Neon Genesis Evangelion: Horizon of Eternity
by Bardic
Disclaimer: Neon Genesis Evangelion belongs to Gainax and Hideaki Anno. This is simply a piece of fanfiction based on the series. There, now since that's out of the way...
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Chapter 02: Children of Marduk
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The blast of cold air felt clammy against Asuka's bare skin as she stood inside one of NERV's numerous decontamination chambers. As soon as she arrived at the base a battalion of NERV medics in hazmats immediately rushed her here where she had stayed for the last half hour. Normally she'd be annoyed by such a callous welcome, but right now she had a lot of things to reflect on. Without meaning to a sigh escaped her.
"Something wrong?" Faye asked from another decontamination unit beside her, her voice sounding tinny through the comm-link speakers.
It was at the stripping room prior to these chambers that Asuka finally got to meet her newest co-pilot. Though their introductions were short she definitely caught a good vibe from her. Slim, blonde and pretty with clear green eyes and a firm voice, Asuka got the feeling that getting along with her would be a pleasure.
"It's nothing, really." the redhead answered after a moment. "I mean, I know I should be pretty happy right now after all that's happened, but..."
"Hey, don't strain yourself. Let those feelings ...ahh... work..themselves out." Faye finished her sentence hesitantly, obviously suffering from a loss in translation.
"Thanks." Asuka smiled to herself, grateful for the other girl's concern. -We've got to work on her Japanese, though.- she thought absently. "Did you get to meet everybody yet?"
"Major Katsuragi and Dr. Akagi greeted me with the medics back at the hangar. I've met the Commander before when he visited America." the blonde replied. "Then there's Ayanami Rei-san and Ikari Shinji-san, both of whom I haven't met in person."
At the mention of the last two names Asuka felt her old feelings for them return. Both disdain and dislike seethed inside her, their bitter taste filling her mouth. She took a deep breath and pushed both emotions away, the task taking no small effort. -I'm the one with the problem, not them.- she reminded herself gently before speaking to Faye.
"Both of them are nice, even if a bit weird. Rei's got a trauma of sorts, so she seems highly subdued and anti-social most of the time. Shinji ..well.. he's an idiot, but I guess he's a nice guy." Asuka said, slightly embarassed by the last bit.
"Ohh, I'm sure Shinji will be thrilled to hear that from you." Misato suddenly teased through the comm-link.
Asuka felt her cheeks heat up but let the barb pass. "Are we done yet? How much longer are we supposed to freeze in here?" she complained instead.
"Don't worry. You guys are about done." Misato chuckled. "Ritsuko would like to have a word with you though."
-No doubt about my experience regarding that last attack- Asuka sighed. "Sure, whatever gets us out of here."
"What about me?" Faye asked.
"You, my dear, are coming with me. We still haven't talked about your living arrangements." Misato answered after a moment. If Asuka didn't know better she'd say that woman was feeling a bit peevish over something. Faye simply voiced her consent.
"What's the matter Misato? Something wrong?"
From the comm-link Asuka heard Misato sigh. "Nevermind, Asuka. I'm gonna explain it to you as soon as you get home."
Suddenly she heard the air ducts snap shut and the fans switch off. A moment later the door behind her slid open, the cool mist around her feet escaping as it clung close to the ground. As she prepared to get out of the decontamination chamber Asuka wondered just what in the world was it that got Misato ticked off.
--
:SOME TIME EARLIER IN RITSUKO'S OFFICE:
Misato was chatting animatedly with Ritsuko, perched on a chair with her feet comfortably up on the blonde's desk. Ritsuko was finishing a cigarette and was about to add it to the substantial pile in her dirty ashtray when the subject of Faye went up. She reached for a folder, then told her companion about the nature of the details.
"WHAT!"
Misato's feet suddenly thumped loudly on the floor as she gave her friend an incredulous stare. Ritsuko noticed her eyes bulging and promptly informed the other woman about it.
"You've got to be kidding." Misato said flatly.
Ritsuko said she wasn't. In fact, she even read the details from the folder and explained the orders; about why it had to be this way. As she went on Misato slowly deflated until all the resistance she could muster was some feeble arguement.
"She won't fit. We're already pretty crowded in there. She might even run away." warned the purple haired woman in an a tone that the blonde scientist supposed was meant to sound intimidating.
Ritsuko poured herself a cup of coffee and pointed out that Misato has two spare rooms in her apartment. That finally took the fight out of the other woman, although she was still sulky about the whole thing.
"I guess I'd better go tell her about this then. Give me that damn file." Misato growled sullenly as she stood up.
Ritsuko handed the file to her with a reminder that she send Asuka up for their debriefing. Then she watched Misato stomp out of her office while browsing through the papers. -Anytime now.- the blonde scientist cocked her head in anticipation, sipping her coffee.
"WHAT!" Misato's muffled yell came from beyond the closed door.
Ritsuko leaned back on her chair and smiled.
---
"So that's how it's gonna be." Misato told Faye as they rode the elevator toward the parking area.
-I guess I should have expected something like this, considering where she grew up.- she noted as she eyed the girl's outfit. Faye was dressed in cropped denim shorts and a dark-green army tank top open at the midriff, with supple leather boots and a black baseball cap worn in such a way to allow her blonde pony tail to hang at the back. The outfit displayed a lot more of her slender flesh than most local girls would be comfortable showing in public, and she hardly seemed to notice that fact. -I doubt even Asuka would be willing to wear something like that in public.- she mused.
"Are you sure you guys are ok with this?" Faye asked as she shifted the travel bag slung over her shoulder. "I can always look for my own place, you know."
"Well, this is a direct order from NERV. The organization wants to have pilots stay in one place so that they would be easier to track, protect and supervise." Misato explained, if a bit lamely. "Also, they didn't want to deprive you the pleasure of a normal household. So there you have it."
"It's totally fine with me." Faye shrugged. "I just hope the others won't take this the wrong way."
"Well, Asuka seems to like you. You don't have to worry about the others." Misato assured her.-I'm not sure how Shinji would react though. I sure hope he finds all this a pleasant surprise, rather than freak out.- she added to herself.
With an electronic chime the elevator stopped and both women promptly got off. They walked in silence, their footsteps reverberating in the cavernous interior until they stopped in front of Misato's blue car. "Here we are." Misato announced as she unlocked the doors. "Get in." Faye obediently sat next to the older woman.
"So," Faye began as she fastened her seatbelt, "how long does it take to drive to your place from here?"
Misato paused as she thought about it. "Oh, usually about 15 to 20 minutes, tops." she answered, buckling herself up.
"You must live pretty near the base then." the girl concluded.
-Near? Yeah right. More like...Ohhh.- "I guess you can say that." she turned to Faye and winked before gunning the engine, grinning impishly.
Moments later the car roared out of the parking area with a horrified Faye seen clinging desperately to anything she could hold on to.
----
Rei sat quietly within the confines of her now empty, dilapidated apartment. The quiet atmosphere within was broken regularly by the sound of heavy construction being done nearby. Being so used to it by now the ruckus normally goes unnoticed, but at the moment they could be pounding right next to the girl for all they're worth and still get no attention from her. Lost in thought, her eyes remained fastened to the object she cradled in her hands, oblivious to the world around her.
When Dr. Akagi informed her of the sudden change in her living arrangements she hastily returned home, worried that somebody might take her most prized possession. As soon as she arrived she was relieved to see that while the porters went through her things already, what she looked for was right where she left it.
-How long have I left it there?- she realized with a start, noticing that it collected quite an amount of dust. What was more confusing to her was that now that she was looking at it she didn't feel anything special that held her to it, unlike before. She took the case from her desk and dusted it off, and since then she hadsat on her chair with it in her hands, trying to remember how she felt before whenever she held it like this.
With a snap she opened the case and gazed at the Commander's cracked wire-frame glasses. This was her treasure since that time he saved her from a berserking Eva 00. Yet now as she beheld it she discovered that it no longer evoked the feelings it once had. Her confusion grew, and with it came the unfamiliar feeling of anxiety.
-I don't understand. He saved my life. How can I forget that?- came the bewildered thought. -I was expendable, yet he hurt himself to save me. He made me feel special despite my unimportance.-
-You ARE special. How many times do you think Shinji and the others saved your life?-
Rei's eyes widened as she listened to that fading, disconcerted whisper.
It was happening again. Try as she might she could not imagine where the thought came from.
Of late she began to notice that she had been getting unfamiliar thoughts and impulses. At one of those impulses she bought a culinary magazine and startedto teachherself how to cook. Another effect was her growing wariness and discomfort whenever she was around Commander Ikari, which fast became puzzleto her. Now this; telling herself that she was special even knowing full well just how disposable she was.
-Yet why did Commander Ikari save me at that time? The others too. Shinji, Akagi-san, Katsuragi-san, NERV and everybody else. Why do they treat me as if I was special?- she pondered, realizing that the errant thought from a moment ago did in fact hold some truth.
-What about the others like me? Are they significant too? Besides knowing that they are all me I still don't feel anything special from them.- she continued, picturing the dark room with the huge vat that contained all her other selves. -Are they really like me? They don't speak, hear or breathe like I do. Is that what makes me so different from all of them? So ...special?-
She laid the open case with the cracked glasses on her desk, preoccupied with this puzzle that was suddenly brought to her attention. She never really cared about what people thought of her, yet had held on to the belief that the Commander considered her to be important. Then there were the undeniable actions of her peers as they continued to treat her the same way, albeit in varying degrees. They are curious about her. They worry about her. Whenever she goes into a mission she was always part of the team; her role serving a purpose rather than just being thrown negligently into the heat of battle in the hope of distracting the enemy. Whenever something goesawry she is not sacrificed, and people go to great lengths to try and save her. What she could not understand was why.
-Who am I, really? Am I special, despite being replacable?-
She had been asking these questions for as long as she can remember. After a lifetime of searching the only certain thing she knew was that the answers do not lie within her. There was a time when the Commander seemingly gave her some hope of a clue, but for some reason that was now gone. Instead a new path to her goal had been pointed out; one she ignored before, yet must travel on if she truly desires to understand who and what she is.
Having accepted what she must do she finally stood up, noting the sudden absence of the noise that usually fills the air of her former home. She paused, allowing herself to experience such a rare moment in her life. She suddenly felt a number of unfamiliar emotions crowd her chest and tried to identify all of them: there was anxiety, happiness, and anticipation. As soon as they were gone she sighed at the sudden emptiness that she felt, then quietly turned and walked out the door, making her way toward her new home.
Back inside the room all the disturbed dust in Rei's wake floated down as they settled, many finding their way into the open case and the broken wire-frame eyeglasses as it lay forgotten in the wooden desk.
-----
The car screeched to a halt, leaving skid marks across the neat paint that designated each vehicle's parking space. With a wide grin Misato watched Faye hastily climb out of the car with unsteady legs.
"Aww, c'mon. It wasn't that bad, was it?" the purple haired woman teased as she got off the car from her side.
"You said it was a 15 minute drive." the girl croaked.
Misato checked her watch. "Wow. About 9 minutes?" she said innocently. "That's got to be a new record." She watched as the girl took a couple of deep breaths in an effort to calm herself.
"What's with you? You got a death wish or something? I could have sworn you never took your foot off the pedal!" Faye shouted, obviously still a little shaken.
-I guess I overdid it.- she thought sheepishly. "Hey, don't worry about it. I was just in a hurry to get home. I usually drive slower than that." came her lame attempt at an apology. She ignored the girl's skeptical look. "Are you gonna be ok?" she asked, pointedly glancing at the girl's unsteady legs.
"I'll manage." Faye said through clenched teeth.
"Good, let's get going." Misato said as she started for the apartment complex. After a moment the girl fell in beside her and together they walked in silence. Once they climbed past the ground floor stairs Misato immediately spotted one of her new wards waiting by the door to her apartment, a small piece of luggage at her side. "I guess Ritsuko already told her then." she grumbled under her breath.
Faye glanced at the girl curiously. "Who's she?"
"Ayanami Rei. One of your new housemates." Misato answered shortly before calling the other girl over. "Rei! Over here!" she waved.
Misato admitted that she was flabbergasted when she first read in the file that Rei was supposed to live with them too. For some reason she simply could not picture the reticent girl living in such a colorful, lively environment. It was Misato's opinion that adding this much chaos in her life on such short notice could have a detrimental effect on the girl.
-God knows how hard it was to get Shinji to live here normally. I know she probably won't say anything but I really hope she's ok with all this. I wouldn't even have the slightest idea of how to handle things if ever SHE freaks out.- Misato fervently hoped.
As they approached Rei straightened from where she was leaning, her eyes on Faye. The blonde girl noticed the attention being given to her and immediately stepped forward, offering her hand. "Hello Rei-san. I'm Faye." she cordially greeted. Rei's gaze shifted to her extended hand. Misato held her breath as a few uncomfortable moments passed with Faye continuing to hold up her hand awkwardly, until finally Rei's right hand slowly rose and shook it.
"Hello..." the other girl hesitantly replied.
-Ok, so far so good.- Misato thought as she slowly released her breath. Without wasting any time she had the front door unlocked. "All right. Now go inside, both of you" she said, herding both girls toward the apartment's interior. -Now all I have to do is tell Shinji and Asuka. Piece of cake.- came her cynical thought as she closed the door behind her.
------
With a tired sigh Asuka closed Ritsuko's office door behind her, grateful to finally be allowed to return home. As she expected, the blonde scientist grilled her over what she had experienced during the angel attack. However, it was obvious that she was restraining her intensity and making an effort to be gentle, no doubt at the redhead's expense. It was all the better for Asuka since she had absolutely no intention of EVER sharing what she experienced with anybody. -It's bad enough that my shortcomings were slapped on my face. I don't even want to think how I'd feel if EVERYBODY else knew about them.- she mentally snorted. So by the time she was about to enter Ritsuko's office she already had her alibi ready.
-'I really don't remember much after I passed out' she remembered herself saying, not hesitating to put out a bit of acting to make her story sound believable. 'It was like some disjointed dream. Then I suddenly felt safe, as if my mother was there with me. The next thing I knew I awake and the Eva was reactivated.'-
She knew the whole story that she made up was weird enough for a dream and contained enough truth to make it plausible. It was her hope that the speech would convince Ritsuko to pass off all that happened as just some form of semi-conscious delirium. Yet the weird thing was that Asuka had the distinct impression that the older woman heard the answer that she expected.
-'Your mother, you say?' she remembered the scientist murmur from her seat. -'Very interesting, Asuka. Thanks for your time. Go home and rest up. We still have a lot of testing in store for you these next couple of days.'- With that she was shown the door, with such abruptness that she wondered if she accidentally blurted something other than her spiel.
She continued to mull over the entire conversation even as she took the train home. The more she thought about the whole thing the more suspicious she became, especially Ritsuko's seeming lack of interest toward her mother.
-I remember that mom was one of the head scientists back in Germany.- Asuka mused, suppressing the sharp pang she felt at her mother's painful memory. -I was told then that after an experiment she suddenly became mentally unstable. I bet Ritsuko knows something about that, from the way she reacted.-
When the train finally stopped at her station she immediately got off, making a mental note to dig deeper into this puzzle about the nature of her mother's line of work. Satisfied that she had that issue settled Asuka stretched, wincing as some of her sore muscles protested. -What I want now is a long, hot bath.- she imagined with a dreamy smile. Once she finally caught sight of their familiar apartment complex she quickened her pace, eager to be off relaxing inside the tub. A minute later Asuka was already in front of the apartment door. Seeing that it was unlocked she opened the door and peeked inside. She immediately noticed 3 pairs of shoes at the entrance, one of which was Misato's. -We've got guests?- she wondered. "Misato?" Asuka called as she closed the door behind her and took off her shoes.
"Asuka! Get in here, we've got something to talk about." she heard the woman reply from the dining room.
Much to Asuka's irritation, it would be quite a while before she got that bath she hoped for.
-------
The sky was already dark when Shinji finally found his way back to Misato's apartment. As soon as he left NERV early this afternoon he had been wandering around aimlessly in Tokyo 03, wrestling with a problem that he felt he had to face.
-Asuka.- Ever since he failed to muster enough courage to congratulate the girl for her victory back at the base he had left NERV in an effort to clear his head. Since then he had tried to think of other ways to resolve this issue with the redhead.
His first impulse, of course, was to avoid her. At first he strongly wanted to go home early then immediately go to sleep, thereby eliminating any need to face the girl until the next morning, where he planned to stay inside his room until she left. As tempting as it was though he decided against it and favored facing his fear head-on, congratulating the girl personally. -I'll still be living with her so I guess it would be much better if things were smooth between us.- he reasoned, telling himself that he made the right choice. However, thoughts on how Asuka would react continually nipped at his determination and made him hesitate, and thus he planned on staying away from home until he gathered enough courage face the fiery girl. The result was him arriving home a lot later than he expected while butterflies gamboled inside his stomach.
He slowly climbed the stairs and trudged to the door, noting with rising dread thatthe apartment's lights were on. -She's here!- came the panicked thought as his heart raced. He felt the strong impulse to turn and walk the opposite way but he forced himself to continue toward the door. A few moments later he was standing right in front of it, his stomach still churning and his heart trying to beat a hole out of his chest.
-Here I go.- Shinji took a deep breath and braced himself as he entered.
"I'm home." As soon as he spoke he noticed 4 pairs of shoes at the entrance. -Guests? At this late?- he frowned in confusion. However, before he can even bend over to untie his shoes two familiar voices shouted their reply from the dining room, their respective tones making him wince.
"Shinji! Do you have any idea what time it is? Get in here quick!" Misato shouted testily.
"Shinji! What the hell took you so long! You better get your butt here quick before I dragit in!" Asuka screeched acidly.
When Shinji got to the dining room a few moments later he was unprepared for what was waiting for him. He saw four women sitting at the dining table, eating what appeared to be instant ramen. Misato was in her uniform, arms under her breasts as she scowled at him. Rei was wearing her school uniform, seemingly undisturbed by the commotion as she continued to eat from her bowl. A very pretty blonde girl wearing skimpy shorts and a green top, whom he guessed was the new Unit 03 pilot, gave him a sidelong glance as she drank soup from her ramen. Finally Asuka, still in her school uniform, stood from her place at the table with her hands planted on her hips, fixing him with a glare that threatened to burn him on the spot.
"Wha..?" he began.
"You idiot! What took you so long?" Asuka exploded, waving an angry finger at him. "Do you have any idea how long we've been waiting for you? I can't even take a stupid bath because you had to get yourself lost and then took your sweet time to get home!" she fumed.
"That's enough, Asuka. We've still got things to talk about, or don't you want that bath?" Misato reminded her.
The redhead opened her mouth as if she still wanted to continue with her tirade, then seemed to decide against it. "You haven't heard the last of this, Shinji." she hissed at him as she sat down.
"Now as for you," Misato cooly said as she turned her attention to the boy, "get yourself on that seat and eat your ramen". She pointed imperiously to the emptychair with an unopened bowl of instant ramen beside Faye.
Shinji slowly obeyed, eyeing the new girl timidly. "Ahhh, Misato-san," he began hesitantly, "isn't it a little late for Ayanami and her to be here? I mean, how are they supposed to get home?"
Misato's face was a carefully composed, unreadable mask. "They ARE home, Shinji. Rei and Faye are going to be staying here from now on."
Shinji froze as his mind went over what Misato just said. Then it went over the statement again. Then it suddenly hit him.
"EEEEHHHHHH!"
Misato studied Shinji's stupified expression. -I should have known.- she thought sourly. "Shinji, close your mouth and just eat your damn ramen." she sighed, resigning herself to the hellish task of getting this household back on track.
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End of Chapter 02
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AUTHOR's NOTES:
Got questions! Don't hesitate to ask:D
Q n A:
1.) Am I going to have pairings in the fic? (SxA, SxR, etc)
--- As of now I don't have any specific pairings in mind. See, what I try to do is get the characters as 'in-character' as possible and allow them to interact with one another in certain situations (such as putting them all togetherunder one roof). Given that, I see that possibility of future pairings making themselves known as the fic progresses.
XD.
Thanks to all who read. Don't forget to review. :D