Usually I go on for a long time at the beginning of these fan-fiction intros, goin' in deep detail about how I really shouldn't be adding another fan-fic into my large list of uncompleted fics and all that, but I realize that this fic MUST be written. Why? Because of fan-fics like Neon Exodus Evangelion and Evangelion II: DELTA Invasion, which seem to insist that this amazing anime series should be submitted to numerous horrifyingly peachy changes that, quite frankly, I find both hilariously stupid and just plain…idiotic…I know I'm beating a dead horse right now, but my mission is to effectively deconstruct the reconstructions of the greatest anime deconstruction ever created. After you finish tying your tongue around that one, take a seat, and prepare yourself for…
KYRIE ELEISON
By Da Games Elite
Part 1
Down came the great blade in the scarlet machine's hands, cleaving through hide thicker than tank armor and flesh tougher than the meat of a great white shark, diving headlong through the blood and guts of the beast until the strange, curved head of the seventh angel, a beast with long, thin spindle like arms that soon dipped into the sea around it as the two disattached sides drifted apart, ropes of solidified liquid blood being the only bridge to connect them. The scarlet haired pilot glanced up, her mecha mirroring her every move, every muscle spasm, every gasp of excited, tingling air as she glanced up, her lips curling into a triumphant grin.
That idiot Third Child over there did see her, didn't he? He had seen the extent of her awesome potential, right? She chuckled to herself as she imagined the look on that stupid kid's face. To her knowledge, none of his fights had been settled so easily, had they? He had never so simply slaughtered an Angel as though it were just a tiny, itty-bitty chore, did he? Of course, to Asuka this was no chore: this was her debut battle, a book-mark in the history books where the German girl could sprinkle her influence upon, sign her signature in the canals of events in the world: the savior of humanity's first battle.
Oh, she could already hear the praise coming in.
"Well, how was that? A fight should be clean and elegant, without waste," Asuka said, a grin on her lips as she glanced over toward that stupid Shinji kid. After all, maybe the idiot needed a few tips from a senior pilot. Perhaps he needed to understand his role in the pecking order. Perhaps he-
The angel's two disembodied halves expanded suddenly, his flesh splattering off his hide as his cocoon was cast aside, two mighty figures identical to the creature Asuka had just slaughtered emerged, tall and mighty, proud and identical, save for alternating color schemes. What the hell! Hadn't Asuka just killed that damn thing? How dare it screw up her debut battle? No, wait, this was perfect! People loved a struggle, people loved hearing about how a savior salvaged the world from the jaws of defeat. This was her chance to be a savior! It was her chance-
Two jets of energy surged outward from the open, hollow eyes of the fearsome twins. Asuka had no time to evade. The jets slammed headlong into her chest. She felt her breasts burn as heat seared into her skin, into her mammaries. She cried out in pain, as though hellfire were burning her from the inside out, the Angels' fearsome blast projecting her into the air, high in the sky as she watched Shinji dart forward, ready to attack, firing his weapon wildly at the two enemy targets. To Asuka's horror, he saw his bullets hit. How dare he-how dare he take away her glory? This was HER time to shine, not his! He had won his debut battle, so why did he have to be so selfish as to steal away her moment of triumph? How dare-
The impact of her skull against the ground shock her body so greatly that all sounds and sights faded away in a sudden nova of oblivion.
#
"Fuyutsuki, I take it you're not calling me to deliver good news, are you?"
"I'm afraid not, Commander." Fuyutsuki hated being the bearer of bad news. Truly, it always filled him with some distinct sense of dread, especially when it came to talking to someone like Gendo Ikari. He'd known the guy for years, yeah, even played Chess with him on the weekends, or Go, or whatever other complicated strategic game one could play with another person (hell, he even played Poker with the guy, where Gendo's ordinarily static expression proved surprisingly useful), and yet every time he delivered bad news, despite knowing that the same, familiar voice would emerge on the other side, informing him that either this was a good or bad development, there were subtle tones in the man's voice Fuyutsuki came to appreciate that informed him whether or not his fearless leader was feeling pleased with the developments or would've enjoyed impaling the man right then and there.
Today, Gendo probably felt impalement was too merciful a punishment.
"I see. In that case, Fuyutsuki, you know the procedure. Do as you feel is right," Gendo replied, in that same monotone.
"Alright, I'll do that," Fuyutsuki said, unable to mask his own concern.
"What's bothering you, Fuyutsuki?" Gendo asked.
"Well, truthfully, sir? You."
"It isn't like you to be so apprehensive with me, Commander," Gendo replied, betraying a strained hint of amusement at Fuyutsuki's stress.
"Well, it's not that I'm worried about the Angel, sir. Everything should go ahead according to the scenario. It's simply that-sir, what's bothering you?"
The line was silent for a moment or two. Had it not been for Gendo's sigh of resignation, Fuyutsuki might have checked to see if the line had been cut. Soon enough, however, Gendo's voice returned to the line, once again amused, albeit in a strained, frustrated, monotone fashion. "It seems the old men have decided to play with the scenario in their own little way."
"Can you elaborate, sir?" Fuyutsuki asked his younger superior, his eyes confused.
"They claim they're impatient with our progress, but I fear they believe we're plotting against them."
"Well, aren't we?"
"Yes, but they shouldn't know that," Gendo replied, flatly, "Either one of us have spoken to Chairman Keel, which I seriously doubt considering how our goals benefit both of us, or they suspect something."
"Perhaps Ryouji Kaji tipped them off with all that underhand investigating he's been doing," Fuyutsuki replied, bemused. Kaji could search through every record in the building he longed for, but it mattered very little. Kaji was, as the term put it, playing with the big boys now. Oh sure, he COULD discover everything about Seele and Nerv and the Angels, even the authenticity of the Marduke Institute, but, in all honesty, what did knowledge matter if you had a bullet in your brain? Still, Kaji could be useful in investigating Seele to see what they had planned. "Maybe he can help us out in regards to this whole Seele-budding-in affair?"
"Perhaps, but for the time being we should simply wait to see Seele's first move, then work out a perfect defense. Fuyutsuki, report to me any changes Seele might try to make to Nerv while I am away. Keep me up to date every hour on the hour, understand?"
"I understand."
#
"So much for my debut battle."
Asuka sighed, lowering her head in frustration as she left the debriefing room. She leaned against a wall, holding a half-empty can of soda in her hands, tensely. She was about to chug the drink down in one gulp before considering it for a moment. Was she drinking because was she was thirsty, or because if she didn't eliminate something she'd probably punch through a wall? Was it the taste of liquids that probably weren't best suited for her health the best thing for her now?
Ah, screw thinking like that.
After downing the entire can and throwing its crushed form into the nearest trash bin, she punched a wall anyway. That idiot totally screwed up her battle. Sure, she had shouted it to his face in that assembly room, but then that idiot! He had the nerve, no, the balls, to call HER a show-off! The jerk! The stupid, stupid dummkopf! Asuka wanted to squeeze another aluminum can in her hands, just because the sensation of something being crushed would satisfy the beast within her chest for only a moment, but, slowly, she exhaled, slowly.
After all, she knew deep down who was the real reason for the fight's failure.
Herself.
"Ah, hello there, Asuka!" The German squealed Kaji's name upon hearing his voice, diving headlong into the scruffly-chinned man's chest, squeezing him so hard that the two of them might as well have shared a heart beat. They were, after all, perfect for one another. He took in his scents, an odd aroma that smelt like a mix of old alcohol (a classy sort of brand, of course, like a light bear or red wine, surely), cologne (only manly men wore cologne, which explained why Shinji the dork didn't wear any), and fabric softener (because Kaji could still use that in his clothing and still be more of a man than anyone else she knew). "I take it you're happy to see me?"
"Oh, Kaji, you don't really think I screwed up out there, do you?" Asuka asked, pouting ever so slightly, her lower lip sticking out just enough to give off that beautiful, angelic appearance all men swooned over.
"Oh, no, you did splendid! I wouldn't worry about a thing," laughed Kaji, patting Asuka on the head, "Although practice does make perfect, and you still need to learn a few things."
"Okay, I can accept that," Asuka lied, knowing full well that she was, at that point, the best Evangelion pilot there was, ever would be, and the only things she'd need to learn were any sort of modifications added onto her beautiful Unit-02, in which case she'd still learn how to use those sorts of modifications first before that IDIOT Shinji. "So, uh, what do I need to learn? Can you tell me?" Asuka asked, hoping to hear Kaji's voice again.
"Well, I could, but the thing you need to really learn requires a bit of a feminine touch. As you can tell, when it comes to girly things, I'm not quite a guru to say the least," Kaji chuckled, his lame joke leaving a smile on Asuka's lips, "But Misato does. Why don't I drive you there? We've already left your stuff there."
She was living with Misato again? Asuka sighed as she remembered Misato back in Germany. She drank so heavily, drinking all the time, often times only going through the motions of taking care of her. Of course, Asuka was the best even then, so maybe being around someone so-how to say it?-mighty and amazing was too much for her to handle. Asuka had that sort of affect on people, it was true. Ah well, whatever. Asuka knew Shinji was living there, so did that mean she was going to have to live with that dork too? Nah! They wouldn't do something like that. She probably was replacing the dork, and high time Nerv knew how to give priority care to their priority elite pilot.
"Alright, give me a ride over, Kaji."
#
"Have you received word yet, Fuyutsuki?" Gendo asked, curiously urgent.
Fuyutsuki sighed, frowning slightly, "Seriously, not at all. I've been going along with Kaji's suggestion about placing the pilots in close proximity to one another, working on their synchronization development. So far, I've got no news of any secrets the old men have. Take it with a grain of salt, but I really think you're way off on this one, Gendo."
"You had to be there, Fuyutsuki. It was the way Keel was looking at me."
"Gendo, you are aware Keel doesn't have eyes, right?"
Gendo was quiet for a few moments as Fuyutsuki chuckled to himself before responding, softly yet deadly, "Fuyutsuki, would you like a reduction in pay?"
"Well, quite frankly, sir, you do know I don't care much for money, and neither do you."
"Touché. Very well, maintain your observations, Fuyutsuki. Tell me at the first sign of any change, be it subtle or in your face, understand?"
"Crystal clear, sir. Crystal clear."
#
It was day three in prison. Shinji sighed as he baked his egg, glancing at it carefully, frowning slightly as he balanced it in the center of the frying pan, grinning as the white bubbled ever so gently before flipping it into the air, his oven mitts protecting his skin from the searing hot metal of the pan. He glanced up as the egg spiraled in the air, and landed majestically into the center of the pan, right where it belonged. All was right with the-
The splatter of yolk against the stove, accompanied by a grunt of frustration, reminded him of the redhead beside him.
It had been three days since Asuka moved in, and already he had grown to anticipate Asuka's every emotion. "Ah! Scheiße! ITSHOTITHOTITSHOT!" the red haired girl stammered, bouncing from toe to toe before running toward the sink, running water over the yolk that had splattered against her hands. Shinji's eyes widened as she shouted out to her.
"Wait! Asuka, you oiled the pan, remember!"
Judging by the cry of pain as hot oil splattered out over her hand and wrist, clearly she did not heed his advice.
Misato wanted them to do everything together, be it performing house-hold chores, to combat training, to cooking meals. Needless to say, in the end, they tended to all unanimously agree that Shinji's food was superior, though Asuka naturally said, rather than flat-out admitting she had all-around failed at producing anything resembling edible food, that Shinji simply was a pathetic excuse for a cook and that the German was only humoring him by even tasting his meals.
"Do you want me to get you some ointment?" Shinji asked, taking both their eggs off the heat.
"Whaddya think, stupid!" Asuka cried out before cradling her scarlet hand. Indeed, Shinji had no reason to really tease Asuka. While the burn was far from crippling, it certainly looked a tad severe. There were blisters forming already, and all her skin had turned a bright shade of crimson, much like her locks of shiny hair that tumbled over her lithe, narrow shoulders, hair that laid over her smooth jaw line, not prominent, yet not too soft, either, hair that framed her heart-shaped face, her skin ever smooth, skin-
Ointment! Right!
Shinji darted off to the bathroom, glancing over to Misato's room in the process, where she rested, groaning weakly, her room dark with a pillow plastered over her no-doubt disoriented ears. Didn't that woman need to lay it off the booze a little? Shinji wasn't one to talk, though, but even so, it would do wonders for her health if she simply didn't drink so heavily. At least she wasn't a violent drunk.
Shinji found himself in the bathroom, hastily opening up the cabinets one after another, searching for something, anything, to give to a burn victim. There was something for third degree burns, which was a tad too severe for just an oil splatter. There was one for napalm contact-what sort of kitchen disastors did Misato encounter here, exactly? Finally, he found a cream that should soothe Asuka's flesh after her close brush with pain. Shinji grabbed hold of the container, and sprinted back into the kitchen, only to find Asuka impatiently waiting for him.
"Took you long enough," Asuka replied, her anger strong, but her face betraying a hint of concern, a hint of anxiety. Shinji wordlessly knew what her concerns were, but alas left them unspoken. Best not to remind her of pain on top of her other sores.
"Hang on, lemme just spread this in on your hands," Shinji replied, using his shaky hand to open up the cylinder of off-white cream.
"Hey, what's that? Is it safe?" Asuka asked, confused, as Shinji scooped up a dollop of the solid liquid on his fingertips, "Are you sure that's safe? Where'd you find it?"
"Just hold still," Shinji replied, not answering any of her queries as he rubbed the substance into her comrade's flesh, his gentle fingers probing the soft skin on her hand, the gentle flesh underneath giving slightly under contact. Asuka winced, but refused to betray the pain she felt from physical contact, clenching her jaw tightly as she tucked her head into her shoulders, eyelids closed tightly over her eyes, lips pursed. Slowly, Shinji drew his fingers away, leaving her hand coated in the substance before wrapping an ace-bandage around the wound.
"I hope you know it's all your fault," Asuka replied, sullenly.
"Uh-huh. Hold still," Shinji replied, curling the material around her slight wrist, his skin brushing every so often against her gentle flesh. It's amazing how slender she was. Truly, up close, one realized how skinny she actually was. Just by making contact with her arms, Shinji could feel her bones. Alas, she wasn't anorexic or anything like that, and there was subtle flesh that his fingers gently stroked as he placed the ace bandage properly on her arms, but-
Stop thinking like that!
"Maaaaa~~aaaahhhh! Mornin', Shinji," Misato yawned, leaving her room after stumbling slightly, running her sweat sodden hair out of her eyes, "How's ever-Asuka! What happened to your hand?"
Asuka recoiled slightly, frowning before shouting, "Shinji screwed up again is what happened!"
"Me? Ya should've been paying more attention to cooking your eggs than-"
"Don't you spin this around to make me look like the idiot, idiot!"
"I was just cooking eggs! It's not my fault you couldn't synch right with me!"
"Watch it, dork!"
"Guys, guys, GUYS! Just tell me what happened in a single sentence, alright?" Misato asked, rubbing her temple, "And please, without yelling? Ohh…my head…"
The dark haird boy expected the German girl to respond first, but Asuka's face filled with scarlet, but Shinji could not tell whether this was out of embarrassment, frustration, or, perhaps, anxiety. After a few seconds of silence, Shinji exhaled, and spoke. "Asuka's hand was burned," Shinji replied, "She ran it under water, and didn't realize the oil was going to splatter."
Misato sighed, running her hand over her sweaty brow as Asuka stared up at her, eyes wide with fear for a moment or two. Finally, Misato spoke, her voice heavy. "Asuka, how serious is the burn?"
"It's nothing. I can't even feel it anymore," Asuka replied, gingerly raising her hand to flex each finger. With each movement of her hand, however, Shinji noticed her eyebrows twitch, her lips tighten, and her jaw clench. Misato, it seemed, noticed it too, as her lips pressed tightly together. The German's eyes widened in horror for a brief instant, but it was only an instant. "What? I'm fine! I can keep this up. Hell, a little burn like this is nothing at all to me! Let's do this. I'm ready for all this-this, uh-synch training."
"Asuka, look, I respect your enthusiasm and everything, but in your condition, I don't think you can hold a gun, or even a knife. I can't let you, in good conscious, risk this operation. Rei will replace you in this operation, and-"
Asuka was silent for the entire time Misato spoke, but the moment Rei was mentioned, her eyes flared open, and she shouted, her expression one of sheer horror, as though she had just witnessed the murder of her parents before her eyes and she was confronting the killer, "No! That's not fair! You can't do that! I've been working for three days, and Wonder Girl just doesn't have what it takes! She just doesn't! She-aah!" Asuka turned on her heels, and darted into her own room, slamming the lock-less door bounced back open, unable to hide Asuka as she crumbled onto her bed, hiding her head under a pillow.
#
Tears poured from the redhead's eyes as she sobbed heavily into her pillow. How dare they! How DARE they say she wasn't able to fight. They should wait, yeah, just wait for her hand to feel a little less stingy was all. She could move her left finger now just a little bit more than she could before. Why couldn't they just wait a little, and let her heal? This was her second battle. She couldn't just embarrass herself a second time in a row. She couldn't lose again to the same Angel! Not again!
And even worse, if the First Child beat her-!
Asuka remembered when they had fist met the blue haired freak, with her short cut wolfish hair and blank, vacant expression. All she did was just walk up to her and say hello. She wasn't insulting her or anything. Asuka thought she was being perfectly nice to the First Child by asking to be friends. She genuinely wanted to know her, too, though more out of convenience of being a pilot than anything else. All Asuka wanted was friendship, and what does that idiot do? At first, Asuka wasn't sure what Rei meant when she said she'd be friends with Asuka if ordered to. At first, she just assumed Rei was like a robot who only took orders, but then she noticed something more subtle.
There was something about Rei's tone that day, something in that ordinarily emotionless speech pattern that implanted a certain response in Asuka: fury. She was pissed off by such a callous, off-handed rejection. She wasn't being simply robotic: the German girl knew enough about that uptight jerk to know Rei thought she was better than everyone else. She always was out in class for special reasons, and she kept receiving so much attention from Gendo. Every time Asuka had tried to talk to her afterwards, Rei just gave her a quick, one word reply and walked away, but if that dork Shinji walked into the room, well, then Rei would glance over at him, approach him, and talk to him about God knows what. Sure, they didn't talk long, but they talked! Wonder girl COULD talk, it seemed.
Which proved she had emotions somewhere in that stupid head of hers.
Which proved she had purposely snubbed Asuka.
Which proved she had been a jerk to her.
And she was so weak, too! Asuka blew her away in the synch tests, so why would they replace an ace pilot with a stupid little girl like Rei? It didn't make sense to her. Asuka could be a better pilot with full-body third degree burns! There would never come a day where Asuka would accept help from a loser like her! A snobby, conceited loser like Rei Ayanami.
Her door slowly opened, her heart accelerating in shock for a moment, as Shinji walked into the room, and plopped himself on the bed beside her. He glanced at Asuka nervously before glancing away, almost as though he were a little ashamed. That dork was the reason she burned herself. If he hadn't been trying to just show off, she wouldn't have screwed up and none of this would've happened. Should've just stayed at Asuka's pace and just help her out a little bit. Then there'd be eggs for everyone! The dork could tell her cooking wasn't that good, so why did they need to synch when Shinji was cooking? That was Misato's fault. Hell, they were both to blame for all this.
"Are you okay, Asuka?"
She found her frustration melting away as she exhaled, finding her heart still racing, no doubt from some flurry remnant of frustration. No other explanation for it. "Yeah, I'm fine. Fine enough to pilot an Eva right now."
"Listen, I talked to Misato. She won't replace you," Shinji replied, straining a smile.
"What?" Asuka glanced up, her eyebrows raised in confusion.
"Well, I talked to her, and said how it really was my fault and Asuka-er-you didn't need to be punished for what I did by accident, so, I-uh-convinced her to lighten up the synchronization excises today so you'd be able to keep up." Shinji still averted her eyes, glancing instead at his hands, as though something about his long, slender digits perplexed him so completely that he didn't have the time to look at Asuka's azure eyes. Why was he avoiding her eyes? Nervous that she'd lash out again, probably. Nervous she'd yell at him or something like that. She sighed, running a hand over her face.
"You did all that for me?" Asuka asked, softly.
"Well, I just know how much this means for you, so-"
"Thanks," Asuka said, softly interrupting Shinji, "Thanks a lot. You may think you know, but you have no idea how much this means. It's a matter of pride."
#
"Fuyutsuki, nothing still?"
"Gendo, look, nothing interesting has happened! I know it's the day of the angel arrival and all that, but I am not exaggerating when I say that Seele has done NOTHING. I think you're getting a little paranoid."
"I am many things, Fuyutsuki. Calculating, yes, prepared, certainly, but never paranoid. Keel is planning something, and I think he do something today. Be on extra alert!"
The old man sighed, shaking his head in disbelief. Gendo must be losing his mind. Keel, as much of a calculating fiend he was, usually accidentally showed some of his hand before making a move. So far, not only had Fuyutsuki not seen any implication that Keel wanted anything at all, but now it was starting to appear as though Gendo was losing his mind out of the stress of his position. If this kept up, the only thing Keel would have accomplished was driving Gendo out of Nerv by reason of insanity…or stress, or whatever fancy name he'd use.
#
Asuka stood silently before her Unit-02. Her scarlet, skin-tight uniform was pulled tightly against her skin as she exhaled, slowly. She had failed last time. She was a big enough girl to admit it: she had messed up. A week of training was no doubt more than enough to grant her the strength to tear through her opposition, wasn't it? She flexed each finger gingerly, wincing every so often, especially when her own folds of flesh on her fingers caressed their kin, the subtle friction burning her hide. She reflexively felt a tear forming in her eye, as it tended to, she noticed, when she tested her burn, only to savagely brush it aside.
That was so annoying!
Asuka remembered the days spend laboriously training. At first, the pain continued to affect her in an awfully terribly way. After all, what good was a pilot who couldn't hold herself up with a single hand, or hold a rifle, or even brush her teeth without feeling a by now familiar ache in all five of her fingers? However, Asuka couldn't give up hope now. She had too much at stake here. She couldn't lose two battles in a row. No, that wasn't even an option. She was, after all, the greatest. Even that Third Child, as annoyingly pathetic as he was, wasn't that bad.
"Good luck, Asuka," the black haired boy said behind her, skin pale and clammy, shivering ever so slightly as he approached his purple monstrous mobile suit. What did he have to be nervous about? Nothing was at stake for him. After all, while he did have a gigantic reputation, it wasn't like he cared, did he? Asuka recalled one time after their combat training, had to be two days ago, where they had just decided to snack on some food. Logically, Shinji cooked, and Asuka waited, but she even needed a little help with her chopsticks (why did the Japanese have to eat with sticks, for Christ's sake?).
"A little more than that," Asuka teased, forcing Shinji to grab the larger chunks of meat with the chopsticks before placing it in Asuka's welcoming mouth, "There we go. Anyway, Third child, I hope you can keep up with my amazing moves during that battle. I just hope you don't go out of synch with me again."
"With you? Weren't you the one who fell flat on her face? I seem to recall that happening," Shinji replied, rubbing his chin as Asuka glared at him. She raised a fist into the air, only for Shinji to flinch, hiding behind his arms. He was such a bloody coward. Asuka lightly thumped her knuckles against his arm before turning back to her food, choosing to eat with her opposite hand so Shinji could have some of his own food. Silently, the boy accepted the gesture, and the meal continued. "So aren't you a little nervous, Asuka?"
"Huh? About what?"
"You know, piloting and everything."
Asuka considered this for a moment. "I guess I am a little, yeah, but it's more like I'm just worried that a dork like you is going to make me look bad."
"Had to turn it on me, didn't you?"
"It's my job," Asuka chuckled a little before chewing on food. After swallowing meaty chicken garbed in gentle noodles, the scarlet haired girl cocked her head ever so slightly before asking, a grin on her lips, "Why? What about you? Scared?"
"Well, yes, I am nervous. A little, anyway," Shinji replied, meekly.
"Whaddya have to be scared of?" Asuka laughed, "I mean, what's on the line for you?"
"Oh, nothing big. Only my life."
Those words rang through Asuka's head again, laughing at them on the inside. His life in danger? The Evangelion was almost impenetrable. It was an invincible weapon incapable of being truly damaged. Shinji was just a lame pilot. She had seen the combat footage of Shinji's earlier battles. Every time he had avoided obvious assaults, refusing to dodge or what have you to escape the line of fire. An elite pilot like Asuka Langley Sohryu, however, wouldn't have such issues. She grinned on the inside. Maybe she did need to teach theses stupid people a thing or two, didn't she?
Every day, Asuka couldn't sleep in her own bed, no, but rather in a Nerv hospital, where Dr. Akagi's nurses would attend to her hand, hoping to heal it before the day of the battle. While the German girl admitted her hand did feel better, it was debatable how affective all these procedures were. She flexed her hands again, feeling familiar, slightly dulled, pain now familiar to her surge throughout her palm.
She boarded the entry plug as familiar LCL poured around her, enveloping her, as she inhaled the beautifully gross liquid into her system. Alright, it was time to go. She knew it was ready. She heard Misato's words as her pulse quickened, but it meant nothing to her, really. Not a single thing. She said something to Shinji, some playful comment about him keeping up with her, and he responded with an equally playful tease, yet she knew neither of them cared what the others said, and knew they needed to say something to lessen the tension.
And then, they were off.
She traveled through the dark tunnel, projected higher and higher into the air as she emerged into the fresh air, arms outstretched like a swan diving into the sky, the familiar music she had trained to playing in her ear. Below her was the yin-shaped Seventh Angel, code-named Israfel in some of the documents. Israfel stood below them, glancing up with those same blank, infinitely empty eyes as light surged within. That was cue. With her good hand, Asuka's withdrew a small knife-like device from Unit-02's back, as did Shinji. The weapon extended sharply into a great spear as she flung it down at Israfel, perfectly in synch with the purple Unit-01. The Angel attempted to deflect the weapons, but only succeeded at redirecting the blades down its middle, bisecting it once again, until Israfel became two separate Angels once more, its old hide splattering against the buildings as it glanced up.
By then, the Evangelions had both landed.
Two nearby buildings unveiled two separate weapons. Hastily, Shinji ran for the automatic rifle, and Asuka extended her good hand for the laser blaster. As Shinji fired hundreds of bullets against the dual Angels, the scarlet haired Evangelion rested the gun tenderly on her bad hand's forearm, only to hold the trigger in her good fingers, firing jets of energy, jets that fired positron beams straight into the Angel's limbs, tearing through their flesh until visible quantities of blood spilled outward.
They were going to win!
Jets of energy surged from the clouds of impact, as anticipated. Shinji and Asuka spun backward in a synchronized fashion, twirling backward, only for Unit-02 to stumble, to fall, as pain surged once again through Asuka's burned hand. Tears surged through her eyes as pain anew enveloped her hand, no, wrist now too, as she slammed headlong into the floor, lasers slamming headlong against her Unit-02. Now MORE pain filled her, burning her chest just like it did before. She couldn't lose again! She messed up! She had fallen out of synch!
She could no longer blame Shinji.
She was the weak link now.
Bullets rang through the air against the two Angels. Asuka glanced up to see Unit-01 above her, firing heavily with the automatic riffle as he dove down beside Asuka, holding out his hand hastily as he fired with a single hand, the recoil of the great gun clearly causing his entire arm to tremble. As it shook in his hand, the bullets sprayed everywhere, sometimes tearing straight through the buildings adjacent to the Angel, but more often slamming straight against their hides.
He was still holding out his hand.
Now wasn't the time for a pity party.
Asuka helped herself to her feet, withdrawing her own positron rifle as she fired heavily into the crowd, frowning as Nerv's numerous rockets launched into the air, spiraling and dancing headlong into Israfel's two halves. They just needed to skip around a little, but they could still recover, couldn't they? Even with an injury, this was NOTHING for the German girl, easy as pie. She could barely feel the burns right now, after all.
The duo darted toward Israfel's two halves, drawing their fists back. With great pleasure, Asuka felt her knuckles slam against the scarlet Israfel's face, throwing it into the air, before she slammed the heel of her foot headlong into its core, throwing it backward. The two halves were merging, and their opening was now there! Asuka, a smile on her face, pulled Unit-02 into the air with Unit-01, twirling through the air as their feet extended forward, ready to penetrate the core of the Angel, ready to destroy them once and for all, ready to-
Two spine-like tendrils exploded from Israfel's cores, extended outward as their usually scarlet hue died suddenly to ashen black. The angel was lifted into the air, out of both Unit-01 and Unit-02's range, and the two mecha slammed headlong into the ground, tearing up the street around them before stumbling flat on their backs on the floor, their target out of reach, dead.
Asuka was silent for a moment, staring up at the dead, unexploded Angel before rising to her feet, a look of fury on her face before Unit-02 collapsed, out of power, on top of Unit-01. She heard Shinji audibly cry out in shock before Unit-01 also died down, the two Units laying in a humiliating heap on the ground. Despite her Eva's lack of energy, Asuka's passion could not be suppressed. "What the hell was that! You mean after training for past week with this idiot, after burning my friggen hand, after having to fight an entire battle and ALL that stress, someone else would take away my friggen, God damn-ARGH!" Asuka wanted to pull out her hair in frustration, but restrained herself, reminding her that, against burned flesh, her hair may as well have been barbed wire. She turned to face her "savior," her "messiah," wondering how long it took before she could crucify the idiot.
Standing behind her was a machine unlike any other. Completely black in hue, with two long tendrils emerging from its lithe, almost skeleton-like frame, this hunched over behemoth had no mouth, no jaws like other Evangelions, but rather an almost gooey looking appearance, with numerous eyes running alongside the side of his skull. His hands possessed three fingers, each one long and to a point, attached to strong yet slender arms. With every step it took, more of a sense of anxiety filled Asuka's heart. Was this thing another Angel? Was it another enemy?
And then, suddenly, the creature's chest opened. As expected, sitting squarely in the center of the creature, where its core should be, was a teenage boy, his long, flowing dark hair that fell to his shoulders dancing in the wind as he rose to a standing position. He was wearing, to Asuka's horror, a plug suit, black in color with blue padding on his shoulders and arms. He chuckled as he glanced down at the Evas, a grin on his lips that Asuka could even see from this distance.
"Looks like a job well-done, guys," the boy laughed aloud, his voice somehow emerging throughout the entry plug, his voice deep, yet possessing a certain sarcastic spring to it that kept him from sounding too much like the demon Asuka thought he was. After all, anyone who stole her victory from her was a monster in her eyes, and oh how she hated this bastard right then and there. "Still, you need to leave it to the professionals to handle these sorts of things."
"We ARE the Professionals, you dummkopf!" snapped Asuka.
"Who exactly are you?" Shinji asked, his tentative voice filling her Entry Plug as well.
"My name is Star Aran, but I'll be more than happy if you called me the Fourth Child."
#
"Gendo?"
"Fuyustuki, have the old men made their move?"
"I do believe so. Oh God, I think they have."