Their Sacrifices: True Love
By: Langerhast
Chapter 6: Redemption
++++++
Misato couldn't believe what she was hearing as she clutched the phone to her ear, her mouth open in shock. Slowly, tears of joy began to stream down her face as the new information began to sink in. Shinji would be overjoyed.
++++++
The Third Child sat at one end of the couch, his eyes fixed on the girl sitting at the other end. He and Hikari had been spending a lot of time together in the past few days, after finding that they shared the same problem.
Both had lost the same person, and they had decided to turn to each other for consolation. Both knew what the other was going through, and both were willing to help the other.
"I'm so glad I could talk to you again, Hikari," Shinji murmured, clasping her hand and looking her in the eyes with a warm smile plastered on his face.
"Likewise, Shinji," the girl responded, reflecting the same warm look. "But you know that I'm willing to talk anytime you need."
Shinji's smile broadened. "And I'm here for you as well."
The Third didn't realize why, but Hikari began to blush as she slowly stood and walked to the front door. "Well, I… need to be… going now. I'll see you again tomorrow, all right?"
The boy nodded slightly, smiling. "All right."
The door shut, and Shinji simply sat in the same spot, not moving, barely breathing. Now that she was gone, he felt so alone… again. His eyes lowered to the floor unconsciously, as he sighed.
++++++
Rei Ayanami lay on her unkempt bed in her filthy apartment, her eyes wide open but her thoughts elsewhere. Her mind was on Shinji.
"I wonder if he does really care that much about Pilot Sohryu," she murmured aloud. "Perhaps more than he does about me… or anyone else." She shut her red eyes. "But why should I care? He is only a coworker… only my comrade. Is this jealousy?"
++++++
What am I doing here?
-You have come here because you are not with the living.-
What?
-You are no longer with the living.-
So I am… dead?
-...-
Am I dead? Answer me!
-That is for you to determine yourself.-
…
-You will find out in time.-
Who are you?
-It is irrelevant.-
Who are you?
-I am a consciousness beyond your comprehension.-
If so… what would YOU want with me here?
-That will be revealed to you in time.-
What do you want with ME?
-That will be revealed.-
What do you need?
-To pass judgement. The time is come.-
So I am to be judged?
-Correct.-
How?
-You shall discover that for yourself.-
What?
-Come now. The judgement begins.-
Asuka Langley Sohryu, suspended in a whiteness, a void, that knew no direction, felt a ripple cross the infinity and pass through her. It was small at first, but suddenly it roared with the power of a tidal wave, and she screamed as though she would be torn apart.
As soon as it had begun, however, it ended. As she regained her vision, she saw that the whiteness was gone.
++++++
"Shinji! Shinji!" The excited shouts of his guardian shook him from his world of thoughts and back to the present.
He sat up like a thunderbolt from the position on his bed, giving a hoarse shout in reply. "What is it, Misato-san?"
The raven-haired woman bust into his room and rushed over him like a wave, wrapping her arms around him and crushing him close to her breast. Shinji's eyes were wide with shock from the force of this embrace. "Wha… what is it, Misato-san?"
His guardian could barely choke out the answer between her tears that flooded forth, dripping onto Shinji's back. She was nearly convulsing, as she knew what Shinji's final reaction would be.
"Asuka…" she murmured. "Asuka's alive."
++++++
Gendo Ikari sat unmoving at his desk in his vast office, hands bridged over his mouth, his face grim and sharp. Fuyutsuki stood beside him like a statue, hard eyes gazing into nothingness.
"So… as of now, we are short one useful pilot," Gendo stated firmly.
"Yes," Fuyutsuki replied, mouth barely moving. "Pilot Sohryu is in the Critical Condition section of the hospital. However, we have received word from Dr. Akagi that the girl's condition has stabilized."
"That is irrelevant, unless she will be able to pilot again soon."
"No. It will be quite a long time before she ever wakes up, if she ever wakes up. We are still not sure as to whether she will live."
"Well, she is somewhat expendable. It would be difficult to find another suitable pilot, but it is possible." The light flashed across Commander Ikari's sunglasses. "But now then," he continued, "We have more important matters at hand."
++++++
I'm sorry that it's taken me so long to update, and I also apologize for the length of the chapters. I will make an effort to create longer future chapters, but as of now I am suffering from fits of writer's block for this fic. This will probably not be updated again for a while, because I am currently very busy with StoM.
By: Langerhast
Chapter 6: Redemption
++++++
Misato couldn't believe what she was hearing as she clutched the phone to her ear, her mouth open in shock. Slowly, tears of joy began to stream down her face as the new information began to sink in. Shinji would be overjoyed.
++++++
The Third Child sat at one end of the couch, his eyes fixed on the girl sitting at the other end. He and Hikari had been spending a lot of time together in the past few days, after finding that they shared the same problem.
Both had lost the same person, and they had decided to turn to each other for consolation. Both knew what the other was going through, and both were willing to help the other.
"I'm so glad I could talk to you again, Hikari," Shinji murmured, clasping her hand and looking her in the eyes with a warm smile plastered on his face.
"Likewise, Shinji," the girl responded, reflecting the same warm look. "But you know that I'm willing to talk anytime you need."
Shinji's smile broadened. "And I'm here for you as well."
The Third didn't realize why, but Hikari began to blush as she slowly stood and walked to the front door. "Well, I… need to be… going now. I'll see you again tomorrow, all right?"
The boy nodded slightly, smiling. "All right."
The door shut, and Shinji simply sat in the same spot, not moving, barely breathing. Now that she was gone, he felt so alone… again. His eyes lowered to the floor unconsciously, as he sighed.
++++++
Rei Ayanami lay on her unkempt bed in her filthy apartment, her eyes wide open but her thoughts elsewhere. Her mind was on Shinji.
"I wonder if he does really care that much about Pilot Sohryu," she murmured aloud. "Perhaps more than he does about me… or anyone else." She shut her red eyes. "But why should I care? He is only a coworker… only my comrade. Is this jealousy?"
++++++
What am I doing here?
-You have come here because you are not with the living.-
What?
-You are no longer with the living.-
So I am… dead?
-...-
Am I dead? Answer me!
-That is for you to determine yourself.-
…
-You will find out in time.-
Who are you?
-It is irrelevant.-
Who are you?
-I am a consciousness beyond your comprehension.-
If so… what would YOU want with me here?
-That will be revealed to you in time.-
What do you want with ME?
-That will be revealed.-
What do you need?
-To pass judgement. The time is come.-
So I am to be judged?
-Correct.-
How?
-You shall discover that for yourself.-
What?
-Come now. The judgement begins.-
Asuka Langley Sohryu, suspended in a whiteness, a void, that knew no direction, felt a ripple cross the infinity and pass through her. It was small at first, but suddenly it roared with the power of a tidal wave, and she screamed as though she would be torn apart.
As soon as it had begun, however, it ended. As she regained her vision, she saw that the whiteness was gone.
++++++
"Shinji! Shinji!" The excited shouts of his guardian shook him from his world of thoughts and back to the present.
He sat up like a thunderbolt from the position on his bed, giving a hoarse shout in reply. "What is it, Misato-san?"
The raven-haired woman bust into his room and rushed over him like a wave, wrapping her arms around him and crushing him close to her breast. Shinji's eyes were wide with shock from the force of this embrace. "Wha… what is it, Misato-san?"
His guardian could barely choke out the answer between her tears that flooded forth, dripping onto Shinji's back. She was nearly convulsing, as she knew what Shinji's final reaction would be.
"Asuka…" she murmured. "Asuka's alive."
++++++
Gendo Ikari sat unmoving at his desk in his vast office, hands bridged over his mouth, his face grim and sharp. Fuyutsuki stood beside him like a statue, hard eyes gazing into nothingness.
"So… as of now, we are short one useful pilot," Gendo stated firmly.
"Yes," Fuyutsuki replied, mouth barely moving. "Pilot Sohryu is in the Critical Condition section of the hospital. However, we have received word from Dr. Akagi that the girl's condition has stabilized."
"That is irrelevant, unless she will be able to pilot again soon."
"No. It will be quite a long time before she ever wakes up, if she ever wakes up. We are still not sure as to whether she will live."
"Well, she is somewhat expendable. It would be difficult to find another suitable pilot, but it is possible." The light flashed across Commander Ikari's sunglasses. "But now then," he continued, "We have more important matters at hand."
++++++
I'm sorry that it's taken me so long to update, and I also apologize for the length of the chapters. I will make an effort to create longer future chapters, but as of now I am suffering from fits of writer's block for this fic. This will probably not be updated again for a while, because I am currently very busy with StoM.