Disclaimer: Neon Genesis: Evangelion is not my property. It belong to
GAINAX and all affiliates. I am not asking for any money for this
written work. It is permissible to copy, quote, distribute, or in any
other way reproduce the following texts only if they contain this
disclaimer and credit to the author, or I will strike you down with
great vengeance and furious anger.
*Messenger's Finale/The End of the Beginning of the End*
Shinji cast his gaze out at the sun setting over the giant, water-
filled hole that had been Tokyo-3. Rei was inside, reading, and Misato
was still at work. Shinji knew that he wouldn't see her get home: she
would be working late again. As usual. It had been like that after
that incident with Kaji...
He felt, as he always did when he was introspective, divided on his
choice to leave Nerv. He had almost lost one friend by staying, but he
feared he could lose another because of his choice to leave.
Kensuke...
He didn't know just what had happened to cause the explosion, as Asuka
was reluctant to talk about the last mission and he hadn't seen
Kensuke after the mass relocation, but he had surmised that there had
been a lot of N2 mines, and it had been messy. He thought that perhaps
Asuka had made an unforgivable mistake, at least in her eyes, and
refused to talk about it. Like she always did: kept it inside, hid her
emotions, silenced her true nature. But did he ever want to see what
her true nature was?
Shinji shook his head. This wasn't what he wanted his thoughts to
wander to in the darkness of the night. He focused back on the gaping
hole, and tried to believe that there had been a city there, only a
few days ago.
"It looks like an act of God," he said to himself. "Or the act of an
Angel."
"I don't like this, sir. Why would Seele send us a pilot directly,
when only weeks before they almost refused to give us one when we
needed it?"
"I've taken this into consideration. The old men work for causes I
don't fully understand. If they wish to send a pilot, so be it."
"But sir..."
"What concerns us are the Angels. We must keep alert for the final
attack."
"Yes, Commander."
Ikari knew that a lot of what he was telling Fuyutsuki was a lie, and
_knew_ that he knew it. If Seele wanted to send him a pilot, it
certainly wouldn't be out of the goodness of their hearts: actually,
Ikari had the impression that at the moment, he was one of Seele's
least favourite people. But this fact was of little importance to him:
with Rei the way she was, and the DummyPlugs destroyed, he was
intrigued to see just how they would act out their scenario.
The DummyPlugs...
"Fuyutsuki, take the comm for me. I have to go have a talk with
Ritsuko."
"The sixth child arrives tomorrow. He's going to be the pilot of Unit
Zero."
"Mm, I know. Do we have any information on him as of yet?"
"No, not really, Major. Just a name and date of birth."
"Well, what are they?"
"He's called Kaworu Nagisa, and he was born on...the same day as
Second Impact."
"Are the rest of the files classified?"
"No...just erased."
"Just like the first child...we need to keep a close eye on him."
"Yes. On another note, are you going to be working late again tonight,
Major?"
"I will, yes. Will I see you here, Makoto?"
"You will. I want know the whole truth as much as you do."
Kensuke, unaware that he was looking at the exact same scene as Shinji
was, stared across the newly-formed lake from a pile of rubble. He had
avoided Shinji, because of the simple fact that he couldn't face him.
Not after he had seen Doctor Akagi destroy what looked like dozens of
Reis. He was unsure if he could even get into the pilot's seat
again...
He had avoided Asuka, too. He didn't want to blurt out something about
those...clones. He didn't want to mess up her mind, as well as his
own. Although he would never admit it, working with Asuka had made
him...care for her, somewhat. Sure, she could be a pain
sometimes...heck, almost _all_ of the time, but there had been one or
two moments when he had seen a human being behind her mask of
competitiveness.
If only she would show that all the time...
Kensuke sighed to himself, and skipped a piece of a building across
the water. This was probably just his hormones talking. He really did
need to get out more.
Faint light flowed into the dark room. Ritsuko didn't need to turn to
see who was at the door: she already knew who was there, and his
purpose.
"Hello, Commander," she said, cutting and sarcastic. "Did you know my
cat died? I hadn't seen it in a while, but now I know that I'll never
see it again. It came as kind of a shock to me, but I doubt that you
would understand what I'm talking about..."
"Why did you destroy the Dummy System?" Ikari was unfazed by her
seeming rantings.
"It wasn't the Dummy System I destroyed: it was Rei!"
"I will ask again: why?"
Ritsuko let out a laugh: a twisted cackle of the insane. "Why? Why
_not?_ Death doesn't seem to matter too much to you anyway. You don't
care for people, only what they can accomplish for you."
"Answer the question, Ritsuko."
"You don't really need me to answer, do you? This is just for show,
for the Committee, isn't it? What does it matter what I say here?" She
paused for a moment, and then her emotion caught up on her. "I'm not
happy anymore, not even when you make love to me! Do whatever you want
to achieve your twisted goals. It's never stopped you before!"
"You disappoint me. I will come back when I can get an answer."
"Fine!" She heard the door shut behind her. "Leave me to rot here,
just like all the others," Ritsuko whispered to herself, through
bitter tears.
Shinji had watched the sun set from Misato's balcony, never moving
from the spot he had stood in. He was wondering who the sixth child
would be, having heard from Asuka, who didn't exactly have the
tightest lips when it came to what was going on at Nerv. Would this
one leave, too, after he realised what he was walking into? Would he
take pride in what he did, unaware of how much he was being eaten up
inside? Would he break under the strain? What would become of the
sixth child?
_Not that it's any of my business, anyway,_ Shinji thought to himself.
_Nerv's not my concern anymore. I hope it's not someone I know...I
couldn't face watching another friend being consumed by Nerv. I wish I
could just forget about Nerv, like Rei has._
He walked inside, to sleep a restless night.
Asuka woke the next morning, feeling slightly more disgruntled than
usual. She was one of the tens of thousands that were relocated, and
she wasn't too partial to sharing a room, let alone with four other
people. She liked being alone in her own apartment, without idiots
like Shinji and Rei (who, in her opinion, were the two most _un_-
focused beings on the entire planet) to distract her. She also had to
travel further to get to the Geofront every morning, now that the
schools (along with the rest of the city) had been destroyed, and
without any public transport...
But perhaps today could be turned about. The new pilot was arriving
today, to take the place of Rei, who Asuka had always found a little
creepy. Sure, she always acted normal enough, but there was something
about her...something not quite right...
Asuka paused in her morning preparations. She had lost her thought.
What was it? Rei, Unit Zero...ah, the new pilot. She had figured that
it was a boy, as everyone at Nerv was referring to him as a 'he', and
one of the reasons that she was mad this morning was that all the boys
she had encountered were far to immature for their own good. But
still, she could hope...
As she left the shared apartment in the breaking hours of the morning,
her thoughts turned to the other pilot still at Nerv, Kensuke. It
often seemed to her that he was cut out to be a pilot even more than
she was, but for all the wrong reasons. He was obsessed beyond belief
with anything to do with war and explosives, and it often got in the
way of the mission: that had been shown in the last Angel's attack. If
that idiot had been a little more professional, and not so damn
excited about the N2 mines, maybe his umbilical cable wouldn't have
been in the way...
Asuka shook her head. Snapped back into reality, she could see one
thing that was a plus about there being no Tokyo-3: with the school
gone, she didn't have to wear the stupid Japanese school uniform
anymore.
Shinji stared at the piece of toast he had made for himself, not
really considering eating it, and thinking of how he could have
changed what had happened, had he been at Nerv. He didn't know if that
sounded arrogant, from the outside, but after what he felt was a
betrayal to Kensuke-
"What's wrong with you this morning?" he heard from the bedroom door.
Rei was awake.
"Just thinking," he replied. His voice must have been glummer than he
intended, because Rei sat down in the opposite chair and proceeded to
stare at him.
"What's really wrong, Shinji? You've been like this for days."
"I just...just keep thinking about Kensuke. How I could have
stopped..."
"You couldn't have stopped it. You have to stop thinking about how
_you_ could have prevented it, if you had been there."
"That's not it, dammit!" Shinji yelled, louder than he had wanted to.
"I left, and they chose him to take my place. If I hadn't left, he
would still be safe." He could feel several tears coursing down his
cheeks.
"None of us are safe, anymore. Kensuke's fate is out of your control.
You have to stop beating yourself up about leaving."
Shinji took a deep, hitching breath, and finally said, "Every time I
look outside, I'm reminded of it all..."
Rei placed her hand over Shinji's. "Then perhaps you should stop
looking outside."
"That means running away again..."
"Sometimes, we all need to run."
Misato yawned loudly as she walked to the lunchroom to make some
coffee. She would have preferred a beer, in the current state that her
mind was in, but still, beggars couldn't be choosers.
She went to change the settings on the coffee maker, when Makoto
stopped her.
"I would prefer it if you didn't fiddle with that," he said rather
bluntly.
"Okay." She flopped into one of the chairs. "Your coffee always tastes
better than mine, anyway." Misato yawned again, and remarked, "These
all-nighters are killing me."
"Yeah, me too. The sixth child should be here soon."
"Well, I hope that coffee of yours works, then," Misato said, as she
smiled her morning smile at Makoto.
Asuka scanned her Nerv access card, and watched the door open on a
young, grey-haired boy, wearing a dark blue plugsuit.
"Who are you?"
"I could just as well ask the same question of you."
"But I asked first."
The boy smiled at her. "Kaworu Nagisa." He stepped aside to let Asuka
through the door.
"Asuka Langley Sohryu," she replied, eyeing him as she walked past.
Kaworu followed her.
"So...are you the sixth child?" she asked conversationally.
"That I am. You would be the second child, from Germany, right?"
"Right. How did you know that?"
"They gave me some information on my fellow pilots before I was bought
here. I assume you were given access to the same material."
"Yeah, but at that time, there wasn't really much to read about."
"What _did_ happen to the first and third children? I know what
happened with Unit Three and it's pilot, but there is no documentation
on where _they_ are."
"Nerv mustn't have updated it yet, then. They left."
"Why?"
"They just weren't made of the right stuff. But we don't need to worry
about them too much."
"Why not?"
They spend far too much time making out to even begin to understand
what we're doing here, and how important it is to the fate of
mankind."
"Ah, I see." In the brief moment that there was a lapse in the
conversation, Asuka had time to reflect. What was different about her
today? This morning she had been ready to blow anyone or anything out
of the water if they dared to add fuel to the flames of her bad mood,
but Kaworu...Kaworu had somehow diffused her. And in the first few
minutes of meeting her, no less! Why, then? Was it his pleasant voice?
His non-aggressive, yet assertive, tone? That fact it looked like he
had his hair cut like Kaji? Or was it...
Could it be love at first sight?
No more than a handful of seconds could have passed, but to Asuka,
lost in her thoughts, it could have been the same length of time it
had taken her to walk to Nerv. The particular path that her thoughts
had taken, and the fact that when Kaworu spoke again, the word he said
really did make him sound like Kaji, caused her to be more embarrassed
that would normally warrant.
"To deny one's basic nature is to deny that which makes us ourselves.
To deny ourselves is to hide what we really want, therefore hiding our
true pleasures."
"What do you mean?"
"Jealous?"
"What? No! Why would _I_ be jealous of them? I mean, the way those two
idiots act, why would I want to be _anything_ like them?"
Kaworu simply smiled at her leaned in close, and whispered, "I know I
would be, if I were you." His composition completely changed after he
spoke, going from the personal tone he had just taken to the one he
had used when he had first seen her. "I believe this is where our
conversation ends."
"What do you mean?" Asuka asked, confused by his statement. By _both_
of his statements.
"You have to go and get changed, don't you? For the test?"
"Oh, right."
"I'll see you at the sync tests."
"Right."
Asuka watched Kaworu disappear down the steep escalator and thought to
herself, _Mein Gott, I think I really_ do _like him._
"You're late, Major Katsuragi."
Misato, as she absently noticed that the Sub-Commander had replaced
Ritsuko for this test, replied, "On the contrary, you could say I was
the first one here."
"Or the last one to leave," Maya stated, not looking away from the
screens. "What on earth do you and Makoto get up to here, late at
night?"
"Nothing." Maya glanced, or glared, as Misato saw it, up at her.
"_Nothing,_ Maya."
"If you say so..."
"Would you two stop that? Don't we have a test to run?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Yes, sir."
"These readings are amazing. How can he synchronise like that, his
first time in an Eva?"
"I don't know, sir. But he is. This is phenomenal!"
"Whether it's phenomenal or not, we still have to know why he can do
it. These reading are off the scale, even allowing for the scope that
we give tests like this."
Following her words, at thought occurred to Misato. She had said that
her and Makoto would have to keep a close eye on him: maybe they would
have to keep a closer eye than they thought.
"You did well today."
"As did you."
"But you haven't had any previous piloting experience, right? It looks
like we're in competition."
"I wouldn't say that."
Kaworu saw Asuka pause through the partition in the changing room. He
didn't, however, notice Kensuke giving him an odd look.
"Why not?"
"I would never even think of competing with someone as beautiful as
you, Asuka."
This time, Kaworu didn't even need to glance at the shadows on the
partition to know that Asuka was staring at him.
"Would you stop that?" she yelled.
"Stop what?"
"You know very well what I mean!" Before she stormed out, her bad mood
started again by the one who had stopped it, she yelled out, "Boys!"
"Why did you do that to her? She's going to be like that for days
now."
"Do what?"
"No, really. I wouldn't bother." Kensuke looked at Kaworu, noticing
that his eyes were the same deep red as Rei's. "It's not worth it.
Trust me."
Kaworu leant back on the bench he was sitting on and said, "Perhaps
some things are worth more than what they seem."
"You're crazy."
"Wait! Asuka!"
Asuka ignored her pursuer, stepping into the elevator without so much
as a backward glance. Kaworu lunged at the closing doors, but stopped
short by a few inches. He hung his head, leaning against the doors,
and inhaled deeply, catching his breath, thinking of where he would go
to now.
"Just missed her, huh?" Kaworu looked behind him to see Kensuke
standing at the end of the hallway.
He ran a hand though his hair. "It would appear so."
"If you want to know where she's going, I think I can tell you,"
Kensuke said helpfully.
"I already know where her apartment is."
"But that's not where she'll be. There's a place she goes to after
tests sometimes..."
Asuka folded her arms and rested on the railing that encompassed the
lookout, watching as the sun set behind the lake that wasn't written
onto Tokyo maps yet. She knew that Shinji and Rei came here on
occasion, and they had persuaded her to come one time when they still
were pilots and the city still stood. It was quite...something,
witnessing the beauty of nature coincide with the power of technology.
Now that the balance had been disrupted, Asuka wasn't sure if it
seemed better or worse. Still, most of the previous visitors probably
couldn't have cared about the view at sunset. Judging from the faded
grass and overlayed tyre tracks, this place would have once been
teeming with cars and couples expressing their love for each other.
Was that what drew Shinji and Rei here? And did she want to know?
Love...Asuka had never truly understood what it was, what others saw
in it. Through college she had considered it a weakness. In Tokyo-3,
she had watched Shinji and Rei at a distance, and her friend Hikari
beside Toji's bed in the hospital, and she had claimed to all that she
thought they were pathetic, but still, there could be
some...merit...in what they did...
"Asuka?" She looked up to see Kaworu standing hesitant at the top of
the stairs to the observation deck where she stood. She turned back
around, ignoring him as she had after the tests. With her eyes firmly
fixed on the ground, she could see Kaworu's shadow come up to stand
beside her own.
"You didn't wait," he said after a moment of silence.
"Why should I have?"
"Because..." He paused for a second. "Because I wanted to apologise.
I'm sorry."
Asuka was stunned. This was the last thing she had expected to hear.
She looked up at Kaworu.
"What?"
"I'm sorry, Asuka."
"Apology...accepted, I guess." He smiled, and she returned it, and
both of them laughed slightly, the air beginning to clear. Kaworu
proffered his hand.
"Friends?"
Asuka took his hand to shake it.
"Friends."
Awkward silence followed the pair disengaging hands. Finally, Kaworu
broke it and asked, "I don't quite know where I'm supposed to go now.
I assumed that I would be given accommodation, but there doesn't seem
to be much of that around any more."
Asuka thought things through. She didn't think that she, Kaworu or her
fellow relocatees would be too pleased about another person at the
apartment. However, she did happen to know of somewhere that was
relatively vacant...
"I think I know somewhere we can stay. It's a friend's place..."
"Asuka? What are you doing here?"
"What? Can't a friend visit another friend for a friendly chat?"
"You're sick of your apartment, aren't you?"
"No...well, not really...anyway, there's someone I'd like you to meet.
Shinji, this is Kaworu Nagisa, the new pilot."
Shinji looked at Kaworu, who was standing behind Asuka, uttered a
polite, 'Pleased to meet you', and then directed his attention back to
Asuka.
"No, really, what _are_ you doing here?"
Asuka dropped her pretence. "He didn't get anywhere to stay, on
account of the city not being here any more. I thought that, seeing as
you're not too crowded here..."
Shinji sighed. "Fine, come in. Rei's here, too."
"What about Misato?"
"She's...working late."
"Oh."
Over dinner, after all introductions, polite conversation was made
about life of the various parties. Most of this polite conversation
was lies. Oddly enough, no one asked Kaworu about his life, before he
was chosen to be a pilot. After dinner, Rei and Shinji helped to
prepare bedding for their two guests. After that, Shinji stood, as he
always did, to watch the sun set over that which had been Tokyo-3.
However, unlike always, Rei came out to join him.
"It's so like humans, isn't it? We'll destroy what protects us in
order to destroy what attacks us."
"I thought you were going to stop this."
Shinji took a deep breath and closed his eyes, meditating on the
moment. Finally, he replied, "You're right. We're not a part of this
any more."
"Where did you get these files?"
"Well, I kind of borrowed them from Lieutenant Ibuki...I'm sure she
won't miss them."
"These say what's almost impossible."
"I know. How can he set his sync ratio to whatever he chooses?"
"I have no idea."
"Oh, and another thing..." Makoto leaned in close to Misato and
whispered, "I found out where they're keeping Ritsuko."
"Thankyou. I could need to talk to her, after this."
"Tell me about yourself."
"What? Didn't you say you saw the Nerv Pilot files?"
"Not all of them. Most parts require some kind of authorisation."
"What did you see?"
"Not much...name, age, date of birth..."
"Oh. Well..." Asuka paused and considered. "There's nothing much to
say, really. My father worked for the German branch of Nerv, and
that's how I became a pilot. I graduated from college last year, and
then I was transferred to Tokyo-3."
"What about your parents now?"
"I...I'm not in contact with them anymore. I guess you could say I'm
alone, now."
Asuka watched Kaworu's gaze wander over the ruin of Tokyo-3, and asked
herself, _Why? Why am I telling him all this?_
"I, too, am alone."
"Where's Asuka?"
"She on the balcony."
"Oh?" Rei's brow furrowed.
"With Kaworu."
"Oh..."
"What does that mean?"
"Didn't you notice the way he kept looking at her?"
"No...not really."
"Well, anyway...," Rei began, repositioning herself in Shinji's
embrace. "I think it's a good thing."
"You do?"
"Yes. We all need someone to rely on."
Shinji kissed her softly and said, "Yeah, we do."
Kaworu lay awake, much as Rei Ayanami had in the final moments before
her humanity, considering. He had told the Second Child that to deny
one's self was to go against one's core nature...and this was truer
for no other than him. He could sense in Asuka that she was unsure
what to do with the new emotions she felt. As was he. Emotion, as it
had been to Rei, was new to him, unfamiliar, alien. He knew that if he
waited any longer, this 'emotion' would grow deeper, and it would
interfere...
He sighed in the darkness. Love was new, and unfamiliar, but sorrow
was also new, and it was painful.
"Ritsuko?"
"What are you doing here?"
"I have something to ask..."
"This conversation is being monitored, you know."
"I don't care. The sixth child, what is he?"
Ritsuko almost laughed out loud at the question. What was he? Sent by
Seele to advance their schedule, what else _could_ he be?
"He is probably the last Angel."
Kaworu stared up at Unit Zero. This was the time: the time for his
kind to return to the Earth by returning to which they had been
spawned from. It was ironic: he would use this mockery of Adam in
order to get to his true goal. But still, there was doubt...
He breathed deep, simultaneously hating and loving what others would
have called 'emotional conflict', and called out, "Come, Adam's dark
shadow, servant of the Lillum! It is time!"
He floated into the air and proceeded down to Terminal Dogma through
the large vertical shaft, knowing that Unit Zero would be close
behind.
"Unit Zero just activated!"
"What? Where's the pilot?"
"It's unmanned! It just switched on by itself!"
"We're detecting an A.T. Field inside the Geofront! It's headed
straight for Terminal Dogma!"
"Unit Zero?"
"No...it's blue! It's the final Angel!"
"Then Ritsuko was right...," Misato whispered to herself in the
surrounding chaos.
Watching the split second transformation from idleness to alertness
from high above, Kouzou Fuyutsuki's eyes widened as he realised what
Seele's plan had been all along.
"Dear God," he spoke to himself. "Seele has sent us an Angel."
"He's...an Angel? Kaworu?"
"I'm afraid so, Asuka."
"No..." Asuka couldn't believe it. How? He had been so...human...
The restraints that held Unit Two dropped, and the Eva began its
descent.
From above him, Kaworu heard a noise, over the sounds of Unit Zero's
jets echoing in the giant tube. It was Unit Two, being piloted by
Asuka. Just as he had suspected: the Lillum, in this respect at least,
were predictable.
"I was waiting for you, Asuka."
"Kaworu! You betrayed me!" Unit Two was now engaged in combat with
Unit Zero, with both Progressive Knives bared. Kaworu watched as his
giant blue puppet stabbed Unit Two in its arm, almost feeling Asuka's
pain. In his momentary lapse of concentration, he missed the fact that
Unit Two's weapon was coming toward him. It struck a glowing wall,
inches from his face.
"You...you have your own A.T. Field?"
"You Lillum are so foolish. Haven't you figured out yet that what you
call the A.T. Field is merely the light of my soul, that which we shut
off to not let others in to the sacred space of our minds?"
Misato and Makoto watched as the display showed the two Evangelions
drop.
"This is it, isn't it? The end?"
"Yes. If anything unusual happens..."
"I know. I'll initiate the destruct sequence for this entire facility.
It would be better than letting Third Impact occur." Makoto paused for
moment. "Besides, dying with you next to me wouldn't be a bad way to
go."
"Thankyou."
At the bottom of the shaft, Kaworu left the two Evangelions locked in
combat. He had become well enough in tune with Unit Zero to be able to
control it...well, perhaps not _control,_ but at least use it to keep
Unit Two busy. He floated toward the giant door, the final obstacle,
and it slowly slid open.
"The final door has been unlocked."
"Heaven's Gate is open. Get ready."
Kaworu eyed the white, seven-eyed giant impaled on the red cross,
submerged in a sea of LCL. This was Adam, captured by the Lillum, but
now to be released.
He floated up, to look closer, and thought out loud, "That which has
come from Adam must now return to Adam...
"_But is this Adam?_
"No...this is not what I came for. This is..._Lillith?_ Is this
Lillith?" His gaze dropped.
"Fooled by humans...perhaps they are more than we expected..."
"Kaworu!"
Unit Two had been able to best Unit Zero, despite receiving several
injuries. Asuka's blood-red Eva now stood in the doorway to what
Kaworu now recognised as Lillith. Kaworu thought to himself: _maybe we
are not destined to return..._
Unit Two reached out and seized Kaworu, and this time, there was no
A.T. Field to stop it.
"I was wrong about you Lillum. It had come down to my race or yours,
as I always knew it would. That is why I am asking you to kill me,
Asuka."
"What?"
"We cannot exist side by side. With my death, you will be able to
reach the next stage in your evolution. Only one of our species is
destined to live on, and you are not the existence that should that
should die. I thank you, Asuka: because of you, my life was
meaningful.
"I love you, Asuka."
Forever seemed to pass until Unit Two placed pressure on the hand that
held the final Angel.
Ikari stared up at the giant water jets hosing the blood off Unit Two.
After all Seele had been through to try and stop him from interfering
with their scenario, he still held the upper hand. All of them would
come back soon, for a gathering, for the Third Impact, and they would
be reunited...
Did Seele know? Know what drove him, possessed him, what had made him
send away all he held in his heart for the pursuit of a faint hope?
Possibly, but that could have been why they kept him around.
"They will all be here soon," he said quietly amid the roar of the
water. "Rei, my son, they will all be one, and I will see her again."
Ikari smiled.
"And Keel wondered why I kept Rei close."
Gendo Ikari threw back his head and laughed.
Asuka walked slowly down the one of the corridors in Nerv, trying to
ascertain how she felt. The only person that had ever shown human
emotions to her had been...not human. Kaworu had been pained by
sorrow, a new emotion for him; sorrow was an old emotion for Asuka,
but it still hurt just as much.
Footsteps other than her own caused her to look up from the ground, to
see Kensuke half-running down the corridor.
"Asuka!"
_Why wasn't he here?,_ she thought, and unusually, there was no malice
in a thought that would normally warrant some for her.
"I'm sorry I'm late...the Angel, what happened?"
"I took care of it. Alone." _I won't cry any more!_
"Alone? But wasn't...wasn't Kaworu here?"
At the mention of his name, Asuka broke her promise to herself, and
began to cry into Kensuke's shoulder.
Kensuke, unsure how to proceed and even more unsure about why Asuka
was crying, asked cautiously, "What happened?"
"Kaworu...," she managed through her tears. "He was...the last
Angel...he said he loved me..."
Kensuke now put his arms around her shoulders, comforting her, and
whispered to himself, "I love you too, Asuka."
-Derek Zischke
ageless_strange@optusnet.com.au
"Do you suffer from long-term memory loss? I can't remember..."
-Chumbawhamba
GAINAX and all affiliates. I am not asking for any money for this
written work. It is permissible to copy, quote, distribute, or in any
other way reproduce the following texts only if they contain this
disclaimer and credit to the author, or I will strike you down with
great vengeance and furious anger.
*Messenger's Finale/The End of the Beginning of the End*
Shinji cast his gaze out at the sun setting over the giant, water-
filled hole that had been Tokyo-3. Rei was inside, reading, and Misato
was still at work. Shinji knew that he wouldn't see her get home: she
would be working late again. As usual. It had been like that after
that incident with Kaji...
He felt, as he always did when he was introspective, divided on his
choice to leave Nerv. He had almost lost one friend by staying, but he
feared he could lose another because of his choice to leave.
Kensuke...
He didn't know just what had happened to cause the explosion, as Asuka
was reluctant to talk about the last mission and he hadn't seen
Kensuke after the mass relocation, but he had surmised that there had
been a lot of N2 mines, and it had been messy. He thought that perhaps
Asuka had made an unforgivable mistake, at least in her eyes, and
refused to talk about it. Like she always did: kept it inside, hid her
emotions, silenced her true nature. But did he ever want to see what
her true nature was?
Shinji shook his head. This wasn't what he wanted his thoughts to
wander to in the darkness of the night. He focused back on the gaping
hole, and tried to believe that there had been a city there, only a
few days ago.
"It looks like an act of God," he said to himself. "Or the act of an
Angel."
"I don't like this, sir. Why would Seele send us a pilot directly,
when only weeks before they almost refused to give us one when we
needed it?"
"I've taken this into consideration. The old men work for causes I
don't fully understand. If they wish to send a pilot, so be it."
"But sir..."
"What concerns us are the Angels. We must keep alert for the final
attack."
"Yes, Commander."
Ikari knew that a lot of what he was telling Fuyutsuki was a lie, and
_knew_ that he knew it. If Seele wanted to send him a pilot, it
certainly wouldn't be out of the goodness of their hearts: actually,
Ikari had the impression that at the moment, he was one of Seele's
least favourite people. But this fact was of little importance to him:
with Rei the way she was, and the DummyPlugs destroyed, he was
intrigued to see just how they would act out their scenario.
The DummyPlugs...
"Fuyutsuki, take the comm for me. I have to go have a talk with
Ritsuko."
"The sixth child arrives tomorrow. He's going to be the pilot of Unit
Zero."
"Mm, I know. Do we have any information on him as of yet?"
"No, not really, Major. Just a name and date of birth."
"Well, what are they?"
"He's called Kaworu Nagisa, and he was born on...the same day as
Second Impact."
"Are the rest of the files classified?"
"No...just erased."
"Just like the first child...we need to keep a close eye on him."
"Yes. On another note, are you going to be working late again tonight,
Major?"
"I will, yes. Will I see you here, Makoto?"
"You will. I want know the whole truth as much as you do."
Kensuke, unaware that he was looking at the exact same scene as Shinji
was, stared across the newly-formed lake from a pile of rubble. He had
avoided Shinji, because of the simple fact that he couldn't face him.
Not after he had seen Doctor Akagi destroy what looked like dozens of
Reis. He was unsure if he could even get into the pilot's seat
again...
He had avoided Asuka, too. He didn't want to blurt out something about
those...clones. He didn't want to mess up her mind, as well as his
own. Although he would never admit it, working with Asuka had made
him...care for her, somewhat. Sure, she could be a pain
sometimes...heck, almost _all_ of the time, but there had been one or
two moments when he had seen a human being behind her mask of
competitiveness.
If only she would show that all the time...
Kensuke sighed to himself, and skipped a piece of a building across
the water. This was probably just his hormones talking. He really did
need to get out more.
Faint light flowed into the dark room. Ritsuko didn't need to turn to
see who was at the door: she already knew who was there, and his
purpose.
"Hello, Commander," she said, cutting and sarcastic. "Did you know my
cat died? I hadn't seen it in a while, but now I know that I'll never
see it again. It came as kind of a shock to me, but I doubt that you
would understand what I'm talking about..."
"Why did you destroy the Dummy System?" Ikari was unfazed by her
seeming rantings.
"It wasn't the Dummy System I destroyed: it was Rei!"
"I will ask again: why?"
Ritsuko let out a laugh: a twisted cackle of the insane. "Why? Why
_not?_ Death doesn't seem to matter too much to you anyway. You don't
care for people, only what they can accomplish for you."
"Answer the question, Ritsuko."
"You don't really need me to answer, do you? This is just for show,
for the Committee, isn't it? What does it matter what I say here?" She
paused for a moment, and then her emotion caught up on her. "I'm not
happy anymore, not even when you make love to me! Do whatever you want
to achieve your twisted goals. It's never stopped you before!"
"You disappoint me. I will come back when I can get an answer."
"Fine!" She heard the door shut behind her. "Leave me to rot here,
just like all the others," Ritsuko whispered to herself, through
bitter tears.
Shinji had watched the sun set from Misato's balcony, never moving
from the spot he had stood in. He was wondering who the sixth child
would be, having heard from Asuka, who didn't exactly have the
tightest lips when it came to what was going on at Nerv. Would this
one leave, too, after he realised what he was walking into? Would he
take pride in what he did, unaware of how much he was being eaten up
inside? Would he break under the strain? What would become of the
sixth child?
_Not that it's any of my business, anyway,_ Shinji thought to himself.
_Nerv's not my concern anymore. I hope it's not someone I know...I
couldn't face watching another friend being consumed by Nerv. I wish I
could just forget about Nerv, like Rei has._
He walked inside, to sleep a restless night.
Asuka woke the next morning, feeling slightly more disgruntled than
usual. She was one of the tens of thousands that were relocated, and
she wasn't too partial to sharing a room, let alone with four other
people. She liked being alone in her own apartment, without idiots
like Shinji and Rei (who, in her opinion, were the two most _un_-
focused beings on the entire planet) to distract her. She also had to
travel further to get to the Geofront every morning, now that the
schools (along with the rest of the city) had been destroyed, and
without any public transport...
But perhaps today could be turned about. The new pilot was arriving
today, to take the place of Rei, who Asuka had always found a little
creepy. Sure, she always acted normal enough, but there was something
about her...something not quite right...
Asuka paused in her morning preparations. She had lost her thought.
What was it? Rei, Unit Zero...ah, the new pilot. She had figured that
it was a boy, as everyone at Nerv was referring to him as a 'he', and
one of the reasons that she was mad this morning was that all the boys
she had encountered were far to immature for their own good. But
still, she could hope...
As she left the shared apartment in the breaking hours of the morning,
her thoughts turned to the other pilot still at Nerv, Kensuke. It
often seemed to her that he was cut out to be a pilot even more than
she was, but for all the wrong reasons. He was obsessed beyond belief
with anything to do with war and explosives, and it often got in the
way of the mission: that had been shown in the last Angel's attack. If
that idiot had been a little more professional, and not so damn
excited about the N2 mines, maybe his umbilical cable wouldn't have
been in the way...
Asuka shook her head. Snapped back into reality, she could see one
thing that was a plus about there being no Tokyo-3: with the school
gone, she didn't have to wear the stupid Japanese school uniform
anymore.
Shinji stared at the piece of toast he had made for himself, not
really considering eating it, and thinking of how he could have
changed what had happened, had he been at Nerv. He didn't know if that
sounded arrogant, from the outside, but after what he felt was a
betrayal to Kensuke-
"What's wrong with you this morning?" he heard from the bedroom door.
Rei was awake.
"Just thinking," he replied. His voice must have been glummer than he
intended, because Rei sat down in the opposite chair and proceeded to
stare at him.
"What's really wrong, Shinji? You've been like this for days."
"I just...just keep thinking about Kensuke. How I could have
stopped..."
"You couldn't have stopped it. You have to stop thinking about how
_you_ could have prevented it, if you had been there."
"That's not it, dammit!" Shinji yelled, louder than he had wanted to.
"I left, and they chose him to take my place. If I hadn't left, he
would still be safe." He could feel several tears coursing down his
cheeks.
"None of us are safe, anymore. Kensuke's fate is out of your control.
You have to stop beating yourself up about leaving."
Shinji took a deep, hitching breath, and finally said, "Every time I
look outside, I'm reminded of it all..."
Rei placed her hand over Shinji's. "Then perhaps you should stop
looking outside."
"That means running away again..."
"Sometimes, we all need to run."
Misato yawned loudly as she walked to the lunchroom to make some
coffee. She would have preferred a beer, in the current state that her
mind was in, but still, beggars couldn't be choosers.
She went to change the settings on the coffee maker, when Makoto
stopped her.
"I would prefer it if you didn't fiddle with that," he said rather
bluntly.
"Okay." She flopped into one of the chairs. "Your coffee always tastes
better than mine, anyway." Misato yawned again, and remarked, "These
all-nighters are killing me."
"Yeah, me too. The sixth child should be here soon."
"Well, I hope that coffee of yours works, then," Misato said, as she
smiled her morning smile at Makoto.
Asuka scanned her Nerv access card, and watched the door open on a
young, grey-haired boy, wearing a dark blue plugsuit.
"Who are you?"
"I could just as well ask the same question of you."
"But I asked first."
The boy smiled at her. "Kaworu Nagisa." He stepped aside to let Asuka
through the door.
"Asuka Langley Sohryu," she replied, eyeing him as she walked past.
Kaworu followed her.
"So...are you the sixth child?" she asked conversationally.
"That I am. You would be the second child, from Germany, right?"
"Right. How did you know that?"
"They gave me some information on my fellow pilots before I was bought
here. I assume you were given access to the same material."
"Yeah, but at that time, there wasn't really much to read about."
"What _did_ happen to the first and third children? I know what
happened with Unit Three and it's pilot, but there is no documentation
on where _they_ are."
"Nerv mustn't have updated it yet, then. They left."
"Why?"
"They just weren't made of the right stuff. But we don't need to worry
about them too much."
"Why not?"
They spend far too much time making out to even begin to understand
what we're doing here, and how important it is to the fate of
mankind."
"Ah, I see." In the brief moment that there was a lapse in the
conversation, Asuka had time to reflect. What was different about her
today? This morning she had been ready to blow anyone or anything out
of the water if they dared to add fuel to the flames of her bad mood,
but Kaworu...Kaworu had somehow diffused her. And in the first few
minutes of meeting her, no less! Why, then? Was it his pleasant voice?
His non-aggressive, yet assertive, tone? That fact it looked like he
had his hair cut like Kaji? Or was it...
Could it be love at first sight?
No more than a handful of seconds could have passed, but to Asuka,
lost in her thoughts, it could have been the same length of time it
had taken her to walk to Nerv. The particular path that her thoughts
had taken, and the fact that when Kaworu spoke again, the word he said
really did make him sound like Kaji, caused her to be more embarrassed
that would normally warrant.
"To deny one's basic nature is to deny that which makes us ourselves.
To deny ourselves is to hide what we really want, therefore hiding our
true pleasures."
"What do you mean?"
"Jealous?"
"What? No! Why would _I_ be jealous of them? I mean, the way those two
idiots act, why would I want to be _anything_ like them?"
Kaworu simply smiled at her leaned in close, and whispered, "I know I
would be, if I were you." His composition completely changed after he
spoke, going from the personal tone he had just taken to the one he
had used when he had first seen her. "I believe this is where our
conversation ends."
"What do you mean?" Asuka asked, confused by his statement. By _both_
of his statements.
"You have to go and get changed, don't you? For the test?"
"Oh, right."
"I'll see you at the sync tests."
"Right."
Asuka watched Kaworu disappear down the steep escalator and thought to
herself, _Mein Gott, I think I really_ do _like him._
"You're late, Major Katsuragi."
Misato, as she absently noticed that the Sub-Commander had replaced
Ritsuko for this test, replied, "On the contrary, you could say I was
the first one here."
"Or the last one to leave," Maya stated, not looking away from the
screens. "What on earth do you and Makoto get up to here, late at
night?"
"Nothing." Maya glanced, or glared, as Misato saw it, up at her.
"_Nothing,_ Maya."
"If you say so..."
"Would you two stop that? Don't we have a test to run?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Yes, sir."
"These readings are amazing. How can he synchronise like that, his
first time in an Eva?"
"I don't know, sir. But he is. This is phenomenal!"
"Whether it's phenomenal or not, we still have to know why he can do
it. These reading are off the scale, even allowing for the scope that
we give tests like this."
Following her words, at thought occurred to Misato. She had said that
her and Makoto would have to keep a close eye on him: maybe they would
have to keep a closer eye than they thought.
"You did well today."
"As did you."
"But you haven't had any previous piloting experience, right? It looks
like we're in competition."
"I wouldn't say that."
Kaworu saw Asuka pause through the partition in the changing room. He
didn't, however, notice Kensuke giving him an odd look.
"Why not?"
"I would never even think of competing with someone as beautiful as
you, Asuka."
This time, Kaworu didn't even need to glance at the shadows on the
partition to know that Asuka was staring at him.
"Would you stop that?" she yelled.
"Stop what?"
"You know very well what I mean!" Before she stormed out, her bad mood
started again by the one who had stopped it, she yelled out, "Boys!"
"Why did you do that to her? She's going to be like that for days
now."
"Do what?"
"No, really. I wouldn't bother." Kensuke looked at Kaworu, noticing
that his eyes were the same deep red as Rei's. "It's not worth it.
Trust me."
Kaworu leant back on the bench he was sitting on and said, "Perhaps
some things are worth more than what they seem."
"You're crazy."
"Wait! Asuka!"
Asuka ignored her pursuer, stepping into the elevator without so much
as a backward glance. Kaworu lunged at the closing doors, but stopped
short by a few inches. He hung his head, leaning against the doors,
and inhaled deeply, catching his breath, thinking of where he would go
to now.
"Just missed her, huh?" Kaworu looked behind him to see Kensuke
standing at the end of the hallway.
He ran a hand though his hair. "It would appear so."
"If you want to know where she's going, I think I can tell you,"
Kensuke said helpfully.
"I already know where her apartment is."
"But that's not where she'll be. There's a place she goes to after
tests sometimes..."
Asuka folded her arms and rested on the railing that encompassed the
lookout, watching as the sun set behind the lake that wasn't written
onto Tokyo maps yet. She knew that Shinji and Rei came here on
occasion, and they had persuaded her to come one time when they still
were pilots and the city still stood. It was quite...something,
witnessing the beauty of nature coincide with the power of technology.
Now that the balance had been disrupted, Asuka wasn't sure if it
seemed better or worse. Still, most of the previous visitors probably
couldn't have cared about the view at sunset. Judging from the faded
grass and overlayed tyre tracks, this place would have once been
teeming with cars and couples expressing their love for each other.
Was that what drew Shinji and Rei here? And did she want to know?
Love...Asuka had never truly understood what it was, what others saw
in it. Through college she had considered it a weakness. In Tokyo-3,
she had watched Shinji and Rei at a distance, and her friend Hikari
beside Toji's bed in the hospital, and she had claimed to all that she
thought they were pathetic, but still, there could be
some...merit...in what they did...
"Asuka?" She looked up to see Kaworu standing hesitant at the top of
the stairs to the observation deck where she stood. She turned back
around, ignoring him as she had after the tests. With her eyes firmly
fixed on the ground, she could see Kaworu's shadow come up to stand
beside her own.
"You didn't wait," he said after a moment of silence.
"Why should I have?"
"Because..." He paused for a second. "Because I wanted to apologise.
I'm sorry."
Asuka was stunned. This was the last thing she had expected to hear.
She looked up at Kaworu.
"What?"
"I'm sorry, Asuka."
"Apology...accepted, I guess." He smiled, and she returned it, and
both of them laughed slightly, the air beginning to clear. Kaworu
proffered his hand.
"Friends?"
Asuka took his hand to shake it.
"Friends."
Awkward silence followed the pair disengaging hands. Finally, Kaworu
broke it and asked, "I don't quite know where I'm supposed to go now.
I assumed that I would be given accommodation, but there doesn't seem
to be much of that around any more."
Asuka thought things through. She didn't think that she, Kaworu or her
fellow relocatees would be too pleased about another person at the
apartment. However, she did happen to know of somewhere that was
relatively vacant...
"I think I know somewhere we can stay. It's a friend's place..."
"Asuka? What are you doing here?"
"What? Can't a friend visit another friend for a friendly chat?"
"You're sick of your apartment, aren't you?"
"No...well, not really...anyway, there's someone I'd like you to meet.
Shinji, this is Kaworu Nagisa, the new pilot."
Shinji looked at Kaworu, who was standing behind Asuka, uttered a
polite, 'Pleased to meet you', and then directed his attention back to
Asuka.
"No, really, what _are_ you doing here?"
Asuka dropped her pretence. "He didn't get anywhere to stay, on
account of the city not being here any more. I thought that, seeing as
you're not too crowded here..."
Shinji sighed. "Fine, come in. Rei's here, too."
"What about Misato?"
"She's...working late."
"Oh."
Over dinner, after all introductions, polite conversation was made
about life of the various parties. Most of this polite conversation
was lies. Oddly enough, no one asked Kaworu about his life, before he
was chosen to be a pilot. After dinner, Rei and Shinji helped to
prepare bedding for their two guests. After that, Shinji stood, as he
always did, to watch the sun set over that which had been Tokyo-3.
However, unlike always, Rei came out to join him.
"It's so like humans, isn't it? We'll destroy what protects us in
order to destroy what attacks us."
"I thought you were going to stop this."
Shinji took a deep breath and closed his eyes, meditating on the
moment. Finally, he replied, "You're right. We're not a part of this
any more."
"Where did you get these files?"
"Well, I kind of borrowed them from Lieutenant Ibuki...I'm sure she
won't miss them."
"These say what's almost impossible."
"I know. How can he set his sync ratio to whatever he chooses?"
"I have no idea."
"Oh, and another thing..." Makoto leaned in close to Misato and
whispered, "I found out where they're keeping Ritsuko."
"Thankyou. I could need to talk to her, after this."
"Tell me about yourself."
"What? Didn't you say you saw the Nerv Pilot files?"
"Not all of them. Most parts require some kind of authorisation."
"What did you see?"
"Not much...name, age, date of birth..."
"Oh. Well..." Asuka paused and considered. "There's nothing much to
say, really. My father worked for the German branch of Nerv, and
that's how I became a pilot. I graduated from college last year, and
then I was transferred to Tokyo-3."
"What about your parents now?"
"I...I'm not in contact with them anymore. I guess you could say I'm
alone, now."
Asuka watched Kaworu's gaze wander over the ruin of Tokyo-3, and asked
herself, _Why? Why am I telling him all this?_
"I, too, am alone."
"Where's Asuka?"
"She on the balcony."
"Oh?" Rei's brow furrowed.
"With Kaworu."
"Oh..."
"What does that mean?"
"Didn't you notice the way he kept looking at her?"
"No...not really."
"Well, anyway...," Rei began, repositioning herself in Shinji's
embrace. "I think it's a good thing."
"You do?"
"Yes. We all need someone to rely on."
Shinji kissed her softly and said, "Yeah, we do."
Kaworu lay awake, much as Rei Ayanami had in the final moments before
her humanity, considering. He had told the Second Child that to deny
one's self was to go against one's core nature...and this was truer
for no other than him. He could sense in Asuka that she was unsure
what to do with the new emotions she felt. As was he. Emotion, as it
had been to Rei, was new to him, unfamiliar, alien. He knew that if he
waited any longer, this 'emotion' would grow deeper, and it would
interfere...
He sighed in the darkness. Love was new, and unfamiliar, but sorrow
was also new, and it was painful.
"Ritsuko?"
"What are you doing here?"
"I have something to ask..."
"This conversation is being monitored, you know."
"I don't care. The sixth child, what is he?"
Ritsuko almost laughed out loud at the question. What was he? Sent by
Seele to advance their schedule, what else _could_ he be?
"He is probably the last Angel."
Kaworu stared up at Unit Zero. This was the time: the time for his
kind to return to the Earth by returning to which they had been
spawned from. It was ironic: he would use this mockery of Adam in
order to get to his true goal. But still, there was doubt...
He breathed deep, simultaneously hating and loving what others would
have called 'emotional conflict', and called out, "Come, Adam's dark
shadow, servant of the Lillum! It is time!"
He floated into the air and proceeded down to Terminal Dogma through
the large vertical shaft, knowing that Unit Zero would be close
behind.
"Unit Zero just activated!"
"What? Where's the pilot?"
"It's unmanned! It just switched on by itself!"
"We're detecting an A.T. Field inside the Geofront! It's headed
straight for Terminal Dogma!"
"Unit Zero?"
"No...it's blue! It's the final Angel!"
"Then Ritsuko was right...," Misato whispered to herself in the
surrounding chaos.
Watching the split second transformation from idleness to alertness
from high above, Kouzou Fuyutsuki's eyes widened as he realised what
Seele's plan had been all along.
"Dear God," he spoke to himself. "Seele has sent us an Angel."
"He's...an Angel? Kaworu?"
"I'm afraid so, Asuka."
"No..." Asuka couldn't believe it. How? He had been so...human...
The restraints that held Unit Two dropped, and the Eva began its
descent.
From above him, Kaworu heard a noise, over the sounds of Unit Zero's
jets echoing in the giant tube. It was Unit Two, being piloted by
Asuka. Just as he had suspected: the Lillum, in this respect at least,
were predictable.
"I was waiting for you, Asuka."
"Kaworu! You betrayed me!" Unit Two was now engaged in combat with
Unit Zero, with both Progressive Knives bared. Kaworu watched as his
giant blue puppet stabbed Unit Two in its arm, almost feeling Asuka's
pain. In his momentary lapse of concentration, he missed the fact that
Unit Two's weapon was coming toward him. It struck a glowing wall,
inches from his face.
"You...you have your own A.T. Field?"
"You Lillum are so foolish. Haven't you figured out yet that what you
call the A.T. Field is merely the light of my soul, that which we shut
off to not let others in to the sacred space of our minds?"
Misato and Makoto watched as the display showed the two Evangelions
drop.
"This is it, isn't it? The end?"
"Yes. If anything unusual happens..."
"I know. I'll initiate the destruct sequence for this entire facility.
It would be better than letting Third Impact occur." Makoto paused for
moment. "Besides, dying with you next to me wouldn't be a bad way to
go."
"Thankyou."
At the bottom of the shaft, Kaworu left the two Evangelions locked in
combat. He had become well enough in tune with Unit Zero to be able to
control it...well, perhaps not _control,_ but at least use it to keep
Unit Two busy. He floated toward the giant door, the final obstacle,
and it slowly slid open.
"The final door has been unlocked."
"Heaven's Gate is open. Get ready."
Kaworu eyed the white, seven-eyed giant impaled on the red cross,
submerged in a sea of LCL. This was Adam, captured by the Lillum, but
now to be released.
He floated up, to look closer, and thought out loud, "That which has
come from Adam must now return to Adam...
"_But is this Adam?_
"No...this is not what I came for. This is..._Lillith?_ Is this
Lillith?" His gaze dropped.
"Fooled by humans...perhaps they are more than we expected..."
"Kaworu!"
Unit Two had been able to best Unit Zero, despite receiving several
injuries. Asuka's blood-red Eva now stood in the doorway to what
Kaworu now recognised as Lillith. Kaworu thought to himself: _maybe we
are not destined to return..._
Unit Two reached out and seized Kaworu, and this time, there was no
A.T. Field to stop it.
"I was wrong about you Lillum. It had come down to my race or yours,
as I always knew it would. That is why I am asking you to kill me,
Asuka."
"What?"
"We cannot exist side by side. With my death, you will be able to
reach the next stage in your evolution. Only one of our species is
destined to live on, and you are not the existence that should that
should die. I thank you, Asuka: because of you, my life was
meaningful.
"I love you, Asuka."
Forever seemed to pass until Unit Two placed pressure on the hand that
held the final Angel.
Ikari stared up at the giant water jets hosing the blood off Unit Two.
After all Seele had been through to try and stop him from interfering
with their scenario, he still held the upper hand. All of them would
come back soon, for a gathering, for the Third Impact, and they would
be reunited...
Did Seele know? Know what drove him, possessed him, what had made him
send away all he held in his heart for the pursuit of a faint hope?
Possibly, but that could have been why they kept him around.
"They will all be here soon," he said quietly amid the roar of the
water. "Rei, my son, they will all be one, and I will see her again."
Ikari smiled.
"And Keel wondered why I kept Rei close."
Gendo Ikari threw back his head and laughed.
Asuka walked slowly down the one of the corridors in Nerv, trying to
ascertain how she felt. The only person that had ever shown human
emotions to her had been...not human. Kaworu had been pained by
sorrow, a new emotion for him; sorrow was an old emotion for Asuka,
but it still hurt just as much.
Footsteps other than her own caused her to look up from the ground, to
see Kensuke half-running down the corridor.
"Asuka!"
_Why wasn't he here?,_ she thought, and unusually, there was no malice
in a thought that would normally warrant some for her.
"I'm sorry I'm late...the Angel, what happened?"
"I took care of it. Alone." _I won't cry any more!_
"Alone? But wasn't...wasn't Kaworu here?"
At the mention of his name, Asuka broke her promise to herself, and
began to cry into Kensuke's shoulder.
Kensuke, unsure how to proceed and even more unsure about why Asuka
was crying, asked cautiously, "What happened?"
"Kaworu...," she managed through her tears. "He was...the last
Angel...he said he loved me..."
Kensuke now put his arms around her shoulders, comforting her, and
whispered to himself, "I love you too, Asuka."
-Derek Zischke
ageless_strange@optusnet.com.au
"Do you suffer from long-term memory loss? I can't remember..."
-Chumbawhamba