WARNING: This fan-fic will contain violence, language, adult themes, angst, names of made up alien people, items, worlds, etc and cameos from other anime and TV shows. It could also contain depictions of nudity and sex later on, so brace yourself!

Disclaimer: Guess what? I own absolutely nothing contained in this fan-fic! Be it Eva or any other show I will give credit to.

Evangelion: The Death God War

Chapter:6 Cat and Mouse

Science and Magic both exist in the Universe. Some worlds only ever use one and disbelieve the other or start with one and shift over to the other. It is an extreme rarity for the two forms of culture to be in close proximity to each other. It is unlikely that these two forces co-exist in the Universe, with one exception; the Cluster Worlds. Although the users of these powers don't always understand or necessarily approve of the other's use, all in the Cluster Worlds agree that both do exist. One cannot use science to explain magic nor can magic be used to trump science, but it is possible for an individual to command both forces. This is not a common event, however it is not unheard of. Furthermore, those who do use the two in unison, wield a great and sometimes, terrible power.


Shinji knotted the arrow in his bow as he heard the marching steps of the black creatures approach. He had been on the continent less than a week and already he had run into these things eight times. The first time he saw them, he had gone towards them to see who they were and, with out warning, they launched arrows at him. He was able to observe them now as they passed the tree line of the forest. Shinji had only managed to get to a tree line that had only one or two large trees in it. The real thick of the forest was forty yards away, making it impossible to run without being spotted.

If the creatures spotted him, he wouldn't last very long. There were nearly a hundred of them marching in formation and they seemed eager to attack anything that moved. Shinji took a deep breath and readied himself for a short last stand. He had suspected his 'quest' would end this way and was hardly frightened now that the time had come, even if the E.S. was helping him. But before the creatures reached the tree line, their leader gave out a command and they made an angled turn away from the forest.

With their backs now to Shinji, the boy made a quick dash to the thick forest. After a few seconds of running Shinji ducked behind another large tree and listened for the sounds of any pursuers. But only the chirruping of birds and small insects reached his ears. This was the first forest Shinji had seen since he came to the continent, due in large part to the fact he'd only been traveling north-west. The instructions on the map he'd been given were slightly vague.

'After leaving the port town, travel north-west for several days. When you reach the forests travel west until you come across a large river. Next follow the river up stream till you come to a bridge and cross it and continue west along the path until you find the cottage of the gray wizard.'

It was the last part of the map's instructions that had Shinji hearing the voice of his red-headed friend.

'What is this! Fucking D&D!'

The thought gave Shinji a small smile, not because he was actually feeling amused, but rather out of habit. He had smirked many a time when Asuka had gone off on a rant and though he had often been the target of those rants, he was, for some reason, amused to see them. His smile soon faded as he felt the pain of missing his friend's presence.

He was unsure if he would even be able to save the city in time considering how long it had taken him just to reach this forest. Hopefully it didn't take a whole day to reach the river, another one to reach the bridge, and possible a third to reach this wizard. Worse off was the fact that this only got him to a person who would tell him what to do next. But there was no point in saying that it was too long and too much, not now anyway. Shinji passed by many streams and creeks, and it caused him to worry, as the day wore on, that one of these was the 'river' mentioned in the instructions. It wasn't until he actual came across the half mile wide river that his fears on the matter were relived.

"I guess I'm going to need a bridge for this." He said aloud.

Fortunately, Shinji could see an object spanning the river in the distance. With any luck at all, the grey wizards cottage would be just on the other side. As he approached, he realized that the bridge was a branch from one of the planet's massive trees. At first Shinji wasn't sure if he should use it to cross. If it had landed there by accident, than he would be following it off into the wrong direction. But upon closer inspection, he realized that were no reminisce of a massive tree in the area and the addition of ropes posted and tied along the sides, to act as guard rails, indicated that this was no doubt the bridge he was in search of.

It didn't take him long to reach the other side of the bridge and the trail was clearly visible. The trail, however, was not short and straight. Instead, it went on for a ways before it began winding back and forth. Once again, Shinji saw no point in simply quitting due to length and marched on. He went on for the better part of an hour before he stopped to break. The sun was now starting to sink and in another two or three hours night would fall, and still no sign of any cottage.

He reached up and felt the E.S.'s indicator. Half the dots were gone, but that was impressive considering he hadn't used an injection in a few days. Seeing as he needed his supply to last, he opted to risk the E.S. going down to the dot and hope he didn't forget to check it in time. Shinji never wanted to feel anything ever again, not after the loss of Misato's cross. Not that he thought he'd be okay even if he still had it, but it's absents was another painful blow.

'I have to stop thinking about it. If I keep this up I'll~' Shinji's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of movement behind him.

His hand slowly reached for the sword at his waist. He would have preferred an arrow, but it sounded far to close to manage getting a shot off. The noise, at times, sounded like a person on two legs walking, and at other times, a four legged animal. Shinji couldn't tell and at this point, it didn't matter as he turned and drew his sword. He was instantly blinded by a fierce white light. Shinji tried to hold onto his sword, but it suddenly became hot. So hot in fact it began to glow red and it forced him to drop it.

"Why have you come here?" a voice came from the light source.

Shinji put his hand up to try and shield his eyes from the light, but he still could not make out the figure behind it. He took a moment before deciding on an answer, since he wasn't sure if this person was working for the enemy or not.

"I don't have a particular reason. I'm just~" He was cut off.

"You can not lie here. All deceptions are transparent in this place." said the voice.

This seemed like a trick of some kind to get him to confess to his motives, but that didn't mean this person didn't know who he was and what he was doing here. In any case, Shinji was in between a rock and a hard place, in that he doubted he could escape and attacking was out of the question. The only thing he could do was see how much this person really knew. If this person could really tell the truth from a lie, than if he told the truth, which was pretty outlandish, then that person would know it. Of course he doubted such an ability existed.

"I was looking for some guy, who lives here in this forest, so he can tell me about some kind of seed...for a tree...and the guy is a wizard." Shinji confessed.

It certainly sounded like the worst lie ever told. Anyone trying to simply guess their way through an interrogation wouldn't believe it, Shinji barely did. However, the light suddenly began to fade and a figure was reveled. He wore a dark grey cloak and a pointed hat. His face sported a long beard and he carried a wood oak like staff. The man looked old, but towered above Shinji, yet he did not seem too ominous. The man suddenly gave him a small smile before speaking.

"He wouldn't happened to be called Gandalf the Grey would he?" said the man.

Shinji gave him a surprised look before answering "I was only told to find the gray wizard. I wasn't told his name."

"I'm the only grey wizard that I know of, at least on this planet...certainly in these woods." Gandalf replied.

Shinji breathed easier knowing that at least this part of the trip was over and maybe get some rest as he listened to a full explanation of what he was suppose to do. Unfortunately, his luck had not improved as much as he thought.

"I appreciate your courage child, but you should run home. A person like you doesn't need to be out here." said the wizard.

This stunned the boy. For a moment he felt as though he had just been given the chance to runaway from all of this, but before he said 'thanks and good-bye' Shinji felt the need to know why he was being dismiss so quickly. Was it because someone else was retrieving the seed and it was already taken care of? Or was it simply because of his youth. Shinji felt that both reasons were legitimate, but only one of them would permit him to end this 'adventure'.

"So than, you've sent someone to get the seed?" the boy asked.

"The seed is unobtainable." Gandalf said simply.

That was not the response Shinji was expecting. If the wizard had said 'Yes someone's got it' or 'Why do you want the seed?' indicating that the idea hadn't occurred to anyone. But to bluntly state that the best possible hope for the planet was an impossible task. This would normally put the boy into one of his bouts of despair, but his E.S. and disbelief in the task's hopelessness, caused him to lean on the issue.

"Impossible? In what way is it impossible?" he asked.

"As in it can't be done. How exactly is that a hard concept to grasp?" came a voice from behind the wizard.

Shinji leaned to the left to see who had said that and found a peculiar looking life form. It was some kind of quadruped, but he was unable to tell whether it was a feline or canine. More importantly it was a large animal. It was the size of a horse. The only reason it had been concealed by the wizard's grey cloak was that he was several yards away. Its fur was reddish-orange and the hair on the tip of its fur looked as though they were actual flames.

On the legs of the animal were what could be described as tattoos, but since it was on the creatures fur, Shinji wonder if it wasn't some kind of coloring. Most of the "tattoos" resembled tribal arm bands that had no real shape or meaning, however, there was a XIII on one part of the animal's leg, making him wonder if it was 13 or some other Cluster World symbol. Shinji would have continued to wonder about the animal, but he remembered the reason he was looking around and searched for the voice.

However, the only signs of life were trees, the wizard, the red animal, and Shinji. The boy focused on the animal wondering if the person who had spoken was behind it, but the creature just turned it's head to look at him directly. It's right eye had a strange green colored scar over it, suggesting that it was gone. It had two feathers in it's hair, which were tied into braids that hung behind it's ears. The creature's appearance was odd enough, but to add to it's oddity, the creature spoke.

"What?" it said, as if Shinji shouldn't be surprised that it could talk.

Though surprised by the creature's vocal ability, Shinji did not respond. Instead, he righted himself in front of Gandalf, in the hopes that if he ignored the creature and its ability to speak, maybe he'd hold on to whatever small fragments of sanity he still possessed. It would have been nice if someone back at the city had told him about animals that had advanced communication skills, but no doubt they had assumed that animals back on Earth could also speak. Gandalf smiled at the boy's reaction. He understood that not everyone had seen animal's ability to speak and did his best to comfort the boy.

"Even if you grow up hearing the the stories about the wolves who speak it's still amazing to see it. Now if you'll excuse use we have Orcs to deal with." He said as he began to walk away.

"Wait! You didn't tell me how it's impossible get the seed. Why is no one trying?" Shinji complained.

Gandalf looked at Shinji with some slight irritation, but showed patients with him as he began to explain.

"The seed was sealed using the power of an old shrine, which was previously used to seal a deadly entity. However, no one realized that the entity was still there, when they sealed it and the seed's presence gave the entity some of its old power back, so in order to keep the entity contained, the entrance of the wasteland was sealed." Gandalf seemed to finish.

"So just like that, nobody is even going to make an attempt to get to the seed?" Shinji asked trying, but failing to show anger.

Gandalf clearly felt that he had little time to waste. The orcs were making their way to port cities and were not only going to sack them, but use them to cross to the main continent. Normally, such an act would mean their destruction (and good ridden), but with much of the populace sick, even the Orcs, equipped with only mid-evil weapons, would be unstoppable. The old wizard knew the story about the healing tree and would have agreed that it would have been able to help in this case, but as far as he knew the only way to get to it couldn't be used.

Red XIII was also agitated. His senses told him that there was nothing special about the boy. In fact he seemed meek and powerless, but he still persisted to delay and bother Gandalf, despite being told to go home. He knew there were children who were like that, but this one seemed to be the quite type. Red XIII was right, but Shinji was still in front of Gandalf.

"Boy! Gandalf has told you that what you wish to do cannot be done. I'm shocked that a little child such as you can be arrogant enough to to question someone so wise. And then there's your scent." said Red XIII.

"My scent?" Shinji asked confused.

"I can smell your determination...or lack there of. You don't really think you can do this. You want this to already be over...no, you want this never to have begun! Why are here? Why are you now so persistent, when you can barely stand to be in this situation?" Red XIII pressed.

Shinji looked at him with a blank expression for a moment, then said "Because I was asked to do it. Because there wasn't anyone else. But above all else, when I've made the decision to undertake something whether I wanted to really do it or not, I finish it...'or until it finishes me'." Shinji added the last part in his mind.

Red XIII made a 'humph' sound and made a head gesture to Gandalf. The man clad in grey walked over to Shinji and took hold of both of his hands by the writs. Shinji was confused for a moment, but quickly understood that he wanted to see if there was something in his hands so he opened them. Gandalf looked into the boy's empty palms and began examining them. Shinji, still confused, looked first at the tall wizard, then at Red XIII.

Red XIII gave him a wolfish smile "He's reading you. He'll tell you things about you, that you didn't want to know about yourself, and you will leave of your own will when he tells you the truth, isn't that right Gandalf?...Gandalf?"

But the wizard did not respond. He continued to examine Shinji's palms in a thorough manner and in more thorough manner than Red XII had ever seen him when examining someone else's hands. When Gandalf was finished he released the boy's hands. Red XIII opened his mouth to speak, but Gandalf waved his hand and the wolf-like beast went quiet. The grey wizard brought his hand to his chin and turned his back to the two. Finally after a few minutes of some kind of deliberation, he turned back and spoke.

"Nanaki, take the boy to the limestone caves in the southern mountain range." he said.

Red XIII looked at Gandalf with shock "Gandalf...You can't be serious! It'll kill him!"

"Nanaki..." was all Gandalf said.

The red quadruped shook its head and walked over to Shinji. Gandalf guided the boy to Red XIII's side and helped him onto the creature's back. Shinji looked down and waited for Gandalf to explain what he was suppose to do. But Gandalf just nodded to Red XIII and turned to walk away.

"Wait, Gandalf!" Shinji said.

"It's alright, Nanaki will tell you everything you need to know." he said.

Shinji tried to respond "But~"

"Please, there is little time. If the Orc advance is not halted, everything you are trying to save will be lost before you have a chance to save it. Now go!" said Gandalf.

With that, Red XIII trotted off down the path. Shinji looked back to see if he could spot Gandalf, but somehow he had already disappeared. Red XIII proceeded to move down the path making turns at each fork in the road without stopping to think about it. Sometimes he would walk, and others, he would make a flat out run, but usually he maintained a steady pace as they went farther and farther south. Most of the journey was spent in silence.

Shinji was not very good at starting conversations and their first meeting had not been a favorable one. Shinji did like peace and quiet, but this was an odd silence and did not help the situation. Over an hour had gone by and neither one spoke a word. The boy knew that the next set of instructions would come in due time, but he still felt the silence should be broken.

"Um, Nanaki~" he began.

"Red XIII." the wolf cut him off.

"I'm sorry I thought your name was~" again Shinji started, and again was cut off.

"It is, but only a certain few, none of them are hue, may call me Nanaki." he finished.

"I see Red." Shinji said.

Red XIII stopped turned his head to look at Shinji and said "Red XIII!"

"...Right...Red XIII." Shinji said confirming what he was told and did not speak again.

Shinji hated feeling like his foot was in his mouth. It happened all the time with Asuka, but in a way, this felt worse. The silence continued for the rest of the day. Red XIII began to slow down more and more as the light began to fail and eventually he began to walk at a very slow pace. Shinji wondered if he was becoming tired, but hesitated to ask. Finally Red XIII came to a stop. He seemed to be looking around, but said nothing.

There was a small stream near by that looked fairly clean and it seemed like now was a good time to get off his back and give him a break. Shinji slid down and walked over to the stream, while Red XIII continued to look around. Though the sun had set, it would not get too dark. Because there were so many stars in relatively close proximity, the light they produced almost guaranteed that the planet's darkest night was like a full moon back on Earth.

Shinji considered using this extra light to continue moving, however, at this point, all travel decisions were up to Red XIII. For a moment, Shinji wonder what he was looking for, but felt it wasn't important. Instead he walked over to the stream and began to fill the water jug he had on his belt. He swallowed the last ounce of water in the jug, then submerged it in the stream. The surrounding forests were not as thick as they had been. To Shinji this indicated that they were nearing its boarders. He was glad to be almost out since he had been having an uneasy feeling for some time. It was as if Shinji was being watched. He had no idea that he actually was, and that his observer was about to make herself known.

"Since we have a minute, maybe you should tell me about...whatever it is I'm suppose to do." Shinji said.

Red XIII looked around once more before turning to Shinji "Well you'll have to~" Red XIII stopped amid sentence and then took on a look of surprise.

Shinji turned in the direction Red XIII was staring. But Just as his eye began to make out a white form, Red XIII shouted.

"Don't look her in the eyes!" he yelled.

Shinji immediately cast his eyes to the ground as his mind tried to comprehend what the object that he had just seen, was. He got his answer soon enough, however, as a massive paw landed in front of him. It was a wolf's paw like Red XIII, only much larger. If Shinji had to guess, he would have to say that it, and subsequently the wolf the paw was attached to, was easily twice the size of Red XIII. The wolf began to sniff at Shinji's back, then he heard it growl.

"Moro! Gandalf gave him permission to go this way...we need him or we're all dead!" said Red XIII.

The growling lessened, but did not disappear completely. While all of this was happening, Shinji continued to keep his eyes on the massive paw in front of him. It clearly belonged to a white wolf and this wolf was not alone. Out of the corner of his eye, he could make out other canine shapes moving around them. They were probably all large like Red XIII, but none as big as the one before him, which only made him worry more about the reason it didn't like him. Again he felt the warm air move as it sniffed him again, but this time also snorted. Then it spoke with a gruff female voice.

"If you stay in these woods one moment longer than is need, I'll tear you apart in a way that will ward off the scavengers of these woods!" she said before walking over to Red XIII, "Take him away quickly...cat-dog!" then Shinji heard several foot steps run off into the forest.

When the sounds of the other wolves faded, Red XIII rushed up to Shinji. Without needing to say a word, he hopped onto Red XIII's back and held on tight as the red creature bolted into the darkness. Shinji did not tell Red XIII to slow down, even though he could hear him panting heavily. It was several minutes before Shinji dared to look over his shoulder to see if they were being followed, but the darkening night left his range limited.

But even though Cluster Worlds should give the same amount of light as a full moon on Earth, the sky had become overcast and shrouded all light. Shinji looked forward again and the trees rushing out of the darkness caused him to tighten his grip. It was a fortunate decision, since a minute later, Red XIII came to an abrupt halt. Before them was a river with quick moving water. Though they could hardly be described as rapids, the pace of the water looked dangerous and warded off any swimmers, plus the lack of light obscured the other shore.

"Is there a bridge?" Shinji asked.

"Yes, but...I can't remember...I think it's up stream of us, but there's no time. We need to go now!" he replied.

"No! Wait!" Shinji tried, but failed to stop Red XIII from going in the river.

At first, the strange canine treaded water easily and was well on his way to making it across the stream. However, His pace soon slowed and they began to drift down stream. Red XIII's breathing now became labored as he struggled against the current and the weight of Shinji's body. Fearing they wouldn't make it, the boy hopped off, grabbing his companion's fur for support. It was a good thing that Shinji held on so tightly, because the armor he was wearing began to drag him down.

Quickly, he took off his belt, which held most of his gear and threw it over Red XIII's back. Next, he began to tug at the straps and ties holding the armor together, and soon it fell away. The reduced weight allowed Shinji to float much more easily and help Red XIII swim, but they were still fighting the current. At times Red XIII pulled Shinji along, at others, Shinji pulled the tired creature, but it still seemed as thought it were a losing battle.

Shinji looked, after each time the water crashed over his head, to see if the shore was any closer. Little by little the river bank got closer, but still seemed as if it were miles away. Just as the two were running out of strength, however, they began to touch bottom, even though the river bank still seemed far away. Despite hitting shallow water, it still felt like a massive effort to make their way to dry land, but even when they did finally walk out of the water, Red XIII could hardly move.

He pulled his red body about two feet from the water, then collapsed. Shinji removed his belt from his back and wrapped it around himself. He was now clad in just trousers and a thin white shirt, which did nothing to warm his frigid body. Shinji pulled out a thermo blanket from his belt and, although it was made with technology, it survived in a silence zone. As his body temperature rose he began to think of his companion. Glancing over at him, their eyes met and Shinji could see the cold in his eyes. Without ether saying a word, Shinji began to gather wood.

===== Capital City =====

Another Ko-Dan solider fell to the ground after receiving a burst of gunfire from the Major, as she sped by on the bike. She zigged and zagged avoiding the armored vehicles as she made her way to one of the remaining secret entrances. Two more bikers made it through before she did and another after her. There had been a fifth fighter, but he had been cut down by a turret on one of the A.V.s. The dying solider did manage to pull the pin on a satchel charge and cause more wide spread destruction before the surrounding Ko-Dan could stop him.

The secret door to the entrance closed behind the remaining bikers. As soon as they were back in the city, the tunnel was flooded and partially collapsed. Motoko looked around at her surviving fighters. This had been the seventh attack on the enemy line and it had taken longer this time than any other. It was clear they were starting to figure out ways to stop them from using the passages and bikes as a way to strike. The soldier who was killed was only the third loss, but with numbers reduced by the disease, it was a loss they couldn't afford.

"We're not doing that any more." She said as Sergeant Oboro approached her.

"We just got the latest report from the command center." he said.

The Major just looked at him waiting for him to go on, but he seemed to be waiting for the Major's reply. It had been a long fight and he was no doubt mentally strained, but the Major had never allowed that to be an excuse. Her only reply was a raised eyebrow, as if to say "And?", which clued Oboro in.

"There was a power fallout just after you left. Apparently, the power lines to the doors had newly formed corrosion and when we activated the doors it spread...They say we lost about 5% of our remaining power lines." the Sergeant finished his report.

She nodded as she heard the bad news, making it seem as though she were expecting it. Oboro also had something in his hand. He said nothing as he handed the envelope to her, and he didn't have to. The Major knew who it was from and even what it said. She opened the letter with the royal seal and then read the words 'No more hit and runs. Signed E'. Kusanagi wasn't going to argue with her, even though she could have if she had valid reason to do so. But, there was now little to be gained from venturing out of the wall.

"Now the real siege begins." she said to herself.

At full strength, the Capital could easily last for years, maybe even decades without support. With the disease, however, time now favored the Ko-Dan, and the fact that they were clearly impatient wasn't a comfort ether. Holding them at bay would take every ounce of strength that was left in the city, and that was fading quickly. Night had fallen and that normally brought with it the lights of the city, but with a blackout issued to save energy, only the materia lake had any glow to it.

Despite the normal tensions that night time usually brought to a battlefield, the gentle blue glow of the lake seemed to calm the city. However, it too was starting to lose its strength. The Litpution-fluona was slowly seeping its way into the lake polluting it and slowly diluting its glow. But, for now, it still gave off its beloved charm and Kusanagi used the calm to ready her troops. Before an hour had gone by, anyone left standing was manning the wall. The Major stood at her post, which faced the direction she had sent Shinji out days earlier. She could not stop herself from wondering if he had even made it to the other continent.

"Where ever you are kid, at the very least...don't be dead." She said to herself.

===== Outside the southern border of Moro's Woods =====

The fire was somewhat bigger than Shinji had planned and he worried it might be spotted by someone or something, but its heat had been desperately needed, so nether of the two who sat by it complained. Shinji was slightly amazed that he managed to get a fire going at all, let alone a small bon-fire, but he had remembered what his friend Kensuke had told him while they were camping and so he had managed. Once again silence fell over them, but it was not as awkward as it had been.

It was clear that this would be their make shift camp for the night and, with the extended break, Shinji was not as eager to learn about the task at hand, as he was to learn what had just happened. Red XIII did not look at him. He look almost as though he were ashamed of what had happened. Shinji, the thermo blanket still wrapped around him, sat on the opposite side of the fire, occasionally glancing up to look at the red colored animal. The sight of him made Shinji wonder what type of animal he was. Gandalf called him a wolf, but the white wolf called him cat-dog, which sounded like an insult. But Shinji's biggest question was the identity of the white wolf herself.

"Who was that back there... Do you two know each other?" he finally asked.

"She's known as Moro...most of the time, other times she's called Okami. She probably has a million names, but what is most important is her title. She is the goddess of all wolves. If you are a true wolf and not some stupid dog...or cat...you hear her calls and obey them." Red XIII said.

"You seemed pretty scared of her." Shinji stated.

"I'M NOT..." Red XIII began, but stopped, thought for a moment, then continued "No, you're right. I saw her and I couldn't even move. She said many things to me in my native tongue, which you cannot hear, that made me feel as though I were a pup...She meant what she said. If she had killed you, no scavenger would touch you."

"Are we safe here?" Shinji asked.

"Yes. The river marks her border and she is probably too busy with Orcs to come after us now." Red XIII said as he put his head down to rest.

The silence now returned. Shinji had one more question for his companion, but knew he shouldn't ask. If what Moro had said to Red XIII in a language he couldn't understand was troubling, then the term cat-dog was no doubt not meant as a kind gesture. However, it seemed as though Red XIII sensed what Shinji was thinking and volunteered the information.

"Cat-dog means exactly what you think. A creature that is partly feline and partly canine." Red XIII said without lifting his head.

Shinji misinterpreted what he had just been told.

"Oh so one parent was a wolf and the other~" Before he could finish Red XIII angrily replied.

"NO! I WAS SPLICED! UNDERSTAND?" He yelled, but instead of stopping, the conversation reminded him why he didn't like Hues, so he continued, "Or maybe you don't. Imagine your genes being mixed with that of a completely different species." He stood and began to pace, "Picture being under the complete control of another." He said.

"His experiment." said Shinji.

"Unable to make a decision without their approval!" said Red XIII slightly louder than before.

"Or you wonder if the choice you make is the one he wants you to make." Shinji said.

"Every act of defiance mercilessly suppressed!" again Red XIII was louder than last time.

"Punished for making a stand against him, no matter how just the cause." Shinji said.

"AND WHEN IT'S ALL OVER...!" Red XIII shouted, but subconsciously waited for Shinji.

"You're left with the consequences of the aftermath." Shinji finished.

"EXACT...exactly." Red XIII realized what had been happening.

Red XIII had walked around the fire and come menacingly close to the boy. Even though Red XIII was looking directly at him, their eyes didn't meet. Shinji was not looking directly at him, but somewhat past him. It was clear that Shinji wasn't just sympathizing, but speaking from his own experiences. When he did finally refocus on Red XIII, the boy tapped the E.S. on his brow, indicating it's reason for being. Red XIII, took a step or two back, then laid back down and closed his eyes. Before trying to sleep, he spoke once more.

"Tomorrow, before the sun breaches the horizon, I'll catch something to eat, then we'll move on." he said.

"...Hey Red XIII...No rats." said Shinji.

"Or rabbits." said Red XIII.

"Or guinea pigs." Shinji countered.

"...Deer ok?" Red XIII asked.

"Deer's fine." the boy replied as he too tried to sleep.

===== Moro's Woods =====

The night was pierced by a beam of light, which pointed in a south-westerly direction. It harmlessly went through a few trees and rocks, before finally fading off several yards away from its origin. The light had come from a jewel, which had a foggy light blue color. The gem was surrounded by a gold framing piece, which served to hold the gem and attach it to a silver chain. The chain was suspended above the ground by an arm, whose owner followed the beam of light.

"...Finally! He stopped moving." said the man.

As the jewel was concealed, the light disappeared. Leaving it out in these woods meant unwanted attention and that was usually a fatal thing. He was surprised that his objective hadn't died out here, which would make things easier on him, but it looked like he was finally about to catch up. Once he did, it would all be over.

===== Outside the southern border of Moro's Woods, Dawn =====

Shinji rolled over as he felt his back begin to complain about the hard ground, unfortunately, he rolled on to a rock and whatever chances he had of remaining asleep were lost. He slowly opened his eyes and propped himself up on one of his hands and rubbed his eyes with the other. A minute or two later his sight had come in to focus and he could see that Red XIII was gone, no doubt looking for breakfast. Shinji stomped out the remains of the fire and went to the river to wash his face.

After the cold water washed away any remaining sleep from his mind he took a look around his surroundings. There was a small stream, that lead into the main river, and the stream was fed by a waterfall about thirty feet high. To the right of the waterfall was a jagged cliff face, and to its left was a gentle tree covered slope. All in all, an idyllic place. Shinji walked back to the remains of the camp fire and wonder if he should make a new one to cook with. When he looked around to find more wood, he saw a beam of light come from the trees and land on his chest.

"...What the..." Shinji said.

But as soon as it had appeared, it vanished, leaving Shinji to ponder its existence. The odd event had left him concerned, so he grabbed his equipment belt, which carried his sword, bow and quiver. He had just finished putting it on his belt, when he saw a blur come at him out of the corner of his eye. Reacting quickly, he rolled forward, avoiding death by a few inches. He quickly focused on the source of the attack and recognized the grey skinned, red tattooed man.

"Kratos?" He said astonished.

"What's wrong? No little speed machine to help you run away." He said before launching his swords at him again.

Shinji leaped back to avoid the chain controlled weapon, again barely escaping his fate. He managed to draw his sword just in time to block the next shot. The massive blade struck Shinji's smaller sword and snapped off the top three inches of it. Even though it had happened because his sword had been broad sided, he knew it wouldn't last more than a few blows against Kratos's blades. Shinji immediately tired to wade across the stream to escape Kratos, but it slowed him down.

Again, Shinji blocked an attack from Kratos, this time, however, the sword lost nearly half its length. Kratos continued to close the gap as Shinji waded deeper. Thankfully, Kratos had to wade into the stream as well and now he too was slowed down. But, the constant attacks from Kratos kept him ducking and dodging, and even if he could get more distance, the cliff face trapped him in. Then, Shinji got an idea. He continued to dodge attacks, but allowed the Spartan to get closer. His attacks became less furious, since he intended to snap the boy's neck.

Kratos preferred to kill the weaker that way, there wasn't a particular reason, it was just the way he was. Shinji appeared to trip and Kratos closed the distance. The boy's hands were in the water, which did not alert him, as he approached, but just as Kratos was about to grab him, Shinji swung around and flung mud into his eyes. Kratos thrashed about wildly, trying to hit anything that was near him. At first he used his fists, then he took his swords by the handles and swung them around, then he used their chains. But all he hit was air.

Finally, he calmed down enough to think and clean off his eyes using his hands and water. As soon as his sight returned he began to look for the boy, but he was no where to be found. Kratos knew he couldn't have climbed the cliff in the short time he had been blinded, but he might have been able to make it to the tree line. Kratos started towards the tree line, but then, realized that the boy could have swum out into the river allowing the current to take him in the opposite direction. This thought, caused Kratos to pause.

However, Shinji had not taken ether of these actions, as he had opted for hiding behind the waterfall. The angry Spartan could not see him, but Shinji could clearly make out the man's shape. Running was useless since the man was obviously an expert tracker of some kind. The tree line had been too far, and going down stream meant fighting rapids again. There was only one option left and that was to defeat Kratos, and that meant killing him.

Needless to say, Shinji was conflicted, but between the attempts on his life, the life and death struggle at the city, the loss of Misato's cross, and the E.S., the decision was made. Not counting the mental and emotional challenges, Shinji had the easiest shot in the world. Kratos was only a few short yards away and practically had his back to him. All the boy had to do was pull back the bow and fire, which he did slowly to avoid being spotted.

But just as the bow was about to become taut, Kratos pulled out a chain with a jewel attached at the end of it. The jewel instantly produced a beam of light, which pointed directly at Shinji. He scrambled to fire the shot, as he knew what was coming next. Shinji stumbled just as he released the arrow causing the shot to go up and to the right of Kratos. The battle hardened Spartan didn't even noticed the projectile as he drew his blades and began flinging them into the waterfall.

Shinji, struggling to keep his balance, while he ran along the inside of the waterfall, as the blades chased him. With each step he took, he heard a blade slice through the water and with each step, he came closer to the end of the waterfall. His next step was not as powerful as his last, as he tried to turn and avoid hitting the wall, this act slowed him down enough for the blades to catch up. Kratos's last tossed blade grazed Shinji's back as he exited the waterfall. The boy felt like his back was on fire, as he splashed into the small stream.

He tried to draw what was left of his sword, just as he got it free of the scabbard, he felt a foot slam into his stomach, knocking him back. His sword landed next to him, just out of comfortable arms reach. Shinji reached for the weapon, but the same foot that had kicked him, now stomped on his chest, knocking the air out of him again. Kratos was now no longer in the mood to bare handedly kill the boy, he just wanted it over and done with. The Spartan flipped the blade over in his hand, to drive it downward as Shinji desperately tried to grab his sword. Kratos raised his blade high above his head, but before he could bring it crashing down, a red blur knocked him aside.

Red XIII's growl was now a comfort to the beleaguered boy, as he managed to pick himself up. He picked his bow back up and knotted another arrow, however despite the close shot, Kratos easily blocked it with his blades. Shinji fired a second shot, but it too, was defeated. Kratos's focus was now on Red XIII. He now had a worthy adversary to fight and he, for the most part, ignored the boy. Shinji slung his bow over his shoulder, as Red XIII moved forward.

"I thought I smelled the stench of a Spartan!" he said.

"You're late wolf! I could have skipped all the way through the dreaded Woods of Moro!" replied Kratos.

"Try crawling after I'm done with you!" Red XIII yelled as he charged.

Kratos avoided Red XIII's first lunge, but was forced to block the second. The wolf like creature's movements were lightning fast, forcing Kratos into a defensive stance. Red XIII's growls and snapping jaw would easily intimidate others, but not the Ghost of Sparta. Even when one of Red XIII's claws cut his left arm, he didn't flinch. In fact, he used it to get closer to the red animal and take a swing. Now Red XIII was on the defensive and it wasn't long before he started getting cut.

At first the wounds were just small cuts, but then Kratos hit Red XIII's right front leg, leaving a terrible slash. Red XIII yelped and backed away, but the enclosed nature of the surroundings meant he didn't go far. Even worse, was the fact that he was now in perfect striking distance for Kratos's blades. The angry Spartan wanted to finish this so he hurled both blades at him at once, but before they reached the weary wolf, Shinji stabbed his sword through both of the extended chains, interrupting their flight.

The force of the chains' movements bent his the sword, but did not break it ant further. When the momentum of blades disappeared, Shinji drove his sword into the stream's muddy bottom, trapping the blades in place. As Kratos struggled to free his weapons, Red XIII used the last of his strength to throw Shinji on his back, using his head, and bound up the cliff face. Once at the top he began to run, with Shinji barely hanging on from his haphazardly tossed riding position. Red XIII took several twists and turns, bleeding all the way. Shinji pleaded with him.

"Stop!...STOP DAMN-IT!" he yelled.

With his meds almost gone, the emotions in the boy were beginning to escape. Finally after a few minutes Red XIII began to rapidly slow until he stopped completely. Shinji slid off and inspected the wound. It was still bleeding, but was starting to clot. Next, he checked his E.S., which had only one remaining dot and that was slipping into its hole. Shinji grabbed the pocket on his belt that held his medical supplies and discovered a new problem.

Except for the vial that was in the injector, the vials containing his medication had been destroyed, by a blow from one of Kratos's blades. All of the rationing he had been doing was wasted. He injected himself with the last of his medication and then bandaged Red XIII's wounds. The injured wolf was looking around as if he were expecting the Spartan to appear from anywhere and at anytime. He then took a look at the blood trail. It was somewhat scattered, meaning they could be tracked, but it would take some time.

"You have some nasty enemies, boy. However, it'll take him a while to follow us up that cliff then pick up our trail." Red XIII said.

"I'm not sure what I did to piss Kratos off, but~" Shinji began, but was halted.

"KRATOS! The Ghost of Sparta Kratos!" Red XIII's query came in the form of shock.

"He just said his name was Kratos, I don't know about his title. Anyway, he doesn't need a trail. He's got some sort of gem that lights up and points right at us." Shinji explained.

"...You mean he has a compass!...Ugh...Lets keep walking at least." Red XIII said as he began to move.

The walk was slow, but at a steady pace. Shinji walked next to him, not wanting to put any more weight on his companion's back. His back was also sore from the wound he had gotten, but every time he reached back to touch it, there was less and less blood, which indicated it was closing. The thought that he had come so close to being killed did not bother him, but getting someone else killed and failing to complete what he started did. Looking over his shoulder, he worried how far behind him Kratos was and wondered how close they were to their destination.

"Red XIII, I don't mean to sound impatient, but how far is it?" Shinji asked.

"The closest main entrance is nearly two hours away, but I know of a small cave near by, it's just a few more minutes." he replied.

"Main entrance to what? What are we going to do?" Shinji's line of questioning continued.

"Not we. You. You must face the path to the sword alone, No one can help you. Once you have the sword, you'll be able to leave the sword's chamber room through a special exit that leads into the west valley. On the opposite side of the valley are the black mountains and hopefully right across from the exit is the only ravine which leads through them. At the end of the ravine is a door which only the sword can open. That is the gateway to the Shadow wasteland...I don't know what needs to be done once you are there...you'll just have to improvise." Red XIII concluded.

Shinji looked Red XIII with an 'Are you serious!' look. The task Shinji had originally set out to do was becoming more complicated by the minute. The boy was starting to reconsider his policy of finishing what he started, but he doubted Kratos would leave him be, so decided he had crossed the point of no return.

"About this compass...How far away do I have to be to escape its detection?" He asked.

"I afraid no distance is good enough. The compass you face comes from the planet Mer and is rumored to use a piece of your soul to track you...Don't ask me how it does that, or if its really true, but it will track you no matter where you go, even in the path." said the wolf.

A minute or two later the duo came upon a small cave.

"This is it...this is where we must part ways. Once you enter, follow the voices you trust." Red XIII explained.

"The voices I trust?" Shinji repeated in a confused tone.

"You'll understand. I'll stay here and hold off Kratos as long as I can, maybe~" Red XIII began his plan, but Shinji interjected.

"No! He'll kill you in your weakened state. Let him in. Even with the compass he could still get lost." the boy stated.

"Now see here..." the wolf's protest trailed off as he stared into the boy's eyes.

This time, Shinji managed to produce a look of determination to which Red XIII conceded. Without anything further said between the two, Red XIII bowed his head slightly and began to walk away. Shinji watched to make sure he left and did not try to take the Spartan on alone. After several minutes, Shinji finally entered the cave. There was no light source to be had and the only way to light in the cave was to build a torch.

With the only materials available to make one on the outside, Shinji debated turning back, and risk running into Kratos, to make one. But no sooner had he thought this, when he suddenly lost contact with the wall his left hand was touching. He leaned to his left, intentionally taking his right hand off the other wall, but the other wall was no where to be found. Shinji had not moved so he wouldn't get lost, but as he leaned back to reconnect his right hand with the right wall, he leaned into thin air, almost falling on his face.

The boy swung his arms wildly trying to grasp something in the dark, but somehow the boy had walked into the center of a wide open space. Shinji kicked a rock and it clicked along the floor for a moment. Using his hands he managed to find it and pick it up. With a powerful throw, Shinji threw it in a random direction and listened for the sound of it hitting the wall, but all he got was absolute silence. Despite his E.S., he was beginning to panic and started wondering around aimlessly, until...

"This way." came a female's voice.

The sound caused Shinji to pause. He had heard the voice clearly despite its echoing and distant nature. However, it was the voice of a person he knew, which in it of itself was odd, considering his location, but also the voice of someone who he knew was dead.

"...Rei?...Rei is...is that you?..." he called out, 'It can't be. She's dead.' he then thought.

But again the voice came.

"This way, Pilot Ikari." it said.

Cautiously, Shinji moved towards the voice. He listened for the voice of his friend and fellow Eva pilot to speak again, but it remain ominously still. Then a new voice came from his right and it sounded close.

"Boy! Come here!" a male voice commanded.

This was undoubtedly the voice of his father. Shinji did not respond to it, but did start to walk over to it, with one arm extended to see if he could touch the voice's sources. Of all the people wanted to meet again, his father was not high on his list of people, but he did not like being the only human alive and he rarely had the power to defy his father's words. But just before he took another step a third voice yelled out.

"No, not that way you idiot!" the familiar female voice bellowed.

Asuka's sharp and powerful voice always surprised him and caused him to freeze in his movements.

"COME...HERE!" his father's voice now sounded angry.

Shinji was seriously confused. None of the voices told him where he was or simply stated where to go in simple 'left or rights', but just called to him. And he had no idea if he was going anywhere, to say nothing about going in the right direction. Asuka's voice had only told him to stop and not go towards his father, but it did not say to go towards Rei. Shinji was about to give up and ignore all the voices since he knew none of them were real, when he recalled Red XIII's instructions about voices he could trust.

Asuka and Rei were his fellow Eva pilots. Nether of them had ever lied to him and both of them had died to save him. His father, on the other hand, had abandoned him and had always been a manipulative man for as far back as he could remember. For one reason or another, Shinji had tried to gain his approval, but Rei had once slapped him for not trusting his father, and that was before he discovered the truth behind his father's work.

Shinji slid his foot back slightly and his heel came in contact with another rock. Instead of picking it up, he lightly kicked it. It clicked on the ground once, then silence once more. Shinji wonder for a moment if the room absorbed sound altogether, when heard the clicking sound of a distant rock. The sound was clearly below him, indicating it had fallen several feet, and a second, even more distant sound, told him it was still falling.

'Walk slowly...and don't listen to father this time.' he thought to himself.

As he moved away, his father's voice yelled after him, but after a few steps got quieter and, after a few more, disappeared altogether. He walked in silence until heard more voices. Some he did recognize, others he did not. The unfamiliar voices sounded urgent or promised rewards, but the voices of those he knew only called out his name or told him to stop. The trail got harder as he was forced to chose between two voices he knew and potentially trusted.

The hardest was Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki versus Doctor Akagi. He struggled with it for a moment, but after a few minutes concluded that Fuyutsuki had been loyal to his father through it all and in the end it was Ritsuko who had revealed the truth about NERV to him. So he followed her voice and since he did not fall to his death, assumed it was the right decision. After a few minutes of walking in the silent darkness, an unfamiliar female voice suddenly spoke.

"Come with me and my body is yours." it said.

The voice had come from right in front of him and this caused him to take a step back. Suddenly a second voice from another woman whispered in his ear. It too, promised sexual pleasure and it was not alone as more and more voices called out to him all from women and all promising the same thing. Shinji knew this had to be a trick of some kind, but no direction seemed right. However, he did make out a faint voice amid all the others. It was a girl's voice, which only called out his name, and Shinji knew its owner was sick in bed.

Shinji reached for the voice of his adopted sister and touched the cold hard surface of a wall. Instantly all of the voices ceased and left him alone in the dark once more. He started to walk along the wall when Aruru's voice called from behind him. As he turned around the other way, he extended his arm out and it found another wall. Now facing down a corridor, in contact with two walls, Shinji proceeded as he had when he first entered the cave.

Step by step went by with out a single voice calling out to him, and just when Shinji started to think that he had taken a wrong turn, his right hand lost contact with the wall. This time, Shinji pressed his left hand into the wall hard, determined to keep it. He kept his right arm extended in hopes that the wall may return, and sure enough it did. But just before Shinji began marching on with renewed confidence, a woman's voice called his name.

"Shinji." came Misato's voice from the opening Shinji had just past.

"MISATO?" Shinji called out, praying she would reply.

The boy did not wait for a reply though. Forgetting his strategy of keeping in contact with the walls, Shinji turned around and walked into the open path way. Suddenly he was blinded by light and froze. He was forced to close his eyes as the new and sudden light hurt them, but after a few seconds of adjustment, he reopened them. He was immediately confronted by the terrifying sight of a spider's face. He was startled and jumped back, the spider, however, remained completely motionless.

It had its four front legs in the air and two massive fangs hung from its mouth. Its eight black featureless eyes were sunken into a granite grey and light brown colored body. But despite its imposing figure and stance, it was completely devoid of any motion, even breathing. Shinji made slow deliberate movements to round the spider, which forced him to move closer. As he closed the distance to the eerily still spider, it look more and more like a statue. In fact, that is what it seemed to be.

The extremely well detailed statue did not even twitch when Shinji poked one of its legs with an arrow. The hairs on its body looked separate from each other, but upon closer inspection were actually carved rock. Shinji continued to move slowly as he rounded the spider statue and stopped when he came to the abdomen. He decided on one more test, just to be sure, and kicked the abdomen. It seemed solid and the force of his kick was just enough to get the whole statue to move, as a single structure, one centimeter. Now convinced that he was not in danger, he walked into the main part of the room.

The room had several pillars, boulders, stone rafters and large obelisks. It seemed like a random assortment of structures, but in the center was a circular platform and in its center was a small stone cylinder, with a sword sticking half way in it. Shinji quickly approached the desired object. The sword's metal possessed a mirror like quality and the grip of the handle was made of a fine black leather. It had a ginkgo/fan shape, hollow pommel with a gold inner lining, which was matched by smaller ones at the end of each of the two hand guards.*

"I guess this is it..." Shinji said as he reached for the blade.

Shinji looked down at the cylinder that held the sword. It seemed that the sword was sealed in tightly and would prevent it from being pulled out, but he wrapped his fingers around the handle and pulled. With almost no effort at all, the sword was lifted out of the cylinder. Shinji held it and marveled at how light it was, as if it was made of thin aluminum. He was not sure that such a weapon could hold it's own in a fight, but the boy figured that it was some kind of key anyways and decided not to worry about it.

A sudden sound from the direction of the entrance drew his attention, however when he looked over there, all he could see was the opening to the cave. Something seemed off, but Shinji could not place it. Enough was enough, in his mind and he began to walk towards the only apparent way in or out, when from the opening came a beam of light that extended right to him. Shinji had just enough time to register what was happening and duck to the left, as a large, chain controlled blade came out of the blackness at him.

Kratos's ominous form now blocked his only means of escape. The boy took several steps back to give himself room to fight and maybe draw his bow and arrow, but Kratos soon started swinging. Shinji had not yet put the sword into his empty scabbard and his instincts used it to block the in coming strike. If the blade had been made of aluminum, it would have been instantly broken or at the least been bent horribly out of shape. Fortunately, the mysterious metal of the blade deflected the attack without sustaining the slightest scratch and its light weight gave Shinji the ability to quickly and effectively block the next blow.

Even though Kratos was closing the distance between them, Shinji was now confident he could face him in close combat, and when the two did start exchanging blows, Shinji matched him sword swing for sword swing. Kratos did eventually use his foot to shove him back, but Shinji managed to graze his shin as he did. This did not make the Spartan happy as he began to wield his blades wildly at the boy, however, now that he had to keep the boy at a distance, Shinji could now back up more easily.

Shinji was just about at the point where he could run behind a pillar or boulder and begin firing arrows at him, when the veteran warrior got the drop on him. Tossing his two massive blades at two obelisks on ether side of Shinji, the Spartan began to pull. Instead of the two swords pulling out, the obelisks collapsed. One head slightly towards Kratos, but fell short, while the other came right at Shinji. It was a lucky thing he was already planning on moving, as it helped him to narrowly avoid being crushed, but his plan of launching arrows was wrecked.

Still, he felt he could take the opportunity to knot an arrow a possibly surprise him. Shinji crouched behind a boulder and readied a shot. The light of the compass struck him through the rock, but that was what he was waiting for, since it meant that one hand was preoccupied. He rounded the large piece of stone and quickly lined up the shot. Kratos was trying to put the compass away when Shinji took aim. Both were surprised at how close they were to one another. Kratos hurled his only armed blade and Shinji released his arrow.

As soon as each of them launched their attack, they attempted to dodge the one coming their direction. Shinji's arrow gouged out a piece of flesh off of Kratos's left third rib, the blade struck Shinji's quiver dead on and knocked it lose. The arrows scattered everywhere and all of them out of immediate reach. Kratos charged the boy, who desperately tried to draw his sword again, but the angry Spartan used his shoulder to plow into the boy and knock him back several feet over a fallen pillar.

As Shinji regained his breath he looked around and took stock of the situation. He could see a few of his arrows lying a few feet away, but reaching them would be hard if Kratos was close enough to him. Shinji glanced over in the direction of the Spartan to see if he could spot him, however, he noticed something else. Shinji suddenly realized why the entryway to the room looked different. The spider statue had moved and continued to do so under its own power.

It moved above their heads, unnoticed until Shinji had been knocked down. The new angle allowed him to see the spider moving along the ceiling and using its webs to drop down to the tops of the broken pillars and obelisks. Shinji slid back along the floor away from the spider as it approached him, then Kratos came into view. He towered over the boy, but failed to notice the spider as it came closer to the pair. The two of them were not moving around as much, making it easier for the spider to set up an attack. Kratos came within easy striking distance.

"Now boy, you will die here! Buried in a nameless mountain!" Kratos boasted.

"I'm more concerned about the giant spider about to attack us." Shinji said as it produced a stinger from its abdomen.

"FOOLISH BOY! Do I look stupid enough to fall for cheap tricks?" he yelled.

"God I hope not." Shinji said as he backed away more quickly.

Kratos would have followed after him had he not heard a sound from behind him. He turned to confront it, but it was too late. The stinger plunged into his gut and he immediately went limp, dropping his swords as he fell. The spider began wrapping him in a long strand of its web, which was fine with Shinji who bolted for the cave's entrance. It was barely a third the size of the spider and would certainly prevent it from giving chase, plus Kratos was certainly not going to be coming after him again. But just before Shinji reached the exit, bars came from the top and bottom of the cave and blocked his way.

"You must be joking?" He said aloud.

He turned around to see what the spider was doing, however all that was there now was the wrapped body of Kratos lying motionless on the floor. Shinji looked up and down the walls of the room, but could not spot the arachnid. Too many pillars and other large obstacles made for excellent hiding places. The boy saw his bow on the ground where he had dropped it and slowly moved to recover it. If he spotted the spider on the wall or anywhere above him, hitting it with an arrow might be the best way to kill it.

When he was standing next to the bow he slowly crouched down, still searching for the monster with his eyes. Finally, his hands grasped its string and he slung the item over his shoulder. Of course it was useless without arrows to go with it, so before rising, Shinji searched the floor for his arrows. They were all over the place, but there were four only a few feet away. Since it was a nice cluster of arrows, he set out to get them. But as he began to rise, he heard a noise behind him. Remembering it as the sound the spider made when it struck Kratos, the boy opted to duck and roll rather than turn.

The stinger missed its mark completely, but the spider was not through. It hopped down on top of the boy and tried to grab him with its legs, bite him with its fangs, and sting him with its abdomen. Shinji had not sheathed his sword just in case the spider did attack in this fashion, however the cramped fighting conditions made it hard to swing. It did keep the spider's legs at a distance making it difficult for the vile creature to bit or sting him.

Eventually, one of Shinji's wild swings clipped one of its legs. The spider then switched tactics and focused on disarming him before finishing him. It raised its body up higher, which appeared to give Shinji more room, but it was a deception. As Shinji tried to swing at the main body, the legs, which were now closer in, kicked at the blade. Despite his best efforts, the sword was knocked from his hand. However, the spider had anticipated that the boy would chase after the sword, but Shinji had learned when to cut his losses and run.

Rolling in the opposite direction than the sword, Shinji, through a space between the legs due to the kicking, landed on the outside of the spider's legs. The spider was also slightly turned and a foot or two away, since it had lunged an attack it the other direction. It turned just as Shinji began making strides to the arrows on the ground. It began to charge as he reached them, but instead of running, he decided to risk it and knotted an arrow, pulled it back and let it fly.

The spider ducked its body slightly. The arrow made a clean hit, but the thick skin of the spider caused it to bounce off harmlessly. The spider had been in a full on charge when it dropped its head and reached him before it could raise it again. This prevented it from baring its fangs and biting the boy, however, the act of raising it head as it slammed into him caused him to launched backwards several yards. Although the landing hurt, Shinji did manage to hold on to his bow and land behind cover.

This gave him some brief, but much needed thinking time. Shinji looked left and right for something to use and soon a glint of light caught his eye. Twenty feet away lay the sword and between him and the blade lay a single arrow. The bow and arrow did not seem to have the power to kill the creature, but it might be able to slow it down. Shinji quickly got to his feet, which allowed him to see the spider, and it, him. He took off running, the spider chasing after and closing fast. It was nearly on top of him as he scooped up the arrow, knotted it, twisted his body around, and released it.

Shinji had aimed right at the arachnid's grotesque face this time and because he was so close, it never had the chance to dodge. The arrow pierced squarely into one of its black featureless eyes, causing it to thrash about wildly and knock Shinji to the ground. He landed on his back near the sword. The spider shook itself violently and recovered quickly from the loss of its eye. It spotted the boy and immediately charged at him, but Shinji kept the blade at his side till the last second, when the spider filled his view.

He whipped the sword around and trusted it forward, just as the spider was rearing back to expose its fangs. The point of the weapon struck right in its mouth between the monster fangs. The spider tried to push the blade out, but its anatomy had been designed to pull things in, and it now did that all too well. As the sword was sucked in deeper and deeper into the creature's gullet, Shinji twisted the blade so that the hand guards would keep the fangs separated and away from his hands. This, of course, caused more internal damage.

The sword finally stopped penetrating and held the impaled spider in place as it began to choke. Suddenly, its legs gave out and it body rolled over. Shinji pulled the sword out and readied it, thinking that the spider was moving to regroup. However, in the next moment he realized that the spider was on its back and its legs were curled into it body. It was twitching some, but it was clearly dead. After two or three minutes it stopped altogether and again became solid rock. A second later the statue crumbled and turned into a pile of dust.

"Well...I don't know about saving the world, but I think I'd make a good exterminator. I seem to have knack for killing spiders." he said.

Shinji sheathed the sword, just before a rumbling noise sounded through the chamber. He was about to re-draw it, but halted when he saw what was happening. A part of the ceiling had opened up, and was slowly lowering to the floor, exposing a set of stairs and light that was clearly from the sun. Shinji breathed a sigh of relief as he picked up his quiver and began collecting his scattered arrows. As he did this, he passed the still wrapped body of Kratos and wondered about the late 'Ghost of Sparta'.

'Why the hell was he after me? I guess he must be part of the invasion force, but why send someone so powerful?...Maybe it means I'm on the right track...And where the hell did he get a piece of my soul? I think my soul died, even before I left Earth...It probably happened when Misato...' Shinji put a hold on his train of thought, when another one struck him.

He did his best not to hope for too much as he ripped into the sticky webbing that surrounded the still body. Finally, he uncovered the man's face and upper body. His eyes were open and glazed over. Just barely sticking out of the webbing was the chain which held the jewel. Shinji pulled it out and revealed the gem. Drawing his sword, he smashed the crystal with the handle's pommel. The gold frame fell away as the jewel shattered like glass.

Sure enough, there, supported at the end of the chain, was the dented and pitted old cross that Misato had given him. Shinji placed the chain around his neck and let it hang down around his chest. He then checked his E.S. One dot was gone and another was nearly sunken in. Deciding not to worry about it, he stood up, replaced his sword and looked down at the lifeless body of Kratos. After standing there looking down at him for a minute, he placed his hands together and bowed saying...

"Thanks for the chain."

After that he collected the remainder of the arrows and retied the quiver back onto his belt. He then looked up into the light coming from the ceiling. It was clearly the mid-day sunlight that shone through and beckoned him to come forth. With one final look around the ruined chamber, Shinji began to climb the stairs. Exiting the cave and once again, entering the unknown.

To Be Continued


Credits

Shinji = Neon Genesis Evangelion

Eruru + Aruru + Oboro = Utawarerumono

Major Motoko Kusanagi = Ghost in the Shell S.A.C.

Kratos = God of War

Gandalf = Lord of the Rings

Red XIII/Nanaki = Final Fantasy VII

Moro = Princess Mononoke

Closing Notes

I know...I need to post more often sorry guys.

*Narsil: Lord of the Rings - God it was hard to describe!

Thanks for reading. Zidane Ace.

P.S. A scientist recently created an actual artificial life form...Well the world maybe ending, but at least we'll have Evangelions! :)