Author's Note: Thanks, everyone, for the reviews!
PsychoJoe: thanks, I'll try to keep the little stuff strait, that mess up with
the units during the first
battle was really embarrassing :( As they say, the heart of the story is in the
details. Any ideas
on how I can make the characters less "off"?
Cilia: thanks a lot! I like how you think.
Rhine: Thanks, I got her ranks confused, I have changed Misato to a major now.
Man, there are
too many things to keep strait! Well, that's what reviews are for! I also
appreciate the feed back
on my descriptions and thoughts of the characters. I know they are too sparse,
but they are the
hardest things for me. They are also what makes a good story great. I'll work
on it. If you read
this chapter please tell me how I am doing. It was also good to hear from
someone who has
worked with people with disabilities. I am very glad you are enjoying the fic.
I don't own the NGE characters. The story, Emi, and Natsumi are mine. I'm not
making money
off this, nor do I want to, respite work pays very well. If you would like to
send money, make all
checks payable to the Epilepsy Foundation of America or the Autism Society of
America. Just kidding! I hope
you like the next chapter.
*****************************************************************************
He Who Talks to Angels
Chapter 2
By Veronica Cereta
******************************************************************************
Asuka had been hoping that Emi would say something for the past couple of weeks.
She had
assumed that when he did, it would be an exhilarating moment. However, his
first word left her
filled with terror. She knew what that word meant to everyone at Nerv, and she
knew what
would happen because of it. She ran up and hugged the little boy. He allowed
himself to be
embraced, remaining limp and motionless.
Unit 01 slowly walked back to headquarters, glancing back at the girl and boy
from time to time.
Shinji was confused, but he understood one thing very well. Asuka was the most
important
person in his life at the moment. He hated his father for using her, and even
more for what he
was sure his father would do next. He also decided that he would protect the
second children no
matter what and that meant protecting Emi. They would get through this
together, somehow,
thought Shinji has he made his way back.
"You saved me!" Asuka cried as she held her assigned child. "Arigato. Thank
you. Thank you.
But now you're in trouble. I won't let them hurt you." She loosened her grip
on the child and he
ran to his spot by the trees. "I won't let them hurt you," the second children
repeated firmly.
******************************************************************************
"Every movement he made was mirrored by the angel and every movement the angel
made was
mirrored by Emi. It wasn't like he was controlling the angel; it was like they
were linked. I
don't think either was in command." Asuka gave her verbal report to Commander
Ikari. She
knew that she was sentencing the little boy to death, and that made this one of
the more painful
things the girl had ever done, but it couldn't be helped. Everyone had watched
Unit 01, and all
of Nerv had heard Emi's first word. There was no point in her trying to hide
the truth. She
wondered why she was even giving this stupid report.
"Well, it's simple," Gendo gave a slight sideways smile. "Killing the child
will destroy the
angel."
"No!" Asuka yelled. "Emi doesn't want to do this. It hurts him. He hates it."
"Asuka," Ritsuko tried to reason, "killing Emi isn't a punishment. We don't
want to hurt him. It
is simply the only way we can defeat the angel."
"No, there has to be another way."
"Asuka's right!" Shinji came to her aid. "We are not assassins. We have always
dealt with the
angels on our own. We can do this."
"How?" Gendo stared down with disgust at his only son. He wasn't proud of him
for choosing
to fight the angel. It only disgusted him that Shinji was not willing to do
what needed to be
done.
"I . . . I don't know," he admitted. "But I will not kill another human being."
"Nor will I," Asuka seconded.
"I will do it." A bandaged Rei looked up from the chair that the doctors had
carefully set her
into.
"You!" shrieked the red head. "You can't even move!"
"I will be able two in a day or two, and since neither of you are willing, I
will have to do it."
"Rei, how could you?" Shinji was aghast.
"It has to be done."
"I hate you, Ayanami!" Asuka shrieked.
Commander Ikari simply smiled at the first children. He admired her sense of
duty, and her
willingness to take on tough assignments. In his mind the other two pilots
weren't noble for not
wanting to kill, they were weak. They would allow countless people to die in
order to save one.
However, he could see that ordering them to kill would not change that. "Fine,
Rei will do it in a
few days."
"Father! I want permission to attempt to destroy the angel before Rei carries
out her
assignment." Shinji spat out the last word fiercely.
The same half smile flickered across the commander's face. "Of course, you
may."
"I will help." The pilot of unit 02 was resolute.
"Fine," replied Gendo, "Tomorrow morning units 01 and 02 will attack the angel.
If they are
unsuccessful, Rei will complete the mission as soon as possible."
"Should we evacuate the civilians tonight?" Misato thought of the casualties of
the last two
battles.
"No." Gendo was short
"Nani!"
"By now the citizens have figured out the pattern. They will evacuate
themselves. It will only
waste Nerv money and resources to force an evacuation."
This was a lie. Misato knew it. Commander Ikari realized that government
organizations
wouldn't evacuate without an order. Yes, the citizens would leave, but not
those in government
positions. That meant the group home, which was staffed through tax money,
would remain.
Emi would still be inside Tokyo Three. Misato realized that the commander was
counting on
Emi being there for the battle. She angrily wondered what he was planning.
*****************************************************************************
Asuka didn't go to school that afternoon. She wanted to see Emi. Shinji
offered to come with
her, but she felt it would be better if she could be alone. She looked up at
the wooden house
before knocking softly. Aibu opened it and stepped aside. He had learned to
steer clear of the
red head, for fear of being yelled at.
"Hi, Aibu," Asuka said.
"Hi!" he replied happily. He was going to comment on her appearance, but
decided not to press
his luck. "Are you here to see Emi?"
"Hai."
"He likes you. He is happy when you are here."
Asuka fought a tear. "Domo Arigato, Aibu." She went to Emi's room.
The little boy was spinning blocks around in the yellow pail. He handed it to
Asuka when she
entered. She smiled and sat down. She still didn't quite have the right
technique for spinning
blocks. Sighing she handed the bucket back to Emi. He looked at her intently.
Something was
very different about his companion, but the child had no idea what. He picked
up a book from
the floor beside him and nestled into the girl's lap. Asuka felt her world come
crashing down.
How could the organization that she had worked for all her life order this boy's
death? The child
meant so much to her. He had taught her about trust, patience, and a world
outside her own
experience. I had showed her that it was okay to love someone, because
eventually they would
come around and return that love in some form. How could they take his life?
Asuka looked at the cover of the book. It was a picture of a couple horses
running through a
field. She opened the book and allowed Emi to take her hand and use it to
point.
"That's a Clydesdale."
His hand was so soft and warm.
"That's an Arabian."
Suddenly, she got a devilish idea. Wanting to break from her depressing
thoughts she lifted the
hand that Emi was holding, and tickled him under his arm. He squealed with
delight as he rolled
over onto his back, looking up at the girl. When she stopped her assault, he
began to tickle her.
It didn't really tickle, but Asuka laughed just the same. Then she looked
contemplatively at Emi.
It was nerve-racking to be sitting with the boy who just hours ago had commanded
an angel to
release her. The two were acting like it was just another average day. She
loved being with Emi,
but she couldn't put the past events out of her mind.
"Emi, why did this happen?"
The boy looked up at her then laughed. He didn't understand. All he knew was
that the usually
loud and energetic red head was now quiet and withdrawn. He had no idea what
this could
mean, and it struck him as odd, which made him laugh. Asuka knew that he didn't
mean
anything by it. She ruffled his hair and looked back down at the book. Emi had
resumed
pointing.
"That's a Quarter Horse."
They sat, looking at pictures for close to an hour. Eventually the second
children could no
longer take it. It was just too much to be with a boy who could control an
angel, a boy who had
been sentenced to death that morning. She got up and went to the door. Emi got
up as well. He
craned his neck and pushed out his lips. Asuka leaned over, and he kissed her.
"Good bye, Emi." She wasn't even out of the home before the tears began to flow.
Everything blurred together as the second children walked. The world looked
like an oil painting
that had been sprayed with water before it had dried. Life had been so good the
past few days.
Her work with Emi, her relationship with the third child and even her work at
Nerv had been
fantastic. However, with the arrival of the angel the three had blurred into a
painfully distorted
picture.
**************************************************************************
Shinji half-heartedly tried to concentrate on his history lesson. The old
professor droned on
about things that interested the boy very little. Besides, half of what was
said was made up by
the government to cover some activity with the angels. Shinji knew the real
history better than
his teacher did. He allowed his mind to wander and glanced over at the first
children. She had
surprised everyone by coming to school. It was evident that she would soon be
able to carry out
her mission. He and Asuka had very limited time to destroy the angel and save
Emi.
During lunch, Shinji sought out Rei. He looked around to make sure they were
alone in the
schoolyard. "Why did you agree to it?"
"Agree to what?" Rei responded.
"Killing the child."
The blue haired girl was silent for a long moment. "It was the plan from the
start."
"Nani?"
"Commander Ikari found out about this child. He planned for you two to do
surveillance, and
me to do the assassination. He knew that you would become attached, and that I
would have to
step in."
"But how could you kill another human being?"
"It is our duty to defeat the angels. Killing one person will save countless
others. It has to be
done."
"Stop saying that! It doesn't have to be done. We will find a way!" Shinji
couldn't be around
the coldness of the first children any more. He ran back to the sanctuary of
Toji and Kensuke.
She watched him go. "I hope you are right Ikari, Shinji. I don't want to kill;
I hope you are
right."
*****************************************************************************
Fuyutsuki stood before Commander Ikari's desk. The commander was smiling.
"We may not have to use Rei after all." His eyes fairly danced between his
reflective glasses.
"Nani?" The gray haired man was confused. "Wasn't that the plan?"
"Yes, but she doesn't want to do it. She'll do it dutifully, but it will hurt
her. It's best not to
cause undo stress to the children."
"You are starting to sound like Misato. What are you planning."
"The second and third children will battle the angel in Tokyo Three tomorrow.
Emi will be in
town. I believe the third children can be persuaded to kill the boy, if he
believes it will save
someone else that he cares about."
"Won't that put more stress on your son?" Fuyutsuki was beginning to see where
Ikari was
going.
"An accidental death during a battle is easier to cope with than a planned
killing."
"I see."
*****************************************************************************
The red headed girl looked up through her tears. She was standing in front of
the video rental
store. This afternoon definitely called for a cute movie and a package of ice
cream. Looking
through all the isles, she could find nothing that interested her. Reluctantly
she decided to give
Disney another try. They couldn't be all bad. Just to be sure, she chose one
that couldn't
possibly have trouble with a mother. This one didn't even have people, and the
deer on the front
of the box was simply adorable.
****************************************************************************
Shinji couldn't get home quickly enough. He fairly ran through the
neighborhoods, trying to get
to Asuka. How could he have left her alone all day? He wanted to be there for
her, so what had
driven him to go to school? Sure, she had told him to go, but he could have
refused; he should
have refused. Why didn't he refuse? Was he afraid of how quickly their new
relationship was
moving? It couldn't be helped. This was a traumatic time for her, and he
really wanted to be
there. Was he scared of being alone with his shattered beauty? That didn't
make sense. He was
reasonably sure that he was falling for her, and as previously stated he
desperately wanted to be
there for her. Why were his actions so cowardly and mysterious, even to him?
The boy rushed into the small apartment. He threw open the door to her room.
She wasn't there.
The sound of the television and the quiet crying of a scared girl floated down
to hallway towards
him. He raced into the living room, thinking only of the second children.
As he entered the living room, he ducked, to dodge the video box that came
flying towards him
from across the room. Asuka was standing before him in all her furious glory.
"What kind of
sadistic parents make their kids watch this crap!" Her eyes were a bit red and
puffy, but the tears
were gone.
The third children stooped down to pick up the box. 'Bambi.' "Asuka, this
probably wasn't the
best movie for you to watch."
"Gee, do you think?"
"Do you want to talk?" Shinji needed to know what had gone wrong in the second
children's
past. He wanted to help her, but had no idea where to start.
"Yeah," said Asuka, "We need to plan for tomorrow morning."
"Right." The third children was a bit disappointed, but of course it was to be
expected. There
was one thing his roommate cared about more than anything at the moment. The
best thing
Shinji could do was to help her with this.
The two sat down at the kitchen table. They were silent for a long while. It
was hard to decide
where to start. How do you defeat an enemy that you can't even touch? After
several minutes of
pretending to plan, they realized that there was nothing they could do.
"We have to try." Asuka was adamant.
"I know."
"I won't let him die."
"Neither will I."
The second children looked at her dark haired roommate. Why did he care so much
about this?
Was it because she cared? Was his concern for Emi really concern for her, or
was Shinji just the
kind of great guy who cares deeply about everybody. Either way, it warmed her
heart. He really
wasn't that bad. Sure she found him cowardly, and stupid, and skinny, and
childish, and
countless other things, but he had held her last night when she needed it, he
always looked out
for her, and now he was going to battle for her. She snapped herself from her
thoughts.
"We better get some rest," she mentioned, standing up.
"Yeah."
Then she did something neither child had expected. She bent down and kissed him
tenderly on
the lips. Shinji started. What was she doing? Was she toying with him? No,
it didn't feel like
that. This tenderness was so out of character for his roommate. Being with Emi
had really
effected her. He kissed back, trying with all his might to give her, in that
single kiss, his
strength, his will, his life.
Asuka was a bit surprised. Shinji wasn't such a bad kisser when he wasn't
fighting for air. She
had the feeling he truly cared about her, and that was a nice change. It felt
wonderful to be with
someone who knew the real her and loved her anyway. For a moment she
contemplated slipping
into the pilot's lap and allowing the moment to go where it would, but thinking
the better of it,
she pulled away.
She quickly shattered from the moment, regaining her cold, abrasive air. "Just
don't screw up
tomorrow, Third Child!" she said before running to her room.
Shinji stared after her. Reaching a hand up, he fingered his lips. The warm
tingly feel of his first
real kiss remained for a few moments. He imagined that he was beginning to
understand Asuka.
The indifferent front she put up was exactly that, a front. She tried to keep
safe from being hurt
by others. By not getting too close she could avoid the pain that had dominated
her past. He
didn't quite know what that pain was, but he understood her defense. In many
ways she was a
lot like him, he thought as he dropped his hand from his mouth. Shinji left for
his room grinning.
******************************************************************************
Misato got up to drive her two wards to headquarters before the angel attacked.
Due to the
ordeal awaiting them, as well as the early morning drive after a sleepless
night, the mood was
somber. The major decided to break the heavy silence and express her thoughts.
"This is a very brave thing, taking this on by yourselves."
The children stared strait ahead, barley noticing the comment. They were both
searching their
brains for some form of a plan, anything that would increase their slim chances.
"Do you guys have a plan?" Misato asked, as if reading their minds.
"No," replied Shinji.
There was silence for the rest of the drive.
Immediately after reaching headquarters the two children got into their plug
suits and boarded
their Evas. The mechas were activated and all but launched.
"We can do this," Shinji tried to reassure the second children.
"I hope you're right," was her slow reply.
Shinji wanted to say more, but he was interrupted. The equipment in the control
room indicated
the presence of the angel.
Misato looked at Gendo; he was smiling. His confident, careless smile set
against the backdrop
of an impossible battle caused the major to shiver. Looking quickly away she
shouted,
"Launch!"
The two Evangelion were propelled to the surface. As they emerged they noticed
the angel far
off in the distance, in the direction of the group home. Gendo nodded with
satisfaction. Maybe
this would be even easier than he thought.
Units 01 and 02 both fired volleys. The angel went transparent as usual.
Shinji had faintly
hoped that it would have somehow lost that ability giving them a chance for a
fair fight. "What
now?" He asked his partner.
"I have an idea." Asuka was gaining her bold, energetic air as the battle raged
on. She lived to
combat angels. It made her come alive. "You fire and I'll try to hold on to
the angel." Unit 02
raced towards the angel. Shinji got ready with the gun. He fired and Asuka
grabbed. It didn't
work. The angel avoided Unit 02 and ran towards the group home. The two
Evangelion
frantically chased the angel.
Eventually Unit 02 and the beast passed the group home and Unit 01 stood right
outside it. He
looked down at his feet. There in the back yard was Emi. He wasn't mimicking
the angel
though. He was jumping and screaming nonsensical syllables. It appeared to
Shinji that he was
trying to make his angel stop. Silently but fervently wishing him luck, the
third children fired
again. This time, after changing transparent, the angel turned and fired from
the red circle in its
head. The unanticipated attack caught Shinji completely off guard. He watched
as his gun was
sliced almost perfectly in half by the shot. As Unit 01 threw down the useless
weapon the angel
turned onto Unit 02. It grabbed the Evangelion, holding it by the neck in one
hand, tearing and
bashing the brain case with the other.
Misato got on the com. link. "Shinji, I'm sending you another gun."
"Cancel that order."
The major turned on the commander. "What!"
Gendo ignored her and began communication with his son. "Shinji, Asuka will
die, and you
can't get to her in time."
The third children watched in terror as the angel pummeled its victim. He could
hear his
roommate's screams over the crashing of the metal. "Father!" he shouted,
realizing he had no
other option but to trust the commander, "What do I do?"
"Emi isn't controlling the angel anymore, but they are still connected. He is
still responsible for
its existence. Kill Emi and the angel will be destroyed."
"Don't do it, Shinji!" came the raspy, yet forceful voice from Unit 02. "I
would rather die!"
Shinji looked down at the little boy before him, the boy who had saved Asuka's
live, the boy
who had opened Asuka's heart. He owed so much to this child. Slowly he took
out his
progressive knife. The weapon could rip through an A.T. field. It would slice
though a human
like a steak knife through hot butter.
"No, Shinji!" Asuka managed before she lost the power to breathe.
Shinji stared at the boy then at the angel. It was all too hard. Why did it
always have to be so
difficult?
"Kill him or Asuka will die." His father was right and Shinji knew it.
Maya spoke, breaking through the third children's thoughts. "There's a crack in
the front of the
brain case. We are loosing the pilot!"
"No!" In an instant Shinji made his choice. "I won't loose you now!" With that
he plunged the
knife down through the little boy. Emi had no time to scream or run. He simply
died in a spray
of blood that made Shinji want to hurl. The angel let out a final shriek and
vanished. Unit 02
came crashing to the ground.
Unit 01 ran quickly to its fallen companion. Realizing that he was going to
eject the entry plug,
Ritsuko shouted an order. "Shinji, don't touch Unit 02. We are giving Asuka a
heart massage.
It is vital that the additional life support inside her entry plug is allowed to
do its job." The third
children stared on helplessly. All he could do was watch, and pray.
A painfully faint voice came from Unit 02. "I hate you, Ikari Shinji."
PsychoJoe: thanks, I'll try to keep the little stuff strait, that mess up with
the units during the first
battle was really embarrassing :( As they say, the heart of the story is in the
details. Any ideas
on how I can make the characters less "off"?
Cilia: thanks a lot! I like how you think.
Rhine: Thanks, I got her ranks confused, I have changed Misato to a major now.
Man, there are
too many things to keep strait! Well, that's what reviews are for! I also
appreciate the feed back
on my descriptions and thoughts of the characters. I know they are too sparse,
but they are the
hardest things for me. They are also what makes a good story great. I'll work
on it. If you read
this chapter please tell me how I am doing. It was also good to hear from
someone who has
worked with people with disabilities. I am very glad you are enjoying the fic.
I don't own the NGE characters. The story, Emi, and Natsumi are mine. I'm not
making money
off this, nor do I want to, respite work pays very well. If you would like to
send money, make all
checks payable to the Epilepsy Foundation of America or the Autism Society of
America. Just kidding! I hope
you like the next chapter.
*****************************************************************************
He Who Talks to Angels
Chapter 2
By Veronica Cereta
******************************************************************************
Asuka had been hoping that Emi would say something for the past couple of weeks.
She had
assumed that when he did, it would be an exhilarating moment. However, his
first word left her
filled with terror. She knew what that word meant to everyone at Nerv, and she
knew what
would happen because of it. She ran up and hugged the little boy. He allowed
himself to be
embraced, remaining limp and motionless.
Unit 01 slowly walked back to headquarters, glancing back at the girl and boy
from time to time.
Shinji was confused, but he understood one thing very well. Asuka was the most
important
person in his life at the moment. He hated his father for using her, and even
more for what he
was sure his father would do next. He also decided that he would protect the
second children no
matter what and that meant protecting Emi. They would get through this
together, somehow,
thought Shinji has he made his way back.
"You saved me!" Asuka cried as she held her assigned child. "Arigato. Thank
you. Thank you.
But now you're in trouble. I won't let them hurt you." She loosened her grip
on the child and he
ran to his spot by the trees. "I won't let them hurt you," the second children
repeated firmly.
******************************************************************************
"Every movement he made was mirrored by the angel and every movement the angel
made was
mirrored by Emi. It wasn't like he was controlling the angel; it was like they
were linked. I
don't think either was in command." Asuka gave her verbal report to Commander
Ikari. She
knew that she was sentencing the little boy to death, and that made this one of
the more painful
things the girl had ever done, but it couldn't be helped. Everyone had watched
Unit 01, and all
of Nerv had heard Emi's first word. There was no point in her trying to hide
the truth. She
wondered why she was even giving this stupid report.
"Well, it's simple," Gendo gave a slight sideways smile. "Killing the child
will destroy the
angel."
"No!" Asuka yelled. "Emi doesn't want to do this. It hurts him. He hates it."
"Asuka," Ritsuko tried to reason, "killing Emi isn't a punishment. We don't
want to hurt him. It
is simply the only way we can defeat the angel."
"No, there has to be another way."
"Asuka's right!" Shinji came to her aid. "We are not assassins. We have always
dealt with the
angels on our own. We can do this."
"How?" Gendo stared down with disgust at his only son. He wasn't proud of him
for choosing
to fight the angel. It only disgusted him that Shinji was not willing to do
what needed to be
done.
"I . . . I don't know," he admitted. "But I will not kill another human being."
"Nor will I," Asuka seconded.
"I will do it." A bandaged Rei looked up from the chair that the doctors had
carefully set her
into.
"You!" shrieked the red head. "You can't even move!"
"I will be able two in a day or two, and since neither of you are willing, I
will have to do it."
"Rei, how could you?" Shinji was aghast.
"It has to be done."
"I hate you, Ayanami!" Asuka shrieked.
Commander Ikari simply smiled at the first children. He admired her sense of
duty, and her
willingness to take on tough assignments. In his mind the other two pilots
weren't noble for not
wanting to kill, they were weak. They would allow countless people to die in
order to save one.
However, he could see that ordering them to kill would not change that. "Fine,
Rei will do it in a
few days."
"Father! I want permission to attempt to destroy the angel before Rei carries
out her
assignment." Shinji spat out the last word fiercely.
The same half smile flickered across the commander's face. "Of course, you
may."
"I will help." The pilot of unit 02 was resolute.
"Fine," replied Gendo, "Tomorrow morning units 01 and 02 will attack the angel.
If they are
unsuccessful, Rei will complete the mission as soon as possible."
"Should we evacuate the civilians tonight?" Misato thought of the casualties of
the last two
battles.
"No." Gendo was short
"Nani!"
"By now the citizens have figured out the pattern. They will evacuate
themselves. It will only
waste Nerv money and resources to force an evacuation."
This was a lie. Misato knew it. Commander Ikari realized that government
organizations
wouldn't evacuate without an order. Yes, the citizens would leave, but not
those in government
positions. That meant the group home, which was staffed through tax money,
would remain.
Emi would still be inside Tokyo Three. Misato realized that the commander was
counting on
Emi being there for the battle. She angrily wondered what he was planning.
*****************************************************************************
Asuka didn't go to school that afternoon. She wanted to see Emi. Shinji
offered to come with
her, but she felt it would be better if she could be alone. She looked up at
the wooden house
before knocking softly. Aibu opened it and stepped aside. He had learned to
steer clear of the
red head, for fear of being yelled at.
"Hi, Aibu," Asuka said.
"Hi!" he replied happily. He was going to comment on her appearance, but
decided not to press
his luck. "Are you here to see Emi?"
"Hai."
"He likes you. He is happy when you are here."
Asuka fought a tear. "Domo Arigato, Aibu." She went to Emi's room.
The little boy was spinning blocks around in the yellow pail. He handed it to
Asuka when she
entered. She smiled and sat down. She still didn't quite have the right
technique for spinning
blocks. Sighing she handed the bucket back to Emi. He looked at her intently.
Something was
very different about his companion, but the child had no idea what. He picked
up a book from
the floor beside him and nestled into the girl's lap. Asuka felt her world come
crashing down.
How could the organization that she had worked for all her life order this boy's
death? The child
meant so much to her. He had taught her about trust, patience, and a world
outside her own
experience. I had showed her that it was okay to love someone, because
eventually they would
come around and return that love in some form. How could they take his life?
Asuka looked at the cover of the book. It was a picture of a couple horses
running through a
field. She opened the book and allowed Emi to take her hand and use it to
point.
"That's a Clydesdale."
His hand was so soft and warm.
"That's an Arabian."
Suddenly, she got a devilish idea. Wanting to break from her depressing
thoughts she lifted the
hand that Emi was holding, and tickled him under his arm. He squealed with
delight as he rolled
over onto his back, looking up at the girl. When she stopped her assault, he
began to tickle her.
It didn't really tickle, but Asuka laughed just the same. Then she looked
contemplatively at Emi.
It was nerve-racking to be sitting with the boy who just hours ago had commanded
an angel to
release her. The two were acting like it was just another average day. She
loved being with Emi,
but she couldn't put the past events out of her mind.
"Emi, why did this happen?"
The boy looked up at her then laughed. He didn't understand. All he knew was
that the usually
loud and energetic red head was now quiet and withdrawn. He had no idea what
this could
mean, and it struck him as odd, which made him laugh. Asuka knew that he didn't
mean
anything by it. She ruffled his hair and looked back down at the book. Emi had
resumed
pointing.
"That's a Quarter Horse."
They sat, looking at pictures for close to an hour. Eventually the second
children could no
longer take it. It was just too much to be with a boy who could control an
angel, a boy who had
been sentenced to death that morning. She got up and went to the door. Emi got
up as well. He
craned his neck and pushed out his lips. Asuka leaned over, and he kissed her.
"Good bye, Emi." She wasn't even out of the home before the tears began to flow.
Everything blurred together as the second children walked. The world looked
like an oil painting
that had been sprayed with water before it had dried. Life had been so good the
past few days.
Her work with Emi, her relationship with the third child and even her work at
Nerv had been
fantastic. However, with the arrival of the angel the three had blurred into a
painfully distorted
picture.
**************************************************************************
Shinji half-heartedly tried to concentrate on his history lesson. The old
professor droned on
about things that interested the boy very little. Besides, half of what was
said was made up by
the government to cover some activity with the angels. Shinji knew the real
history better than
his teacher did. He allowed his mind to wander and glanced over at the first
children. She had
surprised everyone by coming to school. It was evident that she would soon be
able to carry out
her mission. He and Asuka had very limited time to destroy the angel and save
Emi.
During lunch, Shinji sought out Rei. He looked around to make sure they were
alone in the
schoolyard. "Why did you agree to it?"
"Agree to what?" Rei responded.
"Killing the child."
The blue haired girl was silent for a long moment. "It was the plan from the
start."
"Nani?"
"Commander Ikari found out about this child. He planned for you two to do
surveillance, and
me to do the assassination. He knew that you would become attached, and that I
would have to
step in."
"But how could you kill another human being?"
"It is our duty to defeat the angels. Killing one person will save countless
others. It has to be
done."
"Stop saying that! It doesn't have to be done. We will find a way!" Shinji
couldn't be around
the coldness of the first children any more. He ran back to the sanctuary of
Toji and Kensuke.
She watched him go. "I hope you are right Ikari, Shinji. I don't want to kill;
I hope you are
right."
*****************************************************************************
Fuyutsuki stood before Commander Ikari's desk. The commander was smiling.
"We may not have to use Rei after all." His eyes fairly danced between his
reflective glasses.
"Nani?" The gray haired man was confused. "Wasn't that the plan?"
"Yes, but she doesn't want to do it. She'll do it dutifully, but it will hurt
her. It's best not to
cause undo stress to the children."
"You are starting to sound like Misato. What are you planning."
"The second and third children will battle the angel in Tokyo Three tomorrow.
Emi will be in
town. I believe the third children can be persuaded to kill the boy, if he
believes it will save
someone else that he cares about."
"Won't that put more stress on your son?" Fuyutsuki was beginning to see where
Ikari was
going.
"An accidental death during a battle is easier to cope with than a planned
killing."
"I see."
*****************************************************************************
The red headed girl looked up through her tears. She was standing in front of
the video rental
store. This afternoon definitely called for a cute movie and a package of ice
cream. Looking
through all the isles, she could find nothing that interested her. Reluctantly
she decided to give
Disney another try. They couldn't be all bad. Just to be sure, she chose one
that couldn't
possibly have trouble with a mother. This one didn't even have people, and the
deer on the front
of the box was simply adorable.
****************************************************************************
Shinji couldn't get home quickly enough. He fairly ran through the
neighborhoods, trying to get
to Asuka. How could he have left her alone all day? He wanted to be there for
her, so what had
driven him to go to school? Sure, she had told him to go, but he could have
refused; he should
have refused. Why didn't he refuse? Was he afraid of how quickly their new
relationship was
moving? It couldn't be helped. This was a traumatic time for her, and he
really wanted to be
there. Was he scared of being alone with his shattered beauty? That didn't
make sense. He was
reasonably sure that he was falling for her, and as previously stated he
desperately wanted to be
there for her. Why were his actions so cowardly and mysterious, even to him?
The boy rushed into the small apartment. He threw open the door to her room.
She wasn't there.
The sound of the television and the quiet crying of a scared girl floated down
to hallway towards
him. He raced into the living room, thinking only of the second children.
As he entered the living room, he ducked, to dodge the video box that came
flying towards him
from across the room. Asuka was standing before him in all her furious glory.
"What kind of
sadistic parents make their kids watch this crap!" Her eyes were a bit red and
puffy, but the tears
were gone.
The third children stooped down to pick up the box. 'Bambi.' "Asuka, this
probably wasn't the
best movie for you to watch."
"Gee, do you think?"
"Do you want to talk?" Shinji needed to know what had gone wrong in the second
children's
past. He wanted to help her, but had no idea where to start.
"Yeah," said Asuka, "We need to plan for tomorrow morning."
"Right." The third children was a bit disappointed, but of course it was to be
expected. There
was one thing his roommate cared about more than anything at the moment. The
best thing
Shinji could do was to help her with this.
The two sat down at the kitchen table. They were silent for a long while. It
was hard to decide
where to start. How do you defeat an enemy that you can't even touch? After
several minutes of
pretending to plan, they realized that there was nothing they could do.
"We have to try." Asuka was adamant.
"I know."
"I won't let him die."
"Neither will I."
The second children looked at her dark haired roommate. Why did he care so much
about this?
Was it because she cared? Was his concern for Emi really concern for her, or
was Shinji just the
kind of great guy who cares deeply about everybody. Either way, it warmed her
heart. He really
wasn't that bad. Sure she found him cowardly, and stupid, and skinny, and
childish, and
countless other things, but he had held her last night when she needed it, he
always looked out
for her, and now he was going to battle for her. She snapped herself from her
thoughts.
"We better get some rest," she mentioned, standing up.
"Yeah."
Then she did something neither child had expected. She bent down and kissed him
tenderly on
the lips. Shinji started. What was she doing? Was she toying with him? No,
it didn't feel like
that. This tenderness was so out of character for his roommate. Being with Emi
had really
effected her. He kissed back, trying with all his might to give her, in that
single kiss, his
strength, his will, his life.
Asuka was a bit surprised. Shinji wasn't such a bad kisser when he wasn't
fighting for air. She
had the feeling he truly cared about her, and that was a nice change. It felt
wonderful to be with
someone who knew the real her and loved her anyway. For a moment she
contemplated slipping
into the pilot's lap and allowing the moment to go where it would, but thinking
the better of it,
she pulled away.
She quickly shattered from the moment, regaining her cold, abrasive air. "Just
don't screw up
tomorrow, Third Child!" she said before running to her room.
Shinji stared after her. Reaching a hand up, he fingered his lips. The warm
tingly feel of his first
real kiss remained for a few moments. He imagined that he was beginning to
understand Asuka.
The indifferent front she put up was exactly that, a front. She tried to keep
safe from being hurt
by others. By not getting too close she could avoid the pain that had dominated
her past. He
didn't quite know what that pain was, but he understood her defense. In many
ways she was a
lot like him, he thought as he dropped his hand from his mouth. Shinji left for
his room grinning.
******************************************************************************
Misato got up to drive her two wards to headquarters before the angel attacked.
Due to the
ordeal awaiting them, as well as the early morning drive after a sleepless
night, the mood was
somber. The major decided to break the heavy silence and express her thoughts.
"This is a very brave thing, taking this on by yourselves."
The children stared strait ahead, barley noticing the comment. They were both
searching their
brains for some form of a plan, anything that would increase their slim chances.
"Do you guys have a plan?" Misato asked, as if reading their minds.
"No," replied Shinji.
There was silence for the rest of the drive.
Immediately after reaching headquarters the two children got into their plug
suits and boarded
their Evas. The mechas were activated and all but launched.
"We can do this," Shinji tried to reassure the second children.
"I hope you're right," was her slow reply.
Shinji wanted to say more, but he was interrupted. The equipment in the control
room indicated
the presence of the angel.
Misato looked at Gendo; he was smiling. His confident, careless smile set
against the backdrop
of an impossible battle caused the major to shiver. Looking quickly away she
shouted,
"Launch!"
The two Evangelion were propelled to the surface. As they emerged they noticed
the angel far
off in the distance, in the direction of the group home. Gendo nodded with
satisfaction. Maybe
this would be even easier than he thought.
Units 01 and 02 both fired volleys. The angel went transparent as usual.
Shinji had faintly
hoped that it would have somehow lost that ability giving them a chance for a
fair fight. "What
now?" He asked his partner.
"I have an idea." Asuka was gaining her bold, energetic air as the battle raged
on. She lived to
combat angels. It made her come alive. "You fire and I'll try to hold on to
the angel." Unit 02
raced towards the angel. Shinji got ready with the gun. He fired and Asuka
grabbed. It didn't
work. The angel avoided Unit 02 and ran towards the group home. The two
Evangelion
frantically chased the angel.
Eventually Unit 02 and the beast passed the group home and Unit 01 stood right
outside it. He
looked down at his feet. There in the back yard was Emi. He wasn't mimicking
the angel
though. He was jumping and screaming nonsensical syllables. It appeared to
Shinji that he was
trying to make his angel stop. Silently but fervently wishing him luck, the
third children fired
again. This time, after changing transparent, the angel turned and fired from
the red circle in its
head. The unanticipated attack caught Shinji completely off guard. He watched
as his gun was
sliced almost perfectly in half by the shot. As Unit 01 threw down the useless
weapon the angel
turned onto Unit 02. It grabbed the Evangelion, holding it by the neck in one
hand, tearing and
bashing the brain case with the other.
Misato got on the com. link. "Shinji, I'm sending you another gun."
"Cancel that order."
The major turned on the commander. "What!"
Gendo ignored her and began communication with his son. "Shinji, Asuka will
die, and you
can't get to her in time."
The third children watched in terror as the angel pummeled its victim. He could
hear his
roommate's screams over the crashing of the metal. "Father!" he shouted,
realizing he had no
other option but to trust the commander, "What do I do?"
"Emi isn't controlling the angel anymore, but they are still connected. He is
still responsible for
its existence. Kill Emi and the angel will be destroyed."
"Don't do it, Shinji!" came the raspy, yet forceful voice from Unit 02. "I
would rather die!"
Shinji looked down at the little boy before him, the boy who had saved Asuka's
live, the boy
who had opened Asuka's heart. He owed so much to this child. Slowly he took
out his
progressive knife. The weapon could rip through an A.T. field. It would slice
though a human
like a steak knife through hot butter.
"No, Shinji!" Asuka managed before she lost the power to breathe.
Shinji stared at the boy then at the angel. It was all too hard. Why did it
always have to be so
difficult?
"Kill him or Asuka will die." His father was right and Shinji knew it.
Maya spoke, breaking through the third children's thoughts. "There's a crack in
the front of the
brain case. We are loosing the pilot!"
"No!" In an instant Shinji made his choice. "I won't loose you now!" With that
he plunged the
knife down through the little boy. Emi had no time to scream or run. He simply
died in a spray
of blood that made Shinji want to hurl. The angel let out a final shriek and
vanished. Unit 02
came crashing to the ground.
Unit 01 ran quickly to its fallen companion. Realizing that he was going to
eject the entry plug,
Ritsuko shouted an order. "Shinji, don't touch Unit 02. We are giving Asuka a
heart massage.
It is vital that the additional life support inside her entry plug is allowed to
do its job." The third
children stared on helplessly. All he could do was watch, and pray.
A painfully faint voice came from Unit 02. "I hate you, Ikari Shinji."