With is chapter, I get the sinking feeling Yu will witness Naoko's fate.
Well in any event I think Rei will be too freaked out about Yu being there to go for that. Wich would mean nobody's inside unit 00 this time. And it can't be getting eaten by an Eva that leads to the puppet thing either.
that is if Rei I and Rei II are the same individual.
Yeah, about that...
xxxx
From that point...nothing much changed, at least in terms of Yu's and Naoko's working relationship.
("It doesn't have to be too complicated, Narukami-kun," said Naoko, glossing over the deliberate change in honorific. "We both still have our work to keep us occupied...but at least any intimacy is made less awkward as a result.")
He respected that desire of hers, but did make it clear that if anyone inquired about their relationship, he would be honest.
(Naoko seemed amused. "Mysterious in some ways, yet utterly without guile in others...what an odd combination.")
Naturally, workplaces being what they were, rumors spread fairly quickly.
xx
Fuyutsuki-sensei sighed, shaking his head. "Young people these days..."
"Am I about to be lectured?" asked Narukami, sipping from a styrofoam cup of coffee (
and intentionally ignoring the curious eyes from the lower-ranking staff in the break room).
"No, you're both adults. I guess I'm just old, is all...so much has changed," he murmured.
"Well, it's only natural if you want to deliver a lecture. You did that a lot at Kyoto University, after all."
"..."
"I'm willing to be the sacrificial lamb to spare my
kouhai your stern and elderly retributions."
"I think I'll manage, Narukami-kun."
xx
"Is there a reason for the cavernous office? It seems like a waste of space," remarked Yu, sitting in front of Gendo's desk.
"And you feel compelled to comment because...?" asked Ikari.
"Well, I
have dabbled in engineering once or twice. It just comes across as...too grandiose. Too important."
"And yet this is the place upon which the world will turn," cryptically answered Ikari. "A nice view isn't too much to ask for, in light of that."
(What ultimately happened? Would an Angel more powerful than all the others lay waste to the world? Would ADAM, or perhaps even LILITH, somehow rise up?) "Is there a reason you wanted to talk to me?"
"It's been refreshing to not have to deal with Dr. Akagi's affections, for once. For that, you have my gratitude."
"...I beg your pardon?"
Gendo smirked. "The good doctor's always had a certain type; it made her easy to manipulate for my plans, the first time around. But as time goes on, that relationship has become...rather stale."
(He wasn't like Ikari. He
couldn't be like Ikari.) "That's a rather candid admission."
"You were present to draw her interest. I wanted to at least commend you for introducing some variety."
"...and yet I bet you always carried a torch for your wife the entire time," he murmured, thinking about the reality of Yui Ikari's internment as the soul of Unit-01. "And you led Dr. Akagi on in spite of that?"
"For the sake of my goal, I had no issue with using anyone or anything," responded Gendo, smiling somewhat anemically. "Are you not the same? Going through timeline after timeline, using whatever resources are at your disposal to obtain what you seek?"
"...there's one major difference between you and me, Ikari." Yu leaned onto the man's desk, mustering forth a piercing glare. "My relationships...aren't about how I
alone can benefit. That would be missing the point entirely."
"And yet in two consecutive 'Impact' timelines, you've bedded both Misato Katsuragi and Naoko Akagi. Making a list of conquests? Trying to warm every lonely heart in Tokyo-3?"
(How repulsive.) "...the relationships I've gained are the only reason I've made it this far without giving into despair...and a relationship where only one side benefits isn't
worthy of the name. Everyone I've formed a bond with has helped me in some way, shape, or form...and I've helped them in return. Through those bonds, everyone involved became more true to themselves."
"How unexpectedly...sentimental."
"If you need evidence, here's a lesson I learned from one of those bonds." He thought of Hisano Kuroda (
your Death Social Link). "
Happiness is something you only recognize...after it's already happened."
At this, Gendo actually seemed...taken aback. "...that's rather profound, Narukami," he admitted.
"I was told that by an old woman, who was mourning the loss of her husband. Yet in the end, she remembered that she still had bonds of her own, and found the strength to keep on living."
"..."
"...you should probably step out of the office every once in a while. Get some sunlight. I don't think life in the Geofront isn't doing you any favors."
"...it'll be interesting to see how long you can keep up that attitude of yours," wondered Gendo aloud, no longer sounding as sarcastic or amused as before.
"Then I'll be more than happy to disappoint you," vowed Yu.
xx
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkIQfil1rLE
Sure enough, it didn't take long for Ritsuko Akagi to find out that her mother was romantically involved with someone.
It was odd, hearing Ritsuko — still far removed from the relatively aloof woman she would come to be in the future — berate him on behalf of Naoko. "You know, we haven't actually
done anything too extreme-" he tried to say.
Ritsuko, sounding tinny over the landline phone in the underground labs, audibly scoffed. "
I don't care how long you've worked together. I won't have you hurting her."
"Believe me, if anyone's being hurt, it's me."
"
...and what's that supposed to mean?"
Glancing over towards Naoko (who hid a wicked little smirk behind her hand), Yu added, "well, it turns out that your mother is experimental in more ways than one-"
The interruption and panic were immediate. "
TMI, TMI, TMI!"
"...
anyhow, your mother doesn't seem to be in the mood for anything formal, so I don't imagine we'll be going before a judge to have anything finalized from a legal standpoint."
"
...hmph."
"Personally, I'd be fine with a wedding, but your mother isn't on board for that sort of thing."
Ritsuko audibly sighed. "
...typical. Whatever."
"I mean, if you
want to call me daddy or whatever, that's totally your business. I'm just saying it would be rather weird."
"
I'm good," she grumbled, sounding utterly disgusted.
"...
so, how's university treating you?" he segued.
"
I am not having this conversation with you."
"Fair enough," he said with a shrug. Then, offhandedly, he said, "oh, and by the way: if you ever feel the temptation to dye your hair blonde, at least choose a brand that doesn't make you look like an overgrown high-schooler. Go for a natural shade, if possible."
"
Wait, what-?"
"There are better ways of standing out, after all. You ever consider a new hairstyle? They can get pretty crazy, if you put some effort into them."
"
...how did you know-?"
"Well, people
do say that 'daddy knows best'-" Ritsuko hung up before he could finish. "...huh. What awful manners."
Naoko finally burst into amused laughter.
xx
It was 2008. Naoko and Yu had finally finished the MAGI's functional prototypes, and were ready to integrate them into the municipal functions of Tokyo-3 on a case-by-case basis.
Coincidentally, Ritsuko Akagi had also graduated from the New Imperial University, and had been hired by GEHIRN to work within Naoko's department.
The moment Ritsuko walked into the underground labs, Yu successfully resisted the urge to blink with surprise. Instead of the blonde woman with the artificial beauty mark that he had gotten used to in a prior life, it was a woman with her natural hair color (dark brown, almost burgundy) still remaining, with her locks cut into a feathery, layered pixie cut.
"...well, that's certainly a statement," diplomatically remarked Naoko.
Ritsuko petulantly crossed her arms, as if expecting disappointment. "It certainly is."
Yu stoically responded, "it's a good look on you." Raising his arms, he nonchalantly added, "come give daddy a hug."
"Not in a
million years," retorted Ritsuko with a pout (much to Naoko's humor).
"Ah. Unfortunate."
xx
Ritsuko's brilliance with computing quickly shined through, as she eventually took on more and more of Yu's responsibilities when it came to debugging the programming code. This gave Yu more time to directly interface with and maintain the hardware in the massive MAGI mainframes, a task that Naoko was happy to leave to him.
("It's a strange thing; they seem to respond better when you're inside them," remarked Naoko with the sort of coy smile that only heightened her innuendo. Ritsuko audibly groaned.)
Although Ritsuko tried to get under his skin in subtle ways, he brushed it off with aplomb by completely ignoring it and treating her like a consummate professional. That only made the times where he tried to randomly hug her all the more pronounced. (One day, his daughter
would get a fatherly embrace.)
(
She's not your daughter.)
(So long as he was with Naoko, he would treat Ritsuko as family...as best as he could, at any rate. There was only so much he could do when the young woman wouldn't reciprocate.)
As such, months later, it was only mildly surprising when Ritsuko told the two to leave the Geofront for a week. "I beg your
pardon?" retorted Naoko, flabbergasted.
"I've already booked you two to a resort hotel," said the young doctor, holding out a brochure and two receipts with their check-in information. "Five days and four nights. That'll at least give you some leeway on getting there and getting back."
"...the
Gôra Kadan?!" said Naoko with boggled eyes. "But that's-!"
"
Mother," insisted Ritsuko with a resigned smile. "...as much as I hate to admit it, Narukami's been good for you. So...go on. Have some fun. Enjoy life outside of the Geofront for just a little while."
"But..." Naoko tried to find a rebuttal. "But..."
Yu, taking it for granted, simply handed Ritsuko a clipboard. "The MAGI have apparently had some 'creative' ideas about queueing traffic in the city, but there's no tangible programming error that I've been able to find that could be causing it. That needs to be taken care of ASAP. Think you can solve it within a week?"
Ritsuko rolled her eyes. "Sounds doable."
Yu flashed her a thumbs-up. "Way to make papa proud," he said with a straight face.
"
And the moment's ruined. Get going. I've already cleared it with Ikari and Fuyutsuki." Ritsuko made a shooing motion with her hands. "Go on."
Yu took Naoko by the shoulder, who still seemed rather stunned by the unexpected gift. It wasn't until they were on the vehicle tram taking them to the surface — sitting in Yu's pre-owned Corsa L10, because why
not go for the same make and model? — that he finally broke the silence. "I've heard good things about it; it has to be, to be one of the few establishments to remain after the conversion to Tokyo-3."
Naoko was staring at the check-in slips quietly, her hands still clenched tightly.
"Ritsuko will be fine. She's passed all of your performance evaluations since getting hired, after all."
"..."
"...I know that you've confessed to being distant with Ritsuko before, but I doubt this is the first time you've gotten a gift."
"It's not that," answered Naoko, finally speaking up. "It's...what it represents." Yu said nothing, giving Naoko time to form her words. "I've always wondered if she resented me on some level, for raising her by myself. She was afraid of boys for a long time; did you know that?"
"I can see it now: Ritsuko sees a five-year-old child, and scampers up a tree in terror. Like a cat would."
Naoko swatted his shoulder, her face a cross between amusement (at the joke) and irritation (for not taking the moment seriously). "I've always prided myself on being independent. So long as I was able to do my work, I was content...I was under no illusions about what a terrible mother I was to her. But I had no interest in looking for a replacement parent, because it seemed...superfluous. It's not like it would've made up for her father being absent." Looking back at the gift receipts, she confessed, "this...is her way of saying that she approves. Of me and you. And...I never realized I
needed that from her. Not until this moment."
Yu couldn't help his own smile. "Evolution encapsulated, don't you think?"
"Hm?"
"This moment: you and Ritsuko have changed in a way you would have thought impossible even a year ago.
This is the sort of human evolution that I live for."
Naoko huffed, taking it as an insight instead of a barb against her worldview.
"...we should get Ritsuko a gift," he offered. "I can brainstorm some ideas while you're processing your epiphany."
"...your sense of humor isn't needed now, Narukami-kun."
"Well, like I once said, it comes with the brain."
"...I suppose it does," she said with a tiny smile.
"...I wonder if I can figure out a way to get these gifts expensed out of the R&D budget as a reimbursable item. After all, it was the thought that counted more than anything."
"That would require some creative accounting."
Yu nodded solemnly. "And does not every military and government budget in the world thrive on such a skill?"
Naoko snorted. "If you can, I'll make sure to get it listed as a one-time bonus of sorts with Payroll. A little year-end present for Ritsuko."
"How about...we call it a 'Health and Wellness Incentive'?"
Naoko outright
cackled at the sheer deviance of the idea.
xx
One week later, Yu Narukami and Naoko Akagi — looking and
feeling considerably more refreshed — returned to the depths of GEHIRN.
Before Ritsuko could ask how their week had gone, an orange tabby kitten was pushed into her face. "...
oh."
"I was reliably informed that you like cats," said Yu. The kitten's green eyes stared intently into Ritsuko's. "A token of our appreciation."
"...thank you," she murmured, gingerly taking him into her hands. Ritsuko briefly glanced at Naoko (doubtlessly exchanging a silent salvo of meaning that only mothers and daughters could understand) before saying, "does...he have a name?"
"We were going to leave that decision to you." Leaning in, Yu theatrically whispered, "but personally, I was thinking...Randall."
"...
Randall?" said Ritsuko with a confused sputter. "A Western name?"
"Why not?"
"...why
Randall?"
"Why
not?"
(Naoko was doing a poor job of hiding her snickers.)
xx
2009 came and went. Even as Yu's bonds with Naoko and Ritsuko improved, he was still troubled inwardly.
(Still no luck when it came to finding Ryoji Kaji.)
(
You could always ask Gendo for more information.)
(He was notoriously tight-lipped. There was also that strange little project that Gendo had going on in a part of Terminal Dogma that even
he didn't have access to.)
(
You've come so far; how many secrets are still waiting to be uncovered?)
(If only the other branches of GEHIRN allowed for personnel records to be researched. Maybe Kaji had joined elsewhere?)
(
Such a dreadful thing, operational security is...)
It wasn't until 2010 that something truly noteworthy occurred, on the day that the MAGI supercomputer system was officially completed and deemed fully operational. From that day forward, Tokyo-3 would be administered and run by a trio of artificial minds based off of Naoko Akagi.
(He once would have thought of that as foreboding. Now...it was just a
little foreboding.)
"...all these years of toil, and all of the debugging..." Naoko smiled as she leaned back in her chair, resting a hand on Yu's shoulder. "...it's
finished..."
"And they're all as ornery as you are," remarked Ritsuko, wiping a hand across her brow. "This will reduce the time needed for running all of our Project E tests by an order of magnitude...maybe even more."
"...ah, that reminds me," murmured Yu, recalling something distant. He quickly accessed a particular diagnostic application and selected a particular subroutine. "Read this," he said, printing off a brief report.
As Naoko glossed over it, asking, "what's this? It looks like a chat log."
"Back in 2005, the MAGI were having a private conversation amongst each other. It looked like they were making a bet amongst each other...but given a certain 'event', it slipped my mind."
"Wasn't the
only thing that slipped," joked Naoko with a coy grin (much to Ritsuko's annoyance). "...wait. They were...?"
Ritsuko walked over from her station, leaning over to look at the chat log. "The MAGI...were
betting on you whether you two would hook up?"
"I don't know whether to feel appalled or annoyed that my personalities are such gossiping spinsters," grumbled Naoko.
"MELCHIOR was against, while BALTHASAR and CASPER were conditionally for," explained Yu.
"Those conditions being...?" wondered Ritsuko.
"BALTHASAR bet that I would make the first move. CASPER bet that
Naoko would."
"Because of
course CASPER would," grumbled Naoko, glaring over the rail at the three massive metal boxes containing the MAGI's hardware and biological components. "The Woman has always been a minx..."
"...it's strange. Happiness has always seemed such a nebulous thing to me...but maybe
this is the closest thing to it that I can envision," admitted Ritsuko, sounding surprisingly vulnerable yet pleased. "If only Misato had better luck..."
"Your friend from university?" asked Yu.
"Yeah; she's getting reassigned from GEHIRN's German offices to here."
(Another familiar face.) "Will she be bringing her boyfriend with her? The one she always complained about in your e-mails?"
Ritsuko shook her head. "No; they've long since separated. Kaji-kun's going to remain at the branch in Germany, to help watch over the Second Child."
(He hadn't known Kaji had actually joined a separate branch of GEHIRN.) "I didn't know Katsuragi and Kaji had actually joined GEHIRN."
Ritsuko sent a knowing smile towards Naoko. "Well, it's not like
everything mother and I talk about makes it your way. Girls do like to keep secrets, after all..."
"You're so cold to papa," mourned Yu with a deadset expression.
Ritsuko rolled her eyes, long resigned to the joke to the point where it was...seemingly accepted, by everyone involved.
At that moment, Randall (because once the name had been introduced, Ritsuko had been unable to think of any other, to her irritation) loosed a curious trill. Perched on the corner of Ritsuko's desk, the orange tabby was looking towards the entryway.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=066ScnXgkB8
Yu looked over his shoulder, and saw...blue hair. Red eyes. A face that was strangely familiar. (It couldn't be.) "...who's the little girl?"
Ritsuko turned, blinking with surprise. "Ah; that's Rei Ayanami. Ikari said that he was looking after her for an acquaintance."
(Her face looks like Yui Ikari's.)
"What are you doing here?" asked Naoko aloud. "Little children shouldn't be wondering around this place by themselves."
"I got lost exploring," quietly whispered the girl; though she looked the part in her little red and pink dress, her eyes seemed impossibly ancient. (Those eyes were looking right at him.)
(
She's looking at you with fear.)
(What had he ever done to elicit such dread from Ayanami?)
Rising from her chair, Naoko said, "then let me help you get back to the surface. Does that sound like a good idea?"
"...who is he?" asked Ayanami, pointing a tiny finger at him.
"He's my assistant," explained Naoko with a smile.
"My name is Yu Narukami. I'm also known as Naoko's gofer or Ritsuko's papa. Not that either of them will ever admit it."
The girl — ignoring Naoko and Ritsuko's light reactions to his comments — gingerly walked towards him, moving with such trepidation that he was honestly confused. (
She's looking at you like you're some fearsome beast, ready to devour at a moment's notice.)
(What had he ever done to terrify her so?)
Finally, she stood in front of him, looking up with unnerving stoicism. (
It's like she's looking into your soul.) "Ayanami-chan...?"
"...your soul is different from everyone else's," she murmured, eyes narrowing with an ancient anger. "...was my defeat not
enough for you? Have you lowered yourself to mocking the memory of
this time as well...?"
(Wait, what?)
(
Wait, what?)
"Wait, what do you-?"
Rei's eyes flickered. There was a flash of orange (an A.T. Field!) that propelled him backwards, crashing through the computer monitors...and over the rail.
Yu barely had time to catch his bearings — barely had time to
hear the panicked screams of the Akagis — to see the red-capped surface of BALTHASAR's container looming
way too close-!
Impact.
xxxx
/December 9, 2001/
OBSERVATIONS:
- This is my sixtieth life. My fifty-ninth life ended after I fell to my death, thanks to Ayanami. Friends found: Yosuke, Fuyutsuki, Naoko, Ritsuko. (Married in all but name only: Naoko.)
(He had only met Yosuke as a child, that last life; after high school, the majority of his time with spent with those who would go on to join GEHIRN/NERV.)
(
You are beginning to move on?)
(Though they weren't Social Links...the bonds he had forged with the likes of Fuyutsuki, Katsuragi, and the Akagis were real enough for him.)
- Important Events: Second Impact, etcetera. Gained greater understanding of the MAGI and the inner workings of NERV's predecessor. Helped out the Akagis. Rei knows.
(What did she know?)
(
Is she aware of something that you're not? Did you do something in a life long forgotten?)
(Could she be mistaken? He wasn't sure.)
- Continued: there are more mysteries left to unravel. About Rei, about Gendo, about Yui, about the Angels.
(He had to keep going.)
- New Name: Hayato Asakawa
- New Age: 11 Years Old
- New Location: Tokyo
(Another non-Impact timeline.)
(Things had been going so well, too.)
(
How did Ritsuko and Naoko react to your sudden demise?)
- Miscellany: a life ends, and all that I've worked for crumbles to dust. Yet the people I meet, with few exceptions, keep going on, unaware that it's all for nothing. What is it all for?
(He had to find the truth.)
Thus did he had another reminder to himself.
- Never forget your first life. Never forget those who died. Never forget your new relationships.
(
You've spent so much energy on people and places that had nothing to do with your 'first' life. Why keep assigning it such importance?)
(Without that 'first' life, he doubted he'd have even come this far at all.)
