SECOND TIME AROUND
Chapter 9 – Dark Past - pt. 2
by Gunman
Disclaimer: I don't own Eva or anything in it, just the direction of the story itself.
Warning: This chapter takes a very dramatic and aggressive turn, somewhat dark, lots of flashbacks, and I am going to seriously piss off Gendo.
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
(FLASHBACK)
Tokyo-2 University, 2005...
For nearly a year now Ginji, Misato, Ritsuko and Kaji had been quite the circle of friends. They all got along well enough, but it was Ginji and Misato who were the happiest. It was something that both Ritsuko and Kaji envied about them.
Ritsuko envied the attention and affection that Ginji practically showered Misato with, and Kaji envied Ginji's almost pure honest relationship with Misato.
Ritsuko was Misato's best friend, and Ginji and Kaji were slightly less than that. They'd pal around, play ball, and watch movies whenever the girls were out with each other. And Kaji was always trying to get Ginji to come to one of his parties, where he guaranteed a bevy of beauties and lots of beer. Naturally, Ginji declined, only because he had Misato, and she drank enough beer for both of them.
However, everything changed one night in June when Ginji came to the library to study.
"Hey, Ritsuko, what's up?" Ginji asked as he approached the blond woman.
"Where's Misato? I thought you two were joined at the hip." Ritsuko giggled.
"Haven't seen her since lunch. I was hoping to talk to her tonight about something."
"Oh? Anything... important?" she grinned.
"You know me too well, dear lady." he said as he pulled something out of his pocket and showed it to her.
"Ginji, it's beautiful!" Ritsuko gushed. "Misato will love it!"
"I hope so." he said as he put it back in his pocket. "I just wish I knew where Misato was right now."
"Maybe she's at Kaji's party. You know he has a lot of them."
"Hmm. Thanks, Ritsuko. I'll see you later." he said as he ran out.
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
(Omega Fraternity House)
"I really need to get back home, Kaji." Misato said with slurred speech, wobbling around from so much drinking as the party around her continued.
"I've never met a woman who could out-drink three seniors." Kaji said as he tried to steady her. "You're in no condition to even walk home, Misato. Here, let me help you into one of the rooms to rest up. No one will disturb you there."
"Thanks, Kaji. You're such a... nice..." even though Misato was drunk, she could still feel that something was wrong as she heard the door to the room close and lock. "Ka-Kaji, what are you..."
"Don't fight this, Misato. You know you want it." he said as he pressed his lips to hers.
"Kaji... stop... I'm..." she said, breaking the kiss and trying to get out of Kaji's grip.
"I've seen you looking at me. I know you want me." he said as he pushed her back down to the bed.
"You're drunk... and.. I've got a boyfriend." she said weakly.
"Ginji will never know." he whispered as he started to undress the woman.
"I don't... how... where is...what did you do..." she gasped as her body refused to fight back.
"The alcohol you drank had a harmless sedative, like a date rape drug when mixed with alcohol and not water." he said as he undressed himself.
"Nooo...stop.." Misato groaned weakly as she felt the unwanted violation.
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Ginji arrived at the Omega Fraternity House as the party was still going.
"Man, Kaji. You live a charmed life." Ginji said as he headed into the fraternity.
All around there were couples laughing, drinking and making out. The only thing was, no Kaji and no Misato.
Something's wrong.
Ginji looked around and bolted up the stairs to where the bedrooms were. All the rooms were either open or ajar, except for one.
Please let me be wrong. Ginji thought as tried the door knob, but found it locked. Grinding his teeth Ginji threw foot forward and nearly broke the door off it's hinges. Bolting inside he froze at the scene before him.
Kaji, atop Misato, both virtually naked, and Misato with tears in her eyes as she pushed against Kaji.
"Ginji! Help me!" Misato wept as she saw him.
"I...I can explain." Kaji gasped as he quickly got off Misato.
"Don't... Wanna... HEAR IT!" Ginji roared, his anger soaring like a rocket.
As Shinji Ikari he had been abandoned, used and suffered greatly. Yet they were all physical pains. As Ginji Akaris he now experienced something worse. A feeling of... betrayal.
Ginji leaped at the person he considered his friend, thrusting both feet into his chest which launched the unshaven young man against the back wall. As soon as Ginji had struck Kaji in the chest, he had spun around in mid-air, a move that shocked even him, his hands catching himself as he came down to the floor. He sprang back up to a standing position and stormed over to Kaji, gripping his shirt and pulling him to his feet.
"Why Did You Do This?!" Ginji shouted as he tossed Kaji across the room into the door, the impact causing it to slam shut.
Kaji was still standing up, trying to balance himself as Ginji was on him.
"I TRUSTED YOU!"
Ginji punched Kaji hard in the face, the stomach, the chest, face, chest, face, stomach, face, face, face, stomach, chest and face with a backhand strike that tossed Kaji to the side.
Kaji tried to speak, trying to get Ginji to listen, and part of him wondered why he should.
"MISATO TRUSTED YOU!"
A forward kick to Kaji's gut pushed him back, as Ginji pressed forward and kicked him again, then swung his foot across Kaji's knee, dropping him hard to the floor.
"HOW COULD YOU BETRAY US LIKE THIS?!"
A fierce uppercut rocketed the unshaven man off the floor and landed him by the bed. Ginji wasted not a second and grabbed Kaji by his already ripped shirt, pulled him to his feet, and flipped him over his shoulder towards the door. The door shattered as the man went flying into the hallway, where he lay unconscious among the shattered wood fragments.
As Berserker Ginji fell into remission, Ginji Akaris made a call on his cellphone before wrapping Misato up in a blanket and carried her back to their apartment.
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
"How could you go so wrong?" Ritsuko asked as she sat across the table from very bruised Kaji, who was in handcuffs in a police interrogation room. "What were you thinking?"
"I wasn't really thinking. I was..."
"You don't get it do you Kaji!" Ritsuko spat. "Do you know what you've done? Do you know what you've taken from them?"
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
"Misato's innocence!" she shouted before calmly continuing. "Misato told me once that she wanted Ginji to be her first, because she loves and trusts him. You've taken that from them Kaji, both of them! It may seem small, but it was theirs."
Kaji now felt worse than before. I didn't know they hadn't... Misato didn't feel like... unless Second Impact did more than give her Aphasia. Not like Ginji would ever talk about stuff like that. I was temporarily insane, drunk and horny for Misato, and all that is no excuse. "I know it was wrong and there isn't any way to make up for what I've done."
"No kidding." Ritsuko said as she lit up a cigarette in front of him.
"You smoke? Since when?" he looked astonished.
"Since Now!" the blond woman spat again as she inhaled.
Great, I just caused another friend trouble. "So... how are they?"
"Two hours after your misdeed and now you ask. That's a record." she scoffed.
"I deserve that."
"And more. Ginji only stopped by to file the police report. He has no interest in hearing your side of things. I'm not sure I do either." she spat.
"Something else I deserve." he said, face lowered.
"I only came by to check on you. Figured someone should do it." she said as she stood up from her hair. "I have to get going."
"Ritsuko." he called to her.
"What?" she asked, as she knocked on the door to alert the guard she was done.
"I know what I did was wrong, and I have no right to ask for forgiveness. But if you could, please tell them that I will try to make up for what I've done. Someday."
"Considering what you've done, Kaji, it's gonna have to be HUGH!" she said as she exited the room.
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Misato couldn't stop crying as she was comforted by both her best friend and boyfriend. Ginji had taken her back to the apartment where Ritsuko was waiting for them. For the next hour Ritsuko did her best to console her friend over the events of what happened. Ginji had gone back to the Omega House after calling the cops about this incident. He went to the station with the police as they took Kaji away simply to file the report. He'd then returned to the apartment to be with Misato as Ritsuko volunteered to go down to the station to talk to Kaji.
There was little Ginji could say to make Misato feel better, so he just let her cry as he held her. In most cases, something like this would have been inappropriate, yet Misato was the one clinging to Ginji as if her life depended on it.
Ginji on the other hand, wasn't sure this was right. His girl had been violated by his best friend, and he hadn't been there to prevent it. In the back of his mind, he felt stupid and responsible. He knew that Kaji and Misato had been intimate in college, and that Misato was the only woman Kaji had ever been seriously interested in. His very presence had interfered with that relationship, and what had followed was a result of that interference.
As such he didn't think it was right for him to be here now. But Misato wouldn't let him go.
"I'm so sorry Misato." he whispered to her after her crying had died down.
"For what?" the young woman asked, curled up in bed with her guy.
"I swore to protect you. I made a promise. And I couldn't keep it." he answered.
"You can't protect me every second of the day, Ginji-kun. I just have to get stronger." she sighed. "Maybe I should give up drinking."
"Either that, or you need to drink a whole lot less." he suggested.
He suggested that only because he knew Misato wouldn't go cold-turkey in one night, even after such an experience as she had been through. Heck, in some cases, a person would drink more.
"Moderation, huh?" she considered that.
"It would be better than me being glued to your hip all the time." he said, joking a bit.
"That... doesn't sound so bad." she said as she snuggled into his chest tighter.
"Misato... maybe I should ..." he said as he tried to sit up to leave and let her get some rest.
"No! Don't go. Please... just stay with me." she hugged him tighter, almost pleading with him like a scared little child.
Ginji wrapped his arms around her and tightened his hold. "I'll never leave you, Misato."
"I know, Ginji-kun." she leaned up and kissed his cheek gently. "I know."
A couple hours later Misato broke the silence, her spirit revitalized in Ginji's arms.
"Ginji-kun, how did you know I was at Kaji's party?" she asked.
"Ritsuko thought you might be there. So I went looking for you." he replied.
"Kind of a longshot. But why? What was so important that you had to find me?"
He paused for a few seconds, before pulling the box out of his pocket. "This." he said, opening the box to reveal a beautiful finely polished white-gold band with a 24-carat diamond in the center.
"Ginji!" she gasped as she saw the ring.
"I was planning to give this to you under... better circumstances." he said sadly.
"You... you're serious! You mean... you really love me enough ... you want to marry me?" she asked, tears forming in her eyes.
Even if what happened to you was my fault... "Yes, Misato. I love you. And I do want to marry you. If you'll have me."
She paused for a few seconds to collect her thoughts as tears of happiness fell down onto the bed. "Yes." she said, hugging him tightly. "Yes!" she cried and hugged with all her might.
Ginji then pushed her back, allowing enough room to slip the ring on her finger with ease. He kissed her softly before she whispered a request in his ear he could not deny.
That precious symbol of his love became the only thing she wore for the next week as the pair remained at their apartment making love to each other. And it was love, not sex.
Misato needed it in order to purge what happened to her at Kaji's party from her mind. The pair made love for hours, stopping only to sleep, eat and use the toilet. They went without clothes for five days straight, rarely leaving the bed for anything.
They used their time to experiment with different techniques and positions. Some of them kinky ones that Misato wanted to try with her guy.
Nothing was forbidden, no area off-limit, the pair immersed in love and trust, born on the day Misato had been raped and proposed to.
Ironically it had turned out to be simultaneously the worst and best day of her life.
(END FLASHBACK)
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Asuka was in a classic state of denial about Kaji, though it wasn't something people normally talked about openly. Toji and Kensuke were fuming mad. At least Toji was, since Kensuke was easily distracted by taping the ship. Shinji and Rei had new sympathy for the woman. And Ginji just held his wife as they descended the escalator of the ship. No one questioned why the carrier even had one.
Misato for the most part didn't enjoy that particular memory and needed the solace of her husband to make it less of a mental burden. Over the years it had gotten easier to deal with, but it was still something she would rather avoid like the plague.
The group said nothing, until Asuka spoke up.
"Hey, Third Child!"
Shinji just glared in synch with Rei at the redhead.
"Yes?" he answered.
"Come with me. I want to show you something."
"I will come as well." Rei said.
"I invited the Third, not you doll girl."
"Rei goes, or I stay." Shinji said firmly.
Asuka fumed. "Fine."
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Ginji had told Shinji about Asuka's red, four-eyed Evangelion. Still, the boy was impressed.
"I didn't know it was red." Shinji said, feigning ignorance, as both he and Rei stared at the gigantic crimson behemoth.
"The color isn't the only difference," she said. They went into the holding tank.
"How so?" he asked, knowing the difference already.
"Units 00 and 01 were created as part of the development process. The prototype and test type respectively. The fact that it synchronized with an untrained pilot like you is proof of that."
Shinji just glared at her, as if she needed a reality check.
"Untrained, yet I'm 3-and-0 against them. How many have you killed?" Shinji asked.
Asuka growled. "You just got to them first, Third Child. Pure luck. But my Eva was created for actual combat conditions. It's the worlds first true Evangelion!"
Shinji and Rei just looked at each other before looking back at Asuka. A simultaneous action that made the girl flinch. She had hoped to make Shinji feel inadequate by showing him her Evangelion. She was still upset at how this unimpressive boy had killed three Angels on his own.
"This is the final model!" she stated proudly.
"Then why was it not mobilized sooner to combat the Angels?" Rei asked. "If it is the better model would it's activation not have been preferable over Unit's 00 and 01?"
"Because it's the final production model. You have to create a prototype to work all the bugs out so that perfection can be achieved. This... is the only Eva we're going to need against the Angels."
Shinji and Rei could have argued. Could have said that it wasn't a good idea to boast about a weapon that had never faced an Angel. But somehow, they figured she wouldn't listen.
Suddenly, the entire ship shook.
"What was that?" Asuka gasped.
"An Angel!" Shinji shouted as the trio rushed out of the cargo hold to see one of the battleships sink.
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
"Where the heck are you taking me?" screamed out Shinji as the German redhead towed him across the ship's deck with Rei closely following.
"Just wait here a second," she said, ducking into a stairwell.
"What is she doing?" Rei asked.
"I think she's going to fight the Angel." Shinji said as he opened the backpack Ginji had given him. "And I think she dragged us along to watch her fight."
Shinji opened the pack to reveal the two packaged plugsuits Ginji had given him when they landed. One was blue and white, the other white and black.
He actually smiled. 'Just in case.' I don't know how you do it Ginji. He thought as he handed the white and black suit to Rei. "No time for modesty, Rei-chan."
"What modesty?" she asked as she started shedding her clothes as Shinji turned around.
Right. I forgot that. He thought, remembering the few times she had been exposed to him and didn't seem to care.
"Shinji-kun?"
"Yes, Rei-chan?"
"What did Ginji tell you when you were having your guy-talk?" she asked.
Shinji's mind flashed back to what Ginji had called him over for.
"Yes, Ginji?" Shinji asked as he approached the older man.
"Before we meet the Second Child, there are a few things you need to know. First of all, her name is Asuka Langley Sohryu, 3/4th German and a quarter Japanese. She's a redhead and quite attractive. She's also a college graduate from Berlin University." Ginji explained.
"She's a college graduate?" he gasped.
"Yes. And to be such a prodigy at her age, she's also got a very high opinion of herself. She may come across as cocky and arrogant, but she's a lot like you."
"Like Me?"
"She lost her mother when she was only four. But unlike you, she copes with her pain by seeking the praise of other people. She tries to be strong by showing the world she can stand on her own two feet, so it's made her a bit of a showoff and rather lonely too.
"Lonely? You mean she has no friends?"
"No real friends, and she thinks a lot of guys are perverts, so as a result she's got a wall around her. She's a good person, Shinji, but the first thing she respects is strength and confidence. If you prove to be her equal, then she'll let down her guard and become a better person to everyone."
"Strength and confidence." he repeated.
"Yes. Here." he said, giving Shinji a small backpack. "Just in case." Shinji accepted it. "Also, it's pretty windy around here and Asuka sometimes likes to wear comfortable loose-fitting clothes which could get flipped up by the wind. Just be aware."
"I will."
Shinji's mind came back to the present.
"He told me a little about Asuka." he answered Rei as he heard Asuka talking.
"And don't go peeping you pervert!" Asuka screamed from the stairwell as Shinji had removed his clothes and was putting on his plugsuit.
"Says the girl who likes to flash people." he stated as both he and Rei pressurized their plugsuits.
"What was that?" she screamed as she emerged from the stairwell dressed in her bright red plugsuit. She was prepared to toss just Shinji a spare suit so that he could join her to see her in action, but froze as she saw both of them dressed in their own plugsuits. "Huh?"
Shinji and Rei just looked at her. "Red's not our color." the boy answered.
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
"Why won't it sink?" the desperate Captain asked as the Angel continued its assault on the fleet.
"NERV Special Delivery." Misato chimed. "Would you like some Intel on how to defeat an Angel?"
"What are you doing here?" the Captain asked.
"Watching your fleet get scrapped, just like my husband said you would." Misato glared. Speaking of which... she wondered as to the absence of her husband.
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
"Now I'll show you how magnificent my Eva is!" proclaimed Asuka as she opened the entry plug and hopped in. "Just don't disturb me."
Shinji just sighed as he helped Rei inside behind the pilot seat of the redhead.
"Just hold on tight, Rei-chan." Shinji said as his left hand gripped hers while his right gripped his pendant for luck.
"Yes, Shinji-kun." she tightened her own hand grip.
"Ugh! Are you two going to act like this all the time?" Asuka asked.
"Close friendships have everlasting benefits." Shinji said.
"Huh?" Asuka looked back at him in shock.
"It's something I remember my mother telling me... before she died." Shinji said sadly.
"You remember that from when you were only four?" Rei asked as Shinji nodded.
His mother died? When he was only four? Asuka mentally gasped, realizing that maybe she had more in common with this boy than she thought.
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
"This is odd," said Misato as she looked out the ships command center at the underwater attacker. "It's like it's searching for something."
However, while she said that, she did know what it was searching for, and hoped that her husband was on the job.
The lower levels...
The Angel's looking for him. And Kaji's got him. Ginji thought as he moved to the room where Kaji was supposed to be staying, and opened it. Damn it! He's gone. But I know where! He thought as he took off down the corridor.
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
"ALRIGHT! STARTING UP EVANGELION!!!!" Asuka shouted.
"Remember what Ginji taught us." Shinji said to Rei as the girl nodded and closed her eyes to concentrate.
Huh? That's weird. Asuka thought, wondering why she didn't have to switch over to the Japanese language program. Forget it, Asuka. We've got a battle to fight. She thought, grabbing the yokes and promising herself that she would prove that the Third Child had only been lucky, and that she was a real pilot.
"EVANGELION, UNIT 02, ACTIVATE!"
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
"Message from the Othello! EVA Unit 02 is activating!" the communication officers shouted.
"What?" cried the Captain, as everyone on the bridge turned towards the large ship.
"YEAH! GO, ASUKA!" cheered Misato as she patched into the Eva's communications.
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
"We're going to have problems if we fall into the ocean." Shinji said, wondering if his mother was going to be with him like she had in the past. "I mean we're still using the B-type equipment."
"Then I guess we'll have to avoid that." Asuka said with absolute confidence.
"You have a knack for stating the obvious." he exclaimed.
(Shinji, are you in there too?) A voice from the main carrier came in.
"Yes, Misato. And Rei's here also." Shinji stated.
(What? She is? But.. This is just... okay fine! A Triple Piloting Mission! So Be It!)
"We are running low on power and time." Rei stated, looking at the power countdown.
(Get to the carrier. We've got the power cable ready to go.) Misato said.
"But how do we get there?" Shinji asked.
"Ever play hopscotch?" Asuka asked, grinning wickedly as her EVA launched itself off the ship mere moments before the Angel hit the tanker, landing on a destroyer and bounding towards the Over the Rainbow for the power feed.
Unfortunately, Asuka landed a little off center on the ship, causing it to tilt and dump several planes into the water.
The Captain was screaming about his equipment as Asuka inserted the power socket into her EVA, stopping the countdown timer. She turned towards the Angel, drawing her progressive knife.
The whale-like Angel sped towards the aircraft carrier and launched itself on the deck, where Unit 02 slammed into it with it's fists and knife.
"It's bigger than the other ones!" Shinji shouted as he felt the jolt of the Angel.
Suddenly, the Eva's foot stepped on the aircraft elevator, giving way under the enormous strain and causing both Eva and Angel to tumble into the water.
Shinji and Rei leaned forward behind Asuka, Shinji placing his right hand over Asuka's right, Rei's left hand going over Asuka's left.
"What are you two doing?" Asuka asked, looking back at both of them.
"We're Eva pilots." Rei said.
"We fight together. No matter what." Shinji stated.
Asuka just looked at the pair, actually feeling a strange sense of warmth rise up in her.
"Now let's take this thing down!" Shinji said.
"RIGHT!" the two girls shouted.
Their unified mentality pushed the Eva's synch ratio to it's highest level as the Angel began to drag them along the sea floor, which was all that remained of the old city which had sunk into the ocean after Second Impact.
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Back on the carrier, Kensuke was in the middle of changing his tapes, when he spotted a plane about to take off, a new voice coming over the radio. (Hey Katsuragi!)
"Kaji?!" she gasped as she saw his plane rising out.
(I've got something to deliver, so I'll be taking off now...)
Misato growled. "YOU GODDAMNED SON-OF-A-BITCH RAT BASTARD COWARD! SHOOT HIS ASS DOWN!" she roared at the captain.
The Captain sighed. "We could, but someone's toy damaged all our surface-to-air batteries!"
"Then leave this to me." Ginji said as he stepped onto the bridge.
"Ginji!" Misato gasped as the two boys just stared at the man, his two Desert Eagles drawn.
"Move." he raised his guns and aimed them at the window. Two bullets fired and pierced the glass window, shattering it as Ginji bolted towards it and leaped out.
"What..." Toji gasped.
"The..." Kensuke gasped.
"HELL!!!" The Captain gasped.
"That's MY Man!" Misato shouted pumping her fist into the air as Ginji flipped through the air and dropped to the deck, rising up towards the jet.
"Huh?" the unshaven man gasped as he noticed the man in black on deck.
"KAJI!!!!" Ginji shouted as he fired his Desert Eagles at the slowly departing jet.
"OW!" Kaji gasped as the bullets struck the jet, barely missing his head. "He's using armor-piercing rounds? Get Us Out Of Here!"
"I'm trying to compensate!" the pilot shouted as he shifted the control stick.
"Leaving so soon, Kaji?" Ginji asked as he ejected his clips, quickly reloaded with the spares that were on his belt, and fired again.
"ARGH!" Kaji shouted, ducking as the bullets exploded through the jet's skin.
"This isn't working too well." Ginji said as he reholstered his guns and pulled out 'Matilda'.
(Remember that hand-cannon that the T-800 used in Terminator 2?)
"Kaji, meet Matilda." he said as he clicked the safety-switch off, aimed, and fired.
KA-BOOM!!!
The cannon's bullet launched and struck the tail of the jet, destroying it and leaving only one option.
"I've lost steering control! I'm gonna try to land us on the deck!" the pilot shouted.
"WHAT?" Kaji gasped, knowing what that would mean.
"If we don't, we'll crash into the ocean!" the pilot said as he put the thrusters into overdrive and managed to land the jet plane, hard, onto the deck, belly first.
Five seconds after he had landed, Kaji found himself staring down the barrel of a very large gun.
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Asuka was having trouble moving her Eva, though she didn't need to be told the B-type equipment didn't work under water.
"I don't suppose you've got any bright ideas." Asuka asked as she tried to move her controls.
"Can we extend the AT-Field?" Shinji asked.
"It has never been done under water." Rei said.
"We've never fought underwater." Shinji replied.
"True." the albino replied.
"What if we were to allow the Angel to swallow us then extend the AT-Field to explode it?" Shinji suggested.
"THAT'S CRAZY!!" Asuka shouted.
"But... it could work." Rei said, reinforcing Shinji's suggestion.
"Like we've got anything to lose..." Asuka mumbled as the trio pushed their skills to their limits.
The red Eva leaped off of the Angel as it sped away from them. It swam a distance and then turned around to attack. It opened it's mouth, going right for the red 'worm on a hook'.
Shinji stared hard and saw the red orb in it's throat.
"The Angel's core!" he shouted.
"We will only have one chance." Rei said.
"Come to mama, baby!" Asuka grinned as the Eva curled up into a ball as the Angel completely swallowed it whole.
It bit the power cable clean off and swam back to the fleet.
Suddenly, it stopped. It started thrashing around as it's body suddenly started to expand and bulge in some places. Within seconds, the 6th Angel exploded with incredible force. Eva 02's AT-Field hit it's peak, shattering both the core and the Angel itself, causing an explosion that sent the Evangelion out of the water and back onto the deck of the 'Over the Rainbow'.
Once the water and explosion had cleared, Misato just looked at the red Eva in shock.
Wow. And here I thought I'd have to go with Ginji's suggestion to use the battleships. The woman thought as she raced down to the deck to the trio.
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Asuka breathed a sigh of relief as her Eva ejected the entry plug.
"Not the battle I was expecting, but pretty good." the redhead said to the pair as they got out.
"Yeah. You're Eva is definitely impressive." Shinji stated.
"Thank you!" she said with a superior smirk. Her smile faded a little, taking on a more serious tone. "Hey, Shinji."
"Yes?" he replied as Rei stood close to him.
"I... wasn't sure if you had what it took. At first I thought you were a weak, overly lucky kid. But... you've got some strength in you." she said.
Shinji looked at her and smiled a little. "Thank you, Ms Sohryu."
"Asuka." she said, indicating the name she wished to be called.
"Asuka." he replied.
The pair stared at each other a couple seconds, before Shinji pulled out a small packet from the belt addition on his plugsuit. He handed it to her.
"What's this?" Asuka asked as she pulled a pendant out of the packet. "Ohhh! I like a guy who comes bearing gifts."
"Actually, it's something more." Shinji said as he touched his own pendant.
Asuka looked at the pendant, which was a different style than his own. She opened it up to reveal a picture of Kyoko Zeppelin Sohryu, from before she died.
"Ma---Mama?" she gasped as she fell to the ground on her knees.
Shinji walked up to her and knelt by her side.
"She's pretty." Shinji said.
"I don't... where did..." she started to ask.
"Ginji gave it to me, to give to you. Just like he gave me mine." he said as he opened his own pendant to reveal the picture of his mother.
"Is that..." Asuka started to ask.
"My mother. Yui Ikari." Shinji answered.
"And you... gave me my... Shinji I just..." he started to say, before Rei interrupted her.
"Shinji-kun." Rei said to the pair.
"Yes, Rei-chan?" he asked, as the girl pointed over to a crashed jet and a small gathering of people.
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
"You don't realize what you've done." Kaji said as two sailors held him tightly.
"To be honest, Kaji, I do." Ginji said as he set down the case Kaji had been carrying, and opened it.
"What is it, Ginji-kun?" Misato asked as Kensuke and Toji flanked her.
"Kensuke." Ginji called the boy over.
"Yes, sir?" the boy gulped nervously.
"I need a favor."
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Shinji, Rei and Asuka quickly came over to the small group. The German redhead looked at Kaji who was in handcuffs, to Misato who was glaring at the man, to Ginji and Kensuke. The boy was filming an open black case that the older man was standing in front of.
"What's going on?" Asuka asked as she approached them.
"Kaji. He was smuggling an Angel to NERV." Misato said.
"An Angel?" Shinji gasped.
"Not just any Angel." Ginji said. "Shinji, Rei, Asuka, come over here."
The three pilots came over to the older man as Kensuke moved aside and looked into the open case.
Shinji just stared, Asuka was wide-eyed, and Rei felt a strange ebbing in her mind.
Inside the case was a small creature, frozen in Bakelite, in what was an embryonic state. It wasn't like anything they had seen before, which made it's origins even more obvious.
"This is why the Angel attacked us. It was looking for this." Ginji said.
"And what is it?" Shinji asked.
"It's Adam."
The pilots and Misato gasped as Kaji just looked at the man.
"How did you know?" Kaji asked.
"A little birdie told me." he said offhandedly.
"You mean this is..." Shinji started to ask.
"Yes. The Angel that caused Second Impact."
"Second Impact?" Toji gasped.
"You mean... it wasn't a meteorite?" Kensuke asked.
"No, it wasn't." Ginji said.
"I KNEW IT!" the otaku shouted.
Asuka looked at Kaji in disbelief. It was enough that he was accused of being a rapist, but that he was also responsible for bringing an Angel down upon them. And what's more, he did it willingly. That he even had the Angel with him was proof enough, as she recognized the case being in his room from before when she visited him.
"So, what are you going to do with it?" Kaji asked.
"End it." Ginji said as he pulled his Desert Eagle from it's holster.
"What? You Can't!" Kaji shouted.
Everyone looked at him.
"I mean..." he stammered.
"It's over, Kaji. I don't care what NERV would have used this thing for. Three billion people are dead and half the world destroyed, and for what, Kaji? WHAT?" he asked the man.
The unshaven man didn't answer as the group just looked at Ginji.
"Would you like to do the honors?" Ginji asked, turning to Misato.
"Me?" the woman gasped.
"You more than anyone have the right." he said, offering his gun to his wife. "I can do it if..."
Misato took the gun and unhesitantly unloaded the entire clip into the frozen Angel.
Chunks of the Angel, dried up LCL, and even pieces of the case itself sprayed onto the deck as the woman kept squeezing the trigger.
Ginji took the empty gun from his wife and holstered it. Misato turned to the man and threw herself into his chest, letting her tears come out as an odd sense of closure overcame her.
"Captain." Ginji said to the older man. "We'll be taking our leave soon. NERV personnel will be at Yokohama to pick up Unit 02 when you arrive. We're still at sea, we'll leave Kaji to you."
"Of course." the older man said as he waved his hand, silently instructing the guards to take Kaji away to a holding cell.
"I'll need to speak with him before we leave." Ginji said.
"If you want." the older man said as he too departed.
"Ginji?" Misato asked her husband in confusion.
"There's something I need to take care of, Misa-chan." he said, kissing her gently on the forehead. "Shinji!"
"Yes?" the boy replied.
"Take care of the others until I get back."
"Right." he said as the older man headed down to the holding cells.
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
"GOD! THAT WAS SO COOL!!!!" Kensuke exploded. "I MEAN THE GUN BATTLE AGAINST A JET FIGHTER, THE EVA FIGHTING AN ANGEL UP-CLOSE, A NEW PILOT WHOSE A BABE, SEEING THE THING THAT WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR SECOND IMPACT, AND GETTING TO FILM IT, MISATO BLOWING THE FIRST ANGEL AWAY, AND A MASSIVE EXPLOSION!!!" he sighed deeply. "I have died and gone to heaven!"
Toji looked at him impassively before he spoke. "(Sigh) You are never going to get laid."
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
"Shinji?" Asuka spoke up as she approached the boy.
"Yes, Asuka?"
"I just... thank you. For the pendant, I mean." she said as he held it tightly. "I... I haven't really seen mother in a long time."
"I know what you mean." Shinji said as he touched his own pendant.
"But don't think this is over, Third Child." she said with a superior grin. "I'm still gonna prove that I'm the best pilot."
He smiled. "You can have the title. I'd rather have you as a friend, than a competitor." he said as he extended his hand to her.
Asuka looked at the boy and his offered hand. Since her mothers death she had tried to stand on her own. To be strong and independent. But as a result, it had left her rather alone, as she'd never had a real friend. Mostly because she saw no one as being her equal.
But you come pretty close, Shinji Ikari. She thought of this boy, who was more like her than she expected him to be. Despite all her attempts at exposing his inadequacy and weakness, Shinji proved her wrong. He did have strength, and that was what she respected.
She extended her hand and accepted his. "I'd... like that."
The pair shook hands, until Shinji spoke again.
"And Rei's friend as well." he added.
"One step at a time, Third Child." she laughed.
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
The cell was cramped and cold, and Kaji was surprised he wasn't still in handcuffs.
He was even more surprised when he received a visitor.
"Hello, old friend." Ginji said as he approached the man.
"Haven't called me that in a while." Kaji said.
"You're lucky I haven't killed you."
"And why is that?"
"Because I want you to live."
"Considering what I've done, that makes perfect sense." he said sarcastically as he looked at Ginji through the bars. "You don't have any idea what you've done."
"You mean... stopped you from delivering Adam to Gendo so that you could get in good with that lunatic, so that you could spy on NERV for SEELE and the UN, which would have ultimately lead to your death?"
Kaji froze as he looked at him.
"You... you know?" he gasped.
"Yes, I do." Ginji replied.
"I thought I was doing the right thing. Exposing NERV's secrets, the truth about Second Impact, the Angels, even Gendo and SEELE themselves." Kaji said. "Penance, so to speak, for past crimes."
"And not just in college, either."
"No. That was a major one."
"You did what you had to do to survive after Second Impact. You didn't have a choice back then. College was different."
((AN: Read the manga if you want to know what happened to Kaji right after Second Impact))
"I know. You can't imagine how sorry I still am about that."
"I'll bet. If I hadn't met Misato first, you two might have become something."
"But you did meet her before me. I always envied that about you." he said with a sigh. "When I first set eyes on Misato, I was... captivated. I couldn't get her out of my mind. Somehow, I figured she as the one for me."
"And my very existence ruined it for you." Ginji stated.
"Like I was going to blame you for that." Kaji paused for a second. "Ever since Second Impact I was prepared to die if necessary to expose the cover-ups and truth that lead to the devastation of the whole planet. It's no less than I deserve."
Ginji glared at the man. "You really are an idiot."
"What?"
"Living is what's important. You've got a lot to make up for, that's for damn sure. And I don't think I'll ever truly trust you again. But getting killed won't make up for it."
"So what are you going to do? When they find out what's happened..."
"Leave that to me. For now, you've got an even bigger job."
"What do you mean?"
Ginji quickly laid out his proposal to Kaji.
"You can't be serious!" Kaji gasped.
"I am serious." Ginji said.
"That's... that's just..." he said in disbelief.
"I know. Can you do it?"
"Well... maybe. It's a lot to ask of me."
"You were prepared to die trying it your way."
He smirked at that. "Fine. I'll do it."
"Good. Take care, Kaji." Ginji said as he exited the holding cells.
"Yeah, you too... old friend." he said in a whisper.
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
(NERV Headquarters, Dr Akagi's office, hours later...)
"I still can't believe this data!" Ritsuko gasped as she went over the data the on-board computer for Eva 02 recorded and was sent to her when Unit 02 was brought in. "I mean, all three pilots held a unified synchronization for at least 30 seconds!"
"It is pretty amazing, isn't it?" Ginji said. Amazing that we didn't need two battleships to take out the Angel like I thought we would.
"JEEZ! Would you stop doing that?" Ritsuko barked at him, the young man right behind her.
"Sorry, Ritsuko." he grinned as he backed off.
"At least you're all back. And where's our new pilot?" the blond asked as she sat at her desk.
"Misato and the others are giving Asuka a tour of NERV HQ. Get her acclimated to the place." Ginji explained.
"Which means Shinji and Rei are the ones giving her the tour." she clarified.
"Right." he said, then noticed something else. "Ritsuko... what happened to your face?"
"Huh? Oh.. Uh, nothing. It's..." she said, trying to turn away, but Ginji caught her.
"Someone hit you. What happened?"
Ritsuko sighed before retelling the story to him.
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
(FLASHBACK, 2 Hours Ago...)
"HE WHAT?" Gendo roared.
Ritsuko and Fuyutsuki hated this part of the job, giving Gendo bad news.
"Ginji shot down our agent Kaji when he was attempting to bring us Adam." Fuyutsuki said.
"Adam was then destroyed by Captain Katsuragi, using one of Ginji's guns." Ritsuko added.
"The entire incident was witnessed by the captain of the super carrier fleet that was transporting Unit 02, who has reported it back to the U.N."
"SO THE U.N. KNOWS ABOUT OUR PLANS?" Gendo shouted as he beat his fists against the desk top.
"It's possible they're suspicious, but they have no proof we're up to anything." Ritsuko declared, trying to calm him down.
"DAMN HIM! DAMN THAT MAN!!!" Gendo shouted as he gripped his desk and hurled it onto its head. His chair was next, tossed into the far window that overlooked the Geofront.
However, Gendo's anger couldn't be sated by furniture, and he turned on his subordinates. The aged sub-commander was first to feel Gendo's fist.
(END FLASHBACK)
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
"It was insane." Ritsuko said, saddened by what had happened. "He was just screaming, and shrieking, and cursing. Beating his fists against the desk, flipping it over, tossed the chair across the room. And then he just leaps at the sub-commander like a rabid animal, starts beating him like crazy. I tried to stop him, and he hit me and...I just... It was so..."
Ginji sighed, realizing this was his fault as well.
"I'm sorry, Ritsuko." Ginji said, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"It's alright, Ginji. You didn't know. How could you?" she said with a small, forced laugh.
"But I should have." he said. "I should have considered the consequences of my friends getting... I'm just sorry, Ritsuko."
She smiled at him, putting her hand over his. I want to blame you Ginji, but how can I? You only have everyone's best interest at heart. And that comes with consequences.
"How is Fuyutsuki doing?" Ginji asked.
"He's in recovery. Gendo really did a number on him, but he should pull through." Ritsuko said.
"He is tougher than he looks." Ginji smirked, but his expression turned serious as he addressed the female scientist. "I promise Ritsuko, he'll pay for what he's done. But what about you? Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?" he asked.
How about making me scream like a Banshee? She thought wildly, yet dumbed down her thoughts to a more proper request. "Could you... hold me?" she asked as she turned around to face him.
Ginji smiled as he pulled the woman into his arms, hugging her firmly as she rested her head against his shoulder.
This feels so nice... and this is just him holding me. She thought as she sighed, her heart beat faster, her cheeks flushing a little as a tear escaped her eye. Oh, Ginji.
Standing next to the door to her office, a certain purple-haired woman was watching, and listening.
Maybe there's something I can do for you Ritsuko. Misato grinned as she silently walked off to find the kids.
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
And now... OMAKE!
"HE WHAT?" Gendo roared.
Ritsuko and Fuyutsuki hated this part of the job, giving Gendo bad news.
"Ginji shot down our agent Kaji when he was attempting to bring us Adam." Fuyutsuki said.
"Adam was then destroyed by Captain Katsuragi, using one of Ginji's guns." Ritsuko added.
"The entire incident was witnessed by the captain of the super carrier fleet that was transporting Unit 02, who has reported it back to the U.N."
"SO THE U.N. KNOWS ABOUT OUR PLANS?" Gendo shouted as he beat his fists against the desk top.
"It's possible they're suspicious, but they have no proof we're up to anything." Ritsuko declared, trying to calm him down.
"DAMN HIM! DAMN THAT MAN!!!" Gendo shouted as he gripped his desk and hurled it onto its head. His chair was next, tossed into the far window that overlooked the Geofront.
However, Gendo's anger couldn't be sated by furniture, and he turned on his subordinates.
Fortunately, the aged sub-commander was the first to realize that Gendo would be upset at hearing this news and had prepared for it.
Gendo lunged at Fuyutsuki first, only to have the elderly man pull out a stun gun and jab it into the man's chest.
ZZZZZZZZAP!
"ARGH!" Gendo shrieked as he fell to the ground.
"Is he?" Ritsuko asked.
"No, he's alive. I was pretty sure he'd freak out when he heard Ginji destroyed Adam." Fuyutsuki said.
"So, what do we do now?" she asked.
"I hear there's a nice view at the bottom of the elevator shaft." he suggested.
"And we could say that he just committed suicide." she added.
"Work-related stress is a killer." he agreed.
And so the pair dragged their commander to the tallest elevator and dumped him down it.
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Authors Notes:
BANG! The longest chapter I've ever written for one of my stories. I just couldn't help but write all this. Originally I just wanted a nice little continuation of a back story on how Ginji and Kaji met in college, and how Misato and Ginji got married, what happened to make Ginji so protective of Misato and even how Ginji and Misato knew Asuka, and so on. But as I wrote it, other ideas and dialogue kept coming up, and I just kept writing.
The 'thank you' party at the beginning was fun to write, as was Shinji and Rei kissing. I did these because they had never really been done in these stories.
And I'm basically making this a Ginji/Misato, and Shinji/Rei story.
Then there was the scene where I smuggled Rei onto the chopper so that I could have her meet the Second Child, and then there was the gunfight where Ginji shot down the jetplane. I did these things also because they had never really been done before.
The killing of the First Angel, Adam, was probably the most dramatic twist I'd ever come up with, as I'm sure no one has done that in any story. (As far as I know) Of course, with Adam dead and being an essential part of Gendo's plans, I knew that Gendo would naturally go ballistic when he found out, which would cause him to 'kill the messenger' as it were. I did this only because it has relevance to a later aspect of the story involving Ritsuko.
Don't worry, Fuyutsuki will recover and be back later.
Also, while I'm not an Asuka fan, I thought it would be good to start Shinji and Asuka off on a better foot than the one they originally got off of. With Ginji giving Shinji advice and warnings about the redhead I figured to make Shinji strong enough to earn Asuka's respect, then thus tone down her aggressive nature towards the boy.
And I'm sorry that the author's notes in the last chapter were not that long. But this is a two-chapter chapter.
And I'll probably add more omake's later on.
Please read and review, extensively.