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Angel Eyes

-Chapter Ten:

'This is unexpected,' Ritsuko decided as she watched the formed Second Child cry. The blond felt the strangest urge to say something, but she had never been very good at comforting people. Instead she rose and grabbed another bottle from her bar. "Here."

"Thanks," Asuka managed, dropping her empty bottle and seizing the fresh one. Ritsuko wasn't quite sure about this route, but it seemed as good as any she could think of.

"You know," Ritsuko began awkwardly as she sat back down, "I think I can understand your situation." This was a risk, but a necessary one and not really a fallacy.

"How could you think that you understand me, human?" Asuka demanded, glaring at Ritsuko even as tears continued to well in her eyes.

"I loved someone who hurt me very badly once," Ritsuko stated. "I knew it was a horrible relationship, but I still loved him." Asuka let out a sharp, harsh laugh.

"He didn't hurt me," she stated. "I hurt him. I hurt both of them so bad that I wish I was dead in her place." Ritsuko recognized the speech patterns. Even an Angel couldn't put away a full bottle of eighty-proof without some affects.

"What did you do to them, Asuka?"

"I gave them to SEELE," Asuka stated, staring down at the bottle in her lap. "I betrayed their trust and delivered them to those bastards."

"Why?"

"Because they loved each other," Asuka stated. "I wanted them to love me too. I wanted it so bad. They had each other and I had no one! I just couldn't take it." Ritsuko wondered how far she could push, but realized that she didn't really care.

"Tell me everything." Asuka glanced up, but her eyes didn't really focus on Ritsuko.

"We washed up together after the Third Impact," she stated.

"You, Shinji and Rei?" Ritsuko pressed.

"No," Asuka answered. "Me and Shinji. We were the first returnees. Rei was already there, or so I was told. I don't remember those first weeks well. I kept fading in and out of coherence and I was so weak. Rei and Shinji took care of me. I remember it vaguely. After about two weeks I became more coherent and my strength started returning.

When other returnees began to wash up, we decided to move further inland, away from the shore. It was the first time I actually left the little bungalow we had been living in. I was still weak, so Shinji carried me sometimes. He carried me for miles without complaining. I never knew he was that strong."

"Why did you leave the shoreline?" Ritsuko asked.

"We knew we were different, even then," Asuka stated. "Rei knew all about what we had become. She told us what had actually happened during the Third Impact, at least as far as she knew. She also taught me the basics of how to control my powers."

"Rei knew more than the basics," Ritsuko commented.

"She did," Asuka allowed, "but using her powers weakened her. She was never in the best health, but any use of her powers seemed to exacerbate her condition." Ritsuko frowned as she considered that. Alicia had mentioned that Rei had been frail.

"What about Shinji?" Ritsuko asked. "Did he learn how to use his powers?"

"No," Asuka stated. "He didn't care. I don't think I ever saw him use them once until Rei died. After that, I wished I never had."

(:ii:)

"Beer?"

"Sure," Misato took the offered drink and wrapped her towel around her shoulders. To her annoyance, Shinji didn't even seem to notice that her sleepwear clung to her still damp body. "Nothing like a hot shower after spending too long in heels."

"I'll take your word for it," Shinji replied. Misato laughed and collapsed onto the couch next to the younger man. He had changed out of his formal clothes and turned on the news.

"Anything good happen in the world?"

"If anything good did happen, do you really think it would be on the evening news?" Shinji countered.

"Well, maybe at the end," Misato answered, "in passing. Maybe."

"No good news." Misato shrugged and leaned against Shinji. It was stupid, but the outside world felt less real when she was with him. "I wonder why I bother."

"Morbid curiosity?" Misato guessed.

"Must be," Shinji agreed. He yawned and stretched. "I give up. It's bed time."

"Want to sleep in my room?" Misato asked. She immediately regretted it, but Shinji didn't decide to tease her on it. No, he decided to go after her laziness instead.

"You must really hate my alarm clock."

"No, I hate your tiny bed," Misato replied. Shinji chuckled.

"I take it, that's your way of telling me that I'm going to have a sleeping buddy?"

"If you don't mind," Misato replied tentatively.

"I told you I didn't," Shinji stated firmly with a smile. "Any time you need, don't be afraid to climb in, okay?"

"Thanks Shinji."

"No problem. Now I'm going to take a shower and go to sleep. I suggest you turn in soon too. You still have an appointment to keep tomorrow."

"Don't remind me," Misato grumbled.

(:ii:)

"Good afternoon Mister Harris."

"Not really," Harris stated. "I'm jet lagged as a son of a bitch." The other man chuckled and sat down across from him before examining the small outdoor, café they were sitting in.

"Well, super sonic transports will do that," he stated. "You were in Japan. I believe they're behind us by a good several hours. It's the middle of the night there, I think. I'm Joshua."

"Harris," Harris said simply as he shook the man's hand. "Thank you for agreeing to meet me."

"It's not a problem," Joshua stated. "If your problem is what you think it is, this is rather important."

"That's what I though, but I seemed to be alone in that opinion." Harris reached for the briefcase by his chair and pulled out his laptop. He set it down on the table and flipped it open. "I was hoping you could look at a few pictures for me."

"No problem," Joshua replied. Harris brought up the pictures he had taken and turned the top of his laptop to face the other man. Joshua stared at the screen for a moment before slowly taking off his sunglasses to reveal bright, crimson eyes. "Where did you take these pictures?"

"So, you know this man?" Harris asked calmly.

"Where did you take this picture?" the irate CAS operative repeated coldly.

"Japan," Harris stated. "Who is this man, Joshua?"

"You know damn well who he is," Joshua replied. "It's unmistakable. That face was burned into my brain. I knew something was up. They said that Sohryu killed him."

"You didn't believe it?" Harris asked.

"Fuck no," Joshua replied. "Sohryu and the Berserker liked their game. I don't think either wanted it to end. They were only happy when the other was miserable." Joshua stared at the picture. "Interesting."

"What?" Harris asked.

"This eye that he's missing," Joshua noted, "it's his angel eye."

"What do you mean?"

"Not many know, but the Berserker has heterochromia," Joshua stated. He must have noticed Harris's expression. "Different colored eyes. His left was red and his right was blue. We called the red eye his angel eye."

"Is that natural for angels?" Harris asked.

"He's the only one we've ever seen," Joshua answered. "Of course, it's a rare trait in humans, so it might just be a rare trait in angels too."

"I thought the eyes always turned red," Harris commented.

"They do," Joshua replied. "Of course, natural angels can suppress their powers and return to their original eye color. No one's quite sure if his eye color has any kind of significance, but there are theories."

"Such as?" Harris pressed.

"The most prevalent is that his left eye wasn't his to begin," Joshua replied. "Of course, that makes one wonder who it belonged to first and how the hell is ended up in his head. Now, where exactly did you find him?"

"If I tell you, can I count on you to react appropriately?" Harris asked as he packed up his laptop. Joshua chuckled dryly.

"I see you've been made aware of the flaws with artificial angels," he commented. "The more powerful they get, the crazier they get. I take it, that's why you selected me, a low ranked member of the CAS."

"Yes," Harris replied. "Can you handle it?"

"If SEELE has decided to cover him up, then there must be a reason," Joshua stated. "I'm going to investigate it first."

"Will you keep me appraised?" Harris asked.

"I will," Joshua replied. "Hell, I might need your help. I'm a soldier, not a detective." Harris scribbled down the address and his number.

"Here. That's my cell. I'm sure you're aware of the dangers of phones."

"I am," Joshua replied. "You're going to some awful long lengths to get this guy."

"Well, you know what the Bible says," Harris stated, "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth."

"I was thinking something else," Joshua commented as he stared down at the paper. "Vengeance is mine sayeth the lord."

(:ii:)

Asuka stared down at the bottle in her hand. What the hell was she doing? Well, that was a stupid question. Despite a bottle and a half of whiskey, she knew exactly what she was doing. She was spilling her guts to a woman she hadn't thought of in years.

The real question was, why the hell was she doing was she was doing?

"What was that?" Asuka glanced up to see Ritsuko staring at her.

"What?"

"You were muttering something," Ritsuko stated.

"Just thinking to myself," Asuka stated. "Did you know that I wasn't even suspicious when SEELE told me that Shinji and Rei were in quarantine? I didn't think anything of it even though I didn't see them for years."

"How did you find out?" Ritsuko asked.

"I don't know," Asuka admitted. "I found out where they were and decided to find them. I didn't bother asking SEELE, I just went. Maybe, deep down, I knew the truth and I knew I would never get in if I asked."

"What happened?"

"Well, I found them," Asuka stated. "They had been locked up for the night, but they were always being watched. I knocked out the guards and saw them for the first time in years. The room they had them in was a cell. There wasn't a bed, just a toilet against the wall. They were naked, so I could see that both of them had lost a lot of weight."

"What did you do?"

"I ran," Asuka admitted. "I was horrified and confused. It took me a day to get my head together. That was the night Rei died. Actually, she died right after I ran. When I came back the next day to get them out, Shinji had broken out. Most the building was wrecked and hundreds were dead. Two days later my family was slaughtered in their home."

"Shinji killed your family?" Ritsuko asked in shock.

"Worse," Asuka stated. I found him standing over the bodies of my dad and step mom. He had killed them slowly. He had killed my little sister too, but it had been quick for her. That was the first time we fought. The ritzy neighborhood my family lived in was completely destroyed and everyone there was killed."

"Why didn't you explain to him what had happened?" Ritsuko asked.

"It wouldn't have changed much," Asuka stated. She took a long drink from her bottle. "Besides, I wasn't thinking clearly that first time. He killed my little sister. She had nothing to do with anything and he killed her just to hurt me. I was so mad I couldn't see strait, let alone think clearly. Besides. . ."

"Besides?" Ritsuko pressed when Asuka trailed off for too long.

"Besides, the more I hurt him, the less I hurt."

(:ii:)

Shinji pushed the door to the bathroom open and stepped out into the cooler night air beyond. It felt so strange to be able to just take a long hot shower. Shinji snagged a beer and made his way to the balcony. He popped the top on his drink and watched the world rush around at a desperate pace.

Why did they always seem to be in such a hurry? They were just speeding towards the inevitable.

Shinji finished his beer and tossed in the trash before heading towards Misato's room. He stepped into the darkened room and slid the door shut. There was enough light coming in through the window that Shinji could make out Misato curled up in the middle of her bed. After some nimble footwork to avoid the random object strewn on the floor, Shinji finally climbed into Misato's bed.

"Gee Shinji, don't be shy."

"Thought you were asleep." Shinji wrapped an arm around Misato's waist and pulled her back tight to his front. "Better?"

"Much," Misato replied, her arm moving down to stop him from letting go. Shinji had to admit that it felt good to have someone in his arms again. It had been so long that he had forgotten how nice it was. They lay in silence for a while before he felt Misato shift. "Aren't you going to give me a goodnight kiss?"

"I thought I already did," Shinji murmured.

"Well, kind of," Misato returned, "but that's different. You're supposed to kiss the girl after you drop them off from a good date."

"I still say that I didn't drop you off since I live here," Shinji countered. He heard Misato let out a groan of annoyance and he had to laugh. He pressed a kiss to the back of her neck. "Does that mean you want a goodnight kiss?"

"Yes." Her answer was so quiet that Shinji could barely hear her despite being about as close as possible. Shinji frowned. That didn't sound like a joke. He pulled back slightly and pulled her onto her back so he could meet her eyes.

"You aren't teasing me, are you?"

"No, I'm not," Misato answered. She was pouting slightly. "Why do you always think I'm teasing?"

"Because you teased me for years," Shinji stated. Misato's pouted deepened.

"That's not fair. You were just a teenager than. Now you're a man."

"What do you want Misato?"

"I really want you to kiss me right now, Shinji." Shinji couldn't help it. He really couldn't.

"Okay." Shinji leaned down and kissed her. Her arms wrapped around his neck and pulled him down further as she deepened the kiss. God it felt good. Shinji used one leg to spread hers so he could rest more of his weight on her. Misato moaned happily and hooked one leg around his thigh.

Reality hit him like a ton of bricks. What the hell was he doing? Shinji pulled back and resisted when Misato tried to pull him back to her.

"Shinji?"

"What are we doing Misato?" Misato met his eyes evenly.

"We're doing what I've wanted to do since you came back," she stated simply. "Have you ever thought about it?"

"I have," Shinji admitted. Misato was a beautiful woman who liked skimpy clothes. It was hard not to think about it. Misato tried to pull him back down. "Wait."

"Why?"

"Let's wait till the morning," Shinji stated. The fact that nothing looked as good in the harsh morning light was something neither mentioned. Misato stared at his eyes for a while.

"Alright," she said finally. "We will talk in the morning." Shinji nodded and started to push himself back, but Misato stopped him again. "You aren't going anywhere."

"Alright." How did he get himself into this one?

-End

(:ii:)

-Author's notes. Morning folks. America now has a black president. I thought there was supposed to be a rainbow or something. Now, I'm not saying anything bad about Obama, I just think some people are expecting way too much. Sadly, those are the kinds of people who will suddenly turn on him one day despite any good he has done because he hasn't saved the world.

Thanks to everyone who wrote in about Reload. If you haven't read it yet, go read it. It's one of the few decent bits over in the Naruto section. It gets kind of long winded, vague, and hard to understand later on; but it's still a good, entertaining story. Note, it's not good and entertaining for a Naruto story because that's not saying much.

Alright, I have a good gripe for you. Fanfiction authors. What a bunch of over dramatic, lazy hacks. Am I right people? Of course I am. I know those people. And I kind of am one.

So, what sparked this off? How about this, I checked on an old author I loved to read who, like most authors apparently, doesn't update at all. On his bio he was saying that he quit and he never enjoyed writing and this and that and bitch and moan and shut the fuck up.

Look, authors got into this for fun. If they didn't, they wouldn't succeed. Now, maybe if no one reads their stories they can just quit, God knows most Naruto authors need to quit, but once people read their stories they kind of owe the readers something.

Now, I know authors don't get paid, but people do invest time in them to read their stories and give them their thoughts. Also, I don't know about other authors, but I like my readers. I have a few that have been kicking around with me for a long time. Getting a review from them isn't like they're some stranger; it's more like a friend. I wouldn't just quit on them out of the blue and leave everything hanging. If, for some reason, I did decide to stop writing, I'd at least try to give everyone some kind of closure.

Besides, I'm still having fun. Maybe those whiny brats should just let their inner crazy person out. It works for me and people seem to like reading the results.