Disclaimer: Evangelion Not Mine. However, the characters I have created for this fic belong to me…me! The Lord of all Penguins! Right, PenPen? Oh, I should warn you now, this chapter can be a bit confusing…the scenes jump around during the day, but I think if you think about it, you can piece it together Think "Pulp Fiction" and you'll be fine.
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"So, it happened again did it?" Satoru began, staring at the young man across from him. Yuu sat quietly for the moment, staring down at the bandage on his arm, his brow twitching slightly. His eyes shifted, now staring at a small clay figurine clasped in his hand. 'So he crafted that one too…' Satoru thought as looked over the figure that Yuu traced his fingers over. 'What's that…ten…twenty, now?'
"It's because I saw it. It scared me…it reminded me so much of that place." Satoru's expression shifted to one of annoyance with the boy before him.
"You're still calling it by that name? Why don't you just call it what it is?" Satoru grumbled, watching Yuu. "It was the sea of life."
"Shinji-kun, I wanted to speak with you." Satoru spoke as Misato, Yuu, and Asuka left after a brief introduction. Shinji paused and looked to Misato as she was leaving. She gave a brief nod before the door closed, separating them. Shinji turned his eyes to Satoru for a moment, a bit perturbed by the man. Satoru stared down at him, smiling as the young boy spoke.
"What is it, Commander Yoichi?" Shinji asked, his hands hanging at his sides, fingers running over the fabric of his clothes nervously.
"Please, call me Satoru unless the situation calls for otherwise. And right now, it doesn't." He flicked the sunglasses on his forehead to adjust them, walking to his desk and sitting down in the seat. He extended his hand over the console on the edge of the desk and pressed a few keys, causing a chair to rise from the floor in front of the desk.
"Sit, Shinji-kun. You're going to want to for this." Satoru's smile faded in to his usual smirk, and he let his hands rest on the armrests. Shinji stared at the chair that rose from the floor, supported by a single beam which the chair itself could swivel upon. Slowly, he made his way to the chair and sat down, taking a few moments to find the most comfortable position on the chair. Satoru brushed his hair out of his eyes before he began again.
"I have a few questions for you, as well as some things I'd like to discuss. For starters…" he lifted the files he had laid on the desk, looking at them as he paused, before glancing at Shinji to speak. "…I would like to talk to you about a certain time…about three months ago." Shinji's attention snapped up as he set his eyes on Satoru.
"Th-three months ago? The…failed attack on NERV?" Satoru shook his head, leaning back in his chair.
"No…three months ago…Third Impact." Shinji froze with shock at those words. How did Satoru know about that? Before Shinji could react, Satoru continued. "No doubt you're confused. You see…" He sorted through the files and produced a large stapled grouping of papers.
"As I was doing research to take over this position, I chanced across some files, describing the entirety of Third Impact. However, according to this file, NERV was obliterated. Unit 02 was destroyed by SEELE mass production Evangelion Units 05-13, and you yourself…" He paused, looking to Shinji, who was shaking fearfully, his head lowered as he stared at his hands, gripping his knees as hard as he could. Satoru nevertheless continued.
"…you underwent a truly incredible experience." There was a long pause, before Satoru sighed and set the files down. Shinji drew in choked breaths as he tried his best to speak.
"How…how do you know all of this?" Satoru chuckled at the boy's present state, adjusting the tightness of his uniform around his neck.
"How indeed. You are the one who shaped this world, are you not? The only real person you can ask that question to is yourself." He stood now and walked around his desk, folding his hands behind his back. He stood off to Shinji's right, staring towards the door.
"Why do you think all of this knowledge has come to be in my hands? It's no mere coincidence, don't you agree?" Satoru glanced over to Shinji as his form shrunk even more, his shaking growing greater.
"How should I know?! I didn't even want this to happen…I wanted everything to be normal. I never wanted to see Eva or Angels again…" Satoru shook his head, placing a hand on Shinji's shoulder.
"You know what I think? I think maybe you wanted someone to have all the answers to your questions. You wanted someone to confide in who knew what happened to you." Shinji looked up to Satoru for a moment, staring as the man shifted away from the boy and turned his back to him.
"However, I'm not going to give you all the answers. I don't have them. Even if I do have an answer, I'm not going to help you every step of the way. You have to do things on your own if you ever want to grow." He looked over his shoulder to the young boy. Shinji gritted his teeth and stared down at the floor, bitter now, rather than stressed or shocked.
"Then why?! Why did you bring all of this back up to me? I don't want to remember any of that! I wanted to forget it! I wanted to move on…" Satoru stared at the now sobbing Shinji, and folded his arms over his chest.
"Running away are you? I thought you wanted to get stronger?" Shinji stopped his tantrum briefly to look to Satoru, who returned to his seat and took a seat, lifting his files once again. "Only when we climb up from rock bottom, do we gain real strength." Satoru looked past his papers to Shinji, who remained silent. After a moment, he spoke somewhat cynically.
"Go. I don't want you in here, if you're going to be a coward." He folded the top half of the papers down to get a better view of Shinji. "I don't have time to waste on children." Shinji's form stiffened, and memories returned to him.
"I don't have time to waste on a petulant child." Gendou's voice echoed through Shinji's mind. 'No…I won't…' Shinji stared at his hands for a moment, watching as he inadvertently opened and closed them, his joints cracking each time he did as the muscles stiffened within.
"A child?" 'I won't let you be right!' "I'm not a child anymore…" 'I said I was going to accept what comes…but…I can't…not this' Shinji stood and held balled fists at his side. "I'm not a child, damn you!" he turned towards the door and began to sprint, only stopping for the door to open as he ran out of the room and through the halls. Satoru sat with a smirk on his face, watching the boy.
"Well…that got him riled up, didn't it?" He spoke aloud, to himself, as he dropped the files onto his desk, watching the blank pages spread out upon it's surface.
"Though, it was a bit early for me to use my trump card." His eyes narrowed slightly. "Did I unwittingly play into his hand? Is this what he wanted to happen?"
Shinji ran blindly through the halls, overcome with a complex of emotions. Fear, anger, anxiety, and paranoia all flooded his mind as he ran. The hallway wasn't even a hallway to him, just grey blurs with vaguely square shapes, twisting and turning like a slide. He rounded a corner and collided with another who gave out a soft gasp as they fell. Shinji toppled over beside them, then shifted upright to look. Another shock, but the feeling had been dulled to him today. He sat still for a moment, simply staring, before he uttered the words in his mind.
"Ayanami…" Rei sat up and stood slowly, looking at Shinji for a moment. After some time, she spoke now.
"Why have you done this…Ikari?" Shinji raised a brow, unsure of what she meant. He stood to be at eye level with her, but she spoke again before he could.
"Why have you brought me here again?" Rei didn't wait for a response, turning from him to walk away. Shinji watched her leave for a moment, when a thought finally occurred to him.
"But…I didn't…" 'Why is Rei here? I couldn't…I thought I couldn't…' Shinji stood and let his arms hang down at his side. Of all the emotions swirling through his mind, confusion took over, and he stared down at his feet. 'Everything is happening at once…what am I supposed to do?'
"It looks like your hunch was correct after all, Yoichi-sama." Kaji murmured, dropping a few pictures on the desk. It had been only a single day since Kaji had left on his assignment, and already he had returned. Satoru stood to walk by his side and look at the pictures, each displaying a large mass covered in a tarp, though the final picture showed a large white arm extending from beneath the tarp. At that, Satoru chuckled and placed a hand inside his pocket.
"It would seem so. That means you buy the drinks this time." After a moment, Satoru's comical nature reverted to serious. "Still, I'm left to wonder how they managed to get Lilith out of Terminal Dogma with nobody noticing." Satoru glanced over to Kaji for a moment, as the other man began to speak.
"It more than likely happened when we were in Fukuoka, retrieving the Eva." Satoru nodded and stood upright, placing his hands behind his back.
"They lost Adam, so they're using Lilith to make the new Mass Production Models?" Satoru paused, letting thoughts run rampant. 'So you're going to use Lilith for your agenda. Seems ironic, don't you think?' Wait… Satoru placed his hand on his desk and picked up the picture of Lilith underneath the tarp. 'They have Lilith…then they have…!' Satoru turned to stare at the door, speaking to Kaji.
"Kaji. Keep an eye on Rei." Kaji raised a brow and looked to Satoru, no longer leaning on the desk either.
"On Ayanami? Why…" Satoru flicked the sunglasses on his nose before glancing to Kaji.
"They have Lilith. We can't afford to let our guard down concerning Rei. They could easily make a new Rei as a spy and eliminate our Rei." Kaji's gaze became just as serious as he nodded.
"I'll do what I can, Yoichi-sama." Satoru slammed a hand down on the desk, the sunglasses nearly falling off of his face at the harsh motion, letting his sharp eyes pierce into Kaji.
"No! I want it done, do you understand?! You do it, and no screw ups! We can't make another Rei, and if we lose ours, we're vulnerable, got it?!" Kaji simply stared as Satoru sighed and calmed down, fixing the sunglasses.
"Have I ever disappointed you, Satoru?" Kaji stated, simply, turning to the door as he started off. Satoru watched him, then chuckled, leaning on his desk.
"No, you haven't. I expect success, is all." His smirk faded as Kaji left, and Satoru stared at the pictures on his desk. He gathered them up and placed them within a drawer on his desk, then started towards his door as well. As he opened it, however, he was met by a familiar face, surprising him. The young boy before him wiped his eyes with a bandage around his forearm.
"Oh, Yuu…is something the matter?" Yuu gritted his teeth as he looked up to Satoru, trying to compose himself.
"Senpai…" Yuu muttered, clutching a small clay figurine in his hand.
"I wonder what went wrong with the equipment?" Shinji mused aloud, walking between Yuu and Asuka on their way to school. Asuka raised her arms up in a shrug, scoffing.
"Who cares? The fact is that the tests were moved to today. Thinking about it won't change anything." Yuu nodded, looking over at Shinji as he raised a single finger.
"She's right Ikari-kun. It's best to just forget about it for now. If you let it bother you, it will disrupt your scores." Shinji glanced up to Yuu for a moment, having had a sudden revelation.
"Speaking of which, I was wondering. How long have you piloted Eva?" Yuu thought for a moment, then chuckled, staring ahead.
"Well, I've never actually been inside Eva…" Asuka turned her attention to Yuu now, her head snapping around to look at him.
"What?! You've never even piloted Eva before? How could you be a pilot, then?!" Yuu folded his arms over his chest, nodding.
"That's true, but…I've done plenty of simulations using simulation bodies." He glanced over to Asuka, then smiled nervously. "Not that knowing that puts you at ease at all." Asuka grumbled and faced ahead again.
"Of course it doesn't! To know I'll by fighting alongside a rookie nobody like you! It's insulting! It's bad enough to have to pilot alongside Shinji, but you too? Oh, my life is going from bad to worse." Shinji looked over to Asuka for a moment, then back to Yuu.
"Don't mind her, she's like that with me too." Shinji murmured, causing Yuu to laugh, brushing his hair out of his eyes.
"It's alright. As mean as she is, she does make a point. I have no combat experience, so it'll be a first for me should I get sent onto the field." Shinji nodded, looking ahead as they walked. All save for Yuu stopped, however, once they saw a familiar face walking to school from a slightly different direction as themselves. Noticing his friends no longer at his side, Yuu stopped and turned to look at what they were staring at, until his eyes fell upon Rei, who stopped after having rounded a corner and staring at them.
"Oh…it's you, Ayanami…" Yuu murmured, placing his hands in his pockets, his case hanging from his arm. "Are you feeling well enough to be out?" Yuu's brow twitched slightly as he asked, and he smirked slightly as well. Rei stared at him for a moment, narrowing her own gaze slightly at the smirk. Their first conversation, and it was a façade. 'I dislike this…' Rei thought for a moment, before replying appropriately.
"Yes, I am fine. My time in Nerv Central Hospital has allowed me to recover." Yuu nodded, glancing to Asuka as she snapped.
"What? Wonder Girl is still here? I can't believe this, is it really necessary to have this many Eva pilots? Honestly, what is Commander Yoichi thinking? Ugh!" She gave a disgusted shout and started past them, continuing on to school alone. Shinji watched her go, then looked to Yuu.
"I didn't know you knew Ayanami…" Yuu nodded, smiling slightly.
"Yes, that's right. We met when I arrived at Nerv Headquarters." Yuu held the fake smile for now, looking to Ayanami as he thought. 'Though that's just the fabrication Senpai had planned. The truth is, this is the fourth…' He turned to face the direction of the school again, smiling truly this time.
"Well, shall we get going then? We'll be late if we don't." Yuu started down the street lifting his case so he carried it over his shoulder. Shinji looked to Rei for a moment, recalling her words from earlier this morning. 'Why have you done this, Ikari?' Shinji held her gaze until she turned and started off towards the school. Shinji looked at his feet a moment longer, before starting off as well.
"So, when Second Impact occurred, over half the world's population had been eradicated and…" The teacher rambled on, seemingly the same lecture he always gave. Yuu twirled a pencil in his hand, sighing at the teachers constant jabbering, his attention outside to the trees. He knew about Second Impact already, it was part of his job. He glanced over to Shinji for a moment, who was busy paying attention to the teacher. Sighing, he cast a glance now to Rei. 'Ayanami…what is your purpose? There is something similar to myself in you…' He watched her eyes stare out into the trees, just as he had been doing earlier. 'Those eyes…'
Shaking himself free of thought, he faced ahead as the class drew to a close. Kensuke nearby looked to Yuu, who stood and began to prepare to leave.
"Woah, Rokuro-kun, what are you doing? School is only half over!" Yuu paused for a moment, looking to Kensuke and then to the clock.
"Oh, is that so?" He sat back down, as Touji raised a brow at his action.
"Rokuro-kun, you know what's next, right? Don't you have a schedule? It's time for gym class." Yuu stared at Touji for a moment, a bit confused.
"Gym class? I didn't know…I didn't bring any clothes for it." Kensuke and Touji both sighed, Touji slapping his forhead as he spoke.
"Oh man, you're hopeless." Shinji, who had been waiting for Kensuke and Touji nearby, spoke now as he approached.
"I'm sure they'll give you a break, it being your first full day here." Yuu looked over to Shinji and nodded, smiling slightly.
"What? You didn't bring any clothes?" The teacher scolded Yuu for a moment, then sighed, pointing to the track. "Fine. Just run in what you've got for now. Can't have you falling behind." Yuu left to run with the other kids, sticking close to Shinji and the others. After a few laps, Shinji looked to Yuu, who had become quite out of breath despite having run so little.
"Rokuro-kun, you don't look so well." Yuu looked to Shinji, smiling slightly as he nodded.
"My body is just a little weaker than normal people, that's all. Don't worry about it." Yuu muttered out as he ran, looking ahead. His speech was interrupted occasionally by breaths as he continued. "But it's okay. I really enjoy being outside like this. It's better than being stuck inside. At least out here, I can see the sky."
The class continued as normal, leading them to basketball. Shinji sat aside with Kensuke, who was busy staring up at the pool area, towards the girls.
"Heh, I bet Touji-kun and Rokuro-kun wish they were in our position right now. Instead they're stuck playing basketball." He laughed and looked to Shinji, who was staring at his feet, lost in thought of the events of the day. "Hey, Shinji-kun. Are you okay? You seem a little spaced out today." Shinji's attention snapped up to Kensuke, as though he had revealed some truth to him, then faced forward, staring off into the distance.
"You think so?" He mused, smiling slightly, though it was just to hide his thoughts.
"Oi! Rokuro-kun, pass it!" Yuu stared down in the basketball in his hands, tentative about what he was doing. He'd never really played basketball, and now wasn't exactly the greatest time to start. He glanced around at the potential players he could pass too, thinking for a moment.
Another player, having apparently grown tired of Yuu's inaction, drove towards him to steal the ball, driving his shoulder into Yuu as he pulled the ball away, knocking the boy to the ground. This resulted in an assortment of jeers from the others, but Yuu didn't concern himself with it. Instead, he winced as he sat upright, then looked at his arm. A trickle of blood ran down from a cut on his forearm, and he froze with fear. What started as a small whimper, turned into a sharp gasp as Yuu's eyes went wide. He stared into the deep redness of his blood on his pale white skin, mirrored in his crimson eyes, and he seemed lost a his body began to shake. He found himself assaulted by images of that red lapping on the white sands, washing away any traces of human existence. Images of the world devoid of life, lacking the green trees and grass or the colors of the flowers. The land dark and ravaged by some unknown disaster, and a pale face with a twisted smile staring at him from afar.
All attention was drawn to Yuu as he let out a terrifying scream, broken by gasps which became screams themselves. The other students stared at him, some uttering words like wimp or baby, though Touji moved towards his friend, as Kensuke and Shinji stood to get a better view.
"Rokuro-kun! Hey, what's your deal?" Touji tried to shake Yuu back to his senses, though the boy was uncooperative. The teacher ran over to see what was going on, kneeling down beside Yuu, before looking at his arm and pulling him to his feet, dragging him off to the nurse's office. Touji stood staring after him as Kensuke and Shinji ran over.
"What happened to Rokuro-kun?" Shinji asked, looking to Touji. Touji shook his head, crossing his arms.
"I don't know…he was knocked over during the game and scraped his arm…but he took one look at his arm and freaked out." Shinji stared in silence as Yuu and the teacher disappeared into the school while Kensuke spoke.
"Huh…maybe he's just afraid of the sight of blood?"
Yuu sat upright, swiftly, waking in a cold sweat as he stared around at the room he was in. The dream of that terrifying world haunted him again in his sleep. He looked down at his arm for a moment, his eyes falling on bandages wrapped around his arm.
"Bandages…my arm…" The memory of falling on the basketball court came to him, and he remembered the blood…and the dream. He felt the pain and the fear start to overcome him again, and he clenched the hand of his injured arm tight, setting his eyes on his case nearby. Reaching over to the case, he dug inside until he retrieved a small, clay figurine from within, running his hands over the details carved upon it. However, the fear didn't fade. 'Even this isn't calming me…and I loved carving it…' Wiping stubborn tears from his eyes, he looked up towards the window before tightening his grip on the small figurine.
After some time, there was a brief knock on the door to the Nurse's office, before the door slowly opened.
"Rokuro-kun…it's time for lunch - Oh?" The nurse looked around the empty room for a moment, before she saw the open window nearby.
Having run as hard as his body would have allowed him, Yuu eventually found himself inside of Nerv Headquarters, heading towards the office of Satoru. Rounding the corner, he found himself face to face with Kaji, pausing for a moment to look up at the man.
"Oh, hey there Rokuro-kun. What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in school?" Kaji stared down at the child for a moment, smiling, before noticing the boys arm.
"What happened to your arm?" Yuu stood, staring at him for a moment, before he pushed past Kaji, shaking his head.
"I'm sorry, Kaji-sama! I need to get through!" Kaji watched as Yuu headed towards Satoru's office, sighing. Yuu stopped before the office door, trying to compose himself as the door opened, Satoru staring down at him through his sunglasses.
"Oh, Yuu…is something the matter?" Yuu gritted his teeth as he looked up to Satoru, still trying to compose himself.
"Senpai…" Yuu muttered, clutching the small clay figurine in his hand.
"So, it happened again did it?" Satoru began, staring at the young man across from him. Yuu sat quietly for the moment, staring down at the bandage on his arm, his brow twitching slightly. His eyes shifted, now staring at the figurine clasped in his hand. 'So he crafted that one too…' Satoru thought as looked over the figure that Yuu traced his fingers over. 'What's that…ten…twenty, now?'
"It's because I saw it. It scared me…it reminded me so much of that place." Satoru's expression shifted to one of annoyance with the boy before him.
"You're still calling it by that name? Why don't you just call it what it is?" Satoru grumbled, watching Yuu. "It was the sea of life." Satoru stood, crossing his arms as he kept his gaze on the boy. "The primordial soup of humanity before it was given form by god." Yuu looked up to Satoru, defiance in his eyes.
"But why me?! Why would I see something like that? And that face…those red eyes staring at me with that damned smile…it reminds me of him." A sharp sound echoed through the office as Satoru struck Yuu with the palm of his hand.
"Idiot! The more you think about it, the more it's going to torment you. Haven't you realized that by now?" Satoru glared through the black lenses down at Yuu, who rubbed his cheek and sighed.
"I can't help it…that place, the sea of life, is a place devoid of everything I love. No trees, no nature, no people. It's horrible…" Satoru sighed and found his seat again, shaking his head.
"Take some time to relax and rest up before the harmonics tests begin. The equipment should be ready by the time the other pilots get here." He paused for a moment, looking at Yuu. "Will you be alright?" Yuu nodded silently, standing up.
"Good. Report to the lab as the schedule dictates." Yuu nodded once again, though he spoke this time.
"Right, Senpai." Yuu turned and started towards the door, trying to clear his thoughts as Satoru stared at his back.
'Yuu…I can't let him know what he really saw.' Satoru thought, folding his arms over his chest. 'If I did…then Shinji would be…'
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Authors Notes: Well, Chapter Six is finally done. Hey, I wonder what's under Satoru's sunglasses, anyway? Maybe we'll find out what it is in the next chapter! Just one more reason to read on, no?