First of all, let me say that this is quite brutal. I mean real brutal. If you can't stomach death of innocents, don't read this. Really, don't.

Secondly, I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion or any affiliated works, so if Hideako Anno wishes this to be removed from the site, I will do so unconditionally.

Thirdly, I'd like to ask you to help me find my bearings on what you can or cannot do. I have read some darker fics, and they have inspired me to write this one. As mentioned before, I would like to apologize if this offends anyone.

So, as the sun sets on the horizon, I pray that the things going bump under my bed don't come out tonight….

Burning Bridges

By Henry V

Chapter 1 – Unconditional Surrender

Shinji heard the scream from Asuka's room. Just barely. His SDAT was still playing, and he was slowly drifting off to sleep. He made nothing of it, since screams of rage and surprise seemed to be commonplace around the Second Child, Asuka Langley Sohryu.

The music played on, and he thought all was well until an almighty crash and more screams were heard from Asuka's room. He pulled the earplug out and listened..

There was fighting going on, and several pairs of feet moving. And her screams were out of fear.

He rushed to the door, only to have it slammed open by a tough looking, hooded figure. He froze, and took a shocked step back. The guy laughed and grabbed him, pulling him out into the living room. Someone was bent over a struggling figure, obviously limiting her freedom of movement with rope. Another figure, hooded and on her knees was next to them. Shinji was dragged up to the two and forcefully bound too. Then he heard two shots coming from Misato Katsuragi's room, and screamed.

Then a figure came out of the room, holstering his gun.

"Dumb bitch was drunk unconcious. Well, she's dead drunk now…" they laughed cruelly, and the guy (obviously the leader of the party) took off his mask. He was blonde, and had an air of focused insanity.

"Hey Bill, let's kill these pieces of shit. They'll be easier to get to our drop off point that way. No noises and such. Less observation needed."

Bill thought for a while. Then nodded. "Best get rid of these hell spawn before they arouse suspicion. I'll do it. " with that he pulled off the hood of the first figure, Rei Ayanami. She blinked, and tried to focus on the situation at hand. Bill raised his gun in her face, taking aim quickly, and fired. The slug pushed its way through her forehead, shattering as it penetrated, and the shrapnel took out a large portion of blood and brains as it exited her cranium. Her head was flung back, and she collapsed on the floor in a broken heap.

The man looked like he was changing the battery of a flashlight, unconcerned and ruthless. He turned to the second child, Asuka. Shinji could only watch in horror as he grabbed her hair and pulled her up. She screamed, whimpered and shook, tears flowing freely as she faced her death.

Shinji stirred from his shock and tried to get to her, to save her somehow. But the guy holding him kicked him in the back and sent him flying to the floor. He screamed in rage, screamed at the guy to stop, let her live. The man paused, and looked at him. He smiled evilly. He let her go, dropping her to the ground. He walked over to him and picked him up. Asuka was still sobbing on the ground, as Bill pulled Shinji up and embraced him from behind. Shinji feared the worst and closed his eyes, but as the warm butt of the recently fired gun pressed against his palm he tore his eyes open.

He was holding it, the man's hand over his, guiding his finger to the trigger. He looked at it, then over the barrel to what it was pointed at.

"ASUKA! NO!" he began to tear at the man, trying to free himself, to stop him from doing this. The man was too strong, and after half a minute of vain struggle, he just wept openly. Hanging limply in the mans arms, he could do less than nothing. Asuka had sat up, and looked with red shot eyes at him, mentally pleading for her life. All he could do was look back, asking forgiveness for his ineptitude to protect her.

"Killing is easy, you know. All it takes is a small bit of pressure here, and a person dies. And as you are bound for hell anyway, I might as well give you the plesure of introducing you to the feel of death on your hands. Betray her, Shinji Ikari. Betray your friend and comrade. Make her suffering end. And then go to hell. "

Asuka closed her eyes, shaking visibly. Shinji's finger was pushed against the trigger, and he felt anger build up inside.

Anger at his incapability to help, to save her and Rei.

Anger at his father, for allowing this to happen.

Anger at the man forcing him to kill his friend, through his own hand.

He began to struggle again, pushing the gun all over the place, trying to drag his hand away again.

Bill laughed. A terrible, cruel laugh. He locked Shinji's arm behind his back and steadied the gun with his other hand, making it impossible for Shinji to fight his will.

"Shinji… look at me…" came the shaky voice of Asuka. He looked up, still trying desperately to fight the man.

"it's o-okay, I, I, I f-f-orgive you-" a shot rang out, and Asuka fell back, blood spraying the wall behind her.

Shinji felt the world crash around him, and the fight drained right out of him.

He had killed her.

Killed Asuka.

Killed.

Kill.

Kill me.

"Kill me." He said, no emotion in his words.

Bill released him, his arms dropping to his sides as he stood up and cocked his gun. Shinji just stared at Asuka's broken form lying in front of him.

Tears ran down his face, and he felt like worst living thing on this earth. He had even less right to live than the angels. He had to be destroyed. He could not be allowed to live anymore. He must die.

Bill looked at the boy. He smiled evilly and allowed himself to enjoy the boy's pain for a moment. Then he laughed and aimed.

A shot fired makes a sound. There is a spraying of blood, a body tumbling to the floor. Someone struggles to breathe, painfully. Then a second, third, fourth shot is fired. Running feet, abruptly stopping and several clatters of half drawn weapons landing on the floor. Shinji does hear all these things, but is too engrossed at the horror in front of him.

Asuka, dead.

Rei, Dead.

Misato, in her room, dead.

And soon he would be dead too.

After what he'd done, he couldn't blame anyone.

Not his. He could have taken anything, but this.

A hand grasps his shoulder, and a clatter of another gun registers barely along with another arm clutching around his belly. Pressure from behind, lots of weight. He still stares in front of him. Something tickles his cheek, and a warmth spreads over his back. Wetness. Probably blood. His blood? Maybe he'd been shot. He didn't feel it. He didn't feel the shot wound. Maybe you don't feel it. Probably shock. The tickling sensation still stays, and he looks down at his left shoulder.

Purple hair.

Like Misato.

Wait…

He felt reality crash over him as he realized what had happened. Misato was alive!

"Misato? Misato!" he screamed, and turned around fully. He embraces her in a hug, crying. Misato coughs up blood and covers his chest with it. Then he sees the blood all over her chest. One shot wound in her face, through her cheek, another in her chest, just above her heart. A phone falls from her hands, an outgoing call to section two still in progress.

He just couldn't help but sob into her shoulder. Thirty seconds later, the door was kicked down and section two agents stormed the apartment. Twenty men soon filling the flat and covering all corners. Shinji was dragged off Misato and rushed off under protection of five guards. As he was swept out, he heard someone make a call.

"…reporting one casualty, two seriously wounded, critical, medevac immediately requred, one unharmed evacuated under protection…"

Wait, One?

Asuka was …Was she still alive?

But I shot her in the head…

He threw up, splattering the floor. He fell, feeling cold and weak. Four guards took a protective stance, giving the fifth cover to pick him up and carry him. He clung on to the shirt of the guard, burying his face in his chest. A heavily armored van drew up and opened, to let him and the guards get inside and into safety. The van sped off, taking the most direct route to NERV Headquarters.

He woke, lying alone in a room smelling of disinfectant, clean sheets and recycled air. Obvoiusly he was in NERV's hospital. Why was he there? Something happened… he could remember something terrible. But what?

He looked at his hand. Bruised, like someone had punched it very hard. Or…

The kick of the .50 cal gun going off in his hands aimed at… at… oh god…

A/N: as mentioned, I would like to hear what you think about this one. I'm really unsure if this kind of thing is publishable…

Anyway, I would like to point out that no pre-reader has been harmed by writing this fic, and all the materials used doing so have been subject to controlled detonation….