Red Moon Rising
Disclaimer: New disclaimer! I do not own Evangelion. All rights belong to ol man Anno and Gainax. Only thing I do own is my mind. Or do the voices own my mind...
Chapter 20
Shinji slowly opened his eyes and paused. He was hovering above his own body and Rei was hovering next to him and above her own body. Looking down at his body, the young boy involuntarily let out a shriek of surprise. He was transparent! And so was Rei! Stretching from his own ghostly abdomen and to Rei's was an odd orange thread. Another odd connection linked him to his own body and Rei had the same. "Bizarre...wait...I lent Rei my AT Field...we're still joined..." he mused to himself as he continued to stare down at his own body. Seeing the door whoosh open, Shinji titled his head and narrowed his eyes as Asuka slowly entered, a smile on her face.
She seemed so upbeat and happy, but there was a hollowness to her. He could feel something off about her. As the door slid shut, her face seemed to morph into an ugly sneer, eyes cold and vicious. Seconds later and she dropped to her knees, screaming in rage even as tears obviously fell from her eyes and splattered to the floor. As he watched impassively, Asuka slammed her fists over and over onto the floor, loud cracks of breaking bone filling the room and bloody splatters being left on the ground. "She's fucked up"
Asuka growled as she heard the words and swept her eyes up to land on Shinji floating above the bed, body transparent and watching her emotionlessly. My weak self wouldn't have seen him the disturbed teen groused as she locked the other personality away even tighter. She was dominant, she was superior, and nobody would tell her otherwise! Sneering up at him and ignoring her shattered fists, Asuka stood and smirked. "You're weak, Shinji. As is your whore of a lover. It took the two of you to defeat Armisael whilst I landed the first decisive blow."
Shinji blinked at that before groaning. Oh, you have got to be fucking joking! She's got MPD! he thought and would have bashed his head against the wall had he not been sure his head would have gone through the wall. "You got paralysed by Armisael with no effort whilst Rei slew it. Appears your vaunted German training is inferior to natural superiority. Your mother would be so ashamed" he mocked, glad he had gotten that tidbit of knowledge from Rei.
"You little shit!" Asuka roared and leapt at him, bloodlust twisting her perceptions until her mothers face overlaid Shinji's own face, a superior grin etched on both. Passing through Shinji and landing on top of his body, she drew a fist back to swipe at his trachea and rip it out, but was halted as a ghostly hand gripped her own wrist tight. Looking at the hand in fright, the redhead saw an orange shimmer covering the ghostly limb. Wrenching her hand away, a smug grin covered her face as the AT Field broke and brought the hand slamming down onto Shinji's ribs, cracking them.
Shinji winced at the cracks and sighed in relief as several medics rushed in and grappled with Asuka, pulling her off and out the door. Turning his head at a faint sigh, he blinked before screaming. Rei was a bare inch from his turned face, a sad expression on her face. "You kicked Armisael's ass, Rei!" Shinji cheered and "hugged" Rei, his entire form merging with her own. Letting out a purr at the sensation of his own soul temporarily joining with Rei's, he pulled away reluctantly and smiled.
Rei sighed again at seeing Shinji's ghostly form and pale body. "Why did you save me, Shinji? We're both on the cusp of death when only I would have died and come back" she stated.
"No, you wouldn't have Rei. Anyone that dies inside an Evangelion is trapped inside forever. Even a clone wouldn't function" Shinji stated sadly and nodded at Rei's face shifting into a shocked expression. "The Evangelion itself hungers for souls. And when you die, yours is sucked inside" Shinji explained before continuing to float. "I think I mis-wove the AT Fields. I used the Evangelion and its powers, so it is sucking both of us away even as my body tries to keep us up. I can probably maintain life for another...day at the most" he stated and shook his head as Rei opened her mouth to speak. "And I'm not letting you die, so don't even say anything."
Rei harrumphed but nodded, knowing that Shinji was harder to move on an issue than the Stone of Gibraltar. Blinking as she remembered something, Rei floated closer. "When I was in orbit, I saw something odd. The moon was cracking in half and debris was surrounding it" Rei reported.
"I expected as such. I believe the second Lance of Longinus is locked within the moon and the battle with Armisael awakened it. When Adam's lance is used, it will shatter the moon and return to Earth" the brown-haired boy said. "I expect that NERV or SEELE will start to move against me within a month."
"And we've got that long until Instrumentality" Rei stated. "They will probably try and get to you during my fusion with Lilith." Swimming around the room with exaggerated swimming motions, the blue-haired Angel was held up as Shinji rocketed past her without moving. "Show-off" Rei muttered and copied him, using her weak AT Field to propel her. Diving right through Shinji and shuddering at the odd feel of momentarily sharing the same soul, Rei spiralled off and crashed through a wall, letting out an eep as she did so. Floating back in and glaring at a snickering Shinji, she sat down on her own body. "Shall we get to work with the re-weaving?"
Smiling tremulously, Shinji gulped. "For it to work, I'll have to actually break the link between us and the Evangelion then reweave it inside of twenty seconds. I'm still working out the pattern in the weave" he stated and nervously shifted backwards at Rei's incredulous expression. A moment later and the door opened again, this time revealing Misato who was dolled up to the nine's. "The hell is she doing here?" Shinji asked as his eyes tracked her movement warily.
Misato sighed and sat down next to Shinji before leaning back in the chair and gazing up at the ceiling. "The hell am I doing here..." she asked softly and seemed to get a sense of agreement from nowhere. Yeah, I came here to apologise. I've got to set an example. Cursing Ritsuko even as a memory surged from her college days, she allowed it to engulf her.
Flashback
Misato staggered into her room, clearly drunk but was pulled up short by the sound of sobs coming from the couch. "Damnit, I don't wanna deal with this" she muttered as a empty beer bottle dropped from slack fingers and shattered on the floor. Plastering a clearly fake smile on the face and kicking off her absurd heels, she staggered over to the couch and fell onto it, bouncing before coming to a rest. "Wassa matta, Rissy?" she slurred, the smell of bar smoke and alcohol pungent in the air.
Ritsuko glared up at Misato through bloodshot eyes and snarled at her. "Damn you! Damn you and your drinking!" she yelled before collapsing into sobs. "Your damned alcoholism made me miss my date! He was going to propose!" she shrieked and lunged at Misato, intent on satisfaction for such an insult. "You always seemed so calm after drinking before you date so I tried it! And I got so drunk I couldn't even walk out!" she continued even as her attacks were easily rebuffed by the stronger Misato.
Misato blinked before wincing. Ritsuko had been dating this guy for close to two years now. He was the shining star of the cybernetics department, having created perfect robotic limbs for a few survivors of a terrorist attack against the UN. Nobody in the blast vicinity had survived but a few debris had overshot the area and ripped off a few limbs. There had been reports of an odd child seen in the area but no evidence had yet been found. Only a strange pattern in the glass. A hexagonal spider web.
Sighing and shaking her head, Misato put her head between her knees. "I'm sorry, Rissy but you were the one that chose to drink" she stated and quickly turned the TV on before blanching at the headline.
"Cybernetics expert dies in drive-by shooting after leaving eatery early!"
Moments later and Ritsuko descended deeper into wails with random cursing of Misato.
"I'm sorry Rits" Misato whispered as tears trickled from her own eyes. Not only had she stopped Ritsuko from getting married to an equal, her own love of alcohol had lead to his death.
"Don't be sorry. Just set a better example" Ritsuko snapped before curling into herself and continuing to cry.
End Flashback
Misato rubbed a few tears from her eyes before readying herself. It was time to come clean. "Hey Shinji" she whispered and rubbed her eyes to clear the irritating itching. "I know I've been a bitch to you. I'm like a mother to Asuka so it's only natural I hate what she hates" Misato began, taking a can from her pocket and cracking it open with a hiss. Orange and mango mineral water. "She isn't strong like you, or as cold. Asuka acts strong but that strength makes her fragile, and your sheer existence threatens to shatter her. So I have to protect her...to comfort her."
Shinji palmed his face and looked at Rei. "She's shovelling such a pile of shit most plutocrats would call her God" he stated and rolled his eyes as Rei tried to punch his shoulder.
"I know you're pissed about me giving the Progressive Wakizashi to Asuka but I ask you...wouldn't you give those who see as your own children every chance to survive and excel?" Misato asked.
Shinji winced at that. Children was a very sore spot for him. She's right. I would. But that's a low blow. It's pretty obvious I want children, after everyone saw me in the maternity wing.
Flashback
Shinji checked both ways before darting into the maternity wing and sighing as he looked at all the babies who had turned to look at him. Yet no babies cried or even opened their mouths. Merely watching him. Slowly removing the buds to the iPod from his ears, the faint beats of techno audible from the earphones and drooping them around his neck, he smiled and stepped up to the baby he had been visiting for the last few months.
"Hey there sweety" he whispered and stepped closer, easily lifting her fragile body and smiling as she reached out to grab him. Her mother had been fatally injured in an Angel attack. It had been his Evangelion's hand which had crushed most of her body. Legs and arms shattered into a thin paste. "I should have been able to rationalise it. But seeing your mother pregnant..." he whispered, tears trickling from his eyes.
Cradling the baby against his left pectoral and rubbing her back, Shinji hummed a soft song he had heard on the radio. "The great Shinji Ikari, humming to a baby" he whispered and cracked a faint smile before returning to the baby. Picking up a bottle and shifting the baby to his right arm, he eased the faux nipple between the babies lips and watched as she suckled at it. He remembered waiting outside the operating theatre, the glares and swears of the mother's family as he waited. The moment the baby had been escorted out and presented to the family, Shinji had run to the Maternity Ward and waited.
Nobody had bothered to come and see the child ever since the birth. Nobody except him. Even the family ignored the child, since it had been the mothers water breaking which had forced her out to seek the hospital. "That's a good Firefly" he whispered, surprised at the name but finding it apt. Fragile yet bringing light to darkness. Hoisting the baby so her head was poking over his shoulder, he gently patted her back as his feet took him around the room, all the other babies just watching. Hearing a faint snickering, he turned and glared. Ten NERV technician's were pointing and laughing at him whilst the women were almost squealing at the cuteness.
After all, an Evangelion pilot with spit-up on his shoulder would make a funny sight for anyone.
End Flashback.
Shinji smiled at Rei's understanding pat on his shoulder. "Thanks" he whispered, voice hoarse.
Misato sighed before standing and opening the door. A nurse stepped in and cradled in her arms was Firefly who was looking at Shinji curiously. Placed upon the bed, the young baby nuzzled into Shinji's side and murmured softly before dozing off. Smiling at the sight before stepping out, Misato wiped a tear from her eye before going to check up on Asuka.
Shinji smiled down at Firefly and reached a hand down to touch her before starting as an odd orange field sprang up around the baby before parting and allowing his hand through to caress her brow. Pulling his hand back and nodding as the AT Field faded, Shinji turned to Rei and blushed at her warm smile and love in her eyes. "You knew for a while, didn't you?"
Rei nodded. "It's hard not to. I was in that waiting room too, you just didn't see me" Rei stated before shaking her head. "Shall we get down to the weaving?"
Shinji grinned. "I have an idea" he stated and the grin only grew broader as Rei gulped nervously.
ASASASAS
Ritsuko sighed as her eyes caressed the bank of monitors. Before her sharp gaze swivelled back again and stared at a monitor in shock. "The hell..." she whispered as the readouts reported a massive spike of energy in the centre of the city, in a hospital. "A joint AT Field?" she inquired, missing a smaller spike on the fringes of the city. "Wait...that's the hospital Rei and Shinji are in...oh Christ" she swore and hurriedly rose.
Entering the private elevator which ascended directly to the car park, a smug smile crossed her face as she recalled Misato's bitching about how she always arrived after Ritsuko. Quickly running to her car and getting inside, she ritually kissed the picture of her young love and smiled before accelerating out of the car park at speeds that would make even Misato jealous. If Shinji's doing something of this magnitude, then I want to witness it! Interesting things always happened when Shinji manipulated AT Fields.
Rocketing through the cities, she winced as random flashes of an AT Field appeared around the hospital, flashing in and out of existence and cycling between blue and orange. Speeding up and taking a corner so sharp the car flew up onto two wheels, Ritsuko grit her teeth and braked hard as she slammed into the car park. Quickly getting out and hurrying to the entrance, the bottle blonde dived through during a break in the flashes, just as the entire building was sealed. "Time to see what he's doing."
Ascending the stairwell and carefully opening the joint room, Ritsuko gasped at the strange beauty inside.
ASASASAS
Shinji closed his eyes and felt for the thin webbing connecting him to the Evangelion and from him to Rei. The second he severed both, he would only have twenty seconds to reweave the bond between him and Rei or they'd both die and the Evangelion would go berserk. Of course, he didn't tell Rei that. Opening one eye and looking at Rei, he saw her nod and he took a deep breath. and ripped each bond apart. Fighting through the pain, Shinji blocked out Rei's screams of agony as he focused on the weaving.
Twenty...
Concentrating, Shinji first caught the pattern he had chosen in his mind. It was a mixture of the Stage One and Stage Two AT Fields. An orange spider-web, the angles of the hexagonal field seemed smoother and more organic whilst the straight lines of the spider-web pattern were sturdier and clearly more artificial.
Nineteen
Starting to weave the each individual thread of the pattern, Shinji was pulled up short by how to connect them. He had the surface weaving figured out, but how to actually join it.
Eighteen
Suddenly, an image of Armisael flashed into mind and he grinned.
Seventeen
Double Helix. One from Rei and one from himself, woven around each other with linkages along it to stabilise it.
Sixteen
Slowly building it, he paused before grasping Rei's AT Field and gently manipulating it, knowing a single error could tear it and kill her.
Fifteen
Slowly extending it from Rei and meeting her AT Field with his own, he gradually started to pattern his own AT Field.
Fourteen
Groaning as each attempt ended in failure, he redoubled his effort and forced his AT Field into that shape through sheer willpower.
Thirteen
Touching Rei's, Shinji sighed. He would have to reweave each strand of her AT Field.
Twelve
Setting to work, he felt out each strand of her AT Field and firstly started to connect it to his own. This was the most dangerous part.
Eleven
The psychic backlash was amazing. Expanding orbs of energy rocketed out from his corporeal body as the bridge between the two was slowly built, each orb flashing between orange, blue and crimson.
Ten
Extending his conciousness down the bridge and weaving each strand, he groaned. Nine strands and each would take a second!
Nine
Weaving the first strand was difficult, the intricacies boggling him for a moment. Snapping it into place, he started on the second.
Eight
Finishing the second, Shinji spared a moment to glance down at Firefly and gaped at what he saw. Each expanding orb of energy seemed to expand around her, the orb bubbling around Firefly before the bubble vanished to complete the orb.
Seven
Quickly speeding through the third and fourth, he made sure the first through fourth were stable before moving onto the rest.
Six
Finishing the last five quickly and taking a breath to steady himself, Shinji sighed in relief as he looked at the finished bond. It seemed to shimmer with power as he felt Rei's relief through the prismatic bond. Looking at it closer, he swore even as his soul merged back with his body. "Damnit, I wove Firefly into it too!"
Opening his corporeal eyes and groaning as he saw the exceptionally faint, gossamer bond between himself, Firefly and Rei, Shinji heard snickering and turned to glare at the intruder. "Yeah yeah, laugh it up. I fucked up" he grumbled towards Ritsuko.
"Oh Shinji. This is so you!" Ritsuko stated between laughs as she looked at the silent but aware baby. "You do realise that she's going to evolve faster, being connected to both you and Rei, right?"
"Fuck!" Shinji exclaimed. "What is it with me and perverting the natural order?" he sighed before picking up the young baby and holding her in his arms, grinning broadly as Firefly gripped his finger
Hearing a shuffling to his left, Shinji blushed when he saw Rei standing there in just a sheet and pointing to his bed impatiently. Shifting to the side and opening the covers, he quickly covered a male's natural reaction to having a hot girl in bed with him. Ignoring the sneer of disgust from Ritsuko and instead pulling Rei close to him, he chuckled. "I love you, Rei" he whispered and kissed her cheek before looking away, embarrassed.
Rei fought the urge to squeal in glee before repeating the words and action and looked down at the baby. "She's cute. God knows what she's gonna be like, learning from you" Rei quipped and got a sharp poke in the ribs in response to that.
Shinji sighed and looked down at his own bandaged ribs. "I'm not going to let them get away with all that shit. Misato may have had reasons but she was still a bitch. And Asuka...I have something special planned for her" he stated.
A/N: Sorry if this was a bit of a slow chapter or boring, but I needed something to intersperse between the Armisael fight. Also, I added the baby scene to show Shinji's humanity and empathy. Enjoy! :D