Hello all. This is the eleventh chapter of TTOE. I've come a long way with this, and the main storyline hasn't even unfolded! This is gonna be big! A warm hearted greeting to all those out there who have helped me morale-wise with this piece. Even to Anomaly, who's initial criticism made me fight even harder to win over the audience! And welcome, to those who read this story after seeing the update, hope you liked what you see, and even if you haven't reviewed this in the past, everything you say here boosts my morale!
Thank you all! To receive so much praise for my first on-line fic is amazing...
Anyway, lets start with the summary of events insofar!
Summary:
Chapter One:
Shinji goes to school, and is alarmed to hear the angel siren. He is challenged by the black EVA, and is reunited with his father.
Chapter Two:
Shinji fights the Black EVA, and discovers that it is Kaworu.
Chapter Three:
Kaworu is asleep in NERV's infirmary. At Dawn, he is spirited off to Terminal Dogma, where Rei fails to apprehend him. Lillith comes off the cross and resumes her true form. She then Crucifies him just as Shinji enters Terminal Dogma.
Chapter Four:
Shinji collapses in grief. Rei shoots at Lillith, and sustains third degree burns on her hands. Lillith gives her the Testament of EVE and warns her of the final test. She falls unconscious because of blood loss, and talks to Yui Ikari in her dreams. She wakes up to see that Shinji has been sitting at her bedside in NERV's infirmary for a week.
Chapter Five:
Rei wakes up, and Shinji decides to take her shopping. Asuka and Misato have a cosy moment. Shinji spends 200,000 credits on Rei's clothes.
Chapter Six:
Asuka and Misato consummate their relationship with a kiss. Shinji goes to see his father, and makes up with him, and a lot of tears are shed. Rei is heading to the commanders office, but is told to go to the cages instead. She meets up with Asuka and Misato in the lifts, and Shinji in the Cages.
Chapter Seven:
Kaworu awakens in Terminal Dogma, and realises the full extent of his punishment. The Children have synch and activation tests. Rei discovers that Kaworu is present in her EVA. After the tests, Shinji invites Rei over for dinner at the Katsuragi household.
Chapter Eight:
Rei enters the house and Shinji gives her the grand tour. Rei spots Shinji's cello in his closet, and asks him to play for her. Misato and Asuka come to listen as well, and Gendo looks at pictures of this encounter with a wistful smile.
Chapter Nine:
Shinji talks to his father about Changing Rei's residence. Gendo agrees, and also tells Shinji that it is the perfect opportunity to hold a surprise party for Rei. Misato, Asuka and Maya are brought into the arrangements, and soon the party's plans are fully under way! Asuka, Rei and Shinji battle in the new Laser dome, in an exciting match that results in a draw between Shinji and Asuka!
Chapter Ten:
Asuka and Shinji visit a shop to find provisions for Rei's party. Rei discovers she is someone's hero. After school, Shinji and Rei share a passionate kiss that ends the secrecy behind their feelings for each other. They are now in a loving relationship.
That's what happened so far! Future summaries will be of the events of the previous five chapters only in order to save time. So, for summaries from now on, check every five chapters! I love you ALL!
Read, and enjoy...
Asano
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Chapter Eleven: Of the Mind...
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Shinji opened his eyes, and turned to look at the clock to the right of his bed. It showed 6:00am. He never woke up this early usually unless something was bugging him... He looked at the ceiling, and realised something was wrong...
"Unfamiliar ceiling..." he said to himself.
He tried to get up, but felt a weight on his chest that he had never felt before. He looked to his chest, and saw that a pale, naked arm had been thrown over his chest. He stiffened, and followed the arm to the torso it was bound to be connected to. He saw blue hair, and realised that he was in bed beside Rei. His eyes widened with realisation, and he smiled. Of course... hadn't he kissed her yesterday, on the way home from school? Hadn't they shown each other the extent of their love for each other, and revealed how they had felt about each other for three years?
His smile widened, and he slowly brought his head to the level of Rei's face. He looked at her face, and saw how peaceful she looked. He remembered that she had looked the same when she was lying in the hospital bed after her confrontation with Lillith. How beautiful she looked, with her long, luscious lashes, and her soft mass of baby blue hair...
He softly planted a single kiss on her lips, and got out of the bed. He noticed that he was naked, and blushed to the roots of his hair. He went to the corner of the room, where his clothes lay, and turned them the right way around, as they were all inside-out and creased. It was obvious that they had been hastily discarded. He picked up a bra accidentally, and dropped it quickly, a look of embarrassment crossing his face. It was replaced with a look close to terror, as he turned around, and saw that Rei was also bereft of clothing, and wondered why he had no memory of him removing either his own, or her garments. He ran to the bed, and pulled the covers over Rei's sleeping form. Shinji then walked towards the bathroom, clothes in hand, and bore a confused look on his face...
He brushed his teeth, and washed the sleep from his eyes, splashing water on his face in the hope that it's rejuvenating touch would jog his memory. However, this was to no avail. He stepped into the shower, and heard a noise from the bedroom, signalling that Rei had awoken from her slumber, and would need the shower soon. He washed his hair rapidly, and came out of the shower. He turned the water off, and realised that there was no sound at all coming from the room. He dried off quickly, and pulled on his school shirt and trousers. He then went to the bedroom, but noticed that Rei was nowhere to be seen. He looked around in confusion.
"Rei-chan? Ohayo!" he called, surveying the room, "Rei-chan?"
However, she was nowhere to be seen. Her uniform was gone, and the bed, empty. Shinji started violently when he heard a banging sound from behind him, and turned around rapidly, to be greeted by the front door, swinging loosely on it's hinges. He put a hand to his chest, and his breathing slowly regulated as he got over the initial shock. He walked up to the bed, and saw that there was a lump under the covers. It wasn't large enough to be Rei, but his curiosity got the better of him, and he slowly lifted the covers.
"What the fuck!" he shouted, and let the covers drop.
He turned and made a violent retching sound. He turned back to the bed slowly, and gingerly lifted the cover again, to reveal what looked like Rei's arm. Only her arm. On closer inspection, it turned out to be merely a mannequin's arm. How it had ended up in the bed, Shinji had no idea. He heard footsteps, and turned to face the door, but there was nothing there.
"What am I thinking...?" said Shinji to himself, shaking his head, "But I swear I heard footsteps... running... and that arm... what...?"
He turned, and walked to the door, and saw that Rei's shoes were gone. He presumed that she'd already left for school, and might be nervous about speaking with him, after what had appeared to have transpired the night before. He slipped on his own quietly, and without further ado, turned and left the apartment. The streets of Tokyo 3 seemed dark and dank. The street-lamps that gave their ghastly glow to the street seemed hostile, and almost... frightening. He saw Rei approaching the end of the street ahead of him. She was walking slowly, and it wouldn't be hard for him to catch her.
"Rei-chan!" he called to the silent figure, but his call yielded no response.
He ran towards the girl ahead, and saw her turn a corner. He quickened his pace, and followed her around the corner. But she was gone. He looked around, his face showing that he had no comprehension of what was going on. He looked around, and called her name.
"Rei-chan? Rei-chan!" he bellowed in confusion.
"You seem lost, Third Children" he heard a voice from behind say to him.
He spun, only to be greeted by the shadowy form of his father. He looked as stern as he had before his change, and it was because of this that Shinji didn't rush to greet him. In fact, he was apprehensively, even cautiously moving towards his father.
"Father? What are you doing here? NERV is at least 12 blocks away..."
His father said nothing, and a grim smile crossed his face. He regarded his son with nothing short of malice and derision. He gestured to a car next to him that Shinji hadn't seen before, and then pointed in the direction of the park.
"Third Children. There are Angel's to fight. You are needed at HQ." Then, his father's expression changed to one of satisfaction and hatred, "However, it seems that the First Children is stuck in the park... she is being hunted for what she is, and has become a liability... NERV has no use for beings... monsters... such as herself..."
With those words, his father walked into the black limo, and the door remained open. A voice echoed in his head... the voice of his father...
She is worth nothing... she is just a puppet... nothing but a useless mannequin, that can be replaced by another... more able candidate...
Shinji's face screwed up with anger, and he ran away from his father, towards the park. Fog was settling unnaturally fast, and soon Shinji found it hard to see beyond 30 metres ahead of him. He arrived at the park after what seemed like half an hour of running. Shinji's lungs were burning, and his face was covered in sweat, yet he continued into the foggy park, determined to find Rei... determined to save her...
The park was filled with fog, and with the absence of street-lamps, it was even harder for Shinji to see. He ran almost blindly, hoping that he would reach his destination soon. He heard footsteps, and looked to his left, and saw the filmy outline of what appeared to be a girl. He ran towards the figure, and saw that it was merely a statue of a girl in a kimono. She had a blank look on her face, and a sword had been put through her chest. A plaque on the statue read "Death to the Angelic temptress... that foul whore..."
He grit his teeth in rage, and ran in the original direction he was heading. Yet again, he heard footsteps, this time to his right. He looked, and saw another figure standing in the distance. He approached this one more cautiously, and then saw it was a shop mannequin, dressed in a school uniform. A large, fanged grin had been drawn on it's face, giving it a angry, malevolent look. Shinji knocked it down in frustration, and shouted "Rei-chan! Where are you!" he spun on the spot madly, and then walked in his original path. However, he spun when he heard a shuffling sound behind him. The mannequin was up, and had resumed it's original stationary position. Shinji heard a voice in his head... a voice close to tears... It was Rei...
Like all the rest... you knock me down... why, Shinji-kun... I thought you loved me,.. yet you see me as nothing but a puppet... a mere doll with which to play with... you'll use me, then throw me away, with the rest of your old toys...
Shinji shook his head violently, and shouted to the night sky...
"No, Rei-chan! I love you! I always have... Don't say such things! Don't..."
You even bought me clothes... you like to play dress up with your doll, didn't you... what shall I wear next? Maybe I shouldn't wear anything at all... so you can pretend I'm a woman and take me... like you did last night... did you enjoy me, Shinji-kun... did you? Did you have your fill! We can play different scenarios, if you like... how about you pretend to rescue me, and in the end the poor girl fucks the hero... then, you can fuck me from behind... you can quench your perverted tastes... that's all you are... isn't it... a little perverted adolescent. All you want is to fuck me...
"NO! THAT'S NOT TRUE! REI-CHAN! STOP THIS!" Shouted Shinji, clutching his head, and doubling over in pain.
As you wish... I shall be silent... after all... the doll must obey her master... for that is what I am... you saw my "spare parts"... remember, Shinji-kun... you saw them destroy them all... you saw my others be destroyed... now no-one can collect the whole set... there's only me...
Shinji fell to his knees, tears in his eyes, as memories of the Other cloned Rei's were destroyed by Ritsuko before his very eyes... the smiles they bore, even as they were obliterated... those haunting smiles... He heard a sound from in behind him, in the direction he was heading in the first place. A girl screaming... Rei!
Shinji ran as fast as he could in the direction of the voice, mocking laughter following him as he ran. He tripped, and fell on his face, and all went black. After what seemed like an age, Shinji opened his eyes, and raised his head, and gasped, for less then five metres from him was Rei. She was curled into a ball, and wasn't facing him. He crawled up to her, and held her close from behind, tears in his eyes.
"Rei... I found you... I was so..." he stopped when he heard a footfall in front of him. In the mist, standing about 20 metres away from him, was a girl. Shinji was about to speak again, when he heard a sound from behind him. He looked that way, and saw that another girl was behind him. Then, the girl in front of him was joined by seven more. In a matter of seconds, the girls had shuffled and formed a circle round Shinji and Rei. He looked at them, and cried, "What do you want? Leave us alone!"
The park was filled with laughter that flew on the breeze... it was a gentle laugh... almost non-existent. The girl in front of Shinji gestured, and walked towards him. As she got closer, he thought it was Rei. Only when she got closer, did he realise that she was merely a rag doll. Her stitched mouth formed a cruel grin, and she gestured once more, and two more of the figures stepped forward. One of them was a puppet, and the other a plastic figure... yet they all resembled Rei...
The two figures carried a bag between them, and it wriggled and writhed as if something alive was therein... The two dolls placed the bag out onto the floor, and untied the mouth. Shinji started back when an arm emerged, holding Rei protectively. Then, another arm emerged, and after that, Shinji saw another mane of blue hair protrude from the bag. Shinji couldn't see the beings face, as it's head was down, and he was glad for that. Suddenly, it raised it's head!
Shinji's eyes started out when he saw it's face... It was Rei. She had tears streaming down her face, and she looked at him with frightened eyes, that turned to anger. Shinji heard the same voice in his head... the voice of Rei in tears...
You cannot even see the real Rei... that is how little I mean to you... in your eyes I am but a toy, worthy of pity, and your manhood... How could you...
Rei looked downcast, but Shinji didn't care.. he held Rei close to him, and then his eyes filled with terror. He looked at the person in his arms, and saw that she was sitting upright now... The figure's body turned towards Shinji, and then slowly, her head followed suit. Shinji was face to face with the very same mannequin he left behind. It raised it's right arm, it's sinister grin still painted on it's face, a cruel mockery to the pain in Shinji's heart. However, Shinji saw it's forearm was missing, and that blood was flowing from it's stump... from it's plastic stump... It rubbed Shinji's face with the bleeding end, and he heard a voice in his head...
You were happy with me last night... there is no need for the "real" Rei... after all... we are all dolls in your eyes... why should one have your favour?
The mannequin then held on to Shinji, and nodded. The rag doll and the puppet moved in on Rei, and dragged her from the sack. The doll ripped off one of her cloth arms, and gave it to the puppet, who placed it roughly around Rei's neck, and began to strangle her... Shinji tried to struggle, but his cries and fighting were in vain... Rei's eyes went wide, and she looked at Shinji, the tears openly falling down her cheek, and the blood vessels in her eyes popping out.
You do not deserve her... you do not know who she is... she is therefore a "self"-less doll... without right to uniqueness... what a fate for her... her just desserts at your hands...
"NO!" cried Shinji, tears falling down his cheeks in a cascade, "REI-CHAN! REI!"
Rei shook her head, and looked at Shinji. The last look Shinji saw in those eyes was disappointment. Shinji's heart burned for that. Then, after reaching out to him for the last time, Rei died. The Mannequin released Shinji, and he scrambled to Rei's unmoving form. He picked her up in his arms, and saw that her throat was crushed beyond repair. He bent his head, and shut his eyes, crying like a broken child. He then looked up at the heavens, and cried out his heart to God, the one who created her...
"REI-CHAN!"
After he had shouted himself hoarse, he began to cry once more... He then lowered his head to take one last look at the love of his life... And there, in his arms, staring blankly up at him...
... was a Mannequin...
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End: Of the Mind...
This chapter is a kind of interlude... You'll get it by Chapter 12, I promise... ill update soon! VERY soon.
Ja-ne!
Asanohoshi.
