. "Whether we won or lost, we all learned something...and that was the point, wasn't it?"
Asuka harrumphed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Oh, I'm sure you 'learned' plenty." Absentmindedly (or perhaps intentionally?), she shifted her arms under her chest. "For all your power, you're still just a simple boy, it seems..."
At this, Shinji's face actually flushed; whether it be from embarrassment or irritation or some combination thereof, the mere fact she had gotten under his skin was victory enough. "You were the one who pushed my face against your chest, you know..."
"Simple, yet still bold? I bet you're already thinking nasty thoughts..."
At this not-quite-an-accusation, he looked honestly perplexed. "Are...are you for real?"
(...not the response she was hoping for. You'd best wing it.) "Look we're both out on a morning run, so we might as well make it interesting! How about...loser buys breakfast?"
"Do we have to make it a competition?"
"I guess not...if you want to be boring."
"I mean...there's not really any stakes?" He scratched at the back of his head, looking a tad unsure. "Win or lose, I'd probably end up buying for us both anyhow..."
...damn it, he's got me there. How to respond without making it awkward? (Or without commenting on the fact he was acting chivalrously without apparently thinking about it?) "Hmm. Guess I'll just have to think of something appropriate after I beat you."
"...fine, whatever."
Score! "These Courtyards are pretty big...how about first one to complete a circuit wins?"
Gazing around the greenery and trees of the Academy grounds, Shinji replied, "That seems fair enough."
"Tch," grumbled Asuka, unimpressed by his utter lack of enthusiasm. "You could stand to be a bit more into this."
"I'm really not. You're the one making this into a contest, not me..." Tilting his head, he honestly asked, "Does it really matter?"
"If you're not winning, you're losing," she quipped, leaning her leg forward in preparation to run. "Are you ready? Set..." Sighing, Shinji seemed to reluctantly mirror her position, looking ahead with steadfast eyes. "...GO!"
And then they were off: not going full tilt yet, but still running at a pretty brisk pace.
Annoyingly, Shinji Ikari kept up without much in the way of apparent difficulty. Even out of the corner of her eye, she could see the intense focus on his face. So there IS a competitive streak in there somewhere, she thought, grinning to herself. I'll drag it out somehow, if it's the last thing I do!
(At this point, the exact motivations for this course of action had utterly escaped her...and she wouldn't be able to articulate them even if asked.)
xx
As for Shinji? He would ultimately lose the race, flagging near the end as his stamina ran out on him; regardless of his skills, Asuka had the undeniable edge in physical conditioning. It was only obvious, given that she had been fighting for years, and he for only a matter of months.
(Even so...the strangely competitive air in which he had raced against her...had been quite invigorating...incredibly so, turning his morning from vibrant to downright dynamic...!)
xx
Fortunately, the impromptu race had resulted in Shinji and Asuka ending up near LeNoir Café; as far as breakfasts went, it was one that the redhead had no complaints about. "Even if it's French decor, it's as European a place as I've seen since arriving in this country." After they each ordered a cup of the morning roast, as well as their respective breakfasts — Shinji opted for the omurice special, whilst Asuka settled for a hearty sandwich slathered with meat, eggs, and cheese — they sat back and simply...absorbed the atmosphere, listening to the song of a woman play over tinny speakers. "People come and they go...some people may stay with you though..."
xxxx
Another place. Another time. Somewhere...far removed, yet not at all.
"I think I'll recommend this restaurant. The food is great!"
Circumstances dictated that the food was his own, cooked by his own hands; he had simply brought it from...home.
It was strange, to think of how a place so fragile could still be called 'home'...even amidst unimaginable hardship(?)...
xxxx
Eventually, the spell was broken, as Asuka spoke. "So. You've been an Evangelion-user for what? A little over three months, now?" Leaning back in her chair, she asked, "How has it been treating you?"
Shinji, folding his hands together on the table, thought seriously about the question. "...I would be lying if I said it was all positives." Physical pain, emotional turmoil, fallen comrades, and stakes that truly could have been called earth-shattering. "But...there have been good things, too." The relationships that only existed because of his status as an Evangelion-user; the friendships he had forged; that, in spite of everything, he was becoming a better person...hopefully. "It depends on the day I get asked, I think..."
"...fair enough. I'd have called you a baka for saying everything was all positive, and I'd have called you a Dummkopf if you'd said there had been nothing good about being in your position." Sipping at her mug, the girl remarked, "Still...your attitude's not what I expected."
"Too hesitant?" he offered.
"No. Too laidback." In response to his palpable shock, she elaborated. "You probably got the whole spiel when you first manifested, right? About how the Marduk Institute has scanned millions and millions of people to determine compatibility with Project E." Grinning darkly, she remarked, "Honestly, it had been so long where it was just me and First, I never thought they'd find a Third Child...and then it turns out that the son of Gendo Ikari is the one...yet it took until 2015 to discover you?"
...she has a point. Were it not for how complicated everything with his father was, it might have occurred to him sooner. "I...honestly didn't think of that. I've been busy with...other things."
"Clearly," she grumbled, looking somewhat unimpressed. "Given how you can somehow use more than one Persona, I'm not surprised. But still...the First, when she summons an Evangelion, calls it Zerogoki: Unit-00. When I summoned mine for the first time, I called it Nigoki: Unit-02. You'd think I would have called it Unit-01, but no; it didn't feel proper, like Nigoki did. And then, years later, you come along...and you call it Shogoki: Unit-01. A similar naming scheme, similar powers, similar appearances...and we called them that without prompting. Weird, isn't it?"
...it IS weird. "You've thought a lot about this, Sohryu-san."
Asuka shrugged. "The world prizes me for my Evangelion. It'd be weird if I didn't think about it." Her lips briefly twitched, as though a stray thought came to mind. "Heard you gave Sister Mary an assist on Sunday, by the way."
"Oh. Yes. It was a coincidence...but she seemed pretty strong."
"She is," Asuka begrudgingly admitted. "As strong as she is annoying. But...eh, never mind."
"What is it?"
Asuka's response was unexpected. "Interested in my past? Wanting to dig into all the juicy bits, hm? What a surprising gossip you are," she added, speaking with an amused grin.
...eh? How was that her take? "Not at all. I don't really pry into other people's business if I can help it...it's rude, for one. And some people...just don't want to talk about stuff that's so private." (After all, he certainly was no shining paragon on that regard.)
For some reason, his response seemed to annoy her. "And I'm sure you know nothing about your little 'buddy squad.' Is that what you're trying to tell me?"
"...we all went through a lot, Sohryu-san. I didn't set out to try and find out everything about Kensuke Aida, Toji Suzuhara, Mana Kirishima, Mayumi Yamagishi, or Rei Ayanami...but everything I do know about them? It only occurred after we became closer with each other...and even then, it wasn't all at once. And not all of it was expected, either..."
"And yet here you are, trying to find out more about me."
Was she trying to be difficult? "Well...would it really be a bad thing? We're comrades. Allies. And if we became friends...wouldn't that be better?"
Asuka arched an eyebrow, as if trying to take his measure. "So you're saying it would be convenient?"
xxxx
Another place. Another time. Somewhere...that felt more innocent, paradoxically.
A brunette with a fiery personality (Asuka?) looked upon a blunette with an icy disposition (Rei?). "-let's be good friends!"
Rei quietly looked back at her book. "What for?"
"Because, it would be
convenient. You know what I mean!"
"If I'm ordered to, I will do it."
"Ooh...freakazoid..."
The redhead's voice somehow carried far enough for three boys (Kensuke, Toji, and...himself...?) to hear from atop an overpass. "It takes one to know one," grumbled Toji. "I wonder if only weirdos are chosen to be Eva Pilots?"
Eva...'Pilots'...?
xxxx
Shinji ignored the strange sensation in the back of his mind, both heavy and light. "Friendship isn't about convenience," he said. "Because my friendships...they've been a lot of things. Convenient is not the first word I'd think of."
"Is that so?"
"I mean...when you think of Makinami-san, does 'convenience' come to your mind?"
The girl's nose curdled, eyes narrowing with...suspicion? No, not quite suspicion; it was something akin to reevaluation. "...you're strange, Third."
"I'm strange?" he impulsively retorted.
"Oi, what are you implying?!" she growled.
"...maybe we should start over," he said, if only for diplomacy's sake. "I'm Shinji Ikari; is there a reason we can't be friends?"
Asuka rolled her eyes. "Too corny. First impressions don't get a do-over...and I can think of plenty of reasons why we can't, or shouldn't be friends. And yet...it would certainly be convenient." With a strange grin — confident, self-assured, cocky, challenging — she held her hand forward. "Let's shake on it."
What's with her? Even so, he nonetheless reached out, taking her hand in his own; her grip was surprisingly strong as they sealed the deal.
xxxx
And all the while, on a subconscious level, in words he had no way of knowing...a voice — still different, yet oddly familiar — spoke, within the depths of his being:
Thou art I, and I am thou...
Thou hast witnessed this potential before.
The seas of depravity are vast;
yet the truth can be found with certitude.
The Arcana is the means by which
all is revealed...now is the appointed time.
This bond shall now be revealed...
This time, the voice spoke with a more familiar cadence:
I am thou, thou art I...
Thou hast acquired a new bond.
It shall lead thou to the truth
that parts the seas of depravity.
Take hold of the Lovers Arcana,
and let it guide you
to a new Promised Land...
xxxx
As Shinji removed his hand from hers — strangely slow, yet all too quickly — their breakfasts arrived. "Good timing," he mused to himself.
"Finally, I was starving," she remarked, briefly appreciating the visible caloric density of her sandwich before taking a measured bite.
...you're an exhausting person to be around, Asuka, he thought inwardly. (Yet why did that seem so fitting...?)
xx
As Asuka ate her breakfast, she quietly kept the Third Child in her peripheral vision at all times. You're an oddity, Third, she mentally observed. (And yet, could it have been any other way...?)
xxxx
Shinji and Asuka amicably parted ways...although the Second Child hadn't been able to resist a parting shot of "You better be faster next time!" before she took off to the Izanami Dorms.
(She really had quite the competitive streak...)
He made it back to his room at the Izanagi Dorms just as Toji was getting out of the shower. "Was wondering where you went," said Toji, a towel wrapped around his waist.
"I went for a morning jog when I ran into Sohryu-san."
"Oh? Did you put her in her place?"
He shook his head, grabbing a change of clothes from his area of the dorm room. "No; she beat me in a race. But we had breakfast afterward, so I guess we're fine..."
"Ah." A beat passed, before Toji boggled. "Wait-?!"
"I'm going to grab a quick shower," he said, politely nodding before ducking into the bathroom. I need to get this sweat off...
xx
Toji stared at the bathroom door as it closed, utterly befuddled. "...the hell?!"
"So, did I hear something about Shinji having breakfast with the new girl?" asked Kensuke from further in; the boy was atop his bunk bed, idly stretching his limbs to get motivated.
"Yeah."
Kaworu sighed melodramatically. "Ah...perhaps he has been bewitched by Asuka-chan's charms?" he wondered aloud. "It would be quite interesting, given the dynamics among your little group..."
"...what are you referring to?" inquired a suspicious Kensuke.
Kaworu, sitting at his desk — idly squeezing a stress ball in a rhythmic pattern — simply remarked, "Well, as far as I'm aware, you are close friends with Mayumi-chan and the axe girl; Mana-chan, I believe her name was? Ayanami-san also seems close to Shinji-kun in particular...and now we have the new transfer student, a fellow Evangelion-user, but one with a strikingly different personality." Red eyes twinkling with apparent mirth, he added, "It makes you wonder just how much of a fine specimen Shinji-kun must be, as far as young men go, to capture such myriad eyes...am I wrong?"
Toji looked flatly at Kaworu, grabbing his school uniform to change into. "You're reading too much into things again. I mean, can you even imagine Ikari as some kind of heartbreaking playboy?" The very image was laughable.
"...I just suddenly had an image of Shinji as the protagonist of Tensei Muda!" said Kensuke with dawning horror. "That's the sort of wretched fate I wouldn't wish on anyone."
Toji blinked. "...you lost me Ken."
"Eh, Yamagishi-san would get it..." Kensuke suddenly sat up, as though lightning had struck him. "Oh boy. This could be tricky..."
"Ken?" asked Toji with concern.
"...so, as you might have gathered from last night, Mana-san might have...feelings for Shinji. Or something close to it, at any rate; she's not exactly at a level of social development where we can talk about 'normal,' you know?"
"I kinda gathered that when she held Ikari's face against her boobs for, like, a full minute," crudely retorted Toji.
Kensuke shushed him. "The walls have ears, Toji!"
"Oh come on, we're in a boys dorm. I mean, we all heard worse from Tomochika, gods rest his soul."
Kaworu chuckled. "He was quite the horny little teenager, wasn't he? Loveable though he was for such simplicity..."
"You're in no standing to talk about anyone else's perversions, Nagisa-kun," griped Kensuke before turning back to his best friend. "But seriously Toji, don't forget that Yamagishi-san's Persona allows her to telepathically communicate. What if you get too loud in your own head and she overhears you? What if she upgrades from telepath to a full-blown psychic?!"
Toji loudly slapped the side of Kensuke's bunk. "Focus, Ken. We're talking about Ikari, Mana-san, and the new girl. Keep your paranoia about Yamagishi to yourself."
"Ah. Right." Clearing his throat, Kensuke finally found the energy to get off of his top bunk, scrambling to get out of his sleeping clothes and into his school uniform. "I don't know if Yamagishi-san might be rethinking her tactics after how she highlighted the whole 'honorific upgrade', but regardless of why she's interested, I'm more into the group dynamics. I thought this was going to be funny, but now I'm starting to think about the downsides more..." Furiously scratching at his hair, Kensuke groaned audibly. "Man...our Team had a pretty good thing going, but it could be undone if we're not careful..."
"No kidding," grumbled Toji. "Is it really all because of the new girl?" A sneaking suspicion slowly made itself known. "Maybe...she's his type?"
Kaworu chuckled, shaking his head at their growing gloom. "Well, I think you're all being quite silly. Has it ever occurred to you that Shinji-kun could simply talk with Mana-chan about the matter of feelings in a calm and productive manner, reaching a mutual decision about their relationship in a mature way, however it goes? Just like he could with Asuka-chan, or any other person that happens to fancy him or vice-versa?"
Kensuke and Toji turned slowly towards Kaworu, looking at him as though he were an idiot. "Nagisa-kun...you've said a lot of outlandish things. That is right up there with your most outlandish," said Kensuke. "I mean, Persona-users though we may be, we're still teenagers, in the hormonal battleground known as Junior High! A clean and tidy ending that results in no bloodshed is impossible!"
"Oh ye of little faith," remarked Kaworu with a chuckle, his hair sparkling oddly in the morning ambiance. "Has not Shinji-kun pulled off extraordinary feats in your presence? Why then would the matter of human females be so arduous?"
"Because girls are complicated," chorused the duo.
"Speaking from experience?" Kaworu asked with a smile. "How interesting! I was unaware you'd finally found romance of your own." Glancing at Toji, the ashen-haired boy asked, "Have you finally wormed your way into Hikari-chan's heart?"
"Why are you bringing up the Class Rep?!"
"Toji-kun, she's fooling no one, and neither are you." Without elaborating further, Kaworu looked at Kensuke. "And you? Perhaps you found a summertime passion of your own, Kensuke-kun..."
Kensuke gulped. "Look, maybe we should keep the discussion on Toji and the obvious thing he's got with Horaki-"
"Ken got kissed by a girl from Shinji's village," interrupted Toji, immediately throwing Kensuke under the bus for the sake of changing the subject.
"TOJI?!"
Kaworu's eyes glimmered with intrigue. "Oh? I smell gossip~"
"Yeah Ken. Tell him," said Toji with a vicious grin.
Kensuke, agog with shock and disbelief, quickly glared at his friend. "...that's a low blow."
"Then stop bringing up the Class Rep. It's getting old!"
Kensuke huffed. "How did we even get from the stuff with Shinji to...whatever this mess is?!"
A fourth voice spoke up. "What mess?" Everyone turned around watching Shinji emerge from the bathroom, clad in his uniform. "Is...something wrong?"
"Nope! Nothing's wrong!" immediately answered Toji.
"Exactly!" agreed Kensuke. "And hey, look at the time, classes are starting soon! Let's bring this up at another time, preferably never."
"Couldn't agree more!" loudly said Toji with a forced grin, as the duo barreled past Shinji and out the door.
xx
Shinji blinked, dumbfounded, as his two friends vacated Room 23. "Uh..." What was THAT about...? Slowly turning to Kaworu, he let his confused expression ask the obvious questions.
Kaworu simply shrugged, holding his hands lackadaisically in the air. "Boys. Am I right?"
"But...you're a boy as well."
"Indeed I am," said Kaworu with a strange little smile, his red eyes brimming with some strange emotion. "Shall we be off? I'd hate for them to get too far ahead; just think of the rumors~"
"...what rumors?"
At this, Kaworu simply chuckled, patting him on the shoulder as he walked past. "Never change, Shinji-kun...never change..."
Did...did I miss something? He hadn't even been in the shower that long! Maybe...I should just leave them be. That sounded like great advice, actually...
(Meanwhile, elsewhere on the Academy campus, Yu Narukami suddenly pumped his fist with a feeling of inexplicable pride.)
xxxx
Once everyone made it to homeroom, the general bizarreness of the morning's shenanigans faded away; classes had a way of grinding away at outliers and peculiarities.
Such as the second period's class with Maya Ibuki. "The instability of life only makes one appreciate mathematics more," she mused, quietly drawing some circles on the blackboard. "Regardless of the structure of government, or what conflicts flare up, or what threats face humanity...equations remain unchanged. Mathematical laws and mathematical constants remain fixed. Such as this lovely little number." She then drew a particular symbol in large font: π. "Now...Ikari-kun."
"Yes, sensei?"
"Would you, perchance, know the name of this symbol?"
Squinting and looking at it intently, Shinji had a trace thought come to mind, courtesy of the summertime discussion regarding team names in Nishiawakura before they had settled on Statherós. Huh, that letter...it was in that Greek word that Yamagishi-san said meant 'fidelity'...πιστότητα...pistótita...how was that first letter pronounced again? Oh right, pi. (This thought process occurred in about one second.) "I...think it's 'pi'?"
"Correct. A commonly known mathematical symbol, especially among computer and math nerds. But would you happen to know the language this symbol is from?"
"Greek, sensei."
Maya arched an eyebrow. "Someone's been reading ahead."
Not really, he thought. (But neither did he try to correct her.)
"But yes, pi is a Greek letter, used to represent a specific ratio: the circumference of a circle to its diameter! And it has all sorts of properties," she said, beginning to dive into her lesson regarding circles and their geometric characteristics. All the while, some of the other students whispered among each other.
"-why would he know Greek?"
"How does he have time to study with everything else..."
("Why are these kids so impressed with him knowing that pi is a Greek letter?" muttered Asuka under her breath.)
Even so, there was an odd feeling of satisfaction; for as much as he had cultivated his knowledge, there was something to be said for being able to recall disparate facts with an ease he hadn't possessed mere months ago. (If nothing else, wielding different aspects of his own cognition seemed to make learning easier...)
And so classes continued.
xxxx
However, as noon passed and the lunch period began, all three Evangelion-users got a message on their phones.
MAGI: PATTERN BLUE DETECTED. PRELIMINARY LOCATION — HOKKAIDO/KOCHI PREFECTURES
MAGI: MORE DETAILS TO FOLLOW
"Entschuldigung!" exclaimed Asuka, stuffing the rest of a meat bun into her mouth as she leapt from her desk.
Rei calmly followed, using long strides to catch up with Asuka. "To the rooftop," she said, gently guiding her by the shoulder.
Shinji looked back at his fellow classmates, since it was apparently up to him to speak on the Eva-users' behalf. "Duty calls, I think. Pardon us," he said with a slight bow. He quickly turned to follow the two girls, following the flickers of red and blue in his peripheral vision.
Once he was on the rooftop, he could already hear Asuka debating with her senpai. "-you want to go for Hokkaido, and I go for Kochi? You're better with the cold anyway."
"...that is not disagreeable, but we should ensure that we are working on proper shifts," elaborated Rei, her red eyes looking at Shinji briefly. "Now that there are three of us, it would only be logical for us to set up some sort of rotating shift. It would better enable us to rest and ensure that we are ideally in a position of strength."
Asuka nodded. "Seems like a good idea. Is this really the time for it, though?"
"I simply wanted to bring it to your attention, so you can give it some thought." Rei glanced back at Shinji. "Do you object, Ikari-san?"
Shinji shook his head. "I don't see why I would. It makes sense, right?" Looking down at his phone, he saw that the MAGI had not submitted any more Pattern Blues; however, the precise locations had been given: Asahikawa in Hokkaido and Susaki in Kochi. "Will you need my help at either one?"
"As if," scoffed Asuka. "I bet I'll curbstomp the Acolytes and be back before school lets out! Auf Wiedersehen!" Without another word, she took off running towards the rooftop's edge; by the time she reached it, she had already faded into static and vanished.
Shinji nearly sagged. "She has...a lot of energy," he diplomatically said.
"When it comes to her purpose, she has always been rambunctious," cryptically said Rei. After a brief pause, she asked, "You had breakfast with Sohryu-san this morning?"
"...yes. But is this the time?"
"What did you talk about?" There was a strange severity to her tone.
"...nothing regarding...the true war, if that's what you're trying to get at," he cautiously said. "But she did bring up some good points about Evangelion...I never thought about why we ended up calling them Zerogoki, Shogoki, or Nigoki." Rei's expression didn't budge. "Do you know why, Ayanami-san?"
"...to an extent."
"Does...does Sohryu-san know about the truth? About...everything?"
"As far as I'm aware, no."
Shinji scowled, trying not to bit at his lower lip too hard. "She...she has to learn at some point, doesn't she? She's an Evangelion-user, like you and me."
"Agreed. But that is a decision I will leave up to you."
Shinji boggled as Rei turned around. "What?! Why me?"
"...because, Ikari-kun, you are the lynchpin. The power you wield, in itself, grants you an authority beyond most. But with greater authority, comes greater consequences..." Looking solemnly over her shoulder, she added, "You are aware of this by now."
Images of Saori Hasegawa, Ken Amada, Junpei Iori, and Hirofumi Kurosawa — all dead, killed in action — came to mind. "...I wish I could meet whoever decided that I have to be the one to make these sorts of decisions." The lingering bitterness over how much he was holding back from Misato Katsuragi came to mind; even though they had come to a uneasy peace over the fact he knew more than he was letting her know, it still galled, deep down. "I want as much help as possible, because I'm too weak by myself...yet the more people get involved, the more likely they'll get hurt...and it would be my fault..."
At this, Rei could only say, "It is the Trial of the Wild Card...and the Curse of Evangelion...to bear responsibility for every single action you undertake. I would only advise that you think carefully before deciding whether or not to involve someone else...because neither you nor I can predict how our enemies will respond." She turned away, looking quietly to the north. From behind, he could see traces of the tension which never left her frame. "To be aware of the dangers lying in wait for those you care for...to warn them, and make them carry a burden that was never meant to be theirs...or to keep them in blissful ignorance, and risk their resentment..." She sighed; the mere sound revealed a whole world's worth of ancient anxieties. "Such is a mother's lot..." Without saying another word, she vanished into static.
Shinji grimaced, slowly clinching his right fist over and over. It's not fair, he briefly thought, letting some childish petulance leak out. But...what else am I supposed to do?
His Other looked cryptically into the empty skull.
"To be, or not to be?"
The Beast looked at a different skull — charred, blackened — before crushing it.
"To make others 'not be' so you can 'be'?"
As one, they looked at him.
"It's a question you must ask yourself everyday."
Grimacing, Shinji briefly paced across the rooftop for a few minutes, bringing his lingering agitation under control before returning to lunch.
xxxx
Thankfully, none of Shinji's classmates seemed to question his quick return ("They could take care of the current missions on their own; I was left behind on standby," he had explained.), so classes resumed shortly thereafter.
Once cleaning time was over, Shinji Ikari found himself wandering to the library, finally returning a book he'd had checked out since July the 10th. If there are any words I need help with on Hamlet in the future, I think I can probably just look them up on my phone, he mused, turning in the combination dictionary-thesaurus for Japanese-to-English. However, he felt like checking out a separate book; one that felt especially pertinent in light of his new comrade. I feel like Asuka's going to keep using German without explaining, he mused, grabbing a German-to-Japanese translation handbook. Huh, he thought, staring at the blurbs on the front cover. It covers over two thousand common idioms...
"Looking to learn German, Ikari-kun?"
Shinji barely managed to keep himself from yelping. Looking over his shoulder, he saw a familiar elder gazing at the bookshelf through visored eyes. "Principal Lorenz?"
"Good afternoon," greeted the old man, visibly glancing at the manual in Shinji's hand. "I can only surmise that you're interested in the language of the new transfer student?"
"...how did-?"
"Why else would you be checking out anything related to the German language?"
...that's fair. Quickly changing the subject, he asked, "H-How is everything, Kōchō-sensei?"
"Hectic, to put it mildly," Lorenz remarked with little in the way of introduction. "But nothing that is fit for a student to listen to, even one as politically important as yourself."
"Politically important?" he echoed.
"Persona-users. Evangelion-users, especially," he elaborated, quietly looking around the library at the various students milling about: most studying and looking through books diligently, whilst not a few picked quiet corners for illicit conversations over whatever tickled the minds of budding teenagers. "It's strange; no matter how the world changes, our difficulties remain the same. Governments change, families change, people change..."
Shinji, knowledgeable enough to realize Lorenz was rambling, simply let him be; the Principal would eventually arrive at his point, he was sure.
Sure enough, he did. "I've had quite a few representatives of Kanagawa's prefectural administration reaching out to me, to schedule interviews with you, Ayanami-kun, and Sohryu-kun. It seems to escape their notice that I'm merely an Academy principal; NERV is the relevant party regarding such matters of jurisdiction. But apparently, your father is quite a difficult individual to negotiate with."
Shinji wasn't sure what to make of that; he settled for a noncommittal hum, agreeing to the sentiment but not its fullness. "Are we a problem?" he quietly asked.
Lorenz replied in a measured tone. "Students can be problematic only to the extent that they are also people; however, as students, I've received no cause for complaint...well, Sohryu-kun seems a tad rambunctious based on what I've heard from some of her teachers, but I imagine that will be mitigated by time. Anything beyond your capacity as a student is quite outside my ability to cast judgment upon."
"...are you sure?" Shinji impulsively wondered. "Because teachers...senseis...they have a lot of impact on students...even in ways that aren't written down..." He thought of Fuyutsuki-sensei, and his relationship with the Ikaris, the Akagis, and the Isshikis. He thought of Ryuji Sakamoto, and all the ways he had helped Toji and his friends by proxy. "Even if it's something you don't have control over, it's not like I would turn down advice..."
"An interesting proposal, given my rather self-serving deal with you," he remarked.
"...deal?" Shinji replied with a blink, before recalling the details. "Oh. Right."
(June the 18th. After meeting with the principal one-on-one per Lorenz's request, the elderly man lamented his apparent reputation amongst the student body. "Believe it or not, I do want students to succeed in their endeavors, and have always advertised my willingness to assist. Alas, so many seem to avoid me, as if by instinct. It's the most bizarre phenomenon, honestly...perhaps you might be able to assist me." His befuddled response prompted Lorenz to elaborate. "I'm not entirely sure where my reputation as some sort of 'soul-devouring ghoul' came from, but if they see you interacting with me and coming out in one piece, I'm sure the rumor mill will take care of the rest. In return...I can provide advice. Wisdom. After all, I've been around the block more than a few times, and can remember life before this nasty business with Angel Syndrome came about. What say you?")
"Imagine: a principal, bartering advice to a child, when that's supposed to be my function regardless. And over something so middling as mere reputation?" Sighing, the old man quietly cradled a rather thick book in his hands; on the spine of the hardcover, he could make out the English characters LEVIATHAN, under which was the author's name: Thomas Hobbes. "Strange, how dealing with the politics behind governmental reorganization makes such concerns seem so trivial."
"...I don't think reputation is trivial," admitted Shinji.
"Is that so?" inquired Lorenz.
"Well...it matters when it comes to how I look to the people I care about," he admitted (inwardly grimacing at how craven and self-centered it was; yet could he deny the truth of it?). "But...given my power, I probably should care more about what others think..." (Yet it was so very exhausting. Who had the time?)
"The never-ending problem of power and authority," concurred Lorenz. "You remember the book I was speaking about the last time? Machiavelli's The Prince?" Tapping at the heavy book with his thumb, he added, "I've always considered Hobbes's Leviathan to be a companion work of sorts; both approaching the matter of sovereign power from different angles. Whereas Machiavelli seemed to focus more on pragmatism and practicality, Hobbes dealt more deeply with the ethics and philosophy behind the power by which society is ruled. Yet some might consider Hobbes's view to be all the more pessimistic precisely because of how much more detail he goes into...especially when considering his rather brutal depiction of man in the 'state of nature'." Gazing at Shinji, he asked, "Not that you would be voting in the upcoming constitutional referendum...but do you think that life would be simpler if all were subject to the rule of one?"
Shinji thought about it. His innards seemed to curdle at the prospect. "Well...it would depend on who's ruling...and what they're ruling..." He imagined what sort of power or personality would be required to reign in the likes of such disparate people like Rei Ayanami, Toji Suzuhara, Asuka Langley-Sohryu, Sho Minazuki, or Gendo Ikari; the utter enormity of the task would have been agonizing. "...but I don't see how it could be done..."
Lorenz hummed, his aged throat making the sound gravelly. "Most would default to that perspective; one who tries to rule everything inevitably requires more and more power to effectuate their rule. One could argue that such an absolute sovereign could convince the multitude by reason, yet mankind is ever influenced by irrational passions and appetites; I'm certainly no different."
"Why do you say that?"
"Why else would a miser like me find consolation in the fact that a youth such as yourself finds value in my ramblings?" he remarked with a sort of soft bitterness: one that only seemed harsh in terms of the message itself, and not the tone of the words used. "Waxing about political philosophy to a teenager tasked with fighting supernatural monsters as an extracurricular activity: is that not a humorous image?"
"...why would it be?" Shinji honestly wondered.
At this, the Principal cracked a smile. "Without guile, as ever," he wondered. "Even if an absolute sovereign is a practical impossibility, I wonder if such a one could exist: one whose power is unquestioned, yet rules with a light touch; one who is so immense as to be unrecognizable, yet whose presence cannot be denied...one who serves the greatest good in unequivocal terms."
"What would that 'greatest good' be?"
"Now that is the question, Ikari-kun," stated the Principal. "One that I doubt I'll live long enough to see...but hopefully one that your generation will have an answer to. Maybe then, all this squabbling over bureaucratic red tape will finally end," he said, in the manner of one joking. "Then again, would we still be humanity without such difficulties?" The old man slightly nodded, the thick visor on his face making the motion appear heavy. "If you'll excuse me. Have a good afternoon, Ikari-kun."
Shinji bowed in return, saying farewell to Keel Lorenz as he slowly walked away. Why do we keep having so many deep conversations in the library, he idly wondered. Even so, it was still something helpful to reflect on...especially in light of the conversation he had had with Ayanami earlier that day...
Thoughts about the nature of power and authority swirled through his mind as he went to check out his new book. (If there were some students who murmured behind his back about why he seemed so friendly with the Principal, he paid them no mind.)
xxxx
/KiKi Ichibanya, Outskirts of Hakone Academy/
As the sun dipped below the horizon, and night fell across Tokyo-3, Shinji was enjoying dinner with friends, sitting at a circular table with Mayumi, Hikari, Kensuke, Toji, and Kaworu, in that order. It wasn't long before Shinji began to feel a strange yet familiar sensation, akin to sonar pinging off of an approaching beast of the deep blue sea. This bore fruit in short order: right as their orders came back, Rei and Asuka walked in, looking somewhat tired...albeit in a triumphant sort of way, at least as far as the Second Child went.
Shinji, unfortunately, opened up with the worst possible question. "Back before school, huh?"
Asuka's expression morphed into an irritated glare in an instant. "Willst du das wiederholen?"
Why did I say that, he briefly thought with a grimace.
Fortunately, his proverbial bros came to the rescue before he could apologize. "Sounds like she made a bet about how long it would take to do her mission," joked Kensuke, adjusting his glasses in a jokingly ominous way.
"Sounds like she shouldn't cash checks her mouth can't write," snarked Toji, audibly slurping his curry noodles into his mouth.
"It's 'write checks her mouth can't cash'," impulsively corrected Hikari.
Toji blustered, "You get what I mean!"
"...y'all can bite me," groused Asuka, pulling up a chair to plop herself down between Mayumi and Hikari. "Where's Mana?"
"She's working late with Katsuragi, apparently," answered Mayumi.
"Hmm." As Rei took a seat between Shinji and Mayumi, Asuka's eyes glared at Kaworu, nestled between Toji and Shinji. "Why is he here?"
"Am I not allowed to partake in outings with my roommates, Asuka-chan?" remarked Kaworu with a genuine grin.
Asuka's retort was instinctive. "Don't call me 'chan', you pervert."
"People always call me that, yet they always seem to sputter with disbelief when I ask them for proof of my alleged depravity," he nonchalantly said.
"That's because most students can't believe you can say that with a straight face," said Hikari with a tired expression. "Just ignore him, Sohryu-san. You'll become inured to his wordplay eventually..."
Kaworu sniffed, as one honestly offended. "Are you accusing me of being a playboy, Hikari-chan? I'm nothing but unfailingly honest with my intentions~"
Asuka looked utterly bewildered and repulsed. "You disgust me."
"He's heard worse," chorused Kensuke and Toji.
Huffing, Asuka grabbed her menu and looked it over. "I want something with a lot of meat."
Shinji instinctively covered Kaworu's mouth with his hand before the boy could talk. Is it sad that I'm able to predict that...? Without warning, something slimy brushed against his palm; he yelped with disbelief, yanking his hand away. "Did...did you just lick me?!"
"You shouldn't put your hand on someone else's mouth, Shinji-kun," casually remarked Kaworu. "Some might accuse you of being rude."
(Mayumi and Hikari both hung their heads in utter disbelief at his audacity.)
"Says the guy who literally just licked his hand," grumbled Toji.
"I do not 'lick', Toji-kun," huffed Kaworu, sounding offended by the thought.
"Spare us whatever perverted word you happen to prefer," growled Asuka, looking one more innuendo away from throttling him.
(Rei finally pinched the bridge of her nose, betraying just a hint of frustration. Even her legendary stoicism had limits.)
Kaworu smiled, shifting his gaze back towards Asuka. "You seem to be quite the hothead, Asuka-chan; a passionate sort, eager for an outlet to relieve your stress..."
"If you say anything like what I think you're about to say-"
Asuka's threatening snarl was swiftly interrupted. "Are you aware of the Boxing Club? I'm a member."
Shinji blanched. He's not suggesting...?
Asuka, far from bewildered, looked intrigued. "You saying I'd be able to slug you in the face...and nobody would get mad at me?"
"If you can~" slyly taunted Kaworu.
Before anyone else could stop this potential trainwreck, Asuka gleefully directed the proverbial tracks to her person. "Then sign me up!"
(Rei briefly looked at Kaworu with alarm, her face quickly settling into a stony mask.)
"It'll have to be next week," remarked Kaworu, uncaring for how the others were looking at him with disbelief. "All of the after-school clubs don't start back up until after the next New Moon."
"As if a measly Angel would stop me from giving you your comeuppance!"
Asuka's boisterousness simply made Kaworu chuckle. "I look forward to it." Sipping at the last of the broth from his bowl of stew, Kaworu rose from the table. "I'll be right back," he said, heading for the restrooms.
In the brief lull of conversation, Hikari cleared her throat. "So...that was...something..."
"Should I sell tickets?" joked Toji.
"SUZUHARA," hissed Hikari.
"Come on, Class Rep! With Nagisa's reputation, a lot of people would line up to see him get knocked in the kisser," griped Toji.
Asuka snorted, finally putting in her order. "I should've figured something was up after nobody reacted when I slapped him the other day. Means I'll have even less of a guilty conscience."
"You don't sound like you would feel guilty at all," observed Kensuke.
"Exactly." Asuka finally looked in Shinji's direction, only to frown. "What, you afraid for the pervert's life? I'll just bruise him."
"...it's not that," murmured Shinji, recalling a particular incident that was all too infamous as far as his own reputation was concerned. However, the bit that had gone unreported — whether it be from duplicitous editing or something else — was what had happened after his infamous 'Yakuza Fight Club' incident. "Nagisa-kun...shouldn't be taken lightly."
Asuka audibly scoffed; although Hikari and Mayumi seemed confused, both Kensuke and Toji seemed to realize his implication. "Oh yeah...you said that Nagisa's the one who sprung you from that fight club," murmured Suzuhara with trepidation.
When Asuka looked back at him with confusion, Shinji elaborated, "It wasn't publicly made known...but after the footage ended of my fight with Sho Minazuki-"
"Oh yeah, I remember watching that," said Asuka in an offhand manner. "He made you look like a punkass weakling."
"...as I was saying," continued Shinji, briefly inhaling to get himself back on track, "What most don't know is that I was saved by Nagisa-kun."
Mayumi blinked, finally recalling the various conversations that had been had following the fallout from the Olympics disaster in early August; Hikari, meanwhile, blanched with shock. "I know you said he was the reason you were even at that fight club to begin with...but he managed to defeat someone you couldn't? How?"
"You think he might be an A.T. Adept of some kind?" wondered Kensuke.
Shinji shrugged. "Maybe? I can't really remember the details." After Sho had put him through the ringer during their first encounter, recalling exactly what Kaworu had done to the redheaded berserker was difficult. "All I remember is that...well, he made it look effortless."
"...wonder if anyone ever talked to him about that after the fact," grumbled Toji. "Seems like he'd be a handy trump card if he could pull that off."
"I'm not sure," admitted Shinji. "He was on the bus back to Tokyo-3 with his club before anyone could talk to him about it...then right after the Olympics, there was the incident with the Kuchisake-onna..."
("The coochy-what now?" wondered Asuka under her breath.)
"...then immediately after that was the Angel battle with Armisael...and then a lot of other things..." As Shinji trailed off, Kensuke, Toji, and Mayumi all winced in sympathy. "...August was a busy month."
Hikari looked at them with a somewhat haunted expression; Asuka, meanwhile, seemed to be rather pleased by this turn of events. "Well, if he's as tough as you make him out to be, I won't have to worry about knocking his block off."
"Such a violent girl," murmured Kensuke.
"A real gorilla girl," agreed Toji.
"I can hear you," griped Asuka.
"Then maybe I should call you a 'red devil' then?" taunted Toji.
Asuka pointed her chopsticks in Suzuhara's direction, holding them like daggers. "I can find out where you sleep, you know."
"..."
"That's what I thought." Asuka sighed, sinking back into her chair. "Geez, First, I have no idea how you put up with all of this..." When she didn't get an answer, Asuka looked to her right, only to blink. "Where'd she go?"
It was only then that Shinji and Mayumi realized, with startled expressions, that the blunette who had been sitting between them was gone. "Uh..."
"Man, she can be quiet when she wants to be," observed Kensuke, punctuating his words with another bite into his curry kebab.
xx
In the hallway leading to the restrooms, Rei Ayanami waited patiently. When Kaworu Nagisa stepped out of the men's restroom, she wasted no time. "What are you planning?"
"Planning?" echoed Kaworu with a strange expression: not quite a smile, but not quite apathetic either. "Planning is how things go wrong," he quipped.
"...I've kept a distance out of respect for our prior struggles," she said diplomatically. "But I won't allow you to endanger things."
Kaworu chuckled. It was a strangely ominous sound. "Ayanami-san...the Second Child has no need to fear me. What purpose would there be in unduly harming her? If anything, she's in more danger from whoever will rise to face her during the New Moon. This whole little escapade of ours will be a mere sideshow."
"Then why pursue it?"
"Why indeed? Only time will tell if it'll bear fruit. Will it be at cross purposes with your work, or the work of our erstwhile allies? Who is to say..." Stuffing his hands into his pockets, he added, "I'll tell them you threatened me with vigorous bodily harm. I might as well ensure your reputation remains unsullied, after all..."
Rei watched him depart, unsure what to make of his behavior or actions. As sad as it was to admit, she lacked the time to worry about him, compared to other threats. Kaworu Nagisa...what is your ultimate endgame? Only mutual respect born from countless timelines' worth of shared suffering kept her from prying further. I hope that you know what you're doing...
xxxx
END OF 9/8/2015
xxxx
Author's Note: A surprisingly busy day, all things considered.
- After his jog with Asuka, Shinji finally hit Rank 4 in Vigor, growing from "Vibrant" to "Dynamic"! (He last ranked up this Social Stat from July 31, from before the summer vacation hit its stride!)
- At long last, his final Confidant has been unlocked: by process of elimination, and probably to the surprise of no one, Asuka is the Lovers Social Link.
- As some may have guessed, "Tensei Muda!" is a riff on "Tenchi Muyo!"
- After that bit in Ibuki's math class, Shinji finally hit Rank 4 in Knowledge, growing from "Cultivated" to "Savant"! (This Social Stat last ranked up all the way back on *July 10*. If nothing else, he's been very well-rounded.
- And lastly, Shinji's Social Link with Keel Lorenz (Tower) hit Rank 6! He now matches Rei (Priestess), the MAGI (Justice), Akechi (Fortune), Mayumi (Hermit), Gendo (Devil), Sokila (Star), and Misato (Sun). Only Kensuke outpaces him, being at Max Rank. Fuyutsuki (Hierophant), Toji (Chariot), and Mana (Strength) are right behind him at Rank 5.
- And I'm sure Asuka's future spar with Kaworu won't end poorly at all.
But I have to say, amidst all of this new interaction, the shipping wars would start raging to a greater degree (if SPE were a real game). So with that in mind, who will break through the utter denseness that is "Ikarium"?
Mana Kirishima, who is equally dense in different ways that complement his density?
Mayumi Yamagishi, the trope-savvy literature buff who potentially knows how to get past that density? (Subject to her rolling a Natural 20 in Determination.)
Rei Ayanami, the proverbial Mother of Humanity who probably knows more than anyone else how Shinji ticks?
Or Asuka Langley-Sohryu, the "new girl" who proves that gingers do have souls! (A.T. Fields. What can't they do?)
/Akane Hasegawa may have "childhood friend" points, but she appears to be more aligned towards Kensuke Aida at this point
/Misato Katsuragi is also probably out of the running due to no longer being the adoptive mother figure (for that extra Freudian squick that's typical of Evangelion), and therefore qualifying only for the "Sexy Senpai/Mentor" position
/the jury is out as to whether Kaworu Nagisa is playing the long game, or if his genre savviness about his own manufactured density is so deep that it goes all the way back to being ultra dense