Chapter 27: And Together By Sweat, It Was Earned
StriderInCosmos
Wanderer in the Worldsea
- Location
- Somewhere in... Terminal Dogma? I think?
Chapter 27: And Together By Sweat, It Was Earned
It's weird, being here close to this Earth. Seeing the seas all in red so close to me. It's so… surreal, in real life.I'd like to see Village-3 sometime soon. Who knows. Maybe Paris goes quickly. Maybe it doesn't. But Mayumi, Ichigo, and I agree that, if we ever do retire for a while, we'd do it there. Or at least somewhere like it.
And hey, at least we get to vacation in Paris, in a distant, weird sense. I'm sure that it'll be less romantic than I intended our first trip there to be, but it's going to be energetic, for sure.
- From the personal journal of First Lieutenant Kensuke Aida of HERZ
Village-3, March 28th, 2028
Daniel woke up in what was now comfortably familiar surroundings as the last rumbles of thunder from last night's storm sounded, rubbing his eyes in the darkness of the early morning. It was probably only about 5 AM, and few except those that tended to livestock would be up at this point.
The house was silent as he rose and got dressed for the day. A quick trip to the Val to grab his tools, and a few spare thoughtful items, made sure of that fact. He went to a corner of the room, crouching down to open a small box of wood and blocky metal inlays and take out his current project, along with his tools.
The tools were two rods, one stout and hexagonal, the other slender and seemingly made of twisted wires halfway through its length in an octagonal shape. They were all he really needed, the best tools one could get in the Worldsea for personal-scale work.
They were a gift, given long ago, from the first person he'd interacted with that had actually ended well after his breakaway from Hamar'ramah. And now, they would help him connect with the woman he loved.
His work, or works rather, were a pair of rings, made from a gleaming metal that Asuka Ikari-Soryu had made appear. In the darkness, the pattern that was within them, a swirling damascened thing, was barely visible as he suspended them in the air, the rings floating close to each other as he took the hexagonal rod and twisted it at the middle of its length, separating the Frame imager into two halves that he placed over the rings, tapping them and sending them a mental command.
As they activated, the Frames of the rings became clear to him, overlaying the rings and then lifting away from them, growing as they did, until he had a clear view of them. There were Frames connecting them to each other, few in number and not enough for what he wanted to do, and a few nubs added to the structural Frames of the metal.
He got the octagonal rod, the Frame weaver, and activated it, the twisting wires beginning to bloom apart making clusters of them that formed four arms surrounding a central fifth that glowed at each of their tips. He raised the weaver to a nub that he'd made to mark where his work would need to go, and watched the slowly working outer arms work at spinning up Frames to be deposited on the nub, slowly building out the connection between the two rings.
As he worked he imagined the concepts that these Frames would use for their purpose: connection over distance, close bonds, the support and care that such things would bring, and worked them into the Frames that he made and attached. This imagining, the process of imbuing the Frames with the truth of such things, was key to the process of making something Frame by Frame, and Daniel found himself lost in it, as he always had before. It was… magical. Wondrous, even.
He blinked and found that he'd completed a few more connections as he heard the birds chirping and smelled whatever Shinji and Hikari were putting on. He deactivated the Frame weaver and the imager, stowing the project away as he exited his room.
He looked to his right, and saw Asuka emerging, finishing tugging on a shirt as she regarded him in turn. Daniel smiled slightly. "So, get some good sleep?"
Asuka rolled her eyes. "What little I got, sure."
Daniel chuckled as she continued toward him, and the kitchen beyond him, pausing for a moment to give him a quick side hug. "Thanks," she said quietly.
"The pleasure's mine." Daniel chuckled. "But I'm sure it's actually Shinji's."
Asuka snorted as she passed by, Rei and Kaworu coming out of their room a little more prepared than Asuka was, but still no less mussed. He nodded to the pair as he followed Asuka into the kitchen, most of the rest of the house following in short order.
As they all sat down and began to eat, Hikari looked out into the hallway for a moment. "He's taking longer," she said, worry evident on her face. "This is the latest he's ever been."
She stood, bowing slightly to the rest of the room. "I'm sorry. Let me go get my father."
Hikari left the room, and the mood was left more somber for it. Eventually, however, both Bunzaemon and Hikari returned, Bunzaemon grumbling all the way. "You didn't have to stop eating just because I took my time."
As the meal continued, Shinji looked over at Daniel. "So, where have you been the last couple of days? Has Hikari or Toji put you somewhere they need help?"
"No, actually." Daniel smiled as he leaned on the table he ate on. "I've been working on a project with young Shinji and Asuka."
"Oh?" Asuka arched a brow. "And what would that be?"
"I'm having them forge their own swords."
It was silent for a moment, then Rei, of all people, chuckled softly. "I see Misato continues to inspire you as to the… interesting nature of your plans."
"Oh, this is well before Misato's time." Daniel was quiet for a moment. "In all honesty, it's just a way to help them open up, in one way or another. Face their guilt and fears in the metal just before they strike it." he shrugged. "It worked for me. It worked for many others. It might work for them, too."
The atmosphere of the room was contemplative for a moment, then a knock on the door before it opened drew their attention. "Hello! I'm home!"
"Finally," Bunzaemon grumbled as a boy in a t-shirt and pants, carrying a rectangular package under his arm, appeared in the dining room entryway, pausing for a moment. He was thin, but strong, with a face with familiar gray eyes under a mop of black hair.
"Grandfather?" The boy was clearly confused as he stepped in, setting the package aside. "Who are all these people?"
"These are guests from WILLE, young man," Bunzaemon replied. "And where have you been all this time, young Mr. Kaji?"
The room went fully silent as young Mr. Kaji chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "Well, they needed a little extra help at the Pillar farm so I stayed for a day on-site. Then Nozomi wanted me to give a picture she's been working on to you. She said she was almost done last night, then said I could spend the night. She didn't want me coming home empty-handed."
Young Mr. Kaji paused, then looked around the room with a slight expression of embarrassment. "My apologies. I'm Ryoji Shinji Kaji. It's nice to meet you."
"It's…" Kaworu began after a moment's silence. "Nice to meet you finally."
"It was only a matter of time really before you guys met Ryoji Jr.." Toji said, seeming to do his best to break the strange tension in the room. "And besides, I'm sure that Natsume had nothing to do with you staying the night." he continued with a grin.
"Uncle Toji…" Ryoji Jr. blushed even as he went to retrieve what was most likely the painting in question.
"Here, Grandfather," Ryoji Jr. unwrapped the painting, showing a landscape portrait of a vast, round lake, pale white buildings sticking up from underneath like pointing fingers framed by a somewhat shaded white building that took up three sides of the painting, the top showing the open sky. "Nozomi did this one by the old NERV base ruins. Said it was a nice place to get away from it all."
Bunzaemon nodded as he studied the picture, taking it from Ryoji Jr. "I know that much well enough. It's beautiful, as always."
"So, is that Nozomi's hobby?" Asuka asked.
"Well, actually, she does painting and drawing for a good chunk of the village," Hikari replied. "Not just artwork and murals and things, but drafting blueprints for structures or projects, posters for announcements, and all sorts of other useful stuff."
Ryoji Jr. nodded. "I guess you guys haven't been out and about to see some of Aunt Nozomi's work." he paused for a moment. "I, uh… don't think you got the chance to introduce yourself. Who are you?"
Daniel stood and walked over to the boy. "I'm Daniel Theisman of HERZ, and WILLE. These kids are… well…"
Daniel glanced up at the clock that hung above the entryway. "I'll let them introduce themselves. I've got to hurry over to the blacksmith if I want to catch Shinji and Asuka. I'll probably see you at dinner tonight. Have a good day."
With that, Daniel was out the door, leaving Ryoji Jr. to look at the gathered Children with a somewhat bemused expression on his face. "Who are you?" he asked Shinji after a moment.
Shinji smiled slightly. "I'm part of your namesake from another universe. You might want to sit down for this."
. . .
Young Shinji Ikari got dressed for the forge with something that approached familiarity, sure that Asuka was doing the same. They had something new to look forward to today, at least. The folds for both of their swords were finally done, and they were moving on to actually working the blade into shape.
Shinji waited by the door, looking back as he absentmindedly chewed on a granola bar breakfast. Asuka soon emerged from her room, and they began to make their way to the blacksmith. They walked alone, Daniel having begun to wait for them at their destination.
It had given them space for… something. Shinji wondered if Daniel had done that on purpose. Knowing what he did now, he didn't seem the sort to just do things on a whim.
But what would he fill that space with? The question led him, rather inevitably, to another. One that he'd been resolving to ask Asuka for a while now.
"So, Asuka…" he paused for a moment even after she looked over at him. "What's up with you and Kensuke? You seem… friendly with him, in a way that's different from everyone else."
Asuka's brow furrowed, and a part of him cringed away from a hit that could have been coming. Then she sighed quietly. "It's not like that, in case you're wondering. Ken-ken's not a pervert. And besides, I'm not really interested in him, anyway."
She paused for a moment. "But after so long where I was treated more and more like a tool in the fleet… he's the first person in this day and age that treated me like… a normal human being."
Shinji nodded. "I see," he said quietly.
Asuka looked back to where they were going. "Then there was you…" she said absentmindedly, the words pitched almost too low for him to hear.
Shinji didn't know what to say, or even if he should say anything at all. Had she meant to say that out loud? Had she truly meant it? After what he'd done, to him, it seemed almost impossible for her to even tolerate him. So, there was only silence afterward, a razor-thin yet still impenetrable barrier rising between them.
They began making their way across the rice paddies, the people at work thankfully ignoring them as they moved on. Then, in one of the paddies close to them, Shinji saw Ayanami, sitting and taking a break from her farming. Somewhat shockingly, as she noticed him in turn, she waved.
It caught both of them off guard, it seemed, Asuka pausing right alongside Shinji as they nearly gaped at the display. Ayanami took the time to stand and make her way over to them. "Hello, Shinji. Pilot Shikinami."
The both of them blinked. "I, uh…" Shinji began as his brain tried to make sense of what had just happened. "I'm glad to see you're learning about things. How's farming going?"
"It is different from my usual duties," Ayanami replied. "Sharing sweat with those I work with has been an… interesting experience."
The two of them shared a befuddled glance before Asuka spoke up. "Well that's one way of putting it, I guess. Are you sure you're cut out for this sort of work?"
"It is the only other work that I have done besides piloting the Evangelion. I am…" she paused for a moment as she seemed to search for the words. "Expanding my experiences."
Shinji and Asuka nodded. "I see," Shinji said. "Speaking of expanding, how is that book coming along?"
"It is a rather… cryptic text. However, with Rei Nagisa's assistance in understanding the contents of it, I find it rather fascinating, as it explores humanity through those it reveres as heroes and gods."
Asuka nodded, an oddly thoughtful look in her eye. "Sounds like something Mari would enjoy." then she shrugged. "Well, Ayanami, I think we've got to go. Daniel's waiting on us at the blacksmith, and you've probably got some work to do as well."
"Ms. Lookalike!" one of the children that were with the group Ayanami had come from shouted as she waved. "We're getting back to work!"
Ayanami nodded. "Very well. I am needed. Farewell."
"Wait, Ayanami." Shinji held out his hand as Ayanami began to turn away. "Do you have a name yet? Besides Ms. Lookalike."
"Not yet. Though I believe that I am growing closer to finding one."
With that, Ayanami turned away and walked back to the paddies, Shinji and Asuka going on their way as well. They soon arrived at the blacksmith, a few of the regular workers waving to them as they made their way to the back.
"Just in time, kiddos!" Daniel called, and Shinji and Asuka, once again, came to a stop as they watched him, alone, heft an anvil onto a raised platform made of what looked like dark crystal, right next to the anvil they'd been working with for the past few days.
As Daniel took a step back, taking a deep breath, he smiled. "Good to see you both back. Now we get to the somewhat more exciting portion of bladesmithing; drawing out the blade. This one falls to you guys more than it does to me. Thus, I'll be supervising you two while you work the blades into being."
Asuka shook her head as she stepped forward to examine the base of the anvil. "So we'll be working on these mostly on our own?"
Daniel nodded, and Asuka looked back at Shinji. She had a slight grin on her that Shinji found somewhat… exciting. "Bet that I'll finish mine before you."
"Didn't Daniel say that it wasn't a competition?" Shinji asked with a quiet sigh as Asuka hurried to get her bar of metal ready to be put into the forge that Daniel had lit.
"He never said we couldn't make it a competition, and you're just as much of a rookie as I am. But I think while you can cook, and you've done decently so far, I'm going to stand on my own two feet and get this done in a few days."
The challenge of it would have frightened him, once. It still did, to some degree. But with what he'd done alongside Asuka, the glimpses that he'd gotten into something greater than that brash, crass girl he'd met so long ago… a part of him was excited.
"Well, we'll see about that," Shinji replied as he went and took his own bar of metal, adjusting his strength as Daniel had taught him to.
Asuka's brows shot up as she looked back from putting her metal in the forge, and that grin, for the briefest of moments, became a genuine smile. "Well, there's hope for you yet."
After a moment, Asuka pulled her metal from the fire, Shinji inserting his in short order as Asuka put her metal on the new anvil, taking a hammer proffered by Daniel.
"Fuck you, you useless hunk of metal," Asuka said nonchalantly. She'd begun to say that the second day that they'd been folding the metal. Shinji glanced over as Daniel sighed quietly, Asuka wincing even as she rolled her eye, likely remembering what Daniel had said before. He'd told her off for such language when he'd heard it aloud.
"Now, imagine the finished blade as you work." Daniel began as he extracted the hot metal from the forge, setting it on the anvil as he grabbed a proffered hammer. "It doesn't need to be exact at this very moment, but at the very least decide on the general shape. Broad, thin, what have you."
Shinji looked down at the metal and wondered for a moment how something like what Daniel described could emerge from something so unassuming. Then he thought about the words Daniel had said when they'd begun. "This metal is you."
'Is that what Asuka thinks of herself? That she's useless?'
The idea of it seemed impossible to him as he began to hammer out the metal. Even after 14 years, she was still aggressive, brash, and blunt, though that fire he'd first met had subsided somewhat. But he'd only ever seen her as a pilot. He'd never seen her be anything even approaching a normal girl, except for here and on Borneo, where she'd been closed off from him and nearly everyone else.
'What can I do about that?'
He pondered the question all the way until they finished for the day, and got ready to go to lunch.
. . .
Aboard the Wunder, 3 Days Earlier
Vice-Captain Ritsuko Akagi leaned on the table, looking intently at Mariah Marlowe, apparently the daughter of Mari Makinami from another universe, as she casually manifested a sphere of Spear material, no smaller than a finger-length in width, which landed in the palm of her hand before she set it down with a quiet breath.
"This…" Maya said quietly, her eyes as wide, if not wider, than everyone else's. "This changes everything."
Ritsuko nodded. "The combat applications alone are evident enough, even with how many there are. But the utility and civilian applications…"
"What did you have in mind, Ritsuko?" Ryoji asked.
"The metal and sound… what did you call them, Mrs. Theisman?"
"Aspect Cores, ma'am," Eleanor replied calmly, her relaxed expression only part of the range of evident emotions her pilots displayed.
"Yes. Those alone could help us do amazing things. With the plant-based and light-based Aspect Cores, we have access to foodstuffs on demand, and the light to help them grow at all hours. Fresh water for Safe Zones, on-site cooling to temperatures we've only dreamed of… even without the Cores, the abilities that being so connected to the soul entails are incredibly valuable."
"Now hold on a moment," Eleanor said, holding up a staying hand. "There are some limitations to that too. We're all just individuals, and there's Flux to worry about as well."
"And what would that mean?" Ritsuko asked, almost madly jotting down notes on a pad.
"Flux is a product of activating Metos, the element that makes up the soul," Hikari said. "Think of it as an equal, opposite reaction to the action. There's only so much Flux a human body can tolerate, and there are dangerous consequences to letting it build up."
Ritsuko paused for a moment. "Can you explain them to me?"
Hikari sighed quietly. "Well, there's Flux Daze, which entails nausea, intense short-term synesthesia, and a peek into the Mental Realm, and then there's Flux Crush, which can break parts of your soul and render body parts useless. It's a pain to remove without proper training and without the one accruing Flux making special vents for it to be jettisoned from the body."
Ritsuko paused, somewhat taken aback by the knowing tone of the latter words that Hikari had said, and a silence fell over the room. Into that silence, Misato sighed quietly. "How do these powers influence your Evangelion's ability to control an Impact? Can they produce it on their own?"
The words were quiet, hard things, and the tangential question sent a shiver running through Ritsuko as she cursed herself for not thinking about it earlier.
Again, it was silent for a moment, the atmosphere tense as Ritsuko regarded the now serious Eleanor intently. "They can help us initiate an Impact event, yes. Just like anyone can with our sort of power."
"Anyone?" Chief Tennison said somewhat incredulously. "The only things I've seen able to do it are someone in an Evangelion or an Angel. Even whatever Unit-13 was is still technically an Eva, with how Shinji initiated Fourth Impact. And Daniel helped end it in his."
"You've got the right idea, simply the wrong perspective." Eleanor leaned forward as she scanned the command staff. "You think about the Evangelions as the keys to Instrumentality, the sole producers of the Impact, like a bullet from a gun, with the pilot as the finger on the trigger. But it's more like a focus, a lens for the power and intent of the soul. I could do it myself, given the time and resources. Hikari, Toji, Mayumi, or Kensuke here could do it. Even any one of you, perhaps hooked up to the S2 Organs on this ship, could use it to create an Impact."
The revelation hit Ritsuko like a bucket of ice water, and she leaned back in her chair with a wide look in her eyes as she looked at Misato, then Maya. "All this time researching for Project E, and we never could have come to this conclusion like this…"
Her mother would have been shocked if she were here. Hell, everyone who had been involved likely would have been. To think it was so close… how much power did one person need to do something like that? Surely, the Flux, as they'd said, would overwhelm anyone who tried. 'But with enough preparation…'
"This has been… enlightening." a clearly perturbed Toph said, the silence breaking again. "But we're here to talk about how those capabilities are going to link up with ours."
The tension, if not fully broken, was at least relieved somewhat as Eleanor nodded. "True. So, let's start with our most currently prominent asset: The Val. I'm not exactly the owner of the ship, but I've been working around inside of it for more than a little while. Enough to explain that she's probably one of the greatest non-Eva force multipliers WILLE's ever going to see."
"What kind of weapons are we talking about?" Ryoji asked. "From what little review footage we were able to catch of it, it's got quite the arsenal."
Eleanor nodded. "She's a warship through and through. For main batteries, she's armed with 12 Metos Lances. Variable-length beams can make it like a phaser for sustained damage, or discrete rounds for more punching power. She's also armed with four missile bays and three prow-mounted torpedo tubes, each equipped with a Variable Constructor to make tailored missiles and torpedoes."
"And what about those wacky shield things that started eating whatever was thrown at them?" Mari piped up. "Those were properly weird."
"Those were the result of Aegis Drones. Most Seabreakers don't exactly have passive 'force fields', with so many attacks that can simply phase through them. So we have an active defense system that targets and neutralizes incoming attacks. They also have anti-small craft weapons integrated into the pods."
"And what happens when part of that array of drones gets destroyed?" Toph asked. "It probably doesn't mean anything good, I'm sure."
"We put out as many as we need to fill the gap. Each military Seabreaker comes with at least several dozen of them. We can't make them quickly enough to do it in the middle of battle, however, so if the array gets a hole in it and we can't fill it, we're relying on armor. Good armor with Frame-laminate dispersed through it, but still just armor."
"Then it's a good thing we can cover you for the most part," Misato said. "The Evas that you have on hand certainly don't hurt, either."
Eleanor nodded. "And you've got well-trained pilots to go with them. Just about every pilot here has gone through an extensive training course and plenty of live fire action."
"Wait a minute," Maya said as she leaned forward, her eyes wide. "All of you fought against the Angels?"
"Well, technically yes," Mariah said as she put her elbows on the table and nodded to the Suzuharas. "They're the only ones who actually took part in the Angel War. That ended well enough. Myself, Mana, and Mayumi were originally SEELE goons for their backup plan. We had a bit of a scuffle, nearly caused Third Impact."
Mariah paused for a moment, then grinned as she shrugged. "Water under the bridge now. We got better thanks to our fair Doctor's help."
Eleanor nodded. "Then there was the Incursion, where several massive-scale threats that very much weren't Angels got tossed onto our world to wreak havoc, once again as part of a plot by SEELE."
"Really?" Misato said, her brows arched. "Like what?"
"Godzilla, for one."
It was a shocked silence that settled over them for a moment as Ritsuko processed memories from ages ago, and Eleanor began to grin slightly at Misato. "You were a little more shocked than that when Daniel shook the monster's hand."
The pilots at the table, sans Mari, began to laugh softly at the utterly befuddled looks on the command staff's faces. "It was dicey at some points, but we pulled through well enough," Mana said, Mari nodding along surely with a grin on her face. "It was quite the learning experience."
"Helps that at least one of those big beasties was on our side when Azazel came around." Mari piped up, and the smiles soon fled from the HERZ members' faces.
"Azazel?" Misato asked. "I thought you'd said you dealt with all the Angels."
"We did," Eleanor replied. "But Azazel was different. In a lot of ways. SEELE used the souls of several million of the recently dead, with them at the helm, to puppeteer an ancient, deceased Angel that they'd mixed with Lilith's DNA and some very powerful weapons. Then, they used LCL and Corite to create an army of Angels using the souls that they'd taken."
Again, Ritsuko felt a chill crawl down her spine as she took in the mere idea that there could be such a thing as an army of Angels. "How many were there?"
"Well, it wasn't a single soul to an Angel copycat, thank god." Mayumi finally spoke up, a quiet, somewhat timid voice that still held a core of certainty within it. "But the final count before we engaged them at the 38th Parallel was 6,478."
The number almost didn't register to Ritsuko, then her eyes went wide. "That many…" it was a horrified whisper that left her mouth. "And they didn't just start an Impact then and there?"
"They didn't try," Eleanor said. "They were headed to Tokyo-3 in order to do it, likely because they anticipated a rather docile Lilith to integrate with and have a greater chance to pull it off. SEELE's penchant for dramatics also being what it is."
"Shame for them then that Lilith decided to show up on our side ready to throw hands," Mariah said, her grin a wide, mischievous thing. "It was a right beautiful sight."
Ritsuko was finding herself getting disturbingly used to having shocking information dropped on her and the others, and looked over at Misato and Ryoji. "I think we're going to need some time to process what we've just learned."
Misato nodded as she stood. "I agree. Let's get some lunch, take some time to let this all sink in."
The others stood, and the room soon began to empty. As Ritsuko made her way to one of the mess halls, Maya soon caught up to her. "Senpai," she began, "I have some questions about what we'll be doing when we reach Paris."
"Is it perhaps about the fact that NERV-Euro's staff specifically hard-locked their prototype Core Material Clearance Pillar?"
The name of the device had been about all they'd been able to get from the scrambled database copies of NERV-Euro's computer systems. Maya nodded. "We're going to need to hard-link into the pillar itself in order to activate it. And with us being so far into the core material, we can't afford to stay out there for very long. I'm not fully sure how we're going to keep the technicians safe."
"I've considered that." Ritsuko sighed quietly. "And the solution to our problem is, while somewhat strange, a familiar one."
"And what would that be?"
"I've used the resources of the ship and the miscellaneous materials lying around in the Burbank storage facility to craft a small number of Plugsuits for the technical teams."
Maya raised a brow before Ritsuko continued. "The Plugsuits have had a built-in Corporeal Protection System left over from the days when their design forebears were designed to protect against the effects of the Contact Experiments. You'll recall how Shinji Ikari went into battle against the 10th Angel in plainclothes. And how that ended."
Maya's brow furrowed, then she nodded as she put the pieces together. "It's going to be… interesting, trying one on after all this time."
Ritsuko sighed quietly. "Yes, Kouhai. It certainly is."
. . .
Kaworu Nagisa sighed only somewhat dramatically as he sat down from his work on a bank, his legs still in the water. He'd been part of the planting team in this particular rice paddy, and the work, while menial, was still satisfying enough to convince him not to tap into his Interfacing. The sun was high in the sky, a fact that made him quite grateful for the straw hat he wore even with the rather pleasant day.
Rei sat down next to him, and their hands met for a moment before they retrieved their lunches, prepared by Shinji and Hikari. They were simple things, built to be carried easily and eaten quickly, but they were delicious nonetheless. Ayanami ate hers away from them, amongst a group of children that had become enamored with her hair and eyes.
"This is perhaps the strangest work that I have ever done," Kaworu said offhandedly.
"I would imagine such would be the case for a battle-hardened pilot that's also something of a demigod," Rei replied, her smile slight but telling.
Kaworu chuckled, then looked out across the fields. "There's a beauty to it, fostering life like this. It makes me understand why Mr. Kaji made a hobby out of his watermelon patch."
Rei nodded, and her smile disappeared. Kaworu knew how uneasy the silence was. His senses of perception, even without the boost of Interfacing, had with time become fine-tuned. Even then, he knew what she was pondering. They'd talked about it recently enough.
"You're wondering about a child."
Rei nodded. "Seeing Tsubame in the flesh, instead of on a screen… it brings back old questions. Old longings."
"Normality."
The word was familiar. They saw it all around them. Yet even now, after all they'd done to come closer to that ideal, it still seemed impossibly distant.
"Yes," Rei whispered. "I've wondered what it is like to be a mother. Long before I had gained my full freedom."
"Perhaps it has something to do with Lilith's mission to spread life? Part of you is still attuned to the Vessel."
"That is a possibility." she didn't seem terribly convinced of that.
It was silent between them for a moment. "Do you…" Kaworu began before he faltered. "Do you think that Interfacing could, perhaps, grant us our wish?"
"I think that it could. Interfacing is simply a manifestation of the desires of the soul." Rei paused for a moment. "But even if it does… we do such dangerous work. Strive against foes that seek to destroy everything. I fear that, even if we were able, we simply would not have the time to do it properly."
They ruminated on such things silently for a moment, again reaching for each other's hands and holding each other.
After long moments, Kaworu's gaze turned to Ayanami, who conversed quietly with the children around her. "Does she have some ideas as to a name yet?"
Rei nodded. "Some. She seems quite partial to Athena, as one of the few gods that treat those around her with any great deal of sympathy."
"A goddess of wisdom." Kaworu smiled slightly.
Then, they were reminded of the mortality of Ayanami. Who knew how long she had left without the medical care that she had in the Geofront? The records they'd seen had made it seem like several days, perhaps even months had gone by. But did they have that much time?
"Mr. Nagisa! Mrs. Nagisa!"
They turned to see Ryoji Jr. waving at them. "Do you think you could spare a moment and come with me? Aunt Nozomi wants to meet you."
Kaworu and Rei looked at each other in surprise for a moment, then Kaworu looked at Ms. Shinkawa, their general manager over this work.
She chuckled as she waved them off. "Don't worry about us. With your help, we've gotten ahead of schedule anyway. Take the day and enjoy it."
Kaworu and Rei nodded, lifting their legs from the water and removing themselves from the boots and overalls that had kept them at least mostly dry before putting on their shoes and following the boy through the village.
As they walked, they noticed the people staring at them, whispering to one another if they were with someone else. Well, at least more than they usually did. "I assume word of our abilities has gotten around somewhat," Rei said levelly.
"Well, yeah. I talked to Aunt Nozomi earlier this morning after I talked to you. There's a lot of people that see her for things too, so…"
Ryoji Jr. shrugged, and the Nagisas contented themselves with the explanation. Soon enough, they came to a stop in front of a decently sized home, two stories tall with an open-air balcony on the upper floor facing out toward the paddies that they'd come from, its windows screened against any tiny intruders. Across the walls of the ground floor was a swirling mural of flowers on a field under a blue sky, a sun painted around one of the windows of the second floor. Over the door, a sign was nailed on, bright and bold colors making up the words 'Ms. Nozomi's Lovely Arts, Crafts, and Drafting'.
"I quite like the aesthetic of the house," Kaworu said with a smile as Ryoji Jr. went to the door. "Did she paint this?"
"Yeah," Ryoji Jr. said as he knocked on the door, "but Natsumi and I helped."
Before he could go further, the door opened, and a young woman, maybe 18 or 20, appeared, her brown hair done up in twin tails, an easy smile framing brown eyes and a dusting of freckles across her nose. The apron she wore over her capri shirt was splattered with paint, and she waved at Kaworu and Rei. "Hello! You're finally here! Come in, I've been so excited to meet you."
Kaworu and Rei walked in after Ryoji Jr., and unsurprisingly found the walls festooned with paintings and drawings. Most were landscapes, showing what was likely the surrounding area. A few looked like draft blueprints, several buildings that they had likely seen around town prominent among them. Another theme that manifested itself was several different kinds of trains, scattered around the walls and especially centered on the staircase that led them upstairs.
"Can I get you anything? Some water, a snack? Ryoshi here said you were working with Ms. Shinkawa in the fields all day, and I think I saw you while I was drafting up some plans for some new windmills." Nozomi was clearly quite concerned as they went up the stairs, taking off her apron and hanging it on a peg near the top.
"We're fine, thank you," Rei replied with a slight chuckle as they turned toward the doorway at the end of the hallway that led to the balcony. "May I ask what you called us here for?"
"Well," Nozomi smiled as they emerged onto the balcony and she took a seat next to one of four easels, "I hear one of you makes stained glass and the other makes ink. Which is which?"
"I can control ink," Kaworu said. "Rei creates the glass."
Nozomi nodded slowly. "So, what kinds of ink can you create? Color-shifting? Iridescent? Ooh, could you even do any color at all?"
Kaworu opened his mouth for a moment, then shut it as he tilted his head. "Come to think of it, I can. I've simply… been content with the colors most inks are."
Nozomi shrugged. "I guess it's what you get for settling with what's already around you. I understand."
She stood, walking over to her easel, which contained a canvas panel with an unfinished sketch "Come on, let's start flexing those creative muscles of yours."
Rei smiled as Ryoji Jr. took a seat next to her, watching as the two of them studied the sketch, that of a statue of some kind. "This is going to be going in the town square somewhere," Nozomi explained. "I wanted to liven the place up a little, give the workers going on their way something nice to see when they started their day."
"What is it going to be?" Kaworu leaned in slightly as he took in what few details were there, then gave a quiet 'ah'. "I see…"
"It's going to be a statue of a few of the founders of WILLE," Nozomi said quietly. "We owe so much to them. The town council agreed with my proposal, so I'm trying to figure out who to put there. I want Captain Katsuragi, Doctor Akagi, Captain Ibuki… but I'm wondering if it's enough to have it be just them."
Kaworu nodded slightly. "I see," he said quietly. "What about the pilots? Asuka and Mari?"
It was quiet for a moment before Nozomi nodded. "Yeah. That sounds good. Now I just need to think up a composition for all five of them…"
Kaworu smiled. "I can help draw. And unlike most artists, I can reclaim my ink and leave a blank page."
Nozomi looked at him and grinned. "You and I are going to have a lot of fun, you know that?"
Kaworu smiled in turn. "I have a decent idea of it, yes."
As Kaworu and Nozomi got to work, Rei sat back and watched the near-joyous process of creation, her darling husband making ink ripple and flow across the sketch as they conversed. Time began to slip away, and she glanced over a time or two to see Ryoji Jr. similarly mesmerized. 'He's always at his best when he's creating like this…'
She blinked as she heard someone coming up the stairs, turning to see a girl, about Ryoji Jr's age, stop in the doorway, a bag in her hand. She was thin, but fit, with a bob of black hair and curious brown eyes that lit up slightly as they landed on Ryoji. "Oh, hello. I didn't know we had visitors. Who are you?"
Nozomi and Kaworu turned away from what was getting close to a final draft of the statue, Nozomi smiling. "Hello, Natsumi. Are those the paints that I asked for?"
Natsumi nodded as she stepped into the room. "Yes, Nozomi."
Nozomi stepped forward. "This is my little sis Natsumi. Natsumi, this is Kaworu and Rei Nagisa."
Natsumi gave a slight bow. "Nice to meet you."
She smiled slightly at Ryoji. "Good to see you again."
Ryoji Jr. blushed slightly as he smiled and waved. "Good to see you too."
'Ah,' Rei thought with a slight smile as Natsumi handed Nozomi the bag, 'young love.'
Nozomi extracted a few bottles of various colored paint, looking back at the sketch with a slight pout. "As much as I like what we've done with the statue, it's still probably going to be a dull grey or bronze with metal and such. That's so... boring"
Then, her brow furrowed for a moment before she looked at Rei, her smile slowly beginning to return. "Say, could you do stained glass inlays? That should really spice it up a bit."
Rei smiled in turn as she looked over at the statue, Captain Katsuragi flanked by Maya and Akagi, with young Asuka and Mari sitting at Katsuragi's feet. "I can do better than that."
She stood, walked to the small table that sat beside the easel, and focused, glass swirling with color flowing from her palms to the tips of her fingers as she worked. It didn't need to be a perfect replica of what she saw in her mind's eye and on the easel, just close enough.
A plate of glass, about half as long as her forearm, swirled into being, the statue slowly growing out of it as she made the Plugsuits of the pilots, the red jacket of Captain Katsuragi, the white lab coat of Doctor Akagi, Maya's beret, and the skin and hair tones that went with them.
After long moments, she stepped back, the glass disappearing from her hands as she found herself nearly surrounded by Ryoji Jr., Natsumi, and Nozomi, Kaworu standing to the side and smiling.
"This glass will be harder than any metal you can think of," Rei said, letting just a little satisfaction into her voice. "And its gleam won't fade away either."
Nozomi looked at her with utter envy. "Oh, where have you guys been my whole life?"
"In another universe, naturally," Rei replied.
. . .
Eleanor chewed slowly on the MRE that she ate, pondering what had been talked about. It was quite a leap for everyone involved. Mari and Mariah had broken off before they'd made it here, so she, Ymris, Toph, and the rest of the pilots ate in relative silence.
"So…" Toji said after a moment, looking at Ymris. "I recall hearing you were with the Scions back where we were."
Ymris nodded silently.
"Will we have to worry about anything from you?"
"Toji." Hikari scolded.
Ymris shook her head. "No. It's been a long time coming that I step away from Tavis' sphere of influence. I want to see this world become better. And the best way to do it is to help you all."
Toji was silent for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. Good to know. Figured I should ask."
"I'm sorry, Ms. Ymris," Hikari said sympathetically. "We're aware of the progress you've made since we found you again. It's just… with the Scions…"
Ymris nodded. "I understand. He has every right to be suspicious. You all do."
It was silent again for a few moments, then Ymris sighed. "It's going to be interesting, hooking Unit-02 up to this 'Jet Alone' thing. We've got so little to work with."
"How much of Unit-02's left here? I know Ms. Eleanor helped try to contain things." Kensuke asked.
"Not much. Head and chest, and the right arm."
Kensuke nodded even as he winced. "I see. I wonder…"
Eleanor, along with the others, began to look over at him. "Got an idea, Mr. Engineer?" Toji said.
Kensuke nodded. "I'm wondering if we could use LCL to try and heal Unit-02. It would be the same process as forming the Frame Titans, just… taking something the rest of the way."
Kensuke looked over at Eleanor. "Would that work?"
Eleanor nodded slowly. "There's no reason I can think of that it shouldn't. All it's going to take is time."
"How much more time?" Toph asked pointedly. "We don't exactly have the chance to just dawdle around while we wait for this stuff to work."
"Not much, especially with most of us being Interfacers." Eleanor pondered for a moment. "If I'm doing my math correctly, the only lengthening of time would be in adjusting the Jet Alone to be an armor set instead of a connective prosthetic."
Toph and Ymris looked at each other, then nodded slowly. "Sounds like a plan to me," Ymris said. "I'll float it past the command staff and let you know what they say."
Eleanor smiled. "Either way, I think we can make it work. After all, it doesn't matter which Asuka we're talking about. Both of them would be apoplectic if they saw Unit-02 like that."
"I mean, our Asuka watched it on a screen," Mana said. "She seemed pissed off enough, and it wasn't even her Eva."
"So…" Ichigo, who had been quietly holding Kensuke's hand. "I imagine we should expect fireworks when Shikinami finally gets to see it."
"That's understating it, dear," Mayumi replied. "She might melt the gantry. I know our Asuka would still do it."
Ichigo nodded slightly. "Either way, it's going to be interesting."
Before anyone could continue, Eleanor's clear-pad began to ring. She saw that Percival, her ship's soul, that was calling. She answered quickly. "What's the matter, Percival?"
"A Scion ship just slipped past me and broke through the atmosphere before going into silent running." a soft, deep voice said, each syllable distinct. "Its last trajectory put it on a path toward Paris, though some of the energy patterns before it cloaked indicate a personal transport effect. Whoever was on that vessel could be anywhere in the world at the moment."
Silence fell over the room for a moment, then Eleanor sighed. "Thank you, Percy. We'll be ready for it."
"I'm sure of that, ma'am." The tone of the words was just a little warmer than before. "I'll keep you informed in case anything changes or if I'm able to crack their transmission security."
With that, the line closed, and Eleanor sighed quietly as she set the pad down on the table. "Well," Ymris said, a grim expression on her face, "at least we know."
. . .
Young Shinji and Asuka sat under a tree by Daniel, calmly eating their lunches as they looked out over the village.
"You've both been doing well." Daniel began. "You pick this up quickly."
"Of course, we pick things up quickly," Asuka said nonchalantly. "If we didn't, then the world would have ended long before this point."
Shinji simply nodded. There was something stirring in him. Something that the pounding of the metal had stoked in him. A fire in his chest that he'd felt before. That he was afraid of.
"What is it, Shinji?" Daniel said quietly.
"I… I hate…"
His father? The Angels? Himself? Where did that anger go? What could he do with it?
"I understand."
Shinji looked up at Daniel, confusion evident on his face. "What do you mean?"
"You want revenge. Against the world, against your father, against all the forces that put you here. Against your own weakness. The metal rebels against those he thinks forge him. But they're simply… part of the process. Some of them are even refined and forged themselves in the process. Most of them are as much a part of the thing as you are."
"And… is that really bad?" Shinji said, a hint of defiance reaching his voice that caused Asuka to look over at him. "Can I not want to do something about it? Even if it sometimes risks ending the world?"
"Of course not, Shinji." Daniel's expression grew sad. "But you have to be careful. You can't let rage consume you. Let it focus you for a moment, but let it go."
"What's the point of letting it go if it focuses you, then?" Asuka asked, quietly. "It's such a hole. How do you even fill it?"
Shinji's brow furrowed as Daniel pondered the question for a moment. "You fill it with purpose. If you're brave enough, you fill it with compassion. Courage. Love. But you have to be careful with all of those, too."
Daniel set his lunch down, then stretched out his arms, constellations of luminous stars tracing and swirling over his outstretched palms and cascading down them toward the ground, fading to blacks and grays and a few whites as an image began to flow out and coalesce into an image.
It was massive, stretching across all three of their laps as it became nearly as broad as their legs. A handle wrapped in rough white cloth over leather, a single, thick link like on a chain, and…
It couldn't have been a sword. It was too big, too thick. It was a slab of metal given edges, and it looked like it would have been even longer if it hadn't had a melted, slanted portion that interrupted its length.
"What is that?" Asuka asked, and Shinji was sure that there was a hint of both awe and not-so-subtle envy in her voice.
Daniel's face was like stone. "It's a reminder of what letting vengeance, emotion, rule you all too often ends in. This sword's owner went through so much, from his birth. He was a good young man, dealt perhaps the worst life I've ever seen. Then, someone who he'd called a friend took everything, everyone, from him, and sacrificed it in order to gain power alongside ancient demons. He dedicated his life to slaying the man that betrayed him."
"And…" Shinji felt a creeping sense of dread, a certainty of what came next, and wondered if Asuka felt it as strongly as he did. "What happened to him?"
"He died succeeding," Daniel whispered. "They killed each other in the middle of a massive battle." he paused. "Maybe, once this is all done, I'll tell you the rest of the story."
It was contemplative for a moment, Asuka's expression subdued from before. "So, what happened to the rest of it?"
"The upper half is currently serving as a tombstone. A reminder of a world that died."
The words sent a shiver through Shinji even as the image of the blade disappeared. "I'm keeping the part I showed you just in case."
"In case of?" Asuka asked.
"If I run into him again. It's his, after all."
Shinji found himself confused. "But you said that he… died."
Daniel nodded as he stood. "Again, this is part of that story that comes later." he took a deep breath. "Besides, we have better things we could be doing than sitting and stewing in depression."
He was silent, then he smiled. "Follow me. There's someone I want you to meet, Shinji."
Shinji nodded as he stood, looking over at Asuka, who arched a brow at him. "What? Are you expecting me to come along?"
"I mean, if you want to," Shinji said somewhat uncertainly. "I could just meet you back at Kensuke's house."
Asuka humphed as she stood. "Are you assuming that I'm not brave enough to go into the village like I think we are, Shinji? You must have forgotten I'm the best Eva pilot around. I'm not scared of something like that."
It was bluster for the most part, Shinji had come to realize, but he found himself grateful that she was coming along anyway. He didn't miss the brief smile Daniel gave them as he walked, and they followed.
"So, who am I going to see?" Shinji said as they entered the village.
"Someone who's a lot like you, so I'm told. Someone that you should have known about far too long ago. But why spoil the surprise now?"
They walked through the somewhat busy streets, and Shinji glanced over at Asuka. She hid it well (the eyepatch helped), but she was… uncomfortable. Like she was expecting some sort of attack. Why?
Questions for later, at the very least, as they stopped in front of a house that was wild with colors across its walls. "Alright," Daniel said, clearly both satisfied and somewhat cheeky. "Our presence has been announced."
Shinji was confused, then he realized it was likely Interfacing that led to the older Rei opening the door for them. "Come in. He's expecting you."
Shinji sighed quietly at the dramatics of it all, then followed Daniel into the house and up the stairs, emerging onto a closed balcony. At its center stood a statue, Misato, Doctor Akagi, and Maya stood on a platform that Asuka and Mari sat on. They looked like they were made of stained glass, the representations quite life-like.
"Aw," Asuka said only somewhat sarcastically. "All this for little old me? I mean, it could be a little bigger, but it's decent, I'll give it that."
The people there, the older Kaworu and who must have been Ms. Nozomi, chuckled slightly. The boy and girl that sat on the couch, on the other hand, looked at him in particular with some curiosity.
"Are you…" the boy began as he stood, walking over until they stood face to face. He looked a lot like him, with dark hair, thin but fit. Who was he?
"I'm Shinji Ikari." Shinji began, wondering if this was who Daniel wanted him to meet. "Who are you?"
"I'm Ryoji Shinji Kaji. I'm named after you, I think."
Shinji felt a flurry of emotions even as the boy raised a hand to him. "It's… nice to meet you," Shinji said as he shook the proffered hand.
"You too." it was silent again for a moment, and Shinji could sympathize with the slight awkwardness between them. "So… what do you do?"
"Not much, right now. I forge swords. But that's about it."
Ryoji Shinji's brows rose. "Really? That's not quite what I expected. I expected an instrument."
"I do play the cello."
Ryoji Shinji smiled. Shinji could see both his father and his mother in that smile. "Nice. I wish it was here. There aren't many instruments around here. I think it would be nice to hear you play."
The thought of playing for someone, for a moment, filled him with hesitation. Then he remembered the concert on the Wunder, interrupted though it had been. It had felt… good to play.
"Yeah. I think it would too."
. . .
Mariah Marlowe found it strange to be talking to her mother like this. It was like talking to a mirror, almost. "So, what's it like living onboard the Wunder? I've got a general idea of shipboard life myself, but there are always some quirks, right?"
Mari Makinami put a finger to her chin as she thought for a moment. "Well… this one does make some weird noises. It's kind of alive. Rei seems to have a finger on the pulse of that far better than anyone else."
She paused for a moment. "Otherwise, it's MREs, not so well-divided unisex showers, and getting comfortable with passing people down the hall. I swear I've even seen a bike around here somewhere."
Mariah nodded. "Ah. That kind of makes sense on a ship this big. On mine, need to get somewhere quick, and you can teleport like that." she snapped her fingers for emphasis. "Terribly handy, that."
Mari's eyes went wide. "Wow… that's so cool!"
It was silent for a moment, which was surprising to Mariah, then Mari got a gleam in her eye and a grin on her face. "So, that Mana. She's a real sweetie. You two an item?"
Mariah shook her head. "Nope. She doesn't swing that way, though the offer's on the table. There's plenty of good-looking, nice boys and girls out there anyway. I'm sure I'll find someone."
Mari nodded. "And what about your Unit=08? Did you always pilot that, or did you have a Unit-05, too?"
Mariah opened her mouth, then closed it after a moment. Old, bad memories came back to her. She'd thought she'd dealt with them already. "Well, yeah. But… not quite how you'd think it."
Mari nodded slowly. "Right. You piloted for SEELE. Why, though? Why go with the bastards that want to end the world?"
"They took bits of our soul, mum. Scooped them right out of our heads and made it so our brainwashing was as normal to us as breathing. I wasn't even the worst. Mana was nearly a robot from their scooping around."
"Mariah…" Mari put a hand on Mariah's shoulder. "I'm so sorry." she shook her head. "I wish there was more I could say."
A wan smile tugged at Mariah's mouth. "Like I said, don't sweat it. We got better. And now, we're the good guys fighting to save the world. I can think of worse origin stories."
Mari nodded. "So can I."
They shared a chuckle, then Mariah finally asked the question she'd been bottling up since they'd met. "So, I'm your daughter, but you look like me. I mean, my mum looks a lot like me too, but not as much as you. How's that figure?"
Mari's expression became sad, and she sighed after a moment. "It's… complicated."
"Mum, I've stopped the end of the world. Complicated has a whole different meaning to me. Go on."
Mari sighed again. "I knew Gendo and Yui. They were my friends. I was gutted when, before I'd had you, Yui had her Contact Experiment. So… I tried again. Tried to do it and find a way to come back. I'd seen how it gutted Gendo to lose Yui. Julius wasn't a fan of it, exactly."
"A few arguments, then?" Mariah said softly.
"That's putting it lightly. They got worse after you were born. Bad enough that he left. A part of me wishes he didn't. That he'd had the heart to try and stop me. Maybe he would have succeeded."
Mari paused for a moment. "It took years of study, of trial and error. I didn't want to even set foot into the machine before we were absolutely sure." she shook her head. "Gendo had already left us behind by the time I first got it right."
"So, as a final test, I was going to dip myself into a core, then come right out. It went off without a hitch. Well, mostly."
She went silent again, and Mariah could see Mari's face twisting in anguish. "Mum… what happened?"
"You somehow got into the room. And we went into the core together."
Mariah's eyes went wide as Mari continued. "The computers couldn't figure out what was what. We'd only ever programmed them for one person going in and out at a time. So, when I came out… I was 5 years old. I was in your body, with a few spare modifications, it seemed. I was a little smarter than your average toddler."
The words hit Mariah like a truck. "Mum… I can't even imagine it fully."
Mari nodded. "I was moved into the care of the IPEA, and I had to watch damn near helplessly as GEHIRN, then NERV, classified, then destroyed my research. All that work, gone. For what?"
"So…" Mari said with a sad smile as they emerged into the gantry that held Unit-08. "This has been my life. Synching with Unit-05, then Unit-08, being the closest I can get to holding you again."
Tears began to well up in Mari's eyes again. They were still red and puffy from the meeting. "I… I've missed you so much. And you aren't even my universe's version of you."
Mariah took Mari in a side hug that shifted into a full one, and they stood there for a moment in front of the Evangelion as Mari wept into Mariah's arms again.
Then, Mariah got an idea. One that she'd heard from Daniel about the later days of the Angel War when the souls of the Evas became just a little more public. "Mum?"
Mari stepped back, wiping tears from her eyes. "Yes, Mariah?"
"I've got an idea. Get ready, 'cause this might feel a little weird."
She connected her soul to Mari's, then turned to look at the chest of Unit-08, the soul within its core a distant star. She dove soul-first towards it, taking her mother along for the ride as they got closer and closer. Finally, Mariah extended a Frame to this world's Mariah Marlowe, and she became aware of the two of them.
"Hello?" the voice of a young woman said. "Who's there?"
"Mariah…" Mari said, both aloud and in her soul.
Mariah was almost bowled over by the waves of emotions from both of them, joy and sorrow and wonder and relief swirling around her like a whirlpool.
"Mother, it's been so long." this world's Mariah said, and Mariah was sure that there would have been tears in her eyes if she had them. "I've missed talking to you so much. There's… so much I know now."
"I know, darling," Mari said, her attention turning to Mariah. "You have this version of yourself to thank. She's from a whole other universe!"
"I'll let you two have a moment together," Mariah said, smiling. "This has been too long in coming."
"Mariah…" Mari said. "Thank you. I can't ever thank you enough for giving me this chance."
"Yes… me." The other Mariah was still a little uncertain. "Thank you for connecting us with our mother again."
"Oh, please," Mariah replied, "This is a basic trick. I'll have Eleanor show you the ropes of how to do it yourself before we get to Paris."
"Now go on. I got my moment of reuniting with my mum. I won't spoil yours."
She pulled somewhat away from the connection, letting the two of them have their privacy. It was… beautiful to watch their souls interact, a light show that nothing else could ever top.
She thought back to her first meeting after she'd pulled her own mum free. It felt… wrong in comparison.
"Mum… it's okay. SEELE won't hurt us anymore."
"But the plan. The plan! We can't escape it. We can't escape them. The old men want it, and they'll get it!"
They never did. It had taken time to convince Mari Makinami to trust Gendo and Yui. That they weren't figments of a tortured imagination. But… it was worth it. Just as much as this was. 'I wish you could see this too, mum. I think you'd like it.'
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