See Chapter 1 for disclaimer.

Neon Genesis Evangelion:

The Book, My Curse

Chapter 2:

When I wake the next morning nothing seems all that different. I shut off my alarm clock and haul myself out of bed. I'm not a morning person so it's always been difficult for me to get out of bed before noon on any given day. Groggily, I glance at the calendar on my wall as I pass and note today is Saturday, so I don't have to work. I consider going back to bed, but figure that there'd be no real point since I won't actually get to sleep again anyway.

I shuffle my way into the bathroom and take care of morning business as usual before going to the kitchen to prepare my breakfast. It's then that I notice that the layout of my apartment isn't the same as it was when I went to bed the night before. I walk back to the bedroom and note that it's different too, but I am alone in the apartment and there are a few items I recognize as mine around the room.

While looking around carefully, I see that damned book lying on top of my dresser, almost as if it's mocking me.

'No… Can't be… That's impossible…'

I step over to my dresser and pick up the book. Opening it, I see the wish I wrote down in it last night. The only difference is that is seems to have been burned into the page, not written with ink. And on the inside of the cover is written: "Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it."

I drop the book and stagger backwards from it. 'It can't possibly have worked…'

I rush into the living room and switch on the TV. I'm shocked when the channel that comes up features all Japanese actors and is presented in Japanese. I'm even more wierded out when I notice I can understand what's being said. Not like I'm hearing English but I know they're speaking Japanese; more like I'm fluent in Japanese.

Still staring at the television screen, I fall to my knees, mouth gaping. 'Holy crap… it worked.' I'm frozen in place there for a while, stunned to the core by the gravity of my situation. I've been dropped into the world of Evangelion. The world around me is the one I've imagined and played with for so long. The one which is the basis for several other versions I've read about and am so familiar with.

And now I can think of only one thing: 'I'VE GOT TO GET OUT OF HERE!' I rush back to my room and toss open the cover of the book not bothering to pick it up or re-examine the writing on the inside of the cover. I begin to write another wish: 'I want to go home.'

As I watch, the letters I just wrote fade from the page leaving no trace of their ever existing. I try again and again… Every time the words disappear. After the very last time I attempt to make the wish, another set of words appear briefly in the place of my most recent attempt: 'You ARE home.' After only seconds, those words too, fade from the page.

In a panic, I try a different approach: 'I wish I never got this book.' Again the words fade from the page to be replaced by another set: 'Remember the rules… That would undo your first wish…' Again the reminder fades away. Again I try something else: 'I wish the last wish to be finished.'

This time something different happens. My words fade away as did all the last, but this time in their place appears: 'HAHAHAHA!! But you haven't LEARNED anything yet! HAHAHAHAHA!!!!" and the book slams itself shut. Despite my surprise I reach out and try to re-open the book but the covers remain closed as if the covers and all the pages in between had been super-glued together.

Just then I hear the sound of the doorbell. Too caught up in my quest to get the hell out of this universe before the entire world comes crashing down around me, I don't care enough to answer. They'll probably just go away after a while anyway. But they don't. In fact, From behind me I hear an incredibly familiar voice. One I could never mistake for any other, especially since I know what world I'm in:

"What the hell are you doing?"

I turn to see Asuka standing over me looking very annoyed with having been made to wait for anything. Especially something as stupid as this looks. Behind her stands Shinji looking every bit as shy and embarrassed as I figured he would after entering someone's place uninvited.

"I'm sorry Firru-san… She made me give her the key to your place." Shinji sounds every bit as embarrassed as he looks. And of course he butchered my name the way only a native Japanese speaker could.

"I can't believe you Shinji… I figured that even an idiot like you would've managed to get his name right by now… His name is pronounced 'Fill-ip' With an 'ELLL' sound. Not that 'Firru' stuff you just used."

"I'm sorry, but I haven't quite gotten the hang of that yet… Japanese doesn't exactly have 'erru's' in it you know…"

"AAARGHH!!! Why do you have to do that all the time… 'Sorry' this and 'sorry' that… It's REALLY getting ANNOYING… Why can't you just…"

"Asuka, Shinji…" Asuka stopps in mid-sentence too surprised at my interruption to get mad for it. "If you're going to argue, could you at LEAST do it in my living-room… I'd like to get changed out of my PJ's."

Asuka strikes an indignant pose and looks down at me. "Fine, but when you're done you're going to tell us what was so important about that book that you couldn't answer your own door." With that, she turns on her heel and hauls Shinji along as she leaves my room.

Suddenly, I feel a strange sensation from the book. Not really a physical feeling, but more of an emotion. Kind of like if the book were a person… It'd be laughing it's head off at me.

Yup… Definitely The Twilight Zone…

A/N:

So, What'd you think? Still worth it? Drop me a line in a review please.