Shinji's One Wish
By: StriaghtedgeEpyon
Shinji makes a wish for a family upon a shooting star which gains him a better family made up of various people from other universes
I own nothing
Beta read by TOAT
Chapter 21
Separation part one
(Tokyo-3 beachside late at night)
A pale-skinned, white-haired boy wearing a school uniform was sitting on a piece of wreckage that had long since washed up onshore. He stared at the sky, looking at the moon, humming a tune. A pair of footsteps were approaching his space.
"So, your masters have decided to let you loose, eh?" said a female cultured voice.
The boy glanced down to see a woman with pale skin, wearing a long, green dress and was barefoot, looking up at him with a smile.
"Who are you?" asked the boy.
"Me? Why I am merely a simple sorceress of the darkness. I go by the name Umar," she introduced, "and I know very well who you are. You are Kaworu Nagisa, the designated Fifth Child of NERV, or do you prefer your Angel name Tabris?"
With that, Tabris frowned and leaped down to Umar's level, landing effortlessly on the ground.
"So, you know who I am, but what is it that you want?" he asked her.
"I know more than that. I know it was your masters at SEELE who sent you here to Tokyo-3, to NERV to begin the process of Third Impact that will merge the remainder of humanity and grant them a so-called semblance of 'immortality', and Gendo Rokubungi wishes to use it in order to bring back his wife." Umar informed.
"So you know everything."
"The darkness speaks, darling; everything everyone speaks in the darkness, I hear of it. And it also made me aware of NERV's little problem that's also causing SEELE problems, too. The one regarding the former pilot of Unit-01, Shinji Ikari and the Ikari family."
Tabris frowned and remained silent. It was true the former Third Child and his family was a thorn in SEELE's side, hindering their plans as well as his own. And he was very eager to meet the former pilot of Unit-01 himself.
"Oh, yes, with their interferences, they've delayed SEELE quite significantly, haven't they? You're not the only one. They've been a nuisance to me, as well."
"I see. What exactly are you purposing, Ms. Umar? Because if you know what I am, then you know my true purpose. I follow the weave of destiny, and destiny decrees that Third Impact happens." Tabris stated.
"Can't have that, but I could still turn this around to my design," thought Umar.
"Well, as you know, there are others looking to re-weave the thread of destiny, ensuring that you fail."
"You mean, the Ikaris? They're that formidable?" The Angel inquired.
Umar created a large, white sphere, in which she showed the recent images of the Ikari family, ranging from Ryu to Storm, Kyoshi, Sanger Zonvolt, Kikyo, Kagome, Kusano, Kenshin, Suzuka, Hydra, Shadow, and lastly Shinji Ikari.
"They are more than what you think. A family of super-powered beings, aliens, assassins, and meta-humans. With machines far more advanced than-" Umar started.
"Than these poor copies of Adam and Lilith that were created. I have seen the footage, but at the center of it all is Shinji Ikari. He has a pivotal role to play and so does the First Child, Rei Ayanami."
Umar frowned but kept a straight face. It was another nuisance she would have to deal with.
"Whatever plans you or your masters have for that boy are stillborn. You'll never get anywhere near him. His family will guard him with their lives. To get to him, you'll need to take them out of the equation." Umar stated.
Tabris pondered that, as he saw the image of the family in action, the ninja fighting against monsters and the mutant woman fighting large, robotic men, and the green-haired young woman flying through the air.
Two nearly-identical girls with impressive archery skills, a little girl who could control plant life and a boy who could move faster than light. A man and woman that were fierce sword-wielding assassins, a face-painted woman with the ability to literally move the earth, and a military man with exceptional piloting skills.
"Say I do agree to this, Ms. Umar, how do we go about drawing them away from the Third Child?" asked Tabris.
Umar merely smiled.
(Animaria Training Courtyard)
All the Ikari kids and guests, save for little Kusano, were in one of the larger courtyards of the castle, which had a very traditional Japanese interior. The nearly-identical sisters were practicing their archery, shooting moving targets with near-flawless accuracy across a large pond. The Ikari brothers were sparring with each other without their respective weapons.
Mika was training with Elena, teaching her some wrestling holds. Red She-Hulk was sparring with Hydra since Sharon Venture was off-island and Hydra was the only one who could match strength with her. Karla was flying through the air, destroying drones with her energy blasts.
Li was sparring with Cammy. Tigra, Blink, and Feral were on an intense obstacle course across the large pond. Rei Ayanami herself in her maid outfit was sitting next to Kusano, drinking tea. Shinji and Shadow were grappling, and Shinji twisted around and grabbed his brother's right arm, bent his knees, and attempted to throw him, only for Shadow to twist flip away.
"Shadow, you don't counter Seo Nagi with flips!" Shinji said.
"Don't get mad at me because I'm quicker on moves than most, little brother," replied Shadow.
"Grandpa said the best defense is for you to roll onto your back, and counter with an armlock unless you shift your weight and-"
"And get hit with a reverse counter move, to counter your move."
Shinji sighed, and soon enough his father, Ryu, was walking around the courtyard, with arms folded behind his back. Jogging up to his father, Shinji asked, "Father, what would you do if someone tried to throw you with Seoi Nage?"
"I…don't know," Ryu answered, much to his son's surprise.
"Come on, you're a great ninja master. You must have planned responses for every attack." Shinji insisted.
"If you think too much about what is coming, you lose sight of what is," Ryu said wisely. "You must be fully in the moment so you can fight without thinking."
That got a confused look from the boy.
"Why would I wanna fight without thinking?" Shinji asked.
"Allow me to demonstrate…"
"Oh, no."
"Prepare to defend against Seoi Nage!"
BAM! FLIP CRASH!
In less than a second, the ninja master had Shinji laying on his back, holding his arm up, keeping him pinned.
"Ouch! That wasn't Seoi Nage!"
"No, but you thought it would be, son," Ryu chuckled, releasing Shinji, who sat up.
"Now, would you like to prepare against a spinning roundhouse kick?"
"No, I'm good," Shinji groaned, dusting himself off.
"Master Ryu! Master Ryu!" a castle attendant yelled, running into the courtyard.
"Yes, what is it?" answered the man in a professional tone.
"You are needed in the foyer. It is urgent." the attendant said.
"Vey well," Ryu sighed.
As their father walked away, Shinji got back to his feet, ready to continue the spar.
"I told you, quicker on the moves, go less on the thinking," Shadow said, ready to continue.
Kikyo briefly glanced at her brothers before resuming her archery training, then she glanced up to see Karla flying around, still destroying probes, smirking a bit mischievously, and the priestess dug into her quiver and pulled out an explosive arrow.
"Uh, Kikyo, what are you doing?" asked Kagome.
Her older sister didn't answer, as she nocked the arrow and took aim at the switching bullseye targets. Kikyo kept her eye square on the target, waiting for the right moment to fire. Kikyo suddenly switched directions took aim and fired in the air, directly at one of Karla's probes on her six.
BOOM!
The blonde-haired girl looked irked before destroying another drone.
"Always check your six," Kikyo said.
"Hmm…" Karla hummed, a bit annoyed.
In response, Karla fired a full energy blast at Kikyo's moving target.
"And remember to always obliterate your targets. They won't always be standing around, archery girl." snipped Karla, glaring at the priestess.
"Or your case…"
"Okay, let's," Kagome quickly interjected, "keep on our regimen. We don't want to upset Grandma and Aunt Suzuka again."
But both women kept glaring at one another, shooting lighting at each other.
Meanwhile, Red She-Hulk and Hydra were engaged in a test of strength.
"Red She-Hulk got you now, Hydi," grunted Red She-Hulk, increasing her strength.
"Care to double the bet?" replied Hydra, maintaining her footing, but found herself slipping.
The red female behemoth was pushing the tan girl back. Kusano noticed that the pair were inching closer to some freshly, naturally-grown chrysanthemum flowers. With each grunt and push, Hydra was finding herself outmatched, and with another push from Red She-Hulk, caused Hydra to step on one of the chrysanthemums. Kusano's face contorted into an angry grimace and her green eyes glowed.
"Mmmmm," growled Kusano, her green eyes shining bright with anger.
The chrysanthemums start to grow large, sprouting extra vines and suddenly ensnaring both Red She-Hulk and Hydra while the chrysanthemum grew higher and higher, surpassing Sanger and Kyoshi's balcony. She was reading a book and he was polishing one of his many swords. The man glanced outside, briefly to see the large plant that his youngest granddaughter super-sized outside their balcony.
"Hmm," Sanger chuckled as he went back to polishing his blade.
"Hey! Kusano! What the hell?!" yelled Hydra, shaking her first.
"What is this?!" grunted Red She-Hulk, struggling against the vines.
"YOU BIG MEANIES ARE STEPPING ON THE FLOWERS!" the little girl yelled, increasing her power.
This caused more foliage to supersize around the courtyard, and everyone had to literally duck for cover.
"I've known little kids to have temper tantrums, but this is ridiculous!" exclaimed Cammy.
"You're telling me!" Mika replied.
"Is there a way to calm her down?" Li asked.
"Mom usually sings her favorite song to calm her down when Ku gets this upset or Father usually plays his flute!" Kagome said, finding herself wrapped up in vines.
"Ha, ha, jokes on all of you! I'm still in the air." Karla laughed.
Until she found herself being snagged by a vine.
"What, hey!"
"You were saying?" Kikyo smirked.
It was then that Ororo came around, courtesy of Blink using her portals to bring the X-Woman from the foyer to the castle courtyard.
"Oh, by the gods. Not this again, Ku, my sweet sunflower." her mother called, weaving through then-nine feet taller grass to reach her daughter.
"Mom!" her kids shouted in unison.
"Mommy!" cried Kusano.
"Oh, my sunflower. Why have you turned our courtyard into a jungle again?"
"Hydi and Hulkie were stepping on the chrysanthemums, and they were hurting them," whined the blonde girl.
"Well, my sunflower, bring them down, so Mommy will deal with them," Ororo softly assured.
Ku sniffled cutely then nodded, making the plants shrink back down to size. Everything started to shrink back down to size, releasing everyone that was trapped in plants, allowing them to release a brief sigh of relief. The massive flower holding Red She-Hulk and Hydra shrunk down, letting the pair go. But it was then that storm clouds appeared in the sky. And a cold wind blew throughout the courtyard.
RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE
"Oh, no. Mom's in that mood again and for once, it wasn't me." Shadow said.
"Well, Mom gets in that mood when father upsets her," said Kagome, hurrying along.
"Everyone back inside, quickly!" ushered Kikyo, hearing the sounds of thunder booming in the sky
No argument was made as the winds increased exponentially and everyone was ushered inside.
"Now, ladies, you know the rules of this castle. The gardens, the flowers all around the castle gardens, are to be properly cared for and protected. And that goes for the entire island as well." Ororo began in a restrained, angered tone.
The winds and storm clouds began to pick up in intensity.
"You see, Kusano and my mother both planted a large majority of the gardens here on the grounds. By hand. "
The thunder began to boom almost angrily in the skies above the castle, as if matching Ororo's mood and tone.
"Kusano was so happy to have learned to do something wonderful by hand, and not through the use of her powers. But now, you two have undone all of my sunflower's hard work.
The wind temperature began to drop suddenly to a near-zero, the area grew so cold that Red She-Hulk, who was a known gamma powerhouse on par with She-Hulk herself, was starting to shiver.
"So, here's what you two are going do. You are going to replant those chrysanthemums by hand, then you're to apologize to Kusano. Then, you're going to water the flowers in all the window sections of the castle. Understood?"
The cold winds quickly shifted violently and the thunder boom several more times to emphasize her point.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Both ladies nodded furiously as the thunder boomed furiously.
"Ororo!" her husband called, appearing before his wife.
"We might have a problem, darling," said Ryu.
(NERV HQ Command Bridge)
The duo of Fuyutsuki and Gendo were on the command bridge, monitoring the skies. It was revealed that during the 16th Angel battle, a tracking mark was tagged on the Rising Gundam.
When it launched away with the other two Gundams, NERV began tracking it throughout the Asia/Pacific airspace, only for the Gundams to disappear from their radar over the ocean. Since then, NERV had sent out search drones, provided by the JSSDF, to continue the search for the Ikaris' hidden base of operations. But much to Gendo's disappointment, nothing was found but clouds in the skies.
"Status report," Gendo ordered from his perch from the command bridge.
"We've searched throughout grids three-zero-one to three-zero-four, sir, and still nothing," Makoto reported.
"Nothing to report in grids five-one-five to three-two-two-four, sir," Shigeru reported.
"Nothing herein grids eight-seven-seven to three-one-one-two-nine, either," Maya said.
Gendo glared at the screen in silence. He watched as the drones continued searching the empty skies for the whereabouts of the Ikari family. Drones began to go low, searching above sea level on any of the remaining islands, but it produced the same result as the searches in the sky.
WHOOSH!
"Huh?" went Maya on her end.
"What it is, Maya?" asked Makoto.
"Something just ghosted across the screen."
The trio looked at the screen, only to see nothing but empty skies.
"Huh, that's odd," Makoto said. "One of the drones on my end just disappeared."
Makoto pulled up a part of the map where the drone vanished where the other drones were roaming.
"Odd."
Another set of drones began their scan of the area. Suddenly, a large shadow loomed over the drones.
"What the hell?!" Shigeru gasped.
"Have you got something, Shigeru?" Maya asked.
"I don't know, it could be…
"EEEEEE!"
"Did anyone else hear that, or was it just me?" Makoto asked.
"It sounded almost like…a bird," Maya said.
He quickly typed furiously to angle his drones to see the source of the shadow, and one managed to point upward towards the looming shadow.
"What is that?"
"Aoba, what do you have?" asked Gendo.
Shigeru pressed several more buttons to get a clear angle of the silhouetted object. From the angle, it looks like…a bird. A very, very large bird. Before the drone could examine it further, the feed was cut off.
"What? We lost visual." Shigeru said, trying to get back the feed.
"Playback the last image. It may be a clue." Gendo said.
"Sir," answered Shigeru, bringing up the last image.
Shigeru typed furiously to retrieve the last image of the drone. The image returned on the larger command screen. Most of it was obscured due to the image being in the sun. Shigeru pulled back and angled the image. It was indeed a silhouette of a large bird with green eyes.
"What could it be?" asked Maya.
"Hmmm…" went Fuyutsuki, remembering the image of the large animal construct that apparently did battle with the 15th Angel.
All personnel looked at the screen in wonder, a sudden faint beeping noise sounded on Makoto's workstation while Gendo glared at the screen, trying to decipher its shadowy features.
"Hey, I'm getting a faint reading from one of the drones that were in my grid, sir," Makoto reported.
He began to type furiously to try to track the reading, but quickly fell short, then he decided on another tactic.
"What are you trying to do, Hyuga?" Shigeru asked.
"I'm trying to re-route the connection, maybe get a feed on where the damn thing might have ended up," Makoto replied.
"Pfft, it's probably floating on the ocean by now Hyuga," replied Maya.
"Maybe…"
"Only thing-"
"Wait a minute, I think I got something. Bringing it up…now."
On-screen showed where the drone had ended up. It was an open grassy plain field with large mountains in the far distance."
"What the hell?" all three of them whispered.
"Let me see if I can angle the camera to a better viewpoint."
The drone on the ground started to move, albeit very slowly, it slowly inched its way ten to twenty degrees on the right. It started to glance at something from a distance. It seemed to be a large building in the far distance.
"Is that a…castle?"
Before a response could be made, the ground beneath it began to quake and another large shadow cast itself over the drone and suddenly, the feed was cut.
BZZZZZZZZZ!
Makoto typed quickly to try to retrieve the last image but failed.
"I lost the feed and its tracking signal," the bridge tech said.
"Can you pinpoint its last known grid location?" asked Gendo.
"I can try, sir," Makoto replied, typing away. "Ah, I have it, sir, it's-"
But before could finish that sentence, the screens suddenly started to go haywire, and computer systems starting blinking in and out all throughout the room.
The trio worked furiously to try and stabilize the systems, but the MAGI was shutting down. The whole room was literally going dark. The lights started to dim on and off until finally, they shut off.
"Power's off, main systems, sub-systems, and our backups are offline." Shigeru reported, "We've gone dark…again."
"Hyuga! What was the last known location point?!" Gendo demanded.
"It was grid alpha ten-nine-eleven-eight-three-zero, sir," reported Makoto as some of the power started coming back on.
"Hmmm…good, at least we have a possible location," Gendo said, getting up and walking out of the command room.
As Gendo walked out, he pulled out a photo from his person. He first received it less than two weeks ago, after the sudden attack on Fujikawaguchiko.
The Japanese government had ruled it a terrorist attack and the news had spread to the media, but there were reports of strange creatures attacking the town, the photo the grim commander was looking at was a picture of a teal-skinned woman doing battle with a massive black creature. What's more, he was looking at the face of this woman. A very familiar face.
"Yui, is it possible?" Gendo whispered.
"Commander!" a voice caught his attention.
Gendo's head snapped up and saw Dr. Akagi approaching him urgently with a somewhat disturbing look on her face.
"What is it, doctor?" asked Gendo.
We have a situation in Central Dogma, The Rei replacements are…gone." Ritsuko reported.
"What?!" Gendo asked as if he was hearing wrong.
"Follow me, you'll see." she ushered.
The pair walked briskly to the elevator. While heading there, Gendo swore he could hear a faint giggle echo throughout the empty hallways. Ignoring it, for the time being, Gendo pressed onward, the pair rode the elevator downward.
After about five to ten minutes of traveling the base, the two reached the chamber, only to confirm the commander's worse fear. The spare Rei's were gone. It was all just a big, empty tank of LCL.
"H-How can this be?" the grim commander whispered. "Only you and I have access to this room. How in the hell is this possible?!"
"I've checked the footage…and they've just disappeared," Ritsuko explained.
"Damn it! Damn it!" Gendo exclaimed, his voice echoing throughout the now-empty chamber.
"We'll have to start again. The good news is that we still have Rei's DNA on file. I should begin the-"
"Ha, ha, ha," a burst of sudden laughter echoed throughout the chamber.
"D-did you just hear…"
"You've known all along." the voice echoed.
"Who's there?! Show yourself, damn you!"
Ritsuko looked around and saw nothing but LCL, although she felt she could see the images of the Rei copies literally smiling at her, laughing at her. The pair quickly exited the chamber in a frustrated huff.
"We still have Rei's DNA on file, yes?" asked the commander, getting a nod from the fake blonde as they walked back to the elevator.
"Good, begin the process as soon as possible."
"What will everyone say?" asked Ritsuko.
"We will simply report that we have located the First Child."
"Yes, sir."
As the pair made back it up to the upper levels, they ran into someone. He was a boy with white hair and an albino skin complexion and red eyes, giving the two other occupants a wide, uneasy smile.
"Hello, Commander. Hello, Doctor." the boy said, bowing almost mockingly. " I am Kaworu Nagisa."
"The Fifth Child," uttered Gendo. "You're here earlier than expected."
"Indeed, Commander, I was sent by the committee, due to the recent string of failures regarding the Ikari family and one Shinji Ikari, the former Third Child."
Gendo frowned darkly.
"And I also see that the First Child is…not around," the Fifth Child observed.
"The First Child…is indisposed. She will return to duty soon." the commander quickly said, but Kaworu saw through that lie.
"I…see. Well, in either case, I come to you with a solution to your problem, sir."
"A solution, you say."
"Yes, on my way here, I came across someone who also ran afoul of the Ikari family, and is taking steps to deal with them in their own way."
"Who?" asked Gendo.
"Someone very powerful,"
"Who?" Ritsuko asked.
"I'm sorry, but that's all you're getting since this person is already on the move now. But back to the matter, I will get to meet the First Child in time, yes?"
"Yes, yes, you will in good time, Nagisa. Head to the locker room to get yourself squared away, then prepare for your sync test with the Second Child." Ritsuko instructed. "We need to see how compatible you'll be with the Evas."
"Yes, understood, ma'am," replied Kaworu.
The boy departed without a word, leaving the two adults alone. Internally, Gendo and Ritsuko were both sweating profusely. The Rei clones were missing and the committee sent their asset ahead of time. Gendo needed to gain control of this situation now. First, he would need to glean more information about this mysterious individual that the newly-arrived Fifth Child spoke of. Perhaps he could use the Second Child for that particular chore.
"Begin the process, then test him. Let's see how valuable this 'asset ' is." Gendo snarked.
"Understood, but he-"
"I am aware, doctor. He will be closely monitored and, if need be…eliminated."
As the pair both walked in opposite directions, Gendo heard faint laughter echoing throughout the hallway, but paid it no mind as he walked back to his office. As he walked, his mind was neck-deep in thoughts, trying to decipher the new Fifth Child's words.
If there was anyone who was also against the Ikari family, he would use them to his benefit. When Gendo turned the opposite corner, he suddenly found himself in his office.
"What?" he questioned, looking around in his office. "How did I?"
"Gendo Rokobungi," a female voice called, getting his attention.
He looked to see a woman wearing a dark green dress, leaning against the front of his desk, wearing a smile on her face.
"I have an offer," said the woman.
(Ikari castle control room)
Ryu and Ororo walked inside the control room with frowns on their faces. There they saw Suzuka, Sanger, and Reiko all staring at the large global monitor. On it, there were red circular waves emanating from different parts of the globe. Walking up to the three Ryu asked;
"What has happened?"
"Several strange, disturbing energy readings have appeared in certain parts of Japan, China, Egypt, and Antarctica," Reiko reported.
"These anomalies are nearly identical to the ones in Fujikawaguchi," said Sanger.
"More shadow demons like in Fujikawaguchi?" asked the mutant.
"Could be, but these readings are more erratic than in Fujikawaguchi. Right now, they do not seem to be moving. They're just stationary."
"Well, in either case, we'll need to investigate. Suzuka, where's Kenshin?" asked Ryu.
"He's in Kanazawa with Kenji," Suzuka informed. "Kenshin was eager to see him again after Kenji returned from training with Master Hiko."
"Kenji still hasn't quite…warmed up to you, has he?" Sanger asked, getting a shake of the head in the negative.
"No, he was little when his mother died, and then with him being sent away to his master when he was eight, and his father remarrying all happened so fast. I'm not sure if he'll ever accept me."
"Give him time. He's young. It didn't take long for Shinji to accept Ororo, if you remember." Ryu informed.
"Because Shinji was alone and sad. Ororo was what he needed-"
RING, RING, RING.
"One of the anomalies just spiked," one of the techs reported.
"Where?" Reiko asked.
"In Antarctica, ma'am…"
"Ryu and I will investigate," Sanger said, getting a nod from his son-in-law.
"What about the other anomalies?" Reiko asked.
"Keep watching them see if anything changes," Ryu said, going to get changed.
"Right, just don't freeze when you see Antarctica, darling." his wife lightly joked.
Scoffing, Ryu replied, "What are you talking about? I never freeze."
He then walked out of the room.
"Reiko, what's your theory on this?" the robot pilot asked.
"I do not know, Sanger. More data on this anomaly would help. I'll tell the crews to prep the ship."
The man nodded and then looked towards Suzuka, who got the hint.
"I'll go to China and check on this other anomaly," Suzuka said.
"Don't go alone. Swing by Kanagawa and pick up Kenji and Kenshin. Make it a family mission." Sanger insisted.
"Alright."
"I'll take Blink and go to Cairo, then," said Ororo.
With that, Ororo and Suzuka left the room, leaving Sanger and Reiko alone.
"Aren't you going to tell Koyoshi or Yui?" asked the family physician, getting a shake of the head in the negative.
"No, let's keep the circle small for now. They're needed here to look after the kids. Besides, Umar is still out there. Not to mention NERV is-"
"Searching the skies for us. We've spotted their drones searching the skies earlier today, and we found a tracking beacon on Rising Gundam during it's repairs." Reiko informed.
"Are you certain?" Sanger asked.
"Absolutely, it must have been tagged on the Gundam during NERV's barrage. Kikyo was too busy defending herself to notice."
"That is a concern. Our barrier conceals us, but it doesn't prevent entry."
"I know. Worst-case scenario, we need to finish preparations for the outer defenses. If that Angel was able to find us, so will NERV and SEELE." Reiko stated.
"Once they see whose home this really is, they'll wish they hadn't," Sanger replied, walking out of the room.
(A few hours later)
Ryu and Sanger, aboard the Raven's Claw with Sanger piloting, flew over the blood-red waters of Antarctica, few icebergs sailed the water, and almost fewer landmasses to land on. Ryu ran a scan, trying to pick up anything unusual, but didn't find anything. He peered outside the starboard side and frowned at the devastation caused by the Second Impact under his mask.
Sanger found a decent place for landing and landed the ship. Father-in-law and son-in-law both exited the ship. Ryu was wearing his falcon-styled ninja garb and Sanger was wearing a military-styled snow coat with matching gloves and a beanie and goggles, with his sword strapped behind him.
"Don't you ever get cold?" asked the old man.
"No, I was trained to withstand the conditions of any environment. The cold doesn't bother me," answered Ryu.
"Hmm, also being married to my daughter is also a factor, since she could make it snow on a whim."
"Plus, it helps that built-in thermal tech is weaved into my garb," thought the ninja.
"That too, what are we supposed to be looking for Sanger? This is all just one big wasteland."
Sanger pulled out a rectangle radar device from his pocket and pointed it westward as the device beeped.
"We have to go about twenty klicks that way," Sanger said. "That may be where the anomaly is."
With that, the two set off, unaware that they were being watched by two hooded figures. A woman with long, dark hair and an evil aura surrounding her and a figure dressed in all white with a mask over his face.
"Are you sure you're up to the task? The Dragon Ninja bested you the last time you fought him, back when you served the Dark Shogun." the woman said.
"That last time he was lucky, and I was overconfident. This time, I have the advantage, for he is unaware of my resurrection, thanks to you." said the figure.
"Just remember, make sure they trigger the trap. My plan must not fail." said the woman.
"It will not, Umar. And what of the other family members?" the figure asked.
"They will be dealt with accordingly. Everything is in motion, and Animaria will soon be defenseless," replied Umar as a cold breeze blew her way.
"And Gendo Rokobungi, has he agreed?"
"Almost right away. He will play his part and what he wishes will be his," said Umar, watching Sanger and Ryu walk out of sight.
"I will begin, immediately."
Ryu and Sanger continued their trek on the snow-covered field.
"The damage caused by Second Impact is much worse than I imagined," Ryu said.
"Indeed, this is all the result of man's tampering with forces beyond comprehension. And half the planet paid the price." Sanger added, the cold breeze passing his face.
"Once you could see polar bears and penguins and other arctic wildlife scattered across this land. Now, they are few."
"Well, hopefully, we'll be able to change that once NERV is dealt with."
The cold breeze of the barren wasteland suddenly increased to high winds. Suddenly, the ground started to shake a bit, putting the pair on alert. They kept on walking. There was movement in the snow. Ryu readied his kunai while Sanger pulled out a gun. Groups of three ice-covered, rusted, circular, four-legged drones (FF7Slug rays) emerged from the ground.
"Slug Rays!" Sanger exclaimed, pulling out his gun and began firing. "Take them out quick!"
"Say no more," replied his son-in-law, taking out four explosive kunai.
Sanger was firing rapidly, only for his bullets to have little effect. Ryu tossed his kunai at the center of the machine, causing them to explode on impact.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
"To hell with this."
Sanger replaced his gun and unsheathed his sword.
"Yahhhh!"
The man swung right horizontally in a wide slash attack, taking down five Slug Rays at once. Ryu, not to be outdone by his father-in-law, unsheathed his own sword and channeled lightning into this blade, and flash-slashed the remaining set.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
And just like that, it was over.
"I heard a rumor that there was a facility here. Either before or after the Second Impact, although by the look of this wasteland, I would think it's the former." Sanger said.
"So, what do you think, we triggered some old defenses?" Ryu asked.
"Possibly, and there may be more as we go on," Sanger said.
"I'm ready for anything. Let's go."
The two resumed their trek. They walked for about half an hour before nearing their destination. The winds began to increase with every step they took.
"Hmm," Ryu hummed.
"What is it?"
"I sense something up ahead. Something familiar."
"The signal is getting stronger. We must be getting close."
The pair continued to walk more briskly, keeping on the alert while enduring the ever-increasing winds and sudden temperature drop. Another ten minutes of walking and soon, they had reached the source of the anomaly, which was a medium-sized black hole with a small stone in the center.
"This is it?" Ryu questioned. "Are you sure this is the anomaly?"
"According to the scans, yes," Sanger answered, "but what could this-"
"Muhaaaa!" laughter suddenly echoed throughout the area.
Instantly, the pair was on alert. The winds started to shift gathering snow into a tornado motion, revealing a very familiar figure to Ryu at least. The figure wore an all-white garb, complete with a hood and mask.
"Ice Ninja?! How are you alive?! I killed you years ago!" Ryu exclaimed, taking out his sword.
"I wasn't quite as dead as you left me in that cavern when you fought the Dark Shogun. A sorceress resurrected me and promised me revenge if I served her." replied the Ice Ninja.
"I knew I should have burned your corpse to ash the same way I burned your master's," Ryu said, readying himself. "A mistake I won't make again."
"This sorceress you speak of, it's Umar, isn't it? My daughter spoke of her encounter in China with Umar," said Sanger.
"Yes, she did. Ororo and the X-Men made it a point to keep a lookout for her."
"Your wife will have her own meeting soon. Right now, you are my priority, and your father-in-law is a pleasant bonus." The Ice Ninja quipped, extending his arms.
"This place will become your grave, and this time, I'll leave your body in pieces." the ninja declared.
"I was about to say the same to you, old friend, but this wasteland doesn't suit us. You deserve a suitable grave."
The medium-sized black hole began to grow and glow, bringing forth intense winds, which began sucking in Ryu and Sanger.
"What trickery is this?" Sanger grunted, slamming his big sword into the ground.
"Ice," Ryu growled, embedding his own sword into the ice in an attempt to slow down or stop.
The winds increased ever so, as the Ice Ninja waved his hand, extending the black hole. It lasted two more minutes until finally, the pair were sucked in.
"Ahhhh!"
"Ahhhh!"
As soon as they were in, the Ice Ninja followed behind and the black hole closed.
End Chapter
End Notes: Here's chapter 20. The first part of the new arc. Now things are gonna turn challenging for the Ikari family, this is part one. Where Ryu and Sanger end up is anyone's guess. It could be in another author's story or in another anime like Black Clover, It's up for interpretation. In the Next chapter, Ororo Kyoshi and Blink face their challenge. Could be a villain from Marvel, DC, or Avatar. And Shinji meets Kawrou face to face unaware of what's happening to his family. Rei and Elena make special discoveries , and Gendo's plan is set in motion. I am welcome to suggestions, updates are slow cause real-life demands my attention. Read and Review and stay prime.