A/N: This is it! This is where Asuka decides to destroy her darker side! Will she succeed? Or will she be consumed by the darkness? Read and find out!
On another note, there will be another Yu-Gi-Oh crossover. No characters or anything. You'll see what I mean. I disclaimed Yu-Gi-Oh in Chapter 9, so I won't say it again.
NERV Hospital - Cafeteria
Shinji was thinking over what happened in the NERV Hospital's cafeteria. He had gone to tell Asuka that he was glad she was okay. She was out cold at the time. But suddenly she had woken up, as if she woke up from a bad dream. He told her what he planned to tell her. But then she had looked at him for a moment, and then she suddenly broke down crying. He decided to leave her alone and wheeled himself out of the room. Zack had asked what happened, but he told Zack that it was not his business to know. Zack understood and offered to push him to the cafeteria. Shinji accepted. Now Zack was ordering their lunch and Shinji was left to his thoughts.
'What is happening to Asuka?' he wondered. It was definitely out of character for Asuka to be crying for any reason. He concluded that he still didn't know Asuka as well as he thought. 'Maybe something happened during the battle?'
Zack came back. He had ordered Shinji a bacon cheeseburger, some fries, and a vanilla milkshake. Zack ordered for himself four hamburgers, lots of fries, and three chocolate milkshakes.
"Got enough food?" asked Shinji as he was surprised at how much Zack had ordered for himself."
"This hospital has good food, unlike every other hospital I've been to. And if the food is good, I will take full advantage of it," said Zack. "Oh yeah. Rei said you defended Asuka despite the shit she gave you prior to the battle. How do ya do it? Hell, if she put me through all that, I'm not sure if I could just protect her"
Shinji bowed his head down. "I don't know. I guess there's some things that can't be explained."
"Well if you don't want to explain, then I'll respect your choice on this matter. You seem to defend those regardless of who they are. Anyway, you and Asuka will be released from the hospital I heard later today. That's what Misato told me anyway."
This brought a smile back on Shinji's face. "That's good to hear."
"Yup. Now let's eat before the food gets cold."
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NERV HQ- Misato's Office
Misato was going over the reports on Asuka and Shinji. Shinji had taken a really nasty hit. But the conclusion was that he was bracing for it and saw it coming resulted in him not being badly hurt. Shinji had then been briefed by Ayanami on what had happened, and then wheeled over to Asuka's room.
'Damn girl. He cares for her and she treats him like shit.'
The next part of the report had shocked her. Asuka woke up as if she had woken up from a bad dream. Shinji told her that he was glad she was okay. Asuka then broke down crying. Crying? Asuka had never been crying to the extent that the report was saying. Misato could only hope that Asuka would make it through this phase.
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Asuka's Mind
Asuka had fallen asleep. Quickly, she realized she was back in that mysterious city. She knew why she was here. To either exile, or destroy Yami-Asuka. She walked around looking like she was on a warpath. She had no luck while searching the downtown area. She had asked people if they had seen someone who looked like herself but wearing a black plugsuit. But they told her no.
Her search took her to a stadium. A baseball game was in process. She asked security there if they saw a person that looked like her. She was told no and then was offered baseball tickets (At a reasonable price too). She declined of course. Asuka could not be distracted from her one-woman mission.
Asuka's next stop was the city library. She looked down every section of books. Sci-Fi, Horror, Drama, Comedy, Kids, and even the encyclopedia section. No sign of the dark incarnation anywhere.
Out of frustration and exhaustion from going to all those places, she decided to take a rest in the park. While sitting on one of the benches, she saw a child playing all by herself in the sandbox. There was something about this child that made her stand out from the other children. Then she realized it was her light incarnation! Hikari-Asuka!
She approached the child. Hikari-Asuka turned in her direction as if she sensed Asuka was coming towards her. They were now about 3 metres apart when Hikari-Asuka broke the silence.
"I knew you would come back."
"So what of it?"
The child had a question for her. "I have a question for you? How do you really feel about Shinji Ikari?"
The question had caught Asuka off guard. "What do you mean by that?"
The child seemed more determined. "Just between us, without the darker one here. How do you feel about him?"
"Uhh well. I don't know. I'm not an expert in these kinds of things! I don't really care!"
Hikari-Asuka looked harder at Asuka. "Then why did you crave his attention? And why do you get jealous when you think of him with another girl?"
"I don't know…"
"Are you afraid of your feelings?"
"I'm not weak! I don't want to be weak! Love is weakness."
"To show someone you love them takes strength Asuka," the child said. "Shinji has used a lot of his emotional strength to tell you he loves you. But his strength is fading. And soon, he will be exhausted trying to get through to you."
Asuka was silent as her seemingly younger self told her what she could not even tell herself.
"I understand," said Asuka. "I do love that twit. It's just that… I don't want…"
"To be rejected?"
Asuka's head bowed down. "Yes. I'm afraid of being rejected. I did like him, but after everything I did, I couldn't tell him because I was so mean to him. He'd have every reason in the world and beyond to just tell me to screw off."
Hikari-Asuka smiled. "But you are a lucky girl Asuka. I know Shinji is willing to forgive you for everything you've done. He can see past your tough exterior and see who you really are. All you need to do is tell him."
Asuka began to smile again. "Thank you, my light. But now I have something more important to do at the moment, regardless of whether or not Shinji will forgive me. Where is you-know-who?"
A frown came to the child's face. "I was afraid you might ask. I wanted to try and bring you two together without her interference, but I guess there is no other way. The one you seek is at the movie theatre. She's in cinema 7, fifth aisle."
"Thank you," Asuka said again. "I will get rid of her."
"I warn you Asuka. She's very powerful. More powerful than Tabris, the 17th Angel. If you lose, you will lose your heart and spirit, and your lack of heart and spirit will eventually destroy you."
"Don't worry about a thing. I am the Great Asuka Langley Sohryu! Since you are a part of the Great Me, you should have a little more faith! I'll be back. I promise you… and him."
And with that, the redhead went off to the movie theatre. After 5 minutes of walking, she arrived at her destination. Strangely enough, the people that used to be here had mysteriously disappeared. This did not stop everyone's favourite German from finding her shadow. She checked the floor plan the theatre. She quickly found where Cinema 7 was. And she immediately went in its direction.
At last she arrived at Cinema 7. 'What kind of movie was playing?' she thought. So, she entered. A movie was playing all right. It was a movie about her and all the bad moments in her life that she had so regretted doing.
Then she heard the loud chewing of popcorn, followed by a loud, girl's laugh. She looked down to the fifth aisle from the bottom. In the middle of that aisle, there was the theatre's lone occupant, and her target: Yami-Asuka!
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NERV Hospital- Room 530
"That's very odd. She has fallen unconscious once more," said Ritsuko. Asuka's case had been a strange one. Since Commander Ikari wanted to make sure Asuka would live, Ritsuko was specifically assigned to make sure she would survive this incident. Even Ritsuko was dumbfounded at how Asuka would black out during the battle, and then black out once more afterwards. She let Shinji come and visit again, thinking that the fact that he was there may boost Asuka's chances at recovering.
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NERV - Commander Ikari's Office
"Why have you ordered Dr. Akagi to watch over the Second Child?" asked Vice-Commander Fuyutski.
"We cannot afford to lose any EVA pilots," replied Gendo Ikari.
The Vice-Commander quickly understood why. Obviously his former student wanted the best medics available for the pilots. Suddenly Gendo spoke again.
"If we are to lose the Second, there is a high chance we may lose the Third as well."
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Asuka's Mind - Movie Theatre, Cinema 7 (Turn off all pagers and cell phones please)
Asuka walked down the stairs until she reached the fifth aisle. In response, the dark incarnation stood up and faced her.
"I know why you are here. And I know what you intend to is impossible."
"Listen you!" Asuka pointed at Yami-Asuka. "This is my body and my mind. And what I say goes! You are to march your ass out of here!"
Yami-Asuka had a big grin on her face. "And what if I choose not to leave? What are you going to do about it?"
Asuka walked closer to her. Now they were only 2 metres apart. "I'll tear you apart, like I should have so long ago!"
Yami-Asuka began to laugh. "Hahahahahaha! You actually believe you can defeat me? How amusing!" She shows Asuka the bag of popcorn. "Popcorn?" Asuka's face does not change. Yami-Asuka's face grows more serious. "So you actually intend to do this?"
A confident grin came on Asuka's face. "I will do this."
Suddenly the movie theatre background disappeared. Next thing they knew, they appeared in a coliseum. The Roman Coliseum. Now they were about 5 metres apart.
"This is the Roman Coliseum. Great battles were fought here. It showed which warriors were the cream of the crop. However, as the rules of these things go, I must ask you once more. Are you sure you want to do this? If you lose, Hikari-Asuka will be destroyed, and I will have full control over your mind, thoughts, and feelings."
Asuka stayed confident. "I will destroy you."
Hikari-Asuka appeared in the stands. She had the bag of popcorn in her hand. Angel wings had grown out of her back now, truly representing Asuka's good side. "You can do it Asuka!"
Asuka looked to the child in the stands. She gave her the thumbs up. "Count on it." She looked at Yami-Asuka. "Let's do this." She begins to walk towards Yami-Asuka when the dark side raised a hand to stop her.
"If you are going to fight me, we will play by my rules, and in MY arena!" the evil one said.
Yami-Asuka jumps back to about 7 metres away. She started a chant. The chant echoed throughout the coliseum. 'What in the world is she saying?' thought Asuka.
Hikari-Asuka was shocked. 'This is exactly what Yami-Asuka wanted to do!' She flew over to Asuka. "Asuka, get out of here! Those are satanic phrases! She's conjuring the Seal of Diablos! She plans to send you straight to Hell!"
Suddenly, a circle of fire surrounded Yami-Asuka. The circle spread until it surrounded them both. Hikari-Asuka was blown away by the evil power. Next, a line of flame appeared to be drawing something in the circle. 5 lines later, a 5-point star was created.
Asuka looked up at Yami-Asuka. She looked different now. Her eyes had turn from their original blue to a blood red. And she had a satanic mark on her forehead.
"Like the new look?" Yami-Asuka asked. Her voice sounded even more evil than it did before.
"Stay right where you are!" Asuka shouted. "I'm coming over to kick your ass!"
"Now, now. Calm down!" said Yami-Asuka. "I haven't included the final touch!"
Everything went black again. Suddenly Asuka could see again. She was shocked at where she was. In Evangelion Unit 02's entry plug! She looked at what was across from her. It was another EVA Unit 02! But instead of red, it was black! And it had the same marking on its forehead that Yami-Asuka had! She noticed the coliseum had grown in proportions to the EVAs. And the same went for the Seal of Diablos!
Yami-Asuka's voice could be heard again. "Now everything is set. This will be a no-time limit battle. The winner will decide the fate of your lighter side, and the path that is intended for your future. Are you ready?"
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NERV Hospital - Room 530 (Quiet please)
Shinji looked at the girl on the bed. She was quiet at first, but then she began stirring. And then moaning and groaning on the bed. Shinji was concluding that she was having a nightmare. He took her right hand in his hand and held it, hoping she would be okay.
Suddenly, three images appeared in his mind as he held her hand. He saw three people. The first was Asuka, in her red plugsuit. The second was a child. It appeared to be a child version of Asuka. It gave off a warm feeling. The third vision was the teenage Asuka again. But this one had a black plugsuit. And it gave a very cold feeling. Shinji could sense that Asuka was having another internal struggle. He could only sit there and hope for the best.
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Asuka's Mind - Roman Coliseum (35 Euros a ticket)
With a loud cry, the battle began. The two EVAs grappled for the longest time. Neither one gave an inch. Asuka was determined to win no matter what. She let her opponent come into her, and she did her shoulder flip move, leaving the demon on her back.
The demon got up quickly. "Good," she said. "At least I know I'll have to fight at my best to defeat you."
The dark EVA charged again. It hit Asuka with a powerful shoulder charge. Asuka went flying and crashed into the border of the Seal. Surprisingly to Asuka, the flames didn't hurt.
"Ah, I forgot to mention, the flames won't hurt you unless they sense you trying to escape. And since you feel no burning sensation, I'm glad you still intend to fight."
Asuka got up again. This time she came in a few punches, which were blocked, and then went with a roundhouse kick that connected with the side of her opponent's head. The beast went down fast but was back up even faster.
"Just like old times," said Asuka. "You should know I'm full of surprises."
"I do."
Once more they charged. A grapple once more took place. This time Yami-Asuka got behind Asuka and put her in a headlock.
Asuka winced and cringed in pain at the force being applied in an attempt to crush her EVA's neck. She tried desperately to pull her opponent's arms away, but the dark EVA's grip was too strong. She quickly thought of another way. With a surge of strength, she managed to flip her shadow over her head and crash into the far side of the Seal of Diablos.
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NERV Hospital - Room 530
'What's this? Asuka's brainwaves are ecstatic! She's unconscious, but her brainwaves are still very active!' thought Ritsuko. 'How could this be?'
"Asuka! Stay strong! You're going to get through this!" Shinji said. He could sense that she was in peril, whatever she was doing.
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Asuka's Mind - Coliseum
Yami-Asuka was getting frustrated. Killing the neutral self was tougher than she thought. However, she still knew she would win. She had the power of the Seal of Diablos on her side. It gave her a greatpower. A power that was nearly limitless. She took out her progressive knife. Asuka did the same. Now the two forces were trying to hack the guts out of each other. As hard as they tried, the only thing they could connect with was each other's knife.
"Well, well Asuka. You're good, but I'm better. It's time I took this fight up a notch."
Suddenly the black Unit 2 had a black aura around it. It attacked Asuka again. To Asuka's shock, it was even faster than before. She knew it had to be drawing power from the Seal of Diablos. She desperately blocked its assaults. But it was just to fast. It managed to cut her across the chest plate. The pain was immense. But she could not give up. She tried to backpedal, but the evil EVA stabbed her in the left shoulder, making it very difficult to use her left arm.
The black EVA kicked the red EVA flying. She crashed into the wall of the Seal. Asuka realized what Hikari-Asuka meant. Yami-Asuka must have planned this. She could probably draw infinite power from the Seal of Diablos.
"I guess I lost. Shinji, I'm so sorry."
"Asuka! Don't give up!" It was Hikari-Asuka. Asuka couldn't see the child, but she could be heard. "You still have something to fight for!"
The black EVA paced towards her.
"Huh, what do you mean?" Asuka was confused. "I've lost. I'm going to lose!"
"You can't Asuka! Shinji hasn't given up on you yet!"
"Huh?" Suddenly, she can see herself in the hospital. Shinji is telling her to hang in there while the machine she's attached to is going haywire.
"He hasn't given up on me! I won't disappoint him again!"
Suddenly Asuka felt a surge of power flow through her body. Her EVA rose to its feet. It floated into the sky. It suddenly grew orange spectral wings! Asuka heard her child-like self speak once more.
"You have tapped into the pure good of your heart Asuka. As long as there's light, the darkness can't conquer all! Use this power to destroy her!"
Yami-Asuka was shocked. How could she do this? This can't be! Her sync level with the Seal was at 100. And Asuka's sync level with her EVA could only be 72! How could Asuka have tapped into more power?
"Wanna know my sync level bitch?" Asuka shouted at her evil self. "For your information, my sync level is 500! I'll destroy you in one shot!"
Yami-Asuka desperately raised her AT Field to its full capabilities. But she didn't stand a chance. "NNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOO!" was the last thing she said before Asuka's EVA flew right through the top half of the black EVA, leaving only the waist and legs.
With Yami-Asuka destroyed, the Seal of Diablos faded away. Everything went dark again. Asuka sensed she was no longer in her Unit 02. But she saw the child appear in front of her again, with her golden angel wings spread out.
"Thank you," Hikari-Asuka said. "Because you defeated the darkness in your heart, I can return to my true form." Hikari-Asuka began to grow. She grew until she appeared to look exactly like Asuka. She now was wearing Asuka's school uniform and still had her golden wings. "Because the darkness was so powerful, she forced me to regress back to a child."
"I can't believe he never gave up on me," said Asuka who was now saddened. "I'll have to face him and everything I've done."
"You can do it, the powers of love are virtually limitless," Hikari-Asuka said as she faded away. "I believe in you…"
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NERV Hospital - Room 530
As strange as the machine started going off, it stopped. Ritsuko was relieved. She told Shinji she had some things to check on and to page her should the machine go off again.
Asuka woke up. She looked around. She noticed Shinji was holding her hand. He must have been there the entire time. Although he didn't know what was going on, he must have been there while she was having her internal struggle. She sat up in the bed.
Shinji spoke up like he did last time. "You gave us quite a scare there. You're okay now."
For the second time that day, tears began to well up in her eyes. To Shinji's shock, she threw her arms around him in a hug and began crying again. Shinji decided to hug her back. While she was crying into his shoulder, Asuka kept saying,
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"