Hey guys, long time since last update. Sorry for the delay. Couldn't get around to write it since i have three other stories i'm working on. it had been slow for me and life had decided to give me a big slap in the face...sigh...

Anyway, Enjoy

Round 14

Out of the Frying Pan and into the Fire

Asuka stared up at the man across her. She couldn't believe that he would tell her that…tells her to forfeit. It was her goal to become a legend similar to her mother, and Kaji had somewhat supported her in the past. But now, he is simply standing there telling her to forfeit the match.

It made her angry.

"I won't forfeit," she said.

Kaji's eyes became cold black.

"Asuka," he said, "You realize if this happens again…there is a chance that you will kill someone. It almost happened earlier with the fight against Rebecca…if it happens again, you might not be able to reel it back in."

Asuka glared at him.

"Do you have so little faith in me Kaji?" she asked.

The man stayed silent watching her, before he answered.

"It's not a question of not having faith in you Asuka," he said.

"Then what is it?" Asuka asked him, "It's my actions only that has gotten me into this Tournament in the first place, and I'm going to see it through the end."

Kaji looked at her, his eyes wide.

"So do me a favor and stop underestimate me," Asuka told him.

Kaji stepped forward, catching her arm.

"Listen to me Asuka," he said, "This is a dangerous matter…"

"Don't you think I know that?" Asuka asked him, "But I will control it."

Kaji looked at her.

"You think you can control the Berserker State," he said, "Do you know why it is known as the Berserker state…it is because no one can control it."

A smirk crossed Asuka's lips at this, causing Kaji to widen his eyes.

"Then I'll be the first one to be able to," she said, "after all, I won't be much of a legend if I couldn't."

The redhead then walked past him and Kaji stood there for a few moments, looking at the empty space in front of him before turning around looking at Asuka's retreating back. As he watched her, another woman's form overlaid Asuka's.

Asuka…you're becoming more like Kyoko every time I see you, he thought to himself.

The man seated down on the bench behind him as a he watched the redhead. He couldn't believe how much the girl had changed over the years, from the young girl that won't speak to anyone other than him.

You are like her in every way Asuka, he thought, but you lack something that your mother had…something…

He put his head against his hands.

This is getting dangerous, he said, I just hope you know what you're doing Asuka.

Mari was troubled.

How could she not be troubled?

The girl she had brushed off as a weakling as before had just won a match where everything was stacked against her. The redhead was supposed to lose the fight…that much she knew but she had untapped potential…too much potential…

The ANGEL narrowed her eyes in anger.

She hadn't planned for this. She had expected Asuka to be a weakling PILOT, just as the rest of the PILOTs were, but that girl was no PILOT, not by a long shot.

Maybe I should have stayed in this Tournament and teach her a lesson myself, she thought darkly.

She took notice of Natsuki standing a little off, glancing off somewhere. To her the girl's entire posture seems relaxed, but there was something about the girl that put Mari on her guard.

"Soryu is not as weak as you said she would," Natsuki said, her voice sounding annoyed.

Mari shrugged her shoulders.

"I have never seen her fight before," Mari said, "So I simply assume that she was a simple weakling."

"It would have been a shame if she had been a simple weakling," Natsuki said, her voice taking a dark tone, "It will make the fight even more exciting. The fight against Alicia had been too…unsatisfying. Maybe Soryu will be able to satisfy my lust for battle."

Mari feels a light shudder.

"You know killing your opponents is not part of the rules," a voice said.

The two girls turned around.

Rei Ayanami stood right across them, her red eyes showing no emotion behind them.

"You follow me around now Rei?" Mari asked.

"At least the mystery behind your sudden drop from the list is now clear," Rei said walking forward calmly, "But I never expected you to stoop so low, Mari."

The ANGEL can hear the barely concealed anger in Rei's voice as the very air around the blue haired seems to tremble.

"You got something to get off your chest Ayanami Rei," Natsuki said, turning her attention toward the blue haired girl, "How about you say it to me?"

Rei's eyes shifted toward the dark haired girl.

"You want to die?"

Natsuki smirked.

"You think you can kill me Rei?" she asked as Ki appeared around her hand, "Why don't you show me what you got, after all you are the Number One in this Academy, the strongest of them all, the undefeatable Rei Ayanami."

"You're nothing but a child," Rei said, "and I don't fight against children, only against professionals."

Natsuki's eyes widened in anger as she launched her hand forward…

BOOM!

A Ki explosion pushed her off her feet along with Mari. The dark haired girl landed on the ground on her back as Mari simply spun in the air before landing back on her feet.

That was…, she thought.

Rei Ayanami stood in the middle of a perfectly black circle on the ground, as she looked at them.

"Even so, I'm not going to let you to lay a hand on me," she said.

Ultimate Defense, Mari thought, I didn't think she'd be able to draw it out so quickly.

Rei then shifted her eyes toward her.

"You off all people should know that cheating isn't going to win you anything. Because of your doing, Natsuki Yoroi had found her way into this Tournament. You won't be staying at this school any longer than necessary."

Mari's eyes widened.

"What?"

"You can start packing your bags Mari Makimani," Rei continued, "From this moment on…you are expulsed from Neon Genesis Academy."

Mari's eyes widened even more.

"You can't expulse me," she said, "Don't you know how much my family had donated to this place?"

Rei regarded her coldly.

"I just did," she said.

Rei approached her and raised her hand toward the girl, causing her to stiffen but Rei only ripped off the blue armband Mari was wearing.

"You're no longer an ANGEL in this Academy," Rei continued, "nor a student here."

Mari stared at the blue haired girl. She was completely serious about this. Just like that, she had been expelled from within the school that her family had invested so much in.

"You will regret this decision Rei," Mari said vehemently, "One day, you will regret this."

"I'll patiently wait that day," Rei said, turning around, "I will inform the Headmaster of this inconvenience, and your presence will be required during the Headmaster's briefing."

She continued to walk away, knowing that the two will have no choice but to follow.

Infirmary

Claire St. Éclair was seated beside Rebecca's bed, her eyes looking over the girl's bruised form. The Healer, Ritsuko, had told her that Rebecca will be sore fore few days but other than that, the girl will be alright. She had felt great relief when she heard those words but something was still bothering her.

The power that Soryu had used wasn't normal.

She knew how Ki are supposed to feel like but this one…it didn't feel like Ki. It was violent and seemingly for a brief second, St. Éclair had felt the bloodlust…a terrifying thirst for blood that had been so powerful that she had stopped breathing and then it was gone…as if it was never there.

Just who are you Soryu, she thought, you are no mere PILOT…that much is certain, but what could you be still elude me…

A soft groan caused Claire to be brought out of her musing, turning toward her young protégé. Rebecca was waking up, blinking her eyes to adjust herself and gasped slightly in pain as she moved.

"Just lay down," Claire said.

Rebecca turned her head toward her, her eyes widening.

"Claire…"

"You'll be fine," the blonde continued, "but you'll be sore for a few days."

"Is…Is that so," Rebecca whispered.

"I'm angry at you Rebecca," St. Éclair said, "You have promised me that you wouldn't use that technique, and yet because your anger, you let yourself become distracted."

Rebecca turned her head away.

"When I made you learn something that advanced," St. Éclair continued, "There is a reason why I didn't want you to use it firsthand. It causes massive lost of Ki and muscle weight in part of the body. Using it so recklessly and against someone you can win against with your own skills…"

"I wanted to make you proud," Rebecca suddenly said, cutting across St. Éclair.

The older girl looked at her, her green eyes showing some confusion.

"What?"

"I wanted to make you proud of me," Rebecca said, "I wanted to show you that I can become strong and that I can be powerful. I didn't wanted you to look at me as a protégé anymore…I wanted you to look at me as an equal."

St. Éclair looked at the girl.

"But…but I guess I screwed up by losing the fight against Soryu," Rebecca said, clenching her fists, "I…I have disrespected you…and broke my promise against you."

A soft smile worked its way on St. Éclair's lips.

"You don't have to try to be stronger to make me proud of you Becca," she said, "I've always been proud of you."

Rebecca turned her head toward her, her eyes shining with tears.

St. Éclair moved from her chair and seated on the bed, pulling her legs up in front of her. She looked down at the Rebecca who was looking up at her.

"You've amazed me today to tell you the truth," she said.

Rebecca's eyes showed confusion.

"What?"

"Releasing all of the seven chakras is something that even I when I first learned it couldn't do," St. Éclair told her, "you are well on your way to be more powerful than me somewhere in the future."

Rebecca's eyes widened hearing this. Be even more powerful than Claire St. Éclair?

"T…There is no way I could surpass you," she said.

St. Éclair smiled.

"You might never know," she said.

Rebecca buried her face against the side of St. Éclair's leg.

"I'm sorry about breaking my promise," she said, her voice muffling a little against the girl's skirt.

St. Éclair put hand on Rebecca's head, running her fingers through the girl's silky purple locks, a soft smile on her face.

"Don't you worry about that," she said, softly.

She felt Rebecca's head move in agreement.

"Asuka, ASUKA," a voice called.

The redhead in question looked up at the voice that was calling her.

"What's the matter Hikari?"

"The Headmaster had summoned you," the Class Representative said.

Asuka stood up.

"Is it already time for the fight to start?"

"No," Hikari said, "Something else had happened. I don't know what but it seemed urgent."

"Alright," Asuka said walking forward, "let's go."

Hikari led her straight into a room in the back of the Arena and when she entered the room. She noticed Rei was there holding a blue band in her hand as her attention fixed upon the situation in front of her.

Glancing forward, she found Mari and Natsuki standing in front of a woman standing right in front of them, dressed in a long coat, and Asuka found that she looked strikingly similar to Rei, the only difference was that she was brown haired with brown eyes that were flashing dangerously as she glared at the two teens in front of her.

"…You are supposed to be setting an example as an ANGEL of this Academy," the Headmaster was saying, "But to learn that this is your doing that Yoroi had been able to enter this Tournament. You have shamed this Academy in the worst way, Makimani."

Asuka was confused as to what is going on, and as she got closer, Rei turned her head toward her.

"Wait here," she said.

Asuka glanced at her.

"What is going on?" she asked her.

Rei returned her glance toward the front.

"A coup toward your life," was Rei's answer.

What? She thought.

"Now, get out of my sight," the Headmaster said, "and out of my school immediately."

To Asuka's eyes, Mari's hands were shaking whether out of humiliation or anger she didn't know. From the tone of the Headmaster, the woman wasn't altogether pleased also. Mari turned around and her eyes find both Asuka and Rei and Asuka saw the anger and hatred in those eyes as they found the two of them.

"I won't forget this Ayanami," Mari said, hatred in her voice.

Rei's eyes flashed dangerously.

"I know you won't. I'll be waiting for your answer," was Rei's answer.

Mari didn't answer her as she simply walked out of the room, not before giving Asuka a death glare also. When she was gone, The Headmaster said, "Asuka L. Soryu, come forward, there is something I will like to discuss with you."

The redhead approached, glancing slightly toward Natsuki who had stayed oddly silent during the entire thing.

"Considering what we just discover, thanks to Rei," The Headmaster said, "You have basically won this first leg of the Tournament by default."

Asuka looked shocked.

What?

"How?"

"Mari had rigged this Tournament, bringing this girl here to kill you," Rei said approaching, "I have overhead their conversation long enough to have discovered their intentions toward you."

Asuka felt a cold grip of fear in her chest.

"She wanted to kill me?"

"You were simply a target," Natsuki said, speaking for the first time, "But probably the sweetest target I've ever had to kill."

Asuka turned her attention toward Natsuki, her blue eyes narrowing.

"A target huh," she said.

"This will be embarrassing for the school," the Headmaster said, shaking her head, "To announce that you've won by default…I suppose most of them will be angry…"

"Don't cancel the fight," Asuka said.

The Headmaster looked up at her, her brown eyes showing surprise.

"What?"

"Let the Tournament continue as if nothing went wrong," Asuka told her, "that way, no one will be the wiser that anything had happened…well, except us that is."

Rei glanced at the redhead.

S…she's serious, she thought.

The Headmaster, Yui, had seen that look before, many times. Kyoko usually wear it when she had made up her mind about something and since she had been friend with the woman, she had seen it more than she dared to admit.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" she asked, glancing at Natsuki.

Asuka's eyes were now trained upon Natsuki, shining with determination.

"Yes, I want to fight against her."

A light chuckle drew the three Neon Genesis personnel toward Natsuki. The girl had a grin on her face, one that made her look quite demented in appearance, with a hand against the side of her head.

"You have just signed your death warrant, Soryu-san,"

Here it is for now. The fight agaisnt Natsuki Yoroi is set up and Natsuki's true nature will come forth.

But that's for next chapter.

AN: Hunter and Vampire Fans. the twelfth Volume will probably be posted later this week. Sorry about the long wait.

Jacques0 out.

R&R.