He looked up at the looming beast, the monster's face frozen in place. It had eyes that never blinked and a mouth that didn't open, but that didn't stop it from grinning at Shinji Ikari with a malign intelligence that frightened him.
"I control you," he willed himself to think. "And not the other way around."
The EVA unit continued to stare, to leer at its pilot.
Shinji slammed his fist into the pane of observation glass that separated the two. He knew it was futile though, he would never be able to generate the force needed to shatter it. He wasn't strong enough and would never be that strong.
He hit it again, and again, and again. Soon he realized that his fists were sliding against the window, staining it crimson with his bleeding hands.
"I am your master!" He shouted. "You listen to me! To your pilot! To me!"
Slowly, the robot's mouth fell open, revealing a gaping maw lined with hideous parodies of teeth and a tongue. The teeth were a grotesque yellow and the tongue in contrast was a sharp black.
"Hrrrr…hrrhhhh…hrrhhhhhrh…"
It took Shinji a second to recognize the sound, it was laughter, the EVA was laughing at him.
"Goddamn you!" He continued to pound away at the glass as the gigantic head began to spasm in laughter. "Don't you dare laugh at me! I control you! Me!"
Without warning, the EVA lunged forward, ripping through the meter-thick glass like paper. It tossed Shinji up into the air and caught him, clenching him tight in one massive hand. Shinji redirected his beatings towards this, barely registering the fact that the new whiteness he saw through the splatters of blood was bone, and not the paleness of his flesh. EVA-01 continued its macabre laugh as it leveled Shinji to its eye level. Now the eyes seemed to pulse with emotion, reflecting Shinji's waves of anger, of hopelessness, and of frustration.
It laughed and Shinji screamed out in equal amounts of pain and rage. He couldn't run away, even if he wanted to. But this was different, this was a confrontation he would not back away from. This was…
Then he realized that the flesh around his fists had been stripped bare. He was looking at pure bone, pallid strips of skin and muscle hanging loosely at ragged edges.
"Hrrrhrrhh…hrrrhhhrrrhh!"
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Shinji woke up slowly from his deep slumber, kicking free from the undertow of sleep. He opened his mouth, once, twice, without making a sound, and then looked down at his hands, the dream still hovering at the fringes of his consciousness.
"I'm so pathetic," he whispered, "I'm only brave in my dreams."
It was early in the morning, with a pale moon still refusing to relinquish its hold of the sky. Outside was a picture-frame of silence. A still picture, for nothing moved. For a quick second, Shinji wondered if he was the last person in the world, but he shook the thought away. For one, it was highly unlikely; for no force, divine or otherwise, would be crazy enough to leave someone like him as the last person alive. Second…it just felt wrong. As much as he would liked to be left alone, he would never jump at such an offer. He was too dependent on certain people.
Outside his room, the TV flickered black and white static, casting the room in a hazy light. Shinji noticed Asuka at about the same time, curled up on the sofa in a long t-shirt and panties, her mouth slightly open.
"Am I dependent on Soryu? That would be stupid, she doesn't even give me the time of the day. And yet…" Shinji paused and looked at her again. "Still…everyday I hope and…But it's not like…like the hope I feel towards Ayanami…is it?"
He reached for the remote and snapped the television off. Asuka immediately reacted, rising from the sofa slowly, and with a huge yawn. "Misato! I was watching that, don't you dare change the channel…" She sat up, blinked, and saw Shinji looking at her. "Oh, it's you."
"…Sorry, I didn't mean to…"
"Yeah, yeah, I got it." At that point, Asuka remembered what she was wearing and gave Shinji an evil grin. "You were checking me out weren't you?"
"I wasn't…not intentionally, I mean, you know. It just…happened."
Asuka yawned again and said, "Whatever. If you wanna just stand around and look at the sag in the sofa where I fell asleep, be my guest. I'm gonna go catch more z's in a bed."
As she moved towards her room, Shinji sat down at the space she occupied just scant seconds ago and ran a hand across the sofa cover. It was warm, of course, and it smelled like her, a warm cinnamon-like scent that made a small smile form on his face. "Good night Asuka," he said softly, not wanting her to hear the words.
"Hey baka!" Came her voice from the slightly ajar bedroom door.
"Yes Asuka?"
"Get some sleep dummy, we've got school tomorrow. I don't want your idiot friends asking me why you're acting like a freaking zombie the entire day."
"Alright…just give me a second Asuka."
He got that second, and then another, and many more. Then he got up and went to his own bedroom. Shinji closed the door slowly, and when it was shut, he rested his forehead against it. Many more seconds passed by, and then he heard Asuka's door creak open slowly, followed by a whispered "Hey Ikari…sweet dreams."
Then the door was closed fully.
Shinji climbed back into his bed and was asleep before his head hit his pillow. It was a peaceful, dreamless sleep.
"I control you," he willed himself to think. "And not the other way around."
The EVA unit continued to stare, to leer at its pilot.
Shinji slammed his fist into the pane of observation glass that separated the two. He knew it was futile though, he would never be able to generate the force needed to shatter it. He wasn't strong enough and would never be that strong.
He hit it again, and again, and again. Soon he realized that his fists were sliding against the window, staining it crimson with his bleeding hands.
"I am your master!" He shouted. "You listen to me! To your pilot! To me!"
Slowly, the robot's mouth fell open, revealing a gaping maw lined with hideous parodies of teeth and a tongue. The teeth were a grotesque yellow and the tongue in contrast was a sharp black.
"Hrrrr…hrrhhhh…hrrhhhhhrh…"
It took Shinji a second to recognize the sound, it was laughter, the EVA was laughing at him.
"Goddamn you!" He continued to pound away at the glass as the gigantic head began to spasm in laughter. "Don't you dare laugh at me! I control you! Me!"
Without warning, the EVA lunged forward, ripping through the meter-thick glass like paper. It tossed Shinji up into the air and caught him, clenching him tight in one massive hand. Shinji redirected his beatings towards this, barely registering the fact that the new whiteness he saw through the splatters of blood was bone, and not the paleness of his flesh. EVA-01 continued its macabre laugh as it leveled Shinji to its eye level. Now the eyes seemed to pulse with emotion, reflecting Shinji's waves of anger, of hopelessness, and of frustration.
It laughed and Shinji screamed out in equal amounts of pain and rage. He couldn't run away, even if he wanted to. But this was different, this was a confrontation he would not back away from. This was…
Then he realized that the flesh around his fists had been stripped bare. He was looking at pure bone, pallid strips of skin and muscle hanging loosely at ragged edges.
"Hrrrhrrhh…hrrrhhhrrrhh!"
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Shinji woke up slowly from his deep slumber, kicking free from the undertow of sleep. He opened his mouth, once, twice, without making a sound, and then looked down at his hands, the dream still hovering at the fringes of his consciousness.
"I'm so pathetic," he whispered, "I'm only brave in my dreams."
It was early in the morning, with a pale moon still refusing to relinquish its hold of the sky. Outside was a picture-frame of silence. A still picture, for nothing moved. For a quick second, Shinji wondered if he was the last person in the world, but he shook the thought away. For one, it was highly unlikely; for no force, divine or otherwise, would be crazy enough to leave someone like him as the last person alive. Second…it just felt wrong. As much as he would liked to be left alone, he would never jump at such an offer. He was too dependent on certain people.
Outside his room, the TV flickered black and white static, casting the room in a hazy light. Shinji noticed Asuka at about the same time, curled up on the sofa in a long t-shirt and panties, her mouth slightly open.
"Am I dependent on Soryu? That would be stupid, she doesn't even give me the time of the day. And yet…" Shinji paused and looked at her again. "Still…everyday I hope and…But it's not like…like the hope I feel towards Ayanami…is it?"
He reached for the remote and snapped the television off. Asuka immediately reacted, rising from the sofa slowly, and with a huge yawn. "Misato! I was watching that, don't you dare change the channel…" She sat up, blinked, and saw Shinji looking at her. "Oh, it's you."
"…Sorry, I didn't mean to…"
"Yeah, yeah, I got it." At that point, Asuka remembered what she was wearing and gave Shinji an evil grin. "You were checking me out weren't you?"
"I wasn't…not intentionally, I mean, you know. It just…happened."
Asuka yawned again and said, "Whatever. If you wanna just stand around and look at the sag in the sofa where I fell asleep, be my guest. I'm gonna go catch more z's in a bed."
As she moved towards her room, Shinji sat down at the space she occupied just scant seconds ago and ran a hand across the sofa cover. It was warm, of course, and it smelled like her, a warm cinnamon-like scent that made a small smile form on his face. "Good night Asuka," he said softly, not wanting her to hear the words.
"Hey baka!" Came her voice from the slightly ajar bedroom door.
"Yes Asuka?"
"Get some sleep dummy, we've got school tomorrow. I don't want your idiot friends asking me why you're acting like a freaking zombie the entire day."
"Alright…just give me a second Asuka."
He got that second, and then another, and many more. Then he got up and went to his own bedroom. Shinji closed the door slowly, and when it was shut, he rested his forehead against it. Many more seconds passed by, and then he heard Asuka's door creak open slowly, followed by a whispered "Hey Ikari…sweet dreams."
Then the door was closed fully.
Shinji climbed back into his bed and was asleep before his head hit his pillow. It was a peaceful, dreamless sleep.