Disclaimer- I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion, or anything affiliated with it besides this fan fiction.
Evangelion Redux: Eden of Eve
Episode 1: Meet Reia/Angel Attack Redux
"Have good day sir, and I'm sure your fortune will come true!" a young woman stated with a small bow causing her long silky raven black hair to fall around her face masking it from view. The young woman was dressed in the usual shrine maiden attire, but it seemed to accentuate her curves more then it was meant to.
"I hope so!" an older man replied as he laughed heartily, "Maybe this will finally get me that promotion that I've been waiting for!" The man looked to be around his mid-forties due to the fact that he had so many wrinkles and his shoulder lenght black hair, freckled with grey, was thinning at the top. However, this did not take away from the distinguished look he had which was emphasized by the black suit, and white dress shirt he was wearing. In fact it only served to he played up his suave and sophisticated look. Running a hand through his grey hair, and straightening his black tie, the man eyed the young woman skeptically for a moment before he asked, "Are you sure you wont consider my offer Reia-chan? You know you only have one more year before college, and I'm sure I don't need to tell you how expensive it can be."
"Yes Mishdo-san, I do know how expensive it will be and I have considered your offer," Reia said as she raised her head to look the older man in his smoke grey eyes, with her own hazel orbs. Brushing a stray strand of hair off of her small narrow nose, taking in a deep breath through her strawberry red full lips, and releasing a beleaguered sigh she added, "I just can't see myself as a NERV employee, in fact I hate to her that you all have killed another angel."
"Huh?!" Mishdo asked incredulously due to the fact that he was immensely taken aback by Reia's statement which had caused his eyes to go wide with shock. "Reia-chan how can you say that?" Mishdo asked as he continued to gawk at the young woman, his eyes as wide as saucers.
"Don't misunderstand me," Reia started calmly as she sighed once again as she ran a slender mocha colored hand through her hair before adding, "I already know you're doing what needs to be done, otherwise they'll end up eradicating humanity. However, that does not negate the fact that they are still living beings, and I simply cannot condone the killing of another living creature."
Mishdo recoiled slightly upon hearing Reia's statement, but less than a second later he simply shrugged it off and chuckled merrily. "You know, I think that kung fu you've been taking has started to mess with your head. Either that, or you really are the next Buddha."
"What makes you say that?" Reia inquired as she picked up a broom resting on the side of a large red wooden pillar that aided in the support the shrine, and began to sweep the accumulating dust under her straw sandals off of the grey cobblestone. Truth be told she had already swept the steps twice that day so they were relatively clean, but she couldn't bring herself to look Mishdo in his eyes after her statement. Some how she felt that she had betrayed his trust and perception of her, and she never liked being looked upon in a bad light.
Mishdo chuckled once again as he looked around at the cherry trees descending from their full bloom. Suddenly a gust of wind whipped though the air and caused some of the petals to fall from the trees to be carried on with the powerful breeze. The winds seem to wrap around Reia as she combed her hair out of her face with her slender fingers. The whole scene seemed to give her person and ethereal glow, causing Mishdo to admire the young woman's beauty once again.
"Hum, the breeze is nice this time of year," Reia mused to herself as she placed the broom back against the pillar and walked toward the small oak wood house next to the shrine. Opening the door she paused for a moment, and turned to face Mishdo with a small smile on her face before she said, "I'm sorry Mishdo-san, while I would love to continue our conversation I really should be getting home."
"It's not a problem Reia-chan, but please take this card," Mishdo stated as he dug his large, gruff, and calloused hand in to his inner blazer pocket and pulled out a small business card featuring a red fig leaf and the word NERV written on it. He then added, "While I know you do not condone violence, I'm sure that we could find you an internship position that would fit your specifications. I'm sure you wouldn't mind working as a mail clerk, would you?"
Eyeing Mishdo with a puzzled expression plastered on her face Reia walked towards him and graciously accepted the card. "Thank you Mishdo-san, but why do you want to help me so much?" Reia inquired as she eyed the older man skeptically and furrowing her brow.
"Well Reia-chan if you must know, you were the only one who helped me maintain my sanity during the divorce. As I recall you missed two of your four exams to talk to me when you found me outside the bar at eight o'clock in the morning," Mishdo responded with a sullen expression on his face as he looked down at his shoes and began to fidget nervously.
"Nonsense, all you needed was someone to talk to," Reia said waving it off before she added, "You really shouldn't try to reward me for simply being a decent human being."
Mishdo chuckled nervously before he added, "Ya' know, if you hadn't reached out to me at that point I probably would have ended up killing myself."
This comment caused Reia to gasp and bring her hand to her mouth before she glared at Mishdo and snapped, "There is no woman that is worth all of that!"
The older man chuckled nervously once again before he responded again saying, "I know, and you were the one who helped me to come to understand that. Even if you won't admit it Reia-chan, you are a very special person." Mishdo reached into his pocket and dug out a slightly bent cigarette and put it to his mouth before he added, "You're special because you don't judge people based on their flaws, and you honestly try to help them without expecting anything in return. On top of that, while I know this is slightly inappropriate, physically you're the perfect young woman and any man would be lucky to have you by his side. In fact that only flaw I've noticed about you is your inferiority complex, and I can't even begin to understand that."
Now it was Reia's turn to look down at her feet and shuffle nervously. "I'm sorry Mishdo-san, but I really do not wish to discuss myself or my character flaws," Reia responded sheepishly as she heard the click of a lighter, and smelled the nicotine that wafted over into her nostrils.
"Alright Reia-chan, but please consider my offer. If nothing else it will make me feel better," Mishdo said with a small bow as he took a small drag on his cigarette and blew the smoke through his nose causing it to flare out slightly.
"Of course Mishdo-san, I'm sure I'll find myself working over there one way or another," Reia stated bowing slightly as she waved goodbye to Mishdo who had started making his way down the cobblestone steps towards the base of the shrine. "Well I better get going before mom and dad start worrying again," Reia said as she turned and walked toward the small house and went to change into her school uniform.
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"I wonder what mom is cooking for dinner tonight." Reia said to herself as she walked down the crowed streets of Tokyo 3. Her the skirt of her of blue school uniform as she felt a hand reach under and try to grasp one of her sporty round rear end. From behind her she could hear a chuckle of anticipation from a pervert who would very soon be seeing stars. Reia calmly took in a deep breath before she released a beleaguered sigh and readied herself. Faster then one would deem humanly possible Reia whipped around and slapped the lecherous man across the face with her brown leather school case. The man, who was dressed in a black hoodie, which shrouded his face from view, and a pair of baggy denim blue jeans, slammed in to the brick wall of a convenience store. Staggering, but apparently still conscious, the man turned to flee but to now avail. Reia quickly stuck her foot out and tripped the man causing him to fall face first onto the ground before she calmly stated, "You know it's guys like you that make me happy I'm single." With that said she set about pulverizing the poor fellow by repeatedly smacking down on his head with her school case.
By now a small crowed had started to form and we currently gawking at the spectacle before them. There were some gasps, while a few people cheered, and others simply shrugged and continued on with their day to day routines. After a moment however, panting and heaving, Reia raised her case one last time and landed one last resounding smack on the offender's head before she puffed her chest while frowning her face with a dignified, "Humph" and began her trek towards her home once again. However things were not to be as simple as that. Suddenly the ear piercing sound of military jets rang in Reia's ears and the thunderous sound of tanks and Hummers could be heard coming down the street as the sidewalk began to quake.
"An angel attack?" Rei inquired as she turned around to face the direction the vehicles were heading in on to see a large creature emerge from the back drop of the skyscrapers that surrounded her. "But why now?" Rei asked herself as she absently took note of the people rushing past her, or violently bumping into her.
-Meanwhile-
"I wonder why they called me here," a young man asked himself as he stepped off a bullet train and onto the cold granite of a railway station. Dressed in a pair of black pants that were two sizes too small, and a short sleeve white dress shirt with a matching pair of white sneakers, the young man walked towards a pay phone, set down his duffel bag, and picked it up off of the holster. Putting the receiver to his ear he only heard a special announcement about the lines being down due to a state of emergency. "Huh?" the young man questioned faintly as he took the phone away from his ear and stared at it in disbelief before he put in back on the holster.
"Just great," he griped as he ran a hand through his messy brown hair and let out a beleaguered sigh. Suddenly a group of jets zoomed past him causing the young man to whip around in fascination. However what he saw next was completely unexpected.
"What the hell is that!?" he snapped as he stared at the monstrous creature before him. While frightened out of his mind he couldn't help but marvel at the sheer size of the beast as the jets fired missiles at it that seemed to have no effect what so ever as its black skin didn't even appear to have a scratch on it. As the young man continued to gawk at the beast he heard the faint sound of a vehicle speeding towards him. Turning around at the last possible second he narrowly avoided getting run over as he dived out of the way of a speeding car.
"Ow," the young man moaned as he shakily rose to his feet, "Why me?"
"Shinji Ikari?" the voice of a young woman questioned causing Shinji to look up from the ground at a beautiful woman who couldn't have been any older then her late twenties. Her flowing violet hair cascaded around her shoulder and stopped slightly after her shoulder blades. Her piercing chocolate brown eyes and thin pouty lips accentuated her slender face and caused Shinji to momentarily forget what was happening in the world around him. Her black dress emphasized her curves and Shinji found himself staring at her without even knowing it.
"Shinji Ikari?" her voice rang out once again, this time it sounded slightly more irritated, snapping Shinji out of his revelry as he nodded in response.
The woman's brow relaxed and she beamed at him before she motioned for him to get in the car with a wave of her hand and said, "Sorry I'm late. Well what are you waiting for? Get in!"
Shinji simply nodded once again as he scooped up his duffel bag and hopped into the passenger seat of the car. "Um excuse me, but who are you and what is that thing?" Shinji questioned as he buckled his seat belt as braced himself as the young woman shifted the car out of park and into drive while slamming her foot on the accelerator.
"Well I'm Captain Misato Katsuragi of the Earth Defense Force, and that thing behind us is called an angel," Misato stated off handedly as she drove like a bat out of hell narrowly avoiding various hazards that lined the streets.
Shinji couldn't even mutter a response as he gripped his seat so tightly that it made his fingers go white as he struggled to maintain his calm, although he was failing miserably. However he did notice another cruiser zoom past through the sky above them with some kind of bomb strapped to it.
As they continued toward an unknown destination they passed though an underground viaduct, however upon emerging from the channel they heard a loud explosion which was immediately followed a large blast which flung the car about wildly.
"I don't wanna die!" Shinji cried out, his eyes closed, and fingers gripping his seat even tighter as the car continued to flip. Luckily after one more roll the car stopped, but was almost completely demolished.
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"Push!" Misato cried out as she braced herself against the car and tried to push it back onto its wheels.
"You know I'm not even going to mention the fact we almost died," Shinji stated as he also braced himself against the car and pushed against it.
Misato opened her mouth to say something but the words seem to die in her throat and she simply closed her mouth again. A few seconds later they had succeeded in flipping the vehicle over and Misato turned toward Shinji. "Good job Shinji!" exclaimed as they both hopped into the car once again.
"There's really no need to thank me Miss Katsuragi," Shinji stated with a faint blush apparent on his face before he added, "In fact I should be thanking you."
Misato waved him off before she responded, "You don't need to thank me for anything, and by the way call me Misato."
Shinji simply nodded in response as they continued on their way…..or at least they tried. Half way past the point where the car had flipped over it suddenly died. Fortunately Misato was able to "confiscate" a vehicle from a company garage and they were once again on their way.
'Oh man,' Misato internally whined as she continued to drive towards her destination, 'That's not only gonna cost me 32 more payments, but now I have to pay for repairs!' Her face soon a adopted a more sullen expression as she looked down at the grime that currently covered her dress and she continued her internal rant, 'And I loved this dress!'
"Misato, Misato?" Shinji questioned snapping the woman out of her depressed state.
"Yes Shinji?" Misato inquired as she eyed him intently.
"Just a quick question, did you confiscate this car or did you steal it?" Shinji asked as he played with the air conditioning system.
Misato began chuckling nervously in response before she answered him saying, "Well ya' know I do work for the government, and then there is the fact that…" Shinji continued to listen to the woman rant but he was already thinking, 'Yep, she definitely stole this car.'
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"Not only did she try to kill me, but now she's got us lost," Shinji moaned to himself as he and Misato passed a very familiar room once again. He was currently reviewing the NERV guidebook and was too immersed in it to realize that he had spoke what was meant to be a thought out loud.
"What was that," Misato mumbled through gritted teeth as she eyed Shinji incredulously.
Shinji immediately stiffened upon hearing that the woman had actually heard his off hand remark. "N-n-nothing!" Shinji stuttered out nervously as he waved his hands in a placating motion.
"That's what I thought," Misato responded as she huffed indignantly as they continued to get even more lost. After a few minutes Misato had someone contact a Miss Ritsuko Akagi. After following the instructions given to her, both she and Shinji arrived in front of a sliding metallic door. After a moment woman no more than thirty with short blond hair which ended at the nape of her neck, deep emerald green eyes, and pouty lips appeared in front of a startled Misato. Shinji assumed that the woman must be Ritsuko but he was surprised to see her dress in a spotless white lab coat, and a sky blue bathing suit.
"You do realize we don't have time for your shenanigans, don't you Misato?" Ritsuko inquired as she eyed Misato incredulously.
Misato chuckled nervously in response and replied with a, "Sorry!"
"Anyway, so I assume this is him?" Ritusko asked as she eyed Shinji with a small bit of skepticism, but none the less appeared very welcoming.
"Yep!" Misato started before she added, "The file says that he's the third child."
"Well it's good to have you on board Shinji!" Ritsuko exclaimed as she beamed at Shinji who was still engrossed in the guidebook. However, upon hearing someone address him Shinji immediately snapped out of his trance and responded to Ritsuko with a, "Thank you!"
Both Misato and Ritsuko giggled girlishly at Shinji's response. "Well at least he has the ability to have better manners than his father," Misato stated as they headed towards a tram. At this point Shinji resumed his reading and they ascended toward an unknown destination.
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"WHY IS IT SO DARK!?" Shinji hollered in a voice full of panic and fear before several lights began to flicker and he came face to face with a monstrous head. "AH, WHAT IS THAT!?" Shinji shouted as he jumped back in fright before he began to frantically flip through the guidebook.
"You won't find anything in there," Ritsuko informed him as she stared at the being in front of them in reverence before she added, "This is the last hope of mankind, the synthetic life form known as Evangelion. This is unit 01."
"Evangelion?" Shinji questioned as he stared at the being before him with awe etched into his features.
"Shinji," the voice of an older man bellowed from above the group causing Shinji to look up past the various scaffolding towards the face of a man he had not seen in years. Before him stood his father Gendo Ikari, who had abandoned him years ago. His gruff beard, orange tinted sunglasses, and wrinkled features were the tale tell signs of his age. He was dressed in a vibrant red turtle neck, blue jacket, and black pants which was slightly looser than Shinji's.
"Father," Shinji replied looking the man in his cold eyes before he quickly averted his gaze.
"Now that the pilot is here prepare Unit 01!" Gendo commanded causing Misato to gasp in surprise.
"You can't be serious! It took Rei at least four months before she was able to sync with her Eva!" Misato shouted indignantly.
"There's no other choice," Ritsuko stated coldly as she looked a Misato with a look that left no room for argument.
"No," Shinji replied in a low voice as he looked at the metallic deck below his feet.
"What?" Ritsuko inquired as she looked at the young man with a look of surprise etched into her features.
"Is this why you called me here? Is this what I'm here for?" Shinji questioned as he turned to face Ritsuko with a look of fear in his eyes.
Ritsuko simply regarded Shinji with an unsympathetic look in her eyes for a moment before she responded asking, "That's a good question, what are you here for Shinji?"
"Huh?" Shinji responded completely baffled by the woman's question.
"What did you come here for Shinji? Surely you must know why you were brought here at this point," Ristuko responded coolly, although the concern in her eyes betrayed her words and she added, "You're our only hope Shinji, you must do this."
"Shinji she's right," Misato stated in resignation as she eyed Shinji with eyes full of sympathy, "You're the only one who can pilot Eva 01."
Shinji looked between the two women before he looked up at his father and asked, "Is this why you brought me here?"
"Of course, it is only because you are of some use to me right now otherwise I wouldn't have bothered," Gendo responded coldly as he gazed at his son with emotionless eyes.
"Shinji," Misato stared before she was cut off.
"I know, I know," Shinji started before he added, "I know, but I just can't! Please don't make me do this!"
"So be it," Gendo said with a hint of disgust in his voice before he added, "Ristuko retrieve Rei Ayanami, and reconfigure Unit 01"
"But has she recovered?" Ritsuko inquired as she eyed Gendo skeptically.
"She's not dead," Gendo responded coldly. With in minutes the body of a young albino woman was wheeled into the room. She was covered in bandages, and an eye patch that seemed to cover her eye. She found himself staring into the young woman's blood red orb, as he took in her short sky blue hair, and fair skin. The white body suit she was wearing would have slightly provocative to Shinji had she not be covered from head to toe in bandages. As she tried to raise herself from the bed the young woman cried out in pain at each miniscule movement. Shinji couldn't help but feel immensely guilty as he watched the young woman struggle and writhe in pain. However, he was snapped out of his self-hatred by a loud explosion that shook the very foundations of the room. "IT'S HERE!" Ritsuko bellowed as everyone began to take cover. The explosion had caused several of the cables to snap loose and caused part of the girder to fall down towards Shinji.
"AHHH!" Shinji cried out in fright as he raised his arms to cover his head in a feeble attempt to protect himself before the monstrous hand of Unit 01 deflected the steel beams.
"UNIT 01 JUST MOVED ON IT'S OWN!" a voice bellowed over the inner com.
"IMPOSSIBLE! THERE WAS NO PILOT IN IT!" Ristuko hollered back.
"Humph," Gendo mumbled with a small chuckle as he watched his son run over and scoop the injured Rei up into his arms.
"Argh!" Rei cried out in pain as she began to convulse slightly within the confines of Shinji's arms. Suddenly Shinji felt something warm and sticky fill is left palm.
"Huh?" Shinji asked himself as he looked down his hand to find it covered in blood. 'That's it,' Shinji thought to himself as his determination grew and swelled within his chest, 'I can't be afraid, I can't be afraid, I can't be afraid!' "I'll do it!" Shinji snapped as he looked toward Ritsuko.
The woman regarded him with a shocked expression in her eyes, but she soon recovered and nodded solemnly.
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"UNIT 01 LAUNCH!" a voice bellowed over the inner com. With that the enormous purple being known as Eva 01 shoot out into the Tokyo night and toward the Angel.
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"Whoa! Is that an Eva!?" Reia inquired as she stopped sprinting and gawked at the beast above her. 'I should have just went towards the shelter with everyone else, but that blast…..I can't believe I got knocked out by some wind, that's so pathetic!' Reia groused to herself before she stopped staring at the Eva and continued her sprint towards the nearest shelter. Her uniform was torn to shreds and her hair was a disheveled mess, but she deemed that now was not the time for her to be concerned with such things. Behind her she could hear the battle between the Eva and the Angel ensue, but she knew better than to turn around and watch.
As she continued to run she noticed a frightened little girl huddled under the girders of a building hugging her knees and rocking back and forth. "What is she thinking!?" Reia snapped to herself as she took a detour toward the frightened girl before something clicked in her head, 'Wait! That's Toji-kun's little sister!' Suddenly she heard a loud explosion and saw the girder come crashing down toward the young woman was the Eva's arm smashed through the building.
"LOOK OUT!" Reia shouted as she dashed toward the girl and pushed her out of harms way only to find herself standing in the little girl's place. 'Oh hell,' Reia thought as she saw her life flash before her eyes while concrete, and debris started smash against her seemingly frail body as she cried out in agony.
To Be Continued
Next Episode: After the Battle.
Author's note: Okay, just so everyone knows this is not a self insertion fic! Second of all, this will not be a happy go lucky fic either so if you're hoping for a better ending then the original Evangelion thinking again. Grant it that there will be slightly less character death due the insertion of my new character, but overall it not be anything close to someone actually saving the day. Now this is not to say that my ending will be the same, far from it. I mean what fun would it be to read Evangelion with one extra character who really doesn't matter due to the fact that the story is basically the same? There will be plenty of twist and turns so stay tuned for more, because if you liked this chapter it's only going to get better. ANYWAY! AS ALWAYS PLEASE REVIEW!