Hey guys, new chapter here, enjoy
Round 38
Strength
The man couldn't believe it. His eyes went wide in shock seeing his old friend standing there. She was dressed in black pants and a long sleeved shirt as her red hair falls upon her shoulder, a lot shorter than they used to be back then. Her blue eyes, instead of being warmth showed nothing but an icy glare at him, one filled with hate.
Doctor Takatsuki frowned unhappily at her.
"You should be in bed," he said.
"I'm well enough to do the technique," the redhead woman said, "Snow said I can find you here. I want to know the result of the blood sample test I asked you to do."
The doctor nodded.
"Yes," he said, "I have it in my office. We should probably head back by now, since I have done what I have to do here."
The man stood up, and walked toward the door as Kaji yelled.
"Damn it Kyoko, don't you even recognize your own friend?"
The redhead glanced back toward him, her hatred seems even more pronounced.
"Don't you dare say her name Ryoji," she spat, "You have lost that privilege the day you decided to train Asuka for GEHIRN."
Kaji was shocked at the venom in her voice.
"They asked you to raise your best friend daughter and you simply complied," the redhead continued, "Instead of figuring it out. You are such a bastard, taking the money instead of finding out what happened to Kyoko."
Kaji looked down in shame.
"They told me Kyoko died in a GEHIRN related incident," he said.
"And you believed them," the woman scoffed, "You're more pathetic than I thought. I wonder what Kyoko even saw in you to call you friend."
Kaji looked back up at her.
"If you're not Kyoko, then who the hell are you?" he asked.
The woman grinned darkly.
"You'll find out soon enough Kaji," she said, "After all, this is part of the reason why you are here. You are to witness everything that GEHIRN had buried underneath their public glamour for the past twenty years."
Part of the reason, he thought frowning.
"I have been trying to find out the truth about Kyoko's death," he said.
"You're far too late for that," the woman said, "It's only after Yui saw me that day that you started to work upon it."
She threw an envelope on the floor in front of him. Curious, Kaji picked it up and opened it. His eyes widened noticing the pictures of him and Yui talking in the café back a few weeks. He couldn't believe it.
"I was keeping tab on your for longer than you thought," the woman continued, "My little spy within NGA had being very useful and it is thanks to that spy that my plan had been able to succeed so far."
A..A spy within the school? He thought.
"You know what Asuka really is Kaji," she continued looking at the man upon the bed, "You have kept your silence over those past years, doing everything GEHIRN told you to do, like a slave to his master. I'm going to reveal everything to Asuka…even how GEHIRN used you to train her to become their weapon."
Kaji looked at her.
"Don't worry," she said, "I'm not going to kill you that will be Asuka's job."
The woman turned around and walked toward the door.
"What? You're going to let Asuka kill me?"
As the woman arrived toward the door, she glanced back toward him, her blue eye seemingly shining in the poor light.
"Think of it as the price you have to pay for your silence and for the insults you have done to Kyoko's memory."
Then she slammed the heavy steel door shut, and Kaji heard it locking on the other side.
Doctor Takatsuki looked at the redhead who was scowling at the door in front of her.
"How dare he?" he heard her murmur, "How dare he say her name?"
"He wouldn't know what really happened that day you know," he said, as they both started to walk down the hallway.
"He is a coward," the redhead told him, "He choose to work for GEHIRN, work for them like the spineless coward he is."
"GEHIRN may not have given him a choice in the matter," Takatsuki told her, "You already know how dirty the company can play, even to its own employees."
The redhead frowned at that.
"I don't want to talk about that man anymore," she said, "Snow had done what I asked of him."
The doctor sighed.
"You will have to tell him not to use that barbaric technique of his so callously like that," he said, "Kaji would have died if he didn't get medical help."
The woman shrugged.
"I don't really care either way," she said, "He is alive now isn't he? But, I want to know of the nature of Asuka's Ki."
She gave the doctor a glance.
"You have analyzed the sample I had given you right?"
Takatsuki nodded.
"Yes, I have," he said.
"And?" the redhead asked.
"She is as normal as you could have hoped," Takatsuki told her, "but even in her blood, I can detect the trace of the red Ki within her system. She is genetically abnormal in every sense of the word. It would seems that they had fixed the problem that you have…"
"They must have gotten someone smarter than Kyoko was to work upon it," the redhead told him.
"That's what I thought also," Takatsuki told her.
The redhead let out a grin.
"I think it's time to start the Call," she said, "It's been nearly two weeks ago since I have synchronized my Ki with hers. I have to do it soon if not, I'm going to lose that chance."
The man gave her a glance.
"I presume you'll have to warn your spy," he said.
The redhead frowned a little.
"I presume so," she said.
Then she tightened her fist.
"After so long, my plan is finally going to end," she said, "Everything had been leading up to this. Asuka it's time for us to meet again."
She continued to walk forward, as Takatsuki watched her.
"What if she doesn't join us?" he asked, "You will have to consider that possibility. She might not share the same goal as you do."
The woman gave him a glance.
"I have considered that possibility," she said, "But there is no a chance she'll be against us, not after what she will learn. If she ever considers Kyoko as a mother, she won't have any choice in the matter."
Takatsuki sighed.
"I just don't want you to be brought down after everything you have done," he said.
The woman give him a pat on the shoulder, chuckling.
"I'm not a child anymore," she said, "I can handle rejection just fine. Even if Asuka denied joining us, she will have to live with that knowledge within her. In the end, she won't have any choice but to take her own revenge, which might bring her back to us."
"You really do plan ahead a lot," Takatsuki said, "You're similar to Kyoko in your own way."
The redhead woman continued to walk ahead as her silhouette disappeared in the darkness.
Neon Genesis Academy-Meanwhile
Asuka was in class that day, thought she was hardly paying attention as she rubbed sleep out of her eyes. Lately, she had been having trouble sleeping with the number of dreams she was having. She can't understand why because they were all the same.
That same white room, the same man with the glinting red eyes, and as she thought she also remember dreaming about that broken angel necklace that Rei had been wearing. She called them dreams even thought she hardly thought why she would be dreaming of such odd things.
Something else caused the redhead to frown her eyes.
In those dreams, she was always small probably a lot younger than she is now. She couldn't think why those would be memories since Kaji had raised her since she was a child and Kaji didn't have any room in his home that looked remotely similar to the white room she had been in.
Putting the matter aside from her head Asuka refocused her attention upon the field in front of her, as the members of her classes were all sparring as they always do in Physical Education. The teacher was standing on the side, looking at them and pointing out some mistakes that some students have done and this time, they had an ANGEL in the class also.
Namely Rei Ayanami.
Asuka had hardly any contact with the blue haired girl since that night they had talked and as Rei always had looked her face completely devoid of emotions. The ANGEL wasn't fighting anyone, thought she hardly think that anyone with a right mind will willingly challenge an ANGEL, even if it was a mock battle.
The redhead let out a grin.
Well, I always wanted to fight against her anyway, she thought, Even if it's not a true all out fight.
She approached where Rei was standing, instantly drawing the crimson red eyes toward her. She saw then narrow a little.
"You require something Soryu-san?"
It amazed her how Rei can sound so detached sometimes.
"Yeah, a spar," Asuka asked her.
Rei stared at her, and the redhead thought she saw a surprise and even a little amusement within those ruby eyes.
"You want to fight against me?" she said, leaning her head to the side.
"Well, you can hear can't ya?" Asuka told her, "Or are you scared."
Asuka was satisfied to see a reaction, if that reaction was a slight tightening of the jaws.
"I'm not scared of you Soryu-san," she said, "Then I don't see the point in sparring against you, you're hardly my level."
"I've improved since then Rei," she told her, "Now how about this spar?"
"Something the matter here ladies?" the teacher's voice asked as he appeared beside them.
"Just asking for a spar," Asuka answered the teacher, "But it would seem Rei is too scared to take me on."
Rei outright glared at Asuka's mocking grin.
"Ayanami-san?" the teacher asked her.
"I didn't deny her," she said, "If Soryu-san want a spar, then I'll give it to her."
Asuka smirked.
You just walk right into my little trap, she thought.
The teacher seemed surprised that Rei had even accepted the spar.
"O…Okay," he said, probably noticing the odd tension, "Well, you can use the field there, but do not go overboard. I can feel Ki a mile away so I won't suggest you draw upon any. This is training ladies, not a full blown Evangelion fight."
"Of course sensei," Asuka said.
"Follow me," Rei told her before abruptly turning around.
She led her straight where the teacher told them to go before turning around. Asuka rolled up her sleeves and got into a stance as Rei stayed standing with both of her arms at her side.
"What is the point of this spar Soryu?" Rei asked her, "You already know my skills levels are way above your own."
Asuka give her a grin.
"I would have thought you, of all people, know not to underestimate me Rei," she said, "After all, no one had expected me to make it through the Tournament but I did anyway, being ranked as a PILOT."
"That's true," Rei admitted.
"Then let's get this started," Asuka told her.
Rei closed her eyes for a second before reopening them. It would seem that her entire demeanor had simply changed and then settled herself into a standard stance. The two simply stood there for a few seconds, measuring each other. Asuka already knew that Rei might win but she had always wanted to fight against Rei, just for the heck of it.
She wanted to see what makes Rei thick.
"You can start anytime if you wish," Rei said.
Asuka didn't answer as she simply moved, blurring toward Rei as her hand aimed straight with a punch toward the girl. Rei dodged sideway letting Asuka pass her and then she extended her foot, tackling the redhead's feet sending her flying toward the ground.
Asuka put both of her hands on the ground in reflex and did a forward flip to land back on her feet again. Then she simply dodged on instinct as Rei's leg flew past her head. She can feel the wind of the kick passing by her face.
While crouched, Asuka spun her leg on the ground to tackle the blue haired girl that was still standing on one leg. Rei had seen that attack coming and simply jumped in the air, spinning her body like a top before sending one of her leg coming down toward Asuka's still crouched form, causing the redhead to widen her eyes.
I…It's that same move she used before, she thought.
The memory of that first fight seeing Rei fight the P.E. teacher was something Asuka knew she will never forget. But something was different now, Rei was moving at a slower speed than this causing Asuka to be able to block the attack.
Then the two parted jumping backward, giving the other some space.
"You're not fighting me at full speed," Asuka told her.
Rei scoffed.
"Why would I do such a thing?" she asked her, "This is training. I never fight people outside of a Tournament with my full speed. It will make things, slightly unfair to them."
Asuka grit her teeth.
"Fight me seriously Rei," she said.
Rei watched her.
"You're too weak to handle my speed," she said, "I will overwhelm you."
"I don't care, I can handle it," Asuka said, tightening her fist, "I have fought people stronger than me before and I came out on top. I'm not afraid of you."
Rei stared at her, before sighing.
"Not afraid of me," she said, "I don't know whether this is admirable or foolish. If I fight you with my full speed, you'll have every right to be afraid of me."
"I'm not some crybaby," Asuka told her.
At that, she saw the hint of a smile on Rei's lips.
"No, I believe you're not," she said, "But I'll comply with your wish Soryu-san…don't say I didn't warn you."
Then before Asuka realized it, Rei had simply disappeared from where she was and next thing Asuka knew a powerful punch was slammed straight into her guts. The redhead let out an ack sound.
So…So fast, she thought, bending forward at how powerful the punch was.
Before she had time to recover, a knee was slammed into her face sending her standing straight again and then a kick landed upon her chest, sending her flying backward landing upon the ground. Asuka can feel her head spinning but she wasn't going to stay down.
S…She is faster than Hikari, she thought, so…this is the strength of an ANGEL.
She looked toward where Rei was standing, probably waiting for her to stand up again.
"You…You're incredible," Asuka told her.
"What?" Rei said, her red eyes widening in surprise, "You…"
"Now I can see why you're the Council President and the school number one," Asuka said, "Let's go again. I want to continue this fight."
A mock fight between Rei and Asuka and Asuka now see the Rei`s strenght? What could she be planning?
Well, hope you guys enjoyed that update.
Jacques0 out.
R&R.