Chaper 65: Ill-Comfort

Slowly opening the hospital room door, Asuka peered inside.

'Looks relatively the same,' she thought entering quietly. Seeing the patient on the bed and closing the door slowly behind her, the handle barely made a sound. Seeing all the warning signs, equipment, medical supplies, and yellow suits, the environment reminded her of movies she had seen. Going toward the contamination suits, she picked one up.

'…blah…' the redhead thought grimacing at it. 'Who knows how many people wore it. Bet this thing hasn't been washed…gross.'

'…but…if I am going in there,' she pondered looking at the person lying on the bed. Not able to see details of the patient, she looked back at the suit then at what she was wearing.

'Yeah right,' the Second Child stated in her head. 'If I was wearing my plug suit, then sure. But bare skin and my favorite dress, hell no.'

Putting the contamination suit back on the coat rack quietly, she turned back to look at the surroundings again. The hospital room was dim lit and a little cold. Ignoring them, she heard two sounds. One was the medical machines beeping. The other was a deep, airy, and amplified sound of shallow breathing. Looking back at the other person in the room, she stepped forward toward the first set of heavy and thick plastic drapes.

"…" the redhead said feeling apprehension creeping in. Turning toward the contamination suits, she stopped and shook her head vigorously.

'He can't do anything to you,' Asuka thought turning back forward.

'He is in a strait jacket, strapped to the bed and floor, and has that face mask,' she stated to herself putting on a determined expression.

'He can't do anything to me. Even Misato stated that the number of mind tricks he does has gone down,' she thought and puffed out her chest a little.

'I am the one that is graciously choosing to visit,' the redhead voiced in her mind. Putting a hand on her hip, she gave a small smirk.

'I'll make him appreciate it!'

Feeling confident and not afraid, she slowly pushed a couple of drapes away and walked forward. Placing her foot down, the sound of her heel click seemed loud and echoed a little bit. Looking down at her foot oddly then back up, nothing seemed to happen. Tightening her face a little, she slowly walked forward to the bed.

In the chaos that was acting like a rapid strobe light, Shinji felt his mind starting to melt. From the images, the voices, the sounds, the environmental changes, the repetitive reliving of memories, the endless amount of drowning, and the constant brutality, he couldn't say or do anything. Not able to comprehend anymore or make sense of his mind's eye, he resorted to focusing on adapting and accepting it all. As if responding to his change of will, the schizophrenic world intensified. Since then, time seemed to be speeding up until something deafening loud sounded.

"…" Shinji said only able to open his eyes a hair or so.

The chaotic and hypnotic world was slowly becoming stable. Forming into the crayon world, parts of it were the dark abyss with the array of lights. Strangely, all the voices and sounds had become quiet. Looking around slowly with his eyes, the outlines of everything was vibrating slowly. Hearing another loud sound, something started to smell as if something was burning. Glancing to his right, it was the figure engulfed in flames.

Walking slowly to the male pilot's bedside, she just stared down at him. He appeared to be sleeping and breathing a bit more slowly than normal. The environment in the room seemed unnerving despite feeling nothing odd, strange, or creepy about it. Straightening out her sundress and rechecking the ribbons in her hair, she looked back at him. Swallowing, she opened her mouth.

"Hey," the Second Child said a little quieter than a normal speaking tone. Waiting for a minute or two, nothing happened. Seeing that the medical machines read the same levels, she tried again.

"Hey Third," Asuka said in the same volume again. Waiting for another minute or two, still nothing happened. Feeling apprehension slowly crawl up her back, she tightened her face. Frowning a little, she lifted her left hand.

"Hey! Wake up!" she said sternly and poked his right cheek hard. With the gas mask contraption on him, a majority of his face was covered. Though the Second Child hit a leather part of the face contraption, she felt it gave in then stop hitting his teeth.

"…" Shinji said feeling his eyes open a little more.

The walk inferno thrust a burning hot spike into his right cheek. It instantly melted through his skin, teeth, and scorched the right side of his tongue. Clamping the remaining teeth down murderously, he felt his pain receptors screeching loudly. A large booming migraine instantly manifested causing him to feel nauseated. Despite the suffering the spread all over him, the male pilot felt more awake. Slowly turning his head toward the enflamed figure, it seemed to be the same one as before. Strangely, it was wearing a dress that constantly changed its shape and size. Controlling his breathing, he blinked slowly behind his mask.

"…" Asuka said feeling lost for words for a second. Blinking and looking around her a second, everything looked the same. Staring back at him, she listened to him breath and the aspect that his head was turned toward her. Mentally snapping herself out of her stupor, she thought about what she came to do.

"So, you can respond now," Asuka commented while pulling a chair and putting one foot on it. "Good, then my time here won't be useless."

"Listen up Third!" she stated pointing a finger at him. "I have a lot to say to you so don't you fall asleep on me!"

"…" he replied not moving and just breathing. Something in his head was causing turmoil. It was as if a rift was occurring.

"Really? Is that all you are going to say to me?" the Second Child asked with a not so pleased face.

"…" the male pilot answered as his breathing changed a little. It sounded very airy and quiet. Her face faltered a little thinking that he was actually trying to say something. Looking at him, she moved the chair closer to the bedside. Pushing the drapes that surrounded his bed, she leaned in to be in his personal space.

"What you say?" the redhead ask trying to keep her not pleased face. Butterflies were going in her stomach as a part of her wanted to leave the room. However, her ego was pushing her forward to show dominance and who was the leader of the Eva pilots. Again, she heard the same airy and muffled sounds as if he was trying to repeat himself.

"…" Shinji said feeling himself heat up. The inferno figure was closer to him and he could feel its intense heat. Unable to stop himself from sweating, beads were forming and falling from his forehead. At the same time, the rift had nearly pulled his brain apart. Only a few strains were holding everything together. Trying to figure out why the split was occurring, the fire silhouette got closer.

"What?" Asuka asked moving her ear closer. Hearing the Third Child try again, she let out a frustrated sigh.

"Geez, I can't understand you. I would hear you better if this pacifier-mask thing wasn't on your mouth and face," she stated looking at the mouth contraption. Without warning, she hovered over and started looking around. Seeing something that looks like buttons or grooves, she started feeling around with her hands.

"…!" the male pilot said as the flaming person put its hands on his face. The intense heat was burning and blistering his skin at a rapid rate. Feeling the skin of his remaining cheek balloon and pop, a liquid blood-pus mixture shot out as he was straining to stay conscious. At the same time, he was hearing his voices rapidly battling and talking back and forth.

'It's her!' Sno said excited. 'Quick! Give me control!'

'There is too much interference,' Shinzin said off-hand.

'Why should we help you to get with her?' Shonj asked.

'We aren't getting our interests back anytime soon,' Shoji stated.

'Yeah…except for blue-boy over there,' Shino stated crossing his arms over his chest.

'You guys are just jealous she seems me every day,' Shonj stated with a smug look on his face.

'I believe based on hours and days spent, mine beats of yours,' Shoji stated taking off his glasses and cleaning them with a smirk. 'All of yours actually.'

'Shut up!' both Sno and Shonj said angrily.

'Just get ready,' Shinzin just shook his head.

'…hEhEhEHeHeHe…' the demented voice giggled to himself staring down from the ceiling of the hospital room. 'r…e…j…e…c…t…s…CoMeOuT-cOmEoUt-WH ^ $…yyyyyyoooooouuuuuuuaaaaaarrrreeeeee.'

'Where is that stupid release button,' Asuka thought starting with gentle pressing and grabbing. Not finding anything, she tried it with more force.

"…" Shinji responded feeling his eyes roll backwards from the excruciating pain.

His lower jaw had melted off completely. Parts of his upper jaw were singed and blistering. His neck had 3rd degree burns that made breathing hoarse and difficult. The rift in his mind had broke in which he started falling into the pitch black void with no sound. As he was plunging, the last two things he heard was Rana's shout. The other was the dark clone's cackle that echoed in slow motion then into nothing.

"Ah, here we go," Asuka stated feeling a button and pressed it. The gears in the mouth contraption whined and pushed the gas mask portion outward a little. Looking at why all of it didn't come out, she saw the head straps of the face cover holding it. Reaching over to the harness buckles on his head, she started loosening each one.

'T #h% ^&*t…that#^#$THAT-!' the twisted voice shouted in the male pilot's head. Part of itself slowly descended down like a spider on a web thread. It stopped to be above both of the teen's heads as a black-red eye opened up fully. Its pupil and iris were shaking in place.

'…c…o…m…e…CoMe-cOmE-COME-COME!COME!COME!CO! #$^ #$!' it roared with various emotions running through it. Watching, the upper portion of the Third Child's head slowly melt from the inferno figure's hands. Burnt hair, skin, blood, and cranial fluid filled its nostrils making it breath heavy with content. Seeing the blazing silhouette pulling its hands back slowly, Shinji's skull melted to expose the discolored brain.

'…' the morbid voice commented. The sight it saw made its shaking black-red eye squint into a morbid smile. A black tattered and torn tongue came out of the pupil and licked the whole eye before retracting back in. Feeling a mouth grin widely somewhere on its body, it brought out a couple of tentacle spikes and waited.

'Geez…does he normally sweat a lot?' Asuka thought slowly getting the last buckle loose. Moving herself back a little, she noticed that beads of sweat were falling down around his face cover. The apprehension feeling was fighting its way back as it was telling her to leave.

'Come on. Get a grip,' she thought shaking her head. 'I'm here to pass my boredom and assert who is the best. Then, I'm out of here.'

She reached on the sides of the face cover and slowly pulled it away from his face. Hearing a slight suction, it let go with a quiet pop. Pulling the contraption off his face and setting it down on his chest, she mentally prepared herself.

"Now then Third," she asked turning to his face. "What did…you…?"

"…"

"…?" the Second Child said feeling her train of thought and mental plan screech to a halt. Blinking and rubbing her eyes, she stared in confusion.

"Hey fire cracker," Sno greeted with a smirk. "Looks like you are dressed for a date."

"…?" she responded still having a hard time processing what she was seeing.

"Or did you just come from a blind date?"

"…what…how…when…" the redhead replied with her mouth open slowly looking bewildered.

"I'd be a staring like that if I were a freak of nature," Sno mentioned then sighed. "Are you going to say 'hello' or something or are you going to wait till a fly gets into your mouth?"

"…" Asuka answered moving her mouth a little but nothing came out. Immediately feeling her fear creep in, she got overly angry to combat it. Getting in front of his face, she had a scary expression.

"Who the hell are you?"

"…?" he said with a lone raised brow. "Who the hell do you think I am?"

"A psycho monster."

"Yeah? Takes one to know one, right?"

"Watch it freak! Provoke me and I'll clobber you!" she stated angrily.

"Ooo-ooo…I am so scared," Sno smirked while rolling his eyes. He was immediately slapped in the face hard.

"Ow!" he stated loudly and grimaced. Feeling his cheek burn, he turned to her and matched her angry expression.

"That freaking hurt! What the hell butthead!?"

"…?" Asuka responded. Blinking in surprise from what he said, she was more confused. She knew that this was the dream version of the Third Child; however, she knew that she wasn't sleeping. Going back to her angry expression, she got back in his face.

"Who you calling a butthead you psycho freak!?"

"I am, idiot! What the hell is your problem?!"

"You are the problem!"

"Me? What did I do?"

"Everything! You took my spotlight, my stage, my fame, and my standing as an Eva pilot. It is I who is the true Eva pilot. The one made to be the best from the beginning. It's me that everyone should be looking up to. Not you!" she said clenching a free hand into a fist.

"You are nothing compared to me! You are just a haphazard that was thrown into piloting. You don't care about anything or have a passion for anything. You didn't even care about piloting. Above everything else, you do weird psycho shit! I'll never acknowledge you, you sick freak! I have had enough of you and dealing with you! All you do is piss me off!" she declared and threw a right cross at his face.

Feeling the punch's impact, Sno's head went right and into the bed pillow. Asuka was about to grab his jaw for another clobber when she saw him not even looking at her. The left corner of his mouth was bleeding a little as his left cheek was getting more bruised. Her mind paused and went blank for a couple of seconds. Seeing tears building up in his copper-red eyes looked offsetting.

"If…if that is how you feel about me," he said slowly without choking in emotion. "Then leave."

"…" the redhead replied and just blinked.

"God…damn it," Sno stated unable to turn away or rub his eyes. "To think I thought we…we had something."

"Something?! Me and you!?" she questioned in a derogatory manner. She instantly saw his face turn to her with a raw hurt and anger expression. Again, seeing his reaction was startling.

"That's right! I thought we could have been something together. But how silly of me. I was too dazzled by you. How could an idiot like me meet up to your standards of a man? Isn't that right my friend? You plan on beating the shit out of me to prove it? Well, you have you bitch!"

"…!?" the Second Child said recoiling away from him and standing back on the floor. How he was talking and saying things with emotion was too new for her. Her brain was still trying to process what was occurring more than comprehending.

"Go back to being the freaking ace pilot! Go back to that fame you so god damn need! Go back to that piece of shit popularity you crave! GO BACK TO ALL OF THAT! AND WHILE YOU ARE AT IT, STAY THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!" Sno shouted at her with tears dripping out of his eyes. Feeling his raw emotions try to open up more, he cringed and turned his head to the left as much as possible.

"…" Asuka said feeling odd seeing him that emotionally hurt. Her insides tightened as her mind started to turn hard. Feeling emotionally affected, the pilot's ego was pushing it away quickly. Her head became downcast as she tried to sort out where she stood with herself. There were too many things going through her mind that made her unable to say something.

"…" Sno said clenching his teeth to not let out any more tears. Oddly, he felt something cold and vile drop onto his cheek. Feeling another, he looked up to the ceiling.

"…!?" he said with eyes wide open forgetting the emotional distraught he just experienced.

He heard the other voices trying to call him back, almost as if they were yelling at him. The morbid voice the others talked about was above his head with a huge black-red eye boring at him. The eye squinted and a crude mouth split it open. A hideous and grotesque mouth showed with horrendous breath coming out. Three of its tentacles shot down and impaled three areas of his torso. Immediately, something was being injected in him at an alarming rate making him swell.

'T…h…A…T…w…A…s…D…e…L…i…C…i…O…u…S…'the dark clone cooed.

Inflating to blistering size, the male pilot's body exploded. Red and black gore splashed everywhere in the room as pieces of skin and bone scattered around. Grinning inhumanly wide with its eye-mouth, it turned to the other occupant in the room. Seeing the Eva pilot lost in her thoughts, it felt more of its mouths emerge around its form. Once they opened up, they started biting down repetitively at different times. A chorus of teeth clicking filled the room.

'I'm…I'm…I'm…' the Second Child thought blinking and staring at the floor. '…I'm not wrong…I'm not.'

'He's just a figure of imagination…a mind trick…there is no real feelings there…just a dream…a mirage…there is nothing really there…it is just him playing that psycho crap again,' Asuka thought loudly to herself. However, thinking about what he said of having feelings for her was satisfying.

'No,' she thought shaking her head. 'I won't be played or tricked by him. I'll see through that front of his and prove how solid I am.'

"Nice try idiot," the redhead said looking up and putting her hands on her hips. "I won't fall for that. I see through you. Just another immature boy like I thought."

"Jeez, this was a waste of time coming here," she mentioned. Turning around, she headed toward the door. Passing through the heavy curtains, she went to the door. Putting her hand on the handle, she looked back with an unpleased face.

"I'll say it again, stay out of my way Third," she stated then opened the room door. Exiting and closing the door, she felt her facial expression drop quickly. Looking back at the door, she felt an emotion building. Turning and leaving, she exited out of the quarantine area.

'Nothing happened…I said what I wanted…I proved a point,' she thought walking down the hospital hallways toward the exit. As she continued, her pace started getting slower. Going down to a small walk, she kept staring at the ground. Despite telling herself over and over that what she did was good, what he said about them having something didn't go away.

'…it's…it's almost like…I liked hearing that…'

'NO! Kaji is the only man I see,' her ego stated in her head.

'The Third Child is your rival! You can't show him weakness!' her competitive self voiced.

'That's right! That idiot can't meet up to Kaji's standards!'

'He's a weakling!'

'He's a nobody!'

'He is nothing more than psychotic drone!'

'Besides, Wonderdoll fawns all over him!' a jealous voice piped in which seemed to grip the female pilot more. 'They were made for each other because both act like obedient dolls! That jerk never gives me a second glance!'

'I'll show everyone that I am not a doll!' a child voice shouted in her head. Blinking from the last thought that went through her head, Asuka found herself outside.

"Are you wanting to go back home Pilot Souryu?" a security guard asked. Seeing her nod, he called on the walkie for an escort vehicle. While she waited, her mind kept repeating what he said. Rubbing her arms, goosebumps of something other than apprehension appeared.

Outside of the wedding reception party, two people were getting some fresh air. However, one of them was having a little difficulty to walk. In order to prevent her from falling, the other was piggy-backing the lavender haired woman for the time being.

"ugggh…" Misato said.

"Please don't throw up on my back," Kaji commented. Looking back, the young woman had a semi-sick looking face.

"I think I had one too many."

"You were like that back then too."

"…" the Major replied with a grunt. "You need a shave."

"Right, right."

"I think I can walk now," she stated as he stopped and lowered her down. Her feet touched the cold pavement sending her a shiver from her toes and up her legs. Though unpleasant, it made her feel a bit more awake. Both continued walking as she carried her heels.

"Have I changed?" she asked looking at the ground.

"You look pretty."

"…" the Major said continuing to walk. "That time when I said we should go our separate ways due to having someone else…it was a lie…you know?"

"I didn't."

"When I was searching for what happened to my father, you came around. You were like him…in turn, I got scared…of you…myself…everything. Despite hating him at the time, I became enamored with a man that resembles him."

"…" Kaji replied holding a neutral face.

"Going to NERV was an attempt to run away from everything; however, my father was part of it too…oops," she said flattering a step, but recovered.

"You selected that path."

"No-No. I wanted to run away from everything and my father. Instead of choosing my own path, I became a coward…Sorry, I am like this because I am drunk," she stated stopping seeing someone stand in the distance of them.

"That's enough," Kaji said and stopped. He looked up to see Misato have a confused expression and looking at something. He turned and froze.

"FeElInG…l…i…k…e…A cHiLd-CHI! $^ $LD!CHILD!" the silhouette stated. NERV's investigator recognized the voice, but the Major didn't. It reminded her of someone else.

"I am a…kid," she said with a downcast head.

'It's the one from the police video!?' Kaji thought with sweat dripping down his face. The figure stepped forward a little but half its face was in the shadows. What was creeping the special investigator out was the numerous odd body shapes forming and moving in the shadows. The red irises and malice grin on its face were seen from afar giving him fear.

"I thought…you would be similar to me Shinji…but, you weren't…not even close…you embraced everything…no matter what was done to you…and continued to walk by yourself."

"p-p-p-p-p-ooooooor…r…r…r…LaDy. LoAtHiNgIn-se-sel-el-el-ellllllllfffffff-pityPiTyPITY!…heeeeeeeeheehe."

"I am a foul woman/I AM A FOUL WOMAN."

"What the?" Kaji muttered in fright. Stepping back, the evil version of the male pilot mimicked Misato's voice. However, it used its aura of malice and vileness with the tone. It seemed like someone's self-hatred talking to them outside of their mind.

"I depend on a man only in this drunken state."

"I MIGHT HAVE MADE USE OF YOU SEVERAL TIMES!"

"I hate myself!" the Major said out loud feeling herself tensing up.

"I hAtE mYsElF…IIIIIIII-hhhhhaaaa $#^ $^ $ttttteeeeee…m…y…S…E…L…f…"

"That's enough!" Kaji shouted at the teen silhouette. However, the figure didn't. He could see now both of its red eyes were now slits with an inhumanly wide grin. The teen silhouette's words started changing from mimicking Misato's voice to its deranged and distorted tone.

"I HATE MYSELF!"

"I LOATH MYSELF!"

"I FEAR MYSELF!"

"I HURT MYSELF!"

"I DESPISE MYSELF!"

"I RUN AWAY FROM MYSELF!"

"I KILL MYSELF!"

"STOP! THAT IS ENOUGH!" Kaji shouted in anger pulling out his firearm and pointing at the figure.

In a blink, the silhouette was gone, but a demented giggle was heard. Breathing hard to calm down, he quickly put his pistol away and turned to Misato. Her head was still downcast and was still tense. Noticing and getting close to her, he looked at her face. He saw that she wasn't in fear of what occurred.

"Uhhhh…" she said with a hiccup and fell to her knees.

'She's out,' he said catching her before she fell on her face.

Looking back at where the silhouette stood, he shook his head from still feeling the intense apprehension generated from it. Getting the Major on his back again, he continued carrying her to her apartment while cautiously scanning for any more signs of the male pilot.

Sometime after the Second Child left the medical facility at NERV, a visitor came into the building. Still in her school uniform, she walked to the receptionist's desk. Walking passed it, the employee at the desk never lifted her head from the paperwork she was doing. Heading toward a nearby elevator, she pressed the door button. The elevator opened with no one inside of it. Entering and selecting a certain level, she stood in front of the doors as they closed. Going down, she looked at her school bag. Thinking about what was inside, the lift stopped and sounded that the floor has been reached.

"…" the blue-haired female teen said blinking.

Looking forward, she proceeded out of the elevator. Walking down the hallway and making a left, she reached the quarantine barrier area. Not even stopping, she pushed the heavy plastic drapes out of the way. Continuing, she spotted the door she wanted. Standing in front of it, she knocked.

"Ikari?" she asked hearing faint beeps of the medical machines. "Excuse me. I am coming in."

Entering and closing the door, Ayanami turned toward the patient in the room. Seeing him lying down still, she placed her bag on the stand. Putting on the yellow contamination suit and helmet, she felt that all steps were taken to be sealed. Grabbing her bag, she passed through the staging area blinds. Something seemed off seeing him clearer.

"…!?" she said noticing that his face cover and gas mask contraption were pulled off. Immediately going to his bedside and pushing the 2nd set of drapes away, her eyes widen in surprise.

[Ikari?] Rei spoke in fright and confusion.

Placing her bag on the bed, she looked closer at his face. There was a trickle of blood coming out the left corner of his mouth that was bruised. He was shallowly breathing and had his eyes closed. Unable to comprehend why someone would go so far as to attack him, the female teen looked for a first aid kit. Finding one on the wall, she retrieved disinfect and a cleaning cloth.

Coming back to his bedside, she dabbed as much blood off his face. Seeing the trail of it had gone down his jaw and neck, she began to clean it. Finished and looking back at him, her eyes widen with fright. The disinfectant and cleaning cloth in her hands were clenched tighter as she stared at his neck. There was a long gash. It started from the underside of his left jaw and trailed down his neck. Though he had a tight collar around the base of his neck, the cut seemed to continue.

'…who…who would do this?' she thought feeling upset, scared, and confused. Looking at the cleaning cloth, she felt her face tighten looking at the color. However, the amount of blood on it was not much. It started to make her wonder and calm down a little.

'If Ikari had gotten this recently, there would be a pool of blood and his life would be grave if not addressed quickly. Given the bruise on his face, someone just hit him recently to cause the blood to come out. Therefore, the gash is not real.'

Feeling less emotional charged from her logic, she walked away from his bedside. Placing the disinfectant back in the first aid kit, she threw the blood stain cloth in the trash. Thinking about what to do next, her plan of thoughts and actions for coming here were blank. Shaking her head and thinking about what she made, it came back to her. Going back to his bedside, Rei grabbed her school bag from the bed. Pulling the nearby chair to her, she sat down and placed the bag on the floor.