All characters listed here are products of Gainax. This is a fanfic and thus it's given out for free and most likely doesn't follow much (if anything) in the story line...so suing me wouldn't accomplish much nor win you anything(Cause I'm penniless and you'd lose more then me in a court battle as stated before, I'm penniless). These characters are used without permission so there!
This is my first attempt at an EVA fic so I can only hope that this isn't WAY too bad. Since people seem to be waiting for an addition to my chapter 1/intro I've decided to pop this sucker in a little sooner then expected.
I've started the fic somewhere after the 11th angel(Misato's a Major) and I've seen about a dozen different last names for Asuka. I've had a constant headache from all that, so in this fic she's Asuka Langley *SOHRYU* not Soryu, not Souryu(Oh that one peeved me off) and not what ever little pet names you've come up with her! With that said...
Enjoy!
DrunkDrake
A Calling Of Souls
Chapter 02 : Truths hidden in shadow
~~~~~~~~
"So did they give you the reason why we're stuck here?"
"Not a word" Shinji said leafing through the new NERV hand booklet that had been slipped under his door, the book wasn't any different from any of the other ones other then a new cover but Shinji was betting that borderline of the cover was 'FINE' print. He couldn't prove it without a magnifying glass. Looking up he saw through the connecting door that Asuka had made her room a lot more comfortable by placing all the things that she found in the boxes. It no longer felt like a hospital room, or like a posh one that they had to share. Well... it was posh for a hospital room.
"This is really weird...I've not really seen a...hospital room like this one before. Even odder is the fact that we haven't been told why we're here..." Asuka continued to drone on, her voice echoing through the private corridor they had between rooms. Shinji put down the Booklet and crossed over to Asuka's room. Shinji could have sworn it once was a hospital room... only that where walls were, there were posters, a small red carpet was at the foot of her bed with her shoes on it(only one pair). The medical equipment and IV stuff had been removed by now and the view outside through Asuka's windows was slightly marred by 2 red curtains. Shinji never did figure out how Asuka was such a nut case when it came to her favourite colour. Shinji noticed Asuka sprawled out on her bed(wearing clothes! Stop thinking like that!) and lazily leafed through a magazine.
"It is weird how we're locked up so much but not really allowed to go anywhere..." At Shinji's words Asuka sat up from her bed and went to the door.
"This sucks I'm leaving" she grabbed the handle but it wouldn't budge. Asuka put a lot of effort into moving it but it still remained still. She gave up and gave Shinji a questioning stare.
"We were locked in, Asuka...didn't you hear me before?" Shinji said leaning against the connecting door frame.
"Baka! You didn't tell me earlier!" Asuka fumed. Shinji could have sworn he saw steam coming from her head. He ducked back into his room and was in the process of closing the door when....
"Ohhhhh SShhhhiiiinnjjjiii!"
"Y-Yea-ah Wh-at is it Asu-ka?" Shinji only hoped the next sentence didn't start with 'I'm bored'.
---
Rei sat silent in her school chair staring out the window as the teacher rambled on about 2nd impact this, effected me that again. If she had bothered to count she would have concluded that this was the 2nd time this morning that the teacher got lost in his stories and forgetting all about the lesson. She didn't care, she never really bothered to check up on anything other then what was falling below exceptable grades. Put bluntly, if it was a failing mark she would study and turn it into a passing one. Otherwise she mostly just stared out the window. Today's view still had the tree she liked and a bright sunny day with blue sky and with clouds lazily moving across the vast ocean of blue. She also saw how close the destruction was near the school. She saw homes in ruins and families leaving...but she also saw workers rebuilding all the ruins. Perhaps humanity wasn't so bad, they continued to live regardless of what happened. She continued to look across the city and set her eyes on a scene with a crying child. The child was being carried over to a vehicle while the child reached for some object in the ruins of what had been it's home until now. The child was leaving for a new and better home, one that was safe and gave all that the old one had...yet still the child cried and reached...
The symbolism of this was lost to Rei after she thought one single thought.
"Will they all do this when the time comes?"
---
A symbolic viewing was the least of Shinji's worries that night. Shinji was watching the ceiling, counting the number of tiles for the third time for no other reason then to see if his math was correct and because he could not sleep. He was tired. Why, he could barely keep his eyes open. Asuka had just beat him in 23 rounds of some game she had brought with her. They played long into the night with the only sounds being the beeps and blips of pixel characters beating the snot out of each other, and the staff had several times told them through the doors that it was lights out. She didn't let him go until the staff turned the power off to the rooms to get the idea across. Asuka had been pretty sour about that because it was about the only way for her to forget that they were forced there, Shinji had made a hasty retreat then. Yet once he closed his eyes...nothing came. No dreams, no nightmares, no sleep, just nothing... He rolled over again and again trying to sleep catch a wink, anything. He gave up for a moment and got his SDAT just next to him on the tray table and popping both headphones into his ears... he sat and listened. The music rolled over him seemingly soothing him...music soothes the savage beast. Where had he heard that before? It didn't matter too much as he slowly nodded off to sleep. His last thought before finally falling asleep was... Eva 01... that thing was a curse to him... even in his dreams it haunted him now. It made as if to hug him but had absorbed him and it's eyes opened with a white blaze in his mind as he fell asleep...
---
Asuka just couldn't sleep. Apparently she shared the same sleepless curse Shinji did that night. She rolled over and over and even muddled up some of the decorations in her room to keep her occupied until she slept. The sleep didn't come easy. Once it did she found it a hollow one. As she slept it felt like something was shovelling away herself and opening a hole leading to her loneliness. She she watched in a dream sort of way she saw as the whole opened wider until the hole no longer lead to loneliness but radiated it. She woke up in a cold sweat giving a gasp. She saw all the decorations muffled up. She focused on the decorations because they blocked the feeling that she was in the hospital... Hospital... she never liked them after... She stood up and went over the curtains rearranging them again for the 3rd time that night anything to distract her. She kept thinking about that emptiness that was echoing pain in her. She felt the echoes grow louder and louder...almost to the point where she felt like it was coming from her very room. Then she realized it came from Shinji's room...and it wasn't an echo...mumbling could be faintly heard through the closed doors between them. Asuka heard this and wondered...Shinji didn't mumble in his sleep?...Well he never did before. Her room was, after all,right next to his in Misato's apartment. Asuka didn't feel too perturbed until she overheard one of his mumbled lines.
"...punch...tear...kill"
Asuka was stunned...she never thought she'd ever hear Shinji say such words out loud... and he was saying them faster and faster, louder and louder. She ran to his door and watched as she saw him sleep...sleep fighting was the only way to describe it. He was completely ripping the bed sheets clean in two. She watched as he viciously assaulted the pillow punching it with enough force to cause the bed to shake radically and she watched as Shinji's elbow smacked a light stand and he immediately leapt at it screaming bloody murder and his chant in one fast blurb. She watched stunned as he sighed as if out of strength then dozed off... He had slumped almost like his EVA would when it's power ran out. He slept the whole time of this apparently but as she entered his room she saw his knuckles raw and even parts of his right fist bloodied from all the sharp edges of the broken lamp scattered across the room. She only stared for a second at the now blissful and content Shinji snoozed but the image of his pure rage, beating the furniture, imprinted on his face during those awful seconds still seared her mind like a candle dipped in gasoline. What was he...what was he just then? Asuka picked up Shinji and put him back on his bed. His face had barely changed from before, but a smile had peeped onto his face as she held him. She left him there as she viewed the room again. The lamp was the only thing that really was out of place and the blankets. She took away all the shredded blankets and put a new pillow under his head. She even used the shredded cloth to clean away the broken and very sharp lamp. She sighed looking at the boy she had been working with, the boy she entrusted her life when piloting and the boy she liked...well as a friend,maybe...but who was he?
---
It was odd. I was back in Eva...Was it by my choice or someone else's? I stood and watched as the world spun around me. It suddenly stopped and I stared straight at the first enemy I ever fought against with my Eva...The third angel, Sachiel...this time I didn't move and the angel came to me, unlike last time it didn't attack me. It only looked at me then moved away. I watched it leave until the world spun again, this time it was the 4th angel. It's odd jellyfish snail combination was slightly disturbed as it reared up letting it's energy tentacles slither forward, and stopped. I had made no move towards it...and it moved past me, again and angel didn't attack me. It was frightening but it was also nice to not have to fight. Then the 5th angel lowered itself in front of me. It's odd diamond shaped body glinted in the bright sun. It then suddenly focused a beam at me. I ducked, but the Eva didn't, however the beam wasn't meant for me. I watched as the angel flew past me and joined the others all behind me. I didn't see the others but I felt them watching me. Again and again I saw all the defeated angels come towards me and I let them all past me. Some threatening others inviting...They all came to me. All offering something that remained unknown to me. Even know that it's been the 3rd night I've dreamt this... and once again they all turned and faced Shinji. Each all said at once as a sole entity.
To each of you, must fall 3. You have but one and more shall come.
Be ready Shinji, guard good Togi.
To your friends, we are fiends
to you, we are as we were.
Messengers of a word forgotten
always take heed or ill be gotten.
A sudden shadow appeared and started attacking EVA's unit 02 and 00. Shinji saw himself raise out of the ground in front of himself. EVA 01 rose it's weapon and attacked but could do nothing...Shinji watched as both Rei and Asuka were beaten and shredded before the shadow faced him. The shadow had a core, one that seemed to twist into a smile and laugh at him. He watched as unit 01 was also beaten and shredded. The shadow then disappeared with everything else as Ramiel the diamond shaped angel faced Shinji once again.
This would be your fate Lillim, but you can prevent it.
"HOW?!"
I shall 'lend' myself to you when the time comes. You will know what to do.
What happened? He had woken up with the sun's rays in his eyes. The dream...was it a dream? Shinji sat back to rest but when his eyes closed this time a thousand hands reaching from a black pit...
---
Aoba was a simple laid back techy that had 1/3 of the control of NERV at his tips. He wasn't a strategist or mastermind he was just the guy that followed the commands. He didn't care all that much of his job one way or not but he was here and he got everything he needed while he was here. Currently he was bored and was stringing his air guitar blissfully as Hyuga was leafing through some Mangas and snickering every so often. Maya on the far side of the command console was busy typing away doing whatever it was that she was doing. Often Aoba though she was only practicing to catch up to Akagi's skill and speed of typing almost like a rivalry but he paid little heed because it never affected work. Back to stringing his air guitar he blissfully went back to day dream central. Sub commander Fuyutsuki stood at the higher command level watching all the technicians working and relaxing in a blissfully way. Often there was something that would threaten the world or there were tests and the centre came alive. However there were no tests scheduled today and no angels were detected. These facts combined and in most of the workers minds it meant free-day. Just as long as all the routines were done, they could do bloody well what they wanted just as long as they didn't leave their posts. Fuyutsuki didn't mind, he actually enjoyed these few times. Fuyutsuki was one of the two people who knew everything about NERV, what it was built from and what it was built for. He was an imposing figure but he was nothing compared to Gendo, the man's glasses reflected light that blocked view of his eyes and his stance often was that of a predator standing on it's catch. Gendo was never to be taken lightly for only Gendo truly knew everything that could hinder NERV. Fuyutsuki watched as Aoba strung away on his air guitar and wondered how the technicians could so easily relax when nothing went wrong, he almost admired them, they knew almost nothing of what was going to happen yet still they existed and fought and worked. A smile spread across Fuyutsuki's lips as he sat in the raised chair in the command level station.
---
Hyuga's reading was interrupted by flashing on his console board. IT wasn't something really really serious, if it was it would have lit up the main view that every level could see in the main office. Important or un-important Hyuga thought he'd tie up the loose end before going back to his manga. Slipping the book to the side he typed a few commands into his keyboard and brought up the data screen that was blinking for attention. The Magi system had begun a new sweep using it's newly placed sensors, in response to the last attack. It had been confirmed that it wasn't an angel that attacked last time because angels "patterns" changed to blue when attacking, but the last one wandered around in blue and then switched to another "pattern". This was was labelled red for it's pattern was the opposite of what was expected and the name seemed to fit. The new sensors were designed to detect all "patterns". It listed all humans as green, angels as blue, unknown as orange and the new threat as red. It had a few other colours as well but nothing really seemed serious. As Hyuga watched the scan go about it's business it stopped suddenly over a spreading red pattern...with a blue dot in the middle. The main screen immediately lit up like a Christmas tree...
"Pattern detected! Coming in though the Mt. Futogo mountain pass!"
"It's an angel!?!"
"Negative! It's pattern is...RED?!"
"Red!? What is this?!" Fuyutsuki nodded as he listened to the command centre go into overdrive. When ever something was detected that was a possible threat all key personal were immediately notified. This meant the pilots Shinji, Asuka, Rei, the command operations director Misato and Lead scientist doctor Akagi.
---
Yes...I will report in" Rei hung up her phone and left her silent empty apartment.
"An angel!?" said Asuka in disbelief. Shinji could guess why, most angels never attacked with barely a week separating from the last attack. All the angels so far attacked in a monthly time line. But could we manage daily assaults? Asuka and Shinji were lead to the locker rooms for pilots. And were left there. Odd really...an armed escort? It's never happened before. Mumbling Asuka and Shinji took of their clothes to get into their plug suits in their separate change rooms before exitting through the opposite door leading to the Eva storage cages. Rei was just getting changed herself as they entered they're EVAs.
---
Misato drove like a bat out of hell. She had been sleeping with a slight hang over when the phone rang. When she picked it up and was informed of the attack she bolted for the door and snagged the keys out the door.
Doctor Akagi was already waiting in the command level of the main office watching the read outs on Maya's console. Misato stormed in demanding reports and current data on the objective.
"Target is coming from somewhere from the peak of mt. Futogo" Hyuga reported.
"No visual on the target...IT's moving!" Aoba reported. Fuyutsuki was in command of all operations due to the fact that commander Gendo Ikari wasn't there. He let Misato as operations director maintain command, she was quite skilled for managing under pressure. Misato spoke up over the din and began giving out orders.
"All EVAs ready?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Good, keep an eye on that read out and give me live updates to it's movements"
"Roger ma'am"
"Alright here's the plan. Based on the lack of visual and lack of data this is going to be a recon mission. It hasn't came too close to the city so we still have some time" The techs all nodded agreement as they managed the data inflow.
"Launch units 00 and 02! Deploy them at cross sections and have them move forwards at varying angles for better data"
"Yesss Ma'Am!" came Asuka's energetic reply as she was launched at a harrowing 100 mph straight up.
"Will follow orders" Came Rei's emotionless reply as she too was launched at the same speed with a different destination.
"Orders?" asked Shinji as he sat strapped into the Eva awaiting Misato's reply. He too was set for launch but without orders and a destination the techs didn't bother to launch him.
"Shinji, you hang tight for now, if we need you as back up we will deploy you where needed" Misato said before switching to commanding of the other 2 EVAs.
---
the view of the city sinking sure was an odd one. As each of the major buildings sunk into the armoured ground 2 intersections opened up suddenly and large poles jutted out. A mere few seconds later an Eva came from each of the openings suddenly stopped by the lack of track they each followed. The safety catches releases and each Eva shrugged off the uptight stance they were forced to endure for the ride. Eva unit 00 was a faded blue colour with one large eye receptor on the front of it's face and another receptor on the top of it's head. It's sleek body was much like the other 2 EVA's other then the colour design. A building opened to it's right and a small arms pellet rifle extended into it's reach. Rei as pilot of Unit 00 took the rifle in hand and begun to move up along the street. Asuka's Eva took the small arms rifle she was offered and marched up the street their power cords trailing behind them as they slowly approached the region where the red pattern was detected.
"The pattern has switched to blue and has begun to cross the lake!" Hyuga reported.
"Alright you two. This is it. Stand your ground and let's see what's going on. This is a recon operation so get the data and run!" Misato gave out the orders calmly. All Shinji could do was watch as the 2 pilots edged closer to the target from a VTOL that was monitoring the situation and from the pilots screens.
Asuka stood with her Eva at the edge of the lake viewing the region she was told that had the angel in it. Rei herself stood almost a mile away at a different angle attempting the same thing. They watched as slowly a shadow moved down a hill... It was a cloudless day as Rei remembered and looking up she saw nothing in the sky. It was obviously the shadow, or something...
"What are you kidding me!? a shadow?! How could we fight a shadow!" Asuka's voice was heard through Shinji's comm. He sat and though for a moment. A shadow? How did this sound a familiar? A shadow...He sat and brooded over what his mind wouldn't let him remember.
---
Asuka was dumb struck. It had to be the shadow as she watched the shadows movements matched exactly what the scanners read. It was weird and frightening she remembered what Shinji mumbled about a shadow that morning. Perhaps this was it? Or was it the shadow she saw, the hole of her loneliness from her dream. As if the shadow had read her mind it suddenly arced across the lake towards her.
"Sohryu, move it!" Rei called, waking Asuka out of her silence. A string of German curses started up as the Eva suddenly lurched up and leapt 3 blocks in a sudden move. Leaping backwards wasn't the smartest thing to do and Asuka found this out as she tripped over a building and landed back first. She righted herself as the shadow stood up in front of her. The shadow formed a familiar shape...it looked exactly like Unit 02 only it's colour scheme was grey and black and red and orange like Asuka's. Asuka slowly fled backwards and she levelled her rifle, and sent a well placed riddle of shots right through what would have been the EVA's chest. The shots only went through the other side impacting on the lake and mountain. Some of the shots even sent a few black splotches flying in all directions but the shadow only dissolved the figure and rebuilt it behind her. Asuka had just enough time to turn and watch as the fake EVA's fist crashed into her face plate. Asuka was sent reeling towards the lake, stumbling over a few buildings that happened to be in the way. Her upper body fell into the lake causing a rather large wave to smash against the shore line but she didn't bother with that as she attempted to turn over and get up. She only managed a kneeling position as the fake Eva charged her again. It leapt towards her and was about to impact when a massive explosion hit it on the left side and sent it reeling. It's left side torso and even head were all disfigured but it dissolved again and reappeared in front of Asuka's saviour, Ayanami Rei. Ayanami was unprepared for the hit as it came from the side. The fake unit 02 then sat on the fallen unit 00 and started to beat it with it's fists. Rei felt every hit and promptly grunted in pain as they grew faster and stronger. She managed to block a few of the next hits and she even get her prog-knife into it's chest but it still kept at her. Asuka by then had recovered and tackled the fake EVA, thus freeing Rei from it's dominant position. Asuka almost had it into a head lock when the shadow dissolved again, Asuka fell flat on her face and mentioned a few "colourful" curses as she stood up again. She stood up and viewed the scene. Other then the mess from all the fighting and unit 00 standing where it was pinned nothing seemed out of the ordinary. That was until Ayanami said that the shadow was between them. Asuka looking at the ground saw a dark shadow was between the 2 EVA's. Even as Asuka wondered at how to get away from the sea of Shadows, the shadows all withdrew into itself. It stood up right as tall as several EVA's on each others shoulders. A small bubble formed along it's body and formed a blue sphere at the top of it's body.
"Pattern is now BLUE!" Hyuga screamed into the comm channel.
The sphere looked at both the EVA's standing ready and then with drew into itself again.
"Pattern reverted to RED" Aoba and Hyuga said at the same time.
The giant monolith shadow split into 2 halfs and formed into exact copies of the 2 EVA's standing against it. They're black and grey colours the only really difference between them.
---
"This puts a new spin on 'to face one's self'" Asuka commented into the radio. Shinji heard all things and knew exactly what was happening. It was the shadow he dreamt about. He also remembered one part of the message. To each must fall 3. He also remembered them saying he had 1 already...he was confused but he knew what the out come was. An unsettling sense of calm over came him and he released the controls that he had gripped so tightly while listening to the battle above ground.
---
Asuka and Ayanami seemed to be holding their own against the angel. Misato was watching with rapt fascination, she had let slip her standing orders for retreat because now the angel was in the city, and if they left it alone the damage it would do was anyone's guess. She didn't see anyway of beating the thing until it showed that one blue dot. She had relied her orders to each of the 2 pilots that the dot gets priority as a target. They each had given an affirmative and they both charged the fake EVA's. It was odd seeing Eva 2 and Eva 00 fighting their copies. It was even odder when the copies used the same tactics, responses and counter attacks that the pilots would do in the same situation. Only thing was that if the original was gaining an advantage the fake would reshape itself and get a sucker punch in the stunned EVA. The signs of a hard battle was evident on the EVA's as they're armour was scratched, dented and some what badly mangled in some locations. Asuka's unit 02 was getting it worse though. It the few days between the last angel attack it had it's armour replaced but it wasn't completely fixed. It still had a sluggish left armour and the left leg seemed to lock up under stress. Asuka the elite pilot she was compensated for these technicalities and almost seemed to be enjoying the fight. Ayanami was as emotionless as ever but she wore a grim mask of determination as the fight dragged on. Lucky neither had lost their power cords but that was always a threat.
"Ahhh!"
---
"REPORT!" Hyuga turned to Misato before reporting "Unit 00 has just fallen! It's foe is sitting on it strangling it!"
"AHHH! I'll Get..Youu...DIEE..." Asuka came through the other radio channel. Asuka's Eva was leaning against a building with the fake EVA 02 beating with it's fist into it's chest armour as it gripped the fake's neck. It looked very grim indeed. Misato then realized that Hyuga was saying something to her. Something about unit 01? OH UNIT 01!!!
---
"Shinji prepare for launch! Once you get to your destination use your cannon to knock off those fakes!" Misato said. Shinji just nodded gripped the controls and steadied himself as the Eva was launched 100 mph through the access tubes. As he arrived at the stop he almost not looking took the cannon that was given to him and loosed 2 shots with barely a second between them. Each shot hit the fakes dead on. Literally blowing them away. They hit the ground and dissolved again this time though they formed the shadow and the blue eye stared at them. It stared only long enough to see Asuka's progressive knife cut right through it. With the knife sticking out of it's "eye" it fell into itself and blew up in a large cross shaped explosion. Shinji could just over hear something over the com...listening closely he heard it was Asuka.
"...told ya...your dead..."
---
"Current observations show that there's no increase to the pilot's "systems" since the wave of new angels. I recommend that we release them. No need to keep them in the lab" Ritsuko stated. She had watched if the pilots had experienced any mental or physical changes from contact with these "angels" but nothing had been recorded that was out of the ordinary, considering the usual things imposed of the 2 pilots. Asuka was vastly peeved and demanded satisfaction for her uncomfortable treatments and being forced to share the same medical ward with the third child. Shinji was just glad to be out of the stuffy white rooms and the truly bizarre tests Ritsuko put them through. Ritsuko's test found nothing yet, during the night both of the children experienced odd sleeping fits. Ritsuko put that in her reports and she knew Gendo already knew everything that could ever happen. As she rattled on about her observers Gendo sat in his desk in the dark empty room with Fuyutsuki standing to his right. She could have almost sworn that his mouth formed into a sort of sneer when she told him about the sleeping fits. She somehow knew this fit into his plan, she just didn't know how.
"Keep us informed doctor" Gendo said and Ritsuko left with the black door sliding behind her returning the room to silence. Fuyutsuki remained standing beside Gendo both seemed lost in thought.
"So...Those that we fought against couldn't stop these from coming either...perhaps even SEELE wasn't ready for this" Fuyutsuki said. Gendo could only nod. But past his white gloves, he was smiling.
---
Misato dropped off her charges at the ground level of the apartment before taking off again. As major she did have a few duties to take care of and she also said the fridge was completely empty, so she'd pick up a few things on her way back.
"Ah finally! It's never been so good to be in this old...mein Gott" Asuka had entered Misato's apartment holding her bags with a look of glee until she saw the mess that awaited her and Shinji inside. Beer cans, garbage bags, dirty dishes, you name it it was probably somewhere in all those piles of junk. Asuka could only stand in the door frame and stare in utter silence.
"Asuka what is it? Let me through it can't be too bad!" Shinji said behind her. Asuka turned around took 2 steps out the door and sat on her bags looking at the ground. Shinji walked through the door and sighed.
"Well...this sure brings back memories..." Shinji stated as he too exited the door ad placed his things against the outside wall. Asuka looked up to him with an odd look of bewilderment on her face.
"You've seen it that bad before?" She stated pointing through the door. Shinji only nodded.
"Actually it's pretty tame from the first day I moved in..." Shinji stated as he begun to "tunnel" his way into the apartment. Asuka stated as Shinji was lost from her view and a lot of shuffling was heard.
"I almost believe your 'war stories' of how long it took you to adjust to Misato...I also believe you about the mess when you first arrived" She said. Shinji poked his head and the door and motioned her inside. Asuka seemed to have awoken from the shock and she grabbed her bags and followed Shinji through the door.
"AHHHH, WHAT DID I JUST STEP ON!!!"
"WARK!!!!!" Shinji could only watch as Pen-Pen unearthed himself under neither Asuka's foot. Asuka settled down and picked up the startled and ruffled penguin. She carried him over to his fridge and he patted her on the shoulder, as if he knew she wasn't at fault. Shinji had already begun massive reconstructing cleaning efforts along the main hall leading to the front door. Asuka never saw Shinji working like this before, it was almost like watching some Anime cartoon as he went about removing garbage, wiping the walls, sorting bags, removing dishes and then vacuuming the regions that were cleared...he just did it so fast. He saw her watching him and made a comment.
"Faster or not with my help doesn't change the fact that it's your turn to do the cleaning she stated pointing at the calender. See? Tuesday, cleaning, Shinji" she said with a dominating smile on her face. Shinji's eye narrowed and said she lost a lot of time and said that it was the 16th not the 15th as she said.
"Urk...Wednesday?" She developed a slight sweat drop at the back of her head. She didn't need to look at the schedule, Wednesday was her chore day. She quickly recovered.
"But your doing such a good job! I wouldn't want to stop my Baka-kun from doing what he's best at!" She smiled feeling like she just avoided a punch to the head.
"Well do you want to help then?"
"What?! You do it, not me!"
"I wasn't talking to you" Shinji pointed past her. Pen-Pen had picked up an over sized broom and had begun managing some of the garbage into piles.
"Dummkopf! a pet doing it's owners duties..." Asuka signed and grabbed the broom from Pen-Pen and helped Shinji. One hour later the apartment was back to what it once was...excluding the new beer stains littering the floor in uneven patterns. Thankfully the mess didn't spread into their rooms else they would have been busy for maybe another half an hour.
"I can see why you got stuck with most of the cleaning chores" Asuka stated sipping her soda. Shinji was also sipping one that was labelled...well it was a by-product of orange juice as far as he knew. He finished his drink and looked over at Asuka who was still looking around at the apartment.
"I should have taken a picture or something. Hikari would never believe me if I told her about this" Shinji only nodded. Thinking he too could have used it to show the dark side of Misato to Kensuke and Togi. Maybe they'd stop swooning over Misato for a day...nah not them. A thought seemed to have surfaced to Shinji's mind, but he drowned it with the reality that the only person he could ask was Asuka. The reality drowned the thought like a brick on a paper boat.
"What is it Shinji?" Asuka had noticed his sudden silence, or maybe even his unasked question?
"Nothing...just thinking...about why...nah it's nothing don't worry" Shinji said. He forgot what the question was too. He held a puzzled look on his face and Asuka stared into him. Growing bored(we all know Asuka's a trouble maker when bored ^.~) she got a few ideas of what he might have thought of and decided to tease him. Why it must have been a day since she last teased him!
"Shhiiiiiinnnjjjiiiiiiii" she drawled out with a slight lisp. Shinji was ripped right out of his thinking as he saw the grin that Asuka wore only when she had some devious plot thought out. Shinji panicked and wondered silently what she was going to do now. He barely stuttered out a reply.
"Y...yea..eah? Asu..k..uka...?" Asuka felt in control again. In fact she felt great! She finally felt 100% invincible.
"So what are your current thoughts about living with a hero?" Shinji blinked a few times stunned...and confused. Where'd she get that idea? She noticed his lack of answer and started to get annoyed.
"I got the angel kill dummkopf!! Or don't you remember?!" Shinji then wondered...was it really that important to argue about...he thought not as he saw her grow annoyed again.
"OHHH YEAH! Excellent work Asuka! Really Good work! Ah I bet it never saw it coming!" Shinji stumbled out strings of words hoping to not piss her off. She caught the last line and decided to hear it wrong. Putting a very Asuka Langley Sohryu face on she bashed her soda onto the table top and stood over Shinji.
"YOU IMPLYING THAT CAUSE YOU HAVE A BETTER SYNC RATE THEN ME, THAT ONLY YOU COULD GET AN ANGEL KILL!?!!?!?" It had the desired effect. Poor Shinji slid back on his seat and nearly was hiding under the table.
"To rectify your insult your going to take me out to the most expensive restaurant in town!" Asuka seemed to cool down a bit having finally gotten Shinji to agree and she finished her drink and winked at him as she left for her room. Shinji only remained in his really uncomfortable hiding positions until she closed the door. He sat down again and breathed a sign of relief. Relief that she hadn't hit him at all and that he was finally without her wrath. However he begun to sweat as he realized he had no money other then what was in his personal account. Didn't EVA pilots get paid!? This is something Misato was going to get an ear full from Shinji. When she got back of course.
~~~~~~~~
*Hot air Zone detected avert eyes to avoid idiocy*
I'm feeling A-OK! I've gotten my second chapter up and i'm feeling like i'm cruising!...Tell ya da truth? I had started making this fic before I knew how to spell some of the secondary character names correctly so it took me like an hour just fixing all the Aoda and Fuyuski spelling mistakes and such. 8)
So Read review(or flame) I'd love to have a few opinions to work with. I don't plan to reveal any of the secrets that are building up for a few chapters. You'll know when I'm warming up to the idea of spilling the beans when SEELE starts popping in a few times. And don't expect a new chapter soon. I'm sorta gonna be vacationing for a few days. So until then...
~VIVE LA ASUKA!~
This is my first attempt at an EVA fic so I can only hope that this isn't WAY too bad. Since people seem to be waiting for an addition to my chapter 1/intro I've decided to pop this sucker in a little sooner then expected.
I've started the fic somewhere after the 11th angel(Misato's a Major) and I've seen about a dozen different last names for Asuka. I've had a constant headache from all that, so in this fic she's Asuka Langley *SOHRYU* not Soryu, not Souryu(Oh that one peeved me off) and not what ever little pet names you've come up with her! With that said...
Enjoy!
DrunkDrake
A Calling Of Souls
Chapter 02 : Truths hidden in shadow
~~~~~~~~
"So did they give you the reason why we're stuck here?"
"Not a word" Shinji said leafing through the new NERV hand booklet that had been slipped under his door, the book wasn't any different from any of the other ones other then a new cover but Shinji was betting that borderline of the cover was 'FINE' print. He couldn't prove it without a magnifying glass. Looking up he saw through the connecting door that Asuka had made her room a lot more comfortable by placing all the things that she found in the boxes. It no longer felt like a hospital room, or like a posh one that they had to share. Well... it was posh for a hospital room.
"This is really weird...I've not really seen a...hospital room like this one before. Even odder is the fact that we haven't been told why we're here..." Asuka continued to drone on, her voice echoing through the private corridor they had between rooms. Shinji put down the Booklet and crossed over to Asuka's room. Shinji could have sworn it once was a hospital room... only that where walls were, there were posters, a small red carpet was at the foot of her bed with her shoes on it(only one pair). The medical equipment and IV stuff had been removed by now and the view outside through Asuka's windows was slightly marred by 2 red curtains. Shinji never did figure out how Asuka was such a nut case when it came to her favourite colour. Shinji noticed Asuka sprawled out on her bed(wearing clothes! Stop thinking like that!) and lazily leafed through a magazine.
"It is weird how we're locked up so much but not really allowed to go anywhere..." At Shinji's words Asuka sat up from her bed and went to the door.
"This sucks I'm leaving" she grabbed the handle but it wouldn't budge. Asuka put a lot of effort into moving it but it still remained still. She gave up and gave Shinji a questioning stare.
"We were locked in, Asuka...didn't you hear me before?" Shinji said leaning against the connecting door frame.
"Baka! You didn't tell me earlier!" Asuka fumed. Shinji could have sworn he saw steam coming from her head. He ducked back into his room and was in the process of closing the door when....
"Ohhhhh SShhhhiiiinnjjjiii!"
"Y-Yea-ah Wh-at is it Asu-ka?" Shinji only hoped the next sentence didn't start with 'I'm bored'.
---
Rei sat silent in her school chair staring out the window as the teacher rambled on about 2nd impact this, effected me that again. If she had bothered to count she would have concluded that this was the 2nd time this morning that the teacher got lost in his stories and forgetting all about the lesson. She didn't care, she never really bothered to check up on anything other then what was falling below exceptable grades. Put bluntly, if it was a failing mark she would study and turn it into a passing one. Otherwise she mostly just stared out the window. Today's view still had the tree she liked and a bright sunny day with blue sky and with clouds lazily moving across the vast ocean of blue. She also saw how close the destruction was near the school. She saw homes in ruins and families leaving...but she also saw workers rebuilding all the ruins. Perhaps humanity wasn't so bad, they continued to live regardless of what happened. She continued to look across the city and set her eyes on a scene with a crying child. The child was being carried over to a vehicle while the child reached for some object in the ruins of what had been it's home until now. The child was leaving for a new and better home, one that was safe and gave all that the old one had...yet still the child cried and reached...
The symbolism of this was lost to Rei after she thought one single thought.
"Will they all do this when the time comes?"
---
A symbolic viewing was the least of Shinji's worries that night. Shinji was watching the ceiling, counting the number of tiles for the third time for no other reason then to see if his math was correct and because he could not sleep. He was tired. Why, he could barely keep his eyes open. Asuka had just beat him in 23 rounds of some game she had brought with her. They played long into the night with the only sounds being the beeps and blips of pixel characters beating the snot out of each other, and the staff had several times told them through the doors that it was lights out. She didn't let him go until the staff turned the power off to the rooms to get the idea across. Asuka had been pretty sour about that because it was about the only way for her to forget that they were forced there, Shinji had made a hasty retreat then. Yet once he closed his eyes...nothing came. No dreams, no nightmares, no sleep, just nothing... He rolled over again and again trying to sleep catch a wink, anything. He gave up for a moment and got his SDAT just next to him on the tray table and popping both headphones into his ears... he sat and listened. The music rolled over him seemingly soothing him...music soothes the savage beast. Where had he heard that before? It didn't matter too much as he slowly nodded off to sleep. His last thought before finally falling asleep was... Eva 01... that thing was a curse to him... even in his dreams it haunted him now. It made as if to hug him but had absorbed him and it's eyes opened with a white blaze in his mind as he fell asleep...
---
Asuka just couldn't sleep. Apparently she shared the same sleepless curse Shinji did that night. She rolled over and over and even muddled up some of the decorations in her room to keep her occupied until she slept. The sleep didn't come easy. Once it did she found it a hollow one. As she slept it felt like something was shovelling away herself and opening a hole leading to her loneliness. She she watched in a dream sort of way she saw as the whole opened wider until the hole no longer lead to loneliness but radiated it. She woke up in a cold sweat giving a gasp. She saw all the decorations muffled up. She focused on the decorations because they blocked the feeling that she was in the hospital... Hospital... she never liked them after... She stood up and went over the curtains rearranging them again for the 3rd time that night anything to distract her. She kept thinking about that emptiness that was echoing pain in her. She felt the echoes grow louder and louder...almost to the point where she felt like it was coming from her very room. Then she realized it came from Shinji's room...and it wasn't an echo...mumbling could be faintly heard through the closed doors between them. Asuka heard this and wondered...Shinji didn't mumble in his sleep?...Well he never did before. Her room was, after all,right next to his in Misato's apartment. Asuka didn't feel too perturbed until she overheard one of his mumbled lines.
"...punch...tear...kill"
Asuka was stunned...she never thought she'd ever hear Shinji say such words out loud... and he was saying them faster and faster, louder and louder. She ran to his door and watched as she saw him sleep...sleep fighting was the only way to describe it. He was completely ripping the bed sheets clean in two. She watched as he viciously assaulted the pillow punching it with enough force to cause the bed to shake radically and she watched as Shinji's elbow smacked a light stand and he immediately leapt at it screaming bloody murder and his chant in one fast blurb. She watched stunned as he sighed as if out of strength then dozed off... He had slumped almost like his EVA would when it's power ran out. He slept the whole time of this apparently but as she entered his room she saw his knuckles raw and even parts of his right fist bloodied from all the sharp edges of the broken lamp scattered across the room. She only stared for a second at the now blissful and content Shinji snoozed but the image of his pure rage, beating the furniture, imprinted on his face during those awful seconds still seared her mind like a candle dipped in gasoline. What was he...what was he just then? Asuka picked up Shinji and put him back on his bed. His face had barely changed from before, but a smile had peeped onto his face as she held him. She left him there as she viewed the room again. The lamp was the only thing that really was out of place and the blankets. She took away all the shredded blankets and put a new pillow under his head. She even used the shredded cloth to clean away the broken and very sharp lamp. She sighed looking at the boy she had been working with, the boy she entrusted her life when piloting and the boy she liked...well as a friend,maybe...but who was he?
---
It was odd. I was back in Eva...Was it by my choice or someone else's? I stood and watched as the world spun around me. It suddenly stopped and I stared straight at the first enemy I ever fought against with my Eva...The third angel, Sachiel...this time I didn't move and the angel came to me, unlike last time it didn't attack me. It only looked at me then moved away. I watched it leave until the world spun again, this time it was the 4th angel. It's odd jellyfish snail combination was slightly disturbed as it reared up letting it's energy tentacles slither forward, and stopped. I had made no move towards it...and it moved past me, again and angel didn't attack me. It was frightening but it was also nice to not have to fight. Then the 5th angel lowered itself in front of me. It's odd diamond shaped body glinted in the bright sun. It then suddenly focused a beam at me. I ducked, but the Eva didn't, however the beam wasn't meant for me. I watched as the angel flew past me and joined the others all behind me. I didn't see the others but I felt them watching me. Again and again I saw all the defeated angels come towards me and I let them all past me. Some threatening others inviting...They all came to me. All offering something that remained unknown to me. Even know that it's been the 3rd night I've dreamt this... and once again they all turned and faced Shinji. Each all said at once as a sole entity.
To each of you, must fall 3. You have but one and more shall come.
Be ready Shinji, guard good Togi.
To your friends, we are fiends
to you, we are as we were.
Messengers of a word forgotten
always take heed or ill be gotten.
A sudden shadow appeared and started attacking EVA's unit 02 and 00. Shinji saw himself raise out of the ground in front of himself. EVA 01 rose it's weapon and attacked but could do nothing...Shinji watched as both Rei and Asuka were beaten and shredded before the shadow faced him. The shadow had a core, one that seemed to twist into a smile and laugh at him. He watched as unit 01 was also beaten and shredded. The shadow then disappeared with everything else as Ramiel the diamond shaped angel faced Shinji once again.
This would be your fate Lillim, but you can prevent it.
"HOW?!"
I shall 'lend' myself to you when the time comes. You will know what to do.
What happened? He had woken up with the sun's rays in his eyes. The dream...was it a dream? Shinji sat back to rest but when his eyes closed this time a thousand hands reaching from a black pit...
---
Aoba was a simple laid back techy that had 1/3 of the control of NERV at his tips. He wasn't a strategist or mastermind he was just the guy that followed the commands. He didn't care all that much of his job one way or not but he was here and he got everything he needed while he was here. Currently he was bored and was stringing his air guitar blissfully as Hyuga was leafing through some Mangas and snickering every so often. Maya on the far side of the command console was busy typing away doing whatever it was that she was doing. Often Aoba though she was only practicing to catch up to Akagi's skill and speed of typing almost like a rivalry but he paid little heed because it never affected work. Back to stringing his air guitar he blissfully went back to day dream central. Sub commander Fuyutsuki stood at the higher command level watching all the technicians working and relaxing in a blissfully way. Often there was something that would threaten the world or there were tests and the centre came alive. However there were no tests scheduled today and no angels were detected. These facts combined and in most of the workers minds it meant free-day. Just as long as all the routines were done, they could do bloody well what they wanted just as long as they didn't leave their posts. Fuyutsuki didn't mind, he actually enjoyed these few times. Fuyutsuki was one of the two people who knew everything about NERV, what it was built from and what it was built for. He was an imposing figure but he was nothing compared to Gendo, the man's glasses reflected light that blocked view of his eyes and his stance often was that of a predator standing on it's catch. Gendo was never to be taken lightly for only Gendo truly knew everything that could hinder NERV. Fuyutsuki watched as Aoba strung away on his air guitar and wondered how the technicians could so easily relax when nothing went wrong, he almost admired them, they knew almost nothing of what was going to happen yet still they existed and fought and worked. A smile spread across Fuyutsuki's lips as he sat in the raised chair in the command level station.
---
Hyuga's reading was interrupted by flashing on his console board. IT wasn't something really really serious, if it was it would have lit up the main view that every level could see in the main office. Important or un-important Hyuga thought he'd tie up the loose end before going back to his manga. Slipping the book to the side he typed a few commands into his keyboard and brought up the data screen that was blinking for attention. The Magi system had begun a new sweep using it's newly placed sensors, in response to the last attack. It had been confirmed that it wasn't an angel that attacked last time because angels "patterns" changed to blue when attacking, but the last one wandered around in blue and then switched to another "pattern". This was was labelled red for it's pattern was the opposite of what was expected and the name seemed to fit. The new sensors were designed to detect all "patterns". It listed all humans as green, angels as blue, unknown as orange and the new threat as red. It had a few other colours as well but nothing really seemed serious. As Hyuga watched the scan go about it's business it stopped suddenly over a spreading red pattern...with a blue dot in the middle. The main screen immediately lit up like a Christmas tree...
"Pattern detected! Coming in though the Mt. Futogo mountain pass!"
"It's an angel!?!"
"Negative! It's pattern is...RED?!"
"Red!? What is this?!" Fuyutsuki nodded as he listened to the command centre go into overdrive. When ever something was detected that was a possible threat all key personal were immediately notified. This meant the pilots Shinji, Asuka, Rei, the command operations director Misato and Lead scientist doctor Akagi.
---
Yes...I will report in" Rei hung up her phone and left her silent empty apartment.
"An angel!?" said Asuka in disbelief. Shinji could guess why, most angels never attacked with barely a week separating from the last attack. All the angels so far attacked in a monthly time line. But could we manage daily assaults? Asuka and Shinji were lead to the locker rooms for pilots. And were left there. Odd really...an armed escort? It's never happened before. Mumbling Asuka and Shinji took of their clothes to get into their plug suits in their separate change rooms before exitting through the opposite door leading to the Eva storage cages. Rei was just getting changed herself as they entered they're EVAs.
---
Misato drove like a bat out of hell. She had been sleeping with a slight hang over when the phone rang. When she picked it up and was informed of the attack she bolted for the door and snagged the keys out the door.
Doctor Akagi was already waiting in the command level of the main office watching the read outs on Maya's console. Misato stormed in demanding reports and current data on the objective.
"Target is coming from somewhere from the peak of mt. Futogo" Hyuga reported.
"No visual on the target...IT's moving!" Aoba reported. Fuyutsuki was in command of all operations due to the fact that commander Gendo Ikari wasn't there. He let Misato as operations director maintain command, she was quite skilled for managing under pressure. Misato spoke up over the din and began giving out orders.
"All EVAs ready?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Good, keep an eye on that read out and give me live updates to it's movements"
"Roger ma'am"
"Alright here's the plan. Based on the lack of visual and lack of data this is going to be a recon mission. It hasn't came too close to the city so we still have some time" The techs all nodded agreement as they managed the data inflow.
"Launch units 00 and 02! Deploy them at cross sections and have them move forwards at varying angles for better data"
"Yesss Ma'Am!" came Asuka's energetic reply as she was launched at a harrowing 100 mph straight up.
"Will follow orders" Came Rei's emotionless reply as she too was launched at the same speed with a different destination.
"Orders?" asked Shinji as he sat strapped into the Eva awaiting Misato's reply. He too was set for launch but without orders and a destination the techs didn't bother to launch him.
"Shinji, you hang tight for now, if we need you as back up we will deploy you where needed" Misato said before switching to commanding of the other 2 EVAs.
---
the view of the city sinking sure was an odd one. As each of the major buildings sunk into the armoured ground 2 intersections opened up suddenly and large poles jutted out. A mere few seconds later an Eva came from each of the openings suddenly stopped by the lack of track they each followed. The safety catches releases and each Eva shrugged off the uptight stance they were forced to endure for the ride. Eva unit 00 was a faded blue colour with one large eye receptor on the front of it's face and another receptor on the top of it's head. It's sleek body was much like the other 2 EVA's other then the colour design. A building opened to it's right and a small arms pellet rifle extended into it's reach. Rei as pilot of Unit 00 took the rifle in hand and begun to move up along the street. Asuka's Eva took the small arms rifle she was offered and marched up the street their power cords trailing behind them as they slowly approached the region where the red pattern was detected.
"The pattern has switched to blue and has begun to cross the lake!" Hyuga reported.
"Alright you two. This is it. Stand your ground and let's see what's going on. This is a recon operation so get the data and run!" Misato gave out the orders calmly. All Shinji could do was watch as the 2 pilots edged closer to the target from a VTOL that was monitoring the situation and from the pilots screens.
Asuka stood with her Eva at the edge of the lake viewing the region she was told that had the angel in it. Rei herself stood almost a mile away at a different angle attempting the same thing. They watched as slowly a shadow moved down a hill... It was a cloudless day as Rei remembered and looking up she saw nothing in the sky. It was obviously the shadow, or something...
"What are you kidding me!? a shadow?! How could we fight a shadow!" Asuka's voice was heard through Shinji's comm. He sat and though for a moment. A shadow? How did this sound a familiar? A shadow...He sat and brooded over what his mind wouldn't let him remember.
---
Asuka was dumb struck. It had to be the shadow as she watched the shadows movements matched exactly what the scanners read. It was weird and frightening she remembered what Shinji mumbled about a shadow that morning. Perhaps this was it? Or was it the shadow she saw, the hole of her loneliness from her dream. As if the shadow had read her mind it suddenly arced across the lake towards her.
"Sohryu, move it!" Rei called, waking Asuka out of her silence. A string of German curses started up as the Eva suddenly lurched up and leapt 3 blocks in a sudden move. Leaping backwards wasn't the smartest thing to do and Asuka found this out as she tripped over a building and landed back first. She righted herself as the shadow stood up in front of her. The shadow formed a familiar shape...it looked exactly like Unit 02 only it's colour scheme was grey and black and red and orange like Asuka's. Asuka slowly fled backwards and she levelled her rifle, and sent a well placed riddle of shots right through what would have been the EVA's chest. The shots only went through the other side impacting on the lake and mountain. Some of the shots even sent a few black splotches flying in all directions but the shadow only dissolved the figure and rebuilt it behind her. Asuka had just enough time to turn and watch as the fake EVA's fist crashed into her face plate. Asuka was sent reeling towards the lake, stumbling over a few buildings that happened to be in the way. Her upper body fell into the lake causing a rather large wave to smash against the shore line but she didn't bother with that as she attempted to turn over and get up. She only managed a kneeling position as the fake Eva charged her again. It leapt towards her and was about to impact when a massive explosion hit it on the left side and sent it reeling. It's left side torso and even head were all disfigured but it dissolved again and reappeared in front of Asuka's saviour, Ayanami Rei. Ayanami was unprepared for the hit as it came from the side. The fake unit 02 then sat on the fallen unit 00 and started to beat it with it's fists. Rei felt every hit and promptly grunted in pain as they grew faster and stronger. She managed to block a few of the next hits and she even get her prog-knife into it's chest but it still kept at her. Asuka by then had recovered and tackled the fake EVA, thus freeing Rei from it's dominant position. Asuka almost had it into a head lock when the shadow dissolved again, Asuka fell flat on her face and mentioned a few "colourful" curses as she stood up again. She stood up and viewed the scene. Other then the mess from all the fighting and unit 00 standing where it was pinned nothing seemed out of the ordinary. That was until Ayanami said that the shadow was between them. Asuka looking at the ground saw a dark shadow was between the 2 EVA's. Even as Asuka wondered at how to get away from the sea of Shadows, the shadows all withdrew into itself. It stood up right as tall as several EVA's on each others shoulders. A small bubble formed along it's body and formed a blue sphere at the top of it's body.
"Pattern is now BLUE!" Hyuga screamed into the comm channel.
The sphere looked at both the EVA's standing ready and then with drew into itself again.
"Pattern reverted to RED" Aoba and Hyuga said at the same time.
The giant monolith shadow split into 2 halfs and formed into exact copies of the 2 EVA's standing against it. They're black and grey colours the only really difference between them.
---
"This puts a new spin on 'to face one's self'" Asuka commented into the radio. Shinji heard all things and knew exactly what was happening. It was the shadow he dreamt about. He also remembered one part of the message. To each must fall 3. He also remembered them saying he had 1 already...he was confused but he knew what the out come was. An unsettling sense of calm over came him and he released the controls that he had gripped so tightly while listening to the battle above ground.
---
Asuka and Ayanami seemed to be holding their own against the angel. Misato was watching with rapt fascination, she had let slip her standing orders for retreat because now the angel was in the city, and if they left it alone the damage it would do was anyone's guess. She didn't see anyway of beating the thing until it showed that one blue dot. She had relied her orders to each of the 2 pilots that the dot gets priority as a target. They each had given an affirmative and they both charged the fake EVA's. It was odd seeing Eva 2 and Eva 00 fighting their copies. It was even odder when the copies used the same tactics, responses and counter attacks that the pilots would do in the same situation. Only thing was that if the original was gaining an advantage the fake would reshape itself and get a sucker punch in the stunned EVA. The signs of a hard battle was evident on the EVA's as they're armour was scratched, dented and some what badly mangled in some locations. Asuka's unit 02 was getting it worse though. It the few days between the last angel attack it had it's armour replaced but it wasn't completely fixed. It still had a sluggish left armour and the left leg seemed to lock up under stress. Asuka the elite pilot she was compensated for these technicalities and almost seemed to be enjoying the fight. Ayanami was as emotionless as ever but she wore a grim mask of determination as the fight dragged on. Lucky neither had lost their power cords but that was always a threat.
"Ahhh!"
---
"REPORT!" Hyuga turned to Misato before reporting "Unit 00 has just fallen! It's foe is sitting on it strangling it!"
"AHHH! I'll Get..Youu...DIEE..." Asuka came through the other radio channel. Asuka's Eva was leaning against a building with the fake EVA 02 beating with it's fist into it's chest armour as it gripped the fake's neck. It looked very grim indeed. Misato then realized that Hyuga was saying something to her. Something about unit 01? OH UNIT 01!!!
---
"Shinji prepare for launch! Once you get to your destination use your cannon to knock off those fakes!" Misato said. Shinji just nodded gripped the controls and steadied himself as the Eva was launched 100 mph through the access tubes. As he arrived at the stop he almost not looking took the cannon that was given to him and loosed 2 shots with barely a second between them. Each shot hit the fakes dead on. Literally blowing them away. They hit the ground and dissolved again this time though they formed the shadow and the blue eye stared at them. It stared only long enough to see Asuka's progressive knife cut right through it. With the knife sticking out of it's "eye" it fell into itself and blew up in a large cross shaped explosion. Shinji could just over hear something over the com...listening closely he heard it was Asuka.
"...told ya...your dead..."
---
"Current observations show that there's no increase to the pilot's "systems" since the wave of new angels. I recommend that we release them. No need to keep them in the lab" Ritsuko stated. She had watched if the pilots had experienced any mental or physical changes from contact with these "angels" but nothing had been recorded that was out of the ordinary, considering the usual things imposed of the 2 pilots. Asuka was vastly peeved and demanded satisfaction for her uncomfortable treatments and being forced to share the same medical ward with the third child. Shinji was just glad to be out of the stuffy white rooms and the truly bizarre tests Ritsuko put them through. Ritsuko's test found nothing yet, during the night both of the children experienced odd sleeping fits. Ritsuko put that in her reports and she knew Gendo already knew everything that could ever happen. As she rattled on about her observers Gendo sat in his desk in the dark empty room with Fuyutsuki standing to his right. She could have almost sworn that his mouth formed into a sort of sneer when she told him about the sleeping fits. She somehow knew this fit into his plan, she just didn't know how.
"Keep us informed doctor" Gendo said and Ritsuko left with the black door sliding behind her returning the room to silence. Fuyutsuki remained standing beside Gendo both seemed lost in thought.
"So...Those that we fought against couldn't stop these from coming either...perhaps even SEELE wasn't ready for this" Fuyutsuki said. Gendo could only nod. But past his white gloves, he was smiling.
---
Misato dropped off her charges at the ground level of the apartment before taking off again. As major she did have a few duties to take care of and she also said the fridge was completely empty, so she'd pick up a few things on her way back.
"Ah finally! It's never been so good to be in this old...mein Gott" Asuka had entered Misato's apartment holding her bags with a look of glee until she saw the mess that awaited her and Shinji inside. Beer cans, garbage bags, dirty dishes, you name it it was probably somewhere in all those piles of junk. Asuka could only stand in the door frame and stare in utter silence.
"Asuka what is it? Let me through it can't be too bad!" Shinji said behind her. Asuka turned around took 2 steps out the door and sat on her bags looking at the ground. Shinji walked through the door and sighed.
"Well...this sure brings back memories..." Shinji stated as he too exited the door ad placed his things against the outside wall. Asuka looked up to him with an odd look of bewilderment on her face.
"You've seen it that bad before?" She stated pointing through the door. Shinji only nodded.
"Actually it's pretty tame from the first day I moved in..." Shinji stated as he begun to "tunnel" his way into the apartment. Asuka stated as Shinji was lost from her view and a lot of shuffling was heard.
"I almost believe your 'war stories' of how long it took you to adjust to Misato...I also believe you about the mess when you first arrived" She said. Shinji poked his head and the door and motioned her inside. Asuka seemed to have awoken from the shock and she grabbed her bags and followed Shinji through the door.
"AHHHH, WHAT DID I JUST STEP ON!!!"
"WARK!!!!!" Shinji could only watch as Pen-Pen unearthed himself under neither Asuka's foot. Asuka settled down and picked up the startled and ruffled penguin. She carried him over to his fridge and he patted her on the shoulder, as if he knew she wasn't at fault. Shinji had already begun massive reconstructing cleaning efforts along the main hall leading to the front door. Asuka never saw Shinji working like this before, it was almost like watching some Anime cartoon as he went about removing garbage, wiping the walls, sorting bags, removing dishes and then vacuuming the regions that were cleared...he just did it so fast. He saw her watching him and made a comment.
"Faster or not with my help doesn't change the fact that it's your turn to do the cleaning she stated pointing at the calender. See? Tuesday, cleaning, Shinji" she said with a dominating smile on her face. Shinji's eye narrowed and said she lost a lot of time and said that it was the 16th not the 15th as she said.
"Urk...Wednesday?" She developed a slight sweat drop at the back of her head. She didn't need to look at the schedule, Wednesday was her chore day. She quickly recovered.
"But your doing such a good job! I wouldn't want to stop my Baka-kun from doing what he's best at!" She smiled feeling like she just avoided a punch to the head.
"Well do you want to help then?"
"What?! You do it, not me!"
"I wasn't talking to you" Shinji pointed past her. Pen-Pen had picked up an over sized broom and had begun managing some of the garbage into piles.
"Dummkopf! a pet doing it's owners duties..." Asuka signed and grabbed the broom from Pen-Pen and helped Shinji. One hour later the apartment was back to what it once was...excluding the new beer stains littering the floor in uneven patterns. Thankfully the mess didn't spread into their rooms else they would have been busy for maybe another half an hour.
"I can see why you got stuck with most of the cleaning chores" Asuka stated sipping her soda. Shinji was also sipping one that was labelled...well it was a by-product of orange juice as far as he knew. He finished his drink and looked over at Asuka who was still looking around at the apartment.
"I should have taken a picture or something. Hikari would never believe me if I told her about this" Shinji only nodded. Thinking he too could have used it to show the dark side of Misato to Kensuke and Togi. Maybe they'd stop swooning over Misato for a day...nah not them. A thought seemed to have surfaced to Shinji's mind, but he drowned it with the reality that the only person he could ask was Asuka. The reality drowned the thought like a brick on a paper boat.
"What is it Shinji?" Asuka had noticed his sudden silence, or maybe even his unasked question?
"Nothing...just thinking...about why...nah it's nothing don't worry" Shinji said. He forgot what the question was too. He held a puzzled look on his face and Asuka stared into him. Growing bored(we all know Asuka's a trouble maker when bored ^.~) she got a few ideas of what he might have thought of and decided to tease him. Why it must have been a day since she last teased him!
"Shhiiiiiinnnjjjiiiiiiii" she drawled out with a slight lisp. Shinji was ripped right out of his thinking as he saw the grin that Asuka wore only when she had some devious plot thought out. Shinji panicked and wondered silently what she was going to do now. He barely stuttered out a reply.
"Y...yea..eah? Asu..k..uka...?" Asuka felt in control again. In fact she felt great! She finally felt 100% invincible.
"So what are your current thoughts about living with a hero?" Shinji blinked a few times stunned...and confused. Where'd she get that idea? She noticed his lack of answer and started to get annoyed.
"I got the angel kill dummkopf!! Or don't you remember?!" Shinji then wondered...was it really that important to argue about...he thought not as he saw her grow annoyed again.
"OHHH YEAH! Excellent work Asuka! Really Good work! Ah I bet it never saw it coming!" Shinji stumbled out strings of words hoping to not piss her off. She caught the last line and decided to hear it wrong. Putting a very Asuka Langley Sohryu face on she bashed her soda onto the table top and stood over Shinji.
"YOU IMPLYING THAT CAUSE YOU HAVE A BETTER SYNC RATE THEN ME, THAT ONLY YOU COULD GET AN ANGEL KILL!?!!?!?" It had the desired effect. Poor Shinji slid back on his seat and nearly was hiding under the table.
"To rectify your insult your going to take me out to the most expensive restaurant in town!" Asuka seemed to cool down a bit having finally gotten Shinji to agree and she finished her drink and winked at him as she left for her room. Shinji only remained in his really uncomfortable hiding positions until she closed the door. He sat down again and breathed a sign of relief. Relief that she hadn't hit him at all and that he was finally without her wrath. However he begun to sweat as he realized he had no money other then what was in his personal account. Didn't EVA pilots get paid!? This is something Misato was going to get an ear full from Shinji. When she got back of course.
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*Hot air Zone detected avert eyes to avoid idiocy*
I'm feeling A-OK! I've gotten my second chapter up and i'm feeling like i'm cruising!...Tell ya da truth? I had started making this fic before I knew how to spell some of the secondary character names correctly so it took me like an hour just fixing all the Aoda and Fuyuski spelling mistakes and such. 8)
So Read review(or flame) I'd love to have a few opinions to work with. I don't plan to reveal any of the secrets that are building up for a few chapters. You'll know when I'm warming up to the idea of spilling the beans when SEELE starts popping in a few times. And don't expect a new chapter soon. I'm sorta gonna be vacationing for a few days. So until then...
~VIVE LA ASUKA!~