Evangelion: Purity's End
A post End of Evangelion fan fiction
Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion. All rights are reserved for Hideaki Anno and Evangelion's respective creators. This is a work of fiction not canon and is in no way meant to supplement the actual film known as The End of Evangelion.
Part 1: (Acceptance) Finale!
Chapter 9: The Splitting Directive
"Shinji, please don't do anything rash. In fact, I think he still might have the impression you are sick. Why don't you just lay in bed while I get the door?"
"You told him I was sick?" asked Shinji. "Why didn't you just tell him we were a pair of sitting ducks?"
"Shinji, please don't ruin this for the both of us. I'll explain everything, or better yet, I'll have him explain everything. Who knows, maybe you two share more in common than you think. Maybe you'll make an acquaintance."
Shinji frowned, "It was hard enough becoming an acquaintance of yours and even harder to earn your trust after the world had ended. What makes you think this guy is some sort of guardian angel? What makes you think we can trust him?"
I shrugged and started for the door, "I don't know. Woman's intuition I guess."
"I hate that excuse," he said. "You think you can give me a better one?"
"…No."
I slowly closed the door to the room and made my way to the front door of the apartment. Again, I could hear him banging on the door knocker, this time more audibly. "I'm coming for crying out loud." I slipped my cap back on and stuck my small pocket knife in the lining. I probably wouldn't need it but it felt nice to have that extra security. I took a deep breath before pressing my palm against the doorknob. It was one of those old fashioned chain locks, the kind that allowed me to peek through the door before actually opening. "I'm opening the door now!" I slowly creaked open the door…sure enough, there he was. The same tall dark figure from the jewelry store who I never really got a good look at.
"Kozo?" I asked. "You are Kozo right; I mean how many other tall dark figures are running around the city or for that matter, humans?"
"It's me alright," he said in that familiar voice from yesterday. "Say, can you just open the door already?"
"What's the rush?" I asked "It's not like you have a hot date or anything."
"There's no need to get smug already. You want your medical supplies right? Here…take it." Kozo slipped a small little blue duffle bag through the opening. "This is half of the supplies I had left in my hideout…it's heavy and fragile so be careful."
I wrapped the strap around my hand and bounced it lightly on the wooden floor. Kozo flinched disapprovingly. Jeez the thing was heavy. "Exactly how much medical supplies did you stuff in this thing?" I asked. "It doesn't feel like you filled it exclusively with it."
"Hah, so you're complaining that I gave you an excess?! I can take it back if you want or take some with me. Trust me, when I say I filled it with half the supplies I had left at my base, I most certainly did."
I lowered my brow suspiciously, "it's not that I don't want this generous gift, but I feel like maybe you may have given us a little more than we might have needed."
"I don't really have a use for anything in that bag, I feel like it would all be a lot better in your hands. Now could you please just open the door? I want to make this as quick as possible so I can leave."
"Alright already, jeez," I said. I slammed the door behind me as loud as I could just to see how bad I could piss him off. I removed the small little chain from the door and slowly opened it all the way to see an impatient Kozo leaning against the threshold.
"You know," I began. "I didn't really get a good look at you when we first met. Can you do me a favor and take that hood off; it's making me feel kind of uneasy."
"I should have anticipated that you were going to put me under heavy scrutiny when I got here. Do you want to go through the whole formality process again? Or should we skip to the part where you put your knife to my neck, and yes, I know you have it tucked into your hat."
How the fuck does he know? "I bring you into the comfort of my own home in confidence that you would take a look at my sick husband. And now all you can do is criticize me for taking precautions? And let me tell you right now, I never said anything about searching you, sticking you up, or performing a full cavity search. I just want you to take your hood off so I can get a good look at you!"
"Easy there kid. Alright, if you really think it will make you feel any better, I'll take it off." Kozo brought his arms up as if he were being asked to put them in the air like I was some kind of cop. He slowly pulled off his hood…I couldn't help but smile.
"You see, that wasn't so hard. Don't go telling my husband this, but you are a lot more handsome than he is."
"It was a lot harder than you think. And what do you mean by husband? Exactly how old are you two? 14? 15?"
"Close enough…" He was a middle-aged man with a very swarthy complexion. He reminded me a bit of Commander Ikari (my now unfortunately late father-in-law) except he had hair growing on his upper lip. He was wearing a black beanie and a pair of sunglasses for some reason even though the weather was moderate. There weren't any incredibly striking features about him except for the sunglasses and the beanie.
"So…what's with the getup?" I asked. "Were you some kind of G-Man before the Third Impact or did leaving the Sea of LCL give you vampire side effects?"
"Hah, I would hardly call myself a vampire or a G-man. I don't think it is necessary to become acquainted with each other. After all, I don't plan on being here very long."
"You already know all about me it's just natural that I would want to become acquainted with you. Let me take your coat for you." I gestured with my hand for him to hand me his coat. He begrudgingly threw it to me. I placed it on the coat rack while he made his way into the living room.
"So…where do you keep all your food?" he asked while surveying the area. "There's no way you can store an entire grocery store worth of nonperishables in a single apartment without it getting cramped in here."
I grimaced, "don't worry about it. Your food is in a location not far from here. I was making dinner yesterday and had some time to separate it out from ours. Now can we get to the matter of you offering to take a look at Shinji?"
Kozo sighed, "I guess you aren't really giving me a choice in the matter then are you? You could at least tell me where you left the food so I feel a lot more secure."
"…It's our food. What more can I say? I'm sorry I had to pin you against the wall like this but you did offer to do a favor for me and I am taking you up on it."
"You're kidding me right? Are you taking this where I think you're taking this?"
I smiled, "take it as you will. Just know that you have no choice in the matter in terms of what can go down right now. Actually…scratch that. You have two choices. You can help Shinji and take your food to be on your merry way or you can leave empty-handed."
"Jeez…you're a crafty bitch aren't you Ms. Soryu?"
"It's Mrs. Ikari."
"Same difference, pilot. Fair enough, I'll take a look at him for you but I am not staying for more than 10 minutes."
My eyes widened, "you have no idea how much I appreciate this."
Kozo raised his hand to keep me from talking, "and you have no idea how much I loathe the fact that I am being exploited like this. I expected better from you…especially after yesterday. Just keep in mind that I am not doing this as an act of kindness or generosity, I am solely trying to find the means to an end."
"Hmm, you should have never made the offer if you thought I was going to take you up on it."
"I guess so. Take me to the kid already so I can take a look at him."
I made my way through the hallway and pressed my ear on the door to the room. Not a sound. He had happily complied with pretending to be asleep. I thrust open the door, not too hard because I had broken one of the hinges already. There he was, curled up into a little ball, he looked like he had been writhing, this was probably all a part of the act. I slowly ushered Kozo into the room.
Oddly, Kozo surveyed the room with a heavy sense of fascination. "It's just like her room…"
"What was that?" I asked.
Kozo's eyes widened as if he had just caught himself saying something awful. "Nothing…just forget it. Let's just take a look at Shinji and get this over with…"
I got out of the way so that Kozo could make his way to Shinji. He had the blue duffle bag in hand. Hopefully he wouldn't have to perform surgery or some shit like that. "Is it really necessary to perform on him?" I asked.
"No but I do have a few drugs in here that might be of use to him," said Kozo while rummaging through the bag. "Shinji? Ikari? Can you hear me? Wake up Ikari; I need to you to be awake so you can talk to me."
"Maybe you should just take a look at him first before waking him up," I suggested.
"Are you saying you have come up with a possible diagnosis simply by looking at his physical condition? This is the apocalypse, Asuka, whatever he has is probably not related to some school boy's little day away from school common cold."
"Can you say for certain? You weren't a medical specialist or physician before the Impact were you?"
Kozo smiled, "close enough kid. Very well, can you tell me of any abnormalities you have observed, either physical or maybe something in his behavior or mannerisms you have taken as an oddity?"
I don't really know if I want tell him everything…but he was irritated enough. "Well I told you most everything when we first met. He actually managed to get himself out of bed and eat though. He did wake up briefly this morning but there was something striking about the whole thing."
"And that was?"
"I tried to wake him up…but it was as if he was dead. He probably would just be a corpse right now if it weren't for the epinephrine shot you had given me."
"So he couldn't wake up because he was out cold?"
"Well yes but…that isn't even the most chilling part. Do me the favor of looking under his sheets."
Kozo nodded disapprovingly before lifting Shinji's sheets. His face immediately turned pale and from what I could tell…fearful. "How…how could this be happening? Asuka…isn't Shinji supposed to be a scrawny little guy?"
"This is how I found him when I woke up. Do you have any idea what could be going on with him?"
"Shunsui is not going to be happy to see this…"
What? "Who's that?" I asked
"It doesn't matter," he said. "I know exactly what is wrong with him. I fear I was correct in thinking that this is beyond my expertise as a field medic but I can most certainly tell you that what he has is special. Your Shinji will never be the same."
My eyes widened, "Is he going to die?"
Kozo began pacing around the edge of the frame before pausing to take a breath. "I can't say for sure. The truth is I can really only curb the effects of the symptoms. So he refused to eat, he could hardly move without feeling pain, and he was in a catatonic state before being administered a dose of epinephrine?"
"…Kozo...tell me if he is going to die."
"Do you want me to sit here and make up some story for you kid? This is real life and shit like this used to happen all the time. You have to be prepared for when something like this comes up. You don't expect to live forever do you?"
"Stop it! You're going to make me cry! He's all I have left!" I stamped my foot like some kid who had just been denied candy.
"Jeez. Look, I can't say for certain whether he is going to die or not. But the chances of him surviving are slim to none. I can however give him these." Kozo brought out a black vial of what looked to be large green tablets. "This is a powerful military drug, I can say with confidence that he will no longer scare you again by going into one of those catatonic states."
"Will it…you know?"
"Keep him alive? No, but it will stunt those symptoms of his. Here kid, I think it would be better if you gave them to him." Kozo rattled the bottle in his hand before throwing it to me. I examined it for a while before popping it open. They didn't look like ordinary drugs.
"What's the dosage?"
"Give him 2 now and I assure you he won't have any more episodes of catatonia or pain for at least another three weeks." My mouth dropped about halfway at this surprise.
"You're kidding me right? Exactly what were these used for?"
"Ask your government officials, kid. I already told you that I used to be a field medic; well this is a very special drug that would help soldiers cope with the pain of getting shot and also help regulate sleep. As a rough estimate, I would say it is at least 100 times more powerful than any over-the-counter painkiller. However, it has a relatively low LD 50."
"I don't know about this then. You are certain this won't kill him?"
"Not unless he is a mouse. Plus I assume his weight has increased since yesterday so you have to factor in that as well."
"Should I wake him up or give him water?"
"These should not be taken with water."
I turned my attention to Shinji. Besides being an ace pilot one of his other talents was acting. He had actually fallen asleep (which probably wasn't such a good idea). I pressed my hand against his forehead; his temperature was down significantly from what it was originally. If anything the pills would only serve as a placebo or preventative. I tapped the bottle on my palm until two of the little green capsules slid out. "So I just drop these in his mouth right?"
Kozo crossed his arms, "they're pills, pilot, not suppositories."
I blushed, "very funny, don't expect a pity laugh." I placed my hand under Shinji's pillow and lifted his head up. I used my free hand to open his mouth by tilting back his chin.
"Hurry up, pilot. Your 10 minutes are up. I have to get going."
"Don't rush me dammit!" I dropped the pills into his mouth and shut it. "So how fast do these things act?" I asked.
"Faster than you would think," he smiled. "Rat poison tends to work fast doesn't it, Shunsui?"
My eyes widened, "…rat poison?" I reached for my knife…I was far too careless.
"Not so fast, pilot," said a different voice. "This is an Israeli made Jericho 941 handgun pressed against your temple. Go ahead, make a move for that knife of yours and I will make sure to spill your brains onto that heretic."
"How…how did you sneak up on me like that?" I asked.
"Hah, let me just start off by saying that we are big fans of yours, Mrs. Ikari I presume?" he said. "If you must know, I climbed in through the window. Your first mistake was not searching Kozo when you let him in. Your second was failing to search that duffle bag thoroughly."
"What?"
"That bag has about 15 pounds worth of explosives aside from that one bottle of rat poison," said Kozo. "You were smart last time, you made the necessary precautions. You even managed to snag that supplies we took for our people, I was careless on that occasion. I should have taken you out when I had the chance, but you can thank Shunsui for allowing you to keep your life on his orders."
"Kozo…I trusted you. You didn't say anything about more humans. And…you've killed my husband. You bastard…"
"No Asuka…you killed him." That Shunsui guy slowly brought the gun from my temple and swiftly smashed it into the back of my head. I instantly blacked out into a painless slumber.
1 Hour Later
It had nearly been an hour before I had woken up. The men bound me to a chair and gagged me with rope…Shinji…what did they do to Shinji? From the looks of it, I was still in the apartment but it was now dimly lit. I continued to familiarize myself with my surroundings when at the corner of my eye I spotted him. It was the other man that was with Kozo. I believe his name was…Shunsui? He looked like Kozo except that he was wearing a baseball cap instead of a beanie and he was clean-shaven. "Hererry," I couldn't quite talk because of the gag.
That got his attention. "I am not in a very good mood right now, pilot. If I take the gag off, will you promise me not to scream?"
I nodded signaling my agreement. Shunsui walked up to me, "you know, we have all been looking forward to meeting you. It would be a real shame if the Children didn't get a chance to meet you. I just feel bad about Shinji…"
The instant he removed the gag, I made a move for his damn fingers. I bit as hard as I could but only managed to take off half of one of his finger nails. He stumbled back until he hit the couch, writhing and holding back screams of pain and frustration. "That was for my husband you bas…your eyes…" His glasses had come off to reveal his eyes…red… "Rei?"
"Hardly," he said. "For your husband-fuck dammit! You say this was for your husband right?! Well this is from me to you!" Shunsui shot out of the couch and cleared the space between us. I anticipated being struck but wasn't quick enough to avoid it. It stung, much harder than Shinji's. I spat blood on his face and he instinctively kicked me over in my chair. With his foot pressed against my chest, he reached into his jacket to reveal the gun he had threatened me with. He paused, "…no…I will not give you the satisfaction of a quick death."
"Why?" I began to sniffle. I could no longer force myself to keep all these emotions bottled up.
"Hmm, let me guess. You are wondering why we killed your little boyfriend right?"
"You better pray that I don't get out of this chair, I'll fucking tear you apart."
"And you better pray I don't lose my damn temper again. Do you really want to know why we killed your husband the way we did?"
"It won't change a thing. Regardless of what you say, it won't purge my desire to kill you where you stand."
"There is no room for a heretic like him in our world now, pilot. A man who without thinking would put his own happiness above the lives of others doesn't deserve a second chance. You of all people should be the most acquainted with this fact."
"Revenge? You did this all for the sake of revenge?!"
"No, pilot, I didn't do this for the sake of revenge. I did this for justice."
"Hah! Don't give me that utter bullshit about justice! That isn't for you to decide! And what do you plan on doing to me? Take me to your lair? Rape me? Kill me like you did Shinji? Do you consider all that justice as well?! Was this all for the sake of justice or do you just want our damn food that bad?!"
"This is more than just a quest for food, although it was initially all about it. And I lied when I said Shinji was-" Shunsui was interrupted by Kozo who had returned from somewhere. "Just the man I wanted to see."
"Shunsui, I finished laying out all those explosives like you-" Shunsui brought out his gun and shockingly smashed it into Kozo's face. I heard his nose break disturbingly.
"Kozo…you failed to inform me that the boy…his metamorphosis. How dare you fail to overlook a detail like that? I should kill you…or feed you some of that rat poison you gave him."
Kozo was too hurt and shocked to respond, "Shunsui, please don't-"
"Kill you? No I am not going to kill you, I need you to aid me with the food, but rest assured you will be punished for your treason. You are also the one with the remote detonator. Speaking of food, pilot, where did you hide all of it."
"Kill me," I said. "Kill me and let me be with him. I'm not telling you where the food is, so you can just kill me and search the place."
"Now that would be counterproductive," Kozo said. "That rape idea doesn't sound so bad huh Shunsui?" Kozo got on his knees and struggled a bit before getting back on his feet. That Shunsui guy knocked off his sunglasses…I stared in fascination. Unlike the other guy, only one of his eyes was red like Rei.
"Who…who the hell…what the hell are you people exactly?" I asked.
"Let me…us give you a demonstration." Shunsui stuck his gun back in his jacket and removed his baseball cap. I stared in horror at his full head of blue hair. "Surprised? A simple gift from the Sweet Mother that I wear with pride. You are shocked aren't you? I was shocked as well when this happened to me. Not everyone who leaves the Sea of LCL is given The Sweet Mother's Gift…and not everyone who is given the Gift survives."
"Sweet Mother?" I asked. "You mean that bitch Rei don't you?"
"The Ayanami's," said Kozo. "Only those who have gone beyond the point of the metamorphosis are allowed to brandish the surname Ayanami among our people."
"Don't think that a full head of blue hair and a pair of red eyes is all we gain, that is the final stage," said Shunsui. "I am however very concerned about your boyfriend. Kozo tells me he was sick for four days? That is the length of the transition to the final stage; he is one of the Ayanami's."
"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked. "Don't rule him in with this sick cult of yours."
"Hah, did you hear that Kozo?" Shunsui chuckled to himself. "You think the Children are a cult? Far from it, we are the remnants of the last real human civilization. We are a civilization of order and peace that will usher humanity into a new age, heretic. Those who oppose our ideals are labeled heretics. The wasteland is full of heretics; it is a cruel irony that we would be the first humans you have seen."
"Wait…more people? You're kidding right?"
"More than you would imagine, pilot," said Shunsui.
I smiled, "If Shinji is as special as you claim he is, there is no way he would have been killed by that poison right?"
"That is why I was so irritated," said Shunsui. "However, it is too early to say whether or not his metamorphosis was complete at that point. And from the looks of it, he is as good as dead. Now there's the matter of the food."
"You can torture me all you want; I am never going to tell you where that food is. I would rather die than help some sick tyrant's cause."
"What a shame," Shunsui pulled his gun out again. "What do you say Ikari? Would you like me to kill your little girlfriend? She certainly seems to hold her life in low regard."
"Shinji?" I asked.
"Come on out Ikari, I sensed you the moment you got out from bed."
I turned my attention to the door; it opened slowly to reveal a pale and panting Shinji. "Shinji!" I exclaimed.
"I'll kill you," said Shinji. "I'll kill every fucking last one of you! I'll kill all of you for hurting my Asuka!"
"Shinji, don't!" I couldn't get through to him quick enough. Shinji lunged towards Shunsui. With a swift hand motion, Shunsui created a…it couldn't be…an A.T. field? Shinji smashed into the field as if he had run into a solid layer of glass. "No…no way."
"Hmm, one of the perks of the Sweet Mother's Gift," said Shunsui. "Now…" Shunsui eyed me and grabbed me by my hair. I tried to make a move on him but they had done quite the job fettering me with their rope. I felt the familiar feeling of cold steel pressed against my temple. "Tell me you didn't see this coming? My A.T. field is the strongest of all the Ayanami's, Ikari. I'd be willing to bet that Kozo's A.T. field is stronger than yours, seeing as he hasn't gone through the full metamorphosis yet. There is no way you will be able to get to me. Now…you tell me where all your food is and I just might let her live…if you refuse…well I don't think I have to tell you what will happen then."
"Shinji," I shouted. "Don't you dare tell him shit! He doesn't have the balls to do anything!"
"Don't have the balls you say?" Shunsui signaled to Kozo with his hand. "The remote detonator, Kozo." Kozo flashed the detonator. "If you two were familiar with explosives, you would know that 15 pounds worth of the stuff is enough to do some serious damage. Make your move Ikari, our fields will protect us. Seeing as you don't have one, you and the girl will be incinerated along with all the food you have worked so hard to get."
"Haven't you had enough?" asked Shinji. He got up from his knees; Kozo pointed his own gun on him. "This…all of this…this is not what Rei stood for. Your Sweet Mother would not want all this senseless violence. She wanted individuality…she wanted freedom…and above all, she was the hope that one day people would be able to understand one another. Just look at me if you need any proof of that! I used to be a spineless coward…now that my priorities are straight and my destiny is clear, I can shed that old existence that I stood for."
"Understand?" Shunsui let go of me. "Understand? What are you going on about? There is nothing left for humanity except for us…for the Children! You think she would give us these amazing and miraculous abilities if she really wanted us to understand one another?!" Shunsui waved his hand again and created another field, only smaller than the last. He projected it onto Shinji until he had him pressed against the wall. "This is the instrument of your demise Ikari! Tell me, do you think we are beginning to understand one another yet?! How about a broken rib cage, you should understand that quite well!" Shunsui pressed his hand on Shinji's chest; this created yet another field that expanded…I could hear his ribs crack under the pressure. Shinji screamed and coughed out a scary amount of blood. "What would a bastard like you know about destiny…look at you cower…you're scared aren't you? Even if I were to let you go and not even put up a fight, I can bet you anything that you wouldn't be able to face reality and kill me. You talk big Ikari…but the sounds of you bones breaking under my A.T. field are overpowering that pathetic voice of yours."
"Stop it!" I shouted. "You're hurting him! The…the food! I'll tell you where it is! Just stop this right now!"
Shinji struggled to talk under the field's pressure. "Gr-As-Asu-Asuka! Don't do it!"
"The office…the manager's office near the entrance. It's all there…just…let go of him dammit!"
"Oh don't worry," said Shunsui. "I'll let go of him, as soon as I do this!" Shunsui quickly brought out what looked like a syringe from his jacket. "Have a good rest…heretic." Without thinking twice, Shunsui stuck the syringe into Shinji's neck and pressed the plunger. His eyes widened and his pupils dilated. Shunsui removed his hand from Shinji's chest, the A.T. field dissipated. "Kozo…run down to the entrance and prepare the truck, the food is ours. That drug will only keep him out for about an hour."
Kozo wiped the blood from under his nose before responding. "What about the other pilot?"
"We stick to the original plan Kozo. In case the boy does live by some off chance…I want to make sure that his dear sweet wife isn't around to greet him when he wakes. Knock her out." For the second time that day, I was hit with the edge of a gun. Only this time…I wished I didn't have to wake again.
Half an Hour Later Outside the Complex
When I had woken up, the men were just about finished loading up their truck with all the food we had been storing. Kozo left me on the chair; he probably carried me all the way down, and tied me to the back of his seat. Shunsui was sitting in the driver's seat, smoking a cigarette; I couldn't stand the damn things. I tried to move my body a little…Shunsui laughed at me. "Hah, I see our heretic of honor is awake. Oh pardon me, where are my manners? Would you like a cigarette?" My eyes watered as he blew some smoke in my direction.
"Don't grow so impatient, pilot. Kozo will be here soon enough. We wouldn't want to be unprepared for the long journey ahead of us." I attempted to scream but the gag was fastened far too tight. Shunsui reached over to the passenger seat and swiftly tugged on the rope keeping me attached to it. This effectively shut me up. "Now, now, we won't be having any more of that."
"Shunsui," shouted Kozo. "Everything's been set. We're ready to go; the place has been cleaned of all its food."
"Excellent. You have the detonator don't you?"
"Yeah."
"Well? Hand it to me."
Kozo pouted, "I was kind of hoping you would let me do it…you know, like you promised you would."
"Yeah that's true, but I am also kind of sour that you overlooked the fact that the boy was in the final stage of his metamorphosis. There is still the matter of your punishment but we will have to consult that with the Ayanami's. Now give me the detonator and get in the damn truck before I decide to take the council's work into my own hands."
Without thinking twice, Kozo handed Shunsui the detonator and jumped into the back of the truck. "Hey, Shunsui!" He screamed.
"What?"
"Would you mind not driving incredibly erratic? I'm going to try and fall asleep back here with all the food."
"No promises, and if I see even one empty can of food, you'd wish you would have gotten the punishment from the council."
"Whatever, Shunsui. I would say no promises but that would probably only make you angry."
Shunsui sighed, "He's got that right. Now…you better keep your eyes peeled for this, pilot. It's going to all be over in the blink of an eye." Shunsui lifted the detonator above his head and plugged his ear with his free hand. With no hesitation visible in that disturbing expression of his, Shunsui pressed the button on the detonator. "I forgot I set the damn thing on a timer." Shunsui started the truck; the sound of the engine revving was almost loud enough to drown out the noise of the exploding building. I tried to look away but Shunsui grabbed onto the rope attached to the passenger's seat as to keep my eyes glued to the spectacle. "I told you to keep your eyes peeled."
"MMNONSTREMONSTER!" I screamed under the gag.
"What was that? Monster you say? Don't worry about him anymore, pilot. The monster's gone, he won't hurt you anymore."
I began to cry this only made him laugh, "Should I put out my cigarette? Is the smoke making you tear this bad?"
"I'LLL KRILLL YOU! I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!"
He smiled, "I bet you will, pilot. Now, let's go meet your true family…your new family I should say. No more monsters there to hurt you…I promise you that. But take this as a warning. That blaze of glory your boyfriend went out in, you would have ended up just like him. I am giving you a second chance; I have the power to do that as head of the council. That's right, I personally came here as head of the council to see the both of you. That is how important you are. Don't make me regret not leaving you there."
"Le-left me. You should have fucking left me!"
"Perhaps, but I am not above giving those who deserve a second chance, a second chance. You should be flattered. The Children don't take prisoners."
"Where are you taking me?!" I asked while I struggled in my seat.
He turned back around and put the truck in gear. "Far. That is where home is, pilot. I'm taking you home."
The truck jumped as we drove over debris from the buildings. I swear I heard Kozo murmur something from the back of the truck but everything just sounded like white noise to me at the moment. Even after driving a few blocks, I could still spot the glow of the burning complex in the distance. My home…no matter what these men said…that was my home. Even though I had suffered much less physical damage than Shinji, I felt battered. Tossed aside like a piece of trash. The pain however could not get rid of this…this…burning inside of me. A flame that made the burning apartment complex look like a candle wick in comparison. My burning desire to kill both of these men…
Chapter 10 and Part 2: Coming Soon! Hope you enjoyed the previous chapter!
A/N: I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving here in the states. I'm not a big fan of Black Friday so I decided to stay home and write this sucker. I also spent the majority of the weekend editing. If you hadn't noticed, I went back and added a Part 1 to Chapter 1. That is because I decided to divide this into story arcs as I thought starting a new story in general would be too tedious. I am going to be taking a VERY brief hiatus in order to get my bearings; this may just be a week. I just need some time to think things through. Also, I apologize if Shinji might have seemed a little OOC. All this aside, I can't express enough how much I appreciate everyone's support!
