This is the episode that I saw on G4 that made me investigate this series. It was the first episode of RahXephon that I had seen, and since I started in at the Lighthouse part, it took me a while to figure out what series I had seen.

Summary:
Futagami is still investigating the island, travelling around asking questions of the various people. We are only given bits and pieces of what he is finding out, most noteworthy the concept of being "spirited forth", or the reverse of being spirited away, but we are offered no information on what this means. He makes one final comment: "First dig up a shrine, and then a god descends."

Ayato is running more tests for TERRA. Dr. Itsuki asks him to make the shield on his arm (as seen in the previous ep). Ayato concentrates on making the shield, but fails to do so, earning a lecture from Isshiki about how he doesn't know why they're keeping him. He continues his reprimand by saying that Ayato not knowing about what it took to bring him out would be "criminal" and he tells Ayato that as the representative of the Earth Federation, he represents mankind. There is clearly tension, and as Ayato goes to leave, Isshiki orders Sayoko to escort him home. After telling them "Happy New Year" in a sarcastic manner (and they leave), Isshiki tells Itsuki that he knows that Itsuki "wants to try it."

Back at home, Megumi finds Haruka cleaning out her room - the place is a mess and Megumi comments on how Haruka is always listening to the old music. Outside the house, Quon is waiting for Ayato. In typical odd Quon fashion, she says he is having doubts about where he belongs as she listens to his heartbeat. Megumi walks out just then, chewing out Ayato as she says he needs to sleep because they're going to the beach tomorrow. Quon seems intrigued, and Megumi essentially has to invite her along. Just then, it's the new year.

At the beach, some of the TERRA crew unwinds. As usual, Ayato is drawing, this time a picture of Quon standing at the end of a pier. Kim notices and comments on how good he is, drawing the attention of Elvy and Kathy (the female jet pilot in Elvy's squadron), and they fight over who should be the model. As they battle, Kim grabs the sketchbook, and notices the pictures of Mishima inside, asking Ayato who all the pictures are of. Megumi also wants to see, so Kim shows her, and Megumi seems a bit angry. Ayato comments it is someone from school, and Kim says "Without the Mu, you both might have been high school sweethearts." Ayato mentions that without the Mu, for starters, they'd both be 29 with the 12 year lag. Kim comments that the whole situation is weird; that if Ayato hadn't been inside TJ, he'd be older than her and about the same age as Haruka and Itsuki. Kim asks if he has any memories of the war, but Ayato says that Itsuki told him that the Mu fabricated memories in his head, but he says he is sure he'll remember the truth someday. Haruka listens to this discussion from a nearby chair, seeming worried.

In the meantime, Sayoko is trying to hack into the information on Isshiki, but seemingly getting nowhere.

The crew decide to go swimming and diving from a nearby boat. Haruka is lying out in the sun, listening to an ipod type device when Quon takes the earphones off her head to listen. She then gives it to Ayato to listen to. After he listens to the song for a bit, Haruka asks him if he knows that song and if he liked it. She then jumps into the water. Ayato notices Quon looking up at the cliffside. Looking up, Ayato seems a girl in a yellow dress (looking like Mishima) by the lighthouse on the cliff. Back at the base, Itsuki dons a helmet looking to enter the RX. Ayato and Quon look for Mishima. Ayato thinks she couldn't be there, because she died, but Quon thinks that she is. They wander into a forest as Ayato completes his thoughts saying "...even if she was alive, she'd be in Tokyo", to which Quon says "Will you go back?" Just as she says that, Ayato notices that they have arrived at an ancient looking shrine.

Itsuki tries to enter the RX like Ayato does, raising his hands to the sky in a sort of supplication to the barrier that surrounds the RX. Sayoko returns to see what is going on, asking Isshiki what is going on. She questions Isshiki, saying she knows he has only been with the Federation for one month, and before that, there are no records. Isshiki compliments her on her research skills.

Back at the shrine, Quon says she somehow knows this place. Just then, the shrine door opens. Flashing back to the lab/RX Shrine, Isshiki talks to Sayoko, saying that she must find him captivating, to which she agrees. Just then, Isshiki is rejected by the RX, and a Mishima looking projection looks out from the barrier surrounding it. (think of the faces from the movie "The Abyss" when the watery projections were moving around the station to look at the humans) At the shrine, Quon enters, forcing Ayato to follow her. Behind them, the shrine door closes by itself. At the RX shrine, the power goes out, and Isshiki comments on how the goddess is indeed guarded.

The Terra crew, led by Haruka, is searching for Ayato, as he and Quon have been missing for 4 hours. Kunagi tells HAruka that they should keep looking and he'll send more help. Megumi is despondant, wondering why Ayato would go off with Quon. Inside the shrine, Ayato walks down a dark corridor, while Haruka arrives outside. She looks at the shrine door and notices that the chain that apparently held the front is broken. She pulls on it, but when the door opens, it is blocked off by solid rock. Just then Futagami arrives at the shrine. Haruka asks him why he's there and he says it was at this shrine that the "spiriting forth" took place. He says that 38 years ago, two girls appeared at the shrine. As he tells the tale, he mentions that people who return from being spirited away often disappear again and don't return. He says that there was one large spiriting away that took place - that of Tokyo, and he wonders what the people who are spirited away see on their second time that keeps them from coming back. More search teams from Terra appear.

Back at Itsuki's house, Sayoko tries to calm his worries about Quon, but Itsuki reacts angrily. Megumi is also despondant at home. Several days apparently pass, with no word on their whereabouts. Eventually, Itsuki calls off the search, saying they've done all they can, but Haruka angrily responds that she is never giving up. Haruka rushes to her car and drives off, heading towards the shrine. Again, she pulls on the doors, but finds the same wall. She falls to her knees in tears.

Ayato seems to have been walking for a shorter period of time than outside, calling for Quon. Eventually, he notices that the tunnel itself disappears, and he can see Tokyo Jupiter beneath his feet. Quon finds an empty table and chair, with what looks to be a little egg on top of the table. As she picks it up, she comments "Ixtli, the Ollin is looking for you." We now see Reika Mishima sitting in the chair. She tells Quon "The egg you hold is the cogwheel that turns time." Quon puts it to her ear and can hear a heartbeat. Quon talks of fear and oblivion being born into the world, but Mishima tells her "Do not be afraid, it is yours to possess." Quon replies "A world, suffused with sound?" to which Mishima replies "A melody not of this world." as she talks of music being part of the new world that can be created. Quon says "One who will tune the world... an instrumentalist?" Mishima tells her "You are an Ollin...." - we see Quon react in shock, as Mishima is now gone, but we hear her voice continue "... and I am Ixtli..." The egg starts to hatch, and for a moment, we see a vision of two little girls crying in front of the shrine seen earlier, one with blue hair and one with red hair - the color of Quon's.

Meanwhile, Ayato is falling towards TJ, but as he falls, he hears singing. Outside the shrine, Haruka is singing a song, and somehow Ayato is hearing it. Haruka stops singing, but just then there is a flash of light from the shrine and Ayato falls out of it. Haruka catches him and he notices her saying "Ah, Haruka". She starts crying and he wonders why its dark outside. She tells him he has been missing for days, but he says that can't be right - looking at his watch he says it has only been five minutes since he went in. Just then, they notice Quon is lying out front of the shrine as well. Haruka says there must be a time lag like TJ, and Ayato says that he did see TJ inside, but he came back because he heard Haruka singing. She asks him if he hadn't heard her, would he have gone back to TJ, but Ayato says no, that this is the place where he belongs.

The power comes back on at the shrine, and Isshiki seems disappointed. On the way back, Haruka is telling Itsuki that she found Quon and Ayato. Ayato starts humming the song Haruka was singing in front of the shrine, which grabs Haruka's attention - he comments that he's heard it before, and wonders where he has heard it before (he knows the name and everything). He says it makes him feel "nostalgic" and "good". Haruka seems about to cry, hanging up on Itsuki. He starts humming it again, and she hums along with him. Itsuki, hearing a dialtone, comments "Haruka, good for you, and yet, thank God."

Isshiki and Sayoko are meeting for drinks - apparently, Isshiki wants Sayoko to do something for him, and she asks him if he's sure it will help Itsuki. She also mentions that "partners should get to know each other" to which he says "As I've said, you're quite smart."

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This show isn't too subtle with some of its secrets, which is probably my biggest complaint. In seeing this episode, it should be obvious what the writers are implying - that Haruka might have known Ayato long ago when they could have been the same age. But so far, we're left to figure out how that fits into the puzzle of the plot. It would have been better (IMO) to reveal that more slowly - to leave more doubt in our minds as to this possibility. By starting to reveal these pieces so soon, the writers eliminate secrecy that could cloud the main plot thread, but miss a chance to really surprise the audience.

Mishima = Ixtli. Ixtli = Mishima. But what does it mean?

Megumi seems to be having a thing for Ayato, despite her aggravation when people try to link them as a couple. Should prove interesting if Haruka knew him long ago.

Quon's role remains to be established, but you're welcome to try and figure it out. The revelation by Ixtli/Mishima that Quon is also an Ollin means that "Ollin" isn't a proper name. Which leads to the next question - is Ixtli?

As I stated at the beginning, this is the first RX episode I saw any part of, and it was the mix of the interesting storylines that made me watch further. For those who want to try and shove RX into the line of mecha shows, it is episodes like these that put the lie to that push. The RX is only briefly in the episode and plays no role - it's character interaction and development which drive this episode. It's one of the reasons I like RahXephon so much.