Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion. I earn no profit from this. This disclaimer applies for all subsequent chapters.

The Legend of Lord Susano-o

Prologue

By Brishen1066

Mana Kirishima was in a fix. She was the president of a school drama club that was in dire straits. Due to declining attendance at school, and the popularity of other clubs, the drama club's membership was at its lowest point on record.

With her fifth sigh in as many minutes, Mana decided to begin her club duties, foremost of which was to check on the progress of a new script being written by her friend and vice-president, Akiko Shima. Entering the classroom the drama club used as their headquarters, she spotted her vice-president Akiko conversing with a senior member of the club, Masashi Yamaguchi. Holding her sixth sigh inside herself, she moved over to the two to check on the script.

"It's done!" Akiko happily exclaimed. "We just finished proofreading and making a few prototype copies."

"That's wonderful, Akiko!" For the first time in several afternoons, Mana Kirishima's hopes were rising. She had seen earlier drafts of Akiko's script, and with the proper casting, it was a guaranteed success. "This is just what the club needs—a great original production. It's sure to improve our membership!"

"I'd say your leadership is all this club needs to regain its status," Masashi said.

Mana forced down another sigh. Masashi Yamaguchi, aside from being a senior member of the club, was also her ex-boyfriend. They had been separated for a while, but he was still obviously infatuated with her. He was none-to-subtly coming on to her during the most recent Angel attack, when the power throughout Tokyo-3 was inexplicably cut off. Deciding to err on the side of diplomacy, Mana responded in a straightforward manner, "Unfortunately, it takes more than good management. There are still quite a few students here, but they're either not involved in clubs, or they're into sports like baseball or swimming. I hate to say it, but if we had some popular students in the club, they might attract more members."

"Well, what did you have in mind?" Akiko asked.

Keeping her smirk in check, Mana laid out her plan: "Pilots."

"Um…I'm not too sure…" Akiko started, "I don't think any of the Eva pilots are the acting type. Rei Ayanami rarely even speaks, and Shinji Ikari is almost as bad. As for Asuka Souryu, she might scare away more members than she'd attract."

"Actually, I think Asuka would be the most likely candidate. Sure some of the girls may be jealous of her, but imagine how many boys will join hoping to get in a romantic scene with her. She's not just a pilot, but she's also the most eligible bachelorette in school," Masashi noted.

"Exactly," Mana concurred. "Also, there's a possibility that Asuka's involvement could bring Ikari into the club as well. It's well known that she has the poor boy around her finger, making him cook her meals and whatnot."

Picking up a copy of the new script from Akiko, she allowed herself a smile. Asuka was undoubtedly gone home for the evening by now, but come morning, Mana would make her move. With club pride not felt in weeks, Mana read the title of the new play, printed in block letters atop the first page.

"The Legend of Lord Susano-o"

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Author's Notes: And so begins my first substantial fic. If you're wondering, Susano-o is a Japanese god—Son of Izangi and Izanami, creators of Japan. He's also brother to Amaterasu, the sun goddess, from whom the divine emperors of Japan claim heritage. Susano-o and his associated legends would be well known to Japanese people. Feel free to look around the web and do your own research on the legends, though knowledge thereof won't be critical to understanding this fic.