Disclaimer:

I do not own any characters in this fic except for Ryugi Kazamaru and his Eva, Unit-0X (If I did own Evangelion, Shinji would have gotten Rei, but he had to choose Asuka… At least as far as the original series! Much love for Rebuild 2.0!). Evangelion and all related articles are property of GAINAX.

'This stands for a thought'

"This for said dialog"

This for written or typed text

\\ This equals a flashback/

Italics are for radio dialogue or other such disembodied voices

(And this for sound effects, author's comments, or physical noises or actions)

To anyone still reading this fic after all these years, holy crap, why are you still here? Either way, I saw that someone favorited my story the other day, and after thinking back to this little universe I've created, with no small bit of watching various Rebuild clips and AMVs, I have finally completed the next chapter in my story. And, hopefully, it won't take me almost four years before I finish another chapter. The more reviews, the more I know that people like it. I've grown tremendously since my last chapters, and graduated college no less…but Evangelion will always have a place in my life and in my heart. So, without further artistic ramblings, I present to you Chapter Seven of Destiny's Power, Strength of the Heart: Light in the Dark.

- Pilot Ikari-Kun

Chapter 7: Light in the Dark

Darkness. Heavy is the darkness. It never changes, with the passage of time. Light, white light. It illuminates, so your eyes can see. The soul, one, only one. Lovers, they are the greatest hope. Pilot Ayanami. People, so many the same, so little with purpose. Sky, sky of black, black the color, the color of death. The tepid flows, they drip, ripple and pour. Blood. The scent of blood, for some it seeds. From the seeded soil, the demons come, demons made by man and woman. Pity, a human creation. Savior, a human creation as well. What are demons? Are they creations of god? Demons, are that which is created by humans…

These words seemed to drift, in and out of the darkness that surrounded him in this strange place. There was nothing, and yet everything at the same time. It was so empty, and yet, so full. This black place was a great dark paradox, as he seemed to drift aimlessly in the never-ending, yet finite blackness around him. He knew he was drifting because he could feel no ground under his feet in this place, and he could feel no resistance from air, wind, or anything else along his body either. It was a strange feeling…

Without the resistance or light to illuminate, he felt as if he had no form. He saw nothing, he felt nothing, and the only things that proved to him that he existed at all were his thoughts. He knew he was alive, he could sense it, but he saw or felt no physical stimulation to prove it. This dark void was absent of anything, anything but his thoughts. It was a strange feeling to say the least. He felt strangely calm, but at the same time, he was terrified. Something about this place didn't add up. He was a smart kid, he knew about comas, but whatever THIS was it was something he'd never read about before. Or, at least, he didn't THINK it was. Thinking. He would chuckle to himself if he thought he had the body and lungs to create such a sound. This eternal darkness of this void seemed to be the only thing he could sense, it seemed to lack any dimensions, and he had no idea of distance or his surroundings. For all intents and purposes he felt as if he was merely a collection of thoughts floating through a void of nothingness. His mind was beginning to falter as time wore on. He lost track of it, and suddenly he tried to see something, anything, that would show a passage of time, movement, anything other than himself. He could feel his emotions. Sadness, depression, hopelessness, and he silently asked himself.

'Is this what its like to be dead…? Nothingness…? …Loneliness?'

"…Am I…dead?"

"Ha ha ha… Why do humans always ask such strange and seemingly penultimate questions? Have not you heard of the saying, 'I think, therefore I am?'"

A soft, decidedly male, voice flowed easily from the darkness surrounding him, and he tried to look around, but felt no resistance or tension to suggest that he did any such thing. He franticly shouted out, a slight panic starting to grip him.

'Who's there? Show yourself! Where are you? Where am I? What the hell is happening to me?'

"Shhhh…shhhh… Calm down. I apologize. It was not my intention to frighten you, but it was so interesting watching and listening to you that I couldn't help but comment. You're really quite special you know…"

'What the HELL are you talking about? I can't see anything in this god-forsaken place, so how could you possibly be watching me?'

"Humans are so limited in their perception of things outside their realm of experience. I can see you because I wish to. I can watch you because I wish to. Here, your thoughts are all that exist; your soul is the only thing that exists. You have no image of your soul, and thus, you seem to have no form. If you wish to have a form, you will, and if you wish to see me, you will. It is the way of this place."

Ryugi mentally sighed, since that's all he could do at this moment anyway. But he thought for a moment, and wondered what his soul would look like. And as he pondered the question, he suddenly blinked. He then blinked again at his realization. He'd felt a blink! The sensations of a blink were generally mild and usually went unnoticed. But after what seemed like an eternity of feeling and sensing nothing, even something as tiny as a blink could feel very significant. He could feel his eye seem to water as the soft caress of the eyelid moved across his eye, and the gentle motion of it as it brought moisture across it. And then, as easily as it came, the soft feeling of the retreating eyelid as it moved back up over his eye. After feeling nothing, it was truly amazing how much there really was to sense in the simple motion of an eye blinking, so much that one could take for granted.

"See how easy that was? The mind is a very powerful thing, as is the heart and soul. And in this place, they are all that is…"

Ryugi would move his hand in front of his face, and see it floating there in front of him. Floating was a good word, since he didn't feel any resistance, but he did feel his body react to it. He saw his bare hand, his bare arm, his bare shoulder, his bare chest, his bare groin…and immediately moved to cover himself, only to realize there was nothing but a lump of skin acting as his manliness. As he realized his, a scream would come from his mouth as the first real utterance he'd heard in quite some time.

"AAAAHH! WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO ME?"

"Me? I didn't do anything. That is your soul, and souls have no real gender. They may have masculine or feminine shapes to give them form, but your sexual organs are a creation of your body only, and thus are not present here. There is nothing to be shy about…"

Ryugi patted the lack of his groin once more out of worry, but moved his hand away shortly after. He still couldn't see this being speaking to him, but if what the person had said was indeed true, then all he had to do was picture wanting to see this being, and he would appear to him. And thus, as he wished to see the owner of the voice, a soft pulse of light came into view. The result was a soft white light that appeared almost like a flame being viewed from underwater. The light from this being was warm and comforting as Ryugi gazed at it.

"So then… Who are you, and why am I here?"

"I'm afraid I really don't understand it all myself. As I don't fully comprehend why I'm here either. But what I do know is that somehow, some way, you brought me here from the darkness, and I could hear you calling out to me from the nothingness. I find it interesting that you made an attempt to call out to anyone after your first encounter…"

Ryugi's eyes suddenly shot open and he felt a cold shudder run through his form at the being's words. He remembered it. He remembered it all, the excruciating pain, the feeling of possession, and the fight to maintain himself. He spoke, his voice full of a slowly rising fear. "You… What are you talking about… My first experience of what?" And then, it struck him. He'd been in Unit-0X fighting the angel before he was attacked. That meant he could be in any number of places, but the files of the other NERV pilots came to mind as well, including a very strange incident with Shinji…

"…How do you know about that…? No one knows about that… Just what the hell are you…?"

The voice took on a more pleasing tone, and one of slight worries and shock at the tone of Ryugi's voice.

"I was here, then… I could feel what you felt, and also feel what it felt, and wanted. I wanted to make contact with you then, but I could not… I wasn't strong enough to get past it, and wasn't strong enough to really be aware of myself. Something inside me tells me that you and I are…similar somehow. But any more than that I can't say for sure. It was when I first experienced your presence that I came to call myself "I", that I first realized that there was more outside this place, and that I was a soul of something, of someone. I have no recollection of who I am, but something inside me tells me that I am a soul. This…emptiness that you see around you is where I exist. The other is dormant now, beaten back by you, and it has allowed me to become what you see before you. The beast slumbers deep within this seemingly empty void. I exist… because you have allowed me to exist… This is the freedom of the will, but this freedom is also a prison, a paradox… Such is to be expected from a human creation such as this…"

"So you're a soul, but you have no idea who you are beyond that? And when you say, "The Other", you mean the force that tried to possess my mind and body during Unit-0X's initial activation test…"

Ryugi crossed his arms as he floated near the light. This light continued to talk as if it was a child, trying to get to know its surroundings, and yet, it seemed to talk as if it understood the inner workings of the human mind so well. This void wasn't the only thing here that was a paradox… Ryugi set to work using his greatest tool, his brain…

"If there's a way into this place, there's a way out… And I'm going to have to find it…"

XxXxXxX

"Do you realize what happened the last time we tried this?"

Misato looked across the room to Dr. Akagi as she made her way through a large amount of papers, each with data from the first Pilot Retrieval Attempt, and the second, which resulted in the recovery of Shinji. Not long after Unit-0X had been recovered, Ryugi's life signs began to degrade. He was dying. By the time the Unit was on its way to lockup, all contact with Ryugi had been lost and he was presumed dead, until the team realized that his suit was not transmitting any information about his body at all. When the internal cameras were brought online, only Ryugi's plugsuit was found, floating in the bloodied LCL.

"Of course I realize. As it stands now, we have a Fifty Percent chance of this technique working. And if you remember, Major, the last time we tried it, it had a previous success record of zero percent. So, mathematically speaking, we've made a vast improvement. The data gathered from Shinji's experience would prove to be invaluable this time around. So, why don't you be quiet and let me go over this data in peace. Go home and get some rest already. You've been here for four days, and haven't slept at all in that time. Your only source of nutrition and energy has been coffee. That's just unhealthy. There is no need for you to even be here until the tests are ready to be performed anyway. So go home and get some real rest and energy."

Ritsuko looked up from her paperwork long enough to glance in Misato's direction, before quickly returning to her duties of number crunching. Misato looked terrible. Her hair was messy and small strands were poking out in all directions. Her face told how tired and worn out she really was. There were dark circles under her eyes from the lack of sleep, and her face looked almost greasy from how exhausted her body was. She sighed and looked over to Ritsuko, then proceeded to stand up and gather her things.

"Call me when things are ready then, will you? Promise me you won't do anything without me being here."

"Of course... Now do yourself a favor and get out of here already."

Ritsuko grinned slightly and turned back to her number crunching and paperwork. Misato smiled a bit at her friend, then turned and walked out of the control room. It was a long walk through the complex back to her car, but she made it without much trouble this time. She'd been getting better at memorizing the layout of the complex, and was quite pleased with herself that even while tired, exhausted, and worn out, she managed to find her way to the parking area. As she fumbled with her keys, Misato couldn't help but wonder how Ryugi was doing. Just like last time, there were no readings to suggest that he was still there at all, but also like last time, she knew exactly where he was. It was a strange feeling. He was inside the Eva, and yet, at the same time, he wasn't. He was so close, and at the same time, so very far beyond reach that getting to him was almost impossible.

She unlocked the door and stepped inside her car, her mind switching into wondering how Shinji and Asuka had been faring since she'd been at work for nearly four days. It sure was a mighty change of pace, but they were used to her long work hours. However four long days was really pushing it, even for her. She backed out of her parking space, spying Ryugi's red car parked across the way from her, and sped off down the way towards her apartment. At least she'd be home soon, and could relax there. Assuming the kids didn't make a fuss and weren't hogging the bathroom. For some reason an ice cold beer, or five, and a long hot soak in the tub, followed by a long, long nap was sounding pretty damn good right about now. At least she knew Ryugi wasn't going anywhere…

XxXxXxX

Unknown to Misato, the apartment had been very quiet for the four days she'd been away. Young minds wandered back and forth between Ryugi, the mission, and the events of the trip… The two teens sat huddled together on the couch in front of the television. The set was off, but that didn't matter. So much had changed between them in just the last few days that the time alone had been nothing short of a blessing. Both were in their sleeping clothes, and each held the other close as they leaned in to the other for comfort and balance. Neither one said a word. In the silence the only sounds of the apartment were the hum of the refrigerator, the ticking of a clock on the wall, and the gentle sounds of breath. The closeness that they each experienced now was something they'd both wanted for so long. Both had wanted to be wanted, both had wanted to be something to someone, and they'd both found that within the other.

Contrary to what Misato would have joked about, nothing so much as a kiss had happened between the two in four days, and neither had tried anything even remotely close to "monkey business." There had been blushes, embarrassments, and long periods of silence, but these things would come to pass as the pair became more used to the fact that they were not alone anymore and became more accustomed to their new closeness. There was more than simple attraction here, there was a strong bond, and they both knew it, they could both feel it, and it was so strange and new to them they were both learning to understand its intricacies one step at a time.

They'd sat there together, arms wrapped around the other in total silence for nearly half an hour, but oddly enough, it would be Asuka that would break the silence first.

"You know… If Misato comes home and finds out about us, we'll never hear the end of it. We'll never be able to be alone with one another anymore. She'll always be watching us…"

Shinji turned to look into her blue eyes, like dark shimmering sapphires in the light that flowed gently into the room. They were like great pools of passion and warmth as he gazed into them, and could only manage a weak smile from what he saw within them.

"Yeah… She was already driving when she told us she was on her way, she could be back any second…"

Asuka broke her gaze into Shinji's eyes. They looked dark blue in this light, but then again, his eyes were always changing depending on the light. Sometimes they looked brown, other times they were blue. But always, they were gentle and calm. "…Maybe we should move apart then." She slowly and reluctantly moved her arms away from Shinji before moving to the edge of the couch.

"...Yeah."

Shinji followed suit and moved to the other end of the couch as well. There they sat in silence until the sound of keys turning in the lock broke through it. Misato stumbled through the door a few moments later, visibly exhausted, totally drained.

"If you two need me…just ask me later…"

She headed right for the refrigerator, opened it, and grabbed a full six-pack before trudging down the hallway towards the bathroom and her room, casually half-assing a wave as she disappeared around the corner.

"Wow… She really looks exhausted."

"Well, what do you expect? She stayed four days to check on progress with Ryugi. I'd be tired of waiting after four days for that moron too. Men can be so inconsiderate sometimes."

Shinji smiled a bit as Asuka finished. Her sense of humor was still the same… He silently remembered his own experience inside an Eva, how strange it had been, everything he'd seen…everyone he'd seen. He couldn't imagine what Ryugi was going through at the moment, especially after the battle they'd just been through. After a couple days in the hospital, both he and Asuka had been discharged with some minor medical attention. Shinji still had bandages around his back from the damage to Unit 01, and Asuka had a similar wrap around her torso from being impaled. Damage from piloting an Eva never did seem to follow a perfectly predicable pattern…

"You know, Shinji…"

"Yeah Asuka…?"

Asuka paused, looking down at the floor. "I saw you, heard you back then…"

"Asuka…"

"Everything was a blur, my head was pounding, systems were failing everywhere, I could barely stay conscious, and then, I heard your voice talking to Ayanami. That you had to protect me, that you wouldn't leave me…" Asuka turned and looked up at Shinji, her blue eyes shimmering in the dim light, tears forming up softly in the corners as she moved closer to Shinji. "And you did. You didn't care about anything else but protecting me…"

"Asuka, I…"

But Asuka stopped him with the last thing he would have expected. Time seemed to slow as Asuka moved closer, her eyes closing slightly as a single tear dripped down her cheek, her lips brushing tenderly against his, tentatively at first, before, his heart thumping heavy in his chest, he moved to return it, kissing her fully.

XxXxXxX

"Dammit!" Ryugi crumpled in frustration, angrily staring down at what could be considered the floor of this place, if a black void was capable of having a floor. Never before had he been faced with such a strange mental puzzle, or one so stubbornly frustrating.

"I tried to tell you, this place is a prison of the mind, the heart, and the soul. As long as I have been aware of my own existence and the existence of the Other, the only thing I have ever witnessed come and go was you when you piloted your Eva. I could feel your presence, your mind, and then you would leave. I know much about you, Ryugi Kazamaru…"

Ryugi huffed and crossed his arms. For the first time in a long time, he truly did feel helpless. He was loath to admit it, but this void had bested him in ways he couldn't even comprehend. He curled up and sat down, wrapping his arms around his legs, green eyes staring off into space.

"You're thinking about her, aren't you, Kazamaru-kun."

"Great… So you can read my mind too? And what's with that cutesy tone all of a sudden?"

"Since it seems we're going to be here for a while it just felt right to be more casual with you. I did not want to say anything before, but it really is nice to finally meet you. Being so close to you, feeling your emotions running through my being…it pales in comparison with actually having you here, now, with me in this place. I know you, Ryugi Kazamaru. I know you more fully than you know yourself. Your every thought, your every desire, I know all of it, and all because of you piloting your Eva."

Ryugi glanced at the light glimmering off to his side. "If you know me so well then you already know what I'm thinking about… About how this stupid place doesn't make any sense, about how this whole situation seems absolutely hopeless, and how I'll never be able to get out of here and…" Ryugi hesitated, swallowing back his worry as he blinked away the beginnings of tears.

"Go ahead and say it… You'll never see Ayanami again."

Ryugi's fist tore through the shimmering light as he stood and whirled around to strike it. The tears dripped down his cheek as he glared angrily and frustrated at the light. But his fist passed harmlessly through the shimmering void and he stumbled, falling to his knees. The voice chuckled.

"You are a fascinating young man, Kazamaru-kun. But unless you leave this place, that is the sorry truth of the situation. You'll be doomed to a life of infinite freedoms and possibilities, but trapped in the cruelest of prisons…"

XxXxXxX

"The entry plug is set and ready to receive the first few signals. We're ready to initiate it on your command, Doctor."

After weeks of preparatory work, the whole of the command staff were gathered around their stations to perform the third ever attempted retrieval of an Eva pilot trapped within the confines of their charge. Misato stood by at the large window, simply staring. There was little she could do but stand and worry. This was a job for the scientists. Ritsuko Akagi stood near Maya overseeing the commands herself.

"Send the first signal." After a few tapping keys, the first few signals were sent to the plug, and a reading was displayed. ERROR "That shouldn't be possible… The signals we're sending should force the molecules to interact with one another to bring forth the psyche of the trapped individual from the Eva, and force the body to recreate itself. There shouldn't be any chance of an error… Try the signals again."

"Yes Ma'am." Maya typed away, resending the signal to the biomechanical being's entry plug. And once again, the error message reappeared, this time flashing across the screen in a scrolling message of yellow panels.

"Dammit… Someone explain what the hell is going on. Why are we getting an error?" Ritsuko looked around the room and stared at Maya's computer readout, typing a few keys as Misato looked on, worried and feeling even more powerless than before. This time Hyuga spoke up.

"The signals are getting through, but they're being diffused at the receiving source. They're being blocked by something we can't explain."

"So we can't even send a signal through to communicate with the system?" Maya looked back to her idol as the older woman's face studied the screen in front of her.

"It seems that way…" She looked up and met Misato's eyes before continuing. "Which means that given the circumstances… There is absolutely no way to retrieve Pilot Kazamaru using established methods."

"THEN KEEP TRYING!"

Everyone in the room was shocked as Misato virtually exploded, her nerves visibly fried and on edge.

"I don't want to hear it's impossible. I don't want to hear there's no way it can happen! Every time some new thing pops up that's against your damned specifications it becomes an impossible task. If something unexpected comes up, we grow and evolve to fit the situation, and become stronger because of it. Quitting in this situation is not acceptable!"

Misato stormed across the room and pointed directly at Ritsuko, her finger right in the blond woman's face.

"I don't care if you have to resend that signal a thousand times! I've spent every waking moment of my life for the past three weeks working overtime, trying to help in every way I possibly could. I've run myself ragged, lost sleep, and haven't been able to relax, much less eat a decent meal since then without feeling sick. I am not going to accept 'impossible' as an answer or a solution to the problem."

Misato stood back up, glaring at her college friend with the most serious face one could remember her having, and finished.

"So send the signal again. Increase the signal strength, send it continuously, and bombard whatever is blocking the signal with as much force as you can muster. You said it yourself the signal was accepted but blocked. It wasn't refused. As long as that something is there blocking it from getting through, we don't have a chance. So, hit it with everything we've got until something changes…"

Silence reigned over the control room for several seconds as Ritsuko simply stared, her eyes flipping back and forth between the eyes of her friend as she considered everything she had just had thrust upon her. Misato didn't know a whole bunch about these kinds of technological situations, but in this particular case, her suggestion, while unorthodox, made sense. Something outside the technology had to be disrupting the signal.

"…Increase signal strength by twenty-five percent and resend the signal. Monitor return time and report any difference in dissolution of the signal."

"Yes, Ma'am… Boosting signal strength and intensity and resending."

Ritsuko sighed and looked to Misato.

"If the signal is being blocked by something outside the technology involved, then there is a third party at work here. And if it is a third party, then…it is possible that increasing the signal the way you suggested may actually have a chance of working."

The control room was silent a moment longer as everyone held their breath, just waiting for the result. After several painstaking seconds, the same error message flitted across the screens. But this time, Maya had a look of relief on her face.

"Doctor, the increased signal has a different return rate than the two previous attempts. The signal was still dissolved, but this time, there was a point-zero-zero-four-seven second increase in return time. It may have been miniscule, but the stronger signal was dissolved after a longer period of time."

"Then something is fighting the signal and preventing it from being accepted or refused, and the increased signal took it longer to diffuse."

Misato sighed and smiled, turning back to the viewing window with a new look of determination.

"Then all we have to do now is amp up the power and force our way through… So, let's get busy."

XxXxXxX

"What was that?" Ryugi looked up as the black void around the two seemed to suddenly throb and pulse, almost like a heartbeat. After what seemed like days or even weeks of simple silence and contemplation, this was the first activity that had stirred inside the void.

"I…I do not know… But I feel something. It's another presence, not from here, but from outside. But I fear I sense something else as well…"

The void around them was suddenly no longer black. The pulsing beat intensified and with each repetitive motion, the void pulsed with a wave of red, blood red, making it appear almost as if a dome was overhead. It was then that Ryugi sensed something else within the void that had not been there previously. Another set of emotions, a presence, darker, primal, intense, and overbearing. With a feeling of overwhelming fear, he realized that he'd felt this feeling before during Unit 0X's initial activation test…

"You feel it too… The Other has awakened from its slumber."

The void rumbled as the red pulses increased and a pulsing sensation of emotions flowed over Ryugi's body: anger, spite, despair…and loneliness. It was completely overbearing and Ryugi gasped as the emotions struck him with a feeling of physical exhaustion and pain. "Gah-! Ahh-! I can't… These feelings."

"Kazamaru, you must listen to me! You only succeeded in defeating it before because the synchronizing equipment of your Eva acted as a barrier between you and the full strength of its will. Here, you have no such protection. This is a battle of wills. If you lose here, no amount of attempts by those outside will be able to save you, and you will cease to be yourself. Guh-!" The voice recoiled and the flickering flame seemed to waver and disappear slightly, flickering faster as a dying candle might. "It is subverting my consciousness with it's own. I am not strong enough to overcome it in this state… You must overcome it, Kazamaru, and if you do not your will and ego will be overcome and you will be absorbed. I cannot help you… You must defend yourself! If I am to continue to exist, I must retreat… Good luck, Kazamaru-kun…"

The light flickered out, leaving the void dark, as the pulses of red grew brighter, contrasting the blackness of the void. Panicked and gripped by pain and overpowering emotions, Ryugi clutched his chest as he spotted a ripple within the void appearing only a few feet in front of him. He stumbled backwards as the ripples intensified, looking like blood dripping into black tar before a figure began to form up from the ripple. It looked almost human, but it was black as the darkest obsidian, and its head was misshapen with no nose or lips, a simple plane from its forehead down to its chin. And then, the eyes suddenly snapped open. Green, soulless orbs that seemed to burn with fire focused on Ryugi. He stared back, trembling as he looked on and raised his fists, taking another few steps backward.

"You… Stay back! I beat you once and I can do it aga—augh!"

A throbbing of negative emotions washed over Ryugi as the burning orbs glared at him. Hate, fear, despair, loneliness, dark pits of negativity that no human mind could bear completely unscathed. Ryugi dropped once more to his knees and looked up as the being began to advance, a thin red line appearing where a mouth should be, as red blood trailed down from it, and with a sickening wet tearing sound a mouth full of teeth, drenched in blood, opened and a howl spewed forth as if from the pits of hell itself.

The sound struck Ryugi as if it was a physical object, casting him backwards and causing jolts of pain to flow from his limbs and torso as he struck the ground again and again. Finally, he came to a stop and pulled himself up to see the being continuing to advance, blood still dripping from its teeth. It lumbered towards him, its movement completely inhuman, bestial, arms moving without any regularity. Ryugi pulled himself up and froze, his body burning as the thing bore down on him. He was completely outmatched…

XxXxXxX

Alarms and warning messages screamed through the control room as the crew scrambled to grasp hold of the situation. "What the hell is going on!" Misato watched as the White Eva began to flex, its eyes glowing white and its mouth opening to release a growl.

"Further signals dissolved! Unit 0X is activating by itself without the entry plug inserted! Reason is unknown!" Maya Ibuki typed furiously as the sound of breaking metal and tearing supports caused everyone in the room to look to the testing area in horror as the restraints began to buckle and the Eva's arm tore free from one of the support braces. "Oh god, this is just like before, it's going berserk!"

Ritsuko jumped to the nearest station and began to furiously type, eyes scanning across the typeface at record speeds, numbers, letters and lines of code speeding by.

"What are you doing, Ritsuko? We have to get out of here!"

"I'm locking down the propulsion systems and preventing them from being activated. We don't need a repeat performance of the first activation. I'm also deploying bakelite. We'll freeze it in its restraints if we have to!" Orange goo began to spray from the walls, ceiling, and floor of the holding cell, encasing the White Eva's body and hardening into a nigh unbreakable substance in vast quantities. The White Eva roared, the glass separating the techs from the beast before them spider webbed as the right arm of the unit broke free of the forming bakelite and slammed into it.

"Maya, increase the signal to maximum power and full frequency! If my hypothesis is correct then that will help to buy us some time and put a stop to this!"

Maya nodded at her mentor's command and flew to the controls, sending the signal through as the White Eva roared and howled, arm pounding ferociously against the walls of the enclosure.

XxXxXxX

"Ryugi! You must stand up and fight!"

"Misato?" Ryugi looked around franticly, but saw nothing other than the being approaching him, its arms suddenly extending and gripping him around the neck as it pulled him right next to it. Ryugi's arms sped to his neck to try and break them free of the being's grasp, but another howling cry and a burning gaze from its eyes and Ryugi was wracked with another ferocious volley of negative emotions and pain, causing him to cry out as he choked, his flesh burning.

"Don't let yourself be overtaken like this, Dumkopf! Fight back!"

"You're stronger than this Ryugi, if I can do it, you can do it!"

"Kazamaru…please… Don't leave me alone without you…"

"Aya-nami-!" Ryugi choked out the words as Asuka, Shinji, and Rei's voices filtered through the void to him. Images of their smiling faces cheering him on flooded his mind and body. His hands trembled and he grabbed the wrists of the being, his hands burning as the pain surged through them. His body burned, but with something new. Support, determination, hope…love, surged through him as he began to pull the arms off of his neck. The black being roared, but Ryugi still pushed back, tearing the being's hands off of him with a powerful cry before he delivered a powerful kick directly into the center of the thing's chest, sending it flying away from him as the throbbing pulse stopped and a blue pulse began to counteract it, the two meeting in the middle and annihilating one another.

Ryugi panted and caught his breath while the being howled again, the force striking Ryugi, his body burning, but this time, he braced against it and fought back, pushing it aside with a swipe of his arm. Ayanami… He was not going to let her down. He wanted to see her again if it was the last thing he ever did. And whatever this…thing was, it was stopping him from reaching her. He would not let that happen…

XxXxXxX

"Major, we're getting readings from the unit! The signal slammed into the blocking force with such intensity that it couldn't disperse the signal in its entirety."

The arm of the White Eva struck the glass once again, more cracks appearing and causing each person to jump. This wasn't over yet.

"Fire the signal at a constant rate, lock it into a loop if you have to. But do not let up the pressure. The signal is causing the Eva's systems to slowly deactivate and—"

"Doctor, we're detecting a pattern from Eva Unit 0X. It's fluctuating from orange to blue rapidly! Something isn't right in there…" Maya's paled face pointed at her screen. She was right. The pattern was scrambled, showing orange, and then blue in differing amounts. "And these psychograph readings are showing two distinct mental patterns!"

Ritsuko leapt from her seat as another thunderous crash echoed through the control room and rumbled the solid steel plating of the floor. Misato joined her in looking over Maya's shoulder, and they confirmed the readings. There were two mental patterns trying to manifest themselves at once.

"Ritsuko…?"

"As far as I can figure, these two mental states are what's been causing this problem. Two beings are fighting for control in there, and one of them was blocking our signals to retrieve Ryugi."

"Then…Ryugi is…?"

"Yes. It's entirely possible that this berserk state is the direct response of the Eva Unit's will manifesting itself to prevent our attempts to retake Ryugi, and that within the confines of the Eva, Ryugi is, in fact, battling his own Evangelion for supremacy…"

"But, Doctor, that still doesn't explain the alternating pattern of Blue and Orange. Even if Ryugi is fighting the will of his own Evangelion, it doesn't account for the pattern."

"You're right, Maya, but it is very possible that if Ryugi does not overcome his Evangelion, not only will he be lost forever inside its consciousness, but it may become an Angel…"

Shocked looks came from all parties as another roar and a shot to the walls of the cell shattered the silence between them. Misato glanced around the room as the Eva Unit struggled to free itself from the restraining measures.

"Then let's do everything we can to help Ryugi… Keep that signal going."

XxXxXxX

The Evangelion roared and charged Ryugi, its hands tearing into the floor of the void as it broke down on all fours, bloody drool trailing from its mouth. It shot its body into the air and spun around, bringing a hand down to strike at Ryugi as he pulled back, the blow missing as the being crumpled into a heap. It had missed, but not for long. It chambered its legs and pushed off yet again, hands reaching out to strike Ryugi once more as he blocked and was sent flying, his forearms torn and bleeding from the clawed fingers that had manifested themselves.

It burned, and he looked down to see that his forearms, while indeed bleeding, also seemed to be torn as if shredded. It had attacked his will and ego directly, and as a result, it had gained a small upper hand as Ryugi felt his arms grow weaker. But he wasn't going to give up yet. He had to try. Sitting down was giving up, and he wasn't going to let this thing keep him from Ayanami and the others. He was terrified, but he pushed that aside and charged straight into the fray. He swung with a punch aimed right for the beast's chest, but it flipped itself wildly into the air, spinning to the side, arms trailing awkwardly as it let off a slash with its retreating leg.

Ryugi cried out as the clawed appendage caught him in the side and more blood dribbled free from his body. He lurched to the side, but stood up and spun a kick out towards the retreating creature, striking it dead on, his foot burning from the impact, and casting the being back a few steps, its torso lazily contorting backwards before it snapped back and both arms shot out to hit Ryugi hard in the chest, sending him backwards at terrible speed. He tumbled again and pushed himself up.

But the beast was already bearing down on him, having bent forward and pressed off into the air using its outstretched arms, coming down with its clawed feet aiming to tear through Ryugi's midsection. Thinking quickly, Ryugi rolled onto his back and kicked his legs outward, striking the beast before it could make contact, sending it back once more, but even still, it flipped and twisted like a cat midair to land on all fours and let out a challenging roar. He'd barely dented it, and now Ryugi's legs and body ached more than ever before. He was losing…

His entire fighting prowess had been gained against human opponents in martial arts. He could not handle something as wild and frenzied as the beast in front of him. Not like this. The cheers of his friends and comrades were there, but without something more, he knew that he would lose this fight. Somehow, against all odds, he had to overcome this foe and save himself from total annihilation.

"Kazamaru-kun… Believe in your ability to overcome. Mankind is not strong in body. He was not gifted with immortality like the Angels. But he was given the Fruit of Knowledge, free will, the power to decide for himself his destiny among all creatures of this Earth… You are a manifestation of that will, Kazamaru-kun. You must stand and fight to seize the future; it is what mankind lives for."

The disembodied voice floated over the void once more, the silvery white light shimmering around Ryugi this time. And as it did, Ryugi felt his body overflow with desire, happiness, love, and all sorts of positive emotions as the beast before him recoiled and growled with anger and spite.

"You? But how?"

"Your spirit has balanced the scales, and I can now assist you… The beast before you was born from Immortality. It cannot be killed here, but its will is only that of an animal. It does not understand the power you truly hold within you. It desires to overcome you because you block its path to realizing its full potential. But you have the power of free will, Kazamaru-kun. You have the right to choose, and you have chosen your friends, and chosen Ayanami. Now, we shall fight together as one, Kazamaru-kun, as two free wills united…"

As the voice finished, Ryugi felt his chest burn, but burn with warmth. His whole body glowed with light, and he felt stronger and more determined than ever before. It was warm, comforting, like the warm embrace of a dear friend, or the soft kiss of a lover. And as he looked down two red orbs appeared within his chest, one above the other, each pulsing together in harmony.

"What are-?"

"Our hearts, fighting as one, Kazamaru-kun. Together they form an impenetrable barrier, a light of souls that no foe may breach. It is our sanctuary. We all have it within ourselves, but seldom can it be represented in its purest form as now."

The beast roared and charged again. It had listened to enough talking, and it was out for blood. Arms sprouted from its torso, spraying red blood as they all struck out to attack and tear Ryugi and his newfound friend to shreds. But as it did, a brilliant pulse of light shimmered between them, halting the appendages.

It was a brilliant blue AT Field.

"Nothing can break through the light of one's soul unless there is doubt, Kazamaru-kun. That light is your resolve, your determination to leave this place and meet your friends on the outside. Now grasp it, and shape it to your whims. It is yours to mold and to use to create the future you desire so deeply. That is the strength of your will, your heart."

Ryugi felt it. He could feel the warmth from Ayanami's hand against his, the soft feeling of her smile when he spoke with her, and the bond that they felt together that he couldn't explain. He could feel the support of his friends and comrades, wanting to see him again, to have him overcome this challenge. And with that, he reached out, the blue field reacting to his whims.

He swung his arm across and the field threw the beast back. Another push, and another field reinforced the first, propelling the Evangelion through the void once more until it landed with a thud, blood oozing from burned red and pulpy flesh where the field had made contact. It pulled itself up, ready to charge again when Ryugi held up a hand, the field shimmering between them as he glanced into the green soulless eyes of the Other. After all the voice had said, he finally understood…

"You understand now you can't win, and neither can I… I cannot kill you, but you cannot overtake me, not even here where we are more evenly matched. As neither of us can win, the only choice is coexistence. You are strong, stronger than I could ever hope to be in the real world. But my will far surpasses yours. Together, though, with our hearts unified, we can be stronger than either of us separately."

The Evangelion growled, but did not advance. Instead, it stood, the extra appendages and the mouth disappearing into the black body from whence they came. It's eyes calmed and black pupils gazed upon Ryugi's form, still glowing with the light of his unified will.

"Stop this fighting, and work with me to accomplish our goals."

Ryugi extended his hand, and the black being moved forward, almost floating, reaching down to grasp it, but instead of burning, there was simply a soft warmth.

"…together…"

The voice was disembodied, more a growl than an actual vocalization, but the message was clear enough. The Other, the will of the Evangelion itself, had agreed to follow Ryugi's will as the dominant force between them, lending its strength to his cause.

"Opening your heart... The Other has accepted you as his partner. You should no longer have to fight against his will in order to pilot your Evangelion. As such, I feel that I should be at home within him. As we are no longer opposed, we shall be more complete together… A soul without a body is not truly a being at all."

A light shimmered from the grasped hands as Ryugi felt the warmth of the gentle voice leave him, and a red orb appeared within the chest of the black being, and as it did, the black being began to glow, from its feet to its head its body slowly began to turn white. And at the same instant, Ryugi found himself beginning to feel tired, almost drifting, the world before him starting to fade away. He could hear the voices of others, calling to him, wondering if he was all right, asking him to come home. As the world around him continued to fade, Ryugi caught one more glimpse of the male voice that had spoken to him, so blurred by his departure that all he could make out was a floating male form much like his own.

"Take care, Kazamaru-kun. Your friends are waiting for your return. I will remain here and help you from within. I told you before that you really were quite special, and I meant that. You've helped me to grow, realize myself more fully, and you have grown as well, but there is still much ahead of you. We'll meet again, but until we do, please…do something for me…"

As Ryugi drifted off, no longer able to see anything but blackness and hear the gentle voices of the others the soft voice echoed through Ryugi's mind one final time.

"…Say hello to Ikari-kun for me."

XxXxXxX

Ryugi awoke with a start, glancing around. He frowned as he glanced about and saw white all around him, but soon relaxed when he heard the soft sounds of birds chirping outside, and realized he was lying in a hospital bed. His chest and head were both sore, as well as both arms, his right leg, and his neck.

'That's right… My battle with the angel wasn't exactly easy on me…'

As Ryugi looked around, he began to hear voices coming down the hallway. He simply waited for a moment until he spotted several familiar faces come around the corner. Shinji, Asuka, and Misato entered the room, and Ryugi smiled.

"Hey guys… Long time no see."

"It's about damn time you came around, Dumkopf. You've gotten more sleep than the rest of us around here for weeks."

"Weeks? I was out for weeks?"

"Yes, Ryugi, almost a month. You made it out faster than Shinji did, but still… It's nice to have you back." Misato smiled and put a small plastic container down on the small nightstand next to the hospital bed. "You had all of us worried sick."

"What's that?" Ryugi tilted his head in the direction of the container and Misato chuckled.

"Just a little something I cooked up for you to eat once you came to. I know hospital food is terrible, so I thought I'd bring you something better and made from the heart." As Misato spoke, both Shinji and Asuka looked to one another and back to Ryugi, shaking their heads at him in a unified 'No.' motion. Ryugi had heard about Misato's absolutely terrible cooking, but given the circumstances, and the fact that apparently he hadn't eaten in weeks, he could probably humor her and eat her cooking…just this once.

"Um…thanks Misato…"

"It's really good to see you're alright, Ryugi. I don't know what you must have gone through in there, I mean, I suppose I can kinda guess, but it can't have been, you know…enjoyable either way." Shinji smiled a little and scratched the back of his head as Asuka interrupted him.

"Baka Shinji here was all upset thinking that it was his fault that he couldn't save everyone, but I knocked some sense into him." Asuka then looked at Shinji, who looked a little flushed and she spoke again, more softly than before. "He knows now that he tried his best, and that's all anyone could have expected from him. And he saved at least one person out there…"

"Now now you two! Don't get all love-birdy on me now. If you're gonna get all mushy take it outside and behave. The last thing Ryugi wants to see right now is you two getting all smoochy." Misato grinned as both of the teens looked at her with looks of horror on their faces before blushing and telling her off in their own little way. "Now go head outside and let Ryugi get his rest. He'll be out in a few days."

"Take care, Ryugi."

"Yeah, don't hurt yourself eating Misato's cooking. That'd be a shame."

"Asuka!" Misato huffed as the two teens left the room and left Ryugi alone with Misato. She chuckled and shook her head, a small smile forming on her lips. "Those two have really warmed up to one another… I don't know what happened in those woods, but ever since they got back, they've been so nice to one another. Plus, I walked in on them kissing one another on the couch the other day! If I hadn't said something I don't know WHAT would have happened." She sighed and looked to Ryugi after a moment of silence. "So, how was it in there?" Ryugi lay back into the pillow and adjusted his position, his torso protesting a little bit.

"It was…strange… It isn't something I'd ever want to do again but, after going through it… I feel sorta stronger for it, you know?"

"That which doesn't kill you makes you stronger." Misato looked to the window, the curtains drawn over it to limit the amount of sunlight shining through it to a minimum. "I guess surviving Second Impact should mean I'm a pretty strong gal… But even then I had to rely on the actions of others to make it through. I'm glad you made it back safe and sound Ryugi, I really am."

"I couldn't have done it without all of you, you know. When things seemed darkest for me, I heard all of you rooting for me, and it gave me the strength to keep fighting." Ryugi smiled and looked to Misato as the sounds of soft talking from Shinji and Asuka came from outside and mixed with the birds into a soft sort of background noise that put him at ease. "If I learned anything from my experiences, it's that it isn't just what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, but the power of many overcomes the will or desires of the one. All it takes is determination and the strength to keep moving."

"Heh… How right you are, Ryugi… A bit of advice, though. Don't ever lose sight of yourself or your goals. Believe that tomorrow is a new day and a new chance to make a difference. Saying and understanding those concepts is all fine and good… But…living them is hard."

"Misato…?"

"Its nothing to concern yourself with. Just grown-up stuff." Misato smiled and gave Ryugi a pat on the shoulder, standing up and beginning to head out of the room. "Get well soon, okay? We'll all be waiting for you to have a celebration with us. Toji and Kensuke wanted to come, but 'NERV personnel only' is the basis of operations down here, so they said they'd wait until later to meet up with you."

"Sounds like a plan, Misato. But, before you go, could you send Shinji in here really quick? I wanted to tell him something before all of you leave."

"Sure thing. Take care, Ryugi."

Ryugi waited for a moment before Shinji returned to the room, poking his head in. "What's up, Ryugi? Misato said you wanted to talk to me about something."

Ryugi studied the young man for a while. He'd read all the profiles of the Eva pilots, and knew the history of all the Angels up to current status, including Tabris, Kaworu Nagisa… He knew that Shinji was close to the young man, and determined that he deserved to at least know a little of what had transpired.

"I don't want you to be upset or take this the wrong way, Shinji, but… While I was inside my Eva, I met with some very strange things. I found myself inside a void of blackness, until I spied a light in the darkness. That light…helped me to find my way back home, along with you and all the others…"

"I see…well, that sounds sort of similar to my experience, but kinda different too I suppose. But…why share it all with me?"

"Well… As I was leaving, the light spoke to me, and told me to tell you hello for him…"

The effect on Shinji's face was immediate. His eyes opened wide, and then eased closed, a somewhat pained facial expression crossing his knitted brows. Shinji knew without a doubt what Ryugi meant. He'd felt so betrayed by Kaworu that day. He wanted to give up on everything and everyone. But despite all that, he'd continued to live on, and come to grips with what the silver-haired boy had tried to teach him and say to him. It hurt, reliving some of the old memories, but despite it all, he'd still once been a friend of the boy's, the Angel's, and to have a greeting passed to him made him smile ever so slightly.

"He's happy, Shinji. He and I both grew inside of Unit 0X, together. And despite everything he could have said, he simply wanted to tell you hello."

"Ryugi… I hated him. I felt betrayed by him, I was forced to kill him… But, somehow, knowing that somehow he's still alive in some way makes part of me happy…"

Silence sat between the two boys for a moment as they each contemplated things before Shinji spoke.

"When I was inside my Eva, I wanted nothing but to stay there, so I wouldn't have to fight. And…I saw my mother. She told me I could go to her, and stay with her if I wanted, but when I heard the voices of the others, I knew that I couldn't abandon them. My mother is with me every time I pilot Unit 01, I know that now. And…Kaworu is with you. He's…a strange boy, but he means well. I felt such regret and sadness having to kill him…but, knowing he's alright, it gives me a little of myself back… Thank you, Ryugi, for telling me…" Shinji smiled softly and Ryugi matched it as well.

"No problem, Ikari-kun."

"Don't you start too!"

"Come on Shinji! I'm starving! Leave Dumkopf alone and let him rest."

"I'm coming already…" Shinji stood and grinned, nodding as he left. "Thank you again, Ryugi."

"Anytime…"

XxXxXxX

A few days had passed since Ryugi had spoken with everyone in the hospital, and now, for the first time in what seemed like ages, he found himself standing outside the door of his apartment. The block of buildings he'd chosen were still seemingly always under construction or being repaired. Of course, that was very possibly due to the fact that battles with the Angels always tore Tokyo-III to pieces somewhere. However, no sooner had he opened his door and set down his bags when the soft sound of footsteps caught his attention. He didn't have to turn around to know who it was. His heart skipped a beat or two and he felt his eyes water as a soft voice filtered between them.

"K-Kazamaru…"

When Ryugi did finally turn around to face her, he could barely contain himself. There she stood. Rei Ayanami looked to him, her soft red eyes watering. Her usually stoic face showed inconceivable happiness and fought to hold back the tears that dripped down her soft face. To an outsider, Rei might simply look as if she had heard some slightly depressing news, but to Ryugi, he knew she was on the verge of breaking down to the emotions she did not understand.

"I-I wanted to visit…you in the hospital, but…I could not bare the thought of s-seeing you in critical condition."

Rei trembled as she spoke, something she had never been accustomed to. Her emotions were boiling over and she did not understand them. The only words running through her mind were the ones Ryugi had spoken to her that day in the woods before all this had started…

\\ There is still one more kind of love. It is one that one might read about in fairy tales, or in romance novels. It's the kind of love that is portrayed in anime shows, and mangas all over. It's called 'True Love', and it is supposedly the strongest form of love there is. It's stronger than a parent's bond with their children, and stronger than any friend. It is a complete and total love of a person. You never want to leave their side. You'd never do anything to hurt them, you'd want to be close to them all the time, and feel them in your arms. At times you'd wish you could become a single being with them, and be a part of them. Just hearing their name would make you smile, being with them would always make you happy, and there would be no one else in the world you'd ever want to be closer to than them." /

"Ayanami…"

"I… I could not sleep. I could not eat. Every moment of my existence where I believed I was alone before did not compare to the sorrow that I felt wi-without you by my side, Kazamaru. I-I do not understand these feelings, but I know that I do not feel complete without you."

Rei shook softly and bent over, her fists clenched as she trembled, her emotions completely taking over her body, and she wept. It was then that she felt his warmth near her and reached out her hands, wrapping her arms around his body and sobbing directly into his chest, her tears staining his shirt. She felt him wrap his arms around her and she continued to cry.

"…Rei…"

The young blue-haired girl looked up to Ryugi to see his cheeks stained with tears as well, and suddenly, she felt mortified. Had she said something wrong? Had she hurt him?

"It was you…"

"Kazamaru… I don't understand…"

Rei looked to Ryugi as his eyes met hers. His kind gaze, his warmth… She hadn't hurt him. But why was he crying?

"When I was trapped in my Eva, I couldn't find a way out. I'd lost all real hope of ever getting out of there, until several voices came to me and told me to hang on and keep fighting. And the one that cried out to me the hardest was you, Rei… I couldn't give up fighting knowing that, if I did, I'd…never get to see you again, or feel your hand on mine, or even spend time with you…"

Suddenly she understood why she was crying, why he was crying. She was sad, but so happy to see him safe again that she could only cry to express herself, and at the same time, he too was experiencing it. For the first time in her life, Rei understood her emotions as clearly as her hair was blue. Shinji had cried when she was safe in the entry plug that day, and she did not understand, but now, she knew. The hole in her being that she had felt for so long was finally filled, and filled by Ryugi. He completed her, gave her strength, and made her feel confidence, and she knew that he felt the same way.

"Kazamaru…?"

"Yes Ayanami?" Ryugi looked to Rei and saw that her face was still stained by her tears, but that she was genuinely smiling, her face flushed gently with a fine shade of red in her cheeks.

"I…may I…kiss you?"

Rei simply watched as Ryugi's face flushed and he smiled as another tear slipped down his cheek, followed by a simple nod. Slowly, the two of them grew closer and closer. He could feel the warmth of her face at this distance, and the soft tickling sensation of her breath against his chin. Her scent was cool, sweet, and gentle, like the smell of flowers on a relaxing summer's breeze, and in the gentlest of meetings, her lips softly brushed against his. They lingered there for only a moment, but in that simple moment, time seemed to stop for the both of them.

Time is a fickle thing. Sometimes it moved so quickly one never realized anything had happened at all. Other times, it slowed to a crawl, and everything became significant. In that short period of time, Ryugi took in everything. Her lips seemed impossibly soft and gentle. They were cool, but warm, and he almost swore he could feel the faintest pulse of her heartbeat against his lips. But just like that, the kiss was over, and the both of them simply stood there, looking into the other's eyes.

"Well… I guess I had better get settled in, hmm?" Ryugi spoke first and Rei nodded, but as he turned to go, he felt a soft tug on his shirtsleeve. When he turned, he saw Rei looking towards the ground, her eyes cast in shadow, her face softly sad.

"…Ryugi… I do not wish to be alone anymore… I…I want to stay with you."

She wanted to be close to him. Nearly losing him had showed her just how important Ryugi truly was to her. To just hold his hand, to be around him, to be held by him…these were all things Rei wanted. Ryugi knew what Toji might think if the young man ever learned about this…if anyone learned about this, but right now, he didn't care what anyone else thought, except Rei. And right now, he wanted to spend more time with her as well. She was the reason he'd fought so hard to get out of that void in the first place, the reason he'd felt the desire to save her no matter the cost to himself when he'd been cast backward from the Angel's blast. Even with his body trying to put him down, with his Eva in shambles, he'd cried out to her before blacking out. The last thing he wanted to do was walk away from her again.

"Rei…" Ryugi smiled and took Rei by the hand, gently leading her to his apartment before stopping at the threshold and looking back to her before pulling her across. "…Welcome home…"