Kivotos is in trouble and only Sensei can help! Emotional maturity and support to the rescue! The right words at the right time! What was that? Sensei has less emotional maturity than the students? Sensei barely even speaks? Oh well... guess we're doomed then. Unless...?
Cruel Angel's Lesson Plan (Blue Archive/Neon Genesis Evangelion Crossover)
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Lesson 1: The Intruder
Froggie
Fairy tale happy ending
Lesson 1: The Intruder
People fear what they do not understand.
A straightforward phrase. Nanagami Rin understood it clearly. As a younger student, before joining the General Student Council, she had often found herself dreading exams where her grasp of a subject was tenuous.
Today, however, her understanding of the idiom was challenged, much to her despair.
It was fear, she realized, where her knowledge was pedestrian at best.
The past few weeks had been harrowing, growing increasingly taxing with each day that the President remained missing and with each new emergency that popped up in the wake of losing control of Sanctum Tower. Small at first, Rin could feel a dark and ravenous fear growing in the corners of her mind as the situation spiraled further and further out of her control and the promised Sensei remained nowhere to be found. The fear that this would never be fixed, that there was no Sensei, that Kivotos was ultimately doomed, and that her dear friend would never return.
But even this fear, her hidden insecurities and doubts, and her childhood apprehension of exams all paled in comparison to what she was feeling now.
Rin gasped, her breath catching in her throat.
Her skin prickled as a chill ran up her spine.
A knot formed in the pit of her stomach.
Against her will, she began to tremble.
Every instinct in the bespectacled student's body told her to flee, to get as far as way as possible, and yet she stood transfixed; unable to move as the fear she harbored broke free, became terror and rooted her at the entrance to her office.
There was a stranger inside.
The blue uniform she wore and school bag she carried identified the stranger as a student, but from which academy Rin could not tell. Pale and thin fingers rested upon the windows of Rin's office as the stranger stared outside towards a city sliding ever further into chaos. Despite the distance between them, Rin could feel something disturbing about this person invading her workspace. There was something wrong about their presence. Something almost alien -no, inhuman- about them.
And she had no halo.
A student with no halo.
Rin stared at the impossible person standing in her office and felt herself begin to hyperventilate -something that had never happened before- as her mind tried to grapple with the incongruous sight before her. A student without a halo. Something incomprehensible, someone that by all rights should not -could not!- exist and Rin had no choice but to face the reality that her understanding of the fear of the unknown was woefully inadequate. She tried to speak, but the words caught in her throat and the only sound she could make was a strangled squeak of fright. The shame lasted for only a second as the strange student must have noticed her presence then, turning around to face Rin at that moment.
She had delicate features framed by light blue hair styled in a messy and haphazard bob-cut.
Eyes the color of blood fixed Rin with an icy, emotionless gaze and a soft voice sprung forth from pallid lips.
"Who are you?" the intruder asked in a voice as frigid as her gaze.
Nanagami Rin, Vice-President and Chief Administrative Officer of Kivotos' General Student Council, did the only thing she could.
She fainted.
---
"Rin! Wake up, Rin!"
Recognition and the sensation of being shaken slowly pulled Rin out of unconsciousness and she groggily took stock of her surroundings. She was in her office and Ayumu, her colleague, friend, and secretary, leaned over her with an expression of relief on her face. Her green eyes looked damp, as if the perpetually timid girl had been struggling to hold back tears and failing. Surrounding them was a haphazard mess of papers, binders, and envelopes. Ayumu must have dropped them when she came in and found her unconscious.
Found her unconscious?
Rin bolted upright as the memories came flooding back and she roughly grasped the taller blonde by the shoulders. The secretary grimaced in pain, her black wings twitching in response to the pressure.
"Ow, Rin, you're hurting me…" Ayumu mewled pitifully.
"Ayumu, where is she?" she hissed.
"Huh?" came the confused reply. "The President? We still haven't found her, Rin. You know that."
Rin wanted to scream but somehow managed to restrain herself. "Not her. The girl. The intruder."
The bewildered expression on Ayumu's face was all the answer she needed. She looked towards the window again and found no one there. The student that should not exist was gone. A thousand scenarios flitted through Rin's mind as she stood up despite Ayumu's protests. Was it a hallucination? A dream? No, their meeting had felt too real. It couldn't have been a dream. That Ayumu had found her unconscious surely confirmed that her strange visitor had been real. But then… What would the President do? No, no time for that train of thought, she admonished herself. She had to act quickly, decisively. She had to keep this a secret, but she also needed the intruder found NOW. Coming to a decision, the dark-haired girl gritted her teeth as she realized she was going to get hell from both Kaya and Aoi for this. And yet, what choice did she have? None. She would have to deal with the fallout later. Rin strode to her desk and activated the alarm below it. She heard Ayumu gasp.
"Attention all GSC personnel, this is Vice-President Nanagami speaking," she activated the building's PA system and spoke, willing herself to calm down and speak professionally. "There is an intruder on the premises. On my authority, GSC HQ is to be placed under lockdown. Until further notice no one enters, no one leaves. Security Forces, locate and isolate the intruder immediately. Light blue hair, red eyes, and blue uniform. Approximately 150cm tall. Bring her in *unharmed*," she stressed the word, "to Detention Room 1. I'm on my way."
Finishing her address, Rin turned off the PA system and grabbed an earpiece from one of her desk drawers. After quickly putting it, she finally allowed herself to let loose an exhausted sigh as she removed her glasses and rubbed her eyes. Reactions, however, were immediate and the moment of respite was short-lived.
Her earpiece communications instantly became active as GSC HQ Security Forces contacted each other and the control room in search of the intruder.
She received an incoming call from Kaya on her smartphone. Rin pressed the touchscreen button to refuse the call and turned off the phone.
"Rin, what are you doing?!" Ayumu all but wailed as she raced over. She was on the verge of crying once again. "We have academy representatives in the building! We're going to be in so much trouble!"
Rin ignored the outburst and stepped from behind the desk and towards the door. She waved for Ayumu to follow her outside, and the confused, teary blonde seemed to get even more distraught at that, her wings trembling miserably.
"But the paperwork…" Ayumu sobbed at the disorganized mess on the floor.
"Unimportant," Rin interrupted her as she took her Desert Eagle out of its holster and quickly checked it. Satisfied, she grabbed a hair tie from her uniform pocket and quickly tied up her hair in a ponytail. "Ayumu, get your gun. We're joining the search."
"What?" Ayumu squeaked, feeling increasingly confused with every passing second. "Rin, wait!"
Rin did not wait.
---
The search was unexpectedly brief. It was almost as if the intruder had made no effort to hide or escape at all. Still, Rin mentally thanked whatever lucky star had decided to finally have mercy on her.
It was only a scant few minutes before the Security Forces informed her that they had successfully found the intruder and apprehended her. Because of the nervous and fearful voice on the other of the comms, Rin was even certain that they had found the correct person. She headed towards Detention Room 1 with Ayumu following closely behind, still bewildered but no longer on the verge of crying. They made their way through the corridors of GSC HQ quickly even with SF guards patrolling and on high alert.
Ayumu, who had remained quiet as they made their way towards the Detention Rooms, finally decided to break her silence. "Rin, what's going on? Did someone really break into your office?"
Rin nodded affirmatively as she replied. "Right before you arrived, I imagine."
"Who was it? Was it someone from the Pandemonium Society? Their letters have been getting…" Ayumu trailed off and did not finish her sentence, tittering nervously instead.
"No," Rin replied tersely, "Not anyone from Kivotos."
"Not from Kivotos?"
Ayumu's question was left hanging as they arrived to find white uniformed SF guards peering curiously through Detention Room #1's door pane and whispering to each other in hushed tones.
"What the hell did I get myself into now…"
"Is she a ghost? Am I going to be cursed?"
"Do you think it's contagious?"
"It's a zombie! Kivotos is doomed!"
"I'm telling you it's an alien! Kivotos Paranormal said aliens kidnapped the President and now she's here for the rest of us!"
Rin cleared her throat loudly and silence immediately fell upon the guards as they turned around and saluted awkwardly, eyes repeatedly darting towards the door.
"Ma'am! Vice-President, we found, uh… her," the one in charge, a captain, informed her lamely, eyes still darting nervously towards the door.
"Thank you, Captain, that will be all. Ayumu and I will take it from here," Rin nodded at the captain. "Please let the Security Forces know that the emergency is over. You may leave."
The entire five girl squad of white uniformed SF guards let out collective a sigh of relief as they shuffled away from the door to let Rin pass.
Opening the door, she was relieved to see that they had indeed found the intruder. She was less relieved to see that those inscrutable red eyes looked at her with the same dismissive coldness as before. Whoever she was, she did not care at all that she had been caught. Rin opened her mouth to speak but could not get a word out before she was interrupted by a loud crashing sound from behind her.
Ayumu had fainted.
Not that I can blame her, Rin thought to herself with no small amount of chagrin. "Please take her to the infirmary," she addressed the flabbergasted guards standing still in the corridor. They remained frozen in shock for only a second before nearly falling over themselves to carry Ayumu and beat a hasty retreat.
And now Rin was alone with a person who should not exist.
Suddenly, she felt as if this was an immensely stupid thing to do, but she quashed those thoughts as she took a seat across from the intruder-now-detainee and cleared her throat.
"I have some important questions for you. Please answer honestly and you will be free to leave."
The only reaction she got was a blink.
"Who are you?" Rin asked, returning the stranger's earlier question back at her.
"Ayanami Rei."
The reply came quickly, curtly, and with no attempt to dissemble. It was enough to shock Rin off balance and she cleared her throat to begin once more.
"Where are you from?"
"Tokyo-3."
Another fast reply and without the slightest hint of dishonesty. Rin could not help but feel confused. She had never heard of that district before. Then again, there were thousands upon thousands of districts, and she was not exactly familiar with all of the smaller academies. Shaking her head, she pressed on with a different question.
"What is your academy?"
"Tokyo-3 First Municipal Junior High School, Class 2-A."
Too much to hope that she belonged to a large academy or some well-known branch. The dark-haired student grit her teeth. These senseless answers were getting her nowhere and weeks of relentless stress were making her patience run out faster than normal. She resolved instead to ask the question that was burning in the back of her mind.
"What are you?"
Silence.
"What are you?" Rin repeated again this time more forcefully. She kept her eyes on the intruder's, Rei's, face trying to detect any sign of dishonesty. It was an experience akin to trying to discern the emotional state of a rock.
"That information is confidential. You do not have the appropriate security clearance."
Rin could only blink at that reply. "What?"
Silence again and Rin could feel an explosive anger well up within her as she stood up forcefully and slammed her palm into the table.
"Listen, you-!"
"Where am I?"
Rin sputtered as her anger died on her lips. Rei had apparently decided that it was her turn to ask questions.
"Where am I?" the albino girl repeated in the same exact tone as before.
Rin glared at the younger girl as she took her seat again and crossed her arms. Her anger momentarily dissipated, and, for lack of a better idea, she answered, "This is Kivotos, the Academy City. Specifically, this is the General Student Council HQ."
It was then that Rin noticed the barest hint of emotion flit through the intruder's face.
A blink. A slight creasing of her eyebrows. The faintest hint of tension at the jaw.
Confusion? Anger? Fear? Frustration? Rin couldn't tell for certain. It was all too brief and far too muted. She had heard other GSC staffers refer to her as harsh and emotionless behind her back, but she was certain for a fact that she was never this inscrutable.
"This is not Tokyo-3?"
"I have never heard of Tokyo-3 before," Rin answered plainly.
Rei gave a slight nod at her answer.
And then she stood up.
And then she walked towards the door.
And then, without turning to face the stunned older girl behind her, Rei opened the door and brazenly stepped outside.
"Goodbye."
The soft click of the door settling in its frame was deafening as Rin stared and gaped, completely dumbfounded.
"Wait!"
Rei did not wait.
---
Lesson 1: End
What did we learn today, class?
Yes, that's correct!
Zombies don't exist.
Join us again next time for Lesson 2: The Teacher. We'll have: more talking, more fainting and more… service? I don't know about that.
Don't be late!
---
AN: After many years of inactivity, I recently stumbled upon various BA crossover fics where Sensei is replaced by another character. I really enjoyed them and started giving thought to how I would handle such a crossover. The result was a small snippet about a character particularly unsuited for the role. Despite that, getting the idea out of my system was not enough and I ended up mulling it over a bit more and expanding it out to chapter length. I'm still not sure if this idea has legs to it, but I would like to go as far as I can and find out. Hopefully, it'll be a fun journey. --Kero
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Lesson 2: The Teacher
Froggie
Fairy tale happy ending
Lesson 2: The Teacher
"Wait!"
The few brief moments that Rin had spent in complete and utter shock had been enough for the strange girl to put quite some distance between them. Her unfamiliarity with the building's layout had not slowed her down in the slightest; she had simply picked a direction and moved with conviction through the empty, pure white corridors of GSC HQ. This approach, however, was not enough to prevent the bespectacled Chief Administrative Officer from catching up to her. For one, Rin knew HQ's layout like the back of her hand and secondly, she was taller, with longer legs.
Most importantly of all, Rin was running full tilt to catch up.
"I said wait!" Rin shouted again as she caught up and grabbed the younger girl by the arm.
She realized instantly that this had been a mistake as those cold, red eyes focused on her once more.
"Let go."
The younger girl's words had been spoken in the same emotionless tone as before. Despite this, Rin felt her blood turn to ice and a chill run up her spine once again. She instantly released the younger girl as if the briefest touch had burned and stared at her gloved hand in bewilderment. Her quarry turned around and continued walking away unconcerned.
As she watched that uniformed back getting further again, Nanagami Rin's worries and frustrations finally defeated her patience.
"Just who are you? How did you even get in here?" she called bitterly at the uncaring student's back.
THAT finally got the bizarre girl to stop walking away.
"I do not know."
Rei's words must have been no louder than a faint whisper, but Rin somehow managed to hear them clearly.
"I do not know how I arrived here." Rei spoke again, her brow knitted slightly in what was a clear, if muted, expression of discomfort.
Rin was stunned once again. "And you expect me to believe that?" she asked incredulously.
"There was a girl…" Rei ignored Rin's outburst. The uniformed girl clutched at her head, struggling to get her words out through gritted teeth. "She called for help. None answered. A girl in a white uniform with three stars…"
Rin's anger dissipated immediately. A gasp escaped her lips as a wild hope surged in her chest. Without thinking, she rushed forward again and grabbed the shorter girl by the shoulders.
Only two people in all Kivotos wore a white uniform with three stars on it.
"The President? You saw her?" Rin asked breathlessly, her eyes frantic.
"Let go."
Whatever strange spell had overtaken the halo-less girl was over as suddenly as it had begun. Gone was the distress of trying to recall a fleeting and hazy dream. In its place was once again that frustratingly expressionless mask of total indifference. Could it have been an act? A means to hide her true intentions, throw Rin off guard once again, and earn her good graces? No, even if it were a lie, the situation was so bleak that Rin had no choice but to grasp at whatever hope she was given. She could think of several reasons for why someone foreign to Kivotos would be familiar with the uniform that only she and the President wore. None of those reasons were particularly optimistic ones. Truth be told, she had more questions than answers so far as the bizarre stranger was concerned, but hope drove her towards only one conclusion: this girl was the one she had been waiting for. The one they had all been waiting for.
"Please, if you really saw the President, then she must have sent you here to help us," Rin pleaded with all the sincerity she could muster as she complied with the shorter girl's request and took her hands off her shoulders. "Sensei, we need your help."
"I am no sensei. I am Ayanami Rei. The First Child. I must return to Tokyo-3."
And Ayanami Rei turned around and walked away.
In desperation, Nanagami Rin, Vice-President and Chief Administrative Officer of Kivotos' General Student Council, did the only thing she could.
She bowed deeply.
"Please, Sensei, lend us your aid."
She could still hear the faint footsteps getting further away.
"I know this is a lot to ask for from a stranger who has treated you so rudely, but I have no other option left." The words were spilling heedlessly from the dark-haired girl's lips as her mind raced for the right combination that would get this total enigma to stop and listen. "I, no, this city, needs your help. I beg of you. I'll do anything."
Silence.
A heavy silence that seemed to stretch interminably.
"I must return to Tokyo-3."
The same answer as before. And yet…
Not another footstep had been taken. Rei had not left. The words were no longer a statement of intent as they had been before. Now they were a request, the condition for which the assistance that Rin needed would be granted.
Rin accepted without a second thought.
"If that's the condition for your help, then I accept, Rei-sensei," Rin replied with conviction, regaining a certain degree of her cool professionalism. This was well within her authority to negotiate. Given the circumstances, neither Kaya nor Aoi would be able to find fault with her actions, she decided.
Rin heard the footsteps come closer instead and lifted her head to see those red eyes looking down at her with what she thought was the barest hint of an inquisitive expression. She straightened her back and reached out a hand towards the girl who would be sensei.
"I don't fully understand how you got here, but I'll do it. I'll find a way to get you home. I promise."
Rei blinked quizzically before accepting the handshake.
"What must I do?"
Rin could only sigh in reply.
Where to even start?
---
A brief call to Momoka revealed that Rin's preferred course of action would need to be amended. Simply taking a helicopter and delivering Rei to the SCHALE Building would be impossible without considerable force of arms. Force of arms that, as Kaya had become so fond of reminding her, was already stretched beyond thin after weeks of emergencies, riots, and "repeated administrative failures". Mercifully a ready solution presented itself in her mind and had been presenting itself with increasing insistence as each new emergency compounded on the damages of the previous.
If the academies want solutions, then they can be part of the solution for once, Rin thought to herself as she approached the meeting room that they had prepared to receive the academies. The insistent visits had become so frequent that they had needed to prepare one to receive them all and stop the representative du jour from barging into her office unannounced. Rei followed behind at a sedate pace, seemingly disinterested in her surroundings.
The first thing that struck Rin as she entered the meeting room was the oppressive silence that hung over it like a shroud. The reason made itself immediately apparent.
"Oh wow, the Chief Administrative Officer finally shows up! You know it's rude to keep a lady waiting, right? I've been boooored out of my mind over here. I almost fell asleep like Pandemonium over there. I can aaaalmost sympathize with her waiting for so looooong, but unlike her, we take our responsibilities very seriously, you know?"
The Tea Party's Misono Mika brainlessly rambled on at one end of the table, the spiral of her galaxy-like pink halo rotating lazily. At the other end of the table was a student in the dark great coat and peaked cap of The Pandemonium Society. She was leaning back on her chair with her arms crossed and had a book over her face, obscuring her features. The prodigious mass of bright red hair that framed her uniformed figure, however, readily identified her as Natsume Iroha. Stuck between them, Seminar's Ushio Noa smiled and waved at Rin in a friendly manner.
Student Council members of the three largest academies in all of Kivotos.
Rin could already sense a formidable headache awaited her in the near future.
"Honestly! If Nagi-chan thought this was soooooo important she should have come here herself. She might be the Tea Party's current host, but it's not like I don't have my own things going on. Oh, that reminds me!" The pink haired girl's meandering diatribe came to a sudden end and her gaze became sharp as she faced Rin head on. "You ordered a lockdown, didn't you? Because of an intruder? What was all that about anyways? Really, Vice-President! You gotta work harder if you're just letting anyone barge in here as they please! You caught them, ri-"
Misono Mika stopped talking, and her golden eyes widened in shock.
Ushio Noa stopped smiling, and she leaned forward with curiosity.
Natsume Iroha kept on sleeping.
Ayanami Rei had stepped into the room and an uncomfortable silence once again descended upon those gathered there.
That is, until Mika's eyes rolled up in her head and she fainted, falling out of her chair with a loud crash that woke Iroha up.
"Can't a girl get some rest around here? What's with all the racket anyways?" The red head grumbled sleepily as she removed the book from her face and looked around the room. She then noticed the halo-less girl by the entrance. "Oh."
"'Oh' is right," Noa replied mirthfully, her smile returning. "I'm so glad it was my turn to drop by this time. I can't wait to hear the Vice-President's explanation."
Rin could only sigh in reply.
Where to even start?
---
Lesson 2: End
What did we learn today, class?
Yes, that's correct!
No running in the hallways.
Join us again next time for Lesson 3: SCHALE. We'll have: a tank!
Don't be late!
---
AN: A shorter one this time, but this felt like an appropriate place to stop. --Kero
"Wait!"
The few brief moments that Rin had spent in complete and utter shock had been enough for the strange girl to put quite some distance between them. Her unfamiliarity with the building's layout had not slowed her down in the slightest; she had simply picked a direction and moved with conviction through the empty, pure white corridors of GSC HQ. This approach, however, was not enough to prevent the bespectacled Chief Administrative Officer from catching up to her. For one, Rin knew HQ's layout like the back of her hand and secondly, she was taller, with longer legs.
Most importantly of all, Rin was running full tilt to catch up.
"I said wait!" Rin shouted again as she caught up and grabbed the younger girl by the arm.
She realized instantly that this had been a mistake as those cold, red eyes focused on her once more.
"Let go."
The younger girl's words had been spoken in the same emotionless tone as before. Despite this, Rin felt her blood turn to ice and a chill run up her spine once again. She instantly released the younger girl as if the briefest touch had burned and stared at her gloved hand in bewilderment. Her quarry turned around and continued walking away unconcerned.
As she watched that uniformed back getting further again, Nanagami Rin's worries and frustrations finally defeated her patience.
"Just who are you? How did you even get in here?" she called bitterly at the uncaring student's back.
THAT finally got the bizarre girl to stop walking away.
"I do not know."
Rei's words must have been no louder than a faint whisper, but Rin somehow managed to hear them clearly.
"I do not know how I arrived here." Rei spoke again, her brow knitted slightly in what was a clear, if muted, expression of discomfort.
Rin was stunned once again. "And you expect me to believe that?" she asked incredulously.
"There was a girl…" Rei ignored Rin's outburst. The uniformed girl clutched at her head, struggling to get her words out through gritted teeth. "She called for help. None answered. A girl in a white uniform with three stars…"
Rin's anger dissipated immediately. A gasp escaped her lips as a wild hope surged in her chest. Without thinking, she rushed forward again and grabbed the shorter girl by the shoulders.
Only two people in all Kivotos wore a white uniform with three stars on it.
"The President? You saw her?" Rin asked breathlessly, her eyes frantic.
"Let go."
Whatever strange spell had overtaken the halo-less girl was over as suddenly as it had begun. Gone was the distress of trying to recall a fleeting and hazy dream. In its place was once again that frustratingly expressionless mask of total indifference. Could it have been an act? A means to hide her true intentions, throw Rin off guard once again, and earn her good graces? No, even if it were a lie, the situation was so bleak that Rin had no choice but to grasp at whatever hope she was given. She could think of several reasons for why someone foreign to Kivotos would be familiar with the uniform that only she and the President wore. None of those reasons were particularly optimistic ones. Truth be told, she had more questions than answers so far as the bizarre stranger was concerned, but hope drove her towards only one conclusion: this girl was the one she had been waiting for. The one they had all been waiting for.
"Please, if you really saw the President, then she must have sent you here to help us," Rin pleaded with all the sincerity she could muster as she complied with the shorter girl's request and took her hands off her shoulders. "Sensei, we need your help."
"I am no sensei. I am Ayanami Rei. The First Child. I must return to Tokyo-3."
And Ayanami Rei turned around and walked away.
In desperation, Nanagami Rin, Vice-President and Chief Administrative Officer of Kivotos' General Student Council, did the only thing she could.
She bowed deeply.
"Please, Sensei, lend us your aid."
She could still hear the faint footsteps getting further away.
"I know this is a lot to ask for from a stranger who has treated you so rudely, but I have no other option left." The words were spilling heedlessly from the dark-haired girl's lips as her mind raced for the right combination that would get this total enigma to stop and listen. "I, no, this city, needs your help. I beg of you. I'll do anything."
Silence.
A heavy silence that seemed to stretch interminably.
"I must return to Tokyo-3."
The same answer as before. And yet…
Not another footstep had been taken. Rei had not left. The words were no longer a statement of intent as they had been before. Now they were a request, the condition for which the assistance that Rin needed would be granted.
Rin accepted without a second thought.
"If that's the condition for your help, then I accept, Rei-sensei," Rin replied with conviction, regaining a certain degree of her cool professionalism. This was well within her authority to negotiate. Given the circumstances, neither Kaya nor Aoi would be able to find fault with her actions, she decided.
Rin heard the footsteps come closer instead and lifted her head to see those red eyes looking down at her with what she thought was the barest hint of an inquisitive expression. She straightened her back and reached out a hand towards the girl who would be sensei.
"I don't fully understand how you got here, but I'll do it. I'll find a way to get you home. I promise."
Rei blinked quizzically before accepting the handshake.
"What must I do?"
Rin could only sigh in reply.
Where to even start?
---
A brief call to Momoka revealed that Rin's preferred course of action would need to be amended. Simply taking a helicopter and delivering Rei to the SCHALE Building would be impossible without considerable force of arms. Force of arms that, as Kaya had become so fond of reminding her, was already stretched beyond thin after weeks of emergencies, riots, and "repeated administrative failures". Mercifully a ready solution presented itself in her mind and had been presenting itself with increasing insistence as each new emergency compounded on the damages of the previous.
If the academies want solutions, then they can be part of the solution for once, Rin thought to herself as she approached the meeting room that they had prepared to receive the academies. The insistent visits had become so frequent that they had needed to prepare one to receive them all and stop the representative du jour from barging into her office unannounced. Rei followed behind at a sedate pace, seemingly disinterested in her surroundings.
The first thing that struck Rin as she entered the meeting room was the oppressive silence that hung over it like a shroud. The reason made itself immediately apparent.
"Oh wow, the Chief Administrative Officer finally shows up! You know it's rude to keep a lady waiting, right? I've been boooored out of my mind over here. I almost fell asleep like Pandemonium over there. I can aaaalmost sympathize with her waiting for so looooong, but unlike her, we take our responsibilities very seriously, you know?"
The Tea Party's Misono Mika brainlessly rambled on at one end of the table, the spiral of her galaxy-like pink halo rotating lazily. At the other end of the table was a student in the dark great coat and peaked cap of The Pandemonium Society. She was leaning back on her chair with her arms crossed and had a book over her face, obscuring her features. The prodigious mass of bright red hair that framed her uniformed figure, however, readily identified her as Natsume Iroha. Stuck between them, Seminar's Ushio Noa smiled and waved at Rin in a friendly manner.
Student Council members of the three largest academies in all of Kivotos.
Rin could already sense a formidable headache awaited her in the near future.
"Honestly! If Nagi-chan thought this was soooooo important she should have come here herself. She might be the Tea Party's current host, but it's not like I don't have my own things going on. Oh, that reminds me!" The pink haired girl's meandering diatribe came to a sudden end and her gaze became sharp as she faced Rin head on. "You ordered a lockdown, didn't you? Because of an intruder? What was all that about anyways? Really, Vice-President! You gotta work harder if you're just letting anyone barge in here as they please! You caught them, ri-"
Misono Mika stopped talking, and her golden eyes widened in shock.
Ushio Noa stopped smiling, and she leaned forward with curiosity.
Natsume Iroha kept on sleeping.
Ayanami Rei had stepped into the room and an uncomfortable silence once again descended upon those gathered there.
That is, until Mika's eyes rolled up in her head and she fainted, falling out of her chair with a loud crash that woke Iroha up.
"Can't a girl get some rest around here? What's with all the racket anyways?" The red head grumbled sleepily as she removed the book from her face and looked around the room. She then noticed the halo-less girl by the entrance. "Oh."
"'Oh' is right," Noa replied mirthfully, her smile returning. "I'm so glad it was my turn to drop by this time. I can't wait to hear the Vice-President's explanation."
Rin could only sigh in reply.
Where to even start?
---
Lesson 2: End
What did we learn today, class?
Yes, that's correct!
No running in the hallways.
Join us again next time for Lesson 3: SCHALE. We'll have: a tank!
Don't be late!
---
AN: A shorter one this time, but this felt like an appropriate place to stop. --Kero
Lesson 3: SCHALE
Froggie
Fairy tale happy ending
Lesson 3: SCHALE
The entire machine rumbled, shook, and then roared all around Ayanami Rei as another shot was fired. Thanks to the helmet she had been given, what should have been an ear-splitting explosion was instead heard as a loud yet dull thud even through the constant noise of the running tank. She turned her head slightly this time and looked out the tank's viewport to see the result of the latest shot. It was… unusual. She had expected to see the results of an explosion, mangled bodies, torn limbs, and red blood.
Red. The color of blood.
The color I hate.
Myself.
Instead, she saw completely whole bodies, no torn limbs, and not a single drop of blood. Scattered and unmoving, yes, but without any clear signs of injury. Without any clear signs of death. She did not care if these strangers died, but neither did she wish for it. But it was still unusual enough to warrant, no, demand her attention. It was puzzling and strange, like many other things about this strange city she had suddenly found herself in. Strangers in a strange land that took a tank shell and lived through it.
Children who do not bleed.
A human who is not a human.
Myself.
Rin had said that the enemy they were fighting against was called The Helmet Gang, and that they had recently become deeply embedded in this part of D.U., the capital district of the Academy City. A simple and descriptive name for a gang; aside from their diverse school uniforms, all the gang's members wore various kinds of helmets and face concealing gear. And like everyone else in this strange city, they all had halos of differing shapes, patterns and colors that floated either atop or behind their heads.
Halo. A symbol of divinity.
A symbol of Angels.
Myself.
Iroha's muffled voice floated down to her from the tank's hatch. The blue-haired girl could barely understand what the tank commander had said, but the intention was clear. Another shot. Rei watched as automated, mechanical arms retrieved and loaded another shell in response to Iroha's command, and, soon after, the entire machine rumbled, shook, and then roared once again. Looking through the viewport, more gang members scattered, unconscious and yet completely unharmed. Rei watched as their haloes winked out of existence and one delinquent's helmet dislodged and clattered away, smashing against the city sidewalk. A strange compulsion struck her at that moment.
What are you?
The first person she saw when she arrived here had peculiarly pointed ears, and a blue halo that slightly resembled a strangely shaped, three-pointed crown. Nanagami Rin. Someone who clearly wasn't human. It further added to the worries she'd had since her unexpected and mysterious arrival. Rei had known since waking up in that strange office that she was no longer in Tokyo-3. She couldn't tell where she was but the fact that she had not recognized any of the buildings in the city skyline before her as she looked out the window, and the fact that the sky outside had strange bands of light cutting through it in circular patterns unlike anything she had seen in her life confirmed to her that she was nowhere even remotely familiar. The building she was in at that moment did not resemble any NERV facility that she had ever been in either, not even the extremely classified ones. After Rin had fainted and she explored the rest of the building, she had seen more people who were clearly not human in the corridors of the GSC HQ: pointed ears, animal ears, wings, horns, tails… Every single one of them with haloes.
What are you?
Rei deftly clambered past Iroha despite the cramped quarters and exited the tank even as the red-haired girl shouted something behind her, clearly agitated. It didn't matter. She had to know. Two short hops later, and the blue-haired girl was off the vehicle, ripping off and discarding her tank crew helmet as she made her way towards the unconscious, uniformed girl who had lost her helmet. Rei heard other shouts coming from Rin and the other two who had accompanied them, but she ignored them. Some urge from within compelled her, moved her, and it was only a few brief steps over rubble and shattered glass before she stood in front of the downed delinquent.
What are you?
Are you… like me?
Rei realized as she carefully knelt down beside the unconscious girl, making sure not to dirty her uniform as she did, that this was the sensation that had stirred her to act. She felt a strange and inexplicable kinship towards all these girls. None of them were human. Rei knew she was not human either. Not completely. It marked her as different and isolated her from everyone in NERV, in Tokyo-3, in the world. She was not certain of her exact composition, only Commander Ikari and Doctor Akagi were privy to those details, but the pallid girl was aware of her unique nature. This nature was, after all, the crux of her own role as a tool, Commander Ikari's tool, for the sake of Instrumentality. So, what of these girls who looked, but were not, human then? What were they?
Are we… the same?
She slowly reached out a hand towards the unconscious girl. Had Rei been more cognizant of her own emotions, she would have described herself as anxious. The unconscious girl had short black hair with long bangs that fell over her closed eyes, and a face that could be described as cute were it not scraped and dirtied from an attack which should have rightly killed her if she were a normal human. Her breathing was even, confirming to Rei that the stranger was not in any immediate danger despite what should have been life-ending injuries. With a breath, Rei made up her mind and pale fingers reached out further, and she touched the unconscious girl's face and she felt…
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
We are not the same, she thought to herself dejectedly as she lowered her hand. They were similar to be certain, but they were not the same. They were not like her. The brief bond she had felt towards the people of this strange place shattered inside of her. She was alone.
Alone?
A strange emotion welled up from inside of her like frozen water that rose and spread to every limb and digit. She shivered. Rei had not thought about them since her arrival in this unknown city, but now they were first and foremost in her mind. Those others who were her. The empty vessels meant to contain her soul and safeguard Instrumentality.
They are not here.
I cannot sense any of them.
They had always danced at the edge of her consciousness, soullessly giggling as they existed without living. And yet now… She was alone with her thoughts. Rei felt nothing and no one, only the incomprehensible torrent of her own emotions and complete and utter silence.
Ayanami Rei looked at herself in the cracked reflection of the delinquent's lost helmet. She did not remember when she had stood and picked it up, but the smashed visor's black reflection dragged her out of her dazed state as she looked at herself reflected in a hundred tiny shards.
She shuddered.
The me who are me and not me are not here.
I cannot be replaced.
I am myself.
I am alone.
For the first time in her life, Ayanami Rei was truly terrified.
---
Nanagami Rin, more cognizant of fear than she had been hours prior, screamed in terror as she watched Ayanami Rei, the halo-less stranger who held all their hopes, exit the Gehenna tank, and walk towards one of the downed delinquents. A stray bullet would doom the entire city!
"Take them out!" she shouted hoarsely as she and Seminar's Ushio Noa opened fire on the remaining delinquents even as they both ran to defend the halo-less girl. Return fire, however, pinned them promptly and Rin cursed below her breath as they were forced to take cover while their artillery reloaded. Rei had seemed amenable to their plan so why had she stepped out? What was going on in that girl's head?! The bespectacled student muttered angrily to herself as she reloaded and took another shot, and then a brief flash of white danced on the edge of her vision.
Misono Mika.
One of Trinity General School's three Student Council Presidents had rushed out of cover and straight into the delinquent's line of fire. The Helmet Gang noticed her immediately, a dozen weapons roaring as they concentrated fire solely on her; her pure white dress making an enticing and easily visible target. Concentrated fire from that many guns, however, did not seem to slow Mika down in the slightest.
Rin could not help but stare. GSC intelligence had reported that Misono Mika was incredibly resilient even by Kivoto's lofty standards, but this was bordering on incomprehensible. That much concentrated fire would have knocked Rin and many others unconscious in an instant. Mika didn't even blink.
"I didn't!" the Trinity School President shouted as she slammed another magazine into her Lanchester Mk. I.
"Even!" she flashily spun the gun in her hands and the magazine locked into place.
"Want to be here!" the white clad girl opened fire one handed and burst of gunfire accompanied by a bright flash of violet light erupted knocking out a dozen helmeted combatants. Not a second later, Gehenna's tank opened fire again and mopped up the rest.
Mika clicked her tongue disdainfully towards the unconscious delinquents and walked towards the halo-less girl. Rei was standing still, ramrod straight, and seemingly ignorant of the fact that another skirmish against the Helmet Gang had just happened less than a dozen meters from where she was standing. She was holding one of their helmets in her hands and staring at it with an unreadable expression on her face.
"Get back inside, Sensei," the pink-haired girl said with a mischievous sing-song tone and a bright smile. Rei nodded absentmindedly while Rin and Noa were still running to catch up. None of them could note that the broad and happy smile never reached Mika's eyes at all.
---
The rest of the group's march through the outskirts of D.U. was mercifully uneventful. There were more skirmishes against the helmet gang, entrenched as they were in this section of the district, but they were quickly dispatched by their small group. Even the gang's trump card, their stolen Crusader I, was no match for Iroha and her Toramaru, as she called her Tiger I. Rin secretly hoped that the damage inflicted today would be enough to dislodge the gang once they had Sanctum Tower up and running once again. To have left the gang make inroads into D.U. itself was a shame that would haunt her the rest of her life, but such thoughts were better left for another time. The sun was barely beginning to set, and it would only be a few moments before they arrived at the SCHALE campus.
When they did arrive, Mika was the first to speak.
"What a dump," the winged Trinity student remarked dryly.
It had seen better days before.
The Residence Hall was dirty and abandoned, with walls covered in gang graffiti and a layer of dust and dirt. Even the gardens were unkempt and overgrown, but the Main Building itself…
"The Fox of Calamity attacked a little over a week ago," Rin explained lamely, an apologetic expression on her face as she turned towards the shorter, blue-haired girl following mutely behind. "We couldn't divert Valkyrie resources to protect an unused, empty building with everything else that was going on. By the time we could respond, well…"
A huge explosion had decimated the entire right wing of what was previously a pristine white building, leaving a gaping hole into the entrails of the complex. Even from a distance the small group could see shattered windows, rubble, charred walls covered with dust and soot, and toppled over bookshelves, cabinets, and lockers.
A derelict and abandoned wreck.
"This was meant to be your office and residence, but," Rin tried to continue her explanation but Rei cut her off.
"It does not matter. Where must we go?" she was still holding onto her schoolbag with one hand and the discarded delinquent helmet with the other. It had raised some eyebrows from the other members of the small group, but none had seen fit to tell her to leave it behind.
"The basement," Rin replied with a nod. "The explosion was mercifully far from the entrance so it should still be alright. Watch your step and keep an eye out for any gang members that might be lurking inside."
For a mercy, there were no helmeted miscreants lurking inside the abandoned SCHALE building. If there had been any, they had likely retreated at the news of the defeat of their trump card as there were signs of recent occupation and a hasty retreat. They found the basement door without issue and Rin opened the biometric lock and waved Rei inside, following behind the younger girl shortly after. Nobody talked about the bullet holes riddling the reinforced door and the concrete beside it.
And just like that, three of the most influential students in all of Kivotos were left by themselves, waiting for a miracle to happen.
Natsume Iroha was the first to break the increasingly awkward silence.
"Are we done yet?" Iroha complained, sounding utterly exhausted. "That girl is so quiet, it's unnatural. She gives me the creeps."
"I can't believe I'm agreeing with Gehenna, but, yeah… There's something really off about her," Mika nodded vigorously.
Noa laughed and smiled a friendly smile. "I don't disagree, but don't you think that she's… intriguing? Mysterious? I was expecting the GSC's rumored Sensei to be an adult, but a halo-less girl is a fascinating turn of events."
Iroha sighed at that, somehow managing to make her expression look even more exhausted than it already was. "I don't do well with intrigue OR mystery. I just wanna go back to the dorms and get some sleep. This unpaid overtime is killing me."
Mika, for her part, seemed to contemplate Noa's question for a moment before answering. "It's not just that she's mysterious and creepy, but…" she seemed to struggle with words for a moment before finally giving up and shrugging her shoulders.
"It's like she's a ghost," Iroha said with complete conviction and steely glint in her indigo eyes. She limply held her hands in front of herself. "OoOooOoo, watch out, you'll be possessed!"
Mika couldn't help but giggle at that, and Noa's smile widened a little further.
"You know, I'm a little surprised," the silver haired Millenium secretary said in a bemused tone. "I always thought that Trinity and Gehenna didn't get along at all. This has really been an eye-opening experience for me."
Mika stuck her tongue out and made a comical expression of disgust while gagging theatrically. The other two girls chuckled softly at her exaggerated expression.
"Yeah, the feeling's mutual," Iroha agreed with a wry smile, and Mika had to stop her theatrics to flash a quick smile in return.
"Well, you're not entirely wrong, Ushio-san." The friendly mood dampened slightly, but Mika pressed on regardless. "I don't like Gehenna, but I'm not a total idiot, you know? I can put aside those feelings if it means getting the city running again and that Nagi-chan stops nagging me so much over every little thing."
"Oh, geez, thanks for that positive reinforcement, princess. My self-esteem is through the roof right now."
Mika stuck her tongue out at Iroha again, and the small group shared a laugh.
"Besides, it's not like anybody is forcing us to hold hands and be friends. After this is done, we'll never meet each other again so there's nooooooo pressure."
"I suppose that's true," Noa conceded Mika's point with a small frown. She was about to open her mouth to speak again when all three of their phones rang in unison. Not a second later, the heavily secured door slid open to reveal Nanagami Rin with a small smile on her normally severe features.
"It's done," the white clad officer said, unable to keep joy and satisfaction out of her voice. "City infrastructure, locked accounts, revoked permissions, sealed off buildings...We've recovered everything. All of it. Kivotos is saved."
The miracle had arrived.
Four faces reflected elation and relief.
The remaining face reflected nothing.
She was alone.
---
Lesson 3: End
What did we learn today, class?
Yes, that's correct!
You are unique and irreplaceable.
Join us again next time for Lesson 4: All's Right With The World. We'll have: Paperwork! Depression and social isolation! And last, but definitely not least, a… wait, I'm keeping that one under my hat.
Don't be late!
---
AN: Tossed my first draft of this chapter because it was refusing to be written so this took longer than I would have liked. But it's done now and I'm happy with it despite having had to change tracks on a couple of things I wanted to do. You'll have noticed some further changes to what the regular and familiar BA Prologue would have been. It's a shame that Rei arrived late, but that's just how the cookie crumbles, I guess --Kero
The entire machine rumbled, shook, and then roared all around Ayanami Rei as another shot was fired. Thanks to the helmet she had been given, what should have been an ear-splitting explosion was instead heard as a loud yet dull thud even through the constant noise of the running tank. She turned her head slightly this time and looked out the tank's viewport to see the result of the latest shot. It was… unusual. She had expected to see the results of an explosion, mangled bodies, torn limbs, and red blood.
Red. The color of blood.
The color I hate.
Myself.
Instead, she saw completely whole bodies, no torn limbs, and not a single drop of blood. Scattered and unmoving, yes, but without any clear signs of injury. Without any clear signs of death. She did not care if these strangers died, but neither did she wish for it. But it was still unusual enough to warrant, no, demand her attention. It was puzzling and strange, like many other things about this strange city she had suddenly found herself in. Strangers in a strange land that took a tank shell and lived through it.
Children who do not bleed.
A human who is not a human.
Myself.
Rin had said that the enemy they were fighting against was called The Helmet Gang, and that they had recently become deeply embedded in this part of D.U., the capital district of the Academy City. A simple and descriptive name for a gang; aside from their diverse school uniforms, all the gang's members wore various kinds of helmets and face concealing gear. And like everyone else in this strange city, they all had halos of differing shapes, patterns and colors that floated either atop or behind their heads.
Halo. A symbol of divinity.
A symbol of Angels.
Myself.
Iroha's muffled voice floated down to her from the tank's hatch. The blue-haired girl could barely understand what the tank commander had said, but the intention was clear. Another shot. Rei watched as automated, mechanical arms retrieved and loaded another shell in response to Iroha's command, and, soon after, the entire machine rumbled, shook, and then roared once again. Looking through the viewport, more gang members scattered, unconscious and yet completely unharmed. Rei watched as their haloes winked out of existence and one delinquent's helmet dislodged and clattered away, smashing against the city sidewalk. A strange compulsion struck her at that moment.
What are you?
The first person she saw when she arrived here had peculiarly pointed ears, and a blue halo that slightly resembled a strangely shaped, three-pointed crown. Nanagami Rin. Someone who clearly wasn't human. It further added to the worries she'd had since her unexpected and mysterious arrival. Rei had known since waking up in that strange office that she was no longer in Tokyo-3. She couldn't tell where she was but the fact that she had not recognized any of the buildings in the city skyline before her as she looked out the window, and the fact that the sky outside had strange bands of light cutting through it in circular patterns unlike anything she had seen in her life confirmed to her that she was nowhere even remotely familiar. The building she was in at that moment did not resemble any NERV facility that she had ever been in either, not even the extremely classified ones. After Rin had fainted and she explored the rest of the building, she had seen more people who were clearly not human in the corridors of the GSC HQ: pointed ears, animal ears, wings, horns, tails… Every single one of them with haloes.
What are you?
Rei deftly clambered past Iroha despite the cramped quarters and exited the tank even as the red-haired girl shouted something behind her, clearly agitated. It didn't matter. She had to know. Two short hops later, and the blue-haired girl was off the vehicle, ripping off and discarding her tank crew helmet as she made her way towards the unconscious, uniformed girl who had lost her helmet. Rei heard other shouts coming from Rin and the other two who had accompanied them, but she ignored them. Some urge from within compelled her, moved her, and it was only a few brief steps over rubble and shattered glass before she stood in front of the downed delinquent.
What are you?
Are you… like me?
Rei realized as she carefully knelt down beside the unconscious girl, making sure not to dirty her uniform as she did, that this was the sensation that had stirred her to act. She felt a strange and inexplicable kinship towards all these girls. None of them were human. Rei knew she was not human either. Not completely. It marked her as different and isolated her from everyone in NERV, in Tokyo-3, in the world. She was not certain of her exact composition, only Commander Ikari and Doctor Akagi were privy to those details, but the pallid girl was aware of her unique nature. This nature was, after all, the crux of her own role as a tool, Commander Ikari's tool, for the sake of Instrumentality. So, what of these girls who looked, but were not, human then? What were they?
Are we… the same?
She slowly reached out a hand towards the unconscious girl. Had Rei been more cognizant of her own emotions, she would have described herself as anxious. The unconscious girl had short black hair with long bangs that fell over her closed eyes, and a face that could be described as cute were it not scraped and dirtied from an attack which should have rightly killed her if she were a normal human. Her breathing was even, confirming to Rei that the stranger was not in any immediate danger despite what should have been life-ending injuries. With a breath, Rei made up her mind and pale fingers reached out further, and she touched the unconscious girl's face and she felt…
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
We are not the same, she thought to herself dejectedly as she lowered her hand. They were similar to be certain, but they were not the same. They were not like her. The brief bond she had felt towards the people of this strange place shattered inside of her. She was alone.
Alone?
A strange emotion welled up from inside of her like frozen water that rose and spread to every limb and digit. She shivered. Rei had not thought about them since her arrival in this unknown city, but now they were first and foremost in her mind. Those others who were her. The empty vessels meant to contain her soul and safeguard Instrumentality.
They are not here.
I cannot sense any of them.
They had always danced at the edge of her consciousness, soullessly giggling as they existed without living. And yet now… She was alone with her thoughts. Rei felt nothing and no one, only the incomprehensible torrent of her own emotions and complete and utter silence.
Ayanami Rei looked at herself in the cracked reflection of the delinquent's lost helmet. She did not remember when she had stood and picked it up, but the smashed visor's black reflection dragged her out of her dazed state as she looked at herself reflected in a hundred tiny shards.
She shuddered.
The me who are me and not me are not here.
I cannot be replaced.
I am myself.
I am alone.
For the first time in her life, Ayanami Rei was truly terrified.
---
Nanagami Rin, more cognizant of fear than she had been hours prior, screamed in terror as she watched Ayanami Rei, the halo-less stranger who held all their hopes, exit the Gehenna tank, and walk towards one of the downed delinquents. A stray bullet would doom the entire city!
"Take them out!" she shouted hoarsely as she and Seminar's Ushio Noa opened fire on the remaining delinquents even as they both ran to defend the halo-less girl. Return fire, however, pinned them promptly and Rin cursed below her breath as they were forced to take cover while their artillery reloaded. Rei had seemed amenable to their plan so why had she stepped out? What was going on in that girl's head?! The bespectacled student muttered angrily to herself as she reloaded and took another shot, and then a brief flash of white danced on the edge of her vision.
Misono Mika.
One of Trinity General School's three Student Council Presidents had rushed out of cover and straight into the delinquent's line of fire. The Helmet Gang noticed her immediately, a dozen weapons roaring as they concentrated fire solely on her; her pure white dress making an enticing and easily visible target. Concentrated fire from that many guns, however, did not seem to slow Mika down in the slightest.
Rin could not help but stare. GSC intelligence had reported that Misono Mika was incredibly resilient even by Kivoto's lofty standards, but this was bordering on incomprehensible. That much concentrated fire would have knocked Rin and many others unconscious in an instant. Mika didn't even blink.
"I didn't!" the Trinity School President shouted as she slammed another magazine into her Lanchester Mk. I.
"Even!" she flashily spun the gun in her hands and the magazine locked into place.
"Want to be here!" the white clad girl opened fire one handed and burst of gunfire accompanied by a bright flash of violet light erupted knocking out a dozen helmeted combatants. Not a second later, Gehenna's tank opened fire again and mopped up the rest.
Mika clicked her tongue disdainfully towards the unconscious delinquents and walked towards the halo-less girl. Rei was standing still, ramrod straight, and seemingly ignorant of the fact that another skirmish against the Helmet Gang had just happened less than a dozen meters from where she was standing. She was holding one of their helmets in her hands and staring at it with an unreadable expression on her face.
"Get back inside, Sensei," the pink-haired girl said with a mischievous sing-song tone and a bright smile. Rei nodded absentmindedly while Rin and Noa were still running to catch up. None of them could note that the broad and happy smile never reached Mika's eyes at all.
---
The rest of the group's march through the outskirts of D.U. was mercifully uneventful. There were more skirmishes against the helmet gang, entrenched as they were in this section of the district, but they were quickly dispatched by their small group. Even the gang's trump card, their stolen Crusader I, was no match for Iroha and her Toramaru, as she called her Tiger I. Rin secretly hoped that the damage inflicted today would be enough to dislodge the gang once they had Sanctum Tower up and running once again. To have left the gang make inroads into D.U. itself was a shame that would haunt her the rest of her life, but such thoughts were better left for another time. The sun was barely beginning to set, and it would only be a few moments before they arrived at the SCHALE campus.
When they did arrive, Mika was the first to speak.
"What a dump," the winged Trinity student remarked dryly.
It had seen better days before.
The Residence Hall was dirty and abandoned, with walls covered in gang graffiti and a layer of dust and dirt. Even the gardens were unkempt and overgrown, but the Main Building itself…
"The Fox of Calamity attacked a little over a week ago," Rin explained lamely, an apologetic expression on her face as she turned towards the shorter, blue-haired girl following mutely behind. "We couldn't divert Valkyrie resources to protect an unused, empty building with everything else that was going on. By the time we could respond, well…"
A huge explosion had decimated the entire right wing of what was previously a pristine white building, leaving a gaping hole into the entrails of the complex. Even from a distance the small group could see shattered windows, rubble, charred walls covered with dust and soot, and toppled over bookshelves, cabinets, and lockers.
A derelict and abandoned wreck.
"This was meant to be your office and residence, but," Rin tried to continue her explanation but Rei cut her off.
"It does not matter. Where must we go?" she was still holding onto her schoolbag with one hand and the discarded delinquent helmet with the other. It had raised some eyebrows from the other members of the small group, but none had seen fit to tell her to leave it behind.
"The basement," Rin replied with a nod. "The explosion was mercifully far from the entrance so it should still be alright. Watch your step and keep an eye out for any gang members that might be lurking inside."
For a mercy, there were no helmeted miscreants lurking inside the abandoned SCHALE building. If there had been any, they had likely retreated at the news of the defeat of their trump card as there were signs of recent occupation and a hasty retreat. They found the basement door without issue and Rin opened the biometric lock and waved Rei inside, following behind the younger girl shortly after. Nobody talked about the bullet holes riddling the reinforced door and the concrete beside it.
And just like that, three of the most influential students in all of Kivotos were left by themselves, waiting for a miracle to happen.
Natsume Iroha was the first to break the increasingly awkward silence.
"Are we done yet?" Iroha complained, sounding utterly exhausted. "That girl is so quiet, it's unnatural. She gives me the creeps."
"I can't believe I'm agreeing with Gehenna, but, yeah… There's something really off about her," Mika nodded vigorously.
Noa laughed and smiled a friendly smile. "I don't disagree, but don't you think that she's… intriguing? Mysterious? I was expecting the GSC's rumored Sensei to be an adult, but a halo-less girl is a fascinating turn of events."
Iroha sighed at that, somehow managing to make her expression look even more exhausted than it already was. "I don't do well with intrigue OR mystery. I just wanna go back to the dorms and get some sleep. This unpaid overtime is killing me."
Mika, for her part, seemed to contemplate Noa's question for a moment before answering. "It's not just that she's mysterious and creepy, but…" she seemed to struggle with words for a moment before finally giving up and shrugging her shoulders.
"It's like she's a ghost," Iroha said with complete conviction and steely glint in her indigo eyes. She limply held her hands in front of herself. "OoOooOoo, watch out, you'll be possessed!"
Mika couldn't help but giggle at that, and Noa's smile widened a little further.
"You know, I'm a little surprised," the silver haired Millenium secretary said in a bemused tone. "I always thought that Trinity and Gehenna didn't get along at all. This has really been an eye-opening experience for me."
Mika stuck her tongue out and made a comical expression of disgust while gagging theatrically. The other two girls chuckled softly at her exaggerated expression.
"Yeah, the feeling's mutual," Iroha agreed with a wry smile, and Mika had to stop her theatrics to flash a quick smile in return.
"Well, you're not entirely wrong, Ushio-san." The friendly mood dampened slightly, but Mika pressed on regardless. "I don't like Gehenna, but I'm not a total idiot, you know? I can put aside those feelings if it means getting the city running again and that Nagi-chan stops nagging me so much over every little thing."
"Oh, geez, thanks for that positive reinforcement, princess. My self-esteem is through the roof right now."
Mika stuck her tongue out at Iroha again, and the small group shared a laugh.
"Besides, it's not like anybody is forcing us to hold hands and be friends. After this is done, we'll never meet each other again so there's nooooooo pressure."
"I suppose that's true," Noa conceded Mika's point with a small frown. She was about to open her mouth to speak again when all three of their phones rang in unison. Not a second later, the heavily secured door slid open to reveal Nanagami Rin with a small smile on her normally severe features.
"It's done," the white clad officer said, unable to keep joy and satisfaction out of her voice. "City infrastructure, locked accounts, revoked permissions, sealed off buildings...We've recovered everything. All of it. Kivotos is saved."
The miracle had arrived.
Four faces reflected elation and relief.
The remaining face reflected nothing.
She was alone.
---
Lesson 3: End
What did we learn today, class?
Yes, that's correct!
You are unique and irreplaceable.
Join us again next time for Lesson 4: All's Right With The World. We'll have: Paperwork! Depression and social isolation! And last, but definitely not least, a… wait, I'm keeping that one under my hat.
Don't be late!
---
AN: Tossed my first draft of this chapter because it was refusing to be written so this took longer than I would have liked. But it's done now and I'm happy with it despite having had to change tracks on a couple of things I wanted to do. You'll have noticed some further changes to what the regular and familiar BA Prologue would have been. It's a shame that Rei arrived late, but that's just how the cookie crumbles, I guess --Kero
For L3: SCHALE
Lesson 4: All's Right With The World
Froggie
Fairy tale happy ending
Lesson 4: All's Right With The World
It would likely take weeks, if not months, before the entirety of the Helmet Gang's dregs were completely dislodged from their foothold in D.U. A long and arduous battle lay before Rin, she knew. Even if Valkyrie Police School surpassed her expectations and accomplished their mission quickly and efficiently, it would still only mean that they all had reached the proverbial starting line ahead of schedule. The process of both securing D.U.'s outskirts and rebuilding SCHALE was a battle she expected to take even longer and with considerable resistance from other sections of the General Student Council that would rather the available budget be turned towards other priorities. Battle lines, alliances, favors traded… Compromises made, and morals compromised.
Rin sighed.
For all that the figurative war for the city still raged on, Rin was glad that the initial battle, at least, had been such a resounding success. The downward spiral that Kivotos had been trapped in had been broken, order had been restored -well, as much as it ever was- and all that remained was to take the battle to the gangs and delinquents that remained stubbornly defiant. For the General Student Council's Vice-President, this was a battle that started at her office desk. In the dead of night. With a cup of coffee and reams of paper that threatened to obliterate her desk under their ponderous bulk.
Rin's desk creaked slightly, and she reassessed her current situation.
I'm going to need more coffee, she thought to herself as she reached towards the first set of reports.
Two cups of coffee and a considerably less ponderous mass of paperwork later, Rin sighed, stretched her arms overhead and turned her thoughts towards the SCHALE dilemma. The so-called Federal Investigation Club that her friend had set up before her untimely disappearance. The organization was meant to have unrivaled autonomy and extrajudicial authority to resolve student issues that the GSC was forced to dance around. That authority remained, but all that SCHALE had to their name now was a bombed out campus in desperate need of repair, a mysterious tablet computer, and an even more mysterious waif without a halo. Said mysterious waif currently asleep on Rin's office sofa after the Vice-President had offered to put her up for the night while more permanent arrangements could be made. The pallid, halo-less girl was holding the motorcycle helmet she'd carried around all evening to her chest as she slept.
Rin scowled at the sleeping girl as her thoughts returned to their first conversation.
"That information is confidential. You do not have the appropriate security clearance."
Rei's words had been seared into Rin's mind and glared balefully at her from behind every thought and action that she took for the rest of the day and up to the current moment.
As she bowed her head and begged that strange girl for help.
As she cajoled and strong-armed three academy representatives into following her lead.
As she fought her way through gang-controlled streets.
As she handed over the Shittim Chest to the girl and silently prayed for a miracle.
Just who are you, Ayanami Rei? Who do you work for? Rin thought to herself. Oh, she had begged for the girl's help and promised her own in return. There was no denying that, but that didn't mean she trusted her at all. How could she, after hearing those words? How could anyone? She'd keep her end of the bargain, just like Rei had kept hers, but she would continue to harbor her doubts towards the sleeping girl and her secrets. That was her responsibility to everyone in Kivotos after all.
A sound distracted Rin from her thoughts and she looked towards the only other occupant of her office at this late hour. Rei had moved in her sleep, the helmet clattering to the floor. Shaking her head, Rin stood from her desk and moved to pick it up. She walked as quietly as possible so as not to wake her suspicious guest and as she moved closer, Rin realized something else.
Rei was crying in her sleep.
Soft, barely audible whimpers escaped the girl's lips as whatever nightmare ravaged her mind made her shudder and move in her sleep. From further away, Rin might have thought her to be a twitchy sleeper, but from up close the tears falling down her face were unmistakable and undeniable even through the dim light of her office.
In that moment, Nanagami Rin, Vice-President of the General Student Council and Chief Administrative Officer, felt like complete and utter human garbage.
Shame and guilt stabbed at Rin's heart simultaneously as she watched the young girl groan and twist again. A girl younger than her! A girl alone, far from home, surrounded by strangers, and wanting only to return to the place where she belonged. A student like her! A student who had no reason to help, but had done so anyways without complaint, asking only for help to return home.
Rin screamed internally, berating herself for her previously ungrateful thoughts. As a senior student, as a GSC officer, as any person should, she had a responsibility to look after those younger than her. She should be better. She had to be better. And it started now.
No matter what it took, she was going to get Rei home.
She stepped outside her office and turned on her phone.
Before she followed her friend and joined the GSC academic course, she had once been a regular student like any other.
It was time to do something she thought she would never have to do ever again.
It was time to call her alma mater.
Millennium Science School.
She took a deep breath and dialed.
"Yes, it's me. Yes, I know what time it is. I'm sorry for calling, but I... I need your help."
---
In her dreams, Ayanami Rei felt the snarling woman's hands tighten around her neck in a vice like grip. She struggled, but it was pointless.
Darkness took her and she was falling.
A red pinprick.
Another, and then another.
And then the soulless giggling started as they all clawed at her, tore at her, gnashed at her.
A deluge of voices shrieked at her in the darkness, begging and demanding the light of a soul, and she clutched at her ears; refusing to listen to them.
Not here.
Please, not here.
In her dreams, Ayanami Rei saw Unit Zero's eye turn towards her with unthinking hate and the machine opened its jaws…
Not here.
She fell further into the darkness.
Four and three eyes stared unblinking and whispered that she was no one and nothing and worthless.
Not here.
She fell further into the darkness.
She was in the Entry Plug. From the hatch, Commander Ikari asked if she was alright.
She did not answer.
She was at Terminal Dogma. Through the glass, Doctor Akagi asked if everything was alright.
She did not answer.
She was at school. Standing beside her, Ikari-kun asked if she was alright.
She turned to answer.
She heard someone call for help.
She was on a train car.
Rei blinked.
In the window in front of her, the sun was beginning to rise over an endless sea and the sky was awash with color and light as dark skies gave way to the morning, and the train car's interior was bathed in hues of a purple morning sky.
In the row of seats in front of her, a girl in a white uniform with three stars was dying. She had a gentle air to her and felt strangely… familiar. The girl, obviously in pain, managed a wan and ephemeral smile. Her hands were clasped demurely at her lap, and the bullet wound in her stomach dribbled out crimson blood that stained her uniform, the seat, her skirt, her boots, the floor between them.
"I'm sorry for the pain I've caused you," the dying girl said in a voice full of regret, trembling with unshed tears. "I'm sorry for the pain I've yet to cause you. And I'm sorry that you won't remember any of this."
Rei blinked and the dying girl continued.
"Still, I'm glad I found you. I won't ever regret that. I cannot regret that. Because the choices that you and I made are the ones that have led us here. Those choices are my responsibility to bear now, and I won't ever shirk them. Because of you. Because you're the only one."
"Who are you?"
The wan smile got weaker still at Rei's question, and the dying girl closed her eyes.
"I am so sorry," the dying girl whispered with failing strength. She was still smiling. "Please help us once again. And thank you once again. Thank you for answering when no one else did."
The sun rose higher in the sky, and the light became blinding in its intensity.
"I promise you..."
Unshed tears finally fell.
"Everything will be alright…"
Ayanami Rei woke up.
Early morning sunlight shined gently in the office where she had first woken up a day prior. Nanagami Rin stood at the entrance again with a confused expression on her face. She was holding a breakfast tray.
"Is everything alright?" the bespectacled girl asked.
Rei blinked.
"Yes."
---
Everything was not alright as Rin, flushed with embarrassment, had had to step outside again and get a second tray of breakfast after Rei informed her that she was vegetarian and could not eat what Rin had picked out for her.
Rather than waste any food, Rin ate breakfast twice that day.
---
"As I explained yesterday," Rin began in the cool and professional tone of someone who had definitely not been forced to eat breakfast twice over a silly mistake, "The tablet that you activated for us last night is called the Shittim Chest. Despite being left behind by the President, its origins are a mystery to us. It's an ancient piece of technology that we have been unable to decipher, akin to the Sanctum Tower that runs the city, or the ruins beyond the city limits, or…"
Rin paused, bewildered, as she watched Rei give the Shittim Chest a small wave of her hand.
Not for the first time, Rin wondered what was going on in the girl's head.
Rin cleared her throat and began again. "Where was I? Ah. According to our initial analysis, it should still function like a regular tablet computer despite being made of undiscernible components. Before disappearing, the President said it would help Sensei with their SCHALE duties, but…"
Rin worried at her lip briefly before continuing.
"Rei, you don't have to do this," Rin said with all the sincerity she could muster. "You've already done more than enough for us and… Everyone who could ask for help already owes you more than they could ever know. You don't have to go out there and pretend to bond over anyone's problems."
"A bond," Rei repeated as she lifted her gaze from the tablet and stared at Rin with her disturbing crimson eyes. She remained silent, considering her words for a moment before speaking again, "Tokyo-3 has my bond to everyone. I must return there."
"I've already started working on that, but" Rin sighed, and exhaustion seeped into her voice. The dark-haired girl reached for another cup of coffee before continuing. "Rei, it's not going to be fast. I'm sorry, but I have no idea how the President brought you here or where Tokyo-3 is. Rest assured, however, that if she found a way to get you here, then I'll find a way to get you home. It's just… Please be patient with me."
Rei nodded in understanding and pointed at the Shittim Chest in her hand.
"A request has arrived," Rei stated simply, in the same impassive tone as always.
Rin arched an eyebrow at the girl's words "And what will you do? Will you accept it?"
Rei nodded.
"Why?" Rin asked, genuinely curious. "Even after what I've just said: why?"
Rei remained silent, her eyes fixed on the Shittim Chest, and the silence stretched for what seemed to be an interminably long time before the younger girl finally spoke.
"I do not know."
The taller girl stood up without a word, looking at Rei with an odd expression on her face. She nodded, coming to a decision, and headed towards the door.
"I'll have Ayumu accompany you," the dark-haired girl said without turning back. "You shouldn't be wandering around by yourself in a district you're so clearly unfamiliar with. Don't worry. Ayumu is a professional. Everything will be alright."
Rei blinked.
---
Iwabitsu Ayumu's emotions were, as was often the case, in turmoil. Her first reaction upon hearing her friend and superior telling her to take the rest of the day off had been to wonder if she was finally being tossed out of the GSC for incompetence. The blonde had, of course, loudly and tearily begged not to be fired, promised she would work even harder, and clung to Rin as if she were the sole source of light, reason, and order in a dark and terrifying world.
Which she was, of course, but that's beside the point.
Ayumu had become considerably calmer after being told that, no, she wasn't being fired and please pick up the paperwork she had just dropped. Rin had then explained that Ayumu was being given another assignment and as such her duties at the Arbitration Office of the GSC were being put on temporary hold. She brightened at that, but only briefly as Rin informed her that she would be helping SCHALE, the halo-less girl, with their first assignment.
The winged girl had started crying in earnest at that point.
She didn't want to do this! The halo-less girl was scary! There was something seriously wrong about her! The very air around her felt cold and prickly, and really unpleasant. Surely, somebody else could be sent instead of her, right? But, no, Rin had assured her that she was the one best suited for the job. Besides, who else could they send? Momoka? And Ayumu had to concede the point that, no, they certainly could not send Momoka to do, well, anything.
And so, that was how she found herself onboard a train heading towards the district of her alma mater prior to joining the GSC, in the company of a completely silent girl who seemed absorbed in the act of tapping away at her tablet.
Ayumu had to sigh in relief at seeing the strange and scary girl so absorbed with the mobile device. The air around her was still cold and prickly, but she almost seemed normal like that. Like any other girl, perpetually stuck to their smartphone. Just without a halo, which was still kinda weird, but ok. Maybe this wouldn't be so after all?
Yes, Ayumu thought to herself with conviction. Everything was going to be alright!
They arrived at Trinity District in complete silence and headed towards the meeting point, also in complete silence. Ayumu was glad to see that there was already someone waiting for them at their destination. The student who had placed the request, surely. She was less glad to see the black-haired girl jerk back when she noticed them approaching, the feline ears atop her head lowering against her hair.
Oh no! Ayumu thought, distress starting to take a hold of her mind, I knew I should have changed out of my GSC uniform.
"Uuhh… Who are you guys? If you need directions, then…"
"Ah! No!" Ayumu interrupted hastily, shaking her head. "We're actually with SCHALE. Well, she is, I'm just helping. We're here to meet with Kyoyama Kazusa. Could that be you, miss?"
The girl, Kyoyama Kazusa, nodded and relaxed slightly. She was dressed in a baggy, black hoodie that almost completely covered her uniform aside from a short sliver of her light blue skirt and dark tights. Her halo was a simple circle of purplish pink color with a circular cat's eye of the same color floating in the center. Kazusa regarded them both and gave a lopsided smile.
"I saw the announcement about a federal club for advice and help, but I guess I didn't know what to expect. Sure wasn't expecting the GSC to turn up, though."
"Sorry about that," Ayumu apologized immediately.
"So, you guys are SCHALE, huh?"
"She is. I'm just helping."
"Sure, whatever," Kazusa replied with a shrug before she looked at Rei with a wariness that indicated that the cat-eared girl was ready to bolt away at a moment's notice. "Uh… she isn't sick or anything is she? Nothing contagious?"
Rei blinked at that, and a small scowl briefly crossed her face.
"Nope," Ayumu shook her head softly as she regarded the smaller girl. "She's just like that. She's not from Kivotos."
"Huh. Never met anyone from outside the city before. That's pretty weird," her tone was nonchalant again, but only briefly as she let out a defeated sigh and her shoulders slumped. "Well, you guys already came out all the way out here for me so, hey, might as well. Come on, there's a café near here. I'll buy you guys like a cupcake or something."
Ayumu liked the sound of that, definitely.
Rei nodded.
"Carrot cupcake," she said.
"And maybe you can tell us what's bothering you while we walk there?" the blonde added.
"Yeah, sure," Kazusa shrugged noncommittally as she started walking away without another word.. It was several minutes before she broke the silence again.
"I need help because I, uh…I'm pretty sure I'm being stalked."
---
Lesson 4: End
What did we learn today, class?
Yes, that's correct!
Make sure to ask others for their preferences before serving food!
Join us again next time for Lesson 5: Youth means sweets. We'll have: Sweets! Gunfights! Misunderstandings! Stalkers! Smiles! More Sweets! And a disclaimer that any one of these elements might be absent depending on chapter length and time.
Don't be late!
---
AN: I started writing and could not stop, so this got done A LOT faster than I expected. I was estimating this to be ready a week from now. And yet, here we are. I got some major whiplash as I was writing it. It was a good pain, though. I hope you had fun.
The surprise? It was Ayumu. Surprise!
It would likely take weeks, if not months, before the entirety of the Helmet Gang's dregs were completely dislodged from their foothold in D.U. A long and arduous battle lay before Rin, she knew. Even if Valkyrie Police School surpassed her expectations and accomplished their mission quickly and efficiently, it would still only mean that they all had reached the proverbial starting line ahead of schedule. The process of both securing D.U.'s outskirts and rebuilding SCHALE was a battle she expected to take even longer and with considerable resistance from other sections of the General Student Council that would rather the available budget be turned towards other priorities. Battle lines, alliances, favors traded… Compromises made, and morals compromised.
Rin sighed.
For all that the figurative war for the city still raged on, Rin was glad that the initial battle, at least, had been such a resounding success. The downward spiral that Kivotos had been trapped in had been broken, order had been restored -well, as much as it ever was- and all that remained was to take the battle to the gangs and delinquents that remained stubbornly defiant. For the General Student Council's Vice-President, this was a battle that started at her office desk. In the dead of night. With a cup of coffee and reams of paper that threatened to obliterate her desk under their ponderous bulk.
Rin's desk creaked slightly, and she reassessed her current situation.
I'm going to need more coffee, she thought to herself as she reached towards the first set of reports.
Two cups of coffee and a considerably less ponderous mass of paperwork later, Rin sighed, stretched her arms overhead and turned her thoughts towards the SCHALE dilemma. The so-called Federal Investigation Club that her friend had set up before her untimely disappearance. The organization was meant to have unrivaled autonomy and extrajudicial authority to resolve student issues that the GSC was forced to dance around. That authority remained, but all that SCHALE had to their name now was a bombed out campus in desperate need of repair, a mysterious tablet computer, and an even more mysterious waif without a halo. Said mysterious waif currently asleep on Rin's office sofa after the Vice-President had offered to put her up for the night while more permanent arrangements could be made. The pallid, halo-less girl was holding the motorcycle helmet she'd carried around all evening to her chest as she slept.
Rin scowled at the sleeping girl as her thoughts returned to their first conversation.
"That information is confidential. You do not have the appropriate security clearance."
Rei's words had been seared into Rin's mind and glared balefully at her from behind every thought and action that she took for the rest of the day and up to the current moment.
As she bowed her head and begged that strange girl for help.
As she cajoled and strong-armed three academy representatives into following her lead.
As she fought her way through gang-controlled streets.
As she handed over the Shittim Chest to the girl and silently prayed for a miracle.
Just who are you, Ayanami Rei? Who do you work for? Rin thought to herself. Oh, she had begged for the girl's help and promised her own in return. There was no denying that, but that didn't mean she trusted her at all. How could she, after hearing those words? How could anyone? She'd keep her end of the bargain, just like Rei had kept hers, but she would continue to harbor her doubts towards the sleeping girl and her secrets. That was her responsibility to everyone in Kivotos after all.
A sound distracted Rin from her thoughts and she looked towards the only other occupant of her office at this late hour. Rei had moved in her sleep, the helmet clattering to the floor. Shaking her head, Rin stood from her desk and moved to pick it up. She walked as quietly as possible so as not to wake her suspicious guest and as she moved closer, Rin realized something else.
Rei was crying in her sleep.
Soft, barely audible whimpers escaped the girl's lips as whatever nightmare ravaged her mind made her shudder and move in her sleep. From further away, Rin might have thought her to be a twitchy sleeper, but from up close the tears falling down her face were unmistakable and undeniable even through the dim light of her office.
In that moment, Nanagami Rin, Vice-President of the General Student Council and Chief Administrative Officer, felt like complete and utter human garbage.
Shame and guilt stabbed at Rin's heart simultaneously as she watched the young girl groan and twist again. A girl younger than her! A girl alone, far from home, surrounded by strangers, and wanting only to return to the place where she belonged. A student like her! A student who had no reason to help, but had done so anyways without complaint, asking only for help to return home.
Rin screamed internally, berating herself for her previously ungrateful thoughts. As a senior student, as a GSC officer, as any person should, she had a responsibility to look after those younger than her. She should be better. She had to be better. And it started now.
No matter what it took, she was going to get Rei home.
She stepped outside her office and turned on her phone.
Before she followed her friend and joined the GSC academic course, she had once been a regular student like any other.
It was time to do something she thought she would never have to do ever again.
It was time to call her alma mater.
Millennium Science School.
She took a deep breath and dialed.
"Yes, it's me. Yes, I know what time it is. I'm sorry for calling, but I... I need your help."
---
In her dreams, Ayanami Rei felt the snarling woman's hands tighten around her neck in a vice like grip. She struggled, but it was pointless.
Darkness took her and she was falling.
A red pinprick.
Another, and then another.
And then the soulless giggling started as they all clawed at her, tore at her, gnashed at her.
A deluge of voices shrieked at her in the darkness, begging and demanding the light of a soul, and she clutched at her ears; refusing to listen to them.
Not here.
Please, not here.
In her dreams, Ayanami Rei saw Unit Zero's eye turn towards her with unthinking hate and the machine opened its jaws…
Not here.
She fell further into the darkness.
Four and three eyes stared unblinking and whispered that she was no one and nothing and worthless.
Not here.
She fell further into the darkness.
She was in the Entry Plug. From the hatch, Commander Ikari asked if she was alright.
She did not answer.
She was at Terminal Dogma. Through the glass, Doctor Akagi asked if everything was alright.
She did not answer.
She was at school. Standing beside her, Ikari-kun asked if she was alright.
She turned to answer.
She heard someone call for help.
She was on a train car.
Rei blinked.
In the window in front of her, the sun was beginning to rise over an endless sea and the sky was awash with color and light as dark skies gave way to the morning, and the train car's interior was bathed in hues of a purple morning sky.
In the row of seats in front of her, a girl in a white uniform with three stars was dying. She had a gentle air to her and felt strangely… familiar. The girl, obviously in pain, managed a wan and ephemeral smile. Her hands were clasped demurely at her lap, and the bullet wound in her stomach dribbled out crimson blood that stained her uniform, the seat, her skirt, her boots, the floor between them.
"I'm sorry for the pain I've caused you," the dying girl said in a voice full of regret, trembling with unshed tears. "I'm sorry for the pain I've yet to cause you. And I'm sorry that you won't remember any of this."
Rei blinked and the dying girl continued.
"Still, I'm glad I found you. I won't ever regret that. I cannot regret that. Because the choices that you and I made are the ones that have led us here. Those choices are my responsibility to bear now, and I won't ever shirk them. Because of you. Because you're the only one."
"Who are you?"
The wan smile got weaker still at Rei's question, and the dying girl closed her eyes.
"I am so sorry," the dying girl whispered with failing strength. She was still smiling. "Please help us once again. And thank you once again. Thank you for answering when no one else did."
The sun rose higher in the sky, and the light became blinding in its intensity.
"I promise you..."
Unshed tears finally fell.
"Everything will be alright…"
Ayanami Rei woke up.
Early morning sunlight shined gently in the office where she had first woken up a day prior. Nanagami Rin stood at the entrance again with a confused expression on her face. She was holding a breakfast tray.
"Is everything alright?" the bespectacled girl asked.
Rei blinked.
"Yes."
---
Everything was not alright as Rin, flushed with embarrassment, had had to step outside again and get a second tray of breakfast after Rei informed her that she was vegetarian and could not eat what Rin had picked out for her.
Rather than waste any food, Rin ate breakfast twice that day.
---
"As I explained yesterday," Rin began in the cool and professional tone of someone who had definitely not been forced to eat breakfast twice over a silly mistake, "The tablet that you activated for us last night is called the Shittim Chest. Despite being left behind by the President, its origins are a mystery to us. It's an ancient piece of technology that we have been unable to decipher, akin to the Sanctum Tower that runs the city, or the ruins beyond the city limits, or…"
Rin paused, bewildered, as she watched Rei give the Shittim Chest a small wave of her hand.
Not for the first time, Rin wondered what was going on in the girl's head.
Rin cleared her throat and began again. "Where was I? Ah. According to our initial analysis, it should still function like a regular tablet computer despite being made of undiscernible components. Before disappearing, the President said it would help Sensei with their SCHALE duties, but…"
Rin worried at her lip briefly before continuing.
"Rei, you don't have to do this," Rin said with all the sincerity she could muster. "You've already done more than enough for us and… Everyone who could ask for help already owes you more than they could ever know. You don't have to go out there and pretend to bond over anyone's problems."
"A bond," Rei repeated as she lifted her gaze from the tablet and stared at Rin with her disturbing crimson eyes. She remained silent, considering her words for a moment before speaking again, "Tokyo-3 has my bond to everyone. I must return there."
"I've already started working on that, but" Rin sighed, and exhaustion seeped into her voice. The dark-haired girl reached for another cup of coffee before continuing. "Rei, it's not going to be fast. I'm sorry, but I have no idea how the President brought you here or where Tokyo-3 is. Rest assured, however, that if she found a way to get you here, then I'll find a way to get you home. It's just… Please be patient with me."
Rei nodded in understanding and pointed at the Shittim Chest in her hand.
"A request has arrived," Rei stated simply, in the same impassive tone as always.
Rin arched an eyebrow at the girl's words "And what will you do? Will you accept it?"
Rei nodded.
"Why?" Rin asked, genuinely curious. "Even after what I've just said: why?"
Rei remained silent, her eyes fixed on the Shittim Chest, and the silence stretched for what seemed to be an interminably long time before the younger girl finally spoke.
"I do not know."
The taller girl stood up without a word, looking at Rei with an odd expression on her face. She nodded, coming to a decision, and headed towards the door.
"I'll have Ayumu accompany you," the dark-haired girl said without turning back. "You shouldn't be wandering around by yourself in a district you're so clearly unfamiliar with. Don't worry. Ayumu is a professional. Everything will be alright."
Rei blinked.
---
Iwabitsu Ayumu's emotions were, as was often the case, in turmoil. Her first reaction upon hearing her friend and superior telling her to take the rest of the day off had been to wonder if she was finally being tossed out of the GSC for incompetence. The blonde had, of course, loudly and tearily begged not to be fired, promised she would work even harder, and clung to Rin as if she were the sole source of light, reason, and order in a dark and terrifying world.
Which she was, of course, but that's beside the point.
Ayumu had become considerably calmer after being told that, no, she wasn't being fired and please pick up the paperwork she had just dropped. Rin had then explained that Ayumu was being given another assignment and as such her duties at the Arbitration Office of the GSC were being put on temporary hold. She brightened at that, but only briefly as Rin informed her that she would be helping SCHALE, the halo-less girl, with their first assignment.
The winged girl had started crying in earnest at that point.
She didn't want to do this! The halo-less girl was scary! There was something seriously wrong about her! The very air around her felt cold and prickly, and really unpleasant. Surely, somebody else could be sent instead of her, right? But, no, Rin had assured her that she was the one best suited for the job. Besides, who else could they send? Momoka? And Ayumu had to concede the point that, no, they certainly could not send Momoka to do, well, anything.
And so, that was how she found herself onboard a train heading towards the district of her alma mater prior to joining the GSC, in the company of a completely silent girl who seemed absorbed in the act of tapping away at her tablet.
Ayumu had to sigh in relief at seeing the strange and scary girl so absorbed with the mobile device. The air around her was still cold and prickly, but she almost seemed normal like that. Like any other girl, perpetually stuck to their smartphone. Just without a halo, which was still kinda weird, but ok. Maybe this wouldn't be so after all?
Yes, Ayumu thought to herself with conviction. Everything was going to be alright!
They arrived at Trinity District in complete silence and headed towards the meeting point, also in complete silence. Ayumu was glad to see that there was already someone waiting for them at their destination. The student who had placed the request, surely. She was less glad to see the black-haired girl jerk back when she noticed them approaching, the feline ears atop her head lowering against her hair.
Oh no! Ayumu thought, distress starting to take a hold of her mind, I knew I should have changed out of my GSC uniform.
"Uuhh… Who are you guys? If you need directions, then…"
"Ah! No!" Ayumu interrupted hastily, shaking her head. "We're actually with SCHALE. Well, she is, I'm just helping. We're here to meet with Kyoyama Kazusa. Could that be you, miss?"
The girl, Kyoyama Kazusa, nodded and relaxed slightly. She was dressed in a baggy, black hoodie that almost completely covered her uniform aside from a short sliver of her light blue skirt and dark tights. Her halo was a simple circle of purplish pink color with a circular cat's eye of the same color floating in the center. Kazusa regarded them both and gave a lopsided smile.
"I saw the announcement about a federal club for advice and help, but I guess I didn't know what to expect. Sure wasn't expecting the GSC to turn up, though."
"Sorry about that," Ayumu apologized immediately.
"So, you guys are SCHALE, huh?"
"She is. I'm just helping."
"Sure, whatever," Kazusa replied with a shrug before she looked at Rei with a wariness that indicated that the cat-eared girl was ready to bolt away at a moment's notice. "Uh… she isn't sick or anything is she? Nothing contagious?"
Rei blinked at that, and a small scowl briefly crossed her face.
"Nope," Ayumu shook her head softly as she regarded the smaller girl. "She's just like that. She's not from Kivotos."
"Huh. Never met anyone from outside the city before. That's pretty weird," her tone was nonchalant again, but only briefly as she let out a defeated sigh and her shoulders slumped. "Well, you guys already came out all the way out here for me so, hey, might as well. Come on, there's a café near here. I'll buy you guys like a cupcake or something."
Ayumu liked the sound of that, definitely.
Rei nodded.
"Carrot cupcake," she said.
"And maybe you can tell us what's bothering you while we walk there?" the blonde added.
"Yeah, sure," Kazusa shrugged noncommittally as she started walking away without another word.. It was several minutes before she broke the silence again.
"I need help because I, uh…I'm pretty sure I'm being stalked."
---
Lesson 4: End
What did we learn today, class?
Yes, that's correct!
Make sure to ask others for their preferences before serving food!
Join us again next time for Lesson 5: Youth means sweets. We'll have: Sweets! Gunfights! Misunderstandings! Stalkers! Smiles! More Sweets! And a disclaimer that any one of these elements might be absent depending on chapter length and time.
Don't be late!
---
AN: I started writing and could not stop, so this got done A LOT faster than I expected. I was estimating this to be ready a week from now. And yet, here we are. I got some major whiplash as I was writing it. It was a good pain, though. I hope you had fun.
The surprise? It was Ayumu. Surprise!
Froggie
Fairy tale happy ending
Whoops! Fixed! Thanks for the heads up!
Khona Moshr
Pink Flamingo Cabal Healer(they/them)
- Location
- Alabama
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Well the character dynamics are going to be completely different then canon considering the fact Rei is the BA casts' age.
And does look like you are changing stuff up from canon instead of just having a different sensei which is good and will help set this apart from.the other different sensei fics.
And does look like you are changing stuff up from canon instead of just having a different sensei which is good and will help set this apart from.the other different sensei fics.
Froggie
Fairy tale happy ending
Every other fic I've read of this type has had a very competent adult male taking the lead on things. That's fun and great, and I LOVE a lot of those fics, but I thought about how I would do things... and it ended up being someone rather unsuited for taking the lead on things.
I'll deal with "canon" eventually, but I want to avoid just rehashing BA scenes and dialogues as much as possible. You could just watch a youtube video for those. Maybe borrow a bit here, a bit there, not that, change this up a bit, and hopefully the end result is something that's fun to read.
Fingers crossed!
Lesson 5: Youth means sweets
Froggie
Fairy tale happy ending
Lesson 5: Youth means sweets
The café they visited was a small establishment, painted in pastel colors and smelling of sweets. Large windows kept the locale brightly lit with midday sunlight. Café Maltese was run by a tiny canine woman who had to stand on a stepping stool to see over the counter and take Kazusa's order. Kazusa chatted with the shopkeeper with the casual friendliness of a regular while Ayumu waited patiently at their table along with Rei, who watched the exchange between cat-girl and shopkeeper with what could only be described as rapt curiosity. Soon, Kazusa received her order and joined the others at their table, placing cupcakes for each along with a bag bearing the shop's branding.
"I know it's a bit late to ask, but shouldn't you be in class right now, Kazusa?" Ayumu's tone was only very slightly accusatory. The accused merely shrugged and gave the older student a crooked smile.
"I put in a request to take midday self-study off for a counseling session. Which is why you're here," the cat-eared girl answered easily as she sat down to join the others. She shrugged after taking her seat. "Besides, it's not like anybody's teaching, y'know? It's all blu-rays, reports, and self-study, all day, every day. And I do need the counseling 'cause I got no idea how to handle this on my own."
Ayumu pouted briefly but nodded in agreement and understanding. Rei, meanwhile, stared at the bag that had been placed alongside their ordered sweets. She did not ask about the contents of the bag, but Kazusa caught the younger girl's puzzled look regardless.
"Macarons," Kazusa explained without prompting as she gestured at the box-shaped contents. "I'll be taking these to the clubroom to share with everyone later."
"Oh! Are you in the Baked Goods Club, Kazusa?"
"Nah, nothing so fancy," Kazusa answered Ayumu's question with a small laugh. There was genuine fondness in her voice as she continued. "After-School Sweets Club. We basically hang out and eat sweets and chat. Visit cafés and pop-up shops together. Laid-back normal stuff."
"That sounds nice! Don't you think soooo-" Ayumu turned around to speak to the silent girl who should ostensibly be leading the interview, and her voice caught in her throat as her discomfort towards the halo-less girl rose to the forefront of her thoughts again. "I, uh… it sounds nice. Yep, nice… A-anyways! About your issue…?"
"Yeah, I was getting to that," the black-haired girl replied sourly, a scowl on her face. "Truth is… I was hoping she would've shown up by now. Would've made explaining easier."
Ignoring both the very bewildered and the faintly bewildered looks she received, Kazusa crossed her arms in front of her chest, a look of concentration on her features, quickly replaced by a look of regret, then anger, then frustration, and finally resignation and a sigh. She reached into her schoolbag and pulled out her phone and, after a few taps, placed it on the table between herself and the others.
"Here. Might as well start at the beginning,"
SCHALE's Assistant and SCHALE's Representative both leaned forward to take a better look. After only a cursory glance, Ayumu gasped, her hands moving to cover her mouth, and Rei reacted before Ayumu could finish collecting her senses.
"This is you."
"Yeah, yeah. I know, I was a dumbass," Kazusa replied angrily as she snatched back the phone displaying a picture of herself wearing a too long skirt, rolled up uniform sleeves, a black surgical mask, and a very angry scowl. "I thought I was hot-shit and was hanging out with the wrong crowd back in middle-school. I grew up and changed, though, but Reisa…" Her voice trailed off and the lopsided grin that graced her features was a bitter one.
"Your stalker? Reisa was another delinquent?" Ayumu asked tentatively, worry clear in her green yes. Kazusa shook her head and chuckled, her bitter smile becoming one of genuine amusement.
"Nah, that would have probably made things easier. Could have just sicced the Justice Task Force on her if that were the case," the Trinity student replied with a dissatisfied grunt. "Reisa was the opposite. A wannabe Valkyrie Cadet. A soldier of justice. A hero of the people. Picked fights with all the middle-school gangs. Wore a toy belt and everything. Had beef with me in particular, for some reason."
"I think I see where this is going," the blonde GSC secretary replied with concern tinging her voice and eyes. Rei remained impassive. It was impossible to tell what she thought of Kazusa's plight.
"Yeah, it's not a complicated story," Kazusa laughed, the bitterness returning. "Just an annoying one. I grew past my stupid middle-school phase. Reisa didn't. Instead of going to Valkyrie, she followed me to Trinity and still keeps following me around, shooting first and asking questions never. Can't even come out here without Reisa getting on my case over stuff from middle-school. It's a miracle she hasn't shown up yet."
The silence that descended on the small group was uncomfortable and completely at odds with the sunny atmosphere of the café. Surprisingly, it was Rei who spoke up first.
"Why?" the pale girl asked, confusion evident in her voice even as her face remained impassive. "You have changed, but she does not acknowledge it. I do not understand."
Kazusa made a sound like a sputtering engine and sank deeper into her chair, closing her eyes and muttering something unintelligible under her breath before replying. "Because she's an immature idiot? What I said about 'shoots first, asks questions never'? I wasn't exaggerating. I can never get a word in edgewise over her shouting about justice this, justice that. I usually just bail as soon she shows up so others don't get caught in the crossfire."
"If she's that dangerous maybe you really should talk to the Justice Task Force," Ayumu said meekly, suddenly finding the table's wood grain very interesting in order to avoid Kazusa's gaze. "I know they're mostly concerned with stopping gangs and Gehenna skirmishes, but they also step in on bullying cases and… This really sounds like bullying to me."
"Reisa's an idiot, not a bully," Kazusa replied with a roll of her eyes and a long-suffering sigh. "Well, maybe a little, but she's mostly an annoying idiot. And I don't want her to get in trouble with the JTF just for being an idiot. I just want her to stop stalking me before she involves my friends."
"Why?"
"Huh?! You're asking why I would want to keep my friends away from Captain-Idiot-with-a-Shotgun?" Kazusa asked, her eyes narrowing menacingly and anger seeping into her voice as the feline ears atop her head swept back.
"No," Rei shook her head, unmoved by Kazusa's obvious anger. Her expression turned troubled as she searched for the right words and seeing the normally expressionless girl in such a state was enough to slightly dampen Kazusa's rising anger. "I am sorry. I do not know the right words for this situation, but…" She hesitated briefly before continuing. "Friends are… allies? Your comrades. You share a mission… A bond."
"A burden shared is a burden halved?" Ayumu ventured tentatively, trying to make sense of what the halo-less girl was getting at. A determined expression settled on the blonde's normally harried features as she turned to look at Kazusa. "I think Rei might be right. You should tell your friends. If you can't get this Reisa to listen on your own, then maybe together…"
The cat-eared girl's anger left her completely as she deflated and let herself sink further into her chair, looking as if the weight of the entire world was on her slim shoulders. "The last thing I want to do is to drag my friends into this mess I just wanna forget about…" Kazusa straightened again and grabbed her heretofore forgotten cupcake and devoured it in three bites. "Fine, whatever," she spoke up once she was done eating. "I did ask you guys for counseling and it's not like I got any better ideas. Who knows? Maybe seeing me with my clubmates will finally convince Reisa she needs to grow up too."
Ayumu clapped softly, a bright smile on her face. Rei simply nodded at Kazusa's decision, saying nothing more.
"You guys wanna come with when I tell the others?" Kazusa asked as she pushed the other's cupcake laden plates further toward them. "This was your idea and all."
"Yes, that's fine," Ayumu agreed with a small smile and a nod. "This is still SCHALE's responsibility, so we'll be glad to help."
Relief washed over Kazusa's face as she nodded. A clear, if unexpected, path had finally opened before her and the worries that she had kept locked up in her heart seemed to disappear with the arrival of this newfound hope. Most of them, at least. A small part of her worried over how the others would react to the revelations of her past, but she ignored it. They might make fun of her and tease her a little, but the After-School Sweets Club were her friends. They would take the news well once she told them about her past. They would surely understand.
Feeling better than she had in months, Kazusa smiled happily and pointed at the still untouched cupcakes between herself and the others. "You guys gonna eat those?" she asked impishly. "If you don't then I will. An After-School Sweets Club member always has more room for dessert, you know?"
Ayumu's eyes widened in surprise, and she squeaked before nodding and reaching to take the offered cupcake. Rei did the same, minus the surprise and the squeaking. No, it wasn't until she took a small bite out of her cupcake that Rei's eyes widened with surprise.
"Delicious."
"I know, right? Café Maltese is one of my treasures," Kazusa replied with a broad smile. "Oh! If you liked that then you're gonna love this." The girl excitedly reached for the bag, pulled out the box of macarons, and lifted the lid. "Go on! You guys try one!"
"Thank you!"
"Thank you."
Both girls thanked Kazusa for her offer as they each took one of the brightly colored macarons. Ayumu took a bite from hers and the reaction was immediate. She closed her eyes, seemingly overwhelmed, and tapped her feet excitedly as her black wings twitched with barely restrained joy.
"Eeee! It's so good, Kazusa-chan! I must get some of these for Rin and Momoka! They're gonna love them so much, I-"
Ayumu's excitement was abruptly curtailed by Kazusa's shushing motion. She watched as the cat-eared girl motioned slightly with her head and followed the motion to see Rei covering her mouth with a dainty hand.
A small smile was clearly visible beyond the edges of her fingers.
---
The After-School Sweets Club, sadly, did not take Kazusa's news well. Fingers were pointed, teeth were gnashed, and accusations of betrayal and dishonesty most foul were shouted.
"Traitor! Deceiver! How could you?! How could you come here and lie to our faces like this?!" Ibaragi Yoshimi, the club leader, was a tiny girl with blonde hair tied in twin-tails. Her halo consisted of two concentric circles of a yellow so bright that it almost seemed white, along with two drop-like shapes extending from the top of the outer circle as if they were tiny wings. Her childish face was contorted in fury verging on tears as she shouted. "How could you say you brought macarons when you already gave away my favorites?!"
"Yoshimi, cut that out! You're freaking out our guests!" Kazusa shouted right back at the diminutive girl. The cat ears flat against her head once more, and she seemed to be torn between trying to make placating gestures at the snarling, angry, tiny creature in front of her and trying to interpose herself between two very confused SCHALE girls and said growling, furious, tiny creature.
"Kazusa, is it true?" Kurimura Airi's green eyes were shining with unshed tears and her lips were trembling. Her halo was a mint-green laurel wreath with a single circle in the center. Taller than the other club members, her prim and dignified air was only slightly ruined by her childish expression of sadness and the forgotten ice cream cone freely melting in her hands as she stared at Kazusa with a miserable expression. "Are you really replacing us with the fancy new Federal Investigation Club?"
"Airi, not you too! It was a counseling session! Counseling! Aren't you guys focusing on the wrong thing here?! I used to be a delinquent?!" Kazusa was shrieking now even as Yoshimi continued ranting angrily at her about treason and insubordination, getting redder in the face with each new synonym.
"No, Kazusa, you are wrong. We are focusing on exactly the right thing. A box of macarons that advertised twenty-four confections only had twenty-two. This is chocolate without milk. Do you understand this, Kyoyama Kazusa? Your heart is blacker than the bitterest chocolate. You lack the romance of milk and sugar," Yutori Natsu nodded sagely to herself, her light pink side ponytail bobbing up and down with the motion. Her uniform, while worn properly, gave off an air of apathetic lethargy which was reflected by her sullen expression. Her halo was a light pink circle with a crosshair of the same color within.
"What are you even saying, Natsu?!" Kazusa wailed now on the verge of tears herself. Yoshimi was now shouting about Kazusa not paying any attention to her.
"Reparations must be made, Kazusa. You must invite us all to a complete box of macarons now."
"Like hell I will! That box is practically complete, you gluttonous harpies!"
"Airi, get her!" Natsu commanded with an imperious wave of her hand.
"Kazusa, pleeeeeaaaase!"
"Hey! Quit ignoring me!"
"That's not fair! You know I can't say no to Airi!"
"Hahaha! Wrong again, Kazusa! NOBODY can say no to Airi!"
"Pleeeeeaaaase!!"
"Stop that, Airi!"
"Don't ignore meee…"
"They are very good friends, aren't they?" Ayumu leaned down slightly to whisper to Rei. Rei did not answer Ayumu's question, only looking at the scene before her with an expression of mounting confusion. "I'm glad that they accepted her past so easily."
"I did not know," Rei responded in a voice barely above a whisper, "that friends were so loud."
"Oh? Are your friends not like this?" the blonde asked in a bemused tone. She imagined a room full of expressionless girls sitting quietly, reading, and tapping away at their phones. The taller girl giggled softly to herself at the mental image.
"No," the response was instantaneous and devoid of all sentiment. "I do not have friends."
The mental image shattered violently.
"What?"
"I was not ordered to make friends."
Kazusa was successfully bullied into buying everyone a new box of macarons before Ayumu could ask another question.
---
It was late afternoon as the group finally stepped outside from the Club Hall building and into the surrounding gardens were other students milled about, moving towards their dorms or other afternoon activities. The friendly banter between the After-School Sweets Club contrasted with the awkward silence between SCHALE. Ayumu looked like she wanted to speak up but could not find the right words to voice her concerns. It soon became moot, however, as their path beyond the gate was barred by a trembling student holding a shotgun pointed downwards in a shaky grip.
"You left me with no choice, Kyoyama Kazusa," Uzawa Reisa spoke in a quavering tone. A childish looking First Year with pastel purple and pink hair, her halo consisted of a pink five-pointed star within a larger five-pointed star. Her purple eyes darted frantically between the After-School Sweets Club and SCHALE, stopping briefly on Rei with a shudder before focusing on Kazusa. "I, Uzawa Reisa, member of Trinity's Vigilante Crew, Trinity's Apostle of Justice, had hoped to put an end to your evil ways outside of school grounds, but I see now that such consideration is impossible! Not only have you summoned a halo-less monster from the abyss, but even now you recruit from the innocent and unsuspecting to bolster your delinquent army! Unforgivable! Fiendish! Utterly evil!"
The stragglers that had remained milling about in the gardens scattered as Reisa's speech dragged on, hoping to avoid the brewing clash. Kazusa had a pained expression on her face while the others looked clearly bewildered.
"Really, Reisa? Right at school? I thought you had better sense than this," the dark-haired girl's voice was full of regret as she stepped to interpose herself between the trembling Apostle of Justice and her friends. "I guess I should at least be grateful that you didn't shoot first this time, but…"
"You have left me with no choice, Demon Cat! You cavort with m-monstrosities! Cath Palug, I challenge you to a d-duel!" Reisa loudly interrupted Kazusa's words. She looked as if she would rather be anywhere else as her eyes darted back and forth between Kazusa and Rei.
"Not another stupid nickname," Kazusa groaned miserably, as the members of her club stepped forward to stand beside their friend.
"I'm sorry, Ms. Apostle of Justice, but you're not allowed to give our club member new nicknames," Natsu nodded stoically. "An ice cream float is an ice cream float regardless of soda, and so our Danger Kitty is our own to label regardless of your wishes."
"Danger Kitty?!" Kazusa screamed, horrified.
"Don't bully Kazusa, Ms. Vigilante! She hasn't done anything wrong!" Airi pleaded, clenching her hands in a pleading gesture.
"I don't get what your beef is with my club-member, but buzz-off, justice runt," Yoshimi snorted derisively.
"Runt?! I'm taller than you, you tiny imp!"
"Don't call me tiny, you loudmouth!"
"Who's a loudmouth, you yappy chihuahua?!"
"Chihuahua?!"
"They completely forgot we're here, didn't they?" Ayumu finally found her voice while watching the incongruous scene unfold in front of her. Rei could only nod in reply as she watched the shouting match get increasingly louder. For a moment it seemed that everyone had forgotten to point guns at each other while trying to come up with increasingly colorful insults. A shouting match was, at least, better than the alternative.
The shouting match was not to last, however, as a new, larger, group arrived to replace the crowd that had fled at the first sign of trouble. Three girls clothed in purest white and bearing a unique badge of office had arrived unnoticed during the shouting match, along with their armed escort and entourage, numbering three dozen in total.
"Troublesome. The waking world is nothing but trouble. This is meaningless meddling."
"Oh? Hush you and your cryptic nonsense. Doesn't this look like fun?"
"Ahem! As we were heading to our dorms, we heard that an inelegant and disorderly brawl was brewing in front of the Club Hall. Imagine our surprise and disappointment at finding those rumors to be true. The students of Trinity General must hold themselves to a higher standard than this. Explain yourselves promptly. The Tea Party shall judge and punish accordingly."
The unspoken command resulted in three dozen rifles immediately being pointed at the frightened After-School Sweets Club, at the mortified Vigilante Crew member, and at one nervous and one impassive SCHALE representative.
"Pater, Sanctus, and the host, Filius, command you," Kirifuji Nagisa, the host of the Tea Party, intoned ritualistically. "State your defense."
---
Lesson 5: End
What did we learn today, class?
Yes, that's correct!
Sweets taste better when shared!
Join us again next time for Lesson 6: Tea Party with Sweets. We'll have: More talking, lots of talking, maybe some forgiveness? Some… friendship, perhaps? And the start of something new! Afterall, youth means many things!
Don't be late!
---
AN: I was worried about this chapter as I was writing it since it was so dialogue heavy and focusing characters not normally used by other fics. Things ended up pretty different from the "Sweet Secrets and Shootouts" event while only barely acknowledging the main plot of the event, but hopefully it works for you guys. The next chapter wraps up this mini-arc and then I will take my first stab at "canon". For now, I go back to freaking out over the PMMM Walpurgisnacht Rising trailer. --Kero
The café they visited was a small establishment, painted in pastel colors and smelling of sweets. Large windows kept the locale brightly lit with midday sunlight. Café Maltese was run by a tiny canine woman who had to stand on a stepping stool to see over the counter and take Kazusa's order. Kazusa chatted with the shopkeeper with the casual friendliness of a regular while Ayumu waited patiently at their table along with Rei, who watched the exchange between cat-girl and shopkeeper with what could only be described as rapt curiosity. Soon, Kazusa received her order and joined the others at their table, placing cupcakes for each along with a bag bearing the shop's branding.
"I know it's a bit late to ask, but shouldn't you be in class right now, Kazusa?" Ayumu's tone was only very slightly accusatory. The accused merely shrugged and gave the older student a crooked smile.
"I put in a request to take midday self-study off for a counseling session. Which is why you're here," the cat-eared girl answered easily as she sat down to join the others. She shrugged after taking her seat. "Besides, it's not like anybody's teaching, y'know? It's all blu-rays, reports, and self-study, all day, every day. And I do need the counseling 'cause I got no idea how to handle this on my own."
Ayumu pouted briefly but nodded in agreement and understanding. Rei, meanwhile, stared at the bag that had been placed alongside their ordered sweets. She did not ask about the contents of the bag, but Kazusa caught the younger girl's puzzled look regardless.
"Macarons," Kazusa explained without prompting as she gestured at the box-shaped contents. "I'll be taking these to the clubroom to share with everyone later."
"Oh! Are you in the Baked Goods Club, Kazusa?"
"Nah, nothing so fancy," Kazusa answered Ayumu's question with a small laugh. There was genuine fondness in her voice as she continued. "After-School Sweets Club. We basically hang out and eat sweets and chat. Visit cafés and pop-up shops together. Laid-back normal stuff."
"That sounds nice! Don't you think soooo-" Ayumu turned around to speak to the silent girl who should ostensibly be leading the interview, and her voice caught in her throat as her discomfort towards the halo-less girl rose to the forefront of her thoughts again. "I, uh… it sounds nice. Yep, nice… A-anyways! About your issue…?"
"Yeah, I was getting to that," the black-haired girl replied sourly, a scowl on her face. "Truth is… I was hoping she would've shown up by now. Would've made explaining easier."
Ignoring both the very bewildered and the faintly bewildered looks she received, Kazusa crossed her arms in front of her chest, a look of concentration on her features, quickly replaced by a look of regret, then anger, then frustration, and finally resignation and a sigh. She reached into her schoolbag and pulled out her phone and, after a few taps, placed it on the table between herself and the others.
"Here. Might as well start at the beginning,"
SCHALE's Assistant and SCHALE's Representative both leaned forward to take a better look. After only a cursory glance, Ayumu gasped, her hands moving to cover her mouth, and Rei reacted before Ayumu could finish collecting her senses.
"This is you."
"Yeah, yeah. I know, I was a dumbass," Kazusa replied angrily as she snatched back the phone displaying a picture of herself wearing a too long skirt, rolled up uniform sleeves, a black surgical mask, and a very angry scowl. "I thought I was hot-shit and was hanging out with the wrong crowd back in middle-school. I grew up and changed, though, but Reisa…" Her voice trailed off and the lopsided grin that graced her features was a bitter one.
"Your stalker? Reisa was another delinquent?" Ayumu asked tentatively, worry clear in her green yes. Kazusa shook her head and chuckled, her bitter smile becoming one of genuine amusement.
"Nah, that would have probably made things easier. Could have just sicced the Justice Task Force on her if that were the case," the Trinity student replied with a dissatisfied grunt. "Reisa was the opposite. A wannabe Valkyrie Cadet. A soldier of justice. A hero of the people. Picked fights with all the middle-school gangs. Wore a toy belt and everything. Had beef with me in particular, for some reason."
"I think I see where this is going," the blonde GSC secretary replied with concern tinging her voice and eyes. Rei remained impassive. It was impossible to tell what she thought of Kazusa's plight.
"Yeah, it's not a complicated story," Kazusa laughed, the bitterness returning. "Just an annoying one. I grew past my stupid middle-school phase. Reisa didn't. Instead of going to Valkyrie, she followed me to Trinity and still keeps following me around, shooting first and asking questions never. Can't even come out here without Reisa getting on my case over stuff from middle-school. It's a miracle she hasn't shown up yet."
The silence that descended on the small group was uncomfortable and completely at odds with the sunny atmosphere of the café. Surprisingly, it was Rei who spoke up first.
"Why?" the pale girl asked, confusion evident in her voice even as her face remained impassive. "You have changed, but she does not acknowledge it. I do not understand."
Kazusa made a sound like a sputtering engine and sank deeper into her chair, closing her eyes and muttering something unintelligible under her breath before replying. "Because she's an immature idiot? What I said about 'shoots first, asks questions never'? I wasn't exaggerating. I can never get a word in edgewise over her shouting about justice this, justice that. I usually just bail as soon she shows up so others don't get caught in the crossfire."
"If she's that dangerous maybe you really should talk to the Justice Task Force," Ayumu said meekly, suddenly finding the table's wood grain very interesting in order to avoid Kazusa's gaze. "I know they're mostly concerned with stopping gangs and Gehenna skirmishes, but they also step in on bullying cases and… This really sounds like bullying to me."
"Reisa's an idiot, not a bully," Kazusa replied with a roll of her eyes and a long-suffering sigh. "Well, maybe a little, but she's mostly an annoying idiot. And I don't want her to get in trouble with the JTF just for being an idiot. I just want her to stop stalking me before she involves my friends."
"Why?"
"Huh?! You're asking why I would want to keep my friends away from Captain-Idiot-with-a-Shotgun?" Kazusa asked, her eyes narrowing menacingly and anger seeping into her voice as the feline ears atop her head swept back.
"No," Rei shook her head, unmoved by Kazusa's obvious anger. Her expression turned troubled as she searched for the right words and seeing the normally expressionless girl in such a state was enough to slightly dampen Kazusa's rising anger. "I am sorry. I do not know the right words for this situation, but…" She hesitated briefly before continuing. "Friends are… allies? Your comrades. You share a mission… A bond."
"A burden shared is a burden halved?" Ayumu ventured tentatively, trying to make sense of what the halo-less girl was getting at. A determined expression settled on the blonde's normally harried features as she turned to look at Kazusa. "I think Rei might be right. You should tell your friends. If you can't get this Reisa to listen on your own, then maybe together…"
The cat-eared girl's anger left her completely as she deflated and let herself sink further into her chair, looking as if the weight of the entire world was on her slim shoulders. "The last thing I want to do is to drag my friends into this mess I just wanna forget about…" Kazusa straightened again and grabbed her heretofore forgotten cupcake and devoured it in three bites. "Fine, whatever," she spoke up once she was done eating. "I did ask you guys for counseling and it's not like I got any better ideas. Who knows? Maybe seeing me with my clubmates will finally convince Reisa she needs to grow up too."
Ayumu clapped softly, a bright smile on her face. Rei simply nodded at Kazusa's decision, saying nothing more.
"You guys wanna come with when I tell the others?" Kazusa asked as she pushed the other's cupcake laden plates further toward them. "This was your idea and all."
"Yes, that's fine," Ayumu agreed with a small smile and a nod. "This is still SCHALE's responsibility, so we'll be glad to help."
Relief washed over Kazusa's face as she nodded. A clear, if unexpected, path had finally opened before her and the worries that she had kept locked up in her heart seemed to disappear with the arrival of this newfound hope. Most of them, at least. A small part of her worried over how the others would react to the revelations of her past, but she ignored it. They might make fun of her and tease her a little, but the After-School Sweets Club were her friends. They would take the news well once she told them about her past. They would surely understand.
Feeling better than she had in months, Kazusa smiled happily and pointed at the still untouched cupcakes between herself and the others. "You guys gonna eat those?" she asked impishly. "If you don't then I will. An After-School Sweets Club member always has more room for dessert, you know?"
Ayumu's eyes widened in surprise, and she squeaked before nodding and reaching to take the offered cupcake. Rei did the same, minus the surprise and the squeaking. No, it wasn't until she took a small bite out of her cupcake that Rei's eyes widened with surprise.
"Delicious."
"I know, right? Café Maltese is one of my treasures," Kazusa replied with a broad smile. "Oh! If you liked that then you're gonna love this." The girl excitedly reached for the bag, pulled out the box of macarons, and lifted the lid. "Go on! You guys try one!"
"Thank you!"
"Thank you."
Both girls thanked Kazusa for her offer as they each took one of the brightly colored macarons. Ayumu took a bite from hers and the reaction was immediate. She closed her eyes, seemingly overwhelmed, and tapped her feet excitedly as her black wings twitched with barely restrained joy.
"Eeee! It's so good, Kazusa-chan! I must get some of these for Rin and Momoka! They're gonna love them so much, I-"
Ayumu's excitement was abruptly curtailed by Kazusa's shushing motion. She watched as the cat-eared girl motioned slightly with her head and followed the motion to see Rei covering her mouth with a dainty hand.
A small smile was clearly visible beyond the edges of her fingers.
---
The After-School Sweets Club, sadly, did not take Kazusa's news well. Fingers were pointed, teeth were gnashed, and accusations of betrayal and dishonesty most foul were shouted.
"Traitor! Deceiver! How could you?! How could you come here and lie to our faces like this?!" Ibaragi Yoshimi, the club leader, was a tiny girl with blonde hair tied in twin-tails. Her halo consisted of two concentric circles of a yellow so bright that it almost seemed white, along with two drop-like shapes extending from the top of the outer circle as if they were tiny wings. Her childish face was contorted in fury verging on tears as she shouted. "How could you say you brought macarons when you already gave away my favorites?!"
"Yoshimi, cut that out! You're freaking out our guests!" Kazusa shouted right back at the diminutive girl. The cat ears flat against her head once more, and she seemed to be torn between trying to make placating gestures at the snarling, angry, tiny creature in front of her and trying to interpose herself between two very confused SCHALE girls and said growling, furious, tiny creature.
"Kazusa, is it true?" Kurimura Airi's green eyes were shining with unshed tears and her lips were trembling. Her halo was a mint-green laurel wreath with a single circle in the center. Taller than the other club members, her prim and dignified air was only slightly ruined by her childish expression of sadness and the forgotten ice cream cone freely melting in her hands as she stared at Kazusa with a miserable expression. "Are you really replacing us with the fancy new Federal Investigation Club?"
"Airi, not you too! It was a counseling session! Counseling! Aren't you guys focusing on the wrong thing here?! I used to be a delinquent?!" Kazusa was shrieking now even as Yoshimi continued ranting angrily at her about treason and insubordination, getting redder in the face with each new synonym.
"No, Kazusa, you are wrong. We are focusing on exactly the right thing. A box of macarons that advertised twenty-four confections only had twenty-two. This is chocolate without milk. Do you understand this, Kyoyama Kazusa? Your heart is blacker than the bitterest chocolate. You lack the romance of milk and sugar," Yutori Natsu nodded sagely to herself, her light pink side ponytail bobbing up and down with the motion. Her uniform, while worn properly, gave off an air of apathetic lethargy which was reflected by her sullen expression. Her halo was a light pink circle with a crosshair of the same color within.
"What are you even saying, Natsu?!" Kazusa wailed now on the verge of tears herself. Yoshimi was now shouting about Kazusa not paying any attention to her.
"Reparations must be made, Kazusa. You must invite us all to a complete box of macarons now."
"Like hell I will! That box is practically complete, you gluttonous harpies!"
"Airi, get her!" Natsu commanded with an imperious wave of her hand.
"Kazusa, pleeeeeaaaase!"
"Hey! Quit ignoring me!"
"That's not fair! You know I can't say no to Airi!"
"Hahaha! Wrong again, Kazusa! NOBODY can say no to Airi!"
"Pleeeeeaaaase!!"
"Stop that, Airi!"
"Don't ignore meee…"
"They are very good friends, aren't they?" Ayumu leaned down slightly to whisper to Rei. Rei did not answer Ayumu's question, only looking at the scene before her with an expression of mounting confusion. "I'm glad that they accepted her past so easily."
"I did not know," Rei responded in a voice barely above a whisper, "that friends were so loud."
"Oh? Are your friends not like this?" the blonde asked in a bemused tone. She imagined a room full of expressionless girls sitting quietly, reading, and tapping away at their phones. The taller girl giggled softly to herself at the mental image.
"No," the response was instantaneous and devoid of all sentiment. "I do not have friends."
The mental image shattered violently.
"What?"
"I was not ordered to make friends."
Kazusa was successfully bullied into buying everyone a new box of macarons before Ayumu could ask another question.
---
It was late afternoon as the group finally stepped outside from the Club Hall building and into the surrounding gardens were other students milled about, moving towards their dorms or other afternoon activities. The friendly banter between the After-School Sweets Club contrasted with the awkward silence between SCHALE. Ayumu looked like she wanted to speak up but could not find the right words to voice her concerns. It soon became moot, however, as their path beyond the gate was barred by a trembling student holding a shotgun pointed downwards in a shaky grip.
"You left me with no choice, Kyoyama Kazusa," Uzawa Reisa spoke in a quavering tone. A childish looking First Year with pastel purple and pink hair, her halo consisted of a pink five-pointed star within a larger five-pointed star. Her purple eyes darted frantically between the After-School Sweets Club and SCHALE, stopping briefly on Rei with a shudder before focusing on Kazusa. "I, Uzawa Reisa, member of Trinity's Vigilante Crew, Trinity's Apostle of Justice, had hoped to put an end to your evil ways outside of school grounds, but I see now that such consideration is impossible! Not only have you summoned a halo-less monster from the abyss, but even now you recruit from the innocent and unsuspecting to bolster your delinquent army! Unforgivable! Fiendish! Utterly evil!"
The stragglers that had remained milling about in the gardens scattered as Reisa's speech dragged on, hoping to avoid the brewing clash. Kazusa had a pained expression on her face while the others looked clearly bewildered.
"Really, Reisa? Right at school? I thought you had better sense than this," the dark-haired girl's voice was full of regret as she stepped to interpose herself between the trembling Apostle of Justice and her friends. "I guess I should at least be grateful that you didn't shoot first this time, but…"
"You have left me with no choice, Demon Cat! You cavort with m-monstrosities! Cath Palug, I challenge you to a d-duel!" Reisa loudly interrupted Kazusa's words. She looked as if she would rather be anywhere else as her eyes darted back and forth between Kazusa and Rei.
"Not another stupid nickname," Kazusa groaned miserably, as the members of her club stepped forward to stand beside their friend.
"I'm sorry, Ms. Apostle of Justice, but you're not allowed to give our club member new nicknames," Natsu nodded stoically. "An ice cream float is an ice cream float regardless of soda, and so our Danger Kitty is our own to label regardless of your wishes."
"Danger Kitty?!" Kazusa screamed, horrified.
"Don't bully Kazusa, Ms. Vigilante! She hasn't done anything wrong!" Airi pleaded, clenching her hands in a pleading gesture.
"I don't get what your beef is with my club-member, but buzz-off, justice runt," Yoshimi snorted derisively.
"Runt?! I'm taller than you, you tiny imp!"
"Don't call me tiny, you loudmouth!"
"Who's a loudmouth, you yappy chihuahua?!"
"Chihuahua?!"
"They completely forgot we're here, didn't they?" Ayumu finally found her voice while watching the incongruous scene unfold in front of her. Rei could only nod in reply as she watched the shouting match get increasingly louder. For a moment it seemed that everyone had forgotten to point guns at each other while trying to come up with increasingly colorful insults. A shouting match was, at least, better than the alternative.
The shouting match was not to last, however, as a new, larger, group arrived to replace the crowd that had fled at the first sign of trouble. Three girls clothed in purest white and bearing a unique badge of office had arrived unnoticed during the shouting match, along with their armed escort and entourage, numbering three dozen in total.
"Troublesome. The waking world is nothing but trouble. This is meaningless meddling."
"Oh? Hush you and your cryptic nonsense. Doesn't this look like fun?"
"Ahem! As we were heading to our dorms, we heard that an inelegant and disorderly brawl was brewing in front of the Club Hall. Imagine our surprise and disappointment at finding those rumors to be true. The students of Trinity General must hold themselves to a higher standard than this. Explain yourselves promptly. The Tea Party shall judge and punish accordingly."
The unspoken command resulted in three dozen rifles immediately being pointed at the frightened After-School Sweets Club, at the mortified Vigilante Crew member, and at one nervous and one impassive SCHALE representative.
"Pater, Sanctus, and the host, Filius, command you," Kirifuji Nagisa, the host of the Tea Party, intoned ritualistically. "State your defense."
---
Lesson 5: End
What did we learn today, class?
Yes, that's correct!
Sweets taste better when shared!
Join us again next time for Lesson 6: Tea Party with Sweets. We'll have: More talking, lots of talking, maybe some forgiveness? Some… friendship, perhaps? And the start of something new! Afterall, youth means many things!
Don't be late!
---
AN: I was worried about this chapter as I was writing it since it was so dialogue heavy and focusing characters not normally used by other fics. Things ended up pretty different from the "Sweet Secrets and Shootouts" event while only barely acknowledging the main plot of the event, but hopefully it works for you guys. The next chapter wraps up this mini-arc and then I will take my first stab at "canon". For now, I go back to freaking out over the PMMM Walpurgisnacht Rising trailer. --Kero
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Froggie
Fairy tale happy ending
It only took five chapters for a smile! I'm zooming!
It's just a Tea Party? Surely nothing bad could happen, right?
Right?
Positive thinking! Nothing bad is gonna happen!
For L5: Youth means sweets
Khona Moshr
Pink Flamingo Cabal Healer(they/them)
- Location
- Alabama
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Something to go along with Chapter 5.
Very cute art for a cute chapter.
Froggie
Fairy tale happy ending
Thank you! I'm glad you liked it!
Next chapter on Sunday, barring any unforeseen circumstances.
Froggie
Fairy tale happy ending
Mea Maxima Culpa:
1) Seia's faction is called Sanctus, not Spiritus. I'm not sure if I wanna go back back and fix this... I'm feeling super lazy about it. OCD won. Fixed.
2) Seia was the host before Nagisa took over because of Seia coming down with a bad case of [REDACTED]. Can probably handwave this, though.
3) Mika and Nagisa both state that the Tea Party rarely meets each other due to their factional obligations. I'm ignoring this.
2) Seia was the host before Nagisa took over because of Seia coming down with a bad case of [REDACTED]. Can probably handwave this, though.
3) Mika and Nagisa both state that the Tea Party rarely meets each other due to their factional obligations. I'm ignoring this.
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Lesson 6: Tea Party with Sweets
Froggie
Fairy tale happy ending
Lesson 6: Tea Party with Sweets
The Tea Party's escorts efficiently emptied out the massive Club Hall building of any stragglers still engaged in afternoon club activities. They then proceeded to commandeer the Performing Arts Club's room at gun point, removing wide-eyed girls in the middle of practice while simultaneously bringing in a long table, chairs, food carts, and all manner of trays and stands laden with sweets, and teacups and teapots. White uniforms with black ribbons fluttered in a dizzying flurry of well-drilled motion and the abruptly vacated Performing Arts Club room was transformed into a private tea parlor, filled with the aroma of freshly brewed tea and warm sweets.
Having completed the club room's metamorphosis, the three dozen escorts filed out to patrol and to guard the door and the halls leaving the room to the Tea Party, their attendants, and their guests. Three Student Council Presidents sat on one side of the table, attendants an inobtrusive distance behind, while the nervous After-School Sweets Club, one embarrassed Vigilante Crew member and two representatives of SCHALE sat on the other side.
"Um…" Ayumu was the first to timidly speak up once the whirlwind of activity had subsided. "Isn't this a bit much? A fight didn't even break out and-"
"Truthfully, you are another issue that we had been hoping to address," Kirifuji Nagisa interrupted Ayumu before she could finish her sentence causing the blonde girl to let out a very undignified squeak. "We received news of a GSC officer on Trinity grounds from several student sources and yet imagine my surprise upon finding no notification of a visit. Vice-President Nanagami runs a very lax ship, it seems."
"E-eh? B-but how? I sent it this morning!" Ayumu's teeth audibly chattered as she instantly dropped her line of questioning and switched into panic mode. "I- I'm here as an assistant to SCHALE. I'm not trespassing! I'm not! I went through the proper channels!"
"Ah!"
All eyes turned to Mika as she brought down one fist into her open palm.
"I forgot to give you the notification," the pink-haired girl said sheepishly while lightly knocking the side of her head with a fist and sticking her tongue out. "Sorry, Nagi-chan."
Ayumu sighed the explosive sigh of relief of someone who had barely remained on their mortal coil while Nagisa sighed the long-suffering sigh of someone still miserably stuck to theirs. The ash-blonde girl took a drink from her teacup before sighing one final time and offering Ayumu a weak and apologetic smile. "Well, that's one issue taken care of, at least. My apologies, Miss…?"
"Ah! Ayumu! Iwabitsu Ayumu," she replied easily, a tentative smile on her face. "As I said, I'm here as an assistant to SCHALE. Sensei isn't from Kivotos and Rin didn't want the person who restored Sanctum Tower getting lost in Trinity for her first assignment." The blonde giggled at that, but the girl in question showed no response at all to her lightly teasing words. Ayumu seemed disappointed at the lack of response.
"We have heard Mika's report on SCHALE," Nagisa nodded agreeably, although there was subtle hard edge to her tone. On her left, Mika laughed nervously and fanned herself with a hand. "Someone from outside Kivotos, and our own age besides, is certainly rather unexpected. Seia in particular was very interested in learning more."
The diminutive blonde girl with the large vulpine ears nodded in acknowledgement of Nagisa's words. She did not, however, speak up, seemingly more interested in her tea. Nagisa took her co-president's silence as a sign to continue.
"It was quite fortunate that a member of the Tea Party was present at the time that the President's Sensei finally arrived. If it's not too much trouble, Seia would like to chat with Sensei once this matter," she punctuated the words with a sharp glare at the remaining five, "is dealt with."
The recipients of the glare gulped nervously at those words. Obeying an unspoken command, Nagisa's assistant stepped forward and handed her a clipboard with a stack of documents on it. A small thank you was spoken, and the assistant silently stepped back with a short bow and soft smile.
"While Ms. Iwabitsu's words are correct and a fight did not break out this day," Nagisa began as she paged through the documents in her hand, "it has come to the Tea Party's attention that one of the students of our Trinity has, for the past few months, engaged in thuggish, violent, and most unbecoming behavior."
The instant that Nagisa finished speaking, Uzawa Reisa slammed her palms into the table causing dishes and teapots to tremble and rattle in place.
"Cath Palug, you fiend!" she yelled, her violet eyes blazing as she instantly forgot about her location and in whose company she was present. "What monstrous misdeeds has your boundless evil wrought this time? Bullying? Brawling? Extortion? LOITERING?!"
"I did none of that, you stalker!" the cat-eared girl snapped back with a glare.
"Don't yell at my club-member like that, pipsqueak!"
"That's right! You shouldn't-"
"Enough," Nagisa did not raise her voice as she cut off whatever Airi intended to say, but her single word was enough to cut through the chatter. Flaring tempers froze over in the blink of an eye as the quarreling girls were reminded they were in the presence of the highest authorities in their school. "Commendable enthusiasm aside, it's not Kyoyama Kazusa who I was referring to. It is yourself, Uzawa Reisa."
"What? I don't understand," the girl asked in a small voice as she seemed to shrink on herself, wilting under the gaze of the Tea Party's host.
"A member of the Vigilante Crew, identified as Uzawa Reisa, was seen bullying and chasing after a member of the After-School Sweets Club, identified as Kyoyama Kazusa. Seven reported instances." The Trinity Student Council President flipped a few pages. "The same Vigilante Crew member was seen throwing objects at Ms. Kyoyama as well as firing at her, even in crowds. Twelve reported instances." More pages flipped. "Ten reported instances of Uzawa Reisa shouting threats of bodily harm at Ms. Kyoyama." Flip. "A girl in a Vigilante Crew uniform, later identified as Uzawa Reisa, was seen loitering outside a bakery in a suspicious manner. One instance."
The makeshift tea parlor was completely silent as the Tea Party's host put the documents aside and gave the confused and cowering girl in front of her a flat and even look. Nagisa's gaze did not waver, and she did not sigh but her body language clearly spoke of immense disappointment.
"Ms. Uzawa, the Tea Party would like to hear what you have to say in your defense."
"I- I don't understand," the accused's voice trembled. "Ca-Cath Palug is-"
"Forgive the interruption, Ms. Uzawa," Nagisa coldly cut off the stammering girl, "but Ms. Kyoyama's middle-school history has no bearing on Trinity General School. She has been nothing short of an exemplary student with zero complaints, well regarded club activities, and good to great academic and martial scores during her time at our Trinity. Please consider your next words very carefully."
Reisa's mouth opened and closed like a fish, but no words crossed her lips.
"Wait, Ms. Host," Ayumu spoke up, concern evident in her voice. "What are you implying?"
Kirifuji Nagisa's expression turned very weary before responding. "As you are probably aware, Trinity's Vigilante Crew is not an official club. It is a group of volunteers. As the name implies, it is not recognized by the General Student Council nor by the Tea Party as an organization meant to enforce school rules. Its activities, therefore, are subject to the same rules as any regular student. The same rules," she paused before continuing, "and the same punishments."
The words sank in slowly and the gathered girls gasped in unison as they all jumped to the same conclusion.
"You're going to expel Reisa?!" Kazusa asked angrily.
"Well, I-"
"You can't!" the cat-eared girl said, her features twisting into a snarl. "Reisa is an annoying dumb ass, but she doesn't deserve this!"
"Ms. Kyoyama, I-"
"No, you don't understand! This is all my fault! Whenever Reisa showed up, I always bolted and never stuck around to talk things over! I never cleared up the air between us!" The snarl had shifted into a forlorn expression and her eyes had begun to shimmer. Kazusa rubbed angrily at her face and eyes with the sleeves of her hoody. "I had just asked SCHALE for advice on how to resolve this mess. You can't do this!"
The After-School Sweets club could do nothing while looking upon their friend, while Reisa regarded Kazusa as if truly seeing her for the first time. Nagisa shook her head, and a wan smile crossed her lips as she turned to face the silent blue-haired girl impassively watching events unfold.
"Considering that the organization you represent has embedded itself in the middle of this situation, what does SCHALE's Sensei think?"
The girl blinked and silently considered her words for a moment before speaking up.
"I believe that they are friends," Rei responded simply.
A stunned silence followed, but only for a second.
"SHE'S NOT MY FRIEND!!" two girls shouted simultaneously.
"She's loud, she's annoying, she's violent, she's a stalker," Kazusa listed off.
"She's the one delinquent I could never defeat in middle-school, the feral beast that can freeze your blood with a single glare, the living cautionary tale: CATH PALUG!"
"She gives me stupid nicknames," Kazusa continued.
"Friends are loud and bicker constantly," Rei finished her interrupted train of thought. Mika covered her mouth and clutched at her stomach as she shook with barely repressed laughter while Nagisa shook her head once more and turned to Seia on her right.
"Seia, as the incoming host of the Tea Party, would you like to pronounce yourself on this matter?"
Yurizono Seia nodded and fixed Reisa with severe glare that was incongruous with her childish features.
"Do you promise to stop attacking Kyoyama Kazusa and not cause any further disturbances at our Trinity?"
"I PROMISE!" Reisa shot up to attention, standing ramrod straight and shouting loudly. She bowed from the waist and smashed her face into the table with such force that all the dishes jumped and rattled once again, and Reisa was instantly knocked flat on her butt. "Oof!"
"Issue resolved," Seia declared solemnly.
"Exemplary work as always, Seia. You are truly the pride of our Tea Party."
"Naaagiiii-chaaaan, what about meeeee?"
Nagisa ignored her. "For the record, before Ms. Kyoyama so gallantly interrupted me in defense of her friend," two girls once again shouted that they were NOT friends, "I was going to suggest a sentence of community service. What's a few bullets between friends, am I correct?"
"So, that's another issue resolved?" Ayumu questioned as she nibbled on a cookie. A few steps behind, Kazusa and Airi were helping the disoriented Reisa back to her feet.
"Being perfectly honest, you and Ms. Uzawa were minor issues we decided could be addressed together while we showed Sensei our Tea Party's hospitality and arranged for the conversation that Seia desired. I didn't, however, account for Ms. Kyoyama's dramatic interruption," Nagisa said ruefully. "By the way, I recommend the lemon tart for this particular black tea."
Having returned to their seats, Kazusa and Reisa continued their arguing without missing a beat, even between cake rolls and drinks of their tea.
"I don't get it. I thought they hated each other?" Yoshimi asked, clearly confused.
"You'll understand when you're older, Yoshimi," Natsu nodded sagely.
"We're the same age!"
Natsu just laughed at her.
---
"What does it feel like?" Yurizono Seia asked gravely.
Ayanami Rei blinked and tilted her head slightly in confusion.
The two girls had retired to another empty club room, opting to have their promised conversation in private. Ayumu had initially protested at leaving her charge alone, but eventually relented at Seia's insistence and promise that they would only move one room down. They sat by themselves now in an untouched club room, the sound of rowdy girls coming from the room beside them. They could hear Mika and Nagisa saying their farewells as they departed.
"What does it feel like to die?" the golden-eyed girl clarified.
Rei tensed, and her lips narrowed into a thin line as she looked away from the piercing golden gaze.
"I do not understand the question," Rei replied mechanically, using the words she had memorized. In the room next door, someone laughed.
"The expected response," Seia answered just as mechanically, as if reading from a script. She sighed and went off script. "I had hoped privacy would loosen your tongue, but it appears to have been in vain." She shook her head, and a hint of desperation entered her eyes and her voice as she tried again. "Please, I… I have to know. I don't think I can do this otherwise… I must know…"
The halo-less girl did not reply, her gaze downcast and focused on her lap.
Yurizono Seia's childish face twisted into a grimace of sorrow as she returned to the words she had to say.
"If you follow down that path, only pain awaits you."
"I do not fear pain."
"Yes, you do not. A remarkable trait for one without a halo," Seia recited, her ornate cross-shaped halo floating behind her. She leaned forward slightly. "And yet, you fear death."
The younger girl averted her gaze once again.
"I… cannot be replaced."
"None of us can. We are each a singular existence, a fleeting and miserable life. It is all ultimately gloomy, sad, painful, and bitter..." Seia stood up and headed silently for the door. She was done.
"No."
The vulpine-eared girl froze and turned around. This was different from her dream. In the room next door, more farewells were shared.
"It is not bitter," Rei spoke softly, haltingly, and carefully as words unfamiliar to her lips tumbled out. Her eyes were fixed on the teacup she had brought with her. "All you need is sugar and milk."
Seia blinked in confusion. Then she smiled. Then she giggled. Finally, she laughed merrily, a bright and bell-like sound. She laughed until tears formed in the corner of her eyes.
"You have given me something better than an answer to my question," she gasped in between laughs. "Thank you. Thank you so much."
Seia's laughter petered out, but a soft smile remained.
"Then, Sensei, I leave you with a gift in return for what you have given me," Seia said as she turned around curtsied, slightly lifting the corners of her skirt. "Vanitas Vanitatum. This is what you must oppose with all of your might."
Ayanami Rei blinked and tilted her head slightly in confusion once again.
"I do not understand."
"You will," Seia opened the door and stepped outside. "I look forward to our next meeting, in whichever world that might be. I bid you farewell!"
Rei was left alone by herself, wondering what was so funny that she had said.
---
"Geez, Nagi-chan! You always make things more complicated than they have to be!"
"I was being efficient, Mika. Our schedules are barely manageable right now and will only get more packed as the year progresses. You know this," Nagisa defended herself from Mika's words as they crossed the gate leading to the Tea Party's private dorms. Having finished the impromptu tea party, they separated from the others to retire for the night.
"But did we really need to commandeer the entire Club Hall? The Performing Arts Club looked scared out of their minds!"
"It was preferable to marching minor offenders through campus at a crowded hour and further announcing the presence of SCHALE at Trinity," the Tea Party's host replied again, sounding increasingly weary. "As things stand now, any rumors will be about the Tea Party doing something outrageous rather than the Federal Investigation Club arriving on campus barely a day after Sanctum Tower was restored."
"Sheesh! Always scheming and plotting! This is why you don't have any friends!" the pink-haired co-president said as she turned around and stuck her tongue at Nagisa as they entered the manor that was the shared residence of the Tea Party. "Actually, do you even have any friends besides Seia-tan and me?"
The ash-blonde spluttered inelegantly, taken by surprise by Mika's sudden verbal jab. Even her wings twitched as she tried to gather her wits before replying. "Of course, I do! I have many friends! I'm friends with my secretary!"
"Not Tea Party related. Wait, scratch that, what's her name?"
"What?"
"Your assistant, Nagi-chan. What's her name?"
"It's, uh…" Mika smiled as her childhood friend suddenly lost all her facades, and barriers, and heavy responsibilities, and become the girl she remembered. "Shi-shi-shi…"
"Shi-shi-shi?" the pink-haired girl taunted in a sing-song voice as she danced up the steps leading to their rooms. "Nagi-chan, are you trying to curse me?"
"Shimako!"
"Oh, wow, you actually got it in one. As expected of Nagi-chan!" Mika clapped briefly before attacking again. "When's her birthday?"
Nagisa froze like a deer in the headlights.
"Hah! See what I mean?" Mika pumped her fist in victory as she taunted Nagisa once again. Despite her small victory, however, she did not relent and pressed her advantage. "Oh! Wait! When's my birthday?"
"The 8th of May," Nagisa responded dismissively and without hesitation, derailing Mika's momentum. She smiled softly at her friend. "You're too reckless by far, Mika."
"Nice one, Nagi-chan! My feelings remain unhurt!"
They arrived at the hallway that their rooms were located in. Each stood before their own door but did not enter yet as words still unsaid hung expectantly between them.
"Don't you wish these days would last forever, Nagi-chan? Just the three of us together, having fun at school every day."
Nagisa sighed and shook her head, her hand on the doorknob leading to her room. "They won't last forever, Mika. Wishing won't change that. We're seniors. That's why we must act quickly, for the sake of our juniors and the school."
Mika twitched, her shoulders tensed, and her hands clenched into fists, but Nagisa did not notice as they were not facing each other.
"Ah. You don't mean…?" Mika asked tentatively.
"Yes. The Eden Treaty's groundwork must be laid before I hand the host's seat to Seia. There's a lot of work to be done, Mika. I'll be counting on you."
A nervous laugh rang through the empty hallway. "Oh geez, Nagi-chan. You know I've never been good at that politics stuff or that thinking stuff…" Mika's voice trailed off miserably.
"We can but do our best, Mika."
"Yeah, I guess so. If nothing else, I'm number one at having your back!"
The two girls shared a small laugh as they opened their separate doors.
"Good night, Mika."
"Good night, Nagi-chan."
The two girls separated then, and two opposing doors clicked shut.
---
Lesson 6: End
What did we learn today, class?
Yes, that's correct!
Citrusy sweets go well with black tea! Apparently!
Join us again next time for Lesson 7: Perchance to dream. We'll have: Living Arrangements! Dream sequences! And the beginning of something new! For real this time!
Don't be late!
---
AN: Prompts for this chapter had to be cut and shuffled off to the next chapter as it was getting too long for my tastes. "Sweet Secrets and Shootouts" is mostly over, though. It'll wrap up completely in the next chapter and, this time for sure, we'll start with "canon". I hope you enjoyed this detour. --Kero
The Tea Party's escorts efficiently emptied out the massive Club Hall building of any stragglers still engaged in afternoon club activities. They then proceeded to commandeer the Performing Arts Club's room at gun point, removing wide-eyed girls in the middle of practice while simultaneously bringing in a long table, chairs, food carts, and all manner of trays and stands laden with sweets, and teacups and teapots. White uniforms with black ribbons fluttered in a dizzying flurry of well-drilled motion and the abruptly vacated Performing Arts Club room was transformed into a private tea parlor, filled with the aroma of freshly brewed tea and warm sweets.
Having completed the club room's metamorphosis, the three dozen escorts filed out to patrol and to guard the door and the halls leaving the room to the Tea Party, their attendants, and their guests. Three Student Council Presidents sat on one side of the table, attendants an inobtrusive distance behind, while the nervous After-School Sweets Club, one embarrassed Vigilante Crew member and two representatives of SCHALE sat on the other side.
"Um…" Ayumu was the first to timidly speak up once the whirlwind of activity had subsided. "Isn't this a bit much? A fight didn't even break out and-"
"Truthfully, you are another issue that we had been hoping to address," Kirifuji Nagisa interrupted Ayumu before she could finish her sentence causing the blonde girl to let out a very undignified squeak. "We received news of a GSC officer on Trinity grounds from several student sources and yet imagine my surprise upon finding no notification of a visit. Vice-President Nanagami runs a very lax ship, it seems."
"E-eh? B-but how? I sent it this morning!" Ayumu's teeth audibly chattered as she instantly dropped her line of questioning and switched into panic mode. "I- I'm here as an assistant to SCHALE. I'm not trespassing! I'm not! I went through the proper channels!"
"Ah!"
All eyes turned to Mika as she brought down one fist into her open palm.
"I forgot to give you the notification," the pink-haired girl said sheepishly while lightly knocking the side of her head with a fist and sticking her tongue out. "Sorry, Nagi-chan."
Ayumu sighed the explosive sigh of relief of someone who had barely remained on their mortal coil while Nagisa sighed the long-suffering sigh of someone still miserably stuck to theirs. The ash-blonde girl took a drink from her teacup before sighing one final time and offering Ayumu a weak and apologetic smile. "Well, that's one issue taken care of, at least. My apologies, Miss…?"
"Ah! Ayumu! Iwabitsu Ayumu," she replied easily, a tentative smile on her face. "As I said, I'm here as an assistant to SCHALE. Sensei isn't from Kivotos and Rin didn't want the person who restored Sanctum Tower getting lost in Trinity for her first assignment." The blonde giggled at that, but the girl in question showed no response at all to her lightly teasing words. Ayumu seemed disappointed at the lack of response.
"We have heard Mika's report on SCHALE," Nagisa nodded agreeably, although there was subtle hard edge to her tone. On her left, Mika laughed nervously and fanned herself with a hand. "Someone from outside Kivotos, and our own age besides, is certainly rather unexpected. Seia in particular was very interested in learning more."
The diminutive blonde girl with the large vulpine ears nodded in acknowledgement of Nagisa's words. She did not, however, speak up, seemingly more interested in her tea. Nagisa took her co-president's silence as a sign to continue.
"It was quite fortunate that a member of the Tea Party was present at the time that the President's Sensei finally arrived. If it's not too much trouble, Seia would like to chat with Sensei once this matter," she punctuated the words with a sharp glare at the remaining five, "is dealt with."
The recipients of the glare gulped nervously at those words. Obeying an unspoken command, Nagisa's assistant stepped forward and handed her a clipboard with a stack of documents on it. A small thank you was spoken, and the assistant silently stepped back with a short bow and soft smile.
"While Ms. Iwabitsu's words are correct and a fight did not break out this day," Nagisa began as she paged through the documents in her hand, "it has come to the Tea Party's attention that one of the students of our Trinity has, for the past few months, engaged in thuggish, violent, and most unbecoming behavior."
The instant that Nagisa finished speaking, Uzawa Reisa slammed her palms into the table causing dishes and teapots to tremble and rattle in place.
"Cath Palug, you fiend!" she yelled, her violet eyes blazing as she instantly forgot about her location and in whose company she was present. "What monstrous misdeeds has your boundless evil wrought this time? Bullying? Brawling? Extortion? LOITERING?!"
"I did none of that, you stalker!" the cat-eared girl snapped back with a glare.
"Don't yell at my club-member like that, pipsqueak!"
"That's right! You shouldn't-"
"Enough," Nagisa did not raise her voice as she cut off whatever Airi intended to say, but her single word was enough to cut through the chatter. Flaring tempers froze over in the blink of an eye as the quarreling girls were reminded they were in the presence of the highest authorities in their school. "Commendable enthusiasm aside, it's not Kyoyama Kazusa who I was referring to. It is yourself, Uzawa Reisa."
"What? I don't understand," the girl asked in a small voice as she seemed to shrink on herself, wilting under the gaze of the Tea Party's host.
"A member of the Vigilante Crew, identified as Uzawa Reisa, was seen bullying and chasing after a member of the After-School Sweets Club, identified as Kyoyama Kazusa. Seven reported instances." The Trinity Student Council President flipped a few pages. "The same Vigilante Crew member was seen throwing objects at Ms. Kyoyama as well as firing at her, even in crowds. Twelve reported instances." More pages flipped. "Ten reported instances of Uzawa Reisa shouting threats of bodily harm at Ms. Kyoyama." Flip. "A girl in a Vigilante Crew uniform, later identified as Uzawa Reisa, was seen loitering outside a bakery in a suspicious manner. One instance."
The makeshift tea parlor was completely silent as the Tea Party's host put the documents aside and gave the confused and cowering girl in front of her a flat and even look. Nagisa's gaze did not waver, and she did not sigh but her body language clearly spoke of immense disappointment.
"Ms. Uzawa, the Tea Party would like to hear what you have to say in your defense."
"I- I don't understand," the accused's voice trembled. "Ca-Cath Palug is-"
"Forgive the interruption, Ms. Uzawa," Nagisa coldly cut off the stammering girl, "but Ms. Kyoyama's middle-school history has no bearing on Trinity General School. She has been nothing short of an exemplary student with zero complaints, well regarded club activities, and good to great academic and martial scores during her time at our Trinity. Please consider your next words very carefully."
Reisa's mouth opened and closed like a fish, but no words crossed her lips.
"Wait, Ms. Host," Ayumu spoke up, concern evident in her voice. "What are you implying?"
Kirifuji Nagisa's expression turned very weary before responding. "As you are probably aware, Trinity's Vigilante Crew is not an official club. It is a group of volunteers. As the name implies, it is not recognized by the General Student Council nor by the Tea Party as an organization meant to enforce school rules. Its activities, therefore, are subject to the same rules as any regular student. The same rules," she paused before continuing, "and the same punishments."
The words sank in slowly and the gathered girls gasped in unison as they all jumped to the same conclusion.
"You're going to expel Reisa?!" Kazusa asked angrily.
"Well, I-"
"You can't!" the cat-eared girl said, her features twisting into a snarl. "Reisa is an annoying dumb ass, but she doesn't deserve this!"
"Ms. Kyoyama, I-"
"No, you don't understand! This is all my fault! Whenever Reisa showed up, I always bolted and never stuck around to talk things over! I never cleared up the air between us!" The snarl had shifted into a forlorn expression and her eyes had begun to shimmer. Kazusa rubbed angrily at her face and eyes with the sleeves of her hoody. "I had just asked SCHALE for advice on how to resolve this mess. You can't do this!"
The After-School Sweets club could do nothing while looking upon their friend, while Reisa regarded Kazusa as if truly seeing her for the first time. Nagisa shook her head, and a wan smile crossed her lips as she turned to face the silent blue-haired girl impassively watching events unfold.
"Considering that the organization you represent has embedded itself in the middle of this situation, what does SCHALE's Sensei think?"
The girl blinked and silently considered her words for a moment before speaking up.
"I believe that they are friends," Rei responded simply.
A stunned silence followed, but only for a second.
"SHE'S NOT MY FRIEND!!" two girls shouted simultaneously.
"She's loud, she's annoying, she's violent, she's a stalker," Kazusa listed off.
"She's the one delinquent I could never defeat in middle-school, the feral beast that can freeze your blood with a single glare, the living cautionary tale: CATH PALUG!"
"She gives me stupid nicknames," Kazusa continued.
"Friends are loud and bicker constantly," Rei finished her interrupted train of thought. Mika covered her mouth and clutched at her stomach as she shook with barely repressed laughter while Nagisa shook her head once more and turned to Seia on her right.
"Seia, as the incoming host of the Tea Party, would you like to pronounce yourself on this matter?"
Yurizono Seia nodded and fixed Reisa with severe glare that was incongruous with her childish features.
"Do you promise to stop attacking Kyoyama Kazusa and not cause any further disturbances at our Trinity?"
"I PROMISE!" Reisa shot up to attention, standing ramrod straight and shouting loudly. She bowed from the waist and smashed her face into the table with such force that all the dishes jumped and rattled once again, and Reisa was instantly knocked flat on her butt. "Oof!"
"Issue resolved," Seia declared solemnly.
"Exemplary work as always, Seia. You are truly the pride of our Tea Party."
"Naaagiiii-chaaaan, what about meeeee?"
Nagisa ignored her. "For the record, before Ms. Kyoyama so gallantly interrupted me in defense of her friend," two girls once again shouted that they were NOT friends, "I was going to suggest a sentence of community service. What's a few bullets between friends, am I correct?"
"So, that's another issue resolved?" Ayumu questioned as she nibbled on a cookie. A few steps behind, Kazusa and Airi were helping the disoriented Reisa back to her feet.
"Being perfectly honest, you and Ms. Uzawa were minor issues we decided could be addressed together while we showed Sensei our Tea Party's hospitality and arranged for the conversation that Seia desired. I didn't, however, account for Ms. Kyoyama's dramatic interruption," Nagisa said ruefully. "By the way, I recommend the lemon tart for this particular black tea."
Having returned to their seats, Kazusa and Reisa continued their arguing without missing a beat, even between cake rolls and drinks of their tea.
"I don't get it. I thought they hated each other?" Yoshimi asked, clearly confused.
"You'll understand when you're older, Yoshimi," Natsu nodded sagely.
"We're the same age!"
Natsu just laughed at her.
---
"What does it feel like?" Yurizono Seia asked gravely.
Ayanami Rei blinked and tilted her head slightly in confusion.
The two girls had retired to another empty club room, opting to have their promised conversation in private. Ayumu had initially protested at leaving her charge alone, but eventually relented at Seia's insistence and promise that they would only move one room down. They sat by themselves now in an untouched club room, the sound of rowdy girls coming from the room beside them. They could hear Mika and Nagisa saying their farewells as they departed.
"What does it feel like to die?" the golden-eyed girl clarified.
Rei tensed, and her lips narrowed into a thin line as she looked away from the piercing golden gaze.
"I do not understand the question," Rei replied mechanically, using the words she had memorized. In the room next door, someone laughed.
"The expected response," Seia answered just as mechanically, as if reading from a script. She sighed and went off script. "I had hoped privacy would loosen your tongue, but it appears to have been in vain." She shook her head, and a hint of desperation entered her eyes and her voice as she tried again. "Please, I… I have to know. I don't think I can do this otherwise… I must know…"
The halo-less girl did not reply, her gaze downcast and focused on her lap.
Yurizono Seia's childish face twisted into a grimace of sorrow as she returned to the words she had to say.
"If you follow down that path, only pain awaits you."
"I do not fear pain."
"Yes, you do not. A remarkable trait for one without a halo," Seia recited, her ornate cross-shaped halo floating behind her. She leaned forward slightly. "And yet, you fear death."
The younger girl averted her gaze once again.
"I… cannot be replaced."
"None of us can. We are each a singular existence, a fleeting and miserable life. It is all ultimately gloomy, sad, painful, and bitter..." Seia stood up and headed silently for the door. She was done.
"No."
The vulpine-eared girl froze and turned around. This was different from her dream. In the room next door, more farewells were shared.
"It is not bitter," Rei spoke softly, haltingly, and carefully as words unfamiliar to her lips tumbled out. Her eyes were fixed on the teacup she had brought with her. "All you need is sugar and milk."
Seia blinked in confusion. Then she smiled. Then she giggled. Finally, she laughed merrily, a bright and bell-like sound. She laughed until tears formed in the corner of her eyes.
"You have given me something better than an answer to my question," she gasped in between laughs. "Thank you. Thank you so much."
Seia's laughter petered out, but a soft smile remained.
"Then, Sensei, I leave you with a gift in return for what you have given me," Seia said as she turned around curtsied, slightly lifting the corners of her skirt. "Vanitas Vanitatum. This is what you must oppose with all of your might."
Ayanami Rei blinked and tilted her head slightly in confusion once again.
"I do not understand."
"You will," Seia opened the door and stepped outside. "I look forward to our next meeting, in whichever world that might be. I bid you farewell!"
Rei was left alone by herself, wondering what was so funny that she had said.
---
"Geez, Nagi-chan! You always make things more complicated than they have to be!"
"I was being efficient, Mika. Our schedules are barely manageable right now and will only get more packed as the year progresses. You know this," Nagisa defended herself from Mika's words as they crossed the gate leading to the Tea Party's private dorms. Having finished the impromptu tea party, they separated from the others to retire for the night.
"But did we really need to commandeer the entire Club Hall? The Performing Arts Club looked scared out of their minds!"
"It was preferable to marching minor offenders through campus at a crowded hour and further announcing the presence of SCHALE at Trinity," the Tea Party's host replied again, sounding increasingly weary. "As things stand now, any rumors will be about the Tea Party doing something outrageous rather than the Federal Investigation Club arriving on campus barely a day after Sanctum Tower was restored."
"Sheesh! Always scheming and plotting! This is why you don't have any friends!" the pink-haired co-president said as she turned around and stuck her tongue at Nagisa as they entered the manor that was the shared residence of the Tea Party. "Actually, do you even have any friends besides Seia-tan and me?"
The ash-blonde spluttered inelegantly, taken by surprise by Mika's sudden verbal jab. Even her wings twitched as she tried to gather her wits before replying. "Of course, I do! I have many friends! I'm friends with my secretary!"
"Not Tea Party related. Wait, scratch that, what's her name?"
"What?"
"Your assistant, Nagi-chan. What's her name?"
"It's, uh…" Mika smiled as her childhood friend suddenly lost all her facades, and barriers, and heavy responsibilities, and become the girl she remembered. "Shi-shi-shi…"
"Shi-shi-shi?" the pink-haired girl taunted in a sing-song voice as she danced up the steps leading to their rooms. "Nagi-chan, are you trying to curse me?"
"Shimako!"
"Oh, wow, you actually got it in one. As expected of Nagi-chan!" Mika clapped briefly before attacking again. "When's her birthday?"
Nagisa froze like a deer in the headlights.
"Hah! See what I mean?" Mika pumped her fist in victory as she taunted Nagisa once again. Despite her small victory, however, she did not relent and pressed her advantage. "Oh! Wait! When's my birthday?"
"The 8th of May," Nagisa responded dismissively and without hesitation, derailing Mika's momentum. She smiled softly at her friend. "You're too reckless by far, Mika."
"Nice one, Nagi-chan! My feelings remain unhurt!"
They arrived at the hallway that their rooms were located in. Each stood before their own door but did not enter yet as words still unsaid hung expectantly between them.
"Don't you wish these days would last forever, Nagi-chan? Just the three of us together, having fun at school every day."
Nagisa sighed and shook her head, her hand on the doorknob leading to her room. "They won't last forever, Mika. Wishing won't change that. We're seniors. That's why we must act quickly, for the sake of our juniors and the school."
Mika twitched, her shoulders tensed, and her hands clenched into fists, but Nagisa did not notice as they were not facing each other.
"Ah. You don't mean…?" Mika asked tentatively.
"Yes. The Eden Treaty's groundwork must be laid before I hand the host's seat to Seia. There's a lot of work to be done, Mika. I'll be counting on you."
A nervous laugh rang through the empty hallway. "Oh geez, Nagi-chan. You know I've never been good at that politics stuff or that thinking stuff…" Mika's voice trailed off miserably.
"We can but do our best, Mika."
"Yeah, I guess so. If nothing else, I'm number one at having your back!"
The two girls shared a small laugh as they opened their separate doors.
"Good night, Mika."
"Good night, Nagi-chan."
The two girls separated then, and two opposing doors clicked shut.
---
Lesson 6: End
What did we learn today, class?
Yes, that's correct!
Citrusy sweets go well with black tea! Apparently!
Join us again next time for Lesson 7: Perchance to dream. We'll have: Living Arrangements! Dream sequences! And the beginning of something new! For real this time!
Don't be late!
---
AN: Prompts for this chapter had to be cut and shuffled off to the next chapter as it was getting too long for my tastes. "Sweet Secrets and Shootouts" is mostly over, though. It'll wrap up completely in the next chapter and, this time for sure, we'll start with "canon". I hope you enjoyed this detour. --Kero
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Froggie
Fairy tale happy ending
Very likely no chapter this week. Working from the office + family obligations.
Chapter either early next week or on the 1st October.
Also, accepting suggestions for simple (SIMPLE!) illustrations to go with the chapters that don't have one if there's anything that made anyone think "boy, I sure wish Froggie had drawn this instead."
Simple because, well, I have other stuff I wanna draw that's unrelated to this fic.
Ciao!
Chapter either early next week or on the 1st October.
Also, accepting suggestions for simple (SIMPLE!) illustrations to go with the chapters that don't have one if there's anything that made anyone think "boy, I sure wish Froggie had drawn this instead."
Simple because, well, I have other stuff I wanna draw that's unrelated to this fic.
Ciao!
Lesson 7: Perchance to dream
Froggie
Fairy tale happy ending
Lesson 7: Perchance to dream
The train car had only a few passengers heading home aside from Ayumu and Rei as they rode out of the Trinity District and back to D.U. Shiratori City. Despite the late hour, Kazusa had seen them off at the station, bidding them farewell and good night with a grateful smile. She had taken the opportunity to hand Rei the box of macarons that she had purchased earlier in the day. The cat-eared girl's smile had turned sheepish as she apologized for the two missing confections, but she had assured the taciturn blue-haired girl that the box itself was both pretty and sturdy enough that it could be used to store various knick-knacks once it was emptied out. Rei had replied with a soft thank you and accepted the box, an undiscernible expression on her face.
As stations passed the two girls by, passengers boarded and left, and Trinity was left further and further behind, Ayumu came to realize something about the uncomfortable silence that she was sharing with the halo-less girl.
Rei was sulking.
Ayumu had been doing her best to pay attention to Rei since their conversation at the After-School Sweets Club Room earlier. The curt answer the strange girl had given to her innocuous question about friends had set off warning bells in the General Student Council officer's mind. While the Academy City was run by students and for students, she could not even begin to imagine how difficult life must have been for someone born outside of its borders. Because of both these things, the answer given and her own worries, Ayumu had been observing Rei closely enough to notice the minor shifts in her demeanor.
The younger girl's red eyes were downcast and unfocused rather than trained straight ahead or upon some other passenger. The ever-present tension in her shoulders was gone, replaced by a distracted languidness that echoed through the rest of her posture.
Perhaps the most telling clue was that she was not playing with her tablet.
"Um… is everything alright?" Ayumu asked, her voice tinged with concern.
Rei twitched ever so slightly, clearly startled out of her thoughts by Ayumu's question. She took a moment to consider the words and then replied only with a short nod, ending the conversation before it began.
Ayumu was not deterred, however.
"Are you sure?" she pressed again. The air around the girl was as cold and prickly as ever, but her concern over Rei's stranger than usual behavior won out over her own discomfort. "Is something bothering you?"
The halo-less girl took a moment to consider once more before once again nodding wordlessly.
You can do it, Ayumu, the blonde girl cheered herself on mentally. Third time's the charm, she thought to herself as she rallied her patience and tried again.
"What's bothering you?" she asked again, green eyes searching for minute changes in Rei's expression.
Rei considered and, finally, spoke.
"I do not understand," she replied in a soft voice. Her brow furrowed ever so slightly, and the barest hint of frustration sneaked into her voice. "Kyoyama's actions, Yurizono's actions…" She trailed off and did not elaborate further.
They stopped at another station and more passengers departed while Ayumu looked at the younger girl with a puzzled expression. She hadn't been present for Rei's conversation with Yurizono Seia but, from the limited interactions she had with her, the petite blonde Trinity President seemed to be a polite -if somewhat withdrawn- young lady. The sort of girl that gave Trinity its reputation as a school for 'princesses'. The GSC officer couldn't imagine Seia saying anything that could have left Rei out of sorts and Kazusa had just been grateful. What was there to understand? A sneaking suspicion rose to the forefront of her thoughts, and she hesitated only briefly before voicing it.
"Are you maybe," Ayumu asked tentatively, "not used to getting gifts?"
Ayumu saw, for the first time, the clearest expression on the young SCHALE representative's face. This was no small furrowing of her brow, no slight turn to her lips, no barely there smile hidden behind a hand; No, Rei's eyes widened in surprise and a small gasp escaped her lips in absolute shock.
"A gift," Rei whispered, sounding amazed. "I have never received one before. Why was I given one?"
The scowl that crossed Ayumu's normally gentle features was only a brief one as the blonde rapidly switched to a kindly smiled directed at the younger girl. Now was not the time for anger, she decided. Outrage and the quest for answers could wait until she could talk to Rin in private. Now, there were more important things to attend to. Namely a neglected young girl receiving her first ever gift.
"Well," Ayumu started, speaking slowly as she carefully picked out her words, "You stood up for Kazusa's friend, right? She wanted to express her gratitude to you." She paused briefly when Rei nodded, taking in her explanation. "And since you seemed to really enjoy the macarons this morning, Kazusa probably felt they would make a good gift."
"I see. I understand."
Ayumu nodded in satisfaction. It was a small victory, but she would take it. One down, one to go.
"Um… About your conversation with Seia…" the blonde student stopped when she saw the younger girl tense and she hurried to reassure her. "No! No! I don't mean to pry! Honest! I know she wanted to talk privately so you don't have to tell me any specifics, but maybe you can tell me what's been bothering you?"
Rei seemed mollified by her words and nodded again.
"Yurizono laughed."
Ayumu blinked and waited for Rei to elaborate.
Rei did not elaborate.
"…That's it?"
Rei nodded.
Ayumu had no idea what to say at that point so her lips just blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
"…Did she laugh at you?"
Rei shook her head and Ayumu sighed in relief. The GSC Officer did not believe Yurizono Seia to be the sort who would do that, but she had spoken without thinking. She thanked her lucky stars that Rei did not seem outwardly angry and that she definitely did not seem like the type to gossip. She was about to ask another question, but she instead found herself shocked into silence by Rei speaking up of her own volition.
"She laughed at something I said," Rei explained to the flummoxed older girl. Confusion was as evident in her voice as it was on Ayumu's features. "I said nothing to elicit such a reaction." She paused, seemingly struggling to put her thoughts into words as Ayumu waited patiently. "I-"
Ayumu's phone chose that moment to ring. Rei stopped speaking and Ayumu's face went through several shades of red as the cheerful tune blared loudly inside the train car. Mercifully they were the only passengers left, but Ayumu nevertheless looked mortified as she searched for her phone, babbling apologies and explanations as she riffled through her purse.
"Sorry! Sorry!" the blonde apologized frantically. "I usually have it set to silence, but I needed to be on-call in case Ri- Oh, it's Rin. S-sorry! I need to take this. Hold on."
Rei nodded silently and returned to musing on her thoughts, trying to make sense of their disarray while she waited for Ayumu to finish her call. If it was from Rin, it must be important.
It was important.
Rather than staying at Nanagami Rin's office once again, it had been arranged that Rei would be staying with Nanagami Rin at her dormitory for the time that it took for the SCHALE building to be repaired. Rei nodded in agreement as Ayumu explained the situation. It would be convenient to have a place to sleep and it seemed that, as Ayumu explained it, Rin did not currently have a roommate. The blonde girl had seemed troubled by that information, but she did not explain further and so Rei did not inquire further. They settled into silence for the remainder of the train ride, although Ayumu seemed like she wanted to pick up their conversation but was unsure of how to broach the subject again.
The hour was late indeed when they finally arrived at Shiratori Station, so Ayumu opted to call for a taxi. Rei had nodded in agreement again. It was a sound idea and Ayumu had more experience than her with distances and locations involved so she easily deferred to her in that regard. The driver was another of the sapient robotic citizens that Rei had noticed while at Trinity and on the train as well. They were yet another sign that she was no longer anywhere familiar at all. During the drive through the sleeping city, Ayumu seemed ready to continue their conversation from the train, but the driver had engaged her in meaningless small talk, and she had politely responded again and again. In the end, they arrived at their destination before the subject of Yurizono Seia could be brought up again.
---
The dormitory was, as with many other buildings in Kivotos, a white building with copious amounts of glass used in its constructions. It was sleek, modern, and opulent and far too large to house only a single person. A pair of guards stationed outside saluted Ayumu, and Nanagami Rin awaited them at the door. The bespectacled girl ushered them inside quickly and closed the door behind them.
"Rin, is something the matter?" Ayumu asked with a worried look on her face due to her friend's hasty actions.
The dark-haired girl shook her head, a small and tired smile on her lips.
"No, not really," she explained, and the exhaustion was clear in her voice. "It's just late and I would like to get some rest before another long day tomorrow. Can't afford to pull another all-nighter." She laughed softly. "Ayumu, please stay here tonight. I'd rather you don't head out again given the hour."
"A sleepover?" the blonde asked, her green eyes shining with excitement.
"You'll have to gossip by yourself. I really need to sleep. You remember where the guest room is?"
Ayumu nodded in reply, but her expression immediately clouded over and became troubled.
"Wait, if I'm in the guest room, then you really are…"
"Let's get you settled in, Rei," Rin had already turned towards the younger girl who had, as expected, remained silent. The pale girl nodded in reply to Rin's statement and extended the box she was carrying towards the older girl.
"I would like to place this in the refrigerator. Please."
The taller girl looked briefly confused before nodding in agreement and guiding Rei first to the kitchen and then to the room she would be spending the night in. The room was furnished and cluttered with books and personal effects. The helmet that Rei had carried around the day before was placed upon a table, but the room itself was evidently in use and belonged to someone else. It was also evidently in the middle of being cleared out and stored away: several cardboard boxes were tucked away into a corner with neatly organized stacks of books and other belongings waiting to a side.
"I apologize for the mess. I did not have time to finish cleaning it for you," Rin apologized as she guided the silent girl inside. Ayumu hovered behind them, her face a kaleidoscope of emotions. "We'll talk in the morning. I think we could all use some rest right now."
"Understood. Good night."
The door closed and Ayanami Rei was left by herself.
---
In her dreams, Ayanami Rei was on a train car.
In the window in front of her, was the same view she had seen the night before. The sun was beginning to rise over a seemingly endless sea and the sky was painted in hues of violet and gold as darkness gave way to a new dawn.
In the row of seats in front of her, there was no one. There were only empty seats giving a clear view of the windows and the skyline beyond them. She noticed that the seat directly before her was stained in drying blood and so was the floor directly beneath it. There were no bloodied footprints leading away and no sign of a struggle. Nothing more than herself, empty seats, and the dried blood of someone who was not there any longer.
"Miss, a moment of your dream, if you would."
She turned around.
Behind her was a shadowed city bathed only in the light of the moon and stars. Even the windows were completely dark. If there was any light within not even a trace of light managed to seep through closed curtains. There were no neon signs present and no streetlights. Only a long, dirty alleyway illuminated dimly by moonlight.
At the end of the distant alleyway, stood a person.
As Ayanami Rei got closer, she realized that what stood before her now was not a man. It was something odd, something foreign, like herself. It had the general shape of a man, but it was something less, and something more.
"Mm, yes. You are, as we thought, something less, and something more," the thing that looked vaguely like a man spoke. She stood before him now and details which were impossible to make out at a distance were now clear. The man wore a heavy trench-coat colored a dusty brown and rested their left hand on a cane. Their right hand carried a small painting of the back of a man's head wearing a bowler hat.
The man himself had no head.
It was not a decapitated body. There were no injuries, no blood, no sign that anything had ever been attached to the stump of their neck. The body simply ended at that point, and nothing followed.
Rei blinked in confusion.
"We hope that you will forgive our rudeness for stepping into your dream. The others insisted that we wait to meet you in the waking world, but we could not," the portrait explained. "The thrill of discovery moved us, you see, and the idea of waiting was altogether unbearable."
"BUT OF COURSE!" the headless torso shouted.
Rei tilted her head quizzically at the sight. The portrait chuckled.
"Truly, nothing startles you," the portrait spoke mirthfully. "I must apologize again for our rudeness. I am called Golconde. My inseparable partner is Decalcomania. Similar to yourself, we are foreigners to this land. Unlike yourself, we were not brought here, but rather arrived in search of knowledge. You see, we are researchers, of a sort."
"OF COURSE!"
It was not the torso in front of her that had spoken, but another identical pair of headless body and portrait that had simply appeared beside the first as if it were always there. Rei turned to face the new speaker.
"Truly, you are quite stoic," the portrait spoke with a certain amusement. "No curiosity about what it is we study? It matters not, for I will say it regardless. We are group of likeminded individuals: scholars of the Mystic, the Terror…" The portrait spoke softly now. "The Sublime."
"THAT IS SO!"
The voice came from behind her now and Rei turned to find no one there. No one at eye-level, at least. She followed the voice and found a new pair of headless body and portrait floating in the air, as casually as if standing on the ground.
No, not one.
There were dozens of them.
"Imagine our glee upon seeing the signs of your arrival," a Golconde spoke excitedly. "Here is one that surpasses all of those! One beyond Mystic, beyond Terror, beyond even the Sublime!"
"Imagine our disappointment upon seeing the signs of a broken…thing," another Golconde spoke with distaste.
"Here is one of blood more ancient and more terrible than the Forgotten Gods," one remarked in a voice full of pity.
"Here is one of blood more mysterious and more dreadful than the Nameless Gods," another replied in a voice full of awe.
"CORRECT!" a deafening chorus of voices rang out all at once.
"And yet for all that puissance, what arrived was only a piteous wretch of a child," the one to speak was standing beside her and Rei took a small step to the side to allow him to pass. The torso inclined slightly in acknowledgement, a full body nod from one without a head. "It truly is a regrettable state of affairs. You are so much more than what we anticipated and so much less as well."
"For you see, the signs all indicate that you do not belong here, miss," Golconde spoke in the tone of a teacher explaining something to a hopeless student. "You are not protagonist material. You are a side-character who forgot to get off the stage."
"At best a living plot device to resolve otherwise unwinnable conflicts in the narrative," another pondered in a contemplative tone. "But what the narrative demands is not a juggernaut, but rather one that can inspire."
"TRULY!"
"And how can you inspire," Golconde asked in a sad voice, "when there is nothing inside your heart?"
"INDEED!"
"Ambitions. Desires. Passions. You have none of these."
"INDEED!"
"Aspirations. Dreams. Goals. You have none of these."
"INDEED!"
"You should walk away, miss," the portrait said in a voice brimming with pity and regret. "The narrative has already been wrecked with your arrival and all the might within that scrawny frame will avail you not. The sign of the black moon's doom hangs over one and all. Your lack of motivations and goals will see you ruined. To use a colloquial turn of phrase: the writing is on the wall."
"BUT OF COURSE!" The chorus rang out one last time.
The crowd of doppelgangers did not walk away, instead slowly disappearing one by one as if they had never existed. Only one remained when the solitary child found her voice.
"You are wrong," Ayanami Rei spoke in a soft voice, her eyes downcast. "I have a goal. There is something that I want."
"Oh? Tell us, then. If it would have you disregard foreshadowing, we are most curious what a misplaced doll keeps within her heart of hearts."
Ayanami Rei lifted her gaze, looked at the remaining figure before her, and spoke the words she had struggled to find and had been unable to say earlier that day.
"I want to hear Yurizono laugh again."
A bright and bell-like sound followed her proclamation. Within the darkened city of dreams, not another sound was heard as dawn broke, ushering away moonlight and darkness.
"VERY WELL!"
"I see. So, it's to be character development, then?" Golconde said, sounding amused. They slowly started disappearing as the dream started to end. "'Very well' indeed. Then, please show us how a side-character hijacks the stage. We shall look forward to your doomed struggle with rapt fascination."
Ayanami Rei woke up.
---
"Rei-chan-sensei, there is a new request!" The girl in the tablet computer chirped cheerfully as the sleeping girl awoke and blinked her red eyes blearily. Arona, as the sunny Artificial Intelligence had introduced herself the day prior, seemed oddly familiar, but Rei could not quite place where the familiarity stemmed from. Suddenly, Arona's eyes widened, and she gasped. "You're smiling! Did you have a nice dream?"
The dream slipped away at Arona's comment. In the end only one thing remained and so Rei nodded in reply to Arona's question. It had been a nice dream.
"Hee!" the childish AI giggled. "I'm glad! Oh! Before I forget, you'll want to hear this request! It's really funny!" Arona cleared her throat loudly and began to read from her databanks, laughter in her voice.
"Oh, hero! Oh, savior of the city! Please accept our quest!"
---
Lesson 7: End
What did we learn today, class?
Yes, that's correct!
Be sure to set your ringtone to mute or vibrate while on public transportation! It's polite!
Join us again next time for Lesson 8: Youth means videogames. We'll have: Twins! Pop-culture references! Creatively (sorta) renamed Intellectual Property-please don't sue me! A Demon King! And the beginning of a quest of epic proportions!
Don't be late!
---
AN: Oct 1, 2023. Free time to write has become scarce. I won't be able to keep up the once-a-week update schedule for October. For now, I'll aim to have the next update on Oct. 22, but if I miss that deadline then it'll be on Oct. 29. If the next chapter is finished early, it'll be posted early although that's a slim chance. Hopefully things will ease up next month. Drawings, however, are a lot faster so those will be going up at the usual places even as the next chapter is being worked on. As always, thanks for reading my story --Kero
The train car had only a few passengers heading home aside from Ayumu and Rei as they rode out of the Trinity District and back to D.U. Shiratori City. Despite the late hour, Kazusa had seen them off at the station, bidding them farewell and good night with a grateful smile. She had taken the opportunity to hand Rei the box of macarons that she had purchased earlier in the day. The cat-eared girl's smile had turned sheepish as she apologized for the two missing confections, but she had assured the taciturn blue-haired girl that the box itself was both pretty and sturdy enough that it could be used to store various knick-knacks once it was emptied out. Rei had replied with a soft thank you and accepted the box, an undiscernible expression on her face.
As stations passed the two girls by, passengers boarded and left, and Trinity was left further and further behind, Ayumu came to realize something about the uncomfortable silence that she was sharing with the halo-less girl.
Rei was sulking.
Ayumu had been doing her best to pay attention to Rei since their conversation at the After-School Sweets Club Room earlier. The curt answer the strange girl had given to her innocuous question about friends had set off warning bells in the General Student Council officer's mind. While the Academy City was run by students and for students, she could not even begin to imagine how difficult life must have been for someone born outside of its borders. Because of both these things, the answer given and her own worries, Ayumu had been observing Rei closely enough to notice the minor shifts in her demeanor.
The younger girl's red eyes were downcast and unfocused rather than trained straight ahead or upon some other passenger. The ever-present tension in her shoulders was gone, replaced by a distracted languidness that echoed through the rest of her posture.
Perhaps the most telling clue was that she was not playing with her tablet.
"Um… is everything alright?" Ayumu asked, her voice tinged with concern.
Rei twitched ever so slightly, clearly startled out of her thoughts by Ayumu's question. She took a moment to consider the words and then replied only with a short nod, ending the conversation before it began.
Ayumu was not deterred, however.
"Are you sure?" she pressed again. The air around the girl was as cold and prickly as ever, but her concern over Rei's stranger than usual behavior won out over her own discomfort. "Is something bothering you?"
The halo-less girl took a moment to consider once more before once again nodding wordlessly.
You can do it, Ayumu, the blonde girl cheered herself on mentally. Third time's the charm, she thought to herself as she rallied her patience and tried again.
"What's bothering you?" she asked again, green eyes searching for minute changes in Rei's expression.
Rei considered and, finally, spoke.
"I do not understand," she replied in a soft voice. Her brow furrowed ever so slightly, and the barest hint of frustration sneaked into her voice. "Kyoyama's actions, Yurizono's actions…" She trailed off and did not elaborate further.
They stopped at another station and more passengers departed while Ayumu looked at the younger girl with a puzzled expression. She hadn't been present for Rei's conversation with Yurizono Seia but, from the limited interactions she had with her, the petite blonde Trinity President seemed to be a polite -if somewhat withdrawn- young lady. The sort of girl that gave Trinity its reputation as a school for 'princesses'. The GSC officer couldn't imagine Seia saying anything that could have left Rei out of sorts and Kazusa had just been grateful. What was there to understand? A sneaking suspicion rose to the forefront of her thoughts, and she hesitated only briefly before voicing it.
"Are you maybe," Ayumu asked tentatively, "not used to getting gifts?"
Ayumu saw, for the first time, the clearest expression on the young SCHALE representative's face. This was no small furrowing of her brow, no slight turn to her lips, no barely there smile hidden behind a hand; No, Rei's eyes widened in surprise and a small gasp escaped her lips in absolute shock.
"A gift," Rei whispered, sounding amazed. "I have never received one before. Why was I given one?"
The scowl that crossed Ayumu's normally gentle features was only a brief one as the blonde rapidly switched to a kindly smiled directed at the younger girl. Now was not the time for anger, she decided. Outrage and the quest for answers could wait until she could talk to Rin in private. Now, there were more important things to attend to. Namely a neglected young girl receiving her first ever gift.
"Well," Ayumu started, speaking slowly as she carefully picked out her words, "You stood up for Kazusa's friend, right? She wanted to express her gratitude to you." She paused briefly when Rei nodded, taking in her explanation. "And since you seemed to really enjoy the macarons this morning, Kazusa probably felt they would make a good gift."
"I see. I understand."
Ayumu nodded in satisfaction. It was a small victory, but she would take it. One down, one to go.
"Um… About your conversation with Seia…" the blonde student stopped when she saw the younger girl tense and she hurried to reassure her. "No! No! I don't mean to pry! Honest! I know she wanted to talk privately so you don't have to tell me any specifics, but maybe you can tell me what's been bothering you?"
Rei seemed mollified by her words and nodded again.
"Yurizono laughed."
Ayumu blinked and waited for Rei to elaborate.
Rei did not elaborate.
"…That's it?"
Rei nodded.
Ayumu had no idea what to say at that point so her lips just blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
"…Did she laugh at you?"
Rei shook her head and Ayumu sighed in relief. The GSC Officer did not believe Yurizono Seia to be the sort who would do that, but she had spoken without thinking. She thanked her lucky stars that Rei did not seem outwardly angry and that she definitely did not seem like the type to gossip. She was about to ask another question, but she instead found herself shocked into silence by Rei speaking up of her own volition.
"She laughed at something I said," Rei explained to the flummoxed older girl. Confusion was as evident in her voice as it was on Ayumu's features. "I said nothing to elicit such a reaction." She paused, seemingly struggling to put her thoughts into words as Ayumu waited patiently. "I-"
Ayumu's phone chose that moment to ring. Rei stopped speaking and Ayumu's face went through several shades of red as the cheerful tune blared loudly inside the train car. Mercifully they were the only passengers left, but Ayumu nevertheless looked mortified as she searched for her phone, babbling apologies and explanations as she riffled through her purse.
"Sorry! Sorry!" the blonde apologized frantically. "I usually have it set to silence, but I needed to be on-call in case Ri- Oh, it's Rin. S-sorry! I need to take this. Hold on."
Rei nodded silently and returned to musing on her thoughts, trying to make sense of their disarray while she waited for Ayumu to finish her call. If it was from Rin, it must be important.
It was important.
Rather than staying at Nanagami Rin's office once again, it had been arranged that Rei would be staying with Nanagami Rin at her dormitory for the time that it took for the SCHALE building to be repaired. Rei nodded in agreement as Ayumu explained the situation. It would be convenient to have a place to sleep and it seemed that, as Ayumu explained it, Rin did not currently have a roommate. The blonde girl had seemed troubled by that information, but she did not explain further and so Rei did not inquire further. They settled into silence for the remainder of the train ride, although Ayumu seemed like she wanted to pick up their conversation but was unsure of how to broach the subject again.
The hour was late indeed when they finally arrived at Shiratori Station, so Ayumu opted to call for a taxi. Rei had nodded in agreement again. It was a sound idea and Ayumu had more experience than her with distances and locations involved so she easily deferred to her in that regard. The driver was another of the sapient robotic citizens that Rei had noticed while at Trinity and on the train as well. They were yet another sign that she was no longer anywhere familiar at all. During the drive through the sleeping city, Ayumu seemed ready to continue their conversation from the train, but the driver had engaged her in meaningless small talk, and she had politely responded again and again. In the end, they arrived at their destination before the subject of Yurizono Seia could be brought up again.
---
The dormitory was, as with many other buildings in Kivotos, a white building with copious amounts of glass used in its constructions. It was sleek, modern, and opulent and far too large to house only a single person. A pair of guards stationed outside saluted Ayumu, and Nanagami Rin awaited them at the door. The bespectacled girl ushered them inside quickly and closed the door behind them.
"Rin, is something the matter?" Ayumu asked with a worried look on her face due to her friend's hasty actions.
The dark-haired girl shook her head, a small and tired smile on her lips.
"No, not really," she explained, and the exhaustion was clear in her voice. "It's just late and I would like to get some rest before another long day tomorrow. Can't afford to pull another all-nighter." She laughed softly. "Ayumu, please stay here tonight. I'd rather you don't head out again given the hour."
"A sleepover?" the blonde asked, her green eyes shining with excitement.
"You'll have to gossip by yourself. I really need to sleep. You remember where the guest room is?"
Ayumu nodded in reply, but her expression immediately clouded over and became troubled.
"Wait, if I'm in the guest room, then you really are…"
"Let's get you settled in, Rei," Rin had already turned towards the younger girl who had, as expected, remained silent. The pale girl nodded in reply to Rin's statement and extended the box she was carrying towards the older girl.
"I would like to place this in the refrigerator. Please."
The taller girl looked briefly confused before nodding in agreement and guiding Rei first to the kitchen and then to the room she would be spending the night in. The room was furnished and cluttered with books and personal effects. The helmet that Rei had carried around the day before was placed upon a table, but the room itself was evidently in use and belonged to someone else. It was also evidently in the middle of being cleared out and stored away: several cardboard boxes were tucked away into a corner with neatly organized stacks of books and other belongings waiting to a side.
"I apologize for the mess. I did not have time to finish cleaning it for you," Rin apologized as she guided the silent girl inside. Ayumu hovered behind them, her face a kaleidoscope of emotions. "We'll talk in the morning. I think we could all use some rest right now."
"Understood. Good night."
The door closed and Ayanami Rei was left by herself.
---
In her dreams, Ayanami Rei was on a train car.
In the window in front of her, was the same view she had seen the night before. The sun was beginning to rise over a seemingly endless sea and the sky was painted in hues of violet and gold as darkness gave way to a new dawn.
In the row of seats in front of her, there was no one. There were only empty seats giving a clear view of the windows and the skyline beyond them. She noticed that the seat directly before her was stained in drying blood and so was the floor directly beneath it. There were no bloodied footprints leading away and no sign of a struggle. Nothing more than herself, empty seats, and the dried blood of someone who was not there any longer.
"Miss, a moment of your dream, if you would."
She turned around.
Behind her was a shadowed city bathed only in the light of the moon and stars. Even the windows were completely dark. If there was any light within not even a trace of light managed to seep through closed curtains. There were no neon signs present and no streetlights. Only a long, dirty alleyway illuminated dimly by moonlight.
At the end of the distant alleyway, stood a person.
As Ayanami Rei got closer, she realized that what stood before her now was not a man. It was something odd, something foreign, like herself. It had the general shape of a man, but it was something less, and something more.
"Mm, yes. You are, as we thought, something less, and something more," the thing that looked vaguely like a man spoke. She stood before him now and details which were impossible to make out at a distance were now clear. The man wore a heavy trench-coat colored a dusty brown and rested their left hand on a cane. Their right hand carried a small painting of the back of a man's head wearing a bowler hat.
The man himself had no head.
It was not a decapitated body. There were no injuries, no blood, no sign that anything had ever been attached to the stump of their neck. The body simply ended at that point, and nothing followed.
Rei blinked in confusion.
"We hope that you will forgive our rudeness for stepping into your dream. The others insisted that we wait to meet you in the waking world, but we could not," the portrait explained. "The thrill of discovery moved us, you see, and the idea of waiting was altogether unbearable."
"BUT OF COURSE!" the headless torso shouted.
Rei tilted her head quizzically at the sight. The portrait chuckled.
"Truly, nothing startles you," the portrait spoke mirthfully. "I must apologize again for our rudeness. I am called Golconde. My inseparable partner is Decalcomania. Similar to yourself, we are foreigners to this land. Unlike yourself, we were not brought here, but rather arrived in search of knowledge. You see, we are researchers, of a sort."
"OF COURSE!"
It was not the torso in front of her that had spoken, but another identical pair of headless body and portrait that had simply appeared beside the first as if it were always there. Rei turned to face the new speaker.
"Truly, you are quite stoic," the portrait spoke with a certain amusement. "No curiosity about what it is we study? It matters not, for I will say it regardless. We are group of likeminded individuals: scholars of the Mystic, the Terror…" The portrait spoke softly now. "The Sublime."
"THAT IS SO!"
The voice came from behind her now and Rei turned to find no one there. No one at eye-level, at least. She followed the voice and found a new pair of headless body and portrait floating in the air, as casually as if standing on the ground.
No, not one.
There were dozens of them.
"Imagine our glee upon seeing the signs of your arrival," a Golconde spoke excitedly. "Here is one that surpasses all of those! One beyond Mystic, beyond Terror, beyond even the Sublime!"
"Imagine our disappointment upon seeing the signs of a broken…thing," another Golconde spoke with distaste.
"Here is one of blood more ancient and more terrible than the Forgotten Gods," one remarked in a voice full of pity.
"Here is one of blood more mysterious and more dreadful than the Nameless Gods," another replied in a voice full of awe.
"CORRECT!" a deafening chorus of voices rang out all at once.
"And yet for all that puissance, what arrived was only a piteous wretch of a child," the one to speak was standing beside her and Rei took a small step to the side to allow him to pass. The torso inclined slightly in acknowledgement, a full body nod from one without a head. "It truly is a regrettable state of affairs. You are so much more than what we anticipated and so much less as well."
"For you see, the signs all indicate that you do not belong here, miss," Golconde spoke in the tone of a teacher explaining something to a hopeless student. "You are not protagonist material. You are a side-character who forgot to get off the stage."
"At best a living plot device to resolve otherwise unwinnable conflicts in the narrative," another pondered in a contemplative tone. "But what the narrative demands is not a juggernaut, but rather one that can inspire."
"TRULY!"
"And how can you inspire," Golconde asked in a sad voice, "when there is nothing inside your heart?"
"INDEED!"
"Ambitions. Desires. Passions. You have none of these."
"INDEED!"
"Aspirations. Dreams. Goals. You have none of these."
"INDEED!"
"You should walk away, miss," the portrait said in a voice brimming with pity and regret. "The narrative has already been wrecked with your arrival and all the might within that scrawny frame will avail you not. The sign of the black moon's doom hangs over one and all. Your lack of motivations and goals will see you ruined. To use a colloquial turn of phrase: the writing is on the wall."
"BUT OF COURSE!" The chorus rang out one last time.
The crowd of doppelgangers did not walk away, instead slowly disappearing one by one as if they had never existed. Only one remained when the solitary child found her voice.
"You are wrong," Ayanami Rei spoke in a soft voice, her eyes downcast. "I have a goal. There is something that I want."
"Oh? Tell us, then. If it would have you disregard foreshadowing, we are most curious what a misplaced doll keeps within her heart of hearts."
Ayanami Rei lifted her gaze, looked at the remaining figure before her, and spoke the words she had struggled to find and had been unable to say earlier that day.
"I want to hear Yurizono laugh again."
A bright and bell-like sound followed her proclamation. Within the darkened city of dreams, not another sound was heard as dawn broke, ushering away moonlight and darkness.
"VERY WELL!"
"I see. So, it's to be character development, then?" Golconde said, sounding amused. They slowly started disappearing as the dream started to end. "'Very well' indeed. Then, please show us how a side-character hijacks the stage. We shall look forward to your doomed struggle with rapt fascination."
Ayanami Rei woke up.
---
"Rei-chan-sensei, there is a new request!" The girl in the tablet computer chirped cheerfully as the sleeping girl awoke and blinked her red eyes blearily. Arona, as the sunny Artificial Intelligence had introduced herself the day prior, seemed oddly familiar, but Rei could not quite place where the familiarity stemmed from. Suddenly, Arona's eyes widened, and she gasped. "You're smiling! Did you have a nice dream?"
The dream slipped away at Arona's comment. In the end only one thing remained and so Rei nodded in reply to Arona's question. It had been a nice dream.
"Hee!" the childish AI giggled. "I'm glad! Oh! Before I forget, you'll want to hear this request! It's really funny!" Arona cleared her throat loudly and began to read from her databanks, laughter in her voice.
"Oh, hero! Oh, savior of the city! Please accept our quest!"
---
Lesson 7: End
What did we learn today, class?
Yes, that's correct!
Be sure to set your ringtone to mute or vibrate while on public transportation! It's polite!
Join us again next time for Lesson 8: Youth means videogames. We'll have: Twins! Pop-culture references! Creatively (sorta) renamed Intellectual Property-please don't sue me! A Demon King! And the beginning of a quest of epic proportions!
Don't be late!
---
AN: Oct 1, 2023. Free time to write has become scarce. I won't be able to keep up the once-a-week update schedule for October. For now, I'll aim to have the next update on Oct. 22, but if I miss that deadline then it'll be on Oct. 29. If the next chapter is finished early, it'll be posted early although that's a slim chance. Hopefully things will ease up next month. Drawings, however, are a lot faster so those will be going up at the usual places even as the next chapter is being worked on. As always, thanks for reading my story --Kero
Last edited:
For L1: The Intruder
Khona Moshr
Pink Flamingo Cabal Healer(they/them)
- Location
- Alabama
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Could alway go with Nagisa doing a gendo pose. Seems like something she may do.
Ayumu is definitely stabbing snd shooting anyone at Nerv she sees if she ever mets any of them.
Well something tells me Rin doesn't really intend for this to be a temporary stay.
Gematria will still be interested in Rei even if she doesn't have a card like the canon sensei, now the big question is how will her angel half affect the coming events.
Oh is it already time to meet Aris and have her and Rei learn about friendship and video games together?
Froggie
Fairy tale happy ending
Sure, that sounds like it could be fun
I agree with Ayumu 100% there
Repairing a bombed out building takes time, sadly...
Sensei has power gained by sacrificing even his time, his life: Money. Rei has... perhaps something that requires less sacrifice? But just as awe inspiring and terrifying.
I have some fun ideas there. I hope you enjoy them, when I finally get around to them!
Well, Momoi and Midori have already shown remarkable success into doll girls into real girls so, hey, why not, right?
Thanks for dropping by!
Lesson 8: Youth means videogames
Froggie
Fairy tale happy ending
Lesson 8: Youth means videogames
"They're late!"
"I heard you the first twenty times. Can you sit down and stop pacing around? You're making me tired just watching you. I can't concentrate."
Instead of sitting down, Saiba Momoi flopped down on the pink colored sofa next to her younger sister, instantly taking up two seats and forcing her twin to scoot further to the side. Saiba Midori's green eyes glared down at her twin sister's face, but the only reply she got was a brief, cheeky grin that quickly shifted to a whiny pout.
"The SCHALE app said they'd be here by eight, right? Can you check the status on our request again?"
Midori, instead, paused her game and leaned forward to grab one of the many magazines stacked on the floor next to the sofa and used the Kivotos Gaming Monthly to smack her older sister in the face.
"Ow! What was that for?!"
"Sit properly," was Midori's gritted reply in between button presses, "and, no, I'm not checking again. I already told you it says 'Accepted.' It said 'Accepted' the last fifteen times I checked too."
"But…"
"It's five past eight! You need to calm down or I'm gonna throw you out the window!"
The older-by-a-few-minutes strawberry-blonde grumbled but did not verbalize another protest, instead righting herself on the sofa seat and leaning forward to grab a discarded controller from the clubroom's floor.
"HERE COMES A NEW CHALLENGER!" the television announced excitedly.
Momoi held out the controller to her sister. "Here," she said, sounding only slightly petulant. "Gimme player one."
Midori grumbled under her breath, but handed over her controller and soon the small club room was filled with the sounds of Halo Fighter Zero 3.
The twins were evenly matched, but a winner was decided shortly.
"Do you really think this is going to work?" Midori asked her older sister after winning the first match.
The pink-garbed twin muttered something unintelligible before replying and Midori wasn't certain if the grumbling was due to her loss or the question she had posed. "We have to make it work. It's not like that evil demon has given us much of a choice, you know? We don't have much time."
Midori hemmed in reply and the next match started.
Several wins later, Midori spoke up again, her voice still tinged with uncertainty.
"You still haven't told me why we needed to bring SCHALE into this," the younger, green-garbed twin said with a worried downward glance. "If we're that short on time, we shouldn't be sitting around like this. The ruins aren't getting any closer while we wait."
The older twin flopped back on the opposite end of the couch, making a spluttering sound of impatience as she did and once again dropping her controller on the floor. Momoi seemed to melt into the seat, all energy leaving her limbs.
"SCHALE's just insurance," Momoi whined. "Veritas said that the ruins used to be controlled by the General Student Council so the President's own Federal Investigation Club should get us past any guards that might be there."
"And if they can't?" Midori asked, still sounding unconvinced.
"Then we run faster than the guards and hope we lose them in the ruins."
"Of all the half-brained ideas…" Midori rolled her eyes and sank into her seat.
"Hey! It's going to work! We're leaving as little as possible to chance, okay? There's no way this backfires on us!"
Midori only managed to sigh at her sister's unconcerned attitude before a knock on the door derailed the protest forming on her lips. Momoi went from boneless heap to motion so quickly that Midori could have almost sworn she had been waiting by the door the entire time. The older twin wrenched the door open so hard that the person on the other side almost rapped her on the head when they knocked again before stopping themselves.
"SCHALE! We've been waiting for you! We-EEEEH?!!"
Midori had already been standing to join her sister at the door, but Momoi's startled cry added a degree of urgency to her movement.
"Momoi, what's going o-" Midori's words caught in her throat as she regarded the person standing at the entrance to their clubroom.
The General Student Council was at the door.
"But we haven't even done anything yet!" Momoi wailed loudly and Midori resisted the urge to kick her twin in the shins.
"Eh? Ah! No, no," the girl at the door shook her head frantically, her long and wavy blonde hair following the sideways movement. She was tall for a student, towering over both Momoi and Midori, and the two stars on her pristine, white GSC uniform revealed her to be a fairly high-ranking officer. She sounded anxious and unsure when she spoke, and her green eyes shimmered with worry. "I was just helping guide SCHALE here. This is the Game Development Department, right?"
Momoi nodded so rapidly and so eagerly that Midori feared she was going to give herself whiplash. The GSC girl put a hand to her chest and sighed in relief.
"Thank goodness. I'm not familiar with Millennium so I was afraid we'd gotten lost," the blonde said, sounding calmer. She smiled as she turned to face down the hall and call to someone out of sight. "Rei, it's over here!"
Both twins poked their head out from beyond the door's frame to see the person that was being spoken to, their cat-themed headsets making them seem uncannily like a pair of curious kittens. At first, the twins thought they were seeing things, that their eyes were playing tricks on them, but it wasn't long before they both realized what was before them.
Despite the many similarities that the pair shared as twins, after the initial surprise, their reactions differed wildly.
Momoi's eyes widened and then narrowed as her lips thinned; a disappointed expression resting on her face.
Midori's eyes widened and then widened further as her mouth hung open in shock; a fearful expression settling on her face. The strange student approaching moved with what Midori thought was an almost unearthly grace, she was so pale that the brightly lit corridor almost seemed to wash her out entirely, and the very air around her seemed to chill and prickle. Her uniform was old-fashioned and unrecognizable, and piercing red eyes smoldered out from a blank mask.
And she had no halo.
"A g-ghost?!"
"Don't be silly, Midori. Ghosts don't exist. It's just a student without a halo."
"A-are you hearing yourself speak right now? Eep!"
The ghostly girl had reached them, and Midori hid behind her sister with a squeak of fright, her knees shaking. The pretty blonde frowned briefly, but quickly schooled her face into a gentle smile as she clapped her hands together.
"So, about your request-"
"We just need someone to watch the clubroom for us while we run some errands," Momoi interrupted her without hesitation, speaking so quickly that her words almost blurred together. Midori forgot her fear momentarily to give her older sister a bewildered stare, but Momoi ignored her and started to pull her younger sister down the hall. "Thanks for this! We'll be back soon!" And then she ran, dragging her confused sister by the arm.
"W-wait!" Ayumu stammered, but the twins were gone in an instant. She sighed forlornly and looked at the younger girl standing beside her. "Why couldn't they just lock the door?"
Rei nodded silently in agreement.
"Well, this works out better for us, I think?" Ayumu mused aloud with a pensive expression. "You can wait here, and I can go join Rin for her meeting. What do you think?"
"Understood."
Ayumu valiantly resisted the urge to sigh, smiling patiently instead as she explained. "It wasn't an order, Rei. I was asking for your opinion."
The blue haired girl thought it over briefly before nodding.
"The request is not complicated. The plan is acceptable."
"Great!" Ayumu clapped, sounding pleased. "Then I'll drop by when Rin's meeting is finished! Don't wander off, okay?"
Rei didn't bother answering, instead stepping into the empty clubroom without looking back at Ayumu.
The room was small and cramped. The curtains were closed so that only a minimum of light seeped inside and most of the illumination within came from the still running television set. One wall had a shelving unit filled to bursting with vintage consoles, magazines, references books, and boxes of assorted wires, peripherals, and cartridges and discs. The other wall fared much the same, with a white board and cabinet completely covered in bright colored post-it notes among other assorted magazines, books, and whatever else. A locker and some potted plants in the corners completed the layout. Despite most everything being organized and labeled, there were so many odds and ends that it made the entire room feel incredibly claustrophobic and disorganized.
Rei carefully placed her schoolbag on the sofa by the entrance and began dutifully examining the contents of the room. NERV standard procedures dictated that she inspect an unfamiliar location for potential threats, locate entrances and exits, and plan an escape route. Commander Ikari had ordered that her first priority if threatened was to escape, then to defend herself, and, finally, if capture seemed imminent, 'termination'.
She wondered if the order was still applicable now that she could no longer be replaced.
With a small scowl, the albino girl suppressed those irrelevant thoughts and focused on her task instead. Finally satisfied with her initial examination, she focused on the one item she had yet to inspect: the shaking locker in the corner of the room.
The rattling intensified as she stood before the clearly occupied locker. Rei stared at the tall storage unit and a moment stretched into minutes and then several minutes before the shaking finally diminished in intensity.
"W-what are you doing?" a nervous voice floated from within the locker.
"Thinking."
"H-huh?" was the confused, stammering reply.
"…I am unsure whether to knock or open the locker."
"D-don't open it…" came the pitiful reply from the person inside.
Rei nodded, accepting the answer, but procedure still dictated that she had to confirm the person's intentions.
"Are you a threat?" she asked plainly.
"N-no…" the voice trailed off miserably. After a heartbeat, the person continued in a pleading tone, "P-please leave."
"I cannot," Rei replied curtly. Satisfied with her inspection, the girl grabbed one of the many magazines scattered around the small room, took a seat on the sofa, and started reading in silence.
The television and console, absent any input, had started replaying an introduction reel with flashy characters and catchy music. Every few minutes, the television excitedly announced, "Halo Fighter Zero 3!" before it restarted once again. If the noise bothered Rei, she gave no indication as she idly paged through her reading material. Noise also floated from the inside of the locker in the corner of the room, but it was less intense than it had been before.
"Um… What are you reading?" the locker girl asked eventually.
A page flipped.
"HIT Girls. It is a magazine about videogames."
A gasp.
"N-no! Not that one!" the voice called in panic. The locker rattled briefly once more and the door slowly creaked open. The girl that stepped out from within seemed to shrink in on herself as she got a better look at Rei. She was dressed in an oversized white jacket with gold and black accents and her bright red hair was kept out of her eyes by a simple braid, but that seemed to be the only concession she made for it as the rest of the unkempt red mess stuck out in every direction. Her halo was a dull golden color, and its shape reminded Rei of a power button used to turn on electronics. The girl's purple eyes stared at the room's floor and nervously darted here and there as she avoided making eye contact.
"G-give it b-back," the red-haired girl squeaked in fright. She stammered again as she continued, "P-p-please…"
Rei immediately closed the magazine and handed it back without protest. The action seemed to startle the redhead who hesitated before accepting the book with a grateful sigh. She clutched it close to her chest, almost as if she were afraid the magazine might slip out of her grasp. Her eyes still fixed on the floor; the girl spoke up again.
"Th-this one has… a bad review of our game," the girl explained in a sad tone. "You… didn't read it, did you?"
Rei shook her head. There had been no negative reviews up to the point where she had read.
"Thank goodness," the girl sighed in relief once more, and a small smile crossed her lips. Her momentary panic forgotten, the redhead seemed to realize she was standing in front of a stranger and a new panic replaced the old as she took a startled step back. "I… I- uh… um…"
The blue haired girl blinked but did not answer the girl's stammering. Eventually the redhead gathered her nerves, took a deep breath to control her breathing, and introduced herself.
"I-I'm Hanaoka Yuzu," the girl said in a small and trembling voice. "I'm the President of the Game Development Department."
"Ayanami Rei."
Yuzu nodded at the introduction, and then uncertainty crossed her features.
"Um… a-are you…"
"I am not sick," Rei interrupted tersely, and Yuzu flinched, taking another step back.
"Ah," Yuzu muttered at a loss for anything else to say. She stood there silently, fidgeting nervously, unsure of herself and wishing to hide in the locker again, wishing that Momoi and Midori were there, wishing that she hadn't stepped out for the stupid magazine, wishing that she weren't alone with the scary girl staring at her. The awkward silence stretched interminably until it was suddenly interrupted.
"Halo Fighter Zero 3!" the television announced excitedly.
"Um… Would you like to play?" Yuzu ventured shyly, not knowing what else to do.
"If I'm ordered to then I will."
Yuzu's face scrunched up in confusion at the strange answer. It wasn't a refusal, but it wasn't acceptance either. The halo-less girl had shunted the decision to Yuzu so the red-head shrugged and picked up a pair of controllers.
"Have you played before?"
"No."
"I'll t-teach you, ok?"
The Game Development Department President found Rei to be an incredibly quick study, picking up the concepts she explained extremely quickly. The blue haired girl did not repeat a mistake twice, and once she learned how to perform a special attack, she would not miss the input again. It was almost like fighting a machine. Her capacity to memorize and exploit patterns kept Yuzu constantly having to change her approach to each match although, like a machine opponent, Rei tended to fall into rigid patterns herself. The blue haired girl scowled as the game announced she had lost again, and she stared at the controller with an intensity that frightened Yuzu slightly.
"Again."
"Uh… um… You're doing really well," Yuzu encouraged her opponent timidly, looking down at her own controller. "I've never seen a beginner pick it up so fast. Um… maybe a charge character would be good for you. I feel like a defensive style might suit you."
"Charge?" Rei asked in a tone devoid of any actual curiosity.
Yuzu nodded and explained dutifully, and the next match began after Rei chose a new character.
"Again."
Time passed.
"Again."
Time passed heedlessly as the zany characters on the screen flew from one side to the other exchanging colorful blasts, punches, kicks, and bullets, and shouting strange attack names that Rei could not make sense of. In a similar fashion, a feeling she could not understand welled up inside her as she came within a pixel distance of victory, and it once again escaped her grasp.
"Again."
"M-maybe we should stop," Yuzu said hesitantly as she glanced at a clock on the far wall. Hours, practically the entire day, had passed by in the blink of an eye. "It's getting late and, um… we haven't eaten anything… And, um…" She trailed off, unsure of what else to say.
Rei sent a small frown at the controller once again and seemed about to say something before the door burst open, loudly hitting the wall, and bouncing slightly. Two very bedraggled twins stepped inside, uniforms which had previously been immaculate now covered in dirt and dust and grime.
"Oh! Yuzu! You were here! And SCHALE too! We're back! You're not gonna believe what we saw!"
"Momoi," Yuzu said, sounding briefly relieved before her voice turned anxious and curious. "Who's that?"
Momoi was carrying an unknown, sleeping girl wearing Midori's jacket on her back.
"We found her in the ruins," Midori explained for her sister, sounding exhausted. "Momoi insisted we bring her back."
"She looked lonely!" Momoi protested in a whiny tone. "I couldn't just leave her like that! She wouldn't turn on no matter what I did!"
"She's a robot?" Yuzu asked, her voice awed and a little fearful.
"We think so!" Momoi explained in a chipper tone as she stepped into the room and placed the sleeping girl on the sofa next to Rei. "She was hooked up to all these strange machines in a weirdo room in the ruins. Doesn't she look so human, though?"
Blue eyes blinked open the instant the girl was laid down, and she emitted a strange, mechanical sound as she sat upright, startling everyone in the room aside from Rei. Startled breaths became shocked gasps as a random assortment of light blue squares and rectangles took shape and floated behind the black-haired girl's head.
"She has a halo?!" Midori squealed in astonishment.
"Dormant state deactivated. Initiating. Initiating. Success. Status update. Status unknown. Initiate wide area search."
"I've never seen a robot that looks just like us! Cool!" Momoi squealed in excitement.
"Wide area search completed. Seed of Life detected. Initiating retrieval."
And the strange, robotic girl lunged at Rei.
---
Lesson 8: End
What did we learn today, class?
Yes, that's correct!
Ghosts, much like Zombies, don't exist.
Join us again next time for Lesson 9: What we found there was… We'll have: An exciting flashback, creepy ruins, and the start of an important journey for two very similar girls.
Don't be late!
---
AN: Oct 15, 2023. Did my best to get this chapter out early because my schedule is still in chaos. Next chapter will be on Oct 29 with a possibility of delay into Nov 5. This chapter changed a lot as I was writing it, but I think things worked out for the better this way since I really wanted to include Yuzu early and I'm happy I managed to include her in a way that was satisfactory to me. Hopefully it also works for you. See you next chapter! --Kero
"They're late!"
"I heard you the first twenty times. Can you sit down and stop pacing around? You're making me tired just watching you. I can't concentrate."
Instead of sitting down, Saiba Momoi flopped down on the pink colored sofa next to her younger sister, instantly taking up two seats and forcing her twin to scoot further to the side. Saiba Midori's green eyes glared down at her twin sister's face, but the only reply she got was a brief, cheeky grin that quickly shifted to a whiny pout.
"The SCHALE app said they'd be here by eight, right? Can you check the status on our request again?"
Midori, instead, paused her game and leaned forward to grab one of the many magazines stacked on the floor next to the sofa and used the Kivotos Gaming Monthly to smack her older sister in the face.
"Ow! What was that for?!"
"Sit properly," was Midori's gritted reply in between button presses, "and, no, I'm not checking again. I already told you it says 'Accepted.' It said 'Accepted' the last fifteen times I checked too."
"But…"
"It's five past eight! You need to calm down or I'm gonna throw you out the window!"
The older-by-a-few-minutes strawberry-blonde grumbled but did not verbalize another protest, instead righting herself on the sofa seat and leaning forward to grab a discarded controller from the clubroom's floor.
"HERE COMES A NEW CHALLENGER!" the television announced excitedly.
Momoi held out the controller to her sister. "Here," she said, sounding only slightly petulant. "Gimme player one."
Midori grumbled under her breath, but handed over her controller and soon the small club room was filled with the sounds of Halo Fighter Zero 3.
The twins were evenly matched, but a winner was decided shortly.
"Do you really think this is going to work?" Midori asked her older sister after winning the first match.
The pink-garbed twin muttered something unintelligible before replying and Midori wasn't certain if the grumbling was due to her loss or the question she had posed. "We have to make it work. It's not like that evil demon has given us much of a choice, you know? We don't have much time."
Midori hemmed in reply and the next match started.
Several wins later, Midori spoke up again, her voice still tinged with uncertainty.
"You still haven't told me why we needed to bring SCHALE into this," the younger, green-garbed twin said with a worried downward glance. "If we're that short on time, we shouldn't be sitting around like this. The ruins aren't getting any closer while we wait."
The older twin flopped back on the opposite end of the couch, making a spluttering sound of impatience as she did and once again dropping her controller on the floor. Momoi seemed to melt into the seat, all energy leaving her limbs.
"SCHALE's just insurance," Momoi whined. "Veritas said that the ruins used to be controlled by the General Student Council so the President's own Federal Investigation Club should get us past any guards that might be there."
"And if they can't?" Midori asked, still sounding unconvinced.
"Then we run faster than the guards and hope we lose them in the ruins."
"Of all the half-brained ideas…" Midori rolled her eyes and sank into her seat.
"Hey! It's going to work! We're leaving as little as possible to chance, okay? There's no way this backfires on us!"
Midori only managed to sigh at her sister's unconcerned attitude before a knock on the door derailed the protest forming on her lips. Momoi went from boneless heap to motion so quickly that Midori could have almost sworn she had been waiting by the door the entire time. The older twin wrenched the door open so hard that the person on the other side almost rapped her on the head when they knocked again before stopping themselves.
"SCHALE! We've been waiting for you! We-EEEEH?!!"
Midori had already been standing to join her sister at the door, but Momoi's startled cry added a degree of urgency to her movement.
"Momoi, what's going o-" Midori's words caught in her throat as she regarded the person standing at the entrance to their clubroom.
The General Student Council was at the door.
"But we haven't even done anything yet!" Momoi wailed loudly and Midori resisted the urge to kick her twin in the shins.
"Eh? Ah! No, no," the girl at the door shook her head frantically, her long and wavy blonde hair following the sideways movement. She was tall for a student, towering over both Momoi and Midori, and the two stars on her pristine, white GSC uniform revealed her to be a fairly high-ranking officer. She sounded anxious and unsure when she spoke, and her green eyes shimmered with worry. "I was just helping guide SCHALE here. This is the Game Development Department, right?"
Momoi nodded so rapidly and so eagerly that Midori feared she was going to give herself whiplash. The GSC girl put a hand to her chest and sighed in relief.
"Thank goodness. I'm not familiar with Millennium so I was afraid we'd gotten lost," the blonde said, sounding calmer. She smiled as she turned to face down the hall and call to someone out of sight. "Rei, it's over here!"
Both twins poked their head out from beyond the door's frame to see the person that was being spoken to, their cat-themed headsets making them seem uncannily like a pair of curious kittens. At first, the twins thought they were seeing things, that their eyes were playing tricks on them, but it wasn't long before they both realized what was before them.
Despite the many similarities that the pair shared as twins, after the initial surprise, their reactions differed wildly.
Momoi's eyes widened and then narrowed as her lips thinned; a disappointed expression resting on her face.
Midori's eyes widened and then widened further as her mouth hung open in shock; a fearful expression settling on her face. The strange student approaching moved with what Midori thought was an almost unearthly grace, she was so pale that the brightly lit corridor almost seemed to wash her out entirely, and the very air around her seemed to chill and prickle. Her uniform was old-fashioned and unrecognizable, and piercing red eyes smoldered out from a blank mask.
And she had no halo.
"A g-ghost?!"
"Don't be silly, Midori. Ghosts don't exist. It's just a student without a halo."
"A-are you hearing yourself speak right now? Eep!"
The ghostly girl had reached them, and Midori hid behind her sister with a squeak of fright, her knees shaking. The pretty blonde frowned briefly, but quickly schooled her face into a gentle smile as she clapped her hands together.
"So, about your request-"
"We just need someone to watch the clubroom for us while we run some errands," Momoi interrupted her without hesitation, speaking so quickly that her words almost blurred together. Midori forgot her fear momentarily to give her older sister a bewildered stare, but Momoi ignored her and started to pull her younger sister down the hall. "Thanks for this! We'll be back soon!" And then she ran, dragging her confused sister by the arm.
"W-wait!" Ayumu stammered, but the twins were gone in an instant. She sighed forlornly and looked at the younger girl standing beside her. "Why couldn't they just lock the door?"
Rei nodded silently in agreement.
"Well, this works out better for us, I think?" Ayumu mused aloud with a pensive expression. "You can wait here, and I can go join Rin for her meeting. What do you think?"
"Understood."
Ayumu valiantly resisted the urge to sigh, smiling patiently instead as she explained. "It wasn't an order, Rei. I was asking for your opinion."
The blue haired girl thought it over briefly before nodding.
"The request is not complicated. The plan is acceptable."
"Great!" Ayumu clapped, sounding pleased. "Then I'll drop by when Rin's meeting is finished! Don't wander off, okay?"
Rei didn't bother answering, instead stepping into the empty clubroom without looking back at Ayumu.
The room was small and cramped. The curtains were closed so that only a minimum of light seeped inside and most of the illumination within came from the still running television set. One wall had a shelving unit filled to bursting with vintage consoles, magazines, references books, and boxes of assorted wires, peripherals, and cartridges and discs. The other wall fared much the same, with a white board and cabinet completely covered in bright colored post-it notes among other assorted magazines, books, and whatever else. A locker and some potted plants in the corners completed the layout. Despite most everything being organized and labeled, there were so many odds and ends that it made the entire room feel incredibly claustrophobic and disorganized.
Rei carefully placed her schoolbag on the sofa by the entrance and began dutifully examining the contents of the room. NERV standard procedures dictated that she inspect an unfamiliar location for potential threats, locate entrances and exits, and plan an escape route. Commander Ikari had ordered that her first priority if threatened was to escape, then to defend herself, and, finally, if capture seemed imminent, 'termination'.
She wondered if the order was still applicable now that she could no longer be replaced.
With a small scowl, the albino girl suppressed those irrelevant thoughts and focused on her task instead. Finally satisfied with her initial examination, she focused on the one item she had yet to inspect: the shaking locker in the corner of the room.
The rattling intensified as she stood before the clearly occupied locker. Rei stared at the tall storage unit and a moment stretched into minutes and then several minutes before the shaking finally diminished in intensity.
"W-what are you doing?" a nervous voice floated from within the locker.
"Thinking."
"H-huh?" was the confused, stammering reply.
"…I am unsure whether to knock or open the locker."
"D-don't open it…" came the pitiful reply from the person inside.
Rei nodded, accepting the answer, but procedure still dictated that she had to confirm the person's intentions.
"Are you a threat?" she asked plainly.
"N-no…" the voice trailed off miserably. After a heartbeat, the person continued in a pleading tone, "P-please leave."
"I cannot," Rei replied curtly. Satisfied with her inspection, the girl grabbed one of the many magazines scattered around the small room, took a seat on the sofa, and started reading in silence.
The television and console, absent any input, had started replaying an introduction reel with flashy characters and catchy music. Every few minutes, the television excitedly announced, "Halo Fighter Zero 3!" before it restarted once again. If the noise bothered Rei, she gave no indication as she idly paged through her reading material. Noise also floated from the inside of the locker in the corner of the room, but it was less intense than it had been before.
"Um… What are you reading?" the locker girl asked eventually.
A page flipped.
"HIT Girls. It is a magazine about videogames."
A gasp.
"N-no! Not that one!" the voice called in panic. The locker rattled briefly once more and the door slowly creaked open. The girl that stepped out from within seemed to shrink in on herself as she got a better look at Rei. She was dressed in an oversized white jacket with gold and black accents and her bright red hair was kept out of her eyes by a simple braid, but that seemed to be the only concession she made for it as the rest of the unkempt red mess stuck out in every direction. Her halo was a dull golden color, and its shape reminded Rei of a power button used to turn on electronics. The girl's purple eyes stared at the room's floor and nervously darted here and there as she avoided making eye contact.
"G-give it b-back," the red-haired girl squeaked in fright. She stammered again as she continued, "P-p-please…"
Rei immediately closed the magazine and handed it back without protest. The action seemed to startle the redhead who hesitated before accepting the book with a grateful sigh. She clutched it close to her chest, almost as if she were afraid the magazine might slip out of her grasp. Her eyes still fixed on the floor; the girl spoke up again.
"Th-this one has… a bad review of our game," the girl explained in a sad tone. "You… didn't read it, did you?"
Rei shook her head. There had been no negative reviews up to the point where she had read.
"Thank goodness," the girl sighed in relief once more, and a small smile crossed her lips. Her momentary panic forgotten, the redhead seemed to realize she was standing in front of a stranger and a new panic replaced the old as she took a startled step back. "I… I- uh… um…"
The blue haired girl blinked but did not answer the girl's stammering. Eventually the redhead gathered her nerves, took a deep breath to control her breathing, and introduced herself.
"I-I'm Hanaoka Yuzu," the girl said in a small and trembling voice. "I'm the President of the Game Development Department."
"Ayanami Rei."
Yuzu nodded at the introduction, and then uncertainty crossed her features.
"Um… a-are you…"
"I am not sick," Rei interrupted tersely, and Yuzu flinched, taking another step back.
"Ah," Yuzu muttered at a loss for anything else to say. She stood there silently, fidgeting nervously, unsure of herself and wishing to hide in the locker again, wishing that Momoi and Midori were there, wishing that she hadn't stepped out for the stupid magazine, wishing that she weren't alone with the scary girl staring at her. The awkward silence stretched interminably until it was suddenly interrupted.
"Halo Fighter Zero 3!" the television announced excitedly.
"Um… Would you like to play?" Yuzu ventured shyly, not knowing what else to do.
"If I'm ordered to then I will."
Yuzu's face scrunched up in confusion at the strange answer. It wasn't a refusal, but it wasn't acceptance either. The halo-less girl had shunted the decision to Yuzu so the red-head shrugged and picked up a pair of controllers.
"Have you played before?"
"No."
"I'll t-teach you, ok?"
The Game Development Department President found Rei to be an incredibly quick study, picking up the concepts she explained extremely quickly. The blue haired girl did not repeat a mistake twice, and once she learned how to perform a special attack, she would not miss the input again. It was almost like fighting a machine. Her capacity to memorize and exploit patterns kept Yuzu constantly having to change her approach to each match although, like a machine opponent, Rei tended to fall into rigid patterns herself. The blue haired girl scowled as the game announced she had lost again, and she stared at the controller with an intensity that frightened Yuzu slightly.
"Again."
"Uh… um… You're doing really well," Yuzu encouraged her opponent timidly, looking down at her own controller. "I've never seen a beginner pick it up so fast. Um… maybe a charge character would be good for you. I feel like a defensive style might suit you."
"Charge?" Rei asked in a tone devoid of any actual curiosity.
Yuzu nodded and explained dutifully, and the next match began after Rei chose a new character.
"Again."
Time passed.
"Again."
Time passed heedlessly as the zany characters on the screen flew from one side to the other exchanging colorful blasts, punches, kicks, and bullets, and shouting strange attack names that Rei could not make sense of. In a similar fashion, a feeling she could not understand welled up inside her as she came within a pixel distance of victory, and it once again escaped her grasp.
"Again."
"M-maybe we should stop," Yuzu said hesitantly as she glanced at a clock on the far wall. Hours, practically the entire day, had passed by in the blink of an eye. "It's getting late and, um… we haven't eaten anything… And, um…" She trailed off, unsure of what else to say.
Rei sent a small frown at the controller once again and seemed about to say something before the door burst open, loudly hitting the wall, and bouncing slightly. Two very bedraggled twins stepped inside, uniforms which had previously been immaculate now covered in dirt and dust and grime.
"Oh! Yuzu! You were here! And SCHALE too! We're back! You're not gonna believe what we saw!"
"Momoi," Yuzu said, sounding briefly relieved before her voice turned anxious and curious. "Who's that?"
Momoi was carrying an unknown, sleeping girl wearing Midori's jacket on her back.
"We found her in the ruins," Midori explained for her sister, sounding exhausted. "Momoi insisted we bring her back."
"She looked lonely!" Momoi protested in a whiny tone. "I couldn't just leave her like that! She wouldn't turn on no matter what I did!"
"She's a robot?" Yuzu asked, her voice awed and a little fearful.
"We think so!" Momoi explained in a chipper tone as she stepped into the room and placed the sleeping girl on the sofa next to Rei. "She was hooked up to all these strange machines in a weirdo room in the ruins. Doesn't she look so human, though?"
Blue eyes blinked open the instant the girl was laid down, and she emitted a strange, mechanical sound as she sat upright, startling everyone in the room aside from Rei. Startled breaths became shocked gasps as a random assortment of light blue squares and rectangles took shape and floated behind the black-haired girl's head.
"She has a halo?!" Midori squealed in astonishment.
"Dormant state deactivated. Initiating. Initiating. Success. Status update. Status unknown. Initiate wide area search."
"I've never seen a robot that looks just like us! Cool!" Momoi squealed in excitement.
"Wide area search completed. Seed of Life detected. Initiating retrieval."
And the strange, robotic girl lunged at Rei.
---
Lesson 8: End
What did we learn today, class?
Yes, that's correct!
Ghosts, much like Zombies, don't exist.
Join us again next time for Lesson 9: What we found there was… We'll have: An exciting flashback, creepy ruins, and the start of an important journey for two very similar girls.
Don't be late!
---
AN: Oct 15, 2023. Did my best to get this chapter out early because my schedule is still in chaos. Next chapter will be on Oct 29 with a possibility of delay into Nov 5. This chapter changed a lot as I was writing it, but I think things worked out for the better this way since I really wanted to include Yuzu early and I'm happy I managed to include her in a way that was satisfactory to me. Hopefully it also works for you. See you next chapter! --Kero
Khona Moshr
Pink Flamingo Cabal Healer(they/them)
- Location
- Alabama
- Pronouns
- They/Them
ah sibling threats, always was fun to do them with mine.
GDC "Oh shit its the feds!" also having the GSC be seen helping SCHALE more may help make them abit more popular then in canon.
Midori is actually being abit more Logical then her sister since how could there be a student without a halo.
through she shouldnt be afraid, Rei is not actively dangerous to most people unless the world is ending.
Well atleast Rei will let Yuzu have her peaceful locker to herself. through asking if someone is a threat is a terrible way to actually find out if someone is a threat.
Yuzu you say that like there was any positive reviews of Tales Chronicle Saga, with its fake tutorial prompts, and minimum story.
Well time to learn for Rei to learn fighting games from the best. through how long it will take for Rei to learn fighting game jargon is anyone's guess.
Rei has found the idea of challegeing someone repeatedly for fighting games so naturally, and it good chance that they may be her game of choice.
Aris, the best killer robot turned hero of light has arrived.
Oh the nameless priests know of the seeds of life. oh no the nameless priests know of the seeds of life!
well time to see if any of Rei's angel weridness can be used since it will be hard for her to defend herself against AL-1S in melee considering that she can lift up a railgun ment to be mounted on a ship and use it as a club, while Rei without angel stuff should have the strength of a 14 year old girl, which isnt a good match up against a killer robot.