Walking Home

Chapter 1: Cast out

An Evangelion Fanfiction

By: Legato Deathscythe

Disclaimer: Don't own eva or anything. Just hoping we don't get fucked over for Rebuild of Evangelion for ten years like we were for EoE here in the States.

Gendo Ikari was not a man known for his inability to control his emotions. He was calm and collected most days. He could order the deaths of hundreds if need be with the same tone of voice as someone asking for sugar in their tea. If you looked into his eyes they would be cold regardless if you told him he had won the lottery tax free or he was dying from some horrifically disfiguring ailment. Gendo Ikari, Supreme Commander of NERV was not shaken easily.

Which is why Kozo Fuyutsuki was shocked at the display of pure unadulterated fury the younger man was displaying in the confines of his office. Whomever was on the other side of the phone was the focus of the commanders anger, and from what the old professor could tell was more then deserving of it.

"I gave you specific instructions to tend to his needs until he was eighteen or I sent for him! Explain to me why the hell you failed to notify me immediately when he disappeared! I sent you more then enough money to tend to his needs every month," Gendo yelled.

Fuyutsuki could tell the Commander didn't like the answer he got, "So what if I sent him to live with you instead of take care of him myself? I have responsibilities which prevent me from providing proper care to a child, which is why I trusted you with him!"

There was a pause as the other person in the conversation said something, "Well you didn't have a problem taking that money for the last several years when he wasn't there! So obviously whatever reason you had for not bothering to find him wasn't financial hardship! I don't care that your wife left you! That isn't my responsibility!"

Whatever the person, whom Kozo assumed had been Shinji's caretaker said must not have sat well with Gendo. The last words before the Commander spoke were cold and bitter, "Be grateful I don't have family killed." The younger man slammed the phone down hard, ending the conversation.

Gendo took a moment to calm himself and then looked his second directly in the eyes, "We have a serious problem."

--

Nine years he had wandered the island of Kyushuu. He didn't know what had caused him to one day just keep walking. Something seemed to call him to start that journey so long ago. A need to be somewhere other then where he had been sent to live. The young boy couldn't explain it, just knew he needed to head somewhere. So as the years passed he kept walking. The wheels on the Cello case broke in the first year, so he had taken to carrying it. Over time the heavy Cello wasn't that heavy any longer.

Weekends found him simply playing his cello in a park or other place if he was in or near a town. Some passer's by would toss a few yen in his cello case. While he was grateful for the money it was not why he did it. He simply wanted to play. The end of the day he'd pick up his cello and head out to another part of the country. During his travels he had picked up a companion, a friendly if protective dog he called Yuki. She was his best, if only friend in the world.

His travels had taken him to every point he could think of on the small island. He had taught himself how to read, write, add and subtract. He had met a few people who never asked him to explain what a boy his age was doing on his own but were kind enough to assist him. Some taught him literature. Others were kind enough to share a fire or a warm bed for a few nights. Others taught him how to take care of himself against folk who would take advantage of him. He learned much over his time walking.

But he always avoided the city of his birth. It wasn't a conscious decision on his part. Much like the beginning of his journey something kept him from going to that place. A feeling that it just wasn't the right time to enter that city and confront his past. So he continued walking and watching the people around him. Fortunately the eternal summer meant he didn't have to worry too much about cold weather. And he had actually been able to pick up a blanket and pillow.

Though due to his travels he hadn't bothered with a hair cut for a long time. His hair now fell to his waist, and was pulled back with a hair tie given to him by an old man at a shrine he had once spent a few days at. The fish was good there. The talks with the old priest were enlightening. However they didn't answer the biggest question in his thoughts. That question wouldn't be answered until the time came for him to return to Tokyo-3.

Shinji looked around and took in his surroundings. He and Yuki had stumbled upon a secluded spot. It was a beautiful part of the forest near a waterfall. The water was so clear, he could see plenty of fish swimming in the stream. He looked around himself and for a moment it looked like he was listening to the wind. It felt like a good spot to spend the next few days.

So he unrolled his blanket and set his cello case down as he made camp for a while.

--

"Nothing. No reports, no inquiries, nothing at all about Shinji in any of the missing or abandoned children's databases. No unsolved murders or unidentified bodies matching Shinji's description in the Ministry of Justice or local police divisions on the entire island. No school records for an Ikari since 2006. If he isn't dead by now he has stayed off the radar either by chance or choice for nearly ten years," Fuyutsuki said as he delivered the report. When Gendo had briefed him on the situation Kozo could hardly believe it. He had subtly been letting his contempt for Gendo's actions regarding Shinji apparent the entire time.

"I am just as much to blame as he is. I did nothing to stop this."

"We'll have to assume it's by chance. A boy that age wouldn't have the skill to keep himself hidden so well."

"You are of course assuming he hasn't died during the last several years," Fuyutsuki reminded him.

Gendo simply looked at Fuyutsuki and for the first time in years sighed, "I understand you were not happy with my decision after Yui was taken from us."

"You are right, I wasn't. I still disagree with it, especially in light of what you showed me after you sent him away. How could you possibly consider it a good idea to send him away when you KNEW he would have to fight this war!"

Gendo simply glared at the old professor, "I had my reasons."

"Which you never really explained to me. You and I both know Yui would never have approved," Kozo said, knowing full well the wound he was tearing open.

"I am quiet aware of what she would have wanted. You need not remind me of that," Gendo said, his anger barely in check.

"Oh but I think I do. We should have had him here in training as soon as we knew he would be needed. We should have kept him close and protected here, in the Geo-Front where we could make sure nothing happened to him. We should have..."

Fuyutsuki was cut off as Gendo slammed his hands into his desk, "That is enough! I had my reasons and I will not go into them at this juncture. Just find him and bring him here, that is all."

Kozo knew he would get nothing from his former student now. He simply excused himself and left the office. A few minutes after the aged Sub-Commander had closed the door, Gendo reached down into his desk and pulled out an old photograph. It showed a young boy, barely three years old reaching up towards the photographer. Holding onto him a woman with short brown hair and green eyes. Gendo Ikari ran his fingers along the contour of the womans face.

"Forgive me," he said. His only answer was silence.

--

The sun rose on his third day by the waterfall. The light crisp and clean as he walked to the shore of the small lagoon and dove in. An early morning swim helped Shinji wake up, and wash the grime from the day before off his skin. It had been nearly six weeks since he had bathed in a regular bathroom. Though he did manage to keep himself well groomed, with a good toothbrush and supply of toothpaste and soap. The only problem he really had right now were his clothes. The last place he had been had some clothing that was cheap and good for his needs. He even had a heavy brown duster for when it rained, and a wide brimmed hat to keep the sun off his face.

The hat hung on the top end of his cello case as he got out of the lagoon. Shinji grabbed a little bit of soap from his bag and cleaned himself up as best he could. Once he was clean and dressed he felt something. As if a whisper on the wind caught his attention. He looked towards the west, towards the city of his birth and knew that was his new destination. The time to return there had come it seemed. So he donned his coat, placed his hat on his head and broke camp. With Yuki at his side he sat out and walked on.

Perhaps he would be able to have his question answered. But he couldn't help but feel a storm on the horizon.

--

It had been nearly a month since the accident with Unit-00. Rei was still not fit for duty, and no leads had turned up in their attempt to locate Shinji. It was the worst time for an Angel to make it's appearance. Fate it seems is not without a sense of irony. The JSSDF had deployed due to the behemoth that was the Third Angel. It moved along the ridge, ignoring all the VTOLs flying towards it as if they were mere flies. The only time it took notice of the onslaught was when the cruise missile came towards it. It was simply a matter of catching the high explosive warhead, if a bit annoying to the creature.

NERV only had one shot, and their only pilot couldn't even stand up.

"Ikari this is madness. You can't expect her to be able to hold off the Angel in this condition," Fuyutsuki said as he and Ikari looked over the command deck.

"She's not dead yet," was Ikari's response.

"Operative term is yet. The speed from the catapult alone could kill her. She might not make it to the surface in order to face that monster."

The Commander didn't respond to that. The truth was that Fuyutsuki was correct. Rei's chances for survival were unconscionably low. Even the stress of activating Unit-01 could cause her condition to deteriorate quickly. And with the Angel over their heads there would not be enough time to activate a replacement.

"Fuyutsuki, handle the rest," Ikari said and left the command center. If Rei was going to meet her death then he would send her there in person.

--

The night itself seemed pleasant enough as he crested the ridge and looked over the city before him. Shinji looked at the sea of light in the small valley before him. It would have been a lovely site were it not for the giant green creature looming in the city scape. Shinji had never seen anything like it before. He had to wonder if his calling to come to this place was a coincidence. The wind seemed to direct him to another part of the overlooking area he was in. Hidden in the brush was a door that seemed to be made of pure steel. The door looked like it had once used a card reader to keep unwanted folk out. But now it was warped, and allowed anyone who wanted in to do so.

Shinji pulled the door open, and he and Yuki walked in. The calling seemed to pull him deeper into the darkness, guiding his path as if he knew exactly where he was going. Yuki followed behind loyally as she could. The halls seemed to go on forever, but no one seemed to ever see him. His path was completely devoid of all human life.

He ended up in some bay of some kind walking along what looked like a bridge. When he looked out along it he saw something so incredible he could barely speak. A giant purple armored head, with a single horn extending over the bridge. Shinji simply continued walking until he was right in front of the behemoth's eyes. It was then he knew why the wind had drawn him here. The beast outside didn't seem like it could be faced by anything else but something of equal stature.

Yuki simply sat down on his right side as Shinji idly scratched her ears. He took his long brimmed traveling hat off with his left hand. He used the hat to brush off some of the dust and dirt from the trail from his pants and boots. The buzzing in his head, the pull that had guided him all his life, seemed stronger now that he stood before this monstrosity. Defiantly, his arrival here was no coincidence.

"What could this all mean?" he thought.

The rattling of wheels on the steel floors drew his attention towards the opposite side of the bridge. He saw a group of people wheeling in someone on a gurney, and a man he instantly recognized. The years had barely changed him, safe for the beard and glasses. Shinji couldn't help but recognize his father as he walked beside the gurney. Everyone seemed to stop as he was spotted. Two men in black suits and dark glasses moved towards him, but his father stopped them. Shinji simply returned his attention to the giant.

Gendo Ikari wasn't one to believe in coincidence or luck. However he was rather shocked to see his son standing there. It was convenient to say the least. Of course taking in the boys appearance he had to wonder if he would be able to control him as was needed. Gendo shook that thought off, it wouldn't matter one way or the other in a few minutes.

He walked towards Shinji and turned once he was along side him. They both stared into the face of Unit-01, "It's been a while."

"Yes it has," Shinji responded simply.

"Your Uncle has been lying to me for the last several years about your whereabouts."

"Makes sense, you may not have wanted to take care of me yourself but you made certain I was more then adequately provided for," Shinji said.

Gendo nodded, "How did you get here?"

"The wind told me to come here," was the only answer Shinji gave.

The sounds of destruction were louder now, "We don't have much time."

Shinji nodded, "Is this how you were planning to defend against that thing outside?"

"Yes."

"Why is it still here?" Shinji asked.

Gendo looked to the side, "Our pilot was seriously injured a month ago. I ordered her kept in the medical bay until the UN handed over control of the situation."

Shinji turned and saw the girl laying on the gurney. She looked like she could barely sit up let alone fight I this thing, "She can't do this."

"There is no one else," was all Gendo said in answer.

Shinji thought on that for a moment then asked, "How difficult is it to learn on the go?"

Gendo turned his gaze to the boy. He hadn't even needed to blackmail him or anything, just tell him the truth, "It's almost completely mental. The controls connect to your brain through nerve connection headsets. After that you simply think it, ad it will do the rest."

Shinji nodded, then took off his hat and coat. He handed them to his father and said, "I'll do it. I may not know what I'm doing, but at least my chances are better then someone who can't even stand right now. Just look after my things and Yuki for me."

Gendo nodded and motioned for the Section-2 agents to take Shinji's things. He told them to ensure the dog with Shinji was looked over by a vet as soon as possible. Shinji unstrapped the knife he kept on his calf and removed his boots. He turned to Gendo, who said, "Welcome home."

To Be Continued...

Author's Notes: Kind of a new twist I hope.