Mission 2: You Do [Not] have to go home:
Gendo Ikari was a man of extreme composure. Even at the direst of situation, the man remained as monotone and unaffected as a statue. Rumor had it that after his wife's demise, the Commander became unable to feel emotions.
Upon seeing the white-haired man standing proud atop the purple Evangelion with no visible injury however, he let out a light chuckle that did not go unnoticed by his second-in-command.
"He's come." The man noticed in his normal, impassive voice as he surveyed the scene with a glint of interest. "The Scrolls' predictions have come to pass yet again."
"Indeed." Replied the older man, a hint of uneasiness in his voice. Hearing that someone stared down an Angel was one thing, seeing it before his eyes however, was an entirely different experience.
The way he went he stood before the Messenger-nonchalantly, almost lazily-gave the impression that this wasn't a first for this man. It almost looked as if this was natural for him.
"He heals at an accelerated rate similar to the Angels, carries a blade that rivals him in size, and he remains unimpressed as he stands before the Cover of God." The Commander observed, his folded hands obscuring part of his face. "There can be no doubt now."
The two older men fell quiet, watching the crew of Dogma stare in awe at the sight in front of them, oblivious to their conversation.
…..
Dante blinked, his eyebrows knitting together as the tension in his shoulders all but disappeared.
He was standing on top of a machine-a gangly, horned purple robot that stood as high as the buildings surrounding him. Something that looked like it was ripped straight from a Japanese comic. He hadn't read much of them, but from what he did know, he assumed that either it was being remotely controlled or someone was driving that thing.
Judging from both the wound and the amount of blood dripping from the titan's head, the later seemed to be the safest bet, and said person was either dead or seriously wounded. The hybrid liked neither of those options. However, that wasn't what frustrated him the most and caused his rage to take a nosedive.
Something was wrong, something was very wrong.
The thing approaching him suddenly halted, slightly slouching and….studying him. It was sizing him up and seeing whether or not he was a valid threat, staring at the Son of Sparda with it's new face.
He on the other hand waited. Yet the dull ache that heralded a new threat spared him for once. Something that should be impossible, unless….
'That thing isn't a demon. Hmm….'
It sure as hell looked like one, and judging from how it stupidly glared at him, the goliath was possibly even less intelligent than a Lesser Demon, which was the lowest of the low. Even those things were efficient when they set out to do something-or more accurately, were commanded to.
As he still pondered the situation, Sachiel seemed to already have his mind set as he resumed his advancement towards the downed Evangelion.
The white-haired man grunted, banishing his pistols back to whatever remained of his trousers and slowly reached and gripped Rebellion on his back. As his mind raced with ideas on how to proceed with this, the corner of his mouth found themselves turning into a grin.
He couldn't ignore the titan advancing towards him, it took immediate priority. That thing wasn't his usual quarry, but he didn't discriminate. Besides, the humans had already had their go at it.
It was his turn to have some fun.
….
"Not even a scratch…" Misato heard her friend murmur under her breath, the normally stoic Dr. Ritsuko Akagi held bewilderment in her voice, obviously looking at the scene before her through a scientific angle.
That only served to heighten the captain's own repressed fears. Not only was this person capable of surviving a fall from the atmosphere, he got up, shrugged it off, and wounded something that literally strolled through rows of N-2 mines and gunfire with zero injuries.
And now he was the only thing standing between the Angel and the GeoFront. The dark haired woman didn't know whether to be relieved or worried.
'He bleeds just like us and that thing up there….that means he can die, right? It's not like he's-'
Then, resting the claymore on his shoulders, he spoke, bringing the Captain's train of thought to a screeching halt.
"English….An American?" She blinked, actually surprised by the revelation as she continued listening.
"What's he saying?" Aoba muttered from his seat, causing all eyes to suddenly zero in on Misato. She glared back at her co-workers, raising a questioning brow. International affairs had forced her to take on multiple languages, English however, was sadly the one she's had the least exposure to due the American's tendency to avoid working with them, save for when the situation was dire.
'Good thing I'm not half bad in German…'
"I know about as much as any of you," she replied with a sigh, crossing her arms, "And if I'm understanding correctly…" she frowned, taking a few seconds to process what she was hearing.
"I think-I think he's mocking the Angel."
…..
'Let's see now…. Eryx? Meh. Osiris maybe? Naw, need something a bit more-'
Dante's train of thought was interrupted as a Spear of Light was hurled towards his direction. Unimpressed, the demon slayer dodged with the barest minimal effort possible before shooting Sachiel with a crossed look.
"Well then, someone sounds ignored…." He crossed his arms, burying his blade within Unit-01's head gear.
In response, another projectile was hurled his way.
"Hey! I heard ya the first time asshole! Keep your panties on!" He executed a quick Drive attack, the invisible slash doing it's job of bisecting the violet beam despite the lack of power behind it. The attack sailed harmlessly passed each side of the Evangelion and it's unexpected passenger, detonating into two cross-shaped explosions behind him.
"That's badass! Wonder what'll happen if you explode though….." The hunter stopped, snapping his fingers as his grin grew wider. "Aquila it is, you're ganna love this!" With that, he willed the Angelic shuriken to him, feeling the tattoo on his back glowing as Rebellion disappeared in a flash of light; a blue aura began dancing around him for a few seconds, coursing through his entire body before disappearing.
"Ready?" he began spinning the two ninja stars in his hands until they were a blur of blue energy on the otherwise pitch-black city. Proceeding to combine the two smaller stars, Dante ended up producing a larger projectile that was now giving out an audible ring as it hovered a few centimeters from his open palm.
"Head's up!" Spinning with audible sharpness, Aquila cut through the night sky, leaving a faint trail of blue as it sailed towards it's target. However, it didn't connect with the creature's skin as Dante hoped; rather it exposed Sachiel's defense mechanism: a hexagonal-shaped force shield surrounding it.
"Aw come on, I thought we were friends here! Open up to me at least a little!"
Suddenly, the wind seemed to gravitate towards the Angel, as what appeared to be a golden halo appeared above him. The hunter's smirk faded as his opponent leaped into the air, kicking signs, cars, and other objects below his feet due to the momentum.
Dante blinked, realizing Sachiel had just closed the distance between them. "Damn….so you aren't as slow as you look…."
With a screech, he swiped at the white-haired swordsman, who promptly moved to the adjacent building to avoid the attack, watching as the claws grazed the spot where he formally stood.
Through remarkable agility, the hunter dodged another sweeping hand whist launching three more shrunken blades; the AT Field slowly beginning to crack. Teleporting to avoid a point blank spear, Dante reappeared in a blue haze, perched atop a nearby tower like a stone statue.
"Yeah, you don't look too happy," he mockingly observed, a large, jagged battle-axe materializing on his back, giving off a blood red aura in stark contrast to the previous weapon. "In fact, you look pretty pissed off….if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to kill me just now!"
With that, he lunged, slamming Arbiter at the invisible shield. After a few hits, it was clear the demonic weapon had cut through.
If Sachiel was even remotely surprised by his last line of defense falling, he didn't show it in the least.
It did however, give him an easy opportunity to take a pot-shot at his opponent, sending him flying back.
A prolonged silence fell, the Angel remained rooted to the spot. The seemingly everlasting stillness was broken by three ear-piercing rings. Three consecutive Drive attacks slashed Sachiel in the span of a second.
The first came diagonally, damaging everything from the bottom of his face to the middle of his torso-specifically, the core. The second mostly targeted his right limb, claiming flesh from bone and causing rivers of blood to run down the giant's forearm. The final cut coasted Sachiel his balance, forcing him to fall on one knee and use his unscathed arm for support.
By the time the creature managed to register what had happened, Rebellion was already buried deep within the crimson sphere in his chest.
"Just wished we could've been friends." The still-healing hybrid tisked in false lamentation. He shrugged, discharging the pistols until the blade had completely lanced the core.
With a dying shriek, The Cover of God went out with a shower of blood, along with an enormous explosion shaped like a Celtic cross that could be viewed for miles on end.
"Huh, so that's what happens…..he added a rainbow."
…..
"-And when the calamity falls from the heavens, the earth shall quake with fear." The monolith of SEELE 05 recited from memory in a deep rasping voice.
"For wherever Lucifer walks, Hell will surely follow in His wake." SEELE 01 finished for his comrade. "You are sure then, that this man is the one, Ikari?" Video feed from both encounters with the Angel suddenly appeared in front of the Commander.
"The Scrolls are still vague," SEELE 04 reminded him with a growl, anger evident in his dry voice, "Who here is to say this anomaly is the one it speaks of?"
"Without doubt." The Commander stoically replied, adjusting himself in his chair. "The conditions of his arrival mirror what has been foretold and Sachiel has fallen by his blade with little to no effort on his part. He can be no other."
"Then we must be wary," SEELE 03 broke the silence that had descended upon the committee, "There are many things that are within our grasp, the swordsman and his actions are not. The Scrolls do not go into detail of his role within the Scenario. He may be more of a nuisance than a useful asset."
"Engaging him directly however, is the equivalent of suicide at this time." SEELE 01 pointed out, "That being said, we cannot allow him free rein. We must know his whereabouts, particularly when the Messengers decide to strike."
"And what of Unit-01? The activation test was a success, but the astronomical sum it needs for repairs is staggering to say the least." SEELE 02 mused.
"It is of little importance," SEELE 05 reassured, "though unexpected, it will be mended by the time the Fourth Angel looms over us. Both the Third Child and Unit-01 will play their parts that day as they did today."
"Indeed. You must insure that Lucifer does not interfere with the upcoming battle." SEELE 01 commanded him.
"You needn't be concerned, the hunt for the Morning Star is underway as we speak." Gendo reassured. "Everything will go according to SEELE's plan."
…
Shinji awoke with a start, his heart still beating in his chest. It was all the proof he needed to confirm that despite everything that had transpired, he was still alive.
He took a deep breath, examining his still trembling hands as his breathe slowly returned to normal.
'How did I survive…' he thought to himself, running circles across his palm, 'And what happened to that thing? Does it mean I somehow won? But then…how?"
He tried recalling what happened after he was thrown back by the creature, the phantom pain that steamed from his eye threatened to return. In the end, it didn't, and he could remember nothing except a strangely warm sensation, almost like a warm gust of wind flowing through him.
He sighed, although he was unsure if it was from relief at being alive, the probability that he screwed up his one chance somehow, or both. Either way, he let himself fall lightly on the hospital bed, content with just listening to the birds chirping loudly outside.
"I feel sick…" he murmured to himself, realizing that he could still taste and smell the strange liquid he was submerged in while piloting EVA.
It was cold and it had a metallic taste, almost like blood.
"That's normal." a reassuring voice promised, "first time's always the hardest, you'll get used to it in no time." Turning, he found Captain Katasuragi standing by the ajar door, a relieved look on her face "I came as soon as they told me you were stable," she offered him a warm smile, "how are you feeling, Shinji-kun?"
"F-fine," he replied, noticing that his clothes were folded neatly on a small stand next to him. Now he realized why he was still somewhat cold despite the thick blankets on top of him.
"That's great to hear," she chirped, "well, the doctors said you're free to check out now, so I'll just give you time to change into your clothes before we head home, kay?"
The boy blinked, he must've heard wrong just now. "Excuse me….d-did you just say 'home', as in…"
"Home. As in our home. From this point on we're roomies, you and I!"
To say Shinji was stunned was an understatement. He wondered what he'd done to deserve this kindness…or was it pity? Yes, that had to be it. "Mi-Misato-san, I-I don't understand…You don't have to do this you know, I m-mean, all I've done here was worry you and…"
'Fail.' He wanted to say, but for some strange reason he couldn't. It was like the word was stuck in his throat, trying desperately to get out. "….I couldn't even do the one thing I was needed for right…so, I'm sorry, Misato-san."
There. That would suffice.
"What are you talking about?" she asked with a tilt of her head, her voice suggested she truly didn't know what he did wrong. "You did fine out there, there's no need to apologize."
"B-But…but I couldn't even pilot EVA correctly…" he insisted, "I couldn't even hurt that thing once before I got knocked out…" 'And I was afraid the whole time…' he added mentally.
"Shinji, do you remember exactly what I told you to do?" she asked him, leaning off the door and stepping closer, her hands on her hips.
"Get inside the EVA…" he answered weakly, unable to meet her gaze.
"Exactly. Not only did you do so, but it worked Shinji. Even with you as the only one physically able to pilot it, the chances of Unit-01 activating were practically nonexistent." Misato watched as the boy ceased his trembling slightly, yet resolving to not look at her.
"I'm not Dr. Akagi nor the Commander, I don't expect you to instinctively know your way around the EVA. Things like that take time, so I won't penalize you for it. You took the first step yesterday, now you just have to build on it, right?"
The boy nodded, slowly finding the strength to look up at his commanding officer. The woman in turn gave him a grin. "See? Now enough of all that, let's get you outta here."
….
"Ehh?!"
The dark haired woman smirked, it was always fun to see the always-serious Ritsuko completely lose it. "Yup, Shinji-kun's staying with me, I already got permission and everything."
"Misato, you can't just do something like that so suddenly!" the woman chastised on the other end of the line, "Besides, wouldn't it be better for him to move in with the Commander?"
"Will you relax Rits?" the Captain sighed sarcastically, "I mean, it's not like I'm ganna be putting the moves on him….yet. He has to settle in first and-" The woman was interrupted by her friend's screaming voice, causing her to hold the phone away from her ear and almost swerve off the deserted road. "Geez lady, can't you take a joke?"
"Considering I could never tell when you're joking…." Her friend huffed in retort.
"Seriously though, the Vice-Commander kinda agreed that putting Shinji with Commander Ikari was a bad idea. He's said it was natural for father and son to be living apart from each other at this point…"
"I can see his reasoning," Dr. Akagi mused, more to herself than to Misato. "I'll leave you to your work than. Just try not to do anything rash."
The woman sighed, hanging up the car's built-in phone. Her gaze shifted towards her new charge, who glared back with a light blush on his features. "What's wrong Shinji-" she stopped herself mid-sentence, putting two and two together. "Oh that," she smirked, "I was only teasing Shinji-kun. Maybe in the next ten years, but as of right now, you're too young for me." She winked at him before seemingly concentrating on the road again.
That seemed to put him at ease and also gave Misato some time to look over him through the corner of her eye; he looked less anxious than earlier yet far from being at peace. If she had to take a guess, it had something to do with that run in they had with the Commander whilst exiting the Geofront.
Right away she could sense the hurt coming from the boy as he averted his gaze from his estranged father. The way he glared at them-cold, pitiless, uninterested-sent chills down the Captain's spine as she practically saw the anger that resided in both the Ikaris, each for different reasons. It ended when the elevator door closed, only then did the boy visibly relax.
'Well that's one thing we have in common…' She thought glumly, 'daddy dearest isn't on the top of our lists…'
"Misato-san,"
Her thoughts were interrupted by the boy's voice, the first time he's used it since stepping inside the vehicle. "That…..thing father wanted me to fight….what was it?"
"That," she began explaining, her usual cheery voice fading slightly, "is the very reason NERV exists: to exterminate the Angels like the one you saw."
"Angel?" the boy sounded confused as he knitted his brows.
"That's right, though they're angels in name only," she continued, "honestly whoever came up with that moniker probably wasn't thinking straight."
"I guess…did NERV manage to beat it then?"
"We have our white-haired friend to thank for that," the woman griped, not missing the shocked look in his eyes, "as well as the damages to HQ and some of the buildings on the surface." she sighed in exhaustion, "some hero he was! I can already see the mountain of paperwork I have to fill out because of his recklessness!"
Shinji didn't notice her new guardian's whine, more interested in the events that had happened while he was out cold. Before he could question further, he was forced to hang on for dear life as Misato made a sharp turn towards the nearest exit.
"I forgot! We need to make a couple of pit stops before we get home, otherwise we'll sleep on empty stomachs." She said this in a sheepish tone, masking her hidden relief of avoiding the previous subject.
The fact that her nails where digging into the steering wheel's fabric was not lost on her. Shinji however, failed to notice.
…..
It smelled of decay, of death, and everything was in shambles, dust and cobwebs littered every available space, and the excuse for a bed had been ravaged by vermin and the passage of time. In short, any sane man would've complained about the living conditions, but to be frank, Dante had seen worse.
It would have to do. For now at least.
The entirety of Tokyo-3 was bugged and constantly monitored. If NERV wanted to know of any of the going on's in the place, they'd only need to check their eyes and ears across the City. Omniscient and omnipresent by every definition of the word.
But nothing in this world is perfect, and even most efficient of systems had its flaws. Everything was monitored yes, but this luxury did not extend towards the handful of old building too demolished to be of any use…
Which was exactly where he was currently stationed at.
Out-of-the-way, practically in shambles, and with room for him to maneuver in case of an emergency. Perfect.
The Son of Sparda groaned, finally giving up on the notion of sleep, sitting up on the lumpy worn out couch. He rubbed his eyes and stared as the final rays of sunlight left the earth. After a few seconds, he dropped once more, staring at the unfamiliar ceiling above.
To say he was exhausted would be an understatement; after all, it wasn't every day where he was dogged relentlessly by the military with a persistence that rivaled that of the demons that hunted him. In other words, irony at its best.
He didn't even know why he attempted to sleep, that was a privilege that had been long since denied. Considering everything that he'd been put through in a short amount of time-from falling out of the sky to being the target of a manhunt that lasted until the early hours of dawn-at least an attempt at resting was in order.
It helped that he had a decent view of the city from his vantage point, for the notion of discovery never left the man. It was only after much thought that he decided to continue to wait before seeing for himself if it was finally safe to be out on the streets.
Conflict is the last thing he wanted with humanity. He did declare he would protect them from any threat after all, and if it meant fleeing rather than fighting then so be it.
He blinked, chuckling to himself as the notion replayed itself in his head like a maddening mantra. A little more than a year ago he honestly didn't care what happened to the humans. Heh, a year ago, he wouldn't have thought like that. He would've probably let them all die from that monster's wrath if he was in a particularly foul mood.
"That monster I fought…..just what the hell was it?" he muttered to himself with knitted brows, taking his gaze off the moldy walls and staring, not as the oncoming twilight, but towards the city in front of him. The buildings now stood tall, taller than when he glanced at them the first time if he was seeing correctly.
His mind must still be overworked. There was no way the buildings could just appear at random like that…great, now he was getting off track.
Besides it being by far one of the weakest beings he had faced so far, the creature was also one of the first that didn't have anything to do with the war between Heaven and Hell.
It might have resembled one, but that thing was no demon. At least he was sure of that. Years of being at their "mercy" had made identifying one particularly easy for him. In fact, seeing as the Earth was practically covered by the thin veil that was Limbo, it was almost a necessity in order to survive.
And that was another thing. Try as he might, Dante could not sense anything that resembled a demonic entity around him, not in the city, or anywhere past that for that matter. Limbo, it had seemed, had not tainted this place for quite some time.
No traces of demonic propaganda, of otherworldly beings bending and twisting the mortals and their desires to their will….
He frowned as realizations hit him like bullets. He had only seen glimpses of the world unraveled from Limbo, and it hadn't been pretty. But this…this wasn't the work of demon rulers secretly controlling the area with their influence, something else had destroyed this place long ago.
He stopped himself from overcomplicating things at the moment, feeling the beginnings of a headache creeping up on him, something he didn't need right now. Then again, the last thing on his agenda was a head splitter in it of itself.
He knew he was somewhere in Japan, in fact, the only damn word that wasn't written in kanji and clearly in English was "Tokyo", ironically scrawled on one of the neighboring buildings. Since he had nothing else to go by, he assumed he was in the aforementioned place. That meant getting around was going to be hard, if not near impossible.
"So…I crash land halfway across the world, get hunted down by the military, tango with…whatever the hell that thing was back there….oh, and as if I didn't have enough obstacles in my way already, I can't read or understand jack shit….Gee, you couldn't have picked another place to throw me at could you?"
He sighed after a minute of silence, cursing the demon bastard who sent him here in the first place.
'At least those people are safe…' He thought to himself, soothing his anger somewhat. 'With me and that thing outta the way, the paramedics down there ought to take care of any injured.'
He glanced at his gloved hand, eyes falling towards the stained bandages that had previously clung his body. He sighed upon realizing the sorry state his clothes were in.
"Need some new clothes…" he mumbled to himself with a scratch of his head, priorities set. "Hopefully I can find something my size lying around somewhere. Not like anybody'll miss it or anything."
He shrugged, beginning his scavenger hunt with what he claimed as "his" dressers, soon moving onward to the neighboring apartments when nothing came up. At least now he had something to do other than sit around.
Elsewhere in the base of the building, a woman and her newest charge stepped out of a vintage blue Renault Alpine with groceries in hand, completely oblivious that they had acquired a new tenant.
…
'No preliminary report, no evaluation test….yet the Third Child's here with us just in time for the Angel's attack. And he's not just any random kid off the street either, he's Commander Ikari's son…'
The woman was lost in thought as she sat in the warm tub. She had meant for this to be a time of respite, where she could unwind after the exceptionally stressful day at work. Yet the questions she had been pondering all day today wouldn't give her peace.
'Despite everything, we defeated the Angel, and the casualties were minimum-all things considered. To top it all off, his synchronization rate was at 41.3%, the highest so far in first-time synchs according to Rits. Why then do I feel so….uneasy with all this?'
She frowned, knowing exactly why the tugging feeling in her conscious continued to twist and turn like a knife.
Shinji.
Even as she praised him this morning, a part of her still saw him as more a tool than anything else. She had praised him, not as a friend, not as Misato, but as Captain Katasuragi.
And now she'd let him into her life. She wasn't sure whether this would end up being a mistake or not.
The young NERV captain had never had experience with children, in fact, she wasn't even sure if she wanted children. A husband, yes, but if she were to be honest, she'd admit she wasn't ready for even that responsibility. Shinji's reaction to seeing her disastrous lifestyle outside of the facility spoke for itself.
"I wonder how long I can keep up my happy act…." She mused to herself, watching the ripples her hand made as she gingerly dipped two of her fingers into the water. "Fake it 'til you make it, Misato."
After making her decision, she stepped out of the bath and fetched two clean towels to wrap herself in.
Stepping into the hallway, the woman glanced at the now practically spotless kitchen. It was amazing what that boy accomplished in just half an hour.
The table now stood bare, when before it was littered with beer cans, old paperwork, and trash from her late night dinners that consisted mostly of instant ramen. Even when Shinji had had his first official dinner, all Misato had done was move everything off to the side.
The cooking area was also much more organized, one quick peek confirmed her suspensions: Shinji had taken the liberty of washing the dirty dishes that had piled up faster than her paperwork, as well as organize them in the rack next to the sink. The floor was also swept, and she noticed two trash bags, filled to the brim and ready to be disposed of, standing by the doorway.
She was honestly impressed, unable to recall the last time her living space was this clean.
'And he would've done more, had I not send him to his room' she thought to herself, heaving a low sigh, "looks like we've both had a rough day." She muttered to no one in particular, marching to her own dorm. She stopped as her hand gripped the slid door's handle, turning her head towards the now occupied room to her left.
"Shinji," she called hesitantly, unsure if she was disturbing his much-needed and much-deserved sleep, "I'm opening the door."
She found the boy sprawled on his mattress; the green backpack that contained most of his belonging was on the ground a few inches away from him, most of its contents spilled to the floor. The woman was surprised to find that he didn't just hit the hay the minute he stepped into the room, for his white dress shirt and black pants were neatly folded on a corner of the bed.
She blinked, half forgetting why she decided to enter the Spartan room in the first place.
"I forgot to tell you something. It might not look like it, but you did something admirable today. Something not many would do if given the choice. You should be proud of yourself."
'I know I am…..'
"Hang in there Shinji-kun. I'll see you in the morning."
With that, she closed the door and heaved a heavy sigh.
'That….that wasn't so bad….' She told herself mentally. He might have been unconscious, but maybe, just maybe, some part of him was still listening, hearing the sincerity in her voice. That would be enough.
"That was good…wasn't it?"
...
A/N: I personally don't like how the fight with Sachiel turned out...much better than what I had originally written out but still...ah well, insecurities aside, hopefully it didn't leave too much of a bad taste in y'alls mouths.