A/N: See chapter one for the disclaimer


Neon Genesis Evangelion: Bloodlust

VII: Evolution, Part II



Even Ritsuko was bored… Harmonics tests came around often enough… she thought she was used to them by now, but even she had her limits. Time ticked by so slowly you could actually feel yourself getting older by the second. At it wasn't as if there were many in this room who could keep her mind busy... except maybe Maya... beautiful sweet Maya....

"Something wrong Rits?" Came the voice of Misato Katsuragi.

Ritusko shook her head, getting the quickly degenerating thoughts of her young assistant out of her mind. "Tired apparently," she responded.

"Yeah I know, these tests can get really grating after a while, don't you think?"

Misato was trying to get Ritsuko to end the test early or at least admit they were either pointless or just a monumental waste of time. "They have to be done, never the less."

That seemed to shut her up for the moment. It certainly wasn't that she disliked speaking with her old college friend, but right now she was just making sure everything went smoothly.

"Graphs appear normal," Maya announced.

Ritsuko smiled ever so slightly. Just over a month ago, she was suposed to meet with her at some point during her recovery, but work got in the way of all of her free time, bogging her down to the point that only NERV existed for a while. Thankfully, Maya herself had become quite busy. She was pretty tight lipped about where she had been, or what she had been doing during her recovery, but whatever she was up to aparently helped imensely.

"Thank you Maya, let me know if there is more than a 0.05 variance in the Alpha Waveform Emissions on any of the pilots."

"Hai Sempai," she cheerfully responded.

Although Maya was cheerful most of the time, Ritsuko noticed that recently her energy level skyrocketed. It was as if whatever ailment robbed her of her precious blood ended up making her even stronger. Scientifically that was simply not possible of course but Ritusko simply had to wonder. "I need to ask her what she's been doing to stay this healthy and active."

Suddenly the computers started going nuts; Warning lights flashed, klaxons wailed, and screens blinked. Ritsuko was about to yell over the sounds for a status report when suddenly Maya yelled first... she was always on the ball.

"Third Child's Synchronization Level is exceeding 100 percent!"

"Confirmed!" Aoba yelled. "Synchronization at 110 and climbing!"

"Damn it! Not again!" "Cut back the signal level 95%!" Ritsuko ordered.

"No response!" Maya yelled. "Synchronization still climbing, 160, 170, 180…"

"Cut all Power to Unit 01!"

"Power cut!" Aoba Yelled. "Unit 01 has switched to internal power. Shut down in 60 seconds."

Maya called out, "Alpha wave emissions from the pilot are spiking! Synchronization at 240 and climbing!" Maya reported.

"Oh no," Ritsuko whispered. "She's dragging him in."


Ritsuko closed her eyes as she knew what was going to happen next… or at least she thought she did.

"Sempai! Synchronization stabilized!"

Ritusko looked at the image of the pilot on the camera. This entire time, Shinji was completely calm and serene with a content smile on his face.

"Where is it?"

"Sync rate is holding at 299.2 percent."

"Dangerously close to losing his ego border," she whispered fearfully.

"Rits, what the hell just happened? What's going on?!" Misato was in full on 'mother mode' now and Ritsuko knew it. She had to tread carefully, but her confidence broke. How could she tell her friend that her ward's birth mother's soul was trapped in a several story tall purple war machine?

"I… I wish I knew Misato."

Misato growled slightly and turned back to the technicians. "Abort the test. Pull the pilots. Do it now!"

Aoba responded, "Sending eject order to Unit 01. No response! Its rejecting the command interface!"

"Damn it Yui, let him go!"

"Rits," Misato pleaded, "tell you have an idea." Misato looked beyond worried and Ritsuko understood why. She pulled herself out of her thoughts and shook her head.

"I need time. Maya, try to keep his Sync rate stabilized, I don't want him going up another 0.1 percent."

"I'll do my best Sempai!" the young tech responded, trying to sound hopeful.

"And reconnect the power! A sudden termination at this level will cause permanent brain damage. I have research notes that might help, I'll be in the lab," she said as she walked towards the doors leading off the bridge.


Inside Unit 01, Shinji's body was still intact but his spirit had already left the building. Carefully he had projected his astral form into the core of Unit 01. What he found inside surprised him.

Upon reaching the core, he found himself sitting on a beach overlooking the ocean. The sky was mostly clear with a few passing clouds and the air was warm but not overtly stifling. The massive blue green expanse before him swayed in the gentle motions of the tide, and he even heard the occasional seagull in the area, although he realized that wasn't possible.

After a short while, he felt, then saw a pair of arms wrap around his upper body. A woman was embracing him from behind, and he felt completely comfortable. He didn't have to turn around to know who it was.

"Mom," he said softly.

"Yes Shinji, its me." Her voice was gentle... so much like Rei's it brought up feelings within him he could not explain.

A tear fell from his eye. "I… I missed you." He pulled away long enough to turn around and face her. He saw her gentle smile, her perfect skin and eyes that glittered like gems. She was who Rei was patterned after and he could see that now. He leaned forward into her embrace wanting to lose himself there. Yui responded by gently placing a hand behind his head and leaning her head gently down to touch his.


It was later inside this dream world though the sun never actually moved. Yui and Shinji were in a huge expansive field of green hills. Both kneeling on a picnic spread with bento boxes before them, eating quietly. Shinji did not understand much about the magic of the Time Sphere though he sensed those paradigms around him. He knew he could spend a long time here and not loose more than few minutes or hours in the real world.

"Mom? Did dad know you were practicing magic?" he asked.

She smiled gently. "I think he would have been against it if he knew. He believes Science is the ultimate power in the universe when in reality it is but half of the picture."

"Sounds like him."

"I take it you found my gift to you?"

He held up his hand summoning the ball of energy he taught himself to do before... this time it took less than half a second to form. "You could say that."

Yui chuckled. "I'm glad to see you're putting it to good use."

"But my powers are growing too fast," he said with worry in his voice.

"That was the Ikari Blessing," she replied.

"This is supposed to happen?"

"Yes. Though in times past we had a tutor who helped curb the power gain. I'd like to train you to control your power gain before you go." At that moment, an invisible mental connection linked their minds and souls. Shinji didn't fight it, allowing it to wash over him.

"Do I have to leave?" he asked as part of his mind completed the connection.

"You know you can't stay. I can only curb the march of time so much, and you are still needed in the real world."

Shinji sighed. "I know, I guess I was just being rhetorical. I really miss you."

Yui sighed. "I know... I wish I could be outside with you. I can't believe that your father put both you and Rei through so much hell. He has made me very upset with him, to know that as much as he claims to love me unconditionally, he would not honor me by taking care of you, nor would he leave the sanctity of my body alone. That he would create that abberation is evil without question."

"Rei isn't evil mom," Shinji clarified, "nor is she an abberation in the strictest sence of the word."

"Sorry Shinji, I mean on disrespect to her, but she was never meant to exist… now that she does however, she needs help… especially with what she has become."

Shinji was happy his mother pulled the thoughts and knowledge from his head through the link... he would have hated having to explain everything to her. "I agree, though I fear Asuka may also be in some kind of trouble."

"Indeed, her coming home late, smelling of blood all the time would be cause for concern. Do you know why Asuka and Rei hate each other?"

"I was starting to put the pieces together on that actually," he replied. "I suspect Asuka is a Lycan." Yui began to pull some of Shinji's experiences from his mind though the link, observing Asuka's behavior first hand as well as her abuses of her son. Shinji was taking it like a man though, so she gave it little consern. It was her habits she was interested in... her mannerisums and any signs at all that Shinji may have witnessed, yet missed that would prove his theory.

"Based on the evidence, I agree, though I must admit the evidence you do have my son, can be construed as circumstantial at best, and meaningless at worst."

"I trust my instincts."

Yui smiled. "My, we do learn quickly don't we?"

Shinji chuckled in response. When he noticed his mother's face took a more serious turn and that no more information was flowing into him he knew what was next. "Is it time already?"

Yui nodded solemnly, "Sadly, you must return now." She began to stand up though her smile never truly faded.

"It must be so lonely in here," Shinji commented.

"Not when you are in the entry plug," she replied. "Remember that a part of me will be with you always. And if you should ever despair with a lack of options look within… and you shall find the answers you seek."

Shinji stood up with her and hugged her. Yui held him back in response. "All the knowledge you need to begin your own studies are now within your head. Everything I knew about the Arcane is yours to command. You have the potential to be the most powerful mage this world has ever seen Shinji. It would have been foolish of me to withhold that from you.

"Be careful my son."

"What should I do about dad?"

"I don't know for certain what he is planning but it is not what I originally had in mind. Find out what it is he's trying to do… and stop him."

"I will mom… I promise."

With these final words, Shinji felt himself being drawn back towards his body. Astral Projection on this level would likely drain him heavily, but the trip apparently was well worth it. Not only did he finally get to meet his mother… but he can now safely skip the first 20 years of mystical learning and move on to the more advanced spells. Perhaps other secerets lie within Yui's Tome.


Ritsuko had not even left the bridge when Maya yelled out that there was a major change in the 3rd Child's Sync Graphs.

"Sempai wait!" Maya yelled causing her to turn around. "Shinji's Sync Rating is dropping again!"

Ristsuko was confused. "Did Shinji somehow manage to convince Yui to let him go?"

Aoba responded immediately, "It's confirmed. The Third Child's sync graph is dropping rapidly, 205, 185, 165, 130, 90, 78… It's stabilized again, holding at 77.6 percent."

"Significantly higher than his average," Ristuko commented. "Maya how are his alpha wave emissions?"

"Normal Sempai, 22.4 and stabilized. Variance of plus or minus 0.03."

Misato spoke up at this point. "So what do the Magi say about this one?" She was releaved but only cautiously optimistic as far as Ritsuko could tell.

Shigeru looked over his data screen. "The Magi detected a massive Beta Waveform Shift about 20 seconds before the Sync Ratio spiked. The Magi unanimously agree that this was the cause of the initial climb. They are withholding judgment as to what fueled it further."

"I think I know," Ritsuko thought to herself grimly.


Hours Later...

Shinji woke up in a NERV hospital bed with a bit of a headache. He groaned slightly as he began to sit up. His head was pounding and he already knew , Rei was at his bedside looking worried for him. Shinji turned to her and smiled softly.

"Rei-chan," he said in a low voice. "I knew I would see you when I awoke. I'm glad of it." He noticed her eyes drift down then away from him. "What's wrong?"

She blushed slightly. "You… are not dressed again," she whispered.

Shinji looked down at himself and realized he was in the same state of undress that he was in after his first sortie against Ramiel.

"So," he said matter-of-factly. "Not like you haven't seen it before." He sat up not even bothering to adjust the sheet.

The sudden display of a lack of modesty caused her blush to darken and she looked away again shyly. Shinji gently reached out and held the side of her face, making her look at him. Without so much as another word he leaned over to her and kissed her gently. For a true first kiss, is was unlike anything he had imagined it would be. The warmth drifting between them filtered down into each others souls… and it could not have felt more perfect. When they parted, both of their hearts were beating in time… it was one of the few times Rei's heart even beat without conscious effort on her part.

"That… that was nice," Rei whispered. "I… I don't think I've ever felt anything like that before."

Shinji smiled at her. "It took me a while to figure it all out… but I finally have. None of use are perfect Rei-chan… none of us are the same. So you look like my mother… she's a very beautiful woman. So you have the genes of an angel within your body, that makes you heavenly… and so you have been turned by the powers of darkness… that makes you powerful. I can no longer see anything negative about any of it."

Rei smiled at him softly. "Thank you Shinji-kun," she whispered as a tear of blood gently trailed from her left eye. "I was so afraid I had lost you forever."

Shinji used his thumb to wipe away the tear. "I will never abandon you Rei… never." He closed his hand over the tear and held the closed hand before her. Concentrating he transformed it into something for her. When he opened his hand, there was a single red stone, shaped like a tear drop on a silver chain in his hand instead of a drop of blood.

"Shinji?" she questioned. "How did you do that?"

"Want to know my dark secret? I have become a Mage… I have awakened Rei. My mother was a Mage too… apparently it runs in the family."

Rei smiled again. "Is this for me?"

"Something to remember this day," he said. "Keep it on you at all times. Not only is it beautiful, but it will protect you when and if you should ever need its power."

Shinji gently took the chain and placed it over Rei's head, adjusting the clasp. The stone hung in front of her and she placed a hand beneath it, starting into its crimson brilliance.

"I'll never take it off," she whispered.

"I know." His head turned slightly. "You should wear it under your uniform though. I sense that Misato is coming. Don't let anyone see it."

Rei nodded and dropped it into her shirt while Shinji got back under the covers properly.

Misato walked into the room. "Shinji! You're awake!"

"Hello Misato-san. Can I go home yet?" he asked her.

"Ritsuko thinks you're ok though she's a bit worried about what happened."

"I don't even know what happened," he lied. "I was doing what I was supposed to be doing in the plug… and the next thing I know. I'm staring at yet another unfamiliar ceiling. At this rate though, if I keep ending up here, they won't be so unfamiliar anymore."

Misato smiled at the comment. "Well guess we'll have to be more careful now. Don't worry about what happened Shinji-kun, it's over now. We just had a bit of a scare is all."

Shinji knew she was lying but he also knew what happened. Rather than push for answers he simply nodded in agreement. "Well I'm ready to go home now… but uh, can you and Rei wait outside please, they didn't give me gown again."

Rei blushed uncontrollably and silently left the room. Misato chuckled. "Ok Shinji-kun, but its not like you have anything I haven't seen before."

"M-Misato!" Shinji cried, faked of course, but he wanted to keep up appearances.

"Still so easy to tease," she commented with a chuckle before walking out.

He sighed. "That went well," he whispered. He looked down at himself and realized that while he was with Rei, his body reacted accordingly.

"Maybe Asuka is right. Maybe I am a hentai…"

He stood up and looked for his clothing. Finding it, he quickly dressed and met everyone outside. Even Asuka was there, for some strange reason.

"Baka!" she said as soon as he came into view. "What did you think you were doing scaring us all like this."

"Calm down Asuka," Misato snapped. Then she leaned in and whispered into her ear, "He still doesn't know and you're not going to tell him, understood?"

Shinji had enhanced his hearing before she started whispering and inwardly smiled. Asuka knew… "This could get interesting."

"Sorry but it was out of my control… whatever it was," he replied to her.


It was later that afternoon, and Shinji had entered the home of Rei Ayanami. The modest apartment had changed little since Shinji first saw it the first time... with one major exception.

"You cleaned up!" he said.

Rei beamed him a smile. "And I've got a few ideas for décor." She walked with him over to the kitchen, a warmth spreading though her body just from being around him. He was different now, far more confident than he ever was. She could feel his strength as almost a palpable aura that surrounded him. Even more interesting, the energy was warm but held an underlying tone of darkness she could not place.

"So, what's your specialty?" she asked him.

"Pardon?"

"Well, I know very little about Arcane Magic, but I do know that there are specific spheres that one can master. Which one do you favor?"

"Hard to say," he replied. "My mother was very good with Spirit and Entropy, using a lot of what she learned when she created EVA. But she studied a separate paradigm, not a sphere so to speak… I claim no particular specialization, I want to learn it all."

"What paradigm?"

Shinji turned towards her. His eyes glowed for a moment before rolling over to pure black, his aura became visible as black smoke that clung around him, rolled over his hands and flowed around like an ever shifting fog. Rei felt the temperature in the room drop precipitously "My mother taught me the secrets of Shadow Magic."

"I've never heard of it."

"Well," he began as his eyes returned to normal and his aura began to fade, "it's a bit tricky to try to explain to someone who has not studied the art, but in layman's terms, it is the power of darkness. Mother was not evil, but dark power is very seductive and she studied many occult volumes on the subject." His aura completely faded away as he opened her refrigerator and saw she had cases of soda. "Mind if I grab a cola?"

"Go for it," she responded, "and please continue."

"Shadow magic focuses on two general principles; Sympathy and Substance. In its most basic form it describes that if one can control an object's shadow, one can control the object itself. Substance allows me to create objects from raw shadow energy and use them if the objects were completely real… for example…" He cracked open the can and held his other hand out in and slightly closed position as if holding a wine glass. As he poured the soda out of the can towards his hand, the soda sloshed above it as if in an invisible glass. As it did so, a smoky ornate black goblet of sorts formed there to hold the liquid in place. He then drank the small amount of soda he poured into it and dismissed the glass from existence.

Rei was impressed at his level of skill. "I thought magic took years to master."

"When I was almost absorbed by EVA, I was actually meeting with my mother. She gave me her knowledge. I'm about 25 years or so ahead of the curve now."

The amount of power at his fingertips was incredible and Rei realized that with such power must have come his confidence. She could imagine that the meeting with his mother would have been quite the emotional experience.

"So its true then… your mother… the woman who's DNA went into my creation is now within Unit 01."

Shinji tossed back more of the soda. "Looks that way," he replied. "I fell sorry for her, being trapped there but in a way I guess I am grateful she's not really gone."

Rei decided it was time to fully bring him into her world. With his power at her side, there was little she could not accomplish. Not to mention working together would allow her ample opportunity to truly deepen their relationship. The couple that slays together... stays together. "Shinji-kun… I have been trying to keep hostile vampires out of the city by killing them. Would you like to come with me tonight?"

Shinji was halfway into drinking the soda so when he lowered his head and hadn't yet swallowed, he simply pointed at himself before attempting to do so.

"Yes," she replied.

"Rei-chan, I would be honored to assist you in these endevors. I have a few spells I've been wanting to try out and they are supposedly most effective against Vampires… Don't worry, I won't catch you in the crossfire."

"I trust you Shinji-kun." She checked the time. "Come back after midnight, Captain Katsuragi will get worried if you do not return soon."

"Don't worry, I'll make it home on time." He placed the can back on the counter and walked up to her. "There is something I need to do before I leave however."

Rei wasn't sure what he was talking about. She didn't know what more he needed to do in her apartment before returning to his own. But before she could start to ponder on what it was Shinji wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a kiss. It was the second time today that he did this to her, and she was hoping he would continue to be so forward with her… she was starting to like it.

Her teeth parted almost begging for his tongue in her mouth and he complied. A hand slid down her back to cup her rear, squeezing it and pulling her body even closer to him. For almost five minutes they made out like this, their bodies rubbing against each other as their hands played across each other's frames as their tongues danced. Though both remained clothed the entire time, it was the most potent experience she had ever felt… and she knew it could only get better from here.

"Shinji-kun," she whispered sweetly as they parted, leaning against his forehead wit her own. Her eyes slowly opened to see him smiling at her, just before he began to plant a few gentle kisses on her cheek and neck.

"Rei-chan," he returned. "Perhaps next time, we can go a little further."

"I…" her blush intensified as she stuttered. She was almost afraid to follow such base instincts but she could not kid herself, she had wanted this for a while. Now there was really nothing to stop her. "I'd like that."

He smiled at her and kissed her one last time before heading home.


Hours Later....

That night in Rei's apartment, Rei was preparing to go out for the night when a knock resounded on her front door. Fully dressed in her dark attire and loaded down with various implements of death she walked towards the door and saw Asuka through the peephole wearing opened sneakers, short shorts and tube top.

She opened the door. "What is it now," she said with annoyance.

"Can it Wondergirl," she said as she pushed past the Vampire and entered the apartment. "I came here because… well… mein gott and I can't believe I'm actually going through with this."

"What?" Rei asked. Her curiosity was peeked now. She knew from her smell that she was a Lycan, and like any good Vampire, she had a distrust for them. After all, both species have been on edge ever since the 2nd Shadow Wars of the late 1800's and early 1900's.

"I… need your help," she said and bit her lip at the end of the last syllable.

Rei looked at her for a moment before making her decision. She didn't trust Asuka but she was a fellow pilot and hunter in the night. "Ok. Tell me what the problem is and I'll do what I can."

"It's not that easy," she started. "I used to belong to a Tribe of Werewolves in England who called themselves the Steel Jaw. This tribe had a lot of weird superstitions, even by Lycan standards. I've known Were-Foxes with less confusing dogma.

"To make a long story short, they believe I'm some kind of 'destroyer'… something that has to be purged." She looked at Rei solemly. "I killed 7 assassins last night, 3 the previous night. They are stepping up their attempts but they haven't been sending just other werewolves after me. Most of the last group were mercenaries with Sterling Silver Ammunition."

Rei looked down for a moment in thought. "Have they sent Mages yet?"

"No, but I'm guessing its only a matter of time before they do. Wondergirl… I don't want to destroy anything! I got my jollies in Germany by killing entire gangs of bad guys. I only ever hurt people who honestly deserved it. How am I so deserving of this?!"

Rei frowned. "Whatever they believe you are destined to destroy must be valuable to them in some way."

They both heard footsteps approaching and turned to see who would dare intrude here.

"I thought I'd find both of you up here," came Shinji's voice. Asuka looked at him an nearly fainted.

He was dressed in all black from head to toe; steel toed boots, tapered pants, silk button down shirt, leather gloves and an all leather trench coat to complete the look.

Rei felt her body warm up again. Her Shadow Mage had finally arrived! "Shinji-kun!" she called out. As she stepped out of the apartment and into his arms.

"What are you doing here Baka?"

"Rei-chan said she'd take me hunting tonight," he replied.

"You?!" And then she started laughing out loud. Rei frowned and Shinji smirked at her. "What are you going to do when the scheiße hits the fan?"

"I'll have you know I have plenty of tricks up my sleeve," he said grimly.

"Ha, that's a laugh. Last I checked you're a spineless wimp! Dressing dark doesn't make you a man baka!"

"Oh really?" Shinji grunted out. "Spineless eh? Why don't you come over here and say that."

"Shinji-kun," Rei was about to protest when Shinji placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry Rei-chan… I won't cause any… permanent damage."

"As if you could cause damage to me anyway," she hissed.

"Bring it," Shinji goaded.


He honestly wondered if she would transform or not. Apparently she opted for the straight forward 'I don't need to be at full power to take you' method. He focused on the moment, waiting until the proper time. Her fist flew… and when it was less than 2 inches from striking him, he bent space around him and teleported directly behind her… giving her a shove while he was at it.

She sprawled across the concrete, skinning her knees and arms. He knew they would regenerate by the time she got back up so this really wasn't a bother to him. Predictably her eyes turned red and she glared at him as she got up. A low growl escaped her throat.

"What are you waiting for Asuka," he said calmly. "I thought you were going to hit me."

"How the fuck did you do that Third?"

"Do what? You're just clumsy." This sufficiently pissed her off enough to transform into full on Werewolf mode. Shinji waited until she was committed to the attack and side flipped off the balcony. Asuka watched him as he flipped once then slowed his decent in mid flight landing on his feet without so much as a bending his knees.

"How the fuck did he do that?!" she growled out and leaped off the balcony to go at him again. She was at full speed when Shinji erected a transparent wall of pure force in front of her that she slammed into, hurting her jaw in the process.

"You really must watch where you're going," he said calmly while he examined the back of his hand, as if it were somehow more important than this fight.

She roared at him and slammed into the barrier again, shattering it but before she could get a hand on him, he suddenly slipped to the left at such a speed that he left a confusing trail of shadows in his wake.

"You're a goddamned Mage!" she roared.

"Catches on quick doesn't she?"

With a roar she went at him full tilt again this time moving fast enough to strike home with one swipe of her claw. She only caught his arm but that was enough to piss him off.

He glared at her, feeling his eyes going dark like they did earlier when he showed Rei what he could do. "You want to play rough," he said, "lets…" He held his hand in front of him slowly closing it on something that wasn't there. Archs of dark energy swarmed in and pooled together suddenly firing out in two directions forming what amounted to a Two-Bladed Katana. "I'm glad mother saw fit to show me how to fight while she was at it." Once the weapon was fully formed, he spun it around and flipped it behind in one hand, while holding the other in front of him to balance.

Asuka was about to charge him again when she caught the glint on the blades and instantly stopped. Slowly she began to change back to normal. "Oh fuck you!" she shouted. "Silvered Edges."

"Sorry, impulse," he said. "I wasn't sure if you were going to kill me or not." He looked at his arm and the wound instantly regenerated with a word in a mist of shadow and dark haze. Not only the wound but the shredded portion of his clothing also mended itself.

"Damn it Baka! If I didn't need you so badly I might just try. You've made a damn fool out of me twice today! Just now and… I can't talk about the other one."

"Asuka," he said as he made the staff-sword disappear. "I know what happened. My sync ratio spiked close to 300 and ended somewhere in the high 70's."

"How… how do you know that?!"

"I caused it. My mother is inside Unit 01 Asuka. I wanted to see her… so I did. I didn't realize that the act of doing so would bring me so close to become lost like she was… but thankfully I was able to keep my ego border from completely disintegrating."

"You're a damn fool!" she shouted. "You keep putting yourself in mortal danger for what? Are you trying to prove something?"

"Why the fuck do you even care?!" he yelled back. "All you've ever done since you arrived was cut me down and treat me like I wasn't even worth the ground I walked on. So what the fuck Asuka? Why now, of all times, would you even so much as give two shits?"

"Damn it I care about you ok?!" And with those words, Shinji found himself unable to retort. He wasn't even looking into her mind, he didn't have to. The shift of her aura and the feelings radiating off of her like the heat form the sun told him everything he needed to know… she actually meant every word she said.

This realization was the most shocking one he had since he was introduced to the realities of the supernatural. He was under the impression that she hated him for reasons he would never be able to determine when in reality… "You… care about me?"

"Yes Baka I do, ok?! I know I don't exactly show it like a normal person would… but I'd be upset if anything happened to you… I just… gerrr! It's not like I'm any good at all these feelings and crap!" Her flustered expression softened and her voice lowered. "Don't pull that kind of scheiße again… do you here me?."

Shinji laughed. "Ok, you know what… as fucked up as that sounds… I believe you."

"You do?" she said, sounding surprised. "After the way I treated you?"

"Yeah, I do." He looked up at Rei who seemed relieved the fighting was over. "I can't promise I won't have to go back in and see mom again, but with any luck I should find a safer way to do it by then."

Asuka smiled slightly. "You're… pretty good at this magic stuff huh."

"I have my mother to thank for that. By the way, I just have to ask…. what the hell brought you down to see Rei? I thought the two of you hated each other."

"We do," they both said at the same time and then glared at each other.

Asuka continued, turning away from her, "It's a matter of life or death… mine to be specific."

Shinji stopped for a moment. He knew if it was bad enough to have to ask Rei for help… correction… bad enough for a Werewolf to ask a Vampire for help, it had to be something really bad. Asuka may have been a pain to live with but he did care for her on some level, and he wasn't about to let anything hurt the people he cares for. Whatever held a beef with Asuka would have to deal with him too. And right now, he was pretty sure he was one of the last people on this planet anyone should desire to fuck with.

"Tell me…"


End of Chapter VII


Sanguis meus fervidus est,
Sanquis meus fervidus est,
Sanguis tuus suavis est,
Sanquis tuus iucundus est


A/N: And another chapter down. Finally got Rei and Shinji to reconcile, Asuka's in the loop, and Shinji is a badass. Well stranger things have happened on FF Net eh?

Look forward to plenty of action sequences next chapter as the three children of the night try to learn how to work together.

NewFLavor4UrEars: I'm trying to keep things low tech, however in EVA that isn't always easy... so eventually there might be more tech usage, especially if Shinji does't get used to melee, he might have to fall back on firearms like his father. Heh, imagine that... a Mage with an AA-12. Look that up on YouTube if you don't know what it is.

Thanks again for reading. See you next chapter.


Next Chapter: An Ancient Prophecy... a forbiden tome... and bloodlust awoken.... Chapter Last Edited on 11/28/2009