Disclaimer: This is a Fan-Fiction based on the popular Japanese anime Neon Genesis Evangelion, which was produced by Gainax and other companies. I am in no way profiting from this piece of writing so don't worry Gainax,
I remain very, very poor ^_^!
This fic is set four years after Third Impact and shows how the pilot's lives might have gone after Third Impact.
I'd like to give out a big thanks to Doug Dennis for pre-reading and also reformatting this fic for me! I wrote this back when I didn't know how to do it for the net…so thanks a lot!
Rain trickled down the plate of glass as the early morning sun rose. The air was chilly, and the quiet was enjoyed by a sleeping figure lying against the window that showed the outside world. Though hazy and grey the view of green was only slightly offset, the mountains that rolled on for miles in the background were only equal to the large forest at their base.
The scene looked so dim and almost depressing yet no one complained as the rain had been long expected. In the years following Third Impact the seasons had returned, mainly two. The summer was filled with boiling days where the temperature would reach well over into the 50s (Celsius), and the winters had brought snow in most instances.
The window began to cloud as heavy breathing approached it. Another figure was now staring out over the serene scenery and marvelling the splendid view. The woman was dressed in a white shirt and a pair of blue jeans, which were old and worn. Her long soft light blue hair was tied back in a ponytail as her amber eyes scanned the sun slowly rising.
Rei Ayanami, also known as the former First Child looked steadily at the bright fireball that provided a nice red sky to enjoy. A small smile forced its way onto her face as she turned to the other figure still sleeping against the window.
He looked so peaceful but she knew that he was most likely haunted in his dreams, dreams she knew all to well. The time of the Angels was now long gone, but neither she nor her friend forgot what happened four years ago, today. As she gazed in awe at her sleeping companion she couldn't help but remember the times she had seen him in pain.
All the time she knew he would need her most not only as a friend…but as his sister. Though not technically she had no parents, they both felt an incredible bond to one another. They were not lovers nor had they ever been, they were simply, family. Both had yearned for a family and now in each other they had found it and they were happy.
Though their love as siblings had thrown his relationship, with the only other woman he loved away, they were still happy. She knew this not to be entirely true, she knew her adopted brother too well to know that he didn't beat himself up over what had happened. She sighed seeing a small tear trace its way down his cheek and fell to the floor.
She leaned down and whipped the liquid trail off his cheek and then placed a light kiss on his forehead. "Sleep well Shinji" she whispered against his skin then lifted herself to her feet she walked into the kitchen. The quiet of dawn had been interrupted by a loud thundering clash. The thunder had been sparked moments after the lightning hit the ground, causing Shinji Ikari to wake from his sleep.
He winced at the feeling of stiffness in his back as he remembered where he fell asleep. He had woken up early, really early, to view the sunrise on this memorable day. Though unhappy memories gathered on this day so did an equally joyous few. He sighed as he shakily stood up his dark blue eyes immediately darted to the kitchen where he heard a loud clank.
He suppressed a small chuckle as he thought to himself 'she's trying to cook again.' He ran a hand through his stiff brown hair and he made a note to have a shower before doing anything else. His gaze turned to the dim sky out the window and he let out another sigh. "Good morning" he whispered to the scenery before him.
He pulled his sense back to the kitchen as a loud "Oh, CRAP" echoed through the small building. He laughed out loud making his presence known then walked to the kitchen. The house wasn't large but it wasn't that small either, Shinji had found it during his travels directly after Third Impact. He had used it to stay for a few nights while he sorted out some feelings. In other words he was hiding from the only other survivor. He needed the time to think so he left her one night and wandered here.
After people started to return from the sea of LCL, he noticed that the houses' owners did not return. Weather they stayed in the collective mind of the sea or they just didn't want to come back to the house, he didn't know. It consisted of three bedrooms and one living room/kitchen and one bathroom. This suited the two very nicely for they only used two bedrooms, they would use the third when people came to stay, which wasn't very often. Shinji remembered the last time someone came to stay, it was summer of last year and his best friend Toji Suzuhara and his wife Hikari came to visit. They ended up staying for two weeks wanting to see their friends before their second child was born. Shinji didn't get much sleep those nights so he spent most of them fishing with Toji down at a nearby lake.
He snapped out of his remembrance at the sound of something splattering over the walls and the resulting scream. "What did you do this time" he whined as he peered round the corner, knowing it would involve him cleaning up.
"Nothing" Rei smiled at him then she picked up a sponge and whipped the splattered egg from the walls.
Shinji laughed and then made his exit down the hall, "I'm taking a shower now."
The sounds of more water were almost drowned out by the repetitive ring of the phone ringing. Rei stopped her cleaning and frowned 'who could that be?' No one knew their number apart from a few close friends and she was also surprised to here the noise for no one had called them in over three months.
She dropped the sponge on the bench and walked over to the coffee table in the living room. She hesitated before picking up the phone; something wasn't quite right in the back of her mind she could feel more pain coming for Shinji. Rei picked it up and said calmly "yes." A soft voice spoke nervously on the other end
"Uh, um, hi." the voice was that of another female and was a little strained
"Uh, I'm sorry I think I have the wrong number."
Rei spoke before the woman on the other end could hang up "who are you trying to call?"
The woman on the other end was thrown off guard by the question "uh. I was hoping for the Ikari residence."
"This is the home of Ikari" Rei said flatly in a firm tone.
"Oh, um well I was hoping to speak to Mr. Ikari."
The voice began to waver a little and Rei noted some fear in it. "If by Mister you mean Shinji" Rei paused "he is in the shower. Can I take a message?"
There was a moment of silence from the other end ".Uh, no, no not really,"
Rei sighed a little "But, there is something you could help me with Mrs. Ikari"
"Oh, no, no I'm not Mrs. Ikari" Rei blushed a little at the other woman's mistake, "I'm his sister."
"Oh!" the voice became relaxed and Rei could here a sigh of relief
"WAIT a second. Rei, is that you?"
Rei jumped a little wondering how some stranger knew her name "Y-yes? To whom am I speaking?"
"Ah, you, you don't want to know" the woman assured her, "I have to go now."
Rei frowned as a thought crossed her mind "very well goodbye. Second Child." With that Rei hung the phone up cutting off an obviously surprised Asuka Langley Soryu.
Shinji rubbed his head with a towel as he walked out into the kitchen "who was on the phone?"
Rei frowned remembering the somewhat tense short conversation with the other former Evangelion pilot. "Ah. No one" she answered, not wanting to make his day worse with the knowledge of the call.
"Nothing!" he sighed "we don't get any calls for three months then when we get one it was nothing?"
Rei saw the disbelief in his eyes but decided that no matter what she wasn't going to dig up old wounds by telling him about the real call. "Just a wrong number" she said smiling at him, to mask her distaste of lying.
He smiled back "Ok," he laughed at the still messy bench "remind me to teach you how to cook."
Rei frowned and stomped her foot on the ground "you did, it didn't work!"
He smiled then walked over to her and patted her on the back "there's an A for effort."
'He seems to have cheered up some' Rei thought happily before she smiled back at him.
"I think I'll cook breakfast" he smiled as he picked up the pan and gave it a rinse.
Rei smiled out the window to see Shinji just sitting relaxing in the shade of a tree while listening to his SDAT player. He always commemorated this day by finding a quiet place to sit down and listen to music he had recorded or collected over the years.
She was surprised that the old battered SDAT was still working as well as it was, he had found it amongst the rubble of his old apartment after Third Impact. To his surprise it still worked, even after a certain redheaded pilot threw it down a hill. She remembered Shinji's stories of his time alone with the only other survivor of T.I, not all were good.
Actually not many of them were good, not even when he found out that Rei had returned to this world was he happy. She was glad she didn't tell him about the call; he would've been upset that she wouldn't just leave him alone. It wasn't the first time she had tried to make contact, one time they were out and when they returned there was a message on the phone. As soon as Shinji heard her voice he didn't wait for the message to play he just simply hit the erase button. She remembered the look on his face when he heard her voice again, and saw the unshed tears that clouded his eyes. It was painful to see, but he bared the pain so she also did the same, he was not able to sleep that night. She closed her eyes and let out a great sigh of relief "as long as I live he will not be hurt like that again." Soft beats of music soothed Shinji's restless mind, as he sat up against a small tree in his yard.
He wouldn't call it a yard though his property had no limit, no boundary. He didn't even own it he had just lived there the owners sure weren't coming back, so he didn't care. He was happy living out here in the calm mountains just him his thoughts and his sister. He smiled at the thought of having family he could rely on who he could trust and could trust him. She was there for him so many times when he needed her; t! he most were his birthdays and today, today was the fourth anniversary of his survival of Third Impact, and ironically it was the same day that she left.
It was a year after T.I and they had been living together in the ruins of Tokyo-3. They had gotten along for quite a while and they hadn't killed each other. Shinji Ikari and Asuka Langley Soryu, who would've guessed those two, were the last of mankind. The way they fought the first month anybody would've called humanity doomed. But they learned to be around each other, they even began to grow on each other, until.
"Asuka. I have to tell you something"
"Yeah, what?"
"Well....uh, nothing"
"Hey what were you going to say?"
"Just that…don't worry bout it"
"TELL ME"
"Ah…I…I think…I'm falling in love with you" ".................................."
"You WHAT?"
Shinji sighed heavily then reached up and whipped a stream of tears from his eyes. Even though he thought (knew) she felt the same, she still did what she always did best, cover it up and push the person away. This time she pushed too hard and he broke down, a day later she left to find any other survivors and he stayed. He waited for a day then packed his things and left in the opposite direction, never to look back. He knew like other times that she would've returned after a few days of wandering but then she would pretend nothing happened and then, go back to normal bitchy Asuka.
He opened his eyes to see a glimmer of light refract off something moving down the driveway at the far end of the property. 'Someone's here' he sighed then stood up, turning his SDAT off then heading for the house to get something. Rei smiled warmly to Shinji as he entered the house her smile disappeared when she saw the hard look on his face. She watched him walk down to his bedroom "What's going on?" she asked.
It took a moment for a reply and when it was given it was shouted "Someone's here." Rei jumped and ran to the front door to look out; a small black car was driving down the long driveway at a slow pace. Shinji shifted through clothes and other things in his room before he came across a locked chest, sitting at the bottom of his wardrobe. He sighed at the chest then pulled out a small key from his pants pocket.
A loud click sounded as the chest was flung open then rummaged through. Shinji stopped for a second and smiled at an item he had picked up, a cross. It had belonged to his guardian Misato; she was the closest thing he ever had to a mother.
He shook his head and then proceeded for what he was after. A moment later he found another belonging of Misatos', only this one was not so peaceful. He pulled tightly on the cock of the 9mm Berretta, making sure that there was a fresh clip of ammo, and a new bullet in the chamber.
He slipped the gun into the side of his belt for easy aces. His attention turned back to their unscheduled visitor 'Have they finally come for us?' Since Third Impact three people had been sent to kill Shinji and Rei, they all failed to accomplish their mission. The UN hated the children, most likely because it was controlled by the organization known only as SEELE. They were undoubtedly pissed that they were unable to control Third Impact to they're benefit.
Shinji stood up and walked to the front door where he would confront the intruder head on, this time letting them know that he refused to lie down and die. The car pulled up a few meters from the house and turned its engine off. The black of the colour made Shinji and Rei remember the cars used by the infamous Section 2 the NERV intelligence branch. Shinji stepped out the door followed by Rei who now held what looked like a shotgun.
Shinji pulled the pistol from his belt and aimed at the front window "out!"
His voice was cold and commanding, letting the driver know that any force would be retaliated against. Shinji flinched involuntary as the far front door opened his mind was hoping they were friendly, he couldn't kill again.
Two small hands slowly appeared out the door in the air in the usual surrender position. "I'm coming out, don't shoot?" came a female voice sounding a little scared. Rei's hand tensed around the handle of her gun as she remembered that voice. Shinji watched wide eyed, as a short woman stepped out of the car and flashed a nervous smile. She was who Rei feared worse than the Angels, the long red hair the crystal like blue eyes and that horrible face.
Only a small sigh escaped Shinjis' lips as his gun lowered a little "Asuka."
"H-hi" she smiled again nervously looking at the guns that were at the ready in front of her.
"Rei, you know what to do" Shinji glanced and nodded at Rei who in turn walked up to Shinji and handed him the shotgun.
He gave her the pistol and then Rei proceeded to the red head "Turn around." She commanded in a voice she had not used in years. Asuka still at gunpoint, felt she had to comply she turned around and placed her hand on the car. Rei then searched her for any form of weaponry when she found none she returned to Shinjis' side.
"Do you always treat people like this?" the redhead grumbled straightening out her yellow shirt.
Shinji sighed then answered "Yes. Especially people we don't TRUST." he emphasized on the last word.
"Oh" Asuka sighed then she seemed to smile a little "So, uh, what's up?"
"Leave!" Shinji commanded then turned around and started back for the house.
"WHAT?" Asuka yelled at him, "It took me a year to find you two, then eight hours to get here. You could at LEAST let me stay and talk."
"Leave now!" Shinji shouted in return "We have nothing to talk about."
"NO!" Asuka shouted now standing in her old stance her legs evenly spread her hands on her hips and head cocked to one side. Shinji stopped dead in his tracks his fist tightened around the hilt of his weapon then retracted slowly, he repeated this cycle over and over. He had not felt this in a long time, the mixture of sorrow, and rage, pure rage.
So long ago that he felt this feeling it preceded T.I all the way back to the 13th angel, when his father forced him to hurt his friend, Toji. "Go" he spun on his heals sending a terrifying glare through to the redhead, "NOW!"
"No." Asuka yelled back although very, very disturbed by his mood and sudden anger "not till we talk."
Shinji stepped forward one step noted the deeply frowning Asuka, his clenching fist had settled into a fully tightened position, so tight his knuckles were going white from the pressure. Shinji frowned even harder as images of himself walking up to the redhead pointing the gun to her head and pulling the. 'No' his fist automatically unclenched the trigger was left completely alone.
"Rei" he sighed then walked into the house, not looking back. Rei watched as her brother walked angrily into their house and she sighed in relief, in his eye she could see he was fighting a battle, and he was losing.
She turned her attention to Asuka Langley Soryu the second survivor of T.I and shuddered at what she saw. What she saw was not the same harsh girl that had tormented the young Ikari back in those days. Today here and now she saw a woman who looked on the verge of crying, Rei knew that Asuka had also seen the raging battle in Shinji's eyes, and it terrified the both of them.
Rei un-cocked her shotgun, then turned to follow her brother "I would suggest that you leave" she paused "and don't come back." She continued to walk until she was no longer in sight of the redhead, leaving her all alone.
"Since when do I listen to you, wonder girl?" she whispered under her breath and then turned to her car.
'Why, why does he hate me so?' she thought saddened by it 'I know, I hurt him. But, that's why I must say it, even if he won't listen.' Her head jerked up as a loud bang was heard throughout the house "Gun shot! Shinji"
Asuka ran as fast as she could into the house, and down the hall to where the shot had come from. She turned into a room and saw Rei crouched down over a sobbing Shinji who had huddled up into a ball.
The gun was loosely hanging from his fingers, smoke was still rising form its barrel. Her attention turned to a hole in the wall then to something smashed on the ground. A closer inspection revealed it to be a photo, one of Misato, Shinji, Pen-Pen and … herself. "S-Shinji?" she whispered quietly.
This brought the attention of the occupants of the room to her, Shinji looking extremely upset with tears streaming down his face. Then Rei who looked at her with anger and a sudden chill ran down the red heads' spine. "Get OUT!" Rei yelled! Her voice was more deadly than a snakes' poisonous bite. Asuka lowered her head then turned around
"I'll leave, but." she turned to face Rei once more, "when he is ready, give him this." Asuka lightly threw a piece of paper on the ground then smiled weakly and left, closing the door behind her.
Two days, forty eight hours! That's how long it had been since the unwanted return of an unwelcome presence. Shinji sighed feeling the pain surge through his brain and down to his heart.
Every time he looked out the window he saw her, or her car or the small camp she had made for herself.
Though hard to do, he smiled a little 'still as persistent as usual.' His attention snapped back to the room behind him as Rei placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. He raised his hand and placed it on hers "she's not going is she?" There was a brief moment of silence then
"No. The question is, do you want her to leave?"
Shinji sighed heavily then looked back out the window at the redhead emerging from a shabby tent. His dark blue eyes fixed on her face as she noticed him; she smiled almost as if to say 'you can't get rid of me.' And that's the one thing he wanted the most…to get her as far away from him as possible, for fear that history would repeat itself, for fear he would once again love her. He couldn't deny it; a half of his self didn't want her to leave but the other half screamed to run away before anything bad could come of it. Out of all the things he had done like killing people and creatures, the hardest was to walk away from her, he couldn't do that again. If he was to be left alone, SHE would have to be the one to leave, he simply couldn't run anymore.
His mind was still in thinking mode and he had not answered Rei's question. He did not expect that he would answer it; it would remain one of the closest guarded secrets he knew only to be equal with one other.
Rei's voice once again dropped him out of thought "It seems you can not avoid her forever."
'I can try' Shinji thought but his response came out as "I know." He turned around to face Rei then smiled "I'm going to the lake." He then walked out of the room and into his; once again he pulled out the pistol and holstered it in his belt. A minute later he was standing outside and staring at Asuka 'I know you will follow' he thought before turning to the left and heading toward a path.
Asuka took note of this and decided after much deliberation to follow Shinji. "Maybe I'll get my chance" she whispered reassuringly to herself.
Asuka followed Shinji down the winding path that seemed to head down through a gully. The brush was over grown in some spots making it hard for her to keep up with the young man. She grumbled quite often when she lost sight of him or when her hair got caught in the shrubs. "Where the hell is he going?" she whispered furiously not noticing that he had stopped in a small clearing.
"You wouldn't want to get lost out here Soryu" Shinji said out loud as he pushed a small branch out the way. Now that she knew that he knew, she was following him she figured that would be the best time to talk.
"Why not Ikari?" she managed to sound civil in her question.
"Because it's not a good place to be alone at night" Shinji almost laughed.
Asuka now walked up just behind him and went to place a hand on his shoulder "Don't." his cold voice from a few days ago returned. She quickly withdrew her hand
"Sorry."
"If you want to talk, then I will listen. But not now, I have to check on someone" he resumed walking, leaving Asuka staring at him with a hint of hope.
'At least he'll listen' she thought over and over as she caught up with him. The sun was in the middle of the sky when Shinji finally reached his destination. The path had slowly become sandy and clearer until they reached a yellow beach and an enormous lake.
"Wow." Asuka commented as she stepped out onto the beach and took in the beauty of the lake. Shinji only paused for a moment before continuing to walk to the right, Asuka soon snapped out and followed. In the distance they could both see a pier and what looked to be a small shrine.
As they approached the shrine on the shore Shinji knelt down "Hi mother, father." He rose to his feet again and looked solemnly at the small shrine Asuka noted on it were carved the names Gendo and Yui Ikari.
'Is this why he comes here' she thought 'to talk to his parents?'
"Well" Shinji said turning now to the redhead who had followed him, "You wanted to talk, so … talk."
Asuka stood there for a moment then smiled a little "You never used to be so, direct.
Well, let's see, where to begin? Ok I know… I'm…sorry" she looked down at her feet and sighed, "I'm sorry for everything that ever happened between us. Especially when I told you that you were weak, and spineless, and even more so when I said, I hated you."
Shinji sighed at the apology, not that he didn't believe it, just the fact he believed it came too late.
"And, I just wanted to tell you that I don't, nor have I ever hated you" she looked up at Shinji with tears in her eyes "I want to ask for your forgiveness, I was such a fool back then."
"So you come down here, put me through a whole pile of shit that I never wanted to feel again, just so I could forgive you?" Shinji sounded angry though his heart screamed 'you're forgiven' his mind thought the complete opposite.
"Y-yes." Asuka let her tears run freely, no longer afraid to let her feelings show.
"Why? What exactly do you want from me? You think just because you show up here I will forgive you, and be friends again so you can leave me alone with a healthy conscience." Shinji now raised his voice a few decibels and was now waving his arms about "You should know me better than that."
Asuka put her hands in her head and wept before answering "I-I…just wanted to say, sorry, and ask for."
"For WHAT?" Shinji interrupted before she could finish.
"For … a second chance!" she looked up at his eyes and closed the distance between them, "A second chance, to be with you."
Shinji looked away breaking eye contact he stared out over the lake, not wanting to look at her.
Asuka soon pulled his face back with a gentle hand under his chin "Please, at least say you'll forgive me. Then I can live, knowing that you don't hate me."
Shinji's eyes went wide and he found his mind jerk into autopilot, his left arm grabbed Asuka round the waist. She yelped in surprise from the sudden touch but was soon silenced as he fell back pulling the redhead down on top of him. Asuka was a little worried she had expected many things but defiantly not this!
Her thoughts were soon washed away when four loud, extremely loud, gunshots rang out from Shinji's hand. She looked up into his eyes and saw absolute fear; he looked as if he had just taken a life. When she could muster enough courage to do so Asuka looked back slightly her eyes first registered the gun in her friends' hand.
It was once again smoking as it had done before in the morning that she had arrived. Her gaze turned all the way to behind her, she had to shift out of Shinji's grasp to fully see. In the not so far distance three camouflaged figures lie on the ground in a heap, she noted the semi automatic machine guns that lay beside them.
A soft concerned voice brought her facing back to the young man she rested on "Are, are you ok?"
His eyes had a mixture of hurt and, relief 'is he relieved that he killed them?' "I-I'm fine" she stammered the response in a soft voice.
"Good" Shinji gently pushed her to the side then stood up his gun held at the ready.
He then told Asuka to stay there and walked over to the bodies. His face locked onto the three men he had just gunned down, one was shot in his head right above the left eye.
Another had two shots embedded in his upper chest. At the final man Shinji tensed his eyes went wider than he thought possible as he saw the bullet had just entered the pectoral muscle, the man was still very much alive. Shinji trained his gun on the assassins head, he knew if it came down to his life or the assassins he would shoot.
"Talk" he stated flatly. The man took a moment to compose himself, but he still said nothing. "Let's make things clear if you don't tell me who sent you in five seconds, well I think you get the idea" Shinji directed his hand to the assassins late accomplices.
The man took a quick look at his friends and flinched but he still didn't talk.
"One" "Two"
"Please don't"
"Three",
"Please"
"Four"
"JSSDF!"
"That's better." Shinji smiled at the thought of being able to convince the man to speak.
"Who was the target?" he added coldly. "The … the first, second, and third children" the man squirmed a bit. His eyes seemed to show an extreme amount of fear but Shinji only smiled, he wouldn't kill him if he didn't have to. Shinji lowered his gun to his belt then proceeded to empty the weapons on the ground of their ammunition.
He hadn't noticed but by the time he finished, Asuka was almost beside him.
"I told you to stay." Shinji almost yelled looking agitated, of course he was he just claimed two lives. Asuka wasn't fazed by the outburst and smiled weakly "I-was worried."
AN: Ok there it is the first chap in Memories, I think I need a better name ^_^ anyway sorry bout the format if ya can bare wit me. I've just got the hang of putting lots o paragraphs but this took me ages to write and I ain't wanna do it again.
Next chap will be different. What will happen to Shinji, Asuka and Rei? Will the JSDF try again now they know where they are? Will Shinji have the guts to kill this assassin before he does any harm? FIND OUT LATER!!!!!!!!!
