[This is a Community Project, for more Info read the Author's note at the bottom!]

II: Mourning

Twelve hours before Kasumi's recovery.

She walked along the crimson stained streets, all the workers and civilians seemed to ignore her. Her robes around her, covering her. She strolled past a few soldiers unseen, she kept walking until she reached ground zero. She kneeled down and placed her hand into a puddle of LCL. She lifted a piece of bone, a face plate, from it, "Brother..."

She looked at it, an orange liquid dripped from her glowing red eyes, they trailed down her own plate like tears. Her eyes, now flowing with the strange tears, looked up to her ivory god, Unit-21, "This is your will isn't it?"

The baptized Evangelion's inactive eyes were covered by a cloth but, it gazed at the cool-night sky nevertheless. Its source of light, the stars. Which knighted the bio-mech in a holy light. She sat in a pool of her kin's blood, staring at this... her god. The beauty enamored her, its smooth plating, its color, white. Everything about it made her core swell, "It is..."

She rose, still holding the plate, "It is your will..." Her eyes narrowed, "I will bring salvation to all!"

Five hours earlier.

Several armed men took aim on a platform anchoring the beast into a stable position. A few scientist poked and prodded at the entry port until it ejected. A unsuspecting soldier accidentally shot in the air, startled by the jettison, "Shit! Sorry guys!"

After a tense air of silence, the scientist took plasma cutters and began the pilot's liberation. After a tedious amount of slicing, they breached the entrance of Unit-21. Inside a girl in a white and red plugsuit sat in her couch. The LCL still within the plug reached to her thigh. Her hair drooped down to her shoulders, she didn't open her eyes.

One of the scientist rushed in. Moving fralish, the scientist placed two fingers against her neck, a pulse. The scientist whipped towards the entrance, "She's alive! Get the medics!" The scientist's transparent, blue visor watched the girl with her aged, jade eyes, "You're ok Kasumi, you're ok...!"

Present.

Ammonia, rubbing alcohol, ugg old people. Kasumi knew where she was, "Fricken hospitals." She opened her eyes carefully, the light blinded her momentarily. She shielded them until her pupils adjusted.

She tried moving her left arm, but it didn't obey. Her eyes traveled downwards, oh that makes sense. Asuka was holding her arm, pinning it to her medical bed.

Kasumi gingerly poked her mother's scared arm. The blemish itself carved all the way from the space of her knuckles, to the middle of her bicep. From her daughter's rouse, Asuka woke. For a moment she was angry that someone had the balls to wake her but, when she saw Kasumi that thought flew out the window.

Grabbing her daughter tightly, she began, "You dummy..." She pulled her offspring even closer, "You know what I'd done if you didn't make it."

Kasumi returned her embrace equally, "You would've killed me, I know."

A long, kinda awkward, silence ensued until Asuka broke away. Taking a deep breath, she started her assault, "Why the hell were you in a Evangelion! I told you that they're dangerous!"

Kasumi thoughts immediately became interested in the ceilings cracks and dents, "... I..." she stopped, "...I guess I wanted to be like... him."

Asuka eyed her daughter in disbelief, she knew now the stories she told her way back when were backfiring now. Dragging another lungful of air into her, she sighed, "Honey, you don't have to prove anything, just be yourself."

Kasumi's cheeks flared, "How am I suppose to be myself when I don't know who I am?!"

Asuka's classical anger shown in her next statement, "You're my daughter! And that's all that matters to me! Don't think just because you reactivated an Eva with a ONI complex that you're the shit!"

What the hell is a ONI complex? Regardless, Kasumi continued, "It felt good! It felt natural! I love piloting that Evangelion, it made me happy!"

Asuka, not wanting to lose a verbal war, started with another bombardment when the steel shoji into the room slid open. A elderly, mid forties Akagi walked into the room. Kasumi saw her and nearly leaped from her bed.

"Nanna Rits!"

Ritsuko smiled warmly, "Hello deary," she swiveled towards Asuka, "I heard your 'discussion' so I wanted to intervene."

Kasumi happily gleamed her, "How've you been?"

She returned to Kasumi, "Good, you're lucky that you didn't die young lady."

Asuka, still fuming, asked, "Why are you here? I said only to enter-"

Ritsuko interrupted, "Well that's why I came in, I need to talk." She waved for her to follow.

Asuka rose from her chair, "We're not finished ok?" She leaned down and peeked her daughter's forehead, then left the room. She entered AUGE's medical ward.

She found Ritsuko leaning against a medical table, Asuka huffed, "Well, what is it?"

Rits took a folder and dusted the AUGE logo (a pyramid with an eye looking upon it.) "Look at this."

Asuka retrieved the folder and ripped into it, "X-rays?" Ritsuko nodded, so she continued, "...This is-"

"Her heart? Yes."

Asuka digested the picture with her one eye constantly, "But... the VSD... it's gone." The hole between the upper and lower chambers of Kasumi's heart had disappeared. "How..."

"That's not all."

Asuka's eye widened, then trailed the pictures, "...Oh my god..."

Ritsuko smiled, "I had the same reaction. Isn't it wonderful? The radiation is gone, the leukemia too. It's a miracle."

Asuka's back slammed into the wall, she held the file close to her. She began crying, she's going to be ok, her little girl's gonna be ok.

Ritsuko walked next to her and wrapped her arm around Asuka's shoulder, "I looked into Unit-21's biolog, it seems to've regenerated missing or infected tissue. So you have it to thank."

Unit-21... Asuka whipped her tears away, "How'd it do it?"

Ritsuko shrugged, "Well, to heal a Lilim is rudimentary with a S² Organ."

Hospital room 012.

Kasumi blankly stared at the ceiling above her, thinking, "This feels weird..." She inspected the room, a end table next to her, a TV in the upper right-hand corner, and a few scattered seats. She removed her blanket and began to remove her IVs.

The steel shoji reopened, it frightened her temporarily. Asuka walked in, still processing Ritsuko's advice. Kasumi tumbled into the floor before Asuka, looking up nervously, "Hey mama..."

Asuka sighed and reached into her hoodie pocket, she pulled her red beret out. While she placed it on, she asked, "Do you feel good enough to leave?"

Kasumi nodded cautiously, "Well," her mother began, "you're Unit-21's designated pilot now."

"Really?! No way! Why the change of heart?"

Asuka growled lowly, "You're a pilot but, you aren't participating in any event. So I don't want a single nerve in your brain to think about it!"

Kasumi pouted and didn't reply. Asuka walked over towards the end table, "Here." From the drawer, she threw Kasumi a set of clothing, Asuka walked towards the entrance, then stopped, "Be ready in five."

She left her daughter inside there, alone. Kasumi studied the plastic baggy curiously, "Well, I'm a pilot now." Another, more agonizing thought came to mind, "God, I hope I don't have to deal with her."

Eva Cages.

After a quick change, Kasumi found herself behind her mother, walking into a large cage. Inside, Kasumi's beast waited, "Kasumi," Asuka flipped a switch, "This is your unit Evangelion Unit-21."

Kasumi gasped, "What happened?!" Her machine reeked of blood, its finish confirmed the smell, "Why is it red?"

Asuka looked into Unit-21's four, hollow eyes, "The being that you bull-rushed got torn to pieces by your Unit. All the red is what remains of it."

Kasumi gawked at Unit-21's helm, the LCL raced down the twenty some thousand layers of armor plating like tears, "...It protected me." She smiled and place her hand against the Unit's bloody cheek, staining her own hand. She held it there, a reward for its service.

Asuka tenderly observed them, after Kasumi retracted her hand, she walked over to her. Asuka then stood shoulder -to-shoulder with her, "There's something else you need to know. It's that-"

"Captain!"

That voice, oh god... Kasumi tensed every footstep that her "Sis" took until she stopped behind her, "Hey Kasumi!"

Kasumi weakly smiled, "Hey Hanako."

Hanako pursed her lip, "Are you alright sis?"

"From what?"

Hanako jabbed her finger towards Unit-21, "That."

"Oh," Kasumi shrugged, "Yeah, I'm fine."

Her self proclaimed kin smiled widely, "Aren't you excited?!"

Kasumi recoiled slightly, "For what?"

"Didn't Captain Soryu inform you?"

Said officer snickered quietly while her daughter turned towards her in pity, "I call it syncronization, Kasumi. Me and your father did it, if we can survive it then you can too."

Kasumi felt like crying, "So Hanako's going to be living with us? ...Again?"

"No." Thank god Kasumi thought, her mother broke that sweet bliss, "All the pilots are going to live with us."

"Eh!?"

To both Asuka and Kasumi's surprise, Hanako joined in unison with Kasumi. She cleared her throat, saying, "I'll get the pilots ready..." She walked away, her shoulders hanging at her sides.

Once she left, Asuka returned to Kasumi, "Well, I'll give you a rundown of the facility."

Around noon.

Kasumi threw herself onto a couch, exhausted from her mother's "walkthrough" of AUGE. Now she waited for the enviable, the others arriving. She tended her temples, sighing heavily.

It came. Their doorbell rang once, Kasumi groaned, "Already?"

She rolled of her davenport and walked towards the entrance. With regret, she opened it, "He~y sis!" Hanako barged in, her arms empty of her baggage. She seemed to have reignited her excitement for returning home. The remaining pilots walked in single-file.

Hei walked in with his AUGE windbreaker and plugsuit on, he took note of the living room where he most likely would sleep. Marcus calmly walked forward, holding his bag carefully. Not a very big room, he hopes the rest of the complex can house them. Thomas struggled through the door with Hanako's "toiletries" and walked back out to get his sack.

And Kaba, she walked in... her eyes. Unit-14's pilot froze, she'd caught Kasumi's irises. A dull, steel blue... just like the Jay's feathers... Kasumi felt awkward from Kaba staring into her, she's use to guys eying her but, this felt... different.

Kasumi waved her hand around her face, this broke Kaba's hypnotism. She returned into her placid state, "I am sorry." She walked away calmly, as if nothing had happened.

Kasumi, slightly disturbed, left the pilots in the living area and searched for her mother. "Mama!" She climbed a flight of stairs and found her shaving her legs in the bathroom, "The pilots are here."

"Ok, I'll be down there in a sec."

A few minutes of limbotic silence and Asuka finally came down into the ground floor. All the pilots, including her own daughter, sat on the floor, couch, or love seats. She plopped into a chair and sat there. Hanako drummed her fingers against the couch until she couldn't resist, "So... what now."

Asuka shrugged, "Well, I think we should assign sleeping quarters."

Hanako immediately volunteered, "I'll sleep in your room!"

Asuka nodded, "Alright. Hei?"

"Yes?"

"Where would you like to sleep?"

His eyes lazily drifted around the room, "I will sleep here."

"Why? There isn't any air conditioning down here. It'll get hot tonight."

"Because."

Asuka growled, "Well 'because' you said that you'll sleep in our room too."

Hanako pouted, while Hei rolled his eyes, "Fine."

Asuka turned towards Thomas, "You wouldn't mind sharing a room with Marcus and Kaba?"

"No ma'am."

"Well then," Asuka stood, "I think me and Kasumi will start fixin' din."

Thirty minutes later.

Asuka stood alone in the kitchen with Kasumi next to her, peeling a few potatoes. She started to steam the rice, when Kasumi asked.

"You brought them here to punish me didn't you."

Nonchalantly, Asuka nodded, "In a way, yeah. But really, you need to let other people into your comfort zone."

Kasumi's peeled potatoes now were being diced by her, "I did that once already! When you brought Hanako back from Poland I thought it'd be cool to have a surrogate sister."

"You guys got along fine."

Kasumi huffed, "Yeah when I was ignoring her."

Asuka kept silent at that, thinking, "Well she's more like me than Kasumi." The rice finished and Asuka reached for her ceramic plates, "Well, can those potatoes and we'll eat."

Kasumi silently followed her mother's orders, quickly jarring them. Asuka, as she canned them, told her to tell everyone else dinner was ready. Once again, she did as she was told and walked up the stairs.

She walked into her mother's room where Hei and Hanako had finished unpacking. Hei noticed her without hesitation, asking, "Pilot Ikari?"

By the time he asked, Hanako finally saw her. Kasumi bobbed her head towards the hallway, "Yeah, din's ready."

Both pilots walked past her. As they went down, she searched for the other pilots. She found them in the last room down the hallway. Kasumi peeked in, "You guys hungry?"

In the room Kaba held her knees close to her chin, thinking about earlier. Her muse was broken as Kasumi peeked in, at which point Kaba gave all of her attention to her. Marcus was laying on a futon until she came in, "Yea where hungry."

Kaba swung her legs out of the bed and began walking towards the door until Kasumi asked, "Where's Tom?"

Kaba looked around but Marcus meekly pointed his index towards the other cot, where Thomas watched an really ancient anime about samurais on his netbook. Kasumi walked over and gently pulled his earplugs out, "Hey! What the f- oh," He recovered quickly, "Sorry ma'am, just in the' zone."

"It's fine."

A few minutes of shuffling seats and table adjustments ended when all seven pilots and Asuka sat at the extended tabletop. Seven rice bowls for all, each holding a hefty amount of plain white rice. Everyone dug into their meal except Thomas, who clapped his hands together, silently whispering.

Kasumi stopped mid-shovel in woe at what he was doing, "What are you doing?"

He ignored her, "...amen." Thomas then replied, "Saying grace."

Asuka grunted, "I told you that crap's useless, Tom."

Kasumi, being naturally curious, asked, "Why?"

The glare was immediate, in the kitchen, the sound of a grain dropping could be heard. Asuka breathed calmly, "The Angel Wars weren't exactly kind to me Kasumi." She rolled her right hand's sleeve down, "And the only damn thing 'God' has ever done for me is give me this." Her index pointed harshly towards the long scar, "The only thing I would ever consider a gift from anyone was your father's gift, you."

Kasumi flexed her hand, a technique her mother taught her. The rest of the meal was silent, no one even made eye contact. The night's gonna be rough...

Around nine at the Soryu residence.

Settling into their beds, all the Eva pilots restlessly slept in their beds except Hei, who'd taken it upon himself to rest in a chair. In Kasumi's personal room she silently stared at her ceiling, thinking, "So alien, yet so familiar."

In the cramp, sweltering room inhabited by three pilots, Kaba traced her finger over the area between her breast's bra, her heart. It'd swollen from her meeting that girl, Kasumi. Her eyes were so... beautiful. They reminded her of freedom, freedom from Eva, freedom from AUGE, freedom from all earthly bonds. The color of a Jay's feather, cobalt blue.

For the first time in her short life she seeked advice, "Pilot Kuznetsov..."

From the bed across from her, Marcus whimpered, "What'd ya want Kaba."

Momentarily, she didn't know how to start, "...What do you think of Ikari..."

"Kasumi?"

"Yes."

He shrugged, "Well she showed us, all in her first flight too. I kinda made me feel... well, for a lack of a better term, worthless. Here I was unable to do anything to help her, she shouldn't 'ave to do that. I should've." Marcus smirked, "I... admire her in that aspect."

Kaba looked away, "I see... What of Pilot Oliver?"

Thomas groaned, "Tryin' to sleep Kaba, tryin' to sleep."

In Asuka's room Hanako dreamt happily with her huddling up against Asuka, her adopted mother. Her dream was of their first meeting when she was but a scavenging beggar. Asuka gave her her nickname, "Little Genius" after she outsmarted Asuka in an argument over her purse, which Hanako had snatched.

Asuka herself slept peacefully, unlike the previous nights. Hei, still sleeping in his chair, snored faintly. Creak. Military conditioning, he immediately whipped out his personal USP Tac. 45, his amber eyes scanned the room. A shadow, the balcony.

Hei quietly walked towards the sliding glass doors and opened it. Nothing. He spun around in circles, how had he mistaken that? Maybe the indoctrination was decaying his mind, who knows.

Reluctantly, he left the porch. He reasoned that he was becoming defective, and should console Akagi for mental recalibration. Hopefully that will fix it, if not then... He stopped thinking that.

Pitch black darkness... "Tauros, Identification Ritsuko Akagi." Two red eyes appeared, then slid into the earth. The guardian of the Seventh circle retreated into the earth to rest while the harpy tended to the rings.

Dr. Akagi walked forward, a box and files under each arm. She continued walking the sandy beach until she met the LCL, where a Zodiac waited for her. She climbed into it, igniting the engine. As the small vessel skimmed over the soupy surface, enormous, bony extrusions stuck out from the water.

The countless failed Evangelions laid in their preserving tombs. Each slightly different from the last. Once Akagi reached the next beach, the second ring, she checked AUGE's conduits.

The Mass Production Evangelions. Each still within their fixated, crucifix pose, their heads missing. What remained of the petrified armor would soon rust away in time. The only difference now is that they were being fed LCL, this gradually regenerated their cores for use.

After careful inspection, she left the second ring. Still connected by land, she passed into the third ring. The Containment ring, as she neared the center, Akagi noticed something odd, "Hmm, the A-L prototype seems to've begin to decay."

The "A-L Prototype" stood crucified on a cross as a lanky, feminine, white titan. The one place of decay Akagi spoke of was its arm, the left one. A chunk of flesh had fallen off slowly, dragging the tendons and muscles attached with it. Akagi took a mental note that they needed to supply... "her" with a better nutrient/protein wall.

"Nya, nya!"

Oh, someone's calling her. She reached into her pocket, "Well crap." She plugged her special VR-Sunglasses and took the call, "Akagi present."

Within her field of vision, she scanned the pyramids forming near her, the apexes bastardised at bottom instead of their natural position, the top.

One reverse pyramid named, Zonule, questioned Akagi in a distinct British accent, "How is A-L's decomposition rate since the previous meeting?"

"It's worst."

Macula, a voice thick with a African tongue asked, "Worse? We gave ya as much energy as we could! How could it be'h gettin' worse?"

"Now, now Macula," Retina, the head of their council, spoke on Akagi's behalf, "I'm sure Miss Akagi is doing her best, am I right?"

"Yes..."

Retina took her answer and began with the other members, "Fovea, Cornea, Sclera, Iris, any of you have anything to share?"

They replied in a odd unison, "No."

Retina remained quiet, "...Dr. Akagi, have you received Cornea's package?"

She nodded, "Yes."

"Good... The council is adjourned for one hundred and sixty-eight hours."

Her feed ceased, "Well, that was sudden..." Akagi felt odd as she removed her glasses, she looked up, "I really dislike being here."

But then again, she thought, she does have the world at the balls now. "Those idiots," she quietly mocked, "they think they're gods among men, but 'my' AUGE control both gods. And we mustn't allow either of our 'enemies' rapture."

Preview to Chapter Three: Revival

Deep within AUGE, a body floated wistfully in its liquid prison. The soulless vessel would be completed soon.

The only entrance opened, the taps of heels filled the empty room. She walked up towards the body with a package still underneath her arm. She reached into her kitty pocket-protector and retrieved a box cutter knife.

Tenderly, she cut the box open, careful to not harm the contents. Once the tape and stuffing had been removed, she cautiously held a small red orb in her hand. Its size no more than a apple.

She leaned into her hand, whispering, "I'm sorry, but it's time."

The small red orb illuminated then flew out of her hand and smashed into the glass container. The warm, soupy liquid poured into the floor. The core she once held now hovered over its new home. Finally, it flawlessly entered the shell, giving it life.

It shuttered, then halted. The woman walked closer to it, "Are you feeling fine?"

She couldn't see its eyes behind its white bangs, it replied with his new body, "...Is this the twenty-fourth? Akagi?"

She put her hand on his shoulder, "...Yes Gabriel, I'm sorry."

She saw a single tear chase down his cheek, he lifted his head, flashing his bright crimson eyes, "What am I needed for...?"

It has begun! The biannual Evangelion Tourney is coming! The children collect towards Tianjin-4! But who are they?

We need pilots! If you make one, and if it's good enough, we'll add him/her to the story! To reach the Pilot Creation Sheet see here www dot fanfiction dot net/topic/130733/83809292/1/

For all of you who are new to my stories, I reply to any and all PMs or Reviews, so fire away! 8D