Shinji of Persia

Prelude:

Finding Hope (or Madness)

Shikinami Asuka Langley was really frustrated. Even if the Fourth Impact was averted for the time being, the responsible for not only almost initiating the Fourth but actually initiating the Third 14 years ago wasn't cooperating so they could stop the Final Impact. Indeed, the responsible for the new situation on the world was barely reacting to anything to the point that she had to literally drag him to the place where they would be picked up by the faction Wille which was fighting against Nerv.

Not that she could guarantee that the boy would live after almost ending the world again. Chances were that the boy would be executed so he couldn't inadvertently do something that could destroy the world again.

But that was the greatest problem, everyone who had known Ikari Shinji would know that he would never actively want to destroy the world and that he was feeling so guilty that he had been reduced to little more than an empty shell of a person - like the girl walking behind them – so how could they in good conscience punish a boy who never wanted any of the crap that happened in the world? Even if he was directly responsible for this new post-apocalyptic age? Anyone who knew him would deep down, even if grudgingly, admit that he had probably been manipulated and deceived to create this terrible world.

Besides maybe it would be a harsher punishment for him to live on with the guilt he was feeling than killing him.

And there was the girl following them, a clone of the girl for whom Shinji almost destroyed the world in order to save. And matters got more complicated when you considered that the girl this one was a clone of had been a clone herself.

Not to mention the other grudges Asuka had in relation to Shinji and the clone of the girl she had known as Ayanami Rei, like how the boy hadn't saved her from the Angel that had possessed the EVA she was testing sometime before the Third Impact and how Rei had been a rival (and that was something that Asuka would only admit to herself in her privacy in the moments she were the most depressed or nostalgic) in love for the very boy Asuka was dragging by the hand - she would never understand why she ended up falling for that useless, stupid boy that seemed to have a penchant for causing Impacts whenever he tried to do something important -, not that she would ever admit her feelings about Shinji to anyone not herself. But all that was irrelevant now because even though she was stuck in the body of a 14 years old girl, she was now a 28 year old woman who had spent half her life either fighting for her life and/or to save the world or expecting the next battle. Their worlds were now far too apart for any possible relationship to work. Not that she was actually interested in that kind of thing anyway. Not to mention, her former rival was dead anyway.

.

.

.

Damn, she was thinking about those things again! Ever since the boy awakened her thoughts had drifted more and more often in that direction and that was something she really didn't need when she was worrying about the next battle!

And god dammit they were still incapable of being picked up by the Wunder! If they didn't get far enough from the epicentre of the almost Fourth Impact soon they would have to camp somewhere and continue to walk the next day!

And as it turned out, they would have to camp somewhere and continue to walk the next day. Thankfully there were many buildings still standing near where they were so they wouldn't need to worry about shelter for the night that was starting.

"Okay, we're still not far enough from the epicentre to return to the Wunder, so we are going to stay here for the night", said Asuka after finding a building she was pretty sure wouldn't fall on their heads while they were sleeping and that seemed to be mostly intact so there was a good chance that the water wouldn't be contaminated to the point it would be poisonous for the human body.

Not that anyone there was completely human anyway, what with all of them being EVA-pilots.

Dragging Shinji who was still as unresponsive as when she found him inside the entry plug of that freakish EVA-01 copy that caused this new Impact and the clone that was following them for seemingly no other reason than she didn't have anything else to do into the building she had which had it's name erased from the plate on the entrance due to age and two (and almost a third) "Ends of the World" in less than half a century; of course even if the plate hadn't be erased she would still choose that building for it seemed to be in the best conditions of all other buildings around them.

Besides, the name "Abstergo" wouldn't really mean anything to her.

Asuka was glad her judgement had been so good. The building she chose to spend the night in was structurally sound and the best thing was that it somehow still had electricity and clean water. She found it strange but she wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth before she got back to the Wunder.

Unfortunately the place seemed to have been projected by a paranoid genius engineer for pretty much every door she saw seemed to require some kind of code she wouldn't even know how to even begin cracking. At least the emergency exits didn't have codes, apparently whoever planned the building wasn't willing to stop people from running away in case of a fire or something.

Anyway, after exploring the building a little, Asuka found a weird hall filled with transparent rooms, each one half-filled by machinery and with something that kind of looked like a bed with unknown holes where one would usually lay their spine in a proper bed.

As none of those seemed to be comfortable enough, Asuka climbed the stairs to the next floor where she found rooms with the same weird machine but also suites in so she decided there would be where they would sleep.

Unfortunately for Shinji, the only bed available was for two people and Asuka was in no mood to sleep with him, so she put the boy in the weird bed-like machine in the room so she could take the bed for her and maybe the Rei-clone if she felt like it (which was pretty sure the girl wouldn't) so after taking a sheet from the closet in the room and covering Shinji – who was still as unresponsive as before - with it and telling the fake Rei that she could sleep wherever she wanted, Asuka went to bed.

But the Rei-clone wasn't feeling the need to sleep yet. Not only because she was feeling really confused now but also because it was the first time in her "life" that she had no idea what to do. Usually she would await orders in her "room" back at Nerv until the Commander told her to do something but she was under the impression that by following those two she had pretty much defected from Nerv/Seele so she truly had no idea what to do. But the greatest doubt that was plaguing was the question of who she was if she wasn't really Ayanami Rei, which Ikari-kun seemed to believe.

If she wasn't Ayanami Rei, than what was her name? Who was she? For what reason did she exist? What was she supposed to do?

No matter how much she thought about that, the questions still spun without caring about her inside her head, making her unable to find sleep even if she wanted.

What was her name? Who was she? For what reason did she exist? What was she supposed to do? Was she really not Ayanami Rei? If not than who was Ayanami Rei? What would Ayanami Rei do in her place?

'You used to read a lot. There were books in your room.'

That was what Ikari-kun said while he was under the impression that she was Ayanami Rei. Then maybe Ayanami Rei would read a book? But she wasn't Ayanami Rei, was she? Even so, should she trying reading something? Who knows, maybe it would be helpful. But what should she read? How should she read? She never read before, was there a trick to it? If so, would she learn it?

She continued like that for a while before she decided it was worth a try so she stood from the corner where she had been sitting and looked around their room to see if she found out something to read.

Unfortunately the only thing she found to read was an old manual near the desk in the room Ikari-kun was so having nothing else to do, she picked the manual and started reading the instructions on using the Animus which seemed to be the name of the weird machine Ikari-kun was on.

And she found it really interesting. Apparently the machine somehow allowed one to visit the lives of their ancestors and see what they had seen. She wasn't really sure about how the machine managed to do that but she found it interesting nonetheless and she was wanting to try the Animus.

Before she noticed it was already beyond midnight but she still didn't feel like sleeping so she looked at Shinji and saw he was with his eyes open so she decided to test it on him. The biggest problem however, was that she needed a kind of password to use the Animus, something like a special pen according to the manual so she looked around the office and fortunately found one on the floor under the Animus.

Being able to use the machine, 'Rei' shook Ikari-kun's shoulder to call his attention and told him that she wanted to test something on him.

Usually Shinji would argue or at least ask what the girl intended to do but as he was still suffering from a really grave case of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder he barely seemed to register what the girl said.

"Ikari-kun, I'm going to use the Animus to allow you to visit the life of one of your ancestors", told the clone who proceeded to explain what he could and couldn't do in the Animus, "You're still going to need to imagine yourself moving and doing things your ancestor did however. There's also something called synchronization in the machine and depending on what you choose to do as your ancestor this synchronization will go up or down. The bigger your synchronization the most alike your actions would be to those of your ancestor. You will also need to synchronize with your ancestor to advance on his or her memories. Also, you'll be able to use the same skills your ancestor had while in the machine even if you have no idea of how it is done, unfortunately you will also be unable to use skills you have that your ancestor didn't, except maybe knowledge, but whatever are your physical abilities, if your ancestor couldn't do the same than you won't be able to do it. Did you understand?"

As Shinji didn't say anything, 'Rei' decided to understand that as an affirmation and booted up the Animus. Choosing a memory at random, 'Rei' ended up selecting the memories of a guy that lived in the 9th Century. In Persia.

A young dark-haired man dressed in dark blue tunic and headdress carrying a sword on his back is in the terrace of the room of a girl, a princess as he as well knows. He even knows her name: Farah; unfortunately she doesn't knows him any more.

Within the room, the Princess steps on cold marble and go check the open window. Her breath short and anxious. She gasps when she feels a hand on her shoulder.

"Do not be afraid", says the man, showing a dagger to the princess, "This belongs to you."

"The Dagger of Time!", she gasps, "But it is locked away in my father's Treasure Vault. How...?"

"Most people think time is like a river that flows swift and sure in one direction. But I have seen the face of time, and I can tell you: they are wrong. Time is an ocean in a storm."

The princess seems uncertain but visibly unafraid.

"You may wonder who I am and why I say this", continued the man, "Sit down and I'll tell you a tale like none that you have ever heard."

As the princess did so, the man continued:

"Know first that I am the son of Sharaman, a mighty King of Persia. On our way to Azad with a small company of men, we passed through India, where the promise of honour and glory tempted my father in a grievous error."

And so, the memory of this Prince of Persia returned to the start of his first adventure and one of his greatest mistakes.

Shinji then followed his ancestor's memory as the prince fought many enemy soldiers with only a sword and acrobatics under his belt, then to how the Prince acquired the Dagger of Time and how he discovered it's amazing power of rewinding time. He continued following his ancestor's steps, to the point where the Prince was deceived into unleashing the Sands of Time and the traitorous Vizier that orchestrated this disaster told the Prince that with the Dagger he could undo what was done. Then he followed the Prince as he tried to fix his mistakes and the challenges he faced in the path.

He also saw how the Princess Farah helped the Prince in his quest at the same time they gradually fell in love and Shinji even witnessed the ultimate sacrifice the Princess made and how the Prince refused an immortal life in which his loved ones were killed because of him.

Then he saw when the Prince plunged the Dagger in the Hourglass where the Sands used to be contained and he witnessed time rewinding itself to a point before the Persian attack that led to the discovery of the Sands of Time and therefore to everything that happened later.

A glimmer of Hope (or was it Madness disguised as Hope?) came to Shinji.

Then he was forced to exit the Animus as someone interrupted the software.

"Wake up, Shinji you idiot! Wake up!", Shinji heard someone calling him as he felt his shoulders being shaken. When he opened his eyes Shinji saw a red-headed girl with an eye-patch over him, "What did that stupid doll do with you?"

As Shinji had not recovered completely the notion of where and when he was, he yelled in surprise and with roll on the Animus he jumped back to distance himself from whoever seemed to be attacking him and said:

"Who the hell are you?!"

In Persian.

"Shinji, it's me Asuka! What's wrong with you?"

"Asuka?", repeated Shinji, regaining his sense of time and space and grabbing Asuka's shoulders, a manic glean in his eyes, "Asuka! I've found it! I've found a way to fix everything! We can use the Sands of Time!"

Chapter I:

Meet the New Sand Army

Asuka snapped:

"What the HELL are you talking about, Third?!", Asuka closed her hand, anger growing inside her and overcoming the momentary worry she felt when she saw the boy in the weird machine, "What do you mean 'fix everything'?! You can't fix the crap you did, you brat! What's done is done, there's no magical solution to the End of the World!"

"No! We can! There's hope! Listen, one of my ancestors found a giant hourglass with magical sand and..."

POW!

Asuka punched Shinji, hard.

"Listen here, you brat! There's no magic or miracles in this world!", screamed Asuka, "You don't live in a fairy tail! You can't just resurrect someone with the swish of a wand! I don't know what you saw inside that thing", the girl pointed to the Animus, "but whatever it was it made you even crazier than before!"

"No, Asuka! You don't understand! The Animus allows one to see the life of their ancestors!", replied Shinji, the desperation in his eyes visible.

"How would that even work?! If anything it is just a game!", Asuka had noticed Shinji's distress but she didn't care. It was better that he knew how reality worked even if it would crush all his hope than allow the boy to live in a fantasy, "Besides, how would it even know who your ancestors are? By comparing with the DNA of everyone that lived until now? I don't even know where to start on how impossible that is!"

"NO! I know it happened! It has to have happened! I'm sure it was true! It has to be!"

"WAKE UP, THIRD CHILD!", shot Asuka, "You need to face life and see it as it is! Not lose time in a dream! Dreams are just illusions we create so we can fool ourselves into believing that our existence isn't a meaningless ACCIDENT!"

"NO! You're wrong! You have to be! You don't want to save everyone! You are perfectly happy with this world! You have to be! Otherwise you wouldn't try to deceive me in not saving everyone!"

"WHAT?! You think I'm HAPPY?! What are you, RETARDED?! OF COURSE I'M NOT HAPPY! I'm dirty, hungry, thirsty, I've lost an eye, I'm stuck in a little girl's body, living in a world that has nothing to fight for in any more! I've never even get laid because no one alive is willing to sleep with a FREAK THAT DOESN'T AGES and the guy I loved is a spineless wimp who destroyed the world not once but twice and who's a complete wreck now and who thinks he's in some sort of god damned FAIRY TAIL! NOT TO MENTION THAT BECAUSE HE WAS IN A COMA FOR THE LAST 14 YEARS, HE IS MENTALLY HALF MY AGE! AND DO YOU THINK I'M HAPPY?! SCREW YOU THIRD CHILD! YOU'RE ONLY A BRAT WHO IS TRYING TO ESCAPE FROM REALITY AS YOU ALWAYS DID! I CAN'T BELIEVE I'VE EVER LOVED YOU!"

"No, no, NO! You don't UNDERSTAND, you never did and never WILL! You haven't caused the apocalypse! You haven't seen what I have! You think you're so smart and grown-up and what not but you're only a narcissistic stuck-up BITCH who can't care to pay attention at anything else but her own little isolated world! How could I have ever believed that you could be a good person?! I was a fool to have ever trusted you!", replied Shinji with his hands over his ears trying to block the things he was sure were lies that demon was telling. He wouldn't be fooled, not now when he finally found a solution to everything! So he ran. He ran and ran and ran, all in the hopes of escaping from that girl who he deep down he knew was telling the truth he couldn't accept.

"HEY, COME BACK HERE THIRD! I'M NOT DONE YET!", had yelled her as she ran after him. She was really needing to break that bastard in half and then again and a third time only to be sure.

So they ran. They ran and before they realized it they had reached a point where the Wunder could find and pick them up.

But it wasn't Wille that made them stop.

No, what made them stop was something very hard and heavy, like a wall onto which they bumped in their blind chase and were pushed back very far, Shinji falling on Asuka because he was running in front of her.

When Shinji opened his eyes, his mouth dropped because in front of him was an humanoid creature of sand and rock clad in crimson armour wielding a huge sword.

Then six smaller 'sand people' materialized around it.

"The Sand Army!", realized Shinji feeling both afraid and excited.

Before he could decide in which feeling he should focus though, one of the smaller 'sand soldiers' carrying a scimitar attacked him before he could stand of Asuka but he kicked it away and in a single move jumped to his feet; then he ran, grabbed the arm of the 'sand soldier', vaulted over it and pulled it's other arm until it dropped the sword which Shinji stole and used to cut the enemy in half reducing it to a small cloud of sand which was soon absorbed by Shinji's left arm, golden lights in the form of a tattoo shining over the plug suit for a moment.

That feeling! Those were the Sands of Time! But it still wasn't even near enough to fix things. Shinji knew for sure that he needed to find the Hourglass with the Sands of Time!

But Shinji wasn't the only one to be attacked. After he pushed the 'soldier' a few feet back, another 'soldier', this one wielding a spear, attacked Asuka on the floor but due to years of training and even more years of fighting in a post-apocalyptic world, Asuka easily dodged the strike and before the it could pull the spear out of the floor (as it got stuck after missing the girl), she yanked the weapon off from the it's hand and hit it with the blunt end of the weapon and then pierced where it's heart would be, killing it.

"Watch out!", she heard before she felt Shinji pushing her on the ground as the massive sword of the bigger 'soldier' (who I'm going to call 'captain' from now on) cut the air over them and hit some the remaining sand creatures, killing them.

"What are those things?!", yelled Asuka from under Shinji who jumped to his feet.

"Sand Creatures", answered Shinji turning his eyes to the 'sand captain', "and they regenerate."

"What?!", then she looked at the other smaller monsters and saw that indeed, they were rising again as if they hadn't just been cut in half by a giant piece of sharpened metal so she rolled to the side and stood, raising her weapon and groaning, "That's precisely what I didn't need now!"

Then two 'soldier's advanced towards her at the same time and she side-stepped the first, hitting it's shin with the shaft and dropping it and followed by piercing the throat of the second as Shinji charged the 'captain' that parried his sword slash and pushed Shinji down and followed with a downward swing of it's oversized sword towards the head of the boy who rolled to the side and decapitated the 'captain' in retaliation, absorbing it's sands right after it, golden lights shining through his plug suit again.

Now there were five common 'soldiers' (of which one was technically dead, even if only temporarily) remaining, so Shinji charged and killed one of the three 'soldiers' Asuka had been dealing with, absorbing it's sands as his arm glowed again (as it was becoming clear it was somehow related to how his new-found powers worked).

As Asuka parried the attack of another 'soldier' she saw Shinji piercing the belly of the guy she was fighting with the scimitar and saw something like sand flowing into Shinji's arm on which golden lines glowed as he absorbed whatever that stuff was and for a moment she gaped.

Unfortunately that moment was enough for the last 'soldier' she had killed to finish regenerating and pierce her from behind with a scimitar. Her notion of time seemed to stop for an instant as she processed what happened; then she felt like she was going to die. Shinji turned to her and saw it.

"ASUKA!", she half-heard half-lip-red Shinji saying as he reached his hand to her.

Then things became really weird when he touched her, for in that moment she saw and felt time rewinding itself, his arm receding, his lips mouthing her name in reverse, the blade leaving her body as if it never touched her and before she completely understood what she witnessed time stopped travelling back and before she could consciously control her body she twisted her torso as the sword of the 'sand soldier' scratched the side of her belly and she drove the blunt end of her spear's shaft into the face of the monster behind her.

'What... the HELL ... just happened?', asked Asuke inside her head before she decided to not waste time on it in the middle of battle.

Shinji then vaulted over her and struck the sword in the enemy's chest, killing it and absorbing it's sand (needless to say, his arm glowed again in the same way as in the last four cases).

Only two sand creatures left, one with a scythe, the other with an axe.

The one with the axe attacked first, furiously swinging it's weapon but Asuka had a longer reach and more skill so she just positioned the spear in front of her and the monster ended up impaling itself in her weapon and then it was just too easy for Shinji to kill it and absorb it's sands.

The one with the scythe, unlike it's ally, didn't jump to attack but it didn't even have the chance to attack again for it was immediately stabbed in the back by 'Rei' who appeared out of nowhere with a dagger in hands and it wasn't any dagger, it was the Dagger of Time...

Author's notes

05/27/2013:

Okay, the idea for this story started when I finished watching Rebuild of Evangelion 3.33: You Can (Not) Redo. When I watched it I was surprised by how dark the film was, specially in comparison to the previous two films and because lately I've been playing Prince of Persia (Sands of Time series) I couldn't help but think that if Shinji discovered about the Sands of Time he wouldn't hesitate and try to use them to avoid the Third Impact, specially if he was in the state in which he ended in Rebuild 3, but that begged the question on how he would discover about them? It was then, considering I'm also playing the Assassin's Creed series, I thought about the Animus and thought "what if he entered in the Animus and discovered he was a descendant of the Prince from the Sands of Time (former) trilogy?"; that got stuck in my head and I became anxious to write something like that, even when I was trying to focus in my Naruto: Mixed Bloodlines new chapter so I decided to write these prelude and first chapter at the same time.

Naruto: Mixed Bloodlines is my priority though so this fic will probably take longer to update than that one (the latter? The former? The first? What should I use here?).

And yes, the irony of the title of the film in relation to this story wasn't lost on me.