Their Sacrifices: True Love
By: Langerhast
Chapter 4: Tortured
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'I can't take it anymore! How could I have done the things I did? I am worthless!'
The waves of pain hit Shinji like thunderbolts, threatening to rip him apart. They were savage… so savage. They wanted him to feel pain. He had lost the only thing in his life that had kept him going… and his enemy was the one who had taken it from him.
No, what had happened was his fault. They took her because of him. She had sacrificed herself because of him. And now she was gone. HE WAS WORTHLESS.
The blind rage of the Third Child clouded his sight as he willed his Evangelion to charge forward; glaring eyes mad with savage light, mouth agape and screaming. Before the Fourteenth Angel even had a chance to move, the Evangelion had ripped into it, tearing it apart.
The blades lashed out, slicing one of Unit 01's arms clear off. Even as the blood began to spray, Shinji was heedless of the pain. Sheer animal rage drove him; he would have his revenge.
Unit 01 pounded at the beast with all of its might, digging in with fingers and prog knife to rip flesh. Reaching down to its mangled enemy, the Unit pulled the beast up so the two monsters were face to face… and then, with a mighty kick, the Evangelion sent the Angel slamming into a mountainside.
The scream of Shinji still echoing in her ears, Misato looked on in shock as the boy enacted his revenge. Her mouth hung open, and her eyes were wide. She had never seen Shinji fight like this.
With a scream of raw animal power that shook the very Geofront, Eva Unit 01 leapt into the air and came down on top of the mangled Angel, smashing it into the ground as dirt and rocks exploded around it from the impact. Hands were not enough… it began to rip at the creature with its teeth, chewing flesh and spreading blood.
Misato nearly fainted, as her heart beat faster and faster. This was unbelievable. Maya clutched her hands to her mouth, choking back the acid in her throat at this horrible spectacle. Gendo sat at his chair, emotionless eyes fixed on the carnage, and a small smile formed on his lips. It had truly awoken.
++++++
Shinji's eyes snapped open, greeted by the sight of the same blank ceiling. He wanted to cry, but he did not have the strength. His mind replayed that battle over and over… the memories had swept over him as soon as he awoke. The last thing he could remember was being embraced by a crying Misato… he knew that he had been gone, somehow. He could feel it. But that didn't matter to him.
Asuka was dead, and it was his fault. She had done what she had because she wanted him to live… he did not see why. After all of the things she had said, it had seemed that she would have welcomed his death. But she had determined hers by preventing his.
He wished desperately that he could take back everything horrible he had said to her, even though that wasn't much. He wished with all his being that he hadn't hit her that night, and that she hadn't yelled at him. He never had the chance to make amends, but she had. In her death, she betrayed what she had felt for him… and he had never told her what he truly felt.
She had kept him going, through all of his hardships. Even though she had been cruel at times, it was the sight of her beautiful face and the possibility that there might have been some scrap of compassion for him within her that kept him from giving up hope. And now all of that was gone. Life was meaningless.
He turned his head to look at the closed door. He hoped against all odds that at that very moment the German girl would burst into that very room and call him baka. Call him a hentai. Call him anything he could think of… just that she would call him something. But that wasn't going to happen.
Finally, the tears sprang to his eyes. That would never happen.
Suddenly, before he knew what had happened, Misato was by his side, sobbing out every tear in her body. She wrapped her arms tight around him, pulling him in close, clutching his face to her breast. He cried with her, for all that had happened, and all of the times that he had failed. But his guardian was not crying for the same reason; she was crying because Shinji was still alive. She had thought he wouldn't make it, and that he would be lost… just like Asuka. Shinji didn't realize it at the time, but he was all that she had. And right now, she was all that he had.
++++++
The days passed, never- ending, filled with the pain that Shinji was so tired of. He had refused to go to school; nothing was important to him now. He spent hour after hour, day after day in the emptiness of his room, the SDAT by his side. His life was only pain, and nothing more.
++++++
Misato sat, slumped at the kitchen table. It had been several days, almost a week since the boy had awoken. She was simply thankful that he had awoken. The death of his roommate had crushed him. Misato felt the emptiness, too. The apartment was not the same without Asuka's flamboyant personality, and it never would be. She had cried; for Shinji and for his loss, which was also hers.
She had listened with troubled ears as the boy had cried himself to sleep each night, and the sound tore at her heart. Nothing could cure his worsening state of a broken heart. The boy had felt something for Asuka, something so powerful and yet so fragile. He was losing the will to live, and she was helpless. No matter how hard she tried, she could not console this boy who suffered from a broken heart beyond repair.
++++++
Kensuke and Toji had become increasingly worried about their friend… Shinji had not missed this much school before. It had been over a month since they had last seen him, and his absence bothered them to the point that they couldn't take it anymore. And so, on a Tuesday with the sun shining bright, they stopped by the Katsuragi apartment to pay Shinji a visit.
The doorbell rang several times before Misato Katsuragi's mind registered it. Slowly struggling to stand, she shuffled her way to the door, eyes red from crying. Slowly, she reached to open the door, and the faces of Kensuke and Toji greeted her as it swung open.
Toji wanted to gasp at Misato's appearance. She looked so worn and tired.
"Miss Misato? We just wanted to stop by to see if Shinji is all right. He hasn't been at school lately, and…"
He trailed off as Misato nodded slightly and stepped aside to let them in. "He's in his room," she sighed, before turning away from the two boys.
++++++
"Hey, Shinji!" Kensuke called cheerily into the boy's room. "Can we come in?"
There was no reply. Carefully, Kensuke and Toji stepped in and made their way over to Shinji's bed. A wave of despair came over Toji as he saw his friend lying in the bed, near lifeless eyes staring at the blank ceiling.
"Shinji?" He asked, a bit timidly. "What's wrong?"
No response.
"I was worried when you missed school again today…" Kensuke butted in. "It's not like you to miss so much school. And Asuka's been missing, too…"
"And Hikari seemed pretty upset today… I tried to ask her what was wrong, but she just turned away…" Toji trailed off when Shinji turned to face him.
"Hikari was here yesterday, checking on Asuka. She must know…" the Third's voice was dry and cracked.
"Asuka? So does she know where the demon is?"
"Asuka…" Shinji was visibly choking back tears. "Asuka's dead, Toji."
"So that's why you… my God." Toji had always joked about it, but he had never expected this to happen.
Shinji shut his eyes. "And it's my fault."
++++++
Misato lifted her head off of the table as the phone began to ring. For a moment she tried to ignore it, but it was too persistent. Finally, she gave up, and picked it up.
"Hello?" She asked in the tone of voice of someone who had given up all hope.
"Misato, this is Ritsuko. I have important news."
The major knew that her concern for Shinji couldn't get in the way of NERV business by any means. "What is it?"
"The salvaging crew we sent to gather the remains of Unit 02 has just found the entry plug."
++++++
Sorry that chapter was so short. It was mainly meant to deal with the emotional issues. More will be coming as soon as I can type it, and it will be longer.
By: Langerhast
Chapter 4: Tortured
++++++
'I can't take it anymore! How could I have done the things I did? I am worthless!'
The waves of pain hit Shinji like thunderbolts, threatening to rip him apart. They were savage… so savage. They wanted him to feel pain. He had lost the only thing in his life that had kept him going… and his enemy was the one who had taken it from him.
No, what had happened was his fault. They took her because of him. She had sacrificed herself because of him. And now she was gone. HE WAS WORTHLESS.
The blind rage of the Third Child clouded his sight as he willed his Evangelion to charge forward; glaring eyes mad with savage light, mouth agape and screaming. Before the Fourteenth Angel even had a chance to move, the Evangelion had ripped into it, tearing it apart.
The blades lashed out, slicing one of Unit 01's arms clear off. Even as the blood began to spray, Shinji was heedless of the pain. Sheer animal rage drove him; he would have his revenge.
Unit 01 pounded at the beast with all of its might, digging in with fingers and prog knife to rip flesh. Reaching down to its mangled enemy, the Unit pulled the beast up so the two monsters were face to face… and then, with a mighty kick, the Evangelion sent the Angel slamming into a mountainside.
The scream of Shinji still echoing in her ears, Misato looked on in shock as the boy enacted his revenge. Her mouth hung open, and her eyes were wide. She had never seen Shinji fight like this.
With a scream of raw animal power that shook the very Geofront, Eva Unit 01 leapt into the air and came down on top of the mangled Angel, smashing it into the ground as dirt and rocks exploded around it from the impact. Hands were not enough… it began to rip at the creature with its teeth, chewing flesh and spreading blood.
Misato nearly fainted, as her heart beat faster and faster. This was unbelievable. Maya clutched her hands to her mouth, choking back the acid in her throat at this horrible spectacle. Gendo sat at his chair, emotionless eyes fixed on the carnage, and a small smile formed on his lips. It had truly awoken.
++++++
Shinji's eyes snapped open, greeted by the sight of the same blank ceiling. He wanted to cry, but he did not have the strength. His mind replayed that battle over and over… the memories had swept over him as soon as he awoke. The last thing he could remember was being embraced by a crying Misato… he knew that he had been gone, somehow. He could feel it. But that didn't matter to him.
Asuka was dead, and it was his fault. She had done what she had because she wanted him to live… he did not see why. After all of the things she had said, it had seemed that she would have welcomed his death. But she had determined hers by preventing his.
He wished desperately that he could take back everything horrible he had said to her, even though that wasn't much. He wished with all his being that he hadn't hit her that night, and that she hadn't yelled at him. He never had the chance to make amends, but she had. In her death, she betrayed what she had felt for him… and he had never told her what he truly felt.
She had kept him going, through all of his hardships. Even though she had been cruel at times, it was the sight of her beautiful face and the possibility that there might have been some scrap of compassion for him within her that kept him from giving up hope. And now all of that was gone. Life was meaningless.
He turned his head to look at the closed door. He hoped against all odds that at that very moment the German girl would burst into that very room and call him baka. Call him a hentai. Call him anything he could think of… just that she would call him something. But that wasn't going to happen.
Finally, the tears sprang to his eyes. That would never happen.
Suddenly, before he knew what had happened, Misato was by his side, sobbing out every tear in her body. She wrapped her arms tight around him, pulling him in close, clutching his face to her breast. He cried with her, for all that had happened, and all of the times that he had failed. But his guardian was not crying for the same reason; she was crying because Shinji was still alive. She had thought he wouldn't make it, and that he would be lost… just like Asuka. Shinji didn't realize it at the time, but he was all that she had. And right now, she was all that he had.
++++++
The days passed, never- ending, filled with the pain that Shinji was so tired of. He had refused to go to school; nothing was important to him now. He spent hour after hour, day after day in the emptiness of his room, the SDAT by his side. His life was only pain, and nothing more.
++++++
Misato sat, slumped at the kitchen table. It had been several days, almost a week since the boy had awoken. She was simply thankful that he had awoken. The death of his roommate had crushed him. Misato felt the emptiness, too. The apartment was not the same without Asuka's flamboyant personality, and it never would be. She had cried; for Shinji and for his loss, which was also hers.
She had listened with troubled ears as the boy had cried himself to sleep each night, and the sound tore at her heart. Nothing could cure his worsening state of a broken heart. The boy had felt something for Asuka, something so powerful and yet so fragile. He was losing the will to live, and she was helpless. No matter how hard she tried, she could not console this boy who suffered from a broken heart beyond repair.
++++++
Kensuke and Toji had become increasingly worried about their friend… Shinji had not missed this much school before. It had been over a month since they had last seen him, and his absence bothered them to the point that they couldn't take it anymore. And so, on a Tuesday with the sun shining bright, they stopped by the Katsuragi apartment to pay Shinji a visit.
The doorbell rang several times before Misato Katsuragi's mind registered it. Slowly struggling to stand, she shuffled her way to the door, eyes red from crying. Slowly, she reached to open the door, and the faces of Kensuke and Toji greeted her as it swung open.
Toji wanted to gasp at Misato's appearance. She looked so worn and tired.
"Miss Misato? We just wanted to stop by to see if Shinji is all right. He hasn't been at school lately, and…"
He trailed off as Misato nodded slightly and stepped aside to let them in. "He's in his room," she sighed, before turning away from the two boys.
++++++
"Hey, Shinji!" Kensuke called cheerily into the boy's room. "Can we come in?"
There was no reply. Carefully, Kensuke and Toji stepped in and made their way over to Shinji's bed. A wave of despair came over Toji as he saw his friend lying in the bed, near lifeless eyes staring at the blank ceiling.
"Shinji?" He asked, a bit timidly. "What's wrong?"
No response.
"I was worried when you missed school again today…" Kensuke butted in. "It's not like you to miss so much school. And Asuka's been missing, too…"
"And Hikari seemed pretty upset today… I tried to ask her what was wrong, but she just turned away…" Toji trailed off when Shinji turned to face him.
"Hikari was here yesterday, checking on Asuka. She must know…" the Third's voice was dry and cracked.
"Asuka? So does she know where the demon is?"
"Asuka…" Shinji was visibly choking back tears. "Asuka's dead, Toji."
"So that's why you… my God." Toji had always joked about it, but he had never expected this to happen.
Shinji shut his eyes. "And it's my fault."
++++++
Misato lifted her head off of the table as the phone began to ring. For a moment she tried to ignore it, but it was too persistent. Finally, she gave up, and picked it up.
"Hello?" She asked in the tone of voice of someone who had given up all hope.
"Misato, this is Ritsuko. I have important news."
The major knew that her concern for Shinji couldn't get in the way of NERV business by any means. "What is it?"
"The salvaging crew we sent to gather the remains of Unit 02 has just found the entry plug."
++++++
Sorry that chapter was so short. It was mainly meant to deal with the emotional issues. More will be coming as soon as I can type it, and it will be longer.