Two Souls [NGE]
- Thread starter Boreas Anemos
- Start date
obssesednuker
Commander of 10 Million Men
- Location
- In the Kremlin, activating Perimtr.
It's a bit unusual. Normally, user interface designers have to think carefully about how to make sure that important information comes quickly to the user's attention. NERV systems are actually really good about that.
…
Probably too good, honestly.
…
Probably too good, honestly.
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- Location
- On a powder keg, next to a fire
Well, this is the reason why Yui is a little bit worried about the whole situation.
She certainly considers her work too important to be disturbed by anything short of Angel attack.
Certainly. I still stand by the scene being quite possible, for two reasons:
1. Good UX must clearly communicate importance; I think "Eva unusual readings while in storage" ranks definitely lower than "Angel attack" or "massive MAGI malfunction" or "Eva breaking down while in action". If I was to decide on priority of such alert, it would rank somewhere in the middle, and definitely not worth a wall display. A siren, surely, one to make everyone jump in their seats - but those can be put into silet mode.
2. Ritsuko, as the root admin of the mainframe, is able to deactivate absolutely everything she wishes from the interface (I guess MAGI can override her decisions, but I believe she can patch around it as well if sufficiently pressed); deciding whether it is wise or not is left as exercise to the reader
When I was writing this scene, I had another one in mind: Ritsuko, typing on the keyboard with a focused expression while several things would be happening behind her: pilots sneaking around, then some guard strolling casually on patrol, then NERV cleaning staff passing with a vacuum cleaner, then a marching band playing a marching music, then a construction crew removing half a wall, then an angry mob with torches and pitchforks, and then a massive fire. While she continues to work undisturbed.
- Location
- National Capital Region, USA
Hahaha. Oh, Ritsuko... Yet another genius outsmarted by themselves.
Chapter 5.2.
- Location
- On a powder keg, next to a fire
The day of Kyoko Zeppelin Soryu continues to be rather painful.
================================================================
Chapter 5., part 2. – Face your fears
Kyoko kept running. Random thoughts were running through her head, none of them too coherent, perhaps except a detached voice telling her that hitting a tree or getting tangled in some thorns would not be a good thing. Fortunately for her, she seemed to have found some path through the trees and was not hitting anything; even the onslaught of thorns had ceased.
She kept running even when her lungs started to burn. Some stray thought told her this sensation could not be real, that it had to be a psychosomatic reaction… but she gave up on trying to make sense of working of her "body" here a while ago. She slowed down and tried to shake off the haze surrounding her mind.
'Wonderful, really great run, congratulations Soryu, you certainly broke some record. For instance, a record in making yourself look like a complete idiot in front of the single person who could take you seriously… some fine specimen of a human be-'
A sudden loss of inertia, accompanied by splitting pain and sudden dizziness, has stopped her thoughts – and Kyoko herself – in their tracks. A single tree – a large oak – seemingly refused to yield to her unconscious desire not to hit anything.
She stumbled back, trying to regain her footing and orient herself. Both attempts ended in abject failure: with her balance lost and a lot of kinetic energy left from the collision, Kyoko's body decided to take a seat in the most convenient place available: right where she stood, in front of the tree. She dropped to the ground down rather abruptly, right on her buttocks; she managed not to fall on her back only by last-moment use of her hands. Her head was spinning hard, and she absentmindedly noticed something starting to obscure her vision – and sting a little. She ran her hand over her forehead and stared at it when it came down wet – and dark red.
"Oh."
***
Yui Ikari was running down the freshly-cleared path, her heart beating fast. The landscape was still around her, not turning to shreds and taters, and that gave her hope that the damage was not all that serious. 'Still, any second, she may think something wrong, and then…' she shuddered. 'Not to mention, even I don't know what will happen when she reaches the border of the mindscape… There is a fence there, but I'm not betting on it stopping her. Stupid me, not removing the access rights', she chided herself.
She reached the top of a small hill that for some reason was not levelled by Kyoko's rampage. Staring down the path, she made out a figure – and saw the trees move aside from her. Kyoko was easily several hundred meters further down the forest.
'There is no chance in frozen hell I can reach her this way…' Yui realised. 'She'll reach the fence, and pierce it like a hot knife through butter, and then… I don't even know what then.'
A thought struck her, brilliant in its simplicity. She focused.
'Just the same one I was sitting under… listening to Teacher's tales…'
A huge oak tree appeared from nowhere right at the path of Kyoko's run. Yui held it in place with all her will.
Moments later, the runaway guest was running no more but chose to take a seat in the foliage instead. Yui could not discern too well what was happening in the distance but knew well that a person in Kyoko's state should not be alone. Taking only a short moment to recover her composure after exerting her will so suddenly and with that force, she rushed down the path.
She almost reached her before she heard a very disturbing sound from the direction she was heading to.
***
'Wasn't this supposed to be inside of me?' Kyoko mused. She was distinctly aware that this red liquid was not supposed to come out of the body too often, not more often than every few weeks. 'I can't remember when was the last time I bled, though, I guess it was before I became a… soul.'
Despite some headache, burning feeling in her lungs, pain in muscles, and a general feeling of exhaustion, Kyoko was feeling better than before the run. Her worries and her confusion felt as if they were behind a wall, or at least not too visible behind the fog that surrounded her. She felt… good. Tired, exhausted, pumped with adrenaline, bleeding, and still horrified by the revelation she experienced… and now horribly embarrassed by what she just did.
Kyoko Zeppelin Soryu reacted in a single possible way she could react to this wonderful combo.
She threw her head back started to laugh loudly.
***
Several meters from Kyoko, Yui Ikari stopped rather suddenly and blinked in a mix of confusion and terror. The person sitting in front of the great oak certainly wore the face of Kyoko Zeppelin Soryu: there was no doubt about it.
But she was also dressed in tattered remnants of a Regency dress with a fair amount of period-appropriate underwear showing between the torn fabric, her face was covered in fresh blood that was still seeping from her head, and she was cackling like a maniac, her eyes bulged and face hysterical.
She did not exactly resemble the lady Yui was used to be having her tea with. She was looking eerily similar to one that assaulted her, to one she banished not long ago. Yui pondered the situation for a long moment.
Then she took a step forward.
"Soryu?"
For a moment, she feared the disturbing figure in front of her would simply turn her head 180° to look at her. To her relief – and surprise – Kyoko merely stopped the manic cackle and fell on her back before focusing her eyes on Yui. It helped to ease the worrying impression only to a small degree, though.
"Yees, Ikaaarii?" she asked with a smile that looked disturbing both by its nature and by the virtue of being upside-down. "How can I heelp you? I apoooologise for my appearance. I think I ran into some trouble" Kyoko stated with a strangely cheerful voice. 'At least she doesn't sound like the banshee… not right, yes, but at least it's not a demented scream… Small blessings.'
Yui slowly took another step towards Kyoko. The first diagnosis she thought of 'she hit her head and is now confused, likely in shock'. The problem was this was her mindscape, and Kyoko was a disembodied soul in a shell that only superficially resembled a human body. On the other hand, they were keeping up the pretence of having normal bodies… so she might have even convinced herself she was injured.
'I think I overdid it with the immersion… and I should've used a net instead of a huge oak tree', Yui realised. The hindsight was, as usual, perfect.
"Taake a seat, Ikaaari. There's pleenty of place foor us boooth under this tree", Kyoko continued with the same worrying expression. "I wondeer where it came from?" she refocused her gaze on the oak for a moment. Yui – who had just circled Kyoko and was standing in front of her now – decided that being upside-down did not affect the smile too much: it was pretty disturbing on its own. Still, she ignored that tiny voice that told her to run; Kyoko was the reason she came here, after all, and she seemed to be herself… even if she a little bit off right now. 'Well, more than a little, I guess…'
"Soryu… are you all right?" Yui asked, only to bite her tongue in realisation this was most likely the dumbest question she ever asked, topping even 'are you sure this is reasonably safe?' asked while she was climbing to Eva Core.
"Fine. Fine and daaandy, Ikaari", Kyoko replied with the same cheerful voice. "I just… I… ran away from the altar, was brutally beaten down by a tree, and…" she grit her teeth and a far more determined, grim voice took over. "And I think I am going insane. Fine and dandy, as always, no reason to worry about me at all."
***
Kyoko tried to keep talking, but she found her throat clenched and uncooperative. She shut her eyes tight, feeling tears pooling.
'Hello, darkness, my old friend…'
A warm hand suddenly grasping her own jolted her back to reality. Her own skin was cold; the hand touching her felt like red-hot steel, burning every nerve. For a moment, her reflexes told her to bolt, to run again, to hide somewhere. She pushed this reaction down with notable effort of will and squeezed the burning hand instead. Her eyes, still shut, filled with tears even faster.
"Ikari…" she all managed to get out through the clenched throat.
"Shhhh… don't speak, Soryu. Just… breathe" Yui's voice was barely above a whisper.
***
Yui was not exactly skilled in assisting injured people, not beyond first aid training anyone working in a high-risk laboratory would be – she simply knew how to keep someone alive until the paramedics arrived, but she was not exactly knowledgeable on how to fix the physical damage she saw. On the other hand, she was capable of influencing the local environment in an almost unlimited number of ways, so she did the simplest thing she could think of: she produced a bowl of warm water and a soft cloth. She then put them to use, slowly and in a slightly awkward manner; using one hand limited her agility, but she was quite aware that Kyoko would not let go of her other hand.
***
Kyoko relished in the careful touch and the prolonged silence; it gave her a measure of comfort, something to focus on to avoid thinking of what just happened. Her breath was slowly returning to normal. Nonetheless, the pooled tears kept trickling through corners of her eyes, seeping into the ground. Her jaw remained clenched as well, and her hands were slowly and involuntarily curling into fists.
'I mustn't run away…'
================================================================
This one is a bit shorter than I would like it to be, but due to narration breakpoints used, it was either this or wait longer to release 3k update a week or two later.
Next time on Two Souls: will our protagonists come to terms? Will Ritsuko Akagi realise the errors of her ways and repent? Will Kyoko learn to fly? Stay tuned and find out!
================================================================
Chapter 5., part 2. – Face your fears
Kyoko kept running. Random thoughts were running through her head, none of them too coherent, perhaps except a detached voice telling her that hitting a tree or getting tangled in some thorns would not be a good thing. Fortunately for her, she seemed to have found some path through the trees and was not hitting anything; even the onslaught of thorns had ceased.
She kept running even when her lungs started to burn. Some stray thought told her this sensation could not be real, that it had to be a psychosomatic reaction… but she gave up on trying to make sense of working of her "body" here a while ago. She slowed down and tried to shake off the haze surrounding her mind.
'Wonderful, really great run, congratulations Soryu, you certainly broke some record. For instance, a record in making yourself look like a complete idiot in front of the single person who could take you seriously… some fine specimen of a human be-'
A sudden loss of inertia, accompanied by splitting pain and sudden dizziness, has stopped her thoughts – and Kyoko herself – in their tracks. A single tree – a large oak – seemingly refused to yield to her unconscious desire not to hit anything.
She stumbled back, trying to regain her footing and orient herself. Both attempts ended in abject failure: with her balance lost and a lot of kinetic energy left from the collision, Kyoko's body decided to take a seat in the most convenient place available: right where she stood, in front of the tree. She dropped to the ground down rather abruptly, right on her buttocks; she managed not to fall on her back only by last-moment use of her hands. Her head was spinning hard, and she absentmindedly noticed something starting to obscure her vision – and sting a little. She ran her hand over her forehead and stared at it when it came down wet – and dark red.
"Oh."
***
Yui Ikari was running down the freshly-cleared path, her heart beating fast. The landscape was still around her, not turning to shreds and taters, and that gave her hope that the damage was not all that serious. 'Still, any second, she may think something wrong, and then…' she shuddered. 'Not to mention, even I don't know what will happen when she reaches the border of the mindscape… There is a fence there, but I'm not betting on it stopping her. Stupid me, not removing the access rights', she chided herself.
She reached the top of a small hill that for some reason was not levelled by Kyoko's rampage. Staring down the path, she made out a figure – and saw the trees move aside from her. Kyoko was easily several hundred meters further down the forest.
'There is no chance in frozen hell I can reach her this way…' Yui realised. 'She'll reach the fence, and pierce it like a hot knife through butter, and then… I don't even know what then.'
A thought struck her, brilliant in its simplicity. She focused.
'Just the same one I was sitting under… listening to Teacher's tales…'
A huge oak tree appeared from nowhere right at the path of Kyoko's run. Yui held it in place with all her will.
Moments later, the runaway guest was running no more but chose to take a seat in the foliage instead. Yui could not discern too well what was happening in the distance but knew well that a person in Kyoko's state should not be alone. Taking only a short moment to recover her composure after exerting her will so suddenly and with that force, she rushed down the path.
She almost reached her before she heard a very disturbing sound from the direction she was heading to.
***
'Wasn't this supposed to be inside of me?' Kyoko mused. She was distinctly aware that this red liquid was not supposed to come out of the body too often, not more often than every few weeks. 'I can't remember when was the last time I bled, though, I guess it was before I became a… soul.'
Despite some headache, burning feeling in her lungs, pain in muscles, and a general feeling of exhaustion, Kyoko was feeling better than before the run. Her worries and her confusion felt as if they were behind a wall, or at least not too visible behind the fog that surrounded her. She felt… good. Tired, exhausted, pumped with adrenaline, bleeding, and still horrified by the revelation she experienced… and now horribly embarrassed by what she just did.
Kyoko Zeppelin Soryu reacted in a single possible way she could react to this wonderful combo.
She threw her head back started to laugh loudly.
***
Several meters from Kyoko, Yui Ikari stopped rather suddenly and blinked in a mix of confusion and terror. The person sitting in front of the great oak certainly wore the face of Kyoko Zeppelin Soryu: there was no doubt about it.
But she was also dressed in tattered remnants of a Regency dress with a fair amount of period-appropriate underwear showing between the torn fabric, her face was covered in fresh blood that was still seeping from her head, and she was cackling like a maniac, her eyes bulged and face hysterical.
She did not exactly resemble the lady Yui was used to be having her tea with. She was looking eerily similar to one that assaulted her, to one she banished not long ago. Yui pondered the situation for a long moment.
Then she took a step forward.
"Soryu?"
For a moment, she feared the disturbing figure in front of her would simply turn her head 180° to look at her. To her relief – and surprise – Kyoko merely stopped the manic cackle and fell on her back before focusing her eyes on Yui. It helped to ease the worrying impression only to a small degree, though.
"Yees, Ikaaarii?" she asked with a smile that looked disturbing both by its nature and by the virtue of being upside-down. "How can I heelp you? I apoooologise for my appearance. I think I ran into some trouble" Kyoko stated with a strangely cheerful voice. 'At least she doesn't sound like the banshee… not right, yes, but at least it's not a demented scream… Small blessings.'
Yui slowly took another step towards Kyoko. The first diagnosis she thought of 'she hit her head and is now confused, likely in shock'. The problem was this was her mindscape, and Kyoko was a disembodied soul in a shell that only superficially resembled a human body. On the other hand, they were keeping up the pretence of having normal bodies… so she might have even convinced herself she was injured.
'I think I overdid it with the immersion… and I should've used a net instead of a huge oak tree', Yui realised. The hindsight was, as usual, perfect.
"Taake a seat, Ikaaari. There's pleenty of place foor us boooth under this tree", Kyoko continued with the same worrying expression. "I wondeer where it came from?" she refocused her gaze on the oak for a moment. Yui – who had just circled Kyoko and was standing in front of her now – decided that being upside-down did not affect the smile too much: it was pretty disturbing on its own. Still, she ignored that tiny voice that told her to run; Kyoko was the reason she came here, after all, and she seemed to be herself… even if she a little bit off right now. 'Well, more than a little, I guess…'
"Soryu… are you all right?" Yui asked, only to bite her tongue in realisation this was most likely the dumbest question she ever asked, topping even 'are you sure this is reasonably safe?' asked while she was climbing to Eva Core.
"Fine. Fine and daaandy, Ikaari", Kyoko replied with the same cheerful voice. "I just… I… ran away from the altar, was brutally beaten down by a tree, and…" she grit her teeth and a far more determined, grim voice took over. "And I think I am going insane. Fine and dandy, as always, no reason to worry about me at all."
***
Kyoko tried to keep talking, but she found her throat clenched and uncooperative. She shut her eyes tight, feeling tears pooling.
'Hello, darkness, my old friend…'
A warm hand suddenly grasping her own jolted her back to reality. Her own skin was cold; the hand touching her felt like red-hot steel, burning every nerve. For a moment, her reflexes told her to bolt, to run again, to hide somewhere. She pushed this reaction down with notable effort of will and squeezed the burning hand instead. Her eyes, still shut, filled with tears even faster.
"Ikari…" she all managed to get out through the clenched throat.
"Shhhh… don't speak, Soryu. Just… breathe" Yui's voice was barely above a whisper.
***
Yui was not exactly skilled in assisting injured people, not beyond first aid training anyone working in a high-risk laboratory would be – she simply knew how to keep someone alive until the paramedics arrived, but she was not exactly knowledgeable on how to fix the physical damage she saw. On the other hand, she was capable of influencing the local environment in an almost unlimited number of ways, so she did the simplest thing she could think of: she produced a bowl of warm water and a soft cloth. She then put them to use, slowly and in a slightly awkward manner; using one hand limited her agility, but she was quite aware that Kyoko would not let go of her other hand.
***
Kyoko relished in the careful touch and the prolonged silence; it gave her a measure of comfort, something to focus on to avoid thinking of what just happened. Her breath was slowly returning to normal. Nonetheless, the pooled tears kept trickling through corners of her eyes, seeping into the ground. Her jaw remained clenched as well, and her hands were slowly and involuntarily curling into fists.
'I mustn't run away…'
================================================================
This one is a bit shorter than I would like it to be, but due to narration breakpoints used, it was either this or wait longer to release 3k update a week or two later.
Next time on Two Souls: will our protagonists come to terms? Will Ritsuko Akagi realise the errors of her ways and repent? Will Kyoko learn to fly? Stay tuned and find out!
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- Location
- Surrey
Idiot mother like idiot son.
- Location
- National Capital Region, USA
A little more fraught and ragged than when the Third Child usually says it, isn't it?
Kyoko really needs to find some way to bleed off some of that stress before she completely goes to pieces.
- Location
- On a powder keg, next to a fire
To her defense, she was a little bit stressed here. On the other hand, yes, Yui Ikari was never exactly a diplomat. It's a small miracle that between her and Gendo's social skills Shinji is able to talk at all.
Well, yes. Shinji repeated it as a mantra, something to keep him sane. For Kyoko, this is a thought that rattles somewhere in the back of her - currently a tad empty - mind.
I hope I didn't oversell the point on her current mental condition.
It can be problematic. Most stress-relieving activities either require a body or a trustworthy and cooperative person. While lack of body can be amended by creating a believable illusion, as they did before, it still leaves the matters of alarms to deal with if she starts to enjoy herself too much. And while Yui is cooperative, there might still be some trust issues to work out before Kyoko lets her do anything that may lead to stress relief; I can't imagine her letting Yui touch her for long enough for a massage, for instance; not yet. And talking won't solve much, neither of them knows enough to be a therapist. Yui tried with the tea - and will keep this routine - but this is a stopgap at best.
So, their best bet at the moment is to reduce the stress and hope it just bleeds away drop by drop. I'm not saying Kyoko is doomed to go insane (again), of course. I'm saying things are not getting easier in the short run.
This whole chapter so far has been a bit of a bike ride down the hill, actually. I didn't plan for Kyoko to run off like this; the first scene was supposed to be about Yui being understanding towards Kyoko and comforting her. But my characters sometimes refuse to cooperate... and here we are.
- Location
- National Capital Region, USA
Not at all. Kyoko is supposed to be nearly coming apart here.
Chapter 5.3.
- Location
- On a powder keg, next to a fire
The day of Kyoko Zeppelin Soryu is slowly returning to normal. At the same time, day of Doctor Ritsuko Akagi is getting worse.
================================================================
Chapter 5., part 3. - Face your fears
It was 3:24. Doctor Ritsuko Akagi just finished debugging the last script she intended to process the battle data with. She ran the final check on the test data, sighed contently when the results came back passable, and uploaded the code to the mainframe. Few typed commands later, the script was running, its output redirected to a file; with the mainframe's processing power, all the scripts should provide result by noon.
She stretched and yawned. The final part of the work was done on pure determination, as she ran out of the coffee an hour ago. All she wanted now was to go to bed. She even entertained a thought of sleeping in a bit and late in the morning.
Reaching the door, she turned the lights off and took the last look at the room's screens; she was perfectly familiar with each single of them, able to notice most details at a glance even when tired or distracted. And yet, she stood in the doorway for a good few seconds before a short, loud curse cut the air as she rushed to the Cages monitoring station.
***
An eternity passed from Kyoko's perspective. The hand holding her own and burning her skin, the softest touch cleaning her wound, the sudden peace of the forest – she clung to all of this for relief, for assurance. It almost worked.
"Soryu…" a soft voice came in the darkness, a familiar voice, a caring voice. "Can you hear me? Can you understand me?"
Her eyes were still closed, and she had difficulty speaking up, as if some force was holding her lips shut. But she could nod.
"Good" the voice was focused. "I… Can you rise? Sit?"
An outside listener would have easily noticed that the calm in Yui's voice sounded forced. But Kyoko was in no condition to make that observation; she was focused on her own state. She pondered her condition for a moment. She was not exactly in pain, she merely felt dizzy, a little bit exhausted, more than a bit stupid – and somewhat sore. Therefore, she saw no reason not to try to sit up.
The sudden increase in dizziness, not to mention amount of effort this simple step took made her realise that this was not the best idea: she was exhausted far more than just a little bit. The only thing that stopped her from falling back was the supporting arm at her back. "I… I-Ikari… I'm not…" she managed to stutter out in a strange, husky voice.
Something touched her lips, something cold and wet. It took her a moment of frozen bewilderment to realise this was water. Cold, wonderfully tasting liquid filled her mouth; she knew that drinking greedily would end badly, but she could not stop herself. Few coughs and gasps later, she managed to actually drink.
"You'll be fine, I promise. Take your time, and when you're ready, I'll take you home" Yui's soft and calming voice kept talking from the darkness.
She rolled the idea in her head. "Home…"
***
The high activity alerts were still there, waiting for someone's attention, silent as they were for the last three hours. Ritsuko suddenly felt very cold – the facts were quickly burning paths in her consciousness: she just missed something serious about Evangelions, and possibly even dangerous. She has just made a very basic mistake, a mistake that would certainly be a firing offence in her team.
Her first thought was to erase any trace of the alarms – she was MAGI's admin, she knew the system intimately, she could do it. This thought was followed by several other: the logical 'to do that would mean losing the information', the emotional 'that's coward's thinking', the pragmatic 'if this stays on the record, Commander may have my head', and socially-motivated 'and I will never be able to keep my own in line'. As those thoughts raced, a calm voice of the reason told her to act with accord with the scientific method: gather more information and make an informed choice based on the results. The morning shift did not start in two and half an hour: plenty of time to decide and execute the decision.
As a woman of science and reason, she listened to that voice; she decided to investigate, by herself, in the middle of the night, in the dark Cages that held the most horrifying creatures that humanity has ever created. After all, there was nothing to fear there. The monsters were asleep.
***
The sun was slowly setting over the mansion, still visible over the treeline, but close to sinking beneath it. Two silhouettes were visible on a path that looked like a creation of an insane garden designer who somehow managed to force the trees to grow against their nature – far too close, their branches intertwined, their coronas tangled. From a distance, the two figures looked normal in comparison: two ladies taking a casual stroll.
But if the observing party came closer, a slightly different image would be painted. They indeed were walking with their arms locked, but this was only to prevent one of them from falling. Their dresses also left a lot to wish for in terms of their condition: one had hers soiled with earth and some blood – and the other had her nearly destroyed, and what was left of it was bloody and dirty. They were walking carefully, step by step, trying their best not to make any sudden movements.
Kyoko was aware of the world around her once again; the moment she decided it is a good idea to open her eyes, she saw Yui's face – focused, worried, with her lips tight. This expression was quickly replaced by a small smile. Kyoko did her best to reply in kind.
They took to the path Kyoko created, trying to ignore the damage she caused. After a while, Kyoko began to perceive the silence as increasingly awkward, unpleasant, unwanted.
"Ikari…" Kyoko began, her voice husky. She cleared her throat. "I… I was wondering about a thing", she managed when they were close to the end of the forest.
"Mm? What is it?"
"This", she pointed out to a bird feeder that stood just between the first trees, barely visible from the grass field. "I thought it was some glitch when I came here today, and I wanted to ask you about it, but then…" she paused with a sigh. "Then things started to happen. Why is it here… and why are cookies in it?"
Yui stopped. In a corner of her eye, Kyoko noticed her ears turning red. Suddenly, she felt guilty for some unfathomable reason.
"Soryu… I'll explain later. I promise. Now, let's get home and get us- get you settled down. I'm afraid things may get worse if we don't."
Kyoko blinked for a moment, then relented, too tired to press on. "Of course, Ikari", she smiled weakly.
She missed the discreet sigh of relief.
***
Ritsuko Akagi entered the Cages pushing the hastily-assembled cart of monitoring equipment. She was aware that without her kouhai to assist her, this was going to be an arduous task – but this could not wait until Maya's arrival, not if she wanted to have answers for the Commander in the morning. And she was sure he would learn sooner or later if she did not erase the records meticulously.
The Cages were dark, as usual. Lighting such space all the time would be expensive, after all, and very little happened here outside experiments, maintenance, and combat deployments. Only sources of light were the red and orange lines, designed to mark the potentially dangerous spots.
'If they were to be truthful, the whole room should be glowing a megawatt orange light from all walls', a bitter thought struck her. 'We treat those beasts as they were our tanks, our battle machines, while in truth, they are alien gods, half-lobotomised and held on a tight leash. Gods help us if they ever awake from their slumber and learn how to bite that leash off…'
She approached Unit-02 and began to unload her equipment. In the heavy, cold silence that permeated the Cages, another whispered curse cut the air: the readings were back to normal. Whatever anomaly caused it was most likely long gone, a chance to investigate it missed.
'I don't know what I was counting on', she sighed, exposing more of the core and attaching additional equipment. The initial readings confirmed the preliminary scan: the monster was asleep. Whatever nightmare plagued it was over; it seemed even more docile than usual.
Ritsuko started a pre-programmed diagnostic cycle and sat on the ground with a heavy sigh, her back against the Unit-02 foot. 'I could use a cigarette now', she sighed, realising she left the pack on the desk and at the same time feeling the adrenaline rush from the alerts release its grasp on her. As it receded, weariness was the only thing that remained.
The diagnostic system kept beeping softly, signalling successive steps on the checklist; it calmed her, somewhat, as a familiar sound should. Ritsuko closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
***
Kyoko Soryu was comfortable; she was lying on a soft surface, dressed in simple and comfortable clothing, covered by a warm blanket that smelled of freshness. She was dimly aware of what situation brought her here, but it all seemed rather distant. She was aware there were decisions to make, problems to solve, battles to fight… but it did not matter at the moment. The ceiling was not very familiar, but it was in a familiar style, a style used by the place she was slowly coming to think of as home. Familiar, homely sounds of clanking cutlery reached her. 'Must be Ikari… did she arrange all this?' she pondered. 'If so, I wonder why does she care about me so much…'
She smiled to herself. Whatever the reason, it felt good.
***
Indistinct shapes coalesce in the darkness. She is running, but she cannot tell where to… or what from. The stairs, endless stairs, steps, doors, stairs, hallways, stairs…
It is getting darker and darker, she can barely make out what is in front of her. Suddenly, she notices the floor ending abruptly, she hits a waist-high barrier. In the darkness before her, two pairs of green eyes light up.
***
A sudden jolt brought Ritsuko Akagi to consciousness; her heart was racing and her mind was confused. It took her a few long seconds to realise she was still in the Cages. She blinked the sleep away, rose groggily, and gazed at the diagnostic system. Automated diagnosis sequence confirmed previous two scans: there was nothing going on inside: the monster was sleeping a dreamless sleep. Reminding herself of the last shreds of the dream, she looked up; the head of Unit-02 loomed in the darkness, inactive, its eyes perfectly dark. She shivered, half from the memory, half from the actual cold. There was little reason to keep the Cages heated.
She knew she should change the connections and run another sequence, and then another, and then another… all this to perform a full diagnostic, to make sure there was nothing left. Then, move to Unit-01 and do the same. Then, to be sure and get some measure of baseline readings, move to Unit-00 and…
She shook her head tiredly and disconnected the wiring from the Core. Restoring its shielding followed several minutes later. The single sequence would have to do – after all, her only real chance to observe the anomaly was lost. She gritted her teeth once more.
Once the whole diagnostic equipment was back in the cart, she pushed it to the neighbouring Cage. Unit-01 awaited her attention.
***
"Hello Soryu, welcome among the living once more", Yui Ikari entered the living room with a tray filled with food – pound cake, toast, butter, and eggs suddenly made Kyoko realise she was still feeling a little weak – and certainly hungry. The internal doubts on how was that possible when she was a soul embodied in a giant alien cyborg were shoved aside once more in face of a possible feast. She smiled at Yui and rose from her bed. A half-conscious check – and a look down – reassured her she was decent enough for the occasion. Having removed the worry about scandalising her host from her mind, she rushed to the table.
Yui set the tray down between them. "I am happy to see you better, Soryu" she spoke up, smiling a soft smile. "I was… worried yesterday."
Kyoko blinked. "Yesterday? Was I…"
Yui shook her head. "Metaphorically. Day/night cycle, just as time here, is just part of the mindscape. I let your local body rest… while your actual body was poked and prodded."
Kyoko stopped chewing on a delicious toast and stared at Yui with a confused expression. Yui chuckled, prompting a slightly hurt look from Kyoko.
"I'm sorry", Yui said in an amused voice. "You don't look very… intelligent now. I'm sorry", she collected herself while Kyoko resumed consumption. "There is something happening in the Cages, and judging from the fact that currently, my Core is being exposed and probed… I assume we did draw attention with the recent events."
Kyoko's expression, quite cheerful until now, turned dark. "You mean, with my freak-out and brutal remodelling of your garden?" she asked in a half half-brooding, half-bitter voice.
Yui sighed softly. "Soryu", she started, then paused. "Garden, or actually the forest, can be fixed. You survived, I survived, we are fine. Judging from doctor Akagi's face and apparent mood, she didn't find much from poking and prodding your Core. It stands to reason that the readings were rather flat when you were asleep."
Kyoko nodded, not sure what to say. She took another bite.
"So, I think this time, we got lucky. It could've been much worse" Yui continued. "And for what it is worth… I am sorry", Yui finished, looking Kyoko straight in the eye.
Kyoko blinked. "For… what?" she asked, confusion in her voice.
Yui shook her head. "I… For misunderstanding. For almost getting you killed. For causing this… attention", she replied in almost a whisper.
'She's not saying everything she wants to…' Kyoko realised. She was no expert on psychology, but it seemed clear even to her. 'Maybe if I poke a bit…'
She stopped herself just before reaching to Yui, reminding herself there was a scientist with some quite sensitive equipment right at Yui's Core; any emotional spike could arouse suspicion and cause serious damage.
"Apology… accepted, Ikari. Even if I insist there is nothing to be sorry for."
Yui smiled. "Thank you", she replied in a soft voice and reached for the teapot.
"Tea?"
"With pleasure."
***
The diagnostic sequence on Unit-01 took far too long for Ritsuko's taste. Of course, this was objectively incorrect – the sequences took a fixed amount of time, barring minor variances – but subjectively it felt like an eternity.
She was doing her best not to fall asleep – a chance of another nightmare was too great. Not that staying awake was much better – Ritsuko was quickly becoming aware how thin the veneer of rationalism she clung to was.
Purely on the rational level, she knew all the creaks she heard were countless metal joints contracting and relaxing from temperature changes. She was aware the soft rattles coming from air ducts were most likely sounds of maintenance crews, amplified by the system – or some small animal that has strayed into the facility and tried to find its way out. She could tell that a hiss that doubled her heart rate for a few seconds and made her feel really stupid came from a routine pressure reduction in Cage frame mobility system.
Purely on the rational level, her mind could tell that. But this was not a time or place where the rational part of her mind reigned supreme. The barely lit room was ominous, and every sound could be a threat. Her lizard brain was screaming at her to run. The fact that she felt watched by Unit-01, against all logic, against all she knew about this slumbering giant – did not help.
She welcomed the final beep of the sequence with a loud sigh; the fact that nothing was found was welcomed with a mix of subdued anger at herself and deep relief. Disconnecting the equipment and re-armouring she did in record time. After a few minutes, the silent sound of the cart tires was indicating Ritsuko's departure.
Unit-01 would smile if she would be able to. Its soul certainly felt like it.
================================================================
And the intertwined plotline continues. Ritsuko is taking increasing amount of screen time, but for better or worse, this is not going to last.
You might have noticed this one does not have a chapter name. This is intentional - due to certain shifts in plot, the current title of chapter V does not make much sense and will likely be used for Chapter VI. Once I manage to get plot in order, I will adjust the titles. Titles have been adjusted to "Face your fears".
================================================================
Chapter 5., part 3. - Face your fears
It was 3:24. Doctor Ritsuko Akagi just finished debugging the last script she intended to process the battle data with. She ran the final check on the test data, sighed contently when the results came back passable, and uploaded the code to the mainframe. Few typed commands later, the script was running, its output redirected to a file; with the mainframe's processing power, all the scripts should provide result by noon.
She stretched and yawned. The final part of the work was done on pure determination, as she ran out of the coffee an hour ago. All she wanted now was to go to bed. She even entertained a thought of sleeping in a bit and late in the morning.
Reaching the door, she turned the lights off and took the last look at the room's screens; she was perfectly familiar with each single of them, able to notice most details at a glance even when tired or distracted. And yet, she stood in the doorway for a good few seconds before a short, loud curse cut the air as she rushed to the Cages monitoring station.
***
An eternity passed from Kyoko's perspective. The hand holding her own and burning her skin, the softest touch cleaning her wound, the sudden peace of the forest – she clung to all of this for relief, for assurance. It almost worked.
"Soryu…" a soft voice came in the darkness, a familiar voice, a caring voice. "Can you hear me? Can you understand me?"
Her eyes were still closed, and she had difficulty speaking up, as if some force was holding her lips shut. But she could nod.
"Good" the voice was focused. "I… Can you rise? Sit?"
An outside listener would have easily noticed that the calm in Yui's voice sounded forced. But Kyoko was in no condition to make that observation; she was focused on her own state. She pondered her condition for a moment. She was not exactly in pain, she merely felt dizzy, a little bit exhausted, more than a bit stupid – and somewhat sore. Therefore, she saw no reason not to try to sit up.
The sudden increase in dizziness, not to mention amount of effort this simple step took made her realise that this was not the best idea: she was exhausted far more than just a little bit. The only thing that stopped her from falling back was the supporting arm at her back. "I… I-Ikari… I'm not…" she managed to stutter out in a strange, husky voice.
Something touched her lips, something cold and wet. It took her a moment of frozen bewilderment to realise this was water. Cold, wonderfully tasting liquid filled her mouth; she knew that drinking greedily would end badly, but she could not stop herself. Few coughs and gasps later, she managed to actually drink.
"You'll be fine, I promise. Take your time, and when you're ready, I'll take you home" Yui's soft and calming voice kept talking from the darkness.
She rolled the idea in her head. "Home…"
***
The high activity alerts were still there, waiting for someone's attention, silent as they were for the last three hours. Ritsuko suddenly felt very cold – the facts were quickly burning paths in her consciousness: she just missed something serious about Evangelions, and possibly even dangerous. She has just made a very basic mistake, a mistake that would certainly be a firing offence in her team.
Her first thought was to erase any trace of the alarms – she was MAGI's admin, she knew the system intimately, she could do it. This thought was followed by several other: the logical 'to do that would mean losing the information', the emotional 'that's coward's thinking', the pragmatic 'if this stays on the record, Commander may have my head', and socially-motivated 'and I will never be able to keep my own in line'. As those thoughts raced, a calm voice of the reason told her to act with accord with the scientific method: gather more information and make an informed choice based on the results. The morning shift did not start in two and half an hour: plenty of time to decide and execute the decision.
As a woman of science and reason, she listened to that voice; she decided to investigate, by herself, in the middle of the night, in the dark Cages that held the most horrifying creatures that humanity has ever created. After all, there was nothing to fear there. The monsters were asleep.
***
The sun was slowly setting over the mansion, still visible over the treeline, but close to sinking beneath it. Two silhouettes were visible on a path that looked like a creation of an insane garden designer who somehow managed to force the trees to grow against their nature – far too close, their branches intertwined, their coronas tangled. From a distance, the two figures looked normal in comparison: two ladies taking a casual stroll.
But if the observing party came closer, a slightly different image would be painted. They indeed were walking with their arms locked, but this was only to prevent one of them from falling. Their dresses also left a lot to wish for in terms of their condition: one had hers soiled with earth and some blood – and the other had her nearly destroyed, and what was left of it was bloody and dirty. They were walking carefully, step by step, trying their best not to make any sudden movements.
Kyoko was aware of the world around her once again; the moment she decided it is a good idea to open her eyes, she saw Yui's face – focused, worried, with her lips tight. This expression was quickly replaced by a small smile. Kyoko did her best to reply in kind.
They took to the path Kyoko created, trying to ignore the damage she caused. After a while, Kyoko began to perceive the silence as increasingly awkward, unpleasant, unwanted.
"Ikari…" Kyoko began, her voice husky. She cleared her throat. "I… I was wondering about a thing", she managed when they were close to the end of the forest.
"Mm? What is it?"
"This", she pointed out to a bird feeder that stood just between the first trees, barely visible from the grass field. "I thought it was some glitch when I came here today, and I wanted to ask you about it, but then…" she paused with a sigh. "Then things started to happen. Why is it here… and why are cookies in it?"
Yui stopped. In a corner of her eye, Kyoko noticed her ears turning red. Suddenly, she felt guilty for some unfathomable reason.
"Soryu… I'll explain later. I promise. Now, let's get home and get us- get you settled down. I'm afraid things may get worse if we don't."
Kyoko blinked for a moment, then relented, too tired to press on. "Of course, Ikari", she smiled weakly.
She missed the discreet sigh of relief.
***
Ritsuko Akagi entered the Cages pushing the hastily-assembled cart of monitoring equipment. She was aware that without her kouhai to assist her, this was going to be an arduous task – but this could not wait until Maya's arrival, not if she wanted to have answers for the Commander in the morning. And she was sure he would learn sooner or later if she did not erase the records meticulously.
The Cages were dark, as usual. Lighting such space all the time would be expensive, after all, and very little happened here outside experiments, maintenance, and combat deployments. Only sources of light were the red and orange lines, designed to mark the potentially dangerous spots.
'If they were to be truthful, the whole room should be glowing a megawatt orange light from all walls', a bitter thought struck her. 'We treat those beasts as they were our tanks, our battle machines, while in truth, they are alien gods, half-lobotomised and held on a tight leash. Gods help us if they ever awake from their slumber and learn how to bite that leash off…'
She approached Unit-02 and began to unload her equipment. In the heavy, cold silence that permeated the Cages, another whispered curse cut the air: the readings were back to normal. Whatever anomaly caused it was most likely long gone, a chance to investigate it missed.
'I don't know what I was counting on', she sighed, exposing more of the core and attaching additional equipment. The initial readings confirmed the preliminary scan: the monster was asleep. Whatever nightmare plagued it was over; it seemed even more docile than usual.
Ritsuko started a pre-programmed diagnostic cycle and sat on the ground with a heavy sigh, her back against the Unit-02 foot. 'I could use a cigarette now', she sighed, realising she left the pack on the desk and at the same time feeling the adrenaline rush from the alerts release its grasp on her. As it receded, weariness was the only thing that remained.
The diagnostic system kept beeping softly, signalling successive steps on the checklist; it calmed her, somewhat, as a familiar sound should. Ritsuko closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
***
Kyoko Soryu was comfortable; she was lying on a soft surface, dressed in simple and comfortable clothing, covered by a warm blanket that smelled of freshness. She was dimly aware of what situation brought her here, but it all seemed rather distant. She was aware there were decisions to make, problems to solve, battles to fight… but it did not matter at the moment. The ceiling was not very familiar, but it was in a familiar style, a style used by the place she was slowly coming to think of as home. Familiar, homely sounds of clanking cutlery reached her. 'Must be Ikari… did she arrange all this?' she pondered. 'If so, I wonder why does she care about me so much…'
She smiled to herself. Whatever the reason, it felt good.
***
Indistinct shapes coalesce in the darkness. She is running, but she cannot tell where to… or what from. The stairs, endless stairs, steps, doors, stairs, hallways, stairs…
It is getting darker and darker, she can barely make out what is in front of her. Suddenly, she notices the floor ending abruptly, she hits a waist-high barrier. In the darkness before her, two pairs of green eyes light up.
***
A sudden jolt brought Ritsuko Akagi to consciousness; her heart was racing and her mind was confused. It took her a few long seconds to realise she was still in the Cages. She blinked the sleep away, rose groggily, and gazed at the diagnostic system. Automated diagnosis sequence confirmed previous two scans: there was nothing going on inside: the monster was sleeping a dreamless sleep. Reminding herself of the last shreds of the dream, she looked up; the head of Unit-02 loomed in the darkness, inactive, its eyes perfectly dark. She shivered, half from the memory, half from the actual cold. There was little reason to keep the Cages heated.
She knew she should change the connections and run another sequence, and then another, and then another… all this to perform a full diagnostic, to make sure there was nothing left. Then, move to Unit-01 and do the same. Then, to be sure and get some measure of baseline readings, move to Unit-00 and…
She shook her head tiredly and disconnected the wiring from the Core. Restoring its shielding followed several minutes later. The single sequence would have to do – after all, her only real chance to observe the anomaly was lost. She gritted her teeth once more.
Once the whole diagnostic equipment was back in the cart, she pushed it to the neighbouring Cage. Unit-01 awaited her attention.
***
"Hello Soryu, welcome among the living once more", Yui Ikari entered the living room with a tray filled with food – pound cake, toast, butter, and eggs suddenly made Kyoko realise she was still feeling a little weak – and certainly hungry. The internal doubts on how was that possible when she was a soul embodied in a giant alien cyborg were shoved aside once more in face of a possible feast. She smiled at Yui and rose from her bed. A half-conscious check – and a look down – reassured her she was decent enough for the occasion. Having removed the worry about scandalising her host from her mind, she rushed to the table.
Yui set the tray down between them. "I am happy to see you better, Soryu" she spoke up, smiling a soft smile. "I was… worried yesterday."
Kyoko blinked. "Yesterday? Was I…"
Yui shook her head. "Metaphorically. Day/night cycle, just as time here, is just part of the mindscape. I let your local body rest… while your actual body was poked and prodded."
Kyoko stopped chewing on a delicious toast and stared at Yui with a confused expression. Yui chuckled, prompting a slightly hurt look from Kyoko.
"I'm sorry", Yui said in an amused voice. "You don't look very… intelligent now. I'm sorry", she collected herself while Kyoko resumed consumption. "There is something happening in the Cages, and judging from the fact that currently, my Core is being exposed and probed… I assume we did draw attention with the recent events."
Kyoko's expression, quite cheerful until now, turned dark. "You mean, with my freak-out and brutal remodelling of your garden?" she asked in a half half-brooding, half-bitter voice.
Yui sighed softly. "Soryu", she started, then paused. "Garden, or actually the forest, can be fixed. You survived, I survived, we are fine. Judging from doctor Akagi's face and apparent mood, she didn't find much from poking and prodding your Core. It stands to reason that the readings were rather flat when you were asleep."
Kyoko nodded, not sure what to say. She took another bite.
"So, I think this time, we got lucky. It could've been much worse" Yui continued. "And for what it is worth… I am sorry", Yui finished, looking Kyoko straight in the eye.
Kyoko blinked. "For… what?" she asked, confusion in her voice.
Yui shook her head. "I… For misunderstanding. For almost getting you killed. For causing this… attention", she replied in almost a whisper.
'She's not saying everything she wants to…' Kyoko realised. She was no expert on psychology, but it seemed clear even to her. 'Maybe if I poke a bit…'
She stopped herself just before reaching to Yui, reminding herself there was a scientist with some quite sensitive equipment right at Yui's Core; any emotional spike could arouse suspicion and cause serious damage.
"Apology… accepted, Ikari. Even if I insist there is nothing to be sorry for."
Yui smiled. "Thank you", she replied in a soft voice and reached for the teapot.
"Tea?"
"With pleasure."
***
The diagnostic sequence on Unit-01 took far too long for Ritsuko's taste. Of course, this was objectively incorrect – the sequences took a fixed amount of time, barring minor variances – but subjectively it felt like an eternity.
She was doing her best not to fall asleep – a chance of another nightmare was too great. Not that staying awake was much better – Ritsuko was quickly becoming aware how thin the veneer of rationalism she clung to was.
Purely on the rational level, she knew all the creaks she heard were countless metal joints contracting and relaxing from temperature changes. She was aware the soft rattles coming from air ducts were most likely sounds of maintenance crews, amplified by the system – or some small animal that has strayed into the facility and tried to find its way out. She could tell that a hiss that doubled her heart rate for a few seconds and made her feel really stupid came from a routine pressure reduction in Cage frame mobility system.
Purely on the rational level, her mind could tell that. But this was not a time or place where the rational part of her mind reigned supreme. The barely lit room was ominous, and every sound could be a threat. Her lizard brain was screaming at her to run. The fact that she felt watched by Unit-01, against all logic, against all she knew about this slumbering giant – did not help.
She welcomed the final beep of the sequence with a loud sigh; the fact that nothing was found was welcomed with a mix of subdued anger at herself and deep relief. Disconnecting the equipment and re-armouring she did in record time. After a few minutes, the silent sound of the cart tires was indicating Ritsuko's departure.
Unit-01 would smile if she would be able to. Its soul certainly felt like it.
================================================================
And the intertwined plotline continues. Ritsuko is taking increasing amount of screen time, but for better or worse, this is not going to last.
Last edited:
Chapter 5.4.
- Location
- On a powder keg, next to a fire
The day of Kyoko Zeppelin Soryu continues. The day of Doctor Akagi as well, even if she would likely wish it did not.
================================================================
Chapter 5., part 4. - Face your fears
"You're quite happy, considering the circumstances, Ikari", Kyoko remarked while cracking a soft-boiled egg open. "Not that I mind, of course, just wondering why."
"Ah", Yui smiled. "I think we'll have… less visits from our dear Dr Akagi from now on. I think she might even develop a minor phobia regarding our bodies."
Kyoko blinked, silver spoon in her hand. "What?"
"Never mind", Yui smile widened as she reached for the pound cake. "The inspection is over and wasn't even a full diagnostic cycle. I wonder what she will tell my widower in the morning", she chuckled.
Kyoko frowned, then shook her head. "Ikari… hearing you call him 'your widower' is still strange."
"Well… it's not a label people use under normal circumstances, of course, but I find it the most fitting. After all, I am sort-of dead, thus he is sort-of widowed. I know, I know, he used to talk to me, but many people monologue at their loved ones' graves, right?" Yui finished with a smile that was slightly out of place considering the subject.
"Well… if you put it that way…" Kyoko chuckled.
***
It was 5:45 when Ritsuko Akagi finished acting on the information she collected. It took her less than an hour to collect the – incomplete, but still useful – data from Unit-02 and Unit-01. Using them to confirm nothing was happening anymore took mere minutes. But making a decision was not that quick, nor was it painless.
She did purge the logs, only to restore them from a manual backup she made. She was half-way in ensuring she restored it correctly when she decided to purge them again. And restore them once more. Then, she took a ten-minute break to scream internally. Then, she purged the logs once more and took another ten-minutes pause to berate herself her own lack of spine.
Then she restored them again, before taking a final pause, rationalising that admitting this error would benefit absolutely no one and she has to keep it silent for the good of the project. Then, she deleted the manual backup and combed the system logs properly for the records in both primary and the control logs, erased every single indicator and replaced them with ALL NORMAL indicators in appropriate intervals, with timestamps that had millisecond lags appropriate to the time of the day. The records that indicated that alerts were silenced disappeared as well.
The diagnostic equipment was simpler, and thus quicker, to take care of – she simply deleted the most recent session from them without ever connecting them to MAGI; those things did not have redundant storage.
Once done, she left a note to her staff, informing them that she will be coming to the work late tomorrow due to specific circumstances concerning the MAGI; after all she had done, this was not even a lie. At the end of the note, she added a request not to wake her unless there was an Angel attack. The fact that the note had a MAGI-confirmed timestamp of 5:53 added to its believability.
Back in her NERV-provided apartment, Ritsuko Akagi was silencing the gnawing of her conscience with a heavy dose of liquor. She was dimly aware that drinking a 12-year old whisky just to get drunk was wasteful, but this was the least of her sins and errors today.
She was glad her apartment was soundproofed. Otherwise, someone could get an impression Geofront really was haunted.
***
Kyoko smiled at her reflection. One thing she learned to influence without much problem was her attire – it was simple enough, and she had some idea how tailoring worked – contrary to, for example, how exactly a forest should act.
This is why the task she was presented mere minutes later, a deceptively simple one, felt somehow daunting.
"I am to do… what?" she asked, a hint of panic in her voice.
"Move the trees back where they belong. More or less, of course, this is not an exercise in minute precision", Yui smiled at her.
They were back in the spot where yesterday chase began, at the treeline. A path of forcibly moved trees started nearby, an unpleasant reminder of her loss of control.
"Are you sure this is safe?" she inquired.
Yui sighed. "Soryu, there is nothing you should worry about. If something goes wrong, don't panic, I will correct it."
"Should we not be looking for a way to… fix my… problem?" she tried.
"We will", Yui replied with angelic patience. "But to do that, I must make sure your control over the environment is sufficient in a normal emotional state as well", she sighed. "I promise you, once we are done here – and no, I am not going to make you fix the whole path, this is not a punishment, this is an exercise – I will tell you how we may try to fix you. Trust me. Please." The last word was almost a whisper.
Kyoko nodded, lacking a counterargument to such a request. She took a few steps towards the shifted trees. 'I did this effortlessly last time. How hard can it be?' she pondered and focused on the trees.
***
It was 11:30 in the NERV HQ. The day was as any other, except some people wondered why Doctor Ritsuko Akagi was absent. Those that dared to ask questions were pointed to the note Ritsuko left and list of processes user akagir left running on the MAGI.
Nothing unusual was happening, and the lack of their superior – not to mention absence of Commander Ikari – was causing a surprisingly relaxed atmosphere.
This came to an abrupt end when seismic alerts indicated something happening south of India.
***
Yui Ikari slowly opened one eye. She expected to see a wide range of things, starting with 'no change' to 'massive conglomeration of trees with Soryu's body embedded in them'. What she did not expect was to see a tree moved to the middle of the path and Kyoko slowly circling it, as if looking for something.
"Soryu?" she probed.
"Ah. Yes", Kyoko snapped back. "I think it worked. I'm not sure it's the right spot, though."
Yui blinked. "No matter, it's not a… garden design… can you reproduce that result?" she inquired, interest clear in her voice.
"I… believe so. But please stand back. I'd rather not hit you in the face with a tree", Kyoko smiled.
A blush crept up Yui's face. She could not find a reply to that, so she just took a step back, keeping her eyes open this time.
Kyoko was focusing visibly, but no tree moved for a full minute. Yui closed her eyes and sighed deeply. This was not going well, to her regret.
"Finally, this one was far harder", she heard Kyoko's voice.
Yui's eyes shot open. Another tree was indeed in its correct place. A strange thought appeared in her mind.
"Soryu. I want to test a hypothesis. Could you start moving the trees, once you succeed, move to the next one, until I ask you to stop?"
Kyoko blinked. "Sure… but if I drop of exhaustion, I am counting on your soft hand in caring for me", she requested with a smile.
Yui's blush returned. Fortunately for her, Kyoko has already turned her attention back to the task at hand. Yui shook her head. It was time to test her hypothesis. She focused on the trees.
Nothing moved. She closed her eyes, counted to ten, and reopened them.
Two trees were in different places. She counted to ten again, while nothing moved, and then closed them once more.
When she opened them about a minute later, far more trees were in place, but Kyoko was leaning against one of them.
"Soryu, are you all right?" she rushed to her.
"Yes…" she replied with heavy breath. "Just winded. This takes more out of me than I thought. I guess you're more… experienced, or it's just the result of this being your place", she commented between breaths.
Yui shook her head. "It took me countless days to create all this, you know. You can stop now, I know all I need to know about your abilities. And I think this changes my idea a little bit."
Kyoko looked at her quizzically. "Could you elaborate?"
"Over tea and crumpets, all right?"
"No protest from me here", Kyoko smiled.
***
"Now that's just ridiculous", Misato Katsuragi added, staring at the screen presenting a large, three-eyed shape in orbit. "Where's Ritsuko? I could use her expertise here."
"She requested not to be disturbed unless there is an Angel attack, ma'am", Hyuga reported.
"I don't know about you, but I think this condition has been fulfilled…" Misato replied in a dry voice, her eyes still glued to the screen. Hyuga nodded sheepishly and rushed to the intercom station.
"Closing on target", a report came in.
Seconds later, two of the observation satellites turned to shreds.
***
Yui Ikari poured the tea and handed the cup to her guest. This term was slowly starting to become inaccurate, of course, as Kyoko spent far more time in Unit-01 than in her own… but Yui preferred not to think about it too much.
"And now, Soryu, please describe everything you experienced in your Unit. I must have a complete image before I suggest something that might very well result in your demise. Take your time, I know this is not an easy subject."
Kyoko winced at the memories that were evoked by the first thought about what was inside Unit-02. "Yes, Ikari, of course. I will try my best." She took a deep breath. "It began soon after you sent me back the first time after we met…"
***
Ritsuko Akagi stumbled in the doorway leading to the command centre. The lights were definitely too bright, and the sounds were positively murderous.
"Akagi-sempai, are you all right?" Maya noticed her and rushed to aid her.
"I'm fin-I'm fine, don't worry", she replied in a weak voice.
"Sempai, you sleep far too little", Maya whispered in a disapproving voice. "You-"
"I look like shit, I know", Ritsuko replied acidly. "What's going on?"
"I-" Maya stammered.
"Report", Ritsuko cut Maya's reply attempt.
"An Angel has appeared above the Indian Ocean and is dropping… things… on the surface. And it's coming closer." Misato interjected, turning towards Ritsuko. A moment of surprise on Misato's face, followed by the short visage of anger, followed by a perfectly professional mask of composure told Ritsuko everything she needed to know about her own appearance – and scale of her failure.
'Great. I wonder what else will go wrong today' was her last thought before she focused on the situation at hand.
***
Yui Ikari contemplated what she just heard in silence.
"So, there is another… presence, perhaps another soul in your Unit", she finally concluded.
Kyoko nodded, her face still focused. "It is certainly a presence; it speaks my voice, and it looks like me, but this could be just a projection, a reflection. I'm not sure about it being a soul. I'm here, aren't I? Or maybe… Could it be that my Contact Experiment, well, cloned my soul somehow?"
Yui shook her head. "As far as I know, souls cannot be cloned, at least not easily. Just as you cannot accidentally clone a human or an Evangelion, right? Even if you leave a growing cell cluster in a nourishing solution, without proper guidance and added stimuli it will just grow into a useless lump of flesh. Cloning is a complex, unnatural and thus difficult process. No. Whatever it is, it might have simply taken a semblance of you, it might be a doppelgänger of sorts. But why, and how, this is beyond me."
"Could it be some shard, a piece of my mind? I'm not a psychologist, but could it be a form of… schizophrenia?"
"Multiple personalities, if we'd be talking actual mental illness", Yui corrected. "But I find this unlikely. Unless it was you, and you just don't remember being here yesterday."
Kyoko shook her head. "I know people can experience a blackout like that, but I don't think there is anything that would trigger it… on the other hand… I don't know, Ikari. I really don't know", she sighed. "I'm sorry."
She felt a touch on her hand again. "Soryu. I said I will help you, and I will. Now. We are both scientists, right?" Kyoko nodded in reply; Yui continued. "And this is a problem to solve. It does not matter that it is essentially supernatural – metaphysical biology made supernatural measurable and quantifiable… more or less. So, what do we do?" she smiled.
Kyoko blinked. "We approach it in a scientific way. Is that what you have in mind?"
Yui smile grew wider. "Yes."
"All right. So… what is your plan?" Kyoko inquired. For a moment, there was no answer. "Ikari?"
"Something is going out outside. Please give me a moment" Yui replied in absent voice and closed her eyes. She did not notice Kyoko's face turning pale.
================================================================
The canon regarding things happening on the outside of Evas begins to slowly buckle. This is a long chapter, but I have a plan to wrap it up in the next update.
================================================================
Chapter 5., part 4. - Face your fears
"You're quite happy, considering the circumstances, Ikari", Kyoko remarked while cracking a soft-boiled egg open. "Not that I mind, of course, just wondering why."
"Ah", Yui smiled. "I think we'll have… less visits from our dear Dr Akagi from now on. I think she might even develop a minor phobia regarding our bodies."
Kyoko blinked, silver spoon in her hand. "What?"
"Never mind", Yui smile widened as she reached for the pound cake. "The inspection is over and wasn't even a full diagnostic cycle. I wonder what she will tell my widower in the morning", she chuckled.
Kyoko frowned, then shook her head. "Ikari… hearing you call him 'your widower' is still strange."
"Well… it's not a label people use under normal circumstances, of course, but I find it the most fitting. After all, I am sort-of dead, thus he is sort-of widowed. I know, I know, he used to talk to me, but many people monologue at their loved ones' graves, right?" Yui finished with a smile that was slightly out of place considering the subject.
"Well… if you put it that way…" Kyoko chuckled.
***
It was 5:45 when Ritsuko Akagi finished acting on the information she collected. It took her less than an hour to collect the – incomplete, but still useful – data from Unit-02 and Unit-01. Using them to confirm nothing was happening anymore took mere minutes. But making a decision was not that quick, nor was it painless.
She did purge the logs, only to restore them from a manual backup she made. She was half-way in ensuring she restored it correctly when she decided to purge them again. And restore them once more. Then, she took a ten-minute break to scream internally. Then, she purged the logs once more and took another ten-minutes pause to berate herself her own lack of spine.
Then she restored them again, before taking a final pause, rationalising that admitting this error would benefit absolutely no one and she has to keep it silent for the good of the project. Then, she deleted the manual backup and combed the system logs properly for the records in both primary and the control logs, erased every single indicator and replaced them with ALL NORMAL indicators in appropriate intervals, with timestamps that had millisecond lags appropriate to the time of the day. The records that indicated that alerts were silenced disappeared as well.
The diagnostic equipment was simpler, and thus quicker, to take care of – she simply deleted the most recent session from them without ever connecting them to MAGI; those things did not have redundant storage.
Once done, she left a note to her staff, informing them that she will be coming to the work late tomorrow due to specific circumstances concerning the MAGI; after all she had done, this was not even a lie. At the end of the note, she added a request not to wake her unless there was an Angel attack. The fact that the note had a MAGI-confirmed timestamp of 5:53 added to its believability.
Back in her NERV-provided apartment, Ritsuko Akagi was silencing the gnawing of her conscience with a heavy dose of liquor. She was dimly aware that drinking a 12-year old whisky just to get drunk was wasteful, but this was the least of her sins and errors today.
She was glad her apartment was soundproofed. Otherwise, someone could get an impression Geofront really was haunted.
***
Kyoko smiled at her reflection. One thing she learned to influence without much problem was her attire – it was simple enough, and she had some idea how tailoring worked – contrary to, for example, how exactly a forest should act.
This is why the task she was presented mere minutes later, a deceptively simple one, felt somehow daunting.
"I am to do… what?" she asked, a hint of panic in her voice.
"Move the trees back where they belong. More or less, of course, this is not an exercise in minute precision", Yui smiled at her.
They were back in the spot where yesterday chase began, at the treeline. A path of forcibly moved trees started nearby, an unpleasant reminder of her loss of control.
"Are you sure this is safe?" she inquired.
Yui sighed. "Soryu, there is nothing you should worry about. If something goes wrong, don't panic, I will correct it."
"Should we not be looking for a way to… fix my… problem?" she tried.
"We will", Yui replied with angelic patience. "But to do that, I must make sure your control over the environment is sufficient in a normal emotional state as well", she sighed. "I promise you, once we are done here – and no, I am not going to make you fix the whole path, this is not a punishment, this is an exercise – I will tell you how we may try to fix you. Trust me. Please." The last word was almost a whisper.
Kyoko nodded, lacking a counterargument to such a request. She took a few steps towards the shifted trees. 'I did this effortlessly last time. How hard can it be?' she pondered and focused on the trees.
***
It was 11:30 in the NERV HQ. The day was as any other, except some people wondered why Doctor Ritsuko Akagi was absent. Those that dared to ask questions were pointed to the note Ritsuko left and list of processes user akagir left running on the MAGI.
Nothing unusual was happening, and the lack of their superior – not to mention absence of Commander Ikari – was causing a surprisingly relaxed atmosphere.
This came to an abrupt end when seismic alerts indicated something happening south of India.
***
Yui Ikari slowly opened one eye. She expected to see a wide range of things, starting with 'no change' to 'massive conglomeration of trees with Soryu's body embedded in them'. What she did not expect was to see a tree moved to the middle of the path and Kyoko slowly circling it, as if looking for something.
"Soryu?" she probed.
"Ah. Yes", Kyoko snapped back. "I think it worked. I'm not sure it's the right spot, though."
Yui blinked. "No matter, it's not a… garden design… can you reproduce that result?" she inquired, interest clear in her voice.
"I… believe so. But please stand back. I'd rather not hit you in the face with a tree", Kyoko smiled.
A blush crept up Yui's face. She could not find a reply to that, so she just took a step back, keeping her eyes open this time.
Kyoko was focusing visibly, but no tree moved for a full minute. Yui closed her eyes and sighed deeply. This was not going well, to her regret.
"Finally, this one was far harder", she heard Kyoko's voice.
Yui's eyes shot open. Another tree was indeed in its correct place. A strange thought appeared in her mind.
"Soryu. I want to test a hypothesis. Could you start moving the trees, once you succeed, move to the next one, until I ask you to stop?"
Kyoko blinked. "Sure… but if I drop of exhaustion, I am counting on your soft hand in caring for me", she requested with a smile.
Yui's blush returned. Fortunately for her, Kyoko has already turned her attention back to the task at hand. Yui shook her head. It was time to test her hypothesis. She focused on the trees.
Nothing moved. She closed her eyes, counted to ten, and reopened them.
Two trees were in different places. She counted to ten again, while nothing moved, and then closed them once more.
When she opened them about a minute later, far more trees were in place, but Kyoko was leaning against one of them.
"Soryu, are you all right?" she rushed to her.
"Yes…" she replied with heavy breath. "Just winded. This takes more out of me than I thought. I guess you're more… experienced, or it's just the result of this being your place", she commented between breaths.
Yui shook her head. "It took me countless days to create all this, you know. You can stop now, I know all I need to know about your abilities. And I think this changes my idea a little bit."
Kyoko looked at her quizzically. "Could you elaborate?"
"Over tea and crumpets, all right?"
"No protest from me here", Kyoko smiled.
***
"Now that's just ridiculous", Misato Katsuragi added, staring at the screen presenting a large, three-eyed shape in orbit. "Where's Ritsuko? I could use her expertise here."
"She requested not to be disturbed unless there is an Angel attack, ma'am", Hyuga reported.
"I don't know about you, but I think this condition has been fulfilled…" Misato replied in a dry voice, her eyes still glued to the screen. Hyuga nodded sheepishly and rushed to the intercom station.
"Closing on target", a report came in.
Seconds later, two of the observation satellites turned to shreds.
***
Yui Ikari poured the tea and handed the cup to her guest. This term was slowly starting to become inaccurate, of course, as Kyoko spent far more time in Unit-01 than in her own… but Yui preferred not to think about it too much.
"And now, Soryu, please describe everything you experienced in your Unit. I must have a complete image before I suggest something that might very well result in your demise. Take your time, I know this is not an easy subject."
Kyoko winced at the memories that were evoked by the first thought about what was inside Unit-02. "Yes, Ikari, of course. I will try my best." She took a deep breath. "It began soon after you sent me back the first time after we met…"
***
Ritsuko Akagi stumbled in the doorway leading to the command centre. The lights were definitely too bright, and the sounds were positively murderous.
"Akagi-sempai, are you all right?" Maya noticed her and rushed to aid her.
"I'm fin-I'm fine, don't worry", she replied in a weak voice.
"Sempai, you sleep far too little", Maya whispered in a disapproving voice. "You-"
"I look like shit, I know", Ritsuko replied acidly. "What's going on?"
"I-" Maya stammered.
"Report", Ritsuko cut Maya's reply attempt.
"An Angel has appeared above the Indian Ocean and is dropping… things… on the surface. And it's coming closer." Misato interjected, turning towards Ritsuko. A moment of surprise on Misato's face, followed by the short visage of anger, followed by a perfectly professional mask of composure told Ritsuko everything she needed to know about her own appearance – and scale of her failure.
'Great. I wonder what else will go wrong today' was her last thought before she focused on the situation at hand.
***
Yui Ikari contemplated what she just heard in silence.
"So, there is another… presence, perhaps another soul in your Unit", she finally concluded.
Kyoko nodded, her face still focused. "It is certainly a presence; it speaks my voice, and it looks like me, but this could be just a projection, a reflection. I'm not sure about it being a soul. I'm here, aren't I? Or maybe… Could it be that my Contact Experiment, well, cloned my soul somehow?"
Yui shook her head. "As far as I know, souls cannot be cloned, at least not easily. Just as you cannot accidentally clone a human or an Evangelion, right? Even if you leave a growing cell cluster in a nourishing solution, without proper guidance and added stimuli it will just grow into a useless lump of flesh. Cloning is a complex, unnatural and thus difficult process. No. Whatever it is, it might have simply taken a semblance of you, it might be a doppelgänger of sorts. But why, and how, this is beyond me."
"Could it be some shard, a piece of my mind? I'm not a psychologist, but could it be a form of… schizophrenia?"
"Multiple personalities, if we'd be talking actual mental illness", Yui corrected. "But I find this unlikely. Unless it was you, and you just don't remember being here yesterday."
Kyoko shook her head. "I know people can experience a blackout like that, but I don't think there is anything that would trigger it… on the other hand… I don't know, Ikari. I really don't know", she sighed. "I'm sorry."
She felt a touch on her hand again. "Soryu. I said I will help you, and I will. Now. We are both scientists, right?" Kyoko nodded in reply; Yui continued. "And this is a problem to solve. It does not matter that it is essentially supernatural – metaphysical biology made supernatural measurable and quantifiable… more or less. So, what do we do?" she smiled.
Kyoko blinked. "We approach it in a scientific way. Is that what you have in mind?"
Yui smile grew wider. "Yes."
"All right. So… what is your plan?" Kyoko inquired. For a moment, there was no answer. "Ikari?"
"Something is going out outside. Please give me a moment" Yui replied in absent voice and closed her eyes. She did not notice Kyoko's face turning pale.
================================================================
The canon regarding things happening on the outside of Evas begins to slowly buckle. This is a long chapter, but I have a plan to wrap it up in the next update.
Last edited:
- Location
- Surrey
Kyoko: What did he, well, 'talk' to you about anyway? Did he come to you to air his thoughts and secret grievances?
Yui: No, 90% of it was him yelling, and I quote: "YYYYYUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII". along with a lot of drunken sobbing.
Kyoko: ...oh.
- Location
- On a powder keg, next to a fire
Well...
Dramatic exaggeration aside, you're not that far from mark when it comes to content. Those monologues do not build confidence.
As the initial PoV was Kyoko only, I did not include any of the monologues that took place during the story. Considering that both PoV expands and Yui starts to trust Kyoko more now, I am tempted to do so once Gendo returns from Antarctica and matters begin to get harder.
I can already image both Yui and Kyoko listening while munching on popcorn.
Or not, this would be too cruel thing to do, even to Gendo.
- Location
- National Capital Region, USA
I'm going to bet Ritsuko has more than a few nightmares along those lines already.
You know too much about them to sleep easily, eh Ritsuko? And called it on the nightmares.
Ahahaha, Yui, you bitch...
Well, we already know that in her absence, under the mask Gendo is just utterly broken and desperate. Without Yui, there is no light in the world, and he will destroy anything he has to to get her back. So... I can't imagine his unfiltered rambling to her is anything but deeply unsettling pain and moaning.
- Location
- On a powder keg, next to a fire
Considering that Evangelions are essentially Lovecraftian Eldritch Abominations (or at least their children, which I guess also means abominations), anyone who knows about them as much as Ritsuko does must either be psychopathic (in the medical sense), medicated (alcohol counts as self-medication), or already insane. I guess Kyoko and Yui should have issues with Evas too... on the other hand, they are the things, not to mention it'd be difficult to depict in-story without their issues with Evas being monsters being the main focus of it.
Frankly, I am still wondering whether showing on of his monologues "on screen" would make sense here - it'd be most likely difficult to make it convincing and realistic without painting him horribly OOC to the reader (as canon Gendo does not break down except at the very end).
Chapter 5.5.
- Location
- On a powder keg, next to a fire
This day, the sky falls on Kyoko's Zeppelin Soryu head.
================================================================
Chapter 5., part 5. - Face your fears
"There is an Angel… and we are being deployed" Yui stated, opening her eyes. "We'll have to finish this conversation some time later-"
She finally noticed Kyoko's expression. "Soryu?"
"I am not going back there, Ikari" Kyoko's voice was deceptively calm, but her face betrayed growing panic. "Last time it almost managed to drown me, and there is no guarantee now it is me who will come back."
Yui closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly opened them again; they were gleaming dangerously, and her jaw was clenched.
"Soryu. This is your choice, yes, and you are more than welcome to stay here; even if I cannot guarantee your safety should I get killed" Yui's voice was still calm, but it was getting firmer with every word. "But if you don't go back to your Eva soon, your daughter will fight alone, likely with minimal synchronisation; she will be lucky is she will be able to walk properly. And that means she will die." Anger was also slowly seeping into her voice, and Kyoko's face started to display conflict. "If she dies, will you ever be able to forgive yourself?"
Kyoko looked as if she was punched in the gut; her face was pale, her eyes showed shock.
Yui grabbed her arms. "You're stronger than you think. You've been through the fire and dark waters. You will prevail now. Then I will find you and pull you back. And then we will solve this problem once and for all."
'Her hands are so warm…' Kyoko realised, feeling the heat seeping into her soul. She nodded, weakly.
"You are her strength, she needs you. She needs you to keep her fire burning. Go there and stand with her."
Kyoko took a deep breath and nodded with far more conviction.
"Go."
Kyoko turned quickly, took a step towards the treeline and disappeared from sight.
***
"Hello darkness, my old friend", she said aloud in the featureless void. This time, the tone was far more defiant.
'To die you came, welcome friend, die with me' came the all-too-familiar voice. Kyoko felt the cold slowly envelop her, as if she stood in slowly rising water. She shivered and clenched her fists.
"If you are what I think you are, you will help me", Kyoko stated firmly despite the growing cold; the water was knee-deep already.
'Die with me, we will be together, she will die with us, we will all be together, one happy family in Heaven' the voice beckoned, like a melody, like a siren song that promised peace.
"You will not drown me again. I will not be drowned again. Kyoko Zeppelin Soryu, you will help me" Kyoko raised her voice and felt a tinge of satisfaction when the presence hesitated. The waters stopped to rise.
'My name, so long ago. My name, how do you know it?' The voice was almost childlike in its curiosity.
Kyoko winced. The loneliness radiating from the void was almost palpable.
***
"Can't progress with activation, something is blocking the third stage!" reported Maya Ibuki. "Unit-02 not clear!"
"Are you telling me I can't get out there?" Asuka shouted angrily.
"We're working on it, stand by!" Misato interjected.
***
Kyoko was staring into the void.
"I know who you are. I know what happened. I will find you, and I will help you, but only if you help me win this one, now", Kyoko shouted in the void. "Or at least stay out of my way and let me fight!"
The hesitation was overwhelming for a moment. It took a few long moments before-
***
Ritsuko frowned. "Ugh. We have no choice. Maya, cancel the start-up seq-"
"Sempai, wait! Something is-"
***
The waters suddenly drained and the void receded. A soft, if chilling, 'find me please' was its parting message.
Kyoko shivered. 'Wonderful. Did I just make a pact with this… thing? Did I just promise it something? And didn't it just confirm to be me?'
The familiar dual-sight appeared, breaking her train of thought; Asuka was inside the Plug, tense and confused.
"Third stage active, Evangelion Unit-02 is responding correctly!", voice Kyoko could identify as 'Maya', the assistant that worked with Doctor Akagi, shouted with noticeable relief. "Unit-02 clear!"
"Finally, perhaps we will not all die today", the voice of Doctor Akagi herself, clearly tired, interjected. "All yours, Misato."
"All ready?" face of Misato Katsuragi, the woman apparently in command of the operation, showed up in the comm system.
"Ready now, Misato", Asuka confirmed, her voice confirming the tension Kyoko was observing. Ikari boy confirmed in a similar voice, while the pilot of Unit-00 replied in her usual, flat voice.
'Something's not quite right', decided Kyoko. 'Asuka was always eager to go into battle, why the doubt now?'
"Commence deployment."
The sudden acceleration of the rail lift gave Kyoko a moment of queasiness. She was used to most moves performed by her Eva now, but this sudden acceleration and equally sudden deceleration was something she still had trouble handling. Fortunately, they did not charge into battle immediately. They were deployed across a wide area and were clearly waiting for something.
Channel 8 cracked with static and voice of Yui Ikari came in.
"How are you holding, Soryu?" came a concerned question. "I heard something was wrong with your start…"
Kyoko took a deep breath. "Better than anticipated, actually. The delay was me talking with… my other tenant. I think I either created a problem or started a solution. Or both. Will have to discuss that with you once we're done here… what are we exactly supposed to do here?"
"Look up."
"Oh."
A growing fire streak was clearly visible even on the daytime sky.
"From what I've gathered, we're supposed to catch it", Yui commented. "And yes, it is likely an Angel. Don't ask me about details, I know very little. I guess command does not know more. One thing: can you fight, despite the… trouble?"
"Yes. Don't worry. And…", Kyoko hesitated. "Thank you."
"You'll thank me in person. Focus on not getting killed, all right?" The last part came across as delivered with a smile.
***
"Distance is approximately 25000"
"Here it comes. All Evas, start positions", Katsuragi ordered. Unit-02 dropped to one knee in response, ready for a running start.
"All we have is a roughly estimated trajectory from optical sight-"
"Oh. Shit", Doctor Akagi's voice came in the background, loaded with dread.
"What is it?" Katsuragi turned her attention to her.
"This… I… MAGI estimates have changed…" Ritsuko's voice betrayed she was on a verge of panic. There was a moment of silence as comms were cut.
Asuka tensed visibly. Kyoko once more wished she could reach to her right now.
Twenty seconds have passed.
"They're taking too long", channel 8 crackled with Yui's calm, focused voice. "I'm directing us based on visuals."
"Are you sure? How…" Kyoko was staring at the fireball in the sky.
"There is little choice, Soryu", Yui responded solemnly. "They made some serious mistake, I think, and can't compensate on the fly; they're too dependent on the computers. Follow me once Shinji marks the spot; I'll guide him in the right direction as subtly as I can."
"I hope you know what you're doing, Ikari."
"So do I. Give me a moment."
***
"Misato?" Shinji prodded over the comms, his voice carried a tone of uncertainty.
"Stand by", came a reply from Katsuragi. Her voice was shaking perceptibly.
"It's going to hit soon, we can't wait!" Shinji's voice was growing unusually stern.
"Stand by", the reply was even shakier. 'Ikari is right, they can't compensate for the error… what has happened?'
"Damn it! It's coming closest to me! I'm taking the lead!" Shinji shouted over the comms, at the same time starting to run towards the growing fireball. Even from the distance, Kyoko felt the vibrations of the ground caused by giant leaps taken by Unit-01.
"Finally, for once…", Asuka spoke up in vitriolic tone as she ejected the umbilical cable from Unit-02 and started her own run scant two seconds later. Kyoko stifled a giggle. 'Did something happen in the meantime, daughter? Something you'd like to tell me?'
An unclear image of Shinji sitting in some public place was the only, subconscious answer; she had no time to dwell on it before Shinji reacted in an annoyed voice: "What was that supposed to mean?" he asked, still running.
"That you could man up once in a whi-" Asuka tried to reply, only to be cut by angry voice of Misato Katsuragi.
"Shinji! Asuka! What are you doing?"
'Compensating for someone's incompetence', a semi-amused, semi-annoyed thought came to Kyoko. She subdued it quickly; this was no time for petty jabs.
"Misato, I see where it will hit, trust me!", Shinji replied with uncharacteristic certainty. 'She is guiding him, of course… so much for "being discreet and careful", right, Ikari?'
"Major Katsuragi, your orders?" came a communique from Unit-00, Rei Ayanami's showing hints of confusion.
"Damn it", came a barked reply, followed by a few seconds of silence. "Rei, assist them. Shinji, I rely on your judgement."
"Roger that", Rei and Shinji replied in near-unison.
"Misato!" in Ritsuko's voice was the last sound that came from the command centre before comms were cut again.
Unit-00 started its sprint towards the point Unit-01 had marked on the map.
***
The command centre was silent, save for the beeps of the machinery and single voice calling the distance.
"Distance 12000… Distance 10000… Distance 8000…"
Eyes of every single person were glued to the screens that indicated the Angel position, re-calculated by the MAGI after input data corrections, and the positions of the Evangelions. The staff knew they could equally well be calling seconds until their deaths. They were not able to assist the pilots in any way.
Ritsuko Akagi was sitting at her station, her face hidden in her hands. She was well aware that while none of her subordinates will say that to her face, she might have doomed them all by her inattention.
Her only consolation was the fact that this was an all-or-nothing scenario: either they survive despite her blunder – or there will be no one left to blame her. It was not much of a comfort, of course, but it had to do.
***
Kyoko was watching the fireball come down. The ground was breaking under her feet as she ran towards it, the cars were being flung aside, the buildings broke from the sheer force of her movement.
Asuka's face was grim and determined, her will focused on one thing: getting there. She refused to acknowledge the fact that there was no way she would be there in time to catch it.
***
"Distance… zero?"
The entire remaining NERV staff realised they were holding their breaths. By all conceivable metrics, including MAGI opinion, they should currently be in the middle of the process of being vaporised by high-velocity, AT Field assisted impact of an Angel.
But for some reason, it was not happening.
***
The Angel-turned-fireball was hanging scant metres from the ground, just above a hill, held up by an increasingly visible barrier. Kyoko, her Unit-02 still running in that direction, could make out a small – in comparison to the flaming Angel, of course – figure below.
Shinji's voice came over the comms, his face clearly in pain; his words were punctuated by gasps. "I… will… not… let… you… kill…"
Asuka pushed further, straining Unit-02 muscles beyond their safety limits; Kyoko winced as she felt some muscle fibres snap. 'Well, better to limp later than to die in fire…', she mused as they approached the silhouette of Unit-01; it looked like the mythical Atlas, holding the sky all by himself.
"Don't you dare die there, idiot!" Asuka yelled angrily. For a moment, Kyoko thought she felt a very different set of emotions, a great degree of care; she had no time to dwell on them, though. They reached the Unit-01 that was quite literally holding the fiery sky in its hands.
"I'm holding up quite fine, Soryu, thanks for asking", a half-amused, half-strained voice of Yui Ikari came on channel 8. "But I wouldn't mind a hand here. Or two."
"Sorry", Kyoko replied sheepishly. "You did have a little bit of a head-start…"
Unit-02, following Asuka's order, threw her hands up and extended her own AT Field. The strain on Unit-01 lessened visibly, but this only levelled the playing field; the Angel continues to press on, its unrelenting eyes staring unblinkingly on those who dared deny it its prize. Kyoko felt the weight pressing against her hands the moment the fields joined.
***
"Unit-01 and Unit-02 on the impact site. Unit-00 approaching", a tense voice of Maya Ibuki reported.
"Do we have any visual?" Misato inquired, her voice equally tense.
"None, any sensor that was out was fried few seconds after the AT Fields collided", Maya replied.
"Hold on there, kids… it's all in your hands", Misato whispered.
***
"Wondergirl, would you please hurry a teeny bit up? It's getting a little bit heavy", Asuka stated, somewhat panicked tone contrasting the flippant wording.
"Incoming. Field at maximum on arrival" came the dissonantly serene voice of Rei Ayanami. The twenty seconds it took Unit-00 to join the fight felt like an eternity to Kyoko.
***
Kyoko felt the pressure lift once Unit-00 joined the effort. Then, channel 8 crackled and voice of Yui Ikari came in. "Brace yourself-" was the only thing that managed to get through before the sky started to fall on her again: Unit-01 let go and started to tear into the AT Field of the Angel.
Seconds later, her own hands let go as well and grasped the knife, going for the opening. The unblinking eye of the alien abomination cracked and bled unholy ichor; the AT Field it generated suddenly disappeared.
"All to me, keep the AT Fields close!" shouted Shinji over the comms a second later. Kyoko felt her body – or, actually, Asuka – obeying instinctively. She pulled Unit-00 with her and hugged Unit-01 tightly.
Darkness and pressure surrounded them for a moment, followed by a blinding blast and wave of heat, perceptible despite the AT Fields.
***
"I believe we have survived" a dispassionate voice commented. Evangelion systems permitted audio signals only in the reserve power mode.
"Yes, I think so… it still hurts" groaned a boy's voice.
"Hey, be glad, idiot, that means you get another chance", grumbled Asuka. "But, in the meantime, could you get off me?"
Kyoko chuckled. The voice was angry, but there was an unmistakably positive feeling towards the boy. 'What happened, daughter? What did you do… or what has he done? You can tell me now…'
That thought seemingly seeped into Asuka's consciousness, stopping the banter in its tracks. It has also evoked several images that drifted towards Kyoko's mind, images from Asuka's perspective: Shinji on a street, Shinji bringing a tray of food – clearly for two, Shinji in some queue that seemed to be in a… cinema?
'Oh. Was that a…'
Then other images followed, along with emotions: Shinji looking surprised, then dejected; the image was tainted with anger. Back of Shinji's head, with some mumbled apology. A blurry image of him with his head dropped; anger accompanied this one, too. A scene from darkening street, without anyone in sight; this carried sadness. A table with a familiar face of an older woman Kyoko recognised as their commander; this was tainted with… guilt? A dark room; this one was accompanied by a mixture of confusion, anger, guilt, and sadness.
The banter over the comms started again, this time Asuka was far more unpleasant. 'Oh. So, not a fun one, or at least one ended badly. Well, they're just teenagers with no experience in relationships… if you can call it a relationship at this stage.'
Kyoko did the only thing she could think of to stop the situation from getting worse: she reached out and embraced her daughter. The vitriolic comment, apparently commenting on Shinji's lack of masculinity was cut short, replaced by a silent thought from Asuka: 'Mama?'
Kyoko dared not to speak out loud, not knowing how that would be rendered under the circumstances. But she could direct her thoughts, knowing that at least the emotions behind them will get to her daughter.
'Shh… it'll be fine, my little Asuka… one bad date is not the end, dear. You'll both come around. It will be all right."
Asuka cut the comms seconds before bursting into tears.
Kyoko just held her, whispering reassurances and advice. 'I should've been there for you, I'm sorry… I am here now, listen to me, dear. Perhaps it will give you some happiness…'
She kept whispering to Asuka for a long time.
================================================================
... and apparently I underestimated the amount of events that have to fit here. There will be one more part of Chapter 5, a bit sooner than usual.
================================================================
Chapter 5., part 5. - Face your fears
"There is an Angel… and we are being deployed" Yui stated, opening her eyes. "We'll have to finish this conversation some time later-"
She finally noticed Kyoko's expression. "Soryu?"
"I am not going back there, Ikari" Kyoko's voice was deceptively calm, but her face betrayed growing panic. "Last time it almost managed to drown me, and there is no guarantee now it is me who will come back."
Yui closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly opened them again; they were gleaming dangerously, and her jaw was clenched.
"Soryu. This is your choice, yes, and you are more than welcome to stay here; even if I cannot guarantee your safety should I get killed" Yui's voice was still calm, but it was getting firmer with every word. "But if you don't go back to your Eva soon, your daughter will fight alone, likely with minimal synchronisation; she will be lucky is she will be able to walk properly. And that means she will die." Anger was also slowly seeping into her voice, and Kyoko's face started to display conflict. "If she dies, will you ever be able to forgive yourself?"
Kyoko looked as if she was punched in the gut; her face was pale, her eyes showed shock.
Yui grabbed her arms. "You're stronger than you think. You've been through the fire and dark waters. You will prevail now. Then I will find you and pull you back. And then we will solve this problem once and for all."
'Her hands are so warm…' Kyoko realised, feeling the heat seeping into her soul. She nodded, weakly.
"You are her strength, she needs you. She needs you to keep her fire burning. Go there and stand with her."
Kyoko took a deep breath and nodded with far more conviction.
"Go."
Kyoko turned quickly, took a step towards the treeline and disappeared from sight.
***
"Hello darkness, my old friend", she said aloud in the featureless void. This time, the tone was far more defiant.
'To die you came, welcome friend, die with me' came the all-too-familiar voice. Kyoko felt the cold slowly envelop her, as if she stood in slowly rising water. She shivered and clenched her fists.
"If you are what I think you are, you will help me", Kyoko stated firmly despite the growing cold; the water was knee-deep already.
'Die with me, we will be together, she will die with us, we will all be together, one happy family in Heaven' the voice beckoned, like a melody, like a siren song that promised peace.
"You will not drown me again. I will not be drowned again. Kyoko Zeppelin Soryu, you will help me" Kyoko raised her voice and felt a tinge of satisfaction when the presence hesitated. The waters stopped to rise.
'My name, so long ago. My name, how do you know it?' The voice was almost childlike in its curiosity.
Kyoko winced. The loneliness radiating from the void was almost palpable.
***
"Can't progress with activation, something is blocking the third stage!" reported Maya Ibuki. "Unit-02 not clear!"
"Are you telling me I can't get out there?" Asuka shouted angrily.
"We're working on it, stand by!" Misato interjected.
***
Kyoko was staring into the void.
"I know who you are. I know what happened. I will find you, and I will help you, but only if you help me win this one, now", Kyoko shouted in the void. "Or at least stay out of my way and let me fight!"
The hesitation was overwhelming for a moment. It took a few long moments before-
***
Ritsuko frowned. "Ugh. We have no choice. Maya, cancel the start-up seq-"
"Sempai, wait! Something is-"
***
The waters suddenly drained and the void receded. A soft, if chilling, 'find me please' was its parting message.
Kyoko shivered. 'Wonderful. Did I just make a pact with this… thing? Did I just promise it something? And didn't it just confirm to be me?'
The familiar dual-sight appeared, breaking her train of thought; Asuka was inside the Plug, tense and confused.
"Third stage active, Evangelion Unit-02 is responding correctly!", voice Kyoko could identify as 'Maya', the assistant that worked with Doctor Akagi, shouted with noticeable relief. "Unit-02 clear!"
"Finally, perhaps we will not all die today", the voice of Doctor Akagi herself, clearly tired, interjected. "All yours, Misato."
"All ready?" face of Misato Katsuragi, the woman apparently in command of the operation, showed up in the comm system.
"Ready now, Misato", Asuka confirmed, her voice confirming the tension Kyoko was observing. Ikari boy confirmed in a similar voice, while the pilot of Unit-00 replied in her usual, flat voice.
'Something's not quite right', decided Kyoko. 'Asuka was always eager to go into battle, why the doubt now?'
"Commence deployment."
The sudden acceleration of the rail lift gave Kyoko a moment of queasiness. She was used to most moves performed by her Eva now, but this sudden acceleration and equally sudden deceleration was something she still had trouble handling. Fortunately, they did not charge into battle immediately. They were deployed across a wide area and were clearly waiting for something.
Channel 8 cracked with static and voice of Yui Ikari came in.
"How are you holding, Soryu?" came a concerned question. "I heard something was wrong with your start…"
Kyoko took a deep breath. "Better than anticipated, actually. The delay was me talking with… my other tenant. I think I either created a problem or started a solution. Or both. Will have to discuss that with you once we're done here… what are we exactly supposed to do here?"
"Look up."
"Oh."
A growing fire streak was clearly visible even on the daytime sky.
"From what I've gathered, we're supposed to catch it", Yui commented. "And yes, it is likely an Angel. Don't ask me about details, I know very little. I guess command does not know more. One thing: can you fight, despite the… trouble?"
"Yes. Don't worry. And…", Kyoko hesitated. "Thank you."
"You'll thank me in person. Focus on not getting killed, all right?" The last part came across as delivered with a smile.
***
"Distance is approximately 25000"
"Here it comes. All Evas, start positions", Katsuragi ordered. Unit-02 dropped to one knee in response, ready for a running start.
"All we have is a roughly estimated trajectory from optical sight-"
"Oh. Shit", Doctor Akagi's voice came in the background, loaded with dread.
"What is it?" Katsuragi turned her attention to her.
"This… I… MAGI estimates have changed…" Ritsuko's voice betrayed she was on a verge of panic. There was a moment of silence as comms were cut.
Asuka tensed visibly. Kyoko once more wished she could reach to her right now.
Twenty seconds have passed.
"They're taking too long", channel 8 crackled with Yui's calm, focused voice. "I'm directing us based on visuals."
"Are you sure? How…" Kyoko was staring at the fireball in the sky.
"There is little choice, Soryu", Yui responded solemnly. "They made some serious mistake, I think, and can't compensate on the fly; they're too dependent on the computers. Follow me once Shinji marks the spot; I'll guide him in the right direction as subtly as I can."
"I hope you know what you're doing, Ikari."
"So do I. Give me a moment."
***
"Misato?" Shinji prodded over the comms, his voice carried a tone of uncertainty.
"Stand by", came a reply from Katsuragi. Her voice was shaking perceptibly.
"It's going to hit soon, we can't wait!" Shinji's voice was growing unusually stern.
"Stand by", the reply was even shakier. 'Ikari is right, they can't compensate for the error… what has happened?'
"Damn it! It's coming closest to me! I'm taking the lead!" Shinji shouted over the comms, at the same time starting to run towards the growing fireball. Even from the distance, Kyoko felt the vibrations of the ground caused by giant leaps taken by Unit-01.
"Finally, for once…", Asuka spoke up in vitriolic tone as she ejected the umbilical cable from Unit-02 and started her own run scant two seconds later. Kyoko stifled a giggle. 'Did something happen in the meantime, daughter? Something you'd like to tell me?'
An unclear image of Shinji sitting in some public place was the only, subconscious answer; she had no time to dwell on it before Shinji reacted in an annoyed voice: "What was that supposed to mean?" he asked, still running.
"That you could man up once in a whi-" Asuka tried to reply, only to be cut by angry voice of Misato Katsuragi.
"Shinji! Asuka! What are you doing?"
'Compensating for someone's incompetence', a semi-amused, semi-annoyed thought came to Kyoko. She subdued it quickly; this was no time for petty jabs.
"Misato, I see where it will hit, trust me!", Shinji replied with uncharacteristic certainty. 'She is guiding him, of course… so much for "being discreet and careful", right, Ikari?'
"Major Katsuragi, your orders?" came a communique from Unit-00, Rei Ayanami's showing hints of confusion.
"Damn it", came a barked reply, followed by a few seconds of silence. "Rei, assist them. Shinji, I rely on your judgement."
"Roger that", Rei and Shinji replied in near-unison.
"Misato!" in Ritsuko's voice was the last sound that came from the command centre before comms were cut again.
Unit-00 started its sprint towards the point Unit-01 had marked on the map.
***
The command centre was silent, save for the beeps of the machinery and single voice calling the distance.
"Distance 12000… Distance 10000… Distance 8000…"
Eyes of every single person were glued to the screens that indicated the Angel position, re-calculated by the MAGI after input data corrections, and the positions of the Evangelions. The staff knew they could equally well be calling seconds until their deaths. They were not able to assist the pilots in any way.
Ritsuko Akagi was sitting at her station, her face hidden in her hands. She was well aware that while none of her subordinates will say that to her face, she might have doomed them all by her inattention.
Her only consolation was the fact that this was an all-or-nothing scenario: either they survive despite her blunder – or there will be no one left to blame her. It was not much of a comfort, of course, but it had to do.
***
Kyoko was watching the fireball come down. The ground was breaking under her feet as she ran towards it, the cars were being flung aside, the buildings broke from the sheer force of her movement.
Asuka's face was grim and determined, her will focused on one thing: getting there. She refused to acknowledge the fact that there was no way she would be there in time to catch it.
***
"Distance… zero?"
The entire remaining NERV staff realised they were holding their breaths. By all conceivable metrics, including MAGI opinion, they should currently be in the middle of the process of being vaporised by high-velocity, AT Field assisted impact of an Angel.
But for some reason, it was not happening.
***
The Angel-turned-fireball was hanging scant metres from the ground, just above a hill, held up by an increasingly visible barrier. Kyoko, her Unit-02 still running in that direction, could make out a small – in comparison to the flaming Angel, of course – figure below.
Shinji's voice came over the comms, his face clearly in pain; his words were punctuated by gasps. "I… will… not… let… you… kill…"
Asuka pushed further, straining Unit-02 muscles beyond their safety limits; Kyoko winced as she felt some muscle fibres snap. 'Well, better to limp later than to die in fire…', she mused as they approached the silhouette of Unit-01; it looked like the mythical Atlas, holding the sky all by himself.
"Don't you dare die there, idiot!" Asuka yelled angrily. For a moment, Kyoko thought she felt a very different set of emotions, a great degree of care; she had no time to dwell on them, though. They reached the Unit-01 that was quite literally holding the fiery sky in its hands.
"I'm holding up quite fine, Soryu, thanks for asking", a half-amused, half-strained voice of Yui Ikari came on channel 8. "But I wouldn't mind a hand here. Or two."
"Sorry", Kyoko replied sheepishly. "You did have a little bit of a head-start…"
Unit-02, following Asuka's order, threw her hands up and extended her own AT Field. The strain on Unit-01 lessened visibly, but this only levelled the playing field; the Angel continues to press on, its unrelenting eyes staring unblinkingly on those who dared deny it its prize. Kyoko felt the weight pressing against her hands the moment the fields joined.
***
"Unit-01 and Unit-02 on the impact site. Unit-00 approaching", a tense voice of Maya Ibuki reported.
"Do we have any visual?" Misato inquired, her voice equally tense.
"None, any sensor that was out was fried few seconds after the AT Fields collided", Maya replied.
"Hold on there, kids… it's all in your hands", Misato whispered.
***
"Wondergirl, would you please hurry a teeny bit up? It's getting a little bit heavy", Asuka stated, somewhat panicked tone contrasting the flippant wording.
"Incoming. Field at maximum on arrival" came the dissonantly serene voice of Rei Ayanami. The twenty seconds it took Unit-00 to join the fight felt like an eternity to Kyoko.
***
Kyoko felt the pressure lift once Unit-00 joined the effort. Then, channel 8 crackled and voice of Yui Ikari came in. "Brace yourself-" was the only thing that managed to get through before the sky started to fall on her again: Unit-01 let go and started to tear into the AT Field of the Angel.
Seconds later, her own hands let go as well and grasped the knife, going for the opening. The unblinking eye of the alien abomination cracked and bled unholy ichor; the AT Field it generated suddenly disappeared.
"All to me, keep the AT Fields close!" shouted Shinji over the comms a second later. Kyoko felt her body – or, actually, Asuka – obeying instinctively. She pulled Unit-00 with her and hugged Unit-01 tightly.
Darkness and pressure surrounded them for a moment, followed by a blinding blast and wave of heat, perceptible despite the AT Fields.
***
"I believe we have survived" a dispassionate voice commented. Evangelion systems permitted audio signals only in the reserve power mode.
"Yes, I think so… it still hurts" groaned a boy's voice.
"Hey, be glad, idiot, that means you get another chance", grumbled Asuka. "But, in the meantime, could you get off me?"
Kyoko chuckled. The voice was angry, but there was an unmistakably positive feeling towards the boy. 'What happened, daughter? What did you do… or what has he done? You can tell me now…'
That thought seemingly seeped into Asuka's consciousness, stopping the banter in its tracks. It has also evoked several images that drifted towards Kyoko's mind, images from Asuka's perspective: Shinji on a street, Shinji bringing a tray of food – clearly for two, Shinji in some queue that seemed to be in a… cinema?
'Oh. Was that a…'
Then other images followed, along with emotions: Shinji looking surprised, then dejected; the image was tainted with anger. Back of Shinji's head, with some mumbled apology. A blurry image of him with his head dropped; anger accompanied this one, too. A scene from darkening street, without anyone in sight; this carried sadness. A table with a familiar face of an older woman Kyoko recognised as their commander; this was tainted with… guilt? A dark room; this one was accompanied by a mixture of confusion, anger, guilt, and sadness.
The banter over the comms started again, this time Asuka was far more unpleasant. 'Oh. So, not a fun one, or at least one ended badly. Well, they're just teenagers with no experience in relationships… if you can call it a relationship at this stage.'
Kyoko did the only thing she could think of to stop the situation from getting worse: she reached out and embraced her daughter. The vitriolic comment, apparently commenting on Shinji's lack of masculinity was cut short, replaced by a silent thought from Asuka: 'Mama?'
Kyoko dared not to speak out loud, not knowing how that would be rendered under the circumstances. But she could direct her thoughts, knowing that at least the emotions behind them will get to her daughter.
'Shh… it'll be fine, my little Asuka… one bad date is not the end, dear. You'll both come around. It will be all right."
Asuka cut the comms seconds before bursting into tears.
Kyoko just held her, whispering reassurances and advice. 'I should've been there for you, I'm sorry… I am here now, listen to me, dear. Perhaps it will give you some happiness…'
She kept whispering to Asuka for a long time.
================================================================
... and apparently I underestimated the amount of events that have to fit here. There will be one more part of Chapter 5, a bit sooner than usual.
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- Location
- National Capital Region, USA
You picked a bad time to decide you wanted to hide out, Kyoko...
This is good! Progress!
....annnnnd this is Not Good. He or she or they both screwed something up, said something wrong, and ruined the don't-call-it-a-date. OTOH, Asuka just said out loud he could have 'another chance', so not all is lost. She still feels positively towards him inside, anyhow.
Even in this extreme, Asuka doesn't want anyone to see her break down.
This is a can of worms, especially if Asuka is aware she's actually, truly talking to her Mama. Even if she's not, just having that feeling that she can curl up in Unit-02 and sort of feel like she's with her mom is... potent.
- Location
- On a powder keg, next to a fire
Thank you, I am aware that Kyoko and Asuka interactions are heartwarming... but I'm trying to be careful with them becauseThis entire part is amazing, but that last bit is the one that really warms my heart, well done Boreas
this is actually an issue. Ironically, it's quite likely Asuka will find Unit-02 to be the safest and best place to be, ever, increasing her connection to Unit-02 even more. On the other hand, now she has something to cling to, some support. Sometimes even this much helps to survive.
Asuka's pride is something she will defend to the last breath. Letting anyone hear her cry... no, just no, it is unthinkable for her.Even in this extreme, Asuka doesn't want anyone to see her break down.
If I were characterize Asuka's mind in one term, it'd be "chaotic". She is in sufficient internal turmoil to send mixed messages most of the time. Add to that social taboos she tries to work with, Shinji's unwillingness to inconvenience, and Asuka's impatience... and we have the current situation.
I have the whole sequence that lead to this written out, and I will post it as a side-story once this chapter concludes (as writing Chapter 6. is going to take a while for reasons that should become clear by the next update). The piece a bit more comedic than the main story, and paints Asuka as a little bit of a moody teenager who doesn't know what she wants... but this is what she is, after all. And they did call it a date, actually - Asuka just wrapped it in her falsely-flippant approach so Shinji doesn't think too much of it.
Chapter 5.6.
- Location
- On a powder keg, next to a fire
The sky has fallen and has been routed back, and the day of Kyoko Zeppelin Soryu slowly turns into a night.
================================================================
Chapter 5., part 6. - Face your fears
Kyoko was not sure when exactly had she lost consciousness. 'The reserve power had to run out before they mounted a recovery mission… good that I had things on my mind, the thirst becomes hard to bear sometimes', she mused once she awoke in the midst of darkness. She looked around, but nothing was coming out of the black; the other tenant of Unit-02 was absent.
She pondered for a moment, then she smiled to herself; 'At least Asuka has something like a normal life. I hope they come to terms… the boy seems awfully shy. She may just smother him by accident.'
She sighed. 'I really wish I could be there for her… more than just whispering words to her, pretending it's not really me…' she smiled sadly to herself. 'Well, Ikari claims it'll possible someday, and she seems confident about that. Speaking of which…'
She directed her thoughts towards Yui and Unit-01, as once instructed. The wind ruffled her hair and a distinct feeling of acceleration appeared. She took a step-
***
-and walked out from between the trees.
Yui Ikari rose slowly from her seat at the garden table. She was holding a fireplace poker in her hand.
"Friend or foe, Soryu?" she asked, her eyes wary.
"Friend, Ikari. Don't worry, your windows are safe – and your good looks shall remain untarnished by me", Kyoko replied with a smile, approaching the table slowly. "Permission to enter your domain, Lady Ikari?"
Yui raised her eyebrows, then let go of the poker and smiled. "Permission granted, my esteemed guest. You came right in time for the tea. Will you honour me with your presence?"
"With pleasure" Kyoko replied and curtsied the best she could, which, she had to admit, was not very good. Yui did not comment on that, though; she merely smiled a small but warm smile.
All seemed right with the world. At least for the moment.
***
The mood in the command centre of NERV HQ was a strange mix of relief, focus on post-combat data collection, and worry about the consequences. The last part came from the fact that a brief report was filed to the Commander and the Vice-Commander immediately after the battle – and a return message was expected soon.
And indeed, minutes after the message was sent, an INCOMING MESSAGE indicator blinked.
"Major Katsuragi reporting", Misato spoke up upon opening the channel. "I'm sorry, sir. My misjudgement caused Evangelions to suffer damage. The responsibility is entirely mine."
"The investigation will show who is to blame, Major", a digitally cleaned voice of Gendo Ikari sounded in the room after a few seconds. "From what I see here: your plan was sound, it worked reasonably well, and the Evas fulfilled their purpose." There was a brief pause. "Damage to Units and the collateral damage is something to be expected under the circumstances, and from what I see, we were fortunate that it was minimal. Good work, Major."
"Thank you, sir", Katsuragi reflexively stood at attention.
"One more thing", came after another pause. "Is the pilot of Unit-01 there?"
"Yes, sir!", Shinji reported, his voice surprised.
"I understand from the preliminary report that you took field command and ensured the success of the operation. Excellent work, Shinji." Even though all the filters the sound had to go through, the pride in Gendo's voice could be heard.
Shinji Ikari blinked for several moments before managing a reply: "Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."
"Now, Major Katsuragi, I expect a report from every staff member, independently, delivered to me by tomorrow morning, each of the reports digitally signed. See to that personally. The rest is in your hands until I return."
Misato Katsuragi blinked in surprise. Still, she knew better than ask questions. "Yes, sir."
***
Soft, warm wind and the afternoon sun made the atmosphere at the table relaxed and pleasant. Kyoko Soryu and Yui Ikari were enjoying a moment of peace – and a spot of tea.
"An apple pie, Ikari? You're spoiling me", Kyoko smiled widely, eagerly digging into the cake in front of her with a silver fork.
"We deserve a treat, Soryu. Another Angel is dead, our children are fine – better than I dared hope for, considering the circumstances. And…" she hesitated and took a deep breath. Kyoko looked at her quizzically. "And you conquered your fears. It's a reason to celebrate."
Kyoko sighed. "I don't think… she… is done with me, yet", she replied glumly.
Yui reached to touch Kyoko's hand; Kyoko realised how much she missed that gesture, then shoved this thought aside. There were more important things to dwell on.
"Soryu… of course we are not. But now we have a moment to handle it. Angels don't come too soon after each other… which means we have at least a few days."
"A few days to do what?" Kyoko inquired. "You mentioned a plan, I know, but… well, we got interrupted."
Yui took a deep breath. "There is something... something that can help you", she offered with initial hesitation. "Something I was taught by the teacher I mentioned, a… set of guidelines… a ritual of sorts."
"Ritual? Like 'light the candles and chant in a circle'?" Kyoko raised her eyebrows, her voice filled with doubt.
"Not… exactly", Yui winced. "It's a little bit more complicated. It's a... legend. A story. It's hard to label, exactly. Such things are somewhere between a myth and a technical manual, often surprisingly close to the latter." She took a deep breath and turned to face Kyoko, her expression serious. "Do you trust me?" she asked in a solemn voice.
"Well..." Kyoko hesitated. "Is that even a question now?" she asked with a small smile.
Yui sighed. "It may be, I am afraid. This is not some 'will you hold the sky for me while I stab an Angel to death' issue; this is about life-and-death on a far more personal level."
Kyoko took her hand; their eyes locked. "I do trust you, Ikari" she stated solemnly.
Yui took a deep breath, trying to still herself. There was no rational reason for her heart to race like that, right?
She rose from her chair. "Then come with me", she spoke up after she forcing her voice to sound calm. "Come, and listen to a story about a journey…"
***
Two women were sitting in the mansion's study, surrounded by books, maps, parchments, and various artefacts. A faint smell of dust and old paper permeated the air. It was already dark outside; the room was lit by several lamps and a fireplace, giving it a warm and homely atmosphere.
"This is… not an easy thing to process, Ikari", Kyoko stared at Yui who had just finished the tale. "What you suggest does sound a lot like some journey to the centre of the mind, mixed with mysticism and sprinkled with a lot of 'a wise man once thought that…' You know well how many ancient scholars were wrong about things regarding the material world, right? We can reasonably assume they weren't any better with the immaterial" Kyoko expressed her doubts that until now was only visible in her facial expression. "I really don't know what to think of it", she finished with a sigh.
Yui shook her head, her face still solemn and focused. "I am afraid you might be right… but I am also convinced this is your – this is our – only chance. We can't exactly get a qualified psychotherapist to help us here, can we?" she smiled sadly. "And I think even the best psychotherapist would be baffled by our nature. No, Soryu. Your condition is a product of an error in applied metaphysical biology. It is, I believe, best solved with the use of the same sources that gave birth to the field. Just as you need a mechanical tool to fix a mechanical issue – or an antibiotic to kill a bacterial infection, instead of chanting spells over the ill person." She stated firmly and paused. "I am not promising this is the solution, I know there is a lot of uncertainty and risks involved. But I am convinced this is the best way. Or perhaps the only one we can develop in a reasonable timeframe", she added in a softer voice.
A moment of silence hung between them. Kyoko seemed lost in thought, gazing into the fire.
"It's late, Soryu", Yui spoke up again after allowing her guest to ponder for a long while. "Sleep on it, and you will make your decision in the morning. How does it sound?"
Kyoko nodded. "Reasonable", she smiled and rose slowly. "Goodnight, Ikari. And… thank you."
"We're not successful yet, Soryu. Not much to thank me for", Yui replied with sadness tainting her voice.
"But we haven't failed yet, either. And you are helping me." Kyoko paused. "See you in the morning", she smiled with a thoughtful expression still present.
Yui watched her departure with a worry in her eyes, worry she could not let her guest see. She sighed heavily. She knew this was not going to be an easy night.
***
Kyoko was resting on the guest room's bed, staring on the now-familiar ceiling. This night has been the longest – both subjectively and objectively, if the clock in the corner of the room was to be trusted – she ever experienced while being a guest in the mindscape of Yui Ikari. The moon was slowly moving across the night sky, the light pattern on the floor was shifting slowly. Thoughts were flowing freely in Kyoko's mind.
'A fine dilemma it is: risk my life on a memory of some ancient, occult tale… or keep letting a nightmarish version of me try to kill me every time I step back into what is effectively my body? Or maybe take a third option, stay in this out-of-body experience forever and visit my body only to fight?'
She sighed; her thoughts began to circle. 'No, I can't stay here, not as a permanent solution, Ikari would consider me a coward if I did so… and she would be right. So, only choices I have is to confront the banshee or keep evading it… and I made a sort of a promise to that… thing, whether I like it or not. I guess it… she… would not be happy if I left it in the cold. If "happy" is a term that can be applied to such a creature…'
She rose from her bed and approached the window. The sky was clear, the moon was full, and the Milky Way was on the sky. 'Of course, that was the age when artificial light was too weak to drown the stars…' Kyoko smiled to herself. 'Another example on how much attention Ikari pays to the details of her work…'
She opened the window and took a deep breath of the cold air outside. "How did I end up like this?" she asked the darkness. "I was a scientist, someone whose work was supposed to save humanity, not someone to use mystical lore to… do what, exactly?"
She expected no answer, and none came. She was about to turn away when she noticed a movement in one of the windows – a female figure, well-visible in the moonlight, was standing there, framed by the light coming from behind her. It was too far to recognise with certainty, but it was obviously only one possibility for whom it might be.
"Can't sleep either, Ikari?" Kyoko whispered with a smile on her face. "I wonder why you're so worried about me… we hardly knew each other while-"
She sighed and her eyes dropped to the moon-washed ground.
'While we were alive.'
Her mind drifted back to the moments when she almost died again in hands of the strange presence, moments where she had to fight it back before being able to fight the Angel. 'And then there was a moment when I almost did not return… and only Ikari's voice pulled me back.'
She stared at the moon again, still seeing the sleepless figure in the window. She shook her head. 'I mustn't run away. How did it go? "I shall face my fear, and I shall let it pass through me. And once it does, only I shall remain"? Something like that. I like the idea.'
With a relaxed smile slowly appearing on her face, she closed the window and returned to her bed. The night was still long and lonely, but she was no longer filled with doubts.
***
A breakfast was already waiting for her; a solemn Yui came from the kitchen just after Kyoko entered the room. "Good morning, Ikari", Kyoko smiled.
"Good morning, Soryu", came a reply in a voice tinged with worry. "Please, join me. Did you sleep well?"
Kyoko raised her eyebrows. "Did you really expect me to sleep well after that revelation?" she asked, still wearing the half-smile. "I stayed up most of the night… and so did you."
Yui blushed lightly. "Why do you think so?"
Kyoko smile grew. "Well, I was looking out the window of my room… and let's say you look good in that gown."
Yui's blush deepened and she looked at her guest as if she wanted to scold her, but silently decided not to. Kyoko smile remained as she continued. "Second… the night was long. All the previous ones were cut short at some point, they went on and then dawn arrived, as if a scene in a movie changed. This one went all the way to the dawn. You really didn't sleep at all, did you?"
Yui nodded and closed her eyes for a second. "I did not. I could not."
Kyoko sighed, her face turning serious again. "I'm sorry. But… thank you."
Yui tilted her head, her eyes confused. "For what?"
"For letting me know you worry about me. And… well, for giving me a place to return to", Kyoko smiled once more.
"Always, Soryu. You're always welcome here" was the soft reply.
It was Kyoko's time to blush. "Thank you", she whispered.
They ate their breakfast in silence.
***
"Are you sure about that, Soryu?" Yui inquired as they stood between the trees.
"Having doubts now, Ikari?" Kyoko smiled weakly. "I trust you, and I trust your memory. I only fear that if this fails, you'll be left alone with the struggle."
Yui winced. "I don't want you to die", she whispered.
Kyoko reached for Yui's hand and held it in a tight grasp.
"I will do my best not to", her smile remained weak, but her voice did betray determination.
***
Yui tracked Kyoko's steps on the path until she vanished in the thin air, her transition to Unit-02 complete. The last hand squeeze they shared lingered, burning her skin.
'This is it, isn't it?' Yui sighed, her heart heavy with unease. 'I do hope she returns whole and sound, not torn and insane. Well... I do hope she returns at all.' Yui's doubts, forcefully kept under tight lit to avoid dampening Kyoko's spirit, suddenly returned in force. 'Perhaps trusting me was the worst choice she has ever made. I might have just doomed her soul.' She clenched her teeth and took a deep breath.
She returned to the study, dragging her steps. The place suddenly felt far too empty; she took another look at the large, ink-and-illumination-on-parchment, leather-bound tome on the pulpit. It was, of course, only a representation of her memory and the knowledge she held, but it helped her to focus and to recall the lore she once learned.
'Let's hope the old creep didn't make any mistakes and took no artistic licence when he was retelling the stories about the Other Realm... and I hope my memory serves me well, too.'
Two large, beautifully illuminated drawings filled the opposite pages, circles interconnected with paths, all described in perfectly calligraphed Hebrew letters. Yui looked at the one on the left and recalled her teacher's words: "First, the seeker, once he gained the entry, must face the many whispers that reflect the shells above the Queen of the Night..."
================================================================
And here we are. This is the end of Chapter 5. and Kyoko has gone... somewhere.
I already started on Chapter 6. and it is not easy to describe what she is going through, so Chapter 6. will be coming slowly. In the meantime, I will be updating with a side-story: what happened outside the Evangelions, specifically: what Asuka and Shinji were up to.
================================================================
Chapter 5., part 6. - Face your fears
Kyoko was not sure when exactly had she lost consciousness. 'The reserve power had to run out before they mounted a recovery mission… good that I had things on my mind, the thirst becomes hard to bear sometimes', she mused once she awoke in the midst of darkness. She looked around, but nothing was coming out of the black; the other tenant of Unit-02 was absent.
She pondered for a moment, then she smiled to herself; 'At least Asuka has something like a normal life. I hope they come to terms… the boy seems awfully shy. She may just smother him by accident.'
She sighed. 'I really wish I could be there for her… more than just whispering words to her, pretending it's not really me…' she smiled sadly to herself. 'Well, Ikari claims it'll possible someday, and she seems confident about that. Speaking of which…'
She directed her thoughts towards Yui and Unit-01, as once instructed. The wind ruffled her hair and a distinct feeling of acceleration appeared. She took a step-
***
-and walked out from between the trees.
Yui Ikari rose slowly from her seat at the garden table. She was holding a fireplace poker in her hand.
"Friend or foe, Soryu?" she asked, her eyes wary.
"Friend, Ikari. Don't worry, your windows are safe – and your good looks shall remain untarnished by me", Kyoko replied with a smile, approaching the table slowly. "Permission to enter your domain, Lady Ikari?"
Yui raised her eyebrows, then let go of the poker and smiled. "Permission granted, my esteemed guest. You came right in time for the tea. Will you honour me with your presence?"
"With pleasure" Kyoko replied and curtsied the best she could, which, she had to admit, was not very good. Yui did not comment on that, though; she merely smiled a small but warm smile.
All seemed right with the world. At least for the moment.
***
The mood in the command centre of NERV HQ was a strange mix of relief, focus on post-combat data collection, and worry about the consequences. The last part came from the fact that a brief report was filed to the Commander and the Vice-Commander immediately after the battle – and a return message was expected soon.
And indeed, minutes after the message was sent, an INCOMING MESSAGE indicator blinked.
"Major Katsuragi reporting", Misato spoke up upon opening the channel. "I'm sorry, sir. My misjudgement caused Evangelions to suffer damage. The responsibility is entirely mine."
"The investigation will show who is to blame, Major", a digitally cleaned voice of Gendo Ikari sounded in the room after a few seconds. "From what I see here: your plan was sound, it worked reasonably well, and the Evas fulfilled their purpose." There was a brief pause. "Damage to Units and the collateral damage is something to be expected under the circumstances, and from what I see, we were fortunate that it was minimal. Good work, Major."
"Thank you, sir", Katsuragi reflexively stood at attention.
"One more thing", came after another pause. "Is the pilot of Unit-01 there?"
"Yes, sir!", Shinji reported, his voice surprised.
"I understand from the preliminary report that you took field command and ensured the success of the operation. Excellent work, Shinji." Even though all the filters the sound had to go through, the pride in Gendo's voice could be heard.
Shinji Ikari blinked for several moments before managing a reply: "Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."
"Now, Major Katsuragi, I expect a report from every staff member, independently, delivered to me by tomorrow morning, each of the reports digitally signed. See to that personally. The rest is in your hands until I return."
Misato Katsuragi blinked in surprise. Still, she knew better than ask questions. "Yes, sir."
***
Soft, warm wind and the afternoon sun made the atmosphere at the table relaxed and pleasant. Kyoko Soryu and Yui Ikari were enjoying a moment of peace – and a spot of tea.
"An apple pie, Ikari? You're spoiling me", Kyoko smiled widely, eagerly digging into the cake in front of her with a silver fork.
"We deserve a treat, Soryu. Another Angel is dead, our children are fine – better than I dared hope for, considering the circumstances. And…" she hesitated and took a deep breath. Kyoko looked at her quizzically. "And you conquered your fears. It's a reason to celebrate."
Kyoko sighed. "I don't think… she… is done with me, yet", she replied glumly.
Yui reached to touch Kyoko's hand; Kyoko realised how much she missed that gesture, then shoved this thought aside. There were more important things to dwell on.
"Soryu… of course we are not. But now we have a moment to handle it. Angels don't come too soon after each other… which means we have at least a few days."
"A few days to do what?" Kyoko inquired. "You mentioned a plan, I know, but… well, we got interrupted."
Yui took a deep breath. "There is something... something that can help you", she offered with initial hesitation. "Something I was taught by the teacher I mentioned, a… set of guidelines… a ritual of sorts."
"Ritual? Like 'light the candles and chant in a circle'?" Kyoko raised her eyebrows, her voice filled with doubt.
"Not… exactly", Yui winced. "It's a little bit more complicated. It's a... legend. A story. It's hard to label, exactly. Such things are somewhere between a myth and a technical manual, often surprisingly close to the latter." She took a deep breath and turned to face Kyoko, her expression serious. "Do you trust me?" she asked in a solemn voice.
"Well..." Kyoko hesitated. "Is that even a question now?" she asked with a small smile.
Yui sighed. "It may be, I am afraid. This is not some 'will you hold the sky for me while I stab an Angel to death' issue; this is about life-and-death on a far more personal level."
Kyoko took her hand; their eyes locked. "I do trust you, Ikari" she stated solemnly.
Yui took a deep breath, trying to still herself. There was no rational reason for her heart to race like that, right?
She rose from her chair. "Then come with me", she spoke up after she forcing her voice to sound calm. "Come, and listen to a story about a journey…"
***
Two women were sitting in the mansion's study, surrounded by books, maps, parchments, and various artefacts. A faint smell of dust and old paper permeated the air. It was already dark outside; the room was lit by several lamps and a fireplace, giving it a warm and homely atmosphere.
"This is… not an easy thing to process, Ikari", Kyoko stared at Yui who had just finished the tale. "What you suggest does sound a lot like some journey to the centre of the mind, mixed with mysticism and sprinkled with a lot of 'a wise man once thought that…' You know well how many ancient scholars were wrong about things regarding the material world, right? We can reasonably assume they weren't any better with the immaterial" Kyoko expressed her doubts that until now was only visible in her facial expression. "I really don't know what to think of it", she finished with a sigh.
Yui shook her head, her face still solemn and focused. "I am afraid you might be right… but I am also convinced this is your – this is our – only chance. We can't exactly get a qualified psychotherapist to help us here, can we?" she smiled sadly. "And I think even the best psychotherapist would be baffled by our nature. No, Soryu. Your condition is a product of an error in applied metaphysical biology. It is, I believe, best solved with the use of the same sources that gave birth to the field. Just as you need a mechanical tool to fix a mechanical issue – or an antibiotic to kill a bacterial infection, instead of chanting spells over the ill person." She stated firmly and paused. "I am not promising this is the solution, I know there is a lot of uncertainty and risks involved. But I am convinced this is the best way. Or perhaps the only one we can develop in a reasonable timeframe", she added in a softer voice.
A moment of silence hung between them. Kyoko seemed lost in thought, gazing into the fire.
"It's late, Soryu", Yui spoke up again after allowing her guest to ponder for a long while. "Sleep on it, and you will make your decision in the morning. How does it sound?"
Kyoko nodded. "Reasonable", she smiled and rose slowly. "Goodnight, Ikari. And… thank you."
"We're not successful yet, Soryu. Not much to thank me for", Yui replied with sadness tainting her voice.
"But we haven't failed yet, either. And you are helping me." Kyoko paused. "See you in the morning", she smiled with a thoughtful expression still present.
Yui watched her departure with a worry in her eyes, worry she could not let her guest see. She sighed heavily. She knew this was not going to be an easy night.
***
Kyoko was resting on the guest room's bed, staring on the now-familiar ceiling. This night has been the longest – both subjectively and objectively, if the clock in the corner of the room was to be trusted – she ever experienced while being a guest in the mindscape of Yui Ikari. The moon was slowly moving across the night sky, the light pattern on the floor was shifting slowly. Thoughts were flowing freely in Kyoko's mind.
'A fine dilemma it is: risk my life on a memory of some ancient, occult tale… or keep letting a nightmarish version of me try to kill me every time I step back into what is effectively my body? Or maybe take a third option, stay in this out-of-body experience forever and visit my body only to fight?'
She sighed; her thoughts began to circle. 'No, I can't stay here, not as a permanent solution, Ikari would consider me a coward if I did so… and she would be right. So, only choices I have is to confront the banshee or keep evading it… and I made a sort of a promise to that… thing, whether I like it or not. I guess it… she… would not be happy if I left it in the cold. If "happy" is a term that can be applied to such a creature…'
She rose from her bed and approached the window. The sky was clear, the moon was full, and the Milky Way was on the sky. 'Of course, that was the age when artificial light was too weak to drown the stars…' Kyoko smiled to herself. 'Another example on how much attention Ikari pays to the details of her work…'
She opened the window and took a deep breath of the cold air outside. "How did I end up like this?" she asked the darkness. "I was a scientist, someone whose work was supposed to save humanity, not someone to use mystical lore to… do what, exactly?"
She expected no answer, and none came. She was about to turn away when she noticed a movement in one of the windows – a female figure, well-visible in the moonlight, was standing there, framed by the light coming from behind her. It was too far to recognise with certainty, but it was obviously only one possibility for whom it might be.
"Can't sleep either, Ikari?" Kyoko whispered with a smile on her face. "I wonder why you're so worried about me… we hardly knew each other while-"
She sighed and her eyes dropped to the moon-washed ground.
'While we were alive.'
Her mind drifted back to the moments when she almost died again in hands of the strange presence, moments where she had to fight it back before being able to fight the Angel. 'And then there was a moment when I almost did not return… and only Ikari's voice pulled me back.'
She stared at the moon again, still seeing the sleepless figure in the window. She shook her head. 'I mustn't run away. How did it go? "I shall face my fear, and I shall let it pass through me. And once it does, only I shall remain"? Something like that. I like the idea.'
With a relaxed smile slowly appearing on her face, she closed the window and returned to her bed. The night was still long and lonely, but she was no longer filled with doubts.
***
A breakfast was already waiting for her; a solemn Yui came from the kitchen just after Kyoko entered the room. "Good morning, Ikari", Kyoko smiled.
"Good morning, Soryu", came a reply in a voice tinged with worry. "Please, join me. Did you sleep well?"
Kyoko raised her eyebrows. "Did you really expect me to sleep well after that revelation?" she asked, still wearing the half-smile. "I stayed up most of the night… and so did you."
Yui blushed lightly. "Why do you think so?"
Kyoko smile grew. "Well, I was looking out the window of my room… and let's say you look good in that gown."
Yui's blush deepened and she looked at her guest as if she wanted to scold her, but silently decided not to. Kyoko smile remained as she continued. "Second… the night was long. All the previous ones were cut short at some point, they went on and then dawn arrived, as if a scene in a movie changed. This one went all the way to the dawn. You really didn't sleep at all, did you?"
Yui nodded and closed her eyes for a second. "I did not. I could not."
Kyoko sighed, her face turning serious again. "I'm sorry. But… thank you."
Yui tilted her head, her eyes confused. "For what?"
"For letting me know you worry about me. And… well, for giving me a place to return to", Kyoko smiled once more.
"Always, Soryu. You're always welcome here" was the soft reply.
It was Kyoko's time to blush. "Thank you", she whispered.
They ate their breakfast in silence.
***
"Are you sure about that, Soryu?" Yui inquired as they stood between the trees.
"Having doubts now, Ikari?" Kyoko smiled weakly. "I trust you, and I trust your memory. I only fear that if this fails, you'll be left alone with the struggle."
Yui winced. "I don't want you to die", she whispered.
Kyoko reached for Yui's hand and held it in a tight grasp.
"I will do my best not to", her smile remained weak, but her voice did betray determination.
***
Yui tracked Kyoko's steps on the path until she vanished in the thin air, her transition to Unit-02 complete. The last hand squeeze they shared lingered, burning her skin.
'This is it, isn't it?' Yui sighed, her heart heavy with unease. 'I do hope she returns whole and sound, not torn and insane. Well... I do hope she returns at all.' Yui's doubts, forcefully kept under tight lit to avoid dampening Kyoko's spirit, suddenly returned in force. 'Perhaps trusting me was the worst choice she has ever made. I might have just doomed her soul.' She clenched her teeth and took a deep breath.
She returned to the study, dragging her steps. The place suddenly felt far too empty; she took another look at the large, ink-and-illumination-on-parchment, leather-bound tome on the pulpit. It was, of course, only a representation of her memory and the knowledge she held, but it helped her to focus and to recall the lore she once learned.
'Let's hope the old creep didn't make any mistakes and took no artistic licence when he was retelling the stories about the Other Realm... and I hope my memory serves me well, too.'
Two large, beautifully illuminated drawings filled the opposite pages, circles interconnected with paths, all described in perfectly calligraphed Hebrew letters. Yui looked at the one on the left and recalled her teacher's words: "First, the seeker, once he gained the entry, must face the many whispers that reflect the shells above the Queen of the Night..."
================================================================
And here we are. This is the end of Chapter 5. and Kyoko has gone... somewhere.
I already started on Chapter 6. and it is not easy to describe what she is going through, so Chapter 6. will be coming slowly. In the meantime, I will be updating with a side-story: what happened outside the Evangelions, specifically: what Asuka and Shinji were up to.
Last edited:
- Location
- On a powder keg, next to a fire
I am not familiar with Kingdom Hearts enough to answer to this reference, and frankly, the full answer may change before I finish writing the chapter (Chapter 5. underwent several changes in the process, originally it was supposed to be about 20% shorter - it's how I write).
You are partially right - she is going to meet the other half of her soul and confront it somehow, with intent of either merging with it or destroying it - both results would solve the immediate problem. The final two paragraphs are supposed to show exactly what kind of journey Kyoko is embarking on (although it is not supposed to be obvious, in spirit of Evangelion tradition).
