Shinji looked at the man in front of him increduously. "You want me to what?"
He lifted up a pipe to his too red lips. "Simply, become my minion upon this Earth- sow destruction, reap the souls of the innocent, burn crosses, and generally raise some Hell. Literally, of course."
"And I should do this why?" Normaly, the introverted boy wouldn't be so forthright with this person (Who had invited him here off the street. The lad had seen no good reason not to follow him, for some reason)
"Because, seeing as you are already fihting some angels, you might as well seal the deal and go all the way. But, I am being rude. The name's Lucifer," he said, extending an immaculate hand that stretched from a pin-striped suit. Shinji took it ater a moment
"Ikari Shinji, Lucifer-san. I take it that you're...?"
The man smiled, the small cafe they were in bustling around them. "Yes, Satan, ruler of Hell and all its subsidaries. And now, Shinji my boy, I am willing to make you the new King on Earth!" The waitress came back with his coffee, and he smiled sweetly and thanked her. For her part, the pretty girl fluttered her eyelashes at him, then left with a noticeable swin in her hips. "How would you like to be the Anti-Christ? All the powers of the Devil, with none of that pesky mortality to get in the way. Money, fame, women, yada yada and all the perks. And, when you retire, you get an all expenses paid suite in the Hotel Inferno, the premiere luxury location of the seventh circle of Hell! Sound interesting?"
Were he someone else, he would be laughing in the mans face and walked out. But, facts remain, Shinji was as Shinji is- a shy, introverted boy who looked for warmth and guiadance, and piloted a God killing machine. "Wouldn't... wouldn't that hurt the... the others?" His face was looking at the space between his legs, the floor dustless and clean.
"Not unless you wish to! That's the beauty of it," said the Devil. He sounds like a buisnessman, Ikari thought. "The powrs are completely your own- I give you them if you wish, and then you do as you may- with the express purpose of bringing the world into a new age of Darkness- keep in mind that I am eons old and have a far-reaching sense of accomplishment. Still, the offer, as it stands, is yours to take or leave. I won't pressure you into it- being the harbinger of doom isn't foreveryone, after all."
"Ummm... you sound like... like you've d-done this... before..." He still didn't look up, not meeting the mans eyes (Which may or may not have been for the best).
"Of course I have, mi-boy," he said warmly. For the Master of Darkness, Lucifer seemed like an alright man. "Part of the job discription, since it was pretty much forced on me." Satan sighed wearily. "Tell you the truth, Shinji, I never wanted to be Ruler of Hell- heh, I stood up for you lot when God first set Adam up to fail. But, I did- the Big Guy doesn't like you messing with his grandstanding, but, whatever."
"You sound... tired, Lucifer-san."
"Eons, lad, eons. So... what do you think?"
Shinji finally looked up. For some reason, it never occoured to him to doubt that this man truly was the Devil Himself- it was merely another fact, along with Eva, Angels, and every other little thing in his life. "I'll... have to..." He paused. "Lucifer-san?"
The being held up his hands placatingly. "Call me Lou, boy, just Lou. Lucifer makes me sound like some angel or other."
"S-Sorry. Lou-san, why me? Why not... someone else?" He had been going to say Why not Asuka?, but the fear of retribution was so strong he bit his tongue, even though the red-head couldn't concieveably find out about this conversation. Afterall, the Third Child did not seem the type for Devil-hood.
"Because I like you, kid," Lucifer said quietly, He no longer had his fake, buisness like tone- indeed, he seemed, at the moment, just a world weary soul. "You've taken a lot, a lot more then most. Hell, weren't for the killing angels thing, you could be a saint." He allowed himself a small chuckle, which Shinji did not mirror. "Yeah, Shinji, I like you- I know there are people more... fit, let's say, for the job I've described, but I know you could use it. Use it well, even. My offer still stands, Shinji mi-boy." He smiled again, this time with a slight twinkle in his startlingly black eyes. He drained his mostly untouched coffee in a single long swill, almost like he had forgotten to breathe, Another smile, and he urned to leave.
Shinji muttered something under his breath.
"Eh?"
"H-how... may I... reach you if... if... if I d-decide to... agree?" His face was still inclined down towards his bland shoes.
Satan smiled broadly, and the few people looking in his deriction felt the urge to look away. "I'm like a genie, lad; say my name three times, and I'll be there. Now, I'll be off. You... just think, alright?"
Shinji found himself nodding even as the Dark Lord walked away at a brisk pace. For the doom of mankind and Lord of Pain, he doesn't seem half bad. Strange, thought the boy. With a sigh, Ikari Shinji pushed himself up, placing a few bills on the table as a tip. He hadn't ordered anything, no, but he didn't want the poor waitress to go unpaid. Satan doesn't tip well, it seemed. His hands in his pockets, he left the small cafe. Outside, it started to rain.
***
The streets of Tokyo-3 were awash in the oily rain that impacted off the slick skyscrapers that jutted angirly into the dimming night sky. Ikari walked like he always did, head bowed, hands in his pockets, the wires of his SDAT poking out of his ear. He didn't mind the rain beating down on him- it was warm, and felt nice on his skin, his hair collecting it like a sponge. The streets still bustled with all of their accoustemed activity, just with more umbrellas about them. They're like ants, he thought sullenly. They just do because that's what they're told. He was still deep in his musings when he was knocked down, mid-stride by someone who was rushing on their way. He hit the ground- hard.
Stars rushed past his gaze in a corona of light- and pain, lots of pain. He sat up and clutched his aching nose, running his fingers gingerly along the sides. Well, at least it's not broken, he thought ruefully, shaking his head to get the cobwebs out. Cement and faces don't usually end with good results; he was lucky at just having a bruised nose and a bruised ego. The city continued to walk around him, not a one even bothering to help him up. On shaky legs, he pushed himself up. He frowned suddenly, his reaching around to brush carefully over his backside. Great. Just... great.
His wallet was gone. Wonderful.
Tokyo-3. He was beginning to see the problem. With a sigh, his hands returned to his pockets, and he continued on his way. He suddenly had a destination in mind.
***
It was a small plot in one of the cities many cemetaries. There were always more bodies then they had holes, but there was more land for people than could be happily filled.
And Shinji had most certainly buried people. He gave a wan smile. "Hey there, Toji. How's it been, buddy?"
He sat down next to the hollow grave- there hadn't been enough left after the... incident... to merit even putting it in the ground. "Long time no... see, I guess. How's Heaven? Or... wherever, I guess. Bet you're having fun beating on... whoever's up there with you. Heh, heh," he laughed with no mirth in his eyes. "I'm... I'm..." He couln't finish the sentence. I'm so sorry, Touji.
He remembered- everything. The screaming, the pleading, the fear, the... blood. Broken promises and all that. He looked across at the tombstone. It read, "Rest in Peace,
Toji Suzuhara. Brave and Unforgotten."
Shinji didn't think it was a very good message- it didn't say anything about him, really; brave was such an abstract term, and to be unforgotten... well, it was hard to be remembered when your death was classified.
There were footsteps behind him; he didn't turn to look. They stopped just behind him on the other side of the grave. "Hey," he said quietly.
"Ikari," the girl regarded him. There was a shuffling behind him, and the scent of lillies. He turned briefly to see a modest boque of flowers on his friends artificial grave.
"Horaki," he nodded. There was an awkward silence, and Hikari scuffed her feet in the green, green grass. "Listen," he finally said.
"Yeah?" Her voice was soft and sad.
"I'm... I'm... well, for all this, I am-"
The slap left his cheek stinging and red. The brown haired girl was suddenly before him, rage in her eyes. "Don't you dare, don't you fucking... dare." He rubbed his cheek ruefully. "You don't... you can't! You..."
"He was my friend too," he said quietly. She looked ready to slap him again, but abruptly her face erupted into tears.
"He could have been more! He... He... Toji..." She wrung her hands, then wiped furiously at her tearful eyes with her balled fists. "You killed him," she bit out in a harsh whisper.
It hurt him more than any slap could. "I didn't, I.. Eva-"
"You. Are. Eva." He could hear her teeth grind against each other. "Everything you are, he... he..." She trailed off, glaring at the Third Child.
"He was scared," he supplied in a whisper. "Terrified. He showed me- he was shaking all over. And I told him that he would be okay." He laughed that same, mirthless laugh of his. "I can just imagine the look on his face as my Eva-"
Another slap on the cheek, harder then the last one. He brifly looked directly into her tear streaked eyes. "You think, y-y-you think you-!"
He raised up a single hand. "Shut up, Horaki. Just... Shut the fuck up. I'm tired, I'm sad, and I'm abjectly terrified of what is gonna happen. I've lost what was possibly the best friend I'd ever had, and all you can do is rub it in my face. I hate you, Hikari. You're a fucking coward who should be in this hole... not him." He took a deep breath, suddenly seeming to shrink. "Goodnight," he said almost inaudibly, before going off into the setting of the sun.
***
"Tadaima," he murmured into the darkness of the apartment. He heard Misato'a throaty snores from the other room, and looked at the nearby clock. 16:34. I'm not that late... at least, I don't think that I am.
"Have fun, Third?"
He stopped dead in his tracks at the voice of Asuka. "W-what?"
"Hikari called me," she continued. "Said that she was sorry and all that. Something about a grave. She was pretty upset at you,it seems." Her eyes sparkled brilliantly in the darkness. "Something I should know?"
"No more then the next," he intoned blandly. Her fist crashed into the wall to her left.
"Damnit, Third! What did you do to her?!"
Shinji couldn't help but smile. "I'm sure she told you all about it, Asuka-san."
She shook her head. "Worthless," she said quietly. "Worthless Child!" She slammed her fist into the wall again. "Why don't you grow a fucking spine for once? Fucking face me!!!"
He cocked his head to one side. "Yes? How may I serve?"
She closed the distance between them in an instant. There faces but millimetres apart, gazing deeply into one anothers eyes, their breath intermingling in heavy, short bursts.
Then, she kneed him in the gut, hard. His lungs let all their air out in one great whoosh, and his limp form coalesced upon her knee until she pulled it from his stomach. She whispered intimately into his ear, "Stupid boy. At least Toji had some courage to him. He died well. You? Just a fucking coward."
He coughed, and tasted blood in his throat. She spat on him when he looked up, then turned on her heel and left.
He coughed again, pulling himself up onto the couch in the middle of the room.
"Lucifer," he said.
"Lucifer," he said.
"Lucifer," he said again. The man was sitting next to him now, smiling slightly.
"I knew you'd come to see things my way, Shinji mi-boy. Shall we?"
He didn't look at him. "How does this work?"
Satan produced a long parchement and an ornate feather quill. "Sign this, please." He gave Shinji the quill, and pointed, "Here," again, "here, and here." His smile widened. "Good, good! Wonderful even, lad. You are now the Anti-Christ upon Earth! Feel free to wreak havoc and reap souls to your hearts content!"
"And how would I do that?"
"When you wish upon a star, or something. I suggest you sleep on it- everything seems better in the morning. Oh, and I got you a present!"
"What?"
A cold spot appeared on his shoulder, causing him to turn. "Yo, Shinji!" The ghost of Toji Suzuhara grinned toothily at him.
Shinji nodded congenially at him, then his eyes rolled up in their sockets as he slumped against the soft couch behind him.