Creation began on 12-16-16

Creation ended on 11-14-17

Neon Genesis Evangelion

Sword of Destruction, Sword of Life: Fathers and Sons

Gendo couldn't understand why, but the Third Child seemed different than the last time he saw him in his office. It was like he had more confidence or a strength that was independent of the Eva, something he needed to get rid of if he wanted to get the scenario he worked hard for back on track.

Shinji saw his father as a depraved ant in a way, the way he was just sitting there behind the desk. Or just an ant that felt it needed to be protected from every boot that stepped on weak insects that were in the way. And what seemed so odd about it before was that the boy didn't see his father as an ant before…but a disgraceful, wretched man that was undeserving of the status of a father.

"So," Shinji spoke to him, deciding to get to where they were in this situation that his father wanted to take control of, "what do you want from me?"

"You have a sword in your possession," Gendo uttered, his usual self. "You will hand it over to NERV, immediately."

"I can't do that."

"Can't…or won't?"

"I won't hand over what you can't even use, anyway. You don't have any kindness in your heart to use it. Unless you care for others without expecting something in return for helping them, you wouldn't be able to unleash its true potential…or that of its sibling sword."

"Sibling sword?" Fuyutsuki went, also present in the office. "You have two swords?"

"I do. I have used both to great effects. I have been granted a semblance of power from embodiments of Heaven and Earth, to return life to those still on Earth…and protect those that can be protected…without expecting any type of personal reward in return. No desire for praise, no longing for acknowledgment, no delusions of grandeur or godhood, whatsoever."

"This is irrelevant," said Gendo to them. "You will relinquish your swords, immediately."

"And I've already told you I won't do that. The swords were gifts to me…and I value them greatly. They're mine, and I won't hand them over just because you order me to."

"Then you will be incarcerated in the brig."

"Really? You wanna try and wield one of them? Go right ahead."

Shinji raised his right hand and the Tessaiga appeared in his grip. He unsheathed it and transformed the blade into his true form before wedging it into the floor in front of himself and Gendo's desk.

"Go ahead, both of you," Shinji dared them. "Unless you have kindness of heart and a desire to protect people without desiring anything in return for doing so, you can't hold or lift the sword, let alone use its powers."

Gendo didn't budge from his desk, but Fuyutsuki surrendered to temptation and walked around the desk to the wedged sword. He grabbed the hilt and pulled with all his might. It felt like he was trying to rip out a pole stuck in solid concrete; the sword refused to budge an inch for him.

"I can't pull it out," he gave up; he didn't have enough kindness in him to be able to use it.

"Wow, and this sword represents Earth, a guardian of mortals," Shinji expressed; he wasn't disappointed that the sub-commander was unable to lift the sword, but disappointed that he, while seemingly kind, lacked the motivation to want to protect people. "Would you care to try with the Sword of Life instead?"

His left hand unleashed Tenseiga and he unsheathed its blade in front of them. And then…he slashed Fuyutsuki with it.

"Ahh!" He gasped, backing away as light emanated from where he was attacked. "Shinji, why?!"

It felt like his demise took its course with him.

"Mister Fuyutsuki?" Shinji spoke. "You're not dead. You're unharmed."

Fuyutsuki looked down at where he was struck…and saw no injury, no cut, no blood. He was completely unscathed.

Even Gendo was surprised by this.

"You see?" Shinji asked them. "One sword to defeat the strong…and another sword to save the weak. Earth and Heaven. Destruction and Life."

He resheathed Tenseiga and the sword disappeared. And then, he grabbed Tessaiga and pulled it out of the ground like it weighed nothing, turning its blade back to its normal form and resheathing it, as well.

"If there's nothing left to discuss, I'm leaving," he told them.

"Stop!" Gendo ordered him, but he kept walking away. "I want those swords, Third Child!"

"If you want them, try and claim them. Try to practice the art of caring about others without wanting something back from them. Try to think about something else besides yourself…if you even can."

Shinji left, and Gendo was fuming; he couldn't believe that his son had gotten some sort of one-up on him just because of a pathetic pair of steel sticks he got from off the streets.

Fuyutsuki, on the other hand, was actually impressed that Shinji had found a way to help people without the Eva, something his mother had worked on for years since Second Impact. The boy was defecting from what was originally intended without even realizing it.

-x-

"Ha!" Shinji yelled as he slashed at the water in the underground lake with the Tessaiga, causing two walls of water to rise up as a path was cut in front of him.

"Oh, my gosh!" He heard Misato gasp. "I can't believe you can do that with the sword!"

"I haven't had much practice with it, but I'm getting better at it," he told her, and then slashed at the lake water again, causing two water walls to be higher than the previous two. "Ah-ha!"

And she couldn't deny it. Misato definitely wanted Shinji at her wedding when this was all over.

If he can get rid of the remaining Angels with those swords of his, I'll even pay for his college education, she swore.

-x-

"…Is that so, Ikari?" SEELE 05 questioned in the next meeting, after being informed that the Third Child had returned to Tokyo-3.

"Yes," Gendo answered, although he refrained from telling the old men the whole situation regarding the boy's swords. "He refuses to hand them over."

"More like he refuses to hand them over to you, you mean," went SEELE 11 to him. "We've seen a video of the boy using one of the swords he has on the lake outside NERV HQ, and he appears to still be in training with it if he's able to create large walls of water."

"Ikari, this council has voted upon a further demonstration of what the Third Child is capable of," said SEELE 03 to Gendo. "The next Angel that appears, we want to see what the boy can do against it with his swords. If he proves successful in handling the situation, his absence to the Eva program will be overlooked."

"And if he can't?" Gendo asked.

"You're his father, aren't you?" SEELE 08 questioned him. "Be one and handle him if he can't."

If this was a reprimand, it was the worst one to be handed based solely upon his parental status.

"Tread with caution, Ikari," SEELE 01 warned him. "Don't do anything that will provoke the boy to disregard what's really at stake. Lately, you have been unable to separate the needs of the many from the desires of the few to the demands of the one."

When the meeting ended and the holographic monoliths vanished from the room, Gendo fumed again. He seemed to be getting the poor end of the excuses simply because he hasn't been the type of parent his son needed, not that he was willing to even try to be. There was no way he would bend to the Third Child's will, regardless of what he wanted.

"You petulant brat," he muttered.

To be continued…

A/N: Ooh… Anyone suspects that there's no chance in Hell that Gendo will be invited to any events in the future?