Author's Notes: Sorry for the delay, school preparation and stuff pretty much slowed me down. Here's the promised chapter 1, enjoy ^.^
Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Evangelion, Studio Gainax animation does. Should the rightful owners and creator ask to remove this work, I'd do so in a nano-second. The following piece of writing is just a fragment of my imagination! So please don't sue me, my family, my friends, my cat Milk, or even my neighbor's dog!
Under the cover of the stormy night, the agent slipped undiscovered into what's left of the magnificent city known as Tokyo-3. Most of it was now in ruins, and what used to be a metropolis looked more like a lunar landscape after all the abuse it took.
Reaching his destination, the man stepped into one of the few remaining buildings that survived the unfortunate self-destruction of Evangelion Unit 00 due to the fact they were in the subterranean region of the city. At last, the man stopped in front of a door.
"I hope you are right about this, Kaji." The man muttered, placing an envelope on the doorstep. Satisfied with the completion of his mission, he took one last glance at the door and slipped into the darkness.
On the envelope, the words "To Ikari Shinji" could be seen.
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Meaning of the Truth
Chapter 1: A Spark of Hope
One who loses money, loses a lot
One who loses a friend, loses much more
One who loses faith, loses all
~Anonymous
"The man who fears truth has nothing to fear from lies"
~ Thomas Jefferson
Unnoticed by any residents left in the apartment complex, Evangelion Unit 01's pilot Shinji Ikari sat on the rooftop of the building, hugging his knees to his chest as if his very life depended on it. Fortunately he was not stupid enough to sit at a location where he would be exposed to the harsh elements of the storm. The lone figure sat in the darkness, his shoulders shaking from time to time as he sobbed.
Everyone... everyone has hurt me and abandoned me...
No matter how hard the youngster had tried to comprehend the events that happened over the past few weeks, he could not get them out of his mind. First the betrayal of that abomination he called his father, even worst he commandeered Shinji's own hands to maim his best friend Toji.
Everything, everything that caused me pain... he is the source of it!
He had rushed back to NERV headquarters to battle the 14th angel after watching the defeat of both Unit 00 and 02. Terrified, he could just stare at the carnage before him as the JSDF and UN forces tried against all odds to battle the angel afterwards. He could still hear the explosions of countless auto cannon rounds and missiles impacting uselessly on the AT-Field of the angel. Then a familiar voice reached out to him and lifted his terror.
Kaji!
Surprisingly the thought of the eternally unshaven man brought a smile to Shinji, and he even stopped his crying for a moment. The agent had almost been a father figure for Shinji when Kaji first met him, he gave Shinji advices, cared about him, concerned of his problems...
Everything his real father ignored.
Yes, he loved Kaji. Sometimes he even imagined his guardian Misato marrying him and all of them living happily ever after.
It isn't possible now is it?
His thoughts shifted to the next battle with the 15th of god's messengers, how helpless he was when Asuka was...
It was all his fault, that bastard wouldn't let me go help her!
Everyone, everything, all fell apart afterwards. The sacrifice of Rei to save his life, Asuka's catatonic coma, Kaji's death, Misato's grieving, the horrible truth within Central Dogma...
Nagisa Kaoru's betrayal. The very person who said that he loved Shinji. HIM, he told Shinji that he loved him. Nagisa was the first person to say such kind words to him and granted him the will to open up to others.
In the end, he betrayed me... he manipulated me like my father does!
Kaoru was the 17th angel, and he had asked Shinji to kill him.
"If I live, it would be the end to humanity." Kaoru's words stuck in his mind, his friend gave him the impossible option, kill him or be killed. Everyone he cared about had abandoned him.
Rei... the thought of the pilot of Unit 00 both comforted and scared him. He always felt a kind of bond with the girl, it wasn't love, it was something else.
Like a mother...
The girl had risked her life to protect him during the battle with the 5th angel, and then she had sacrificed herself to save Shinji from the 16th. He was overjoyed to hear that she was still alive after the battle, but the horrible truth which he learned within that cursed place below headquarters made him completely terrified of the girl.
Ayanami Rei, a clone of his mother and something else. The image of the dozens of Ayanamis in the LCL tanks haunted him even now.
It's all his fault!
Sohryu Asuka Langley, the fiery German redhead who brought both joy and pain to his life. The very girl from whom he received his first kiss. He couldn't understand his feelings when he thought of her. She was always energetic, full of life, hot tempered, and loud.
That brought a smile to the weeping boy.
The German had brought him the most happiness he had felt in his life and pain as well. He had hung on to her for support from his personal problems, taking endless barrages of physical and verbal abuses in the process, but the feeling he had was... happiness.
She's gone too, she left me like the others...No, she gave in to her problems.
The idea of Asuka giving up was terrifying, she never gave up on anything. Even as the boy sat pathetically in the night, the German girl was in a deep, catatonic sleep in NERV hospital. A sudden bolt of lightning, causing the boy to hug his knees even tighter, interrupted any further thoughts. Deciding that it was time to go, Shinji picked himself up with obvious effort and staggered toward the Katsuragi household.
To his surprise, when he reached the apartment entrance, an envelope was lying on the ground as if it was waiting for him.
"To... Ikari Shinji?" the boy cried out in shock, he had never received any packages or mail in his entire life...
The one from his father that summoned him to this cursed city didn't count.
Someone actually cared about me enough to send me something... wait a second... from Kaji?
NERV operation director Major Katsuragi Misato walked towards her apartment entrance like a drunken woman, she was exhausted beyond all reasons. Ever since "his" death, she had been chasing the same thing he was after, like a demon-possessed.
Why did you have to die...?
"I'm home," she called out weakly after stepping into the apartment; she kicked off her shoes and went straight for the refrigerator. Almost unconsciously she threw her red NERV jacket off before reaching in for a (cold beer) Off to the distant, PenPen was struggling to get out of the embrace of Misato's jacket.
The major took a long drink, and then collapsed as the refreshment sank into her tiresome muscles. Letting out a sigh, she willed herself to get up and crawled toward Shinji's room. The sign "Shinji's Lovely Suite" was still on the door after all that had happened and Misato couldn't help but smile at the memory of that long forgotten time.
The time when life could be called "happy", but pain still existed.
She paused when her hand was just centimeters away from contact with the door. Misato sighed; she knew the boy was in a serious depression after all he had been through, and she couldn't really blame him.
How much alike we both are, unfamiliar with living and expressing our true feelings...
Misato felt for that boy, from the day she took the role of his guardian of her own free will, she considered him to be her own son. She had tried to get him to open up to others with partial success, but recent events had come cascading down like an avalanche and the boy had withdrawn into his shell once more. She was so deep in her thoughts that she failed to notice the angry penguin ferociously hitting her feet with his flippers. Misato's attention soon turned to the room of her other roommate.
Ever since Asuka's catatonic state, Shinji had became much worse.
She had willingly taken two children under her roof and treated them like her own, but she couldn't even help them with their problems. Yes, she had her own problems too, but for a mother her children must come first.
"Shinji, are you in there?" her voice held genuine concern; she finally gathered enough courage to knock, while her concern for him was very strong, the boy always pushed her away every time she tried to help. Receiving no reply, Misato tried again, "Shinji..."
"I'm busy Misato," the reply came as a whisper, but audible to the woman. "Don't worry about me." His tone was somewhat dull, but a hint of nervousness was evident.
"Shin-" Misato stopped, whatever it was he's doing, at least it's gotten some life back into his voice. She shuddered at the memory of Shinji's lifeless and dull tone for the past few days. "Shinji... I'll be in the kitchen if you need me."
Shinji sighed in relief after hearing the departure of his guardian, his attention returned to the disk in his hands. The only word on the disk was "play".
Is it possible that Kaji is still alive?
His hands trembling, Shinji carefully slid the disk into his laptop. The close encounter with Misato had shaken him up a bit. He couldn't think of what her reaction would be when she found out that there was a possibility... What he was feeling right now, was a sense of hope. A feeling he had forgotten since that fateful day of his mother's disappearance...
In the kitchen, Misato was wondering where the pain in her foot came from.
Slowly and gently, as if he was going to break the laptop, Shinji pressed the play button.
NERV Commander Gendo Ikari waited patiently within the dark interior of the monolith room. The commander, as cool and calm as ever, sat on the only chair in the center of the room with his chin rested on his hands. His second in command, Vice Commander Fuyutsuki Kouzou, stood at the right hand side of the commander.
"They must be getting nervous about the upcoming plan, are they?" Kouzou asked, breaking the still silence in the room.
"The old men worry too much, I've assured them that everything will go according to the scenario," Ikari replied without turning to face the vice commander. His tone was as lifeless as always.
"The sabotage of three S2 Engine components couldn't be described as 'according to the scenario'!" Seele 05's monolith flickered to life with a loud sound, his tone was furious even through the mechanical-liked voice that came from the holographic communicator.
"You wouldn't be the one behind this, Ikari?" Seele 01 appeared, calm as ever.
"The construction of those three Evangelion units will be delayed for a month!"
"This is atrocity!" one by one, the monoliths of Seele appeared until a full circle surrounded the two NERV commanders.
"I assure you that we had nothing to do with it," the commander replied coldly, "the delay of assembling the Eva units is of no concern"
"A month is a long time in this crucial moment Ikari!" Seele 02 exploded. "If an outside force with the power to strike at our assembling process does exist, they may come at us next!" several other counsel members murmured their agreement.
Getting this impatient now? Ikari suppressed a smile. "This is only a delay in the plan, everything will go as planned according to the scenario, I assure you that." He turned to face the monolith of Seele 01 as if he was expecting a reply next from him.
"Very well Ikari, do not fail us." Seele 01 answered, then the monolith disappeared.
"You are well aware of the consequences of your failure." One by one, the monoliths of Seele disappeared and left the room in its original dark state.
"You seemed over-confident of yourself, Ikari." Kouzou bit his lips nervously, a rare expression of his emotions in front of the commander. "Anyone who dares to stand up against Seele is not to be taken lightly."
"Oh," Gendo acknowledged, pulling himself out of the chair. "Do not be troubled, professor. Those nuisances complain at everything all the time." Ikari sneered, heading for the exit out of the room. "The delay in the plan only works to our benefits."
"Then how come I have a feeling that something is going to happen…"? Kouzou realized too late that he had actually said his thought out loud. Ikari stiffened at the comment and paused.
"Nothing is going to get in my way, do you understand?" the commander replied coldly before exiting the room. Meanwhile, the vice commander was trying to shake away the image of the man imprinted in his mind.
Ikari Gendo… what have you become?
"Hello, Shinji!" the "digital" Kaji greeted the shocked Shinji casually, and the laugh he gave afterwards seemed that he was expecting such a reaction from the boy.
"I know this is a little odd, but my death seems a little premature as you have already figured it out." Kaji began, he was dressed in an ebony body suit and the background was equally dark as the suit. Kaji's expression suddenly turned dark and serious.
"Shinji, I know mere words cannot help you in this state…" the man sounded sympathetic, "but understand this Shinji, people do care for you even if you deny it. It's the truth."
"I've been told the same thing since my childhood… all lies…" Shinji whispered as a tear sled down his sullen cheek. He was about to turn the laptop off but something stopped him.
A picture of his mother, he had forgotten what she looked like, but he could feel it. The other two persons, however, he took sometime to figure out who they were. Kaji retrieved the picture and laid it in front of him.
"Before all this began, there was a boy named Shinji Ikari. He was born to a very beautiful and caring mother and a loving father." Kaji sounded as if he were telling a bedtime story. The woman on that picture was holding a little boy in a tight embrace, and a smiling man was standing right by her. The boy, with all this love, looked truly happy. His joyful laugh was frozen by the picture. "Unknown to the world, a secret organization known as Seele found something in the Dead Sea that should be left alone in the mid 20th century. The Dead Sea Scrolls, the origin of the curse of humanity." He paused to scratch his head. "And so the parents of young Shinji were manipulated made to work for Seele, along with many other people, to achieve an unknown goal. In the Antarctic, they found a being known to humanity as Adam, father of the angels. It was the attempt to capture it that initiated the Second Impact. I'm sure you have seen the picture of the angel, Shinji. According to the Dead Sea Scroll it was Adam, the first messenger from god, but everyone was so involved in their matter that they forgot to look in one thing…" Kaji produced a book from his pocket.
A bible?
"Ah, I know you are not Christian, Shinji, but hear me out anyways." Kaji continued. "He created man in His own image," he read, then turned back to the boy, "and the first human being on the face of the earth is Adam." He held up another photo, a photo of a glowing giant; Kaji tapped the photo several times and winked at the boy, then he smiled and put them away. "It was from this thing the Evangelions were created, the Evas are clones Shinji, clones of Adam. But clones have no souls, they're just dolls, shells of their originator. Then came the technology that enabled Seele to simulate souls… The first Evangelion was created this way." Kaji paused as if to give Shinji sometime to comprehend what he had just told him. "Known only to a few, Evangelion first model and production model were special, they have real souls contained within their very core." Shinji gasped, the memories of watching the replay of his berserk Unit 01 flooded into his mind.
"That fateful day of the disappearance of Shinji's mother was the result of trying to synchronize with a soulless being. The result was the absorbing of Yui into the core of the Eva unit. The same was with Unit 02, but in a different way…" he trailed off and looked away, trying to find his words for his next sentence.
"Shinji, as I've already said mere words cannot convince you about anything, but listen to me. Life without pain is not life, and pain in life comes with joy. He who lives alone exists in oblivion. Go to Unit 01 Shinji, I am powerless to help you…" Kaji admitted with a sigh, "The only thing that can help you now is the soul trapped inside. If you have the chance… help Asuka. I know you are the only one who can help her." Kaji gave him a "I know something you don't smile". "I am sorry for leaving you all behind, but I have a reason. Also keep in mind that the Scrolls might be able to predict the future, but the future is not set, and destiny is always in our own hands. When all this is over, I'll get you guys some ice cream. Shinji, if somehow Katsuragi made you drunk and seized the disk by force…" he held up a deformed diamond ring. "Her love saved my life… and if I see her again, I'll tell her myself in person…"
"No…" Shinji spun around and gasped in horror, Misato was standing in the doorway, a shattered glass of milk at her feet. "Can't be…" she whispered as she collapsed on to her knees. With a speed he couldn't even imagine he had, Shinji sprinted for his guardian and caught her. The weight of the adult woman carried them both onto the floor. Like a child, Misato enveloped Shinji in a bear hug and wailed.
"Why?" she choked between tears, her breaths came in ragged gasps. She hung on to him as if her very life depended on it, crying on Shinji's shoulder. Tears flowed like rivers, spreading across the shirt the boy was wearing. Shinji found his hand inches away from the shoulder of his guardian, not sure about what to do. His face transformed into the battlefield of conflicting emotions.
She looks so fragile…
People care about you…
Lies!
Life without pain is not life…
Destiny lies in our own hands…
I care for her…
People do care about you…
Stop running away from the first sigh of pain…
I mustn't run away…
I summoned you because I have a use for you…
Useless…
I care for her…
No one cares about you…
I care for her…
No one cares about you…
I care for her!
"NO!" he whispered, "I will NOT run away!" his arms unconsciously found themselves wrapped around the sobbing woman, and Shinji returned the embrace.
They hung onto each other for what seemed like an eternity, then slowly and weakly, Misato broke the embrace and wiped a few tears off her face.
"Th—thank you Shinji…" Misato smiled through her last drops of tears. "I—appreciate it…"
Shinji couldn't help but gave in to this new surge of emotion, he smiled.
"He… is—he—is…" Misato trailed off.
"Alive," Shinji finished for her, then found his guardian displaying a grin. "Uh—I'm sorry for—"
"Don't you say it, Shinji. There's no reason to say you are sorry for anything," that brought another smile to the depressed boy, a genuine smile from the heart, not a forced one.
"Now Shin—" Ridiculously the Kaji on the disk chose this time to speak again.
"Here's all the information on the construction of the Evangelions and data of the Antarctic research expedition…" Kaji went on.
"That jerk always has to screw up everything!" Despite the tone of her scowl, her expression was soft.
"I'm sorry…"
"Shinji!"
"Sor—"
"One last thing, the angels might not be who we all think they are, and at the mean time, just leave everything to me, sit back, and enjoy the ride!"
"Kaji! Time to go!" a(woman's voice, and Shinji felt Misato tense up.
"Um, ha ha," the agent laughed nervously. "That's my cue!" the screen turned into a display of information about the Evangelion units.
"What kind of ending is this…?" the two occupants in the room winced in disgust.
Deep within the interior of NERV headquarters (lay the hospital complex. Even at midnight, the hallways were still patrolled by the occasional guard, and a few nurses were struggling to stay awake during their "graveyard shifts".
A more intense struggle was occurring within the confines of the hospital room 303, where a young teenage girl lay on the bed in a catatonic coma. A variety of life support machines kept her alive, physically at least.
She was losing the battle inside.
"I'm worthless… People used to respect and acknowledge me because I pilot Eva… No one cares about me anymore…" the dejected looking girl kept on repeating to herself, hugging her knees to her chest as she wept inside her head. She lost the will to live after everything that had happened.
"I don't want to live, I'm worthless… I want to die, no one cares about me. Mama left me, papa abandoned me, and Kaji was taken from me… Even Eva abandons me too, I no longer have a purpose in life…"
"Does that mean you give up then?" a younger version of Asuka appeared from the eternal darkness that was the surrounding state of mind. "You give up living because you imagine that no one cares about you?"
"What the hell do you understand? You don't understand me! No one understands me!" Asuka screamed, hugging her knees even tighter to her body. The younger Asuka was undaunted by her reaction.
"If you don't open up to others, no one will understand you. If no one understands you, how could you possibly get close to others? If you are close to no one…"
"Then I won't get hurt…" that came as a whisper.
"Then you'll never know happiness," the younger Asuka added, "Life without pain is not life, with pain in life comes happiness in life."
"I've never known happiness even once in my life! I will continue to be alone forever! I don't need anyone to survive! I don't need anyone…" she trailed off as she wept her heart out "Do you hate loneliness?"
"Yes…"
"Then open up to others, don't be afraid."
"I'm tired of getting hurt… I don't wanna be hurt anymore!"
"If you continue to run from your pain, then you'll never know happiness, and your life will be filled with despair and loneliness…"
"I don't care! I don't want to live anymore!"
"How about those who (cares) (care) for you?"
"No one—"
"People do care about you, know it or not. You won't even open up to yourself, how could you possibly see it then?" the younger Asuka sighed in defeat, then disappearing, leaving the lonely Asuka behind to cry.
"Is everyone in position?" a lone figure stood under the moonlight on higher ground, looking through his binoculars to observe the road several dozen meters beneath. The peaceful night was about to transform into chaos and carnage.
"Scout team, green."
"Striker team, green."
"Support team, green."
"Retrieval team, green." Each of the deployed teams acknowledged, relieving some of the tension the commander had been shouldering for the past few hours.
"Scout 5 here, reporting movement across Nav Point Alpha. Convoy sighted, move on to your position Commander. No mistakes, this is the target. The Seele coat of arms is displayed like the front cover of a magazine." A few light chuckles came through the communication network.
"Escorts?"
"Besides the two decoy transports, I count four troop trucks full of armed men, security personnel most likely. Five Hum-vees spearheading the front…"
"That doesn't sound too bad," a team member commented.
"I'm not done yet Tanaka!" the scout interrupted angrily. "It doesn't sound too bad right now, they have two Mech. Infantry covering their rear. Bad ass Infantry Fighting Vehicles."
"If I'm not mistaken," interrupted a member of the support team, "there's a VTOL, Peregrine model gunship, escorting the convoy about a kilometer out. If trouble starts it can be here in 30 seconds."
"That doesn't sway us from our original plan. Retrieval team, better bring some support here as soon as we strike." The commander whispered to himself, "Lucky ass Kaji, he always gets the easier missions."
"Acknowledged."
The convoy soon came into view. Five vehicles clearing the path, followed by three huge transporters escorted side by side by four trucks, and two armored vehicles trailing behind completed the convoy.
"Let's do it people, just like last time. After this one we'll on par with Kaji's team." The commander grinned and retrieved his weapon. (The specially modified H&K G-11B was unlike the standard issue the JSDF had, the B version features an attached mini-rocket launcher and 9 mm rounds. "Scout team, cover fire, Support, snipe them, Striker, let's move!" To answer the commander's orders, 4 pairs of anti-armor rockets lanced out of the darkness. The Hum-vees were obliterated in an instant, blown to pieces from the rockets. An unfortunate troop transport erupted into a ball of fire, there was no chance for the troops riding within. The combined might of the last two rockets penetrated the thick hull of one of the infantry fighting vehicles (IFV) and turn it into a flaming wreckage.
"Cover fire now scouts!" The commander yelled even as he charged with 7 other men down the slope towards the carnage. A burst of heavy machine gun fire quickly cut down several Seele security agents that emerged from one of the trucks. Eight others lost their heads to eight separate and precise sniper rounds. The convoy's security elements were in a state of panic. On the other side of the road the eight members of Striker team appeared, pouring assault rifle rounds into one of the trucks. When they stopped, no more movements ever came from the truck again.
The commander's team each let loose a single rocket from their rifles, spraying shrapnel and flame upon the security troops. Any survivors were finished off with short bursts from their assault rifles.
So easy.
Until the surviving IFV decided to act, its turret erupted in a monstrous barrage of mini-gun fire. The asphalt ground beneath the commander's feet was transformed into a ragged mess in a matter of seconds. The covering fire from Scout team seemed to have no effect on the armor plating of that thing at all.
To make things worst than they already were, the Peregrine gunship decided to make an appearance at this very moment. Its mini-guns sprayed death and destruction across its strafing path.
"Retrieval, some support?" the commander yelled into his radio even as he took cover from the defending security troops. He sprinted for cover, the Hum-vee wreckage providing his team a safe spot and fired a few bursts. "And someone take care of that IFV!" another rocket made quick work of the group of security troops.
A round managed to skip off a piece of scrap metal and found its way into the commander's torso. If not for the Special body armor he was wearing, the bullet could have done much worse than just making a mere hole on ballistic cloth.
"Damn, that's coming out of my pay check!"
"No worries commander, cavalry is here," one of the pilots of the retrieval team declared proudly. (The Seele gunship seemed to notice the arrival of enemy VTOLs and sprayed one of the aircraft with mini-gun fire.
In the midst of combat, only the most experienced pilot could figure out the equation: Explosive weapons Caliber weapons.
To prove that equation, one of the pilots locked on to the Peregrine and fired a missile. The Seele pilot didn't even have time to react before his aircraft exploded in flames.
"Smashed one!"
The four VTOLs that made up the Retrieval team turned their attentions on the still fighting IFV.
Then came the surrender. Security personnel threw down their arms and raised their hands for surrender. The hatch of the IFV opened and three blackened crewmen came into view in a similar gesture.
"I thought our mission was to destroy that thing?" one of the team members jokingly asked as he joyfully kicked the prisoners onto their knees.
"Could be a bonus, after all, we captured the S2."
"Are you sure about this?" Misato gave Shinji's shoulder a gentle squeeze even when she was driving at a hundred miles per hour. Shinji winced in terror when she made a wild turn with her free hand, if not for the seat belt, Shinji would already be unconscious.
"Y—yes!" Shinji answered through clattering teeth, trying to stay conscious and alive through this nightmarish trip. At least Misato was not driving under the influences of more than a can of beer. One of the poor guards at the entrance barely avoided the mad woman.
"Misato!" the purple hair lady turned and gave the frightened boy a confused look.
"What?"
"Slow down!"
"Okay! Such a boring little boy, I just thought you wanted to see your mom as fast as possible."
"I recovered a tiny bit from my depression and I'm still getting teased…" Shinji sighed in defeat, trying to block out the laughter from the insane Misato. The car spun into a parking space with perfect precision, the skill could only be achieved with years of practice.
"Shinji," Misato said softly, turning to face the boy. "What Kaji said is true… Even if you don't know it, people do care about you, at the very least I do." She declared in a solid but gentle tone, Shinji felt his confidence raised up a bit.
"Thank you… Misato."
"Good luck, try not to suck up to your mom—"
"Misato!"
"It's going to take another impact to get you a sense of humor…"
Lieutenant Maya Ibuki, one of the infamous bridge bunnies, groaned in frustration as she struggled to stay awake during her long and boring night shift. The caffeine from the coffee had almost no effect on her exhaustion.
"Should have never let that idiot Aoba talked me into doing this favor for him," she made a face at the mention of the long haired male, another member of the bridge bunny. Maya was a calm and shy person, but the stress of the night shift was getting its toll on her. She remembered accepting Aoba's request so that he could go perform his musical talents to the Tokyo-3 reconstruction crew. "Never again!"
"Umm, Miss Ibuki?" a quiet voice immediately snapped her out of her frustrated mood. Maya turned at impossible speed and found herself facing the young Ikari.
"Oh, hello Shinji, what can I do for you?" Maya managed to smile even through the exhaustion.
What the hell is he doing here at this time of the night?
Maya shook her head several times to clear her thoughts.
"Are you all right, Miss Ibuki?"
"I'm absolutely fine!" Maya smiled, "is there something you need?" her face turned into an expression of shock after hearing Shinji's reply.
"Shinji… that's against…"
"No one will find out, and I'll take full responsibilities!" Maya reeled back in shock at the strength in the boy's voice.
"Shinji…"
"Please Miss Ibuki," Shinji almost pleaded. Maya's expression softened and finally gave in.
"All right, I'll organize the synchronization. Since there's no one here at the moment I'll only let you do this ONCE, are we cleared?"
"Thank you, Miss Ibuki…"
"Call me Maya," the bridge bunny smiled and gave him a gentle touch on the shoulder. "I do not know what you are up to, but whatever you are doing, it's definitely pulling you out of your depression.
"Are we ready, Shinji?" Maya's voice echoed within the confines of Unit 01's entry plug. Shinji, dressed in his plug suit, nodded in reply.
"Very well then, begin synchronization!"
Author's Notes:
Whew, Chapter 1's done. 1 down, 5 to go ^.^ The story will explain more in a later part, for now, sit back and enjoy. Comments? Criticism? I hope I didn't make anyone OOC out there.
About Misato's reaction, (I'm sure she'll cry when she hears that Kaji is alive). (The scowls afterwards of what a jerk he is.)
About Shinji, he only needs to know that people care about him and capable of love to get himself back. Gendo's outburst at the end is based on the thought that with his goal so close at hand, he'll go a little more desperate and tense.
Don't worry about me leaving the story unfinished, you have my word that I'll finish this baby, although might be a little slowly due to school.
I would like to thank Rhuobhe26, Blaque Talon, and Weltall Elite for pre-reading. Extra thanks to Rhuobhe26 for my number one supporter and pre-reader and taught me a lot on how to write ^.^ Watch out for that A+ for me in English when school starts =)
My outline for the upcoming chapters:
Prologue: The Lone Crusade (Completed)
Chapter 1: A Spark of Hope (completed)
Chapter 2: A Mother's Love (ETA September 30th)
Chapter 3: The Politician and the Warrior (ETA November)
Chapter 4: Decisions of Heroes/Pilot it One Last Time (February)
Chapter 5: Not According to the Scenario (ETA April)
Chapter 6: Test of Faith, Redemption and Salvation (ETA July)
Epilogue: One Last Finales, Rejoice of Heroes and Final Confrontation (ETA August)
Omake (Extra): Instrumentality Attempt
Seele 01: Come my brethren, Agent Kaji has discovered a way of achieving instrumentality!
The other counsel members wined at the enthusiasm in Seele 01's voice.
Seele 05: I thought it was Ikari's purpose of completing the project for us?
Seele 01 reeled back in anger.
Seele 01: Nonsense! That four-eyed freak takes forever to write a report! Instrumentality is out of the question for him!
Seele 07: Then what is this new method of instrumentality?
Seele 02: Yes, what's this faster method of achieving our dreams?
The Sound Only monoliths of Seele 01 was replaced by a naked picture of Keel Lorenz.
Seele 01/Lorenz: Come my comrade! Express our love for each other and let us complete each other!
One by one, the other monoliths of Seele winked out of existence as soon as the picture came into view, leaving Seele 01's crazy plan for the future alone.