Evangelion: Purity's End

A post End of Evangelion fan fiction

Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion. All rights are reserved for Hideaki Anno and Evangelion's respective creators. This is a work of fiction not canon and is in no way meant to supplement the actual film known as The End of Evangelion.

Chapter 6: "Good Faith"

"Great, Shinji gets to rest at home base while I'm stuck on scavenging duty," I let out an exasperated sigh. He couldn't help it, it had been about two months since Third Impact and he hadn't had a decent meal in weeks. My cooking skills weren't that great and considering he was sick, he would have to deal with whatever vile concoction I could think of or find.

Our health had taken a turn for the worst. At times I felt lethargic from all the junk food. There was hardly anything nutritious to eat except on the off chance of finding canned nonperishable fruits and vegetables. It was ironic really, considering my vision of a post-apocalyptic world saw its inhabitants emaciated from a lack of food; we actually managed to build up quite the surplus. Even after having lived with that slob Misato for months, I still hadn't gotten used to living off instant ramen. We had no time to worry about trivial things like our weight; most of our time was occupied with scavenging and renovating our base.

I kicked over a shelf in a dilapidated grocery store, hoping there would be some supplies on the floor. I stared at my pink skating sneakers and couldn't help but admire them. They were all the rage in America and Shinji had managed to get his hands on some when we searched a strip mall. Despite trying to adapt to a life style of post-apocalyptic disrepair, the vain side of me never left. I was happy with what I had but I couldn't help but cry every time I ran past a store and saw a perfectly good article of clothing half charred or covered in ash.

I slid myself under the shelf like a rat and balanced my flashlight in my mouth. I skillfully clicked it with my tongue as I held it in my teeth. I couldn't help but let out a disappointed sigh. "Damn, I just had to stumble upon the pet food aisle. This was the last one too!"

Angrily, I stomped on a bag of dog biscuits and started for the door. We had been using this grocery store as a supplier ever since we found it. We had cleaned it of all its food in a matter of weeks (granted we had only been living in this hell for a few weeks).

The grocery store was adjacent to the aforementioned strip mall. Most of the time we would go for the Recreational Equipment Inc. (funnily enough) to my disdain shortened to REI. Most of the outlets consisted of American franchises that somehow had made it over here. We were lucky to find clothes in a few instances that had managed to survive. It felt nice to finally be rid of that lousy plug suit. Unfortunately, there were no pharmacies nearby, antibiotics were a luxury now, a necessary luxury (that and entertainment).

My pack felt annoyingly empty. Except for a few cans of food it was definitely on the light side. "Well, I have nothing better to do…" I turned my attention to the mall. "Maybe a little window shopping will help kill the time I was supposed to spend finding food." Maybe I would find something to replace my outfit which consisted of a maroon and white striped track jacket, skinny blue jeans, and a black baseball cap. I jumped through the window of a store with broken glass scattered throughout the entrance. It looked like an old toy store.

What use did I have for toys? I couldn't even really salvage parts from these toys, most were defunct. This was probably some antique toy store owned by a family or something. I rested my hands in my pockets and continued to walk through the aisles, it was a small store. I spotted a giant red steel door which contrasted with the mostly grey atmosphere. I started for it. This was most likely the door that connected this old store to the one next to it.

"What the-" Before I could react, I fell flat on my face. I rubbed the sore spot on my forehead before getting back on my feet angrily. "What could have possibly…?" A pile of plush toys was strewn about the aisle. I had tripped on the basket that had fallen over which held them all. "I hate dolls."

I couldn't help but begin to clean them up. Maybe the owners would give me some sort of thank you when they returned (if they returned). One small little plushy in particular caught my attention. It was a small little hedgehog Beanie Baby. "Hah, Shinji the hedgehog. What a dilemma he has found himself in." I placed it neatly on the top of the pile with the other animals.

"Damn…" I stopped dead in my tracks. "I never thought I'd see you again." I stared at the last remaining stuffed animal. The tail was missing but I could still make out that same stuffed monkey that was given to me a long time ago as a child. I smiled mischievously before stomping on it. "I don't need to hold on to childish mementos like you. I grew up faster than others." I continued to the door.

The door was blocked by a large metal shelf. It would take a great amount of effort to move it. "If only Shinji was here…he'd probably just give me a talk about the tough getting gone." I slipped my bag off and rested it on the floor next to the basket of plush toys. I firmly pressed my back against the door to hold my weight in place while I pushed the shelf with my feet. "Okay…One…Two…Three!" I pushed as hard as I could until I could feel my back begin to ache.

I stopped for a while to catch my breath and crack my back against the door. "How does he put up with all this strain?" I again began to push the shelf with my legs, managing to finally inch it enough to give me space to open the door.

I smiled at my handiwork before turning to the door. The sign next to it stated that an alarm would go off, hah, I had always wanted to do this as a kid. I quickly turned the knob on the door and thrust it open dramatically…no alarm.

I didn't really get a look at the store next to the toy store from outside. The sign was gone so it was nondescript. There was a cash register right in front of me and what seemed to be several glass displays. Most of the displays were covered in ash. Whatever was in them had probably disintegrated or blown away. There were mannequins in the front of the store. They had fallen over but they weren't soliciting clothes, they were all wearing jewelry.

I wasn't particularly fond of jewelry. Maybe because my mother was never really there to teach me about the odd human adornments that my sex raved over. I walked towards the entrance, uninterested in exploring the rest of the jewelry store…I paused when a glimmer caught my attention. Where have I seen this glimmer before? I walked towards the front of the store where I saw the shine of what was probably a lone diamond which had managed to survive. There it was. I blew on the shelf to reveal…a ring. The ring Shinji had given me in that nightmare.

It must have been worth a fortune. Hell, even I wouldn't mind wearing the damn thing. I slowly picked it up, "Filthy." I wiped the ring on the sleeve of my jacket to reveal a resplendent and luminous shine. My eyes widened in fascination, I could feel them begin to water. You have him now…You have him now…You nearly drowned trying to get him back… "Why then can I not stop thinking about Kaji?"

"It's a beautiful ring isn't it? I bet you want the other one too for that self-proclaimed…husband of yours now don't you?" Wait…who the fuck was that. No more mind games. I turned around swiftly, no naked vision of Rei, no sick Shinji…a figure stood at the entrance of the jewelry store. "You want it right? Come on…take it." The figure reached into his coat pocket to reveal the second ring. The man concealed his face with a hood. He stood much taller than I and his voice was rough. Where the hell did he come from…was Rei not lying about a new genesis?

"Who are you? And how do you know about us?" I couldn't help but lick my lips when I saw the bright glimmer of the second ring. I didn't dare let my focus escape the man for more than a second though.

"You aren't the only survivor kid," said the man before clearing his throat. He disgustingly spat out an accumulation of phlegm from his throat. "I just want some food, alright? W-I've been watching you and that boy clean out that grocery store. I know you have food…and lots of it. It's my fault for not approaching you sooner; I would've taken some for myself if I'd have known you were going to ravage the place in a matter of weeks."

"You still haven't answered my question…what is your name…who the hell are you…and where the hell did you come from?"

The man lowered his gaze; I could make out a grin. "No trust? Do you do this with everyone you meet?"

"No…just you. In fact, you're the first person we've met." I drew my knife and swiftly managed to clear the space between us. He had no time to react; the knife was pressed right on his Adam's apple. "Do you have any weapons on you?"

"Yes."

"Drop them to the floor and don't try anything okay, sorry for the inhospitable attitude, friend, but I've never been in a situation like this."

The man reached into the hidden pocket in his coat to reveal a 9mm handgun. It looked American made. He dropped it nonchalantly making a heavy clang that echoed throughout the strip mall parking lot. "Is that all you have?" The man shook his head.

"I assume you want me to answer those questions of yours now, right? Or would you like me to drop my pants so you can get to the full cavity search?"

"I don't appreciate the comedy…name."

"Kozo…Kozo Itou."

"Where did you come from, Kozo?"

"Same place you did. From the bosom of the sweet mother. From the paradise you probably know as the Sea of LCL."

"You returned to human form? How long have you been back?"

"Long enough."

"…You've been watching us, haven't you, Kozo?"

"I know everything about you…Ms. Soryu. And I know everything about the situation you are in right now. You need medicine for that boyfriend of yours. I'll have you know that I cleaned out a pharmacy not too long ago, I can help you. You give me my gun back and give me some food and I'll take you to my little hideout and let you take all the supplies you need."

Ms. Soryu? "What's to say you won't kill me when I hand you your gun and take the knife off your neck?"

"Please…if I wanted to kill you, I would have done it already. Have some sympathy…all I want is some food. I've been running on scraps and a few happy thoughts for a while now…you must know how it feels, right?"

"Do you expect me to trust you after you just pulled a concealed weapon from out of your pocket?"

"Have some empathy will you? How do you think I feel standing here with a knife pressed to my neck by some girl young enough to be my daughter?"

"Stop making this difficult on me! Quit making me out to be the bad guy in this situation! I'm doing this for the best interest of the both of us."

"Best interest? You're basically sticking me up and forcing me to tell you where I've hidden my supplies. Thank the Mother we haven't gotten to that point yet."

It fell silent for a second before I resolved to take the knife off of his neck and kick his gun back to him. "If you are honestly trying to give me a sign of good faith, empty your pack on the floor right now."

Without question, Kozo took his bag off and slowly unzipped it before emptying the contents before me. Medical supplies…and a great deal of it. "Where did you get all this," I asked.

"I've cleaned out most stores and pharmacies of their medical supplies in about two square miles. It just so happens that you managed to raid the only spot in those two square miles where you can find a decent meal. I don't like to travel; I like to stay close to places I can salvage supplies from."

I let out a sigh before slipping my own bag off and emptying its contents before him. "This is all I have…I finished cleaning out the place today, there wasn't much left except for the stuff I have now."

"You expect me to give you all this medical supplies in exchange for that food that wouldn't last me more than a few days?"

"No…I don't expect anything from you." I could make out Kozo's face contort into a confused expression under his hood. "You can give me this stuff now…and give me more at a later time."

"And why should I do that?"

"The way I see it, you don't have very many options. I need what's yours and you need what's ours, simple is that. You take this food and I'll take those supplies off your hands. If you come to the derelict apartment complex a few blocks south of here with more of your stuff…I'll give you as much food as you can carry."

"That is where you kids have been holed up hasn't it?"

I nodded; I was trying not to rub off as disingenuous when such an opportunity had arisen. "So…what do you say, Kozo?"

Kozo sighed before giving his response. "I might not like to admit it, but you are right in this situation. I need food, and I don't plan on leaving the area to find it…You have yourself a deal. How is he doing anyway?"

I frowned. "Not too good. He's been sick for almost four days now. He keeps vomiting and he refuses to eat anything."

"I could take a look at him if you like; I am familiar with basic medical practices. In fact…here, take this as a sign of good faith." Kozo reached into his pocket and brought out the wedding ring that he had possession of. "I don't see what use it is going to be for you but it definitely would be better in your hands. I was once married but my wife and kids aren't…here yet."

"I'm sorry to hear that. And thank you for the antibiotics and the ring; I greatly appreciate the fact that you have accepted the offer. Sorry for acting hostile towards you, I've never been in a situation like that before. I really should be getting back to him now…"

"No harm done."

I quickly scooped up all the medical supplies in my bag and ran through the entrance of the jewelry store. If the ring didn't make Shinji ecstatic, I don't know what would. Wait till I tell him about Kozo too! All these thoughts rushing to me and all I wanted to do was run, run to reunite with Shinji, run to help him.

KOZO

"She has quite the amount of energy in her…what a free spirit." I inspected the food Asuka had left. "Hmm, this will do for now. We are going to need more though."

I reached into my pocket; I needed a cigarette to help calm my nerves. I lit it and slowly exhaled, relieving some of the stress that had invaded me. "That was a close call, I am lucky she didn't catch on to the act I was trying to pull." That act did cost me all that medical supplies though.

"No matter…Shun will definitely be pleased with me."

APARTMENT COMPLEX

"…Asuka please hurry back." I felt incredibly weak. Whatever had come over me was hitting me hard, whatever it was, it didn't want to leave.

I couldn't eat, that would just make me want to vomit. I was too scared to sleep, I have heard stories of self-asphyxiation…maybe this was just paranoia. All these horrible symptoms combined with the great amount of worry I had for Asuka's wellbeing made me helpless.

Four days and I had been bed ridden for the majority of them. "Asuka…" Loser. You are supposed to be the man in this situation. The only man left in the world and you can't even stand on your own two feet. Hiding behind the skirts of a little girl as Misato had put it.

Chapter 7: Coming Soon! Hope you enjoyed the previous chapter!

A/N: Monday, not too far off from my upload schedule I guess. To be honest I was having a lot of trouble writing this particular chapter, chapter 5 was really a fitting finale chapter (for Eva in that case) but I really desired to take this story into a different direction and I finally think I got it. Thank you for the support!