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Blood of the Ancients
An Evangelion Fanfic

Evangelion is copyright Gainax / Project Eva. This is a work of fan fiction, Non Profit, and so on.

Conceived and written by:
NegativeZero (Simon Christensen)
dchris1@bigpond.net.au

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Part 2: Runaway / The Vault
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The stench of stale vomit, spilt beer and mouldy straw assaulted her nose as she opened the inn's door and stepped into the common room. Wisely, she kept the hood of her forest green cloak down low, concealing her face. Wise for more than one reason - first, it was possible that she might be recognised, although most of the men in the common room were so inebriated that she doubted they could tell her apart from a horse.

The other, more pertinent reason that she wished to remain nondescript was obvious - this was not the sort of place that any girl (especially one as attractive as herself) would want to enter. As it was she drew a number of eyes, making her uneasy enough to slide a hand to the dagger at her waist.

The inn was a run-down, seedy, sleazy dump. She knew it would be infested with fleas, rats, spiders, and other assorted vermin. It was the kind of place that you avoided to the point of walking on the other side of the road from it. The patrons were mainly drunkards, street brawlers, and the odd sailor or two - men who would slit her throat for a gold coin. In short, it was perfect - no one would think to search for her here.

That didn't mean she was going to enjoy spending a night here. It was her damned father's fault. He didn't care one bit about his daughter's feelings - she was to go where he told her, and that was that. "You have to learn," he said, "and they are the best." Well, she was not going, and that was final. If she had to constantly live under rules set by that cold, uncaring old fool, she'd rather live on her own, out in the world. If her father hadn't been so inflexible, though, then she would never have been forced to resort to this dump.

The girl stalked up to the counter, where the skinny innkeeper was rubbing at a filthy glass with an equally filthy cloth - whether the cloth was making the glass cleaner or dirtier was hard to tell. The girl slammed her leather-gloved fist down on the bench a little harder than necessary, which had the desired effect. The innkeeper turned, fixing her with a sullen glare. "Whatd'ya want?" he mumbled.

"A room," she replied. "Your best," she added. There was no need to make it even harder on herself, after all.

The innkeeper looked her over carefully, from the green cloak and the soft hide gloves to the soft leather travelling gear. "Fifty silver. In advance," he grunted.

"Fifty silver?!" she exclaimed. "Is that extra charge for the fleas or for the rats? Ten silver."

"Aye, that'll get you a pallet in the stable, maybe. I've got mouths to feed too, y'know. Twenty-five silver, in advance."

"I'll give you ten now, and ten in the morning," she replied with a sigh, knowing she was still paying too much. She just couldn't be bothered haggling any further.

"Ye're robbing me blind, girl..." he replied, but stopped as she began to count out the ten silver, one by one, onto the table. 

The girl then added an extra coin to the stack. "Get me a beer, preferably from a keg that doesn't have a dead rat in it."

"What, d'ye think ye're a queen or something?" the innkeeper grumbled, but he got the beer all the same, and from a fresh keg, she noticed. Satisfied, she stalked to a spare table in the back corner of the common room, dodging nimbly about a drunk who decided to vomit at her feet, and delivering a sharp smack across the head of another who tried to paw at her as if she were some serving wench.

She'd been sitting at the table for over five minutes before she noticed that one man was still staring at her. He sat out in the open, easily visible - how long he had been staring at her, she was unsure. Everything about the man exuded a sense of 'casual'. He was leaning back in his chair, a tankard of beer in one hand (which she noticed he was barely sipping at) and a silly grin on his face. The man was obviously not a regular of this inn. He wore battered armour, which appeared to have once been painted black. His hands were bare, but steel-backed leather gauntlets sat upon the table, and a large broadsword in a leather sheath was propped up against the edge of the table. She supposed the man was handsome in a rogue-ish sort of way, with his stubbled chin and long hair drawn back into a ponytail. However there was a sense of danger about him. He seemed like a large cat - stretched out and relaxed at the moment, but a deadly hunter when it suited him.

When he saw her return his gaze, his grin broadened. Saluting with the ale in his hand, he drank a deep draught, took up his sword and gauntlets, and walked out the door. Whether he expected her to follow him, she had no idea. The whole encounter, if you could call it that, was odd in the extreme.

Turning back to her beer, she drank it slowly - it might have been from a fresh keg, but it still tasted bad. She'd been in the common room for a while, and had already turned away three drunken idiots that attempted to 'join her' with a glare (and in one case a kick) she decided to make her way up to her room. She would need to get up early. As she passed the counter, she noticed the innkeeper staring at her with a small, oily grin on his face - she would have to remember to bar her door, or else she might find herself with some unexpected visitors who wished to 'borrow' her purse - or possibly herself.

She entered the room, hearing the sound of a rat scurrying into it's hiding place with a squeak. The girl sighed - it was only for one night, she could bear it. Besides, if she was to live on the road, she'd have to get used to these sorts of conditions.

Shutting the door behind her, she promptly wedged a nearby wooden chair underneath the door latch. "That should keep them out," she said to herself.

"Yes, that would be the idea," replied a jovial voice from behind her.

With a startled cry, she whirled about, dagger in hand. The sudden motion caused the hood of her cloak to fall back from her head, revealing her long red hair, which seemed to blaze in the dim light that the candles in the room gave out.

The man from the common room sat in a chair beside the bed, sword beside him and the same stupid grin on his face. "How did you get in here?" She asked with a startled glare.

"Through the door," he replied with an even larger grin.

"Who are you?"
"And I thought everyone knew who I was. I'm hurt," the grin stayed on his face.

"Don't play games! I could have this dagger in your heart before you could blink!"

His grin softened a little. "I doubt you could. Have you killed a man before? It's a lot harder than you think."

"I want you out of this room," the girl announced.

"Really? That hurts, it does. You are quite cruel, princess."

That last sarcastic line made her freeze solid. "Princess?" she laughed nervously. "I'm no--"

"I know who you are. I'm surprised you don't remember me." the man was quite a bit more serious. "My apologies, I'm being rather discourteous. My name is Kaji. Ryouji Kaji."

"The Dragonslayer? Pull the other one."

"Whether you believe me or not... unfortunately, your father has charged me with your 'rescue'."

"That drunken old bastard. Who are you rescuing me from, besides the fleas?"

"Princess, you shouldn't talk about your father that way!" Kaji responded in mock shock.

"I'll talk about him however I like. I'm not going back home."

The hammering of a steel-plated fist at the door interrupted their conversation. Before long, the sound of a fist was replaced with the sound of a steel-plated shoulder. The makeshift barricade lasted all of three seconds before the chair splintered and the door burst open to admit five armoured soldiers in the uniform of the Kingsguard. The Princess turned to glare at Kaji, but found him to be just as surprised as her.

The commander of the group of soldiers bowed to the girl. "Princess Soryu, please come with us."

-- // --

"Hey! Wait for me!"

The small girl turned to regard the voice. Scanning the crowd, she spotted her quite quickly. "Yuki! Hi!" she said with all the enthusiasm a seven year old could muster. "I thought you had left already!"

The other girl caught up with her. Yuki had long platinum blonde hair which she always wore loose. Her blue eyes sparkled in the dusk light as she finally caught up to her friend. "No, I had clean-up duty." Her nose wrinkled in distaste as she remembered it.

"Oh. Me too!" the girl was shorter than her companion, with short dark brown hair and big brown eyes. Her height was something that people often teased her about, but her brother always told her not to worry about it. "I was short too, and they used to tease me. They stopped about the time I grew bigger than them," he would grin. Many people accused him of being stupid, but she didn't care - she loved her big brother.

"What are you doing tonight?" Yuki asked her, curious.

"Dunno," she replied with a shrug. "I think I'm cooking," she added.

"You always cook, though."

"Do not," she retorted. "Besides, you don't want to taste Touji's cooking."

Yuki's eyes widened at mention of Touji. She had a huge crush on the big, muscular boy, although his sister couldn't tell why. "How is your brother, anyway?" Yuki asked.

"Big and stupid," she replied. "He got in trouble last week for wrestling or something like that."

"I wish I had a cool big brother like you, Mari!"

Mari laughed. "I guess I'm lucky! You wanna come over for a bit?"

Yuki's eyes lit up. "Sure!"

The two seven year old girls continued down the street, not aware of what approached them. Turning the corner into a large plaza, Mari turned to her friend. "There's not too many people here... is something happening tonight that we don't know about?" The blonde girl merely shrugged.

One side of the plaza they now stood in featured a large, ornate fountain. Stone statues carved to look like a group of twelve men and women stood in various poses around the fountain. Mari could recite the name and story of each one. They were the twelve, those who defeated the Shito so many years ago, and who had since founded the twelve great houses.

The great houses were all but gone, now. The Elves of House Ikari still held some level of power, but many of the rest were nothing more than a memory - even the noble house Soryu was dwindling. Mari found it sad, especially in the case of House Soryu - the tale of Dragonheart was one of her favourite stories.

A brilliant white light suddenly split the deepening shades of twilight, causing both girls to jump in surprise. Mari recovered quickly, looking around and instantly pinpointing the source of the light. In the center of the plaza stood two figures, both clad in the white armour of the Templar. One of the men's hands glowed with a pale white radiance, obviously some form of magic. Unable to contain her curiosity, Mari began to creep closer to the pair of figures, pulled forward towards the magical light like a moth to the flame. Stopping outside the radius of the light, Mari quickly hid between two marble statues, staring intently at the two Templar and listening to them chatter.

"What was all that ruckus in the Academy about, anyhow?" one of the two Templar, the one without the magical light, asked. Now that Mari was closer, she could see that the speaker was a woman.

"I'm not sure. I hear Katsuragi's back, though, that might explain it." The other Templar was male, with a strong, confident voice. "Someone probably raided her beer stash while she was away."

His companion chuckled. "Maybe..." she replied.

The first Templar turned briefly to his companion, motioning to her to be quiet. "Hold up there, traveller!" he called into the dark, making Mari's heart leap - had she been seen?

It was not her, however, that the Templar had spotted. A large, cloaked figure glided into the light, an oddly shaped orange bundle draped over one shoulder.

The Templar looked the man up and down, with special notice to the bundle on his shoulders. "I suggest you explain what you're doing out here at this time of night, sir," he said to the cloaked figure, one hand moving towards the sword belted at his waist.

The cloaked figure patted the bundle slung over his shoulder, causing it to move slightly with a stifled groan. "Taking this one back to my mistress," he replied cheerfully, then his voice suddenly changed. "Stand aside, Templar". He almost spat the word Templar out, pouring scorn and contempt into it.

The second Templar's eyes widened as the 'bundle' moved slightly, revealing a pale arm. From her angle, she could also see the 'bundle's' shock of pale hair, and recognition dawned. "Ayanami..." she said quietly.

"Put her down, and I may let you live," the first Templar said quietly, his sword sliding out of his sheath. Mari's heart leapt in excitement - it was like one of her tales come to life. She had barely even noticed when Yuki finally plucked up the courage to sneak over and sit in the shadows beside her friend, so engrossed was she in the rapidly unfolding drama.

Sachiel laughed at the Templar before him as he raised a hand already crackling with magical blue energy.

-- // --

Asuka spent the half hour trek through the streets of Tyr to her father's palace concocting a wide variety of names to call the old fool, the language she used colourful enough to make the surliest stable boy blush. Every gaze directed towards her was returned with a sullen glare, and questions directed towards her received little better than a growl. In short, Princess Asuka Soryu was in a foul mood.

The soldiers of the Kingsguard had been extremely forbearing with the redheaded girl's foul mood, responding with courtesy to every snide remark. Apparently, they had been dispatched directly to the 'Grunting Boar', the inn which Asuka had chosen to hide, barely an hour beforehand.

Kaji, seasoned adventurer that he was, was surprised by the sudden appearance of the King's soldiers. "What are you doing here?"

The guard captain was respectful, but firm. "I might ask you the same thing, Dragonslayer. I'm here on the King's orders, to bring Princess Soryu back to the palace."

"He had asked me to escort her to Tokyo..." Kaji had replied. Asuka had glared at him. An escort?!

"Well, I wouldn't know about that. My orders came down from the King, with his seal on it. The orders didn't so much as mention you, ser. If you want to take it up with the king, be my guest, but please don't interfere with our duty."

Kaji just nodded. "I guess I'll accompany you, then."

Then they had left, trudging through mud and half-melted snow outside, up to the palace. As if the muddy slush wasn't enough, it was getting darker and colder by the minute as night approached - the climate was harsh this time of year. Yet another annoyance for Asuka to add to her mental list, which she intended to deliver to her father verbally and at high volume.

Finally, they reached the palace. 'Palace' was really the wrong word for it. It was more of a fortress, comprised of hard black granite with sheer walls over forty feet high. To most outside the city it was known as the Dreadfort, or more commonly Winterholm. It had been erected before the town had sprung up, almost thirteen hundred years before, when the north had been a land dominated by giants, orcs and barbarian hordes. Asuka was certain the townsfolk jokingly referred to the castle as 'the palace' simply because it defied all logic.

Entering the 'palace' through the back door, Asuka was immediately escorted to the throne room. Stepping through the huge, arched doors, she and her escort entered a long, marble columned room with a red carpet trailing down the centre. At the end of the room was a raised dais upon which was a golden throne. Asuka knew that the head of the throne was ivory, carved to appear like a roaring dragon - the dragon of house Soryu. Beneath the hissing ivory reptile was the king - her father.

King Soryu was a tall man, with short blonde hair and clear blue eyes. He spoke with a resonant voice, and was every inch the archetypical king. Asuka hated him. He was always distant and unfeeling towards her, and he had been the same to her mother, whom he had married merely to gain the throne. Erik Soryu had been born Erik Langley, the high seat of one of the most powerful houses in the North. By marrying Asuka's mother, he had gained the right to the throne - the ruler of Aramaelle was always male, and Asuka's mother had been an only child.

Asuka approached the throne, not bothering to bow in the least. She had a number of things to say to the pompous ass on the chair before her. However, he still managed to get the first word in.

"Welcome home, Asuka. I hope the soldiers weren't too rough?"

She had no choice but to respond. "No. They were fine."

"Excellent," he replied before Asuka could continue. "Guards, you may leave us." He noticed Kaji standing within the cluster of Kingsguard. "Ser Kaji, I shall speak to you later," he added. Kaji bowed and turned, following the guardsmen.

Asuka opened her mouth to speak once more, but was again interrupted. "My Lord, why don't you leave this to me?" spoke a female voice to the left of the dais. Asuka didn't recognise her.

The newcomer would have drawn every male eye in city had she walked past. She seemed almost ethereal, small and delicate. In height, she was no taller than Asuka, but she was so perfectly proportioned that it was hard to notice. Long blonde hair cascaded down the back of her pearly white silk dress, and sky blue eyes shone in her pale, creamy complected face.

"Ah, yes," mused the king absently. "Asuka, this is my new advisor, Lady Gemma. She arrived not much after you disappeared."

Asuka didn't like the sound of this. "What happened to Lord Tristran?"

Her father's face darkened. "He is rotting down in the dungeon with Ser Barristan. Traitors."

"Traitors?!" Asuka exclaimed. Lord Tristran had been her father's advisor for years, and old Ser Barristan had been the commander of the Kingsguard since Asuka was a toddler.

"Yes. Traitors both. Had Lady Gemma not revealed the vital evidence, you would be without a father."

'A shame they didn't do a better job', Asuka thought. "I see. Is Ser Florent to take Ser Barristan's place then?"

"No. The corruption may go deeper than Barristan. Lady Gemma's associate, Ser Jorah, will be taking that position."

It was all Asuka could do to nod. Something was seriously wrong here. Florent was one of the most dependable and loyal officers in the Kingsguard.

"My Lord, you look tired. Why don't you let me handle this... your wife waits upstairs in your bedchamber..." Lady Gemma's voice was soothingly hypnotic.

"Yes... I shall do that," the King replied absently, before standing and wandering from the throne room. Asuka could just stare. For all his faults, her father was no weakling; he should have bristled at the command. But now Asuka was alone in the throne room with the woman - or so she thought.

A strong hand landed on her shoulder, holding it in an iron-hard grip. "Hello, Princess," boomed a voice from right behind her. Turning, she came face to face with one of the biggest men she had ever seen.

He was huge, at least seven feet tall, and broad, with thick biceps as large around as an average man's thigh. He wore chain mail, plate gauntlets, and had a strange helmet beneath his arm. The helmet had a long slit for an eye opening, with a second one that split the front of the helm to the chin, forming a 'T'. A large-bladed sword hilt stood up from either of the Man's shoulders. Judging from the size, the swords would take the average warrior two hands to use, but Asuka didn't doubt he could wield one in either hand.

"Who are you?" Asuka asked him.

"I believe my name is Ser Jorah, at the moment..." the man said with a grin.

"I am surprised, Princess," Lady Gemma said as she approached the red-headed girl. "Somehow you are much more resistant than I had expected."

"Resistant? What have you done to my father, Sorceress?" Asuka glared at her.

"Sorceress?" Gemma replied with a chuckle. "I'm no sorceress, child. I'm much more than some conjurer of cheap tricks. Your father is fine. He just has a weak mind."

"I know that, he's an idiot. Who are you, and what do you want?"

"Princess... we want you. Or rather, we want something only you can give us."

"Not a chance." Asuka bristled at the woman's supercilious tone. "You're not getting any help from me – I'll die first."

"You'll find I can be quite persuasive."

Jorah spoke up then. "There is no honour in torturing children."

"There you go with your honour again. I sometimes wonder why you bother," Gemma replied, rolling her eyes. "Zeruel, you were placed under my command. Whether or not you agree, you will do as I command. Hold her."

Asuka's eyes widened as the name sank in. As a royal princess, she had been given a thorough education. She recognised his name almost instantly. She felt her heart beating faster out of fear, and was just about to run when the big man grabbed her arm. "Child, I have no wish to see you broken. Do what we ask," Zeruel whispered in her ear.

Her response was almost instant. She spun, fist whistling out, striking the man in the jaw. He barely blinked. Asuka, however, found herself nursing a badly bruised hand.

"You have a strong punch, girl," Zeruel said with a smile. "I'd advise against doing that again."

Gemma approached slowly, a small, cold smile on her perfect  face. "Do you know who we are, girl?"

Asuka glared at the approaching woman, her free hand clenched into a fist. "He is Zeruel... you are... Iroel?"

"Arael," she corrected, her smile widening slightly. She placed her hand upon Asuka's head, and the red-headed girl was instantly unconscious.

-- // --

"To think that the Templar have fallen this far while I slept," Sachiel mused, looking down into the glazed eyes staring up at him from the still smoking corpse. The two Templar had been dead within the blink of an eye, too fast for the Shito to gain any real enjoyment out of the fight - if you could call it a fight.

Looking around, he took in the Plaza quickly, his vision magically enhanced to view the darkened area as if it were day, despite the fact that by killing the two Templar had caused their magical light to disappear. He noticed the two figures - children, obviously - huddled within the cluster of statues nearby, but thought nothing of it. They were no threat, and for all his ruthlessness, Sachiel gained no real enjoyment out of slaughtering children. They could wait for later.

"This seems to be as good a spot as any," the Shito said to his captive quietly before throwing her to the ground nearby. Rei moaned in pain as she hit the ground, but didn't move from the position she'd landed in. The moon came out from behind the clouds where it had been hiding, bathing the area in it's pale radiance.

Rei Ayanami was still unconscious, her arm bent at an angle that arms were definitely not supposed to bend. It was obviously quite badly broken. The Shito started at her for a moment, then took a flask from his belt. Mari noticed that he moved as if the motion pained him slightly, as if from a wound not completely healed. Sachiel took a long swallow from the flask before bending down and cradling his captive's head firmly, dribbling some of the liquid from the flask into her mouth and convincing her to swallow.

The effect was instant. With a strangled cough, Rei's eyes opened and she looked about groggily, gagging from the liquid she had just swallowed. "Good, no? It's Firewine - dulls pain, and burns like a furnace. It leaves the mind quite foggy, though, unless you've built up a resistance to it. That vintage is about three thousand years old... it's aged very well," the Shito laughed quietly, his voice jovial and almost conversational.

"What do you intend to do with me?" Rei asked quietly, without a trace of fear in her voice.

"That depends. If the boy doesn't show up, then I'll take you to my Mistress. If he does, I'll take you both. Do you think he'll come, elf?"

"I am not Elven," she corrected quietly, before replying. "He will come."

"Not Elven?" he replied questioningly. "You look it. I do hope he comes, girl... I made a deal with him before we left, you see, and I wish to know whether he actually expects me to honour it."

-- // -- 

Asuka had no way of telling how much time had passed when she awoke. She found herself in a small, dark, stone-walled room. Judging from the dim light, the stale, damp air and the subconscious feeling of pressure forcing down upon her, she was in the lower levels of the Fortress, probably the dungeons. Brilliant - the Fortress Dungeons were an absolute maze, deliberately created to make it harder for any prisoners to escape. It also meant that she was alone.

Standing up, Asuka made a quick analysis of her current state. She was still wearing her soft leathers and green cloak. They'd taken her dagger, naturally, but that didn't matter too much. Asuka had been trained from a young age in both armed and unarmed combat. Her father had explained that it was necessary for her to learn to defend herself - there would be times when she had to rely upon herself, not her guards. While Asuka disliked her father, she could see the sense in this, and at the moment Asuka was glad for the training.

Moving over to the door, she checked it carefully. Placing her hand on it, she pushed slightly. To her surprise, the door slowly swung open, the screech of the rusted iron hinges echoing down the corridor and making Asuka cringe. 'Odd,' she thought.

'Why wasn't it locked?'

Stepping out into the corridor, Asuka was unprepared for the sight that awaited her. The floor was slick with blood. A large bloody smear was visible on the opposite wall to the door to her cell, at the base of which was what once had been one of the Kingsguard. He was dead, and looked as though something had torn into him. It looked to be the work of some wild beast.

Overcoming her squeamishness, Asuka approached the dead man and looked carefully at him. She did not recognise him, but that was probably for the best. Nodding slightly towards the man in respect, she quickly searched him for anything of use. He had nothing but a broken dagger on him, but Asuka's quick eyes spotted his sabre several feet away from his outstretched hand - the force of being thrown to the wall had obviously caused him to lose his grip on the weapon.

Asuka had no idea whether to turn right or left to get out of the mazelike corridors. Having a fifty-fifty chance of getting it right, she opted to turn left.

Asuka came upon several more dead bodies as she went. All of them had been rent and mauled, and all were trained soldiers. Whatever it was that stalked the corridors, it was deadly.

Asuka wandered for nearly half an hour in the maze before she found the stairs to the upper levels. Normally, it would have taken hours to find if she could have found it at all, but this time she had a guide - she just followed the mutilated guardsmen.

Asuka was halfway up the stairs when she saw it. It was huge, a hulking great mass of black fur and muscle. It stood at the top of the stairway, glaring down at her, long streams of bloody drool dripping from its fanged mouth. It's eyes glowed a sullen red, like hot coals. When it saw Asuka, the eyes narrowed slightly with malevolent desire. Asuka stepped back in fright, not recognising the beast's species, but easily feeling the vicious hate it directed at her.

For such a huge beast, the thing moved with uncanny speed, leaping down the steps towards the girl with frightening agility. She barely had time to dodge as a huge, clawed paw flew towards her. Asuka dived to the side, narrowly avoiding the blow. She was not so lucky with the second. The beast's other gigantic paw thundered into her, knocking her from her feet, the claws opening three long gashes across her shoulder.

Asuka groaned in pain as she hit the floor, winded. She could do nothing to avoid the monster as it placed it's heavy paw on her chest, pinning her. It leant down close to the wounded redhead, it's maw close enough that Asuka could smell it's fetid breath. It stank of blood and rotten meat.

The beast moved slightly closer before opening its mouth slightly and speaking. Its voice was punctuated with growling and snarls, but Asuka could make out the words within. "Scream for me, little one."

Asuka glared up at the gigantic figure.

Presently, the beast tired of it's sport. It's maw opened wider this time, revealing pointed fangs. With a gurgling snarl, it moved in for the kill. Asuka closed her eyes, not wanting to look as it tore her apart.

Suddenly, the weight pinning the girl to the ground shifted, the Grendel roaring in pain. A gush of warm, sticky liquid fell on her face. Asuka could smell it - blood. The beast's paw was suddenly gone from her chest as it roared again, turning away from the redhead to confront the new threat.

Two figures stood there. One was a woman, with a long, golden staff that matched the gold of her hair. Bright blue eyes stared at the great black monster before her, her mouth twisted in distaste. Bright light radiated from the top of the woman's staff. But it was not the woman who held Asuka's attention.

The other figure was nearly seven feet tall. Armoured in green and white, he looked like something out of a song or children's tale. Upon his green surcoat was embroidered a white wolf, and within his huge hands were two gigantic blades. He wore no helmet, his short brown hair and fierce blue eyes glinting in the light shed by his companion's staff.

Stepping forward, the armoured man threw himself at the monster, swinging his titanic blades in two shining silver arcs. The wounded black beast barely had time to growl before the blades sank into it, one lopping off the monster's right arm, the other beheading it in a clean sweep.

Wiping his blades off on the dead beast's fur, the armoured figure looked down at the stunned princess. "Princess. When we saw you struggling with that monster, I feared we came too late."

Asuka pulled herself to her feet, wincing slightly at the pain from the gashes on her back caused by the beast's claws. She was annoyed at herself for getting into such a predicament. "You took your time showing up!" she announced before she could stop herself, then the manners that had been drummed into her for so many years quickly took over. "I thank you for that timely intervention, Ser." Asuka looked down at the beast. "What was that? I've never seen anything like it."

"A Grendel. Ancient, evil creatures - they say that the Shito made them during the War of the Ancients to form part of their dark army. I'd thought them dead and gone hundreds of years ago."

"A... Grendel? How did it get into the fortress?"

"It is not known, Princess. They are everywhere - over fifty of them," replied the woman, moving closer to Asuka and glancing at the wounds on her back. "Let me look at that - I'd hate to have you die from blood poisoning. These beast's claws can often cause infections."

Before Asuka could say anything, the woman placed her hand on the cuts. Her hand was cool, and Asuka gasped slightly as the cold radiated out of her hand, only to suddenly become an intense heat. Then it was gone.

"I have healed the wounds. They will not trouble you," the woman said. Asuka sent an annoyed glare at her - if she had wanted help, she would have asked for it.

"Who are you?" Asuka asked them. Something about them was familiar, but Asuka couldn't place it. She was certain it was important, but whenever Asuka tried to remember, her memory became indistinct and foggy. She couldn't even remember what she was doing down in the dungeons in the first place.

The man smiled at her. "Our names are not important, but you may call me Barask. She is Dweore. Our master, Lord Kharalkuur of the Northern Reaches, sent us here, bearing grievous news. The Shito are free! We had hoped to get here ahead of their armies and deliver the warning, but it seems we are too late. This fortress cannot hope to stand against a large band of Grendel, let alone the might of the Shito."

Asuka's eyes had opened wide. "The Shito free?" Something tugged at her mind, but she couldn't place it.

Dweore looked across at her. "Princess... our Master had hoped that house Soryu still had the ability to open the Vault."

Asuka looked away. "I can't," she replied angrily. "Only one of the Soryu line could open it. I am the last, but I can't open the seal - the Keystone was lost after my Mother died."

Barask stared at her intently. "What does this key look like, do you know?"

Asuka could remember the few times her mother had let her touch the keystone. "It's an amulet. A large, blood red gem set in gold. If you look into the gem, there's an image of a White Dragon inside."

Barask and Dweore shared a quick glance. "Your father had that Amulet when we last saw him."

Asuka's face darkened. "He did? Why that thieving bastard! That amulet is supposed to be mine! It belongs to the one with the purest Soryu blood, and he doesn't even have a drop!"

Barask nodded. "Will you open the Vault, then, if you can get the Keystone?"

Asuka nodded. "I have to. Without those weapons, the entire city will be slaughtered."

Had Asuka been looking at Dweore, she would have seen the woman grin.

-- // --

"Let's go!" Yuki whispered fiercely, her eyes reflecting the fear that she felt.

"What? Why?" Mari whispered in reply, excited. This was getting serious now, but Mari had no doubt that some hero would arrive and defeat the cloaked man. That was what happened in all the stories, after all.

Sachiel, meanwhile, had stopped making idle conversation with his captive. He could feel something approaching, and knew who it must be. "It appears you were right, girl."

Rei inclined her head slightly, looking off into the darkness, her eyes fixed on a point too distant for even her eyes to truly make out. She could feel him coming too. Slowly, a figure appeared in the dim light, carefully moving towards the Shito and his captive.

The Shito also noticed the figure's approach. Standing up from the bench upon which he had been lounging, the Shito moved into the figure's path. "So you came, boy. I must say I'm slightly surprised."

Shinji ignored the Shito, his eyes, the only part of his face visible beneath his purple helmet, moving instantly to the girl he had come to rescue. Rei was sitting quietly nearby, carefully placing herself in such a way as not to aggravate her badly broken arm. Her face was even more pale than it had been when he had first met her - most likely from the pain that she must be feeling.

'You should not have come.' Rei's voice echoed in Shinji's mind again, as it had in their previous meeting. 'He means to take both of us.'

Shinji nodded, not completely surprised. "I came, like you said," he said to the Shito quietly. "Let her go."

Sachiel laughed as the moon went back behind the clouds, the entire area darkening once again. "You didn't seriously believe I would honor those words, did you? I couldn't take you from within the Templar academy - there are wards there which are far more powerful than the Templar could even dream of casting today." He looked the armor-clad boy before him up and down, noting the sword belted at the boy's side. "Are you going to fight me, then, or just give in to inevitability?"

Shinji didn't reply with words. Instead, his hand went to the sword hilt at his waist, drawing it in one smooth motion. The sword felt alive in his hands, as if it had a mind of its own directing his movements. It was light, much more so than the blade he had practiced with on the road to Tokyo with Misato. Moving his feet into a more solid combat stance, Shinji held the Evangelion's Blade infront of his body as he had been taught, his eyes fixed on the cloaked figure before him. The world seemed to pause, as if the entire universe were fixed on the one motion, the one single barely perceptible moment when the strike would come. The moment was tense enough that it was almost possible to feel it, like the air had suddenly become thick as mud.

The wind blew around the trio, blowing through the plaza with a gentle sigh, causing the Shito's ragged cloak to billow out to the side, revealing the cracked and charred armour beneath, while Shinji's own blue cape moved in a similar fashion. As the wind died, the moon came out again from it's hiding place, bathing the scene once again  in its pale glow, shining off the polished steel in Shinji's hands, and reflecting from his dark blue eyes in a way that made them almost seem to glow.

-- // --

The journey from the lower levels of Winterholm was surprisingly uneventful. Asuka and her two odd companions came across many more dead guardsmen, and at one point even stumbled across the dead bulk of a Grendel. It had taken many guards with it, as was made evident by the pile of dead men surrounding it - only a skilled fighter would have had a chance.

As they neared the entrance to the throne room, Asuka found herself becoming more and more apprehensive. The trail of blood and death stretched before them, and so far, aside from her two companions, Asuka had yet to come across another living human. The carnage was at least an hour old, Asuka judged as surveyed the scene. Her lack of experience with corpses and death made it hard for her to tell much beyond that.

The huge iron-bound doors to the throne room stood ajar, the bloody corpses of the guardsmen who usually held these doors were strewn about like rag dolls thrown around by a child in the midst of a tantrum. One of the guardsmen was still alive - barely. Asuka was moving past him when she heard the guard groan. Sinking to her knees beside the dying man, she looked into his slowly glazing eyes.

"Princess..." he croaked. "Too many... too... couldn't hold... must open... the vault." His body went slack in her hands as he died, a soft sigh escaping his body.

Asuka growled in annoyance as she let the dead guardsman fall. Standing, she entered the throne room, already knowing what she would see, but dreading it all the same.

The throne room had become little more than a charnel house, the bodies of most of her father's court strewn about. Another dead Grendel was lying near the throne, the broken end of a sword jutting out from it's back. Asuka knew that sword well - it had a gold hilt made to look like a Lion, it's head the pommel. The Lion of house Langley. The sword had belonged to her father - he would not have left it, even broken.

Rushing over to the gigantic black mass, she hauled it back, rolling it onto its side. It had been dead a long time - already rigor mortis was setting in. Below, her father's lifeless form lay in a pool of blood - both his own and the Grendel he had slain. Her father had been an excellent swordsman, if a lousy father.

Despite her dislike for the man, Asuka felt a pang of sadness. 'No time for that,' she thought. Carefully parting the dead man's robes, she found what she was looking for - the amulet was around her neck in short order.

Drawing a deep breath, she laid her hand on her father's for a second, then stood. Turning, she faced her two strange companions. "We will open the vault, and take what can be carried. Then I will seal it up against intrusion. I think we should probably go to Tokyo."

Barask looked at her. "Tokyo? That is a long trek, your highness. Wouldn't it be better to make for Mythilos? Or perhaps Tir-Tairell?"

"The Elves? What makes you think they'd get their pointy ears involved in 'human business'? No, we go to the Templar in Tokyo." Asuka had dealt with the elves before, several times groups of them had come up to talk to her father. She had an intense dislike of them, with their condescending, arrogant manner.

That settled, they made their way to the Vault. The Vault had been here long before the fortress had been built, and had been incorporated into the design, becoming Winterholm's heart. In fact, the Castle's original purpose was to keep the contents of the vault safe. Whatever was in there, Asuka knew it would be powerful.

The vault itself was not much to look at: a simple stone archway over a red steel door, the center of which was emblazoned with a raging white dragon - house Soryu's sigil. The eye of the dragon was empty, indented as if something was missing.

Asuka pulled out the amulet. Carefully she removed the gem from it's golden webbing as her mother had once shown her. Lifting the red gem, she placed it in the empty eye socket, where it stuck firmly with a loud click.

Red light radiated from the gem as Asuka removed her hand. The light bathed everything, swirling and shifting like a thick mist. Striding out of the mist, a huge white figure appeared. Lowering it's magnificent white head, the figure regarded the Princess and her two companions. The dragon's huge red orbs seemed strangely wise and noble.

"You called me, summoner?" it boomed.

"I am Asuka of House Soryu," Asuka intoned.

"Indeed. You honor me with this summons, Princess." The dragon blinked. "How may I serve?"

"Open the vault."

"As you wish, Mistress." The Dragon seemed to melt, turning into a brilliant white mist that quickly disappated. The red light of the keystone faded to nothing, and the Vault doors slid open silently. Asuka strode inside, surprised at how easy the summoning had been - her mother had said it took great force of will to command the Guardian, but it had deferred to her almost instantly.

Asuka barely had time to take in the vast interior of the vault before she heard the mocking laughter behind her.

"Thank you, Princess," whispered a voice in her ear. Whirling, she found herself face to face with Dweore. "The contents of this vault will be most useful to our Mistress," she said with a cold smile.

Asuka gasped. Suddenly, memory flooded back to her. The Shito! These were no messengers before her... and she had delivered the contents of the Vault to them. How could she have been so blind? Asuka's face darkened in anger as she whirled to face her erstwhile companions, her hands balled into fists.

"You see, Princess? In the end, I always get what I want." The world seemed to shift oddly, as if the room had been filled with smoke. The sensation disappeared as quickly as it came, leaving in its wake a feeling of intense lethargy. Asuka looked around, suddenly tired, and noticed that both her companions had changed - 'Barask' was gone, and in his place stood the heavily armoured form of Ser Jorah - Zeruel. Beside him stood Arael, once again in her 'Lady Gemma' disguise.

"The princess appears to be tired, Ser Jorah," Arael said to her companion with a cold smile. "Take her up to her chambers, and see to it that she isn't disturbed until I have decided what to do with her."

Before Asuka could even snap off her angered retort, sleep overcame her. Asuka's world went black as she slumped into Zeruel's metal-clad arms.

-- // --

Sachiel leapt into motion, whipping out his long-bladed dagger and darting towards his surprised opponent, dagger leading the way. Shinji barely had time to flinch before the Shito was upon him, dagger speeding towards his throat in a quick downwards slash.

At the last instant, Shinji managed to move his body back, moving his sword up to catch the dagger on his blade's crosspiece. His opponent expected this, though, and was already moving in response. Shinji gasped in shock as the Shito's other fist drove into his face, sending him sprawling with its power.

Shinji shook his head slightly, seeing stars. He recovered just in time to parry another thrust, this time achieving the block a lot cleaner as her remembered Misato's careful instruction. Having easily turned aside the dagger, he suspected it to be a feint, and was proven right when the Shito's leg swept around, attempting to trip him. The young warrior leapt backwards out of the way with a grunt, quickly bringing his sword back up into a defensive position.

Sachiel didn't follow and press his considerable advantage. Instead, he stepped back, his dagger hand falling to his side in contempt. "You make this too easy, boy. This fight is beyond you. Yield to me, and I may let you live."

Shinji just glared in response, setting his feet, then launched himself against his cloaked opponent, his katana leading the way in a powerful thrust towards the Shito's chest.

Sachiel slapped the blade away contemptuously with his dagger hand, responding with a kick that struck Shinji squarely in the stomach, driving his breath from his lungs with a gasp. Still moving, the Shito spun, his outstretched fist catching a stunned Shinji on the side of the head, sending him spinning to the ground. The young warrior, still barely able to move from lack of breath, managed to roll away just in time to avoid taking the Shito's dagger in the face.

Shinji rolled away, coming up on one knee, panting and rubbing the side of his face. He spat out a bloody, broken tooth to the side, before rising once again into a defensive position, his eyes clearly showing his fear. He knew he had no chance against the Shito - the cloaked man was too fast, too powerful, and too skilled. His opponent was toying with him, barely using any of his true power.

The Shito laughed slightly as he waited for his opponent to make the first move. Shinji was quick to oblige. Approaching carefully, his sword in that same defensive stance, he began to circle the apparently unconcerned Shito, who followed his every move, searching for an opening.

The Shito feinted left, causing his opponent to move his sword off-center to parry. Quickly, Sachiel stepped right and in, grabbing Shinji's off-side sword arm and pushing it to the side while his dagger slashed in at the boy's face. Somehow Shinji avoided the blow, shifting in such a way that the dagger passed by harmlessly.

Sachiel was far from finished, though. The hand gripping Shinji's forearm flexed powerfully as the Shito twisted, and with an audible crunch, the boy's arm was broken, his sword falling from suddenly unresponsive fingers. Shinji let out a cry of pain, slumping as if he would have fallen to his knees had his opponent not been holding his arm.

Sachiel laughed contemptuously as he flung his broken opponent to the ground, his leather-armoured foot coming down firmly on his opponent's chest, pinning him. "So it ends, boy!" he hissed as he raised his free hand, which crackled with blue-white eldritch energies.

Shinji's eyes widened in fear and pain as he realised that he had failed.

-- // --

Sleep did not come to Asuka again that night. Once the enchantment placed upon her had worn off, she had awoken again. Given the current state of darkness outside her window, it had been about six hours since the guards had brought her and Kaji into the fortress.

Asuka lay in her bed, beneath the silken sheets, pretending to sleep - if they came back, she did not want them to catch her asleep. She had realised by that stage how Arael had done what she did - it had been subconscious, in Asuka's mind directly. To sleep was to expose herself to the same treatment again. Asuka could remember the pain she had felt - her body still had an odd, dull ache as if the wounds that had been inflicted upon her were at the point where they were almost healed, but still there.

Asuka lay in the dark, too apprehensive to sleep, but too tired to stay awake. She estimated she had been awake for about two hours when she heard voices outside her door - a guard, and someone else. Perhaps it was a guard change? Straining to hear, she was able to make out most of the conversation.

"...my lord, I can't let you in," said one voice. It was slightly louder, so Asuka assumed it to be a guard.

"I need to talk to... father, the king... me." The other voice was muffled, to the point that some words were indistinguishable, but somehow it seemed familiar.

"The king, eh? Anyone other ... you, and I wouldn't believe..." said the guard. "She's asleep, careful waking... up. She has a vile..."

"My thanks," said the second voice as he opened the door, spilling the bright light from the corridor into the dark bedroom. Lined by the light, and with her squinting through partially closed eyelids, Asuka couldn't tell who her visitor was.

He stopped beside her bed, hesitating as if not certain he should wake her. Asuka concentrated on keeping her breath regular and her body still. Finally, he moved again. With her eyes closed, Asuka could hear him approach, but not see him, so it was a surprise to her when she felt a finger gently trace her cheek, down to her chin.

"Such an innocent face..." the unknown man murmured. His voice was familiar, but Asuka couldn't manage to place him. Raising his voice slightly, he placed a hand on her bare shoulder and shook gently. "Princess..."

Asuka opened her eyes, recognising the broad, roguish grin and stubbled chin before her almost immediately. "Kaji?"

He grinned again. "You remembered me this time!" he said, his eyes twinkling.

"Why are--"

"Why am I here?" he interrupted. "I know what happened... I had suspicions when the guards informed me that Ser Barristan and Lord Tristran had been suddenly accused of treason."

"They tricked me... I opened the vault." Asuka said quietly.     

Kaji's grin softened. "I know. It's not your fault."

Asuka was suddenly angry. "I'll kill them both!"

"I don't doubt you will, eventually. But not yet."

Asuka glared at him, but in her heart she knew he was right. She wouldn't stand a chance against them at the moment.

"Your father wanted you to train with the Templar..." Kaji began.

Asuka saw where he was going almost instantly. As much as she hated it, she knew she had to be out of her Father's Fortress - no, the Shito's fortress - as soon as she possibly could.

"I was asked to escort you there, just before you ran away," Kaji said. "I was a Templar once myself - I could begin teaching you as we travel."

Asuka nodded. "The old fool told me he was sending me to the Templar Academy, and that I had no choice in the matter. That was why I ran away. Anyway, it seems that I don't really have a choice. At the least, the Templar Academy would be a safe place to hide for a while."

Kaji grinned again. "Good," he said as he pulled out a sack. "You might want these - we leave now, or we don't leave at all, and you are not coming along dressed like that."

It was then that Asuka realised how little she was wearing. With a slight flush and a venomous glare, she ordered the ex-Templar to turn around while she changed. To her relief, he complied, but not before shooting her the insolent grin that he was so good at.

Once Asuka was clad once again in her red leathers and green cloak, Kaji slipped out the door to deal with the guard. There was an audible 'thump' followed by Kaji's murmured apology to the man he had just knocked unconscious. They were halfway down the corridor when a thought occurred to Asuka, causing her to stop for a second.

Kaji eyed her curiously. "What is it?"

"I need to do something before we leave."

-- // --

Sachiel stood over his fallen opponent, a foot on the boy's chest, holding in his hand a crackling dose of electrical death. Shinji closed his eyes, knowing what was to come - blinding pain, then nothing. Nothing but death.

'Shinji!' a voice cried in his mind. Opening his eyes, Shinji looked up as he felt the Shito shift slightly above him. Sachiel grunted as an unexpected blow connected with his outstretched arm, a dagger held in an orange-gloved hand cut cleanly through the armour, leaving a deep wound and disrupting the spell that the Shito had intended to use to end this fight.

"Rei!" Shinji exclaimed, recognising the girl, who, despite the pain of her badly broken arm, and the effects of the Shito's firewine, had managed to force herself up and drive her dagger into the Shito. Her eyes seemed to glow a dull red in the moonlight, reflecting her calm intensity.

The Shito snarled as he whirled around, his dagger whipping out and plunging into the young girl's side, easily piercing the armour and opening a long, deep gash as she cried out in pain. Rei began to slump, forward, her dagger clattering to the ground as her hand went to the gushing wound. The Shito reached out, grabbing her by the neck and lifting her from her feet. He glared at her, placing his dagger at her throat, right above her jugular.

The boy had managed to get up to one knee, but could not move any further. He was transfixed by the sight before him, of the pale girl in his opponent's grasp, held up in the air. He could not say anything, could not do anything, could only stare as blood began to soak the ground beneath the wounded girl as it poured from her side around her weakening fingers.

Suddenly, Shinji was angry. Angry at himself for getting into this predicament, angry at Rei for endangering herself for him, but most of all, angry at the cloaked Shito, at his constant desire for blood. He became more and more angry, his right hand bunching into a fist despite the pain from his broken bones.

'I can do it,' a voice spoke in his head. 'Let me out. Let me fight him. Give me control...'

'Who?...' Shinji thought, startled.

'Let me out! It's the only way! Open your mind, or she will die.'

Shinji couldn't say how he did it, but something within him seemed to snap, as if a door within himself that had been locked had been suddenly, violently battered down. Power coursed through his body, like a flow of fire, a stream of coldest ice... it flowed around him, and through him, flowing into him from everywhere as it began to build up. Shinji found his senses suddenly enhanced, as if before he had only been half alive. The feeling was exhilarating, despite its intensity.

The young warrior was not aware of commanding his body to move, indeed, it seemed that it was moving independently of his own commands. Clenching the fist of his broken arm, Shinji felt the power course along the shattered marrow, mending bone and tissue with frightening speed. The break was almost instantly repaired, and Shinji quickly picked up his blade, again moving without command as he stood. He came to his feet and glared at the cloaked figure, who was turning to look at the opponent he thought defeated, stunned at the feeling of power suddenly emanating from the boy.

Shinji's eyes glowed with a red fire, as if twin furnaces had replaced his eyes. "Shito! Put her down, or I shall kill you where you stand," he felt himself say, his voice resonating with power.

The stunned Shito threw the pale girl to the side with a snarl, suddenly unsure of himself. Stepping back, his hand glowed briefly before his opponent was surrounded by a sudden conflagration of magical power.

Contemptuously, Shinji waved his hand at the intense magical flames, dismissing them before they had a chance to even singe his cape. He felt his shoulders bunch slightly as he prepared to attack, sinking into a crouch as a low, powerful growl escaped his lips.

Darting forward, Shinji leapt into the air, his katana falling powerfully towards the Shito, who had to leap back to avoid being cloven neatly in two. Thinking to take his opponent off-balance, the Shito sped in, his dagger slashing down.

Shinji twisted his hand, thrusting the hilt of his blade up and catching the descending dagger with a powerful jolt, causing the slim blade to shatter. He rose quickly, slashing out with a powerful blow, aiming at the Shito's chest. Whirling, Sachiel avoided the blow, ducking out of the path of the boy's blade. But Shinji had expected this move, and, his body still moving of its own accord, he whirled, driving the fist of his off-arm squarely into Sachiel, causing the Shito to be thrown backwards violently into a nearby statue, which promptly shattered and fell.

Groggily, the Shito came up, his hand moving just in time to deflect the thrust aimed at his heart. The boy's other hand came across in a vicious grab, easily taking the Shito's arm in it, power flowing down through Shinji's limb. With a twist and a powerful squeeze, Shinji shattered the Shito's arm, eliciting a howl of pain. Twisting, Shinji kicked the Shito in the chest, sending him flying into a nearby building with a loud crash. Sachiel slid down the side of the wall, leaving behind a bloody smear.

Shinji lifted his hand, moving it in a gentle lobbing gesture as he threw a small orange ball of energy towards the building where the Shito was slumped, stunned. The young warrior misthrew, though, and rather than taking his opponent cleanly in the chest as his body had intended, the ball entered the building.

The world went white as the fireball detonated, easily collapsing the building and raining huge chunks of debris across the plaza. Sachiel had taken a large amount of the blast, but he still managed to force himself to his feet as Shinji charged in to deliver the final blow. Sachiel stepped back, avoiding the slash which would have cut him in two. With a triumphant yell, he threw something towards his opponent - a fireball, returning in kind the spell that Shinji had just dealt him.

The plaza once again was lit up by the light of a magical detonation. Rei could only watch as fires leapt around the buildings nearby, radiating out from the blast, debris raining out all around. Then the flames cleared, and Rei could make out Shinji, lit up by the conflagration behind him, sword thrust cleanly through the slumping Shito's heart. As Rei watched, the young warrior slid the blade back out of his opponent, who fell back with a sigh, dead.

With the practiced moves of a seasoned, powerful warrior, Shinji cleaned his blade on the fallen Shito's cloak before sheathing it and striding from the flames towards her.

-- // --

To Asuka's relief, her two Shito captors were nowhere to be seen. The Vault was no longer sealed - they must have removed the seal completely after Asuka had been tricked into opening it. Stepping through the open door, Asuka entered the large circular room beyond with no small amount of trepidation. As she remembered, the room was lined with shelves. There were several racks of weapons scattered through the room - Kaji made a beeline to the closest rack and began inspecting a longsword - but the real reason for Asuka's detour was in the centre of the room.

On a steel rack was a suit of armour. It was red, with a full breastplate, greaves, boots, bracers, gauntlets, and a helmet. A long red cape flowed out from the shoulder armouring. The helmet was intricate, shaped to appear like the head of a dragon. If she were to put it on, it would appear as if her face was staring out of the dragon's mouth, it's long snout forming a visor, and it's lower jaw protecting her own throat and jaw. The entire suit had been made up to resemble a dragon - the breastplate was segmented, the forearm bracers ended in a sharp spine which would both protect her elbow and make unarmed blows with that elbow quite deadly. The greaves were spiked at the knee as well.

Asuka recognised the armour now - it was the Dragon Armour, a house Soryu heirloom. The Ancients, many thousands of years before, had forged it for her ancestor, who was now only known as Dragonheart. It had been created for the express purpose of fighting and defeating the Shito.

Oddly, the suit seemed to call to her. From the looks of it, it would never fit - but it seemed so familiar to her, as if from a dream that she could barely recall. She could not leave as powerful an artifact as this in the hands of the Shito. She would take it with her.

Kaji looked over at that point. His eyes widened as he saw Asuka's gloved hand move towards the shiny red metal. "NO! Don't touch it!"

It was too late. Asuka's hand fell upon the helmet.

-- // --

Suddenly, Shinji was in control of his body again. The power that had filled him was gone in an instant, leaving him feeling empty and tired, as if he had worked at the village mill for the entire day.

He passed a shaky hand over his face, stopping to stare at it - that arm had been broken just minutes before. Looking around the ruined, debris-ridden plaza, not noticing the concerned Citizens who were beginning to appear, attracted by the two thunderous explosions and the now dying blazes they had created. His eyes fell upon Rei, who was lying on the ground, one pale hand clasped to her side, blood slowly seeping through her fingers.

Running over, he gathered her into his arms, placing his hand atop her own in an attempt to help stem the blood flow. Rei whimpered slightly in pain. Looking up into his eyes, she spoke. "I knew you would come," she whispered, before lapsing back into unconsciousness.

"Rei!" Shinji cried, suddenly afraid that it had all been for nothing at all.

"Shinji!" cried a familiar voice from behind. The armour-clad boy was suddenly surrounded by Templar, two of which, both clad in pure white armour and white cloaks, moved in, taking Rei from his hands as they moved her to their companions, already tending to the wound in the girl's side.

Seeing Shinji's concern, Misato smiled at him. "She'll be alright." Her smile widened as the boy stood slowly. "You did it, I knew you could."

Shinji could only stare at the stretcher bearing the pale girl away. "I did it... but... I don't feel good about it." He turned to look at Misato. "I'd never thought I'd have to kill anyone..."

Misato suddenly looked seriously. "Shinji, there are times when you must do things you never wanted to do. It's never easy. As long as you don't like to kill, you'll manage."  She looked at him carefully. "If you ever do find yourself enjoying it, that is when you need to throw that sword away."

Shinji nodded weakly, not seeming to listen.

Misato smiled again. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up, and find you some food, and a place to sleep. You look as though you could do with both."

Shinji barely heard her, he just fell into step beside the Templar, placing one foot infront of the next as he followed her in the direction of the Templar academy.

No one noticed the slender, childlike hand of Mari Suzuhara sticking out from beneath a pile of fallen rubble.

To be continued...

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Author's Notes
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Phew, it's been a while since part one, ne? I'm slow as anything. I have a few excuses though. I've been working on a little project code-named 'the death star' (EFO, http://www.evafics.org), as well as doing the technical stuff behind this year's takoball awards. Also, the Canadian World Domination System (Neverwinter Nights) was a big time-waster, as was the latest visit to Lorderon (Warcraft 3... for some reason, I find Tyrande extremely attractive... O.o)

Big thankee to mah prereaders, Alnilam, Weltall and Joedoebell, as well as anyone who dropped a review my way on FFN, Darkscribes, or directly via email. It's really appreciated.

Okay, some info. Arael and Zeruel's aliases in the 'Dream' sequence which they used to trick Asuka are a reference to an old RPG setting / game I used to play (and create scenarios for) for the Macintosh, called Realmz. It's still alive and kicking, as far as I know, even to the extent of having a small corner of FFN. Dweore and Barask are both gods in the 'Sword Lands', the setting used for two (as of this writing, the final instalment of that trilogy is still not to my knowledge finished, although I believe it's entered beta) of the best of the Realmz Scenarios. Dweore is the goddess of enchantments, while Barask is the god of war. Appropriate, I thought, and since I racked my brains coming up with names, I thought these were as good as any, especially since they also allow me to give props to Psion over in the Realmz section of FFN (Psion created the Sword Lands setting).

The twelve houses: Thus far, the twelve include House Langley (Sigil: Golden Lion on black), House Soryu (Sigil: White Dragon on Red), the Elven house Ikari (Sigil: Grey Wolf on blue), and house Rokubungi (Sigil: Six ships on a field of blue). There are more coming.

On the choice of a white dragon as house Soryu's sigil... One of the Kanji which translates as 'Soryu' (NOT the one used in Asuka's name, however, but I don't care) means 'Pale Dragon'. It's no stretch to make that 'white dragon'. Besides which, I felt that the Dragon is the perfect comparison to Asuka... majestic, beautiful, firey and downright dangerous.

On Kaji's title, 'Dragonslayer'... He explains why they call him that in part 3. :D

The reference to the tale 'Dragonheart' will be expanded on a bit. I'm tossing up whether or not to release it as an Omake or something after I finish this series. Same goes for a lot of the other background stuff. Then again, if I made that an Omake, what would happen the Adventures of PenPen, Mighty Paladin of Justice? :D

This fic will be found in several spots. First off, on my Darkscribes page (http://www.darkscribes.org). It will also be available on Evafics.org (http://www.evafics.org), the archive that I've been working on for months and months, and released to the public last week. Finally, It will be found on FFN, although I'm putting lower priority on that. My fics will be hitting FFN about 2 weeks after they're on Darkscribes and EFO.

First Prereader Draft finished 5th August, 1:22 AM AEST
Revised 10th August, 12:57 AM AEST
Revised 11th August, 10:55 PM AEST
Revised 14th August, 3:00 PM AEST (Release Version)