Chapter 6
Trust and the Demon
Cherry was busy making lunch at the restaurant.
"Well, what do you think?
Cherry looked up. "Hmm?"
Sitting across from her, Luchs spoke again. "Of Rei. What do you think of Rei?"
"Well she seems nice enough." replied Cherry, "Lorelei trusts her."
"But do you?"
"She came out of nowhere and helped us not once but twice against those Sabers, as did her friends. Until she does something to cast doubt on what she has done, I trust her." Cherry then looked up from her cooking. "If you don't trust her why are you here? I thought you would be helping her repairing the communicator."
"I was. Lime showed up and started asking Rei questions. As soon as Rei answered one question, Lima asked another. It was driving me crazy so I decided to come here."
"You left Lime alone with her?"
Luchs nodded, "I'm actually feeling a bit sorry for Rei."
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"What's that do?"
Rei clenched her teeth in frustration. 'God I miss Asuka. At least after she yelled at you for a while she finally shut up.'
It was the 75th question that Lime had asked her after all. "It allows the signal to go from this plane of existence into the heavens."
"How does it do that?" asked Lime, her eyes staring wide at Rei.
"It....it....." Rei leaned back and the chair, placing the tools down. "I don't know how, it just does."
"Oh." Lime remained quiet for several minutes, much to Rei's relief. That relief was short lived as Lime opened her mouth again. "Hey Rei, How does.....?"
Rei didn't hear the last part of the question as her head impacted onto the table.
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Earth
Neo-Tokyo (formerly Tokyo-2/3)
The city stretched across the landscape for miles in each direction, even up. None alive remembered the days when one could look up and see the sky without the huge buildings looming overhead. Much of the earth had become like this, a vast city complex covering the Earth. Few open areas remained. Such areas, like the oceans and parks, were the last remnants of those who came before. One such remnant lay near the area of Neo-Tokyo, in an area once part of the city known as Tokyo-3. In this park, domed over for protection from the pollution beyond, was a large circular lake, surrounded by trees and a few open fields. Rising at one end was a large cliff. An ancient railing ran along the edge to keep people from falling. A few park benches were scatter all over the park. One bench had been pulled up to the railing and was now occupied by a girl with brown hair. She seemed lost in thought, leaning against the railing and staring out over the lake. She remained like this until she was disturbed by someone calling to her.
"Auntie Sayoko!!"
Sayoko turned to see a small red head racing towards her. Far behind, a women, obviously the girl's mother, was trying to catch up. Sayoko knelt down in time to be caught up in a flying tackle from the red headed girl.
"Ommph." Sayoko fell backwards to the ground, the girl grabbing her in a tight hug.
"Auntie Sayoko! Mama thought we'd find you here!"
"So she sent you on ahead to make sure I couldn't get away, right Yui?"
Yui gave Sayoko a smile, "No, I just missed you."
Asuka finally arrived at this point. Leaning heavily against the bench, Asuka glared at her daughter. "I thought...I told you....No running. Remember, the healers said Mama isn't at full strength yet."
Yui looked down towards the ground. "I'm sorry Mama."
"Its alright Yui." Asuka then smiled, "Now why don't you go see if its still here. We'll catch up to you shortly."
"OKAY!" Yui quickly jumped off Sayoko and ran off. Asuka helped Sayoko off the ground before they both headed in the direction Yui had run to.
"You looking better." said Sayoko.
"So are you." replied Asuka. "Any word yet?"
"No. Mom has been pacing around her office and the house waiting for news."
"It's been 3 days!"
Sayoko looked at Asuka, "It's been 6 days if you count from when the mine went off. If Rei hasn't turned up yet......"
Asuka glared at Sayoko, "Don't you even think that!"
"I'm trying not to! But we haven't had any sign of her!"
"Mama! Auntie! I found it!" shouted Yui.
Asuka and Sayoko walked quietly to where Yui was standing. Before them was a monument, erected on the cliff so that it faced the lake. On the monument were statues of 5 figures, standing upon a pile of debris. Each figure looked off in a different direction. Yui pointed towards one of the figures.
"Look! It's Papa."
Asuka looked up at the statue of Shinji. The statue was standing with the right foot set a bit higher then the left, causing the knee to be bent. His arms were at his sides, with his left arm slightly raised. His face had a look of determination in it as it stared off into the forest.
"I don't remember him ever looking like that." said Sayoko.
"Not at the beginning," replied Asuka, "Maybe after the later Angels."
The walked around to look at the next statue. This one was of a girl, her hair flowing behind her. Both her hands were on her hips as if about to mock the observer. Her face was also one of determination.
"Well at least they got the attitude right." remarked Sayoko.
"What's that mean Auntie?" asked Yui.
"Well, when your mother was 14, she was a real b..."
"HEY!" shouted a blushing Asuka. "Don't tell her things like that!"
Moving to the next statue, they saw a male figure, its arms crossed over its chest.
"Uncle Touji looks good." said Yui.
Asuka shook her head, "I still can't believe they put him next to me."
"Neither can he." said Sayoko.
The next statue was of a girl. She stood with her arms at her sides, looking down at the people who passed by the statue, her hair flowing behind her. Markings had been etched on the forehead and cheeks.
"I haven't changed much in 500 years have I?" asked Sayoko.
"Not much." said Asuka. "maybe a little thicker around the waist."
"HEY!!"
The last statue faced the lake, which was fitting because it was the destruction of her Eva that created it. The figure stood, looking out, with only the barest hint of a smile on its face.
"You know," began Asuka, "Everytime I see this statue, I feel bad about calling her a doll."
"Is that why you always cook a veggie meal for her after coming here?" asked Sayoko. Asuka blushed slightly and nodded.
"It was my way of apologizing." Asuka said quietly, "I...never could say it to her face. If she's gone...I...."
Sayoko put her hand on Asuka's shoulder. "She'll make it."
Asuka nodded before speaking, "Let's get out of here." Turning to Yui, "Come on Yui. We're going home."
Sayoko walked next to Asuka as she grabbed her daughter's hand and headed towards the exit. Sliding doors opened and they found themselves on a city street, the giant park dome behind them.
"It still gets to me how much this place has changed." remarked Asuka as they walked along.
"Good or Bad?" asked Sayoko.
"Good that humanity has gone on and prospered. Bad that they have totally screwed up this planet and decided to go out into space and screw up another."
"Welcome to the wonderful world of Godhood and all it entails." replied Sayoko, "Remind me to have Grandpa tell you about the people of Atlantis."
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Terra 2
City-State of Japoness
Tamasaburo looked out over Japoness from her rooftop perch. Much had changed since she was activated. First she had been tasked to protect the Shoguns. Then she temporary stored the Shoguns memories and was used to insure the successful rescue of Lorelei. Now she and Baiko were tasked with protection of Lorelei and her clones. This job had gotten more difficult in the last few weeks with the arrival of a new threat: the Demons. If you had asked Tamasaburo if she thought that Gods and Demons had existed weeks ago, she would have replied that she would not have enough data to analyze and provide a report. Now though, that was a different story. With the help of Rei, Tamasaburo and Baiko's scanning programs had been updated so they could identify Demons better.
"Tamasaburo."
Tamasaburo lifted her head at the sound of Baiko's voice over her receiver.
"Here." Tamasaburo transmitted.
"Possible target in quadrant 025. Marionettes JSM-02C, JSM-03B, GSM-01T, GSM-02L, and GSM-03P are enroute. JSM-01L will remain with Lorelei. Requesting back-up."
"On the way."
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The Demon looked down from her perch, staring at the assortment of men and machines.
"Marionettes..." the Demon mumbled quietly, "This is definitely a strange place."
A sudden sense of danger flared in the back of her mind. The Demon threw up her shield, deflecting the throwing stars that were about to impact into her. Looking up, the Demon saw where the stars had come from.
"The Imperial Guard, Baiko." the marionette stated simply.
"And her partner, Tamasaburo." came a voice from behind her. "Why are you here Demon?"
"Would you believe I'm just here taking in the sights?" asked the Demon with a smile.
Both of the marionettes just stared at her, their faces unchanging.
The Demon sighed, "I guess not. Sorry ladies, but I have a job to do." With that, the Demon leaped off the building and took off running down the street.
"Target is moving East from current location." transmitted Baiko.
"Understood." came Tiger's voice. "We have it."
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'Peace and quiet'
Rei let out a loud sigh. Lime had finally run out of questions and left her. While she liked Lime, Rei thought she could be very annoying at times. The sound of the door opening disturbed her thoughts. Rei looked up from where she had been working on her communicator as Lime reentered the room.
"What's going on?" 'Please don't have anymore questions....'
"Baiko and Tama found a Demon." replied Lime, "The others are on the way to help them."
"A demon!!" Rei started to stand up, "We should go and..."
Lime put her hands on Rei shoulders, "They have those new progressive thingies. They'll be fine. Otaru said so."
Rei looked at Lime questioningly, "And you trust what Otaru says?"
"Of course. I love Otaru!"
"uhh...right."
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The Demon ran down the streets, bumping into people left and right. The sense of danger came back to her as she approached the street corner. She stopped immediately, just in time to avoid the knife that would have struck her in the chest. She looked down at the now quivering knife, stuck in the ground.
"Progressive knife....oh crap."
"Halt Demon!"
The Demon looked up to see 3 marionettes running at her.
"Great.." the Demon mumbled. She turned and ran down another street, the marionettes in hot pursuit. She rounded another corner just as her danger sense kicked in, this time a bit late. An arm caught her in the throat, send her crashing to the ground.
"Hey Cherry! Look I got her."
The Demon looked up to see a red hair marionette grinning down at her. Just off the side, a purple haired marionette tossed her a progressive blade.
"Take her out quickly." replied Cherry.
"Right." Red turned to plunge the blade downward. The Demon took that moment to lash out with her legs, tripping Red. Red crashed to the ground. The Demon got back on her feet and immediately took off, heading towards a side street. She had almost rounded the corner when something impacted into her side, spinning her around. Pain soon followed her. The Demon reached around and pulled the knife from her side.
"Damn it." Holding a hand to her side, the Demon raced down the side street, though not as fast as she once had. The 5 Marionettes continued to pursue her. Rounding another corner, the Demon found herself at a dead end. Trapped she turned around to face her pursuers. The 5 marionettes came around the corner and stopped.
"Alright Demon," said one of the marionettes, "Your dead."
"Quit talking and get her Panther." said Red. "She'll get away."
"No she won't." replied Panther pointing up. Everyone looked up to see Baiko and Tamasaburo standing on the rooftops over the Demon. "She's had it."
The Demon looked at the 7 marionettes surrounding her. 'I didn't volunteer for this!'
"ALRIGHT!" the Demon shouted. "I have had enough!"
The marionettes stared at her. "What?" asked Panther.
"No more playing around." The Demon raised her head, her eyes began to glow a bright red. "Now feel the wraith of a Class 0 Demon!" As she spoke her words, the ground began to shake violently, causing the marionettes to fall to the ground.
The ground split, large shafts of rock blasted from the ground, scattering the marionettes about.
"I think we're in trouble!" shouted Cherry.
"No kidding." shouted Tiger.
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Rei was continuing to work on her communicator when she was hit by a feeling, something she always associated with Demons. But this feeling seemed familiar somehow. Rei searched her mind for the last time she felt this particular one. Tools clattered to the floor as she realized who it was.
"LIME!"
Lime ran into the room. "What!? What is it?!"
Rei grabbed Lime, "You said they are fighting a demon right?"
"Yeah."
"Do you know what the demon looks like?"
Lime nodded, "Baiko transmitted a picture back here. It's a blond hair Demon with red slash marks on her...." Seeing Rei go very pale Lime stopped, "What's wrong?"
"Lots of things." Rei tightened her grip on Lime. "Hold on."
With a flash, the two vanished.
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Bloodberry, Cherry, and Tiger peered out from their hiding spot, a parked vehicle. Luchs, Panther, Tamasaburo, and Baiko lay about the area, having been tossed against the walls by the Demon. Even though they had wounded the Demon 2 more times, it seemed as if the Demon grew stronger the madder she got.
"Any Ideas?" asked Bloodberry.
Tiger was about to answer when Lime and Rei appeared next to them.
"What are you doing here!?" asked Bloodberry.
Rei looked them over, "I'd say I got here in time. Where are the others?"
"Laying over there, there, some of them are there and over there and...."
Rei held up her hand, "Ok. I got the picture."
"Do you have a plan?" asked Tiger.
"Yep."
"And that is?"
"I'm going to step out and talk to her."
"YOUR WHAT!?!?!" shouted the marionettes.
"Are you crazy?" shouted Bloodberry, "She blasted the crap out of everyone else! What makes you think she won't do the same to you?"
"I know her."
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The Demon leaned against the wall, trying to stay standing. She had expended a lot of energy against the marionettes. The wounds she had received weren't helping either. The knifes had hurt her a lot, but she was determined to get those....things back.
'I faced off against the Lord of Terror, Angels, Evas, and screaming hordes of rogue Demons, and Belldandy's temper. I will not go down to robots with attitudes.'
Movement from where the marionettes were hiding caught her eye. She formed a force ball and sent it hurtling at the emerging figure.
"TAKE THAT!!"
She watched as the ball head straight towards the figure, who made no move to avoid it. Just as it was about to hit, a blue shield blocked it. The demon stared stunned at what had happened.
"Wha?" The demon reached out, trying to detect who the person was, but she sensed nothing.
"Mara! Don't shoot!" called out the figure.
'That voice...it's familiar....' Mara stood up and stumbled towards the figure. "Who is that?" she called out. As the figure came into view, Mara's eyes grew wide. "You!"
Rei smiled, "Hello Mara."
"Found you..." came Mara's reply, "Now...its time to rest." Mara's eyes rolled into the back of her head as she fell to the ground. Rei was instantly by her side. After examining Mara, Rei turned and looked towards the hiding spot.
"LIME!"
A head poked out from behind the car. "Yes?"
"Run back to the castle!" shouted Rei, "Tell Lorelei I'm bringing back a friend."
"A friend!?" came Bloodberry's voice, "After what she just did!?"
"It was a misunderstanding. Go Lime."
"Right." Lime raced off towards the castle.
Tiger, Bloodberry, and Cherry walked up to Rei. Rei had begun to chant, her hands glowing as she held them over Mara.
"What do you think your doing?" asked Tiger.
"Healing her." came Rei's response.
"But she's a Demon!"
"Yes she is, but she's on our side. Now go gather up the others. We're going back to the castle."
"Even the demon?"
"Even the demon."
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"I don't like this at all!" shouted Tiger.
"Me either." agreed Bloodberry. "Why are you letting her do this?"
The marionettes, Lorelei, Otaru, and Faust all sat in the sitting room of the castle.
"Because I trust her." replied Lorelei, "She was my friend on the Mesopotamia and has never done us any harm."
"We don't know that!" said Panther. She and Luchs had been fixed rather quickly. Tamasaburo and Baiko were still undergoing repairs. "She never told you who or what she was back then. What makes you think she's telling the truth now?"
"And she's brought in a potential threat with that demon." added Luchs, "You've seen how powerful they are. Why did you let her bring it here?"
"Because I believe she is telling us the truth." Lorelei stated, "And I will continue to do so until she proves otherwise."
"But....." began Tiger.
"No more buts. Now I need to speak to Otaru and Faust." Turning to Lime, Lorelei added, "Lime, would you go and ask Rei to come up here please. We need to talk to her about the demon."
"OK." Lime got up and followed the others out into the hallway.
"I still think she's wrong." Tiger said.
"Even if she is," replied Cherry, "What do you expect us to do?"
"We keep an eye on Rei and that demon." replied Bloodberry, "If they try anything, we need to be here to protect Otaru and Lorelei."
"Don't forget Faust." said Luchs.
"I'm not forgetting him," replied Bloodberry, "But he is your master, and Otaru is ours."
"That's right." said Panther, "And I pity the person who dares to harm our masters."
With that, the Saber Dolls walked off down the hallway. Lime had watched and heard everything.
"You don't really think Rei is bad do you?" asked Lime.
Bloodberry and Cherry glanced at each other before looking at Lime.
"We don't know Lime." said Cherry, "There is so much that we still don't know about her."
"But she told us about her past and..."
"She told us..." said Bloodberry, "We have no way of finding out if she is telling us the truth."
"But she's been very nice to me." said Lime .
"Lime," said Cherry, "She may only be being nice to us so she can get close to Lorelei."
"But she's been alone with Lorelei."
"Yes, but now there is that demon." said Bloodberry, "We might have been handle Rei on her own, but now the demon is with her. If they decide to go against us......Lorelei may end up dead, along with anyone near her."
Lime's eyes widened, "But, Otaru is near her!"
"Exactly."
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Crimson eyes slowly opened, revealing a wooden ceiling to their owner. Mara slowly sat up, her body protesting as she did so.
"Ouch." Mara mumbled.
"Nice to see you up and about." Mara turned to see Rei standing over her. "How are you doing Mara?"
"I feel like a truck hit me." Mara's eyes narrowed, "Scratch that, I feel like I got jumped by 7 pieces of walking soon-to-be scrap."
Rei winced, "In their defense, they have been attacked by several demons over the last few weeks. So when you were spotted......."
"Yeah yeah," Mara waved her hand, "I got it."
"What brings you here anyway? I thought Hell was leaving Terra 2 alone."
"It is." replied Mara, "I'm here as a favor to Belldandy."
Rei frowned, "What do you mean?"
"After the mine went off, Sayoko set off her emergency beacon. Mist and the Valkyries arrived as quickly as they could. They went about searching for you, Asuka, and Skuld. Only you didn't turn up."
"Are the others alright?"
"Last I heard all 3 were back on their feet."
Rei frowned, "So why didn't they keep looking for me?"
"Belldandy wanted too, but the rest of the council got worried." Mara sat up an assumed the posture of someone in an authority position. "By the order of the Council of Heaven, no deities are to be allowed on Terra 2 until further notice. Terra 2 is currently 'closed' to the heavens."
"I wondered why I couldn't open a gate." mumbled Rei.
Mara smiled, "Since she wasn't allowed to search for you, Belldandy asked me to come and look. Speaking of which..." Mara began to search her pockets. "I know I put it in.....here it is!" Mara pulled out a round device, which promptly fell apart. Mara face followed the pieces to the floor. "Crap. Must have taken a hit somewhere."
"Don't worry about it. I've been rebuilding mine." Rei gathered up the pieces of the communicator, "I can use parts of yours to get mine functioning, then contact heaven."
"Why wait?" Mara replied, "I can zap us to hell and then we can get a hold of them from there."
"You sure?"
"Of course, it'll be a snap." Mara snapped her fingers, emitting a few sparks. Mara frowned and stared at her hand. She snapped her hands again, still only emitting a few sparks. Mara let out a sigh, "Great......Just great. No power."
"You were injured pretty badly, " noted Rei, "It may take time for your power to come back up to full."
"Yeah well......" Mara stood up, "I can at least help you assemble the.........." Mara's voice trailed away. Rei turned to see what Mara was looking at. Standing in the door was Lime. She stared wide-eyed at Mara.
"What is it Lime?" asked Rei.
Lime continued to stare at Mara.
"Lime, This is Mara, Demon Class 0. Mara, this is Lime." Turning to Lime, "Don't worry, she won't hurt you. Now what is it?"
"Lorelei wants to see you," replied Lime, still watching Mara.
"About what?"
"Her."
Rei looked over at Mara, "I think you should come with. You'll be able to answer their questions better then I could."
Mara nodded, still watching Lime, "Alright."
Both turned and headed towards the door. As they waked past Lime, Rei took a second look at the marionette. Lime looked very nervous. "Lime? Are you alright?"
"I'm fine." Lime did not meet Rei's face. She turned and began walking down the hallway.
"That was strange." Rei said quietly.
"What do you mean?" asked Mara.
"She acted like she was scared of something," Rei then glanced at Mara, "or someone."
"Since when do robots have emotions?" asked Mara, still watching Lime moving down the hallway.
"You don't know anything about this planet do you?" asked Rei.
"Should I?"
Rei took off after Lime, "You should. I will tell you all about them, and why you shouldn't be afraid of Lime."
"WHAT?!" Mara frowned and crossed her arms, "Me? Afraid? Not likely."
Rei looked back at Mara, "So you wouldn't mind it if I left you here, while I talked to Faust, Otaru and Lorelei."
"Not at all."
"Alright." Rei turned and went down the hallway. "Say hi to the Imperial Guard for me when they come by."
"The who?"
"The Imperial Guard, Baiko and Tamasaburo." Rei stopped and turned to face Mara, "They are the marionettes that guard Lorelei and this castle. They should be up and about soon."
Mara's face went very pale as she remembered the first 2 marionettes who attacked her. "Uhh, Rei? On second thought, I'm coming with."
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AUTHOR'S NOTES: I didn't stop writing, I've just been busy with other things.
It has been brought to my attention that not too many people, at least those who follow Eva and AMG, understand Saber Marionette J. That being the case, I am including a web site that explains the series: http://www.geocities.com/~davidpascal/smj/anint.html
Now, once again, I am including a section from my as yet unnamed and unfinished story, which takes place between Chapters 17 and 18 of Neon Genesis: Goddess
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Sayoko was walking home with Rei, Shinji and Asuka. Dark clouds loomed overhead. Shinji looked up.
"I hope it doesn't rain." He said.
Rei gave Shinji a look. "Why did you go and say that?"
"I'm just saying, I hope it doesn't....." BOOM! "...rain" Shinji finished as the clouds began to open up. Rain poured down from the sky. Rei and Asuka glared at Shinji while they held their bags over their heads.
"Shinji you idiot!" shouted Asuka. "Now look what you've done!"
"Its not my fault!" shouted Shinji, his bag over his head.
"Whatever."
Asuka turned back to continue towards the Apartment, when she noticed Sayoko. She was standing quietly from under an umbrella.
"Where did you pull that from?" asked Asuka, slightly irritated.
Sayoko smiled, "I'm a goddess remember." She then turned and began to walk down the street. Asuka glared at Sayoko's retreating form.
"One of these days....." muttered Asuka.
Just as they started walking again, a car raced past them. It quietly raced further down the street. As Rei followed the car with her eyes, she noticed something directly in the cars path. A large puddle of water. She then turned and Sayoko almost even with the puddle.
"SAYOKO!!!! WATCH OUT!!" shouted Rei.
Sayoko turned back as it to ask why, when the car hit the puddle. Sayoko had no time to react as the water cascaded towards her. Asuka, Rei and Shinji quickly hurried up to their now drenched friend. Rei reached her first and turned to face her.
"Sayoko are you..." began Rei, but she never finished it. The look on Sayoko's face chilled her. Sayoko's normally warm and cheerful blue eyes were now very cold looking and were taking on an unearthly glow. Her anger was so great, that she was shaking.
"That's.....it..." she muttered, "That's it. I HAVE HAD IT!!"
Sayoko began to chant and rose a foot above the ground. The entire time she never took her eyes off the car. Rei, Shinji and Asuka took several steps back. Sayoko raised both her hands and pointed towards the car. 4 loud explosions reached the children's ears. They watched as the car came quickly to a halt, and the driver get out to discover that all his tires were flat. Sayoko floated back to the ground with a small smirk on her face.
"That'll teach him." Sayoko then started off towards her apartment. Rei, Shinji and Asuka hung back a second.
"Did she just..." asked Asuka. "I don't believe she just..."
Shinji turned and looked at Rei, "Can she do that?"
Rei was about to answer when the sound of thunder rumbled across the sky. A bright flash came from up the street followed by a cry of shock. The children quickly ran up the street to find a stunned Sayoko laying on the sidewalk looking slightly scorched. All that was left of her umbrella was a charred frame. Next to Sayoko were glowing words in a language that Asuka had only seen once before, in a message Sayoko had sent to her Aunt. Rei knelt next to Sayoko.
"Sayoko! Are you alright?"
Sayoko opened her eyes slowly. "Did someone get the number of that truck that hit me?"
Rei helped Sayoko sit up. "Are you ok?" asked Rei again.
Sayoko turned to look at Rei, "A little woozy, but I think I'm fine. What happened?"
"That's what we were going to ask you." said Asuka.
"Maybe this will explain." said Shinji pointing towards the glowing words.
"Maybe what will...." Sayoko lost her voice as she stared at the message. As she read the words, her face became very pale. "I'm.....I'm...."
Rei looked at Sayoko. "What's wrong? What does it say?"
Sayoko looked as if she was about to cry. She quickly got up and began to run. Rei, Asuka, and Shinji quickly took off after her. At the spot they had just left, a blond haired woman with red eyes stepped out. She looked down at the now fading message. She could not read it, but she knew what it meant. She closed her eyes.
"I'm sorry kid." She then opened her eyes and looked up. "I hope you can forgive me someday."
Trust and the Demon
Cherry was busy making lunch at the restaurant.
"Well, what do you think?
Cherry looked up. "Hmm?"
Sitting across from her, Luchs spoke again. "Of Rei. What do you think of Rei?"
"Well she seems nice enough." replied Cherry, "Lorelei trusts her."
"But do you?"
"She came out of nowhere and helped us not once but twice against those Sabers, as did her friends. Until she does something to cast doubt on what she has done, I trust her." Cherry then looked up from her cooking. "If you don't trust her why are you here? I thought you would be helping her repairing the communicator."
"I was. Lime showed up and started asking Rei questions. As soon as Rei answered one question, Lima asked another. It was driving me crazy so I decided to come here."
"You left Lime alone with her?"
Luchs nodded, "I'm actually feeling a bit sorry for Rei."
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"What's that do?"
Rei clenched her teeth in frustration. 'God I miss Asuka. At least after she yelled at you for a while she finally shut up.'
It was the 75th question that Lime had asked her after all. "It allows the signal to go from this plane of existence into the heavens."
"How does it do that?" asked Lime, her eyes staring wide at Rei.
"It....it....." Rei leaned back and the chair, placing the tools down. "I don't know how, it just does."
"Oh." Lime remained quiet for several minutes, much to Rei's relief. That relief was short lived as Lime opened her mouth again. "Hey Rei, How does.....?"
Rei didn't hear the last part of the question as her head impacted onto the table.
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Earth
Neo-Tokyo (formerly Tokyo-2/3)
The city stretched across the landscape for miles in each direction, even up. None alive remembered the days when one could look up and see the sky without the huge buildings looming overhead. Much of the earth had become like this, a vast city complex covering the Earth. Few open areas remained. Such areas, like the oceans and parks, were the last remnants of those who came before. One such remnant lay near the area of Neo-Tokyo, in an area once part of the city known as Tokyo-3. In this park, domed over for protection from the pollution beyond, was a large circular lake, surrounded by trees and a few open fields. Rising at one end was a large cliff. An ancient railing ran along the edge to keep people from falling. A few park benches were scatter all over the park. One bench had been pulled up to the railing and was now occupied by a girl with brown hair. She seemed lost in thought, leaning against the railing and staring out over the lake. She remained like this until she was disturbed by someone calling to her.
"Auntie Sayoko!!"
Sayoko turned to see a small red head racing towards her. Far behind, a women, obviously the girl's mother, was trying to catch up. Sayoko knelt down in time to be caught up in a flying tackle from the red headed girl.
"Ommph." Sayoko fell backwards to the ground, the girl grabbing her in a tight hug.
"Auntie Sayoko! Mama thought we'd find you here!"
"So she sent you on ahead to make sure I couldn't get away, right Yui?"
Yui gave Sayoko a smile, "No, I just missed you."
Asuka finally arrived at this point. Leaning heavily against the bench, Asuka glared at her daughter. "I thought...I told you....No running. Remember, the healers said Mama isn't at full strength yet."
Yui looked down towards the ground. "I'm sorry Mama."
"Its alright Yui." Asuka then smiled, "Now why don't you go see if its still here. We'll catch up to you shortly."
"OKAY!" Yui quickly jumped off Sayoko and ran off. Asuka helped Sayoko off the ground before they both headed in the direction Yui had run to.
"You looking better." said Sayoko.
"So are you." replied Asuka. "Any word yet?"
"No. Mom has been pacing around her office and the house waiting for news."
"It's been 3 days!"
Sayoko looked at Asuka, "It's been 6 days if you count from when the mine went off. If Rei hasn't turned up yet......"
Asuka glared at Sayoko, "Don't you even think that!"
"I'm trying not to! But we haven't had any sign of her!"
"Mama! Auntie! I found it!" shouted Yui.
Asuka and Sayoko walked quietly to where Yui was standing. Before them was a monument, erected on the cliff so that it faced the lake. On the monument were statues of 5 figures, standing upon a pile of debris. Each figure looked off in a different direction. Yui pointed towards one of the figures.
"Look! It's Papa."
Asuka looked up at the statue of Shinji. The statue was standing with the right foot set a bit higher then the left, causing the knee to be bent. His arms were at his sides, with his left arm slightly raised. His face had a look of determination in it as it stared off into the forest.
"I don't remember him ever looking like that." said Sayoko.
"Not at the beginning," replied Asuka, "Maybe after the later Angels."
The walked around to look at the next statue. This one was of a girl, her hair flowing behind her. Both her hands were on her hips as if about to mock the observer. Her face was also one of determination.
"Well at least they got the attitude right." remarked Sayoko.
"What's that mean Auntie?" asked Yui.
"Well, when your mother was 14, she was a real b..."
"HEY!" shouted a blushing Asuka. "Don't tell her things like that!"
Moving to the next statue, they saw a male figure, its arms crossed over its chest.
"Uncle Touji looks good." said Yui.
Asuka shook her head, "I still can't believe they put him next to me."
"Neither can he." said Sayoko.
The next statue was of a girl. She stood with her arms at her sides, looking down at the people who passed by the statue, her hair flowing behind her. Markings had been etched on the forehead and cheeks.
"I haven't changed much in 500 years have I?" asked Sayoko.
"Not much." said Asuka. "maybe a little thicker around the waist."
"HEY!!"
The last statue faced the lake, which was fitting because it was the destruction of her Eva that created it. The figure stood, looking out, with only the barest hint of a smile on its face.
"You know," began Asuka, "Everytime I see this statue, I feel bad about calling her a doll."
"Is that why you always cook a veggie meal for her after coming here?" asked Sayoko. Asuka blushed slightly and nodded.
"It was my way of apologizing." Asuka said quietly, "I...never could say it to her face. If she's gone...I...."
Sayoko put her hand on Asuka's shoulder. "She'll make it."
Asuka nodded before speaking, "Let's get out of here." Turning to Yui, "Come on Yui. We're going home."
Sayoko walked next to Asuka as she grabbed her daughter's hand and headed towards the exit. Sliding doors opened and they found themselves on a city street, the giant park dome behind them.
"It still gets to me how much this place has changed." remarked Asuka as they walked along.
"Good or Bad?" asked Sayoko.
"Good that humanity has gone on and prospered. Bad that they have totally screwed up this planet and decided to go out into space and screw up another."
"Welcome to the wonderful world of Godhood and all it entails." replied Sayoko, "Remind me to have Grandpa tell you about the people of Atlantis."
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Terra 2
City-State of Japoness
Tamasaburo looked out over Japoness from her rooftop perch. Much had changed since she was activated. First she had been tasked to protect the Shoguns. Then she temporary stored the Shoguns memories and was used to insure the successful rescue of Lorelei. Now she and Baiko were tasked with protection of Lorelei and her clones. This job had gotten more difficult in the last few weeks with the arrival of a new threat: the Demons. If you had asked Tamasaburo if she thought that Gods and Demons had existed weeks ago, she would have replied that she would not have enough data to analyze and provide a report. Now though, that was a different story. With the help of Rei, Tamasaburo and Baiko's scanning programs had been updated so they could identify Demons better.
"Tamasaburo."
Tamasaburo lifted her head at the sound of Baiko's voice over her receiver.
"Here." Tamasaburo transmitted.
"Possible target in quadrant 025. Marionettes JSM-02C, JSM-03B, GSM-01T, GSM-02L, and GSM-03P are enroute. JSM-01L will remain with Lorelei. Requesting back-up."
"On the way."
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The Demon looked down from her perch, staring at the assortment of men and machines.
"Marionettes..." the Demon mumbled quietly, "This is definitely a strange place."
A sudden sense of danger flared in the back of her mind. The Demon threw up her shield, deflecting the throwing stars that were about to impact into her. Looking up, the Demon saw where the stars had come from.
"The Imperial Guard, Baiko." the marionette stated simply.
"And her partner, Tamasaburo." came a voice from behind her. "Why are you here Demon?"
"Would you believe I'm just here taking in the sights?" asked the Demon with a smile.
Both of the marionettes just stared at her, their faces unchanging.
The Demon sighed, "I guess not. Sorry ladies, but I have a job to do." With that, the Demon leaped off the building and took off running down the street.
"Target is moving East from current location." transmitted Baiko.
"Understood." came Tiger's voice. "We have it."
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'Peace and quiet'
Rei let out a loud sigh. Lime had finally run out of questions and left her. While she liked Lime, Rei thought she could be very annoying at times. The sound of the door opening disturbed her thoughts. Rei looked up from where she had been working on her communicator as Lime reentered the room.
"What's going on?" 'Please don't have anymore questions....'
"Baiko and Tama found a Demon." replied Lime, "The others are on the way to help them."
"A demon!!" Rei started to stand up, "We should go and..."
Lime put her hands on Rei shoulders, "They have those new progressive thingies. They'll be fine. Otaru said so."
Rei looked at Lime questioningly, "And you trust what Otaru says?"
"Of course. I love Otaru!"
"uhh...right."
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The Demon ran down the streets, bumping into people left and right. The sense of danger came back to her as she approached the street corner. She stopped immediately, just in time to avoid the knife that would have struck her in the chest. She looked down at the now quivering knife, stuck in the ground.
"Progressive knife....oh crap."
"Halt Demon!"
The Demon looked up to see 3 marionettes running at her.
"Great.." the Demon mumbled. She turned and ran down another street, the marionettes in hot pursuit. She rounded another corner just as her danger sense kicked in, this time a bit late. An arm caught her in the throat, send her crashing to the ground.
"Hey Cherry! Look I got her."
The Demon looked up to see a red hair marionette grinning down at her. Just off the side, a purple haired marionette tossed her a progressive blade.
"Take her out quickly." replied Cherry.
"Right." Red turned to plunge the blade downward. The Demon took that moment to lash out with her legs, tripping Red. Red crashed to the ground. The Demon got back on her feet and immediately took off, heading towards a side street. She had almost rounded the corner when something impacted into her side, spinning her around. Pain soon followed her. The Demon reached around and pulled the knife from her side.
"Damn it." Holding a hand to her side, the Demon raced down the side street, though not as fast as she once had. The 5 Marionettes continued to pursue her. Rounding another corner, the Demon found herself at a dead end. Trapped she turned around to face her pursuers. The 5 marionettes came around the corner and stopped.
"Alright Demon," said one of the marionettes, "Your dead."
"Quit talking and get her Panther." said Red. "She'll get away."
"No she won't." replied Panther pointing up. Everyone looked up to see Baiko and Tamasaburo standing on the rooftops over the Demon. "She's had it."
The Demon looked at the 7 marionettes surrounding her. 'I didn't volunteer for this!'
"ALRIGHT!" the Demon shouted. "I have had enough!"
The marionettes stared at her. "What?" asked Panther.
"No more playing around." The Demon raised her head, her eyes began to glow a bright red. "Now feel the wraith of a Class 0 Demon!" As she spoke her words, the ground began to shake violently, causing the marionettes to fall to the ground.
The ground split, large shafts of rock blasted from the ground, scattering the marionettes about.
"I think we're in trouble!" shouted Cherry.
"No kidding." shouted Tiger.
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Rei was continuing to work on her communicator when she was hit by a feeling, something she always associated with Demons. But this feeling seemed familiar somehow. Rei searched her mind for the last time she felt this particular one. Tools clattered to the floor as she realized who it was.
"LIME!"
Lime ran into the room. "What!? What is it?!"
Rei grabbed Lime, "You said they are fighting a demon right?"
"Yeah."
"Do you know what the demon looks like?"
Lime nodded, "Baiko transmitted a picture back here. It's a blond hair Demon with red slash marks on her...." Seeing Rei go very pale Lime stopped, "What's wrong?"
"Lots of things." Rei tightened her grip on Lime. "Hold on."
With a flash, the two vanished.
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Bloodberry, Cherry, and Tiger peered out from their hiding spot, a parked vehicle. Luchs, Panther, Tamasaburo, and Baiko lay about the area, having been tossed against the walls by the Demon. Even though they had wounded the Demon 2 more times, it seemed as if the Demon grew stronger the madder she got.
"Any Ideas?" asked Bloodberry.
Tiger was about to answer when Lime and Rei appeared next to them.
"What are you doing here!?" asked Bloodberry.
Rei looked them over, "I'd say I got here in time. Where are the others?"
"Laying over there, there, some of them are there and over there and...."
Rei held up her hand, "Ok. I got the picture."
"Do you have a plan?" asked Tiger.
"Yep."
"And that is?"
"I'm going to step out and talk to her."
"YOUR WHAT!?!?!" shouted the marionettes.
"Are you crazy?" shouted Bloodberry, "She blasted the crap out of everyone else! What makes you think she won't do the same to you?"
"I know her."
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The Demon leaned against the wall, trying to stay standing. She had expended a lot of energy against the marionettes. The wounds she had received weren't helping either. The knifes had hurt her a lot, but she was determined to get those....things back.
'I faced off against the Lord of Terror, Angels, Evas, and screaming hordes of rogue Demons, and Belldandy's temper. I will not go down to robots with attitudes.'
Movement from where the marionettes were hiding caught her eye. She formed a force ball and sent it hurtling at the emerging figure.
"TAKE THAT!!"
She watched as the ball head straight towards the figure, who made no move to avoid it. Just as it was about to hit, a blue shield blocked it. The demon stared stunned at what had happened.
"Wha?" The demon reached out, trying to detect who the person was, but she sensed nothing.
"Mara! Don't shoot!" called out the figure.
'That voice...it's familiar....' Mara stood up and stumbled towards the figure. "Who is that?" she called out. As the figure came into view, Mara's eyes grew wide. "You!"
Rei smiled, "Hello Mara."
"Found you..." came Mara's reply, "Now...its time to rest." Mara's eyes rolled into the back of her head as she fell to the ground. Rei was instantly by her side. After examining Mara, Rei turned and looked towards the hiding spot.
"LIME!"
A head poked out from behind the car. "Yes?"
"Run back to the castle!" shouted Rei, "Tell Lorelei I'm bringing back a friend."
"A friend!?" came Bloodberry's voice, "After what she just did!?"
"It was a misunderstanding. Go Lime."
"Right." Lime raced off towards the castle.
Tiger, Bloodberry, and Cherry walked up to Rei. Rei had begun to chant, her hands glowing as she held them over Mara.
"What do you think your doing?" asked Tiger.
"Healing her." came Rei's response.
"But she's a Demon!"
"Yes she is, but she's on our side. Now go gather up the others. We're going back to the castle."
"Even the demon?"
"Even the demon."
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"I don't like this at all!" shouted Tiger.
"Me either." agreed Bloodberry. "Why are you letting her do this?"
The marionettes, Lorelei, Otaru, and Faust all sat in the sitting room of the castle.
"Because I trust her." replied Lorelei, "She was my friend on the Mesopotamia and has never done us any harm."
"We don't know that!" said Panther. She and Luchs had been fixed rather quickly. Tamasaburo and Baiko were still undergoing repairs. "She never told you who or what she was back then. What makes you think she's telling the truth now?"
"And she's brought in a potential threat with that demon." added Luchs, "You've seen how powerful they are. Why did you let her bring it here?"
"Because I believe she is telling us the truth." Lorelei stated, "And I will continue to do so until she proves otherwise."
"But....." began Tiger.
"No more buts. Now I need to speak to Otaru and Faust." Turning to Lime, Lorelei added, "Lime, would you go and ask Rei to come up here please. We need to talk to her about the demon."
"OK." Lime got up and followed the others out into the hallway.
"I still think she's wrong." Tiger said.
"Even if she is," replied Cherry, "What do you expect us to do?"
"We keep an eye on Rei and that demon." replied Bloodberry, "If they try anything, we need to be here to protect Otaru and Lorelei."
"Don't forget Faust." said Luchs.
"I'm not forgetting him," replied Bloodberry, "But he is your master, and Otaru is ours."
"That's right." said Panther, "And I pity the person who dares to harm our masters."
With that, the Saber Dolls walked off down the hallway. Lime had watched and heard everything.
"You don't really think Rei is bad do you?" asked Lime.
Bloodberry and Cherry glanced at each other before looking at Lime.
"We don't know Lime." said Cherry, "There is so much that we still don't know about her."
"But she told us about her past and..."
"She told us..." said Bloodberry, "We have no way of finding out if she is telling us the truth."
"But she's been very nice to me." said Lime .
"Lime," said Cherry, "She may only be being nice to us so she can get close to Lorelei."
"But she's been alone with Lorelei."
"Yes, but now there is that demon." said Bloodberry, "We might have been handle Rei on her own, but now the demon is with her. If they decide to go against us......Lorelei may end up dead, along with anyone near her."
Lime's eyes widened, "But, Otaru is near her!"
"Exactly."
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Crimson eyes slowly opened, revealing a wooden ceiling to their owner. Mara slowly sat up, her body protesting as she did so.
"Ouch." Mara mumbled.
"Nice to see you up and about." Mara turned to see Rei standing over her. "How are you doing Mara?"
"I feel like a truck hit me." Mara's eyes narrowed, "Scratch that, I feel like I got jumped by 7 pieces of walking soon-to-be scrap."
Rei winced, "In their defense, they have been attacked by several demons over the last few weeks. So when you were spotted......."
"Yeah yeah," Mara waved her hand, "I got it."
"What brings you here anyway? I thought Hell was leaving Terra 2 alone."
"It is." replied Mara, "I'm here as a favor to Belldandy."
Rei frowned, "What do you mean?"
"After the mine went off, Sayoko set off her emergency beacon. Mist and the Valkyries arrived as quickly as they could. They went about searching for you, Asuka, and Skuld. Only you didn't turn up."
"Are the others alright?"
"Last I heard all 3 were back on their feet."
Rei frowned, "So why didn't they keep looking for me?"
"Belldandy wanted too, but the rest of the council got worried." Mara sat up an assumed the posture of someone in an authority position. "By the order of the Council of Heaven, no deities are to be allowed on Terra 2 until further notice. Terra 2 is currently 'closed' to the heavens."
"I wondered why I couldn't open a gate." mumbled Rei.
Mara smiled, "Since she wasn't allowed to search for you, Belldandy asked me to come and look. Speaking of which..." Mara began to search her pockets. "I know I put it in.....here it is!" Mara pulled out a round device, which promptly fell apart. Mara face followed the pieces to the floor. "Crap. Must have taken a hit somewhere."
"Don't worry about it. I've been rebuilding mine." Rei gathered up the pieces of the communicator, "I can use parts of yours to get mine functioning, then contact heaven."
"Why wait?" Mara replied, "I can zap us to hell and then we can get a hold of them from there."
"You sure?"
"Of course, it'll be a snap." Mara snapped her fingers, emitting a few sparks. Mara frowned and stared at her hand. She snapped her hands again, still only emitting a few sparks. Mara let out a sigh, "Great......Just great. No power."
"You were injured pretty badly, " noted Rei, "It may take time for your power to come back up to full."
"Yeah well......" Mara stood up, "I can at least help you assemble the.........." Mara's voice trailed away. Rei turned to see what Mara was looking at. Standing in the door was Lime. She stared wide-eyed at Mara.
"What is it Lime?" asked Rei.
Lime continued to stare at Mara.
"Lime, This is Mara, Demon Class 0. Mara, this is Lime." Turning to Lime, "Don't worry, she won't hurt you. Now what is it?"
"Lorelei wants to see you," replied Lime, still watching Mara.
"About what?"
"Her."
Rei looked over at Mara, "I think you should come with. You'll be able to answer their questions better then I could."
Mara nodded, still watching Lime, "Alright."
Both turned and headed towards the door. As they waked past Lime, Rei took a second look at the marionette. Lime looked very nervous. "Lime? Are you alright?"
"I'm fine." Lime did not meet Rei's face. She turned and began walking down the hallway.
"That was strange." Rei said quietly.
"What do you mean?" asked Mara.
"She acted like she was scared of something," Rei then glanced at Mara, "or someone."
"Since when do robots have emotions?" asked Mara, still watching Lime moving down the hallway.
"You don't know anything about this planet do you?" asked Rei.
"Should I?"
Rei took off after Lime, "You should. I will tell you all about them, and why you shouldn't be afraid of Lime."
"WHAT?!" Mara frowned and crossed her arms, "Me? Afraid? Not likely."
Rei looked back at Mara, "So you wouldn't mind it if I left you here, while I talked to Faust, Otaru and Lorelei."
"Not at all."
"Alright." Rei turned and went down the hallway. "Say hi to the Imperial Guard for me when they come by."
"The who?"
"The Imperial Guard, Baiko and Tamasaburo." Rei stopped and turned to face Mara, "They are the marionettes that guard Lorelei and this castle. They should be up and about soon."
Mara's face went very pale as she remembered the first 2 marionettes who attacked her. "Uhh, Rei? On second thought, I'm coming with."
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AUTHOR'S NOTES: I didn't stop writing, I've just been busy with other things.
It has been brought to my attention that not too many people, at least those who follow Eva and AMG, understand Saber Marionette J. That being the case, I am including a web site that explains the series: http://www.geocities.com/~davidpascal/smj/anint.html
Now, once again, I am including a section from my as yet unnamed and unfinished story, which takes place between Chapters 17 and 18 of Neon Genesis: Goddess
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Sayoko was walking home with Rei, Shinji and Asuka. Dark clouds loomed overhead. Shinji looked up.
"I hope it doesn't rain." He said.
Rei gave Shinji a look. "Why did you go and say that?"
"I'm just saying, I hope it doesn't....." BOOM! "...rain" Shinji finished as the clouds began to open up. Rain poured down from the sky. Rei and Asuka glared at Shinji while they held their bags over their heads.
"Shinji you idiot!" shouted Asuka. "Now look what you've done!"
"Its not my fault!" shouted Shinji, his bag over his head.
"Whatever."
Asuka turned back to continue towards the Apartment, when she noticed Sayoko. She was standing quietly from under an umbrella.
"Where did you pull that from?" asked Asuka, slightly irritated.
Sayoko smiled, "I'm a goddess remember." She then turned and began to walk down the street. Asuka glared at Sayoko's retreating form.
"One of these days....." muttered Asuka.
Just as they started walking again, a car raced past them. It quietly raced further down the street. As Rei followed the car with her eyes, she noticed something directly in the cars path. A large puddle of water. She then turned and Sayoko almost even with the puddle.
"SAYOKO!!!! WATCH OUT!!" shouted Rei.
Sayoko turned back as it to ask why, when the car hit the puddle. Sayoko had no time to react as the water cascaded towards her. Asuka, Rei and Shinji quickly hurried up to their now drenched friend. Rei reached her first and turned to face her.
"Sayoko are you..." began Rei, but she never finished it. The look on Sayoko's face chilled her. Sayoko's normally warm and cheerful blue eyes were now very cold looking and were taking on an unearthly glow. Her anger was so great, that she was shaking.
"That's.....it..." she muttered, "That's it. I HAVE HAD IT!!"
Sayoko began to chant and rose a foot above the ground. The entire time she never took her eyes off the car. Rei, Shinji and Asuka took several steps back. Sayoko raised both her hands and pointed towards the car. 4 loud explosions reached the children's ears. They watched as the car came quickly to a halt, and the driver get out to discover that all his tires were flat. Sayoko floated back to the ground with a small smirk on her face.
"That'll teach him." Sayoko then started off towards her apartment. Rei, Shinji and Asuka hung back a second.
"Did she just..." asked Asuka. "I don't believe she just..."
Shinji turned and looked at Rei, "Can she do that?"
Rei was about to answer when the sound of thunder rumbled across the sky. A bright flash came from up the street followed by a cry of shock. The children quickly ran up the street to find a stunned Sayoko laying on the sidewalk looking slightly scorched. All that was left of her umbrella was a charred frame. Next to Sayoko were glowing words in a language that Asuka had only seen once before, in a message Sayoko had sent to her Aunt. Rei knelt next to Sayoko.
"Sayoko! Are you alright?"
Sayoko opened her eyes slowly. "Did someone get the number of that truck that hit me?"
Rei helped Sayoko sit up. "Are you ok?" asked Rei again.
Sayoko turned to look at Rei, "A little woozy, but I think I'm fine. What happened?"
"That's what we were going to ask you." said Asuka.
"Maybe this will explain." said Shinji pointing towards the glowing words.
"Maybe what will...." Sayoko lost her voice as she stared at the message. As she read the words, her face became very pale. "I'm.....I'm...."
Rei looked at Sayoko. "What's wrong? What does it say?"
Sayoko looked as if she was about to cry. She quickly got up and began to run. Rei, Asuka, and Shinji quickly took off after her. At the spot they had just left, a blond haired woman with red eyes stepped out. She looked down at the now fading message. She could not read it, but she knew what it meant. She closed her eyes.
"I'm sorry kid." She then opened her eyes and looked up. "I hope you can forgive me someday."