Asuka's Christmas Carol (Asuka no kurisumasukyaroru)
An Evangelion Fanfiction
Co-written by Snafu the Great and Ted Hsu

Disclaimer: Ted and I do not own either Neon Genesis Evangelion (who belongs to GAINAX and Hideaki Anno) nor the classic A Christmas Carol (who belongs to Charles Dickens). We also do not own the characters representing the human forms of the Angels in this story. Who they are will be revealed as the story goes along. All I can say is that they are from SNK, Bandai Namco and Capcom. Ted and I also co-wrote Chun-Li's Christmas Carol in the Street Fighter section, so feel free to check that out as well.

Also, Asuka's married name will be that of her surname in Evangelion 2.0: You Can (Not) Advance, which is Shikinami. So rather than Asuka Langley Sohryuu, her name is now Asuka Sohryuu-Shikinami.

Oh, and apologies for the late release. We had to undergo a couple of revisions to the story.

Chapter One: The Ghost of Kyokou Zeppelin Sohryuu

Tokyo-2, Japan - Christmas Eve, 2029

Christmastime has come to the citizens of Tokyo-2. As the people of the city went about their business, one person was hard at work.

Inside the massive complex that housed the world headquarters of the United Nations, the person in question was in fact, a young woman. Only twenty-nine years old, she was in fact, the youngest person to ever hold the rank of Captain in the United Nations.

She was inside her office, located on the fiftieth floor of the complex. She was very beautiful, the product of an American father and a Japanese-German mother, thus giving her an unique appearance, as she boasts many Asian features, such as the shape of her face and her almond-shaped eyes, while possessing the normal Caucasian facial coloring. Her red hair, once long, was now cut short (think Silent Hill's Heather Morris). Piercing blue eyes which revealed great intelligence were at the moment scanning several documents on her desk. She was dressed like a professional - the blue combat fatigues of the United Nations, complete with rank. Spit-shined boots adorned her feet.

"Captain Shikinami, it's quitting time."

Asuka Shikinami looked up from her work. Her commanding officer had stuck his head inside her office. "You can go, sir," she replied. "I'm gonna stay here and catch up on some work."

Her commanding officer, a man in his late forties by the name of Kitamura, entered the room. "Captain Shikinami, go home. You may be one the best in linguistics, but even you need to take some time off. Working non-stop is unhealthy, even for a former prodigy like yourself."

Asuka stopped what she was doing so she could focus her attention on her boss. "I'm fine, Colonel. Really, I'm just about done."

"You're a lousy liar, Shikinami," Kitamura replied. "So what's eating you?"

"Christmas is...a stressful time for me, sir," Asuka replied. "My mother...she died this very night when I was a child. She hanged herself."

"And your father?"

"Died three years ago. Car accident."

Kitamura decided to drop the subject. "Captain...go home and rest. I do not want to hear that you spent Christmas working again." When it looked like that Asuka was going to argue, Kitamura dropped the nail in the coffin. "That's an order, Captain. Be out of here in thirty minutes."

The conversation finished, Kitamura departed from her office, leaving the woman alone.

Asuka stood up and walked over to the window, looking down on the citizens of Tokyo-2 as they scurried about their business. Not even the rain had dampened the season, as the people finished up their shopping.

Asuka turned around and looked at the three pictures on her desk. The first was that of herself as a child with her mother, Kyokou Zeppelin Sohryuu. The second picture was that of her estranged husband Shin Shikinami, and their daughter, Kei. That photo made her smile. Her five-year-old daughter was the light of her otherwise dreary life.

The last was from when she was fourteen. Her hair was longer than it was now. she was also not alone in the photo. Three more persons - a boy and two women - were also there. The elder women looked to be in her late twenties, with dark purple hair, flashing a V towards the camera. The second girl looked to be about fourteen, with skin the color of alabaster. The girl's unique features was her short blue hair and her eyes, the irises the color of crimson. The last person in the photo was that of the boy around the same age as herself and the other girl, with short dark brown hair and cobalt eyes. Unlike the blue-haired girl, whose expression remained stoic, the boy had a shy smile on his face. All three were dressed in their school uniforms, while the older woman was dressed in a military uniform, complete with beret.

'I still don't know why I kept this picture,' Asuka thought darkly. 'It's not like the drunk, the baka and the doll actually cared for me.'

Even after all this time, the picture brought back memories. Memories she had long since suppressed, but came creeping back when she least expected.

For Asuka, it had been fifteen years. Fifteen years since she had left Tokyo-3. Fifteen years since the Angel Wars had came to an abrupt and unexpected end.

It had all came down shortly after Arael's attack. In the days following that attack, Asuka had left Tokyo-3. As she was en-route back to Germany, NERV Supreme Commander Gendou Rokubungi Ikari was deposed and arrested on the orders of the UN Security Council, as was the 12 members of the SEELE Committee, for crimes against humanity, as well as the crime of genocide, as the truth behind the calamity known as 'Second Impact' became known to the world.

As it turned out, it was Gendou's own son, Shinji Ikari, the Third Child and pilot of EVA Unit One, along with his Deputy Commander, Kouzou Fuyutsuki, and NERV's chief scientist/senior medical officer Ritsuko Akagi, who exposed his crimes for all to see.

It all started with Gendou abandoning Shinji as a child following the 'death' of Yui Ikari, Shinji's mother. Ten years later, Shinji was summoned to Tokyo-3 just as the Angel Wars had begun and forced to pilot the Evangelion Unit 01. Despite being hailed as the city's savior, his relationship with his father did not improve.

It would become Gendou's downfall.

It was after Bardiel's attack, which left Shinji's friend Touji Suzuhara crippled thanks to his father activating the Dummy Plug system within Unit 01 that Shinji's hatred of his father grew. He was not without allies. Deputy Commander Fuyutsuki, Doctor Akagi, and even Ryoji Kaji – thought to have been killed shortly after Zeruel's attack – worked together to bring Gendou and SEELE to its knees.

It was during the aftermath of Arael's attack, that Shinji and his allies made their move. Accompanied by a squad from the Japanese Strategic Self-Defense Forces and several high-ranking officers from the UN, Gendou was arrested. All over the world, the twelve SEELE members were also brought down. Both Fuyutsuki and Ritsuko was granted immunity from the charges in exchange for their testimonies against the former commander and SEELE.

It was Shinji who had accidentally discovered his father's motives while searching for information on his mother. He had discovered that his mother's father was a member of SEELE, and had stumbled upon the grand scheme that both himself and his fellow pilot Rei Ayanami were to take part in, as well as their hand in unleashing Second Impact.

The entire world was in a complete uproar when the truth behind Second Impact became known. Gendou and Chairman Keel Lorenz were both compared to Hitler and Stalin for their crimes of genocide, while Shinji was hailed as a hero for stopping his father, along with the newly-appointed Commander Fuyutsuki, Kaji and Ritsuko. Misato was especially furious, given the fact that she herself was the sole survivor of the Katsuragi Expedition into what was once was Antarctica, in which Gendou had triggered Second Impact on SEELE's orders, which ended with the death of her father, the members of the expedition and several billion people on the planet. It had taken both Ritsuko and Kaji to restrain Misato, who had tried to gun Gendou down.

Asuka was then replaced by another pilot from the American branch, one Mari Illustrious Makinami. Both Mari and Rei would go on and finish off the last two remaining Angels - the Angel of the Womb, Armisael, and the Angel of Free Will, Tabris, who was going by the name Kaworu Nagisa.

Rei had fought Armisael first. The Angel had tried to absorb her into itself, only to have Rei turn the tables on the Angel, absorbing it into her Unit Zero, and also obtaining its S² Organ.

Asuka had watched from NERV's Germany office as Mari fought Tabris - the former inside her Unit Five, and the latter in Asuka's Unit Two. The battle raged near the ruins of the NERV testing facility at Matsushiro. Mari had defeated Tabris after a prolonged battle. Needless to say, Asuka was royally pissed to see Makinami's Unit Five take apart her EVA. In desperation, Tabris activated the self-destruct sequence on Unit Two, forcing Mari to retreat from the resulting blast, which reduced the Matsushiro facility into a giant smoking crater. The pissed feeling turned into anguish and loss, as for a long while Unit Two had been part of her, more than she'd admit to anyone else.

With that final battle, the Angel Wars came to an end, ushering in a time of peace and prosperity for the city of Tokyo-3. Then, they came.

The Revanants.

Bastardized forms of the Angels – demons were more like it – more than ready to finish what the Angels had failed to do. With ADAM destroyed, the only way to initiate Third Impact was by Lilith.

But once again, NERV has rose to the occasion. Led by their Supreme Commander – who chose to remain unknown, NERV has unleashed its second-generation Evangelions – five in total, from Unit Zero to Unit Four – to fight for humanity. Thus, the Revanant Wars has begun. So far, Tokyo-3 did not suffer the damage it had taken during the Angel Wars, as most of the battles were outside of the city.

What Asuka knew about NERV was that Hikari Horaki was NERV's Public Relations Spokeswoman. No, make that Hikari Suzuhara. Ever since That Incident, Asuka had not spoken to anyone from Tokyo-3.

Asuka looked at her watch. Maybe she had been working too hard. Grudgingly, she admitted that Kitamura was right. Maybe she badly needed some rest. She could always come in the day after.

Since the United Nations' main headquarters was in Tokyo-2, the U.N. owned several buildings. Buildings in which housed soldiers and commissioned officers. Since Asuka was part of the latter, she had her own one-bedroom apartment. Asuka could have requested a two-bedroom apartment, given that she had a daughter, but decided against it.

The apartment was borderline Spartan, yet furnished, save for the occasional picture of herself, her estranged husband and her daughter, consisting of six rooms – the living room, the kitchen, the bedroom, and two closets. To Asuka, it was small, compact yet efficient.

Asuka had a routine upon returning home: shower, cigarette with a glass of bourbon on the rocks, watch a little television, then bed.

So far, Asuka has completed three of her four tasks. Dressed in a white tanktop and a pair of black track pants with red trim, she was stretched out on her sofa, the cigarette burning out in the ashtray, the TV showing the 10 O'clock newscast as she nursed her glass of bourbon.

So far, nothing was of interest. Not even from Tokyo-3, where the Revanant Wars was starting to intensify. However, the Revanants were not attacking, and hadn't been for the past two days. Shin Shikinami was stationed at the Geofront, working on the Evangelion project. He also had custody of their five-year-old daughter. Asuka did worry for her daughter, but her pride had absolutely refused to accompany him and Kei to Tokyo-3. She tried to insist it was a personal reason, and that was true, though she swore she'd not tell him exactly why.

It was still a sore subject for Asuka, even after fifteen years, seeing as how she had left Tokyo-3 in disgrace. It had haunted her more than she'd like to admit, which made it all the more painful.

"Some might have wondered if my name should have been Mata Hari instead of Asuka," she said in dark humor. "Especially in the wake of how I'd left."

Yawning, Asuka flipped the TV off and downed the last of her bourbon. Maybe a good night's sleep would do some good. Then she could call Kei and wish her a wish her a Merry Christmas. Rising to her feet, she stretched, working the kinks out of her muscles before walking down the hallway towards her bedroom.

"Momma! Momma! They chose me!"

Asuka stumbled in the hallway, holding her head, as if she was experiencing the mother of all migraines.

"I'm gonna be an EVA Pilot! I'm gonna be number one, Momma!"

Asuka was muttering to herself, as she tried to get herself under control. This memory she remembered all too well. She was only five years old when she found her mother's body hanging from the rafters, having killed herself on Christmas Eve.

After a moment, Asuka had managed to get her emotions under control. This was one of the reasons why she would rather be at work on Christmas Eve, in order to bury herself in her work so she wouldn't have to remember this night. When a little girl lost her Momma on what should have been one of the happier days of the year.

Too bad that fate had other plans for the woman formerly known as Asuka Langley Sohryuu, as she was in for one hell of a night.

'Damn bourbon. Think I drunk too much,' she thought darkly as she resumed her pace.

It was when she opened the door to her room, her worst nightmares had manifested itself in the form of her mother's body, hanging from the ceiling, the same way that Asuka remembered all those years ago.

Asuka screamed as she stumbled backwards, falling on her rear. She squeezed her eyes shut. "It's not real...it's not real...get a grip, Asuka. She's dead. Has been for over twenty years," she whispered.

"Why do you deny what your eyes see?"

Asuka opened her eyes. Sure enough, her mother was still there. Only this time, she was not hanging from the rafters, she was standing before her. Skin pale as death, the hair limp, the eyes as empty as she remembered.

Asuka began to scramble backwards, hitting the wall. "Momma...no...impossible..."

Kyokou Zeppelin Sohryuu looked down at her daughter. "No, Asuka. It's me," she said.

"What...what do you want from me?" Asuka whimpered.

"I don't have much time, Asuka," Kyokou replied, "but I am here to warn you. Your arrogance and pride will lead to your downfall. The same as it has done with me."

Seeing as how she held Asuka's attention, Kyokou continued. "I worked alongside Yui Ikari on the Evangelion Program. The EVAs themselves were cloned from the DNA of ADAM and Lilith. But the first-generation EVAs had a critical flaw."

"The cores..."

Kyokou nodded. "The cores of the first-generation Evangelions were not the Super Solenoid cores seen in the Angels. The cores required a human soul for it to work. Yui was absorbed into Unit One, while the maternal part of my psyche was absorbed into Unit Two. With the destruction of Unit Two, my soul was restored."

Asuka snorted. "I think the bourbon was bad," she muttered. "I'm being visited by my dead mother."

With a growl, Kyokou reached down and grabbed Asuka by the throat. Lifting her off her ass and into the air, pinning her against the wall, her hand cold as death itself, her eyes burning a hole into Asuka's azure orbs, which had a terrified look to them.

"Verdammt, Asuka! Des ist nicht Spiel! (Damn it, Asuka! This is not a game!)" Kyokou shouted, addressing her daughter in German. "Wollen Sie als verutelite Seele fur alle Ewigkeit, wie mir wandern?(Your life is at stake! Do you want to wander as a condemned soul for all eternity, like me?)"

Kyokou then dropped her daughter to the floor, where Asuka landed in an undignified and shocked heap on the hardwood floor. "You were always too arrogant for your own good. I can only hope that the Angels will show you the error of your ways."

Asuka blinked. "Angels?"

"Yes, Angels. You will be visited by three of them. Expect the first to arrive at 1 a.m.," Kyokou said sharply. "This is not negotiable, Asuka. Listen to them, and learn from your mistakes...or you will be here with me...condemned forever. Don't disappoint me, Asuka."

Asuka woke up with a start. She was still in the living room, the cigarette having burned itself out, the glass of bourbon watered down, the ice having melted.

The T.V. was playing late-night programming – a music video show. Asuka picked up the remote and cut it off. Retrieving the glass, she took it into the kitchen and dumped its contents into the sink, leaving the glass there.

'Need to sleep this off,' she thought as she stepped into the bedroom. Slipping under the covers, Asuka Shikinami fell fast asleep.

But it would not last long. Ms. Asuka Shikinami's Wild Ride was about to begin...and who knew where it would end or how she'd end up.